Chapter 3
What Hermione gathered from her research was… not a lot. Understanding the occurrence of soulmates wasn't something she could have learned completely from a book. As such, she picked up most of her information from her fellow students and experiences.
The origin of soulmate magic was unknown, it had simply always been this way.
When one comes into their magic they only have a piece. The other half of their magic belongs with someone else. A soulmate is whomever the fates deem to be your soulmate and they will wait their whole life just to find you, and when you meet they will complete you. Of course, when there are witches and wizards finding their other halves in the muggle world, there were bound to be tales of the wonder. In this case the Muggles call the phenomenon, 'finding your twin flame'.
Your soul is unable to claim it's mate until you both reach the age of consent, which according to your magic, is nineteen. After which you can meet your soulmate at any given time and connect. The moments of mates meeting for the first time is, supposedly, the stuff of movies and romance novels. The stories can sometimes be a little hard to stomach or believe, especially if you are reading the soulmate column in The Daily Prophet, but they are always romantic- Your soul just knows.
The catch? You stay nineteen until you both meet.
That little spark of recognition kick-starts your cells and you start aging normally, only now, alongside your other half. Hermione felt that age to be a little young, but her opinion wouldn't change the facts.
When Hermione first found this out she thought it was wonderful, you would never miss out on the other. You also wouldn't have to worry about meeting someone much older than you. Age has never been an issue for her, but she always wondered if her match would feel differently. She wouldn't want them to worry about such nonsense.
She very quickly came to disagree with her opinion on the subject however, when she overheard the remarks being made about Professor Snape one day.
"Poor Severus, who knows how long he'll have to wait?-" and "-He may stay young forever."
No-one mentioned how brilliant he was at potions, or the role he had in the war, it was always having to do with his age and his lack of a mate. How awful it must be to put in so much work and accomplish so many amazing things only for no-one to acknowledge one's greatness. Pity was something Hermione had no taste for, and she could only imagine how bitter it tasted to him. She assumed that was why after the War, he left to move to the village of Ottery St Catchpole. No-one had heard from him since. She hoped he found peace, if not, at least his mate.
The worry that one would be known for their lack of luck instead of their achievements scratched at her subconscious often whilst she was working on a project or two. She did not work to satisfy a need for acknowledgment, but it was always nice to be recognised for something more than who you're destined for.
There was one more flaw to this soulmate bond, in Hermione's opinion. On your quest to find the 'one' you would never die and neither would they, which is a plus. After though? After was another story.
Soulmate magic was just like any other part of magic, it is not perfect. You live forever to meet your person only to lose them at some point. In some instances, they would pass on together, as was the case for the late Potters.
In other cases, the remaining partner had to carry on without the other, which Hermione later learned was the case for Professor Mcgonnegal. The same had happened for Padma Patil, who was Fred Weasley's soulmate. That memory hurt the most.
The couple only had a year together with the knowledge that they were each other's match. Hermione noted with irony that it made sense for the only twins in Hogwarts to match with each other. They were lucky, having had been friends for so long that when Padma and Parvati finally turned nineteen, they did not have to wait long to find out the pranksters belonged to them.
Parvati always said that she had a hunch, although everyone knows that there is no way to know who you're meant to be with even if you're a Seer. Rumor has it Padma moved in with George and Pavarti. Hopefully, being with them brought her peace from a great loss Hermione herself hoped never to feel.