Chapter 5
A couple days later, Harry and Ginny asked Sirius to give them the day off, as they wanted to talk to their friends. Sirius gave them a knowing look, understanding what they wanted to address with the others.
As it was a Monday, Harry had to ask Fred and George to take the morning off from work, and he asked Blaise, Luna, and Daphne to take the day off. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but this was one of those 'the fewer people who knew, the better', and he just wanted to keep it to his closest circle. While the others were good friends, the Weasleys, and Neville, Susan, and Hermione, were more like siblings.
"So what's going on?" Neville asked as they all sat down in the sitting room next to the dueling room in the basement of the Castle.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other, holding hands, taking comfort in that small touch.
Harry took a deep breath, and looked around at the group. "You've all been really great about not asking questions this summer, waiting for us to tell you. We really appreciate that, and we never questioned that we would tell you what's going on, it's just…" he trailed off for a moment, and then continued. "We needed to tell our guardians first."
Ron furrowed his brow. "This sounds really serious. Why did you have to tell mum and dad?"
Ginny leaned forward slightly. Her warm brown eyes caught each of their confused and worried gazes. "Have any of you heard of soul bonds?"
Hermione, somewhat predictably, gasped. "Are you serious?" she asked in a hushed whisper.
Ginny nodded, and Harry smiled, nudging her shoulder with his.
Hermione's eyes gleamed brightly. "Oh, Merlin, that's amazing!"
Ron looked over at his girlfriend. "For those of us who aren't as smart, care to clue us in?"
Hermione blushed slightly as she looked over at Ron. "Soul bonds are some of the purest and oldest forms of magic. There are different kinds, such as life bonds or marriage bonds." She looked back at Harry and Ginny. "But I'm guessing what you have isn't one of those."
The others all gasped as they caught on to what was going on.
Harry nodded, looking nervously at Ginny's brothers. "It's what we'd call a true Soul Bond. Basically, Ginny and I were meant to be together from the beginning. When we became a couple, the bond activated." He swallowed, his expression somewhat apologetic. "Ginny and I are, for all intents and purposes, married. We already talked to your parents, and Sirius and Aunt Minerva," he hurried on when it looked like Ron was about to explode. Fred and George didn't look much better, but they did look like they would wait and hear him out first. "We're not going to move into Potter Manor anytime soon, and we understand our ages. We're not going to do anything more than we are intrinsically comfortable with. Your parents trust us to be responsible."
Ron was about to start yelling, when he did something he had been really working at over the last couple of years. He stopped, took a deep breath, and thought about what he was going to say before he spoke. Harry was his best mate, and he had come around to the idea of him dating Ginny rather quickly. He actually sort of liked it, because he trusted Harry with Ginny way more than he would trust any of the other blokes he knew. But married? Well, yeah, he had sort of thought they would probably end up that way, but not for years. They were too young! They were… well, Harry had just turned sixteen, and Ginny was fifteen. They weren't exactly adults, but they were getting there. Both of them had seen way more than most teenagers their ages. His parents trusted them, and were all right with the situation. The question was, was he? From what they had said, being soul bonded meant that they were destined to be together. They were two halves of a whole. Didn't that mean that Harry would never hurt her?
Harry seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for something from Ron.
The redhead looked at his best mate, and smiled slightly. "So I guess we're really brothers now, huh?"
Harry grinned, and Hermione beamed as she kissed her boyfriend's cheek. She was so proud of the way he had grown up over the last couple of years.
Fred and George looked at each other, and shrugged. "You've always been family, Harry," George said.
"We trusted you with our sister before, and this doesn't really change anything," Fred picked up.
Harry's smile, if possible, got wider. "Thanks, guys," he said, relieved. "It means a lot that you accept this. I know we waited a while to tell you, but you can understand why we don't want people to know?"
Susan nodded seriously. "I know a little about soul bonds, and what I know says that the youngest recorded bond was twenty three, over a thousand years ago. The idea of it happening so young is almost unheard of. Plus, if Voldemort knew, he could possibly use it against you."
Several of the group looked surprised, like they hadn't considered that possibility, but Ginny nodded. "Exactly. And even beyond that, it's very private. It was a huge step for us, just to tell all of you. We don't feel comfortable sharing everything, but we will tell you what we can today, and hope that you will be satisfied with that, and not push for more." Her gaze seemed to rest on Hermione for that last bit; even if the bookish girl had toned down her attitude over the last couple of years, she still loved her research projects.
