Chapter Two - Family Ties
Hermione woke the next morning, and had a moment of confusion as to where she
was before the events of yesterday came crashing into her mind.
I don't want to go home, she thought. They aren't going to want me to come back
here. But I am not leaving Harry, she thought resolutely.
She got up, noting that Ginny's bed was empty, and got dressed in a clean set of
robes that Mrs. Weasley had left for her. Her clothes from yesterday were too
bloodstained to be used again without cleaning. She went downstairs, and
discovered everyone, including Harry, seated at the table eating breakfast.
"Hi, Hermione," said Ginny, "I tried waking you earlier, but you didn't want to
get up."
Hermione grimaced. "I was a little worn out from yesterday." She sighed, "and
now I have to go home and try to get my stuff without my parents locking me in
the house."
"They won't do that, " said Harry.
"They saw what happened yesterday, Harry. Somebody was watching with a video
camera, and they got a nice shot of you blocking me from getting shot. They ran
it on the evening news last night."
Harry grimaced. "Well, then, " he said, "I'm going with you."
"Harry, you aren't well enough, " said Mrs. Weasley.
"Mrs. Weasley, I can walk on my own, and to be honest with you, I feel better
than I have in weeks," he replied.
She looked at him critically for a moment, "Your color is much better, dear. But
are you sure you want to push yourself like that? Plus how would the two of you
get there?"
Harry looked at Hermione; "You came to Mrs. Figg's from the Leaky Cauldron,
didn't you?"
She nodded.
"Well, it's simple then, we Floo to Diagon Alley, and then take the...bus or
train?" he asked Hermione.
"Bus," she replied.
"...Take the bus from downtown London," he continued.
"But how will you get her stuff back here, Harry? Neither of you are allowed to
use magic yet, you know."
"How about Forge and Gred?" said Ron, his mouth full of food.
"Ron! Your manners!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.
"Sorry, Mom, " he said, after swallowing, "I mean George and Fred, they've got
that car of theirs. We could meet them at the shop."
"We?" asked his mother, "Are you going too?"
He rolled his eyes. "Mum, I know the two of them, " he indicated Harry and
Hermione with his fork "are going to need some time to talk privately. I was in
the room when 'Mione declared her undying adoration for all things Harry, you
know." He paused and looked at Harry, "And all I have to say about that is;
you'd better make a similar declaration about her and mean it, or best mate or
no, I will kill you."
Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, "Ron Weasley! Is that any way to talk to your best
friend?"
Harry laughed, and said, "Actually, Mrs. Weasley, it's alright. He's just
letting me know where we stand."
"Preferably Diagon Alley, if you ask me, " answered Ron with a smirk.
Harry looked at Hermione, who had stood silent through this exchange, and asked,
"Do you mind if we come along?"
She smiled and said, "Only on the condition that we make a stop at Florean
Fortescue's, after we drop him off at the shop."
Ron pouted for a moment, and then brightened, and said, "Sure, I'll tell Fred
and George all about you two."
Harry groaned while Hermione looked daggers at Ron.
Molly looked thoughtful for a moment, "There is a little bit of shopping I could
get done as well, and beat some of the Hogwarts shopping rush. Too bad we don't
know what your books are yet."
At that moment, they heard a rush of flame from the fireplace in the living
room, and then Albus Dumbledore's voice calling, "Molly?"
"We're in the kitchen, Albus," she answered.
"Ah, Harry, " he said as he entered the kitchen, "you are looking very well, I
am glad to say."
"Thanks, professor," he replied.
"Am I interrupting something?" inquired Dumbledore.
"We were just discussing going and getting Hermione's stuff from her parents
today," answered Harry.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You feel up to doing something that strenuous
today?"
"Actually, professor, " replied Harry, "I haven't felt this good in quite a
while."
"Most interesting. One would think that you would still be lying in bed--you did
almost die yesterday, Harry."
