Chapter 7: Kisses and Killing CursesSummary:Harry and Hermione ramble. A lot.
Dumbledore is the good guy. Or not. It depends. Who knows?
Ron gets a shock.
Older Harry MY SHAYLA.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextHarry found himself in a white, sterile version of King's Cross Station. He looked around, remembering that he had been finally kissing Mi just a second prior- but it seemed like his luck had something to object about that.
"If you think you 're the unlucky Harry Potter, you're wrong," a voice came from behind him.
It was him. Well, himself. His older self, the one married to Ginny- poor chap.
The older Harry started laughing, as if reading his mind. "I am. Reading your mind, I mean. Kinda -I am you, so…"
"Weird," was the only thing Harry could think to say.
"Quite," the other agreed.
"Er, where are we? I was, you know-" he blushed.
"Doing the one thing I should have done in my past," Harry sighed. "We're in your mind, Harry. You're not dreaming nor dead, I assure you. I chose this space because it was… fitting. I have already been here once," his eyes were far away.
"So, why are we here?"
"Because I needed to talk to you face to face, before leaving entirely. My timeline after tonight has already been erased," he looked resigned.
"And you're… happy about it? Isn't that why you sent me the dream?"
"It was a memory, Harry. I needed you to see what would happen if you chose wrong again. Ginny is a good wife, really, and I love my kids. She just-"
"Isn't Hermione," younger Harry finished.
"Yes. There's a reason why I let you see that memory, Harry. Hermione is our Soulmate," younger Harry interrupted him, wide-eyed.
"You mean, literally our Soulmate? Not as a figure of speech?"
"Yeah, literally. A real, magically binding connection between our souls has existed since the second we were born," he said.
"If that's true, then why didn't you choose her? Why did I need help to see her as more than my best friend? That should be natural, right? What' s wrong with us, with me?" Older Harry took a deep breath.
"Because our scar held a Horcrux, Harry. That abomination has affected… everything, since the day our parents died. That Killing Curse didn't just rebound, it left us with a piece of Riddle, too. And while we were too mentally strong for it to take control over our body, it still was a fragment of the monster's soul . It would do anything to weaken us, and depriving us of our Soulmate? That's the biggest blow it could ever manage to land."
Harry didn't know what to say. He felt violated, he felt sad, he felt rage - the kind that consumes you if you don't keep it on a leash.
"How can I get rid of it?" He whispered, furious.
"You already did," Harry caught his younger counterpart's startled look. "You kissed her, Harry. Your soul found its mate and there was no space in there for the Horcrux's tether -also, the pure, completely Light magic of your bond destroyed the Horcrux immediately, anyway."
"But, if you didn't bond…"
"It took me a good Avada right in the face from Tom to get rid of it - that was Dumbledore's final plan. He would die in a controlled situation, leave the Horcrux Hunt to me and let Snape inform me that my suicide was required in order to finish it, minutes before I had to sacrifice myself. In the end, Tom destroyed his own soul instead of taking mine," he explained.
"Dumbledore's grand plan was to hope I'd choose to die willingly? " He shouted, incredulous and deeply hurt. "I believed in him! I idolised him for years, while he was planning my death -" Harry was honestly shaken, like the foundation of his world had shifted.
"Yes, all of that is true," older Harry tried to calm him, knowing perfectly well how he felt. "But remember -he's a man, Harry. Just a man. An important one, certainly. Powerful, too. But that just means that every decision he makes impacts more people -in more important, powerful ways. Think about it. If someone asked you if it was better to sacrifice one person to save thousands or the other way around, what would you say?"
"But-" Harry was ready to object.
"Yes, it's cruel. Yes, it's unfair. You don't have to like him, Harry. But do try to learn from him, especially from his mistakes," older Harry looked weathered, defeated.
Younger Harry took a few moments to right himself.
"What does the bond change?" He asked, trying to look at the situation rationally.
"Everything. That's why I didn't 'send' you anything about the war- I know you wondered about it. The Bond is the key to win the war, Harry, and to your future happiness," he thought for a moment.
"I don't know how your future will unfold, but I can tell you what was impacted by the absence of my Bond, if you want," older Harry offered.
"Yes, please," Harry sighed tiredly, his rage deflated but still burning in the back of his mind.
"For starters, Slughorn's Party was a lot smaller. This time around, he made it so formal because of you and Hermione -he wanted to show off his star couple as much as possible," they both rolled their eyes.
