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Soulmate magicks are complex and intricate. They became popular in Britain during the war with Dark Lord Ash Bramamian in 1910.
Soulmate magicks are almost entirely used in the UK, and are seen very rarely outside of it.
The soulmate spell, Anmicus Conjunae, is performed on the fetus in vitro and takes many years to come to fruition.
As of 1990, it was illegal to cast it on a child under the age of sixteen. By the end of the second war with the Dark Lord Voldemort, the spell was made legal once more.
It is hoped, after much research and study, that the Soulmate spell will encourage procreation and familial ties.
The hypothesis is that the spell will aid in renewing the wizarding world, after the mass-casualties of the seven-year war.
The new Soulmate spell activates when a wizard or witch turns twenty-four, but in past generations it has activated much sooner.
***
Just after his twenty-fourth birthday, it appeared. Written in tiny, scrawled, calligraphy on his instep. He was the only one who knew it was there, and he was sort of fine with that. He hadn't expected that he'd be one of the hundreds of babies in the United Kingdom to be cursed with the Soulmate spell, but he supposed it made sense -- it all happened to him, after all.
Honestly, Harry thought to himself, he'd expected his mother, a muggleborn, to be against anything so archaic. For Merlin's sake, not even Draco Malfoy, Pureblood boy extraordinaire, suffered from the Soulmate spell. Malfoy's parents had considered it ancient and unseemly magic -- not to be toyed with.
Harry sighed and stepped out of his flat. It wasn't like anyone would see the writing on his foot, but it was the principal of the thing. He couldn't go around ignoring that his Soulmate was out there, and might need him. He apparated to the lane nearest Hermione's house and hurried down it. Soulmate magick, he knew, had prevented Hermione and Ron from making a go of it -- oh, not from being together or anything, but their romantic relationship had been a disaster.
He rushed across the lawn to the large front door and lifted the knocker. After banging it down a few times, he stepped back.
The door burst open to reveal a bright-green, large-eared House-Elf wearing a tidy, pink, maid's outfit. "Master Harry!" Winky squeaked.
Harry smiled down at Winky and then said, "Is your Mistress home?" He felt the ache in his chest as he watched her. Dobby had been the most loyal friend Harry had ever had. Winky always, always reminded him of Dobby.
Winky grinned and ushered Harry inside. "Yes, Mistress Malfoy is home! Shall Winky get her for you?" Winky asked excitedly.
"Just lead me to wherever she is. Is Master Malfoy home as well?" Harry asked.
"Both of Winky's Masters are home, Master Harry!" Winky replied as she led Harry into the large front parlour.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she struggled to get up from the sofa. She was hugely pregnant.
"Stay seated, 'Mione," Harry said softly as he smiled at both her and Draco. "You're due any moment, aren't you?"
Hermione grinned and settled back into the couch. "Absolutely," she said. She gave a little sigh. "Couldn't come soon enough, if you ask me. I can't believe Molly did this seven times!"
"We will be quite happy, and quite lucky, with the two we're having," Draco said softly as he rose. He hugged Harry gently, then sat down on the bench at the piano. "What brings you, Potter?"
"As I've asked a dozen times since you married my best friend, my name is Harry," Harry replied.
Draco smirked.
Harry laughed. "I need you to answer a question, from your...more unique circumstances," he explained.
"Oh?" Hermione asked. She laughed. "What circumstances are those?"
"I think he means...our falling in love regardless of our past animosity and our being married and together regardless of neither of us being made slave to the Soulmate spell," Draco explained carefully.
"Oh, Harry, no," Hermione said. Her tone was devastated. "You haven't gone and fallen in love with someone who has a Soulmate, have you?"
Harry huffed, then shuffled his feet. "Er. No. Nothing like that," he replied.
"Oh good. It's just.....it's bloody awful, Harry. You can't begin to understand the painfulness of what I went through with Ronald. Of what Luna and Ginny have been through, are still going through. Merlin, even the kind of grief Remus went through when Sirius died -- when he'd assumed Sirius was his Soulmate. I mean for Merlin's sake, no one knows how unstable that spell is when other magicks interfere..." Hermione trailed off.
Before Hermione could continue on her tirade, Harry interrupted. "Yes, I understand. I was there. The werewolf magicks interfered, causing the Soulmate spell to take years longer than normal to activate. During that time, he and Sirius believed that Remus had never had it cast on him. And, since Sirius's Soulmate was dead already, and inappropriate besides, they just pretty much ignored it. I remember. Remus was inconsolable - suicidal, even. Until a year later, when he met Bill by accident -- and Bill already had Remus's name written somewhere on his body." Harry shrugged. "When Bill's name finally showed up on the inside of Remus's wrist, they were both relieved."
