loving you isn't easy.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie smiled as she walked down Diagon Alley. Wizard London was a lot different than Wizard New York. For starters, she had heard other wizards referring to No-Maj's as "Muggles" which just seemed very bizarre to Jessie. Muggle didn't even make any sense, whereas No-Maj made perfect sense. However, she didn't say anything. Jessie wandered through some shops, not really staying long in any of them. She was just sightseeing really. It took her a matter of two minutes after Claire had left to realize that she didn't want to be by herself in a room anymore, so she decided to get out and tour Wizard London. Jessie stopped as she walked out of a shop and looked farther down the alley, noticing a very big shop at the end.

She felt herself drawn to the shop, and as she neared it, she saw the name, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." She said aloud as she neared the shop. Jessie realized that it was a joke shop, causing a smile to appear on her face. She walked inside and quickly looked around before she found herself at the love potion station. She opened up one of the bottles and instantly her nostrils were filled with the smell of vanilla, sawdust, cinnamon, and another smell that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but just that smell alone filled Jessie with instantly happiness. It didn't take her long to realize it was probably her other half, her soulmate. Of course she had yet to meet him, but she had talked with him back when she was in school. He wasn't anyone from Ilvermorny, and she found out that he was actually not even in her country, so the two decided to wait until they were out of school in order to meet. It was hard at first, knowing that he was out there, but not being able to see him. Jessie knew, though, that the waiting would make their first meeting even more special.

---

Draco sighed as he walked through Muggle London, needing to clear his head. His dinner with Astoria had left him with more than one doubt in his mind. He knew that his parents were really pushing for them to work, but Draco couldn't stand the girl. She was almost everything that he hated. He just wanted someone that he could feel like himself with, not someone that his parents wanted him to be so he was forced to put on an act in front of her. It was all just a lot in his head and he needed to walk it off. Muggle London was his usual go-to place to clear his head, probably because nobody knew who he was, so he didn't have to worry about putting on an act for other people.

Draco knew that she wasn't the one. She had never been the one. His one was out there. He knew that for a fact. She had tried to contact him on more than one occasion, but he didn't want to bring her into the darkness of his life at the time, so he didn't pursue it. He knew that it was what was best for her. He really did, but a lot of the times, mostly when he was around Astoria, he wondered what it would be like if he hadn't shut out his soulmate. He knew that he probably wasn't good enough for her anyway, no matter what. Still though, whenever he often wondered about her. What she was doing. Where was she. Had she found someone that she knew wasn't her soulmate, but was still happy with, unlike him. He just wanted to know what she was like, but he knew that day more than likely wouldn't come, not since he had shut her out.

Claire Hoffman was someone who never liked to let time go to waste. She liked to make the most of what she had at her finger tips, and presently that was all of No Maj-London. Here it was Muggle London though. Not that she planned on calling it that, it sounded stupid. No Maj sounded way better than muggle did. Muggle didn't make sense at all. At least it was obvious that No Maj was short for something. She'd been wandering around the unfamiliar city for a few hours now, having left Jessie back at the hotel room later on the afternoon. They'd been in the UK for a couple of days now already, and had had a look around both No Maj and Wizard London, however it was a big city, and there was just so much that the petite blonde wanted to see.

As she wandered around the city, she could feel a bit of confusion and frustration wash over her. She wondered what was bothering him now. Those were two of the feelings she'd gotten from him recently, though it was fairly obvious that he was trying to mask his emotions so that she wouldn't feel them. He was her soulmate, and for as long as she could remember he'd been doing everything in his power to push her away. She didn't know why that was, and she'd tried reaching out to him a couple of times when she was still in school, however she gave up after a while. She couldn't be as lucky as others were she supposed. Maybe something was wrong. Maybe they weren't supposed to be together. She didn't really know, and she doubted that she ever would. As she walked, she couldn't help hearing loud laughter and voices behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a group of young men around her age walking along the sidewalk. One of them winked at her when they caught her looking. Shaking her head, Claire turned and kept walking, hoping that they wouldn't notice her obvious change in pace.

---

Fred hadn't spoken with her in quite a while. A lot had happened in the last couple of years, and since Harry's defeat of Voldemort, the joke shop had been keeping him and George pretty busy. That didn't mean he didn't think about her and consider reaching out to her again or hope that she would reach out to him though. They were soulmates after all, and he couldn't help wanting to know more about her. When they first started communicating via quill and ink on their arms, he and George had just left Hogwarts in the midst of their seventh year. She had reached out to him first and, for a time, they communicated despite the joke shop beginning to take off. When things started to take a much darker turn, he ceased communication with her, and they hadn't spoken to each other since. He had considered reaching out to her on a number of different occasions but had yet to do so. He didn't know why, he just hadn't.

