A/N: Hello again - here's another chapter. Hopefully now I will have a bit more time to write, I've started Uni and am less likely to be distracted playing computer games with my friends throughout the year, leaving me more time to continue with this story. Sorry there's not much of Harry and Ginny in this chapter - what was originally meant to be a short scene at the start took on a mind of its own. The rest of what I was going to add to this chapter has now been displaced to the next one, which hopefully I'll start this evening. I hope you enjoy it! (Disclaimer in Chapter 1)

Chapter 18 – Discoveries in the Infirmary

"Rennervate!" Ginny heard, as against her will she was pulled into an awake state. Groggily, she opened her eyes to see Madam Pomfrey leaning over her slightly, a small frown on her face. Just like the two times previously, each an hour apart, Ginny managed to force out a "What hap…" before falling into unconsciousness again.

Madam Pomfrey straightened up, her frown deepening. She had no clue what was preventing Ginny from staying awake. There was nothing wrong with her physically speaking, and since the healer had spelled some chocolate directly into her stomach upon arriving in the Hospital Wing from the Quidditch Pitch, it couldn't be put down to after effects of the Dementors, either. Not that they had got anywhere near the young girl anyway.

Sighing, she made another note on the page stuck to Ginny's bed, before heading across to another patient, vowing to return in another hour to try again.

Stepping around the curtains surrounding Ginny's bed, Madam Pomfrey moved to check on Draco. He had woken up naturally, soon after returning from the pitch, and now having eaten the full bar of Honeydukes' Best Chocolate that she had forced into his hands upon waking.

"I see you've finished that chocolate." She said briskly as she arrived at the edge of his bed. "There's no need for you to stay here any longer, so off with you."

Silently, Draco stood from the bed, and made his way out the room. Whilst the door was open Madam Pomfrey caught a glimpse of the crowd waiting outside the Hospital Wing. Upon arriving with her three patients, she had sealed the room to allow her to work in peace. That had been several hours ago now. Most had left for lunch, and then dinner as well, before returning. Only a few of those waiting had remained there the entire time, eating food brought to them by those who had made the trek to the Great Hall.

Before long, the doors were closed again, and Madam Pomfrey turned to the final bed, also surrounded with curtains. Stepping past them, she looked down at Harry. The cuts and bruises from his rough landing were healing steadily, now that she had spread some healing paste onto him, although the bone in his arm would require more Skele-Gro. She felt sorry for the boy – Skele-Gro was bad enough just the once. He would be going through it for the second time in as many years, and strangely it was always worse when you knew what to expect.

Seeing that it would do more harm than good to try and wake the boy now, she returned to her office, leaving a monitoring charm over Ginny's bed to alert her if the girl awoke naturally.

Outside the Hospital Wing, the crowd waiting gained two more. Where before there had been the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Ron, Hermione, Demelza, Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore and Hagrid, and Mr and Mrs Weasley, who had been floo-called upon their daughter falling unconscious for no apparent reason, Neville and Seamus now arrived, with a grim look on their faces.

Hearing their approaching footsteps, the team looked up from their positions on the floor, leaning against the wall on the other side of the corridor to the door. The professors had conjured themselves chairs to use. Fred was the one to voice the question, one word though it was. "Well?" He asked sadly, already knowing the answer from the looks on their faces.

Neville opened the small bag he was carrying to allow the others to see inside. "Completely shattered. We found it at the base of the Whomping Willow."

"That tree didn't much like being hit by a broom, let alone us comin' in to try ta get it." Seamus continued.

The team looked forlornly at the splinters of broom handle. They knew that this turn of events would hurt Harry significantly. It was unlikely he'd be able to replace it before the next match, and they all knew the school brooms would be too much of a hinderance for him to use.

Neville and Seamus slid down against the wall, joining the others in waiting for Madam Pomfrey to allow them into the Hospital Wing.

A few minutes later, everyone looked up again as more footsteps were heard approaching. Before long, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, appeared around the corner, flanked by two Ministry Guards – those who had received only parts of the auror training to be better suited as bodyguards than fully-fledged aurors.

As the Minister drew close, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Minister." He greeted warmly. "I trust you got my message?" The venerable professor inquired, as if talking about the weather.

"Yes Dumbledore, I did. Now what did you mean by saying you wished to remove the Dementors. You know full well they are here for your, and your students, safety."

