Harry was alarmed at that. Hermione had almost been withdrawn? And what now that they knew she'd been in danger again? "It's all my fault." He blurted out.
"Nonsense," Miriam said briskly, "from what Hermione said, you saved her from the troll and were playing your broomstick sport when Hermione ended up in the coma. You're a young boy, Harry; it's not your fault these events took place. You've been a good friend to Hermione and you are one of the reasons why we decided to let her continue at Hogwarts."
"Uh, well, she's been a good friend to me too." Harry said, a little taken aback at the heartfelt praise. He felt Sirius's hand on his shoulder and settled again.
"I tell you whose fault it is," Wallace added, "that Headmaster of yours. What is he thinking allowing a troll and things that cause comas to get inside a school with children? And, you'll forgive me, Sirius?"
Sirius nodded enthusiastically.
"But what was he playing at sending two kids to rescue you? Why couldn't he have done it?"
"An excellent question." Sirius agreed fervently.
"The Headmaster is a great wizard and a…" Hermione defended Dumbledore passionately and Harry knew that before his time at the clinic with Sirius, he might have been eagerly waiting for his turn to do the same.
"And a senile old man by the sound of it." Wallace interjected, cutting off his daughter's words.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Miriam said, "but I agree with your father. If I ever meet this Headmaster of yours believe me I will have more than a few questions for him."
"I feel exactly the same way." Sirius said.
There was a moment between the adults that had Hermione and Harry doing a mutual eye-roll while their guardians' gazes were occupied elsewhere.
Miriam cleared her throat and turned to her daughter. "That said, we're very proud of you, Hermione, for helping to save Sirius's life and see justice get done."
"Very proud." Wallace repeated gruffly.
Hermione's eyes shone brightly and her mother gave a one-armed hug, squeezing her tightly until the threat of tears went away. Harry fidgeted awkwardly with his glass of lemonade unsure what to do.
"So," said Wallace brightly, "you owe Hermione a life debt?"
"Yes," Sirius said, enthusiastically returning to the original subject, "and I would like to honour it."
Miriam and Wallace exchanged another wry look.
"Honour it how exactly?" Miriam asked briskly. Her arm remained around her daughter. Her eyes twinkled suddenly. "If you'd like to offer Harry as a potential bridegroom I'd have no problems with that."
"Mum!" Hermione yelped, going a bright red.
Harry figured his own cheeks were a similar colour from the heat he could feel. He didn't even look at Sirius because he knew Sirius would just tease him if he did. In some ways, he knew it was a compliment but in others – it was mortifying. Hermione was his friend and it wasn't that he didn't realise she was a girl, it was just…she was his friend and why would she be interested in him, he concluded with a fair amount of confusion.
"I would offer him," Sirius began mischievously.
Harry glared at him.
"But Harry will have to choose his own wife." Sirius winked at him. "His Dad did a fair job with his Mum so I think he'll choose wisely. Of course, his Dad also chose the smartest witch of his generation."
There was a ripple of chuckles around the table from Miriam and Wallace at the unsubtle implication that Sirius would be quite happy if Harry did choose Hermione, and Harry smiled apologetically, mouthing a 'sorry' at her. She returned his smile with a shy one of her own.
"Are marriage contracts usual in the wizarding world?" Miriam asked.
"Betrothal contracts are not used anymore, and there was a ruling that effectively declared any old outstanding ones to be null and void just after the war with Grindelwald. Match-making still happens to a degree where families may agree an introduction and an intended arrangement. However, contracts to protect assets and agree terms especially for Ancient and Noble Houses are usual." Sirius said. "Remus tells me that there's something similar in the muggle world?"
"Pre-nuptial agreements." Miriam supplied. "They're only usually done by the very rich though."
"Well, if we can't get Hermione married off," Wallace said, with a smirk in Hermione's direction, "what are you proposing exactly?"
"I'd like to offer her the sponsorship of the House of Black." Sirius said. "There are three reasons. Firstly, because you don't have magic, you're quite restricted in what you can do as parents to protect her in the wizarding world, either physically or legally. In fact under our legal system, you have very few rights. Sponsorship by an Ancient and Noble House means that Hermione would get the same protection as any daughter of my house. While Hermione is at school, it means that the House of Black could act in loco parentis. If Hermione ended up in the hospital wing for an extended period of time, I or my steward could visit and provide a conduit for news."
The Grangers exchanged a look of surprised pleasure.
"We can see the benefits of that," Wallace said, "especially after Hermione's second year."
Miriam nodded. "It was torture getting an owl from Professor McGonagall to say that Hermione was in the infirmary but not be able to see how she was." She patted her daughter's hand. "That's why we seriously considered removing you, sweetheart."
"I'm sorry." Hermione said sadly. "I can't even imagine. It must have been awful."
"Well, sponsorship would help going forward." Sirius said before they all got side-tracked again. "Secondly, I would assume financial responsibility for Hermione's education." He brushed aside their first murmurs of protest. "Don't worry, I'm very rich."
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