Witches Are. Witches Do.

Chapter 1

The platform was packed and Harry could see why Remus had chosen to stay home with all her siblings. Sirius and Peter were both at work, but Harry's mum and dad had come to see her off.

"Let us know where you're sorted," Dad said as he pulled Harry in a quick hug.

"And don't let the boys drive you crazy," Mum added as she, too, gave Harry a tight hug. "I mean it, Harriet. You have plenty of time to build your own coven. Don't let anyone pressure you into making choices you're not ready to make."

"I'm eleven, Mum," Harry said with a sigh as she pulled away. "I'm not getting married anytime soon."

"I know," Mum quickly agreed, running a soft hand over Harry's wild curls. "But you know how popular you're going to be. Just be aware of that."

Harry nodded, knowing full well that since her dad had sired two daughters, of which she was one, she'd be in very high demand as a future wife. Most men couldn't even manage to sire one daughter, no matter how many children they had.

A woman next to them grabbed her bushy-haired daughter into a tight hug. "We can still take you home, Hermione."

"But I want to learn magic," the girl said, voice muffled against her mother's coat.

"I understand, but this society seems so barbaric," the woman replied, looking around at all the magical people with wide, anxious eyes.

Harry's mum chuckled softly and turned towards the woman. "Your daughter is muggleborn, right?" When she got a nod in return, Lily pressed on, "I'm a muggleborn and I well remember how scary it was to suddenly belong to a society that's so different from the muggle world." Lily gave Harry a small push in her back towards the other couple. "My daughter Harriet will be happy to answer all your daughter's questions, won't you, darling?"

"Sure," Harry agreed easily. She knew from all of her mum's stories how overwhelming it could be for muggleborns, especially witches. "Let's find a compartment together. I'm Harry Potter."

"I'm Hermione Granger," the girl said, her eyes full of hope as she stared at Harry.

"Let's go then!" Harry all but jumped on the train and then waited for her dad to haul her trunk aboard for her. Harry looked and looked but she couldn't find an empty compartment. Then she spotted two of her friends, Ron and Neville seated together and she pulled the door open with a bright smile.

After some greetings and introductions and lots of pulling and shoving to get their trunks up on the luggage rack, Harry and Hermione sat down opposite each other.

"So what do you want to know?" Harry asked when the train pulled out of the station, because Hermione sat on the edge of her seat, obviously bursting with questions.

"Is it really true that witches are expected to take multiple husbands?" Hermione asked, sounding as though she only half-believed that, even though Harry knew the Ministry had a whole team dedicated to educating muggleborns about the need for covens.

"Yep, every witch has to form her own coven," Harry explained with a shrug. This was all old news to her, since it's how she'd grown up. "By law she needs at least three husbands, but more is encouraged. My mum has four husbands. My dad, James Potter, and Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew."

"My mum's got my dad Frank Longbottom, Walter Simmons and Reginald Bones," Neville said while giving Hermione a kind smile.

"And my mum's got my dad Arthur Weasley, and Rowan Parkinson, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Michael Whittaker." Ron gave Hermione a cheeky grin. "I've got twelve siblings. And only three are daughters, all from different fathers."