I do not own Harry Potter or gain anything from writing this other than the opportunity of expanding on an already brilliant universe for my own entertainment, and hopefully yours.

CHAPTER 1 - LIGHT

Harry lay awake in the bed he was using in Fred and George's room at the Burrow, contemplating his future. He had been doing that a lot ever since Christmas the year before, when he found the book.

The day he found it he had just returned from visiting Mr Weasley at St. Mungos, where he overheard how he was potentially being possessed by Voldemort. Ron and the rest of the Weasley's were being distant, though in hindsight maybe it was he himself who was being distant.

Not wanting to be around anyone else, he made his way into the empty Black library. He wasn't looking for anything to read, just a place to sulk and vent his frustrations. The target of his ire ended up being a section of wall near the back of the room. As he pulled his bleeding fist out of the small hole he'd created, hissing in pain and cursing himself for his own stupidity, he caught sight of the book.

After clearing away the rest of the drywall and wallpaper in his way, he pulled the dusty tome free, wiping the face clean. It was a large black book titled Soul Elementary Sīgnificum. There was a marker sticking out the top and when Harry opened it to the saved spot, the word Horcrux was prevalent at the top of the page in a large cursive script.

Harry learned a great deal from that book over the next few weeks. He would have tossed it away outright or brought it to someone's attention but he couldn't help make certain connections to the concept of a Horcrux and a few things he'd experienced. The diary of Tom Riddle is the first that came to mind. The book described them as Dark and dangerous objects that made an abomination of one's soul. It also had the effect of keeping a person's soul in the mortal realm if their body were to be destroyed. The truths he found in the book had a ring of familiarity to him.

So he delved into the tome. It was all about soul magic, primarily about different types of souls and their elemental qualities. Human souls fell into seven elemental types; Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Nature, Light and Dark. These types of soul didn't have too much bearing on personality, it was more linked to magic. Someone with a Dark soul wasn't necessarily evil, though they may have a certain affinity to Dark magic. The will to use it, however, had nothing to do with one's soul.

Harry had learned a spell from the book that allowed him to see a human's soul. Animina Revealio. It was a fascinating spell, Harry was immediately curious to find out what type of soul people were. Ron had a Fire soul, the red aura flared out around him, looking like an extension of his hair. Hermione was Earth; she had a light brown aura that reminded Harry of sand. It flowed around her smoothly and was especially active around her head. It was when he looked at his own soul in the mirror that he realized something was wrong.

He had a Light soul but there was a second soul, a Dark soul that resided in the scar on his forehead. After reading about Horcruxes, making note of the connection he shared with Voldemort and learning more about souls from the book, Harry came up with the obvious conclusion. He was a Horcrux to Lord Voldemort.

It was only a theory, however, and not one he was committing as the definite truth. It would be devastating if it was, because as he read more on the Dark objects he learned that to destroy the soul that resides in a Horcrux, one must destroy the vessel. Seeing as Harry himself was the vessel, that seemed wildly inconvenient.

It wasn't until that awful night at the Ministry of Magic that Harry's worst fear was proven a reality. While Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort duelled he cast the soul seeing spell on himself in a moment of clarity. The two fighters were both Dark souls, both black and both powerful, though they were each distinct, no soul looked exactly the same.

Similar to fingerprints, their pattern, movement and brightness were all individually unique. Voldemort's soul was the same as the one in Harry's scar, a mire of blackness that seemed to pull outside light into it to snuff it out, just as the Dark soul attached to his forehead seemed to want to snuff out Harry's own Light soul. Harry didn't require more proof beyond that but he got it regardless. Being so close to the owner of the soul in his scar he could see the connection between them clearly, as if a dark line was drawn between his head and Voldemort.

So as he mourned for his godfather, he mourned for himself as well. That is, until he began to delve deeper into the more complicated aspects of the book. Beyond the information regarding souls and their types there was a collection of rituals. Rituals to create a link between two beings without tearing a soul apart, rituals to strengthen souls, but most important of all; rituals to destroy souls. There was one ritual in particular, incredibly complicated in nature. Using a link with seven other souls of each type and having a piece of the soul one wishes to destroy within the caster, one could destroy the other pieces of the soul.

