𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[003] CHAPTER 20 - the very first night

"i'd pick you up and we'd go back in time."

Louis

I woke up in the middle of the woods, completely bare and dirty. Using my wand, I murmur a spell to make clothes appear on my body. Merlin, I need a shower.

When I frantically look around, I spot the castle not too far away. So I walk there, barefoot.

As I walk to Hogwarts, I somewhat manage to recollect my memory from last night. It comes back in flashes.

Howl,

Peter Pettigrew,

Scabbers,

Werewolf,

Pain,

Harry,

Hermione,

Ron,

Father,

Sirius Black,

Hunger,

Anger,

Tears,

Makayla.

Makayla was crying. Why? I can't recall the reason.

I walk into the castle, ignoring the students who are staring at me weirdly. One thing I do remember is that Ron was injured, so I make my way down to the medical wing.

Just as I get to the door, nurses, rush out, terrified due to the shouting coming from the two women I know best.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE VAMPIRES?" Annie screams.

"I SAID WEREWOLF!" Makayla shouts back. "WERE—WOLF."

"I DON'T—"

I walk in and Annie hugs me to the point where I can't breathe, "I thought you were dead!"

"Why would I be dead?" I chuckle.

I look around the room and see Hermione and Harry standing over Ron, who is sitting on a medical bed, his leg handicapped. Meanwhile, Makayla is also in a medical bed, bandages wrapped around her arms. She gets up from the bed.

Hermione looks over, then runs to her, "Woah, woah, woah—you are not healed enough, yet!"

"Well, of course she is!" Dumbledore says in the doorway. "She has a duty, as do you, Mrs. Granger." He makes his way to the two girls. "You both should know what to do..."

"Makayla?" Jordyn asks. That's when I realize she's even here. "What is he talking about?"

"I think that two turns will do the charm," Dumbledore says to Hermione and Makayla, walking back to the door. Hermione and Makayla look at each other, somehow knowing what he means. Just before closing the door, he says, "You might be able to save one life, but why not more than that? Make sure nobody sees you and that you do everything in your power to fulfill your duty. Good luck~."

The door shuts behind him.

Hermione and Makayla pull out their matching gold hourglass necklaces.

"We would let you tag along, Ron," Hermione says, putting the charm of her necklace around her, Harry, and Jordyn's necks, "but you, unfortunately, cannot walk."

Makayla wraps the chain of her necklace around Annie and I's necks, keeping it around hers as well, while Ron is being clueless, asking, "What?"

Hermione and Makayla turn the hourglasses on their necklaces two times. I look around, noticing time move backwards.

What the hell?

Time slows down and starts moving forward at the 7:30 bell. Hermione looks at the clock and says, "Seven thirty... Where were we at seven thirty?"

"Going to Hagrid's? What is—" Harry starts.

"We don't have a lot of time," Hermione says to Makayla, who's unwrapping the chain from around Annie and I's necks.

"Okay..." Makayla sighs, turning to Annie, Jordyn, Harry, and I. "Keep close to us, and don't let anybody see you."

We all run to Hagrid's shack. If I'm going to be honest, I have no clue what is happening. The only people who know what the hell tehy are doing are Makayla and Hermione. The two geniuses of our "friend group."

We hide behind the wall of pumpkins between the path through the forest and Hagrid's house. I see Makayla's gaze soften at the sight of Hagrid's bird—Buckbeak. Little does it know, it's going to die in less than an hour.

Makayla

Hermione points out that Dumbledore, the Ministry, and the executioner are arriving. She also points out that we aren't leaving. This reminds me of the rocks thrown through the window.

I notice the pile of rocks near the stem of a pumpkin. It must've been me who threw the rocks. I grab one, throwing it through the window, then hear a glass break. The pot of fruit. I throw a second one, hitting Harry's past self in the back of the head.

Everyone in the shack trails out as Dumbledore knocks on Hagrid's door. We run into the woods, hiding behind trees.

I slowly peer out from behind my tree, looking at the back of past me's head. "Is that really what my hair looks like from the ba—" Louis pulls me close to his chest just as past Hermione and I turn around. Yes, that was reckless, but my hair looked treacherous!

"Are you sure that you're the smart one?" Louis whispers in my ear. The heat of his voice flushes through my entire body. I want to punch him to distract myself.

We watch our past selves walk sneakily up the hill. I step out, staring at Buckbeak. It doesn't des—didn't deserve to die. Draco is teh reason that I had to hit Harry in the head with a rock.

"So, I have a question," Ann asks, "why do we always have a party whenever we do something remotely related to He Who Must Not Be Named?"

Hermione responds, but I'm too busy staring at the string of dead ferrets. Sometimes I act without thinking, because the next thing I know, I'm unhooking the bird from the post and leading it into the forest with the string of dead ferrets.

"What are you doing?" Hermione tries not to shout.

I give the bird a ferret as Dumbledore and the others discover that the bird is no longer prepared to be murdered. Dumbledore seems nonchalant and the executioner just murders a pumpkin. Meanwhile, I'm giving the bird another ferret and hitting it gently on the rear end to let it fly away.

"You saved it..." Louis whispers with a hint of mesmiration in his voice.

I run up the hill, staying in the trees, watching past me punch Draco. I hear giggles from behind me, but I quickly shut them up.

Draco runs away with Crabbe and Goyle, calling Hermione a mudblood and me a mut. I wasn't aware he had said that before now.

Scabbers bites Ron and we all chase him. Watching it in third person makes me want to laugh and spit in my own face.

I give Scabbers to Ron, letting Sirius drag Ron into the Womping Willow. Everyone else slowly makes their way into the Willow and Snape follows shortly after. I'm going to be honest—watching Harry and Hermione struggle to get in the tree is hilarious.

"Now we wait," Louis says, sitting on the distant hill we're on.

Sighing, I sit next to him, repepating what he said, "Now we wait."