CHAPTER FIVE

"Greetings, little cousin," Lucy said with a mischievous grin as she ruffled Louis' hair, fully aware of how much it annoyed him.

Louis let out a low grumble of a greeting, swatting her hand away with a frown. "Hello, Lucy," he muttered, smoothing down his now-messy hair.

But before he could fully recover, Dominique, his older sister, stepped forward with a smirk that could rival Lucy's. Without missing a beat, she mirrored Lucy's actions, running her hand through his hair in an equally teasing manner.

"Really?" Louis groaned, already bracing himself for the worst.

Unlike with Lucy, however, Louis didn't dare push Dominique away. He had learned through hard-earned experience that trying to defend himself against his sister's antics usually ended in disaster. So, instead of retaliating, he stood there, resigned, as she tousled his hair even more.

"You're such an easy target," Dominique teased, laughing as she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Yeah, Louis," Lucy chimed in with a grin, crossing her arms. "It's like you make it too fun for us."

Louis shot them both a glare, his pride taking a hit. "Do you two have anything better to do, or are you just here to torment me?"

"Tormenting you is the better thing to do," Dominique replied smugly, earning a laugh from Lucy.

Louis groaned again, running a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to fix it. "Why do I even bother?" he muttered, glaring at his older relatives, who seemed far too pleased with themselves.

The reason Louis never dared to get on his sister's bad side was simple—and utterly terrifying. Dominique, unlike him, had no qualms about revealing the more dreadful side of their Veela heritage.

As one-eighth Veela, Louis shared the same lineage, but he prided himself on inheriting the laid-back temperament of their father. Dominique, however, was a different story. When pushed to her limit, her anger manifested in a way that was impossible to forget.

Louis shuddered at the memory, his mind unwillingly drifting to the one time he'd seen that side of his sister—and worse, his mother and Victoire as well. Their faces had shifted, taking on the otherworldly yet menacing features that came with their Veela bloodline. It was a sight he wished he could erase from his memory entirely.

To Louis, it wasn't just unsettling—it was a reminder of a part of their genetics he wanted no association with. He didn't resent his Veela heritage entirely, but the transformation that came with anger felt like a fatal flaw, something he disliked more than anything else tied to their ancestry.

Shaking his head, Louis pushed the thought away, refusing to let it linger any longer than necessary. He'd been fortunate enough to avoid triggering such a reaction in himself, and he fully intended to keep it that way.

"Relax, Louis," Dominique teased, snapping him back to the present. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"More like a nightmare," Louis muttered under his breath, earning a curious glance from Lucy.

Dominique tilted her head, clearly amused. "What's wrong? Scared I'll snap?"

Louis shot her a knowing look but didn't answer. Instead, he silently vowed—yet again—that he would always tread carefully around her. After all, some things were better left unprovoked.

"Look, you two are the only ones I can ask," Louis admitted begrudgingly, his tone heavy with annoyance as he eyed his sister, Dominique, and cousin, Lucy. Both were grinning at him with the kind of mischief that made him immediately regret his decision.

The duo, a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff were the last people Louis wanted to approach for a favour. They thrived on chaos and teasing, and "helpful" wasn't exactly in their repertoire. If anything, the pair saw every request as an opportunity to create mayhem.

According to their grandparents—and both of their fathers—the two girls were the true heirs to the legacy of Uncle Fred and Uncle George. While James and Fred II often carried the title publicly, Louis knew better. It was Dominique and Lucy who truly embodied the twin pranksters' spirit.

And here he was, practically walking into their lair with his own hands tied.

"Well, well," Lucy drawled, crossing her arms and leaning back as she observed him like a cat watching a mouse. "This must be important if you're coming to us for help."

Dominique smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she added, "You know, I almost feel honoured."

Louis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't get used to it. This is a one-time thing."

"That's what they all say," Dominique quipped, her smirk widening.

Louis shot her a glare. "Can we skip the commentary and focus for once?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, exchanging a quick glance with Dominique. "Why?"

"And what's in it for us?" Dominique asked her tone light but her eyes glinting with mischief.

Louis groaned. He had a sinking feeling this was going to cost him far more than he anticipated.

Lucy and Dominique were infamous for two things at Hogwarts: their uncanny ability to know everything about everyone and their unparalleled skill in orchestrating pranks that rivalled even their Uncle Fred and Uncle George's legacy. They were a formidable duo, and Louis had the misfortune of being related to them.

"Mini, would you look at this?" Lucy said, grinning as she leaned against Dominique. "Never thought we'd see the day little Lou—"

"—would come crawling to us," Dominique finished with a smirk, mirroring her cousin's mischievous energy.

"Merlin, help me," Louis muttered under his breath, though thankfully, neither of them caught it.

"So, little Lou," Dominique began, crossing her arms and tilting her head, "who's the unfortunate victim we're dealing with this time?"

"Yeah, spill it," Lucy chimed in, nodding eagerly.

"It's nothing like that, calm yourselves," Louis retorted, shaking his head in exasperation. "And for the record, I don't need your pranks. Ever."

Both girls feigned offence, placing their hands dramatically over their chests.

"Oh, come now, Lou," Lucy teased, "our pranks are legendary."

Dominique nodded in mock agreement. "You should be grateful to even witness them firsthand. It's practically an honour."

Louis sighed, already regretting this conversation. "This has nothing to do with pranks, and I don't need your so-called 'help' in that department. What I do need is information. That's it."

"Information, huh?" Dominique said, her curiosity clearly piqued.

"And what kind of information are we talking about?" Lucy added, leaning in closer, her grin widening.

Louis hesitated. He knew giving them any detail would only feed their appetite for mischief, but he didn't have much of a choice. This is going to backfire so badly, he thought.

Lucy snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. "You will need us eventually, Lou, don't be so quick to assume otherwise." She winked playfully before adding, "So, you need information? Just give us her house and name. We'll handle the rest."

Louis raised his hands defensively. "I only need one thing. And I mean it—just one. I don't want you two snooping around more than necessary. I respect her privacy."

Dominique hummed thoughtfully, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fellow housemate, isn't it? What's her name again? Seo Chang?"

Louis's face burned instantly, and his embarrassment was all the confirmation they needed. "How did—"

Lucy smirked, cutting him off. "Oh, little Lou, we make it our job to know about our dear family's current... interests." She grinned mischievously. "It helps with blackmail, you see."

Louis groaned loudly, rubbing his temples as if that would erase the conversation. "I'm pretending I didn't hear that," he muttered. The last thing he needed was to be dragged into one of their schemes and risk the entire family finding out.

"I just want to know..." He trailed off, mumbling the rest of his sentence so quietly that his sister and cousin had to lean in, their curiosity growing by the second.

"Makes her what?" they both said in sync, their voices brimming with anticipation.

"What makes her happy," Louis finally grumbled, averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

The room fell silent for a moment before Lucy and Dominique exchanged knowing looks, smirks spreading across their faces like wildfire.

"Oh, this is precious," Lucy said, clasping her hands together dramatically.

Dominique tilted her head, her grin practically gleaming. "Little Louis might just be catching feelings."

Louis groaned again, burying his face in his hands. He had a sinking feeling this favour was going to cost him far more than he bargained for.