AN: It's been over a year since I last posted, and I truly apologize. I was going through a lot of stuff that sucked the creative energy right out of me. Trust me when I say that this fic has been on my mind for a long time, and I'm going to finish it! Thank you for the story alerts and the reviews; they made my days a bit brighter.
I love y'all!
This one's for Fred
Charlotte wrapped her tweed covered arms around her body, as she paced the length of the musty living room she found herself in. She remembered coming here with her father many years ago.
The room was eerily quiet. Actually, the entire home had a peculiar vibe to it. It felt as though it had long been vacant and as though it hadn't been a happy home for a very long time.
Fred, George, Hermione and Ron looked on at Lottie from their various spots in the room. Ron was perched on the white sheet covered arm of a sofa, rubbing small circles on Hermione's back. George and Fred were leaning back on the doorframe, their gaze focused on their petite friend.
"It is all clear," Bill Weasley said as he came down the stairs followed by Harry and his team of aurors.
All the rooms' occupants stood straighter
"Whenever you're ready" Harry said as he walked up to Lottie. She nodded in response and inhaled deeply through her nose. As Lottie stepped towards the stairway, her friends made to follow her.
She stopped in her tracks; her arms still wrapped around her body.
"Please. I'd like to do this on my own"
"But Lottie-" Fred said as he walked towards her. However, he halted when she raised her hands to stop him.
"Fred, please. I want to do this by myself," Lottie's dead eyed gaze penetrated his, causing a shiver to travel down his spine "If anything goes wrong, I'll just shout"
A protest died on the redhead's lips as Charlotte turned and walked out, leaving the room in a dead wake behind her.
As the young researcher made her way through the house her friends looked at each other, worry clearly etched on each of their faces.
It wasn't long before Fred scoffed and began to exit the room, "This is ridiculous"
"Fred! Lottie said she wanted to do this alone."
He paused and turned, glaring at the person who spoke
"Hermione, always the voice of reason," Fred spat out
Ron suddenly stood up, "Oi! What's your problem? Don't talk to Hermione like that."
Fred shook his head, "My problem? I'll tell you what my problem is," he said walking up to his younger brother, "My best friend has been like a zombie for a week. If she weren't breathing, I'd swear she was dead"
Hermione shook her head as tears filled her eyes, "she's not just your best friend; so don't you dare presume that you're the only one that's worried!"
"She's right Fred," George said walking up to his twin, "we're all here, aren't we?"
Fred shook his head before looking at the ground
"Besides the day we found her, Lottie hasn't shown any emotion. Not a tear. She didn't even react when Harry told her that Barty Crouch had left his estate to her…she didn't even bat an eye"
For a minute the entire group stayed silent, the only sounds that were heard were Lottie's footsteps and doors opening and closing.
Harry looked upwards, "she has to handle this in her own way. All we can do is be there for her"
Upstairs
Charlotte was currently looking at the family quarters of the manor. While it wasn't her first time at Crouch Manor, it was her first time in this wing.
'It is a strange feeling, walking through an unfamiliar house after finding out that it had been left your care. Stranger still when you consider that you inherited it and the fortune that came with it from a lunatic, who was obsessed with you,' Lottie thought as she walked into a large playroom
No matter how much she tried, Lottie couldn't understand why she decided to visit Crouch Manor.
"I must be a barmy, masochist," Lottie said as she bent down to retrieve a teddy bear. It looked rather worn, as though it had been well favored by its owner. She held the teddy bear to her chest as she walked around the room, gazing at other toys as well as the photos that were placed round the room.
The truth was Lottie needed answers. She'd always been like that; it's what made her good at her job.
Not only did she want to know why Barty killed her father, she wanted to know what made him become a loyal follower of Voldemort.
As she looked at the photos, some of a loving mother holding a child (who Charlotte assumed was Barty), and others of the little boy playing in the very room she was in.
After a few minutes, Lottie left the room taking the teddy bear with her.
She stood in the hallway and saw that one door stood out from the rest. The door had a large 'do not enter' sign on it. The brunette couldn't help but approach with trepidation, even though she knew that the home had been meticulously searched by various aurors and curse breakers.
With shaking hands she turned the door knob and pushed it open, and walked into a room that gave her all the answers she needed.
3
About an hour later, Lottie made her way downstairs. The gloomy look on her face wasn't as prominent. She turned to look at her friends.
"I'd like to go now,"
The group nodded and began to gather their things. Fred walked up to Lottie, placing a hand on her shoulder, "everything alright Lottie?"
She looked up at him with a mixture of sadness and resignation before smiling at him and nodding, "Yes. I was just thinking….maybe we could all go out tonight?"
Hermione came up to the pair, her expression just as perplexed as Fred's
"Do you think that's a good idea," the bookworm asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "wouldn't it be better if we went to the burrow for dinner or-"
"I want to go out tonight, so you all can join me if you'd like. If not, I understand"
Lottie shrugged her shoulders and turned to exit, throwing a careless "I'll be outside" over her shoulder
George who had just walked up to them looked at Fred and Hermione. The trio looked completely baffled, "what in the world was that about?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm even more worried now"
Hermione nodded in agreement
AN: What in the world is going on with our little Lottie? What did she see in that room that caused such a change in her? I'm sorry if Lottie seems a bit more broody and dark in this chapter, all will be explained. I'm already working on the next chapter.
