* * *

Hattie jumped up in fright. Her breathing was heavy and jagged, like she was tugging a tonne of bricks up a hill every time she exhaled and her sweat huddled together groups on her face and clogged her brows. Her whole body was shaking and her arms, well they hurt like hell.

Her eyes trailed down to her sheets; tainted in blood and smudged onto her arms. Her arms. Like a torn up piece of paper, they were ripped open and dripping with blood.

Scream. All of Hattie could do was scream, tears mixed with sweat as she did so. Charlus burst into the room and stood horrified for a brief moment before starting over to her and scooping her up into his arms.

"I didn't do this, Charlie, I didn't. I promise," she sobbed into his chest.

Charlie held her close, running his fingers through her hair and stared down at the blood. "Then how did this happen, baby girl?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, "I had a bad dream and then I woke up like this."

The man sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood up. "Look, I'm not angry. But over the past few nights this has kept happening. Darling, please tell me the truth."

Truth be told. Charlie couldn't comprehend it all. He thought that when he agreed to look after Hattie that this would be a breeze because she and he are so close. But it hasn't been. And, even though he doubted that Hattie realised, but she had become a little bratty. If she didn't want what he suggested for dinner she would refuse to eat it. She wouldn't want to let Charlie work, instead, she would want to mess around with the dragons and make it harder for Charlie. She wouldn't go to sleep when Charlie  told it was time to.

And worst of all.

She would sneak out in the night. Countless of times he would go in and check on her and find her bed empty. He would the traipse the local area and find her wandering the streets or sat on a bench and sometimes in the dragons enclosure unsupervised.

Charlie couldn't keep biting his tongue, he didn't want to get angry at her, not after last time. But, he couldn't let this continue and he has woken up to her crying and her arms bleeding for the past three nights.

Something isn't right.

"Hattie, please. I'm trying my best here. What is going on?" He asked her.

"I don't know!" She shouted at him, her voice nothing like ever before. It was dripping with venom, so much so you it would be enough for twelve snakes to have.

Charlie flicked his wand and stopped the blessing and her arms were wrapped in bandages within seconds and the blood was gone from the sheets. "Just go to sleep." He muttered, leaving the room exhausted and fed up. But he didn't return to his room.

No. He made his way to the kitchen, made himself a coffee because he so badly needed one. He then wrote a letter. A very short one. One contains three words that contained so much emotion and made him hate himself yet he couldn't hide it anymore. It was eating him alive, affecting his work and he felt like utter crap but no matter how much it hurt him, nothing hurt him more than writing those three words.

I can't cope.

He signed it and slipped it into an envelope just as a tear rolled down his cheek. His hands shook as he handed the letter to his owl and said, "to Bill."

As the owl faded into the distance, the stars shining above him, Charlie collapsed in his seat. His head fell into his hands and the tears never seized. The next few hours ticked by painfully slow, but thankfully apparation wasn't.

Bill received the letter hours later and immediately as he read those three simple yet so meaningful words he left his home with a crack!

"Char, mate, what do you mean by this?" Bill held up the letter which forced his brother to look up through his red, puffy eyes.

"Exactly what it says, dumbarse."

Bill shook his head in disbelief, "why? What's happened?"

He took a seat beside his brother and listened to everything he had to say. It didn't seem possible that Hattie would act this way. She was never a "problem" child, she never played up or got bratty and for a child of the most dramatic man in the world she was the calmest girl in the world.

"I just... I just can't do it anymore, Bill, she's too much," it broke his heart choking those words out. It felt as though he was failing and that he was hurting himself.

Bill understood, "I'll take her home now, can you floo her stuff over later?"

Charlie nodded, "I'll be in the garden..." he mumbled, trudging out of the house before he had finished.

Bill hurried up the stairs and quietly entered Hattie's room. The girl wasn't asleep, instead she was reading Peter Pan. The girl glanced up and looked at Bill like he had three heads. "You're coming home, darling," he said before she could even say anything.

"No." Said Hattie firmly, slamming her book shut.

Bill rose his eyebrows at her, "yes, Hattie. C'mon." He reached our for her hand and she slapped it away. "Hattie. You're coming with me. Now. Whether you like it or not."

Oh how strange it felt. He had never spoken to her like this and it felt so unnatural, so very forced and quite disgusting to be frank.

"I said no!" Hattie shouted throwing her book at Bill. It ripped. The cover got caught on the zip of Bill's jacket and the book tore, pages ripping and falling onto the floor into a pile randomly.

Bill wasted not time and picked the girl up, flinging her over his shoulder and he disapparated to the marauder house. Hattie could have gotten splinched from her kicking and punching but thankfully didn't but did cause a scene in the living room in front of all of the marauders, Lily, Harry and Lyall.

"Bill, why have you got Hattie?" Asked Harry as Hattie got set on her feet and waddled over to Remus for a cuddle. She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

"I'll explain later. She needs to sleep."

"No."

"C'mon, if you don't want to sleep let me show you something," said Harry holding his hand out for her. She took it and followed him out of the room leaving the rest to listen to Bill's explanation which he would be sure to find out about later. Hattie held onto his hand tightly and followed him despite not caring that much. What was going on?