Disclaimer - JK Rowling and various publishers own the world of Harry Potter. I make no claim to ownership.
A/N: Thanks to my beta Vettesr, and those kind enough to review.
Chapter 6: Mudbloods
The days passed and Quidditch season started. Harry and Hermione were once again practicing with the Gryffindor team. The twins seemed to take delight in betting which one would make the best seeker. Both seemed to have an instinctive knack for the position, but Wood preferred Harry for the job. He was fair about it though and Hermione got to practice almost as much in that position. Wood wasn't taking any chances in loosing his seeker to injuries. Hermione would usually spell off one of the Chasers, either Katie or Angelina for practice. Harry would take Alicia's place or would trade off with one of the twins as a Beater. Harry preferred the Beater position to Chaser, but the twins were really good at that position, so there was little opportunity to become really proficient.
One Saturday just before Hermione's birthday, the team trooped out to the Quidditch field for practice, only to find that the Slytherins had booked the field already.
"Out of the way Flint," Wood pressed. "We booked this time with McGonagall weeks ago."
"Sorry Wood, we have special permission from Snape. We have to train our new seeker,"
"New seeker?" Harry asked. "Malfoy?" as Draco appeared and stepped to the front.
"Yeah, and that's not all that's new," Draco crowed, showing the team's new Nimbus 2001 brooms. "Gift from my father."
Hermione piped up. "At least we didn't have to buy our way onto the team, we were selected on merit."
"Nobody asked you Mudblood!" Draco stormed. "You and your sister don't even belong at Hogwarts!"
The pitch got very quiet as Draco said this. The first to move was Ron, who made a move to hex Draco, only to be stopped by Hermione.
"You rude little boy!" she shouted. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. Pureblood fantasies that you are superior don't hold up to close examination now, do they? Where did your grades fall last year? Certainly well down the list. Harry and I, on the other hand were the top students in our year. Emily is just as smart as we are. I think an apology is in order from you Draco!"
Draco sneered, "As if I'd apologise to a mudblood!"
Joining hands, Hermione and Harry pushed a bit of magic at Draco, causing him to wince in pain. As he continued to resist, they pushed harder until Draco fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
"Enough!" Flint barked. "Draco, you need to apologise. NOW!"
We better let him go Hermione, they're all staring at us.
Draco weakly got to his feet, shaking heavily. "All right, I apologise," he gasped.
Leaving the pitch, Wood and the twins looked at Harry and Hermione with awe.
Alicia asked, "What just happened there, Hermione?"
"Umm, Harry and I were really mad and don't really know what happened."
"Without a wand? No second year could have done that! And what did you mean Harry and you? I noticed you holding hands."
Bugger, Harry, what have we stirred up now? Wandless and wordless magic, how will we explain that?
Let me think… could we call it accidental magic?
That might work. We haven't done that before, We probably need to tell Dumbledore.
"We're not sure, but I think it was a bit of accidental magic. We both support each other and seem a bit stronger when we hold hands." She blushed. "Sometimes strange things happen when we are upset."
Looking somewhat unconvinced, the team left it at that and went to change.
Ron approached them after they had changed. "That was a bond thing, wasn't it? That was really scary. Malfoy just sort of folded up in pain. How did you do that? I didn't even see your wands."
"Ron," Harry started, "we don't want to talk too much about this. we're still learning about our powers, and this kind of surprised us. There are a few other things we can do that we haven't told anyone about yet. We need to keep this quiet. I think we need to get our group together for a little talk. Can you ask Ginny and Neville to meet us this evening in the spare classroom on the fourth floor by the painting of the three friars? We'll contact Luna and Emily."
"Yeah, I guess so. What time?"
"Let's try for seven."
***
Headmaster's office, later that afternoon:
"Ahh, Harry and Hermione," greeted the Headmaster. "To what to I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Hello Headmaster," Harry greeted the old man. "Perhaps you could call Professor McGonagall in as well? We have a bit of news."
