War Wages On

Charlie groaned and rolled her eyes at the Slytherin boy. Years ago Charlie used to jokingly contemplate their friendship but recently Charlie's been struggling to find reason on why she still hung around him.

"I'm just joking Charlotte, lighten up" Draco rolled his eyes. That was another thing, he called her Charlotte, Charlie hated being called Charlotte.

"Whatever Draco, I'm going to find my granddad, good luck or whatever," Rolling her eyes Charlie separated from the confused boy and went to search for her grandfather in the crowds of people circling the quidditch world cup arena.

The match had just ended and Ireland had won one-hundred and sixty points ahead of Bulgaria with Victor Krum catching the snitch despite his team being behind. Afterwards Charlie was walking out of the stadium when a group of muggleborn wizards were talking about how shocked they were seeing an actual game, Draco decided to make an offensive joke at their expense and that set Charlie off.

Draco had been setting Charlie off a lot in the past year. They had been friends since first year because they were both in the same house and shared all of their classes together. Despite their very different political views they were both very good friends and they would both just ignore each other's stances on politics. But over the last year Draco started bringing politics into everything, purposefully making Charlie uncomfortable and disgruntled around him to get her upset. It was clearly working.

Shoving her way through the crowd Charlie decided to give up on the search for her grandfather and pull to the side to smoke a cigarette anongst the chaos.

It was an awful habit, she knew it. Everyone did, but Charlie had been smoking since nine years old and nobody in her family stopped her from doing it, her own grandfather supplied her with cigarettes monthly! (he's still a firm believer that they do not cause cancer or illnesses.)

As Charlie followed the repetitive motion of putting the cigarette to her lips, sucking and then pulling it away to blow out the smoke suddenly somebody grabbed the lit cigarette and threw it on the floor. 

Charlie groaned loudly as she stomped it out. "Jesus 'Mione leave it alone it was only one" she sighed. 

"They'll kill you one day Charlie and you know it" the girl chided, looping her arm into the girls as the Weasley boys and Harry Potter made their way to them.

"Charlie, always a pleasure" George mocked her, sticking his hand out seriously and imitating a cranky old man. 

"Hello George, where's the other half of you?" Charlie smirked, not seeing the copy of the boy anywhere.

"Right here Crouch" Fred spoke up from behind her, tugging her ponytail back quickly. Charlie whipped around to hit him but he was too quick and was already on the other side of his brother when she turned back to face him.

"You're insufferable" she groaned.

"Charlie, I didn't know you'd be here" Harry smiled, pulling her in for a hug.

"Charlie's here?" Charlie could hear Ron ask as he came walking into the conversation, Bulgaria merch in hand.

"Hey Ron" she smiled, pulling him in for a hug too that he gladly reciprocated. 

"I didn't know you were gonna be here, who'd you go with?" Hermione asked with a happy smile.

"Oh I came with my Grandfather and was supposed to spend the time with Draco but he's being a twat" Charlie grumbled, annoyed at the boy who she used to consider a good friend. 

"Wow what a surprise there" Ron whispered (not so much a whisper) sarcastically to Harry making him stifle his laugh in his fist. Fred was less obvious about his laughter, he tilted his head back and laughed outwardly at his brother's joke. 

Ron smothered his grin of pride quickly but Charlie saw it but she was feeling too embarrassed to call him out on it, her face blushing red.

"Who are you lot harrasing now? Surely not a woman this time" Charlie heard a strong voice from behind the semi-wall the others had created around her. 

When Ron moved aside to create room one of the most handsome men Charlie had ever seen stepped forward. 

"Charlie meet Charlie" George grinned proud of his joke. 

Oh so this was Charlie. Charlie thought. When she had first became good friends with Ron, which took a while because of her friendship with Draco, he had mentioned having a brother with the same name as her. He just didn't mention he was so attractive.

Holding her composure Charlie smiled politely and shook his hand that he offered in greeting. 

"Name twins" he chuckled, his massive arms shaking with his laughter. Merlin he was attractive.

"Lovely to meet you Charlotte" Charlie grinned back.

"And you as well Charles" he matched her energy perfectly. 

"Well Charlie since Draco's being a git" Hermione started after going silent when Charles arrived.

