On Other Questions
Finally, Harry returned, Parvati and Bill in tow.
"What's going on?" said Percy.
"About what you predicted," said Harry.
Bill had been in the process of sitting down, but stood up again, shouting, "What?"
Harry sighed.
"Hmm," said Percy, "I make a lot of predictions, which one?"
Harry snorted, "just … wait for a second and I'll get to that, Hmm." Then he started talking louder, to all of them, "You all know me well enough to know I don't appreciate my fame, and I hate being stared at by strangers, but here, in this house, is just about the lowest concentration of strangers I know of, so … for a moment at least I don't mind you staring if you want."
The twins laughed, everyone else just looked bemused.
"(Umm, actually it's you listening that I want, not necessarily staring, but whatever.) The reason, that you're not strangers is because each of you at one time or another offered me help or advice, or a safe place to live, together we've killed a troll, rescued students and dragons, and sometimes professors, killed a basilisk, caught a rat, planned the killing of a different dragon, rescued more people, given tutoring and received tutoring. I could never repay all that. And I hope the Families of Potter and Black can always remain allies with the Family of Weasley."
"You suck at making toasts," said Percy, "You should practice just writing them first."
"Shut up," said Charlie.
"I could use a drink," said Bill.
"Let him finish," said Charlie.
Harry crossed the room to Ginny, Parvati followed close after and stopped just to his left.
He held out his hand to Ginny.
She took it, thinking he was going to help her up, perhaps to use her for a prop during the next part of his speech, but he didn't, he smiled and put his other hand over the top of hers.
"Ginny," he said, "one of my best friends, and one of the strongest and most practical women I know, You've come so far in the time I've known you, and I'm sure you're going to become even more worth knowing as time goes by."
Ginny gave him a raised eyebrow.
He put one of his knees on the floor.
Oh Merlin, oh Circe, oh Merlin, oh Circe, oh Merlin, oh Circe, is this really happening?
Parvati is going spare.
Then it must really be happening.
"You're already my—our friend," said Harry.
Parvati knelt beside Harry, except she put both her knees on the floor. Feeling faint, or showing some kind of respect?
Parvati's right hand wrapped around her left elbow the way she did when she was feeling for her wand and Harry's mark and… focus Ginny.
"Would you also do me, do us the honour of being our ally? Would you do me the favour of being my wife?"
Ginny was trembling, and her tongue was too numb to move. And she had something that wasn't a normal kind of lump in her throat.
I can't talk.
"Would you be willing to take up the honour and responsibility to be my Lady Potter?"
I'm a Weasley and a gryffindor, I don't turn down respon—… Oh … that's …
Ginny needed two centring breaths before she remember that even if she couldn't talk, she could still nod.
So she did that.
Harry beamed. Padma sighed. In the background, the twins started jumping and cheering. But somehow she couldn't hear them properly. Just the whoosh and thump of her own rushing blood.
Parvati smiled and ducked and crawled under the bridge made of Harry's arms clasping Ginny's hand. She grabbed Ginny's other arm and drag her to her feet.
Ginny let herself be dragged to her feet, whereupon Parvati wrapped her in a very tight hug. And then Harry's arms went around them both.
This was even less what she expected, but at least it felt like safety instead of like embarrassment. The ringing in her ears gradually faded.
"Hmm, what?" said Ginny.
"Lady Potter," whispered Parvati, "I'm Lady Black."
Harry cleared his throat.
"Future Lady Black," Parvati corrected herself, then muttered even more quietly, "Not that I'm letting anyone close enough to my contract for it to ever get annulled."
"Oh," said Ginny, "Hmm, since when?"
"About three hours ago," said Parvati.
Trying his best to have only one anniversary to keep up with, I see, he's cleverer than I thought.
"Best presents ever this year," whispered Parvati, "A husband and a little sister." And squeezed Ginny again.
And Parvati looked for all the world like she is going to try to start snogging me in a second or three. Was this the same Parvati who always turned away at even the mention that Susan or Ginny or Luna might sometimes snog or make out?
But she acted … less horny toward Harry also. But that had been much more obviously only an act. Perhaps it was only a philosophical preference against showing off where people could see … or against allowing physical attachment where … legal attachment wasn't guaranteed, and now at least, legal attachment…
"Can we back up a moment?" said Ginny.
"What?" said Harry.
"I'm only fourteen," said Ginny, "don't you have to ask my parents or something?"
Harry pulled a roll of parchment out of his satchel and held it out to her, "I already did, You need to read this, and either sign it, or tell your parents or Bill, what is wrong with it, so that they can rewrite the relevant portion, and complain to Sirius so he can argue back or bring it to me to agree to your changes."
"Oh," she said, "I ah … don't really read Contract, that's what Hermione and Padma are for."
"And Bill and your dad," said Harry, "under the circumstances, you should seek explanations from not just me."
"Oh," said Ginny and looked at Bill.
"Is it the same as Parvati's?" said Padma.
"Mostly," said Parvati.
"Baring the bit about the secondary inheritance of the ruler-ship of the family of Patil, and that she is the secondary ruler of the Family and House of Potter and Pro Tem Ruler of Black, instead of the reverse, yes, same as Parvati's."
Padma nodded, "It's probably fine, but… you should read it anyway, and so should Harry."
"Oh, good point," said Harry.
"You didn't already read it?" said Ginny.
"I did before I signed it. I have not yet reviewed it for additions or deletions. Not that I would suspect Mr. Weasley or Bill of such without mentioning them right away at the next meeting, but under the circumstances of asking you to sign, Ginny, I ought to be sure it is still a document I would wish for you to sign."
In the edge of her vision, Bill spluttered, then grunted and nodded grudging approval.
Parvati opened her mouth to insert something but then decided against it. Had she been reading it while she waited for Bill and Harry to finish arguing?
"I see, I think," said Ginny. She didn't really want to read it right now, but then, she wasn't sure what else she should be doing instead.
Parvati was again looking like she was trying to decide between a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips.
