Chapter four
Innocent
𝘼 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧, Monroe sat on her bedroom windowsill smoking a cigarette trying to avoid Dumbledore, who was undoubtedly looking for her as she was yet again skipping Transfiguration.
She was leaning her head onto the window frame until she notice a familiar owl flying towards her. She smiled and held out her hand for her family owl, Ivy, to land on.
When the owl did, Monroe petted her head as the owl placed the envelope she was carrying into her awaiting hand.
The girl stubbed out her cigarette before ripping the wax seal off of the envelope, revealing a letter from her mother.
Dear Monroe,
How's sixth year going for you so far? I know you've only been gone for a day but it's awfully quite with just me and your father. He's talking about all that 'pure-blood' nonsense a lot more often now, it's deathly boring. On the 23rd him and I are supposed to attend a ball or a meeting or whatever it is at Abraxas Malfoy's estate. I'm dreading it more though this time as your father said it's time for Will to attend. I tried to convince him otherwise, but you know more than anyone, once your father has his mind set on something, there's no changing it.
Anyway, I shall see you as soon as you step off of that train for Christmas brake. I miss you.
love, Ma.
Monroe smiled at the letter at the beginning but once it neared the part about William joining them for the meeting at Malfoy Manor it quickly disappeared.
She knew what happened at those meetings, no matter how hard her mother tried to make it seem better for her sake, but as always if he farther wants something he gets it, and he wanted those meetings to be known.
She quickly pulled a piece of parchment out of her drawer and began got scribble out a reply to her mothers letter.
Dear Ma,
Sixth year is going okay so far, had a lesson with the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs today, the upside is that I was with Alex the downside, Professor Holiday made a new seating plan and I have to sit next to bloody James Potter of all people, and as for father and the pure-blood situation, I've also notice it's become more prominent these days. I shall write again soon.
- Love Monroe
She folded the parchment and placing it in an envelope and passed it to Ivy, who took it a flew away without looking back.
Once Ivy left her view she quickly rushed out of her seat on the windowsill to go and search for her brother who was undoubtedly also skipping a lesson in his dorm.
She ran up the stairs that lead to her brothers dorm, no caring if any boys saw her or questioned her as she arrived at his door and began banging loudly.
"Wait a fucking second!" Yelled the voice of her brother as she continued banging loudly until he yanked the door open a look of murder on his face which turned to one of annoyance when he saw his sister as she barged pass him walking into the dorm making him scoff and shut the door behind her.
"Why aren't you in lesson," he questioned but when his nose picked up on the sent of nicotine he added on, "and why've you been smoking?"
She rolled her eyes and said, "Piss off you hypocrite." She said, pointing to the ash tray that sat adorn his windowsill.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked as she threw the letter her mother sent her at his chest, he looked at it and Monroe could see his eyes double in size as he placed it on his bed.
"I didn't want you to worry." He said simply.
The younger girl scoffed, "Fuck off Will! You know what happens at those party's! Y'know better then fucking anyone what happened too me!"
She felt tears well up in the back of her eyes, but she pushed them down, she wouldn't let them fall, she couldn't.
"Mons you need to understand I didn't have a choice. Believe me." He said as he watched her pace back and forth.
She stopped and looked towards him, "You still could've told me! So I wouldn't have to find out randomly from a letter from Mum! I may not like you half the time Will but it doesn't mean I want you to go through what I did! I still can't sleep because of it William I can't fucking stand the thought of what they did to me there! They took away my fucking childhood!" She said pushing him back a little with every word that came out of her mouth.
"Monroe, listen to me love," he said holding her shoulders so she stopped shoving him backwards, "I won't get hurt okay? You was eight Mons, an innocent child, you didn't know about any of this, okay? But I do, I know what to expect, I'm used to it by now, I promise you, I'll come back the same brother I've always been. I promise I won't let it affect me."
She looked up at him through glassy eyes, "while you're there I won't mind if you loose the snark. It's annoying."
The older boy laughed and pulled her into a tight hug as a single tear slipped down her face, as she muttered into his top, "You tell anyone I cried or worried about you I'll throw a bludger at your face."
"I won't, I swear,"
♡
"No Rem, I'm not being dramatic, the whole time I wanted to jump off the astronomy tower." James said as he, his friends and Lily sat at the Gryffindor table, James filling them all in on his conversation with Monroe earlier that day while they ate dinner.
