Oliver woke Gwen the next morning, since she had fallen asleep outside some time after he went inside. She tried to apologize for the night before but he said not to worry about it and it was best to return home before they did something they both would regret later.
Gwen sat in her room, trying to read The Color of Magic, but utterly failing to concentrate. Oliver was at his house, probably studying Quidditch Through the Ages or going through last year's strategies and trying to figure out what went wrong.
When they came out of the fireplace earlier, he gave her a quick "see you later" and headed to his house. Gwen sighed, renewing her efforts to read. Eventually, she gave up and took a shower with hope of clearing her mind.
After her shower, she donned jeans and a black t-shirt. Maybe I'll take a walk out back. She grabbed her black Vans slip-ons out of her closet and walked downstairs, taking her wand with her. Striding through the kitchen, she met her mother and Mrs. Wood sitting at the table, drinking coffee.
"Where are you going, dear?" her mother asked.
"Just for a walk out back," Gwen responded. Mrs. Wood smiled at her.
Eyeing them suspiciously, Gwen stepped out the back door and breathed in the fresh air. The wooded area a couple hundred meters away was her target. As she strolled across the yard, she thought back to the time she spent there with Oliver when they were younger. A few trails ran through the forest, though whatever made them was long gone. Nothing but birds and the occasional deer, now.
There was a clearing toward the middle, the ground covered with grass. Her father and Oliver's built a playhouse in the clearing for them when they were small, and the two of them spent many hours out there before their Hogwarts days.
Gwen thought she saw a faery there once, when she was seven, but that day was hard to remember clearly. It seemed she and Oliver had fallen asleep in the playhouse, and their parents found them lying in the grass, all curled up. Maybe she had dreamt it.
The thought vanished when she stepped into the forest. The trees were thick and the deciduous canopy dense, but Gwen was surprised by how quickly her surroundings darkened. The leaf-dappled light quickly faded and she withdrew her wand, casting the Lumos spell to help her see. A beam of light brightened her path as she made her way deeper into the woods. After a few minutes of walking in the dim light, she saw a brighter patch ahead. That must be the clearing.
"Nox." The brilliant beam disappeared and Gwen continued forward. Stepping into the clearing, she saw someone she did not expect.
Oliver stood in front of the playhouse with his back to her, apparently staring at the small building. He turned around when he heard her footsteps.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, and she shrugged in return.
"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see if this thing was still standing. What are you doing here?" Gwen shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Now Oliver shrugged.
"The same, I guess. I was in the backyard, enjoying the sun, and I just started walking this way. I don't think I really intended to come here." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I was thinking about last night. I shouldn't have... I very nearly... I'm sorry."
Gwen couldn't help but smile at the way he stumbled over his words. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." She looked down at her feet, letting her wavy hair fall alongside her face. "I shouldn't have picked some dumb meteors over you." She looked up, trying to discern the expression on his face. He seemed shocked by her apology.
"What?" He blinked several times and his mouth opened and closed as he searched for words. "So... you're saying... you regret not...?"
"Well, I didn't say that exactly. I just feel bad about last night. You were so ready to go and I..." She trailed off, looking down again.
"Wasn't?" They had been standing several feet apart until now. Gwen heard Oliver's footsteps coming toward her, saw his feet and legs in front of her, felt his hand cup her chin and tilt her head up. "Don't worry about it. I'm a teenage boy; I'll live." He smiled and hugged her, one hand cradling her head. "I'll just take a lot of cold showers and go through a lot of lotion." Gwen could feel the vibration of his chuckling in his chest and she couldn't help but laugh. After a minute, she stepped back and ran her fingers through her drying hair.
"So, how about this little old building, eh? We haven't been back here in years." Letting her hand slide down his arm, Gwen took Oliver's hand and walked toward the playhouse.
"Do you remember the day we fell asleep out here?" he asked.
"I do," she replied with a smile. "I was thinking about it on my way out here."
"This may sound a little odd, but I could have sworn I saw a faery that day." He squinted, as though trying to see something past the playhouse, which they were only two feet away from now. Gwen opened her mouth to say that she thought she saw something, too, but didn't get the chance. A bright light flared up around them, and she looked down to discover that she and Oliver each had a foot inside a circle of mushrooms: a faery ring.
A look of awe came over her face, but Oliver seemed confused. The faery charm hung from the chain around her neck, the crystal sphere glowing.
