I was a nervous wreck this morning. It was the day before my birthday, and Ginny was getting ready to leave to spend the day with her family. The last few days we had worked hard, determined to be ready to spend time with her family; neither of us wanted an accident to happen. But I had been growing increasingly anxious as the time of our separation got closer. Ginny had handled this fairly well. We spent all of last evening curled up together in front of the fire, but that wasn't making this morning any easier. She had packed a small bag of her things already and was sitting on the floor, meditating one last time before she left.

I simply sat and watched her until her eyes popped open and she looked up. She smiled slightly at the larger than average breeze that was ruffling her hair. "You have to try and be calm, love."

"I know. I just… I don't like this."

"We're going to have to get used to being apart. Once school starts you won't see me all day."

"But it will only be a few hours at a time then. I just don't like the idea of being away from you for an entire day."

She smiled indulgently at me. I was truly amazed that she hadn't made a fuss about my clinging. I knew I wasn't being very fair to her.

"Just remember that you'll see me again tomorrow morning, and that I love you."

I smiled sheepishly at her. "I know. I love you, too."

She beamed at me. Then, with a quick kiss of goodbye, she was walking out the door.

The minute the door shut behind her I had a mild panic attack. It took every technique I knew not to lose control of myself. But I was able to calm down. Then I decided that it was best to keep myself busy. It had now been nearly three weeks since we got here, and I was able to use Dobby's machines for much longer by now. And I was definitely liking the results of them. I had caught Ginny practically drooling as she watched me work out yesterday. It was a… pleasant feeling to know I could have such an effect on her.

Before I knew it, Dobby was bringing me lunch. He had been discretely checking on me all day, no doubt under Dumbledore's orders. I was actually mildly surprised to realise how much time had passed. I definitely missed Ginny, but it was going better than I expected. The ache I felt for her was manageable.

I decided to read for a bit. Dumbledore had gotten our school books for us so that we could read ahead, and I had been devouring the new Defense book in my spare time. I was sure it could hold my attention today.

I spoke too soon.

I had only read for about an hour when the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that I associated with needing Ginny began to distract me. I tried to ignore it and continue reading, but I was unable to focus on the words in front of me. I then called back the weight room and tried to physically distract myself. I had only been at it for a few minutes when I collapsed to the floor in pain.

I couldn't focus. I couldn't breathe right. I could barely even move.

I needed to get to Ginny.

Desperate, I determined that I was going to make my way to Dumbledore's office to use his floo. I knew he didn't want me loose in the castle, particularly when I was feeling like this, but I had to get to Ginny. I pulled myself off the floor and took two steps towards the door when I collapsed once more. I had to get to Ginny! But I couldn't even move. I tried to call out for Dobby to help, but my voice refused to work. My desperation was mounting, and I could feel the wind getting slightly out of control around me. But that gave me an idea. Striving to clear my mind, I forced all my concentration on getting to Ginny. I screwed my eyes shut and used everything I had. If I couldn't get to her now I didn't honestly know if I would make it.

It was when I felt myself drop onto solid ground that I opened my eyes again.

I recognised my surroundings. I was at the Burrow. Ginny. I needed her, but I couldn't move, couldn't even speak. Evidently the wind recognised my desperation. I saw a focused gust of wind move towards the house. Hoping with all my might that it was going to find Ginny, I listened as hard as I could.

"Bloody hell! What was that?" It sounded like one of the twins. But I couldn't be sure.

"Harry!" Ginny. Even hearing her voice made me feel a bit better.

"Ginevra Weasley! Where are you going?"

Ginny must have chosen not to answer her mother, because the next thing I heard was a door being thrown open against the wall. I looked up and saw her running towards me. I met her eyes, desperate for her but unable to move. She must have sensed my desperation, because she sent a stream of fire ahead of her. She knew how her fire comforted me. I sighed with relief when it got to me; a little piece of Ginny. I moved my hand slightly into its warmth, holding onto the fire desperately. And then Ginny was next to me, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

It wasn't enough. My arms wrapped around her, pushing up underneath the back of her shirt as I sought her skin; my face was buried into her neck, breathing her in. I sighed at the instant release of the tension in my body. I held her tighter as I slowly got my breath back. I could hear someone making a commotion around us, but I was too focused on her to look up and find out what was going on. It wasn't until I felt strength return to my limbs that I finally pulled my face back enough to see her.

