Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Charlotte took the last step onto the train after the red-head, leaving her parents behind her, her mother waving, a familiar smile on her face while her father glanced around the shiny red surface of the Hogwarts Express, the steam filling the platform around them. Every year it was like he was seeing it for the first time, the train hidden behind the solid wall of the secret platform, the wizards all clutching wands beneath their cloaks.

The two girls lugged their over-filled trunks down the skinny corridor, scanning half empty compartments as they went, looking for anyone tolerable to spend the train ride to school with.

"No Petunia?" Charlotte asked, gently, remembering the strained relationship her friend shared with her sister. The two Gryffindor's had met first year, naturally, sharing a dormitory and nearly all of their classes. It wasn't until last year that they had become close friends, after Lily had gone no-contact with her previous best friend, the greasy-haired Slytherin boy, Severus Snape.

"Course not." Lily answered at once, as if it was obvious. "I'm sure she'll even be busy for my funeral."

"Don't be morbid." Charlotte nudged her elbow lightly as Lily shrugged.

"All of these compartments are full, I really just need to drop my stuff, I'm going to miss the Prefect meeting-"

Before she could finish, the door they had just passed slid open, revealing a brown-haired boy, towering over them and shooting Lily an easy smile.

"If we move quick, he won't notice you-" The boy stalled as the door shook beneath his grip.

"Evans!" James Potter sounded nearly out of breath, as if he had pounced across the compartment to greet the red-head, although Charlotte was sure that was a likely explanation. "Good summer? You can come sit with us-"

"We've got the Prefect meeting, James." The tall boy replied as Lily sighed.

"Oh, that's right." James sounded let down, finally looking to Charlotte. His eyes scanned to her boots and back to her face quickly before his face lit back up in the familiar James Potter grin. "You a Prefect too? Harris, right?"

"You know Charlotte." Lily explained, sounding annoyed, although Charlotte thought it entirely possible that the Marauders would have no idea who she was, and she was fine with it that way.

Or so she had thought. She pulled her focus off the tall boy before them, looking to James who was still staring at her, as if waiting for a formal introduction.

"Charlotte." She held out her free hand, the other still gripping her trunk tightly, fingers threatening to fall off any second now.

"James Potter." He explained, obviously not realizing that the entire school knew his name. "This is Remus." He nodded towards the tall boy who was stepping aside to stand near Lily, obviously just as nervous as the red-head about being late for their first Prefect meeting of the year.

"Hi." Charlotte replied, stupidly, resisting the urge to smack her hand to her forehead. Remus nodded once and offered her a small smile.

"Why don't you sit with us while you wait for Lily?" James offered eagerly, Remus hardly containing an eye roll as Charlotte attempted to turn her chuckle into a cough.

"What?" The messy haired boy wheeled around towards Remus.

"Nothing." He answered, nudging Lily down the hallway.

"Here, Lil." Charlotte offered her open hand, taking Lily's luggage and struggling towards the compartment where two more boys were waiting, laughter echoing through the small space.

"I've got them." James muttered, grabbing both of the trunks from Charlotte and throwing them easily to the top shelf above their seats. "You guys know Charlotte?" He asked, falling lazily into a seat next to the short blonde boy.

"No." The boy squeaked out before James could shoot him a glare.

"Yeah," The dark-haired boy lied, nodding over to Charlotte, a smile spread across half his face as she took the open spot on the bench next to him. He was slouched against the wall, his legs spread out on the seat, dark black boots laced up in giant knots before her. "I'm Sirius."

"Charlotte." She smiled, feeling extremely shy all of the sudden. She had been planning on spending the train ride with Marlene and Mary, the three of them waiting patiently for Lily to return, not surrounded by three of the most popular boys of their year who had only just learned her name after five years of school together.

"You and Lily been friends for a while, Charlotte?" James asked, failing to sound casual.

"I guess, a little. We only really got close last spring... After..." She trailed off, knowing exactly what had happened to make the girls grow so close.

"Oh, you're her replacement Snivellus?" Sirius smirked as the blonde girl fell silent.

"Sirius." James warned, his voice low as he shot the boy a look.

"Oh, come on," Sirius grinned, "Evan's isn't here, and I'm sure Charlotte doesn't hold any love for Death Eaters. Do you, Charlotte?"

Her eyes flickered to James and Peter, who were both waiting for her answer, even if James looked ready to change the subject at any moment.

"Snape's awful. All of them are, his little posse." She answered at last, "Lily's better off rid of him."

"There, see?" Sirius reached across the bench and patted the girls knee warmly. "You're alright, blondie."

"Sirius, try not to be a flirt for just five minutes?" Peter rolled his eyes, looking to James who shared a grin with the blonde boy.

"Am I bothering you, love?" Sirius had leaned back against the seat behind him once again, his gray eyes boring into her blue ones.

"No, you're fine." She answered at once, playing with the hem on her skirt.

"How'd your O.W.L's go?" James asked, leaning back and mimicking Sirius's position on the bench, the two of them looking more than comfortable in the small train compartment.

"They went well." She nodded, looking between the three of them. "I thought I would really blow it on Potions, but Lily studied with me for hours a day the week before. She's a lifesaver."

"Isn't she?" James sighed, dramatically, for only a second before Sirius chucked his balled up jacket into the brunette's face.

"Mine weren't great." Peter replied with a shrug. "Barely got into Potions at all. Or transfiguration. McGonnagall's such a-"

"Saint!" James and Sirius cut him off, their grins lighting up as their words combined.

"Did alright with Magical Creatures though." Peter grinned, shooting the two boys a knowing look as they nodded.

"How'd you do, Pads?" James asked, Charlotte scanning the room, her eyes finally landing on Sirius as he spoke. Apparently he was Pads.

"Practically perfect." His voice sounded teasing, but his face was serious. "Eight OWL's, still nothing to catch Mum and Dad's attention."

"I'm sure they're proud, they're just too awful to show it." James said.

"You?" Sirius asked after a moment of James not offering up his own results.

"Nine." The boy shrugged before the door slid open again, Lily and the boy James had introduced as Remus stepping into the now crowded compartment.

"Moony, how'd your OWL's go?" Sirius asked, sounding like he already knew how the answer.

Remus let Lily take a seat first, squeezing into a spot between Charlotte and the window, causing Charlotte to slide a bit closer to Sirius. Her eyes returned to Remus, his head practically reaching the ceiling of the small room before he sat down between James and Peter. His eyes flashed to Charlotte's across from him before quickly looking back to Sirius.

"Eleven." He answered, shortly, and with a shrug that matched James' from before.

Sirius let out a low whistle which was nearly inaudible over Lily's gasp.

"Me too, Rem!" She exclaimed, excitedly. "I thought I was doomed for Arithmancy, I couldn't believe it when I got my results."

"We all knew you'd get all of your OWL's, Evans. You should have just asked us." James leaned forward in his spot, trying to catch Lily's eye.

"Well, thank you, James." She answered, turning her gaze back to Charlotte.

"Are you taking all of your classes, then?" Charlotte asked the room, specifically looking at Remus.

"Not all of them." He answered, softly.

"Remus, no!" Lily whined, "Which ones? We could have studied together!"

"I'm skipping Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Divination-"

"That's-"

"And Arithmancy." He finished with a small grin as the red-head looked outraged.

"Remus, why study so hard if you didn't even want to take the classes!" She threw her hands up in defeat.

"Maybe I like a challenge, Lils." He replied.

"Or maybe he doesn't want his final two years at Hogwarts to be all school and no play." Sirius smiled wickedly towards the girls, earning matching eye rolls from Remus and Lily.

☾

The girls sat two to a side at dinner, the food magically appearing before them as soon as Dumbledore had taken his seat at the front of the room. The first week of classes had gone fine, some might even have said well, but the second...

"I'm already exhausted, I don't know what I would do without these free periods." Mary whined, moving some vegetables around on her plate dramatically as Charlotte and Marlene held back laughter.

"I don't know how Lily's doing it." Marlene mentioned in between bites of her own dinner. "Eleven classes, do you even get breaks?"

"I get two." She nodded.

"All week?" Mary's eyes went wide. "I would die!"

"Helps with time management." Lily shrugged, "Have to get all my work done before Remus and I have Prefect duty Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"And now we have that dinner party next week with Slughorn." Charlotte added, cringing a bit inside. How she got roped into a dinner party with a bunch of rich and impressive strangers, she would never know.

"You act like he invited us for tea in Hell." Lily laughed, taking a sip of her juice. "It's just dinner. Slughorn's nice!"

"He would never have noticed me if I hadn't been sat next to you in his class." Charlotte shot Lily a knowing smile which Lily shrugged off, shaking her head.

"How could anyone not notice you, blondie?" Sirius's voice was far too loud for being so close, his voice attracting glances up and down the Gryffindor table as he fell into the empty space beside the blonde Gryffindor.

"Well, how could they not with you screaming like that?" She shot back with a stern look which had no effect on Sirius Black's smirk.

"Sorry, you prefer if I whisper?" He dropped his voice low and leaned a bit closer towards her face, his gray eyes locked to her own.

"I suppose that's a bit better, yeah." She joked, turning away and finishing her dinner, Marlene and Mary not bothering to suppress their grins. Sirius Black was a known flirt, having already worked his way through many of the girls in every house except Slytherin, where they all considered him a blood traitor. Which is why Mary and Marlene loved to watch Charlotte snub Sirius's advances, whether she realized what they were or not.

"You wound me, Char." The soft words fell from his lips against the blonde's ear as she finally turned back to face him, catching sight of Remus behind him and ignoring the way her heart sped up. Sirius watched her eyes go wide, smirking for a second that he had gotten her attention at last, before following her gaze to his fellow Marauder, the smile sliding from his face at once.

"Well, we'll see you lot upstairs." He announced, loudly again, hurrying to catch his friends, throwing one arm each around James and Remus as they left the Hall.

"It's too good, watching that." Mary laughed, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she climbed to her feet, the three girls following her.

"Watching what?" Charlotte asked, fixing the strap of her bag on her shoulder as they started towards the doorway.

"Watching you blow him off like that!" Marlene explained, Lily smiling along beside her.

Charlotte looked between them all for a second, confused. "Oh, Sirius?"

"Yes, Sirius, are you thinking of someone else?" Mary asked, her eyes wide as she watched the realization dawn on their blonde friend's face.

"No." She shook her head quickly. "And Sirius is only joking around. That's what he's like, you said so yourself Lily."

"Yeah, that's what he's like. When he fancies someone." She went on, offering Charlotte a shrug.

"Sirius Black does not fancy me." The blonde laughed back, scanning between her friends.

"Sirius Black fancies you." Marlene said, far too loud for the crowded hallway they were in.

"That's a real shame." A dark voice cut in, the four of them whirling around, Lily's face falling at once.

"Piss off, Severus." Mary replied at once, grabbing at Lily's shoulders to get the group moving again before Snape's pale hand wrapped around Lily's.

"Lil... Please..."

"Severus, I don't want to talk to you." She shook her head, her eyes not meeting his as she took a few tentative steps with Mary, Charlotte and Marlene stood between the two.

"I know you've been avoiding me."

"No, shit." Marlene huffed, earning a glare from the Slytherin. "Worked that one out all on your own?"

"Can I speak to her, alone?" He demanded, his voice sounding whiney.

"No, Snape. You can't. Now let her go before we hex you into next week." Mary cut in, looking fiercely up at the dark haired boy, despite being at least a foot shorter than him.

He scoffed, looking between the group as if he had been ready to speak before biting his tongue.

"Say it." Lily finally spoke again, meeting his gaze, her green eyes burning bright. "I know what you were going to say to Mary. You're disgusting. I can't believe I ever considered you my friend."

"Lily, I didn't say anything!" He shouted as the three girls scurried after the red-head up the first of many staircases to Gryffindor tower.

After what felt like twenty minutes of marching behind their friend, the four girls arrived outside of the portrait hole, offering the password and scrambling through.

"Woah, Evans. Who pissed in your Pumpkin Juice?" Sirius called from across the room, Lily shaking her head mostly to herself and heading directly for the staircase to the girls dorms without a word.

"What's wrong with her?" James eyes were laced with worry as the girls approached the couches the Marauders were sat upon, the fire already roaring in front of them, a few chocolate frog cards splayed out on the coffee table between Peter and James.

"Snape." Mary answered, chewing her lower lip and muttering something about checking on their friend before she started towards the stairs.

"Harris?" James glanced at the remaining two girls. "McKinnon?"

"We were talking about S-" Marlene stopped abruptly, glancing at Sirius and then Charlotte, painfully obvious. "Something, and Snape came up and made a rude comment. He asked if he could talk to Lily alone, and Mary said he couldn't and that if he didn't leave she would hex him. And then he laughed, and he almost said something back but caught himself. Lily's sure he was going to call Mary a... you know."

James run a hand through his hair, his jaw visibly clenched as Remus shook his head, scowling.

"He is such a prick, how many times do we have to teach Sniv a lesson?" Sirius spoke, sitting up in his seat.

"Don't get involved. It's just words. And he didn't really even say anything." Marlene sighed, crossing her arms. "We should get upstairs." She started towards the girls dorms, Charlotte moving to follow her when a hand caught her wrist, spinning her back towards the boys.

"Stay, blondie." Sirius said, "Stay up with us a while."

Charlotte looked back at Marlene, wide eyed, and Marlene held in a laugh, waving to her friend and calling out a goodnight to the boys.

"Night, Marls." Remus called, not looking up from his book.

"Why do you want me to stay up?" Charlotte looked to Sirius, forcing herself not to turn to Remus, even if she knew he wouldn't be looking.

"To hang out with you? Is that so terrible?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow to her, patting the small amount of space beside him on the arm chair.

"Let her go to bed if she's tired, Pads." Remus spoke, again, his eyes still scanning over the words on his page.

"I'm not very tired." She gave in, taking the empty spot on the couch beside Remus, eyes now watching James and Peter each throw down a card and grab at the others, scanning the back side of each.

"What'd Snape say that was rude?" James asked, looking to Charlotte now that his new card was tucked safely into his pocket.

"Oh," She trailed off. "I don't really remember. Didn't make much sense."

"It was an insult?" Sirius pressed, his gray eyes softening as he looked at her.

"I guess. You'll have to ask Lily, he was talking to her." She lied, hoping they would forget by morning. "What are you working on, Remus?" She kept her voice steady, finally allowing herself to turn her attention to the light haired boy. He had been quiet since they had entered the common room, pages flipping quickly beneath his slender fingers which Charlotte could now see were laced with silver faded scars. She followed them up towards his wrist and wondered how far up his arm they went past the sleeves of his thick sweater.

He looked up, confusion painting his face. "Not working." He answered, sliding a scrap of parchment into his spot in the book and shutting it in his lap. "It's Catcher in the Rye."

"Oh," She glanced at the book, recognizing it now from her father's bookshelves at home. "I haven't read that one."

Remus nodded, not answering her, glancing around the group for someone else to speak.

"How are lessons going, blondie?" Sirius took up the task, kicking his feet up to the table before them.

"They're alright." She shrugged, tucking her legs before her on the couch, ignoring the sting of the terrible conversation with Remus.

"Well, Slughorn obviously thinks you're excelling in Potions." James grinned. "You're coming to the dinner with us next week?"

She groaned, slapping a hand over her eyes as the boys laughed. "I don't know how I got roped into that. If he only knew how hard Lily had to work to get me to pass Potions last year."

"You're doing fine." Sirius replied. "Haven't blown anything up yet."

"Yes, from the master of blowing things up." Peter chimed in, Sirius chucking a pillow at the boys head, knocking him back on the ground, laughter taking over the group.

"I guess it won't be so bad if you're all going. I thought I wouldn't know anyone but Lily-"

"I'm not." Peter grumbled, sitting back up and leaning the pillow against the couch next to him out of Sirius's reach.

"Me neither, Pete." Remus answered, offering the shorter boy a warm smile.

"Not yet, guys. Just wait until our first exam when you blow everyone away-" James shot Remus a look and the tall boy shrugged.

"I'm not going either." Sirius replied, leaning back on his interlocked hands in his seat.

"What do you mean you're not going?" James shouted, eyeing his best friend.

"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Sirius chuckled, glancing to Remus with a grin. "Bunch of rich boys and Slughorn's favorites chumming it up over dinner? On a Friday night? I'll pass. Sorry, Prongs."

"Is Lily going?" James looked to Charlotte, his eyes wide behind his glasses as Charlotte let out a small laugh.

"Definitely. She loves Slughorn."

"Well, you let me know if you'd like a way out of a night of boredom, blondie." Sirius shot her a wink and Peter groaned under his breath. "You can spend the night with the fun Marauders." He smirked at James as his jaw dropped.

"Is it my fault that I'm devilishly handsome, Quidditch captain and good at potions?" James sighed dramatically, earning a laugh from the group as the sun went down over the forest outside.

Chapter Text

Charlotte knelt towards her boot, propped up on the final stair to the common room, tying it quickly. The sun outside of the window was finally over the trees, sending streams of golden light across the carpeting.

Her roommates were still sleeping, where she so desperately wished she could be as well. But after staying up with the Marauders last night when she had planned to finish her transfiguration, she forced herself out of bed to get to the library before class.

She had just straightened up, looping her bag over her shoulder, when a noise like a stampede came crashing down the boys staircase, James Potter jumping over the last two steps and looking back, waiting.

"Oh, hey Char! What are you doing up so early?" He asked, bright eyed.

"Have to finish my essay for McGonagall before class. Figured I could use the silent libra...ry." She stammered as Remus stepped from the stairs, joining them in the common room.

"Oi, look Remus, she's a mini you." James nudged the boy in his rib cage lightly and nodded for Charlotte to come with them as they started towards the hallway. "Remus is headed there too."

"You're behind on homework?" She asked, sounding skeptical.

Remus shook his head once, not meeting her eye until silence over took the three of them and he realized they were waiting for an actual response.

"I'm working ahead. Probably going to have a busy weekend."

Charlotte nodded, wondering why the boy usually at the top of their class had in fact dropped half of his OWL classes. Still, as she was quickly learning, Remus didn't like to share.

"You have practice, I assume?" Charlotte changed her focus to James, who even at this hour was more talkative than anyone she could imagine.

"Morning practice. We'll have night practice as well. Morning is optional, but so far everyone's made it to almost all of them-"

"Because they know you'll pester them if they skip." Remus explained, humor filling his eyes for a moment as he looked at Charlotte.

"I'm not pestering them. I'm empowering them. I'm a leader." James replied, sounding as if he had explained this to his friends before.

"You're something." Remus said, taking a sharp turn towards the library as they hit the first floor at last. Charlotte looked over, watching the tall boy gain distance between the two Gryffindors with every step.

"Remus, will you wait for her?" James called, Remus slowing at once and turning back, a confused look on his face as if he hadn't realized they were no longer with him.

"Have a good practice, then." Charlotte nodded towards James, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt as she hurried to catch up to Remus.

The two of them walked in silence, Charlotte's legs stepping extra fast as she tried to keep up with the brunette.

"You always wake up this early?" She asked at last, not being able to stand the silence another second.

He shrugged, pulling the library door open and letting her in first, the room silent and empty aside from Madam Pince who looked up as they entered, deeming them tolerable students and returning to her work.

"I don't really sleep that well. Makes it easy to get out of bed." He explained, pulling a chair out at a table near the back of the library, the restricted section roped off a few aisles away.

"That sounds backwards." Charlotte laughed, controlling her voice so they wouldn't anger the librarian so soon after they had arrived.

"How do you mean?" Remus asked, his eyes on his bag as he pulled out his textbook.

"If you don't sleep well, wouldn't you be more tired in the mornings?" She went on, hating herself as Remus offered her another shrug, flipping open his book to a set page. He read for a few moments before speaking again.

"I just wake up sore." He explained. "Did something to my hip a while ago, so most days it's just not comfortable to keep laying still. I have to get up."

Charlotte kept her gaze on his face, forcing herself not to glance down to his hips, even though he wasn't looking at her.

"Plus, James rummaging for his Quidditch gear and getting dressed, singing in the bathroom doesn't help." He added, his voice sounding teasing, but Charlotte couldn't tell.

"James sings?"

"Badly. Sirius too."

Charlotte laughed now, pulling her own book out and unrolling some parchment beside it.

"What do they sing?" She continued, her cheeks aching from the effortless smile. This was the longest conversation the two had ever shared, and she didn't want it to end. Even if it meant walking into Transfiguration empty handed.

"Half the time, I can't even tell. If I get lucky, they'll sing something good. Or, it should be good, if it's not sung by them. The Beatles or Queen."

"My dad loves Queen." Charlotte added, before realizing Remus wouldn't care. He looked up to her again, his brown eyes were light, almost honey colored, tiny specks of gold littered the edges.

"Is your dad a muggle?" He asked, not sounding judgmental, more curious.

"Yeah, but my mom's a witch. It's kind of wild to think about, don't you think? How do you tell someone that? After dating a while, oh by the way, I'm magic, our kid will probably be magic, is that fine?" She rambled.

Remus smiled to himself and nodded along with her words. "My... my parents were the same. Other way around though. Dad was a wizard. Mum's a muggle."

Charlotte hesitated, noting the past tense.

"Did they tell you how he broke the news?" She asked instead of the real question she had wanted to. What happened to your dad?

Remus's eyes returned to his book, scanning wildly across the page for a few seconds as if he hadn't heard her. She was starting to wonder if he had when he replied.

"I don't really remember him much." He spoke as if he was reading the words off his page. "Either of them."

Charlotte nodded, tucking her leg under her lap on the seat and leaning back slightly, watching his tongue work itself over his back teeth, his jaw looked tight all of the sudden.

"I'm sorry." She answered, her heart feeling heavy. She couldn't imagine losing one parent, but Remus seemed to have neither. And no memory of them, either. "I'm sorry I brought it up. We don't have to talk about it."

He shrugged again, a habit the boy seemed to do quite often, his eyes still moving across his book.

"S'alright. You didn't know. It doesn't really bother me much, anyways."

She was sure he was lying, could hear the edge in his voice as he read.

"It's impressive." She changed the subject, reaching for her quill to give the illusion that she was eventually going to start her work. "You reading and talking at the same time."

"Some scientists speculate that speaking and language comprehension operate on different sides of the brain." He mentioned, casually.

Charlotte nodded, dipping her quill into the black ink and glancing back to him. While he had looked pale the first time she had seen him, his skin seemed brighter now, as if he was sitting before a cozy fireplace, his cheeks rosy and his eyes bright.

"I'll let you work, I promise I won't talk the entire time." She laughed softly.

"Okay." Remus answered, apparently not caring either way if she spoke or not.

☾

Charlotte hurried through the frigid corridor towards the potions room, pulling her bag more securely on her shoulder and adjusting her tie. She had told Lily, Marlene and Mary five more minutes when they had left for breakfast earlier, which had quickly turned into another hour of sleep.

The door was still open as she neared the classroom, a good sign. Slughorn hardly minded when people were actually late, and she still had a good three minutes. She crossed into the crowded classroom, sighing in relief. It felt a bit warmer in here from the flames lit beneath every cauldron aligned at each table set for two.

Marlene was late too, Charlotte noticed at once. Which was typical for their roommate. She would slip in, just under the bell, and Slughorn would pretend not to notice, shutting the door with his wand behind her and starting class. There was one desk remaining near the center of the room. Charlotte scanned the class, looking for Lily and Mary.

Mary was always easy to spot. If not for her bright hair accessories, then for her voice which matched only the Marauder's in volume. Charlotte heard it now, although it was from the other end of the room, far from the empty remaining desk. She was sat with a new boy than she had been telling the girls about last week, and Charlotte held in a laugh as she continued her search for her red-haired friend.

She scanned the group, walking slowly as she did so to grab the last seat for herself and Marlene. Her attention caught onto the Marauders, who were talking loudly amongst themselves, dropping easily into their usual seats. Remus and Sirius in one desk near the back, James and Peter behind them. No red-haired Gryffindor among them.

