A/N: Heyheyhey Potterverse!

This is sort of close to being Drarry in a romantic sense, but it's not. Not really. And it's my first time writing a soulmate AU.

Enjoy!

Draco tapped his fingers on the table while pretending to listen to a lecture in Professor Snape's class. He tried not to stare at the ring of red-and-gold snakes that slithered around his right pointer finger, dancing just beneath his pale skin. Not to mention the even more annoying Potter sitting next to him.

Draco'd always hated the color red. It was a sign of Gryffindor, the house he hated. It was the color of blood. Combining it with the symbol of his house, Slytherin, made his skin crawl.

It had shown up when he'd turned 15, at the end of the last school year. His father was not happy when he had seen it for the first time.

"It looks like your...soulmate is a Gryffindor. " Lucius declared venomously. "A blasted Gryffindor."

Draco didn't want to believe whomever he was destined to be with was in that wretched house. Gryffindors were the most aggravating, stubborn, stuck-up people he'd ever had the displeasure of going to school with. "But, Father, the mark is a parade of snakes. Surely my soulmate could be in Slytherin!"

"No, no, you don't understand the complexity of soul marks. You're too young."

"I'm fifteen!"

"Draco, I am done discussing this." Lucius shut him up right then and there. He looked hurt by the mention of soulmates. Lucius' soul mark was a small green dragon on the palm of his left hand. It did not match his wife's.

Draco had decided not to care about finding his soulmate. He didn't believe a random person he'd certainly never meet or know could make him happy. Especially if that person were a Gryffindor.

Meanwhile, sitting next to him, Harry scratched at his soul mark, a green-and-silver snake nearly crawling across the side of his neck, wishing he were somewhere other than sitting next to Malfoy during the first Potions class of the year. It didn't help that Draco's incessant tapping was annoying the hell out of him.

"Malfoy!" He whispered.

Draco turned his head and continued tapping. "What is it, Potter? This bothering you?" The tapping became louder and faster.

Harry muffled a groan. "Please stop! It's aggravating!" He covered his ears.

Draco laughed. "No way, it's fun to see you in a bad mood for once, Potter."

"Mr. Malfoy. What's so funny that it interrupts my class?" Snape strode over to them from the front of the room and was now looming over the desk, glancing at Harry. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Enjoying the lecture?"

"I can't hear it over his constant finger-tapping." Harry pointed to Draco.

"Draco, stop it." Snape ordered.

Draco put his hand under the table quickly, not showing his soul mark to Snape.

Harry went back to scratching his. It had appeared weeks before, on his fifteenth birthday. He hadn't told anyone. The Dursleys didn't understand soul marks just as they didn't understand anything related to magic. His friends already had their soul marks, and flaunted them everywhere.

"This is wonderful! I can finally study soul marks in more detail!" Hermoine had said this when she got her's at the beginning of the last school year. Her's was a gold hippogriff on her left shoulder.

"Wow, mine looks...nice." Ron's was a silver hippogriff on his right shoulder. When they realized they were soulmates, they'd been nearly overjoyed, hugging each other and getting congratulated by their peers.

Harry had been the third wheel, the one who still hadn't received it yet. He'd felt out of place when hanging out with his two best friends, now soulmates, for the rest of the year. He hadn't seen or heard much from either of them then or during the summer, and they had yet to ask him about his.

He didn't really want them to. He doubted he had a soulmate. How could some random girl(or guy, he'd take his chances with either)be destined for him? And him for them? Better to not search and spare the disappointment of not finding them.

"Mr. Potter, what are you scratching at? It's rude." Snape asked, breaking his thoughts.

"Oh, my neck, sir. It's a bit irritated today." Harry explained, putting his hand down.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry. "Well, if you're having problems, perhaps you ought to go down to the hospital wing?"

"No! That won't be necessary. I'm fine, honest." He smiled nervously. Draco side-eyed him and raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, but no more scratching." Snape looked back at Draco. "And no more tapping. Or you both get detention." And he curtly turned and walked back to the front.

As soon as Snape's head was turned, Draco low-key began tapping underneath the table, smirking.

"That's it. I'm done." Harry put his head on the table.

"Aw, don't be such a kill-joy, Potter."

Harry put his head back up. "You're going to get us both into detention!"

"So what? Detention isn't that bad."

"Oh yeah? Remember first year? You were so scared." Harry smirked.

Draco flushed. "That was a while ago!"

"Still. You were terrified."

"You were too!"

"Malfoy! Potter! Utter another word and I shall silence you both!" Snape yelled. "You are both getting detention and ten points will be deducted from each of your houses."

"Aw, what?"

"Seriously?"

"Now get out of my classroom and work out your quarrels." Snape pointed to the door.

Harry and Draco quickly looked at each other before they packing up their things and walking out of Snape's room.

They had to climb stairs to get back to the ground floor from the dungeon.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out of class AND into detention the first day of classes. Way to go, Malfoy!" Harry started to stride ahead of Draco.

"Hey, you contributed as much as I did. And stop walking so fast! You think I wanted detention?!"

"No, because you're a coward."

"Am not! Stop with your lies. I've never been a coward!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you hiding your hand in your robe?"

Draco paused his comeback. He hadn't realized he was hiding his right hand from view. He removed it and placed it behind his back. "No reason. Why were you touching your neck just moments ago?"

"I was not! What kind of silly accusation is that?" He unwillingly reached and felt his neck, making sure his shirt collar hid the mark.

"Liar."

"You're a liar as much as I am, Malfoy!"

