Hello! And so, part 2 of 4 in Music Of The Night

Again I own nothing but the story

And I am currently writing those chapters and requests now. I just wanted to finish this and get this out and never think about it again (its my guilty pleasure). And so, after this story is finish, I will get back to the others.

Enjoy reading!

Music of the Night

Part 2 of 4

Chapter Two –

Alex's POV

"Rennervate…"

I stood back, watching as Hermione slowly became conscious again and I breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay, safe and hadn't been harmed. I then turned around, watching the city in front of me, the sun showing me that it was afternoon. I hadn't moved us from the spot on the rooftop, as just below me, probably standing in the same rehearsal room we had just been in moments ago, was the man that was destined to be with me. I walked to the edge, placing my hands upon the stone barrier, and saw people below me walking around like ants.

The Royal Albert Hall was of circular shape, almost like an arch. Its grand size was made from red brick and stone, and where Hermione and I were, was just below the glass arch that stood on top of the hall. People wouldn't be able to see us, but I could see them, given that we were high enough and out of sight. Then emerging from the back stage doors below me, was a man dressed in a white shirt, speaking to another man, with a woman following them. I immediately recognised them, as it was only moments ago we had saw them. They seemed to be in heated discussion, and I gasped as the man in the white shirt turned around, and I saw that it was Ramin, and the other man was Hadley. I still had yet to learn of the woman's name, but who knew when that would happen.

Thinking of the events of the day, the woman was more accepting of our tale than my own soulmate was. It was like she had seen strange or weird occurrences before. I then made the assumption that either she knew about magic, or a witch herself. But the woman looked familiar, as if I had seen her before somewhere but couldn't quite place her face. Maybe it was that she reminded me of someone…Yes, maybe that was it.

I could tell that the conversation between Ramin and the woman was heated, as if she was trying to calm him. He seemed anxious, and I felt guilty, leaving him the way I did. But honestly, what was fate thinking, making my soulmate someone from the past? And why now? Why not when I had done trips to the past before? This wasn't my first time time-travelling. I had travelled to the past before, plenty of times, so why did fate decide now was the time for me to meet the person I was apparently meant to be with.

I then frowned, as Hadley was trying to calm Ramin. Realisation then dawned on me that I was not the only one that had found their soulmate. Just before Hermione passed out, I had heard Hadley say the words that were so familiar and I realised that they were the words that were inked upon Hermione's thigh, which could only mean that she too had felt her words come to life.

"So…that man that is talking to your soulmate is supposedly my soulmate..." A voice broke me out of my thoughts and I turned to see Hermione, watching the scene below, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I just realised that…he said your words…" I murmured.

She nodded as she stepped forwards. "Yeah…it's not every day you meet your soulmate in the midst of a duel and in the past of all places! Aren't we just so lucky?"

"How are you feeling?" I placed my hand on her arm, rubbing it. "Stupid question I know, but he, that is Rabastan, could have done something worse. You're feeling okay?"

"It is not the stunning spell I'm shocked over, nor that we have two deatheaters on the loose in the past. If anything, I'm more shocked over the fact that fate has decided that now would be the best time to meet the love of my life. And what's worse, he'll never know…"

She stared at the scene below, and I couldn't help but frown.

"What? What do you mean he doesn't know? You didn't say anything back to him?"

She shook her head. "No…I was kinda hit by a stunning spell. That tends to stop you from saying anything…"

"But, now all you have to do is tell him, because what if he isn't? And what if he is? You at least owe it to yourself to try and find out." I protested.

"I know, but Alex, we cannot stay here. We cannot stay in the past. Our lives are back in 2111. We have family there. Friends, people who need us." Hermione reminded me.

"Hermione, the only family I have and need is right here now, with me. You are my family. I mean, we even did that weird blood bonding spell after we got notoriously smashed on the firewhiskey and I was hell bent on making you my sister. And I know that George is part of our family, but after what went down with Ron, the rest of the Weasleys apart from Bill, Ginny, George and Arthur shunned us out. Bill and Fleur now have, well will have their own lives in Alaska, running that wolf sanctuary, Ginny is, no, soon to be with her godly husband in Asgard, and both George and Arthur will understand. If we wanted to, we can stay…we at least owe it to ourselves…" I tried to reason with her, but I sighed. "No…I suppose you're right…we can't stay here. But we do have a problem, well multiple problems on our hands, but problems none-the-less. We have two deatheaters who know the future, running loose in the past London, magic hasn't been exposed and we have no way of getting home. Unless you know how to fix a broken Time-Turner. I don't think the Time-Turners made in this time have the ability, let alone the capacity to take us back."

