Hope is a Four Letter Word - a gift for writcraft!
Title: Hope is a Four Letter Word
Author: dexstarr
Recipient: writcraft
Pairing(s): Amelia Bones/Charity Burbage
Word Count: 1,500
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death.
Summary: She wouldn't lose Amelia to the Bones family curse.
Author's Notes: The title comes from OneRepublic's "Counting Stars." Thanks to the mod for being incredibly patient.
"No, Charity. I don't want to run into Dumbledore searching for the loo. He'll ask why my boxers don't have spangles on them or some nonsense like that."
"My quarters have a bathroom," Charity said, a tad indignantly. "You'll never see him, not unless you want sweets in the middle of the night and you can't rouse a house-elf."
Amelia laughed. "I know." She propped herself up on her elbows, looking over a shoulder at Charity. "It's not that I don't want to visit or spend the weekend. I do. But things aren't safe now, no matter what rubbish The Daily Prophet is printing. I don't want you in danger."
Charity knew. They'd had this talk already, but that didn't stop her from pushing for more. To her way of thinking, if life wasn't guaranteed, then they should spend what time they had exactly as they wanted. She'd already had to convince Amelia they should stay together. Amelia had wanted to do the noble thing and stay away until the unofficial war became official and ended.
That would take time, and Charity wasn't patient. She wanted to spend every moment of every day together. She had a fantasy of spending their evenings in her quarters, her marking assignments and Amelia reading a Muggle mystery. She wanted that so much. Amelia teased her, said Charity was as clingy as a fourth year with a crush. But Charity thought she deserved it. They both did. They'd been alone long enough before finding each other.
"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world," she said at last, after discarding several other possible responses. If she tried the safety angle, maybe Amelia would listen to that. "If anywhere is safe, it'll be Hogwarts."
Amelia rolled onto her back, bumping Charity with her knee. "I won't argue with that. But I still don't think I should visit during the school year. What about this? You can meet me in Hogsmeade some weekends. It'll be like we're young and in love."
"We are young and in love."
"Speak for yourself, dear." Amelia tugged at her grey hair, spiking it so it stood straight up.
Charity captured Amelia's hand, bringing it to her mouth so she could kiss Amelia's palm. "We're witches. We've got a whole lifetime ahead of us."
(and they would have that lifetime together. she wouldn't lose amelia to the bones family curse.)
Letting go of Amelia's hand, she touched the scars on her side. They curved around Amelia's torso, starting underneath her right breast and pathing down to her left hip. Shaped vaguely like stars, they were remnants of Amelia's Auror past. When they had first gotten together, Amelia had tried to hide them, until Charity had shown her, with mouth and hands, that the scars were beautiful.
"Do you remember how I got those?"
"Yes." Charity bit her lip. "From a Death Eater."
Amelia pulled Charity on top of her. "A Death Eater who got fancy, wanted his own mark on his victims. Crowley."
"Why haven't I heard of him?"
"Because I killed him." Amelia inhaled so deeply Charity could feel it, as if she was gathering strength. "You never heard me say this, but they're not all bad. Some of them were-are-just caught up in it. Because of family or friends. But some are in it for the fight. Because they like to hurt people, to kill people. Those are the dangerous ones. Those are the ones … I'm scared of what might happen if they learn about you."
Charity tried to silence Amelia with a kiss, but the other woman wasn't having any of it.
"Please, love. You know I don't like to beg." Amelia's arms tightened about Charity's waist, as if she was scared of losing her that very minute. "You just said we have a whole lifetime, yes?"
Nose wrinkling at how Amelia had used her words against her, Charity gave in. "Alright."
* * *
You never heard me say this, but they're not all bad.
The Carrows had a bookshop in Knockturn Alley. A tiny shop squeezed in between an apothecary and something without a sign.
It was dark inside. A musty odour filled Charity's nose as she looked around, noting the shelves were positively stuffed with thick tomes. It looked as though the Carrows had never sold a book the entire time the shop had been open. That was probably a good guess. They had peddled secrets and deals at Hogwarts, and Charity was hoping they still did.
She rang the bell on the counter, jumping when it let out a shrill scream instead of a normal ring.
Footsteps slammed on creaky boards, and then she heard a laugh. "What do you want, Professor?"
Ducking her head, Charity pulled her robe tight to her chest. She had hoped they wouldn't recognize her, but maybe she could use that to her advantage. "I've … heard things about you both. That you … know things."
Alecto Carrow looked at her brother, raised an eyebrow, and laughed again. "Things, eh?"
"We know lots of things, Professor," Amycus said. He waved at the shelves surrounding him. "Books are full of things. We got lots of those. D'you want a book thingy?"
There was nothing for it but to get to why she was here. Straightforward might be best with these two, anyway. "I want to make a deal." Charity's hands clenched into fists so her hands wouldn't shake. "I know Amelia. Madam Bones, rather. If you leave her alone, ignore her in a fight, she'll make sure you don't get chucked into Azkaban. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement-"
"Oh, we know just who she is," Alecto said.
Charity's body turned to ice, and she knew she had made the right decision to come here. "Good," she said, and was pleased that her voice didn't tremble. "Then you know she can do what I say."
