A/N: Like I have mentioned, it's insanely busy irl. But I am also trying to participate in Nanowrimo by writing 50K words this month (in total for all fics combined), so I have been getting some good writing sessions in. I have written a little ahead so it's not like you'll have to wait a whole month for a new chapter (unless I forget to upload, in which case you are absolutely allowed to come bother me about it).

I considered a lot what makes a soulbond but it turns out there are absolutely no set rules for it. So I just tried to go by what would make sense within the story, and what I liked from fics I've read myself.

Thanks Meg for the beta-reading :)

Ginny opened her eyes, feeling like she had woken up from a deep slumber. She blinked slowly, her gaze falling on Harry. Her hand covered his, but otherwise they were apart, lying beside each other.

Harry blinked, his gaze locking with hers. She was trying to process the new sensations. She felt a new sense of closeness towards him, while simultaneously wanting to crawl closer to him. Most of all, seeing him across from her, brought a sense of ease she hadn't felt before. As she shifted her fingers further up his arm and the spots where they touched increased, the feeling increased. It was a feeling of comfort that kept growing bigger the closer she got.

Scooting closer to him, however, is what gave away that they had woken up. A Healer shot up off his seat and then suddenly three Healers were up and about. One left the room, presumably to inform the rest.

One came over to them and hesitantly looked at both of them. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Harry sighed. "Like I could have napped for another five minutes."

She snorted and met his eyes, he smiled at her. It made her smile brighter. It was like she was falling in love with him all over again.

The Healer stammered a bit. "Did you—uhm did you two…?"

He never got to the end of the sentence, as Bill stormed in. As soon as he laid eyes on them, he paused and let out a big breath.

"It's fine, Bill," Ginny spoke. "We're up."

They both sat up on their shared bed and sat on the edge of it.

"Finally," her brother said, walking up to them. "How are you feeling?" His eyes danced over her worriedly.

She frowned, confused. She thought they couldn't have been out for more than an hour. "… How long were we asleep?"

"Almost a full day," Bill said. "I was worried that moving you apart had caused something… and that you weren't going to wake up again."

"That wasn't pleasant, by the way," Harry butted in. "We couldn't see or hear each other until you put our hands back together."

Bill huffed. "How were we supposed to know? You two put your soulmarks together, that was your fault."

"That was going to happen sometime," Ginny said. "Now it's done."

"Luna and Hermione explained to us about the whole soulmate-soulbond ordeal after…" He looked between them. "Did you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I had a hunch," Bill said. "You don't do things halfway."

She glanced at Harry. "This wasn't only my decision."

Bill looked at Harry too. "Very brave to choose to bond with our sister."

"Hey!" She slapped her brother, who laughed.

He pinched her back childishly.

"Ow!" Harry said.

This caused the two of them to halt.

"You felt that?" Bill asked.

Harry nodded, rubbing the spot on Ginny's arm as if it were his own. "Yes, I did."

Ginny reached out and pinched Harry's arm. She could feel it in a way, though she could tell it was not her own body. When she concentrated harder, she became aware of more sensations of his body.

"Ow?" Harry let out again.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She offered him a sympathetic smile.

The Healer came closer again. "If I may…?"

They nodded. He asked for Harry to close his eyes. Then he held fingers up to Ginny.

Harry sighed. "Four. Three. Seven. Zero." He opened his eyes again, looking surprised at himself. "That is the strangest thing. I couldn't see it but it is like I knew…" He looked at her. He didn't open his mouth. "Ginny? "

She heard his voice loud and clear as if he had said it out loud, but she knew he didn't. She smiled. " Harry!? "

He covered his ears. "That's loud!"

She hadn't realised the volume mattered. She grimaced. "Sorry. We'll need to work on that."

Bill stared at them, looking almost appalled. "This is just weird…" he shook his head warily.

The Healer turned to Bill. "Your Royal Highness, if I may finish checking their vitals. If all is okay they can be released and then you can ask them ask as many questions as it pleases you.

Bill nodded. "Fine. I'll see you both in a few minutes."

They were deemed healthy enough and instructed to get food. After a day in a coma, they could use it. They were offered a robe so they could walk up to their room to get changed.

Ernest was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. Ginny greeted him and told him to follow. "What are the latest updates?" she asked him as she continued.

