Disclaimer and warnings in first chapter.

AN: I continue to be pleased by all of your reviews! Yay for reviews!

I, um, may have said there would be sex this chapter…well there kind of is, but not really. Yeah, that won't be happening 'til chapter five. Umhm. So, sorry about that. Please read and enjoy.

Chapter Three: The Bonding

When Harry woke he was sore. The pain had diminished, but it was not gone completely. Still, that it wasn't as bad meant…

Harry blinked his eyes open. A pair of silvery gray eyes looked back at him. He blinked again. Draco Malfoy was definitely sitting in bed with him, his hands splayed on Harry's chest. As soon as his eyes completely opened the hands shot away, and Malfoy sent him a glare. Harry blinked again. The pain had come back a little, but he ignored it for now. He didn't particularly want Malfoy touching him, either. Harry's eyes swiveled to the end of the bed where Remus was sitting, Harry's feet in his lap, and eyes concerned. That made Harry aware that his head was resting in somebody else's lap. He looked up and met Charlie Weasley's blue eyes. Snape, thankfully, was not in the bed. He was sitting next to the bed. He had one hand resting on Harry's shoulder, but his eyes were cold and angry.

"Well, this is awkward." Harry rasped. Charlie laughed. Remus cracked a smile. Malfoy shuffled nervously and Snape shot him a furious glare. Madam Pomfrey bustled to the side of the bed, standing beside the chair Snape was occupying.

When she brandished her wand, Harry yelled, "Not yet!" and shot up. His head collided quite painfully with Charlie's chin.

"Ow." He groaned, rubbing the spot where they had crashed. Harry pulled away from the other men, seating himself in the middle of the bed. This immediately started up the twinges of pain again, but he thought he could manage. Madam Pomfrey pursed his lips at him.

"Sorry." He said quickly. He did not want to listen to one of her tirades right now. "I can't have any magic cast on me until we…" He trailed off. Charlie, Remus and Malfoy turned interesting shades pink. Snape's glare darkened to depths Harry had never seen before but he did not utter a word. Harry thought that was probably more dangerous than a full-out rage, so he quickly turned his gaze from the irate Potions Master.

"Well, then," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Let's get you boys bonded!" He clapped his hands and looked at Madam Pomfrey.

"Albus, I think…" Madam Pomfrey said awkwardly, glancing from him to Mr. Granger and then to Harry. Harry's mouth had dropped in horror. He didn't want anyone to see the bonding. Madam Pomfrey would have to at least be there. They could probably use a privacy ward, though. The Firmitudo bond had to be conducted by a trained mediwitch or wizard. It was, at heart, a medical practice, though not many thought of it that way.

"Maybe we should leave, Headmaster." Mr. Granger said when Dumbledore didn't seem to get the point.

"Oh, certainly!" The Headmaster said, and the two men left the room. In their wake, Madam Pomfrey erected silencing charms. This made Harry's magic stir and the pain to come back. He winced.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey said at once, "I thought it best…"

Harry nodded in agreement. He closed his eyes tentatively reached out a hand, hoping one of his future bondmates would understand what he needed. Charlie, Harry could tell by the feel of his magic against his own, caught his hand. The pain eased.

"All right, gentlemen. If you would all form a circle…" Madam Pomfrey motioned to an open space in the room. Harry purposefully did not watch the other's expression. He kept his hand in Charlie's, but did not look up. Once they were all in place, Harry felt the tingle of a privacy ward going up. This, too, caused a jolt in his magic. He gripped Charlie's hand harder, then let go. He knew what came next, and no one was going to like it.

"Now, everyone but Mr. Potter needs to strip down." Harry heard a squeak from Malfoy and a feral growl from Snape. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Remus fumbling with his buttons with clumsy hands. Charlie had tugged off one of his Mum's jumpers and was starting on his next layer.

"Maybe," Harry called out, "You could divide the privacy ward so they can't see each other?"

"Excellent idea, Mr. Potter." Came Pomfrey's slightly muffled voice. The privacy ward changed, again causing Harry's magic to tumble chaotically around his body. Harry finally looked up- he would not be able to do this bond without looking at the others. Madam Pomfrey's hands slid through making the others jump. Remus was down to his trousers, Charlie was hesitating at his pants, and Malfoy was fiddling with the hem of his undershirt. Snape had yet to remove a single item of clothing.

Harry accepted the items Madam Pomfrey held out- a large glass and an ivory knife. She would have had them on hand as both were used in many Healing rituals.

