A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I just couldn't update my stories for about two weeks due to some mysterious error. It seems to be working fine again now.

Chapter 9 - Preparations

The four met at the ice-cream parlor when they finished shopping and enjoyed a quick refreshing cup before the twins dragged the couple back to their car.

"Let's go to the church!" they announced.

Even with magic-induced green lights, going from central London to the suburb church took some time. The twins told Harry and Hermione about the church:

"It is quite near to a mansion where we had a few modeling sessions. It looks very elegant and we were intrigued to visit it. When we did, we found its interior even more interesting. We stopped there on our way to London and checked if there are any openings for weddings. They have no opening any morning, but they still have a few afternoons."

Daphne, who was driving, kept silent most of the way, while Iris continued elaborating about that church until they could actually see it. The medium-sized church stood in the center of a large, well groomed garden and reminded Hermione of a cathedral she had once seen. The interior walls sported many paintings, large stained-glass windows and additional electric lighting which made the place even more beautiful. Harry liked the place and Hermione adored it. The church fit perfectly in her childhood dreams of marriage and happily-ever-after. She was sure her parents would approve.

"May I help you?" They heard a man asking as he approached them.

They turned to see a tall slim man who looked about sixty. His hair was mostly white and his collar indicated his affiliation with the church. He seemed to have identified the twins as he approached. "Ah, Miss and Miss Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you again. And these must be your cousin and his fiancée…"

He moved his gaze towards Harry and stopped in mid sentence with his mouth agape. He recovered quickly enough. "Mr. Harry Potter – I feel honored to have you in this humble church."

"How do you know me?" Harry blurted.

"Aren't you the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived'? Didn't you just vanquish He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named only a few weeks ago? You saved us all, muggles and magicals alike. It's an honor to meet you in person."

"Then you are…"

"A wizard, just like your two charming cousins. I've felt better living like a muggle and using my magical abilities only when needed to help others."

Hermione eyed him with interest. "Don't you find religion and magic somewhat incompatible?" she asked.

"Not at all. Religion is mainly about loving each other, living modestly and helping those who need help. While most pureblood families drifted very far from these concepts, they are not contradictory with magic itself. The whole creation is actually the work of Godly Magic, if you just think of it."

Hermione seemed eager to discuss the idea farther, but the twins intervened. "We are actually here to plan a wedding. May we proceed?"

The vicar smiled. "By all means! Please follow me to the office."

After talking a bit more, it became evident that both the church and the vicar were well suited for the kind of wedding ceremony they had in mind. The vicar ("Call me just Mathew"), after overcoming his initial surprise to see Harry, acted very nicely with the couple, disregarding their "war hero" status and treating them just as a young couple seeking to get married. Noticing how Harry felt uncomfortable with his fame, Mathew also offered to handle all the form filling at the ministry for them. Hermione eventually called her parents and asked them to come to the church before finalizing the details.

Harry had a nagging feeling that the man looked familiar. He felt safe near him but couldn't understand why, and he noticed that Hermione felt the same.

They made a guided tour of the church while waiting for the Grangers. Mathew enjoyed explaining each of the paintings and the decorations and telling about the history of each. He talked so interestingly that Harry found himself listening to all the details, quite in contrast to how he used to behave in his history of magic lessons. He didn't even feel the passage of time until the Grangers arrived.

Hermione was proud to present her parents and the vicar greeted them warmly. "I'm father Mathew McGonagall, but you may call me just Mathew."

His words clicked into Harry's mind, yet Hermione was the first to respond. "Aren't you related to Professor McGonagall of Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Very closely related. I'm her younger brother. She was speaking very highly of you, Miss Granger, for the last seven years. I can now see why."

Hermione blushed at his words.

/*\/*\/*\

Harry and Hermione spent the evening going over catalogues of wedding invitations in every style imaginable, along with her parents. The twins dropped these on them after finishing the other arrangements. None of the designs seemed to appeal to the young couple.

"Why won't you design your own invitation?" suggested Hermione's mother.

"I've never tried something like this!" protested Hermione.

"You never tried being married either," her mother pointed out, making the young woman blush deeply.

"I believe some of the graphical programs on our computer could help you at this. Just give it a try," her father encouraged.

"OK, I'll try it in the morning," Hermione replied. "I'm too tired to concentrate now. This has been quite a long day, you know…"

By the time they reached bed, Harry was too tired to even mind her period. They just snuggled into each other and fell into a peaceful slumber.

Two days later they already had their invitations printed, using their own original design with some modifications suggested by the twins and by the printer. The invitations were printed on parchment that looked like rich paper and decorated with delicate gilded flowers. It gave the impression of richness and nobility without showing off. They spent another day just addressing and signing the invitations and then sending them off via royal mail or owl mail as appropriate.

The twins had already found a good catering company for the reception which was planned to be held in the garden surrounding the church. They also made sure to have a large tent ready for erection on site in case the weather didn't cooperate. Harry could only admire their organizational skills, well rivaling Hermione's.

Mathew also called. "I've visited the ministry to set the papers right and I need you to sign some of them. Would you like to visit the church or would you prefer that I visit you?" Harry noticed that he sounded excited.

"We need to go to London tomorrow for our final measurements. We can pass by the church on our way," he replied.

"Tomorrow is a very busy day for me. I'd rather finish this before tomorrow. Do you mind if I pop for a short visit?"

"Not at all. You are welcome any time." Harry gave the exact address. "You may even apparate into the backyard," he added. "It is only visible from the house, so it is quite safe."

