If Fate Commands It..

[Violet]

You may find part one here..​

A Wizarding World Role-play between Violet x King Arthur

Neville Longbottom || Gryffindor

​

Neville had walked with Hermione and Ron through the castle and towards the Quidditch pitch. The winds blew briskly against their faces, forming a chilly shiver that ran down his spine, causing the nervous boy to tug at his sweater sleeves. He could see many of his fellow classmates, all from different houses, walking and even running to get the best seats in the stands. Neville wasn't surprised, this was the biggest game of Quidditch season. After all everyone knew of the fierce rivalry between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. Most everyone saw it as the "good guys" that being the Gryffindors versus the "bad guys" or the Slytherins. But that seemed silly, after all who was going to care after they graduated which house everyone belonged too.

After the group had quickened their pace, they managed to get to the stands and find a good seat. Everywhere around him Neville could see the gold and scarlet colors of his house. It filled him with pride to belong to such a great house, the best at Hogwarts if you asked him. He looked over to Ron just as the announcements started up. "See something you fancy Ron?" He joked as he followed Ron's eyes across the field to the blue and bronzed stands where a certain blonde witch was cheering as the teams began to take their starting positions. Neville looked over to see Hermione who had her gaze fixated on Ron, through her expression was unclear.

Neville turned his attention to cheering on his fellow Gryffindors as they took their positions. "Go Harry!" He yelled out, his eyes bright as he watched the game begin and his friend fly after the tiny golden snitch. His eyes flew across the pitch, watching every interaction from Harry to Ron's own siblings. "Why don't you join quidditch Ron?" He asked the boy leaning over slightly to whisper to his redheaded friend. "It seems like it runs in your family" He joked.

It was then that his eyes fell on the object of his latest desires, Arthur McCross was playing a fine game. The smirk he had worn on his face vanished quickly at the sight of the fiery red head. He had a perfect shot lined up when all the sudden his hit missed the mark just enough to unbalance himself. The crowd gasped as they watched his arm twist uncomfortably. It broke Neville's heart to watch. He bit his lower lip to avoid showing any sign of compassion to the slytherin boy, but still his eyes couldn't leave the boy.

In the end the Gryffindors won by Harry's capturing of the snitch. His house roared in victory as they went crazy in the stands, even Neville was jumping up and down screaming in victory. Though his eyes couldn't help but wander down the field and to the Slytherins who seemed less than thrilled at another loss as the red and scarlet banners flew victorious in the wind.

Turning to his friends he asked. "Should we go find Harry and celebrate?"

Juliet Duvette || Ravenclaw

Juliet had been quietly following beside Cho as they climbed the stairs up to the Ravenclaw stands. Cho had been speaking quietly about something she had read in the library. Something called, the room of requirement, a place that sounded almost too good to be true. As they were speaking though they saw Umbridge, pink as ever, climbing up the stairs to the teacher's stands. Angrily yelling at passing by students. Her gaze flickered over to Juliet for just a second, making Juliet cast her gaze downwards and shiver. Umbridge's dark stare gave Juliet a very uneasy feeling, one that made her stomach turn in dismay. Shaking off the look she settled in between Cho and someone else. Looking over to see that the boy was Arthur's younger brother Cassidy.

Getting settled she looked over at the Gryffindor section, seeing a mop of red hair and instantly smiling at Ron from across the field. She waved softly back and Cho giggled beside her. "What's with you and Ronald lately huh?" Cho teased. Juliet rolled her eyes and giggled with Cho. "It's nothing, he's just.. Cute. Something's different about him this year" She added as her attention suddenly was drawn from the weasley boy. A loud voice rang out as Lee Jordan announced the Gryffindor team as they rode into the air and made their way to the starting positions. Cheering loudly as the game began.

Juliet didn't know much about Quidditch, other than what Cho had told her. Quidditch was foreign concept to her as a muggle, but as a witch she loved it. The magic was incredible as were the skills it took to play the complicated game. She watched as Art's hand twisted in an unpleasant way. "Ouch.. that must have hurt." Cassidy only shuddered beside her.

After a rather intense game Harry caught the snitch and thus ended the game with a win for the Gryffindors. A loud roaring cheer rang out from the Gryffindor stands and Juliet couldn't suppress her smirk as she slowly clapped next to a cheering Cho. After they landed Cho's smile couldn't be contained as she looked over at Juliet. "Shall we go congratulate them?" She asked Juliet. Juliet laughed and wrapped her arm around her best friend. "Sure, let's go shall we?" She said, escorting her friend down to meet the team on the ground.

After a few minutes Cho had pushed her way to the center to congulate Harry. They awkwardly smiled at each other as Harry cleared his throat to say "Thank you." Juliet stood a bit further away, waving to Harry as she said "Good job Harry! You did great!" She said with a bright smile, though out of the corner of her eye she could see the Slytherin team marching away, Art following closely behind.

 

[king_arthur]

Arthur McCross - Slytherin

​

The vice-like grip Arthur had on his club caused pain to shoot up his arm, but it was all he could do to keep a neutral expression on his face. Or, as neutral as one would expect from someone who just lost a quidditch game. The truth was though, he was pissed, more so than usual after losing to the Gryffindors. Although it was the outcome of every game against them, he couldn't help but feel like maybe it wouldn't have been if he didn't go and mess it up. No offense to Goyle (not that Art really cared if he offended Goyle), but the redhead was the best beater on their team. Maybe this would have been the day that he got a lucky shot at Potter, throwing him off just enough to let the Slytherin seeker catch the snitch. For once.

Art, not being able to do anything other than brood about it, made his way into the locker rooms, taking a cold shower in an attempt to cool down. H dried off and continued getting ready in silence, ignoring the chatter of the others. At this point, after knowing him for slightly more than a year, the team usually knew to steer clear of him after they lost. It was just better for everyone really.

Arthur grabbed his duffel bag with his right hand, slinging it over his shoulder while wincing. He inspected his wrist, turning it over in front of him. It hurt, sure, but he was positive it'd be gone by the next day. Or at least, he hoped. Turning around to leave, there was one of his teammates blocking his path. Well, not really blocking it, just standing directly where he needed to go, probably unintentionally anyway.

"Sure you're alright?" It was the newest edition of the team who asked this. Of course. The redhead gritted his teeth.

"M'fine," he replied, moving to go around the third year.

"It looked like you twisted it something awful-"

"I said I'm fine," Arthur replied, much harsher, banging his fist on the table next to him. He was glad that he was faced away from the kid so she didn't have the satisfaction of seeing his face flinch from the pain it caused. Not hearing any more rebuttal from behind him, he continued walking out the door, leaving well before anyone else.

Ronald Weasley -Gryffindor

​

Ron grinned when Juliet saw him and waved back, the worries of that morning being just that, and were mostly out of his mind now. He could deal with those thoughts later, when he wasn't about to watch a quidditch game against the Slytherins. "I don't know what on Earth you're talking about," he replied to Neville who stood beside him, though a bit of a knowing grin was on his face when he said this. He only barely happen to catch the sidelong glance from Hermione, if Neville had picked up on the growing relationship between him and Juliet, then she sure had. And by relationship, he meant friendship. F-r-i-e-n-d-s-h-i-p. For now, a small voice in the back of the Gryffindor's mind told him, but as the game was just beginning, Ron pretended he never heard it and watched as the red and gold players stepped out onto the field.

