Okay, here we are, sorry about how long it took to get this out, but I hope you find the wait worth it. I don't have much to say about this chapter but I would like some feedback on how well I've written Fred and George. I haven't had a great deal of experience writing them so I hope I do justice to the awesomeness of the weasely twins.
Death is only the beginning
Chapter 4
Harry smiled slightly as he lay looking up at the ceiling of his rented room in the Leaky Cauldron. Things were starting to get better and soon they would be even more so. He looked to his right Harry saw the sun beginning to shine through the small window and couldn't help the wide smile that showed up on his face. Today he was going to see Hermione again, and he didn't know how he was going to hold in his happiness in front of the Weasley family. Not that he had much to worry about aside from Ron, Ginny and perhaps Molly.
Looking through his memories Harry shook his head as he saw Ron's prejudice ruining any chance of a relationship with Hermione, and him by as well. Only the potions had kept Ron and Hermione together; potions Ron saw as keeping Harry from stealing his property. Pondering the problem of the youngest Weasley male, Harry grinned as he decided to enlist some help in keeping Ron occupied enough for Harry to have some time alone to speak with Hermione.
Harry rolled out of bed and dressed after having a shower. He made sure he looked presentable before leaving his room and turned to face the stairwell. He ran his hand through his still untameable hair and smiled at his luck. Fred and George walked up the stairs toward him, smiling their trademark troublemaker grins as they approached.
"Well, well, look what we have here George, our favourite Seeker."
"Indeed Fred, even though he hasn't had much competition for that title."
Deciding to cut the two off before they got too far into their routine Harry laughed and spoke.
"Alright you two, as much as it pains me to have to do this, I need to ask for your help."
It was a sign of how much regard and respect the twins had for him that they simply nodded and followed Harry back into his room. Harry closed the door behind them, turned, sighed, and decided to be blunt with them.
"Alright you two, this is a serious discussion so I'll ask you to keep the jokes to a minimum while we talk, as much as I know it's going to be tough for you both, but please try, hopefully it won't cause too much damage to your already warped minds."
Harry watched with a grin as his remarks left both twins shocked, and as they turned to look at each other Harry broke down into laughter, understanding the twin's surprise and shock. The twins turned to look back at him with their grins back in place.
"Good show, Harry, we knew you had it in you, despite the doom and gloom attitude you had before."
"Now, what is it you need from us mere mortals."
Shaking his head, but still smiling, Harry stood and rested against a bedpost as he considered how to handle the situation.
Knowing the twins they wouldn't have any trouble believing that Ron saw Hermione simply as property because of her muggleborn status; the events of the troll on the Halloween of their first year stood out vividly.
Ron had stood between Fred and George spouting off about how they shouldn't care about Hermione's feelings as they walked up to their common room after it was announced that the troll had entered the school. Harry remembered the anger he had felt before running off to help Hermione with Fred and George following behind him, dragging Ron with them. Harry sighed to himself as he remembered the seemingly sincere apology Ron had offered, but he knew now that they were hollow words. Bringing himself out of his memories Harry eyed the twins with their ever irrepressible grins.
"Alright, I need your help distracting Ron for me while I talk to Hermione. I'm sure you both remember my first year with the troll and his statements that night. Honestly, I think I should've listened when you told me he wasn't being sincere. I don't want him getting jealous if I ask to talk with Hermione alone."
Watching the twins throughout his explanation, Harry was a little surprised to see their grins getting even wider as he spoke. The twins were indeed pranksters first and foremost but, though they would deny it, Harry knew they could be serious when the situation required it. It puzzled Harry until they spoke.
"Good on ya Harry! We knew you could do it."
"Indeed, we're rather relieved that you decided to ask Hermione out instead of letting Ron have her. Your first year should be proof enough how horrible he would have treated her."
Harry laughed along with the twins, allowing himself to enjoy the moment and forget the trouble ahead. He allowed himself to be just a teen, laughing with his friends. As the laughter died down, Harry continued.
"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that you both spotted what I was planning, you two are a lot smarter than you let people believe after all. Just please tell me you don't have a pool going on when I would ask her out."
