Chapter 8:

They decided to secure the document so Harry could never be arrested for this again. After the document had been locked in a room in the basement with several protection charms they went to the Weasleys to reunite with them. They were still very afraid when they knocked. Was it yet another trap? Mrs Weasley opened the door and seemed delighted to see Harry and Hermione though you could tell she was very nervous.

"Harry! Hermione! I am so sorry we did not-"

She was interrupted by a thunder of footsteps. At once every Weasley family member was standing in front of the door. There was an awkward silence.

"It's okay, Mrs Weasley. Your husband already told us about everything in a letter. So as long as you were just concerned about Hermione there is no reason to be sorry about it." The faces relaxed a little.

"Harry, Hermione, I need to talk with you. Can we go to the kitchen?", Mr Weasley asked seriously.

"Sure."

"I assume you negotiated with the ministry to let them drop the charges? Because we got the note that this powerful wizard has been arrested."

"Yeah, kind of. The thing is, that the judge broke the age law wasn't everything that was wrong with the hearing. They said they had lost the document Fudge had signed to drop my charges. But we found out that every judicial document is saved in the archive of the Department of Mysteries as well. This way we got them to confirm us in an official document that the penalty of the trial has been recalled."

"Okay that is some good news. But there is still a problem: The ministry is now trying even harder than before to get control over you. They fear that you might have turned to the dark side and either plan on being the next Dark Lord or form allies with Voldemort."

"Why would they think that?"

"Harry, you have killed a Dementor. They assume you did it with dark magic which would mean that you have advanced in the Dark Arts further than anything else. After all they know about our bond", Hermione reasoned. The last part she said through the connection to avoid breaking the taboo.

"Exactly. But you said you did not do it with dark magic, then how did you do it?"

"Did you actually think I was a master of the Dark Arts?", Harry asked seemingly offended to avoid giving away information on their bond.

"I did not mean it that way I just could not think of any other way..."

"It was a Patronus charm and Hermione's help, that's all I can tell you."

"Well, I am certainly relieved that you are not into the Dark Arts. But could you tell more about your outbreak? I mean, you are the second person to ever have done it." Harry asked through the connection if he should tell Mr Weasley to which Hermione responded, "I think we can trust him. And showing him this will help rebuilding the friendship to Weasleys." Harry thus responded, this time out loud, "I summoned Draco's wand which I had gotten from him in our duel. Hermione had brought to the coast so it would be easier for me. Once I had it I blew up the wall and transfigured the chains from my cell into a boat with which I fled."

"So you summoned your wand without a wand over multiple miles?", Mr Weasley asked impressed but also very anxious and Harry realized how powerful he looked like in their eyes, "But how did you coordinate that with Hermione?"

"I really can't tell you. I assume you still have not read anything about this specific topic?"

"Slave bonds? No, I haven't."

"Well, it would really explain a lot of things to you that can't explain."

"I'll do so if I ever got the chance. But I think we should rejoin the rest of my family."

Harry and Hermione spent the rest of their holidays at the Burrow. At first everything seemed kind of strained and the Weasleys seemed to fear Harry might want to take revenge on them for betraying him but they slowly rebuilt their trust in each other. They also celebrated Harry's birthday which had been actually the day after the Weasleys first found out about the slave bond. Ron had secretly given Harry Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches, a book with flirting tips which he had previously been given by Fred and George. They themselves gave him huge load of products from their joke shop. Hermione gave him a new Sneakoscope which she had bought earlier the holidays but forgot it at the Weasleys' when she left to save Harry. Ginny gave him a magical razor that would give you a perfect shaving upon command and she could not keep herself from commenting laughing, "You definitely needed it." The most interesting gift was from Mrs Weasley. It was a wizarding watch like the one from Dumbledore which was a pain to read because its many functions and therefore many hands. It was a tradition to give a watch to a witch or wizard when they come off age which Harry had of course never heard of.

All in all they almost felt as if these few days had never existed. They returned helping Mrs Weasley in the garden and in the kitchen, playing Quidditch and at least Hermione and Harry studying often together. Harry first wanted to drop Divination as he was afraid to foretell more things like he had in his practical exam but Hermione reasoned with him to keep it, "Remember, it would have happened anyway, no matter if you had prophesied it or not. Your prediction just helped you preparing yourself for it. And besides, you did not have only negative predictions, right?" Remembering the vision of Ron, Hermione and him on the Hogwarts train he agreed. The previous enmity had left scares though since Mrs Weasley seemed to manage that Hermione and Harry were never alone in one room. Not that it mattered as they could still talk to each other but Harry noticed slightly disappointed that it meant she still did not trust him.

"Can't Harry and me just talk a bit? Ron himself seems annoyed that you constantly want me to play wizarding chess with him even though I don't really like the game", Hermione one day complained to which Harry carefully added, "Why do you want to keep us from each other?" Mrs Weasley sighed, "I'm sorry. Don't think I don't trust you, Harry. But I am a bit sensitive when it comes to this topic. Back when I was in Hogwarts there been a student, a friend of mine, who, well, who- who was also in a bond", Mrs Weasley stuttered with slightly wet eyes, "It was a Ravenclaw and he seemed to be quite nice so I thought they were just dating. But one day in Defense against the Dark Arts we were studying Boggarts. When it was her turn on it, the Boggart turned into this Ravenclaw boy. She instantly cast Riddikulus on it but I saw how it was tapping with his wand on a red ring. Well, after some research I found out about it and... I was shocked! He must have raped her and beaten her if he was her biggest fear. And I had always thought they were dating. They kept it a secret and no one could have guessed there was something off. I was desperate. I wanted to help her but there was nothing I could do! The bond is unbreakable and even if I get him locked up in Azkaban he would still control her." She was sobbing now.

