Chapter the Fourth

"You guys really want to go to that dueling club? Seriously? It's Lockhart that's running it; he'll probably faint when somebody draws a wand on him!" Neville queried his friends.

"Yes, it's Lockhart that's sponsoring, but he's being helped by Professor Snape. I'm sure he wouldn't let that joker make him look bad. C'mon, how bad could it be?" Susan asked. She flushed red at the glare from her friends, excepting Harry of course, who had a smile on his face as he looked at her lovingly.

"Despite it being Lockhart sponsoring the club, I think we should attend anyways." Harry said, chuckling at the shocked look on his friends faces. "Look, we've been dueling each other for weeks now; it will help us a lot if we get to test ourselves against other people."

"I agree with that," Luna piped in. "What? Don't look at me like that, guys! We've been training with Master Bode for weeks now; I for one would like to know how I stand up against my peers."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Hannah said. "Fine, let's give it a shot. We go to the first meeting and see what's the what."

"You too?" Neville whined to his girlfriend.

"I don't know, babe, maybe you'll get lucky and get to face Malfoy..." Hannah said with a kiss to Neville's cheek.

Neville grinned at this, "Screw it, I'm in! I get dibs on Malfoy."

The laughing bunch of 'Puffs made their way towards the great hall, where the club was set to meet, led by Hannah and Neville. "Thanks." Susan whispered to Harry as she put her arms around his waist and drew him closer to her.

"For what?" Harry asked bewildered.

"For supporting me." she answered.

"Listen, Sue, I will always support you; always. We might disagree sometimes, but I'll forever be at your side." Harry said tenderly.

"Gods above, I love you." she sighed.

"And I love you." Harry said with a chuckle. "Everything ready for Hermione's birthday party?"

"Yup, Uncle Remus even dropped the gift off earlier today. I'm sorry, but I had to put it in your room. That animal is a menace!" Susan told him. "But, everything is ready in the common room. Uncle Sirius even had Michael make her a big cake"

"You got into my room?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yeah, why...? Oh, I didn't even think about that. The door just opened for me." she said with a frown.

"Curious, don't you think?" Harry asked. "Professor Sprout said it'd only open for me. You think it has to do with the bond thingy that Luna and Mom have been telling us about?"

"Probably." Susan said with a groan. "I wish we knew what was going on."

"We will, eventually. Don't worry about it so much." Harry told her. "Uhm...Sue...is there any chance that you'd let me play against Slytherin?"

Susan stopped, dropping her arm from around Harry's waist, and glared at him angrily. "Seriously? You seriously have to ask me that question?"

"I take it that's a no, then?" Harry asked embarrassed.

"Well, let' see, last time you went up against those thugs you spent a considerable amount of time in the infirmary. You had a ton of broken bones. Oh, and you almost died!" she yelled.

"Yeah, but I'm okay now." Harry said, wincing slightly as he realized what he'd just said. If Susan had been angry before, it was nothing compared at the white hot fury she felt now after his comment. Harry knew he was in trouble now. He held up his hands before him and slowly backed away from girlfriend. "Sue, love, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about what I just said."

"NOT THINKING! NOT THINKING!" Susan roared. "You listen to me, Harry Potter, if you ever think about playing against Slytherin again I will put a sticking charm on your ass, stick you to the astronomy tower and leave you hanging there forever!"

"I'm sorry." Harry said contritely.

Susan grabbed his face and placed a loving and tender kiss on his lips. "You're forgiven. Just don't...just don't put yourself in situations like that. You promised me you'd think before you acted. Jumping into the middle of a battle against Slytherin is in no way thinking."

"You're right, I did promise." Harry told her. He then laughed softly, shaking his head.

"What?" Susan asked.

"I'm just picturing the look on David's face when I tell him I can't play Slytherin because my girlfriend won't let me." he sniggered.

Susan looked stunned for a moment before she too started to laugh. She threw her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him more passionately than she'd ever had before. "Wow!" Harry said. "What was that for?"

"Just giving you a reminder of what you'd be missing out on if you do something stupid." she said with a grin.

OoOOooOOoo

"We're dueling on a platform?" Hermione asked confused. "How are we supposed to move around if we're stuck on that?"

"It's a good thing that we've been practicing shields lately then, huh?" Luna said.

"You've got that right." Hannah agreed. "Where are Susan and Harry? I thought they were right behind us."

"Maybe they stopped at one of the broom closets?" Hermione deadpanned. Luna giggled softly.

Hannah stared at her for a second before bursting into laughter. "You're probably right. That's ammunition for teasing, Hermione."

"I know, right?" Hermione replied with a knowing grin. "Look, there they are."

"Hey guys." Hermione and Hannah said in concert, a devious look on their faces.

"What?" asked Susan warily.

"Oh nothing..." Hermione began.

"We were both just wondering where you two had gone, is all." Hannah continued.

"Yeah, we were worried when we didn't see you." Hermione persisted.

"Did you and Harry stop and explore a broom closet..."

"...and try to find each other's tonsils?"

Susan's faced turned bright red. "Oh. My. God. You two are going to embarrass me to death! Harry!"

She turned to look at her boyfriend, hoping he'd help defend them, only to see him trying to contain his laughter. "You too?" she yelled at him.

"What? That was funny!" he said as he let loose his laughter. Susan could only shake her head.

"Just wait you two, I will be getting you back for that!" Susan threatened.

"Bring it, Bones." Hannah grinned. Luna and Hermione were holding each other tightly as they laughed in delight at Susan's embarrassment.

"Welcome, welcome, one and all!" Lockhart intoned as he took his position on the dueling platform. "It has been many years since Hogwarts has seen a dueling club, something that I am immensely good at. It will be up to me to impart on you my knowledge and expertise."

"Wanker!" Neville coughed, causing those around him to laugh. Lockhart either didn't hear or chose to ignore the insult.

"Ably assisted by Professor Snape, we will begin tonight with a demonstration. Professor, if you would? I think showing our students what a real duel looks like will give them the incentive and motivation to learn, don't you think?"

"Of course..." Snape said frostily. He walked towards one end of the platform and pulled his wand. Lockhart did the same and bowed to his opponent.

"Begin...!" Lockhart called out. He had barely finished speaking the word before he found himself hurtling backwards off the platform. He slowly rose, massaging his backside as he made his way back up onto the dueling strip. "Very well done, Professor! By allowing you to best me this way, I believe I've given everyone a hint of the possible hazards they may face. I'll not be so accommodating next time we cross wands!" Snape rolled his eyes.

"What do you say to pairing a couple of students up here on the piste, Professor?" Lockhart asked.

"As you wish...Professor." Snape said sarcastically.

"How about a couple of second years, hey?" Lockhart asked.

"Of course, Draco Malfoy!" Snape called out. Nervously, the Slytherin approached his godfather. "Use your head, Draco. You've a chance here to establish some credibility that you're sorely lacking." he whispered.

"Yes, sir, I'll do my best." Draco replied.

Lockhart stood at the edge of the platform and casually looked on the gathered students. "Miss...?"

Hannah looked both ways and then wondered if the professor was speaking to her. "Me?"

