I am sorry for the delays. School has been rough. Two students died, and all in all, it has been a crappy month. I'm back on track though. Thanks for the patience.

Chapter 7: Clocks

Harry and Hermione placed their hands on the book, and suddenly everything began to spin. The howl of Mrs. Granger and the curious questions from the boys were drowned out as a whimsical noise enveloped their ears. Hermione looked to Harry and found she could not see. The only reassurance was his aura that she always felt when he was near. They continued to spin profusely, although no dizziness came over them.

Finally, their unknown journey stopped. Their feet touched down lightly, and they whipped their wands out simultaneously. The first thing Hermione recognized was the smell of salt water and a warm breeze. She looked around and saw a clean blue beautiful ocean whose edge met a wonderful pink sky.

"There goes the laws of science," she muttered, showing Harry the ocean.

"Isn't the ocean blue because the sky? The reflection?" He asked confused.

"Yes," she replied, a bit scared. Harry held her hand reassuringly, as a wave of calm swept through her.

"The weather is absolutely lovely," he commented looking for a sun. There was none, however, it felt as though it could be a bright shining day.

"I agree," a voice said behind them. She nearly jumped in surprise, and they both whirled around with their wands out. What a shock they encountered, once they saw who it was.

"Sirius?" Harry whispered, his hand shaking in hers.

"In the flesh. Well, technically…I don't know," he said smiling brightly.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry asked.

"Hello Hermione," he said, his dark eyes sparkling wildly.

"Hi," she responded feebly. He just smiled as if he knew something very, very good.

"Sirius, what's going on?" Harry asked, his impatient manner getting the best of him.

"Hold on there kid. You've got to meet quite a few people. We'll all help explain everything at once. Come on," he said, motioning for them to follow him. They turned and noticed a huge (if that was even an adequate word) palace that rested on a hill about five minutes away. Sirius led them off the beach and onto a path. Nobody spoke, although Hermione could feel Harry's anxiety. She was the calmer one out of them both, due to the fact that her logical side was on overdrive.

The walk was simply beautiful, despite any dangers that may have been lurking everywhere. There were beautiful flowers, both muggle and wizard, that were perfectly arranged and healthy. Birds chirped merrily, along with a flock of phoenixes that were flying high in the sky. Harry visible relaxed, although the confusion on his face was evident.

"Why are there phoenixes?" He asked Sirius, who had been relatively silent throughout their walk.

"Well, we're not in the mortal realm anymore. So, there are thousands of phoenixes that inhabit here. The one phoenix that does inhabit the mortal kingdom is usually nominated by the other phoenixes. To be nominated, the phoenix has to be the most capable out of them all. It is an honor to serve a mortal for them; however, if that mortal has ever become slightly corrupt the phoenix leaves and comes back here. Once they find another mortal who is pure, they re-nominate another phoenix. The cycle continues," he finished, just as they reached the palace's front oak doors.

He waved his hand over the handles, while muttering something foreign to the young lovers. A light sound of clicks was heard, and the doors opened slowly. It was fairly bright, and Sirius let them pass first.

The brilliant light was coming from a normal sun that was hovering midair of a huge room. There was a large pool underneath it, causing the bright light to reflect. The pond was centered in the room, causing bands of light to dance merrily on the walls. Hermione's breath was taken away at the beauty she stood before.

"Come on guys," Sirius interrupted. "Everyone is waiting for you."

That "everyone" was still unknown to them both. She squeezed Harry's hand as they followed Sirius to the right.

"These are the halls without walls. This wing has barriers so you don't fall out, but there are no walls. We are three stories high," he commented as if he were talking to tourists. The young Gryffindors gaped at the view over the ocean as they walked. Harry turned to her and cracked a small smile, before kissing her hand lovingly. She simply glowed, and turned her attention back to Sirius. After a few minutes, they encountered another set of large wooden doors. "Just wait here," he said, pointing to a couch next to the doors. They nodded, and Sirius entered quickly before shutting the doors again.

