This is an idea based on the standard Harem/Multiple-Marriage/Marriage-contract type of fic out there. The twist being that the fact that he has multiple wives it is kept from Harry. The motivation would not be the Potter fortune, the prophecy or the fact that Harry suddenly turned onto an unresistable chick-magnet, but mere self-preservation The whole things starts out of a little harmless deception and then further lies to cover up the original lie and then snowballs from there as the original perpetrators are caught up in the web they spun when first they practiced to deceive.
After the death of her aunt Susan Bones is left with no immediate family. The closest living relative she has is a great-uncle that she never was particularly close to and who she knows to be big on "traditional wizarding values" i.e. a proto-pureblood-supermacists. In addition to his political leaning Susan suspects him of planing something that would result in him gaining permanent control of her inheritance; probably an arranged marriage, a fatal accident or a permanent stay at St. Mungos mental ward.
Susan manages to come up with a way out of her bad situation. She just has to 'fudge' the truth a little bit and bide her time for a few month until she is of age.
Susan explains her brilliant plan to her muggleborn friend Hannah when they meet in muggle London near Diagon Alley. Hannah is somewhat shocked to learn about some wizarding customs like not taking a childs wishes into account when appointing a guardian. Susan tells her that in order to avoid becoming her uncles ward, she plans to claim that she has someone who supersedes his claim to her. A husband of fianc�e if he has sufficient social standing could easily become her guardian.
Susan tells Hannah that she initially considered Neville for this, but thought better of it when she remembered that he might not be free. Hannah blushes at the implications and denies everything.
Susans recounts how she eventually settled on Harry Potter as her secret would-be husband. Harry's social status, despite being a halfblood, would be sufficient for her purposes and the fact that he is on Voldemorts most wanted list would give her an excuse to have the whole matter classified and declared secret. So secret that Harry would never have to know. After she has come of age she plans to have the whole paperwork error cleaned up without Harry or anyone else ever being the wiser. There are enough friends of her aunt still left in the ministry to allow her to get away with such minor bureaucratic errors.
Hannah is appalled by this, but not nearly as much as Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies who overheard the conversation.
The two Slytherines join the Hufflepuff girls. They are not really upset on behalf of Harry, but about the fact that Daphne has already implemented a similar plan to avoid an arranged marriage. She chose Harry as someone with a sufficiently powerful reputation to intimidate her father and a good reason to keep a relationship silent. Daphne planned to slip some documents into the right folder at the ministry in case her father checked up on her story. A few galleons were supposed to grease palms and make people look the other way. Harry would never have known and would be unlikely to get into any serious relationship that would expose her lie anytime soon. Like Susan she expects the charade to hold until her birthday when she will be of age.
The two girls are at an impasse. Hannah thinks they will be rivals who are likely to expose each other, but Tracey thinks that they could actually join forces, pool resources and back each other up. Hannah does not understand how that is supposed to work. "I am married to Harry Potter, belive me. Just ask his wife she will confirm it."
Susan explains that this might actually work. There are provisions in wizarding law for polygamy. At least they are still on the books even if nobody actually used them in a long time. It would take a special case such as a wizard who was especially powerful magically to warrant this and it would be a very unequal relationship, but the girls think that they can pull it off.
In order for Harry to take over guardianship of the girls of course has to be emancipated. Susan assumed that he was an emancipated minor because of the trial when the girls learn that he isn't they quickly move to rectify that minor bureaucratic oversight.
Harry has a somewhat unearned reputation as a great wizard. Anyone who did not know him personally could easily believe that Harry is something like the second coming of Merlin based on what is know about him. The girls themselves know that Harry is just another wizard but everyone else sees him as the lager than life Boy-who-Lived.
Together they conspire to make it look like they are secretly part of Harry's Harem.
The secret will be well kept, at least from Harry Potter other people might learn of it easier.
Another player in this game might be Griphook the goblin. Over the years he has told the story of his chance encounter with the boy who lived again and again, enhancing the tale in every retelling somewhat. He pretends to be some personal acquaintance of Potter and implies that it was no accident that he, Harry and the unimportant half-giant together emptied the vault that was later that day successfully broken into. While claiming confidentiality he acts like he was personally involved in rescuing the treasure in the vault from thieves and that he helped Harry make alternate security arrangements for it.
His bragging and lying has benefited him quite a bit and helped him advance his career. It is only when someone actually expects him to use his connections to Potter that he gets into trouble.
Luckily for both the Goblin and the would be Harem they end up unwittingly helping each and backing up the others deception without discovering it.
