The Weasley family had one of the most sorrowful expressions in the Great Hall, as they gathered around the fallen body of their own flesh and blood. George's eyes lost all their shine and sparkle, and his lanky frame was frozen and rigid, holding his twin's ice cold hand in a death-grip, not planning to ever let go.
Fred Weasley, his other half, his twin, his partner in pranking shenanigans was dead. The flaming red-haired wizard's world had shattered around him the moment the light faded from his eyes.
Death was never easy to accept or understand, and losing someone's other half was especially difficult. Fred and George were as much part of each other, as oxygen and hydrogen were part of water. Basic, elemental, crucial. Without one element, the whole foundation fell apart.
There were only a few strings of familial bonds that held him from following Fred. He was in denial. He was hoping for some strange miracle to occur and undo this particular event. Oh, how he wished to go back in time and change the past. He didn't care for the consequences, all he wanted was his twin back. He needed him. He didn't know how to go on without him.
He did not want to go on without him.
"Why?" His pained voice uttered. "Why did you take Fred from me?" He asked from some unknown entity in hysterics, leaning over Fred's body and trying to will him back to life.
"George." Arthur Weasley said softly, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "He fought with pride. He saved many lives." His voice cracked in his solemn grief.
The young wizard looked up at his father with a numb, but fiery expression. "It should have been me. I wasn't with him when he died. I couldn't even try to save him." He yelled. "It should have been me!"
The Weasleys looked on with a strained and tearful exposition, feeling thoroughly useless and out of depth as to how to help their brother and son. They were all feeling the loss, but everyone was aware that for George, it was on a whole other level. People who didn't share their bond, could only assume how deep that connection went.
"Oh, George." Molly knelt beside his twin sons, holding the one that was still breathing, tightly against her bosom. It was hard to look at him and see Fred's face, but she knew that it was important that they didn't alienate him, and tried to show support.
George was rigid in the embrace and practically unresponsive to the motherly show of love, muttering that it should have been him, over and over again. The Weasley matriarch looked at her husband in despair, and they communicated with their eyes. They would need a Mind Healer for George to deal with this loss, and the family would need grief counseling.
Ron and Ginny were holding onto each other, their eyes puffy and red from crying, and their hearts were aching with losing their brother. Despite all the teasing and sibling rivalry that went on, they all loved each other fiercely, but they could not stand the sight of Fred, laying lifeless before their eyes, so they slowly backed away from their family.
"L-let's find Harry and 'Mione." Ron suggested, holding his sister against him with an arm.
"O-okay, we could both use some hugs from them." Ginny nodded and they set off to find their fellow Gryffindors, when they heard a hauntingly beautiful song carried by the wind, and decided to follow that instead.
Their path turned towards the Black Lake. As they walked closer, their eyes widened as they glanced upon a strikingly beautiful white bird, that looked like a phoenix. They have never even heard about such a magical sighting. Weren't phoenixes usually red and gold?
They pushed towards the ethereal being, but when their eyes fell on Harry and Hermione, they paused, unable to process the sight in front of their very eyes. Their lips were gently locked in a sweet kiss, as the phoenix bird sang a song of blessing. The couple was glowing with a bright golden light, that enveloped all three of them, Love and Devotion radiating off of them in waves.
Ronald Weasley's ears reddened, as he was getting angrier by the second. He would have erupted in white hot rage, if it wasn't for the fact that Magic itself had stopped him from acting right that second. He didn't understand what was in front of his eyes. 'Mione should be his. She was his property, not Harry's. They were supposed to get together, be boyfriend and girlfriend, shag as much as he wanted to, and then marry, so she could be a dutiful wife and raise at least five children, to be a stay-at-home mother, and be obedient to his every whim.
If the young wizard had even the slightest clue about what logical thinking was, he would have realized that what he wanted wouldn't ever happen, not if Hermione Granger had anything to say about it. Especially not, if Harry Potter had anything to say about it. Not counting with their Soulmate connection, even a Slytherin knew that Hermione Granger was anything, but an obedient doormat. She was strong, fierce and independent, and she had a lot of dreams to accomplish.
Ginny was standing rooted on the ground, unable to tear her eyes away from the couple. They were so beautiful. The corner of her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears, as she was gazing upon something she never thought she would ever witness, a Magical Soulmate Bonding. She couldn't be sour or angry at them, it was Fate itself who was blessing their Love, and any well-informed witch or wizard would realize that.
Furthermore, little Ginny Weasley had a secret. She wasn't even remotely attracted to males, and her crush on Harry Potter was only a crush on a hero that saved lives and defeated evil wizards. The beautiful redhead was attracted to witches, in fact she had her designs on the lovely Luna Lovegood, whom they have gotten very close with the past year, defying the Death Eaters together.