Better set that tradition in order right away.
Ginny kissed Parvati on the cheek and pushed her away. Parvati held on just long enough to kiss Ginny's cheek, then stepped back. Harry stepped smoothly between them and turned to face the room, then put an arm each around Parvati's and Ginny's shoulders.
"Mother-in-law," Harry bobbed his head like some confused kind of curtsy, "brothers-in-law, from December 1991 until very recently, you were the closest thing to family, and basically the only reference point for what a family is, that I'd ever had. I'm very happy that now I can call you family for real. May I present my fiancees Parvati, future Lady Black, and Ginny, future Lady Potter."
"Oh, is that what all the extra kneeling and whispering was about," said Percy.
"Is that even legal?" said Ron.
"Yes, but frowned upon," said Percy, "and depending on which method Lord Black chose to make Harry his heir, it might be required."
"Weird," said Ron.
"Conversely," said Percy, "polyandrous marriage also is frowned upon, but actually legal in the opposite circumstance, that neither man is the first or second heir of an established family."
"You hear that, Fred?" said Fred, "fancy sharing a bird with me?"
"Shove off, George," said George, "I reckon I can catch my own bird."
"Sure," said Fred, "But what if my bird likes to share?"
"Then … there are only a few circumstances under which you ought to be mentioning that fact…"
"Like making Mum and Percy blush?" said Fred.
"Well, yes, obviously," chuckled George.
Percy chased them out.
Ron came over with a strange expression, and against all odds, held out his hand.
Ginny took it and they shook, "Ginny, Take care of my best friend," he said.
"I plan on it," said Ginny.
Then he moved on and shook Harry's hand, "Take care of my sister," he said, "I may not fight as well as you, but I can always get the drop on you, assuming Ginny doesn't get to you first."
"First of all, yes of course I will. Second of all, yeah, right, since when?"
Ron raised an eyebrow, "How many hands do I eat with?"
Harry frowned, they stared at each other, "What?" said Harry.
"How many hands do I eat with?" said Ron.
"One, … left hand," said Harry, "Wait, since when?"
"What do you think I'm doing with the other?" said Ron.
Harry shrugged, then shivered, "Since when?"
"Since a couple of weeks after the twins brought home their first set of properly matched wands."
"Hmm?" said Harry.
"Constant vigilance," said Ron, "Mum and Percy aren't enough to keep the twins in check, Ginny and I have to help in our own small ways. You didn't think she was always about a year or two ahead in defensive charms by accident."
Harry shivered, "An entirely new meaning behind coming to school with legacy wands," said Harry.
Ron smirked, "too true."
"And the intentionally oppressive insistence on following the letter of the reasonable statute for underage magic," chimed in Percy,
"To be fair," said Charlie, "The twins were just imitating their big brother."
Harry sniffed twice, "I smell mens rhea, does anyone else smell mens rhea."
"Definitely," said Padma.
Bill awkwardly stifled a chortle and glared at the ceiling.
This could get really awkward really fast, or … I could … change the subject? "Come on Bill, Harry," said Ginny, "give me a tour of this contract. Kitchen table?"
"Certainly," said Bill, and led the way.
Ginny followed but grabbed Harry's hand as it slipped off her shoulder and led him along.
As they walked away Ron continued behind her, "Parvati, take care of your new little sister, she's … a good kid, but prone to violence."
"Ah," said Parvati, "but then, so am I, I think we'll make a great team."
Ginny noticed the options of laughing, or trying to defend herself, which would for sure leave her blushing, or just pretending she hadn't heard. She decided to pretend she hadn't heard.
.
Ten minutes later Parvati came in and held her shoulder, Ginny looked up.
"Luna has invited us to her house, may I go?"
This was an interesting bit of deference, after a few seconds Ginny understood, that this was not a request from a stranger for permission to visit her friend Luna. This was a request for permission from a partner to skip out on a contract negotiation meeting. A contract that Parvati was probably bored of by now, and Harry and Bill were already explaining it well enough.
"Go ahead, Parvati," said Ginny, "We'll catch up when we're done here, assuming that you're not back before that."
.
After reading, deciphering and agreeing to a long and complicated but somehow not boring contract, Ginny said, "while I agree or at least mostly agree with everything in this, hmm, can I have a day or two to think about it."
"Yes," said Bill, "Is there anything that you already see that is in it you wish was not, or not in it that you wish was?"
"Not exactly," said Ginny.
He was giving her a strange look.
"If you'd asked me if I was willing to share, I'd have said no, but, Parvati is one of the very few people I don't mind sharing him with."
She turned and stared at Harry, "I'm sharing you with Padma also aren't I? Just not as a wife?"
"Yes," said Harry, "Her contract makes her the head of Family Patil within the House of Black. And it gives her breed rights with me, until and unless she finds another consort to marry, but you and Parvati have some veto over scheduling."
Ginny nodded, "I figured it was something like that. How much veto?"
"I'm going to simplify it to something like, you can say 'not this week,' or 'not this month,' but not both and not twice in a row, or something."
"With some sort of goal that we can't stop her from getting a kid when she wants one but can stop her from hogging you, even a little bit?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Good," said Ginny.
And I already heard Sirius yelling at you about Susan's contract, so there's nothing more to be said about it.
"Good," said Ginny again, and leaned in to kiss him.
They snogged for a good twenty seconds before Bill pulled the contract away and rolled it up, muttering a little.
They broke it off. And Ginny accepted the rolled-up parchment and held it while Bill slipped the binder ribbon around it again.
"Just to make sure you know," said Ginny, "you don't get a third wife, not without a unanimous vote from all your, our heads of families."
"Certainly," said Harry, "With you and Parvati, I cannot imagine what anyone else could bring to the table that could entice us that much."
"Not even Hermione?"
"She wants what she wants, and what she wants isn't her little stepbrother. Also between you and Parvati, the only thing she has that we don't is a fractional bit more pushiness, and vaguely an order of magnitude faster at re-calculating ethics when additional information becomes available."