"Right. But, it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes the magick goes wonky simply by in-love feelings or relationships that are already there. Even though he's years older, Charlie didn't have Luna's name on the inside of his elbow until after he'd met her -- until after her and Ginny had gotten married. And since Ginny and Luna aren't twenty-four yet, we've no way of knowing if Charlie's name will show up on Luna. It could just as easily not be there at all," Hermione explained as she rubbed soothing circles on the mound of her stomach. "So, they got their marriage annulled, but...it's very painful for them both. They love each other very much. And Charlie...he loves Luna very much as well. I can't even discuss the Daphne complication. It's all messed up."
"Take a deep breath, Hermione," Draco said quietly. "I know the spell upsets you, but I don't want you getting riled." Draco looked at Harry. "What's your question?"
"Do you think your relationship is more meaningful and more sustainable than those with Soulmate magick influencing them?" Harry asked.
Draco lifted his eyebrows, then shook his head. "Our relationship is different and I'd say we had to work harder at it. Ultimately, though, the Soulmate spell doesn't compel couples to fall in love, nor does it compel them to have children together. It simply draws the most magically compatible together," he replied.
"Well, it's not just based on magicks, but...Draco has the right of it," Hermione said. "Our relationship, in some ways, is stronger, Harry, simply for what we've had to overcome. But, it's not better, nor more sustainable. I feel we've all got a fairly equal chance. It's just....while the Soulmate spell doesn't compel love....my whole issue with it is that it's not stable magicks."
Harry nodded.
"Why the sudden interest?" Draco asked. "We know dozens of couples....affected by it, but you've never really wondered."
Harry looked down at the floor.
"Oh, Harry. Merlin, who is it?" Hermione whispered.
Harry raised his head and looked at Hermione with misery swimming in his eyes. "I'd rather not say," he replied.
Draco sighed. "So, the Potters did curse you with it then?"
"It seems so," Harry responded. "The name appeared on the instep of my foot just....well, yesterday."
"Well, at least it waited a whole week after your birthday," Hermione commented.
"I wish it hadn't. I'd begun to believe....that they hadn't had it cast," Harry said quietly.
"It isn't all bad," Draco said. "The majority of the couples we know are quite happy."
"Like?" Harry asked. His voice was small, wounded.
"You know very well that George and Neville are quite happy. The same goes for Fred and Theo, and for goodness sake, Molly and Arthur are soul-bound as well!" Hermione said.
Harry nodded.
"Whoever it is, you should go talk to them. Either they already know, or they will soon. And, if it's one of those one-sided marked things...well, you'll deal with it, Potter...you always do," Draco advised.
"According to all sources, your parents were also very happy, Harry. Maybe it won't be a bad thing? Maybe you'll get the family you've always wanted," Hermione offered.
"Off the top of my head, the only couple I can even think of who are a bit...unhappy, or possibly worse-off because of Soulmate magicks, are Ronald and Mrs. Brown-Weasley," Draco mentioned. "Other than that, I don't think I know of any who are truly discontent, if that helps."
"Thank you," Harry said. He sighed. "I need...I need to go. I've got someone to talk to. It's...it's not going to be easy."
After Harry left, Draco looked at his wife. "Am I the only one of us that thinks his Soulmate is Severus?" he asked.
Hermione snorted. "I really hope that's an inaccurate guess, Draco," she said. She shook her head sadly. "That would just be...cruel."
*** *** ***
Harry apparated to the front gates of Hogwarts. He could have apparated into the castle itself -- as the Master of Death, Harry had immense power -- but he felt it was inappropriate without the permission of both the castle and the Headmaster.
He pushed the gates open and trudged up to the castle's front doors. Since it was only August, he wasn't certain Headmaster Snape would be at the castle, but since he didn't know where else to find him, it was his best guess.
Harry opened the doors and headed inside. He made the left turn to the Headmaster's office and approached the gargoyle. No longer a Phoenix, a coiled snake presented itself as the guard to the office. It uncurled its head and stared at Harry with green-stone eyes.
He loosened his shoulders and stared the snake in the eyes. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was glad he was still a Parselmouth. Headmaster Dumbledore's portrait, after the war, had surmised that the gift came down from the Peverell line instead of from the soul-shard that had been lodged in Harry's head.
As Harry hissed a greeting to the snake, it nodded its head.
"Headmaster Snape is aware you are here, Snake-Talker. He says you can go up," the snake said as a stone step extended forward.
Harry stepped onto the stone and waited as it moved in a circular pattern which brought him to a slim staircase. Harry went up the staircase and knocked on the Headmaster's office door.
