CHAPTER SEVEN:
Punishments, Conversations and A Secret Revealed..
(AUTHORS NOTES:OMG.. THANKS TO CHEMICAL77. Your review made me smile! I'm glad you like this so far!)
(OTHER AUTHORS NOTES: Harry got the quill punishment first.. So did several others in my version of this. I thought it might be interesting to have the original character be questioned about Dumbledore's Army also, to make it seem a little more realistic. And if she's going to be paired with Neville, it's sort of a bond builder or something. Again, I stress.. Not taking anything away from Harry Potter, just telling the story of my original character at Hogwarts, what she goes through as a result of this war, and her pairing being Neville, who is a front runner in the war, of course, naturally, that will come with consequence. If you don't like, sorry.. No flames, please? As I stated, this story is about 5 years old, I just decided to post what I had and actually work to finishing it. Also, my version is slightly more out of whack.. Events are taking place out of order, I realize this.. I really am trying, I promise. Everything that happened in the book WILL happen, but things will be added to, elaborated on from the point of view of my original character as it effects her personally. I have a GOOD reason for the secret coming out in this book as opposed to the 6th like I'd originally planned. ;p)
"She can't be serious... can she?" Charmaine asked as she watched Filch nailing up yet more 'commandments' on the wall. Blaise passed by giving her a wink and if Fred and George hadn't caught her quickly, she probably would have lain him out on the stone flooring of the castle's corridor they stood in. "Fucking prat." she scowled as he laughed and then called out casually, "Sticks and stones, Ms. Longbottom, sticks and stones.. Where IS your real man?"
Fred groaned as George muttered, "Not up your arse, obviously, that's Draco's job, I heard, Zabini." as he muttered to Charmaine, "Deep breaths, Charmie.. Deep breaths."
"Still want to kill him, guys."
"We know, ickle one.. We know.. But you know what she's doing to others when they disobey.. Remember what she did to Harry earlier in the week?" George pointed out solemnly, as Fred nodded and said "She'll get hers and so will those other prats."
"Prick bastards. I hope when they 'get theirs' guys.. I'm sitting front row with a huge bowl of popcorn." Charmaine murmured as she straightened the cat ear headband she wore on her head, arranging it so that the left ear wasn't constantly flopping to one side. "So she wants a war, apparently." she mused aloud as Umbridge spoke from behind and said "Take those off of your head.. There will be no foolishness, Ms. Morgan, this is, after all a school.. Even though your parents obviously think it a daycare, somewhere they can place you so they don't have to deal with the burden."
"Did she seriously just..." Charmaine fumed as she turned, a look of fury burning in her normally warm brown eyes as she looked at Fred and then George, both of them groaning inwardly. She turned her attention back to Umbridge and then said with a smirk, "Make me you fat arse."
The ears floated to Umbridge, but Charmaine leapt, snatched them back and took off at a run, shoving people as she did so. Down the hallway, she fumed as the twins caught up to her and snickered.. Until Umbridge shrieked and then stormed down the hallway, snatched the headband and then grabbed Charmaine by her elbow, dragging her past Neville and Luna, Hermione, Ron and Harry, to her office doors, slamming them shut behind her .
Fred and George groaned quietly.. They'd seen enough of the old scars on the brunette Hufflepuff to know that she didn't exactly have the best home life, maybe and she'd gotten to be a close friend, maybe another 'little sister' to the two. Neville groaned inwardly as he said quietly, "That can't be good."
"If she'd stop being so difficult on purpose." Hermione started as Neville glared and then asked Fred and George, "What the bloody hell happened?"
"Umbridge tried to take her cat ears. She got pissed, got into her head that instead, she'd snatch them back, take off at a bloody run.. Then Umbridge caught her, dragged her into her office." the twins finished simultaneously as Harry snickered a little and then asked in concern, " Did anyone hear about her forming a group of informers? Luna was just telling me she suspects that Umbridge is onto us, guys."
"Damn it." George swore as Fred rolled his eyes and flipped off the closed office door of Umbridge, said quietly, "She's really about to piss me off."
