Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the 'Harry Potter' universe, such as it is… *sigh* I don't own the lyric bits, either.

A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't been responding to all of the fine reviews. Just know that I appreciate all of them, and I hope you continue to leave comments. I'll try to be better in the future. In this chapter, we get a glimpse of Vernon Dursley's position, and we have Harry and Hermione repairing their soul bond, but I'm afraid there's a bit of a cliffie at the end… I'll let your imaginations wander as to the effect of the repaired bond! So sorry, but finding time to write is very difficult at the moment, and to continue with this chapter would delay its posting well into next week… so I figured a cliffie is better than no post at all! As always, sit back and enjoy! (Word count: 6003)

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Chapter 41: The Bond Repaired

Love is but the song we sing,
and fear's the way we die.
You can make the mountains ring,
or make the angels cry.
Know the dove is on the wing,
and you need not know why

Some will come and some will go…
We shall surely pass.
When the one that left us here
returns for us at last.
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass…

C'mon people now,
smile on your brother.
Everybody get together,
try and love one another right now.

Excerpt from the song 'Get Together' by The Youngbloods.

Vernon Dursley sat at his desk in his spacious new office. He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin on his face, which only widened as his eyes fell on the reversed lettering that was painted onto the frosted glass of his office door that read, 'Vernon Dursley - Asst. Vice President - Production Division.'

He knew that he never would have got the promotion if he hadn't had that windfall of money from his worthless nephew. Greasing a few palms with his ill-gotten gain and inviting a few key directors to lavish dinners in expensive restaurants secured the promotion for him with little fuss and bother. He felt absolutely no remorse over taking the freak's money. After all, he felt he was owed it by keeping that oddball under his roof for all those years. He also thought that the boy could do that 'magic stuff'… so he could create all the money he wanted, or at least anything that he needed!

The grin on his face faltered slightly as his eyes drifted across the picture of Petunia on his desk, but even the temporary discomfort in his home life couldn't put a damper on his high spirits this day. He had heard through the grape vine that the owner of the company might be in London later in the week, and he may come to visit the corporate office during his stay. Vernon had every intention of inviting the owner to a lavish party in his new home.

He had never met the owner in his nineteen years working for Grunnings Drill Company, but he knew of the firm's history. Hermann Grunning, an immigrant from Poland during the Great War, started the company in the early fifties, but it had been sold to a mysterious entrepreneur back in the late seventies during the great industrial decline. Since then, the company had been under the control of the board of directors. He had always wondered why the company had never gone public with the stock market… Lord knows that the company could have used an influx of investment money over the years, but still, the firm remained one of the major producers of heavy industrial drills in all of Great Britain, despite the apparent lack of decisive leadership.

Vernon glanced at the memo on his desk that announced an important meeting for all of the division heads at ten o'clock, probably to 'officially' announce the impending visit of the owner. He glanced up to the clock on his wall and saw that the meeting was about to begin. He rose from his chair with a grunt, then smoothed his hands over his tailored suit, patted the sparse hair on his head to ensure that it was still in place, and then strode confidently out from his office towards the conference room down the hall.

The room was buzzing with various conversations as he took his seat between Jeremy Glass, the president of production in the company, and Carol Taylor, the round-faced, attractive secretary from the sales department, who seemed somewhat less than thrilled to be positioned next to him. Of course, Vernon didn't pick up on the resigned sigh that Miss Taylor let out as he assumed his seat, nor did he obtain a clue when his jovial greeting to her passed with barely a distracted nod from the young woman as she pointedly looked away.

The room fell silent as the director of operations entered and sat at the head of the table. He wasted no time in starting the meeting, launching into the sales figures, both past and projected, and complemented the sales department on their recent successes of drumming up new clients.

He had less than stellar comments about the production department, noting that the number of 'seconds,' sub-standard drills that needed to be sold off in bulk to generic 'no name' brands of drills, have increased alarmingly in the past few months, and if something wasn't done soon, the company wouldn't be able to keep up with obligation to the new clients to ship their first quality product.

Vernon tried to look inconspicuous as the production figures were displayed on the projection screen. Maybe he shouldn't have hired so many of the kids of his new country club friends that needed jobs. He knew the new hires were somewhat green, and seemed to be more interested in the girls in the offices or the planned parties on their fathers' yachts, but he figured since they came from such fine, upper class families they would have some sense of responsibility to the job. What Vernon didn't realize was that the reason his friends needed to find their kids jobs for them was because of their incompetence at finding and holding their own employment.