"Go Gryffindor!" He shouted as the game began and both teams soared into the air. He watched the players move quickly around the field, his eyes mostly following his best mate as he looked for the snitch, but also taking in the scene as a whole. Ron shrugged at Neville's question without taking his eyes off of the field. "Can't say I haven't thought about it," he responded, "but there's still the question if I'd be any good."

The redhead had played quidditch before with his family, a decent amount of it actually, but that didn't mean he was confident in his abilities. Not by any stretch of the matter. But he wasn't lying when he said he had thought about it. He still remembered and cherished his childhood dream of being the Quidditch captain someday, though that happening in the last two years of school was unlikely.

The game went by quickly, though thrillingly, as it didn't take Harry too long to catch the snitch, the Slytherin seeker never even having a chance. A huge uproar broke out through the Gryffindor stands at the victory, Ron being sure to take part, yelling excitedly until his throat began to feel sore. The group of them, at Neville's suggestion, then turned to go down to the field to congratulate Harry and the rest of them. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, making their way through the buzzing crowd to the steps, but eventually they got through.

"Amazing catch Harry, as usual," Ron told him, cocky in his best mate's ability against any team. Harry only grinned and rolled his eyes, and that's when Ron spotted Juliet and Cho who had also come down to congratulate the team.

"That was a great game, huh?" The redhead asked, finding himself involuntarily making his way over to the pretty Ravenclaw.

"Let me get changed and we can all hang out then, I wanted to talk to you lot about something anyway" he happened to overhear Harry say this while talking to Hermione and the others, and made a mental note of it. He briefly wondered if his friend wanted to talk more about the DA, but was unsure. He figured he'd find out soon enough anyway.

 

[Violet]

~Time Skip~

Neville Longbottom
It was a cold fall weekend and the shy Gryffindor boy was spending it by the fireplace in his common room. He had been playing a round of wizard's chest with Dean Thomas but had let Seamus take over for him after Dean insulted his skills multiple times. Neville was curled up on the dark scarlet couch watching the match as he scribbled in his journal. A smirk never leaving his face as he listened to the conversation. He had been distracted by the clock ticking slowly, counting down the time until the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army. At the thought, he chewed his bottom lip nervously as he silently went over the plan in his head. The three of them Seamus, Dean, and himself, would go down the stairs and find themselves at the Room of Requirement, a room Neville himself had stumbled upon when he needed a quiet place to study.

He found himself wondering if Arthur would actually show up at the meeting, after all he had said it himself he was only in it for the potions essay his brother promised him. He couldn't imagine why Arthur would want to surround himself with a bunch of students, much like Ronald, who despised his existence. In a way it made Neville sad, maybe Art was just misunderstood? Though, Neville knew better than most that people's home life take a toll on them, but that didn't excuse Art's bullying ways. Still Neville found a part of himself hoping that Art would show up, just so he could sneak a few glances at the handsome ginger. Neville's soul mark had only grown stronger in the past week, and it worried him immensely, seeing as how he had barely spoken three words to Arthur. Even though every fiber of his being begged to be near the Slytherin boy.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Seamus defending his chess skills as Dean chuckled. Neville looked over at the two boys and all thoughts of the McCross boy vanished.. for now. "Ay Neville let's get going" Dean suggested as he hesitated a moment to let Neville catch up. "Yeah don't drag behind Longbottom" Seamus said, marching his way though the picture frame.

After a few moments and a close call with Umbridge, the trio finally managed to find the large doors of the Room of Requirement. Once inside Neville was able to see the golden trio chatting as people began pouring into the room. Neville took the opportunity to glance around the room, just as he had at the first meeting of the DA. He saw many familiar faces surrounding him, some whispering in excited tones and other looking nervously as they looked down at their feet or at the door.

When the door opened next Neville's attention was snatched from the conversation between Seamus and the Patel twins and landed on the one and only Arthur McCross, entering the room of requirement, and looking a bit lost amid the suddenly dark faces. Many people either turning away from him or scoffing in his direction. Though he didn't have much time to react before Harry Potter began the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army.

Juliet Duvette||Ravenclaw

Juliet had spent her rainy weekend in the library with Cho. They were preparing for their upcoming O.W.L.S and had been doing some Defense Against The Dark Arts research for their upcoming DA meeting. Juliet had also done some reading on soul marks, since now she knew what to look for. She had found some interesting facts about them, such as if one person of a bonded pair tries to be romantically involved with another, it left both parts of the pair with feelings of dread. It made Juliet even more curious as to who her perfect match was, though deep down she already knew it belonged to a certain red head.

The past week she had been trying to bring the subject up to Ron, though overtime she lost her nerve or the two were interrupted. Though she had noticed some longing looks from a one Lavender Brown and even the brilliant Hermione Granger was treating Juliet differently. Leaving Juliet feeling both jealous and nervous whenever she was around the golden trio, which was more and more these days with Cho and Harry.

"Juliet?" The blonde glanced up from her place on the page to meet Cho's glance. "Hmm?" She hummed, her voice echoing through the deserted library. "Are you ready to go?" Cho asked, her head cocked sideways as if concerned about her friend's blank expression. "Oh! That time already?" Juliet said, perking up at the thought of the meeting. Cho laughed softly and shook her head. "Come on or we'll be late" Cho said, nodding towards the door. The two gathered their books and began walking briskly though the aisle, letting their books fly back to their original positions. Cho looked over as Juliet placed the soul mark book back in it's place. "Why do you have a book on soul marks Jules?" Cho asked curiously as the two walks out of the library. "Oh I got curious about something Professor Trewlaney said in class the other day. No one ever told me about soul marks so.. I got curious" Juliet lied as the two scurried through the halls to the room of requirement as Harry instructed.

As the two pushed open the heavy metal doors and entered the well lit room. Juliet was fanastinated by the room, looking around ti inspect the candles and noticing the dummy that resembled the ones Lupin had used to teach them DADA in their third year.
IT was then the blonde's gaze fell on the red head in a hushed whisper with his two best mates. Though when Hermione caught Juliet's look she quickly glanced away. She noticed many other students from multiple year and houses, it filled her with a sense of excitement and suddenly her nerves melted away. "Harry looks nervous don't you think?" Cho asked Juiet softly. "Well I would be.." Juliet replied before her attention snapped to the door where Arthur McCross stepped in. She watched the glares and nervous looks and motioned for him to come stand by her.

Suddenly the room brightened and she heard Harry clear his throat as the first class began. ​

 

[king_arthur]

Arthur McCross​

"I do not want to be doing this right now," Arthur said, following behind his little brother up the stairs with a scowl on his face. The Slytherin boy considered not going at all, he was pretty sure that no one who was going to be there wanted him to show up anyway.

"Then it's a shame you're already doing it," Cassidy said sarcastically, without turning back and all his older brother could do was glare up at him. Aside from being annoyed, Art didn't want to admit that he may actually be just a tiny bit nervous as well. He wasn't the best wizard that ever was, and if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't good by a lot of definitions. Magic had just been something he always struggled with, and without a good grasp on magic, what was a wizard anyway?

Art did as best he could to put those thoughts out of his mind for now (they liked to pop up frequently) and squared his shoulders. Best case scenario was that Potter would just do a lot of demonstrating, and he himself wouldn't actually have to do any magic. Worst case scenario would be someone yelling 'get him!' and everyone started practicing their offensive spells on him. That would be ridiculous though.. Probably. It was a good thing worst case scenarios rarely happened.

The pair got to the seventh floor, each slightly out of breath from the amount of stairs they had climbed, and the redhead looked at his brother expectantly.

"Where to now?" He asked his little brother. A rare expression was on Cassidy's face as he looked around, seemingly a bit uncertain.

