Their peace was disturbed by some noises coming from the common room, as students started returning from dinner.
"We should part now," Hermione said, yet she didn't move at all.
"We should close the curtains, at least," Harry advised.
"Yes, we should," but she still did nothing.
Some footsteps were heard, mounting the stairs. This made Hermione finally react. She grabbed her wand and hurriedly cast a spell that sealed the bed and another that made her clothes come to her. She quickly pulled her shirt over her head and put on her skirt, not bothering with the knickers. She sat on the bed and pushed her feet into her shoes. Harry pulled the blanket over his head and fumbled to put his boxers back on.
It was just in time. Somebody was already trying to open the door. Hermione released the locking charm, and Neville came in, followed by Ron, who was holding two plates.
"Is Harry okay?" Ron asked, putting both plates on the night table.
"He's fine, I think. His fever is gone, and he's no longer as pale as before."
Ron turned to the bed. Harry was not pale at all now. He was actually quite red in the face. "How are you?"
"I feel hungry. Did you bring any food?"
"I brought a bit, but George told me how to get some more directly from the kitchen. If you feel better, maybe we should try it? I'm still a bit hungry myself."
Hermione had already put her robes on, hiding her knickers in her pocket, and grabbed her bag. "I'll let you get dressed. I'll wait for you in the common room. I'm also a bit hungry myself." She also took one of the plates with her and left the room.
Fifteen minutes later, looking as prim as always, Hermione went with the boys to the kitchens, where she was surprised to find it staffed with only house elves. She didn't get a chance to complain about it being slave labour, as the elves brought a big birthday cake with a large "14" written on the top with sparkling letters. Ron grinned at Hermione as the twins and Ginny came into the kitchen, all congratulating her.
Much later, almost by curfew time, they all stumbled back to the Gryffindor tower. Hermione could honestly say that she had enjoyed her surprise party, yet she had enjoyed the private party she'd had with Harry a bit earlier much better. She knew she would like some repeats. Many repeats.
–..–
The next morning was no different than on other Mondays, so it seemed. Hermione joined the boys in the common room, and they all went together to the great hall for breakfast. She sat, as usual, between Harry and Ron. She had learned to cope with Ron since the first year, although she still didn't like him much. She only tolerated him because of Harry.
The owls came in after a while, like every morning. Hermione was surprised to see two owls landing in front of Harry and two others in front of her. She took her letters, just as Harry did, and the owls flew away. Harry opened the letters, glanced at each and hurriedly folded them before Hermione could see what they were. Glancing at her own letters, she suspected they were quite similar. She also didn't let anybody peek.
"I need to go to the library before the first lesson," she said, standing up. "Would any of you come with me?"
"I can't stand the library, you know," Ron said, his voice sounding disgusted.
"I'll come with you," Harry said, sounding more eager than usual. Hermione smiled at him and led the way.
They didn't walk far. Hermione spotted one of the unused corridors and led them both into a room there, securing the door behind them. "What were your letters about?"
Harry blushed and handed her both pieces of parchment. She first read the one carrying the Ministry's logo.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Let us congratulate you on your bonding with Mrs. Hermione Potter, née Granger, recorded yesterday at 17:33 hours. Your bond is recognised as equivalent to marriage. As you are both underage, it also emancipates you, giving you all the rights and the duties of adult wizards and witches.
The registrar of Marriages and Bonds.
Hermione wasn't sure what it all meant, yet one thing was quite clear — she and Harry were now officially married. She put that information aside, not allowing it to affect her emotions and opened the other letter, carrying the Gringotts coat of arms.
Dear Lord and Lady Potter,
Let me congratulate you on your bond and your marriage, as well as on your emancipation. As adults, you are kindly requested to come to the bank at your earliest convenience to discuss your assets, which are managed by the bank on your behalf. This letter can be used as a portkey by tapping our emblem and stating 'Gringotts.'
On behalf of the whole Gringotts staff,
Sharpclaw, The Potter Account Manager.
She still tried to keep herself under control. She took her own letters and checked them. "The Gringotts letter is exactly the same, and the other one is addressed to Mrs. Potter, but the rest is practically the same. Do you know what they mean by the bond?"
Harry shrugged. He was sure that if any of them had a chance to know, it was more likely Hermione. She was also thinking, trying to recall every detail of the last evening. While she really enjoyed replaying it in her mind, she wasn't sure it would do any good until something popped up. "Have you noticed the glow?"
Harry frowned. "What glow? When?"
"Just after you reached your first peak and before we started our second shag, I think I saw you glowing, yet I thought it was what the books called 'post-coitus glow', which is normally a feeling only, if I remember correctly."
Harry tried to recall it, feeling his body respond to the memory. "I wasn't too coherent at that moment, but I think you glowed too. I only thought you were so beautiful, and that glow became you."
Hermione beamed at him, kissing his lips lightly. "I think that was the manifestation of the bond. We still don't know what kind of bond that is. We may have to check the library."
Harry didn't seem to hear that. "You kissed me?"
Hermione's smile widened. "Of course I did. It's normal for a husband and wife to kiss each other. Don't you feel like kissing me now?"
Harry felt a bit overwhelmed, yet no boy his age would reject an offer to kiss a girl he liked. He moved his head and put his lips on hers. Hermione deepened the kiss, also adding a tight hug. It soon turned into a full snog, yet Hermione didn't let it last. "I think we should keep this a secret."
Harry didn't understand. "Why? Are you ashamed of me?"
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Would I be your close friend if I were ashamed of you?" She didn't wait for him to reply. "I don't think most of our classmates would be too glad about this. Just think of Ron's reaction. And then, would you like to give Malfoy some more reasons to taunt any of us?"
Harry shuddered at the idea.