"Yes, dear. Come, come now, no need to be nervous. Professor Snape and I will see that you are not harmed in any way. You're one of the students under that Lupin person, are you not? I think a demonstration between two students with different teachers will satisfy many questions we all have regarding his capability as an educator."

Hannah's eyes narrowed angrily at the implied insult to Uncle Remus and herself. "Of course, Professor, I'd be happy to comply."

"Ah, shit, Hannah..." Neville started.

"Relax, sweetie, I'll be fine." Hannah told him softly.

"It's not you I'm worried about." he told her. "No, never mind, it is you I'm worried about."

"Don't mess about, Hannah." Susan told her. "We all know you're better than that git."

"Kick his ass, Hannah." Harry told her with a smile.

"Really? You're encouraging her?" Neville asked his brother angrily.

"It's just Malfoy. Relax, she's got this." Harry replied.

"If he hurts her, I'm punching you in the face and then I'm going to rip that asshole's face off!"

"If he hurts her, I'll let you punch me in the face and then I'll help you rip his face off." Harry agreed. Neville humphed as he crossed his arms.

Hannah took her place on the end of the platform and drew her wand. The Slytherin sneered contemptuously at her as he drew his wand. "Alright you two, bow to each other, there we go..."

"On the count of three you may begin. One..." Lockhart called out. It was then that the sneering Malfoy whipped his wand at Hannah and barked out, "Expelliarmus!"

The blonde witch figured the stupid boy would try something like this, Hannah didn't even have to move much; she just swayed to her left and let the spell pass her by. "Is that all you've got, Malfoy?"

Malfoy's face turned red in anger. Snape saw this and groaned, knowing that an angered Draco stood no chance against this witch. "Stupefy!" roared Malfoy. This spell was better aimed, Hannah acknowledged, as she stepped to the side. Her grin at the blonde Slytherin seemed to infuriate him further.

Neville was beside himself with worry. "Dammit, Hannah, don't fuck around!" he hissed quietly.

"She's fine, Nev." Luna said consolingly. Neville glared at her, Luna merely chuckled at him.

"Sectumsempra!" Malfoy yelled, slashing his wand angrily at Hannah. She knew exactly what that bastard Malfoy had cast at her. She pirouetted, barely escaping being struck by the nasty spell.

"Hey!" Harry and Neville both yelled angrily.

"That was a cutting curse, Professor Lockhart! Stop this fight!" Hermione yelled at the pompous ass.

"Depulso!" Hannah cried out. She smiled, pleased with herself, as she watched Draco flip head over heels and land unceremoniously on his ass.

"Bitch!" yelled Malfoy, standing quickly and aiming his wand at Hannah once again. "Serpensortia!"

The gathered students all gasped in horror at seeing a six foot long cobra shoot out of the Slytherins wand. The serpent, angered at being so summoned, hissed at the blonde witch before it and slithered toward her furiously with fangs bared. Everyone was surprised when Harry suddenly appeared on the platform and stood defensively before Hannah.

"Stop!" Harry hissed at the snake.

The cobra stopped its forward advance, seemingly surprised that a human spoke to him in a way it could understand. "Speaker?" it questioned.

Harry was unaware that he was now the center of attention from the gathered crowd. Everyone in the room was looking at him warily.

"I guess I am. Sorry if you were frightened, but the girl behind me means you no harm. None of us do. Would you like to go back to where you came from?" Harry asked of the serpent.

"I you would, please, speaker. Maybe a rabbit for compensation, though?" the cobra asked.

Harry chuckled and conjured a rabbit amazing most of the upperclassmen in the room at the ease the youngster had done that with, without a wand too. The cobra hungrily devoured the rabbit. "Thank you, Speaker."

"Of course my friend, be warm and content." Harry said. He waved his hand and vanished the snake.

Once the cobra had disappeared, Harry turned to step off the platform, only to be confronted by an assembly of students that were staring at him. Most of the angry glares seemed to come from the gathered Gryffindor boys and most of the Slytherins. The Ravenclaws merely looked curious, while his own House regarded him suspiciously.

"What?" he asked.

OoOOooOOoo

Tonks had never been more excited in her life than she was at the moment. Her first undercover assignment had her sitting at a corner table in the dingiest bar it has ever been her displeasure to enter. She smirked cautiously making sure no one caught the expression, as she remembered looking into the mirror just before she'd left the Auror offices that morning. She looked like a complete hag, warts and pointy nose included!

Her mission for the day was one of just observation. The rundown bar sat at the end of Knockturn alley and was frequented by the worst sort of clientele. Looking around cautiously, Tonks was more than a little troubled at the people that seemed to congregate in the darkened establishment, as they all looked to be the criminal scum of society. She was certain that if the place was ever raided, the amount of contraband and illegal goings on that would be discovered would have the Auror force with enough evidence to sort through for years to come.

The door opening caught her attention, the faint light from outside seeming to cause everyone in the bar to shudder like vampires struck by sunlight. The small rat-faced man who entered looked around cautiously before he seemed to melt into the shadows. Aware that she was a better observer than most, it surprised her that she'd lost track of the man for a few moments. The man lingered in the shadows before sitting himself down at one of the tables.

It was only a few minutes later that the bar door opened again, allowing a cloaked man to enter. The cowl of the man's cloak was pulled up high enough that she couldn't get a good look at his facial features, but she knew that if she tried to get closer she would be discovered. So for now, she merely followed her orders and observed.

The two men began a animated, though quiet, exchange; the rat-faced man looking terrified at his companion. Something at the back of her mind kept trying to intrude itself into her conscious thoughts, a memory from a very long time ago, something to do with Sirius.

"Just follow my orders, rat!" the cloaked man spat angrily before standing and exiting the establishment. Tonks noticed the small man visibly relax and taking the glass of firewhiskey before him, downed it all in one gulp. The man stood from his seat and made his way towards the door. Something about the man made Tonks follow him. She was only seconds behind the man, but when she exited the bar, he was nowhere to be found. He had seemingly just disappeared into thin air. She was certain that she'd not heard the crack of apparition. 'Must have disillusioned himself' Tonks commented to herself. With a sigh, she turned back to the bar and once again sat at her table.

It was hours later when she reported back the headquarters. Amelia herself was debriefing her, which she thought a bit unusual, to say the least. "Relax, Tonks, Shack was asked by Arthur Weasley to accompany him on a raid. That's why I'm the one debriefing you."

"Oh, okay. Sorry, it's just a bit unusual is all." Tonks said.

Amelia laughed at her discomfort. "Like I said, relax, I'll have you home in time for dinner. I promise. So, anything unusual happen today, Auror?"

"Nothing really, ma'am, it was mostly a quiet day. That place is a cesspit, though. I've got to remember to thank Shack for telling me to bring my own glass; I hate to think how long it had been since those goblets had seen soap and water." she told her boss.

"You're lucky, no one told me anything. I missed work for a week when it was my turn thanks to the food poisoning." Amelia said chuckling. "So, nothing interesting, at all?"

"Well, there was the fight, which was pretty funny. Also..." Tonks started.

"Also...?"

"Well, I don't know that it was unusual, more curious than anything else." Tonks said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just thinking of the odd little man and his cloaked companion. I was too far away to hear or see too much of anything. It looked as though the cloaked man was reprimanding the little man, but really couldn't hear what was being discussed. But there was just something about him." Tonks continued.

