The weekend arrived quickly. Harry faded to the Granger house soon after breakfast, taking an overnight bag with him. Hermione was still in the shower, but she called Harry to stay with her while she got dressed. None of her parents commented. They only hugged them both when they came down. Harry declined breakfast. "I've already eaten at home, thank you, but I'll take a cup of tea, if it's all right with you."
The Grangers had their luggage ready, so they all mounted their car soon after breakfast and headed to London. Hermione cuddled into Harry on the back seat, making her mother smile bemusedly.
"Harry, are we still friends?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Of course we are! Why do you even ask?"
She cuddled even closer. "I feel like that word is no longer appropriate, like we are much more than mere friends. What are we?"
He frowned. He also felt that the word "friends" was no longer the right one. "Maybe... boyfriend and girlfriend?" he suggested.
She thought for a moment. "That sure sounds nicer, but it still doesn't feel to be the right term. I thought, since we started spending the nights together, maybe we are lovers?"
"I'm not sure. I mean – I love you, I think, but we're not making love or something, and yet I feel closer to you than that word implies." He then thought a little more. "Maybe the hat was right. It said you are my mate. I thought it was like a friend. Now I think it is more like we are a couple, bonded by some deep connection that nobody else can see."
This brought a smile to Hermione's face. "Yes, I do feel like we're a couple, and I'm almost sure I love you as well. Still, we shouldn't let others know we're more than mere friends, at least until we figure it out for ourselves."
Harry lifted his gaze, noticing that Jean was watching them attentively through the front mirror. "I think your mother and my aunt have already figured it out. Maybe Neville did as well, but we shouldn't let others know right now."
"Yes, that's what I meant."
Harry felt like the drive was too short. He enjoyed cuddling with Hermione, speaking softly with her, seeing her bright smile and drowning in her chocolate eyes. Too soon they had to get out of the car, shoulder their bags and walk in the cold to meet Neville at the Leaky Cauldron.
Neville was already anxiously waiting for them. He seemed relieved as he saw them coming in, yet he acted according to a strict protocol. He first welcomed Mrs. Granger, kissing her hand, and then shook hands with Mr. Granger. Only then did he let go of the protocol and welcomed both Harry and Hermione with quick hugs, blushing when hugging Hermione.
"My Gran is waiting at home. I hope you won't find Floo travelling too difficult," he told them all.
"How do you travel by Floo?" Hermione asked.
"It's really simple, though it may look a bit frightening to people who see it the first time." He took some coarse powder from a pouch. "All you need to do is throw some of this stuff into the fire, and once it turns green, state your destination clearly and step into it." As if to clarify his explanation, another person approached the fireplace, threw some of the powder in, said "Ministry of Magic" and stepped into the green flames, vanishing at once.
"I'm not really sure if it works for muggles, but you can each hold hands with one of your parents and take that person along with you. My Gran used to take me with her this way when I was small," Neville added.
"So, what should we state as our destination?" Harry asked.
"Longbottom Manor. I'll go last, to make sure everything is fine."
Both Harry and Hermione had already heard about this kind of travel. They didn't look forward to it, but they weren't sure they could fade to that place and didn't want to make this ability known anyway. Hermione took her mother's hand, threw the Floo powder and they both walked into the fire, with Hermione stating their destination.
"Wait a bit, so they can move away, or you may bump into them," Neville suggested.
Harry followed, taking Dave with him. They both fell in a heap at their destination, but a pair of house-elves was quick to help them to their feet in time for Neville to come through, arriving on his feet.
"Wow! That's a bit like riding a roller-coaster at the Luna-Park," Dave commented. The others nodded their agreement.
"My Gran is waiting for you in the family room," Neville said, leading the way.
Lady Augusta Longbottom was a very strict old lady. Harry remembered seeing her at the train station with her vulture hat, though she was not wearing any hat now. Neville presented the guests formally. "Grandmother, these are Mr. and Mrs. Granger and their daughter Hermione, and Lord Harry James Potter."
The Grangers didn't seem to notice how Harry was presented, as they were still awed by the magical surroundings. Neville continued, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Hermione, Harry – this is Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom, my grandmother."
Mr. Granger had probably seen quite a few films dealing with nobility, as he acted just as formal, bowing slightly, before stepping forward and kissing the lady's hand, saying, "Enchanted." His wife followed, acting similarly, as courtesying didn't seem right when wearing a pair of jeans, as did Hermione. Harry, not sure of what was expected, despite having read quite a bit about etiquette, did the same. He was surprised when the old lady bowed her head to him in return. "Lord Potter, it is an honour to finally see you here. Your father used to be a good friend of my son and I hoped their children could become friends as well. I'm really glad you've become friends with no outer influence."
