#hunterparrish

On the eve of Halloween (a Friday that was surprisingly mild for the season), Selene and Louis found themselves once again at their usual haunt – a large, wooden table located in the back of the ginormous hall that was the library.

Said teens were staring intensely at the parchments clasped in their respective hands. Louis’s happened to be a letter from his mother, a long winded one that was reminding him to try and ‘stretch’ in his veela form weekly – the fact that she went on to describe how it may feel similar to a female’s period was why he was contemplating an attempt at trying to burn it with his gaze. Selene’s parchment held the notes that she’d taken down in Charms earlier that day – at that moment, they weren’t making any sense to her.

“Louis? This new Charms stuff, I don’t get it. Help me out over here?” Selene’s interruption was received warmly by Louis, as Fleur Weasley (nee Delacour) had, in her lengthy letter, began to describe the severity of her monthly flow to her teenaged son.

“Go ahead.” Louis eagerly ditched his parchment to the side, one-hundred-percent ready to never read it, ever again. “Was it the wandless stuff we started this week? On Tuesday?”

Selene sent him a confirming nod, going into her dilemma, “If I’m casting a charm like ‘protego totalum’, how am I supposed to control what I’m casting it on? It’s, uh, pretty important that it’s cast on the right thing.”

Louis was momentarily distracted by the way her brows furrowed together in obvious confusion, sending his mind spiralling. By the time he managed to force his stupid veela brain to focus, he realised that he had succeeded in the task of being weirdly silent for close to a minute. If there was a wizard-god, then Louis prayed to them that Selene would just think he was seriously contemplating her question and coming to a slow conclusion. “I guess it could be one of those charms that are always going to require a wand. Or, you can just think super hard while casting.” Louis let out a breathy chuckle.

Entertaining this thought, Selene muttered, “I don’t know what wizard-kind did before they realised they could use a wand.”, as she flipped over her parchment.

It hadn’t been a real question, but none the less it had amused Louis to think up an answer to it. He chuckled, crossing his arms on the table to rest on, “I can just imagine it was a bunch of people awkwardly performing ‘accidental magic’, like when we were kids.”

His words caused Selene to laugh too, as she pictured people in old-timey clothes waving their arms accidentally and setting something on fire. “The first person to use a wand must have been like; ‘what?’!” Selene’s face got slightly warmer, as her breathing was interrupted by her chortles, “They were like ‘Bartholomew,” Louis had to cover his mouth in order to hide the snort of laughter he produced at Selene’s excellent impression of the ‘Bloody Baron’. His uncle’s impression was nothing on hers. “Thou hast pick-ethed up a stick, which doth work well-eth’ at mastering thoust powers’.”

Both of them had stomach cramps, trying to contain their laughter. Louis had tears building up in his eyes, and his face was turning red. Selene had doubled over, laughing mostly silently, the only sound being her inhaled breath and the slapping of her had against her knee. Their ‘quiet’ laughter was eventually drowned out by the librarian’s shrill cry of, “Get out of my library if you’re not going to follow the rules!”

Hurriedly, the two of them pack up all their belongings, erupting into occasional giggles every time the two caught each other’s eyes. They burst from the library’s entrance, and the Gryffindor and Slytherin stumbled along the large corridor. By the time they’d reached the end of the long hallway, they both decided it was best for them to start making their way to their respective common rooms.

There was calm silence for ten minutes.

Eventually it was broken. “So…” Louis’s shoulders were hunched over a little, his hands looking as if he’d shoved them as deep as he could, into the pockets of his school trousers. Making himself look smaller was his main way of coming off across nonchalant. However, the only thing he looked, was uncomfortable. “The, uh, first Hogsmeade trip is tomorrow. Are, um…” He paused to inhale some confidence, “Are you going to go?” Louis wanted so bad to shout out, to ask (or even beg) her to go with him on this trip. The sixth-year could imagine it now; the two of them wander the lanes of Hogsmeade together, their noses getting redder the longer that they’re out in the cold… their breath visible and intermingling, as they get closer and closer… maybe, a kiss? Oh, Louis wanted nothing more than that.

“Yeah, I-” Selene argued with herself. She shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable (awkward?) telling Louis about her upcoming date… and yet, she did. Which was absurd, because they were friends! “Uh… Actually, I have a date.” Merlin, Selene’s stomach squirmed. She felt awful admitting this to Louis, even though there was no need to, at all. Her nerves made her ramble, “With Mari Singh, from Ravenclaw. I think she’s in your Transfiguration class?” Selene went on, her mouth moving a mile a minute, but Louis heard none of it.

The blonde boy felt like he’d been physically hurt, despite knowing he certainly had absolutely no true right to feel as pained as he did. Selene Morgenstern was his soulmate, sure, but she didn’t know that. He hadn’t informed her that destiny (and, he guesses; his veela instincts) had fated them to be together. Plus, he was pretty sure that he hadn’t let on about his romantic feelings towards her either.

The Slytherin was her own person, and as such; allowed to date whomever she wanted…

But Louis was allowed to be upset about it. Even if it was irrational to be so. Boys (well, really, he’d insist that he was closer to a man, now) could be emotional too! However, he wasn’t going to expose said hurt feelings to Selene. He was upset by her words, but they were just friends… just friends, even if he did have different sentiments towards her.

Everything Louis Weasley had been taught by his family as a child was blooming into fruition in this moment; good friends support their friends – no matter the personal consequences.

As if the gods above had granted him lee-way, Louis’s turning to go up to the Gryffindor Common Room was fast approaching. “Well, uh, you have a great time! I’ll see you later!” Hastily exiting the situation seemed to be the only way to end this conversation, plus Louis was finding that his eyes were quickly filling with tears, and he didn’t want Selene to see them.

“Uh, thanks, Louis! See you!” Frantically waving at the back of the already turned-away boy was not the way a cool and collected Slytherin behaved. For love of Merlin, why was she acting like this? In true Slytherin sentiment, Selene ignored the way her stomach clenched up the moment Louis was out of sight. “Ugh, I need to get more sleep.”

Louis spent that night clutching his pillows tightly to his trembling body, desperately trying to not burst into his veela form. It was exhaustingly difficult to hold on to his human form, as his veela’s desire to fly away from all the pain he was facing was almost too powerful. The teen was virtually bursting at the seams, due to the effort it took to hold back this side of him.