"Something about who?"

"The little man; I don't know how to explain it other than that he reminded me of someone. Don't ask, because I can't remember myself, even though I've been racking my brain ever since I saw him."

"Pensieve?" Amelia asked. Tonks shrugged and pulled her wand as Amelia brought forth the familiar stone bowl. "You know what to do."

Tonks placed the tip of her wand to her temple and gently extracted the memory. Placing it into the swirling liquid, Amelia and she put their heads into the bowl.

"Motherfucker!" yelled Amelia, shocking Tonks at the bitter tone in her boss' voice.

"Boss?" Tonks questioned.

"That's Peter Pettigrew!" Amelia hissed angrily.

"The guy that got Uncle James and Aunt Lily killed?" Tonks asked in shock. Amelia nodded.

"Nym..." Amelia said as she saw her Auror start to tremble and tears pour from her eyes.

"He was right there! He was right there and I didn't do anything!" she yelled before she completely lost it and started sobbing, her body shaking in anger and shame.

"There was no way for you to know, Nym. How did you recognize him?"

"Now that I know who he is, I remember him visiting the Potter's one night when I was babysitting. I dinner party, if I remember correctly. I think you were there too." Tonks commented between sobs.

"I think I remember that night. I believe it was Sirius' birthday party." Amelia said. "C'mon, Nym, let's go see Sirius. He needs to know. You're shift is over now. You want to grab your parents and come over for dinner?"

Tonks nodded tearfully. "I think I'd like that. Can I talk to Uncle Jamie again?"

"Yeah, Nym, I think you'd better." Amelia agreed.

OoOOooOOoo

"What the hell was that?" Hermione whimpered, looking guardedly at Harry.

"Not here, let's go back to the common room." Neville said to his friends when he saw hostile looks coming from many of the students in the great hall. The six cautiously made their way back to Hufflepuff, with Harry looking around in curiosity at the glares coming from all the students.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked. "What did I do? Did I breach etiquette or something by helping Hannah?"

"No, Harry, nothing like that. Do you realize what you did on the platform?" Susan asked him.

"What are you talking about?" Harry questioned his girlfriend.

"You spoke to the snake." Luna informed him.

"I did? Really?" Harry asked. "He was going to attack Hannah, I just told him to stop is all. Well that and he told me I owed him a rabbit in compensation for us disturbing him."

"I'm sure that's what you did, Harry, but to everyone else it, well, it freaked all of us out." Susan said.

Hearing the word freak coming from the mouth of the girl he loved, directed at him, stopped him dead in his tracks. He took a step backwards, away from her and his friends. "Freak, is it?" asked Harry with a hurt look at all of them. He turned and quickly made his way away from them.

"Oh, shit!" Susan said with tears in her eyes. "Harry, don't walk away, please!" But she'd been too late and with the mob of students exiting the great hall, Harry lost himself in the crowd and disappeared.

"Harry!" she cried, only able to hold herself upright because Hannah and Neville had taken her in their arms.

"Why did he run away?" Hermione asked curiously, tears also beginning to stain her cheeks at seeing the hurt look in Harry's eyes.

"I called him a freak." Susan cried.

"I don't get it." Neville said.

"It's what his relatives called him." Susan explained.

"Oh, shit, Susan." Hannah said. "We need to find him, right now. Susan, concentrate, where is he?"

"I can't...he isn't letting me in..." Susan sobbed. The pain she felt was physical. Being separated from Harry was affecting her more than she or anyone else could have imagined.

"We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey." Luna cautioned as she wiped the tears from her face. "Being at odds and physically away from Harry is going to affect them both, painfully."

"Neville?" Hannah asked. Neville nodded and picked the limp form of Susan up into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.

"What's going on?" Fred and George asked as they approached, worry on their faces as they saw the state of Susan.

"We don't know, Harry got upset and walked away from her, from us. Then this happened. We're on the way to the infirmary." Neville answered.

"Shit, she really doesn't look good, guys. We'll help! Alright, everyone, make room! We've a very sick student here! Make way, dammit!" one of the twins shouted as he and his brother pushed their way through the crowd. Slowly, the throng of people parted, allowing their group through.

"Madam Pomfrey!" yelled Hannah as she came bursting into the infirmary. Poppy was stunned at seeing the appalling condition of Miss Bones. The poor girl looked like she'd not eaten in months, she was so emaciated.

"Bed! Now!" the nurse requested. "What happened?"

"We don't know." Hannah tried to explain. "Harry had spoken to a snake during our dueling club..."

"He's a parselmouth?" Poppy gasped.

"If that means he can talk to snakes, then yes, ma'am." Hermione answered.

Poppy pulled her wand and waved it over the prone form of Susan. "Dear me, how did I miss this?"

"Ma'am?" Neville asked.

"Butchy!" called out Poppy. "I need you to get the Headmaster here as quickly as you can!"

"I'm already here, Poppy, the new wards alerted me. What seems to be the problem?" Albus asked as he ran into the room, puffing slightly.

"Miss Bones is suffering from separation from her bondmate." she replied.

"Bondmate?" Albus gasped. "Butchy, please inform the castle elves that we need to find Lord Potter as quickly as we can."

The elf bowed to the Headmaster and popped away. "I need to call Sirius and Amelia."

"Of course, Headmaster, please feel free to use the floo in my office." Albus nodded and headed out to make his call.

"Bondmate." George said in awe.

"Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it?" Fred asked his twin. George nodded.

"Would either of you like to enlighten us?" Hannah asked angrily.

The explanation though would have to wait, as a very worried looking Sirius and Amelia came running into the infirmary to stand by Susan's bed.

"What's going on?" Amelia said through her tears as she took hold of Susan's hand.

"Where's Harry?" asked Sirius.

"We don't know." Neville replied.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?" Sirius asked angrily.

"Sirius, stop!" Amelia scolded. "What happened?"

"We were in the dueling club, Harry talked to a snake, Susan called it freaky, and Harry vanished." Hannah explained succinctly.

"Oh, Susan..." Amelia moaned.

"Susan didn't call him a freak!" Hermione said hotly and in defense of Susan. "Harry was being bit defensive because of what had happened in the dueling club, especially because of the looks he was getting from everybody. Susan only said that it freaked her out that he'd done that. I don't think she meant it the way he took it."

"Dammit, Harry." Sirius said sadly.

The pop caused them all to turn; all saw the Headmaster speak to Butchy. "The elves can't find him."

Fred and George exchanged a glance and nodded. "Uhm...we may have a way to find him, Headmaster."

"Mr. Weasley?" Albus asked curiously.

Pulling out a tattered old piece of parchment, Fred handed it to Sirius. "Yours I believe, sir?"

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise at seeing a piece of his past after such a long time. "Where, how?"

"We pinched it from Filch."

"Sirius?" Albus asked.

"A moment, if you would, Headmaster." Sirius pulled his wand and touched it to the frayed paper, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

All were amazed at seeing the parchment transform into a map of Hogwarts. "Amazing..." Albus commented.

"Locate Harry Potter." Sirius said to the map.

"It can do that?" the twins asked in astonishment.

"There!" Sirius yelled. "He's on the quidditch pitch."

