Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: So I'm fairly certain that I will not be able to keep up this pace, but I am doing this challenge on the Hogwarts forum where word count generates coins that allow ya bid on prompts.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 13); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Bonjour-Hi; Cry Power; Slytherin MC; Magical MC (x7); Neurodivergent; Rowl in Her Grave; Rian-Russo Inversion (x4); Tiny Terror; The 3rd Rule; Setting Sail; Hold the Mayo; Gender Bender; Red Era; Lunar Era; Old Shoes (Y); Gwen's HP Checklist [Genderqueer Sirius]; Skittles [Agender]; Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift (Y)
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 13 – Assignment 02
Subject (Task No.): Archaeology (Task#8: Write about a guardian or protector.)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [940](Written in the Stars); 366 [196](Loyalty); Auction [1-3](Marlene McKinnon/Bellatrix Lestrange); Herbology [3-2](Kilig); Ferragosto [03](A Rich & Powerful Wixen Family)
Other MC4A Challenges: SuB [2A](Gray); AU [2E](Soul Marks); Ship (n/a)[Sp Mic 1](Soul Marks AU); Hunt [Sp Items](Tichel); TWT [T3](Gray); Fire [Hard](Cutlasses); Garden [RAC 02](Monochrome Mark (Touch)); Chim [Limu](Sharing)
Representation(s): Agender Sirius Black; Jewish McKinnons; Marlene McKinnon/Bellatrix Black
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: placeholder
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Tether); SN (Rail; Negate); FR (Satisfaction; Evolution); O3 (Orator; Olivine); HoSE (Schooner; Sanctuary); War (Orator; Sanctuary); TY (Ntaiv; Kulonbozo; Enfant)
Word Count: 1574

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Written in the Stars
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The McKinnons had always been in the same social circles as the Blacks. Then again, everyone was. As the largest pure-blood family, the Blacks were everywhere. They were rich. They were magical powerhouses. They were charismatic. Every single one of them drew in people like flowers drew in bees. The only difference was that the Blacks had more in common with the bees than the flowers. Honey dripped from their lips as if begging for a kiss, and their stings were always poisoned.

Both the McKinnons and the Blacks tended towards the same philosophies when it came to traditions and magical practices. Each House had their specialties, of course, but even there the two families were compatible. The Blacks excelled at offensive magic. They even tended to have a battle mindset, just like the barbarians in the ancient legends who could plow through entire armies as easily as a farmer did his fields. The McKinnons focused on defensive magic. They created wards that no force could crack and armies of golems to defend their homes and estates.

By some fluke of fate, they had never married into each other, but they had worked on mutual projects in the past. They weren't allies per se, but they could be under the right circumstances. Even then, Marlene's grandfather had had plenty words of caution to pass down.

"Always have a backup plan when working with a Black," Zayde had always said. The stress had long ago creased the brown skin on his forehead, but no amount of age seemed to rob him of his thick iron gray hair. The smell of potions hung around him like a shroud. "You never know when they will be swept away by their Madness and do something foolish. They are powerful like giants, yes, but remember always that a well-aimed pebble can fell even the greatest of those."

"Blacks never do anything just part-ways," Bubbe had once explained. The lively green of her soul mark covered most of her chin and left cheek. Marlene had always hoped that when her soulmate touched her for the first time that she would get an equally lovely color to fill in the gray hand print encircling her right forearm like an oversize bracelet. "Anything they do—fighting, loving, whatever—it is always done with all that they are. To gain the heart and loyalty of a Black would be an incredible boon, to be sure, but should the heart and loyalty be divided?" Bubbe shook her head, the tiny coins on the edges of her gray tichel ringing merrily with the motion. "The conflict would be more destructive than any war, even—"

She had laid her fingers lightly over her left sleeve in silent acknowledgment of the number inked to the skin beneath. Marlene had left as the past became more present in her grandmother's eyes, knowing that her mother was better at dealing with Bubbe when she retreated like that and someone would need to fetch her.

Marlene was still not prepared for her first encounter with a Black.

Sirius Black was like an overgrown puppy with only a dollop of obedience training. Only instead of chewing on shoes, Sirius had decided annoy his least even-tempered cousin in the middle of King's Cross before their first year at Hogwarts. At some point during the chase, Bellatrix had pulled her wand and had started taking shots at Sirius as he dodged and weaved through the crowd of students and families seeing them off.

As Sirius rushed around her and her mother, a sickly yellow-green curse followed. It passed close enough that Marlene felt the warm tingle of it against her cheek. The proximity was enough to set off the protective wards in the necklaces that each family member wore.

