"I'm just not sure what to do." Aubrey sighed standing in front of the mirror, running her hands across her stomach. "I mean I could wear this one right? It doesn't make me look too fat?"
Charlotte pulled herself away from sleep and stared at the ceiling; her eyes looked heavy and her hair was hanging over the arm of the couch, clumped together in a large knot. "Aubrey you can't expect yourself to look the same as before."
The blond turned to her friend with a grin. "Well of course not! But no one else needs to know that right? Hey do we still have that fire whiskey?"
"I have no idea." Charlotte held back a sound of annoyance and let her eyes shut slowly.
'Just an hour sleep, that's all I ask for.'
"Found it!" Aubrey's voice rang from the kitchen like an alarm.
Charlotte felt her mind begin to settle and drift off into a sleep. It was quiet and peaceful; she never knew sleep could be this good when you needed it the most.
Nothing was going to wake her, nothing at all.
Until a loud ringing echoed through the house.
"Oh he is here!"
Suddenly cries rang out from the back room and Charlotte groaned. She pushed herself up from the couch and made her way to the back room as Aubrey slammed the door shut.
The room was dark but the cries were loud. Charlotte lowered her arms into the crib that was at her side, slowly picking up the bundle and holding it close. She moved towards the chair, rocking the bundle back and forth and gently sitting down. She let the chair move forward and back as the cries begin to quiet down.
"It's alright dear." She cradled the infant in her arms, running her hand against the dark locks. "Mommy isn't here right now but Charlotte is here for you."
The baby's cries stopped and Charlotte gave a little happy sigh.
"Back to sleep little Eloise."
"Charlotte…"
The voice had pulled her from her dream, a memory of so long ago. Her body seemed to be crying out with exhaustion. An hour more, that's all she wanted. She raised her hand up, trying to swat away the voice.
"No, go away."
"Charlotte…." The voice continued. Hands pressed down on her shoulders. "Charlotte!"
"Alright." Bright blue eyes stared down at her as a groan escaped her lips. "You know you don't have to be that close to me."
"Well maybe if you woke up easier, I wouldn't have to be this close!" A giggle escaped the girl's lips as she jumped back with her hands cupped tightly to her hips.
"I was up late last night, I figured I would get to sleep in today. I'm guessing you want me to feed you right?"
"Nope! Made my own this morning! I told you already that I can be independent! Anyways, there is an owl that won't leave till you reply and it's starting to follow me and peck at my fingers. It has your name on it."
"Of course it does," Charlotte rubbed her head. "Alright, get out. Let me get changed."
She watched the dark haired girl bounce away, trying to shake the ache in her heart. So much had changed in fourteen years. 'She isn't a baby anymore! She's been in school for four years and you still try to coddle her.'
"It's hard not to." She muttered, rising from the bed and stretching her arms up.
Charlotte reached over to grab some clothing when she caught site of her own reflection. She was probably the only thing that hadn't changed much since that memory. Perhaps she got 'more of a backbone' as some would say but her hair still seemed as lifeless as ever and her eyes looked even more tired than before.
"Charlotte hurry up! It's biting me again!"
She turned away from her own reflection, thankful for the distraction. "I'm coming!"
After throwing on some clothing quickly, she left the room, moving down the stairway and into the kitchen. She glanced around briefly before spotting the bird.
"Right here!" The girl pointed at the bird before pulling back quickly as it nipped at her hand.
"Ugh! Get it away from me!"
Charlotte couldn't help but give a snort of amusement. "Ellie, Stop acting like your mother."
"I am NOT acting like her!"
Charlotte crumbled the letter up with a sigh. "Well I suppose we won't know for sure will we?"
"She canceled again? Surprise surprise." Ellie leaned into the table with her elbows. "What's the excuse this time?"
"Old friend in town."
"Which one this time? Whiskey, gin or vodka?"
Charlotte turned to the girl, giving her the look she found herself frequently using. Ellie didn't even blink as she shrugged her shoulders. "Look I'm fourteen not four. I know she would rather get drunk then see me any day."
"Well either way, you're going to have to stay with me unless you would rather go see your grandparents."
Ellie grinned. "I'll stay with you if you let me help out."
"Ellie…"
"Come on Charlotte!" Ellie's arms crossed over her chest. "I have the highest grade in my potions class! I can help out and not be in the way! I really can!"
"Alright then. But when I say you need to…"
"Yeah yeah, 'when you say to back off you mean it' blah blah blah."
"I do mean it." Charlotte shook her head as the girl left the room with a grin, leaving Charlotte with her own thoughts. She tossed the crumpled letter into the wastebasket; her head rested on her left hand, gazing at the window.
'You shouldn't really be surprised,' she scolded herself. 'When is the last time she showed up for a visit? Even when Ellie was hers, she didn't bother coming around.'
It was never supposed to be like this, her life that is. When she had left Hogwarts, she had planned it out perfectly. She applied at every job that interest her and with her grades, interviews came flooding in like wild fire. She and Aubrey got their own place, Charlotte started her new job and then the bombshell came.
