"That was a neat little tricky pulled the other night," Aaron told Hermione as soon as they both woke up the next morning.
"Oh, you mean the turning down the sheets and the Scouring Charm," Hermione said after a second of trying to figure out what Aaron was talking about. "They're useful littles spell and part of a whole class of Cleaning Charms that do different things. The Scouring Charm is taught in fourth year. Professor Flitwick who taught it to us actually commented how you want to pay close attention considering the state of some of your dormitories. The fourth year boys dormitory was particularly messy but then with five boys in it what do you expect?"
"Nothing else really, as boys in particular, aren't known for their cleaning habits," Aaron said.
"Except for Harry who is comparatively neat compared to Neville, Ron, Dean and Seamus," Hermione agreed.
"Considering he was made to clean the house in which he lived from what you told me by his aunt and uncle that shouldn't really be surprising," Aaron suggested.
"It isn't," Hermione admitted. "I wouldn't bring up his aunt and uncle if I were you, as his feelings of rather..."
"Ambivalent?" Aaron suggested.
"Good word. Vernon and Petunia are actually really lucky that he hasn't gone after them for revenge," Hermione stated.
"It's clear to me that the Dursleys weren't really parent material from what you've told me," Aaron said. "I actually wouldn't blame Harry for wanting to get revenge but that would just get him in trouble with the Muggle authorities or the Wizarding World ones, maybe both and he has a family to think of."
"He does and you'll meet Daphne and his son James and daughter Lily at some point," Hermione said. "And there's a third baby on the way it won't be long before he's here."
"After all you've told me I know Harry appreciates having so much family now," Aaron said Hermione nodded with a happiness clear in her eyes.
"He does, as his parents never had a chance to have more than him and Dumbledore did his best to keep him insulated. He lost all his family in the war with Grindelwald and then the war with Voldemort. I'm sure we'll never know how much the Dumbledore was really responsible for the death of all his family like his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. He might not of had anything to do with any of the deaths in the Potter family other than his parents James and Lily, but that's more James fault for following Dumbledore's orders and going under the Fidelius Charm. It wasn't so much the charm at fault you know but the Secret Keeper, the person that is chosen to keep the secret. Harry and I learned after the war that it was Dumbledore that insisted it had to be someone in the Order of the Phoenix and while Sirius would've gladly have done it, he thought he was too obvious that he should play decoy. The only problem with that plan, is they told no one, not even Remus Lupin, because it was believed he was the traitor."
"I can see how you're right about wizards not truly thinking for themselves," Aaron shook his head. "Anyone with an ounce of logic would have known what a bad idea it was to keep such a secret in what was effectively a time of war."
"They were just so impressed with their own cleverness and they were also really young, which didn't help the situation," Hermione said. "However, if they had truly thought they never would've done it the way they did, switch in Secret Keeper without telling anyone. If they had told someone like Augusta Longbottom then I doubt Sirius ever would have ended up in Azkaban. If they'd really been smart they would've told several people in authority, not Dumbledore, but someone like Minerva McGonagall would've been a good choice as she's trustworthy and also Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody. Those people I mentioned never would've betrayed Harry's parents or his godfather and would have had the power to get him a fair trial."
"That's in the past love. There's nothing you can do about it now so why get upset yourself by thinking, much less talking about it?" Aaron said.
"Your right, it still just makes me so mad for Harry sake," Hermione said. "That Dumbledore never paid for his actions because he was murdered means there was never truly justice for my friend.
"You need to look at it positively," Aaron said. "You survived, Harry survived and so did his family and most of your friends."
"True," Hermione said her soul feeling lighter with all the confessions she had been making to her mate Aaron Dunin.
"What about some breakfast, as I'm starving," Aaron said and Hermione laughed, as Aaron stomach growled, as if to confirm he was hungry.
"All right, all right, even I can manage eggs, though other than doing things like eggs and bacon I'm not much of a cook as you well know," Hermione said.
"We can just go out to breakfast if you like," Aaron suggested.
"That's OK with me and usually what I end up doing that on at least some days. I also buy things like danishes and donuts from a nearby bakery on occasion. I really do try to watch how much junk I eat however, as I don't want to start gaining weight."
"I don't think that's a problem right now. You look perfect," Aaron said, as he openly admired his mate's slender frame.
"Thank you, but you have no idea what it takes to keep looking this good," Hermione blushed and Aaron's sincere compliment. "I've always envied Harry for his metabolism, as he can eat anything he wants and he never seems to gain an ounce the lucky sod."
Since this was said in an affectionate tone Aaron knew it was admiration Hermione was feeling. Apparently, Harry had just gotten lucky when it came to DNA while Hermione hadn't been so blessed.
