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Their eyes met and they instantly recognized each other, as they always did. Across every world, in every time, in every new body - they were soulmates. A bond that transcended mere physicality and existed on a deeper, spiritual level.
They always recognized each other.
True soulmates are a thing of legend. Something that rare and sacred was coveted by many and fiercely guarded by those few who possessed it. But little Harry Potter, with his troubled past and abuse-ridden muggle childhood, knew nothing of these legends surrounding soul mates. In his dreams though he remembered the warm embrace of honey-colored magic, the taste of sunlight and herbs on his lips, and laughter so sweet it made his heart ache with longing.
For Harry, these dreams were his only escape from reality, a reminder that there was more to life outside of the Dursleys' prison-like home.
But then Harry learned he was a wizard.
The Wizarding world was nothing short of spectacular and awe-inspiring. But even within this magical realm, there was still a lingering feeling of emptiness. A sour note that haunted everything Harry saw. It was better than living with the Dursleys, but still not quite as fulfilling as his dreams.
Harry was famous in this world- for surviving the attack that killed his parents. Despite being famous for surviving an attack from the darkest wizard of all time, Harry felt more like a ghost among the living. A mere observer of the world around him, unable to truly connect with people or objects around him like he had seen the other ghosts do at the beginning-of-term feast. He yearned for something more, something real and tangible that could fill the void inside him.
That was until fourth year.
Harry found himself spending more and more time outside of the castle walls. Ron believed him a liar and a cheat while Hermione was too busy trying to play Switzerland to truly help either of her friends, leaving Harry to explore the Hogwarts grounds on his own. The Quidditch pitch was off-limits due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, so Harry took to discovering new parts of Hogwarts that he had never seen before.
It was during one of these walks, just a few days before the first task, that Harry caught sight of him. They were in the same classes, but they had never truly acknowledged each other's existence until now. As cobalt blue eyes met emerald green, both boys were taken aback.
The boys stood still, mere feet apart, studying each other with curiosity and perhaps a hint of fear. The air around them felt charged and electric as they finally took in the details of each other's appearances.
Blue eyes took in the long messy black hair, the lightning bolt scar, and the striking features of one who had been marked by fate.
Green eyes observed short curly chestnut brown hair, ink-stained fingers, and the posture of one who is burdened by responsibilities greater than them.
“It’s you.” Neither boy could tell who said it first, but the pain of relief in their tone was evident.
The first step toward each other was hesitant, their feet crunching against the ground with each careful movement. The second step was bolder, their strides lengthening in anticipation. And with the third step came a sprint, as if they couldn't reach each other fast enough. They collided, their bodies crashing together like two forces of nature meeting for the first time.
Sinking to the ground, they were wrapped in each other's magic and the feeling of strong arms clinging tightly. They lay on the cold, hard ground, their noses almost touching as they searched each other's eyes for answers to the world. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. They were lost in each other, their souls intertwined in a way that felt both familiar and new.
"I'm Theo," the boy with piercing blue eyes breathed out, his face filled with wonder.
"I'm Harry," the boy with emerald green eyes blushed, feeling silly for introducing himself but doing it anyway.
Neither boy paid attention to the fact that one of them wore the bold red colors of Gryffindor while the other was draped in dark green as a member of Slytherin. They didn't care if anyone stumbled upon them entangled on the cold hard ground; all that mattered was the feel of each other's magic and the overwhelming feeling of finally coming home.
"I... remember you?" Harry asked hesitantly, unsure if this was all real.
Theo's smile widened, his heart overflowing with joy. "I would hope so. You are my soulmate after all."
"Soulmate? Soulmates are real?" Harry's voice quivered with a mixture of hope and fear.
“Yes. Soulmates are real and you are undeniably mine,” Theo said, his voice heavy with conviction.
Harry's heart raced at the possessive tone in Theo's voice, but instead of fear, he felt a sense of comfort and security. He knew without a doubt that he belonged to Theo, and nothing could change that. It was only Theo who could make him feel this way.
A soft, breathy “Yours” escaped Harry’s lips before Theo's mouth descended upon his own.
Theo's kiss was like a sip of honey on a warm summer day, filling Harry with warmth and contentment. It was as if they were meant to be together, two puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. As their lips moved in perfect harmony, Harry felt more alive than ever before. This was home, in Theo's arms. The taste of honey and sunlight lingered on his lips long after they parted.
“This is going to change everything,” Harry whispered, his breath warm against Theo's skin. Their foreheads were pressed together in a moment of intimacy, their fingers tightly woven as if holding onto each other was the only thing keeping them grounded.
“Let it,” Theo responded, his piercing blue eyes locked onto Harry's with unwavering intensity. “You are mine and I am yours. Let it change the world.”
The two Chess Masters of the coming war, Dumbledore and Voldemort, felt their magic tremble, felt the undeniable sinking feeling in their guts that something inevitable was coming for them and their grand plans.
Change the World; that was something soulmates were made for.
For soulmates like Harry and Theo, changing the world was part of their destiny. In another universe, Harry would have survived the tournament, reconciled with his friends, witnessed the Dark Lord's return, and allowed himself to be molded into a sacrificial weapon by the manipulative Headmaster.
But in this world, Harry had found his soulmate and nothing could stop them from changing the course of history together.
Harry won the tournament. Not with Ron and Hermione by his side, but with Theo’s Slytherin cunning and heart-melting kisses that stole Harry’s breath. Months of endless training with Theo had paid off when Harry was able to detect and disable the portkey that could have taken him away from the maze.
In a shocking turn of events, Mad-Eye Moody was exposed in front of hundreds of witnesses from multiple countries as the mastermind behind an attempted murder of Harry Potter as he stood on the podium to receive his winnings. Thanks to some clever use of polyjuice potion failing, Moody's true identity was revealed and he was quickly apprehended. With the support and backing of the international community, Fudge was forced to hold a trial where, under the influence of veritaserum, the truth came out.