Inside the office, Umbridge stared down the girl and then said with a smirk, "You will tell me what I want to know, or you will write what you're told until I tell you to stop."
"What do you want to know?"
"Is there a secret organization of students using wands to practice defense against the dark arts?" Umbridge asked as Charmaine shrugged and then said with a cheeky smirk, "And now, I see why you targeted me out there.. You think that I'll tell you something.. And I will.. You've a fat arse. And pink? Makes it look much fatter."
She glared and then pounded the desk as she'd done with several other children she'd already questioned about the group to no avail. She knew there was a group, she just needed to know where they met.
"I know there's a group.. Where do you all meet at?"
"Ask your dad.. That's who I've been with the past few nights.." she started as the pain stung her arm unexpectedly.
"What the fuck was that?" she shrieked as she gaped up at the woman and glared.
"That was just a small taste of what's going to happen if you keep up with your cheek."
"I'm no snitch.. So tell me what to write." Charmaine said as she picked up the quill, waited. Umbridge told her to write the line "I will NOT talk back to my professors." and she began writing. The pain came in waves, as Harry had told them all that it had for him, and her friend Rosa, a few of the second years she knew of that'd been questioned by Umbridge at random.
But Charmaine kept writing through it, smirking as she did so.. Compared to the pain she felt for disobeying at home, this was nothing to her. Gritting her teeth, she willed herself to hold back the tears she wanted to cry as she said calmly, "I can do this all day, Umbridge.. Just so you know."
"Very well then. Potter said the same. Have it your way.. But I'm sure right now, you're beginning to rethink not telling me about your little club?"
"No, right now, I'm thinking about punching you." she blurted as the quill really dug into her arm, she gritted her teeth against the pain, dug her feet into the shoes she wore, laughed a little. Gaping at her, Umbridge gestured for her to continue to write.
Finally, just when the pain was almost too unbearable, and the sight of the girls arm was disgusting Umbridge, she said quietly ,"Go. But tell your friends.. I will find someone who will tell me what I wish to know.. And then your little classes and meetings? Done with."
Charmaine held up her middle finger as she walked out into the hallway, promptly being cut off by Fred and George who looked at her in concern.. When Harry had been in, Umbridge didn't know they had a group.. Now, somehow, she knew. And Charmaine told the others this as she added, " I didn't tell her a damn thing, Potter."
Harry nodded and then said "You should have made up something, bloody hell." as he looked at her arm. She shrugged and said quietly, "Not a big deal, really.. Besides, I don't turn on my friends.. I should go.. I've got this really, really odd feeling.. I think I know how she knows we even have a group."
She took off in the direction of the Slytherin dorm and Neville grumbled, swearing, catching up to her. "No.. Leave the git alone."
"Nevvie, she targeted me.. Which means Zabini probably saw me leaving or going in." Charmaine stubbornly insisted as Neville gaped at her arm and grabbed hold of her hand, practically dragging her down the hallway towards the Infirmary. "She found out from some of the younger kids.. Veritaserum." Neville said as he looked at Charmaine and then said quietly, "Does it still hurt?"
"A little." she admitted as she hugged against him warily, looked up. "You didn't have to wait on me.. None of you had to wait on me.. I'd have been fine, trust me.. I'm kinda used to this shit.."
He looked at her then said quietly, "I wanted to wait on you.. Now go on, go in there." walking in behind her, waiting. She sat down, waited on the healer to heal her arm and moments later, she stood and then walked over to where Neville sat, waiting.
"Let's go now.. I have to go get ready for the dance.. You did promise to take me, remember?" she flashed him a slight smile as he looked at her and nodded, standing. She caught him off guard when she grabbed his hand as they stepped out into the hallway, with literally everyone going past either way. They weren't allowed to display affection, for one thing, and Neville wasn't used to this idea that someone might want to be affectionate towards him.
Fred and George snuck up on the pair and then said "Snape came by looking for you.. You didn't prank him without us, did you? He seemed right pissed off when we told him where Umbridge took you."
Neville muttered something to himself, slightly surprising surges of jealousy coming to the forefront as he said aloud, "I don't like the way he watches her."