"Hey," Marlene breathed just as the door shut quietly behind them, sliding into the open seat beside the blonde. "Where are-"

"There." Charlotte nodded a few rows ahead of them to a truly terrible sight. Lily's red-hair finally visible at last, clashing horribly with the dark and greasy head Charlotte knew would have been her last pick for a parter, even below James.

"Now how the hell-" Marlene started, not speaking very softly anymore.

Charlotte jumped from her spot, slinging the strap of her bag around her shoulder once again and marching towards her roommate before Slughorn could begin the lesson.

"Lils," She started at once, hardly even knowing where the rest of the sentence was going to lead. "Sorry, Marlene is begging to sit with you."

She locked eyes with the ginger-haired girl, their expressions matching stubbornness, Lily's green eyes were wide.

Are you sure?

"Mhm." Charlotte hummed softly, knowing Severus would hear anyways. He wasn't even trying to pretend he wasn't hanging on their every word.

Lily finally stood, thanking Charlotte with one final look before hurrying to the last open seat next to Marlene, leaving Charlotte to slide in next to the Slytherin boy.

"Clever." He muttered, hardly sparing her a glance as he opened his book and peered towards the chalkboard at the front of the class.

"Sorry?" Charlotte mumbled, faking confusion as she gathered her things on the desk.

"Nope." A new voice, or rather, an all too familiar voice, rang through the room. "Sorry, no." Sirius appeared at the blonde girls side, leaning against the desk and wearing an odd smile. "Up you go blondie, I had dibs on Sniv-... Snape today." He stammered, realizing the class was hung on his every word.

"Sirius," Charlotte spoke softly, meeting the boys gray eyes and sending him a warning glance. "Go sit down."

"Char." He replied, his smile turning into more of a smirk as he raised his wand towards her. He muttered a quick spell beneath his breath and flicked his wand at her supplies, not bothering to look as they shot behind her and landed in disarray in front of Remus. Charlotte prayed her face wasn't red. "Go sit with Remus, please?" He had phrased it like a question, yet his tone sounded as if she had no choice. She stood slowly, knowing this lesson would end poorly as she walked carefully, watching her feet until she got to Sirius's previous spot, taking the seat next to Remus.

"Hi," She whispered, stupidly, as if the entire class wasn't watching the commotion.

"Hi." He chuckled, organizing their supplies which had become entangled by Sirius's spell.

"Mr. Black, Ms. Harris, if we're all finished with our musical chairs, I'd like to get started?" Slughorn chuckled, amused as he turned towards his own desk.

"Of course, Professor. You must forgive me, I just needed help from the second greatest potions master in the room." Sirius teased, the class groaning beneath their breath, Remus turning a laugh into a cough.

"He's going to get detention." Charlotte laughed, nervously.

"I'm afraid he doesn't have any nights free." Remus joked, settling in as Slughorn started in on their lesson for the day.

"Are you any good?" Remus asked, finally looking to his new parter.

"Er..." She stalled, her heart beating fast as their eyes met. "I'm not... any bad."

He laughed again. Charlotte thought it might be the best feeling in the world, making Remus Lupin laugh. It was so rare that she got to see it. Although, she figured he must be constantly laughing, with friends like his.

"You'll be better than Sirius if you even open the book." Remus replied easily, standing before she could respond and heading to the cupboard to gather their supplies.

He returned only a minute later, dropping the items carefully before them and setting to work, as if he had the potion recipe memorized by heart.

"It was nice." He spoke again, yet Charlotte thought he couldn't possibly be talking to her. "What you did for Lily. With Sniv- with Severus." He corrected himself with a small jerk of his head, as if it was something he had to do quite often. Charlotte held back a laugh.

"She's my best friend. I'd never leave her alone with him." Charlotte answered, reaching towards the tall boy to grab a few slices of root, chopping them just as she had watched Remus doing.

"You're a good friend."

"Sirius didn't have to do that." Charlotte finally replied, sliding her chopped roots over to Remus and awaiting instruction. She turned her attention towards the dark haired boys two rows ahead of them, Sirius's curls laying quite still for once in his life. She could tell even through his robes how tense he was, his arms hardly moving as the two worked separately, sure to have the worst potion in the room if Sirius had anything to say about it.

Remus laughed, softly and beneath his breath. So quiet you could almost miss it. "He was up so fast, I didn't even see it coming. As soon as you walked over there. I could hear his teeth grinding."

His voice had turned odd. As if he no longer thought it was a nice gesture, but rather, nearly an annoyance that Sirius had left him with a random partner.

Of course. Sirius and Remus were best friends. Of course he would rather work with his best friend than some girl he'd met a few weeks ago.

"I'm sorry you can't work with him." Charlotte spoke quietly, nerves running through her stomach as she spoke.

Remus looked up to her, confusion painting his eyes.

"It's fine." He answered. He sounded genuine. "You're making my lesson much easier, trust me."

Charlotte nodded a few times, more to herself, as Remus was no longer looking her way, dropping ingredients into their shared cauldron and starting to stir, glancing at his book for reassurance every so often.

Nearly an hour later, Slughorn stood from his seat, waving his wand over his head as all of their fires faded out in unison. "Time's up! Everyone please turn in a vial with your names printed neatly! Neatly, Shingleton, or you'll lose marks again!"

Remus quickly scooped some potion into a vial, pushing the stopper firmly into the top and scrawling his last name on it before adding Harris underneath. It was stupid, the way Charlotte had to bite back a smile as she watched the boy loop the letters of her name below his own. Stupid.

"I feel really awful, you did practically everything." Charlotte spoke, aching for one last conversation with the boy before they had to leave the classroom.

"You did fine, blondie." Sirius's voice was behind her again, his smile showing through his voice before she even turned to face him. "Can't say the same for Snivvy's potion. He'll be lucky if Slughorn doesn't give us detention. Worst cough potion I had ever seen."

"You're lucky, I hear you have no more room available for detentions these days." Charlotte smirked, glancing at Remus who shot his roommate a half grin.

"No, I'm all booked up for those. But I can always make time for you, Charlotte." The dark haired boy leaned against the desk beside her, both he and Remus towering above her.

"Come on, loverboy. Leave her alone, it's not even lunch yet." James Potter's fist tangled into Sirius's robes, yanking him towards the doorway as Charlotte turned to find Lily, Marlene and Mary.

"Char," Sirius spoke softer now, letting his friends out the door without him, stepping closer to Charlotte. "Why were you late this morning?"

"Overslept." She answered, noting her roommates huddled outside the doorway, definitely watching her every move with Sirius Black.

"How very unlike you." He grinned, teeth sparkling even in the low lit room and Charlotte rolled her eyes. "So you missed breakfast?"

She paused, her stomach rumbling beneath her robes. "Yes..." She answered, slowly.

"Want to know a secret?"

"I'm not sure I do." She laughed, stepping towards the exit, the two of them now the last students in the room.

"You do. Come on." He grabbed her hand, fingers locking between her before he broke into a sprint. He dragged her after him, giving her no time to speak to her friends as they brushed past, the three of them sending her confused looks, Marlene's arms in the air before they turned the corner, Sirius taking the stairs two at a time.

"Sirius!" His name came out between a laugh and a gasp for air, "You have to slow down, I'm going to puke!"

They had climbed and descended two separate flights of stairs, finally slowing down in a vacant hallway, warm yellow light shining from the lamps above multiple oversized portraits which lined the walls.

"Why is it so warm down here?" Charlotte laughed, soaking in the newfound heat after nearly two hours in the dungeons.

"Because." Sirius turned back towards her, a mischievous grin lining his face. "You can't tell anyone I showed you. Moony- er, Remus would kill me. He's the one who figured it out."

He reached up quickly towards a painting and drew one finger along the pear in a large bowl of fruit. Before Charlotte could even ask, the painting elicited a soft giggle, glowing brightly, a door handle appearing beneath Sirius's outstretched hand. He pushed into the new room, nodding for Charlotte to follow him.

Heat enveloped the two of them at once, the room was thick with steam and a haze lingered above a few massive ovens pushed off towards the side of the kitchen.

"Mr. Black!" A few small elves beamed up at Sirius, as if this was an every day occurrence.

"Sirius, why do they all know you?" Charlotte held in a laugh, smiling politely towards the house elves.

"We're old friends." He shrugged, moving deeper into the kitchen as if he owned the place. "What can I get for you?" He began looking around, rifling through cabinets, the elves paying him no attention at all as they scrambled along, obviously preparing lunch already.

"I have to get to Charms..." Charlotte glanced at the small watch on her wrist and then behind her at the doorway.

"You have to eat something." He explained. "Muffin? Toast? I'm sure they'll give you some lunch early if they have anything ready-"

"Sirius," Her voice was scolding. "I don't want to bother them. I'll have lunch with everyone else, it's fine-"

"Here." He ignored her, grabbing a handful of muffins, an apple and an orange from a large basket near the exit. "I'll see you all! Sorry to interrupt!" He called, nudging the blonde girl towards the door.

"Oh, good bye Mr. Black! See you soon!" A few of the elves echoed goodbyes and waved as the eldest Marauder shut the door behind them, the doorway shrinking back until it was no more than a portrait of fruit once again.

"I don't know how any of you get good grades." Charlotte shook her head, taking a blueberry muffin from Sirius's outstretched arm, the dark haired boy smiling to himself as she took a bite.

"Hey, it takes a lot to do what we do." He replied, his jaw dropping in offense.

"I really do have to go to class, though. Do you have a free period?" She asked as they neared the stairwell again.

He offered her half a smirk. "I can. You want to skip with me?"

"No, I don't." She laughed, the sound echoing through the empty hallway. "Not all of us have our enormous fortunes to fall back on, Black. Some of us have to do well in school so we can get jobs one day."

She watched as he ran his tongue along the left side of his teeth, nodding to himself, his previous smile fading quickly.

"Alright, Char." He started up the stairs ahead of her, looking back when he reached the top and tossing her the orange from his hands. "I'll see you around then."

She hesitated, knowing if she didn't leave now, she would surely be late for class, and Flitwick held less of a soft spot for the Gryffindor than Slughorn apparently had. Still, she had never seen Sirius look so... sad.

"I'll see you..." She muttered, taking a step towards the staircase again. "And thank you... for potions. And for breakfast."

"Anytime." He smiled again, although it didn't reach his eyes.

Chapter Text

"Harris!" Charlotte smiled warmly as James Potter drew closer, slowing to a jog as he neared her.

"Potter." She nodded, scanning the area for the rest of the posse as they walked side by side, the Quidditch player not even out of breath from his short run.

"Question." He began, slowly, and Charlotte immediately knew where it was headed.

"Sure?" She looked to him, wide eyed.

"Just was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade next weekend?" He ran his free hand through his bangs, letting them fall back against his forehead, his other hand gripping the strap of his book-bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah, definitely. I've been waiting all term." She replied, easily, now positive she knew where this was headed. Lily.

"Okay, cool." His head bobbed a few times before he spoke again. "And... by chance... Is Evans going?"

"I'm pretty sure." Charlotte smiled up at the tall boy beside her, jealous for only a second of her friend. To have a boy this enamored by you.

"Would you help me out, Charlotte?" His voice was softer now, as if the entire school didn't know of his feelings towards his house-mate. "Come to Hogsmeade with us Saturday? I'll buy drinks at Three Broomsticks. For you and Evans and Marlene, whoever you want to bring."

He wore a lopsided grin, his teeth sparkling even in the dimly lit hallway, his large brown eyes searching hers eagerly.

"You don't have to do that. Of course, I'll bring her." Charlotte answered, sincerely.

"Oh, I insist." James face lit up at her answer, his pace down the hallway now twice as peppy. "Where are we going, anyways?"

"Turn my Astronomy paper in. She gave me a few extra hours, thankfully." She rummaged through the bag at her hip nervously as they neared the professors office.

"God, between you and Remus, it's feeling a little too much like school these days." James teased. "I'll catch you later, then." Before he could turn away, a loud crack sounded as a small burst of fire and smoke broke only a centimeter from James' glasses. He jumped away, eyes scanning quickly over Charlotte before spinning wildly through the hallway. "What was that?"

Though her heart was beating very fast still, her eyes caught the dangling feet over the railing of the staircase above them, her lips creeping into a smile as James spun once again, catching her eyes and following them up to the three Gryffindor's above.

"I fuckin' knew it! You wankers, I'm coming up there!" He bellowed, racing towards the stairs as the feet disappeared through the stairs. "You're lucky I don't have my broom!"

☾

The crash came only seconds before Charlotte smelled the smoke, glancing down towards the end of the hallway, eyes wide. Had that been an explosion? Was there a fire? She fumbled with her book, shoving it into her bag and climbing to her feet just as the two boys rounded the corner, grins plastered on their face, steps faltering for only a second when their eyes met the blonde's.

"Charlotte!" Sirius hissed, his voice sounding giddy. They still had not slowed down, Sirius reaching her side first and wasting no time before his hand was wrapped in hers, yanking her into motion, her arm pulling uncomfortably as she let herself be dragged with them down the hallway.

"What did you do?" She yelled, not caring to keep her voice down with the racket they were making on their own, rushing around the castle.

"A few stink bombs-" Remus began.

"More than a few." Sirius flashed her a bright smile before coming to a stop, allowing her body to crash into his, arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her backwards into a miniature alcove behind a worn looking tapestry.

"Guys, I'm not going in here, it's too small for all of us-" Charlotte said, pulling out of Sirius's arms to get his hands off her hips. "I'll tell them I didn't see you-"

"Blondie, Filch was right behind us! It's fine, there's plenty of room." Sirius whispered, and Charlotte could tell without even looking back that a smirk had overtaken his face. She hesitated a few more silent seconds, no sound between the three of them as they caught their breaths from their sprint. Charlotte breathed in Sirius's expensive cologne mixing with the scent of pine trees and what she assumed was a shared cigarette collection.

"I've gotta say," Sirius breathed against her ear, her head jerking back to listen as he spoke, "I could get used to this." He grinned and Charlotte groaned, stepping forward and searching for the edge of the tapestry.

"I'm going, it's too small for the three of us and-" She stopped as she felt the warmth of Remus's skin brush hers, one hand pulling hers from the tapestry as the other gripped her waist, pulling her back against him harshly. She could feel her eyes widen, her heart hammering against her chest as she looked up at him, thankful for the darkness which would surely disguise the red rising to her face. Remus held one finger over his lip and shook his head twice, nodding towards the hallway just as a cat hissed a few feet from their hiding spot.

"Where are they, Mrs. Norris? Go on, sniff them out." Filch's voice carried from down the hall, uneven steps pounding past the alcove before Remus released his grip on the blonde, his eyes flickering from her eyes to where his fingers had been moments before.

"Are we good?" Charlotte whispered, hurrying to get both of their minds away from where she was sure hers would be all night.

"Few more seconds." Remus said softly. "I can still hear them."

"No way," Charlotte frowned, pressing closer to the tapestry, her own ears straining for any sounds. "You're imagining it! I can't hear anything."

"Lupin's superhuman." Sirius grinned, hissing in pain as Remus shoved him against the stone behind them, the three Gryffindors finally spilling out into the fresh air and hurrying the opposite way of Filch.

☾

October was nearly halfway through now, and the weather was being quite cooperative. Nearly all of the trees around the grounds had dropped their leaves to the dying grass, and it was quite clear that winter was on it's way. Marlene, Mary and Lily had taken this as their cue for one last walk around the Black Lake following dinner, pouting and pleading when Charlotte had declined the offer.

So here she sat, in a nearly empty common room, hunched over her transfiguration book and an equally empty parchment roll which she had only managed to scribble her name and the date along. She had read over yesterday's chapter at least six times, maybe three more words sinking into her brain with each attempt.

It had only been yesterday that McGonagall had pulled her aside after class, the rest of the room emptying out slowly, straining to catch whispers of their conversation. Charlotte was grateful for her Professor's discretion, as she had sat silently behind her desk until everyone had filed from the room, the door shutting with a glance from the Gryffindor head of house.

"We need to discuss your test scores, Ms. Harris." She spoke sternly, as if they were simply discussing the weather.

Charlotte's heart sank. They hadn't received their most recent tests back yet, but if it was bad enough for her to be held after class for...

"You barely scraped by in the last one, and this one is worse, I'm sorry to say." She met the blonde girls eyes, disappointment lining her own as she pushed the exam towards Charlotte, the familiar cursive of her handwriting lining the top next to a large red 54.

"I know, NEWT level is a lot more than a lot of students had expected. I know you can handle it, you just need a little extra time spent on the subject. I can recommend some tutors from my seventh years if you'd-"

"Er... No, well... Thank you Professor... I'm going to try it on my own first. But thank you for the offer. I'll let you know. I won't fail another test, I promise."

McGonagall's tight lips pulled into a smile as she nodded, re-stacking the rest of the exams on her desk and dismissing Charlotte to her next lesson.

Which is how Charlotte found herself in the warmth of the Gryffindor Common Room before the fireplace, her attention pulled towards the window, thinking of her friends laughing and having fun down at the lake.

"Hi." The soft voice pulled her attention to her right where Remus Lupin was dropping into the oversized arm chair closest to the fire, looking tired, faint purple circles beneath his eyes.

"Hey, Remus." She answered, forcing herself not to shut her book right now, turning her entire attention to the tall boy beside her. "Where are the boys?"

His mouth pulled into a small smile as he settled his head against the back of his seat. "I don't know how Lily thought they would get to have a nice walk around the lake after she announced it right next to James."

Charlotte burst into laughter, now thankful she hadn't agreed to the walk with her friends. She could only imagine Lily's annoyance as the boys followed them around, James shouting to be noticed by the red-head the entire time.

"He's hopeless." She replied, turning the page of the transfiguration book to at least make it look as though she was making progress.

"Why aren't you down there?" Remus asked, his eyes catching on the book in her lap before returning to the flames licking at the logs before them.

"Have to study." Charlotte answered, her voice sounding strange, although she was sure it had something to do with the weight in her stomach as she thought about her test score.

"We're not back in transfiguration until Monday, you'll have all weekend." He explained, as though she hadn't realized her own schedule, his eyebrows pulled together slightly.

"I need the extra time, trust me." She huffed, hoping it sounded more like a laugh as she had intended it to.

Remus hummed, as if he understood. As if the boy at the top of all of their classes would ever understand the need for extra studying.

"It's hard stuff this year." He muttered, sounding uncomfortable.

"You probably know every lesson before Minnie even mentions the topic, Remus." She laughed, leaning her head back against the couch with a sigh. Her eyes slid to the boy beside her, watching the small smile pull at his lips as he scratched along his hairline at the back of his neck.

"Blondie," Sirius's voice shook them both from their thoughts. He was barreling towards the couch, white sleeves rolled above his elbows, his hair bouncing with every step before he tossed himself on top of Charlotte, earning a groan from the small blonde beneath him and laughter from the Gryffindors who had scurried into the Common Room after him. "Where were you? Wouldn't have gone if I knew you'd be up here. I can watch James pine after Lily any day." He grinned smugly at his best friend who took a seat beside Remus near the fire, shaking his head and attempting a glare at Sirius as Lily and Marlene gagged into their hands.

"Sirius, you're crushing me!" Charlotte whined, her voice muffled from behind the dark haired boy.

"Sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying." He grinned to his friends, ignoring the girl's attempts to shove him to the floor.

"Get off before you kill her, Pads." Remus ordered, his eyes now firmly planted into the book he'd been reading all week.

"Yes, sir." Sirius raised a hand in a salute, sliding to the left and allowing Charlotte to catch a deep breath after losing his weight from her chest.

Marlene stole the last spot on the couch beside Sirius as Peter and Lily found spots on the floor, ignoring James's offer for the girl to take his seat. Still, despite the extra room between Sirius and Marlene, Sirius hadn't moved over to give Charlotte any extra space. His trousers were tight against his knees, pressing into hers, his arm resting above her shoulder along the back of their couch. His cologne was so strong beside her, a mix of musk and honey which almost covered the smell of cigarettes that nearly always accompanied him. Her head felt clouded as she attempted to straighten her things back in her lap, breathing slowly and ignoring Sirius's gaze on her.

"What'cha working on, love?" Sirius asked loudly, James and Peter rolling their eyes at once, Lily and Marlene's eyes going wide as their exchanged a look. Remus didn't move, his eyes flicking quickly across the page, seeming as if he hadn't heard a single word from his friend's mouth at all.

"Transfiguration." Charlotte answered, speaking much lower than Sirius had, probably ever in his life.

"You want some help?" He ran a finger along the nearly blank parchment before her with a smirk.

Remus scoffed, drawing everyone's attention away from Charlotte and Sirius.

"What was that, Moony?" Sirius wore a grin as he glared at the tallest Marauder, perched on his chair and still not looking towards any of them.

"I'm not sure she's interested in the kind of things you could help her with." Remus replied at last. James, Peter and Marlene broke out into laughter, Lily and Charlotte exchanging a horrified look, the blonde officially regretting the lack of personal space between her and the dark haired Gryffindor.

"Piss off, Moony." Sirius rolled his eyes, officially sliding his arm down the couch until it rested on Charlotte's shoulder, rubbing a few small circles as he watched her face, waiting for her to tell him off.

"Sirius," She spoke slowly, finally turning to the boy, her eyes latching to his gray ones immediately. "I really do need to... get this done..."

His lips pulled into a half smile, pulling his arm from her and moving over to give her an extra inch of space. "Sure thing. You let me know if you need help though, you promise?"

"Sure, Sirius." She answered, ignoring Lily and Marlene, despite being able to feel each of their stares boring into her face.

After nearly two hours of laughter and stories, Charlotte officially had four paragraphs of her paper done, which she was sure was complete nonsense, and the weight in her chest had grown exponentially larger.

"Alright, I'm headed up. Practice tomorrow." James explained, stretching his arms high above his head, Lily's gaze firmly hooked to the floor.

Peter scrambled up after him, the two of them looking expectantly towards Remus and Sirius before Remus too stood from his seat, looking the most ready for bed out of all of them. Sirius remained in his spot beside Charlotte, grinning up at them, his eyebrows raised.

"We're not leaving you down here to bother the girls, you git." James explained, yanking Sirius's tie into the air as the eldest boy finally stood, pulling his tie from his neck with a cough.

"He's tryna kill me! You all saw that! Blondie?" Sirius cocked his head to the side as Charlotte smiled up at him, holding in a laugh at his wide eyes, James, Remus and Peter already starting up the stairs. "Lily, I swear, if you ever settle for him I'll never forgive you." Sirius announced loudly to the emptying common room as he followed his roommates upstairs too, silence finally enveloping the group.

"Well." Marlene grinned as Lily moved to take James empty spot on the large chair. "That was... a lot."

"When is it not." Charlotte answered, scribbling the next sentence along her page.

"Charlotte, put that down for a second!" Marlene ordered, reaching for the papers in Charlotte's lap, nabbing the corner only slightly before it was pulled from her reach and set on the coffee table before them.

"What?" She asked, swallowing the slight annoyance that was bubbling in her chest. She really did want to finish this assignment before the year was over.

"What is happening? With you and Sirius?" Lily asked, her eyes looking a bit concerned as she watched her friend's face.

"Oh my God, you guys." Charlotte let out a short sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's a flirt. He'll get over it by next week."

"I don't know." Marlene smirked, seeming all too pleased with the situation. "I haven't noticed him flirting with anyone else since... actually... since term began. Lily?"

Lily shrugged, biting back a knowing smile as Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Alright, then let's also discuss the James Potter in the room." She bit back, wanting the attention off herself at once.

"That could not have been discussed any more." Lily pointed out.

"Admit you like him!" Charlotte offered her friend a small smile which Lily did not return, shaking her head and looking to the ceiling.

"I literally could not admit that if I wanted to." She shrugged. "I think I might vomit."

Marlene scoffed, the three girls breaking into giggles.

"Well then, I regret to inform you that I told James we would go to Hogsmeade with them Saturday." Charlotte said, pulling her book and paper back to her lap and watching Lily's face stall for a moment.

"Why would you do that?" She finally asked, half a laugh falling from her lips.

"Because he looked at me with those sad eyes. He's just so in love with you and I cant help it. It's too cute." Charlotte shrugged, laughing quietly beside Marlene who was practically doubled over.

