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Lily woke up with a start, in excruciating pain; her soulmate mark was burning. She thrashed wildly, her screams echoing through the dormitory. Vaguely, she felt herself being held down. After what seemed like hours, her vision finally began to clear; her friends were by her side, trying to keep her still.
"Oh, Merlin." One of them exclaimed—Lily couldn't tell which one. All she felt was an endless void, as if a part of her had vanished.
Slowly, Lily looked at her left arm—the place where her soulmate mark was.
The place where it was always supposed to be.
Except it wasn't there anymore.
The dormitory door was burst open, and James Potter came rushing in.
"Lily! What happened? You—" James was right there, his hands gripping her shoulders; his eyes roamed over her body until they fixed on her arm. Lily followed his gaze, and yes, her arm was still bare. She then looked at James's left arm—the place where the soulmate mark should have been, their mark.
It wasn't there.
"James, what happened?"
───
They were all in Headmaster Dumbledore's office. Lily sat alone in one corner, James stood in the other looking disgusted, and Severus stood before the Headmaster—head held high, back straight, and gaze steady. He was smiling; it was a small smile, but a genuine one.
The Headmaster looked tired; Professor McGonagall looked pitying.
"My boy, soulmate bonds are unbreakable; you didn't—"
"I did the impossible, I know; I'm simply amazing. You really ought to give me a prize for my genius, but instead, we've been in this room for nearly two hours, as if talking about it could change what happened." That was the worst part: Severus simply wasn't sorry; in fact, he was proud of what he had done.
He was gloating.
As if it were a good thing.
She wanted to cry.
The Headmaster sighed once more.
"My boy, tell me exactly how you managed to do this. I want to help; perhaps we can reverse—"
"No."
"My boy, look—this isn't just about you. You must consider the well-being of Miss Evans and Mr. Potter."
"Why? They mean nothing to me."
Another sigh.
"They are your soulmates; you have to—"
"They were."
"My boy, the bonds are—"
"Unbreakable. You’ve said that several times today, Headmaster, and just like every other time, I’ll repeat it: I, Severus Snape, am a genius. I discovered how to free myself from the soulmate curse and broke the bond that existed between myself, Evans, and Potter. Now, I am finally free."
"My boy—"
"I’ll say it again: no, I won’t tell you where, with whom, or how I learned to do this; and no, I don’t regret it; no, I don’t want the bond back; and no, I’m not the least bit interested in what happens to her or him."
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Severus repeated what he had been saying since the meeting began.
She felt dead inside.
Severus, on the other hand, seemed almost happy—too happy for someone who had lost two soulmates at once.
The Headmaster sighed again.
"I understand that you’re afraid. Doing what you did implies you’ve been in contact with a very powerful dark wizard; the only one capable of such a thing would be Tom Riddle—or, as the younger generation knows him, Lord Voldemort." Lily shuddered.
Severus said nothing.
"You won't be punished, my boy, but we need your cooperation to resolve this."
Faced with the silence, Dumbledore continued:
"We can fix this; you, Miss Evans, and Mr. Potter will make a fine couple—a perfect union forged by magic itself."
James let out a very undignified noise that sounded almost like a sob.
Only then did Lily remember he was there, too.
"A perfect union? Don't make me laugh, Headmaster."
"My boy, look here—"
"They rejected me! Evans called me a liar when I said my soulmate mark matched hers; she said I’d used some sort of Dark magic to mimic her mark."
"Miss Evans was simply surprised. You are known for practicing Dark magic, my boy, and have always been infatuated with her—naturally, she would think something like that. You had the motive, the knowledge, and the means to do it."
"I wasn't lying."
"I know. I’m just trying to make you understand that it isn't Miss Evans's fault for having doubts."
"And him?" Severus pointed a finger at James.
"Mr. Potter has reason to doubt as well; the two of you are rivals and—"
"No, he’s hated me since the train—even before I was sorted into Slytherin, even before I took an interest in the Dark Arts, even before I allied myself with—" Severus didn't finish the sentence, but everyone knew what he was going to say "Potter hated me from the moment he laid eyes on me; just as he loved Evans the instant he first saw her. The three of us were soulmates, yet I was the only one Potter despised. Does that seem fair to you, Headmaster?"
"My boy, Mr. Potter made mistakes—but everyone makes mistakes. He regrets them."
"Funny you should say that, Headmaster, but Potter has never uttered a single word of apology to me."
James flinched but remained silent.
"Forgiveness is a two-way street; for you to forgive him, he must first forgive you—"
"He has to forgive me? For what? For defending myself when he and those three other idiots attacked me? For fighting to keep my dignity after he stripped me naked in public? For hurting his werewolf friend while that very werewolf was trying to kill me? For trying to keep Evans—my only friend—away from the boy who abused me in so many different ways, each one crueler than the last?"
No one said a word.
"Perhaps I should ask for forgiveness for forcing him to hate me? Poor, sweet, harmless Potter—cruelly forced to call me 'Snivellus,' forced to attack me? Were all those spells and curses just harmless pranks that I was responsible for forcing him to cast?"
"My boy, boys will be boys. The pranks were harmless; everyone was having fun. He was laughing with you."