He walked up the stairs with them. "Nothing much. We have been worried, seeing as both the King and Queen were in a coma. Two of us remained nearby as you slept, taking turns standing guard by the door of the Hospital Wing. The rest went to help with the whole Secretera ordeal."

She halted abruptly. "Secretera?"

He nodded. "Lord Lucius managed to escape but they found letters… Now that Bellatrix is out of the picture, he is trying to gain the trust of King Rodolphus by killing his enemies."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Killing us ought to do it. Narcissa could reaffirm her claim that Draco was the King's son but there is no point to it now, is there?"

"Prince Charlie seemed pretty keen on retaliating but King Bill refused," the guard continued.

"Thanks, Ernest," Ginny said. "Keep us posted."

It was something to be discussed later. Ernest bowed and let them walk on. They shared a look and nodded. They hadn't heard the last of Lord Lucius for sure.

They walked into their room and Harry closed the door. Before he had a chance to move, Ginny had pushed him up against it and kissed him.

"Gently," he warned her but then he pulled her closer eagerly, aching to have her wrapped in his arms.

It was all so intense and perfect. His whole body reacted to hers like it was the first time they touched. Comforting, exciting, hot and tender all at once. In turn he could feel the bigger of her reactions too, they seemed to radiate off her body. He felt how she enjoyed it when his fingers dug into her skin by her hip and so he held her a bit tighter and felt her react. It was fun to know exactly what she wanted and play into it.

Unfortunately, she could pick up on him just as much. Lips still locked, she pushed her hips into him. He breathed out, reluctantly bringing her body to a halt.

"We can't right now…" he spoke against her lips.

She stood unmoving and he could sense a mild annoyance rising within her.

"I want to take my time because I know we won't want to stop and we are expected at breakfast," he said with all the effort he could muster. It was difficult to deny her when every of her touches felt so wonderful.

"I know," she admitted. She sighed. She looked back up at him, her eyes wide and playful. "But I want to."

He pushed off the door and she walked backwards. Then she pulled herself up on him, wrapping her legs around his waist as her face tucked against his neck. They both sighed happily.

"I really thought we'd both die in there," Harry said, bringing the ordeal at the mansion up for the first time since they got back to the castle.

She nodded. "Don't mention it, I am still angry at myself for not realising it was an ambush. We should have been more cautious."

"We couldn't have known," he said, caressing her back.

"Maybe," she said. "I just keep forgetting that people know who I am now, and that I am a target as well."

"I promise it isn't usually that bad," he assured her. "It's just the aftermath of the battle. It'll die down in a bit."

She let go of him and he released her, setting her softly back on the ground. "We nearly died, just by sheer luck we—"

"Luck?" he said. "I wouldn't call it luck. In a way, it was supposed to happen. Maybe it was—"

Her jaw set. " You better not say fate. "

" Bold demands from someone who decided to soulbond. Isn't that fate? "

"No," she said out loud. "We had a choice." She walked away from him. "I am probably already a gift from the gods for my family, I don't need this to be like that too. I want to have a choice."

He walked up to her and pulled her close again. "I didn't mean it like that. Of course we have choice. It's just nice to think we are meant to find each other in this world that brings so many aches. We get to have each other."

"That's not fate," she argued. "Soulmates meeting isn't guaranteed in any lifetime." She loosened her robe and let it drop on the floor. "It only happened because I persisted in becoming a Knight, and you were in need of one." She took his hand and linked their fingers together. "And then we worked for it. This didn't just happen, and the odds were not in our favour."

He frowned, stepping closer to her. "I can't tell if you're angry with me."

Her eyes never left his. "Do I feel angry?"

"I am figuring out you have a lot of complicated feelings," he said.

She let go of him and walked away to pick out a dress. "That's because I am a woman, sweetheart."

His eyebrows rose. "What about me?"

She shook her head. "I am still figuring it out. It's interesting to be sure."

"You could say that," he agreed. He watched as she took down a dress and stays.

She turned around to him. "Stop looking and get dressed."

Ginny was almost ready putting on her dress when there was a knock on the door. She checked if Harry was decent before she answered. "Yes?"

The door opened and Regulus stepped in. "Am I disturbing?"

She shook her head, as she pulled on the strings behind her back to close her dress. "Not more than usual." She smiled. She concentrated. " Tie my dress, will you? "

"Yesterday was eventful," Regulus started off diplomatically.