"Aren't there any benefits in making this known?"
Hermione considered the question. "There are some. As a married couple, we may get our own apartment in the married couples wing, wherever that may be. It would cause some envy, of course. And as adults, we may do magic freely even during the summer vacation." She thought a bit more. "If that Lord bit is true, then we may also leave school freely, without bothering to ask permission or to inform the headmaster, but that may also attract some unwelcome attention."
"So, it's either keeping it secret or attracting jealousy and gossip," Harry tried to sum it up.
"Yes, and we can still enjoy the benefits of being married in abandoned rooms — like this one — or even in your dorm, if we find the right time."
"Do you mean…?" Harry wasn't sure how to phrase his question.
"Harry, I wanted to shag you since we returned to school. I liked our first time, and I know for sure that as we gain more experience, it will become much better. I would have done this with you regardless of the bond. I want us to shag as regularly as we can. I believe you'll like this just as much."
He could only nod. Hermione had been his secret crush for more than a year, really, and she was now giving him free access to her… He stopped, feeling his face heat and his trousers tent.
"Would you like a quick sample right now?" she teased him.
He nodded again.
Hermione didn't need any more than that. She quickly transfigured an old desk into a comfortable bed. She then used a charm to remove their clothes, making them fold neatly on a nearby chair, and cast another one on her abdomen, making it glow blue for a moment. She then pushed Harry to the bed and straddled him. "Want to try it this way?"
Harry smiled, letting her proceed.
It went quite quickly, yet was much more satisfying than the first time. Once sated, Hermione cast a cleaning charm on them both, and another charm made them both properly clothed.
"I don't remember being taught these charms," Harry noted.
"I've found them in some books I bought during the summer. I knew I would soon do this, so I'd rather be ready."
"And what was the one with the blue glow?"
"That was the contraceptive charm. I'd like to shag you as much as possible, but I don't think any of us is ready to become a parent."
Harry nodded. His good friend… his wife… was certainly not leaving things to chance.
"When would you like to visit Gringotts?"
Harry scratched his head. "I really don't know. We can't go during the week, due to our lessons, and I'm not sure if Gringotts opens during the weekends."
Hermione pulled two necklaces from under her shirt. One was his present. The other looked like some kind of watch. "This is a time-turner. Professor McGonagall gave it to me so that I could take all the subjects I wanted. When using it, I can attend one lesson and then go back in time and attend the other, occurring at the same time. I only need to make sure my two selves don't meet each other. We can use it to visit Gringotts whenever you choose."
Harry finally smiled. "Let's go after lunch, then."
"Fine. And we keep this secret for the time being."
"Sure! We can always find ways to be together."
Hermione smiled and kissed his lips lightly. "Let's go to the library now."
The library was almost empty this early. Only a few seventh-year Ravenclaws were studying there. Hermione seemed to know her way in the library without any help or advice. She led Harry to some old tomes and asked him to help her carry a few to her preferred desk. Once there, she started checking the books one by one, until she stopped at one. "This book seems to have a short description of many types of bonds. Let's see if we can find ours in it."
This book, unlike some other old tomes, had a table of contents. She checked it over:
Parental Bonds
Sibling Bonds
Other Family Bonds
Marriage Bonds
Copulation Bonds
Soul Bonds
Mind Bonds
Inter-species Bonds
She found the chapter on copulation bonds and quickly scanned it, blushing quite nicely. She then moved the book in Harry's direction and pointed to a paragraph.
When a man and a woman who have shared several life-threatening experiences copulate for the first time, if they also have deep enough feelings for each other, a bond is finalised, sealed by their magic and the magic of the copulation, manifested by both glowing for a short while after the man leaves his seed inside the woman. This bond is a variation on the Soul Bond. It makes the couple able to sense each other vaguely, allowing each to apparate to the place of the other in case of danger. Most other aspects of a soul bond may also appear, but it usually takes several years for that to happen. Just like Soul Bonds, this bond cannot be undone by any known means.
Harry read it and nodded. "Shouldn't we read about Soul Bonds as well?"
"Not now. There's very little known about the full soul bond, and this book is no authority on it. We may need to find some more as we grow up and our bond tightens. We don't need any more right now. There's something else I'd like you to read." She went to another corner and came back with a book that was simply named "Potter".
"What is this book?"
"Haven't you known about it?" He shook his head.
"I was sure you did. It's your family tree and some of your family's history. They have books here for every magical family of more than five generations. You should have read it during the first year."
They sat together, moving their chairs as close as possible to each other. Hermione was sure they would need several sessions to read it properly, but even a short glimpse at it was quite educational. She first found Harry on it. Surprisingly, he was connected to Lady Hermione Potter née Granger. As much as she liked to see it, this was not the right time to dwell on it. The family tree alone made it clear that Harry was not only the Potter heir, but also Peverell, Gryffindor, and, surprisingly — Slytherin. Hermione quickly searched for that family book, and they both scanned it along with the Potter book.
Harry checked the family tree and noted, "It looks like Slytherin's daughter married a Peverell, and his only daughter then married a Potter. There were other branches of Slytherin, but they're all extinct now. The Gaunt family is not related to Slytherin at all — one of them only beat the last scion of another branch, gaining all his assets. It makes Voldemort look even more like a cheat."
Hermione nodded. "You see, that kind of information could be very important at times."
"Yes, it could have helped a bit last year, when I met his memory in the Chamber of Secrets."
"But not with the accusations of being Slytherin's heir. You really are."
Hermione looked at her watch. "It's almost eleven. You have class in a few minutes, and I need to attend my nine o'clock class. I'll meet you at lunch."
She kissed his cheek and left the library. Harry put the books back and then went to the divination class, feeling that it was a waste of time.