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In the Wizarding World, everyone is born with a tattoo that is intricate and designed to represent what your soulmate's soul looks like. Every tattoo is colorless, dull and unmoving. It's located where your soulmate will touch you for the first time. If anyone else touches the tattoo, nothing will happen. It will remain colorless and unmoving. But if your soulmate touches it, skin to skin, the tattoo will become full of color and move across the epidermis. The colors vary.
Some people say when their soulmate touched the tattoo for the first time, it was their soulmate's favorite color/colors. Some say it was an array of beautiful colors, because their soulmates soul represented that; a kaleidoscope of dancing color just like their personality. People who's soulmate are to touch their face for the first time say that it's a hassel having it out in the open like that. That sometimes brave random people will come up and touch their face, just to see if it could be them. The people with face tattoos, though beautiful, are sort of relieved when they meet their soulmate. Because you see, once a soulmate touches a tattoo, it will move down the face and neck, or up the leg, anywhere the tattoo is located, and rest on the chest right above the heart.
Harry Potter was born with a small dragon tattoo on his wrist, the tail wrapping around the entire circumference of it. It looked to be sleeping, its head resting on Harry's pulse point with its wings folded delicately back. It layed there, waiting for Harry's soulmate to touch the intricately detailed scales on its body. It was a beautiful dragon, elegant snout and sharp claws. Colorless, immobile, as if waiting to fly.
Harry sits in the Great Hall at breakfast this morning, frowning at his wrist for the umpteenth time that day. His best friends sitting across from him, shoot him sympathetic looks.
"Harry. You're doing it again" Hermione tells him, her voice gentle but scolding.
"Doing what?" Harry replies, not taking his eyes off his wrist.
"Staring at your wrist like that. You know no matter how hard you stare, it's still not going to move or get its colors", Hermione explains. She's teasing him, but playfully. Harry knows that. But it he doesn't look away when he answers, his voice sounding annoyed and on the verge of angry. "Yeah I think I could've figured that out for myself thanks."
Hermione raises her thickly shaped eyebrows in surprise at her friends snappy response. "Calm down Harry, I was only teasing". She shares a look with Ron. The red head shrugging his shoulders before continuing to stuff his mouth with bacon. Hermione sighs, fingers coming up to her chest for a brief moment before she lays them neatly in her lap. She feels sympathetic for her friend, having already found her soulmate. She looks over to the redhead plowing food into his mouth beside her and shakes her head fondly.
Harry concentrates on his tattoo, wondering who it could be. His soulmate. Though he's had a few people ask him out, he hasn't ever been interested in any of them. Don't get him wrong, it's not like he doesn't get crushes. There was Cho back in Fourth Year. Oh, and he thought that Romilda girl was cute, but her obsession with him kinda made him a little afraid of her. There was Ginny, but after a while he realized his feelings for her were more brotherly than anything. Plus when she touched his tattoo, nothing happened. They stopped "dating" after that.
Though, not everyone stops dating someone just because the tattoo doesn't move when they touch it. Sometimes they fall in love and the tattoo doesn't matter to them. Harry just didn't love Ginny like that. They're still friends though.
He thinks about someone whose soul would represent a dragon. That could be anybody, he thinks. He looks up from his breakfast and glances around the Great Hall. He's searching for anyone that could be the one. Harry's not even sure they go to Hogwarts; his soulmate could be anywhere in the world, halfway across the globe maybe.
His emerald eyes search, scanning across the tops of student's heads until he makes eye contact with familiar sharp, silver eyes. Harry's body stiffens and sees Draco Malfoy sitting at the Slytherin table across the Great Hall looking at him with a mixture of confusion and distaste. Harry's still not sure where him and the blonde stand. They fought a lot back then. It was over the pettiest things really. He likes to think that maybe they're over that now, since it's their 7th year and all. It was basically like: the first day of school he didn't sneer whenever he saw Harry, just nodded at him curtly but respectfully and went on his way. Harry and Ron were gobsmacked when that happened but never really brought it up again.
