All Along the Wall (Cobie and Char)

Charlotte smiled gently and kissed Cobalts cheek , it's not that the objects she wanted to move were heavy she just didn't know if she could emotionally handle it.

"Thanks Cobie."

With a large grin Charlotte nodded her head wildly:

"Oh yes Daddy! He makes me so happy and I love him so so much it's unreal. I want you two to get along. Please."

He waved it off with a small smile,

"Don't worry about it Char." he smirked, "Can't have my little girl hurting her back trying to lift things without magic now can I?"

With a sigh he picked up the stone from before, turned it a few times in his hand, and threw it as far as he could. After that small burst of action, he breathed a sigh of relief,

"Then I guess I'll just have to start being nice to the kid." he ruffled her hair with a smile, "And make sure he knows that he has to keep doing what he's doing, so that my little girl stays happy."

Charlotte grinned and hugged Cobie tighter still and she giggled when her hair received the customary ruffle, she had come to love that gesture a lot. Snuggling her head into his chest Charlotte took in a deep breath and smelt the comforting aroma of cigarettes.

"Please do be nice to him, it means a lot to me if you got on."

Smiling lightly at Cobalt Charlotte poked his cheek and giggled again:

" What do you think my house will look like?"

Cobalt rolled his eyes,

"I'll be good." he paused a minute before flashing her a grin, "He's not getting the 'hurt my daughter and die' speech until he's in third year. He'll get the 'touch my daughter sexually and you will live long enough to go insane from pain' speech in forth year. I have it all planned out."

Taking a deep breath he frowned a little before nodding,

"It's going to be quite old. A lot of wood. Mostly hardwood." he sniffed again, "There are unused rooms so it will be quite big. Some of it is very dirty. No house elf? No... no it doesn't smell like it. And is that...?"

He paused and looked at her with a frown,

"Ecotoplasm?" he narrowed his eyes, "It's not a ghost... too much of an acidic smell... no. It's a wraith. There's a wraith in there."

Charlotte giggled and pushed Cobie lightly on the arm happy in a way that he was being protective of her, she wasn't used to it and it made her feel loved. She winked at Cobie unable to stop herself making this sly dig at him:

"I didn't think of doing anything like that...thanks for the idea Daddy!"

In a sweet voice Charlotte pulled her Tongue letting Cobie know she didn't mean it really.

Listening to Cobies analysis of her house purely from the smell of her she bristled with pride, one day shed be able to do that and Charlotte couldn't wait for that day. Charlotte nodded slowly when he mentioned the Wraith.

"Yes...it's the same one...I'm um too scared to open the door to get rid of it."

Small fingers traced the bite marks on her arms as she thought about it.

Cobalt smirked a little before shrugging,

"No worries Char." he grinned, "As long as you know his life is forfeit if you have sex before your sixth year."

He wrapped his arms comfortingly around her,

"Hey, hey... don't you worry about the wraith." he hugged her a little tighter, "I have ways of dealing with ghosts and wraiths. You will never have to see it again when I'm done with it."

Charlotte snuggled her head into Cobalts chest her eyes wide and glazed with the memories connected with that Wraith and her, even though it was a horrible part of her life Charlotte wondered what it would be like to have it gone.

"I'll help. If you want."

Suddenly Charlotte became a little panicked and gripped Cobalts hand hard while one hand still hugged him close.

"I won't be much use though."

Her eyes scanned the sky's for anything to put her on alert, any hints of her mothers presence.

Cobalt chuckled a little and held her close to him, hoping to reassure her with his warm display of emotion,

"Charlotte you're my daughter and my apprentice." he smiled down at her, "There are some battles I must fight for you."

He stroked her cheek softly,

"You won't be able to help. No offence but you're entering your second year and killing ghosts is not a huge part of the first year learning curve." he ruffled her hair, "You remember when I sank through the floor in the Room of Requirement?"

Charlotte smiled softly and leant her head against Cobalts hand when he pressed it against her cheek, feeling comforted by it already, heck, this was a good thing at least the stuoid Wraith would be gone. Long gone and it couldn't bother her any more.

"I dont want you to fight them for me, I should be strong enough, to do it myself...but...when I get older, I promise, I'll fight some of your battles for you."

Poking him in the nose Charlotte giggled:

"When you're all old and grey."

Tilting her head to one side she nodded, wondering what this had to do with the Wraith but it interested her, the fact that Cobalt could make himself intangable had interested her since she met him.

"Aye, I do."

Cobalt hugged her to him tightly,

"Charlotte I'm your dad now." he smiled a little, "It's my job to protect you from all the bad things while making sure to train you for the bad things when I'm gone."

He stuck his tongue out at her,

"When I'm old and grey I'll still be able to kick your ass little girl."

Smiling a little he kissed her on the cheek,

"Well that is exactly like being a ghost." he tapped the side of his head, "It makes me the same consistancy of a ghost. That way I can touch them in that form. But, of course, I plan to do more than touching to this one..."

