Hogwarts was in chaos.
At first, when the Prophet broke the news, people thought it was a joke. They wanted to laugh it off. There was no way that Fudge had made such a law. It just wasn't possible, and even if it had been made no one would listen to it.
Until Cho Chang stood up and walked from the Ravenclaw table, across the room, to the Slytherins. When she stopped in front of him, Draco looked up.
"What?" he demanded. "Are you here to confess to me? You're not too bad looking, for a half-breed, so I'm sure I could find a use—"
Cho slapped him hard enough to spin his head ninety-degrees.
"Improper address!" she said, citing the new law. "Over the weekend, I actually used my free time to visit the Ministry and protest. So, can you pay me, or do you need to write to your father?"
Draco spilled his pumpkin juice in his rage. "You fucking—"
Cho slapped him, this time using her other hand. Draco touched his face, tears welling in his eyes.
"M-Mommy," he mumbled.
Cho slapped him a third time.
"No, daddy," she said. "He's the one with the cheque book."
Severus Snape stormed to his feet. "Is she insane? Stop her!"
"We can't, Severus. It's the law," Professor Vector said. She calmed sipped juice without a care in the world. "Surely you don't expect us to disobey the Ministry?"
Snape glared until he noticed who spoke. His expression shifted into a revolting smile.
"You don't need to worry about such things," he said. "Apart from a few… deviants, such as Ms. Chang, I'm certain that no one will actually make use of this outrageous legislation."
He was utterly wrong.
The story about Umbridge's death was still fresh in the minds of half-bloods all over the school. And, as it turned out, they were as sick of being looked down on as Muggle-borns were. It wasn't all of the half-bloods, but plenty used this chance to throw their weight around.
There was no word for it other than chaos.
Three duels broke out on just the first day over face slaps. Harry's minions happened to be mixed up in all three… but that was purely a coincidence. The following day, there were five duels. Poppy Pomphrey put her foot down. Before a serious injury occurred, something had to be done. The best the school could come up with was an impromptu winter break.
Every student except those who really couldn't go home were to be sent back, ridding the castle of the majority of its population. The few students that remained would be easier to manage, and the hope was that Wizengamot would find a way to repeal the Minister's outrageous law before the break was up.
The announcement was made at dinner two days after Fudge's law went into effect. By the following afternoon, students would be riding home on the Hogwarts express. So many notices had to be mailed to parents that the sky was temporarily blotted out under a quilt of flying owls.
"I think that I'll stay at the Burrow. If that's alright with your family," Hermione said at dinner. "My parents have agreed to it. That seems easier than going all the way home."
"S'fine with me," Ron said. "The twins are coming to visit too."
"Don't your brothers live there?" Hermione asked.
"No, I mean Padma and Parvati," Ron said. "Of course Fred and George'll be there too."
"Good luck, Ron," Hermione said. Bringing home two girlfriends at once to meet his mother might be the last thing he ever did. "I suppose Harry will be coming as well. Where is he, by the way?"
"Oh, he went with the twins."
Hermione frowned. "The Patils?"
"No, not those twins."
"Your brothers, then?"
"Not them either. It was…" Ron snapped his fingers three times. "The… The… Carrow twins! That's their name!"
"The ones from Slytherin? What could he want with them?" Hermione wondered.
O-O-O
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Mmff!
Flora Carrow moaned until Harry put his tongue down her throat the same way his cock was penetrating her crotch. Hestia Carrow tugged on his shoulder, kneeling next to her mating sister with a similar lack of clothes.
"You've been fucking her for ten minutes," Hestia said. "It's my turn! My turn!"
She spread her legs, showing the glistening pussy that was underneath. She even ran a hand over it and, using her fingers, opened the lips to show the folds underneath. Her eyes were pleading, begging Harry to change sisters.
Harry compromised, giving her a kiss while her sister kept taking his dick.
"Something's… coming…!" Flora Carrow moaned.
