FOOL IN LOVE.
⇱ A R R O W ⇲
━ CHAPTER 4. ━

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CUPID MCLEAN WAS A kaleidoscope of colour, there were simply no other words for it.

  In the midst of the traditionally fashioned world of Wizard and Witches, the McLean girl stuck out like a sore thumb. Of course, she'd never considered that to be a bad thing. Cupid took pride in her Muggle roots.

  After all, someone had to keep the wizards up-to-date with the trends of the non-magical world. So, why not it be Cupid? Who had taken the time to brand herself as the Muggle-fashion queen.

  As of current, she reigned the title over the student body at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was what she was best known for─ alongside her fierce attitude when confronted or engaged. Though, if Cupid were being honest, those qualities had only ever shown themselves in times of great need or confidence.

When she wasn't being an absolute spitfire, Cupid McLean was a reserved girl with a love for simple things. For example, she had a certain fondness for books, and enjoyed curling up on a loveseat with a cup of warm tea in hand. Cupid also adored baby's-breath flowers and drinking Butterbeer with her friends.

Friends.

Now, the topic of friendship was a whole other matter completely. For as much as Cupid loved simplicity and peace, she found that she rarely ever got it with the likes of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. One was the infamous Boy-Who-Lived and the other? Well, he was brother to Fred and George─ and quiet just didn't run in the Weasley family blood.

But, the McLean girl loved them for that.

There was a coziness in their organized chaos. It felt something like home and family; two concepts the orphan couldn't say she was familiar with. Though, that didn't mean the McLean girl appreciated it any less..

"Would you girls like some breakfast, dear?"

From where she sat at the table, Cupid was roused from her train of thought. She looked up at Mrs. Weasley, who had paused amidst her rush about the house. She almost had the nerve to decline, like Avena had.

However, with the look on Molly's expression, Cupid simply couldn't resist─ and besides, she harboured a devoted love for the Weasley mother's cooking. A quick bite wouldn't hurt anything.

"I'd love some," she replied, warmth blossoming in her chest as Mrs. Weasley lovingly ran a hand over her hair. The woman turned back to the kitchen and Cupid watched as she orchestrated her magic around pots and pans.

  The McLean girl had arrived at the Burrow an hour early. Simply put; she didn't want to be late for such an occasion. The Weasley family had invited her, alongside Harry and Hermione, to attend the Quidditch World Cup.

It was funny, in the sense that, though Cupid was the Ravenclaw Chaser and had seen countless matches at the school, she knew nothing of the official game. She would have liked to say that she was fully educated on the sport, but in truth, she was far from it.

Either way, Cupid supposed that it didn't matter much now; she wasn't the Ravenclaw Chaser anymore.

The brunette blew out a breath and chased away the thought. She may have had no interest in the game, but the McLean girl was attending because she'd been asked to─ and she would choose hanging out with the Weasley family over her own any day.

As Cupid had come to find, too much grief wasn't good for the soul and her brother (turned legal guardian) still wasn't over the death of their parents.

Inbetween the responsibility of taking care of Cupid and acting as the inheritor of a famed media-outlet company, Castor didn't have much time to grieve. Or take care of a child, for that matter. Not that being a newfound heir to the family business could have helped much.

But, she had to admit, there were some aspects in life where having money comforted her greatly in the place where her brother's love couldn't.

"You know, I really don't think the occasion calls for such extravagance," Cupid turned her head as her long-time friend, Avena Dart, spoke up.

She was sat next to Cupid at the Weasley family table, eyes darting between Cupid's outfit and her own. The McLean girl had taken the liberty of dressing Vena in Muggle clothing. Her pure-blooded parents would have been furious, had it not been for the fact that they didn't know.

As far as Mr. and Mrs. Dart were concerned, Cupid was also a pure-blooded witch. One who rarely often spoke of her family. The pair were as thick as thieves, as Mrs. Weasley would say. Though, not quite enough to rival Fred and George.

With a wave of her jewelled hand, Cupid dismissed Avena's concern. She was a true witch who'd never seen the Muggle world outside of a textbook. Of course she would think such attire was extravagant.