"If I may, Minister, perhaps we should continue this conversation in my office. I don't think that outside a hospital is necessarily the place…"

"No, quite right." Fudge replied. He glanced at the teenagers leaning against the wall, listening intently. "Lead the way." He gestured to Dumbledore. His intentions were not nearly as honourable as wanting to leave the corridor outside the Hospital Wing, as much as to get out of earshot of any children who may have instant access to the infamous Hogwarts Rumour Mill.

Another hour passed before the matron returned to Ginny's side, once again performing "Rennervate" with the same results. If this continued, she'd have to get a specialist healer in from St. Mungo's, although she didn't know what specialist to call for, as there appeared to be nothing the matter with the girl.

She turned to the chart to make another note, the same as the previous three. As she went to place it back on the hook, she stopped, and glanced back up the parchment. Slowly she began to read again. "Mentally fine, physically fine, medically fine..." She read to herself aloud.

"Wait a minute!" She muttered to herself, turning back to Ginny. "Proiectura Meam." She cast, waving her wand above the girl's chest. Slowly, a ball of softly pulsating light rose from her body, settling a few feet in the air above her. The healer jerked back in surprise. Cancelling the spell, she called for a house-elf. "Pitts!"

Moments later, a loud crack sounded in the Hospital Wing as an old house-elf dressed in a tea-towel appeared from the kitchens. "Hows may Pitts be of helps today?" He asked.

Quickly scribbling out some details onto a parchment form, Madam Pomfrey cast the first part of a verification charm on the parchment. This charm was known only by healers, so when the second part was cast it could be known that the form was filled out by someone authorised to access the documents requested.

"Can you take this to the Department of Magical Records please Pitts. I need the record returned quickly, and I'd ask you not to tell anyone of this." She asked kindly, trying to force a smile through her shock at what she had just seen.

"Pitts will be back quickly" The house-elf replied, taking the parchment and disappearing with a pop. Madam Pomfrey stood and made her way back to Ginny's bed, picking up the chart again. "Three colours?" She muttered to herself rhetorically, before making another note – Soul: Inconclusive.

A few minutes later the old house-elf reappeared, now clutching three pieces of parchment in his long fingers. "Here's you go." He said, handing Madam Pomfrey the parchments back. "Don't be worryings. Pitts won't tell anyone." He said, reassuringly, before disappearing back to the kitchens.

Madam Pomfrey returned the copy of her request form that she had sent to her office, before looking at the first record she had just had retrieved from the Ministry. It was a generic record kept for every new-born magical child, detailing some basic information and the results of some charms cast on babies at birth.

Ginevra Molly Weasley
Mother: Molly Weasley (neé Prewitt)
Father: Arthur Weasley
Date of Birth: 11th August 1981
Blood Status: Pure-Blood
Hair Colour: Red
Eye Colour: Brown
Complexion: Fair
Soul Colour: Red

She stopped reading at this point, having reached the line required. "I wonder…" Madam Pomfrey muttered. She had a hunch as to what was happening and wasn't sure what to do if it proved correct. She turned to the other record.

Harry James Potter
Mother: Lily Potter (neé Evans)
Father: James Potter
Date of Birth: 31st July 1980
Blood Status: Half-Blood
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Green
Complexion: Pale
Soul Colour: Green

"Hmm." She murmured, looking back at Ginny lying on the bed. She opened the curtains around both Ginny and Harry, then cast "Proiectura Meam" over both of them. Out of Ginny's body once again rose a golden sphere, half of which contained streaks of green, and half streaks of red. It was one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing things she had ever seen, and in all her time using this particular spell, nothing like it had appeared before.

She then turned her attention to Harry, above whom an identical sphere hovered. "That settles it." She said to herself, hiding the spheres again. Most healers didn't believe in soul magic, believing that anything to do with the soul was set and could not change, therefore could not affect the healing process. It was only due to tradition that the spell was still cast on magical children at birth. Poppy Pomfrey however, believed differently, and this case proved it. Never before had she seen a soul with two colours, let alone three, and she vowed to find out why. Especially since both her current charges appeared to have the same soul colour, and neither was the same as it had been at birth.

Up in a tower on the other side of the castle, the Minister for Magic sat listening to Dumbledore explain his opinions about the Dementors, whilst the two Ministry Guards stood flanking the door. Fawkes was sat preening himself on his perch, although periodically he looked up and glanced around the room, as if waiting for something.

"Now then Dumbledore. Exactly why do you wish to remove the only protection around Hogwarts when Sirius Black could make an attempt on Harry's life at any moment?" Fudge asked, ignoring the phoenix's peculiar movements.

"Minister, surely you understand the need for our students' safety. After all, this is the reason the Dementors are here surrounding the castle at all."

