Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J.K Rowling and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this creative lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!
The Battle of Hogwarts had ended in victory for the Light side of the blood conflict, yet it was a very bittersweet occasion. They had lost so many friends, brothers, sisters and loved ones, that it was hard to breathe. The losses were overwhelming the survivors, who were either discreetly or blatantly sobbing in smaller or larger groups, tending to the wounded and guarding the bodies of the fallen.
A pale witch had broken away from the crowd, and silently made her way towards the Black Lake. Her eyes were gleaming with tears, and her cheeks were faint with a soft red colour, that the biting wind had caused. Her wild tresses were flying around her head, as she gazed over the horizon, lost in her thoughts, mourning. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and one of her arms looked to be either sprained or broken, yet she didn't seem to care.
Hermione Granger was in a gloomy daze. For a very scary couple of minutes, she had thought she lost Harry forever, and with that, she was almost lost to the world herself. She could feel the moment that his soul passed over to another plane of existence, and when he came back, her terrifying theory of Harry Potter being the last Horcrux was proven.
She could feel her body trembling, as she fell to her knees on the grassy ground, sobbing. Her emotions were on overdrive, thus she didn't notice that a beautiful bird had flown over to land on a nearby tree, watching her, studying her fragile form with a sad expression of longing and sorrow.
"Hermione!" Harry's frantic voice whispered, as he found his best friend in hysterics. His heart had sunk into his stomach at the sight. He knelt next to the crying woman he loved, and pulled her into his arms.
"Oh, Harry!" She whispered, clutching his torn shirt in her healthy hand, and looked into his stormy emerald orbs, that were reflecting so many conflicting emotions, that her breath had caught in her throat. "You died, you went and sacrificed yourself!" She stated in a barely audible voice, and his eyes widened in shock.
"You! How dare you just leave me behind, Harry? If you didn't come back..." Her voice trailed, leaving that train of thought unfinished, but he knew. He knew that if he didn't come back, she would have followed him. She always did. He tightened her arms around her.
"I came back for you, Love." He admitted. "I was given a choice to either pass on to be with my family, or finish what I was destined to do. I came back for you. Your love and devotion for me has drawn me back to you." His lips curved into a small smile, and he leaned over to place a soft kiss on her temple.
"Harry..." She whispered, gazing into his brilliant eyes. "I love you. I have loved you, ever since the moment you saved an annoying little know-it-all girl from a smelly troll." Her eyes softened. "I have fallen in love with you the night we have saved Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss. Flying snuggled to your back on the back of Buckbeak, was breathtaking. You made me feel safe and secure, even with my fear of heights. I realized that moment, that as long as we are together, I will never be afraid of anything, because we have each other to lean on."
Harry's heart was fluttering in his chest, as millions of butterflies erupted in his stomach, ready to take a most enchanted flight. His eyes were sparkling with a fond light, that was caused by the beautiful witch confessing her feelings for him. He always knew that she loved him, but he had never known love, until he met her. He was thrilled to be able to share this with her.
"Oh, Mia!" He breathed the endearing nickname he came up with in their second year, while she was laying petrified in the Infirmary. "I love you too. You were my first hug, you were the first person, who showed that they cared about me. With you, I was always just Harry, not the elusive Boy-Who-Lived. With you, I could always be honest, and you would straighten me out, if I messed up. You sacrificed so much for me over the years, and I never thanked you." He sighed. "Your devotion, your loyalty, your compassion, and your brilliance have all shaped me to be the person I am today. Without you, I would not have been able to defeat the Dark Tosser, and I would have stayed happily dead to meet my Mum and Dad." He admitted and Hermione gasped, leaning tighter against him, as if attempting to keep him with her forever.
"Oh, Harry..." She said, and he took that moment to lean down to brush his lips against hers in a feather-light touch, pulling back right away.
"I have fallen in love with you in our second year, but I did not know what I was feeling at the time. Seeing you petrified had stirred so many emotions in me, and made me realize that you were the most important person in my life. I know I was a bit of a git in some occasions though." He said sheepishly and she let out a small laugh, that sounded like the softest music to his ears.
"It's alright. I know that I am rather bossy at times, and if I make my mind up about something, I go through with it, even if it bugs others, or if I am wrong." She looked away shyly. Harry gently placed his thumb under her chin, to coax her to look at him again.
