A/N: I'm back my wonderful reader's. I'm not going to list everyone who reviewed or who added me to his or her favorite/ alert list so here you go THANK YOU ALL WHO REVIEWED. PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING.

THANKS LEANNE

WARNING: This is were the M rating starts I'm not going to tell you why its rated M but just be on the look out for something that may make some people uncomfortable there is enough heads up as to what coming before it comes so if you don't like it please don't read it.

DISCLAMER: I OWN NOTHING.

Chapter 9 – The past bits

Looking into his eyes for a few moments, Charlie finally sighed and pulled her face from James hand. "Fine but you won't like it. Sit down and promise that you will let me deal with this myself."

After the four boys took their seats on the grass, they looked up at Charlie who was still standing. James looked to the other guys for a second before turning back to Charlie. "We can't make that promise, you know we can't- not after we just promised that we would protect you."

Charlie turned quick and looked at them seriously. "No… you can because you promised to protect me from this moment on. What happened then happened in the past before you made the promise."

"Fine," A reluctant James said.

"Fine," Charlie repeated then began pacing back and forwards in front of the boys.

"You know that back in 2nd year Sev asked me out and I said no. Well there was a little more to it then that." Charlie paused to take a deep breath and as that day's events started to replay in her head, as they had done so many times before, she finally told the boys sitting in front of her.

Flashback:

As Charlie made her way out of the girl's bathroom on the second floor – on her way to dinner with her friends – she ran into two larger bodies. Looking up, Charlie's pulse started to pound against her veins as she looked at Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy's cold hard faces. Trying not to show her fear, Charlie calmly tried to take a step around them, which they quickly blocked.

Her annoyance showing in her face, Charlie folded her arms across her chest and addressed them. "Can I help you with something gentlemen?" She was careful to stress the gentle.]

With a sneer on his sour face Malfoy replied, "You can start by saying hello to your betters."

Charlie, forgetting all about her fears shook her head. "Well… if I see them I'll be sure to say hello to them." She said casually.

Before Malfoy could make a move toward her, Snape stopped him. "What are you...? Oh yes. I forgot that we are not here today to put you in your place - that can be done at a later date. For now Severus has something to ask you. Go on Sev I'll just be over here when you are done with her."

Once Malfoy moved down the hall – he was close enough to them to still be able to hear their conversation, but far enough away, that he was no longer right next to them – Sev turned to Charlie. Noticing he looked very uncomfortable, Charlie took pity on him and smiled warmly up at him. "Thanks for stopping Malfoy from trying to hurt me."

Severus shuffled his feet looking down. "I don't think he would have really hurt you." Both knowing that this was a lie, Charlie decided to change the subject. "Yes well..." There was an uncomfortable pause. "You said wanted to talk to about something …because I really was on my way to dinner. I missed breakfast and lunch so I'm really hungry."

Snape looked up and cleared his throat as Charlie smiled at him again. "Yes I wanted to know if you would like to go to have dinner with me next weekend by the lake?" Severus said, awkwardly, knowing he had turned red.

The shock was clearly written on her face. Charlie tried to quickly rearrange her features. "Oh Sev I'm sorry but I have plans next weekend with..." Before Charlie could finish her sentence Malfoy had swooped in and started talking over the top of her. "See I told you that the stupid little mudblood would say no."

Charlie getting angry tried to speak, " No that's not it. It's not like that I..."

Malfoy cut in again. "Let me guess you have plans with your little band of mutts right."

"Yes but we..." Charlie started once again.

Malfoy moved in front of Charlie swiftly blocking any chance of escape other then to retreat back into the bathroom behind her. "Listen Severus, I told you that there is only one way to deal with girls like her and that is to show them who is in charge. Now are you ready to man up."

Charlie couldn't see Severus' face but Malfoy's next words made her blood run cold. "Good, now let's teach this bitch a lesson in who her betters are." Malfoy said in a very sinister? voice.

Before Charlie could even move to run or fight Malfoy had turned at inhuman speed around and grabbed her. Shoving her into the bathroom she just left moments ago. Charlie barely had time to hear Malfoy telling Snape to lock the door before he pushed her hard into the sink. She fell head first smashing her head off the mirror.