"Nonsense, it's the Quidditch World Cup." Cupid gave the Dart girl a wink. "Besides, you'd be surprised to find that this is normal attire for Muggles." The lie came smoothly as Cupid turned her eyes away.

  Her words may have held some truth, but they weren't entirely correct. While the style was up to date with the current fashion trends, it was just a little costly. But, Cupid was sure that Avena would do fine without the knowledge.

  Vena rose a brow. "Okay," she began, though her tone made it sound as if it were anything but. "I just hope you know that you're going to be standing outside wearing nothing but a skirt."

Cupid rolled her eyes, "I know what season it is, that's why I brought my windbreaker!" A teasing smile grew on her lips as she pulled out the thin, geometric-print jacket.

  Avena's expression fell, and the McLean girl held back a laugh as she watched her friend pinch her nose. Cupid wasn't a fool, but she liked to tease the Dart girl into thinking she was.

"I'm kidding." Cupid grinned, "I've got a blanket in my bag in case I get cold. I'm not completely stupid." She stuffed her jacket back into her satchel.

It was an old thing that Cupid took to filling with unnecessary trinkets and items. Avena never failed to tease her about how, "One day, that thing is going to burst at the seams and explode!"

The McLean girl smiled fondly at the memory. She usually fired back with a line about how a girl should always be prepared. But, in truth, Cupid was just an overly-cautious person.

"Here you are, dear."

Cupid blinked in surprise as Mrs. Weasley set a plate before her. She gave a soft thanks, feeling almost sheepish as she picked up her fork. No matter how many times she tried to make herself feel at home here, there was always an irrational nervousness that came with eating in someone else's house.

But, Cupid was quick to brush off that sensation just as quickly as it came. As she lifted her fork to her mouth, she paused as the chorus of two sing-song voices was heard.

"Hello, Cupid!"

From beneath her lashes, the McLean peered up at Fred and George. The pair sat across from her, gazes expectant as the brunette sat, frozen in place.

There were two choices here; set the food down and reply politely or do the complete opposite and come off as rude. Simultaneously, the twins rose their brows as the McLean girl swallowed fast and straightened.

Manners were never really her thing to begin with, anyway.

Cupid averted her eyes as she replied, "Hello, boys." With their presence came the question that Cupid was sure everyone asked around the pair, the wondering of, 'what are they up to now?'

She was thankful for Mrs. Weasley's presence, because only then could she be sure that the answer was, 'nothing at all.' At least, not where their pranks were concerned.

Still, Cupid was wise to practice caution.

Fred gestured towards her, a barely-contained grin on his lips. "I see that you've left your bow and arrows at home." The McLean girl wasn't amused by the note.

She stared at Fred and his teasing smile, blank-faced and paying little mind to the age-old taunt. It wasn't that she was upset or that they were being unkind, but by now the phrase was overused. It was an ongoing joke between the three that Cupid (true to her namesake) carried a bow and arrow, and could make people fall in love.

It had been funny at first, when she would pretend to shoot arrows at Angelina and George. Now, it was just old.

Though, that didn't seem to stop George from quickly adding, "Not breaking any hearts today? I'm sure there are plenty of victims waiting for you at the World Cup." Cupid rolled her eyes.

They also liked to tease her about how her failed crushes were the result of 'selfishly-used arrows.'

The McLean girl mustered a smirk, "Victims?" She scoffed. "Please. I'm sure anyone would be grateful to fall in love with me." The brunette turned her nose up at the pair in her own taunt.

George grinned, leaning forwards. "I'm sure you're right. I guess we'll just take Malfoy's word for it." Cupid felt her mouth drop, shocked by the sudden mention of Draco.

Her stomach gave an uncomfortable twist and her grip tightened on her fork. Draco Malfoy had been a foolish mistake on her part, and a very sore subject when brought up or discussed. Cupid pursed her lip, trying to push the memory of her prior year from her mind.

She could excuse her young crush on Harry Potter as an innocent act and childish infatuation. But, what was she to say now? The McLean girl should have known better than to let her good nature blindside her.