Him and Draco Malfoy don't particularly bicker and insult each other any chance they get when they cross paths in the corridors, but they don't really speak or acknowledge each other either.
He sees the platinum blonde's eyebrows furrow in confusion, then Harry notices that he's been staring at him for quite some time. Harry's cheeks flush in embarrassment and he quickly looks away and pretends to be interested in his food. After a minute or two, he looks back up and the blonde is no longer looking at him but conversing with Pansy who's sat beside him.
Harry feels a tingle on his wrist and idly scratches at his tattoo.
"Alright boys, let's leave now so we don't have to rush to Charms", Hermione says to Harry and Ron, as if she were explaining something to a group of children. Always has to be the mum of the group, Harry thinks.
"Ok mum", Ron jokes as if hearing Harry's thoughts.
Harry grins at the pointed look Hermione sends her boyfriend, and the redhead just kisses her cheek in response.
They really are perfect for each other, Harry thinks.
Harry shivers, feeling like there's someone watching him. He shakes it off thinking that maybe it's just one those feelings you get. Paranoia is a fickle thing. As he walks out of the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione, he fails to notice a pair of grey eyes watching him.The tiniest of smiles flitting across a pale face before it disappears.
----
They have Charms with Slytherin.
Harry doesn't think anything of it. They've been at Hogwarts for two months now. They've always had Charms with Slytherin. Harry goes and sits in an open seat. No one ever sits in the same spot; it's a sort of who gets there first ordeal. Usually Gryffindor's sit with other Gryffindor's and Slytherin's do the same. Occasionally the two houses will have to sit together if one of them arrives late.
Harry bends over to dig in his bag to take out his Charms' book when in his peripheral vision he sees a flash of robes, then someone is sitting next to him. He sits up and looks over to the person. Platinum blonde hair, smooth porcelain skin, a straight nose.
Draco Malfoy.
He's sat right beside Harry, looking as if there were nothing particularly strange about the situation. Emerald eyes widen and they meet sharp grey ones. Malfoy says nothing, simply quirks a finely shaped eyebrow at Harry like he's daring the bespectacled boy to say something. Harry blinks lamely and sends the blonde a painfully awkward smile. The blonde's lips quirk up just the slightest then he's turning the opposite direction to bend over to get his book. He places the book on his desk, but doesn't face Harry again.
The look on Harry's face was a mix between confusion and curiosity. He looks for Ron and Hermione and spots them, who are naturally, seated together. They're up more toward the front. As if feeling Harry's eyes on him, Ron turns his head in Harry's direction. The redhead's eyebrows practically shoot up into his hairline when he sees Harry's desk partner.
He mouths, What? but Harry just shrugs in response mouthing back, I have no idea.
Throughout the totality of Charms Harry was...uncomfortable to say the least. It's not that sitting beside a Slytherin makes Harry uncomfortable. No. It's that he's sat beside this particular Slytherin. Don't get Harry wrong, he's pretty much over the whole I-am-Draco-Malfoy's-nemesis-and-always-will-be bit, but it's just. Draco Malfoy is neither his friend nor his enemy now, and Harry has no idea how he should act around him.
The black haired boy would fidget, bouncing his knee up and down. He would look at the blonde in his peripheral vision and see him taking notes, carrying on as if it's not weird sitting beside his ex-enemy turned...acquaintance? Can Harry even call himself that? Isn't that a little weird since they've known each other since they were eleven.
It was about twenty minutes into the lecture Professor Flitwick was giving and Harry was still moving about, fidgeting. The boy sat beside him becoming more and more agitated.
Finally after a particular bounce of Harry's knee knocks into Malfoy's desk causing the blonde to jerk his hand, resulting in a word he was writing to mess up. Malfoy slapped a hand harshly onto the black haired boy's thigh right above his knee. He leaned in and hissed lowly,"Potter! If you don't stop with that incessant knee bouncing I will gladly hex you with a full body bind!"
The moment the blonde's hand made contact with Harry's thigh, the bespectacled boy had to hold in a very manly squeak. He jerked his head away from the Slytherin's hot breath that tickled his ear when he whispered to him. He snapped his eyes sideways to see the blonde with a smirk plastered on his incredibly handsome face.
