Chapter One
Lilly Potter stared out the window of the Hogwarts express. She couldn't belive that this was her last year, that she'd never come back to Hogwarts as a student again. She sighed, before getting out the latest potions compedium and starting to read.
"Lilly Potter, you are not going to read this whole train ride, as enjoyable as reading is." Her best friend Harriet Wood shouted, coming into the compartment with a bottle of something and a book in her hand. "Instead we're going to find our soulmates, its about time we both had boyfriends"
"I'm not interested in having a boyfriend, too much work." Lilly said distractedly, returning to her potions textbook. "Then of course there's always the trouble of them dating me for my name."
"That doesn't seem to bother Albus and James."
"Albus and James are boys, who knows how boys think." Lilly said and Harriet chuckled.
"I might have some idea." She said tossing back her hair. "Please Lilly, for me? At least try it, I doubt it will work anyway as its some outdated tomb my Grandmother gave me, when we visited them in Italy last summer
"Oh alright, I can't stand the way you manage to convince me to do everything." Lilly said and Victorie grinned.
"Its the combination of Wood charm and my veela ancestry. You know if I wanted to, I could rule the wizarding world. Though I don't Dark Ladies have natoriously small life spans." She joked and Lilly laughed.
"That is if you could get your head out of your books for long enough." Lilly said.
"Your one to talk, your practically an honorary Ravenclaw. Its too bad that you're too brave for your own good, because I'm sure you'd be happier in my house then your own."
"I'm fine in Gryffindor, better then fine in fact. True it gets a bit boisterous, what with your brother, Fred and Hugo all thinking up pranks. Still I wouldn't change it for anything, its where I belong and I chose to belong there."
"Did you really, or did our family choose for you?"
"I'm more intelegent then that; I had that stinky old hat on my head for twenty minutes, before it decided to let me decide myself. I was a right stubborn little cuss."
"Was?" Harriet asked and Lilly laughed.
"The hat made me promise not to change too much, I think it likes me." Lilly said.
"Of course, you're doing this for the sorting hat and not because you could out stubborn any wizard or witch alive or dead. That's perfectly logical." She added and Lilly gave a light hearted push to her shoulder. "Anyway lets get started, we need to sit on the floor." She added, before settling down a blue and gold cloth and getting out eight candles, she set them up in a circle leaving the nineth and largest in the middle. "Now before we start this, I need you to hold my hands and repeat after me."
"Alright." Lilly said and took Harriet's hands.
"In this day, in this hour, we beseach you ancestors and call upon your power. Spirits of the west, of light and laughter, of hope and joy. We humbly ask that you give us your blessing and bestow upon us those that were truly meant for us." She said and the candle burst into flame, Lilly yelped and almost let go of Domique's hand, but Dominiqe smiled so reassuringly that it settled Lilly's racing heart.
"Spirits of Air, we ask that you give us the freedom to choose our own fates. Guide us down the right paths, towards health and happiness. Guide those that are destined for us, through the air and allow them to come to us." They both entoned and again the candle flashed, burning with the same golden flame as before.
"Spirits of the North, we ask for your courage and light. Guide us towards our destany, see that we come before you unafraid. Help us to be the best that we can be, guide us towards our rightful destany and assist us in finding those that truly belong with us." This time the candle turned bright green and Lilly stared at it a moment mesmerized.
"Spirits of the Earth, ground us and keep us steady. Assist us in seeing our self worth and help us to find soul deep connections with those that share a heart with us. Help us to be strong and sure in whatever we may do." Harriet intoned and the candle flashed once more, burning the same bright green as the one before.
"Spirits of the East, save us from the temptation of the dark. Assist us to learn all we can of this world, allow for us to be enlightened by your might. Help us to find those that are truly destined for us and allow us to bring out the darkness and light in them." The candle this time burned crimson, before they moved on.
"Spirits of Fire, we ask that you assist us in always being passionate. Help us to grow strong and sure of ourselves and our place in the world. Assist us in finding those that will set true our course and light their way as they travel to us." The candle flame burst upward and Lilly looked at the strong flame and smiled.
"Spirits of time, we ask that you bring forth those that would truly love us from time's embrace. Bring them forth to us, at the same age in their lives that we currently possess. Allow for them to come through to this bridge between worlds and help us to find those that truly belong to us." The candle burned with a deep purple flame and suddenly the room started to spin, Lilly groaned feeling nausious. The candles lifted up into the air, the light of the purple candle joined them all together creating a wheel as they pulled at the girls. She felt so weak and sick, she wished it would just stop, she tried to release her hands from Dominique, who stared at her wide eyed. The candles continued to spin, as suddenly a black hole appeared in the center of the train and two boys shot out of it. Both were deeply asleep, snoring loud enough to wake the dead and the portal snapped closed as they left it.
