Theme: Fated
Beater 1: Anything you write or draw on yourself appears on your soulmate. [Blaise/Luna]
Prompts:
[object] Pen/Quill
[colour] Royal Blue
[colour] Blush Pink
Words: 1,593 words
"Luna, why are you drawing a unicorn on your arm?"
Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood were sitting under a tree by the Black Lake. It was a Saturday in March and the weather was uncommonly pleasant. All around them students seemed to have the same idea. Some sitting under trees, others splashing in the lake. All enjoying the sunshine.
Luna looked up from the design she was making on her left forearm with her quill. "I found a spell in the library. It was in a book in the restricted section that I found while I was helping Madam Pince reshelve the books. It was a soulmate spell."
Ginny sat up with interest. Arnold, her Pygmy Puff rolled off her stomach at the disturbance. "Does it tell you who your soulmate is? What if it's someone really cool like Harry? Or really uncool like my brother?"
"Which brother?" Luna returned.
"Indeed. Which brother?" Ginny chuckled at that thought, thinking of Percy, or Ron. Laying back on the grass with her eyes closed, she continued her speculation. "What if it's someone obnoxious like McLaggan? Or utterly wretched like Malfoy? Or even worse, thick as two short planks."
"That's not a nice thing to say about Crabbe and Goyle," Luna said, as she added her name to the unicorn's flank.
"But you knew who I meant, didn't you?"
Luna glared at Ginny, but there was no real heat behind her expression. Ginny for her part didn't see, as her eyes remained closed.
"So tell me more about the spell. How will it identify your soulmate?"
"I said the incantation on myself. Now, anything I write or draw on myself will appear on the other person."
"And then what?" Ginny replied. "Will a royal blue light beam shoot up into the sky to tell you where they are?"
"Well, no. It will just be on them, I guess."
"But Lu, how will you find them? What if they don't go to Hogwarts? Or what if they've already left," Ginny continued, thinking about her twin brothers who had left the school unexpectedly. Or even like Oliver Wood, who had already matriculated. Ginny had harboured a secret crush on the Gryffindor Goalkeeper during her second year. He had been surprisingly kind to her after the Chamber of Secrets incident and she admired his Quidditch skills and determination. Puddlemere United became her second favourite Quidditch Team after he joined, on the power of his involvement alone. With a gasp, Ginny realized something else, "Luna, what if they're a Muggle living on the other side of the world?"
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Luna shrugged. Her composure undisturbed by Ginny's frantic questions.
The Slytherin Quidditch team had just completed their practice. Walking off the pitch the boys were in high spirits, their practice had gone well. Draco Malfoy had caught the snitch four times, each time within ten minutes. They passed the Hufflepuff team who was making their way onto the pitch.
In the changing room, the noise level that was dispersed on the pitch was magnified within the confined space. The other players were loudly talking, cracking jokes and generally being disorderly as they made their way into the showers.
Malfoy dropped onto the bench next to his teammate and de facto best friend, Slytherin Chaser, Blaise Zabini, picking up a conversation thread that had started before their practice.
"I think we can get the house-elves to give us the food for the party, but I'm not sure how we can get the Firewhiskey. Pucey used to get it through the Weasley Twins but they're obviously not an option anymore and- Blaise, when did you get a new tattoo?"
"I don't have a new tattoo," Blaise replied, his voice muffled as he pulled his quidditch jersey over his head.
"Then why did you draw a unicorn on your arm?" Draco pointed to the drawing in question.
"What unico-" Blaise followed the direction of Draco's point. Draco jumped up and grabbed Blaise's arm, his own jersey hanging half-off his torso.
"Do you have a girlfriend I don't know about?"
"Noone exclusive, why?"
"Then why is Luna Lovegood's name written on your arm?"
Luna and Ginny walked towards the Gryffindor table for dinner. Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, with the distinct sensation of being watched. When she sat down, she scanned the room to see if anyone was paying attention to her. It didn't appear that she had any watchers, until her eyes landed on the Slytherin table. Most of the students were focused on their own meals or talking to their neighbours except two. Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were staring at her and Luna. There was no mistaking their undivided attention.
