Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or anything related.
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Author's Note:
Sorry it took so long! But here it is...
Luv
Creatress
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Chapter 9 - Charlotte's Fear
"Your…?" the headmaster's voice trailed off. "Brother?" A nod from Charlotte. The corner of the old man's mouth started quirking. "You have a younger brother?"
"Yes; Jason," Charlotte replied. She frowned, wondering why Dumbledore would find the information so amusing.
"There's another one?!" Snape suddenly demanded, mouth agape. He ignored the disbelieving looks from Dumbledore and Hermione and stared at Charlotte as if he'd never seen her before.
Dumbledore quickly cleared his throat. "That's quite… Erm… Interesting." He stepped back and clutched Charlotte's drapes. "I'll talk to you ladies later." He swung the curtain shut before they had a chance to respond. He then gleefully turned to the Potions Master. "There's another one!" he exclaimed.
Snape scowled at him. "Why didn't you see it when you read her mind?!"
Dumbledore shrugged. "I searched for parents, teachers and friends. I didn't think to look for siblings. Besides, you hate children, or so I thought. I figured it was probably a battle for your wife to convince you to have at least one child, so why would there be two?" He suddenly smiled broadly at the younger man.
Snape eyed him warily. "What?"
Dumbledore shrugged again. "Jason Severus Tisamenus Snape. Has a ring to it," he mused.
Snape scowled, blackly. "I can't believe there's a second one…"
Dumbledore smirked. "I can. Now."
"Why?" the Potions Master asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dumbledore gestured toward the outline of Charlotte behind the curtain. "Now, because of her memory, we know you play a major role in her life. And look at her! She's a great girl, a wonderful student, perfectly healthy... She also has a brother, who also seems well. If she is anything to go by, you will be happy."
Snape looked at him, deadpanned. "That is hardly any base to make judgments on." He nodded toward the curtain. "This is the same girl who decided it would be a good idea to try to make it across England in a flying car. In less than two hours, no less."
Dumbledore smiled softly. "To help a brother."
Snape scowled. "Spare me."
Dumbledore's smile didn't falter, but he turned to leave. "Look on the bright side," he said, meeting Snape's eyes. "Jason's Slytherin."
Try as he might, even Severus Snape couldn't keep his lips from quirking into a slight smirk at this.
xXxXxXxXx
"There's another one," Flitwick stated.
"You two got here in mere minutes after Albus left. You truly have no lives."
Lupin's grin widened. "Jason."
Flitwick mirrored it Lupin's smile. "Jason Severus," he added.
Snape was tempted to roll his eyes, but only looked away, scowling.
Lupin shrugged, a smile still gracing his features. "You would hurt me if I tried to congratulate you, wouldn't you?"
Snape smirked. "I would." The way he looked at him then made the DADA professor think that Snape was currently fantasizing about the ways he could.
Lupin shook his head. "Fine, fine. Let's talk about your Evanesce-Turn-Time Potion."
Snape almost sighed in relief. "Finally," he muttered. His eyes narrowed. "What would make an Evanesce send a person through time?"
"Maybe you made a mistake?" Lupin suggested, with a small smirk. The glare he received from Snape then made him amend, "Maybe it was a different potion altogether and Charlotte mistook it for Evanesce?"
Snape shook his head. "She picked it up because it was labeled Evanesce." He frowned. "Perhaps… Perhaps I did err in some way..."
Flitwick suddenly snorted. When both men looked at him, he shook his head. "Not with Her-hm, ahem…" The professor was suddenly overtaken with a coughing fit and Lupin slapped his back before he cleared up. "I meant, not with your wife helping you."
Snape narrowed his eyes at Flitwick because of the mention, but Lupin looked at him carefully. "Why would you say that?"
Flitwick shrugged. "Albus said she helped you sometimes, and I just can't begin to believe that the two of you working together would make a mistake. Maybe if you were alone, maybe then, but… With her helping? I mean, she never seems to - " He froze when he saw the wide-eyed look Lupin was giving him. He inched away from the younger man. "Yes, Remus?" he asked.
Lupin looked at him and Flitwick could see the metaphorical muggle light bulb going on over his head. He prodded at the Charms teacher with his index finger. "You know who it is," he stated in an enlightened whisper.
