HP: Fairborn Adventures

February 10th, 1997

"I'm so proud of you, my love."

He watched as her eyelids slowly closed whilst her head dropped against his chest with one arm loosely swung around his shoulder.

His girlfriend was heavier than one might expect with her slim build, though it shouldn't surprise him too much as she was also rather tall and with her frequent workouts a lot of the mass must be muscle.

'Though, it wouldn't do well for me to be caught calling her heavy.'

Behind the tall Scottish mountains, the faintest rosy hue across the wide horizon announced the imminent rise of the sun and the beginning of a new morning. Tightening his hold on her, Harry hurried over to the large boulder at the edge of the village, where one of the seven secret passageways led from Hogsmeade back into the castle.

Harry swallowed the small jab of panic as his fingers dug into her damp robes around her waist. A quick glance over her body and his own hand confirmed that her clothes were drenched in blood, the crimson sticking to the ash on his fingers.

Still, her tiredness was far more likely due to the adrenaline pump wearing off, exhaustion from using a lot of magic in a short period of time, and the lack of fresh air and oxygen they both experienced while being engulfed by the cursed flames.

'Still, I better get her a blood replenishment potion just in case.'

Sending a light blue orb of magic down the dark tunnel, Harry hurried through its length with Marlene nestled in his arms, breathing steadily. Stray curls from her high ponytail tickled his jaw. Her familiar soothing scent managed to overpower the smell of ash and fire as he inhaled it deeply.

They reappeared behind a concealed wall covered by several suits of armor on the first floor, close to McGonagall's office. Despite the early hour, Harry decided to disillusion himself and also tapped Marlene with the tip of the Elder Wand until all that was left of the blonde girl was a faint ripple in his arms.

'Almost there!'

'Hold on, love.'

Hissing the command, he impatiently waited for the sink to transform into the long tunnel and the deep flight of stairs to form. There was no way he could take her to Madam Pomfrey unless the injury was absolutely lethal, which he did not consider the stab wound on her waist to be.

Therefore, down in the Chamber was the best place to treat her injury and discuss the next steps as soon as she woke up.

Two more hisses and Harry finally reached the Founder's small study. With a twist of his wand, the small bunk was widened and a clean, fluffy mattress was placed on top of it. Harry slowly lowered his girlfriend with the utmost care, ensuring not to worsen the condition of her injury.

"Do you know anything about healing spells by chance?" Harry stopped briefly at the table to flick open the tome of his ancestor before darting over to the small potions kit, where he had a few blood replenishment potions stored.

With how frequently he practiced extremely dangerous pieces of magic down in the Chamber, Marlene had insisted on having the basic healing supplies at the ready, should the circumstances require it.

'Thank Merlin for the female foresight in such things.'

"What happened, Harry?" Aurelius bombarded him with questions: "Did something go wrong with the Acromantulas? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, physically at least. Magically I feel a bit drained after burning down half the Forbidden Forest" Harry chuckled absently while preparing a few small vials of potions for his girlfriend: "However, Marlene was caught on the waist by the Acromantula queen. She's bleeding quite a bit and went unconscious."

"Give her the potions, then disinfect and clean the wound before sealing it!" The tome snapped into a business-like tone as he gave instructions.

"I'll try my best." Harry hurried back to the bunk bed with a handful of vials: "Alright, let's get this started."

He cautiously shifted Marlene slightly so that she was laying on her uninjured side. Opening her jaw, he trickled a few drops of the first vial into her open mouth before purposefully triggering her swallow reflex.

"This is going to take a while." Harry frowned, noticing that he could only administer very small amounts at the same time.

"You can finally tell me what happened in the forest then!" Aurelius demanded angrily: "Were you at least successful?"

"I'd say so. One of their scouts spotted us and took us to their King and Queen." Harry sat down on the edge of the mattress and continued to repeat his action with the next vial: "The female was the biggest, nearly 13 feet in height, so Marlene was firmly set on getting some venom from her."

"An understandable decision." Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry caught the black burst nodding: "Magic will recognize her intent and the danger associated with securing her sacrifice during the ritual. But how did she get harmed?"

"Her pride got the way." Harry grimaced: "We managed to separate the Queen from her mate and the rest of the colony by luring her over to us with the Basilisk fang. When the spider bent down to pick it up, Marlene fired her curse and cut off an entire pincer plus the majority of the venom sack. Actually-"

Harry placed the potions down on the mattress: " -I should probably reverse her shrinking charm, take it out of her robes and store it somewhere securely."