"Certainly Harry." Throwing a bit of floo powder into the fireplace, he called for Minerva. "Might you join us in my office Minerva? Harry and Hermione are here."
A minute later, Professor McGonagall stepped out of the fireplace and brushed herself off.
"Hello Hermione, Harry, is something wrong?"
"No Professor, we thought you might as well hear what has happened today," Harry said.
As they all seated themselves in the office, Hermione began. "This morning, Draco Malfoy insulted me and my sister Emily, calling us mudbloods. It's a filthy name to call muggle born people and Harry and I were really upset."
"Understandably so, my dear," Minerva asserted.
"I demanded he apologise and he wouldn't at first until Harry and I joined hands and pushed our magic at him. Professors, Harry and I did wandless and wordless magic! Malfoy was on his knees in pain and gasping for breath.
"We don't know how we did it and I don't know what spell we hit him with. He did apologise, however. It was a little difficult explaining to our team-mates that it was accidental magic. I'm not sure they all bought it."
"Oh dear," Albus sighed. "I was hoping to avoid exposing you two to the possibility of discovery. Mr. Malfoy is a bit of a problem due to his upbringing. Actually, I'm a bit surprised he sent his son to Hogwarts, knowing that there are many muggle born witches and wizards here. His father Lucius is on the board of governors, but his mother Narcissa wanted Draco to attend Durmstrang. We will have to be careful with Draco. His father is quite powerful and wields considerable influence.
"Moving on, I think that your magic has just taken another leap forward. I think we should set up a special program to guide and help you control some of this new magic. Wandless and wordless magic is well beyond most people. I'd also like to see if you two can do this while separated. With that in mind, would it be acceptable to meet us in one of the classrooms for an hour, say twice a week in the evenings? You should still be able to complete your homework assignments."
Harry replied, "That sounds like a good idea, maybe we can strengthen our abilities."
"That's fine with me as well sir," Hermione agreed. "Have you found out anything more about our soul bond?"
"We have a line of investigation that we are pursuing and hope to have at least a partial answer soon."
Minerva spoke up, "Harry, have you decided who you will bring in to your confidence yet?"
"I think Ginny and Luna as well as Dean and Seamus will have to know. We see them every day and they are bound to notice eventually."
"I do not believe Dean or Seamus would need to know as of yet. They are not around the both of you enough," McGonagall added. "The more in the know, the more chance that it will get spread around. The Slytherin team seeing what you did to Mr. Malfoy will probably cause all sorts of problems as it is. Never mind that the rest of your team must be wondering. You MUST be more careful."
"Yes Professor, we understand. We're holding a meeting tonight with our friends," Hermione added.
"Good, good. Be careful what you tell them. I have a way to keep them from spreading the news any farther. A Wizards Oath should do it. They simply have to draw their wands and swear by their magic not to divulge the secret however you word it and add the words at the end `So mote it be.'"
***
After notifying Emily, Luna, Harry and Hermione made their way to the classroom on the fourth floor that evening.
Hermione, we should plan how much to tell them.
Yes, I think we can tell them we're bonded by our magic. Emily, Ron and Neville know about that, but the rest don't. I guess we have to tell them about being able to speak in our heads to each other. What else?
Well, the fact that our combined magic is much stronger than anyone else, and don't forget wandless magic. They'll find that out for sure.
Okay, what don't we tell them? I don't think they should know about the hand holding increasing our powers. I wouldn't want them to know too much about the soul bond and how close we are to complete bonding. By the way, I wonder just how close we are to stage three?
Oh, Hermione, I think we have a way to go yet. While our magic keeps strengthening, I don't think we are anyway near the end yet. I feel… I don't know… sort of like a cup that is maybe half full. Plus, we haven't matured emotionally enough yet. We're still pretty young. We'll have to use the Wizards Oath to protect ourselves, make sure we cover all the possibilities. I'll leave that to you for the wording.
