Chapter Text
Harry Potter was eleven years old and, despite his Godfather's best efforts, not entirely sure he was ready for Hogwarts. It wasn’t learning that made him anxious; on the contrary, he was looking forward to learning more complicated magic and (more importantly, in his mind) making friends besides Neville. Neville was a great friend, probably his best, but Sirius had taught him the importance of making friends at Hogwarts.
What had Harry nervous was the fact that everyone was going to be staring at him and whispering about being the son of James and Lily Potter, the members of the order that had set a trap on Harry’s first birthday and killed Lord Voldemort- the darkest wizard of his age, but it had also taken their lives to do so.
Everybody loved to remind Harry of that.
Harry was proud of his parents, of course, but he hated the attention- it all felt so… fake. He wanted people to like him for who he was, but any further thought about his parents or the upcoming year was interrupted by the door to his compartment opening to the sight of a scowling bushy-haired girl eyeing him up and down.
Harry and Neville had this compartment on the Hogwarts Express to themselves, so the sudden appearance of someone else had caught them rather off guard. His eyes stayed glued to her as a warm sensation filled his chest, as if something were settling into place. Finally, she turned her attention to him, and her eyes widened.
“You’re Harry Potter!”
-----
The last person Hermione Granger had expected to run into on the Hogwarts Express was Harry Potter. She should have known it was a possibility since he would have turned eleven in time to attend Hogwarts this year, but reading about something didn’t always mean it felt real. Truthfully, as a muggleborn, she was overwhelmed- but it wasn’t a bad thing, there was a whole new world to learn about, and the idea of all that knowledge had her buzzing with excitement.
A bunch of loud and obnoxious boys, a couple of them Slytherins by the look of their robes, had caused her to vacate the quiet compartment she had secured for herself, causing her to wander out onto the train and try to find a different compartment. It was such a strange way to get to school, but then again, everything about Hogwarts and magic was strange.
Hermione’s eyes stayed locked to Harry, and something warm passed over her, settling in her chest, and for a moment it felt like something between them was...settling? What was that? She made a mental note to check her books late,r as it might be nothing- she’d barely noticed, it honestly. “You’re Harry Potter!”
‘You’re off to a great start on making friends this year, Hermione,’ She thought dryly. “Sorry, I thought this compartment was empty,” she lied, slamming the door shut and walking away quickly, her heart racing. She’d made a fool of herself in front of potential classmates, and while she normally wouldn’t care what other people thought, she had learned already that people would always let her down; it was up to her to get ahead on her own. Something about the young boy with glasses felt different- like she didn’t want to let him down. Keeping her head down, Hermione kept walking until she felt a small tug on her navel and the world seemingly blinked out of existence, only for her to realize she had ended up back in the compartment with Harry and Neville… and she was on Harry’s lap. Her face went bright red, and she couldn’t decide whether or not to hide her face and pretend this wasn't happening, or run screaming for the hills.
Why was this happening to her?
-----
Harry had no idea why, but he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off the strange girl from before. After she had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, Hermione had sat in the seat across from him and buried herself in a book, refusing to look at him, although he was fairly confident that she was blushing, but he hadn’t said anything.
“Granger, Hermione!”
Harry’s attention was called by a teacher’s voice. Harry was certain that Neville had said her name was McGonagall, which called up the strange girl's name. The hat barely touched her head before loudly proclaiming her to be in Slytherin, and while Harry knew that he shouldn’t be biased, the young wizard felt his stomach do a flip at the idea that someone he had hoped might be a friend ended up in the house of the snakes.
The sorting continued, going one by one through different names, until finally his own name was called. The hat hesitated, seemingly thinking he might be a good choice for Slytherin since there was plenty of ambition inside him, but Harry pleaded with the hat for any other house.
“I sense great loyalty in you. Even though you don’t want to be in Slytherin, you worry for the Granger girl, don’t you, Potter? Very well…” The hat murmured
Harry felt his entire body tense. Was the hat going to put him in Slytherin anyway?
“Better be… HUFFLEPUFF.”
The entire school descended into hushed whispers, but Harry didn’t care- Hufflepuff wasn’t his first choice; he had wanted Gryffindor like his parents, but anything was better than Slytherin. He went over to Hufflepuff and sat next to Neville, who had been sorted into the same house (Which was a surprise to Harry, who hadn’t been paying attention to the sorting). At least he had a friend in the same house as him.
His attention made its way over to where the Slytherins were sitting to find Hermione’s attention firmly on him. Their gazes met, and after a moment, Harry forced himself to look away. He didn’t know what was going on- but he wasn’t sure he liked the way her gaze made him feel.
“You okay, Harry?” Neville asked curiously.
“Just… thinking.” The first year replied, he knew it wasn’t fair- but suddenly he was wondering if he could trust Hermione… and hoping he could.
