Little Memories

Draco sat there for what seemed to be hours but was really just a few minutes until he heard the door of the bathroom give a tale-tell rattle. His heart flew to his throat at the thought that someone other than Charlotte could be trying to come through the door and his hand dove into the pocket of his robes. Soon enough, her heard a murmured spell aimed at the door and someone shoulder it open noisily. Draco saw a flash of bright blonde hair and immediately withdrew his hand from his pocket.

Charlotte looked a bit flustered as she closed the door behind her, having not seen Draco standing there. She tossed her book bag to the side and ran her hands over her face, sighing heavily. Draco tentatively stepped forward, clearing his throat as well. Charlotte looked up and gave a sharp gasp, her eyes wide and slightly frightened for a moment. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and her hand flew up, rubbing over the spot just over it. Draco felt the jump as well in his own chest, since their hearts were connected, and immediately regret startling her.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. Charlotte slowly shook her head, blinking a couple of times before replying.

“No…you shouldn’t be. I knew you were here…I just…” She paused, raising a hand to her forehead and massaging her temples. “I just forgot you were there,” she said in a low voice. Draco took another step forward, noticing that Charlotte had a somewhat pained expression as she took in slow, regulated breaths of air.

“Are you alright, Charlie?” He asked softly, closing the distance between the two of them as gently moving her hand from her eyes. She looked up at him with tired, bright blue eyes that appeared tired and slightly puffy.

“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night…therefore, I have a screaming headache today,” she said in a weary voice before giving a great sigh. Draco lifted his hand and gently brushed her wayward curls behind her ear. A small, albeit tired smile worked it’s way across her lips as she stared at him.

“Maybe you should take the time now to get a bath instead of telling me what you need to,” he offered quietly, as to not disturb her headache even more. She stared at him for a moment, a wrinkle forming between her brows on an otherwise perfect face.

“But that isn’t fair to you,” she murmured, shaking her head as Draco cupped her chin in his hand, “this is the second time that I haven’t been able to tell you and I’d rather be the one telling you than one of…” She closed her eyes for the moment and drew in a deep breath of air. “Than one of them,” she finished darkly. He merely gave her an understanding smile and shook his head in response.

“It’s doesn’t matter, Charlie,” he said, looking into her eyes as she opened them. “You don’t feel well and I can be patient,” he continued, laughing lightly when he noticed the look of disbelief she gave him. “Well…I can try to at least.”

“I don’t even have a change of clothes with me, Draco,” she said, smirking slightly, “and besides…you’re here.” Draco let out a short laugh and shook his head a bit.

“And your modesty has just now decided to return?” He asked, causing her to give a tiny musical laugh.

“Apparently so,” she said softly, giving him one of those million galleon smiles he loved to see. She bit her lip as her clear blue eyes roamed his face before she reached out and gently loosened the Slytherin tie he wore. “You should just get one with me.” Draco felt his heart give a hard thump in his chest, but this time he knew it was of his own accord as he stared at her with wide eyes.

“Excuse me?” He asked in a high-pitched voice that sounded quite unlike his own. Charlotte gave a small taunting laugh as a smirk curled the corner of her lips. He cleared his throat, but the damage had been done.

“You heard me,” she said quietly, slowly beginning to unbutton his robes.

“But…that’ll do nothing for your headache…” He stammered, shaking his head as she gently pulled his robes off and began to fold them neatly. “And it’ll most likely lead to…stuff.” Charlotte continued to laugh lightly as she looked up at Draco with twinkling eyes. Slowly, she leaned forward and kissed a spot in his neck, just below his ear. He inhaled sharply through his nose as the feeling of her lips on his skin sent an electric sort of jolt through his body.

“Who said this stuff won’t help me get over my headache? Maybe it was my intention to get you here, alone, and do said stuff,” she whispered in his ear, pulling off his tie and tossing it aside. She pulled away and looked over his face before grinning, looking rather sprite-like and mischievous. Charlotte gave a shrug and stepped around him, leaning over and turning on a few of the taps to fill the pool-sized bathtub with large bubbles. “Or…maybe not,” she commented teasingly over the sound of the rushing water. Draco let out a shaky breath of air, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his racing heart.

Soon enough, the bathtub had been filled with water and a plethora of bubbles so at least a bit of modesty could be maintained. Not that the couple needed it much, but it only seemed proper. Charlotte had undressed first and Draco had turned his back to her as she did. No matter how much he wanted to peek over his shoulder and catch a glimpse of her exposed, beautiful, pale skin, but he didn’t look. He knew that she would know he had. Once she had completely submerged herself into the water, she made sure to stare ahead at the picture of a mermaid on the opposite wall as she quickly tied her curly hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head. The mermaid was watching Draco undress with a rapt fascination and it practically ruined the good mood Charlotte had been in.