"Smart idea, lad." Aurelius groaned in frustration: "Would be a shame if the lethal venom of one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet somehow leaked into her open wound, wouldn't it?"

"Okay, okay, I understand. No need to be an old sarcastic git about it." Harry huffed. He scanned Marlene's robes until he found a small inside pocket with the leathery bag she charmed unbreakable a few days ago.

"At least the bag is dry, so the venom didn't leak out of its container," Harry commented as he levitated the bag over to the table next to Aurelius, took out its content, and reversed the shrinking charm.

"Yes... Indeed." The tome hissed, rolling eyes of ink: "That would be such a tragic end to your love story."

"Wow, it's by far longer than the Basilisk's fangs." Harry whistled in appreciation, casting a few preservation charms on it and securing it in a dust-repelling magical bubble: "That should definitely do for her ritual."

"You still haven't told me how she injured herself!" Aurelius reminded him.

Harry walked back to the bed with his girlfriend and picked up where he left off: "I held back the Acromantulas with that earthquake spell you taught me and put up a barrier of Fiendfyre. Marlene summoned the pincer but refused to leave just yet. Since the venom has to be taken against the owner's will, she believed that her sacrifice might be stronger after killing the beast."

"She's right." Aurelius hummed. "The loss of a pincer is not as tragic for any spider as the loss of its life. The most primal instinct of anything living being is its own survival. Taking the Acromantula Queen's life is the ultimate form of taking something against her will."

"I know that's the case and I still don't like that she insisted on it!" Harry grumbled as he finished administering the last vial: "Her bloody pride almost got her killed!"

"Was she successful at least?"

"Oh, that she was!" Harry chuckled with laughter.

He stood up from the chair and cast a few cleaning and disinfection charms on his own hands, getting rid of all the ash and blood: "She severed an entire leg, blasted half of the Queen's eyes off her face, burned her underside and finally transfigured the severed limb into a steel spike, ramming it through the Acromantula's skull."

Harry vanished Marlene's loose robes with a flick of his wand, leaving her in her light blue blouse and long black skirt.

"Not bad." The tome let out a high whistle: "That is one fine lady you've got there, my descendant. You better keep her close, those are very rare in my experience..."

A dark red patch damped the material of her blouse a few inches over her left hip. Harry carefully pulled up the fabric and the undershirt, revealing the nasty cut caused by Mosag on the pale, blood-stained skin of her tummy.

"I know, I can't lose her." Coldness seized his heart and lungs, making it almost painful to breathe: "Which is why I hated watching her getting almost impaled by the bloody spider's legs!"

"What does the wound look like?" Aurelius inquired curiously.

"It's not particularly deep." Harry analyzed it, running his wand along the gash and murmuring a few basic disinfection and cleaning spells.

"Close the wound immediately after you've cleaned it." His ancestor advised: "Do you know a good spell for sealing gashes and cuts?"

"I know one that works very well." Harry pointed the tip of the Elder Wand at the beginning of the gash and started chanting just as he had seen Snape do with Malfoy:

"Vulnera Sanentur..."

"Vulnera Sanentur..."

He watched as the flow of crimson leaking from the wound slowly stopped and repeated his chanting a few more times:

"Vulnera Sanentur..."

"Vulnera Sanentur..."

New tissue, flesh, and skin started forming, layer after layer, until all that was left was a single faint pink line. Unfortunately, it stood out rather obviously from its pale, smooth background.

'That one might very well become a scar.'

'Or perhaps not.'

"Better apply some dittany." Harry murmured to himself, remembering another teaching of the Half-blood Prince: "Marlene would hate to have her perfect bikini figure ruined..."

"I don't know what a bikini is supposed to be, but even in my time young noble ladies were rather sensitive when it came to their physical appearance," Aurelius commented.

"It's an article of clothing the muggles bathe in." Harry chuckled while he skimmed through his potions kit for his stash of the dark green herb: "It reveals quite a lot of skin and I can't wait to see my girlfriend in one again this summer."

He ignored another sarcastic comment from the tome and headed back to the bed. There Harry squeezed the leaves between two fingers and let the thick extract drip on the faint pink line, spreading it out evenly and massaging it in a bit.

"There we go, my love." Harry brushed a few stray pieces of blonde curls off her face: "Now you're almost as good as new."