"I'm not exactly sure," he responded, though regardless he still chose a direction and began to follow it.

"Great.." Art muttered under his breath, still following the dark haired wizard regardless. After what seemed like a while of them just going in circles, they noticed a weird groove begin to appear in one of the walls beside them. It began to grow and grow until a large ornate door stood before them, towering over the boys.

"Looks like this is us," Arthur said, but allowing Cassidy to go through the door first. He felt instantly uncomfortable as soon as he did so himself, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him. He looked over to see Juliet motioning to him and shrugged inwardly. What the hell, it wasn't like anyone else would want him to stand by them. Cassidy went off in a different direction but he didn't really pay any mind to it.

"Uh, hey," Art said, standing next to the blonde witch. With his head tilted downward, he glanced upwards to see Neville Longbottom, looking expectantly at Potter as he began. He quickly looked away, but the image of him was still in his mind, as it pretty much had been all the previous week. He didn't know why he kept thinking back to Longbottom, but he knew it had to have been because of their interaction at Hogsmeade. Since that day, he couldn't get the Gryffindor off his mind. He kept thinking back to it, wondering why Longbottom didn't just dismiss him like everyone else. It perplexed him, but not having a lot of time to dwell on it, he shoved the thoughts aside and hesitantly listened to Potter who had now begun the meeting.

Ronald Weasley​

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all got to the Room of Requirement early, wanting to make sure that they could get everything in place and be there when everyone else arrived. Harry was pacing as Hermione was setting everything up and Ron, well he was just kind of there. There wasn't a lot for him to do other than listen to the rhythmic sounds of his best mate's shoes against the hard floor echoing around the room.

"It'll be fine," the redhead said, deciding to attempt to be reassuring.

"Yeah, just peachy," Harry replied, the sarcasm in his voice evident. Ron sighed, taking a seat on a nearby bench in the room, not knowing what else to do. As other students began to arrive, Harry's pacing ceased. To Ron, with everyone there, it seemed as though he was more in his element, but he still looked a little tense regardless.

"So this is it," Harry said. Hermione had rejoined them at the head of the room.

"This is it," she confirmed. "There couldn't be a more perfect place to do this, the room gives us exactly what we need."

"It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back," Harry said, voice more determined now as he agreed with her. The room had filled up quite nicely, Ron noticed as he glanced around, eyes stopping only when they reached a certain blond witch. The same one, in fact, that had been occupying the redhead's thoughts for a majority of the past week. Just thinking about it made his slowly forming mark itch, and he scratched absentmindedly at his shoulder.

The soulmark wasn't fully formed yet, not by any means, but when it was maybe… Maybe he could show her, just to check. He could do it under the guise of wanting her opinion on it so that if she wasn't his soulmate he wouldn't feel utterly ridiculous. Yeah, that was a good plan, he thought to himself, just now realizing that he was still looking at her and really should move on to avoid anyone noticing. He straightened up as his eyes moved to swiftly take in the rest of the room, noticing two more enter, the McCross boys.

Ron's mood soured at this, hoping that he wouldn't have to see the older of the two at the meeting. Honestly, he was banking on the fact that Art McCross wouldn't want to show his face here, but he supposed that, clearly, he had been wrong.

"Alright everybody, let's get started," apparently Harry was ready now, satisfied with the number of people that had showed up. As the words left his mouth candles lit up the room more brilliantly, giving the space a nice glow. The dark haired wizard had everybody get into a line next to and behind him after explaining that they were going to start simple. On the agenda for that day was disarming spells. Harry demonstrated first, allowing everyone to watch him as he practiced on the dummy.

"Expelliarmus", he said, flicking his wrist just enough to send the fake wand in the dummy's hand flying off to the side of the room. He turned to face the line, seeing who was next. A dark haired Ravenclaw stepped forward, Ron instantly recognizing him as McCross' little brother. The kid was tall, with his shoulders pushed back confidently. Harry put the wand back in the dummy's hand and let him have a go at it. Ron watched as he disarmed the figure with no more issue than his mate, before stepping aside, revealing the slight, satisfied smirk on his face. The redhead had to hold back rolling his eyes.

"Excellent!" Harry said, his voice encouraging. "Who wants to go next?"

 

[Violet]

Neville Longbottom
Neville could have sworn that he felt the dark eyes of Arthur McCross on him, but when he went to look up at him, nothing. It was a silly thought anyway, Neville silently scolded himself. Yet as the boy stood over by Juliet he couldn't help the smallest of smiles at his presence.

Neville's attention turned to the chosen one as he began to talk. It was almost as if the room sparked a fire in Harry, because he spoke confidently to the group and it felt as if everyone respected him on a whole new level. Well at least Neville did, he would always feel some sort of admiration for Harry. The boy was completely unaware, that had Voldemort thought differently, Neville would be the "Chosen One".

After Harry's demonstration of the spell "Expelliarmus", he began letting others try. Neville watched as Art's younger brother, the one in Ravenclaw, step up to try his hand at the new spell. To many people's surprise the boy executed the complicated spell perfectly. Some were in awe while others gave little cheers. Neville watched others try before reckoning he'd give it a shot himself.

Stepping up to the front he waited for Harry to place the wand in the dark looking dummy's fake hand. Gulping softly before giving the spell his best attempt.

"Expelliarmus!"

He said, waving his wand a bit too much. To his dismay nothing happened, in fact his wand flew backwards out of his hand and hit the wall. He sighed softly and looked down at his feet embarrassed. "Don't worry Neville it takes some practice. Try it more like this." Harry said, giving him an example before patting his shoulders comforting. Neville looked up, still a bit red in the face and nodded. "Yeah I'll keep practicing." He said with a shrug and stepped to the side to gather his wand.

He watched as a few others had attempts, some successful and others not so much. In his hand he began practicing his flourish technique The funny part was when Hermione attempted and smirked at Ron when she succeeded. Neville chuckled a bit before watching people spilt into pairs. He looked around before his eyes settled on Arthur and he took a deep breath in, not really sure what propelled his next move.

His feet began walking towards Arthur and he cleared his throat before shyly asking. "Do you uh wanna practice Arthur?" He mumbled quietly, not really daring to look at the boy.

Juliet Duvette
Juliet smiled as Arthur came to stand next to her. "Hey Arthur, glad you could make it." She said politely as she glanced up at the much taller boy. Watching his gaze glance over at Neville who awkwardly smiled at Juliet before looking away nervously. She presumed that Arthur just made the poor boy nervous since he was a well known Slytherin prey.

She looked over at Cho who was looking at Harry as he began the lesson. Juliet's eyes fluttered to the boy who lived and she smiled softly as she listened to the boy talk. He was confident and really got her attention. She watched in awe as Harry started teaching the first spell, "Expelliarmus".

After he gave the instruction he invited people to come up and give it a try. Cho hung back a bit, wanting to watch a bit more but Juliet surged towards the front for a chance to try. She ended up behind Neville and watched as Cassidy went first. He really did live up to the Ravenclaw name as he perfectly performed the spell, causing most of the Ravenclaw house to let out cheers of encouragement, Juliet included. After earning a bit of praise from Harry he stepped to the side to let others have a chance. After Neville's attempt she straightened up after having dodged his wand to which he apologized for but Juliet shrugged it off. At lest he was on the right track.

Juliet stepped to the front and looked over at Harry who gave her a nod. She noticed the red head behind him and she smiled a bit more. Pressure fell on her shoulders and she took a deep breath, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of every, before flourishing her wand and saying

"Expelliarmus!"

