"A bond between souls is ancient – older than the planet."
– Dianna Hardy
"Soooo.. I've made the decision to give Astoria a chance," Draco said out of nowhere and Eleanor and Pansy looked up from their potion homework.
"Finally! Good on you, Dray!" Eleanor beamed.
"We are meeting up this Hogsmeade weekend, I messaged her 2 days ago," Draco told the girls.
"I'm happy for you. You deserve your piece of happiness and love," Pansy said with a sincere look in her eyes.
And that's when Eleanor thought back to a few days ago. How Pansy had told her something but El had not asked her any further about it. Too busy with her own thoughts.
"What about you, Pans? I remember you telling me about this.. girl.. Was it a girl? I think I remember you calling the person a 'she'."
The look on Pansy's face turned into a shy one and Eleanor wanted to high-five the person that managed to do that to her always brave and cheeky best friend.
"Ooooh, I like that look on your face! It's a good one! Not one we see often, do we Dray?" Pansy's face only started reddening the second after Eleanor said that and Draco agreed as well with a newfound love of the look on Pansy's face. Not something they saw often indeed.
Eleanor gently laid down her quill before tucking her hands underneath her chin. Fully giving her attention to the upcoming love life's of her friend.
"I guess you can say I have a crush.. A big one. For a little while now. She's beautiful and quirky, maybe a tad weird but I like that," Pansy spoke with a dreamy voice and her mind seemed to wander elsewhere.
"We need a name to this apparently wonderful girl who turned our girl all mushy," Draco excitedly said.
"Her name is Luna Lovegood. You may know her as Loony Lovegood? Loony she is.. But in the best way possible."
"Isn't she in Ravenclaw? The girl who's always wearing those.. interesting necklaces? She's beautiful, Pans!" Eleanor placed her hand on Pansy's and tightened it in a loving manner.
"Wait, I think I'm missing something.. Who is she?" Draco spoke up.
Draco still wasn't a fan, scared even, of mingling outside of the Slytherin house even though he had now made lots of new friends from Gryffindor. Something he could never predict happen.
"She's small, a year younger than us. Beautiful white long hair, the same color as yours Dray. Mostly clad in dresses whenever she's not wearing the uniform. Her voice is dreamy and silky and just lovely. She never judges anyone and she's kind, always and to everyone. Even to people who don't deserve it."
So in other words; Luna was the polar opposite of Pansy. Pansy who was snarky and mean to everyone except to the people who she considered 'friends', which weren't many. The three Slytherin's, sitting around the table, really could take a page out of Luna's book.
It was clear that the younger Ravenclaw was doing something good to the brunette Slytherin girl, as Pansy was radiating like the sun. A big toothy smile that didn't leave her face. It only turned bigger when she started speaking about Luna.
"She sounds lovely, Pansy. You should bring her around sometimes," Eleanor said.
"Might do. She's a bit scared of Draco, though," Pansy giggled and Draco's eyes widened.
Was this really the effect he had on all people?
"Draco?! Look at him, he's just a big puppy!" Draco's cheeks were squashed together between Eleanor's hands, the boy made a weird noise while struggling to get free.
"I'm very intimidating," Draco huffed.
❥
The Great Hall was gathered with students, all waiting to go to Hogsmeade. Filch had started multiple times counting all the heads but he gave up when more and more people entered the room.
Among those people was Eleanor, clad in a dark blue checkered dress with black tights and a black classy coat that fell over her bum. Her hair was up in a high ponytail.
Everyone could tell from the look on her face that she was nervous. Also because she couldn't stop fiddling with her hands and tapping with her foot.
Finally after a while the four boys walked up to her. Eleanor immediately stretched out her hand to Dean who accepted it. She knew they had already met because Noah told her that she had been to a couple of DA meetings (which she couldn't remember) but Eleanor didn't think they had ever talked.
Fred and George both engulfed El in an awkward hug and the girl softly patted them on the back, secretly (and totally not creepily) sniffing up the scent that always lingered around them. God, that smell did weird things to her body.