His heart felt like it was under an intense pressure, as if it was being compressed. And his skin was positively feverish! Every pore along his body was asking for relief. Every muscle fibre itching for some form of freedom that only his veela form could give to him.

And to think, Louis had bitterly mused to himself, all this because I’m jealous. Louis knew, deep down, that he had no true reason to be jealous, or hurt, or sad, or angry. Selene was not his. Not his girlfriend, nor anything more than his close friend! The girl was her own woman. One who can decide for herself who she wants to love, and whom she wants to date.

Still… His acknowledgement of this fact did not miraculously send him into recovery.

Louis remained lonesome and feverish through the night.

There was a problem with Selene’s date.

Or, rather; there was a problem with Mari Singh – well, not really.

Okay, so the issue was with Selene. She was positively sure that there were a dozen other places she’d rather be, than on this date with Mari. The Slytherin clearly did not feel one iota of a romantic stirring towards the bird.

Now, that’s not to say the other girl was not lovely! Mari was smart, pretty, and rather funny - an all-around kind person.

Still, Selene found herself wishing that she was not the one opposite the Ravenclaw in the Three Broomsticks. And, that wasn’t to say it was an awful date! Not at all. It was a… nice affair. They talked over a butterbeer, and giggled at each other’s stories... And, yes; the conversation had been (sometimes) intelligent and (somewhat?) interesting.

Selene just felt like something was missing from it all, though.

“I was like; ‘why does this always happen to him?’!” Mari let out a chortle at her own story. It was a rather long-winded, yet deeply hilarious, anecdote of her families’ latest vacation. Her father apparently fell off a dinghy that the whole family had been sitting in, right into the arms of what may have been a hairy man (or, perhaps, a large bear), whilst not even in the water yet. “Anyway…”

The two female students had slowly been making their way back to the castle. And, now they were standing at the crossroads of where they’d each have to turn away to go to their separate common rooms.

Before Mari could even say anything else, Selene had to be honest with her, “Mari, I had a nice time today, but, uh, I have to be frank with you… I like you as a friend, Mari, but I-” Selene paused, to place her hand on the Ravenclaw’s shoulder and to carefully choose her following words. “I, um, I don’t feel for you, romantically that is.” Mari’s face began to crumble, “I’m sorry, but I had to be honest with you. It would be cruel for me to get your hopes up like that. You’re my friend but sparing your feelings now would only hurt you later. Right?”

Mari mulled the words over, but finally nodded her head softly.

Selene removed her palm from the other girls’ shoulder. She felt obliged to offer up some information that might soften the blow she’d just been dealt, “Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to Naomi…”

Mari’s head tilted to her left, “Gnomes?” It was a cute nickname Mari had for her roommate, fellow Ravenclaw Naomi Gardener. “W-Why would it be unfair to her?”

Selene heard the thinly veiled excitement in her voice. It was well-known within the female population of their respective year-group, that Naomi Gardner fancied Mari Singh. It was true that pretty much everyone knew that, but only Selene heard said information first-hand from Naomi. “Well, Naomi may have mentioned something to me… But it’s probably best to ask her about it.” She leant forward, pressing a friendly peck to Mari’s cheek, “Thank you for a lovely time, Mar.” Sending a wink to the girl, Selene began to walk away. “I hope we’re still friends, Mari! Good luck!”

Louis didn’t expect to see Selene the next morning.

Not because he assumed that something… like that... would happen between the two girls. No, not at all! Rather, Louis was surprised to see Selene, since he had decided to try to avoid her altogether.

Also, the idea of seeing her in the boys’ bathroom was incredibly surprising.

“Um, hello?”

Carefully, Louis angled his entire body away from the approaching teenaged girl. As quick as he could he tucked himself away and buttoned up his trousers. Due to his complexion, the flush on his cheeks was all too visible. Even knowing she could see the blush; he tried his best to act casual as he walked over to wash his hands. Selene was in his peripherals the entire time.

“So,” Louis shook his hands out, getting them dry enough to wipe against the fabric against his thighs – he didn’t even think about using his magic or wand to dry them. “Uh, what brings you to the men’s bathroom?” Before he could embarrass himself, he tucked his hands into the back pockets of his trousers. It was an attempt to seem casual.

Selene let a faux look of sadness creep onto her face, “Well, when I saw you practically running down the hallway when you saw me coming, I figured I should check on you.” She rested her shoulder on the wall to her right, “After all, I am a good friend.”

Louis’s was sure that his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Even though he knew that she was being a nice person, a great friend, his veela hindbrain was absolutely screaming at him. Surely that meant she was accepting the bond! Checking on her mate, right? Merlin! Louis had to snap himself out of those thoughts, because they weren’t facts. He knew first-hand that not thinking truthfully only damaged your own feelings.

“I- I just,” Louis was tongue-tied now. How exactly could he explain that he didn’t want to hear about her amazing date with bloody Mari Singh? “Well-”

Selene cut him off, not wanting to hear any of his poor attempts at lying to her, “I wanted to vent to you, about my date last night.” She rushed out first, before pausing. The Slytherin was gathering herself, choosing her next words carefully. “It was alright.”

The male noticed the lack of enthusiasm in her description of the event. His stomach lurched in awkward excitement.

She let out a quiet laugh, “You know… I was going to talk to Emmaline about it all, but-” Her head lolled to the side as she thought hard, “But I don’t know, I just-” Eventually, Selene pushed off the wall she was leaning on and strolled closer to the him. “I guess I just really wanted to talk to you.”

Louis was sure that he wasn’t breathing. “Oh.” In fact, he was pretty sure that he hadn’t been breathing for Selene’s entire speech. “Okay. Yeah... Alright.” Taking his hand from his pocket, he gestured over towards the exit of the bathroom, “Shall we, then?” Yes, that was normal. If only his heartbeat could chill out, too.

Luckily for them, there was only one first year in the otherwise empty hallway. Said single first year awkwardly still stood, deer-in-headlights-style, as they witnessed the two elder teens exit the boy’s’ bathroom together.

“So,” Louis was trying his best to seem calm, “It didn’t go well?” He paused, before clarifying, “Your date, I mean.”