"Yes Dumbledore, now stop beating around the bush. To me, these two statements seem awfully conflicting." Fudge said, already exasperated with the headmaster.

"Yes, and a mighty fine job of it they've done. Why, just last week I heard a report that Sirius Black had been spotted down in Devon of all places. And if he's only just escaped Azkaban, there's no doubt he'll be in no fit shape to trek all the way up into Scotland. I ask you withdraw the Dementors. Recent events have made it clear that they are not safe to keep around Hogwarts, with so many young souls nearby."

"What events might these be? And possible sightings mean nothing. We've had the best aurors in the Ministry tracking down Black for the last few months, and we have reason to believe that he is headed this way. After all, he won't be able to ignore the temptation of Harry Potter forever."

"Very well Cornelius," Dumbledore conceded, "I will explain today's events. At the Gryffindor – Slytherin Quidditch match this morning, Harry followed the Snitch awfully high into the sky, above the cloud level. The Dementors clearly couldn't cope with such a feast nearby – there were of course many positive feelings at the pitch – and ambushed both Harry and Draco in their attempt for the Snitch. Draco successfully made his way back to the ground, where he landed safely before fainting from the after effects of the Dementors. He was released from the hospital wing just before you arrived. Harry however, was not so lucky. He has proved particularly sensitive to Dementors, even during their check of the Hogwarts Express in September. He fell unconscious while still 500 feet in the air, on his broom. I managed to slow his fall, and Professor McGonagall conjured a crash mat underneath him, but that only did so much in the way of injuries. He is still unconscious in the hospital wing."

Fudge had paled as the story unravelled – the Boy-Who-Lived at Hogwarts by guards placed there for his own safety would not reflect well on the Ministry of Magic. However, it seemed there was little he could do to cover it up.

Suddenly, Fawkes trilled lightly, and taking to the air, he disappeared in a flash of flame. Both Fudge and Dumbledore looked over as the bird departed. Dumbledore shrugged at the Minister. Sometimes, he didn't have a clue what his familiar did, and it certainly wasn't the first time Fawkes had disappeared without warning. Fudge turned back to the Headmaster and continued with his original train of thought.

"I can certainly see your point Dumbledore. Yet we simply cannot afford to remove your protection. If Black was to gain entry to the castle, then the results could be disastrous. I suggest a trial period. The Ministry will withdraw half of the Dementors currently surrounding the castle and grounds, but if anything else happens I must be immediately notified. I am not satisfied that this information reached me by way of gossip several hours after the event in question. Especially given who it concerns. And if anything else does happen, we may be forced to return the Dementors, and more."

"I guess this is as much as you will allow Cornelius. I will accept it for now. However, be warned – if any of those creatures ever enter the grounds and attempt to attack anyone – either student or staff – then I will be forced to banish them from the area completely. We cannot afford the parents knowing that the creatures protecting their children are more interested in feasting on the inhabitants of the castle."

"I agree, Dumbledore. That would do no good at all for the reputation of the Ministry." Once again, Fudge was only thinking about his own career, and not any other possible ramifications. "I must return to the Ministry now – but remember to inform me of anything happening in the future. Guards!" He motioned to the two men standing by the door, as he strode purposefully from the office and down the spiral staircase.

Back in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had come to the conclusion that she needed outside help. She didn't remember much soul magic, as it generally wasn't important when healing the typical injuries found in a magical school. However, clearly there was something else at play here.

She opened the door into the corridor slightly, and stuck her head out, asking, "Professor Dumbledore, could I speak to you for a mom…" She trailed off, realising that the Headmaster no longer sat waiting outside the room, but Professor McGonagall responded.

"Professor Dumbledore has just returned to his office to discuss today's events with Minister Fudge. Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" She inquired.

Madam Pomfrey thought for a moment. Sure, the Gryffindor Head of House hadn't been her first choice, but in the long run, she seemed to be the better option anyway. After all, involving the Headmaster could lead to all sorts of issues – Madam Pomfrey knew all about his meddling tendencies in relation to students' lives, and didn't agree with it one bit.

"Yes, perhaps that would be for the best anyway." She replied. "Would you come through to my office?" Professor McGonagall stood and banished the chair, as Ron asked rather rudely "Are they awake yet?"

"Mr Weasley – manners!" Professor McGonagall admonished. "If you can't remain calm, I suggest you return to your common room."

"I'm just concerned, Professor. There was no reason for Ginny to be unconscious in the first place, so why should she have to stay longer than Malfoy?"