"I'm not Lord Potter yet, only Lord Peverell. As for Neville, he is a good person and a close friend. I also know he can become a very powerful wizard. And please call me Harry."
The old lady smiled briefly. "Alright, Harry, but then you must call me Augusta, or just Gran."
Harry felt a bit more comfortable at hearing this. He now dared ask, "Why did you call me Lord Potter?"
The old lady smiled again. "Your Lord ring is well hidden, but I can sense its presence even though I don't see it. Then, as the last member of the house, you are supposed to get your title at age ten, and you're already eleven."
"The Potter lordship can only pass to me at fourteen, although I've already become the head of the house. I think you sensed the Peverell ring."
"That's possible." She now turned to Hermione. "You don't need to keep your engagement jewellery hidden while here. Your secret is safe with us."
Harry gasped. "We're not engaged yet."
Augusta smiled kindly. "You gave her the promise ring and then you gave her your heart. That's much more than a formal engagement, and Magic acknowledges it. Haven't they told you at school that the main part of magic is intent?"
Harry was at a loss of words. Hermione let her jewels return to their original form, making her father gasp. "Harry gave you this?"
"Yes, Dad, this was my eleventh birthday present from Harry. I keep it disguised, as it is too expensive to wear casually."
"Indeed it is," commented Augusta. "The magic used in creating this set is all but forgotten by now, and it does give you better protection than most magical shields." She now smiled at the two blushing children. "Do you allow me to cast a certain spell to show us how close you are?"
Harry wasn't sure it was wise, especially with Hermione's parents present, but he couldn't think of any polite way to refuse. Hermione didn't seem to be bothered, nodding her agreement enthusiastically. Augusta directed them to stand side by side and then took her wand and cast a quick spell. All present seemed surprised to see a golden halo surrounding them both.
"Will you step apart, just a few paces?" Augusta suggested.
They took two steps apart from each other. The halo seemed to stretch, still covering them both. "A bit farther, please..."
They eventually reached the opposite walls of the room, but the halo was still connecting them, not seeming any thinner.
Augusta cancelled the spell and smiled kindly at the children. "You are soul mates, according to this test. No wonder you are attracted to each other since young age. You'll probably become soul bound when you grow a bit older."
She turned to Neville. "Why don't you show your friends around while I entertain the adults? Lunch will be served at one o'clock."
Neville took them to the greenhouse. It was protected from the weather and quite warm, much warmer than the rooms in the manor.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew I was a Lord?" Harry asked.
Neville shrugged. "I thought it was common knowledge. At least most purebloods know this, I believe. I thought you didn't say anything about it as you didn't want to attract more attention, so I didn't mention it either. May I see your ring?"
Harry let his ring show. Neville looked attentively at it. "This is a very ancient ring and very powerful. How did it feel, the first time you put it on?"
"It was painful. The ring scanned me, fighting any magic cast on me. It then stopped at my scar, which was raw red at the time, and started fighting some very dark magic. I don't remember passing out, but then I woke up surrounded by very worried goblins. They helped the ring remove the dark magic that was connected to that scar and healed it. I felt much stronger since."
"Gran doesn't want me to take the lord ring, as my parents are still alive... somewhat... Do you think I should take the heir ring? It may also give me some protection."
"I think you should, especially now, that we know some things about Dumbledore. He may want to make us forget them or even worse. He did try to read our minds."
Neville's face darkened. "Yes, he did. I told my gran about what you taught me and what the headmaster tried to do. She wasn't pleased at all. Despite considering him the leader of the light side, she has some severe doubts about him, since long before we were born."
He now turned to Hermione. "May I see your jewels? I always thought they were just some simple stuff, like most girls wear. Now I see they are more expensive than I could ever buy."
Hermione let him get a good look at her ring and her necklace. Neville seemed to pale as he examined them. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like these. I'm sure they boost your power and keep you protected against almost everything. I don't envy any bully who tries to harm you."
Now Hermione felt free to ask what she had in her mind. "What is the meaning of soul-mates? I've not read anything about it."
Neville tried to recall all he knew about that, which wasn't much. "Some people are destined since before birth to connect with others on the deepest level. They are considered soul-mates, yet not everybody who has a soul mate finds that mate. They may never even meet each other in many cases. Some believe that every person has a soul mate, yet most are never realized."