Trying to clear the black spots from her eyes Charlie didn't even know she was bleeding until Malfoy came up behind her and pulled her hair. Causing her head to snap up and look at the two of them in the broken mirror.

Whispering in her ear, he spoke "I told you that you needed to respect your betters you little bitch. Now I'm going to show you just what it means to be a mudblood." Taking his free hand Malfoy ripped open her shirt exposing her white lacy bra against her pale smooth skin, dragging his sharp nails across her small mounds. Blood started to seep onto the lacy bra soaking it in mere seconds. Charlie couldn't help but to cry out in pain. "Oh you like that don't you? Don't you - you little slut?" Lucas asked with a dirty smirk.

Charlie dark blue eyes turned cold. "No, You filthy piece of shit."

Malfoy laughed a cruel dark laugh that sent a new wave of fear through the frightened young girl. "Oh you will, very soon you will."

Abandoning Charlie's breast for a moment, Lucius started to drag his nails up her body, leaving a trail of shining blood where he scratched.

Charlie looks in the broken mirror at Severus for help. All she sees is another dark Slytherin staring at her.

Seeing her line of sight, Malfoy spoke in a mocking voice. "Oh now the mudblood wants you Sev. Why don't you come over here and give her what she wants." Turning her around to face them, Charlie saw her only chance to get out of this unhurt, or at least any more scratched.

Without giving herself time to back out Charlie quickly throwing all her weight into it kneed Malfoy right between his legs.

Before Malfoy even hit the ground Charlie had her wand out summoning both Slytherin's wands to her. Raising her wand to Snape Charlie slowly started moving toward the door. Before she reached it Malfoy choked out. "You'll pay for this you filthy mudblood."

Charlie pulsed for a moment and stared at him crumpled on the floor. "You know what Malfoy it will never cease to amaze me how a sick bastard like yourself can almost rape a girl but, once the girl strikes out she has to pay for it. Well we will see who pays you sick twisted fucker, when you're rotting in hell" Turning her glare onto Snape Charlie gave him a final parting shot. "You know you really ought stop letting him speak for you because if you had made him shut his mouth for about ten more seconds then you would have heard that I couldn't go out with you because I had detention with my band of mutts. As he so elegantly put it, but I would have loved to have dinner with you this weekend or the next. Now I'm kinda glad that this happened because now I know you're just has slimy as that pig swain over there." With all the anger building inside of her – Charlie's American accent rang loud and clears over the two English purebloods cowering on the floor.

Without a backwards glance Charlie tore out of the bathroom and down the hall. About halfway down she stopped long enough to throw down their wands, fixed her clothes and cleaned up the blood. Not wanting anyone to know what just happened. Then a little more slowly Charlie walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall.

Before she made it there however she heard the voice she would sooner rather forget behind her on the stairs. "Thought you would get away from us so soon did you mudblood?"

Turning around quickly Charlie smiled, "You're not so stupid to try anything this close to the Great Hall."

"You think you're so smart? Well we shall see how smart you are when we get you alone again and this time you won't get away." Malfoy smirked at her evilly.

Not backing down Charlie shot back, "What's the matter? A little bitty Gryffindor hurts two big bad Slytherin egos? Whatever will your over sized head, pure-blooded, inbred mummy and daddy's think when they find out that their two slow dick-less sons got outsmarted by a girl?"

At that moment Severus snapped and threw a spell at Charlie that nearly hit her and threw her to the ground. "Why you filthy mud blood bitch. How dare..." Before Severus can finish his sentence he was thrown backwards about five feet in the air landing in a heap at the top of the stairs.

Looking around Charlie saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Frank all walking toward them with their wands outstretched. Seeing a statue nearby, Charlie used it to support her as she stood up and walked shakily toward the boys.

"No, stop please I don't want you to get in trouble. It's not worth it please." Charlie begged, as she grabbed Frank who was closest, causing him to lower his wand to support her.

"Tell us what happened first and we'll tell you if it's worth it or not." James said through clutched teeth.

Thinking quickly Charlie stood right in front of the four boys. "It was nothing I swear… Severus just asked me out and when I said no, he and Malfoy got pissed and called me a few names. Then tried to hex me but I ducked and lost my footing and fell. That's when you came in."