Flitwick shook his head. "No!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, you do," Lupin shot back.
"No, I don't," Flitwick insisted, his eyes darting everywhere but Lupin's face.
Snape finally rolled his eyes in exasperation. Any order he could have barked to make them stop and look at things that mattered would have been lost, so he resigned to lying still and letting them fight it out.
"Drop it, Filius, you're a horrible liar," Lupin stated. "Come, just admit it. Is it Rosmerta?"
Flitwick suddenly looked at him in horror. "Merlin, NO!"
Lupin pointed a finger at him again and grinned. "Aha! So you DO know!"
Flitwick looked at him. "You are beginning sound a lot like Minerva."
Lupin frowned. "I am no - " He suddenly stopped and sat down in his seat, shuddering when he realized that Flitwick was right.
Flitwick sat down as well and looked at the DADA professor. "I might have expected this behaviour from her, but never from - "
"Just tell me – what if it's relevant?" Lupin asked, turning back to him.
Flitwick looked at him. "Relevant? The only thing you need know is that she's an incredibly intelligent witch, and it's strange that both she and Severus, two of the most brilliant minds in Wizarding England, would make a mistake together."
Lupin looked at him. "Oh, dear Merlin, it's Minerva."
"No!" Flitwick gasped, aghast.
"Maybe after at least sixteen years with me, she's grown to hate me enough to the point of purposely sending her daughter back in time to mess everything up so that we don't become an item," Snape suddenly mused. Both men looked at him. He met their eyes evenly. "It's possible."
Lupin frowned. "It's not. As impossible as that is though - " he turned back to Flitwick – "What if there's something?"
Flitwick shook his head. "I promised Albus."
"Albus isn't here right now!" Lupin shot back.
Flitwick stared at him. "Wow, Minerva's really turned you…"
Lupin gave him a look and sat down, turning back to Snape. "Maybe you made a mistake with the labels," he said as if the debate with Flitwick had never occurred. "Time turning powder is bright blue, the same colour as Evanesce. Maybe you managed to make a liquid form of it and accidentally switched the labels. It seems more likely if there were two people in the lab."
Snape shrugged, glad that the conversation had veered back to the Evanesce. "I have been researching a way to compress the powder and make it more powerful… It's possible."
"It's highly unlikely," Flitwick stated. "Very highly unlikely."
"Why?" Snape asked.
Flitwick inhaled, choosing his words carefully. "There can be many areas where you could have erred. But simply mixing up the labels? I may be dulling Occam's razor, but a simple mistake of just switched labels? No. You wouldn't. And she always double checks her facts, and then researches, footnotes, cross references and then double checks her facts again. She'd never make a simple error like that."
Lupin whipped around to face him. "Hermione!"
"What the hell is the matter with you?!" rang back to them through the closed door Flitwick had suddenly escaped through.
Lupin turned to Snape. "What was his problem?" he asked, with a shrug. Snape also shrugged and Lupin continued. "I think it would be a good idea to ask Hermione." He turned and called through the curtain. "Charlotte? Hermione? May I have a word?" Only silence greeted him. Lupin glanced at Snape before cautiously drawing the curtains, but found that Charlotte's bed was empty.
"They've just checked out," Pomfrey suddenly said, appearing at the foot of Snape's bed. "What was all that racket? What was Filius yelling about?"
Lupin shrugged. "Where have they gone?" he asked, gesturing at Charlotte's bed.
"Charlotte insisted on going for a walk, so I sent Hermione to watch over her." The nurse turned and smiled gleefully at Snape. "You know, it's harder to keep her in bed than it is with you."
xXxXxXxXxXx
Hermione had popped into the Head Girl's room to pack her bag with a few empty containers before she and Charlotte set off outside. She wanted to get the task of collecting a few herbs for Snape out of the way that morning. She was just closing her door when Charlotte inhaled sharply. "Harry Potter."
Hermione turned and grinned when her friend walked up to them. "Where have you been?" she asked.
"Where have I been? Where have you been?" Harry retorted, smiling. He caught sight of Charlotte. "And you are…"
"Charlotte Semele Spena," Hermione answered. She looked at Charlotte and caught her look of recognition. Her mouth quirking a little, she didn't bother to introduce her friend. "She's new," she added instead.
