Thank you for reading, reviewing, faving, and alerting the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Life is getting a bit busy right now but I'm doing my best to keep up and I appreciate your patience!
Congratulations to Mister Thomas Walker (age 32) and Miss Olivia Wood (age 29) on their happy engagement following the 23rd annual match-making event which took place this last June. Their wedding day is set for the 31st of December. The couple chose the date so they can begin the New Year as husband and wife. The annual match-making event continues to successfully pair everlasting, happy couples. Mark your calendars for the next upcoming match-making date: 15th of June, 2024.
Congratulations to the following couples who also have upcoming wedding dates:
Melinda Harris and Isabella Wilson- 5th of November
Roy Edwards and Liliana Green- 12th of November
Edward Michaels and Emma Lewis- 15th of November
John Turner and Michael Elliot- 20th of November
Christopher Morris and Mary Belby- 1st of December
Henry Edgecombe and Elizabeth Cattermole- 7th of December
Frank Jones and Anne-Marie Buchanan- 20th of December
If you and your soulmate are interested in having your wedding day announced, please send your date by owl to our editor's office in Diagon Alley no later than the 31st of December if you would like to see your date appear with the next set of announcements. There are six wedding announcements each year, each announcement covering the next two upcoming months.
"Did you read today's paper, Lily?" I asked in an attempt to make conversation, looking up from my copy. Lily was sitting in one of the large armchairs opposite from me and seemed to be extremely involved in her Charms textbook.
"No, not yet. Anything good?" she asked absentmindedly, not even bothering looking up from her textbook. I didn't really blame her, she too had huge exams she needed to study for.
"Not really," I sighed. "Just this month's marriage announcements, really." The printed image of a man and woman stared back at me. They were arm in arm and their faces shone with absolute happiness. The woman's engagement ring glittered brightly as the couple swayed, even though it was only a newspaper image. I felt a nagging sense of longing as I looked at the picture but quickly shoved the thought to the back of my mind.
"How exciting," Lily responded and it was clear that she was paying no attention to me.
I've tried to get her attention multiple times in the past hour and haven't been successful. My hair could've burst into flames and she would have paid me no mind. I felt somewhat cut off and disconnected from people and I was beginning to feel lonely. I guess that's what I deserved for making my relatives my only friends and putting all my energy into my studies and Quidditch.
"Do you ever wonder if these people are genuinely happy with their soulmates?" I asked, glancing back down at the smiling couple again. "Are you happy?"
"Yes," she replied as she finally peered at me over the pages of her textbook.
Out of the four of us, being Albus, Hugo, Lily, and I, I would say Lily got the luckiest. Her soulmate was one of the Scamander twins. I believe it was Lysander, but both boys looked and acted so similar that it was difficult to tell them apart. He was a year younger than her and quite frankly a bit immature as most fourteen year-old boys usually were, but Lily seemed to enjoy his company. I saw them talking a lot and whenever she needed to talk to someone, he was the one she would go to. I envied her because I wished I had someone like that who I could go to when I needed to talk.
"Do you love him?" I asked.
"Yes, but not in the sense you're probably thinking," she said. I raised an eyebrow at her and she continued. "Being someone's soulmate doesn't mean you're obligated to be involved with them romantically. Lysander understands me more than anyone else, but I don't see myself being attracted to him."
"I think this whole soulmates thing is stupid," I stated and crumpled up the newspaper and tossed it aside. "I can pick my best friends and lovers on my own."
She glanced down at her feet where the crumpled up newspaper lay and she leaned forward to pick it up, smoothing it out. Her eyes scanned over the printed words quickly then peered at me over the paper. I knew she was looking at the page with the happy couple because that was the page I still had open before I ruined it. She held the paper close to her face and I could only see her eyes but there was enough emotion shining through them that I could tell she was amused with me.
"You never used to be so against soulmates before, Rose," she commented and I merely shrugged. "I distinctly remember you asking me at the beginning of the summer to help pick out a dress so you could look nice for whomever your soulmate may have been."
"I've changed my mind," I muttered.
Lily shrugged and crumpled up the paper again, tossed it into the fire, and reopened her textbook to continue studying. The embers swallowed up the newspaper, the edges turned black and the words were no longer legible. The flames ate up the picture of the man and woman, who still swayed back and forth, completely unaware that their image was being consumed. Soon all was left of it was a pile of ash.
My cousin and I sat in silence for I didn't know how long. I had spaced out staring at the flames and I was shaken out of my daydreaming by Lily climbing out of her chair. She packed up her school things back into her back and slung it over her shoulder.
