Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just enjoy playing in JK's sandbox.

Author's Notes: This was written for the bond challenge on siye. Special thanks to my awesome beta Arnel. This my second fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated and very much encouraged. I have thick skin and the only way I'll improve is with honest reactions. Please read and review, but above all, enjoy!

Chapter 1:

Harry Potter was absolutely astonished as he took in Diagon Alley for the first time. The magical world was new and exciting, and Harry finally felt he'd found a place where he would fit in and be accepted. It was brilliant.

He had already been to Gringotts Wizarding Bank where he met Griphook and was informed of his vault. The mountain of gold it contained was more money than he had ever seen or could have hoped to have. It pleased Harry greatly to find a connection to his parents and discover that everything his Aunt and Uncle had spouted about them was lies, his parents obviously had money and were not drunken lay-a-bout freaks. His temperature began to rise with his anger as he thought about all the lies he'd been told over the years, and he started to wonder if his parents had even wanted him at the Dursley's.

Everything Harry had learned in his young life taught him not to trust the people around him. The only person Harry knew he could rely on was himself, a lesson that was drilled in to him repeatedly over the years. The few times Harry had relied on someone to help him, only resulted in making the situation worse. His Aunt and Uncle were nasty, vindictive people in their dealings with him, but to everyone else they were kind-hearted people who took their nephew in out of the goodness of their hearts. They could talk their way out of anything and were always able to turn people against him so easily. According to his aunt and uncle, Harry was known as a liar and a troublemaker with special needs and behaviour problems. That way, no one took him seriously and he was blamed for everything regularly.

His cousin Dudley had taken full advantage of that over the years. He may have been slow due to his obese size, but he made up for that in spades with his strength. With the help of his gang, Dudley thrashing him soundly became a norm. Their favourite game was Harry Hunting, and Dudley made it his personal mission in life to torment Harry as much as possible. If Dudley stole something, kicked a dog, or vandalized anything in the neighbourhood, Harry was blamed and punished.

Harry's fury built at the injustice of it all. He took a deep calming breath to gain control of himself and continued down the alley beside Hagrid. Despite his trust issues, Harry found himself warming up to Hagrid.

Hagrid was a huge giant of a man who towered over everyone. He had a wild bushy black beard, kind beady eyes, and an enormous coat with an uncountable number of pockets. While his looks were intimidating and resembled Harry's uncle to a small extent, his personality radiated only kindness towards Harry. In fact, Hagrid had treated Harry nicer in the few hours they'd known each other than anyone in the Muggle world had his entire life.

"Got yer robes sorted out, Harry?" Hagrid questioned as Harry left Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Yes Sir," Harry replied while slightly raising his bag a little higher.

"That's good, Harry, and it's Hagrid, not sir. Look I got somethin' for yeh that'll be right useful." Hagrid brought the cage he'd been holding behind his back around so Harry could see. Inside was the most beautiful snowy white owl Harry had ever seen.

Harry gasped in shock.

"Ain't she beautiful. She's intelligent too, I kin tell by her eyes. Owls are dead useful. She'll carry yer mail, and be a good companion fer yeh."

"She's wonderful Hagrid. How much do I owe you?" Harry asked as he pulled out his moneybag.

Hagrid held up a hand. "Nothin', Harry. She's yer birthday present. Jus' take good care of her."

"I will, Hagrid. Thank you." Harry gave the large man a small smile and took his new owl from him. "I'll find a name for you tonight, girl," Harry softly spoke as he stroked her feathers. "Where to next, Hagrid?"

"Only yer potion supplies are left so we'll go to the apothecary."

Harry nodded and began walking beside Hagrid in silent thought.

Harry refused to forget the hard lessons he'd learned in his short life, so while he was polite to Hagrid and everyone else he encountered, he still remained wary and constantly on the lookout for some deception that was sure to come. It just didn't make sense to him as to why suddenly people cared about him. Why now?