"Butchy?" asked Albus. The elf nodded and popped away, only to return moments later with the worn and withered form of Harry levitated before him.

"Miss Poppy?" Butchy queried.

"Right here next to Miss Bones, Butchy. And thank you." Poppy told him. Butchy gently placed Harry next to Susan, bowed, and popped away.

All of them stared in amazement as Susan, even in unconsciousness, moved and threw her arms around Harry and draped herself across his body. Amazing them again, Harry pulled Susan towards him. A contented smile seemed to appear on both their faces. Susan lifted her head long enough to settle it on Harry's shoulder and sighed happily.

"Wait for it..." Luna said excitedly. They all looked at her confused.

They didn't have long to wait, though. A warm golden glow seemed to envelop the young lovers, bathing the occupants of the infirmary in its tender light. The healing effect of the light was readily discernible on the young couple, seeing the withered appearance that Susan and Harry had both had fade until they once again glowed healthily.

"Thank Merlin we got to them on time." Poppy sighed in relief.

"What the ever living hell?" Hermione squealed louder than she'd intended.

Sirius couldn't help himself and started laughing until his sides hurt. Once he'd regained control, he addressed Harry's friends, "Alright you lot, you are all coming to the Glen for the weekend. Boys, can you get permission from your parents?"

"Is it alright if we bring our sister along? We don't want to leave her alone in the castle with how things are in Gryffindor."

"Of course, lads, the more the merrier; don't worry Hannah, or you Hermione, I'll talk to your parents and make sure to get permission. Boys, your sister, will she be able to keep a secret?"

"Don't worry about Ginny, Lord Black, she's cool." Luna told him.

"Cool, is it? Very well, oh, and all of you call me Sirius please." Sirius told them all.

"Is Uncle Sirius okay?" Luna asked with a smirk.

"You're going to be trouble, aren't you?" Sirius said eyeing the petite witch thoughtfully. Luna smiled and winked at him, which sent him once again into peals of laughter.

"Poppy?" Amelia asked, the concern obvious as she looked at her niece in the arms of her husband.

"They will be alright, Ami. Albus, they will have to be in physical contact for the next several days."

"I see...I take it this means you'd rather they not be seen like this?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose so. With the amount of students in and out of the infirmary every day, it would only take one misunderstood glimpse at them for the rumors to start and you know how vicious they can be. Lord Potter's life has been difficult enough as it is." Poppy explained.

Albus nodded in understanding and looked toward Sirius and Amelia. "I think it might be beneficial to the both of them if they awaken at home, don't you agree?"

"Thank you, Albus." the concerned guardians said.

"Michael?" Amelia called out.

"Madam Bones?" said the Potter elf as he popped in. "What happened to Lord Harry and Lady Susan?"

"They had a disagreement, Michael, but it all seems to be okay now. Would you mind taking them back home? Place them in Harry's room."

"Of course, Madam Bones, I will see to it immediately." Michael took both Harry and Susan's hands in his own and popped out of the infirmary.

Sirius held on tightly to his fiancée, who was crying inconsolably into his shoulder. Amelia Bones was the strongest woman he knew, always had been, but to see her niece laying there and not being able to help her in any way had deeply affected her.

"Why them? Why is it always them?" she whimpered softly.

OoOOooOOoo

Susan awoke and found herself in a strange room. She almost panicked until she saw the Potter crest on the pajamas she was wearing. She almost panicked again when she rolled over and came face to face with Harry lying right beside her. The tears, unbidden, poured from her eyes as she stared at the face of the boy she loved so very much. He looked so calm and so peaceful as he slept. He even sported a small smile that warmed her heart.

In her head she knew that neither she nor Harry had been at fault for what had occurred between them, their first fight had been a misunderstanding, one that could have easily avoided had they only taken the time to speak to each other. But her heart broke at the mere thought of the look of hurt that she'd seen in her Harry's eyes. She never, ever, wanted to see him looking at her like that again.

She ran a hand through his hair and she giggled contentedly when she heard him sigh peacefully. The scar that had been on his forehead had almost vanished, something that she knew she'd have to talk to her aunt about. Thinking of her aunt at that moment made her realize exactly where she was. In bed. With Harry. In bed with Harry! She calmed down before she worked herself into a panic as she felt Harry begin to stir.

"Susan?" Harry asked when he opened his eyes and saw her staring at him.

"Morning, love." she whispered.

Harry looked around, curious as to where he was. "How come we're in my bedroom?"

"Your bedroom? You mean we're at the Glen?" Harry nodded.

"Susan..." Harry started, looking into her eyes.

"No, love, I'm the one that's sorry. I should have known better than to say that to you." she told him softly and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I was being thickheaded." Harry said. "I should have let you explain what you meant, but with everybody staring at me like that, I felt really defensive. That some of those stares were from friends of ours, well, I kind of wigged out."

"Yeah, you kinda did. But we all understood once we had a chance to think about what had happened." Susan told him. "Where did you go?"

"Well, I was kind of pissed off." Susan rolled her eyes. "I think I stopped running once I was outside the castle. I was going to go down and visit Hagrid, but somehow found myself on the quidditch pitch."

"Figures." Susan teased and was delighted to hear Harry chuckle.

"Right, anyhow, I found myself down at the pitch and I started feeling sick, really sick. I knew I had to get back to you but I was too weak to move. I think I passed out then and now I'm here." he told her.

"Me too, well the sick part anyway. Once you'd left I kind of broke down. Hannah and Neville had to hold me up." she placed her hand on Harry's lips, knowing that he was about to apologize. "Don't apologize, Harry. This wasn't your fault."

"Sure feels like it..." Harry whispered.

"Let me explain what happened that night, why we were so..."

"Freaked out?" Harry said with a smirk.

"Prat...but yes; let me explain what freaked everyone out. You spoke to a snake." Susan said.

"Yeah, you mentioned that, I guess I just don't understand."

"In our world, the magical world, speaking to snakes is considered dark."

Harry frowned at her. "I don't get it?"

"What do you mean you don't get it?"

"Well, what if I'd spoken to a dog, would that be considered dark too?" Harry asked.

"No, I suppose not, though I hadn't really thought of it like that before." Susan answered with a frown.

"This is another one of those weird wizarding superstitions, isn't it?" he asked. Susan blushed cutely and nodded in agreement. "Huh, I'm Doctor Dolittle."

"Who's Doctor Dolittle?" Susan asked him.

"Oh, for the love of..." Harry moaned. "This summer, I am taking you into the muggle world and we're going to go watch a ton of movies."

"Okay." she agreed. "Harry?"

"Yes, love?" Harry mumbled.

"What's a movie?"

"Seriously?" he asked in exasperation.

"Someone call my name?" Sirius asked as he carefully opened the bedroom door and stuck his head in.

"Sirius!" the kids called out. They both then proceeded to blush furiously when they realized that they were still in bed...together.

Sirius laughed seeing his kids looking back at him so guiltily. "Relax, your aunt and I both knew that you were sharing the bed. Don't fret."

"Okay...then how come you're not upset? For that matter, why are both of us in bed together?" Susan asked.

"That will have to wait until after breakfast. You guys hungry?"

