Chapter 6

Holly took another sip of the champagne her uncle's house elf had handed out earlier. She pretended to listen to her cousin Marcus going on about the latest Falmouth Falcon game he had been a part of. It was a week before Christmas and her uncle was throwing a party. It was the perfect opportunity for Holly to gather some more information about the dark lord's plans regarding the prophecy but she struggled to focus. Although she tried her best, her thoughts kept returning to a certain red-haired wizard she had successfully managed to avoid since their, erm, conversation in the cellar of Black manor. No words were exchanged when the two of them had gotten dressed again and Holly had left quickly and hid in the library for the remainder of the day trying to clear her head. She was beyond relieved when Snape had shown up with the potion the very same evening and she was free to leave. Holly had said farewell to the Weasleys, Hermione and Lupin. Sirius Black did not deem her worthy of a goodbye. Charlie walked out with her, attempting to say something a few times but never getting past just opening his mouth and closing it again. Snape had waited for her in the park across the square and after a quick wave to Charlie, Holly and the potions professor disapparated. There had been no need for her to return to the order's headquarter since. Holly was sure that Charlie had come up with a break up story in the meantime. At least she hoped he had. Well, what she had really hoped was for him to write to her but no owls came from him. Holly had started a letter (or more like ten) but they had all ended up in the bin. She was sure it was better this way. Pretty sure anyway.

"Are you looking for someone?" Marcus asked, having noticed that Holly was not really listening to him.

"No. Yes. I don't know." She said, trying to focus on her cousin. "I'm sorry, what did you ask me?"

Marcus Flint rolled his eyes at her. "I asked whether you are looking for someone."

"I - no, I'm not looking for anyone. I'm wondering who is already carrying the mark." Holly answered, trying to evade her cousin's probing eyes.

"Most will be. He's moved on from giving it to his inner cycle only. Avery said that he wasn't happy with how many of his followers were able to defect so easily the first time around. Now he's going to bind more people to him from the start." Marcus said, absentmindedly rubbing his left forearm.

Holly felt her insides turn to ice. She grabbed her cousin's arm and pulled his robes up. The skin was unmarked. Marcus hissed at her and pulled is arm back.

"Sorry," Holly said, looking around her, but nobody was paying them any attention, "but I had to check. You mustn't, Marcus, promise me!" She demanded of her younger cousin.

"Well, it's not like I can say no when it eventually comes to it. They'll want someone from our family." Marcus said, ignoring Holly's attempt to cut in. "And no, you will not do it. Your father will do it or mine. Although the dark lord will want fresh blood."

"The dark lord wants cannon fodder." Holly swallowed. She knew that when it came down to it, she would not give her father or her uncle the chance to do it. She'd hide them away, all of them, her whole family. That was why she was doing all the work for the order for. She had made herself valuable to them, so Dumbledore would protect them.

"Our family won't be cannon fodder. We've got too many connections that he'd be stupid to waste." Marcus took a look at all the important wizards and witches gathered in their family's home. "I would also appreciate if you could refrain from sending my CV to Quidditch teams abroad."

Holly tried her best to put on her most innocent expression. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Marcus rolled his eyes at her again. He nodded towards a dark haired wizard who was standing a few feet away from them and talking to her father. "Barnaby Lee is asking for your hand in marriage again." He said, his voice annoyingly gleeful.

Holly followed his gaze. "Don't even joke about it. He's trying to get his younger brother an internship next summer. Basil is doing his N.E.W.T.s next June and Barnaby just wants him to get into the business so they can work together."

"All Barnaby wants is to get into your bed. Revolting." Marcus did not sound gleeful anymore. "I hope he has not succeeded." He did not even phrase it as a question, clearly not wanting an answer either way.

"He hasn't. And he wont't. We both know that it'd just be to get ahead." Holly said, knowing that whoever married her would be receiving a huge business as a dowry.

"Well, yes, obviously. But Holly, as much as it pains me to say it, there are a lot of wizards who want you, million galleon business or not. Quite a few of them are my mates, which is rather disgusting when they decided to get to you through me." Marcus pulled a face.

"Uh, which ones?" Holly asked, trying to piss her cousin off.

"Gross." Marcus waved and a house elf came over to exchange their now empty champagne glasses with full ones from a tray. They clinked glasses and drank. "But in all seriousness. Surely uncle has lined up someone for you? Who is it?"

Holly took a long sip from her drink, not really wanting to answer the question. Charlie Weasley popped up in her head again. "If he has someone lined up for me, then I don't know." She said eventually.

"Have you got someone in mind? Sure, they're all revolting, but there's always the lesser evil. You must fancy someone."

Holly did her best to suppress the image of Charlie again. Especially the one of their last encounter in the cellar. "I don't."

Marcus was obviously not believing her. "Sure. And that disappearance last summer was really hair related. Snape is a shite liar."

Holly bit down her response. Severus Snape was probably the most accomplished liar full stop but she couldn't really tell her cousin that.

