Trini Amatorius

Imagine a powerful spell, created over a thousand years ago to resolve the entanglement of a love triangle. In theory, it sounds simplistic, a way of resolving tense situations without bloodshed. But truth and reality were never that easy, as Goderic Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin discovered.

The two founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were in a scandalous bind that threatened their friendship even beyond their ideological differences. Salazar Slytherin had been involved with young Rhiannon Hufflepuff, the younger sister of Hogwarts founder Helga Hufflepuff. This relationship was so serious that a betrothal was expected to be announced. Then, out of the blue, Rhiannon began keeping company with Goderic Gryffindor, and their betrothal was announced. The only reason Rhiannon gave for falling out with Slytherin was ideological differences—disagreement over his stance on Muggle-borns most likely.

Slytherin was livid. He swore that not only had Rhiannon done him wrong, but also that she was living a lie. That she was really in love with him, not Gryffindor; and that she was only trying to punish him because she did not agree with his beliefs. Rhiannon swore that she had grown to detest his cruelty and had fallen in love with Gryffindor, but he did not believe her.

Because of this impasse, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Helga Hufflepuff devised Trini Amatorius, a spell powerful enough to find and ignite the heart and soul bond between two lovers. Once the creation of the spell was completed, they then had to cast it… or rather find someone to cast it for them as they could not cast it on themselves. Eventually the fourth Hogwarts founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, agreed to do this; though with grave misgivings as she feared that only ill would come of it. In her opinion, issues like love and fate were too big to be trifled with.

For the actual casting of the spell, Rhiannon was suspended in mid-air using a simple levitation charm. Slytherin and Gryffindor stood ten metres away from her, twenty metres apart, forming a triangle with Rhiannon. Sitting directly beneath the suspended Rhiannon was Helga, acting as a familial link for her sister. This was important; for the way Trini Amatorius was designed, it would only bond those whom fate destined to be together. If neither of the beaux was that person then a member of the castee’s family had to be there as a fall back. The way the spell worked was that when the caster (Rowena Ravenclaw) had finished the incantation, the castee (Rhiannon) would float to whomever she (or he as the case may be) was meant to be with, or sink down to the familial link if not bonded. The outcome of this first casting of the spell was that Rhiannon was bonded to Slytherin, just as that wizard had believed all along. The was triumphant—but he celebrated too soon.

For Trini Amatorius bonded those who were meant to be together, not taking into account the feelings of those involved or the conscious choices that their hearts and minds had made. Despite the bonding, Rhiannon truly despised Slytherin and refused anything to do with him. She ignored the outcome of the spell and eloped with Gryffindor, the man she believed herself to be in love with. Slytherin was enraged that Rhiannon would fly in the face of destiny as the spell had decreed, and he cursed Trini Amatorius. From that time on, once the spell had been cast, if anybody tried to ignore the bond or break it, they would suffer and die a most painful death. And, if by some miracle they happened to survive the parting; the curse also meant that they would never be able to have children with anyone other than their bond-mate. Men could simply not father them; women would miscarry within the first trimester of the pregnancy.

The creation of Trini Amatorius proved to be both a blessing and a curse to the Wizarding world in the millennium since its first casting. Apart from the implications of Slytherin’s Curse, the resulting bond from a casting was unbreakable. Over the years it was cautioned to be used only in great seriousness, as the effected were everlasting and the consequences could be dire—especially from Slytherin’s Curse. The Curse was only supposed to affect those who attempted to break the bond as Rhiannon Hufflepuff had done, but this proved to be not the case. It attacked anyone who had undergone the spell and bonded, even when the bond was accepted and strengthened; albeit in a less dramatic fashion.

Access to information on the spell was not restricted but neither was it freely taught in the curriculum at Hogwarts. Perhaps this was the reason that the spell had not been cast within the walls of the Hogwarts castle for nearly a thousand years. Then, within a span of only 25 years, it was cast three times at the school. In the first instance, Trini Amatorius was cast on a seventh year student during the last week of school—Lucius Malfoy. For the previous two years Malfoy had been involved with a fellow Slytherin in his year, Jada Keyes. It was a fairly serious relationship, but Malfoy had also been seeing another girl since the Christmas holidays of that last year, Narcissa Black. As the association with Narcissa had started out as an arrangement made by their families, Malfoy did not bother to end things with Jada; so for the last six months of school he dated both women. This situation suited neither Jada nor Narcissa; and the women demanded that Malfoy choose. Malfoy found that he could not make that decision easily, so he fell back on the Trini Amatorius to make the choice for him.

Lucius Malfoy was bonded to Jada Keyes, and the two married shortly after school finished that June. A daughter, Jocasta, was born a year later; and for a time they lived happily together. But it was not to last.

The Malfoy family, like many old Slytherin families, was heavily into the dark arts; and it was no surprise to anyone that Lucius Malfoy supported Lord Voldemort in his rise to power. Lucius and Jada may have been destined mates, but even that did not stand in the way of Lucius carrying out his Lord’s work. A secret, kept hidden for years, was finally disclosed—Jada Keyes Malfoy had been adopted as a small child. While that fact was not remarkable in and of itself, it proved that her parents were Muggles; which made Jada a Muggle-born.