At the end of the meeting came the announcement that he had been waiting for.

"As I understand it, there have been rumors going around about the company's owner coming for an inspection of this facility, as well as the production plant in Birmingham and the warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent. I cannot confirm this rumor at this time. All I can say is that the owner's representative, a Mr. Griphook, has contacted my office, saying that, from tomorrow, the owner will be in the area for an undisclosed length of time, and he may wish to tour our facilities, as well as his other holdings in and around Great Britain, and from what I could get from his representative, those holdings appear to be quite extensive. If you want my advice, you'd best keep all of your respective departments in tip-top shape. If we hear anything, we'll be sure to give each department as much notice as possible."

Vernon's moustache was involuntarily twitching in excitement. In his mind, he was already planning out how to best impress the owner when he came to his fine new house for an evening of good food, fine wine, and pleasant, and hopefully beneficial, conversation.

As he made his way back to his office, he thought he might need to stop at a florist on the way home… it wouldn't do if his currently aggrieved spouse wasn't up to her usual standards in the way of dinner parties.

He was blissfully unaware of the current happenings in the community of Brentwood, where his lovely new home had been in the path of the marauding inferi on their trek to London, and the institutions of both the muggle and magical governments.

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Harry set two plates down on the counter, both loaded with freshly caught, deep-fried fish and chips. While Kotone graciously provided the fish, Harry had to make a few trips back to a muggle market in London to get the potatoes, oil, and spices needed to prepare the meal.

He had plenty of experience in scaling and filleting fish from all the times his uncle and cousin took their fishing excursions out into the country for some father-son bonding. Harry was never allowed to go, but always had the job of cleaning and cooking whatever they had managed to bring home. More often than not, he wasn't even invited to join the meal. He was usually handed a spoon and a can of creamed corn or green beans while the 'family' enjoyed the catch.

He poured two cups of cola and placed them beside the plates, along with the plastic dinnerware and paper napkins. Harry then turned to the door that led to the living room and let out a tired sigh before walking out of the kitchen. The last time he looked, which was just after he finished cleaning the fish, Hermione was still in the bathroom silently staring at her reflection in the mirror with Kotone standing beside her.

When Harry had told her about the changes that took place whenever she entered her state, Hermione practically ran into the bathroom and transformed while looking at herself with a dismayed expression.

Harry was surprised to find Hermione sitting deep in thought on the sofa, looking as her normal self, just watching Kotone as she slept on the white bearskin rug. When he entered the room, she slowly looked up from the sleeping girl. He could read every emotion that she was feeling in her expression, and saw the unasked question in her eyes.

"Hermione, it doesn't matter," he quickly assured her, "To tell you the truth, I think you look just as good in your state as you normally do."

Harry immediately found that, while he had the best of intentions, it was the wrong thing to say. Hermione's eyes hardened as her expression dropped into a severe frown.

"What do mean by that?" she asked through gritted teeth, "I look like a bloody corpse when I'm in that state! Are you saying that I normally look as if I've just been embalmed?"

Harry was about to blurt out that he thought she looked dead sexy, but stopped himself as he realized that saying she looked 'dead' anything would be a very, very bad mistake.

"All I'm saying is that the way you look, whether in your state or not, doesn't change who you are," said Harry, trying to sound as sincere as possible, "You're a beautiful person, and nothing can change that. You could have ended up disfigured like Bill Weasley, and I'd still feel the same way about you, just like Fleur still loves Bill. Why can't you accept that? Why don't you believe me?"

Hermione's face softened slightly, but her eyes still told of her reluctance to accept what Harry was saying at face value. Her voice held a petulant edge as she said, "I really can't see how. I mean, how do you know that I haven't changed somehow? This is all so new… so sudden… I didn't expect I'd react this badly to anything! Every time I perform that ritual… every time I banish a portion of Voldemort's soul, I feel so wretched afterwards!"

"Hermione… I know it's not easy on you, but…"

Hermione's eyes flared as she yelled, "That's just it! While I'm in my state… particularly while I'm performing the banishing ritual… It is easy! I feel powerful! It almost feels like I'm enjoying it! It's only afterwards that what I've done, and how I felt while doing it, actually hits me!" Hermione's voice began cracking as she continued, "I'm scared, Harry! Every time I do it, it gets easier… I don't know what's happening to me! I feel like I'm losing my humanity, and after seeing what I become when I…"

Hermione's outburst roused Kotone from her sleep. Apparently, Kotone heard most, if not all of what Hermione was saying. She got to her feet, stood before Hermione and said in an icy tone that didn't at all sound like her own, "You should not complain. You have taken on responsibility that was always yours, just as Brother Lion has assumed his… and I have assumed my own. My time to assist is coming to an end, and I will not be able to do more to help. Brother Lion must stop the evil that threatens more than you realize, and you must ensure that he has the ability to do what must be done. If you do not accept your role, if you do not do what is necessary, then who will?"

