Chapter Text
“Look Dom, you’re not thinking this through.”
“Shut up Vic. You don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about, and you never will!”
“I just want to help!”
“Well stop then. All you’re doing is ruining things!”
The door to the room beside his own slammed shut.
Louis sighed. Today was going to suck, he could already feel it. He put his violin back in its case and the sheet music back in the bookshelf. He knew he wouldn’t be able to focus anymore, not after Vic and Dom’s newest scuffle.
Louis layed down on his unmade bed, staring at the ceiling. For as long as he could remember Victoire and Dominique had butted heads. As children, it had started as petty fights like most siblings have, but over time they’d drifted away from each other due to their many differences. And those differences lead to argument after argument. It had never been as bad as it was now.
He was sick of it.
Why was it so hard to talk things through? They never solved their arguments by themselves. He’d been stepping in and mediating for as long as he could remember. But this past week of arguments upon arguments made him finally see it. If he didn’t fix their relationship, they’d start resenting each other. It would lead to them breaking apart, once and for all. He wouldn’t allow it.
A knock on his door jolted him out of his thoughts.
“Yes?” he said.
“Louis, we’re leaving soon. Get your stuff and come downstairs.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Louis had forgotten that they were going to Grimmauld Place today. All the adults in the family were going out for a meal together, leaving all the kids at Uncle Harry’s and Aunt Ginny’s place.
Louis couldn’t fathom how they thought it would be a good idea. James Potter and Freddie Weasley without adult supervision? Yeah, totally not a recipe for disaster. Teddy and Vic were going to be there as supervision, but they hardly counted as adults.
Louis met the rest of his family downstairs by the fireplace. His parents were dressed in their formal dress robes. The same could not be said for Dom. Her graphic t-shirt and shorts were a sharp contrast to Vic’s feminine and well-put-together outfit. He looked more in place next to Dom with his jeans and plain t-shirt.
“Remember to behave well”, his mother said, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek.
“Yes, Maman”, Vic said with a sweet smile.
“Louis, make sure to keep James and Freddie in check,” his dad said, a half smile on his lips, well aware that he wasn’t going to do that.
“No promises.” Louis gave him a wink.
His dad sighed. “Off you go then.”
Louis grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped inside the fireplace. “Grimmauld Place 12!”
***
He had to admit, today had gone much better than he anticipated.
Vic and Dom had been avoiding each other, meaning no more arguments. He and Dom were seated in the library playing a game of exploding snap. Normally, the library wasn’t the most popular place in Grimmauld Place, but six people were there that day. He and Dom, Lucy and Molly, and Teddy and Vic who were having a cup of tea.
Dom sighed. Her head was turned toward where Teddy and Vic were seated. She hadn’t noticed that Louis was switching out her cards, something she usually caught before he even did it. Louis looked up at her, brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Vic.” Dom scowled. “Look at her! She’s just so annoying, isn’t she? She has her perfect job, perfect boyfriend, and perfect everything. I wish she could get off my back for once. So what if I want to do a Quidditch professionally? It’s my life. I can do whatever the fuck I want with it.”
“Well, have you two tried having a conversation without insulting each other? And you know, talking it out?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t get it, Louis. You never will.”
“Well, explain it to me then.”
His sister just sighed, going back to the game. She still hadn’t noticed her switched-out cards.
***
Teddy brought the teacup to his lips, careful not to burn himself. Vic sat next to him, her legs curled up on the chair and a teacup in her hands. A beam of sunlight from the window illuminated her silvery blonde hair. She looked even more beautiful than usual. Merlin, he’d missed her. He felt as though he hadn’t seen her at all these past few weeks.
It wasn’t his fault, not really. They’d both been busy. Teddy’s Auror training was starting to ramp up, meaning he had even less spare time than before. Vic was busy with her Healer apprenticeship that took up most of her week. Unlike Teddy, she had the weekends off.
It still felt like it was his fault. The ball of guilt in his stomach had begun increasing. He should be a better boyfriend to her. He wanted to take her out on all these dates and learn so much more about her. It was like he never had time anymore.
How many dates had he declined because of work? Far too many in his eyes. Vic deserved better than that.