Her eyes were wild with worry. She was crying silently, but her tears were fire running down her cheeks. "Don't ever leave me again," I whispered hoarsely.

"Oh, Harry! I'm sorry!" Her sobs grew worse and she pushed her head into my chest. "You tried to tell me and I didn't believe you. I promise I'll never leave again. I promise."

I pulled her chin up and crashed my mouth down on to hers. I needed her, and the need was penetrating every fiber of my being. I kept kissing her until I had to pull away, panting. I looked down and laughed. "We need to calm down, Ginny."

As usual when we lost ourselves in each other, we were floating and surrounded by our ring of fire. Only this time I could make out her family on the ground, staring up at us wide-eyed. I could also make out the form of Professor Dumbledore; they must have called him when they saw me here.

Returning my attention to Ginny, I wiped away her fire tears. "Calm down, my Ginny. I'm fine now. And we know not to try this again. But we're both okay."

She nodded shakily at my words and then closed her eyes in concentration. I did the same, and it didn't take us long to return to the ground. I'm fairly certain I heard a relieved sigh when the ring of fire disappeared. I stood up and pulled Ginny up with me, still maintaining firm contact with her hand; I wasn't letting her go anytime soon. Then I turned to our audience.

"Harry, I am sorry for not believing you." Professor Dumbledore was looking at me with a grave expression on his face.

I smiled wryly. "It's all right. Even Ginny didn't believe me."

Mrs. Weasley suddenly rushed forward and reached to engulf me in a hug. Then she turned to her daughter and tried to pull her into her arms. In her exuberance, she was pulling Ginny away from me. I wasn't having that.

"I'm sorry to have scared you, Mrs. Weasley, but I would really prefer it if you didn't pull Ginny away from me just yet."

She stepped back, abashed. "I'm sorry, Harry dear. I was just so scared, and I didn't understand what was happening."

"I think we'd all like to know what happened," Mr. Weasley spoke up.

I flushed, looking down at the ground. How could I tell them that I had such a strong need for physical contact with their only daughter it had nearly killed me to be separated from her for a few hours?

"Harry was concerned about being separated from Ginny today," Dumbledore spoke up, and I sighed with relief. I was grateful that he was explaining it for me. "He had told me that he had a need for fairly regular physical contact with her. I am ashamed to say that I dismissed his concerns. I thought he was merely exaggerating, or confusing his feelings for true need. But it would seem that the bond between them does indeed require the physical contact, at least for the time being." He turned to me. "How did you get here, Harry?"

I grinned down at Ginny. "I came the only way I could at the time. I had pushed off the feeling for so long that by the time I realised I needed to get to Ginny I was physically incapable of moving. The only tool I had was the wind, so I asked it to take me."

Ginny stared up at me excitedly. "It worked!"

"Yes. It was amazingly difficult, but it worked."

"That was extremely dangerous, Harry."

I looked up at Dumbledore. "I know. But I couldn't move. I couldn't even speak. When I got here I just collapsed on the ground." I looked down at Ginny. "The wind even had to get her for me."

She nodded. "It scared me. We were sitting talking and this extremely concentrated gust of wind came. I knew it was Harry, because it pushed all the boys aside and sought me out. I knew something must be wrong, so I followed it."

"Well, I think it is safe to assume that Harry will need to stay the night with you. I'll send Dobby with some of your things." He met my eye. "And I will find a way to deal with that other issue you mentioned." I nodded my thanks, for his agreement as well as for his discretion. I knew we would have to have this talk with her parents before tonight, but I was hoping it could wait a bit. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

As Dumbledore left, I looked around at the shocked faces around me. Mrs. Weasley was still close to tears, whereas her husband appeared much calmer, but still concerned. Bill was here, and he was frowning towards my hand clasped tightly around Ginny's. I suppose he was concerned by our closeness. I shrugged to myself. There was nothing he could do about it. Especially now that I knew I could always get to her. That knowledge made me feel much better about life. The twins were looking between us in awe; I guess we had put on quite a show. I looked down at Ginny. Her hair was still flaming slightly, and I could fill the wind moving gently around us. Lastly, my eyes met Ron's. He looked nearly ill.

