"Good luck, Harry," Lily said, as she hugged him before they had to go up to the task.
"You'll do great," James said, grinning. Charlotte marched up to Harry and hugged him so tight he wasn't able to breathe.
"I'm sorry," She whispered to him.
"What?" He said, as she pulled away and ran up to the stands.
"Charlotte!" He called after her, but she ignored him and sat down next to her parents.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in the first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School! In the second place, with eighty points - Mr.Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute! And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!" Harry looked up at the stands and waved at his family, who waved back just as excited.
"So ... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric! Three - two - one - "Bagman blew the whistle, and Harry and Cedric ran in.
He waited a couple of seconds before blowing the whistle again, and letting Krum go in, and then lastly, Fleur.
---
Charlotte couldn't sit there any longer. She had a nervous habit of not being able to sit still when she was this anxious. Charlotte couldn't sit there any longer. She needed to get out before the task ended.
"Charlotte, where are you going?" James asked after she stood up and tried to leave the stadium.
"Bathroom." She said, not meeting his eye. James was so distracted, waiting for Harry he never noticed Charlotte's weird behavior.
"Okay. Be back soon." He spoke. Charlotte nodded as she walked down her row and out of the stadium. She looked at the maze, thinking.
I could just run in and try to stop them. But that would be stupid. I'm the least qualified witch to go and survive the maze. But if I do manage to survive the maze, then I can stop Harry and Cedric from getting the cup. But they could be fighting Voldemort already, and Cedric could be dead right now.
Charlotte signed and instead decided that it was best to leave before the task ends. She walked out of the arena and decided to hide in the grounds, on a bench near the lake instead.
----
There were screams. That was when Charlotte knew that Harry was back with Cedric's body. Everything had happened so fast that now she was sitting with Harry, who was fast asleep, as she and her parents hovered over him. The others had left to do their assigned tasks, while Dumbledore went to his office.
Professor McGonagall, who looked pale and tired tonight, came up to Charlotte.
"Professor Dumbeldore would like to speak to you in his office. He also wanted me to tell you he likes acid pops." Charlotte nodded.
"Thank you," She muttered, not looking away from her family. Both her parents had fallen asleep, each one holding onto one of Harry's hands.
She walked over to Professor Dumbledore's gargoyle statue and muttered the password. The statue moved, and a spiral staircase appeared. Charlotte walked up the spiral staircase, feeling exhausted and wanting to go to bed, but knew that the meeting was important. if not he wouldn't have asked.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Charlotte called as she knocked on the door.
"Come in." He said. Charlotte opened the door, seeing Dumbledore behind his desk, waiting for her. Charlotte walked to the empty chair, scared her legs might betray her and give out, so she sat as quickly as she could.
"Ms. Potter, how are you feeling?" He asked, as he put his quill down. Charlotte looked over at his desk. There were several notes spread out on his desk, including one he was still writing. Charlotte guessed that they were letters he would send to the rest of the order members.
"I'm... angry."
"Angry?" He asked,
"I'm angry that I couldn't stop Cedric from entering," Charlotte muttered, pulling at the loose threads from her skirt.
"You weren't meant to stop Cedric from entering."
"But now he's dead."
"Because he had to. I saw that first night this year, what you were thinking about, and I knew that he must die, just like you should." Professor Dumbledore said, as he leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands neatly in his lap.
"It doesn't matter, Cedric was innocent," Charlotte said, feeling like her voice was rising higher and higher, as she got angrier.
"You can't have that mindset for the future. People will die, innocent people will die, and the second wizarding war has started."
"But wasn't that why I was sent to help as many people as I could?"
"Yes, but some people have to die, like Cedric, whose deaths are important." Charlotte took a deep breath. She knew he was right. Those people had to die, just like Dumbledore has to die in the future.
"I understand, but...how did Voldemort return if Peter is here? Peter was meant to betray them, but he didn't, so how did Voldemort return?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, Voldemort wasn't working alone, he couldn't in his condition. Barty Crouch Jr found him once he was free from his father, and found Voldemort. He went to the Carrow siblings. That's what Harry told me. One, the sister, cared for Voldemort, while the brother decided to give Voldemort what he needed. His hand."
"Why the Carrows?" Charlotte asked, surprised, as she thought back to the books where the Carrow siblings were mentioned.
"He needed someone he knew wouldn't betray him. His most loyal death eaters were trapped in Azkaban. Others pretended to be under the imperious curse, like the Malfoys. The Carrows had done neither. They were the perfect family that Voldemort could go to. One that was not powerful or rich, someone he could easily use, and one that was devoted to him." Charlotte nodded, understanding.
"So, Voldemort is really back?"
"I'm sad to say yes. You might have changed some things, but not everything." Dumbeldore said.
"It feels like nothing! The only thing I've done is bring Peter back. Cedric still died, Harry's still traumatized, and Voldemort is still back."
"You can never change everything. That was never what you had in mind in the first place. You just wanted to save your parents, and you have."
"But what if I did that, and then they just die in the second wizarding war? What would the point be?"
"The point being that Harry still had a good childhood, and has parents, and now you have parents as well."
Charlotte wanted to shout. What about her childhood? What about the abuse she endured over the years by the several pairs of foster parents, but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to fight about her when Harry had just suffered so much?
"I'd like to be excused." She said, standing up.
"Try to get some rest, Ms. Potter," Dumbledore advised. She nodded as she walked out the door.
Charlotte realized she didn't want to be alone, in her room, or with her parents in the nurse's office.
---
After a couple of minutes, Charlotte walked to the Slytherin Common room. She muttered the password "Pure-blood," And the Slytherin common room was presented to her.
Draco was the only one in Slytherin's common room. He had changed out of his robes and into a pair of an old white shirt, and some black sleeping trousers. He sat in front of the fire thinking before he heard Charlotte.
"Draco." She whispered, her voice shaking. Draco turned around surprised, before jumping to his feet and walking over to Charlotte, confused.
"Charlotte, what are you doing here? Are you alright?" He asked as she hugged him, her arms wrapping around his torso. She hid her face in his chest.
"What happened?" He said as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm just tired, and don't want to be alone." She said,
"You want to come and sleep in my dorm?" He asked as she looked up at him.
"Don't you share your dorm with the others?" Charlotte asked.
"My parents forced Dumbledore to give me my own room after I complained I couldn't sleep because of Crabbe and Goyles snoring." He chuckled. Charlotte smiled weakly before nodding.
Draco grabbed her hand and took her upstairs to his dorm, which was the last room on the fourth floor. He opened the door and lead Charlotte inside. Charlotte looked around the room, seeing his very neat room. There was nothing she could tell that was out of place.
"Do you want to borrow a shirt? You can't sleep in your school robes." Draco said. Charlotte nodded, and he got her his quidditch jersey before turning around and letting Charlotte change.
"You can turn around now," Charlotte said, as she put her clothes on the desk. Draco turned around, and looked around the room instead, as he tried not to stare at Charlotte's bare legs. Charlotte got into the bed, and Draco looked around nervously.
"You can come in." She said as she lifted the cover-up for him to enter the bed. Draco nodded as he crawled into the bed. Charlotte closed her eyes, her body sinking into the bed that was much more comfortable than her bed in the Gryffindor dorm. She felt Draco put his arm around her waist and pull her closer until her back was touching his chest, and they both drifted into a deep sleep.