OLD SCARS → Peter Pettigrew | √

2 - The Prank

It looked completely bonkers. A girl and boy walking side by side with a dog, a rat and a stag. Ophelia felt bonkers. Remus changing was one of the most scariest but fascinating things Ophelia had ever seen. Once they reached the Whoomping Willow, Peter tapped a specific root and it stopped swinging its branches. She watched as James disappeared first, followed by Peter and Remus. Ophelia first stood there, not knowing how will she be able to explain to her friend why she kept this secret for so long. Sirius trotted over to her and patted him on the head. If she had looked closely, she would've seen him roll his eyes.

"Aren't you coming? You did say you wanted to come, didn't you?" Sirius asked as he changed back into his human form. Ophelia bit down hard on her bottom lip, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have something to tell Remus and you guys, just don't know how to." She then ran a hand through her beach blonde hair. Sirius noticed how stressed she looked. "I've been keeping this a secret since last year." She sighed, feeling tears brim in her eyes. "Remus is going to kill me. Oh Godric, why didn't I tell him the first time I told myself to tell him? Then I wouldn't be in this mess, I wouldn't be so stressed. Bloody hell, I really don't know w—"

"Calm down, I'm pretty sure whatever it is, isn't that bad." Sirius said, tugging her on her arm. For a split second, it felt as though something was burning them. But they both said nothing, thinking nothing of it. "They're waiting." And that's when Ophelia decided not to tell Remus, even though it gnawed on her insides to tell him. She sighed as she nodded before she followed the black dog down to the Shrieking Shack.

Instead later that night, when the rest were asleep, Ophelia told Sirius her deepest darkest secret, unbeknownst to them that Peter wasn't really asleep.

*

Ophelia was washing up, and she rubbed the pineapple scented shampoo into her skull. Once she was sure she was completely done, she slipped back into her room and slipped into a pair of shorts and an old shirt Remus gave her over the summer. She brushed through her still wet hair and decided she'll let it dry like that.

"I like your hair." Sirius commented when she walked over to sit next to James, which was the only seat open. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Uh — th — thanks? I guess?" Sirius laughed and that confused Ophelia even more. But it worried her a little. What was wrong with her hair, did it look greasy? But it couldn't have looked greasy, she just washed it.

"You clearly didn't look in the mirror then." James said and Ophelia furrowed her brow, feeling even more confused and even more worried. She could feel her heart beating fast. She licked her dry lips.

"No." She shook her head. "You guys are freaking me out. What in Merlin's ass is wrong with my hair?!" She could see Remus wanted to say something but Sirius glared at him and Peter jabbed him in the ribs. "What is wrong with my hair?! James, you'll be honest, what's wrong with my hair?!"

James said nothing but summon a mirror and handed it to Ophelia, who took it with shaky hands. She prepared herself for the worst. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she examined her hair, her eyes went wide and they zeroed in on a laughing Sirius. Her hair was no longer the beautiful beach blonde it naturally was. Her hair was blood red. Just like the anger that coursed through her veins.

Then she did what they never thought she would. She lunged at Sirius and began strangling him. They didn't know how she moved that fast but they rushed to save their prankster friend before he could meet his end.

"Have you lost all your marbles Black?!" Ophelia yelled out once the three managed to pry her fingers off Sirius.

"I did tell you you'd pay." Sirius simply said, rubbing his sore neck, but Ophelia was having none of it. She was extremely angry. How was she going to explain the sudden change of hair color to the Professors? How is she going to explain it to her parents? How is she going to explain it to her aunt?

"I'm going to murder you Sirius! I'm going to torture you until I see the faint bit of life left in your eyes. I am going to fuc—"

"Miss Lourdes!" Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly yelled out and Ophelia turned around. "What are you two bickering about?" Her eyes widened when she saw the color of her hair. "And what happened to your hair?"

"Sirius decided to 'prank' me." she growled in a low, menacing voice. She narrowed her eyes at Sirius, who just shrugged.

"Don't be mad Princess, you look cute in red." Even though Ophelia was sure it was an insult, her cheeks burnt red, just like her hair and she looked at Professor McGonagall instead. "You remind me of a vixen." He winked and that's when Ophelia strangled Sirius again.

Ophelia doesn't know what came over her last night in the Shrieking Shack, but she told Sirius one of her deepest, darkest secrets and he was making a joke if it casually. It ticked her off. She trusted him over her best friend with a dark secret and he's making fun of it.

"Miss Lourdes! Mr Black! Detention with Professor Flitwick for the entire week!" Minerva yelled once James managed to pry Ophelia off Sirius. For someone with a small build like hers, she was surprisingly strong. "You'll have it at five until seven in his classroom."

They watched Minvera retreat to where ever she came from and Ophelia groaned. "Thanks a lot Black, not only do I have to spend extra time with Flitwick but with you as well. Smooth. Real smooth."

"I'm not the one who's keeping secrets!" He casually said and shrugged his shoulders. They saw Ophelia flinch and James prepared himself to stop her from strangling Sirius, but fortunately, she didn't.

"And I'm not the prick!" Ophelia growled, but Sirius could see that she was begging with her gray eyes, begging him to stop, begging him to not blurt her secret out. He could see the look of hurt across her face and his face softened.

"You should tell him." Sirius whispered. "If you don't, then I will." Ophelia immediately shook her head. She can't tell Remus, she was afraid she'll loose the only close friend she has. She can't loose him. He was her brother, her savior, her hero, her family. She couldn't loose him.

"You promised not to Sirius. You can't tell them." Tears glistened in her eyes. "Please." The two of the three were giving them puzzled looks.

"What did he promise not to tell us?" Remus asked but Ophelia ignored him. She couldn't tell him. Not yet. "Lia."  He demanded. She didn't reply, she just glanced at them before she marched to her room.

Once she reached her room, she sunk down and cried. Cried because Sirius almost betrayed her, cried because she might loose Remus, cried because she was angry at herself for telling Sirius instead of Remus. Sirius wasn't her best friend, Remus was. How could she trust Sirius over Remus? She had known Remus almost her whole life. They became friends when they were five, but Ophelia rarely saw him at first.

His father tried his best to separate the two but soon found out that he couldn't. He then allowed Ophelia to visit but never on a full moon. The girl didn't understand at first, it was when they were nine did Remus tell her what he really was.

And that's when she cried even harder. Remus had trusted her back then with his secret. And she trusted Sirius over him.