When the bright light faded, Sol looked up and noticed the Weasley siblings, who were staring at his Bonded and her Soulmate. He tilted his head to the side and sent a mental message to them.
'My dears, you have some company. I caution you to be alert with the male, he looks like he is ready to explode.' He trilled telephatically and flew up to land between Hermione and the threatening presence.
He wouldn't let anyone hurt her, or her Soulmate. Phoenixes were highly magical, and as he bonded to a powerful witch, and their bond was a Soul-bond, plus her Soulmate was probably the most powerful wizard alive in their time, their shared Magic made it possible for him to protect them, if the need arisen.
A Familiar Soul-bond was different from regular bonds. It was a much deeper connection that entwined their Magical Cores and their Souls together. A bond like that would surpass even Time and Space. When Hermione passed on from this life and reborn into another, Sol would follow the connection to find her, as from the moment he bonded to her and the Soul-bond formed, they have willingly tied their fates together.
As phoenixes were immortal beings, it was very rare that they let themselves form a Soul-bond, it was almost unprecedented, except perhaps in Merlin's case.
This type of Familiar Bond provided a wide range of abilities for the familiar and their Bonded. They were able to communicate mentally, able to tell where their Bonded was located at all times, able to apparate to their location, and if the need arisen, they were able to share their Magic to aid the other.
The lucky witch or wizard, who had the honour of bonding with a phoenix, and had the affinity for healing, would also benefit from their connection, as these magnificent birds held a lot of healing properties. Phoenix tears were proven to heal any type of poison, if used quickly enough, but phoenix feathers also held magical healing properties that were yet unknown to the Magical World.
Harry and Hermione shared a worried glance and looked at Ron and Ginny warily. They noticed that Ginny was looking at them in awe, which confused the couple, but on the other hand, the Weasley male was fuming, and it looked like steam was coming out of his scarlet coloured ears.
"Um-" Harry spoke hesitantly. "Are you okay there, mate?"
"Okay? Am I okay?" Ron's deep voice thundered. "I am bloody mad! How can you do this to us, to me?" He accused the raven-haired wizard, and if looks could kill, one Harry Potter would be dead right now.
"How can I do what, Ron?" He asked, his voice firm, as he tightened his arms around Hermione, who refused to look guilty, just because Mr. Ronald Weasley was throwing a fit.
"Yes, Ronald. How can Harry do what exactly?" She pressed, her hand resting on her Soulmate's.
"You know bloody well what I am talking about." He sputtered and stormed closer, just to have Sol trill in a shrill, alarming tone to stop him. "What is wrong with this bloody thing?" He screamed, stepping back slightly.
Hermione's face hardened. "I would appreciate it, if you didn't insult my familiar." She said quietly, and Sol looked at her gratefully, not that he needed to be protected, but he appreciated that his witch stood up for him.
"Your what? This bloody bird doesn't look like Crookshanks at all." He grumbled and Harry and Hermione arched an amused eyebrow.
"What an astute observation, Ronald. He couldn't possibly be a part kneazle cat, as Sol is a phoenix." She sighed and leaned forward to lovingly caress his feathers.
"Bloody hell!" He replied and got even angrier, if that was possible. "Why on earth would a phoenix choose to bond with an annoying know-it-all, like you?" He asked, before he could even think twice about what he was saying.
Sol glared at the pureblood wizard, who insulted his Bonded, and did a swish with one of his wings, sending Ron flying backwards a little bit, as a warning sign. Phoenixes were usually the most peaceful of magical birds, but since he was Soul-bonded to his witch, he felt highly offended on her behalf. No one, not even her Soulmate could offend her in his presence, he would make sure of it. He knew the little witch was not perfect, but she had a heart of gold and she would not hurt anyone on purpose, so he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
"Well, I think we can all agree that insulting you in Sol's presence will never be a good idea." Harry mused and chuckled a bit. He wholeheartedly agreed with what the phoenix did, because if he didn't step in, Harry would have hexed Ron, best mate, or not. No one had the right to insult his Mia, even if she did have a tendency to know things, but that was an endearing quality, not something to mock her with, especially in such a condescending tone.
"Thank you." Hermione smiled at Sol, and then her gaze traveled to the red-haired wizard. "I do not know what your problem is, Ron. You have taken advantage of my 'know-it-all' tendencies, plenty of times. How dare you insult me about my knowledge, when it helped you with your homework, and saved our lives a few times?" Her eyes were ablaze with fire, and her hands were shaking.