After a few moments of silence, Harry stood up pacing.

"I feel comfortable now," he said slowly, contemplating his words. Hermione had to agree. The sudden feeling of anxiety has washed away.

"I know. It just feels…right," she replied softly. He stopped pacing, and sat beside her dejectedly. She set her head gently on his shoulder. He laced their fingers together; a habit he picked up quite recently.

"We'll be all right," he said.

"That you will. We're ready for you both," Sirius said, his head peaking from inside the doors. Harry helped Hermione up before leading them to the doors. Sirius disappeared leaving them to themselves.

"If this is a trap you are to stay behind me," Harry said quietly.

"I couldn't live without you," she replied evenly. "So it wouldn't matter if you saved me because I'd follow you. I'd follow you anywhere, even if it was into the dark." His emerald eyes shined with adoration, and he pulled her into a heavy kiss.

"If this be our last, know that I love you with every fiber of my being," he breathed. She hugged his body to hers, willing the tears away.

"I love you with every fiber of my being too." He kissed her head, and together they pulled their wands out.

Harry cautiously opened the door. She could feel his determination and focus. Anybody could, had they paid much attention.

What came next, however, could make any fully focused person distracted.

Hermione stifled a cry, while she felt Harry's hand gripped hers extremely tight. The cry was not from the pain of his hand, but from the sight that her eyes met.

Sirius wasn't joking when he said they weren't in the mortal realm anymore.

"Mum?" Harry whispered. That's all she heard until her body went limp and the darkness engulfed her. She faintly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist to stop her from hitting the hard marble floor.

"Hermione?" A dimmed voice called out. The worry that was carried with that voice filled her body, nearly bringing her back into her deep sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the blazing emerald ones of her sweetheart.

"Harry? What happened?" She asked, trying to sit up. Harry helped her up before crashing his lips to hers. Her surprise was evident by the little "oh" that managed to escape her. His hands caressed her jaw lovingly. Someone is watching,she thought. She opened her eyes to find the exact thing that made her faint. She pulled away and looked deeply into his eyes that were hazed over with love.

"As much as I love you Darling, I don't think snogging me in front of your Mum and Dad is a wise idea," she whispered. His eyes widened and he whirled around.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked dangerously, his temper rising.

"Well that has yet to be explained," Sirius said.

"Is this some sick joke, cause it's not very funny," Harry retorted anyway.

"Oh James!" A redheaded woman cried. "He sounds exactly like you!" Tears leaked from her eyes as a man wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Lily, my love. I know he sounds exactly like me. He is my son after all," he replied gently.

"YOUR SON?" Harry screamed. Hermione wrapped her arm around Harry's collarbone, stopping any forward movement of a charge. He visibly relaxed, although she could feel his heart pounding madly in his chest.

"Calm down," she whispered into his ear. She rubbed his back along his spine, causing his temper to be restrained. The other occupants in the room watched contently.

"If you could please tell us what is going on, from the beginning with all the details, it would be greatly appreciated," she said evenly. She looked over the thirty plus people. A tall man with long brown hair and a very well built stature stepped forward in front of everyone else.

"I believe we should all seat ourselves once more, for all of your troubles have made you faint," he said pointedly to Hermione. "Everything will thus be explained. Sit, sit." His voice held no room for argument. Harry pulled her chair out for her, before sitting himself closely beside her. Everyone else sat themselves at the large table that was centered at the room. The man that had been previously speaking remained standing. His dark brown eyes surveyed everyone. She could just tell Harry's emotions were doing crazy things within him. Given by the vein popping out of his neck, his temper appeared to be gearing for a fight. She looked at the man and nodded.

"Well, I must confess, this definitely was not the reaction I had hoped for. It is a reaction nonetheless. Hmm. Oh well. I'd like to welcome you both to "La Maison du Soleil."

"The House of the Sun?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"You speak French?" Harry asked surprised. She nodded, a light blush gracing her cheeks.

