Little Memories

Another week passed by and all the students were on their way home for Christmas break. By then, what happened between Ginny, Luna, and Neville and the sword in the Headmaster’s Office was old news. Charlotte was completely left out of the picture as no one knew she was there and helped plan the majority of it. No one knew that she had exited the Headmaster’s Office at four in the morning, absolutely livid and stomping down the dark halls of Hogwarts. And no one certainly knew that the moment she got into her empty dormitory, she collapsed into tears.

The first half of the train ride back was rather uneventful, for the most part. Charlotte, Theodore, and Jackson all sat in the same compartment, with the blinds drawn. Charlotte kept her eyes trained out the window, thinking about how much had changed since the last time she had been on the Hogwarts Express. No one batted an eye at the fact she had gone to and escaped Azkaban and was a widely known Death Eater anymore. She merely blended in with the rest of them and no longer incited fearful looks from her classmates. It had made existing a lot easier, but now they had moved onto other things to talk about. Like her split with Draco, her brother ignoring the fact that she was still a living, breathing person, and her sudden engagement to Theodore.

Then, to top it all off, she would have to go back to her empty house with Gregory. Charlotte had not heard from her parents in the longest time, and she wondered just where they were or if they thought about her as much as she thought about them. She didn’t blame them for running away from their responsibilities as Death Eaters, but she nearly hated them for abandoning their responsibilities as parents. Sure, Gregory was considered an adult and she knew she could look after herself. She just wanted to know if her mum and dad still loved her and were okay.

“You’ve been awfully quiet this entire train ride, Charlie,” Theodore commented softly in her ear, taking her hand in his and examining the sparkling ring on her finger; his ring. “What’s on your mind?” The blonde-haired, blue-eyed stunner beside him turned her eyes away from the soft, grey day outside the window and looked over at him, blinking innocently as she was pulled slowly from her thoughts.

“A lot of things,” she said through a sigh, offering him a small, sad smile.

Theodore watched her for a moment before he reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. She closed her eyes at his touch and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead in a loving manner before she snuggled against his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright, Charlotte,” he whispered to her as he rested his cheekbone on the top of her head. “And you only have a few more days until your birthday. That’ll give you something to look forward to, love.”

“Then I’ll be seventeen and an adult,” she added softly. Jackson, who had been watching them quietly, smiled at the two of them.

“Are you having a party this year, Charlotte?” He asked excitedly, catching the attention of the engaged couple. Charlotte frowned a bit with thought, her mind running over the possibilities of having a party without her parents around, before she shook her head in reply.

“I don’t think so,” she said softly, trying to come up with an excuse to not have a party after her horrible sixteenth birthday, “my parents normally arranged everything and I can’t be bothered with planning it myself.” Theodore gave her hand and gently squeeze. He had heard many times about her parents, from her mouth, and knew how much of a touchy subject it was with her.

“You should still have one. I mean, how often do you turn seventeen?” Jackson asked with a wide smile, staring intently at Charlotte. He knew that she was a troubled girl and that a party could do her some good. It would get her mind off of things for a few hours. The girl let out a laugh and shook her head a bit. She took the longest time to think about it, wondering what there was to lose if she threw herself a party. Gregory didn’t have to know and her parents weren’t there to stop her.

“Sure,” she said finally, with a shrug, “why not?” Theodore smiled down at her. “But it’ll just be my closest friends. I don’t want a big birthday party like I had last year.” Her smile faltered a bit as she remembered how her last birthday had gone. That blasted necklace she was given had nearly gotten her killed and she couldn’t even enjoy the party after that. She most certainly did not want Death Eaters there and she especially didn’t want the Dark Lord there. “So…keep it hush-hush,” she added with a grin, “I’ll invite everyone I see fit to be present.”

“Sure,” Theodore said with a small smile, kissing the top of her head once more. He was glad that she had decided to have a party, merely because it gave him an excuse to see her over the break. The compartment fell silent for the longest time, Charlotte’s face twisted in thought. Suddenly, she looked over at Jackson, wearing a sweet smile.

