Chapter 04: Power of Three, Power of Seven
Three hours later, Harry returned to his room to find Dobby and Winky fidgeting with excitement. Harry looked around and could see nothing different with his room. Winky gave a big smile and said "Follow me, Harry Potter Sir" and walked through the wall next to his bed. "Wow! that looks like the barrier at Kings Cross"
When Harry followed Winky through the portal, he was surprised by what he found. He was standing in a large unfurnished living room with a wooden flooring, and a large fireplace. There was one door on one side of the living room which lead to a large closet sized room. Winky informed him that it would be the apparition and portkey point of the house. On the other side of the living room, there was a arch which lead to a relatively large dining area that would comfortably seat 6-8 people around a dining table.
Next to the dining area was a kitchen with a central granite topped platform that had place to house two ovens on one side, and a dishwasher and a small refrigerator on the other side.. All round the platform, were wooden cabinets to store ingredients, a place to fix the microwave oven. Winky explained that her previous mistress, Mrs. Crouch took a strong interest in muggle inventions and loved to furnish her house as beautifully as the muggles did. She had many muggle magazines that had pictures of smart home decor. As Winky showed Harry the rest of the house, he couldn't help but be in awe of what Winky could do.
There were five guest bedrooms each with an ensuite bathroom and a walk in closet. None of the rooms were furnished. Each of the rooms could be temperature controlled and had magic windows that had a different view. The master bedroom was huge with two walk in closets and large bathroom whose design was based on the prefects bathroom. The large bathtub could easily seat at least 6 persons at a time.
The rest of the floor consisted of a dueling room with a one-way transparen't wall with a viewing room on the other side. On the other side of the dueling room was a potions lab. Harry was surprised to see that the potions lab resembled a muggle chemistry lab with two rows of workstations with three in each row. Each work station had a ingredient preparation area, an area to store the knives, stirrers, mortars and pestles and a place to keep the cauldrons and the heating lamp. Winky explained that each workstation came with an Elven ward that would prevent an exploding cauldron from harming others in the room.
The last room was a study/library whose ceiling was charmed to show the night sky irrespective of cloud coverage. Winky explained that you could zoom in any constellation by asking the ceiling to do so. Harry was amazed at what they had done in such a short time.
"Winky, I can't believe that you both did all this in such a short time!"
"Oh no Sir! Winky and Dobby had a lot of help. We asked 49 free house Elves to help and they did all this with their magic. In return, they ask that they be bound to you so that they may survive until they find a new wizard or house to bind to. We is sorry we did not discuss this with you."
"Of course not Winky, I will gladly bond with them as servants but not as slaves. They are to follow the same rules as you. Wear clothes, get a pay, not punish themselves without permission and use magic freely. But tell me something, where exactly is this place? What about recharging of the blood wards? What if someone from the order comes looking for me and I am not there? What if Mad-eye Moody recognizes that portal and follows here?"
"Harry Potter Sir, this place is underground, below your relatives' house. We have used some Elves whose ancestors were dwarfs to help in the construction. They are usually hired by Goblins in their mines."
"That is perfect! As we are still at #4 Privet Drive, the wards will still recharge right?" Harry enquired. At this Winky and Dobby started fidgeting. "Come on, tell me what the problem is."
"Master, we Elves see magic, we see that the blood-wards are almost gone. If Master desires, we make wards stronger with Elven magic. But we needs blood from Master, your aunt and someone you are not related to by blood. Three bloods makes strong ward. Master, your blood, your aunt's and your uncle's blood as wizard, squib and muggle blood makes it strong. But Dobby can give blood, so a wizard, squib and Elf blood ward makes stronger ward, only next to wizard, Elf and Goblin blood ward."
Harry was amazed! "Would you really do that for me, Dobby and Winky?"
"Of course Master! Also, calling this place your home, will make the ward stronger. Only one of the three has to live in this place to maintain the wards. As for the scary-eye wizard, we can hang a magical painting on the portal entrance and he wont know the difference. We can also enchant an object with your magical signature and he wont know the difference. We set it so enchanted object appears only if Master not in the room."
"Winky, you and Dobby are brilliant! Let us go and recharge the wards."
