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rosapeachhogwartsmystery · 2 years

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The Trickster and her secrets (fem!Slytherin reader x Charlie Weasley)

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Summary: Things are not what they seem around you. You know how to get what you want from others. A few people seem to look through you, but it only bothers you when one of them looks through you. That one person is Charlie Weasley... Pairing: fem!Slytherin reader x Charlie Weasley

Extra information: The reader is an Animagus, who can turn into a fox. _______________________________________________________ Some would call you smart; another person would just call you a psychopath. Honestly, you didn’t seem to care. You wanted to become someone. You didn’t want to be living in your brother’s shadow forever. Still, some may argue the way you were going was much better than the path your brother chose. You were basically the master of manipulating others. You would do anything to achieve success. No one would get in the way of that. What did you have to lose anyways? People already had low expectations of you because of your Jacob. Not to mention, your parents had been pretty much cold towards you ever since you were born. It was your grandfather who helped you out with becoming an Animagus, giving you a way to escape. You learned most of your tricks from him.

Now, your grandfather was gone and you had no family who you felt connected to. Summers usually involved running away from home. You would turn into a fox, occasionally stealing away food from unsuspecting Muggles or other ways to survive. Whenever you came home, your parents didn’t even miss you. It didn’t matter how much money the family had. Home was bearable when Jacob was still returning home from Hogwarts every holiday and summer. No one was there for you. No one knew how things were at your home. The things you told others were basically lies. Perhaps they knew something was up, but they never asked anything about it. What did it matter anyways? You were Y/N Y/L/N. It wasn’t like they actually wanted to be friends with you, right?

Perhaps you had friends, but you were scared to tear down that wall between you and them. This was the safest. Luckily you weren’t born with the Legilimency trait, that would only make things worse. You couldn’t imagine anyone thinking something positive about you. The only one you didn’t make friends with during your search was Charlie Weasley. Perhaps Bill was careful as well around you. The two of them didn’t seem to fall for your way of talking.

It kind of irritated you when Charlie didn’t seem to like you. At first it was a little annoying, now it just made you give less of the fake smiles. It made you a lot more honest around him. At least, the irritation was apparent. You weren’t sure whether he liked it when you were more honest or made him act more irritated as well. You were aware Rowan knew you didn’t like Charlie, but you were certain some more people would know about it as well. Bill probably knew about it too from Charlie. It was certain the two of you were not getting along great. Still, he occasionally helped you. Probably Bill’s work.

As time went on, you honestly weren’t sure whether you actually hated Charlie or if something else was going on. The boy managed to make you feel so much more than most people did. You nearly lost your temper because of him. How could someone like him make you do that? She didn’t understand why he could see right through her. It made her feel vulnerable and weak. She was taught that smiles made people happy, even when you weren’t happy yourself. It would help people with loosening up and you could achieve more. Of course, those were the words of your grandfather, who was known for his charisma and charm. He wasn’t an honest man either. You didn’t know what his reasons were, but you felt like you and your grandfather had different motives to be the way you were. He gave you ways to escape and make things a little more pleasant. The only person that seemed to be proud of you and smiled at you during your childhood. Your parents would only smile and laugh if they could laugh at someone else’s misery, even yours.

“Miss Y/L/N, while your grades are very good, I know you aren’t putting too much effort into things.” Professor Snape, giving you a stern look. “I believe we have talked about this last year as well.”

“I am trying my best, Professor. Besides, you just said my grades are very good, so there isn’t really a problem, right?” You said, tilting your head a bit with a small smile.

Professor Snape rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if he was about to get a headache from talking to you. “We all know you can do better than this. You are lucky you are cunning enough to fool most people, but not me.”

You sighed softly. Great, another one who saw through her. “Then what do you want me to do, Professor? I believe I have proven myself I am not as ‘incapable’ as my brother was during your classes.” You said honestly with another fake smile on your face. “I have worked really hard during your classes. I may not be on Penny’s level when it comes to brewing potions, but I am not bad either.”

“Yes… You have proven that. Still, try to put a bit more effort into other subjects as well. It wouldn’t hurt your grades for your O.W.L.s, miss Y/L/N.”

“Does that mean I am free to go again?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Thank you, Professor. Have a pleasant day.” You said with a sweet fake smile before leaving.

Ugh, of course Professor Snape didn’t fall for your tricks. You wouldn’t be surprised either if Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore didn’t fall for your tricks either. Most others seem to fall for your tricks and charms. It worked for Professor Flitwick, Sprout, Quirrell, Trelawney, Kettleburn and Sinistra for sure.

You needed to unwind. You felt like that would be the only way to feel better like yourself. It was hard to keep smiling when you were irritated by something. Perhaps you could get in the forest. Maybe you could just have some fun walking around as a fox. It made things less complicated, that’s for sure.

Instead of going to do something productive like Professor Snape probably wanted, you went to the Forest. Of course, you made certain you weren’t seen by Hagrid. It wouldn’t be the first time you went into the forest without permission and you felt like Hagrid would be too honest to not tell anyone about it. It would be best to not be seen by anyone at all. Being around your friends would even be hard now. You needed some alone time. You were mostly surrounded by other people and it sometimes made you feel exhausted. Even more secluded places were sometimes occupied and the Forest wasn’t really a spot most people wanted to go to.

Except for one person…

“Look what we have here, another trespasser.” You said, seeing the redhead you did not want to see. “How come you always end up in places where I wanted to go, Charles?”

Charlie rolled his eyes at you. “First, I don’t know why you and I often end up in the same place and second, don’t call me, Charles.”

“You want me to call you Charlie like everyone else? You and I both know I don’t see you like everyone else. Besides, Charles sounds very proper.” You said with a small smirk. “I suppose I should go further in the Forest. That way there would be enough distance between us.” You said, dropping the smirk.

“It seems like you show your true colours around me, Y/N. At least you stopped lying right in my face.” Charlie said, looking a bit annoyed.

“I am glad we understand each other so well. Why would I even smile around you anyways? The only thing that could make you excited is a dragon.” You said with a huff. “Besides, it is not like I am hurting anyone you care about.”

Charlie narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t make you a better person.”

“Who said I was a better person? I am certainly not here to compete against you or anything.” You said before walking off in a certain direction.

“You really shouldn’t go that way.”You turned around to face Charlie. “Why not?”

“There are many Acromantulas in that area.” He said honestly.“I didn’t know you cared about my safety.” You said slightly amused. “Don’t worry, Weasley. I can handle it. It’s not like I have never been here.” You gave him a wink before walking into that direction anyways.

“Hey! You really shouldn’t go in there, not during this time!” Charlie said, following you.

You gritted your teeth a little. Why would he even bother? It didn’t make any sense to you. You continued walking, ignoring him. Eventually he just stepped in front of you, blocking your way.

“Merlin, can you be even more annoying than you are now? I can handle this just fine!” You said, feeling a little surprised you were about to lose your temper.

“I am just trying to prevent you from getting in unnecessary danger!” Charlie seemed to lose his cool as well. “Do you want your friends to worry about you? Because you clearly don’t care about heading into danger.”

