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Valentine’s Day in Hogwarts is always an interesting affair to say the least. The male student population is an odd mix of timid boys trying to work up the courage to pursue a romance and playboy types pulling out all the stops to get the lofty prize of another notch on their broomsticks. The girls in the school are on pins and needles hoping and trying to catch the eyes of the boys they like, but rarely making the initial moves. The ones that do are usually very frustrated at the obliviousness of the objects of their affections. Then there are the established couple that seem to dial up all their romantic interactions up to eleven. Finally, there are the few students that hate the day, either due to some insecurity that prevents them from making any attempts at romance or other, less common reasons.
Had you asked him several years ago, Professor Potter would have placed himself in the camp of either the timid boys or the few that hated the holiday. His reason for hating Valentine’s was especially unique to him. Throughout most of his time as a student, many of his female classmates would openly approach him to give him gifts and other tokens of their supposed affection. Already being averse to the fame that came with being the “Chosen One”, this special attention by the female populace only strengthened his desire to wear his invisibility cloak throughout the day. The older he got, the worse it grew.
His opinion dramatically changed along with his deepening relationship with certain muggleborn genius. After their victory over Voldemort, Harry and Hermione returned to school united in every sense of the word. A small ceremony in a small village with only himself, Hermione, and an officiant. He thought to visit that priest again sometime before the month ended.
A Saturday would probably work best.
He nodded at the notion. The doors to his classroom opened, and the early crowd of sixth years began to take their normal seats. He watched patiently; arms idly crossed over his chest. As more and more students took their seats, Harry couldn’t help an amused smirk. Some of his students seemed more distracted than usual, either sneaking not so subtle glances at one of their classmates, or were trying to fight wide, satisfied smiles and deep blushes at events that most likely took place in hidden alcoves and broom closets. Oh, to be young again.
Well… no one says we can’t do more thorough inspections of the broom closets while we patrol tonight…
Harry mentally chuckled at that and tried to hide the satisfied smile from his students. When he was satisfied that all had made it to his class, he rose from his desk and walked over to the chalkboard. Chalk in hand, he wrote two words upon the board.
Soul Bond
Turning around, he saw some of the female students sigh wistfully at the concept, but beyond that small number, many of the students looked upon the words in confusion. With chalk still in hand, Harry divided the board into four sections, only to erase the lowest divider to make a larger section on the bottom. The doors to the outside halls swung closed, signaling the start of classes.
“Welcome once more, class. Happy Valentine’s Day to the more romantically inclined, and to those of you that are not, Happy Singles Awareness Day,” he added, drawing chuckles from his students. “In light of the current holiday, we will be taking a break from our studies on curses to learn about the concept I have written on the board. No notes will be necessary, though I would recommend that you commit what I'll teach you to your memory.”
Harry paused for a moment as some students fished out their parchment and quills, mimicking his layout. Most just sat idle, glad for a relaxed class on this day. Satisfied that the more studious of his pupils were ready he took his chalk and wrote in the upper left section of the board one phrase: What we “know”
“Now then, how many of you have heard of soul bonds, even just the phrase itself?” Most of the students born in the magical world raised their hands, though a couple muggleborns did as well. Nodding at the amount, Harry added, “And how many of you have heard more about the subject, either through your own research, listening in conversations, or through passing glances in Witch Weekly? And do tell me where you learned it.” At this, both muggleborns and a few magic-raised lowered their hands, but there was still a decently-sized group that had picked up some information. Unsurprisingly, all of them were female.
“Miss Namaran,” Harry indicated to a dark-haired Ravenclaw.
“Sir, Maria Sterling writes in Magical Rites and Rituals that a soul bond is a union of two souls in love.” Harry began writing down what she said, abbreviating as he felt necessary. The girl added, “Though such unions are rare, they are recognized in magical societies across the world as functional marriages.”
“Very good, Miss Namaran. Anyone else?”
A girl with wavy blonde hair and brown eyes raised her hand, trying to fight back a giggle. Smiling at the bubbly girl, Professor Potter motioned for her to speak.
