THREE

Granger Residence, Crawley

England, United Kingdom

Harry had expected Hermione to be angry with him with this bit of news, he had expected her to scream at him on the top of her lungs, so he was pleasantly surprised when, while Hermione is still screaming, her screams are not directed at him, more, her screams are actually broadcasting the fact that she was happy with this bit of news.

Harry turned towards Hermione's parents and saw the two of them eyeing all their guests cautiously, he opened his mouth to explain, even if he himself does not have any inclination of what a soul-bond is, but at the moment that he was about to push the words out of his mouth, he suddenly found himself looking at Hermione.

Harry cannot tell exactly what he is seeing. He was looking at the most beautiful pair of brown eyes that he had ever seen, that the owner of this pair of eyes was the girl that he had been dreaming about since they first met, and that the owner of this pair of eyes is apparently a girl with whom he is now bound notwithstanding.

As for Hermione, she was the one who placed her hand on Harry's chin, gently compelling him using what little strength that she has to look at her. That she was able to do so with the little strength that she possessed was a tell-tale sign that Harry wanted it as well.

She found herself looking at a pair of eyes, their color as the greenest that she had ever seen, and she knew that she could lose herself there, and she found it strangely amusing and comforting at the same time.

Both Harry and Hermione would never know who it was the first move to kiss the other. Both would have claimed that it was her or him who did so. in reality, it might be that the two of them moved at the same time, for they met halfway there and shared a kiss.

Both of them reveled at the feeling of their first kiss.

For Harry, who has never been kissed before, kissing Hermione was like drinking the best pepper-up potion in the world, and at the same time, it was like drinking an energy depleting potion. That was how he felt, that he was getting weak on her knees, but at the same time, that he was feeling stronger.

For Hermione, who had been kissed before by her parents, though at her cheeks, it was a different experience than those kisses that her parents had given her. Certainly, she would have made the same analogy that Harry had used should she be asked to describe how she felt, but for her right now, it felt as if they were eleven years old again, and she felt as if time could stop here and now, she would not care.

Dan and Emma looked at one another, in reality, Dan wanted to stand up and forcibly separate his daughter from Harry, but he found himself being pinned on the sofa. It was not any of the magical beings that are now with them who is doing the pinning, all three of them were stunned more effectively than any stunner that had been fired before at the kiss that Harry and Hermione are now sharing. The reason that Dan was looking at his wife was because he felt her gripping the back of the white dentist coat that he was wearing.

Emma Granger was pointing at her daughter while she was kissing Harry. Dan looked at their daughter, and his eyes widened when he saw that the couple, Harry and Hermione, are now surrounded by a golden white nimbus of light that is getting stronger and stronger as time passes.

Al, Sirius and Remus, stunned as they are, noted the golden white nimbus of light that is now surrounding the couple. None of the three men are witnessing their first ever soul bond, but none of the three men have ever been witness to a golden white nimbus of light surrounding a soul-bonded couple as bright as this before.

Sirius and Remus are also remembering the first time that they had watched something like this. It was during their seventh year at Hogwarts, when James got lucky and was able to share his first kiss with Lily at the common room at Gryffindor Tower, the light was as powerful as the light of a stunner and they held lips for a full minute before they separated. Since that time, the two of them have been inseparable.

As for Al, he was remembering the first time that he witnessed something like this. He noticed his first when he was fairly young, before the war, when he witnessed a buddy of his kissing his girlfriend before shipping out. The couple was muggle, but that did not stop their souls from binding with one another, love, after all, is the one kind of magic that all people share.

Watching as Harry and Hermione shared their kiss, Remus and Sirius decided to time the actual deed. For some reason, both men think that they would hold their kiss longer than the full minute that James and Lily had when their souls first bound with one another.

The power of the light that is surrounding the couple is growing more intense with each passing second and all of the adults in the room now cannot help but shield their eyes from the intense light. Suddenly, the light disappeared all together, but one glance at Harry and Hermione by Al confirmed that they are still holding their kiss. That was the last thing that he can remember, because at that moment, a wave of powerful magic erupted from the couple like a wave, knocking out Al, Remus, and Sirius. Due to their proximity, both Dan and Emma were knocked out as well. The magical backlash shot out in all direction, discarding the walls of the Granger house, and went on to knock out every magical being that they come across, including the guards on the Granger Residence.

Department of Magical Regulation

Ministry of Magic, London, England

At the ministry, devices that are used to monitor illegal magic suddenly decided to all go off at once. The person in charge of monitoring them was a lucky bastard, as he had never seen this happen before, so he decided to leave the room and call for his supervisor. At the same time that he closed the door to run for his supervisor, every device shattered into a thousand pieces, sending lethal projectiles everywhere.