"You've noticed too, huh?" the twins mused as they looked at Neville and then back at Charmaine, asking again in concern, "She didn't really hurt you, did she?"
"No.. She did the same to me that she did to Potter, the others she's taken in so far. Watch your backs, boys, she had your name written on parchment in her classroom.. I think she's got some sort of list, people she suspects to be in Dumbledore's Army."
The two nodded and with cheeky winks chorused, "Carry on you two.. Neville, don't hurt her, yeah?" as they walked off down the hallway, leaving Neville to blush and stammer, Charmaine to rake her hands through her hair, bite gently into her full lower lip as she said, "Suppose I should see what Professor Snape wants with me.. Care to walk me?"
Her hand hadn't moved from his, and now, her fingernails were slowly tracing the lines in his palm as she looked up at him, giving a bit of a cheeky grin. "I can, yeah.. And I'll wait on you.. Not entirely sure that I like the way he looks at you, he's always around."
"Nevvie, he's not.. Nevermind. I just know he means me no harm. I can't explain it." Charmaine explained as best as she could before quietly raising to tiptoe, placing a kiss on his cheek as they walked quietly down the corridor to the classroom.
Rosa, Mary Beth and Josie waited outside, looking at Charmaine, Rosa popping her friend's forehead as she exclaimed loudly, "What the hell were you bloody thinking?"
"What do you mean?"
"That thing in there, with Umbridge? Why in the name of Merlin didn't you just make something up, instead of sitting through that.." Mary Beth asked in concern as she eyed Neville and then said casually, "Hope you told your barmy arse of a girlfriend just how bloody stupid her little stand was."
"If you want her, Neville, you get all of us too." Rosa said casually, as she smirked and then said "Luna's really going to let you have it. She was worried to death.."
Charmaine sighed. She knew that Luna of course, knew what she went through at home when she had to go back.. Because she'd once gotten a little too drunk on Firewhiskey and admitted everything she went through while at home on holidays.. She'd spent a Christmas or two with Luna and her father at their little cottage, no questions asked, so now she felt bad, she'd made the kind hearted Ravenclaw worry about her, due to her own stupidity.
A soft smack to the back of her head had her turning around and Luna said calmly, "That was daft of you."
"I wasn't going to tell on the lot of us.. This is for our own good.. Harry's right.. This is going to get very, very grim and we NEED to know these things."
Harry Potter wandered down to the large group standing outside of Snape's classroom as he said "Ron told me Snape was looking for me earlier.. What's going on?"
"He told Charmie the same." Neville stated as Charmaine nodded and then said "Any idea why?" nervously as she looked at Harry who shrugged and said quietly, "I don't know.. Unless he wants to give us Veritaserum like Fred and George told me that some of the others were getting.."
The door opened and Snape peeked into the hallway, motioned both his daughter and Harry in, giving the group gathered outside a grim and dismissive look before shutting the door firmly and placing a silencing spell on the doors so that nobody could hear what was said within the room.
This wasn't something that needed to get out currently.. He had to try and keep both of them safe, especially his own child.. If it were just concerning Harry, Lily's child with that unsufferable James.. He'd not bother with it.. But he'd found his daughter, he wasn't going to let something happen to her. And he couldn't deal with things coming out.
And it seemed fitting that he'd tell them both on Harry's birthday. Not that he recognized this, of course, going into the process.. He just knew that he wasn't going to have something happen to his daughter, knowing what she called home on the holidays (which if he had his way about things, she WOULD NOT be returning to this break, though he'd yet to figure out HOW he'd pull that one off, short of kidnapping her, a highly illegal crime in the Muggle world.) was the only home she'd ever actually had.
And he didn't want to be a sideline parent either.. But the grim reality was that he was a double agent, and he had to watch things carefully.
Charmaine and Harry stood, shuffling their feet as Snape said "Both of you, sit down. The reason you're both in here today, is because I have to say something and it concerns both of you."