"Are you all right, mate?" He asked quietly.

I shrugged. "I just can't go too long without Ginny around. I'm fine now."

He shook himself. "I've never seen you look so helpless. It was… it was right scary, mate."

I tried to smile reassuringly at him. "We'll be fine, Ron. We're dealing with it." He didn't look convinced, so I decided to distract him. "Feel up to some flying today?"

Ron grinned. "Always."

"Good. I'll have to have Dobby bring my broom." I smirked. "Or maybe I'll see how good of a seeker I make without the aid of one."

"Harry James Potter!" I looked up quickly into the shocked face of Molly Weasley. "You will not be flying without a broom!"

I shrugged. "I've done it before."

"But… absolutely not!"

With a wicked grin, I turned to Ginny. "You ready?"

She smiled. She knew what I was going to do. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and closed my eyes for a second. I laughed at the surprised screams below us. I wasn't even doing anything fancy, just floating. Deciding to be daring, I unwrapped myself from Ginny and stepped—figuratively speaking, as I wasn't actually standing on anything—away from her. Then I let the wind have fun.

I hadn't really gotten to let myself go like this before, as we had always been inside, but it was fabulous. The wind seemed to like the freedom I had given it, and it was careful, but I was moving fast. The moves you can pull off without the hindrance of a broom are fabulous; I was twisting and turning and corkscrewing with abandon. After a few minutes, I decided that was enough for now, and made my way back to Ginny. She was still floating placidly, waiting for me. As I stopped in front of her she grinned.

"Can I have some fun now?"

"Sure." I knew Dumbledore had said no big displays, but I figured that was a moot point after my rather dramatic entrance. So I didn't have a problem showing off a bit.

With a whoop of glee, she spread her arms. She released several fireballs, and proceeded to direct them in an aerial dance that was beautiful. I watched, delighted to see her so happy. I glanced down at the looks of awe on her brothers' faces. When I looked back up to her eyes she winked at me. And then I was encased in flames. It was extremely pleasant, but I think we probably should have mentioned that they can't harm me first. I had never heard Molly Weasley curse before. And it was loud. With a sigh, Ginny pulled the flames off of me. I grinned at her as she put them out and I lowered us finally back to the ground.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! What were you thinking, setting that boy on fire! You could have seriously harmed him! You shouldn't be playing around like this! I can't believe you…"

"Mum!" I was shocked to see her yell back at her mother, but it served its purpose. Mrs. Weasley stopped screaming in shock. "My fire can never hurt Harry. He was perfectly fine. He even likes it."

Mrs. Weasley was still spluttering in shock. "Really, Mrs. Weasley, I'm just fine. We can never harm each other, so we have fun playing around."

"How can you be sure that you won't hurt each other?" I looked over and met Mr. Weasley's eyes. He looked concerned.

I shrugged. "We just know." I didn't want to mention much about the bonding. I was fairly certain Bill would pound me, and I really didn't want to have to tell Mrs. Weasley about the tattoos.

"That was brilliant!" Ron appeared to be bouncing in place with excitement. I laughed at him; I was glad to see that he was taking this well. I had been a bit worried that he would be jealous over just another thing that made me different.

"Thanks! You should see what we can do when we aren't afraid of hurting anyone. We were relatively careful just now. Ginny can usually contain hers, but mine can get a tad bit… well, large."

Fred and George were looking back and forth between us with identical looks of glee on their faces.

"Hey, Harry?" George asked.

"Do you think…"

"there is anyway…"

"we could make…"

"instant…"

"elemental chews?" Fred finished.

Ginny and I chuckled at them. "Probably not," she answered her brothers. "But that is a good thing. You don't want to know how much work it has taken to get this much control."

Mr. Weasley laughed at the downtrodden looks on his sons' faces. "Let's get inside. I think we've had enough excitement for today."

Ginny led me inside surrounded by her excited brothers. I was trying to ignore Bill's odd look; if he had a problem with me he would mention it. In the sitting room, she pushed me down into a chair and happily curled herself up in my lap. This caused Ron to raise an eyebrow at us, but he shrugged it off without saying anything, for which I was grateful.

