CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SOULMATES
[23]

song: Cough Syrup by Young the Giant

hey Luna, I think you dropped this 👑

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George found Lin studying by the lake by herself. "Hey, Kai."

Lin panicked when she heard the voice. But when she looked up, it was George instead of Fred. "Hi, George. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Fred." George sat down next to her.

"Okay...." Lin said awkwardly and bookmarked her page.

"I know two nights ago, that Fred was making a movie night for you and him. What happened that night?" George asked, concern showing. "He won't tell me, and he hasn't been his usual mischievous self lately."

"He told me he loved me." Lin sighed. George's mouth formed an 'o'. "And I said I couldn't say it back."

For George the solution was very simple, "Just tell him you're not ready!"

"It's not that simple... He wants someone who will say they love him back. I can't do that." She looked off into the distance of the Black Lake.

"So you have, what's the word.... Philophobia? The fear of falling in love." George said.

"I— I guess so." Lin had never really thought about it until now. She had a fear of falling in love.

"Then that's your problem. Overcome your fear. Fall in love with Fred." Lin didn't look so sure, and George saw her doubt. "You're a Gryffindor. Be brave."

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Lin finally built up the courage to confront Fred after about an hour of pros and cons.

He was alone in the common room, writing down and planning ideas for new products. George and Lee weren't there, no doubt having a romantic date somewhere.

"Fred?" Lin began timidly. "Could we talk for a minute?" Fred looked up and had an expressionless face, his usual mischievous glint wasn't there today.

Fred replied unsurely, "Yeah, I guess." He scooted over on the sofa for her to take a seat.

"I think we should talk about... that night." Lin said quietly. She took a deep breath before continuing, "I don't want us to be apart. But I can't say it. I have Philophobia, the fear of falling in love. I want us to be an us, but I'm just not ready to say it."

Fred thought for a second. His feeling and love for her couldn't just vanish like magic, they were there. He would make the rational decision and wait for her to be ready.

"It's okay. I understand. You're just not ready to say it back." Fred took her hands and leaned in closer. "I'll wait for an eternity for you."

Lin smiled and connected their lips, closing the gap.

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One morning Harry received a ton of mail. He tore open one of the packages to reveal this month's copy of The Quibbler.

His own face was grinning at himself sheepishly on the front cover.

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:
THE TRUTH ABOUT
HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN

"It came out yesterday," Luna said as she sat next to Lin. "Dad sent a free copy to Harry. The other letters must be from the readers."

"That's what I thought," Lin said eagerly. "Harry, do you mind if we—?"

"Help yourself." Harry smiled, he took some letters to open himself.

Ron, Hermione, and Lin started ripping open the envelopes.

"This bloke thinks you're off your rocker," said Ron, looking down at the letter in his hand.

"This woman recommends you try a good course of shock spells from St. Mungo's." said Hermione, who crumbled up the letter.

"This one looks okay though," Harry said. "Hey! She said she believes me!"

"This one's in two minds," Fred said amused. "Blimey, what a waste of parchment..."

"Here's another one you've convinced." Lin announced. " 'Having read your side of the story, I am forced to the conclusion that the Daily Prophet has treated you unfairly.' This is great!"

"What's going on here?" a fake sweet tone said.

The group looked up from their letters.

Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Lin, her toad eyes scanning the mess of owls and paper on the table.

Everyone at the Gryffindor table glared at her.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr Potter?" she asked.

"What, is that a crime now?" Fred fired back. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr Weasley. Or I shall have to put you in detention." Fred and George had been doing their best to rebel against Umbridge. Like setting off fireworks and putting nifflers in her office every other day. "Well, Mr Potter?"

"People have written to me because I gave an interview." Harry said boldly. "About what happened last June."

"An interview?" Umbridge squeaked in a high pitch. "What do you mean?"

"Here." Harry threw a copy of The Quibbler at her.

She caught it and scanned the cover. "When did you do this?" she asked.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend." Harry casually said.

She looked at him with rage and the magazine was shaking in her hand.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr Potter." Professor Umbridge angrily whispered. "How dare you— how you could—" She calmed herself down by taking a deep breath.

"I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies." She hissed. "The message apparently has not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week of detentions."

Umbridge angrily stomped away, the copy of The Quibbler held to her chest, dragging the eyes of many students following her.

Students now didn't glare or look at Harry weirdly anymore. Some even grinned at him.

"Harry." Seamus said in the common room. "I wanted to apologize. Now even me mam says the Prophet's version of things don't add up. So, what I'm really trying to say is that I believe you."

"Thank you Seamus. That means a lot." Harry smiled.

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Lin was currently sitting at a table at the library, studying for her OWL exams when someone pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. She was still oblivious to the presence.

When Lin never looked up and continued reading, the person cleared their throat. "Ahem."

She finally looked up and found her eyes meeting Fred's. "Yes?"

"Now is that anyway to treat your boyfriend?" Fred tutted.

"Yes." She then looked back at her thick book and continued reading.

Shocked by the lack of attention, Fred put a hand on her knee, knowing she'd freeze and give her full attention to him.

Lin did indeed freeze and turned to look at him.

"Well now that I have your attention.... I've been meaning to say this..." Fred took a deep breath. "I'm l—"

"Oh! That reminds me!" Lin interrupted. Fred sighed. "I want you to join S.P.E.W.."

