This seems to be my longest chapter of any fanfic I've written. Enjoy!

July 2009

Ch.38: Fifteen

Lilly wanted to celebrate her fifteenth birthday in a grand style, unlike previous years. She planned two celebrations, actually. One was intended for her muggle friends, including some from her old school near the Granger residence, whom she was still in touch with. The other was for all her magical friends. Hermione wondered what made her daughter change her habit.

"I feel like it's going to be my last birthday in a way. I don't feel like I'm going to die," she added hastily, seeing her mother's concerned look, "but I feel like I'm going to have a major change in my life. I don't know what it means and what the change may be, yet I don't feel any dread. I only feel a major change."

"How long have you had this feeling?" Hermione asked, still deeply concerned.

"Oh, for more than a year, only it has become more urgent lately, like the event is coming much closer. It actually frightens me, although there is no threat or fear in that feeling of premonition."

Hermione hugged her daughter. Premonition was serious business among the magical folks. It wasn't exactly Divination, but close enough and much more common. Knowing how powerful Lilly's magic was, such a feeling was quite disturbing for her. "OK, Lilly. We'll celebrate as you want it and hope that whatever change will come would prove beneficial."

Lilly indulged a bit more in her mother's hug. That premonition made such hugs even more important and she wanted to cling to her childhood for as long as she could, feeling it would soon end quite abruptly.

The first week of July was spent on preparations. They intended both parties to be held in the backyard, near the large pool. Harry erected some fences to prevent the children from wandering into the pool area by mistake. They would still be able to use the pool, but only by going around and deliberately opening a gate. Long tables were prepared, set around the party area in a "U" form, opening toward the house, and a few tens of chairs were prepared near the tables.

Lilly didn't want to celebrate before her birthday, nor delay any celebration to another day. This meant she had both parties the same day. She had invited all her muggle friends late in the morning while the magicals were invited for the late afternoon. Julius and Andrew, as well as Janette, were invited to both parties.

Some of her muggle friends arrived as early as ten o'clock using public transportation. Others enlisted their parents as chauffeurs and arrived closer to the time on the invitations – eleven o'clock. All seemed to take note of the comment about the pool, bringing swimsuits as well.

They first stayed at the party area, enjoying the various foods and beverages served there, but as soon as their hunger and thirst were sated, the party moved into the pool. Nobody was nude, yet the skimpy bikinis most girls were wearing made the atmosphere even sexier than full nudity. Still, nothing inappropriate was allowed. Both Harry and Hermione were present, staying in the background, to assure proper behavior of the young visitors.

By three o'clock, when the guests were starting to leave, they were all happy and wishing Lilly a similar party for her sixteenth birthday.

Once the last guest left, the house-elves took over, cleaning, arranging and preparing the next party, while Lilly, her family and closer friends retired for some needed rest before the next party would start.

Three hours later, they were all rested and ready for the next wave of visitors.

The magical party was even more enjoyable. After having the nude pool at Hogwarts, nobody bothered with swimsuits. Once the party moved to the pool, everybody got naked. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the atmosphere was much less sexy than during the morning party. Only Joanne was a bit reluctant to join them in the buff, but only for a moment.

Lilly enjoyed herself tremendously. Both parties had been successful, all her friends behaved nicely and she enjoyed meeting some whom she had not seen for a while. Yet by ten in the evening, when the last guests were leaving, she was starting to feel tired. As much as she enjoyed her birthday, she only wanted to calm down and get some rest.

Julius was the last to leave. Lilly escorted him out and stayed a bit more with him on the other side of the door. Harry couldn't see what happened. He only noticed the view through the window getting momentarily much brighter, as if a bright lamp was lit nearby, before Lilly stepped in, closing the door behind her.

"What happened there?" Hermione asked her. She had also noticed the change in brightness.

"We kissed," Lilly answered dreamily. "We really kissed for the first time. It felt so wonderful, as if I was riding on a bright ray of sun. Everything seemed to suddenly glow in a golden hue. I wish he didn't have to go..."

Hermione seemed more concerned now. "Tell me exactly what happened, please."

Lilly sighed contentedly. "We talked a bit. Julius said that he had finally realized we were more than just friends and he said I should consider it as another birthday present. He then told me, 'I love you with all of my heart'. I said I loved him just as much and then we kissed. I closed my eyes, yet there seemed to be some golden light that penetrated through my closed eyelids. When I opened my eyes, everything seemed to be glowing gold. It was just wonderful!"

She turned around, as if dancing with her hands spread wide and then she suddenly paled and fell unconscious. Only Harry's fast reflexes saved her from banging her head on the floor. He lifted her gently and deposited her on the sofa. "What's happening to Lilly?" he asked Hermione.

She frowned, trying to recall data from her vast memory. "No, it can't be!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"What can't it be?" Harry asked. By now he was joined by the rest of the family. Dianna looked especially worried.

