In Your Memory

[Cairo Savage]

The issues between Rome and the Slytherin quidditch team had started Cairo's fifth year on the wrong foot and it was last thing he needed. His OWLs were that year and focusing on them was supposed to be his top priority, rather than being sucked into drama surrounding a quidditch team he wasn't even part of. Ideally he should have been able to ignore it all and withdraw himself from the situation, but he couldn't exactly do that because Rome was involved. His other half, and the only person he properly trusted in the world had been put on the bench for years and worked hard to no avail, only to be removed from the team and insulted by the captains during try outs. He felt like it was not only his obligation, but his duty to get some answers and figure out what was going on, both for Rome's sake, and for his own. He couldn't exactly continue speaking to Charlotte like nothing had happened either, considering what Rome had told him about her actions that day. He thought it would be better to put everything out in the open and confront Charlotte in order to figure out exactly what happened.

So he had passed a note to Charlotte during class that afternoon, telling her to meet him in the abandoned classroom during dinner, knowing the room would be empty and they would be safe from eavesdroppers. He arrived to the room early, pulling the sleeves of his robes over his hands to keep warm before wiping some dust from one of the desks and sitting down. As he waited for his friend to arrive he ran his hands through his hair, attempting to distract himself from his nerves towards the conversation he was about to have.​

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[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte had started off her fifth year with a blast. Despite everything that had happened last year and her breakup with James, the Slytherin was in a very good mood. She was rightly appointed prefect too which had gained her confidence more than anything and also her liking for Professor Styx. However, she was still unadmittedly afraid of him and nothing was going to change that. On the bright side, Charlotte was able to talk to her friends again after the holidays. When she had received a note during one of her first classes of the year to meet Cairo in the abandoned classroom at dinner, she was ecstatic. He probably wanted to tell her what a great holiday he had and she would gladly tell him about hers too.

Dinner took quite a long time to come around, and when it finally did, Charlotte quickly dropped off her school bag and skipped all the way up to the abandoned classroom, wondering why Cairo had wanted to meet her at such a specific time and place. When she had made it there, the girl slowly opened the door, and once she saw Cairo, she beamed. "Cairo!" she exclaimed, resisting the urge to run up and hug him. He was sitting at one of the desks. "How was your holidays? Did you know Professor Styx made me a prefect? Who would ever think he would do such a thing!?" She chuckled, but her smile quickly disappeared when she noticed Cairo's demeanor. He looked nervous as he ran his fingers through his hair and it suddenly made Charlotte concerned. The girl walked over to him and sat down in another one of the many chairs around the room. "Why did you ask me to come here?" she asked tentatively, feeling as if she might as well have been called to the headmaster's office.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Cairo nearly jumped at the sound of Charlotte exclaiming his name. Though he resisted the urge to even react to her greeting, keeping his eyes fixated to the floor as he attempted to conjure what he was supposed to say. Charlotte was evidently happy, and if it weren't for the issues Rome brought up with him, he would have celebrated her title as prefect and listened to her talk about her holidays as any friend should. But her words were instead nothing but white noise to him, second to Rome's words about her actions as they replayed in his mind. Even her presence was secondary to his thoughts until she asked him why he had asked her to meet with him that evening. At that prompting Cairo swallowed audibly, removing his hands from his hair before looking up to Charlotte and trying his best to speak to her in a blunt manner with a neutral, although cold expression. "What happened with you and Rome at the try outs?" He asked, blue eyes staring directly into hers. This was serious. Cairo expected nothing but honesty and also expected Charlotte to comply to that.​

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[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte felt her heart beating against her chest as she waited for a reply from her friend. He didn't even seem happy to see her and she couldn't help but frown, hoping it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. Maybe he was moving schools and was really upset that he couldn't be in the same class as her anymore? She tried to think positive as she watched him remove his hands from his hair and begin to speak. But the sound of his voice just made her heart beat with even more rhythm. Rome had obviously told him her side of the story and how it was all Charlotte and Alana's fault that she wasn't playing quidditch anymore and Charlotte began feeling scared. What did Rome say to Cairo about her? Surely Cairo knew how untrustworthy his sister was? "W-what?" Her voice trembled and it took her a moment to realise that he wanted the full story of what had happened. With a deep breath, she gave it to him.

"Rome has been... well... quite unfair to both Alana and I." she began, trying her best not to accidentally say anything bad about Cairo's twin. "She gave, not only us, but the whole team an unpleasant experience and I think Alana made her an alternate for that reason. As for making her try out again, that's just the rules and all the other alternates had to do that too, which they did. She was just being uneasy about it and calling Alana and I names. I stood up for us and told Rome that if she didn't want to tryout that she should just leave. But as for why Rome was picked to be an alternate in the first place, I don't know. I think maybe that's something for her and Alana to fix themselves." Charlotte sighed, looking up at Cairo, hoping he would trust her. They had been friends for so long, even after everything that had happened, and the last thing Charlotte wanted was for Rome to ruin it.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Cairo kept his gaze to Charlotte's face, scanning her expression for any sign of dishonesty as she relayed her side of the story to him. Charlotte was his friend, he trusted that she would tell him the truth. But he also trusted that Rome had told him the truth as well, and couldn't help but tilt his head in an almost accusing manner when Charlotte finished her story. Her side sounded more like an opinion, than of the facts he was searching for and it blatantly excluded the part where Rome's quidditch abilities were insulted. Whether this was because Charlotte didn't think to mention it, if she was covering it up, or if it didn't happen at all and Rome had exaggerated he was unsure, but that was exactly what he was there to find out. "Did you at any point, tell Rome 'if she was a good player, then she wouldn't need to try out again'?" As he asked the question, he slid his hands to the edge of the desk he was sitting on, gripping it until his knuckles began to turn white underneath his sleeves. There were many more thoughts in his mind that he was tempted to share, but he chose to hold back and wait until he understood both Rome's and Charlotte's side and could grasp an idea of what really happened on the pitch to have caused so many problems.​