If the man who was supposed to be monitoring them had waited for his supervisor instead, he would be dead.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Scotland

If Albus Dumbledore had been in his office that morning, he would be howling mad.

His office has a collection of silver instruments on a flat surface, and as soon as the magical backlash reached Hogwarts, these instruments were the first to go off. At first, they started to twirl and complain like crazy; sending high shrill sounds into the air, but after a few moments, when it was clear that the device were being forced to accept too much power, they just started to explode.

The occupants of the portraits in the office were the only ones that had witnessed the phenomena, but because the devices exploded, millions of silver pieces started to fly everywhere, destroying more than half of the portraits in the office.

All around England

The magical shockwave soon covered all of England. As it did, it passed several items of interests, which includes a cup, a locket, and a ring.

As the magical shockwave passed through them, they suddenly emitted painful screaming, followed by some sort of black spirit being expelled from the things and then deafening silence.

Malfoy Manor

London, England

The magical shockwave passed through the beautiful and obviously expensive manor much like how it has passed through the other manors in the area.

Lord Voldemort was in a meeting with his inner circle, the moment that the shockwave hit the place, every witch and wizard in the area suddenly found themselves kissing the ground, and in the case of one death eater who was unluckily conducting business in the comfort room, he suddenly found himself kissing his bodily wastes right after he had deposited it.

The ones most affected were Voldemort himself and his snake.

In the case of the self-styled Dark Lord, he was walking along the stairs, he likes to walk every time he is making a speech, when the shockwave hit. The magical shockwave knocked him out, and unfortunately for him, his foot slipped and he found himself not only kissing the ground, he found himself kissing the ground with two broken limbs, an arm that is set in an unnatural angle and a bleeding wound on his head. Since all of his followers are down with him, and would not recover for another hour, no one can help him until then.

As for the snake, it reacted much like the three other items, but in the case of the snake, there was no deafening silence after the black spirit was exorcised. It was a good thing that the death eaters and Voldemort are down, if not, then they would be getting front row seats as they watch the snake explode.

Granger Residence, Crawley

England, United Kingdom

Al was the first one up, followed by Sirius Remus and Dan. Emma was the last one before Harry and Hermione.

All occupants of the house looked at each other, unsure of what just happened, that was, until Sirius started to laugh, followed closely by Remus and then Al.

"Okay" Harry said, he was still holding Hermione's hand, "Someone tell me what the hell just happened"

Al sighed, he was smiling as he said, "We just found proof that you and Hermione are indeed soul-bound" he looked at Hermione and bowed to her, and in a slightly amused tone, he asked, "Should I address you as Lady Hermione from now on, or would Hermione suffice?"

Hermione smiled, she does not know what the hell just happened, but she felt, there was no other way to describe it, complete for the first time since she was born. Looking at Harry, she was sure that he feels the exact same way, and when he looked at her, she suddenly realized that what he is feeling is the exact same thing that she is feeling, for the first time since both of them were born, they felt complete.

"Hermione would suffice, Al" Hermione replied, she smiled mischievously, "Assuming, of course, that I can call you Al"

"Of course" Al replied with a smirk on his face, he then turned his attention towards Dan and Emma, he sighed before saying, "I am sorry about this Dan, but you now have no choice but to come with us"

Dan nodded, he looked at Emma, who nodded, before turning his attention back towards his old friend and nodding, "You said that there are guards out there, how do we go out?" he asked.

Al smiled, "Simple Dan" Al replied, "Your old friend is going to treat you and your family to dinner, so, how about it old buddy?"

Dan smiled and shook his head, "As long as you're paying, I really do not mind." He looked at him and asked, "How does that help?"

Remus was the one who answered, "Harry, Sirius and I are not supposed to be here Dan" he said, "We would leave the way we came, but before we do, we would help you pack first, then shrink your things so that it would fit in a single suitcase"

"Which you would bring with you guys when you leave for dinner tonight" Al said, he looked around the house and said, "I am sorry that I am asking you to leave this place, Dan, I can see that you and your family love this place, but…"

"Hermione had informed us of the danger that we are in, Al" Dan replied, "We were thinking of selling this place anyway, and as for the practice, it has become tediously boring and repetitive, so that would be no loss"

Al nodded, "Okay" he replied, he smiled and asked, "Shall we then?"

