Harry hesitantly led Tara into the great hall, awaiting snickers and stares, but instead they were attacked by several of their friends, rapidly firing questions at them in a bid to understand why on earth they had felt the need to skip school for four days without telling them.

Since Snape had already explained all of the basics, Harry filled them in on the details, leaving out only the very intimate moments. Tara stood among her friends, holding his hand for reassurance. She was finding this all very overwhelming, and Harry sent her calming emotions through their bond, soothing her with his magic. Their friends gasped and gaped at them; Harry told the story with practiced ease even though most of the information was as new to him as it was to their friends. Only Luna didn't gasp – her prowess as a seer was legendary - she must have predicted their bond, even before Snape had told them in lesser detail.

Draco's reaction was slightly more predictable.

"Why didn't you tell us? We looked everywhere for you!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Pansy shot a silencing spell at him from beneath her robes, and he continued to shout silently at the top of his lungs.

***

It didn't take Harry and Altaira long to get used to their new routine as a bonded couple. It was just lucky that they already knew each other well and were more than comfortable together. Anything that they didn't already know about each other was effortlessly conveyed through their thriving mind link, which saved them countless arguments and endless piles of homework.

Their first challenge as a couple was to work around the personal space problem. Snape explained to them that as their auras were now merged into one, they could not venture far from the other without causing them serious injury. It would be like ripping away half of their joint soul. It turned into a bit of a problem during classes when Tara and Harry discovered that their old schedules clashed. They hurried off to professor Dumbledore, who laughed and apologised for overlooking the detail. Harry would drop his classes, and instead take up Tara's classes. Their mind link made this possible because they shared any and all information. When she thought of Arithmancy, a million different branches of information would instantly be stored inside his brain as if it were him that had thought of them in the first place.

They enjoyed quite a few laughs at themselves over the first week of being back in classes, because any time Tara needed the bathroom, Harry had to go with her. He had to disillusion himself so that the other girls in the school wouldn't catch him in the girl's bathroom, and Tara did the same for him. When they were alone in their apartment it was slightly simpler. They would curl up together on a couch, and when one needed the loo, they both would go. It was a source of many jokes among their friends.

Dumbledore called them into his office on Friday afternoon for their first 'bonded magic' lesson. As they walked up after lunch, they conversed telepathically.

What do you think he'll ask us to do, Harry?

I don't know… probably something really complicated just to show us how little we know. I still don't really trust him after the sorting hat incident.

Me either. I would like to give him a second chance, though. He seems to be sorry for what he did, and he has been trying to regain our trust.

Maybe he just wants us to be his weapon.

What kind of weapon?

I think he wants us to be the kind of weapon that could destroy Voldemort.

It's less scary thinking the name than saying it.

True. You should try saying it out loud, Tara. It's a really good exercise.

Sure, Harry. Maybe I'll do it later.

"Sugar quill," said Harry, and the gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office sprang apart, grunting at the effort.

It is trauma control time, literally, in my house. My best friend was hijacked (I live in Johannesburg, South Africa), and wow I really didn't know what to do, so I wrote a little chappie here for you. Thank God he's aright… but you know how it is. I don't wanna give u guys a bad impression of Jo'berg, these things just happen, and we take it all in our stride.