Author's Note: This is slightly different from the previous stories I've written. It starts immediately after Deathly Hallows. Slight H/G, R/H, but it's mostly H/H. I hope you all enjoy!

"Harry!" Hermione cried, throwing several spells at the snake. She ran over to him, noticing that he was losing consciousness quickly. "Stay with me. We need to leave."

She helped him up and they ran out the window, apparating away.

They arrived back at the tent, and Harry fell unconscious. She ran her hand over his sweaty face before she attempted to remove the Horcrux.

When she touched it, however, it burnt her hand.

'What the?' she thought, pulling her wand out. She fired whatever spell she could think of in a desperate attempt to remove it before it caused Harry any pain or damage.

No such luck.

'I'm so sorry, Harry!'

She levitated his body into the tent and laid him on the bed, grabbing her bag as she did so. Her eyes watered as she took care of him, hoping more than anything that he would pull through.

She conjured a bowl of water and a rag and wiped the sweat off of his head, removing his glasses as she did so. She ran her hand through his hair when he cried out in pain, her heart breaking at the sound.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she said, grabbing hold of his hand. She laid her head on his stomach and closed her eyes, unaware that their hands glowed.

"What are you thinking about?" Harry interrupted, causing Hermione to shake her head.

"Nothing. How's Ginny?"

"She wanted to be alone."

"I can understand. Ron didn't want me around, either."

"It's going to be a long few weeks," he said, and she nodded in agreement.

"It's all over," she replied, looking over the damage. "You have to be feeling relieved."

"So relieved," he said. "Yet, feeling weird at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "My entire life has been built around Voldemort, and now that he's gone, I'm not sure how to move forward."

"You'll move forward happily," she replied, staring off into the distance. "I can see you with a beautiful wife, a few kids and you'll be the best Auror the Ministry has ever had."

"I don't know if I can be now."

"You'll figure it out."

He grabbed hold of her hand, smiling softly at her. She smiled back, laying her head on Harry's shoulder as she did so.

"Harry," Hermione moaned, as he kissed down her neck. His hands slipped under her shirt and rested on her hips, stroking her skin.

"I want you," he said, his voice husky with desire.

His eyes were dark with lust, and she bit her lip. She pressed her hands against his face and crashed their lips together.

"Take me," she whispered back, and he pulled her shirt over her head. She straddled his lap and rocked her hips against his, wanting to feel more of him.

Their clothes disappeared, and it was just them.

And both Harry and Hermione awoke with a start.

"Minerva," Kingsley said, as he flooed into her office.

"Kingsley. How can I help you?"

"Were Harry Potter and Hermione Granger a couple by chance?"

"Potter and Granger? Not that I'm aware of."

"You may want to take a look at this. I stopped someone inside the Ministry trying to sell this to the Daily Prophet."

She grabbed the registry book from him and opened it to the designated page. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the names in the book.

"That can't be right."

"All the information in this book is accurate. The moment it happens it gets recorded in it."

"They were missing nine months. Who knows what may have happened during that time. The best thing is to ask them."

"I was just a little curious."

"Something just doesn't seem right about this," she remarked, pressing her finger to her mouth. "I think I may go speak with them."

"I need to get back to the office. Please let me know what you find out."

"I will," she replied, and he disappeared into the flames of her fireplace.

"Morning," Ginny said, her eyes bloodshot.

"How are you?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"I can't believe he's gone."

She buried her head into his chest. He ran his hand through her hair, trying to her to calm down.

"This is so hard."

"And it never goes away," he said quietly.

Hermione walked into the kitchen, stopping dead at the sight of Harry.

"Morning," she said quietly.

"I think I'm going to try to take a bath," Ginny replied, breaking away from Harry. He nodded, and watched as she disappeared up the stairs. He turned back to Hermione, who was hesitant to look at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just didn't sleep well, I guess."

"That goes for both of us," he replied, rubbing his tired eyes.

"How's Ron?" she asked.

"He didn't want to talk. He went straight to bed."

"I should have stayed with him last night. He needs someone."

"They just need time," he replied quietly.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, looking at his face. "You've barely looked at me this morning."

"I could say the same for you."

"I just had a bad dream last night."

"Same. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it was nothing."

He nodded, not wanting to press the issue further. "If you need anything, you know I'm here."

"I could take a walk, actually. I need some fresh air. Care to join me?"

"Sure," he replied, and they set off towards the backyard of The Burrow. "I'm still trying to figure out where we go from here."

"We somehow move on and start our lives."

"There's just one problem," he said, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it?"

"Teddy."

"Teddy," she whispered, her heart breaking in two. "He's an orphan."

"And I'm his godfather."