It was a fantastic day. Mrs. Weasley fussed over us, but I was expecting that. Ron and I played a game of chess. He got a kick out of the fact that I didn't move Ginny from my lap and simply pushed the pieces around with small, focused gusts of wind. Dinner was delicious, with all of Ginny's favourite dishes. Mr. Weasley was quite curious about our training, and asked us many questions. He was fascinated by the concept of Muggle exercise machines, and we promised to show him how they worked sometime.

It wasn't until bedtime that things got a bit more interesting.

I had been dreading this, but there wasn't anything for it. I needed to be near Ginny. So when Mrs. Weasley mentioned setting up a camp bed in Ron's room, I quietly objected.

"That won't be needed, Mrs. Weasley. I'll be sleeping in Ginny's room."

She stopped in her tracks. "Absolutely not!"

"We really don't have much of a choice, Mum," Ginny said calmly. "You saw what happened when Harry was away from me for more than a few hours. Do you really want to unleash that in the house simply because you don't want us sleeping in the same bed?"

She spluttered and looked at me nervously.

"I really don't want to risk harming any of you, Mrs. Weasley. It seems best that Ginny and I not be separated."

"Harry?" I turned to look at Mr. Weasley. "Is this the concern Dumbledore mentioned fixing?"

I nodded. "After today, we realise that I can't be separated from her for that long. He is going to prepare a special room for us to use once school starts."

The man nodded, and with a resigned look on his face placed a hand on his wife's arm and led her from the room. Taking that as permission, I made to follow Ginny up the stairs.

"Not so fast, Potter." I turned to see Bill glowering at me. "I'd like a word if you don't mind?"

"Sure." Ginny and I both paused.

"You can go on up, Ginny. I won't keep him long."

She glared at him for a minute before stomping up the stairs. I smiled after her; her hair was flaming slightly. When she was out of sight, I turned back to Bill.

"What did you need, Bill?"

"I don't like this Potter." I simply stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "I want you to keep your hands off of her tonight."

I laughed. "That would defeat the whole purpose."

He spluttered angrily. "You mean this was all set up to get in my sister's pants?"

I blushed slightly but answered calmly. "No. I mean that I need contact. Physical contact. And so I will sleep with her in my arms like I usually do."

He glared. "You hurt her and I'll kill you."

I rolled my eyes. He didn't get it. "I couldn't hurt her if I tried. Do you have any idea what that would do to me? I'm more likely to kill myself than harm a hair on her head. And I know just what can happen now if she gets angry. I'd really prefer that to not be directed at me." His glare didn't soften. "Look, I realise that this is hard to accept. How do you think I felt? We don't know why this happened to us, but it did, and so we have to make the best of it. Being angry at something you can't control serves no purpose."

He nodded, albeit grudgingly. "Fine. But you treat her like she deserves."

"I'll treat her like she is the centre of my universe." He looked mildly shocked, but I just shrugged. "It's the truth."

I left him to his thoughts and made my way to Ginny's room. She was sitting on her bed, waiting for me.

"What did he want?"

"Just to remind me how wonderful you are."

She scoffed. "That couldn't be all you talked about."

I grinned at her. "It was the important part."

I woke up to the gentle sensation of kisses raining all over my face. When I blinked my eyes open I found Ginny smiling down at me.

"Happy birthday, love." I grinned. "What would you like to do today? Mum said Hermione will be coming this morning, and I think Neville, Luna, and Remus are coming for dinner."

"I don't know. I just like being here."

She smiled. "What about taking a swim."

I thought about that, and then grimaced. "Probably not a good idea." She looked confused. "We decided not to tell your mum about your tattoo, remember?"

"Yes. But my suit will cover it."

"True. But mine will be clearly visible. And it wouldn't be a huge leap of logic to assume that if I have one than so will you."

She huffed. "Fine."

"If you bring your suit back with you, I'm sure we can get the Room of Requirement to give us a decent pond."

She considered this for a moment then beamed in approval. "Come on, Mum has breakfast ready for us."

We made our way, laughing, down to the kitchen. Hermione was already sitting at the table, talking to Ron. When we came in she looked up and beamed at me, then launched herself out of her chair and into my arms. She pulled back sheepishly when she felt the wind whipping her hair.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to see you."

I grinned. "It's all right. It's just not a good idea to startle me, is all."