Aunt Petunia readily agreed to donate a little blood. She preferred to donate the blood by using a hypodermic needle in stead of by cutting her palm. Uncle Vernon was convinced after it was explained to him that Harry, Dobby and Winky would be invisible while the ward is being strengthened. After discussing this further, the trio decided that it would be best to cast a new ward within the boundary of the old blood ward so that Dumbledore would not be notified of the change in status of his ward. The new ward would only allow those who have been invited to enter the house on a temporary basis. That would mean that the Bird Club members would not be able to drop in unannounced. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon promised to call Harry before they let anyone inside the house.
That night Harry and the two Elves waited till night fall before they would begin casting the ward. They decided to anchor the ward on a rune stone in the center of the new study in the Den as Harry started calling his new accommodations affectionately. It seemed that luck was in their favor when they smelled strong smell of tobacco and alcohol nearby. "Dobby, could you please put a sleep spell on Mundungus while we work on the ward?" Dobby disappeared with a very faint pop. In fact it was so faint that had Harry not expected it, Harry would not have noticed. "It is because you gave us free use of your magic, Master." Winky said seeing the expression on Harry's face. Thirty minutes later, no. 4, Privet Drive had a faint red glow which lasted a few seconds before it disappeared.
This time harry noticed the depletion of his magic and decided to call it a night to recuperate. As his master bedroom was still unfurnished, he decided to sleep in his old room for the night.
Five hours later, at 2 AM, Harry woke up screaming to find Dobby's finger on his scar. He suddenly realized that his scar did not hurt him any longer. "Dobby, Winky! Quick go to the Lovegood and Bones Residences and bring them all downstairs to the Den. They are about to be attacked by Death Eaters." Both the Elves disappeared with a very faint pop. Pushing himself out of the bed, he decided to walk through the portal to wait for his guests.
A few minutes later, Harry heard a lot of commotion in the closet where the portkey and apparition points were. Harry opened the door to find Luna and her father there. Luna walked up to Harry and gave him a hug and in her characteristic dreamy voice, she said, "I told you Daddy, that Harry would save us if he can!"
Before Harry could invite them into the living room, three more people appeared in the room. Harry was immediately hugged by a near hysterical red haired girl. "HARRY, thank you! Thank you very much for saving us." It took Harry a minute to recognize that it was Susan Bones who was hugging him. "Susan, you are welcome. Are all of you okay? Is anybody hurt?" Susan shook her head while still hugging him.
'What is it with crying women?' Harry did the only thing he could think of, he hugged her back and patted her back consoling her. There was an older lady who Harry recognized as Madame Bones. "Welcome to my home, Madam Bones. And Daphne Greengrass??" recognizing the black haired beautiful girl who was unpopularly known at Hogwarts as the Ice-Queen of Slytherin.
Daphne walked up to Harry and hugged him too, "Thank you Harry! I don't know how you knew, but thank you for saving our lives. After the tragedy last week, I don't know what I would have done had they captured me."
At Harry's questioning look, Madam Bones told him that Daphne had lost her mother in a Death Eater raid last week because they refused to join them. Fortunately Daphne, who happened to be Susan's cousin, was at the Bones residence at that time.
"Please feel free to make yourself comfortable here. There is absolutely no furniture here as we just finished the construction. I am not allowed to do magic here, so could one of you elders please conjure or transfigure some beds for tonight? I can't tell you where 'here' is. But this place has strong wards and the only people who know that this place exists are the ones in the room. Maybe we could all rest for a while and talk during breakfast tomorrow? Would anyone like to eat something now?"
Everyone shook their head and Luna introduced Harry to her father Xenophilus Lovegood, the owner and Executive editor of the Quibbler. Harry asked Dobby to pick up Hermione for breakfast tomorrow. Madame Bones conjured and transfigured beds for everybody. Even though there were enough rooms, Daphne and Susan decided to room in.
Harry woke up early in the morning and was surprised to find all bathrooms had their fixtures done and there was water flowing through the taps. After brushing his teeth, Harry decided to have a quick shower and change into Dudley's cast off clothes and was surprised to find that they actually fit him. 'Guess I will have to thank Winky for that! I definitely need new clothes.', Harry decided.
By 7 AM, everyone was awake and at the dining table and Hermione soon joined them. Hermione was surprised at the eclectic collection of people here at the table and wanted to enquire where they were. Harry silently mouthed 'later' which seemed to pacify her for a short while. Winky had a huge breakfast ready for everyone. Once every one had finished eating, Harry enquired if everyone had a good nights sleep.