"Again" Harry whispered under his breath that clearly only Charlie heard at the lack of everyone else's reactions.

"You're more than welcome to hang with us" She offered before cringing because she realized that she offered someone else's home to her. 

Charlie, being the good friend she was, tried to cover it up. "Yeah that sounds perfect, thankyou guys" 

Everyone else looked happy at the agreement other than Fred, he looked a bit disappointed at the turn of events.

When they all finally settled into the Weasleys tent they were greeted by another Red head who had decided to tag along. The oldest brother, Bill Weasley. Who was also insanely attractive. And the youngest Weasley sibling Ginny, who was a very good friend of Charlie's, who had decided earlier to stick with her oldest brother.

Charlie sighed as she looked at Bill and looked to Hermione with a suggestive expression which Hermionie only nodded and blushed at, trying to ignore her inner conflict. 

Sitting down onto a couch next to Ginny, Charlie took a sip of the drink she snagged from the fridge moments prior. 

"Okay Charlie, you know you're great and practically a fashion icon but I've got to ask what in the world is going on with your outfit?" She giggled, clearly disapproving of the girls style choice.

Charlie groaned and ripped the white headband out of her hair, throwing it onto the coffee table in front of her. "Ugh, it's my grandfather, you know how he is his image needs to be perfect so anytime we go out together he makes me dress all preppy." 

"I think it looks nice Charlie" Bill tried to comfort her, not knowing the girl very long but still trying to help. Everyone else laughed loudly at that, Bill's face going red out of embarrassment, thinking he said something wrong. 

Charlie sucked her lips in and stifled a laugh. "Thanks Bill, but this isn't exactly how I typically dress" 

"You could say that again, when I first saw you I thought you had a twin. Only thing that clued me in was the cigarette you were smoking" George mocked, messing up her hair as he passed by the back of the couch she was on on the way to his seat.

"Well believe me it wasn't my idea" Charlie grumbled, sinking further into her seat. 

"It's okay Charlie, you look good" Harry tried to comfort her, seating down in the seat next to her and wrapping an arm around her. 

"Harry's right, now how many potions did it take to straighten your hair like that?" Ginny asked teasingly on the other side of her. 

Charlie sighed again and petted her hair as the others laughed.

"I'm curious too, only person with crazier hair than you is Hermionie" Ron giggled his face quickly falling when a pillow that Hermione threw at him smacked him in the face. With a serious expression he started to chase after a giggling Hermione. Charlie and Harry exchanged a look at their antics. 

From there the night grew, they all drank and sang full heartedly. Charlie learned that the twins had bet on the game and had vague big plans with the money. They all had fun for hours before chaos ensued outside of the sanctuary of their tent. Mr. Weasley rushed in telling them of the attack that was happening as he started to usher everyone out. Harry was holding onto Charlie's arm tightly. 

Mr. Weasley was ordering groups of them to stick together but Charlie wasn't listening, all she could think of was her grandfather. Slipping from Harry's hold was easy but it was running from him was the difficult part.

Running through the crowd in the opposite direction they were rushing was hard. Charlie was calling out for her grandpa over and over again to no avail. 

"Charlie! Charlie! Stop it!" Charlie could hear Harry's voice shouting after her but the more she ran the quieter his voice became.

She continued to shout after her grandfather until her voice grew sore and her exhaustiom caught up to her. She had ran so far into the crowds that the crowd disappeared, all she could see was ominous trees and smokey air as her lungs tried to catch up to her activity. 

Now Charlie was growing scared, she didn't realize how far she had ran in her panic and there was nobody around her now, distantly she could hear a baby crying but that was the only other sign of active civilization. Spinning around to any and every sound Charlie started to panic. Through her chase she hadn't stopped to think about why people were running or who was attacking but now she realized they could easily attack her. 

Looking in all direction they all looked the same, hazy, dark skies covered by thick leaves of the grand trees, long stretching fields that looked like they'd never end. Turning Charlie caught sight of a man. He looked shaggy and older, definitely not supposed to be there and he had a wand in his hand. Muttering what sounded like enchantments he pointed his wand to the sky and the dark mark lit of the stars. 