But first, they needed to figure out exactly what had happened on the train.
-------
It was a week into their first terms at Hogwarts, and somehow they had both managed to avoid each other while also not triggering whatever had happened on the train. Hermione had to admit it was driving her crazy, but the first week seemed to be about learning the school and where classesweree… and by some stroke of fate, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs seemed to share all their classer, which was odd…
Hermione hadn’t really wanted to be in Slytherin, not after what she read about, but the idea of being in a house of other people just looking to get ahead had her intrigued, but now? Now she kind of wished that she’d protested more to go to Ravenclaw- maybe she would have fit in there. The most popular Slytherin was a blonde git named Malfoy, who kept calling her a ‘mudblood’ and was only driven off when a fellow first year named Daphne stepped in.
Daphne Greengrass was the closest thing Hermione had to a friend, not that she was really looking for friends, and their entire relationship was built on a mutual respect. Neither of them really spent time talking with the other, but the young girl was able to keep the bullies of Slytherin off Hermione’s back, and Hermione didn’t interfere with her studies.
Thoughts of what had happened were plaguing the muggleborn witch- but as she headed to the library, Hermione began to feel that familiar tugging in her navel. A gasp escaped her, and she reached for something- anything that might keep her rooted in place, but it was too late; her surroundings began to melt around her, and the world faded to black for a moment.
-----
It was a Saturday, which meant that Harry was out near the lake with Neville and Hannah Abbott. The three of them had become fast friends since they were all in Hufflepuff. “I wish I could try out for the Quidditch team.” Harry finally said, breaking the comfortable silence between the three of them. “I’m a really good seeker. Sirius has been letting me fly for years.”
“I want to be a chaser.” Hannah offered.
Before Neville could offer his input, a bushy-haired witch seemingly appeared out of nowhere in Harry’s lap, causing both Neville and Hannah to jump in surprise. The raven-haired wizard looked at his best friend- Neville had been on the train with him the first time it happened, why was he still surprised? Or was the better question, why wasn’t Harry?
The witch in question jumped out of Harry’s lap like she’d been burned, and the first year Hufflepuff was vaguely aware that her face was beet red. “I don’t- I don’t know how you keep doing this, Potter, but stay away from me!”
It was Harry’s turn to blush, his face heating up as he stood up, “What the bloody hell are you talking about?” But Hermione was already storming off, leaving the poor first year confused and slightly irritated, but with no choice but to sit back down and rejoin his friends, making a mental note to deal with the whole thing later, once Hermione had cooled down.
Unfortunately, neither of them addressed it for the rest of the year, even when Harry ended up crashing into the library one day during a study session she was hosting with Daphne, or when Hermione ended up joining him on the Quidditch pitch as he’d been preparing to fly. It was becoming the worst-kept secret in school, since neither of them was taking the time to learn how it was happening, or even talk to each other about it.
Harry wanted to talk about it, but he could tell Hermione was avoiding him- every time she saw him coming near her, she went the other way, or was with that blonde Slytherin he hadn’t learned the name of (Daphne, maybe?). So when Hermione approached him the day before exams were set to start, Harry wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“I’ve been thinking. Since we know whatever is happening is caused by distance. I’m coming home with you this summer so we don’t have to explain anything to them. They wouldn’t understand anyway.” Harry wasn’t an expert, but her tone sounded like it was trying to hide something, and he didn’t know what.
“O-Oh. Well, let me go write my godfather then. Um, I’ve been meaning to ask him anyway.”
Hermione pursed her lips, staring at him wit ha mixture of annoyance and resignation. “And I want you to sticknearbyy during exams. I’m not failing an exam because you’ve dragged me off to god only knows where.”
Rolling his eyes, Harry just nodded. “I think I can manage that,” he said dryly.
-----
Hermione could admit to herself that it was nice her parents didn’t seem to care where she spent her summer, but that it also stung. They enjoyed having an exceptional daughter, and even at 12, she was old enough to understand that her perfect A’s weren’t something to be celebrated, they were something that was expected of her- and magic? Well, Magic had never been in the plan, and now that her parents didn’t seem to know what to do with he,r they had clearly lost interest.
That was fine with her. (Except it wasn’t)
The first year didn’t get those grades to impress her parents, she didn’t care about impressing her teachers either- she excelled in classes because it made her feel good, and after all, that’s all she really needed from life,ife right? But something had shaken that belief- little cracks forming in the walls she had put around her heart, so to speak. It was all that damn Potter's fault; he was the first person who was really nice to her without expecting something in return.
Part of her hated him for that.
Having just left Potter’s presence, Hermione was a little frazzled,d and she didn’t understand w. Examsms were tomorrow, which meant that the first year Slytherin needed to focus on what she was doing here and now. It might only bethe first year, but she was determined to be at the top of her class in these bloody exams, no matter what she had to do. Daphne wasn’t going to beat her, and while Potter was good at practical magic (much to her annoyance), he seemed to trail behind in theory and writing, which is where she excelled.
