Hey Lovelies! So here is the next chapter of Soul Bonded, and I hope that it answers some of your questions about the bond itself. I only want them to find out so much at a time, and I hope that you get a sense of how this works. Just know that the characters are just as much in the dark as you are and they are living it! Enjoy and Happy Reading!
Chapter 4 – Soul Bond
"Three hundred years ago?" Minerva's voice shot up an octave higher than normal.
"Yes," Poppy nodded and gestured for her to redress as she collected the things she had used to help heal her. "I fixed your ribs almost completely, one more mend before bed tonight should do you in."
"Thank you." Her reply was cut short when the mediwtich walked away from her, retreating back into her tiny office space. Minerva was not deterred however. She followed Poppy into the cramped room. "What happened three hundred years ago?"
"See that's the thing. There is only one account of the fact, and it wasn't written by either party involved, so I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is going to be."
"Poppy…" She didn't want to beg, but she was getting desperate, she had awoken this morning twenty years younger, across the room from a boy that had also changed, and there was a new ring on her hand that she hadn't put there, she needed some answers.
"I don't have answers yet Minerva, I don't want to tell you something that winds up not being true. I don't even know if this is the same situation. The pair in the book were already connected on some level."
"What level?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? What do you know?" She snapped at her.
"Plenty Minerva! Just not about something that hasn't happened for three hundred years, and no one alive remembers happening at all!" Her temper was rising, but she knew better than to challenge the Scottish woman when it came to a battle of the tempers. "Right now all I can tell you that it is a Soul Bond, that you and Mr. Potter are magically linked together, and from what I can tell there is no counter spell."
"Counter spell? It was a spell to start with?" There was a note of curiosity in her voice that she couldn't hide.
"Yes, and no. It was a spell similar to the one that Lily placed on Harry that night in Godric's Hollow, in the sense that it was created from Old Magic. Whatever happened between the two of you last night was enough to evoke an Old Rite of Protection."
"A Rite of Protection?" She looked around the room at all of the books that Poppy had gathered. "Do we know what that does?"
"Again yes, and no. It provides you both with a sense of protection, obviously, but one party bears the roll of protector to the other in a greater sense. In this case I would say that Harry has taken on the protector role."
"What makes you say that?" Minerva almost forgot for a moment that they were discussing herself and Mr. Potter, her natural desire to learn was starting to take over.
"You carry with you a protector that is a piece of him." She nodded towards the silvery-blue ring on Minerva's hand. "That ring serves as a tether for the bond, but it is not made of metal, in fact it is not even solid." She held out the book she was holding to the other woman and she took it.
Minerva read what the text said and then looked back up at her friend, "So the ring is a tangible form of a patronus? It works in the same way?"
"I believe so, since that is the spell that the two of you had in common when the bond took place. It makes sense given that it is a protection spell in and of itself. You saved Harry's soul from the dementors, correct?"
"Yes, I jumped in front of him."
"And then he used a patronus to save you?" Minerva nodded, still reading what the book had to say about Protection Bonds. "Then what happened?"
Minerva's green eyes shot up to meet Poppy's blue ones. "I touched his patronus. It loaned me some of its strength."
"No, Harry loaned you some of his strength." She sighed. Her suspicions had been confirmed, this sounded remotely similar to the account in the volume Minerva was holding. "You two are bound together, at a soul deep level. What that means for your futures I have no idea. And we know that you feel each other's pain, but joy, ecstasy, heartbreak? Who knows what else you will end up sharing?"
Minerva took a deep breath and set the volume down on the cramped desk. "I don't really know what I think at the moment. I am connected soul deep with a student, and not just any student, Harry Potter." She turned to look over her shoulder at Poppy. "Absolutely no one but the three of us is to know of this. Understood?"
"Of course, Albus was asking questions when I arrived back from Sirius's earlier, but I didn't give him any answers, I figured you and Harry could decide what you want to tell people, together."
"We are going to have to work a lot of things out, but it's not as if we are married, we will both continue with our normal lives, and we will have to figure this Magic out as we go. I will make something up for Albus and I will inform Harry of everything that we learned here. I suggest that you banish all of these books back to wherever they came from. Keep only the few you really need for research. I don't want anyone to go digging for something that they need not know."
"Right away." She started collecting the things that she wanted to keep and she looked up one more time as Minerva went to leave the little room. "Minerva?"
"Hmm?" She turned back to look at her friend.
"Be careful." She smirked at her, but the grin didn't reach her eyes. Poppy was concerned for her friend; Old Magic could have many strange consequences.
Minerva was sitting in her office trying to figure out the best way to communicate with Harry without Albus finding out, when there was a knock at her door. "Come in." She called and she suppressed a groan when it was none other than the one man she was trying to avoid.
"Albus. What can I do for you?" She extended her right hand towards one of the chairs in front of her, careful to allow the left to remain covered by her long robes.
"I seem to be having a hard time finding someone to replace Alastor, no one will take the Defense position because of the curse that is said to be upon it." His voice was calm, but she could see the nerves etched onto his face, there were only two weeks left until the start of term.