Professor McGonagall permitted herself a small frown. Admittedly she had noticed this year that Harry and Ron were spending much less time together – none at all, in fact – but she hadn't expected Ron to totally ignore his former best friend in favour of his younger sister, who previously he hadn't had the time of day for. "I'm sure there is a good reason, and if it concerns you then you will be informed in due course. Now I will ask again, if you cannot remain calm and polite then please return to Gryffindor Tower." She abruptly turned on her heel and followed Madam Pomfrey through the Hospital Wing into her office, locking both doors behind them.

"What is the problem, Poppy?" Minerva McGonagall asked as soon as they had sat down in the matron's office. "I find myself in agreement with Mr Weasley, I can see no reason for Miss Weasley to not have already woken up."

"That's complicated, Minerva. I've tried to Rennervate her every hour since I brought them up here. Each time she wakes up, gets halfway through asking what had happened to her, then falls straight back into unconsciousness again. I've not even tried to wake Mr Potter up yet – I want to give his injuries a bit more of a chance to heal first."

Professor McGonagall looked confused. "I've never heard of Rennervate producing such confusing results before. Normally, the patient awakes, or doesn't. The fact that both outcomes appear to be occurring confuses me. Have you formed any theories?" She asked.

"This is where you're going to start thinking I'm mad," Madam Pomfrey said resignedly, "but yes, I have."

"What is it then?" Prompted McGonagall.

"After I last tried to Rennervate Miss Weasley, I looked over her parchment again for this incident. Physically, mentally, medically, she's fine. Most healers would stop at that, and await her waking naturally. But I've always been interested in soul magic. Just for the sake of it, I cast the soul-revealing spell on her. You know, the one normally used on new-born babies to determine soul colour?" At Professor McGonagall's nod, she continued.

"Well, it had an unexpected result as well. I requested Miss Weasley's and Mr Potter's birth records be retrieved from the Ministry, just to check. Following this, I checked Mr Potter's soul as well. The same is true for him."

"What are you talking about Poppy?" Minerva asked, exasperated.

"See for yourself." The matron said, handing her the parchments she had requested from the Ministry, and leading her back out into the main hospital wing. Minerva read the colours of both patients' souls, then looked up at Poppy expectantly. "So? I see nothing unusual here." She inquired.

Madam Pomfrey just cast "Proiectura Meam" over both the students again, allowing Minerva to see with her own eyes. The Professor jerked back in shock. "But – how? Souls don't just change colour – and I've never seen one with more than one colour before!" She exclaimed.

"I know." Madam Pomfrey agreed. "I believe this has something to do with why Miss Weasley fell unconscious, and why she is being prevented from waking up. But I don't know how, or why."

Professor McGonagall stepped over towards Harry's bed, then said, "They're not completely identical, look." She pointed at Harry's sphere. Previously, Poppy had not noticed that as well as the gold, green and red, there were also small specks of black dotted throughout the green side of the sphere.

"I don't know." She replied, honestly. "I've never seen anything like this before. I'm considering having to bring someone in from St. Mungo's, but I don't know who can be trusted with this knowledge. Especially as we don't even know what it is."

Suddenly, a bundle of flames appeared in the middle of the room. Within a few seconds, they had died down to leave Fawkes, hovering in the centre of the hospital wing. He trilled happily as he circled the room, before settling himself on the edge of Harry's bed. Bending over, a few tears fell from the phoenix's eyes.

Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall could only watch in wonder as Harry's wounds sealed completely. While certainly not life threatening, without this intervention it could have taken another several hours before Harry had woken up. Even so, it was rare for a phoenix to cry, even on fatal injuries.

Fawkes took to the sky again, and circled the room once more, before dropping down to Ginny's bed and grabbing the headboard in his talons. Before either witch could react, he flew it over to a position alongside Harry's bed, where one side was touching, before settling on a chair beside them. No sooner had he done this, than a flash of magic sealed the small gap between the beds, forming them into one.

The witches looked on in shock as Harry and Ginny rolled towards the centre of the bed, grasping each other in their arms. Madam Pomfrey took a step towards them, but stopped as a flare of gold shot out of their bodies to settle around them and Fawkes, preventing anyone from approaching. Fawkes turned, and appeared to smirk at them, before flying through into the office, clearly wanting the two witches to follow.

Dumbledore made his way back down to the corridor outside the hospital wing, intending to speak to Minerva about the decrease in Dementors guarding Hogwarts. As he arrived though, it became clear that what he had planned would not come to pass, as Minerva was nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me children, would you perhaps tell me where I might find Professor McGonagall?" He asked kindly.