The slightly guilty faces of the twins told Harry all he needed to know and he sighed as he rubbed at his eyes with the thumb and fore finger of his right hand.
"I shouldn't really be surprised by that either but I am. I hope you at least will win a good amount of gold for this. Anyway, I just need your to keep Ron busy while I talk to Hermione and chances are I'll need your help to run interference when we're at Hogwarts."
When the twins looked at each other then back to Harry, he knew he missed something and it only took a few seconds for him to figure it out, causing all 3 to speak as one and only a single word was spoken.
"Ginny."
Harry slapped his forehead with his palm and shook his head, groaning as he did.
"How could I forget about her, she's not going to be too much of a problem is she?"
After asking his question, Harry watched the twins carefully, seeing them have a conversation without words before both nodded and turned to Harry again.
"We should be able to handle our sister Harry. Hopefully she'll be able to let go, but knowing her she won't. Don't worry though Harry, aside from Ron and Ginny, the rest of the family will support you on this."
Choosing to keep quiet about their mother, Harry nodded and smiled gratefully at them.
"You guys are awesome. Is Hermione downstairs already?"
When both nodded, Harry took a deep breath to calm his suddenly high nerves and gulped a sudden lump that appeared in his throat.
"Alright, we should do this now then, better to get it over with now."
Nodding to him with a small grin, the twins reached their right hands, palms up to reveal a candy in each hand, one wrapped in bright green, the other in a deep blue. Harry took them carefully as he recognized them as the prank candies that the twins invented. Looking up from his hands to the twins, careful to keep a look of curiosity on his face.
"What are these and how will they help us?"
"These, Harry, are some unique candies that we've invented. We're planning on starting a joke shop when we're done at Hogwarts, so we decided we should get started making some new products. It took us quite a while but we've finally got them figured out. The one in green one is what we call a stuttering sweet, as soon as they put it in their mouth they'll start stuttering uncontrollably. The blue one is a chameleon caramel, it will make their skin turn different colours when they eat it. It'll serve as a test for our products and you can use these to distract Ron and Ginny."
Harry grinned down at the candies and laughed as he imagined Ron and Ginny under the effects of the candies. Slipping them into his pocket he shook both twins' hands, still grinning.
"Brilliant, listen if you guys need any help with this stuff, let me know, I'd be happy to provide a little financial support if it's needed."
He has a hard time keeping the laughter in at the looks on the twins' faces and made sure to cut off their protests before they even got started.
"Listen you two, I've had my fortunes change a little over the last little bit. My parent's will was found in Gringotts so I was able to get my inheritance earlier than 17. My parents wanted me to make my own decisions if they died so they made sure I would be emancipated. I have quite a bit more money now and I'm happy to put some of it to use to help the only family I have left."
Smiling at the twins, Harry slapped them both on the shoulder and waited for the shock to subside before leaving his room. He laughed to himself as he thought they were more shocked than he had been when he'd first heard his parent's will. He sobered quickly as the memory hit him, making him close his eyes as the memory enveloped him.
Harry sat with his head in his hands, having just heard the accounting of what now belonged to him. He shook his head softly, leaned back, and looked at Dumbledore and Ragnok, not knowing where he should even start. Taking a deep breath he looked to Ragnok.[WADCW1]
"Congratulations Lord Potter. We of the Goblin Nation are looking forward to doing business with you in the future."
"Indeed, it is good to see your parents' wishes finally enacted, Lord Potter."
Shaking his head and sighing, Harry squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable with the sudden formality.
"Please, Ragnok, Dumbledore, could you just call me Harry, I don't think I'm quite ready to be referred to as Lord Potter just yet."
Harry watched in shock as not only did Dumbledore laugh but Ragnok did as well. His confusion overrode his shock at seeing Ragnok laugh made Harry speak again.
"What's so funny?"
Wiping a tear from his eye, Dumbledore shook his head softly.
"Forgive me Harry, but your reaction is almost exactly the same as your father's was. He was only a few years out of Hogwarts when he was forced to take the headship of House Potter. Your Grandfather had just died; he had been walking through Diagon Alley and the Death Eaters decided to attack that day. He was killed fighting to protect a group of children while their parents tried to get them to safety."
