"Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?"

On the days Harry found himself curled up in his cupboard, shivering from the cold and heartache, he would stare at the fine, black words for hours. They formed a delicate bracelet around his wrist, the letters linked together in a graceful cursive, and Harry knew the words better than he knew his own name.
When Harry was younger, before he could read, he had once tentatively asked his Aunt Petunia what the words around his wrist said, not really expecting an answer. As expected, her lips pursed sourly in annoyance, before she read it out quickly in a sharp tone. Before Harry could really process the words, as well as the fact that she had actually answered one him at all, she had hastily continued "but don't get your hopes up boy, sometimes people don't ever get to meet the person to say their words. Sometimes they die before they meet their soul mates, and so people just have to settle down and make do with what they find; make their own perfect little family."
She quickly glanced down at her wrist, the faded grey words barely legible even in the right light, and her eyes softened in sadness and regret for a split second, before returning to their usual bitterness as she looked at Harry again. "What are you still doing standing around here," she sneered, "get back outside and finish your weeding."

From that point on, Harry would check his words every day, terrified that the one person in the world who was made to love him would leave him alone before he could ever meet them. He would trace his words with his fingers, mouthing them softly, wondering why anyone would be looking for a toad, and imagining the type of voice that would read the words out. He hoped they had a kind voice, nothing like Uncle Vernon's loud, angry voice or Aunt Petunia's, high, sharp one.

The years passed, and every morning before he made the Dursley's breakfast, and every night before he went to bed, he would check his words just to reassure himself that yes, he would find someone who would love him, and he wouldn't stay in this cruel home that wasn't really his home forever.

The day of his 11th birthday was the best day he could ever remember himself having, as he was finally told that yes, he was special. He wasn't a freeloading freak whose parents didn't love him enough to stay with him; his parents had loved him. They'd loved him so much that they'd died for him. And his heart warmed with hope, as he learnt of a whole new world filled with magic, where he could make himself a different person, a person that had friends that couldn't be scared away from Dudley, and a school where he could do well without fear of punishment from the Dursley's.
When Hagrid noticed his bare wrist whilst shopping in diagonal alley, he frowned slightly before saying "Hmm, yer can't have yer soulmate's words hangin' about can ye'. With you being as famous as ye' are, who knows what people would do if they saw 'em." Harry frowned at him in confusion. "Ya see, ye' need to make sure they're actually your soulmate's. People have been known for readin' celebrity's words and sayin' em just to try 'n get some fame." Harry was horrified. The thought that the first person to say his words to him might actually not be his soulmate, the person he'd waited his whole life to meet, was beyond terrifying.
And so, he allowed Hagrid to take him back to Madame Malkin's, where he bought a dark blue strap to tie around his wrist. He didn't like it very much, as he now couldn't look at his words easily for reassurance that his soulmate was still out there for him to meet. To this day, Aunt petunia's sad eyes still haunted him. But he kept it on anyway, wanting, needing to make sure he could be confident his soulmate didn't just want him for his apparent fame, the fame he didn't understand or even want. He'd choose parents who loved him and cared for him over people pretending they knew everything about him any day, but he didn't tell the big, friendly man any of this. After all, Harry knew that wanting something was pointless.

When Harry finally got onto the Hogwarts Express, his heart was pumping loudly in his ears and his hands were jittery with nerves. What if no one liked him? What if he was just as lonely at this school as he was at his old one, with no friends to talk to? His worried thoughts were interrupted by a lanky red headed boy, who asked "Anyone sitting here?" And Harry made his very first friend.
Later on, after they'd bonded over a cart full of candy, the compartment door opened again, and a nervous looking round faced boy said "Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?" Harry's heart stopped. He shook his head mutely before the boy, his soulmate wailed "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" Harry finally found his voice again, and stuttered out "He'll turn up".
The boy looked at him so quickly Harry was sure he'd hurt his neck. And they smiled.