Hermione answered. "Madam Pomfrey came out about 15 minutes ago sir, to ask to speak with you. When you weren't here she decided to speak to Professor McGonagall instead."

"Perhaps I should head in to see if I can be of any assistance." He said, moving towards the door. Trying the handle, he found it locked. While he could easily use Alohomora to unlock it, clearly the two witches inside did not wish to be interrupted. He would respect their privacy a little longer. He conjured another chair and sat back down to wait. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on sending a message to his familiar, asking him to inform Madam Pomfrey that he had returned should she want to speak with him. He wasn't hopeful however, as he had no clue as to where Fawkes had disappeared to just a few minutes previously.

Inside Madam Pomfrey's office, she and Professor McGonagall settled once again into their seats, and watched Fawkes alight onto the desk. The phoenix preened his feathers for a few moments. Then he looked up at the two witches, and almost smirked at the shocked looks that remained on their faces.

Fawkes flew into the air again, and picked up in his talons a sort of typewriter from one of the shelves behind Madam Pomfrey. Normally it could be used by someone who had lost the ability to speak, either permanently, or more often in Hogwarts, temporarily, to communicate with the healer. Lowering it gently to the desk, Fawkes sat himself in front of it, where he could easily reach the keys. The Professor and Matron watched as the phoenix started to type out letters onto the magical parchment, which cleared itself a few seconds after the line was ended to allow another to be written.

~This will allow me to communicate with you, as alas, although the Phoenix can understand humans, humans can only communicate with their bound familiar.~ He looked towards Madam Pomfrey, before typing ~Albus has arrived at the infirmary door. He wishes to know whether you still require his assistance in any way?~

Madam Pomfrey looked over at Minerva, then back at the Fawkes. "I think it would be best if he remained outside for now. I believe… we should consider the current circumstances ourselves before we consider consulting him."

Fawkes almost laughed. ~It is OK, Poppy! Even I understand, in fact I most of all, that Albus does not necessarily have the best interests of his students at heart. As much as he does what he believes is right, it generally does more harm than good. I will inform him that you have it under control, and will speak with him later.~

"Thank you, Fawkes." Poppy replied in relief, only feeling slightly awkward at addressing a phoenix, even if it could understand her. "I'm sure he must be told eventually, but I can't help the feeling that it would be awful if he were to find out now."

Now Fawkes looked over to Minerva, who had seemingly recovered from her earlier shock, and the subsequent ones. ~You seem to have some questions for me?~ He typed.

"Yes, Fawkes, I do. Do you know anything about what has happened to Mr Potter and Miss Weasley's souls? I have never seen more than one colour in a soul before, nor have I seen a soul change colour."

~The answers you seek about the Chosen Pair are easily come across, even though normally the records go unchecked for long periods. I would suggest considering their colours, and their actions since the events in the Chamber last year.~

"Do you have to be so cryptic? We get enough of this from Albus!" She responded.

~You will feel much better for discovering the reasons yourself, than if I were to just give them to you.~ Fawkes 'said'. Although the typing was somewhat slower than normal speaking, it wasn't so much that it broke up the flow of the conversation. Mierva looked towards Poppy.

"What do you think?" She asked with a sigh. "I can't even think straight at the moment."

"Well, Fawkes said to consider the colours. Red, green, gold, and for Harry, black. What's so special about those?"

"I guess, could it be the similarity between their souls?" Minerva hazarded. Ignoring the fact that I have never heard of a soul changing colour before, the fact that they have changed to such similar colours is… unlikely, to say the least. I would have thought it a coincidence."

"They both have the red and green aspects to their colours – those being their original colours, with red for Ginny and green for Harry. Gold, I cannot think of any implication, other than it is said to be the most magical colour of all. And black – the only connotation that comes to mind is dark magic, or 'black' magic. Otherwise, I would suggest it merely to be a reference to Harry's hair."

"You strike an interesting point there, Poppy. The gold – now the predominant colour, is, I believe the main part linking them. I wonder… yes… I seem to remember, at the beginning of the year, when I asked Harry to come to my office before the Welcome Feast…"

"Miss Weasley, I don't remember inviting you to this meeting."

"That's OK Professor, I asked her to join me." Harry spoke up.

"Oh, what made you think you could do such a thing Mr Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly.

"There's a very good reason Professor, and Professor Dumbledore knows of it, but we'll tell you another time. It's a long story."

