Spit Fire [Charlie Weasley]

Chapter 17: The Pensieve

"Tempy, whose memories are these?" I asked as I held the vial in my hand, staring at the glimmering, silvery substance that appeared to closely resemble a cloud-like liquid in the stone basin. Tempy straightened his back and walked closer to peer at the vial. 

"Those memories belong to Zander. He was the only one who could clearly recall anything without his emotions getting too terribly out of hand," Tempy said as he uncorked the vial. "Zander has an uncanny ability to remain levelheaded under pressing circumstances, despite his shy exterior. He's very strong." He handed me the bottle and I turned back to the Pensieve.  
"Tempy, I'm a little worried," I mumbled as I fumbled the vial in my hand. I didn't want to open up to all these people. I was perfectly happy living in my cottage and falling in love with Charlie at a comfortable distance. 

Yet, somehow, my hand reflexively tilted and poured the contents of the vial, a thin glimmering white string, and watched as it hit the water and turned inky black. I took a deep breath, not daring to look at Tempy as I dunked my head into the basin. 

The black, inky memories settled into a dark array of strangely shaped, foreboding trees and dim lighting. The remnants of the ink settled into a ruddy forest floor and the tension was high in the air again. I felt something approaching from my left and I quickly went to draw my wand before realizing that it would be of no use. 

"Expecto Patronum!" I heard a voice yell, and saw Zander cornered by the Lethifolds. A massive, blue camel burst from the tip of his wand, rearing back its long neck as it swung at the black cloaked creatures. 
"Keep the Patronus up! As long as you can!" Quin shouted, coming into view as the group ran into view. It was strange, watching this from a third person POV. I could see myself now, a sheen layer of sweat glittering across my face, my hair crazily frizzed and dirt smudge my body. I looked down, seeing that I was standing at the fork in the path as they approached and I wondered if I should try and hide myself. Zander hollered, giving a finalizing yell as the camel was sucked away by the sapping effects of the forest. He toppled to the ground and that was when I noticed Charlie who cursed, spinning around to grab two fistfuls of ginger hair. 
"Shit, shit, shit!" He growled. I watched as Quin tried to cast a patronus but it was too no avail, only a flickering bulb was produced that disappeared as soon as it arrived. 
"God dammit!" Quin shouted angrily, thrusting his wand in his back pocket. "We never should have come here!" 
"It's getting dark Charlie," The other me had spoken lowly and frantically as she leaned over to help Zander to his feet. Zander shakily fumbled to reach into his back pocket and gave a whimper. 
"It's been three hours," 
"You can't possibly be serious!" Charlie exclaimed, his blue eyes widening. Zander sighed and pushed off of the other Winnie to try and stand firm and straight. 
"'fraid so, mate," Zander mumbled, his body slightly buckling. "We've been in here for five and a half hours...we arrived at 10:30 a.m. It's 4 o'clock now and pushing," 
"The activity in this forest is picking up," I had noted. The trees seemed to shiver as if being shaken and made awful groaning noises that in the moment, I had failed to notice. "We've been in here too long, and it will only get worse as night falls,"
"What do we do?!" Quin yelled and I watched as I glared at him. 
"Well, we keep our damn voices down, for one!" I had snapped at Quin who quickly muzzled his mouth. I noticed Charlie had been staring at the other me for quite sometimes and this caused a blush to skitter across my own cheeks as I watched this scene unfold. "Both paths lead out of the forest. One back to the campground, and the other to the edge of a highway with a parking lot for the hikers,"
"No," Charlie argued firmly. 
"You have to listen to me, Charlie!"
"I will do no such thing! I told you, I wouldn't let anything happen to you!"
"We are the only two left with magic!" The other me snapped at him. "If we run off in the forest together, we leave Zander and Quin for certain death! If we stay as a group we're more likely to attract more lethifold and even more unsightly beings! We don't know what else is in these woods, but we don't need to stick around to find out! We need tog et out of here!"
"I-I can't," Charlie argued weakly and I watched as my face tilted into a grimace. 
"You can. Use the items Arrighi gave us to fight our way out of here and only using magic as a last resort...I'm not strong enough to carry Zander and he's very weak,"
"I'm fine," Zander tried to say feebly, giving a slight cough. 
"I'll take Zander then," Charlie spoke, grabbing Zander's arm and winding it around his neck. 
"Come on, Quin," I had nodded my head towards the path QUin and I would be taking, the left. 
"Winnie, please be careful!" I watched Charlie beg, slowly walking down the path with Zander. I watched as the other me gave him a weak, but brilliant smile. 
"I'll see you outside!"