"Ready, Fred? Ellie?" George spoke with a smile.
Eleanor blinked and all out of nowhere she was in a different room. No, not in a different room. The Great Hall just looked different. She saw Fred and George, only they looked slightly younger, their hair much longer that was touching their shoulders and a big goblet was standing in the middle of the room. Fire came out of it and a circle was whooshing around it.
She was back in the present a second later.
"Bottoms up?" Eleanor spoke softly to the boys, hoping Noah and Dean weren't listening in to their conversation.
As if a magical force was there, the boys stopped, both placing a hand on the girl her shoulders.
"You remember that?" Fred asked.
"Vaguely, I remember sitting there and thinking you were silly? I didn't know who you were back then.. Had only just figured out I had a soulmate.." Eleanor started walking again, they were only a few meters behind her brother and the boy he was fancying. They were laughing loudly.
"We didn't know you were our soulmate either that time—"
"—Too busy causing trouble."
Eleanor giggled.
"What happened?"
Fred and George spoke in unison.
"We fell in love."
They had reached the Hogwarts Express at that moment. George held out his hand to help El enter the train.
"Knocked some sense into our head," Fred spoke while guiding the two to an empty train cart where Noah and Dean just took place.
"Not much, though," George winked, finishing the sentence for his brother.
Eleanor laughed, a big loud laugh that made both boys swoon. They had really missed that sound. Especially when it was directed to them.
Her older brother looked between the three of them, a content look on his face. Knowing that everything would be alright.
After the short train ride the five of them walked up to Puddifoot's Tea Shop where their date would set place. Eleanor shuddered when she looked inside the tacky café as the decor reminded her of Umbridge office. Filled with snogging and happy looking couples. Bows and pink curtains were draped around the place, even on the windows and chairs they sat down on.
They all ordered hot chocolates and a cherry cake to go with.
Dean looked at the triad couple. Not a judgy look in sight.
"How did you three meet? Only if you're comfortable telling."
Noah started speaking for Eleanor.
"I don't think she's comfortable—"
Eleanor interrupted him.
"It's fine. We can trust you, right?"
Dean eagerly nodded. Of course he could be trusted. He had been friends with the Golden trio since his first year, he would never outsell any of his friends secrets to anyone. The Slytherin girl felt safe around the boys she was with.
"Fred, George and I are soulmates," She started and Dean let out a gasp. Fred and George both looked smug and proud.
"Something happened over Christmas break which ruined everything. Sorry, Elle but it's the truth," George spoke and Eleanor just nodded, not holding it against him.
"Something terrible happened, I can't really tell you what since I can't exactly remember it myself and nobody will tell me but Draco tried erasing my memories.." Eleanor spoke softly. "But he also accidentally removed the memories I had with these two weirdos."
"This is our first unofficial official date!" Fred clapped in his hands excitedly.
"Let's drink to that!" Noah exclaimed and they all raised their hot chocolates in the air. The porcelain cups met each other with a clink.
The group decided to split up after a while. Eleanor was laughing like never before, on a high sugar rush and her arms were linked through the boys. This was the exact feeling she had longed for. The happiness she was craving. Not a care in the world was present when she was with Fred and George.
"Ellie, do you believe in magic?" George suddenly asked her and she scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion.
"Literally look around you," She opened her arms and twirled a pirouette to make her point clearer.
"'Cause I know a great trick that will make you fall in love with us," George winked and Eleanor busted out in laughter, the two boys soon joining her.
El's laughing stopped when she spotted two familiar faces. Two faces she would love to sneak in on. Lucky for her, she was with the best mischievous makers Hogwarts had ever known.
While ducking down she grabbed the arms off Fred and George and pulled them to the ground as well. She shushed them with her fingers when they asked her what she was doing.
A mischievous look grew on both twins faces when they followed Eleanor's head nodding.
Draco and Astoria were sitting in the Three Broomsticks, laughing over a cup of butterbeer. The window was smoky and slightly damp from all the warm bodies inside but they could clearly see how much fun the two were having.