As an heir to the Slytherin “pureblood” tradition Lucius Malfoy was disgusted that he was bonded to a Muggle-born. Lord Voldemort was not only disgusted, he was angry at his unwitting betrayal of what he was trying to achieve. As proof of Malfoy’s loyalty, Voldemort demanded that he kill Jada. This was no small thing, for despite his disgust Lucius was still bonded to his wife, and the ties were strong. But ultimately his desire to please the Dark Lord was stronger, and though it pained him deeply, Lucius Malfoy used the Killing Curse on Jada.

When Malfoy recovered from the physical shock of the loss of his bond-mate, the Dark Lord wanted him to finish the job and kill the ‘half-breed’ daughter. Only Malfoy was not able to do it. Jocasta was his daughter after all, and she carried the Malfoy blood within her. A Malfoy could not kill, nor disinherit one of their own. Nobody knew for sure whether it was an actual curse or just a legend, but Lucius Malfoy had a healthy respect for it not to try and cross that line. So Jocasta Malfoy remained alive, sent away when Lucius married Narcissa Black (to Narcissa’s sister, Andromeda Tonks—one blood traitor deserved another, after all).

The second time Trini Amatorius was cast within the Hogwarts castle was a generation later—on Jocasta Malfoy. Like her parents before her, it was cast during her seventh year, on the second last day of school.

Having been sent to live with her step-aunt, Jocasta had grown up away from the dark arts tradition that her family was steeped in. As such, though she was immediately sorted into Slytherin for being a Malfoy, she did not fit in with her housemates. The friends Jocasta made were all outside the Slytherin House—her step-cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, a Ravenclaw by the name of Lachlan Beriden Orlwald, and a Gryffindor, Charlie Weasley. The latter friendship was all the more remarkable as there was a history of animosity between the Malfoy and Weasley families.

As time went on a romance developed between Jocasta and Charlie, much to the amazement to most of the student body. Unfortunately, Lachlan had also fallen for Jocasta; though he never said anything in order not to upset the friendship. But good intentions did not always pan out, and rumours spread that Lachlan and Jocasta were having an affair when she was helping him prepare for his NEWTs Potions exam.

Eventually the rumours reached Charlie’s ears, and he was livid that Jocasta would betray him in that manner. He turned a deaf ear to her pleas that it was not true, and in desperation Jocasta took Veritaserum (duly administered by Professor Snape despite Ministry regulations) in order to prove to Charlie that he was faithful to him. But even that did not wholly convince the angry and betrayed Gryffindor.

Knowing about Trini Amatorius, Jocasta proposed that the spell be cast in a last ditch effort to prove to Charlie she was faithful. This backfired, as it turned out that Jocasta was fated to be with Lachlan. Trini Amatorius bound them together, regardless of the fact that Jocasta loved and wanted to be with Charlie. She utterly rejected the bond, ignoring the advice that she needed to stay in contact with Lachlan. She wanted nothing to do with the Ravenclaw who was once a good friend.

Funnily enough, this convinced Charlie that she had been telling the truth, and he took her home to the Burrow for the summer. There Slytherin’s Curse struck, and Jocasta fell deathly ill. She was not taken to St Mungo’s, for the only “cure” to the Curse was connecting with Lachlan, which she would not do; it was felt that she would be more comfortable at the Burrow.

Charlie was beside himself. All the fights he’d had with Jocasta suddenly mattered very little, and he regretted that it was his stubbornness that reduced her to suggesting they cast the spell. He just wanted her to survive—and when she slipped into a coma, he knew there was little hope left. He swallowed his pride and turned to the one person who could help—Lachlan. It galled him to do so, but it was Slytherin’s Curse that was killing her, and only her bond-mate could save her.

Lachlan could not resist Charlie’s two word plea: “Save her.” Accordingly he came to the Burrow and sat with Jocasta until she pulled through. But once she was out of the woods, he disappeared. Whatever happened next was Charlie and Jocasta’s business; he would not interfere.

When Jocasta came to and chose to be with Charlie, he did not argue. He just took her to Romania with him to study dragons. For a while they were happy, even reporting that they were engaged, and that Jocasta was pregnant. But tragedy struck shortly before Christmas. Slytherin’s curse meant that Jocasta lost the baby; and she knew she would never be able to carry to term any child fathered by Charlie. They realised then that it was hopeless—they could never have a completely fulfilling relationship when Jocasta was bonded to Lachlan. It was a heartbreaking decision, but they ended the relationship.

Jocasta did not turn to Lachlan straight away. Instead she lived off her inheritance (she could not be disinherited, after all) and searched the world for information on Trini Amatorius. It was 18 months before she ran into Lachlan again—and when she did it felt like she was home at last. The couple married a month later, and to show that there were no hard feelings, Charlie came to the wedding as a witness (though things would be a tad awkward between them for a while, and the friendship took longer to get back on track).

But it would be the third casting of Trini Amatorius at Hogwarts that would become the most famous. Its story is as follows.

To be continued...

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