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"Dumbledore won't be able to save him," he muttered darkly, earning an immediate concerned glance from Hermione. He turned away quickly, avoiding her gaze and added, "What? It's the truth. We're all fucking doomed, whether you want to admit it or not."
"So much for optimism," groaned Ron, rolling his eyes. He brandished the tiny potion bottle in his hands, "What do you reckon we're supposed to do now?"
Charlie shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Wait, I guess? Dunno what to do.... and, honestly, I don't really care."
Hermione reached for her boyfriend again and when Charlie took a step backward, moving out of reach, she frowned, "What's going on with you?"
Faltering, Charlie's heaved a heavy sigh. He knew she deserved better than this; she didn't deserve the tail-end of his aggression. He lowered his voice as he said sincerely, "Nothing, don't worry about it."
"But Char—"
"Hermione, please," he said, hoping she would understand.
Ron looked on at their exchange in silence. Charlie saw Hermione's gaze soften briefly before her resolution shone through. They nodded silently to one another.
And with no desire to hear hesitant protests, Charlie stomped out of the room, running up the stairs to the boys dormitories. He slammed the door closed behind him after he entered, hiding him from the sight of the others as he tried to reign in his anger. He could feel his jaw clench as his fury primed, edging an explosion. It wasn't the overdramtic, attention-seeking anger of a teenager, but rather a built-up aggression that had been brewing inside of him for far too long.
This time, Charlie was justified. Earlier this year, he had been captured, held against his will and tortured to the brink of death. What was the response of the adult that was supposed to help and protect him? Perhaps counselling to help him move past the horrific events? Or maybe even words of reassurance? No, unfortunately, Albus Dumbledore let his grandson suffer on his lonesome, and proceeded to ignore Charlie up to a point where he was forced to sneak around just to catch a glance of the news, leaving him to wallow in worry and fear.
Charlie had countlessly informed Dumbledore, the man that held the highest echelon of supporters, about the grave danger that loomed over the horizon. What did he get in response? Disbelief at first, followed by a character assassination at its finest. There wasn't a day that passed in which Charlie wasn't ridiculed for his distrust in Severus Snape, a known Death Eater in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.
Still, the last comment Dumbledore mentioned made Charlie's rage bubble over the surface. Allegedly, it was his great 'sacrifice' that resulted in his torture. In reality, he suffered physically and mentally, again and again, because his own grandfather was more than willing to risk his well-being for attempted contribution to a seemingly never-ending war. The very thought made Charlie disgustingly sick.