"That means I didn't hear anything about Lordships and inheritances until years after the war. I was never able to claim them, though, because the Potter Family Magic rejected me," Harry gasped, horrified.
"I didn't know until the Healers checked my magical core, but the Family discarded me immediately due to my marriage bond with Ginny and the ruined Soul-Bond with Hermione -an unforgivable affront, for a Light ancestry like the Potters and their Magic."
"But…didn't you feel the Bond? After you got rid of it ?" Harry tried to inquire further, curious.
"Partially. I was drawn to Hermione, but she was with Ron and Ginny pressured me into an early engagement…" Older Harry shook his head. "It's not important, now."
"Fact is, I lost my family seat in the Wizengamot, and the Black seat too. We'll return to that in a moment," he said when Harry tried to interrupt.
"I couldn't access ancestral Potter properties nor grimoires. My magic was never whole , Harry. Yours will be, because right now your body and Hermione's are in a sort of stasis that will last for a couple of days just for that reason. Your magical cores are growing, merging and strengthening. You're going to be the most powerful wizard and witch of your time -that's the power he knows not . Albus was right about it being love, but he thought about it in a… theoretical, generic way, more than something real and tangible, like a Bond. That was his first error. The second, also related to the Prophecy, was the fact that he never sussed out that it referred to both us and Hermione. Neither can live while the other survives , Harry. Neither of us, of you can live fully and freely while the other is alive."
He stayed silent for a few moments to let Harry process the new information.
"It was a series of consequences," he confessed quietly. "I felt like the Universe was punishing me for a choice I didn't make consciously. One of the worst ramifications was not being able to retrieve Sirius," Younger Harry's head snapped up.
" Retrieve ?"
"Yes. The Veil… it doesn't kill you. It puts you in a sort of limbo between life and death -at least, that's what I found in the Black library. I wasn't able to retrieve him because I wasn't powerful enough. No one was, at the time. Dumbledore was dead, Flamel and Grindelwald too. Not that he would have helped, but still. If I had been Bonded, however…" he trailed off.
"That's why the Black Family Magic also resisted me. Whether I was named his successor or not, Sirius was alive and still its magical heir. The only thing that held was my ownership of Grimmauld Place." he explained.
"Sirius is alive?" Harry croaked.
"Yes, and now you can help him. I was powerless -you have no idea of how I felt when I understood how everything had gone wrong. I tried to keep going as if nothing had happened, but had little success with it. Tom had stripped me of my family, my Godfather, my friends, and now I had to live with the knowledge that he had taken away my Soulmate, my power and my family legacy, too," he recognised the question in Harry's eyes.
"Ginny never knew about it -I couldn't saddle her with the knowledge of having interfered, however unknowingly, in a Soul-Bond. It's considered worse than murder by some, and it wasn't like we could do anything about it anymore. The marriage bonds had destroyed the last thread of completable connection with Hermione, anyway. Ginny just thought I emotionally cheated on her. As horrible as it sounds, it was better that way -I wasn't able to conceal my yearning for my Soulmate, unfortunately. Hermione didn't know either. To her, I was just Harry -best friend and makeshift brother. I don't know if she ever felt the Bond -if she did, it didn't show." Harry was distraught for his older self.
"What is this Soulmate thing, anyway? Practically, I mean," Harry asked tentatively, wanting to change the subject.
"It's a Bond, a permanent connection between you and Hermione that has been activated, sealed with that first kiss. In my case, it had been frayed and thinned, and couldn't be finished- but still existed, because I could feel it in some ways. In this instance, instead, your magic is now shared and your souls are linked, for eternity. Your minds, too. It's the highest honour Magic could give someone, a gift given once in a millennia. People have tried to replicate it in the past, but spontaneous, preordained ones like ours have not been registered for centuries. That's also because Fate's choice doesn't make it a sure thing- it needs work, a way of nurturing the connection and strengthening the tie until the Bond it's mature enough to be completed-" he stopped himself.
"I don't have time to explain in depth, but you'll learn soon enough anyway. I only know this much because I was obsessed with the idea of what I had lost," he snorted self-deprecatingly. The younger Harry winced in sympathy.
"What about the war itself?" He tried to ask.
"I cannot give you any more information, Harry. Being here is already a violation of the laws of nature, and I won't tempt Fate anymore," he shook his head. "I'd say Fate owes us more than a conversation," younger Harry murmured.
