Word Count: 1002


"I would give away the sweetest memories if I could just be with you again."

-"Pollen and Salt" by Daphne Loves Derby


"Isn't it so exciting?" Astoria asks, smiling as she adjusts the decorative pin in her hair. "Maybe we will finally meet our soulmates!"

Daphne smiles because she knows she is supposed to. Attending the Soulmate Search at Malfoy Manor is meant to be an honor. Most people go through life, aimlessly searching for their perfect match. Only the lucky few have the privilege of attending balls like this.

She glances down at the soulmark on her wrist, a seed that has not budged since it appeared on her skin when she turned eleven. Someone out there has the same seed. When they touch for the first time, their marks will bloom into something beautiful.

Try as she might, she can't bring herself to feel even the faintest shred of excitement.

She has already fallen in love, and he is not her soulmate.

"You should be careful. I hear the Giant Squid likes to kidnap beautiful girls and drag them to his lair."

Daphne looks up to see Blaise Zabini standing there, grinning down at her. She just rolls her eyes. "Shut up."

"I mean it," he says, sitting beside her and gesturing toward her bare feet that she's resting in the dark water. "I'm just looking out for you."

He says it with such a seriousness that she can't help but laugh. Blaise Zabini, the boy who is so above everyone and everything around him, has chosen to sit by her and talk like they're friends. Maybe she should feel special.

"You look beautiful in green," Astoria says, a hint of envy in her tone. "It never works with my complexion."

Daphne just snorts, adjusting the straps of her jade green gown. Her sister looks beautiful in anything she wears. Daphne just suspects that Astoria is trying to get her to open up. Daphne knows she's been quiet during their preparations, but she can't bring herself to speak, so scared that she will say too much, that the floodgates will open, and she will be left vulnerable.

He kisses her first. They're in the greenhouse alone, working on a project because he needs help and she's good with plants.

His lips find hers, and she pulls away. There's something so beautiful about the kiss; it feels so right, and she finds herself feeling tranquil.

But it's wrong. "We aren't soulmates," she says softly.

The seed is still aside. Blaise isn't the one.

So why does it feel like he is?

"We don't have to be," he tells her.

She shakes her head. There are people out there who can meet their and marry someone else. They don't have that luxury. Their families are bound by tradition.

"We do."

He kisses her again, and maybe she changes her mind.

Daphne studies her reflection. She really does look beautiful. She wonders if Blaise is here, if he is getting ready now. Can they dance together and just pretend? Can they find a way to convince the world that they're meant to be, despite what their soulmarks say?

"Are you hungry?" He grins at her, lifting the bowl of fruit.

"Someone could see us."

The common room is empty. It's been over an hour since anyone has stepped foot out of their dormitory. It isn't safe, and she knows she should be cautious, but she feels more invincible than she will ever admit. Blaise must feel it too.

"We're just two friends, sharing a few strawberries and grapes," he says innocently.

How does he make her so brave? When she is with him, she doesn't care about rules or traditions. Blaise is the only thing that matters.

When the bowl is empty, they sit together, watching the flames in the fireplace. He holds her hand, and she waits for the seed to do something, like its response is just delayed. It remains the same, as it always does.

"How about a goodnight kiss?" he asks, and he offers her a grin that melts her heart. How can she say no?

She leans in, pressing her lips to his. It's such a perfect moment, and she wants nothing more than to capture it, freeze it in time, and live there forever.

"I love you," he whispers.

She says it back. It's the easiest thing in the world.

She doesn't want to go. She would give up anything to be able to have just one more moment with Blaise, to pretend that the world outside doesn't exist. It isn't fair.

Daphne is lovesick. Just knowing that Blaise is not her soulmate feels like a knife in her chest. Still, she holds her head high; she will be strong through this.

"I will love you forever," she tells him.

"I'm just sorry that we aren't meant to be." He smiles sadly before handing her a bouquet of flowers. Daisies, her favorite. "I love you. Always."

Their lips meet, and she can taste goodbye in his kiss.

...

She grips her glass of wine, watching as the others dance. Some have found their soulmates and are dancing with the same person through multiple dances, while others change partners with every song, desperately hoping to find the one.

Daphne hasn't even tried to dance yet. Maybe she doesn't want to know; maybe she would be happier without ever meeting her soulmate at all.

Across the room, Blaise catches her attention. There's a girl attached to his arm, and she looks absolutely starstruck, like she's the luckiest person in this room. Daphne can't help but agree.

She finishes her wine in one quick gulp and turns, walking away. In that moment, she decides that her seed will always be a seed. It will remain there, unchanged. If she has to live in a world where Blaise isn't her soulmate, then she will live in one where she doesn't have a soulmate at all.