Soul Bond

“Alright, Daddy, now I want my present from you!” Lilly demanded to Harry.

Harry grinned. This is a very special present. When I was younger, my godfather gave me one of these. Yours is a bit fancier, but the same thing really.” Harry handed Lilly a gaily-wrapped pink package with white fancy ribbons on it.

“Its to pretty to open!” Molly exclaimed.

“No its not!” Lilly said ripping into the package. “A mirror! Oh Daddy, a mirror!” she gushed as she smiled at herself in the mirror.

“It’s a special mirror, Lilly. I have one exactly like it. When you feel like you need to talk to me, all you have to do is pick up the mirror and say my name. I will keep my mirror with me at all times and then we can speak whenever you need to.”

“Really?” she demanded. “Daddy!” she shouted.

Harry felt his pocket warm where he had his. He pulled it out and looked into it and smiled as Lilly giggled. “Look, Daddy, its you!”

“No, it’s you my little Princess!” He laughed.

“Oh thank you, Daddy!” she smiled as she still watched Harry’s face in the mirror.

“You are very welcome,” he said hugging her.

“Would you like my present now?” Draco asked.

“Oh yes, Daddy!”

Siri and Draco gave each other huge grins and then Siri ran out of the room. “Your brother is getting it for you.”

“I can’t wait!” she squealed. “This is the best birthday ever!” she said launching herself at Draco.

“I am glad that you are happy, my darling daughter. Oh look, here is Siri,” he smiled softy at his wiggling child.

“Oh!” she gasped. “A kitten!” she screamed and raced for the white ball of fluff that her brother held. “Oh what a pretty kitty!”

“It’s a boy!” Sirius said. “I picked him out because he had hair like you!”

“I don’t look like a cat, Sirius!” she said indignantly.

“Not you silly, your hair! You and Dad have white hair!” he said exasperatedly. He looked at Harry and rolled his eyes. “Girls!” he said.

Lilly was enthralled with her new pet. “Oh he is so soft!” she purred as she held him up to her face.

“What are you going to name him, dear?” Molly asked.

Lilly grinned. “His name is Drarrius.”

“Well that’s an unusual name,” Arthur said.

“I think I know what it means,” George said smiling at the girl.

“It’s a combination of your fathers and your brother, isn’t it?” Fred asked.

Lilly grinned and nodded her head. “That way I always remember their names!”

“I doubt you’d forget your fathers or your brother, silly girl!” George laughed.

“Can we have ice cream, daddy?” Sirius asked changing the subject.

“Sure!” Harry said hoping to distract Draco. He could tell that he was about to cry. “Honey, could you scoop the ice cream?”

“Do I look like a house elf?” Draco demanded but picked up the scoop anyway.

Harry smiled. Draco would always be predictable. “Siri, do you think that your dad looks a bit like flunky around the eyes?”

Siri giggled. “Maybe they have the same nose?”

Draco gasped. “What?” he demanded in outrage.

“I think that he and flunky have the same eyebrows!” Lilly added with a giggle.

“Hey! I thought you were on my side!”

Lilly grinned. “Ok, not the eyebrows, just the eye lashes. They’re long and kind of girly!” she howled with laughter.

“Harry James Potter!” Draco screamed as he flung a scoop of strawberry ice cream at his husband’s head.

“Hey!” Harry shouted ducking and missing as it hit him on the side of the face.

“Food fight!” George yelled going for a carton of ice cream.

The room erupted in chaos as everyone started ducking flying scoops of cold ice cream. Neville dived under a table to avoid a chocolate splatter across his face and Hermione howled with laughter as she got George in the ear. Arthur grabbed a half melted glob from the floor and tossed it at his wife.

“Arthur Weasley!” Molly shrieked. She accio’d a new carton from kitchen and scooped her hand in it flinging handfuls at everyone in site.

Ron roared with laughter when he nailed George in the face only to yell in outrage when Fred got him in the chest. “Look, it matches his hair!” he howled referring to the orange sherbet that covered the front of his brother.

“And his face!” Lilly giggled.

Draco grinned as he hit Hermione straight in the face. His smile didn’t last though as Neville shoved a huge handful in his. Harry bent over laughing and then felt cold wetness down the back of his trousers. He spun around to see Molly pouring melted ice cream down his backside.

“Hey!” he said jumping up.

Harry went to find another carton of ice cream and stepped in a melted pile of ice cream. He slipped on it and slid several feet before loosing his balance and falling on his bum on the wet floor.

“Quick, get Daddy!” Lilly shrieked when she saw her father.

The entire room as one pelted Harry with the frozen concoction. “Hey!” he sputtered between attacks of ice cream.

An pop was barely heard before a scream. “Oh no, sirs!” Flunky cried when he saw the mess. He started hitting his head on the wall.

Everyone immediately stopped and looked at the elf. “What is wrong, Flunky?” Draco demanded.

“Mrs. McGonagall is here and the room is a mess! I’s is a bad house elf!” he cried.

Draco laughed. He and Harry looked at each other covered in melted ice cream and started laughing hysterically. Molly looked down at herself and then at the rest of her family. She was horrified with what they had done. She immediately started shooting her wand around the room with a cleaning spell. Hermione joined in and then Neville. Ron and the Weasley twins weren’t quite ready to give up the fight, but one look from their mother and they too joined in.

In moments the room and its occupants were as clean as when they arrived. “Flunky, please tell Mrs. McGonagall that she may join us now,” Draco said to the still upset elf.

Flunky looked up from his tantrum with amazement. The room was as good as new. He immediately started slamming his head on the wall again.

