Discoveries

Charlemaine was walking back to the Gryffindor common room. And everyone was staring and whispering as she walked by. She did not understand this. She did not hear much of any of the conversations, but everyone had snide looks on their faces. She said the password to the fat lady and climbed through the portrait hole. Hermione and Ginny were both sitting at the fire working on some homework. They both stopped talking abruptly. Hermione and Ginny were both really nice, but now Charlemaine felt that they were keeping something from her.

"What is all the whispering about? I feel like I'm walking around with toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my shoe." Stated Charlemaine getting more and more angry. "Is this how Hogwarts treats all of it's new students?"

"No, no, no!" said Hermione standing up. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just that everyone is saying that you were…. doing it with Garreth Stone. We know that you probably were not because you just don't seem to be that kind of per-." Charlemaine had turned a sick shade of gray/green and ran to the girls bathroom feeling as if she could throw up.

Flash back

A girl about the age of fourteen was dressed in a waitress's outfit walking around with a few mugs and bottles in her hands. She was cleaning a table when a student from Hogwarts ordered a butter beer.

"Extra beer." Said the blond headed boy. She brought him a regular butter beer. "What's your name?" Asked the boy.

" 'Lemaine." She said thinking it would be better to not give him her real name in case anyone ever talked to her dad.

"No last name?" The group of boys around him started to laugh.

"Would you like anything else sir?" She said trying to keep herself composed. When he said nothing else she walked away to take another group's order. When she was walking back to deliver their drinks she tripped over something and fell, face forward, to the ground sending the glass and drink everywhere. Her skirt had flown up to reveal her underwear. The boys at the table were roaring with laughter. The blond boy recoiled his foot to erase the evidence. Charlemaine quickly righted herself and began to gather up the broken glass.

"Don't worry about it honey." Said another waitress repairing the glasses with magic.

"Go and clean yourself up." Charlemaine looked down and realized her hands were bleeding. She quickly left the room, happy for an excuse. After bandaging her had the other waitress entered the bathroom.

"Are you ok?" She asked sincerely. " You seem to be getting hurt a lot lately."

"Yeah." Charlemaine said softly answering the question and agreeing to the statement.

"What happened to your legs?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"You have bruises all over your thighs. You haven't been doing it with anyone have you?" Charlemaine blushed and felt sick.
"No of course not. I accidentally fell down a tree yesterday; luckily I didn't break my neck."

"You just need to be more careful." Said the other waitress not totally convinced.

End of flashback

Charlemaine felt the same way she did then as she did now.

"Charlemaine" said Hermione outside the bathroom stall. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings, honestly."

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone, not a soul?" Hermione looked at Ginny who nodded.

"We promise." She said for both her and Ginny. Charlemaine took a deep breath.

"When I was little my dad sexually abused me. Well, actually, it was until I came here he abused me." Both girls were standing with shocked expressions on their faces. "But I escaped him by running into the forbidden forest. My home actually wasn't that far from here, but I had no shoes and it was cold and rainy. When I first saw Garreth he scared me; him being a boy and all. But he tried to help me, and I knew I was safe."

"Oh my God." Hermione let out. "We had no idea." Charlemaine opened the stall door. Her eyes were red, but she looked ok.

"It feels so good to get it out." she said. She began to laugh. "I thought I would have to keep to myself. I had to keep telling myself that it is no one else's business, but everyone asks me questions and I have to be careful of what I say." Hermione and Ginny were still taking the blow.

"When you asked us to keep a secret I thought it was about you liking Garreth or something." Said Ginny. "Do you like him?" Charlemaine blushed. "You do, I know that look."

"Sure I like him, but not enough to what everyone is saying I did with him."

"So it's just a crush." Added Hermione, taking the seriousness out of the conversation. " You know there's a Christmas dance coming up. We need to get him to ask you."

"No, don't ask him to. I don't want to go." Said Charlemaine. The girls began to walk back to the girls' dormitory.

"Yeah you do. How could you not." Stated Hermione.

"I have no money, which means no dress."

"Oh don't worry we'll help you with that. When are you going to see him again?"

"At dinner of course."

"No, I mean alone."

"Well, I mean to invite him to come to Diagon Alley with me and McGonagall."

" Operation D.A.N.C.E. Commences!" Laughed Hermione.

"D.A.N.C.E?" Asked Charlemaine
" Date who is Agreeable, Nice, Cute, and Electable."

"What?" Shouted Charlemaine and Ginny.

"Ha ha ha ha.!"

A.N. Hi all!! Sorry for taking so long to update. School and softball has been taking up a lot of time right now.(especially school.) Thank you True Nimbus for driving me to write this chapter.

Happy Thanksgiving!!