~ Chapter Eleven ~

Harry fidgeted impatiently and strained his ears for the sound of Mrs. Weasley's footsteps coming down the hall towards the room he was sharing with Fred. She had argued furiously with Arthur, Bill, and Charlie after Dumbledore persuaded her to return the twins' wands. All three were insistent that neither twin be put in a room alone, and finally the compromise was reached that Ron and Harry, rather than sharing a room with each other as usual, would each share with one of the twins. Ron had grumbled about the arrangement, but Harry secretly felt relieved. His wand was still hidden somewhere back at Privet Drive, which meant that the he would have to forgo the silencing charms he usually used when in the wizarding world. He somehow felt safer knowing that if he were to cry out in the middle of the night due to nightmares, it would be one of the twins rather than Ron who would hear him.

The only problem with the arrangement was that Mrs. Weasley was left paranoid that Fred and George would end up sneaking out to find the other in the middle of the night. Research was slow going when all four boys had to rush back to their rooms and fake sleep every hour or so while Molly snuck to each of their rooms to check on them.

There was a soft creak and a beam of light fell across Harry's closed eyes. He held his breath and tried desperately to still his fidgeting, waiting for Mrs. Weasley to leave again. He listened to the soft snoring from Fred and almost wondered if he had fallen asleep for real this time. The door soon shut again and they could hear as the slipper-clad woman shuffled quietly back down the hall.

"Oi, time to go again," a sleepy voice whispered from across the room. Fred was apparently awake after all. Harry reached blindly for his glasses as he struggled out of the blankets in the pitch dark. Just as he slid the broken frames onto his nose there was a soft lumos from beside him and Fred's face appeared inches from his own, watching him patiently. Harry nodded and followed in the older boy's footsteps as they crept carefully from the room and through the old house.

Ron and George had already rejoined Hermione by the time they arrived. Ginny, insisting she needed to be allowed to help if they were using her room, had been acting as look-out all night. Mrs. Weasley wasn't bothering to check in on the girls, so Ginny was able to stay hidden in an alcove near the Weasley parents' rooms, and send Crookshanks slinking past Mrs. Weasley to warn them when she left the room. Hermione, for her part, had not stopped pouring over books and taking notes all night. Usually, she would deliver quick instructions for them as they arrived, and then bury her nose into a book once more, completely ignoring their presence. It was because of this that Harry's stomach churned uneasily as they entered the room to find the other three sitting and waiting for them, Hermione's book closed on her lap and her fingers tapping uneasily over the cover.

"Did you find something?" Harry asked, making his way carefully between stacks of books and parchments to stand next to her as Fred went to sit by George. He didn't miss the way both twins' shoulders relaxed just slightly as their arms brushed together.

"I found… something, yes, but it's just one route to explore, really it only opened up a whole new area of magic for us to look into, we should probably just keep researching, and…" The churning in Harry's stomach had turned into a small hurricane, and he held up a hand to still Hermione's anxious babbling.

"Hermione, just tell me what you found." She hesitated, but at his insistent look she sighed and opened the book to the page she had marked, skimming over it for reference before speaking.

"When witches and wizards marry, there's the same commitment pledges and ceremony like there is in the muggle world, but there's also an entirely separate set of rituals to sort of… bind their magic together; it's called bonding, and it's… complicated. There are different levels that the bond can take, depending on how permanent and involved the couple wants the bond to be, how compatible their magic is, and (here's the weird part) how much the magic of the bond approves of the match." Harry blinked at her stupidly, feeling completely lost.

"Okay… but what does that have to do with me?" Hermione huffed in annoyance, just as she did when she had to explain a homework concept multiple times.