She fished around in her satchel and took out a muggle composition notebook. She flipped through the pages and settled on a page with a few signatures.

"S.P.E.W. stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. We believe in equal rights for house elves. Usually you'd have to pay 2 sickles to join, but since you're such a good boyfriend... I'll let you in for free. I am the co-president after all." Lin explains quickly.

Fred forgot all about his disappointment from lack of attention. Now he was smiling at her cuteness and an amused glint shown in his eyes.

"Sign here." She pointed to an empty line under Hermione's and her own signature.

He accepted her quill and signed his messy signature.

"And here's your pin." Lin handed Fred a button pin that read S.P.E.W.

He immediately pinned it to his bag. "How's it look?"

"Perfect." Lin smiled. "Now, what were you going to say, again?"

"Oh. Uh.... nothing." Fred said.

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"This is perfect!" Lin exclaimed when she saw the new decree.

"Why are you happy about this?" Ron asked confused.

"Because," Lin said like he was the daftest idiot in the world. "It mean's Umbridge is scared. It means the Ministry is scared! Plus the more you ban something, the more it's going to be wanted."

"I like the way you think." Fred complemented his girlfriend.

"Oh Fred." George said to his brother. "Did you have that thing you needed to do?"

Fred knew exactly what he was talking about. "Right. Yeah. Lin?"

"Hmm?" She said in response.

"Do you mind helping me with my essay? It's awfully tricky to understand."

"Yeah, sure." Lin said.

Fred lead her up to his dorm. He didn't actually need help with an essay, he just wanted to tell her something.

"What subject is it?" Lin asked. If it was potions then it was probably on veritaserum, which is what they were doing now. If it was charms it could be—

"I didn't actually wanted to get your help for an essay." Fred cut off her thoughts. "I wanted to tell you something important."

"Oh. Uh... okay."

He sat down on the edge of his bed and Lin sat down next to him.

"I'm leaving."

"What?" Lin asked confused.

"I'm leaving Hogwarts. Soon. With George." Fred said.

"But why?" Lin tilted her head in confusion.

"Because we don't like Umbitch. And.... we're going to start our own joke shop. There's this great place in Diagon Alley, with a flat upstairs. We're going to rent it with the money Harry gave us." Fred said excitedly.

"Well, that's great!" Lin smiled.

"You're not mad?" Fred said hesitantly.

"Why would I be mad that you're following your dreams?"

"Merlin, I love you."

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Today's DA lesson was producing the Patronus charm. The charm that would produce a patronus and help you fight off dementors.

"Make it a powerful memory, the happiest you can remember." Harry said as he walked around the room. "Allow it to fill you up. Keep trying, Seamus."

Ginny produced a doe patronus. "Fantastic, Ginny!" Harry complemented. (turning this into my own thing 🤭)

"Just remember, your Patronus can only protect you for as long as you stay focused. So focus."

Luna was in her usual dreamy state. "Expecto Patronum." A hare appeared and started happily hopping around the room above everyone's heads.

"Think of the happiest thing you can." Harry told Neville.

"Expecto Patronum." A small blue and white wisp came out, but not a full patronus. "I'm trying." Neville said desperately.

"I know. It's good." Harry said to him.

"This is really advanced stuff, guys. You're doing so well." Harry told everyone.

Hermione produced an otter. It swam around her and she smiled.

Ron made a dog, a Jack Russell Terrier. It ran up to Neville and tripped him.

"Expecto Patronum." Fred and George said at the same time. Two black stallions appeared from their wands.

"A full-bodied Patronus is the most difficult to produce... but shield forms can also be equally useful against a variety of opponents." Harry explained.

Lin thought hard about the night in the astronomy tower, when she and Fred first kissed. "Expecto Patronum."

A black mare appeared from Lin's wand and started to prance around her then it ran to some other direction. Fred's black stallion met it and they galloped around the room together, playfully nudging each other every now and then.

"Lin!" Hermione said. "Don't you know what that means?" She motioned her head to where Lin and Fred's patronuses were.

"Huh?" Lin said confused, she was still trying to focus on keeping the mare.

"You and Fred are soulmates!" Hermione whispered.

This broke her focus and her black mare dissolved. "What?"

The chandelier started to shake and everyone went quiet. All the wispy patronuses vanished, taking away some of the happiness with them.

The flights flicked on and off and a loud thud could be heard from the other side of the wall.

All of a sudden, Dobby appeared in the Room of Requirement. "Harry Potter, sir!"

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said. "What are you do— What's wrong?"

Dobby's eyes were wide with terror.

"Harry Potter, sir! Dobby has come to warn you.... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."

He ran head-first into a wall.

Lin ran up to him. "Dobby, are you alright?"

"Miss Wong... she... she—" Dobby started to hit himself on the nose with his fist. Lin seized his hand.

"Who is she, Dobby?" Harry asked.

The elf looked up at him and mouthed a word.

"Umbridge?" Harry asked, mortified.

Dobby nodded then started to bang his head on Lin's knee.

"She's found out about us? About the DA?" Lin said.

Lin received her answer when one of the walls burst.

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A/N: I've had ACT Aspire this week so ✌️

this is my last premade chapter so it's probably gonna be a while until I update again 🤧🤧