"How are you here, anyway?" He asked after his older self snorted.
"Let's just say I have friends in high places," he smirked. "I would look into that Cloak of ours, just to be safe," older Harry winked. "As for the Horcruxes, look into what he cares about most-"
Then he grimaced, as if in pain.
"My time is up," he looked his younger self in the eyes, completely serious. "Promise me you'll love and cherish her for both of us, Harry," he asked, fading.
"I will, I swear. Thank you for everything," he earnestly thanked his older self.
"Good luck, Harry. You're going to need it."
Then everything went black again.
———
The magical shockwave had impacted the whole Castle and beyond.
People were physically bowled over by the sheer force of it, and almost blinded by the strong golden light that fortunately lasted only a few moments. The partygoers were panicking, looking at the still-intertwined couple with a mixture of fear and awe.
Filius Flitwick screamed when someone tried to touch them.
"Don't! Don't come any closer- we don't know how the magic could respond to perceived threats,"
"Filius, what in Merlin's beard is happening?" Horace was almost hysterical.
"I can't believe it, Horace. I never thought I would see it in my lifetime…" The crowd was now silent, waiting to hear what had happened to the Chosen One.
"Well?" A witch prodded.
"A Soul-Bond. Mister Potter and Miss Granger -now Mrs. Potter- have just sealed it. It's almost a miracle -there hasn't been one in seven hundred years," Filius breathed out. The crowd of onlookers gasped in shock.
"They have been blessed by Magic itself… they're going to be magnificent ," he snapped out of his reverie when a screech came from the couple, a pulse of strong Dark magic being eradicated, destroyed -leaving in its stead a cocoon of intersecting golden rays, a mist that rendered seeing the couple difficult.
"Someone call the Headmaster, now !" Professor Flitwick ordered.
———
Albus was already on his way. He had felt the magical explosion keenly from his private study, and was immediately up and running when he noticed some of his silver instruments had melted.
Something had happened to young Harry.
The Office was chock-full of people, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the impossible scene in the centre of the dance floor. He took a step back, shocked. Filius ran to him as soon as he realised he had entered the room.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"It is. I studied the theories behind it, but to see it in person…" The half-goblin Professor was reverent.
"Something happened, Albus. Dark magic -it was inside one of them. The Bond countered it, but-" he was stopped.
"How Dark, Filius?"
"Foul . Never felt anything like it. Someone should check on them, the magical dome has almost gone down," he remarked.
"I'll escort them personally to the Hospital Wing," Albus agreed, raising his wand to make the two teenagers float.
———
Cho Chang was horrified, to say the least. She was a Pureblood, and while she was not part of the Magical Peerage she still was raised with bedtime stories of souls that meet and two halves of a whole that reunite.
She had been taught reverence, respect for such a gift. And she almost came in between one.
She felt like she had barely sidestepped a Cruciatus Curse.
Terrible, terrible things happened to people who defied the will of Magic.
———
Ginny Weasley's jaw hung open for more than a few moments. She just couldn't believe what the Professor had said. The Weasleys had always been devout in their respect for Magic and its will -and Harry and Hermione had just become one of its reflections.
Dean had known of her feelings for Harry for some time and -while he hadn't appreciated it at all as a boyfriend- as a friend he shot her a sympathetic glance, resting a warm hand on her shoulder.
It was time to let go of the fantasy.
———
Cormac McLaggen was just glad the only thing he had received from Potter was a busted lip and a sore jaw. It could have been much, much worse.
———
Hours later, when the news reached her, Romilda Vane fainted in fear. Meanwhile, Lavender Brown's sobs of joy could be heard from the Hufflepuff Common Room.
———
Madam Pomfrey's reception of the floating couple was not very warm, initially.
"What has Mister Potter done to win a bed in the Infirmary, this time?" She was tired of always seeing the poor boy injured in some way or the other.
"This time, Poppy, even you couldn't begrudge him," Albus sounded enthusiastic.
"What…"
"A Soul-Bond, Poppy! They don't need medical attention for now, just a safe place to stay while their magical cores stabilise, then they should wake up by themselves," he directed.
Poppy Pomfrey thought she had seen it all, in more than thirty honourable years of service as Hogwarts' Healer. Well, she certainly hadn't seen this before.
She covered her mouth with a hand, overwhelmed, and turned her back on the Headmaster to brush a few tears out of her eyes. She was glad for the dear boy. She had become really fond of him over the years, and if there was someone who deserved love, it was him.