The pair looked at one another and Harry cocked a brow as Snape paced in front of the pair and then said "I'm not really supposed to be doing this.. If it weren't for her, " he nodded at Charmaine before continuing, "I wouldn't."
"What do you mean?"
"Recent facts have come to my attention, Ms. Morgan.. About who you really are.. When you lost that locket at the begin of term, I found it.. And kept it.. At first, I didn't know how you'd have it.. But I talked with Dumbledore, and he revealed certain things about you, and why you have it, to me."
"Did he say why the bloody thing won't damn open? It's opened for me once, sir.. And.." she started to ask why in the bloody blue hell there was a picture of not only herself as a baby, but Harry's dead mum inside, but his look silenced her as he said "Your mother.. She was good at charms.. She probably did that.. To keep you safe.. It was the only way she could when her parents gave you up for adoption.."
Harry gaped at Charmaine who bit her lower lip and blinked numbly a few times, as she scratched her head in confusion then asked, "Huh?"
"Those disgusting excuses of Muggles you call parents are not your parents, Ms. Morgan.. I'm your father, and Lily, Harry's mum is your mum. Or she was.."
Harry turned to the girl slightly, raked his hand through his hair.. Then he looked at Snape and said calmly, "If this is a bloody joke, sir.. It's not funny."
"I don't make jokes, Potter.. But there in lies the problem, now doesn't it? I'm not supposed to have told either of you this.. But I couldn't..."
Charmaine spoke up quietly as she asked, "And now what my mum keeps yelling at me only everytime she's got a flask of vodka in her hands makes sense.. I was... Fuck..."
Snape's attentions turned to his daughter and then said quietly, "And I know all about those.. People."
"I bring it on myself, sir.."
"You do not. I've observed." he stated simply as he looked at her and then to Harry, before stating, "Anything to say, Potter?"
"Prove this is true." Harry stated boldly as Snape smirked and said "You're a predictable one." shoved the letters Dumbledore had given him earlier in the term, from Lily, to Charmaine and Harry, both taking a letter, reading it.
Harry gasped as Charmaine raked her hands through her hair and bit her lower lip, blinking at similar yet not similar loopy scrawl, reading a letter from a mother she'd never gotten to know thanks to her 'grandparents' apparently.
She finished and then looked at Harry who was still reading the letter he'd taken.
Harry looked up and then said quietly, "So I have an older half sister.. And you... My mum."
"I need to.. I need to think." Charmaine muttered as she sprang from her chair, bolted out the door and down the hallway, out onto the lawns, sitting by the edge of the Black Lake, her knees drawn to her chin, everything about her life batting around in her brain..
Harry stood after looking at Snape and then closing the door again, he asked, "You said something.. about her parents?"
" You're not the only one who's suffered." Snape stated as he added, "I hope that in knowing, you'll watch after her?"
Harry nodded and walked out into the hallway, ignoring his friends as they called his name, just running, finding the dorm he slept in and sitting down on the bed, the words from the letter he'd read echoing around endlessly in his mind.
Neville caught sight of her sitting on the edge of the Black Lake, shoes off, knees to her chin as she stared out at the water. His stomach churned and he jogged over, sat down beside her.
"Nevvie.. Hi.."
"Are you okay? You bolted out of there, right past all of us.. Luna looked for you for a while then sent me here." Neville admitted as Charmaine again did something surprising to him and scooted over, then into his lap as she said quietly, "I know why he's always lurking now.."
"Did he do something?"
"No.. Can you swear NOT to tell anyone?" she asked, looking around as she looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. To say she trusted him was a big thing for her, because even though she had a lot of good friends, she only really told Luna anything personal.
Now there was him.. And Harry, of course, would probably tell Hermione and Ron, his friends..
"What's wrong?"
"He's my father.. My real father.. And apparently... Harry is my half brother.. This locket belonged to my mum." she said quietly, mostly still shocked. His arms went around her and he stood, carrying her back into the building, stopping at her dorm, lingering in the doorway as she said with a quiet smile, "Still want to go to the dance with me? If you don't.."
"I'll be waiting out here." he promised as he leaned against a rail and her friends shooed her into her dorm room to change.