Harry tensed at his thought. Did he just refer to Draco Malfoy's face as handsome? Not just that, but he'd used the adjective 'incredibly'. Draco Malfoy was not "incredibly handsome", he was only conventionally handsome. Of course this is just some observative thinking. Like he had smooth looking pale skin and platinum blonde hair that shone in the sun and seemed touchably soft. Not that Harry would know what Draco Malfoy's hair looked like in the sun because he doesn't watch him. Harry also wouldn't know that when Draco Malfoy concentrated, he would curl his lip in a way that made Harry bite his.
Okay, so maybe Harry payed attention to Draco Malfoy more than he let on. The black haired boy narrowed his eyes at his desk partner. "Sod off Malfoy. What I do with my knees is none of your concern". The blonde's eyes glistened with anger, "When it gets in the way of my note taking it starts becoming my concern!" Harry scoffs indignantly in response. Malfoy huffs and turns back to his notes.
Stupid blonde brat, couldn't even help to think that it was an accident.
Said blonde whips his head in Harry's direction, giving him the most hateful glare he could muster. Harry leans away warily. Had he said that out loud? Oops.
They shouldn’t be fighting like this. Harry thought they were over that. Malfoy even acknowledged him nicely the first day. The thing is...Draco Malfoy can work Harry up like no one else. He makes Harry feel every emotion all at once, and it's just so damn infuriating. Harry would never get this angry if it were someone else. He sighs in frustration, bringing his hands to rub at his temples. Great, now he's got a headache. Merlin, Malfoy even makes him think so much that he gets headaches now.
An idea pops into his head suddenly. For some odd reason unbeknownst to Harry, he wants to apologize to the blonde and he's got a plan as to how without having to actually speak the words. He could never say it out loud. Not right now at least.
Harry looks over at the blonde and sees that he's back to taking notes diligently and not paying attention to Harry. Good. Harry then grabs his wand so slowly and subtly, that you would think that he's just unconsciously playing with it. He whispers a spell he learned from Hermione when she was trying to teach him "fun" ways to study. Words suddenly appear on the corner of his ex-nemesis' desk.
The bespectacled boy lightly nudges the blonde with his shoulder. Angry silver eyes snap sideways to meet meek emerald ones. Harry quickly gestures with his head for Malfoy to look at the corner of his desk. Rolling his eyes but otherwise complying, the blonde does so. When he sees soft glowing gold letters, he frowns in confusion. When he reads the letters, he has to hold back a smile.
The blonde grabs his wand secretly so that the professor doesn't see and flicks the letters away. The boy sat beside him sends him a confused look until he looks back and sees a new set of letters, the writing more elegant and oh so Malfoy. He casts a quick look to the blonde but sees that he's back to taking notes. Harry thinks he sees the tiniest of blushes on those pale cheeks but dismisses it as the lighting playing a trick on his eyes.
Harry looks back at the sentence written and bites his lips to contain his smile. He traces away any evidence of the sentence with a flick of his wrist. He turns back facing the front, trying to pay attention to whatever Flitwick is saying but failing stupendously.
When class is finally over, Malfoy quickly gathers his things, shoots up from his chair and practically sprints out of the classroom. Harry chuckles under his breath. He knows Malfoy is probably embarrassed by what he wrote on the desk. Hell, Harry kind of is too.
Ron and Hermione walk over to where Harry is gathering his things, but at a more appropriate pace than a certain Slytherin. They bombard him with their own question simultaneously.
"Harry what the bloody hell was Malfoy doing beside you?"
"What on earth has you so cheerful?"
The black haired boy grins innocently at the two Gryffindor's and replies as nonchalantly as he can. "One, I have no idea he just sat himself there and two, nothing at all Hermione.
Why? Do I look cheerful? I think I look rather appropriately content."
Both of them blink once in response to their friend's ramblings.
Hermione goes to ask another question but Harry stops her before she can,"Ahhh I have to go. Meet you guys at lunch time, yeah?" Unruly hair bouncing as he bounds out of the classroom, Harry leaves his best friends in a frozen state of confusion in Charms.
