The Second Sock of a Pair

[charlesmacaulay.livejournal.com]

((Part 2 of this.))


Bunny sat down in an overstuffed wing chair by the Common Room fireplace. "You interest me strangely, Chas, old thing," he said, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankle, his chubby fingers steepling over his sweater vest. "What happened between you two, anyway? I know something did."

Charles joined him, sitting easily in the matching chair opposite. "I tried to shoot him."

Bunny snorted. "Tried? What'd you do, miss?"

Charles nodded, his golden hair glinting in the firelight. "Yes. I shot Richard by accident. And then Henry got hold of the gun and killed himself." He shook his head. "Too bad it didn't take."

Bunny laughed, softly. "Well, well, Chas, what did he do to you? Or was it more about what he did with Camilla?"

Charles looked at him sharply. He'd forgotten, they all had, that Bunny sometimes had this sort of low cunning, was able to pull secrets almost out of the air. Usually Bunny couldn't match the intellect of a wet doughnut. That was why it was so shocking, and scary, when he hit close to the mark. "Camilla was part of it," he admitted, aware that evasion now would only feed Bunny's paranoia, which wouldn't do at all. "Mostly it was that Henry was trying to set me up, frame me for murder - and do me in as well. He needed a fall guy, you know? Originally I think it was to have been Richard, but then I got in the way."

"Richard." Bunny fingered his lower lip. "Henry was setting him up?" He thought about that, light flickering eerily off his glasses, rendering them opaque. "No, I don't buy that. He wasn't at the bacchanal either."

"Not for the bacchanal. For your murder, Bunny." Charles watched the fire, framing his words carefully. "It was his idea, you know. Nobody else would have thought of it. Milly and I - we argued with him about it. So did Francis. So did Richard, come to that. But in the end - we always did what Henry said, didn't we?" He leaned forward suddenly, jamming his fingers into his hair. "God, Bunny - I know it was worse for you, don't think I don't know that - but it was awful, the worst thing I've ever felt, watching you go over that cliff, knowing I'd colluded, knowing what we'd become. I knew my life was ruined in that moment, and there wasn't anything I could do except watch it slip away." He looked up at Bunny then, gray eyes wide and somehow vulnerable. "Believe me, if there was anything I could have done in that moment to save you - to take it all back, to stop what was happening - I would have taken your place if I thought it would help."

Bunny's expression was unreadable. "But you didn't stop it, Charles. You didn't do anything."

"I know."

There was a long silence, then Bunny spoke again. "So what do you have in mind?"

Charles' expression was carefully sober. "I've been doing some reading in the library, and I came across a spell: Obliviate. It's a memory-erasing charm." He did not suggest what it might be used for.

"If we can't get rid of Henry physically... get rid of his mind. Diabolical." Bunny grinned. "I like it." He thought some more. "What about an alibi?"

Charles let the ends of his mouth lift slightly; he couldn't help it. It was working out well so far. But it wouldn't pay to be too clever about this. He shrugged. "I don't know, Bun. What do you think?"

Bunny, after a contemplative moment, got to his feet and walked to the Common Room door, waiting. "I think it would be better if we weren't seen together, Charles. I'll be in touch."

After a quick glance to ensure the corridor was empty, Charles nodded and left Slytherin, smiling softly as he made his way back to his room.