"And Luna?"
"Luna is already our thrall, at least until she grows up enough to let her mark evaporate."
Ours enough for getting along with, and possibly not ours permanently.
"What is the correct word anyway?" said Ginny, "For Parvati and I to refer to each other?"
"Hmm?" said Harry.
"It's not 'wife' is it?" said Ginny, "That seems way too easy."
Bill huffed, "'sister-wife' and 'sister-in-law' are both used. So is 'rival wife,' though that generally is reserved for the context of at least one, if not all, of them are slaves with no standing except by maintaining the good favour of their husband."
Ginny snorted, and put her nose in the air, "Lady Potter is above such petty bickering."
"Lady Potter nee Weasley' your artistic talent with sarcasm is legendary," whispered Harry.
Ginny grunted, "Oh, you."
"Me," Harry agreed and bent to try to kiss her again. She went with that until her neck started getting sore, so she pulled back.
Harry didn't open his eyes right away, Ginny snapped her fingers in his face.
He opened his eyes.
"Get my-sized," she said imperiously.
It took him a moment to understand that, then he frowned and looked around, "Here?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "is that secret not available to Weasleys?"
Bill perked up and stared at them.
Harry shrugged, "Lots of people have learned the spell by now, I don't know who can't change size by now."
"Well?" said Ginny.
Harry shrugged, "I just … didn't want to be known to have learned it straight from … who I learned it from."
"Who did you learn it from?" said Ginny.
Harry smirked and shook his head. "Right, so … we're saving a demonstration of that trick for a year or so?"
"Yeah."
Ginny shrugged, "alright, Let's go find Luna."
They went.
"What do you suppose that was about?" said Bill, as they left.
Of course, Mum didn't know either.
.
...-...
The Sharing of Magic
They found Luna and the Patil twins in a library that Ginny usually did her best not to get dragged into. Obviously with Parvati not knowing any better and with the ravenclaws outnumbering her two to one, they'd ended up here.
Regardless, Luna was happy to see them and waved them over.
Padma barely looked up from the pantheon almanac she was pouring over, Parvati on the other hand grinned happily at them, and waved Ginny over. She had picked one of the best spots, the yeti skin rug, with a permanent cushioning charm so deep it was easy to trip in where it sank a bit below floor level.
Harry was frozen, looking around like he hadn't been in this room yet, Ginny let go of him and went to Parvati, who scooted farther over to make room. Ginny kicked off her shoes and sat down into the impossibly soft and implausibly warm fur.
Parvati smiled and glanced cross-eyed to Harry and back, then whispered, "have you done anything special to commemorate signing?"
Ginny shook her head, her mouth dry.
"Are you going to?"
"I haven't signed yet," said Ginny, then looked at her hand, which still held her contract.
"Oh!" said Parvati.
"I was going to leave this in my room before I …"
"Don't worry about it," said Parvati, "You'll decide when you're ready, do you want me to protect it until you're ready?"
"Sure, I guess," said Ginny.
"What hmm—?" Parvati asked.
"Sardonyx," said Padma, "silver and gold."
Parvati's eyes went wide, then they rolled back and to the side.
An eye twitch to that side means lying, according to Percy, except Parvati wasn't saying anything, and her smile… no that eye twitch means creativity in general, she should know, she was used to it from most of her brothers. And not all 'making something up' was malicious.
Parvati's eyes rolled back to Ginny and she examined Ginny's chin, then unbuttoned Ginny's top button, and ran her fingers along her neck and collar bone.
"Parvati?" said Ginny.
Parvati focused on Ginny's eyes, "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Planning," said Parvati, "what password do you want?"
Lady Potter? No, too easy to guess.
The true art of sarcasm? No, that might only be funny or even meaningful enough to remember for a day or two.
"Leona's height," said Ginny.
Parvati's eyes popped open, she smirked, and nodded, and tapped her wand to Ginny's contract. It shrank in Ginny's hand but grew denser and colder. She looked at it. A choker necklace to match Parvati's, except Parvati's was light purple pearls set in flat gold rectangles, and Ginny's was alternating orange and tan sardonyx set in alternating gold and silver squares.
It was beautiful.
"Oh, wow," said Ginny. And it was not clearly the destructive act that Ginny should have been on guard against if she'd really believed that Parvati was a 'rival wife'.
"You'll need your password to cancel the transfiguration," said Parvati, "and it's got the standard marks to tell jeweller's not to bother trying to melt it down because it's only transfigured."
"Oh, alright," said Ginny.
"May I put it on you?" said Parvati.
Ginny opened her mouth.
"No, me," whispered Luna.
"Huh?" said Parvati.
"Your maid of Honour?" whispered Luna, "me or your sister-wife?"
Ginny blinked, "Not sure … err … yes, Luna, you may." She held it out.
Parvati didn't seem to mind. Or rather … that narrow-eyed smile seemed to mean … that she minded, in general, but not Luna in particular. Hmm, there might be a pattern that I should recognise.
Luna took it and looped it around Ginny's neck. And got it clasped. Luna's fingers were almost as cold as the necklace.
As soon as Luna leaned back to admire, Parvati leaned in and kissed Ginny lightly on the lips, and pulled away, "But you will be my sister, right? Even if that contract proves, unsatisfactory?"
Ginny stared at her for a second, then nodded. I already said I … would marry Harry. She wants to know, what I want to know, that we'll be sister-wives, not rival wives.
"Yes," said Ginny, "I want you for my sister-wife, not merely my sister-in-law."
"Good," said Parvati, and leaned close, and waited.
They caught each other glancing at the other's lips, then Ginny caught Parvati: waiting for permission this time. Interesting, why this time and not before?
Ginny leaned in. She kept her lips almost firm, the way Luna and Harry liked, Parvati seemed to appreciate it and let Ginny probe deeper, after several seconds, she opened her mouth farther and leaned closer, requesting more but letting Ginny set the rhythm. Like Harry then, that first time, Letting Ginny decide how far to go and what to do.