The two of them were back in the school’s library. It was during a shared free period of theirs, and like always Selene and Louis were nestled together at their table. Heads were pushed closer to one another than strictly needed, both attempting to talk as quietly – they were in fear of the librarian, who had already given them both the most scathing look when they’d walked in talking.

“No, it was fine.” Selene answered him, her lips twisting into a grimace as she thought over the date, “Nothing awful, it just - it didn’t feel right.” She played with the quill in her hand, “I guess when I’m on a date, I want it to feel nicer than a ‘fine’ or ‘alright’.”

Louis nodded, understanding what she meant. “True.” There was silence as the blond wrote down a sentence or two on his parchment. He could feel the tingle of Selene’s eyes watching him do so. “So,” He began again, “No second date, then?”

Selene averted her eyes from his form, pretending that she didn’t catch him observing her from the very corner of his eye. “Not with Mari, no.” She looked down to her work, and unbeknownst to her Louis did as well.

Both had smiles on their faces.

TAGGED:

Sooner or later, James Potter (the mischievous person he was) suggested to his cousins (Roxane and Fred in particular), that they make a bet for later that night. “The feasts’ are always really boring, so, I say we make a bet on how many first years we’ll get this year!” All three were in the same house, which was why the young teen thought only of that house.

However, Roxanne wasn’t interested unless the stakes were high, “Jamie, what are the consequences of said bet?” After all, their bet from the previous year’s first feast, which resulted in James going starkers to a Quidditch game he wasn’t playing in, was famous.

Fred nodded in agreement with his twin, the reminiscent grin on his face telling everyone he was thinking of the prior year. “Yeah, James, you gonna’ go ‘au natural’ again?”

From besides Louis, Victoire snickered, “Betting on little eleven year olds? That’s very predictable, guys.” It wasn’t like there was much to be interested in, anyway. Every time, there was usually around twelve students admitted into each house, per year – there was the odd year, where one house would get more students than usual, but generally fifteen or so was the limit.

The younger girl, Roxanne, nodded her head, “She’s not wrong, boys.” She paused, having a quick think, before she smirked, “Maybe we should bet on how long ‘lover-boy’ over here,” Gesturing to the ‘absent’ Louis with her thumb, “Will take to win over his ‘Slytherin love’.”

James’s face burst into a grin, always keen to embarrass a family member every now and then, “Yeah!” Louis barely glanced at them, not very interested in their little bet, “I say we do it!”

Rose, who was younger than the others in the compartment, offered her assistance, hoping to get ahead of them gang, and not become negatively involved in their bet. “I’ll keep track, if you want!” It was better to do this, than truly get involved and possibly lose, because the consequences were usually quite awful. The first and last bet she made with them, she ended up working four Saturday detentions, due to some super glue, a glitter charm, and a very annoyed teacher.

“Alright, Rose!” Freddy cheered his cousin, praising her ‘selfless’ act, not quite realising her reasoning. “Go ahead, and write this down…” The boy continued on, rambling about ‘consequences’ (they decided on a monetary bet, this time, but there was a ‘backing-out’ clause) and how guesses were going to be determined right, etc. In the end, Roxanne believed Louis would win over Selene before the end of their sixth year, whereas Freddy believing it would happen before Louis’ next birthday (which wasn’t too long before school ended), and James was adamant it would all happen before Christmas (a bold choice). Victoire refused to be a part of the bet, at least at that point (she’d probably join in, when the subject of the bet wasn’t right next to her), and other members of their family and friends were yet to be informed of the pool. “Oh, and every person involved pays two galleons, which will be the winnings!” Freddy then went quiet, pondering if there was anything else that should be stipulated, “I think that’s it.”

Rose, who’d been writing this all down, dutifully noting every guess, as well as the rules, nodded. “Here,” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small coin purse, “I’ll put the winnings in here. My mum charmed it against thievery, and it’s incapable of being lost, so it’s safe.” Quickly, she gathered the six galleons from the first three people who’d made bets.

Throughout the entire exchange, Louis focussed on controlling his veela form, as he no longer had the scenery. It was beginning to get harder to control, though, as Louis could see the small platform coming up, telling him that their journey was nearly concluded. Soon, he’d see Selene again!

With a jerk, the train pulled into the small station in Hogsmeade, and Victoire pushed her twin’s shoulder excitedly. “We’re here!” The various members of the Weasley-Potter clan stumbled off the locomotive, all wearing their robes and specific house colours, with James falling off it, due to a dead-leg he’d gained. “You alright, James?” Victoire completely failed at sounding worried, as she was forced to hide her giggles behind her hand.

The younger boy grumbled out a few choice words, which his mother would have given him a stern look for. “Whatever.” His scoff of indifference was betrayed by his scarlet blush, “Let’s just get to the threstrals.” Lucy, who’d just walked over to them from hanging with her Ravenclaw friends, and Rose giggled at his embarrassed behaviour.

The small group marched their way from beside the scarlet train, quickly joining the long line of students, who were waiting to hop into a carriage. “Hey!” Albus appeared suddenly, almost as if out of thin air, making his brother jump slightly. “Do you mind if Frankie, Scorpius and I share a carriage with someone? We don’t have enough for our own.” He stood next to James, his two friends behind him.

Immediately after the question left Albus’ mouth, Lucy piped up, “You can join Rose and I!” It was easy to tell she liked one of them; her blush wasn’t subtle, and neither were her glances towards Frankie. No one mentioned it, but Frankie did smile back at the girl, who flushed an even darker red.

Finally, the group was at the front of the line, and they all began to clamber into a carriage. Ultimately, the small group had to take two as the addition of the Slytherins’ were too many for one.

Just as his hand touched the handle of the wooden carriage, Louis paused. He could feel that someone was looking at him. The sixth year turned a fraction of an inch, looking to his right and easily spotting the eyes of his soulmate. Selene’s eyes seemed to glow in the low light of the platform, sending a wave of emotion through him, which he wasn’t sure he was totally ready for. Louis wanted nothing more than to be with her, to hold her hand, and kiss her skin… but alas, it was far too soon for any of that. The two teenagers were still quite young, not even yet sixteen (well, at least Louis wasn’t), and barely knew each other. Acknowledging this, the blonde turned away, getting into the carriage where his family was waiting for him. All the while, Louis thought of the pure emotion that had been behind Selene’s eyes, which included apprehension and nervousness, which had definitely been mirrored in his.