When she regained her composure, she started directing the resting couple to a newly transfigured double bed and placing floating diagnostic charms around them to monitor their cores.
Let them rest, she thought. They will need it.
———
Albus remained in the Infirmary, standing vigil over the young man.
He had seen him grow up since he was eleven, and his courage and determination had astounded him daily.
His best friend, his Soulmate , was the girl he had seen flourish into one of the most gifted minds and loyal hearts he had ever seen.
His plan had weighed on his conscience since the day he had discovered what the Diary really was. The Parseltongue, surviving a Killing Curse, the connection… it was all too blatant to Albus.
The child was a Horcrux. Tom had evidently made more than one abomination, and as such was still alive.
The only way to destroy a Horcrux was to damage its vessel irreparably.
That only meant one thing -the boy had to die, and Tom had to be the one to kill him.
Albus had made countless difficult decisions in his life. But choosing to sacrifice Harry… it had been the cause of continuous white nights.
The boy was so brave. So deserving. So fundamentally good .
He shouldn't have had to fight, let alone sacrifice himself. But alas, Fate could not be ignored -nor sidestepped.
But now… now everything was different. The sheer power gained from a Soul-Bond, if honed correctly, could give their faction just what they were searching for. And if his hypothesis was correct..
It was with a pounding pulse and a hopeful heart that he cast the complex detection spell.
Albus remained completely immobile.
When the silvery glow dissipated he had a last glimpse of the healed, faintly pink scar that bisected young Harry's eyebrow, his forehead pressed against his Soulmate's. Then the room darkened again.
And for the first time since he had to incarcerate the love of his life, Albus wept.
This time, however, it was in happiness. In relief. In hope .
———
"-alone! They have to be protected, someone should always be " Madam Pomphrey stopped talking when she saw him standing in front of the double doors of the Hospital Wing.
"Mr. Weasley, do come in," Professor Dumbledore invited.
"Pr- Professor? You wanted to see me? What's wrong?" Ron knew that receiving a personal summons from Dumbledore, especially first thing in the morning, could mean nothing good.
"Oh, nothing is wrong, I assure you. On the contrary, last night we were spectators of an occasion that will change the tide of events completely -in ways we cannot yet imagine. You're here because it concerns Mr. Potter and Miss Grang- well, now Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore smiled widely, his eyes twinkling more than ever. Ron stopped cold.
"I'm sorry, did you say Mrs. Potter? As in Hermione ?" Ron was starting to panic.
"Yes. I decided to inform you personally because they will need their friends' support now more than ever, after everything that happened,"
"What happened, Professor?" Ron was getting pissed off by all the rhetoric.
"Your friends have completed their Soul-Bond, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, looking like Yule had come early. Ron felt like a tower had just dropped on his head.
"S- Soul …?" He tried to talk, but the knot in his throat didn't allow him to. Professor McGonagall, also present, interjected with a jubilant glint in her eyes, but the same stern look as always on her face.
"Soul-Bond. It's a historical moment. A joyous one- but Mr. and Mrs. Potter will need all the help they can possibly get to ride this first months out. The one prophesied to fight You-Know-Who has been blessed by Magic with a Muggleborn Soulmate, being a Half-Blood himself. You can imagine the implications-" Ron threw his hands in the air.
"Just -just give me a minute," he fled the room, pressing his back against the stone wall of the corridor. He slid down to sit on the ground, his head between his knees.
Harry and Hermione. Hermione and Harry.
It was official and magically binding, now. Sacred .
He was ready to be a good friend and accept their relationship, before the night of the Party. He had spent the previous evening in his four-poster, mentally fortifying himself for the news and preparing his reaction for it.
It was inevitable, and he knew it, but nobody could have prepared him for what happened instead.
Harry and Hermione were always special. He had known it since that first train ride.
In the beginning, he was just excited about being the Boy-Who-Lived's friend and was irritated by the little Know-It-All who corrected him in class. Then he became their friend for real, Harry's first and then Hermione's after the Troll. He had lived countless moments with them, bad and good, and had been a hero and a sidekick at once. Had done things he was not proud of.
He hadn't even apologised properly after he abandoned Harry to the wolves in fourth year -his pride hadn't allowed it, and the thing had just…blown over. He still felt the guilt, though.
And now he had to make a choice. Did he want to be their best friend for real , and behave as such, or did he want to be just another disappointment in their lives?