When they ran out of air and leaned back, Ginny wasn't sure what to expect next, Perhaps for Parvati to roll over and invite Ginny to climb on top, or Harry to insert himself for a turn or… sex really was a two person-act, maybe her idea of happiness orchestrated for three wasn't possible. Maybe that ideal really did max out with co-sleeping side-by-side.
She looked around, Luna was still kneeling nearby watching, Padma was still on the couch with her book. But Harry had crossed the room to stand behind Ginny. He'd taken off his shoes and coat, but he didn't seem in a rush to take control.
Ginny met his eyes, "are you feeling left out?"
"No," he said and crouched, then knelt behind her, with one knee on each side of her back. He leaned far enough to the side to kiss her, she leaned back to snuggle into his chest, and as soon as they had a good posture to explore each other's lips and tongues, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Compared to Luna and Susan, he was very gentle. Compared to everyone except Susan and maybe Parvati he was warm. She wasn't sure if he was warmer than Parvati or not. Parvati would say something about an active lifestyle and elevated metabolism.
Parvati's shadow and breath signalled how close she was, looking for another turn, Ginny opened her eyes to check. She was even closer than Ginny had expected. There wasn't room for …
But apparently, there was room for three mouths to connect. After only a few seconds, it became obvious that Parvati had claimed her bottom lip and left her top lip for Harry and … they both were focused on her, and only peripherally on each other and …
Ginny found her hands writhing, almost as if not under her control, but she knew what they wanted, and it only took a bit of concentration to bring them back under control and start unbuttoning her dress.
Then her hands were inside, one against her chest, stroking the warm leather of her underthing, dragging it against her breasts, and one between her legs, pulling the leather up and out of the way so she could try to relieve the tension of … everything the kissing promised.
Parvati's hand, gentle and sure, slid under the leather but did not seek her privates, only up to cup her belly. And as a side effect pushed Harry's arms up a little and held the material out of the way for Ginny's questing fingers, which had now resumed their almost automatic rubbing.
Ginny opened her eyes again and found Parvati's eyes, almost closed and staring vaguely at Ginny's cheek.
Ginny got control of her hand again and reached for Parvati's chest, but instead found her wrist. They both froze, and Parvati's eyes opened and questioned.
Ginny dragged Parvati's hand to her breast, Parvati smiled, which felt weird against her bottom lip. And she stroked where Ginny had directed. She pulled her face far enough away to watch what she was doing, and what effect it was having on Ginny.
One of Harry's hands relaxed from around Ginny's middle and lifted to cup Ginny's other breast.
She sighed, then tilted her head to catch his bottom lip, the way Parvati had just been holding and exploring hers.
He went still, then closed his eyes, that might be a good sign. From Parvati's grin, it probably was. Then Harry jerked away and panted.
"Was that alright?" said Ginny.
"Very," panted Harry, "Too much, give me a minute." He let go of her and scooted away and adjusted his legs. Adjusted his pants.
Ah.
Ginny smiled.
Parvati's eyes smiled, even as her mouth worked. Trying to shape unfamiliar concepts into words.
Ginny waited.
"Sister-wife," Parvati whispered. And her fingers resumed their gentle wiggling on her belly.
Ginny raised an eyebrow.
One of Harry's hands reached out and rested on Parvati's knee.
"My sister-wife," said Parvati.
Ginny wondered where this was going. "My sister-wife," she said in return, "and big sister."
Parvati nodded, "My friend."
Ginny nodded.
"My ally in supporting Harry, and my partner with him in protecting Padma and Luna, and ally with them in protecting all of Harry's muggles."
"Harry has muggles?" said Ginny.
Parvati shrugged, "according to my dreams he does."
"Oh," said Ginny. She glanced at Luna, who nodded.
Alright… well then.
"My friend," said Parvati again, "My ally."
Ginny nodded.
"Our wife," said Parvati.
Yeah.
"Our," Harry agreed, murmuring from right behind Ginny's ear.
For a second, Ginny imagined he was going to kiss her again, but before she could move to signal her approval of that idea, Parvati's hand slipped downward, tracing a patch from just above her navel, down and down until her knuckles were seeping down and around Ginny's own hand, to knead Ginny's folds and working around toward her clit. Maybe she'd put her hand on Ginny's stomach first to make sure her fingers were warmed up.
But that did not explain the icy, burning itch that her hand had left behind, as if she'd scraped Ginny's belly raw with her nails. Except Parvati had trimmed her long fancy nails as short as Ginny had ever seen them. Were they always short after Christmas Hols? Were they always short after hols in general? Oh, did she work when she was at home the same way I do. At odds with her glamorous persona at school and…
Never mind that, why does my belly itch and ache like most of my skin had been ripped out and used for a wand handle cover then replaced after … a dark ritual so big that most of the participants would be laid up for days from magical exhaustion, and all that magic had been pushed through my skin, before the wand had been dismantled, and my skin put back where it belonged and healed completely at the physical level, but …
Ginny looked. She had a sher mark. But it wasn't traced in bold black with green iris lines, it was traced in sparkling silver, and the turquoise of the iris lines made her think of aged bronze.
She looked up, and saw that the mark on Parvati's ear wasn't just green, was no longer hidden.
It was gold.
She breathed in, and it felt like the magic in the skin of her belly wanted to mix with the magic inside.
She shivered and turned her eyes to Parvati's, "You marked me."
"Our Wife," said Parvati, as if to remind her that … was what Ginny had agreed to, and the moment of agreement, and … the sparkle of that decision and …
"Your wife," she agreed, tasting the plural in the 'your' even as her mouth said it in a language that had worn away the ability to express the difference. Would this conversation be better in Welsh? Can I find a way to offer to teach that to them without coming off as arrogant or pushy or hopelessly lower caste? No, think about that later, where were we?
"Your wife," she said again, careful to mean it the way she meant to mean it.