"Fair enough, but it better be a good explanation, although as I'm only talking about you for now its your own lookout. Anyway Mr Potter, Professor Lupin owled ahead…"

Minerva shook herself from the memory, and explained to Madam Pomfrey, who was looking at her strangely.

"Where was I… oh yes, I asked Harry to meet me in my office before the Welcome Feast, but when I got there, it was to find that he had brought Miss Weasley with him. When I challenged him about it, he just told me that it was a long story, that they would explain another time, and that Albus knew about it. I let it go at the time, as it was his choice whether she was present while I talked to him. That was just before you came in with the chocolate, and he turned you down, if you remember Poppy?"

"Yes, I do now. Do you think that is related?"

"Yes, I had forgotten about it until now, as I had intended to ask them again the next day, but many other things kept me busy. However, if Albus knows, then maybe it would be best to get him in here and ask him."

Fawkes trilled suddenly, drawing attention back to himself, and turned to the typewriter. ~While Albus knows of the events surrounding the Chosen Pair, he does not have their best interests in mind. He would not understand it as you would. While I try to lead him on the right path, there is a limit to how much we Phoenix can influence our human. This would go beyond it. It would be best to leave him out, at least for now.~ He typed quickly.

"So what do we know?" Madam Pomfrey asked rhetorically, exasperated. "Something is connecting their souls, and it is related to Ginny joining Harry in your office at the beginning of term. What could cause that to be necessary? And how do the black specks in Harry's soul relate to this?"

~Worry not of the black specks now.~ Fawkes 'said'. ~While undoubtedly they will cause issues in the future, currently there is nothing to be done about them. You are much better served concentrating on reaching the first part of your conclusion.~

"I can't think of anything that could cause this." Minerva said. "The only other thing I noticed was while in my office at the start of term, they never once let go of each other's hand."

"This might be of importance…" Madam Pomfrey sat up straighter. "I have an idea. If you would, please keep an eye on my patients for a few minutes, would you? I don't expect them to wake up, but I must go and check something at the Ministry. I will be back as quickly as possible." Without waiting for an answer, she stepped over to the fireplace, and taking a pinch of floo powder from a small pot on top, dropped it as she shouted "Ministry of Magic!"

Minerva just looked in shock at the dying flames in the fireplace, then back over at Fawkes. He trilled happily. ~I do believe she has come to find the correct answer.~ He typed. ~Come. Let us watch over the Chosen Pair while we await her return.~

Poppy Pomfrey quickly made her way from the fireplaces along a corridor leading to the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Stopping quickly, she presented her wand to the security guard to be checked, as was standard, then continued into one of the many lifts lining a circular chamber just the other side of the main room.

A multitude of other witches and wizards entered and exited the lift as it made its journey, but eventually the disembodied voice of the announcer said "Level 2. Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including Auror Headquarters, Wizengamot Administration Services, and Administrative Registration Department, and Department of Magical Records." The matron stepped out of the lift and followed a corridor to the left, past several doors each labelled with a different sub-division of the DMLE. Soon she came to an unassuming plain door on the right, with a small plaque which read 'Department of Magical Records'. Entering, she found herself in a small room with a wooden desk across from the door. Behind the desk sat a witch, along with rows upon rows of messy shelves, which she knew stored all of the Ministry's records.

"Hello Mary." She said, approaching the witch behind the desk, who looked up from the parchment she was writing on.

"Poppy! It's been a while!" The young witch replied excitedly.

"I know Mary, but I've been so busy at Hogwarts. Often it is easier to just send a house-elf." Madam Pomfrey explained.

"Yes, I saw that one of them came in earlier." Mary responded. "But that doesn't explain why you're here now?"

"I need another record, Mary. This one is rather, shall we say, delicate, in nature. It's not something I wish to entrust on just anyone."

"I understand. You realise of course, that I must log the record accessed? I don't need to know the reason though, if that helps."

"Yes, I suppose we must do everything by the book." Poppy sighed. "It is unfortunate, but I think it will be okay. I need to access the records on all magical bonds."

"That's fine." Mary said, dipping her quill in an inkpot then using it to write down the record name on another piece of parchment strewn across the desk. "I'm intrigued as to what could be in there that is relevant to you at Hogwarts though – it's mostly just marriages these days. Other bonds are just so rare now, unfortunately. Don't tell me though – I'm sure the less I know, the better!" She finished slyly.

"Thanks Mary, can I just go and find it myself?"

"That's fine Poppy. We should look into meeting up for lunch sometime." She suggested, hopefully.