"Harry, how did you know that we were in danger?" Daphne asked.
"Before I answer that, did any of you do anything to warrant such special attention by Voldemort?" As expected there were several gasps at hearing the word. "Oh come on, there is no need to fear a name. It is just a made up name. If you don't want to call him Voldemort, call him Tom or Riddle. For Tom Morvalo Riddle is his real name."
Daphne was the first to answer, "My mom and I refused to join the Death Eaters. Mom worked as a healer and potions mistress at St. Mungos."
Luna was next to answer, "Daddy and I wrote that article in the Quibbler about the Battle at the Department of Mysteries"
Madame Bones said, "I applied for guardianship of Daphne and I have been leading an Anti-Fudge campaign at the ministry. I guess having the bumbling Fudge as the minister is beneficial to Vol..Voldemort"
Susan replied smugly, "I have no idea what I did to the Dork Lord". Harry sniggered at the moniker.
Harry then explained to Hermione, "Last night I was lying in bed when I had another vision and my scar hurt a lot. Thanks to Dobby, the pain receeded and I could send both Dobby and Winky to bring everyone here. Don't ask me yet where 'here' is. Tom was angry that the connection with me suddenly became very faint late evening. I have an idea as to what did that. So he ordered raids on the Bones residence and the Lovegoods home."
"What do you mean by connection and scar pain Harry?" Madame Bones enquired.
"To answer that I will need a wizards/witches oath that you will not discuss what I tell you today"
After receiving all their oaths, Harry and Hermione proceeded to tell everyone the life of Harry Potter. They explained about the Marauders, Lily Evans how they got together, their arch rival Severus Snape, the prophecy, how Snape defected to Dumbledore's side, Pettigrew's betrayal, Lily and James Potters sacrifice, how Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid dropped 15-month old Harry off at Privet Drive at his magic-hating relatives.
They then explained Harry's life in the cupboard under the stairs, Dudley's bullying at school, accidental magic, getting his Hogwarts letter, Hagrid giving him his first birthday cake, meeting the Weasleys at Kings Cross Station, meeting Hermione, Troll in the girls bathroom, meeting Voldemort's spirit in the forbidden forest feasting on Unicorn blood, being thrown off the broom, rescuing the philosopher's stone, Dobby's warnings, flying to Hogwarts, Trip into the forbidden forest to meet Aragog, petrifications, heir of Slytherin, speaking Parseltongue, rescuing Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, slaying a 60-foot basilisk, freeing Dobby, back at Privet drive, being locked up, and blowing up Aunt Marge.
The next years had Meeting Sirius Black, Learning the Patronus Charm, Rescuing Sirius and Buckbeak, Visit to Quidditch World Cup, forced to participate in the Triwizard tournament, First, Second and Third Tasks, portkey to Voldemort's resurrection, Killing of Cedric Diggory, Dueling Voldemort and escaping, fighting Dementors at Privet Drive, attending the trial for underage magic, Umbridge and the Dumbledore's Army, Using blood quills during detention, visions from Voldemort, saving Arthur Weasley, Snape's mind-rape sessions instead of Occlumency lessons, Umbridge's entrapment in the forbidden forest, rush to the Department of Mysteries, fighting with death eaters, Sirius falling into the Veil, Harry's use of the Cruciatus curse, battling Voldemort, Dumbledore to the rescue, Voldemort's possession of Harry, Back to headmasters office and hearing the prophecy, Headmaster again insisting isolation of Harry and carting him off to Privet Drive, Harry's plan to set his life in order till now.
By the time Harry and Hermione were done, not a single person was tear free. There were many points of time when each looked angry at the sequence of events that took place. "Harry, I am sorry that you had to go through all that in life. I would love to help you sort through some of the obstacles you have faced and will face in the future. If there is anything specific you want me to do, please let me know. But first let me thank you for saving our lives. By the time Dobby came, they had already set up anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. The floo was down and there were even anti-broomstick wards. Just before we left, we heard them break through our front door. And all this while, I was wondering what happened to the Aurors who were supposed to save their boss?"
"Madame Bones, it is Dobby you should be thankful for. I was just a messenger. Where is Dobby by the way? I haven't seen him since yesterday."
