Searching, Scavenging

"No...not really...just one other."

Charlotte couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what Bar was singing, they were Muggle songs and she didn't really know any of them but they had good lyrics which confused her, maybe songs were the only good things Muggles could do.

"I hope that wasn't directed at me..."

Charlotte pulled her tongue and held Bar's hand, it was creeping her out and that made her feel a little better.

"You alright? We can go back...if you want."

"Your perspiring. Are you okay?" Barzini said, and started walking back to the path, and then followed it to the brighter one.

"Feeling better? Sorry. Thrill-seeker in me. Take this. Calms the nerves." Barzini said gently and gave her a chocolate frog.

"Godspeed your love to me....

Lonely rivers flow to the sea,
to the sea
to the open arms of the sea
lonely rivers sigh 'wait for me, wait for me'
I'll be coming home wait for me...."Barzini sang sadly.

Charlotte smiled she was happy to be on a lighter path, she didn't really like the fact that she had shown that she wa afraid of the dark but at least it got her away from it. At least he didn't know why. Dropping his hand Charlotte saunted ahead of him on the path.

"Thanks, I just don't do dark enclosed spaces."

Catching the frog Charlotte ate it quickly.

"GIve me any more and I'll turn fat."

Listening to him sing she couldn't help but notice just how sad he sounded...shoe wondered why but kept it to herself, it wasn't her business to pry.

"Why are you singing so sadly...? You don't have to tell me...I know I dont deserve to know. But if you want help, I can do that."

"You tell me why your so afraid of the dark, and I'll tell you why I'm upset."Barzini looked at her curiously.

Barzini offered her a butterbeer and sat down at the foot of a great Oak tree.

Barzini pulled out a muggle sketchbook and pencil, and started sketching the view in front of him.

Humming another tune to himself, "All my bags are packed... I'm ready to go... I'm standing here outside the door... I hate to wake you up... To say goodbye..."

Charlotte took a deep breath and she nodded her head lightly, taking the butterbeer that was offered to her she thought about how best to phrase what she had been through without giving too much away, she didn't know why she was trusting Bar...she just felt like she should.

"I'll tell you...if you promise not to tell another soul..."

She paused a little before taking a sip of her butterbeer and speaking once more.

"My father used to lock me in a cupboard at home, he decided if he'd rather send a wraith in to eat me. Hence the bite marks."

She pointed to her arms where white bite marks stood out.

"Or whether to drain the oxygen slowly out of the room."

With a light shrug Charlotte smiled sadly before taking another sip of butterbeer.

"Your turn Bar."

Barzini was taken aback by her story and his pencil stopped moving over his paper.

"I'm sad to hear. My parents are divorced. Like. Separated. I'm caught, smack right in the middle."Barzini clapped his hands together.

"Its agitating, you know?"Barzini said casually and returned to drawing, and opened his bag of sweets and gestured at them.

"Be my guest."

Charlotte looked at him and tried to imagine how he must be feeling...she couldn't however hard she tried.

"I can't relate to how you're feeling...I never loved my parents but I can imagine to love something then lose it, must be the worst thing in the world."

Taking a sweet and popping it in her mouth she tried to lighten the atmosphere a little.

"Seriously Bar, stop giving me food. I'll get fat."

"HAHA!"Barzini suddenly found that comment amusing and giggled.

"Eat more! It's like a picnic here!" Barzini said cheerfully, and offered her another chocolate.

"Smile, my motto in life. Don't get anyone to the wrong place, that motto." Barzini smiled and turned to face her, sketching her.

He was happy for the first time in the week,,,


Why?

"If you insist."

Charlotte smiled lightly and took another chocolate, popping it into her mouth she let it melt on her tongue, it was oddly nice here if you didn't think about being trapped by trees and surrounded by unseen creatures...she peered over the top of Bar's sketch book to see what he was drawing.

"I hope that's not me..."

She pouted playfully not liking the fact that she was being watched, taking out her own pad she looked carefully at Bar and began to sketch the outline of his face, his hair and his most prominent features.

"Two can play at this game." She giggled

"Don't make me ugly!" Barzini joked, and started to work on her face, giving it shades and smiled.

"You ever been so close to a muggle born?" Barzini said casually.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed.

"You're a Muggle born?"

Her attitude went icy and cold, how dare he not tell her sooner? Charlotte had already started to like him as a friend what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't be seen with him.

"If you are one then the answer is no."

"Yes and no..." Barzini turned to look at her.

"We're a very old wizarding family, but we do everything in Muggle methods. Trains our endurance and all, because muggles do things slowly. Let me ask you. What good is a wizard without his wand in a threatening situation? What are you going to do? Start a fire with your hands and pray a fire shoots out?" Barzini asked logically, watching her closely.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at Bar, getting up from the floor she looked down at him, disgust plain in her eyes, there was simply no way she would be seen with him any more, to be a pure blood and negate the wizarding way was more annoying than just being a Muggle.

"Although your points are correct you can also learn hand to hand combat while embracing the wizarding way of life."

She shook her head and her eyes grew a deeper red colour with her anger.

"Don't be mad. Sit down." Barzini said seriously, and looked at her.