Although it was nearing closing time, there were still quite a few people wandering around the shop. He and George never minded staying open a bit later if it meant bringing laughter or happiness into a customer's life and so they weren't really all that bothered by the small crowd of people still wandering around the shop despite the late hour. He had just gone into the back to check inventory on the Puking Pastels when the bell over the shop's door dinged, signally that someone new had entered the shop. Looking over, he noticed a head of dark curls over near the love potions. George was conversing with another customer, and so he approached her, unable to shake the feeling that he was being drawn towards her. He chalked it up to nothing, however, not wanting to think too much of it. "Hello! Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Is there anything I can help you find?"

@ sam winchester.
Jessie jumped when she heard a voice from behind her and she quickly closed the love potions bottle before turning around to see the man standing behind her. She gave him a smile and shook her head lightly, "I was just looking, really. I saw your shop and just felt the need to come in." She admitted with a grin. He was really quite handsome, but that wasn't what Jessie noticed. She couldn't help but see the random freckles that were on his face and some on his collarbone. The only reason she noticed them was because she had been looking at the same ones since she was old enough to look in a mirror. It had to be a coincidence, though.

Well at least she thought so before she realized she was still being overwhelmed with the unfamiliar scent from the love potion, despite having had shut the bottle and put it back down. Instantly, Jessie became weary. It couldn't be him. What were the odds that it was? After all this time in a random joke shop in London. She decided she needed to test it out, but didn't want to be obvious about it, "I'll let you know if I need help." She stated with a smile before she walked away with a small blush on her face. She found herself upstairs looking around at the items. She made sure that he wasn't paying attention before she took a piece of skin between two nails on her opposite hand and pinched hard, watching him to see his reaction.

---

Draco was lost in thought as he walked down the street. He noticed that there was a group of guys in front of him being loud and obnoxious to the girl walking in front of the group. He watched as the boys sped up their pace to get closer to her. Draco didn't have a good feeling about what was going on, and on a different day, he might not have done anything, but this felt different. He wasn't sure if it was just the situation or if it was the feeling of nervousness that had overcome him once he had realized what was happening.

He increased his pace to keep up with the group and the girl to make sure if anything were to happen that he was there to help. It wasn't fair that it was a group of guys against one girl. He didn't like the odds and he didn't like how it looked when he looked forward at them. It was clear that the group was a bunch of creepy Muggles, and Draco was more than ready to take them out if he needed. He wouldn't let them get to the girl if he had anything to say about it.

Claire heard one of them call out to her but she kept on walking. She knew that they were a bunch of No Majs, but she wasn't about to pull out her wand if things were to come to it. She knew how strict MACUSA was about that sort of thing, and she could only imagine that there were similar restrictions with the Ministry of Magic. As she walked, she took in her surroundings. There was an opening between two buildings a bit of a ways up the street, she could go there. It was closer than the end up the street and, although she really had absolutely no idea where she was going right now, she figured it was worth a shot.

As she neared the opening, she tried to remain calm and not overly obvious about it or how nervous she was, however it was hard to hide that fact when she realized the alleyway was a dead end. She had backed herself into a corner, and really didn't know what to do about it. She could disapparate, but there was the whole issue of performing magic in front of a bunch of No Majs yet again. What other option did she have though? All of the plausible ones involved using some sort of magic, and she'd seen what the group of men looked like. She couldn't take them all on by herself. As she weighed her options, she could hear the group approaching her, and felt a hand on her arm. "What's a pretty bird like you doing in a place like this all by yourself?"

---

Fred sent a kind smile her way, though he couldn't help noticing just how beautiful she really was. Dark curls framed a heart-shaped face, and equally dark lashes framed a pair of gorgeous brown eyes. What caught him off guard was her accent though. Distinctly America. New York perhaps? He didn't really know, he'd never been to America himself, and had only ever met a handful of American wizards who happened upon his and George's shop on occasion. He was taken from his thoughts when she spoke and he nodded in response to her words. "Alright, well, let me know if you need help with anything." He flinched slightly and shut his eyes as she turned and walked away, seeing as she had just told him that she would do precisely what he'd just told her to do. Good one, Freddie. Already making a proper idiot of yourself in front of her.

George approached him not long after she made her way upstairs. "You alright, mate?" He asked, clapping Fred on the shoulder. Fred nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Something just---never mind." There was something about that girl, he didn't know what it was, but there was certainly something about her that just seemed...familiar. He didn't know what it was,and he certainly didn't know how it made any sense, but that was what he was feeling in that moment. He was about to say something when he felt a pinching sensation on his arm and jumped. "Bloody hell!" Scowling, he glanced down at his arm and rubbed at the red mark that had just formed there.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie watched the man's reaction when she pinched herself. She could have sworn her heart stopped beating in that moment when she saw him jump and started to rub the place in the exact spot where she had pinched herself. It was him. He was here. Running this joke shop, and she just happened to come in and meet him. She couldn't believe the chances. She was overcome with so many emotions that while she was walking down the stairs, she missed a step and slid down the remaining four that were there, hitting her arm on one of the beams for the stair case.