The Burrow, Weasley Home

Devon, England

Albus Dumbledore sat on the round table filled with the cooking of Molly Weasley, aware that the money that the Weasley matriarch had used to buy all the ingredients for this feast had came from the Potter vault.

With him at the table was the Weasley patriarch, who was looking subdued, as usual, the two youngest Weasley siblings and the spy of Albus Dumbledore in the ministry, Percival Weasley.

The twins, Fred and George, are out of the house since they had been given permission by Molly to visit their friend Lee Jordan, while the two eldest Weasley brother's, Bill and Charlie, are out of the country, in Egypt and Romania respectively, for their jobs. That suited Dumbledore just fine since the one that were not included in this meeting are the one that are not in on the plan. More, Albus is sure that the ones that are not included in this meeting are the ones who would not want anything to do with the plan.

Glancing at Arthur, who was obediently eating his dinner, Dumbledore cannot help but feel sorry for him. He had been under the Imperius curse for nearly thirty years now, and had been fed more than enough love potions that made him addicted to it, but the self-styled 'Leader of Light' consoled himself by convincing himself that everything that they are doing is for the 'Greater Good'

Arthur was just unlucky enough to have been the one that Molly Prewett had chosen as her husband when Dumbledore asked her to chose for the fulfillment of their plan.

Glancing to the boy sitting beside his father, Dumbledore saw Percival Weasley. The former Hogwarts Head Boy was sorted into Gryffindor only because of the fact that he had red hair. If not for that fact, everyone in the table would be prepared to bet that Percy would have been sent to Slytherin. He was devious, cunning and would not hesitate to sacrifice his own family for his advancement, traits that made him ideal as the Dumbledore spy inside the Ministry. A staged fight between father and son in Diagon Alley was all that was needed to make the idiot that is the Minister believe that Percy is loyal to him rather than Dumbledore.

On the other side of Arthur was an empty seat, which was meant for Molly. The Weasley matriarch was currently putting the finishing touches on her main course, so she was out on the kitchen, and then Dumbledore. To the other side of Dumbledore are three empty seats, before his eyes rested on the pretty little red head of Ginevra Weasley.

The youngest of the Weasley siblings used to be a kind-hearted girl who would never do what she is doing to Harry now. Dumbledore remembered when she was a child, Ginny was an incredibly smart girl who knew that they are poor, so she kept asking where they are getting the money to buy her things. Growing up in a household under the iron control of Molly Weasley soon saw that kind attitude for the girl go away. She is probably the one who depends on the Potter vault the most, and she consoles herself every night by convincing herself that when she marries Harry, they would be sharing that vault anyway.

Dumbledore again consoled himself as he thought about how different the life of Ginevra Weasley had turned out by telling himself that all of this is for the Greater Good.

Sitting beside her young sister was the youngest Weasley boy. Unlike Ginevra, who had became the person that she is now because of how she was raised, Ronald was born jealous. Stifling a chuckle, Dumbledore remembered how the one day old Ronald, seeing that his blanket was shabby, actually stole the blanket of the baby beside him so that he can use it, and did not care that the other babies crying woke the entire nursery up, while he slept.

Dumbledore need not console himself for the youngest Weasley since he had been born like that. Ronald, however, is also a good actor, so much that he might actually win the muggle Academy Award for Best Actor, and he is the same age as Harry Potter, which made him the best man to plant beside the young Potter heir. Dumbledore knew that the boy, starved of friendship and affection, would instantly trust Ronald without knowing that the boy would happily murder him so that he can get his money.

At that moment, Molly entered the dinning room, a platter full of chopped roast chicken between her two hands. As the Weasley matriarch placed the platter at the center of the table, Dumbledore studied her. Molly could easily become the potions mistress of Hogwarts if she ever needed a job. Like most pureblood supremacist, however, she believed that the place of a woman is in her house, serving her husband and raising her children. That she had to use a love potion and subsequently impreiused her husband to enforce this fantasy of hers is of little consequence to the pureblood.

At the moment that Dumbledore was about to tear off the legs of the roast chicken in front of him, an owl flew into the room and dropped a letter off for Percy, who quickly snatched it and grudgingly paid the delivery owl. No one noted that the owl glanced at the sumptuous feast before it flew away, everyone was staring at Percy, who opened the letter with a feeling of dread.

He had expected the letter to be some sort of notice from the minister who had discovered who he was working for, so when he saw that it was from, Matthias Plod, their spy inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Percy cannot help but sigh. His good mood, however, instantly banished after he read the note and handed it to Professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore read the letter three times, trying to decide as he was doing so if the letter was a joke, but decided that, since it came from a well-placed spy inside the ministry, it cannot be a joke.