There was a sensation of paths not taken. Paths she had not seen but had been led away from, and now she was safe from them. Mostly safe from them, it wouldn't do to look at them too closely, it would be good to glance just long enough to guess their direction, then fly the opposite way at full speed. Which of her friends had led her away from the danger?
She glanced at Harry, but she didn't just see, 'Harry' and she barely saw, 'the boy who lived,' mostly she saw 'Lord Potter and Heir Black' that she'd never tried to recognise before, and now glimmering around the edges, she saw, "Our Husband."
Harry's eyebrows twitched, and he smiled and nodded. And glanced to Parvati and back.
Ginny glanced to Parvati and saw Parvati, the fashion aficionado, (and assessor of fraught social situations, even if the only action she normally took was reporting optimal paths forward to Padma or Harry). but just now Ginny saw especially, "Our wife," this time she caught herself saying it out loud.
Parvati nodded and grinned. Then her eyes twitched sideways towards her ear. Which seemed to glow brighter.
"Are you alright?" said Harry.
"A very different sense of teamwork appears," said Parvati, "somehow linked to my magic instead of my sense of duty."
"Hmm?" said Harry.
"That wearing things and carrying 'things and people' along, can be a method of care, healing, and … exhortation, instead of only a method of strength and co-protection."
"I was about to say the opposite," frowned Ginny, "You like quidditch pads?"
Parvati stared at her, "Your animal is a messenger of the sky, for all that it is a horse?"
Ginny shrugged and nodded, "for all that it mostly looks like a horse."
Parvati nodded, then shrugged and scratched her wrist.
"What's that?" said Harry.
"What's what?" said Parvati.
Harry grabbed her hand and turned it over. On the web of her thumb, almost in her palm was the outline of a silver pentagon, except the sides were concave, and one side was mostly missing. "Is that new?" said Harry.
"Yes," said Parvati.
He held Parvati's hand out to Ginny, "Yours?"
She looked at it, then shrugged, "No idea … is this how one normally finds out what one's mark is?"
"No," said Padma, "usually one finds out in April of your fifth year, and only if one is a runes student, and cares to learn the meditation and do the ritual."
"Do you know yours?" said Parvati.
Padma nodded.
"Already?" said Parvati.
"Yeah, kind of a fractal monkey face, the chin and smile of one layer, becomes the two tails of the smaller picture, the little faces of the small picture make the eyes and top of the nose of the large picture. The irises of the big picture become the line of the bottom nose and top lip of the smaller picture, become the embracing arms of the smaller monkeys."
"Oh, hmm," said Parvati.
But Ginny ignored whatever they argued about what it meant, besides that Padma's animagus form was a monkey; instead, she stared at Padma, and realised she knew things that she had no logical way to know:
That Padma was also Ginny's sister-wife, and was glad of it, even if she would rarely say so. That Harry's mark was low in the middle of her back, that there was room on each side of it for a mark from Ginny and Parvati, maybe someday one from Susan and Luna and someone else to form a complete belt.
That Padma would like to receive those marks, as long as they meant protection and camaraderie, not enslavement. Except they would mean enslavement, but as long as each of them was careful not to call in favours that they didn't need. Padma's life wouldn't be made miserable by un-meet-able expectations and …
Wait for a second, if Harry's mark wasn't the only thing she was newly aware of, Ginny turned around and looked at the tent mark on Parvati's thumb, but that magic wasn't centralised there, she took hold of Harry's wrist and Parvati's wrist and pulled Parvati's hand out of Harry's hand.
Harry's thumb was marked also, but it barely sparkled.
Why barely?
"What?" said Harry.
"My mark is on your thumb too," said Ginny.
He looked, "I don't see it."
"Your marks mean, that you said, 'mine' and they—we each agreed?"
"Yes," said everyone.
"Under my protection," said Harry.
"Worth my advice and assistance," whispered Parvati.
"Are you sure that's not my line?" said Padma.
Parvati shrugged.
Parvati, Our wife. Harry, our husband.
What had she meant? What had she meant differently, between the two of them?
Care, and friendship, Towards Parvati. Direction, safety, an anchor point in battle and games of social capital, and care, but …
She'd long wanted to care for Harry Potter the unfortunate but plucky orphan-who-solved-things-for-people. But the real Harry hadn't needed her to adopt him. Yes, that once, lobbying with Ron and her for her parents to act but not care directly, but … now he was hers, hers to care for, because he sort of still didn't have anyone else, and sort of he'd picked her for the role and by doing so distanced himself from all the others.
And Parvati talked about advice and assistance, which wasn't at all the same thing.
My husband.
Harry gasped, then rubbed his thumb, then shivered, then looked up into her eyes.
"What's it mean?" he said.
"Mine to care for," said Ginny.
His eyes went wide. He dropped his hand into his lap and kept staring at her.
The mark was black on the web of his thumb and clear enough to see that the lines were the impossibly long legs of an astropin, with a tiny body at the apex, with head and mane in front, and wings and tail in back.
"What's the difference between silver and black?" said Parvati.
"I assumed the same as between gold and black," said Harry, "Whether the one marked has only the authority to call for help, or also to help enforce the help offered by the mark in question."
Parvati fingered her ear thoughtfully, which sent an odd sensation through Ginny's belly, which no longer stung nearly so much.
I welcomed Parvati to help me care for herself and Harry, I need to welcome Harry to help me care for Parvati and … and all of Lion's-Keep and the Potter muggles I haven't met yet. But … how can I … I have to … I… What good is his protection without knowing how to care … but … I guess I might have to teach him.
Harry and Parvati flinched.
"Gold," breathed Harry and looked at Parvati.
"Yeah," whispered Parvati. And looked at Ginny.
"Means … you're mine to take care of also?"
Ginny nodded.
Parvati smiled. Then reached out and lifted Ginny's shirt again. And traced the silver outline, then looked at Harry, "I cannot make it gold, I think you have to."
"Ah," said Harry, and tipped his head to the side, then crawled around in front and sat staring at her, with glances down to her navel, where Parvati still held her shirt up.