"Hermione, you were right most of those times, and Ron and me were gits!" He sighed again. "We needed you to push us about studying and look out for our stubborn arses, even if we didn't appreciate it at the time. We sure as hell do now."
"No, Harry. Ron and I." She corrected him with a playful light in her eyes. "Thank you for saying that though. I really appreciate it, although I am sorry about the way I went about your Firebolt and Professor Snape's Potions book." She sighed and looked down. "I was just so worried about the threat of the wanted murdered after you, – when we did not know he was innocent –, that I decided that I would be okay with you not talking to me, if it meant you were still safe." Harry's eyes widened a little bit. "I missed you immensely though, and I threw myself into my charm and spell-work, pouring over old Library tomes to help you." She blushed. "And in our sixth year, I admit I was mostly jealous about how much better you did in Potions class, and that clouded my judgement. I was a bit weary about the unknown source of the helpful notes as well, but mainly envious." She admitted and Harry stroked her cheek tenderly.
"Thank you." He said softly, and leaned down again to caress her lips with his own. They melted into each other. The kiss was soft and slow, and border-line childish. They just wanted to express their emotions through a new outlet, but it wasn't time for searing passion yet. Neither of them were ready for anything more than cuddles and chaste kisses.
Harry wanted to say so many things in reply to what she just admitted to him, but his Mia seemed to understand him without uttering a single word. That was another thing he loved about her. She understood him from a simple look, or a light touch. They shared a connection so deep, he wondered if it was what his parents used to share. That thought made him smile.
"Mia." He started and she looked up at him. "Would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" He asked, his eyes pleading with her to permit him to court her.
Hermione's eyes widened and her grief-stricken face melted into a genuine smile, but then her thoughts have caught up with her and she frowned slightly, which confused the dark-haired wizard.
"Hermione?" He asked, his voice small and worried. 'Was it possible she would deny him?' The thought sent a feeling of cold dread into his heart.
"I want nothing more than to be yours, Harry." She said softly and the terror disappeared from his heart. "I do have a concern though..." He frowned, panic flooding his eyes. "What about Ron and Ginny? I couldn't fail to notice that they are sort of expecting us to be with them."
"I don't care." He said firmly and wrapped both of his arms around her possessively. "Ron doesn't deserve you, all you do is fight with each other." He said in a pained voice. "He is my best mate, but we both know he puts his foot in his mouth more times than food, when it's about you." Hermione let out an involuntary chuckle at that.
"That's very true." She nodded. "What about Ginny though? She cares about you. I don't want to hurt her." Her eyes were downcast, as his fingers entwined with hers.
"She will get over it." He said gently. He didn't want to say it out loud, but her affections for him never felt genuine. He felt like she wanted the Boy-Who-Lived, not him, and he wanted his significant other to care about Harry, not an elusive title. "She is a pretty girl, I am sure that boys will trip over each other to court her." He chuckled. He cared about her, but he couldn't imagine a life with her.
"We might not be welcome at The Burrow for a while." She mused. "Mrs. Weasley is very temperamental about her decisions, and she always viewed us as future Weasleys." She sighed. "I adore that woman, but she will be giving us the cold shoulder."
"That may be so, Hermione, but I want you more, than I want to be in the company of people, who cannot accept that my heart chose another." He kissed her cheek gently. "Besides, we can go look for your parents after attending the memorials."
Hermione's eyes lit with a light of longing and love for her family. She was determined to keep them away from the war, and missed them so. They had a long discussion about the Wizarding War and her role in it, thus Obliviating them of their memories of her, which was a mutual decision, after making a Pro and Con list. The reasons for temporarily forgetting their daughter, heavily outweighed their concerns about erasing her from their consciousness. They aided her in creating their aliases and they chose a continent far away from all the madness.
"Really?" She asked in a hopeful tone. "I really miss them. They will approve of our relationship." She had a brilliant smile on her face, that made Harry grin in return. He was anxious to meet the Grangers, who raised such a radiant daughter.
"It's a date." He agreed and cuddled into her, leaving the planning for another day. For now they just wanted to be in each other's presence, soaking up the love and warmth they felt for one another.
