Hermione and Padma had been working with Viktor and Neville to find everything and anything they could about soulmates and the bonds between them. They had found that the subject wasn't researched nearly as much as one might hope.
It was late one night when Hermione was reading the book on marriage runes she had picked up in Hogsmeade the last time she had been, when she came across something.
Runes, particularly bonding and protection runes, are more lasting on souls that are tied together. They might vanish from on individual or the other, but they will protect and bind the pair more tightly than runes on souls that haven't mingled with each other.
"What do you think this is?" she asked Neville.
Neville took the book from her, reading the words that had taken her a few second with a little more care. No one read as quickly as Hermione, except for some of the Ravenclaws, and he was going to understand it just as well as she did.
"I can certainly say that I wasn't expecting that," he mumbled.
"I certainly wasn't expecting them to put it out there so bluntly," Hermione muttered.
Neville smiled. "I don't think anyone was," he said.
"Probably not," Hermione said.
She looked around the common room and determined that they were alone before writing to Viktor.
Are you up? I think we found something.
She had to wait a few minutes before seeing any response. Part of her thought that Viktor had gone to sleep, but he hadn't said goodnight. He usually did that before nodding off.
Yes. What did you find?
Hermione paused, thinking how to phrase it best. There was the translation, though that came easier and easier with each passing day. But it was still strange to not have some words that were commonly used in English.
It's sort of an explanation on why you've got that rune on you. The book I'm reading said that bonding and protection runes are stronger through soulmates. And that they don't fade from the partner that was marked. Meaning you, not me.
She waited for a moment. She didn't know how Viktor would react. She hadn't been intending for a lasting rune to be the outcome, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to protect him more than just about anything.
So if I draw one, you will be protected too? Viktor wrote.
That's the idea.
There was figurative silence for a few moments. Neville didn't really feel like interrupting her conversation, and so was just waiting for her to fill him in. That, and the fact that he couldn't understand Bulgarian in the slightest.
After a few minutes, Neville was curious. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I'm not quite sure. Viktor seems to have some sort of idea, but as to exactly what he's planning on doing, or what it is, I'm unaware of," she said.
Check your leg. The right one, Viktor wrote.
Hermione pulled her stocking down on her right leg, assuming that Viktor wouldn't have drawn anything in a place that was hard to reach. There, on her calf was a symbol that looked similar to the one she had drawn. But she could almost feel the power behind it. It was a very deliberate mark.
"Wow," Neville said.
"It's certainly something," Hermione said.
"That boy really loves you."
"I would certainly hope so. Since I love him, more than I can explain."
The next morning, Hermione was reading her book with the cover charmed. She was still vain. And she didn't want anyone asking her if she was thinking about marrying Viktor. Even if she had considered it, it wasn't anybody's business but hers. And maybe Viktor's.
They had discussed it, briefly, before deciding that they were too young to get married then. Perhaps in a few years, with a little more experience, they might make that choice. They knew their ideal paths were along the same lines. But Hermione wasn't even seventeen yet.
She knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Viktor. And she was almost certain that he felt the same way about her. After all, he had taken her to a wedding, and been with her through some of the hardest times. And he was keeping her parents safe.
Hermione might not have extensive relationship expertise with anyone save Viktor, for which she was oddly grateful, but she figured those weren't the sort of things you did for just anyone you fancied. She was there for Harry and Ron, and even Neville, but not in the same way that Viktor was there for her.
"You're up early," Neville said.
Neville was the one who was usually the most awake out of anyone in the morning. Even if Hermione was fine with mornings, she wasn't as much of a morning person. But she had been hardly able to sleep with how fast her brain had been going the night before.
"I didn't sleep well," she said hardly looking up.
"I would have thought that the opposite would have been true," Neville said. "And you don't seem as tired as you normally do when you're up all night. How long have you been here?"
Hermione looked up from her book to the windows and the ceiling of the great hall. "Maybe half an hour. No more than that."
Usually it took her at least an hour to be semi-functional when she hadn't slept well. And nearly a whole pot of tea. She had her mug in front of her, but had only taken a few swigs from it.
"That's weird," Neville muttered.
"Tell me about it," Hermione said. "I think it's the rune. It seems to clear up a bit of the fog that sometimes persists when I'm tired."
"Hey guys," Harry said.
Ron grunted something that sounded like an approximation of a greeting. He was probably the person who liked mornings the least. But he kept getting dragged down by Harry. Who was okay with mornings mostly because Umbridge wasn't a morning person at all.
They ate, Hermione paying as little attention to them as she could. She was way more interested in her book. But she still liked to know the general direction the conversation was going. Being able to multitask was a very valuable skill.
The newspaper dropped down on the table, and she shut her book and picked it up.
"Ugh," Ron groaned. "Why are you reading that rubbish?"
Hermione shot him a look. "It's important to know what's going on in the world. And it's not as if we can afford to be ignorant of what's printed in the paper."
"If she didn't stop reading it last year, she's not going to stop now," Neville sighed.
"I'd almost forgotten about that," Harry said.
"How on earth did you manage to forget Rita Skeeter?" Ron asked.
Hermione was just glad that she didn't have to say anything on that matter. She was just as confused as Ron, and had almost lost her grip on the paper.
"With everything else going on, she was just a minor annoyance," Harry said.
"Saying that is like saying that Hermione has a "little" crush on Viktor," Neville said.
Hermione glared at the boys for a second before turning her attention back to the paper. There was section on Harry and the date he had gone on that past weekend. Hermione wondered how they managed to get the pictures, but wasn't going to bother thinking about it more than strictly necessary.
She was more focused on the article. It essentially said that if Harry was claiming that Voldemort was back he shouldn't be out on dates and such. It was a load of codswallop in her opinion. Everyone knew that the last war had increased marriages as people were fearing that tomorrow might never come.
She was grateful that things had slowed down since then, but she was a little nervous that they would pick back up again. And she was extraordinarily worried that they would do so before the end of their schooling. Why that scared her she couldn't say.
She shoved the paper towards Harry. "You need to look at this."
Harry frowned as he read. "Nothing new, but I think we need to get some news out."
"News?" a small airy voice said.
"Hey Luna," Harry said. "Yeah. The Daily Prophet isn't exactly publishing anything actually newsworthy."
Luna seemed to think for a minute, though with her it was sometimes hard to tell. "You should read The Quibbler if you actually want news. Daddy's come up with a dozen new uses for powdered crumple horned snorkack horn."
Harry got a devilish look on his face. "I guess it's time for a meeting with a certain bug of a reporter."
A/N: Wow. I've been working on this chapter since I posted the last one. I just don't want to look at it anymore. Hope you guys enjoy it.