Harry heard a telltale crack of Dobby apparating in. He was fidgeting and looked nervous. "Master, Dobby disobeyed Master. Dobby must punish himself. Please give Dobby permission."
"Nonsense Dobby! What did you do?" Harry was curious.
"Master ordered Dobby not to try to save Master's life! But Dobby saved Master last night. Dobby blocked master's connection with bad wizard and saved Master."
"Dobby, forget about the punishment and forget about that order too. Do you really know what is wrong with my scar? How did you stop the pain?" Harry was intrigued.
"Bad Wizard created a connection with master by putting part of his soul into master. Elves can see the connection and it is the darkest of black!" Dobby said. There were a lot of gasps at the table on hearing this proclamation.
"So that is how Voldemort has been sending me those visions!" Harry sighed accepting the inevitable a little too quickly. "So Dobby! Does that mean that you can see all the connections I have with others? How about the connection I have with Hermione or Daphne?"
"Yes Harry Potter Sir. The connection between youself and Miss Hermy is based on love, loyalty and friendship. The connection between youself and Miss Greeny is that of a life-debt and friendship. You have at least two more life-debt bonds but one of them is tinged with jealousy. Dobby does not know what that means."
"Amazing Harry, you officially know more about Elves than any wizard alive today." Hermione smiled. "Dobby, do you know how to remove the dark connection with the bad wizard?"
"Dobby not good at Elven rituals. Dobby asks Winky about it"
Winky appeared into the dining room with a faint pop. "Master, Winky knows a ritual that will help remove the dark connection. But Winky not know if Master likes the ritual."
"Why don't you tell us more about the ritual Winky?" Hermione asked while pulling out her notepad and pen.
"The love-based ritual is based on the power of 3 and power of 7. The ritual is known as 7-soul ritual. The ritual requires 1 male Elf, 1 male Goblin and 1 male wizard i.e. Master using the power of 3. The ritual also requires 4 unwed witches. All 7 of them are soul bonded to replace the dark connection. Bad wizard did not die because Master's connection acted as an anchor and thus did not pass onto afterlife. Both Elven and Goblin magic will need to be used during the ritual."
"Winky, is this bonding temporary or permanent?" Hermione enquired.
"The bonding between Elf, Goblin and Wizard can easily be broken, but should not be broken until Master's magic and soul have stabilized and matured. The bad wizard has been stealing Master's magic through the connection. The bonding between witches and Master can also be broken but will lead to some magic loss and a few years of Master's life. This too should not be broken before masters magic has stabilized."
"Wait! Soul-bonding, doesn't that mean being married? I thought those cannot be broken. Is multiple soul-bonding even allowed legally?" Harry was panicking by now.
"Relax Harry. Polygamous relationships are not illegal in the wizarding world. Since soul-bonding is considered the purest form of marriage, multiple soul-bonds is also legal. I know, we still live in the dark ages." Madame Bones explained. "I have heard of spontaneous soul-bonds, but have never heard of any ritual to create soul-bonds."
"Forget it! I am not allowing a witch, let alone 4 to get close to me. Anyone who gets closer gets killed. You have all heard it. I might as well die, so that Voldemort may become mortal." Harry said.
"Harry, let us not be hasty here!" Hermione said with various expressions on her face. "I believe that Dumbledore knew about this soul connection between you and Voldemort. Now it makes perfect sense as to why he did not train you. He has been honing you as a perfect little weapon that he will let loose over Voldemort and when Voldemort kills you he becomes mortal. If this is true, it surely explains a lot of discrepancies. He is only interested in keeping you from going dark and joining Voldemort. We really need to remove this connection you have. Since it is possible for the soul-bonding to be reversed later, I volunteer as one of the witches. It doesn't have to mean that I am marrying you, but more like bonding my soul with yours. Once the war is over, we can always reassess our relationship. I trust you Harry, so I want to do it."
"Hermione, don't be ridiculous! I will not allow you to put your life in danger! Who knows, the ritual itself might be dangerous. What if we are not able to remove the soul-bond later?"
Before Hermione could respond, she was interrupted by Luna and what she said increased the smirk on Hermione's face. "I agree with Hermione. Daddy, do you have a problem if I volunteer too?" Luna asked her father. "No darling, I have no problems. Your mother would have been very proud. Once the war is over, maybe you can research soul-bonding and write a book."
