This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 3 March 2022.
Huge thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me the use of her Grammarly subscription to read this over. Any other mistakes are definitely my own.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. Marvel belongs to Disney. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prompt: Written on you is a badly worded description of how you'll meet your soulmate.
#HHBingo22 Square G2: Forest of Dean
#TropesAndFandoms22: Meet Ugly
#MMFBingo22 Square B4: Thor/Hermione
#MMFRaD March 2020 - Thor/Meet Cute/Deathly Hallows (one or two)
#HPCrossoverBingo Square B1: Soulmate AU
#ExcelsiorBingo21 Square B5: Meet Cute
The mark had been there for days, and it was driving Hermione mad with confusion. Where had it come from, this strange word that now resided on her inner wrist? What did it mean? Were they in danger? Whatever the case, when Hermione woke up one morning, the word "Branch" had been etched into her skin like some sort of poorly chosen tattoo.
Nervous about what it may mean, Hermione had yet to show it to Harry. Ron was gone, and they were alone… On their own for the first time since they left the Burrow all those months ago. Winter was creeping closer, and Hermione was starting to worry that they wouldn't make it out of this alive. There was so much that could go wrong, especially now that they were alone.
And when one added in an enigmatic tattoo… Well, Hermione felt that was just asking for trouble.
"We have to move on," Harry told Hermione, reaching out and taking her hand and breaking her from her thoughts. He squeezed gently and then let go to finish packing up their tent and belongings.
"I wish we didn't have to leave this spot just yet," Hermione said with a sigh. She bent to help Harry untie the tent posts before using her wand to pack it into her magical purse. "The further away we go, the less chance there is that Ron will catch up to us."
"I don't think he's coming back…." Harry looked away, not wanting Hermione to see the pain in his eyes. "Not for a long while anyway. Maybe we'll see him when we finally make our way to Hogwarts."
"Yeah," Hermione said, finally done packing. "Maybe."
"Where should we go next?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.
"I was thinking back to the Forest of Dean," Hermione said slowly, her brow furrowing in thought. "There is a part where we haven't been to just yet that I think can offer us some good seclusion."
"Are you sure we should go back?" Harry asked as they started to walk to a better place to apparate. "What if someone finds us there?"
"I don't think they'll know of this area. Besides, it's been weeks since we were in a proper forest," Hermione explained, tucking a curl behind an ear.
"You're not going back with the hopes that we'll find Ron or that he might find us, are you?"
Hermione stopped walking and sighed. "I'll always have the hope that he'll find us, Harry. I just want to see something familiar right now, you know? I think being back in the Forest of Dean will help me feel better about this whole mess."
Harry gave a sad smile and then took her hand. "Okay," he said simply. "Let's go there."
It didn't take long for Harry and Hermione to set up their camp, but Hermione did make sure that their wards were partially strong this time. Harry retired inside after a light dinner while Hermione took the first shift out front as a lookout. She'd grabbed a book and blanket to wrap up with as she sat under the tree out front of the tent. It was going to be a long, lonely night out here without Ron or Harry to keep her company.
Hermione was just settling down against the base of a tree when a rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. She paused in opening her book to frown at the sky. There was no indication that any bad weather was imminent tonight, so it was strange to hear a storm approaching. Setting her book aside, Hermione slowly got to her feet, wand at the ready. Inside the tent, she could hear Harry listening to the radio. It didn't appear that he'd heard the thunder.
Wetting her lips, Hermione carefully walked the perimeter of their wards. She'd set them very carefully, knowing that they'd returned to a place they'd visited prior. One never knew when they could be followed. Heart pounding so loud that it was nearly all she could hear, Hermione was just about to the tent's opening when it happened.
A sudden explosion of light and colour burst in front of their tent. It caused Hermione to fall backwards, landing hard on her bottom. Harry burst out of the tent, stumbling over her fallen form and almost crashing to the forest floor too. Luckily, he was able to keep upright. However, Hermione wasted no time getting to her feet and hurried forward in preparation for a fight.
"Harry," she hissed. "Do you see that man?"
He nodded. "I do…"
Before either of them could say anything further, the large man with flowing blond hair stepped forward. He bent and picked up a stick from the ground and then smiled brightly. "Branch?" the massive man asked, offering the broken twig to Hermione.
Hermione's eyes were wide with fear and something else as she took the offered twig. That was when it hit her. She dropped it with a gasp and stepped back, nearly knocking over Harry in the process. "What did you just say?"
"I asked if you wanted the branch?" the man said, a smile on his features. "I see you are holding one there and wonder if you needed another."
Harry shared a look with Hermione and then cleared his throat. "These are wands. They're magical… Are you not a wizard?"
"Odin, no!" boomed the man. He placed both hands on his hips and looked around. "Magic is more of my mother and brother's forte. I prefer thunder and lightning."
"So you're not magical?" Hermione was stumped. Who was this man? Harry got to that question before she could open her mouth.
"Who are you?" he asked, still holding his wand aloft in case this man posed a threat. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Thor, of Asgard," he said, not trying to keep his voice down in the slightest. "I was joking around with my brother, and he insisted that I come here."
"Why would he tell you to come here?" Hermione asked, still refusing to lower her wand. This man had clearly asked her if she wanted a branch, saying the exact word that was hidden on her wrist right now. She needed more information about him. "I never knew that the old Norse stories were true…."