"Two people tie their magic together. Traditionally, the strength of the bond would be permanent, you would be magically bound to the other, and only that one other, for the rest of your lives. Not many people do a full traditional marriage bond anymore, because it's impossible to get out of even in situations where there's cheating or abuse. These days it would usually only be used in the old wizarding families if last-of-lines were trying to unite their family lines, and didn't want one side to be able to undo it. In cases like those, families are usually in a hurry to marry off the last-of-line before a rival family can plan an assassination (not that a family-line-assassination has happened in the last century at least, but pureblood families can be a little paranoid). Families will arrange the bonds and perform them as soon as the witch or wizard has begun to come into their full powers. Until you're legally an adult, your guardian gives consent for you. One of the benefits of the ceremony is that it stabilizes their magic through the bonding itself instead settling in gradually over time. You remember I told you that your magic could take several years to mature, even though it's starting to change already?"

"Wait, are you seriously telling Harry to go off and get hitched? Now?" Ron asked incredulously, looking around the room as though waiting for the others to join in on the joke. "What, is he going to put an ad out in the prophet, 'Saviour of the Wizarding World seeks mature older woman; must be willing to bond with fourteen-year-old,'" he quipped mockingly.

"Honestly Ronald, you're from a pureblood family, don't you know anything about your own traditions?" Hermione snapped back. "Harry wouldn't have to bond with an adult wizard. Some of the example I read about had seven or eight-year-olds married off to other end-of-lines. As long as at least one of them is old enough to be reaching full power, the bond can take hold. Whichever family performs the bonding ceremony itself, that guardian then becomes guardian for the whole couple until one of them turns seventeen. At that point, the older of the two is legal guardian to their bond-mate until they are both of age. It was part of the family-line bargaining; you might be able to join your line to one that was more influential or had more money, but they would control all decisions of the bond fully until the other came into power."

"Seven or eight?!" "That's sick." The twins shot in, both looking paler than usual. Hermione blushed furiously at the implication and rushed to explain.

"Marriage ceremonies are separate from bonding ceremonies, remember? Bonds like these are political agreements, not based on love. Bond-mates often live in separate rooms, sometimes entirely separate houses, and choose separate life-partners to spend their lives with. When both bond-mates are older and ready to produce an heir, there's a potion that can be used to bind the family-lines and family magic into one offspring, and the woman just has to drink it."

"Potion baby, huh?" Fred cut in with a laugh.

"How romantic." George added, fluttering his eyes in a mock-flirtatious manner. Harry himself was feeling exactly the same, and tried to laugh along with Ron and the others, but realized distantly that it felt forced.

"Hermione, I somehow feel that Dumbledore and the rest of the Order are going to be able to come up with something a little more sane than marrying me off at fourteen. Can we get back to researching now?"

"Of course, it was just a thought, like I said." Hermione had been quick, almost too quick, to agree, but as she began shoving books and parchments in all their arms, Harry had the sinking thought that Hermione's theories weren't off all that often.

XxXxXxXxX

Soundlessly, Harry crept into the kitchen as the door was swinging slowly shut behind Kingsley Shacklebolt and made his way carefully past Dumbledore's chair, his invisibility cloak wrapped tightly around him. He focused inward, feeling the magic inside him swirling around, but it held to his core. He would never have expected that advice from Severus Snape would become his lifeline, but the professor's words played over and over in the back of his mind. As long as he didn't start feeling too emotional, he could just sit quietly and listen in on the meeting.

He and his friends had been up all night, scouring stack after stack of books, but they hadn't found any other leads. Once Mrs. Weasley was up for the day and no longer coming to check on her "sleeping" children, Ginny had been bouncing off the walls to help. Harry had finally dug into his trunk to find his invisibility cloak and lent it to the wide-eyed thirteen-year-old, telling her to see what she could find out about the Order's research.

It hadn't taken her long to report back that only a small group of Order members had stayed to work on the problem, and Sirius hadn't been welcomed among them. Ginny recognized Lupin, and Kingsley, but there was another wizard there as well she didn't know. She had also heard that Moody and Snape were working on the problem, but she hadn't seen them.

The second time she came back, she said that her parents were talking with Dumbledore, and that her mum looked excited but her dad looked kind of upset.

Then, not ten minutes earlier, she had rushed into the room out of breath and said that Dumbledore had sent for Snape and Moody and everyone was gathering in the kitchen. She had heard Dumbledore arguing with Lupin about Sirius, but didn't know what they were arguing about because she was trying to get away before Moody showed up.

