The Bond

THE BOND

CHAPTER TWO: Meeting With The Headmaster

The next morning found Molly and Arthur Weasley looking over-tired, bearing a shocked (and slightly grumpy) Ginny to the only person who, if anyone knew anything, would have a clue to what was going on. They had talked with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry over the flo network not even a full hour ago before they had Ginny's trunk packed and were getting ready to travel to the school.

"Ah, Arthur, Molly. Just who I had been wanting to talk to." Dumbledore had said, his head sticking out of the fire in the Burrow.

"Albus.... It's Ginny..." Arthur started, clearly at a loss of words.

"I know. And it's best if you bring her directly to Hogwarts. She needs the protection we can give her. And I have a feeling that you two want a bit of an explanation about what exactly happened last night?"

They didn't even question how he knew; they were too caught up with worry. The thought crossed Ginny's mind, who happened to be seated at the kitchen table, but she didn't voice it. She had other things she was considering. It felt to her like there was suddenly a second level to her consciousness. She could feel herself, her confusion, her fear - but there was also something else. She could feel more fear, anger and bitterness, and yet she knew it was not herself feeling these things. Needless to say, it just added to her own fear and confusion - it certainly was just like one huge annoying circle.

"Now, are you sure you have everything?" Molly asked her daughter, going into over-active mother mode.

"Yes, mom," said Ginny, rolling her eyes, giving in to that attitude that tended to rear it's ugly head whenever Ginny hadn't gotten a restful sleep the previous night. "Why couldn't I have just come back after talking with Professor Dumbledore to get all my stuff?" There was only one week left of summer, and Ginny was not please with the prospect of spending it at Hogwarts all alone. She wouldn't even get a chance to see Hermione Granger or Harry Potter before school started. They, as well as the youngest Weasley male, Ron, were going to be coming back to the Burrow after a week visiting Charlie Weasley in Romania.

"You heard what Albus said. He believes you'll be sifter there. And considering that your father and I don't know what's going on here, he's probably right. Besides, it's only one week. Anything you've forgotten I can just send with your brother." Molly held out the bowl that held the flu powder, watching worriedly as Ginny took some, threw it into the fire and said "Professor Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts."

After a bumpy ride, Ginny came out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office dragging her trunk behind her to meet a concerned headmaster, a grumpy looking potions master and Slytherin who looked like he had been through as much hell as she had in the past 12 hours. While the three men were watching her, her self-consciousness rose to new heights. Thankfully, her parents weren't far behind her in stepping out of the fireplace. Ginny took one of the free seats and motioned to Draco.

"What's he doing here?" she asked Dumbledore, a scowl appearing on her face.

"He's involved in this as much as your are, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore replied as Molly and Arthur took the other two empty seats in the office. "I'm going to let Severus explain exactly what is going on regarding Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy, as he was there to ... witness ... it all."

As the Weasley's turned to look at Professor Snape, Ginny let out a small sniff of surprise. In that second level of consciousness she felt a sudden surge of amusement. Ginny had never really been afraid of the potions master after her first year - she supposed that being possessed by Tom Riddle had given her a little insight to the workings of the minds of numerous Slytherins. And then discovering that Snape was a member of the Order of the Phoenix - well, it impressed her to know that. But to discover that he was a witness to whatever was the reason she was here... suddenly things were more serious than she had considered.

Snape had been standing against one of the walls; the professor-who-must-not-be-annoyed-in-class had been replaced by someone who looked tired and worn out - and school hadn't even begun yet. As the attention of everyone in the room turned to look at him, he pushed himself off the wall, started walking around the room slowly and began to speak. He had been considering how to break the news to the young girl and her family, until he decided to go the same way he always did - the straightforward route. Severus Snape had no use for sugar coating.

"Miss Weasley, you've been bonded with Mr. Malfoy. Last night -- "

"Bonded? What do you mean bonded?" Ginny interrupted, ignoring the fact that she knew her professor did not like to be interrupted. When Snape just gave her a look of annoyance, she turned her curious and confused glance to the headmaster.

"Bonding. It's something you won't learn about until you reach your seventh year here. Bonding is something that doesn't happen very often any more." Dumbledore began to explain. Ginny gave him a look of annoyance, and he gave a soft chuckle. "It means that you and Mr. Malfoy are connected on a deeper level now. You can sense each other's feelings, for one. For another, if something hurts one of you, it will hurt the other person as well..."

