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Harry peered into the looking glass and with a steady hand, righted his tie. He had a meeting today, one in which Elaine and Corene would remain with him for, and one that'd be at their own home. It was a big change, in truth, for much of the Goldhorn family would be visiting. Harry had sought them out so as to foster relationships between the Goldhorns — who Elaine didn't seem entirely fond of — and his two witches. It was in Harry's mind, a wondrous idea, for the Goldhorns had a completely different circle than Elaine and Corene kept to, and to get their support could make things much, much easier when it came to working in the Ministry.
"Handsome."
He turned to look over at the source of the voice and saw Corene standing in the doorway to the loo. She and Elaine hadn't been around him nearly as oft as they'd previously been since they'd had their little discussion, but the two were never far from him; in Elaine's case especially, that was a good thing. Corene, well, she didn't need the taming that Elaine did.
"And you're very beautiful," his eyes spotted Elaine fixing her brassier, his eyes lingering on her figure for a second. "You both are."
He swore Elaine knew what she was doing. There wasn't any way the little temptress tart didn't… maybe next time Corene wouldn't be idling in the doorway. "They'll be here in a few moments. Join me in the parlour room?"
Elaine, now dressed after the utilisation of no small amount of charms and cosmetic creations of a magical nature, glided past Corene. In doing so, he heard a light-sounding smack and Corene seemed to shift, her lips parting for a moment.
"Escort us," Elaine said despite the happening with Corene, the air about her as innocent as she'd ever make it.
And Harry did so with a smile… and mayhaps a glance at Corene's rear to see just what'd happened; he couldn't tell, but based on Elaine's smirk, he had a good idea.
Corene, Elaine and Harry had reached the parlour room in mere minutes, the trio coming to a halt some few metres away from the Floo connection. The Goldhorns would arrive any moment, and the distance they kept ensured the family a good amount of space to prevent any accidents. Of course, when he'd stopped closer to it earlier, before they'd moved, neither Corene nor Elaine had seemed especially pleased.
It was they that opted to move back, and with each of them holding an arm of Harry's, it wasn't hard for them to co-opt him away so as to stand well clear from the network. As Harry recalled during their time back in Hogwarts, El—
There was a bright, green flash and from out before them stepped a woman, tall and with a matronly smile on her face; Allie, the mother of the Goldhorn family and a woman he thought of fondly. Her hospitality had been especially welcoming when he'd been new in this era.
"Allie," Harry greeted as another flash came out from behind the woman. Another came, and then another, until eventually, most all of the Goldhorn girls were present. Only Sana, the eldest Goldhorn girl, hadn't shown. Webster and Desmon, the two boys of the family, also didn't seem to be in attendance. "Sarah, Katie, Sammi and Kathy. Welcome, all of you. I'm sure you know already, but please, this is Elaine Gaunt, the Minister and my partner—" he gestured to Corene next. "— and this is Corene Carrow, our closest confidant in the Ministry, the third to lead it and my second partner."
He hoped the Goldhorns wouldn't think poorly of him for taking multiple witches. It'd been a fear he'd had regarding just about every person he'd known, and thus far, it'd been a fear that seemed unfounded. Apparently, back in the earliest days, it hadn't been uncommon for wizards of might to have multiple witches for themselves. Some even had gone so far as to claim numbers of magical significance, those being three, seven or thirteen.
Harry blinked, clearing his mind as he took in the looks of the Goldhorn girls. Each was varying, but before he could truly examine them in detail, Sarah's mother spoke. Her voice conveyed a certain level of seriousness, a high degree if he wasn't as thick as he thought himself to be, with a minor, underlying tone of teasing.
"See, girls?" Allie said with a gesture at Harry's person. "Hope remains, as Harry's certainly more than capable of giving multiple witches the affection and love they so deserve. Isn't that right Minister Gaunt, High Advisor Carrow?" ever the troublemaker, Allie seemed completely serious.
Elaine lets out a laugh, albeit through gritted teeth. "A good jest, Lady Goldhorn," Elaine answered.
"A good what?" Allie asked back.
Harry, meanwhile, as the two women went through common courtesies — forced as they seemed on behalf of Elaine — examined the Goldhorn girls. He started with the youngest, Kathy, and like her sister Sammi beside her, the two seemed to have found something funny as they brought their hands up to their mouths and giggled girlishly into them. He remembered the two when they'd been younger by a few years, but Merlin, they've really grown up since then; they looked like Sarah did throughout the various ages.
It was sort of uncanny.
Katie was next. There seemed a sinister grin on her face as she feigned an air of innocence. She'd always been the troublemaker that he'd come to know, and from what Sarah had told him, that came as a result of their older sister, Sana. Apparently she'd been just as troublesome as Katie had oft been, so the jokes and pranks and various devilishness was to be expected.
Sarah, however, seemed the strangest when it came to reactions. There wasn't a laugh or look of levity to her, instead, she was flushed red as a tomato, with her cheeks as blushed as they could likely be. Maybe that'd been why Elaine's words had seemed forced or without a true sense of happiness behind them. It was strange. Maybe Sarah had liked him?
