Downward Spiral into Madness.....
Date: September 29th, 2000
Time: Extremely late in the evening, after 11:00pm
Location: Trésor Littéraire
Characters Involved: Charlotte Aurelius and Various NPCs
Rating: PG-13?
Charlotte was a busy bee, getting her shop ready for the signing the next afternoon. She hoped that it would allow her to gauge where to take her business in the future. She also hoped that the book signing would allow her to attract other authors to her little shop. The flyers had been distributed and there had been a few curious passersby. She wasn’t entirely sure what to think of the somewhat negative feedback (mostly in looks) that she had received.
She had seen a sharp decline in business since the Leaky Cauldron had been attacked, though that was understandable. She didn’t take it personally. She finished the set-up table, pushing her hair out of her face with a small sigh. She really needed a helper in the shop or she was going to work herself to death. After fussing with the quills for a moment, she looked around the shop.
She tidied up the little things that made a big difference, straightening chairs and the like. Once she was satisfied with the state of the shop, she turned off the lights and headed upstairs to her apartment. She needed to get herself a shower and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day for the French woman.
She turned on the shower and let it run as she undressed. Stepping into the shower a few moments later, Charlotte let the warm water wash away the aches in her shoulders and back. Lifting books all day was a workout. She should have taken a bath to rest her feet, but she too often fell asleep in the bathtub. She rested her forehead against the tile with a heavy sigh.
It was really beginning to overwhelm her. The shop, the constant work, it was wearing her out. She was up early and up late every day. Averaging about four hours of sleep a night, she was wearing thin. She was going to have to get some help soon or she was going to have to cut back hours that she was open. She made enough to have a fairly good profit, so she could afford to hire someone to help, but it was hard to find someone that she trusted that wasn’t already committed elsewhere.
She wished that Fleur would work with her, but Charlotte hadn’t been able to get the guts to ask her. She was a proud woman and asking for help was hard for her. She wanted to stand on her own two feet, even if they hurt at the end of the day. Fleur would eventually understand, or she wouldn’t notice. She would be so busy with her job at Hogwarts and assistant teaching that she would probably forget all about Charlie. Oh, she wouldn’t mean to, but sometimes Charlie wondered what it was about her that made her so forgettable. She laved shampoo between her hands before running those hands through her blonde hair. It was late; the Leaky would probably just be closing, if it was open again at all.
Her mind wandered to Seamus for a long moment, seeing his face in her mind and hearing his voice in her ear. She liked the way that he said her name. There was always genuine warmth that made her feel appreciated and… Beautiful. She sighed softly before she shook her head, time to go back to work, brain.
****************************************************************************************************************
Diagon Alley, during the day, was a hustling, bustling center of activity. Busy witches and wizards walking to and fro, replenishing supplies, indulging in a sweet treat, catching up on the day's gossip. But at night, the empty shop windows and lonely cobbled streets looked very much like their counterparts in dark Knockturn Alley. Aurors patrolled the street here, much as they did in Hogsmeade. Still, once the fog rolled in and the night became quiet, vigilance was often forgotten.
For three dark figures loitering in the shadows, such laxity was a blessing. As the night patrol passed by, headed toward the far end of the street, one figure detached itself from the shadows and stepped cautiously out into the street. He stood watching for several silent heartbeats then slipped the rest of the way across to a shop front they'd spent all day and night staking out. A couple murmured spells, a tense moment as the latch clicked softly, and then he was in. Another spell assured him all was quiet and he stepped back out into the street to signal for his companions to join him.
"You get the stuff," he hissed lowly as the other two joined him.
"Yeah, took forever though," a female voice answered him, accompanied by the faint click of something like a marble rolling around in a metal tube. "Apparently I still look like a kid. Had to get this lug to go in and buy it."
The big lug grunted in response, already moving towards where a table and chairs had been set-up for the next day's event at the store. A jar of quills stood on the other side of the table, several bottles of ink lined up in an orderly row alongside. There were piles of books stacked neatly on the table and a couple more on the floor beside it. From the cover of each a polished blonde man smiled winningly up at them. The same man smiled down benevolently from a large promotional poster behind the display as well.