George held up his hand before taking off his bag and rummaging around in it. Out of it he pulled a flesh-colored string, he waved his wand over it and it split into three ends, he handed one to Eleanor and Fred each.
"What is this?" Eleanor whispered.
"Ssssh! Just put it in your ear!" Fred sniggered before tossing the end softly and unnoticeably through the small gap where the window was standing open. Voices magnified and Eleanor found a more comfortable sitting spot, Fred and George sat down next to her.
Their shoulders were brushing and they touched even more every time the boys laughed. Eleanor felt like she was going to explode.
"My older sister, Daphne, is in your year! You don't know her?" The three heard Astoria's voice with amazement.
"To be fair, I don't pay a lot of attention to my surroundings. I keep my circle small, that's why it took such a long time to set up a date for us."
"I maybe thought it was because of those girls you are always hanging around with. I was really happy when I figured out you were my soulmate, I got jealous of.. Eleanor and Pansy, is it?"
Fred and George both laughed softly, Eleanor poked them in the ribs to shut them up.
"They are my best friends. I know El for as long as I can remember.. We met Pansy the first day on King's Cross."
They heard Astoria hum. Eleanor was trying to keep herself from running in and shouting at the girl that she was definitely not a threat or any competition. El just wanted Draco to have as much happiness as possible.
"They look nice. I've never spoken to them. Daphne told me there's a rumor going around that Eleanor is friends with some Gryffindors. Quite disgusting, don't you think?"
El's face turned sour but it quickly returned back to normal (with a slight blush on her cheeks) when Fred and George took hold of her hands. Their thumbs circling the flesh in the exact same tempo.
"She's not. Her brother is friends with them. She only tolerates the Gryffindors to see him."
Draco's voice sounded icy and more bitter than at the start of the conversation. He was her best friend and she knew his voice didn't sound like his usual self. Not one she was used to at least. He was not liking the direction of this conversation.
"I still think it's outrageous she hangs out with them so much. She even sits at their table.. Blood-traitor.."
All three teens gasped when they heard the clatter of Draco's chair. They ripped out the string out of their ears the same moment the door swung open. A bad tempered Draco walked out. Not even seeing the triad and hastily making his way to the train station that would lead him back to Hogwarts.
"Bloody hell," Eleanor muttered while watching Draco stride away. Soft chuckles escaped Fred and George mouths and soon Eleanor was hiding her laughter into the jacket that George was wearing.
"Of course, Draco has an insane soulmate," George grinned.
"Fred? George?" A soft angelic voice was heard from a small distance.
A girl clad in a black muggle rockband shirt, black trousers and combat boots paired with a black puffy coat looked up at them. Her hair fell around her face, the color of blood red and wavy. On her face sat thick black glasses. The girl was as pale as the snow that fell down around them and she wasn't wearing any makeup, but to fair; she didn't need any. She was beautiful as she was.
El immediately felt intimidated, perhaps slightly insecure, by her, especially when Fred and George their smiles grew wider when they spotted the fiery girl. They at once scrambled up and took Eleanor with them, both linking their arm through hers.
It was a bit strange that Eleanor had never seen the girl around Hogwarts but it wasn't something that hadn't happened before. Her world was small; Draco, Pansy and Noah. That was basically it. There were a lot of people at school that she didn't know the name or appearance of.
"Hiya Emmy!" Both boys chorused, Eleanor simply nodded a 'hello'.
"Is this her then?" The girl, Emmy apparently, asked. Eleanor narrowed her eyes, trying to study her but could not find anything threatening.
"This is Eleanor!" Fred proudly said, taking her hand firmly and Eleanor looked up at the boy in wonder.
So, this Emmy girl apparently knew the boys well. Well enough that they trusted her and told her about the soulmate bond with Eleanor. That meant that she was kind and nice, right? It was peculiar that she had never heard her name before but to be honest.. They might have and she just forgot.
