Blame It On Me [Paul Lahote x OC]

Chapter 1: In with the old, out with the new.

It's been a long time since you've been to Forks, Washington. You had to leave for a boarding school near Scotland when you were 11 years old, leaving all your friends behind. Your best friend at the time was Leah Clearwater. Her brother was only five years old at a time. He used to have this silly crush on you, always following you around and picking flowers on the fields. You took each one home every day and let it dry, then quickly put it in between two transparent papers with dates. You would always keep it close to your heart.

The morning your mother and you left Forks for Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was a very sad morning indeed. Leah and Seth came to say goodbye, the three of you all crying and hugging. Seth even gave you a rose to remember him by. Your mom, Susan, thought it was very cute. Every few months you would come for a visit, play with Leah and Seth, watch them both grow up without you. The letters kept on coming every morning during breakfast for an entire year. Then as you grew older and had other things on your mind, you noticed that the letters were scarcer. You would write, but they wouldn't reply. After a while you just gave up.

Now you're 23 years old, finished with school and your graduation work at the Ministry for Magic, soon returning home back to Forks. Susan hasn't told anyone except Sue Clearwater, she wants to keep it a secret and so do you. Since you're over 18 you can also use magic outside school grounds, which makes everything a lot easier, and a lot harder at the same time. Forks, Washington isn't a magical town, you'll be the only witch there.

You promised to keep in touch with all your friends, especially with Harry Potter, since the two of you share a past together. When you came to Hogwarts and met Hermione, Ron, and Harry, you were a fun-loving and outgoing girl. It all changed soon with the adventures you've had throughout the years. The end of your adventure ended up in the death of everyone's favourite Headmaster, and the most feared wizard of all times. Now you're more quiet and introvert than before, but Susan hopes the arrival back will cheer you up.

Thanks to Hermione, you learned how to enchant objects into magical portals. All it requires is to have a node on the other side. And this particular node is a glass vase in your old house on the edge of Forks.

»Is the object ready, honey?«

»Yes, mum. It's done. You packed yet?«

»All ready for our departure. How exactly do we do this?«

»We'll have to run back and forth a few times. Grab what you can for now.«

She grabs as much as she can with you in tow, then you both touch the porcelain vase and let go once in your old house. The furniture is still as it used to be, but it's all covered in white tarps, making it seem haunted. Dust rises as Susan throws the tarp off one of the sofas and pulls the drapes off the windows. Whatever is left of the afternoon sun shines through the long windows, casting a bright, orange shadow on the dark cherry floor.

You definitely missed Forks.