"Why don't we go get dressed and go out to breakfast we can save our showers for when we get back," Aaron suggested.
"Sounds good," Hermione agreed. "It's not like we are particularly dirty, as I'm not really the active sort to where I sweat a lot."
The two of them got out of bed and Hermione quickly got dressed in fresh clothes and cleaned Aaron's outfit with a Cleaning Charm to where the dirt and stains disappeared before heading towards Hermione's car to go to breakfast.
~~~Aaron and Hermione~~~
"It's nice to meet you," Harry said shaking Aaron's hand politely.
"It's nice to meet you too," Aaron said sincerely returning Harry's handshake firmly.
"I've been wanting to meet you for sometime," Harry offered. "When Hermione contacted me and said she told you everything I knew it was time."
"She did, though I realize I still have a lot to learn," Aaron said, as the two men, one older, one younger sat in the parlor with Hermione in her favorite chair off to one side. They both looked the same age, even if Aaron was much older than Harry technically.
"That's a good attitude," Harry approved. "That you're willing to learn things about a world not your own says a lot about you as there are some people that don't even bother to learn the bare minimum.
"Ron Weasley," Hermione said with a snort. Both Harry and Hermione knew the example was very apt.
"Yeah, Ron is a bit of a dim bulb," Harry said and Hermione grinned in amusement at that.
"Oh, Ron has plenty of brains. He's just lazy, uncooperative and unwilling to put in the effort required," Hermione corrected Harry with amusement in her tone. "None of the Weasleys are stupid, but I've been wondering for a long time if Ron doesn't have something like down syndrome. It wouldn't be surprising considering the Weasleys had seven children."
"Can magical even get such a disease?" Aaron inquired.
"I actually have no idea," Harry said looking at Hermione.
"Don't look at me, as it's not something I've ever studied. I just never had a need to," Hermione told Harry in an annoyed tone of voice.
"What Hermione Granger is admitting she doesn't know something?" Harry teased her causing Hermione to glare at him only half playfully. "Stop the presses Hermione Granger is actually confounded. She has actually admitted in front of witnesses that there is something she doesn't know. The world must be coming to an end!"
"Oh stop that," Hermione said rolling her eyes. "There are many things I don't know, no matter what you think Harry James Potter. I just never had cause to study that particular subject that's all. There were more important thing to study at school at the time. Things that would have affected our grades for example. I never intended to become a Healer so I saw no point of having that information."
Aaron watched the byplay silently very amused, as Hermione was clearly annoyed at her best friend's gentle teasing.
"All right, all right, I'm sorry," Harry apologized holding up his hands in defense when Hermione glared at him her eyes threatening to hex him into oblivion. It was a look that he had no trouble recognizing and so he hastily apologized. "It's just that you're usually the one that knows everything."
"She'll certainly have time to learn all she wants to know since she's my mate," Aaron offered.
"In other words, her lifespan is going to become indefinite," Harry said in understanding.
"I can't ever let you die," Aaron told, Hermione gently seeing her look.
"But how do you turn someone immortal?" Harry wondered. "I know there are many wondrous things in the world considering Hermione and I are magical, but even though we are longer lived we're hardly immortal."
"It has to do with DNA," Aaron explained as politely as he could.
It didn't take Hermione anytime to work that out and she immediately blushed a bright red all over her face, even her forehead.
Harry took secret amusement in Hermione's embarrassment and even though it took him a little longer to work out what Aaron had said he still did so.
The subject was swiftly changed and both men and ignored Hermione's embarrassment knowing it was probably wise as they didn't want to be in trouble with the brunette haired witch.
"You're welcome to come for dinner anytime you like," Harry told Aaron. "Meet my wife and the rest of the family."
"Harry unlike me is a great cook," Hermione said. "Not that he has much of a chance to cook anymore, but still he does on occasion."
"Why...," Aaron began.
"Because the house-elves don't like it when I take over their jobs," Harry said his tone exasperated.
"They are a species that need to serve someone magical or at least magical places like Hogwarts," Hermione explained before Aaron could even finish the question he was going to ask. "It's a symbiotic relationship. The house-elves take some of the witches or wizards magic in order to stay healthy and Wizarding folks mostly pure-bloods get servants that do basically everything for them, except blow their noses."
"Now Hermione that's a little unfair," Harry chided her gently. "All a house-elf wants is a home. A roof over their head and food in their belly and they think it's punishment if you try to pay them. Giving a house-elf clothes and throwing them out of their home, to break the bond between their employer and themselves is foolhardy in the extreme and will likely lead to their deaths. I will admit that a lot of pure-blood don't treat them very well, but they were also culled during the war, because they're the ones that mostly joined Voldemort.