She must have been able to feel Harry's cock twitching inside of her. A few seconds later, his tip let out a flooding orgasm. Flora screamed and bit her lip. When Harry pulled his cock out of her, her pussy squirted a small clear stream in its wake.
While kissing her, Harry bent Hestia over. With a firm hand on her back, he pushed her head down and lifted her ass up. The first thrust shook her pert bum.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Her noises were the same as her identical sister's.
"Good. You're enjoying my gift," Astoria said.
She was sitting in the corner, just watching. Her expression hadn't even changed once. She was apparently impervious to shame and arousal in equal amounts.
Or she was good at hiding her feelings.
It was likely the second one, given the way that Astoria had given into her urges during their first 'meet-up' of this kind.
"Not that I mind the twins' company, but is there a point to all this?" Harry asked. He spanked Hestia as he spoke, just because he could.
"When I first tested you, and stated that you passed, I mentioned another job," Astoria said. "A very important job. One with rewards you can scarcely imagine."
"Go on."
"It's coming up." Astoria crossed her petite arms. "During this winter break, I would like you to stay with my family. All will be explained in due course. Just know this! I am choosing you. Do not let me down. My wrath is as fierce as my gratitude."
She stood up and gracefully swept out of the room— wait, no. She hobbled out bow-legged. Harry thought her steps sounded a little bit wet. She'd definitely been hiding her arousal.
"Huh. It looks like it's just you and me for now," Harry said.
He bent his weight forward, pinning Hestia's body under his, and kept fucking her.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Her cries lasted well into the night.
O-O-O
Harry rubbed his eyes. He really needed a Pepper-Up potion. He'd gone at it with the twins for so long, staying up so late, that dragging himself out of bed at nine A.M. felt like the crack of dawn.
He yawned and stumbled slightly, meandering toward the Great Hall from the room in the dungeons where he spent the night.
Someone grabbed his wrist, pulling him into an abandoned classroom.
The surprise helped wake him the rest of the way up. Just because he was capable of dueling dragons didn't make him immune to jumpscares. But this wasn't a horror movie. Instead of a monster or serial killer, it was a beautiful blond girl that had grabbed his arm.
"We need to talk," Daphne said.
"About what?" Harry asked.
It could be about her sister's antics. The things Astoria had Harry doing while she watched weren't exactly normal. But Daphne never mentioned Astoria.
She sank to her knees and lowered her head.
"Please!" Daphne said. "I need your help!"
Harry scanned the room to see if anyone else was there. The Daphne he'd dealt with before was smart, sarcastic, and proud. Not too different from her younger sister, actually. But this? He'd never seen anything like it.
So he said, "Sure, I'll help."
"Just like that?" Daphne kept her eyes averted. "You don't know what I'm asking for. What if I wanted you to steal something, or hurt someone."
"Then I might not do it," Harry said. "Or maybe I would. But I don't think it's something like that. I don't know what you'd get out of either of those."
"My Lord, stay with my family over winter break as my guest." Daphne was so serious about this, she was actually following the silly law Harry created. "If you help me this week, I will never ask anything of you again. I'll do whatever you want in return. Please, My Lord, I beg of you!"
"Let's do it then," Harry said. "See you over break!"
He started to leave. There wasn't much time if he wanted to get breakfast from the Great Hall and make it to the train platform on time. Daphne's head shot up. She crossed her hands on her chest.
"You won't regret this, My Lord! I'll make sure of it."
Harry waved and left. Inside, he was feeling a little bit befuddled. He never knew that Daphne Greengrass could act like that. He was starting to get curious about these sisters. The more he interacted with them, the less sense they made.
Not that he was in any position to judge them for that.
"Maybe this break will actually be fun," Harry said to himself.
At the very least, he was getting the feeling it was about to be action-packed.
O-O-O
The train trip was nothing special. It went off without a hitch. Only one duel broke out, a Hufflepuff half-blood taking issue with the way a Slytherin was talking to him. The Hufflepuff won with a charm that changed all the Slytherin's teeth to be random sizes, so that one front tooth became so small you could barely see it and the other got so heavy he struggled to keep his head raised. He had to be taken back to Hogwarts to see Madam Pomphrey. Given the way that the last few days had been going, only one spat like that was the best case scenario.