"It's not cute! It's borderline obsessive. Now he's got you helping him?" Lily rubbed her palms over her eyes with a whine.

"Well, he also promised he'd buy us all of our drinks at the Three Broomsticks." The blonde offered.

"Of course he is." Lily huffed, standing from her seat. "If I've got to suffer through an entire day of James Potter, not to mention Sirius, I'd better at least get a butterbeer out of it. Coming up?"

Marlene stood, wiping the fading tear of laughter from her eye as they started towards the stairwell.

"I'll be up in a bit. I'm hardly any farther into this than I was at dinner." Charlotte sighed, nodding a goodnight to the girls and starting the chapter over once again.

The clock against the wall struck twelve, the now familiar toll ringing through the empty common room as Charlotte sighed. In her defense, she was nearly done with the paper, even if it was complete rubbish. At least she had something down, she could revise it this weekend.

She tossed the book to the couch beside her, resting her forehead in her hand against the arm rest and taking a deep breath which did nothing to help the weight in her chest.

She had never been bad at any of her classes before. Sure, she was no Lily, no Remus. Even Sirius and James were constantly skating by, rarely studying and still receiving top marks. Sure, she had to work at it a bit. But never this much. NEWT classes were really getting to her.

"Why are you still up?" Remus spoke from the stairs behind her, looking somehow more tired than when they had went up to bed a few hours earlier.

"Oh." She stuttered out, blinking a few times and facing the fire again to wipe the tears which had been brimming beneath her eyes. "Haven't finished." She held the parchment up to his view.

"Seriously?" His voice was low and gravely as he took his seat from earlier, shutting his eyes for a moment as he took in the warmth from the fire. "D'you need some help?"

"No." She replied at once, shaking her head mostly to herself. "I think I'm going to be done for the night anyways. I'm going to hate myself in the morning."

"Are you having trouble concentrating?" He asked, sounding very like a professor.

"A bit." She agreed, liking this excuse better than just coming out and declaring herself stupid.

"It is hard." He repeated his sentiment from earlier. "I can look over it. If you'd like. Not tonight, but this weekend maybe."

She swallowed, ignoring the urge to meet his gaze, if he was even looking at her, that is. She was sure her eyes were puffy and it would be clear in the light of the fire that she had been crying.

"Why are you up so late?" She changed the subject, rolling her paper neatly and tucking it into her bag on the floor, shoving her book in alongside it.

"Er..." He stalled now, leaning his head against the couch once again. "Couldn't sleep. Headache."

"Oh," She finally looked up to him, his eyes were shut, thankfully, his head resting stiffly against his chair. She looked over his face, glowing faintly orange from the fireplace, his hair casting small shadows along his forehead. He was quite bundled up, dressed in an old pair of joggers and a dark brown knit sweater. He looked cozy. And still very tired. "I think Marlene has some sleeping draught upstairs, I can grab you some-"

"'S fine. It'll pass." He mumbled back, finally looking to her, concern flashing through his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

Charlotte nodded, her chest feeling very empty all of the sudden.

"Are you doing really terribly? In transfiguration?"

His words came out soft, as if he thought someone might hear, as if he was saving her from embarrassment. Charlotte laughed, beneath her breath, sliding one finger along her eyebrow to stall for another moment.

"Yeah." She answered. She'd had no intention of telling him this. Of telling him really anything about herself that might give him an opinion of her at all. "McGonagall is worried I'm going to flunk out."

He smiled slightly, sliding down a bit more in his spot, and Charlotte could tell he really was in pain. "You're not going to flunk out."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"I'm sure." He answered, "I'll tutor you."

Charlotte was suddenly thankful for the dim lighting as she felt her cheeks burn red.

"Remus, I don't want to make you-"

"You're not making me." He replied, cutting her off. "I'm offering. It's honestly not even a big deal. You're smart, you just need a little help. Won't even take us a month. I'll get you back on track."

"A month is an awfully large imposition." She watched his face carefully for any sign that he might regret his offer already.

"It's really not that long. Trust me." He chuckled under his breath. "You really should get some sleep tonight." He glanced at the clock.

"Right." She jumped from her seat, pulling her bag to her shoulder and stepping out from the crowded couches. "Remus..."

"Hmm?" His eyes were shut again.

"Thank you."

His eyes flickered open again, the warm light from the fire dancing through the brown as he watched her for a second. "Course."

Chapter Text

"Alright, that's time, but I want three pages on Dementors Monday morning!" The professor shouted over the scraping of desks as everyone rushed for the doorway, excited to begin their weekends. "Specifically their history with the Ministry and Azkaban as well as defenses and afflictions!"

"God, it felt like there was a Dementor in there, didn't it?" Mary shivered, leading the girls out from the admittedly freezing classroom.

"They should just start calling it Dark Arts at this point, it's always so depressing." Marlene agreed, linking an arm through Mary's.

"They're just trying to prepare us..." Lily sighed, "You know, everyone's talking about it now. The war, the disappearances, the-" She trailed off, the four girls slowing as a thick white fog drifted through the hall, students stopping, frozen in their tracks. They had just left the lesson on Dementors, about the fog that always accompanies them, filling whichever villages they were inhabiting.

Charlotte's attention was caught by a snicker a few feet into the smokey hallway, a sharp hush followed it. She stepped forward until she could see them. Three Slytherin, matching green ties loosened around their necks, the familiar dark-greasy hair in the center, fog pouring from the tip of his wand.

"Severus." Lily snapped, marching towards the three boys with her wand raised. The smoke before her began to clear at once, the Slytherin falling into view clearly now, twisted smiles lighting up the two boys on either side of Snape, who was looking up to the red-head with wide eyes, no laughter on his face. "Get rid of all of this, now. Or it'll be detention for the three of you."

"I'm quaking in my boots." The shorter haired brunette beside Snape sneered, the blonde chuckling loudly.

"Get lost, mudblood, or you'll regret it." The blonde was standing now, towering a few inches above Lily as Snape stood too, shooting a panicked expression between Lily and his house-mates.

"Oi!" Marlene shouted, the three Gryffindor's hurried to Lily's side at once. Charlotte glanced over to her roommate's face, green eyes bright and latched onto Snape's dark ones. She shook her head after a moment and spun on her heel. Disappearing into the already fading fog as Mary hurried after her, shooting a glare back towards the Slytherin as they laughed.

"Well done, Snape." Marlene tugged on Charlotte's hand to follow their friends. "You really know how to get the girl."

"Severus has no interest in a filthy mudblood like Evans." The brown haired boy spat back, Charlotte slowing, letting Marlene gain a few steps ahead of her. She turned back, both of the boys were glaring down at Snape who's eyes were now stuck to the floor.

"She'd still be your friend if you weren't such a coward." Charlotte called back, Snape's eyes flashing to hers. "Maybe more than that if you didn't hang out with this lot. You're all pathetic, and I can't wait until the day you realize you wasted all these years trying to impress these-" The blonde next to Snape had merely twitched the wand in his hand towards Charlotte when her words cut off. Her tongue flew to the roof of her mouth where she was unable to move it, taking in a deep breath through her nose as her eyes widened.

"Char?" Marlene was back at her side, eyes scanning between the Slytherin boys who were once again snickering, Snape's face still twisted into a snarl. "Come on, let's go upstairs..."

Charlotte's hands flew to her mouth, attempting to speak again though no words would come out. She could feel her heart rate pick up, taking a few steps away from the boys with Marlene before they heard the new voices.

"What the hell's going on here?"

It was James. Marlene and Charlotte spun towards the voice, Charlotte's stomach sinking deeper. The four of them were the worst people to enter into this situation, they would make everything worse.

"Out for a bit of pranking, Sniv?" Sirius grinned, Peter hanging a ways behind the other three boys as Charlotte met Remus's eyes. The tall boy's mouth had already been open, although whether to join in with his friends or reprimand them, she would never know. He left their side, hurrying over towards the girls, Sirius and James' voices still ringing through the hallway behind them.

"What happened?" He glanced between Marlene and Charlotte.

"They filled the hallway with fog to scare everyone after the Dementor lesson. Lily went over and yelled at them and they called her-"

"I mean what happened to Charlotte?" He cut her off, though his eyes were still scanning between the two girls.

"What happened to... Did something happen, Charlotte?" Marlene was looking over her now and Remus rolled his eyes slightly. Charlotte's eyes began to water as she pointed towards her mouth, shaking her head quickly.

"Did they hex her?" Marlene shrieked, looking murderously towards the Slytherin who now had their wands pointed towards the Marauders.

"Charlotte, open your mouth." Remus ordered. The blonde grimaced, opening her mouth as Marlene swore loudly.

"It's fine." He assured her, "Will you go stop that?" He gestured towards the group behind them. "We can't lose any more house points, term has just started." Marlene grumbled and started towards the fight, shouting for them to break it up. "It's gonna be fine, Charlotte. It's a stupid jinx. Finite." He hissed, and Charlotte felt her tongue free from the roof of her mouth at once, gasping in a relieved breath and clapping both hands over her lips.

"Fixed?" Remus ensured, offering her a small smile as she nodded. "Good."

There was a grumble of muttered cursing and shouts as the Gryffindor's neared them, Marlene had apparently been successful in breaking up the fight, although Charlotte couldn't imagine how. Picking on the Slytherin's, especially Snape, was one of the Marauder's favorite past-times, although the same could be said for the three boys slouching away down the hallway as well.

"I can walk you upstairs?" Remus offered, Charlotte's lips pulling into a smile at the worry in his voice as she nodded, the tall boy's fingers sliding around her arm carefully and pulling her into motion towards the staircase.

"Oi, Moony! Thanks for the back up!" Sirius called, Remus chuckling to himself as the two turned back to their friends.

"It's not really my scene. Making a fool of myself in the hallway." He shrugged, Sirius's gray eyes flickering between the two of them a few steps ahead, rushing forward to catch up.

"You alright, blondie?" He called, Marlene, James and Peter snickering loudly from the ground. Remus's eyes rolled once again, yanking his bag higher onto his shoulder and letting the dark-haired boy catch up to them.

☾

Charlotte ignored the rumble through her stomach at the thought of dinner, scanning once more through the same page of her potions notes. Though her mouth didn't physically hurt anymore, there was still a wave of nausea every time she pictured herself back in the hallway, the hateful glares of the boys, the twisted smiles as their spell hit her. She could still feel the panic creeping it's way into her throat, shaking her head to rid herself of the mental image and attempting to return to her studying.

"Hey," The familiar voice broke her from her thoughts, her eyes snapping up to the honey colored eyes. "What are you still doing up here?"

"Oh," She stammered, waving her notes slightly between them. "Just lost track of time, I guess."

"Well, come on, I'm starving. You'll miss dinner at this rate." Remus offered her a smile and nodded towards the portrait hole, watching her eyes flicker nervously between him and the exit.

"I'm actually not all that hungry... I'll probably just... I'm probably just going to..." She trailed off, thinking of the Great Hall below them, filled with students. She could picture exactly where Snape and his friends would be sat. She grit her teeth as another wave of hunger rolled through her stomach and Remus's lips twitched into a frown.

He took the spot next to her on the couch, leaving a bit of room between them, only a bit of space between their knees as he looked down, studying her face.

"Please come down to dinner?" He spoke slowly, his voice soft even in the empty common room. "You'll walk down with me. I'll walk you back up after." He paused, noting the white color that had overtaken her face. "I won't let them hurt you. I won't even let them look at you."

Charlotte let out what was supposed to be a laugh, yet sounded more like a sigh, the corners of her mouth sneaking up towards a smile.

"How are you going to enforce that, Lupin?" She said, teasingly and he smiled once again.

"They're not the only ones who know jinxes." He grinned, climbing back to his feet and holding one hand out to pull Charlotte up with him. "It's going to be fine."

☾

"Awfully dressed up for someone who hates the people we're spending the day with." Marlene sang as she watched Lily finish her hair in the mirror.

"I can dress nice for me, Marlene." Lily scolded in response, Marlene and Charlotte sharing a smile from behind her. "I saw that! Knock it off."

Charlotte glanced at herself in the full length mirror next to their door one last time before sitting down at the desk to wait for Lily.

"Charlotte looks nice for herself and she's not holding everyone up." Marlene laughed as Lily kicked the door shut.

"You do look nice, Char. Anyone you're looking forward to seeing today?" Mary grinned, her eyes flicking towards Marlene for half a second, both of their gazes latching to Charlotte's.

"No, Mary." Charlotte turned her attention to the laces of her boots, double knotting them for something to do.

"Sirius is going to-" She giggled, pausing as the bathroom door burst open, Lily appearing before them, her hair done half up neatly with a red ribbon.

"Be insufferable." The red-head finished through half a groan. "I can't believe you've ruined our first Hogsmeade of the season, Char."

"She didn't ruin it. It's going to be a blast, let's go." Mary jumped from her spot on the bed, flattening out the short black skirt she had on and starting towards the door.

"Mary, you're going to freeze!" Charlotte looked her friend over.

"It's the last time I'll get to wear it until Spring." Mary shrugged, glancing over her outfit one last time in the mirror beside Lily.

"You're going to overheat, Char." Marlene chuckled as she finally stood beside her roommates, light jeans hugging her hips and falling down to her oversized black boots. "A sweater and a scarf?"

"I'm already cold and we haven't even left the castle yet." Charlotte shot them half a smile as Lily pulled a sweater over her t-shirt, holding the door for the girls to file out.

At last, they stepped into the bustling common room, smaller third years excitedly filing towards the portrait hole for their first trip into the village, older students lounging on the couch, apparently electing to stay at the castle or wait for the village to clear out a bit before heading down.

"Where are they?" Marlene huffed, mild annoyance painting her words.

"Maybe they forgot and we'll have a nice time." Lily teased, pulling on Marlene's arm to get them towards the doorway.

"Not a chance, Evans." Sirius was draped over the red-head before any of them had processed his words, his arm stretching over her shoulder with a grin as she rolled her eyes nearly back into her head. "You couldn't ditch us if you tried."

He finally released her as the rest of the boys appeared behind them, Charlotte's eyes flickering to Remus at once. Sirius was dressed head to toe in black leather, his jacket hanging beneath his waist to his black jeans, a few holes ripped along the knees. James looked his normal self, a gray button up and black trousers, his hair however did look freshly done. Remus looked cozy, a maroon sweater covered a good amount of his neck, trousers nearly identical to James's. He hadn't looked up to the girls, having a quiet conversation with Peter beside him, a lazy smile on the tall boy's face.

"Blondie, gorgeous as ever." Sirius pulled her from her focus on Remus. She looked to the dark haired boy, offering him a small smile.

"It's not nice to brag, Sirius." She joked, letting Mary and Lily pull her back towards the exit, the boys hurrying after them at once.

"Don't do that, Charlotte, he's already got a big enough head." James called from behind them and Mary burst into laughter.

"She knows I was talking about her." Sirius appeared at her side once again, mischief gleaming in his eye as they started down the stairs.

Despite Lily's never-slowing march outside, the boys had longer legs, and were leading the way by the time they pushed through the heavy entrance doors. Marlene was recounting their Quidditch practice from the night before, while James was adamantly insisting that she was remembering it wrong, and he had in fact not been that bossy, Peter laughing heartily at his side.

Charlotte however was more focused on the two boys walking side by side ahead of them. Sirius was practically skipping down the stone walkway, his usual bubbly self, drawing looks from nearly every girl they passed. The difference, however, was Remus. He was keeping up with the darker boy, but as Charlotte watched closer, she noted a slight limp, one leg nearly dragging after the other, one hand holding tightly to his hip.

"James," Charlotte asked quietly, Peter thankfully still talking to Marlene, Lily pointedly walking as far from the brunette as she could.

"What's up?" He asked, matching her tone. "You think I'm being too loud? She seems annoyed..." He rambled, glancing to the red-head.

"What?" Charlotte looked between the two Gryffindors, shaking her head at once. "Oh, you're fine. Just give her time to wake up." She lied. "I was going to ask you something else, actually."

"Sure." He nodded, hazel eyes glued to hers, curiously.

"Is Remus hurt?" She asked, hoping to sound nonchalant. She would ask if any of them were limping around.

His mouth fell open a bit, glancing to Sirius and Remus for only a second before pulling a smile to his face, his eyes going wide.

"What do you mean?"

"He looks like he's limping." Charlotte explained, her attention back on the lighter-haired boy ahead of them.

"He's fine, Char." James explained, quickly. "You worry too much, it's Saturday. First Hogsmeade trip." He bumped her arm lightly and grinned, joining back into Peter and Marlene's conversation, if only to hopefully drag Lily into it as well.

Nearly two hours later, the group had officially run through every shop in Hogsmeade, paper bags in their hands carrying loads of sweets from Honeydukes and "essentials" as James and Sirius had explained, from Zonko's Joke Shop.

"I don't want to know what you three are planning with all of that. 15 Galleons at Zonko's." Lily sighed, rubbing her temples from stress.

"You three," Sirius started, barking out a laugh. "She's completely fooled by you, Moons."

"Remus is a Prefect." Lily snapped back as the girls pushed into the quiet bookshop, the boys following with no complaints, although Charlotte was sure they would be kicked out in under five minutes with the four of them trailing behind them.

"He's one of us, Evans." Sirius grinned, apparently unfazed by any of Lily's eye rolls in his direction.

Charlotte had been excited when Lily had mentioned that she had needed new quills from Scrivenshafts, although how her friend had managed to go through her supply from the summer in just two months was beyond her. Still, Charlotte had already burned through all of the books she had managed to force into her trunk for this year, and she was in desperate need of a new one.

She split from the group at once, Peter and James following Lily and the girls towards the quills near the front of the shop, and slowed near the first aisle of books, all brand new and un-cracked.

"You really are a nerd, aren't you?" Sirius's voice was in her ear, and she whipped around quickly, a book still gripped in her hand as she met his gray eyes, his mouth curled into a smirk.

"You scared me." She hissed, quietly, thankful that the shop owner was busy assisting the group at the front. "Why are you so close to me?" She side stepped, setting the book back into it's place and moving to the next aisle.

"To scare you." He explained, as if it was obvious. "Are you looking for something specific?"

"Oh, I don't know, are you an expert?" She quipped back, earning a chuckle from the dark haired boy. "I just need something new to read. I've run out of all the books I brought to school."

"... It's October." He spoke, slowly, eyeing the blonde as she read through another book from the shelf. "You've read through all of your books, and it's October?"

"Mhm," She hummed, half listening to him as she flipped to the first page, scanning over it.

"You want that one?" He asked, moving closer to her again.

"Maybe." Charlotte shrugged, tucking it under her arm and looking towards the next row before her, thinking of the money in her purse. She would probably have enough for two books, but this money was supposed to last her until Christmas.

"Hand it here." Sirius held out one arm towards her, earning a doubtful look from the girl. "What? I'll hold it while you're looking!"

"I'm quite capable of carrying a book for a few minutes, Black." She shook her head, reading through the back of the next book, deciding on the first one and setting this one back on it's shelf.

"Let me buy it for you." Sirius demanded, holding his hand out for the book again, his eyes shining bright from the window before them.

"What? No." She laughed, stepping around him again before he moved to block her path. "Sirius!"

"Please!" He smiled down at her, his cologne once again enveloping her senses.

"I can buy my own things." She replied, slight annoyance creeping into her chest. Did he think she was poor? Although, everyone was probably poor to Sirius Black.

"I know, I know that." He stuttered out, obviously realizing where her thoughts were headed. "I want to buy it for you."

"That's very sweet." She finally stepped around him, his path blocked by a tall shelf as she hurried to the counter at the front, counting out a few galleons and dropping them into the shopkeep's hand with a smile and a thank you, sliding the book into her bag from Honeydukes.

"You're quite stubborn, aren't you?" Sirius smirked as she turned back to face him, the girls behind them quickly paying for their quills and joining them at the exit.

"Alright... Butterbeer?" James's eyes lit up to match his grin as he lead the way to the Inn at the end of the street, eyeing a large table in the corner of the busy pub. "I'll get drinks." He explained, meeting Charlotte's eyes with a grin, hurrying towards the bar before anyone could protest.

"Fine by me." Mary grinned, sliding into the booth with Marlene, Lily hurrying to beat Charlotte into the next spot, leaving zero chance that James could squeeze in next to the red head when he returned.

"I'll go help him." Charlotte offered, watching the quidditch star looking over the eight mugs of butterbeer, obviously contemplating how he was going to get them all back to their table without magic.

"I'll help you." Sirius jumped, letting you lead the way towards James who offered the two of you a grin at your approach.

"Didn't think this one through, did I? Thanks again," He smiled, setting a couple of galleons in the bartender's hand as Sirius and Charlotte started grabbing mugs, the boys looping mugs around their fingers leaving only two left for the blonde to carry back to their friends.

"Just think, in less than a month I'll be able to levitate them for us. Might never stand up again." Sirius smirked, setting the drinks down with three matching clunks, Remus and Peter reaching for theirs at once.

"You're turning 17 in less than a month?" Charlotte asked, looking to the dark haired boy. It felt strange, that any of them would be coming of age this year, much less Sirius Black.

"Oh, how could you not know?" Marlene grinned through a sip of her butterbeer. "It's been all he's talked about for weeks now."

"Just making sure your calendars are all marked." He shrugged.

"Yeah, mine's marked off as 'Annual Silencing Spell Practice.'" Lily grumbled, holding back a smile. Charlotte noticed how James's eyes were stuck on the bit of whipped cream clinging to her upper lip, offering him a sharp nudge to his knee which shook him from his trance.

The eight of them spent the next hour drinking their way through a second round of butterbeer and hearing all about James' plans for Sirius's party, as well as Remus's reassurance to Lily that he would keep them all in check for her. At last, as the sun began to dip, the Three Broomsticks dimming from the loss of light outside, the friends filed out of the pub one after another and started the trek back to the castle.

"Thanks for the drinks, James." Charlotte called ahead to the brunette, who was already hurrying to catch up to walk back next to Lily.

"Yeah, thanks James, I'll buy next time." Marlene grinned, linking an arm with Mary, the two girls walking so slow that at this rate, they wouldn't even make it to the grounds by curfew.

"Don't promise them a next time!" Lily spun back to her friends with half a smile at James and Sirius's matching whines.

"So," Sirius started, pulling Charlotte's attention from Lily and Remus leading the group up the path, James finally catching up to them and slinking up to Lily's free side, Peter on his tail. "How come James can buy drinks?"

She pulled her focus from her friends, or more particularly, from the tallest Marauder, to look to Sirius. "What?"

"Potter can buy you butterbeer all night, but I can't buy you a-"

"Neither of you has to buy me anything!" She snapped, looking up at him, the sunlight nearly gone from the sky now.

"Okay!" He held his hands up in mock defense, as if she were planning to hit him. "I'm only asking, blondie, didn't think I'd get you all worked up."

"I should probably just get preemptively worked up anytime I see you headed my way." Charlotte sighed, dramatically.

"No, don't do that." He grinned, "I'll work you up myself."

"Oh, Godric, you're disgusting." The blonde held back a laugh, Sirius's own was so loud, James and Remus both looked back to make sure they weren't missing a good joke.

"Are you cold?" He asked once his laughter had faded away, leaving them with only the sound of the leaves crunching beneath their boots and the faint conversation James was leading between Lily, Remus and Peter a ways ahead of them.

"No, not really." She lied, eyes skating along the castle in the distance. Despite Marlene's earlier words, her sweater was doing little to keep out the chill, the cold night air seeping right through the knit fabric.

"You're a liar." Sirius's lips pulled into half a smirk. "A stubborn little liar. How have we not been great friends all this time, blondie?" He dropped his jacket from his arms and held it out towards Charlotte, raising his eyebrows and stepping to block her path until she reluctantly pushed one arm into the first sleeve. The leather was still warm from his body, and she could hardly feel the wind anymore.

"Could be because you didn't know my name until last month." She grinned up to him, watching his smirk fall.

"It's nearly November, let's call it two months now." He bit back.

"And judging from the 'blondie' comments, I'm starting to think you might still not know it-"

"Charlotte." He drawled, the hint of a smile pulling the corners of his lips at her name.