"Is she that boring?" Questioned Lily as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice.
"It's not even that she's boring," began James, "she's just so mind numbingly irritating she makes me want to rip out my ear drums with a hook. And she's to full off herself. Her egos to big. I have no clue how I'm going to tolerate it for another month."
"She didn't show up to transfiguration," began Lily, "what'd you think she was doing?"
Sirius spoke up and said, "Probably teaching a first year how to melt someone's brain with a whisper. Or melting a first years brain with a whisper. Either way, whatever she was doing probably has something to do with brain melting."
They all looked towards her where she and Alexandra where talking too a little first year with dark green Slytherin robes on.
"You're all dramatic." Said Remus from where he sat, a book placed in his lap, "she's human, I guarantee some people in this dining hall right now think the same about one of us that you do about her." He said without looking up from the pages.
Peter shrugged, "Maybe you're right Moony, but can you find one person other than Alexandra or William who like her?"
Remus paused, not a name who didn't fear, hate, or dislike Monroe Taylor coming to mind. Peter smirked in victory before he, Sirius and Lily began a new conversation, only Remus noticing the strong gaze that James was sending towards Monroe, who had a small, barley noticeable smile on her face.
𑁍
"Please let me out!" Screamed an eight year old Monroe as she banged harshly and loudly on the door as tears cascaded down her face, "please I promise I'll be good! Please it's scaring me please!"
She could hear the sound of the men laughing at her useless begging through the door making her cry more.
"No please!" She yelled as she felt an icy cold grip latch onto her wrist and pull harshly, "No please I don't want to look! Daddy! Please help me, dad!" She sobbed as the thing dragged her back into the dark corner of the room, the sound of men laughing at her cries growing quieter as she was pulled into the distance.
𑁍
Monroe jumped awake with a jolt as she breathed heavily. She wiped some of the tears that had escaped her face during her sleep off of her face with shaky hands.
She stood up shakily and glanced at the clock on the wall that read, 1:27 A.M, she'd only slept for forty-five minutes before another nightmare had to ruin the peace.
She slipped her slippers on and tip toed past the sleeping students in the common room and once again made her way out of the dungeon towards the kitchen.
"Marvel?" She questioned as she sat down in her usual chair by the table on the middle of the room.
The elf's little head peeled out from beside the pillar and smiled when he saw the girls familiar face, "Hello Miss Taylor, can't sleep again?" Asked the elf as he walked towards her.
Monroe shook her head, "Not a wink Marvel, I was hoping for some of your famous tea?"
The elf smiled at her before nodding and returning to the kitchen to make it for the girl.
She sat and waited patiently twiddling her thumbs out of habit before feeling a presence beside her. She looked over to see James Potter. Again.
"Why are you here?" She asked running a hand over her tired eyes.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Well I asked first Fleabag. So, answer." She said looking towards him, annoyed.
He smirked and said, "Couldn't sleep. Sirius snores like a pig and Remus sleep talks. Now, how about you Taylor?"
"Couldn't sleep." Was all she said along with a thank you to Marvel who walked over and placed a hot cup of tea in front of her.
He raised his eyebrows, "That's it? No explanation?"
She shrugged and sipped the drink in front of her, "You didn't ask for one."
"Can I have one?"
"No."
"Why are you like that," he asked, growing annoyed, "why are you so cold and blunt?"
"Because I'm the bitchy Slytherin princess, nice work on the nickname by the way, I heard you started it, excellent work."
"No." He said as he adjusted his glasses in his face.
She raised her eyebrows at him, "What'd you mean no?"
"I mean it's deeper than that. Deeper then the bitchy princess, there's reason for why you act the way you do."
She sighed and laced her cup down and began to stand up, "I came here for a cup of tea Potter. Not a deep dive into my past."
Before standing up and walking away, but not before James yelled, "I'm not that bad y'know? You ever want to make things right we can talk, I don't hate you Taylor, it's only a deep resentment."
For the first time that night a small smile overtook her face. And thank god she was happy she was facing away from the Gryffindor boy.
Dear reader,
Chapter 4 - complete
Monroe is my spirit animal.
In this book, James and Lily aren't together, Lily just has a crush on James.