"Lady Potter," said Harry, "You have my authority to … help care for those under my protection. I mean, help me protect those under my protection."
Ginny shrugged that she'd understood, and nodded that she agreed, and felt the magic at her stomach stop … trying so hard, and relax to just be.
She breathed, and it didn't feel like extra magic trying to pour in and drown her, it felt like … warmth, the opposite of the cold of dragon hide. The opposite of the cool of her wand mid-cast.
Magic she could draw on when she needed it, only a little farther from her than her own. It was just that Harry's was tinted blue and wanted to protect, and Parvati's was tinted … what colour even was that? Some kind of orange she didn't think was even recognised by Celtic philosophy.
She looked down and traced the familiar shape until she got to the ear, there were extra lines. Which were still … at least half silver. If Ginny's mark was four curved lines that seemed at first to make a wall tent. This mark was four curved lines and one horizontal curve that did make a tent, or wait … They started at a point and spread out as they came down, the inner lines draped apart all the way to the ground, the outer two stopped just above the ground and met two more that turned back to the others.
"Parvati, is this your mark?" said Ginny.
Parvati leaned closer and ducked around Ginny's head and elbow to look.
Then she shrugged, "No idea, probably."
"What is it?"
Parvati put two fingers on it and slid the mark across Ginny's stomach almost to her hip. Then stretched it wider so she could get a better look, (as if it were the most natural thing in the world to slide tattoos across skin like gobstones across a table. Or stretch them out like Cat's Cradle or taffy.)
Are these really the same class of magic as the dark mark, because those were reputed to hurt a lot sometimes, but what Parvati was doing felt kind of … pleasant, in a … touching me both on my skin and my magic. I mean, I wasn't expecting the sensation so it tickled a bit, but I think I could get used to it.
"That's Lightfoot's ears," said Parvati, "Remember how they touch at the top."
"Oh," said Ginny, "Yeah."
"Where do you want it anyway?" said Parvati.
She contemplated on her hip, where it wouldn't ever show, but …
"It's symmetrical," said Ginny, "I want it centred, but not in the same place as Harry's."
"Hmm," said Parvati, "spouses' are commonly up here." She slid the mark up to just below Ginny's breast. "But centred?" she slid it to the centre.
Ginny nodded and looked. The outer curves of the mark almost matched the inner curves of Ginny's breasts.
"Make it a tiny bit smaller," said Ginny, "and slide it up some more."
Parvati did that until it matched perfectly, and if it weren't for the sparkles, it might be mistaken for some kind of abstract Germanic geometric design.
If I could be mistaken for the sort of person who'd get a tattoo where it would highlight the shadows under my breasts.
"Thanks," said Ginny.
Parvati looked up into Ginny's eyes and smiled so hard that her dimples showed.
I didn't know she had dimples. I wonder if Padma has matching dimples? … As if Padma ever smiled that hard.
Parvati slid her hand down to Ginny's lap, and raised her eyebrows, an offer, or a question about permission.
Ginny turned to Luna, she was crouched on the end of a couch watching them, almost like the picture on the tapestry, except without transforming into an invisible monkey. "May we, hmm … sex?"
Luna shrugged.
"In here?"
Luna shrugged again, then nodded. And glanced around, then smiled and climbed down and knelt to whisper something into the ear of the yeti's stuffed head. Whatever it was, the cushioning charm got at least twice as deep.
"Oh wow," said Parvati, "I need one of these."
Luna shrugged, "There aren't any more, but … you can borrow mine most of the time."
"This one is yours?" said Parvati.
"Yes," said Luna, "for camping and for after the kinds of nightmares when I needed to stare at a fire." She motioned to the nearby fireplace. It wasn't lit, but it had a fire laid and ready.
"Oh," said Parvati.
I didn't realise that, thought Ginny, but it does explain several things.
Luna knuckle walked to Ginny and rubbed her cheek on Ginny's shoulder, then backed up, and nodded.
"Please make love on my camp bed," Luna said, "The only thing that's ever been wrong with it is not enough people in it."
Then she crab-walked away and curled up with her head on the yeti's stuffed head.
Parvati glanced around, then looked at Harry.
Harry nodded. Parvati slid away and curled up also. Ginny turned to look up at him as he crouched over her, and took hold of her shoulders. They stared at each other.
This is the point where he's supposed to call me collywobbles or something and get us out of sight of the children, except I'm the youngest here. And he hasn't made up a silly name for me yet, not even an animagus name.
"Lady Potter," he breathed.
"Lord Potter?" she said.
"Let me come in?" he said.
Always before he let me be on top. Always before it had been him offering himself to let me explore sex, it probably counted as tutoring by traditional standards. This time he was asking for something.
There had been all that angst earlier about him never asking any of them. And now he is asking me.
She rolled onto her back and felt her sleeve bind at her shoulder, so she rolled out of her dress and pushed it away, then rolled back down, and spread her knees.
They shared a smile, and he drew his wand and conjured the cream he always used, and he crawled until he was over her, but he didn't get in right away. First, he rolled her leather back far enough that he could easily reach her breasts. Then he kept petting one breast and then the other, with one hand, while he licked backwards down from her navel to her clit, and then mostly just licked around there, while also undressing with his other hand.
She wasn't sure whether to be annoyed at how jerky his undressing made his licking, or if she should just be glad that he'd asked, and that he'd asked her.
And then he was climbing up and petting her chest with two hands, and looking her in the eyes and asking if she was alright, and may he get inside.
"Yes, you may, Harry," she said, "Please."
He smiled, and it wasn't his regular, merely friendly smile. Or his 'you have my blessing to enjoy yourself' smile. It was … she didn't know what it was. But … it was nice. And it was at her.
But this rhythm wasn't anything like what she normally chose. Because she wasn't choosing it, he was. She put her hands around his hips, and held on, held him down, so that he could slide in and out, but his belly would rub her clit.
