Chapter 8 – Charlie's Story
A/N: So you guys will be seeing more and more of me – seeing as how I am resigning at all and taking a month off for myself. It's going to be spectacular. I'll have more time to attend to my forums, more time to update my stories and just to chill out and do sweet, sweet nothing. It is going to be absolutely epic.
Any who I thought I should add the next chapter so here it is
Keep well
Sparks
Everyone was completely awe struck when they heard Charlie and turned to see him standing there. His parents and siblings instantly started to get up to make sure he was ok but he stopped them, "SIT! There will be enough time to fuss over me later… first… I need to tell you what has happened and what I've learnt." He said, his eyes meeting his brother Bills.
"I was on my way back from Romania…"
~Earlier that day~
Charlie sat in his cell doing what he did every day, staring at the floor and occasionally looking at the boarded window waiting for news. He sighed because he was impatient even after all his time spent cooped up in the cell. He heard hurried footsteps but wasn't concerned as there was always some lackey in a rush to report some small deed to the Dark Lord upstairs, hoping it will carry favour.
The lock to his cell was slid back so silently that Charlie didn't notice at first and he didn't notice either the murmurings of a spell, a spell that deactivated the prison alarms that went off when someone without authorization tried to get in to the room. Charlie hadn't lost hope that he would be saved but his imposter had been with his family and friends, and his fiancé, for more than a month and he felt like the idiot would never leave so he could be rescued. Thank god the idiot hadn't realised that Charlie was engaged because if had touched Pat… Charlie clicked his neck at the thought, flexing his muscles.
"Charlie" a whispered voice made Charlie look up quickly, "It's time… quickly while he's busy with Malfoy." Charlie couldn't believe it. He was getting out. It was so sudden. He tried to get up quickly but he was so mistreated, so tortured, and so damn famished that he stumbled. Strong hands caught him, "Easier there … I won't be forgiven if I don't return you in one piece." It was so dark in the cell that when they emerged in the hallway Charlie almost felt like he'd gone from being a blind man to a seeing made far too suddenly and that his eyes were being burnt with a cattle prod. He tried narrowing his eyes to see where he was going but he needed have. His arm was slung around lithe shoulders and he was half led half dragged down the hallway and out a door. Charlie soon lost track of the number of turns they took, the times they paused when they thought someone might spot them, and the amount of times he tripped when suddenly he felt cool air hit his face.
Dawn was just breaking so it was dark enough for Charlie to look around without feeling like he was being tortured again. He glanced around at the expansive lawn and at the person holding him, "Where to now?" he whispered. He got a quiet shush and was instantly led to the gate. Charlie didn't know how his rescuer managed to hold him up, cast a charm to unlock the gate, get Charlie through and lock the gate without dropping anything but he did and Charlie had never been so grateful.
They walked for a bit before they suddenly stopped and Charlie was handed a sandal. His rescuer nodded, "It's a portkey that'll take you to the clearing." Charlie nodded, "Thank you" he said hoarsely, tears pricking his eyes. His response was a snort and a quick and rather snappish, "Just remember the deal." Charlie nodded, "I don't tell a single soul who rescued me because it could jeopardize everything" he whispered, "Thank you so…" Another snort, "Stop thanking me and just make sure everything goes according to plan… make sure she's looked after." Charlie nodded and was about to confirm he would when he suddenly felt a lurch as the portkey activated.
He travelled far and when he landed he completely collapsed. He knew he had to push himself up and get moving to get to The Rebel Joint but at that very point he couldn't, he was exhausted and he passed out on the soft, cold grass.
When he woke he looked at his watch and swore quietly. With much effort and grunting he managed to get himself and start limping to the clearing, he heard Jess speaking as he approached, "I am not the best person to be asking questions or to tell you what's happened."