Harry came up to her, taking the strings from her, indicating he had heard her.

She sighed. "Yes, I know. I could have gotten us killed. I am angry at myself."

Regulus stared at her. "I didn't mean that. I meant the whole soulmate ordeal."

Harry finished tying her dress and came to stand beside her.

"Do you realise there has never been a Royal couple before that were soulmates, let alone soulbonded? The odds with arranged marriages in the mix, is so small," Regulus told her excitedly.

She crossed her arms. "What's it to you?"

"Do you know how useful it can be to use the bond if you can communicate without talking? You could negotiate differently if you use it well, work together… even spy. The possibilities are endless," he said.

"You know for someone who escaped royal life, you're really keen on sticking your nose into mine," she retorted.

Regulus didn't waver. "I get it, you haven't given it much thought."

"No," she said, stepping forward. "I haven't. Somewhere in between being in a soulbond coma and walking up the stairs to get changed, I haven't really been able to give this much thought at all." She stepped again, forcing Regulus to take a step back. "I am just trying to adjust for now and then I'll see how it works for me. If you want to meddle with royal business, talk to your brother." She opened the door for him.

Regulus nodded, able to take a hint. "Fine. I am just saying. You could put this to good use." He stepped out into the corridor.

"I'll see you at breakfast, Reg," she said patiently. Then she closed the door. She turned around to Harry. "I genuinely thought he'd keep out of my way once I became a full royal, but he keeps showing up. Something tells me he doesn't hate it as much as he says he does."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Maybe he is starting to realise there is more than one way."

"If you think about it, when he left Walburga was still alive and no one is going to claim she was pleasant…"

Harry shuddered at the thought of the former Orion Queen. "You could say that."

"I would want to escape that too." She checked her hair in the mirror and saw the piece that had been cut off. She would have to fix it later. "But Sirius isn't like that, is he?"

"Not at all," Harry agreed. "Quite the opposite." He cocked his head. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and walked up to him. "Let's go."

Ginny smiled brightly as soon as she spotted Luna. She didn't appear to have changed much. She still had long dirty-blonde hair and that dreamy look on her face.

Luna shot off her seat and she wrapped her friend into a long hug.

"I thought you were dead," Luna said, hugging her back tightly.

Ginny nodded. "I thought I'd never see you again, but you're still here." She released her friend and looked at her.

Luna smiled. "Where else would I be?"

Ginny let out a big sigh. It was weird to find a constant in her ever-changing world. She looked at Harry to come closer. He did so immediately.

"This is my husband," Ginny said. "King Harry, of Ignotia."

"Nice to meet you, officially," Harry said.

Luna curtsied. "Nice to meet you too." She looked back at Ginny. "It is odd to think of you as married."

Ginny chuckled. "I know. I am still adjusting."

They settled down at the table. She knew her brothers wanted to talk about the soulbond, and the ambush but for now she was perfectly happy catching up with her friend.

"I am sorry I used your name," Ginny said.

"It's okay," Luna said. "Although one Lord asked me how my stay in Ignotia was… I did insist I've never been there, but he said he saw me. And that the King couldn't take his eyes off me." She looked over at Harry.

He cleared his throat. "I didn't know that such news travelled as far as Harpia."

"He had a bit of a reputation of turning down perfectly fine ladies," Ginny told Luna.

"They just weren't marriage material," Harry argued. "I could tell they were missing something and then you showed up…" He smiled at her. "And you can't tell me it isn't true, soulmate."

She frowned at him. "I can't believe you're already using it against me."

"Are you going to tell me where Henrosia is located?" Luna teased. "Apparently I am from there."

Bill looked at them in amusement. "Henrosia?"

Ginny blushed. "I had to come up with something quick and I looked over at Harry and so I thought…"

The majority of them settled down in the library after breakfast. Half of them were doing research on soulmates and soulbonds. The other half were discussing the ambush. Ginny chose for once not to discuss the ambush, and picked up a book she hoped would have something about soulmates. The cover read: 'Love magic, an overview'.

She was thumbing through it, tucking into the couch, but got distracted by the short strand of hair; it kept falling into her line of sight. She pushed it out of her face again when Bill came to sit next to her.

"They cut it?" he asked quietly. He didn't need to explain the 'they' he was referring to.