"Famished!" Susan said as her stomach betrayed her and let out a loud rumble. Harry was going to laugh at her until his own stomach made its displeasure known.

The Marauder laughed loudly. "Go on you two, showers and then down to the kitchen for breakfast. Michael has been worried sick about you two, he'll be happy that you've finally woken up."

"Harry...?" Sirius asked his godson.

"Yeah?"

"Where are your glasses?"

"They're over...oh, holy shit! I can see!" Harry yelped as he stood on the bed and started bouncing for joy. Susan got in on the act too, as she stood and started to bounce along with Harry, hugging him as hard as she could and laughing along with him.

"Seriously?" Sirius whispered to himself. "Can they not ever do normal?"

OoOOooOOoo

Amelia attacked the two of them when she spied them coming into the breakfast nook that was set beside the spacious kitchen. She had tears streaming down her cheeks and held them both as if her life depended on it, although these tears were thankfully of the happy variety. She hugged them fiercely, for what seemed like hours to the two kids.

"Ami, let them breathe before they pass out." Sirius commented.

"Shush, you, I'm simply making up for lost time." she said as she still clung to the two of them.

"Come here you two, let me get a look at you." said Augusta from her seat by the window.

"Hey, Gran." they both said to aged witch as she hugged them both.

She placed a hand on each of their cheeks and stared at them intently. "You're both feeling alright? Good! Now, sit and eat, I'm sure you're both starving." Augusta laughed delightedly when Susan and Harry sprang towards their chairs and sat, quickly spooning heaps of food onto their plates.

"Hungry much?" Sirius asked with a grin. Amelia laughed when Susan chucked a croissant at her fiancée that hit him squarely on the nose. "Hey now, no need for violence."

"Harry, where are your glasses?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Apparently I don't need them anymore." Harry said between mouthfuls of food.

"Seriously?" Amelia whined.

"That's what I said!" Sirius told her.

"Auntie, aren't you supposed to be at work?" Susan asked.

"I took the week off. It's been ages since I've done that and with you two being sick, well, I wanted to be here at home." Amelia told her.

Once the feeding frenzy had somewhat died down, Harry and Susan both looked at each other before turning their gazes towards the adults before them. "Auntie, what happened? Why are we here?"

"You both got really sick when you let that bit of anger come between you." she started. Harry hung his head sadly. Susan quickly got up from her seat and jumped into his lap.

"What did I tell you?" she asked him.

"That it was a misunderstanding." he whispered.

"Right, so get over it. We talked it over and everything is alright now, okay?" she said before kissing him tenderly. "Wait, hang on a minute, how does being peeved at each other result in us waking up in bed together?"

"It wasn't so much the emotion as it was the separation." Sirius said sadly.

"Huh?" Harry and Susan said.

"Being separated from each other was really, really, traumatic to the two of you." Gran explained.

"But we're separated all the time, like when we go to bed." Susan said.

"Ah, yes, but I'm guessing you guys kiss goodnight or at the very least hug each other? And, you both know without a doubt that the other would be waiting for them come morning." Sirius said and sniggered delightedly when the two blushed profusely. "Monday night was different, though, wasn't it?"

"Sirius, what day is it?" Harry wondered.

"Today is Wednesday." Amelia answered. "The two of you have been sleeping for two days."

Susan wasn't surprised when she felt Harry's anger start to rise. Truthfully, she felt a bit angered as well. "What the hell is going on?" she asked for them both.

"Susan..." Amelia started.

"No, Auntie, I want to know. Harry wants to know. We have a right to know!" said snappishly.

"Alright, alright, don't get angry with us. We all just wanted what was best for you. In hindsight, I suppose we should have told you from the beginning." Sirius said.

"Would you just tell us already?" Harry yelled.

"Easy there, pup. I'm getting to it. Although, maybe it would be better if your mom explained it to you." he replied.

"Mom knew?" Harry asked.

"Uhm, yeah..." Sirius said confused.

Harry stood from his seat, holding on tightly to Susan so she didn't spill onto the floor. He looked at her intently, a question in his eyes. She nodded at him as she set her feet down on the floor. Hand in hand they headed for the laboratory and the pensieve.

"Well...shit." Sirius said.

OoOOooOOoo

"Mom? Susan and I have a bone to pick with you!" Harry called out.

"Harry, Susie?" Lily called out, surprised to see the look of annoyance from her son and daughter-in-law. "Oh crap, what happened?"

"Would you care to explain to us how being separated from Susan caused both of us to be unconscious for two days?" Harry asked heatedly.

"Two days? What the hell happened?" Lily asked with obvious concern.

"Easy, love, you know Mom will explain it all to us. Remember, she tried that night that Neville was injured." Lily almost started crying when she heard Sue call her mom.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to vent some of the anger and frustration he was feeling. "What's going on with Susan and me?"

"Sit down, kids, this may take some time." she said, indicating the love seat that had just appeared. Harry sat on the seat and Susan, somewhat demurely, sat herself in Harry's lap. Lily chuckled to herself. She waved her hand and the three of them found themselves once more in the room where Harry and Susan had been placed when they were babies.

"The bond..." Susan said.

"Correct. This was the beginning of the bond for you two." Lily said.

"Yeah, still doesn't explain anything." Harry said.

"I'm getting there, relax!" Lily said a bit hotly, her redheaded ire starting to rise. "Sorry, I know you are both frustrated, but I'm getting there. If I tell it to you all out of order, you'll both have even more questions. Now, at its most basic, a bond is the joining of two souls."

"We're soulmates?" Susan asked in awe. Harry was surprised when she threw her arms around her neck and started sobbing into his chest.

"Susan?" Harry asked in concern.

"It's alright, Harry, I'm just really happy right now." she answered him. He was further surprised when he saw his mother with tear tracks on her cheeks.

"This is a good thing, then?" he asked. Susan nodded into his chest. "So why the big mystery?"

"That would be my fault." Lily said. "Not completely, mind you, as Sirius and Amelia both wanted to keep this from you for a bit longer. Don't be angry with them, though, they were both just looking out for both of you."

"Okay..." Harry said. Susan had finally stopped crying and was looking at him with such love that it took his breath away. She kissed him softly.

"Don't worry, Mom, we forgive them." Susan told Lily with her eyes still glued on Harry.

Lily sniffled and pulled a handkerchief from the ether. She wiped her eyes and continued. "When I saw this, your bond, I knew instantly what it was. To make sure that you two would be together, I made both your fathers sign a betrothal agreement."

"We're betrothed, too?" Susan squealed delightedly. Lily nodded at the young witch in her son's arms.

"Okay, someone want to explain to me just what the hell is going on?" Harry asked in frustration.

"It means we're engaged to be married, Harry." Susan explained.

"Oh. Okay." he said with a frown. "Aren't we a bit young to be engaged?"

"You don't want to marry me?" Susan said angrily, although Harry saw the twinkle in her eyes that always gave her away.

"Oh no, not today, I love you Susan but please no teasing me for a bit." Susan pouted for a moment before kissing him again. "So, we're betrothed?"