Dumbledore handed the paper to Molly, who read out loud, "Potter has chosen a defense counsel for his case, the celebrated German lawyer, Anton Rosseu, who has a license with our ministry, to defend him in the coming trial. Madam Bones and Minister Fudge both agreed with the choice, though reluctantly in the case of the latter" she turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Who is this Anton Rosseu, Albus, and why is he defending Harry?"

Percy answered for the professor, who was clearly perplexed at this strange turn out of events, "Anton Rosseu is a German Lawyer as the paper said mom" he explained, "he is a hard hitter and one who has never lost a case before"

"So?" Ron asked, as typical of him, he asked the question while his mouth was full of food, resulting to some of his food flying off his mouth, and since he looked at his brother as he asked the question, some food found their way on Percy's clothes, who looked at his brother irritably before banishing the food back to Ron, who not only did not care, but actually scooped the pieces from his clothes and promptly returned them to his mouth.

"It does not matter" Dumbledore suddenly said, he actually smiled and said, "When Harry comes to Headquarters, I would convince him to drop Rosseu and allow me to handle his case"

No one in the table, not even the imperiused Arthur Weasley, would doubt that Dumbledore would be able to change Harry's mind, after all, Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in the world, and his memory charms are the stuff of legend. Those charms would probably have books written about them by now, if not for the fact that Dumbledore would not hesitate to use them to hide his manipulations.

"Why can't we let him stew with his muggle relations?" Ron asked.

"Because Ron" Ginny said, turning towards her brother, "I need him near so that I can seduce him" she gave her brother a look that suggested to everyone in the table that she thinks that his brother is stupid, which, unfortunately, is shared by a majority of the occupants of the table, "the love potion is nearly complete, I would just need to add the final ingredient tonight and by tomorrow, I would be leading Harry by the nose"

Dumbledore noted, impressed with the youngest Weasley child. He silently smiled as he considered offering Ginny the job of potions mistress at Hogwarts after Severus retires, for, if anything, it seems that Ginny is better than her mother when it comes to potions.

"Ronald" Dumbledore suddenly said, "When you arrive at Headquarters tonight, I want you to prepare to snag young Miss Granger as well"

Ron looked at the professor as if he was mad, and then asked, "Why should I get the mudblood, Professor?" he asked, he looked at his mother, noted the anger on the face of his father as he used the word mudblood, but ignored him, and asked, "Ginny gets Potter, why do I get the mudblood?"

"Ronald" Dumbledore said, placating the youngest Weasley boy, "She would get in the way of Ginevra, we cannot have that"

"Besides" Ginny added, "You need her since she is the only one who can do your homework"

"Well, there is that" Ron admitted, he sighed once and then nodded, though it was clear that he was not liking his new mission one bit. He, however, reminded himself that a successful mission is going to be rewarded, and he cannot wait to get his reward on this one. Befriending Potter gave him ten thousand galleons, for taking Granger, he intends to ask for a reward of no less than one hundred thousand galleons.

Dumbledore smiled as he read the mind of the Weasley boy, and he was more than prepared to give him what he wants, the money, after all, is going to come from the vaults of Harry.

The conversation had mostly died down by now, as the occupants of the table turned their attention to the feast that Molly has prepared. Whatever else may be said of the Weasley matriarch, most of them not good, no one can deny her cooking skills.

Unfortunately, at that moment, another post owl decided to make an appearance. This time, however, the owl did not go to Percy, instead, it went straight to Dumbledore, who then removed the letter and offered the owl some food. The owl seemed to look around, saw Molly Weasley, and had the primeval instinct to get the hell out of anything that the woman had cooked, so the owl decided to forego the usual knut as well and just flew away as soon as the owl was certain that the letter has been delivered.

No one at the table, not even Dumbledore, can explain the unusual behavior of the owl, but then again, they did not have the time to do so, because at that moment, Dumbledore opened his letter, and saw contents that would have angered the wizard if not for the fact that he was supposed to be at a table.

The note fell but Percy was quick enough to summon it to him so that he can read it. There are only a few words in the letter and Percy saw that it was delivered from the home of Arabella Figg, the 'guardian' of Harry at his relatives place, and the letter was about Harry. What was written, however, was not something that anyone in the table, with perhaps the exception of Arthur Weasley, would have expected.

The letter simply stated: 'Harry is gone, not been seen since yesterday afternoon, muggle relatives are trying to keep it a secret, but not doing well'

A/N: Apparently, the original draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has Harry being rescued from the destroyed house by Hermione's dad.