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The Soulmate

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Seven Years in Hogwarts

 

The Soulmate (Part 2)

 

Year 2: Sorting Ceremony

 

The sorting ceremony was halfway through. Bruce and Mera, to kill time, have been betting in which House the new students would be sent. So far, he had a better guessing record with ten against seven. The next candidate was called forward.

“Diana Prince.”

A pretty brown-haired girl walked to the sorting hat with a spring in her step. This one was eager to start, Bruce thought as he watched her settle comfortably on the three legged stool. Before the hat could cover her eyes, he could see them glancing around the room, briefly crossing his gaze and-

His elbow began to itch.

He dismissed the sensation and turned back to face Mera.

“So, which House?”

The redhead hummed. They had to think fast, in case the Sorting Hat made its decision even faster.

“Ravenclaw,” she announced. “She gives me the same vibes as Lois. Eager to learn. You?”

“Gryffindor,” he replied without a hint of hesitation. “I’d say she’s the impulsive kin-”

GRYFFINDOR! The Hat shouted. Bruce shot her his smuggest grin. The hat was removed but the girl’s eyes went straight to the Slytherin table. She was frowning when their gaze met again, and the itching returned, more irritating. He gave her his best winning smile. She rolled her eyes and left the stage. The next student was called and he turned towards Mera to resume their game. His friend though, was staring at him oddly.

“What?” he asked.

“What was that?” she demanded.

“What was what?”

“That. That look, between you two. Something happened, didn’t it?”

The itch hadn’t subsided. He scratched his elbow absentmindedly.

“Nothing happened, Mera. We looked at each other, that’s all.” He grinned: “She’s cute. Maybe she found me irresistible.”

The redhead snorted and turned her attention back to the next student.

“Yeah, right. I’d say Hufflepuff for this one. You?”

The conversation ended there and was soon forgotten. It wasn’t until Bruce went t o take a shower that he remembered the incident and realized which part of his body had been itching all night.

 

Year 5: Gryffindor Common Room

 

Diana knew she had been distracted lately. Three days after the startling revelation, she could hardly think of anything else. She had suspected her birthmark to be magical. The itch had only occurred since she arrived at Hogwarts, and the magical history of her family was dense enough that she could have found a dozen ways to explain it. She had not expected it to be a soulmark, even less being tied to someone like Bruce Wayne.

Her friends were beginning to worry about her silence, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell them what bothered her. Sameer and Charlie were Half-Bloods, Etta a Muggleborn. Their vision of a soulmark would be distorted by what muggles –and truth be told, some wizards- believed it to be. Nothing was romantic about a soulmark. It only meant that she and Wayne were bound by magic. The closer they were, the more powerful the bind. Should they get intimate, she would end up sharing her thoughts, her feelings, even her magic. And that was not something she was keen on, not after meeting his cold gaze, the morning after the ball, when he realized she had been eavesdropping. Wayne clearly wanted nothing to do with her.

Napi startled her out of her thoughts as he pulled the chair next to her. She had sought refuge in the library, mentioning some essay she hadn’t finished yet, mostly to find some peace of mind. His presence, alone, meant she had not fooled them.

“You pulled the short straw?” she asked wryly. Napi did not blink nor look remotely guilty.

“We are worried,” he replied instead. “You’ve been acting oddly since the ball. Are you alright?”

She sighed, leaned back on her seat. Her homework laid opened on the table, but she knew she would not be able to focus anymore. And she needed to talk to someone. Out of all her friends, Napi was indeed the best choice. Etta was the bubbly friend with a lot of advice but none truly helpful. Sameer and Charlie would feel uncomfortable at her opening up to them. Napi was far more mature than the rest of them, and a good listener. He was the one she went to when she felt upset about important things. Perhaps he could advise her properly.

“Not here,” she announced, and rolled her parchment.

Her friend got the hint, stood up, and followed her out of the library. They headed outside in spite of the cold. The ground was covered with so much snow that they had to use warming spells to advance further. Diana didn’t intend to hold him back for long. Once they had sufficiently walked away, she finally stopped, Napi stared at her expectantly.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” she bluntly asked.