When students spilled out of the train, Harry was beside Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and the Weasley twins. One second they were in the crowd, the next they had been separated out. Towering men in broad suits and sunglasses, a few of whom looked like they might've had giant blood in them, formed a defensive line to keep their schoolmates away from them.
"The young masters and lady have been secured," one of them said. "We will now be escorting them to the car."
"Huh? Whatcha call me?" Ron said. "What makes me a young master person?"
"We work for your father, sir," said the bodyguard. "The limousine is waiting. Come right this way."
"Wait. Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.
Their friend had disappeared into thin air. In his place, a note was wafting back and forth. Hermione snatched it and read it aloud.
"Going to visit friends for the break. Don't worry about me. I'm probably have a great time," she said.
"Well, if he says so," Ron said. He turned his head sharply. "Hey! Padma, Parvati! Over here! Yeah, they're with me, let 'em through."
Hermione looked around a bit longer, trying to spot Harry, but saw nothing.
"If he says it's okay I'm sure he'll be fine, Hermione," Ginny said.
"Of course he'll be fine," Hermione said, before lowering her voice. "It's the ones around him that I'm worried for."
A crowd gathered to watch the bodyguards leading the Weasleys and friends away. Near the back of that crowd, Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak, watching them leave.
"Did I do that?" he wondered aloud, watching the suited men guiding his friends. "I don't think I did that, but I must have done something… Arthur Weasley definitely didn't have goons in my past life."
He rubbed his chin until he gave up, shrugging. He'd swing by the Burrow later in the break and figure out what was going on with the Weasleys. For now, he had a prior appointment.
Two prior appointments, technically… but since they were in the same place, he might as well count them as one.
Greengrass Manor, here he came.
O-O-O
He'd already communicated with the girls that he would be traveling separately. Instead of Apparating directly, Harry went for lunch, heading to the pureblood manor after he was done. When he arrived on the front step, Harry slammed the knocker into the door.
A female house elf opened it. She looked at him, sullen and suspicious.
"I'm a friend of the Greengrass sisters," Harry said. "From Hogwarts."
The elf perked up. She stepped back and gestured for Harry to follow her. He was two steps inside when Daphne appeared.
She had run to get there, holding up the lower half of her dress to move quickly. The dress was an elegant silver affair that hung wonderfully on her well-endowed body. When she laid eyes on Harry, Daphne let out a huge sigh.
"You actually came," she said. "I know this must be confusing. Follow me, father will explain everything."
She took him upstairs, then upstairs again. Purebloods sure loved huge houses. It must be easier to maintain multiple floors when you have magical unpaid servants running around doing your bidding. Harry saw a family tree tapestry not unlike the one in Grimmauld Place. The family went back generations, taking up an entire wall from floor to ceiling.
"The Greengrass family has been a community fixture for hundreds of years," Daphne said. "Across that time… Some strange traditions have started. I won't pretend that I agree with all of them. My father, however, is a very traditional man. What was done in the past is now as good as law."
Daphne led him to a door that was taller than the others, with handles that were made from pure silver. She smoothed out her dress and ensured it was on properly.
"I'll go in first. When they're ready for you, I'll come back and get you. It won't be long."
She opened the door enough to enter and shut it in her wake. Harry wasn't able to see anything inside.
"There you are!"
About ten seconds after Daphne disappeared, Astoria walked up behind him. Astoria was wearing a metallic-gold gown that contrasted well with her eyes. Her chest and rear weren't comparable to her sister, so Astoria didn't even try to accentuate them. She focused on making her gorgeous face as alluring as possible. It worked well.
"Why didn't you wait in the foyer? No matter. It seems the elf guided you. On the other side of this door, Father is waiting." Astoria crossed her arms. "Mother will be with him. If her invitee has arrived, Daphne will be there as well."
"Invitiee?"
