Hexed (Fred Weasley ft the gang)

fifteen

T/W hello folks, just wanted to pop in here and say this chapter may be uncomfortable and distressing to some of you. Please only read on if you are completely comfortable with mentions of s*xual assault, physical pain and mentions of blood.

Please reach out if you are suffering with any of the issues detailed in this chapter or across any of my book. You're not alone.
L x

Xan never got much sleep when she was drinking. Els apartment was silent, apart from the sound of Blaises heartbeat in Xans ear, her head resting on his chest. Xan slowly lifted her head to look up at Blaise, his usual stern and brooding expression was replaced with a calm, soft look. Xanthie smiled and kissed his cheek softly as she wiggled out of his grip, her body covered in goosebumps as she tip-toed through the cold apartment towards Els room. She pressed her ear to the door and listened, not hearing a thing and silently thanking Godric that she hadn't heard anything going on between Neville and El.

Searching around the living room, Xan found her discarded dress from the night before flung over one of the tall stools in the kitchen area. She tugged it back on and sighed, looking for something to slip on her feet. Her gaze fell on the pair of black heels she'd worn last night, left at the front door and next to them were a pair of white sneakers that Xan assumed were Els. She pushed her feet into the sneakers and tied them up, shoving on Blaises jumper and unlocking the front door.

Xan looked at the clock as she wandered down the hall. 5am. Xanthies head pounded as she muttered about how she was never going to drink again, stepping out into the cold street. The stars were still out but if Xanthie squinted just the right way, she could see the sunrise peeping over the distant roofs. She hugged Blaises jumper closer to her as she made her way out onto the cobbles, memories of last night drifting back into her thoughts. Xanthie was looking around the empty streets, hoping that the pharmacy would be open and she could get her hands on some headache medication.

Approaching a quaint looking, mint green coloured store front, Xan sighed and threw her head back as she read a sign that said 'CLOSED' and underneath a list of the opening times, which told Xan it would be open for business at 6am. A full hour away.

"Fuck..." Xan groaned and turned, leaning back against the wall of the shop and closing her eyes, her head throbbing. She stood there in silence for a few moments before regaining her posture and turning back to face the store front. She threw her hair back from her face and looked in the window, seeing her own reflection and her eyes widened when she took in her features. Her mascara and eyeliner were streaked down her cheeks and her lipstick was smudged and slightly staining her chin. Maybe having her hair in her face wasn't such a bad idea.

Turning from the shop, Xanthie decided it was best to just head back to Els and wait there rather than waiting out in the cold early morning. As she walked, she took in all the shops surrounding her with their windows full of products and signs hanging from the roofs of each one. Ollivanders, Apothecary and Flourish&Botts were the main ones that Xanthie knew of but sitting on the corner of the street was a desolate shop, the windows were dark and unlit and the paint was cracking from the wooden exterior. The sign hanging from the roof was blank and swinging in the soft breeze. As Xanthie walked past, she saw movement in the window and paused to peer in but seeing no one, she shrugged and went to keep walking past. The door suddenly flung open and Xan felt a hand wrap around her wrist, tight, yanking her into the shop.

"What the fuck!" Xanthie screeched, desperately trying to pull away, but it was an attempt made in vain. The room was so dark around her, her eyes couldn't focus on what was happening but she heard the door slam roughly behind her as she was pushed into the wall. Her head hit the wall, causing her to whimper in pain as she squeezed her eyes shut.