"A soul bond!", Hermione answered, almost screaming. "It's not supposed to happen so young. It's such a rare occurrence! Why her?"

She thought for another moment. "She needs to stay close with Julius. He probably needs her just the same."

Dianna spoke now. "I can see their connection. I can follow it and find him. Should I bring him here?"

Hermione didn't need to think much. "Yes. Bring Julius here. He's probably collapsed on the street somewhere. Please hurry!"

Without being instructed, both Teddy and James followed Dianna out. She walked briskly, following the connection only she could see, but none of the boys doubted her. They found Julius two blocks away from their house, lying unconscious on the street, with a few people standing around him, debating what to do.

Dianna moved swiftly inside the circle of bystanders. "I'm taking him to Dr. Potter," she announced loudly, as the boys grabbed each one leg and she grabbed Julius's shoulders. They lifted him slowly. Dianna cast a silent and wandless levitation charm and also a petrification charm, so they won't hurt Julius in transport. None of the bystanders could notice anything unusual.

Julius was soon set on the sofa, besides Lilly, and Hermione used "enervate" charm to bring them back to conscience, after making sure their hands were touching. Lilly seemed to regain conscience, yet stayed calm, just holding Julius's hand tighter with a happy smile on her face. Julius looked confused, though.

"Why am I here?" he asked.

"You collapsed on the street, shortly after leaving," Hermione told him. "Care to tell me what happened, starting from the moment you stepped out with Lilly?"

Julius blushed a bit and lowered his eyes. "Well, I confessed my love to her. Lilly said she loved me too and then we were kissing. I don't even know who initiated the kiss. We were suddenly engulfed by a golden haze and we seemed to be glowing ourselves. It didn't last long, though. We then said goodnight. Lilly went in and I started walking home. I only walked about a minute or two before I started feeling weak and then I collapsed on the sidewalk. I then opened my eyes here. Do you know what it means?"

Hermione sighed. "It looks like a soul bond."

Julius frowned. He had read this term somewhere, but he couldn't remember any details. "Can you elaborate?"

Lilly was fully awake now. Both youngsters looked well, as if nothing had happened to them just a few minutes before, and they both seemed eager to understand.

"A soul bond is a magical connection between two people, stronger than any bond created by spells or rituals. Soul bound couples are considered legally married. Nobody seems to know what causes these bonds, although they usually happen only after the couple has been intimate physically, which I don't believe you have."

Both teens blushed and shook their heads.

"I'll have to search through some of the old books," Hermione continued, "but I think that the lack of physical intimacy caused your collapse. You seem to be fine now, as long as you're touching each other."

Both looked at their hands and blushed.

"Would you separate your hands for a moment?" Hermione suggested.

They parted their hands reluctantly and hurried to entwine them a moment later, looking paler. "Can you tell me what you felt?" Hermione asked.

"I felt like I was losing myself the moment I let his hand out," Lilly said. Julius nodded approval.

Hermione thought for a moment. "We'll have to tell your mother," she said to Julius. "I hope she's still awake."

"She said she would wait for me to come home."

Hermione walked to the phone and dialed. "Ms. Jones? It's Hermione Potter. Can you come here?... No, nothing of the sort. He's well, yet we had a certain situation... I can't explain over the phone... OH, would it be alright if Dianna fetches you?... OK, see you in a few minutes."

She turned to Dianna. "Can you apparate to Julius's house and come back with his mother? She doesn't drive and it's too late for her to walk all the way."

Dianna nodded and disappeared with a crack. By now, both Lilly and Julius were sitting on the couch, their hands entwined, looking quite peaceful. Hermione knew some confusion and even deeper feelings will soon prevail. She hoped she could restrain Harry from doing anything rash.

Dianna returned a moment later, along with Eleanor Jones, Julius's mother, who looked quite confused by the magical ride. Hermione took control again, just as she used to do during medical emergencies. "Harry, please make some tea and serve our guests. Narcissa, can you make sure that the rest of the children are asleep? I need to check some books at the library before I can give any answers."

With that said, she apparated to the library. While it wasn't yet computerized and not even fully catalogued, she had already installed a magical equivalent of sorts. It was a system that gave a list of books containing certain terms or keywords, along with their location on the shelves. It was quite efficient for her current needs, although not as good as a computerized system that could give much more information at the press of a button.

She only found two books relevant to the subject at hand. One was dealing with all kinds of bonds, only mentioning soul bonds in two sentences. The other was dedicated to the subject, yet it was pitifully thin, testifying of the lack of understanding of this phenomena, still it included the one piece of information that she was looking for. "Normally, these bonds are made during or after the consummation of love between the parties, causing no undesired effects. In some rare cases, probably when one or both of the parties are of exceptional magical powers, a bond may be created without the consummation taking place. In those cases, the couple must stay in physical touch most of the time. Separating the couple may lead to loss of conscience, and if not united soon – even to premature death. It is recommended to keep the parties in touch at all times, although the best way would be to let the couple consummate the bond as soon as possible."

