Leaning on Percy I relax like never before, but honestly being one of my soulmates it was to be expected.
I'm happy I was able to help them, I would have liked to take less time but I had to take a few days to rediscover this world. In those days the memories of my childhood and of what happened, became clearer and clearer.
Not even 2 days after the tragedy, visions of what was happening here appeared in my mind. At first I didn't understand who they were. Then I discovered their names. And damn they were my soulmates, their names marking my forearm, I saw what would happen, everything.
Credence talking to Graves, comforting him and healing him; then going forward I realized that Graves was Gellert Credence's death, Credence in a circus with a woman, Gellert discovering that he is alive, and Creed going with him to find out who he really is.
It all ends with Creed's death, the real Graves never found and Gellert captured. I didn't want it so I did the only thing possible, I came back here with a poor plan, but I only had this one option. I look at Gellert sitting in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest, a slight frown on his face, probably trying to think about these last few hours.
I cough a little to get his attention, trying not to wake the two sleeping next to me. His gaze falls on me.
"Like I said this deal will benefit you much more. I wanted them… and I wanted to help you, your ex-lover will upset so many lives. I can't let him do that. "
"Why them? And whose lives will he wipe out Albus? Who are they to you, these people?" He asks pointing to the ones sleeping next to me.
I take a shallow breath and slowly raise my left arm's shirt up to my elbow exposing the inside of my forearm. The previously grayish and cracked ink, which meant the death of my soulmates, now shines purple for Credence's name and cerulean blue for Percy's name.
"Starting in the early 2000s, children began to be born branded with the name of their soulmate; they can be platonic soulmates, romantic soulmates, father/daughter relationships, mother/daughter relationships, friends. Even those who were already adults, teenagers, even elderly people began to see the brands appear. I was born in 2004, I was the first person to be born with two names, they thought it was a mistake and add the fact that shortly after my birth the brands became gray and jagged indicating that my soulmates died, well, they didn't know what to say."
I take a moment to breathe deeply.
"He will destroy three young lives, intertwined, and a lot of people connected to them, an Age really, he will make one of them the new Dark Lord and then set himself up as a hero to be idolized and acclaimed, to rule both worlds. I will not let that happen, even if I have to give my last breath." My blood boils at the thought.
"For the greater good, you say. But there is no greater good, only your own good. Now drop the discussion, we will talk about this at home with everyone else. Come here." I say, going from angry and bitter to calm in a few seconds, I lightly tap my hand in the space to the left next to me.
He looks at me doubtfully, and I roll my eyes repeating the invitation. Reticently he slowly gets up and then sits down next to me.
"We must be united, work together, and we will not suffer anymore."
He nods, relaxing slightly next to me.
Soon after I manage to fall into a half-sleep, many hours later we finally arrive, Credence and Percy slowly wake up from their sleep and we walk off the train, Percy climbs onto my back with the charm back in place and I let Gellert lead me to the apartment. Before we get too close I ask Gellert to put a disillusionment charm on me, and to change back into Percy to enter. No one stops us and we go up two flights of stairs and into the apartment…. Clearly a bachelor's. Two leather two-seater sofas and the first thing I see facing each other, next to them facing each other are two armchairs that match the sofas.
On the wall is a dark wooden sideboard as the sofas and armchairs.
Looking in front of us instead there is an island that separates the living room from the kitchen, I see the stove with the fridge on the right, it is not very big but not small either.
(Instead of green and white he imagined blue and white)
I gently let Percy slide into the sofa and sit next to him, Credence on the other side, Gellert takes the armchair to my right. Gellert returns to his true appearance.
"Gellert I'm sure you used Transfiguration to take his appearance, and linked his mind to yours in some way to be scrupulous. Break the connection."
While I speak to him I sink into the sofa, my arm on the armrest. After a while he does as I say.
Percy clutches his head, feeling the broken bond, fortunately it wasn't for too long because it would have hurt more.