I'm sorry about your notes. Meet me near the Room of Requirement after class? I need to talk to you about something.
I'm feeling rather chivalrous today, so you are forgiven Potter. I don't know what you're planning but I'll go. Don't try anything funny or I'll curse you.
----
Harry hurries up to the dorms to shuck his school things and robe near his bed before heading to the Room of Requirement where he's going to meet Malfoy. He slows his pace, realizing who exactly he is heading off to meet. He lets out a breathless laugh, thinking how mad the situation should have been to him but oddly enough it didn't feel that way.
He does a sort of power walk turned light jog through the corridors and up the ever changing staircases. He passes some students who give him a funny look. Harry begins to wonder what sort of face he's making. He doesn't have time to dwell on that for long because he's rounding a corner and seeing the wall where the Room of Requirement should be around. There's no sign of the Slytherin and Harry is almost disheartened until a flash of blonde hair comes into sight on Harry's left.
The platinum blonde stiffens upon seeing Harry standing there. He struts up closer toward the black haired Gryffindor, head held high and nose lifted up--the walk of a true Malfoy. He stops two feet away from Harry and raises a finely shaped eyebrow. He's not wearing his school robes, only his dress shirt, rolled up to his elbows, and tie much like Harry is. Harry glances down at Draco's forearm and sees colorless flames on his skin. He thinks they'd be beautiful with color.
"Well Potter? What did you need to talk about? I haven't got all day chatting with the likes of you."
Harry feels a flare of anger and hurt? in his chest but doesn't react to it.
"Listen, first of all I'm trying to be civil here so can we have a conversation without insulting each other every other word?"
Malfoy winces slightly and nods,"I suppose you're right. As much as it pains me to say that" Harry grins at the actual look of pain on the blonde's face. Then, Harry's grin is replaced with a more serious look.
"Okay, first I just wanted to say that I'm tired of arguing with you every bloody time we speak. Even if we don't really speak to each other all that much. Also, I don't know why but I want us to at least try to be friends. It’s our last year so we should just let bygones be bygones. Sure you make me want to rip my hair out and you piss me off and sometimes I want to punch you in the face and your hair kinda irritates me-"
The blonde yelped in protest, before narrowing his eyes on Harry's own unruly mop.
"-but...I think that if we just tried to actually treat each other with some sense of respect, then our last year here would be a lot more enjoyable if you ask me."
When Harry finished he was waiting with trepidation for Malfoy's response. He took a step back just in case. The blonde let out sharp air through his nose and crossed his arms.
He didn't say anything, merely stood there glaring at Harry. His mouth was set into a thin line and he glared at Harry for about fifteen more seconds before visibly deflating.
What happened next had Harry's cheeks warming and heart rate pickup just the slightest. His tattoo felt itchy too.
The blonde's face broke out into a smile. An actual, genuine smile. White teeth and bright eyes assaulted Harry's sense of vision. The smiling blonde shook his head in amusement. He looked down at his shiny, lavish shoes before looking back up at the boy in front of him.
"It's really all I've ever wanted Potter."
Now it was Harry's turn to smile brightly, causing the blonde to blush and look away clearing his throat awkwardly.
"You wouldn’t have thought that what with all the insults you've thrown at me the past seven years", Harry jokes raising his dark eyebrows.
"Yes, well you rejected me when we were eleven. Of course I was going to make you pay for it!"
"You insulted Ron and his family! Just because they were poor! You were a right git back then Malfoy!"
"Draco"
"What?"
"We're supposed to friends now right? I think the proper thing to do now is call each other by our first names", the blonde said holding his head up higher.
Harry chuckles softly and nods his head in agreement, unruly black hair bouncing as he does.
"Yeah, suppose you're right...Draco"
This caused the blonde to jump slightly in surprise. He quickly composed himself and looked to his left mumbling back,"Of course I am. I'm always right....Harold."