"Hi Emmy. I'm Eleanor," Eleanor echoed and Emmy smiled warmly at her. Her eyes crinkled underneath her glasses and a soft blush took place on her cheeks from the cold outside. She definitely looked nice.
"It's so lovely to finally meet you. Fred and George could not stop talking about you. They missed you, terribly. It's amazing to see that you came back home to them," Emmy said and she could hear the sincerity in her voice. Her fire red hair bounced around her face while she talked.
This made Eleanor cock up an eyebrow while staring at the two boys. She cheekily asked while glancing occasionally at Emmy. "Really? You could not stop talking about me?" The grin could be heard in her voice and the two boys blushed.
"Emmy, you git! That was supposed to be a secret," George hissed.
Emmy shrugged. "Was it? Hm, too bad."
"I think you and I are going to be great friends," Eleanor said, releasing her hold on Fred and George their hands and taking a few steps towards her. She linked her arm through Emmy's and they started walking away, leaving the stunned twins behind them.
"They'll come running after us.. In 3.. 2.." Emmy whispered to Eleanor and El giggled.
"Hey! Don't leave us!"
"One," Both girls said at the same time and they bursted out in laughter.
They twirled around at the same time, as if they had practiced it many times and looked at the two gingers who were running after them.
"Let's go have a drink somewhere, so we can get to know each other better!" Fred exclaimed and everyone thought that was a wonderful idea.
"I do fancy a butterbeer," Eleanor said and Emmy nodded.
"I was thinking exactly the same thing."
❥
"How come I have never seen you if you're a Slytherin as well?" Eleanor asked and sipped her butterbeer.
"I'm in my sixth year."
"That still doesn't explain how I have never seen you," Eleanor said.
"Please, Ellie, you didn't know who we were before our soulmate bond! Everyone in Hogwarts knows us—" George started.
"—It isn't our fault that your little world surrounds of Draco and Pansy. You hardly ever notice someone!" Fred finished.
"Not trying to be mean love, but you're kind of blind to these kind of things," George snickered.
Eleanor laughed along with them. They were so terribly correct. She was blind to these kind of things.
"I guess so, yeah.." El giggled, her hands tightly placed around her steaming mug. Trying to warm up a little from the cold weather outside. Fred, who was sitting next to her, noticed this and started rubbing her arms with his hands. Trying to give his body heat to her. She gratefully smiled at him.
"Eleanor Wilson actually agreeing with something we said? Owl the Daily Prophet! This is the biggest news ever!" George exclaimed but he soon shut up when Eleanor punched his arm.
"You deserved that, Fred," Emmy laughed.
"George," Eleanor and George corrected her at the same time. His eyes turned comically big while his mouth fell slightly open.
"You.. You can tell us apart again!"
Her cheeks glowed red and very very hot, she hid her face behind her hair before it was stroked away by Fred, he gently put it behind her ear. This made her cheeks glow even redder, she didn't know that was possible.
The swarm of butterflies returned to her body and El didn't have a clue what to do with her hands. She settled on settling them down on her lap, still staring at it. She felt so safe and loved and giddy. Like she belonged with them.
A voice interrupted her thoughts and she was glad for it, as Eleanor was feeling very awkward at the moment.
"Eleanor, do you want to help me get another round of drinks?" Emmy asked and Eleanor leaped up, following Emmy to the bar.
The two girls, one blonde and one red head, stood next to each other. A comfortable silence which Eleanor interrupted. El felt awfully comfortable around the girl, even though she only knew her for half an hour now.
"Thank you for rescuing me," Eleanor began. "Fred and George are amazing, I really think they are.. But it's just weird, you know? They are in love with me and I don't remember a thing. God, I should stop whining about this. I bloody hate myself at the moment."
Emmy placed her hand over Eleanor's and gave her a soft smile.
"Don't hate yourself. There was no way of preventing this.. They told me everything.. I'm sorry they did, I don't know how comfortable you are with it. They do love you a lot, I would be lying if I told you they didn't but you shouldn't try and force something you're not feeling right now. I'm sure it will come back. I mean, look at them," The two girls glanced at the twins who were laughing loudly at a joke one of them made.
