A/N: Written for The Houses Competition Year 4. I don't own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!
House: Ravenclaw
Year/Position: Prefect
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Event] Meeting your Soulmate
Word Count: 1995
Another day, another month and another year went by - in anticipation, in waiting and in loneliness.
Marvolo Slytherin sat behind his office desk, paperwork laying askew on his mahogany desk, whilst he sipped slowly on the fine and aged Firewhisky. Relishing in the familiar burning sensation in his throat, he laid his head back on his chair and sighed tiredly. The week had been hectic, to say the least, with all the board meetings and various interviews here and there.
It wasn't the reason for his tiredness though; he was used to working late for hours, at night. What he wasn'tused to was the aching feeling in his chest when he went back from work to an empty house. He wasn't used to the deafening silence of his manor which taunted him, every second, that he had no one.
Marvolo was exhausted - mentally and emotionally. He'd never really liked other people's company much, to be honest, but over the years, Marvolo knew he'd grown even grumpier and colder in his behaviour towards others. His colleagues were concerned about him and often tried their best to distract his troubled mind. Marvolo, however, always declined.
He refused because it hurt to see others living a happy and content life with their 'soulmates'.
Soulmates. Every person in this world had a mate that would match perfectly with their soul, completing the person as a whole. Every person had one person in this universe who filled the empty void inside their beating hearts and someone who would feel like 'home'.
Lord Slytherin, however, had no one. He was all alone in this cruel and selfish world. From time to time, he wondered why Fate hated him with such ferocity.
First, his mother had left him on the doorstep of a dingy orphanage - a place that was not appropriate for the upbringing of any child, let alone him. He was the 'freak' and 'spawn of the devil', because of whom all sorts of problems seemed to befall upon the orphanage and its residents. "You're a curse," the matron had always said.
Then, in Hogwarts, he'd found out about his father and family, and all his dreams had shattered. How stupid of Marvolo, though, to think that his father would want him, accept him. He was a child of a loveless marriage after all.
He remained strong and patient, until his seventeenth birthday. His coming of age was supposed to be the happiest day of his pathetic life.
Fate proved Marvolo wrong because his soulmark never appeared.
He vividly remembered the hushed whispers that followed him and the accusing looks thrown his way. Not having a soulmate was considered a bad omen and no one wanted to associate themselves with such a person.
Though utterly hopeless, he hadn't let any of this affect his dreams. He worked hard and became the darling of Wizarding Britain - the greatest dark wizard and Minister of Magic. He hid his true emotions behind a firm mask. Oh, Marvolo had given up on the soulmate nonsense a long time ago, but he knew his heart hadn't. It still beat ferociously and hopelessly for his beloved.
Sipping the last drop of whisky, he pulled out his wand and frowned when he saw it was well past midnight already. He had an even longer day tomorrow seeing how he had to attend one of Slughorn's infamous party. As much as he wanted to avoid it, his former Potions Professor, being the true Slytherin he was, had played the Minister of Magic card on him and insisted that Marvolo met other foreign delegates, he'd invited to the party. Being left with no other choice, he had to give in.
Hogwarts looked as beautiful and welcoming as always. Marvolo felt relieved and at home, as soon as the castle's magic swept over him, in sort of a motherly hug.
"Who else is going to be at the party, Lucius?" Marvolo asked the Malfoy Family Head and his right-hand man, as they together made their way towards the dungeons.
"I don't know about everyone, but I've heard that Lady Peverell would be in attendance tonight."
Marvolo stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to face Lucius completely; a scowl evident on his face.
"Peverell? The same Peverell, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and with no family ties whatsoever, to claim the prestigious title? The same Peverell who had kept her identity hidden for the past several months? The same Peverell whom no one had met, until now?" Marvolo bombarded Lucius with questions. The mysterious woman had somehow, indirectly challenged the Dark Lord with her sudden appearance and claim over the title. He'd been furious when he learnt that someone else had fulfilled the demands for the Peverell Lordship before he could. And now, the woman had the gall to come here.
"Yes," Lucius spoke cautiously when he saw raging crimson eyes, knowing well, that provoking a furious Dark Lord would only lead to his untimely death. Marvolo was about to speak when he suddenly hissed in pain, and grabbed his left hand tightly, where a red blotch had started to appear on his wrist.
"My Lord," Lucius exclaimed in concern. He moved forward to assist his slouching form. Marvolo's attention, however, was on his burning wrist. Salazar, it was even more painful than making his Horcruxes. He observed as the red blotch started taking a definite shape – the shape of a lightning bolt scar, to be exact.
"My Lord, it's your soul mark," Lucius spoke in disbelief; equally shocked as Lord Slytherin. Marvolo's mind was racing with innumerable thoughts and questions; he wasn't prepared for this change or confrontation.
"She's here," he murmured to himself, not quite believing the situation even now. He was prepared to see the mark sitting on his wrist, to disappear, but it didn't. The mark never vanished; it remained on his left wrist.
She had proven Fate wrong and come to him.
