The morning sun lit up the bedroom causing Harry to stir, and the first thing he realized was that someone was sleeping on his chest. He grabbed for his glasses and looked down, and saw the patch of brown hair sprawled all over. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, wondering if their friendship would officially be ruined after this.
'And the bond wins,' he thought, pressing his arm against his eyes. 'I wonder how she'll feel about this.'
He tried not to move, as he wanted her to sleep for as long as she would. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to gain a few more minutes of sleep before he felt her move, and he braced himself for what would come next.
Hermione stirred and sat up, looking down at Harry in worry. He stared back up at her before he reached his hand up and pressed it against her cheek, and she closed her eyes at his touch.
"Hi," he said quietly.
"Good morning."
They stared at each other for a moment before they leaned in and captured each other lips. This kiss was very different from the one last night. It wasn't sexual, it wasn't rushed. It was two people kissing. Nothing more, nothing less.
But neither found they could break away from one another.
"You're not upset, are you?" he asked a short time later, as he stood up to put his boxers back on. She shook her head and looked away.
"What do we do now?" she asked, as she sat on the edge of the bed and clutched the sheet to her chest. Across from her Harry sat in the chair that he had pulled up to the bed.
"I don't know. There's no going back from this."
She threw her head back and closed her eyes, wondering what will happen next. Harry rubbed his hands on his knees.
He was feeling something. He was feeling fear. He knew he wasn't scared.
But she was.
He was feeling her.
Shock and amazement coursed through him. They had been told about this, the connection they would receive had they completed their marriage. He had no idea, however, that he would actually feel her.
Then again, he never thought he would get this far with Hermione. That thought never crossed either one of them.
"There's nothing to be scared of," he said softly, grabbing for her hands. She looked up in shock before she smiled sadly.
"We're officially bonded."
"We are."
"I'm just-I'm worried that things will change for good, Harry. You're my best friend and I can't lose you."
He squeezed her hands and smiled at her. "You will never lose me. I promise you that."
He put both of his hands on the side of her face and leaned in to kiss her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to her, breaking it off before they went any further.
"I'm going to take a shower," he said, and stood up. He walked out of the room, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Did last night mean something to her?
They had both wanted it. There was no denying that. They were very into it. Closing her eyes, she could picture the entire night in her mind. Their moans of pleasure, the feel of him inside of her-she shivered. It hurt, but it felt right.
'It was amazing,' she thought.
Then the look on his face when he released. There was something there, she knew there was. Her mind went into overdrive trying to figure out what it could have meant.
Not feeling like herself anymore, she stood up and put her robe on and waited outside of the bathroom door. A few moments later the water turned off and she closed her eyes, waiting for him to leave it.
"Hermione?" he asked, looking at her in shock. "Is something wrong?"
"Be quiet for a minute," she whispered, and pressed her lips against his. He let out a moan and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as he could. He pushed her back and pressed her up against the wall, and she let out a moan of pleasure as her back hit the wall.
His towel fell off of his waist, and she felt desire course through her as she pulled away and looked down. He stared at her, as though hesitant to continue on. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their lips together again, reassuring him.
"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" he asked, as his lips trailed across her neck.
"Not right now," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist.
*****
Harry's hand moved across Hermione's back as they once again laid in his bed. Neither have said a word since their latest activity. In the back of Hermione's mind something was nagging at her, and she knew without a doubt that she and Harry needed to talk about what's going on.
'Where do we begin?'
He was her best friend. The one that was always with her no matter what. The one he let cry on when she was upset about Ron. The one who asked her to dance with him in the tent. The one who took her with him to rescue Sirius.
She had shagged him-twice.
She closed her eyes and pressed her head into his chest, trying ahead of time to stop the headache that was sure to form. Harry's hand moved from her back to her hair, and, oddly, she was feeling much better.
She felt calm, because he felt calm.
'This bond is stronger than I thought.'
She sat up in the bed and stared at the window, trying to keep her thoughts in check. She felt him sit up behind her, and she turned her head towards him.
"Harry, we have to talk about what's going on," she said softly, clutching the sheet to her chest. Behind her, he sighed.
"This is so complicated."
"Did this mean anything to you?" she asked him sharply, turning around to face him.
"Of course it did," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. She let go out of the sheet and rested her hands on his arms. "You know I would NEVER hurt you like that. I'm not that kind of guy."