"Oh, please. Just because you have memorized some text books and half of the Hogwarts Library, doesn't mean you actually accomplished anything, other than flaunting facts." Ron rolled his eyes. "Now, even though you are a know-it-all, you are supposed to be mine, and I intend to collect what belongs to me. We will eventually marry and you will have the honour of bearing my children and stay at home, raising them, while I play professional Quidditch. It will be perfect." He continued, as his supposedly best friends listened in sheer disbelief. "I suppose you should put your studious nature to good use and learn some house-hold charms, as your cooking is bloody awful." He frowned. "But I am certain that with some practice, we can set you straight. On the other hand, you could also use some serious help in the look department, and do something with your hair. It needs to behave for us to look good in the press, after all, we are famous now. Your body is actually really shapely, and I have a lot of good ideas what to do with it, and I will teach you things, oh yes!" He grinned to himself, until his sister hexed him with her infamous Bat Bogey Hex, before the stunned couple and the spluttering phoenix could do more damage.
"Ron, shut up!" She yelled at him, her face glowing in a curious red shade. "How can you be such a self-centered moron? Oh, Merlin!" She buried her face in her hands and looked at the clearly bewildered mates of her dunderhead of a brother. "I am so sorry about this. He is way out of line! I hope you know I have no problem with your relationship. I think it is beautiful." Her eyes softened and she smiled at them.
Harry and Hermione were both shocked at Ron's outburst, and it was really hard for them to process, and especially hard for Harry, as the bright witch was always aware of his low opinion on her. It hurt, but over the years of constant bickering and all the fights between them, she learnt to accept that her friendship with Ron, was not really what it seemed on the surface. It was a chaotic mess, that would not ever change, unless he reigned his judgement and temper in, and since she didn't want to be in the business of changing a person, she didn't really think it was a possibility. Honestly, she kept being friends with him, because of Harry, as she realized how important his friendship was to him.
"Thanks, Gin." Hermione spoke softly, her eyes gleaming with tears. "And it's okay, I always assumed what he thought about me wasn't really nice, and finally the truth comes out, huh." She let out a small half-hearted laugh. "I guess you cannot really change a first impression, and Ron's first impression of me was that I was an annoying know-it-all. It's present in all of our disagreements." She sighed and looked at Ron. "What I don't understand is why would you want me, if you are such a git to me and actually think so lowly of me? Shouldn't you want to be with someone, who makes you happy, rather than be with someone whom you want to change to fit your fantasy?"
"You are mine. It doesn't matter that you annoy me, or that I hate your hair. You are mine and mine alone." Ron exclaimed, when he dealt with his sister's hex. "Now, be a good girl and break up with Potter and let's go have some fun!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Harry stared at his best mate, and had trouble matching the person standing in front of him, with the cheerful and supportive little boy he befriended on the Hogwarts Express. His eyes darkened, and he grabbed his wand in his right hand and pointed it at him.
"Hermione is not your property, you bloody moron!" He raised his voice. "In fact, she is not anyone's property. I am lucky that I hold such a special place in her heart, but if she didn't feel the way I feel about her, I would still respect her. How dare you treat her like some object, and insult her like she was dirt on your shoes? She is not a dog to sit around at home and obey your wishes, and you can rest assured that she is not some baby-vessel, or your sex toy either! Merlin, you need to do some serious thinking and growing up, because right now I don't even know who you are anymore." Harry ranted at the gaping Weasley.
"Typical." Ron sneered. "Harry bloody Potter always gets the moral high ground and everything I want." He had a sour expression and glanced over at Hermione. "This is not over, 'Mione, you will be mine, you will beg to be mine and I will take you." He vowed and stormed off towards the ruins of the castle.
The brunette witch blinked a few times and burst into the very tears that she was holding back, while Harry gently pulled her closer to his body and looked at Ginevra.
"Thank you for being supportive of us. We really appreciate it, and please tell your family that we will be there for Fred's memorial." He said, his eyes softening somewhat.
The redhead nodded and walked away from the scene of the argument that shamed her to her very core.
A/N: The Weasleys are grieving, Harry and Mia are cuddling, Ron is furious and Ginny is a sweetie, who is very supportive of our favourite Soulmates. Luna will be making an appearance in the next chapter. Also. I have a question for you guys. I am planning a new familiar for Harry, since Hedwig sadly lost her life. I was wondering, should I have them come upon a female Phoenix, while they are in Australia, or should he have some other magical being as his Bonded? And if so, what being should it be?
Also, I would like to thank you guys for all the reviews, favourites and follows, I honestly wasn't expecting such a positive show of support. Thank you!