"What are you going to do?"

"He's with Andromeda. She and I need to talk."

"Harry, I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "This must be eating you alive."

"There's a difference between Teddy and I," he said, as he conjured a blanket. He put it on the ground and they both sat on it. "I was put with the Dursley's with no knowledge of my background or anything. Teddy has so many people here for him. He'll live in the wizarding world and he'll know everything that he wants and deserves to know."

"His godfather will make sure of it."

"He didn't deserve this."

"None of them did. Just like your parents, Remus and Tonks died giving their son a better world. They will always be remembered, and we'll all make sure that Teddy knows that."

"You always know what to say, Hermione."

"So do you," she replied softly, looking out towards the distance.

Harry turned to look at her, and she looked at him. Brown eyes met green, and something was drawing them in. Their hearts were pounding in their chests, and their eyes fluttered to a close. Their lips finally met, and it was slow, but passionate.

Then it heated up.

He pulled her down on top of him, and the dream the two of them shared began to become true. His hands slipped underneath her shirt, and she rocked their hips together. She moaned out in pleasure as his hands rested on her breasts, and his lips moved to her neck.

Her fingers began to undo the buttons to his shirt, and she ran her hands over his shirt as it opened. She crashed their lips together again, and Harry moaned into her mouth as she started to move their hips together again. His hands began to pull her shirt over her head before she reached down to stop him.

"We can't!" she said, pulling away as reality crashed back down to her. He shook his head, as though realizing the same.

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too," she breathed out, as she rolled off of him. "Let's just pretend it never happened."

"Agreed," he said, standing up. "Catch you later."

"Same," she said, as he strolled past her. She closed her eyes and clutched her head, as though she were awaking from a dream.

Off in the distance, McGonagall stopped in her tracks and eyed them, confusion filling her face as she saw the two teenagers walk away from one another, clearly embarrassed from what just happened.

'That's interesting,' she thought, before she turned to walk into the Burrow.

"Albus, what do you know about soul-bonds?" McGonagall asked, as she walked back into her office. Dumbledore's painting came to life.

"Why are you asking this question?"

"I believe that Potter and Granger may have somehow soul-bonded."

"Is that right?" the painting asked, nodding his head. "Why do you believe that?"

"Kingsley showed me the magical records. Their names are written in there under marriages. It says that they became married on Christmas Eve. I went over to the house a while ago, and the two are definitely not a couple."

"Have you consulted them yet?"

"No. I don't even know where to begin. They clearly don't know about it. Clearly they need to know."

"I agree. If they were dating, Harry would never married Hermione during the war. He would have waited until after. I think we need to speak to the both of them."

She nodded in agreement, letting out a sigh as she did so. "Tell me everything about soul-bonds."

"This isn't happening," Ron whispered, and Hermione turned sadly to him. She grabbed for his hand and laid her head on his shoulder, trying to remain strong for him.

Harry ran his hand through Ginny's hair, kissing the top of her head as she cried into his chest. Not far from them, the casket began to lower into the ground.

"My son!" Mrs. Weasley cried, blowing her nose into her tissue. Mr. Weasley's eyes were bloodshot as tears fell down his face, and he rubbed his wife's back.

George hadn't said a word to anyone since the battle ended. He had been holed up in his room, refusing to eat and refusing to talk to anyone. Now he sat in his chair, staring with a blank expression at the grave that was now in their backyard.

"Want to go for a walk?" Harry asked Ginny, and she nodded, wiping the tears off of her face. He took her away from the grave and they walked around the yard. "I'm so sorry, Ginny."

"I miss him so much," she sobbed, placing her hand over his mouth. "I can't get over the fact that I'll never see him again."

"It gets harder," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. She buried her head in his chest. "I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but it doesn't."

"Stay with me?" she asked softly, and he rested his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Stay with me?" he asked his mother. She smiled softly at him.

"Always."

"Ron, you haven't said anything in a while," Hermione said quietly, turning to look at her boyfriend

"This is hard."

"I'm sorry you had to lose him," she said, grabbing for his hand.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, burying his face into her hair. She rubbed at his back, trying to figure out what to say to him.

"Thanks for being here," he whispered.

"I'll always be here. I miss him, too," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

They turned and walked back into the house. He went to sit on the couch, and she helped Fleur set the kitchen up. Harry and Ginny returned a short time later, and they both wondered off into the living room.

Everyone was silent during dinner. Hermione kept glancing over at Harry, hoping that what happened between them didn't ruin their friendship. He glanced up once and gave her a soft smile, thinking the same thing she was.

"Hey," Harry said, as he saw Hermione sitting in the living room later that night.

"Hi."

"Look, Hermione, I'm really sorry."