She'd been a fool to think that Draco Malfoy wanted to be friends─ that she could turn him into an ally rather than an enemy of her and her infamous group of comrades. But, he was so selfish and jealous, and Cupid had ignored all the red flags. The ones that told her of his true intentions; using her as a jab to get at Harry.

She was so stupid.

Cupid felt her chest tighten as Draco's words echoed in her mind, "I don't know what you expected. You may be a half-blood, but you're a raised Muggle. Did you really think I'd let you be my friend?"

And that's what it'd truly been at first; no more than an offer of kindness on her part. She wanted to understand him more, to get to know the boy beneath the arrogant front he put up. What an idiot.

But towards the end of the school year, just as she felt him opening up to her─ in his own gestures─ she felt her emotions begin to change. When he smiled, she blushed and and had force herself to look away. She was afraid that she might reveal too much of herself and her feelings.

Then, Draco had slammed the door he'd left ajar closed once more, and nothing else was said between them.

Fred laughed and patted George's arm, "Careful there, she might just pull her wand on y-" the words were quickly cut off with an oomf sounding from the Weasley boy. In spite of her annoyance, Cupid smiled and gently shook her head at the pair.

At least one of them had some sense.

George pulled back his elbow from where he'd jammed it into Fred's ribs. His glare was sharp as he nodded in Cupid's direction, "Can't you see that she's upset? We took it too far!"

Fred gave George's arm a shove and furrowed his nose in annoyance, "You're the one who brought him up, genius!"

Before the two could delve any further into their argument, Mrs. Weasley was quick to interrupt. "If you two don't leave her alone, it'll be my wand you deal with!" Cupid stuck out her tongue as the pair groaned and got up from the table.

"We were only joking around! Right, Pid?" The twins looked to her for aid, but Cupid only rose a brow at the old nickname. She turned her gaze away, ignoring the inquiry from the mischievous pair.

She wasn't coming to their defense, especially not after what they'd said. The twins would have to deal with Mrs. Weasley's wrath on their own─ and besides, watching them deal with their mother's fury was enough of an apology for her.

Mrs. Weasley waved them from the room. "Go on! Let the girl eat her breakfast in peace."

Reluctantly, the twins made their way out of the kitchen. Though, not without a great deal of complaint. Cupid smiled when the room finally seemed to settle down and continued on with her meal.

From the corner of her eye, the McLean girl watched as Avena nodded down at the paper beside Cupid. It broadcasted the events of the Quidditch World Cup, complete with moving photographs of both teams.

"So, do you reckon Bulgaria will win?" Avena seemed genuinely interested as she asked, but the timing was too obvious. The Dart girl was trying to distract her. "Personally, I think they will."

Cupid quickly shook her head in disagreement, but she was thankful for change in topic. In the week leading up to the big event, she'd done her reading on the two teams and their players. Cupid figured that she might as well learn more about the sport, especially after all the trouble Mr. Weasley must have gone through to invite her.

It was through her research that the McLean girl quickly deduced that Ireland would beat the opposing team. Bulgaria might have had braun, but Ireland had skill on their side─ that said skill being crafted from rigorous practice and, as such, hard work and pure dedication would always win out against what appeared as mere talent.

"My money is on Ireland," Cupid replied, just as she finished the last of her breakfast.

"I'll take Avena on that bet! I've got Ireland too!" George called out, his voice sounding from somewhere within the living room. Cupid grinned, though she knew he couldn't see her.

George was a very fluid supporter of Quidditch teams, though, she knew his favour tended towards Ireland more than most. After all, it was the Weasley 'family team.' Their support of Ireland was their brand, of sorts.

Avena smiled, and Cupid could tell by the glint in her eyes that her competitive nature was making an appearance. "You're on Weasley!" She called back to him, the words eliciting an eye-roll from the Ravenclaw at her side.

Cupid knew before she even had to speak that her educated opinion meant nothing at a moment like this. A challenge was always welcome in Avena's eyes, and the McLean girl never passed up the chance to say, 'I told you so.'