Ginny tried to get Luna's opinion on this new development.
"Perhaps we have something on our face?" Was Luna's dismissive reply.
Ginny wasn't convinced. In fact, she was more than a little concerned. It was never a good thing to be squarely in the crosshairs of Slytherin attention. As a group of Gryffindors were leaving the Hall, Ginny took the opportunity to make up their numbers. Grabbing Luna's arm, she dragged her into the centre of the group and exited the Hall. The Slytherin duo's eyes followed their hasty retreat.
Over the next week, the Slytherins kept a close watch on Luna and Ginny but didn't approach. Everywhere the girls went they were somewhere in the vicinity watching and whispering to themselves. Ginny had taken to being on guard, always with her wand in hand ready to defend herself if necessary. Luna on the other hand, seemed content to go about her days as if they didn't have very intimidating Slytherin shadows.
The weekend finally arrived and with it brought a Hogsmeade visit.
"Luna, I still think we should stay behind. Those slimy snakes are up to something, I just know it. I'd rather be on familiar ground if I have to hex one of them, than risk being ambushed in some alley in Hogsmeade."
"Ginny, I'm sure it will be perfectly fine. We will stay on the high streets and only go into the shops and the Three Broomsticks. No one will ambush us in public. It's not like they're Death Eaters. They're just teenage boys," Luna said, casually. "Besides, I need to restock my parchment and get more licorice wands. I'll even get you some sugar quills."
Ginny acquiesced at the thought of sugar quills. The sugary confectionery was her favourite sweet, especially when stuck in History of Magic.
The day was uneventful. Their Slytherin shadows seemed nowhere to be found. They enjoyed the whole day without being followed or watched and they were just walking out of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop when they walked straight into the two boys Ginny had been trying to avoid.
"Oof!" Ginny stumbled backwards. Recovering her footing, she glared at Malfoy. "Watch where you're going, Malfoy!"
"You're in my way, Weasel. Move!"
"No! You move, Ferret!"
As their friends continued arguing Luna focused on Blaise who had not stopped staring at her. "Hello, Blaise Zabini. Pleasant day?"
"I've had better. Care to tell me what this is?" He practically snarled at her, getting right to the point. He pulled up the sleeve of his jumper and thrust his arm towards Luna. At the sight of her unicorn sitting on his arm, Luna's face turned blush pink.
"Come with me, I can explain," She said hurriedly. Before he could reply, she grabbed him by the same arm and dragged him into Madam Puddifoot's.
By the time Ginny and Draco ended their argument and noticed they were alone, their friends were already seated at a table at the back of the cafe. Draco and Ginny watched through the window as Luna spoke animatedly and kept pointing to his arm.
"What are they doing? You're her mate, why did she drag Zabini into Puddifoot's," Draco asked Ginny, confused.
Noticing Luna pointing from her arm to Zabini's, Ginny explained, "Luna thinks he's her soulmate. She thinks she found a book in the library that can identify a person's soulmate. She drew an image on her arm and the same image is supposed to appear on her soulmate. I think it's a load of twaddle but you can't reason with Luna once she's made up her mind."
They waited outside the tea shop for another twenty minutes before their friends finally joined them.
Without saying a word, Blaise and Luna shook hands and then pulled their friends in opposite directions.
"Luna, what happened? What did you tell him? What did he say?" Ginny kept looking between the departing Slytherins and her friend.
"He has my unicorn on his arm. He doesn't believe the book so he's going to do more research," she said with an eye roll. "He's agreed to be civil to me in the meantime."
"What if he's really your soulmate? What will happen then?
"I guess we'll write to each other and see what happens."
"I still don't believe that spell worked. Things like that don't just happen," Ginny said, voicing her thoughts.
"Why not? Stranger things have happened. A baby defeated a Dark Wizard. Why should this be any more strange than that? Let's go in here, I need to restock my porcupine quills for Potions," Luna retorted, the matter clearly dropped in favour of more general topics.
Ginny couldn't get past the idea. Looking back in the direction the boys went one last time, she said, "Yeah, stranger things have happened."