It was only one week since the "match your love" wand was released by "Teen Witch" and everyone in the castle was already mad about it.
The way it worked was simple: you took a photo of two people with the wand, and then it measured the "potential" of the couple. The MYL wands, like they called them, were used by almost all the girls in the castle.
Emma, daughter of Lavender Finnigan- née Brown, was the first one in Hogwarts to have one. Her mother had invented it, after all. She was at that moment trying to evaluate her "relationship" with Marc Smith, leader of Zomby, a famous wizard band. She first pointed the wand at her, and then at a picture of the musician. As a photo of the two of them appeared, the mention divorce after the first monthcrossed it. She was ecstatic.
"Look, I got divorce after the first month! You only get impossible!" she pointed Rose Weasley, one of her dorm mates "And you, Don't even try!" she said to Emilie, the other Gryffindor girl in her dormitory, while she was jumping like crazy on her bed.
"Emma, you should stop this. We have our OWLs soon." Rose tried to reason her. "It's just a game, stop it!"
"You only say this because I've tried almost all the boys in our year with you and all were impossible and Don't even try." Emma protested.
"You forget the maybe something could bloom with the blond Hufflepuff," added Emilie.
"Yeah, I forgot about this one. You know what, Rose? I'll find your match!" Emma decided skeptical.
Rose shook her head "yes" at her and continued studying.
Within the following days, Emma paired every boy in the castle with Rose, hanging their photos on the wall of their dormitory. But no one seemed to fit with her.
The red head didn't care much about it. However she started to find Emma, Emilie and Lily's behavior annoying. Her younger cousin, Lily, had found the game amusing and joined it too.
"Damn, we've even tried with a toad and a ghost but no one fits you, Rose!" Lily exclaimed. They were eating lunch, and the remark made Rose to stop eating.
"You tried with a toad? Why don't you try with Hugo or Al?" she asked, sarcastically.
She was very irritated with that stupid game. The wall of her dormitory was upholstered with pictures of her and different students, boys and even girls! And apparently now it would also have ghosts and animals!
"Aw, we tried, but the wand doesn't work when it's someone who is related to you by blood." Emilie assured her.
Honestly, these girls were crazy! Fortunately the easter break was soon, and all these would end. At least…, so she hoped.
----
The ride back home was funny, though. Before leaving, Emilie had the idea to steal pictures of the professors from the Creevey kid. The girls spent the whole ride, in one of the compartments, trying to match their teachers. The whole "Rose obsession" was gone and she was relieved. They were laughing at the something could bloom between Professor Wright, the new Muggle Studies tutor and Professor Flitwick, when they arrived at the station.
-----
Apparently, the MYL wands were the only conversation possible. It was like an invasion, everywhere at the station and all the little girls- or not so little- had one. It was very frightening for Rose.
Even at dinner, in their house, Hermione and Ron talked about it. Though, for different reasons…
"We have so many problems with those wands! People actually want divorce because the wand said so! It's unbelievable." Hermione said.
"Are you going to retire it from the market?" her daughter asked hopefully.
"Better not, now George sells them, we are going to be even richer!" Ron joked.
"No, Rose. Actually, I'm defending Lavender in this case. It's just a game, people need to understand that." replied her mother, in a serious tone.
"Well, it's bothering me. Since no one seems to fit with me, the girls are trying me and everyone in the school and by "me and everyone in the school" I mean everyone! Including ghosts! They won't live me alone!"
"Well, it's a good thing you don't "fit" with anyone, sweetie!" Ron said, happily.
Hermione just rolled her eyes. Hugo chose that moment to enter the kitchen.
"Have you "tested" your couple?" he asked his parents.
"Yes and we got happily ever after." Hermione was secretly proud of that. She might not believe in it, but still… she was proud.
"Harry and Ginny got that too. Bill and Fleur deep love. Oh, and do you know that Harry tried with a picture of his parents?" Ron was sounding like a teenager, by then.