Harry's face had hardened with determination as he listened to Ginny's latest report. He stood and took his cloak from her, striding purposefully towards the door.

"Whoa, Harry mate, weren't you listening? Moody is on his way. You know…"

"…gimpy leg…"

"…funny nose…"

"…creepy magic eye that can see straight through your invisibility cloak…"

"…you really want to get caught with that in front of Snape?" Fred shuddered at the thought.

"In front of mum?" George added, and both boys shuddered this time.

"I'll just have to hope he doesn't say anything, won't I?" Harry answered stubbornly, opening the door and swinging the cloak over his shoulders. Hermione and Ginny watched the conversation nervously, heads swinging from one speaker to the other. The only one who seemed oblivious was Ron, his brow knit and a strange look on his face as he stood reading in the corner of the room, completely oblivious to anything around him.

"And why in Merlin's name would you bet on that?!" George wanted to know throwing his arms up in exasperation as Fred made a grab at the empty air where Harry had stood moments before."

"Let's go get him," the twins sighed in unison, pulling their wands from their pockets. They hadn't made it to the doorway, however, before-

"Expelliarmus!" Both their wands flew across the room and into Ron's outstretched hand. The youngest Weasley brother was somehow managing to look both red and green in the face at the same time, and looked about ready to shoot steam from his ears. "You… you sick freaks!" He hissed in disgust, and the twins' hearts sank as they looked down at the journal laying abandoned at his feet.

Harry had snuck out quickly before Fred and George had a chance to reason with him, and hadn't been around to hear Ron's outburst. Now he settled down cross-legged on the kitchen floor, careful not to let the cloak slip off his lap. Along with Dumbledore, the small group of wizards Ginny had mentioned sat around the table: Kingsley Shacklebolt and Broderick Bode (probably the wizard Ginny had not recognized), deep in a private conversation with their faces nearly pressed together, despite the silencing charm Harry could see shimmering around their heads; Remus Lupin, staring down at the table with carefully concealed fury gleaming through his eyes as he listened to Dumbledore whisper softly in his ear; Molly and Arthur sitting together at the opposite end of the table (Molly nearly vibrating with energy and shining with pride while Arthur looked torn between tears and resignation); Snape, lurking in the corner of the room with a scowl firmly in place; and finally Moody, who limped gruffly over to the table after casting a complex series of charms around the room.

Harry was prepared for Alastor's magical eye to land on him through the cloak, and when it happened he calmly held the older man's gaze. Mad-Eye paused for only a fraction of a second before continuing to his place at the table as though he hadn't seen anything. Harry released the breath he had been holding, hardly believing Moody was actually allowing him to stay.

When Moody sat down, the room fell silent and all eyes turned to Dumbledore. He leaned back from where he had been speaking to Lupin and smiled warmly around the room like a proud father.

"Alastor, Remus, Kinglsey, thank you all for your tireless work and research to find a way to help Harry master his new powers as quickly as possible. I know it was a very long night for all of us, but as you all know, our task was of the utmost importance. Broderick and I believe we have come up with a solution, and now that I have attained Arthur and Molly's agreement, we can put our plan into action." Bode was a sallow-skinned wizard with a very mournful face. Harry vaguely remembered him stopping by their tent during the World Cup the past summer, and he had been among the group of ministry wizards who had shown up after the Dark Mark was cast. He could not imagine why this man was here now as the people closest to him searched for an answer to help him. As Dumbledore spoke, Harry's eyes darted around the room in confusion looking for a hint form anyone in the room. He found none, and the headmaster's next words shocked him into a standstill anyway.

"The swiftest and surest way to give Harry full use of his powers is to bind his magic to another source. Now obviously, this is a very serious matter and not without great risks in most cases. However, we have decided on a perfectly safe option: A full, traditional marriage bond which will bind his magic permanently to another's. Broderick has graciously agreed to file the proper paperwork where no one at the Ministry is likely to go searching for it." Harry's heart sank, and he felt numb as he listened to the reactions of others in the room.