"Professor Snape," Harry said very quietly, aware that he was blushing madly. It wasn't helping that Charlie had stripped off his pants next to him, leaving the undeniably handsome man stark naked. "You really do need to disrobe. The bonding can't go on otherwise." Harry turned his eyes away from his Professor. Malfoy had now stripped to his pants. When Harry met his eyes, the blonde pinked. Harry quickly turned away. Remus was still in his trousers. With horror, Harry took in the scars lacing Remus' chest. Knowing how much he hated having his own scars stared at, Harry kept his eyes off of them and as calmly as he could, said, "You too, Remus." Harry turned his gaze to a spot just over Malfoy's shoulder, between Snape and his heads.

"When you are all undressed, you need to kneel." Harry did not move his gaze as he heard shifting bodies.

"We'll start with the youngest, Mr. Potter." Harry moved from his spot in the circle, and kneeled before Malfoy. The blonde's face was pink.

"Do you know what you need to do Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Harry answered. Harry reached up and put his hands and laid them on Malfoy's shoulders, thumbs lying along his collarbone.

"I ask for you, what shall you grant?" He asked. With those words, the magic swirled up and the ritual began.

* * * * *

Potter's hands were hot against Draco's nude skin. He was all too aware that they were only a foot apart and he was buck naked.

"Repeat after me, Mr. Malfoy."

Why did he agree to do this again?

Oh yeah, to escape his sadistic mostly insane father. Right.

He carefully repeated the words the matron said, feeling the magic build around him. He could feel how powerful Potter was now, and felt awed.

"I give of my mind and my heart and my magic. I give of my blood and my essence."

As he spoke the words, to his intense embarrassment, his member swelled, becoming hard faster than he ever remembered getting hard before. Potter's cheeks were red too, but quite clearly in the thin pajamas, Potter was not suffering equally.

"You gave of your mind, and so I take." There was a throb behind his eyes. His member was rock hard now, and leaking. Draco let out something halfway between a whimper and a moan.

"You gave of your heart, and so I take." Merlin, he had never been this hard in his life. He tried desperately to pay attention to the words, but his mind was in a haze.

"You gave of your magic, and so I take." Draco felt his magic swirl into Potter's grasp for a moment, and come rushing back. He too distracted to really care.

Potter held up a white knife, "I'm going to have to cut you, Malfoy. Sorry."

Potter sliced him right between his collar bones and held up a large glass to catch the blood. It stung, but did not diminish his raging boner.

Potter then lowered his hands down to Draco's crotch. Draco's heart thudded wildly in his chest. This was a part of the bond? But no, Potter did not actually touch him. He only held the long glass over his dick. What in Merlin's name was he doing? Potter held the glass at an angle and then said, "You gave of your essence, and so I take."

And Draco exploded straight into the glass. Potter got up as Draco panted harshly, looking almost completely ruffled, and then he left Draco's sight with a glass full of his blood and spunk. What the fuck?

* * * * *

Harry kept his eyes firmly on Charlie's face as he kneeled before him. He could see the red-heads' eyes widening at the glass of mixed sperm and blood. It looked a little bit nasty, Harry thought. Actually it looked a lot nasty. Wonderful.

Harry kept his eyes on Charlie as they murmured the words needed. He gently tugged Charlie's mind and emotions into the bond, accepting them, and allowing them to gather with Draco's at the back of his mind for the end of the ritual. He tried not to notice or care as Charlie's eyes got wide and his breathing heavy. He carefully collected the blood and seed, trying to be clinical about it. He knew magic was causing the erections, but his own trousers were getting a tiny bit hot at the moment. He willed away his erection as he stood, leaving a dazed red-head behind.

* * * * *

Remus did not know what was going on, and that made him nervous. He could only hear the words Madam Pomfrey and Harry said, not what any of the others were doing or saying- except of course, what they were repeating from Madam Pomfrey's lips. There was however, the heavy scent of both blood and sex in the air. That only served to make him more nervous. Harry suddenly appeared in Remus' line of vision, making the man jump.

Harry carried a glass which was filled with sperm and blood. He also held a white knife. Remus' best friend's son kneeled before him, and gently laid his hands along Remus' chest. Remus flushed.

He muttered the words Madam Pomfrey fed him. Remus got progressively more embarrassed as the bonding went on, as his member got harder and harder. He could not look at the much younger male in front of him. Harry did begin to stutter the words, muttering and stumbling his way though them. He would not look at Remus; instead they both stared over the other's shoulder.

Remus barely winced as Harry cut his flesh; he did however flinch back as Harry lowered his hands to Remus' crotch and held the glass which held Malfoy and Charlie's seed in it.

"Sorry." Harry muttered. "I have to…"

Remus nodded, words mostly beyond him now. He was moaning low in his throat, and he let out a half-strangled yell as he exploded into the cup. Harry left without another word, leaving Remus to sit back and try and recover.