"That we should." Madam Pomfrey agreed. "I just don't know when I'll have the time. Students are even managing to get themselves injured over the Christmas Holidays now." She said, frustrated. "I'll owl you if I ever get some free time?"

"That would be good. I'm off to get some food from the canteen down the hall – I can trust you in here on your own, and you can see yourself out. Bye!" Mary said, rounding the desk and leaving the room.

Poppy walked over to the shelves, and started working her way along them, until she reached 'M'. Near the end of the row she located the required file – 'Magical Bonds'. It was one of the few files in the Department that updated itself automatically whenever a new bond was formed. Mostly, it just contained marriage bonds.

Madam Pomfrey sat down at the desk and started slowly flicking back through the pages. She didn't know what sort of date to look for, so was expecting it to take a while. After a few minutes, she had reached July 1992. She was about to turn the page again when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the record she was looking for:

Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley
Soul Bond
Started: 27th June 1992
Completed: 1st July 1992

Shocked that her suspicions were correct, she sat still for a few minutes, before rousing herself enough to return the file to its proper place on the shelves, and make her way back out of the ministry to the fireplaces in the atrium, where she flooed back to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.

In the Hospital Wing, Professor McGonagall had conjured another chair to sit on while she watched over the two young teens sharing a bed, still surrounded by the same golden light. She couldn't move through it still, however Fawkes had gently settled himself on the headboard of Harry's bed, and was trilling softly.

Before long, shoe heard the floo activate again in Madam Pomfrey's office, and standing, banished her chair from the room. She turned to greet Poppy again. "Did you find what you were looking for?" She asked as she turned to face the healer. However, when she saw Madam Pomfrey's face, she quickly conjured the chair back and sat her down in it. "Are you okay, Poppy?" She asked, worried.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." Poppy said, shaking herself. "I found what I was looking for." She said, focusing on Minerva.

"Well, what is it?" The older witch asked impatiently.

"They – Merlin, Minerva, it's so special and so unlikely I can hardly believe it!"

"What is it, Poppy?" Professor McGonagall asked, starting to get concerned.

"They have a soul bond, Minerva." She finally responded, softly. Professor McGonagall reared back in shock.

"Really?" She asked. It was so unlikely, there hadn't been a soul bond heard of in such a long time, that most people just considered them myths.

"Yes, really! I saw the record with my own eyes, and I still hardly believe it. It explains an awful lot though." Poppy mused.

"Like what?" Minerva asked, intrigued.

"Well, at the end of last year, when they were both here after the whole Chamber incident, Albus insisted they share a bed until the end of the year. Then special arrangements were put in place when they left to ensure they stayed together the entire time."

"Yes, that would also explain why they both came to my office at the start of term, rather than just Harry. But why would they need to maintain contact?"

"Maintaining physical contact provides a way for the bond to stabilise. Usually, records show that it is formed at a time of physical intimacy. However, with our young couple I think it was started when Harry saved Ginny's life, almost dying himself in the process. The bond started forming, but as it didn't have a chance to finish in its normal way, resorted to using physical contact. I think they could separate briefly, for example to use the bathroom, but after a short period it started resulting in pain for both of them, hence the sharing a bed. However, I'm not sure this is why they both came to your office, Minerva." She explained.

"Why not? It makes sense to me." Minerva asked.

"Because the record said that their bond started on the 27th June this year, the day they were in the Chamber, but was completed on the 1st July, just a few days later. It was completed the first day of the summer holidays. I believe they would have known this – It would have been difficult to miss. Just being separated for a few minutes would have shown that something had changed."

"So why do you think they were still maintaining contact when they arrived at Hogwarts in September, if they already knew the bond was complete?"

Madam Pomfrey thought about this for a moment, but then Fawkes trilled a different tune loudly from his position on the bed. Looking over, she had an idea. "Dumbledore?" She almost asked, looking at the phoenix questioningly. Fawkes bobbed his head gently.

"What do you mean Poppy?"

"Dumbledore clearly knew about their bond – that's why he spoke to me before the holidays. Maybe he didn't know it had completed, and they didn't want him to know as long as possible."

"I'm not sure I understand why, but I guess it makes sense. We'll have to ask them when they awaken. Do you have any ideas for that now Poppy?"

"Yes, actually, I do." She replied. "I think the reason Ginny kept falling unconscious was that their souls are now linked. Harry is unconscious, so Ginny is as well. I don't think this has affected their sleeping yet, but it might do in the future. I think they have become so connected that when Harry was affected by the Dementors, it affected Ginny too."