She laughed, then turned and hugged Ginny too. Then she pulled on Ginny's hand and led us over to the table. "Tell me all about it. I was so concerned when I got Ron's letter explaining what had happened."

Ginny and I launched into our tale. Hermione wanted far more details, particularly about the techniques we used to control our power. She questioned us for so long that by the time she was finished our breakfast had grown cold. But I didn't mind. I knew Hermione would be curious, and it was good to see her.

After breakfast we headed outside for a game of Quidditch. Bill agreed to play keeper opposite Ron, and I played Chaser opposite Ginny while the twins kept their usual positions. Hermione opted to sit and watch. Mrs. Weasley had very firmly told me that I would be using a broom today, and I had grinned in response. Hermione shot me a questioning look at this, and I told her that maybe we would show off some later. I'm sure the others would like to see as well.

Even with my broom, it was still amazing how much easier it was to fly. I wasn't even consciously using my power; I was just so attuned to the wind that I moved with it without even thinking about it. Ginny claimed I was cheating, but she still beat me soundly. I never did make a very good chaser.

In the early afternoon, Neville and Luna arrived. Neville seemed extremely happy to see us, but Luna just stared at us oddly for several minutes. Finally, she turned to Ginny.

"You didn't tell me you were an elementalist, Ginny."

My jaw dropped. How had she known that? I looked over and made sure Ginny wasn't flaming somewhere. Nothing.

Ginny was smiling at her friend. "It didn't happen until this summer."

Luna stared at her hard. "I can't tell what you are. Why are you marked by two elements?"

Ginny glanced at me briefly before responding. "I'm fire. But Harry is air."

Luna nodded. "That makes sense. They have always come in pairs."

"Um… does someone want to explain what is going on?" Neville was looking between us with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Ginny and I have elemental powers, Neville. Ginny can control fire and I can control wind."

"Oh! That sounds cool. Can you show us?"

"Sure. But let's wait for Remus to get here. I'm sure he'll want to see, too."

After a brief squeeze of my hand, Ginny and Hermione grabbed Luna and the girls disappeared. I didn't ask. I knew Ginny had been missing female companionship. I turned to the boys and suggested a game of exploding snap.

It was two hours later, just when it was becoming necessary that I go find Ginny, that Remus Lupin and a grinning Tonks showed up. Remus seemed to relax when he saw me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm glad to see you're all right, Harry. I was worried."

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to cause such a fuss."

He chuckled softly. "Are things getting easier to control?"

I grinned. "Sure. We've been waiting for you to get here before we showed off a bit."

"Oh, goody!" Tonks exclaimed. "I was hoping I didn't miss the show." She was clearly excited, as her hair was rapidly cycling through several vibrant colours as she bounced in place.

"Nope. In fact why don't we…"

I trailed off as there was another knock at the door. No one else was supposed to be coming, and I knew the Weasleys wouldn't risk surprising me. Thus I was nervous. The girls came down the stairs, looking curiously at the door. Without a word I moved to Ginny's side; we were stronger together, and I wanted to be near her in case I had to protect her. Mrs. Weasley glanced at us anxiously as she moved to answer the door. And then she shrieked in surprise. I was trying to calm my breathing when I heard Ginny gasp beside me.

"Percy?"

I looked up. Standing in the doorway was the third Weasley son and a man with the wildest mane of hair I had ever seen. He looked like a lion.

"Hello, Ginevra, Mother." Percy nodded at his mother, but refused the hug she offered. Then he turned to me. "I was hoping you would be here today, Harry."

"What could you possibly want with me?" I was striving for control, but the appearance of a total stranger was causing my breathing to pick up, and I could see the curtains rustling in the room. Ginny's gave my hand a tight squeeze.

"I would like to introduce you to the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour."

The man beside him stepped forward and offered a hand in my direction, but I just stared at it. He put it down hastily and offered me a forced smile instead.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Potter. I was wondering if I could trouble you for a minute of your time."

I glanced down at Ginny. She smiled reassuringly at me. "Very well. Perhaps we should take this outside?" I wasn't sure what this was about, but thought it best that I be outside should anything happen.

The Minister nodded. "Certainly."

I released Ginny's hand and made to follow him outside, but Remus stopped me briefly. "We're here if you need help, Harry. Just remember to remain calm."