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[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte felt both scared and intimidated. The girl hadn't felt such a way since her first year when she found herself in Styx's office for the first time. It was the only thing close to the current situation she was in and Charlotte had hoped that her side of the story was good enough for Cairo to believe, or even consider. Charlotte respected that he could have his own opinion. Maybe he'd take both sides and try to come up with a logical solution, even though Charlotte's was obviously the more reliable? She didn't expect him to believe everything she said, but for him to believe that Charlotte was just trying to stand up for a friend was all she wanted out of it. She in no way intended to start a fight and would take the whole conflict back if she could.

Cairo's next question made Charlotte furious. What kind of stupid story had Rome made up? The prefect clenched her fists and resisted the urge to punch a hole in the desk in front of her. Furious was an understatement. "That was not what I said!" she exclaimed defensively, her cheeks going red with anger. "I told her that she wouldn't have a problem with trying out again if she thought she was good. I didn't say anything about her abilities to play, because I honestly don't care. Rome always twists her words and you should know that." Charlotte looked up at Cairo with desperation in her eyes. For once in her life she felt like crying and running away. Having friends was always the most important thing in Charlotte's life and losing those that were close to her had to be her worst nightmare.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Charlotte began to act furious, clenching her hands into fists at her sides and Cairo did not now how he should interpret the action. He had never seen someone so usually characterized by cheerfulness that always had a loving smile on their face react so harshly to something, and although it might mean she was telling the complete truth, it could have also meant she was acting to cover up the truth. Cairo could not read minds but he was attempting to be analytical, to assess the situation from a third party perspective and gather enough information so he could form an understanding of what really happened during the try outs. It meant he couldn't just believe her, nor Rome until he had heard every side of the story. "Charlotte, I am aware more than anyone that Rome twists things to her benefit. But she would not lie to me, ever." He said, keeping his tone and expression as neutral as he could despite the stress an frustration building in his gut. "You've seen the side of her that she wants you to see. I know more about her than anyone, and I know she would not twist her story to me." Rome would always tell him the truth, and Cairo believed it. He was sure Charlotte would believe her family if she was in a similar situation and hoped that through her frustration, she was attempting to understand his reaction to everything. "Do you see how what you said to Rome could be interpreted as an insult to her ability to play quidditch?" He then asked, wanting to understand further but fearing that he might not ever be able to understand where Charlotte was coming from. "If you were in Rome's situation, and had worked hard, but been benched year after year, would you react similarly to the way she did?"​

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[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte did not know what to think anymore. It felt like her head was spinning in circles on her shoulders and at any minute it would fall off and something inside of her would explode, just like if she was a volcano. She could feel her anger rise every second the conversation went on. The fact that Cairo believed Rome would never lie to him was unbelievable. Had she really brainwashed him to the point where he didn't even believe Charlotte anymore? The prefect was unsure whether or not his questions were rhetorical, but she tried her best to answer them anyway. "No." she said simply. "I wouldn't give up and react so rudely. Instead, I would keep trying." Charlotte tried her best to calm down, slowing her breathing. It wasn't Charlotte's fault that Alana didn't want Rome on the team and she was not going to be persuaded otherwise by Cairo. The whole situation made Charlotte unsure whether or not he was ever her friend. Perhaps he was being used by Rome the whole time to spy on her? "Cairo, are you still my friend?" she asked tentatively, her eyes watering as she tried not to cry. Her biggest fear was losing him forever all because of Rome.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Charlotte's reaction only escalated and Cairo began to feel a pang in his chest at having caused it. But he continued to keep his expression neutral, watching Charlotte closely and taking in her response all while resisting the urge to reach out and hug her, and tell her that everything would be alright. Though he knew that if he did tell her that it would be a lie, and he trusted Charlotte enough not to lie to her in the same way he lied to everyone else to protect himself. Her question of if they were still friends made the pang in his chest even worse, but still he kept his expression emotionless, knowing that through how stressful the conversation was, and how it seemed he would inevitably need to let Charlotte go for Rome's sake, he needed to remain calm. He cleared his throat before answering her question honestly. "No. After what has happened, I can't continue to be your friend." He said, choosing not to elaborate and say this was for Rome's sake as he stood up from the desk, and averted his gaze to the floor while swiping away the dust that had settled on his robes. Rome was his twin, his kindred spirit. She would always be his number one and he would sacrifice anything to keep her happy, even if it was a friendship he cherished more than he would ever admit. "Thank you for meeting with me today." Cairo added, keeping his gaze on the floor, worried that if he looked at Charlotte again his emotionless reverie would break and he would apologize to her for his actions.​

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