***
That evening, they made their way to the classroom on the fourth floor. Ron and Ginny were already there and Neville was right behind them. After waiting a few more minutes, Emily and Luna showed up.
"Hi guys, what's up?" Luna asked
Hermione took charge. "Hello everyone. Harry and I needed to talk to you, but we need to be sure this goes no further than you guys. What we need to talk about is important, and we can't take a chance of it leaking to the rest of the school. Before we can say anymore, we'll need a Wizards Oath from each of you to keep our secret. Are you comfortable with that?"
A gasp was heard from the group.
"A Wizard Oath?" Ginny and Neville asked together.
"That's really serious, Hermione," Neville said. "Are you sure that's needed?"
"Guys, we wouldn't ask this if we hadn't talked to the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall first," Hermione replied.
A collected gulp was heard from the group.
"Uhh… I guess I'm in," Neville replied.
Slowly the rest of the group nodded acceptance. Nobody was really happy but they were very curious what could be so important to require a Wizards Oath.
"Okay," Hermione started, "I need to do this one at a time. You each have to repeat after me and point your wand at your self: `I swear on my magic that I will not repeat anything told me in confidence by Harry or Hermione until they have released me from this spell, so mote it be'.
"We'll try to keep this from the school as long as possible, but eventually, they might find out."
Neville was first, followed by Ron, Emily, Luna and finally Ginny.
Ginny was hesitant at first, but finally acquiesced when her curiosity got the better of her.
"Now that that is out of the way, we'll tell you some of what's happened to us," Harry stated. Last year Hermione and I bonded on the train. Ron and Neville witnessed it, but they don't know the full implications."
Ginny gasped. "Y-you bonded? How?"
Harry continued. "We're not sure how it happened, just that when Hermione shook my hand, a bright flash happened between us and we suddenly felt a connection."
Ginny thought `That could have been Harry and me! I felt something strange when we met on the platform. It's so unfair! I've had a crush on him since I was eight. How did Hermione get to be the one to bond with him? Arrgh!'
Hermione took over. "We started seeing what the other was seeing, and we found we could communicate in our heads. In the sorting ceremony, the Hat sensed this as well and sorted us into the same house, even though it thought we belonged in different houses. It told us we were bonded. The Headmaster found out about this right away and has been advising us. He's told us to keep it secret but he's allowed us to tell out close friends. My folks and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley also know."
"Harry and I have found that our magic has increased dramatically and we can do things most others can't do. We can do wandless magic wordlessly, which is what Ron saw today when we cursed Malfoy."
"You cursed Malfoy? What did he do?" Luna piped up, giggling.
"He called Hermione and Emily mudbloods," Ron said.
"Mudbloods? What does that mean?" Emily asked, shocked.
"It means dirty blood, someone who is muggle born. Someone like you and me, Emily," Hermione said sadly.
"And it's a load of bull," Ron stated forcefully. "They think they're superior because they're purebloods. Most wizards have been interbred so much that there are no purebloods anymore. In any case, that has no bearing on how powerful you are or how smart you are. Look at Hermione; she finished top of the grade last year, and Harry tied with her."
"There is one more thing guys. Our magic is continuing to grow, so be careful if you see something unusual happen with us," Harry warned. "We don't know all our powers yet, and some of them the Headmaster has advised us to keep secret, even from you. It could be dangerous if someone like Malfoy found out. So far, he just thinks it's accidental magic. If he finds out the truth, his father could cause big trouble."
Ginny was still smarting from these revelations. `Why couldn't this have happened to me? I should have been the one to bond with Harry. Oooh! I wonder if their bond is breakable…."
Not knowing the consequences, Ginny continued to think about it.
***
That Saturday in the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Hermione were relaxing. Hermione's thirteenth birthday (Sept. 19th) was fast approaching and Harry was trying to keep his mind closed, to hide what he had bought her. It was hard, since the bond allowed them to know what the other was thinking, if they concentrated. The harder he tried, the more suspicious Hermione became. Finally she asked him what was going on.
