Chapter Text
It was the start of the fourth year, and Hermione Granger sat at the Ravenclaw table watching the new first-years get sorted. Over the summer, she’d started dating Ron Weasley, and now she was excited, maybe even nervous, for the moment everyone was waiting for: the arrival of their soulmarks.
This year, the color and initials would appear.
“What color do you reckon you’ll get, ’Mione?” Padma Patil asked curiously
Hermione smiled, already confident. “Blue. Ron and I started dating over the summer, so it’ll be blue. And then the initials RBW will pop up, just like they’re supposed to.”
Padma gave her a look, not unkind, but cautious. “You know, there’s always a chance you and Ron aren’t soulmates. Maybe prepare yourself, you know, just in case.”
Hermione took a breath, rolling her eyes. “Of course it will be. Ron and I are true love, you know that?”
Padma sighed, “Come on! He’s your first boyfriend, live a little, you can’t just say he’s your true love just because he’s the first guy you dated!”
Hermione sighed as well, “He’s my soulmate. I’ve never felt like this about a guy before.”
Padma pointed out, “That's because you’ve never had a crush on another boy before, you’ve been crushing on Ronald since first year.”
Hermione rolled her eyes once again, just eating.
Meanwhile, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley sat together in the hallway nearby, eating there instead, as Luna typically had problems with the other Ravenclaws.
“Hey Luna? What color do you think you’re gonna get?” Ginny asked her.
“Oh, I don’t know, I almost forgot that was this year. I reckon I don’t have a soulmate, though, not many people here like me.” They nodded
“Well, maybe your soulmate could be outside of Hogwarts? Like a Muggle or from a different magical school.” She offered to her
Luna smiled, “Maybe!”
“Plus, even if you don’t have a romantic soulmate, there are friend soulmates too.” She smiled back at Luna, leaning her head onto their shoulder gently.
“You’re my best friend, Ginny, you know that?” Luna smiled
Ginny nodded, “You’re mine too.”
People at the Slytherin table were also discussing their soulmate marks, though Pansy Parkinson was mostly just zoning out.
“Pansy? Earth to Pansy?” Draco sighed
“Huh?” Pansy asked
Draco looked mad. “Jesus Christ, I’m your boyfriend can’t you pay attention to me for once? Instead of staring off into space.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Pansy sighed
“I was telling them that mine is going to be pink and PPP. Your initials. Right love?” Draco smiled at her.
“Right. Of course, and mine will be blue and DLM.” She agreed, though she didn’t know how much she believed that anymore.
The next day was “The Marking Ceremony.” At noon that day, they would all get their marks; most people gathered with friends, Luna sitting with Ginny, Pansy hiding in her dorm, and Hermione with Padma.
Luna closed her eyes as the clock struck 11:59. She listened to the quiet hum of students around her, their murmurs a soft reminder of how misplaced she felt at this time.
"I don't want to look. Tell me if I have one, okay?" Luna asked gently, dread starting to enter her tone. She hadn't even bothered to worry about it before, but now that the moment was here, the possibility of her not having one felt painfully real. How would she react if she didn't? Would that be one more sign of how she never quite fit in?
Ginny smiled reassuringly and wrapped an arm around Luna. "I will, I promise." She hugged Luna tight, and for a moment, the world outside faded away. The only thing that mattered was this moment, this bond between them.
The clock struck 12:00, and Luna's heart leapt. She felt the warm flush in her wrist, the magic that followed, but it was not one mark, but two.
Ginny leaned back. "You have a mark! Two, actually." She sounded warm and excited.
Luna slowly opened her eyes, still in shock. Sure enough, there were two pale, pink spots on her wrist. No initials yet — that would happen later, but Luna did not care about that right now. What she cared about was that she had two spots, two individuals who could potentially love her romantically.
Luna blinked, her chest tightening. "Two?" she repeated, her voice a little unsteady. She hadn't seen this coming. She didn't even know how to process it, but one thing was sure, there were two people who would one day love her in ways she never could have imagined.
Ginny smiled, tightening her hand around hers. "You're loved by more people than you can imagine, Luna."
Luna smiled softly back. Maybe the world wasn't quite so strange after all.
Meanwhile, Pansy lounged in her dorm room, bracing for the inevitable. She couldn't quite muster up the courage to approach Draco, not until she had some clue as to what the marks would be. If it wasn't blue, if it wasn't familiar to him, she'd never be able to hear the end of it. His temper was unpredictable, and he took ill to this sort of thing.
He'd never been shy about his homophobia, and if her mark wasn't blue, it would destroy everything. Her life would be hell on earth, she was sure of it.
Pansy paced back and forth, wringing her hands, thoughts racing. She detested this sensation, the constant fear of having to keep parts of herself hidden in case Draco would do something. If it were purple or pink, she would have to cover it up.
Soon, the clock struck noon, but it took Pansy another thirty minutes before she could bring herself to look. When she finally did, her stomach dropped. There, on her wrist, was a pink and purple streak, two colors, neither of them blue. Her hands shook as she gasped for breath. Tears falling quickly, the shock and fear overwhelming her. What was she going to do? How could she possibly face Draco now? Her makeup bag sat on her desk, and with trembling hands, she dug through it, pulling out a color corrector.
Pansy pressed the brush to her skin, trying to cover up the pink mark, making the purple one as blue as she could manage. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. It was the only choice she had. She could hide it, at least for now. She’d be fine until the initials appeared. By then, she’d figure something else out. She had to.
Draco knocked on the door. “Babe?” Draco called out, “You in there?”
Pansy responded, “Yeah, love! Right here. What color did you get?” She asked
“Pink, of course.” Draco laughed, grabbing her wrist. “And you got blue!” He smiled, kissing her softly.
Hermione, meanwhile, was sitting next to Padma at the Ravenclaw table, waiting confidently.
“Hey Padma? I never asked what color you think you’re gonna get?” Hermione asked with a shrug.
Padma nodded. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m aroace, so probably none.” She smiled.
“Doesn’t that upset you?” Hermione pointed out.
“Nah, I’m good with it. I don’t mind not having a soulmate. I’m happier without a partner.” Padma reassured her.
Suddenly, the clock struck 12:00 pm. Hermione glanced at Padma’s wrist; there was no mark, just as expected. Padma smiled, content.
“Awesome. I was right.” She grinned, clearly happy.
Hermione then looked down at her own wrist, and her smile faltered. Her heart dropped as she saw the marks, a pink stripe and a purple stripe, neither blue.
“Hermione? What's wrong?” Padma asked, noticing the change in Hermione's expression. She looked at Hermione’s wrist and saw the marks. “Oh, Mione... It’s not the end of the world that your soulmate isn’t a boy. I know you thought it would be Ron, but it’s okay. I promise.”