She shook her head. "I cut it," she told him. "We were being overpowered and I was desperate to free myself." She hadn't thought it would affect her much, and she felt silly for mourning such a small strand of hair, but she did.

Bill nodded softly. He went into his pocket and pulled out a thick strand of hair that seemed to have come off his own head. "Come here, I'll fix it."

He sat a little closer and lifted the strand up. With patient precision, he began to line his hair up with hers and began to braid it in. It wasn't a complete match with her hair, but as it disappeared into the braid, it was difficult to tell it wasn't hers. She sat silently as he did so, trying not to tear up.

Bill tied the end and adjusted her hair. "There," he said.

She pulled him into a hug. She tried to put a lot of unsaid things in it. Bill squeezed her to him.

"Good thing we're both redheads, huh?" she said in an attempt to lift her spirits again.

Bill released her and smiled fondly. "Luckily, yeah."

Ginny caught Charlie discussing with George and Fred at the other corner. "What's up with them?"

Bill followed her gaze. "They want revenge." His eyes turn to her again, his brow furrowing. "You seem so invincible most of the time—the moment something does happen to you, it sends us in a frenzy."

"Lord Lucius?" Ginny asked.

"Yes and no." Bill sighed. "We have a suspicion he is working for Secretera."

"We don't know that…do we?"

No," Bill admitted. "And it is not like we have the resources to do anything about it anyway. Charlie thinks we can just storm another country and take it…" He watched Charlie for a moment. "And I have to be the one to say no."

Ginny nodded. "He must know it's not achievable. And if we don't have proof…"

"The most important part is to make Harpia function as a country, that's what we need right now." He closed his eyes as he sighed. "Of course we do have a claim to Secretera…" He opened his eyes and looked at Ginny.

"It was always dad's ambition to win Septimera back for mum," Ginny said quietly. She looked at the library and she could just remember her dad sitting beside her, telling tales of Septimera. Of the country their mother had grown up in before it was taken away brutally, much like Harpia had been.

"Aunt Muriel does think she has a claim to that throne too," Bill commented. "But I bet she won't croak until someone else does the work for her."

Ginny groaned. "She's still alive?!"

"She's coming to the coronation," Bill answered.

She shook her head. "Please tell me you have found her portrait with the moustache."

Bill chuckled. "Not yet." His eyes twinkled as he met her eyes. "I'll keep looking."

Harry appeared in front of her and settled down against her legs on the floor, reopening his book. The proximity soothed her.

"Found anything?" she asked.

He shook his head and looked at her. "No. I just needed to…"

She smiled. "Yeah." She turned back to Bill.

"I won't ask," her brother offered.

"I wouldn't be able to explain anyway." She smiled, but it faltered when Charlie wildly gestured, and Fred nodded adamantly.

"Charles!" she yelled.

It caught the attention of everyone and he stood up, coming to her. She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"We fought for Harpia, to be safe once again and we are still being hunted," Charlie summarised. His fists were balled.

Ginny chewed her lip for a moment. "We can live life out in the open, without an assassin around every corner. That is a world of difference from what we had before, and you should be grateful for that."

Charlie's shoulders slumped. "I didn't say I wasn't."

Ginny put her book down and stood up. "We are Royals, there is always going to be someone who wants us dead." She waited for Bill to chime in but he remained silent. "If it is one Lord, we can take care of it. If he is working for a King of another country…"

"What of it?" Charlie asked.

She took him by his arm, walking him back to the table he had been sitting at. "Don't be daft. You can't attack another country unless you're sure, otherwise you'll have half the continent against you, and the people." She shook her head slowly. "The people have been starving. The focus needs to be there right now."

"So we let them be?"

She guided for Charlie to sit down. George and Fred listened too. "Bill is trying to manage a country that's been mismanaged for over a decade. Stabbing someone is easy, but it doesn't fix everything." She lowered her voice further. "I am not saying you can't build a case, but you can't rush into it. It is too risky. Not now."

George frowned. "Then what?"

"Bide your time. Either they'll stop when they realise we are not going anywhere… Or until we can have a proper plan. If you get your allies on board, all of them," she emphasised. "It will be an easy win. But for that you can't act rashly. That would make it a suicide mission."

"Look who is talking," Fred commented.

She shook her head. "It was my life against many. I made a calculated decision." She stood straighter. "This ambush was my fault, I wasn't as focused as I should have been. Don't fight a war on my behalf. I can fight my own fights."