The welcoming feast was long and tedious, filled with good food and conversation, but every student was happy when it finally finished. People were too tired to stay long after everyone was dismissed, but Louis did manage to glance towards the Slytherin table during, and had watched Selene dining with her friends for a few moments.

The next morning, the Gryffindor house was a flurry of students rushing down to the Great Hall, all eager to make sure their first day wasn’t started off on the wrong foot. A few hours after breakfast, James Potter was rushing down to the dungeons from the third floor, hoping to make it in time for Potions. He’d been busy setting up a prank he’d concocted the night before, and had lost track of the time. On his way there, the fourth year slammed into a taller body, who’d been walking in the opposite direction. The opposing body fell to the floor, with a loud grunting, “Oompf!” Said body’s bag fell with them, scattering various books and quills about the place.

“I’m sorry!” James nearly squeaked out, as he began franticly gathering the person’s possessions, haphazardly piling them together. He glanced at his watch, noting that he was already three minutes late for class. “I’m running late, I’m so sorry, but I have to go!” The young boy ran off, leaving the piled books and quills next to the student, who’d begun to sit up at this point. One last “Sorry!” was shouted.

The Gryffindor was off again, and was turning the corner, before the person one the floor could utter their own apologies. “It’s okay- and, he’s gone.” The body, which was clad in the Slytherin house colours, was that of Selene Morgenstern, who’d been leaving the Slytherin Common Room only moments before. She had been about to make her way up to the library, eager to spend her first ‘free’ session reading and sorting through some of the syllabuses she’d already gotten that day. Instead, the young woman was pouting slightly, as she rubbed her sore side, “Ouch.” She was convinced the area was going to bruise, marking where the eldest Potter child had run into her. Selene sighed, before she eventually got to her knees, ready to get up off the cold dungeon’s stone floors.

As she was standing, the Slytherin sixth year felt someone’s hand press to her back. While this normally would have sent off alarm bells, in her mine, Selene didn’t feel scared by the hand touching her (even without her permission). “Are you alright?” The person’s voice, coupled with their warm hand, sent a shiver of exhilaration down her spine. The action embarrassed her to the core, as it was completely out of character for her.

“I’m fine, Mr Weasley. Thank you for asking.” Selene quipped, easily using her sense of propriety to try and take away some of her mortification. With the help of Louis’ hand, she stood up completely, her bag once again in her hands. “Thank you, again.” Finally (finally! Louis’ mind cheered), Selene looked up to him, locking her eyes with his. Another shiver went down her spine, only this one was due to the sheer intensity she saw in the blue orbs looking back at her. A soft blush settled on her cheeks, the Slytherin girl began to feel slightly awkward with the clear admiration displayed in his eyes.

Louis, sensing her unease at his obvious feelings, took a physical step back from her, trying to convey that he wasn’t meaning to overwhelm her. When she sent him a small smile, he believed his action to have been the right course. Gathering his strength, he asked if she had a ‘free’ session that block, and smiling when she informed him that she did. Louis cleared his throat, before he asked, “M-Maybe, we could spend it in the library? Together?” He suddenly could not meet her eyes, afraid she would think he was being too forward. “Don’t feel like you have to!” Louis’ heart was already racing at his own words, as well as the fact he began picturing the two of them, getting cosy in the library… with books scattered everywhere… their eyes meeting over their parchment paper... He shook himself from those thoughts, reminding himself that he was trying to make Selene comfortable in his presence, not wanting to overwhelm her.

Whilst he was thinking all of that, Selene was considering how Louis’ actions once again reminded her of a young boy. “I’ll go with you.” Selene decided, smiling at him, seeming as if she was no longer uneasy about his company.

The moment her agreement left her lips, Louis began to panic. What would they talk about? The library may require silence, but the walk there did not! It was only the first day of classes, too, so he didn’t have a reservoir of banter held back, ready for this moment. He knew nothing about her, what she enjoyed, nor what she disliked… Louis supposed now was as good a time, as any, to find out these things... but still…

The two sixth years walked towards the large library, which was located several floors above their current position. As they walked, Louis began to ask a few basic questions – restraining himself from the dozens of probing, intellectual ones that stirred in his mind, at that moment. His goal was to find stuff out about her, but also to continue to make her feel at ease with his presence. One of his goals in life, was to make his ‘mate’ happy, after all.

Louis started off with the basic ‘family-friend-asking-you-about-school’ question, “So, uh, w-what’s your favourite subject?”

“I really like Care of Magical Creatures, I find it really interesting.” Selene would never admit that she wasn’t this honest with other people she’d just met, “What about you?”

“I used to be into Transfiguration, but not so much, anymore.” It was ironic to him, that he’d enjoyed transfigurations so much before his change. “Uh, where did you grow up?”

“Not too far from Diagon Alley, in a small wizarding community there. It’s a pretty quiet place, actually. What about you, Louis?”

His mind seemed to freeze, every part of him having enjoyed the way Selene’s mouth had just formed his name. He shook himself from that, “My parents own cottage, which is basically on a beach. So, me and my siblings grew up there… but, I, uh, most of my cousins and I spend our time at the Burrow. Especially during the summer.” The two wandered up the moving stairs, narrowly avoiding being sent to the astronomy tower when the staircase suddenly flung itself to the right.

“The ‘Burrow’?” Selene glanced at him, with a bit of confusion in her eyes. Overall, she was enjoying this. Something within her, loved the idea of getting to know Louis Weasley. She accredited it to the fact she found him very attractive. “What’s that?”

Louis looked at her for a moment, “It’s, uh, my grandparents’ house. It’s sort of like the Weasley-headquarters.” He let out an awkward chuckle, for once in his life feeling slightly self-conscious of his upbringing. His family, apart from the Potters’ and his Uncle George, were not incredibly rich. Mostly they were hard-working, comfortably-living, people. However, this small feeling of awkwardness was easily thrown out the window when Selene smiled at him, quite excitedly.

“I wish I had a family like that.” At Louis’ raised eyebrow, she went on, “It’s just me and my mums’.” Louis looked confused, “My birth mother, and her wife. They’re lesbians.”

