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Chapter 25

Binding Choices

It was in the early hours of the morning a day later that Sirius arrived in Dumbledore's office clutching a sleeping Harry, wrapped in Lily's blanket, and holding Godric. Two of the few things he had managed to save from the house. Dumbledore smiled kindly as Sirius walked into the darkened room, the sun hadn't even risen outside when Sirius had signed Harry out of the hospital covertly, under strict promises and orders that Harry's binding would be occurring immediately following.

Both the healer and Dumbledore felt that it would be best if Harry was asleep for the binding as the magic within him was less likely to resist. As such they had given him a strong dose of dreamless sleep right before leaving. He would sleep for at least 8 hours, long enough for the binding and for Sirius to handle getting them to safety. Sirius silently stepped forward with his god son in his arms, Dumbledore quickly conjured a small couch and Sirius lay Harry on it, before looking at his old professor.

"I will bind his magic. You will simply be here to assist if I need it, and to confirm that it is done. Then I will take him, you will not see or hear from us until he is old enough to come to school." Sirius stated simply.

Dumbledore surveyed him with his knowing eyes. "I wish it was that easy, however things have become much more complicated." He said, regret obvious in his tone.

Sirius looked down at his little boy and smoothed his always messy, raven dark hair. He sighed deeply and sat at Harry's head, on the couch. "What complications? I was told we only needed to do the binding and he would be fine within a year, I need to bind his magic to keep it from rendering him unstable, and killing him, then I will hide him. I see no extra complications."

Dumbledore sat in a chair opposite him. "It isn't Harry's magic that is unstable. Harry's magic is drained and depleted, it isn't his magic that is acting out." He stated.

"I don't understand, of course it is his magic." Sirius interrupted.

The older man held up his hand to halt Sirius' speech. "It is not his magic, it is a magic that has been forced to reside within him. This boy, your god son, your son, has been made a Horcrux, I am sure of it." Dumbledore said gravely.

Sirius looked at him as if the old man was losing his mind. "What? You're mad. There's no way, how would that even be possible, how would that…who…you don't mean…." He stammered.

Dumbledore nodded. "I do infact mean just that. It is my belief that Harry was made a Horcux by Tom Riddle the night that his parents were murdered. The magic within him that is unstable is the magic that is possessed by the very soul of Tom Riddle. It is in fact his magic that is pulling out the small amounts of Harry's magic as it replenishes itself, keeping him from growing a stronger core. What this means is that we will have to bind Harry's magic, but we will have to bind the other magic as well. Using separate spells."

Sirius looked at Dumbledore silently. "What does this mean? For Harry? For us? For the war…if he is a horcrux, then Voldemort is alive. If he is a Horcrux then how will we kill Voldemort, without killing Harry?"

Dumbledore looked every bit of his age in that moment. "Yes, he can come back, though I don't think he has yet, however, his followers escaping is likely the first step. I have spent these last days going over and over things in my mind. I believe that I need to contact some people that knew Riddle best, it will be my first step to figuring this out. What this means is we must keep his powers bound until after we know everything we need to know about the Hocrux. For now, you must keep him close, and safe. If I am not mistaken, this was an accident, Voldemort wouldn't have meant to transfer his sould into a child he intended to kill. Which means no one knows what the boy is."

"Harry. He is Harry. Not the boy." Sirius stated through gritted teeth.

Dumbledore nodded once. "Of course, I know that he is. The first spell that you will do is a binding spell of love and protection, it will protect the pieces of him that you love, it is gentle, and cast with love, while you cast it you will perform Legilmency of sorts, you will search within him for the feeling of his magic, make sure you dicern the different between him, and the bit of soul, it will feel different. When you say the spell you must feel nothing but true, pure love, it will keep his magic swaddled in yours, and as long as you are with him, it will keep him safe and whole, as well as keeping him bound, should you be torn apart, the spell will release and his magic will be released." He said, stopping to be sure that Sirius understood.

Sirius nodded as the white haired wizard handed him the parchment with the incantation.

"After the first binding you will do the second. It is a binding of force and you must use strength, anger, fury even to hold it at bay. It is an evil presence and this will keep it chained in place. You must reach deep and use your own core, the same truth applies, if you are torn from Harry, the spell will release, it is vital that you remain with him for this to work."

"I will die before I let him away from me." Sirius scoffed.

Dumbledore nodded and handed him a separate parchment. Sirius took it and read it. He spent nearly a half an hour on each separate spell, memorizing them each perfectly, repeating them to his old professor time and time again until he knew them both perfectly, and flawlessly. He sat the parchments aside, concentrating first on the original spell of love and protection. He turned to Harry and gently placed a hand on his cheek. He held his wand in the other hand and touched it to Harry's temple and closed his eyes.

"Legilimens." He uttered softly, focusing on memories of Harry's childhood, the sound of his laugh, the times he had called him Daddy.

He felt his way through Harry's mind. It was clouded and pulled back instantly and naturally at the intrusion. Sirius could feel the stronger darker magic seeping through Harry's consciousness, but he could also feel the light cheerful strands of weak magic sparking around, just barely able to be felt in the stronger presence of the demonic soul trapped there with it. Sirius reached out to the light, almost joyful presence and focused on the love his had for his god son, when his own consciousness was absorbed with the lighthearted magic he murmured the spell he had been focusing on before.