"There might be a way. Maybe I can persuade the current Minister for Magic, get him to listen to our story, he might help. Or maybe we can try and track down someone from Hogwarts! Albus Dumbloedore might be able to help us, though he'd be young now, but he could try and help, maybe..." Hermione suggested.

"And if he doesn't? If he decides you're crazy and throws you into St. Mungos? Not that I'd see Albus doing that but we are not in our time and he doesn't know us…what if he doesn't believe us?" I questioned.

"Well, it's a risk we'll have to take. And if it doesn't work out, then we stay here, and we protect the muggles here. The Lestrange Brothers may have left, but no doubt they will come back. They know that your soulmate is here, and what better to hurt you then to kill the one you're meant to be with?" Hermione pointed out.

I didn't think of that. In the midst of everything that had happened, I did not think about just what exactly Rabastan may do now that he knew that there was a muggle who was my soulmate.

"So what now?"

"Now, we find a place to lay low for the night. It's afternoon, so soon it will be dark. We will deal with our situation tomorrow…well I will try to come up with some plan. Now, we will just stand guard somewhere here out of sight and wait for the Lestrange Brothers to show. No doubt they will…"

I nodded, agreeing with her while keeping my eyes on the scene below. Now, Ramin had stopped, leaning against the brick wall, the woman beside him. A pang of jealousy went through me and I gave myself a mental slap. Hadley stood near them, his arms crossed across his chest – a position that Hermione herself was in.

"That woman, she looks so familiar. I've seen her somewhere before; I am sure of it. Her face…the way she spoke…it's like we've met her before, in the future, but I can't place it. And she knows, or she seems to know about magic. I overheard her say something about deatheaters and I wondered how she could possibly know." Hermione informed me.

"I agree…maybe she knows. She knows about magic, but doesn't practice it or could be squib or she has family that is of magic." I suggested.

"Well…there is only one way to find out. But first, we need to change into something more professional…or comfortable. I can't keep running in fuzzy cat slippers."

0*0*0*0*0

Getting off the rooftop was easy. Finding the dressing rooms undetected was another thing, but thanks to a silencing spell and the Cloak, we managed. The Hall was a large place, filled with many rooms and stairs that kept leading us nowhere. After a quick Point Me spell, we had managed to make to rehearsal rooms, as we figured that the dressing rooms would be nearby. It was terribly busy though, as there were many muggles running around, in different costumes, or talking about different things for the play. I realised that it must be a big deal if there were that many people still in the theatre after hours, still doing rehearsals. Hermione then proceeded to remind me that it was the 25th anniversary of the show, and it had yet to happen. Judging by the dates, it seemed that we had arrived just a few days before the expected show was to happen, and that there were last minute dress rehearsals happening to make everything perfect.

Passing the muggles, we found the dressing rooms. Costumes were hung on mannequins, props were scattered about, either drying or needed to be painted, but it made it easy to manoeuvre through it all as we made it to the dressing rooms. We had figured that the woman would be in her own dressing room, as we had watched the trio walk back into the Hall after their talk. This had then given us time to change, dressing into something more suitable. After we both gave ourselves a refresher spell and clean spell, Hermione had changed into her more professional Unspeakable gear, wearing a beige pencil skirt, a multi-coloured printed blouse and a beige jacket. Her wand was tucked in the harness strapped to her arm, which made it easy to access. She wore sandals, as she didn't like to wear heels unless she was dressing up. But as we were only meeting the woman and supposed to be staying low, she opted to wear something that was professional but comfortable.

I on the other hand, had change from the tattered dress I wore into a pair of long black jeans, black leather heeled boots, a white singlet lace blouse and my trusty black leather jacket. Hermione had called my outfit my biker's outfit, which was fitting as I often wore it when I rode my godfather's flying motorcycle. But I had wanted to feel comfortable, and at ease, and so wore an outfit that I often would wear. The elder wand was tucked inside my left boot, and my trunk was back into a charm on my bracelet. Hermione too was glad that I had been wearing the bracelet, and she was also glad that I had some of her clothes in there with me, among other things, like the invisibility cloak, which was very handy.

After making sure that the cloak covered both of us, we had headed towards the dressing rooms. However, when we got there, it was a mad house. Muggles running everywhere dressed in green and red costumes, or in suits. It was mayhem and I didn't have any idea of how we were going to find the woman.

"How exactly are we going to find her?" I asked, my arms holding up the cloak. "It's not like we know who exactly she is."

"Well, we'll just stand here and wait for her to show up. She's bound to come by soon, considering this is the main dressing room." Hermione replied.

