Little Memories

When Draco stepped into the guest room, Charlotte had her trunk on the bed and was packing up her things haphazardly. Tiny sniffles and sobs passed through her lips as she frantically searched the room through her things. Draco stood there and watched her for a few silent moments, wondering how the evening had taken a turn for the worse. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Charlotte had almost killed his aunt.

“You don’t have to leave,” he finally said. Charlotte merely shook her head, letting out a quiet sob.

“No, I have to go,” she replied, placing a stack of shirts into her pristine white trunk with golden accents. Draco recognized it as the same one she took to school with her every year.

“I’m sure things will be fine. I doubt anything that Aunt Bella said about my parents was true. My parents will understand,” Draco said, wanting to say anything to make her stay. Charlotte turned to Draco and sniffled loudly. It nearly broke Draco’s heart to see her crying and so shaken up.

“I nearly killed your aunt, Draco,” she said in a hollow, shaky voice. “By now, she’s telling your parents that I’m as insane as she, and I will be kicked out of the house promptly for fear of upsetting her and her husband by letting me stay.” She turned and put her jewelry box in the trunk before closing the lid and snapping the latches and locks shut.

“Perhaps I can talk them out of it. They know how fond I am of you,” Draco suggested hopefully, not knowing how he’d fair without her next to him in such dire times.

“She’s family,” Charlotte breathed as she pulled off her dress and set it aside. Draco didn’t bat an eye at the girl’s naked back, he was too worried and stressed about her to. “I’m not,” she continued, “It would be stupid for them to let me stay when I’m clearly as insane as your aunt says I am.” She quickly tugged on a pair of plain, dark blue jeans and knee high boots, then a black, long-sleeved top made out of a flowing feminine fabric. Draco merely stared at her as she sat down on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through her hair worriedly.

“Then let me come with you and stay with you for the rest of the summer. I’m sure my parents wouldn’t have anything against that,” he said softly, sitting down beside her and watching her closely. She looked over at him, tears still tumbling down her cheeks, and shook her head slowly.

“No, you have obligations to fulfill here,” she said, staring hard at him.

“Fuck obligations, Charlotte!” Draco exclaimed in response, causing Charlotte to jump slightly at the decibel his voice had risen to. He paused for a moment, noticing the surprise on Charlotte’s face and softening his expression, trying to keep his anger in check. “I just want to spend as much time with you as I can.” Charlotte let out a heavy sigh and shook her head.

“You have to stay here, Draco. You have to stay with your parents,” Charlotte said, reaching out and taking one of his hands in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze, “You have to stay with the Dark Lord.” Draco merely looked over at Charlotte and let out a heavy sigh, knowing that she had a valid point. She bit her lip as she looked over his face. “You understand now, don’t you? If you leave with me, it’ll look like we’re running away from him. He will find us and will kill us if we go together.” Draco merely nodded solemnly, knowing that she had to go.

“Is Gregory going with you?” He asked softly, his stomach giving an uneasy churn at the thought of being left in a house with the Dark Lord without anyone his age. Charlotte’s face saddened slightly and she shook her head.

“He has to stay. He has obligations to fulfill just as you do,” she said softly, looking on the brink of crying again. “You can’t owl me and don’t come and find me where I am. There’s only a few more weeks before we’ll be together again at school when term resumes.” With those words, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Draco’s fully before slowly parting. She then swiftly grabbed her trunk and left the room without so much as a look back. Draco sat there, stunned for a few moments, before getting up and running into the hallway.

“Wait,” he called to Charlotte, who was just at the top of the staircase, “I have something to give you.” Charlotte glanced over her shoulder at him, almost looking a bit frightened, and he went into the room. Quickly, he rushed to his desk and retrieved the bundle of envelopes from the secret drawer in his desk and ran back to the hallway. He stopped just beside Charlotte and handed the bundle to her.

“I wrote these for you when you were in Azkaban. I want you to have them and read them,” he said, watching as she turned the envelopes over in her hands before looking up at Draco. “I want you to stay safe for me…where ever you go. Please,” he pleaded softly, tears welling in his eyes.

“I will,” she replied in a shaky voice, tears balancing on the bottom rim of her eyelids. “You do the same for me, alright?” He nodded as he blinked hard against the tears burning his eyes. “I’m sorry I have to leave after just getting back,” she breathed before Draco reached forward and wrapped her in his arms, holding her as close as possible to him. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing gentle against his neck. They stood there for as long as possible, until they heard frantic footsteps traveling down the hallway. They both hesitantly let go of the other, knowing there was a great possibility that either of them could be dead before they got the chance to see each other again. Charlotte held Draco’s eyes for a few moments before turning, grabbing her trunk, and starting down the stairs again. Draco watched her back until she disappeared from his sight.

“Where is she?” She heard the voice of his mother ask behind him and he turned, meeting the gazes of his father, mother, Bellatrix and her husband. He merely sneered at his aunt, feeling an immense loathing for the woman in his gut.

“I hope you’re happy,” he snarled at her before stepping around the group, making his way to his room, and slamming the door behind him.

“Mate, don’t get mad at me,” Gregory started as Draco and he sat in the guest room Gregory was staying in, “but your aunt’s a right bitch…and I think she deserved what my sister gave her.”

“I know,” Draco sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head slowly. It had been almost a full day since Charlotte had left and Gregory had been outraged when he first learned of Bellatrix Lestrange’s provocation of his sister, yet he feared where his sister had gone. He knew that he either went back to the Goyle Castle or to their cottage on the western coast of Ireland, but he also knew that she probably didn’t want to be bothered where ever she was. “I’m furious with her. I truly am.”

“I only wish I could have gone with her, you know?” Gregory said, shaking his head and rubbing his fingers tenderly over the brand on the inside of his left forearm. It unnerved Draco to see one of his best mates falling into the Dark Lord’s trap. “She’s been gone all summer and now she’s left again.”

“Maybe it was for the best that she left,” Draco said with a shrug, “I could tell that the presence of the Dark Lord in the house stressed her.” Gregory looked over at him with a furrowed brow and a tense mouth.

“She doesn’t want to be what she is,” he said in a soft voice, so no one outside the room could hear him. “But as you know, she’s never had much of a choice.” He let out a sigh and ran his hands over his face. “As much as I know what she did to your aunt was wrong, she’s never known any different than to retaliate and kill. She was only eleven when she killed her first person, for Merlin’s sake. There’s bound to be mental scarring and altering if you’ve witnessed trauma like that.” Draco merely stared at the eldest Goyle sibling, understand how protective he could be over his sister. He also understood his reasoning for Charlotte’s reaction to his aunt’s words.

“Do you have any idea where she went?” Draco asked, knowing he probably shouldn’t find out her whereabouts for want of being with her, but his curiosity overcame him. Gregory looked over at him for a moment with a furrowed brow, visibly thinking.

“You aren’t going to try and go after her if I do, right?” He asked, knowing how sneaky Draco could be. The blonde boy just grinned and shook his head.

“No, of course not,” he said, sounding as honest as a Slytherin honestly could.