Richard looked at him sharply but Harry continued. "Sir, I can't change the fact we're considered married in the magical world, and I'm very glad that Hermione loves me and we share our connection, but you are her family. I want you to share in her, and our happiness. Until you can really do that, then I will just keep trying, but can you really ask for more than having a marriage and love blessed by the very Goddess of Love herself?"
"Dad even if you do give your blessing, we're not going to run off and get married tomorrow," Hermione explained. "We're not sure when, but it would probably be in two summers or at least our final year at Hogwarts."
"Boy he's an ornery one isn't he?" Miranda asked.
Harry caught himself in a smile and apologized. "I'm sorry, but..."
"Miranda just called you ornery," Hermione finished.
"This goddess person is talking to you? Right now?"
"She pops into our heads every so often. She says she has special connections with soul bonded couples."
"SAYS?" Miranda asked pointedly, maybe a bit loudly.
"Ok, ok, she DOES have a special connection. She gets a bit ornery herself if I question her," Harry explained.
"Well we goddesses do get our way don't we?"
"So that's why?" Jean said. "I wondered, but I didn't want to ask why Dobby and Winky call you Master and Mistress."
"Yes ma'am, they are bonded to us as a family."
"That's also why you said Harry would insist on paying for your school isn't it?"
"Yes mum. He...he insists that everything he owns is now mine as well."
"Richard…" Jean said as she looked at her husband.
Richard Granger shook his head and looked out the window of the dining room for a few seconds. He wasn't ready for this. He could still see his little girl as she was ten years previous in her cute dresses reading her books on the floor. He remembered her losing her first tooth and teaching her to ride her bicycle.
"And where did the time go?" Richard asked himself. "Now's she a young woman who trying to tell me she's married?" He swallowed as he realized he really didn't have a choice in the matter. He'd seen the look in his daughter's eyes and knew the young man had truly replaced him in her life. He glanced at his wife and knew what she was thinking, knew that if he wanted to be a part of his daughter's life, he only had one thing he could say. Finally he turned back toward the teens. He could see the unhappiness in his daughter's eyes. He sighed and then continued. "I...I can't say I'm happy that it's like this, but fine, you have my blessing."
Harry could feel the sense of relief and happiness that swept through Hermione as he watched her rush over to the other side of the table and hug her father.
"Thanks dad," she said.
"Two years right?" Richard asked the green-eyed young man who had won his daughter's heart.
"Yes sir, but understand that any communications from the Ministry will probably say Hermione Potter."
....
Amelia Bones sat at her desk reviewing the reports from the last few days. Until the return of Voldemort, it had been unusual for her to be at her desk on a Sunday, but she doubted she'd get a day off anytime in the near future. She'd even started sleeping in her office on occasions. Her whole department was now on a seven day rotational schedule to ensure the work was accomplished in a timely manner.
The information from Harry and Hermione's memories had helped a great deal. They'd known that a major attack had occurred that involved giants, but neither had been able to tell her exactly when or where. She'd prepared her people for a giant attack and when it had occurred, they'd been able to respond quickly and decisively with a minimum loss of life. At the moment though, she was still considering what could be done to sever the giant's support of Voldemort. She'd seen the memory of the final battle, several times now in fact, and she knew the giants had been the major obstacle. Too many resources had to be concentrated on them allowing the Death Eaters to kill those who fought.
Albus had proposed an envoy of peace to the giants. He'd sent one the previous year and it hadn't met with much success but he was positive with the right gifts another attempt would be successful. Amelia scoffed at that idea. "Didn't the man read the books taught in his own school?" She wondered. Giants were a belligerent race, prone to killing each other and anyone else for that matter. Even if you made peace with one giant, it only meant he'd be killed and replaced, besides what Voldemort could offer them, the chance to kill and to spread out amongst the land of the muggles, was too attractive to the nature of the giants and was something the Ministry could never match. Scrimgeour had proposed sending the heads of the giants they'd killed back to the giants' enclave as a warning. That suggestion had definite potential no matter how gruesome and unsettling the idea was. It was definitely the type of response the giants would respect. Unfortunately there was the possibility that such an act might lead to an outright war against the giants.
"Though if we have to fight them, I'd prefer it to be without the support of the Death Eaters," Amelia thought. She abhorred the idea of killing the giants, but the potential loss of life if they didn't get them out of the war was too great to not consider it. "Could I get help from the ICW?" She wondered and then sighed. "No, not with Dumbledore back as Supreme Mugwump," She thought.
....
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