Revelations included Barty Crouch Jr.'s involvement in entering Harry into the tournament, Voldemort's wraith still being alive in the form of a homunculus, and even Peter Pettigrew's betrayal of the Potters.
Sirius Black, recently exonerated and freed from Azkaban, now had full custody of Harry and was in charge of raising him to be the best version of himself. And to make things even more interesting, Harry had found his soulmate in none other than a Slytherin boy - one who reminded Sirius far too much of his estranged brother. Theodore Nott was cunning, quiet, cut-throat...and deeply in love with the young Potter heir. But unlike Regulus, Theodore had no qualms about disowning himself from his pureblood family in order to be with the one he loved.
Although Harry had tried to urge Sirius into taking Theo in and letting the soulmates live together under one roof, Sirius adamantly refused. After all, they were just fifteen years old. But keeping the two boys separated proved to be a difficult task. Growing up, Sirius had heard tales and legends about soulmates and their deep connection, but seeing it firsthand was enough to make anyone envious - and perhaps even a little intimidated.
The two boys, because they were still boys in Sirius’ eyes, orbited each other like the planets do the sun. Locked in a gravitational pull, they couldn't help but constantly move closer to one another. Every few minutes, a hand or shoulder or hip would brush against the other's, a silent reassurance that they were both still here, still real, a subconscious need to be physically connected and reassured of the other's presence.
Sirius couldn't see it, but Luna Lovegood could. During one of her many visits that summer, she remarked upon the way their magic intertwined and danced around each other continuously. She also mused that it must be painful to be one soul split between two bodies, eternally attempting to fuse back together but forever separated.
With Luna's words echoing in his mind, Sirius was a little more lenient with Harry and Theo after that.
Fifth year could have been a horrible year. But Harry had Theo, as well as Sirius, Remus, Luna, and Neville.
Umbridge tyrannical rule didn’t even last a day at Hogwarts with Lord Black raising hell in the Ministry that was already skating on thin ice as it attempted to look for Voldemort and Pettigrew.
In their sixth year, the unthinkable happened. Voldemort finally returned to his body. Panic and fear gripped the wizarding world once more as Azkaban was broken into and Death Eaters roamed freely. But in this world, the Ministry was prepared. With Lord Black taking charge and going over both Fudge and Dumbledore’s heads by calling in reinforcements from the International Confederation of Wizards on Day One, Voldemort couldn’t get the foothold he needed.
As Dumbledore lay on his deathbed, he was forced to entrust the mission of hunting horcruxes to Severus Snape. Theo and Sirius had been working tirelessly to keep Harry safely away from Dumbledore's manipulations all year after all.
Severus Snape shrouded in darkness and secrecy, succeeded in completing the task of destroying all but one horcrux - Nagini before the new school year had even begun.
Fate still gets her way sometimes though.
As the students boarded the train for the new year at Hogwarts, a surprise ambush by Death Eaters and Voldemort himself exploded across Kings Cross’ 9 ¾ platform. This was the confrontation that Dumbledore had been pushing Harry towards since he first entered the wizarding world at eleven years old. However, this Harry was not a Harry that was a willing sacrificial lamb. This Harry had spent years being tutored by a Slytherin and years devouring the Black Family’s library.
Without hesitation, this Harry cast the darkest spells he knew at Voldemort as soon as his snake-like face emerged. The air crackled and popped with the power of their dueling wands, sending sparks flying in every direction.
But Theo was also quick to react, swiftly taking out Nagini as she attempted to sneak up on Harry from behind. The sound of her dying hisses was drowned out by the intense battle between Harry and Voldemort.
As the dust settled and victory was declared, Harry would later joke about defeating the Dark Lord being "too easy". But for Theo, there was nothing easy about it. He had seen firsthand the struggles and hardships that Harry had endured throughout his young life. In his eyes, Harry deserved an easy win for once - it was the least fate could do for him after all he had been through. Harry would tease Theo for his sappiness but then turn around and say something like ‘Fate giving me my soulmate would have been enough’.
To Sirius' dismay, Theo and Harry tied the knot right after they graduated from Hogwarts.
As they watched the newlyweds sway to the enchanting music during their reception, Remus couldn't help but tease his friend. "You knew this was going to happen, Padfoot," he chuckled, taking a sip of his firewhiskey.
"Of course, I knew they were going to get married," Sirius admitted to Remus as they stood by the bar, "But did it have to be so soon?"
Remus chuckled at his friend's dismay. "They are soulmates, Padfoot. It was only a matter of time before they tied the knot. And just look at them."
Sirius couldn't resist stealing another glance at the happy couple, twirling under the soft glow of fairy lights. They fit together like two puzzle pieces, completing each other in every way possible. Their magic seemed to radiate off of them as they danced, filling the room with an electric energy.
Lost in their own bubble of love and happiness, Theo and Harry swayed together with their heads pressed against each other, just like when they first found each other again. They danced to the music, completely in sync, with looks of adoration and devotion on their faces.
"I will find you in every life, my love," Theo whispered into Harry's ear as they moved to press closer to each other.
"Only if I don't find you first," Harry replied with a contented smile on his face.
“Deal.” Theo laughed that laugh that had once filled Harry’s childhood dreams with hope for a better life.
Theo’s love tasted of sunshine and herbs, his magic that constantly wrapped around him was the color of honey, and his laughter made Harry’s whole soul light up.
Harry let Theo sweep him off his feet once more. The future had never looked so bright, and Harry couldn’t wait to experience the rest of his life with Theo once more back in his orbit where he belonged.