Both Harry and Hermione were shocked. They had never heard the normally 'too' polite little girl speak with such force and conviction. Before either had a chance to respond, Kotone continued in a much gentler voice, "Have no fear for your humanity. From someone who knows of inhumanity, trust me when I say that your soul is not in danger. You will soon see the balance that is inherent in your power. Speak to the ancestors… they will help you to see. Then you must free your Lion and train him as you have trained yourself."

The lips on the little girl's mask then curved into a wry smile as she said, "Now, go eat. The fish I caught for you is getting cold."

Throughout the meal, Harry kept a surreptitious eye on Hermione as they ate. She no longer wore the frown, but she still had that dismayed look in her eyes as she finished eating in silence.

The moment that the meal was over, Hermione vanished the disposable dinnerware and said with determination, "It's time. Let's get rid of that snake inside of you."

Harry and Hermione found themselves sitting on the sofa facing each other as Kotone slept on the rug. Without warning, she pointed her wand at Harry and stunned him. She caught him before he slumped over and settled him comfortably in a seated position. It took another split-moment for her to enter her state while holding her wand to her forehead, drawing out the fine thread of her blood.

After four consecutive unsuccessful attempts to banish the soul fragment, Hermione was practically beside herself. Sweaty strands of her blackened hair clung to her face and her breathing was short and halting from the continued exertion. The mixture of frustration, anger and fear had her nearly in tears. She had to wedge open the front door after the second attempt due to the rank odor of sulphur and brimstone that permeated the room. She wondered how Kotone could sleep while the stench was in the air.

She knew that she was performing the ritual correctly, but the fragment refused to be completely separated from the host. She had assumed that with her enhanced state, getting rid of the soul fragment would have been simple. She took a few moments to think about what she was doing, and what Kotone had said to them earlier in the day. The little girl had said to 'speak to the ancestors,' and then to 'free your Lion.'

'Speak to the ancestors?' she thought to herself, 'I suppose it's worth a try…'

Hermione moved from the sofa and sat in one of the suspended egg-shaped chairs. She took a moment to resume her state, freeing her soul from her body completely. Her ethereal form drifted out to the sun-drenched beach and hovered over the moist sand where the ocean met the shore. The book had said that in order to summon her guide, she must call out to the afterlife in song. She thought it strange that most of the necromantic spells and rituals had to be performed in song. Although the book didn't specifically show the notes or words to the melodies, she just instinctively knew how they should sound after reading the rituals.

Hermione opened her soul to her surroundings. She began singing in a voice that was both soft and strong, the tone of which even surprised herself. She didn't know the words until after she had sung them, but she could feel the power behind them. Her words seemed to carry across time and space, mellifluously echoing in her ears like a distant siren's call,

"The darkness now separates us,
but our hearts call out to each other.
See through my eyes, as I will see through yours.
Some things can only be seen
after the darkness blinds and surrounds.

Death, I am not afraid to face you!
The horizon shall dissolve
and no measure nor time will separate us,
our souls and minds to be as one."

Hermione didn't know at what point during her song that the sunny beach disappeared from around her. She was so lost in her own song that she was startled by a somewhat familiar voice from right beside her… the voice she had heard that led her back to Harry after the performance enhancement ritual.

"It's about time. I've been waiting for you to return. I thought you might never make it back here.

She looked at the beautiful young girl standing beside her. She had long, strawberry blonde hair, a clear, rosy complexion, and a pair of soft green-hazel eyes. The girl looked and sounded vaguely familiar to Hermione, but she still couldn't place where she had seen her before. Nervously, Hermione introduced herself.

"Well… hello. My name is Hermione…"

"Granger, yes I know," interrupted the girl, "I remember when we were introduced the first time."

A confused frown crossed Hermione's face as she studied the girl. Finally, she said, "I'm very sorry, but you have me at a disadvantage… who are…"

Hermione's voice trailed off as she suddenly noticed what the girl was wearing. A neat, but rather outdated set of Hogwarts robes with the golden yellow trim that denoted the loyal house of Hufflepuff. She could swear the girl was wearing something completely different a moment before, but she somehow couldn't recall what. Still, the connection was made.