Harry gaped at Luna's father as if he had lost his marbles.
"Auntie, if you don't mind, I would like to volunteer too", Susan asked Madam Bones. She was followed by Daphne "I would like to do my part in getting rid of the monster that killed both my parents. Auntie, could you give me permission too?"
"Harry, is it too late to ask if you have been given 'the talk'?" Madame Bones joked. "I think I agree with Hermione that this connection needs to be broken. We can't have Harry anchoring Riddle on this plane of existence. So I will give you both girls permission."
"BLOODY MAD YOU ALL ARE! HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR MIND? DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE? You are talking about soul-bonding which is more purer than getting married! What happens when one of you falls in love with someone else? What happens when all four of you start fighting amongst each other? What about when the soul-bonds can't be broken. Remember, it is me you are bonding with, and the impossible seems to happen to me! I know there will always be a glitch in the plans when you put me into the equation."
"Harry, we have all thought about it and from each of our perspectives, this solution seems acceptable to us. If the bonding can't be broken, we will continue to be bonded to you. You are a decent guy and you have never known to be cruel. Moreover with Voldemort, out of your head, we all expect to see a more cheery personality develop in you. If it doesnt, we will develop it." Hermione giggled.
Harry glared at Hermione in Anger. He still could not believe what he was hearing. "There has to be another way! I wont let you all get into danger. When the word gets out, I will be painting a target on all your backs."
Hermione decided to cut Harry midway off in his rant. She fully expected him to push them away so that they would be safer. But she also realized that this needed to be done. "Harry! Do you want to get rid of Voldemort or not?"
Harry spluttered mid-rant at the question. "How can you ask me that Hermione? Of course I want the Dark Tosser dead!"
"Then, you agree that the dark connection needs to be broken. And the ritual is the only way we know to do that." Hermione said with a triumphant expression on her face on winning the argument. Harry looked at Winky for confirmation and she nodded.
Luna's father spoke up. "Son, the secret to a good life is to know when you have been outclassed. Accept it and move on."
'Merlin, why does this always happen to me?' Harry sighed. "I will only agree if we classify our relationship as friendship and our bonding be kept secret. I am not marrying you folks. Not that there is anything wrong with any of you. Each of you is beautiful, loving and smart in your own way. I just feel that you should marry for love. So I am not going to indulge in any carnal activities with any of you just because we are soul-bonded. Our relationship shall be revisited when the war is over or when my magic and soul reaches maturity, which ever is earlier. Do you all agree?"
Daphne spoke up. "Harry, this sort of arrangement is nothing new to us pure-blood witches where in a marriage is arranged. I agree with you. I would like time to get to know you before we agree to break the bond. I am willing to wait."
Hermione nodded and added, "Harry, I expected this from you. We all love you, but we are not in love with you. What you propose makes perfect sense!"
"Wait, aren't you going to propose to us in the proper way? No going down on one knee?" Susan joked.
'Merlin! What have I gotten myself into?' Harry groaned. "Ladies, remember soul-bonding, not marriage! We still need to find a male Elf and a male Goblin to help us."
"Dobby likes to help Master, if Master agrees"
"Dobby? really? would you do that for me?" Harry was surprised.
"Of course Master! Dobby is Harry's friend too."
"Now, I can't argue against that kind of logic, can I? Now we need to find a Goblin who can help us" Harry turned to the two elders in the room and asked, "Madame Bones and Mr. Lovegood, would it be alright if these lovely ladies stayed here for a few days? In fact, if they wished to, could they stay the rest of summer here? I promise that nothing hanky-panky will ever go on here."
"Harry, please call me Amelia. Or you may also call me mom." Madame Bones joked. "These witches trust you enough to agree to a soul-bonding. I am not going to be an overprotective aunt. I trust them enough to make the right decisions. You have my permission."
"I agree too son, you may call me Odd. I fully trust Luna. I am glad she is gaining three sisters."
Both the adults took their leave and left for work. In the meantime, Harry eaves dropped on the conversation amongst the four witches.
"Who would have thought?" Daphne said, "A Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor?"
"You are right", added Susan "Black Hair, Blonde Hair, Red Hair and Brown Hair!"
