𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐚

Chapter 12

⋆ ˚｡deja vu⋆୨୧˚

"If it isn't Regulus Black!" Victoria rushed towards Regulus's side, he stopped walking and turned to her. "How are you?" 

"Fine thank you, and you?" he asked.

"Alright, I actually don't know why I came over here, but here I am," Victoria said awkwardly.

Regulus shifted a bit where he was standing, he smiled towards the ground before responding, "I don't mind."

Victoria's face heated up but it wasn't noticeable considering it was cold outside. "You've got snow a lot of snow in your hair," she slowly reached up towards his hair so she could pat off the snow. Regulus watched in amusement as she did.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"And you snore in your sleep!" Emerson pointed her finger at Sirius, a triumphant smile spreading across her face as he finally fell silent.

Sirius mumbled something in response, struggling to find the right words. "I do not! Well, uh, your room's a mess!"

Emerson gasped in mock offense. Meanwhile, James sat peacefully, sipping the leftover butterbeer from his sister's cup, while Remus lazily perused a puzzle he had brought along. Peter, on the other hand, indulged in a few candies he had purchased.

Returning with a handful of napkins to clean up, Marco rolled his eyes at their bickering before attending to the mess. However, he soon noticed the absence of a certain someone—Victoria.

Sirius theatrically gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "I may be a mess, but you didn't have to say that! At least I have a pretty face!"

"Oh, please! My face is prettier than yours even on your best day!"

Remus got bored of playing with his fidget game puzzle, so he rose from his seat to address Sirius and Emerson. "Sirius, stop arguing with your sister. And Em, I know Sirius can be irritating, but you two need to stop. I'm bored, and I can't deal with all this noise."

Both Sirius and Emerson paused momentarily. Emerson scanned the room, realizing that Victoria was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where did Vic go?"

Looking up from his cleaning, Marco shrugged. "Not sure. I thought she went to the bathroom or something."

"I'll go check. I can't stand arguing with idiots," Emerson declared, shoving Sirius aside, much to his chagrin.

Heading toward the bathroom, Emerson found it empty. She knocked on the stalls, but there was no response. Just as she was about to leave, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach—a physical discomfort rather than nausea. Hastily, she reached under her shirt to investigate. Her hand came away smeared with blood.

Panic rising, Emerson rushed to wash it off, but the blood seemed stubbornly stuck. Her breathing grew labored as more blood dripped onto the floor. Grabbing towels, she tried to wipe it away, but it only seemed to spread.

Taking a moment to steady herself, Emerson leaned against the wall, sinking to the ground. She closed her eyes, willing the pain and fear to subside. When she opened them again, the blood on her hand had vanished, leaving her bewildered. Had the water washed it away?

Slowly rising to her feet, Emerson looked at her reflection in the mirror. She attempted a smile, trying to conceal any signs of distress. With trembling hands, she wiped away the smeared makeup, hoping to regain her composure.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"I'll see you soon. I should get back before they wonder where I am," Victoria said to Regulus before giving him a tight hug and waving goodbye. Regulus couldn't help but feel a flush of warmth spread across his cheeks.

"Alright," Regulus waved back, watching Victoria walk away with a smile on his face. Finally, he could tell Narcissa that he had actually spoken to her.

Victoria reentered the pub to find James attempting to flirt with Lily, though it seemed to be failing spectacularly. Sirius watched with amusement, trying to encourage James, while Remus and Marco engaged in a discussion about something. Peter, as usual, seemed to blend into the background, he didn't seem to mind though. Victoria scanned the room for Emerson and spotted her emerging from the bathroom, looking less cheerful than usual.

Walking up to her, Victoria caught Emerson off guard. "Hey, Mercury!"

"I told you not to call me that. Where have you been? I looked for you and got worried," Emerson said, placing her hands on her hips in a gesture reminiscent of Victoria when she scolded Marco or Emerson.

"I was outside. And will you stop with the hand gestures?" Victoria said, moving Emerson's hands down to stop her from mimicking her. "You look upset."

Emerson's eyes widened. "Me? Well, yeah. I had a quarrel with my annoying brother. I feel like I should sell him. Do you think anyone would buy him? I'll even offer free shipping."

Victoria linked her arm with Emerson's, pulling her away from the others. "Sure, maybe I'll even throw in James for a surprise."

As they stepped outside into the cold, Emerson shivered slightly. She wasn't fond of the cold, but she preferred it to the heat. Victoria, on the other hand, reveled in the chill, rushing over to a nearly square piece of wood.

"Look, we should leave our mark here!" Victoria exclaimed, picking up the wood, leaving Emerson perplexed by her suggestion.

"Uh, Vic, I really doubt we can do that. It's not exactly sanitary..."

Once Victoria picked up the piece of wood, she turned to Emerson with a scrunched-up face. "I mean, like, we should write our initials on this and hang it up so years later we can have some deja vu going on."

"Oh, then sure. How will we carve our initials in?" Emerson asked.

Victoria brandished a sharp stick, pointing it at Emerson. "Whoa, whoa, don't point that at me!" Emerson shrieked.

"No, Emi, you write your initial in," Victoria said, rolling her eyes playfully as she held the wood steady for Emerson to write on. Emerson dutifully carved both of their initials into the wood.

"There, where do you want to put it?" Emerson asked, scanning the surroundings for a suitable spot.

"Over there!" Victoria pointed toward a wall. "It has a spot to hang it upon."

Perhaps in a few years, once they finished Hogwarts, they could come back and revisit this exact place. Nobody knew what the future held, but hoping for the best shouldn't hurt, right?

(edited)