"Me, too. Let's just put it past us, Harry."

"Agreed," he replied, sitting down next to her. "McGonagall wants to talk to the two of us."

"About what?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I'm not sure. She wants to see us tomorrow morning."

She turned to look back at the fireplace, wondering what McGonagall would want to talk to them about. Harry sat beside her, clearly in thought as well.

'Whatever it is, I hope its good news.'

They stepped out of the fireplace and looked around McGonagall's office. Harry's eyes remained on the pensieve, Snape's memories flowing through his head as he did so.

"What do you think this is about?" she asked quietly. He shrugged his shoulder.

"I really have no idea."

"I hope it's not bad news."

The door to the office opened, and McGonagall stepped through with Kingsley right behind her. Harry and Hermione looked at each other.

"Harry, Hermione," he said, nodding his head. They nodded back at him while McGonagall moved to the other side of her desk.

"Take a seat," she said, pointing to the two chairs. They did. "Kingsley and I need to speak to the two of you."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"Now, this may come as a shock," she said, looking between her former students.

"What do you want to talk to us about?" Harry asked, looking between her and Kingsley.

"We want to talk to the both of you about your marriage," she started slowly. Harry and Hermione looked at her in confusion.

"Our what?"

"Your marriage," Kingsley said.

"We're not married."

"We're not even together."

"That's what I feared," she replied.

"Hermione and I aren't married. I think we would know if we were married."

"Not always," McGonagall replied.

"We're not married!" Hermione said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Not according to this," Kingsley said. He held up a book.

"What is that?"

"This is the official book of records. It gives the names of people who are married. I came across it from someone at the Ministry trying to sell this information to the Daily Prophet. It has the both of your names in it."

"Not possible."

"It says so right here," he replied, opening the book. They moved in to look. "Yes, right here. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, December 24th, 1997."

"That's not possible," Harry said, backing away. Hermione looked scared.

"Every record of marriage is correct. The moment it happens, it gets recorded in this book."

"Christmas Eve? We were in Godric's Hallow that night. That's the night Voldemort's snake attacked us."

"That's what we need to talk to you about," McGonagall said. "We believe you two may have been soul-bonded."

"Soul-bonded?"

"We're soul-bonded?!" Hermione cried, standing up. McGonagall nodded. "How is that possible?"

"Neither of you have an idea?" she asked, looking between them. They shook their heads.

"You're kidding with us, right?" Harry asked, his voice lined with worry.

"We're really not. I already told you that I stopped someone in the Ministry trying to sell this information off. That's how I found out about it."

"I still don't understand how that's possible. Harry and I didn't consent, there was no Minister. Nothing is adding up here."

"Soul-bonds don't always happen through traditional marriage. Sometimes, very rarely, they happen in instances in which yours did," Dumbledore's painting said. They all turned to look up at it. "No matter how much you say you didn't, the both of you consented to marriage. The bond wouldn't have happened without it."

"Harry was unconscious and I was healing him. There's no way either one of us consented."

"Then something must have happened."

"Explain to us what happened that night."

Hermione told them everything that happened. McGonagall and Kingsley listened closely, trying to figure out when the bond may have occurred.

"You said the necklace stuck itself to Harry when he fell unconscious?" the painting asked again.

"I couldn't get it off. It burnt me when I tried to."

"That's when it occurred."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Minerva, Kingsley, may I speak to them alone?"

The two nodded and walked out of the office. Harry and Hermione turned back to the portrait, their hearts beating in their chests as they did so.

"The Horcrux that was inside of Harry bonded with the Horcrux inside of the necklace, which is why you were unable to remove it. I trust it left some damage behind when it did."

"There's a scar."

"I figured as much. I do believe that is when the bond may have occurred. When Hermione was trying to find a way to remove it from you, it may have linked your two souls together."

"How do we undo it?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's just it," he started slowly, as though he were not wanting to tell them. "It can't be undone."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"The soul-bond is permanent."

"People get divorced all the time."

"You can get divorced but the bond will always be there. You will always be able to feel each other even when you're divorced."

"We don't even feel each other now!"

"The soul-bond hasn't been completed. It has to be completed before the effects come in."

"But neither one of us agreed to this to begin with!"

"I understand, and I'm sorry. One more thing while you're already mad at me. Whenever a soul bond has been done, the marriage must be consummated in order for it to be completed."

"You're not saying what I think you're saying," Harry replied, pressing his hands against his head.

"I am. If it is not consummated, the bond will do whatever it takes to make sure it is."

"You're saying that Harry and I have to shag or else the bond will make us?"

"I'm so sorry," Dumbledore replied, and he disappeared from the portrait.