disclaimer: if you think i own harry potter...get help.
a/n: ok here's chapter two. i can't believe i got so many reveiws for one chapter. thanx at the end : )
Chapter 2
Charlie didn't say a word as the girl opened her eyes. For a few seconds she didn't move a muscle, but her wide eyes flickered around the room, taking in what she could see of her surroundings in the iridescent candlelight. Her chest heaved up and down as her breathing became more rapid. Then, without warning, she shot up, taking a deep, rasping breath, her left hand clutching at her chest as she did so. Her body was visibly shaking and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead and trickling down her cheeks, blending with the tears falling slowly from her eyes. Her hair was sticking out in every direction, giving the impression she had just been hit with a Shocking Jinx.
Charlie shrank back into his chair, as though afraid close contact with her could infect him. He had never seen anyone like this before. How could someone go from being so peaceful to so … wild, in a matter of seconds? Although he was too proud to admit it, at that moment in his life, he was more scared than he ever had been before.
'I-I'll go f-fetch…' he stopped talking when he realised the girl wasn't hearing him. Her head was moving rapidly around the room. Apparently she found what she was looking for when her eyes settled on the red haired male slowly backing away from the bed. Charlie froze when she looked at him. When he tried to move he found his feet were refusing to work properly. So he looked straight back at her but was unable to hold the gaze. There was a look in her eye – he wasn't sure, but for a second it seemed almost – crazed. Suddenly she started rasping again, apparently trying to speak to him. However, whatever she was attempting to say was unintelligible and she merely rambled while waving her hands about in the air. Charlie wasn't sure she was even saying anything at all. She looked as though words were beyond her.
Charlie finally found his feet were working and he turned and bolted into Madam Pomfrey's Office. The nurse was sat at her desk pouring over a piece of parchment, but her head snapped up when Charlie burst through the doors.
'Is she awake Weasley?' Charlie nodded. Madam Pomfrey stood up and stepped out from behind her desk.
'She's – she's crazy!' Charlie could find no other way to describe it. The girl had looked insane. Madam Pomfrey looked slightly taken aback at his word choice but didn't say anything. Instead she walked briskly past Charlie and into the ward.
When Charlie stepped into the ward behind Madam Pomfrey he saw her trying desperately to calm the girl down. She was pushing the girl back into the bed and the girl was trying just as hard to get out. Charlie began to stride over to try and help Madam Pomfrey but she held up her hand to stop him before he had barley taken a step.
'No! I will deal with her. Wait outside. Now!' Charlie knew better than to disobey the matron and quickly exited the room into the corridor.
Charlie leaned against the cool stone wall of the corridor, wondering why he felt so anxious. After all, he didn't even know her name. It's because you found her, a small voice in his head told him. That's all. You'd feel responsible if anything happened because you found her. He tried as hard as he could to believe the voice, but something in the back of his mind apparently disagreed with logic. For some reason the girl seemed familiar, like the face of an old friend you haven't seen in years. But he was sure the girl wasn't an old friend – but then why did he know her? Every time he had looked at her face he had gotten a weird sense of Deja Vu. He remembered Bill once telling him that Déjà vu was a memory from a past life or something like that. He hadn't really paid attention at the time – load of rubbish in his opinion.
Charlie realised he had been pacing up and down the corridor without knowing it. He paused for a second, attempting to hear what was going on inside the hospital wing. Nothing. He figured there were probably silencing charms all the way around the room to give privacy to patients. He would just have to wait for madam Pomfrey to come fetch him back in.
As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long at all. After a few minutes – which Charlie spent sat on the floor, his back resting against the corridor wall and eyes staring unseeingly at the cracks in the ceiling – the doors of the hospital wing opened and Madam Pomfrey stepped out into the hallway. Charlie pushed himself up off the ground in order to speak to the nurse.
'It was as I suspected, she had developed a fever from being in the rain for so long,' seeing the stricken look on Charlie's face she added with a slight smile. 'Don't worry; she's going to be fine. I have given her a potion that will cure all her symptoms. She is sleeping now and will most likely not wake up until the morning but you may stay with her if you wish.' Charlie nodded and smiled gratefully at the nurse before walking into the hospital wing and settling down next to the girl. Madam Pomfrey went once again to her office, first telling him to come and get her if there was any trouble.