"Leave that to me," the first man, who seemed to be the leader, snapped. Indicating the shelves behind him, he gave the 'lug' a push. "Take care of those. Just bring 'em all down. You," he indicated the woman, "put those artist's skills you claim to work."
Dismissing the others to their tasks, the leader stepped over to the table. After examining it for several moments of still silence, he suddenly reached out with both hands and toppled it over onto its side, sending books flying. Several slashing hexes later most of the volumes lay torn in piles on the floor. The sound of the rest of the bookshelves toppling over accompanied a final slashing hex that tore the poster on the wall in two, severing the blonde man's head from his neck.
They worked quickly, taking only a matter of a couple minutes to leave the bookshop in chaos. In addition to the damage done the event table, not a bookshelf remained standing, chairs in reading nooks were slashed to shreds, fallen books were trampled upon carelessly and plants thrown about. As they left the store, several quick blasts of energy shattered the windows in front before the sound of three apparition pops were heard.
****************************************************************************************************************
She had to do the order tomorrow after the book signing, perhaps she could sell a few more of Charlie’s paintings too, though she had grown used to their place in her little shop. It was the perfect little place for his visions. She would miss them when they sold, which they eventually would. She could tell that he had talent. She turned to rinse the shampoo out of her hair when her heart leapt into her throat. She heard a few thumps from downstairs, the sounds of the bookcases falling. The water rinsed out the shampoo as she stood there listening for a moment, not hearing anything perhaps she had just been hearing things. She wrung the shampoo out of her hair before she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and then putting her bathrobe on. She was knotting the bathrobe when she heard the shattering glass.
All manner of things ran through her head, Death Eaters? Burglars? She hurried to her room and grabbed her wand, just in case. The water was left running as she descended the stairs to her shop. She listened at the door for a long moment, praying for silence, which was what greeted her. She was hesitant to open the door, her hand resting on the doorknob for a moment before casting the Lumos charm on her wand. She forced herself to open the door and her heart dropped when she saw her shop. Whoever had vandalized it was long gone… A low moan of a sound escaped her as she just sat down heavily on the stairs, her wand slipping from her fingers.
It was ruined, everything was ruined. The books were all over the place, the chairs were shredded. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes locked on the death threat scrawled across the wall and Charlie’s paintings. Everything was topsy-turvy and torn up.
It was then that the anger came spewing from that place deep down in her where it usually hid.
“Lâche, les cochons qui dégoûtent! Vous le cerveau instable, idiot et petit petits porcs!!” (Cowardly, disgusting pigs! You unstable, idiotic, small brained little swine!!) She growled as she snatched up her wand, flipping on the lights, seeing the true extent of the devastation.
She sent a very strongly worded note to the ministry to send aurors to her shop, that it had been attacked. She double-checked the till, though she had had some idea that this wasn’t about money. She never left a lot of money in it. She frowned as she saw the money in the till. This was serious. There was a death threat scrawled on her wall and she didn’t understand why. Their purpose was written clearly on the wall behind the event table, in red spray paint which shone like blood over the wall.
Death to Death Eaters. Death to their Supporters.
Charlotte spent a good deal of time explaining what she had heard. No she didn’t have any enemies, no she barely knew anyone here. She was new. She was unsure of what any of this meant. Hell, she didn’t even know Lucius’ whole history. She was just hosting a book signing with a popular author. They gave her no indication as to when they would get the time to properly investigate this vandalism with the active investigations into the werewolf attacks and the attack at the Leaky. She was low on the priority list. Once they were gone, she sighed, looking around at the mess she was left with. The anger boiled in her and she fueled it into going upstairs, and getting dressed. She then started to clean up the mess that had been made, but not before taking a moment to put a friendly little warning in her journal.
To the pigs that vandalized my shop, I will not be intimidated by cowardly terrorists!
La vie longue le français.