Mathew arrived in the evening, using his car. "I'd rather not apparate. It is not too comfortable…" Both Harry and Hermione nodded their agreement. "…and it would raise too many questions if anybody happens to see me."

They invited him to the sitting room, where the Grangers were already seated.

"Most of the ministry is still not functioning," Mathew started. "Many of the workers were Voldmort's supporters – they have either fled the country or been arrested. Some others have either been harmed or lost dear ones – they are still recovering. This means that many functions in the ministry are not functioning properly, which explains why some things which should have happened didn't."

Harry looked at him quite perplexed. It was clear that the man had something in mind, yet it was unclear what he was aiming at.

Mathew stopped for a moment and looked at the young couple. "Have you ever felt that you could communicate with each other without words?"

They both nodded.

"How long has it been happening?"

Hermione shrugged. She felt as if that has always been the case. "I think it happened soon after the troll event," Harry noted.

Mathew nodded, as if he already knew about it. "That seems to fit…"

"Is there something wrong?" asked Mrs. Granger worriedly.

Mathew smiled. "Nothing's wrong. I just found out something extraordinary. Under normal circumstances, the ministry would have sent them several owls already, but the circumstances are not normal yet." He sighed deeply and then turned to the youngsters. "You two don't really have to get married."

A frown crossed Hermione's face. "Why?" she asked.

Mr. McGonagall looked ready to give a long lecture. "When a magical child is born, he or she is magically written in the book of the living. If that child has a soul-mate, their names are written there as well, or just a star, if the soul-mate is not yet born. This is not too common, you should know, yet nobody is informed of this before adulthood. I don't know why, but this is the custom."

Hermione's mind was working furiously. Did he mean to tell them they were soul-mates? That could explain their special way of communicating. She had already read about soul bonds of all kinds, yet none fitted her experience with Harry. Was it something else?

Mathew continued. "Soul mates can live their whole life without knowing each other. They will probably feel somewhat unhappy and think that something is missing in their lives. This is probably why the ministry uses to inform them once they reach maturity. Soul mates, although fated for each other, do not form a bond until the appropriate conditions are met. These conditions are either some life threatening events, like your troll encounter, prolonged close proximity, like you have shared during your long friendship, or close physical relations."

Both youngsters blushed at the last statement.

"This is not the kind of bond that formed between you," he continued. "According to the records at the ministry, you were not born soul mates. You became such due to repeated acts of mutual life saving. Each time one person saves another, they share a bit of their souls. If this is repeated enough times, the two souls become indistinguishable from each other. They are no longer two souls – they are one soul shared by two people."

Hermione frowned. "Ron was also with us, saving both of us almost as many times as we did. Wouldn't that create a similar bond?"

"It might, but it didn't seem to do so," explained the vicar. "There are actions which can undo the bits of soul sharing. These are usually acts of betrayal or acts that cause extreme anguish. Such acts undo the sharing of bits of souls very effectively, as long as there are not too many bits shared. Has Ron treated you as kindly as Harry?"

Hermione only shook her head. It was clear now that no bond could be created between her and Ron, even before he left them during the last winter.

Harry was still confused, but Hermione seemed to become excited.

"The act of marriage makes a symbolic connection between two souls. Soul-mates don't need it, as their souls are already connected. You two have taken this one step further – you share a soul. One can't make your connection any stronger with a ceremony." Mathew stopped talking and looked at his audience. They all looked somewhat shocked.

Hermione recovered quickly. "Why can't I feel his feelings and his thoughts, then?"

Mathew sighed. "It's not as simple as that. I tried to present the situation in simple terms, yet the details are quite complex. I've borrowed this book from the ministry to let you study the situation." He took from his pocket a small book, enlarged it and put it on the table. "I promised to bring it back by the end of this month," he added.

"Does this mean they should not get married?" Mr. Granger asked, quite worried.

"Not really. The ceremony itself does nothing to bring them any closer – they already are as close as can be. It is more for the rest of us, really. It makes their connection official in the muggle world and announces it in the magical world as well."

"Do you know when our relations changed to become a bond, one which is magically recognized?" asked Hermione.

"I had no time to delve in research, yet it seems to be quite recent, as the records preceding the end of the war didn't refer to your connection as a bond, only as mutual life debts. Nobody seems to have taken care of the filing since then, yet the current records state that you are fully bonded. Do you recall any event which could have pushed you together, making the final step of the bond?"

Both youngsters blushed. "It may be the time we have discovered our love for each other," commented Harry shyly.

Mathew decided not to ponder any deeper.

Iris and Daphne were thrilled to hear about the bond. "It was just natural, noticing the way you acted," explained Iris. "You know each other much closer than any wedded couple we've ever met."

The coming days flew quickly. Hermione and Harry spent their time studying the book about the bonds. Once unshrunk, it turned out to be a large and thick tome full of ancient knowledge, some of it quite cryptic. Hermione enjoyed the challenge, yet Harry was frustrated by the amount of work it required.

The twins, true to their promise, took care of all the arrangements, consulting with the pair only when they needed their opinions. By the last week of August, everything was ready: Hermione got her dress, Harry had his clothes ready, the catering and the decorations were all set, Mathew had the church ready for what he considered to be a very special wedding and all of the guests had confirmed their arrival. The twins even took the extra precaution of sending each of the magical guests some suggestions for correct dressing in such a muggle event, along with appropriate photos.

Please review!