“Oh,” Louis was interested in this fact, as it was a fascinating part of her life he was learning about, “That’s kind of’ cool!”

Selene laughed, shaking her head, “Yeah, it’s not bad.” She was going to continue their conversation, asking more about his family in return, but noticed they were at the library doors already. Instead, she offered up the chance to talk again, another time, “Hey, I enjoyed this, the conversation…” Selene started off, feeling like she may be going out on a limb here, “We should do it again.”

Louis nodded immediately, “Maybe we can, uh, walk to the library together again, next week?” He wondered if he was coming off too eager, and he was suddenly felt just as awkward as he did before. Trying to fake some confidence, he said, “Uh, if you want… it’s okay, if you don’t… I understand you might like your peace and quiet, your alone time-”

She cut him off, a small smirk on her face as she did so, “I’d like that, Louis.” Immediately, his face lit up like a Christmas tree, making her feel a trill of happiness flow through her body. He wanted to spend time with her… Selene bit the edge of her lip, trying to subdue the grin that was threatening to emerge. To avoid such embarrassment, she nudged her head towards the library, “So, are we going in?”

TAGGED:

His mother was pressing her hands to his reddened cheeks, “Ma cherie, are you feeling alright?” Fleur noticed his gaze was not on any of those trying to converse with him, but rather, it was focussed on a small family about five metres away. She looked intently at the small family, the girl was kissing the women on the cheeks, before getting onto the train. The Frenchwoman paused for a moment, as she realised what was occurring, before she let a large smile crowd her gorgeous face. “Ah!” Fleur exclaimed happily, effectively startling the others around her.

“Love?” Bill was now addressing his wife, noticing her attentions were now on the same family that Louis was looking at. “What’s going on?”

“’e ‘as found ‘is soulmate!”

Many of the family, who were understanding of the situation, let out surprised, but pleased, noises. To many on the platform, particularly those who didn’t know them, they just seemed like that dramatic family who over-dramatised every event in their lives – which they totally were.

Albus, however, was not one of these people, the ones who gasped. Instead he rolled his eyes at their actions. Sure, he was happy for his cousin, but there was honestly no reason to react so dramatically, in his opinion anyway. It was sort of obvious that Louis would have a ‘mate’, as all full veelas do. Why was it surprising it was someone his age, who went to the same school? And besides, he was pretty sure that they even shared some classes… if his vast knowledge was correct. “Well, as fun as this discovery was, we need to board, or we’ll miss the train.” His cool voice reminded him that he should probably find his friends…

His words jolted those of whom had to get on the train, out of their reveries. The children who were to board, began to hastily gather their luggage, pets, bags, etc.

“Bye mum, dad, love you!” Albus kissed his mother’s cheek, and hugged his dad briefly, before hopping onto the red train. He had to find Scorpius Malfoy, and Frankie Zabini, two of his Slytherin friends whom he hadn’t seen for most of the summer – due to their parents not being happy with their friendship to the son of the ‘saviour’.

After a few moments, all the rest of the clan followed in Albus’s footsteps, hugged their parents’ goodbye. There was a point where Rose nearly left her wand, which Hermione held onto until she ran back off the train for it. “Don’t forget to write!” Was shouted after them, as their mothers parroted the words they were told each year.

“Ma cherie,” Fleur pulled her eldest to the side momentarily, whilst there were a few minutes left before the train finally pulled out of the station, “Owl me ‘eef you need me!” Her tone was completely serious, and Louis found himself nodding at her, his face mimicking her seriousness. Despite their solemn tones, and faces, there was clear excitement shining in both of their eyes.

“I will mum, love you!”

Louis rushed off as soon as he could, he had to find her. He wasn’t even thinking about it, he was following what his body believed to be right. It was an easy process too, even with his twin sister clearly following behind him. He followed his gut to the very back of the train, somewhat relying on his veela-ness to help. Louis paused, his Gryffindor bravery failing him for a second, as he reached the last carriages.

Everyone knew that the Slytherins’ sat at the back of the Hogwarts express.

Victoire eventually caught up to him, having her suspicions as to what he was doing, but also being a lot slower than him physically, now that he’s a full veela. “Is she down here?” She asked him a bit hesitantly, as well as slightly breathy. She knew as well as he did, that this meant ‘his’ girl was most probably a Slytherin.

Even after all these years there’s a stigma about Slytherins’ – probably amplified due to what happened during the war. This was especially true about their family. The Potter-Weasley’s still weren’t too trusting of Slytherins.

When Albus was sorted into Slytherin, there seemed to be an immediate change in him.

Many in his family saw it negatively, saw it as him becoming ‘evil’. Rather, it was merely him absorbing the personalities of his friends, to further expand his own. All children did it when they reached their teens, as that’s how kids began to form who they are during these years. Unfortunately, most Slytherin purebloods are taught from a young age, to not be conceived as weak – this usually culminates in the slightly unemotional personalities, or cold exteriors, that the rest of the wizarding world sees.

Obviously, the energetic, emotional personalities of the Weasley-Potter clan clashed heavily with the cooler, less dramatic personality of Albus after this process.

The pair were walking down the train hallway slowly, when Louis suddenly stopped, causing Victoire to bump into his back. “She’s in here.” The second-to-last carriage held the girl who was Louis perfect match, he could both sense her, and smell her – the scent of her skin was tropical. Mangoes and coconuts. Louis assumed this was due to a body wash or soap, and shamefully, it led to him wondering slightly inappropriate thoughts about her. He wondered…

“What are you two doing?” Albus and his friends had managed to sneak up on the older twins, whilst the younger was waiting on the elder to stop daydreaming. Scorpius Malfoy and Frankie Zabini stood either side of the young dark haired Potter, both looking at them confused. Most of the members of the Weasley family avoided Slytherins, as old grudges are hard to abandon they’d found, so they were confused by their presence down the ‘Slytherin’ end of the train.

Victoire smiled slightly, low-key adoring her cousin and his friends. They looked cute to her, trying to seem tougher and meaner than they truly were. It vaguely reminded her of when she and her cousins played pretend, as young children. “His ‘soulmate’ is in there.” She gestured with her thumb behind her shoulder, to the carriage door that was shut, glass obscured by the ugly curtains that matched the ugly fabric of the train seats.