When put in these terms, the answer was easy. He would deal with his feelings about it later.
He got up and brushed the few tears of grief that had escaped him. Grief for what could have been, grief for what would never be -but grief, nonetheless.
When Ron entered the room, a new kind of confidence settled in his bones.
"What can I do, Professor?"
———
Harry found himself in the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hermione was already there, pacing like a caged animal.
"Harry!" she yelled as soon as she spotted him. She practically flew into his arms, speaking in that rapid-fire way she adopted when panicked.
"What's happening, Harry? We were at the Party, and you- you kissed me! It was very good. I'll admit it, your kissing is way more than just satisfactory, but then I saw a light and I found myself in the Common Room, but it was empty! And I can't even go-" Harry silenced her with a gentle peck on the lips.
"Way more than satisfactory, hm? Might have to practice a bit anyway-"
" That's what you're taking from what I said?" Hermione was hysterical.
"Well, a bloke does like being appreciated-"
"Harry James!"
"Okay. I will tell you everything, but you have to promise not to panic, agreed?"
"I don't make promises I can't keep," she mimicked his snarky comment from the match against Slytherin.
Harry gave her a deadpan look.
"Very well," she mumbled.
Harry took a fortifying breath, then gestured to the couch.
"You might want to sit for this."
———
"Let me get this straight," Hermione said after he explained everything.
"You had a dream about me divorcing Ron and you being unhappy with Ginny. Then you woke up and decided, 'Whydon't I date my best friend? The dream said so ' -because you have the best experience with dreams, of course,"
"It wasn't like that! I felt my magic, Mi. I knew it was-"
" Anyway ," Hermione overrode. Harry shot her a glare that she pointedly ignored. "Let's say that was all true. You make a half-baked plan to woo me, because you're very sweet and all -and it worked , by the way," Harry gave her a smug look -that promptly disappeared when he heard her next sentence.
"Then you kiss me, in a room full of Ministry people. Our Soul-Bond activates like a Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bang , and you end up in a creepy, completely white King's Cross with an older version of yourself that explains all sorts of things to you -that we'll unpack later. For that reason, we have basically concluded that we're inside our heads right now, which are connected because we're -again- Soulmates. That's all secondary, in this moment. The main point is, you just married me magically in a room with Department Heads and journalists , Harry. Do you have any idea of the tsunami it will bring?"
He spluttered.
"We're married ? I didn't know we'd end up married!"
"And we can never even divorce! We're, like, technically twin souls - Fate made us to be compatible, so that should not be a problem, but still- hey! What do you mean ' you didn't know?' Wouldn't you have kissed me if you knew?" Harry's head was spinning with how fast she was changing topics.
"Yes! I mean, I would have asked- wait, you want to divorce me?"
Hermione just looked at him blankly.
"I'm considering it right now," Harry tried to look offended, but the silence that followed cracked him up.
He started laughing hysterically, Hermione following suit.
"I just wish I could tell eleven-year-old Hermione. ' Hey girl, you see the one who looks broke with the dreamy green eyes? Yeah, that one. You'll end up married to him at seventeen'. She would have me institutionalised," Hermione dried her eyes with her fingers, still giggling.
"Oh, dreamy , are they? You're going all out today-"
"Yes, yes. I had a crush on the boy who climbed a Mountain Troll for me. Sue me," Harry looked supremely smug now. "Don't worry, it went away the second I saw Hugh Grant on TV a couple of months later," she deflated his ego fast.
"You cruelly discarded your Soulmate for Hugh Grant, Lockhart and Krum ? Do you have any shame left?" Harry covered his heart with a hand.
"Said Mr. She's Pretty And Likes Quidditch, " Hermione rolled her eyes.
"That was a low blow," he grumbled.
"There, there," she patted his head.
The silence stretched for a few moments.
"I explained why we didn't end up together earlier on, right?" He was suddenly serious.
"Yes," she confirmed, sad.
"Fucking hell, I had a piece of the bastard's soul in my head," Harry stated, staring blankly ahead -all levity vanished. "I feel… filthy."
Hermione hugged him tight, his head resting on her chest.
"Now you don't have it leeching off you anymore," Hermione stated calmly. "Now your body and mind are free, and once we regain consciousness we will train harder than ever. Then, we'll get rid of him for good."
"Maybe then we could have a real wedding ceremony," Harry added. For the first time, he was looking towards his future with hope.
"I would like that," Hermione smiled.