"Many of the same pure-blood that joined Voldemort also mistreated their house-elves and they received the death penalty for their crimes from the first and second war. Hermione just doesn't like the fact that the house-elves are basically slaves, even though she understands that without a bond they die a painful and lingering death.
"Now Hermione, you know I think of my house-elves as family and I would never mistreat them. You might not like it, but that's just the way it is," Harry told Hermione sternly.
"That's rather interesting," Aaron said.
"Do you know that I offered to set them free them when I first moved into Potter Manor, which is the Potters ancestral home," Harry told Aaron.
"And what did they say to that," Aaron asked watching Hermione closely and saw her wince that was very subtle.
"They started crying and wailing offering to work even harder if I didn't throw them out of somewhere they considered their home. I didn't understand then, that all a house-elf really needs is plenty of work to do and somewhere to call home. They have no need for money. I know Hermione was raised in the Muggle world where you pay for services but really all a house-elf needs are simple and basic. Hermione was with me when I took possession of the same home I was born in, even though my parents were hiding out in Godric's Hollow. If they had hid behind the wards of Potter Manor, they might have lived past that night as the wards around the estate are old and powerful.
"They've been brainwashed to think that way," Hermione protested vehemently.
"Hermione you know that isn't true," Harry told her gently. "In the magical world things don't always work the same way as they do in the Muggle one and you know this. You know what happens when a house-elf is set free from whoever they happen to be working for. Just look at what happened to Dobby and Winky."
Hermione subsided but didn't look happy if the way she was biting her lip was any indication.
"You cannot force your beliefs on everyone," Aaron told Hermione gently. "It sounds to me like these house-elves you mention don't need money at all, but what is basically an exchange of services. Such an arrangement happened often in the far past when somebody went to work for some lord in order to gain their protection, not necessarily to be paid. So long as that person was loyal to the lord and didn't betray them then the lord gave them protection from those that would harm them."
"Also, the house-elf are another species. They aren't human and we shouldn't expect them to want the same things that humans do," Harry added. "We shouldn't push human values on to a different species. I've told you this numerous times, but still, you believe they have been brainwashed into working without pay."
"You have such a kind, caring heart, but you should listen to those that grew up in the magical world, as they know a lot about how things work," Aaron told Hermione. His tone while gentle was full of reapproach.
"Alright," Hermione finally gave in. She knew very well that both Harry and Aaron were very right in what they had said. She would just have to give up the idea that the house-elves needed to be paid for their work or have days off.
As Harry had pointed out on numerous occasions not everybody wanted the same things. He did agree that there needed to be laws, put through about abusing a house-elf and that they needed to be reclassified as sentient beings. He had said that not all of Hermione's ideas were wrong, but that there were some things that that didn't need to be changed.
Hermione remembered how she'd thought she had caused the deaths of numerous house-elves at Hogwarts by knitting little hats for them and leaving them around the common room. It turned out that Dobby had been the one collecting them because the other house-elves refused to clean Gryffindor Tower because of Hermione's hats. Dobby at that point in time had been a free elf, so hadn't been bonded to anyone.
When Hermione had learned of the symbiotic relationships between house-elves and a magical she had been inconsolable for days, as she thought she had caused the death of hundreds of house-elves. That revelation should have taught her that she should leave well enough alone unless she really knew what she was doing and she hadn't known that much about house-elves at the time.
"I know you've raised to believe that everybody deserves to be paid for their work and mostly I agree," Aaron said. "However, as Harry just pointed out house-elves aren't human, which means they won't have the same upbringing or the same beliefs. You, yourself said that it's a symbiotic relationship between a magical and a house-elf. I think what really needs to be changed are the laws not the relationship between master and servant. I am assuming of course, there are no laws protecting beings like house-elves."
"There isn't," Harry said and Hermione nodded in agreement. "It would probably be impossible to get the laws changed considering the Ministry is so corrupt. It's one of the reasons I decided against ever taking a position in the Ministry of Magic. Since Hermione told you everything that happened you should understand that witches and wizards would keep coming up to me to fawn all over me because I was famous. They would want something from me, a favor or want a betrothal contract between one of my children and theirs. No thank you. Since I don't work in the Ministry pure-blood rarely have an opportunity to approach me for any of the usual crap and have to go through Daphne."
"Betrothal contracts? Really?" Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't think those kinds of things existed for the most part anymore."
"They might not in the Muggle world but they do in wizarding Britain," Hermione said.