Napi’s eyebrows raised a few notches. She noted his eyes glanced at her elbow before he spoke again:

“I take it Wayne finally told you?”

She stared at him in bewilderment, her jaw slowly dropping in disbelief.

“You knew?”

Her friend remained frustratingly impassive.

“I know a soulmark when I see one,” he admitted. “I wasn’t certain about Wayne. Not until the ball. When you told me you felt his pain when you touched him, I figured it had to be him.”

She remained silent, too stunned to speak. Eventually, she regained her voice and asked:

“Who else-?”

“On our side? No one. I can only assume Wayne told his closest friends.”

Diana groaned, feeling the beginning of a headache.

“He didn’t tell me, per se,” she confessed. “I went to the infirmary to see if he was better, and I just…overheard them. Xebel and Curry know, and so does Lane.”

“Kent will know too then,” Napi concluded. He appeared pensive though, not as distraught as she had imagined. His relaxed demeanor annoyed her. They didn’t know Wayne, and yet he showed more approval to that Slytherin than he had with Steve.

“Is that why you never supported Steve and me?” she suddenly inquired. “Because you thought I would prefer my –my so-called soulmate to him?”

“Steve would have not made you happy,” he said quietly. “He would never have settled in the wizarding world, and you know it. Your parentage alone will not allow you to leave the magical world, even if you want to.”

“Yeah,” she snorted bitterly. “Because Bruce Wayne is such a better option.”

“At least he is more likely to understand your situation,” Napi pointed out. “Talk to him, Diana. Who knows, perhaps you might discover he is very different from what you think. ”

 

SYIH

 

“Do you have a moment?”

The sound of Diana Prince’s voice startled Bruce. He spotted the fourth year Gryffindor, her hand tightly gripping the handle of her bag. He was accompanied by Mera and Arthur, heading to the library for an hour study before the next class. The corridor was empty, and he wondered if she had planned this ambush or had just acted in a spur of the moment. They ought to have a serious conversation, but Bruce wasn’t keen on talking to her right now – he still felt a little weak after that potion. Unfortunately, his friends completely ignored his body language.

“See you later man,” Arthur immediately sang before heading forward. Mera gave him a pitying stare before following.

Traitors, he thought, but knew they were right to leave. He also knew they would corner him along with Lois later to demand details, and was not looking forward to that.

Prince looked startled at their easy departure, and a bit at loss. Bruce figured she had expected a fight to occur before earning the privilege of a conversation. His elbow itched in earnest. Resigned to the inevitable, he offered:

“Classroom’s empty over there. We won’t be overheard.”

She hesitated before agreeing, and followed him. It was an old classroom, filled with unused chairs and old desks, dust and spider webs. Not many students, or house elves, wandered there, which suited his purpose just fine. Once the door was closed, he cast a Silencio followed by a Colloportus. It would never replace the impenetrable barrier set by the Room of Requirement, but it would muffle sounds and prevent unwanted visitors to force their way in.

Prince didn’t say a word, watched him do instead. Her eyes trailed over his body before lingering on the wand holder – and his elbow. She redirected her gaze to his eyes.

“How long have you known?” she asked bluntly.

Bruce had to give it to her straight; she came at him for answers and didn’t try to avoid him like he did. He remembered thinking that of course, his soulmate had to be a Gryffindor; the very antithesis of his own nature. Outrageously bold was not his style. Then again, she might be sneakier than most of her classmates. At least, that was how Arthur described her occasionally. She had managed to lay low after the Steve Trevor debacle, in spite of them being very close and his case being very public.

“Sorting Ceremony,” he replied. “It itched when our eyes met, kept itching after.”

She pinched her lips together and rolled her sleeve up. Bruce flinched. The matching birthmark was there. He reluctantly rolled his sleeve up to show his own. Prince glared at the mark as if it had personally offended her.

“And were you ever going to tell me?” she asked, letting the sleeve fall back.

Her voice trembled slightly, demanding an honest answer.

“I intend to break the bound,” he replied bluntly. “You would have never known.”

The weight of her judgmental eyes rested upon him, and he anticipated her next words.