Charlie now felt exhaustion settling in. he lifted his wrist to look at the time on his watch. Two thirty in the morning. Charlie settled back into his seat, trying to get comfy. Finally, fatigue took control and Charlie closed his eyes, welcoming the comfort of sleep.
The remainder of the night passed without event and an extremely sore Charlie woke up at about nine-thirty to see Professor Dumbledore perched on the end of the hospital bed.
Hospital bed? It took a few seconds before Charlie recalled all of the previous night's dealings. Flashes of the night before passed through his mind with astounding speed, as though they had had been set to fast-forward; the rain on the Quidditch pitch…tripping over the lump in the path…carrying a small, unknown girl through the corridors of Hogwarts…the girl waking up...being forced to wait in the corridor…coming back inside and – sleep.
Charlie shifted his position so his gaze was focused on the young girl now sat up in the bed, looking slightly unsure of what was going on. However, she did seem more relaxed than the previous night. Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked at him as he moved, acknowledging that he was awake, before turning back to the girl, who Charlie now realized had been speaking. She was currently looking at him curiously and Charlie noticed that she had huge chocolate brown eyes, eyes he could easily – stop it Charlie! Now is not the time, he berated himself angrily.
'Please, carry on Miss,' Professor Dumbledore's voice brought Charlie out of his reverie. He tore his gaze away from her eyes and turned to face Professor Dumbledore. He noticed the girl had done the same, although she kept sneaking glances at him every now and then.
'There isn't much left to tell.' The girl began. God, he hated calling her 'the girl' … what was her name? 'I can't remember anything. I remember walking down a corridor and … and hearing footsteps. Then everything is just black after that.'
'The corridor you were walking down, can you remember where it was? Was it a corridor in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?'
The girl frowned, thinking hard. 'I-I…I don't know.' She hung her head, as though she was embarrassed by her forgetfulness. 'I'm sorry.'
'That's quite alright, my dear.' Replied Dumbledore. 'Now until your memory returns, I see no reason why you should stay in here, as there is nothing physically wrong with you.'
'But – my leg' the girl began but was cut off by Madam Pomfrey.
'I can fix that in a second, it's nothing to worry about.'
'Excellent. In that case I see no reason why you can't take part in classes. Only a few of course, but enough to keep you busy.' Dumbledore stood up and looked over at Charlie, who so far hadn't spoken a word. 'Charlie, may I speak with you for a moment please.' Charlie nodded and stood up, frowning slightly. 'Poppy, would you be gracious enough to loan us your office for a few moments?'
'Of course Headmaster,' replied Madam Pomfrey. 'I'll just fix her leg while you're in there.'
Dumbledore led the way into Madam Pomfrey's office. Students very rarely came in here and it was usually if they had an extremely serious injury or illness so Madam Pomfrey could keep a close eye on them.
'Please, take a seat Charlie.' Dumbledore gestured to the chair located in front of the large desk in the center of the room. Charlie slid nervously into the seat. Was he in trouble?
'Now Charlie,' Dumbledore took a seat opposite Charlie and stared straight at him. Charlie fought the urge to look away from his professor's penetrating eyes. 'The young lady out there has lost her short term memory. She was no recollection of who she is or how she came to be here.' Dumbledore paused for a second, allowing Charlie to digest the information. 'Therefore, until either her memory returns or I discover where she is from, I need you to take care of her. She will automatically go into Gryffindor as she appears to have become rather attached to you.' Dumbledore's lips twitched slightly at the look on Charlie's face. 'Get to know her, help her to fit in. However, you must not push her to try and remember. That will happen when she is ready. Do you understand?'
Charlie nodded. His brain was still processing what he had just been told. 'Doesn't she remember anything, sir?'
'Only what you heard when we were in the ward.'
'Do you think she comes here then?'
'She does not attend this school, but she is a witch. Madam Pomfrey found a wand in her robes. It will be returned to her before she leaves the hospital wing.'