"They were laughing at me. I wasn't part of the group laughing; I was the target of the laughter. I wasn't having fun."
And once again, the Headmaster sighed.
"My boy..."
"I'm leaving; I have to finish my homework."
───
Seventh year was coming to an end, and soon Lily would have no further contact with Severus.
After the meeting in the Headmaster's office, Severus had been avoiding Lily; no matter how hard she tried to speak to him, he simply ignored her. She tried giving him space, hoping he would have a change of heart and the bond between them would be restored.
But even when Headmaster Dumbledore brought in specialists from various fields to try to resolve the issue with the mark, Severus continued to refuse to cooperate.
One day, Lily asked the wizard specializing in soulmates why the mark Severus had destroyed had also erased the bond between her and James.
It turned out that the bond between two soulmates is mutually cultivated. However, the bond between three soulmates involves a source, a receiver, and an intermediary—the latter being the one who keeps the three connected. While the bond between two soulmates is equal, the bond between three soulmates is not.
Three people are not soulmates; what actually happens is that the intermediary soul has two soulmates, but those two soulmates are not soulmates with each other. The source and the receiver are only superficially connected because both are linked to the intermediary.
Lily was the source, James was the receiver, and Severus was the intermediary; it was Severus's love that kept Lily and James close. When Severus broke the bond, he abandoned them, and thus the only connection between Lily and James ceased to exist.
For his part, James wouldn't even look at her; the boy spent all his free time following Severus all over Hogwarts, and the arguments were becoming more intense. James wanted to force Severus to simply fix the bond.
Severus refused.
Lily didn't want to interfere; she was trying to give space to Severus.
But one day, James and she got into an argument.
"At least I didn't leave him naked in public."
"At least I can give him a good life! I'm a pure-blood, wealthy, from the honorable, ancient, and glorious Potter lineage; I can give him things he'd never dream of getting as a half-blood!"
"You think you can buy him?"
"I think I'm a better option than you."
"You never cared about him!"
"Don't act like you're any better; what kind of friend dates her supposed best friend's bully?"
"You're his bully."
"I'm trying to be better for him."
"At least I've always loved him."
"I love him now. And I have better resources than you; I can do things for him that you—being a Mudblood—could never manage."
Lily's next memory is of them both being in the Headmaster's office, getting scolded because the curses they had cast at each other ended up hitting other students passing by.
After that, Potter and she never spoke to each other again.
───
Charity Burbage and Lily Evans had nothing in common; Burbage was blonde with voluminous, curly hair, while Lily was a redhead with straight hair. Burbage was flamboyant and extroverted; Lily was the sweet, quiet type. Burbage was tall and curvaceous, with a full figure and large breasts. Lily was slender and of average height, without many curves or striking physical attributes.
And yet, Severus was walking arm-in-arm with the blonde Hufflepuff girl.
They seemed close; she tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear.
He smiled at her.
Then there was the sinister Aurora, a Ravenclaw student; she didn't have the same physical advantages Charity did, but her personality and intelligence were a match for Severus's.
And then there was Narcissa Malfoy; she was already married to Lucius Malfoy, yet her letters and gifts addressed to Severus arrived every day.
Lily wasn't the only one dealing with jealousy issues; James Potter got into fights with basically every boy who got close to Severus.
Rosier laughed right in Potter's face—laughing so hard he nearly cried—when Potter tried to threaten him into staying away from Severus.
Mulciber looked Potter straight in the eye and then kissed Severus on the lips in front of all of Hogwarts—tongue and all.
Avery called Severus "my love" and gave his ass a smack before walking away as if nothing had happened.
Wilkes pulled Severus onto his lap and dared Potter to try separate them.
Lucius Malfoy followed his wife's lead, and somehow, the Malfoys managed to convince Severus to come live with them at Malfoy Manor—a move set to happen after Severus graduated from Hogwarts in just a few months.
Regulus Black was the worst of them; he was officially courting Severus. The younger Black was known for not having a soulmate, and everyone knew about the boy's not-so-subtle infatuation with Severus. With Lily and Potter out of the way, Black grew bolder.
Black brought all sorts of gifts for Severus—lotus flowers (Severus didn't even like lotus flowers; he only liked lilies). The boy brought sweets of every kind, which was terribly unfair, given that Severus had always loved sweets. There was more—so much more: clothes, books, personal items, and countless other things. Black made a point of always handing these over to Severus in public; even if Lily wasn't there at the moment, she would hear all about how romantic the younger Black was.
Lily hated them all.
───
Regulus, like all the Blacks, did not have a soulmate. He had never cared about that, nor had he ever been interested in marriage—but then, at age eleven, he met Severus Snape. A half-blood, of all people; Regulus Black fell in love with a half-blood.
However, Severus was deeply in love with Lily Evans—a damned Mudblood.
Regulus couldn't accept it. Perhaps if it had been for anyone else—perhaps if it had been for a pure-blood—Regulus wouldn't have minded.
At least, that was what he told himself.
It was difficult at first; Severus was naturally very wary, and even more so of Sirius Black's younger brother.