She let out a groan as she tried to sit up on the last stair, realizing that she probably just pulled a lot of attention to herself. She watched as the twin of her soulmate had hurried over to her to see if she was okay, "That was quite the fall, Miss. Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded slightly and sighed as she stood up, groaning in slight pain once more. Jessie looked down at her arm, seeing a decent size bruise already forming from where she slammed it against the bannister, "Well that's going to be pretty once it fully comes in." She stated aloud.

---

Draco glared when he heard one of the Muggles call out to her before she turned and walked down a side street that Draco knew was a dead end alleyway. Draco waited at the end of the alleyway to see if any of the guys would try anything or how the girl would handle the situation. He reached in his pocket and felt around for the stone that was in there. It was the Instant Darkness Powder he had gotten off the Weasley twins in school. He had two stones, one he used back in school, the other he had in his pocket for instances when he just needed to get away without being seen.

He started down the alleyway towards the group once he noticed how close they were getting to the girl. He got to the group, "Oi! Leave her be." He demanded as he neared them. Once he was close enough and saw that the one Muggle who had his hand on her arm, let go to turn to Draco, he let the stone fall to the ground, filling the alleyway with blackness before he grabbed the arm of the girl and disapparated to his apartment, it being the only safe space he could think of at the moment. When they arrived in his common room, he let go of her arm and looked at her, "Are you alright?" He asked her curiously.

"Please...leave me alone..." Claire managed to get out. She knew that there would be consequences if she used any sort of magic around the group of No Majs, and she also knew that there were far too many of them for her to even attempt to take on her own. She shouldn't have gone off on her own like this. She should have waited to explore No Maj London with Jessie. There was a tightness quickly building in her chest, making it hard for her to breath, and she felt a bit lightheaded as well. She knew that it was the start of an anxiety attack. She used to suffer from them quite frequently in school, but she'd managed to get control over them. Until now.

"Please..." She choked out once more before hearing another voice demand that the group of No Majs leave her alone. She didn't have the chance to get a good look at the owner of the voice though. She was still trying to work through her anxiety attack like she used to. Although the one No Maj had dropped his hand from her arm, it didn't help to calm her down any, and she wasn't really sure if she blacked out when the alleyway seemed to fill with complete darkness. Suddenly she felt someone grab her arm, and the familiar sensation of disapparation. She looked around at the common room they appeared in, only focusing on whoever she had just disapparated with when he spoke. When she did, she felt an instant calm overtake her. It didn't make any sense, normally she had to work through her anxiety on her own, but it all had just stopped when she looked at him. A complete stranger. A complete stranger who happened to be rather beautiful, but still a complete stranger nonetheless. Realizing that she hadn't answered his question yet, she nodded. "Sorry, I've been better, but I'm glad to be out of that alleyway. Thank you for that..."She trailed off a bit at the end, realizing again that he was a complete stranger and that she didn't know his name or anything like that.

---

"What's gotten into you, Freddie?" George asked, giving him a look. "Something just---" Fred paused, frowning as he tried to figure out what could have possibly pinched him. He supposed it could have been a bite from an insect of sorts, but it had felt like someone had pinched his skin between two of their fingers. It didn't make any sense though at all. No one, other than George, was standing next to him. There were very few customers left in the shop now, so it couldn't have been one of them either. None of this was making any sense to him at all. He really just didn't know how to explain what had just happened. "Something just what, mate?" George, asked, giving him a look when he didn't finish his statement. Before Fred could explain what had just happened to his brother, there was a bit of a commotion over by the stairs as someone stumbled down the last few.

George was quick to make his way over, however Fred did so a bit less quickly as he felt a pain in his arm yet again. Glancing down, he saw a bruise beginning to form. He hadn't banged it against anything so that had to mean...he made his way slowly over to the stairs, and saw the girl from earlier sitting on the second to last step, rubbing her arm where a bruise had started to form. Fred wouldn't have thought anything of it if the bruise wasn't in the same exact spot where the one on his arm had formed. Before he could say anything, George spoke. "What did you do to your arm, Freddie?" He asked. Fred didn't answer him though, his eyes fixated on the brunette sitting in front of him. "It's you..." He said quietly.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie started to rub lightly at the bruise on her arm before the one man spoke to the man from earlier. When he brought up the bruise on his brother's arm, Jessie's eyes shot to his arm to see the bruise in the same spot where hers was. That's when he spoke, her soulmate. She felt herself being overcome with happiness once more, "It's me? It's you!" She said happily as she let out a sound of happiness. All pain from falling down the stairs was gone now. The only thing she was focused on was the man standing before her.

"Jessie." She stated before shaking her head lightly, "I'm Jessie." She clarified. Jessie was froze at this, "It's nice to finally meet you in person." It had been so long since the two had spoke, but Jessie thought about him every day. That was when the recognition sparked in the other man's eyes, "Oh! You're his...wow! This is bloody brilliant!" Jessie smiled at him briefly before she looked back at her soulmate.