Hagrid had explained that he was famous for defeating You-Know-Who and thought of as a hero in the Wizarding world, yet no one thought to check up on him. No one came to help when he was abused, no one intervened when he was starved, no one bothered to check to see where he slept, what he wore, or if he was even happy.

Hagrid had been singing the praises of one Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since he had come to pick Harry up, but Harry was sceptical. If Professor Dumbledore was the greatest wizard ever and knew his parents like Hagrid said, why hadn't he helped Harry? Harry wasn't stupid and realized there was a lot more going on than he was being told. The more he thought about it, the more he distrusted Albus Dumbledore. Wasn't his letter addressed to the cupboard under the stairs? Obviously someone at Hogwarts knew and chose not to do anything, and since Dumbledore was the Headmaster, that person was more than likely him.

Hagrid had steered Harry into the Apothecary to pick up the potion ingredients he would need to complete his shopping list when a tugging sensation began in his chest. He absentmindedly rubbed at the spot over his heart while he paid for his purchases.

As Harry and Hagrid left the Apothecary, Hagrid continued a steady stream of conversation that Harry was only vaguely aware of as the tugging sensation became stronger and more persistent. While his left hand rubbed his chest Harry's eyes began scanning the area across the street in the direction of the mysterious pull.

There were many people out shopping in the alley and Harry had trouble identifying the exact location, but his eyes finally settled on a large red-headed family. His eyes briefly passed over each member until he spotted a young girl with beautiful long hair rubbing her chest while she scrutinized his side of the street.

Harry's breath caught in his throat and his eyes took in every inch of her as they made their way up to her face. She was shorter than he, which usually meant someone younger, with a petite slender frame and small hands. Her clothes looked second-hand, but they were clean and well mended. She wore an emerald green jumper that looked wonderful against her glorious mane of deep red locks. Her skin was fair and her lips looked incredibly soft, while a light splattering of freckles dusted her nose and cheeks, but were barely visible from where he stood intently studying her.

Hagrid had failed to notice him stop and was a few yards away by this point, however Harry paid him no mind, for at that moment his emerald eyes met her deep chocolate brown and the outside world failed to exist.

HGHGHGHGHG

Ginny Weasley was on the annual Weasley back-to-school shopping trip, where yet another one of her brothers would be leaving her behind so they could attend Hogwarts. Her two oldest brothers Bill and Charlie were not accompanying them as they had both finished their education and started their careers. Bill was working as a curse-breaker for Gringotts in Egypt, while Charlie became a dragon handler for a reserve in Romania.

"Ginevra, stop lagging behind! We promised Percy an owl for being named Prefect. Now hurry up or we won't get everything done today." Her mum's scolding could easily be heard and Ginny's face flushed in embarrassment. The twins smirked, shot her a wink each and followed their mother into Eeylops Owl Emporium, while Percy was giving her a look of clear disapproval.

"Git," she muttered to herself as she entered the shop.

Percy was the oldest Weasley boy currently attending Hogwarts. He was insufferable and only cared about rules and getting his younger siblings into trouble, especially her and Ron. She loved meeting up with her identical twin brothers Fred and George. They were fun-loving pranksters who had taught her a lot over the years, but they had each other and spent most of their time together planning pranks.

Ginny walked over to a beautiful snowy white owl and gently ran her finger down it's back. The owl hooted softly and preened under her touch.

"She's a right beauty, eh?"

Ginny looked up startled at the largest man she had ever seen. He smiled at her and held out his massive arm towards the owl that promptly hopped on.

"Hiya, Hagrid"

"What are you doing here?" Fred and George asked as they greeted Hagrid.

"Fred, George. Good ter see yeh. I'm jus' doin' some errands fer Professor Dumbledore. You two keepin' outta trouble?"

"Surely you jest!"

"Just because you haven't heard anything yet,"

"Doesn't mean we don't have anything planned."

"Too right, dear brother mine."