"Professor, did you have to bring that up?" cried Hermione, "I'm sure he doesn't
want to think about that."
"Hermione..."
"No, Molly, it's alright," said Dumbledore. "Harry, may I ask you a personal
question?"
"I suppose, professor."
"Do you feel connected to Ms. Granger in some way?"
Harry frowned for a moment, thinking it over. "It's weird, " he answered, "but
you're right. It's like there this...this sense of her floating around in my
head. I...I knew she was on her way downstairs before she entered the kitchen.
It's strange..."
Hermione blushed. "Professor, " she mumbled, "actually, I have to admit that I
have a similar feeling about him...like he's floating in the back of my mind."
Dumbledore smiled. "That's alright, my dear. May I cast a spell? I promise that
it won't hurt either of you."
"Of course, Professor, " she answered. "Harry?"
"Go ahead, " he answered.
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and waved it in a peculiar manner, incanting a
phrase that they didn't understand. The result, however, was glowing lines drawn
between every person in the room. Ron was connected to his mother by a bright,
blue line, while Ginny was connected with a bright, pink line. Mrs. Weasley had
additional colored lines connected to her that shot off through the walls of the
kitchen, including a sparkling green and gold line, and a scintillating, rainbow
colored one--they both shot off in the same direction. Dumbledore had several
lines of varying colors as well, including a purple line that extended to Harry.
Ron and Harry had a bright red and gold line stretched between them, and also
between Ron and Hermione. However, the brightest line in the room was the
scintillating, rainbow colored one that stretched between Harry and Hermione. It
easily outshone the others.
"Well, " said Dumbledore, in a tone of amazement. "Molly, have you ever seen one
so bright before?"
It was obvious that Molly Weasley was amazed, "No Albus, I can't say that I
have, " she whispered.
"What are you going on about, mum?" asked Ron. "So they have a bond between
them, so what?"
"Mr. Weasley, " said Dumbledore with a smile, "that line is referred to as a
betrothal bond. They normally come about with the passage of time between two
people who care deeply for one another. Observe your mother's to your father.
Hers is a more typical one. The green and gold one is her marriage bond to
Arthur."
He paused. "But Harry and Hermione have not been aware of their feelings for
each other long enough for a betrothal bond to have been established...under
normal circumstances. However, given yesterday's traumatic occurrences..."
Dumbledore shook his head. "It's obvious why he's in such good health this
morning."
"Why is that, professor?" asked Harry.
"Hermione helped you heal, Harry. That's one of the abilities of a betrothal
bond as strong as yours."
Hermione had been tossing Dumbledore's words around in her head, "I bet that's
why I overslept this morning, " she said, "I was rebuilding the energy I had
transferred to Harry."
"Very good, Ms. Granger," replied Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. He waved
his wand again and the bonds vanished.
"So, what does a bond like that mean?" asked Harry.
"Well, Harry," replied Ron, with a curious look on his face, "it means you two
are supposed to get married."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, stunned for a moment. "Married, "
squeaked Harry, "umm, Ron, Hermione and I haven't even talked about this yet."
"Ron, they aren't even sure about how they feel about each other yet, "
admonished Ginny, "let's not pile marriage on top of it."
Ron nodded, and then got up from the table and stomped upstairs. "What's with
him?" asked Harry.
Ginny looked at her mother, and an unspoken communication flashed between them.
"I'll go find out," said Ginny. She left the room after her brother.
"Harry, " said Dumbledore, "if you don't mind my asking, how do you feel about
Ms. Granger here."
Harry smiled and squeezed Hermione's hand. "To be honest, professor, I'm still
sorting all of this out. Just yesterday I was shot full of holes and bleeding
all over her. She saved my life, professor. If she hadn't been in that
house...I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my life than when she opened
that door." He swallowed emotionally.
"Harry, " said Hermione quietly, "you saved my life too."
"He was aiming for me, Hermione, " Harry replied, not looking her in the eye. He
knew who that bullet had been intended for, and it wasn't him.