"Chloe?" asked Hermione uncertainly.

Chloe nodded and gave her a beaming smile, "I don't blame you for not recognizing me, I'm afraid that I was in a frightful state when last we met 'in the flesh.'"

"You're my guide?" asked Hermione disbelievingly, "But, you've only been dead for a day! A spirit guide should be one who has spent…" Hermione paused as the realization struck her.

Chloe picked it right up, "many years between the mortal world and the afterlife. I think two hundred years in a half-life qualifies me quite nicely."

"And Geoffrey? Have you seen him? How is he?"

Chloe gave another grin as she said, "We're doing wonderfully! We have eternity to make up for all the lost time. He sends his thanks… he didn't have time after you released him, and… neither did I. Thank you… you have no idea how grateful we are! Hopefully, my services here will be a start to repay your kindness."

Although Hermione didn't know it at that moment, Chloe's words had a deep and profound impact on her subconscious, a seed of acceptance and hope laying some of the fears about herself to rest.

In order for Chloe to be of any help as a guide, they had to be familiar with each other, so the two girls spent a long time just talking… about their lives, their friends and families, likes and dislikes, and all of their hopes and dreams.

Eventually, their main topic turned to Harry, the horcruxes, and what he ultimately had to do. They discussed Hermione's failed attempts to Rid Harry of the soul shard, but Chloe could offer no advice. Although Chloe was Hermione's spirit guide, that didn't mean that she was omniscient or could tell the future. She could, however, try to get in touch with those who have passed on. She promised to search for Harry's parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore. Chloe seemed sure that she could find them, but being so new to the afterlife, it may take some time. There were many different planes to the afterlife, and there were a lot of souls in each one.

Chloe didn't seem to understand Hermione's joke about looking them up in the telephone directory…

As far as finding anyone who might know about horcruxes or their properties, Chloe mentioned that it might be difficult, for she assumed that anyone who would know of them would reside in the 'lower plane,' and she refused to search there.

They were about to say their goodbyes when an odd expression washed over Chloe's face, as if she were listening to something that Hermione couldn't hear. After a moment, Chloe turned to Hermione and said, "You spoke of a Dumbledore… his name is Albus?"

"Yes!" said Hermione excitedly, "Have you found him?"

"It is he that has found you… I wondered why he was so curious. You're still too new at this to see him, but he has been listening to our discussion and may have a solution for one of your problems. He thinks that you may not be able to banish the fragment in your Harry at all, and should just release it as you did for Geoffrey and me… and make sure to protect yourself and anyone else nearby."

"Can you ask him why it can't be banished?"

Chloe seemed to fade for a moment, like a poor signal on a muggle television set, before she came back into focus and said, "I'm not sure if I can explain this correctly… I wish that you could speak to him yourself, but that will come in time. He says that the fragment inside of Harry could be the original soul that was torn from Riddle's body and not merely a horcrux. If that is truly the case, then you would only be able to banish it after all of the remaining horcruxes, including the one in this 'Lord Voldemort' that he mentioned. Does that make sense to you?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Hermione, "That's why it's not working! When Voldemort's curse rebounded and destroyed his body while he was trying to create a horcrux, both the torn soul fragment and his original soul was released. The original soul must have implanted itself into Harry, and the fragment that was intended to be stored is what resides in Voldemort's body right now. Give him my thanks, Chloe, and thank you for helping me."

"Of course," said Chloe with a smile, "We will speak again later, you must get back to Harry, he's about to wake up."

Hermione left her state and found herself on the sunny beach once again. Gone were the feelings of despair and guilt that she was experiencing before her chat with Chloe. She understood now what she had to do, and that brought her closer than ever before to acceptance of what she was and who she had become.

As she entered the house, Harry was just rousing himself from his induced unconsciousness. He groggily looked at Hermione as she approached the sofa and said, "Well? Did it work? Is it gone?"

"No, but it will be," said Hermione confidently as she sat on the sofa and faced him.

Minutes later, the frozen serpent that was Voldemort's soul hung suspended above Harry as she drew another strand of blood from her forehead and traced out a protection rune towards the still sleeping Kotone, preventing the soon to be released soul from entering her. Another strand was withdrawn, and with another burst of dripping flames, her own form was protected.

