Ch Ten: An Old World Part II: Through and Through

A mysterious figure stumbled through a darkened flat, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake her roommate. She had made the mistake of turning on the lights in order to make her way through and came face to face with a vicious Ryan Hartlen. (A/n: Ryan Hartlen is a girl.) So she was stuck feeling her way through a pitch-black room. Several minuets later, the girl was lying on her bed in a black camisole and a pair of very small, red shorts. Her black v-neck blouse and tight black jeans had been flung onto her chair, while her CHARLOTTE name tag could be seen resting carefully on her dresser. The very exhausted girl peeled back the covers, and just as she was about to squeeze between the warm layers of her cozy, little bed, a loud rapping was heard coming from her window. Charlotte ran to it and pushed open the window instantly, just to put a cease to the noise, knowing what her roommate would do if she was awoken.

Sitting perched on the window sill was a handsome tawny owl. Charlotte starred at the owl for some time, for she was sure she had seen this owl before. It was part of the life she had known so well and had so far succeeded in running from. But she knew she couldn't anymore. The owl let out a disgruntled hoot, and the identity of the owl hit her. It was Hermes, the present that Percy Weasley had gotten for making prefect in his fifth year, back when she was only a first year at school. Confused, and full of thoughts of why on earth Percy Weasley would send her a letter, Charlotte removed the burden of the obviously tired owl. She felt a sense of pride in knowing that she had been so well hidden, but it disappeared at the realization that she had been found. Hermes flew in from the cold, gloomy night, and perched himself atop her dresser. Charlotte looked over at him after several minuets of simply looking dumbfound at the letter. She saw his head tucked under his right wing, noting that Hermes had fallen asleep. Apparently he was to wait to ensure that she wrote back.

Charlotte looked down at the letter and saw the loose, curvy handwriting of Ginny Weasley. She had been expecting this day to come for the past month, and now it finally had. She tossed the letter nonchalantly onto her desk, for she was tired and this matter could wait till morning. Slipping into her bed once again, Charlotte closed her eyes and fell asleep in an instant.

The next thing Charlotte heard was a loud banging on her door and a vicious "Charlotte Get up, right now!" coming from outside her bedroom. Simultaneously, Charlotte jumped out of bed and turned off her buzzing alarm clock. She threw open her bedroom door and was face to face with a hazel-eyed girl with deep red hair. With a quick glance at her dresser, Charlotte was relieved to see Hermes had gone. "Sorry Ryan," she mumbled, heading past her roommate and towards the bathroom. Ryan followed two paces behind her, replying in a very awake voice, "How come you can suddenly sleep through your alarm? I heard that thing going off in the hallway and its right next to your head and you don't notice."

"Sorry Ryan," Charlotte repeated with a small yawn. "I'm just tired lately. I keep getting double shifts that don't end till one or two in the morning."

"I warned you, didn't I? But don't worry, Mister O'Neil said he was pleased with you," Ryan replied. "I have to get going. You coming out with us tonight?"

"Double shift," was all Charlotte said. Her roommate nodded and left Charlotte to get ready. An hour later, Charlotte exited her apartment building, and headed to her daytime job. She worked at a local bookstore, doing whatever tasks her employer, Loren Alair, needed done. Charlotte began her eight minuet walk to Alair's Books, her thoughts consumed in what her life had become. She remembered bumping into Ryan Hartlen, literally, directly after receiving the job at Alair's. Ryan was frantically trying to find another roommate, for her previous one had moved out rather suddenly, and had given Ryan absolutely no notice. She was rather bitter at first, but once Charlotte showed interest in her apartment, Ryan was put at ease. She was a tough one, Ryan Hartlen, but sometimes you just had to be. Several days after that, Charlotte moved in with her, and Ryan was able to get her a night job at the bar which she worked at.

Charlotte stopped walking and pushed open the door to Alair's Books. "Good, good, you're here." Loren Alair said. Charlotte pushed the letter and the owl to the back of her mind as Loren informed her of the tasks which needed to be done. With a quick nod, and a slight smile, Charlotte got to work.

When Charlotte left the bookshop some six hours later, her thoughts suddenly focused on the letter. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, and she ran to her apartment building. The moment she entered her room, she grabbed the letter and collapsed onto her bed. Sighing slightly, she slit open the thick envelope, revealing a long letter and began to read:

'Dear Hermione,

How are you? I'm so worried about you. You haven't returned any of my previous letter, (there were four in fact) and when I went to your house, (your parent's house) they told me that you weren't there. They were under the impression that you were staying at the Burrow. I covered it up though, telling them we had had a small dispute and you had left in a huff. They are a bit worried now, but after I told them you were probably just in Diagon Alley, they were a little more at ease.

