𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC) - Full Series

[007] CHAPTER 11 - NOWHERE FAST

"i try so hard to change. will i always be the same?"
|| alexa valentino

Makayla Malfoy

I'm sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, just waiting for this year to be over. The Carrows are our teachers this year and I've learned quite physically to keep my mouth shut when I have an opinion on something. The whole room is silent as the screams of some Gryffindor echo from the Carrows' office. I hear one of them shout, "Crucio!" for the hundredth time. Eventually, they're gonna kill someone. Not like they care anyway.

Class ends, thankfully, and I am immediately out the door, going through millions more until I finally make it to the Northern Exit of the grounds of the school. Technically, I'm not supposed to leave the grounds, yet, until after classes have finished, but what do I care about charms class? I walk and walk and walk until I reach the halfway point to Hogsmeade. I stare at the pathway to the Forbidden Forest, the sign in front of it reading, "DO NOT ENTER." As if I'd listen to that.

I saunter into the forest without a care in the world, wondering if maybe some Mongrel will appear and scarf me down whole before I confess my sins like some coward begging for life. Maybe a Troll will unnaturally be wandering near the outer edges of the forest and beat me against a tree with its club. I ponder over the idea that some pissed off Hippogriff could pick me up and carry me over the Black Lake, dropping me into the void of Selkies waiting for my familiar blood to finally finish shedding. Maybe an Inferie will appear and it'll suddenly be immune to fire. Maybe a Centaur will come along and forget about the bonding I regrettably made in years 2 and 5 with their kind. Maybe a corrupted Dugbog will swallow me whole before I even realize what's hit me. Or maybe I'll just be walking in the Forbidden Forest awaiting a death that'll never arrive like an idiot. Deep in my soul, I wish that God would choose any other option than the last one.

I watch the autumn leaves fall around me as Mattheo's phone that I stole sits in my jacket pocket. As I walk, I consider taking the phone out and sending a message to Louis, but I doubt I would even know how. I just panicked when Mattheo left it on the table, so I grabbed it and now I have it. This has happened two too many times. First with Louis' Christmas gift in year 2, which I never gave back, and now this. Honestly, I never think before I do anything. I wouldn't be surprised if it killed me. All I wish is that the death would catch up to me quickly. I'm officially tired of running. I've just stopped in my tracks and am panting for air. I'll be in this spot forever until death finally takes me. Until then, I'll continue to feel sorry for myself and make everyone else pity me. It's the only way I can actually feel good about myself nowadays.

The leaves crunch under my feet as I come to a stop. The path breaks off in multiple directions and I suddenly don't know where to go. I wish that I had some he—

Just in time, Athena's booming and wise voice thunders through the forest to me and me only. "Take the path to the right."

I smile to myself, but only for a moment. "Thank you, Athena," I say to the darkening sky. There is no response, but I don't need one as I continue walking, taking the right path.

I bond with the silence for the first time ever and I learn a lot. In the silence, you can find all kinds of different and new sounds. As I walk in the silence, I hear wind blowing, streams flowing, and birds chirping. Seeing as the fact that I am walking through the Forbidden Forest, you'd think that I'd be hearing some dumb first year getting murdered in the distance, but no. It's just silent. I love it.

I've never liked the quiet. It always made me feel like I was suffocating or just being tortured for hours on end. My hatred for the silence of the world actually made Louis' voice bearable. Perhaps that's what made me like him so much so quickly. The boy never shut up. Now his voice is nowhere to be found and it's all my fault.

It doesn't even occur to me that I've been walking for hours until the moon is shining over me. I don't know how far I've wandered nor where I wandered to, but I know what direction I came from, so I don't stress about it. Though, I do start wishing I had brought someone with me when it starts getting colder. I have no one to complain to. This is really tragic.

Recently, I've received an owl telling me that the glorious Dolores Umbridge has lost her stupid necklace and, apparently, Harry Potter stole it. Harry Potter is a lot of things and he is anything but stylish. I highly doubt he'd be stealing any amount of jewelry from Umbridge unless if he were to be giving it to Ginny, but I happen to know that they are not in contact. If they were in contact, I would know. Ginny is at Hogwarts this year. She's the only Weasley at Hogwarts for this term, but that doesn't surprise me at all. The rest of their family are all close to adults and are on the run from the Dark Lord. Plus, I suppose that, with Harry gone, all of the students against the Dark Lord are going to need someone to keep them going. That's where Ginny comes in to play.

Technically, by new appointed Wizarding Laws, I'm not supposed to rebel against the Dark Lord nor should I agree on any sort of extent with the rebels hiding behind the castle's walls, but I can't help but feel inspired by their perseverance. They've lost Harry due to his location being unknown and they're still striving and staying strong. You've got to admire it to an extent. I say 'to an extent' because it'll end up being annoying to me, only because the Dark Lord will put it on my plate or the Carrows' once he learns of the rebellion. I don't feel like dealing with that, but, of course, I won't have much a choice.

I'm so distracted by my beautiful surroundings, that I don't notice a rock straight in my path. Therefore, I trip on it and fall to the ground... graciously...

I groan, pressing my hands to the dirty ground beside me as I push myself up. Great, there's leaves and dirt in my hair. I needed a shower anyway, I suppose... Gosh, I hate being dirty. It makes me actually not want something to come and kill me. I can't die looking like a watered down tea bag.

I run my hands through my hair, picking the leaves out of my air in disgust. Suddenly, I hear a twig snap a few meters ahead of me and I flinch, my gaze snapping up in the direction that the sound came from. Staring straight at me is Annie. Annie Noel Lupin.

She looks terrified, like something's happened to her. Slowly, I rise to my feet, my legs so weak that I'm surprised that I'm even able to stand. "Annie?" I ask quietly, not sure if I'm even thinking correctly. She flinches at the sound of my voice and my heart breaks. What did they do to you, Annie...? "Is that really you or am I imagining things?" I ask, talking slower so that she doesn't get scared at my sudden question.

For a moment, the only thing she does is stare at me with those wide, freakish eyes. Then, she nods slowly. "Both..." she whispers.

What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?

"I don't think I follow..."

"They have me..."

I let out a bitter laugh, "What? Is this some sort of joke? Where's Louis? Why are you here?"

"I'm trapped..." she murmurs, her voice shaky and broken.

"Where?"

"Home..."

I snort, "Okay, now I know that you're lying. How could you be trapped at home?"

"You'd know..."

I blink and then she's gone. What just happened?