"So Miss Weasley will only awake if she is awoken at the same time as Mr Potter then, Poppy?" Minerva asked.

"I believe so, but we can't wake Harry yet. His injuries are still too severe. And must you refer to them so formally while it is just us?" She asked.

"Why not?" Professor McGonagall replied. "It's habit forming, as that is how I must address them in class."

"Well, for starters, 'Miss Weasley' is technically incorrect. If you wish to get technical, she is now 'Mrs Potter'." Minerva gasped. "A soul bond is proof of magically-binding marriage, after all."

"But Poppy, we can't refer to her as Mrs Potter in school!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed.

"We'll ask her what she prefers, but to be fair, 'Ms Weasley' is also just as valid." Poppy replied. "However, if she wishes it I have no problems with calling her Mrs Potter in private."

Professor McGonagall sank down onto a nearby bed. "This is an awful lot to take in, and I'm not even directly affected by it." She chuckled ruefully.

"I know, but there's not much we can do. We'll have to speak to them when they wake up. That should be tomorrow morning. If you wish to come down before breakfast, we can Rennervate them both together. But for now, could you please remove the encampment outside my hospital?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"You always leave me the worst jobs." Professor McGonagall complained good-naturedly. "I'll see you in the morning then." She said, leaving the room quickly. Luckily, the privacy curtain was still up around Harry and Ginny, so those outside could not see the golden light around them, or that they were even now effectively sharing a bed, with a phoenix watching over them.

"Minerva, how are they?" Professor Dumbledore asked, standing, as she closed the door behind her. She glared at him for addressing her with her first name in front of students, but replied anyway. "Mr Potter is recovering from his injuries still, but may be awake tomorrow. Ms Weasley is sleeping off the after-effects of her unconsciousness, although Madam Pomfrey is no closer to working out what caused her to faint in the first place. It is her hope that she will also be awake by tomorrow. For now, however, Madam Pomfrey asks that you all stop camping out here. You may come back tomorrow at lunch to see if she will allow visitors then, but no earlier. Do you understand?" She asked, looking pointedly at the students. They nodded, but she could tell none of them were happy.

"For now, I think I will retire to my quarters for the evening. It has been a worrying day." She finished.

"Minerva!" Professor Dumbledore called after her retreating form, ignoring the glare she once again sent in his direction. "I have spoken to the Minister. I thought you might be interested to know that he has agreed to withdraw half of the Dementors around the ground on a trial period, provided we immediately inform him of any other incidents that may occur."

"That is… a relief." Professor McGonagall admitted. "I haven't been able to concentrate at all this year, knowing that I'm surrounded by those creatures." She said, before continuing to her room, as reluctantly all the others left too.

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office. Fawkes still hadn't returned, but that was the least of his worries. His familiar had disappeared for prolonged periods before.

He had noticed Minerva say 'Ms Weasley' instead of 'Miss Weasley'. 'Does she know something? She can't – there would be no reason for her to look it up. She must just have decided to switch to using Ms for all female students.' He hadn't noticed it before, but then he hadn't paid much attention to how his deputy was addressing the students recently. However, he did vow to keep an ear out and listen for how she addressed anyone else in the next few days.

No, what Albus Dumbledore was most concerned about was the fact that Ginny had fallen unconscious as well as Harry. Harry had not been a surprise – after all, with all the bad memories in his past, it was not unbelievable that he would react especially poorly to a close encounter with Dementors. However, Ginny had been nowhere near any of the foul creatures when she fainted. There were reports of her other teammates sitting on the reserve stand hearing her say "Harry" before she fainted, but Albus dind't know whether they were truthful or not.

'What will this do for my plans?' He wondered. 'Are they already so tightly linked that one falling unconscious pulls the other under as well?' This would cause issues for his plans – if a simple stunning spell directed at Ginny would cause Harry to pass out as well, that could be disastrous if facing Voldemort, or indeed any other Death Eaters. And Albus needed Harry to be able to fight.

The other concern was that if the bond had reached this point so quickly, when would it manifest in other ways? Albus hadn't managed to do much research into their bond – after all, there hadn't been one in over two centuries. Who knew what else could happen?

A/N: I know I don't usually put Author's Notes at the end of chapters, however I jst thought I should clarify that ~text~ is Fawkes typing, with his beak. That idea took a while to develop correctly, and I'm not terribly happy with it, so if anyone can think of another way for Fawkes to communicate with Minerva and Poppy, I'm open to suggestions! As always, please review - it makes the writing worth it!