The Oldest Potter

10. Padfoot.

Charlotte wandered the hall with the mass of other students. As the lunch hour began kids were running about attempting to get where they needed to be. Charlotte took her time waking to the great hall; as she had escaped Muggle Studies with all her limbs attached. The class of Fourth years was rather aggressive and the tension was suffocating; the houses acted as if the other was the plague clusters of blue then off to reds huddled of in corners while puddles of green shuffled away from the yellow in the other direction. The silver cloak that Charlotte wore standing out like a beacon in the class.

She was the only exchange student in the class as well as the older student where the rest being fourth years. Charlotte found herself rather uncomfortable amongst the younger students; she received odd looks and a whisper from them. It wasn't new to her really, she was picked on as a child for not having parents. Quite a stupid thing really but when your little being different ment you were weird.

Charlotte definitely came across as weird.

In her defence she only had a father in her life since she was 4 to 12. She moved around a lot as a child and spoke five languages; though her grammar was always off. She lacked social skills her first two years a Goldlight. She was shy and lacked ambition, she let others: Matt, speak for her. It wasn't until Charlotte turned 13 and moved in with Jasmine did she start to improve.

Charlotte had always been on the run. She woke up early to watch Sirius leave to find work; she would sleep until lunch when he sometimes came home. Then she would wait for him until dinner. Charlotte always wanted to sleep on the couch or on the floor so she could be close to the door.

But when she moved in with Remus; the first year was quiet the struggle. She didn't sleep in her bed and Remus being terrified of hurting her wouldn't let her sleep with him. He'd go to sleep and wake up the next morning to find the nine year old on the couch. He pleaded for her to sleep in her bed and she tried but it changed from the couch to the floor outside Remus' s room.

Remus had to fix her eating problems; she only grazed her food because she didn't realize they had enough for the next night. She woke up all through out the night because she was still checking that someone got home. She fretted over clothes and shoes because she didn't want to be a waste; she thought Remus had to steal them like Sirius had done she did not realize he could afford them.

The psychological effects that left Charlotte in a state of worry terrified Remus. He had never raised a child; much less one who had never been to school. Who couldn't bathe properly: Remus never thought he would give a 9 year old a bath. She just didn't learn the basic things other children did. She didn't learn too compromise, she did whatever she was told. She didn't learn that the police were the goods guys: she hid every time they were near. Charlotte didn't learn manners or how to match her clothes. Charlotte never learned that it was okay to ask for help. She never learned how to deal with her nightmares or the panic attacks.

It took Remus a year to get her to trust him, to teach her common manners, how to bath herself properly, how to eat right, how to write correctly, show her the goods guys and the bad. He made her feel safe enough too sleep by herself. Her first year of school was the hardest for both of them; Remus had quickly become an over protective mother hen. Charlotte really didn't mind though. She loved the idea of someone being there when she woke up and fell asleep. She felt safe in her own skin and quickly feel in love with Remus.

Charlotte probably would of had more friends if she wasn't so shy her first year. She only trusted Matt therefore didn't leave his side. At least not until Charlotte moved into Jasmine' s when she turned 13. She noticed Remus' s frustration that summer; the worried looks and glances she received from him. He had been afraid of something. Worried she wasn't connected with people around her the way she should of.