One had bright red hair and freckles, he pretty much could be one of her relatives, he was wearing a dragon skin jacket and leather pants. However iit was the other that captivated her. He was rakishly handsome with a hooked nosed, amoung what would she would normally consider delicate features. He also had on some of the cutest pajamas she'd ever seen, little cauldrons and stirring sticks decorated them. She wished that she had a set of those."Take this potion, drink half and keep half in your mouth, bend over him and give him a kiss, ensure that the potion goes down his throat." She instructed and handed Lilly the potion, she took it without thinking and gulped down half, before taking the rest in her mouth and bending over the man before her. She opend his mouth gently and hesitantly lowered her lips to his. It was after all, her first kiss, she kissed him allowing the potion to travel from her mouth to her's. He muttered something, flipping over to his side.
"Wake up." Lilly said gently shaking him and he moaned.
"Go away Minerva." He said.
"Minerva?" She asked confused a moment. "Come on wake up." She said and continued to shake his sholder, until he grabbed his hand with hers.
"Who are you and how did I get here, how did you cast this cursed lethargy spell on me?" He demanded. "The last thing I remember was the battle at Hogwarts..."
"Wait what?" She demanded and turned from the young man to Harriet who was trying to wake up the sleeping young man with red hair and freckles. Suddenly the boy lunged up and stole her wand, pressing it to her throat, as his eyes snapped open. He stared in bewilderment at the Hogwarts express and the girl he held in his arms.
"Lilly?" He demanded and she stared at him. "I must have died, it doesn't matter, not as long as I'm with you again." He kissed her soundly on the mouth, the wand falling through his fingers as he caressed face and stroked her hair. She was so suprised that she allowed him to kiss her, it was the most amazing experience of her life. Their magic even seemed to be part of their kiss, she suddenly saw brillant colors surrounding them and embracing them. She wrapped her arms around him, giving into the passion, yet all too soon it was over.
The stranger moaned and his eyes rolled up in the back of his head. Lilly stared as he passed out. She lifted his shirt and saw that he had just been badly beaten. She stared at the marks for a moment, before getting out her wand and using a diagnostic spell. His stomach was severely bruised and he'd also gotten a broken rib. She used one of the bone repair spells she used and another to lower the bruising and swelling, wishing that she could make it go away entirely. She then cast a simple sleeping spell, as it was best that he didn't move while his rib finished repairing.
It was only then that she took the time to glance at the other youth, then stare. She'd seen pictures of her family growing up, but this was her Uncle Fred, her to all appearances seventeen year old Uncle Fred. She stared at him, as Harriet continued to attempt to wake him up. "Fredric Guideon Weasley, you wake up this instant!" She said in her best impression of her Gran.
"It wasn't me Mum, honest it was a gnome!" He said sitting bolt upright and staring at Lilly. "You aren't my Mum, where am I?" He demanded and Lilly cast a body bind spell on him. "What happened, I was with Percy and now...Why am I on the Hogwarts Express?"
"Because we're going to Hogwarts." Harriet said, obivously not catching on.
"Let me go!" He said and Lilly shook her head.
"Not till you drink a calming draught." She replied stubbornly and he stared at Harriet.
"Why do I have an uncontrollable urge to kiss that bird?" He demanded and Lilly laughed.
"Well its because your soulmates." She said and he laughed.
"I don't believe in that balderdash, you've abducted me haven't you. You're death eaters!" He said and glared at both of them. Lilly laughed again, staring at her Uncle.
"The war ended Twenty Five years back." Harriet said. "Potter's side won, I doubt that my father would have named me Harriet if that wasn't the case." She said and stared dreamily into his eyes, a moment later she threw herself on him and they started what looked like an attempt to suction out each other's insides with their tongues. Again those pretty lights flared, only this time they showed no sign of stopping and eventually Lilly had to pull them off each other. Both looked dazed, but happy that changed in a moment when Fred stared at Harriet.
"Did you say twenty five years?" He demanded and they both nodded. " TWENTY FIVE YEARS?" He roared and Lilly stared at him, she thought it was a coincidence before, but she realized that this was actually her Uncle Fred. "WHERE'S GEORGE, I WANT GEORGE!"
"Fred its alright, I can get George, but we need to get off the train first."