“Jack,” she asked softly, “would you mind giving Theodore and I a moment, please?” Jackson glanced between the two of them suspiciously between the two of them before nodded, noticing that Theodore had a look of sheer confusion on his face. He stood, without another word, and left the room. Charlotte immediately stood, pulled down the blinds, and locked the door. Theodore watched as the lithe girl as she sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her eyes wandered her face for the longest time, as his did just the same.

“What are you-” Theodore started but Charlotte quickly silenced him as she pressed her lips hard against his, hungrily sliding her tongue into his mouth as her hands slid to the back of his head. Theodore groaned into the kiss, his hands gripping desperately at her waist as she easily straddled his hips and pressed her body flush against his.

“Guys,” Jackson said tentatively through the wood of the compartment door to the couple, “we’re almost to London, do you think I can get my things?” He had heard some curious noises coming form the room every time he would pass by, to see if he was clear to enter the room and if their “moment” was over. Throughout their “relationship”, his patience has grown thin with the things he had done, since he knew that Charlotte still loved Draco endlessly. However, he couldn’t control what they did and chose not to say anything to them about it.

Charlotte and Theodore, who had been nearly motionless on the bench for a few moments, eyes closed and chests heaving in air, shot up when they heard Jackson call through the door. They immediately began to scramble about the compartment, to find articles of clothing that they had so carelessly thrown and redress themselves. Their hair was equally messy and tousled and their cheeks were flushed a bright pink color. Just as they finished dressing, they shot each other a look, wearing matching twinkles in their eyes and matching smirks. Theodore then unlocked the door and pulled up the blinds, eyeing Jackson before sitting down next to a satisfied-looking Charlotte.

Jackson slid the door to the compartment open slowly, stepping inside wearing a hesitant expression, and sitting in a seat across from the two of them. He glanced between the two of them, drawing in a deep breath of air.

“It reeks in here,” he said bluntly, pulling a face.

“Of what, dearest Jackson,” Charlotte cooed with a smirk that clearly said she knew exactly what their compartment smelled of.

“Don’t play dumb, Charlotte,” Theodore chided her playfully, wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders and pulling her snug into his side. “I’m sure Jackson knows what the room smells like.” Charlotte let out a dramatic gasp and looked over at Jackson with a surprised expression. Jackson flushed a bright red color and sent a death glare in Theodore’s direction.

“Oh really?” She asked. “I thought you were a little virgin, Jackie.” Jackson continued to stare at Theodore for a few moments before he finally brought his gaze to Charlotte, feeling embarrassed that Theodore had called him out like that. “Who’s the lucky lady then?” Jackson merely shook his head and ran his hands over his face with a heavy sigh.

“We’re not going to start this right now, guys,” he groaned, shaking his head slowly.

“No,” Theodore murmured with a cocky smirk, “because Charlotte and I already finished it.”

“You two are disgusting,” Jackson spat playfully, causing the three of them to burst into laughter.

The remainder of the train ride was a happy one as the three friends joked easily with one another. However, when the train came to a halt, Charlotte’s spirits dropped dramatically and both Jackson and Theodore knew the cause. They thought it sad that Charlotte was going to have to spend the next few days with a brother who refused to even look at her in a gargantuan, empty castle.

Theodore helped her drag her trunk to Gregory’s things, making sure to send him a particularly dark glare before kissing her on the mouth. He gave her a small smile before they parted ways until they met up again for her birthday party. Holding Gregory’s arm to apparate was one of the most awkward experiences of Charlotte’s short life. When the two reapparated in front of the grandeur Goyle castle, Charlotte knew in her heart as she laid her eyes on the grey stone building that something was going to happen over the break, but she didn’t know what.

She yanked her arm away from Gregory and stomped into the building, leaving her trunk with him. Charlotte still blamed him for everything that had happened in Professor Snape’s office. She knew how childish the notion was, but she wasn’t going to talk to him until he realized the error of his ways and apologized to her.