"I know about the curse Albus, and you have to admit that there is some merit behind it. When is the last time that someone stayed for more than one year?" She let him ponder for a second and then she answered her own question, "Not since he applied for the job all those years ago. What happens if you can't find someone in time? We can't not have the class, I'm sure Severus,"
"No." He peered at her calmly across her desk, but there was strong emotion in his words. "I can't put Severus in a position that would endanger him being here after that. He stays where he is, where I can keep an eye on him." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, the Ministry has threatened to appoint someone to the position if I am unable to fill it myself."
"Who are they going to appoint? Surely they aren't considering taking any of the Aurors out of the field. Any of the ones that would be qualified to teach are in the Order and I would rather have them at the Ministry than here."
"I agree, and no, they intend on putting that Umbridge woman here."
"Dolores Umbridge? The Minister's Undersecretary? Does she know anything about defensive magic at all?" Minvera couldn't see how putting a Ministry official, one that seemed to live in Cornelius's pocket, in Hogwarts was going to cause anything but trouble.
"I'm afraid not, but I'm also afraid that we are not going to have a choice. That we are going to have to allow her to come, no one else will take the job."
"Albus…" She started to speak again but he stood up, abruptly cutting her off.
"No, if you are indeed correct, then she will only be here for one year. I will take that time to try and corral someone more qualified for the next year."
"Albus?" He turned to look over his shoulder at her, "Have you considered why they want to impose on us now?"
He turned fully back around, "What do you mean Minerva?"
"Mr. Potter." She saw him sigh, "What I mean is, they have spent the entire summer telling anyone who will listen that you and Mr. Potter are both off your rocker. That neither one of you are to be trusted and that you have corrupted him into believing your schemes about Voldemort."
He seemed impressed that she had said the name without flinching, and for a moment she didn't realize what she had done. She brushed it off, as he spoke. "I understand, this is Harry's O.W.L. year, I'm sure that a Ministry official breathing down his neck is the last thing he needs, but he has handled worse." Without another word he swept out of her office and down the corridor.
"You have no idea." She mumbled to herself as she shook her left hand and exposed the ring that was shining there. She pulled out a quill and ink and dragged a piece of parchment towards her. She had to tell Harry something she couldn't leave him in the dark for the next two weeks until she saw him again. A letter seemed like the best way.
Dear Mr. Potter, She struck through the line and started again.
Dear, That line too was crossed out.
Harry,
Harry was lying on his bed after spending the afternoon de-infesting the library with everyone else. He was exhausted, for some reason he didn't think that cleaning should have been that much work when you had magic. Hermione and Ginny were helping Mrs. Weasley with dinner and he was pretty sure that Ron was facing off with Lupin in a rematch of some chess game they had played previously. He was grateful for the silence. It had been a mighty long day, and following the events of last night, he just wanted to go to sleep.
He lay looking up at the ceiling when there was a knock on the bedroom door. "It's open."
Sirius came padding in and held out a letter to Harry, "Here Pup, this just came for you."
Harry took the letter and looked at the envelope. He knew her handwriting. "Thanks." He glanced up at Hedwig, who was asleep on her perch, "How did it get here?"
"It came flying through the Floo. I've never seen letters delivered that way, it must have been charmed or something so it could get out at the right grate."
"Yeah," Harry looked down at it, "Or something." He gave a weak smile back to his godfather, "Thanks Sirius." He expected him to leave him alone to read the letter, but when he didn't move Harry raised an eyebrow, "Is there something else?"
"You said this morning that a lot was going on. I know that I'm locked up here, but if I can help you Harry, I will. Just know that you can always come talk to me right?"
"I know." He stuck out his hand to shake the older man's, "Thanks Padfoot."
"Anytime Pup." When he had shut the door behind him Harry looked down at the letter in his hands. She must have found something; he ripped the top of the letter open and pulled out the single sheet that was inside.
Dear Mr. Potter, He could see where she had scratched that out.
Dear, He chuckled as this too was scribbled over.
Harry,
I am writing to inform you that Madam Pomfrey and myself are investigating the situation that has presented itself since last night. As of now I have very little that I feel comfortable sharing in a letter, I will inform you of everything that we have found when you arrive on the first.
If you have any specific questions that I can answer please have them ready then, I don't trust our letters not to be interrupted. Things at Hogwarts may be a little different this year, we have yet to find a new Defense teacher and Dumbledore has just informed me that the Ministry is thinking of sending Dolores Umbridge. If they do I beg of you to be more cautious and careful in your actions.
Also, I am pleased to inform you that after this evening Madam Pomfrey believes that my ribs will be fully healed. I'm sure that I will feel much better after that, and I appreciate the concern you have showed for me in the last twenty-four hours.
I look forward to seeing you on the first, as I will have more answers for you then.
Minerva
"Harry?" He quickly shoved the letter under his pillow as the door swung open. Ginny appeared around the edge of it. "Mum says dinner is ready if you want to come down."
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, "Sounds perfect." He threw one last glance at his bed, where the letter lay hidden as he followed her out the door and down the stairs. "Just perfect."