"Especially since you came back all, well all mopey. Something obviously happened." Her younger cousin looked fierce. "So just tell me who that git that broke your heart is and I will end him."

For a moment Holly thought to lie. But her cousin would see straight through her. The two of them had practically grown up like siblings, being close in age and both being an only child. "It's fine, Marcus. It was more of a mutual agreed decision. We are just too different for it to work."

Marcus considered her for a moment. "What do you mean different?"

"He's not a muggle, if that is what you are thinking. But there'd be little acceptance from our family. And I suppose from his, if it would come down to it." Holly said, biting her lip. She'd probably had said too much already. People always thought that Marcus Flint was just brute force and no brain, but he could be very sharp when he wanted to. Which granted, was mostly in Quidditch related matters, but still. And judging by the pale expression on his face, he had twigged on to something.

"I think it's best if you don't tell me anything else about this, Holly. At least not here." Marcus took a look around, trying to see whether anyone could have been listening. "And maybe dance with Barnaby Lee or someone. Just to show everyone where your loyalties are."

Holly took a sharp breath in. "Has anyone questioned my loyalties?"

"No. Of course not. But with nobody carrying the mark in our family, people are quick to draw wrong conclusions." He took another look around. "And I don't know where you have been, but what if someone saw you with this person? Doesn't sound like he'd be the guy you'd want to be seen with."

Holly sighed but she agreed with her cousin. Nobody would have seen her, but his words had reinforced the need for her to do everything she could to protect her family. And day dreaming about Charlie Weasley was the opposite of just that. So with that in mind, she walked up to Barnaby Lee and to his delight, asked him for a dance.

Holly wrapped her long coat tighter around her. The wind was biting and the snow had melted to some sort of mush on the pavement. There were not a lot of people in Diagon Alley and Holly quietly cursed her father for making her go to Knockturn Alley for him. Borgin and Burkes had send her father an owl about something that would apparently be of great interest to him, but Holly knew that it was just a ruse to get him to come to the shop. Borgin had wanted to speak to him about the new regulations regarding trading with the Americas for ages as her father would be able to relay his concerns to her uncle. And her father knew that so he had sent her instead. Holly was not looking forward to the tepid welcome her showing up would cause. Borgin would never be rude to her, but Holly preferred the January slush over smalltalk with the shop owner.

Holly walked past Madam Malkin's and almost slipped on a patch of black ice. Strong arms grabbed her from behind and steadied her. Holly turned around and looked into the face of one Charlie Weasley.

"I - erm, hello." The red-haired wizard said, looking as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't be.

Holly looked around, but there was no one. The cold wind had driven everyone inside. "What are you doing here?" She hissed. Her skin was still tingling where Charlie had touched her.

"Mum has send me to get some strengthening solution ingredients and I saw you walking by. I just thought- well it doesn't matter." He said, obviously put off by the expression on her face.

Holly sighed. A gaggle of witches was exiting Madam Malkin's and was staring at the two of them. She pulled her coat tighter and her scarf closer to her face. Maybe they wouldn't recognise her. "Follow me." She said and walked towards Flourish and Blotts, not checking whether Charlie was actually following her. Once inside, she walked straight to the back of the shop and walked down between two particularly fully packed rows of books. Finally she turned around and Charlie had indeed followed her.

"It'd be dangerous if anyone were to see us talking." Holly said, purposely not saying for whom it'd be dangerous.

"Of course. But I didn't really want to talk with you." Charlie said, looking put out.

"Why did you follow me then?" Holly demanded to know, immediately annoyed with Charlie's comment. And hurt by it.

"I thought you might for once tell me something that'd keep my family safe." He did not meet her eyes.

"What do you mean? I tell Dumbledore everything I hear. Nobody ever-" Holly swallowed, "There was never anything about your family. I'd tell you. What happened?"

Charlie looked up. "My dad got attacked just before Christmas." He still looked angry. "I just thought the whole point of having spies was to actually gain information to prevent things like that."

"Is he okay?" Charlie nodded and Holly breathed a sigh of relief. Mr Weasley had been nothing but nice to her and she was glad to hear that he was alright. "Charlie, I am very sorry that your father has been attacked. But I am not in the position where I get told his plans. I sometimes stumble upon them by chance and if I had known of any attack on your family I'd have told Dumbledore." She reached out to touch him, but then dropped her hand again. "Please, believe me." Holly hated herself sounding like this but for some reason it was extremely important to her in this moment that Charlie knew that she'd never withhold information when it came to the safety of his family.

Charlie sighed audibly and finally looked her in the eyes. "I know. I'm sorry, it's just been scary because he almost died. And I was already angry at you, so that just added to it." He looked at her feet again.

"Why are you angry at me?" Holly asked, her voice just slightly more than a whisper. She had a pretty good idea why he'd be angry but still wanted to hear it coming from him.

"Because you just left. You just left as if it never happened." Charlie said, still talking to her feet. "Or worse, as if it didn't matter to you."

