Little Memories

Charlotte stood in front of the small mirror in the cottage, running her hands over her straightened hair. It fell to just above her chin when it was straightened and appeared to be crudely chopped; jagged edges and uneven cuts that hadn’t been exposed when her hair was curled or left wavy. She let out a sigh and straightened her hands over her black, military-style jacket with two rows of black buttons holding the jacket shut. It hugged close to her body until it hit her hips where it flared out and fell to mid-thigh. She had high-heeled, lace-up combat boots, which would have been seen as superfluous and silly had anyone known the situation she was about to get into, but she had to appear normal.

As she looked over her appearance, her light blue eyes met small red and purple marks littering her neck that weren’t covered by the collar of her jacket. A small smile curled her lips as she ran her fingertips over the marks, replaying the previous night’s events over in her head. She then knew that she’d have to cover them up. No one could know that Draco had left the manor to be with her, because that would mean trouble for him and probably herself as well. Charlotte could already tell that many Death Eaters doubted her allegiance to the Dark Lord and if it seemed like Draco Malfoy had been with her, as was proven by the marks on her neck, it would seem that a betrayal was being planned by the two.

Glancing over to the grandfather clock beside the door, she ducked into her bedroom and rummaged through an antique wardrobe, pulling out a grey leopard print scarf she kept in the cottage in case it got cold or she found herself staying there during the winter. She looped in around her neck a few times and walked out of her room, glancing to the mirror to make sure the tiny marks were covered. A small hum escaped Charlotte as she stared at her tired eyes and haggard expression. Her skin was still so pale, despite her being out in the sun the previous day. She heard two loud snaps outside the cottage and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh through her nose before checking that her wand was in her pocket. Charlotte then pushed open the front door and closed it behind her before walking into the night.

Glancing between the giant blonde Death Eater and the one with the twisted face with a look of disdain, she quickly strode across the gravel path to the cottage toward them. She took note of their blue, Muggle jumpsuits and knew they were impersonating a profession that Muggle’s called “mechanics”.

“Dolohov,” she said, nodding to the smaller one, “Rowle.” Her eyes turned to the blonde Death Eater with a slight snarl. “You two are late.”

“I don’t think it’s your place to tell us to be punctual or not, Goyle,” Dolohov sneered to her. Charlotte stopped in front of him and stared down at him, since he was nearly a head shorter than her since she was wearing heels. She drew in a deep breath of air as he broke his stare off with her, looking to the side.

“Well…let’s put aside any of this animosity and get the job done and in the way the Dark Lord wants it,” she hissed through clenched teeth as she gave both Dolohov and Rowle a sarcastic smile. Rowle, who had merely been staring at the two, offered his arm to Charlotte, since they were to apparate away. Charlotte looped her arm through Rowle’s whilst giving Dolohov a meaningful stare as the three of them turned on the spot and disapparated onto a bustling city street.

Charlotte and Rowle quickly let go of each other as the three strode down the sidewalk, taking in the sights and sounds around them carefully. The summer night was a brisk one, yet the layers that Charlotte wore in the hopes of hiding her Dark Mark, Azkaban tattoo, and hickeys from Draco kept her too warm. However, she knew that everything was a necessary evil to keep her identity hidden and to look as normal as possible. There was no way the three Death Eaters could go gallivanting around in their black robes and silver masks without drawing major attention to themselves.

“Tottenham Court Road?” Dolohov asked Charlotte, causing the girl to send him a sidelong look, hoping he sensed her annoyance. “Are you sure they’re going to come here?”

“Don’t question me, Dolohov,” Charlotte said in a low voice, glancing at all the faces that were passing by them. “They’re probably already here since you two were late.” Dolohov opened his mouth to retort and by the look on his face it surely would have been something nasty.

“Shove it, Dolohov,” Rowle growled in a low voice that matched how tall and bulky he was, “you’re just angry that she’s pointing out your tardiness.” Dolohov gave both of the blondes with him a dark look before looking ahead as they pressed on.

“Now, the three of them should be going to a all-night café around here, so keep your eyes open,” Charlotte said in a voice as commanding as a general, “you two will go inside. I wait outside the door, as planned. Should any trouble arise, I’ll come inside.” She sent a look to Dolohov, who looked a bit repulsed at the fact he was listening to orders from a 16 year old. “Don’t look so sour, Dolohov. I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she taunted, causing Rowle to let out a low ‘guffaw’ of a laugh, “they’re only a year older than me I’m sure you’ll have no problems with them, at least.”

Again, just as Dolohov was about to reply, Charlotte’s eyes landed on a neon sign for a 24-hour café. It blinked with a electric sort of buzz and the nasty comment Dolohov had for Charlotte died in his throat.