"But still, I don't think any ceremony would beat having Gwenog Jones present for our Bonding,"
"Don't forget Sanguini the Vampire," Hermione added drily.
"Do you think he'd give me that writer's owl address? I suddenly feel the need to have a biography -as a wedding gift to you. This is all getting so barmy that I want it documented."
"A couple of days without something mystical happening or Murphy's Law being too right would be just as nice, as a gift."
"Do try to manage your expectations, Mi. I don't do miracles," Hermione smiled secretly, remembering a night long past and a flight on a mythical animal.
"I beg to differ."
"Maybe we could go on holiday, too?"
———
Hermione was still petting his hair after what could have been hours, days, minutes or years.
He didn't worry. He was warm, safe and Hermione was cuddling him -for all he cared, whatever higher power was involved could leave him there.
Hermione opened Pandora's box with a seemingly innocent question.
"How do you feel about all of this?"
Harry thought about sidestepping the question, but then he reckoned that if he had to talk to someone, who better than his Soulmate?
"I'm overwhelmed. Happy. Scared. Excited. Sad. Disgusted. Disillusioned. Disappointed. Take your pick," He half-shrugged.
Hermione let out a long breath. "Yeah, that sums it up."
"I mean, where do I even start?" He tried to find a way to express his scattered thoughts and feelings.
"One thing at a time," Hermione continued stroking his messy hair, now lying on her lap.
"Then the simplest one. I'm happy to be your Soulmate. Like, deliriously happy. The other Harry knew what he was doing. But I'm also scared - it's marriage, Mi. It's a lifelong Bond for us, from what I gathered. What if I mess things up? What if I ruin this- this gift the Universe, or Fate, or Magic or whatever has given us?"
Hermione hummed thoughtfully. "You will mess up. So will I. Being Soulmates doesn't mean being perfect, Harry. It means being perfect for each other . Knowing that even when one of us inevitably screws up, we will find our way back to the other. Because that's how it was meant to be."
"That's very poetic and all, but you have to tell me if I'm doing something wrong, Mi. I won't lose you -I refuse to lose you" Harry pleaded.
"Of course. And you'll have to communicate with me, too," Hermione reminded.
"Facing the Horntail again is looking more and more appealing,"
Hermione tapped him lightly on the back of his neck. He huffed a small laugh and rose to place her head on his chest.
"How do you feel about this?" He motioned to their intertwined forms.
"I'm less surprised than I ought to be. I mean, now that I know… It's like, of course , you're my Soulmate. Who else?" She shrugged. "The whole magical part of it it's still overwhelming, but at the core of it? It's just confirming something I already knew. That you're at the centre of my life and that I would be incomplete without you, in one form or another," she pressed a small kiss on his head.
"Wow, now you've really done it. How can I top something like that? I mean, leave a bit of romance to a guy-"
"You're so ridiculous I can't even be mad," Harry laughed softly, his cheeks warm.
———
They enjoyed the silence for a while.
"You know I'm in love with you, don't you?" Harry whispered.
"Yeah, you're not subtle, dear,"
"Dear ? How very wifely of you. And I'll have you know -I was extremely subtle."
"Well, I am your wife. And no, you were not. But Lavender still had to tell me for it to click. I just thought you'd been acting weird," Harry's chest shook with his chuckle.
"The Brightest Witch Of Her Age , felled by feelings. Oh, how the mighty has fallen," she tapped his chest with a hand.
"So?" He prompted after she didn't respond.
"So what?" Hermione asked, a little too innocently.
"You're annoying, you know that?"
"I'm aware," she nodded. "And of course I'm in love with you. I already loved you in every other way -falling in love was just the next step. I didn't recognise my feelings at first, to be honest. You were too important to lose because of a crush, you know? The way I felt for you was always overwhelming. Sometimes I was taken by the need to protect you, sometimes I really wanted to shake you, and sometimes I wanted to kiss you. I suppressed a lot over the years, I think. So much that I doubted myself when my feelings changed from being purely platonic to this . I'll admit, the fact that my magic kept searching for you helped in making the choice of accepting them, but still," she felt his happiness as if it was hers.
"And she does it again,"
"You know this it's not a competition of who's more romantic, do you?"
"Everything is a competition, sweetheart,"
"God, that's worse than 'dear'. And of course you would think that, Cap. "
———
"Do you have some sort of fascination with my hair?"
"What?" Hermione stopped her movements.