I gave her a look. "Really? That's the best idea you have?"

She rolled her eyes but then frowned. "Don't panic, but your soulmate is about to walk pass you, along with the woman. Judging by his costume, and the fact that he wore a mask when we first encountered him, I think he plays the Phantom. I know that the woman plays Christine and the man who is my soulmate plays Raoul. But they're headed our way."

I turned my head to the side, and true to her word, Ramin was dressed in black suit of sorts, with the same mask he had on and was holding some sort of black coat. The man next to him, Hadley, was dressed in similar suit, but black and gold, and there was the woman, dressed in the red and green costume that some of the other muggle women were wearing.

Both Ramin and Hadley were headed our way, and I pulled Hermione back towards the wall of the hallway we were in, which was a little difficult as there was a coat rack of costumes in between the wall and us. Ramin was close, and then he walked past me, but then stopped right in front. I knew he couldn't see me, or even hear my breathing but it was like he sensed that I was there, because he turned his head, his face frowning. He then sighed, gripping the cloak he held and kept on walking. Hadley followed after him, his head moving sideways, confused but shrugged.

"Sierra, you coming?" He called out. Ramin too had stopped, turning to her.

In the midst of seeing the men, we had not seen the woman, whose name we now found out was Sierra, had stopped in front of us. She nodded, and gave Hadley a smile.

"You guys go ahead! I just need to attend to something. I won't be long!" She assured him. The men both nodded and kept walking. She then lowered her head, turning to us. "I know you are both there…you may have some sort of ability to be invisible but I can sense when there is magic nearby. I am after all, of magic too, but of a different kind."

"Lady Sierra!" Hermione gasped, removing the cloak. I gasped at the gesture, as I didn't want anyone to see us, but by now it was just us, and Sierra in the hallway. I then frowned, turning to her. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Sierra on the other hand, smiled at us, but then she grabbed my left hand, and I grabbed onto Hermione's arm and followed Sierra. She had lead us into one of the many dressing rooms in the hallway, and I could tell that it was hers, given the photos upon the mirror of her in costumes, and the fact that her name was branded on the door as we walked in. She let go of my hand, and I let go of Hermione, who was still in shock.

Hermione turned to me, before turning to Sierra, as if she was trying to tell me something. I frowned, wondering what she was on about.

Hermione scoffed. "Lady Sierra! Thor's wife? You know, the current Queen of Asgard? Thor? As in Loki's adopted brother or something? We met her at Ginny's wedding? Remember how she was all like, 'your destiny awaits you…I cannot wait till we are joined as friends again' or something or another and we thought she was a bit funny? Oh, sorry milady…"

"No, don't be. Though I am glad that I will one day finally meet my soulmate. Though he better hurry up. I have his words, but have yet to hear him say them." Sierra waved off Hermione's apology.

"Oh, now I remember…Wait, you know who your soulmate is?" I asked.

She nodded. "Sort of…I do not know what he looks like or what he is, but his name I have known since I was born, well, when I was younger. After all, my soulmark is in gold, and bears his name. Though I have yet to meet him. He saves my life, apparently."

She turned around, and lifted up her hair. At first glance I thought her hair was red, but it was a more reddish brown colour. But she lifted up her hair, and just below her shoulder blade, and not yet covered by the corset she was wearing, the words, 'Milady, I am Thor, and am here to assist you to safety for it is not safe here on the street, with the Chitauri flying about' embedded on her skin in gold italics, wrapped around what looked like a lightning bolt on a hammer.

I remembered the Chitauri, the alien race that came to Earth in 2012, not long after magic was exposed. Before Loki became a redeemed man and married Ginny, he had tried to take over the world, using an army called the Chitauri, and because magic had been exposed, the Chitauri had no such luck in taking over the world. It was then revealed that Loki was under mind control, and for the last century, had been trying to make amends with Earth, under the watchful eye of his brother Thor, God of Lightning and of course, Ginny, his wife. Boy was that a shock when we found out that Loki was her soulmate, but like Sierra, Ginny's words was embedded on her skin and it was the colour green, with ice blue. It was unique, and strange. But then again, anything Ginny ever did was strange.

"Well, you won't have long. Though I probably shouldn't say much. Anything we say may affect the future." I mumbled.

"Given that you have now found your soulmate, I am guessing that the future has already been changed. Unless, you were always meant to come back into the past. Fate is strange, and I should know, for I am a Seer…part of one of the many abilities I have given that I'm a fairy. But fate has a way of working mysteriously. Everyone has a destiny, or a fate that leads them to somewhere they are meant to be. I mean, take me for example. I'm a Seer, and yet I only know my soulmate's name. You know more about him than I do at this point." Sierra pointed out.