With Griphook's unwitting help the girls get their status legally confirmed by Gringotts and gain access to one of Harry's unused properties. A small magical country manor that he inherited from a family that was mostly wiped out by Voldemort and whose sole surviving member willed it to the Boy-Who-Lived in thanks for avenging their family.
The girls reason that Harry doesn't know about it and probably won't care. They assume that he is living in some palatial Potter estate surrounded by servants.
In order to keep up appearances the girls are forced to go to increasing length to cover their misdeeds. The lie will become much larger and more concrete then it was when they first practiced to deceive.
The Harem will grow as more and more girls will want in on it for their own reasons. They lie and make deals in the name of their would be husband to keep their secret. Declining marriage contracts and putting extreme demands in the answer to those they can't deny.
None of the girls actually close to Harry get involved, so they base their deception on what they think Harry is like and not what he really is.
Harry all the while remains clueless throughout the rest of the summer and most of the following school year. He is not directly affected by any of this, but might get some indirect benefits without quite understanding why.
The fact that the girls had him emancipated means that he can do legally magic over the summer, but he thinks that Dumbeldore is responsible for squashing his underage magic warnings.
Some people might treat him slightly differently, but he barely notices and doesn't give it much thought. When some stamina potions make it through his mail wards he does not question their origin and completely misses the double entendre in the accompanying card.
He and his harem might inadvertently be brought closer together through magical means without ever meeting. The girls might review his DA lesson in a pensive to familiarize those members of the harem who never spoke more than a few words to him with the Boy-Who-Lived. A magical device gifted by the goblins and delivered by Griphook meant to help Harry with his occulomancy problems might end up in his harems possession and be used by them to rearrange Harry's mental landscape without knowing the consequences of their actions.
When going back to Hogwarts the Harem might go as far as moving into some married quarters, swearing the staff to secrecy without Harry in his dorm room learning of it. He might get some funny looks from McGoonagal and some pointed comments from Snape, but it mostly goes over his head.
His saving people thing might lead him to come to the aid of on of his wives when she gets bullied at school, an action that will be seen quite differently from the perspective of those 'in the know'. Harry might be confused when Snape has Draco back down and apologize unexpectedly not knowing that from their perspective he got very close to a duel to defend the family honor.
It's not that Harry is a completely clueless idiot. He just never had much contact with anyone outside Gryffindor to begin with and is rather preoccupied with the whole Voldemort thing. Eventually he will notice what is going on and he and his wives will have a very frank talk about everything, but he might need to defeat a Dark Lord before everything can be sorted out. The fact that the girls actions might have unknowingly helped him at certain points might work in their favor.
After the death of her aunt Susan Bones is left with no immediate family. The closest living relative she has is a great-uncle that she never was particularly close to and who she knows to be big on "traditional wizarding values" i.e. a proto-pureblood-supermacists. In addition to his political leaning Susan suspects him of planing something that would result in him gaining permanent control of her inheritance; probably an arranged marriage, a fatal accident or a permanent stay at St. Mungos mental ward.
Susan manages to come up with a way out of her bad situation. She just has to 'fudge' the truth a little bit and bide her time for a few month until she is of age.
Susan explains her brilliant plan to her muggleborn friend Hannah when they meet in muggle London near Diagon Alley. Hannah is somewhat shocked to learn about some wizarding customs like not taking a childs wishes into account when appointing a guardian. Susan tells her that in order to avoid becoming her uncles ward, she plans to claim that she has someone who supersedes his claim to her. A husband of fianc�e if he has sufficient social standing could easily become her guardian.
Susan tells Hannah that she initially considered Neville for this, but thought better of it when she remembered that he might not be free. Hannah blushes at the implications and denies everything.
Susans recounts how she eventually settled on Harry Potter as her secret would-be husband. Harry's social status, despite being a halfblood, would be sufficient for her purposes and the fact that he is on Voldemorts most wanted list would give her an excuse to have the whole matter classified and declared secret. So secret that Harry would never have to know. After she has come of age she plans to have the whole paperwork error cleaned up without Harry or anyone else ever being the wiser. There are enough friends of her aunt still left in the ministry to allow her to get away with such minor bureaucratic errors.
Hannah is appalled by this, but not nearly as much as Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies who overheard the conversation.
The two Slytherines join the Hufflepuff girls. They are not really upset on behalf of Harry, but about the fact that Daphne has already implemented a similar plan to avoid an arranged marriage. She chose Harry as someone with a sufficiently powerful reputation to intimidate her father and a good reason to keep a relationship silent. Daphne planned to slip some documents into the right folder at the ministry in case her father checked up on her story. A few galleons were supposed to grease palms and make people look the other way. Harry would never have known and would be unlikely to get into any serious relationship that would expose her lie anytime soon. Like Susan she expects the charade to hold until her birthday when she will be of age.