In an instant the wand flew out of the dummy's hand and landed on the floor with a clatter. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as some clapped for her. She looked over at Ron and blushed a bit at his sideways smile. She stepped out of the way to let the next person have a chance and watched a bit more before deciding to break away and practice the spell some more. Looking around she saw Cho struggling a bit, unlike her, and watched as Harry approached her to offer his help.

She smiled watching her friend's face flush a bit as she listened to Harry's advice on the spell, even taking Cho's hand in his own to help her with the motion. She noticed the Weasley clan huddled over by Ron and she made her way over towards them, smiling bit as the twins made a comment on her spell earlier. She laughed softly as Fred mentioned something about helping him with the spell and she shrugged it off as a joke. "I could always use a partner to help me practice" She said with a sideways glance at Ron.



​

 

[king_arthur]

Arthur McCross​

Arthur shifted back and forth on his feet as they all formed a line. He was nervous to say the least, but he made sure to keep his face controlled, his lips forming into a tight line as he looked on ahead. The line was dwindling down and he felt like he couldn't not go. It wasn't long before he was right in front, and Potter looked at him somewhat expectantly. His eyebrows were raised and there was some level of judgement behind his eyes, though Art couldn't exactly say he blamed him.

Merlin what was he doing here? He thought to himself as he pulled his wand from his pocket and held it up. Taking a deep breath, he pointed it at the dummy and said 'Expelliarmus'. The fake wand didn't go flying as it had for a good chunk of the others, rather, it slid out of the wooden fingers and onto the ground, rolling away. Art gritted his teeth, jaw clamped together tightly as he pocketed his wand.

"Not bad, McCross, just try to speak a little more clearly next time, okay?" Potter told him, going to retrieve the wand.

"Yeah, sure, thanks," the redhead replied, his voice lower and a bit rougher due to his embarrassment. His words didn't sound sarcastic, or at least, Art did his best not to sound that way. Potter had at least done him the favor of not making him seem like he was completely thick, so the Slytherin figured the best way to repay that was by not being a total arsehole. He turned around and let the next person have a chance. He bet they would be able to do it without an issue.

Arthur noticed everyone was dispersing, beginning to do their own thing. He figured maybe now would be a good time to slip out. To walk away and to not look back. No one would notice anyway and he'd be mostly free from his embarrassment. He was too busy looking for the exit that he didn't notice Longbottom approach him, and he flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, it taking him off guard.

The Slytherin looked at the boy a bit incredulously, not really sure whether to take this as a joke or not. Then again, that's pretty much how their last interaction went down, and that ended up not being a joke. Art really wanted to say no and just leave, but something in him was making him stay. He swallowed thickly and looked the Gryffindor up and down for a moment, taking note of his stunning eyes. It wasn't something he really ever noticed before- and it wasn't something that mattered, Merlin, keep it together.

"Sure, don't know how much help I'll be but uh, yeah, that would be nice," he nodded. Too late to back out now, he figured. He felt a prickle at the back of his neck and moved his hand back to rub at it, sure to not move his hair around too much though, not wanting anyone to see it. He then got out his wand, getting ready to practice the charm. "Well, d'you want to give it a go?" He asked, readying himself

Ronald Weasley​

Ron watched as those in front of him attempted to cast the disarming spell. It seemed like it wasn't really an issue for most people, emphasis on the most people, he thought, as he found himself flinching slightly at Neville's now rogue wand flying out of his hand. He heard it hit the back wall and fall to the ground, but at this point his attention had already turned towards who was up next, Juliet. A beautiful smile was on her face as she stepped forward, wand out. Ron couldn't help the grin on his face too, knowing the clever witch could perform the spell no problem.

And as he predicted, she did just that, the fake wand flying out of the dummy's hand with ease. His grin grew ever so slightly as their eyes met, and he raised his eyebrows for just a moment as if to say 'nice one!' It was then that his brothers, Fred and George, made their way over by him, somewhat smug looks on their faces.

"She's a pretty one," George commented.

"That Juliet, she is," Fred said, as if finishing his twin's sentence. They kept their voices low, and Ron couldn't help but nod, a bit absentmindedly.

"Yeah, she is," he agreed, without thinking about it.

"Aww, does our baby brother have a bit of a crush?" George asked, and it was then that the younger of the three narrowed his eyes.

"Oh shut up," he told them, shaking his head. He threw them each a look as he noticed the very Juliet in question walking over to them, a smile on her face.

"Ah Jules, how perfect," Fred told her.

"We were just talking about what a great job you did with that spell," George interjected.

"Yeah, you could probably help me quite a lot with it, I don't reckon I'm any good," Fred spoke again.

It seemed that, to Ron, as soon as she suggested the idea of partnering up that Fred, or George, or both of them, were going to jump on the opportunity, so he made sure to speak up first, not having got a word in edgewise for the whole conversation thus far.

"That's a good idea, Juliet, want to practice with me?" Ron asked, making a move to step away from his brothers and placing a light hand on her back signalling her to do the same.

"No fair," Fred said, making his voice sound whinier than usual.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me now," Ron heard George say, but at this point no longer cared for their antics, and instead turning his attention to the witch next to him.

"I wouldn't say I'm bad at defensive spells, but I suppose a bit of practice wouldn't hurt," he told Juliet, his chin held high but a teasing grin on his face. When they were farther from his brothers he took a few steps back and held out his wand. "C'mon, try to disarm me," he told her, his hand clasped tightly around his wand.

 

[Violet]

Neville Longbottom
It felt like time had come to a complete stop all around Neville. Wands seemed to freeze in air and the room turned dark as Neville's heart rate quickened with every passing second. He lifted his eyes just enough to meet Art's colder looking eyes, but this time they seemed lighter.. happier. Staring back at Neville's own eyes was a dark and cunning boy who made Neville's toes curl in delight everytime he glanced his way.

Suddenly, Arthur answered Neville's question and time resumed all around him. Neville opened his mouth to reply but was cut off mid sentence when Arthur moved his arm to scratch his neck, flexing his bicep just enough to make Neville swallow his tongue as a pink flush flooded his face. His upper bicep developing a deep ache as he gave a shaky smile.

"Uh yeah great." Neville managed to stutter out. He turned on his heels and paced a few feet away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Mumbling to himself over and over "It's fine Neville, you can do this.." He looked down at his wand and practiced the flourish and nodded to himself. Turning around to face Arthur with a small sideways smile on his face.

"Okay. Expelliarmus!" He said, more confidently this time around. This time his wand sent tiny sparks at Art's wand, though it only swayed gently before settling back in Arthur's tight grasp. Neville's eyes widened just the slightest but then he let out a defeated sigh. His eyes lowering and shaking his head. He looked back up at Arthur and gave a patheirc attempt at another smile. "Still practing.. uh but you should try." He said with a more conifednt nod and gripped his wand tightly.

Juliet Duvette
Juliet giggled at the older Weasley brothers. Her right eyebrow raising just slightly at Fred's question. She smirked just slightly as she teased back "I'm not so sure you could handle my instructions Fred" A smile curling at her pink lips as she shook her blonde locks. Her eyes met Ron's and her laughter faded for a moment as she took in just how handsome he looked when he was laughing. His dimple forming as he chuckled deeply.