Seeing as Harry already had one of the most difficult parts of the ritual handed to him, it seemed like it was meant to be. Couple that with his knowledge of the prophecy Dumbledore passed along to him and he was all but convinced. So he read and re-read the book, learning all he could about soul magic.

The links he needed to make would be the first hurdle to overcome, and quite a hurtle it would be. He needed seven people; seven witches specifically, each with a different type of soul. That alone wouldn't be so difficult; the hard part was that they also needed to be virgins and beyond that, to create the link; Harry would have to take their virginity. At least there was a handy spell in the book that allowed Harry to see who was a virgin and who wasn't. Other than just taking a witch's virginity, he also had to cast a specific spell beforehand to begin the ritual. At the moment of climax inside said witch, their soul name would appear on Harry's chest, sealing the link.

The task seemed beyond daunting, but there was a large part of him that was looking forward to trying. There was also a slightly above average sized part of him - in his own modest and unbiased opinion - that was very excited about trying.

So there Harry lay, wondering how in the hell he was going to pull off shagging seven witches that fit into very specific criteria. He considered bringing this up to Hermione but was afraid she would put a stop to it once she learned how dangerous it was and how depraved it was. Though given the alternative, maybe she'd understand.

For now he decided to give her and Ron a half truth, one that will placate his friends for a time and help them to understand his upcoming actions. With that decision made, sleep finally took him, his dreams being far more inappropriate than they have been in the past.

The next morning after Harry told his two best friends about the prophecy and they didn't run away from him, he told them a bit more of what he knew. He made sure not to reveal anything about the book.

'There was something else Dumbledore said,' Harry told them as they listened with rapt attention. 'Apparently … that night when he killed my parents … a piece of Voldemort's soul went into my scar.'

Without even knowing the implications, his two friends were immensely shocked. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth in horror while Ron just stared at his scar like it might attack them at any moment.

'What does that mean though?' Hermione asked shakily through her fingers. 'Is that the reason for your connection with him?'

'It is,' Harry confirmed. 'There are other problems with it too though, things that are … kind of … really bad for me to be honest.'

Harry took a deep breath in preparation of the bombshell he was about to drop on his friends. He knew how much they cared about him, this would not be an easy blow to take.

'The soul in my head is at least part of what kept him alive last time,' he said heavily. 'To kill him the next time … I will have to die.'

'NO!' Hermione shrieked, jumping to her feet and trembling from head to toe. 'That's not true! It can't be!'

Harry rushed over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug, she started crying immediately, burying her face into his shoulder. Ron looked close to tears as well, his face was pale and he was staring with a fear Harry hadn't seen from him before.

'It's not a sure thing Hermione,' he said quickly, 'but it's probably … I haven't given up or anything like that.'

Hermione found it in her to look up at him, a stubborn expression on her face.

'There has to be another way,' she said shakily. 'There just has to be!'

Harry smiled and nodded at her and sat back down on his bed 'Dumbledore seems to have some ideas,' he lied. 'I do plan on living my life a bit differently though.'

A scared silence fell over the room, his two friends were looking at him in a way that made him more than a little uncomfortable.

'What do you mean?' Ron asked, finally finding his voice.

'Well … Voldemort already wanted me dead anyway,' he said with a grin. 'Then with this on top of it …' He trailed off, his smile splitting his face.

'What is it?' Hermione asked, now more curious than upset.

'To be honest …' Harry stalled again, and then just went for it. 'I'm going to shag as many girls as I can, I suppose. Or at least a few.'

There was a beat of silence, then Ron burst out laughing, even Hermione smirked a little, shaking her head at the bawdy comment.

'Come on, Harry, be serious,' she said with a bit of a chuckle.

'I am being serious, Hermione,' he said with a shrug. 'I don't know how much longer I have to live so I plan on making the most of the life I have left, yeah? No one wants to die a virgin.' He fixed Hermione with a roguish grin before he continued. 'So be prepared to deal with a much flirtier Harry Potter, Miss Granger.'

'What?' She cried. 'Me?!'

'Why not? You're beautiful, smart, my best friend and I love you. Why wouldn't I want to shag you?'

'Oi!' Ron yelled, glaring at Harry. 'Not sure I feel too good about this anymore.'

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, looking from Ron to Harry before finding her hands in her lap.

'Can't blame a dead man for trying, Ron,' Harry said, shrugging again.

