Bond of the Spirits

For Hermione's birthday, Harry had suggested they spend the day visiting museums. Hermione was delighted by this suggestion. Harry had further suggested that Ron and Katie join them, to which she also wholeheartedly agreed. They planned to meet Ron and Katie at the British Museum at ten a.m. After lunch, they would go to the Science Museum and finally the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Harry had just finished tidying up after breakfast when Hermione stepped into the kitchen of their flat. She wore shorts, a scoop neck button down top, and comfortable walking shoes.

"I'm ready to go."

Harry smiled. "You look great."

"Thanks."

"Just one more thing before we go," said Harry. "I want to give you a birthday present." He held out a small rectangular box. It was midnight blue in color and tied with an elegantly trimmed red ribbon and bow. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you Harry," beamed Hermione. She carefully removed the ribbon and opened the box. "Oh Harry, it's beautiful."

Black velvet lined the inside of the box. She gazed at a golden necklace with a heart shaped pendant. Within the pendant, a ruby and a sapphire floated.

She carefully lifted the necklace. It was heartwarming and unlike anything she had ever seen. Her captivated gaze admired the two sparkling gemstones that occasionally looped around each other. A golden glow, shimmering and transparent, held the delicately facetted gemstones within the pendant.

Warmed by her mesmerized expression, he happily watched her for a long moment. Then she looked at him with a warm smile. "Would you please put it on me?"

He smiled and took the necklace from her hand. Turning around, she lifted her hair up off her neck. She felt a pleasant sensation as his fingers lightly brushed the back of her neck while he clasped the chain. Harry noticed this and smiled to himself. Then she turned back around and smiled at him.

Harry gazed at the hypnotic glow of the necklace as it lay against the skin of her upper chest. "It looks much better now that you are wearing it."

"Thank you so very much." She leaned forward and warmly kissed him. Then she smiled mischievously. "You'll get a better thank you later, when we have more time."

He smiled broadly. Then he said, "It's okay to wear the necklace in muggle places. It looks non-magical to them. Shall we go?"

"Yes. I've been so looking forward to this day."

A short while later at the museum, they caught sight of Ron and Katie.

"Hi Ron, hi Katie," said Hermione as she hugged each of them in turn. "I'm so glad you could join us today."

As Katie released Hermione she said, "Ooo ... that's a lovely necklace."

Hermione beamed. "It's Harry's birthday present to me."

"Well done mate," said Ron.

"Thanks Ron. ... Okay, I've got entrance passes for us and I brought some muggle money if you see something you want in the gift shop. Ready?"

"Lead the way," said Ron.

The British museum was quiet and uncrowded. The two couples leisurely strolled the exhibits quietly talking. There were so many interesting things to see. Hermione was thoroughly enjoying herself and very happy to have Harry's company. An arm would go around a waist or a chin would rest on a shoulder when stopped at an exhibit. Ron and Katie were doing the same. Hermione and Katie occasionally flirted with their respective boyfriend; teasingly pressing against them while reading an exhibit description. Upon leaving, Harry and Ron thought that overall, the museum had indeed been very enjoyable.

During lunch, they talked about the artifacts they had seen. Many contained indirect references to the magical world in ways they had not considered.

"I really liked the cultural exhibit," said Hermione. "Some of the pottery and stone tablets had magical runes on them."

"I was fascinated by the Standard of Ur," said Katie. "My mum enjoyed studying things like that and I used to look at the pictures in her books when I was young. What did you like Ron?

"The Lewis Chessmen. Sure would be great to play a game with those."

Harry said, "Yeah, they were really awesome." ...

After lunch, the girls excused themselves to go powder their nose.

After they had gone, Harry said, "You and Katie seem to be doing really good. How are things going between you two?"

"I think we both feel we're right for each other. We've become good friends and are very comfortable with each other. It's like the way I feel when I'm with you and Hermione. You know, we can just be ourselves. Recently, I've started to feel there's something more with Katie. It's hard to describe but ... it just feels right. You know what I mean? I'm always thinking about her and there are times when we seem to read each other's mind. And well, I just want to make her happy."

"That's really great to hear Ron. I'm really happy being with Hermione." Harry paused as he spotted their girlfriends in the distance walking back towards them. "Can't say more now but I have plans in the works. Don't say anything about that to anyone just yet."