"Charlotte I can't do this alone!" Aubrey begged. "I'm scared and I just can't get rid of it!"
"Aubrey what about the…"
"Father?" Aubrey brushed it off. "This baby doesn't need a father anyways."
She reached out her arms and squeezed Charlotte tightly. "This baby has you Charlotte, and that's better than any man who could call himself father."
Aubrey couldn't work of course, not in her condition (or so she claimed). Charlotte found herself working twice as hard to pay the rent and soon enough, purchase what they needed for this baby that wasn't supposed to happen.
Even with all this, it still could have worked. Charlotte still could have still stayed working, bringing in money. Aubrey however, had other plans. She was not cut out for motherhood, she couldn't handle to crying, the diapers, the feeding. Charlotte watched countless times as Aubrey left for the weekends and then soon enough whenever she wanted. Then Charlotte would have to pick up the phone and call into work. Soon enough they asked her not to come back.
The saving grace in all of this, was Aubrey's parents who knew what her daughter was like. After two years of watching her daughter run away from her responsibilities, they took custody of their grandchild and soon after that, made Charlotte her legal guardian.
No one ever asked about Ellie's father. Well no one except Ellie.
"Who is he? Don't you know?" Despite Aubrey never being around, Ellie never failed to make Charlotte think of her. "Didn't my mother know?"
"I have no idea." Her stomach ached. Couldn't she just leave it be?
"You were her best friend and she got pregnant at the end of school right? At least when I tried to figure it out, that's what I came up with. Come on Charlotte, you have to know!"
Though she knew who it could have been, she always chose to ignore it. Perhaps out of everything, that was the one thing Charlotte selfishly kept to herself. The man, she had loved so long ago, was more than likely the father of Aubrey's child, the one Charlotte had taken care of for 14 years.
The irony of it all never escaped her.
Charlotte brushed the past memories away before getting up to find Ellie.
The day passed on quickly as most days seem too. Charlotte began to prepare for some potions she needed to make, Ellie intently watching her from the sidelines, occasionally asking to help. It almost became routine for them now.
"Chop this," Charlotte would always give her relatively easy tasks that wouldn't take away any time if messed up.
Ellie would pout, saying she wanted to do more.
"If anything every happened, we would be out a lot of money. We can't afford it."
They only lived on the money Charlotte made from selling potions to different stores and people and between rent, food and buying supplies to make the potions, money was extremely tight. If it hadn't been for Ellie's grandparents, Charlotte wasn't sure how she could have afforded school supplies for Ellie.
The night went by smoothly, Charlotte managed to get her work done on time for once.
Long after Ellie had finally fallen asleep, Charlotte's feet slowly carried her to her own bed. She let her body flop down hard, not bothering to change into any kind of night clothing. Her body felt exhausted and thankfully sleep came quickly.
"Charlotte!"
Ellie's feet raced up the stairs, skidding through the hallway almost missing the doorway. She tumbled into the room and dropped a brown envelope on her desk with a grin. "You have a letter!"
Charlotte looked at the letter for a moment before picking it up. She turned it over to open it and stopped. A red seal, one she had not seen in many years, kept the letter closed up. She ran her fingers gently over it.
"Who is it? Mom would never use a fancy seal like that."
"It's from Hogwarts." Charlotte explain, breaking the letter open.
"Your old school?"
"Yes." Charlotte felt Ellie looking over her shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the words written on the parchment.
"Well what is it?"
"I don't really…"
"Let me see!" Ellie ripped the letter from Charlotte's hand before she could protest. Her voice rang through the room loud and clear.
Miss Matthews,
I hope everything it well, it has been such a long time since we have seen each other. I am sure you are wondering why I am writing to you today. It seems I have a position open in my staff for Potions professor and after speaking with the head Healer at St Mungo's, they recommended you to fill the position. They have informed me of your great work you have done with them and I am eager to hear more of your accomplishments.
I am sorry if this comes at short notice but I hope to hear from you soon. Perhaps you can come to the castle so we can have a chat face to face.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Minerva McGonagall
Head Mistress of Hogwarts
"She is offering you a job!" Ellie bounced up and down like a kid at Christmas. "You have to take it!"
"Ellie," Charlotte stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. She wants to speak to me, that's all. She hasn't offered me any position. Plus do you realize how much harder things would be? Keeping this place while not living here? You would have to probably stay at your school over the holidays."
"So ask them to let me go to Hogwarts too. Make it a condition of your employment. That way we can be together all year."
"It's not that simple you know. I can't just waltz in there, demanding things like that. You would be thrown into a place where people already have their friends. You could hate the school. You would have to be sorted…" Charlotte let go of the dark haired girl with a sigh.
"It's just a lot to ask of them."
"Well if they really want you, it's worth it! Just think, this is what we have been waiting for! A chance at a better life. Not say that this one isn't great. But you work yourself too hard just to try and put food on the table. Seriously what do you have to lose?"
"You know sometimes I am glad you are like your mother. At least the good parts of her."
"There are good parts? Are you sure they exists?" Ellie walked over the desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. "Now write back!"
Charlotte knew she was right. Really, what did she have to lose?