Disclaimer: In no way do I own Harry Potter.
Love had been a strange concept for Harry from ages one to eleven. And then Ron and Hermione had mentioned Soul Mates.
What do you mean, you don't know about your Destined? Screeched Hermione. You're a wizard, you should know exactly what I'm talking about!
Ron, surprisingly, was the one who explained it to Harry. Everyone, even Muggles, have Soul Mates. Except Muggles only think it's love at first sight; they aren't magical enough to understand the concept of a Destined One. For wizards and witches, however, it's much more important. On our seventeenth birthday, our Destined is chosen. Exactly two months after, the Destined will run into us, or touch us in some way. A flash of light will alert us to each other, and the rest, as they say, is history. Ron grinned, delighted at his explanation. However, Harry still had questions.
But what if your Soul Mate is a year younger, or older? And what about if they don't have the same birth date?
Well, Harry, that's quite common. Only you will be able to see the light, but they will bump into you on their date, and then both of you will see the flash of light. It's only a matter of waiting. The Destined won't change. And until you bond with your Destined, every time you touch them, you'll see the flash of light.
How do you bond? Harry's expression was panicked, as he thought about what that might entail.
However you want to. It doesn't really matter. For some, it's sharing a secret, for others, a kiss. No one really knows how you bond, just that you do.
Since then, Harry had been obsessed with the idea of a Soul Mate. The idea of someone who would love him, and only him, was intoxicating. Harry found himself counting down the years, and then months, and then days. His seventeenth birthday came and went, with no huge excitement. After all, that wasn't the day Harry had been waiting for.
On the day of September 31st, Harry was the first to jump out of bed. On his way down to the Great Hall, he did his best to not look where he was going. He soon wished he had been watching when he bumped into Malfoy.
Watch it Mal... He trailed off when bright light surrounded him. He looked up at Malfoy, sure he was seeing this too, (Because how could he not, when it was so bright?) but Malfoy's expression hadn't changed.
That's rich coming from you, Potter. As I remember, you were the one looking down at his shoes.
Harry scrambled to his feet, glaring. (Maybe Malfoy's birthday was after Harry's) Oh, sod off, Malfoy, and Harry stalked into the Great Hall.
He waited a few weeks after the incident to bring up the subject.
Do you know when Malfoy's birthday is?
Ron and Hermione looked up, startled. What do you mean, Harry?
Exactly that. When is his birthday?
Hermione turned to Ron, then back to Harry. Er, I think it's over the summer, close to when school lets out. Why?
(That couldn't be right) (Harry was certain he had seen that light, the light Hermione and Ron had described multiple times in the past years) Harry shrugged and turned back to his dinner.
It wasn't until May 24th, two months after Zabini's seventeenth birthday, that Harry started doubting what he saw October 31st. Malfoy and Zabini had walked by each other, in their arms touched and a bright light broke out. They were each other's Destined, and Harry wasn't sure what to feel.
Is it possible, Hermione, he asked the next morning, to not be the Soul Mate for your Soul Mate?
Well, I suppose so. If that were so, though, one would never marry, or be able to feel love other than the love towards friends and family.
But what about Muggles?
Muggles always end up marrying their Soul Mate. It can take them a while, as they don't have magic to help them, but they do. Everyone has a Destined.
Perhaps, Harry mused, because love had been such a foreign concept to him when he was younger, he wouldn't be able to have it.