Hermione was a nervous ball of energy the entire duration of exams. She was rather confident in her results- while she wouldn’t find out until the first week in July, she was confident she had gotten top marks.
“Sirius says he thinks he knows what’s going on. Said it’s probably best for you to come anyway. You’re sure your parents are okay with it?” Came the voice of Harry Potter, sitting next to her at the Slytherin table in the great hall as if it were normal. It was the day after exams, and Hermione was preparing herself for a whole vacation at Potter’s estate because of this… this insane thing.
And her parents didn’t seem to care.
“Good afternoon to you, too, Potter.” The young Slytherin tried to keep her voice neutral, as I said- they don’t mind. I’m more curious about why a Hufflepuff is sitting at the Slytherin table.”
Harry frowned, “To talk to you,” he said, as if it should be obvious.
Hermione looked away. She’d told herself at the start of the year she’d make friends- but she still hadn’t, and for some reason Potter’s presence was both irritating and soothing, something that was extremely confusing, “Still. You should be with your friends.”
Harry just frowned, “I thought I was.”
Bloody Hufflepuff, he just had to make her heart skip a beat, didn’t he? Sighing, she didn’t bother responding for a moment, instead stuffing her face with food. For some reason, they couldn’t be a set number of meters apart. Except the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms were far away- further than she had been on the train when this had all started.
“Hermione?”
“Hm?” The first year snapped out of her thoughts, “Oh, whatever- stay then,” she said, trying not to let on that she was pleased he wanted to sit with her. Why was Harry Potter so confusing?
---
Summer vacation was here in a heartbeat, and Harry had to admit that, as much as he loved the castle, it felt good to be back home. Sirius had opted to sell the Black property once he had properly inherited it, claiming there were too many bad memories associated with the place, and instead had opted to buy property on Godrics Hollow and build something new to not only honor James and Lily’s memories, but give Harry a proper house to inherit once he became of age.
“Soulmates?? But I’ve never read anything about Soulmates!” Hermione protested angrily.
It was the first full day of their summer holiday, and Sirius had sat them both down in the sitting room to explain what he had found in his books. “No, you wouldn’t,t I expect- there hasn’t been a book written on soulmates in a century, mostly because no one thought they existed.” He shrugged, but gave Hermione a sympathetic smile. “You must be the first bound pair in… a century or more.” He paused, looking at Hermione as if to ask if she had a question, but she just motioned him on. “Well, soulmate bonds can manifest in a few different ways. From the way Harry described it, your magic has been bound to each other. If you try to get too far away, it snaps one of you back.”
“But how far? And is it always?”
“I don’t know.” Sirius confessed, “But it probably won’t be consistent, not when you’re so young- your magic is still forming, still growing. Anything could happen in the next few years; we’re in uncharted territory.” Harry trusted that his Godfather wasn’t lying, after all, Sirius had always told him the truth – no matter how hard it was for him to understand or accept it.
The duo turned to each other, and Harry nodded to let her know that Sirius was trustworthy.
“I- I see.” The young Slytherin finally murmured, standing up. “E- excuse me.” Her voice was shaken, and it was clear that this was bothering her. When she ran off, Harry stood up to follow, only for Sirius to stop her.
“Let her process it her own way. Give her some time.”
Harry, who had to fight against every instinct in his own body, simply nodded and sat back down.
The summer days passed in silence between the two of them, though they were both careful to stay within a reasonable distance from each other so that the bond wouldn’t kick in. There were days Harry swore that Hermione looked like she wanted to say something, but then she would avert her gaze and walk the other way- while Harry was trying his best to give her the space she needed.
“She’s not ignoring you to punish you,” Sirius said one day, having clearly noticed the troubled look on Harry’s face. “She just needs to come to terms with it on her own.”
The young Hufflepuff didn’t respond.
-----
Hermione was looking forward to going back to Hogwarts… Perhaps being back in the large, open castle would give her the space she needed to think- truth be told, she wanted to talk to Harry, but every time she did something inside of her froze, and she found herself going the other way. It shouldn’t be this difficult. Harry was a good person- he could be a good friend, she was fully aware of this.
Why couldn’t she just... say something?
Yesterday, Sirius had taken her to Diagon Alley for a birthday present for Harry. She wasn’t ready to suddenly be friends, but no one deserved to be ignored on their birthday- maybe this was the first olive branch needed to get them closer to being friends. “I sound bloody desperate,” she grumbled to herself, looking at the book. Would he even want a book?
She hated this.