As Draco lowered himself into the warm water, Charlotte heaved a sigh and tilted her head back so that it rested on the tiled floor just outside of the tub and her eyes stared up at the ceiling. He watched her pixie-like profile as they just sat in the bath, soaking in the warm water and bubbles. Draco had left enough room between the two of them to make sure that she didn’t feel cramped or uncomfortable, since she had regained the troubled look in her eyes like she had when she entered the room. Whether it was from the headache or for the need to tell him whatever it was she had to tell him, he didn’t know.

Slow minutes passed quietly until the bell rang, letting Draco and Charlotte know that the rest of the students would be going to their last classes of the day. Obviously, neither of them had a class since neither of them made any sort of movement to get out of the bathtub and leave. It certainly wasn’t an awkward silence, since they were so used to being with the other, and the situation wasn’t in the least bit awkward for the same reason.

Finally, Charlotte turned her eyes from the ceiling to Draco and he only had to look at her for a few moments before he realized that she was about to tell him what had been troubling her, and ultimately him, from the first night they had arrived back at Hogwarts.

“Draco,” she began softly before she licked her lips, making sure she had his full attention before continuing, “I’m a…” Charlotte gave a great swallow, as if she were trying to swallow down her nerves or the knot in her throat. “I’m a halfblood, Draco,” she said finally, in a brittle voice, staring hard into his eyes. He stared back at her for a few moments, his heart falling to the pit of his stomach.

“What?” He breathed, his voice quivering slightly. All his life he had been taught that halfbloods would always be lower than him. Now that blood status meant so much to survival and the way others were treated, he was skeptical that Charlotte could hide something like that. Her eyes darkened slightly as she stared at him, obviously displeased with his reaction.

“You understood me,” she replied in a low, hollow voice. Draco slowly shook his head, staring at her in slight disbelief.

“You’re lying,” he finally said, causing Charlotte to scoff and look away with him, her face crumpling with a mixture of sadness and anger, “the Dark Lord said himself that you were a pureblood.”

“That’s because no one it would matter to knows,” she snapped, nearly glaring over at him. “My brother is the only one aside from you who knows that I’m aware of this fact.” Draco slowly let it sink in that she was telling him the truth. It wasn’t one that he easily wanted to believe.

“How?” He asked quietly. Charlotte gave him a particularly scathing look before drawing in a deep breath of air.

“'How' what?” She replied in a low voice, her upper lip curling disdainfully with each word.

“What makes you a halfblood?” Draco asked in a stronger voice, wanting to catch her eye, but it seemed she was making it a point not to look over at him. She clasped a hand over her mouth for a moment, dampening the skin on her face even more.

“My mother loves my dad,” she began in a quiet voice, finally looking over and meeting Draco’s eyes, “she truly does, but…after Gregory was born, they seemed to get into disagreements more often. So, after a particularly scathing row, my mum took off for a week to get away, just for fresh air. She ended up in Kiev, leaving Gregory with my dad for a while. There she met a muggleborn wizard named Nicolai Vaselyev.” Charlotte went quiet for a while, staring down at the slowly vanishing bubbles on the surface of the water.

“That muggleborn in my real father, but he’s never been made aware that I exist. My father, the one I grew up thinking was my real one, of course, has no idea that I’m not actually his daughter. I’m not exactly supposed to know either,” she said bitterly. Charlotte let out a humorless laugh as she shook her head slowly. “I wish I didn’t.” Draco stared at her in confusion for a moment before it finally became clear to him how she knew. She was an accomplished Legilimens and probably had entered her mother’s mind without her knowing.

“You said that there are rumors going around, who’s started them?” Draco asked softly. Charlotte gave a soft scoff and shook her head a bit.

“Well…I don’t know who started it, thought I have a good idea who,” she said, giving Draco a very poignant look. He stared at her for a moment before his brow furrowed.

“Aunt Bellatrix?” He asked, but Charlotte didn’t answer. She merely gave a heavy sigh and continued on with her train of thought.

“I don’t know if you’ve had either of the Carrow’s classes today, but no doubt they’re going to start rumors about me,” she said, a certain edge of disdain in her voice despite the wry smirk that curled her lips.

“It’s not on your papers, is it? That you’re a halfblood?” He felt a bit frantic, because if it got out that Charlotte wasn’t a pureblood, she’d be in a lot of trouble with more than one person. She merely gave him a warm smile as she looked over at him, shaking her head slowly.

“Like I said, Draco, the only one who knows about this, besides you, are me and my brother,” she said softly. The smile that curled her lips slowly fell and she bit her bottom lip. “How do you feel about…knowing that about me?” She asked hesitantly, looking down at the bubbly water in front of her.

“Had you told me that two years ago,” he began softly, “I probably would have never spoken to you again, but now I couldn’t care less. When I think of you, and the love I have for you, I don’t think of things as menial as blood purity. I see you as a beautiful, loving, brilliant witch.” Charlotte merely gave him a watery smile, tears of joy tumbling silently down her already damp cheeks, before she leaned forward, pressing her lips fully against his.