---

American. She was from America. Well that was different. Draco nodded at her words, "Well I'm glad we got you out of there." He said and then realized that he didn't even know if she was a Muggle or not and he just performed magic in front of her. He did realize, though, that she didn't seem to be freaking out about it, "Draco." He replied and smiled at her before he gave her a questioning look, "Sorry if this is odd, but are you a witch?" He questioned, "Because if you're not I could have just potentially broken a huge magical law."

Draco wouldn't deny that he felt incredibly different being in her presence. This girl was a complete stranger to him, yet he felt so relaxed with her. He had this feeling that he wanted to know more about her, but at the same time he also felt like he already knew her, which was weird seeing as he had never met her before in his life, "Would you like some tea?" He asked randomly. Draco knew that tea always calmed him down when he was having an anxiety attack or was just stressed, he hoped that it was close to the same case for her.

Claire smiled. "Claire." She responded, holding her hand out. When he asked her if she was a witch, she let out a quiet laugh and nodded. "Yeah, not to worry, I am." She supposed that her assumption about performing magic in front of No Majs being an issue here just as it was back home was true. She knew very little about how magic was dealt with in other parts of the world. It just wasn't a subject that really came up ever. There should be a class at Ilvermorny about that. A comparison of the magical governments around the world. That would certainly be an interesting course, wouldn't it? "I'm guessing they're just as strict about performing magic in front of No Majs here as MACUSA is?"

She didn't know what it was about him, but he kind of just put her at ease. She was still kind of freaked out about what could have potentially just happened if he hadn't shown up in that alleyway when he did, but it was a watered down version of how she was certain she would have likely reacted. Something about him just calmed her down, she didn't know what it was though. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was definitely something about him that caused her to feel that way. "Tea sounds great." She said with a smile. It was something that she normally drank when she needed to calm herself down, so the fact that he was offering it to her was rather interesting, but she chalked it up as a kind gesture, nothing more, nothing less.

---

Fred really just couldn't believe it. It was her. His soulmate. She was here in London, in the joke shop. They hadn't spoken in quite some time, and he had never told her where he lived and vice-versa, but she had somehow managed to find her way to him anyway. He knew that fate normally did that sort of a thing and brought soulmates together, even when they were an entire ocean away from each other normally, but he certainly hadn't gotten up this morning expecting to finally meet his soulmate at the joke shop just minutes before they closed. He knew that they would meet eventually, they were destined to be together after all, but he hadn't expected today to be the day at all.

He couldn't help grinning as she introduced herself. "And I'm Fred. It's lovely to finally meet you in person." He told her. And it really was. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that it was actually her. She was actually here, and he was actually looking at her, and she was everything he could have honestly hoped for her to be and more. He might have only spoken a few words to her today, but he just knew that was the truth. He laughed lightly at George's reaction when his brother put two and two together and figured out what was going on here. George had found his soulmate back at Hogwarts in Angelina Johnson. Fred had been the only Weasley sibling who hadn't found their soulmate yet. Until today. He took a step towards her, unsure of how to really go about this. He wanted to embrace her and never let go.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie smiled when he told her his name. Fred. The name sounded like music to her ears. She couldn't believe this was happening at all. She and Claire were just coming over to England for a trip, and it turned out to be the best trip that Jessie could have ever hoped for. She noticed that he took a step, but could feel how hesitant he was and how he was unsure. Jessie took it upon herself to close the distance between the two, hugging him tightly. It was finally the moment she had been waiting for her whole life, and she wasn't disappointed at all.

Hugging him felt perfect. Jessie felt complete, which would have been odd if it were anybody else but Fred. This was her soulmate. He had been the missing piece in her life until now. Now she was complete, "Wait until mum hears about this. She's going to flip." Fred's brother said before looking over at Jessie, "I'm George, by the way. Fred's brother. Nice to meet you. The whole family has been waiting a long time for you to finally show up, and now here you are!" He said happily. Jessie grinned over at George before looking back at Fred, "Apologies for taking so long." She said with a small giggle.

---

When she introduced herself and told Draco her name, he couldn't help thinking that the name fit her perfectly. Draco sighed in relief when she said that she was a witch before she asked about No-Maj's and MACUSA, "What's a No-Maj?" He asked curiously. He knew all about MACUSA from classes at Hogwarts, but never had a No-Maj come up. He thought it to be some sort of beast, but then realized he would have read about it in school, so then he figured her might as well let her explain what it was.

Draco nodded with a smile when she agreed to tea before he walked into his kitchen and waved his wand, watching as the kettle filled itself up with water and set itself on the stove, heating up. He knew that once the water was heated, he would be able to make the tea. It was the only thing that he did when it came to making tea which he didn't use magic for. He leaned against the counter as he looked over at Claire, "Is there a specific kind of tea that you like? I don't have very many, but I do have some."