After getting over the fact that I was standing in front of a fairy, one of the most prestige and talented of all the magical creatures, I thought over her words, and I realised that she was right. Since we had gone back time, exposed ourselves to muggles and not only that, brought back two of 2111 Magical World's most wanted deatheaters, the future had already changed. Not only that, finding your soulmate in the year 2011, meant that both Hermione's and my future already changed. And also, if we somehow were to go back, the future could have already changed, and we wouldn't know exactly what.

"I hate to say this Hermione, but she's right. Forget about going to the ministry or even Hogwarts and asking for them help. We're stuck here, because we don't have a Time-turner and even if we were to get our hands on one, they haven't been adapted to suit the amount of time we'll need to go forward. And if we were somehow able to go back to our time, we go back…and who knows? The time we know, it could have changed, even if we do somehow capture the Lestrange Brothers, and manage to get help. Anything we do in this time, may affect our time."

"Hermione! That's your name? Oh wow…this is brilliant!" Sierra brightened at Hermione, giddy with excitement. Well, I'm glad she could be excited. Meanwhile, I was on the verge of panicking, as I turned to Hermione, who was silent. She hadn't spoken since figuring out who Sierra was. But she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Please tell me what you're thinking. Maybe it won't be so bad…who am I kidding? This day, this night…these last few hours have been so confusing that I don't know what I am saying! I'm so confused." I ranted, before taking a seat on the plush couch that was just under the window. In all the time we had been in here, I didn't take notice of the dressing room. It was small, with vanity tables along one side of the wall, a closet on the other side and a window, just above the couch I was sitting.

Hermione walked towards me, leaning down. "I too, am so confused. That's why I want to go home, because it's something familiar. But I think you're right and Lady Sierra is right too…oh I have got to stop with telling the future. Sorry, L- Sierra."

"Oh no, please…I've known that I was going to meet you two since I was younger. I've always had a long occurring vision about two witches who will go on to become my best friends. And now you're here." Sierra remarked. "I've known since I was thirteen. And not only that, I've also known the troubles you've had to bear. Taking down a mad wizard who was hell bent on ruling world at just seventeen? You're both braver than I am."

I looked at the woman, taking her in. So much had happened since we had arrived here and all I wanted to do was sleep the entire day off. First, deatheaters on the loose, Hermione and I find our soulmates, we could have changed the future and now, Sierra, who is a seer plus a fairy tells us she has long foreseen us being good friends with her and she, a woman from the past knew about my past with Voldemort? It was too much…way too much…and I felt overwhelmed.

I stood up, trying to take deep breathes as panic and anxiety kicked in and Hermione, who stood in front me, knew that I was on the verge of a panic attack. Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Ramin.

"Sierra, what is wrong? We're about to star—" He was asking as he walked in, without the cloak. He froze at the sight, looking at Sierra, then to Hermione, who moved out of the way, before his eyes found mine. I was still hyperventilating, before suddenly, I felt woozy, and the soft colours of Ramin's eyes was the last thing I see before passing out, and his voice, in my ear, shouting my name.

0*0*0*0*0

Hermione's POV

"Alexandra!"

"Alex!"

"Oh dear…"

The three of us had all shouted at the same time Alex had fainted. She fell on me, causing me to gasp as I tried to hold onto her, but the weight was a little too much, and I was about to take out my wand when suddenly she was lifted gently off me, and I saw that Ramin lifted her up bridal style, with one arm under her legs and the other holding her back, and stood there holding her. It was like he didn't know what to do next, but she looked safe in his arms, her head on his chest and he leaning his head against hers. Before I could protest or even suggest anything, he then carried her out of the dressing room and sighing, I followed him, wondering where he was taking her.

He walking into another dressing room, similar to Sierra's and I guessed that it was his, given the look of it and the costumes. He walked over to a couch that was similar to Sierra's and gently laid Alex on it, leaning down to pull her hair from her face. I was surprised, given the way we had left things with him, just how gentle he was with her. Was it really only a few hours ago since we had last seen him?

"I see you're alright. Last I saw you, you were unconscious. I assume everything is okay?" He spoke softly.

"Yes…a stunning spell had rendered me unconscious. But yes, I am okay."

I heard the door behind me close, and that Sierra was leaning against it. I turned back to Ramin, who was still staring. He then took off his mask, gently prying it away, and began to take off the prosthetic make-up, that is the deformed side of his face that he had on. He also had on not one, but two small microphones, and gently removed them before going back to his face.