He vanished any of the remaining dried blood and ash while also getting rid of her blouse and undershirt since both articles were soaked and muddy as well.

'She wasn't joking about the sports bra I guess.'

A cheeky grin curled his lip as he spotted the spandex material, yet he quickly tore his eyes away from her chest. Harry conjured a few warm blankets, tucked her in, and made sure she was covered from neck to toe.

'That shall keep you warm.'

"With the potions administered she will likely wake up soon and due to the physical and magical exhaustion she will be hungry, very hungry..." Aurelius recommended: "It will do her good to eat something."

"Tempus!"

Purple swells of magic twisted into a shimmering 7:30 am.

"I will get her some food from the kitchen then." He eyed the sleeping form of his girlfriend warily, watching as the white blanket over her chest rose and fell with deep steady breaths: "This is not how I wanted to introduce you two, but someone should be there for her when she wakes up and since only one of us has an actual physical body..."

"Get going already, you ungrateful brat!" Aurelius snorted: "Make sure to eat something as well. You will need your strength soon."

"Please be there for her and explain everything." Harry placed a last kiss on Marlene's forehead: "I'll be back soon."

30 Minutes later

Her head pounded faintly within her skull, making her groan as she stretched her limbs. Still, the position she found herself in was very relaxing and comfortable, with a soft pillow placed underneath her head while covered in warm fluffy blankets.

'Blankets?'

Marlene slowly forced her eyelids open. Luckily whatever room she was in was only dimly lit, so her sensitive eyes quickly adjusted to the low light level. She stared up at a cobblestone ceiling, the shadows of torches dancing over the rough stones.

'The Chamber then?'

"Harry?" Marlene tentatively called out her boyfriend's name, waiting for a reply.

"Ah perfect, you're finally awake!" A different male voice, unlike her boyfriend's, answered. It felt almost like an abstract, cold whisper.

A high, very unlady-like yelp escaped her lips while sat up straight in her bed and frantically looked around, yet unable to spot anyone else in the study.

"Please, there is no need to worry, my dear." The same whisper echoed over to her again.

"Where is my wand?" Marlene asked anxiously while palpating the area underneath the covers around her, flipping over her pillows as well.

"I think my descendant placed it on the small bedside table." Marlene caught a hint of amusement in the stranger's voice.

'My descendant?'

She spun around, wincing as she felt some slight discomfort at her waist, and snatched the thin piece of wood from the table next to her head.

"Where are you?" She eyed the rest of the room warily, wand held protectively in front of her chest.

"Over here." Came the chuckled whispers: "Just follow the sound of my voice."

If Marlene wasn't mistaken it came from the ancient leathery tome which had been opened on the table. Come to think of it, Marlene had never actually seen the old pages opened before. For strange reasons, Harry had always been very protective of it.

"Who and what are you?" Marlene started firing questions: "Where is Harry? What happened to me?"

The tome had the audacity to sigh: "Since answering your first two questions might be a bit more complicated and lengthier, I shall start with the latter ones. Harry, my descendant, is currently up in the castle, gathering food for you. Since I don't really have a feeling for time, I can't exactly pinpoint how long he's been gone, but he should be back soon, no worries..."

"Okay." Marlene gulped heavily but allowed the tome to continue: "Fine!"

"As for what happened to you... You fell unconscious after exhausting yourself magically and suffered some light blood loss from a wound on your waist."

'The spiders!'

Pulling the covers off of her, her left hand instantly trailed down to her waist. However, instead of the bandages she might have expected, all she encountered was the faintest pink line of slightly rougher skin. Some gluey substance had been applied to it.

She brought her finger to her nose and took a quick whiff:

'Dittany.'

'Thank you, Harry.'

Slowly the memories came back to the forefront of her mind. Blazing fiery beasts, hot black smoke, and massive hairy bodies danced before her inner eye: "So Harry carried me back to the castle?"

"Yes, he did." The tome hummed: "I suppose congratulations are in order. As far as I was told, you, young lady, managed to kill the Queen Acromantula all by yourself. Allow me to say that I'm beyond delighted that my descendant chose his companion with more than just an eye for beauty. However, now, I think it's high time I finally introduce myself to you properly."

'Definitely.'

'Especially since he keeps calling Harry his descendant.'

"My name is Aurelius Valerian Peverell, I suppose I am a sort of great grandfather of Harry's. It's an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Lady Marlene McKinnon."