“Do you want to go out for a movie tomorrow?” he asked. Tomorrow would be one of those rare days where the Head Auror took mercy on him and gave him a day off.
“Yeah, that’d be fun”, she said, smiling. A warmth spread in his chest. “Feels like we haven’t done anything in a while.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing.”
***
Molly loved her sister, she really did. But on some days she was just incredibly annoying. Today happened to be one of those days.
All she had wanted to do was stay at home and complete her Arithmancy essay. She was 17, a legal adult and should be trusted to stay at home. But no, for some unknown reason, Lucy convinced their parents that it would be good if Molly went with them to Grimmauld Place 12.
She refused to speak to Lucy for an hour after they arrived. The hurt expression on her sister’s face sent a pang of guilt to her chest, but she deserved it. How dare she force her to go spend time with people when she should be working?
Molly complained to Dominique about the whole situation. Out of her cousins, she was her closest confidant, although they had nothing in common except their birth year. With an eye roll, Dom had pointed out that she might find something on the topic in the library. Molly thanked her and headed to the library. Lucy tagged along and insisted on helping, much to her annoyance. That brings her to the present time.
“What’s the essay about Molly?” Lucy asked as they entered the library.
“It’s about how Arithmancy aids spell creation.” It was more complicated than that in actuality, but Molly couldn’t be bothered to explain right now.
“Interesting,” Lucy joined her in scouring the shelves. “You know Molly, I think you could use a break once in a while. It would do you good”
“Taking breaks won’t help my grades.”
“But you already have good grades.” She tilted her head in confusion.
“They could always be better.”
Her current grades wouldn’t get her a job at the Ministry. Yes, to most her grades were near perfect. But she wanted them to be even better. If she couldn’t get a Ministry job, what would she do then? She’d be a disappointment, a failure.
“Could you at least spend some more time with me then? It feels like you’ve been ignoring me all summer.”
“Alright,” she said absentmindedly.
Molly scanned the bookshelf. She was starting to doubt that there was anything that could help her. A book caught her eye, her eyes passing over the title on the spine. It had nothing to do with the subject. She placed it in its original spot with a sigh, continuing to browse the shelf.
Her eyes kept coming back to that one book, over and over. She’d been taught at a young age to never touch objects that she felt strongly compelled to touch, there was always a risk of it being enchanted. It was just a book, however. What harm could it do? But, she should focus on the task at hand. After all, she had all the time in the world to read it later.
Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she picked it out from the shelf. The book was in good condition compared to other books in the library, the pitch-black cover not even having a single scratch. Her eyes roamed over the gold cursive writing decorating the front.
Molly gave in to her curiosity once again. She opened the book. When the world disappeared around her she realised that she’d made a big mistake.
It was like she was being sucked through a tube, almost like apparating, yet somehow even worse. She sucked in a sharp breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The suffocating sensation came to an abrupt end. She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.
She was lying down on the floor, no longer feeling the weight of the book in her hands. Sitting up, she observed the room. Dom and Louis were already up on their feet, looking around in confusion. Teddy helped Vic get up on her feet on the opposite side of the room. Beside her, Lucy started to open her eyes.
“What happened?” Lucy asked as she rose to her feet.
“I don’t know, it must have something to do with the book I opened.”
Teddy furrowed his brows. “Something isn’t right.”
She didn’t notice it until Teddy pointed it out, but something was off . The once well-lit and cosy room was now dark. The wainscoting was the same brown colour as usual, but the blue wallpaper was now dark green with an intricate floral pattern. The curtains were different too, the beige fabric replaced with a black and moth-eaten one. The bookshelves were more stuffed than normal with several titles she didn’t recognise.
“What should we do?” Dom asked.
“We could ask someone what happened. I mean, it’s still Grimmauld Place,” Louis suggested.
“I’ll do it. I’m at fault for this,” Molly said.
Teddy stepped forward. “We don’t know what happened, it could be dangerous. I’ll do it.”
“I’ll come with you,” Vic said, determination etched upon her face.
“No, stay here. It’ll be safer.”
Teddy exited the room. Molly couldn’t help but agree with him. She wasn’t one to trust her intuition, but something
was
off. She just didn't know what yet. And she was determined to find out.