𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[005] Chapter 19 - if i could fly

"if i could fly, i'd be coming right back home to you."
|| one direction

Makayla

Harry and I are pinned to chairs by Umbridge, who's directly in our faces. With her face so close, I can see where her foundation fills her pores, where her hair sticks out imperfectly. I want to laugh.

Quietly, she asks me, "You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?"

"No—"

I don't get the chance to finish before she slaps me, hissing out, "Liar."

Suddenly I'm 14 again. I'm crying, cleaning up the little I had for a room, and packing my cats into crates. I want out. Get it out of my head. Get out, Father. Get out, get out, GET OUT—

I notice Louis flinch as if he wants to do something, but Draco tightens his hold on him. My cheek burns, stings, and is freezing at the same time. I wish I were numb. I wish I were dead.

Snape walks in and says something about a truth serum, making my heart race. If I took truth serum, I'd be in Azkaban. My whole family would. Thankfully, Snape is out of the truth serum.

When Snape starts to leave, I panic. "He's got Padfoot!"

Harry catches on and shouts, "He's got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden!"

Snape slowly turns around, eyes wide as Umbridge asks, "What is Padfoot?"

"No idea..." Snape murmurs—no, lies—before turning and rushing off.

Umbridge turns to us and asks, "What does Dumbledore want?" We stay quiet. The truth is: we don't know. We aren't going to DUmbledore. Why would we know? "Alright, I guess you've given me no choice except to..." he reluctantly says, walking to her desk, "use the Cruciatus Curse."

"That's illegal," Louis says, trying to get out of Draco's grip.

"What the Minister doesn't know won't hurt him..." she says, flipping a picture of the Minister of Magic over. She grabs her wand and points it at me first. My heart is racing, but I don't move a muscle. If I am too late to save Sirius, I might as well die so that I can see him again as soon as possible.

When she's about to say the curse, Hermione shouts, "Tell her Makayla! Tell her where it is!"

Umbridge falters. "Tell me what?"

"Where Dumbledore's secret weapon is."

Umbridge's mouth twitches into a smile for just a moment before grabbing Harry, Hermione, and I and dragging us out of the room.

We blindly guide her to the Forbidden Forest. When we find a time, Harry whispers, "What are you doing?"

"Improvising!" whispers Hermione.

We approach the tree that Grawp was once tied to, seeing that the rope has snapped. I kneel down to the rope as Umbridge accuses us of tricking her. This was done recently. He must still be around here.

That's when I see something in the darkness. When I squint my eyes, it's almost like the sun is out.

There he is. He must be scared of me. Does he not recognize me? Then I look at my reflection in a small puddle. My eyes are red. No no no, not again...

I'm distracted by centaurs lining up on the hill in front of us. They look so much different than they did in second year. This year, they're moer skinny and angry. What has the Ministry done?

"Stay back, centaur!" Umbridge shouts.

The centaur in the front shoots an arrow at her, to which she blocks with a silent spell. I want to say something but, for once, I stay quiet.

"How dare you?" she shouts before using a spell that ties rope around the centaur, strangling it by the throat.

"Stop it!" Hermione screams.

"You're hurting him!" I shout, rushing to the centaur's side as it squeals in pain, wreathing on the ground. "Stop—"

"No, ENOUGH!" Umbridge screams. "I will have honor!"

Suddenly, she's picked up by Grawp that was once in the darkness. She screams as the centaurs shoot at him.

"He doesn't know better!" I cry out as the centaur in front of me breaks free from the rope and rushes to join the attack on Grawp.

Feeling bad, the giant drops Umbridge from five feet off the ground. She screams Bloody Mary when the centaurs pick her up.

"Harry! Makayla! Tell them I mean no harm!" she shouts.

"Sorry Professor..." Harry murmurs.

"But we mustn't tell lies," I finish.

She screams loudly as the centuars carry her off. I laugh as I watch, quickly turning serious.

"Guys..." I say, turning to them. "Sirius!"

We all start running back to school grounds. In the middle of the bridge, we run into Ann, Jordyn, Louis, Neville, Looney, Ron, Ginny, and... Kai?"

"What the—"

"Don't say anything Makayla," Kai mutters.

"There's no—"

"Makayla," Louis says firmly. "I know what you're going to say. You aren't doing this alone."

"One of you could—"

"Die?" Jordyn interrupts me. "Just because someone died last year doesn't mean someone will this year.

"You don't—"

"Just shut up Makayla," Kai says.

I go quiet.

Harry sighs, "How are we gonna get there?"

"We fly of course!" Looney exclaims.

I know what she's talking about. The Thestrals.