Ron nodded as Hermione and Katie returned.

Their next stop was the interactive science center. Ron and Katie were astonished at the things they saw. It seemed to them that electricity was the muggle equivalent of magic. They held hands and smiled as young children took turns jumping on a large piano keyboard on the floor making different sounds and tunes.

Ron was enthralled by the computer section and thought it unbelievable that a computer could play a good game of chess. Harry and Hermione grinned at him.

"Ron, you are so like your father," said Hermione with a smile.

"Maybe, but this is about the best muggle thing I've ever seen. I need to get one."

Katie rolled her eyes smiling. "I understand that computers can be used for other things too. Like maybe, school work?"

Ron smiled in spite of himself and gave Katie a quick kiss.

They made their way out of the science center and went to the final place Hermione wanted to see, the Chelsea Physic Garden. Hermione told them it was very old and the apothecary in Diagon alley likely got many ingredients from there. As they entered, a greeter handed each of them a self-directed tour pamphlet that showed points of interest and plant identifications. Upon seeing Hermione's necklace, the greeter handed her an additional pamphlet. Then with a wink, he said, "Enchanting."

As they all walked further in, Harry said, "What's in that second pamphlet?"

They stopped walking as she looked at it for a moment. "It's the same as the first one except the plant names also have additional common names. Some of the names I recognize from potions class." She looked at them. "How did he know?"

"The necklace," said Katie. "He must be a wizard."

They turned to look back at the greeter. He smiled and waved at them. They all smiled and waved back.

They leisurely walked around the grounds enjoying the sights and aromatic scents. It was very peaceful and tranquil. Hermione seemed to be in heaven. She was busily marking her pamphlet and mentioning the special healing properties of some of the plants. The tour path looped around and brought them to a café where they all enjoyed some herbal tea.

After tea, Hermione said, "There's an apothecary that's shown on the second pamphlet. It's behind the gift shop. I want to go see it and get some things."

"Are you taking potions in seventh year?" said Ron. "I've had quite enough of that subject for a while."

Hermione smiled. "No potions class. But I think you've been tainted by the way professor Snape taught us lessons."

"You got that right," said Ron with a smile.

"Well, I think it's a fascinating subject. I want to brew some potions professor Slughorn mentioned in sixth year, just for fun. There are a few that might be useful in certain private situations."

This piqued Katie's interest. She smiled shyly. "Hermione, you and I need to talk more about potions."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Well then, are we ready to go have a look?"

The apothecary was enormous compared to the one in Diagon Alley. They had never seen most of the ingredients. Browsing the book section, Hermione selected Cures for the Common Cold and Potions for Lovers.

When Hermione and Katie were beyond earshot of Harry and Ron, Katie whispered, "Hermione, that book. I hope you don't mind me asking. Umm ... Are you and Harry ... umm ... intimate?"

Hermione smiled and whispered. "No, neither of us is ready for that step in our relationship. I just want to learn about it for now. I like to be prepared."

Katie whispered, "Ron and I are beginning to consider that step."

Hermione whispered, "I've been thinking about a ritual that I read about. It's called Vinculi Spiritu. It's a special bonding ceremony that is part of the wedding day. Virginity of both partners is one of the requirements. When the time comes, I'll talk to Harry about it."

"I'd like to read about that," whispered Katie.

"It's in a book titled Rituals of the Highlands in the Hogwarts library."

Katie smiled warmly. "Thank you Hermione. What potion ingredients can I help you collect?"

Harry and Ron had gone outside to wait. Accompanied by Katie, Hermione stepped up to the counter with her items. The woman behind the counter packaged them up and suggested a few other items she'd need for some of the potions in the books. Hermione nodded and the clerk added them to her purchase. After paying, she placed the packages into her beaded bag. Then they both went outside to where Harry and Ron were waiting. The sun was low and there was a chill in the air.

Ron said, "Well, I think it's time for Katie and me to be going."

Hermione stepped toward Ron and embraced him. "Thank you so much for the lovely day." Embracing Katie she said, "I really enjoyed our time today."

"It was fun Hermione. Happy birthday again," said Katie.