The book elaborated some more, but Hermione already had her answers. She went back to the living room, where the young couple was waiting, along with Harry, Eleanor, Dianna and Narcissa.

By now, Julius had already told his mother what had happened and she looked quite worried. Hermione decided to tackle that first.

"Well, Eleanor, welcome to our family. It looks like Magic itself blessed this couple, and we can only bless these two as well. According to what I've seen and heard, they were soul bound, which means they are now a legally married couple. I expect the letter from the ministry to arrive soon." She noticed Harry paling and sitting down, while Eleanor looked even more confused. Dianna seemed to be happy for the couple and Narcissa was unreadable. The new couple seemed to just be in a world of their own, not paying any attention to the others.

Harry was barely recovering. "Married?" he asked in a strained voice.

"Yes, a soul bond is equivalent to marriage," Hermione replied.

"Are you sure this is what has happened?" Eleanor asked.

"If I'm right, then a letter from the ministry should arrive any moment. Only if no letter arrives within an hour will I reconsider my conclusion."

Two owls flew in from the still open back door while she was speaking, positioning themselves in front of the couple. Lilly waved the letters free from the owls, who took off immediately. She read hers silently before handing it to Harry, who was sitting closest to her and turning to Julius, who was just handing his letter to his mother. "Well, my dear husband, I think it's time you kiss your wife properly," she said teasingly. Julius complied eagerly, despite a look of protest on Harry's face. As they kissed, there seemed to be some golden fog surrounding them for a moment.

Another owl, bearing the Gringotts crest, brought another letter to the youngsters. Julius took the letter after Lilly's magic untied it from the owl. "It says here we should come to Gringotts at our earliest convenience to discuss our holdings," he said, a bit confused.

Hermione took control once again. "Congratulation, you two. Not only are you now married, you're also emancipated, which means that you're legally adults. Now, you're probably wondering how long you'll have to hold hands constantly." Both nodded. "That depends on what you're going to do. If you continue acting like children, it may take quite a long time, making your life very uncomfortable." The youngsters frowned at that. "However, you may act like adults, consummate your love like adults and be free to move apart at will. I may need to give you some more instructions if you decide to go that way."

Both teens were blushing deeply, and so did Dianna. Harry looked furious, but a stern look from Hermione and another from Narcissa made him reconsider. Magic had decided for him. It was futile to oppose.

Hermione decided to continue. "I'll have Lilly's room converted into a honeymoon suite as soon as we finish our discussion. Now, both of you should learn the contraceptive spell, as I don't think you want to become parents before finishing Hogwarts." She mentally added "Like I did."

"Maybe we should let them learn this with only you present?" Dianna suggested, making both Lilly and Julius smile thankfully at her.

Narcissa urged them all to join her in the kitchen, leaving only Hermione with the youngsters.

"You're embarrassing me, Mum!" Lilly complained as soon as the others left.

"Would you rather get pregnant prematurely? You two are going to have sex within an hour or two and you should know all the precautions to help you enjoy it without any penalty."

"I don't mind waiting some more, Lady Potter," Julius said.

"It's Mum, or Hermione, son. Why would you want to wait? The bond is pushing you towards each other and you should rather comply. Even though you've already been naked in each-other's company, using the loo with another person touching you, taking shower while still holding to each other or even just brushing your teeth using just one free hand may prove quite difficult. You'll experience these even before going to bed. Do you want to prolong your period of stress for no real reason?"

"No, Mum," both said dutifully.

Hermione first explained the contraceptive charm and how to use it and made both practice it until she was sure they did it correctly, although she doubted Lilly would need it, as she could do wonders with no spell at all. Yet she felt safer if both knew the spell. She then gave them a crash course on first sexual intercourse, making them blush even redder. "You should now go to the kitchen, say goodnight and accept your congratulations while I prepare your suite," she finally said.

Eleanor also stayed for the night, though she couldn't really sleep, her mind rolling with the events of the evening. Harry, who was sure he would have troubles falling asleep as well, found that his two wives had a wonderful way of helping him. After sating each wife he was too exhausted to stay awake even a moment longer. All thought about what was happening in the other room just vanished and he slept very well.

Lilly was surprised by the events just as much as anyone else, yet she no longer felt that premonition. It meant that this was the event she was expecting for almost two years. It actually relaxed her. She had also read a lot about sex, especially the first time, and felt quite confident in her knowledge. Her metamorph abilities could also help. Julius wasn't so confident. At sixteen, he was still a virgin, just like his wife. Lilly didn't let it disturb their first time.

