Title - Soul Charming (Part Three of Three)
Author - Spaz141
Rating - PG13
Category - Romance/Fluff
Warnings - none
Pairings -
HG/OW; HG/HP
RW/LL
GW/HP; GW/NL; GW/DM
Summary - I believe that a person can fall in love more than once in a lifetime and this is basically what this story is about. The main plot is borrowed from an episode of Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. Do you believe in soul mates? This is a Hermione based story from her point of view.
Special thanks to MisCard and Selened for their beta work and comments.
Disclaimer - I own nothing, not the characters, not the plot, not even original characters - I have "borrowed" it all. I have read and been influenced by so many stories if you recognize something belongs to you let me know and I will acknowledge you accordingly.
---
Early winter - Hermione's cottage
I am engaged! I think back to that Saturday of just over a year ago…my future husband. Yes, I am getting married. I honestly thought that this would never happen for me, I actually have a boyfriend-fiancé. I love Oliver and he loves me back, I even have thoughts about becoming a mother. I am beginning to wonder if I'm losing myself, I am about to become someone's wife and in time, possibly someone's mother? Oh there's that overwhelming feeling again.
Oliver and I decide on a June wedding and my mother insists on a church ceremony in addition to a wizarding ceremony and we agree to accommodate her wishes. After all this is it, I am only getting married once.
Ginny and my mother are helping me plan the wedding and my mother is driving me crazy with her demands suggestions whereas Ginny is wonderfully helpful. Mum is so controlling I start to wonder just whose wedding is it anyway. I need a distraction, I floo Ginny perhaps she will indulge me with a cup of tea and a nice long rant.
"Ginny, you there?" I call out from the fireplace. I hear a thud, a few curse words and then a sight I never thought I would see in my lifetime.
"Oh, hello Draco, nice arse…I mean nice to see you again. Is Ginny there?" I ask smiling at a very naked Draco Malfoy as he struggles to cover himself with the throw from Ginny's sofa.
"I'm here Hermione," I hear Ginny respond, "uh, just give us about five minutes and then come on through." I notice Draco look over to where Ginny must be standing and shoot her a nasty look.
"Okay…but I'll wait say…a half hour." I laugh as Draco gives me a nod of approval. I pull my head out of the fireplace and fall back laughing hysterically. I really should teach Ginny how to cast the Do Not Disturb spell on her fireplace.
Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley have been playing the on-again off-again game for years. I really don't understand the attraction or know how they even got together in the first place. It must be some sort of Bad Wizard/Good Witch karma thing. Ginny is not one to explain her choices, as she is definitely her own person. A trait I do admire.
Forty-five minutes later, I apparate to Ginny's front room wherein I overhear Draco and Ginny arguing at her front door.
"I'm sorry. Should I come back later?" I interrupt.
"No, I was just leaving." answers Draco, he looks like he is sizing me up and says, "You're looking good, Granger."
"So are you…all of you." I respond honestly.
Draco gives me his trademark smirk and then turns to Ginny and grabs her by the waist pulling her into a passionate kiss before saying, "We WILL finish this later." He then glances back at me, "Congratulations Granger, I understand you've nabbed yourself a Quidditch star."
"That I have." I respond.
One more grab at Ginny and he is out the door.
Ginny looks at me in anticipation of what I have to say.
"You back together?" I ask.
Ginny sighs, "That's what we were discussing when you arrived."
"Well?"
Ginny sighs again, "I don't want to be with anyone right now. I don't want any complications romantic or otherwise in my life at the minute."
"But you and Draco, you…you're sleeping together? Don't you love him?"
"Hermione, you can be so naïve sometimes. Draco and I…we are having sex, I assure you there is no sleeping involved whatsoever," Ginny replies with a serious expression.
"But-" I start, but Ginny cuts me off.
"Hermione, I'm not in love with Draco."
"Then why is it every time one of you ends a relationship with someone else, you come running back to each other?"
Ginny is getting irritated; she clearly doesn't want to discuss it. I decide to drop it; it is none of my business anyway. Then she surprises me and responds, "In bed, we are good together, the sex easy and fun, but then we try to have a relationship and everything goes to hell. We have been dancing around making a commitment for years, but I know its not going to work."
"Why-" I start but she cuts me off again.
"His mother is pressuring him to marry Pansy; he wants me to decide once and for all if I want to be with him. I told him no, but he doesn't believe me." Ginny states.
"Maybe he is the one, Ginny?"
"I know he's not the one."
"How do you know that?"
She looks up at me with a drained look in her eyes, "I just know alright."
"Just like you knew Harry wasn't the one." I curtly ask deciding I won't back down after all.
"I'm going to tell you something Hermione and I'm a little afraid of how you are going to react. Up until now only Harry, myself and Luna know the truth about why Harry and I called off the wedding…"
--
I sit waiting in anticipation; I am finally going to find out what happened.
Ginny fingers the heart shaped pendant around her neck and begins, "I need to start before the beginning so to speak."
I nod for her to continue.