"Really?" Hermione seemed interested.
"Yes, Harry was so proud, they got soul mates," he added.
"Oh! It's so rare! It's the first one I've heard of!"
Rose left the kitchen. She had enough about all that crap.
However, she was a little worried. No one was good for her. Maybe she should give a chance to that Hufflepuff…
As the holidays went on, the stupid wands remained the only topic.
Soul mates is so rare, you parents were truly made for each other Harry.
Rosie don't worry, you will find a match.
Victoire and Teddy, "deep love", everyone knew that.
James and Anna is a sweet couple!!!
Rose, really, no one? It's impossible, my dear.
It was enough for her. She would give a shot to that Hufflepuff, what was his name? John? No. Joel? She couldn't remember. Why was that stupid wand upsetting her so much?
----
Rose was sitting in an empty compartment in Hogwarts Express, when Emma and Lily grabbed her and dragged her out. They walked her from compartment to compartment, "trying" her with all the students. All of them.
She got again the same answers and that John boy seemed her only hope. She even get a "your children will look awful" with Jeremy Goyle. Indeed.
The next compartment only had two persons. Scorpius Malfoy and a rather upset Parveen Zabini. Parveen was a Ravenclaw, like her aunt and godmother. She was the sweetest person on earth, thus the three girls were worried about her.
"Hey, Parv! What's wrong?"
"She's upset because of this stupid wand. No offense, Finnigan," Scorpius answered instead.
"It marked us as a "sweet couple"! Can you imagine that? A "sweet couple"? I mean, he's like my brother!" the girl exclaimed.
"Well, maybe it means sweet couple of friends." Rose proposed. Scorpius nodded.
"My mum didn't make it this way. It's for lovers."
While the ginger haired girl gave her a "you-are-not-helping-at-all" look, the silver haired boy said it out loud.
"You're stupid, Finnigan." She glared at him.
"You know what? I'll do like I do with Rosie; I'll find your match." Lily said with certainty.
"Speaking of that… I didn't try you with him." she added thoughtfully, before waving her WYL towards her and Malfoy.
Scorpius took the picture as soon as it appeared.
"Impossible," he said.
"Well, it was expected," said Lily,
"Come with us, Parveen, we are going to find your match."
The girls left the compartment, but before she could step outside, Rose felt Scorpius holding her wrist. She raised an eyebrow at him. He apparently wanted to talk with her, alone. It was odd: they spent time together, they had common friends, but they rarely were on their own.
"You maybe want to see this picture, Weasley. If I said "impossible" before, it was because… well, look and you'll understand."
Rose took the picture in her hands and suspiciously looked at it. When she realized what was written on it, she swallowed.
"What do you think about it?" she asked him, cautiously.
"Well, it's a good photo. I mean for me at least, I always new deep blue suited me well. And you look, hmm, alive, for the lack of a better word." It was a joke, but his tone was quite serious. He truly hoped Rose would understand it was just a joke.
"Well, I don't think that deep blue is really your color… And alive, really? Coming from you it's a compliment. At least, you don't insult me!" She copied his tone.
"Now, really, what do you think?"
He smiled to her; at least she understood his humor.
"What will cost us to give it a try?"
"Are you serious? I thought you thought it was a "stupid wand"," Rose quoted, puzzled.
"Well it is stupid, but this way we will prove it's fake. Just a game."
"So, are you willing to play it?"
"Are you slow or something? We'll play it, and we'll laugh at the stupidity of the wand after that. 'Cause, really, it's all fake!"
"Yeah, you're right. But let's burn this photo; I don't want Emma to find it."
They left the compartment, leaving behind them a burnt photo, on which the words "soul mates" were barely readable.
The end
I have to warn you, there will not be a sequel, I'm just not able to write them. This was a random plot bunny I had.
Thank you Angie, the excellent beta reader of this story.
(When Scorpius say "alive" about Rose, is a joke which refers to Gad Elmaleh, a french humorist.)
Please review.