Harry, I know you're trying to hide something from me, now what is it?
Ahh… umm… sorry love, but please don't peek. I got you a birthday present, and it's supposed to be a surprise. How I managed to keep it from you this long, I don't know. You know we share everything, but there are some things we should be able to keep secret. Birthdays and Christmas come to mind. You don't mind, do you? I'd really like to surprise you.
Oh Harry, of course I don't mind. I tried the same thing for your birthday and was successful. It's really thoughtful of you.
She grabbed him and kissed him thoroughly. The twins saw this and gave a wolf whistle, causing them to break apart.
"Looks like our little Harrykins is starting to grow up," George started.
"…And Hermione is leading the way…" Fred continued.
"…Do you think…"
"…That Harrykins has a thing…"
"…For Miss Granger?"
"Why I do believe…"
"…That he has. See how red…"
"…They've suddenly gotten."
"Shut it you two," Harry admonished.
Both were beet red from the teasing.
Harry, lets find a quieter place.
How about outside by the lake, there's lots of places there where we won't be disturbed.
Okay, I'll grab something extra from the tables after breakfast and we can spend the day away from prying eyes.
Later, as they walked the grounds to the lake, Harry was reminded of the time they spent at the beach. Too bad we don't have our bathing costumes, the sun is quite hot today. It would be nice to have a dip.
I don't know Harry, there are creatures in the lake that may be dangerous. Hogwarts: A History, says that besides the giant squid, there are other things in the lake that we haven't learned about yet.
Aw,come on Hermione, maybe we can just do a bit of wading though. It's really hot today.
Well… maybe, Harry. Here looks like a good spot, there's a big tree for shade and no one's around. Let's set our food down and take our shoes off.
Getting settled, they removed their shoes and socks. Rolling up their jeans, they stepped into the water. It was nice and cool and soon they were wading up to their knees.
Suddenly, Harry slipped and plunged into deep water. It seems that the lakebed dropped off quite suddenly at that spot. Sputtering, Harry quickly surfaced, only to disappear just as suddenly under the surface.
Hermione screamed and plunged in after Harry. Spotting a weak green glow, Hermione swam toward it as a glow surrounded her as well. Reaching Harry, she quickly spotted the problem. A couple of small creatures had grabbed Harry by the legs and was pulling him down. Deeper and deeper Harry was pulled, with Hermione frantically swimming after him. Reaching for Harry, she managed to grab his hand. Immediately the green glow intensified, along with a golden glow that formed around the green glow. The creatures were thrown away violently, but the water was much colder down here. They had been drawn down quite far by the creatures, but their magic allowed them to breathe normally. The golden glow that protected them started to provide heat, so as they swam to the surface, they were quite warm.
Climbing out onto the bank, the green glow disappeared, but the golden glow continued until they were both quite dry.
That was scary Harry, what were those creatures?
I don't know love, thanks for rescuing me. We should find out more about what's in the lake. I think that's enough swimming for today. Did you notice the golden glow that surrounded us? I think it's the same protective glow that surrounds us at night when we sleep. It also warmed and dried us.
More magic that we have to protect us. It's comforting to know that our bond is actively keeping us safe. I noticed the green glow surrounded you when you went under. It was weak, but it was there. I wonder if we can strengthen it so we can swim underwater without having to hold hands.
What… you don't like holding hands?
Prat… of course I like holding hands, Harry. It might come in handy if we are separated in the water like now, though.
They lay back on the bank, holding on to each other. Hermione's arms wrapped around his back and Harry brushed his lips against hers. As they deepened the kiss, the blue glow sprang up around them unnoticed, and the magic pushed again. Snogging seriously now, Hermione's hand reached under his shirt to brush his back. Harry shivered; his hands reached under her blouse and softly rubbed her stomach. Wandering higher, he felt the soft lace of her bra and kneaded his hands, feeling the firmness of her breasts. She had obviously developed a bit more lately.
