The bright and happy sun rose from behind the many trees, bringing with it a rainbow of colors to create a beautiful day. As the light from the morning crept its way through the thin curtains that adorned the windows of Brightsman Manor, Briana Brightsman herself rose out of bed.

She looked around her bedroom, now illuminated by sunlight, stretching and groaning her tiredness away. Rubbing her eyes as she walked, Briana made her way into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and taking a shower.

It was a lazy morning for the teenage girl, but her mother never allowed Briana to leave her bedroom in her pajamas. The only time she was allowed to do so was when her mother wasn't home. Briana changed into an outfit that would allow her to stay cool in the hot, Summer weather.

The warm and bright day got to Briana's head and she was filled with happiness, starting her day off wonderfully. She made her way into the kitchen where her father was reading the Daily Prophet and sipping a cup of piping hot coffee.

She gave her effervescent father a hug and kiss on the cheek, "Good morning, daddy!"

He smiled at his daughter, "Morning. You seem very joyful today. Any specific reason for this?"

"I'm not all that sure. I just woke up feeling optimistic and rejuvenated! I think it also has to do with this brilliant weather," she answered, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Ah, I see. Well what do you have planned for the day?", Perseus Brightsman questioned his daughter as he added more sugar to his already sweet coffee.

"I don't have anything planned out. I may go to my mate Chuck's house, though. I would call up Draco, but I expect he's busy helping with the preparations for the party tonight."

"I'm sure he is. Your mother went over there an hour ago to help as well."

"An hour ago?! It's only 11 just now. The party doesn't start until half past four."

"You know how elaborate the Malfoy's are with their celebrations. But now who is this Chuck that you'll be spending the day with?", he gave Briana a look of sincere curiosity and concern.

She smiled at her protective dad, "Don't worry, father. He's good friends with Draco, and he's very nice. Admittedly, he does need to mature himself in some areas... But he is greatly respectable! You can meet him tonight at the party, if you wish."

Folding the paper as he listened to his daughter speak, Perseus replied, "Seeing as he's a friend of Draco's, I assume he can't be much trouble. At any rate, please be very careful. And you know I'd love to meet any and all friends of yours, whenever you see fit."

"You truly are the best, dear father! I'll be back in time to get ready for the party," she finished talking and gulped down the rest of her pomegranate-raspberry tea.

"Come back any later than 3 o'clock and I will hunt you down, yeah?", he pointed at her, as she began to leave the room.

"Of course, father! Don't wait up on me! I love you!", she called as she exited the kitchen and wound up in the living room.

The relationship that Briana had with her father was one to envy. They were very comfortable with one another, and in a lot of ways, Perseus was much more like an older brother. Briana wished she could say the same of she and her mother, but Anais isn't the same. The two of them clash heads pretty often, which also upsets Perseus. For the most part, however, they were a happy family of three.

Briana stepped into the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder as she did so. But she had to pause and think for a moment. What was Chuck's last name again? Something to with lizards, right? No, no, Salamanders. It sounded like Salamander... Salad.. Salami... ew... Salamon..? OH! Solomon! Chuck Solomon!

"Solomon Manor!", she shouted as she un-clenched her fist, letting the dust fall from her hand.

She found herself in a fireplace, looking at a room completely unfamiliar to her. This was, after all, her first time at Chuck's house. She just met the guy yesterday! Then she began to think if coming to his house was creepy... Briana told herself that it was alright, because they were already pretty great friends and Draco had said that they all really liked her.

Stepping out of the fireplace, Briana looked up and around the room, "Heeellloooo?" She walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Anybody home?", she called out.

She suddenly heard the sound of running feet behind her, when the noise abruptly stopped. Briana turned around quickly to find herself looking down at a short, little girl with straight, long, blonde hair and blue eyes; just like Chuck.

The little girl was smiling wide at Briana as she swished her pink skirt back and forth. Briana smiled back and spoke to her, "Hellothere, I'm Briana! I'm a friend of Chuck's. What's your name?"

"My name is Catherine, but people call me Cat because it's easier."