The final strand was crafted into the last rune… instead of the rune of Judgment, the rune of Freedom was etched into the air. The blue haze that encased the serpent dissolved, releasing the fragment from its ethereal prison. The thin, wiry tail of the snake stretched out from Harry's scar and broke free. At the same time, she heard a low-pitched howl, and it took her a moment to realize that it was the sound of Harry screaming. With a twirl of her wand, the binding around the writhing snake vanished. It sluggishly circled over the other souls in the room, and upon realizing that it couldn't attach itself to any living thing nearby, it lazily drifted upwards and disappeared through the ceiling towards the northeast. She smiled as she thought that it would take quite the while for it to make it back to England to rejoin its counterpart in Voldemort's body. She somehow knew that it wouldn't attempt to enter anyone else until it found its' animated counterpart, the only activated horcrux left that was Voldemort himself.

Hermione immediately emerged from her state to find Harry clutching his scar and screaming in agony. Blood was seeping through his fingers as he clawed at his forehead. Hermione worried for a moment that something had gone wrong, but then realized that the fragment had been part of him for most of his life, so it was expected for him to have some sort of a reaction to its forced removal.

When Harry's screaming stopped a few moments later, Hermione gently pried his hands from his forehead to see how badly he was injured. She carefully wiped the blood away, and saw that there was no injury at all… and the scar that had marked him since he was a year old was gone.

She pulled Harry into a comforting hug as he shivered in her arms. His breath was short and halting, and his skin was cold and clammy. It took a few minutes for him to calm down enough to speak.

"That was fun," he commented dryly as he pulled back slightly from Hermione's embrace.

Harry was surprised to find that Hermione was smiling while holding him. He thought that odd because every time she had banished a soul, she was practically inconsolable for quite the while afterwards.

At his puzzled look, Hermione said, "It's alright… I understand my role now… and I realized that being what I am is actually a blessing for us. We couldn't do what needs to be done if it weren't for this little knack I have of ripping souls out of things."

"So it really worked this time? You banished it?"

"Well, no…" said Hermione. She took a moment to think about how best to explain what she had done and why, "I couldn't banish it. I had to release the soul fragment from you."

Harry's eyes widened, "What? Where did it go? Why didn't you get rid of it?"

"I believe it's heading back to England to reconnect with the fragment in Voldemort's current body… and I didn't banish it simply because I couldn't."

Hermione explained about her conversation with Chloe and how the message from Dumbledore was relayed. Although excited that Hermione could now contact the afterlife, and eventually maybe his parents and Sirius as well, he was still confused on why she couldn't banish the fragment that was within him.

"Think about it," explained Hermione, "The bit within you was the original bit of Tom Riddle's soul… it was accidentally placed in you when the killing curse rebounded. It was the base soul from which the other fragments that were made into horcruxes were torn. If the ritual that I use to get rid of the horcruxes could banish original souls, intact or not, what would stop me from using the ritual to kill someone? It would be no better than the killing curse, except for the fact that it takes quite a bit longer than the Avada Kedavra… the ritual is only to exorcise souls of those who have died. It would work on ghosts, and other spectres like Peeves, but I can't remove a living soul from anything or anyone. That's why it failed all of the times I tried to help you, and now that Voldemort will have that original soul piece back, I won't be able to remove it from him… that will be up to you."

Harry nodded in understanding, then tiredly smiled at Hermione and said, "So now we can repair the soul bond, right?"

Hermione shook her head in disbelief as she said, "What?" She couldn't hope to believe that Harry still wanted to repair the bond with her after seeing what she becomes in her state. After a moment, a look of realization appeared on her face as she gave him a resigned smile, but the sadness in her eyes betrayed her disappointment, "Well, yes… I imagine it would be possible now. You can enter your state and leave your body without fear of it being hijacked now. I must say it's quite the unique experience… not as scary as you'd imagine…"

Harry immediately caught the change in her demeanor and knew what caused it. Without missing a beat he stood from the couch, took her hand and said to her, "Then let's get it repaired… right now."

Hermione stared blankly at him for a few seconds before she whispered, "You… you still want to bond with me? Really?"

"Of course I do," he said smiling, "I told you that I love you, and nothing is going to change that. I thought I made that clear in the bathroom when I said that I'd like us to be a family." There was a wry twinkle in his eye as he threw caution to the wind and added snarkily, "Anyway, you look dead sexy in your state!" and then said seriously, "I'd be lucky if I look half as cool as you after I do my own ritual."