The two girls are at an impasse. Hannah thinks they will be rivals who are likely to expose each other, but Tracey thinks that they could actually join forces, pool resources and back each other up. Hannah does not understand how that is supposed to work. "I am married to Harry Potter, belive me. Just ask his wife she will confirm it."
Susan explains that this might actually work. There are provisions in wizarding law for polygamy. At least they are still on the books even if nobody actually used them in a long time. It would take a special case such as a wizard who was especially powerful magically to warrant this and it would be a very unequal relationship, but the girls think that they can pull it off.
In order for Harry to take over guardianship of the girls of course has to be emancipated. Susan assumed that he was an emancipated minor because of the trial when the girls learn that he isn't they quickly move to rectify that minor bureaucratic oversight.
Harry has a somewhat unearned reputation as a great wizard. Anyone who did not know him personally could easily believe that Harry is something like the second coming of Merlin based on what is know about him. The girls themselves know that Harry is just another wizard but everyone else sees him as the lager than life Boy-who-Lived.
Together they conspire to make it look like they are secretly part of Harry's Harem.
The secret will be well kept, at least from Harry Potter other people might learn of it easier.
Another player in this game might be Griphook the goblin. Over the years he has told the story of his chance encounter with the boy who lived again and again, enhancing the tale in every retelling somewhat. He pretends to be some personal acquaintance of Potter and implies that it was no accident that he, Harry and the unimportant half-giant together emptied the vault that was later that day successfully broken into. While claiming confidentiality he acts like he was personally involved in rescuing the treasure in the vault from thieves and that he helped Harry make alternate security arrangements for it.
His bragging and lying has benefited him quite a bit and helped him advance his career. It is only when someone actually expects him to use his connections to Potter that he gets into trouble.
Luckily for both the Goblin and the would be Harem they end up unwittingly helping each and backing up the others deception without discovering it.
With Griphook's unwitting help the girls get their status legally confirmed by Gringotts and gain access to one of Harry's unused properties. A small magical country manor that he inherited from a family that was mostly wiped out by Voldemort and whose sole surviving member willed it to the Boy-Who-Lived in thanks for avenging their family.
The girls reason that Harry doesn't know about it and probably won't care. They assume that he is living in some palatial Potter estate surrounded by servants.
In order to keep up appearances the girls are forced to go to increasing length to cover their misdeeds. The lie will become much larger and more concrete then it was when they first practiced to deceive.
The Harem will grow as more and more girls will want in on it for their own reasons. They lie and make deals in the name of their would be husband to keep their secret. Declining marriage contracts and putting extreme demands in the answer to those they can't deny.
None of the girls actually close to Harry get involved, so they base their deception on what they think Harry is like and not what he really is.
Harry all the while remains clueless throughout the rest of the summer and most of the following school year. He is not directly affected by any of this, but might get some indirect benefits without quite understanding why.
The fact that the girls had him emancipated means that he can do legally magic over the summer, but he thinks that Dumbeldore is responsible for squashing his underage magic warnings.
Some people might treat him slightly differently, but he barely notices and doesn't give it much thought. When some stamina potions make it through his mail wards he does not question their origin and completely misses the double entendre in the accompanying card.
He and his harem might inadvertently be brought closer together through magical means without ever meeting. The girls might review his DA lesson in a pensive to familiarize those members of the harem who never spoke more than a few words to him with the Boy-Who-Lived. A magical device gifted by the goblins and delivered by Griphook meant to help Harry with his occulomancy problems might end up in his harems possession and be used by them to rearrange Harry's mental landscape without knowing the consequences of their actions.
When going back to Hogwarts the Harem might go as far as moving into some married quarters, swearing the staff to secrecy without Harry in his dorm room learning of it. He might get some funny looks from McGoonagal and some pointed comments from Snape, but it mostly goes over his head.
His saving people thing might lead him to come to the aid of on of his wives when she gets bullied at school, an action that will be seen quite differently from the perspective of those 'in the know'. Harry might be confused when Snape has Draco back down and apologize unexpectedly not knowing that from their perspective he got very close to a duel to defend the family honor.
It's not that Harry is a completely clueless idiot. He just never had much contact with anyone outside Gryffindor to begin with and is rather preoccupied with the whole Voldemort thing. Eventually he will notice what is going on and he and his wives will have a very frank talk about everything, but he might need to defeat a Dark Lord before everything can be sorted out. The fact that the girls actions might have unknowingly helped him at certain points might work in their favor.
