AUTHOR'S NOTE: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I'm just playing with it.

*Typically students start at Hogwarts when they are 11, but when I wrote this it slipped my mind and I mis-remembered it as 12. Sorry for the discrepancy.*

"He used to meet me on the Eastside
In the city where the sun don't set
And every day you know where we ride
Through the backstreets in a blue Corvette
And baby, you know I just wanna leave tonight
We can go anywhere we want
Drive down to the coast, jump in the sea
Just take my hand and come with me
Singing

We can do anything if we put our minds to it
Take your whole life then you put a line through it
My love is yours if you're willing to take it
Give me your heart 'cause I ain't gonna break it
So come away, starting today
Start a new life, together in a different place
We know that love is how all these ideas came to be
So baby, run away with me."

-Benny Blanco feat. Khalid & Halsey, "Eastside"

x-x-x

x-x-x

They met when they were twelve.

Well, she was still eleven. He was twelve.

Hermione was sitting alone in the wide grass clearing near the perpetually dirty river waving her hands over the little yellow flowers to make them bloom and fly into the air. The summer heat in Cokeworth was stifling, the oppressive humidity only making the horrid stench on the eastside of town worse, but she didn't really care. She lived on the other side of the downtrodden working class city, the more affluent side full of perfectly nice, middle class families but it didn't interest her much. There was just something about this part of town that called to her, like an undeniable Siren song.

It had always been like that and she never thought to question it.

Why would she? She loved it here.

"You can do magic."

Hermione turned to see a small, scrawny boy in possibly the oddest assortment of mismatched clothing she had ever seen. His skin was sallow, his dark hair long and shiny under the sun. He came a little closer and she could see that his slightly beaky nose was entirely too large for his face, but it suited him somehow. His deep black eyes were watching her warily but with burning curiosity.

"I didn't know anyone else here could do magic."

She smiled, excited to have met someone else who was like her, "I've only just learned that I can."

"How long?"

She thought back, "A few weeks, maybe. You?"

"A year," he answered quickly. Though the boy was clearly still hesitant, he came to sit beside her. He didn't really make eye contact when he spoke and she could tell that he was uncomfortable with being so close, "I'm Severus Snape."

She stuck out her hand in greeting, "Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you, Severus."

His eyes flashed with something for a moment before he gave a small grin and shook her hand.

When they made contact, the flesh on her inner forearm burned white-hot for a brief moment before it dissipated. Hermione waited until he looked towards the oily river to glance down at her left arm. Right there, inscribed in perfect, spiky calligraphy was one word in stark black.

Friends.

Had she not been devouring every book about magic that she could get her hands on over the past few weeks, she might not have thought about those words twice. She might have simply assumed they were a part of being a witch and went on with her life as if nothing was different.

But as it happens, she had been devouring every magical book she could get her hands on.

And as it happens, she had read something about words suddenly appearing as if etched, like a tattoo, into magical skin.

She watched the odd boy, Severus, as he waved his pale hand towards the large tree they sat under and promptly brought down a huge avalanche of crisp green leaves right onto their heads. They laughed, buried under the pile of leaves that acted as another stifling layer in the hot summer sun, and as she watched his face light up with his laughter, Hermione made a decision.

She would continue to come to the eastside of town every day for the rest of the summer and hopefully, Severus would be there too.

x-x-x

They had grown close quickly- more quickly than she could have ever anticipated. It seemed like no time before they were inseparable, fingers clasped wherever they went. Hermione's parents absolutely adored Severus, though they often voiced their concern at how thin he was. Suffice it to say, they took it upon themselves almost every night to remedy that and it soon became normal for him to accompany her home for supper. They already spent almost every moment of the day together anyway.

He, however, never invited her over and she never asked.

She saw the finger-shaped bruises on his arms before, on a particularly muggy day when he could no longer stand the heavy wool of the patched jacket he wore, and it only took the humiliated look on his face to know how he had gotten them.

So she never bothered him about his family, she just continued to bring him home to hers every day.

He seemed grateful.

"I can't believe we get to go to Hogwarts soon!" Severus exclaimed one crisp evening near the end of the summer.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, casting everything on the landscape in burning shades of copper and crimson, and Hermione stretched out onto the cool grass, "I know. It almost doesn't seem real."