'What?'

It took a few seconds for her manners to kick in and the dumbstruck expression to vanish from her. Marlene cleared her throat: "Well, I- I'm Marlene Elizabeth McKinnon, youngest daughter of Lord Alfred McKinnon and currently courting Harry, your descendant..."

"So I've been told." The tome chuckled: "Harry talks quite a lot about you, you know..."

"Well, I'd sure hope so." Marlene decided that her patience was stretched too far and her curiosity piqued to the limit.

With a small grimace, she hoisted herself out of the bed, dropping the covers, which was when she finally noticed that all that was left covering her upwards from the torso was her bra.

'Damn it, Harry!'

With another small yelp, she clung the warm covers back around her, clutching them to her chest and covering her modesty. Once she was sure everything was wrapped, she peeked over to the tome.

'Could it even see?'

Another series of chuckles echoed through the small study: "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that Harry was forced to remove parts of your clothing to treat your injury. There is no need to worry, my lady, while my hearing is comparable to that of an average human, I'm pretty much blind, with the exception of recognizing the faintest traces of my family's magic, for example when Harry performs spells close to me."

Marlene shot the tome a dubious eyebrow, not feeling too trusting yet. With the covers still clung to her chest, she walked barefoot over to the table.

Lines of blank ink twisted and turned on the yellow pages of the tome, forming into a dark patch that showed resemblance to the proud burst of a man: "That's it, don't be shy, my dear..."

The voice still slightly startled her, yet above all, she felt her curiosity piqued: "What exactly are you?"

The tome sighed, its chin dropping ever so slightly. "Well, I suppose it would hurt to get to know each other a bit better while my descendant is doing his errands. I suggest you find a comfortable chair and let me tell you a summary of my life."

Roughly 15 minutes later, Marlene was leaning on her elbow, staring at the tome in front of her with an incredulous look: "That's a lot to take in, but many things do make more sense now. I had always wondered how Harry gathered as much knowledge of all those ancient spells, like the Fidelius Charm or Fiendfyre. Learning from their inventor or in the latter case, a person who used them occasionally seems obvious now."

"Harry has come a long way since this tome was given to him by the Flamel couple last summer." Aurelius nodded: "He's grown stronger and more powerful than I could have ever hoped in such a short amount of time. I'm beyond proud of him..."

"Oh, are you now?" Marlene's eyes narrowed in suspicion while she pointed at the yellowed pages with an accusing finger: "Are you perhaps also responsible for him almost killing himself while undergoing one of those rituals?"

"I'll have you know that the lecture on recklessness he received from my end almost equaled your own in harshness." The tome defended itself from the accusation.

Then his voice turned calmer: "The two of you finding each other is as much a curse and as a blessing. You give him a reason to fight and continue through the struggle that is his life. However, by now you're also the person he's most afraid to lose, making him go to extreme means to prevent such a thing."

"And I feel the same way about him." Marlene swallowed heavily: "I don't know if I could continue in a world without him anymore. There wouldn't be much left if he were to be taken from me..."

"I know, my dear, I know." The whispers had a surprisingly calming effect on her: "I just hope neither of you loses themselves on your journey. Your story is too unique to end as a pyrrhic victory in the annals of wizarding history..."

Marlene contemplated over those words for a few minutes before sounds from outside the study broke the brief silence that had formed.

"Harry!" She darted up from her chair and hurried over to the door, which opened to reveal a tired-looking boyfriend, carrying a heavy bag.

Marlene immediately flung herself into his arms, buried her head in the crook of his neck, taking deep calming breaths: "Thank you for getting me out of there and putting me back together."

"Of course." Harry held her, taking a deep breath.

"That is- "She whispered against his warm skin, a small smile tucking on the corner of her lips: " -even if you left me in a state of undress..."

"I felt it was medically necessary, my love..." Harry replied and she could almost feel his grin, as he pulled her tighter against himself with one arm, the other one holding his bag.

"Welcome back, my descendant!" Aurelius' greeting echoed over to them: "However, unlike your young lady, I can't physically show you how much you've been missed. You'll just have to believe my words."

"Sarcastic old git." Harry shot a playful glare over her shoulder at the tome: "I see that the two of you have finally met then."

"It was... Interesting to say the least." Marlene giggled: "But I'm glad you trusted me with one more of your secrets, my love."