"I'm going to the library," she said. She looked as though she had something else to say to me and that she was arguing with herself about whether or not to tell me.
"What's wrong?" I asked, hoping to prompt her into telling me about whatever it was she was thinking about.
"Dad overheard at the Ministry before school started that they were thinking about abolishing the soulmates law. I don't know any more than that but since you have a newfound disinterest in soulmates, I thought you'd be happy to hear," she replied.
Lily didn't wait for me to reply, she marched out of the common room without another word. I supposed I should have been pleased to hear news like that. I wouldn't have to be stuck with Malfoy for the rest of my life, which is what I wanted. For some reason the news didn't put me in a better mood. This was what I wanted, right?
I didn't have class that and I spent the entire day leading up to the Halloween feast in the common room, bored out of my mind. I rarely moved from the maroon armchair I was perched on, my textbooks and homework lay untouched at my feet. I didn't know if it was the weather or the fact that this was my last year at Hogwarts, but my motivation to do my school-work was decreasing more and more each day. Mum would be disappointed.
"Come on, Rose! We're going to be late for the feast!" my brother exclaimed, coming up behind my chair and shaking my shoulders.
"What time is it?" I asked, pulling back my robe sleeve to look at my watch and answer my own question.
"Time for the feast!" Hugo came around from the back of the chair to stand in front of me, grabbing my arm before I could even register what my watch said.
I couldn't help but smile to myself as Hugo dragged me out of the common room and down the stairs. Halloween was our favorite holiday and the elaborate feast Hogwarts held on this day every year was the best feast, in my opinion. I felt a slight pang of sadness when I realized that this would be my last ever Halloween feast at Hogwarts.
There were already tons of people in the Great Hall. The Great Hall had be decorated with the usual live bats and bright orange streamers that cascaded from the walls. There were large pumpkins littered all over the Hall, each one of them had a different face carved into their surface and they glowed brightly from the lanterns placed inside them. There were numerous cauldrons laid out on the tables already, which were full of colorful lollipops.
I took my seat at the Gryffindor table, and Hugo followed. His arms were already full of candy that he had snatched from the cauldrons. I scolded him for eating candy before dinner, and he merely shrugged, his mouth full of the sugary sweets. I was looking forward to the carrot cake that would be presented at the end for desert and what kind of end-of-the-feast entertainment the Headmaster had planned for us.
The Great Hall was full of people and dinner finally appeared before us. I took a generous helping of everything I could grab in front of me. As I was eating, I noticed Hugo looking up from his plate quite often and I looked up too to see what had caught his interest. He was gazing over at the Ravenclaw table and I knew right away that he was trying to catch the eye of his soulmate, who he absolutely adored.
She was very pretty, maybe a little too pretty for my brother and if it wasn't for the fact that they had matching wands, I doubt she would ever give him the time of day. He finally caught her eye and waved to her a tad too enthusiastically. She gave him a half-smile and returned his wave, although hers was much less enthusiastic and was more of just raising her hand briefly than a wave. Hugo beamed, and went back to his food, his posture slightly more confident than before. If I was heartless, I would've told Hugo a long time ago that she wasn't really interested in him but Hugo will always believe what he wants.
Dinner was finished and the Hall was suddenly filled with loud chatter as everyone waited for their desert. I made sure to save plenty of room for the carrot cake because I was probably never going to be able to eat carrot cake as delicious as the cake Hogwarts serve again after this year.
"Are you forgetting something, Weasley?" a voice behind me drawled lazily. "Your prefect duties began five minutes ago."
I turned around in my seat and made eye contact with Scorpius Malfoy. He was standing there lazily, his arms crossed over his chest and his Head Boy badge was gleaming on his chest. He glanced at his watch, as if to make a point that again that I was late and he was impatient. I rose from the table and grabbed a fistful of his robes and dragged him away from the Gryffindor table and out of earshot of my curious, eavesdropping family members.
"Since when does Halloween prefect duties begin in the middle of the feast?" I spat.
"Since now," he said, holding his arm up that had his watch on.
"What about desert and the ending entertainment?" I asked, hoping he would let me return to my table. "You owe me the world's best carrot cake for this!"
"And the world's best carrot cake I will buy for you, darling," he drawled with a smirk.
"No pet names," I hissed, letting go of his robes as we exited the Great Hall.
He ignored me and continued down the corridor with me following behind. It was quiet except the sound of our footsteps echoing as we walked. Malfoy hardly spoke and I wasn't particularly complaining. I wasn't about to start a conversation with him either in fear that it would only encourage him to say infuriating things. My mind kept drifting back to what Lily had said earlier about the Ministry getting rid of soulmates. I still hadn't decided how I felt about that.