"Albus, you must be joking!" Moody rarely spoke out against one of Dumbledore's ideas, and never so vehemently.

"I assure you, Alastor, I have made this decision quite seriously."

"The boy's not yet fifteen years old, and you want to force him into the one of the strongest vows a wizard can make? He's still a kid."

"Which is why I have spoken with Molly and Arthur—"

"Sentiment aside, the Weasley's aren't actually Potter's parents OR guardians, and can't give consent for him. Besides, have you thought what this will mean for him politically? His titles won't stay under your control once he's been bonded, Lily and James's will didn't account for that, and—"

"Alastor, please calm down," Dumbledore interjected, his voice laced with the tiniest trace of anger, but Moody either didn't detect this or didn't care.

"No Albus, I won't stand for this. You're always saying how the Order is a democracy, well I'm casting my vote. That lad's given enough of himself, and I'll be damned if—"

"MOODY! The single word resonated with authority and Mad-Eye's uncharacteristic rant was cut short. It wasn't Dumbledore who had plunged the room into silence, however, but Harry. The raven-haired boy stepped purposefully to the head of the table, invisibility cloak abandoned in a heap on the floor, and though his eyes were downcast, his voice was strong and sure when he spoke.

"It's okay. I told you last night I was prepared to do what was necessary to keep everyone safe."

"Harry, you can't possibly understand what is being asked of you." Lupin whispered urgently, his voice shaking with emotion even at that volume.

"I do though. Hermione spent all night pouring over books and doing her own research. She thought of this hours ago. The traditional wizard marriage bond, when it works, ties the two strands of magic together permanently. Once it's done, it can't be undone. But it could stabilize my magic in moments rather than years." It was almost word for word how Hermione had summarized it for him, but he doubted even she would grumble about copying given the circumstances.

Harry's stomach churned as he remembered how he had been all too ready to dismiss the idea, sure that Dumbledore and his team of Order members would find some other, better solution. Hermione had been quick to agree and return to her research with an even more urgent purpose. Harry had seen the look in her eyes, though, and even if he hadn't been ready to admit it then, he knew that look well; Hermione's internal war when she had discovered the answer to a particularly difficult problem, but disliked it so much that she was willing to go against her nature and entertain the possibility of being wrong.

"Harry, this isn't how I planned on you finding out…" Dumbledore began, glance shooting briefly to Mad-Eye, and Harry had to back into the corner of the kitchen as magic whipped around him in anger. He reined it in after a moment, but stayed where he was while he answered, just in case.

"No, you intended for me to find out once all the other pieces were in place. I'm a minor so you need my guardian's permission to perform the ceremony." Here, his eyes were drawn to the potions master, mouth pursed as though being forced to taste something particularly unpleasant. Harry's stomach flipped as more details started to make sense. "I bet that's why Snape is here. You know Sirius would never agree to this, but if Snape calls in his life-debt from all those years ago at Hogwarts then he won't have a choice. You'll pick the person you feel is best suited to become 'Harry Potter's new keeper,' and that's who I'll marry. If my guardian consents to the ceremony, I don't legally have say to stop it. Then, Sirius… Sirius won't be my guardian anymore…" His voice broke, and even the potion master shifted uncomfortably.

"We are at war. All of us must make sacrifices for the good of the many." Kingsley's deep voice carried over the quiet room, the comment catching Harry off guard. There was accusation in the tone, and it stung.

When have I ever failed to do what was needed of me? He thought bitterly to himself, refusing to meet anyone's eye. When have I ever said no, despite the consequences, despite the risks? When he answered, however, he simply repeated,

"I will do what is needed to keep everyone safe."

Dumbledore stood carefully from the table, turning to face Harry, though he seemed to know better than to approach him and back him more fully into a corner when he was already feeling so trapped.