“I forbid you from punishing yourself, Flunky,” Harry told him. He knew that the elf was upset for someone doing his job.

“Yes, master Potter, sir.” The elf left the room and a moment later returned with the headmistress of Hogwarts.

“Well hello!” she exclaimed at the large gathering. “I was expecting so many people here. I hope that I am not intruding.”

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. It’s the kid’s birthday. We were just having a bit of ice cream. I would offer you some, but I’m afraid we’re all out,” Draco said with a smirk. The rest of the room broke into fits of laughter.

“Am I missing something here, Mr. Malfoy?” she demanded.

“No, Professor.” Her voice could still bring chills down his back.

“Miss Granger, its lovely to see you as well! I was wanting to have a chat with you also.”

“Actually, I am Mrs. Longbottom now!” she grinned leaning into Neville.

“No!” she gasped in shock. “When did that happen?”

Neville grinned. “Should be announced in the Daily Profit tomorrow. I know that Gran put in an announcement.”

“Well congratulations. I must say that this was an unexpected match.” Her best student ever with Neville Longbottom. For years she had thought him to be a squib, and only in the end of the war had he shown his true character.

“What can we do for you, Minerva?” Harry asked with a warm smile. She had always been one of his favorite professors and he would always hold fond memories of her.

“Well, Mr. Potter, I was hoping that you would consent to become Hogwarts Defense of the Dark Arts Professor for the rest of the school year. Our current Professor, Mrs. Finklegraph, has left on maternity leave, and her replacement has had a change of heart. We find ourselves with a Professor about to go into labor any day now, and nobody to teach the class.”

Harry was stunned. “I have never taught before, I wouldn’t have the first idea on how to teach a class.”

“Who more qualified to teach Defense of the Dark Arts than the savior of the Wizarding World?” she asked.

Harry blushed. He had always hated that title and the notoriety that came with it. He had always just wanted to be Harry and have a normal life. “I will think about it. I can’t promise you anything though. This honestly is not the best time for us. We are trying to become accustomed to being back and England and living here as a family.”

“I understand, Harry, and I wouldn’t have asked you if I had any other options,” she said.

“Its nice to know that I am your last choice,” Harry said with a smirk.

“Nonsense. One of those Weasley twins would have been my last choice,” she said glaring at them as they were dumping something into their brother’s glass.

“Hey!” George said.

“I resemble that remark!” Fred said.

“Ronald, I would not drink that Pumpkin juice if I were you,” she said.

Ron’s head swung around in bewilderment first to Mrs. McGonagall and then in suspicion to his brothers who had their usual innocent expression on their face.

“What did you do?” Ron demanded sniffing his drink.

“Oh, a harmless potion, just ask Harry,” they said together laughing.

“You know, Draco, sometimes I really like telling you, I told you so,” Harry whispered to his husband.

“I am sorry,” he said.

“Later, you can beg my forgiveness,” he said.

“Would you two just get a room!” Molly said in exasperation.

“I would like too,” Draco muttered.

“So, Harry, I would like it if you could let me know by the end of next week?” Mrs. McGonagall said.

Harry nodded his head. “I can do that.”

“Now Hermione, I am wanting to offer you a post. Poppy wants to retire in a few years. She is getting tired and would like to spend less time at Hogwarts. She would like to train someone to take over her duties and we both thought that it would be an excellent position for you.”

Hermione squealed in delight. “Oh Minerva! I would love too! However, I have not completed my training!”

“Yes, but you are a qualified Muggle doctor so you have had some advanced training. If you complete the apprenticeship program with Poppy, you will be a fully qualified Medi-witch. It would be the same as if you had gone to advanced training.”

“Really? I didn’t know that you could earn your credentials that way!”

“It isn’t done very often anymore. Most employers prefer to have their candidates go through the training rather than take the time to apprentice them. Poppy and I both have confidence in your abilities and she is more than happy to take you on.”

“Oh, yes, yes! I would love to!” she said jumping up and down.

“Would you like to discuss it with Neville first?” she asked.

Hermione looked at her husband forgetting all about his for a moment in her happiness. “Oh, Neville! I am so sorry, I should have discussed this with you!” she said immediately wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close for a hug.

Neville laughed. “I could no sooner stop a train wreck than keep you from your dream, Hermione. If this is what you want, then I am very happy for you!” he said kissing her.

“Well, I guess that is settled then! We will see you next Monday then, Mrs. Longbottom. Just send an owl when you have reached a decision, Harry. I must be going, I have a meeting at the ministry.”

“Congratulations, Hermione!” Molly said giving the girl a hug.

“Wow, Hermione a medi-witch at Hogwarts! I thought Madame Pomfrey was hard to get around, you’ll be much worse!” Ron said.

“Is that a compliment, Ronald?” she demanded.

He thought for a moment. “Maybe!”

“Well, I hate to shoo everyone out of here, but we have special plans for Lilly and Siri that we would like to be alone with them.” Draco said. He quickly met Molly’s eye and saw her slight nod.

“Let’s go, Weasley’s, I have dinner ready at the Burrow. Let’s go!”

“Come on, Neville, I promised your grandmother we would be home in time for dinner. She said that she is making your favorite,” Hermione told her new husband.

He smiled back at her. “Happy Birthday, guys!”

“Did everyone talk to my ball?” Lilly demanded.

After everyone assured her that they had left a message the room cleared and the four of them were left alone.

“What time is it, daddy?” Siri asked.

“Its nine o’clock,” Harry said sadly.