"We know," Charlie said reluctantly. He glanced at Bill. "I do suppose we have been a little hard on Bill."

"He has a coronation. People expect seven hundred things of him. He wants to do well as a King. He really needs you on his side," she told him.

"Just because you're soulbonded with a King, doesn't mean you know everything," Charlie teased.

She scoffed. "I have been shadowing him for a few months. I think I understand what it takes."

Her brother let out a long sigh. "Fine, you've made your case. But if we come across Lucius, I still think we should stab him."

She patted his shoulder. "We can agree on that."

When she returned to the couch, she found Harry in her spot. She squeezed herself between the two Kings. Harry handed her book back to her.

She opened it and began reading. She thumbed through the chapters. She caught a glimpse of the word 'soulmate' and halted.

Soulmates are created by the gods. These souls are created at the same point in time. Therefore, soulmates are often born less than five years apart. Otherwise, the souls grow restless without their counterpart in the same realm.

While it offered her some new insight, it wasn't really useful information. She marked it with another piece of paper and stood up, tossing it with the pile of books that may be useful.

She scanned the shelves again. She sensed Harry come up behind her before he touched her. His arms circled her waist, his chin tucked on her shoulder. She leaned into him, enjoying the comfort of his embrace.

"This is the best thing while also being terribly annoying," Harry told her.

She hummed in agreement. She constantly had the urge to reach out to him, and resisting the feeling made her feel uneasy.

"I suppose it'll be better after a while," he commented.

She turned around in his arms. "I hope so, or we'll never get anything done." She kissed him softly.

"Ahum."

She wasn't sure which of her brothers made the objection. "Excuse me, this is soulbond business," she defended.

"Bloody excuses," Ron muttered.

Harry shook his head in amusement. He kissed her cheek, his lips lingering for a moment. Then he released her.

She picked up another book, this time about divine gifts and walked back to the couch. Harry joined her with a book about rituals.

As lunch neared, more and more of her brothers streamed out. Charlie had lost his anger about the ambush, Bill had council members to meet; and the rest presumably grew hungry.

Ron, Hermione and Luna remained with them, digging through more books. While Hermione seemed to have an organised approach, Luna simply picked up books on a whim in the hopes of finding something relevant.

"It mentions Ignotia as a divine gift," Ginny said. "There are a few more countries like that, aren't there?"

"Hermione went to Hyxaroch once," Harry said, eyeing his friend.

She nodded absentmindedly, not looking up from her book.

"How was it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione looked up and blinked, taking a moment to process what Ginny had asked. "Oh, well. Hyxarus is God of the Arts… their castle was a bloody disaster… Very easy to get lost in," she said with a smile. "Then again they also had the most beautiful statues I've ever seen… incredible what people can do if you give them time to make art."

"I paint," Luna announced.

All eyes fell on her.

"You still do?" Ginny asked. They had both painted as kids, but Luna had genuinely enjoyed it.

Luna nodded with a smile. "I'll show you sometime." Her attention returned to her book. "Ooh," she let out. "This may be interesting."

At the same time, Hermione shot up excitedly. "Soulmate to soulbond, that's it!" She looked at Luna to speak first.

"Talks about how souls can feel lost without their other half, even before they've met. How to work on getting used to the bond and what to expect…" Luna offered the book and Ginny took it.

"And you, 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"It lists a whole lot of abilities but the list is inconclusive and depends on speculation since it's so rare it hasn't been studied directly by the author." Her finger dragged down the page as she read. "Romantic love, comfort, thought sharing…"

"Do you share thoughts?" Ron asked.

"Some," she confirmed. "I haven't really figured out how much, but it's definitely there."

Hermione continued, "Sense mood and body, glowing, sustain life, improved se…"—She cleared her throat as a blush crept up her cheeks—"Maybe you should read through this yourself."

"Sustain life?" Ginny asked.

Hermione handed the book to them. "Yes, in case of severe injury. It's not limitless but you can support each other's health."

Ginny smiled at Harry. "I'll hold my breath. Breathe for me, will you?" She took a deep breath and then held it.

"Great," Harry muttered. "She's literally stealing the air out of my lungs."

She maintained eye contact with him and held her breath. Time passed and while it was getting uncomfortable, she was not out of air. She breathed out. "Nice."

