Yo! Like I said last time, I'm in the middle of writing chapter eight, which means, the first few chapters should all be up fairly quickly, maybe even one every day until I catch up, time permitting, of course. Thank you to all readers so far!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...
It was a rainy Friday morning at Hogwarts, and Marvolo was seated at the Head Table, in the middle of breakfast. He was simply reaching for his mug of coffee with his free hand, when the splotch of colour on his normally pale skin suddenly caught his eye.
Frowning, feeling slightly confused, he raised his hand up slightly, and froze. Right there, in the middle of his palm, was what he assumed to be a flower, drawn with what appeared to be a purple Muggle marker.
It was hardly drawn expertly, looking quite messy, almost...childlike.
"Is something the matter with your hand, Tom?" It was Dumbledore who spoke, seated to his left, the old man never having stopped using that damned name in reference to him. He looked over curiously, and then smiled cheerfully, his blue eyes twinkling happily. "Your very first soulmate mark! Congratulations, my boy!"
It almost sounded as if he was congratulating him for losing his first tooth.
Deciding not to correct the usage of his disgusting Muggle father's name, Marvolo merely inclined his head. "Yes, my thanks, Dumbledore." They both knew he didn't care at all for the old man's words.
Nothing more was spoken of it for now, though Marvolo found himself staring at the messy flower-a violet, he assumed, more than once throughout the day. It was a good thing it was a Friday, because he was having a difficult time concentrating on teaching his lessons...
After dinner that night, he retired to his sitting room, where he was having a drink with the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House (because Marvolo himself was now too busy to take the extra responsibility and had passed the Head's position on), Severus Snape, one of his followers. The were discussing the mark.
Severus had been fortunate to have met his own soulmate when he had been eleven, in an older House mate of his, Lucius Malfoy. They had bonded not long after Severus had finished his seventh year, before adding Narcissa Black into the mix. She had lost her soulmate at a very young age, long before she had even begun attending Hogwarts, never having met them before their death.
Lucius' father Abaraxas had been clear he wanted a grandson to continue on their line, blood adoption be damned, and with Narcissa being such a close friend, she agreed to have the child herself. Now Abaraxas was happy (or would be if he were still alive), Lucius and Severus were happy to be together, and Narcissa was happy to be with them, she and Lucius their boy's parents, with Severus content to be his godfather.
Severus had a great amount of respect for Marvolo, who had helped him through many painful times and trials that Dumbledore had all but ignored, and he had always wondered why the man hadn't ever mentioned a soulmate of his own. He had assumed the man didn't have one and didn't want it known or brought up. Now, it seemed like he had his answer.
His gaze paused on the other man. Marvolo was seated in the armchair across him, his crimson eyes once more locked on the little flower doodle. He was frowning again. Severus took a slow sip of Firewhiskey, watching.
"I had thought you would be pleased," he spoke after a moment. "I have no doubt Lucius and Cissa will be utterly...ecstatic." Narcissa in particular, always a romantic, that one.
Slowly, Marvolo looked up from his hand. "My soulmate is a child."
Severus raised a brow. "And how would you know that?"
The other man gave him a look that was quite familiar from his Dark Lord days, not that he wasn't considered one now. "This cannot have been drawn by anyone other than a child."
"Simply because it is not perfect? If I were to attempt to draw that, it would look far worse. Not every adult is able to draw." Though he couldn't dismiss the fact that this could very well be a child. If it really was an adult, surely some sort of mark would have appeared before now?
Marvolo was an attentive man. He wouldn't have missed it every single time. And as far as either of them knew, this was the first time something had appeared on his skin. This they both knew clearly.
Severus hesitated just slightly. "Have you...attempted to communicate in return?" he asked.
"...No, not yet." Marvolo didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't quite sure what to do now. He was fifty eight years old (though he looked half that), and had come to terms with simply not having a soulmate. He had put all his attention and energy in his work, and to have something like this happen now... It was just very sudden and unexpected.
"Draw something in return," the usually dour Potions Master suggested. "A flower, perhaps, like the one they drew. There is no reason why you should not."
Yes, that was true. He didn't have to use words just yet. A simple doodle in return shouldn't cause much harm, because while unsure of what to do, he didn't exactly want to just ignore it either.
So he took up the quill he had been using to correct homework earlier, dipped it in the ink, and hesitantly drew a red flower on his left wrist, hardly even feeling the pain, because using quills for this probably wasn't a good idea, if Severus' wince had anything to say about it.
He couldn't recall ever drawing a flower before in his life, and this one very clearly reflected that. Still, it was too late to change his mind now, the ink already settled on his pale skin.
The hours passed and Severus returned to his own rooms in the dungeons. Marvolo had a final drink before deciding it was time for him to head to bed. Tomorrow may be a Saturday, but he still had much work to do, and not just work for the lessons he was teaching.
He checked himself over one last time, but saw nothing new, and with a sigh, settled into bed, the candle's flame snuffing out with a snap of his fingers...
When Marvolo woke in the morning, his eyes immediately landed on his wrist. The red flower he had drawn last night now had a green stem, with a leaf on either side.
His soulmate had completed his drawing. His long, slim fingers traced over it slowly...
So, like I said, chapters will remain fairly short, because I write them whenever I have a few minutes to kill, so don't ask for longer ones. Also, shorter chapters should also mean quicker updates. Should. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!