She took a small breath, looking away from him back to their friends up ahead. She wasn't sure if it was walking this close to him or being wrapped in his jacket, but it was all she could smell: the honey and woodsy scent and the smoke from the cigarettes she was sure she would find in one of these pockets if she cared to check.

"So, we'll throw a party. My birthday. It's two weeks away." He moved on, pulling Charlotte back into reality.

"I heard." She nodded. "You're going to give Lily a heart attack."

"She's used to us." He grinned back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Will I see you there?"

She peeked to the side, seeing his eyes locked on her face before she turned her own back to the ground, watching the leaves crumple beneath their feet.

"It's in my common room, isn't it?" She teased, smiling at the path.

"Well, yeah..." He trailed off, flicking a strand of hair from his face. "But you never come to them."

"I've... passed through them." She looked to him now, his eyebrows raised at her, a soft smile lining his lips. "It's just-"

"Charlotte," She cursed herself silently as her head whipped around at Remus's voice. They were nearly to the castle now, Lily looking back to the three of them, clearly looking for a way out of the long walk up to Gryffindor tower with James and Peter. "When do you want to study?"

"Oh..." She could practically feel her face heating up, suddenly thankful for the darkness surrounding them. "Uh... whenever. Whenever's good for you. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow might not work for Lupin-" Sirius started at once.

"It's fine." Remus cut him off, hardly sparing the boy a glance. "Tomorrow. After dinner?" His eyes were locked with Charlotte's, yet they looked conflicted, as if he was already regretting their plans.

"Sure. Perfect." She nodded, smiling as he held the door for her and Sirius, the three of them watching Marlene and Mary from a distance, the two girls laughter echoing across the nearly vacant grounds. "Thanks Remus."

He hummed something that she assumed to be along the lines of no problem as they hurried to catch Peter, James and Lily, a sigh of relief washing over Lily as she stepped back to walk with Charlotte, letting the four Marauders lead the way up the first flight of stairs.

Chapter Text

Charlotte pushed another small piece of chicken around her plate, trying to listen to Marlene's recap of their morning practice, which Mary and Lily had both found hilarious, as they were practically doubled over the table with laughter.

"Char, you alright?" Lily nudged her leg, jolting the blonde back into focus.

"Yeah, just tired." She assured them, taking another bite of her now nearly cold dinner.

"Yeah, I wonder why. Not like you were up at seven this morning doing Godric knows what." Marlene mentioned.

She hadn't meant to wake up that early. It was Sunday after all. She had planned to sleep in, but after tossing and turning for hours, she had decided that her brain was obviously not going to let her get anymore sleep, and had dragged herself into the common room with her transfiguration book.

She had been reading through the chapters they'd gone over so far off and on the entire day, re-opening the book every time she decided to be done. One would think after all of the hours spent reading the same chapters, she would be an expert, but she had found that none of the information had stuck very long, as every time she began reading, all she could think about was studying with Remus later.

Charlotte had gone back and forth all day between excitement and dread. While two days ago she would have given anything to get some alone time with the boy, it was now the one topic threatening to send her running to the bathroom to vomit.

He was going to know, once and for all, how truly terrible she was at Transfiguration this year. So terrible, that McGonagall really thought she wouldn't pass this term.

"Ready?" She had to spin around to make sure the voice was real and not in her head, as she had been thinking of him all day. He was stood behind her, a different sweater than yesterday's, blue this time, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His fingers tapping relentlessly on his leg as he waited for her answer.

"Yes!" She hurried to grab her bag from the ground, pulling it to her shoulder and standing beside him. "I'll see you guys, Remus is going to attempt to catch me up on Transfiguration."

"Catch you up? You've been studying all day!" Mary blurted, Charlotte's eyes narrowing to slits, shooting her a warning glare that was already much too late.

"Alright, see you tonight then!" Lily cut in, resting a hand on Mary's arm as Remus lead the way out of the Great Hall.

"Don't get your hopes up. You've still got your work cut out for you." Charlotte joked, hurrying to keep up with the tall boy beside her.

"Hmm," It was nearly a laugh. He led the way, Charlotte hustling to keep up, down the hallway, up the last flight of stairs, a quick right before the large library came into view. The yellow light spilling onto the stone, the windows in the hallways already growing dark.

She followed him towards the back of the room where he dropped his bag onto one of the four chairs at the square table. The library was practically deserted, almost everyone surely finishing their dinner. Charlotte peeked over at a silent table where three seventh year students had their noses pressed into textbooks, scribbling at the speed of light. She didn't even want to think about how she would be this time next year, with NEWT's right around the corner.

"Alright," Remus pulled her from her thoughts, her eyes snapping towards his, the nerves flooding back into her stomach. "Want me to look over your paper for tomorrow, or should we start farther back?"

"Uh..." She pulled her parchment out, unrolling it onto the table between them, noticing the way that Remus's fingers were drumming furiously against the desk, as if he was bored, his body overflowing with energy. "I'm not really even sure where I got so behind. I remember feeling fine the first two weeks, but-"

She trailed off as he slid her paper towards him, one finger landing on the first line, flying down through each sentence, hardly blinking. After a few minutes, he was nearly at the bottom, nodding to himself slightly and Charlotte felt the nerves begin to slip away. Maybe she wasn't hopeless. All of the studying the last few days had to have paid off a bit.

"I see the issue." He said, setting the paper to the side of the table and flicking his wand only slightly, his transfiguration book dropping like a weight before us. "You're... are you good with Vanishing spells?" He asked, seeming as if he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I'm decent." She answered, remembering how she and Lily had been one of the first last year to master the spell.

"I figured. You're writing about the Conjuring spells like they're opposites. And, I mean... they kind of are..." He ran a hand through his hair once, yet his didn't stick up like James' always did. "They kind of are. But when you're conjuring something, it's not coming from no where, nothing can come from no where, you know what I mean?"

Charlotte nodded, watching his fingers flick through a few pages of their book before finding the chapter that he wanted.

"Alright, put vanishing out of your head. Conjuring." He turned the book towards her, craning his neck to read. Charlotte forced her eyes to the words on the page, trying not to get lost in the way his voice was slightly raspy, his fingers twitching restlessly against the tabletop.

"Get it?" He asked, finally. She nodded, reading through the last line he had just finished once more before meeting his eyes. "Do you actually get it?"

"I think so." Charlotte prayed her face wasn't as red as it felt. "You can't conjure something from nothing, it's pulling elements from the real world."

He nodded, a small smile spreading at his lips.

"So... this is wrong..." She muttered, reaching for the essay. Remus pulled it from her reach, glancing through it quickly before holding his wand like a quill, ink vanishing from the paper at once.

"Only these parts." He pushed the page towards her now, setting a quill on top of the parchment. "Just fix those two paragraphs, and that's a perfect grade." He was twirling his wand between his fingers now, absentmindedly as he watched her scribble corrections.

"You're a real life genius." She mumbled, setting the quill down to let the ink dry.

"Nah, just a good memory." Remus shrugged, his eyes wide, seeming more awake than she had ever seen him before, his neck flushed pink, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Are you okay?" The blonde asked, glancing over him again.

"Fine." He answered, beginning to pack away his work into the bag on the chair between them.

"You look..." Hot. "Warm."

"Yeah, it's bloody hot in here." He stood at once, slinging his bag over his shoulder and looking to her again. "Same time next week, if you'd like? I think if we go back a few more chapters and work from there, you'll have a really good understanding moving forward. I think Minnie's going to start non-verbals in a few more weeks, so-"

She blinked. She had never heard Remus speak this fast, or arguably this much.

"Yeah, next week is great." She nodded, sliding her paper into her bag and standing up next to him. "Thank you, Remus, I really owe you."

He shook his head, easily before starting towards the exit. "Don't mention it." He muttered, before stepping into the hallway, leaving her in the dust.

☾

Remus turned the familiar corner and came to a halt. There was never anyone in this hallway, not this high up, not in the dim corridor he had found so many years ago, back when he had needed somewhere to escape from Sirius and James and their relentless prank requests or Peter's constant need to copy homework.

Charlotte glanced up, feeling the long shadow fall over her, meeting Remus's eyes, searching her own, looking confused.

"Hey!" She smiled at once. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, stepping into the alcove and sliding down the wall to sit across from the blonde girl. "I come here sometimes. If I need a break from the guys."

"What are they doing now?" She asked, marking her page in her book as her eyes ran over the lanky boy before her. He was not the same as he had been two nights ago, jumpy and energetic. Now his eyes were dull, dark purple circles beneath them, even the way he was sat on the floor, one hip slightly raised off the stone, as if one of his legs had fallen asleep already.

"Being themselves." He answered simply, opening to about halfway through a pristine looking book which was clearly quite old.

"What are you reading?" Charlotte spoke softly, pushing through the clear feeling that he wasn't in the mood to chat.

He held the book up slightly, deep blue and gold lined the edges, The Odyssey spelled out between them.

"Is that..."

"An original copy? Probably." He chuckled, setting the book back onto his lap. "It's Sirius's. His uncle sends him muggle books while he's at school, or sneaks them to him for Christmas, s'long as his parents don't see." Remus explained, as if his words should be clear.

"That's a first edition?" She finished her earlier question and Remus shrugged.

"Looks like it, doesn't it?" His eyes were still scanning the page he was on as he spoke.

The two of them fell into silence as Charlotte re-opened her book, knowing that Remus had come up here looking for quiet. Still, she couldn't keep from glancing towards him every few minutes, wandering over the dark purple under his eyes, the way he seemed to melt into the stone wall behind him, his mouth falling into a grimace without his notice.

Their small alcove had grown darker since the boy had arrived to keep her company, the sun dipping beneath the tall windows when Charlotte finally admitted defeat, hardly able to read anything more, even with the book held right up to her nose.

"I'm calling it a night." She spoke, quietly, her voice sounding odd after the long stretch of silence they had enjoyed. "Coming up?"

His eyes still flickered across his page, his book still in his lap, though he was nearing the end now.

"Nah, I'm almost done. I'll be up later." He answered without looking up to her.

"Remus, it's like pitch dark in here." She laughed, hearing the sound die away as he didn't respond. "Can you actually see what you're reading?"

He looked up to her now, his eyes going wide for a second. "A bit."

"Okay," She pulled her bag to her shoulder and stepped out of their small space. "Don't stay up here too long, you look tired." She wanted to slap a hand over her mouth as soon as she had finished her sentence. What a terrible way to express that you cared for someone. Get some sleep, you look like shit.

He glanced up to her once more, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "Now you sound like James."

"I'll take it as a compliment." She turned and started towards the staircase when she heard his response.

"It was."

☾

"Two parties in three days, I can't even..." Lily grumbled, pulling on her new pair of tall boots, which only an hour ago had been sandals which she had dug from the bottom of her trunk. The Halloween feast had only just ended, yet even as the Gryffindors had clambered into the common room, the Marauders already had the beginnings of their annual Halloween party into full swing.

"It's Halloween, Lils." Charlotte grinned, pulling the strings on her corseted top as tight as they could, go watching her waist shrink in the mirror and wondering if this was, indeed, magic.

"Yes, and I'm fine with this one." She fluffed her now curly hair a few times in the mirror, scanning along her outfit as Marlene and Mary burst out from the bathroom, laughter taking over the dorm. "It's the entire common room party on a Tuesday night for one person's birthday that I'm not fond of."

"Damn, Lils." Mary beamed, hurrying to Lily's side in the mirror. "You might want to tone it down a bit if you don't want that outfit covered with Potter's drool in five minutes."

Lily groaned, rolling her eyes as Marlene roared again with laughter.

"Or," The golden haired girl countered from her seat on the bed, "Keep it up and find yourself a tolerable boy and James will have to leave you alone."

"Marlene, you love James!" Charlotte said through a laugh.

"Course I do, he's a riot." She grinned. "But if Lily wants him off her ass-"

Lily shot her a glare as her roommates erupted into giggles, Mary leaning down to adjust the black see-through tights beneath her skirt which Charlotte thought looked much better than her own did.

"I'm changing. I look stupid, none of the girls are this pale - scratch that, no one on earth is this pale-" She joked, pulling at her own tights in an attempt to hide the white that seeped through the sheer material.

"Pardon me?" Lily pointed out, holding out the underside of her arm which was admittedly whiter than snow.

"Shut up, Charlotte." Mary cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "We'd better find two buckets to bring down between James and Sirius."

Charlotte felt her cheeks tinge pink as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

"They were already drinking when we came in, that was nearly half an hour ago, they're not going to notice any of us." The blonde promised, despite knowing she was lying to Lily. James Potter's eyes had probably been glued to the staircase since the party began. She slid up beside Lily at the mirror. "Do my hair now?"

Lily nodded, eagerly, grabbing her wand from the desk near the doorway. Mostly everyone downstairs was already dressed up, but the girls had only decided yesterday on their costume. It was an easy decision this year, choosing to dress up as the four members of their favorite band, Felicis, which had just put out a new album in August. The four girls had written each other the day it came out, gushing over favorite songs and expected tour dates, promising they would all get tickets, no matter where it was.

It worked out nicely, as Mary and Lily could easily style their hair to match two of the girls, while everyone secretly thought that Marlene already wore hers this way because of her favorite band member, the lead singer with the golden hair, black streaks laced throughout the shoulder-length bob.

Which left Charlotte as the guitar player, who unfortunately had long, dark black hair. Which was why Lily now stood before her, wand tapping at the base of her head, inky black spreading along and covering every trace of the silvery blonde she was so used to seeing in the mirror.

"Oh, Godric, you look just like her!" Marlene gushed, eyes wide as she glanced over Charlotte's outfit now. "Boots, you forgot boots."

"Right," The now dark haired girl mumbled, searching around her trunk for a pair of shoes, or really anything that could be transfigured, finally pulling out a pair of black mittens. "What do they look like?" Her eyes scrunched together, trying to picture the vinyl they had purchased over the summer.

Marlene dug her copy from beneath her bed, holding it out and looking exasperated at the very thought of any of them forgetting the iconic outfits. With a twirl and a flick of her wand, the mittens expanded into two identical boots which Charlotte hurried to pull on at once.

"Ready?" Mary wiggled her eyebrows, opening the door and leading the three girls down to the common room which was already crowded with Gryffindors, music pounding the floor as they stepped into the party.

"Evans!" The familiar voice rang out at once.

"Of course." Marlene snickered, the four girls turning to face James.

"You're gorgeous." He held out one of the cups he was holding towards her, which she reluctantly took, holding it to her nose for a second.

"How long have you been holding that?" Charlotte asked knowingly, as James finally turned to face her, his eyes wide, jaw dropping.

"Char? I didn't even recognize you! Oh, Merlin's sake, Sirius is going to-" He was already laughing.

"Blondie?" The group now turning as Sirius pushed his way through the crowd, most of the younger students parting at once to let him pass until he stood before his friends, his jaw slack like James' had been. "What the hell did you do?"

Charlotte's stomach dropped, slightly, at his words, people all around them were watching the scene play out before them. She wondered quickly where Remus was.

"It's just a costume, Sirius." She answered, her voice sounding soft, pulling her bottom lip beneath her teeth absentmindedly.

"Your hair... I meant, your hair." He muttered, stepping forward again and running two fingers through the black hair, his eyes seeming lost in thought.

"Just a spell." Charlotte muttered, stepping backwards to let her hair fall from his grasp.

"And she looks great, right Pads?" James coached, snapping Sirius from whatever trance he had been in, his gray eyes returning to hers.

"Course." He nodded at once, "Charlotte always looks great." His smirk was back now, yet his eyes seemed locked firmly on her face. "Come on, let's get you a drink." He nodded, starting into the crowd, Mary, Marlene and Charlotte on his heels.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" Charlotte called over the music and the chatter surrounding them as Sirius stopped them at a sticky looking table, covered with a vast assortment of bottles.

"Peter." He nodded towards the corner of the room nearest the portrait hole, where Peter was wrapped around a girl whose back was to the room, long brown hair tumbled over her shoulders.

"Remus?" She asked again, accepting the cup that Sirius had just poured for her, grimacing at the strong smell.

"Uh, Moony's..." He scanned around the room, taking a sip of his drink.

"What about Moony?" Remus grumbled from behind the group, everyone turning to greet him, Charlotte noticed the wince as Mary screamed a hello.

"Where've you been?" Sirius asked, clapping him on the shoulder.

The taller boy flashed Sirius a box of cigarettes from inside his jacket pocket.

"Oi, thanks for the invite." He grumbled.

"You were occupied." Remus answered with a shrug.

"You're both disgusting." James appeared, Lily at his side, already half way through her drink and seeming a bit more smiley now. "Should have come dressed as two shriveled up lungs."

"Oh, come on, Prongs, we only live once." Sirius grinned, glancing towards Remus who didn't share his smile.

"What are you all dressed as, anyways?" James asked, his eyes skating over Lily's costume.

"They're Felicis." Sirius answered, eyebrows raised as the four girls grinned up to him.

"You know them?" Marlene screamed to be heard over the music.

"Yeah, they're alright." He shrugged, allowing Marlene's slap across his chest.

"That's why your hair's dark?" Remus finally spoke again. Charlotte turned to look up at him, the boy towering above the rest of the students surrounding their group. She nodded, pulling her eyes from his, sure that he would see right through her if she stayed. "It looks nice."

Lily watched Charlotte's eyes, the pink that rose to her cheekbones at Remus's words, her mouth falling open slightly.

"Char, I've got to use the restroom, want to come?" The red head asked, cutting into Marlene's explanation to the boys about Felicis's latest album.

"Um," Charlotte stalled, resisting the urge to glance at Remus. She had just found him, and she was sure that by the time the girls came back he would be gone again.

"If you need an escort, Evans, I-" James stopped, Lily's hand rising in front of his face with a glare.

"It's fine, I'll go too. You can help me get this thing back on after." Charlotte gestured towards the ties on the back of her top, Sirius's eyes clinging to the girl as Lily pulled her towards their dorm.

Halfway up the stairs, the music still echoing through the hallway, seeming to vibrate the walls as Lily spun to face her friend, stopping her in her tracks.

"Merlin, what Lily! I'm not exactly a pro in these boots-"

"You don't like Sirius." Lily said, matter of factly.

"Wh... No? I've been saying that for weeks, now-"

"You don't like Sirius, because you like Remus."

Lily grinned as Charlotte's face blanched, jumping in place, her hands landing on the black hair falling over her friend's shoulders, apparently much more confident in her boots.

"You do! You're blushing! Oh my G-" She gushed as Charlotte pulled her up the last few stairs, slamming the door of their dormitory.

"Quiet!" She begged, despite knowing that no one would hear a thing over the music.

"Why didn't you tell me? I love Remus, you guys would be so cute, I don't know how I didn't think of it years ago..." She rambled as Charlotte dropped to her bed, dropping her head into her hands.

"Let me know when you're finished." She muttered. "Maybe we can shout it from the windows next?"

"Oh, come off it, no one's even up here anymore." Lily waved a careless hand at the door. "So this is why you're letting him tutor you. We were so confused,"

"No, he offered to tutor me because I'm really behind. I'm not faking!" Charlotte snapped back at Lily's smirk.

"Well, either way, it's good. He can get to know you." She wiggled her eyebrows, teasingly, reminding Charlotte of James.

"Don't you have to pee?" She reminded, and Lily shrugged, heading into the bathroom, which Charlotte now realized had been a lie to get her alone.

"I could talk to James!" She called through the door, emerging a few moments later. "For you, I would."

"There's no need to talk to James." Charlotte insisted. "Remus and I are just friends."

"Yes, that's the issue, keep up." Lily nodded towards the bathroom. "Aren't you gonna go? We're already up here?"

At last, the two girls were headed back down the stairs, one by one, Charlotte watching every step she took on the staircase until she was in the common room again.

"One thing's for sure." Lily's voice was low as she set a hand on Charlotte's arm. "You're going to tear their little friendship right apart." She nodded towards the boys who were still swarmed around the liquor table, Remus laughing wildly, his head thrown back at Sirius's words. Sirius's eyes met Charlotte's, his grin dropping from his face as he ran his tongue over his lip slowly.

"Can't even call you blondie anymore, what has this world come to?" He whined, dramatic as usual.

"Oh, no. You're going to have to remember my real name?" She teased, reaching for a new cup and sloshing some firewhiskey in among her juice.

"You're hard to flirt with, you know that?" His words fell from his mouth easily, and she felt her eyes go wide, taking a large sip of her drink to stall. Lily coughed between a sip of her drink, looking around for Remus who had turned back into the throng of students.

"Someone has to be the one to stump the famous Sirius Black. If it has to be me, so be it." She shrugged, as if it was a heavy load to bare.

He was stepping backwards, pulling her along until they reached the chilly stone of the wall, both of them glancing around the room at their friends, watching the small groups of younger students jump around to the music, sloshing their drinks onto the floor, hardly noticing. Charlotte pushed the thought of Remus from her mind, the thought of him leaving Sirius's side the second she had rejoined them.

"What does your dad do?" Sirius asked, a change of subject so abrupt Charlotte wasn't sure if she had zoned out the last few minutes.

"My dad?"

"Yeah, Remus said you're half blood. That your dad's a muggle." He went on.

"Oh," She started, ignoring the bubbling in her stomach at the idea of Remus discussing her with anyone, with his best friends. Remus remembering details she had mentioned, details about her family. "Yeah."

"Which is fine!" His eyes were wide now, his words rushed, "It's cool, I didn't mean-"

"I know, it's fine." She pulled a smile to her face now, trying to push the tall brunette from her mind as easily as she had lost sight of him in the crowd now. "I just don't think you'll get it if I tell you what he does."

Sirius's lips pulled into a cocky smirk, "How about you try me anyway?"

"He's an electrician. He works with a company, they do electrical work for like stadiums and theaters and things like that." She watched as his eyes scanned beside her, concentration painted onto his face.

"Electricity... like lights?"

Charlotte bit back a laugh, knowing he wouldn't take it well and nodded, slowly. "Lights, and... and there are a lot of things that run on electricity actually." She trailed off with a smile. "Music and batteries and speakers and-"

"I took Muggle Studies... Third year. I do know what electricity is." He pressed, as if determined that she understand.

"Did you?" She imagined for a moment Sirius in Muggle Studies, what a foreign concept everything would have been for purebloods. "Why did you stop? Learned it all too quickly?"

"My parents didn't want me in that class." A grin spread over his lips at his words, "Part of the reason I took it at all. Plus James was already going to... for Evans."

"And how did that work out for him?" Charlotte's grin matching the boy's before her.

"I'd guess about as well as it's working out for me." He replied, watching the girl's smile falter as she blinked, taking in his words. "'S your outfit uncomfortable?" Sirius asked, suddenly, his words slightly slurred together and Charlotte tried not to giggle.

"Not terribly. We copied what they were wearing on the album they put out in August." She answered, looking down to her boots.

"I'm sorry." He rushed, his eyes wide now as he watched her face, his gray eyes locked in her blue ones. "If I hurt your feelings. About your hair."

Charlotte bit back a smile. She wouldn't have guessed that Sirius would be a sweet drunk. Louder, more flirty, funny, sure.

"You didn't, it's only a spell-"

His eyes were stuck to her neck, tracing over the dark strands falling at her shoulders. "You looked like... my cousins. My family." His voice was soft now, possibly softer than she had ever heard it, barely audible over the music.

"Oh?" Charlotte answered, lost. "I'll take that as a compliment?"

Sirius's eyes darkened as he shook his head once, looking down into his half empty drink. Charlotte tried to picture the family he was talking about. She knew he had a brother, though she couldn't have told you what he looked like. She vaguely remembered one particularly beautiful witch with Sirius's last name on the Slytherin Quidditch team a few years before, though she had never really connected the two. She wasn't sure if Sirius kept his family life private, or if she simply wasn't privy to the conversations.

"Hey," She nudged his foot with hers, his eyes finding hers again. "You can change it back, if you'd like."

A lopsided grin appeared on the boys lips. "You think that's entirely safe? I'm slightly inebriated."

"Still probably better than I could do." Charlotte laughed, wincing slightly as he brought his wand to her head, sliding his wand gently down the part of her hair as the same sensation she had felt earlier rushed over her scalp, Sirius beamed down at her.