So on to my next question, WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU? I've been frantically searching for you and sending owls, but each couldn't find you. I sent Pig and Errol first. Then I blackmailed Percy into letting me use Hermes. He better find you because I went through a lot of trouble to get him.'

Charlotte let out a sharp breathe and braced herself for what she knew was coming next.

'Hermione, I know you're distraught, but you have to just let go. That's what I've done. That doesn't mean I've forgotten them though, I've just accepted the fact that they are gone. I understand how you feel; I know how you felt about them. I had loved Harry since I was ten, since I first set my eyes on him at King's Cross. And Ron has been a great big brother. Bill and Charlie were the oldest, so they depended on each other the most. The twins, obviously had each other, and Percy was almost always an arrogant git who doesn't care for anyone but himself. That left Ron and me. I think I was closer to him than any of the others, considering we were only about nineteen months apart. I can never forget the two of them and I know you won't either. In fact I wouldn't dare impose that you forget, even for a second. They were your best friends but please Hermione, for your own sake, let go. They're gone; there isn't anything we can do to raise the dead. Don't be rash about the situation, and please, please deal with it reasonably.'

"Deal with it reasonably? And how dare she accuse me of being rash?" The girl whispered aloud. "She should have realized, Hermione Jane Granger died the moment Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley did. She's gone Little Miss Weasly. Gone for good." Charlotte Rove, the once top-of-the-class Hermione Jane Granger, grabbed a clean piece of parchment. Using her favorite Quill, she wrote a response letter.

'Dear Ginerva Weasley,

How dare you assume I am being rash? I am perfectly sane, the same person you have always known. I needed to get away from all of this. I have a job and an apartment. I am living the life most seventeen year olds would love, and I am perfectly happy. You know nothing of what I feel, or how I am behaving due to the recent murder of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.'

She paused in her writing, her eyes noticing several more lines of Ginny's letter.

'Please Hermione, I need you. You were one of my best friends. I've already lost two of the people who mattered most; do you really think I am in the predicament to deal with another? Please Hermione, I am begging you, go home. Or come to the Burrow. Just don't make us loose another great witch. The magical world has suffered too much at the hands of You-Know-Who. You're stronger than that, please don't be another victim.

Hoping with the last few pieces of my soul that I shall be seeing you soon,

Ginny Weasley'

Charlotte looked down at her letter and in an instant it was confetti. Grabbing a clean roll, she started again

'Dearest Ginny,

I thank you for your concern, but must argue none is necessary. I am sharing a flat with a friend of mine, and have a wonderful job at a book store called Alair's Books. It's very small and quant. (See I am the same old Hermione Granger.) Although I admit I have done some drastic things to deal with the situation (i.e. leaving home and my hair is now very dark and very straight, courtesy of a simple little charm). This is my way of dealing with the situation. Please Ginny, I must ask you to accept that. I am not being another victim, but I need to find something, something that I cannot within the shambles that is left of our world. I am currently living a muggle lifestyle, but I am perfectly happy with the arrangement. Please don't make matters worse for me by adding on layers of guilt. I just need some time away, a vacation you could call it, to sort out my life. I'll be back when I am fully ready and not a second before. I beg for you to respect my decision, and adhere to my wish that you not write or try to find me. Please send a letter to my parents telling them I am alright, because I am, or at least as alright as anyone could expect. It is difficult but I am dealing with it. It's just taking me longer than it took you.'

Charlotte re-read her letter. Not feeling fully satisfied, she added 'Hoping you, and all the others are well. Love from Hermione.' She had just slid the letter into the envelope when Hermes returned.

"Here you go Hermes. Have a nice flight," She said quickly before sending the owl back out. Her eyes remained glued on the sky long after Hermes had disappeared from sight.

Charlotte broke away for a moment to check the time. With a long sigh, Charlotte tore herself away from the window, for she had to get ready for her night job. It was hard to detach herself from the window, for she knew she had just let the last memory of Hermione Granger, of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasely, of Hogwarts, of the World of Magic, fly out of her world. She was Charlotte Rove now, through and through.

A/n: You know the deal, drop a review.

xxo Sera Evlin Thinly