Looking at her closely all the boys' eyes went dark with rage. "You're fucking bleeding." Sirius shouted.

Charlie jumped and tried to see where she was bleeding, but not seeing anything she looked to the boys.

"On your head." Remus said coming forward to check her cut.

Brushing him off Charlie thought fast. "I must have hit my head on the statues when I fell. Please can we go? I should probably get it looked at and I'm starving. After waking up late and having to go to the Library at lunch I haven't eaten all day."

For effect Charlie swayed a bit on her feet causing the boys to give in, alarmed. Not before warning the two Slytherins nearby, "If we ever see you near her again we will make your lives living hells do we make ourselves clear?" James said in a deadly voice.

Not giving them time to replay the five friends walked away to the hospital wing.

End flash back:

After Charlie finished telling the whole story of what had really happened that day she realized that she had fallen to the ground some where in the middle of telling her story.

All four boys slowly crawled over to her and wrapped her in big hugs.

"Charlie why the hell didn't you tell the truth about what happened that day?" James asked in a soothing voice.

Charlie gave a humorless laugh. "Like I said that day I didn't want you to get in trouble. I still don't that's why I made you promise you wouldn't do anything to them."

"Okay but what does that have to do with Lily?" James asked, still confused.

Charlie sighed, "Nothing and everything" She answered cryptically. "Lily only believes what Snape told her. That he asked me out and I was mean to him about it. She won't believe anything thing else."

"So tell me again how you don't hate her?" Frank asked with so much venom in his voice that Charlie had to look to make sure it was him.

"Because Frank, Lily is only being a good friend to Severus. If someone said that any of us called someone a mudblood and tried to hex them after they just asked them out. Would you believe it?" Charlie spoke in earnest.

Now it was Frank's turn to sigh. "No I guess not, but Shadow he's a Slytherin."

Frank sounded so much like a sad little boy that Charlie found it hard not to smile. "Yes Frankie but Lily was friends with him before he was a Slytherin. So to her it wouldn't matter. Would you have stopped being friends with Sirius if he was in Slytherin like was expected of him?"

Frank gave a sad little smile. "No I guess not."

"Okay then so why would Lily?" Charlie said patting his cheek.

Remus cleared his throat then asked gently, "Charlie what did you do about your other cuts? When we took you to the hospital wing you only got your head looked at."

Charlie looked down at her hands, embarrassed " I tried to heal them myself later." Then she pulled the shorts that she was wearing up a bit and her shirt down just enough to show long deep scars on her chest and leg. "I think he grows his nails long then files them into points like claws. I also think that he dips them into this potion that stops wounds from healing with magic." Sitting back down she bowed her head. "I still haven't found a way to fix it. I don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey because then she will ask how it happened and I can't tell her."

James stood up and shouted, "I'm going to kill those two mother fuckers."

Charlie jumped up and suddenly grabbed him. "NO. You can't! Why do think I went through all of this? Why do you think I live with these ugly scars everyday? So that four idiots won't do something stupid and get kicked out. How am I to survive without you here?" Charlie said breaking down for the second time that day and crying into James shirt. All the other boys came over and tried once again to comfort her.

After a few moments Charlie stopped crying and looked at them. " Please don't. Please just don't do anything that will get you into major trouble. Promise?"

All the boys were quiet for a second while they took in Charlie's words. Then all at once they smiled to themselves. "We promise Charlie nothing that will get us in major trouble." Sirius said."

"Yeah Shadow were here for you." Frank answered, still grinning.

"Promise you that we're certified."

After that Charlie started to laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes.

When she finally stopped laughing Frank asks. "What was so funny?"

Charlie shook her head. "Nothing really. It's just those are the words to a song I was listening to when I was in the shower this morning."

"Really?" Frank asked. "What's it called?"

Charlie had to think for a second. "Um... Oh yeah Battle Cry by Shontelle."

"Will you play it for us?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I don't have that iPod with me." Charlie told them.

James got a sly look on his face. "That's okay you can just sing it for us."

Charlie face turned pale. "No. I...I...I can't sing." She said as she started to back away.

Before she could turn and run however Remus reached out and grabbed her. "Bullshit. We have all heard you singing under your breath hundreds of times."

"That's different." Charlie said quickly.

"How? We're all your friends here and know one will know." Remus says smoothing her hair back in a calming manner.

