A/N: This is the last chapter of Soulmates. Finally. Happy Birthday to my HackerMuffin! I disclaim.

Soulmate

Chapter 3

Who doesn't look for someone to hold, who knows how to love you without being told? Somebody tell me why I'm on my own if there's a soulmate for everyone. (Natasha Bedingfield: "Soulmate")

My name's Pansy Parkinson.

I'm a Slytherin.

I'm in love with Neville Longbottom.

He's a Gryffindor.

I know. I got a big problem there. My house, my parents and the whole damn rest of the wizarding world expect me to be evil. I should already bear the Dark Mark by now, obedient to Voldemort's orders. I should be a servant who doesn't question her master's motives, who just kills without thinking. You get the picture.

But I want to make my own choices. I want to be free. I will never obey to anyone. I will be friends with whoever I want to, no matter if they are pureblood or not. I will love whoever I want to, and not be married off to some old bloke only because of my father's wishes.

That's why I got disowned. I'm glad I still have my friends, though. Blaise and Draco aren't really what most people think of them. They're supposed to be the evil Slytherin Princes, and you can also add man-whores, if you want. But Blaise has been involved with Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw for a while now, and Draco finally had the guts to ask Ginny Weasley of Gryffindor out. Neither of them ever plans to join the Dark Lord's ranks. Yes, Draco still thinks Dumbledore is an old fool. But we don't loathe Potter and his sidekicks anymore. Yes, they can be bloody annoying. But we don't loathe the entire Gryffindor house anymore.

Originally my parents wanted me to marry Draco. The perfect match. At first I listened to everything my parents said. I went out with him, I tried to seduce him. It took me quite a while to realize they were wrong. Draco and I were just wrong. We wouldn't have worked out at all. Honestly, it would have been a match made in hell. We're friends now, and I got closer to him than I could ever have imagined, but it's simply better that way. We joke, we laugh, we talk serious matters, we do homework together, we enjoy each other's company. And Blaise's. Slytherin's Silver Trio. Draco and I could never have worked. I don't even know why I obeyed my parents back then.

When I first saw how Draco looked at Ginny, I felt jealousy ringing through my entire body, I admit it. But she looked back, and then I saw even more. Their bond was sacred, although they didn't know it at that state. All they knew was they felt incredibly attracted to one another. One thing lead to another, and as these things sometimes go, for only some of us unlucky mortals whose lifespan is so terribly short compared to any other magical creature, they fell in love. And from then on, everybody could see they belonged to each other, because their bond was something special, something deep, and inexplicable. This love is what we all secretly desire, most never accomplish, but only a rare few who deserve it. After I had seen them, their looks, their smiles, their kisses and caresses, I knew love is real, despite what they may say.

Yes, I'm proud of being a Slytherin. A true Snake to the core. They call me their Countess. Draco is our Prince, and Blaise a Count, like me. That makes Ginny our Princess, at least informally. And Luna, with her half-elfin ancestry, already bears quite a few titles among her own People, no need to add any more. Slytherin House is ancient and traditional. Or rather, it has been. For its Silver Trio chose to leave their predestined path to search for something far beyond the "truth" our parents had been feeding us. And I'm almost certain we found it. It is worth fighting for what you believe in, and it is worth fighting to make this world a better place.

I didn't intend to disobey my parents at first. I was so afraid of them. The Cruciatus curse wasn't a stranger to me even when I was incredibly young, a child barely that could barely speak. Old-fashioned torture is also quite popular among the Death Eater parents. Nearly every child in Slytherin House had to endure the same. I say child, although it's not true. We grew up so fast that now we're, at least in one sense, older than most ordinary wizards. There's only one thing none of our parents would ever dare to touch: Every single Slytherin girl is pure. But that's the only way in which we're all still innocent. Like I said, Slytherin House is very traditional, and I'm grateful for that. Silver Snakes care a great deal about appearance. It's all but appearance, though. None of us is really anything that would be considered pure or innocent by most people, or even sane, for that matter.

I think that in these war times, nobody is able to stay a child for long. Sooner or later, we, the "children", grow up, and then there's no returning. For some it's a conscious choice, many just follow their leaders, and some even do it unwillingly, without realizing until it's too late. A war makes a whole generation lose their youth. And what for? For nothing but destruction and death.

I look at Blaise. And I see how happy he is with his strange girl. Luna. Half an elf, part faery; a true seer. Their smiles aren't what Draco's and Ginny's are. But every love is different, and every couple shares a different bond. They look good together. The blonde-haired, ethereal faery-girl and the olive-skinned, black-haired boy. Some might think of this couple as odd. But, after seeing them together, you understand they're exactly what each other needs and desires.

Back when I fancied myself in love with my best friend, I longed for someone who would understand me, because subconsciously, I must have known it wasn't Draco I was yearning for. It was a Gryffindor. A clumsy and timid boy, but handsome. He loved Herbology, like me. We spent many hours together in the greenhouses, working silently side by side. We watched the plants grow and flower. We both felt pride, looking at these small red flowers on the ugly Tentacula. Once, an herb, trying to poison me, climbed up my back, but he hit it with a shovel. I fell into a heap of dirt, but the next time, I hit the plant that slowly approached him from the side.

I would have fallen for him no matter what. And so I did fall, hard and fast. I, Pansy Parkinson, Countess of Slytherin, fell in love with Neville Longbottom of Gryffindor. When I opened my eyes after the impact, all I saw was him. But reality came back so soon. We live in war times. I'm considered a traitor by my own parents- and more importantly, by their so-called friends. Yes, I am in mortal danger. I simply can't wait any longer.

So I kiss him.

And, surprisingly, he kisses me back.

A/N: Please review!!! You know you can make my day if you do!