Enter for the International Wizarding School Competition – Finals - Beauxbatons

Theme: Beauxbatons: Fate — Write about a character facing or fighting their fate.

Year 7

Mandatory prompt: 5. [Emotion] Trust

Optional prompts used: 4. [Dialogue] "Behave." / "Not in this lifetime."

Special rule: None

Word count: 2,974

Warnings: AU Fairytale

Thanks to everyone in Beauxbatons for the amazing teamwork and for just being incredible people. I'm very glad to have met all of you this year. Go Beauxbatons!

At last I see the light

Hermione had never thought that this was how her life would end: a boy flying a Hippogriff through her window and beaming at her like she was a treasure he had just found.

Before this point, her life had been pretty boring, if she was being honest. She was a seventeen-year-old witch who had spent thirteen years locked away in a tower because a Seer had made a prophecy about her. Hermione had never understood what the prophecy was exactly, but she never forgot her parents' faces when they heard it.

"When the Earth and Sun come together,

Their hearts shall become one.

A simple touch kills

All that the Earth has ever been."

Sybill Trelawney was a well-known Seer. Hermione's parents always believed her word, and they would do anything to protect their only daughter from what Fate had put in her path.

They probably wouldn't have reacted to anything Sybill had said, if it hadn't been for the mark that had appeared on Hermione's wrist. It was shaped like the Earth, with blue lines that glowed when she stepped into the sunlight.

Hermione didn't remember much about what happened after the prophecy, but she remembered her parents talking about her in hushed tones. She overheard them talking about sending her away, and the next thing she knew, she was in this tower.

"We need to do what's best for our girl," Henry Granger had told his wife, straightening his back resolutely. "Even if it isn't what we originally thought it would be."

"I don't like this; I don't want to do this." Anna had been holding Hermione close to her chest. "I don't want to lose our baby. I don't want love to come and kill her."

"We aren't going to let that happen. We need to ensure that she never needs to face this prophecy."

Henry hadn't left any room for Anna to disagree with him, and together, they'd put their daughter in her new bed in a tower far away, making sure she would be protected for the rest of her life.

Her parents' form of protection resulted in an isolated existence. She had no friends, and the faded portraits on the walls made poor conversationalists. It was a miracle she hadn't lost her mind after so many years of talking to herself. She'd started to see things in places that didn't exist and could swear she had heard a voice coming from outside the window.

Her parents had lived with her in the tower, but now that she was older, they had moved back to their family home, leaving her behind, and only visited once a year. Their presence and conversation were a blessing, but it didn't change her feelings about their abandonment.

"How are you today, honey? Happy birthday," her mother said, hugging her and kissing her temple. Hermione knew her parents loved her, but it was hard not to be resentful of them sometimes. "We brought you some books to help occupy your time."

"Thank you, Mum," Hermione murmured, grabbing her gifts. She knew her mum had good intentions when she brought things for her, but Hermione couldn't help but wonder how her life would be if she weren't stuck in her tower.

Hermione never resented her parents for doing what they thought was right, but she shouldn't have been locked away, waiting for crumbs of attention once a year to feel loved. She should've had the freedom to make her own choices.

"The vines around the tower have grown stronger," Henry said, looking out the window and noting the way the plant had become overgrown. "It looks like something straight out of a fairytale."

Hermione tried not to groan, but she didn't want to be someone in a fairytale; she just wanted to be herself. She wanted to be able to leave the tower and be her own person.

"Do you think I'll leave this place someday?" Hermione asked. She wasn't surprised by the loaded look her parents shared, but she refused to let her shoulders sag.

"Honey, we've talked about this..." Anna started to say, but Hermione could see she was looking at Henry for help.

"The prophecy is something we have to take into consideration." Henry hugged Hermione. "I don't think it's something we should talk about, and even less so on your birthday. C'mon, your mum made your favourite raspberry tarts."

Hermione had fallen silent and just allowed her parents to entertain her for another day.

That incident had been months ago, and she was alone once again; she just hoped the day she could leave was near. Or she might die in this stupid tower.

Hermione sighed as she stood by the window. In the distance, a throng of people walked down the forest trail.

"It looks like another festival has arrived," she said out loud. "I wish I could see it for myself. Walk around the villages and see people having fun."

A swan's loud trumpet snapped her out of her observations. Hermione couldn't help but smile. Brian and Gertrude—the names she had given the swans. They were wild swans, who liked to visit Hermione and keep her company.

"How are you two today? Any news?" Hermione asked, and Gertrude trumpeted at her. "Really? I'm so happy for you two!"