"Oh, yes, the pure-bloods love their betrothal contracts," Harry agreed with a grimace. "I found a whole stack of them in my vault at Gringotts Bank from pure-bloods I've never heard of and never met. Daphne taught me how to decline every single contract politely. There are apparently a lot of little things you need to know when you are a pure-blood and while I am a half-blood I still need to know a lot of the etiquette because the Potters were once pureblood before my father married my mother. The last of the Potters was apparently quite the prize if the betrothal contracts I got are any indication."
"You're married now though and have been for quite awhile so things like the betrothal contracts no longer matter at least not for you," Hermione said.
"No, now they want me and Daphne to agree to marry our children off when they come of age whether or not they want to. They don't care a thing about love or letting their children make their own choices. They don't even care I am a half blood instead of a Pure-blood and that's mostly because of my defeat of Voldemort."
"You are famous Harry," Hermione told him knowing how Harry would respond.
"That's only because of Dumbledore and you know it Hermione. If the man wasn't dead I guarantee you he would regret having messed with me," Harry said. "I would have challenged him to a duel and made him regret ever messing with my family. He would've been unrecognizable as Albus Dumbledore by the time I was through. He would've been in St. Mungo's for a very long time, but since he's dead and I can't exactly duel a dead man I have no one to vent my ire on," Harry said.
"So when is the wedding, even if I know and just proposed Hermione," Harry added changing the subject.
"That's still to be determined," Hermione said.
"You can send the bills to me," Harry said. "I know we're not technically related, but you're the sister of my heart. I never had a sibling thanks to Voldemort, so I'll happily pay for anything you need."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said getting up and giving her brother in all but blood a hug.
"I was going to pay for everything," Aaron said speaking up, "so maybe we can split the cost. I've made quite the fortune over many hundreds of years."
"We'll talk about it and come to an agreement," Harry said agreeably.
"The ceremony will be Muggle not wizarding," Hermione said. "I just hope my wizarding friends will come or the guest list is going to be awfully empty."
"Daphne, I and our children will be there. I'm also sure that Neville, Hannah and their children will want to be there, even if they need help knowing how to dress like Muggles," Harry said. "Also, Tracy Davis as I know you've become friends with her along with Daphne."
"Also, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sinatra, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid," Hermione listed.
"What you're not inviting Professor Snape?" Harry teased his sister.
Professor Snape had survived the war no thanks to Albus Dumbledore, but then, he was a Slytherin, which meant he was very cunning.
Hermione simply glared at Harry and said in a menacing tone of voice, "Are you are out of your ever loving mind Harry James Potter?"
Aaron said nothing, but he knew that this Professor Snape was not liked by his mate, so there had to be a personal history there, a not nice history.
"Harry, do you really think I want the dungeon bat at my wedding?"
"Well, you're the one that always said that Dumbledore had to have a reason for keeping him at Hogwarts," Harry said.
"While I try to see the best in everyone I gave up on Snape a long time ago, as I believe he's lost cause, even if he was on our side during in the war. I am no longer the naïve young girl that attended Hogwarts," Hermione told Harry firmly. "I don't need Snape sitting there glowering at me when I say my vows thank you very much. I don't need him making snarky and nasty comments."
"I wasn't really serious with my suggestion," Harry said. "Personally if I never see Severus Snape again I'll be happy."
"Good," Hermione said with force.
"I take it neither one of you like one of your former professors," Aaron said breaking into the conversation.
"No," both Hermione and Harry said together.
"Daphne was different, as she was a Slytherin and Snape was their Head of House. Snape treated the Slytherins better than he did the other three houses so Daphne doesn't have the same ambivalent feelings for him that Hermione and I do," Harry said.
"Hermione defended him for a long time, but even she's given up on understanding his attitude," Harry added. "I admit that my father along with my godfather played a lot of mean-spirited pranks on him, but he took it out on me, even though I had no idea who he was when I first started at Hogwarts. Let's just say the Snape can hold a grudge against a dead man for eternity and leave it at that. There's no point in rehashing old and painful history."
"I should be going, as Daphne will be expecting me home soon for dinner," Harry said. "You're welcome to come to dinner today or tomorrow or anytime really. Just give me a little warning as I told you earlier."
"I certainly don't mind, as a good home cooked meal sounds excellent to me," Aaron said. "However, it's Hermione's decision as well."
"We'll come tomorrow night," Hermione decided. "Harry's house-elves are really excellent cooks and that's only if he doesn't take over the meal preparation."
"I like to keep in practice," Harry shrugged modestly. "Daphne and the kids certainly like what I cook and I never have any complaints."
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Aaron said. "While we could afford eat out every day if we wanted to since neither one of us can cook very well there's nothing like a home cooked meal."
"True," Hermione admitted, even as she showed Harry to the front door.
~~~Aaron and Hermione~~~