"How are you feeling?" He inquired curiously after she reluctantly allowed him to break up their embrace. He gently untangled the blankets from her, his eyes traveling down her pale skin to her waist: "Any pain or discomfort?"

"Nothing serious." She shook her head, making long blonde curls in her ponytail bounce from left to right. "However, I am qui-"

A loud grumble from her stomach had her cheeks flush pink in embarrassment.

Harry buckled in laughter: "It's a common occurrence to feel famished after exhausting yourself magically."

Taking her hand in his, he walked over to the table and started unpacking the bag: "This is not exactly the kind of 'breakfast in bed' I envisioned but I hope it'll do for today. I'll make it up to you soon."

He tilted her chin up for a kiss, which almost made her toes curl.

'Any breakfast with you is perfect.'

"Also..." His green eyes darted to her cleavage for a second, sparkling with traces of lust: "As much as I prefer you this way, let's fix this state of undress really quick." He flicked his wand and covered Marlene in a warm fluffy morning robe.

"You're the best, Harry." She pecked his cheek and slipped past him to load one of the plates he brought from the kitchen with a wide variety of foods.

"How come it has taken you so long though?" She swallowed the contents of her mouth to keep at least some of her pureblood dignity, especially with Harry's ancestor here.

"I made sure to let Florence know that nothing serious happened to you," Harry explained while joining her at the table: "Your best friend going to your Head of House and reporting you missing is something we should avoid. I did the same with James and Sirius just so they don't worry."

"Thank you," Marlene said sincerely: "At least we don't have classes today, so it won't be too suspicious if we don't show up for breakfast."

"Which brings me to my next point," Harry nodded solemnly: "If you feel physically fine and somewhat rested, then we should do the ritual as soon as possible."

"Yes!" She quickly bobbed her head: "I agree."

Her boyfriend eyed her warily: "I gave you a blood-replenishment potion and a few others that will help with the physical and magical exhaustion. However, I need to know that you're in good health and not rushing things, Marlene."

"I said I'm perfectly fine, Harry!" She grew slightly annoyed by his concern even though she knew he meant it well.

Marlene pushed her plate away and walked over to where Harry had unshrunk Mosag's pincers and venom sack: "I sacrificed sweat, tears, and blood for this nasty piece and I fully intend to use it as soon as possible!"

"Fine." Harry sighed and shot a quick glance to the tome, which also remained silent: "We can do the ritual together this morning. You can come back and continue having breakfast with me now, my little harpy. I know you're still hungry."

"I'm not a harpy!" Marlene huffed, but a triumphant grin spread across her face. She slipped into Harry's lap, stealing a piece of sweet pastry from his plate: "A tribute for making me wait so long..."

'Though I promise to pay you back with interest.'

Roughly half an hour later, Harry and Marlene left the small study to move into the bigger Chamber and prepare the ritual. They placed Aurelius' tome and the many different ingredients, including each of their sacrifices on a table before taking out their notes on the runic patterns.

"This will take a while to carve in the stones." Marlene frowned as she skimmed over the different drafts she prepared for this exact occasion: "Especially since we need to carve the whole thing twice next to each other."

"Let's get started then." Harry grinned and handed her one of the silver knives they would be using.

For the next hour, the sharp scratches of metal on stone echoed through the Chamber as they crawled over the rough tiles on their knees. The couple carved the many different sequences and double-checked each piece of their work until they were both satisfied with it.

"This is definitely the most complicated ritual I've ever seen." Harry groaned as he pushed himself up and held out a helping hand for her.

"At least that part is done now." Marlene massaged her wrists, which already started hurting from engraving into the unyielding stones: "And it looks perfectly accurate to me."

'It has to be.'

'There's no room for mistakes.'

Two seven-pointed stars, decorated with various patterns of runic sequences, were stretched out over several feet in diameter in front of them.

"It's time for the ingredients then." Harry strolled back to the table and picked up the wide array they prepared.

The couple walked along each corner of the two seventh pointed stars and placed down the necessary ingredients at their crucial locations. Satisfied with the second part, they headed back to the table once more, where Harry picked up a bowl with crimson red paint.

He quirked an eyebrow with a smirk: "Now then..."

'Of course...'

'How could she forget...'

"Stop grinning like some ten-year-old fool, Harry." Marlene playfully swatted her boyfriend's chest, trying to hide the fact that her own lips curled upwards.