Hermione couldn't understand them, but she always made up conversations in her head. It was probably a sign that she was losing her mind, after all—not that she cared too much. But today, she didn't need to make up any conversation, because they had brought a little grey cygnet with them. It didn't take a genius to know what was going on. She motioned for the swans to enter the tower.

"You two are going to be such amazing parents!" Hermione congratulated. It was only when she realized she was awaiting a response that her shoulders sagged, and she felt lonelier in that moment than she had in her entire life. "I've been locked in here for so long that you two are my only friends… What has my life come to?"

Gertrude trumpeted at Hermione and pecked her dress, making Hermione smile. She knew the swan was her fierce protector, but she didn't want to have a swan family for company for the rest of her life.

"Sorry, Gertrude, I'm just feeling sorry for myself today," Hermione said, patting Gertrude's head. "Would it be okay if I read a story to the baby?"

It was Brian who trumpeted back at her and brought the cygnet to the foot of her bed, placing it and himself in front of Hermione, and Gertrude soon followed him.

Hermione smiled at the scene in front of her, unaware of how her life would change only moments later.

On the other side of the forest, far, far away from Hermione's tower, there was a little village. In it, the one whose mark complemented hers was waiting for the day when they would meet.

Fred always knew that on his eighteenth birthday, the mark he carried on his wrist would brighten and help him find his true love. It wasn't a secret that one of the Weasley twins was fated for something—rumours mentioned a prophecy, but no one had ever confirmed it.

Fred had decided to take his destiny into his own hands. He wasn't going to wait any longer. It was his eighteenth birthday, and he was determined to go after his soulmate, rather than wait for her to come to him.

"This is it, Georgie! Today is the day that I finally go after the other piece of my heart," Fred said, walking towards the family stable. "You met your soulmate today, and it's a clear sign that I should look for mine."

"Freddie, you aren't making any sense. You realise that, don't you?" George asked. "How are you going to look for someone when you don't even know who that person is?"

"I have a hunch, twin o'mine, and don't worry," Fred said, coming closer to the family's Hippogriff. "I have to trust that she knows I'm coming for her."

"Don't be closed-minded. You don't even know if your soulmate is a she. I don't think this is a good plan," George muttered, watching his brother pull the Hippogriff after him. "You don't even know where this girl is."

Fred looked at George with a smile that suggested he was up to no good. "I know that I can find her. That tower that has always grabbed my attention must be where she is."

Fred saw George opening and closing his mouth, still wanting to argue, but in the end, it was Fred's decision if he would follow his crazy plan or not. Nodding to his twin, Fred saluted him with a smirk.

"Behave," George said. Fred looked like a madman.

"Not in this lifetime," Fred replied as he mounted his Hippogriff. Something told him he should follow the little swan family that frequented the lake by his house to the forest, so Fred gave the Hippogriff a kick and took to the skies in their wake.

Fred had kept seeing the tower in a vision, and had given it a fair bit of thought, wondering why he kept seeing it. It stood on the outskirts of a forest, but for some reason, he had felt an attraction to that tower ever since he was five years old. He couldn't explain why he wanted to go to that place, but he now knew that his fate was waiting for him there.

Hermione was having a good time, reading aloud to Gertrude, Brian, and the baby (she needed to come up with a name for it). Even if other people would find it strange for her to be reading to the swans, she knew that she didn't have much of a choice in what she could do. In the end, they were her only friends, and this was the best way for her to pass the time. She probably would have stayed in that same spot near her bed if it hadn't been for the large Hippogriff crashing through her window.

Hermione screamed. Gertrude trumpeted and leapt fiercely in front of her, while Brian grabbed their cygnet and flew to safety in the rafters. She couldn't hear anything but the pounding of her heart, and her pulse rate increased when she realised there was a young man astride the Hippogriff.

When the boy dismounted from the Hippogriff, Hermione saw something shining on his wrist, making her heart plummet to her stomach. The boy started looking around her tower as if he thought he belonged there. Hermione gulped down her panic, as the room spun around her.

He never saw Gertrude in front of her, but she saw the moment he realised Hermione was in the tower.

"I was right! My destiny has been waiting for me here! Hello," he said, looking at Hermione like he couldn't refrain himself from smiling. "How are you, gorgeous? I'm Fred Weasley, and you are…?"

"How did you find this tower? No one was supposed to find this tower," Hermione replied, not wanting to disclose any information to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I can answer your questions when you answer mine," Fred replied, which made Hermione frown. "May I know your name?"

The boy was looking at her with a smile on his face, and although he was taller than her, he didn't seem to have muscles hidden under his shirt. If he tried to do anything to her, she could always throw him out the window.

Hermione didn't want to tell him anything that would compromise her safety, but if she wanted answers, she needed to say something. "My name is Hermione Granger. Now, how did you find this tower?"