I nodded and walked past Percy, refusing to even look at him. He had given up the one thing that I had always wanted—a family. I had no respect left for him. I shut the door behind me, and smiled slightly as I saw Ginny's anxious face watching me out the window. I nodded briefly at her. I wouldn't leave her sight.

The Minister was waiting for me. "I appreciate you taking time away from your celebration to speak with me, Harry." He gestured towards the garden. "Shall we walk?"

"I prefer to stay here, Minister."

He nodded. "I don't know if you are aware, but I have been asking Dumbledore to arrange a meeting between us for the last several weeks."

"I did not know that. However, I have been indisposed for nearly a month and under quarantine."

His bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What from?"

"Nothing life threatening. Yesterday was the first day that I ventured outside my room."

He nodded. "I wish to offer our apologies for the way that Minister Fudge treated you last year."

I shut my eyes and took several deep breaths, then looked at him again. "I am glad to hear that the Ministry is acknowledging the situation." I wasn't about to offer my forgiveness. Not until he showed that he truly was different.

"We are very much aware of it. Which is why I am here today. I would like your help, Harry."

I stared at him. "I don't really know how much help a sixteen year old boy could be, Minister." Especially given his ignorance of the power I now wielded.

"Ah, but you are not just a normal boy. You are Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. People are calling you the Chosen One."

"Really? I didn't not know that." This was surprising news. No one knew of the prophecy. Were people just assuming I would save them as I did as a child, or was there more to it?

"Yes. People are looking to you." He paused briefly. "I wish to help you."

I resisted the urge to laugh. "And how would you help me, sir?"

"If you were to take the time to come in to the Ministry, I could offer you training with the best of my Aurors. We could provide protection and advice."

"That is a generous offer, Minister, but I neither need nor want your protection or advice. I am doing just fine on my own."

"Really, Harry? Just a month ago you had to be rescued by Dumbledore, did you not?"

I grimaced at the reminder. "A lot has changed in a month."

His gaze was questioning, but I refused to elaborate. "And I cannot change your mind."

I met his gaze head on. "I have no desire to be the Ministry's poster boy, sir."

His eyes hardened. "Very well. My congratulations on your birthday."

Without another word he turned and walked away. I watched him until he got to the end of the lane, and then he disappeared with a swirl of his cloak. Taking a deep breath, I made my way back towards the house. Ginny met me at the door, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"What did he want, Harry?" I looked up and saw Remus looking at us with concern.

"He wanted me to be his poster boy."

I heard a scoff and turned to see that Percy was still there. "The Minister is merely looking out for the best interests of the magical community. He recognises that you are a symbol of hope to the people and wishes to protect and assist you."

"I don't need protection, Percy."

He primly pushed his glasses up his nose. "It would seem otherwise. I was informed that last month you had to be rescued from the Department of Mysteries. We have also learned that you caused the death of your godfather, Sirius Black, that night."

I screwed my eyes shut, trying to block him out.

"There are also Aurors who stated that they witnessed you begging Professor Dumbledore to kill you because it was too much for you to handle."

They knew nothing.

I turned instantly and ran out the door. I would not destroy their home. I continued running, trying to get as far away as I could before I lost it. I made it to the edge of the Quidditch clearing, and then I let loose a scream of rage. I reached up towards the sky, where storms clouds were gathering, and pulled a lightning bolt towards me. I caught it and threw it with everything I had towards the ground. I turned and caught another one and threw it without even looking. It wasn't enough. With a loud cry I watched as lightning exploded around me in a constant stream.

"Harry!"

I turned, nearly blind in my anger, and threw another bolt. Then my eyes popped wide in surprise and I watched in shock as it passed harmlessly through Ginny. She didn't even pause, just kept running towards me. She launched herself at me, and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around me.

"Focus on me, love. Everything will be all right."

I stared into her brown eyes and tried to calm my breathing.

"Come back to me, love." Her small hands were running through my hair, and I could feel the flames coming out of them, calming me with their warmth.