“Dabbling with soul magic is not recommended,” she replied dryly.

“Thus the reason why I never told you, and have spent the past three years deep into research. By the end of sixth year, I would have been onto something.” He added before she could speak: “I may act recklessly, but I don’t jump into magical circles without having studied them and anticipated the outcome.”

“And who are you to judge what is best for everyone?” she crossed her arms, challenging him.

“Do you truly want to have a soulbound with me?”

Prince hesitated. She blinked slowly as she met his eye again. He felt she was weaving her way into his soul.

“I don’t know you,” she pointed out. “You didn’t give me a chance to figure you out.”

“People talk a lot about me,” he replied with a smirk. “That should be enough.”

“People talk about me too, and I don’t agree with most of what they say.” She dropped her arms and took a step closer. Bruce suddenly noted that she was taller than he thought; she could meet his eye square, without having to lift her head. She also had beautiful doe eyes. Strange, that he had never noticed before. Then again, he had spent most of his school years avoiding her. “You have friends –or acquaintances –in every House and most of those people are respected, if not well-liked.” He wondered if she was referring to Lois and Kent. They were well-liked. Mera was highly respected because of her fairness as a Prefect. Arthur, not so much, but he was a hothead and hadn’t outgrown his brawling tendencies, so no surprises there. “I’ll assume you are not a complete idiot.”

“So many compliments,” he replied with a hint of laugher. “I am flattered.”

“And don’t go haughty on me,” she shot back, raising one eyebrow. “It’s not an attractive trait.”

Bruce bit back another chuckle.

“So am I attractive?”

This time, Prince rolled her eyes.

“Please, you are handsome. You wouldn’t be popular at Hogwarts otherwise.” He opened his mouth to protest a little – there were other reasons why he had some popularity amongst students – when she added: “Why are you acting like an idiot? Some deep secret you don’t want to be found?”

“I’m not-“ hiding anything, Bruce wanted to say. He tried to say it, but the words wouldn’t come out. His elbow started heating up and he reflexively covered his mark.

To his horror, Prince mimicked his gesture, her expression shifting into surprise. Damnit, he thought. She had felt it. She had felt his lie, or their bound had warned her of his lie. That was why he didn’t want to be around her. He could not hide from her, could not deceive her.

“What are you hiding?” she asked then. She looked unsure, as if she couldn’t decide whether his ‘secret’ was worse than having a soulmate or just a plain Slytherin thing.

He decided to strike back before she could find out too much.

“I know,” he simply said.

“What?”

“I know, Diana. I know about Zeus.” The Gryffindor stared at him, suddenly stiff and wide eyed. He went on calmly: “I know you are his daughter. I know your mother sent you to Hogwarts to hide you from your aunts and uncles. I know what they’ll do, if they realize you exist.”

Zeus had been one of the most powerful Archimage ever known to wizarding history, perhaps on pair with Merlin himself. His ability to control elements had been unparalleled, and many bent to his caprices without second thought, out of fear of his infamous tempers. Zeus had been capricious, arrogant, and a demanding man gifted with too much power. He had cared little for politics, for blood purity or exposure, had instead used intimidation to satisfy his personal needs. His enemies were crushed, women were his hobby and while he accumulated debts, none could truly force his hand, for he would kill on a whim and there was nothing the Aurors could do to stop him.

In the end, his own family had turned on him and assassinated him at a great cost. His children had their magic sealed and if they attempted to fight back, were mercilessly hunted down. Higher authorities feared that one would walk in their father’s stead and had turned them into targets. The Olympus coven, that included the remaining living family of Zeus, had been created to keep a close eye on his lineage.

His visions had led him to understand Diana Prince was the daughter of such a man. By exposing his knowledge, he had just plainly stated that he could ruin her life anytime.

“Who are you?” she asked, pale and slightly shaking.

Bruce could feel her fear through their mark, and grimaced. Fear was not what he was after. Fear was a motivator of many mistakes, and he just wanted her to stay away, not run away from him.

