Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling
Unexpected Truths
Chapter Twelve
Professor Flitwick's prevision that Harry and Hermione could take days before awakening seemed to be the most accurate, because they were still sleeping after two days; there had been another pulse, about 30 hours after the first: it what Professor Flitwick said was correct, the two teenagers should be close to waking up in another 30 hours. Of course, that meant the Grangers had to take a few breaks from their vigil to get some rest of their own and to eat something.
It was during one of these periods, when only the young couple was in the drawing room, that Ron and Ginny came back to Grimmauld Place with their mother. Officially, it was to inform everyone in the Order about the final arrangements for Bill's wedding, but the two children thought it would be a good opportunity to begin slipping some of the potions they had been preparing to their 'friends'.
Upon arriving at the house they sought out the other Order members present and told them about the wedding, then, after checking to be sure they were home free, went to search for Harry and Hermione.
Passing through the kitchen they noticed two adults taking a break from guard duty and after a few seconds realized they were talking about their targets, so, trying to be inconspicuous, the two redheads listened attentively.
"...they sure are taking their time. I can't believe they are still sleeping after more than a full day!" the first woman said.
"Well, Professor Flitwick said it could take days, depending on how much power the two have. You know as well as I do that Potter is quite the powerhouse... I suppose he has to be, to be able to survive all the encounters he supposedly had with You-know-who." The second replied.
"I agree. From what I hear, that girl, Granger, is not bad either."
"Yes, but anyway, it shouldn't be much longer: I think they will be up and about by tomorrow evening at the latest."
The first woman then chuckled and began again "Let's hope they do not go right back to being unconscious from the news the moment they hear them, though. Ah!, married at seventeen and not knowing it! I suppose it could be worse, after all the girl got The-boy-who-lived..." The two guards joined in a good laugh at the expense of the children upstairs and returned to their duties.
Both Ron and Ginny were quite puzzled about what the two witches were talking about, but decided to ignore it in favor of the piece of information that they needed, the current location of Harry and Hermione.
Approaching the drawing room, they noticed something peculiar: a soft glow was coming out of the open door. They did not know what was causing it, but if both Harry and Hermione were in there it couldn't be dangerous, so they continued walking and entered the room. The sight of their two friends on the couch, holding hand while they slept, was quite unexpected for the two Weasleys sibling and both stopped suddenly, momentarily lost for words.
Ron was the first to recover and let loose in his usual manner: "Potter! What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend? Let go of her!"
His shout had no effect on the sleeping couple, however, and Ginny took it as a hint to try herself "Hermione, you whore! The moment Harry is out of my sight you are all over him! I'm so going to kill you!" Inwardly, however, she was worried 'It's as I thought, the charms have failed! Good thing I already prepared the love potions to control them.'
The next second saw Ron, who did not like being ignored, lunging at what should have been his best mate to make him let go of Hermione. His attempt did not go as planned, though. It was true he didn't have any experience with this phase of the soul bonding process, or any other for that matter, but an averagely intelligent person would have at least considered the glow coming from the couple warily before trying to physically rush them. No such luck with Ron and indeed he found himself thrown back across the room, his flight stopped only by the wall he eventually reached.
With a dull thud that could be felt clearly in the kitchen one floor below, he fell on the floor and stayed there trying to shake the dizziness from his head.
Seeing her brother's approach fail miserably, and not wanting to be hurt too, Ginny tried a different tactics and sent a spell towards the couple. Luckily for her, she had chosen a tickling charm, because it rebounded the instant it touched the barrier and came right back at her. She managed to avoid it, but got the hint that this was not a viable alternative either.
The noise caused by Ron had been heard by those in the kitchen, Hermione's parents included. The were startled by the sudden sound and, after exchanging a quick glance, got up and ran to the stairs as fast as they could. When they got into the drawing room, they saw the two Weasleys, the girl with her wand still pointing at their daughter and the boy unconscious on the floor. Hermione had to get her intelligence from someone, and actually had gotten a generous share from both her parents: they did not need much time to figure out what had just happened and immediately moved to stand between Ginny and the couch.