“Oh, just leave me alone, will you! Don’t you dare to lecture me about this. You probably have headed into the Forbidden Forest more times than you have entered the fucking library!” You yelled. Wow, that sounded strange. You hadn’t yelled in years. The mask you made has fallen apart. He was the first one to witness raw emotions.

“Just go in another direction than that one and I will just let you go.” Charlie seemed to be determined to keep you away from that direction.

“What is that?” You said, pointing at something to distract Charlie. Once Charlie looked away, you began to shift into a fox and began running past Charlie.

“Y/N!” You heard him say in the distance, but you didn’t care. You needed to go away.

After a little while, you shifted back into your regular form. You walked over to one of the trees and leaned your back against it. Eventually you slid down the tree, beginning to hug your knees. Not only had you lost your temper around him, you also showed him you were an Animagus. Could this day turn out to be even worse than it already was?

You noticed tears were rolling down your cheeks. You put your hands to your cheeks, seeing you were actually crying. You rubbed them away and tried to make it stop, but you just couldn’t. All those emotions you had tried to repress for so long, they all had come out at once. Always trying to be cool and charming, it was all fake. You weren’t perfect, you didn’t feel confident… It was all a big lie. Just to feel like you were more than Jacob’s sibling, more than just nothing in the eyes of your parents.

“Jacob mastered his Legilimency.” Your mother said one day during dinner.

“Yes, Jacob seems to be very talented. His professors seem to say good things about him. He always was talented.” Your father replied.

“You are getting a bit behind, dear. Jacob managed to do more than you can do when he was your age.” Your mother said to you.

“Grandfather said I am doing pretty good.” You replied softly.

“Your grandfather is just sparing your feelings; you are probably doing just average.” Your mother laughed softly.

“Or he is just losing his touch…” Your father grumbled.

You hated them so much. Oh, Jacob was so talented and they made it clear you were not. You were just there. It still pisses you off. When Jacob disappeared, they made it clear the name Jacob was forbidden. It always surprised you how easily they gave up on Jacob. Even with him gone, they didn’t care about you.

You shook your head a bit, trying to get a grip on yourself. How could you lose your cool like this? This never happened at school before. Perhaps you just couldn’t handle two people looking right through you. Although, you could deal with Snape. Charlie was a different case for sure. You weren’t sure how he managed to make you feel all kinds of things. You weren’t even sure why you began dropping your mask around him. The person you just couldn’t get along with after trying your best to make them like you just didn’t buy your act.

Sure, you didn’t get along with everyone, like Merula. But you didn’t even bother with her after she began spreading more lies about your brother and your sanity. You knew you probably had said many hurtful things back to her. Of course, it seemed to lack malice, you knew they weren’t nice. You could say them with a smile, as if you were joking. That didn’t make it better.

Perhaps everyone knew you weren’t always one of the nicest people. You could charm people with nice words, but you were also using your words well enough to passively insult others. Only your friends were spared from any bad words. While you kept some distance from them and you felt like they may leave you at any time. You lied to them occasionally, especially when you were talking about family. You tried to distract them with other things and just charm your way through things. Your life was just a big lie created by yourself, to stop feeling hurt.

“Who cares what they are thinking of me? It doesn’t matter… I just need to prove myself and show them I am better than Jacob. I… I want grandpa to be proud of me…” You said softly to yourself, trying to make you stop crying.

You froze when you noticed a shadow was coming closer to you. No, not one shadow, multiple ones. Perhaps you should have listened to Charlie. You slowly got back on your feet, noticing about four Acromantulas making their way over to you. This wasn’t looking too good for you. You would have to run quickly! Once again you began to shift into a fox.

You felt like you would be harder to hit if you were smaller and most likely quicker. You tried to find your way back. However, the Acromantulas didn’t give up so easily on their prey. You could feel the adrenaline. It helped you with running away as fast and as long as you could, but they weren’t slow creatures either.

You nearly avoided them attacking you, but you tripped. You began rolling down a hill, eventually hitting a tree with your back. You felt you were shifting back into your regular self and slowly tried to get back up. You hissed, feeling pretty hurt. You felt like you weren’t safe yet. You tried to move as quickly as possible, but you were much slower.

Suddenly you felt like you were pulled aside by something….

You wanted to scream, but you felt a hand cover your mouth when you did. Your heart was racing and kind of wanted to just kick your way out of there.

That was until she heard a familiar voice whisper something. “Stay low for a moment… They may not be able to see us here.”

You tried to turn around a little, seeing Charlie once more. Did he go looking for you? Why would he even do such a thing for you? You did what he told you to do, not making any sound. You still felt your heart racing, still feeling scared. You could probably handle one Acromantula, maybe two. Four was definitely too many to face at once. You would probably end up dead.

Charlie had removed his hand from your mouth and was definitely staying alert for the time being. He was listening for any sounds, holding his wand in one hand in case they sneaked up on you.

After a while, Charlie slightly began to move, checking the area once more before moving away from the spot you had been hiding. “Come on… Let’s get away from this area. It is invested with Acromantulas this time of the year.”

You were hesitant to move after what happened. You may have witnessed the horrors of the Cursed Vaults, but this was a horrifying moment too.

Charlie suddenly just grabbed your arm pulling you along with him after seeing you weren’t about to move.

You were about to say something about it, but nothing seemed to come out of your mouth at this moment. Honestly, you felt pretty pathetic.

Once you were back in the clearing you had first seen each other, Charlie let go of your arm and just looked at you. “Do you understand why I said you shouldn’t go to that side of the forest now?”

“....” You looked away a little.

“If you had listened to me, you would have known it was their mating season. Acromantulas tend to get pretty aggressive if other people or creatures are around.” Charlie muttered, shaking his head. “Honestly, are you trying to get yourself killed out there? Four Acromantulas could have easily killed you!”

You felt yourself getting smaller when he talked about it some more. He was basically scolding you for what happened.

“It’s a good thing you turned yourself into a fox, because it probably made it harder for them to target y-....” He stopped talking and looked slightly confused. “Are you… are you crying?”

You blinked, once again feeling your cheeks were covered in tears. You quickly turned away from him in embarrassment.

“Did you get hurt?” He asked, slowly stepping towards you.

“I… I am fine… I just need a minute.” You said softly, trying to get once more a grip on yourself, trying to take deep breaths. “You… you can laugh if you want… I probably look pathetic now.”

“Laugh? Why would I laugh at you for this? What kind of person do you think I am?” Charlie sounded a little shocked.

“Someone who hates my guts?” You mumbled softly, rubbing your eyes some more. “Merula would probably have laughed or anyone else…”

“Y/N… I…” He shook his head a bit, not sure what to say right now. “I do not hate you. I just don’t like the fact you are constantly lying or being dishonest around other people. You put this major wall around yourself, like no one even knows who you are. Not to mention, the many fake smiles you put up. It’s a bit scary.”

“I just don’t know who you are and whether you can be trusted because of that. You know how people work and how they could help you, but do you even care about others? It is really hard to tell…” Charlie admitted.

“... That makes sense.” You said softly. “I… I don’t know who I am either sometimes.”

“Does someone force you to just hide everything from everyone?” He asked.