“Jenna Thron, of Witch Weekly, once wrote that while no one knows for certain what causes a soul bond to form, many speculate that they are manifestations of fated romances. She also wrote that these unions grant many beneficial attributes to the bonded pair, like telepathy and a shared magical core.”
“Very good, Miss Greene. Very good,” the professor acknowledged as he finished writing what she had given. “Come on class, don’t be shy. What else have you heard?”
Slowly, a timid, dark skinned hand rose up.
“Yes, Miss Kandara?” Harry gently prompted.
“Umm…I remember overhearing that soul bonds are sealed when the couple shares their first kiss. This seal supposedly creates a glow that envelopes the bonded pair.” The quiet Slytherin shot down into her seat almost before she was finished. Harry quickly called attention back to himself, knowing that Miss Kandara preferred anonymity.
After making sure there were no further answers, this was the list before his eyes:
- Union of two souls in love
- Effectively viewed as marriage in magical communities
- Manifestation of fate
- Grant special abilities
- Telepathy
- Shared Magic core
- Immunity to love potions
- Sealed with a first kiss
- Glow
"An impressive collection of information, ladies. Though, I'm sorry to say that not all of it is true or entirely accurate." At this, Harry wrote in the square next to the assembly of information provided by the students the phrase: "What it IS". Without hesitation, he began his lecture.
"Maria Sterling is perhaps the nearest to the truth, though she only covers the basics of it. A soul bond is a union of two souls in love, but it does not manifest of its own nature." At this, Harry flicked his wand and crossed out the "Manifestation of fate" in the "Know" section. With a tap of his wand, he moved the "Union of two souls in love" to the IS section. "She is also correct when she says that most magical societies see bonded pairs in the same light as married couples. Miss Namaran, do you remember anything else from this passage?" he asked, as he finished the necessary adjustment of information on the board.
"Umm..." the girl pondered, gripping her chin. "...I seem to recall that there are few recorded instances of soul bonds, and that those recorded instances were of exceptional witches and wizards. Beyond that, not much else, Sir."
"Indeed, there are very few recorded cases of soul bonds, and those bonds involved remarkable witches and wizards. This is actually a good point to shift our focus of source to Miss...Jenna Thron was it, Miss Greene?"
"Yes, Professor," the smiling Hufflepuff affirmed.
"Sadly, Miss Greene, your source is less accurate than Maria Sterling, though she does come within orbit of some facts. To start, a soul bond is not a fated love. Fate is a tricky thing, having never been absolutely proven to be real or fantasy. Take prophecies for example. Many of them have yet to be fulfilled, being made decades or even centuries ago. Are their subjects dead? Or are they simply yet to be born? We may never know. There is another reason that we know a soul bond is not a matter of fate, which we will get to later."
"Returning to Miss Thron, she is closer to the truth in what she writes about special attributes observed in all bonded couples. Telepathy, or the communication of thoughts and ideas beyond the five senses, is tricky to prove, with the best we can do being to trust the statements of previously bonded pairs, who are still human and capable of falsehoods or mistakes. A common issue with this ability: to how much of your thoughts does this telepathy extend? Is it a completely unfiltered stream of every idle thought and musing that passes through your head, or does one have to intentionally send specific thoughts to their soulmate? Questions we've never been able to answer, as the last recorded bonded pair died several decades ago." Adding a question mark to the end of the Telepathy point, Harry continued on.
"Regarding a sharing of magical cores, how would this be a benefit?" Several hands raised, and Harry selected one of the boys in his class to participate.
"Mister Foresmythe."
"Sir, it could potentially give the caster more stamina in a one on one duel and allow them to put more power into their spells. While it would not be an infinite supply, it would provide a massive tactical advantage," the tanned Slytherin answered evenly. Harry smiled at the boy's analysis and nodded at the assessment.
