Disclaimer: I own very little.
A/N: This one-shot is dedicated to scap3goat for the 100th review in For Our Parents Willed So. For a more careful explanation about the soulmate thing, see To Hope for Happiness.
Soulmates
"Okay," said Snape, watching the classroom-full of Slytherins and Gryffindors in front of him. Sure, not even half of them had Potions on their seventh year, but this wasn't a usual lesson. "Today, we'll be making the Soulmate Potions." ...No, not a usual lesson at all.
"I must say that this is one of the potions I dislike the most," Snape snorted. "It only brings confusion all around, especially when you're also allowed to approach teachers in order to prevent the consequences."
"Em... What consequences?" Malfoy asked warily. Harry blinked. This had to be the first time when the Slytherin didn't seem to know everything about some potion.
"Only that, Mr. Malfoy, that if you don't go and kiss the person who's your soulmate in a quarter of an hour after first seeing him, her or them, the potion will create an inevitable bond bringing you two or three together, and you'll stay like you were glued together for a week, no matter what you do."
Everyone shivered. "Could it be anyone?" Blaise Zabini asked. "From a different house, for example?"
"Anyone," Snape confessed, bringing terrified looks on both Slytherins' and Gryffindors' faces. "It can also be two people you share your soul with, although that's much rarer. And, in very, very rare situations, there's no one for you. You're simply complete all by yourself. This is often obvious even before, as you don't have any interest in the opposite gender, or that of yours. Should this happen, you won't feel anything."
At this point, everyone was glancing Hermione, who kept sure to look right to the professor and not around at her classmates.
"And what about if he or she hits me?" Neville asked, nervous as usual.
Snape rolled his eyes, seemingly frustrated. "They won't," he promised, "no matter how hard this is to me to admit on your part, they won't. Because you're soulmates, you already have an ability to love each other - it only needs some action to be brought about." He glared at the class, daring them to ask something more.
No one did. They only went on their work, hastily mixing the ingredients in bowls. The potion was pretty easy to make, but no one wanted to mix it up. Something like this could have horrible side-effects if it wasn't done right. They all remembered far too well the last year - one seventh year Ravenclaw had mixed up his potion and he began glowing continuously. He found his soulmate, yes, but he had to use a week to explain every seventh year that no, he most likely wasn't their soulmate and wouldn't appropriate their kisses.
No matter how simple it was, Neville still managed to blow up his cauldron. Snape rolled his eyes and said, "Honestly, Longbottom, if I didn't have suspicions about your soul-mate, I'd make you to brew new ones as long as it took from you to make a successful one."
Harry raised his eyebrows on that remark. What, Snape was matching up students? That was something he wouldn't have guessed from the bitter Potions Master.
At last someone got their potion ready. It was, of course, Draco Malfoy. Snape looked attentively at him as he poured a goblet of the blue potion and drank it. Then he looked around the classroom and his fellow students, who were all staring at him, waiting for him to do something.
He did. He went very, very pale, staring at one person. The person was pale as well, and looked shocked as Malfoy slowly took a step forward.
At last Malfoy reached his side, looking just as shocked as the other boy did. When he hesitated, Snape's dry voice said, "Remember the consequences, Mr. Malfoy," and so he leaned forward and kissed the shorter boy.
Everyone stared when Draco Malfoy kissed Neville Longbottom, who didn't back away. Instead of that, he seemed to reply the kiss, not looking shocked anymore. They both had relaxed on the moment Draco's lips had touched Neville's.
"And that is all," Snape interrupted them. "You can continue your snogging session after the lesson, boys. You just need a little kiss to prevent all later effects." He glanced over the class. "And let that be a proof to all of you that your soulmate can be really anyone."
They could do nothing but completely agree.
"Come on, love," Malfoy grinned, grasping Neville's hand. "Let's go clean up your mess."
Surprisingly, Neville didn't get frightened, nor did he seem to be nervous. He only nodded and smiled back at his soulmate before letting Malfoy to lead himself to his desk, where they began cleaning up the remainders of Neville's unsuccessful potion. Well, they truly did complete each other -- Malfoy was everything that Neville wasn't, like sharp-witted, nasty, and easy to anger, while Neville was all that Malfoy wasn't, like absent-minded, friendly, and patient. Not to mention that Malfoy was a lithe blond, while Neville, even though not really plump anymore, could not ever be called slim, and sported a mess of dark brown hair that often fell to his eyes.
As soon as some others began to get themselves ready, they noticed a few things. One was that most of them didn't have their soulmates in the classroom, and they felt really frustrated. Another was that Hermione wasn't complete, nor was she heterosexual, considering how warmly she was holding Parvati's hand while neatly putting away whatever little mess had been left after her.