"Loki saw my new tattoo and did some looking into my future," Thor mused aloud, a lopsided grin on his face. "He thought you might be looking for me."
"Hermione," Harry began, giving her a sideways glance, "what's he talking about?"
Sighing, Hermione lowered her wand and ranked her sleeve out of the way. "I think he's referring to this." She showed Harry the tattoo on her wrist, his look of confusion making her sigh again. "If Thor here has something similar, it must mean only one thing. It's a soulmate mark."
"She speaks the truth," Thor said, now moving so he could show Hermione a similar marking on his own wrist. "Mine says 'Dean Forest,' so you can understand my confusion upon arriving here."
"This is the Forest of Dean," Hermione explained, gesturing at the wooded area they were currently standing in.
"I thought it was a name."
"Ah," said Harry. "Makes sense."
Thor nodded and turned his attention back to Hermione. "Your name is Hermione?"
"It is…"
"Then, Hermione, I ask if you would like to accompany me back to Asgard," Thor said, with a bit of a bow. "There, we can begin our life together."
"Well, we're sort of in the middle of a war," Hermione explained, not quite sure how much she should tell Thor. "I can't really drop everything and come with you to Asgard right now."
"Not to mention," Harry said, with a laugh, "we're only seventeen and eighteen years old."
"Yes…" Hermione noted. "That too." She shrugged at Thor's confused look. "I'm a little young to be settling down. I have to help save the wizarding community, and I have plans for my future."
Thor stepped forward and took Hermione's hand, the one with the tattoo on the wrist. "I understand completely. You have your life to live, and it appears we have met too soon."
"Uh…" Hermione couldn't help but stare at where their hands were connected, a warmth spreading through her like she'd never felt before. The word on her wrist tingled and then disappeared right before her eyes. Clearing her throat, she said, "Yes, too soon…."
"Our future has yet to unfold," Thor said, still holding Hermione's hand. He lifted it slightly, bending at the waist. Then, as he met Hermione's gaze, he placed a chaste kiss on the top of her hand. "I must leave you, but someday we shall meet again when you are ready, and the world isn't so topsy turvy." Thor nodded to Harry and then stepped backwards. He held Mjolnir aloft, and then just as suddenly as he arrived, he was whisked away once more in an explosion of colourful light.
"What the hell just happened?" Hermione muttered, more to herself than to Harry. She didn't expect him to respond and was thankful that he said nothing for a moment. Swallowing, Hermione ran a hand through her hair and tried to decide if she had just had a mild stroke. "I think we should move on," Hermione said to Harry as she continued to stare where Thor had disappeared. "That definitely would have drawn attention from others who may be here in the forest."
Harry was observing Hermione. "Yeah," he said, wondering what the future had in store for them now that Thor had ventured into their lives. "Let's pack up and go. We can be gone in thirty minutes."
Hermione nodded, finally turning away from the darkness. She needed to help Harry get their tent packed, but more importantly, she needed to figure out if what just happened was real. Perhaps, it was a mad dream or the start to her future. For now, she would tuck it aside.
Ten years later, found Hermione working in the Ministry. After they met with Thor, Harry and Hermione vowed to never tell anyone about what happened in the Forest of Dean that night. Not even Ron. The war ended as it was supposed to, and Hermione worked to better the lives of magical creatures before working her way up in the Ministry.
However, she knew that it was only a matter of time before Thor returned for her. This time… this time she was ready. Actually, she was looking forward to it. Each day she woke up and brushed her fingers over the spot on her wrist where the word 'branch' had once been. And each night, she prayed to Odin that Thor would come and whisk her away to Asgard, where they could begin an exciting new adventure together.
Twas the night before her birthday when she heard it- the telltale sound of thunder followed by the whoosh of the Bi-Frost being opened nearby. Hermione rushed outside her flat, and there stood Thor. He looked just the same as he had in the Forest of Dean, only this time Hermione could appreciate him through the eyes of a woman instead of those of a young girl. Her heart thumped with anticipation as he walked toward her, rain pouring from the sky.
"I was wondering when you were going to come back for me." Hermione smiled at Thor, not caring that the rain was making her curls a matted mess.
Thor reached forward and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth. "Hermione," he whispered, voice husky with want. "I have waited far too long to see your beautiful face once more."
"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to return," Hermione whispered, staring up into his blue eyes. "I've seen you on the news and in the papers. You've been busy."
"I wanted to be sure that the universe was safe when we were finally together," Thor explained, slowly closing the space between them.
"Is it?" Hermione breathed, her stomach doing flips. Thor was so close now that she could feel the heat from his body as it warmed her. As he took hold of her face with both hands now, tipping it back so he could stare down into her eyes, she could smell the electricity he emanated, and it made her body hum with anticipation.
"No…" Thor chuckled at her startled look. "But do not fear. Whatever awaits in the dark will have to deal with the force that is you and I together."
Then, Thor pressed his lips to Hermione's and kissed her with everything he had. Hermione lost herself in the kiss, wrapping her arms around his thick body and holding on tight. In a rush of colour and electricity, the Bi-Frost transported them away from Earth and toward whatever the future had in store. Like Thor said, the dark was nothing compared to the light that was their soulmate connection.