Holly felt a strange mixture of happiness and pain in her chest. Happiness because it quite obviously had mattered to Charlie and pain for what she was about to say next. "Charlie, I'm sorry that you may have put meaning into something that was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. I was bored and it was a strange situation. You must be able to recognise it for that." She said, trying to keep her voice levelled. Her cousin's words were echoing in her head. She was not prepared to place her infatuation with this boy above protecting her family.

Charlie did not say anything for what felt like a very long time. Just as Holly was about to leave, he looked up at her. Holly opened her mouth to say something but then Charlie had her pushed against the bookshelf behind her and pressed his lips against hers. Without meaning to she melted against his body and reciprocated his kiss. But before she could deepen the kiss even further Charlie broke away from her. He looked at her intently.

"Don't lie, Burr." He said eventually and then turned around and left Holly leaning against the bookshelf, now for support. Shit, Holly thought and sank to the floor.

Holly smiled at the dark haired wizard opposite her. Barnaby Lee ruffled his hair and for a brief moment Holly was reminded of a certain red haired wizard doing the exact same thing when he was feeling awkward. Ever since their running into each other in Diagon Alley almost two months ago now Holly's thoughts kept returning to Charlie Weasley. She'd spent the remainder of January hidden away in her dad's manor until her cousin had told her about this really bizarre story he had heard of her and a Weasley walking into Flourish and Blotts together. This had shook Holly to the bone, and she may have not been able to dismiss Charlie from her mind, but she needed to make sure that nobody would question her loyalties. And this was where Barnaby Lee came into play. She'd visited him at the beginning of February and they'd been going out since. Currently they were sitting in the gardens of the Lee's stately home in Somerset.

"So, don't you want to know where I've been last night?" The dark haired wizard asked cheerily.

Holly actually did not want to know. She'd been glad to see the back of him, it had become more and more difficult to find excuses as to why she did not want to sleep with him. So any night he'd be awol, she'd be safe.

"Do tell." She said, putting on her best vapid voice.

Barnaby grinned and instead of answering her, he rolled up his left sleeve. Even before she looked Holly knew what she would see. So the dark lord's rows had been filled up again. She wondered who else had received the dark mark last night. Holly leaned over and lightly kissed his lips, not sure how else to reply. He pulled her closer but Holly broke up the kiss before he could deepen it.

Barnaby did not notice anything, he was too pleased with his elevation into the dark lord's ranks.

"There were only five of us. I think he may have gotten more selective again."

Holly tried not to flinch. Everyone knew of Marius Mills receiving the dark mark last month and committing suicide just a week later. It had made the pureblood families nervous.

"Anyone else I know?" Holly asked, as nonchalantly as she could manage.

"Don't think so. There was that Connolly kid that was in your cousin's year?"

Barnaby was checking out his mark, oblivious to the shocked expression on Holly's face. Please don't say Marcus's name next, she thought. It'd be something Barnaby would do, building up the tension before springing it on her.

"He's quite young still, but oh well. We'll see how he does."

Holly breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have said that if Marcus had gotten the mark.

"He's asked about you." Barnaby said suddenly, now looking at Holly's face to gauge her reaction.

Holly felt like a block of ice had been dropped into her stomach. But her face wouldn't show that, she was well practised in masking her emotions.

"Yes?"

"Well, he's asked about the Burr and Flint family. He knows that your uncle lets many illegal imports slide and that your dad has provided him with a number of dark artefacts. But he wants a more concrete commitment from your family." Barnaby's gaze did not leave her face once, eager to see any sort of emotion.

Holly swallowed. She knew that her father and her cousin would never forgive her for her next words.

"I am ready to give him any commitment he needs."

Holly was surprised with how steady her voice was and even Barnaby seemed almost shocked. But then he grinned.

"I knew it." He kept beaming at her. "There have been these stupid whispers about your family growing soft and trying to get out of their obligations to the pureblooded wizarding community. And then that stupid rumour about you consorting with a Weasley." Barnaby's voice dripped with disgust when he said Weasley. "But I knew that you had it in you."

Holly just smiled. The icy feeling had now reached the rest of her body. She felt numb.

"Well, I am happy I spoke to your father again yesterday."

Holly's eyes widened slightly. "You spoke to him about the dark mark?"

Barnaby laughed. "No, don't be silly." He cleared his throat. "I spoke to him about this."

Barnaby reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewellery box. He put it on the table in front of Holly. Holly reached for it, her hand now shaking. Barnaby laughed again.

"Don't be nervous, I'm sure you'll like it."

With still shaking hands she opened the jewellery box. There was a diamond ring inside. It looked like a family heirloom and was probably priceless. Barnaby grabbed the jewellery box. He unceremoniously stuck the ring on her finger. Then he pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply.

"Well and there is one more thing we have to do, my dear fiancée. Grab hold of my arm."

Holly was so shellshocked by what was happening that she did as she was told. Barnaby held three fingers against the dark mark on his arm. They disapparated.