“No… maybe… It’s complicated.” You mumbled softly, before slowly looking back at Charlie again. “I can’t talk about this… Not now. I don’t know if I ever can. So please… Stop asking.” You were basically pleading.

“...Fine. Let’s get you out of here though. I don’t think you should probably stay here much longer.” He said softly.

___________________________ Charlie noticed some changes in you after that day in the Forbidden Forest. You seemed to put down that mask around your friends more often. It was like he was getting glimpses of the real Y/N. Although, he could also see you struggling occasionally.

Every time the two of you ended up at the same place, it just felt different. You seemed to get less and less irritated by him and he felt less irritated by your behaviour. You were probably still the most honest around him. While you would still make remarks, it felt more like banter than anything else.

“Dragons again? I would have thought you would be thinking about the last Quidditch match before Christmas. It wouldn’t be fun if you would just let my house win the Quidditch cup.” You told him at the Great Hall. “Or at least think about how you will survive Christmas this year.

Charlie rolled his eyes at you. “Don’t worry about the Quidditch cup, I won’t make it easy for the Slytherin team at all. Also, I doubt you will try to kill me during Christmas. I still don’t know why Bill thought it was a good idea to invite you over from Christmas this year.”

“Ah, luckily, I don’t give a damn about the Quidditch cup. I would rather root for Andre. Maybe even for you if I feel like it.” You said with a shrug. “Oh, I believe Bill overheard me when I said I haven’t celebrated Christmas in ages. I kind of celebrate it here at Hogwarts, but it is not really the same.”

“I feel honoured you would maybe root for me as a Slytherin.” Charlie said amused, shaking his head a bit. “Ah, so he felt bad for you? Well, maybe if you are nice, you will get a nice little gift from me too.”

“Well, I’d rather root for friends than just some people I don’t know.” You said honestly. “I can’t promise you that. It is hard to not tease you from time to time. You can always give me some coal like Muggles do with bad children.”

“I suppose I should consider giving you that for Christmas.” He chuckled, before he suddenly looked a little off guard. “Wait... You see me as a friend?”

You gulped softly. “Well… I thought… If you don’t want to be…”

“No…!” Charlie looked mostly confused at the moment.

“Oh… I see.” You said softly, feeling a bit disappointed.

“No, no! I don’t mean I don’t want to be friends with you. It just surprised me.” He quickly said. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think I did not want to befriend you.”

“It’s okay, I mean, I haven’t been the nicest to you. I would have understood if you didn’t want to be friends. I just thought… We seemed to be getting along better, so I thought this could be the time to start a real friendship. Thanks to you, I feel much closer to our other friends. I want us to move on from that moment I just… Was plain mean to you.” You rubbed your arm a little.

“Well… I forgive you for your past behaviour. The time we have spent together is definitely more pleasant. Although, your way of teasing…”

“Oh shit… I am sorry, did I say something too mean?”

“Nah, I was just messing with you.” He winked.You let out a fake gasp.

“How dare you!”

“Let’s say it is payback time.” He said amused.

“Well… That’s only fair.” You said with a nod, giving him a smile.

Charlie was certain that was the nicest smile you had ever given or at least… The nicest smile you had given him. ___________________________ Christmas at the Burrow was definitely great. Charlie could tell you were pretty nervous at first, putting on that mask first, but she slowly let her guard down. His mum made sure you felt welcomed. You seemed to get along with everyone quite nicely. You didn’t try to be this perfect and cool person you pretended to be at first. You didn’t need to charm your way through things all the time. You felt much more relaxed and at ease.

You went to bed early Christmas evening. You said you didn’t want to wake up Ginny, so went to bed around the same time as she did. Honestly, you just thought it was the right thing to do. Also, you felt pretty tired from all the socializing and new people. It took quite some energy to let your guard down. It worked, but you knew it was still hard to do.

“Such a nice girl. It was definitely the right decision to invite her over.” Molly said. “You said she didn’t really celebrate Christmas with her family for a while, right Bill?”

“Yeah, she said they stopped celebrating it after Jacob’s disappearance.” Bill said with a nod.

“Really? After Jacob’s disappearance?” Charlie asked, tilting his head a bit.

“That’s what she said. Apparently, the family didn’t feel like celebrating anything at that point anymore.” Bill said with a shrug.

“I have always wondered how things were at the Y/L/N family. From what I have heard, they were pretty prestigious. They were often praising their son. I barely heard anything about Y/N before she went to attend Hogwarts with you.” Molly said honestly.

Charlie frowned a little. “So Jacob was always praised and Y/N wasn’t?”

“I wouldn’t know that. I just thought it was strange they barely mentioned her name.” Molly said, not wanting to make any conclusions.

Bill shook his head a bit. “Well, I am just glad she will have a nice holiday this year. Probably better than to be alone. I believe no one was staying at Hogwarts this year. At least none of our friends were.”

“Merula would probably have stayed, but she and Y/N are definitely not meant to stay Christmas alone at Hogwarts.” Charlie shook his head a bit with a grin.

“Well, you and Y/N weren’t really getting along either until early this year.” Bill said honestly with a grin. “She definitely changed a bit too after you two began getting along. In a positive way.”

“Really? You two didn’t get along at first?” Molly asked, looking surprised.

“We constantly got on each other’s nerves at first. We had talked a bit and that seemed to help.” Charlie said, leaving the part of the Forbidden Forest out of it. He wasn’t going to talk to his mum about it.

“Well, I am glad you two talked to each other. You seem to get along pretty well from what I have seen.” Molly said with a smile. “You wouldn’t happen to fan-”

“Mum!” Charlie looked embarrassed. At least you weren’t there to hear it.

“What? It could happen, even to you.” She said honestly.

“That doesn’t mean I just…” Charlie shook his head a bit. “Let’s not talk about this now. What if she came back downstairs and heard this?”

“Well… Alright. What about you Bill, have you met anyone yet?” ___________________________ “What are you doing outside? Aren’t you feeling cold?”

You turned around, seeing Charlie standing there. "I just wanted some fresh air."

"Without your coat?" He held up your coat, shaking his head with a small grin. "Honestly, are you trying to freeze to death?"

You snatched your coat from him and put it on with a small grin. “Give me a break. I didn’t even notice the cold before you said something.” You put on your coat and just looked at him.

“Be glad I said something or you would have turned into an ice sculpture .”

“Sounds fun. You could probably enter some ice sculpture contest if I did turn into one.”

Charlie shook his head once more. “Well, since you are outside, perhaps you would like to just walk around for a bit.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” You said honestly. “Gives me some more room to tease you.”

“Oh? You don’t feel like you can do that indoors?” He said with a grin.

“Well, not as much as I like to. Besides, some people may misinterpret our bantering for something else.” You shrugged.

“Still making sure you don’t look bad in front of others, do you?”

“Of course, it’s not like I can completely change that. I mean, I haven’t really been really ‘dishonest’, have I?”

“No, you have been pretty genuine these days.” Charlie said honestly.

“Good, I mean, that’s what you wanted, right? Making sure you would actually know the real me?” You said with a grin.

“I hope you haven’t only done this for me….”