Harry offered a hand, which Charlotte took. "I'm Harry."
Charlotte nodded, her own lips quirking. "It's nice to meet you."
Harry noticed the small movement and glanced from her to Hermione. "What?" he asked, suspiciously. "Do I have something on my teeth?" Hermione and Charlotte shook their heads, both trying to look absolutely innocent. "You're both smiling like Cheshires."
Hermione and Charlotte glanced at each other, both trying not to laugh. "It's nothing," Hermione said, shaking her head. "We've just had a funny morning."
"It's almost 8:00. What could have happened this early?" Harry asked, his eyebrows rising.
Hermione nodded. "No, it's been an… interesting… morning."
Harry shrugged. "Fine," he murmured. "I suppose I'll see you later. I'm going to meet Dumbledore for occlumency lessons."
"Well, we're going for a walk. To collect herbs and… Stuff," Hermione finished lamely.
Harry looked at her. "We haven't been seeing you much…" He smirked. "Is there some guy you're not telling us about?"
Hermione shook her head. "A girl, I'm not telling you about." Harry eyebrows shot up. Hermione nodded at Charlotte. "Her."
Harry disbelieving green eyes turned to Charlotte. "What… What?!" he gasped, looking between them.
Charlotte snickered a little. "She means I've been in and out of the hospital wing a lot. She's been taking care of me."
Harry playfully punched Hermione's arm. "Ah, no wonder. Doing research and planning out her life, no doubt. Keep it up, Mione." He turned to leave. "You're going to be the greatest lesbian ever!"
Hermione threw an empty container at his receding back, which he ducked before bolting. Smiling, she turned to Charlotte. "You recognized him," she stated.
Charlotte nodded. "So?" she asked, dubiously.
Hermione grinned. "Then that would mean that he's still alive, wouldn't it?"
Charlotte mirrored her grin. "Yes, he's alive and well."
Hermione looked away and started walking, but there was still a smile on her lips. "I suppose you can't tell me anything else?"
Charlotte shook her head and fell into step beside the older girl. "I don't suppose so. No." She glanced at her. "He seems to care about you."
Hermione shrugged. "We've been friends for the past seven years. He's like a little brother to me."
Charlotte nodded, but something about those words struck something in her. She didn't know what it was, but in an instant, it was gone.
"Charlotte?" Hermione asked. "Are you alright?"
Charlotte nodded quickly. "Just fine."
They made it to the exit and Hermione stepped outside and smiled. "I love morning," she mumbled, quietly. "The fresh air really wakes you up."
Charlotte grumbled beneath her breath. "I suppose so," she mumbled, trudging along behind Hermione.
Hermione laughed and looked at her. "You don't think so?"
Charlotte shook her head, a distasteful frown set across her lips. "It's a Sunday. It should be a crime to be up this early."
Hermione gave her a sideways glance. "Not a morning person, then."
"No, definitely not," Charlotte stated. "My mother says I miss the best of the day."
"Possibly because you do," Hermione put in.
Charlotte snorted. "As if. My father says the best part of the day is the night. He and I are both night owls. He's not a morning person, either. Actually, he's grumpier than me," she added with a smirk.
"You and your father are both missing out," Hermione stated. "What about your brother?"
"He's a morning person," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. "Possibly because of years of getting up ahead of me to set up for mean pranks against me." She pouted at Hermione.
Hermione smirked, far from sympathetic. "You could have avoided them if you'd gotten up on time."
"I could have avoided them if he just slept late like normal people."
Hermione turned and studied her features curiously. "What does your brother look like?" she asked, suddenly having an unquenchable urge to know.
Charlotte shrugged. "He's taller than me, up to about… Here…" She waved her hand about half a foot above her head. "He's got brown hair and dark eyes like me. Pale skin." She frowned. "I remember he looked just like my father, except for his hair, which is shorter. He gels it to make sure it isn't as lank…" Her frown deepened. "But remembering him now, he looks like someone else. Can't quite place who, though…"
Hermione looked at her and frowned. "Jason looks like both you and your father, so you look like your father?" she asked.