"NOOO I WANT GEORGE NOW!" He said before starting to sob, Lilly stared at him a moment before wrapping her arms around him and canceling the spell. He hugged her tightly and she hugged him back, patting his back in the same way her mother used to do to her when she was small.
"Its alright Fred, everything is going to be alright, you'll see." Lilly comforted.
"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea." Harriet said quietly.
"What are you talking about, it was a great idea."
"But isn't he..."
"My Uncle yes, I think everyone would rather have him be alive then pushing up daisies."
"But his twin brother is in his forties."
"So? Fred can handle it."
"You don't know anything about yours, other then the fact that he knew your Gran. Oh and that he's way too good at disarming people." She said.
"Harriet, be quiet a moment." Lilly asked, continuing to comfort Fred.
"I want my Mummy." He said and Lilly nodded.
"Who do you want more, Gran might be easier to reach."
"Gran?" He asked and she nodded, forgetting that he had his face burried in her shirt.
"Yes, your my Uncle Fred." She said and it felt weird to say it.
"I'm an Uncle?" He asked and she nodded.
"About twelve times over." She said.
"What? There's twelve little sproglets of my brothers and sister running about?" He demanded and she grinned.
"Ginny is my Mum." She said and he stared up at her.
"Ginny and Harry?" He demanded. "Has he ever hurt her?"
"Sometimes and she's sometimes hurt him, its a natural part of relationships, but they reallly love each other."
"My little sister has a daughter that's her age!" He said and pinched himself. "Bloody hell, I'm hallucenating all this, I know it. I must have managed to get hit with a wonky spell at the battle."
"Um, you didn't get hit with a spell, you did get hit with a wall and well you were pretty much dead...Until we found this spell about soul mates and Harriet wanted to try it."
"Are you sisters? Did I just snog my niece?" He demanded and Harriet and Lilly both burst out laughing.
"No, I'm her best mate, though I bet you know my Da. He played on the Gryffindor team with you, his name is Oliver Wood."
"Wood, your Wood's daughter?" He demanded and she nodded.
"Yeah, but to me he's Da, me and Lilly got to be friends because neither of us likes the attention that comes with having famous parents.
"How is the joke shop?" He asked and Lilly got off of him.
"Don't you mean Joke shops?" She asked. "The shops are doing great, George has seven in all and encourages us to help out in the summer and when we graduate if we don't know what to do yet." She grinned. "Freddy is helping him, he's moved into the Hogsme..."
"Freddy?" Fred demanded.
"Oh that's George's son, but we all just call him Freddy, because it makes Gran and George upset when we call him Fred."
"And we're forty five?" Fred asked.
"George is forty five, your twenty and happen to look seventeen." Lilly replied.
"Well then, I guess I'll be brewing some aging potion."
"And share George's memories?" Lilly asked. "I don't think you'd want to do that, George hasn't really ever gotten over you."
"What, bloody hell, I thought we'd agree to either kick it if one of us did, or not to wallow. "
"George couldn't kick it, Bill got him really drunk one night and made him promise not to kill himself. He got better after he married Angelina and had Roxy and Freddy."
"No one really understands what its like to have a twin." Fred said. "Its like we're the same soul in two bodies."
"Your clearly not that, because if you were George would have come after the ritual was over too." Harriet pointed out.
"Oi Harriet, stop being so thick!" Lilly said as Fred stared at her.
"Takes one to know one!" She said sticking her tongue out and both girls laughed. After a moment Fred joined in. Lilly got a box of powder out of her bag and a portable fire. She lit the fire as Fred stared at it.
"The Burrow!" She called out throwing a pinch of powder into the flames. "GRAN! GRAN! GRAN!" She shouted.
"I'm coming Lilly, hold your broomstick." Her Gran said and Lilly smiled. Her Gran appeared in the flames a moment later and Fred stared at her.
"Mummy!" He said and started to cry all over again.
"Fred!" She called back and Fred dashed over to the fireplace.
"I don't have transitory powder, do you Gran?" Lilly asked and her Gran nodded, she stuck a trembling hand through the flames and handed Fred a jar. He took it with shaking fingers nearly dropping it, before Lilly took it from him and handed him a pinch. He threw it over the flames.
"The Burrow!" He called and Lilly fallowed a moment after, screaming as she did so. The pain was worse then anything she'd ever felt, searing and soul deep. All she could do was scream, curling in on herself in agony, as she landed on top of Fred who was also screaming bloody murder.
"Lilly? Fred? What's wrong, if you don't tell me I can't help." Gran said, but Lilly couldn't say anything, all she could do was scream. She was away from him, he was gone from her, forever...Then something was pressed to her lips and she knew no more.