You snorted. “You would wish I did.” You shook your head a bit. "You did help me with getting in the right direction."

Charlie kept walking around with you. You both didn’t say much after what you said. It didn’t really feel awkward though. It somehow didn’t really matter. You felt pretty at peace and Charlie didn’t seem to mind it either.“

You must have had a really nice childhood at home.” You suddenly said, breaking the silence.

“Well, it can be hectic sometimes, but I love my family. Even when some of them can get on my nerves from time to time.” He said with a chuckle.

“Must be nice.” You said honestly. “Very different from my childhood.”

Charlie looked at you, seeing this look on your face he just couldn’t describe. It did give him some negative vibes though. It was almost like an empty expression, like you didn’t show anything, but your eyes basically said enough. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I kind of want to, but at the same time I feel like I can’t.” You said, shaking your head a bit before giving him a sad smile. “Maybe another time I will be able to.”

“Alright, I won’t force you to talk about it. It is up to you when and who you want to talk to about this.” He said honestly.

“.... Sounds good.” You nodded a bit before you took a deep sigh. “I know I came up with this topic myself, but can you change the subject? Anything will be great.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“How about… Dragons?”

You snorted a bit. “Fine, talk about those dragons. Thanks to you, I probably know more about dragons than I probably should know at this point.”

“But they are pretty fascinating, aren’t they?”

“Very fascinating, Charlie.” ___________________________ The holidays were over. That meant you had to go back to Hogwarts. You definitely had a great time at the Weasley’s and thanked them multiple times for letting you stay over for the holidays. It was nice to be around a family like them. You were really surprised when you even received a jumper from Mrs. Weasley. You knew that was going to be a part of your lounging outfit during winter.

Back at Hogwarts, things slowly got back to normal. Well, as normal as life could be for you. Things were still a mess, but you were dealing with it. You occasionally put on this mask, especially around people you just didn’t trust. It was just hard to get rid of an old habit. Still, you also didn’t feel like fighting everyone who got in your way. Merula often got on your nerves, although not as much as she used to. Only Charlie had managed to break that mask. If he didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be friends with him now. You probably wouldn’t have gotten any closer to your friends either. It was sometimes scary, but your friends hadn’t disappointed you or betrayed your trust.

Sometimes you were wondering how you and Charlie became such good friends. You just felt closer to him than anyone else. He made you feel things you didn’t think you would be capable of. You kept teasing him and he just began teasing you back. However, you found yourself around Charlie a lot these days. You couldn’t really figure out what it was about Charlie that made you keep going to him. You almost wondered whether you were put under some spell that made you keep thinking about him.

“Sounds like you have fallen for him.”

If you had been drinking water, you would have spit it out. You looked at Rowan with almost a disgusted look. Fallen? For Charlie? That just sounded weird. “You must have understood me wrong, Rowan. Fallen for Charlie… Ha! What a joke!”

Rowan gave you an apologetic smile. “Well, what you describe to me just sounds like it… Not to mention, I am pretty sure I heard Penny and Andre talking about it.”

You huffed. “Honestly, it is almost like they want to make up silly rumours about me. Come on, there are already enough rumours about me, I don’t need more.”

“I am pretty sure that is not what they want…” Rowan said honestly. “Although, you do spend so much more time with Charlie these days… People just start to wonder.”

“Charlie and I are just friends. Things just seem less complicated around him.”

“So, you feel at ease around Charlie?”

“Yes, I feel at ease around him.” You rolled your eyes. “I am not in love with him!”

"Whatever you say, Y/N." Rowan said, shaking their head a bit.

You sighed softly, feeling like you were about to facepalm yourself. Rowan was wrong. You just felt at ease around Charlie, you felt free around him. You could just be yourself around him. While you could be much more open around your friends, it didn’t feel as comfortable as it did around Charlie.

"I am just happy Charlie has had a good influence on you." Rowan suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" You tilted your head a bit.

“Well, you are much more open these days. I am happy you are trusting us." They said with a smile. "You used to be much harder to read and I wasn't always sure what to do. I felt like you were kind of trapped, but I didn't know how I could help you. Whatever Charlie did, it helped you out."

You grinned a bit. “Well… I am glad about that too.” You admitted. “I thought it would be more... scary, you know? Being more open. It still is scary, but not as much as I expected.”

“I think you are doing really well. Our friends seem to be happy about it.” They said with a smile.

“I still think it would be hard to do around strangers or people I do not know well.”

“That’s okay, you just need to warm up to these people, at least the one you feel like you can trust.”

“I suppose so... “

“Just set up smaller goals. That way you feel like you have achieved more things than you thought. It helps you keep track of your progress.”

“That may work.”

___________________________ “Jae probably thinks I am a robot.” You groaned softly when you sat down next to Charlie in the Great Hall again.

“Why do you think so?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That fake smile kept creeping up my face the entire time. I wasn’t sure whether Jae was creeped out or entertained by it.”

“Jae probably thought it was funny. I mean, you are trying your best. You don’t know Jae that well yet, right?”

“I know Jae mostly from detentions… I may have asked for some supplies too for ‘you know what I mean’.” You mumbled, not wanting to mention the Vaults.

“Look at it this way. You are trying much earlier than you tried with us all, that’s something.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better about my behaviour? Because it sounds like I have been a horrible friend to everyone.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it, Y/N.” Charlie said with a small frown.

“Yes, yes, I know…. I am just frustrated.” You sighed. “Maybe I should let Jae follow me into the Forbidden Forest with some Acromantulas…”

“Y/N, I swear….” Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. “If it was up to me, you would never get near the Acromantulas again. At least, not alone.”

“Are you afraid I would freeze up again? I can handle one Acromantula, I have learnt the perfect spell for it.” You said with a grin. “I have to admit, I was really off guard at that moment.”

“As someone who goes to the Forbidden Forest occasionally, I think you should only go there if you need to be there. There is no need to get yourself in danger for no reason.”

“So it’s okay if you are putting yourself in danger, but not if it is me?” You raised an eyebrow.

"Well… I have more experience than you have when it comes to the Forbidden Forest."

You rolled your eyes, thinking the redhead’s ears were turning a little red. "Hypocrite." You mumbled amused.

"I don't like seeing you walk into danger for no reason." Charlie said, rubbing his arm a bit.

“Considering I have been looking for the Cursed Vaults, I think I have been walking into danger quite often.”

“Still, that’s no reason to put yourself in unnecessary danger.” Charlie just shook his head.

“Wow, you begin to sound so much like Bill now.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “What? I do not!”

“Yes, you do. Very concerned about all of us and he tries to be strict with us when we do or are about to do something wrong.” You said with a small smirk on your face. “It could be worse, of course. You don’t keep telling me about the rules like Percy would do.”

“I don’t see what you are talking about.” Charlie began to look annoyed. “Bill and I are not the same.”

“I am just saying, you are acting like him when we are talking about-”

“Bloody hell, Y/N…! I am just trying to look after you!” Charlie stood up, looking like he was about to get mad. “You know what? Do whatever you want. Clearly you don’t care what happens to you.” He grumbled before walking away.

