Enter for the International Wizarding School Competition – Goodbye Event - Beauxbatons

Theme: Write about love conquering hate

Mandatory prompt: 3. [Dialogue] "Are you out of your mind?"

Special rule: Incorporate colour and the specified meaning into your story. [Red, the colour of passions.]

Word count: 1,336

Warnings: Muggle Soulmate AU

The frozen one

Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled, delighted than she had been in a long time. Being around snow always made her do a little happy dance, but reaching the top of the Swiss Alps was better than she had dreamed it would be.

"Aren't you happy to have this break? It's like we've been practising every day just to have these days to ourselves," Hermione said, turning to her best friend and doing a little twirl in the hotel lobby.

"You look so cheerful; it's kinda freaking me out," Ginny drawled, throwing herself onto her suitcase. "Why can't you be like the Hermione you are when you're obsessing over how perfect your triple axel is?"

Hermione giggled, but she knew her friend was right. Becoming an ice skater had been her dream since she was a little girl; even though she knew it would be hard work, Hermione was determined to ace it. After years and years of practice, she had been chosen to be part of the British Olympic team, and she knew she deserved the vacation her coach had given them. She would worry about the Olympics performance when she returned home.

"Let me enjoy this before those hockey neanderthals come," Hermione said. She had to stop herself from groaning when she caught sight of the British hockey team swaggering into the hotel like they owned the place. "Great, I just jinxed myself."

It was a long- running joke that ice skaters and hockey players didn't get along—mostly, Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott, the captain of the hockey team. No one knew besides the two of them knew why or how their tiff had started, but to this day, they couldn't be in the vicinity of one another without barking insults at each other.

If you asked Hermione, she would say it all had started when Theo had stolen her parking spot—it was a perfect spot and she didn't want to miss it!—and Hermione never tried to be nice with Theo since; but if you asked Theo, he would answer that it all started because Hermione had grabbed the last chocolate muffin at the cafeteria.

They both knew it was petty reasons to hate someone, but they couldn't help themselves.

"Missed me, Granger? I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep without seeing my pretty face. I star in your dreams every night, don't I?" Theo taunted, approaching them and winking at Hermione. She wished to wipe that smug look off his face with a swift punch, but she refrained from attacking him in public.

Hermione huffed. "You wish, Nott. Or, since you mentioned it, perhaps it was you who dreamt of me?" She smirked triumphantly when Theo grimaced. "That's what I thought."

"Why don't you two just sleep together and put us all out of our misery?" Blaise Zabini suggested, coming up behind Ginny. "I don't get paid enough to hear you two arguing, and the sexual tension is killing me."

Hermione and Theo blushed and avoided looking at each other, focusing their gazes on their minds. Hermione didn't know what was going through Theo's mind, but she doubted he was thinking of ways to murder Blaise and get away with it.

"Shut up, Zabini. You don't know what you're talking about," Hermione snapped, to which Blaise just shrugged. "C'mon, Ginny, let's go to our room and leave these jerks to fend for themselves."

Grabbing her suitcase, Hermione hurried towards the lift, wanting to be away from Theo. She didn't know why, but something about him just rubbed her the wrong way. If she mentioned it to Ginny, the redhead would suggest Hermione rub Theo to make it right. Ginny had a dirty, dirty mind, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

Trying not to think about it, Hermione pressed the number to her floor, but right before the doors closed, someone barged inside. Hermione was more than surprised to discover that the someone wasn't Ginny, even if she asked her friend to follow her.

"You have to be kidding me!" Hermione exclaimed, scowling at Theo's smiling face. "What are you doing here, Nott?"

"Last I heard, this is a public space, and I am allowed to use the lift just like anyone else." Hermione narrowed her eyes at his happy-go-lucky smile. "And look at that, we're even on the same floor!"

Rolling her eyes and praying to all the gods above that she wouldn't slap Theo silly, Hermione leaned against the side of the lift. They were both staying on the fourth floor, and it was a surprisingly quick ride…until the lift stopped unexpectedly.

"What the fuck?" Theo exclaimed, stumbling and almost falling on top of Hermione. "What have you done, Granger?"

"Me? Why would you think I did something? And get away from me, Nott!" Hermione pushed Theo away from her. Before she could say anything else, she was blinded by an explosion of colour.

It was like a rainbow had exploded inside the lift, making it difficult for them to see anything.

"Oh no, this can't be happening! No, no, NO!" Hermione was doomed, and she didn't want to be around Theo. "Why you?"

"Aww, aren't you happy that it's me, Granger? I always knew you had a soft spot for me," Theo said, staggering towards Hermione. As soon as his hand clasped hers, a red light engulfed them, almost like silk ribbons were wrapping around their bodies. "Wicked!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Hermione's mind was spiralling out of control, but she couldn't think with Theo so close to her. "How come you're not freaking out?"

"Because I have been seeing a red string connecting me to you ever since you stepped foot on the ice rink, and I was wondering when you were going to mention it." Theo shrugged, leaving Hermione speechless.

Everyone grew up knowing about the red string of fate that connected soulmates, and how the first time the two met, a colourful explosion revealed that you had met the other half of your soul.

Hermione wasn't very romantic, but she had always dreamed about how it would feel to find her soulmate—and she had wondered if she even had a soulmate. She had never expected it to be the only person who got under her skin and made her furious with just a look.

"I thought I was seeing things…Why did you never say anything?" Hermione asked in a small voice, looking at Theo warily. "Why did you keep annoying me like you always did?"

Theo sighed and slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her to him. She tried to ignore the bolt of energy that shot through her body.

"I was always watching you, Hermione, but you always gave me the stink eye or said something rude, and I knew that if I tried to come near you, you would probably castrate me." Theo chuckled, and Hermione melted at the sound and the way he had said her name. It was the first time he had ever called her anything but Granger. "We definitely needed fate to intervene and make us talk."

"I wish it was in better conditions, because I don't like to be trapped in a lift." Hermione smiled softly and hugged Theo closer. "Would you be willing to talk about this new development after we get out of here?"

"This sounds like something I would very much enjoy." Theo hugged her closer, and Hermione tried not to stiffen with the sudden contact.

It would take a while for her to wrap her minds around the fact they were soulmates. Hermione didn't know how her life would change just entering a lift, even less that Theodore Nott would be the one destined for her.

He wasn't as bad as Hermione originally thought, and she knew Theo had changed the way he viewed her; it would take time, but they would talk about the whole soulmates thing.

They would have to learn together and see what the future held.