((Special Thanks to JL for helping me!))
Time: Extremely late in the evening, after 11:00pm
Location: Trésor Littéraire
Characters Involved: Charlotte Aurelius and Various NPCs
Rating: PG-13?
Charlotte was a busy bee, getting her shop ready for the signing the next afternoon. She hoped that it would allow her to gauge where to take her business in the future. She also hoped that the book signing would allow her to attract other authors to her little shop. The flyers had been distributed and there had been a few curious passersby. She wasn’t entirely sure what to think of the somewhat negative feedback (mostly in looks) that she had received.
She had seen a sharp decline in business since the Leaky Cauldron had been attacked, though that was understandable. She didn’t take it personally. She finished the set-up table, pushing her hair out of her face with a small sigh. She really needed a helper in the shop or she was going to work herself to death. After fussing with the quills for a moment, she looked around the shop.
She tidied up the little things that made a big difference, straightening chairs and the like. Once she was satisfied with the state of the shop, she turned off the lights and headed upstairs to her apartment. She needed to get herself a shower and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day for the French woman.
She turned on the shower and let it run as she undressed. Stepping into the shower a few moments later, Charlotte let the warm water wash away the aches in her shoulders and back. Lifting books all day was a workout. She should have taken a bath to rest her feet, but she too often fell asleep in the bathtub. She rested her forehead against the tile with a heavy sigh.
It was really beginning to overwhelm her. The shop, the constant work, it was wearing her out. She was up early and up late every day. Averaging about four hours of sleep a night, she was wearing thin. She was going to have to get some help soon or she was going to have to cut back hours that she was open. She made enough to have a fairly good profit, so she could afford to hire someone to help, but it was hard to find someone that she trusted that wasn’t already committed elsewhere.
She wished that Fleur would work with her, but Charlotte hadn’t been able to get the guts to ask her. She was a proud woman and asking for help was hard for her. She wanted to stand on her own two feet, even if they hurt at the end of the day. Fleur would eventually understand, or she wouldn’t notice. She would be so busy with her job at Hogwarts and assistant teaching that she would probably forget all about Charlie. Oh, she wouldn’t mean to, but sometimes Charlie wondered what it was about her that made her so forgettable. She laved shampoo between her hands before running those hands through her blonde hair. It was late; the Leaky would probably just be closing, if it was open again at all.
Her mind wandered to Seamus for a long moment, seeing his face in her mind and hearing his voice in her ear. She liked the way that he said her name. There was always genuine warmth that made her feel appreciated and… Beautiful. She sighed softly before she shook her head, time to go back to work, brain.
****************************************************************************************************************
Diagon Alley, during the day, was a hustling, bustling center of activity. Busy witches and wizards walking to and fro, replenishing supplies, indulging in a sweet treat, catching up on the day's gossip. But at night, the empty shop windows and lonely cobbled streets looked very much like their counterparts in dark Knockturn Alley. Aurors patrolled the street here, much as they did in Hogsmeade. Still, once the fog rolled in and the night became quiet, vigilance was often forgotten.
For three dark figures loitering in the shadows, such laxity was a blessing. As the night patrol passed by, headed toward the far end of the street, one figure detached itself from the shadows and stepped cautiously out into the street. He stood watching for several silent heartbeats then slipped the rest of the way across to a shop front they'd spent all day and night staking out. A couple murmured spells, a tense moment as the latch clicked softly, and then he was in. Another spell assured him all was quiet and he stepped back out into the street to signal for his companions to join him.
"You get the stuff," he hissed lowly as the other two joined him.
"Yeah, took forever though," a female voice answered him, accompanied by the faint click of something like a marble rolling around in a metal tube. "Apparently I still look like a kid. Had to get this lug to go in and buy it."
The big lug grunted in response, already moving towards where a table and chairs had been set-up for the next day's event at the store. A jar of quills stood on the other side of the table, several bottles of ink lined up in an orderly row alongside. There were piles of books stacked neatly on the table and a couple more on the floor beside it. From the cover of each a polished blonde man smiled winningly up at them. The same man smiled down benevolently from a large promotional poster behind the display as well.