"I got one", said Luna with her dreamy expression. "A pureblood, a mixed-breed, a half-blood and a muggle-born! I have fairy blood in me." Luna confessed
"I got a better one!" Harry joined the conversation. "Ice Queen, Loony, Giggly Ditz and a Bossy know-it-all!"
"HARRY JAMES POTTER" cried all four witches, red in their face. "How could you!"
"I am sorry! I didn't mean it as an insult. I just wanted to point out that we all are different and it is better if we spend time on looking at our similarities rather than our differences. I for one have an abused background with hardly any understanding of both the muggle and wizarding world. Each of us come from a different background and different experiences. I think it is time for us to understand each other and more importantly, learn about ourselves from this experience."
"For example, I would like to know why Hermione has such a dogmatic loyalty towards authority, why Luna says the sanest thing in the most insane way, why Susan is always the hyperactive optimist, and why Daphne has only one true friend i.e. Tracy Davis till now. Let us see the positives from each and try to emulate them and work on our perceived negative traits."
"But you are right! I did insult you all and I wish for my punishment to be a Barbie doll for your ladies. Will you please help me buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes, both muggle and wizarding? I have never had a decent set of clothes that would fit me till date and have always had my overly-large whale of a cousins clothes thrust on me. Would you please forgive me?" Harry made his best puppy dog face.
"SHOPPING!!! Yippieeee!" The reaction was unanimous.
"Hermione, I have asked Dobby to request a meeting at Gringotts tomorrow. Could you please arrange for your parents to have dinner with us tonight?"
"You are right Harry! Let me call them right away."
"In the meantime, Winky, could you do some furniture shopping please? Will you be able to manage that? I really appreciate your artistic style. Make sure you ask the ladies if they had anything specific in mind for their rooms."
"Don't worry Harry Potter Sir, Winky glamours as a muggle and do the shopping. I have asked Dobby to bring us both a muggle credit card and Gringotts money pouch when he comes back from Gringotts."
"Excellent Winky! Thank you."
'What was I thinking? Shopping with four women!' Harry mused. "Merlin, I am so tired that I could sleep on my feet, except that my feet are killing me."
The shopping according to the four witches was a resounding success. They got Harry to try on every kind of clothing available: jeans, shorts, T-shirts, Polos, formal pants and shirts, jackets, muggle suits, pajamas and even undergarments. Harry refused to model in his undergarments. Then they moved to the other sections of the store and bought him 7 pairs of shoes, 5 belts, 3 caps, and three watches. They also bought him a pair of cool sun glasses.
When they insisted that Harry visit the hair stylist, Harry agreed to it only if each of them shop for an entire wardrobe for themselves so that the could be comfortable. After a little coaxing, they all agreed to his plan and didn't see the witches for another 4 hours. Having done with hair stylists appointment, Harry found a cozy corner of the store and tried to sleep. Each of the witches insisted on him waiting outside the changing room so that they could model their clothes for his approval. Susan, Daphne and Hermione helped Luna pick her clothes while Hermione and Susan gave the other girls tips on muggle make up and hair and beauty products. All in all, after settling the insanely large bill, Harry called Dobby to transport them all to 'The Den'.
When Harry reached home, he was surprised to find that the whole place had been impeccably furnished. The living room now housed comfortable sofa sets with light-brown colored leather upholstery, neatly arranged around a central table. On the wall next to the fireplace was a large 48-inch flat screen television. Harry walked into kitchen to find it fully furnished too. The guest bedrooms and the master bedroom were tastefully decorated and furnished. 'This is amazing! Elves are definitely the most efficient creatures on this earth!'
Hermione brought him out of his reverie when she said, "Harry, do you mind if you are not present while we girls talk to my parents?"
"Sure Mia! I am too tired anyway. I will grab a sandwich fast and head to bed."
While Harry was fast asleep in the master suite, the girls settled themselves in the library. Each of them contemplated on what they had volunteered to do and took this downtime to introspect on their lives.
"So Hermione, I know you want to help out Harry. But don't you have a crush on Ron? Why are you doing this?" Susan enquired.
"Good questions Susan. I will have to tell you all about my life. Since we are all here in the same boat, can we all take a witches oath that we are doing this out of free will to help Harry defeat Voldemort and not solely for any personal gains. I know we all agreed because each of us has to gain from this bonding. If we can reaffirm it in the oath to never betray Harry and promise to work together productively rather than fighting amongst us that would be wonderful. What do you all say?"