* * * * *

Severus knew very little about this bond. He recognized now, as he waited for Potter to appear in front of his very naked self, that that was a mistake. He normally didn't jump into things headlong without knowing what he was getting himself into. What on earth had been thinking? He hadn't been obviously, he added to himself as Potter appeared. Potter seemed to be carrying a glass of semen and blood, but that couldn't possibly be true. It couldn't possibly.

Potter kneeled in front of him, and Severus took great pleasure at glaring down his nose at the boy.

"Sir," Potter murmured very quietly. "It would be really very helpful if you don't argue during the bonding."

Impertinent brat!

"It's very temperamental- it might decide to tie you to me even more fiercely."

Oh, well then… Severus gave a stiff nod, and Potter sighed a breath of relief. Potter obviously didn't want to be tied to him any more than Severus wanted to be tied to the brat.

"I ask for you, what shall you grant?"

By now, Poppy having repeated them three times over, Severus knew the words that needed to be said. He did not know what happened, but he had unpleasant theories churning in his brain based on the cup of mixed fluids.

"I give of my mind and my heart and my magic." Severus sneered. "I give of my blood and my essence."

"You gave of your mind, so I take." Severus' shields parted without complaint for Potter, and his mind started pouring into Potter's. What was going on? What would Potter get from this? Severus tried to fight it, but it was useless, his mind was all ready running back to him, feeling no different than before. Severus narrowed his eyes and assumed it was just a symbolic part of the bonding and Potter got nothing from it.

"You gave of your heart, so I take." That's when Severus started to get hard. He tried to will it away, he was not attracted to anything here- what was happening. Potter muttered softly, obviously reading something on his face, "It's a part of the ritual, sir."

Severus growled, and closed his face off.

Potter continued in the same low, nervous tones he had been using so far.

"You gave of your magic, so I take." Severus' magic slipped to Potter for a split second and was then returned. Severus' cock was so hard now he was having a difficult time not moaning. He jerked his hips once before restraining himself. God, he desperately wanted some relief.

Potter carefully sliced Severus' pale skin. Severus barely felt it.

"You gave of your blood, so I take."

Potter's hands migrated lower. Severus jerked away.

"It's a part of the bond." Potter muttered, and set the cup around Severus' member. He held onto his control as best he possibly could. Potter was careful not to touch his skin with neither skin nor glass, for which Severus was grateful. He could hardly take anymore shame right now.

"You gave of your essence, so I take." And Severus came harder than he had come in years, into a cup containing the sperm of three other males and blood.

* * * * *

Harry had never blushed this hard in his entire life. Of course, he had never had to watch four men, who were really, relatively, strangers, come before, either. He kept it all as clinical as he could; otherwise he knew he'd be harder than he'd ever been in his life. Harry had known he was gay since he kissed Cho. It was kind of obvious, considering the only thing he had to say about their kiss was that it was wet. He'd had fleeting crushes on various guys, and sure Malfoy had starred in a couple of his wet dreams, but who didn't have wet dreams about Malfoy? He was bloody gorgeous.

Yet, despite that, he would have put anyone who told him yesterday that he would think the image of Snape coming was hot, in an insane asylum. Yet here he was. And Snape definitely had some things going for him under those billowy robes.

Harry blushed harder, and carefully turned his mind back to the task at hand. Madam Pomfrey was feeding his bondmates the next set of vows.

"We swear to stand by you, follow you, and stabilize you. We swear to grant you loyalty above all else. All that we have to give, we shall give. Thus magic decrees it shall be for all our lasting days. This we freely give. We give this in return for all you deem us worthy to receive."

"I swear," Harry returned, "To protect you from all that would harm you, to guide you and provide for you as you have given yourselves to be. Do you swear yourselves to me?"

"I so swear." They chorused. Magic was building in the room, but it did not hurt, it felt like a warm blanket on a rainy day, a hot cup of cocoa late at night or the warmth of his covers in the Gryffindor dorm.

"Thus I take what is given into my body and accept you for all our lasting days."

He raised the glass to his lips and chugged it down. It tasted bitter and salty, and was not all that pleasant to take into his body, but behind it, his magic calmed. His magic settled into his body, and picked up normal rhythms again. All signs of the wounds his magic had caused faded away, and the last pain faded away. Of course, he could still feel how strong his magic was, how much it wanted to be used. But it was kept in place by the magic of these four men, and he would not die.

"He'll pass out any moment, gentlemen, came Pomfrey's voice from behind the wards. As she spoke, a hazy blackness crept in from the edges of his vision. He vaguely saw Charlie reach out and catch him and then everything went black.

* * * * *

So did you all catch the problems everyone is going to have with the bond? Let's just assume that nothing that happened was purely symbolic…can't wait to hear your theories!

Also, I am very excited about the next chapter! Yay!