It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Nineteen

"You save everyone, but who saves you?" - Unknown

     After six weeks of hearing nothing from Charlie, Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans decided to take matters into their own hands. They knew she wasn't at home because their owls were taking longer to return to them than they did when she was at home– not that the owls ever arrived with a response from Charlie. Seeing as she had always lived in an unstable household, they pieced together that she had run away; well, that, and in their desperate attempts to hear from her, they had written to her cousin, Jacob, and he had hinted that she may have left home.

     That's how they found themselves in the Leaky Cauldron in mid-August. Marlene strutted to the front desk with her signature confidence. She immediately had the attention of the man standing behind the counter as he ran his black eyes over her and gave her a toothy grin.

     "What can I do for ya, sweetheart?" He pushed back his greasy hair as he spoke.

     "Looking for someone."

     He laughed. "Aren't we all?"

     Lily joined Marlene at the desk, growing impatient with the man. "Do you know a Charlotte Riggs?" She slid five galleons across the desk.

     "Not for five galleons, I don't," he smirked.

     Marlene huffed and added another five coins to the table. He picked them up carefully, examining their shine, and placed them in his pockets. He gave them a sly smile and said, "Never heard of 'em."

     A fire lit in Marlene's eyes. She reached for the man's yellowed shirt, "You little fucker."

     The man's eyes widened, and he tried to lean away from her, but she had a tight grip on his clothing. "We're looking for one of our best friends. She's got long brown hair and is about the same height as me."

     "She has really pretty blue-green eyes," Lily added, unfazed by Marlene's antics.

     "I seen someone like that," he said quickly. "But, her hair was short. Room 409."

     "What's the name on the room?" Marlene demanded finally releasing his shirt with a final glare.

     He gulped as he flipped through the reservations book. "Marlene Evans."

     "That's her," they answered in unison before beginning their climb up the stairs.

     Dust clouded around their feet as they hit the wooden stairs; Marlene seemed to stomp with more force than necessary, but Lily didn't comment on it. Instead, she stared at their shoes as the ascended the steps. 

     "Do you really think she's been ignoring us?" Lily asked after a moment had passed.

     "It feels that way," Marlene grumbled as she turned to take another flight of stairs.

     Lily clicked her teeth as they climbed. "Maybe, she has a good reason."

     Marlene huffed. "We haven't heard from her in almost two months, and the state that our world is in, how could she do that do us? I've been worried sick; we all have. So, she better have a damned good reason for why she hasn-"

     Lily lifted her eyes to see what had caused Marlene to stop talking. It was Charlie. She was standing just out of arms reach, looking as if she were leaving with her bag slung over her shoulder and her jacket clasped in her grip.

     None of the girls said anything. Charlie felt the guilt begin to settle in her abdomen; Marlene and Lily were taken aback by how different Charlie looked compared to just a few weeks ago. Her hair was cropped at her collarbone leaving a mess of chocolate waves to sit atop her head that could rival the messy hair of James Potter. Vibrant streaks of purple were twisted within her locks, and her hair was pushed back to reveal a few more piercings decorating her ears. A black circle stood out against her skin at the pulse point of her wrist.