"Leave that to me," the first man, who seemed to be the leader, snapped. Indicating the shelves behind him, he gave the 'lug' a push. "Take care of those. Just bring 'em all down. You," he indicated the woman, "put those artist's skills you claim to work."
Dismissing the others to their tasks, the leader stepped over to the table. After examining it for several moments of still silence, he suddenly reached out with both hands and toppled it over onto its side, sending books flying. Several slashing hexes later most of the volumes lay torn in piles on the floor. The sound of the rest of the bookshelves toppling over accompanied a final slashing hex that tore the poster on the wall in two, severing the blonde man's head from his neck.
They worked quickly, taking only a matter of a couple minutes to leave the bookshop in chaos. In addition to the damage done the event table, not a bookshelf remained standing, chairs in reading nooks were slashed to shreds, fallen books were trampled upon carelessly and plants thrown about. As they left the store, several quick blasts of energy shattered the windows in front before the sound of three apparition pops were heard.
****************************************************************************************************************
She had to do the order tomorrow after the book signing, perhaps she could sell a few more of Charlie’s paintings too, though she had grown used to their place in her little shop. It was the perfect little place for his visions. She would miss them when they sold, which they eventually would. She could tell that he had talent. She turned to rinse the shampoo out of her hair when her heart leapt into her throat. She heard a few thumps from downstairs, the sounds of the bookcases falling. The water rinsed out the shampoo as she stood there listening for a moment, not hearing anything perhaps she had just been hearing things. She wrung the shampoo out of her hair before she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and then putting her bathrobe on. She was knotting the bathrobe when she heard the shattering glass.
All manner of things ran through her head, Death Eaters? Burglars? She hurried to her room and grabbed her wand, just in case. The water was left running as she descended the stairs to her shop. She listened at the door for a long moment, praying for silence, which was what greeted her. She was hesitant to open the door, her hand resting on the doorknob for a moment before casting the Lumos charm on her wand. She forced herself to open the door and her heart dropped when she saw her shop. Whoever had vandalized it was long gone… A low moan of a sound escaped her as she just sat down heavily on the stairs, her wand slipping from her fingers.
It was ruined, everything was ruined. The books were all over the place, the chairs were shredded. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes locked on the death threat scrawled across the wall and Charlie’s paintings. Everything was topsy-turvy and torn up.
It was then that the anger came spewing from that place deep down in her where it usually hid.
“Lâche, les cochons qui dégoûtent! Vous le cerveau instable, idiot et petit petits porcs!!” (Cowardly, disgusting pigs! You unstable, idiotic, small brained little swine!!) She growled as she snatched up her wand, flipping on the lights, seeing the true extent of the devastation.
She sent a very strongly worded note to the ministry to send aurors to her shop, that it had been attacked. She double-checked the till, though she had had some idea that this wasn’t about money. She never left a lot of money in it. She frowned as she saw the money in the till. This was serious. There was a death threat scrawled on her wall and she didn’t understand why. Their purpose was written clearly on the wall behind the event table, in red spray paint which shone like blood over the wall.
Death to Death Eaters. Death to their Supporters.
Charlotte spent a good deal of time explaining what she had heard. No she didn’t have any enemies, no she barely knew anyone here. She was new. She was unsure of what any of this meant. Hell, she didn’t even know Lucius’ whole history. She was just hosting a book signing with a popular author. They gave her no indication as to when they would get the time to properly investigate this vandalism with the active investigations into the werewolf attacks and the attack at the Leaky. She was low on the priority list. Once they were gone, she sighed, looking around at the mess she was left with. The anger boiled in her and she fueled it into going upstairs, and getting dressed. She then started to clean up the mess that had been made, but not before taking a moment to put a friendly little warning in her journal.
To the pigs that vandalized my shop, I will not be intimidated by cowardly terrorists!
La vie longue le français.
((Special Thanks to JL for helping me!))