He leaned against a tree and declared, startling several people, "No…I am."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~
He paused and caught his breath before walking slowly to the middle of the clearing. Several people shifted to get up and help him but he shook his head, "I really am fine… Nothing some food and something sugary to drink won't cure." He said as he sat on the stump Marcus had left. He looked around and said, "Apparating such long distances is so risky so I caught the train to the Leaky Cauldron." He snorted and said, "I actually thought that it was weird when I saw Percy there but he said that he knew I'd catch the train and that he needed to speak to me urgently." Charlie shook his head and winced slightly, "Of all the people that I thought would betray us and join him… Percy was not one of them." His voice was barely more than a whisper. He swallowed and said, "He stunned me when we got upstairs to the room he was supposedly staying at temporarily and the next thing I knew I was lock up in a dark room." He smiled at this but it was ghostly and hallow, "Within minutes of my capture Jess was there and quietly explained that she could rescue me immediately but that she knew that the Death Eaters were planning to impersonate me in order to infiltrate their base. That if I could stick it out she would be able to gain much information that could aid us and she assured me that she had an agent within the place that I was being held and that he would keep an eye on me. The minute my death would be decided I would be out of there, whether it blew their cover or not." His eyes met Jess's at this and they exchanged small smiles, "I managed to overhear quite a lot while I was down there, mostly because those idiots thought that I would be killed and never bothered to lower their voices." He chuckled quietly but it quickly turned into a hacking cough and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Clearly, everything went according to plan and here I am, alive as promised."
Jess stood and walked to him, she stood beside him and looked around the clearing, "What Charlie did was very brave and most of us can only imagine what tortures he went through while he was left there." She said quietly before adding, "thank you Charlie." Charlie nodded and said, "There is one more thing I want to tell you about and that is the degree to which the Death eaters will go. Make no mistake that if someone is turned, the chance of them turning back is highly unlikely. I know this because one night…"
Percy walked into the room quietly and it took Charlie a few moments to make out that it was him. He stood up angrily and tried to lunge at him but Percy calmly flicked is wand and Charlie was invisibly restrained. Unable to wrap his swollen and bruised knuckles around Percy's neck, he spat angrily at his younger brother, "How could you? How could you betray your own family like this? Me? How could you do this to me Percy? I'm your brother!" Percy snorted and flicked his wand again so Charlie's arms slammed against his body at the side and, with another flick, he levitated Charlie out the room as he spoke, "It was much easier than you would think Charlie. I have worked my whole life to be better than everyone else in our family, to have more power… to be unique and by the Dark Lord's side I will be given just that." Charlie tried to talk but he had to fling his head to the side suddenly and shut his eyes as he was met with bright light and his eyes struggled to adjust.
He opened them slowly and he realised he had been taken upstairs and the bright light was in fact day light streaming in through the open windows. Charlie smiled hopefully, "You're going to let me go?" he asked hoarsely, "I knew you couldn't be all bad Perce." Percy smiled behind Charlie's back and flicked his wand, freeing him, "Of course Charlie, we are family after all. This was all for the Order." Charlie stood up and quickly hugged his brother, "Thanks… reach me when you can." He whispered quickly before heading for the front door. As he was about to open it he heard Percy cry, "Crutio" and he was suddenly in so much pain he couldn't understand it. He fell to the floor and writhed around. Percy kept his wand trained on his older brother as he walked towards him, "This is exactly what I hate about family. None of you ever listened to me. NEVER! I just told you I could gain all the power I wanted, that I had worked my whole life for, and you ignore me because you believe in good and helping each other." He sneered coldly, "I would never let you go Charlie. Family means nothing to me, your so called good means nothing to me, you mean nothing to me whatsoever."
Voldemort watched, pleased, and nodded to Percy. Percy smiled and started to fling painful curse after painful curse at Charlie until…"
"I blacked out eventually. And I knew from then on in that Percy had made his final decision and that he would never change." He finished sadly as he watched his mother begin to sob into her hands, "he doesn't consider us family and we should do the same." He added before letting John help him up and to another seat in the clearing.
Jess glanced around and said quietly, "So far there have been two main groups of people that have been doing their upmost best to stop or at the very least delay the intentions of Voldemort and his Death Eaters." Everyone, aside from the Rebels, hissed or winced at the mention of the Dark Lords name, "The first is Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix and the second group is us, the Rebels. Since I can remember these two groups have always risen to defend the innocent against those that seek to corrupt or destroy them but they have always worked separately. Dumbledore once approached us and requested that we join forces in our fight against the darkness. We refused because our methods and those of the Order differ greatly however, taking into consideration the extent to which the darkness threatens to engulf us all this time around I propose we finally compromise and make Dumbledore's dream a reality. Henceforth, as per an agreement between us and the Order, we will be known as the Order of the Rebels."
A/N: Stay tuned for more excitement and some "Olympic ninja level wandage".
R&R Please.