Thus, Cupid sat back and took a sip from her water as the scene played out before her.

"Good morning!" The McLean girl turned at the sound of a familiar voice and grinned at the sight of another one of her long-time friends.

Hermione stood at the door in all of her curly-haired glory as she entered the Burrow. She smiled briefly at Cupid, looking to be in somewhat of a rush.

"Sorry, I'm late," she apologized as the door closed behind her.

Mrs. Weasley waved off her concern, "No, no! You're just in time for breakfast, dear. Do you mind fetching Ron and Harry? They're still asleep."

Hermione nodded, rushing from the room in a manner that was just so Hermione. Cupid smiled, watching her fondly as she went. She'd missed the young witch a lot.

However, the McLean girl knew better than to intervene with a woman of purpose, and catching up could wait for now. Besides, she wasn't sure how well Harry would take seeing her again.

"Come on," Cupid motioned for Avena to follow her as she got up from her seat. "Let's go for a walk." She set her empty plate in the sink, thanking Mrs. Weasley before the pair left.

As they stepped into the air outside, the brunette exhaled a sigh and revelled in the brisk chill. She paused for a moment then, staring out at the slow-rising sun.

  From where she stood at her side, Avena gave the girl a nudge. "You know, what he said was pretty harsh—" the McLean girl shook her head quickly, meeting the Dart girl's eyes with a determined smile.

For as much as she loved Avena, she was often too quick to write people off. Things always seemed so black and white to her that sometimes, there was no in-between. Maybe it was easier that way; a means of not getting hurt.

But, it wasn't the same for Cupid. She always gave people the benefit of the doubt, and too often had that resulted in mistakes. As Cupid glanced over at the Dart girl, she figured that maybe, just maybe she should start taking notes instead of criticizing.

Clearly it was working for Avena.

  However, Cupid knew better than to apply that logic now. "That was just George being George. Believe me, I know what harsh is," the McLean girl let out a half-hearted laugh. But, the sound was almost bitter as she recalled every trick she fell into, every lie she was foolish enough to believe.

Cupid let Avena link her arm in hers as the pair began walking circles around the Burrow. Avena leaned her head on Cupid's shoulder, a comforting gesture as she began to speak, "You know, you never talk about him─ about what happened."

  The words were softly spoken, but the effect was not so gentle. Cupid tensed, closing her eyes as she tried to push the memories from her mind.

"It's hard," she breathed out.

Her heart gave another writhe inside of her. She wished it didn't sting as much as it did, but something inside always smarted at the mention of him. She wondered how foolish she looked to Avena.

  To everyone else, it didn't seem like her and Draco had ever been truly close. Until now, she'd hardly realized how much it had worked in his favour.

How blind was she that she couldn't see it from the start? The meetings in the libraries, when no was around to see it. The hidden notes, made easier for talking in secret. It had all been manufactured to this end; where she was the fool and Draco Malfoy was something victorious.

  Harry had been furious, with her and with Draco. It was hard to face either of them after that. Cupid gave a bitter laugh and Avena lifted her head. Her gaze was concerned as she studied the McLean girl's features.

  Cupid tried to wave off the suspicion, "It's fine, Ave. I know I'm being stupid by clinging onto it." At the words, Avena abruptly pulled away, expression twisted into a determined frown.

"No, Cupid. You have every right to be upset." As Avena spoke, Cupid felt an ache inside her; a raw pain at being told it was okay to be hurt.

  She'd avoided so much about what happened, she pushed away friends who tried to reach out afterwards. She pushed away Harry and Hermione and Ron. But, Avena was always there, whether it be in written letters or at her side with words of comfort.

The Dart girl shook her head, "What Malfoy did was cruel. I know you don't talk about it much, but I know it hurt and you tried your best, okay?"

  "Malfoy is an absolute git who didn't know what he had when he had it. Now, enough about boys─ and I don't just mean Draco Malfoy." Cupid looked over at Avena curiously, confused by the words.

  She'd only ever really liked two boys, so she wasn't quite sure what the girl was getting at.