As Dumbledore purposely trailed off, what he said sunk into Ginny's mind. 'Sense each other's feelings... Hurt the other person as well.'

Her eyes widened a bit, she bit her lower lip out of nervousness and she started to wring her hands slightly.

When the potions master had decided that Dumbledore had finished what he had been planning on saying, he added, "That was why you felt the Cruciatus curse that Mr. Malfoy had been put through last night," Ginny could hear her parents gasp as she studied Draco carefully for a few moments. It was the first time she really looked at him that day. He hadn't changed much since the summer began, as far as she could tell. The only real difference she could see outwardly was the eyebrow ring and his slight lack of arrogance - the lack of arrogance was most likely missing due to the previous night's events. His nervousness was surging up slightly, and a feeling of pity overcame her. His head shot upwards and their eyes locked briefly before Snape continued.

"There are different types of bonding, some lasting a matter of hours. The one you two received, however, will last until the person who bonded you two - Lucius Malfoy - revokes the bonding." Revulsion and shock filled Ginny on both levels.

"You didn't tell me THAT before!" Draco exclaimed, looking aghast. As much as he did not hate the youngest Weasley like he did her older brother, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck like this forever knowing what she was feeling.

"Oh." was all Ginny could manage. After a few more moments of quiet in the office as everyone digested what had been going on, Ginny asked, "Why me?"

"Well, Lucius may not be the smartest person, but he's not completely clueless. He -- " Professor Snape was cut off by Draco.

"He wanted to punish me for not becoming a Death Eater." Once again, a gasp could be heard from Molly. Arthur took her hand and gently squeezed it. "So why not do something that would stick me with someone I hate? And everyone knows that Gryffindors are on the top of my list of people I hate." Ginny was surprised by the bitterness she could feel coming from, but he didn't give any of that bitterness away in his voice. To someone else it would have sounded like he was just stating a fact, not a stereotype. He continued, "Then he obviously wanted to try and get to Potter again, who, of course, would try to save someone who was bonded with an evil Slytherin. So it had to be one of the people he was close to. And lastly - my father would never be able to pass up humiliating the Weasley's. So it was left with you and Ron. As to why you were chosen, I haven't the slightest idea." His voice sounded smug, he even had the smirk on his face, but Ginny could feel the uneasiness in him. Somehow, he didn't seem quite so annoying anymore.

"That would be because I knew Miss Weasley would be more understanding than her brother," Professor Snape stepped in. Everyone in the room knew it was the truth. Ron would have died a million deaths before being bonded with Draco.

"You? You knew? You were in on this?" The Weasley temper decided to show it's ugly head at that moment in time. Ginny Weasley was furious, and would have launched an all out attack on the potions professor, had her father not laid a hand on her arm. As it was, her wand hand was twitching. She glanced around the room. There was a smirk on Draco's face; Professor Snape looked vaguely annoyed; Dumbledore continued with the concerned look, but the twinkling in his eye was not completely absent; her parents both looked worried.

"There was nothing else he could have done at that point in time, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore explained. "He saved himself from not revealing that he was helping us, and at the same time he saved young Mr. Malfoy from death. Would you rather something else have happened?"

"No, I suppose not," she muttered apologetically.

"Good. Now, the reason I wanted you to come and spend the last week of summer here at Hogwarts. We thought it safest if you both were here. I'm sure that the news that the two of you have been bonded will not remain secret for long - nothing ever does, especially in this school. If someone was to purposely set out to hurt one or both of you... It would be too easy if you were away from the school." Dumbledore paused, and looked at Ginny. "Now, I think it would be best if you go and settle into your room; I'm sure you want a few moments alone with your parents before they leave. It's been a bit of a stressful morning for you. Arthur, Molly, why don't you accompany her to her dorms in the Gryffindor tower and then afterwards, I'm sure you have a few more questions for me?"

"Yes, Albus, thank you," Arthur said to the headmaster as he, his wife, and daughter stood up. Ginny followed her parents out of the door, dragging her trunk behind her. It was possible that she was more confused now than she had been before the meeting had begun. She knew if she wanted to get a better understanding than she would have to spend some time in the library later on.

===

"Well, now, Lucius, this is most definitely a new turn of events." The cold voice of Voldemort said to the man kneeling at his feet. "I must say I am truly disappointed your son has refused to join us; I had anticipated his loyalty would rival your own. Though, this does certainly give us some new opportunities, does it not?" His evil laugh filled the air.