Louis was staring at the closed door, as he began to realise what Victoire said was true. His perfect match was in there, and he had no idea what he should say to her…

Victoire continued, as if her brother’s internal battle wasn’t happening, “Do you know who she is, Albus?”

That jolted Louis out of his state. He whipped around to look at his younger cousin in awe, the possibility of learning more about this girl too much for him. “You know her?”

“The girl who knocked you over, your ‘soulmate’,” Albus put quotation marks around the word, making it seem as if he didn’t believe, but really, he was just teasing, “Her name is Selene Morgenstern.”

“Selene… Morgenstern.” Louis repeated the name, loving the way it sounded on his lips. It was an elegant name, too. He found himself wondering if she was pure-blooded. Obviously, it didn’t matter to his ‘blood-traitor’ family, or to him, if she was. “Selene…”

Victoire stared at her brother, who was began mouthing the words silently. “Are you okay?” She questioned him, looking at him like he was crazy. Honestly, ever since he transformed, he’s been weird – not that he wasn’t odd before the changing. The two twins were very close, and they’d always gotten along, but Louis was always more of an oddity, compared to her. After a moment, he stopped mouthing the name and just stared at the compartment door. “Louis, are you going in?” He was loitering and several people passing by had begun to look at him, but he wasn’t paying attention to anything but the door.

“Yes!”

Louis’s exclamation was louder than necessary, and caught the attention of those inside the compartment. “Hello?”

The door had opened to reveal several sets of eyes, but the only one of note, according to Louis’s brain, was Selene’s. They stood out vividly to him. Louis was still stood in the same place he was before the door opened, meaning he was now stood very close to Selene. Closer than he felt was necessary, so he forced himself a step back. He didn’t want to make he feel uncomfortable! Hopefully, later in their relationship (he hoped), he’d get to be as close to her, as his biology was begging him to be.

“Oh, it’s you!”

“Who is it, Sel?”

“Yeah, Sellie, tell us who the gentleman caller is!” The two females behind Selene, who looked closely related (Victoire noticed, Louis was busy trying to not be too obvious in his staring), had teasing tones to their voices. To those that had known them, these girls would have reminded anyone of a young Fred and George Weasley (unfortunately, none of these children had known them both, together). Their nicknames for the girl were obviously mocking, as the female in question gave them faux-glares in return.

Another head popped up behind the girls, a male who had his own teasing tone, “Miss Selene, the nerve of it all! You have gentleman callers coming to you, immediately after you tell us you weren’t seeing someone!” His joking was dramatic, like many people Louis knew, “The betrayal, the lies! Where will it end?” He put his hand to his forehead, and clutched one of the siblings to his chest (with said sibling pretending to cry).

“Oh, sod off, Boot!” Selene called back to her dramatic friends, before turning back to those at the door. She smiled when she noticed the sweet, dazed, look on the boy’s face. “Can we help you?” The question was left open, but her eyes did not leave the sharp angles of Louis’s face.

There wasn’t a response from him, though, or any of the children behind him. After a moment, Louis was prompted by his sister’s elbow digging into his side, “Hi.”

Behind him, Albus let out a silent groan, leaning into Scorpius’s shoulder to hide his face from viewing the wreckage in front of him. Frankie and Scorpius both hid their small smirks behind their hands. The Weasley’s were too funny.

Victoire wasn’t mute with her second-hand embarrassment, “Oh Merlin, Louis!” She pushed his back, moving him slightly out of her way, “Hi, I’m Victoire Weasley, this is Scorpius Malfoy, Frankie Zabini, and my cousin, Albus Potter.” The blonde gestured to those slightly behind her, then her cousin in front of her, “And this is my brother, Louis.”

Selene nodded, already knowing this – they were descendants of the most famous people in the wizarding world, and several people from her Hogwarts house. “We know.” There was an awkward silence, that no-one filled, so, “Can we help you, then?”

For a moment, Louis was filled with an odd desperation he’d never felt before. “I wanted to apologise! For earlier…” He looked away from her face, trying to grasp onto any semblance of sanity, after his outburst. Louis felt like his brain wasn’t working, or rather; it was working at nearly ten-percent of its usual capacity. “I shouldn’t have been standing in your way. I wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt, that’s all!”

Selene Morgenstern wasn’t naïve, she knew the incident had been her entire fault. She’d been rushing, and barely managed to stutter out her apology, before she ran off. Her parents had teased her when she reached them, as running into the ‘saviours’ family wasn’t acceptable behaviour for a Morgenstern to have, but also not caring too much either. Louis, at that moment, reminded her of a young boy, talking to someone he admired greatly. He was nervous, avoiding eye-contact, and had trouble speaking to her. Plus, he’d come with back-up. So, Louis Weasley either fancied her, or he possibly arrived at her compartment to start a fight. The first was more likely.

“I’m fine.” Selene was quick to answer, if only to shorten this awkward meeting between the sweet blonde boy, and their voyeur friends. “You don’t have to worry about me, I’m not a fragile person!” The Morgenstern heir knew this wasn’t exactly true, as she was easily emotionally manipulated – but those ‘adopt-a-panda’ adverts were sad!

“Oh, okay!” Louis answered, looking both relieved that he hadn’t hurt his soulmate, and slightly sad that he didn’t really have a reason to stand there talking to her, now. “I-I guess I’ll see you around, then…” He trailed off, his eyes questioning whether what he said was the truth. Would he see her again?

Albus barely controlled himself from shouting; ‘of course you will, you daft hippogriff!’. They were a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, in the same year! They shared so many classes, due to their teachers attempts to create ‘unity’. Albus kept it to himself, though, for now.

“Y-Yeah, I guess you will.” Only Selene’s close friends caught her slip, and all three looked at each other with glee. After all, the strong Slytherin only really stuttered when she was nervous… and why would Selene Morgenstern be nervous at the mere thought of seeing Louis Weasley, in the future? Hmm…

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His changing happened not long after his fifteenth birthday. The school term was to end in three days, and Louis had just been leaving the OWL examination room (he had taken his Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL) when he collapsed. He’d been feeling weird all morning, slightly feverish and he had a headache, one that only increased during the exam.