"Harry, " said Hermione, "I don't expect you to tell me you love me. It was
rather sudden, I must admit, this outpouring of my feelings for you."
Harry smiled at her phrasing. "But that's just it--I do love you; I just never
knew how to tell you before. The Dursley's hardly gave me a good example, you
know."
She blushed. "Well, that's good to know." She looked him in the eye, "But you
are still buying me an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's--got it?"
"Yes, ma'am, " he said mock seriously.
She giggled and gave him a hug that would have turned into a kiss, except for
the adults in the room.
"Ahem," said Dumbledore quietly.
Hermione jumped back, blushing furiously. "Sorry, professor," she mumbled.
"Quite alright," he said, eyes twinkling merrily. "I remember being young once."
He turned serious. "Before I leave, I must warn you of a couple of things.
First, and this I think you'll probably like, you can't be apart from each other
right now. Strong as it is, the bond is still growing, which means that it is at
it's most vulnerable right now."
He frowned. "Normally, dreadful things happen to people who interfere with
betrothal or marriage bonds in the Wizarding world. That's why there's no
adultery to speak of. Divorce is possible, but extremely painful for both
parties; so much so that it seldom happens. Marriage is essentially forever in
the wizarding world."
"But Voldemort is not going to care about that much, is he?" asked Harry.
"No, Tom isn't likely to care much at all about that. There are certain dark
magic spells..." Dumbledore shook his head. "Regardless, the closer you two are
to each other, the less vulnerable the bond is, except in one instance."
He looked at them piercingly. "The most vulnerable moment in any wizard or
witches life is when they are making love." Harry and Hermione blushed and
looked down at the floor. "All of your defenses are down; you are completely
open to anyone or anything." He smiled. "As I said, I remember being your age
once, and now that you know your feelings for one another, the pressure will be
there. Unfortunately, the bond will also encourage those activities as well, due
to its nature. I'm not going to tell you not to--that would be foolish. However,
please exercise caution in where you choose to...ahem...engage in such
activities. Also, Ms. Granger, I assume you know the appropriate charms? If not,
I'm sure Molly would be glad to teach them to you."
Harry had never seen Hermione turn as pink as she did now. "Yes, " she squeaked.
Harry himself was feeling rather red-faced and embarrassed, especially having
this discussion in front of Molly Weasley.
Dumbledore smiled once more. "Well, I must be going, I think I've embarrassed
the two of you enough for one day."
"What about Grimmauld Place?" asked Harry tiredly.
"Oh, yes, Grimmauld Place. " Dumbledore turned to Molly Weasley. "I hate to ask
this of you, Molly, but would you mind spending the rest of the summer at
Grimmauld Place? I don't want to leave the two of them alone there."
Molly brightened. "Actually, Dumbledore, I'd be delighted. Harry's going to need
a home to take his bride to, once they're married. We can spend the rest of the
summer cleaning it up and getting it ready for people to live there."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Sounds exciting," he said dryly.
Hermione let out a snort of laughter, and then grabbed his hand. "At least we'll
be together."
He nodded, "As long as your parents don't insist on you staying with them."
She looked at him seriously. "I'm not leaving you."
He frowned. "Hermione, I am not coming between you and your parents. Count
yourself lucky that you actually have ones, and that they care that much about
you."
"Harry..."
"Hermione, dear, ", said Mrs. Weasley. "With proper explanation, I suspect
they'll be fine with you spending the summer with us."
"I hope so, " she said.
"Well, I must be going, " said Dumbledore, "especially if you are all going to
Diagon Alley today."
"Any idea what our textbooks are this year, professor?" asked Hermione.
He smiled. "Actually, Ms. Granger, I do not. I don't believe they've been chosen
yet."
Dumbledore smiled at all of them one more time before he left the kitchen.
Shortly thereafter, they heard the noise of him Flooing away.