'Does she know – that she's a witch I mean?'
'I'm not entirely sure. If she doesn't I think the lessons will help her remember. Now I think its time we gave Madam Pomfrey her room back, don't you Mr. Weasley?'
When they arrived back in the ward it was to see Madam Pomfrey finishing up mending the girl's leg. She glanced across at them.
'Ah good, you're back. You can keep her company until I find her some clothes.' She walked over to them and quietly added, 'It appears she doesn't like to be alone.' Before wandering off to fetch some clothes.
'Well, I must go too,' said Professor Dumbledore. He then spoke to the girl. 'During your stay with us you will be living in the Gryffindor dorms, I'm sure Charlie will show you around and introduce you to his friends. You will also follow Charlie's timetable – you only have to attend as many classes as you feel comfortable with. If you have any problems, you can find me in my office. I'm certain Charlie's brothers know where it is by now.' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he said the last sentence and Charlie remembered the countless times his twin brothers had been sent there for misbehavior. 'Good day to you' with a nod of his head Dumbledore left the hospital wing.
For a few minutes after Dumbledore left, there was an awkward silence in the room, interrupted only by the high-pitched chirping of the birds perched in the trees outside the hospital wing window. The girl was staring through the window, out into the grounds, biting her lip slightly. Charlie looked around the room, searching for something – anything – to break the silence. However it was the girl who spoke first.
'Um, the-the headmaster said it was you who saved me last night… thank you,' she looked down slightly as she said the last word, a red tinge colouring her otherwise pale complexion.
'No problem.' Charlie looked up at the girl and saw she was no longer looking out of the window, but down at him. There was a slight frown on her face. 'So, er…you don't remember anything?' Charlie instantly regretted these words. Hadn't the headmaster told him just moments ago that he wasn't to push her?
'Nothing.' The girl didn't seem upset by the question. On the contrary, she seemed to want to talk about it. 'It's really frustrating. It's like it's there, in the back of my mind, but I just can't reach it. I can't even remember my own name, or how old I am.'
'Well I can't tell you what your name is, but I do think your probably around sixteen or seventeen years old.' Charlie offered.
'That's what Professor Dumbledore said while you were asleep. But apart from that, I don't know anything about myself.' Charlie saw tears begin to well up in the girl's eyes and started to wish he'd never brought the topic up. Luckily, at that moment, Madam Pomfrey chose to come back into the room, carrying a large pile of clothes.
'Well, as your clothes aren't dry yet you'll have to make do with these.' Madam Pomfrey said as she walked over to the side of the bed. She noticed the awkward silence in the room and looked first at Charlie, then at the girl, then back again. She didn't say anything about it however, and Charlie was grateful for that. 'Well Weasley, outside while she gets changed.' Madam Pomfrey nodded towards the door and Charlie made a swift exit.
Ten minutes later Charlie re-entered the room to see the girl sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the ground. She was wearing a plain white v-neck t-shirt, brown cords and a cream jacket that looked to be several sizes too big. She looked up and smiled when he walked in.
'Hi,' Charlie said. 'Feeling better?' the girl nodded and Charlie realised she was holding something in her hands. 'What's that?' he nodded to where he had seen the glint of silver.
'This? I'm not sure. Madam Pomfrey found it in my robes.' She held up a long silver chain. Hanging on the end of it, was a large silver H, encrusted with blue and pink stones.
'Well, at least we know what letter your name starts with now.' He smiled at her but she obviously didn't understand, as she wore a deep frown. 'When someone has a chain with a letter on, it's usually because it's the first initial of their name.' Charlie explained.
'Oh! So my name begins with a H.' she still looked confused. 'But I still don't remember what my name is.'
That's ok. Why don't you just think of a name you like that begins with a H and we'll call you that? I mean you'll have to have a name sooner or later, we can't exactly tell everyone you called The Girl, can we?' she smiled slightly but didn't say anything. 'Well, why don't you think about a name while we walk up to the dorm?'
'Ok' she nodded and stood up. 'Let's go'. She slipped the necklace into the pocket of her coat and picked up a bag that had been lying at her feet. 'More clothes,' she answered Charlie's questioning look.