He didn't tell me why we had to leave the feast so early either, and again, I wasn't about to ask. The corridors were dead because everyone was gathered in the Great Hall. Except we did come across a couple of third year boys playing with Fanged Frisbees on the fourth floor. Malfoy snatched them right out of their hands and instructed them to get back to the Great Hall or else he would severely punish them.
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" I said. "There were just having fun."
"I don't bloody care," he responded and held up the growling Frisbee. "These aren't allowed."
"See this is one of the reasons why I don't like you," I remarked and he raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing.
There was a brief period of time where the corridors flooded with younger students and I assumed that meant the feast had concluded. I overheard one girl tell her friend that this year's carrot cake was the best one yet and I mentally cursed Malfoy for ruining my Halloween. I sat down on a nearby bench to rest because my feet were aching from all the constant walking Malfoy was making me do. Soon the corridors were emptied and the quiet returned.
"No sitting on the job, Weasley," Malfoy said. "We have to start our rounds over now since everyone is in bed."
"Couldn't you find someone else to take the Halloween duties?" I moaned.
"Clearly not since I'm here with you and not another prefect," he said and marched down the stairs to the main floor.
It was dark now with only dim lanterns on the walls to light the way. I wasn't used to covering night shifts and I stumbled slightly through the dark, hoping that Malfoy didn't see. He led me down a staircase that was just off the entrance to the Great Hall to the basement. I didn't bother to ask him why he was leading me down here because he hadn't been very helpful with any of my earlier questions. The only things down here was the kitchen and I vaguely remember hearing that the Hufflepuff common room was down here somewhere.
"You said you wanted carrot cake, right?" he asked, turning to look at me and I nodded.
There was a large painting of a bowl of fruit at the end of the hall and Malfoy reached out and touched the pear. It took me a second to realize that he was actually tickling the pear and for a moment I thought Malfoy had lost it. It squirmed and giggled before transforming itself into a green door knob. Malfoy turned the door knob and opened the door, holding it open and gesturing for me to go in first. My ears were met with the sound of squeaks as a bunch of little house elves ran forward to see who came to visit. They peered up at me with orb-like eyes with curiosity.
"The lady requests cake," Malfoy announced from the doorway.
The elves, who were all too happy to serve, scampered off and then returned with two plates of carrot cake. They placed them on the table along with forks as I sat down in one of the wooden chairs.
"Thank you," I said and then looked back at Malfoy. "Is this allowed?"
"Who cares? I'm Head Boy and Malfoys always settle their debts," he stated and sat down on the other wooden chair, not touching the cake that was laid out before him.
My fork sliced through the creamy icing and moist cake with ease. I scarfed it down, happy that I wasn't going to go a Halloween without carrot cake. I was almost finished with it when I noticed that Malfoy had still not touched his own cake was smirking at me with amusement as he watched me eat mine. I suddenly felt self-conscious and forced myself to take smaller bites.
"I don't like cake," he said when he noticed that I kept glancing at his untouched piece. He pushed the plate forward towards me. "You can have it if you want."
"No, I'm full." I shook my head.
"What a waste," he said.
"Actually I thought it smelled kind of funny," I said, a house elf rushing past to clear my plate and I thanked him for it.
"Funny how?" Malfoy asked.
"I don't know, just smell it for me and tell me what you think," I replied, pushing the plate of cake back towards him.
He leaned forward, looking slightly curious and smelled the piece of cake. Just as he put his head close to the plate, I placed my hand on the back of his head and pushed it down, smothering his face with the cake. It was trick I learned from my Uncle George and one I fell victim to many times when I was younger. His head shot up immediately and he had the creamy icing all over his face. Some even got in his hair. I sniggered at the sight and I couldn't believe that he fell for such an old trick.
"Thanks," he said unamused. He reached over and grabbed a dish rag and wiped the cake off of his face.
Once his face was clean, he stood up from his chair, the legs of the chair shrieking against the wooden floor. We walked back up the stairs to the main floor to continue our rounds, which were rather uneventful. Malfoy still didn't talk much and I just assumed it was because he was tired and probably a little annoyed with me for the cake incident. Maybe if the Ministry didn't abolish the law, Malfoy and I could be good friends like Lily and Lysander. That wouldn't be as bad as having to marry that prat. We were wandering down the fifth floor corridor and I was still lost in thought when there was a sudden soft thud. I jumped and gasped at the noise, but Malfoy just stood there, still calm.
"Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?" he mocked.
"That doesn't mean things can't startle me!"