"I'm talking about a wizarding family older than the walls of Hogwarts. You show not the least respect at all?" Barzini said, his voice suddenly changed to that of an authoritative figure.

"But you should visit my home one day. It is like... Sigh..."

Barzini looked into the air, immersed in sudden nostalgia.

"Muggle traditions have good and bad things. We take the good ones. Such as... Little details of peeling potatoes with our hands and peelers until we can do magic. That was what i was referring to. Unless... You have done magic outside school?"Barzini smiled, and returned to drawing.

Charlotte sneered, her lip curling at what he said, obviousy if she said she had done magic outside of school she would get into trouble but if she said that she hadn't used magic outside of school she would be contradicting herself. Reluctantly she sat down on the root of a tree and stared at Bar.

"I have not heard of your family, but then I suppose even my family is famous in some parts not others. That is the way I prefer it, if everyone knew of our talents, I wouldn't be safe. I can see what you are saying, but forgive me, it is not my way."

Bowing her head Charlotte got out her sketch book once more and scrawled heavily in it, trying to vent some of her anger.

"I never much cared for my home, it is a building nothing more."

"I live in a Muggle estate, so if I were to walk around all day with robes on, I think the muggles will have shot me by now."Barzini smiled.

"When in Rome, do what the Romans do. But of course, our windows are enchanted, we do our wizard-ish stuff at the relative safety of our home. Of course, we both know that WE didn't violate any wizarding laws." Barzini said, and handed her the picture he drew.

Below, Barzini made sure he added,

"Equality in Life. Balance in Nature. Strength in Might of Arms -Coat of Arms for the family of Barzini"

"So are you insinuating that I have?"

Charlotte asked with one eyebrow raised but she took the picture, it was lovely, and she was interested to see the coat of arms even if she didn't recognise them.

Handing the book back to him she smiled gently trying to relax her face, Charlotte didn't really want to glare at Bar any more...each family to their own, he shouldn't be persecuted for the views of his parents.

"It's a lovely sketch Bar." Charlotte said kindly

"No, I didn't." Barzini said calmly, and thanked her.

"Maybe you live in a wizarding estate. I don't. But let me make it clear, I do not despise muggles... Because they do come up with lovely stuff."

Barzini took out a muggle chocolate bar snd offered one to her, at the same time, humming a happy tune.

"Somewhere... Beyond the sea..."

Charlotte nodded, she wasn't going to be able to change his mind about the whole Muggle thing, some wizards were just misguided like that, but, if Bar wanted to be a Muggle lover there was nothing Charlotte could do.

"I don't live on an estate, I live in a manor house in Shropshire on my own. Minus my pet Vulture, Hannibal. Do you have a pet?"

She asked trying to take the subject away from this sensitive area.

"Thank you, how many things have you got in that bag?"

"Now that you ask me, I have no idea. I have two dogs, but no more than that." Barzini muttered and overturned his bag.

Chocolates and drinks, both muggle-origin or Wizard-made rolled out.

Barzini's mouth fell open and he said, "Wow."

Charlotte raised her eyebrow at the sweets and rinks that rolled out of his bag, looking at everything she saw some things that she didn't reckognise, picking up a red tin Charlotte looked carefully at this.

"What is coca cola?"

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion and popped the lid on the can, raising it to her lips and taking a small sip of it. Finding that she liked it she drank some more.

"Muggles are useful for something, songs and drink."

Barzini smiled, and nodded.

"I even forgot I had one of those. Thank you for pointing it out. Take some with you." Barzini offered her two bottles and turned the page in his sketchbook.

The view was getting beautiful... The sun's rays penetrating the gaps between the leaves... This must be captured in drawing... Barzini took our a muggle colour-pencil and furiously added colouring to his drawing.

He attacked the sketchbook with a type of vigour and skill that made him look completely different, he was oblivious to the world, his mind was only on one thing. Drawing.

Other than his hand, his mouth was singing as well.

"I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world."

Sighing gently Charlotte took the bottles from Bar, she didn't want to seem rude and she certainly didn't want to admit that she liked the stuff so much to ask for them. She kid of liked the aspect of Bar where he just gave stuff away...

"Must you always sing?"

Charlotte asked, her eyes peeking through her hair which obscured her face from view as she finished drawing one of the tree's in the clearing with interesting branches. Taking her charcoal out of her bag she began to shade it in.

"Not like I mind but...it seems to be a quirk of yours."

Barzini stopped and he realised that he was indeed singing.

"Sorry. I cannot control myself for most of the time. Singing and drawing are my.... Quirks. Yeah." Barzini admitted.

"Oh yes, wait. Look at this." Barzini took out a sketch and showed Charlotte.

It was a picture of dementors, and a man trying to fend them off, however, the setting of the picture looked old, the man was in a set of armour, and holding a sword, trying desperately to stay alive.

Charlotte raised her eyebrow and took the drawing from Bar, looking at it closely she smiled, it was drawn with good technique and the subject was very interesting but it was something that didn't interest her, normally she painted nature or portraits.

"It's lovely, you have real skill."

She complimented Bar, surprised it came quite naturally.

"I like art, and music...do you play anything?"