"It happens, not very often mind you, but it does happen in this world that you now find yourself in, Harry. A lot of the older pureblood families use them to keep their bloodlines pure or to unite two families, things like that. With you two, though, it was my way of ensuring that you'd end up together. Your father and I, your parents too Susan, we were all concerned that we'd not make it through the war. Just goes to show you that I'm a better Seer than that fool in the belfry." Lily said with a laugh. "Had Sirius not been arrested, had Dumbledore not interfered with your placement after we died, chances are that you two would have most likely found yourselves growing up together."

Harry smiled. "I found a picture album at Gringotts that had a picture of us as babies."

"You two were so beautiful together." Lily said gleefully.

"What about being sick for a couple of days, Mom?" Susan asked. Lily wondered if Susan was conscious of what she'd been calling her.

"Well, that's a little more complicated, so listen up. There are a lot of things about the bond that we don't know about, some that we can only guess at, and others that are just plain ridiculous. Did either of you ever wonder why you're always in such close physical proximity?" she asked, smirking when they seemed to shift in their seats uncomfortably.

"Not so much the physical, Mom, I was more curious about how fast we seemed to connect and grow together." Susan said. "I swear I was in love with Harry ten minutes after meeting him."

"Took you that long, did it?" Harry grinned at her. "I knew the moment I saw you."

Lily rolled her eyes, seeing her kids make googly eyes at each other. "Pay attention you two."

"Sorry, Mom." they both said, although she could tell they really didn't meant it.

"Sirius tells me you can both sense each other's emotions?" Lily asked. Harry and Susan nodded. "That's another gift of the bond. Also, I'm guessing that you can both tell where the other is?"

Again, they both nodded. "Harry, your magic is pretty strong, way stronger than mine or your father's. Susan, your magic has also gained in strength."

"Nah..." Susan said dismissively. "Really?"

"Do you have your wand on you?" Lily asked. Susan shook her head. "Good, do me a favor and cast a lumos, please?"

"But I don't have my wand, Mom." she said.

"Harry, lumos, if you would, please?" Harry pointed towards the artificial ceiling and his finger lit up brightly.

"Now you, Susie; c'mon, you can do it." Lily said encouragingly. Susan shrugged her shoulders and, like Harry, pointed towards the ceiling. She almost fainted in disbelief when her finger lit up.

"How?" she asked.

"Another gift of the bond, of course. Every magical being in the world has a reservoir of magical energy, think of it as a glass you'd drink pumpkin juice out of. Some people have tiny glasses filled with magic, some people have big glasses filled with magic." she explained.

"And Harry and I have big glasses?" Susan asked.

"No Susan, you and Harry have a bathtub!" Lily laughed at the wide-eyed surprise on their faces. "Harry's magic and yours are similar to each other, but a lot different than most witches and wizards of the world. Most everyone has to use a wand, you two, with a lot of practice, won't. A discussion for another day, alright? You two have enough to deal with already, we'll take this topic up again in a year or two, once your bodies have both matured a bit more." Lily told them. "Now then, why don't you two tell me what happened the other night?"

"It all began on Monday, a couple of days ago I guess. The six of us decide to join the dueling club. Hannah was chosen to go up against a Slytherin that everyone in the castle hates." Susan began.

"The git cast a cutting curse at Hannah, and she blasted him almost clear of the platform. He stood up, really angry, and conjured a snake that started to attack Hannah. I got up on the platform and apparently started to talk to the cobra."

"You can speak to snakes?" Lily asked amazed. "I know most people consider it something dark. Morons! Why is talking to a snake evil but talking to a dog not evil?"

Susan and Harry both laughed. "What?"

"Harry asked me the same thing this morning, almost word for word." Susan explained.

"It's not dark, just a very rare gift. It comes from the Black blood in our family Harry." Lily said.

"From Padfoot?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Wait, Sirius is really my family?"

"Well, yeah, hasn't he explained that to you? Your grandmother, your dad's mom, was Dorea Black and was Sirius' aunt." Lily explained.

"And some of the Black's have special abilities?" Harry asked.

"Yup, think of Nym." Lily said.

"Wait, Tonks is my blood too? Aunt Andi also?" Harry asked. "Mom, is it alright if I prank the crap out of my godfather?"

Lily laughed, "Hell yeah, it is. James would be really disappointed in you if you didn't prank the crap out of him, especially since he seems to have forgotten to teach you about both our families. Alright, so you were saying about the cobra..."

"Oh, yeah, I talked to the cobra and told it not to attack Hannah. That's when everybody in the school started staring at me weirdly." Harry continued.

"I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I did too. So did Hannah, Neville, Hermione, and Luna. I feel so stupid..." she said sadly. Harry hugged her and pushed his feelings of love into her. Lily stared in bewilderment as Susan, so sad looking one second, was overjoyed in the next. "Anyway, I told Harry that it was kind of freaky."

"I see." Lily said knowingly. "That's what set you off, wasn't it?"

"Yup, I went completely mental. Couldn't see that Susan hadn't meant it the way I interpreted it. I just ran away as fast as I could."

"Oh, Harry..." Lily said consolingly.

"Next thing I remember was waking up in bed next to Susan." Lily looked toward Susan.

"Once Harry had left, I tried to find him, but I could feel that he'd somehow cut off our connection to each other. That's when I lost it and passed out, waking up next to Mr. Tantrum over here." she giggled.

"Funny, Mr. Tantrum, really funny." he said in mock anger. She kissed him sweetly and all was once again right in his world.

"What started it, Harry, was when you shut Susan out. Once that occurred it was only a matter of time before you both collapsed. It was the separation along with shutting Susan out that did you both in." Lily said.

"Yeah, Sirius explained that bit about the separation." Harry said. He looked at Susan, "I'll never cut you out again."

"Nor will I you." she replied.

"Now given all I've told you about the betrothal and the bonding, I have one more bit of information to pass along. It's a big one too." Lily said with a wince.

"Oh, crap, now what?" Harry asked.

"Mom?" Susan added.

"You two are already married." Lily said simply. "It's one of the reasons you aunt and Sirius wanted to keep this kind of hushed up. They didn't want to burden you two with too much."

"WHAT?" Harry yelled.

Susan though had a wicked smile on her face. "Told you I was going to marry you, Potter. Oh, shit, I'm a Potter now too! I'm Mrs. Potter!" She launched herself from Harry's lap and threw herself at her mother-in-law.

"You're really my mom now!" Susan cried happily to the also crying Lily.

"Bet your ass I am." Lily said with tears of joy running down her face. "You okay there, Harry?"

Harry had a funny grin on his face, but looked completely out of it.

"He'll be okay, Mom, he had that look on his face the first time I kissed him too." Susan laughed.

"Well, when he comes out of it, why don't you get Sirius to take you both to Gringotts. You'll have some paperwork to sign, and...you can get your wedding ring while you're there." she said, which made Susan squeal again and hug Lily even tighter. "I'd be really honored if you'd wear my engagement ring, Susie."

"Bet your ass I will wear that ring!"

OoOOooOOoo

"Lord Potter," Griphook said in delight as he stood from his chair and rounded his desk. "And Lady Potter as well, it's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Sirius, how are you?"

"The honor is mine, Account Keeper." Susan said with a curtsy. Griphook could only think that Potter men were really some lucky bastards.

"Griphook, Lady Potter, Harry and I are old friends already and I'd like to be able to consider you as one as well." the goblin said with a grin.