"Come in, Mr. Potter," Severus called from inside the room as the door swung open.
Harry smiled a little sheepishly and entered. "Pro...er...Headmaster Snape," Harry greeted the older man.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked as he gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
Harry sank down into one of the over-stuffed armchairs and sighed. "I have something...a little delicate...to talk to you about," he said softly.
Severus blinked. "Alright. Do go on," he replied.
"I have a question I need you to answer, without getting angry, upset or standoffish, alright?" Harry responded.
Severus sighed. "I will not make promises such as those, but I will promise to answer your question honestly." He tapped the side of his neck with his fingertips. "I believe I owe you that much," he finished.
"When you gave me your memories, I assumed you'd always been in love with my mother," Harry said in a rush. "Was that always the case, or was it just what you wanted me to believe?"
Startled by the question, Severus let out a little gasp of surprise. "I was in love with Lily for over sixteen years, Mr. Potter," he replied honestly.
"But not anymore?" Harry asked as he slid forward to the edge of the chair.
"It has been quite some time since I was in love with Lily," Severus responded. "For various reasons."
Harry flinched slightly as he felt the delicate probing of Severus's Legilimency in his mind. Gently, he pushed Severus out. "Alright," he replied. He sighed. "Professor?"
At the bark of Severus's laugh, Harry felt his toes clench and a liquidy-happiness pooled in his belly. "You should do that more often," he muttered.
"I haven't been your professor in quite some time, Mr. Potter. Please, call me Headmaster Snape or Severus. Whichever," Severus explained. He shrugged. "I should do what more often?"
Harry blinked. "Uhm. Laugh. You should laugh more often...and....and you should call me Harry, Severus," he said.
"What was your other question, Mr....Harry?" Severus asked quietly.
Harry scratched the back of his head absently, then gave a great sigh. "I...when did the Soulmate spell activate for you, Severus?" he asked.
"If you've come for advice about whomever your Soulmate spell is directing you to, I am afraid I cannot provide it," Severus replied. "The Soulmate spell was very different for me, and made my life extremely difficult for many years."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked quietly.
Severus sighed. "My Soulmate spell, and your father's, activated with the same name," he explained as gently as he could. "Lily was my soul's mate until after she died."
Harry reared back. He felt as though he'd been slapped. "What!?" he exclaimed.
Severus nodded. "Yes. Unbelievable, I know. But, there it is. Back then, the Soulmate spell activated much earlier on the majority of wizards and witches." He rubbed his hands together. "Lily Evan's name also scrawled across your father's left shoulder - tiny, tiny cursive. In red. I know because when I claimed to have her as my soul's mate, he argued with me and took off his shirt to show me. Since her name was written on my left hip-bone, there was no way on Merlin's earth I was going to whip off my trousers to show him. I did, however, show Lily. It confused her, I think. In the end, she chose James -- as you well know," he explained.
His eyes took on a far away look for a moment. "I was fifteen when her name appeared," Severus murmured. "I believe James was eighteen when it finally appeared."
"What happened when she died?" Harry whispered.
"Nothing," Severus said. "Her name remained, for several years."
"And then?" Harry asked.
"Why all the questions, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked. His voice edged towards annoyed.
Harry took a deep breath and then removed his left shoe and sock. He propped his foot up on Severus's desk and then sat back.
There was dead silence for nearly ten minutes while Severus stared at Harry's foot. Finally, black eyes met green.
"September 1st, your first year. The name on my hip changed from Lily Evans to Harry Potter," Severus said softly. "It scared me more than anything else on this earth. More than the Dark Lord. You were eleven years old and had no idea about the spell, nor that your parents had it cast on you. I harbored no inappropriate feelings, but had no idea how to act. I...I did not hope that one day you would be marked with my name. I had hoped that someone else would be out there for you."
"You hated me," Harry breathed.
"No. Harry, no. I was simply ill-prepared to be forever soulbound to the son of the woman I loved. The woman I still loved. To the son of the man I hated, to the son of the man who saved me from being murdered by Remus. There are many things I felt for you, but none of them were actually hate. I promise you that," Severus explained.
"Do you...do you love me?" Harry asked.
Severus blinked. "Of course I do, you foolish boy. I protected you for years."
"But...are you in love with me?" Harry asked breathlessly.
Severus folded his hands. "Harry...I don't really know you well enough for that, do I?"
Harry shook his head. "I guess not. Would you...would you be willing to try?"
Severus smiled.
The smile felt like it lit Harry up from the inside. He squirmed slightly in his seat as he waited for Severus to respond.
"Yes," Severus replied.
**************************************
END