I stared into her eyes as I fought for calm. Finally, I managed to smile at her. Her answering grin was blinding, and her hair sparked to life for me. With a sigh, I put her down and turned to see the astonished faces staring at us. Tonks was literally jumping with excitement. Hermione had a hungry look in her eyes as she watched the wind die down around us. But it was Percy who drew my gaze. His hair was still smoking, and I could see scorch marks on his clothes. I turned to Ginny and raised one eyebrow in question.

"I may have gotten a tad angry at him."

"A tad." I said dryly. He looked more than a little worse for the wear.

"Yes. A tad. I'm sure he knows better than to antagonise you now."

I laughed, and then turned to his wide-eyed look. "You can tell your Minister that I am perfectly capable of protecting myself now, and that it would be best for him to not make me angry."

The twins chose that moment to break out into laughter. They were soon followed by Ron and Neville, and then Mr. Weasley. I guess it really was pretty funny. Percy nodded in dazed shock before turning and making his way down the road. I sniggered when I noticed that he seemed to be having trouble walking in a straight line.

"Well, it seems we got our demonstration, Harry." I looked up at a grinning Tonks.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to lose control."

She laughed. "It was hilarious. What else can you do?"

I looked down into Ginny's smiling face. "Ready?"

She nodded. With hardly a thought we were floating once more. This time I let Ginny have the fun of flying around. She squealed in pleasure the entire time. When I brought her back to me she winked and started throwing fire balls at me. Evidently she wanted me to play. I caught as many as I could and started playing with them. When I could no longer hold any more, the wind caught them for me. I wasn't nearly as adapt as Ginny at controlling them, but I could still have fun. Eventually, Ginny took them back and put them out, and I reluctantly returned us to the ground.

I had barely made it to the ground when Hermione exclaimed, "Can I try?"

I looked over at her in shock. "But you hate to fly."

"Yes, but maybe I could play with the fire." Hermione was nearly bouncing with excitement. It was amusing to see.

Ginny laughed. "That's not a good idea, Hermione."

"But why not? Harry did." She was pouting, looking like someone had just told her she no longer had access to the library.

"Yes, but my fire can't burn Harry. You don't have the same immunity."

She looked back and forth between us for a few moments. "What do you mean immunity?"

"We can't harm each other. It's what allows us to work together." I answered.

Hermione looked like someone had killed her cat. "Oh. I really wanted to try."

"You sure you don't want to fly a bit, 'Mione? I promise I'll keep it simple."

She considered carefully before nodding slowly. "Nothing fancy or too high, Harry."

I nodded. It took a bit more concentration to lift Hermione than it did Ginny, I suppose because I wasn't tied to her in any way. I lifted her about a foot off the ground and moved her slowly around for a bit before setting her gently back down. She was beaming at me.

"Oi! What about me?" Ron asked eagerly.

I smiled. For the rest of the afternoon I gave flying lessons to whoever wanted them. Ginny sat nearby with Tonks, Hermione, and Luna. Hermione had brought up the idea of altering the colour of Ginny's fire, and Tonks had made a game of it. She would alter her hair to a colour and ask if Ginny could replicate it. Ginny had taken to the idea enthusiastically, and soon she was playing with multi-coloured flames.

It was a good day.

After a delicious meal with all my favourite dishes, Ginny and I were passed two large boxes.

"Why do I get one Dad? My birthday isn't for another two weeks."

"We went together on your presents, and they are basically the same thing. So we thought it appropriate to have you open them together."

Ginny and I exchanged a curious glance before tearing into our presents together. I was confused when I opened the box, but Ginny evidently knew what she was looking at, because she gasped in shock. She looked up at her parents with her eyes swimming in fire.

"Really?"

"We thought it would help the two of you now that you will undoubtedly be fighting with your elements." Mrs. Weasley was smiling gently at her daughter.

I looked down in confusion. "Um… not to appear ungrateful, but can someone explain to me what this is."

The occupants of the room looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione began. "We forgot you wouldn't know what this was."

"That is dragon hide, Harry." Remus spoke up from his corner. "Dragons are naturally resistant to not only spells but many of the elements as well. As they are creatures of the air, their hide protects them from the force of the wind, and as they are also creatures of fire their hide is also flame resistant. We didn't know that you would naturally be resistant to each other's powers, so we figured this would help."

I looked down in awe. Carefully, I lifted out the piece on top and discovered that it was an emerald green coat that looked like it would go down to my ankles. Beneath it, there was a vest and then trousers. At the very bottom was a pair of boots.