You blinked in surprise by his reaction. You thought you were just joking around? Did you really offend him? You wanted to say you were sorry, but instead you stood up as well. “Maybe I will...!”

He didn’t even turn around when you said that. You sat back down again, fuming you had made Charlie go away like this. Of course, it wasn’t the first time you two argued, but still…

You felt angry with yourself. The longer you kept thinking about it, the angrier you became. So, you just grabbed your stuff and stormed out of the Great Hall to go back to the Slytherin Common room.

___________________________ “Wow, what is your problem, Y/L/N? Did you finally snap and go mad like your brother?” Merula said with a smirk when you had entered the dormitory. Of course she had to be here when she wanted to dump some stuff on your bed.

“Yes, should I infect you with my madness now?” You gave her a sarcastic look before roughly pulling out some books out of your bag. Rowan would probably have scolded you if she saw how you were throwing your books on the bed like that.

“Damn… Whoever made you act like this should probably be armed.” Merula muttered, definitely trying to anger you more.

“Maybe you should shut your damn mouth or it is you who should be armed.” You snapped at her, not wanting to deal with her.Merula rolled her eyes and ignored you after that.

You grabbed a notebook and put it in the bag. After that you quickly left the dormitory. You passed Liz and Barnaby, but you needed to calm down and couldn’t talk to them.

You weren’t sure how many people you had seen, but you didn’t care. You needed to be away from people. Once again, Charlie had made you feel so many things at once. Honestly, everyone could say shit about you and you wouldn’t care. If Charlie said something, you reacted so strongly.

You kept walking until you reached the edge of the forest. You weren’t thinking clearly anymore and transformed into a fox, pulling the bag along with you. At least no one would bother you in the Forbidden Forest. The trees seemed to be passing by and you had not paid any attention to where you were going. The only thing on your mind was to keep moving. You didn’t care about anything else but going anyway.

This was what you were good at. Running away, like always. The way how you would simply spend the summers away from home. It was just like that. You were nothing special to your family. You would always remain in Jacob’s shadow to your parents. They would only be disappointed. They didn’t give you any attention nor did they care whether they saw you or not during the summers.

“It doesn’t matter, child. They wouldn’t care if you performed advanced magic or anything. My son only wanted Jacob to have an heir.” Your grandfather told you. “Until they have found the perfect match for you to connect our family to a better one, you will basically be invisible.”

“Is it because I am a girl?”

“I believe so… You won’t be able to carry our name when you marry. Therefore, they want to make connections with other rich and influential families. You are basically a tool to get them more connections.”

“So, I have no say in what happens to me?”

“I am afraid not. Unless you leave you won’t have a choice. Still, you wouldn’t leave this old man without someone to teach, would you?”

“... Where could I go anyways?”

“I have been in your situation. I was the youngest of the family. They told me I was an accident, so most care went into my older brothers. Still, that didn’t stop me from trying to become the best and eventually… I did become the best of all my brothers. I may not have acted like it, but I was quite bitter to my parents for how they raised me.”

“So, it would be possible to be better than Jacob?”

“In theory, yes. While Jacob has definitely talent, being able to become a Legilimens at an early age, I think you would be capable of great things as well.”

“Like what?”

“Tell me, Y/N. How familiar are you with the term Animagus?”

Oh, you remembered studying for hours with your grandfather, trying to know everything about Animagi. You never talked about it with your parents though. You also studied other things with your grandfather you were allowed to talk about, but your parents didn’t think it was good enough. Jacob seemed to like it though, but was often silenced by your father who rather heard Jacob talking about his studies.

You loved Jacob, but you hated living in his shadow. He was your older brother and he was supposed to be there for you. Then he was gone… Only your grandfather was there for you, only to die soon after. You were on your own, trying to remember everything your grandfather had taught you.

“It is better to keep things to yourself sometimes. Don’t share negative thoughts and be positive. Keep smiling and use the nicest words you can think of. That’s the key to gaining people’s trust.” Your grandfather told you when he was teaching you his way. “I didn’t become successful by speaking up my mind every time. Just think of it as twisting the words the right way. It will make you sound much more intelligent.”

“So I can’t be honest?”

“People don’t like listening to the negative aspects of life. In order to gain power, you need to be liked by everyone.”

“But my parents-”

“They are not the ones worth your time. Figure out what people you need in order to reach your goals. Do your parents help you with that?”

“No…”

“Exactly.”

At the time, your grandfather’s lessons seemed to be helpful. You managed to set your plan in motion when you were old enough to go to Hogwarts. Now, you didn't know if this plan was actually helpful or just made you unable to form actual relations with your peers. You couldn’t be open with them in the beginning. Charlie was the first one not to buy the things you said to please him. He was the one who broke the mask and slowly got your true self out of you.

You shifted back to your human form and stared at the ground. You kept walking slowly, not looking up.

Charlie….

The one who helped you out so much the past year. The one who reassured you when you were having doubts and the one who would hold up a mirror to your behaviour… He kept helping you, while you just did things that potentially hurt his feelings. You felt like an asshole. You probably were an asshole. You walked over to a tree and leaned your back against it. You slowly slid down and hugged your knees once you were on the ground.

You wanted to blame your upbringing for this all, but would that be fair? You felt like you could have done something yourself to change more…

___________________________

Charlie sighed when he was making his way to the Great Hall. He hadn't seen you after you two were basically yelling at each other. He knew he probably reacted a bit too harsh himself. Still, he hated being compared to Bill. Just like you hated being compared to Jacob. Perhaps he was just triggered when you said he acted like Bill. He just wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything dangerous.

You had made a good point about him going into the Forbidden Forest often. Still, he couldn’t help it but to be worried about you. He was quite fond of you and didn't want you to get hurt. He definitely had to talk to you. It wasn’t the first time you two argued, although it felt like a long time ago… Perhaps most arguments didn’t end up in basically yelling at each other either. He would have to admit, it felt different this time.

Charlie stopped walking when he heard two familiar voices. He could swear he heard them say your name.

"What do you mean Y/N didn't come back to the dormitory last night?" Penny asked Rowan, who looked concerned.

"She never entered the Slytherin dormitory. I don’t even know if she entered the common room. She wasn't there for dinner either." Rowan looked nervous.

"Have you talked to Barnaby and Liz? Maybe they have seen her…?"

"Liz did say Y/N was looking quite pissed yesterday… Merula also made some comments about it. No one has seen Y/N since yesterday."

"Hold up, Y/N hasn't been seen since yesterday?" Charlie made his way over to Rowan and Penny. He definitely heard enough.

"Charlie, have you seen her?" Rowan asked, looking a bit more hopeful, thinking he knew more.

"No, not today at least." He answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "We may have had a little argument yesterday…"

Penny frowned. "A little argument…?"

"Okay, I think we're both pretty pissed afterwards…" He admitted.

"So, that would explain what Liz had seen and Merula's reaction… Still, that isn’t going to help us find Y/N. Where would she be?" Rowan continued to look worried. "She wouldn't have run away, would she?"

Charlie thought about the argument. He became a little pale when he thought about a place where you could be. "She wouldn't… would she?"

"What? Charlie, what wouldn’t she do?" Rowan asked.

Without a word Charlie began running away from Rowan and Penny.