I peered around the corner where the noise came from to see what it was. A boy had his back pressed against the stone wall and his lips were locked with the girl in front of him, who was nearly a head shorter than him. They were in the middle of a heated snogging session and I blushed at the scene. I also felt a slight feeling of jealousy even but I brushed it off.
"What is it?" Malfoy asked.
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing," I lied but he didn't look very convinced.
He pushed past me and rounded the corner but the couple were so involved in each other they didn't even notice they had an audience. Malfoy cleared his throat loudly but the couple didn't break apart. I was suddenly fully aware of how awkward this situation was and retreated back around the corner.
"Oi!"
I could hear startled gasps and Malfoy scolding them for being out past curfew. He docked points from each of them and the couple rounded the corner and rushed past me, thoroughly embarrassed. Malfoy followed closely behind and watch them disappear down the corridor. I felt sympathy towards the pair. I couldn't imagine how awkward it would be being caught snogging like that by the Head Boy and being punished for it.
"That could be us if you didn't have such a huge stick up your arse," Malfoy stated casually, tucking his hands away in the pockets of his robes.
"No, Malfoy, that will not be us," I snapped, feeling my blush from earlier grow deeper.
"It already happened once," he said and winked.
"Are you kidding me? Just when I thought we were going to go a day without your stupid comments, you start pulling this shit!" Just when I was considering being your friend, I thought, but I kept that thought to myself.
"Keep your voice down, darling," he responded.
"I said no pet names! Did you forget to be a prat tonight and now you're trying to make it all up in the next five minutes?"
He didn't respond, instead he sat down on a nearby bench and started picking at the Fanged Frisbee he confiscated earlier. The Frisbee growled and tried to nip at his fingertips, but he pulled them away. I watched him, hoping that he wouldn't pull them away in time and that the Frisbee would tear his fingers off.
"What else don't you like about me?" he asked, not looking at me. I was confused for a moment and then I realized he was referencing my comment from earlier when he had first confiscated the Frisbee.
"You're vain, and selfish, and rude to me!" I exclaimed, my voice was still a little too loud. "Whose arse did you kiss for that badge, anyway?"
"I earned it," he said, his fingers tracing the outline of his Head Boy badge. "My mother was Head Girl her seventh year. First Slytherin to be made Head Girl in ages, actually. Barely passed her N.E. because she was so determined to prove herself after the war and spent more time on her Head Girl duties than her grades."
"As touching as that is, Malfoy, I didn't ask for your mother's life story," I said and he looked a bit surprised at my statement.
"And I'm the rude one? I'm merely just making polite conversation," he said. "Maybe you're the rude one, always shooting me down and such."
"There's loads of people who think you're unpleasant!" I exclaimed.
"Name three," he challenged, a smirk forming on his face and the atmosphere between us suddenly felt very tense.
"Well, me, for starters. My dad is another one and…Fiona," I listed, hoping he couldn't pick up on the uncertainty in my voice but his amused expression told me he had.
"So you, your father, and the girl who can't seem to use a tissue to save her life? Those are some credible sources, Weasley."
I could feel my face begin to heat up again, thankful it was poorly lit in the corridor so Malfoy wouldn't be able to see. His triumph expression and posture was infuriating, but I had nothing else to say. Maybe I was the rude and irrational one.
No, I wasn't. He was the one who was manipulative, vain, and unpleasant. My fists clenched together and I stood there rigidly. I was furious at him for trying to put the blame of his actions on me. That damn smirk of his wasn't helping either and I was so tired of him laughing at everything I said or did. I was tired of him and I found myself practically praying now for the rumor about the change of laws to be true.
I glanced down at my watch and felt a small surge of relief when I noticed that it said it was midnight. Midnight meant that this was the end of the shift and I could go back to the Gryffindor common room and not have to deal with the infuriating boy in front of me. I hadn't noticed that Malfoy had actually gradually gotten closer to me the more I stood there and thought about how angry I was until his body was a mere few centimeters away from mine.
"It's midnight," I stated, looking up at him. He was quite a bit taller than me.
"So all I have to do to win my own soulmate over is to be less testy than her?" he questioned, ignoring my announcement of the time.
"I don't know why you want to win me over so bad," I said, taking a step back to put space in between us but he just stepped forward so I didn't succeed in making more space anyway.
"There are many things you don't know, which I know must be hard for someone like you. I tried to open up to you only moments ago and you were, how did you describe me? You were rude." His body was almost touching mine, his hand just barely brushed the exposed skin on my arm. "So I guess you'll have to figure things out on your own."
"I'm going to bed," I declared, and turned on my heel and strode away from him, walking as fast as I could without it looking like I was trying to run away.
"Goodnight, Rose."