𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[005] CHAPTER 1 - cardigan

"you drew stars around my scars, but now i'm bleeding."
|| taylor swift

* LISTEN TO THE SONGS THAT THE CHAPTERS ARE TITLED AFTER WHILE READING EACH CHAPTER PLZ *

Makayla

"What do you mean Harry's been attacked?" I ask, walking into the dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place, otherwise known as Headquarters.

The Weasleys, Grayson, Hermione, and I were the first to arrive at Headquarters being welcomed by Sirius. Sirius and Remus are the only ones in the Order of the Phoenix that know of the Dark Mark that's on my wrist, for reasons that my big mouth says are obvious.

"Dementors were out of their territory and tried to kill him," Sirius explains, looking at the table as it sets itself.

"That's not right—" I say, partially confused as Ron walks in and cuts me off.

"The worst part is that he's been expelled from Hogwarts," Ron says, discouraged. I honestly can't blame him. Harry is Ron's only friend apart from Hermione. So, henceforth, without Harry, Ron would be miserable.

"What the—"

I'm cut off once again by the sound of the door opening. I count four sets of footsteps. That must be—

"Nice to see you again, Remus," Sirius announces as Ann, Christopher, Louis, and Remus all enter the room.

As I watch Remus and Sirius get entangled in a casual embrace, Christopher walks over to me. I met him once a few years ago. He's close friends with Nora, which is kind of ironic since Louis and I hated each other for the longest time and, from what Ann has told me, Christopher is a mini version of Louis. Because Nora is a mini version of me, it looks like history repeating itself. I just hope it plays out differently than last time.

"I just wanted to ask," Christopher murmurs. "How is Nora doing?"

I'm unable to stifle a smile as Grayson and Hermione's bickering upstairs starts to grow a little more obvious. Nodding awkwardly, I say, "I wish I knew. But, hey, you'll get to see her next year when you two come to Hogwarts!"

The last words that leave my mouth cause a smile to erupt on his face. I don't understand how Christopher is a mini Louis because he isn't even half as annoying as the real Louis.

Note from Louis: HEY!

Sirius then says, "Alright, kids, time to head on up to the rooms."

"What?" I ask, feigning distraughtness as I speak over the scattered groans.

"Harry's almost here, which means everyone is almost here," Remus says in his annoying lecturing tone. "So go upstairs. The meeting's nearly started and you know the rules."

All of us groan as we exit the dining room, meeting the eyes of Snape before climbing up the stairs and meeting Fred, George, Ginny, Grayson, and Hermione in a random bedroom. The smile that appears on my face seems to appear on Grayson's as well as I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. As I do so, his arms wrap around my waist, giving me a warmth I never want to retreat from. That's up until I'm forced to pull away, my heart making itself known in my chest.

Hermione clears her throat, clearing the weight of silence from the room as she asks, "Is Harry here, yet?"

"Almost," I say, noticing that the water in a glass cup on a random nightstand is vibrating. "On second thought, he just arrived."

Just as the words leave my mouth, the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice exclaiming, "Harry!" from downstairs.

Fred and George run out of the room into another, probably to prank Harry and appear out of nowhere. They've been doing that so much this summer, you'd think I'd learn to stop flinching at every sudden movement. Spoiler alert: I haven't, but I have gotten much better at predicting it so I don't flinch. They don't know much about my life or reason as to why I'm staying at the Burrow basically until I'm old enough to live on my own. Two more years, I guess.

Louis looks at me, conflicted, as if he wants to say something but can't. That singular look typically summarizes my entire life before fourth year.

Ann seems to say whatever is on Louis' mind as she says, "Oh! Maky! I almost forgot! Happy birthday!"

I blink before saying, "That was a month ago, Ann—"

"I know, I know..." she interrupts me. "But I couldn't send a letter, so y'know..."

I nod, understanding, but not saying anything further. That's as Harry enters the room, Hermione immediately hugging him, talking about how worried we were and that the Ministry is being unfair. I roll my eyes, walking out of the room and leaning against the railing of the stairwell.

As I look down to the bottom floor, I can't help but notice two oddly familiar cats climbing up the stairs on the floor below me. As they get closer to me, I quickly recognize their fur. Crookshanks and Mackarel! Of course!

They reach the floor I'm on, Crookshanks approaching me and Mackarel running past me. I know who he ran to immediately.

I sigh with a hint of sarcasm, saying, "Hi, Louis."

I don't move my gaze from the floors below me as he approaches me, leaning against the railing next to me and saying, "Hey, Maky."

"Don't make me rip your tongue out of your throat," I threaten playfully.

"Sorry, sorry," he says, pretending to be apologetic as he joins me in watching the motionless and lifeless floors below us, the only movement being Creature occasionally doing his job and murmuring about a mudblood here and there. "Do you think that this year's going to be bad?"

I sigh, looking at the paintings that hang on the walls in the floors below us before saying, "The last time something bad happened before the school year started, people died."

I don't even realize the shake in my voice until Louis chooses to bring last year up, saying, "I've been meaning to ask you... How've you been doing? Since... you know...?"

I swallow down every bit of feel I left so I can say, "I'm fine."

"He was your best frie—"

I snap at him before he gets the chance to finish, "I said I'm fine, Louis."

Everything goes quiet. Not a word to be said until Creature murmurs his rebukes against mudbloods once more. My expression seems to harden even more than it already was when Louis gave me any sense of senseless pity.

"What's that elf's deal...?" Louis mumbles.

I sigh, saying, "Let's just say, he's no 'Dobby The House Elf,' nor is he anything pleasant. He's the house elf for the Black family, so hsi point of view on social customs is obviously tainted."

Louis stares at me the whole time I'm talking to the point that his eyes burn holes into my brain and melt it to mush with the heat I've only felt safe in around one other person.

Ugh, great.