"Gwen, what...?" Oliver began before she hushed him by squeezing his hand slightly. A small ball of white light floated up in front of their faces and Gwen noticed more balls of light in a circle around them, but they weren't white. She saw blue, green, red, pink, and yellow. The only white one she saw was the one in front of them.
Gwen craned her neck forward, trying to discern the shape in the middle. It appeared to be a tiny person, female, all shining white with long hair. She had a slender figure, and a silver circlet adorned her head.
"Gwen, is that a...?" Oliver whispered.
"Shh!"
The faery leaned forward, silver dragonfly wings fluttering behind her, and stretched a hand out toward Gwen. Gwen drew a deep breath as she moved closer and reached out with her small hand to touch the crystal sphere. There was another flash of bright light as fae met globe, and then darkness.
"Gwen? Gwen! Can you hear me?" She was being shaken, and whatever she lay on wasn't very comfortable. And it was cold. Was that a stick poking into her back? "Merlin's beard, I hope she's all right." That last bit sounded like it was in her head. He felt very concerned. Felt? Gwen reached behind her back and pulled out a twig, tossing it away, and then opened her eyes. Oliver leaned over her.
"You're all right!" he exclaimed, pulling her up into a hug.
"Of course I'm all right. Why am I on the ground? Whoa, loosen up. I'd like to keep my ribs intact," she laughed, and he released her.
"Sorry, I was just really worried."
"That's payback for your first Quidditch match, then." Gwen smiled, but he didn't seem very amused. "Oh, calm down. I'm fine." She patted his cheek and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Are you going to tell me what happened or just stare at me all day?"
He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't really know. The faery touched your necklace, there was a bright light, your hand was stuck to mine, the light went out, and you fainted. I've spent the past five minutes trying to get you to regain consciousness."
Gwen frowned and looked around, the faery ring about a foot to her left. Oliver sat quietly and she realized something in the silence: she was aware of Oliver. Not as if she just realized he sat next to her. In the back of her head, it was like there was a bundle of emotions labeled "Oliver." He felt distressed, slowly relaxing, and then confusion leapt forward. She tried to puzzle out what happened, but Oliver spoke and interrupted her thoughts.
"I can... feel you... in my head," he said slowly. "What are you confused about?"
"The same thing you are, apparently," Gwen responded. "You're in my head, too."
"What did she do?"
"I'm not sure. I've never heard of anything like this before. We better go ask my mum."
A few minutes later, Gwen and Oliver walked into the kitchen where their mothers still sat talking at the table. They opened their mouths to greet them, but everything started spilling out. Gwen and Oliver spoke over each other, adding things the other forgot. When everything was straightened out, Gwen's mother silenced her.
"It sounds like you've been bonded," she said simply. Gwen and Oliver both wanted to ask her what she meant, but she explained. "You have a magical and spiritual connection between you. You'll always be able to know where the other is when you're apart, and whether they've been hurt physically, as well as their emotional status. But it sounds like the bond was only sealed," she finished thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.
"They start early... the day you fell asleep out there!" It was as though she were having an epiphany. "Do you remember that day?"
"Not well," Gwen replied, "but we both thought we saw a faery."
"Yes, it all makes perfect sense," she continued fervently. "Gwen, let me see your right shoulder." Gwen tried to pull her short shirtsleeve up, but this did not satisfy her mother. There, in the middle of the kitchen, she started pulling Gwen's shirt up.
"Mum! What are you doing? Oliver's here!" she protested loudly.
"Oh, hush! It's no different than your bathing suit." How could she say that? Despite her twisting and turning, her mother pulled her shirt off over her head, leaving Gwen in her bra. She didn't care what her mother said, this was different from her bathing suit, and Oliver's expression confirmed it. Gwen crossed her arms over her chest, trying not to feel what Oliver felt.
"Mum!" Gwen protested again to no avail. She turned Gwen around almost roughly to look at her shoulder.
"Yes, there it is!" Her fingers ran lightly over Gwen's skin. "The mark is there."
"Mark? What mark?" Gwen asked, trying to see her shoulder. Oliver and his mother moved closer to see, and she could sense his amazement. "What?"
Oliver faced her again, mouth agape. "Gwen, you have a tattoo."
"What do you mean I have a tattoo?" she questioned frantically, trying fruitlessly to see her shoulder.
"The Faery Queen leaves a mark on anyone she touches," her mother explained. "It's a small representation of her, a faery with arms and wings outstretched."
"It's actually quite cute," Mrs. Wood chimed in. "I wonder where Oliver's mark is."