Amycus bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. "Who says she'll listen to whatever deal we make with you?"
In their student days, everyone had underestimated the Carrow siblings because they didn't look smart. But Charity wouldn't make that mistake. She knew better than to say why Amelia was so important to her. They would run with that, use it to their advantage. "Madam Bones sent me," she improvised. "A member of Magical Law Enforcement can't very well be seen doing something like this, can they?"
She couldn't ensure Amelia's cooperation, but by the time she had to worry about that, the war would be over. Not that there was a war-yet. But Amelia believed Harry Potter was telling the truth. If one listened to the Prophet, there was nothing wrong. If one listened to Amelia, undercurrents of danger were swirling about, little portents of more to come. Amelia couldn't say anything officially, but she listened to everything, and shared her opinions with Charity. Charity hated to think of how uninformed she would be, without Amelia.
Thank Merlin she had come up with this idea. Amelia was right. They weren't all bad.
A glance passed between brother and sister, two sets of eyes narrowing in agreement. "We'll … take care of it. You have our word she'll be safe. Very safe."
* * *
The Daily Prophet
July 12, 1996
Amelia Bones' body was discovered in her house. There are no leads at this time. Anyone with information pertaining to her death should contact the Auror Office.
* * *
Dear Professor (for now) of Muggle Studies,
Enjoy your term? Hope so.
D'you think I'll be as good a teacher as you? 'Course, can't be hard. You're pretty skint on smarts.
See you soon,
Alecto AND AMYCUS.
* * *
The ropes hurt, biting into her flesh as if they were made of broken glass. Her wrists and ankles were a mess of cuts healed and re-opened. Even with magical healing, they would scar-if they had the time to heal. Scars of her own, marking her a warrior just like her lost Amelia.
Charity doubted she had time.
She floated upside down, nauseated by both the slow rotation of her body and the sea of vicious faces below her. A gigantic serpent sat about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's shoulders, its Avada Kedavra green eyes the worst of the lot.
She had long ago lost count of how many times she had circled the room. But on this revolution, she saw a familiar face.
"Severus! Help me!"
Her voice cracked, her terror evident. Nothing like when she had tried to bargain with Alecto and Amycus Carrow.
Bargaining with Death Eaters had gotten her nowhere before, and she didn't have much hope for this attempt. Her hope had died with Amelia.
Through her mask of tears, she saw Snape's face twice more, but he ignored her each time.
And then the last thing Charity saw was a flash of green light.
But some are in it for the fight. Because they like to hurt people, to kill people. Those are the dangerous ones.
Author: dexstarr
Recipient: writcraft
Pairing(s): Amelia Bones/Charity Burbage
Word Count: 1,500
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death.
Summary: She wouldn't lose Amelia to the Bones family curse.
Author's Notes: The title comes from OneRepublic's "Counting Stars." Thanks to the mod for being incredibly patient.
"No, Charity. I don't want to run into Dumbledore searching for the loo. He'll ask why my boxers don't have spangles on them or some nonsense like that."
"My quarters have a bathroom," Charity said, a tad indignantly. "You'll never see him, not unless you want sweets in the middle of the night and you can't rouse a house-elf."
Amelia laughed. "I know." She propped herself up on her elbows, looking over a shoulder at Charity. "It's not that I don't want to visit or spend the weekend. I do. But things aren't safe now, no matter what rubbish The Daily Prophet is printing. I don't want you in danger."
Charity knew. They'd had this talk already, but that didn't stop her from pushing for more. To her way of thinking, if life wasn't guaranteed, then they should spend what time they had exactly as they wanted. She'd already had to convince Amelia they should stay together. Amelia had wanted to do the noble thing and stay away until the unofficial war became official and ended.
That would take time, and Charity wasn't patient. She wanted to spend every moment of every day together. She had a fantasy of spending their evenings in her quarters, her marking assignments and Amelia reading a Muggle mystery. She wanted that so much. Amelia teased her, said Charity was as clingy as a fourth year with a crush. But Charity thought she deserved it. They both did. They'd been alone long enough before finding each other.
"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world," she said at last, after discarding several other possible responses. If she tried the safety angle, maybe Amelia would listen to that. "If anywhere is safe, it'll be Hogwarts."
Amelia rolled onto her back, bumping Charity with her knee. "I won't argue with that. But I still don't think I should visit during the school year. What about this? You can meet me in Hogsmeade some weekends. It'll be like we're young and in love."
"We are young and in love."
"Speak for yourself, dear." Amelia tugged at her grey hair, spiking it so it stood straight up.
Charity captured Amelia's hand, bringing it to her mouth so she could kiss Amelia's palm. "We're witches. We've got a whole lifetime ahead of us."
(and they would have that lifetime together. she wouldn't lose amelia to the bones family curse.)
Letting go of Amelia's hand, she touched the scars on her side. They curved around Amelia's torso, starting underneath her right breast and pathing down to her left hip. Shaped vaguely like stars, they were remnants of Amelia's Auror past. When they had first gotten together, Amelia had tried to hide them, until Charity had shown her, with mouth and hands, that the scars were beautiful.