"Luna knew from the moment she saw Ron in first year, that he was 'The One.' I personally thought she was daft and her devotion to my brother insane. I knew for certain that Ron fancied you and definitely not her."
I gasp, "What do you mean Ron…"
"Oh give me a break…you didn't know?"
"Well I…"
She shakes her head and continues, "It doesn't matter now, does it? But come on, the bickering, the 'personal' gifts like perfume? I can't believe you didn't realise. Well, anyways, Luna would just insist that it was a phase that he was really in love with her and not you, he just hadn't realised it yet.
Then one day, towards the end of seventh year, she was going on about my brother, I asked how she knew and to my great surprise she told me exactly how she knew."
"Okay, but what does this have to do with you and Harry…or you and Draco for that matter?" I ask.
"I'm getting to that…I'm building up to it," she says getting rather stroppy, holding up the charm around her neck Ginny asks, "Do you have any idea what this is?"
"A charm." I respond.
"Not just any charm, its my Soul Charm." she says, "Harry has one too."
"Okay…" I say.
Ginny sighs, "Luna made one for each of us…as a sort of engagement gift, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Luna knew she was meant for Ron because she made the Charms for her and Ron and tested them out."
"But…how do you make them? … Is it dark magic? I mean Ginny really how reliable can they be? This sounds like Divination crap to me." I question.
"Let me finish okay." Ginny admonishes, "Mrs. Lovegood was a Seer; Luna found the recipe for the Charms in one of her mother's spell books. Mrs. Lovegood was a published author, did you know that?"
"Was she June Lovegood?" I respond, "the cookbook author?"
"Yes, she also wrote Divination books under her maiden name Selene as well," to which I respond with a snort, it is no secret how I feel about Divination, but I let Ginny continue with her explanation, "Well, what I'm getting at is that her spells are sound. Luna made the Charms, placed one on top of the other and then they glowed gold and melded together confirming that she and Ron are soul mates."
"If she had known Ron was her soul mate since her first year then why did she date Harry in our Seventh Year?" I ask, remembering the brief union that stunned just about the entire student body, and come to think of it Ron in particular.
"Isn't that obvious?" Ginny rolls her eyes, "To make Ron jealous."
"I see…she and Ron did start dating soon after she and Harry broke up, didn't they?" I muse, "Okay, so Luna made the Charms for you and Harry but they didn't work?"
"We both started getting cold feet as our wedding date drew near…Draco was…having a difficult time with my engagement and putting a lot of pressure on me to call it off…" Ginny struggles with her words, "I really didn't want to hurt Harry, but I wasn't sure…and Draco kept tempting me…I really wanted to be the witch to give Harry the family he always wanted, but-" she sees the look on my face, "NO! No, Hermione, no I never cheated on Harry. I wouldn't do that…no." Regaining her composure she continues, "I voiced my concerns to Luna and that's when she told me that Harry was having doubts too. At first I was angry that he had talked to her and not me."
"Nor me," I throw in.
Ginny glares at me and continues, "But then I realised what difference did it make I was feeling the same way. Luna offered to make us the Charms. And as you know the results were not in our favour, it was the reason we needed to finalize our decision to call off the wedding."
"What happened to your Charms when they touched, anything?" I ask curious.
"Nothing, they just dropped apart." replies Ginny.
"I assume you made a Charm for Draco?" I ask still curious.
"Luna helped me make his…it well…it's hard to explain…his Charm sprang away from mine and burst into flames." replies Ginny.
"Oh my God Ginny, you must have been horrified." I say trying not to laugh.
"No, not really, I already knew that answer. I burst out laughing when his Charm caught on fire, it was very symbolic of our relationship all fire and passion but no substance." responds Ginny.
"I am so glad I am secure in my feelings for Oliver. I don't need a charm to tell me he is the one." I state inwardly cringing at how pompous I sound.
Ginny raises her eyebrow at me, "Sure you are Hermione…so…when do you want to make Charms for you and Oliver?" asks Ginny.
---
Three days before the wedding - The Three Broomsticks.
"I asked Suzanne to marry me." Harry announces.
"Oh congratulations Harry! I'm so happy for you!" I squeal as I throw my arms around him but he doesn't hug back. Oh no. I pull back to look at him.
"She said no." he sighs, "She said that she wasn't interested in being…what was it, oh yeah, the trophy wife of the Saviour of the Wizarding World…and then she kind of broke things off, said that she wanted to be closer to her parents, was returning to Montreal and that maybe we should start seeing other people." He shakes his head and continues, "She didn't love me Hermione; she said that if I was honest with myself I'd accept that I wasn't in love with her either."
"You'll be okay Harry." I comfort.
"I know Hermione, I just thought- you know it doesn't matter," responds Harry as he hugs me tighter. "I hope Oliver realises he is a very lucky man."
"Oh Harry." I sigh and hold him tighter.
"Its okay Hermione, I'm just…tired of the game."
---
A Friday in June - The wedding rehearsal.
