Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is at all intended and I don't own the franchise at all. Also, this contains graphic smut and small lemons and underage-ish smut. It might very well contain multiple pairings with a Harem of sorts and is my version of a Soul Bond fic. The pairings are basically decided though I don't mind if you give the ones you want me to do. I will consider them but I have already decided most of the pairings. Plus, this takes place at the beginning of the Prisoner of Azkaban so it contains minor spoilers for the whole series with some deviation from the vanilla franchise. But enough rambling and let the tale begin!

CHAPTER 1: To Heal a Severed Soul

Harry James Potter woke up in the Hospital Wing on an all-too familiar bed. His head throbbed and his body ached. He was covered in sweat and his breathing was ragged. When his vision cleared and his senses returned to him, he realized he was being observed by none other than the Headmaster, Albus too-many-names Dumbledore.

"Where am I?" Harry croaked.

"You are in Hogwarts, in the Hospital Wing to be exact," Dumbledore replied soberly.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Harry asked worriedly, fighting against the growing fear.

"You were attacked by Dementors on Hogwarts Express," Dumbledore explained. "You fainted when they assaulted you. Professor Lupin, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, tried to revive you but you wouldn't awaken. Fearful for your wellbeing, I ordered you to be taken to the Hospital Wing. It has been three days since that dreadful event."

"Three days?" Harry gasped. "But what about classes… Hasn't school started already?"

"Indeed it has," Dumbledore chuckled wryly. "And I see Ms. Granger is having a good effect on you."

Harry blushed and nodded sheepishly.

"I take it this isn't over," Harry sighed, realizing that Dumbledore was staring at him with concern.

"No I am afraid not," Dumbledore replied. "In fact it has unleashed a chain of events I wish would have never had to take place, Harry."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said simply. "What happened?"

"When the Dementors attacked you," Dumbledore began in a whisper. "They managed to suck out part of your soul."

"They…what?" Harry exclaimed in a horrified gasp.

"Thankfully the part of your soul they took out turned out to be tarnished by Lord Voldermort," Dumbledore revealed.

"The Dark Lord," Harry said gravely. "How come my soul was tarnished?"

Dumbledore pointed sadly to Harry's scar.

"Your soul got contaminated by the dark magic used in the attempt to slay you," Dumbledore continued. "It was a sheer accident but some of the evil magic rubbed off on you and tarnished your soul leaving the scar. The Dementors were attracted to it and that was why they were drawn to you."

"They thought I was a dark wizard!" Harry exclaimed, realization dawning on him. "I wondered why they attacked me."

"Yes, you have my greatest apologies and I shall do everything within my power to make it up to you," Dumbledore said. "But I fear that is not the end of it."

"What then?" Harry sighed.

"During the attack, they managed to suck out part of your soul that was tarnished with the dark magic," Dumbledore said morosely. "Professor Lupin fought them off with a spell called a Patronus. But he was too late."

"Can I learn that spell?" Harry asked eagerly. "I want to be ready…in case it happens again."

"Of course," Dumbledore agreed. "I shall speak to Professor Lupin about signing you up for private classes after your regular ones."

"Thanks," Harry said. "But what else happened?"

"I am afraid it is not good at all," Dumbledore sighed. "But part of your soul was sucked out by those horrid fiends. I do not wish for them to be here among all the children and students but our fool of a Minister has ordered it."

"Because of Sirius Black," Harry whispered fearfully.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded though he didn't seem afraid. "Because of him. But because of the Dementors your soul has been severely weakened. As a result your magical core has been weakened and your spells will lack the power they once had. Practicing magic during classes will take a great toll on your body and strength and require much rest and energy. If you push yourself too hard, you could snap and go insane. In fact, you could even turn into a Squib!"

"That's horrid!" Harry gasped. "There must be a way to fix this."

"Fortunately there is, though the way is ancient and forbidden," Dumbledore said. "Though for your case an exception could definitely be made."

"Why forbidden?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Because in ancient times when it was wildly used," Dumbledore said. "This method was corrupted and people used it to their advantage, twisting it out of proportion and often for evil or their own gain. Because of that, Merlin himself forbade anyone from using it and bound the ritual using a special set of runes. These runs could only be broken in the most dire of circumstances by someone with the greatest of power."

"You?" Harry questioned.

Dumbledore gave a weak smile. "Yes, I possess the power to break the binding ritual and activate the method. But it will take a lot out of me and I might require a short holiday to recover."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"No worries, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "It is not your fault and I owe it to you to fix this mess. However, the method itself might prove troublesome."

"Why?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Because it requires a Soul Bond," Dumbledore revealed. "In fact, it might require multiple soul bonds."