"Charlie!" Penny yelled after him, watching him disappear through the crowd. "Great… He may know where she is, but what if he needs help?"

"Let’s go to Bill…" Rowan suggested.The two went off to find Bill.

___________________________

Charlie had been running in the Forbidden Forest immediately once he made his way outdoors. He just knew you would probably go there. It was the place you two were discussing before he stormed off.

“You know what? Do whatever you want. Clearly you don’t care what happens to you.”

“Maybe I will..!”

Perhaps saying that to you was just one of the stupidest things he could have done. You were stubborn, especially when he was around. You weren’t afraid to go against him. You probably took his words to heart.

Charlie stopped running for a moment, trying to figure out where you could have gone to. He had to figure it out before whatever out there was going to hurt you or worse, kill you. There were many possibilities to die in the Forbidden Forest. Not all Magical Creatures would immediately kill someone, but if you did something unexpected… Well, he didn’t want to think about it. The last time you ran away from him, you ended up facing four Acromantulas.

“That could have ended up worse than it already did, Y/N.”

Charlie blinked when he heard your name once more. It sounded pretty familiar.

“... Lucky me.”

“Honestly, what were you doing sleeping out here? You are quite aware of the dangers in the forest.”

“Avoiding the dangers of being completely shattered mentally in the castle.”

Charlie made his way closer to the voices. He didn’t get too close, seeing you and Torvus. He grimaced when he looked at you. You didn’t look too good. You seemed to have some wounds and looked considerably pale. Your arms and hands seemed to be covered in scratches and you seemed to have a wound on your head.

“Maybe people are right about me. I am mad ‘like Jacob’. I can’t even behave like a normal being. Wherever I go, I cause problems.” You sounded annoyed with yourself. “I have tried so hard to get liked by saying the right things, I barely know who I am. It was like it became my personality. The things my grandfather taught me were wrong, so wrong. I am getting more and more aware how fucked up I have become because of following his ways. It’s honestly pathetic. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had not helped me out back there.”

“The stars definitely tell me it is not your time yet. Besides, you have helped me a couple of times. It was no trouble helping you out.” Torvus said. “The ways you were taught were twisted, but it seemed to have helped you a little. It’s up to you whether you want to continue his ways or find your own ways.”

“Well… The latter sounds preferable…”

“Then you will have to figure out a way to do so.” Torvus said honestly. “Now, you should probably head back to the castle and get help to help you with your injuries. Your blood will definitely attract the attention of some more creatures.”

“Both options sound terrible. Getting the attention of other creatures and going back to the castle where people will most definitely scold me for being a complete idiot.”

“Scolding you will be something to worry about later.” Charlie said when he finally made his way over to you and Torvus.

“Charlie?” You looked surprised to see him.

“Hello Charlie.” Torvus greeted. “You definitely have the perfect timing to get her back to the castle.”

“I am glad I have the perfect timing for that.” Charlie said to Torvus before turning to you. “Y/N, you need to come with me.”

“Why?”

He looked baffled when you asked him that. “Why? Because you are hurt and you need someone to look at these injuries.”

“...Why are you trying to help me?” You seemed to be avoiding his eyes when you spoke, like you didn’t dare to look up. You also didn’t seem to move an inch.

Charlie swallowed, before he just gently took your hand. “Because I want to.”

“... Okay.”

Charlie gave Torvus a nod before leading you away. He would get you out of here as soon as possible. You needed some help. The walk… It just felt like forever, especially because there was a silence between the two of you. Charlie wasn’t sure what he could say to you. To be honest, he felt like yelling in concern for you when he saw you, but that wouldn’t solve anything. He felt bad to see you like this even if it was you who made the decision to go here. He couldn’t really blame you either. You weren’t thinking clearly. Still, he felt responsible for you ending up here.

“... I am sorry.”

He looked at you when he heard you speak.

“I shouldn’t have teased you like that…” You mumbled softly. “Scratch that, I shouldn’t have said those things to you. You were just concerned about me and I made some stupid comments about you being a hypocrite and being like Bill.”

“... Well, I guess it was a bit hypocritical of me. I know going into the Forbidden Forest is dangerous and I could end up hurt as well.”

“That doesn’t matter, I was just stupid.” You mumbled. “I have been a hypocrite too. I don’t want to be compared to Jacob and I compared you to Bill when I know you don’t want that either.”

“I think we both were stupid then. We both reacted too quickly. I am sorry too.”

….

Once again there was a silence between them. Charlie knew they were getting closer to the castle. He glanced at you for a moment. You looked exhausted. You definitely needed to get back to the castle as soon as possible. “We are almost there.”

You nodded a little in response.

“... You don’t hate me, do you?”

Charlie blinked when you asked him that. “Of course not.”

“It would be okay if you did…" You mumbled softly.

"Well, I don’t hate you. You…. You are important to me." Charlie said, feelings his cheeks were slightly getting warmer.

"Important enough to run into the Forbidden Forest to look for me." You said with a slight grin. You were amazed you could even grin, especially with a headache that was getting even worse. Your body was growing heavy and you couldn't wait to just drop down on a bed.

"Yes, you are that important, Y/N." Charlie rolled his eyes in amusement. He turned to look at you. Your eyes didn't seem to focus on anything and he could tell you were struggling to keep up the pace. He frowned for a moment and stopped walking.

You blinked, wondering why they stopped. Before you could ask, he seemed to stand in front of you with his back towards you. He bent his knees a little.

"Come on, get on my back."

"Wha…?"

"You look like you are about to collapse. Let me carry you."

You could feel yourself getting flustered, but you were too tired to argue. You placed your arms over his shoulders and he reached his arms underneath your legs. He slowly raised you up by straightening his legs and made sure he was steady enough to start walking. Once that was done, Charlie walked back to the castle, giving you a piggyback ride.

___________________________

"Y/N!"

You noticed Rowan running towards you and Charlie. Penny and Bill had followed Rowan.

Charlie made sure you could carefully get off his back. You got off him and Rowan was immediately fussing over you.

"Look at you…! You need to go to the Hospital Wing...!" They said, trying to support you on your way to the Hospital wing.

Penny also seemed to get closer to you, standing on your other side. You glanced at Charlie, but he only gave you a nod, basically telling you to go with them.

You sighed softly and nodded. “Alright, alright… Let’s get this over with.” You said, not looking forward to seeing Madam Pomfrey. You had a feeling she would not be too happy to see you injured again.

Once you, Penny and Rowan were out of sight, Bill looked at Charlie. “What happened?”

“Torvus saved her from something in the Forest. I have no idea what happened there though.” Charlie said.

“I meant like what happened between you two.” Bill said, crossing his arms. “I have heard from Rowan and Penny you two had a fight.”

“It was more like an argument…”

“An argument that made her go to the Forbidden Forest for an entire night without telling anyone...?”

Charlie looked frustrated. “Look, Y/N and I both said things that were… well, not the best things to say to each other. I have never meant for her to run away to the Forbidden Forest…!”

“What things did you say to each other?”

“I don’t need to tell you everything, Bill.” Charlie said, looking away a bit. “The most important thing is that Y/N have talked about it and things are alright.”