Charlotte shrugged. "People tell me I look my grandmother… Except apparently she never had side bangs. But - " Here, she grinned widely at her friend and stood up straighter " – I have my mother's smile."
Hermione grinned. "That's nice."
Charlotte shook her head. "No, it's actually quite funny. See, my father was the first to point it out to people. And he never, EVER says things like that. I knew that even at nine or ten years old." She laughed a little. "Later, I found out that it was because…" She trailed off and gestured at her mouth. "My front teeth used to be really, really big."
Hermione stopped short and looked at Charlotte in disbelief. "Oh, nooo…" She moaned, laughing. "I used to have that problem, too."
Charlotte nodded, looking sheepishly pained and laughed. "So did my mother. Which was why he compared us and everybody else quickly agreed." She nodded and smiled fondly. "So, you see, he can be quite nasty when he wants to be."
Hermione shook her head, but smiled nevertheless. "Your father's absolutely horrid."
Charlotte shrugged and smiled. "Oh, Mum and I got the last laugh in the end. You can probably tell he's not the romantic type. Finally, with Mum listening in of course, I went up to him and asked if my smile really reminded him of hers. He said yes, so I was like… 'So you would have to have really noticed her smile to have remembered it all these years…'"
Hermione burst out laughing. "How did he react to that?"
"He told me to get out before he made Jason an only child," Charlotte said, matter-of-factly.
Hermione giggled. "He is horrid."
"Urgh. You don't know the half of it. Mum and Father had a huge row about the whole teeth thing. You know what he once had the nerve to do? Granted, he and my mother weren't together then, but… Still… Once, someone made my mother's teeth grow larger in a duel. Father had told her that he didn't see a difference."
Hermione stopped so suddenly that she almost fell over. She looked at Charlotte. "Excuse me?"
Charlotte turned to look at her and nodded. "True," she insisted. She took in Hermione's rigid form then. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Hermione blinked. "Yes," she said, quickly, turning away. She looked around for something else that they could talk about… Something that would put the feeling back into her body after that powerful jolt. She spotted Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid's away in France," she mumbled.
Charlotte looked at the small structure and smiled. "He'll be back," she smiled. When Hermione turned to her in surprise and happiness, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Think before you talk, Charlotte, think, think, think," she admonished herself as she turned away and jogged the last remaining distance into the forest.
Hermione threw one more smile toward Hagrid's hut before following Charlotte. As she watched the brunette disappear into the trees, she suddenly thought of the girl's parents. A shiver, not an unpleasant one, she couldn't help but note, passed through her. Coincidence, she told herself. I don't know a Severus or Mia. Coincidence.
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"I can't believe you would mix up labels," Lupin muttered, for the twenty-sixth time.
Snape frowned when he realized he'd actually been counting. "No one is asking you for help," he said instead.
Lupin looked over the large pile of books they'd been going over. "I wish Hermione was here – she's probably already read at least half of them."
"No one is asking for your help," Snape muttered again.
Lupin looked at him. "But I will help you." He nodded, turning back to his book. "Because that's what friends do."
Snape harrumphed, but didn't comment.
Lupin glanced at him. "Friends should also tell friends if something's bothering them."
Snape looked him in the eye and nodded in a gesture of relenting. "I agree. Friends should tell friends if something's bothering them." He nodded toward the door. "Go get Kingsley so that I could tell him that your constant chatter is bothering me."
Lupin looked at him. "Harsh." Throwing the Slytherin a reproachful look, he turned back to his book. "Learning of one child sent you into conniptions. But finding another doesn't bother you at all."
"It doesn't bother me because he won't exist either."
"The watch disagrees."
"What does a ticking piece of metal know?!" Snape snapped.
Lupin looked up at him, exasperated. He started to demand why he would deny both his kids now, but decided against it, knowing it would only lead to another petty argument. He shook his head and looked at the man. "You must be curious," he said.
"Curious of what?" Snape growled, turning back to the book.
"Jason," Lupin responded. Snape looked back at him, one eyebrow propped up. "I mean, we know Charlotte. It makes you wonder how a son you'd have might be like."
"I'm not curious of that. I tend to distance myself from things that would be of no importance, given their current and future non-existence."