Harry noticed Ragnok hanging his head as he touched the knuckle of his middle finger to his forehead at the mention of his grandfather. Ragnok smiled, noticing that Harry had seen the gesture.
"A sign of respect for your Grandfather, Harry. He was well liked and respected among the Goblins, a common theme where your family is concerned."
Harry smiled and nodded to Ragnok, thanking him for the explanation. Turning to Dumbledore Harry nodded for him to continue with their previous conversation.
"Yes, well, if you'll agree to accompany me Harry, I believe a visit to Madam Bones would be beneficial to the both of us. She was a good friend of your mother's."
Harry smiled but shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, it's going to have to wait Professor, I have an appointment with Whitemist to have the Horcrux removed."
Dumbledore nodded just as another knock sounded and Whitemist walked into the room when Ragnok gave her permission to enter.
"The room is ready Ragnok, we can begin at any time."
Harry took a deep breath and stood as Ragnok nodded to him before addressing Whitemist.
"Lord Potter is to go through the cleansing first Whitemist. Then we can worry about what's in the chest."
Whitemist nodded and turned to walk out of the room, waiting for Harry at the door.
"If this doesn't take to long Professor, perhaps I can still take the trip to meet Madam Bones."
"It should take about two hours to complete the ritual, Lord Potter. ,You shouldn't suffer from any fatigue, but this hasn't been done on a living being before, so there are no promises."
Dumbledore nodded to Whitemist and smiled at Harry.
"Don't worry Harry, we'll make the arrangements later if you're feeling up to it after the cleansing. I'm sure Ragnok and I can find a way to pass time."
Harry was almost worried for the current Minister as he saw the smile that passed between Ragnok and Dumbledore. Shrugging off any worry for the Minister, Harry followed Whitemist as she opened the tood and journeyed deeper into the bank's depths until she stopped at a door that she pushed open. Harry held back his gasp of surprise as he saw the room was set up exactly like it was during the rituals he had undergone before returning.
Harry was led to the raised stone block and laid on the top of it. He listened and nodded to Whitemist as she told him he would be rendered unconscious for the ritual due to the pain that they were expecting him to feel if he were to remain conscious.
When he woke, Harry sat up and the first thing he noticed was the lack of a weight he hadn't even realized he held. He felt more in tune with himself then he had before. He smiled as he could almost feel the magic flowing through him. Looking around the room, he got off the stone block and walked toward Whitemist, who was waiting for him at the door.
As he walked to her, Harry looked around for the other Goblins he'd seen when he entered the room. He frowned when he saw that they weren't in the room and that Whitemist had streaks of sweat covering her face and arms.
"Are you and the others okay Whitemist? Did you have more trouble than you thought?"
Harry watched as Whitemist looked at him in surprise, wondering what surprised her, maybe he shouldn't be conscious yet?
"We're fine Lord Potter, forgive me, we are not used to wizards showing concern for our wellbeing. The cleansing went as we predicted and you are now free from the soul shard. It has only taken an hour instead of two. Director Ragnok and Headmaster Dumbledore are awaiting you in the Director's office. Come, I will take you there."
Harry nodded and followed Whitemist out of the room, doing his best to keep his excitement down.
He was free from the Horcrux! Harry knew he would be much stronger for it, but he was eager to test out his new abilities. When they arrived at the office, Harry thanked Whitemist again before entering when he heard Ragnok grant permission; it was time to start his efforts to fix the wizarding world.
Pulling himself from his memories, Harry pushed himself away from the bedpost and slapped both twins on the shoulder before pushing them out of his room.
"Snap out of it you two, it's time for me to pull my first prank[WADCW2] [WADCW3] ."
Harry grinned as he saw the twins donning their signature "evil grins" and turned to walk down the stairs. He felt his stomach twist with nerves when he heard Hermione's voice, and hoped that he wouldn't make a mistake.