"I'm not stripping so you can search," he said hurriedly. Gwen's mother laughed.
"It should be in the same place as Gwen's. Let's have a look." After a moment's hesitation, Oliver pulled his shirt off over his head. Sure enough, he had the same small mark on his right shoulder. He seemed worried about something. "It should fade within 24 hours. It always does for males." Gwen perceived Oliver's relaxation.
"Mum, how do you know so much about this?" Gwen asked curiously.
"My mother studied faeries and their magic. She wanted to write a book, but never found the time. I think her notes are still hidden around that house somewhere." Sounded like Gwen had something to search for next time she went to the house.
A week and a half passed since Gwen and Oliver met the faery queen in the clearing, and they were still getting used to the bond. There had been several awkward moments in the last few days. It seemed that teenage boys had trouble controlling certain emotions and reactions, and Oliver was no exception. Sometimes his dreams interfered with Gwen's and changed them to those she wouldn't dare share with her mother or even write in her dream journal for fear someone would find it. She had awakened breathing heavily to sense a very pleased Oliver next door.
A privacy factor was at stake, too. He was always in her head, his feelings bouncing around and sometimes influencing hers. The other day he got aggravated with a Quidditch strategy, which distracted Gwen and made her stub a toe on the coffee table. There has to be a way to block him out.
Unfortunately, Gwen's mother didn't know any more about the matter. The only solution she had to offer was finding her grandmother's notes.
"They're in that house somewhere," she said to Gwen the day before. "She kept them hidden, so you probably won't find them in the library. I only got to look at them a couple of times; I think she meant to give them to you. I'm sure of it since she gave you that necklace."
The thoughts ran through Gwen's head as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Suddenly, her body went rigid and she braced herself against the shower walls. Again? That's the sixth time in the past ten days! Gwen leaned forward, gasping as the sensation intensified. At least this time she was alone. Last time he started, she had to excuse herself from the family room where she sat watching television with her parents. I really need to talk to him about this. Gwen bit her lip as Oliver's feelings spiked, then panted for air when he calmed. She turned off the water and grabbed her towel before stepping out of the shower.
Gwen dried her hair a little more roughly than usual, trying to figure out how she was going to approach Oliver about this problem. She started a dozen times in her head, but nothing sounded right. By the time she finished dressing, Gwen realized Oliver was in her room. He felt almost ashamed of something.
"I'm sorry," he said as soon as she walked in, catching her off guard.
"For what? Oh. Right." He grinned sheepishly. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
"I know. I'm sorry. I already said that. But really, I am."
"That affects me too, you know. I feel everything you feel. Everything." She gave him a very pointed look. That should certainly makes things more interesting later.
"I know. I just can't help it sometimes." Oliver blushed and ran a hand through his hair. "There must be a way to turn this bond thing off sometimes. At least the physical sharing part."
"I think there is. My mom said there might be, but she doesn't know for sure. We have to find my grandmother's research in the house."
"When do you want to go?" he asked.
"Now, actually," she responded. "I'd like to take care of this as soon as possible. So if you could just hold off on polishing your broomstick until-" Oliver's laughter interrupted her.
"Pol-" he took a deep breath, "polishing my broomstick?" He nearly fell off the bed and Gwen's cheeks reddened.
"It didn't sound as stupid in my head," she mumbled. Feeling her embarrassment, his laughter slowed, but she started to laugh too. "That was a stupid euphemism, wasn't it?"
"Not stupid, just incredibly funny," he chuckled. "But anyway, you want to go now? Fine, but I'm bringing swimming trunks for after we find it."
"As you wish." Oliver went to wait downstairs while Gwen put her suit on under hr clothes. She and Oliver took the floo to her grandmother's. I can't wait to Apparate.
"Where should we look first?" Oliver asked. "This house is pretty big."
"Well, I know what Mum said, but I think we should start in the library. I have a feeling about it."
The library was a decent-sized room on the first floor, at the back of the house. A desk sat under one window and a chaise lounge under another. A sofa sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table in front of it. There were no blank walls. From the floor to the eight-foot ceiling, bookshelves encompassed the room.
"Gwen, there must be a thousand books in here!" Oliver exclaimed. "You expect to look through all of them?"
"That's the idea. I think she disguised her research as one of these books." Gwen sighed heavily, looking around the room. "Right. Well, you start on that side and I'll start on the other."
There were wizarding books and Muggle books on the shelves, and Gwen started in the Muggle section, stepping onto the first rung of a ladder. Starting at the end, she grabbed a book and flipped through the pages, working her way up the steps.