Charlie took a few moments to think about it. Then pulling away from Remus she said, "Okay I'll do it. For two reasons, One because of the wonderfully horrifying display of song and dance you guys put on for me last night; and two because I really want to try out this new spell I'm writing that not quite finished."

"What's the new spell?" Remus asked forgetting momentarily about trying to get her to sing for them.

Charlie smiles big at the question. "Well this is how it's supposed to work; once the spell is cast it will play loud music like at a concert or a dance of whatever song the caster thinks of, but so far I have all managed are the music and background singing…I still need to get to all the lyrics in there."

Sirius jumped up." Well come on with the come on lets hear you sing that song girl." He yelled in a very bad American accent.

Charlie laughed and walked a few feet away; casting a spell that the other boys couldn't hear, music started to flood the pitch.

When Charlie started to sing the boys were in such awe that they were frozen where they sat.

Yeah
Hey Hey
Hey Hey Hey
Hey Hey Hey

We've been deep in the trenches
Ain't that friendship
Its not always roses (But)
Everybody knows this
We stuck in this battle field
I know just how you feel
Standin' up for us (Yeah)
I'ma be a soldier

You give me hope (hope)
You give me strength (strength)
I'd give you better than I could ever give myself
Always know that (that)
I got your back (your back)
Don't matter wherever
As long as were together (we've been through too much)

We've been through too much
Time for us to group up
Come on and lets stand up now for us
This is our battle cry
Promise you that I'm certified
All we gotta do is stand up now for us
This is our battle cry

Hey Hey Hey-ey
Hey Hey Hey-ey
Hey Hey Hey-ey
This is our battle cry

It's so hard when the night falls
And I don't get your phone calls
Your everything to me
You heal me when these bullets go through me
And if I had to retreat
I know you'll fall back with me
And if you got problems
You already know whose going to solve 'em

You give me hope (hope)
You give me strength (strength)
I'd give you better than I could ever give myself
Always know that (that)
I got your back (your back)
Don't matter wherever
Because we'll always be together

We've been through too much
Time for us to group up
Come on and lets stand up now for us
Standing Up For Us)
This is our battle cry
Promise you that I'm certified
All we gotta do is stand up now for us
This is our battle cry

(Hey)

Now its time to get focused
I ain't saying nothing man
You already know this
So when called flow, then flow this
And if you need to swim
I'ma bring a boatless floatless
Now I don't need to sound so motionless
If you need something from me
Call me I got this
And I don't give you what you need from me
And I'ma be right there when I need to be

We've been through too much
Time for us to group up (C'mon)
Come on and lets stand up now for us
(As long as were together we've been through too much)
This is our battle cry
Promise you that im certified
All we gotta do is stand up now for us (Standing up for us-uss)
We've been through too much
Time for us to group up
Come on and lets stand up now for us
(Standin up for us)
This is our battle cry
Promise you that im certified
All we gotta do is stand up now for us
This is our battle cry

Hey Hey Hey (This is our battle cry)
Hey Hey Hey
Hey Hey Hey (This is our battle cry

When she had finished all the boys sat there for a few minutes after Charlie cancelled the spell.

In a quite voice Charlie asked. "So how was it? The spell I mean not my singing because I already know that I can't sing." Charlie quickly closed her mouth so that she didn't keep babbling.

After snapping out of their dazed state the boys had to work really hard to keep from laughing – least she get the wrong idea – because in truth Charlie had a beautiful singing voice. The reason that they had to keep from laughing was because Charlie's face was as red as a beet and her eyes were the deepest purple that they had ever seen clearly showing her embarrassment.

All the boys went to Charlie and hugged her. "That was great Charlie. I don't know why you are afraid to sing you have a great voice." Remus said.

"Yeah that spell is really cool too." Frank added excitedly.

Charlie's red face became an even deeper shade red as she mumbled. "Thanks guys."

"Come on guys lets go eat; lunch is almost over." Sirius said grinning.

"Is that all think about?" Charlie asked laughing, but already knowing the answer.

"YES!" All four boys shouted as they laughed.

Grabbing their brooms all five friends headed for the school. When they have almost reached the castle a figure emerged from under the Gryffindor stands and slowly followed behind.