“I know your secret, but I won’t say a thing. I don’t want that soulbound any more than you do. Can’t we just leave it at that and move on with our respective lives?” he snapped. Had he gone too far? Diana Prince’s mother was a force of nature of her own, he did not need her to meddle with his affairs, should the girl report him to her.

For a moment, she said nothing. Her eyes kept seeking his, attentive and inquisitive, gauging if he could be trusted. Eventually, she asked:

“Did you tell any of your friends about my father?”

He shook his head.

“They know we are soulmates, nothing else.” He smirked at her, but there was no humor to it. “Better that than the rest, don’t you think?”

Prince shook her head. Her fists were still tight and trembling. When she refused to meet his eye, he knew he had done something very wrong. She wasn’t angry or confused. Now, she was afraid of him.

“You are right, I want nothing to do with you,” she said quietly. “Tell me when you find a way to break this bound. I’ll be looking on my end.”

And upon these words, she cancelled the spells on the door and walked out of the room, faster than he expected.

 

SYIH

 

For two weeks, Bruce felt in thunderous mood. He couldn’t focus on his homework, didn’t want to hang out with his friends. He snapped and growled and glared until even professors gave him a wide girth when he passed by them. He got into a fight with Mera, earned himself a black eye from Arthur, and got the cold shoulder from Lois. And in the end, he felt he couldn’t care less.

His conversation with Prince still weighted on his mind. He wasn’t happy with the outcome, loathed himself for using her greatest fear against her. His social skills had never been the best, but this could only be qualified as a massive screw up. And now, he was venting his frustration on the people closest to him. His parents wouldn’t be proud of him, but he didn’t know how to get out of his tumultuous state of mind.

It was, surprisingly, Kent who approached him first. The Hufflepuff prefect found him in one of his hideouts, most likely told by Lois, and cornered him.

“You. Follow me. Now,” he ordered. “We are taking a stroll.”

“Why, you’re hitting on me now?”

The Hufflepuff ignored him and crossed his arms. Apparently, he got over the drunken kiss. Shame, Bruce would have enjoyed milking the embarrassment from that memory a bit more.

“You can either follow me, or I can force you to follow me. The choice is yours.”

All that Bruce wanted was to tell him to piss off. He was angry and lost at the same time and he had pushed people enough. He didn’t need to make any more enemies.

“Leave me alone,” he grunted.

“You made Lois cry,” Kent snapped. “So either we are having a heart-to-heart, either I am punching sense back into that thick skull of yours. And I’ll get Arthur to help me.”

Bruce winced at hearing the bit about Lois. Of all his friends, she had been the only one to match his temper when he got in a mood, and force him to face his mistakes. Had she not been there for him, he knew they would have never been able to prove Professor Karddeis’s –better known now as Darkseid -meddling with Dark Arts. Upon their first meeting, she had called herself an army brat. To have her actually shed tears-

“Fine. Lead the way.”

Kent’s location was the Room of Requirement. When he managed to conjure it, Bruce had to admit he was impressed. The Hufflepuff had only seen him open the door once. Perhaps he had asked the others for pointers, but he was definitively smart to pick that place. It was, after all, a bit chilly outside. This time, the Room had arranged into a cozy living-room, with worn couches, light walls, and a big table made of wood. Kent would feel comfortable in this environment, Bruce thought as he inspected the furniture. It looked like the inside of a countryside house. If his memory served him well, Kent’s parents use to be farmers.

“Sit now,” the Hufflepuff ordered, pointing at a couch. “And talk.”

Bruce complied and replied sarcastically:

“What about, Dr. Phil?”

Kent sat opposed him, leant his elbows on his knees, his fingers intertwined.

“You’re angry. Why?”

“Well, I am forced to sit and talk about my feelings against my will, for starters-“

“Stop fucking around Bruce!”

The Slytherin paused and truly looked at Kent. His eyes were burning, his fists so tight his knuckles were white. For all the years Bruce had known him, he had never seen him so angry. Not even after Bruce had revealed he was a legilimens at Queen’s boy’s night. He had earned the silent treatment for a few months, but never blunt ire.