Lupin gave him a tired, exasperated look. He looked away for a second, not bothering to comment. "Tisamenus is an interesting name," he suddenly stated. He pretended to ignore the Slytherin when Snape threw the book down in his covers, he himself exasperated now and glared at the Gryffindor. "Between Severus and Tisamenus, I would have only chosen Tisamenus… But, Jason was probably only days old when you named him, he couldn't have protested - " Lupin was abruptly cut off when Snape threw his text at his head. "For heaven's sake, Severus…" Lupin grumbled, massaging the spot on his head.
Snape met his eyes evenly. "Either shut up and start reading or get out."
Lupin shrugged. "I hope you realize that all of this is entirely your fault." At Snape's questioning look, Lupin nodded and elaborated. "This whole children and time travel business…"
"Children and time travel? In case you'd been too busy arguing with him to actually listen to what Filius had been saying, the cause of both of those problems can be entirely the fault of my…" Snape frowned a little here and trailed off.
Lupin rolled his eyes. "Wife, Severus. It has four letters, yes, but, trust me, it's not a curse word." A small smile appeared on his face and he poked at his friend. "Say it. Wife." The look Snape gave him then made him back off. "Either way, it can't be entirely her fault. You must accept at least partial responsibility for the problem of the children, if not the time travel…"
"The problem of the children, Remus?"
Lupin stopped short and turned to face the headmaster. "How is it you always appear at the most inopportune moment?" He turned to see that Snape was sporting a small smirk. "You knew he was there, didn't you?" The Potions Master's smirk only turned a bit nastier. Lupin turned back to Dumbledore and tried to explain himself. "I didn't mean that. He said problem… So, I said problem…"
"I understand completely, Remus," Dumbledore said, giving Snape a look. He smiled then. "However, I'll have to say you're right. Severus, she didn't make your two children by herself." Lupin gave Snape a victorious grin. Snape, for his part, only glowered at Dumbledore. The headmaster shrugged. "Of course, no one blames you," he joked. "A beautiful woman warming your bed – it would have been downright strange if you hadn't - "
"That's enough!" Snape snapped. He glared at the older man. "Is this what you came here for?!"
Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "Yes, Severus, I came here for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of you."
"Done and done," Lupin muttered, eyeing the Potions Master.
Snape scowled at him before turning to Dumbledore. "What is it then?!"
"I was wondering if you'd made any progress," the headmaster replied, nodding at the books.
"Nothing," Snape muttered. He glared viciously at Lupin. "Not that we've been trying hard."
Lupin only threw him another reproachful look before innocently turning back to his book.
"Hm," Dumbledore muttered. "Well, I was wondering… Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to look around your wardrobe?"
Snape and Lupin straightened at this. "What are you thinking?" the Slytherin asked.
Dumbledore shrugged. "Maybe there's something in there."
"Charlotte said it had been bare," Lupin reminded him. He looked at Snape. "Which I find odd, by the way. Why would you have left that wardrobe bare in your labs?"
"Perhaps I was planning to stock it," Snape answered, vaguely. He turned back to Dumbledore and was about to say something when Lupin cut in.
"Before leaving on a weekend vacation?"
Snape shook his head at him. "Perhaps I'd packed everything away and planned to work during the whole event. What does it matter?!"
Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend. "You must sort out your priorities."
"Either way, I believe it is best for you both to go and look at the wardrobe. Take Filius with you," Dumbledore said. He glanced around Snape's bed. "Where is he anyways?"
Lupin shrugged. "We don't know what came over him. I suggested we ask Hermione for her opinion and he went ballistic."
Dumbledore bit the inside of his cheek. "I see," he muttered, not quite understanding what would be so bad about that.
"I'm sure we can do well without her," Snape grumbled.
"Actually, I beg to differ," Dumbledore said. He waved away the look Snape shot him. "You said so yourself, Severus. The faster you get all of this sorted out, the better. And you can't get any faster without Hermione." He gave the Potions Master a stern look. "Talk to her when she comes to help you tonight."
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"Amdiya is used for medicinal purposes. It soothes sore muscles and helps flesh repair itself. It grows in dark places, in little bushels…" Hermione explained, as they trekked through the forest.