"Then let's see it! I'll show you my hand if you show me your neck."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Harry began to loosen his Gryffindor tie so it went over his shirt collar, as Draco held his left hand around his right. "On three. Ok?" Harry asked.

"Yes, yes, I know how to count." Draco rolled his eyes.

"One.."

"Two..."

"Three!" Harry pulled down his shirt collar swiftly, revealing the snake, which had grown quite a bit and was shimmering now with a hint of gold, slithering like it was going mad.

Draco uncovered his hand, revealing the tiny snakes dancing around his finger, now shimmering with silver.

They each stared at each other's soul marks. Then back at each other. Then back at the soul marks.

Draco covered his mouth. "Oh. My. God."

Harry was speechless. Well, almost. "We can't...this isn't..what? How are we soulmates?!"

Draco closed his eyes, thinking about his father, whom never found hid soulmate, finding out that Draco's was...Harry Potter?!

"No...It can't be right...This isn't right! I don't want a soulmate, I don't need a soulmate!" Draco told himself out loud as he started to walk away from where Harry stood.

"Why is it you? I always thought... we hate each other!" Harry stated the obvious.

"You think I don't know that?! The magical universe must be trying to mess with us!" He then looked to the ceiling. "Ha! You think I'll fall for him? Never!"

"Same for me! I never wanted to find my soulmate. I've spent enough time alone to be used to the feeling." Harry suddenly looked sad.

Draco stopped cursing the universe and looked at Harry skeptically. He noticed the soul mark had slowed down its circles and was slowly wrapping around Harry's neck. The shimmer was still there.

"Potter, your soul mark, it's wrapping around your neck."

"What? It is?" Harry felt for it.

"Hold on, maybe if we stand closer together." Draco took a step towards Harry. The snake began to recoil itself back to its original position. "Odd. I've never seen any soul mark do that before."

"What about yours? You didn't have anything weird happen just now?"

"I didn't feel anything." Draco looked down at his hand. The snakes had moved themselves up and around his wrist. They continued to shimmer. A few new ones had joined in. They were, oddly enough, green.

His eyes widened. "Potter, there are some new snakes on my wrist. And they look like your's, but smaller."

Harry's eyes also widened. He walked a step closer, and looked at Draco's wrist, now crawling with snakes. "Wow. It's...amazing what soul marks can do."

Draco spotted a hint of red and gold on Harry's neck, which at first glance matched the look of his tie, but looking closer, he saw it was in fact another snake, red and gold, in sync with the green.

"You've got one too, Potter."

"I've got what?"

Draco sighed. "Another snake, you daft imbecile! What else could I be talking about?!"

"I don't know. Ok? I don't know..."

Draco once more stopped. Harry looked sad again. "Potter, is something other than the mess we're apparently in bothering you?"

"No, nothing is bothering me, Malfoy. Promise."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Ok... Are you sure?" He wasn't sure why he cared so much about what Harry was feeling. He'd never before, he was usually the one tormenting him. Or maybe it's the other way around...

"Yes, I'm sure." Harry wiped his eye.

"No, you're lying again. Just spit it out, what's the matter?" Draco was more demanding this time around. He didn't want to see Harry crying, though as to why he wasn't sure.

"Finding out my soulmate is someone I detest because of something completely out of my control. And thinking for a long time I would never find them, or you, I guess, and that I would remain alone. Forever."

"You're not alone. You have Granger, Weasl-"

"Not anymore! After they became 'soulmates', they stopped talking to me completely. We haven't spoken since March!"

"Woah, calm down, Potter, someone in a classroom will hear you." Draco was now concerned they would get into even more trouble.

"I don't care. No one can hear me. No one ever hears me. I'm forever doomed to be alone, nothing can change that, Malfoy. Nothing!"

Draco grabbed Harry's hand. The surprise of the movement caught Harry off-guard, silencing him and his anger. "Stop talking this...nonsense. You're the least lonely person I can think of. Everyone loves you."

"They love the Boy Who Lived. Not Harry Potter." Harry looked at the floor.

"Well, then the Boy Who Lived can go get kissed by a dementor."

"And Harry Potter?"

Draco shrugged. "The whole world may love you, but you're only tied to one person by destiny." He smiled a little.

Harry saw some of Draco's snakes beginning to climb onto his arm. Through his fingers. Onto his wrist. They wrapped around, forming a bracelet of green and silver. The red stayed on Draco.

Draco saw Harry's green snake slither off his neck, down his arm, and onto his. It climbed him until it reached his neck, where it stayed, resting.

They both looked at each other straight in the eyes, green on gray. Their hands parted. They each examined their own soul marks, now having two.

"Did not expect that to happen." Draco said to himself, feeling his neck where the green snake now lay.

"Wow." Harry agreed, rubbing at the snakes on his wrist. They moved to circle his pointer finger. The same happened to Draco.

Draco began to scratch. "You're right, Potter, it is irritating having a snake on your neck."

Harry laughed. He felt himself tapping his leg with his snake-ring finger. "Well, isn't this ironic."

Draco started to laugh. Then they both started laughing. Their laughter echoed through the hallway.

"I believe we've settled our quarrels, Malfoy."

"Agreed." Then, the sound of doors opening and children talking filled their ears.

"I guess I'll see you in detention, then." Harry turned towards his next class.

"Don't you remember? We're in the same classes." How did Draco know this?

"Huh, I do remember. " How did Harry remember?

It didn't matter.

They walked side by side, so close they were holding hands without realizing it. A small red snake and a small green snake passed between them before they reached their next class, where they unwittingly sat next to each other.

Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!