"Charlie found the hide for us, Harry." I looked up at Mrs. Weasley. "Yours is made out of Welsh Green. We thought the colour would be appropriate." I looked over at Ginny's box and saw similar articles in a brilliant red colour that matched her hair. "Ginny's is made of Chinese Fireball."

I looked back up in shock. "Thank you." I couldn't explain what this meant to me, but I didn't think I needed to. As I looked around at my family and friends in shock, I saw that they knew.

Professor Dumbledore was waiting for us as we stepped out of the floo. Ginny and I hadn't wanted to risk trying to use our elements to get back until we had a bit more practice.

"Good evening. I hope you enjoyed your day."

"Yes, thank you. It was wonderful." I remembered Percy's surprise. "Mostly."

He looked at me questioningly. "Mostly?"

"Percy came by with the new Minister."

"Ah. Yes, the Minister has been trying to get me to authorise a visit with you. I imagine the visit did not go well."

I smiled wryly. "I was able to keep my cool with the Minister. Told him I didn't want his help or to be his poster boy."

"I imagine he did not like that."

I grinned. "No, I don't think he did." I sighed. "But then after he left Percy started in on me, and I couldn't take it. I, ah, may have called a lightning storm."

"I see. Did the Burrow survive?"

"Yeah, I was able to get out of the house first."

"But Percy wasn't so lucky." Ginny was grinning with pride. "I daresay his clothes will never be the same, and it will take several weeks for his hair to grow again."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Did Percy witness your storm, Harry?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I know you were hoping to keep this quiet."

He sighed heavily. "Yes, it would have been nice. However, we have no hope of hiding this once school starts. I am simply not looking forward to Rufus' next visit. I imagine he will have a few words for me tomorrow morning."

"I am sorry to put you in this position, sir."

"Nonsense, my boy. I can deal with the Ministry. And perhaps it is a good thing that he now knows not to antagonise you." He looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I fear it is best that we allow Severus to pass this information on to Voldemort now."

I grimaced. Ginny spoke up. "Perhaps we could claim that it didn't happen until today? It would make sense, as it is Harry's birthday." I knew she was worried about Snape if Voldemort found out he hid this information. I, personally, cared little for the fate of the Potion's Master. She was a better person than I.

"That is an excellent idea. I do, however, think it best that we keep word of your bond from reaching either Voldemort or the Ministry. The house elves are building you a special room in Gryffindor tower even as we speak. There will be an entrance in both of your dorm rooms, so no one should be aware that you are, in fact, sharing a room."

"Thank you, sir."

"I also think it will be necessary to explain your new powers at the welcome feast." I cringed. "While I know you dislike appearing anything other than normal, it would be wise to address any concerns the students may have before they arise." He looked at me carefully. "I will ask you two for a small demonstration. Please keep it simple. Our goal is merely to illustrate the inadvisability of provoking either of you, not display the full extent of your powers."

"Of course, Headmaster." Ginny squeezed my hand. "We understand." She looked over at me. "It might be best to have Professor Snape speak with certain members of his house. If Malfoy is his usual self…"

She didn't have to finish her thought. I knew what she was concerned about, as I had been thinking about it as well.

"I will speak to him about it. I will also speak to him about refraining from antagonising you in class, Harry."

I nodded gratefully.

A/N: There were some really excellent ideas as to why Harry was feeling the way he does. (Actually, I really like the idea that his bad childhood made things worse… might have to use that…) But as you can see in this chapter, most of his anxiety was magical, due to their bond. Ginny does not have the same issues with needing physical contact. That is not to say that the bond is unequal, merely that she will have a different type of need… which won't become apparent for several chapters as it is much more subtle.

So, I'm working several chapters ahead in this story, and I've run across a snag. The Diadem of Ravenclaw: if they knew what it was and were in the Room of Requirement (but not the chamber of Hidden Things that it is actually located in) would the room provide it? I'm having trouble with that Horcrux, as the only reason Harry knows where it is is because he saw it in Half-Blood Prince, and I'm clearly not going to have that part.

Also, a fair warning, there is a chance I might bump the rating up in this story. I don't do explicit content, but I do allude to quite a bit later.