"Dark places?" Charlotte asked, looking around. The canopies of the trees blocked out a lot of the sunlight and it was quite dim in the forest. "Is this dark enough?"
Hermione shook her head. "Hardly. I needed it last year and we – Hagrid and I – only found one place which is dark enough for it to grow." She shuddered a little. "It's a little discomforting here without him." But she smiled at Charlotte and tried to put up a brave front.
Charlotte, however, didn't buy it. The forest was getting darker and there were more and more trees as they hiked, crowding around them. "Are you sure this is safe?"
Hermione nodded. "We aren't deep enough for animals we can't handle to come at us," she said. She suddenly stopped. "There," she said, and started trotting toward her discovery.
Charlotte didn't see it at first, but squinted her eyes and made around a small cave against a low hill. It was quite small and she would have missed it if Hermione hadn't pointed it out to her. She quickened her pace and joined her friend at its entrance. Her pace quickened as she took in the shocking blackness of its mouth. The ground only a foot into it was dimly lit up – after that, there was only darkness.
Hermione took her bag off and set it down on the ground before pulling out a metal container, about the size of her forearm. "No light must touch it until it's ready. Otherwise it's useless. I'll have to feel around for it – it's a bit prickly…" she mumbled, getting down onto her knees. "Coming?" she suddenly asked Charlotte.
Charlotte stared into the small, dark cave, feeling suddenly hot and sweaty despite the coolness of the early morning and the forest. She took a deep breath. "I suppose…" she mumbled, getting down beside Hermione. "Let's go," she said, her voice a little breathy.
Hermione frowned at her. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Charlotte nodded. "Yes," she answered, her voice quivering the slightest bit.
Hermione looked at her for a second. "Fine…" She mumbled, unsurely. "Let's go." She started crawling into the cave. She'd moved about a meter when she stopped and turned to see Charlotte exactly where she'd left her. "Charlotte?" she asked.
Charlotte stared into the cave, now visibly trembling. She shook her head. "No… I'm sorry, I can't," she whispered.
Hermione blinked before the wheels in her head started turning. She started placing bits of Charlotte's memories together… Her instinct to risk climbing up a long, ungrounded ladder instead of jumping into a closet when pursued by Filch… Her reluctance to hide from her father by getting into the wardrobe until she was absolutely forced to… Now the cave… "Charlotte, you have a fear of dark, confined places, don't you?"
Charlotte's only answer was to turn away from the cave.
Hermione moved and sat down beside her in the soft grass. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Charlotte. I'm just wondering…"
Charlotte inclined her head. "I have a tendency of getting uncomfortable around dark, confined places, yes."
"Everyone is afraid of something," Hermione shrugged. She frowned. "Did your boggart have something to do with this…?" she wondered.
Charlotte didn't answer, but only frowned.
"Charlotte?" Hermione asked, softly.
There was a moment of unearthly silence before Charlotte answered. "Oh…" She murmured, faintly, her eyes starting to glaze over with tears.
"What happened?" Hermione whispered.
Charlotte started quivering a little. "When I was five years old," she started. "I… My mother and I… We were playing a game…" Her voice trailed off.
"What game?" Hermione prompted.
"Hide and seek," Charlotte whispered. "Father was asleep… Mum said he'd been in an accident." Hermione suddenly remembered Charlotte catching déjà vu when she told her that Snape had just 'been in an accident.' "Jason was also asleep. He was only three," Charlotte continued. "So it was only her and I. She'd finished counting, but I still hadn't found a place to hide…" Her voice trailed off again. "I finally ran into Father's study and into that wardrobe…"
"The one that brought you here?" Hermione clarified.
Charlotte nodded. "I shut the doors… It was dark inside, everywhere. The only light was a thin vertical line… The space between the doors. I heard my mother coming past the room and I felt so proud of myself. I was never supposed to be in there. But then I got into the corner, just in case she came in…" Her voice started shaking. "All of a sudden… It… It just appeared out of nowhere…" A few tears escaped her eyes.
Hermione gulped on a sudden lump in her throat. Somehow, she knew what was about to happen… "What appeared?"
Charlotte broke down crying.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Snape and Lupin stood before the empty wardrobe. "Nothing," Snape muttered.