Harry chuckled. "How many times in your life are you going to use that?"

"I don't know," she said. "I just wanted to know if it was true."

They spent some of their afternoon still researching, but after dinner they quickly made their way up to their bedroom. It wasn't so much that their bodies were tired, but that there was a dull ache, a strain he couldn't quite place.

Ginny placed the books on the nightstand and dropped onto the bed. He joined her, crawling into her arms. The ache eased and he moaned happily.

"I need you closer," Ginny mumbled, though she didn't move.

He nuzzled against her neck. "You think that'll help?"

She nodded. "The book said proximity as your souls adjust is important."

"We could do a full repeat of Gorphine's ritual," he suggested, pushing up to sit on his knees. "Consummate the soulbond properly."

She smiled. "Who has got the time?"

He shook his head and told her to turn onto her stomach. She obliged, taking off her belt with her sword as she turned. She threw it aside. He quickly pulled on the ribbons off her dress and she slipped out of it. She took off her dagger and threw it onto the nightstand with the books.

She turned back around and used her legs to pull him in closer by the hips. As he kissed her, he found back some of his energy when the strain relented. Her fingers were always quick in undressing him. In no time he was half-naked, lips locked together.

Ginny guided him to roll over and she sat on top of him. His fingers teased the skin of her thighs as she undid her stays and pulled her shirt off.

Excitement grew more quickly than he was used to, every experience heightened by the bond. She was even more gorgeous than usual.

"I need you," he said in a low voice.

As she leaned down to kiss him, his hand went into her underwear and palmed her ass cheek, bringing her hips in closer. Their lips connected desperately. Their hips ground together, desperate for friction and proximity.

Ginny reached to undo his trousers. She sat up and pulled them down together with his underpants. He kicked them off, his hands already pushing down her underwear.

He heard her voice in his head. " I can feel how much you ache for me."

He huffed, his hands seeking skin as she sat on top of his stomach. "You're one to talk." Her anticipation was basically radiating off her, it was very easy for him to pick up on when it was this heightened.

She kissed him again and he pulled her in close. The more their skin touched, the more it soothed his soul. His hands danced over her body, chasing the feeling even more. She scooted down his body and guided him inside.

They both paused as the feeling washed over them. Ginny buried her face into his shoulder and groaned. Before he would have asked if she was in pain, but now he could tell that wasn't the case—quite the opposite.

"You know, I think soulbonding was the right call, " he thought.

Her head lifted up to look at him with a smug grin. "We can't spend all our time in bed. "

He kissed her. "Can't or shouldn't? "

She chuckled against his lips. "Both," she told him softly. "Are you ready?"

He nodded a bit too eagerly. "So ready."

She moved her hips and they quickly slipped into a rhythm, albeit a bit too ardently. The ache was all but gone, replaced by a pleasant warm and soothing feeling somewhere between his heart and his navel, mixing in with the pleasure.

Aside from all the new and elevated sensations, he could also pick up on her pleasure if he tried. He could tell how shifting his hips slightly differently felt better for her. In turn, Ginny settled into a rhythm that was the perfect sweet spot for him and kept it going.

He clutched her desperately, worried he'd be making too much noise if he dared to open his mouth as he was pulled over the edge. He wasn't even sure if Ginny was aware he could pick up on her thoughts, or if she was doing it on purpose. She tumbled into her orgasm together with him. Being able to feel her pleasure on top of his, intensified his own. He buried deep inside her, his moan muffled in her hair.

She collapsed on top him, taking a deep breath. He held her close, reluctant to put any space between them. He hadn't felt this at peace since they had woken up from their coma.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Ginny asked out loud. She lifted her head just enough to meet his eyes.

He brushed her hair out of her face. "I think so."

"Can you imagine if we had soulbonded before we had gotten married?" she asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. "If that had been our first time."

"I think you could have actually convinced me then not to wait until our wedding night," he responded. "It's difficult not to chase that feeling."

She smiled and kissed his nose. "I could have convinced you without a bond if I wanted to, I just chose not to."

"You're probably right."

She nodded as if she already knew. "Do you want to go again?"

"I, uh." He caressed her skin. "I am going to need another minute."

"I don't," she responded lightly.

He shook his head at her. "I can tell."

She withdrew from him and lay down beside him. He was relieved when the ache didn't immediately return. In fact, the soothing feeling remained right there as she rested her head atop of his chest.