Harry put his arm around Hermione. They watched Ron and Katie walk to the far side of the apothecary and disapparate.

Hermione said, "Katie is happy being with Ron."

Harry looked at Hermione. "Ron is happy being with Katie."

They smiled warmly at each other.

"Your mum and dad want us to come by today. Want to go there now?"

"Okay. But let's stop by our flat long enough for me to drop off the packages and freshen up a bit."

"Shhh, they're coming. I just got Harry's signal on the coin."

There was a flash of green light. "Mum, Dad, we're here."

"Happy Birthday!"

Hermione's hands covered her mouth in surprise. People were laughing and joking as she went around to each person and hugged them. Ginny, Ben, Ron, Katie, George, Angelina, Neville, Luna, Arthur, Molly, and of course Dan and Emma. There was food, friends, candles, cake, and fun, especially with George to liven things up.

A few hours later, the guests departed. Harry took out his wand and cleaned up the entire house in just a few minutes while Hermione sat with her parents in the living room.

"It's wonderful how you can do that so easily," said Emma. "Thank you very much Harry."

"You're welcome. Your party plans were excellent. The guest of honor seemed to enjoy herself."

"She most certainly did." Hermione looked at her parents. "When did you decide to do it?"

Dan said, "During Harry's party, we spoke with Arthur and Molly. We've met with them a few times now."

Emma said, "We're learning a lot about magical customs and becoming good friends with them. They are both very nice."

"It makes me so happy to hear that," said Hermione.

A while later, Harry and Hermione returned to their flat. She led him to the sofa and happily cuddled in his arms.

"This has been the best day ever. I had such a good time."

"That makes me very happy. I wanted your day to be special."

With a flirtatious smile, she lightly tapped him on the nose. "I still need to thank you for my necklace."

She made him lie down on his back on the sofa. Then she sat across his waist with one knee on each side of him. Looking down at him, she undid the upper button of her top. "Would you like to undo the rest of the buttons for me?"

His heart skipped a beat seeing an inviting and mischievous look in her eyes. "I would be very happy to do that for you."

She watched him intently as he slowly worked his way down the buttons. After unfastening the last button, he looked to her eyes. She removed the top and dropped it onto the floor.

She softly said, "So ... how does the necklace look now?"

She wore a low cut lace bra and he thought it graced her curves quite nicely. He smiled. "Wow, it looks fantastic."

Hermione giggled watching his eyes take in the details and spend most of the time gazing just below the necklace. After a moment, he looked back into her eyes. "Maybe you could help me with the buttons on my shirt."

"I most certainly can help you with that."

With the last button undone, she pulled open his shirt, leaned forward, and kissed him. She straightened her legs to lie against him. The room became very quiet after that.

The next morning found Harry and Hermione asleep on the sofa in each other's arms. His shirt lie on the floor with her bra on top of it. The distant chime of an alarm clock began to sound from her bedroom. They both stirred and felt each other stretch satisfyingly.

Her eyes were still closed. "I don't want to go to class this morning."

He chuckled. "Never dreamed I'd hear Hermione Granger say that."

"I just want to stay with you like this." She gently squeezed him and he lightly caressed her back with his hand.

"You'd get no complaints from me. But McGonagall would likely not accept our current condition as an excuse."

She sighed reluctantly. "Probably not ... I suppose I'll have to get up and get ready then." ... The alarm continued to chime.

"Do you have class this evening?" said Hermione.

"Yeah, I'm going there early for dinner. I have to complete my assignments this morning after you leave."

"Well then, I mustn't keep you from your studies." ... The alarm continued to chime.

After another minute, they both sighed deeply. She sat up and looked at him with an alluring smile.

He smiled warmly. "You look very beautiful this morning."

"Why thank you Harry. Any particular reason?"

"Hmm ..." Holding his chin, he looked at her with a thoughtful expression. "A few reasons ... but ... it must be that sparkle I see in your eyes."

She snickered. "Yes, that must be it." She pointed to her face. "My eyes are up here."

Harry smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. "Your charms are much too powerful. You can stop tormenting me now."

Hermione grinned happily. She picked up her clothes and held them against her chest. After giving him a quick appreciative kiss, she moved toward her room to get ready for class.

He watched intently until she disappeared from view.