"A person who doesn't have any magic. Do you call them something else over here?" Claire asked curiously. She was beginning to realize more and more that there was very little that she knew about the wizarding world in the UK. Ironically enough, she knew more about the No Maj UK than she did anything else. Both of her parents might have been magical, however that couldn't be said about her grandparents on either side. Her parents were the only individuals who possessed magic on either side of her family before she and her brother and sister came along. Needless to say, she knew more about the No Maj world than the average American witch normally did.

She followed behind him towards what she assumed was the kitchen and watched as he waved his wand so that the tea kettle would fill itself and heat itself up on the stove. She didn't use magic for simple tasks normally, though it did always fascinate her to watch other people who did. Jessie always made fun of her and called her a No Maj for preferring to do a lot of things without magic, but that was how her parents were as well, so it kind of made sense that she was the same as them. "I'm not really all that picky." She told him with a small smile. "Whatever you have is fine."

---

Fred was relieved when she took the initiative and hugged him first. He might have been unsure about it himself, but he was quick to reciprocate and hug her back. She was much shorter than he was he noticed, but she honestly seemed to be the perfect height. As he hugged her, her head was resting against his chest and his chin was resting atop of the crown of her head. They fit perfectly together, as they should considering they were meant for each other. Hugging her was sort of indescribable if he was being completely honest. It was nothing like he had ever felt before. The moment they came in contact with each other, there was this surge of electricity that just felt bloody brilliant. He knew now what so many people meant about knowing when you'd met your other half. It was so beyond obvious.

"Hopefully she won't cry like she did when Percy finally brought his home." Fred said, chuckling slightly. He knew that his mother probably would cry though. Mainly because she'd be happy for him. She was the one person Fred really spoke to, other than George, about Jessie. When they ceased contact for a while, he couldn't help worrying about her. She always assured him that she was fine, and that they'd meet when the time was right, and he supposed that now it finally was. "Nonsense, you're right on time." He assured her with a smile when she apologized for taking so long.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie couldn't deny that the hug was different than any hug that she had ever shared with anyone ever, and it was only a hug. They just fit together so perfectly. Of course, she knew they would, but she had never been able to experience it for herself before now. She only had to watch other people interact with their soulmate and watch in envy as she regretted waiting until after school to finally meet Fred. When Fred told her that she was right on time, she couldn't help but blush slightly at his words.

"Don't worry, my mom is going to hit the ceiling when she finds out. Might cry as well." She said with a smile, "She cried when I told her about when you and I first made contact with each other. Bawled like a baby. Meanwhile my dad was complaining because I was growing up too fast." She admitted and rolled her eyes lightly. Jessie was obviously upset when she and Fred had made the decision to wait until school was finished for them to meet, and Jessie's mother continuously drilled it into her daughter's head that when the time was right she would find her soulmate in person. Now here he was, and Jessie couldn't be happier.

---

Draco raised his eyebrows at her explanation of a No-Maj, "We call them Muggles here." It was weird for Draco to think that they were called something else besides Muggles, though he figured that he hadn't really been anywhere else in the Wizarding world to find out if they were called something else. When the tea was ready, Draco grabbed a couple bags before he took the kettle off the stove and started to pour the water into cups. He poured the first one without incident.

The second one, however, he didn't get through smoothly. In fact, he poured the water in too fast and some of it spilled out onto his hand that was holding the cup steady, instantly burning him, "Ow! Bloody hell!" He exclaimed as he jumped and pulled his now pained hand away from the cup, setting down the tea kettle with the other. Draco instantly turned on the faucet and ran his hand under the cold water.

Claire scrunched her nose up a bit when he told her that they called No Majs Muggles in the UK. "Muggles? Really? I'm sorry, but that doesn't make any sense at all." She said with a slight laugh. No Maj made perfect sense to her. It was obvious that it was short for something, and it was sort of self-explanatory really. Muggle on the other hand was not. Maybe that was why, because it was less obvious, but she did not like it one bit. She'd stick to using the term No Maj. She'd have to mention the new terminology that she'd discovered to Jessie, although this was truthfully the first time she'd thought about her best friend since meeting Draco. Normally she would have worried about her friend being concerned about her, but she was just so at ease right now. It was a bit weird really. But she chalked it up to meaning absolutely nothing.

She'd realize soon enough that it definitely wasn't nothing. She watched quietly as he prepared the tea and started pouring the water into the cups. It wasn't until he got to the second one that she realized something was definitely happening right now. When the hot water came in contact with his skin, she let out a low hiss of pain and cradled her hand, glancing down at it in confusion. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what was going on, or was almost certain that she did anyway. She was silent, unsure of what to say or do in that instance. All of the times she'd tried reaching out to him, he'd pushed her away or ignored her. She knew very little about him, only that he wore the same tattoo that was inked into the skin of her left forearm, and that she bore the same scars on her torso that he did and had since she was sixteen.