As Hermione said, just undressing, or using the loo and the bathroom proved a major challenge when having to keep touching each other. Luckily, Lilly's magic came handy in removing their clothes, and the rest was much easier when nude.

Julius wasn't sure about what he should do once they were in bed. Lilly's reading proved beneficial, as she guided him to caress her body, finding the spots she liked his touch most, and returning the favour for him. Their bodies responded soon enough and Lilly took control, riding Julius and accepting his erection into her waiting body. It hurt a bit, but much less than she expected, and then it turned into a very pleasurable action. They were so preoccupied with each other that they failed to see the golden mist form between their bodies as they were approaching the peak.

With Lilly's directions, Julius managed to make her reach her peak first. Her inner walls convulsing around his member brought him to his peak a moment later. It took them some time to calm down, kissing and hugging all the while.

"I feel like I need a shower now," Lilly said, getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom. "Would you like to join me?"

Julius was almost falling asleep, yet he could never refuse Lilly. He followed her to the bathroom, finding her sitting on the toilet seat. "I was afraid I would hurt and bleed much more," Lilly said, looking at a few reddish stains on her thighs.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, a bit apprehensive.

"No, silly! We had to break my hymen, but it almost didn't hurt, really. Next time will be even better, with no hymen to worry about." She noticed he was getting aroused again just by the talking. "Would you like to try it in the shower?" she asked suggestively.

By the time the young couple emerged from its room the next day, it was almost lunch time. The two were still holding hands and both were sporting huge goofy grins. Dianna was the first to see them. "I'm so glad for you!" she said, hugging them both, and then hugging each separately. "Can you stay apart now?"

They let the other's hand go, just to show her they could, but then held hands again. "We can, but we like holding hands," Lilly explained.

"Now, I want to hear all the details," Dianna said with an eager expression.

Lilly and Julius exchanged glances. "I'm not sure I should tell you all the details," Lilly said with a mischievous smile, "but I think we can tell you a bit. You'll have to wait after lunch, though, we're starving!"

Dianna seemed to want to say something, but she just smiled.

They didn't get so easily with the boys, though. James and Teddy teased them throughout lunch. They were actually surprised that Lilly didn't react to their teasing, yet Lilly had all her attention on Julius, hardly even noticing what she was eating.

Harry noticed that the young couple didn't need to hold hands any longer. Lilly even left the table to bring a certain beverage during lunch and didn't seem in any hurry to return. He refused to let his mind process this data, as it could only mean one thing, something he didn't want to think about.

Dianna had no such restraints. Once they left the kitchen, she went with them to their room – Lilly's former room. She first noticed the changes: the single bed had been replaced with a large double bed and another night-stand had been added. There was an additional wardrobe now, probably for Julius's clothes.

"So, you really did it?!" she said. Both Lilly and Julius grinned but said nothing.

"How was it?" Dianna asked. Truth to be told, both had already heard some of the older girls talk about their sexual experience, but none of them was very close to either girl. Now it was completely different. It was not only curiosity that compelled her to ask. She was really interested to know how her sister, as she thought of Lilly, enjoyed her nuptial night.

Surprisingly, it was Julius who answered, blushing crimson as he talked. "It was awkward at first. Although we've already seen each other naked, this was different. We first needed to help each other get ready for bed, and it wasn't easy when we needed to touch at all times. And then... I didn't really know what to do and how to act. Luckily, Lilly had already read quite a lot about it. I wonder why..."

"You know I've always been an inquisitive girl," Lilly said, smiling at him suggestively, making him blush even more.

"I helped him, directing his hands where I wanted them. Once he got the hang of it, no more instructions were needed. We just responded to each other as our bodies dictated."

Dianna blushed at her next question. "Have you enjoyed it?"

Lilly's eyes sparkled as she answered. "Yes, a lot! Even the first time was marvelous, despite the slight pain. The rest was... fabulous!"

This made Dianna even redder, yet she had to ask, "How many times?..."

Lilly smiled dreamily. "I stopped counting after the third... and each time it was better than before..." Julius seemed to get excited by the memories. Both girls could easily notice this.

"Well, I wish you both a very happy marriage. I'll let you rest now..." Dianna said, leaving the couple alone.

Lilly turned to Julius. "Do you really want to rest now or...?"

He just engulfed her in a big hug and kissed her. Lilly didn't really need his answer. She was happy.

A.N. I believe this is a good place to end the story. Like in real life, most stories never really end, as life goes on, but an author should know where to stop. That means that this story is officially finished. I don't see myself writing another sequel, but no promises there...

This story has become a bit of a problem to write as it went on, due mainly to me having not planned it in advance. I've learned my lesson, though. I'm not going to post any new story until I have it all written, at least as a rough draft. This may also help raising the quality of my stories, I hope. You may check my other stories to see if it worked...

If you like my writing, please check my profile for other stories I've written, including some original works available elsewhere.

And as always – Please Review!