"I mean, you always touch it,"
"I like it. It's soft and thick and fluffy -moreover, I can see it calms you down when I do."
"Mhmh, that's true. At least you know your husband won't be balding anytime soon,"
"It's more likely that your hair will take control of you entirely. It's a complete mess, husband. "
" Hey ! You're one to talk-" Harry caught her eye and stopped immediately.
"You were saying?" Her voice was menacing.
"Nothing. I love your hair," he shook his head rapidly.
"That's what I thought." Hermione restarted her motion.
"Merlin, witch, you're terrifying."
"Please, I know you like it," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You do?" Harry was suspicious.
"Yeah. It has been… noticeable, in certain situations. I just connected the dots."
"I-it has?" Harry said meekly.
"Well, it's rather difficult to ignore when you're all pressed up against me. I also noticed you really liked it when I put on your Jersey," Hermione smirked.
"You've never said anything!" Harry's cheeks were burning.
"What could I have said? ' Hey, Harry, you're poking me with your penis very often lately. Have you considered a trip to the Infirmary' ? It doesn't sound very best-friendly."
"Someone please kill me," he groaned.
Hermione laughed. Evil witch , he thought.
———
"How did you know more than me about the Bond?" He asked later.
"I came across the concept of Soulmates in a Muggle book and wanted to see if it was real in our world, so I-"
"-researched in the Library" Harry intoned with her.
"Let's all mock the bookworm, come on,"
"Never," he kissed her cheek sweetly. "But you have to admit, you're a bit predictable sometimes," he added.
"Predictable, am I? Are you sure?" Hermione asked in a toocalm voice.
"One hundred-"
Hermione straddled him in a fluid motion, bringing her hand to the nape of his neck.
She fisted his hair, angling his head backwards.
"Still so very sure?" She whispered sweetly, millimetres away from his lips.
Harry's pupils were blown, his breaths short and his chest heaving.
Could someone cum prematurely while being inside his own mind?
"You win," he panted.
Hermione smirked. Then she pecked him chastely on the lips, coming back to curl at his side.
Evil, evil witch.
Harry cleared his throat.
"So, what else do you know about the Bond?"
"Not much else, I'm afraid. I know it's common knowledge in the Wizarding Society, but it's more like a bedtime story kind of content than anything else. Like a fairytale, I imagine. The more devout families think that Magic gives it as a blessing to deserving souls, ones with a precise purpose. It's considered sacred, and it's said to connect the couple in mind, spirit and magic. It's also said to give immense power to the people involved, but I don't know how much of it is true. We'll just have to expect some sort of mind connection and an increase in power, I think." Hermione recalled.
"There was nothing more specific?"
"Nope. Very few people studied it as a real phenomenon. Most think of Soul-Bonds as some sort of tale."
"Brilliant."
———
"What do you want to do about Dumbledore?"
"What can we do, Mi? I have to wait until I'm seventeen, then I'll claim my inheritance and we'll be independent," he was still full of rage towards the Headmaster, so he skirted around the real meaning of her question.
"Yes, that's all very good. We should also research the Potter Family, while we're at it. But we're still in school, Harry. We know he planned to make you a martyr, but what if he'll change his schemes now that you're not a Horcrux anymore? I don't think he wants you dead, honestly. Maybe he will even train you or something," Hermione tried to be optimistic. "But that's not the point. How do we behavetowards him?" She continued.
"He's lucky if I don't burn his beard off," Harry replied moodily.
"I'd lit the match for you if I could, but he's still one of the only people Voldemort fears. We can't discount that," Hermione said.
"I know, Mi. I even know I would've chosen to do the same, but I trusted him. I just found out that my childhood hero actively planned to make me sacrifice my life -it's not easy to digest. Rationally, I agree with him. It might be cruel, but it's one life in exchange for countless. It's more than blatant what the right thing to do would be. But it's my life,love. I thought he saw me as more than a pawn, but I'm just that to him. Something to use and discard when he doesn't need it anymore," Harry was deeply disappointed in Dumbledore, but most importantly he was hurt.
"Then we'll wait and see. If he comes clean and we see he genuinely wants the best for us, then we will accept his help. If not… We'll deal with it if we have to cross that bridge," Hermione proposed.
She was trying to maintain a cool head now, but when Harry had told her first of Dumbledore's little suicidal plan she had raged and screamed like a banshee. How dare he? How dare he play God with people's lives? With Harry's life? She didn't know how she would keep herself composed around him if he didn't at least apologise to Harry.