"Perfect." He mumbled, their eyes still locked as she laughed, glancing down to check the color of her hair. When she looked back up, he had leaned closer, his nose practically bumping hers now.

"Blondie, I-" He trailed off, searching her eyes for something. For any sign of how she was feeling as he leaned towards her. She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath, mixing in with the familiar scent of his cologne.

"I should go find Lily." Charlotte jumped away, stumbling over her words and glancing around hurriedly for her friends. "And... and the girls."

"Charlotte, wait." He reached for her arm, but she had already turned, rushing through the crowded room until she found the matching outfits, Mary and Marlene chatting in the middle of the dancing crowd, giggling and pointing towards James and Lily who were stood near the fire.

She scanned over the Gryffindors, refusing to look behind her at Sirius, unsure of what she would find. She wondered how it was that Remus always managed to vanish from sight, despite being one of the tallest ones in the room.

"Hey, Char, where's Sirius?" James grinned, raising his voice to be heard over the chatter and music. Charlotte offered him a shrug, pretending to glance through the room for the dark haired boy when her eyes landed on the windows. The windows were foggy from the heat of the room, and she could hardly make out the lanky Marauder between the small puffs of smoke drifting through the air before him.

She ignored Lily's grin as she started towards the empty couches, falling into a worn armchair, leaving the rest of Remus's couch empty.

"Hey," She smiled, breathing through the scent of cigarettes, which she was growing more used to by the day with the boys.

Remus's eyes flicked towards hers lazily, half a smile creeping up the sides of his lips. He exhaled once more before relaxing fully into his chair.

"You're blonde again." He muttered, as if they were simply discussing the weather.

"Oh, yeah." She ran her fingers absentmindedly through the ends at her shoulder. "Sirius." She added, as if that should explain everything, yet Remus's lips fell out of their smile as he nodded.

"Risky, letting him handle anything that close to your face in his current state." He joked, taking another drag from the remaining portion of his cigarette.

"I would think you'd all be used to drinking by now." She teased, though noticing that Remus didn't seem drunk in the slightest, even if she could smell firewhiskey on him all the same as Sirius.

"Some of us can handle ourselves." He chuckled, grinning up towards James who was talking so loud the entire common room was involved in his conversation while Lily looked like she wanted nothing more than to get to sleep.

"Are you having fun?" She asked, scrambling for anything to keep their conversation up. She needed to seem like she had a reason for coming over to him.

"I was." He shrugged, eyes scanning the room as he worked through his cigarette. "Parties, I can take them or leave them. I'd be doing the same thing regardless." He jerked his head towards the carton on the table between them.

"Yeah, same." She nodded, backtracking when his eyebrows raised. "I mean... Not same... I don't smoke," She held back a wince as the smile crept back to his face. "Just, parties. It's fun, seeing your friends and music and all, but after a while I just feel so tired and everything's so loud."

"Exactly." He nodded, dropping his head onto the sofa behind him. "Glad you came though. It's nice having someone else sane around. Used to have Lily, but James got to her first tonight." He smirked at the rest of our friends, Lily seemed to be attempting to hold in a laugh at one of James's jokes which had everyone else in tears. Charlotte's eyes lingered on Remus's brown ones as he watched over their friends.

Chapter Text

"I feel like I should get him something." Charlotte mumbled through a bite of fruit.

"Get him an alarm clock, he's going to miss breakfast entirely." James joked, glancing at the empty seat beside Remus.

"Don't get him anything." Remus said firmly, working his way through his third slice of toast.

"True, his whole birthday will be made if you even make an appearance." Peter added, rubbing some sleep from the corner of his eye.

"Sirius needs to get over that." Lily cut in, setting her coffee mug back to the table and watching as it refilled at once. "This little crush."

"I would say it's more than little." Peter laughed, James lips tugging into a smile despite shooting Peter a stern glance.

"Well, he should get over it. Because Charlotte has her eye on someone else- Ow!" She whined as Charlotte kicked her shin under the table.

"Char! Do tell!" James rested his chin on both hands, turning his attention toward the blonde as she resisted the urge to peek to Remus from across the table.

"Lily is imagining things." Charlotte said, plainly.

"God, you and Remus are so secretive, he's got ladies lined up down our hall and now you've got some mystery boy-"

"Leave her alone, Prongs." Remus finally spoke, grabbing the empty plate from the spot next to him and piling toast, eggs and sausage onto it.

"Lupin, we're going to have to have an intervention at this rate." James turned his focus to the sandy haired boy as he stood with the second breakfast, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"It's for Sirius. Sleeping prat." He rolled his eyes, lightly, starting out the door.

☾

Charlotte was sat on the couch nearest the fireplace, nearly regretting her outfit choice. Light jeans and a white short sleeved shirt which rode up only a bit too high, exposing enough of her stomach to keep her cool in the once again crowded common room. It wasn't as busy as the Halloween party had been. Obviously some people didn't feel that Sirius Black's birthday was cause for the Tuesday night festivity, while some younger students were likely still nursing hangovers from yesterday morning.

Still, despite Mary's promises that she looked hot and Lily's whispered assurance that if this didn't draw Lupin's attention, nothing would, Charlotte was already working her way through her third drink, and the birthday boy hadn't even arrived yet.

"Only Sirius Black would be late to his own birthday party." Lily pointed out, crossing one leg over her knee, looking impatient. In truth, there was quite a bit of homework to be done at the moment, and instead they were getting drunk and listening to loud music, likely keeping up half of the tower.

"You know Sirius," James announced his arrival, flopping carelessly onto the open spot on the couch beside Lily. "He has to wait long enough to pretend to be shocked that there's a party at all."

"He's can't be serious." Mary laughed, clapping a hand to her forehead.

"No, he is." Remus grinned, James wiggling his eyebrows at the girls as the room erupted into cheers and chatter.

"A party? You shouldn't have, you guys!" Sirius clapped a hand over his heart, looking around as if this was the biggest surprise. "And on a Tuesday, no less!" He grinned, winking at Lily as she shook her head with a glare.

"Happy birthday, Pads." James grinned as the dark haired boy approached their seats, flopping into the last remaining spot on the couch.

"Yeah, happy birthday, Sirius." Charlotte echoed, nerves flooding her stomach as the seventeen year old looked her way. She had hardly seen him since Halloween, since he had leaned in a bit too close and she had dashed away. But it was Sirius Black. And he had been drunk. He hadn't meant anything by it, and he probably didn't even remember much of the night at all.

He smiled towards her, a genuine smile which spread to his eyes as he took a drink that Peter held out for him.

"To Sirius, the first Marauder to reach adulthood!" James held his cup towards the ceiling, everyone leaning forward, liquid sloshing onto some of their hands before they pulled back to drink.

"And probably the last!" Charlotte added, the boys all spinning towards her, jaws dropped in mock offense.

"Charlotte!" Sirius had one hand over his chest again. "On my birthday?"

"Never a day off, Black." He winced at the name, taking another sip of his drink and scanning over the room.

"Feel any older, Pads?" James asked, looking towards his friend excitedly. Sirius seemed to ponder the question for a moment.

"You know... I feel... like... more powerful." He answered, grabbing his wand and looking back to James. "Like I could just..." His wand barely twitched before James was screaming, one leg leading him into the air where he dangled from the ceiling, his drink splattering from his grip onto the couch, splashing Lily and Marlene in one go.

"Black!" Lily groaned, jumping from her spot. "Scourgify." She muttered at her shirt, repeating the spell on the couch, the dark liquid seeping out of the fabric at once.

"Put me down, the blood's rushing to my head!" James called through a fit of laughter, Sirius shrugging and flicking his wand upwards again as James began to plummet to the floor.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Lily screamed, halting gravity as she lowered the brunette towards the couch, turning to glare at Sirius once again. "Sirius, I don't care that it's your birthday, I will give you detention."

"Oh, come on, Lils, all in good fun." Sirius raised his hands in mock surrender, glancing around the group, attempting to avoid the grins and laughter of the students who had gathered to watch the Potter and Black show. "Another drink, blondie?" He nodded towards the table in the corner of the room, his eyes pleading.

Charlotte glanced at Lily, biting back a laugh as the red-head took her seat again, purposefully leaving a few good inches between her and James this time.

"I'm sorry! I was shocked, I didn't mean to spill it on you!" James voice trailed off as Sirius led her towards the drinks.

"You came." Were his first words, pouring himself a second drink.

"Course I did." She answered, carefully. She wouldn't let this conversation turn into what it had on Halloween. They were just two friends grabbing drinks. "Only, I didn't get you a present. So whatever James got you, it's from me too."

He cocked his head to the side. "You got me underwear with Peter's face on the ass?"

Charlotte paused, her mouth opening and shutting again when no words left as he laughed, taking her cup from her hand. "Joking. What are you drinking?"

"Firewhiskey and pumpkin juice." She answered, easily, the words seeming to tumble out on their own. This would be her fourth already.

"How much firewhiskey?" He asked, raising one eyebrow and glugging a bit of the red liquid into her glass.

"Lil' more." She held two fingers close together in front of his face, earning another chuckle from the boy as he topped the drink off with juice.

"You're not forgetting it's a Tuesday, right?" He passed the cup back to her and she took another drink. "Don't get me wrong, I've been trying to get the day marked down as a national holiday. Waiting on a call back from the Ministry."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes and starting towards the couch with their friends.

"You look hot." He announced when he caught up with her again, nearly causing her to choke on her new drink, the whiskey burning at her windpipe.

"Sirius..." She could feel her face burning now.

"What? S'only the truth." The familiar smirk was back now as his eyes trailed along her face, enjoying watching her blush.

"You're only on your second drink, you can't start unabashedly flirting with everyone yet." She protested, finally reaching the couch and dropping into her old seat, Sirius falling down next to her.

"Not everyone." He shrugged, carelessly, grey eyes dancing in the light of the fire as he watched her try to look anywhere but at him.

Nearly three hours later, long past curfew, the common room was finally starting to empty out, only a few fifth year students still lingered near the staircase, deep in some conversation. Sirius didn't care about any of that. The room could have been silent, for all he knew. The only thing that mattered was Charlotte's head rested against his shoulder, her legs curled up beneath her, blonde hair sprawling down his chest.

Lily, Marlene and Mary had all disappeared, Lily only leaving when Remus swore to clear the rest of the partiers out behind her. Lily had eyed the two of them warily before heading up, but even she knew after the amount of firewhiskey Charlotte had consumed, she would need a good bit of sleep.

"Alright, that's the last of them." Remus muttered, appearing at the side of their couch and rubbing two fingers over his tired eyes.

"Shh!" Sirius hissed, shooting his friend a glare.

"Well, you've got to wake her up? She's got class in..." He glanced at his wrist. "five hours."

"Few more minutes." Sirius muttered, running his fingers through the soft blonde hair, paying no attention to the tall Marauder before him.

"This is how you want to spend your birthday?" He grumbled, leaning against the edge of the couch, knowing he would cave to sleep any minute now.

"Birthday's over, Moons." Sirius shrugged.

"Alright." Lupin said, shortly, turning towards the stairs. "Make sure the fire's out when you come up."

"Yeah." He called back, feeling Charlotte stir against him a few minutes later, her blue eyes blinking into the dim room.

"Shit." She mumbled, leaning off from Sirius's shoulder.

"Morning, sunshine." He teased, starting towards the fire and putting out the last of the glowing embers.

"What time is it?" She asked, licking over her lips and cringing at the leftover taste of whiskey.

"It's nearly two." Sirius replied, heading back towards her. "I was trying to let you sleep a bit more, but Moony's so damn loud." He didn't miss her wince, or the way her shoulders fell when he mentioned Lupin. "Let's get you to bed, hmm?" She took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet, the room only spinning slightly.

"I'm sorry if I wrecked your birthday." She spoke, softly. "I'm sure you didn't see it ending like this."

He grabbed her arm, gently, pulling her to meet his eyes at the bottom of the staircase. "You could never."

A soft smile rose to her face and she nodded, leaning against the wall beside them to ease the dizziness. Sirius didn't miss the way her eyes were half shut, as if she might fall back to sleep any second.

"Are you gonna fall back down the stairs if I let you go?" He asked, pushing her lightly as she took one small step after another.

"Won't you feel bad if I do!" She hissed once she was a few stairs up.

"Night, blondie." He smiled, waiting for her to turn the corner where he would have to trust that she made it the rest of the way to her bed.

"Hey!" She called back, "Happy Birthday."

☾

The portrait door slammed behind the red-head as she met Sirius's eyes which grew wide at her entrance, lowering his wand to his side.

"Sirius." She raised an eyebrow, scanning the room quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"In my own common room, Evans? I dunno, give me a second to think on it." He teased, earning himself an eye-roll from the prefect.

"Don't you have a class to be at?" She asked, pointedly, knowing the answer. Sirius, unlike Remus, was taking all of his classes this year, though his attendance in half of them was severely lacking.

"Could ask you the same question." He smirked, dropping into one of the oversized armchairs near the unlit fireplace.

"I'm headed to Charms. Charlotte... She had to miss her first lesson, but I just wanted to check how she was doing."

"What's wrong with her?" His dark eyebrows furrowed as he glanced towards the stairway. He'd been working at his latest prank idea for nearly twenty minutes now, with no clue that the blonde was just upstairs.

"She's feeling a bit sick." Lily answered, shooting Sirius a look. "From last night. I doubt you had anything to do with that?"

"She was already drinking when I got there! This is just as much your fault!" He bit back. He supposed he should have advised Charlotte to slow down. He knew she didn't frequent all of the parties they did, she probably wasn't used to drinking that much. "I'll go check on her."

"You can't get up the stairs." Lily reminded him, starting up the first few.

"Lily!" Sirius called, waiting at the bottom and catching the green eyes before she turned the corner. "If she's still feeling bad... you can... send her down here, I'll watch her."

Lily eyed him for a second, a suspicious look plastered onto her face.

"Make sure she doesn't choke on her own vomit?" Sirius went on and Lily groaned, stomping up the last few steps until she was out of sight.

He sank back into the chair he had just risen from, his prank at the back of his mind for now. He couldn't finish it until Lily left anyway. The toe of his shoe tapped at the floor at the same tempo as the clock above the fireplace as he waited.

After a few more minutes, Lily raced back down the stairs, eyes locked on her watch before pausing in front of Sirius.

"She said she might come down, but she feels dizzy. So if you hear a loud crash, come find me. Or, maybe just Madam Pomfrey." Lily joked, heading back towards the doorway.

He nodded, laughing to himself as she pulled the portrait shut behind her. With a final glance towards the now empty staircase, he set back to work, his wand in his hand again. It had come to him at breakfast when he had watched Peter nearly miss the bench sitting down. And now, he was determined to move all of the furniture in the common room exactly three inches to the left.

"What are you doing?" The small voice sounded from behind him and he reacted at once, spinning to see her, his heart dipping a bit at her hooded eyes, one arm slung around her front as she leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

"If I tell you, you've got to promise to let me continue." He grinned, nodding her over towards him.

"I'm in no mood to try and stop you." She answered, dropping onto the couch she had fallen asleep on just last night.

His eyes lit up as he moved the coffee table three inches over, copying his movements for a few more minutes until the entire common room was shifted. He turned back to face her, grinning and waiting for her response.

"You're re-decorating?" She asked and he scoffed, dropping onto the couch beside her, grimacing as she let out a small moan and shut her eyes.

"I've moved everything in here three inches over. I'm hoping people won't notice and will walk their usual path and fall or drop their stuff on the floor instead of the edge of tables." His eyes were lit up but Charlotte let out half of a laugh.

"That's so stupid, why wouldn't people just look where they're going?" She leaned against the arm of the couch.

"Alright, my apologies. Next time, I'll be sure to come to you for pranking guidance."

Her lips pulled into a small smile as she pulled her legs to her chest.

"I heard you're feeling like shit." He spoke again.

She shot him a look. "I highly doubt that's what you heard."

"Well, no. Of course not. Lily's too proper, she probably said 'my dearest friend has taken ill, and i've come to pay her a visit.'" He pitched his voice up and Charlotte let out an effortless laugh this time, Sirius's grin returning now. "I can't remember. I try to tune her out, usually. It's always about rules or homework."

"Speaking of which," She mumbled, "Why aren't you in class?"

"Well, someone had to look after you." He shrugged.

"I was hoping I'd be fine if I could just sleep in a bit." She continued, picking at a loose thread at the edge of her sock as Sirius watched, a small smile painting his face. "I really can't afford to miss any classes."

"Oh, please. You and Evans, you'll be top of the class and still find some reason to be upset."

The blonde didn't meet his eyes, shaking her head slightly. "You're top of the class, Sirius."

"Only now that Moony's only in half of them. I'm starting to think he only dropped so many to do us all a favor."

She looked up now, meeting the gray eyes across from her.

"Why did he drop them? It seems like he enjoys it. School. Learning."

Sirius's smile faltered for a moment, pulling on a thoughtful expression.

"I don't know. But I'm not complaining. More time he can spend with us, planning pranks."

"Yeah, you need all of the help you can get." She teased. "Why do you call him that? Moony?"

His smile spread again, raising his eyebrows mysteriously. "That's Marauder business, blondie. You'll have to wait until your official initiation."

"Then tell me yours, Pads." Charlotte turned to face him, leaning her weight against the back of the couch. "Don't tell me it's what I think it is?" His eyebrows furrowed, blanching for a second before she went on. "Never mind."

"You're not getting anything out of me, Charlotte. I've been gruelingly trained. I'll never break."

"Well, tell me something. When you're talking, I don't think about how much I want to hurl."

He laughed, loudly, the noise taking up the empty room as Charlotte winced.

"Sorry, sorry." He held both palms out before him in apology. "Why'd you drink so much last night?" Her lips curled slightly, as if the thought of last night was bringing back the familiar queasiness. "Escaping some demons, blondie?" He pressed on and she shook her head, eyes rolling slightly.

"No. I just... I wanted to have fun. And I was feeling a little... nervous." She answered, eyes falling from his again.

"Nervous?" He questioned, trying to meet her eyes again, yet they were firmly planted on the fabric of the couch, following the thread patterns. "Why were you nervous, Charlotte?"

"I mean... not nervous, really..." She muttered, running her hands over her face for a few seconds. "Just... I felt... I don't usually wear clothes like that."

Sirius blinked, remembering the shirt she was referring to. The soft white top that had come just above her belly button. He didn't think he would forget the sight for a while.

"You didn't like it?" He hoped his voice didn't sound so incredulous.

"I did. When I bought it. I just never really thought about wearing it, I guess." She let out a small laugh under her breath. "But Mary found it in my trunk and insisted. It just felt different when I was down here. I just wanted a few drinks, but I've learned pumpkin juice and firewhiskey is a dangerous combination."

"I shouldn't have let you drink so much." He leaned his head back to the couch, eyes locked on the arched ceiling.

"Let me?" She joked. "It's not your fault, Sirius. It's fine, Marlene says i'll be good as new in a few hours."

"She's right." He nodded, rolling his head to look down at her face again. "Can I get you anything? Water? Or juice, or some toast or something?"

She shook her head a few times. "I've had some water this morning. Mary brought me up some toast after breakfast, but I could only get down a few bites."

The two fell into silence for a few minutes, Sirius enjoying the sound of the clock as he sat next to the blonde, hoping no one would come back into the room until classes were over for the day.

"I thought you looked beautiful." He spoke, softly, eyes still locked on the clock as it ticked away across the room.

"What?" He could feel her eyes on him before he turned to meet them.

"That shirt? You were gorgeous." He smirked, enjoying the pink that rose to her cheeks at his words. "I told you so last night."

"You did?" She reached up to scratch along her eyebrow, hoping to hide the flush of her face.

"You don't remember anything from my birthday?" He cried, clapping both hands to his forehead. "We're going to have to do it all over again because of you!"

She laughed, pulling her legs back to her chest and letting her head fall onto her lap. Sirius felt his chuckles die down as his eyes skated along her bare arms below the sleeves of her t-shirt, the skin lined with goosebumps.

"Are you cold?" He asked at once, her blue eyes peeking towards him as she turned her head in her lap.

"Little." She mumbled, "I was burning hot upstairs..."

He pulled one arm from his dark sweater, smirking at her before ducking his head from the collar. "You're always burning hot."

She shook her head, a small smile bit beneath her front teeth as she pulled the sweater over her arms gratefully.

"Why are you always in Black? Is it an egotistical thing? Have to represent the family name?" She tugged the sweater over her head, warmth seeping into her skin, the now familiar scent washing around her, musk and honey.

He held his smile, eyes tracing over his sweater against her pale skin. Even as his heart sank at her question, even as he thought back to her words. The family name. He held the smile.

"What color would you like me in, love?" He shot her a cheeky grin.

She pretended to ponder the question for a moment, scanning over his features. Ignoring the familiar smirk. "Some Hufflepuff yellow? Purple? Or blue, would bring out your eyes."

"I'll keep it in mind." He dropped his hand closest to her onto the couch, dragging his pinky along her fingers silently. "I hope you know you always look gorgeous. It doesn't matter what you wear. You don't need to be shy."

Charlotte's mouth fell open a bit, blinking slowly up at him as she let out half a laugh.

"Pads, we can't keep covering for you! Your devilish good looks and unabashed charm can only get you so far-" James cut off, looking up from the stack of papers he was scanning through in his hands. "Oi, Harris, not you too!"

"She's sick." Sirius explained, shooting his very loud friend a pointed look.

"Oh... Oh! Sorry Char." James lowered his voice, stepping closer to the two of them and tossing Sirius's papers out, blinking in confusion as they floated down to the floor next to the table.

"What the..." He knelt to grab them, Remus and Peter sauntering after him, Remus's eyes flickering between Sirius and Charlotte before they all spun around at Peter's shriek. He was on the ground a few inches beside the armchair Sirius had been sat in earlier, eyes wide as he looked around for some kind of explanation. Sirius locked eyes with Charlotte, one finger bit between her teeth to hold in the laughter threatening to burst.

Chapter Text

Charlotte hurried down the hallway, bag slung over her shoulder, barely shut. She had been rushing around their dorm and common room for nearly half an hour looking for her transfiguration book, a relatively common habit since she had begun carting the book around with her, using any spare moment to read back through their chapters.

She pushed through the doors of the library, scanning over to their now familiar table. Remus was already there, leaning on one elbow, face buried in a book. Charlotte scanned over herself one last time, pulling her sweater down to ease out some of the wrinkles before speeding towards the brunette, trying with all of her might to contain the smile as she pulled the now crumpled parchment from her bag, slamming it to the table before him, Remus dragging his eyes up from his page to the large circled 93 on the paper.

A grin pulled at his lips as he finally met her eyes, sliding the paper across the table to read McGonagall's notes.

"I knew you'd do well." He said, simply, his eyes scanning quickly across the red ink in the margins, shrugging slightly.

"Thanks to you." Charlotte mumbled, taking her seat and watching as Remus scoured over the few notes McGonagall had left. He seemed more calm today, not like their first time studying together when he'd been nearly bouncing off the walls, fingers constantly tapping against the wood of the desk. Charlotte watched as he shut his book, sliding it to the edge of the table before reaching for his transfiguration one. He wore a familiar brown sweater with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

"How are non-verbal spells going?" He asked the table, flipping through the pages of their textbook before settling on the right one.

"Not terrible, I guess." She admitted. She and Lily had been practicing, much more than their other roommates, although Charlotte didn't mind. Lily had cast her first non-verbal spell the very first night that they had learned them, while it had taken Charlotte three days before she finally forced their bedroom lamps off in her mind.

"James is livid. Sirius got it right away. James claims he summoned his glasses non-verbally the morning after the lesson, but we're not convinced."

Charlotte laughed, pulling her legs up onto the chair beneath her as she watched Remus scan over their text one last time.

"You act like you didn't get it right away, too." She pointed out, remembering the lesson quite well, McGonagall beaming at Remus after his quill turned to stone after a mere two minutes of practice.

"I've been practicing all term. Ever since I got to the chapter and realized we'd be doing non-verbals this year." He shrugged. "I reckon Sirius has been practicing them in his head for years."