The bespectacled boy snorted in amusement,"That's not my name Draco"
"Of course it is! I just used the more dignified version"
"Come on Draco, say my name. The real one. You're the who offered to call each other by our first names after all"
Malfoy-no wait-Draco huffed and tightened his jaw, looking away from the Gryffindor's smug face before turning back and mumbling out a,"Fine...Harry"
Harry's triumphant grin irked Draco even more, but he couldn't help but quietly smile back. Both boys stood in awkward silence before a door appeared on the wall and Harry turned to Draco in confusion. The platinum blonde sends him an almost sheepish look and gestures towards the door. Draco bites back a smile as he watches Harry fidget, noticabley debating whether he should go in or not. Before he let's himself get annoyed again, Draco grabs Harry by the wrist and drags him to the door while opening it. As soon as Harry felt Draco's fingers on his wrist, he felt a wave of dizziness overcome him and grabbed onto Draco's forearm with his free hand.
He heard the Slytherin's sharp intake of breath and they both stumbled into the room, door shutting behind them. Harry shook his head and once the dizziness went away he looked to Draco, who was standing stock still with a look of shock and awe written on his face. Harry's eyebrows furrowed because Draco's grey eyes weren't looking at Harry but at Harry's wrist. Quickly Harry snapped his attention down and his eyes practically bugged out of his head.
The dragon tattoo on Harry's wrist was no longer colorless. No. It was a deep shade of emerald green, bits of silver and grey shone on the scales of the beast. The eyes were a bright orange, shining as the light hit them. The dragon was moving about, as if testing out its new ability. It turned its head to the direction of Draco, causing Harry to follow.
By now Harry's pretty sure his eyes aren't in his head anymore, because he choked on his spit seeing Draco's forearm nearly incandescent. The tattooed flames are a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellows. There was one particular thing about them, and that was the one green flame twining its way in the midst.
"H-Harry, you..I don’t-understand...", the blonde said breathlessly looking to the equally as breathless Gryffindor.
"Yeah. I...yeah...", Harry replied intelligently.
Never in the bespectacled boy's life would he have thought that his once arch nemesis- the person he thought he hated with all of his being-would end up being his soul mate. He thought he should feel angry about this or even repulsed, yet here he was staring at the boy in front of him with a stupid grin on his face, However, the other boy wasn't smiling.
Draco looked like he was hexed with a Freezing Spell. Harry cautiously walked toward the blonde, slowly so as not to scare him. He reached his hand out, his dragon tattoo seemingly vibrating the closer his hand got to Draco. The blonde visibly flinched when Harry gently grasped his forearm. The black haired tugged him forward until he could feel every shaky exhale from Draco brush across his cheeks.
"Draco. Look at me" Harry's voice was spoken just barely above a whisper.
The blonde's pink lips were set into a taught thin line and he shook his head harshly. Harry's eyes softened and he smiled fondly while letting out an amused breath through his nose. He looked down at Draco's tattoo and his smile softened to such a loving degree that it had Harry's cheeks coloring. He glided his fingers across the flames and almost pulling away when it felt nearly hot to the touch. He watched as the tattoo licked it its way up Draco's arm and disappeared under his dress shirt. Harry raised his head up to see that Draco was also watching in silent awe. Harry tensed up at the feeling of cold fingers skitting across his wrist. He was so focused on Draco's face he failed to register the blonde moving his arm at all.
Harry's eyes traveled to where Draco was rubbing his index finger along the dragon's intricate scales. He didn't see the soft smile Draco gave it. Then the dragon turned and flapped its wings and disappeared under Harry's dress shirt.
"Po-Harry", Draco's voice was nothing but a whisper, though in the silence of the room it left a ringing in Harry's ears.
Harry looked up from his wrist to look at Draco. The blonde's pale cheeks were a brilliant shade of red and it traveled down his neck and up to the tips of his ears. Harry gave Draco a sheepish smile then let out a choked laugh.
"Draco Malfoy is my soulmate" Harry let go of the blonde and took a step back.
"Harry Potter is my soulmate" Draco took a surprising step forward.
Harry took a look at Draco's face to see if there were an signs of repulsion, humiliation, or even anger. Yet, to Harry's shock all he saw was a smile too bright and grey eyes too happy that he had to look away. He won't mention the blush surely overtaking his face.