"Don't you have a rehearsal?" I asked, before giving myself a mental slap. Of course he wouldn't be thinking about rehearsals, at least not now anyway.

"I think rehearsal is over for now, don't you? At least it is for me, for I won't be able to concentrate knowing that she is here. Sierra, will you tell Cameron that something has come up and that I will not be able to rehearse tonight? Besides, I think it was just your scenes he wanted to go over before our full dress rehearsal tomorrow." Ramin stood up, turning to Sierra. He continued taking off the prosthetic make-up he had on and I wondered if he was allowed to do that, but shook my head. The process took its time, as we all stood there in silence for a minute, before Sierra walked closer to me.

She sighed. "Ramin, don't worry about anything but Alexandra…and you know what, I'll even take Hermione with me."

"Uh, you will?" I stammered, confused.

"Yes, Ramin has just found his soulmate, and when she wakes, I suspect they will need some time to talk to each other. She should be regaining consciousness in a few moments. Trust me…she'll be okay…" Sierra gave me a look and while I was still uneasy, I nodded. Though, I wasn't particularly happy.

I stood before Ramin, who was just removing the scattered wig upon his head. He looked a little out of place, with make-up on half of his face but he looked normal. His natural hair colour was the same, black but short and a little messy.

"You look almost normal, at least without all the full wig, face make-up and mask…" I began, and he smiled, placing the wig on the vanity table behind him, and grabbing what looked like a wipe, and began to wipe the rest of the make-up off him. He turned back to me and I sighed. "Listen, I know she's your soulmate, and you've probably waited years for her or didn't have any hope what so ever. But the woman that is on your couch, is my best friend. She has been through so much, and yet she stands tall, and she puts others before herself. That's what she's like…she's a true Gryffindor, and perhaps one day you'll find out what that means. So, Mister whatever your last name is, you hurt her…let's just say that you'll find out why they call me the cleverest witch of her age. I say this because she's the only sister and family I have and I will be damned if I let someone else hurt her. Are we understood?"

He paused his actions, and gave a swift nod. "We are…if I ever do hurt her, then I give you my permission to do whatever you see fit."

I gave a sharp nod and walked to Sierra.

"Wait…" I turned around, and Ramin walked up to me, hand out. "I'm Ramin Karimloo…Singer, musician, stage actor and as you can see, the Phantom of the Opera."

I shook his hand. "Hermione Potter-Granger, time-travelling witch; also adopted sister and best friend of your soulmate. Just something before I go…don't ask about the lightning bolt scar on her forehead. I see that the glamour will soon wear off, so don't bring it up. It would be a story to tell when she is ready."

"I won't, I promise. But thank you." He acknowledged. He turned back to her, and sat down on the coffee table that was in front of the couch. He then turned to me. "Hermione? That's your name? That's brilliant…"

I frowned. "Brilliant? Why is that brilliant?"

Sierra grabbed my arm. "You'll see…now, let us leave the happy couple in peace."

She pulled me out of the room and down the hallway. We then reached a black backstage door, and I could tell that this would lead us to the stage of the Hall, and I hesitated, but as Sierra was pulling me, I gave in and followed her.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I mean, what if the orchestra, you know the muggles who witnessed our arrival, recognises me or the muggles start to wonder who I am?" I mumbled.

"Ye of little faith, Miss Potter-Granger. No-one will be able to recognise you. I took care of that little problem by removing the memory of yours and Alex's arrival. Another gift we fairies have. So, no one won't know you, except for Hadley, because well…you'll see. But I can just introduce you as a friend of mine, though only Ramin, Hadley and myself will know the truth." Sierra explained.

"Is that supposed to assure me? Not that I am not grateful that you removed the memory, but why? Why are you helping us?" I frowned at her niceness.

"Haven't you been listening? I am a seer, and a damn good one. I've seen this day coming for a long time." She whispered,

"Oh…wait, why are we whispering? Aren't fairy seers proud of their abilities and flaunt them off? Does anybody know what you are?" I asked.

"No…while we are a proud race, we keep to ourselves…Only Ramin, Hadley and Cameron know of my abilities and my culture. Now, just follow my lead and I will do the talking."

We walked through the black doors, where it was a little dark, but I could see the stage dead ahead, and that there were many muggles about. Chorus members, stage hands, production crew and stage crew, all gathered upon the stage. We waited on the side, watching as a grey haired short man was giving instructions to people, before they all broke away, and walked passed us. Some gave us frowns as they walked by us, but Sierra gave them all a smile, before walking onto the stage.