Briana remembered Draco telling her last night that Cat was Chuck's five year-old little sister. "It's nice to meet you, Cat! Do you know where your brother is?"

Cat nodded and held out her hand for Briana to take. When she did, the little girl started walking up the stairs, saying, "Chuck is sleeping still. He's bigger than me, but he always sleeps a lot longer. My mommy says it's because he doesn't take naps."

Briana smiled at the talkative child as she let go of her hand, reaching the top of the staircase. Cat led her down a short hallway before the pair of them stopped in front of a door. The five year-old burst the door open to reveal a very blue and grey bedroom.

Chuck was laying peacefully under the covers with the curtains still closed and the ceiling fan on. Before Briana could even think of how to wake the boy up, Cat was running towards the bed and jumping on top of her older brother.

"Good morning, Chuck!", she yelled.

"Oof! What the-?", Chuck rolled over sluggishly to see his little sister sitting on top of him. "Cat, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"

She smiled at him, then started poking his face, "Chuuuuuck! You gotta wake up! Your girlfriend is here to see you!"

"What? What girlfriend? Who are you-?"

"The girl named Briana! Right there!", she cut him off, pointing in Briana's direction.

Chuck looked over, then met Briana's bright chocolate eyes, much to his surprise, "Well, well, well. Looks like someone didn't get enough of me last night, did they?"

Briana smiled and shook her head. She walked towards him as he sat up in his bed, "Please inform your sister that we are not boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You see her?", Chuck pointed to Briana as he talked to nodded.

"Well, she's not my girlfriend. Briana and I are just good friends. For now." He threw a wink at Briana, which caused her to laugh.

"But you said that your girlfriend is gonna be really pretty and she's really pretty," the five year old was blunt.

"Yes, she's very pretty, but she's gonna be Draco's girlfriend. Not mine, silly," Chuck smirked.

"Excuse me?!", Briana stared at Chuck in shock, her face slightly pink.

"Draco?!", Cat exclaimed. "But Draco is so scary! Why would you be Draco's girlfriend when he is so scary?", she turned to Briana now, looking very confused and surprised.

Briana had to laugh, "I'm not going to be Draco's girlfriend. Your brother is just crazy."

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly, "I know. My mommy calls him the word insane all the time. And insane is the same thing as crazy."
During the time that Briana had to explain herself to Cat, Chuck had managed to slip away and change his clothes. He came back to hearing the two girls discuss why pink was Cat's favorite color.

"So, Briana, what do you wish to do?", he asked her, leaning against the door frame of his closet.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, "I don't know. I just want you to entertain me until I have to return home for the party."

"That sounds kinky, my dear."

"Anything that any woman says to you sounds kinky."

"What's kinky mean?", Cat asked innocently.

"Oh..", Chuck looked at his little sister seriously. "Kinky is a word for big kids. You can't say that word or else you'll be in trouble. And nobody will give you Christmas presents. Got it?"

"Okay!", she smiled at her older brother, who smiled back.

Chuck, now fully dressed and awake, picked up Cat and turned to face Briana again. He thought carefully about what they ought to do. His parents were working at the moment, as they always were, so he had to bring Cat with him.

He finally thought of something that would be beneficial to all three of the people in the room, "How about we take you the park, Cat?"

"The castle park?!", she asked, excitement showing on her face.

"Indeed, the castle park. Briana, you and I can chit-chat while she plays. I mean, I don't know much about you," Chuck explained.

Briana smiled at him, "Sounds wonderful."

The three of them then made their way down the stairway and out the front door. Once they were outside, Cat wiggled out of Chuck's arms and started to skip merrily on the sidewalk. The little girl made Briana smile; she liked her. Well, Briana loved kids in general, but Cat just made her especially happy.

"Your little sister is sooo cute!", she told him.

"Adorable, isn't she? She's the main reason I wake up every morning."

"Did you mean to make that double meaning, there?"

"What double meaning?"

"Well, you said she's the main reason you wake up every morning. It's a double meaning because it can mean she is the thing you want to see every day so you wake up to see her, but it also means that she wakes you up every morning. You see?"

