BITTER DREAMS
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Harry Potter should not have been there, in the middle of London at two AM, standing in a red telephone box, hidden by his Invisibility Cloak. His hands hovered by the phone as he took a deep breath. He had dialled the number, now he just had to make the call.

The previous evening he had gotten news, via Potterwatch, that the Order had smuggled two 'unnamed' prisoners from Malfoy Manor, one being a witch, the other being a muggle. He had known instantly, and burst into laughter, rambling the news to Ron and Hermione who both smiled and they celebrated with red wine that Kreacher brought up from the kitchen.

Harry thought he would get a good night's sleep after that. He was wrong. Instead, he lay awake, longing for Charlotte Cardleman more than ever before, and he couldn't stand not seeing her- not telling her. So, he had headed out, and now here he was, at a telephone box, being completely selfish and reckless and making the call. Perhaps finishing two bottles of said wine was a bad idea.

It rang five, six, seven times and he began to worry that she would not answer at this hour. But on the eight ring, she picked up the phone, and he could hear her sitting up in bed.

"Hello?" she said, and her voice voice groggy. His heart soared. He could almost picture her, messy blonde hair, blinking blue eyes, Spice Girls pyjamas... "Who the hell is this calling at 2am?"

"Charlotte?" Harry said, and his voice was quiet, tentative.

Silence.

"Harry?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god," Charlotte replied, her voice shaky in disbelief. "I love you. I love you, I love you."

"I love you too," he told her, and it felt like a weight off his shoulders. He could feel his blood pumping in his veins as his heart rattled in its cage. "Merlin, I shouldn't be doing this- the charms on your house are intact?"

"Yes, it's not a problem but- how did you know I was home?" Charlotte asked, in a hushed whisper. Probably because her family was asleep.

"Potterwatch-" he heard her snigger over the line. "I didn't choose the name! It's a pirate radio station, they mentioned the Order smuggling out prisoners and I knew it was you and Zara. So, here we are."

"Here we are. It was Theodore who-"

"Can you do me a favour?" he said quickly, feeling slightly rude but unapologetic. "Don't tell me anything you wouldn't want the enemy to know."

"Why? You're not the enemy."

"I know, but You-Know-Who's mind, I can sort of get in it," Harry explained, tentatively. "There's a weird kind of link- so don't tell me any compromising information, in case-"

"Okay. I understand."

"So, how are you?"

"Missing you," Charlotte answered. "I can't wait to see you again. So, make sure you come back to me in one piece and not ten."

"Or seven," Harry said, glumly, thinking about the overwhelming task he had ahead of him. He wouldn't see Charlotte until it was done.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Harry quickly corrected himself. "I miss you too, Lottie. So much. Life has been miserable without you- if you could even call this a life."

"It'll all be over soon," she told him, and he could feel himself relax with her words. "You'll finish this, I believe in you. Whatever it is, you'll do it."

"I will," he agreed. "I have to. I have to see you."

"You will, babe," Charlotte said, her voice cracking slightly. "I can't believe it's really you."

"Yeah, you shouldn't believe it, honestly," Harry said, matter of factly. "You should have a security question, so you know for sure that the person you're speaking to is truly who you think."

"Alright," Charlotte said. "Who's my favourite Disney princess?"

"Well, you don't really need one now. It's a bit late-"

"Romeo-"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. It was the first time in a long time. "Cinderella."

"Perfect," Charlotte said, with a laugh. A beautiful sound, even in her husky morning voice. "Best boyfriend ever."

"I love you," he said. "I only had enough change for three minutes. Don't tell anybody I called okay? This is a one off. I just had to tell you I love you."

"I won't," Charlotte sighed. "I love you too, Romeo. Miss you loads."

"Miss you too," he sighed, glancing down at his watch. "I have to go. Sweet dreams."

"When will I see you again?"

The line went dead before he could answer.

~

Charlotte felt cold as soon as he was gone. She wished she could somehow call back but a phone box is only one way. She had expected herself to feel happy once the call was done, giddy and love drunk as he always made her feel but instead she felt an overwhelming misery. No tears escaped her eyes. It had been weeks since her escape. Yet only now was this pain arriving.

It was then that she became aware of noise in the house, somebody being sick in the bathroom. Charlotte got out of bed and went to her father's room, where he sat with his head in his hands. She knocked gently on the open door.

"What's wrong with Gretel?" she asked, trying to ignore the lady's retching.

"I wouldn't know," he sighed as she sat down on the bed beside him. "She won't talk to me. You should be in bed."

"I got woken up by a phone call," she said, looking down at her lap.

"Who was it? he asked.

"Just a wrong number," she lied, chewing her lip. She looked back at her dad, his face weary and apparently twenty years older than it was in the spring, and kissed his forehead, before hugging him tightly. "Love you."

"Love you too, Charlie," he said, stroking her hair. "You're so strong."

"I'm not," Charlotte said, pulling away.

"You are," he said. "You're like your mother. Strong, and brave, and beautiful, and kind. I remember when she first told me that she was pregnant. I was shitting myself-"

"Dad!"

"Strong language is important here- it's all I was using," he laughed. "We were young, I was scared, and she just wasn't. I remember her saying to me: 'Richard, I'm doing this whether you stay or go.' and she wasn't lying. If I'd have walked away she would've coped just fine, I'm sure. But I had a masculine ego and I loved her. When a boy loves a girl he'd do anything to help her, protect her. That's what a real man should do. Drop everything else and just-"

Before Charlotte could argue that there's no such thing as what a 'real man should do' and that girls can help and protect themselves anyway, Gretel entered the room, hair wet from a shower and flopped down on the kingsized bed next to Charlotte, holding her stomach and looking pale.

"You alright?" Charlotte asked her, awkwardly. Gretel opened one eye.

"No," she said, plainly, and there was a moment of silence before the two ladies began to laugh. Charlotte's father seemed confused, but stayed quiet. "Just a bit of sick, that's all."

"I could give you some of my potions-"

"No," both adults said at the same time, making her feel slightly stupid.

"I'm afraid it might..." Gretel scrunched up her nose in thought. "Maybe it will mess something up."

"And besides, you need to make sure you have every last dose of those potions," Richard added. "When you're supposed to, how you're supposed to."

"Isn't it equally as important she gets her rest, Rich?" Gretel added with a chuckle. "Last I checked it was one AM."

"Two-twenty-one, actually," Charlotte said, checking the digital alarm clock on her father's desk, before switching to the caricature of an english accent and standing up. "But alright, mother, I'll pop off to bed and see you in the morning- ta ta!"

As soon as she was alone in her room once more, she climbed into bed with a smile on her face, only for the smile to fall. The darkness reminded her of the Malfoy cellar. Most nights, she would fall asleep while it was still light, and awake after the sun to avoid this. This was usually simple, for the summer hours accommodated these habits but now she felt too...

Charlotte sat up once more, the floorboards cool against her bare feet and walked towards the window. As she opened the curtain she expected the orange glow of streetlights, but the city was no more. Instead she got the dim light of sparse stars. She wondered if Harry was gazing at the same ones.

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Hi everyone!

I was listening to Hurts by LANY on repeat while writing this chapter- it's new on the "romeo" playlist which is available on my spotify @imconfunded (also theres a nice lil plug for my side acc how cute).

also how are you all, I hope you're well. and i also hope yOURE FUCKING APPRECIATIVE OF THE HARLOTTE FLUFF YOU GOT IN THIS CHAPTER BC THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO HAPPEN IM BREAKING MANY RULES FOR YOU

QOTD: best ways to calm down???
AOTD: idk im in dire need of assistance!!!11!1

-Amber Sweetwine.