I stared around the massive Hall, marvelling at the sight of it. I had never seen the inside of the Hall before, as in my time, it was now a heritage site, only for people to visit. There were never many plays or musicals or concerts held in the Hall anymore, not since other buildings had been built to fit far more than the Hall ever could, and so it had been converted into a museum of sorts. So, seeing the Hall in action, was truly a wondrous sight. I could sense that Sierra was looking at me as we walked onto the stage, taking it all in.

There were red velvet chairs, gold, silver and brass handles and red carpet on the ground just below the stage. There were levels of more chairs, and smaller compartments of chairs that were separate from the other parts of the Hall. The stage, which consisted of two grand staircases, a level that held the orchestra above us, and a railing near the orchestra. It was, in a word, grand and I was glad that I was here to witness it in its glory.

We then stopped, and I noticed the grey haired man that was speaking to everybody. Sierra let go of my arm and I crossed my hands together quickly, placing them in front of me, and standing next to Sierra.

"Sierra! At last you grace us with your presence. And you've brought a friend…not that I mind you bringing friends, but we're kind of about to start a short run-through of Act One before our full dress rehearsal tomorrow." The man stated.

"I am terribly sorry Cameron, for keeping you waiting. I was surprised by a visit from a few friends of mine, and well, they kept me from you. And oh, then to add the excitement, fate decided that Ramin should meet his soulmate and the poor woman fainted at the sight. So, with that saying, I think it would be best if we can just put off tonight's rehearsal, at least until my friend is okay."

The man, Cameron, gave me a look. "She looks fine to me. Lucky sod, such a pretty soulmate too."

Sierra shook her head. "Oh no, this is not her. It's our other friend, Alex, who is Ramin's intended."

Cameron nodded. "Ah…well, that's fine. Not really, but I can understand. Meeting one's soulmate is a remarkable event, and he needs it, considering the last few years he's had. I can't wait to meet her. But that's fine, Sierra, I will go and inform the company now that rehearsal is off for tonight. Maybe we all should just take a rest tonight. God knows we'll need it given what's going to happen over the next few days."

The man left, giving Sierra quick kiss on the cheek and held his hand out for me to shake. I grasped it gently and we shook hands before he left without another word spoken. The sound of a throat clearing made us turn and we saw that it was Hadley, looking sceptical. By now, it was just us left on the stage, and I saw that there were some members of the orchestra still up on the landing above us on the stage.

"So, they are now friends? Considering that we almost could have been harmed earlier today, I don't think that this is the best idea. I have a great mind to call the police and get them to sort this out." Hadley began, looking to me before turning back to Sierra. "I get that Ramin has found his soulmate but how do we know that they are not here harm us? No offence, whatever your name is."

Okay, I know that the man was my soulmate and all, but no need to be rude.

"Okay, I get that our arrival was a bit extreme, but trust me, those men would have hurt you far worse if we hadn't been there, so be glad that we were there and for the record, my name is Hermione Potter-Granger. I get you're angry about how everything went down but no need to be rude to those who saved your arse." I snapped.

He looked shocked, and I realised what I had done. In my rant, I had said my first words to him, and thus revealed myself to him. He had just dawned on that I was his soulmate and like Ramin had been, he was shocked.

"Oh, she's perfect for you Hadley! Fiery and strong. You'll get along like a house on fire. Now, my work here is done. Have fun getting to know each other." Sierra laughed, walking away.

We stood there in silence, neither of us saying anything. Then, I grunted in frustration and threw my hands up.

"You know, it was only a few weeks ago that I had come out of a long relationship, to a man that I thought I would be with forever, as my words, well, your words, before today were grey. Grey meant death to me and so I had made a life for myself in my time. Then my bastard of a fiancée meets his soulmate and abandons me, so I'm not expecting anything. You obviously hate me, so this may or will never work out." I established, his face frowning the entire time. I huffed in annoyance and lowered myself off the stage, jumping off in an unladylike manner and walking down the narrow aisle among the many chairs.

I heard a sound behind me, but kept walking, not really knowing where I was going until a hand grabbed my arm gently and immediately I felt sparks, the electrical current that one feels one two soulmates touch for the first time. I stopped, turning around and saw that Hadley had followed me, and was the one that grabbed me.

"Forgive me…I was simply in shock and took it out on you. For that I am sorry." He apologised. "Perhaps, we should start over. Hi, I am Hadley Fraser, musician, musical theatre actor and total idiot."

I chuckled, which made him smile. "Nice to meet you Hadley…I am Hermione Granger, time-travelling witch and total nutcase."

