𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[005] Chapter 13 - santa doesn't know you like i do

"you're going to leave me all alone on christmas?"
|| sabrina carpenter

Makayla

I wake up, having slept in this Christmas. My nightmares have subsided—barely—and last night was the first full night of sleep I've gotten in weeks, so I held on to as much of it as possible. Everyone else understood this as well, seeing as they didn't wake me up.

I climb out of bed and walk downstairs, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. I'm greeted by smiles when I enter teh dining room. I nearly smile back.

"Good morning, Makayla!" Mrs. Weasley says, smiling her usual bright smile. Sitting in a wheel chair in front of her is a recovering Arthur Weasley, who is also, for some reason, smiling at my presence. "We were just opening presents. Would you like yours before or after you eat?"

It takes a moment for what she said to actually click in my brain before I ask, "I have presents?"

"Yes! I believe that, apart from us, we have your presents from Jordyn, Louis, Nora, and the twins."

"Louis got me a present?" I ask.

"Mhm!" she hums. "Oh! And I think Annelise sent one as well!"

I might pass out with the worry that this is a dream.

"Anything from Grayson?"

Mrs. Weasley sighs, her empathy obvious to the oblivious eye, "Nothing yet, dear... I'm sorry."

I smile sadly and nod, "That's okay. It's not like you didn't get me a gift."

Mrs. Weasley nods and gestures to the presents that pile onto the table, all of them with my name written with different fonts. My heart nearly beats out of my chest as I reach for Louis' present. Just from Louis. Not from him and Annelise combined. Just him. I want to laugh and cry at the same time.

How come the man I once swore to hate more than I hated myself cares more to send me a gift for Christmas than my own boyfriend does?

"I'd like to personally thank you both for saving my life," Mr. Weasley says to Harry and I. I'm confused.

"Both—? But I—"

"To Harry Potter and Makayla Malfoy!" he exclaims with a raised glass.

Everyone copies him.

Sirius' voice echoes from teh doorway, "To Harry Potter and Makayla Malfoy."

I look over and give him a rare genuine smile as Harry gets the first hug, of course. He walks over and hugs me as well.

"I missed you, Moonshine," he mutters.

The smile grows.

"I missed you too, Padfoot."

As he pulls away, a look of realization flushes his face. "Oh! That's right, I have presents for you two."

"More?" I ask jokingly, making everyone laugh.

He smiles and places a gift in my hands, saying, "Open it."

The gift is small. It's about the size of a smaller notebook.

I open it and am met with a photo album with my face on it—my baby face.

"How did you—"

"It gets better, keep going."

I open the book and the first picture I see is a browned picture of me and a boy hugging each other with bright smiles, the boy kissing my cheek playfully as I giggle. The date reads July 27, 1984. The boy has brown hair and a beautiful smile. I barely recognize him.

"Is that—"

"Louis Lupin?" Sirius asks. "You would be correct."

"Where did you get this?"

"Got it from my grand cousin Narcissa. Turns out, she loves to stand out in a family of wrongdoers."

I snort, "Tell me about it..."

I flip throuh the pages until I find a peculiar photo. It's of me as a baby. The photo isn't just a random photo your mother takes to record your growth. My mouth is covered in blood adn I can't tell if it's just the exposure or teh fact that my skin is really pale. My eyes are also lacking blue hues, instead being a dark maroonish color. What the—

My head twitches.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and close the book. I open my eyes and smile at Sirius. He didn't notice. Good.

"Thank you Sirius," I say before reaching for the present I picked up earlier.

The tag reads, "To Makayla, From Louis."

I smile lightly and unwrap the box. Inside, there's a pladde-patterned pink headband. Sometimes I forget just how much Louis knows me. We were best friends after all.