"What are you trying to do, young lady?" Mr. Granger shouted at Ginny.
"That is none of your business! I want what is mine and your slut of a daughter has to let him go!"
"I think you have no right to make that request. Hermione is free to be with who she wants. So is Harry. And I will not tolerate you insulting my daughter any longer." Mrs. Granger had decided to start with a soft approach, at first, but was rapidly changing her idea.
"The hell she has! Harry is my boyfriend and Hermione, even though I do not want a whore like her associating with my family, is with Ron!" Ginny answered angrily.
"Well, things change. Besides, I know for a fact that Harry broke up with you after Dumbledore's funeral. Hermione did the same with Ron a few days ago, so both your claims are false." Mrs. Granger still tried to use logic with the enraged girl, but could see why her daughter had repeatedly said wizards and witches did not know what that was.
"Ha! Everyone knows Harry broke up with me for my safety. It's just a temporary thing, we will be back together the day he kills You-know-who and becomes the hero of the wizarding world once again! Nothing can change that!" she paused to let her declaration sink in, then continued "And what Hermione told Ron means nothing: he is a pureblood, and his word is law to a mudblood like her! Now out of my way before I hex you!"
"I think she sees things differently. Considering that when she awakes she will a lot more powerful than your brother will ever be, I'd say she will be able to have it her way."
"What do you mean she will be more powerful? What's happening?"
"As I said, things change, young lady. To answer your question, and the one your brother will no doubt ask too, even if he is... indisposed at the moment, it seems Harry and Hermione have started the formation of a soul bond. I'm sure Professors McGonagall or Flitwick could explain it better than us, but the basic idea is that they now share each other's hearth, mind, magic, and soul. Even if your claim to still be Harry's girlfriend was true, it wouldn't matter, the bond overrides anything else; the same of course applies to Hermione. In practical terms it means that, as soon as they complete this phase, according to your laws they will be married." Mrs. Granger informed the young witch in a matter-of-factly voice almost identical to Hermione's own.
"Married! So that is what those two witches in the kitchen were talking about, well, we will see about that! I'll kill Hermione and Harry will be mine again!" Ginny shouted.
Hermione's father found this irritating girl was making his blood boil 'Killing my daughter, eh? I just know what to say to shut you up'. Aloud, he smirked and told her: "Wrong idea, I'm afraid. Aside from being almost impossible to carry it out, Professor Flitwick said that killing one of them means killing both. And it would be useless even if that was not the case, a soul bond cannot be broken, not even by death: you are simply out of luck. Now, I think both Hermione and Harry would not like to see you and your brother first thing after they wake up, kindly leave this room and don't return. Oh, and take the sack of potatoes over there with you."
Mr. Granger's blunt dismissal was not something the redheaded witch was used to and what he said had her brain grind to a halt, it seemed her plans came undone in the space of a heartbeat! Since there was nothing she could do because her magic was ineffective against the couple until they were like that, she silently did as she was told and with a contemptuous movement of her wand levitated her brother before herself, disappearing towards her usual room.
It seemed Harry and Hermione still had some time to go before they woke up, and in that time the Grangers finally began thinking about what had been happening in the last day: their minds had refused to assimilate what they had been told until that moment, but they couldn't delay it any further.
It was Mrs. Granger's outburst that first opened the dam "I can't believe it! Hermione is married! My daughter is already married!"
"I know what you mean. What should I say? It's a father's job to ensure his little girl doesn't get hurt while looking for the right person! I didn't get that chance and now I only have her professors' word that this boy loves her and is not going to hurt her. It's not fair!" Mr. Granger added; "I know what I said a few minutes ago to those obnoxious redheads, but it was like I was on autopilot: they threatened Hermione and I reacted in the only way I could. But I don't know how to handle the other half of the matter."
"You mean Harry."