The phoenix sitting on the tree approved of the conversation he witnessed, and made his presence known. He flew over their head, circled the sky above them a few times, and landed in front of the surprised couple.
"Fawkes?" Hermione gasped, and the fiery bird trilled in an ethereal voice, and bobbed his head in reply.
"What are you doing here, old friend?" Harry asked, amazed at the presence of the late Headmaster's familiar.
Fawkes moved closer to the couple, and gently nuzzled his head against Hermione's sprained arm, a single tear falling onto the discoloured and dislocated limb, healing it completely. She gasped at the sight and the feel of the process, looking at the phoenix in sheer disbelief.
"Thank you, but you could have used your precious tears to heal a more serious injury." She swallowed in compassion, looking over at the ruins of the castle.
Fawkes trilled in resistance, and kept close to the bright witch. He mourned the loss of Albus Dumbledore for a whole year, trying to enjoy his freedom, but longing for the familiar bond that he had gotten used to over the years he spent with the late Headmaster. He flew across continents, searching for what he yearned for. A heart full of love and innocence, a mind brighter than the stars, and a soul sparkling with compassion and kindness for others, be it a being, a creature, or a fellow witch or wizard.
He wanted a bond different from what he shared with Dumbledore. The old wizard was radiating power and a sense of self, greater than any other he had ever met. He was always plotting, and working towards the Greater Good. Sometimes Fawkes did not agree with choices he made, but he had stuck by him through everything. He respected him.
Fawkes wanted to experience a bond that's full of a shared love, and he always had affection for the young witch. He had watched over her from a distance, admiring the devotion and loyalty she showed for her best friend, and the unyielding effort she had put into her mission to help House-Elves, however misguided her attempts were.
He trilled and leaned against the surprised witch, who looked at Harry, with a puzzled expression.
Harry had an amused light in his eyes. He had understood crystal clear what the phoenix wanted, and wasn't even that surprised. If there was a person who was most deserving of a bond with such a magical being, that was his Mia.
"I believe he wants to bond with you, Mi." He grinned at her, as Fawkes trilled his approval. Hermione's eyes widened slightly, and they were shining with unshed tears that were threatening to fall.
"Really? You would like to share a familiar bond with me?" She asked the bird in a gentle voice and he nuzzled her face affectionately, hugging her and Harry with his wings. "I am honoured." She whispered, and reached out her healed hand to place it over the phoenix's feathers tenderly.
A bright golden light emerged from Fawkes and Hermione, that enveloped even Harry, because they were all sharing in the moment, as she was cuddling into him. Once the light had somewhat dimmed around them, the war-worn couple gasped. The phoenix that they knew was gone, and in his stead stood a phoenix of pure white colour, with pale blue accents and golden eyes.
'My name is Sol. I am so pleased to have bonded with you.' He sent a telephatic message.
"Nice to meet you, Sol." Hermione said softly and looked deep in thought, while Harry was gaping at the bird, because he had heard his thoughts as well. For now though, he would keep quiet, as he knew his Mia had questions. "What happened? Why is your name different? Why do you look different?" She asked in her curious, very Hermione-like manner.
'Your curiosity is so endearing, my dear.' He trilled in amusement. 'When a Phoenix bonds to someone new, we have a chance at being reborn, when our Magic and Souls merge together. Ours is a Familiar Soul-bond, which is rare, but not unheard of.' He explained and Harry stared at him, thus the phoenix looked into his eyes. 'Your Love is able to hear my telephatic messages, because essentially he is your Soulmate, and true Soulmates can communicate with their Beloved's Bonded.' He explained, leaving the couple blushing.
"Mia is my Soulmate?" Harry asked with sparkling eyes, feeling such contentment that he did not think was possible. He looked at Hermione and gently kissed her, feeling her smile under his lips.
Sol trilled a melodious tune, as he kissed his Bonded, expressing his blessings, as a phoenix was best able; through a beautiful song.
The melody chimed gently through the wind, and the near-by witches and wizards sought to find the source.
A/N: I just had a moment of inspiration, while I was painting last night, so I figured I would write it down today. I am not sure, if this will go anywhere, but I will write at least a second chapter, of that I am certain. Let me know if you are interested it being a multi-chapter story, because I do have an idea where I could take this. Thank you for reading!