"I tried to spend as much time with her as possible but I noticed how she was getting more and more desperate. I always had to come home for Christmas but she stayed at Hogwarts this year because her parents were on a trip to America. When I heard that the Ravenclaw boy stayed there as well I knew it would be the literal hell for her so I tried to persuade my parents but in the end there was no way of me staying at Hogwarts. I wrote to her everyday to keep her as happy as possible but..." She choked, "It wasn't enough. New Year's Eve I received two letters which arrived for some reason at the same time. In one my friend just thanked me for all my support. But there was something written on the back. 'I'm sorry'. Then I noticed that there were tears all over the letter. Panic-struck I opened the other letter. It confirmed my worst fear", she was whispering now, "She had- had... she had ki- killed herself. Jumped down the staircase." Harry and Hermione were shocked. Especially since Hermione had just avoided the same fate by enslaving herself to Harry, no twelve hours before Malfoy tried it himself. Had Harry not followed her to the library that evening she would have inevitably become Malfoy's slave and eventually ended up most likely committing suicide. It was just now that both of them realized how lucky they had been.

"I'm sorry", Harry said quietly.

"You don't have to. It is just that I'm- It is just that this has scarred me forever. I know that Hermione is perfectly fine but I'm just to afraid of it happening once more, right in front of my eyes. I don't think I have properly apologized for it but I hope you understand why I was so angry when I first found out an- and cast Cruciatus curse", shivered at that thought, "Harry, please forgive! I just assumed you had done the same to Hermione! It was a huge mistake", she whimpered.

"It is okay. I understand and I will never tell anyone." Seemingly relieved Mrs Weasley hurriedly turned to leave, "I need to cook now!"

The rest of the holidays passed away peacefully. Mrs Weasley now seemed much more heartly to Harry; talking with them about it seemed to have helped her a lot processing her trauma. The last Thursday before the start of term Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went to Diagon Alley accompanied by Mr Weasley. While shopping they met Neville, Dean and Luna who were also buying their new books. Later they visited the twins at the joke shop and ate ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They enjoyed their last days of the holidays by playing Quidditch and Exploding Snap. On Sunday 31st August, the last day before they would return to Hogwarts the usual chaos began. Ron could not find his new Potions book, Hermione was still missing he lipstick and Harry was looking everywhere for his box of quills while Ginny had somehow lost her Hogwarts uniform. At eleven o'clock they had found everything and were ready to leave for Hogwarts the next day.

The next morning after breakfast they apparated to platform 9¾ where the red old train that would bring them to Hogwarts was already waiting. As usual the platform was completely packed.

"I'm gonna miss this annual train ride so much", said Harry when he realized that this was one of his last times to mount the train.

"Yeah, me too", agreed Hermione dreamily.

"You are mental. I will celebrate the day I no longer have to write a one-hundred-foot long Potions essay", Ron laughed. They were for the first time not late to get on the train so they quickly found an empty compartment for them three. The train started moving and soon they were traveling through autumnal forests. After about an hour Ron got up. "I'll go see Dean and Seamus, they have told me in a letter that they wanted to show me something", he said while standing in the doorway smiling friendly. Harry recognized the situation. He had predicted this in his cabin near Hogwarts the night after he had broken out of Azkaban. But he had not realized that Ron was about to leave; he had assumed Ron was about to sit down.

"Can I ask you something?", Hermione asked as Ron leaved and they were alone.

"Sure."

"What did you think of when you cast your Patronus the night you broke out of Azkaban?"

"I- I thought of me and my parents. Reunited", he added. Hermione smiled. After a while she continued, "No, you didn't. How long have I known you? I know when you are telling the truth and when not." Harry blushed.

"It's okay. You should not answer if you don't want to. Just remember what I told you last term: 'You can tell me everything. I would never make fun of you if you seem to take whatever it is seriously'" Harry kept silent for a moment then he took a deep breath and smiling nervously he said, "I thought of you. Just of you." Harry blushed once more.

"I love you", Hermione whispered, "Not just as a friend. Harry, I don't care what Mrs Weasley will think. I don't care if I am your slave. As long as it makes us stay together I would do anything. I am yours!" She seemed to have wanted to tell him for a long time when her confession burst out of her. She was smiling excitedly in his eyes and her look became more and more nervous as Harry did not respond. Harry was overwhelmed. He had been dreaming of Hermione for an eternity but he never thought a relationship would be possible. They were such good friends, she would not want him as a boyfriend he always thought. She had been dating Krum, a world class Quidditch player. How would he ever live up to that? And when he enslaved her he knew all chances were gone. Hermione was the opposite of a slave and would never even think of showing any type of affection towards him who was theoretically her master. But here they were.

"I love you too", Harry confessed finally. With a cry of joy Hermione fell into his arms.

A single tear of joy rolled down her cheek and united with Harry's tear as he and Hermione were absorbed in a long-awaited kiss.

End