“Just through there, boys,” Charlotte said, “I’ll be right behind you, should you need me.” The two men in jumpsuits broke away from her, walking ahead of the girl as she slowly began to make her way to the café. As she got closer, she could see into the windows and spy a raven haired boy sitting across from a ginger boy and a brunette as they talked vehemently with one another. Dolohov and Rowle slipped through the door without the three of them turning and glancing at them, but she knew it’d only be a matter of time before all hell broke loose in the small, dingy café.

Charlotte leaned back against the wall just beside the expansive windows on the front of the building. She stared up into the night sky and placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart. A heavy sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that Draco was still alright, but that he was stressed and on high alert. His quickly beating heart automatically caused hers to speed up, wherever he may have been. She had been on many outings for Lord Voldemort and felt no anxiety over them. This would have only been the second task asked of Draco. He still had a lot to learn about being a Death Eater, she knew.

Charlotte was abruptly pulled from her thoughts of Draco by the sounds of spells ricocheting around the café and breaking glass. Instead of peering into the windows to see if her fellow Death Eaters were fairing well, she merely stared blankly ahead, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the small, now nearly demolished, café. Surprised shouts and more sounds of shattering objects resounded from the building before the flurry of action within it died abruptly. In the blink of an eye, the door of the café gave a loud click as the lock was turned and the aluminum blinds were pulled shut noisily.

A young man passed in front of Charlotte, eyeing the girl as if she were a piece of meat in a marketplace. She caught his eye for a moment and sneered at him, which was an intimidating enough look to have him scurrying away in the opposite direction. With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she pushed away from her spot and strode toward the door. Voices of her former schoolmates sounded muffled as she stood just outside the door, knowing the danger of the situation should her actions, or lack of, be found out. It wasn’t until she heard a memory altering spell being said that her slight anxiety relaxed. If Rowle and Dolohov couldn’t remember, she surely wouldn’t be the one telling.

Moments passed and the blinds slowly were pulled up, revealing Charlotte as she stood in front of the door. Ron and Hermione, however, paid no attention to her. Harry managed to spot her and his eyes widened dramatically. In an infinitesimal second, Charlotte raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The world around the Boy-Who-Lived and the youngest Death Eater came to a sudden, abrupt stop. Cars stopped dead in the streets, people were frozen mid-stride, and Ron and Hermione were completely still; Ron was pulling up the blinds and Hermione had her wand drawn and pointed at the waitress, preparing to modify her memory. Charlotte met Harry’s eyes and pulled out her wand, unlocking the door wordlessly. She pulled open the door and glanced to Rowle and Dolohov, who were slumped in a grease-covered booth, before looking back at Harry.

He was staring at her, mouth gaping, and looked at a loss for words. Charlotte couldn’t help but to smirk slightly at the look of surprise he wore behind his circular glasses.

“Don’t look so surprised, Harry,” she said softly as she walked over to him.

“H-How did you--you are supposed to be…” His voice died off as Charlotte stopped just shy of him

“In Azkaban, I know,” she said with a roll of her crystal-blue eyes, “but I’m not here to discuss that, so I’d appreciate it if you saved your questions until after I’m done talking.” Harry just nodded vehemently, too in shock to say anything else.

“It’s been brought to my attention that you’ve let that locket I gave you get away. How?” She asked, anger lighting up in her eyes. She managed to keep the anger out of her tone though.

“Some slimy git named Mundungus Fletcher nicked it off me,” Harry said, an underlying sort of irritant tone in his voice. Charlotte merely stared at him for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

“You know what that was, don’t you?” She asked him, a scowl working its way across her features

“Of course, I knew what it was,” Harry said exasperatedly, feeling insulted that Charlotte was belittling him.

“Do you know what he’s done with it?” She asked him, staring hard into his eyes. Harry merely shook his head, staring back at her. Charlotte let out a another irritated sigh and ran her fingertips through her hair. “I can’t help you anymore, Harry. By now, you know what I am. The other Death Eaters are getting suspicious of me enough, as is. You’re on your own now.”

She turned and started for the door again, feeling a bit upset that she had put her life on the line and given Harry exactly what he needed to only to have him let it get taken from him. She knew who had it, but she knew that Harry needed to figure that out on his own. Word couldn’t get back that she had been playing both sides of the war. Charlotte placed her hand on the door, preparing to push it open, but stalled. She looked over her shoulder at Harry and drew in a deep breath of air.

“Good luck,” she said softly before turning and exiting the door. The world sprung into motion, as if time hadn’t been halted and as if Charlotte hadn’t been bending it. She returned to her spot beside the building and waited for a few moments until she heard a loud snap from within the café. She let out a heavy sigh, looking down at the dirty pavement beneath her feet. A few moments passed and she looked up, knowing that things weren’t happening like she planned them to. With a heavy heart, she walked into the café, tugged a bewildered Rowle and Dolohov out of the booths with a murmured apology to the waitress, pushed them into the alleyway outside of the café, and disapparated to the Malfoy Manor.