---

"I dunno who was more eager for you two to finally meet, mum or Freddie over here." George said with a slight chuckle. Fred chuckled in response to his brother's words, knowing that he was right. Their mother had been beyond ecstatic when he'd told her he'd been talking to Jessie when he came home for Christmas that year. Before that, Fred had started to think that he might be one of the few, very rare people without a soulmate. Of course, he'd made jokes about it, because what else would he do in a situation like that really?

"We're closing up in a few minutes if you want to stay for a while longer?" He offered hesitantly. He wanted to talk with her more, get to know her better. They had gotten to know each other a bit when they first started communicating during school, but not too much. They had both agreed to leave some things to the imagination and to allow them to truly get to know each other once they finally met in person. "My apartment's just above the shop." George had lived there with him for a while as they first tried getting the business to take off. After the war with Voldemort ended, he and Angelina got married and George moved out. Fred had been living there by himself ever since.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie laughed at George's words. She could already tell that he and Fred were very close, she liked that a lot. Being an only child, she never really got to experience a big family. Of course, Claire was like her family and Claire's family was basically Jessie's second family, but nothing would ever be as nice as just having a nice big family to spend your time with. She had a dog back home, Rocky, but other than that, it was just Jessie and her parents. Though, her friends at Ilvermorny were very close to her and basically family. Jessie just wanted brothers and sisters really.

She smiled and nodded at Fred's words, "Yeah I would love to. My best friend, Claire, went out to explore No-Maj London and I was supposed to stay at the hotel like I said I was going to, but got bored and ended up here. So I don't think she will be back for a while." She explained. When he said that his apartment was above the store, she nodded, "Sounds good. Mind if I look around the shop more while you two close up?" She questioned.

---

Draco heard Claire let out a hiss of pain before he looked over at her to see her cradling her hand. He raised an eyebrow, about to ask her if she was okay before he noticed the red mark appearing on her skin in the exact place that his was. It didn't take him very long to figure out why exactly that was. It was her. His soulmate. He couldn't believe it. What were the odds of him meeting her tonight and in the way that they had met. Being in her presence now, he felt guilty. He had pushed her away and ignored her when she reached out to him, but he had only done it to keep her safe.

Draco's eyes drifted up her arm to the end of her sleeve where he could just faintly see the end of the snake inked into her arm. More guilt washed over him, "It's you. You're my..." Draco drifted off, not wanting to say the word. He was ashamed that she had to be tethered to him in such a way. All of the horrible things that had happened to him over the years, all happened to her as well. He could just barely see the scars peeking out from under her shirt in the exact place where his were. He had only wanted to keep her safe from all of the darkness in his life back then, so he pushed her away and made sure that she would be as safe as possible because she wouldn't be talking to him.

Claire could recall the moment she first tried reaching out to him quite clearly. It was after whatever incident he'd gotten into that led to the scars that she knew marred both of their torsos. The message written on her arm had been wiped away quickly. She hadn't stopped there though, and had continued trying to reach out to him on numerous occasions there after. He only responded towards the end of her sixth year. The message on her skin was quite clear. Please leave me alone. She had asked him why, and pleaded with him to write back to her. Being connected to me will only endanger your life. Forget about me, please. She had tried reaching out to him after that, but he never once responded to her. Most of the time, he kept his emotions in check after that, and she felt very little of what he felt. It was like half of her was missing. He'd distanced himself from her in every way possible, until now.

She watched the realization dawn on him before an overwhelming feeling of guilt took over. She knew that she was feeling what he was feeling in that moment, and watched as his eyes lingered on her left arm briefly and then her torso. Why had he gotten such a peculiar tattoo? What had caused the scars on his torso? Why was feeling so guilty? She had so many questions that she wanted answers to, but knew better than to bombard him with them. "Stop it..." She said quietly, taking a small step towards him. "I don't know why you're feeling the way that you are right now, I don't know what you did, but I do know that you shouldn't be doing this to yourself." She knew that they hardly knew each other, but she did feel like she knew him. Before he pushed her away and cut off all emotional ties with her as best as he could, she always found herself curiously thumbing a bruise here or a scrape there, curious as to what might have been the cause of it. She'd felt happy when he was happy, sad when he was sad, and so on and so fourth. But that all had stopped three years ago. And now she didn't know if he was overwhelmed and that was why she was feeling what he was feeling again, but she didn't like what she was feeling regardless.

---

"No-Maj London?" Fred questioned with a raised eyebrow. He glanced over to his brother and saw the same expression on George's face as well. "I dunno what you mean by that, but if you're certain that your friend won't be looking for you just yet then that's all the more reason for you to stay a bit longer." He grinned slightly. He was glad that she was willing to stay a while longer. He just wanted to talk and get to know her a bit better, even if he felt like he already did know her. He knew that was the power of having a soulmate though. Even when the person was a complete stranger still, it was common to feel like you'd known them for a very long time. Soulmates were destined to be together. They were like two pieces of a puzzle, so that feeling honestly made a lot of sense. It made so much more sense to Fred now though that he had finally found her.