"Always looking out for Harry! I wonder what he would have done without you all these years", Susan laughed. "I agree that we should take a magically binding oath to that effect. Do you mind if I take a crack at the wording of the oath? I have had many discussions with my Auntie finding loopholes around oaths and I would like this oath to be tamper-proof."
Fifteen minutes later, all four witches had taken their oath. "Susan, I am amazed. Are you sure you are not a lawyer in training?" Hermione complimented Susan. "That oath was the most comprehensive one I have ever taken. Thank you for helping Harry. I like the fact that we all can trust each other implicitly with anything forever. I hope we all become great friends."
"To answer your earlier question Susan..." Hermione took a deep sigh before she continued. "When I was a child, I had always known that I was different. I could remember things I learnt from books much better than my peers. It was no wonder that I did well in class. Unfortunately, this success came at a huge price. No one wanted to be friends with me. I guess I protected myself by shunning those who shunned me, thus creating the bossy know-it-all persona, when on the inside, I always craved to have a normal happy childhood sharing it with friends. "
"Harry was the first real friend I have ever had. I had to work on Ron. If you analyze his friendship with Harry, he might be a symbiont, but with me, I think he has always been a classic parasite. Over the last couple of weeks, I have had a lot of time to rethink my life and I realized that I might have been under compulsion charms or potions. Or maybe I have just been plain stupid. Ron is everything that I should hate in a boyfriend. I don't know if I like Harry in the same way, but I have always found his friendship to be a security blanket. He helps me push myself to excel better than anyone I have met. I don't think I can live with not having Harry in my life. I guess it is one reason why I never entertained thoughts about dating him and messing up my friendship with him. He sure has his faults, but even he agrees that those can be worked on."
"This arrangement will help us both understand each other better. As I said, I love him, but am not in love with him. If at the end, he wants to continue, that will be wonderful. If not, I will always be his best friend. In fact I would like to see him to meet a girl and fall madly in love with her. If that is one of you, I promise to be supportive."
Daphne was the first to react. "You are right Hermione. We have always known that you loved Harry. Whether you are in love with him or not, it is up to you and Harry to decide. If it is you, you will surely have my support." Daphne continued, "The characteristic that makes a Slytherin is not cunning or ambition, but that we are willing to do things for self-preservation. I volunteered for the bonding, because I want to live. There is no way I will be alive without choosing a side."
"My father was an unmarked death-eater. Yes, everyone believes that the Greengrass family is neutral. But that is only because of my parents' marriage vows. He was the epitome of a bigot. He believed that women were made to be used by men. My mother, in her naiveté, a family trait of the Bones family, wanted to reform her man. How wrong she was! Susan's dad, i.e. my mother's brother, killed my father in an honor duel when he found out that my father had been abusing my mother. Riddle's minions killed Susan's parents for it. My father has put me under several gaes that forced my life to be friendless. He viewed me as his property that he would use for his profit in the future. These gaes are the reason for my reputation as the ice-queen as they forced me to have very few friends. The gaes can only be broken by bonding with my betrothed who has been approved by my guardian. Now you know why I have only had two friends, Susan and Tracy."
"So what do you plan to do when Harry's magic matures?" Hermione enquired.
"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I plan to have a job when I graduate so that I can support myself. If Harry wants the bond to be broken, I would be okay with it I suppose as I will have the freedom to choose who I want to spend my life with. This freedom will be more valuable to me than anything else that Harry has to offer."
"How come you never told me about these chastity enchantments cousin? I always assumed that you liked women better." Susan joked watching Daphne blush. "What about you Luna? Why did you volunteer?"
"The answer is pretty simple really! Harry is my ONLY friend. I have come to terms that I will always be odd. The only person who has never called or considered me Loony, was Harry. While growing up, I have had a crush on Ron, who you know is my neighbor. But I realized what a pig he has grown up to be, no offense Hermione. Harry sees me as a good friend, he helped me when others bullied me. I don't see Harry falling in love with me, for that matter, anyone falling in love with me. So if I can help him out, while I can, I will be glad to do it. Look what it gains me, three sisters, more than anything I could have asked for."
"Luna, thats such a negative attitude. We are going to help you. Who says no one will fall in love with you. One can never predict such things." Susan, the ever optimistic girl replied for the rest of the girls.
