Short Stories and Oneshots

Hello There - Part 6 - Final

Obi-Wan would never forget the look on Qui-Gon Jinn's face when Hermione's Patronus arrived in the middle of their training session. His master's eyebrows shot up and he stumbled as they abruptly paused their sparring with the silvery wisp shot through the opposite wall and came to a stop in between them before forming into an otter.

He'd been told what to expect from the messenger spell, but it was still disconcerting to hear Hermione's voice come from the otter's opened mouth.

Obi, we're at Hogwarts. This is it. Keep your promise. Qui-Gon, keep him distracted? I'll see you when it's over.

This had been the message he'd long been expecting and dreading. They'd had many conversations about different possibilities when at Shell Cottage and she'd kept him up to date during their later nightly visits. As mush as it frustrated him, he knew he couldn't join her at this final battle. He couldn't block spell fire; he would just be a hindrance to her. Three days ago, as she, Harry and Ron finished their final preparations for their mission to a bank, she'd made him promise not to join her through their bond. He hadn't seen her since. It wasn't their longest separation, but it was the most nerve-wracking.

"She knew I was with you?" Qui-Gon asked as they watched the Patronus dissipate.

Obi-Wan smirked. "She knew I'd be with you to keep myself grounded, Master. I told you, she's brilliant."

Qui-Gon's responding thoughtful hum was heavily tinged with amusement. "So her battle begins?" He nodded to himself. "You have a strong bonded one, Obi-Wan."

"She has a warrior's heart," he agreed, a wistful tone slipping into his voice. He knew she could take care of herself, but he couldn't help the nervous feeling that sank to the bottom of his stomach.

It was his turn to be surprised as another wisp of silver light entered the room, again forming into Hermione's otter.

Go visit Sirius. He's on Coruscant at the Jedi Temple, in Bay Seven. The Order knows to send word to him just in case. You can keep each other from doing something reckless.

Once the message ended this time, the otter swirled around him twice before dissolving, leaving him with a brief warm reminder of Hermione's love.

He shot his master a betrayed glare as Qui-Gon chuckled. "Brilliant indeed," the older Jedi agreed with a grin at his padawan's expense. "Shall we, then?"

Obi-Wan stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I am not one to argue with one of the Force's chosen when she seeks to protect her mate," he said calmly with a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he stowed his lightsaber onto his belt. "We should not keep this Sirius waiting."

His Master and his soulmate still hadn't officially met and yet they still managed to team up against him. As he stashed his own weapon and followed Qui-Gon out of the room, he wasn't sure if he should be aggravated or proud.

~

Obi-Wan had long been impressed by his Master's ability to mediate so easily, but now he was straight up envious of that skill as Qui-Gon sat serenely across from him and Sirius Black. They'd found him where Hermione had said he'd be – or rather, Sirius had found them. He'd been almost unnoticeable under a spell called disillusionment when they'd approached, but it hadn't fooled the Jedi's Force sensitivity, especially since they were expressly looking for him.

The past few hours had been spent in a secluded spot in the Kybuck menagerie, where they were unlikely to be disturbed. Sirius and Qui-Gon had gotten along quite well as they swapped stories about their lives and different wizarding and Jedi knowledge. Obi-Wan contributed his opinion every so often, but otherwise he tried to distract himself from the constantly spiking pain and fear that was flowing from the other end of his soul bond by practicing his control over the Force by levitating a small rock.