Hermione frowned. As a firm believer in free choice, being destined for somebody didn't seem right. Well, she could interpret this a bit differently, though. "So, soul mates are ones who are judged to be most compatible with each other, but they may choose to ignore this and go different ways. Am I right?"
Neville considered it. "That can also be a plausible interpretation. I don't know enough to say, though."
"And what is a soul-bond?" she continued asking.
"That is a bond created between soul mates when they first..." he turned quite red, "...become very intimate. I think it manifests as a golden mist surrounding the couple and a bright flash of light, but I'm not sure. There are usually no witnesses, and soul bound couples are very rare."
"But what's the meaning of a soul bond?"
Neville shrugged. "All I know is rumours. There's not much written about this and most is unreliable. Soul-bound couples are supposed to be able to communicate by thought over long distances and to transfer thoughts and feelings to each other, according to some. You should check in the libraries, though. I was never too interested in the subject."
Harry looked at Hermione contemplatively. Was she really meant for him? The thought felt good, as if warming him from inside. As for the intimacy – he wasn't sure that they were not going too fast in that direction. Sharing a bed with a girl almost every night was not something boys his age were doing, nor was it common for girls to share a bed with boys at that age. Maybe a few years later – he wasn't sure about that. Yet he was becoming addicted to having her at his side every night. He wondered if they could even get any sleep at school if somehow prevented from being together. He shuddered at the idea.
"Anything bothering you?" Hermione's voice brought him back to the present.
"No, not bothering. I was just wondering about soul bonds. We should try to find some more information about it, I think."
Harry turned to Neville. "You probably have a nice library. Can we go there now?"
Neville smiled and motioned them to come with him.
The Longbottom library was much larger than the one at Hogwarts. Harry wondered how it compared to the Potter library, as he had not yet visited there. Like the Hogwarts library, it also had a restricted section, warded to permit only those allowed by the Lord or Lady of the house. "Gran says it contains a few books about dark magic, but mostly books about secret family matters and rituals, unknown to others. You would probably find nothing about soul bonds there, even if she allowed you in," Neville added.
Hermione tried summoning one of the books she saw nearby. It worked nicely. Neville smiled. "I see you already feel at home. You can stay in the library for a while. I'll go see where your rooms are and there's a plant I wanted to check as well. I'll come to take you for lunch."
Left alone, Hermione summoned every book that mentioned soul bonds while Harry looked for those mentioning soul mates. Both were disappointed to find there was nothing new in those books. They only confirmed what Neville had told them, adding practically nothing.
"We should check my library as well, but maybe only when back home. I'm not sure about the effect the wards on Longbottom Manor may have," Harry noted.
"Sure, and we should be nice guests and spend time with our hosts and not mainly in the library," Hermione added.
Harry smiled. "Of course, my mate."
Hermione gasped at the way he addressed her and then smiled. "I like the sound of it, but maybe it's better if we don't use it for now. It may attract unwanted attention."
"Whatever you say..."
Neville returned soon. He showed them to their rooms first. They were adjacent to each other and had a connecting door, which was currently locked. "I'm sure you can unlock it, if you want to," he noted, making Harry wonder if Neville knew anything about the nightly visits.
Hermione's parents were allotted the room across the corridor from hers. Neville allowed them a short glimpse into it. Harry noticed that it was practically the same as his and Hermione's rooms. The only difference was in the colour schemes and the decorations, which varied from room to room.
Lunch was pleasant and tasty, although not luxurious. Harry thought that this was a lot like Neville, stating everything more modestly than others.
They helped Neville with his plants after lunch and then played some card games and even some Chess, although none of the children was much good at it. Still, it was fun and they enjoyed being together without the pressures of school.
Lady Augusta surprised them during dinner, which was much less under-toned. "I've invited some of your classmates to visit tomorrow morning. I hope it is alright with you."
"Who have you invited?" Harry asked.
"Miss Bones, Miss Abbot, and Miss Greengrass. They've been Neville's playmates since early childhood. He didn't make friends with boys his age before school."
Harry didn't mind Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot. They seemed to be nice girls and were both in Hufflepuff. He was somewhat worried about Daphne Greengrass. Although she was quite beautiful, she was a Slytherin. He wasn't sure if she and Hermione would go well together. He didn't mind if Daphne was rude or insulted him, as long as she was nice with Hermione.
"Don't worry about it. She has never joined Malfoy's group and has always been polite to me. It will be fine," Hermione told him when she faded to his bed that night. The door between their rooms stayed locked, though, and they also locked the rooms' doors after saying goodnight, so nobody could notice they were actually together.