He hesitated, but when he spoke his words were uncertain, "What if… what if we're sorted into different Houses? Mum was a Slytherin, so that's probably where I'll end up too."

She hadn't thought of that, to be perfectly honest. To be separated from her best friend, to be sorted into another House, had never even crossed her mind. She had just assumed they would be together, no matter where they ended up. Hermione ran her fingers across the words on her forearm that she always kept carefully hidden from Severus. Surely the Sorting Hat wouldn't separate her from her soulmate?

"Your arm okay? You've been touching it a lot lately."

Hermione just smiled and turned her arm into her stomach, "Fine, just itchy. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the sorting too much, Severus. No matter where we end, we'll still be friends."

His eyes gleamed with hope, "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

x-x-x

Tomorrow, Hermione's parents would be taking them to King's Cross station to catch the Hogwarts Express.

So tonight, they spent their last night in Cokeworth in the grassy field by the river. They had just returned from dinner with her parents and the sky was starting to turn a deep indigo as they lay, side by side, under the light of the rising moon. Neither of them felt like going home just yet, they were much too anxious.

Hermione felt the words on her arm for the hundredth time, for it was safe to do so in the dark where Severus could not see. He would only ask about it again and she wasn't sure if she should say anything yet.

He was her best friend and she really didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

Never one to deny her curious nature though, Hermione decided to broach the subject carefully, "Severus? Have you read the books I lent you?"

He snorted, "Of course I did, but I told you I already knew most of that stuff from my mum."

"What about… did you read the part about the words?"

"Yeah, what about it? Load of rubbish if you ask me."

She frowned at him, "Why would it be rubbish? You don't… you don't believe in them? You don't think they're real?"

Severus rolled his eyes so hard she could practically hear them, "Words that magically appear on your skin when you meet your destined soulmate? Don't be such a girl."

"I am a girl," she huffed.

He shrugged.

So that was that, then.

She had those words etched in Severus' spiky handwriting—a fact that had been confirmed when she'd borrowed one of his books—across her arm, revealing the deepest desires of his heart.

But Severus obviously did not wear hers. Wouldn't he have noticed if he did?

A harsh wave of disappointment threatened to overtake her, but she shoved it down deep where she could ignore it. He didn't wear her words. The books didn't mention that such a thing was possible, but apparently it was. He didn't wear her words. Hermione pulled her sleeve down a little further, deciding that it was best not to tell him. He didn't wear her words. Why burden him with the guilt of something that wasn't his fault? He didn't wear her words. Magic, she had learned, was imperfect at the best of times, so she assumed that it was a fluke, a mistake. She was probably never meant to wear his words at all, it had just been some sort of freak accident.

He didn't wear her words.

And she would never tell him.

They were best friends.

She grabbed his hand and they twined their fingers together under the stars.

Best friends. That would be enough.

x-x-x

They huddled together in the train compartment, pouring over the shiny new book her parents had bought for them. The spells in it were a little more complicated than the ones they would be learning as first years but that didn't stop them from devouring the words eagerly anyway.

There came a strong knock just before their sliding compartment door opened, revealing a lovely little girl with hair like fire and eyes like glimmering emeralds.

"Is there room in here for one more?" She asked.

Hermione nodded but she noticed that Severus was curiously silent.

The girl sat across from them, eyeing their book skeptically, "Isn't that a little advanced for first years?"

"Yes," Hermione admitted, "but it is awfully interesting. Would you like to see?"

The girl shook her head and proceeded to dig around in her bag for something. She resurfaced a few moments later with a witch's magazine. Witch Weekly? She'd never heard of such a thing.

Brought up to be polite, Hermione extended her hand to the girl, "My name is Hermione Granger."

She shook it a little distastefully, "Lily Evans."

Hermione's arm burned white-hot and she felt the words shifting, for the very first time, under her skin. The compartment was too crowded to look at them now; she would have to wait until later.

Lily watched Severus with mild curiosity, "Are you going to introduce yourself or didn't your parents teach you manners?"

He stiffened.

Hermione touched his arm surreptitiously, "This is Severus Snape."

"You two don't look anything alike," Lily said rather snootily.

She blushed, "Oh, no! No, no we're not… we're friends. We live in the same town—Cokeworth."