His gaze broke when he heard Lucius' slight cough. Immediately pulling his sleeves down and hiding the mark, he spoke, "No one can know about this, Lucius. Not until I meet her."
"Of course, my Lord," Lucius spoke, as he saw Marvolo storm away in hurry. Not wasting any more time, Lucius quickly followed his lead.
Upon entering the designated room, Marvolo neither grimaced at the bold and bright theme of the party nor did he pay any heed to the over-enthusiastic guests, who were trying to get his attention. His sole focus was on finding her. With every step he took, Marvolo could feel that he was getting closer to her.
His eyes desperately scanned the whole room, when they suddenly landed on a woman talking to Slughorn. As if sensing his presence too, she turned around and Marvolo was left entranced when his eyes met hers. There were so many shades of green in those captivating eyes, like the wild canopies of the forest. There was underlying wisdom in them too, as if she'd seen and survived the true horrors of the world. His cobalt eyes, flicked to the lightning bolt scar on her forehead, exactly like the on his wrist.
Her hair, as dark as the night sky, was let loose instead of being tied up. She also wasn't wearing any fancy gown or dress, like the other women in attendance. Her outfit was rather casual – tight jeans and a classic white button down shirt. Her heeled boots and long black coat completed her look. Despite her odd sense of dressing, Marvolo couldn't help but agree that she looked gorgeous and that somehow a dress wouldn't suit her as much.
She had a serene smile on her face when she saw him. Could she feel the odd tingling in her tummy too? Was she also experiencing the wild emotions that he was? Could she taste the passion in the air, like Marvolo? He knew not. But he wanted to.
"Tom, my boy!" Slughorn exclaimed when he saw his favourite student coming towards them. Lucius was not far behind.
"Good evening, Professor. I want to thank you for your kind invitation," Marvolo spoke with a charming smile; one that wasn't fake this time.
"Oh ho, you flatter me, Tom. Anyway, I want to introduce you to this lovely lady here – Harriet Peverell." Marvolo turned his attention to her. She was Lady Peverell? When he'd first heard about the mysterious woman, he'd imagined someone older, not so young and charming.
"And this is..." Slughorn was interrupted by Harriet who hadn't, once, taken her eyes off Marvolo, "Who doesn't know him, Professor? He's the darling of Wizarding Britain and its most eligible bachelor, after all. Am I wrong, Lord Slytherin?" Harriet asked Marvolo with mischievousness persistent in her eyes.
"I don't know about being the 'most eligible bachelor' part much. I find it extremely unfair, however, that I don't happen to anything about you, especially since you seem so familiar with me," Marvolo couldn't keep the smirk off his face.
Lucius visibly shifted in his place, clearly uncomfortable with the heated gazes being exchanged, while Slughorn was clueless. He'd never seen Lord Slytherin flirting with someone, and he stood dumbfounded when Marvolo offered his arm to Lady Peverell, and she too accepted it graciously.
Every eye was on the odd pair, as they ignored the hushed whispers and curious glances thrown at them, and moved out of the room. Marvolo and Harriet were in their own little world, it seemed; Lucius was extremely happy. He couldn't wait to tell Narcissa about the whole ordeal. His eyes landed on a confused Slughorn, looking at him with questionable eyes – Lucius internally groaned in annoyance, but he'd take care of the stupid buffoon, nonetheless.
The silence was comfortable this time, not the taunting one as he was used to.
"The sky is really beautiful tonight," Harriet said as she gazed dreamily at the stars.
"Indeed," he said, eyes still locked on her. He wasn't sure if he was talking about star-studded sky though. Harriet looked and him and smiled, and he knew that she too was aware of the inevitable connection between them. He knew that she was able to feel the fire in her bones when he was nearby; he could hear her wildly beating heart, even from a distance. There was no denying that she was his, just as he was hers.
Marvolo walked over to her, closing the distance separating them, and standing just a breath away. The pale moonlight falling on her face, made her look even more angelic. With hesitant hands, he reached forward and brushed the hair away from where her mark was. Harriet didn't protest; she could easily read all the emotions in his eyes – happiness, relief and love. There were tears pooling in his eyes, on the verge of falling, but he didn't care. Marvolo tugged the sleeve of his robe, and showed Harriet, his own mark. Her soft fingers traced the mark lovingly, and Marvolo left out a shuddered breath, finally taking her in his arms.
Salazar, he was finally home!
It felt calm amidst the tornado of emotions, and as if he was finally able to breathe. He sighed in utter contentment when Harriet held him with equal fervour, and he buried his face in the nape of her neck. His body shook from all the tears he'd kept hidden for all these years because he knew that she would take care of him. He knew she would love him despite all his flaws and mistakes. And he would love her with all his heart.
"I'm not going to go, anywhere. I'll never leave you." He didn't know how she knew about his fears, but he was glad to hear it. He smiled slightly when she kissed him lightly on the cheek and wiped all his tears away, taking with them his painful past.
Marvolo had finally found his beloved.