Charlotte studied the tall boys face for a few seconds. "Remus, why did you drop so many of your classes if you always do so well in them?" She blurted, grasping her hands together in her lap nervously.

He paused, meeting her eyes before letting his gaze fall back to the table between them.

"Dunno." He answered at last, "I can still learn things. I don't have to take the class."

"Yeah," She agreed, nodding slowly as she considered his words. "It just seems like... you're so happy in classes."

He didn't answer, grabbing a quill and some ink from his bag and spreading a blank page of parchment over their shared table.

"What do you want to do when you graduate?" She pressed on, feeling nervous now that he was no longer answering.

"I don't really know, Charlotte. I haven't thought that far." He answered, his voice sounding cold now. "Ready to get started?"

"Yeah," She spoke softer now, leaning closer across the table to peer at the page that Remus had open.

"We'll start with verbal spells, but we should probably practice non-verbally after a while." His voice was back to normal now, and Charlotte wondered if she was ever going to get to know anything about the secretive Marauder.

☾

Charlotte followed Lily up the final flight of steps to the Astronomy tower. While this class was one of the most interesting ones, she did sometimes wish she had dropped it simply to get out of making this climb every week.

"How are your study dates going?" Lily asked, breaking the silence now that they could breathe again. Charlotte's eyes went wide, glaring at the red-head before scanning around them, although thankfully, and likely due to their slow crawl towards the highest tower, they seemed to be alone.

Charlotte assumed that Lily hadn't informed Marlene or Mary about her discovery, and if she had, they hadn't brought it up. All in all, she thought she was doing an acceptable job at keeping her feelings towards Remus under wraps.

"They're not dates. And I think I'm almost caught back up. So they'll be ending." She spoke softly, Lily pulling her aside before they reached the doorway to their classroom.

"Don't let them end?" Her jaw had dropped, as if Charlotte had just muttered the worst idea she had ever heard. "Say you need more help! He won't mind, Remus loves the library."

"I'm sure he'd quite like his Sunday nights back. There's got to be a reason he dropped so many of his classes." Charlotte answered, starting to head back towards the doorway.

"Well, if you're going to let them end, then you should at least ask him out." Lily had dropped her voice now as the two Gryffindors entered the class, two short tables left for them to choose from, both near the back corner of the room.

"I'm not asking him out." Charlotte hissed, starting towards the empty tables when the door burst open behind them again. With a sudden gust of wind, Charlotte felt a warm hand slide into hers, yanking her into motion as she spun to see Sirius before her. He threw himself into the first seat, pulling Charlotte down beside him and smirking up towards James, who was stood beside Lily now, nervously scratching the back of his neck while realization dawned on the red-head's face.

"Sorry, James. Charlotte requested me, you see?" Sirius's grin spread practically ear to ear, his fingers still locked with Charlotte's, their hands resting on her lap. The blonde bit back a laugh as she watched Lily sigh, taking the last empty table and watching as James hurried behind her, obviously biting back a grin to match Sirius's. It had been weeks in the making, James finding a way to sit with Lily, especially as neither Remus or Peter were taking Astronomy anymore.

"Come up with that the whole way up here?" Charlotte asked, softly, rolling her eyes up to the gray ones beside her. He looked slightly flushed, as if he had raced up the last few flights of steps, and judging by the disarray of his hair, she suspected that he might actually have.

"Two augurey's, one stone." He shrugged, "It's hard to get you alone these days, blondie." His grin had pulled into a smirk now and Charlotte glanced down, realizing their hands were still connected as he brushed his thumb softly against her skin.

She felt the heat of embarrassment rise beneath her cheeks, pulling her hand away and grabbing her book from her bag on the floor.

"Did you ever think maybe I meant it to be that way, Sirius?" She teased, meeting his eyes again as they lit up, a pool of silver as he chuckled.

"I didn't think, blondie." He spoke, leaning into her until she could feel his breath against her ear. "If you'd like to avoid me, you're going to have to try very hard."

"Let's get started! Books out, please!" Professor Sinistra called, tapping her wand to the board at the front of the room as a mess of chalk covered the surface, "We're going to be discussing space weather today, and the impact that can have not only on our stars and planets, but for us as well. Page 47 please."

Sirius dropped his book to his desk with a thud and Charlotte winced as the professor shot the dark haired boy beside her a warning glance. He nudged his wand at the book, the pages flipping over each other until they reached 47.

"Show off." Charlotte hissed.

"Hey, I thought Moony's been tutoring you. You should be better than me by now." He teased as Charlotte finally reached her own page, shushing him and looking back towards the front of the room.

"With your partners, please read through this chapter and using the diagram I've put up on the board, please list some of the repercussions that we could expect to see from Earth." She said, taking a seat behind her desk. "Let me know if you have any questions."

"Alright," Sirius started, glancing at the board for only a second before flipping a few pages over in his book.

"Sirius, we've got to read all of that." Charlotte bit back a laugh, reaching for his book which was pulled from her grasp at once.

"I'll get you a good grade, blondie, calm down." He assured her, grabbing for the blank parchment that she had spread out between them. "So, obviously, that wisp in the corner there," He pointed back to the front of the room, though nearly everything up there looked like a wisp to Charlotte. "That's a solar flare."

He paused, watching her face with a smile as she squinted towards the board. "To the left of Orion?" He said, quietly.

"Not every lesson has to concern you, you know!" James called from behind them, a grin spread across his face as Lily scribbled madly onto their parchment.

"Shut it, Prongs." Sirius offered him a single finger in return as Charlotte turned to the boy beside her.

"Concern you?" She asked, watching as he looped their first answer onto the parchment, his letters tall and perfect.

"S'my middle name." He muttered, looking back to the board.

"What is?" She scanned the board. "Solar flare?"

He shot her a glare, yet he couldn't bury the smile that crept to his face.

"Funny." He scribbled the next answer down before looking back to her. "Orion."

"Your parents named you after a star?" Charlotte laughed, pulling the paper from him and starting on their next answer. At least some of the work could be in her handwriting, even if his was so much nicer. "They set you up nicely for the ego you've grown into."

His jaw dropped as James burst into laughter, Lily even cracking a smile as she set down her quill.

"Would you kindly not listen in on our entire discussion?" Sirius shot back at the pair behind them.

"Two stars, Char!" James pointed out, "And the dog star at that, they were right on the money." James wagged his eyebrows and Sirius finally let out a scoff, grabbing the page back from Charlotte.

"Next week we're sitting away from them." He said loudly, shooting James a side glance.

"No way! Next week I get my partner back!" Lily demanded.

☾

"Charlotte!" Lily called, the door to the dormitory slamming against the wall and causing Charlotte to jump, her eyes flashing to the red head who seemed surprisingly out of breath.

"What, Lily? Who's died?" Charlotte exclaimed, sitting up in bed and dropping her book to the night stand.

"No one! No one." The red-head shut the door quietly now and hurried over to Charlotte's dresser, pulling out some clothes. "Where are the girls?"

"I thought they were down in the common room?" She started towards Lily who was making quite a mess of her previously folded clothing. "Why are you ransacking my things?"

"Remus just asked me," She tossed a thick sweater to Charlotte without looking, "Downstairs. If I wanted to go check on our Glumbumble treacle for Herbology. He said it's gotta be either tonight or tomorrow or it'll go bad and they'll get rid of it. They like a clean nest-"

"Why are you telling me this?" Charlotte asked, holding the sweater and pair of dark jeans Lily had pulled out for her.

"I told Remus it was a great idea, but that you'd want to come, because it's our project. And he said he should probably ask Pete, so I raced up here to get you so you would have time to change!"

"Why do I need to change? It's freezing out, I'll have to wear a coat either way-"

"Charlotte, you can't go down to the greenhouses in your pajamas!" Lily practically shouted and Charlotte hurried towards the bathroom to change, simply to make the red-head stop talking. Not five minutes later, she was pulling her hair half-up in an attempt to make it look like she hadn't been sat in bed all night studying, the two girls hurrying back into the common room where Remus and Peter were sat across from each other near the fire.

"Ready?" Remus stood up, offering a small smile to Charlotte while Peter stifled a yawn.

"I don't see why I had to come. You could have collected the treacle, I wouldn't have minded." Peter shrugged, the four Gryffindor's pushing through the portrait hole.

"Because I'm sick of doing all of your work, Pete. That's why." Remus replied, though Charlotte could hear the laughter in his tone as Peter stuck out his middle finger.

"We'll have to be quick." Lily cut in, sounding a bit nervous. "We're already cutting it close to curfew and Remus and I have to do our rounds."

"If only we were with two prefects, oh wait!" Peter grinned, Lily huffing slightly as Remus pushed his way through the doors to the grounds, stepping out into the November air and holding the door as the other three followed. They all hurried to keep up with Remus's long strides towards the greenhouses, tucking their faces into their scarves to keep the wind off their skin.

Finally, they turned around the farthest building near the forest, six large bins lined up a few feet away from the wall, a haze of orange lining the edges and giving off a pleasant warmth as they drew closer. They had been working with the Glumbumble's for nearly three weeks, and their last step was to gather the treacle, the dark and sticky liquid that the small bee-like creatures produced. According to Remus, the gray bugs were a bit protective over their nests, and he had read that most people collect the treacle overnight while the hive slept, though Charlotte didn't think most people were collecting it in the dead of winter.

Lily bent down, silently, sliding the bottom of the wooden base an inch, pausing to see if the Glumbumbles would wake up and then sliding the base out completely, gooey black liquid pooled at the bottom.

"Pass me the vials from my bag, Rem?" She whispered, though Charlotte wasn't sure the Glumbumbles could hear. Did they even have ears?

She watched as Remus rummaged quickly through Lily's bag a few feet away from the nest, passing her two empty glass tubes and holding the wooden slot for her, the two of them letting the liquid drip slowly into the vials.

Charlotte turned towards Peter, glancing left and right before turning around to find the boy near the edge of the forest.

"Peter!" She hissed, taking a few steps towards him, the light from the castle almost completely faded now. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing... Just..." He was craning his neck towards a large flat surface beneath one of the trees a ways into the forest. Charlotte could see what he was looking at now, a glittery, shining group of eggs that looked partially buried beneath one of the trees. "What is that?" His mouth was twisted into a grimace as Charlotte reached his side.

"Looks like a nest. Like eggs." She whispered, pulling his arm back as he took another step into the forest.

"It's not scary, Charlotte." He grinned, his face falling into shadows as he entered the trees. "We'll be like five feet from the greenhouses."

"We're not supposed to go in there." She pointed out, looking back towards Lily, praying for her friend to turn around and begin a long lecture.

"They could be dragon eggs!" He muttered to himself, taking another few steps into the darkness and peering down at the eggs beneath the soft dirt.

"I highly doubt dragons lay their eggs by the hundred in Hogwarts' backyard and we've never seen any-" She stopped, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. They were not dragon eggs, not nearly big enough for starters and no where near any source of heat.

"Pete, they're doxy eggs, we shouldn't-" Her sentence was cut off by a scream that she almost didn't recognize as her own, two large bat-like creatures lunged towards them, small arms suctioning to the exposed skin above her sweater. She reached blindly for the creature, her brain moving in slow motion as four rows of teeth sank into her neck, Peter's scream now echoing through the woods beside her. The blonde boy was fumbling wildly for his wand, finally pointing it at her, yet no spells were audible through his shrieking.

Charlotte pulled the creature still attached to her chest with all of her might, crying out when she felt the teeth dragging along her skin before there was a blast of yellow beside her and the small biting fairy was thrown through the air, Charlotte and Peter scrambling away as Remus lit his wand, rushing towards the blonde girl.

"Merlin, Charlotte, what were you thinking?" He hissed, holding the wand towards her skin where dark blood was seeping against the neckline of her sweater.

"I wasn't... Peter and I, just... eggs." She was looking quickly between Remus's face and the blood she could see crawling towards her collarbones.

"Char, hey, let me see-" Lily's voice was laced with concern as she neared her friend, Peter wincing at the wound from behind the two prefects.

"I'm so sorry, Charlotte, I shouldn't have been so close, we shouldn't have, I didn't know what they were, I-"

"Get out of the way, both of you." Remus ordered, the tip of his wand still lit as he shoved it into his pocket, reaching for Charlotte's arms and pulling her into his chest, his hand disappearing beneath her knees just as she was about to fall to the ground. "The venom is poisonous. She's got to go to the infirmary." He explained mostly to himself as he had already left Lily and Peter in the dust.

"Remus! Wait, we can come with you!" Lily grabbed their discarded bags from the frozen ground and hurried to catch their friends, Peter on her tail. But Remus didn't slow down, racing through the empty hallways and up the first stairway, the familiar path to the infirmary that he knew like the back of his hand.

"Remus?" Madam Pomfrey's eyes were wide as the boy crashed through the doorway, the wood cracking against the wall without his notice as he raced towards her. "What's happened here? The moon's not even-"

"It's not - no, no, it's Charlotte, she got bit. Doxy, actually maybe two, I didn't... I didn't really see." He rambled out as the healer's eyes went wide, jaw dropping slightly. She pointed at once to the first bed nearest the two Gryffindor's and held her other hand towards the table at the end of the room, a large blue bottle soaring into her open palm.

"How long, Remus? You brought her right here?" She asked, pulling the collar of Charlotte's sweater away from the wound quickly to make sure it was the only infected area as Remus nodded fervently.

"I ran right up. Couldn't have been ten minutes."

The matron glanced at Remus, eyes skating down to where he was gripping a hold on one hip, either not noticing or purposely ignoring the pain she was sure he felt from the rush up the stairs.

"She'll be fine then, dear." She nodded, reassuringly, starting to dab a cloth dripping with antidote over the dark wound. "I'll keep her until morning to make sure it starts healing nicely and I can give you something if your hip's bothering you, so you can sleep."

"What?" His eyes flickered from the rag towards the healer with a quick shake of his head. "No, it doesn't." His hand flew from his hip, looking away from her pitying gaze just as the door behind him flew back open.

"Godric, Lupin, I'm practically choking on the dust you left us in." Peter called, he and Lily approaching the bed beside the tall Marauder.

"Is she okay?" Lily asked at once, face practically white as she watched the dried blood spread into the wet cloth beneath Madam Pomfrey's fingers.

"Oh, yes, dear. She'll be fine." She answered, finishing cleaning the wound and setting the bloodied sweater back over top, standing again to look at the students. "I should ask why you four were outside at this hour-"

"We were meant to get in by curfew, we were just collecting a project for magical creatures, and then Remus and I are supposed to be on prefect duty-"

"Or where you found yourselves so close to doxies?" The witch continued, looking towards the two known mischief makers.

"They were just right on the edge of the forest! Barely even had to go in at all, it's bloody dangerous it is!" Peter spoke a bit too loud for the silent infirmary.

"Alright, alright." Madam Pomfrey winced, looking back to Remus. "I shall inform Dumbledore of this nest, or perhaps Hagrid can handle them. Miss Harris will have to stay overnight so that I can check on the wound in the morning. The rest of you may return to your dormitories, I think the halls will be fine without your patrol for one night."

"Can I stay with her?" Remus spoke, Lily and Peter's eyes flicking towards him in surprise.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes softened as she looked over the brunette, Lily and Peter's jaws nearly on the floor as she sighed, loudly, and nodded.

"But, silently, Mr. Lupin. She needs to rest. You can sleep in one of the other beds, and you'll have to leave if another student comes. I don't want people thinking this is a hangout spot." She commanded, turning towards Lily and Peter. "You two, to bed. Miss Evans, I trust you can get Mr. Pettigrew back to Gryffindor tower in one piece?"

Lily nodded, anxiety written into her features as the matron nodded once more and started towards her office in the back of the room.

"I'll probably just do a quick patrol before bed then, Remus, if you're going to stay with her..."

"Lils, please... don't do that without me." Remus looked back to her. "It's late. Just get some sleep."

Peter paused beside Remus, nervously. "Tell her I'm really sorry when she wakes up." He squeaked out as Lily set a gently hand on Remus's shoulders.

"Come get me if anything happens. Or I can stay with her if you want..." She offered, looking between her friends as Remus shook his head.

"Goodnight, guys." He nodded them off, watching until the door shut once again, plunging the infirmary into silence and dropping into the small chair beside Charlotte's bed. He reached to her sweater, wiping some of the now sticky blood from the fabric onto his jeans with a sigh.

☾

Charlotte blinked awake into a much brighter room than she was used to. A clean, white light, the morning sun creeping through perfect spotless windows and spilling onto the tile floor beneath her. She was in the infirmary she realized with a dull throb against the forgotten wound in her neck. She leaned over, trying to get a look at it when her stomach lurched.

Remus Lupin was asleep beside her, his legs kicked out over the arms of the tiny chair he had squeezed himself into, which had to have been too small for him when he was simply sitting, long before he had decided to make it into his bed for the night. His neck was stuck out, barely hanging onto the edge of his elbow, pressed beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. Charlotte's back ached just watching him.

Her heart was now pounding so loudly, she was sure he would wake up to it's alarm any moment. Why was he here? She thought back to last night. The greenhouses, the glumbumbles, the doxy nest. Peter. She held back an eye roll as another roll of pain stung through her neck.

So she remembered last night. She remembered the doxies attacking her. Yet she didn't remember getting here, and she couldn't explain why Remus was sat beside her, or rather, sprawled beside her, instead of Lily.

Remus groaned lowly in his spot, his arm beneath his head stretching out as his eyes blinked awake, regret clouding them at once. His fingers flew to his neck, rubbing furiously on a knot that had surely formed from the world's most uncomfortable sleeping arrangement. Charlotte hurried to shut her eyes, to not let him know how long she had been awake, watching him sleep.

"I saw your eyes open." He croaked out. His voice was raspy and she could hear the ache he was feeling in every word.

She peeked an eye towards him and the corner of his mouth turned up into half a smile, rolling his eyes as his feet fell back to the floor, sitting up straight.

"I'm going to need to stay here the rest of the day for Madam Pomfrey to fix my spine." He joked, stretching his arms over his head with a new groan.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, finally, ignoring his morning voice with every ounce of strength that she could muster.

"Felt bad. Didn't know if you would wake up in the night wondering if a vampire attacked you." He shrugged.

"That would be my luck." Charlotte laughed, wincing as the sound left her lips and a sharp pain shot through her neck.

"Madam Pomfrey said she'll need to check that before you leave, but everything should be fine. It looks a lot better already." He assured her, his eyes stuck on her neck for a moment before returning to her eyes.

"So no need to start drafting my will yet?" She joked, pulling the blankets higher to her chest to keep out the chill from the empty infirmary.

He laughed, loud and cheery even for the time of day which couldn't have been much after seven judging from the sun creeping in from the windows outside.

"Well, I didn't know you had much to gift away, Charlotte, but you can remember me as the man who rushed you to the infirmary in the dead of night after you followed the least chivalrous Gryffindor into the forbidden forest." He teased.

"I didn't follow him, I was saving him, actually! I took the hit they were obviously planning for him-"

"Remus?" They heard Sirius before they saw him, the door crashing louder now than it had last night against the wall as it swung, revealing the dark haired Marauder, eyes wide with panic. "You weren't- Blondie?" He called again, rushing towards the bed just as his rowdy entrance roused Madam Pomfrey from her office.

"Mr. Black, what do you think you're doing?" She hushed, giving up as she noticed Remus and Charlotte both awake as well.

"I woke up and Remus wasn't in our dorm and I got worried, but... what the hell happened here?" He turned back to his friends, eyes linking with Charlotte's.

"Peter led her-"

"It wasn't really Peter's fault." Charlotte cut in.

"Forbidden forest to look at a doxy nest and two jumped her and-"

"Got my neck pretty good, it feels like." Charlotte finished for him, trying again to glance to the bite.

"Yes, let me have a look at that again, dear." Madam Pomfrey hurried over, lifting a finger beneath Charlotte's chin for a better look at the bite and nodding, satisfied, after a few moments.

"Looks just as I had hoped. It'll still hurt as it finishes healing up today, but Remus got you up here just in time. You shouldn't even notice it by tomorrow afternoon." She assured the blonde, Remus nodding to himself, head leaned against his wrist propped on the arm rest of his chair.

"Mr. Black, would you escort your friends down to breakfast. Charlotte, dear, I can write you a pass if you'll need to miss lessons to get some rest-"

"No, no, I'll be fine!" Charlotte assured her, pushing the blankets off from her legs and standing beside Remus as Sirius hurried to her side, his fingers sliding gently beneath her chin to peer at the bite.

"Sirius!" She swatted his hand, which had no effect on him at all.

"Blondie, that's so bad! And she's saying it looks better now?" Sirius's eyes were wide as he spun towards Remus, the infirmary door falling shut behind them. "What did you do?"

"We already told you-" Charlotte began.

"What did I do?" Remus snarled.

"Hey," Charlotte cut in. "It was my own fault, Peter and I wanted to see what these eggs were and-"

"Why were you by the forbidden forest?" Sirius was still glaring at Remus.

"Oh, we just fancied a little midnight stroll with all of the dangerous creatures, Pads." Lupin bit back, Sirius's face flickering for a moment, his scowl vanishing.

"Alright, I didn't mean..." He trailed off, sounding annoyed. "It just looks really bad, is all."

"Gee, thanks Sirius." Charlotte teased, pulling the neckline up higher as the three of them started towards the stairs.

"Coming to breakfast, Moony?" Sirius asked as the tall boy struck off away from them.

"No, I'm bloody exhausted and my neck feels like it's going to fall off. I'll see you for lunch." He grumbled back, starting up the stairs without a backwards glance, Sirius's face falling into a guilty expression before looking down at the blonde beside him.

"Breakfast?"

She nodded, running her fingers over her neck, cautiously, before pulling her hair down and fanning it over the wound.

"Do you want to go up and change first?" Sirius asked, knowingly, eyeing the bustling Great Hall and watching her consider it for a moment.

"We'll miss breakfast, it's nearly over already." She shrugged, starting down the steps again. Their feet had only just landed on the first floor when she felt the heavy jacket fall over her shoulders, looking up to see Sirius in his button down shirt, his hair a stark contrast as it fell messily onto his shoulders.

"No one will even notice." He offered her a smile, leading the way towards their friends, gathered around their usual spot along the benches.

"Does it really look that bad?" She craned her neck again to give him a better view and he scanned it quickly before pulling his eyes back to hers.

"Not too bad. It's more that you look like someone stabbed you in the heart by the amount of blood staining your sweater." He teased, dropping into the seat beside James and glaring towards Peter who was staring at the blood stain beneath Sirius's jacket with wide eyes. "Anything we learned last night, Pete?"

James held a fist over his mouth, nearly coughing up his most recent bite of sausage as he watched his friend scramble for an answer.

"You alright, Char?" James nodded, his eyes roaming between her neck and her eyes as well. "Didn't get you too bad, did they?"

"Oh, they got her pretty bad. Thank Godric for Remus, rushing her up to the hospital wing, all in a panic. He saved her life." Charlotte could practically hear the smirk in Lily's voice, even without looking, though she aimed a well placed kick to her friend's shin, satisfied with the small whine this earned her.

Chapter Text

There was a murmur of chatter as the four boys dropped into seats behind the girls. Lily already had her book out in front of her, her eyes wide from the abundance of coffee she had practically inhaled at lunch. Despite taking nearly every class available to them, prefect duty twice a week and only having a few break periods each week, she was holding up quite well.

"Ladies." James grinned, pulling out his Defense Against the Dark Arts book and dropping it to the desk with a thud. "How's everyone's day going?"

"Potter." Marlene answered after a moment, seeing that Lily wasn't going to. "Were you hoping for your hair to look like you had just rolled out of bed, or is it an accident?"

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes up to try to spot his bangs, fluffing through them with his fingers before offering Marlene a glare as Peter chuckled beside him.

"It's effortless, McKinnon." He answered, the door shutting softly as their professor headed towards the front of the room.

"Good afternoon, class." She smiled, taking her place in front of the blank chalkboard. "We have a pretty exciting lesson today." With a jerk of her wand, everyone's books opened before them, pages flipping along until Charlotte looked down at the start of a new chapter.

