"I'm a Wizard, Jasper." As soon as those words left his mouth Harry was reminded of Hagrid and he smiled. "But that's actually aside from what's important. I was recently in a life changing uhm altercation and when I was revived so were my memories of a past life. And suddenly this part of myself that I was always missing made sense and I knew now why. I had to find you Jasper and ask you to release our bond. Now I know none of this makes any sense yet but I'm just going to have to ask you to keep trusting me. I know you can sense this, this connection. Otherwise I'd seriously question how many strangers you have followed home."

And so Harry started telling Jasper the story of them, and all Jasper could do is sit there and listen intently.

It had started literally a lifetime ago. At the tender age of four Harry had been given to a witch named Margaret by his aunt and uncle in exchange for a small fortune. Not that his relatives knew that she was a witch. He had grown up knowing that he had been sold to her like the house elves, yet Margaret never treated him as such. She let him grow up just as well as any middle class child at that time could. His relatives were never abusive but he had grown up without love and knowing that he was unwanted. His first night there he had cried into his ratty shirt trying his best to be quiet. But she had heard him and had laid next to him, brushing his unruly black hair from his forehead. It was the first time he could remember feeling an affectionate touch. And as they lay there she told him stories of magic and adventure and that even though it may not seem like it now, he too was destined for greatness.

"I can see it," She whispered into the silence of the room and although Harry had been told repeatedly by his uncle that such things didn't exist, and if they did they'd be of the devil he couldn't help but hope that his uncle was wrong.

Margaret moved them to Houston, Texas right after Harry's ninth birthday, when the candles to his birthday cake had relit themselves after Harry had proclaimed that he had forgotten to make a wish. She had bent down to be level with him right before they boarded the ship, and she instructed him to tell no one of magic or their bond. Harry who didn't fully understand in the first place and so therefore wouldn't have been able to explain it to anybody else, nodded his head. His time in Houston was lonely at first until he was introduced to Jasper Whitlock, Margaret's only nephew. The two were as thick as thieves from them on. Margaret would laugh whenever her sister Jane would worry that their friendship would develop into anything unseemly and would reply that it wouldn't be anything worse than having a witch in the family. All was well for many years until Harry suddenly stopped visiting Jasper and his mother wouldn't meet his eyes whenever he inquired about Harry. So one night Jasper climbed out of his window and walked the mile and a half into town and into his aunt's house. He knocked on Harry's window softly and hoped that the boy would be alone or even in the room. Harry appeared at the door after a moment –

"Henry," Jasper interrupted Harry's story seemingly snapping harry out of his memories. Harry's eyes light up as he laughed, nodding his head. Harry sat forward resting his arms on his knees and perching on the very edge of the table. Jasper absently noticed that it would only take a slight budge on his part in order for their knees to touch now. But what he really noticed was how close their faces were. He hadn't been this close to a living being in a very long time. Their eyes met and Harry stared at him intently, as if searching for an answer to a question he didn't dare ask.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Jasper ducked his head staring at the hardwood floor between their feet, his southern manners leaving him feeling a bit flustered – for a vampire. "I don't remember much, even what I could remember before is foggy and unclear but your old name stuck out to me." It was true, he had brief snippets of clear memories but like all things from before he was turned the rest were foggy at best. But he did remember standing next to a stoic Harry at his aunt's funeral. And putting his arm around the boys shoulder as Harry sat next to her bed, sobbing and clutching her lifeless hand. And of climbing through that window to demand why Harry hadn't visited.

As if sensing his thoughts, Harry continued. "Mother Margaret had fallen ill and her estranged 'friend' had reappeared. He was after her fortune and eventually he was after me. There's something else I, well I'm not sure if you ever really knew or if it just didn't matter to you at the time but I was basically property. My aunt and uncle had sold me to your aunt not long after my parents had passed. See my parents were wizards too and my relatives wanted nothing to do with that sort of thing. But your aunt could sense my magic, she always swore she could see it. And so when they went to sell me to who know what, she was there and she took me off their hands. She told me that I was different, that I was like her. But I always had such a hard time controlling my magic. After my traumatic childhood I needed something to ground me. So she basically bound us together – not like marriage or anything unseemly. She planned on releasing me when I was older and my magic more stable, but in her defense she didn't know that she was going to pass on so early."