Gasping for breath, they finally broke apart, lips swollen with passion.
That felt incredible Harry, I almost lost control there, we have to be more careful, there's no place to complete the bond here. Remember what Dumbledore said.
I know Hermione, I just couldn't seem to control myself.
***
Meanwhile, Emily and Luna met up with Ginny and decided to walk outside in the fresh air. The trio had become quite close recently and could frequently be seen talking and walking together. Emily and Luna studied together and they would sometimes meet with Ginny in the library and compare notes. Ginny valued the close friendship she had formed with the two Ravenclaws and eagerly sought them out whenever she had a spare moment. Of course, she had known Luna for years, but Emily was easy to get along with, often sharing tidbits of gossip she happened to overhear with the Gryffindor. Emily missed the closeness she had with her sister and took to Luna and Ginny right away.
"Lets walk over to the lake," Emily suggested. "It's a bit cooler over there."
Luna and Ginny readily agreed and they set off, slowly making their way to where Harry and Hermione had just slipped into the lake. They heard Hermione scream and quickly looked in the direction the scream seemed have come.
Noticing someone dive into the lake, they hurried forward. They were too far away to see who it was, but presently they saw two people drag themselves from the lake onto the bank. Getting closer, they spotted the couple snogging.
"Uh… maybe we shouldn't intrude," Suggested Luna.
"Hey, isn't that Harry and Hermione?" Emily proclaimed.
Ginny went really red and glared at the couple. Emily noticed this and practically dragged Ginny away.
"Ginny, what's wrong? You know that Harry and Hermione are bonded," Emily stated, watching the anger on Ginny's face.
Recovering, Ginny stuttered, "Yeah, but I didn't think that they were in a serious relationship already."
Emily tried to explain about their bond, but found she was unable to speak. Her magic prevented her from saying that they had been soul bonded and couldn't be separated. Instead, she tried to sooth Ginny. "Let it go Ginny, they've been together all summer."
This only seemed to agitate Ginny more. Luna also tried to calm her best friend.
"Ginny, I know you've admired Harry for a long time, but Hermione got to him first."
"You don't understand Luna, Harry was supposed to bond with me."
Both Luna and Emily gasped. "What do you mean Ginny?"
"Harry saw me first and we almost connected the same way Hermione did. We didn't get a chance to shake hands though as mum rushed Harry along to the train. I felt the same tingle Hermione felt when she met Harry," she wailed.
"Ginny, please don't meddle, it could be dangerous," was all Emily could say.
"Dangerous? What do you mean?"
"I-I can't say anymore, the Wizards Oath prevents me. They'll have to tell you."
Turning away, the trio made their way in the other direction, Ginny still fuming.
***
Hermione's birthday fell on a Saturday that year and Harry planned a small party that evening. Enlisting the help of the twins, a cake and other sweets were obtained. Harry reminded himself to ask the twins how they managed to get things from the kitchens, but didn't get a chance to talk to them before the party.
The morning of her birthday, Harry greeted her with a kiss and a cheery "Happy Birthday love."
"Thank you Harry," she said, returning the kiss.
Here's the surprise I've been saving for you. Harry then presented her with a silver locket. Inside was a picture of himself and Hermione kissing. Apparently Colin Creevey had caught them in the common room one evening and was able to shrink photo and animate it. Harry had learned of this when Colin showed to him. Harry immediately thought it would make a nice birthday gift for Hermione in a locket. Colin agreed to provide the photo and Harry sent Hedwig to Hogsmead with a note and some money for the locket.
"Harry," she squealed, hugging him, "it's exquisite! How did you ever get it?"
"Oh, just a little favour Colin owed me and I sent Hedwig to Hogsmead for the locket. You really like it then?"
"You know I do, silly boy. Anything from you is precious!"
The party that evening was loud and boisterous, with the twins and Ron teasing Harry and Hermione mercilessly. Ginny was quite subdued, but sat in a quiet corner talking with Neville.
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