Lupin gently brushed his fingers across a streak of brownish red on the side wall. "Nothing except your blood," he mumbled.
Snape shrugged one shoulder and gently kicked the floor board in the corner. The back of the wardrobe disappeared and his Death Eater robes, which were messy and still a bit damp with his blood and the blood of others, came into view. "I always leave cleaning it until after getting better," he muttered, taking out his wand.
"Why don't you just let a house elf do it?" Lupin asked, feeling a lump in his throat as he took in the hanging dark robes and the stained silvery white mask propped up just under the hood, where his friend's face would be.
"Couldn't take the risk," Snape smirked, wryly. He waved the shiny black wand and the robes straightened out a bit. He looked thoughtfully at them. "A few months ago, Granger was in the infirmary when I came back. I was too weak to take them off in here and just risked a student catching me. She knew it was me, despite the mask. She said my name. For a few seconds, she was too frightened to move. After she called Poppy and they did whatever was medically necessary, Poppy left and the first thing Granger did was rip them off of me." He turned and looked at Lupin. "Is it really that frightening?"
Lupin didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes."
xXxXxXxXxXx
Hermione held Charlotte as the younger girl cried. "The doors wouldn't open… I just…" Charlotte sobbed. "Screaming for my mother…" She could see it, she remembered so clearly…
She screamed again and again and again, as loud as her little lungs could manage. She ran out of breath and started crying in panic and fear before starting another round of screaming for help. She couldn't see in the darkness, and she couldn't move. Something moved over her mouth and muffled her cries.
"I got tangled up in them," Charlotte recalled, shuddering at the memory, tears still falling. "I tried pulling away, but I must have made that damned mask fall…"
Hermione held her tighter, starting to feel sick.
"It fell on me and I completely lost it… I didn't understand what it was or what was happening…"
"I know…"
"They were completely wet. I can smell the blood; it was everywhere…"
Minutes or hours, she didn't know which, passed by as she clawed and fought with everything around her, trying to find an escape. Finally, through her own silent screaming and the blood pounding in her ears, she thought she heard another voice.
"My mother finally found me," Charlotte murmured. "She pulled me out of the robes and got the mask off me…"
A sudden feeling of dread suddenly washed over Hermione as she pictured what Charlotte was describing. Her heart was in her throat and she had an urge to be sick and tried to breathe deeply and hold it down.
The darkness was suddenly broken by a dim light and she heard her mother's voice, trying to calm her down and keep her steady… She couldn't do it; her mother sounded just as hysterical as she did. She felt her mother wipe her face with something soft in quick, gentle strokes, probably trying to wipe the tears and the blood away. Finally, she gave up and simply hugged her daughter to her, holding her tightly as the girl continued to cry over what had just happened. Soon the little girl felt her hair become tousled and damp with her mother's tears.
Charlotte gasped for breath and tried to calm down against Hermione, who was holding her tightly. They sat in silence for a few moments. Charlotte suddenly let out a harsh laugh. "Clothes," she murmured. "All these years, it was just bloody clothes."
Hermione shook her head. "No," she whispered. "You didn't know…"
Charlotte pulled away from her a bit. "Why did my mother react so badly?" she whispered.
Hermione didn't have to think long to get the answer. "Think about this from your mother's perspective. The absolute worst part for her must have been throwing the wardrobe doors open to find her daughter wrapped up in those robes…" Her own voice had grown thick. "To see that mask over your face…"
Charlotte let out a bitter laugh. "Never," she stated.
Hermione smiled at this.
Charlotte looked at her. "Hermione…" Her voice was a little stricken.
"Yes?" Hermione asked, feeling a little dazed.
Charlotte stared off into the trees for a while. "Maybe I was trying to repress… The fact that my father was a Death Eater."
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A/N
Sorry that took so long! Don't worry, the next chapter is already under way. Please review!
Luv
Creatress
Next Chapter:
- Hermione fully understands Charlotte's fear and helps her deal with the fact that yes, her father was/is/will be a DE.
- Hermione and Snape have a long, interesting, angsty and humourous talk. Only Sev and Mione can have a talk that is both angsty and humourous at the same time.
- Lupin discovers something interesting.