"Well, I guess that leaves me." Susan continued. "Hmm... I want to be taken seriously in life. As Daphne said, I lost my parents when I was pretty young and my aunt raised me. I was always coddled and I have absolutely no experience with dealing with the world. So I usually live in a made-up world with me as the center of the universe. I have never taken a shot at love, as I have been afraid that I would get hurt like Daphne's mom did. My friends, Hannah and Ernie like each other. Justin swings the other way, which is funny, because many tried to link us both romantically. If I can help Harry change the way men look at women in our society, I would be very happy."
"Moreover, this will be a great way to get a practice at life being married, without actually being married. I will get to make adult decisions and I really think I will need a lot of help which I am sure I will get from you three. Maybe others don't take me seriously as I have never proved myself to me. This arrangement will surely help. I hope to fall in love and be happy in life. So if Harry and I both are not in love with each other, then I wont mind if we break the bond later."
"Wow! The four of us, so different, yet so similar." Hermione said. "Luna, I would like to apologize for my past behavior with you. Though I have never thought that you were loony, I have had problems accepting things that I did not believe were rational. I have been pretty standoffish with such beliefs. I will try to improve myself in the future. Who knows, maybe we will find them crumpled horned snorkacks and prove to the world that you are right."
"That's alright Hermione. There is nothing to apologize for. My behavior has always been a little odd. By the way, we have all talked about love, does Harry know what love is?" All eyes turned towards Hermione.
"Why do you consider me to be a Harry expert?" Hermione laughed. She sighed before continuing, "There is so much that boy doesn't know. He confessed to me last year that Sirius was the first person to ever tell him the words 'I love you'. He has never had a birthday party. The first Christmas presents that he received were in first year Hogwarts. The first hug he ever received was from me, end of second year. Believe me when I say that Harry has a lot to learn and all I ask from you is... Please, please don't break his heart!" Tears were freely flowing from Hermione's eyes. "I doubt he has any idea of what a soul-bonding entails. Poor guy! imagine having to live with always knowing the emotions of not one, but four women. This is going to be hilarious." She laughed through her tears.
That brought some laughter in the group and each solemnly pledged to themselves that they would never make Harry's life worse than it has been.
Harry woke up the next morning feeling extremely refreshed. He wondered if one of the house Elves had added anything to his food and drink. Today was going to be a very important day. Provided Hermione's parents agreed, he was going to be soul-bonded today. He wondered what it would have been like to have actually fall in love with someone and wake up knowing that you would get married that day. He realized what the girls must be giving up to go through the ritual. All their romantic dreams that girls usually have of falling deeply in love and marrying their prince charming were squashed yesterday. He vowed that he would ensure that he would keep all of them as happy as he can.
As he walked into the dining room, he realized that there were two more guests in the room. As soon as he entered the room, all the conversation in the room died and the silence sounded aminous. Mr. Granger motioned to Harry to join him at the table.
"Harry, we had a very interesting conversation yesterday night with our daughter and she informed us that she was marrying you today." Mr. Granger said with a raised eyebrow.
Harry couldn't help but start sweating. "Sir, it is actually a soul-bonding, which can be much worse than a marriage. This soul-bonding can not be broken easily like a marriage. There is no divorce in a soul-bonding. However, soul-bonding can be broken, but at a very significan't cost such as loss of magic or life years, which I assure you, I am ready to pay if need arises."
"So what are your intentions towards our daughter?"
"Sir, I promise that I wont do anything that your daughter will not want to do. I have already promised the others that there shall be no physical aspect to our relationship. Any such decision will be taken when my magic matures which should be in a year or two from now. I care for your daughter very much and I promise that I will never break her heart."
"So Harry, you are getting married to my daughter today and you have to gall to promise not to consummate your relationship? Isn't that unfair to her? Are you gay?"
"DAD!! STOP IT! Enough of you games!" The whole room burst out in laughter seeing Harry's expression.
"It's alright Harry, I was kidding! We are very proud of our daughter. We support her in any decision she makes. All we ask is that we be kept in the loop. We have faith in you to be honorable towards your relationships with these ladies. Treat them fairly and you will be the happiest man on this earth. You are much better than that Weasley bloke anyway. Come on, lets have breakfast and head to Gringotts. Big day today."