He got the idea and changed what he was doing, and tried to move his knees around to accommodate that better, then he let go of her chest and wrapped an arm around her back, and lifted her while he rocked back until she was sitting in his lap, or kind of between his thighs, straddling his hips. And he was holding her tight against his torso with one hand, and pushing her up by bringing his thighs together underneath her, and letting her slide down, her chest against his, and her button gently squeezed between his belly and his shaft. She slid down until it felt like all her weight rested on his shaft even though obviously a lot was still on her feet and her hands on his shoulders, and… then he squeezed her up again.
It was wonderful, and unlike what she'd managed before, rubbing herself on Leona's hips. And unlike what she and Luna had managed.
Because Luna was tiny and gentle, but mostly just tiny. And there was no comparison with… and Harry's bottom lip was just within reach and if she tried that thing again that Parvati had just shown her…
She tried.
Harry slowed down, which wasn't better, Ginny had to take over lifting herself with her heels, which only worked to the extent that the force she could apply, could be balanced against what both their arms could do to keep their chests pressed together.
Ginny started sweating very strangely.
Harry was trembling.
She stopped kissing long enough to pant and check his eyes.
They were closed and leaking a lot of tears, but his face wasn't frowning at all, mostly still smiling, but it was super tense, everywhere except around the lips, because that's what he'd been especially keeping normal enough to let her play with.
She went back to kissing him. And after a dozen or so lifts and slides, he relaxed, somewhat, and began helping with the lifting again.
He changed to holding her mostly with one hand, and stroking from shoulder to bum and back with his other.
She figured out which hand best kept balance with how he was holding on, except she couldn't reach down as far, and could reach his neck and head, and when she rubbed past his neck he seemed to lean into it. Seemed to enjoy it like a cat. And when she slid her hand across the braid ridges of his scalp he opened his eyes in wonder.
"You like that?" she breathed into his mouth.
He tried to speak but couldn't, he tried to nod, and though she hadn't left room for his head to move, she did feel the oscillation in pressure.
Yes. He did like it.
Good to know.
She hugged him tighter again, but this time with her forearms, so that her wrists and hands were free to pet his hair.
He shuddered again, and then his hair was gone, and she was rubbing a smooth expanse of his scalp, with one scar, one mole, and several fading freckles along the channels between where his braids would have protected him from the sun.
His shivering subsided, mostly, but his face pressed against her collar bone so hard that she gave up trying to get to his lips again, and just stroked his head.
After he panted for a bit, he straightened his neck again, pressing his scalp back into her rubbing hands.
Very much like a cat.
He tried to grin at her, but his eyes kept wandering and rolling up. And then his hair went from gone and smooth to stubble, and his breath caught, and he trembled.
She stopped petting.
"Don't stop," he whispered.
She resumed petting, which sort of hurt, and sort of felt really good, after a few seconds she realised she could press harder to stimulate a smaller area, mostly the leading outline of her hand, or not so hard and have almost the whole shadow of her hand being buoyed up by the tiny hairs trying to stay straight. She experimented with sticking with each style long enough for him to start to get used to it and then switching.
Finally, he got tired of that and let his hair be an inch long, she kept petting it, but he stopped shuddering and after some panting, he resumed grinding her chest and bottom against his.
And after maybe a minute of that, he opened his eyes and began taking longer calmer breaths.
"Are you alright?" she said.
"I'm fine," he said, "are you alright?"
"Yes," she said, "since when can you control your hair that much?"
He shrugged, then shook his head, "Accidental magic I think." His gaze turned glassy and he shut his eyes.
"What emotion?" said Parvati.
"I want to say, intense love," said Harry, "But that's not nearly specific enough, and also leaves things out that I don't have words for."
"Metamorphmagi are expected to first learn by copying their caregivers," said Luna, "You haven't had caregivers worth talking about since your parents died. Except for one startling night with Draco."
"First of all, no," said Harry, "If I were a metamorph, I wouldn't have been able to become an animagus. Second of all, the Weasleys, Hermione, the Delacours and the Tonkses all were quite caring. In their own ways. Third, my shape changes have all only been hair length, and not colour."
"That checks out," agreed Padma.
"Yeah, but if my mark means something about care," said Ginny, "Maybe you felt it for once. Like you felt something from Draco the once. Especially if … I was doing my best to help you climax, and you were looking kind of scared, making me concerned and…"
Harry opened his eyes, "I'm fine. I'll probably climax again in less than two minutes, you're welcome to climax first if you want."
He didn't look fine, he still had more tears sliding down his cheeks, and his hair was already matted with sweat.
"Climax again?" said Ginny.
He shrugged and squeezed her tighter to his chest, "I had an orgasm when you were petting my hair," he said, "But I'll have a release soon, though maybe longer if I keep talking, never sure why talking sometimes affects—"
Ginny snorted and put her fingers to his lips.
He grinned, then moved his chin to push her finger aside, and reached for her lips.
She met him, but before she could get positioned to bring her lips and especially teeth to his lower lip again, he claimed her lower lip and started sucking and rubbing it with his teeth and tongue, the way she'd been trying.
Again she wanted to move her hands between her legs, but that would be silly since it would interrupt much better stimulation already in progress. So instead she held on tight and started using her heels again, this time to move faster.
.
Then the world temporarily faded behind bright tingles everywhere.
When she could again interpret her senses she opened her eyes and found Harry's eyes.
"Thank you," he said, "Ginny, my Lady Potter."
"You're welcome," she said.
He was still panting hard, and his eyelashes still had an amazing amount of tears in them.
"Are you alright?" she said.
He nodded, "Thank you, so much."
She smiled. "It was wonderful," she said.
Actually, I'm still panting fairly hard too.
"What's next?" she said.
"Padma and Parvati," said Luna.
"Huh?" said Padma.
"Sex with your Deputy Head of House?" said Luna.
"Not espe— Oh," said Padma, "Um, is this really the optimal time for that?"