A half an hour passed. Gwen still searched the first bookcase and it was starting to get hot. She climbed down and opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Once the windows were open and a nice breeze blew in, she ascended the ladder. Most of the books were British classics. She flipped through a collection of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Finding nothing, she moved on to the next set of shelves, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Find anything interesting over there?" Oliver inquired after an hour and a half of work.
"You know I haven't," Gwen replied with a smile. "Ugh, Great Expectations. I hate this book. The ending sucks." She opened the cover and flipped through the pages. "Grandma Wendy didn't like it either. I wonder why she had it..." Gwen replaced the book while pondering its inclusion in the library. "What about you? Find anything yet?"
"No. A few books on healing, potions, astronomy, wizarding stuff. Can we take a break yet? We must've gone through 200 books each."
"I think that sounds like a good idea. It's so hot in here." She doffed her t-shirt off and tossed it on the chaise lounge, then sat on the couch to relax. Oliver took a seat next to her, but far enough away to give her some air. She reached over and held his hand, their feet on the coffee table. Eventually, she slumped over and rested her head on his shoulder. After a few moments, the house elf Pinkie brought in a couple of glasses of ice-cold lemonade.
"Thanks, Pinkie. You're a doll," Gwen said, holding the glass to her forehead and then the back of her neck. Pinkie bobbed her head, giggled, and left.
Oliver kissed the top of Gwen's head before resting his head on it. "Can we take a lunch break now?" His stomach growled.
"All right," Gwen laughed. "I'm hungry, too." She pushed herself up from the couch, her back sticking slightly to the leather, and helped Oliver up. Gwen sauntered to the kitchen, pulling him behind her. Pinkie was polishing silver at the counter, but she hopped up when they entered the room.
"Can Pinkie get her mistress something?" she asked while smiling brightly, her eyes wide open.
"We don't want to interrupt you if you're busy, Pinkie," Gwen told her.
"It's no trouble, Mistress. The heat doesn't bother Pinkie so much as it does you. You two sit down and relax. Pinkie will fix you something nice to eat." She made them each a sandwich, and then Gwen had a bowl of fruit salad. With their bellies full, they walked lazily back to the library.
"Maybe we should check the desk," Oliver suggested. They both took a side of the desk and riffled through drawers to no avail.
Eventually, Gwen straightened and stretched her back, which was getting sore from all the bending over. Pinkie refilled their lemonade glasses; Gwen used it mostly to cool her skin, holding the glass to her neck, forehead, and chest again. Setting the glass down, she played with the faery charm dangling between her breasts. Although she stared at a point outside, she could feel Oliver watching her.
"I wish we could find these notes already. The heat is killing me," Gwen said. Rays of light shone between her fingers, and one beam fixed on a book. The tome floated from the shelf and hovered in front of them. "Great Expectations? I already looked at that!" The book flipped open, and Gwen and Oliver watched the words on the pages vanish.
Once the pages were blank, new words materialized in a familiar script: Grandma Wendy's handwriting. Even a sketch of Gwen's necklace appeared. The light surrounding the book faded away as it closed, and Oliver grabbed the manuscript before it fell.
"Your necklace must have been some sort of key to the manuscript. Since she gave it to you, I wonder if she knew about this." Oliver traced the tattoo on Gwen's shoulder.
"It's possible. She had a crystal ball that she peered into now and then, but she wasn't very into Divination. I haven't an affinity for it, either." Gwen started flipping through the pages of the book, looking for the information she needed. "I think I've found something; listen. Through my research, I have learned of a curious custom of bonding. When soul mates are together in the presence of the faery queen, she will bond them eternally... we already know this next bit, let's see... The bond gets stronger over time and becomes impossible to break." Gwen looked at Oliver and smiled. He kissed her shoulder as she continued reading. "Ah, here we go. It is said that the bond may be masked at times to allow the bonded some privacy. Having never experienced this myself, I must rely on what I have been told. One must concentrate on the emotions of the other and imagine them as a ball, all rolled up. Then, the ball must be 'wrapped up,' as though in a tissue. Let's try it."
Gwen concentrated very hard on Oliver, trying to do what her grandmother said. It took several minutes, but eventually she got it. "I can't believe it!" he said. "I can't sense you at all."
"I can't feel you either. Well, now we know how to take care of that." Gwen "unwrapped the tissue" and let the bond take over, holding Oliver's hand. "Soul mates, eh?"