"Very good, Mister Foresmythe. Of course, it would be a massive tactical advantage in a one on one duel, which is very common in the Wizarding World. Pitched battles are a different matter, and here, it would be better for a bonded pair to rely on their own magical reserves and not tire themselves out prematurely. Remember what we learned earlier this year: a weak spell that connects is far better than a powerful spell that misses. However, with battle being so rare in the magical world today, a greater reserve of magic in a one on one duel is largely a benefit in this day and age. This does nothing to mention the innate resilience to injury our magic provides us, which is also amplified through a soul bond." Harry placed a simple checkmark by the magical core point.
"Lastly, immunity to love potions. Sadly, Miss Thron is not quite accurate here. It would be better to say that bonded pairs have a dramatically increased resistance to love potions, as well as many other mood altering potions and spells. This increased resistance is so great that it takes a far larger dose or more a more powerful casting than is even typical to affect strong willed people, thus making a bonded person only functionally immune. There are a few recorded cases of a bonded person succumbing to very large doses of a mood altering potion of mood altering spell. I would recommend you ask Madam Lyra for a copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard and read the Potioned Pumpkin."
When he had switched the word "immunity" for the phrase "dramatically increased resistance", Harry tapped the three abilities with his wand and moved them to the "IS" section of the board. With this task completed, he tapped the last point, given by Miss Kandara, and moved it into the bottom section of his layout. At the top of this subsection, he wrote the word "Ritual".
"And now we arrive at the key reason that soul bonds are not matters of fate. A soul bond can only be formed by performing a specific ritual, which you will not be learning at this school," he added sharply, receiving a few exasperated groans from a few girls. "You all are anywhere between sixteen and seventeen years of age. While it may be possible for a rare few of you to be mature enough to use the knowledge responsibly, most of you are not there yet. Should you choose to pursue this knowledge, there are a few things you must know about the effects and consequences of the soul bond ritual."
"One. It is highly dangerous. There are two distinct reasons for it. Would anyone care to guess at them?" One hand raised itself, the red trim on the robes hardly a surprise. "Mister Sparhawk," Harry called, indicating the boy with blue eyes.
"It has a recovery time," declared the Gryffindor.
"In a sense, yes. After a successful soul bond ritual, the bonded pair will need several days of low magic usage and minimal personal distance to allow their magic and fresh bond to recover and strengthen respectively." Harry turned to write down the information.
Minimal personal distance, indeed. Harry fought back the blush and satisfied grin at the images and sounds that pushed themselves to the front of his mind. Images of rumpled sheets, naked bodies, and brown eyes filled with a heady cocktail of love, wonder, and arousal. Sounds of delighted giggles, rapturous sighs, and pleasured moans.
Behave.
Keeping his back turned to the class, he called over his shoulder, "The next reason for the danger lies in love. Would anyone else care to guess why love would be a danger?"
"Professor," a deep voice replied.
"Mister Lewis," Harry acknowledged the Gryffindor, poising his chalk over the board to await the answer.
"Sir, how is one to know they truly love someone? Outside of feeling it for themselves, any descriptions of love to one that has never felt it do little good to define the feeling."
"Indeed. This is the main reason none of you will be taught this ritual, as many of you have yet to experience enough to know the difference between love and mere attraction," Harry concluded. "I have given you the causes for the danger, now I shall tell you why this ritual is dangerous to perform."
"A soul bond can only be formed between two people who love each other deeply. Any slight reservations or hesitation will not only cause the ritual to fail, but it also runs the risk of permanently damaging the participants' magical cores. This can also lead to premature death if the damage is severe enough. Are you willing to risk your life for such a bond?” Silence reigned at that question.
“Furthermore, there are some consequences that a successful soul bond brings with it. The first of these consequences lies in the deep and profound nature of a binding or souls, or lives. A fact of every recorded bond, each pair has always passed on simultaneously, no matter if the end is violent or peaceful.” His words hung in the air, and Harry saw many of the girls, who had previously been enamored by the idea of such a deep connection, adopt a troubled, pensive expression. Some of the boys in the class also took on thoughtful looks, though far less troubled and far more reflective.
“A second consequence,” Harry continued after several seconds, “is also tied with one of the great boons of a soul bond. Telepathy is a two-way street, and it makes keeping secrets far more difficult. Whether that fact is good or bad, I leave to you to decide.”