“You are not a stupid guy,” he went on. “You’re a Slytherin, but the kind of Slytherin that people respect. And it’s killing me to see you kicking everyone to the curve because you’ve got some unsolved issues.” He admitted, more in control of himself: “I respect you, even if I don’t like you. So we are dealing with this now before you lose people who actually care about you.”

The words, as well as Kent’s genuine concern, stunned him into silence. He and the Hufflepuff weren’t friends, in spite of his repetitive attempts. And yet, here he sat, facing him with nothing but his own sincerity. For a moment, Bruce envied him. Kent had an ability that allowed him to read into people’s mind, while he dreamed of past and future events. He was, in a way, freer than him. He didn’t have to bear the Wayne curse, the kind that guilt him into action, should he dream of some nefarious scheme.

Perhaps he really needed to talk to someone outside his usual circle. Perhaps Kent could help him find some perspective, or give him the scolding he deserved. He was tired of snapping at everyone. And even he couldn’t keep going on alone.

“Prince wants to cut the soulbound,” he blurted bluntly.

“What’s the problem with that?” Kent inquired, slightly puzzled. “Isn’t that what you are after too?”

Yes, that was his original goal. And yet-

“She was protesting at first, so I scared her,” he admitted. “I used a secret against her. I didn’t think she’d freak out that badly.”

“Sounds like you didn’t think at all,” Kent deduced sarcastically. “Must have been some kind of secret.”

Bruce snorted and stared at the floor.

“You have no idea.”

Finally, the Hufflepuff caught the seriousness of his tone and narrowed his eyes.

“I suppose you can’t tell me about it?”

The Slytherin shook his head. Learning secrets was one thing, but spilling them was another. And he would never let this one run free.

“It’s the kind of thing that would put her in danger –mortal danger. People wouldn’t kill her, but close enough, if they knew.”

“And so you used that secret to convince her that being your soulmate is a bad idea?”

Bruce sighed, leaned back against the couch. He had to admit they were comfy, perfect to relax, but he couldn’t. His guilt was eating at him –he never wanted to see that frightful expression on anyone’s face again, not when they were looking at him.

“I don’t know anymore.”

“I take it you are regretting considering breaking the bound without consulting her first?”

He sharply stared at the Hufflepuff –and remained silent. He truly was uncertain. Prince had genuinely sounded upset that he hadn’t come to her.

“You should apologize,” Kent said eventually. “From what you said, you didn’t actually talk to her at all for years. You don’t know her. And she doesn’t know you.” He paused a moment before adding: “After Queen’s night, I did some research about soulmates. It is clearly said that a soulmate isn’t necessarily romantic. You can be friends. Close friends.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow and replied sarcastically:

“Gee thanks, I never thought of that.”

Kent breathed in deeply and went on:

“Back in third year, you went against a Dark Wizard. Professor Karddeis had been teaching DADA  for years. He had the other professors’ trust, and was secretly protected by Minister Luthor. Lois, Mera, Arthur –they all believed you when you told them what he was planning. You managed to convince Victor Stone to give up following him and serve as an inside man.” He paused again. “You helped me get away from Luthor too.”

“Killing two birds in one stone,” he pointed out. “If I discredited Luthor, then Darkseid didn’t have the political support to back him anymore.”

“And your friends’ lives are in danger because you made yourself a powerful enemy. Why is Diana Prince any different? She’s your soulmate, sure, but that doesn’t put her in more danger than the others. They would all gladly lay their lives for you, as they had proven before, because they know you would do the exact same thing for them.” He paused again. “You inspire loyalty, Wayne. Give yourself a chance with her. At best, she can become another trustworthy ally. At worse, she won’t ever talk to you again.”

“I guess I can’t screw up more than I already did,” Bruce admitted. Prince had the same kind of discourse, when she had confronted him. He hadn’t given her a chance, hadn’t given himself a chance. Perhaps he should let down that damn pride of his and consider opening up to her, even a little. After all, they were soulmates. Magic couldn’t have marked them without a reason. “Thanks Clark.”

The Hufflepuff startled at the use of his first name. Still, he knew a Slytherin kind of apology when he heard one.

“You’re welcome, Bruce. Now, apologize to everyone, talk to Prince, and don’t mess up again.”