"The day is young," they finished together.

Hagrid chuckled and shook head. "Off with yeh, then," he told them before heading up to the counter to pay for the owl.

"Who was that, George?" Ginny asked as she watched the huge man leave the shop.

"That, Gin-Gin was Hagrid."

"Nicest bloke you'll ever meet,"

"And groundskeeper at Hogwarts,"

"He's always chasing us,"

"Outta the Forbidden Forrest,"

"But never sics Filch after us."

"Real decent bloke Hagrid is."

"Oh," she replied looking thoughtful before turning a sly grin towards her brothers. "So what do you two get up to in the Forbidden Forrest?"

"Trade secrets, Gin-Gin," they said together before giving her twin evil grins and walking off towards the other end of the shop.

Ginny let out an exasperated sigh as she watched them go.

"Stupid bloody Percy. Gets an owl just because he's a bloody prefect, and I get stuck with Scabbers," Ron grumbled as he passed her after unsuccessfully persuading his mum to buy him an owl too.

"Maybe if you didn't spend your pocket money on sweets as soon as you got it, you might have been able to save enough to buy an owl."

"Bugger off, Ginny! At least I'll be bringing a pet even if it is a boring old rat. What will you be bringing when you finally get to go, huh?"

"Nothing, Ron. I'm saving up for a new wand. Bill says that second-hand wands don't work as well as a wand that chooses you."

Ron snorted at her. "Whatever, Ginny. Like you'll ever have a new wand," he continued snidely before walking over to his mother.

Ron was her sixth brother and their relationship was rather complicated. Ron was the brother who played with her the most growing up, but he was also the one to treat her the worst at times. He was very protective, over-bearing and condescending. He was forever telling her what she could and couldn't do, and that rankled Ginny more than anything. All she heard about was that she couldn't do something because she was a girl, or she was too young or too small.

Ever since he received his Hogwarts letter he had gotten worse. Ron seemed to forget he was only a year older and began ignoring her completely. He couldn't possibly be seen playing or hanging out with his annoying baby sister.

Her mum finished paying for Percy's new tawny owl, Hermes, and they all walked over to buy the boys their school robes in the second hand shop. As Ginny entered the shop she immediately walked over to a bench by the window and sat down to wait. It was the same thing every year and Ginny was bored and jealous of her brothers. They were going to Hogwarts without her.

Even though she was often treated as an outsider by her brothers, spending most of her time by herself and wishing for a friend, all Ginny could think about was how horrible it was going to be for her at home with only her mum for company. At least when the boys were home they kept their mum distracted between fussing over them, scolding them, or plying them with food.

Come September, she would have her mum's undivided attention, which meant that her wings would be clipped and her freedom gone. Molly Weasley was determined to mould her only daughter into a miniature version of herself. She refused to allow Ginny to fly because it was too dangerous and not the sort of thing a respectable young witch should waste her time pursuing. Ginny's interests didn't matter; she was going to learn the skills necessary for her station. This meant being forced to endure lessons on proper cooking and cleaning techniques, and grooming her in the responsibilities of a proper housewife so she would be prepared to care for own family when the time came. Ginny greatly resented these lessons and hated being singled out and treated differently than her brothers.

"I don't see why I can't have one new robe, Mum," Ron complained.

"We can't afford it, Ron. These robes will be just fine once I've mended them. If you're going to be ungrateful you can just stay home and not go to Hogwarts. Now stop complaining." Molly narrowed her eyes at her youngest son and watched him skulk off to find some shirts.

Ginny sighed. It was always the same with Ron. While none of the Weasleys enjoyed being poor, they knew there were more important things than money. Well, except for Ron. Being poor seemed to bother him more than the rest.

She loved her dad very much, but he spent so much time working at the ministry trying to support his family that he generally let her mum run the household as she saw fit. He was the quiet type that was often overlooked, but Ginny felt he understood his children best.