"Percival, Credence I have something to tell you that involves you"
I tell them about soulmates, that we are, I tell them what kind of souls we are and that there are different ones, they are stunned and look distractedly at their dressed forearms and then roll up their sleeves and confirm. Both have the other's name and mine.
"Probably with my arrival here I accelerated the event of the beginning of the brands, branding you, with this development the soul brands will start to appear first. I'm sorry, I upset your life, I should have arrived earlier. You wouldn't have been caught and tortured. And little one I could have saved you more years of suffering with that woman" I say pointing first to Percy and then Credence, the remorse, the fear of not being able to do anything, the anger for having forgotten the most important people.
Don't get me wrong, damn it, I loved my husband and my son, my family; but it was heartbreaking to lose them and not even 5 seconds later discover a second part of myself that was hidden from me; because fuck, when I was little I couldn't wait to meet my soulmates. I lost everything twice in a few moments.
"Like you said we don't choose our marks, and here you are." Percy says taking my hand squeezing it between his and the other lifting my face.
"You came, as soon as you got your memories back, that's enough." He lifts his head a little giving me a look of gratitude smiling a little.
"You must never go back to that woman. I will protect you until my last breath, both of you. We will find your sisters a suitable place to stay, I will not leave them there, your mother will be taken care of by Gellert."
Creed looks at me with a hint of hope and maybe distrust.
"She was cruel, she hurt you, for no reason…"
"But I… I was bad… I'm a monster I deserved it…"
I put a hand on her cheek, rub my thumb gently and sigh, looking sadly.
"Don't ever say that again, you're so good and you make me so proud of you. You're not a monster. Never. And the hate, the fear, the pain that woman gave you that stained you, darkened your magic, your soul. Monsters are not born but made, and that woman turned into a monster for the way she treated you, for the way she instilled hatred between people. We are human beings, we are equal and just because Lady Magic gave us the gift of choosing each other doesn't mean we are different, bad or evil. Don't ever think that about yourself. You are a miracle, my fucking miracle and I won't let anyone distort you, your beauty, your way of being."
I say with all my heart. I lean my forehead against his, slowly, our noses touching, I continue to caress his cheek with my thumb and I leave a kiss on his forehead.
Percy's stomach makes itself heard, growling, breaking the moment but being followed collectively by me and Credence. I giggle lightly and move away from his face.
"I think it's better to eat something and go to bed, tomorrow there will be a bit of movement. Gellert could you take care of dinner?"
"Why me?" He complains
"Because Credence has had a lot of emotions with today's discoveries, Percy has to heal and he is also in a nice turmoil of emotions and I don't know how to cast spells and I suspect that there isn't much at home" I tell him cheekily and with a touch of tiredness.
She makes tomato soup with crackers to dip in it and cookies for dessert.
We all eat in silence, each mulling over our own thoughts.
"Gellert is in the guest room, Credence and Percy in the bedroom and I'm on the couch, are the arrangements okay?"
I ask about sleeping arrangements tonight, Gellert nods, Percy seems fine.
"I shouldn't, you and Mr. Graves should go…" Credence stiffens, tucking his head into his shoulders, hiding.
"Little one, we should all try to get to know each other. We're all connected to each other."
"You're mine, our soulmate, Fate chose us. We're lucky."
"My mother says that you shouldn't sleep with the same sex, it's a sin and it will take you to hell"
"Little one, if you love someone or care about them, how can they be bad? Do you love your mother?" He nods at the second question.
"You love her even though she hurts you, even though she's bad. If anyone deserves hell, it's her, not you because you love or care about someone. Don't worry if you don't feel like it, I won't force you"
In the end, Credence and I are on each couch, Gellert in the guest room and Percy in his room. Before Gellert goes to his room, I stop him by taking his wrist.
"Gellert, write a letter to Tina and ask her to come tomorrow afternoon, and please make her an Auror again, she's too smart to be that low."
He sighs and sits in the kitchen to write the letter, in the meantime Credence and I have set up the couches to sleep on. Twenty minutes later, Gellert is done and goes to bed. Credence relaxes as soon as he leaves the room.
Eventually after a while we both fall asleep.