When he suggested being her partner she hesitated for a moment, her thoughts returning to her as his arm hit her lower back. "Uh oh yes of course!" She said, her eyes looking up to meet his as they walked. Gently tugging her away from his older brothers and a bit aways from everyone else. They found a place to practice and turned to face each other. He teased her, a mock confident grin on his face as he bragged. Juliet's sarcastic tone returning as she replied. "Don't get too ahead of yourself now Weasely. Else you get knocked on your arse sometime" She winked.

Turning away from him as she walked a bit aways. Something in her moving her hips from side to side as she teased him. When she turned towards him she watched his eyes travel up her for a moment and she bit her lower lip in return. She took a moment to refocus her mind to magic and held up her wand as Ron's grip tightened on his own wand. Taking a deep breath Juliet let out a calm "Expelliarmus." Her voice carrying to her wand as it released a spark of magic that sent Ron's wand flying out of his hand and landing with a clatter next to him.

A smug look appeared on Juliet's face as she looked from the wand to Ron with her eyebrow raised. "Not bad aye Weasely?" She asked with a softly giggle at the end. "Alright, you're turn then" She said, positioning herself directly across from him as she griped her wand tighter in her own small hand.​

 

[king_arthur]

Arthur McCross​

Arthur couldn't understand why Longbottom would have asked to be partners with him in the first place, but now it seemed like the Gryffindor was second guessing himself, if his hesitation was anything to go by. Maybe he was scared of Art? Personally, the Slytherin didn't understand the thought of being scared by one of his peers but then again, if any other house was viewed as his own was, then maybe things would be different (though he wasn't so sure of that). Even so, why would Longbottom purposefully put himself in a situation where he had to work with someone he didn't want to? It didn't make sense to the redhead, but he had no idea on how else to read the situation. Unless maybe the other boy pitied him, though that was an irritating thought all its own.

Nevertheless, despite the Gryffindor's thoughts, he still went and stood back a bit so he could try out the spell. Art held his wand firmly at the ready, though when Longbottom actually performed the disarming charm, little more happened than the wand wiggling slightly, and some sparks. The boy across from him looked a little defeated, though he tried to smile over it. Art decided to him a ghost of a smile back.

"It seems to me you've come pretty far, just before you were losing your own wand, but now look at you," the Slytherin tried to offer some words of encouragement, unsure of how successful he was but hoping they did something. He straightened up, ready to try himself though he didn't feel that confident about his abilities.

"Expelliarmus!"

He said after taking a deep breath to prepare himself. Nothing really happened- it was all quite similar to Longbottom's attempt. Art had tried to speak more clearly this time, as Potter had suggested, but it didn't seem to work. He had never been one to speak very articulately, apparently all of the time spent at his majorly English school was wasted in that respect. He sighed, lips pursing ever so slightly. Usually, something like this he wouldn't have been nearly as bothered by, but without his friends or at least other Slytherins there to make him feel somewhat comfortable, he felt like like everyone was watching him.

"I want you all to keep working on your technique whenever you can." Arthur turned his head when he heard Potter speak from behind him. "I know it'll be difficult with how things currently are, so do what you can and at our next meeting we can keep working on it as well as moving on to some other things. You're all free to stay and practice as long as you like though, or you can head out whenever you're ready. Thanks for coming guys."

Ronald Weasley​

Ron cocked his head in mock confusion, though he couldn't hide his grin. "Me? Getting ahead of myself? I don't know what you mean," he told Juliet as she winked at him. He swallowed thickly as she turned to put some distance between them. His eyes followed the movement of her hips, swaying back and forth, seemingly unable to stop himself. She was too tempting to him, he swore it couldn't be good for him… unless, of course, she was his soulmate. Then it would be just the right amount of good. The kind of good that would make his stomach flip every time she smiled at him. Or the kind that would get his blood pumping anytime she moved her body like that. Merlin the things she did to him.

She turned around then and Ron knew he had been caught, or at least assumed, but he couldn't bring himself to quickly avert his eyes as he once might've been tempted to. Instead he brought his eyes up to her face, stopping as she bit her lip. He barely registered his loosening grip on his wand from the act, and when the Ravenclaw witch called 'Expelliarmus', the wand had little to no resistance flying from his hand.

The redhead's eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked at her, then at where his wand had landed, and then back at her. "Not bad huh?" He asked, repeating her words as he went to go retrieve his wand. "More like no fair," Ron teased. "I bet you that if I had been holding onto it tighter it wouldn't have flown out of my hand." His words were defensive but his demeanor showed he was really anything but. He knew Juliet was clever, obviously that was why she was in Ravenclaw in the first place. Even if he had been gripping his wand tightly he was sure he'd still be going to pick up his wand as he was, he just might have a sliver too for his trouble.

Ron stood in front of her now, wand out and at the ready. He wanted to make sure he did a good job of such a simple spell, to impress her. He laughed at himself inwardly as he didn't even attempt to hide his true intentions from himself anymore. "You sure you're ready?" He asked, eyes raised, trying to keep a serious look but failing. "Expelliarmus!" He said, waving his wand roughly.

To say his attempt was ineffective wouldn't be accurate, though it definitely wasn't something that usually happened. Instead of her wand flying over to the side, it flew straight up, more or less, clattering near her when landing. "There you go, what d'you think about that, 'not bad'," he said, mock confidence on his face even though he hadn't executed the spell perfectly, he was just glad something along the general lines of what was supposed to happen, happened.

 

[Violet]

Neville Longbottom
After Neville's attempt he gave a half hearted smile at Arthur's attempt to comfort him. "I suppose, thanks Art." He gave Arthur a nod and tightened his grip on his own wand. "Well.. whenever you're ready" He closed his eyes tightly, expecting a blast of magic to push him or his wand back. However when he heard Arthur speak, he opened one eye to see that barely anything had happened. Neville's shoulders relaxed as he let out a little sigh of relief. He looked over at Art and gave a small half smile. "Guess we both have some work to do huh McCross?" Neville said, rubbing his upper bicep with a goofy grin on his pale lips.

He walked a bit towards Arthur right as Harry started talking about the end of class. He flexed his arms in a semi flirty way, hoping it would attract Arthur's attention. He felt he had something to prove to the taller boy, like he wanted to impress him.. show him wasn't the same awkward boy he picked on in the past. He glanced over at the clock that ticked in a dark corner. "Huh.. I guess time really does fly here" He said with a shrug. "Hey uh thanks for practing with me Arthur. I'm really glad you decided to come. You add a lot of mystery to the group. Do you suppose you'll keep coming then?" He asked with a cunning smile and a nod. "I'll see you around then" He said, not wanting to be a bother, causally sticking his hands in his pockets and turning on his heels to head to the Great Hall for some dinner. Giving one last longing glance at the fiery red head behind him.

As Neville glanced around the room looking for another Gryffindor to walk with his eyes landed on Harry and Ron who both seemed preoccupied with a girl and he gave a low sigh. "Am I the only bloke in this school that's going to end up alone.." He said with a glance at his feet. He scratched at his still forming soul mark, feeling the lines forming underneath his fingertips. He knew damn well he was going to have a soulmate someday.. but he had a haunting feeling his soulmate was.. well a guy. And a guy in a rival house at that..

Neville shook his head and kicked at the ground muttering in a low voice to himself, before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing up he saw Ginny looking at him with a worried expression. "You okay Neville?" She asked in a sweet voice. He gave a half hearted attempt to smile at the younger girl and nodded. "Oh yeah I'm fine Ginny just a bit upset about the spell today" Ginny gave a solemn nod before Neville quickly added "Do you want to go get something to eat?" The youngest Weasely nodding as they made their way out through a back door of the room of requirement.