"What? Why? I thought I only lost one part of my soul," Harry shivered.

"You did indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "However, Voldermort's soul was severely weakened through acts of great evil that I shall not mention. Because magic is connected to the soul his soul magic had a similar effect to your soul. It is extremely weak and tender and might need several Soul Bonds to heal it."

"What is a Soul Bond?" Harry asked curiously.

"A Soul Bond is the most intimate relationship a person can have," Dumbledore revealed. "It can be between any gender and can either be familial or sexual. It is usually only used by two people, typically a man and a woman. However, it can sometimes be used by a man and two or more women or even two men or two women. In the past times when Soul Bonds were common place, they were typically used in marriages to strengthen the couple's magic as that is one of the positive results. Another positive is that you can read each other's mind and communicate thus. You can also heal each other by lending one another your own strength through the Bond. Your own power gets strengthened as well by tapping into the other's magic and linking them together to create a more powerful version."

"I can see how that could be used wrongly," Harry marveled.

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "It was for that purpose that Merlin himself banned the ritual. However, you are a special case and people would be very upset if their Savior was killed because of some paper work."

Harry glared fiercely and mumbled to himself. Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"I also want you to enjoy your life and live as long as is humanely possible," Dumbledore revealed. "Plus, you deserve to use magic more than anyone else I know. It is thanks to you that Voldermort was destroyed and you deserve to enjoy your life. This Soul Bond will not only let you live longer than the age of thirteen and use magic, but it will also provide you with a close friend and lover that you might not have otherwise found. I am not saying you will naturally love your Bond mate and many people have not done so. In fact, it was not uncommon for past wizards to take a concubine or mistress in addition to their Bond wife. Some even got away with a second wife if they were powerful enough and their Bond wife let them."

"I don't know if I could handle so many wives," Harry wondered.

Dumbledore chuckled. "You might just surprise yourself. Anyhow, there is also another good thing in that the Soul Bond will make you an adult in the eyes of the Wizarding World and magic. This is because all wizards and witches were adults when the Soul Bond was invented so you will have to be an adult for the magic to work."

"Does that mean I won't have to live with the Dursleys?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yes, my boy!" Dumbledore replied. "You won't ever have to see them again if your are Bonded."

"What else is there?" Harry asked happily.

"You will have to have physical contact with your Bond Mate in order to maintain the Bond," Dumbledore revealed. "Despite being declared an adult your bodies are not adult bodies and as such the magic will not be mature enough to handle it. Thus, you will need lots of close contact in order to seal the Bond and strengthen your cores. You don't have to have sex but you will need physical natural contact."

"You mean…I have to sleep naked with a girl?" Harry whispered.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "The Wizarding World has no qualms about such things fortunately and there is a most wizards and witches are married off to other families at a young age any way. It is similar to a Soul Bond but is called Marriage Contract. Luckily you do not have to endure that since your mother wanted you to enjoy Muggle dating and find true love. Your father agreed so they turned down all offers of such contracts. Sadly this is one Bond we cannot ignore. You can refuse a Bond of course but the pros are stronger than the cons in my humble opinion."

"Definitely," Harry grinned. "No Dursleys. Does that mean I can practice magic wherever and whenever I want if I am an adult?"

"Yes," Dumbledore chuckled. "You will also gain full control of your vaults, properties and titles."

"Wait did you say plural?" Harry gasped.

"Indeed," Dumbledore smiled. "The Potters were very wealthy and you also own other titles and properties by right of birth and conquest. All will be revealed when you are of age though which might be sooner than it would otherwise if you are Bonded."

"It's a no-brainer, then!" Harry decided. "I will participate in the ritual."

"I am greatly relieved to hear that then," Dumbledore sighed. "However, it is up to you to choose your Bond Mate. You must also choose other potential Bond Mates if the ritual doesn't work properly and you need more souls to strengthen your own."

"Oh dear," Harry groaned.

Dumbledore chuckled and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"I shall leave you in peace for a few moments as I believe your friends are worried about you," He said. "You should also take some time to choose your Bond Mate and get plenty of rest. I shall return in a few hours time once you have made your decision and get ready the ritual. Good luck, Harry."

The Boy Who Lived nodded dumbly as all sorts of thoughts raced through his head. Who should he choose for his Bond Mates? What places did he have to live? How severely weakened was his soul? But above all, something convinced him deep down inside that Dumbledore wasn't telling the whole truth. It seemed a bit quickly slapped together about his soul and Voldermort's magic. Things didn't add up and something was dodgy here. And Harry was determined to find out. Little did he know that this would change his future and the fate of the Wizarding World forever!

TO BE CONTINUED…