She saw the look in his eyes, and her heart melted. No, Harry would never use her. He had even hesitated for a moment earlier, and she knew that he would have stopped right then and there had she told him to.
Harry cared way too much about her.
"When did everything get this complicated?" she said quietly.
"You're married to me, and my life is complicated."
She laughed and leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. He kissed her head.
"This meant a lot to me, too," she said softly.
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," she said, staring at the wall ahead of her. "We just made everything so much more difficult."
"Twice," he joked, and she rolled her eyes.
She pulled back, and they stared at each other, just as worried as the other was. Neither wanted their friendship to end, because they both care about the other way too much.
"Are we making this more complicated than it needs to be?" he asked softly. She shook her head.
"Do you want this?" she asked, staring straight back at him. "Do you want for us to be together?"
He rubbed his eyes, unsure how to answer her question. Unknown to him, neither did she. She dropped her head, hating the silence that suddenly filled the bedroom.
"What I want is to not lose you," he replied, not skipping a beat. "Whatever that may take."
He held his hand out to her, and she grabbed for it, smiling softly at him. Their lips connected briefly once again before she grabbed for her robe, turned and walked out of his room, pressing her body up against the wall.
She had no idea where their friendship-relationship-whatever this was would go now.
*****
"Where do you think they are?" Ginny asked, as she stared out the window. Ron shrugged.
"It's their business."
"I feel horrible," she replied. "I shouldn't have said what I said."
"You were in shock. We all were. What's done is done. We just have to wait for them to return."
The door opened and Harry and Hermione stepped through. Ron and Ginny turned to them.
"We're really sorry," Ginny said, looking between them. "We were shocked and I guess I overreacted."
"It's fine, really," Hermione said softly, smiling at her. "Harry and I actually have an announcement."
She gestured towards the table and they all sat around it. She and Harry looked at one another before they started to talk.
"Hermione and I have had a lot to think about, and we've made a lot of decisions. We've decided that we're not going to be with anyone for quite a while until we get this figured out."
"What?" Ginny asked in shock. Ron turned to both of them.
"Are you serious?" Ron asked.
"We are."
"Things are just too complicated with us right now to try to be with other people," she replied. "We're so sorry."
Ginny didn't say another word, but she stood up and left the kitchen. Ron kept his head down, refusing to say another word.
"We're so sorry, Ron," Hermione said, reaching over to grab his hand. He snatched it away from her.
"So Ginny was right? You two don't want the divorce."
"Its way more complicated than you think," Harry said, looking at his best friend with sympathy. "There's still so much that we don't even understand."
"I get it," he replied, and followed his sister out of the room.
Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who had tears in her eyes. He knew that she was upset; he didn't need the bond to tell him that. He gently tugged her up and turned her to face him.
"Let's stay at Grimmauld Place for a while," he said, and she nodded in agreement.
"Do you think we may have made a mistake? Not filing?"
He stared at her for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her waist. She buried her head in his chest.
"I just want you to be happy," he said, placing his cheek onto her head.
"The same goes for you," she said softly, moving herself to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Where have you two been?" Molly asked, as she entered the kitchen. She looked at them in concern, and they suddenly felt bad for leaving in such a hurry.
"We stayed the night at Grimmauld Place."
"Why?"
"It's complicated," Hermione said. "We're sorry. We should have told you where we were going. We just wanted some time alone."
"Are you two together?" she asked in shock.
"We've been soul-bonded, Molly, and we don't know how."
She put her hand over her mouth and stepped back. The two teenagers dropped their eyes.
"Are you for sure?"
"Very sure," she replied quickly. "We found out yesterday morning."
"What are you going to do?"
"We're going to try to sort this out, and I'm sorry, Molly, but we're going to live at Grimmauld Place until we do."
She didn't say another word, but dropped her head and pushed past them. They turned back towards each other before they went upstairs to collect their stuff.
*****
"That went well," Hermione replied, as she put her bags onto the floor. Harry gave her a look, feeling bad for everything that was happening.
"Do you still want the divorce?"
"I don't know," she sighed, collapsing onto the couch. "Before I did. Now that we've shagged, things have taken a different turn."
Harry was about to talk to her when the fireplace roared to life and Kingsley stepped through. He dusted himself off before he smiled at the two teenagers.
"How are both of you doing?" he asked, looking between the two of them.