He shook his head softly and smiled as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He saw Hermione sitting with Ron; Ginny was nearby thankfully, but Harry barely noticed her. His eyes locked on Hermione and he knew, no matter what, she was his future; she would always be by his side. Taking a deep breath, Harry walked over to them and, grinning, snuck up on Ron, knowing Hermione hadn't seen him either, listening to their conversation.
"I hope Harry hurries up, we've got some catching up to do, but he always did like to sleep late."
"You're one to talk Ron, you complain if you can't sleep till after noon."
Harry and the twins laughed as Ron jumped and fell backwards on the bench while Hermione yelped in surprise and placed her left hand over her heart, glaring at Harry half-heartedly.
"Harry! Was that really necessary, I think the twins are starting to corrupt you."
At Harry's responding grin, the twins ruffled his hair, looking at him proudly.
"It's been a long journey..."
"But we've finally corrupted the Golden boy of Gryffindor..."
"We're so proud of him."
Everyone but Harry and the twins groaned at the thought of Harry emulating the twins. They had no idea what they were in for. Harry smiled at Ginny, who was sitting next to Ron, who had just managed to pull himself back into a sitting position on the bench.
"Hey Ginny, how are you doing?"
Harry sighed internally as he watched her turning red, but was surprised when she was actually able to respond with actual words instead of noises.
"I'm good Harry, it's good to see you again."
Giving her a sincere smile, Harry pulled the candies out of his pocket and put the blue wrapped candy into his right hand and held his hands out to Ron and Ginny.
"Here, I saw these and thought you two would enjoy them, so I grabbed one for each of you."
Ginny simply blushed deeper, something Harry didn't think was possible, and took the candy from him. Ron slapped him on the back and thanked him. Harry grinned to the twins who were still standing near the stairs, watching the group intently as Harry sat next to Hermione. He gave her hand a squeeze to get her attention as the two youngest Weasleys ate the candies.
"Hermione, do you mind if we talk for a moment?"
Hermione didn't get a chance to respond as Ron shouted and started stuttering uncontrollably, trying to tell Ginny her skin was currently changing from a bright lime green to a deep purple. The twins broke down laughing, Harry joining them not long after.
Hermione just sat there, her mouth hanging open as Molly came running over, yelling at the twins even as they laughed. Ginny finally noticed her skin was an almost florescent pink and shrieked before running up the stairs with Ron following not long after, not able to string two words together with how bad his stuttering was. When Harry was finally able to breathe properly, he looked over at Hermione to see her frowning at him, her arms crossed over her stomach.
"Harry, you didn't have anything to do with that did you?"
To his credit, Harry tried to look scandalized at her remark but noticed it wasn't working so he decided on the truth.
"Okay I did, but I have a good reason! I promise! Just come with me okay? I need to talk to you alone."
Harry could see her trust and curiosity at what was so important warring with her need to lecture him about what he'd just done. Sighing, Hermione nodded and stood up, following Harry up to one of the private parlours the Leaky Cauldron had. Once inside, Harry closed the door and took another deep breath before turning to look at Hermione.
"Alright Harry, what's going on. This isn't like you at all, and you've got me worried."
Harry smiled softly and joined her in front of the fireplace, turning his chair so it was facing the chair Hermione was sitting in before joining her.
"I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to worry you but this is important and I don't want Ron or anyone else around to interrupt our conversation."
Leaning forward, Harry took Hermione's hands into his, making her gasp softly. She knew how Harry felt when it came to any kind of physical contact, so it surprised her to see him initiating something he was usually uncomfortable with. Harry gave her hands a gentle and reassuring squeeze as he looked into her eyes.
"Things have changed for me Hermione. I promise I'll get into the details later, but for now there's something specific I want to talk to you about. I've learned a lot about my family since we've last seen each other and I realized something. My parent's died far too young but they still knew love; having each other and me, and their families of course. But I haven't and I realized that even though I'm young, there's someone that, after thinking about it, I find myself drawn too."
Harry grew worried as he saw fear flash in Hermione's eyes, followed by acceptance. Harry had the idea that she was afraid he was going to ask her for help in asking another girl out, so he decided to make it a little more clear for her before she had a chance to speak. He continued.