He shrugged internally. No, he doubted she did. If a witch liked him, they'd act like Corene or Elaine.
Right?
It was just then he heard Elaine's final few words with Sarah conclude, the former's hand on the latter's shoulder. "Your mother's jokes are very funny," Elaine said, though he knew her well enough to know just what her tone was indicating; it wasn't amusement.
When the two hugged, he read Elaine's lips.
She's not stealing you.
Harry wanted to fall into bed and stay there for the next day. The meeting with the Goldhorns had gone by as one might expect, that being with no small amount of cattiness between Elaine and the various Goldhorn girls. Corene hadn't been nearly as assertive in the sense of words being spoken, but she didn't leave it to the Goldhorns to guess how close she was to Harry.
Time and time again she'd comment little one-word thoughts aloud; handsome, love, lover and his favourite of all, 'kiss'. It was her solution to the seeming encroachment that she and Elaine seemed to think was happening.
That wasn't all. No. After the Goldhorns had gone, their meeting accomplishing much of what he'd desired, they'd received a missive. It came with the seal of the Carrows stamped atop it, sealing it in that especially satisfying, wax-made way. Inside of the letter was a missive that saw fit to invite the throuple back to that little Canadian island that was owned by France; the island the Carrows practically owned, their tendrils through all echelons of society thereon.
Of course, they accepted the invitation and soon enough, they'd be off to the island. In minutes, really. The three had already gone along and sent their clothes and whatever else they'd need off to the Carrows' island, and as such, all that was left to happen was their use of the inter-continental Floo system.
Harry ran his hands down his shirt so as to smooth it over. Corene's family was very polite, and her mother especially had seemed fond of him on account of what happened to Grindelwald. It was almost like each time he killed a portion of Grindelwald, Corene's mother had grown fonder and fonder of him.
"Are we ready?" he asked with a glance around at the two beautiful witches near him.
Corene nodded. "Ready."
"We're ready," Elaine agreed as she slid her arm through his. "Corene. You first, love."
Love for Corene, Lover for me, Harry mused as Corene stepped up to the Floo. I'll need to come up with something for Elaine… reckon I'll get Corene's help.
He didn't get to ask since she'd already went through the Floo, and when he came out after Elaine, those present and the girl in question herself assured such a question would have to wait.
"Corene," her mother said as she looked the girl up and down. The woman's eyes seemed to focus on the younger girl's stomach, and when they went over to Harry's person, they focused on his eyes; Corene's mothers were piercing as a pike and just as dark as those of her daughter. "Lord Peverell. How many dark-haired beauties do you mean to claim until you're sated?"
His mouth did as a fish's might, opening and closing time and time again. Harry wasn't sure what to say, and Elaine seemed curious, very curious, as she leaned forward.
Silence… silence… and just when Harry made to open his mouth, Corene's Mother did so again.
"A jest," Corene's Mother said as a small, Corene-like smile graced her face.
The man beside her, Corene's father, shook his head with a fond look as he gestured for the throuple to come closer. "Peverell," he said with a fatherly fondness as he motioned them closer still. "When am I to have a grandchild?"
"Père!" Corene's Mother exclaimed, slapping the man's chest. She turned back to look at the throuple. "You must forgive the directness of Corene's Père. We yearn for grandchildren, but I recognise it is no easy task — have you had my Corene? Will it be soon?"
Harry nodded to himself.
Yup, he said in doing so. I want to die.
Corene's Mother — Sabine he'd come to learn — and her father, Gael, were deadly serious. They wanted grandchildren from their Corene, now his and Elaine's Corene, and they wanted them as quickly as possible.
He co—
Corene spoke as one of her mother's hands came to clutch her free one. "If it pleases Harry, Maman, Père, I would be happy to try for children more often. It is a desire I share with you. Unfortunately, the limitations of my body have begun to shine through, for I lack the physical resistance to exertion that Elaine and Harry possess, and so my stamina sees that I retire earlier than they."
Her father didn't seem overly fond of this, but her mother, Sabine, nodded seriously. "You are but human, daughter," the woman then motioned for the throuple to follow after her. "Come, children," she said with that same fond look on her face. "We have more to discuss. Baby names come to mind before all else."
Harry couldn't help but blink. Again. He wasn't certain he'd heard them right, but seeing as Corene and Elaine followed after them, he figured he'd do the same; while doing so, he couldn't help but think just what he'd done.
Corene and Elaine, his witches. They'd run off just about any other, shown their jealousy and their possessiveness, their love and affection, and their uniqueness despite how similar the two acted and appeared.
He'd truly become one of the luckiest wizards, and Merlin, he hoped he'd get more of those Corene-like moments the same way he'd get randomly snogged by Elaine. Harry had to admit, the quirks each of his witches had, were great.
"... dozen."
Harry blinked when he'd heard the word, his thoughts finally finishing themselves off.
Corene and Elaine shared a look, and therein, seemingly, a small conversation. The pair finished and looked over at Harry then, with the former speaking whilst the latter licked her lips.
"Agree?"
"Sorry?" he asked.
"Proposal. A dozen children for Elaine and I each," Corene cocked her head, waiting for an answer that Harry hadn't so much as formulated yet.