His brother had been disowned, yet he still found ways to make Regulus's life difficult.
But it didn't matter; Regulus had an advantage. He was physically smaller than Severus, with a soft, sweet voice, an innocent and pure gaze, and a calm, almost fragile personality.
Of course, he was only like that with Severus.
Regulus needed to project an image different from Sirius's—which was extremely easy, given that his older brother had always been a fool.
So, he cultivated a submissive persona.
As the years went by, his physique grew; he became taller than Severus and more athletic in build.
But it didn't matter, because by the time that happened, Regulus had already won Severus's trust. It wasn't easy to drive a wedge between Severus and Evans, but whenever the redhead did something that hurt Severus, Regulus was there to help him. Regulus couldn't offend her directly—no, that would only make Severus hate him.
Instead, he was more discreet.
Did Evans defend Potter again? Regulus fought Sirius—his own brother—to stand up for Severus; he even lost the fight on purpose so Severus could see that, despite being younger, smaller, and weaker, Regulus still cared enough to fight for him, even against his own brother.
Did Evans quarrel with Severus for practicing Dark magic? Regulus gifted him rare, dark tomes taken straight from the Black family library.
Did Evans say Severus should be kinder to people? Regulus would laugh at his dark humor and his sarcastic, ironic remarks—even when Severus was trying to insult Regulus himself.
When Evans called Severus a liar and accused him of using Dark magic to fake her soulmate mark, Regulus was right there by his side, comforting him as he wept over the rejection.
For the first time in his life, Regulus wished Evans had been right and the mark was fake—but, unfortunately, it was real. There was no way to fabricate such a connection; the Blacks were the only family in all of Europe so cursed that they had no soulmates. If there had been a way to force the existence of the mark of soulmates, the Blacks would have done it already.
Regulus would have done it.
He would have made Severus his forever without a moment's hesitation.
But Regulus knew how to break a bond; the Blacks did it to punish their enemies. It was a family secret, fiercely guarded by Unbreakable Vows—even Sirius, traitor though he was, couldn't spread private family information.
Yet, Regulus couldn't break Severus's bond with Evans that way; Severus would never forgive him. Regulus needed a plan.
And as if the gods were on Regulus's side, James Potter stepped into the mess.
Upon discovering that Potter was also Severus's soulmate, the poor boy freaked out; he couldn't bear the idea of being connected to Potter. It was the perfect opportunity for Regulus.
To tell Severus everything, he had to ask the older boy to swear an Unbreakable Vow; then, Regulus presented the ritual, explained how it could be done, and promised to help Severus through the entire process.
At first, Severus hesitated; even though he wanted to be rid of Potter, he still held out hope for Evans.
Regulus grew anxious. Severus had nearly died once because of a prank—one he couldn't speak about even if he wanted to, meaning he was bound by an Unbreakable Vow.
If a brush with death wasn't enough to drive Severus away from Evans, what would be?
Regulus didn't need to devise a plan, though, because James Potter hung an unarmed Severus upside down and stripped off his clothes in front of all of Hogwarts.
Regulus wasn't there when it happened; he was in class. The downside of being a year younger than Severus was precisely the fact that they didn't share classes.
Regulus's first reaction was rage and an intense desire to kill everyone at Hogwarts. His second reaction was a mix of worry, fear, and deep horror; he ran as fast as he could to Severus's dormitory, where he found him weeping and being comforted by Mulciber and Rosier.
Mulciber was massaging his feet.
Rosier had Severus's head in his lap and was stroking his hair.
Regulus approached slowly and took Severus's hand.
No one said a word.
The next day, there was a match between Slytherin and Gryffindor; Slytherin won, and most of the Gryffindors ended up in the Hogwarts hospital wing.
Potter was incapacitated for a long time afterward, suffering from several broken bones.
Dumbledore tried to hold someone from the Slytherin team accountable, but they all defended themselves and claimed innocence.
It was difficult to blame a single person for something the entire Slytherin team had done together.
Regulus had to admit the idea hadn't been his; Avery was very creative.
After that, Severus sought him out and agreed to break the bond.
"If that is truly what you want, Severus," Regulus said sweetly, while inwardly vibrating with excitement.
The ritual was performed, and the bond was broken.
Severus was free.
Things were easy after that; Severus now trusted Regulus implicitly. He asked for Severus's permission to court him, and Severus agreed.
Once again, the age gap proved to be an issue; Severus was about to graduate, while Regulus still had another year at Hogwarts.
"When you leave, I want to make our relationship official—if that’s what you want." Severus said this with eyes shining with unshed tears—not of sadness, but of fear of rejection.
Regulus pulled him close by the waist and kissed him. He had never kissed anyone before, but he had asked everyone he knew at Hogwarts for tips on how to do it; having a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge was important. "Being with you is the only desire I have." Regulus wasn't lying; he had worked so hard for this and wasn't about to give up now.
"And your family?" Severus asked in a low voice, his face flushed from their recent kiss.
"Don't worry about them; I'll handle everything."
Regulus wouldn't let anyone—not even his family—tear Severus away from him, even if it meant slaughtering the Blacks.
After all, he could always blame Sirius for it.