“There are other consequences to making a soul bond with someone, just like marriage. Both are an ultimate form of commitment, hence why they both retain the same status in magical societies. Bear in mind that marriages are still just as binding as soul bonds in the magical world, so don’t think that marriages can be more easily dissolved than soul bonds. You make either commitment, you make a promise that you must intend to keep.”
At Harry’s final declaration, his class looked to him with a somber pensiveness. Harry could understand their solemnity. He had just made some extremely hard statements about concepts that were usually considered with a lot more romanticism. He let the silence sit for a bit, as his students continued to mull over and copy down what he had said.
“And yet, even with all these risks and consequences to a soul bond, many attempt the ritual. Not because they are foolish or misguided, but because they think the deep connection worth the risk. Love is a powerful force, students. It has guided the hands of poets throughout the ages. It has shaped music and literature for centuries. It spurns men and women to great acts of courage, charity, and sacrifice. So even with the dangers, it is no surprise that some people have bonded their very lives to another.”
A hand was raised.
“Yes, Mister Lewis?” Harry prompted.
“What do you think of Soul Bonds, Professor? In your opinion, is the ritual, and its result, worth the dangers?”
What do you think?
It won’t change anything for us, my love. I leave it up to you.
I love you.
I love you too.
With a wide smile at the affirmation, Harry returned his focus to his class, as they eagerly waited for his answer.
“It was worth everything.”
Immediately, half of the girls in the class were fighting back squeals of delighted revelation, with the other half gasping in surprise. The boys in the class sat in silence, some stunned at what he had implied, others were almost smirking at the mischievous way he had done so. Murmurs rippled through the class, as their professor just revealed something that none of the papers or books about him ever talked about. Harry saw the oncoming deluge of questions from his students. A few of them had shot their hands up almost as soon as he had finished speaking.
The bell rang before any of them could start their questions.
Hermione’s laughter echoed in his ears, as students groaned in frustration at having their curiosity denied. Harry bit back his own laughter, watching several of the girls huff in annoyance as they packed. Several boys were openly laughing at the little prank he had just played, drawing even more ire from the girls. As the students quickly filed out of the room, Harry heard Hermione’s voice in his ears, despite being in her own classroom.
You are awful, Mr. Potter. Harry clearly heard her laughter throughout her sentence.
Not like they won’t ask about it on Monday. I just thought that we might as well enjoy a couple more days of privacy before the whole world comes knocking.
You do realize that they’ll also ask me about this too.
We did promise to share all our lives together. He could hear her fighting back a smirk. Not like you don’t already know this, but I don’t regret it in the least. He told her seriously. He felt her withdraw from his mind. He hoped he hadn’t said too much.
Are you alone?
Umm…yes. For the next hour until dinner. Why do you…
Crack! His wife, Hermione Potter, appeared in the blink of an eye a couple feet in front of him. Crossing the short distance, she seized him by his tie and dragged him forward, sealing her lips over his in a deep kiss. Harry quickly recovered from the surprise and passionately returned Hermione’s kiss, wrapping one arm around her waist as his free hand threaded through her wavy hair. Their lips danced across each other as Hermione let go of his tie to wind her arms around his neck, somehow finding a way to deepen their kiss. When air finally became a necessity, the Potters reluctantly parted from their kiss.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Hermione,” Harry whispered into the small space between them. A small, but radiant smile lit up her face.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Harry,” she replied before initiating another deep kiss with her husband. A husband who, as he joined her in their kiss, recited the words he had whispered to her the night they bonded.
To you, Hermione Potter, I give my all. I shall weave my life with yours. My deepest secrets shall be known to you, and all your pain I will share with you. I vow to treasure your life as I do my own, to share all my magic with you, and to bind my fate to yours. Your end shall be my end, just as your life shall be my life. I swear this by my magic, by my life, and by my soul.
At his wife's delighted sigh at the recitation and her subsequent magnified passion in their kiss, Harry knew that he would never regret the choice to bind himself Hermione Potter.