A Deeper Connection: A New Beginning

A Deeper Connection - Part II

"Let me go!" Vernon screamed again, this time more desperately, throwing his massive body against the magical barrier, "boy-"

The last word had not even completely left the mouth of the fat Muggle but was enough to send Harry over the edge. Fractions of a second later, a beam of vivid green light hit Vernon square in the chest. For the second time today, the fat Muggle's body noisily connected with the floor, although this time, he would not rise again.

Vernon Dursley was dead, and Harry had not even uttered a single word. Besides himself and Harry now, he only knew two other Witches and Wizards who were powerful enough to kill without words.

While Petunia's screams turned into loud and tearful sobs, his Equal had frozen in his movements, his wand still raised at the spot where his uncle had once stood, experiencing the aftereffects of the successfully cast Killing Curse.

Due to their unique, although still weakened connection, Tom, too, had felt it. After all, he had experienced it many times before.

The faint shattering of a soul.

Harry's soul.

Something only intentionally taking a life could cause.

"Take a deep breath," Tom whispered, leaning forwards so only Harry could hear him, placing both of his hands on the broad shoulders ahead of him, "calm down. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. Take as much time as you need."

Eventually, the breathing in front of him slowed down, becoming much steadier and more evenly as his Equal got accustomed to the strange, but thankfully not too unpleasant feeling of a freshly fractured soul. Since he had promised to not ask again if his Equal was fine, the Dark Lord remained silent, waiting for Harry to continue. Because of the weak link between the two of them, he knew that Harry was adjusting to the new situation relatively quickly.

Eventually, his Equal shifted, the familiar melody of the Sumerian mantra filling the room.

" Lady Magic, o greatest Queen of them all, take my magic, take my soul as I have killed for you to serve you. For all eternity, I devote myself to thee, to cherish your gift, to protect thine. Mother Magic, I fully offer myself to thee. Accept my offering, I beg thee, please."

As with the Rune circle, the Ritual could be done without the mantra. Still, it was better to ask Lady Magic for her blessing. Otherwise, there was a high chance that the Ritual could go wrong, indicating that the ethereal entity did not approve.

Thankfully, Lady Magic seemed to welcome her latest servant as the Runes began turning darker and darker until they were glowing in a dark crimson as the magic in the room was getting heavier and heavier.

"This should be enough," the Dark Lord whispered, making his Equal go silent, the echo of the mantra still resonating within the currents of magic. Seconds later, his fingers closed around the right hand of his Equal, "Remember, focus on the fractures and find the smallest one. A little piece will be enough. Do not forget to breathe."

His movements were very gentle as he directed Harry's wand arm upwards until the tip of his wand was touching his temple. In front of him, his Equal took a deep breath as he dove deep inside his mind. Given the delicate nature of the Ritual, it was rather handy to have mastered Occlumency and Legilimency. Otherwise, one could easily end up with half of a soul and a doomed and hollow existence. If one were careful and extracted less than a tenth, the soul would easily heal over time. To prevent Harry from making the same mistake countless witches and wizards had made before, Tom followed him. With the help of the weakened link, the Dark Lord entered his Equal's lightly fractured mindscape.