"What's not to love.." Eleanor whispered.
Her heart started swelling and a smile crept on her face the longer she stared at Fred and George. She loved the way their laugh sounded, she loved the way they bickered with each other, she loved the way their hair moved around them.
"I went through a similar thing when I met my boyfriend 2 years ago. I didn't know if I was ready for a relationship at that time, wasn't sure if I truly loved him. I just got out of a relationship with a girl that broke my heart. It was a difficult time, surely not as difficult as what you're going through now," Emmy whispered and she took hold of two fresh butterbeers that was placed in front of them. Eleanor grabbed the other two.
The two started walking back, Eleanor deeply thinking about what Emmy just said. They had almost reached the table when El stopped the red head.
"What changed your mind?" Eleanor asked.
A knowing and playful smirk appeared on Emmy's face. As if she knew something that Eleanor didn't. But that couldn't be.. Right?
"He kissed me and I realized I couldn't imagine a life without him. It was like.. Fireworks," Emmy winked and walked back to the table, leaving a flustered Eleanor behind.
❥
Evening had fallen around Hogwarts and Eleanor and her two best friends, Draco and Pansy, were sat on Draco's bed in an empty boys dorm room. This was the place where they met up most of the time, whenever they had something private to discuss, since Draco couldn't exactly reach the girls dorm room. He had tried many times but it kept resulting in him sliding off towards the bottom whenever the stairs transformed into a slide.
"SHE SAID WHAT?!" Pansy yelled at the top of her lungs, Draco and Eleanor had never seen her this angry before. The girl was ready to storm down and fight someone.
"I'm not going to repeat it, you've heard me," Draco sternly told her and Eleanor actually had to pounce Pansy because she was scrambling of the bed to run down to the common room and attack a certain Greengrass girl.
As soon as she had arrived back at Hogwarts, Eleanor had bid Fred, George and Emmy goodbye. Not because she wanted to because she wanted to spend the rest of the night with those two wonderful boys that made her all sweaty and light-headed. But.. She had to be a good friend now and find Pansy and then find Draco. Both weren't hard to find, Pansy was lounging in the Slytherin common room and they found Draco sulking on his bed.
The hardest part was having to pretend that Eleanor did not already know what had happened between Draco and Astoria. Because Draco could not know that El, Fred and George had listening in to their private conversation. That was just their little secret.
"Bloody hell, Pans! Calm down!" Eleanor screeched, still clinging to Pansy's waist and struggling to keep her in the room.
"Why aren't you angry, El? Shit, you should be fuming!" Pansy heavy breathed. "Nobody, absolutely nobody, calls my best friend ugly names."
"Unless it's you," Eleanor deliberately said and luckily Pansy was slowly calming down. Draco was just dimwittedly staring at the two girls.
"Well, yes! Unless it's me!"
Draco started laughing, then Eleanor and Pansy followed not long after. They laughed for a few minutes.
"I still want to beat her ass," Pansy grumbled after a while.
The two decided to ignore her and Eleanor turned her attention back to Draco.
"What are you going to do now, Dray? You have to give her another chance!"
"Why should I?"
"She's your bloody soulmate, for Merlin's sake! You can't just ignore her," The words out of Eleanor's mouth were desperate and she didn't quite know where the desperation was coming from. Perhaps she was a little sick of Draco's (very big) crush on her, it was all a little too much now.
"Watch me," Draco hissed stubbornly.
Eleanor and Pansy didn't say anything but they let their body fall back on Draco's bed with a sigh. The boy was hopeless.
AN: Sooo, what do we think of this new character called Emmy? She's based on my best friend in real life, she has the same appearance and first name.
Also!!! I already wrote the ending and I have to tell you: I cried a lot. This is not saying much because I cry at literally everything. Not to fear; we have a lot of chapters to go! We're only at OOTP. Much love, B.