"Harry?" I call out as I approach him; he is sitting quietly at the back of the church.
He looks up and smiles, "Yes luv?"
"Severus owled that he is running late and I don't think we should wait any longer. Do you mind filling in for him for the rehearsal?" I ask.
"Anything to get out of being a bridesmaid." Harry replies with a big grin.
"Oh hush you, you are not a bridesmaid…you are a…an…honour attendant." I state.
"All right, for you, this honour attendant is happy to pull double duty." Harry agrees holding out his arm for me. We wait for the cue from Father Craig and then start down the aisle.
"How are you holding up?" I ask in a whisper.
"I'm fine." he replies as he pats the top of my hand linked through his arm.
"Who gives this woman to this man?" asks the priest as Harry and I stop before him.
"On behalf of her father and mother…"
Silence.
"I can't do this. I'm sorry."
I watch him turn and walk out of the church. Oliver and I just stare at each other part of me wants to run after Harry but I stay where I stand.
I break the silence to say, "Marie-Suzanne broke up with him." I pause for what seems like an eternity, "Oliver..."
"I think we should talk," says Oliver and then turns to Father Craig, "Father, we need a minute, okay?"
Father Craig nods and leaves us to have a word with my very confused mother.
Oliver and I move to sit in the front pew. I feel sick to my stomach, I open my mouth to speak but Oliver beats me to it.
"This isn't about Harry. Hermione, I love you, I want to marry you tomorrow, but something doesn't feel right. If you are unsure at all, tell me now."
"Oliver. I love you…" I explain all about Ginny, Luna and the Soul Charms. He calmly listens to every word I say.
When I finish he says, "Well, did you make the Charms, shall we try them out?"
"Ginny did. I have them here, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, whatever the outcome, I'll accept your decision."
I hand him the Charm Ginny made for him. He takes it from my hand and as our hands touch I am left with a sense of sadness the feeling is not what I expect. I take out my Charm and we touch them together. I am very anxious; for some reason Oliver is the picture of calm, oh I wish I had his confidence. Our Charms start to glow; my heart is racing in anticipation. They glow…blue but then gently break apart; they glowed but they didn't meld together. What the hell does this mean? I am more confused than ever and Oliver looks equally confused. "What does it mean?" he asks.
"Haven't a clue," I respond, "If we were soul mates, the Charms are supposed to glow with a gold light and then meld to together. At least that's what happened for Ron and Luna."
"Hermione, do you want to marry me tomorrow?"
I sigh, tears forming in my eyes. "I don't want to hurt you. But…no, I don't think we should get married tomorrow."
"I agree."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"I love you Oliver."
"And I love you Hermione." He says handing me my Charm and then pulls me into a hug. I don't even try to hold back my tears.
My mother comes up behind us and asks, "Is everything all right?" I turn and face my mother, "Hermione. Why are you crying?"
"We have decided to call off the wedding," announces Oliver his voice thick with sadness.
"Why?" Helen demands.
"Mum, we are still trying to figure things out."
"Bollocks!" Helen shouts and storms out of the church.
"She'll get over it." I say to no one in particular. Oliver's strong arms envelop me in comfort. I lean back into him, "I don't want to lose you Oliver."
"You won't."
--
Oliver and I deal with cancelling the wedding. We are about to leave the church when Oliver decides to stay and talk to Father Craig about something. I give him a kiss on the cheek, we agree to meet for lunch in a couple of weeks and then I leave him in the church foyer.
Outside I take in a deep breath of air. What a day? My first instinct is to find Harry but I decide against looking for him at the minute and just take some time for myself.
---
About three weeks later - Hogwarts Gates
I am standing outside the gates of Hogwarts I have just had the most bizarre luncheon experience of my life. I'm still contemplating Severus' request and my approval of said request, while I decide whether to apparate straight home or head to The Three Broomsticks for a much-needed Firewhiskey. I notice him; he is standing across the path leaning against his godfather's motorbike. He looks so serious. I cross the path. We stand there staring at each for quite some time when he finally speaks.
"You called off the wedding."
"Yes." I respond as He reaches in his pocket and pulls out his Charm. I pull out mine from around my neck.
"I don't think we need these." He says grabbing the two charms and chucking them in the air. I look up and watch as they touch, they are starting to glow. He diverts my attention by pulling me to him. His lips come crashing down on mine and I find heaven right here on earth. I feel…everything. I see stars and fireworks behind my closed eyes and I have no doubts I belong with him, I have always belonged with him.
We pull apart; I shudder at the loss of contact. I need to be near him touching him. He is smiling at me. I've never seen him smile like this before. It is love. Oh my! He loves me!
"I didn't realise."
"I didn't either, not until I was about to give you away."
He takes my hand and says, "Get on."
We position ourselves on the bike and away we go. Here I am sitting on the back of a motorbike with my arms wrapped around him. How can this even be possible? I never in my life thought we would be together. Where are we headed? I have no idea, I'm just going to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
~ fini ~
Notes:
There is an epilogue.
Thank you all for the lovely reviews