"I've felt a connection to this place ever since I was five, and since today is my eighteenth birthday, I thought, why not give it a chance?"

Hermione didn't feel any more reassured when he informed her about feeling connected to the tower for the last thirteen years — the same amount of time that she had been locked in it. Something was escaping her, but she didn't know what; it was Gertrude's trumpet that made her remember the glint on his wrist.

"What's that on your wrist?" Hermione asked. It looked like she had asked the right question because Fred beamed at her.

"It's my soul mark, something I've had since I was born." Fred raised his hand to show it to her: a sun glowed on his inner wrist. Somehow, she felt as if it were connected to her. "I always wondered why I had the sun, but I'm not complaining."

"I have an Earth." Hermione showed him hers, and her mark glowed light blue, making her stifle a gasp. "I don't know what's happening."

Hermione shook her head, reminding herself she wasn't supposed to have anyone in the tower with her, especially not someone who could kill her without her noticing anything. Squaring her shoulders and glaring at Fred, Hermione decided to return to her questions.

"Something brought you here," Hermione said to Fred, who was more interested in looking around her tower than at her. "Fate, destiny..."

"A Hippogriff," Fred replied, smiling and gesturing towards his Hippogriff. It stood near the debris, shaking its head back and forth. "This is Sir Kicks-A-Lot. I named him that because…"

"Because he kicks a lot?" she asked, trying to understand the boy.

"Actually, he's never kicked anyone in his life. He's very sweet. Don't judge him." Fred hugged the Hippogriff. Hermione couldn't help but smile, but she shook her head. She couldn't be distracted; he was here to kill her, and she wasn't going to be easy prey.

"You're finally here," Hermione said, trying to make him confess what he had come here to do. It seemed like the right thing to say since his face lit up like someone had cast a Lumos on him.

"Oh, yeah, I've been waiting for this for so long. I'm so excited that this day has finally arrived!" Fred said with a smile wider than his face. "This is actually going to be my first time, so don't mind me if I mess up a little. I was saving myself for you."

Hermione blanched. She thought about asking him if she should feel honoured that she was going to be the first person he was going to kill, but she reasoned it wasn't going to help her if she asked. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for her fate.

"Are you ready?" Fred asked her. He looked like he didn't want to waste any time.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Hermione muttered, deciding to face her fate with her head held high.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see him coming to end her life—she was brave, but not that brave—and waited for the inevitable.

Fred's footsteps echoed as he walked closer to her, and Hermione took a deep breath. Warm hands were soon caressing her cheeks, his touch more gentle than she could have hoped for. But she couldn't stop her erratic thoughts.

'Oh, he's going to snap my neck. Easy kill, I won't feel a thing. That's a nice way to go, I think. If my fate is to die, then I'm glad it's going to be in a way that doesn't make a mess. Less things for my parents to clean later.'

Hermione didn't dare open her eyes to see death coming for her, but the minty breath that invaded her nostrils made her inhale sharply. The caress on her cheeks never stopped, and then his lips pressed against hers.

Every coherent thought left her.

'Wha…I don't…What?'

Confusion filled her mind, a fog settling in her brain. All she could focus on was how Fred's lips were so beguiling. She had never been kissed before, but it didn't matter. Fred's kiss might just be the thing that killed her. His lips were smooth and moved slowly over hers, and Hermione couldn't stop herself from putting her hands on his arms to anchor herself to the present.

'If this is how the prophecy said I would die, I don't mind at all,' Hermione thought, even though her lungs screamed at her that she needed oxygen.

When they parted and tried to recover their breath, Fred whispered, "Come away with me?"

Hermione looked at him like a second head had sprouted from his body.

"Do you trust me? Trust me that I can show you how life is outside this tower?"

Hermione almost stopped breathing. Fred was saying everything she had always wanted to hear, but she didn't want to believe him.

"No one will tell us 'no' or where to go," he murmured, his smile so bright. His eyes reflected emotions she couldn't identify at first, but in her heart, she realised she could trust him.

Hermione had lived her whole life in fear, fear of a strange prophecy and of thinking she would never have a life worth living. She had always felt trapped because of the words of a person who didn't know her. She might be making the worst decision of her life, one that could lead to her death, but she needed to try. Looking into Fred's eyes, nothing seemed more certain than what she said to him next.

"All right."

Fred's smile widened—if that was possible—and he hugged her with all his might. Hermione didn't understand exactly what was happening, but she was willing to take the first step.

Following Fred and mounting Sir Kicks-A-Lot, Hermione realised her life was finally beginning. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but for the first time, she wasn't worried about her future. She was finally seeing the light.