"Hi…"

"Hi…"

I blushed, and he gave another one of those smiles, and I could feel my heart flutter a little. Was this how it worked? When you meet the one, was this how you're supposed to feel? Instant feelings? I wasn't sure, but I liked it and I could he did too.

"So what now?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Well, now that there is no rehearsal, perhaps you can tell me all about you."

I nodded. "I agree…Maybe we could go and find a more private place and talk?"

"I agree…And I know the perfect place."

0*0*0*0*0

Alex's POV

It was a loud bang that made me sit up in a panic, looking around widely. I looked around me and saw that I was not in Sierra's dressing room and I began to panic again. I heard voices shouting out but I didn't think any of it, but just my breathing, trying to calm myself down. Then, out of nowhere, two hands touch the sides of my arms, and moved me so that I was facing the person. Soft warm light brown eyes bored into mine, and immediately I feel myself slowly begin to calm.

"It's alright, the production crew was moving something and they must have accidently dropped something. There's no need to panic. It's simply nothing." He assured me, his hand reaching up to cup my face. He was sitting on the coffee table in front of me, leaning forwards so that he was close to me.

I took a moment to study him, as he had no make-up, no deformed face or mask on, and instead it was just him. Sharp but full cheekbones, dimples and his dark hair was shorter than before, which meant he must have worn a wig. But all in all, he truly was, well still is, an attractive man. But his eyes were kind, gentle, with a bit of mischievousness in them, and I found myself instantly attracted to him. I then wondered if he would be attracted to me, but it was silly to think that considering the way he was looking at me. I then remembered the glamour spell that I had put on before we had even arrived here and reached up to touch my forehead. I closed my eyes as I felt the familiar lightning bolt scar and I knew that all my scars had come to light.

"Do not hide yourself from me. I do not care for the scars, for you were already beautiful the moment I met you. Brave, fearless, strong and enchanting emerald green eyes…and you're unique, given that you have magic. What more could I want in a soulmate?" He murmured, pulling my hand down.

"You don't mind that I'm a witch?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No…though I gather I have much to learn about your world, don't I?"

I nodded. "Yes…but don't worry, I will tell you everything I can. Just give me time…this is all new for me…"

"I understand and if that is your wish, you shall have it, though I look forward to hearing more of you." Ramin smiled, and I gave him a smile in return. He then grabbed my hands with his, looking down at them. "You don't know how long I have waited for this. You know, for years, my soulmark was white and people would say that white meant I had yet to meet my soulmate…but then one day, they turned grey and grey was something we didn't want to see because it meant death or that they didn't exist. Though now, I can see why they were grey…But I waited with hope, wanting the words to turn that vibrant colour of black, but they never did…Then, I began to lose hope. You don't know how relieved I am to have found you."

"I had similar thoughts…it's not easy, growing up with a soulmark that was grey when everyone else had black or coloured soulmarks." I told him.

He looked at me sadly. "I know the feeling…It's terrible, isn't it?"

"Yes…and considering my life and the things I've done, I thought it was something that I'd deserved." I muttered.

He frowned. "Who could ever deserve not to have a soulmate?"

I looked at him. "You don't understand…I've done things, terrible things to ensure my survival and those of my friends and family. I've had people die for me, die for a cause that has been around for years, even before I was born. My whole life was a puppet show to those who was using it for their use, all because of some prophecy and I blindly listened to them, believing I was following a cause of good, only to have to realise that there was so much more at stake. All of my actions, everything I have done, has led me to believe that I don't deserve happiness."

"Is this why you left me before? Because you think that you did not deserve me?" Ramin asked.

I nodded. "Yes…and because I thought it would be safer. Those wizards that came with us through the vortex, were the Lestrange Brothers. Let's just say that when I was seventeen, I was the one that defeated their leader in a war, at cost of many, and since then, they have been hunting me to get revenge. You'd think that after nearly fourteen years, they'd give up, but no."

"Well, judging by their actions, their leader must have been someone who was very dangerous. I'm sure you had your reasons for defeating him, given that it was in a war that you defeated him. A war seventeen?" He tilted his head, frowning at the thought. "The future sounds terrible if young teenagers are involved in war at that age."

"No, on the contrary…I had some good times…and some bad ones, mostly bad but some were good." I mumbled, remembering my past. I then started to feel hot, and so, took off the jacket I had on. Only thing was, the shirt I was wearing underneath was a singlet blouse, and so, my arms were bare, and since the glamour spell had worn off, scars had appeared on my skin, and the ever so famous one on my hand had shown up as well.

Ramin stared at the scars on my skin, and his face had changed. "Who did this to you?"

"Not who, but what. Remember, I went through a war. These scars are just tokens from deatheaters trying to bring me down. They are scars from spells, curses and much more."