Avena sighed, "Look. Last year, we both know how drastic our grades were. Mainly because you were too busy chasing Malfoy─"

Cupid was quick to cut in. "And you were too busy chasing after Zambini!" She retorted, but Avena only laughed.

"A temporary distraction. I knew my boundaries, you were the one who barely passed until I forced you to pull it together." The red-head poked her finger towards Cupid as she spoke, as if to emphasize who she was speaking of. "You're a Ravenclaw, for crying out loud. You should know better."

Cupid pulled her arm out of Avena's as she raised her hands in defense. "I was able to make up for my bad marks and I passed our OWL's with flying colours." As she spoke, the McLean girl wished that she was speaking figuratively.

But, when results had come back, the envelope had literally zipped around the room trailing glitter as a congratulations for passing. Cupid McLean has exceeded expectation, the card read.

Avena rolled her eyes. "That's because you're a teacher's pet and they didn't want to see you fail. Everyone knows what you're capable of, and they wanted you to do better."

Cupid scoffed, thinking back to their potions Professor. "Yeah, Snape was really rooting for me when Dumbledore asked him to give me new make-up assignments. He barely agreed, and even then those assignments were way harder than my grade level!"

However, Avena had no sympathy as she gave Cupid a pointed look. "And who's fault is that?"

Cupid tsked, mildly annoyed. But, she knew when she was defeated. "Mine." The McLean girl mumbled, crossing her arms as she looked away from her friend.

Avena sighed, taking her arm once more and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I just want the best for you." Avena leaned into her friend's shoulder once more.

It was silent for a while after that, the tension ebbing away like a slow-flowing stream. Cupid was startled when the moment was finally broken, with Avena pulling away quickly.

The red-head turned to her with a smile, hands clasped together in front of her. "Okay, I have an idea─ a compromise, really." She was rambling now.

Cupid rolled her eyes. "Get on with it," she said, a grin on her lips.

Avena took a deep breath before deflating as she exhaled. "Okay, so─ no-more-boys." Cupid felt her eyes widen in surprise. Already, this was taking an unexpected turn.

  But, Avena wasn't done. "No more distractions, no more flirty interactions. Nothing." Her hands sliced through the air as if to finalize the words.

Cupid didn't know what to say. But, she managed to sputter out a faint reply. "How is that a compromise?"

Avena rolled her eyes, waving her off. "Okay, fine. Fair point. No more boys, unless..." The Dart girl paused, pondering over her next few words.

Slowly, however, they seemed to come to her as her eyes sparked with accomplishment. "Unless we both approve of it, and we have to step in when things go too far for each other! How does that sound?"

Cupid didn't know what to think now. Her mouth fell open as she struggled to conjure a reply. It wasn't as if she were boy-crazy. A feat like this would have been fine─ had it not been for Cupid's own uncertainty about her heart. She didn't trust herself.

Cupid McLean would always be a fool in love.

But, with a pursed lip and a hardened heart, Cupid knew that she would do this─ just for Avena. No more distractions, she thought to herself as she recalled every memory she had over sleepless nights; worried about school, worried about home, worried about Draco. Perhaps now she could finally focus on what was important to her.

That wasn't too severe, or even bad at all.

Avena raised her pinky. She wants to swear on it, Cupid realized with a start. Now, that─ that was quite severe. There were no breaking promises, not between Avena and Cupid. Never was, never had been. The McLean girl pursed her lip.

And there wouldn't any broken promises now, not over a silly little crush. Cupid wrapped her own pretty finger around Avena's. The red-head's eyes were earnest as she held Cupid's gaze. "Promise?" She proposed.

Cupid grinned, "Promise." She replied, sealing the deal.

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AN: Ah !!!!! I love them so much. Some things may seem confusing right now, but all will be explained in due time. Also, Cupid and Avena are one year above Harry and Cupid is a year and a few months older than him. Or somewhere around there. I'm still hammering out some details, but she's for sure a Virgo or Libra. Still deciding??? Also, I've made Cedric a Libra because... that man is not a Scorpio... that's all I'll say for now !! I hope you enjoyed.