The third and definitely most disgusting thing they all noticed was that Crabbe and Goyle looked totally creepy when they were snogging together.
Seamus and Dean didn't look surprised at all when they saw the glow around each other. They only kissed like they did every now and then and started then put away all the stuff on their desks.
Not surprisingly, Harry was one of the last ones to complete his potion. A bit nervously, he poured a goblet of it and, not wanting anybody to make a big show about it, gulped it down before anybody noticed. Then he started to look around the classroom -- until his gaze fell on Snape.
Harry stared at his teacher in shock. There was a seeming glow around the bitter man. A nice, blue glow. Warm. Nearly... inviting.
"What now, Potter?" Snape snapped. "Daydreaming again? Just finish your potion, for Merlin's sake!"
"I did," he whispered, before stepping forward and raising on his toes, placing a kiss on Snape's lips.
To his great surprise, the man didn't jerk away on the instant their lips met each other. In contrary, he leaned forward, replying the kiss. His lips didn't feel cold, as Harry had often assumed he would feel. They were surprisingly warm, warm and loving.
'Merlin help my soul,' he thought. 'I'm kissing Severus Snape, and liking it.' And somehow, for the first time in his life, he felt complete. It was like he had got back something he didn't know he had lost in the first point.
Like a part of his soul.
At last they both pulled back, looking into each other's eyes. For a moment they were quiet, very well aware of all the stares directed at them in the suddenly completely silent classroom.
"Well," Snape said at last, a little, dry grin playing in the corner of his mouth, "that was... interesting."
"Interesting surely be the word," Harry heard Malfoy murmuring. "At first I have to go and kiss Longbottom, and now Potty goes for a professor!"
"Hush, love," Neville hissed. "You're not very nice at the moment."
"No, I'm not," Malfoy admitted. "You got every nice part of our soul. Be happy of that." Then he, to Harry's great surprise, smiled and placed a little kiss on Neville's temple. "And of that," he grinned then.
"Go and clean up your place, Potter," Snape said with a surprisingly soft tone Harry had never heard before. "We can talk after the lesson."
"Right," he replied, trying to take his eyes off from those obsidian orbs. He turned around and walked to his desk, starting to clean off the ingredients.
Ron just stared at him. He hadn't found his soulmate, and had been very bitter when he had noticed that Hermione was in fact in love with the girl they all had always disapproved most in the whole Gryffindor House. And now he had seen his best friend kissing their most hated teacher. It wasn't a miracle that he was shocked.
After what felt like forever, the lesson ended. Everybody rushed out of the classroom, although some casted wary glances at Harry, who stood by his desk, deliberately staying behind. Ron hesitated on the door like going to stay as well, but a quick gaze from the professor was enough to send him to his way.
So, at last, Harry was alone with his professor and -- as it now seemed -- soulmate. Suddenly he felt very awkward, not knowing what to say. As the other wizard also stayed silent, however, he finally forced himself into saying, "You knew it even before... Didn't you?"
"Did I know what, Harry?" was the answer he got, delivered with a much more friendly tone than he'd ever heard from this man. The tone was almost... warm. Almost caring, even. Or loving. Shocking, certainly.
"That I am your soulmate," the young wizard continued telling what the other knew already. "If one of the soul has drunk that potion, they'll recognize their soulmate as soon as both have turned sixteen."
"That is true," replied Snape -- or Severus? Merlin, this was confusing -- rather calmly. "The potion's effects wear out by time, though. It'd been nineteen years since I drank my own potion as you came to the school in the beginning of your sixth year. I saw the glow around you, but I wasn't forced to claim you yet. And before you ask," he said, interrupting the question already forming in Harry's opened mouth, "I did it to allow you at least some more of your childhood. Voldemort had robbed so much of it already, I simply couldn't force you to accept even this part of maturing beforehand."
Harry nodded slowly. Then he noticed his soulmate's lips curling into a smirk. "What is it?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing," replied Severus nonchalantly. "I was just thinking about how your dear Godfather is going to react to this mess. I'll be lucky to escape alive once he hears I've kissed you."
"He's my father, not godfather," corrected Harry. "Maybe an adopted one, but still a father. And I'm sure my other father will keep him from killing you." Now, he smiled. Yes, Remus would certainly be capable of holding Sirius back -- at least long enough for Harry to get Severus out of the way.
"A father is even worse," said the Potions Master levelly. Then he stepped forward and kissed Harry lightly on the lips. "Get going," he then said softly. "You'll soon be late from your next lesson, and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs have to brew their Soulmate Potions, too."
So, Harry left.
The rest of the day -- the whole of three lessons -- were a bit of a haze to Harry. Many people questioned him about the surprising relationship between him and Severus, but he hardly even heard them. The next thing he was really aware of was standing in front of a very certain door.