He didn't talk at his children, but rather to them. Whatever time he had left at the end of the day was divided amongst them. He played chess with Ron, helped the twins with their pranks, and spoke to Percy about his education and goals. When Bill and Charlie were younger he helped Charlie with his flying, and taught Bill about wards when it came time to re-cast them over the Burrow every year.

Ginny looked forward to those precious moments with her father. Their special time was just before bed when he would come up and tell her stories about the Boy-Who-Lived. Ginny didn't believe any of the stories about Harry Potter other than the one regarding the night his parents died, but she still liked to listen.

A part of Ginny desperately hoped that when it was her turn to attend Hogwarts she would be Sorted into a different house than her brothers in Gryffindor. She wanted a chance to escape her family. She loved them dearly, but they were smothering her and she wanted the opportunity to find herself and discover what she was capable of.

"Ginevra! Honestly, quit daydreaming it's time to go," her mum scolded and hustled them all out the door. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Ginevra. It's time to get your head out of the clouds and start helping. Just because you're too young to attend Hogwarts doesn't mean you can't help your brothers get ready. You're going to have to learn how to pick out robes and what to look for so you'll know what's easy to mend in order to get the best deals. You should have been helping your brothers find their robes. It is the woman's job in the family to…"

Ginny was roused from her mother's tirade by a pull centred in her chest that was coming from somewhere across the cobbled walk. Slowing down, she gently rubbed her chest above her heart while her eyes searched for the source of the pull.

Voices faded to the background when she spotted a small boy with messy black hair and her heart started racing. He was about her age and wore extremely oversized clothes that swamped his small frame. He looked like he could use a good meal and someone to love him. He was adorably cute, but his shoulders slumped and he seemed to blend into his surroundings so as not to be noticed. His trainers were full of holes and his small hand was busy rubbing his chest.

As Ginny's eyes continued to study him, their eyes locked and she found herself staring into the most gorgeous emerald eyes she had even seen hidden behind a pair of broken spectacles. She was mesmerized and found herself walking towards him of her own accord. He began making his way forward too, but their focus was solely on one another's eyes.

The invisible rope connecting the two children pulled them closer until they met in the middle of the street. Large, bright smiles spread across their faces as they gazed at each other in wonder, before leaning forward and embracing in the best hug either had ever experienced.

Immediately upon contact, a golden white light engulfed the two children, shielding them from the rest of the world.

HGHGHGHGHG

Fawkes was casually perched on his stand in the headmaster's office when chaos ensued. Instruments of all shapes and sizes began spinning out of control and a few monitoring ones exploded. Fawkes leapt off his stand with a trill and flashed to Albus Dumbledore, immediately bringing him back to his office.

Dumbledore's face paled as he took in the destroyed sensors belonging to Harry James Potter and his residence at #4 Privet Drive. "Take me to Harry immediately, Fawkes."

Dumbledore grabbed a brilliant red tail feather firmly and Fawkes flashed them into the middle of Diagon Alley. As he looked around, he noticed people staring intently at a bright light in awe. Hagrid was a few feet away yelling Harry's name, while Molly Weasley shouted frantically as she repeatedly bounced off of an invisible shield surrounding the source of light.

Albus Dumbledore walked purposefully over to Hagrid, "How long has this been going on, Hagrid?"

"About twenty minutes, Professor," Hagrid choked out as he openly wept. "What's happenin' to 'em?"

Before Dumbledore could form a response, a delegation of goblins approached from Gringotts. As they cleared a path, Ragnok, Head of Gringotts Wizarding Bank came and stood before the light.

In a loud, clear voice that rang with conviction and carried across the alley, Ragnok spoke, "A Soul Bond; the strongest of the four known bonds, never witnessed in over 1700 years. Gringotts will prepare for them."

With that he turned around and marched back down the alley with his delegation and reentered the bank. The echo from the bank's closing doors easily reached the ears of all bystanders in the eerie silence of Diagon Alley.