"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, "Let's get cleaned up so we can go."
-*~*~*~*~*-
Ginny knocked on Ron's bedroom door. "Ron?" she asked.
"Go away," he snarled.
She opened the door, stepped inside the room, and closed it behind her.
"You don't listen very well, do you?"
"Ron, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, so you're just sitting up here staring at the floor and snarling at me for
no good reason?" she asked with a grin. "Try again."
"Aagghh!" he snarled, "Why does he always get everything? The fame, the fortune,
and now he even gets the girl! I'm just the bloody comedy relief sidekick!"
"Ron, " she said softly, "think about what he had to lose just to 'gain' all
those things. He's famous because his parents died saving his life. The fortune
came from his dead parents as well. Don't you think he'd give all that up just
to have his parents back?"
"And, " she said with some asperity, "he's your friend. He's never treated you
as anything but a friend, and a good one at that. If anything, I think he's
jealous that you actually have a family that loves you and cares for you. He
just had the Dursley's."
"I know, " sighed Ron. "That's why I'm sitting up here. I actually feel guilty
over being mad about Hermione. I 'knew' she wasn't interested in me as anything
more than a friend--especially after the Department of Mysteries. That's why I
said what I did to Harry downstairs."
"So what set you off?"
"It was the betrothal bond thing. They are definitely getting married--have you
ever seen one that strong? And I realized that I wasn't going to be a part of
that, and it hurt. And since when did you start knowing so much about
relationships?"
Ginny grinned at him. "Since my brother started being such a idiot."
"Idiot, huh?" He glared at her.
"Yes, you are. Like Harry isn't going to want you to be his best man at the
wedding? You three are friends, and you'll always be friends, as long as you
aren't idiots about it."
"There you go with that word again." He made a move to grab a pillow to hit her
with.
She smiled and stepped backwards. "Instead of ruining your pillow, why don't we
go play some chess, instead."
He snorted and jumped off the bed. "You're going to lose."
"Hah!"
-*~*~*~*~*-
After cleaning up the kitchen, Molly Weasley wandered into the living room and
noticed Ron and Ginny playing chess.
"Aren't you two ready to go yet? It's getting late, and we have a lot to do."
"Yes, mum," answered Ron. He was losing again, and truthfully, was relieved to
have an excuse to quit playing.
"And Ronald, are you okay with..."
He smiled ruefully at his mother, "Yes, mum, Ginny set me straight about a few
things I hadn't considered. And I thought Hermione was a know-it-all..."
"Oooh, Ron Weasley, " hissed his sister, and stomped up stairs.
Ron and his mother laughed. "Well, go get ready then," she added.
He turned and ran upstairs where he found Harry in their room. "Hey, mate," he
said.
"Hey, Ron, " was the reply. Harry looked at his friend. "You okay with...?"
"Why does everyone insist on asking me that question?" asked Ron. "I meant what
I said to you. You'd better feel the same way about her, or you and I are going
to have words." He changed into some cleaner robes.
Harry flopped down on his bed and said, "Don't get me wrong, mate. I do love
her. But it's all so sudden. One moment I'm full of holes and dying, and the
next I'm waking up to her telling me she loves me. That's not exactly something
we've discussed before."
His face darkened, "And then there's the danger she's in, especially now. I...
Loving me isn't exactly safe." He abruptly shut up, and then said, "You ready to
go?"
"Harry, " said Ron, "you need to talk to her. You think she doesn't know what
kind of danger she's in? For that matter, you think I don't know what risks are
involved in being your best mate?"
Ron sighed, "Ever since Sirius, and then that conversation you had with
Dumbledore, you haven't been talking to anybody. I'd get one word answers from
you when I owled you, or worse, notes that said exactly nothing. I'm supposed to
be your best mate, you know?"
Harry nodded. He started, "Ron, I..." but didn't finish as Molly Weasley's voice
rang up the stairs. "Boys, let go!"