Once they had managed to sneak their way into the Great Hall, Neville noticed many of the other students from the prior DA meeting, now sitting amongst their houses like nothing had happened. He and Ginny took a seat while waiting for the others. Neville picked at his food as Ginny chatted with her older twin brothers, Fred and George.

"There you guys are! I was getting worried, thought Ron's food was going to get cold" Ginny joked as the golden trio approached the Gryfdinor table. Fred and George eagerly chimed in saying "Oh I'm sure he's just fine" Fred said as George finished by saying "He got an eyeful of Juliet after all" Neville cocked his head at Ron and swallowed his food as the trio sat down. "You and Juliet? Since when did you fancy her so much ay?" Neville asked, curiosity getting the best of him. "Yes Ronald, why don't you inform us all of your sudden interest in a Ravenclaw?" Ginny teased, poking her brother's side playfully. Hermione rolled her eyes in response and took a small bite of her dinner.

After dinner Neville had walked back to the common room with Harry and Ron. Pausing briefly to watch Professor Snape and Umbridge arguing in one of the corridors. "Blimey.. they both give me the creeps" Neville whispered to his two friends as the snuck around the corridor and hurried to the common room. After giving the password, the picture swung open the they walked in. Neville looked over to where a few people were playing a round of wizard's chess but decided it was best for him to head to bed.

He excused himself from the main room and sauntered off to his own room. After changing into his sleepwear, he laid in his bed, wand in hand practicing his flourishing techniques over and over until he drifted off into a deep sleep.

When the boy awoke in the early morning he felt a burning sensation on his upper bicep. He couldn't hide his grimace as he sluggishly got out of his warm bed and made his way blindly to the mirror. Upon lifting his arm he was shocked to see that his soul mark had developed practically overnight. He narrowed his eyes to get a better view and determined the animal that appeared on his arm resembled a snake. The dark black lines curved ever so slightly to form the slithering body of the legless reptile. Neville's eyes began to well with hot tears. He banged his fist into the wall over and over as the tears spilled down his burning cheeks. His head pounded with anger and confusion and his heart soared with excitement.

Because if it hadn't been clear before, it was definitely clear to Neville now.. Arthur McCross was Neville's soulmate.

Juliet Duvette
Juliet held her wand steadily in her small hand, gripping it as if it were her life line. She looked at Ron with a small smirk on her face as he got in a stance to cast the spell. She watched his movements with a studious eye to help guide him after he performed the spell. Ron casted the spell loudly and Juliet managed to hold onto the wand for a second before it squirmed it's way out of her grasp and straight upwards, landing at her feet with a soft clattering noise. Juliet's eyes went down to her wand and she looked back up at Ron's eyes and bursted into giggles.

"Not bad?" She said, raising her eyebrow a this mock confidence. "Ronald you can do better than that" She said, bending down at her was it to pluck her wand from the floor. She looked up at Ron and smirked slightly, deciding not to mention that she had caught him staring at her earlier. "You have the right idea," She started to say as she closed the distance between them. Placing her hand on his, glancing up at him to make sure it was okay before continuing. She waved his wrist in a flourishing motion and said "You're to tense.. You need to relax your wrist and flourish it like this." She pointed his wand at the dummy and flourished his wand and said "Now try it"

She squealed in delight when Ron's attempt on the dummy seemed to go a bit better than his previous attempt on her. "I'm impressed Weasely that was much better" She said, her eyes meeting his as their laughter faded and their eyes locking again as they had in the Great Hall a week ago. Juliet gave herself into the moment, feeling herself melt under his dark charming eyes. She felt her cheeks flushing slightly when she heard Harry's voice call out, breaking their eye contact. She let go of his hand that clutched his wand and looked onwards to Harry who was finishing his private lesson with Cho. Juliet's attention fluttered back to Ron and smiled crookedly at him. "I suppose I'll go grab dinner.. I'll see you later then Ron?" She said with a small smile attached at the end of her question.

She bit her lower lip as she backed away from Ron, giving him a small wave before bounding over to Cho who was staring after Harry who had walked away to talk to Hermione. Juliet had a smile on her face as she approached her friend. "Ready for dinner? Or have are you full after that hot encounter?" She teased her friend. Cho just smiled and laughed, shaking her head. "Come on let's go eat" She said, swinging her arm around Juliet as the two best friends started for the door. "Who would've known you don't need a wand to start a spark" Juliet said dreamily, walking on cloud nine.

At dinner, Cho and Juliet had taken a seat at the Ravenclaw table. A few other Ravenclaws from the Dumbledore's Army group trickled in and also took a seat. Being as secretive as they could be. Loud chatter filled the Great Hall as everyone ate the dinner as the candles flickered overhead. Though Juliet's attention kept fluttering over to the red head at the scarlet dropped table.

After she had finished her dinner, Juliet had excused herself to go study in her room. As she made her way up the spiral staircase that led to her common room she looked out the small window of the tower and took the small second to close her eyes and relive the events of the evening. Her heart beat raced at the thought of Ron's eyes on her, his laugh, his dimple when he smiled. As she thought about his dark carmel eyes meeting her hazel ones, her wrist began to burn again and Juliet winced slightly. Her thoughts being pulled back to the present. She rubbed roughly at the mark and continued to scurry up the stairs.

After an hour of studying for Astronomy, she decided to go to sleep a bit early tonight. She laid her head down and pulled the covers over her, cuddled securely under the blanket and drifting goff to sleep with the image of Ronald snuggled up next to her.

Juliet slumbered peacefully under her cat purred softly, pushing his head against her arm to wake her. She fluttered awake slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the light before giving her cat a scratch on his head. Cho and Jules eventually got up and slowly got ready as they did every morning. Though Juliet's wrist itched more so then usual, though she paid it no mind as she got ready for the day. ​

 

[king_arthur]

Arthur McCross​

"Heh, I s'pose so," Arthur told the Gryffindor boy next to him as he said they both had some work to do, his laugh dry and humorless. He was just glad that this first meeting was over, unsure if he'd even return to any others. It seemed like his brother had gotten on okay with some of the other people there, so he really didn't need him to go with anymore. The more the redhead thought about the idea, the more he liked it. Or, that was the case, until Longbottom spoke beside him.

"Not a problem…" Art said with a shrug as the dark haired boy thanked him, as if it was no big deal- because it wasn't. As weird as it was for the Slytherin to think this, Longbottom was probably his best option when it came to somebody to practice with. Had he paired with Cassidy he would have just been ridiculed due to his lack of no how. If he partnered with Juliet, probably the only other person who seemed to tolerate him, well… Weasley would have been staring daggers at him, at the very least.

The redhead trailed off though as he listened to the rest of what Longbottom had to say, tensing up and his eyebrows furrowed. "Erm, thanks?" He said when he was told he added 'mystery' to the group. He wasn't exactly sure what that was supposed to mean, but it didn't seem like an insult at the very least. "I'm not quite sure yet.. Maybe," Art responded, at this point now genuinely uncertain if he was going to return or not. The fact that Neville seemed to want him there, well that sent tingles down his spine that were completely unexplainable to him.

"Yeah, see you," he replied as the Gryffindor walked away. Art left almost immediately after, not waiting for his brother. The kid was smart, he could find his way to the Great Hall or wherever else himself. The redhead took the stairs quickly, making it to the feast on time himself, though most of his Slytherin peers were already sitting at their usual spots. He went to join them, placing himself between Goyle and Lucy Bell, one of the girls in his year.

"Where were you all afternoon?" Goyle asked him as he sat down. "I wanted to see if I could take a look at your potions essay."