Everyone nodded to show they understood, and Harry told them a little more about their bond. How they could speak mind to mind, and how they could sometimes see what was going on around the other.
Though they clearly had more questions than were answered, all of their friends practiced restraint, and didn't push them, respecting their wishes.
"Thank you for telling us all this," Neville said, as they wrapped up to go have lunch. "It means a lot that you trust us with this secret."
Harry smiled at his friend. "Of course we trust you," he replied, clapping the Longbottom heir on the shoulder. "You guys, you're not just friends. We're like… one big family. I trust you all more than just about anyone. Besides Ginny, of course," he grinned at the younger girl, taking her hand in his.
Ginny growled playfully, and leaned into his side. "Harry's right. You all are closer than friends. We trust you with our lives, and we knew we could trust you with this."
They all smiled happily, and continued upstairs. Though they didn't say it often, they all felt the same way.
Neville could remember his childhood with startling clarity. Friendless, ostracized by even his own family for being perceived as barely magical. Entering Hogwarts and being bullied, made fun of, and again, ostracized. There had been a few who abstained, but even then, they hadn't really made an effort to include him. It had meant so much to him when Harry had extended the offer of friendship, and the last couple of years, his life had changed dramatically. Harry had said that they were sort of like godbrothers, because their mums had been each other's godmothers. Harry had taken that to heart, and everything he had done for Neville since then had only shown that fact. And his life had gotten so much better. Getting his own wand had drawn his magic out, and no one could dispute that he was a wizard now. His grandmother had, amazingly, thawed out a little, and showed pride in him. She had actually bought him an owl as a present when he had shown her his OWL grades. While he didn't mind Trevor, he much preferred the owl. He would leave the toad at home to enjoy his greenhouses, and take the owl to school. His new pet was a beautiful Eagle Owl with quite a personality. Neville had named her Athena, and had received multiple compliments from his friends when he had shown them the bird. Athena and Hedwig got on quite well, something their two owners were a little surprised about – their personalities were so similar, Harry had said that it made sense that they would either get on magnificently or be mortal enemies. They were glad it was the former.
When Harry said they were like family, he felt such a huge sense of comfort and happiness. He was proud to be held in such high regard, and he would endeavor to earn that respect for the rest of his life.
Susan also felt overjoyed. Harry certainly hadn't needed to include her several years ago. He had invited her to his new home because her aunt had been involved in getting him away from his horrible relatives and in engineering his godfather's freedom, but he really hadn't had to, if he hadn't wanted to. But he had let her in, taken a leap of faith and trusted her with his godfather's life. And she had found herself integrating into a group of teenagers that gave her a sense of home, a place to belong. Harry had given her so much more than the hand of friendship. He had given her a family, a place to be herself and thrive. Sirius was shaping up to be a great uncle, and this group she was surrounded by were the brothers and sisters she had always wanted.
Before Hermione had started at Hogwarts, the only friends she had had, had been those she found in books. Her classmates made fun of her because she was smart, she always got top grades, and, yes, she could admit that she was a bit of a teacher's pet. The other girls made fun of her bushy hair and her larger than normal front teeth. So she stuck to her books, and read about worlds with dragons and knights, and princesses that always got their prince. It was fantasy, and she knew that, but it was so much better than her reality.
When she had gotten her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, she had hoped, perhaps naïvely, that the wizarding world would be different. And yet, she had had to learn the hard way that people were people, magical or not. She was still the bookish girl who wasn't comfortable in social situations. She was still made fun of, and people still avoided her. But then something remarkable had happened. Harry had extended an offer of friendship. Well, technically, he and Ron had accidentally locked her in a room with a troll and then rescued her, but it amounted to the same thing. With Harry and Ron as friends, she had mellowed out a little; Harry had taught her that books weren't always right, and even authority figures were fallible. She had grown into a woman she could be proud of, and she had Harry to thank for that. He was like her brother, and she couldn't imagine her life without him anymore. She trusted him implicitly, and she was so glad that that trust was returned. It couldn't have been easy for Harry and Ginny to tell them such a private thing, but they had, knowing that their friends would understand. She wouldn't let them down.
Hermione had changed a great deal from the girl she was at eleven; she understood the concept of leaping without looking, and doing things because they were right, even if it broke a few rules in the process. Harry had taught her that some things were more important.