In a burst of white light tinged ever so faintly with blue, the figure of a man appeared. He had been made out of a gray clay and hardened in a fire so hot it had left scorch marks in its wake. His eyes were a glowing red-orange like hot coals. Slowly, the golem scanned the crowded platform. Marlene wasn't worried about Zeira potentially hurting anyone, not really. He had been made to protect her after all.

"Whoa," Sirius said from right beside Marlene and her mother, having stopped when the golem had appeared. He bounded back the few feet to get a better look. His stormy gray eyes then landed on Marlene and her mother. His voice became filled with a pleased sort of shock. "You're a McKinnon."

"And you're a Black," Marlene said archly. She crossed her arms, suddenly irritated with the whole affair. "Do all the boys in your family pick on pick on the girls?"

"I wouldn't know," Sirius quipped. He gave a wide grin that would have been more at home on one of Zayde's hunting dogs. He shook his head like one of them, too. "I'm not a boy. Besides, I'm fairly certain that Bellatrix identifies as a monster, not as anything as mundanely human like a girl."

At that exact moment, Bellatrix fired another curse at Sirius, an icy blue one this time. Sirius yelped dramatically when he spotted it and ducked just in time for it to pass harmless over his head. It hit one of the pillars behind him. Thick frost spread out from the impact point in a beautiful lacy pattern. Sirius stared at it with wide eyes.

Unfortunately, the golem had identified the potential threat now. He turned towards Bellatrix with a feline-like fluidity before crouching down and springing into the air. He landed in front of the thirteen-year-old as softly as a cat as well. Despite already rushing to intervene, Marlene couldn't help but admire her grandfather's craftsmanship. Zeira was truly magnificent.

"Zeira, no," Marlene ordered as firmly as possible as she skidded around the large golem. She held her hands up as if she could physically stop him if he disobeyed. He tilted his head down to look at her with his orange eyes. "It's just cousins messing with each other. I'm not in any danger."

"Bashiremen," Zeira announced in a voice as loud as two boulders crashing into each other. She smiled up at him. All of the family golems had very limited vocabulary. To the extent that most of them never bothered even trying to speak when summoned. But Zeira always spoke to her, at least once.

"I'm not in any danger," she repeated. Marlene made sure to sound confident and certain. Zayde had made all of the golems sensitive to their person potentially being forced to lie about their safety. She pushed the memory of her grandmother touching her own arm away as unnecessary and distracting at this moment.

Zeira looked a bit hesitant and confused. That was a truly wondrous feat considering how he lacked the features that humans would have used to convey that. Her grandfather deserved all the accolades that had been heaped on him by the other rabbis for his work.

Sirius skidded around the golem, bumping into Marlene in the process. Bellatrix hissed something under her breath as she caught Marlene's arm to keep her from being knocked down. A soft heat flashed through Marlene at the touch. It left behind a comforting warmth that radiated from where Bellatrix still held Marlene's bare arm, completely covering Marlene's soul mark.

Marlene raised her gaze to meet Bellatrix. For her part, the teen looked just as shocked. At least, her gray eyes were just as wide as Marlene's eyes felt. Bellatrix also looked like someone had hit her over the head with a walking stick.

"No bloody way," Sirius breathed next to Marlene. "You're soulmates?! But Bella doesn't have a soul!"

"You're lucky I'm suddenly busy, you brat," Bellatrix snapped without breaking eye contact with Marlene, "or I would hex your tongue to the roof of your mouth for that."

"You'd have to catch me first, wouldn't you?" Sirius returned. He slung an arm around Marlene's shoulders, prompting Zeira to take an aborted step forward as if to defend her. "Besides, you wouldn't want to scare your soulmate with family dramatics, now would you? Did you know she's a McKinnon?"

"The golem did hint at that," Bellatrix said drily. She finally let go of Marlene's arm to examine her now violet palm. "I had always thought it would be through a formal meeting."

Marlene nodded her understanding. It was traditional to have a couple shake hands prior to finalizing a betrothal. Not being soulmates was not commonly a reason not to enter into a contract, because so few soulmates actually met, but children born to such unions tended to be magically stronger. Thus the tradition began, and now a lot of people had their soul marks on the palms of their hands.

She glanced at the now-activated soul mark on her arm. The violet hand print stood out starkly against the deep tan color of her skin. Marlene had known her entire life that she would not be meeting her soulmate in that traditional way. Bellatrix clearly hadn't. Was she disappointed?

"I told you that wouldn't happen," Sirius interrupted Marlene's spiraling thoughts. She looked back up, instinctively seeking out Bellatrix's gaze.

"So you did," Bellatrix agreed quietly. Her eyes glittered like stars. Something inside of Marlene settled into serene acceptance. She shouldn't have worried.

After all, their fate was already written in the stars.