He hesitated for a moment in front of the door of his adopted fathers' quarters. At last he knocked on it and, after hearing Remus's voice telling, "Come in, Harry, I know it's you," he opened the door.
"Hello, Harry!" Sirius greeted him when he stepped inside. "How was your day?" His both "fathers" were sitting on a sofa, Remus leaning against the Animagus's shoulder.
"Fine, thanks," Harry mumbled, sitting down in an armchair and accepting a cup of tea from Remus. "I had double Charms and double Potions. Both with Slytherins. Oh, and Transfiguration, too."
"Sounds good," Sirius laughed. "What did Snape make you brew this time?"
"We had the Soulmate Potions as a topic," Harry murmured, feeling more than slightly nervous for what they might say. If he knew Sirius at all, this would not be pretty.
"Really? That's nice." Remus smiled at his adopted son. "Well, did you find yours? Or do you have one?"
"Yes, I have," was all they could get out of Harry with that question. "And yes, I did."
"So, who it is?" Sirius asked, grinning. "He or she? A first year, a teacher or something in-between? Gryffindor or Slytherin?"
"I don't think you really want to know," Harry replied, avoiding their gazes by locking his own eyes on the floor.
"You're our son, Harry," Remus reminded, smiling at him. "By law and by love, you're just that, if not by blood. Of course we want to know who you share a soul with."
"Who you wouldn't let us know?" Sirius started speculating. "It is... it isn't Draco Malfoy, is it?"
"No, it isn't," Harry said, a shocked look on his face. "I'll leave him to Neville alone, thank you very much."
"Err... Wait," Sirius said. "Did you just say that Draco Malfoy, the pride of Slytherin House, shares his soul with Neville Longbottom?"
"I think I stated it quite clearly." Harry snorted. "No. Mine is 'he', still. And he's a Slytherin as well."
"And age?" Remus continued questioning. "Your age, Harry? Or younger? How much younger?"
Harry bit his lip. "He's a teacher," he informed his guardians and, well, parents.
They stared at him, unable to say anything.
"There's only one male Slytherin professor," Remus stated at last. "Harry, is it - is it he?"
"Severus Snape? Quite well," Harry said, shaking his head. "I thought I had hit my head when I saw the glow around him. But obviously I hadn't, since it went over when I kissed him. And he kissed back."
"Paedophile," Sirius growled in quiet rage.
Remus rolled his eyes. "No, he's not," he told his husband calmly. "That's the point of Soulmating day. After this day, they are allowed to get involved with teachers, should they only be their soulmates, that is. If Snape happens to be Harry's soulmate, it doesn't make him a paedophile. And besides, Harry is seventeen now. There's not anything wrong with their relationship."
"You - you're defending that greasy git?" Sirius yelled at his calmer husband. Harry flinched as he heard his soulmate being called by that name, no matter how many times he had used it himself before.
Remus flinched as well, but for a very different reason. He put his hands on his ears, biting his lip. "Please, Sirius," he whispered. "It's nearly the full moon again -- it hurts."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sirius exclaimed, his anger soon replaced with concern when he noticed that his yelling had hurt the werewolf's ears. While Remus's all senses were even usually far better than anyone else's, around full moons they were extra sensitive even compared to their usual condition. Therefore, yelling could really cause him physical pain.
"'s okay, love," Remus said and kissed Sirius softly on the lips. "Just don't yell, that's all I ask."
"So you won't disagree?" asked Harry hopefully. "About me being with Severus, I mean?"
Remus smiled broadly, wrapping his arms around Sirius's shoulders as if the hold the taller man back. "Harry," he said, "you're our son. If you've found your soulmate, you of course should be with him. Don't care about what Sirius says, you know how he is."
"Oh, I do know," Harry said, smirking a bit. "Don't hurt him, Sirius, and don't yell at him. I want him alive and sane." Then he added, "Well, as sane as he can be after a lifetime of fighting with you."
"Now, now, calm down, Harry," Remus said soothingly. "What about if you go to talk with Severus now? If I'm not badly mistaken, his lessons of the day should have ended by now."
The teen grinned broadly. "Thanks for the great idea, Dad!" he exclaimed, then hurried away. The silencing spells Remus expertly casted with a mere flicker of his wand and a few murmured words thankfully saved him from having to hear the explosion that came from his Animagus father. Not that it lasted long, anyway -- one look at Remus's big, teary eyes as the werewolf winced at the loud voice, and Sirius shut up.
Still, like Harry knew as he slowly pushed open the door to Severus's office and was welcomed with a nod and a brief smile, it would not be easy. No, it would never be easy.
Yes, that's it. No more. Deal with it.
...And don't kill me, please.