"Werewolves?" A few voices muttered around the room, whispers sounding shrill as we all looked back towards the front.

"Werewolves. It's a somber chapter, unfortunately. Werewolves, like so many beasts we will study in this class, have been around for centuries. While there are many documented cases and we have been able to study some of their habits, the werewolf is unable to recall anything from their transformation, their human brain is out of commission while they take on their other form."

"S'fine, Sirius, shove off." Remus's voice carried to Charlotte's ears and she snuck a peak to the row behind her, Sirius pulling his gaze from his friend to meet her eyes, forcing a smile to his face.

"Pay attention now, Charlotte. I'm not sure Lupin will have enough time to tutor you in this class too." Sirius smirked and Charlotte rolled her eyes, turning back towards the front and tuning back into the lesson.

"While there has been some discussion of whether werewolves should be classified as Beings or Beasts, the ministry has come to the conclusion that in human form, they will be considered Beings, while in wolf form, they are Beasts, and are ranked at level five in that category. How are level five beasts ranked, can anyone tell me?"

Lily's hand shot through the air and Mary rolled her eyes at her friend, slouching deeper onto her own desk.

"Level five beasts are known to be violent and can often kill wizards. They are also impossible to train or domesticate, even from youth." She answered, the words sounding eerily similar to how Charlotte was sure the passage would be found on one of these pages.

"Correct, Miss Evans, five points to Gryffindor." Their professor smiled, turning back towards the chalkboard and drawing five matching X's.

"Now, in 1637, the Ministry enacted the Werewolf Code of Conduct. This was intended to help these beings co-exist with wizard-kind as well as muggles, safely. At 17, werewolves were to sign the code of conduct, which stated that they would refrain from attacking non-werewolves, which means they must be locked up for every full moon. There are holding cells at the Ministry equipped to handle their transformations, or else they must prove that they have made sufficient arrangements for themselves if they wish to remain in their own homes."

The room fell silent for a moment, the only sound the scratching of quills as everyone took notes. Charlotte, however, couldn't stop her mind from replaying the professor's words. At 17. She supposed she hadn't given werewolves much thought before, but in her mind, they were all adults. They weren't children, forced to change into a terrifying creature once a month, waking up with no memory of the night before. Locked into cells while everyone hides away, terrified of you.

"Part of this Code of Conduct also states that when they come of age, all werewolves must sign the Werewolf Registry. However, many Ministry officials have stated that this is a severely under-managed system, and estimate that less than half of the werewolves out there are being tracked by this list effectively."

"What incentive do they have to sign?" Mary spoke up at last, everyone's quills dropping to their desks. "Write your name down here to become an outcast we lock up once a month?"

Some of the classmates snickered, while others looked at Mary with confusion.

"They know they're dangerous, they probably understand it's for everyone's safety." One of the dark haired Ravenclaw girls from the front row cut in, her classmates nodding along.

"We're all dangerous." James shouted, "In case you haven't noticed, we all carry around sticks of wood that can kill someone faster than any wolf could."

"That's quite enough, class! Students will please raise their hands if they have questions or comments, and Mr. Potter, I would kindly ask that you not make death threats in my classroom." She offered the boy a tight smile as James sank back into his seat. "Miss Harris?" Their professor seemed nervous now, calling on Charlotte who had hardly realized her hand was in the air.

"The Ministry thinks that Werewolves will want to cooperate with them and sign their rules when they look them in the eyes and call them Beasts? They're humans 99% of the time, and I highly doubt if any of them chose to become that way."

"That is a common issue that many wizards have brought to the Ministry's attention. Newt Scamander in particular has pointed this out, along with stating that the Ministry allows Werewolves to be double classified as Being and Beast as an excuse to push paperwork onto each other's desks. Essentially, it's a difficult topic with no easy solutions, and-"

The bell tolled from one of the towers far above their classroom and students began at once to shove papers and books into their bags.

"We'll finish this next week! Everyone finish reading the chapter and come prepared for the next lesson and perhaps we can skip the paper!" She called, the door slamming against the wall as Sirius, James and Peter exchanged frowns, Remus no where in sight.

"Where's your fourth then?" Marlene asked the boys, James reaching up to scratch the back of his neck for a moment.

"Think he wasn't feeling well." Sirius spoke up, starting out the door behind the crowd of Ravenclaws.

"Remus?" Lily asked, catching back up.

"He'll be aright." Peter piped up, bouncing after James towards the staircase.

"Charlotte?" Sirius called, the group of Gryffindors paused, all eyes locked on the blonde as she slowed, turning back to her friends.

"I might... go look for him. See if he's alright." She murmured, glancing down the hallway as if she would be able to spot the tall boy. Maybe he was just feeling ill, or maybe he had just been done with class after a long day. Still, she couldn't stop replaying the events from the other night. Remus had carried her to the hospital wing. Remus had saved her life. The least she could do was to check if he was feeling alright, especially if none of his friends were planning on it.

"Blondie, he's fine, he'll catch up with us later." Sirius promised, the group nodding for her to catch up as they started down the stairs. Sirius turned around once more halfway down, eyebrows furrowing, Charlotte nowhere in sight.

"Well, you three are shit friends, I'd want someone to come after me if I was sick!" Mary pointed out, her voice echoing down the hall as Charlotte glanced through the empty classrooms she passed, pausing in front of the restroom doors, ears trained for any sign of Remus.

Once she had exhausted the final classrooms of that hallway, she flung around the staircase and marched two floors up until she reached the familiar windows, the sunlight filtering through the clouds outside and lighting up the small alcove. She peeked around the corner, spotting the lanky prefect at once, his legs stretched out before him, boots pressed against the stone wall.

"What, Charlotte?" Remus muttered, his eyes trained to the floor, fingers tracing along the grout.

"You ran out... The guys said you weren't feeling well." She started, leaning against the edge of the alcove. "I just thought I would check on you." She went on when he didn't respond.

Silence overtook the pair, Remus still tracing the stone beneath him as anxiety built up in Charlotte's chest.

"Are you feeling better? Or, I can go get Madam Pomfrey or get you some water or-"

"How about you just leave me alone, Charlotte? For one god damn day, just leave me alone." He snapped, still not meeting her eyes. She felt her mouth fall slightly, taking a step backwards out from the alcove, expecting for him to call out for her again, to take it back. To say he was sorry. He's not feeling well. But neither of them spoke, the brunette turning deeper into the alcove, and Charlotte hurried back down the hallway, leaning against the railing as she let gravity pull her down each step, reaching their Charms lesson just in time.

"Did you find him?" Lily asked as Flitwick began their lesson, her green eyes deep with concern.

Charlotte shook her head twice, pulling her book out as Sirius dropped into the empty spot beside her, both elbows leaning against the desk as he met her eyes.

"Find him?" He whispered, eyebrows furrowing as she shook her head. "Are you alright?"

"Mhm." She hummed, blinking a few times before flipping open to the page Flitwick was announcing, "Now pay attention, or I'm moving next to Peter."

☾

Charlotte bounded down the stairs, her bag slung over her shoulder as she scanned the common room. Dinner had ended nearly an hour ago, and the weather was now officially too cold for anyone to be outside longer than they had to. Aside from, of course, James's mandatory Quidditch practices.

This had resulted in a packed common room most nights, as well as the library growing more and more crowded, especially as OWL's and NEWT's grew closer with every passing week. Still, despite the number of students making up the sea of red before her, she couldn't spot the sandy brown hair she was searching for.

"What's up, Charlotte? You alright?" James called from his spot on the couch near the fireplace. There were so many students surrounding him, Peter and Sirius on either side of him glanced back to her as James spoke.

"Yeah, great." She nodded, crossing over towards them and watching as one of the pieces on the chessboard before them hopped over another, slinging it's club and bursting the small horse to dust. "I'm just..." She trailed off. It was entirely possible that Remus had told them about their fight. Or, whatever it was that they'd had.

"You going to study with Remus?" Peter asked, looking up from the board.

"I think so. You haven't seen him?" She adjusted her bag on her arm for something to do.

"Not since dinner. I figured he was already down there." James frowned. "You sure you're alright? You look a bit pale."

"Gee, thanks, James." She joked, starting towards the portrait hole. "I'll see you guys later."

They shouted goodbyes as she left, starting down the stairs, her feet moving quickly beneath her. They hadn't seen him since dinner. Surely he was at the library.

She shook the thought from her head that he might not want her there with him, but continued on all the same. It was Sunday night. They'd been meeting there for weeks, and he had never explicitly cancelled it.

She nodded a hello to Madam Pince, who did not smile back, before turning to face the table she was so used to meeting Remus at. Her shoulders sank as she locked eyes with a group of Hufflepuff seventh years, scanning through the tables around the library before stalking over to an empty one near the hallway and dropping into a seat.

He could just be late.

He wasn't upstairs.

He could be anywhere.

The boys haven't seen him since dinner.

She let out a sigh, pulling her bag up to the chair beside her and setting up the usual arrangement. Her inkwell, a quill and her transfiguration book, which looked quite worn after only two and a half months of school.

Out of all of the spells used to conjure living things, Avis is one of the simplest, and so we will begin our chapter here.

Charlotte felt a spark of hope. Nothing yet this year had been described as simple.

She jumped as a loud thud sounded next to her, losing contact with the chair completely as she looked down at the worn red book that now sat on the table. Taking a much needed breath, she looked up into the honey brown eyes.

"I'm guessing you still haven't read it?" Remus spoke quietly, as if he hadn't just startled half of the students within earshot.

"I... No, I haven't." She stuttered, eyes drawn to the cover of the book, if only to escape meeting his again. The yellow letters in the title were faded nearly to white.

"It's good. You can borrow it, if you like." He spoke, still standing beside the table, one hand latched firmly onto the strap of his bag.

"Thanks, Remus." She nodded, pulling The Catcher in the Rye closer to her, the bird conjuring spell in the transfiguration book now long forgotten.

The tall boy finally took his seat across from her, pulling his own materials out silently, the low hum of whispers filling the room again.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to come." Charlotte snuck a glance as he flipped through his book. He didn't answer for a few moments, reaching the page he wanted and finally looking up to her.

"I'm really sorry." He replied, his eyes looking dark now, even in the brightly lit library. "For Friday."

She shook her head slightly, pulling a smile to her face. "It's fine, Remus-"

"No, it's not." He set his hand in between them, as if he was going to grab her hand but had thought better of it. "I felt terrible, right after. You..." He pulled his hand back and scratched at the back of his neck for a few seconds. "I don't want to be that person."

"You're not." She answered at once. That was what had surprised her the most. Remus didn't seem the type to snap like that. He was always quiet, calm and collected. Even Lily thought he was nice, despite her dislike of the rest of his friends. "You weren't feeling well. It's really okay."

His lips parted once more before he shut them in a tight line and nodded. "How far did you get, then?" He nodded towards her open book as the two dove into that week's chapter.

☾

"Blondie!" The voice jolted her from her page, two hands digging into the back of the couch on either side of her head.

"Godric, Sirius, what is it!" She tucked the blank slip of parchment into Remus's book and looked up into the silver eyes shining down at her. "Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'd save you." He grinned, shamelessly, pulling the book from her hands and tossing it to the couch beside her. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

"Now?" She asked, glancing to her wrist. "Sirius, it's curfew in twenty minutes."

"Then you'd better stop wasting time, haven't you?" His permanent grin stretched onto his lips.

"We'll be back by curfew?" She asked skeptically, eyebrows raised.

"Sure, yeah." He nodded without thinking and she laughed easily.

"You're such a liar. I'm not getting in trouble because you have some wild idea-"

"I won't let you get in trouble!" He interrupted. "Please, Charlotte?"

His eyes were still so bright, his smile fading only slightly. She was sure this worked on everyone.

"Let me put my book upstairs." She sighed, starting up to her dorm. She hadn't let Remus's book out of her sight unless it was safely tucked into her night stand, wanting to give it back to him exactly as she had received it, even if the spine was already snapped in half and many of the pages corners were folded down.

Sirius was still grinning when she reached the common room again, a thick jacket tucked beneath his arm which looked eerily similar to the one he had on.

"Why do you have two jackets?" She asked as he led them out of the portrait hole.

"This one's for you." He shrugged, tugging her arm lightly for her to follow him up their first flight of steps.

"I was just in my dorm, why didn't you just tell me to grab one?"

"I like you in mine." He smirked, chucking as she rolled her eyes.

"Where are we going?" She whined, although after the third flight of stairs, she was sure there was only one location they could be headed for.

"It'll be worth it, trust me." He jogged a few steps ahead, pulling the tower door open for her and smiling as her jaw dropped.

"How did you know this was-" She trailed off, stepping closer to the railing to watch the waves of green dance through the air.

"James and I were... well... that's not important." He said, with a lazy wave of his hand. "Here." He held the jacket out for her and she took it without complaint, the November wind was strong up here and her cheeks were already stinging with cold.

"It's so cool." Charlotte leaned her elbows onto the railing, glancing between the stars and the aurora before them. "So where's your damn star?" She squinted into the sky, spotting so many she could nearly remember from their star charts third year.

Sirius groaned, leaning against the railing beside her, their hips clicking together. "You're kidding, right?"

She looked to him, eyebrows furrowed.

"It's the brightest one in the sky, Charlotte!" He grabbed her wrist and guided her left hand through the air until her finger pointed at the twinkling star, outshining all of the others.

"You would." She laughed, still watching the sparkling star. "You would be the brightest star."

"Always have been." He grinned, his eyes flicking around above them for a moment before pointing up again. "That's Regulus. Third one down, bottom right."

Her eyes followed his finger before looking back to him. Sirius didn't talk about his family much, aside from the drunken comment on Halloween.

"Your brother?" She asked, watching him blink slowly up to the sky.

"Yeah. It's a part of Leo, supposed to be a lion. I don't see it." He pulled a smile to his lips again as he turned to her.

"In the sky or in your brother?" She teased and he laughed.

"Both." His eyes fell back to the glowing lights in front of them. "Stupidest thing ever. Name your kids after stars. I couldn't just be a Mark or something."

"I think it's cool." Charlotte promised, looking towards him even if he didn't meet her eyes. "I wish I was named after a star. There's so many and they all have such pretty names."

"Charlotte is a pretty name." Sirius blurted, grey eyes flicking to hers. "It's French. Means freedom."

"How do you know that?" She laughed, her breath clouding up in front of them.

Sirius shrugged, taking a few moments before answering. "History lessons when we were younger. King Charles, Queen Charlotte? Princess Charlotte, Princess Charlotte, Princess Charlotte, Princess-" He began counting out on his fingers, stopping only when she cut him off, laughter echoing around them in the cold air. "Reg and I had tutors for everything."

She watched him closely, his eyes still in the sky, looking deep in thought for one of the first times since she had met him. She followed his gaze back towards the aurora before them for a few moments before she felt his eyes on her again. "What are you smiling about?"

"I like you wearing my clothes." He smirked and she rolled her eyes, stepping back from the railing and glancing at her watch.

"We should-"

"Why don't you let me flirt with you?" He interrupted, her words vanishing in her mind as she swallowed, scrambling for any type of response.

"I don't think anyone lets you do anything, Sirius."

"Mmm..." He nodded, faking understanding before settling his hand onto her back and steering her towards the doorway. "Come on, I'll walk you down."

"If we're going to the same place, I'm not sure it counts as you walking me down." She pointed out, leading the way down the stairs. They were already nearly an hour past curfew, yet she figured the only person they might run into up here was McGonagall, and she might be able to convince the professor that they were checking something for astrology homework.

"Why don't we count it anyway? You know, Gryffindor chivalry and what not?" He smirked as she turned at the bottom of the stairs.

"Which one of us was being chivalrous? You dragged me from my nice warm common room up three flights of stairs and into the freezing cold."

"But I gave you a jacket - shit." His fingers went around her mouth, pulling her easily a few steps back just as she placed the voices carrying down the empty corridor. Sirius ducked them behind a stone pillar at the corner of the hall, his hand still over her mouth as Lily and Remus drew closer, both looking exhausted, yet Lily still had the energy to spew out that day's lesson in Arithmancy.

Remus's step faltered as his eyes met Charlotte's, sliding up to Sirius who shot him a wide grin and a wink. The prefect's lips twisted into what was practically a grimace as Lily looked back, already a few steps ahead from where Remus had slowed, his eyes sinking from the pillar onto the floor.

"Remus? What's wrong?" The red head hurried back to him and he shook his head quickly.

"Nothing, I'm just really tired. There's not going to be anyone up this way, let's just check downstairs and head to bed?"

Lily glanced around them, as if wary of abandoning one of their patrol sections, but finally nodded in agreement and let Remus lead her back the way they had came.

"Remus, what a pal." Sirius chuckled, pulling Charlotte's arm again to resume their journey back to their tower.

"Did you feel the need to have your hand over my mouth the entire time?" The blonde pointed out, hustling to keep up with Sirius's long strides.

"You would have blown our cover!" He protested, finally reaching the portrait hole and muttering the password, letting her in first and shutting the door softly behind him.

"It was Lily and Remus! They wouldn't have cared!" She breathed in the warmth of the empty common room, the fire still roaring by the couches.

"See? Exactly, you would have blown our cover. Lily never breaks the rules. You should know that."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, pulling her arm from the sleeve of the dark jacket and passing it back over to Sirius.

"Well, admit it. You had fun." He beamed as she started towards her dorm.

"It was worth it." She admitted. "Although I'm going to have to brush my mouth out with soap to get the taste of your hand off my lips."

"Whatever you tell yourself, love." He teased, watching as she marched up the stairs, head shaking. As he started up towards his own dorm, he brought the jacket to his face, breathing in the warm vanilla and honey scent that he was growing so fond of.

Chapter Text

It was Wednesday. Charlotte had raced through Catcher in the Rye, partially because she had wanted to return the book as quickly as possible, but mostly because Holden's sarcasm and snappy retorts reminded her of Remus. She could hardly put the book down, thankful that Lily had them on such a strict schedule, or she would have surely fallen behind on all of her work.

The staircase she had just stepped off of scraped against the stone as it began it's shift to the other wall and she let out a relieved sigh, hurrying up the last one before it too got any ideas. Just as she reached Gryffindor tower, the portrait hole slammed loudly, the Fat Lady huffing, calling after the tall boy sauntering towards Charlotte, eyes narrowed at the floor.

"Remus!" She smiled, reaching for the small book from her bag sitting on her hip. "I'm glad I found you! I finished it." She held it out towards him, his eyes flickering to hers quickly before landing on her hands, sliding the book from her grip with a short nod.

"Thanks." He muttered, starting again towards the stairs that she had just come up.

"It was really good, I couldn't put it down." She rambled on, turning to face him as he slowed to let her speak, his shoulders falling slightly in an inaudible sigh. "And, um... Well, I just wanted to thank you too, for not getting Sirius and I into trouble last night. I mean, I didn't think Lily would honestly care, but Sirius was sure-"

"S'fine, Charlotte." He snapped, turning over the book in his hands and pausing before he reached the stairs again. "I've been thinking, actually. I think you're all caught up in Transfiguration. Probably won't need to meet up anymore, right?"

His brown eyes were dark, although it could have been the lack of light, the lamps in the stairwells were so high up. She bit onto the inside of her cheek, nodding at once.

"Yeah, of course, Remus. Thank you, I know I've taken up a lot of your weekends-"

"Yeah. I'll see ya around." He mumbled, giving her one last nod and officially starting down the stairs. Charlotte took a few backwards steps, reaching the doorway to the common room before she turned back around.

"Shrivelfig." She said softly, the portrait swinging open, laughter enveloping her at once as she hurried towards the stairs.

"Blondie!" Sirius grinned from their usual couch, Peter and James on either side and an empty armchair that she assumed Remus must have occupied ten minutes before. "What took you so long? It'll be dinner soon."

"Places to be, people to see, Siri." She mumbled, plastering on a smile for him as she neared the stairway to the dorms. "I'll be down in a bit, just have to-"

"Are you al-"

She didn't wait for him to finish, rushing up the steps two at a time until she reached her dorm, the door bashing against the wall before it swung closed and Lily's gasp caught her attention. She was sat on her bed, a large pile of papers surrounding her, three books open over every edge of the mattress.

"Godric, you scared me." Lily let out a breathy laugh. "Are they all still down there shouting... Hey, what's wrong?" Her voice grew soft, sliding a book out of her path and rushing toward her friend.

"I don't know." Charlotte huffed, flopping back on her bed and staring up at the top of the bed frame. "It's nothing. I'm being stupid."

"Probably." Lily teased, pulling her legs up beneath her on Charlotte's mattress, staring down at the blonde beside her. "You could still tell me though."

Charlotte paused, letting out a sigh and sitting back up to face her roommate.

"I think he hates me." She blurted, clarifying when Lily looked confused. "Remus."

"Remus doesn't hate anyone." She protested, "Why do you think he hates you?"

Charlotte picked a few times at a jagged piece on her nail, considering her answer. She wasn't sure what she and Remus were. A week ago she would have said friends. After he had yelled at her? After loaning her the book and apologizing? Or now, after canceling their study sessions, agreeing when she had apologized for taking up so many of his Sunday nights.

"He's just shy, Charlotte. I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend, he probably just doesn't know how to act-"

"Well he definitely doesn't think of me as a girlfriend. I don't think he even wants to think of me as a friend."

Lily's eyebrows drew together in absolute confusion, and Charlotte knew why. Remus was Lily's favorite out of the group of boys gathered downstairs. They studied together and partnered together in classes and had prefect meetings together. Lily and Remus were friends.

"What are you not telling me? Do you guys not get along?" She asked, quieter now, her fingers reaching out to rest on Charlotte's shoulder.

"I lied... the other day, after Defense Against the Dark Arts, I did find Remus. And I asked how he was and if he needed anything and he told me to leave him alone for one god damn day."

Lily's eyes were wide, shock painted on her face as she started to open her mouth, but Charlotte pushed on.

"But then he came to study Sunday. I didn't think he would. And he came in and he brought me Catcher in the Rye, because one of our first nights back he was reading it and I mentioned that I hadn't read it..." Lily nodded, looking so encouraging, Charlotte had to blink a few threatening tears beginning to pool under her eyes. "And I don't know... I told myself that he was sick the other day and he snapped, but that he really cared... because he remembered the book. So I raced through it, have you read it? It's really good-"

"Charlotte," Lily shot her a pointed look, clearly more interested in the subject at hand than an old book from forty years ago.

"So I finished it earlier, and I ran into Remus downstairs... just outside of the common room and I gave it back and..." She skipped over the part about thanking him for covering for her and Sirius from Lily. "He just abruptly said that I was all caught up with transfiguration and that we didn't need to meet up anymore. And I was disappointed, but I understood, and I kind of agree. So I thanked him for helping me and I said sorry for taking up so many of his Sunday's. And he said 'Yeah.' And left."

Lily's lips pressed together into a tight line, twisting a strand of hair around one finger as she thought.

"Well, Charlotte. That wasn't all that mean. Maybe you caught him at a bad time, maybe he was just in a bad mood."

"He's always in a bad mood around me." Charlotte replied, running both hands over her forehead.

"I don't get it. I mean, he is shy, but... I thought you two would be so good together." Lily sighed. "You didn't talk about anything else? Before he ended the study dat-" She trailed off at Charlotte's glare. "The studying?"

"I mean..." She stalled, watching Lily's eyes grow wide again with interest. "Okay, well there was one thing, but it was stupid."

"You don't get to only tell me half the story!" She pushed her friend lightly, wincing as Charlotte's head knocked onto the headboard.

"Alright, well... I gave the book back and I thanked him for... steering you in the other direction last night... in the back corridor on your patrol?"

Lily's eyes clouded with confusion for two seconds, one spent remembering the event and the other questioning how Charlotte knew about it.

"How did you know... Steering me away from... You were out last night?" She grasped for words, a stern look settling onto her features.

"Well, you were gone and Mary and Marlene were sleeping like logs. I was reading Remus's stupid book and Sirius came in and said he had something to show me and I told him it was almost curfew but he said we'd be back in time... only we weren't."