"Yes, Harry. Hermione's letters have always been full of things about him, of how he was her first true friend, of how he still is, of how he stayed faithfully at her side throughout their school years no matter what. The problem is that knowing it in my mind and knowing it in my heart are very different things. I only have that first type of knowledge, but somehow it'll have to be enough: you heard them, the soul bond cannot be broken, not even by death. If that is not 'forever', I don't know what could be."
"I know. I feel the same way. But we cannot let it stop us, we have to help Hermione, to show her that we are still there for her no matter what. It means we will have to accept her... husband, our son-in-law... too, because even if I can guarantee that they will be shocked when we tell them what has happened, I'm sure they will never think of this bond as a mistake or something they do not want. As you said, it's difficult having just the word of someone else that they love each other as much as supposedly needed to begin the soul bond because they are asleep and can't express what they feel with words, but on the other hand I've been sitting here for more than forty hours watching them and the caring they have for each other is easy to see. That glow emitting from them will be there only until they complete this phase but their love is radiating off of them and even I can feel it: I know I shouldn't be able to because I don't have magic. How powerful does that mean it is, then?"
"...I know. I can feel it too. I suppose you're right, but the problem is it's so sudden and I still haven't accepted it in my heart. It will take time, I think."
"Even if that were true, for Hermione's sake we have to support her. There is no other way. If, privately in our hearts, we need some time to come to grips with the situation, then that's the way it is, but me must be there for her... for them... no matter what."
"We will." Mr. Granger concluded with a sense of purpose. "Now, if only they would get up..."
Harry and Hermione 'got up' nearly twenty hours later, feeling completely rested and unaware of what had happened to them. The Grangers were on the sofa beside their own and appeared to be resting too, the stress of the situation and the tiredness for the long vigil finally catching up with them. Their sleep was very light, however, because of their worry for the two teenagers: both parents woke up as soon as Harry and Hermione made some noise leaving their couch.
"Hermione! Oh dear, you are awake! I'm so glad. We were all worried about when the two of you would wake up." Her mother began.
"What do you mean, Mrs. Granger? I think we nodded off for a few minutes, hardly something to mention, let alone worry about." Harry asked to the mother-in-law he did not know he had 'acquired'.
"You were on that couch for a lot more than that! You have been asleep for more than two and a half days!"
"How could that be possible! It didn't feel that way for us." Hermione declared.
"Well, another thing we will have to ascribe to the bond, I think." Mr. Granger answered cryptically.
"What do you mean 'bond'? Would someone please tell us what is happening?" Hermione almost shouted.
"Well, we can give you the short version. You'll have to go to professors McGonagall or Flitwick for the more detailed one. Anyway, it seems you two have something to say before we begin, don't you?" Hermione's mother glanced at the children's hands that were still joined and the fingers intertwined.
Hermione followed her mother gaze and yelped when she realized what she meant. Harry was alternating between looking down at his feet, a blush coloring his face, and shooting nervous glances at Mr. Granger.
However surprised or embarrassed the two teens were, they were not going to lie about anything to her parents, so they took their places across the two adults and answered their questions. "Yes, mum, my relationship with Harry changed just before we fell asleep. We both realized our feelings for the other are much deeper than simple friendship. We were able to talk about it and decided to be together from now on. I will tell you right now I will not take kindly to anything you may have to say against us as a couple, so you can just save it." Hermione felt the strange need to lay some ground rules for her parents, but she didn't know why. Maybe it was something in their stance that she was not consciously aware of, whereas her subconscious could pick it up immediately. She continued "Mum, now that we have told you our news, would you mind telling us what happened during our 'little' kip? And I still do not understand why you wanted to know about me and Harry before anything else. I don't think it has anything to do with what has you so worried."
"On the contrary, Hermione, it has everything to do with what just happened. You see, we found you two asleep on that couch, your hands joined and with this glow surrounding you. Nobody here had any idea what was happening, so we called McGonagall and Flitwick and they were able to tell us exactly what was going on. Apparently, you two just completed the second phase of a soul bonding and..."
Hermione interrupted her exclaiming: "We were glowing again! And what do you mean with 'soul bond'?"
"Why do you say 'again', was there any other time it happened?"