"We're dealing with this," Hermione said, looking towards Harry. He nodded in agreement.
"I came for a different reason, and it involves you, Harry. I would like to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Becoming an Auror."
"I never finished Hogwarts."
"You don't need to. I'm allowing anyone who fought in the war to join without their N.E.W.T.s."
"When would I start?"
"As soon as possible. I need Aurors."
"That's a wonderful opportunity."
"It's an excellent one. As for you, Hermione, I would love to have you as well."
"Thanks for the offer," she said softly, smiling at him, "but I can't see myself as an Auror."
"I didn't mean as an Auror. I would love to have you anywhere in the Ministry you're willing to be."
She widened her eyes at him. Harry turned to her and smiled.
"The Minstry and Minerva McGonagall are allowing students who skipped the previous year to return to finish their education. It's entirely your decision, though. You must have your N.E.W.T.s to work in any department with the Auror's, though."
"It's a lot to think about," Hermione replied, turning to Harry. He nodded in response.
"It really is. I'll leave and give you two some time to think about it. Let me know when you have made your decisions."
They nodded, and watched as Kingsley stood up. He was just about to leave before he turned back to them. "By the way, neither of you have told us what you're going to do about your bond."
"We're working on it," Harry said, and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"If I may, you two make a great couple," he replied, tipping his hat to them.
"Thanks," they replied, both blushing furiously. They watched as he disappeared through the flames of the fireplace before Hermione stood up.
"I'm assuming you're going to take the job."
"I can't give that up," he said softly. "And I'm assuming you're going back to Hogwarts."
"I planned on it."
He nodded, shaking his head as he did so. "I don't think the bond would like that very much, would it?"
She laughed nervously. "Probably not."
"I really want this job, Hermione," he said, patting the seat next to him. She hesitated for a minute before he tugged onto her hand and she sat next to him.
"You need to take it," she said, pressing her hand against his cheek. "You also need to shave."
He laughed as she ran her hand across his stubble. "I'll shave tonight."
"I like a little stubble," she replied, putting her other hand on his other cheek.
She stared at him for a moment before she pulled her hand away, realizing what she was doing. They awkwardly turned away from one another, having no idea what to say or do.
"I want you to go back to Hogwarts," he said, and she looked back up at him. "You need to go."
"What will I do without having to watch over a troublemaker?"
His mouth curved into a smile. "You'll actually learn something."
She looked towards the fireplace, closing her eyes as everything came back into focus. "Everyone always thought we should be together. Remember our fourth year when everyone thought I was dating both you and Krum?"
"That year was a nightmare," he said, turning towards her. "You've always been by my side even when you were insulted. You were the only person who believed me when I said that I didn't put my name into the cup. You helped me get through the tournament even though I didn't ask you to."
He looked away from her, trying to sort everything out as he did so. All their years of Hogwarts flew through his head. The train ride, the troll, the Chamber of Secrets, Sirius' rescue, the tournament, the Battle of the Ministry, the Battle of Hogwarts. She spent most of her time at Hogwarts helping him, whether it being by his side or in the library.
And of course, the last nine months.
She was always there. Always keeping him in check. Helping him whenever he needed it. She stayed by his side even when Ron had left them once again. She cried over him, but she stayed with Harry until the end. She was tortured helping him with the Horcrux hunt. She went through months of starvation, frustration and being homeless to help him. She went nearly a year without seeing her parents.
All for him.
"I think we should give it a chance," he said, and she turned back to him.
"Give what a chance?"
"Us," he said quietly, grabbing for her hand. She looked at him in shock. "Everyone said we should be together. Maybe we should try it."
"Is this your way of asking me out?"
"You know I'm terrible at this dating thing," he replied with a grin. She laughed. "I'm serious, Hermione. This bond happened for a reason, and it's not going away regardless if we get a divorce or not. You have always been there for me. We've already shagged-twice. We're married. I want to try this, Hermione, if you're willing to."
She continued to stare at him in shock for a moment, unsure of what to say. The same thoughts that swirled through his head just moments before swirled through hers, and she closed her eyes as she thought about it. She reopened them before she nodded, smiling at him. "Let's do it."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their lips together. He poured everything he could into the kiss, trying to prove to her that he wanted to be with her.
"What if we don't work?" she asked, pulling away from me. He pressed his hands against the sides of her face and kissed her head.
"Let's cross that path if we come to it."