'Harry!' Hermione admonished. 'Don't talk about yourself like that!'

'I know, you're right,' Harry said, 'but I am just being honest here, alright? I do love you, Hermione. I want to see how far that love goes before the end.'

Hermione blushed heavily, finding her twiddling hands again.

'Harry,' Ron ground out, gritting his teeth, 'it's not that I blame you or can even say anything against this,' though he looked like he had a lot he wanted to say against it, 'just don't do any of that in front of me, mate.'

'The shagging?' he tried.

'Flirting with Hermione,' Ron said angrily, and then he looked sad. 'Just … not around me, alright?'

'I can respect that, Ron,' Harry said honestly.

An awkward silence fell on the room this time, Hermione glancing nervously at the two boys and Ron looking at anywhere but Harry.

Harry just looked from one of them to the other, wondering what was going through their heads until he caught Hermione's eye. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears again.

'Listen, Hermione,' Harry sighed, 'I don't want you to look at me like that all the time ... with pity because you know what might happen to me. I only told you this because I trust you and I feel like you deserve that much, but please, I don't want you crying over me like that. I'm happy when I'm with you … I'm happy when you're happy. I want to be happy with you for as long as possible. Do you think we can do that?'

Hermione wiped the traitorous tear that fell after Harry said his piece and looked at him with a genuine smile.

'Yes, I can,' she said quietly. 'You make me happy too, Harry.'

'And to lighten the mood a little,' Harry said with a smirk, 'you don't mind if I try to get into your pants?'

'Oh, shut up.' Hermione snorted.

'Oi!'

'Sorry, Ron,' Harry laughed. 'Couldn't resist.'

During his time at The Burrow, Harry did a bit of scouting. Ginny was Fire like Ron, in fact all the Weasleys were, except Mrs Weasley who was Dark. Fleur, like the Weasleys, was also a fire soul. Fleur had never been an option as she's engaged to Bill, but he'd also discovered that she wasn't a virgin regardless.

Ginny was an option for Fire but she was currently in a relationship with Dean Thomas and Harry had no plans to interfere. That didn't mean he couldn't notice for the first time just how beautiful his best friend's sister had become. If Dean ever screwed that up, he would be sure to move her to the top of the list for Fire souls.

Tonks was the next person Harry considered seriously. She was a Light soul and according to the book, Light souls were quite rare, but most importantly and perhaps surprisingly, she was a virgin. Unfortunately she didn't come around too often, though when she did he tried everything he could to cheer up her current dour mood. He wasn't sure if it was Sirius' death or something else, but she certainly wasn't her usual bubbly self. Her hair wasn't her normal vibrant pink but a mousy brown. She looked sad and didn't have the energy and mischievous air that Harry was so used to whenever she was around.

So he made various attempts to cheer her up. The sad smiles he would get were little reward so Harry decided to up his game. Go big or go home, as it were.

'Hey, Tonks,' he said to her, 'random question.'

'Hm?' She hummed as she sipped the tea Molly got for her.

The two of them were currently sitting alone in the living room after Harry had told Mrs Weasley he wanted a go at cheering her up in private.

'What are your thoughts on younger guys?' he asked.

'What do you mean … thoughts?' she asked suspiciously, though Harry saw that glint of mischief in her eyes she'd been missing.

'In a romantic sense,' Harry explained. 'Let's say … six years younger than yourself, would you give him a go?'

Tonks actually laughed out loud at that, slapping Harry's knee playfully.

'Where the bloody hell is this coming from?' she asked, still chuckling.

He shrugged. 'Why can't a bloke notice how attractive his more mature Auror friend is?'

'You realize I'm technically your cousin, right?' Tonks said with a smirk.

'Forgot about that to be honest,' Harry said, scratching his chin. 'Not that it bothers me at all. Distant cousin.'

Tonks bobbed her head around while looking at nothing, apparently testing the excuse.

'OK,' she finally said. 'What do I think about a certain younger guy who's only a distant cousin, who's rich, a celebrity and is quite dashing now that I think on it.'

'Not so bad yourself,' Harry chuckled.

'Can't say I really know what I think to be honest,' she said thoughtfully. 'What kind of relationship are we talking here? You fall head over heels for me or are you just after a quick shag?'