"I'm flattered, Griphook. I'm Susan." she told the imposing goblin.

"Alright there, Griphook?" Sirius asked.

"All is well, Sirius. I take it you're both here to fill out all the required paperwork?" Griphook asked.

"Yes we are, and we've also been ordered to go to my vault where my bride here can get my mother's engagement ring and wedding band." Harry explained.

"You should wear your father's wedding band, sweetie."

"You really think I should?" Harry asked.

"I think he'd be proud that you're wearing the ring that Mom gave him, Harry." she explained.

Harry smiled at her. "Well, there you go then, Griphook. I guess we're getting my dad's ring too."

"Very well, Harry. How about we start with the paperwork first, it's quite a lot and may take us some time."

"Uhm, you two mind if I step out for a bit? I hate paperwork and I'd probably start snoring before too long." Sirius asked the kids.

"Where are you going to go?" Susan asked.

"Well, as you two missed Hermione's birthday, I thought I'd stop by Hogwarts and try to retrieve her gift from Harry's room. We can give it to her when she stops by Friday night with everyone else; I figure we'd have a belated birthday party for her. Neville said they kind of skipped it as you two were missing and even Hermione didn't want to celebrate without her brother being there." Sirius answered. "What do you think, Griphook, a couple of hours?"

Griphook snorted. "Very funny, Lord Black. Tell you what, I'll place them under my protection while they're here in the bank and make them a portkey to get back to Alder Glen when we're done."

"You two okay with that?" Sirius asked, knowing how they'd both respond. "Alright then, there you have it. Try not to tire them out too much, if you would please, Account Keeper!"

Griphook gave him a malevolent grin, "Oh, but of course, Sirius, I'll return them to you in nearly the same condition that you brought them here, or at least as close to 'nearly' as I can get." Sirius barked out a laugh as he hugged Harry and kissed Susan's forehead.

Susan and Harry both saw the look of glee on the goblins face. "Oh, crap!" they both said, which Griphook thought was the funniest thing he'd heard all week.

OoOOooOOoo

"That is a lot of money, Griphook." Harry said in astonishment.

"Yes, Harry, it is. Your father and mother were both geniuses when it came to financial matters, which saw the increase of the Potter fortune by quite a bit. Lily taught me everything she knew about muggle investing, which I have followed since her unfortunate passing, increasing your fortune even more." Griphook said with a wicked grin.

"I imagine you're getting a portion of the proceeds?" Susan asked.

"The standard three percent." Griphook answered.

Susan glanced at Harry; he looked at her and nodded. "How about you increase that to six percent, Griphook. You've been a godsend to my new family for many years; it's time that you're rewarded for not only your loyalty but your friendship."

"I'm honored." said Griphook rising from his seat and bowing deeply to the Potter's.

"The honor is ours, Griphook." Harry said. He then smirked, "Although given the amount of paperwork you had me and Susan sign, I should be making you pay me!"

"Oh, were you under the impression that we were done?" Griphook asked casually. Susan and Harry looked shocked.

"Ha! You should see your faces." Griphook laughed. "Seriously, though, there is still the Bones' estate that we've got to get through. I'll have to make an appointment for you with Account Keeper Grabhook. He's getting close to retirement age, Lady Susan; you may want to inquire about replacing him when the time comes."

"A relative of yours, Griphook?" Harry asked.

"My father." the goblin said proudly. "He's been serving the Bones family for almost a hundred years."

"Well, when the time comes for him to retire, would you do the Bones family the honor of taking up our accounts as well, Griphook?" asked Susan. Gobsmacked would have been the wrong word to use given the look on the goblins face.

"I would be honored, My Lady." the goblin said proudly.

"I'll speak to my Auntie on the matter." Susan told him. "Now, were you serious about the two of us needing to sign more stuff, because I have to tell you that I don't think my hand can hold a quill anymore!"

"Hear, Hear!" Harry concurred wholeheartedly.

Griphook chuckled, "No, we're done for now. I take it you two wish to go down to Harry's vault."

"Harry and Susan's vault." Harry corrected.

"I stand corrected, come, I'll accompany both down there. It's been a long time since I've been down that deeply into the vault area."

All three left Griphook's office and slowly made the long walk to the Potter vault. Harry truly enjoyed the ride on the cart, even more so as Susan clung to him in fear.

"I hated that!" Susan said indignantly as Harry helped her out of the offending contraption.

"Yes, dear." Harry said, trying to contain his laughter.

"You better wipe that smirk off that face if you ever want to kiss me again." Susan threatened.

"Ha!" Griphook barked in delight. "She's got you there, Harry. Luckily, I can make the portkey to take you home directly from the vault, so there will be no need to ride back up to the main floor. Susan, why don't you open the vault? You'll need a couple of drops of blood."

"I hate this." she grimaced as she poked her thumb with the razor sharp blade that Griphook gave her. All thoughts of pain vanished though when she caught sight of the immensity of the Potter vault. "Holy crap!"

"What?" Harry asked her.

"This place is huge, Harry." Susan commented.

"I know, right? C'mon, I think I know where the rings are." Harry said gleefully as he quickly led Susan towards the back of the vault.

OoOOooOOoo

"Harry!" squealed Luna and Hermione as they stepped from the floo and tackled him to the floor with their double hug.

"Harry, we're so sorry. We didn't know!" Luna said sadly.

"Please forgive us, Harry?" Hermione begged.

"Of course I forgive you two. And I'm sorry too for being kind of a prat that night. I should never have left things get out of hand like that."

"Don't worry Harry, it wasn't your fault, it was the Nargles." Luna said, straight-faced. Harry could easily tell that Luna was trying to annoy Hermione, given the twinkle in her eyes.

"It wasn't the Nargles, Luna." he told her. "It was just me being a prat."

"You never let me have fun anymore!" Luna whined. Harry chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"I've missed you, Luna." Luna tightened her grip on Harry. He placed another kiss on Hermione's cheek, "I've missed you too, Hermione."

The bushy-haired witch couldn't contain herself any longer and burst into tears. "Oh, for the love of Merlin, Harry! What the hell have you done to the girls?"

"Nothing!" he said to Susan. "I swear!"

"Hey, girls!" Susan said to the two witches entangled with her husband. "Where's everyone else?"

She needn't have asked that question, as Hannah and Neville were the next two to step out from the floo. Hannah, catching sight of Susan, threw herself at her redheaded best friend. Neville chuckled and shook his head. "Alright there, mate?"

"Yeah, Nev, never better." Harry answered as he helped Hermione and Luna stand. Harry turned and gave Neville a hug. "You?"

"All is well, Harry, although my back still itches like crazy. Oh, and there's a ton of people in the House who are worried about you two." Neville said.

"They aren't mad about the whole talk to snake thing?" Harry asked.

"Nah, once Hannah went off on the lot of them they began to see the error of their ways." Neville said with a laugh.

"Harry!" shouted at top volume announced the arrival of their next pair of guests, who were also accompanied by their sister. The twins attacked Harry, taking him into a friendly, if a little rough, hug. "Harry, I'd like you to meet out sister, Ginny. Ginny you are standing in the presence of the great Harry Potter. Say hi, would ya?"