Charlie led the way through the hallways of Hogwarts, up one flight of stairs after another, occasionally taking a secret passageway that would cut a few minutes off the journey. With every step they took, the girl gazed around in awe. They were on the sixth floor when Charlie realised the girl was no longer with him. He looked around frantically, hoping to god she hadn't gotten lost – it would take him hours to find her, the castle was huge. His heartbeat returned to normal, however, when his eyes finally rested on her. She was stood at the opposite end of the corridor staring at a painting.
Charlie sighed with relief and strode back down the corridor. When he reached her he saw she was looking at a portrait of an old head girl.
When she realised he was next to her, she raised her hand and pointed to the small golden plaque underneath the picture. It was engraved with the name of the head girl and her time at Hogwarts.
Harmony Atkins
Attended Hogwarts 1847 – 1854
Only pupil to ever gain head-girlship in her sixth year.
'I like that name,' the girl said. 'I think that's what I'll be called.'
'Harmony?' Charlie asked. 'Ok. Sounds good. Well, er Harmony, lets get going shall we?'
They finally reached the portrait entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
'Holly reef' Charlie said to the Fat lady, the Guardian of Gryffindor. 'Oh that's the password to the common room,' Charlie explained to Harmony. 'It changes very so often but someone'll let you know when it does.'
'Do you just expect me to stand open all day while you finish your conversation?' the Fat Lady's indignant voice interrupted them.
'Sorry,' Charlie said sheepishly, leading Harmony into the Gryffindor common room. The portrait closed behind them, somewhat harder than usual. Charlie made a note to charm her back into a good mood later.
Harmony gasped as she entered the room. Charlie couldn't blame her, her reaction was exactly the same as his was when he had first seen the Gryffindor common room. The room was decorated top to bottom in red and gold. There were plush deep red armchairs all around the room and a large ornate fireplace set into one of the walls. Although the common room should have been empty at this time of day, two girls were sat on the couch in front of the fire and were staring at Charlie and Harmony.
'Hey Charlie,' said Caitlyn Andrews. 'Who's that?' she nodded towards Harmony, who was shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
'Oh, this is um, Harmony, er…Harmony Smith,' Charlie answered. 'She's new here. Will you show her up to the seventh year dorms?'
'Sure,' she jumped off the couch and walked over to Harmony. She glanced down at the bag in Harmony's hands. 'Is this all you have?'
'The school lost her things and that was all Madam Pomfrey had for her.' Charlie answered, thinking fast.
'I'm sure she can answer for herself, Charlie,' Caitlyn cut across him. She turned to Harmony. 'Don't worry about your stuff. We'll help you out, won't we Lori?' she looked over to the girl still sat on the couch.
'What? Oh, yeah,' Lori said, not sounding as though she were particularly bothered.
'Well, let's go then.' Caitlyn took hold of Harmony's arm and began to lead her off to the girl's staircase. 'You coming Lori?'
'No, I'll wait down here,' Lori was looking over towards Charlie and making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He diverted his attention to Harmony.
'I'll meet you back down here when you're ready, ok?' Harmony nodded and followed Caitlyn up the stairs.
As soon as the door of the seventh year dorms could be heard shutting, Lori stood up and stretched, showing off her long, lithe frame. The short top she was wearing rode up a little, exposing a perfectly flat, tanned stomach and a glittering belly bar. Charlie realised he was staring and hastily looked away, feeling his cheeks begin to burn. Lori seemed to notice and a smile played on her face. She began to walk over to him, swinging her hips seductively. She stopped when their bodies were barely a foot apart. Charlie took a slight step backwards.
'What's the matter, Charlie? Scared of me?' she gave a small laugh. 'You certainly weren't scared the other night. As I recall, you were perfectly willing to get close to me.'
'I was drunk that night and you know it,' Charlie retorted, now feeling extremely uncomfortable. 'I don't even remember what happened that night.'
