𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐿𝑋𝑋𝑋𝑉.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆-𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

CAROLINE WASN'T ALLOWED to letter Harry all summer. She tried, of course she tried, but Remus and Tonks didn't let her. It was too dangerous, they said. Harry and Caroline hadn't seen each other since a few days after Dumbledore died, when everyone went home at the end of term. She missed him, and hated that she wasn't there for him. The potion was still brewing and the Death Eaters couldn't get to Harry while he was at the Dursley's, so in Caroline's mind, it was as safe as it ever would be.

        Finally, after weeks of arguing, Caroline was permitted to go to the Dursley's house until it was time for Harry to be moved. She couldn't tell him anything, that was critical. Caroline agreed to all of this, because she was desperate to see her boyfriend. She didn't have to imagine how betrayed he felt by her lack of communication, because he sent her letter after letter, and she was forced to send Hedwig back empty handed.

        Caroline packed her things meticulously. She had a feeling she wouldn't be returning to her godparent's home for a really long time. She placed various things in her bag, including her black stallion figure and her cats. Caroline never took off the jewelry Harry gave her, she swore she never would. Caroline had one more task to complete before she went to the Dursley's; find her mother.

        She hugged Remus and Tonks tightly. Caroline loved them, so much. They stepped up when they needed her, and gave her a home again. Caroline could tell there was something they weren't telling her, something happy. She didn't pry, and escaped from Tonks trying to fix her hair, hauling her bag across her body. They had given her Tonks' wand, so she had a way to defend herself. Caroline was still stuck by the Trace, so she couldn't use her own wand. Tonks had performed an extension charm on Caroline's bag, so she stuffed her life inside it.

        Caroline would see them in a few days, along with the rest of the Order. She spent her summer eavesdropping on the conversations the wizards held, because the new headquarters was her house. She knew what would happen, when it would happen. Caroline was prepared for the worst, but she couldn't let Harry see that. That was one of the rules she had to follow. Caroline had only ever lied to Harry once, when she wouldn't tell him that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, and wouldn't detail her conversation with him. This would be harder, but it had to be done.

        With her long braids tied up halfway, Caroline fixed Harry's jumper that she kept, Tonks' wand in the back pocket of her jeans, wearing her beat-up converse. She was ready. Caroline walked for a long time until she reached her grandmother's house. The door was unlocked, so she slipped inside the house. It was cold and dreary, like her grandmother. Caroline found her grandmother first, performing the charm to the back of her head.

        Then, Caroline walked quietly upstairs, where her mother was crying in her bedroom. She always cried these days. Taking a deep breath, Caroline raised Tonks' wand. "Obliviate." Caroline said sadly. She was able to see it happen. The moment her mother stopped crying, as soon as the picture on her nightstand changed. Andy, Jacob and Caroline faded away from the photo, and instead it was just Eloise and Caroline's grandmother. Her mother's pain was gone, because Caroline was gone from her life.

        With a tear slipping down her cheek, Caroline ducked out of the house, leaving her old life behind. What remained of her family would now be safe, and that was what mattered. She traveled to Harry's house, and by the late afternoon, Caroline was knocking on the front door. It was his uncle who warily pulled the door open, as if he was preparing for an attack. "Hi. I'm Caroline. Is Harry here?" Caroline asked innocently, hands clasped behind her back.