Ginny blushed a deep red, "Hello, Harry." she said shyly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ginny; I hope you don't take after these two rabble-rousers. Hogwarts would never be the same if you were." Harry said, shaking Ginny's offered hand.

"Oh, I don't know, personally I think they're kind of awesome." Ginny said with a small smile.

"Shhhh, don't say that out loud. They might hear you which would only make there already overblown egos even bigger!" Ginny laughed delightedly at Harry's comment.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home, Harry." Ginny said.

"Any friend of Luna's is a friend of mine, Ginny. Any friend of those two as well, Fred and George recommended you as a friend, but I don't know whether to trust them or not."

"Don't!" Ginny cautioned. "And never, ever, take anything they offer you to eat."

"Aw, c'mon Gin, you're giving away all our secrets!" the twins whined.

"So, show us already!" Hannah said seriously to her best friend.

"Huh?" Susan asked.

Hermione, Luna, and Hannah all rolled their eyes in a weirdly coordinated way. "Your wedding rings, you twit!"

"What? Wait? How?" Susan stuttered.

"The two carrots over there explained the whole bonding thing to us over dinner last night. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley is quite the romantic and tortured, according to them, both with longwinded tales of romance and love. Oh, and the occasional bodice-ripper when she thought they were asleep." she sniggered. "A lot of the stories, I guess, went into some detail about bonding. Quite illuminating, I might add. C'mon now, I know you want to show them to us."

Susan grinned and allowed the rings to become visible. The shriek from the three girls was to be expected. That the twins joined them was just plain hilarious.

"Ginny, come here and meet Susan. Sue, I'd like you to meet a very dear friend, Ginny Weasley."

"Hi, Ginny, a real pleasure to meet you." Susan said, giving the other redheaded girl in the room a warm hug.

"Thank you, Susan, and thank you for allowing me to visit yours and Harry's home. Nice rock, by the way." Ginny said with a giggle.

"I know, right?" Susan said in happily.

"So all this time, you two were married and didn't even know it?" Hermione asked curiously.

Susan sighed. "I think it would have saved Harry and me a lot of grief if the adults had just explained it to us."

"They're adults, what do they know?" Hannah laughed. "Knowing about this now, it's kind of surprising that we didn't put it all together before."

"What do you mean?" asked Susan curiously.

"Nothing really, I was just thinking that maybe some of the anxiety that you two had over all of this wouldn't have been so nerve racking." Hannah answered.

"Oh." Susan said simply. "I don't think Harry and I were really all that anxious, I think we were more just really curious about what was going on."

"And now you both know." Hermione added. The bushy-haired witch's eyes then took on mischievous look. "So, do you and Harry get to sleep together now?"

"Oh. My. God!" Susan squealed, blushing profusely and covering her face with her hands.

OoOOooOOoo

"Pomona?" the voice called out into the darkened room.

"Amelia?" responded the 'Puff matron as she stepped out of her bedroom and made her way to the floo.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, I know it's a bit late." Amelia said. "Mind if I step through for a minutes?"

"Not at all, come on in." Pomona replied as she stepped back to allow her guest through. "Please tell me Susan and Harry are both alright?"

"Never better, Pomona, though they did give us all a bit of a fright for a couple of days." replied the Auror. "They are also the reason I'm disturbing your tonight. I thought I'd bring you up to speed on a couple of things that are happening to the two of them."

"Oh, crap, now what?" Pomona sighed.

"Nothing too earth-shattering, well, that's not entirely true." Amelia chuckled at her friend's confusion. "I'm going to give you an abbreviated version about what is happening to the two. We can go into further detail later on. I just wanted you to be aware of what's going on with them."

"Okay..." Pomona said cautiously.

"Harry and Susan are bonded." Amelia said abruptly.

"Bonded? As in soul-bonded? As in freaking married?" stammered the head badger.

Amelia nodded.

"That's it! I want a raise! Those two are going to be the death of me before they get to their seventh year! Oh, and Sebastian is going to get an earful from me on Monday morning...oooh, when I get my hands on that tattered hat!" Pomona ranted. "Why couldn't he have placed them in Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake? Minerva would be able to handle this way better than I could!"

"No, Pommie, she couldn't have done any better than you. I actually think that you've done a wonderful job with the two of them. Harry and Susan love you to bits, you know? They are so proud to be Hufflepuffs."

"Really?" Pomona asked.

Amelia chuckled in delight. "Yeah, they really do. Now, here's the difficult part..."

"Oh, crap, there's more?"

"Well, they are married after all. Did you know that Susan can open the door to Harry's bedroom?" Amelia laughed aloud as she saw the 'Puff put her head in her hands and groan loudly.

"So I take it they're going to be sharing a room?"

"No, not yet at least, in a couple of years maybe just not right now. However, one of the aspects or gifts of their bond is that they might sometimes end up in bed, sleeping, together. I just wanted to give you fair warning just in case that happens." Amelia tried to explain.

"What do you mean they could end up sleeping together?"

"Just that, sleeping together. Say Susan had a particularly rough day, once evening came around and she settled in to bed for the night, she might inadvertently pop over to Harry's bed where her bondmate would be able to comfort her." Amelia continued but noticed the slight blush on the Hufflepuffs face. "Merlin, no, Pomona! No sex involved at all, at least, not for a good long while."

"Uhm, sorry Ami, it's just the first thing that popped into my head when you said they'd be sleeping together."

"It was my first thought too!" chuckled Amelia.

"Is that all?" Pomona asked cautiously.

"Yeah, for the most part; we can get into further detail when we can find a couple of glasses, a bottle of firewhiskey, and plenty of time on our hands. Hey, how about spending Christmas with us this year?" Amelia asked.

"I'd love too!" squealed the delighted Pomona.

OoOOooOOoo

"I can't!" Harry said to the red-faced 'Puff captain.

"What the hell do you mean you can't?" David yelled.

"What's going on Harry, why can't you play against Slytherin? I know you want to, especially since Malfoy is now their team seeker." Cedric asked confused.

"...Susan..." Harry mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, what did Harry say?" asked Ana looking between Cedric and David.

"Something about Susan." Cedric supplied. "Harry, mate, what do you mean about Susan?"

"I can't, okay? I can't play against freaking Slytherin because Susan won't let me, okay? You all satisfied now?" Harry yelled.

Cedric and Ana both tried to cover their mouths, but some of the laughter from both of them still managed to escape.

"What the hell do you mean she won't let you play?" David yelled in fury.

"Harry, has Susan told you that you don't have permission to play against Slytherin?" Cedric asked the seeker softly. Harry just nodded his head.

"Well David, there you go. Harry can't..." Cedric said trying desperately no to laugh. "Harry can't play against Slytherin 'cuz he's whipped!"

Ana could no longer contain herself and let loose with the loudest and longest laugh she'd ever had in her young life. With tears streaming down her cheeks, all she could do is hold her stomach as she rolled around on the grassy pitch. It wasn't much later that Cedric joined her on the ground. They laughed even harder when they caught Harry folding his arms and pouting like a five year old that didn't get what it wanted for Christmas.

OoOOooOOoo

In a darkened corner of the castle, a young girl with blood on her hands scrawled a message on the stone wall.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware!"

A/N

I think I may have gotten my mojo back!