"You are correct. I had just started courting Annette, and I thought I was being rather clever."

"You thought," a woman commented beside him. She had dark brown hair and bright green eyes that were twinkling madly. "You still think you are clever. I don't understand why."

"Yet you love me anyway," he commented back. She sighed and motioned him to continue. "Well, Merlin was being a pretty nice chap at the time and had allowed me some land in the realm of the departed. As gloomy as it sounds, you both noticed how truly beautiful it is. I knew I would pass eventually, and with Salazar being a bastard…"

"Honestly Godric! There are children present!" Annette hollered. He flushed slightly but shrugged his shoulders.

"Their feelings aren't childlike and what they will learn isn't childlike either. I think they can handle my slight slips of the tongue." She glared and he continued anyways. "Yes well, Salazar was being a total bastard. He and his whole pureblood ideology were really changing him. I wanted to have a nice place for my family when we eventually passed. So, I built this. I don't mean it egotistically either. I figured if my descendants were brave like I was notoriously dubbed, they would all eventually pass. Some would pass unjustly, and others would pass with pride. Either way, I wanted the family to eventually all meet each other. Not all of my descendants were to come here, however. Only those with pure souls would be allowed."

"So it is basically a heaven for any pure souls related to you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes in a sense," he replied. "There is also another catch. During my lifetime, there was a fight over royalty. This fight was between Salazar and myself. Salazar lost the crown due to his ethnocentricity. Had the royal family turned corrupt or died out, the right of royalty would be given to Salazar. He would be the next best choice as far as capability to produce results. Merlin gave me the power and the right to start a Wizarding Royalty. All the people you see here are members of the royal family. I asked Merlin to allow only the pure souls to be inducted into the royal family."

"You didn't just inherit it like muggles?" Hermione asked once more. Godric shook his head.

"I didn't want the royal families to be corrupt. If all the pure souls were welcomed and then dubbed their titles, there would not be as many fights. If you were a Duke, that was what you earned. If you were a King, that was what you earned. It worked for many years. The royal family all worked together to help balance the world. The evil was smothered as much as possible, and the general welfare of the societies were fine. There was a problem however, when you were born," he said looking at Harry.

"How so?" he asked. Godric sighed.

"Anyone here is not to fault; so do not think it is yours. The prophecy regarding you has many interpretations. The most obvious is you are the only one who can beat Tom Riddle. It is true. You are the only one who can. There is another interpretation to be discussed. Tom Riddle most likely went after your parents because he found out about their royal standings. As the heir of Slytherin he most likely knew about how Salazar lost the royal rights. As an act of revenge and an act to destroy the whole royal family of Gryffindor, he decided to go after the Potters. The House of Potter was originally mine, which is the House of Gryffindor. If succeeding, he would inherit the right of royalty and all new rules would apply. He would rule the Wizarding World."

Hermione was stunned beyond belief. She looked at Harry, who simply sat in his chair emotionless. She wondered if he was even listening at all. She watched as he turned to the couple next to him.

"So you really are my parents?" He asked softly. Lily nodded, tears once again making an appearance. She and James stood up along with Harry. He opened his arms wide and hugged them tightly. Tears of happiness flowed down his rosy cheeks as his mother and father hugged him tightly.

"Where are my parents?" Hermione asked suddenly, worry filling her. Godric smiled happily.

"Not to worry dear. Time has somewhat slowed in the mortal realm. You'll essentially be gone in five minutes there, and who knows how long here." Hermione nodded and returned her attention to Harry. He was smiling the same way he smiled when he looked at her. She finally came to realize how much they had missed.

"Now that everyone is ok," he said proudly. "We must now discuss why you both are here."

"And why is that?" Harry asked, his hand finding hers once more.

"Well, you both are soul mates," Godric started.

"You didn't have to tell us that," Harry interrupted.