XXX
The morning of September First, it was organized chaos as was usual when the Weasleys were involved. Harry had asked – or begged – his guardians to let him and his friends have a sleepover the night before, and they had reluctantly agreed. They knew that the teenagers would be tired the next day, as it was unlikely they would get much sleep, but they couldn't say no to Harry's wide, pleading eyes.
It was a rather large group, and a fun evening, as Harry was joined by Ginny, Ron, Susan, Neville, Hermione, Blaise, Daphne, and Luna. The last three were still working on their animagus transformations, so they practiced for a while, while the others played out on the grounds in their forms.
When it got late, the house elves provided the teenagers with an impressive buffet of snacks, and they all settled down with blankets and pillows in the dueling room, talking about the coming year, their studies, and anything else they thought of. It was a rather fun evening, Harry thought, as they finally drifted off around three o'clock in the morning.
They were up early the next day, bleary eyed as they cleaned up the dueling room and went upstairs to get dressed and get their belongings together.
Fortunately, everyone had packed before they arrived for the sleepover, and even Ron couldn't completely empty his trunk in one night.
It was still a bit of a mad rush to get dressed, get breakfast, and get all their belongings ready around the Floo by ten thirty, but they managed. It was a loud gathering in the sitting room, as Neville and Harry pacified their caged owls, while Ginny and Hermione had to do the same to Crookshanks and Selene, who were not happy to be sequestered in their carry boxes.
As was prearranged, Harry and his friends went through the Floo with Remus and Sirius, and met their families, along with Tonks and Kingsley, in the wizarding portion of Kings Cross, so that their parents and guardians could still see them off, and provide a little extra security at the same time.
Harry and Ginny were first through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, followed by Ron and Hermione, Neville and Susan, Blaise and Luna, and Daphne last, before the adults joined them.
They all said goodbye to their respective guardians quickly, as the adults wanted them to get to the relative safety that the train provided.
Harry said his farewells to Sirius and Remus, as Minerva had had to get to school, before Molly grasped him in a tight hug. "You take care of yourself," she told him kindly, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
Harry nodded, before the Weasley matriarch moved on down the line.
Molly fussed over the teenagers, giving them all hugs and imploring them to be good, before they got on the train.
They all claimed a compartment before most of the group left Neville and Ron to hold down the fort while they all headed up front for the Prefect meeting.
There were a few other Prefects there as Harry and his friends entered, and they said their hellos, spending a few minutes talking about their summers, before the train began to move, signaling that eleven o'clock had arrived.
Katie Bell slipped into a seat near Harry right at eleven. She smiled a hello before she raised an eyebrow at Harry. "So, I'm guessing congratulations are in order?" she asked with a smile.
Harry returned the smile and nodded, knowing what she was talking about. "Thanks," he replied.
"So, when are tryouts going to be?" Katie queried, glancing up at the Head Boy and Girl to make sure they weren't starting the meeting.
Harry shrugged. "Within the first couple of weeks. I'll let you know when I book the Pitch, but it's going to be a bigger event than last year, since we only have three starters."
"But it was a good idea to build a reserve team," Katie argued. "We already have a pool to pick from for those positions."
Harry shook his head. "I'm going to hold complete tryouts, for all starting and reserve positions. I think you've got the best chance of everyone of making the team again, but I want to make sure we have the best of the best. Maybe there's someone who didn't tryout last year."
Katie bit her lip. "That's a good idea," she admitted. "I better make the team, Potter, but it is a good idea."
Harry kept smiling as he nodded, as a few more people entered the compartment, and they turned to other conversations, mostly about their summers.
Shortly after that, the Head Boy and Girl – Jeremy Winchester from Ravenclaw, and Elizabeth Newton from Hufflepuff – called the meeting to order.
"Welcome everyone," Elizabeth greeted. "And congratulations to our new Prefects. This will just be a short meeting, we'll sort out patrol schedules and go over a few things, and then you can all go back to your compartments."
She and Jeremy then proceeded on with the meeting. It wasn't too long until Harry was heading back to his compartment with his friends.
"It's going to be a busy year," Ginny commented as she took a seat on Harry's lap, as there weren't enough seats for all of them to sit in the compartment. "Prefect duties, OWLs, the DA, Quidditch…" She leaned back into Harry's toned chest. "Why did I want to be a Prefect again?"