"I was busy," Art said, choosing not to elaborate. "And I don't have mine yet, my brother's writing it for me," the redhead grinned as his fellow beater huffed jealously.

"What did you do to get him to agree to that?" Lucy asked beside him, having overheard the interaction. Lucy was a girl small in frame, with pale blonde hair and blunt bangs just above her eyes. She was quite pretty, with an air of importance hanging around her at all times, though that was the case with a good amount of Slytherins anyway.

Arthur figured the best way to answer the question was to just lie, not wanting to seem too vague. So he shrugged. "I beat him in a broom race," he gave her a crooked grin. He had come up with something both believable and the most likely to make himself look good. He didn't owe Cassidy anything at this point, so why did he care? Lucy only giggled at the response.

"That was a silly wager for him to make," she told Art. The two of them, along with the group, chatted on and off throughout the meal. By the time they were finished, the meeting had been mostly pushed from his mind. It was already getting late and he had classes tomorrow, so the best thing for him he figured was to just go to bed early, feeling exhausted after the weekend he had had. He just finished changing when he felt a stinging sensation on the back of his neck that caused him to jump in mild pain but mostly surprise. He had been able to forget about the fact that was there for the past few hours at least.

Art reluctantly got up from where he was sitting on his bed to run to the bathrooms to check on the unwanted soulmark. He pulled up his hair and twisted in the mirror to see what was there. The recent developments shocked him… to say the least. He could now clearly make out the shape but it didn't give him much clarity. What was that? Some kind of rat? Maybe a ferret? He scrunched his nose as he tried to decipher what it was, but he didn't have a clue. It wasn't a magical creature, that he was sure he would have recognized.

The door opened and Arthur quickly let go of the fistful of hair he was holding up, quickly making his way to bed. When he tried to sleep, all he could see was the image of his soulmark behind his eyelids. Maybe it was a badger? What, was some whiney Hufflepuff his soulmate? Had his eyes been open, he would have rolled them at the thought. He wasn't sure who he wanted his soulmate to be, but when he thought about it, his mind flashed to someone he hadn't expected.

No, obviously he didn't want Neville Longbottom to be his soulmate, that would be ridiculous. Besides, Arthur wasn't gay, so that wouldn't make any sense anyway. Feeling satisfied with his conclusion, he tried to push all of the thoughts out of his mind and just go to sleep. Something just didn't sit right with him though, but he wasn't sure what. Eventually, after what felt like a few hours, he was able to manage to fall asleep. Finally.

The next morning Art was the first to get up, which wasn't unusual by any stretch of the matter. He stretched before getting dressed and freshening up in the bathroom. Before he left, he just wanted to check his soulmark one last time. No new details had appeared in his sleep, but the image of that still left a weird feeling in his stomach. He pushed it aside though, deciding instead to go down to breakfast. He didn't wait for anyone, he rarely did, instead opting to eat nearly alone, as there were few people at the Slytherin table when he arrived.

Arthur's first class of the day was none other than Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was humorlessly funny considering that just yesterday he had attended a meeting much more deserving of that name. When he was ready, he made his way to the dark classroom, taking a seat in his usual spot towards the mid-back of the room, pulling out his things. A couple other students were there already, and Umbridge was already sitting at the desk at the front of the room, the amount of pink she was wearing making Arthur roll his eyes to himself. The lesson wasn't due to start for another ten minutes or so, but he could already guess what it was going to be about, as the chalkboard read 'Conflict Avoidance' in neatly scrawled letters.

Ronald Weasley​

"Are you laughing at me?" Ron asked Juliet as she giggled, brows furrowed but a grin on his face. "I'm sorry that we can't all be perfect spellcasters like you, Miss Ravenclaw," he joked. His eyes followed her closely as she moved towards him, placing a gentle hand on his larger one. She looked up at him and he smiled, though this one being a lot softer than the grin he was giving her just before. The witch beside him rotated his wand hand, though he felt like his arm was too stiff. Her soft touches made him nervous… though not in a bad way. He just didn't want to mess anything up, especially not when she was this close to him. He wasn't sure what it was that he could mess up, but when it came to him, one didn't have to look very far.

Ron watched carefully as Juliet showed him exactly how he needed to move his wand to complete the spell, wanting to do well for her. He grasped his wand firmly as she told him to have a go at it himself. He pointed the end at the dummy before saying the incantation and replicating the witch's movements as best he could. The dummy's wand went flying out of it's hand, and while it wasn't perfect, it was better than it had been before. His grin was wide as he looked back at her, her excited squeal sounding like music to his ears. Her compliment made his cheeks go red, but he was happy all the same.

"Couldn't've done it without you," he replied, eyes locking on hers as he gazed down at her. His smile slowly faded as they continued to look at each other. Ron felt as though he was drowning in her crystal clear eyes, but he couldn't find the will or the want to escape them. It wasn't until the redhead heard Harry spoke that he finally looked up, feeling instantly the loss of Juliet's touch on his arm. He listened, if only partially, to his best mate speak and thank everyone for coming. Ron hadn't even realized that the meeting had been that long already. When Harry finished with what he had to say, the redhead turned back to the lovely witch on the other side of him.

"Yeah, see you," the Gryffindor confirmed, nodding once at Juliet. After she left with Cho, Ron made his way over to Harry and Hermione, the three of them grinning at each other.

"I would count that as a success," Hermione said, a smile on her face.

"Yeah mate, that went really well," Ron added on.

"You think so?" Harry asked the two of them, even though it was evident that he also shared in these thoughts. Ron and Hermione nodded, and once they were the last ones in the room of requirement, they left themselves, heading down to the Great Hall to hopefully catch the last of supper. The three nabbed empty seats beside each other next to their friends, and much to Ron's dismay, they all decided to turn the conversation towards him. He could feel his face grow warm as he loaded his plate up with the food that was left at the center of the table, suddenly feeling very hungry.

"Oh shut up," he told his brothers, for what definitely wasn't the first time, as he shoved his face with food. When the others kept poking at him, he didn't feel like he had much of a choice in responding. "I dunno, she's smart and funny and pretty. I don't see where all of this confusion is coming from," He told them through mouthfuls of food. This of course, only served to cause them to press him about the issue more, but he changed the subject as best he could. He was thankful when they all decided to turn in for the night, and he walked back to the common room with Harry and Neville.

Once inside of the cozy space, Ron decided to try and get at least a little bit of his schoolwork done, choosing to sit on the sofa in front of the fire to do so. He felt distracted though, as he tried to work, a particular spot on his shoulder feeling like it was burning with no end in sight. It was uncomfortable and after what was probably an hour of him attempting to concentrate, he decided to just go to bed. Once he was ready and laying down, his shoulder stopped hurting him so much and he was able to fall asleep, out like a light in very little time. He slept like a log throughout the night, like usual. His dreams were filled with a certain blonde witch, dreams that he couldn't quite recall when he awoke, but he knew they were good enough that he wished he could just go back to sleep.

Seeing everyone else already up and getting ready though, Ron knew he had to do the same, so he begrudgingly got out of bed and trudged into the bathroom, prepared to brush his teeth. As he finished and spat into the sink, thoughts of his soulmark passed through his mind once more. It didn't really hurt, but he remembered how much it had the previous night. So, curious, he lifted up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal the outline of an elegant looking swan, or what appeared to be so. He felt transfixed, looking at it, unable to stop himself from wondering if this was what Juliet's patronus was. A swan.