Charlotte giggled and got up out of Cobies lap doing a few random karate moves as if to show that she could handle herself before breaking down into fits of laughter, squeezing out between breaths:

"You think that Old Man! I have mad skills already!"

Pulling her tongue right back out at him Charlotte took a seat on the ground next to Cobie and ran her fingers softly through his hair, smiling serenely at him.

"What is it like...? Being a ghost?"

Her voice quiet and faded Charlotte closed her eyes and felt the soft breeze whip across her cheeks as she hugged Cobie tightly to her.

Cobalt laughed out loud, wiping a small tear away as he finally calmed down after a few minutes,

"Oh... oh pull the other one Char." he teased her, sticking his tongue out, "You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag with those moves."

He hugged her closer to him as he thought about how best to answer her question,

"Cold." he decided upon eventually, "It feels like you're constantly submerged in ice cold water. Including the drowning sensation. It's not a pleasant experience but it is damned useful."

Pouting playfully at Cobie as he teased her Charlotte sniffed and turned away from him pretending to be upset:

"Hey dont insult my moves. They rock. And I'll have you know I have had to fight my way out of a wet paper bag when I was a kitten so NAH."

Charlotte pulled her tongue out at Cobie and moved her body back to face him, she felt so happy right now and she didn't think that anything could ruin her mood...

"I see..."

She calmed down a little when Cobie mentioned how it felt to be a ghost, she had thought that she would like to come bak as a ghost but not now.

"You know what Cobie?"

He laughed again,

"Oh you'll get better moves Charlotte." he told her with a smirk, "You'll learn my moves soon enough."

He tilted his head to the side slightly, frowning in concern,

"What Char?"

Breaking from her sombre state Charlotte grinned and lunged forwards poking Cobie in the tummy.

"You have just been poked."

Giggling and getting up from his lap Charlotte danced away so he couldn't poke her back, leaning against the walk she pulled tongues at him:

"Do you feel poked?"

Cobalt chuckled a little,

"Why yes..." he smiled brightly, "I do believe I have."

Shaking his head a little he shrugged,

"I'm not sure... you tell me." he with smirk he apparated behind her, poking her in the arm, before apparating to the edge of the wall, balancing perfectly on the very edge, even leaning over the edge little with a grin, "Hey Char... you know of the nursery rhyme 'humpty dumpty'?"

Charlottes eyes widened and she pouted rubbing the sore spot on her arm with a small hand. Watching as Cobie balanced on the wall she raised an eyebrow wondering what he could be doing.

Searching her brain for the nursery rhyme she nodded with a smile on her face which slowly dropped off and she rushed over to Cobie and tried to grab his hand.

"Don't you dare!!"

Cobalt laughed happily as he slowly made himself fall backwards,

"Humpty dumpty had a great fall!" he announced with a laugh as he plummented off the edge of the wall. With another laugh he began to spin in his free-fall. At the last second he apparated, appearing behind Charlotte, spinning on one hand with a laugh, "But I'm not a giant egg with a weird name."

Charlotte screamed as Cobie jumped off the wall and her heart leapt into her mouth, she peered over the edge and watched until she couldn't see him anymore and she sobbed out loud and dashed into one of the nearest towers not believing what had happened.

Growling at Cobie when he reappeared Charlotte didn't speak to him she only looked at him with anger in her flaring red eyes and tears spilling down her cheeks.

That was not a very funny joke.

Cobalt sighed a little before rolling his eyes a bit,

"Did you really think I'd leave you like that Char?" he asked with a frown, "You honestly think I would ask you to be my daughter and then kill myself?"

Charlotte scowled at Cobalt and turned away from him resting her head on the cool stone wall, she couldn't believe that he would be so stupid!

"Well with my past track record I wouldn't be surprised."

She muttered darkly not wanting to look into Cobalts eyes for fear that the anger within her own would make him even more aggrivated.

Cobalt sighed a little and hugged Charlotte from behind,

"Look, I know it was a stupid thing to do but it's done now." he hugged her a bit tighter, "And we move on from what is done Charlotte, it makes us stronger."

He pulled away a little before smiling a little,

"Hey... you up for learning a spell?"

Charlotte sighed as Cobie hugged her, she knew that would be that and she would forgive him if he held her in his arms a few moments longer, smiling now instead of scowling Charlotte cocked her head as he mentioned learning a new spell.

"A new spell? Of course I'm up to learning a new spell!"

She began to jump around excitedly.

"Is it a cooooool spell?"

He chuckled a little, rolling his eyes,

"Is it a cool spell... god!" he smirked a little, "It's useful. Is that good enough?"

Grinning now he took out his wand and began twirling it between his fingers,

"This spell makes any sound you make completely silent to anyone around you. You still make the sound, so it is a verbal spell, but no one can hear it." he smirked a little, "Very useful when trying to sneak around."