Harry chuckled, the motion causing his chest to vibrate slightly, and Ginny sighed contentedly. "You get used to it," he reassured her. "Just budget your time, and exams won't be an issue. Right Hermione?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but nodded. It was good advice.
The trip to Hogsmeade station was uneventful. They all pitched in and nearly cleaned the Trolley Witch out when she came by, and spent the afternoon talking and eating.
Harry had informed them of Malfoy's expulsion, and they all wondered how that would change the Hogwarts dynamics. Malfoy hadn't been the only worrisome student there, but he was certainly the most vocal. How many had just been following the leader? Harry implored them all to be careful, but they were optimistic that perhaps some of the questionable students would see the light without Malfoy's dribble clouding their judgment.
"How was the DMLE able to expel someone?" Hermione asked curiously. "I know they manage the law, but I always thought Hogwarts was outside their control."
Harry nodded. "It is," he agreed. "Amelia and Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the DMLE, took their case to the Board of Governors. Dumbledore was there, of course, trying to preach forgiveness, but the Board decided to expel Malfoy. Amelia told me a couple days ago about all this. Once he was expelled, they had the opportunity to decide whether or not they could try him for his crimes, but Rufus decided that they can't really sentence him to Azkaban, since he didn't actually physically hurt anyone."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Tell that to my head. That tackle hurt, and whatever potion he released definitely gave me a headache."
Harry tightened his arms around her waist. "I know," he agreed. "It sucks, and Crabbe and Goyle will still be at Hogwarts, but there's not much we can really do about it. Amelia said to be on our guard, and come to her if we need anything, or if anything happens."
When it turned to early evening, the boys all left to give the girls a chance to change into their uniforms, before they exited the compartment to give the boys the same courtesy.
It wasn't too much later when the train began to slow down, and shortly after that, they pulled into Hogsmeade station.
After spending a few minutes helping first years find their way to Hagrid – not that it was that hard, the part giant did stand out from the crowd just a bit – and sorting out a few arguments with students fighting over the carriages, they all got into the last few thestral-drawn carriages themselves, and headed up to the castle.
XXX
Harry was grateful that Minerva didn't wait too long before bringing in the new first years. Ron was complaining constantly about his hunger, and Harry just wanted the feast to start so that he would stop talking. He was hungry too, but he wasn't sharing that fact with the entire table.
He knew that the others were also getting annoyed, but fortunately, Minerva entered at that moment, cutting off any comments they might have made.
Harry listened to the sorting hat's song with interest. Just like the year before, it included a warning, telling the students to unite and stand strong against the growing darkness. He clapped politely along with the rest of the Hall, before Minerva began calling names.
After the last student was sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up, smiling genially as he spread his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"To our new students, welcome! And to our old students, welcome back! Tuck in!"
He sat down, and the noise level in the hall rose dramatically as food appeared on all tables.
Harry studied the head table as he ate. He was interested to see what the new Potions professor looked like. He wouldn't form any opinions until he had a few classes with the man, but after what Sirius had told him, he would be on his guard. The man he observed was rather rotund, and as Sirius had said, clearly someone who enjoyed the finer comforts of life. He had almost white-blond hair, and was sporting a rather unfortunate comb over to hide his receding hairline.
Once the desserts had disappeared, Dumbledore stood up again. "Now that you are all full to bursting, I have a few start of term announcements to give out, before I send you to your beds. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is just that – forbidden. A few older students would do well to remember that as well." His gaze shifted to the Gryffindor table, before he spoke again. "Mister Filch has informed me that twenty four items have been added to the banned items list, bringing the total to four hundred and fifty two. I believe the full list can be viewed in the caretaker's office."
"Has anyone ever actually taken him up on that offer?" Harry wondered quietly, causing Ginny, Ron, and Neville to hide their chuckles, and Hermione to roll her eyes fondly.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "The final announcement I have relates to staffing. I am pleased to welcome back Horace Slughorn this year. Professor Slughorn will be reprising his role as Potions professor, while Professor Snape will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts."
There was polite clapping, as Slughorn stood up and waved, while Snape just nodded from his seat.
Dumbledore smiled. "Now, if the Prefects will lead the first years to their dormitories, I wish you all a good evening."
Ginny immediately stood up, giving Harry a kiss before she caught up with her male counterpart, Colin Creevey, and they led the first years up to Gryffindor tower.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville tagged along, waving to Blaise, Luna, Daphne, and Susan as they left the Hall.