𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲 , marlene mckinnon

𝐱𝐢𝐱. Unusual tension

" took you long enough "

   There was an empty space in Charlotte's heart no one would be able to fill. It craved attention and comfort to whoever she reached but not a single one was willing to be perfect enough to live up to what she yearned for. Clutching her head and a lit cigarette sitting on the ashtray, Charlotte silently cries in her dark living room on November fourth at half past one.

She misses someone who she hasn't met. She hates someone who she doesn't know more personally. She loves someone who she shouldn't love.

It was physically unnerving to feel numb but at one point of a day, everything would begin to unravel violently into a crumbled dust that would momentarily destroy Charlotte on the inside of what was necessary and what she really wanted.

Getting away sounded nice. Who would stop her anyways? People are running away from Britain just to not be in the mix of the Wizarding war. Why would she be any different? Was it awful of her to? To want to live a peaceful life and not deal with her problems?

Charlotte couldn't and decided to stay, for the sake of every wizard and witches freedom in the future. For it's her father who decided to threaten it, to kill people regardless of their blood heritage anymore. Death eaters are beginning to kill off Pure-bloods who doesn't look at how they do.

It burns Charlotte's heart whenever she would hear herself struggle to breathe when sobbing was getting in her way.

"Charlotte." Then, a knock on the door continues that catches Charlotte off guard, looking up to glance at her locked door where it came from. "Hey, don't know if you're still awake but you left pretty quick from the party. Can you open the door?"

Closing her eyes, Charlotte almost covered her ears until Marlene Mckinnon goes away but she merely wipes away her tears, standing up and didn't potentially care if she was under dressed when a visitor is coming in her apartment. The only thing she has was making sure that herself crying wasn't too much of a hassle to cover up.

The door creaks as it opens, Marlene looks up from the ground and sees Charlotte's eyes heavy and red. She probably just woke up or had cried, Marlene couldn't tell. But her eyes grazed down to the side of Charlotte's jaw, her skin forever carved into something different than original nothing would ever cover it up to be permanently gone.

"It's late, Marlene." Charlotte points out, folding her arms and felt utterly exposed but the odds may have been on her favor. "You should go home, you must be drunk." She sighs, remembering Marlene with another girl that it hurts to witness.

"No, wait." Marlene says, clearing her throat and laughs nervously right away. "Yes, I may still be drunk."

"Then why are you here?"

"Don't you want me here?"

Charlotte was caught off guard by a simple retaliation. "That's not my point." She states flatly, unamused by Marlene smiling at her like a drunken fool. "Come in."

Flicking her hand in the wind, a steady lamp in the corner ignites and beams as the only light source in the living room area where Charlotte helps Marlene sit down as the girl was too drunk for her own good. It sometimes upset Charlotte that Marlene would always come to her under the influence or when the time was right.

"Mary brought someone home, can't sneak in or I'll never hear the end of it if I do." Marlene informs, the back of her head resting on the sofa behind her as she looks up in the high ceiling.

"Is that why you think it was a good idea to come to mine?" Charlotte seethes lowly under her breath, grabbing Marlene's wrist and gently pulls her up to sit down and hands her a glass of water. "I was busy."

"You're always busy." Marlene counters, looking at her seriously while taking a sip of the stale water. "And what could you possibly be doing at two in the morning?" She continues and didn't had the chance to let go of the glass when Charlotte took it from her, reaching on the coffee table to place it safely.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

Marlene didn't exactly know what Remus said to her earlier. At that specific time, it was a blur to even function as a normal human to understand that Charlotte was really upset by something as simple as miscommunication. Though she never really had any obligation to be agitated over Marlene talking to a friend.

Perhaps there was something else in her mind and Marlene only made it worse for the night.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Marlene can't help but ask, tiredly watching as Charlotte grabbed the lit cigarette on the ashtray before now sitting on the edge of the coffee table, facing her and yet looking away.

"No." She answers blatantly, scratching the back of her head whilst inhaling the sense of nicotine between her teeth, elbows resting on either of her knees.

"Then why are you acting like I did?" Marlene pursues stubbornly.

'can't you just fall asleep already?' Charlotte sighs, holding the cigarette between her two fingers as she spoke. "I had a long night, okay? It's not something I like to talk about with you when you're intoxicated by Firewhiskey."

"Then I did do something?"

"How many times are you going to ask me this, Marlene?" Charlotte frustratedly asks, harshly crushing the weight of the stick she held on the rough surface of the coffee table she sat on. It was already bad enough she was upset over something she shouldn't be.

Marlene's eyes soften calmly into the delicate waves. "I should probably seek haven in Lily's house—"

"—No, fuck— That's not what I mean." Charlotte quickly says, shutting her eyes as she grabbed Marlene's wrist to prevent her from getting up to leave. To leave her alone in a spacious flat.

"Then what do you mean, Charlotte?"

"I don't know, just don't leave, please." Charlotte didn't know why but she couldn't handle another loss today. For maybe tomorrow or in a few weeks or months, people would see her as Lord Voldemort's daughter who does nothing but evil in public domain.

Marlene settles down, the alcohol she consumed earlier getting in her head to want to even leave.

"Charlotte..."

"Forget what I said, it doesn't matter." Charlotte said, standing up and finally lets go of Marlene's wrist before grabbing the glass of water. "If you still want to go to Lily's, I can take you there myself." Steering away from her problem once more, Charlotte walks to the kitchen and leaves Marlene who is very confused.

"Am I leaving or am I staying?" Marlene follows her but ultimately stops by the kitchen counter, couldn't bring herself to walk more further.

"That's up to you." Charlotte drank the remaining still of the water, glancing at Marlene as she does before finishing it and placing it on the bottom of the sink.

"I think I'll stay. I can't walk any further..."

Charlotte lets Marlene sleep on her bed that night wherein she slept on her sofa, wondering if the morning would be as awful as it was aa tonight. For the love she felt for the girl sleeping on her bed was stronger than she realized, Charlotte knew better but she simply let her own emotions unfold.