Harry was her soulmate, a soulmate that she was now tethered to- what did she do with that? Hermione was far too young to be worrying about this, and yet… She had to worry about it. There was no choice; the bond had been made, and she was fully aware of it now. Was that why she couldn’t stop thinking about Harry? Someone she barely knew? Hermione had goals, ambitions- a soulmate threw all of that up in the air, and she hated not knowing what something meant for her future; it’s why she was avoiding Harry.
July 31st was upon them before Hermione could blink- and the Quidditch book she’d bought for him was wrapped and ready to present, but still she was conflicted. Ultimately, her desire to at least start burying this… thing between them won out. It was early, so Hermione headed for Harry’s room first thing, knocking on the door gently, and when he opened the door, she thrust the book at him. “Happy Birthday!” She squeaked, hoping he would ignore the way her voice cracked.
“O-Oh. Thanks, Hermione, I-” Harry took the book and then glanced back at her, “I was going to go down for breakfast, um. Did you want to come down with me?”
Hermione opened her mouth to speak. This was her chance, wasn’t it? “Okay,” she finally murmured, “I’m getting kinda hungry anyway.”
It was a start anyway.
-----
“Summer was good, sorry I didn’t write you earlier. I guess I got distracted.” Harry said as he flattened the sheets of his bed and glanced up at Neville. He had debated telling anyone, but he needed someone to talk to besides Sirius, and Neville was his best friend; if he couldn’t tell him, who could he trust? So on the train ride to Hogwarts, he’d explained everything (with Hermione’s permission- although she hadn’t looked happy about it).
Harry felt better with someone to confide in.
“S’okay Harry. Blimey, a soulmate- I couldn’t imagine. No offense, but we’re too young for that stuff. I don’t even… Can’t be too far away from someone? It sounds terrifying, Harry.”
Maybe the concept should bother him- but it didn’t. He’d never really thought about it, but he wasn’t bothered by the idea of her being always around, or even the idea of soulmates. Should he be? “Ah it’s not all bad. I just wish-” He hesitated, glancing back up at Neville.
“Wish for what, Harry?”
“I wished it felt like we were friends, is all.” Harry finally confessed, glancing up at Neville, who gave him a sympathetic smile, but didn’t say anything. “But I’ll figure it out,” he finally added as he lay down, ready for another year at Hogwarts.
He just hoped it didn’t take too long.
First year had been fun, and for someone like Harry who grew up in a magical house, it wasn’t difficult to stay ahead. Second year? Second year seemed determined to test that. Harry swore he spent most of his free time in the library. Now that they knew about the bond, the duo decided to study together, but Hermione drew a hard line on getting sidetracked.
“If it doesn’t have to do with our studies, then I’m not interested.” She had said firmly, the first time that he had tried to bring up something not related to studying. “Focus, Potter.”
So he did.
This became their routine for the next few weeks, and Harry had to wonder if they could keep it up all year- he wouldn’t complain, admittedly. It was easier not to trigger the tether now that they both knew, but he wished she knew the exact distance they had. Their dorms were pretty far away, and Harry worried that one day it would trigger once their magics got stronger. He knew they needed to talk about it, but he was willing to wait- take this one step at a time, even if it was a tiny step.
-----
Hermione Granger had never thought she would be the kind of person to not only have a study partner but also actively look forward to studying with them. While she had shut down any kind of personal life talk with Harry (because there was a lot to unpack there, and she was NOT ready for that), Harry was a good study partner, once he focused they were able to make real progress, and he had a way of knowing when she was nearing her limits that both thrilled and unnerved her.
It was fascinating.
Defense was her weakest subject, although she still scored relatively high in it, and was Harry’s best- so they had planned ot meet in an abandoned classroom and go over some defensive spells that Sirius had taught him before coming here. What she hadn’t counted on, however, was running into Draco Malfoy.
“Greengrass isn’t here to stick up for you now, Mudblood.” The blonde sneered, “You’re a disgrace to our house.”
Hermione’s eyes narrowed, “I’d say the disgrace to our house is the one going around throwing slurs like they’re normal. You’re embarrassing yourself, Malfoy.”
Draco whipped out his wand, but before either of them could say anything, Harry’s voice rang out from their left side.
“Expelliarmus .”
Draco’s wand went flying, and Hermione used the moment to punch him directly in the nose. “If you ever try something like that again.” Hermione growled, “I’ll-” She was cut off by Harry’s hand on her wrist. When had he gotten close? How had she not noticed? The young Slytherin’s breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him.
“Leave him, he’s not worth it.”
Their eyes met, and for a moment Hermione wanted to tell him to bugger off – but she didn’t, instead she just nodded. “Thank you.” The vulnerability in her voice rang loud in her ears.
“Of course… Can I um… walk you to class?” Harry asked shyly.
Hesitating, the young witch let a moment of silence pass between them before Hermione finally nodded, “I’d like that.” It wasn’t a big step, but it was a small step forward- and for now, she could live with small steps forward.