'Would you like me to remind you?' she took a step forwards, closing the space between them. He could feel the heat from her body and his breathing became slightly heavier. She brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek. Then she slipped her other hand underneath his shirt, running her fingers across his stomach. She tilted her head up slightly, looking at him with intense blue eyes, her red lips parted slightly in a suggestive way. Charlie found himself leaning forwards towards her lips. Just before they made contact, an alarm bell in the back of Charlie's mind began to ring and he pulled away from her, taking a few steps backwards.
'Lori!'
'What?' she said with a look that would make an angel jealous.
'Despite your delusions, I'm not interested. So go and find someone else to get into bed, 'cause it's not going to be me.'
'We'll see,' Lori smirked and trailed her index finger down the side of his face and then across his lips. Charlie was about to pull away again when Lori abruptly pulled her finger away and walked towards the portrait door. 'Tell Caitlyn I'll meet her in the entrance hall.' Charlie stared at her as she left, watching her short skirt sway as she swung her hips. Despite his best efforts he found his thoughts wandering up the skirt.
Fortunately Harmony and Caitlyn appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Harmony was now wearing school robes that presumably belonged to Caitlyn.
'Where's Lori?' Caitlyn asked, glancing around the room.
'Oh, she said she'll meet you in the entrance hall. Aren't you two going to lessons?' Charlie noted she wasn't wearing uniform either.
'We have this lesson free,' Caitlyn answered. 'Anyway, I'll see you later. Bye Harmony!' Caitlyn bounded out of the room waving to Harmony and Charlie.
'Bye!' Harmony called back. 'I like her,' she said to Charlie.
'Yeah, she's alright I suppose,' Charlie said. 'Give me five minutes and we'll go to lessons. Be back in a bit.'
Charlie ran up to his dorm and changed his clothes as quickly as possible, remembering what Madam Pomfrey had said about her not liking to be alone. He grabbed his book bag and was back in the common room in about five minutes. Harmony was sitting on the couch staring into the fireplace. She looked up when she walked in and smiled at him. Charlie noticed she had a very pretty smile.
'You ready?' Charlie asked. Harmony nodded and stood up.
'What lesson are we going to?'
'It's Care of Magical Creatures now. We better go.' He led the way out of the portrait hole with Harmony just behind him.
A/N: there you go. the next chapter might be a while cause i'm going away for a week and as you all know HBP comes out so you'll probably be too busy with that anyway. but i might be able to get it up if i can get to a computer while i'm away :D
rikuedlover: your guess about the girl is probably right but as you see, i'm not telling just yet : )
Anigen: thanx. hope you like the update.
AmoreFuget: thanx hope you like this chappie : )
Jamie: thanx : )
copewithit: yeah i've read loads with the maurauder era or tom tiddle so i decided i would do something different. the rating probably will go up futher into the story.
khuu-khuu: yeah...you like?
EtrnlSakura: i love this pairing too! hope you liked this chappie
HPFreak2gd4u: yep, thats the basic storyline, with a cuple of twists thrown in of course. t wouldn't be a story without them right : )
Alanna: sorry for the cliffie, but sometimes there needed. so are you still hooked?
Lovelie: yeah i wanted to do something different and this just popped in this warped brain of mine one night and heres the result!
katemary77: thank you blushes
celi: thanx : )
DrAmAQueen333: thanx i hope yu still love it :D
Jillie: thanx :D i wanted to do something completely different and i've definetly never read a fic like this before so here it is. hope ya like this chappie.
Allovara: thanx so much :D i glad you like itso much. the thing with punctuation marks inside quotation marks - i am british so you'd think i'd know that, but this is the way i've been taught so you can blame my english teacher for that one : )
KittyofPiratesSwoop: thanx. do you like this chappie too? (can you tell i'm hinting for reviews here lol)
MyEmeraldEyes: don't worry theres plenty more to come. i hope you enjoy it : )
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RulerOfTheDisenchantedForest: thanx hope you liked the update too.
Victoria: thanx hope you still like it : )
Avanell: thanx grins i wanted to do something different and i'm glad everyone seems to like it so much : )
iluvQUOTES2004: lol thanx so much i hope you still like it. i have never seen one like this either so i've come to the conclusion that its the only one. YAY!
fairyprincess11: heresthe update...you like?
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