Charley Effie Black

Chapter 66 - He's My Brother

There was a crack behind Charley as she sat in front of her parents' graves. She recognized that someone had apparated behind her and part of her hopes it was a death eater. Part of her hoped that she could be back with her parents again.

But then they sat beside her and Charley realized it was Oliver. "I thought you'd be here," he told her softly. Charley didn't respond. She didn't want to talk. She wanted to be in silence. "I spoke to Coach and-"

"Olly, not now," Charley interrupted. Oliver nodded at her and went silent.

Charley didn't know how long they had been sitting there, but eventually Oliver stood up and announced that he had to go to practice. He offered her his hand to help pull her up but she shook her head and stayed planted in front of the graves. He gently kissed the top of her head before disapparating.

But Charley still wasn't alone and she could feel it. She looked around the graveyard. "How long have you known?" she heard a male voice ask. She turned to look at the voice and saw Louis standing to her left with his arms crossed.

"How long have I known what?" asked Charley.

"About Dad. How long have you known he was innocent?"

Charley shrugged. "Soon after he escaped."

"Did you talk with him?"

"Often." Charley studied her brother. His black hair was getting longer and his face was tanner than from the last time she had seen him. He looked a lot like Sirius when she had seen him after she inspected his Azkaban cell. "I told him about you," she told him. "He was so excited that he had a son that he didn't care you were a mini death eater."

"Really?" Louis asked.

Charley nodded. "I wish you could've met him," she told him. "Either of them."

"Charley," Louis quietly said. It was so quiet that it was almost concerning. Charley looked over at him as he played with the ends of his shirt. "I dropped out of Hogwarts."

"You what? Louis, you are fifteen!" Charley exclaimed.

"You dropped out!"

"That's different! I finish all the classes i needed to!"

"It's too late now," Louis told her as he pulled up his sleeve. Charley stared in horror and the dark mark on his arm.

"Louis..." Charley whispered as she took his arm and stared down at it. "Why?"

Louis avoided her gaze. "Matteo Riddle. He's made me do all sorts of things and threatened that if I didn't, then he would hurt you or something. I hardly even know you, but I- I didn't want you to get hurt," he explained.

"Lou, come home with me. We can take care of you. Lottie and the kids are staying with us right now and-"

"Who's we?"

"Oliver and me."

"You live with a boy?"

"He's my boyfriend." Louis looked disgusted at Charley. "Louis... Please," Charley begged, "You're my little brother. I'm not going to sit back and watch you get mixed up in this kind of trouble."

"They'll find me. Wherever I go, I know they'll find me," Louis told her.

"Louis, Haz died, Dad died, my dog died, everyone around me is dying. I don't want to lose you too. Come back with me. Let me protect you."

"If I go back with you, then not only am I putting you in danger, I'm putting, whoever the h*ll Lottie is, in danger too. Along with her kids. I can't go with you."

Charley stared at him. "Louis, you're my brother. Mum and Dad would want me to watch after you" — Charley took a deep breath and looked back at the ground — "I'm begging you to please come home. I have the keys to our old home if you'd like somewhere more private."

"Your flat seems good," Louis told her. "Maybe I can stop by the house though sometime."

"Of course, Louis."

.

Charley led Louis into the flat. James immediately ran to Charley and showed her the drawing he drew. "Wow, James! That's amazing!" Charley exclaimed, looking down at the drawing he had drawn of their family. He had even included Scutum with angel wings and a halo. Charley was beside Scutum with an arm around him and with Genevieve sitting in front of her with a wide grin. Harvey had his arms wrapped around Haz who also had a halo and angel wings. James was on Haz's shoulders, grinning cheekily. Jayde was between Haz and Lottie, resting her head on Lottie's shoulder as Lottie held her stomach.

"Come on, James. Let's put this on the fridge," Charley told him. She led James and Louis into the kitchen and started searching for a magnet.

"So... Who are you?" James asked. Charley looked back to see James studying over Louis.

"He's my brother," Charley said.

"You have a brother? What's your name?"

"Louis," Louis quietly said. "Im assuming yours is James?"

"Mhm... I was named after James Potter. I never met him but Dad and the others told me stories about him and Charley showed me pictures," James explained. Charley put the picture up on the fridge and faced the two boys.

"James, where's everyone else?"

"Mum had a doctor appointment, Jayde went with her, Harvey's playing with-"

"Woah, woah, woah. You're babysitting Harvey and Genevieve?" Charley asked, suddenly very worried about Harvey and Genny. She started to walk away.

"No. Nymphadora came over."

"Nympha... Oh thank Merlin," Charley sighed. "They're with her?"

"Yeah. Duh..."

Charley playfully rolled her eyes at him before wrapping an arm around Louis' shoulder. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping," she told him. She showed him around the flat. They eventually made it back to the main room where the couch was. "It's not the nicest, but Lottie and the kids like to be together and she has the baby and one on the way. I think it's best if she has the spare room."

"Yeah, I get it," Louis said, suddenly hissing in pain as he rolled up his sleeve. He scratched at his dark mark.

"What's wrong?" Charley asked.

"He's calling a meeting right now for his inner circle," Louis explained. Charley watched him for awhile. "Will your boyfriend like me?" he suddenly queried.

"Of course he will. Olly loves everyone."

"Good," Louis said. "Wouldn't want to have a quarrel between us."