"See usually wizards and witches live a lot longer than muggles or non-magical folk. But anyways your uncle or ex-uncle wanted to keep me as his possession, as more than just his possession…" Harry trailed off, looking away as he got lost in his thoughts. His eyes darkened and his brow furrowed. Jasper resisted the urge to smooth those lines away.

"I remember. I was your first kiss," Harry looked up from his hand at that breaking him from his daze. Even if it had been a lifetime ago, the memories of Margaret's husband wanting to possess him so thoroughly still left him shaken and feeling vulnerable. It was getting harder and harder to get the words out past the lump that had formed in his throat. "You were worried about my Uncle Robert, about what he wanted from you"

Ever the perfect gentleman Jasper left out the other part, how Harry had wanted to share more than just his first kiss. Harry blushed at his words as they remembered the moments leading up to the kiss That night that'd he'd come in through Harry's window, the younger boy had cried to him and he had spilled everything to Jasper, including how Robert had pinned then 14 year old Harry against the wall and ghosted his lips over Harry's as he told him what he had planned; planned to keep him, planned to strengthen the bond until they shared magical power. And then Harry could really earn his keep.

Jasper remembered how in tune he was to Harry's emotions. He could sense the fear and desperation in him. He knew then that he would do anything to protect Harry from that man. So when Harry asked him to be his first kiss he complied. Jasper was going to be more than Harry's first kiss he was going to give everything he had to Jasper so that Robert wouldn't take it from him. But Jasper had wanted him to save it, so instead he held Harry until the boy cried himself to sleep. Once he could sense that Harry wouldn't toss and turn he extracted himself from the boys grasp. He moved silently throughout the house, searching for the right room. He told himself that this is what had to be done. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do, but Harry needed his help and he wasn't going to let down his best friend.

Jasper had already enlisted in the army, just shy of his 17th birthday and had received his enlistment bonus. He had planned on giving it to his mother to help take care of the home while he was away. He knocked gently on the door of the master bedroom.

"Come in Jasper," The teen startled at hearing his aunt speak his name. Aunt Margaret always had a way of knowing things. Sometimes he wondered if she could just read them right out of his head, but that was just a silly notion. She reached out her hand to his and he took it. Her fingerers were cold and skinny, and she just looked so frail. His heart ached at the sight of her.

"I want to take care of Harry, I know he's indentured and well I ain't got a lot of money but I…

He trailed off, suddenly uncertain. His aunt gave a light laugh. "It was never a servant I wanted from Harry. I could never have children but I didn't despair because I could always see little Harry in my future. He needs stability Jasper, something you won't be able to give him while you're away. But…"

She trailed off as she struggled to sit upright her breathing becoming even more labored, suddenly staring at him intently. "If you promise – if you swear on your life Jasper Whitlock that you will care for my Harry, then I will transfer our bond. There's a school I had wanted to send him to, up in Austin. I want him to still go. I want you to be understanding and compassionate, because my passing will be unbelievably hard on him. I want you to promise me that you'll take care of him… Come in Harry."

She beckoned Harry over from where he had just appeared at the doorway, never taking her eyes off Jasper.

"I promise,"

The transferring of their bond was a very simple affair, solely because Margaret's failing health had already weakened it. Margaret released her end of the bond and formed a new one to Jasper. Whereas her bond to Harry had been a soft green color, the yarn like line now connecting Harry and Jasper was a very strong but blurry Gryffindor red. She explained that it was just to help ground Harry and he wasn't going to mindlessly start following all of Jasper's commands. She didn't care to mention what the significance was to the difference in colors, she figured fate would reveal it to them in due time. All at once she felt so at peace now that she knew the last of her affair were in order. She was ready and not a moment too soon because she could feel sleep beckoning her to the great beyond. She reached out for Harry's cheek, noting that already his health seemed to be improving. She never knew she could love someone this much.

She smiled at him, taking in those dazzling eyes, "You have been the best thing that's happened me. I love you, my son."

Harry covered her hand with his as tears blurred his vision. "I love you too, mama"

He didn't know if she'd heard him or not, since her eyes were already closed. The room was eerily quiet now and in his heart Harry knew that he was unbelievably alone now. Jasper stood by Harry's side as the boy cried his heart out, clutching his mother's hand. When he had finally cried himself out Jasper led him out of the room.