They looked at each other and nodded. Ginny took the potion and drank it down in one gulp.
Ginny's eyes fluttered, drooped and finally closed as she lay back on the bed.
"What was it that you gave her?" Harry asked curiously. He felt her mind with his link. There were just swirls of colour and vague emotions; greens and gold's, hope, excitement and anxiety. But there were no discernable worded thoughts. He caught a few memories, waving to her brother on a red train, cooking with her mother, but no actual conscious thoughts.
"A potion for a dreamless sleep," Dumbledore replied. "now I think that the best way for this to work is if you don't have control over your body to start, so what I'm going to do is cast a body bind curse on you, it doesn't hurt" he added, seeing his eyes widen with fear. "It will simply freeze your limbs in place and leave you unharmed. While like this try to make Ginny move. Are you ready?" he asked.
Tentatively Harry nodded.
It was one of the creepiest feelings that he had ever felt when the spell hit. Like his body was no longer obeying him. He tried to move but got no response.
"Now try to make Ginny move, just try clenching her fist first," Dumbledore suggested.
He tried to make her move. But he came across the same feeling when he had tried to move his own body. He was anxious. Could the potion be affecting the link? Maybe I can only control her if she lets me while she's awake.
He looked into her mind again and it was still in the same state that he saw before. Just as he was about to settle back and wait for Dumbledore to release the curse he felt something different, yet familiar. It was hard to put his finger on but it was there. He looked through the sensations that he was feeling from Ginny and thought there was nothing there that was not in his own body.
Then it hit him. It was not that there was something that she was feeling that he wasn't. It was that he was feeling something she wasn't; the paralysis. He pushed a bit deeper into Ginny's mind and felt the feeling that he remembered from the senses tests. I hope she doesn't mind this, he thought nervously. He remembered that he needed to clench his fists and tried to do so.
He felt something on his hands and realised that he was feeling his hands clench.
I did it!
"Excellent, well done Harry," Dumbledore said. "Now see what else you can do with the bond."
He wandered what Dumbledore was doing at the moment, he was out of Harry's sight so he sat up automatically and opened his eyes. Wait, he thought. my eyes were open how did I open them again? Looking around he saw Dumbledore and Molly looking surprised at him and the ceiling above him. I'm seeing through both our eyes at once, he realised. Amazing.
"I trust that Ginny has not woken yet Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"No she hasn't," he replied but something in his voice sounded wrong. It sounded like when he was making Ginny speak with him but not in stereo.
"ah I see that your voice is different from the use of Ginny's body," Dumbledore said.
"It feels wrong doing this," Harry said. "It feels like I'm forcing her to do things, I don't like that."
"Yes, controlling someone to your own ends is wrong," Dumbledore said. "Though Ginny gave you her permission to take control. She also has the same power with you. There might come a time in the future, if one of you is unconscious and the other isn't, that you might need to take control to get them out of harm's way. So this practice, as long as you both agree is harmless and a useful skill. It is only when you use it for ill that it is bad."
Harry/Ginny nodded, "I think I understand. Like if she is sleeping and the building catches fire, I could go into her body and get her out."
"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded smiling. "Now I will take the bind curse off you and see if you can control both your bodies at once." He flicked his wand and another feeling of control of his body surge through him and his real body relax. He tried making it sit up and found that while it did, Ginny's body also curled forward. He stopped and tried to isolate the command to sit up and send it to his real body only. After several tries and a couple of times making himself lean back he could get his real body to move completely independently of Ginny's, keeping control over both at once.
"That is very good Harry," Dumbledore said.
"What about Ginny?" Molly interjected. "what is she doing in this? You aren't having to stop her doing things to get her to do what you want are you?" her voice was strained anxious.
Harry shrank back a bit.
"I', sorry," he said. "I'm not doing anything to stop her, she doesn't know what is happening. She's still asleep."
She rounded on Dumbledore. "Why did you send her to sleep?" she demanded. "She doesn't know what her body is doing; don't you think that is wrong?"
"There are issues with this, certainly," Dumbledore replied. "I thought it would be a better idea for them to learn to control each other's body while the other was asleep for three reasons. First, it would reduce the distractions that would interfere with their control. Second if one is asleep they don't have to feel like they are out of control of their own bodies or that they are surrendering to another's will. Thirdly, we can be sure that the bond gives this ability if..."
"Um," Harry interrupted. "I can feel the link fading..." his voice trailed off as Ginny's body became limp and slumped back on the bed next to Harry.
"Ah yes," Dumbledore said. "I half expected this to happen. The fluctuations will continue till the first stage is complete and the bond stabalises."
"Can we wake Ginny up?" Harry asked. "I mean if it's not too much trouble."
"No trouble at all Harry," Dumbledore replied, picking up another bottle from the bedside table where the potions were left. He gently opened Ginny's mouth and poured a small measure down her throat.