When Ron finally pulled himself away from the mirror, he had to scramble to get ready, not wanting to be late to one of Umbridge's classes. Or breakfast for that matter. He just barely made it on time to walk down with Harry and Hermione, and the three discussed each other's evenings casually as they made their way to the Great Hall.

"Hey, Harry?" Ron asked as the three joined their peers for breakfast.

"Yes Ron?" His best mate replied, looking up at the redhead.

"When do you suppose we're going to erm," the Gryffindor looked around. "Learn how to do a patronus?" He finished his question, his voice barely above a whisper. Harry seemed to think about it for a moment before answering.

"Probably in the next few meetings or so, why do you ask?" The real reason? Ron wanted to confirm what Juliet's patronus was. He was certain that she would be able to cast one, no issue. She was absolutely brilliant. If her patronus was a swan then… then he would talk to her. While he wasn't sure, he had a hard time convincing himself that his soulmate was anyone else. And if her patronus matched his tattoo, well, he would have little doubt then as to whether or not they truly did belong together.

"Just curious," is all Ron said, not ready to tell Harry just yet what was going on. Maybe he would be, soon, but definitely not with that many people around.

 

[Violet]

Neville Longbottom

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Over and over, Neville had thrown his balled up fist into the bathroom wall. The action causing his hand to sting with a burning pain. He placed his forehead on the wall, the cold surface causing his forehead to cool down. His sweat and tears mixed and he angrily wiped at his eyes. Slowly, he slid down the side of the wall and collapsed on the floor.

The next few minutes passed slowly as Neville collected his thoughts. His eyes dried and flickered down to inspect his soulmark again. He could see the lines had darkened drastically, curving and spiraling into a majestic snake. Upon further inspection, he actually admired the beautiful creature. Neville even found the marking to be quite charming and if he had the guts to show it off, he was sure it made him look tougher.

Neville flexed his arm and a small smile crept to his face. He was slowly getting accustomed to the new marking and the sight of it filled him with a warm feeling. He pulled himself up and looked in the mirror. Running his fingers through his hair and sighing. Was he even what someone would want in a.. boyfriend? The word felt odd to Neville, he had never really considered being someone's boyfriend before. Neville had always assumed he'd get married, although the image he had dreamt about was now twisted. He flexed his bicep agin, though this time his mind wandered to Arthur and he gulped nervously.

The snake on his upper arm had basically confirmed, at least to Neville, that Arthur McCross was his soulmate. The realization sent shivers running down Neville's spine. As Neville glanced at his reflection once more one thought stuck in his mind.

Was he even what Arthur would want?

After a few minutes of rushing, Neville had finally managed to get out of his room looking halfway decent. Though Lavender Brown had asked him if he was feeling alright when he ran into her in the common room. Neville had managed to make his way to the Great Hall. Happy chatter filled his ears as he entered the dinning hall. The house banners hung proudly from the ceiling and he stood in the doorway with a goofy smile on his face. The angry memory from the morning forgotten in an instant. He made his way through the hall and squeezed into the spot next to Hermione.

"Good morning, everyone sleep well?" He asked, reaching across to grab a biscuit and smear some butter on it. They causally chatted about the upcoming week and Neville took the opportunity to ask Hermione about his flourishing technique. With the brilliant witches advice, Neville felt a bit better about his Expellimus spell. He was sure he could impress Arthur at the next DA meeting, that was if Art even showed up to the next one.

After Neville had finished his breakfast he and the golden trio went their separate ways, which meant he was on his way to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Umbridge. Not exactly the best way to start his morning every day but, Neville stayed quiet during the class and kept his head down, which meant Umbridge rarely bothered him.

As he made his way into the class with Dean Thomas, the two chatted eagerly about the upcoming quidditch match against the Ravenclaw house. He mentioned something about Roger Davies eyeing Cho lately had made Harry on edge and Neville rolled his eyes in amusement. "Like it matters, Harry's the chosen one" Seamus piped up and the three sat down in the back. Neville glanced away from his friend's antics to see the words scribbled neatly on the chalkboard, causing his eyes to roll in displeasment.

He could only assume this lesson would be just as unhelpful and biased as they always were. "Mr. Finnegan that's quite enough" Umbridge's voice called out, the high frequency causing everyone to cover their ears as she descended the stairs from her office. "Lovely.." Neville muttered under his breath, as Umbridge drew 10 points from Gryffindor Though his eyes glanced over to Arthur and watched for any emotional sign. Neville had wondered, if only for a moment, if Arthur was attracted to a certain "bad boy" quality. Neville loosened his tie and ruffled his hair a bit at the thought of catching McCross's eye. Before grumbling under his breath and returning his attention to the front of the room.

Juliet Duvette

Juliet went about her morning routine as normal. She and Cho had been chatting about their days as she made her way into the bathroom. Her wrist itched slightly but she paid no mind to it as she began to tie up her blonde locks and wash away the oil from her skin. As she splashed her face, her eyes fluttered down to her exposed wrist and she let out a tiny gasp. Her eyes settled on the newly formed lines as Cho knocked on the door. "I'll be out in a second!" Juliet called out, though her eyes never left the completed tattoo.

She turned her arm to exposure her wrist and leaned over her arm to inspect the marking. She ran her fingers over the delicate skin. She had been feeling the lines forming, but she hadn't expected it to be finished so quickly. Juliet looked lovingly at the mark and bit her lower lip as she realized what the mark was. The lines reveled the form of a small dog, a jack russel terrier to be exact. Juliet's childhood neighbor had owned a little jack russel terrier and she couldn't hold back the small giggled that escaped her lips. Though the question now was, who did the patronus belong too?

Juliet had a strong inkling about who owned the small dog patronus. Though she wouldn't be able to confirm her suspicion until Ronald could produce his patronus. Juliet wondered when she'd ever be able to see Ron produce a patronus, since she had never even seen her own. She had so many questions about her soulmark and little information of her own. "Jules?" Cho called out to her again and Juliet shook her head before throwing on her shirt to cover the tattoo.

As she emerged from the bathroom she adjusted her blue and bronze tie around her neck and pulled her gray sweater over the top of her shirt. Cho eyed Juliet suspiciously and Juliet gave her an innocent smile. "Barnivus thinks you're acting weird" Cho said with a loving scratch on Juliet's brown fluffy cat. Juliet laughed in response as she grabbed her bag. "He can be suspicious when I stop feeding him regularly" She joked as the two left their room for the Great Hall.

As they made their way, the conversation flowed easily as it often did between the two best friends. They shuffled through the crowd that was heading eagerly to get breakfast for the day and Juliet wondered if Cho knew anything about soulmarks. Even though she didn't want to reveal the tattoo just yet, she did want a bit more information and asking Ronald just wasn't an option. "Cho, do you know anything about soul marks?" Juliet asked causally as the two sat down at the blue and bronzed table. "Well, I know a bit from what my mom's told me, my research has been limited. Why do you ask?" She replied as she filled her plate with a spoonful of eggs. "I was just reading something last night that got me thinking. I was wondering if soul marks form at the same time? You know as in on both persons?" She asked, sticking a fork into a pancake and cutting into it with a knife. Cho nodded as she ate, "Yeah that's what's suppose to happen, though I wouldn't know since I haven't gotten mine yet" She said. Juliet nodded as she finished her plate of food.

So if Ronald was her soulmate, he would be developing a mark as well. Which got her thinking about where it was.. She felt her face flush a bit and looked away from her table and over to where a group of red heads sat at the table just across the room. A small smile appearing on the blonde's face as she finished eating.

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