"Oh, yeah. You think about things in too much depth," he squinted at Briana.

"Ha! I've never thought of that as a bad thing, so thank you," she smiled.

The trio finally reached the castle park, which made Catherine extremely happy. Upon their arrival, she squealed and immediately began to play on the merry-go-round with two other girls around her age.

Because of the exceptional weather, there were lots of people at the park. Almost all of the benches and picnic tables were taken, and some people laid in the shade of the trees in the grass. Chuck led Briana to a spot under a large orange tree.

Chuck put his arms behind his head and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Briana copied his exact movements, as he watched her mimic him.

"I like your fashion choices, Briana," he told her.

"Psh, you just like the fact that my shorts are short and that my top is strapless," she corrected him.

"Well I'm certainly not complaining. But no, seriously, other than that though your sense of fashion is great. I like the outfits you put together."

"Oh... Well thank you."

"So, lovely, tell me something interesting about you."

"Like what?", she asked her friend.

"Something that would surprise people."

"Um, oh I can speak three languages fluently: English, French and Vietnamese."

"Why French and Vietnamese?"

"Well, my grandmother is French, so my mother grew up speaking English and French at the same time. So she taught me French since I was little. As for the Vietnamese, I felt like learning another language, so I chose Vietnamese. I also visited Vietnam one Summer, so. Yeah," she attempted to explain herself.

"I see. Well I only speak English. And a little bit of Spanish. But we won't be getting into that today. Now you ask me something."

"Alright. What's your best school subject?"

"Definitely History of Magic and Charms. Charms is my favorite. How about yourself?", Chuck looked at her.

"Best subjects would have to be Herbology and Potions, Potions being my favorite."

"Looks like I just found my help this year for my two worst classes! I do terribly at Herbology, no matter how many books I read on the subject!"

Briana's interest was peaked, hearing him say that he read several books, "Hey, what's your favorite novel?"

"Novel? Do I look like I read?", he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, you actually do! Not to mention, you just said that you've read lots of Herbology books."

"Well you're correct, because I actually read all the time. My favorites would have to be Great Expectations, Quidditch Through the Ages, To Kill A Mockingbird, Secrets of the Darkest Art, The Great Gatsby and The Fault in Our Stars."

Briana nodded at him, "That's quite an elite list. You truly are a reader. I think you may read even more than me. I've never heard of the last one."

"The Fault in Our Stars? Yeah, it's a great read. You should give it a look if you ever find the time."

"I think I will. I feel like there's a lot more to you than what you show the world," Briana watched him intently.

The sound of children's laughter continuously filled the background noise as the sun beat down on everyone's faces and birds flew into the trees above them. Chuck looked back into Briana's eyes, saying, "Isn't that what it's like for everyone?"

Briana thought to herself for a minute. What Chuck said was true, in fact it was very true indeed. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know what Chuck's story was. She wanted him to tell her all about what he didn't display to the public eye.

Briana stopped leaning on the tree and sat in front of Chuck, facing directly at him, "Tell me about your world."

He looked down, then quickly back up at the girl in front of him, "What do you wish to know?"

"Anything. Everything."

"I obviously can't tell you everything in one sitting, but I'm sure that over time, I'll tell you all there is for me to say."

"Of course. I'll do the same, if you wish me to," she offered.

He nodded, "That'd be nice. So... What part of me would you like to hear about today?"

She tilted her head at him, "What do you feel like telling me about?"

"Anything, really. You should probably just ask me about something and I'll tell you all about it, yeah?"

"Sounds splendid, dear Chuck. Well, how about you tell me about your relationship with your family."

"Of all the things... You would pick that subject..."

Briana sat up quickly and tried to convey innocence through her facial expressions, "Well you said I could pick anything!"

"I know, I know. It's just kind of a touchy subject."

"Oh, sorry. You don't have to talk about it if-"

"No, no, I want to tell you. I just want you to know it's the not the brightest of conversations," he explained, staring at her.

"Oh, alright," Briana nodded understandably, "You can begin whenever you're ready. I'm all ears, Chuck."