"I see that you are looking at this as a negative event and I am sorry for that Harry. We have truly done all we can to make you happy in your marriage. We needed someone whose magic was, for lack of a better term, "earthy" enough, to be compatible with your wild magic. The easiest way was to match you with someone whose magic was still rather free as well." Now he smiled widely, a sparkle in his eyes. "After all these years fancying you, I'm sure young Ginny will be thrilled with the marriage her parents have arranged for her."

XxXxXxXxX

"You… you sick freaks!" Ron hissed in disgust, and the twins' hearts sank as they looked down at the journal laying abandoned at his feet.

"Ron, what's gotten into you?!" Hermione snapped, but Ron ignored her save to pull her roughly behind him as though guarding her from the twins.

"Ginny, come over here," he demanded. Ginny, however, narrowed her eyes dangerously and slowly slid her hand into her robes, no doubt searching for her own wand.

"You're not the boss of me!"

"Ginny, I said COME OVE—"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" This time, three wands went clattering across the room, the twins quickly diving for their own while Ron scrambled after his. Crookshanks hissed from her place on the bed and Hedwig and Pig both let their own disapproval be heard. As all five witches and wizards drew their wands and circled each other, the room was filled with the chaos and confusion of far too many people trying to be heard at once.

"—you prat, calm down—"

"—don't want you anywhere near her—"

"—can take care of myself, you—"

"—of all the childish, stupid—!"

"—hadn't been snooping in the first place—"

Hermione and Ginny were just stepping between the angry brothers in an attempt to break up the row when the house shook with such a strong boom of magic that all five of them crashed to the floor. Sporadic tremors kept them off-balance as they all tried to gain their footing once again. Ron held a hand to his face, trying to stem the flow of blood from where his nose had broken upon falling into a dresser. Hermione crawled slowly towards where Ginny lay on her side, bent over as she gingerly held one of her ankles between her hands, wand rolling forgotten across the floor. George was trying to wrap his arms comfortingly around Fred while at the same time coaxing his wand hand away from where it held his opposite wrist, hanging limply at an odd angle.

"George, I'm fine. We need to go."

"No, you're hurt. Just let me…" There was another strong burst of magic from lower in the house, and Fred used his good hand to raise his brother's chin so their eyes met.

"George," he whispered, trying to communicate a million things with a single look.

"We help Harry, and then you let me baby you as much as I want until you're better." Fred nodded and smiled softly at the fierce determination on his twin's face. With a final glance back at the others to assure no one was in any immediate danger, the two brothers helped each other to their feet and began stumbling down the hallway towards the sound of shouting.

Fred and George had just reached the first floor when they met Sirius. He was slipping out from a doorway neither had noticed before, several vials of potions in his hands.

"What happened?" Fred demanded. Sirius glared at him in annoyance.

"Not now." There was another wave of magic, followed by Harry's angry shouts, and Black swore under his breath before carefully placing the vials between his teeth and transforming into his animagus form. He bounded ahead of them into the kitchen, leaving the two boys to stare at each other in concern.

"We need to get him out of here," George whispered. "Fred, what if…"

"…are you sure? It's our only…"

"…I know. But Harry needs this…" George trailed off uncertainly even as Fred fumbled to slide Charlie's ring off his finger.

"Harry needs us," he agreed. He raised his wand and muttered "accio invisibility cloak." A moment later, he felt the light weight of the silky material pool into his outstretched hands. "I'll stay by the door, distract them. I don't want Harry seeing my wrist anyway. Remember, three taps." With one last look at his brother, George took the ring and then the cloak, disappearing beneath it. Fred waited long enough for his brother to have slipped across the kitchen, then aimed his wand at the kitchen door and backed carefully away, bringing to mind the image and emotions of seeing his life's work go up in flames. "Incendio," he said with deathly calm, and he quickly looked for a place to hide as he heard the witches and wizards inside turn their attention to the flaming door. He was inching his way along a side hallway when arms wrapped suddenly around his waist and mouth from behind and he was pulled backwards, seemingly into the wall itself. The magical tremors had stopped, but he was sure his muffled cries were still not heard above the nearby shouting.