If Dumbledore didn't change his ways she didn't want to know how she would react. Hermione had read about the absurd power people gained through Soul-Bonds. If she didn't keep it contained she would risk ending the Headmaster's life. No doubts about that.
She could feel her protective instincts heighten the more she thought about it -another consequence of the Bond, she assumed.
Thankfully, she could not be held legally responsible for acting in Harry's defence if the old laws were still in play- and she would bet they were.
Whoopsies .
———
"I have a plan," Harry said.
"That's both new and concerning. You sure you feel okay?"
"Always the comic," Harry rolled his eyes.
"You've been a pain in my arse for years, I'm just trying to catch up,"
"Believe me, you caught up somewhere between the first time you said ' Summoning Charm ' to me and the time you tried to knit hats for the Elves,"
"You're saying your wife is annoying?"
"Yes, absolutely. When you want you can be the most obnoxious little-"
Hermione threw a pillow at his face.
"Very mature," He remarked.
" Very mature ," she mimicked. "How's that for obnoxious?"
"An extremely good example of it. Now, want to hear the plan or not?"
"Do tell," she gestured grandly.
"We wake up. We pack for the Hols. We go to Grimmauld. We search for information about the Veil. When we find what we need, we make a deal with the Minister and we try to retrieve Sirius. How about that?" He sounded certain.
"I have found about three hundred flaws in this plan. Give me five minutes and I'll tell you what I think we should do," Hermione opted for her most irritating lecture tone.
Harry groaned.
———
"You speak French? Why did I not know that? And when did you learn?"
"Because you don't. Why would I speak to you in a language I know you won't understand? And I was raised bilingually -my mom is half French."
"That's so cool. But what about the people from Beauxbatons? You could have talked to them in fourth year."
"They were very insular -we all were, Harry. Our schools were competing against each other."
"You're right. International cooperation , my arse. But what about Fleur? You could have talked with her in French."
"I was just going to try during the Yule Ball, but then she insulted the Great Hall and the decorations. She had already called you a ' leetle boy' o nce, as you told me. She was very rude. Then she became more tolerable when you saved Gabrielle and also when she started dating Bill, but I just didn't want to make the effort at that point. Maybe in the future."
"I thought you didn't like her because she's, you know… pretty?" Harry wondered if he'd just put an entire foot in his mouth -ankle included.
"Nah. I honestly feel for her, in that matter. What girl in her right mind would like to attract every brute or man with bad intentions within a twenty-meter radius? Who would want the catcalls, the harassment? Maybe at first I was a bit jealous of her beauty and her Veela ancestry, but when I thought about its consequences… yeah, I prefer to be myself."
Harry could only stay silent.
———
"What would you do in case of a Zombie Apocalypse?"
"What kind of question is it, Mi?"
"Just answer."
"I would kill as many of them as possible and protect people who can't fight, I guess."
"Morgana, that's such a Chosen One answer to give."
"Well, I am the Chosen One. Let's hear what you would do instead."
"I would find a remote place with a big library to research for a cure. Or just try to create a weapon to exterminate them en masse, while trying to funnel resources to more vulnerable areas, if I had the possibility."
"Yours is, in fact, a very respectable answer. But we both know you would fight on the frontlines anyway."
"Yes, but in a smarter way. You are perfectly capable of launching yourself at the Zombies with the Sword of Gryffindor, if you're left unchecked."
"I would look very hot if I did that. You're such a spoilsport."
"Have you ever had a thought about self-preservation?"
"You're impossible."
"And you have zero respect for your own life."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. When you're not actively trying to put yourself in danger."
"I don't love you anymore."
"Sorry, sir, we make no refunds after thirty days from the purchase."
Harry huffed.
———
"Oh, fuck . Fuck."
" Hermione Jean ! Language."
"Shut up , Harry. My parents! I forgot about my parents. What am I going to tell them? ' Sorry mum and dad, I got married at seventeen. But don't worry, it's just a magical thing that ties me to Harry forever. '?"
"Fuck." Harry agreed. He saw dental drills in his future -lots and lots of them.
Trelawney would be proud.
———
They were enjoying the peace of their little magical space when the Room started to light up, like the sun was shining through the windows in late morning.
They were waking up.
———
Professor Dumbledore saw both of them open their eyes and take a deep breath, the kind you take after you've been underwater for too long.
And all the magic in the room breathed with them.