They hadn't made it even to the end of the week and Double Potions before Hermione found the perfect ritual in the Hogwatts Library.

Of course, the girl she'd been before coming to the school would have never dreamed of asking a boy to become her Vassal, but that was a girl who hadn't been singled out in a humiliating way by an ancient Hat and had her tidy world completely overturned.

Harry wanted two things, a return to normalcy (which she wished for devoutly as well) and to please Hermione. He was, still, worryingly dependent on her. The one thing he still baulked at was when she tried to make him explain himself, but she dragged most of his history out of him. It really was like something out of the early 19th c., she thought.

No wonder. No wonder he's like this. A literally loveless, friendless life. And now, everyone expects miracles from him. I'm - I'm all he has. I'm really all he has.

She resolved much harder to make sure Harry branched out and acquired a network of friends. Which I'm such a marvel at doing. But now I have even more incentive.

They really didn't have a lot of extraneous politeness between them when they had a task to do.

Bareheaded and weaponless, she thought. I guess as long as he puts his wand away and doesn't wear the Hat, we should be good to go. The thought made her smile.

"We begin the commendation of Harry James Potter," she said, aloud.

Harry knelt before her with his hands raised up. Hermione gathered them in hers.

"Wait," said Harry. Sometimes, though not often, he would remember something she'd disregarded. She looked back over the previous page. Aha, in a magical commendation, the vassal held his wand up. I guess it's not a weapon, or they didn't want to use 'Muggle ways', she reasoned.

Harry fetched his wand, knelt in front of her again, and held it up.

"Dost wish to be my man, Harry James Potter?"

"In sooth, I do."

They both felt a warmth coming from where the wand was in his hands and those hands were in hers, so they decided they were doing all right so far.

"Thou hast paid homage," she finished. She anointed his head with Standard Potions water. It was the closest to Muggle holy water she could come up with at short notice. In fairness, it really did feel magical to Hermione's touch.

"I promise on my magic that I will in the future be faithful to my Lady, never cause her harm and will observe my homage to her completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit."

At that, she told Harry he could rise, which he did. They both felt a change in their magic. That was a surprising outcome for such a short, unadorned ceremony.

"It's really, really strange, Hermione. Bizarre. It's like you're a campfire and my magic warms itself near you, I don't know how to put it in a good way so you'd get what I'm feeling."

For her part, Hermione felt hyper-aware of Harry. She also felt more comfortable, paradoxically, with being the Lady of House Granger and Harry being the lone Vassal.

Which is ... is good, right? she thought.

She had meant to show Harry another book on magical Houses and investitures in them. Now, where was it?

"Oh, crickets, I left it in the library! I really wish I hadn't. I'd love to have it to show you, Harry," she complained.

And Harry disappeared,

He was back after a quarter of a minute with the very book in hand.

Hermione couldn't say anything, her mouth flew open and nothing came out.

Finally, she got out a feeble "How?":

"It's like that ceremony made my magic work extra hard," Harry said. His eyes were bright and he seemed very pleased, if a little excessively lively.

He'd told her about accidentally apparating before, but this was Hogwarts! Where, according to Hogwarts: A History, you couldn't apparate within its walls.

"I'm too tired to think," she finally declared. "We'll talk tomorrow, Harry, but thank you for getting the book!"

"You are very kind, thanking me," Harry said. Hermione cringed. Not this, again.

"... Great Mistress Hermione Granger Ma'am" he continued.