A couple of seconds passed before Ginny stirred.
"Ginny, you need to wake up," Molly called, moving over to her daughter.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled. Harry and Dumbledore chuckled.
Hearing the chuckles she sits up and cried out in pain. Harry who had also cried out when sitting up had broken their connection grabbed hold of her again.
"So that wasn't a dream," Ginny said.
"No dear," Molly replied. "It was all very real."
"Did it work?" she asked. "Did Harry manage to take control?"
"Yes he did," Molly replied. "He was able to get you to sit up and talk before the link got weaker and he lost control."
"Wow," she said.
"Wow indeed," Dumbledore said. "The other soul bonds did not get to that stage, Merlins was the only one that started this stage and they could barely move each other's eyes. This means that your bond is the strongest in history."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other in shock.
"Do any of you have any questions for me?" Dumbledore asked.
"You said something about magical cores," Ginny said. "What are they? I heard of them once but I didn't understand."
"Your magical core is the source of your magic," Dumbledore began. "It is a part of you and you can tap into it when you need to. It is this that enables you to do magic and its power is focussed by a wand. When you are young, your emotions can shape the magic enough to do accidental magic. Without a wand there are very few spells that can be done and many people cannot do more than the most basic spells such as a light charm, or levitation charm."
"You said ours would be en-camped," said Harry. "What does that mean."
"Enhanced means strengthened," he replied. "The bond enables you to share magical cores and also strengthened them. The end result will undoubtedly be spectacular, for you don't just have the power of a regular magical core; you have the composite of two perfectly matched and already strengthened cores. This in fact brings up a problem." He continued looking at Molly.
"The cores will be extremely powerful, to the extent that if they lose control, the power unleashed could do severe damage."
"Don't children have some limiter on them?" asked Molly.
"Yes," he replied. "All magical children have a binding placed on their core by the Trace spell that is in effect in England. Usually it starts to unravel when they turn 11 and is helped by the purchasing of a wand, eventually being completely removed when the Trace is broken at 17. I think it will be in their best interests if the bindings are removed and they start learning to control their magic early. If they have an outburst that breaks the bindings the power that would be released could kill them. It is better if we start releasing their cores slowly and training them now so they can reign in their abilities."
"Is there anything about this bond that can't kill them?" asked Molly irritated. "It seems that everything from their own magic to not touching each other can kill them. Ever since you walked in you keep saying that anything we try to do will kill our baby and she is stuck forever with a boy we have barely even met!" her voice had risen while she was taking and she was breathing heavily. Harry had shrunk into himself while she spoke.
"I-I-I'm sorry ma'am," he stuttered. "I didn't m-mean for this. I'm sorry."
The fear in his eyes broke Molly's anger on the spot.
"it's all right sweetheart," she said gently. "I know that it's not your fault, it's just that I don't like that my daughters future is already set to a greater or lesser extent."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other for a few seconds and Harry relaxed a bit.
"Did you have any more questions?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry and shook their heads but Molly asked, "who will be teaching them?"
"I could if you wish," he said.
"That's great," Molly replied surprised. "And what about Harry, will he be allowed to live with us? And what about his aunt and uncle?"
"Of course Harry will be allowed to live with you," Dumbledore said. " it is really the only practical option seeming as we need to keep Harry and Ginny together. As for his, relatives, I believe they have been charged and are awaiting trial."
"You mean I don't have to go back?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Of course not," Dumbledore replied. "We would never have sent you there in the first place if we had any idea it would be like this.
"And now I should leave. The healers sound like they're getting restless and I have a meeting with the wizengamont, though I could come round later if you like to answere any more questions you think up and help with the practical side of things."
"Thank you," Molly said and with that he bowed and walked out of the ward.
As soon as the tail of his cloak wisked out the door the healers came bustling back in. They made Harry and Ginny lie back down and gave them both a thourough check over. Apparently they found no physical injuries and the only thing they found was that Harry was still magically exhausted. They gave Molly some nutrient potions and prescribed a week's rest to recover. With no actual injuries left to treat they were discharged and allowed to go home.
While they were on their way out they ran into a medium sized wizard, with the same bright red hair as Ginny, though with the beginnings of a bald patch.
"Arthur where have you been?" Molly cried. "You missed everything!"
"I'm so sorry Molly dearest," he replied apologetically. "I was out trying to sort out some old lady who got a charmed tea set and only just heard that you and Ginny were here! Is everything all right?"
"Oh everything's gone crazy," she said. "Physically we're all fine but we should first get these two home." She continued gesturing to Harry and Ginny, who were walking along together, hand in hand.
"Oh," he said surprised. "Who is this?"
"Not here Arthur," she said. "Now come here you two."
And with that she dissaparated, taking Ginny and Harry, along with Arthur.