Chuck Solomon smiled weakly at his nice friend. He thought about how he would start his spiel as he watched Briana's hands make a fishtail braid out of her hair. Her eyes never left him though, for she was trying to tell what he was thinking. He sat there in silence for quite a while, and just when Briana was going to tell Chuck to forget about it, he began to speak.

"There are five people in my family. My father, my mother, my two little sisters and then me. I've honestly lost count of my parents' ages because I don't care much for them, but their names are Serena and Sean. You've met my little sister Catherine, she's six just so you know. My other little sister is named Andrea and she's just turned twelve, so she'll be in her second year at school this Fall. She isn't around because she doesn't even live with us anymore," his voice trailed off and he looked into the distance, willing himself to go on.

"Andrea lives in Bristol with my mom's sister, her husband and their two kids. She moved with them right before she started her first year because... because my father got drunk as he always does, and Andrea wanted to tell him goodnight. But instead of a hug and kiss for the night, my father gave her the cruciautus curse. I wasn't there to.. I didn't know any of it was happening... Her screams of pain are what made me run down there to see what was going on, but I was too late to save her from anything."

Briana thought she saw Chuck, the funny, perverted and immature friend of hers, on the brim of tears. What she thought about him was right; there was much more beyond the surface. And she had found his weak spot (or at least one of them): his family. Briana had only known this boy for two days, but he was her friend. A very good friend of hers. It still pained her to see him this emotional. She reached out and held his hand tightly. Chuck gave her a quick, weak smile then wiped his eyes, before continuing.

"I hate my father. He's always working except for when he's drinking and smoking. He used to hurt my mother all the time, and my sister that one time. But I was able to get him to stop hurting them and it's been a bit more than a year now. The alternative to him hurting others is hurting me," Chuck's eyes looked distant as he rolled up his sleeve to show her just a couple of very many scars from his loving father.

Briana gasped and stared him in the eyes, "Chuck this is not okay. You shouldn't let him hurt you like this. It's not right."

"Well neither is him hurting my mom and if he didn't do this to me, he would do it to her and for all I know, Catherine would be next on his list. The last thing I need and want is for him to cause her pain too."

"But there must be some other way."

"You don't think I haven't looked into it for myself? This is just the simplest way to go about the situation."

"Except it's so complicated...", Briana gave him a concerned look."Do Draco or anyone else know about this?"

"The only one who knows about this, other than you, is Alex."

The two of them sat there in the shade in silence for a moment before Chuck spoke again, "I just don't care about anyone in my family. Except for Catherine and Andrea. They're all I really live for. Even if I hardly see her, I love Andrea so much. I'm afraid that she'll grow distant from Cat and I and that she won't care about us anymore. And I worry about Cat all the time. I'm afraid that something will happen to her while I'm at school. I just have a lot of fears when it comes to my family. That's why I act so foolish, so perverted, so crazy. I'm covering it all up, to keep others from guessing the truth. It also keeps my mind off of it, so it just works for everyone."

Learning about this side of Chuck was a big accomplishment in Briana's mind. She had cracked the case of the great Solomon. Now she viewed him in a different way. He was the same Chuck, but there was more to him now, more character than before. And from this conversation, Chuck had gained a massive amount of respect from her.

"Chuck, you have such a good heart. You... You're so strong. I hope that behind all the douche-y and fucked up guys out there, there's a humble, courageous and remarkable man like you. I'm really really glad that I met you. I haven't known you long, but I'm positive that you'll make a loyal and excellent friend. Know that I'll always be here for you and I hope that you will do the same for me."

The boy genuinely smiled brightly at Briana. He suddenly engulfed her in a huge hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope we can have many more conversations like this. Maybe next time you can reveal some of yourself to me. Did you catch that double meaning?"
Briana laughed loudly and gave him a hug back, "You're amazing, you know that? I just enjoy you so much."

He half smiled at her, "Glad the feeling's mutual."

The first breeze of the day passed, rustling the leaves of the trees all around them. This was a day that neither Chuck nor Briana would forget; the day they became actual, good friends.