Teddy Lupin, current head-boy, and godson of Harry Potter, called over to his ‘cousin’, “Louis?” When there was no response, or movement, he ran over. “Mate?” Teddy himself had just come from a NEWT examination (Transfiguration), just down the hall. Carefully, Teddy lifted the younger boy into his arms, barely straining at all. “Out the way!” He shouted to the small crowd that formed around the two, before heading off to the hospital ward, his normally bright blue hair turning a concerning red. “Madame Bones!” He’d pushed into the room, and quickly manoeuvred his younger ‘cousin’ onto the closest bed.

The nurse ran over, spotting that the boy was unconscious, and that Teddy Lupin was beginning to worry. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing Miss, he just collapsed!” Teddy explained, “He came out of his exam, and he just toppled over!”

Madame Bones pressed her hand to the boy’s forehead, then his neck, and felt that he was burning up. “He’s feverish,” She checked his pulse next, “And his pulse is racing.” Conjuring up a cold, wet towel, she pressed it to the handsome young man’s forehead. “Mr. Lupin, please go fetch the Headmistress, and any of your relatives you find on the way.”

“Yes, Miss.” Teddy nodded, and gave a glance towards the now sweating young boy, before rushing out.

Whilst he was gone, Madame Bones got to work, pulling out several bottles, and a quick quill, which composed a letter to Bill and Fleur Weasley, explaining that their son was sick, and that he was in her care. After the war, it became obvious to many of the teachers that those involved in said war were much more attentive, and worrisome, than parents had been in the past. It was well known how Ginny Potter, and Andromeda Tonks, had burst into the hospital ward in Teddy’s first year, both fretting over his fall in flying class, nearly starting a fight with Madame Bones over his care. Not long after the nurse replaced the cold compress on Louis’ forehead, did several of his family members come running into the ward, frantic looks on their faces.

Out of the entire Weasley/Potter brood, Louis was one of the most tame, non-clumsy, and non-accident prone. For him to be laying on that bed unconscious, it meant whatever was going on was very serious.

The first into the room was Victoire Weasley, twin sister to the Gryffindor on the bed. The Ravenclaw fifth-year rushed to the side of her brother, her blonde hair flying out behind her, tears gathering in her eyes at the sight of her twin. “Louis! Madame Bones, what’s going on?” She began running her hands over her brothers face, feeling the intense heat behind his skin, and pulling her hands away in shock.

Before the nurse could answer, third-year Gryffindor James Sirius Potter was running into the room, followed by fellow third-year Gryffindor’s’ Roxanne and Fred (II) Weasley. The second set of twins in the family were the son and daughter of George and Angelina Weasley. “What’s wrong?” All three panted out, having run from several floors away, at top speed, after Teddy had run past shouting that Louis was sick.

“Louis’s ill!” Victoire cried out, her face screwed up in fear, “He’s unconscious, and really warm!” As she explained to her cousins, they came closer, careful to stay behind Victoire, on one side of the bed, and out of Madame Bones’ way.

“What’s up?” Albus Severus Potter (first-year Slytherin), the calmest of all the Weasley/Potter brood, strolled into the large room. With him, was a concerned Rose Weasley (first-year Gryffindor, daughter to Ron and Hermione Weasley), and a frantic Dominique Weasley (second-year Hufflepuff, and youngest sibling to Victoire and Louis).

As these members of the crew joined the others, Victoire and James filling them all in on what they’d figured out, the powerful and tall figure of Professor McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts, entered the room. Behind her was Professor Longbottom, Herbology professor, long-time friend to the Weasley/Potter brood, and head of Gryffindor. Teddy Lupin was bringing up the rear, with the last members of the family (whom attended Hogwarts), Molly Weasley II; a sixth-year Gryffindor, and Lucy Weasley; a second-year Ravenclaw. Both were the daughters to former Hogwarts head-boy, Percy Weasley.

“Madame Bones,” the Scottish brogue of the headmistress began, “What seems to be the issue here?” The woman had known the Potters’ and Weasleys’ for nearly her entire teaching career, and even before that as Charlus Potter had been a prefect when she was in her first year of Hogwarts, and thus she was concerned.

“Did you send word to the parents?” Professor Longbottom, or Uncle Neville to most of these children, questioned, knowing very well the temperament of Fleur Weasley.

“I sent an owl, almost fifteen minutes ago.” Madame Bones answered. “However, I have a feeling that we may need the input of those at St. Mungo’s on this case.” The woman shared a significant look with the headmistress, silently telling her that this issue was serious. Turning to the Weasley brood, her eyes focussed on the siblings of Louis, she asked a question that hushed the children, “Does your family have a history with veelas?”

“Yes.”

“Oui.”

The English answer came from the two young girls, who stood at the bedside of their brother. The French affirmative had come from the mouth of Fleur Weasley nee Delacour, who’d flooed into the castle, via the fireplace in the very ward they all stood in.

“We ‘ave a long ‘istory of veelas. The Delacour’s’ ‘ave always been part veela, I myself am one quarter veela.” The woman swept over to her son’s side, the children parting to let her through. “Oh, ma cherie!” Fleur cried out, finally seeing her son. Her blonde hair was now greying slightly, and her face showed the faintest signs of aging – yet she only looked aged in her eyes, which were slightly dull as she looked at the pain her Louis was in.

“That means the last full veela was one of your grandparents?” Madame Bones questioned carefully, knowing well the anger and pain that any mother feels could cause them to lash out.

“Oui.”

Professor McGonagall was confused at where the nurse was going with her questioning, “What are you trying to say?”

Madame Bones sighed, “I’ve seen a few cases like this, when I was training in France.” She looked at Fleur, making sure their eyes were locked, “Mr. Weasley seems to be going through the ‘changing’.”

Those who knew what this meant, gasped.

“’zat iz not possible.” Fleur whispered, her shock making her accent thicker. “’zere ‘as not been a male veela for ‘undred of years!” She stroked the side of her son’s face, knowing deep down the woman was right. “’ow did ‘e inherit, though?”

“Yeah, Louis and I should be less than one quarter veela!” Victoire commented, knowing what was being suggested.

Albus Potter, still the calmest in the room, drawled out, “Perhaps it has to do with Uncle Bill’s bite?”