"Do you remember how I got those?"
"Yes." Charity bit her lip. "From a Death Eater."
Amelia pulled Charity on top of her. "A Death Eater who got fancy, wanted his own mark on his victims. Crowley."
"Why haven't I heard of him?"
"Because I killed him." Amelia inhaled so deeply Charity could feel it, as if she was gathering strength. "You never heard me say this, but they're not all bad. Some of them were-are-just caught up in it. Because of family or friends. But some are in it for the fight. Because they like to hurt people, to kill people. Those are the dangerous ones. Those are the ones … I'm scared of what might happen if they learn about you."
Charity tried to silence Amelia with a kiss, but the other woman wasn't having any of it.
"Please, love. You know I don't like to beg." Amelia's arms tightened about Charity's waist, as if she was scared of losing her that very minute. "You just said we have a whole lifetime, yes?"
Nose wrinkling at how Amelia had used her words against her, Charity gave in. "Alright."
* * *
You never heard me say this, but they're not all bad.
The Carrows had a bookshop in Knockturn Alley. A tiny shop squeezed in between an apothecary and something without a sign.
It was dark inside. A musty odour filled Charity's nose as she looked around, noting the shelves were positively stuffed with thick tomes. It looked as though the Carrows had never sold a book the entire time the shop had been open. That was probably a good guess. They had peddled secrets and deals at Hogwarts, and Charity was hoping they still did.
She rang the bell on the counter, jumping when it let out a shrill scream instead of a normal ring.
Footsteps slammed on creaky boards, and then she heard a laugh. "What do you want, Professor?"
Ducking her head, Charity pulled her robe tight to her chest. She had hoped they wouldn't recognize her, but maybe she could use that to her advantage. "I've … heard things about you both. That you … know things."
Alecto Carrow looked at her brother, raised an eyebrow, and laughed again. "Things, eh?"
"We know lots of things, Professor," Amycus said. He waved at the shelves surrounding him. "Books are full of things. We got lots of those. D'you want a book thingy?"
There was nothing for it but to get to why she was here. Straightforward might be best with these two, anyway. "I want to make a deal." Charity's hands clenched into fists so her hands wouldn't shake. "I know Amelia. Madam Bones, rather. If you leave her alone, ignore her in a fight, she'll make sure you don't get chucked into Azkaban. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement-"
"Oh, we know just who she is," Alecto said.
Charity's body turned to ice, and she knew she had made the right decision to come here. "Good," she said, and was pleased that her voice didn't tremble. "Then you know she can do what I say."
Amycus bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. "Who says she'll listen to whatever deal we make with you?"
In their student days, everyone had underestimated the Carrow siblings because they didn't look smart. But Charity wouldn't make that mistake. She knew better than to say why Amelia was so important to her. They would run with that, use it to their advantage. "Madam Bones sent me," she improvised. "A member of Magical Law Enforcement can't very well be seen doing something like this, can they?"
She couldn't ensure Amelia's cooperation, but by the time she had to worry about that, the war would be over. Not that there was a war-yet. But Amelia believed Harry Potter was telling the truth. If one listened to the Prophet, there was nothing wrong. If one listened to Amelia, undercurrents of danger were swirling about, little portents of more to come. Amelia couldn't say anything officially, but she listened to everything, and shared her opinions with Charity. Charity hated to think of how uninformed she would be, without Amelia.
Thank Merlin she had come up with this idea. Amelia was right. They weren't all bad.
A glance passed between brother and sister, two sets of eyes narrowing in agreement. "We'll … take care of it. You have our word she'll be safe. Very safe."
* * *
The Daily Prophet
July 12, 1996
Amelia Bones' body was discovered in her house. There are no leads at this time. Anyone with information pertaining to her death should contact the Auror Office.
* * *
Dear Professor (for now) of Muggle Studies,
Enjoy your term? Hope so.
D'you think I'll be as good a teacher as you? 'Course, can't be hard. You're pretty skint on smarts.
See you soon,
Alecto AND AMYCUS.
* * *
The ropes hurt, biting into her flesh as if they were made of broken glass. Her wrists and ankles were a mess of cuts healed and re-opened. Even with magical healing, they would scar-if they had the time to heal. Scars of her own, marking her a warrior just like her lost Amelia.
Charity doubted she had time.
She floated upside down, nauseated by both the slow rotation of her body and the sea of vicious faces below her. A gigantic serpent sat about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's shoulders, its Avada Kedavra green eyes the worst of the lot.
She had long ago lost count of how many times she had circled the room. But on this revolution, she saw a familiar face.
"Severus! Help me!"
Her voice cracked, her terror evident. Nothing like when she had tried to bargain with Alecto and Amycus Carrow.
Bargaining with Death Eaters had gotten her nowhere before, and she didn't have much hope for this attempt. Her hope had died with Amelia.
Through her mask of tears, she saw Snape's face twice more, but he ignored her each time.
And then the last thing Charity saw was a flash of green light.
But some are in it for the fight. Because they like to hurt people, to kill people. Those are the dangerous ones.