"She's absolutely amazing, and I know I can always count on her, she's always supported me, despite all my stupid ideas and crazy plans, she's followed me. She's trusted me, and I can't thank her enough for that. Just in case you haven't realized it Hermione, I'm talking about you. I was hoping you'd be willing to join me in Hogsmeade on..."
The rest of Harry's sentence was cut off as Hermione threw herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. She surprised them both by kissing his cheek; making him smile and her blush as they broke apart.
Harry's smile widened when he saw Hermione looking down at her shoes. He gently placed his hand under her chin to encourage her to look at him again. When her eyes met his, Harry felt himself moving forward; his body moving without conscious action on his part. When Harry was close enough he pressed a soft kiss against Hermione's lips and was surprised when she pulled herself into his lap, sliding his arms around the back of his neck, his hands placed at the middle of her back as they both felt their magic swelling inside them through their kiss, running through their own bodies as well as each other's. Harry gasped as they were both finally able to pull away, knowing his eyes were as wide as Hermione's, as Hermione found her voice first.
"What was that?"
"That I believe was a soul bond forming between the two of you."
Harry and Hermione turned to see Fred and George standing in the doorway, smiling sincerely for once as they closed the door and walked in, pulling two more chairs up to the fireplace so they could join Harry and Hermione, who moved back to her own chair after moving it so they could hold hands more comfortably. Once they were sat comfortably, all four chairs forming a circle, Fred spoke first.
"Don't worry Harry, Hermione, we're happy for the both of you and no one else will have noticed. We only noticed because we were walking by the door after mom got done trying to make us deaf for corrupting pure, honest, Harry and saw a white glow coming from it. We saw the two of you come in here before so we had a pretty good idea who it was."
Harry smiled over to Hermione, squeezing her hand again, before turning to the twins. He hadn't gotten any information on the bonding so he was just as curious as Hermione was bound to be. Running his thumb over the back of Hermione's hand, Harry looked to the twins and leaned back in his chair.
"I get the feeling that this isn't going to be a short discussion so, why don't we get started, what can you tell us about what just happened?"
Seeing Hermione looking at him like he'd just lost his mind, Harry smiled reassuringly at her.
"Don't worry Hermione, we can trust them, you don't seriously think that they're as lackluster in their intelligence as it seems because of their marks, do you? Some of the pranks they pull require a great amount of thought, planning, and some complex spells."
"That's true I suppose it's just I have a hard time trusting them when they're always acting so silly, they never seem to take anything seriously."
Before Harry could respond, George cut him off and proved that they could take things seriously.
"We can see how you feel that way, but even we know that there's times to be serious. We do take things seriously just not often, it takes an important situation, like this one for us to be serious so how about we answer your questions hmm?"
Harry smiled and brought Hermione's hand up to press a kiss to the back of her hand to calm her embarrassment so they could continue. When Hermione nodded to him, Harry in turn nodded to the twins.
"Alright, first and foremost we need to tell you that your bond is not complete. When a fully formed and complete bond forms it is signified by a golden glow, yours was white. There's a couple reasons why this could be but the most likely is that you have a triad bond. It's not as common as a normal soul bond but it's not rare either and there's no rush or anything you need to worry about when it comes to your third. There have been cases where it's been 10 years for the triad to find their third."
Harry didn't need to fake the surprise on his face at hearing that he didn't need to find the third person to their bond right away. Having thought about it before he was worried that they may be in trouble if they couldn't find the third person. Knowing that he could take his time was a relief.
"Now, I'm sure you're wondering what this bond means. It's mostly just a symbolic gesture by your magic, letting you know that you've found your other half. You're not married, engaged or anything else like that and there's not a lot more to it. You'll find yourselves more in tune with each other than before and your magical power will have increased, you may even be able to share magical skills if your bond is powerful enough, and considering what powerhouses you both are on your own I think it's a certainty."
Harry and Hermione shared a look and smiled at each other before turning back to the twins.
"So you mean we could study different subjects then share the knowledge with each other through our bond?"
The twins just nodded before standing up and walking to the door and left the room. Harry and Hermione looked at each other again, still smiling and spoke as one.
"This is going to be fun."