Chapter Text
Two arrows crossed at the middle forming an X on his wrist. The symbol had been a part of him since the day he was born. It felt like a brand, he thought as he sat under the birch tree close to the lake’s edge. He turned a page of his novel and ignored the delighted laughs of his fellow students drifting with the gentle breeze. There was a sudden splash from that direction. One or two voices were laughing riotously while many more were laughing more nervously. Suddenly the laughter stopped and shouting started instead.
Severus turned a page and read about a world with a different sort of magic and terror holding it hostage. The novel was interesting, a Muggle book that Lily had found during Easter holiday and had passed along for him to enjoy.
“I thought birds were supposed to be in trees, not under them,” a voice interrupted his bubble of solitude. The dark haired boy furrowed his brow in annoyance at the intrusion and tried to continue his reading. His dark gaze had to reread the same sentence three times thanks to the distraction.
Suddenly a callused hand snatched the book right out of his hands forcing his dark grey eyes to follow its path to a familiar face with a cocky smirk marring it. The face was classically handsome, tanned darker by long hours in the sun practicing Quidditch. Bright hazel eyes danced with mirth down at him.
“Haven’t you tortured enough of your peers today, Potter?” Severus said with a long suffering sigh, halfheartedly reaching for his book. He schooled his features into a bland expression, trying to exude indifference to the exaggerated pout being focused on him. After years dealing with the teasing and the keep aways from this particular Gryffindor he had lost his answering irritation, instead he resigned himself in order to save his energy.
Not to say he never rose to James’ bait, but he knew now that to act out would be playing right into his companion’s hand. James loved to prod him into a temper. But a Ravenclaw was too smart to be tricked so easily.
“Aww, so you were watching. I thought you were ignoring me, Sev,” James said cheerfully, his smirk softening into a more sincere grin. He willingly gave the book back then while taking a seat next to the aforementioned boy. The Pureblood leaned against the tree trunk while managing to still invade the other’s space.
“No, actually, I wasn’t. Shocker. But from the laughs and Lily’s shouting I’d figure you were up to your usual mischief,” Severus said wryly, scooting away from James’ encroaching thigh. James snorted and crossed his arms, “Aww, yes, The Viper.”
“Stop calling her that,” Severus snapped, now fully turning toward the other boy, his eyes flashing and mouth twisted into an angry scowl. So quick to defend the redheaded Slytherin.
James looked away for a second and was silent, carefree mask making way for his own mark of displeasure. Severus was almost tempted to start reading again when the silence went on for longer than usual, but knowing James he would just take the book away like the child he truly was. He had a habit of being reduced to a 5 year old when ignored. James looked down at his lap, then turned over his wrist to look at his soulmark.
Severus winced at the sight. The mark that matched his, identical, the same crossed arrows in stark blue against the pale flesh. “She’s nosy, she should really mind her own business,” James finally said, sounding strangely serious compared to his usual defensive tone. Severus rolled his eyes, used to James’ usual rantings about Lily Evan’s interference.
“She’s right though, you shouldn’t be throwing underclassmen into the lake. You’re a sixth year now, you should be a little more mature,” Severus muttered wearily, knowing James wouldn’t listen to a word he said. Six years of knowing his soulmate had told him that James Potter only does what James Potter wants. “You’re always taking her side,” James pouted, looking at Severus with faked hurt eyes, poorly hiding his jealousy, “I’m your soulmate. You should be more supportive, maybe even agree with me once in awhile.”
“She’s my best friend. And soulmate or not, you need to grow up, Potter. One day you’ll piss off the wrong person and get cursed into the Infirmary,” Severus scolded halfheartedly. Same song and dance, it was tiring to be ignored when he really meant to help “And you’d visit and nurse me back to health with your clever little hands, right?” James said teasingly, totally ignoring the advice. Instead he slid closer and leaned down to smile down at the paler boy. The Ravenclaw blinked slowly and deliberately to emphasize his unimpressed expression.
Something must have finally come through to the boy because James’ face turned uncharacteristically dark as he withdrew.
“I wish for once you’d at least act like you care about me being your soulmate. How’d I get stuck with such a-a-a...unfeeling prick,” he muttered under his breath, hurt swelling in his chest like an inflated balloon.
Severus hummed, feigning disinterest, looking across the lake thoughtfully, taking on a mocking tone, “I don’t know, maybe the fates mixed us up and our real soulmates are out there wondering where we are.” Sometimes Severus would wake up and forget he had a soulmate, that a shadow didn’t seem to follow him wherever he went, didn’t try to steal away all his time and attention selfishly.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw James freeze like a statue, face slack with shock as if Severus had slapped him. A thread of regret tightened around his heart, making him hesitate to apologize, but suddenly James was grabbing at Severus’ shoulders. He tried to shake the rough hands off, but they only tightened in response. “How can you say that, Sev? All these years, all the things we’ve been through. How can you deny it? Destiny brought us together. We’re soulmates, meant to be. No matter how far we wander, we’ll always find each other,” James said fiercely, his face for once nothing but serious. Severus looked him straight in the eye and saw something like pain.
The thread tightened around his heart further, making it ache like an echo of James’ own anguish. But his brain refused to accept the words the sweet words as the hands tightened into a bruising grip. “I don’t want destiny or fate or...whatever telling me how to live my life. I’ll make my own choices, I suggest you do the same,” Severus finally said, before violently wrenching away and quickly gathering his things. Before James could move after him, Severus flicked his wand and wordlessly stopped James from standing with a Jelly Leg Jinx.
James whined a little in his throat, frustrated at his inability to follow. Soulmates weren’t meant to turn curses and jinxes against each other. His mum and dad always taught him that soulmates were to be treated gently and lovingly. Cherished.
It seemed Severus had never learned that lesson if his willingness to throw anything he pleased at James was anything to go by. Though James held on to the knowledge that no matter how frustrated and angry Severus became with him, no matter how his skin flushed hotly and his eyes flashed, he had never sent a harmful curse his way. No, Severus had hurt other students worse in the Dueling Club than he had James during one of their fiercer arguments, and there had been many.
It was a small notion, but it was really the only sign he’d ever gotten that Severus had held him special in anyway from other students. Except for Lily Evans. James’ thoughts turned to the redhead, who even now was catching up with Severus as she saw him moving towards the castle.
He could hear her say something and Severus turned toward her like a flower toward the sun, profile showing his charmingly crooked smile on his strangely angular face. James felt his face flush in irritation, almost forgetting the counter curse to the Jelly Leg Jinx as his brain clogged with his usual anger at the female Slytherin student.
She had known his soulmate for years before he had, sticking with him like glue through the years even when they were sorted into different houses. He still remembered that fateful first train ride towards Hogwarts when he was eleven….