"Of course, have at it." He told her with a grin when she asked if she could look around the shop for a bit while he and George closed up the shop. While she did that, he and his brother did what they had to in order to close up. It didn't take very long as it was honestly routine to them now after running the shop for a few years, and they were finished in a rather short amount of time. Once they had finished, he approached Jessie who he found over by the Pygmy Puffs. "Cute little buggers, aren't they?" He asked her curiously.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie smiled at his confusion, "Oh that's right! You call them...ah hell what was the word again?" She questioned herself before snapping her fingers, "Muggles! You call them Muggles here." She said, "No-Maj is what we call them in America." Jessie clarified, "I think it makes more sense than a Muggle, but everyone has their own way of doing it, I guess." She teased. She already felt so comfortable with Fred and she had only just met him, but it was like she had known him all her life, which she kind of had. She knew that he was a thing, but she never really knew him.

When Fred told her she could look around the shop, she smiled before she walked over to the section she was in before, her eyes finding the Pygmy Puffs with a smile. She picked up the purple one and held him in her hand. She looked over when Fred joined her side. She nodded at his question, "Adorable. They're so fluffy and cute." She smiled when the Pygmy Puff squeaked at her, causing Jessie to giggle lightly, "You two sure closed up pretty quickly." She stated randomly.

---

Draco frowned as he shut off the water at her words, telling him to stop feeling the way he was feelings. He had forgotten that she could feel everything that he did. He had been keeping his emotions in check for so long that he had really forgotten. When she took a step toward him, he wanted to step back, out of habit, but kept himself from doing so, "I'm sorry, Claire." He said quietly. He didn't know where to start for the apologies. He was sorry that he had pushed her away. That he had ignored her for years. He was sorry that because of being his soulmate she could have easily been in danger for basically her whole life.

"I only wanted to keep you safe." He said, possibly even quieter than the last time he spoke. He didn't want to talk about any of his past right now. He should be thrilled he finally found her. His soulmate. He was, but he was also just guilty that he had pushed her away so much and then just flat out ignored her. He knew that it had upset her because even though he kept his emotions in check, she didn't. He still felt everything that she felt, and on numerous occasions had the same anxiety attack she was having, but his came randomly with no explanation.

Claire shook her head when he started apologizing to her. "Don't..." She said quietly. "Don't do this to yourself, Draco." She didn't know why he had pushed her away and ignored all of her attempts to communicate with him. She didn't know why he did any of what he did, why he thought pushing her away and shutting her out would keep her safe, and she wanted to know his reasons for all of it, but she wasn't going to ask him to explain it all to her, not right now. It had hurt her when he did shut her out like that, and she knew that he'd felt what she was feeling because she hadn't kept her emotions in check like he had. That just wasn't who she was. Jessie always teased her and told her that she was an open book, but there couldn't have been a better way to describe her. She really was an open book.

She hesitated for a moment, realizing that she'd been the one two make all of the advances in the past, and it seemed as though she'd have to do so now as well. That's why she'd only taken a single step towards him. She was testing the waters. When he didn't take a step back, she moved forward and pulled him into a tight embrace, resting her cheek against his chest. "Shhh..." She said quietly when he spoke once more. "You don't have to explain yourself, it can wait."

---

Fred exchanged a look with George as she explained what Americans called Muggles. "No-Maj? Really? I'm sorry, love, but that doesn't sound right at all, does it, Georgie?" He glanced back over to his brother briefly and saw him shake his head in agreement. "We might have to agree to disagree on this one." Fred chuckled slightly. He was curious to learn more about the American wizarding world. He knew some of what was taught at Hogwarts, but that was the extent of what he knew. He had a feeling that she had a great deal to tell him, and he her. He was looking forward to it though. He'd been waiting for this day for years now since they first made contact with each other and now it was finally happening.

He couldn't help grinning when he heard her laugh. It was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. He had known to expect feelings and reactions like this when he finally did meet her, but he didn't think anything could have really prepared him for any of it. "You can keep him if you'd like, but you're going to have to give him a name first." He told her. He shrugged slightly in response to her later words. "We've been doing it for a few years now, it's sort of just become routine." He explained.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie's face lit up at his words when he said she could keep the Pygmy Puff, "Really? You don't have to do that." She said, but when he said that she had to name him first, she smiled instantly, "Newt. That's an easy one." She said with a grin followed by her new Pygmy Puff squeaking at her, clearly liking the name he was given. When she realized that Fred probably didn't know why the name was so easy for her, she explained, "Newt Scamander is my favorite author and my favorite Magizoologist. I've looked up to him since I was old enough to read and the first book my parents ever bought me was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I've read it at least a thousand times." Jessie admitted with a grin.

Jessie wasn't really sure how the whole soulmate thing worked, but the only thing she was sure of was that she had never felt more comfortable with anyone else in her life. Of course, Claire was Jessie's best friend, but there was a different feeling with Claire than there was with Fred, that much was easy to figure out. She nodded at Fred explanation of them closing up shop so well, "I guess it also helped that I was the only one in the store at the time." She joked with a smile.