The next thing Harry was aware of was the sudden lack of air in his lungs as Hermione crushed him in a fierce hug while kissing him into a most excellent stupor. After almost a full minute of Hermione massaging his lips with hers, she broke the kiss and beamed at him.

"Then you were serious? That really was a somewhat awkward proposal?"

When Harry smiled and nodded rather sheepishly, she brought her arms up behind his neck and let out a strangled sob, "Thank you, Harry… I swear to you, I'm never going to let you regret this," she said softly into his ear as she managed to strengthen the hug… something that he wouldn't have believed possible a minute before, "We'll get through this war, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen. Then I'll spend the rest of my life making you the happiest wizard in all the United Kingdom!"

Harry almost didn't hear her words, he was so lost in her warm embrace that his higher cognitive functions were severely impaired. Add to that the throbbing erection that he was sporting as he felt Hermione's breasts resting on his chest. His mind drifted from the image of Hermione's indescribably sexy altered form, through the vision of her standing naked, wet, and lathered in the stream of the shower at Privet Drive, to the glorious view he received the previous day in the bathroom with her bent over and her womanly assets splayed open for his greedy eyes. Of course, the thought of her making him 'the happiest wizard in Britain' sent all sorts of wild, erotic pictures careening through his teenaged mind. He briefly wondered if these thoughts were natural for someone his age, or if it was just the after-effect of the elixir that had suppressed the majority of his hormonal urges for so long.

Finally regaining some of his sensibility, he asked, "Well, where are we going to do it? Right here in the house or out on the beach?"

This simple, rational question sent Hermione's mind spinning into the same vortex that Harry's mind was in. It took her a moment to decipher the context of the phrase, 'do it,' but the damage had already been done as pictures of Harry's naked form drifted unbidden through her brain. She never got the full frontal view, but the image of his tight, dripping, naked buns remained burned into her memory. It had been so long since she actually had to control her libido that it took a supreme effort for her not to moan into his ear, but she could do nothing about the building wetness between her legs.

Hermione took a deep, calming breath before saying, "Well, it won't take but a moment, and it's not very complicated. We can repair the bond right now."

Kotone cracked one eye open and looked up at the couple on the sofa. She had been asleep, but could still hear the conversation between the two as it played out. She woke herself up just in time to see each of them enter their respective 'states.' She had been waiting for this moment for so long, she could hardly believe it was finally coming to pass.

Harry's soul was the first to emerge from his body, the proud lion, now free from the taint that was the dark serpent, looked vibrant and healthy as it drifted steadily above his physical form sitting motionless on the sofa.

A moment later, Hermione's soul, the stately eagle rose elegantly to hover before the lion. The eagle spread her massive wings and embraced the ethereal lion. The ghostly forms coalesced into a single mass, vague and nebulous, until a definite shape began to form from the combined souls.

The wings spread outwards once again, and the head of the majestic eagle emerged from the shapeless cloud. Kotone's eyes shone in delight as the rest of the figure compacted to form the remainder of the body. The final form of a large, magnificent griffin drifted gracefully around the room above her.

Forgetting that she was pretending to be asleep, Kotone bounced happily as she energetically clapped her hands, but the griffin didn't seem to pay her any mind. The loving emotions that were being broadcast by the combined souls were palpable to her. She had never before felt such a strong bond between two souls before, and wondered how long it would take for them to return to their respective bodies.

Kotone didn't have to wait long before the griffin settled just above the sofa between the two motionless bodies. Slowly, the griffin became a shapeless mass of ethereal energy before splitting back into two defined shapes, the lion and the eagle, but with the bright golden ribbon of energy connecting the two.

As Kotone watched the two distinct souls assume their bodies, she got to her feet and looked expectantly between the two, wondering how their newly repaired bond would affect them. Her eyes narrowed in concern when they both emerged from their states at the same time, Harry with a terrified look on his face, and Hermione looking as if she had just been handed her NEWT results with straight 'Trolls.'

Harry leapt from the sofa and backed away from Hermione. He was breathing heavily, and looked as though he were ready to run out of the house. Hermione's face instantly became flushed and her eyes were opened wide in surprise. She, too, seemed to be desperately gasping for breath.

As Harry scrambled backwards away from the sofa, he tripped over the pile of stuff that was brought back from Grimmauld Place. He quickly clambered to his feet and practically shouted to Hermione, "Keep away from me! Please!"

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A/N: Fun Fact: I had originally written Vernon finding out about the happenings at his house… The inferi didn't target his house specifically, it just happened to be in their path on their way to London! ^_^