Harry leaned back on the sofa in thought, allowing his arm to extend behind Tonks' back.

'Well I do think we could both use a quick shag,' Harry said nonchalantly, causing Tonks to burst out laughing. 'That something you might be interested in?'

Tonks eyed him over her tea, the smirk that emerged earlier plastered on her face.

'Maybe,' she said, her voice becoming a little coquettish. 'Think you can handle me, Potter?'

Harry leaned closer to her and let his arm fall around her shoulder.

'Only if you want me handling you,' Harry teased back.

Tonks let her eyes roam Harry's body appreciatively before settling on his lips. Harry seized the moment and pulled her into a gentle kiss, which quickly turned hungry and heated.

'Sod it,' Tonks said a little breathlessly when they broke free. 'I really want to. Where are we doing this?'

Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak and threw it over her.

'Follow me,' he said smoothly and led her up the stairs to the room he was staying in.

Once inside, he closed and locked the door then put up a few privacy charms before Tonks added some of her own. Harry made a mental note to ask her how to do them later, as he was fairly busy at the moment snogging the older girl senseless.

In no time at all Harry was on top of her on the bed, their clothes flying off in all directions. Tonks' hair was currently changing from bright red to pink as Harry threw his t-shirt aside. She took some time to appreciate his toned body before adding her own top to the pile.

Her body was as toned as Harry's if not more so. Working as an Auror certainly helped keep her fit.

'God you're beautiful,' Harry said appreciatively as her bra hit the floor.

'I should tell you, Harry,' she said in a moment of shyness. 'I'm - I'm a Virgin. I've never really done the deed, you know?'

Harry leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, running a hand along her naked body.

'I am too, Tonks,' Harry admitted. 'I'll go slow.'

She seemed a little surprised at that piece of news, apparently Harry gave off an air of confidence. She didn't need to know of the butterfly storm currently in his stomach.

'And for the record,' he said, sliding her knickers off. 'I'm more than happy that you'll be my first.'

'Me too,' she moaned as Harry rubbed a hand up her inner thigh.

Harry had a vague concept of what to expect from sex, he knew it was supposed to feel amazing, that it could be complicated and difficult to get right. He knew that his first time might not be a complete success, so he was willing to let whatever happened happen without worrying too much about it. He was extremely pleased to discover then that his first time would be absolutely magnificent. Sex felt better than he could have ever imagined.

Maybe it was the combination of lovers but things just clicked. They were both attentive to each other's needs, cautious yet curious and eager to listen to any direction. Tonks may have been a virgin but she wasn't without experience, and before they went ahead to the deed they were both sweaty and needy for each other.

He found her soaking entrance rather easily and slowly moved into her, waiting for her indication as to when she was ready. It was a slow start but it escalated quickly, Nymphadora's pain all but forgotten as they went from inexperienced and clumsy to being in tune with each other's pleasure. They built each other up slowly, neither one wanting to finish before the other. It culminated in a repeated cry of 'Wotcher Harry' and an accidental slip of 'Nymphadora' when they both climaxed at the same moment. The spell Harry cast on his chest beforehand glowed white and hot and left a tattooed mark of Tonks' soul name.

Pokiehl.

The two cuddled and talked afterward about more personal things than they had ever spoken of before. Tonks admitted the reason she'd been so down lately was her deteriorating relationship with a certain werewolf and Harry told her a few lesser known truths about his adventures. They spent the night together in each other's arms, enjoying the other's need for them. When Harry woke before the sun had risen he saw his lover's currently green eyes staring at his in the darkness and they had another round of lovemaking before Tonks snuck out of The Burrow.

The rest of the summer was far less eventful. Tonks started coming by a lot more and they became quite good friends after their lust filled encounter, but neither of them pushed for anything more of what they did on that night. The older girl was in much brighter spirits from the event and seemed to be making more of an obvious effort toward her werewolf crush.

On the Hermione front, Harry was getting nowhere fast. She seemed to enjoy the casual flirting and reciprocated every once in a while, but wasn't willing to move things into a more unknown romantic territory, at least not yet.

So progress for his project came to a stand still while he was at The Burrow. It wouldn't be long until September came along again though. Then he would once again be back at Hogwarts for the year, where there was an entire school full of witches that he could try his hand at shagging.