---

Draco sighed and looked at Claire in awe. How could she just be so forgiving of him? She didn't know the things he had done, of course, but he had still been terrible enough to push her away, but here she was just being okay with it. At least somewhat. Nothing would ever make up for what he had done, he knew that for a fact. He just wish he wasn't so scared to talk about his past. He knew that he would have to tell her eventually, but he couldn't now. He would just scare her off.

When she hugged him, he was ridged at first, fully timid. He couldn't explain the electric shock that had run through him at finally being in physical contact with his soulmate. After a few seconds, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged back. It was a strange feeling to Draco. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. He never felt like this about Astoria and he certainly received very few hugs from his parents growing up and into adult life. He wasn't sure how to admit it aloud, but he finally felt right. In Claire's embrace, he felt like everything else didn't matter, even though it did, and that now he knew what everyone else felt being with their soulmate.

Claire wasn't dismissing what he had done, but she wasn't about to be angry with him over it either. She always tried to see the goodness in people, it was just how she was, and she wasn't about to change her ways with him either. Sure, when he pushed her away and sort of just ignored her it had hurt, but he was her soulmate, and she couldn't see herself being angry with him over it. She wanted an explanation, sure, but this was their first time meeting, and she wasn't going to bombard him with questions or demand any answers. She was certain that they would come with time. She didn't know where this certainty was coming from, but it was there.

She felt him tense up when she hugged him, but didn't make any sort of an effort to pull away. She honestly expected that sort of reaction out of him. That was why she'd tested the waters a bit before kind of just going for it. She couldn't explain why she expected it, she just kind of did. She didn't know if it was the whole soulmate thing, but she truly felt like she knew him already. And when the physical contact was finally made between them, the feeling was indescribable, like nothing she had ever felt before. It was that shock of electricity that everyone seemed to describe when they finally came in physical contact with their soulmate. She smiled when she finally felt him wrap his arms around her. "I've thought about meeting you for a really long time now..." She said quietly.

---

Fred smiled. "I know I don't, I want to." He told her. There were plenty of Pygmy Puffs to spare, and he could see, and feel, the joy she felt when she held the one in her hand. He liked knowing that she was happy, that's truthfully all he wanted for her. They might still have been almost strangers to each other, but it didn't really feel that way. He supposed that was what finally meeting your soulmate felt like. He knew that there was a great deal he still needed to learn about her, but he was happy just knowing that he had finally met her for right now.

He listened as she explained why she had chosen the name for the Pygmy Puff that she had and smiled. "Well, I think he likes the name that you've given him." He said. He could tell that she really did love the book, and he was beginning to realize that he could listen to her talk about things that she loved and was passionate about all day long. When she made the comment about being the only one in the store, he chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that probably helped." He said. "We've sorted everything out that we have to now though, so shall we?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of the stairs. There was another set of stairs on that floor that led up to the apartment.

@ sam winchester.
Jessie smiled at Fred's words before she cuddled Newt up to her cheek and grinned when she heard it squeak once more and roll around in her hand. She giggled lightly before Fred asked about them going up to his apartment. She nodded and followed him towards the stairs that lead them to where Fred lived. She was excited to get to know him more. It was one of the only things that she could think about whenever she thought about him. She wanted to know everything about him. Never once had it crossed her mind that the two were merely strangers. This was her soulmate. She couldn't think of him as anything else but that.

When they walked into the apartment, Jessie smiled as she looked around, "This is nice." She stated. It felt very homey and she could definitely see Fred living there. It fit him. She saw picture frames on a shelf of him with, who she assumed was, his family. They all looked like him. He had seven family members. Seven! That was amazing to Jessie, "Your family is huge!" She exclaimed as she glanced over at Fred, "That's so cool! I've always wanted to have a big family, but alas, I am but an only child. I do have a dog though." Jessie rambled with a laugh.

---

Draco smiled at her words, "I thought about you a lot since the day you reached out. Almost every day, really." He admitted. It was true. He always thought about making sure to keep his emotions in check, even when he had mastered that, he still thought about her. Whenever he looked down at his arm or saw himself shirtless in the mirror, he thought about her. He hated that he had put her through everything that he had. He hated that she now had to walk around with that ugly tattoo on her arm when it had nothing to do with her, or the scars that covered his torso because he was stupid enough to challenge Potter to a duel.

Draco took a hold of Claire's arm before pushing up her sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark that was there. He sighed and hung his head, "You don't know what this symbol means do you?" He questioned. He knew that, being American, she probably didn't know much of the Dark Mark or who it was for. Draco hated that part of his past and wished that he could erase it from time every day. He hoped that he never put Claire through anything like that again. They had found each other, Draco was on the path of changing, and he wasn't going to let her get away or even try to push her away this time.