“I am just looking after you, Charlie.” Bill said honestly. “I was worried when Penny and Rowan said you seemed to know where Y/N was, but didn’t tell anyone where you were going. If Y/N was in trouble and you couldn’t help her alone, who was going to help you both?”

“Okay, okay...! That may not have been smart, but I know my way around the place a lot better than most of you.” Charlie said honestly. “I wasn’t thinking much either. I just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

“She drives me insane sometimes, you know?” Charlie looked at Bill. “It’s like she has more influence on my emotions than most people I know and I keep thinking about her.”

“I think you have feelings for her.”

“You think… What?”

Bill chuckled softly. “She manages to make you feel all kinds of things, she is on your mind a lot and you run after her without a thought.” He pointed out a few things. “You like her more than just a friend.”Charlie’s face seemed to become a bit red.

“That’s… Well…” He seemed to stumble on his words, not sure what to say next.

“It’s up to you what you do with that knowledge, Charlie. I am not going to tell you to talk to her. You would have to do so on your own and when you feel like it’s the right time.”

“... Maybe.”

“I wonder what Mum would say if she knew this.” Bill said with a grin.

“Bill!”

___________________________

After Madam Pomfrey allowed you to go the next day, you made your way to the Great Hall. You were glad you were allowed to leave. Although, you had to spend another 15 minutes listening to Madam Pomfrey scolding you again before she actually let you go. You had a feeling she may write to your parents if something like that happened again, but you had a feeling they wouldn’t care too much about it. You were already a disappointment to them.

You just wanted to find Charlie. You hadn’t had the chance to speak to him after Rowan and Penny ushered you to the Hospital Wing yesterday. You had hoped you could speak to him that day, but you had fallen asleep rather quickly once Madam Pomfrey gave you some Potions. You assumed one of the Potions was a Potion for Dreamless Sleep. Perhaps that was for the best, knowing you would probably have dreamt horrible things about what happened in the Forbidden Forest. It was probably a wonder you had slept for a few hours in the Forest at all.

Once you entered the Great Hall, you noticed some people looking at you. You could feel a fake smile about to creep on your face, but you tried to prevent it. Was it worth giving everyone a fake smile just to make people look at you in a certain way?

You began looking around the Gryffindor table, trying to spot Charlie. You noticed Bill, Percy and Ben, but no Charlie. You sighed softly, hoping to spot him there.

“Y/N, over here!”

You turned around and noticed Penny waving at you from the Hufflepuff table. You gave her a small smile and made your way over to her. You couldn’t help it but to be a little disappointed you hadn’t seen Charlie just yet.

“Good morning, Penny.”

“Good morning. You look a lot better than you did yesterday.” Penny said with a smile.

“Good to know, I also feel a lot better than I did yesterday.” You said with a small laugh.

“That’s great. I am glad you are feeling better. Rowan, Bill and I were very worried about you when we were talking about how Charlie ran away to find you. Of course, our other friends were worried too.” She said honestly. “Still, I couldn’t help but notice you were looking at the Gryffindor table just now. Were you looking for Charlie?”

Penny definitely knew what was on your mind. You nodded a little in response. “I was, but I didn’t see him.”

“I think you just missed him. He seemed to be quite in a hurry this morning.” She said honestly. “I assumed he was making his way over to the Hospital wing to see you.”

You felt like face palming yourself, but only let out a soft sigh. Of course, you have missed him on your way here. “I guess I will have to find him somewhere in the halls then. Thanks Penny.” You said when you quickly walked away.

“Shouldn’t you at least eat something?” She asked, calling after you.

“Breakfast can wait!”

You quickly made your way back towards the Hospital Wing. Or at least, you weren’t planning to show your face to Madam Pomfrey. You didn’t want to risk her thinking you had already managed to get yourself in trouble again even though you haven't done anything just yet.

Things were quite busy in the halls and you had to get past the many students who were there. You hoped you would actually find Charlie. Once you were near the Hospital Wing, you spotted him walking out with a sigh. You tried to quickly make your way over to him, trying to wave at him. “Charlie, wait!”

You noticed Charlie turning towards you and had managed to make your way over to him. “Thank Merlin, I was worried I might have been too slow to find you here.” You said with a soft sigh.

“Y/N, I was looking for you.” Charlie said honestly.

“And I was looking for you. Here I thought you would be in the Great Hall like most people we know, but of course I missed you on the way there.”

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “I was, I think Bill would scold me if I skipped breakfast, so I quickly ate something before checking on you.”

“Penny said you seemed to be in a hurry.” You said honestly. “I quickly turned around to see if I could find you. Otherwise I would have probably made my way back to the Great Hall. Then I would have to eat breakfast without hearing you talk about dragons. That is not acceptable at all.” You seemed to be rambling a bit. You weren’t sure why; it was like you had to keep talking to him.

Charlie shook his head a bit. “Well then, I suppose I should escort you back to the Great Hall.” He said with a grin. “As your friend I would have to make sure you reach the Great Hall and eat a proper breakfast after spending the night in the Hospital Wing. We don’t want to anger Madam Pomfrey after all.”

“Alright, alright. Lead the way.” You said with a grin. You were starting to feel more at ease again. It was like everything seemed to be alright between you two. There were some things you would still like to talk about, but things seemed to be okay between you two.

You seemed to be thinking a little too much, because she snapped out of it when someone bumped into you. You yelped softly when you felt like you were about to fall, but you were caught in Charlie’s arms.

“Are you okay?” He asked, tilting his head a bit.

Your face became slightly red and you nodded. “Uhm, yes. I am fine.” You said, getting out of his arms. “Thanks for the help.” You said with a smile.

You glanced away for a second before you looked at him again. He seemed to be glancing away as well, but you began noticing his ears were slightly red.

“No wonder you are the Gryffindor Seeker. You have quick reflexes.” You said with a grin. Internally you began cursing yourself. Was that meant as a compliment or some kind of flirting? Why were you saying those kinds of things anyways? You knew you had opened up around Charlie, but it felt strange, like you had no filter around him anymore.

“Uhm, Thanks I guess?” You noticed him looking a little confused at you. He was still smiling though.

You could only feel your face heating up some. “Uhm, don’t mind me. I am probably acting a little weird because of the potions from last night.” You said, quickly coming up with some kind of lie to justify your behaviour.

“Uh-hu.” Charlie hummed, he didn’t seem to buy it. Of course he didn’t buy that. “We can talk about last night later if you want, Y/N. Just relax.”

“Talk about last night?”

“That is what is on your mind, right?”

“Totally!” You could feel one of those happy fake smiles creeping on your face again.

“.... Now I feel like it is something else.”

The fake smile seems to be dropping from your face quickly. “Uhm… Let’s talk about it later. Please. I…”

“Of course, come on. Let’s get you some breakfast and we'll talk about it later, alright?”

You took a deep breath and nodded. This wasn’t something to talk about in the halls. You wanted a bit more privacy

.___________________________

The talk you were supposed to have with Charlie seemed to have moved to another day. Once you have eaten breakfast, you were basically bombarded by questions from your other friends. You could only look at Charlie from a distance. Honestly, you wanted to talk about it.