Charlie gasped and stepped back from the man, holding her breath she hoped the man wouldn't notice but he did. He warily started creeping towards her slowly, almost as if he didn't believe she was real. The closer he got the more her head started to ache, eventually it hurt so much she had to press her palm to her head to try to numb the pain, too scared to run away. Distantly Charlie head screams and the mark ascended higher and higher into the sky. The man, hearing the screams, licked his lips rushedly and turned to sprint away, dropping something as he ran.

In a flash there were Aurors surrounding Charlie and more distantly. In a panic Charlie ducked and covered her head as spells shot out at her. Charlie screamed loudly in fear before a man started to yell. 

"Stop! Stop! That's my son!" It was Mr. Weasley and he was with the other pile of Aurors paces away. 

One of the Aurors gasped and pulled down the handkerchief covering their face. "Charlotte Crouch?" The other people gasped, the lead man grabbed her and pulled her over to the other crowd of Aurors with Mr. Weasley. 

As they grabbed her by her arm Charlie turned her head to look at the spot where the man once was and squinted her eyes when she saw hints of movement. 

"Charlie!?" Hermione gasped with relief. Spinning her head to the crowd of people Charlie saw Harry, Ron and Hermione all surrounded by Aurors.

"Thank Merlin you're all okay" she sighed, rushing over to them to hug them.

"You didn't really seem concerned when you ran at 100 miles an hour into the crowds!" Harry yelled at her, clearly stressed beyond his mind. 

"Thank goodness you're all alright" Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Out of my way Arthur!" A familiar voice demanded as he stepped through the crowd. 

Relief flooded Charlie as she saw her grandfather standing unharmed. He didn't seem to reciprocate the gesture. 

"Which one of you did it?" He snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them all. "Which one of you cast the dark mark?" Charlie shook her head disappointed at her grandfather, he always did this.

"We didn't do anything!" Harry and Ron snapped at the same time, shocked at the accusation.

"What'd you attack us for?" Ron asked, looking at his father.

"Do not lie!" Mr. Crouch shouted, looking slightly mad. Charlie thought of the locked up photos of her own father. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!" 

"Barty," Whispered another witch. "It's your granddaughter.. they're kids! They couldn't possibly-" 

"Where did the mark come from you three?" He asked sharply. 

"Over there" Hermione answered shakily, pointing to where Charlie was in the woods. "There was someone behind the trees...they shouted words- incantations-" Charlie would've answered if she wasn't in so much shock at the whole situation. 

"That's where she was found Sir" the Auror that identified Charlie told Mr. Crouch, pointing at the girl.

Mr. Crouch was too full of adrenaline to address the man's words, instead focusing on Hermionie. "Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -"

Charlie rolled her eyes, annoyed at her grandfathers craziness. Nobody else surrounding them seemed to even entertain the idea of the children causing the mark, instead they all trained their focus to the surrounding woods, trying to find a stray death eater.

"They've all disappeared, we're too late" the witch spoke again.

Mr. Diggity then proposed that their stunner spells might have gotten someone and that they should search the woods for anyone unconscious.

The Aurors dispersed and searched, leaving the four kids alone with Mr. Weasley where they were.

"I can't believe you ran off like that Charlie" Harry hissed at her, his face full of aggression. 

"I'm sorry Harry but-" Charlie began to explain.

"No! It's not okay, you can't just do that to people" he seemed extremely frustrated and his eyes were full of concern. Charlie wanted to fight him, tell him he was wrong and that he wouldn't understand but she also understood that he was just scared. 

Softening up and fixing her gaze on the floor she mumbled an apology sadly. Harry only sighed heavily and hugged her to his side.

Very shortly Mr. Diggory shouted. "We've got them! There's someone here! Unconscious but...blimey... it's-its-"

"You've got someone?" Shouted Mr. Crouch sounding very disbelieving as he made his way over to the group who was all around where they started. "Who? Who is it?" 

With the sound of crunching twigs and rustling of leaves Mr. Diggity came out from behind the bushes holding Winky, Charlie's family house elf, limp in his arms.

Charlie gasped as she looked at the house elf. Her grandfather shook his head determinedly and started searching around in the bushes. 

"There's no use Crouch, she was the only one there" Mr. Diggory stated. Mr. Crouch only ignored him and kept on searching.

Taking pity on the man Charlie gave an embarrassed glance to her friends and went to follow after him. 