"Constringo vos, dico vobis: custos es mei, et salvum esse. Ego dimittam donec claudant vos in hoc praesidium."

He felt the light magic fade as if it had been wrapped up tightly in a blanket, he knew it was there but he could no longer feel it, it was surrounded in Sirius' own magic. He let his mind move on, focusing on the darker magic. He let his mind wander over the pain and anger of losing James and Lily, Sammi and Jessalyn. Of losing Remus. He let the feeling of Vengeance and righteous anger take control and the evil magic flocked to him, like a moth to a flame, it was drawn to the hatred. Once he felt it all he began the second spell of ensnarement.

"Adprehendent te obligo vobis. Ego decipiendum caperent in te et haec tibi intra moenia praesidium et praesidium. Ego cohibere intra vos ego percutiam te, te in caveam, donec dimitteret."

Sirius felt the separate magic's presence be sucked away almost painfully, he even felt Harry shudder under his hands. It was as if it had been forced away, whereas the other magic had been wrapped safely this magic had been captured. Sirius pulled his consciousness back into himself and opened his eyes. He looked down at his god son and smiled sadly at his still sleeping face. He looked up at Dumbledore.

"It is done." He said simply.

Dumbledore repeated the Leglimency to test, to find the magics, after a few moments he looked up at Sirius and nodded. "They are separate, and the bonds are strong, I couldn't find a way to unravel them. They are well done. "

He then handed Sirius two Phoenix feathers. "Keep these, if you are in need of me, light one on fire and Fawkes will be called to you, he will bring me instantly, if you keep the other he will be able to find you when I have news on the Horcrux issue. I will send word with him, though I will not know where you are." He said as he Sirius took them.

Sirius nodded. "I will not be back. I do wish to be informed of Remus' return, should he come back." He said firmly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, and should you wish him to join you, I will find a way."

Sirius closed his eyes. "And the protective detail?"

"Is already secured and done. Nothing could be safer, I assure you." Dumbldore said simply.

Sirius nodded, "I must go to my fiancée then, I will see you in four years, unless we have a reason to see each other sooner."

He stood and lifted Harry back into his arms, he stepped to the fire, preparing to floo into Mel's London flat.

Dumbledore smiled at his one time student. "We may disagree on how you are doing this Sirius, but I want you to know. James and Lily would be proud of you. And they would appreciate everything you have given, and will give for their son."

Sirius closed his eyes against the wave of emotion. "I do not only give it for their son. I give it for my son as well." He stepped into the fire, and was not seen by Dumbledore again, for a very long time.

0o0o0o

Mel awoke to a noise in the sitting room of her small flat and she sat upright quickly. She looked around herself, it must have been one of the aurors outside protecting the flat. Harry was due to be brought home this afternoon. She had only come home from the hospital the night before to ready the old flat for them to live there. She stood and walked tiredly to the kitchen, she stopped when she saw a single lit candle, a rose, an open box with a beautiful diamond ring, and a toy dragon on the counter with a note, written in handwriting she knew well.

Mel,

It brings me more sadness than I have ever felt in my life to leave you this letter.

I have to take Harry into hiding, and I can not force you to go with us. If we are found we will both be killed, and while that is hard enough, knowing that Harry would die with me, I can not die knowing you would die as well.

I am leaving you behind because with you safe and away from me, I am leaving hope where I most need it. You are my one and only true love and want nothing more than to be with you. To raise Harry as our own, to watch him raised with the love of a mother. But should we perish in this war, not only can I not bear to see you die. But I can not bear for him to watch another mother die, another person that he loves. You mean so much to us both and if you are safe it will give me hope to fight for, and a reason to return.

I do not expect you to wait for me, but should you choose to, I want to be yours in every sense of the word. If you choose to wait for us, wear my ring, knowing that I will spend every waking moment trying to come back to you. Should this diamond turn to emerald, know that I am gone, but Harry remains…tell Dumbledore, find him. Should it turn to Onyx then we are both lost. If you choose not to keep this at all, send it to Dumbledore and he will understand, as will I.

I love you Mel, I have for a very long time. My leaving is as much for me and my sanity as it is for your safety and Harry's. I need to know you are safe, I need to know that somewhere, when I look up at the night sky that you might be looking up to. I need to know that when all the sadness of the world envelopes me, that the love to chase it away is still beating somewhere far away within your heart.

We love you, and we always will. You will be the first to know when we are back.

All our love.

Sirius and Harry.

Mel read the letter several more times, tears pouring from her face before letting it flutter to the floor, she lifted the ring from the box and slid it on her finger, more tears flooded her face as she dropped her hand to her stomach, and let the sadness and sorrow that Sirius had written of take her over, body and soul as she dropped to her knees and wept.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I am so sorry. I hope you understand why it had to happen this way.

What the two spells meant

1- (I bind you, I hold you, I protect you, you are mine to hold and to save. I lock you into this protection until I release.)

2-(I bind you I seize you. I trap you and ensnare you within these walls of defense and protection. I lock you within myself, I defeat you I cage you, until I release.)