Astoria frowned, which looked hot on her. Like her lips were made for it. "Yes, in the same way that you are my invitee. I do not know who she picked, but Daphne is resourceful at the worst of times. I doubt he will be just any commoner. You must impress Father more than he does, whatever it takes!"
"So I'm competing against the man Daphne brought?"
"No," Astoria said. "You are going to be utterly beating him, making such an impression that Father won't even consider which of you is the better one. I'll accept nothing less."
"Huh." Harry scratched his head, a grin developing. "This is starting to get interesting."
Astoria smirked at him. "Good. I'm glad to see that you've got competitive spirit."
She approached the door. Instead of slipping in like Daphne, she put two hands on the door and hurled it open. The two sides of the door banged on the walls, it flew open so fast.
"I've come, Father!" Astoria flipped brown hair over her shoulder, strutting into the room.
Lord Greengrass had Astoria's hair, Daphne's face, and as much arrogance in his eyes as both of them put together. He looked kind of brutish with his broad shoulders and tall frame, but he sat in his chair like a much skinnier man, copying the affectations of someone like Lucius Malfoy.
His wife was at his side in a noticeably smaller, plainer, and less decorated chair. She had her hands in her lap and looked at the world with eyes like a half-dead fish. She was the opposite of her husband, with blond hair but a perfectly aristocratic face. She turned her head toward Harry when he came in, yet he got the feeling she wasn't seeing him.
Lord and Lady Greengrass were sitting at the back of the room. Directly in front of them was a low, long coffee table, and on either side of the table were two-person couches. Daphne sat on the left one. Astoria noticed her lack of company and gave a vicious smile while settling onto the couch opposite her.
"All alone, Daphne? Where is your invitee?"
"He came in behind you," Daphne said.
Astoria whipped her head back to see who was next to Harry. No one was there. Harry stood alone, not going to either couch, while every living Greengrass stared at him.
"No…" Astoria said. "No! I picked him!"
"As did I." Daphne wouldn't back down. "I don't see why your claim supersedes mine."
"How many men are there in Britain? This one is mine!"
"If there are so many men, Astoria, why don't you go and pick a new one? I brought Harry to the office, so it's official. He's mine."
"Harry! Sit down here right now!" Astoria demanded.
"No!" Daphne said. "Sit over here!"
"Enough."
Lord Greengrass didn't even raise his voice. One word was enough to make both his daughters wrest their emotions under control. His wife flinched, ever so slightly, against the back of her chair.
"So. You've both picked the same man. Is this your idea of a joke?"
"No!" Daphne and Astoria said.
"We would never do that," Astoria said. "You know us, Father. We don't have such twisted senses of humor."
"I suppose both of you assumed fame would be enough." Lord Greengrass was holding the armrests of his chair like a king upon a throne. "Unfortunately for you, I do not put much stock in rumors spread by men like Dumbledore. To me, Harry Potter is just a boy. Perhaps a liar to boot. The fanciful stories that are spread about him call into question the belief of rational men."
When he went silent, nobody in his family spoke, fearing that he would start again and they would accidentally cut him off.
So Harry spoke instead.
He stepped onto the coffee table and plopped down on it, raising one knee to rest his chin on in an awful show of decorum. Lord Greengrass's eye twitched. His daughters were glaring at Harry.
"I was told I'd been invited, but this welcome doesn't seem that warm," Harry said. He pointed at Lord Greengrass, who stared at the finger. "I know I've been invited or picked or whatever you call it, but nobody will explain what that means. They keep saying you'll explain it. So…?"
Daphne was making subtle motions with her head, urging Harry to take a different approach. Astoria looked frozen. Harry just smiled and waited for Lord Greengrass to do what he asked.
"These girls were supposed to pick suitors whom I would choose between," Lord Greengrass said slowly, in his gravelly voice. "Now that they have picked the same man, things must change. You must decide which of them you will take."
"Take to where?" Harry asked.
Lord Greengrass leaned forward. Harry spotted anger in his eyes, barely being restrained.
"Nowhere," Lord Greengrass said. "You'll be taking them as your wife."