Unexpected Gifts

Chapter XIX

A/N: Graphic and mature child abuse scene throughout the latter half of the chapter.

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Exams fell upon the castle swiftly. The large mix of Houses was located in the library a week before exams started.

They were supposed to be cramming, but Harry was doing a personal project that was left unfinished by Godric. It was something to do with a ritual but he couldn't make heads or tails of it yet.

Because they were in one of the library's lounges, Daphne was lying in his lap. She had fallen asleep nearly an hour ago.

Hermione let out a sigh as she looked up from her texts, "Harry you and Daphne should be studying."

"Reading theories wouldn't be of much use," He told her, his voice low.

"And why not?"

Glancing up from his research, he looked up at her, "Because we have them memorized and can recall the text of almost any book we've read since second year."

The witch seemed to sputter, "How? You've never had such a memory."

Daphne stirred in his lap. Harry began to rub her shoulder and arm gently. "Our Occlumency."

"Just what level Occlumens are you both?" Susan asked. She was a budding level four. Most pureblood students their age were level fours and would continue to be so for most of their lives.

"Individually, level six," Harry shrugged. "When our minds are melded, which is a majority of the time, we are level seven."

"Melded?" Hermione asked, having tried to research the term in the past and failed.

Draco looked at her, "It's the highest form of Occlumency that one can share with another. The practice was invented by the Greengrasses before they migrated from France. Once they came over, they registered it as an official marriage bond for the family." He clarified for her.

"Why only for their family?" She cocked her head to the side. Draco glanced at his cousin for an answer.

Harry sighed lightly, "Because it requires that you take down every shield you have built around your mind. You must connect with the mind of your wife or husband and create a shared mindscape separated from your own. Both parties must build the protections of the shared space before rebuilding the defenses for your own."

He stared at the bookworm girl, "It took Cyrus and Anna years to complete, and after so many years, they are yet to achieve the level of melding that Daphne and I have. When our magic bonded, we accepted the other completely. By taking the time to fall in love, combined with abstaining until our Yule Rites, we performed a ritual of sorts."

Their friends had stopped studying and were listening to Harry. His voice had remained at a soft tone, his hand massaging his wife's scalp soothingly.

"Magic played a large part in bonding our cores, bodies, and souls before we united our minds. We cannot have one without the other, we are Harry and Daphne. When she wakes up, she'll have a memory of this conversation. Our memories are stored by how much we believe the other should know. I'm locked away from any memories of girl talks, and she keeps herself away from our discussions as males."

"And do your entire conversations shared with only passing looks play credit to your Occlumency?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry shook his head. "The unwitting ritual of binding our beings enhanced our other abilities. The mind-melding has a slight telepathic side effect, like how Cyrus always knows if he's upset Anna and how upset she is. Because our connection is so more than just our mind's melded, Daphne and I have a full telepathic link when our minds are connected."