"No," said Parvati, "Optimal is taking a nap first so that everyone can rest, then you and I consummate our … I don't even know what it's called. While Ginny and Luna do also."
"Sororite is the adjective for us, but I don't know what the noun is," said Padma, "and even that doesn't apply to Luna and Ginny. And I second the nap."
"Can it be upstairs in my room?" said Luna, "So that you can all believe enough permission to be naked."
"Do you … have enough blankets?" said Padma.
"Yes," said Luna, "I cross-stitched one of them to a Leona temperature last summer. And two quilts on top of that are enough to keep the runes from needing to run continually. Sometimes I put another blanket under that, but … usually only when I'm in the mood to have a pretend fever."
"Right," said Padma.
So they dressed, mostly, and Ginny led them upstairs to Luna's room. Luna stayed behind to straighten up something or other.
There were new pictures on the walls. Or not so new.
Ginny recognised Harry's picture from his description over the summer.
But her own portrait took her breath away.
It showed her gold-and-emerald sher mark around her navel and a gold Lightfeet's ears mark tucked up under her breasts.
Parvati and Padma seemed equally taken by their own portraits.
Ginny verified that Luna's bed really was warmer than the air temperature, then began stripping, not down to her leather underthing, but all the way to starkers. It felt right in Luna's bedroom in a way that it had felt just a little off in Lion's-Keep.
Luna arrived, and barely managed to get in ahead of her. But quickly rolled flat on her back, at the far edge and motioned Ginny to circle the bed, then climb in, across Luna.
Ginny raised an eyebrow but followed the instruction.
She didn't think it was to keep Harry away from Luna, but there was something about it that seemed a good idea.
Ginny was barely under the covers when Harry slid in beside her, followed quickly by Parvati and then Padma.
"This seems a tiny bit sub-optimal about temperature control," said Padma.
"Which way?" said Parvati.
"Me and Luna on the outsides, the three hot-natured ones, in the middle."
"If we weren't all covered by a temperature-controlled blanket on one side, and a mattress that was just warmed by such on the other." said Harry, "Oh, no, you're right, the three in the middle are bordered on two sides by warm bodies, the two on the outside—"
"Have on socks," said Luna.
"Oh, hmm," said Harry.
"Seemed prudent," said Padma.
"Anyway," said Luna, "This way has us shortest relational distance to each neighbour."
"Oh," said Padma, "good thought, but … I still say optimal temperature should be arranging us hot cold hot cold hot."
"So," said Parvati, "Me, Padma, Harry, Luna, Ginny?"
"For instance," said Padma, "Or Luna and I at the middle, and I don't know which side Harry would be on."
"Whichever side seemed to have more room when I return from the loo," said Harry.
Parvati snickered, "Yes, let us be practical."
Harry yawned and relaxed.
Ginny turned and nested her back to his hip like she'd come to enjoy, and poked Luna in the right places to hint that she could slide close and spoon if she wanted to.
She did.
They'd snuggled in Lion's-Keep with most of them in nothing but magically warm leather, but that was nothing in comparison to naturally warm skin.
.
She woke to Harry flinching and writhing about, she rolled in place and sat up, he was fighting awkwardly with Parvati's arm across his chest. Parvati was just waking up.
"Harry, Wake up," said Ginny, and shook his shoulder.
His eyes flew open, and after a second of staring, he looked down and found Parvati's wrist in his hands. Or rather caught with one elbow and wrapped in his other hand. "Sorry," He sighed and lay back. And sighed again.
"Nightmare?" said Padma.
"Oddly no," said Harry, after a moment he sighed, "We were all on honeymoon, I think at Potter Estates, while it was being run by … I think Nim who we were calling Aunt Margaid on her orders, and the Patil's Grandmother, who were we were calling Aunt Nagini on her orders. Do people really use grape leaves for taco wraps?" said Harry.
"Yes," said Padma, "Why? Was that in your dream?"
"Yes," said Harry, "It's a vineyard, or at least, that's what it's famous for, so I guess it makes sense that grape leaves are something they might have extra."
"Margaid means pearl," said Parvati.
"Grandma calls all her female relatives 'pearl'," said Padma.
Harry shrugged, "Does … your grandma have a sister?"
"Brother," said Padma, "never around, not quite as powerful, but much more adventurous. Also, he has that much easier a time making friends, what with not turning into a snake most of the month."
"What?" said Ginny.
"The Patil's grandmother is a snake maledictus," said Harry, "like an animagus, except the more powerful they get, the less they can control it, until usually by middle age they're stuck in animal form."
"Grandma was born in animal form, the way she tells it," said Parvati, "But maybe she was just in animal form enough growing up that she became conscious in that form before she also made sense of her human form."
"The instincts don't come with the body for them?"
Parvati shrugged, "I never thought to ask that before."
"And this is different than animal kin, I mean, wilderfolk?"
"Yes," said Padma, "wilderfolk are animagi born in animal form with their form and therefore their base personality dictated by their parents' forms, rather than seeking out their form later after they've had a chance to grow into a personality of their own. Maledicti are victims of a genetic bloodline curse (or a blessing depending on who you talk to). the version of snake maledicti present in western Europe is tied to the European version of the parselmouth trait."
"So … are any of Harry's children going to be maledicti?" said Ginny.
"No," said Parvati, "At least I think none of the rest of us are parselmouths. But maybe half of his children will be parselmouths."
"Oh," said Ginny.
"Is it linked with green eyes?" said Harry.
"No idea," said Parvati, "Grandma's eyes weren't green."
"But Mum's are," said Padma.
"Maybe I should say 'greener' eyes, greener than blue for me, and greener than regular brown for your Grandma and you-know-who."
"Oh, I see," said Parvati, "maybe."
"I doubt it," said Padma, "But it might be interesting to check if you can find photographs of another twenty or thirty parselmouths."
"It might not be a safe thing to know," said Ginny, "parts of society might abandon children they suspected would become parselmouths later."
"Ugh," said Padma, "yeah, you're right."
.
...-...
{End Chapter 21}