"Do you think this is what Regulus meant by putting the soulbond to good use?" she asked cheekily.

"No, but do you know what he does say?" he replied. "Practice makes perfect."

Ginny beamed at him. "Indeed, he does." Her hand slid down his stomach. "So, how about it, my darling husband?"

He didn't need much encouragement to get him going again. She pulled him on top of her while her hands teased his skin and drew him in closer. It lasted a bit longer now that they had taken the edge off, but was just as good as the first time. He kept her body as close as physically possible until they moved as one and pulled each other over the edge.

He came to rest on his side, tucked against her. His fingers trailed over her arm and traced the soulmark. He loved how the print of her hand lived on his forearm, a reminder of the first time they touched.

"I love you, " he thought, watching her expression to see if she heard. He hadn't figured out completely how all these connections worked. They shared some thoughts but not all, he could pick up on her emotions or senses if it was significant enough.

A bright smile appeared on her face. "I love you too ." She attempted to suppress a yawn but in the end, she yawned widely, her hand in front of her mouth as her legs stretched out as far as they could go. Then she pulled the sheets up to her chin and tucked against him, getting comfortable.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her.

"I felt that." She sounded chipper. Her eyes remained closed and she looked content.

He hummed. "You could try not being the loveliest of Queens for five minutes."

She didn't open her eyes, and scrunched up her nose. "No, I can't."

He didn't reply and continued looking at her. He tried to imprint the image in his mind.

Ginny's eyes widened. "I saw that."

"What?" he asked slowly.

She met his eyes. "My face. I saw my face through your eyes. It was odd."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a scoff. "That's what you look like."

"I only ever see my face in the mirror." She shook her head. "I am odd-looking."

Harry looked at her for a moment longer and then burst out laughing. "Sweetheart, you're not. You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid my eyes on."

She scoffed. "Let's see how you like your face when you see it from someone else's eyes." She stared at him, frowning. Her face was starting to turn slightly red.

"You look like you've really got to poo," he said after a moment with a grin. As soon as he grinned, he saw it. His own face flitted by in his mind's eye. "Oh no!"

"I told you!" she let out.

"I am comforted by the fact that you clearly think you look off and I know for a fact that isn't the case," he commented. "Gives me some hope."

She leaned her head on her hand, using her other hand to caress his cheek as she looked down at him. "You're my handsome King, you have nothing to worry about."

His eyes skipped down for a moment to her naked body, soft skin covered in freckles, making a pattern over her breasts down her body. The smooth curve of her hips—

"Hey, my eyes are up here," she said with a smile.

His cheeks heated. "Saw that, didn't you?"

"You could at least try to keep those thoughts to yourself." She tickled his skin. "Or I'll have to get revenge," she teased.

He slapped her hand away. "Oh no, I'm scared," he said with a daring look.

"Definitely don't look here," she said, her hand dancing down her body. "Or here."

She turned around and his eyes landed on her perfect round little butt. He definitely wasn't supposed to be looking there. Ready to receive his punishment, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, pushing his hips against her.

She hummed happily. "I see you are taking your punishment quite well."

She pushed her ass up against him and he moaned. His thumb caressed the scar along her ribcage. Then his hand crossed her stomach and dove between her legs. He closed his eyes, attempting to tune into her body, adjusting until he could tell it was exactly right. After a moment her breathing picked up and she leaned his back into him completely. His free arm tightened around her waist. He opened his eyes again, taking in the sight now that her mind was otherwise occupied, enjoying seeing her body react under his touch.

She let out a moan, taking a deep breath and then her hand covered his. He paused and waited for her to speak.

She turned around, guiding their hips back together. "You need to put in your full effort for your punishment."

He kissed her softly. "I guess I must oblige."

Ginny sighed happily. The day had been exhausting and weird, but overall the soulbond had brought them good things. She snuggled closer to Harry like she did every evening, bringing one arm around his middle. The other rested, dutifully as always, on her dagger.

Harry drifted off quickly and she spent some time watching his face in the low light. He looked so unburdened when he slept. No hint of a furrowed brow, his jaw relaxed. His tiredness radiated to her and she felt her eyelids close. She nuzzled against his chest as her breathing slowed. She slipped into a relaxed sleep, comforted by his proximity now more than any night before.