"Sir" Charlie said, trying to get his attention, he determinedly ignored her and kept searching. "Sir" she said louder and more stern. He listened then and turned back to look at her. She sighed heavily and shook her head. "It's no use" 

He looked to the ground, looking lost and confused before his face looked downright depressed and betrayed. Snapping his head up he looked at her with disappointed disgust. "No better than your father" he muttered brokenly before returning to he crowd nearby.

Charlie faltered, standing stuck with her mouth open and tears brimming her eyes. Of course her grandfather blamed her for this. Just as he did with everything else. Shock shook Charlie and she hesitantly took deep breaths to try and calm herself. With a shake of her arms she decided that she'd deal with these feelings later and resurfaced out of the woods the same way her grandfather did.

As Charlie stepped back into scene Winky was just waking up from her stunning spell. Catching sight of the dark mark Winky bursted into sobs.

"Elf!" said Mr. Diggory sternly. "Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!"

She stared rocking back and forth on the ground, her breaths coming in short and sharp bursts. Charlie's heart squeezed in pity for the house elf that helped raise her. 

"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago," said Mr. Diggory. "And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!"

"I-I-I is not doing it, sir!" Winky gasped. "I is not knowing how, sir!"

"You were found with a wand in your hand!" barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry seemed to recognize it.

"Hey that's mine!" he said.

Everyone in the clearing looked at him. Charlie still slightly out of it from the interaction with her grandfather.

"Excuse me?" said Mr. Diggory, incredulously.

"That's my wand!" said Harry. "I dropped it!"

"You dropped it?" repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?"

"Amos, think who you're talking to!" said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. "Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?"

"Er- of course not," mumbled Mr. Diggory. "Sorry... carried away, sorry"

"I didn't drop it there, anyway," said Harry, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. "I missed it right after we got into the wood."

"So," said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. "You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?"

"I is not doing magic with it, sir!" squeaked Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. "I is... I is... I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!"

Charlie was grimacing at the poor elf, knowing that Winky would never do anything of the sort if she could help it.

"It wasn't her!" said Hermione. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. "Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!" She looked around at Harry and Ron, appealing for their support. "It didn't sound any- thing like Winky, did it?"

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "It definitely didn't sound like an elf."

"Yeah, it was a human voice," said Ron.

The ministry officials turned to look at Charlie accusedly before Hermione spoke again. 

"Nor her! It was a man's voice" she spoke determinedly. The officials turned to look and Harry and Ron for confirmation and they both gave their own versions of agreement.

"Well, we'll soon see," growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. "There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?"

Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's.

"Prior Incantato!" roared Mr. Diggory.

Charlie heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent- tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell.

"Deletrius!" Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke.

"So," said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively.

"I is not doing it!" she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!"

"You've been caught red-handed, elf!" Mr. Diggory roared. "Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!"

"Amos," said Mr. Weasley loudly, "think about it few wizards know how to do that spell.Where would she have learned it?"

"Perhaps Amos is suggesting," said Mr. Crouch, cold anger in every syllable, "that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?"

There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. "Mr. Crouch.. not... not at all..."

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!" barked Mr. Crouch. "Harry Potter and myself! I suppose you are familiar with the boys story?"

"Of course- everyone knows-" Muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly disgruntled.

"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over along career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again.

Charlie shuddered at the thought of her own father and the years of practice Mr. Crouch had put her through to make sure she never ended up like him.

"Mr. Crouch I never suggested you had anything to do with it!" Amos Diggory muttered again, now reddening.

"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me!" Shouted Mr. Crouch. "Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"

"She-she might've picked it up anywhere -"

"Precisely, Amos," said Mr. Weasley. "She might have picked it up anywhere. Winky?" he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. "Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?"

Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers.

"I-I is finding it. finding it there, sir. ." she whispered, "there in the trees, sir.."

"You see, Amos?" said Mr. Weasley. "Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up."

"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!" said Mr. Diggory impatiently. "Elf? Did you see anyone?"

Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, "I is seeing no one, sir.. no one..."

"You're all forgetting the other witness!" Mr. Diggory exclaimed after Winky's statement. Everyone looked at his confused before he pointed at Charlie. "She was found second nearest to the wand wasn't she?" He demanded.

