Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Notes: Thanks to my awesome beta, gaeilgerua. Written for the 2018 Sirius Black Fest on LJ. Enjoy! xoxo

Never Underestimate The Power of a Soulmate Potion

"Ah, there you are," a voice said to his left.

"Our favourite brother," a voice to his right spoke.

Charlie sighed. He didn't need to turn and look to see that it was Fred and George. "What are you two up to?" Charlie asked, arching a brow at both of them. They were gathered at the Burrow for their weekly Sunday night dinner.

George gasped. "Up to something? Why would you ever think we were up to something, brother?"

Charlie scoffed. "When are the two of you not up to something?"

"You wound us," Fred said, shaking his head.

"Can't we just chat?"

"You two definitely want something, so what is it," Charlie asked, looking at them both warily.

"Well, since you're asking…"

"We've developed a new potion," Fred finished. "And we were wondering if you would be willing to try it out?"

"It's perfectly safe," George added. "We've already tested with a few people."

"Then why do you need me?" Charlie asked suspiciously.

"We think you could benefit from it," Fred said, grinning.

"What's the potion do?"

"It's a soulmate potion," Fred said. "It will lead you to whom you're meant to be with."

"And the two of you think I need to figure out who my soulmate is?" Charlie asked sceptically.

"Mum certainly thinks so," Fred said, trying to hide a snicker.

Charlie groaned. "Sure, what the hell. Let's do this."

"Brilliant!" George said excitedly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. "Here we are."

"That's it," Charlie asked, looking at it suspiciously.

"Yup!" Fred said with a nod. "Just drink it and then place your hand on this piece of parchment." He pulled a scroll from his robe pocket. "Your soulmate's name will appear when you pull your hand away."

"This is serious magic," Charlie said warily.

"Hermione helped us," Fred said proudly.

"Yes, well, your girlfriend is the brains behind all your operations, isn't she?"

"That she is," Fred said proudly. "So it's totally safe."

"Fine," Charlie said, reaching out and taking the vial from George. He opened it and drank it, cringing at the overly-sweet taste. He cleared his throat, looking to Fred.

"Here, put your hand here," Fred instructed, the parchment on the table next to them.

Charlie did as he was told. He placed his hand on the parchment, a tingling sensation appearing in his palm. After a moment, he took a deep breath and pulled his hand away.

Sure enough, there was a name where his palm was moments ago.

"But…" he said weakly.

Sirius Black was the name written on the parchment.

Fred cleared his throat. "I… er… "

"Maybe it doesn't work?" Charlie suggested. His heart clenched at the sight of Sirius's name. He had looked up to the older wizard in his youth, and Charlie still felt the pain of his death.

"No… We've tested it multiple times," Fred said quietly. "It's been accurate for everyone else so far."

"Sorry, Char," George said, clapping Charlie on the shoulder. He headed toward the kitchen.

"Boys, dinner is almost ready!" Molly shouted from the kitchen.

Charlie swallowed. "I…" He shook his head. "So does this mean I'll die alone?" he tried to joke.

"Don't say that, Charlie," Fred said. "I was just trying to help."

"It's fine, Fred," Charlie assured him. "Let's just go eat."

The two of them were heading to the kitchen to join the rest of the Weasley clan when the front door swung open, and a frazzled Harry burst in.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny asked, shooting to her feet.

"Kingsley just contacted me. Sirius has been found wandering in the Ministry!" he exclaimed.

Charlie's eyes widened, and he looked at Fred.

"Holy shit," Fred murmured, putting two and two together.

"He's alive?" Molly asked, her eyes wide. She looked like she might faint.

"Sirius is alive," Harry repeated.

Chaos ensued.

Charlie kept his distance from the entire situation. He wasn't sure how to feel about all the recent developments, but one thing was for certain, and that was that he could not get Sirius from his mind.

He had heard from Fred that Sirius had returned home to Grimmauld Place, where he and Harry were rebuilding both the house and their relationship. The Ministry was uncertain about what had brought Sirius back from the other side of the Veil, but Fred, George, and Charlie were all sure it was the potion.

There was a knock at his flat door. Standing, Charlie made his way over. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Sirius on the other side of it.

"Sirius, hi," Charlie said, clearing his throat after a moment of shock. "Come in."

"Hi, Charlie," Sirius said, stepping in. He looked around the small flat.

"You look good," Charlie said. "Healthy, I mean."

Sirius laughed. "No like I've just come back from the dead?"

Charlie laughed awkwardly. "No, not at all."

"So, I discovered something interesting in my home, and then had an interesting conversation with Fred and Hermione." Sirius looked at him carefully.

Charlie's cheeks warmed. "Oh, and what is that?"

"Well, first of all, it looks like I have you to thank for bringing me back." Sirius took a step towards him. "Charlie, you have no idea how grateful I am."

"So, you know, then?"

Sirius grinned, taking another step towards him. "That we're soulmates, yeah."

"I'm sorry," Charlie whispered, unsure of why he was feeling the need to apologise.

Sirius laughed. "Charlie, don't you dare apologise. I thought I was too old to be bonded, but yet, here we are."

"We're not bonded," Charlie protested. "We're only soulmates… there's no tying magic there."

"An oversight on Hermione's part," Sirius explained. "I saw that your name has appeared next to mine on my family tree. I brought it to Hermione's attention, and she did some digging around at the Ministry, and everyone who used the potion is bonded. The appropriate documentation magically appeared in the Ministry and has been filed."

Charlie swallowed nervously. "So, we're essentially married?"

"Indeed we are, Mr Weasley," Sirius said, his grin deepening. "Or should I call you Mr Black?"

"I… I can't believe this."

"Oh, well, you should have seen Fred's face when he realised he was going to have to tell your mum that he and Hermione were married."

Charlie burst out laughing. "Well, she's wanted to lot of us to get married for some time, so it isn't terrible."

Sirius chuckled. "Anyone else in the family use the potion?"

"Oh, probably," Charlie said, shrugging.

Sirius looked at him, grinning wickedly. "Can I kiss you?"

Charlie nodded nervously. "Yes, yes you may."

"Good," Sirius murmured, standing close. He cupped Charlie's cheek gently. "I've wanted to snog you senseless since you opened the door."

"Really?" Charlie squeaked.

Sirius laughed. "Yes, you have no idea how sexy you are, do you?"

"Sirius, I haven't really done any relationships," Charlie admitted. "I've fooled around with a few blokes, but nothing serious. This is all new to me."

"We'll figure it out together," Sirius assured him, smirking. "Now, shush and let me kiss you."

Charlie laughed. "Okay." He eagerly returned Sirius's kiss. It had been a crazy turn of events, but he couldn't wait to see where life would take the two of them.