"Yes, at least once, a few days ago. We were... uh, well, getting ready to go to b... to sleep when Harry noticed it. Apparently, I was so out of it I never saw anything. He didn't bother to tell me, because the glow faded after a few seconds. Maybe it happened other times that we don't know about, but that's not important; it seems those were 'practice' runs before the uh, second phase, you said? OK, before the second phase could start for real."
"And start it did. You two had us all concerned, because nothing and nobody could touch you, and those who tried got thrown against the far wall." Mr. Granger quipped.
"OK, OK, now please start over, from the beginning, otherwise we will never understand what's going on."
"Well, the soul bond is..." For the next hour, Hermione's mother told them the abridged version of what had happened. Once she finished, all four of them fell silent, to let the new couple mull over things at their own pace.
Finally, after five minutes of waiting, Hermione's mother could not resist asking "What is it, Hermione? Are you upset because of the bond? I thought you two wanted to be together and even if it takes that notion to an extreme, the soul bond will enforce that forever."
"No, I'm not upset. I'm surprised, that's for sure, but the soul bond is not really unexpected: even without it we were already getting closer and I honestly think it would have been just a matter of time before we took our relationship in that direction. It seems we were spared all the angst and anguish that path would have brought with it, and I for one am glad that the connection with Harry is the strongest there could be. Do not worry, I'm very pleased with how things turned out. No, we were just thinking about the reaction people will have to this news... and we finally decided we don't care."
"Considering how fast our so-called 'friends' change their opinions about me, it's unlikely we will pay them much heed from now on." Harry added.
"Well, I can't say I disagree with that. There is just a little bit left to say, and it is about the two youngest Weasleys. They came back today, I think to tell everyone something about the wedding, but after a few minutes they were here, shouting and threatening you two for being too close to each other. Ron even tried to physically separate you and got thrown back in the wall for his troubles. Ginny tried with a spell but it was reflected back at her. We had a few words with them and they left for their room, but I'm afraid that's not the last time you will have to worry about them."
"We know that, Mrs. Granger. We also know they will most likely try something with love and mind control potions and we are ready for them. And when they do make their move, we will make sure they have bothered us for the last time." Harry said with an implacable undertone.
"Let's hope it's not tonight, I think all of us have had enough excitement for one day. Both your father and I are tired and hungry and I know the two of you haven't had anything to eat in more than sixty hours. I propose a trip to the kitchen to remedy the situation." Mrs. Granger said, hoping to close the day in a more relaxing way.
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea, mum. Even with all the sleep we had, I'm also a bit tired. What about you, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"The same... uh, Hermione, what about, you know, our sleeping arrangements?" He was suddenly nervous as all hell, because they had not told Hermione's parents of their choice of company at night, but now that they were married, it would almost be a certainty they would want to be together.
Exactly as they expected, Mr. Granger opened his mouth to voice his opinion, mainly that the two would sleep in different rooms, magically married or not. He was however cut off before he could utter a syllable by his wife who, while as stern looking as he, was much more accepting. "Don't say a thing, dear, and let me handle it. Hermione, Harry, I know you want to sleep together, I expected no less from you, but I want you to promise me that you'll do nothing you could regret later. It's a favor I ask for our peace of mind, we both need time to get used to the idea of our daughter being married."
"Mrs. Granger, I assure you that we will only sleep tonight... OK, well maybe we will talk a little and... hold each other, but that's it. We have to get used to it too. If Hermione wants to have a formal wedding ceremony, either muggle or magical, I promise you we will wait until then. It will give us a chance to enjoy being a couple and to let things proceed at a 'normal', or what passes for normal for us, pace."
Harry's answer greatly pleased Hermione and she hugged him tightly, before letting him go to settle down at the kitchen table for their dinner. Afterward, she took his hand and lead him to their room. Upon entering the bedroom, they wished the Grangers good night and closed the door, got ready for bed and fell asleep the moment they touched the mattress, wrapped in each other's arms. They did not move from that position until the next morning, when they got up feeling completely rested and absolutely happy about their new relationship.