Professor McGonagall contemplated this fact, “Louis is the eldest twin, perhaps his blood took all of the inheritance?”

“We need to get him to St. Mungo’s, and have him put into an isolated ward, just in case.” Madame Bones commented, preparing to wheel the bed towards the floo, first placing some papers and vials on the bed. They would be needed, to get him admitted. “Mrs. Weasley, please follow me.” The two women, plus the young man on the bed, were flooed to the wizarding hospital, after Madame Bones cried out, “St. Mungo’s!”

“Children, please return to class. After dinner come to my office, and you will all be informed on the health of the young Mr Weasley.” Professor McGonagall, with the help of Professor Longbottom, ushered out all the children. “No complaining now, don’t dilly-dally either. I know that this is worrying, but we know what is going on, so the Healers at St. Mungo’s will be able to heal him faster.”

“He’ll be on the mend now.” Neville told them, a small smile on his face, telling them not to panic. “Come on Potter, Weasley, you’re supposed to be in my class now, anyway.” He pushed Albus Potter in front of him, along with Rose Weasley, as both were supposed to be in his Herbology class at that very minute.

As people turned the corner, the small voice of Dominique called out to her older sister, “Victoire? Will Louis be okay?”

Before Victoire could speak, Teddy Lupin walked over, pulling the young girl into his arms, comforting her. “Of course, Louis’s going to be okay, Dom! You know him, he’s always alright, isn’t he? You Weasleys’ are always bouncing back, no matter what.”

Smiling thankfully at him, Victoire spoke, “Teddy’s right.” She pressed a kiss to her younger sister crown, before smoothing down her blonde hair, just like her mother did. “Besides, you heard the teachers, Louis is on the mend now. Everything will be back to normal before we know it!”

That summer had been difficult for the Weasley/Potter clan.

It went exactly how it usually did, with the children spending most of their time at Molly and Arthur Weasley’s (now empty) house, due to their parents working most of the time. The difference, though, was people had to be careful around Louis now. As with all young veelas, Louis was vastly over-protective of his family, his younger sisters’ especially. Often, at the beginning of summer, he was seen flying into a rage, and turning into his full-veela form, at the smallest thing – such as Dominique, his youngest sister, being accidentally pushed over by James. Even though he moved out of this phase, no longer being so temperamental after a few weeks adjusting to his inheritance, it wasn’t completely safe to be around Louis. Despite being one of the loveliest people to walk the Earth; a young, unmated veela (especially a male one, who has the need to protect those he loves) was always dangerous to affiliate with – at least until they mated.

Bill and Fleur had warned all family members, before Louis had finally finished his changing and returned from St. Mungo’s, that they had to be careful around him, that they had to look after him now. Also, she vaguely mentioned, not to be too ‘freaked out’ by his sudden change.

The veela-form was odd, they’d discovered during his first change. It was tall, taller than Hagrid, and had large, bird-like wings that extended from the top of his back, the very tips reaching his ankles. The wings were a vibrant, iridescent, purple-blue, and they were powerful enough to launch him into the air at vast speeds. Louis’s eyes changed colours too, in this form, from their normal colour, to ones that matched his wings, and were just as vibrant as them too. Other than those obvious changes, were the subtle ones – such as his incredible strength, his heightened senses, his newfound ability to know how people were feeling, and his ability to manipulate people using the typical veela appeal. The last had been used to achieve more of his grandmother’s pie one evening, and had meant he’d walked away with the entire dish – much to his mother’s anger.

By the end of that summer, though, Louis felt confident that he had complete control of himself. He was able control his shifts into the other form, and (with the help of his family) he’d conquered his abilities. He no longer accidentally crushed his cups, felt people’s emotions, or forced people to do his bidding. Everything was going to be okay.

September first came around faster than anyone would have liked. While every student did love Hogwarts, it was still school, and therefore they kind of hated it too.

Like every year, the entirety of the Weasley/Potter clan was stood on Platform 9¾, well those who could make it. George and Percy Weasley weren’t there, as the two were at Weasley Wizard Wheezes, working.

Percy had joined George after the war, helping out a little around the shop, and eventually stayed because he genuinely enjoyed the work. Generally, he was always doing the more clerical things, like the accounts and checking inventory, but every now and then he himself invented something interesting. The self-replenishing ink-well was his idea, as was the idea for other ink wells filled with wacky colours and glitter. Bless him, though, Percy tried his best.

As usual, the station was hustling with students and parents, it was as hectic as every year was. It was easy to determine who were new kids (as they tended to stare) and who weren’t. The same went for their parents. That didn’t matter to the Weasley/Potter clan, though – they’d been doing this for too long to get caught up in the looks and whispers that surrounded them.

“Louis, be careful this year!” Mrs Weasley (Molly the first) was beginning yet another speech on how Louis should be careful at Hogwarts, and not pull a ‘Harry Potter’ at school (as something bad always happened to him, although not usually his fault). “Do not start a fight with anyone, and watch your surroundings when you shift! Merlin knows those wings can take someone’s eye out…”

Just as she was about to continue her rant about how the Weasleys’ need to ‘calm down’, and ‘have a normal school experience’ – bang. Louis Weasley, the one closest to the wall they had all literally just come through, was violently knocked over by the small figure that landed on top of him, her dark hair spilling over his shoulders and getting in his face (and a little in his mouth too).

“Oh, I’m sorry!” The girl scrambled to get up, flailing slightly due to embarrassment, and accidentally kneeing the poor boy in his gut in her haste. “Oh, Merlin! I’m- I’m sorry, I was in such a rush, my mums went ahead with my cart, I thought I was going to be late! Ugh, I’m such a-” The girl had managed to get to her feet, and was now pulling Louis up onto his, desperate to right her small ‘wrong’. She’d just dragged him onto his feet, his grasping her arm to steady himself, when he’d locked eyes with her.

Suddenly, nothing else was visible to him, apart from her beautiful, shining eyes. Something inside Louis clicked into place, his new veela body singing at the sight of this girl’s face. Whilst she was shorter than him, she looked about his age, and vaguely Louis wondered if the two shared classes together… If so, he needed to be her partner for all of them. Her mouth was perfectly curved into a smile, and her dark eyes spoke of a future, their future – together.

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