"You aren't angry" Harry blurted, it wasn't a question.
"I'm not angry", Draco echoed.
Harry touched the place right above his heart with his hand and bit his lip to contain the smile that would probably take up his face. He saw Draco copy his movements, before reaching a delicate hand out and pulling Harry's other hand to rest on top of his own. Harry's heart was thrashing against his rib cage and he felt even through the other's hand, Draco's heart beating in the same condition.
"Now what do you suppose we do?", Draco asked.
Harry shrugged,"Do you wanna like...uh...like maybe...uh..kiss? Only if you want you! Wait, are you even...do you even like...b-boys..or even me?? Oh yeah you're my soulmate you kind have to. Well you don't have to I guess but-"
He was cut off by Draco's laughter, the sound like tinkling piano keys. It made Harry's chest feel warm.
"My my, quite the wordsmith aren't we Harry? To answer your questions: no you may not kiss me-"
Draco held up a hand at Harry's visible pout, signaling he wasn't through.
"-you will have to take me on a proper date first. And I get to pick where and when! I am a Malfoy after all so it will no doubt be at the classiest of places. Don't worry I'll pay. No, Harry I don't want to hear it. Anyway, yes I do like boys. I like one right now in fact. Oh for Merlin's sake Harry don't give me that look, it's you you daft git"
Draco finished his answers with a blush despite his authoritative tone.
Harry was also blushing but he really couldn't care less. He found his soulmate! The person he was destined for. The person who he thought he would never find, and yet they're standing right in front of him. All platinum blonde hair and shining grey eyes. He lunged forward and pulled Draco into a bone crushing hug while Draco let out an undignified yelp. Harry flung his arms around Draco's neck, burying his face into the crook of it inhaling his scent; clean linen, expensive cologne, cool mint, and a hint of something else that is solely Draco.
The Slytherin stiffened at the contact but slowly reciprocated the embrace. He was slightly taller than the bespectacled boy so he buried his nose into the mop of unruly black hair. Harry's hair smelled a bit like green apples which were oddly enough, Draco's favorite fruit. He smiled into the hug and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist.
Both boys pulled away before the hug got too awkward. Then Harry stiffened and looked around the room frantically. A clock suddenly appeared and he let out a quiet,"Ahh shit" Draco looked to him in confusion before it dawned on him.
"Oh bloody hell! I've missed my next class! It's nearly lunch now!" Draco continued to let out more profanities while Harry looked on with amusement. Once Draco seemed happy enough that he had let out an appropriate amount of anger, he looked to Harry and frowned when he saw the boy silently laughing.
"Excuse me. Mind telling me what's so funny?"
"Hah-n-nothing at all. Just, it's just one class. 'Snot like it's gonna kill ya", Harry chuckled before adding,"and now we have lunch! So food. Yay!"
The Slytherin gave Harry the most unimpressed look before huffing and making his way toward the door. Harry laughed under his breath and followed him out. Draco looked to Harry and sniffed before quietly speaking,"Well I suppose I will see you around...Harold" The Gryffindor glared at the smirk the Slytherin was giving him. Harry's eyes suddenly lit up with mischief unbeknownst to the boy in front of him. He calmly replied,"Yeah. See ya around Draco" Then using his quick reflexes given to him from years of Quidditch, he raised up and quickly went to kiss Draco, but catching the edge of the Slytherin's mouth instead. Then pulled back to see the other boy's reaction.
The blonde was furiously red, be it from anger or embarrassment--maybe a little of both, Harry doesn't know. All Harry knows is that maybe he should run. Like right now, and so he did. He sprinted off down toward the Great Hall where Ron and Hermione are. They'll protect him. Maybe.
"HARRY POTTER! YOU GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE!"
So Harry Potter ran cackling like mad, the sound echoing off the corridor walls. While Draco Malfoy chased after him, yelling empty threats (or were they, that’s why Harry was running) and trying to keep his own laughter from bubbling out.
One thought running in both boy's minds.
Finally.