The scar on my hand was still as red as it was the day I got it, and Ramin rubbed his fingers over it.

"'I Must Not Tell Lies'…I'm guessing there is a story behind this one." He murmured. He tinkered with my charm bracelet as well, and fiddled the charms.

"Yes, and the woman responsible for it is locked away in a very bad prison for very bad witches and wizards. She has paid for her crimes, so you don't need to worry about the person who gave me this scar." I told him and he nodded.

He then rubbed the scars on my right arm, before turning my left arm over, and he gasped. His words, my soulmark, there, bright as day and he smiled, rubbing the mark. My soulmark also had strange Iranian scripture wrapped around the words, and I never did take the time to find out what it had meant.

"You know what these words mean? Not my words, but the Iranian language scripture? It's a saying my mother used to say to me all the time. It means, 'One heart, one soul and a love that wins over it all'. Obviously, it means that we are meant to be…and that our love will last and change things. Well that's the hope anyway." Ramin explained.

I smiled. "Really? You sure you're not trying to woo me?"

He mockingly scoffed. "Oh as if…and besides, you haven't even seen me woo you yet. Trust me, when I do, you'll know when I am trying to woo you."

I laughed, and he chuckled, watching me. "You have such a beautiful laugh. I like it…perhaps I should make you laugh more often."

"I would like that…along with something else."

He tilted his head back. "Anything…"

"Show me your mark? If that's okay…"

He nodded, smiling. He then took off the black dress jacket he wore, which was obviously part of his costume, and placed it on the couch next to me. He then rolled up the sleeve of his white dressed shirt on his left arm, and there, in almost the exact same place as my mark was, was his soulmark, with the words I had said to him, along with the same Iranian scripture that I had as well. I touched it gently, and Ramin placed his hand over mine, looking at me as he did.

Gathering what little courage that I had, I leant forward, and kissed him, softly. He returned the kiss, our mouths gently touching before the kiss became heated. I gasped, my mouth opening wider and he saw that as an opportunity to grab my tongue with his, before his strong arms had lifted me, my legs on the side of his so that I was straddling him on the coffee table. He then stood up, without removing his lips from mine, and with me in his arms, before sitting back down on the couch, and I straddled him once again, and continued on kissing him. I whined as he broke the kiss to make his way down my neck, kissing the tender skin and I made a noise, which just made him growl sexily. He then captured my lips again, and I sighed happily into the kiss.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening and Ramin growled, breaking the kiss, and I dropped my head to his shoulder, to which he wrapped his arm around me and held me to his chest.

"Whoever has interrupted us better have a bloody good reason why." He growled.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I need to speak to Alex…it's important…like Deatheater important." The sound of Sierra's voice caused me to lift my head, and I turned around, while still sitting on Ramin's lap.

"What is it? Are the Lestrange Brothers here? Are they attacking?" I asked, reluctantly getting off Ramin but also worried that deatheaters were inside the Hall, and standing up, lifting my leg to pull my wand out from my boots. Ramin stood up, and grabbed my free hand, before we both made our way to the door.

"Oh no! I've just…They are not here but they will be soon. I've had a vision…a bad one and they are planning something big. Just images really, of a duel between you, Hermione and them. But so far, it's just the two of them. I think they haven't got the means to gather people to their side, so it is just them…for now at least…." Sierra spoke.

"Oh…" I whispered, wondering just what the brothers would be up to. I then frowned, as Sierra had revealed that she had abilities in front of Ramin. I turned to him. "Wait, you know about Sierra?"

He nodded. "I know of her physic abilities…the fairy side of her I only just found out today, after you arrived. If you think your arrival was a shock, finding out one of your best friends is Tinkerbell is even more of a shock."

"Hey! I resent that name…though you have a point." Sierra protested, before sighing. "Look, whatever will happen, won't happen tonight, but I thought it would be best for you to be aware. And now, I shall leave you both in peace…though, I think you might want to stay with Ramin for tonight. Hermione has already left with Hadley, so she is safe…and I bid you goodnight. Don't do anything I wouldn't do...wait that just sounded wrong…"

I breathed out a laugh, placing my wand back into my boot before turning to Ramin, and leaning into him, wrapping my arms around him and looking at Sierra. Ramin accepted me warmly, wrapping his arm around me. It was a move that even surprised me, but in the hours or minutes I had known him, I felt like I could trust him, and I felt safe, and I think that is what I had wanted to feel…safe…even though I knew that the next few days would be a nightmare of sorts. Sierra smiled, turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, looking up at my soulmate.

"Now, I take you home."