"Oh, but I did. According to the laws of the Royal House of Gryffindor, soul mates are allowed to marry at the age of fifteen. So, if you both get married now, you both can be inducted into the royal family. If you do not, only you Harry can be. The reason we bring marriage up is for various reasons. Once in the royal family, your magic is released as well as intensified incalculably. You are able to travel here, where you will be taught how to use your powers. This is the power he knows not."

"I get it," Hermione said suddenly, her brain on overdrive. "He tried killing me and my family to make sure Harry did not fall in love with me. You said only soul mates are able to marry at this age. He was trying to eliminate me incase I was Harry's soul mate. If I was gone and I was his soul mate, Harry's magic would not be released."

"If she was related to us by blood, I'd say she's all you Annette," Godric said merrily. "That is exactly right. So if you both marry, you will have access to the power he knows not. He will eventually know once the royal family is set up in the Ministry. It really-"

"The Ministry?" Harry yelped.

"The Ministry," Annette said wisely. "The monarchy has the most authority in every Wizarding World's government. Not only did Godric set up Hogwarts, he helped set up all the Wizarding Worlds. Wherever the King wants to set up the royal palace, that is where all the Ministers meet with the King's nobility. Overall, the King has the most power. But since he is pure, he takes in everyone's ideas."

"I see," Harry said frustrated.

"It is a lot to take in. You were brought here because if you do decide to marry, I will marry you. It will be the first of two marriage ceremonies. You will have the ceremony here where all the Ancient magic takes affect. Then you will have the mortal ceremony where you can do whatever you please," she added.

"Will I be King?" Harry asked, taking a lot in.

"Yes, you will. And she will be your Queen," Godric added. "Any other questions? Feel free to ask."

"What about school?" Hermione asked. Harry chuckled beside her.

"We encourage you to still attend. You probably will have more than enough knowledge to back you up," Lily said, finally speaking. Her voice was melodic, and it seemed to calm everyone's nerves.

"You said something about nobility?"

"Ah yes," Godric replied for his wife. "I forgot about that. Yes, you have nobility. Our family is a bit different from most royal ones. Your children will be the princes and princesses. I made a law that said nobility can be nominated by the King and Queen. The soul has to be pure in order to enter the family. I don't mean pureblooded every time I sat the word pure. When I say pure, I mean a good soul. A soul that is not wicked or corrupt. It would be a soul that would get into regular Heaven. They also have to be someone you can obviously trust. You can nominate people, but all of us have to vote. This is the only power you do not have, and only because its like a second opinion." Harry nodded in understanding. There was a moment of silence as each person contemplated deeply.

"Why am I getting mood swings? And why was I able to go into Harry's dreams?" There. She finally asked. Annette's eyes were twinkling madly.

"You are soul mates. Simple." Godric answered.

"That's not simple," Harry responded, "because I am getting mood swings too."

"Really? Are you ok?" Hermione asked him worriedly. He smiled and nodded.

"I should be asking you," he said. She waved her hand absentmindedly.

"You can feel each others moods," Annette interrupted. Hermione and Harry stopped dead.

"No way," she awed. James started laughing along with the others.

"Is that why when she was in the shower and…" Harry drifted off, blushing extremely red.

"That was you!" she cried out, her chocolate eyes surprised.

"You are linked everyway possible," Godric explained. "You can feel and always will feel each others feelings. You share dreams because your unconscious states are linked. Through marriage, your physical, magical, and actual souls will be as well."

"Can we think it over?" Harry asked. Godric nodded.

"There is a garden out the doors you came in and to the left," he said before sitting down. Harry helped Hermione up and led her out of room.

They walked silently, their hands clasped together between their bodies. This hallway thankfully had walls as well as painting, which greeted them cheerfully as they walked. The sun, wherever it was, shined through the large windows. She noticed how handsome he was when the light hit his fair skin. A big ball of stress hit her.

She wondered how many scared couples walked this way into the garden to decide whether or not they should marry. Well, there is definitely one.