"Cokeworth?" Lily sniffed, shifting her flaming hair over one shoulder. "Isn't that in the working district?"

Even as she nodded, because indeed it was, Hermione felt her temper flaring. Who was this arrogant girl to just pop into their compartment and start judging them? She could tell from Lily's tiny jeweled earring and her obviously expensive robes that her family was most assuredly not from Cokeworth or anywhere nearby. Did she think just because she came from money that she was better than them? Neither Hermione nor Severus' families were well-off, but they had enough. Even if Severus himself hadn't had enough before, her parents had quickly seen to that.

This girl knew nothing about them, how dare she judge them this way?

Hermione had nothing else to say to her.

Lily flipped open her magazine and promptly went about ignoring them for the remainder of the trip to Hogwarts. It wasn't until the train pulled into the station and she was gathering her things back into her bag that Hermione caught sight of it.

The faint edge of words across the other girl's collarbone.

Severus eyes were locked onto the three tiny letters that were visible.

As they exited the train and sat, hand in hand as usual, in the tiny boat that glided across the Black Lake towards the castle, Severus squeezed her fingers, "Did you see them?" He asked, his eyes dancing in the firelight. "She had words. They're… they're real!"

"I tried to tell you they were."

"They don't appear until you meet your soulmate," he continued, ignoring her even as his fingers flexed in hers. "I didn't notice them when she first sat down, did you?"

Hermione felt her stomach rolling uncomfortably, afraid she knew exactly what he was asking, "I wasn't really paying attention."

His smile was blinding, "Hermione… soulmates are real. And she has one!"

It was not until later that evening, after they had been sorted as they had feared—she into Gryffindor and he into Slytherin—that Hermione was able to peel back the sleeve of her brand new school robes.

She bit her lip as she looked at her arm. The elegantly scrawled 'friends' was no longer there.

Now, it only read 'Lily'.

x-x-x

"Hermione! Hermione!" Severus shouted, sprinting across the lawn to catch up with her. She was on her way to sit under the large willow tree by the Black Lake to study and practice her charms. She stopped to wait for him and he came barreling directly into her, his arms trapping her in a fierce embrace.

She couldn't help but laugh at his uncharacteristic enthusiasm, "Sweet Merlin, hello Severus."

When he pulled back his onyx eyes were bright, happy, "I have them! I have them!"

"What are you talking about? You have what?"

"Words!" He wound his fingers through hers and tugged insistently. "Isn't that amazing? I have a soulmate and I've met them!"

She gave him the most convincing smile she could muster, "That's great, Severus. I'm so happy for you."

"Do you think it's her? Do you think it could be?"

The boy before her, the one thrumming with hope and happiness at having discovered words etched on his skin, was her best friend. She'd never been as close to someone as she was to him. No one had ever become like a part of her family like he had. He was the first true friend she had ever had.

He was her soulmate, be she clearly wasn't his.

So she would be his best friend. Dutifully. Always.

She started walking again towards the lake, towing him beside her, "I don't see why not."

He didn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

x-x-x

As the year progressed, Lily and Hermione became friends somewhat. After all, they shared a dormitory so it was impossible not to grow closer. By extension, Hermione also became friends with Lily's friends- James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They fancied calling themselves 'The Marauders', which Hermione found ridiculous, exclusive, and distasteful, but since they only pulled harmless pranks on people, she didn't really see the point in bringing it up.

She and Severus remained friends, just as she promised they would, but things were different. Ever since she had become closer with Lily, Severus pestered her about the girl endlessly. He wanted to know anything and everything about her.

"Have you seen her words?" He asked one day as they were ducking to avoid the ghastly charmed cupids that floated around the hallways. "Do you know what they say?"

For the millionth time, Hermione huffed in annoyance as she pulled her books into her chest, "No, Severus. I haven't seen them. She keeps them hidden. Everyone does, you know that."

"Maybe you could ask her—"

She rounded on him, "Severus Snape, if you don't stop pestering me about my friend I'm going to tell mum and dad not to give you any dessert all summer. Is that what you want?"

He had a sweet tooth and she often used it against him, much to his obvious displeasure. Severus crossed his arms and grumbled something intelligible as he trudged off towards the staircase that would take him to his Divination class.

Hermione sighed, leaning back against the cool stone wall for a moment.

It was going to be a long summer if he kept this up.