It was a while before the entire house was free of magical torments or annoyances. Well, Sirius was still there, but he didn't count.
Hermione and Harry had told Sirius and Remus of their little encounter with the boggart and were told that killing a boggart was impossible. But, obviously not because the two managed it.
The two were reluctant to tell their guardians of the tattoos they acquired, but confused to what happened when Remus spotted Hermione's at one of their daily chats. They were embarrassed about the kiss, but neither men seemed to care. Both thought it was about damn time.
After all the library was cleared, the three men could always find Hermione holed up in there. Researching. She looked for every answer and even did some fun reading in the darker sections. Sirius told her to stay away, but her curiosity was too much. And she was glad for it.
In a little corner of the library near the shelves about blood magic, she found a small journal written by a man named Gillian Fredwick. It turned out it was journal about his experiences with the idea of Soulmates. He described a tattoo appearing on his wrist in a fluttery red ink. It depicted his personality and his partner, John Depper got one too. She read about their journey and became more and more positive that her and Harry were experiencing the same thing.
Hermione got up and clutched the journal to her chest. She walked slowly. Almost like she was in a dream. She reached downstairs, all conversation in the kitchen stopped when they saw her frightened look.
Remus jumped up and assisted her to a chair. "What's wrong, Hermione?" She looked to the journal and held it to him shakily.
"Nothing's wrong…..I'm just shocked." He raised a brow and took the journal. The man only had to read two pages to look at the two kids in surprise.
"Soul bonded?" Harry looked to her confused and his face suddenly got very pale. He said quietly, "I'm not ready to be married."
Hermione broke out into a laugh and said to him, "A Soul Bonding isn't a commitment Harry. Well, not in the sense you're thinking of. According To Gillian, Soul Mates are just two people that were made for eachother. It's like nature pushing us towards each other. It's a suggestion on who we should be with in the long run. The, uh, kiss. That's what solidifies a bond. It tells your souls that you found your Soulmate and are ready to be together."
All men got silent and Hermione blushed. "But obviously you don't have to be together. It's just that all other relationships won't feel as….complete. Because you aren't."
Sirius asked, "So why doesn't everyone have a Soulmate?" Hermione thought about it.
"Well, I guess everyone has their perfect match. A Soulmate in a sense. But not everyone really needs one to be happy. I don't really know. It's just a theory."
The group put the conversation in the back of their minds and ate lunch. It was chatty, but the conversation was a bit awkward. Harry and Hermione still sat close together, but neither spoke directly to the other.
After lunch, they all went back to their own thing. Except for Harry and Hermione. They both went to the library. Harry read a book on quidditch while Hermione chose a book on the evolution of the Phoenix. She laid into the side of him and he stroked her curls with his free hand.
After a long silence Harry said, "I'm not ready."
Hermione stayed silent before questioning, "For?"
"For a relationship." Hermione slowly put her book down and glanced up towards him.
"Me neither." Harry looked towards her with sparkling emerald eyes.
"Can we just stick to being friends for now? There really wouldn't be a difference. After all. Dating is just like having a best friend. Well, except for the kissing part."
Hermione chuckled. "Sure. I'm fine with being your Soulmate best friend for now. We'll work on building it up later." Harry smiled brightly and hugged Hermione tightly. She huffed and tried to push his arms away.
"Enough mush you sensitive feminine boy. Let go." He just held her tighter.
"I'm sensitive."
"I know."
"I can be feminine."
"I just said that!"
"And I'm a boy."
"Obviously."
He gazed at her with mocking amazed face. "Don't freak out, but I think you're a seer."
Hermione pushed him off with a laugh and replied, "That doesn't even make sense!"
"Yeah it does! You could tell all those things about me in an instant. Just like Trelawney can predict my death when I walk in a room. It's obvious!" Hermione chucked her book at his head and it narrowly missed.
"Just leave the jokes to me. The angst is your specialty." Both laughed and had a swell time. Forgetting about the Soul Bond for just a while. They would be friends. And stay friends. Maybe something more in the future, but for now they were just content to not stick any labels on themselves. And that's okay.
That night, everyone went to bed with the knowledge that summer was almost over. Hermione and Harry would eventually have to go back to school and Sirius had to get used to the fact that he couldn't protect them all day anymore.
Though, he was finding a way. He was working on a way to take full custody of Harry and maybe….adopt him some day. But he didn't like the fact that Hermione would be an orphan. And that's where Remus comes in. The man was thinking for a while. He and Hermione had bonded over the months and he really felt like a father to her. More so than Sirius to her. So….just maybe she would consider becoming his daughter.
But both men were getting ahead of themselves. They had only just got the kids for the summer. There needed to be more bonding. More trust. And the main priority? They needed to answer a question. How far does the Soul Bond go?