Mr. Weasley turned to Charlie very earnestly. "Now Charlie this is important" he declared, talking hesitantly to her like she was a bomb about to go off. "Did you see the man who casted the spell?"

Taking her eyes off the man Charlie looked around to look at everyone staring at her. Her mind flashed of the man creeping towards her and chills went down her spine as they did then, the dull ache returning to her head.

Looking down at Winky she could see the pleading look in the elves eyes. The elf was wringing her tea towel between her hands and was very subtly shaking her head no.

Charlie, trusting her gut, shook her head definitely. "No, no I didn't see anyone" 

Everyone's shoulders dropped in disappointment and exhaustion. Looking back to the woods Charlie caught Hermione's eye, she had a skeptical expression on her face and was looking at Charlie suspiciously. 

"Amos," said Mr. Crouch curtly, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her"

Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to everyone that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished," Mr. Crouch added coldly.

"M-m-master..." Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please"

Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze.

Only pity was in Charlie's gaze, staring at the elf in sadness and glancing at her grandfather in disbelief and fear. His voice was hoarse and cold as it always was when he was angry with her and it sent a chill down Charlie's spine.

"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," he said slowly. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes."

Charlie lifted her gaze off the floor at that in shock.

"No!" shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!"

"Grandfather! No!-" Charlie started, walking towards him but his sharp gaze stopped her.

Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, his eyes watching Charlie with distaste on. "I have no use for a servant that disobeys me" he stated coldly. 

Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quickly, "Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can if Harry could have it back, please "

Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it.

The four of them left the clearing quietly and shortly after Charlie and her grandfather left with Winky sniffling as she followed them after he kicked her off his shoes.

That night Charlie was brought home by one of the Aurors. People in high society liked to joke that the house was her 'Ivory Castle' but they didn't seem to realize how true the comparison truly was.

When Charlie was younger she wasn't really allowed to go outside. Mr. Crouch had made too many enemies in his time and despite the girl being forced onto him he still was terrified at the idea of somebody getting a hold of her. 

Playdates at their house were strictly forbidden for reasons unknown to Charlie and just about the only thing she was allowed was social gatherings and the occasional playdate at other kids houses accompanied by a house elf.

Overall Charlie had a very boring and lonely childhood and very few (no) friends to start off her Hogwarts career with.

'Luckily' Draco Malfoy had taken pity on her and talked to her when they were both sorted into the same house the first day there. 

Draco had been her only consistent friend for her whole first year in the building but then second year came around and she made friends with Hermione Granger after Draco had been particularly nasty towards the girl and Charlie apologized on his behalf. 

Their third year Charlie started talking to people from all different houses and grew very strong friendships with lots of them, much to the dismay of Draco Malfoy. In that time Charlie talked to many Gryffindors and spent lots of time in their common room, everyone was okay with her being there except for one boy.

Fred Weasley. 

It was no secret that he didn't like Charlie, even though nobody knew the reason why but he eventually learned how to put up with her presence the closer friends she became with his brother. 

Charlie never particularly minded him actually. In fact when she was a first year she had developed a sort of crush on the boy before her dreams were immediately crushed at the revelation that he hated her. 

Ever since then Charlie has had a problem with him. He was rude to her for no reason, he wasn't chivalrous, he wasn't kind in any sort of way, he was always finding a way to make somebody uncomfortable with his pranks and he was just downright mean. 

Fred disturbed Charlie greatly with everything he did and it disturbed her even more that she was constantly looking for his attention. Gross.

But the worst, the absolute worst, part about Charlie and Fred's feud. Was that Charlie still harbored a teeny tiny little crush on him.

She knew it was stupid and she knew it would never work out but she couldn't help the surge of feelings that ran through her when he teased her. Only to look at his face and realize he only ever teased her to make a fool of her. 

Charlie never really cared though. Deep in her heart she knew she'd let him bully her if it meant he looked at her. She could never show that though, so she makes a scene. She makes a scene and cusses him out if only to show her that smirk he gets.

Charlie rolled over in her bed and sighed into the empty air of her ivory castle. The bed was comfortable as always but loneliness took its place of priority. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked out the giant window by her bed into the night sky.

Finally letting her thoughts rest Charlie fell asleep.