"Why should I?" Harry grinned cheekily: "Now comes my favorite part in all of this."

She rolled her eyes: "If I didn't check the meaning of the runes multiple times myself, I'd say you're having me on and only include this part to annoy me."

"You wound me, Marlene, I would never do that to you, my love." Harry denied it while laughing wholeheartedly.

"Of course, we both know you'd use any opportunity to get me naked." Marlene giggled and unfastened the belt of her bathrobe, letting the white fabric drop to the floor.

"Are you going to follow or not?" She smirked at him while her hands vanished behind her back, unclasping her bra and shrugging the strings of her shoulders.

"In a second." Harry moved a few steps closer to her.

His eyes roamed over her body and lingered on her breasts before they dipped to her waist. Marlene shivered when she felt his finger trail over the fresh skin: "One almost can't tell anymore."

"Good." Marlene unbuttoned the first few buttons of her skirt and stepped out of it. Silken underwear followed soon after: "I personally prefer my skin without scars."

Harry opened his mouth, but she shot him a coy look and silenced him with one finger: "But I quite like yours, even if you haven't told me about all of them yet."

"I will one day." Harry swallowed heavily and discarded his robes, shirt, and trousers.

Marlene's eyes wandered over his chiseled body as he joined her in the middle of the seventh painted star, naked as the day they were born. She literally had to force herself to stop her thoughts from wandering to what else they could be doing naked.

'Later.'

'The ritual first.'

"Are you ready?"

"Go ahead," Marlene replied with a nod.

Harry kneeled right in front of her, face at the height of her belly button, and dipped his index finger into the bowl of red paint. She observed as he started painting lines of bright crimson on her belly and moved upwards, bushing against the underside of her breasts, tickling the two firm, pale mounds.

"Sorry." Harry grinned at her and continued drawing a long spiral over each of her breasts all the way until his fingers brushed over her nipples. He flicked them with his thumb which of course led to them standing at full attention by now.

"You're enjoying this way too much, don't you?" Marlene smirked down at him, not missing the way his eyes widened in admiration as he performed his work.

"You should hold still and allow me to concentrate." He chuckled: "This work is of utmost importance."

His finger trailed back down over her belly button, coming to a halt between her legs. He moved back up, parted to each side once until coming back together. Marlene knew that he was drawing what the tome described as the reproductive organs of the woman, which had to be especially protected during any dangerous rituals such as this one.

"You're right, of course." She whispered, a small shiver running down her spine: "We will definitely need everything to work properly one day in the future..."

'To give you an heir, love.'

'And even more than one, if you'd like.'

Harry paused and stared up at her for a few moments. Marlene got completely lost in the depths of his eyes, which sparkled rich with emotions. He swallowed heavily and finished painting the last few parts, nodding approvingly as he rose back up to his knees.

"My turn." Marlene pecked his lips and took the bowl of paint from him. Dropping to her own knees, her job was significantly easier, as she merely had to paint a few lines over his lower abdomens and private parts.

She blushed briefly when his member twitched in her hand while Harry's fingers playfully wandered through her hair.

"Sorry." Her boyfriend smirked: "It's hard to resist you."

'Not now, my love. But perhaps later...'

'Definitely later.' She added when she caught the dark shadows of lust dancing in his eyes.

"Well done." Harry helped her back up and took the bowl from her. He returned it to the table and brought a second pair of silver knives, his vial of Basilisk venom, and the Acromantula's long pincer with him.

"Together?" He squeezed her hand.

"Of course," Marlene replied with utmost determination. She took her sacrifice and the knife from him: "Always together."

They positioned themselves in the center of their respective seven-pointed stairs, not breaking contact while drawing the sharp blade of the knife over their wrists.

Marlene winced momentarily when she felt the blood quill out of the cut. Holding their hands in front of them, they walked to each corner and let a few drops of crimson splash over the runes.

She soon felt herself getting light-headed and sighed in relief when they finally covered each area. Finally, the couple dropped to their knees and placed their respective sacrifice on the stone tile below them, splattering it with crimson red blood.

"This is our first step in becoming stronger together." Harry held her gaze while the runes around them activated, glowing a faint purple.

Heat surged through Marlene's veins, making her clench her jaw and flex her knuckles to avoid a scream from escaping her lips, instead she buried the pain and finished where Harry had left off:

"Stronger, so that no one will ever take us away from the other..."