Now you couldn’t sleep. The rest of your dorm mates seemed to be sleeping. You were just feeling restless. You knew it could possibly get you into trouble, but you quietly sneaked out of bed. You put on your school robes and made it to the common room area. Perhaps you could arrange a meeting with Charlie. You began making your way towards the entrance and when the door was about to open, you transformed yourself into a fox.

You began navigating your way through the castle, trying to avoid most Professors. Once you had made your way to the seventh floor. If only you knew the password to the Gryffindor common room… Obviously, you hadn’t thought this through…

Suddenly, you noticed the portrait opening. Perhaps this would be a chance to get through. You were ready to sneak past the person. However, you were surprised to see Charlie standing there with a look on his face like he was saying ‘I don’t know what I am doing.’

You noticed his eyes were suddenly on you. You two were staring at each other and then he quietly made his way over to you. “What are you doing here?” He whispered before he basically picked up. Then he walked back to the portrait and snuck you inside the Gryffindor common room. It was risky and clearly, Charlie was tired too. He basically entered the Gryffindor boy’s bathroom and closed the door behind him. He put you down on the floor and held his ear against the door, listening if someone was nearby.

You transformed yourself back and gave Charlie a nervous smile. “Before you ask… I couldn’t sleep and…”

“You decided to go to the seventh floor and go to the Gryffindor common room?” Charlie finished for you.

“Well… Something like that.”

“And how were you supposed to get in? You don’t have the password.” He whispered, frowning a bit.

“It wasn’t my best idea…” You admitted. “...Although, what were you doing? Why were you about to leave the common room at this time?”

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. “Good question. I couldn’t sleep either. I thought about getting some fresh air.”

“Funny how we both couldn’t sleep.” You mumbled, fidgeting with your fingers a bit.

“Yeah, very funny indeed.” Charlie mumbled, shaking his head a bit.

“Charlie… About what happened…” You began, rubbing the back of your neck.

“You wanted to talk about something else than what happened in the Forbidden Forest.” He said, remembering how that fake smile had crept on your face.“Well, yes. Partly yes. I wanted to speak about what happened in the forest and something else.” You admitted. “Please bear with me. I am not sure how this will go, because I haven’t talked about this a lot. The only one I confided in was my grandfather in the past and that hasn’t been working out either…”

Charlie blinked a little. “You want to talk about your upbringing...?”

“Yes.” You said with a nod. “It will not be a pretty story to tell and will spare you some of the details, but I want you to know about it. It shouldn’t be an excuse for everything I have done, but it would be… well, some explanation to why I did certain things the way I did. Like… lying and manipulating.”

“From a young age I knew my parents would never think as highly of me as they did of Jacob. Jacob was obviously their favourite. Jacob’s accomplishments would always be celebrated, mine would always be compared to his and seen as less.” You began. “At first, I wanted to do things better, trying to prove them wrong. However, it didn’t seem to matter. I was there… Just a tool to make more connections.”

Charlie seemed to be frowning more and more when he listened to you. “So, they wanted to marry you off when you were old enough.”

“Yes, it was basically that.” You nodded. “Apparently I didn’t have the same talents as Jacob.” To be honest, talking about this kind of made you feel bitter towards Jacob, but mostly to your parents. “Still, there is a lot more to this all.”

“A lot more?”

“Yes, a lot more.” You sighed, wondering how you could tell this right. “I only had one person I could rely on. That was my grandfather. He became my teacher and mentor. He was the only one I could talk to without feeling like a complete waste of space.” You seemed to trail off a little, not sure how to continue.

“But there is something more about him as well, isn’t there?” Charlie asked, having a feeling there was something about him.”

“Well, yes.” You admitted. “Still, I don’t want to think he is only at fault here… I think he didn’t know any better either.”

“Not only at fault here? What did he do, Y/N?” Charlie seemed to step a little closer to you.

“He was the one who taught me how to act around others. How I should not always speak up if it wouldn’t help me reach my goals. How I should try to be liked to gain more influence. How I should mostly smile and help those to reach my own goals, to become successful like him.”

“He was the one who taught you all those things? Those things that made you lie or be dishonest around everyone, including the people who cared about you?” Charlie asked.

“Yes, but I don’t think he meant it as a bad thing…”

Charlie was baffled you seemed to defend someone who taught you those kinds of things. “He tried to turn you into a manipulative person, Y/N. That is not a good thing.”

“I know, I know...! But I didn’t have anyone else to be honest with.” You said, sounding a little frustrated. “Look, I am not saying he was a good man, I know he wasn’t. But he taught me ways to escape from feeling worthless and to actually escape from home. Besides, he was a lot like me during his childhood.”

“Y/N…” Charlie could tell this was hard to talk about and that he couldn’t change your view of your grandfather immediately, but he couldn’t help it but to say something about it.

“Look, he was also the one who taught me to become an Animagus and I am grateful for that. These things he taught me made me feel better back then. I know it was wrong, but it was better than feeling like ‘that other child’ or just ‘Jacob’s little sister’.” You said honestly. “I have felt really lost when my grandfather passed away and when Jacob disappeared. Everything at home was just… unbearable. I have run away a lot as an Animagus to escape from home ever since.”

“You ran away a lot… Where did you go?” Charlie asked.

“Somewhere. I spent most of my summers as a fox, stealing food from unsuspecting Muggles to be honest.”

Charlie always had a feeling things were bad at your home, but he definitely wasn’t expecting this. “Damn, Y/N… Even your last few summers...?”

“Well, yes…”

“Why didn’t you…” Charlie stopped himself. Who would you ask to stay the summer with if you couldn’t even give them a reason.

“... Yeah, I could have asked for help, but I just couldn’t. I was just… scared, you know?” You admitted, looking at the floor.

Things seemed to be a little quiet between you both. Honestly, what else could be said about this? You knew your upbringing was pretty bad and how it sounded even worse to anyone else. Charlie also wasn’t sure what to say next. He hesitated for a moment, but stepped even closer to pull you into a tight hug.

“Thanks for telling me about this. I can only imagine how hard that was to talk about.” He said honestly, thinking it was the only thing he could do now.You hugged him back and took a deep breath. It felt good to tell someone about this.

“... Well, thanks for listening to me.”

“It’s the least I can do, Y/N.” He said honestly, looking at you.

You looked up at him and gave him a small smile. You slowly let go of him and stepped a bit back. “I just had to tell you after what happened in the Forbidden Forest. I have been really mean to you and I was reflecting on why I was doing this. I felt awful for what I said and I didn’t want to blame everything on my upbringing. I want to change and I am trying to. I guess, I still have a lot to learn.”

“You can’t change your behaviour in a day, Y/N. I know you are trying to change. Besides, I told you I forgave you.” Charlie said honestly.

“I know, I know, but you are important to me, Charlie. Merlin knows what happens if I lose you.” You said honestly.

“You won’t lose me that easily.” He said with a small grin. “You are important to me as well, Y/N.

”You gave him a bright smile, feeling he was really honest with you. No matter what happened, you felt like you had each other to confide in. You wouldn’t want to lose that for anything in the world.

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