"You went out after curfew with Sirius?" She exclaimed, Charlotte thankful that most of the other students were likely already downstairs for dinner.

"No." Charlotte bit back, "It was before curfew. But we went to the astronomy tower, did you know there was an aurora last night?"

"So Remus saw you two? Sneaking around in the dark after curfew?" Lily ignored her question, pressing onto more important manners. "He saw you and Sirius?"

"Yes, definitely. Then he led you the other way. Apparently they think you would have given us a detention."

"I would have." She stated, though Charlotte wasn't sure if she was kidding, "But, Charlotte, this is good news! Well, partially. Don't you see?"

"What's good news?" Charlotte thought over the last few sentences she had said.

"Of course Remus cancelled your study dates. He thinks you're with Sirius!"

Charlotte scoffed, rolling her eyes at Lily's serious expression. "No one thinks I'm with Sirius."

"They might if they had to listen to his constant flirting and then caught you both sneaking around after curfew near the Astronomy tower." She explained.

Charlotte tugged her lip through her front teeth, considering Lily's words. Remus had never shown her any interest. The nicest thing he had done for her was loan her a book and help her study so she wouldn't fail out of a class. Those were hardly enough to write a love story.

"What are you two doing up here still? We've been trying to leave for dinner, but the boys are waiting." Marlene burst through the door, startling both girls.

"Yeah, come on. Let's go get dinner, I'll survey the scene." Lily grinned now, jumping from the bed and heading towards the doorway where Marlene was waiting impatiently.

"You both go ahead, I'll catch up in a bit."

Lily shot her one last concerned glance, while Marlene was already down the first ten steps, apparently starving.

Charlotte waited for their footsteps to disappear from the stairwell, sinking back onto her bed and glancing towards the window. It was getting dark so much earlier now, the sun practically hidden behind the forbidden forest. She could see small black shadows of owls swooping low in the distance. She let herself sit for a while before finally getting up, fixing her sweater and pulling the bedroom door shut behind her. She would have to face Remus eventually. And Lily was right, he hadn't even been that mean. He hadn't been mean at all. They would eventually have to stop studying together. It made sense that he didn't find it as enjoyable as she did.

"About time." She could hear the grin through Sirius's words before she even looked up.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked as the dark haired boy climbed to his feet, joining her at once as they pushed through the portrait hole together, the hallways empty as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

"Someone's gotta make sure you get to dinner alright." He shrugged and she let herself laugh, feeling a bit guilty now for keeping him waiting. "Are you avoiding me?" Sirius asked, his voice suddenly somber.

"What?" Her eyes shot to his, feeling a slight lurch in her stomach as he watched her face so carefully, hurt lingering behind his small smile. "Course not, why would I be avoiding you?"

"After last night." He started, slowly. The doors to the Great Hall were in sight now, only a few more steps. "Because... that didn't... I mean, it wasn't anything-"

"I had fun last night." She shook her head, reaching out for the door handle before his fingers surrounded it, pulling it open and nodding her through first. "Aside from you attacking me in the shadows and nearly getting us detention, in your opinion." She joked, relief flooding her stomach as Sirius's familiar smile returned.

"Godric, you two. Get stuck by a train on your way down?" James grinned, raising his eyebrows at Sirius who shook his head, dropping into the empty seat beside Remus and running his tongue along his back teeth as he helped himself to dinner.

Lily locked eyes with Charlotte, offering her a very 'I-told-you-so' look and jerking her head once towards Remus who was shoveling food into his mouth through a prevalent scowl.

For half a second, Charlotte allowed herself to consider that Lily could be right. Maybe it was Sirius.

☾

Charlotte dipped her quill back into the inkwell, scanning over the last few paragraphs. She was doing well. Well enough. It made sense, what they had gone over in class and what she had on the paper. That had to stand for something.

She glanced into the textbook again, reading the final paragraph once more before continuing onto the next chapter. Maybe Remus had been right. She didn't need the Sunday night study sessions.

Yet, here she was all the same. At the table beside the one they used to sit at. All alone. Only part of her had hoped he might show up. That he might have regretted it, missing their Sunday night routine. She finally accepted that he wouldn't be coming once the large clock against the wall chimed, signaling the new hour.

She reached for her quill once more before, with a light thud, a large mug of milky coffee was dropped onto the table beside her. She dropped the quill back into the well and looked up to the grinning face before her, gray eyes sparkling as he sipped on his own drink.

"How did you get this in here?" Charlotte smiled, taking a sip and sighing as the warmth from the mug spread into her fingertips.

"Pince is stocking in the back." The tall boy shrugged, dropping into the seat opposite hers.

"I didn't know you knew where the library was, Black." She teased through another sip, welcoming not only the warmth, but the caffeine. It wasn't all that late, but she felt drained already.

"Very funny, blondie." He sneered, playfully, setting his drink to the table and glancing over at her work. "You doing alright?"

She ran her tongue over her lips slowly, tapping the excess ink from her quill and starting her next sentence. She wasn't sure if he was asking about the studying, her day in general, or about the lack of a study partner.

"I'm good. How're you?" She returned, watching as he drained the last of his mug.

"Well, on the one hand, I'm in the library. On the other, I'm talking to a very pretty girl." He grinned as her eyes flicked up to his, shaking her head, hoping the shadows over her face would cover the flush. "I just... I saw Remus in the common room. Thought Sunday nights were your thing?"

She hummed and shrugged, finishing the next paragraph. Maybe she wouldn't get as high of a score as Remus would have, but it was accurate and coherent, and that was all she could ask for.

"I cut him loose." Charlotte teased, scratching the edge of her eyebrow as she looked towards the dark haired boy.

"You asked him to stop studying with you?" Sirius confirmed, eyebrows drawn.

"No!" She clarified. "He just said he thought I was all caught up, and I am. And I'm sure he'd like his Sunday nights back-"

"Oh, yeah. Lot of good they're doing him, he's upstairs with his nose in a history book." Sirius scoffed. Charlotte's stomach sank for only a second. Remus was upstairs studying by himself. Sirius leaned his head on his palm, his eyes following her quill as she wrote. "So, he ended them, then?"

Charlotte shook her head a few times in confusion, finishing the last sentence of her essay and scrawling her name at the top, pushing it aside to let the ink dry.

"What are you asking, Sirius?" She answered, finally.

"Just if you need someone to study with you." He stated, eyeing the rest of her coffee which she pulled from his reach, taking a large gulp.

"You don't study." She pointed out.

"I could start." He cocked his head to one side. "They'll have to make a new letter grade for me at this rate. A, E, O, S."

"Don't say-"

"For Sirius work only." He grinned, both of them biting back laughter, knowing they were in for a screaming fit and matching detentions if Madam Pince caught them with coffee in the library.

☾

December was around the corner. While usually that meant excitement, a break approaching, Christmas, seeing family. This year it meant another severe upturn in coursework and the promise of harder material when classes resumed. Still, as the snow finally stuck to the frozen ground, no one could ignore the feeling. Christmas was in the air.

Their final Hogsmeade trip was in three days time, and Charlotte, Lily and Mary had already listed out every gift and recipient they would need to buy for that day, while Marlene had called them fools, insisting that she never bought anyone presents, she only received them. Mary had called her bluff, pulling out the vinyl Marlene had forced her owl to carry cross country for her just last year.

"Are you getting Remus something?" Lily asked, the two of them on their way back to the common room after a longer than average detour to the library, in which Lily spent twenty minutes debating if she would need Numerology and Grammatica's latest edition or if the one in her dorm room would suffice. Charlotte had finally managed to pull her friend from the library by reminding her that if she did end up needing it, she could always come back down.

"No." Charlotte shot her a glare. "Are you?"

"Probably, though I haven't a clue what. Maybe I'll get him a muggle book, he seems to like those."

Charlotte hummed in agreement. Remus probably would like that, though she wasn't sure what he had already read. And she wasn't getting him a gift. She wasn't.

"Are you getting James something too then?" Charlotte asked, a smile spreading across her face, turning towards the red head when she didn't respond, a far away look behind her green eyes. "Lil?"

"I'm sorry, Char... I am going to get Numerology and Grammatica, because... if I need it and I'm already upstairs, the library will be closed and-"

"Isn't it due next week? You were only just assigned it!" Charlotte bit back a laugh as Lily nodded, stepping backwards down the hall.

"I'll be right behind you! You can come if you want!" She grinned, knowingly and Charlotte shook her head.

"I know what a few minutes in the library means to you, I'll see you upstairs." The blonde offered her friend a wave goodbye, though she was already hurrying back down the corridor. Charlotte continued, climbing the final staircase alone and pausing outside of the portrait hole to mutter the password.

"-even come up after dinner? I didn't see her."

"Taken up stalking, have you, Pads?" Peter chuckled, moving his next chess piece across from James.

"Not like we made a map for this exact issue." Remus muttered beneath his breath, Charlotte pausing in the doorway, propping the portrait open with one hand. They had made a map?

"Think she went down with Lily to the library. Heard them say it on their way out of dinner." James replied, easily, moving his own piece towards Peter who grinned, James groaning when he saw Peter reach over the board.

"What does it matter, anyway?" Remus scowled from behind his book, Charlotte hung on every word.

"What does what matter, anyway?" Sirius sat up taller in his seat, raising his eyes at the tallest Marauder.

"Where she is? She's bloody always around now. Can't go five minutes without hearing her voice."

"Oh, come on Moony." James shot Remus an incredulous look.

"What the fuck is wrong with you lately? Quit being such a prick." Sirius cut in, glaring at the boy beside him.

Charlotte jumped, her hand had slipped from it's place on the portrait and the door slammed behind her, though she wasn't sure she even heard it over the thumping in her ears. It wasn't until the four boys turned, all eyes locked on her, jaws dropped. Sirius was already up from his seat, Remus had lowered his book into his lap, his scowl gone now, though he was watching her as if she was a stranger.

She spun around, her fingers shaking as she pushed back through the doorway and stumbled over the step. "For fucks sake, Moony!" James' words carried through the doorway before it slammed shut again, Charlotte sprinting down the steps, flinging around the corner and pausing before an empty classroom, letting herself in and sinking to the floor, finally noting the tears leaking down her face.

There was no denying it now. He did hate her. He had been nice, and kind, and helpful. He had saved her life, laughed with her and shared his books and she had assumed they were friends. But they weren't. Far from it.

"Charlotte?" She squeezed her eyes shut at the voice, cupping her hand over her mouth as she sobbed, praying he would walk past.

But the door handle clicked and she heard his footsteps, the heels of his boots dragging against the stone floor before he stopped in front of her. She opened her eyes, blinking furiously, refusing to look up. His black boots were tied so loosely, she wondered how he hadn't tripped on his way down.

"Hey," He whispered, crouching before her. Neither of them had flicked on any lights, but she could still see him, his face painted with worry, jaw clenched, features nearly hidden behind the shadows from his dark hair.

"Sirius... It's okay. I just... Can I just be alone?" She whispered, running the pad of her thumb under each eye before he sank down along the wall beside her.

"Nope, sorry, blondie." He shrugged, as if he had no choice but to stay with her. "You're stuck with me."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments, the silence of the empty classroom engulfed the pair as Sirius snuck a side glance to the blonde, his stomach dropping as he watched the silent tears drip down her cheeks, her knees tucked tightly against her chest.

"I guess I should have sent James. I'm not so good at this." He whispered, his eyes jerking back to her face as she sputtered out a laugh, wiping her eye with the back of her finger again. Sirius turned in his spot, facing her now and grabbing for the hand closest to him. Her fingers still wet with tears as he tangled his own against them, looking into the deep blue of her eyes. Hating Remus more by the second as he watched her try to blink new tears away.

"It's okay." She whispered, nodding a few times before letting her head fall against the wall behind them.

"I don't know what's wrong with him." Sirius spoke, tracing small circles against the back of her hand in his. "But promise you won't stop coming around?"

She offered him a small smile which he didn't fall for.

"He hates me." She breathed out, fingers reaching up to stroke along the now fading scars from the doxy bites.

"He doesn't." He shook his head, though she wasn't looking. "He couldn't. He's just moody. And he's an asshole."

She used her free hand to rub the bottom of her nose with a sniffle.

"Why do you let it bother you so much?" He asked, leaning closer towards her on the wall, the chill eating through his sweater, though he didn't mind. From here, he could smell her shampoo if he let himself. Fruity and sweet.

"Let what bother me?" She turned, flinching when she realized how close his face was to hers.

"Remus. Why do you care what he says about you?"

He watched her take in a deep breath, blowing it out into her lap slowly. She didn't look at him while she answered.

"I just thought he was my friend."

"That's it?" Sirius didn't want to know the answer. He really, truly didn't. But that didn't stop the rush of relief that flooded his stomach when she shrugged and nodded.

"It's okay, though." She said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself rather than him.

"It will be." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, biting back a smile when she let herself be pulled into his chest. "Once I beat the shit out of him."

She laughed again, and Sirius thought he might like to hear it for the rest of his life, resting his chin against the top of her head.

"We'll stay here a bit, yeah? They'll go up to bed soon." He breathed, watching her hair flutter beneath him as he spoke, her head nodding into his chest.

Chapter Text

"Charlotte, you have to come." Marlene ordered, pulling on a jacket that was much too thin for today, though Charlotte couldn't remember the last time that Marlene had complained of the cold.

"I will." Charlotte nodded, not moving from her spot on the bed, reading the same page she had been working through for over half an hour. "I just might meet you three down there a bit later."

"No, Charlotte. You're coming with us now. We don't have to hang out with them, we can avoid them. I'm getting quite good at it." Lily joked, grinning towards the blonde through the mirror as she finished up her hair, pinning half of it up with a golden clip.

The girls eyes linked for only a few seconds before Charlotte stood up, holding in a sigh and stepping over towards her dresser, pushing through the sloppily folded clothing one by one. She didn't much feel up to putting an outfit together, but she knew that no matter how hard the girls tried, they would eventually run into the Marauders. Though it probably shouldn't matter what Remus thought of her anymore, as he had made it quite clear the other night.

Still, she pulled out some jeans and a thick black sweater, eyeing the window again to make sure the snow from earlier was still falling. At least their walk down would be pretty, and it definitely felt closer to Christmas now that snow was sticking to the grounds.

"Alright, lets go! I'm fresh out of fizzing whizbees." Marlene announced, already flinging the door back to join the hoards of people gathered in the common room.

"How can you eat those? They make me sick to my stomach." Mary laughed, the two girls leading the way out of the portrait hole as Charlotte did her best not to glance around the crowded room. The boys would already be halfway to Hogsmeade by now, eager to get a start on whatever they had planned for their day off.

Lily slowed down, letting Mary and Marlene scamper down the stairs ahead of the group, arguing loudly over candy and paying no attention to their roommates.

"How are you feeling?" The red head asked as she wrapped a white scarf around her neck twice.

Charlotte shrugged, shoving her hands into the pocket of her jacket, eyes on the floor. Much to Lily's disapproval, Charlotte had taken the day before off of classes, Marlene offering to tell their professors she was sick and Lily bringing back her work after each class, each time with a new offer for her to join for the next class.

She only needed a day. Well, truthfully, she could have used today as well, but she really did need to buy Christmas gifts. She just knew that Sirius would be waiting, or worse, James, with his worried eyes and the volume to announce every issue to the entire tower. Mary had brought her back breakfast, lagging behind to enjoy a muffin and some juice with the blonde before hurrying off to her first lesson.

"I know I can't keep making this excuse, but... Remus isn't usually... He's not mean." Lily said, "Something must be wrong, he must be having a tough time right now-"

"Lils." Charlotte cut her off, Mary and Marlene had finally realized how far ahead they had pulled from their friends, waiting beside the heavy doorway to the grounds. "He just doesn't like me. It's alright. He's allowed to not like me."

"But it's so strange! It's like hating himself! You're practically the same person. You're both quiet, you like to read, you do well in school, you're... well he's usually nice."

"Can we just drop it?" She asked, Mary and Marlene guessing at their topic and pulling the door open quickly, the four friends starting down the familiar path to Hogsmeade.

"Alright, what's everyone getting me then?" Marlene grinned back towards them, the falling snow and freezing air having no effect on her at all.

"Bag of coal." Charlotte replied, shoving the girl forward down the icy path. "I'll save Santa the trip."

"Boo." She laughed, turning to Lily. "Lils?"

Lily smiled, holding up a neatly folded parchment before tucking it back into her pocket. Lily was always prepared and always gave some of the best gifts. Charlotte adjusted the black hat further over her ears before sliding her hands back into her pockets. The snow was beautiful, but it was awfully cold.

"Marls, stop trying to ruin Christmas." Mary warned with a glare as the four girls crossed into the village, dark green wreaths with deep red berries hung along every doorway, garlands of evergreen and sparkling ornaments lined the fences around the village and every tree was already strung up with blinking lights. Charlotte smiled, thankful that her friends had dragged her out with them.

"Start at Honeydukes?" Marlene asked, already on her way towards the store, which was so packed in that the four could hardly push through the doorway. They squeezed between groups and ducked around shelves until they reached the fizzing whizbee's, Marlene filling her arms with the sweets and heading straight to the front of the store, satisfied.

Charlotte and Mary meandered a while longer, selecting some different candy from the new displays as well as some favorites before joining the line to pay. Charlotte handed over the coins and thanked the shopkeep, taking the brown bag and folding the top over a few times before hurrying towards the door, anxious for some breathing room outside.

"Evans!" Charlotte's stomach dropped at James' voice, turning slowly to place it, her face surely falling to match Lily's as the two girls shared a look which did not deter James from leading the rest of the Marauders over towards their group. "You look stunning, Lily. How are you?"

"We're good, James." She spoke, her voice sounding oddly protective, although Charlotte realized why at once. Remus was standing a few feet behind James, Mary and Marlene looking uncomfortably between the Gryffindor's before Marlene popped a whizbee into her mouth.

"Hey, blondie." Sirius smiled, sliding up beside her and nudging her arm with his elbow. "I thought we decided you wouldn't stop coming around?" He dropped his voice low, his lips brushing against her ear as she picked nervously at her fingernails, feeling her friends eyes on her.

"It was one day, Sirius." She whispered, finally meeting his eyes. His tone had sounded joking, yet his smile looked forced. "Just wasn't feeling very well." It wasn't a lie.

James cleared his throat as Peter pushed Remus forward, James nodding forcefully towards Charlotte. Her stomach dropped as she jerked her eyes away from the brunette, looking back to Sirius who's jaw was clenched now as he watched Remus draw closer.

"Charlotte." Lupin's voice was soft, as if everyone weren't hanging on every word. Her gaze flickered towards her friends, Mary and Marlene letting Lily pull them closer towards James and Peter, James striking up a conversation about their match against Ravenclaw coming up. "Listen, about the other night..."

"It's fine." Charlotte practically choked out, she could feel the blood rushing to her face, and she blinked a few times, praying not to cry.

"No, Charlotte, it's not." He continued, "I... I didn't mean that. I was just having a bad night, I just snapped. And I never... I never would have... I didn't know you were..."

I never would have said it in front of you.

"I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't." Charlotte plastered on a smile, meeting his eyes at last, taking solace in the fact that he at least did look sincere. He looked sorry. "It's okay, Lupin."

"I just-"

"Charlotte!" James called, eyes flicking wildly between Remus and Charlotte as he approached them. "Want to get out of here? I could use some help on a gift for a certain friend of yours."

Relief flooded through her stomach and she nodded, not looking back at any of the Gryffindors as she followed James back down the snow filled street, taking a few calming breaths before James would surely ask.

"It looked like maybe you were done with that conversation." He started, slowing for her to keep up.

She shrugged, meeting his hazel eyes, usually so bright, yet now seemed so concerned.

"You didn't have to make him apologize, James." She said, knowingly, even before his jaw had fallen.

"Make... I didn't make him do anything!" He protested. "He... I mean, I suggested... only because we saw you lot... He really was sorry, Charlotte."

"It's fine." She said, again. "You sound just like Lily." She laughed as his smile returned. "Not everyone is going to like each other, some people just aren't-"

"He does like you!" James swore, his eyes wide as they met hers. "I swear, Char. I asked him that night! After you... well..."

"James..." She sighed, realizing they were running out of shops now on the street. "I'd really rather not talk about it." James didn't know about the other incidents, the other times that Remus had made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.

"Alright. That's okay." He nodded a few extra times for good measure and she held back a laugh.

"Did you actually need help getting something for Lily?" Charlotte reminded him and he scoffed, waving a lazy hand through the snow filled air.

"Come on, I've had her gift ordered for weeks now. But we can go through some shops, I'm sure you've got gifts to buy? I'll keep you away from all those wankers."

She smiled, shaking her head and leading him into Scrivenshaft's for the gift she had wanted to order for Lily. "Meaning, your best friends?"

"One and the same, Char." He grinned, twirling a heavy shiny quill through his fingers as she glanced through the aisles.

☾

"Lily!" Charlotte cringed at the voice, slowing down and watching Lily's eyes go wide as they landed on Remus, Peter hurrying to keep up with the taller boys strides. "Charlotte..." The deep brown eyes finally landed on her as he reached their side. "Herbology?"

"Well, we weren't planning to skip." Lily's smile was forced, though Charlotte was hoping she was the only one who would notice. Her green eyes flickered nervously between her friends, Peter clearing his throat awkwardly before Remus stepped around them, pulling the heavy door open.

"Supposed to last all afternoon..." Remus glanced over his housemates as they sighed, watching wet sleet splash onto the pathway.

"She ought to cancel the lesson, who wants to walk all the way there, we'll be soaked!" Peter whined, Lily stepping out from the overhang and jumping back before she was drenched.

"We don't want to be late-" She pulled her hood over her head, Peter and Charlotte copying her and stepping into the downpour, only a single wet clump of snow landing on Charlotte's face before she was dry again. She looked up to see the sleet bouncing off from an invisible barrier, Remus's wand raised over the four of them, Lily's eyes widening in awe.

"Remus, where did you learn that?" She sounded half impressed and half jealous as he shrugged.

"Library. They have all of the spells for the elements. I'll show you." He answered, plainly, as the group neared the greenhouses. Charlotte watched the sleet piles sliding from the glass roof and thought that once they were inside, the storm might actually be fun to watch.

The Gryffindors hurried down the stone steps down the hills now painted a murky gray where only days ago they had been white with glistening snow. Charlotte couldn't help glancing up to watch the wet snow bounce off from Remus's makeshift umbrella, not noticing the patch of slippery sludge that Peter and Lily had just stepped over. She barely made out the way her breath hitched as her foot slid down the step before she felt Remus's hand circle her arm, pulling her back upright, the shield above them disappearing, Peter and Lily both throwing their hands over their heads and hurrying towards the greenhouses.

"Moony, come on!" Peter called back as they reached the doorway, Remus dropping his hand from Charlotte at once, his eyes wide as he called back to them.

"Sorry!" He pointed his wand back towards the sky, although both of them were already drenched. "I'm sorry." He said again, softer this time, as his eyes met hers, the brown now bright in the sun poking through the dark clouds. She nodded twice, slowly, feeling the cold water that had seeped into her hair drip further down her neck.

It was insane. Certifiably. The way that her heart melted just from looking into his eyes, the frown locked onto his lips as he snuck looks her way, both of them hurrying to catch up to their friends. Her chest felt heavy again, and she was already deciding that she forgave him, finally coming to the conclusion that Remus Lupin could do nothing, nothing, to make her stay angry with him.

☾

"Sit!" Lily hissed, pulling Charlotte into the seat beside her, James heaving a dramatic sigh before sinking down next to Peter a few rows behind us.

"You're so dramatic. He gets good marks, you know it's not that bad to partner with-"

"He doesn't follow any of the instructions, he just "feels his way through it," his words." She answered, pulling out her potions book as Slughorn hurried through the door, shutting it softly behind him and taking his usual place at the front of the room.

"Good morning class, apologies for my tardiness." The professor smiled, surveying the students before him, "Today we will be brewing a dreamless sleep potion. Those of you who are considering healing as a future career will want to take good notes, this is often on the entrance exams. Possibly one of the most common potions used in the healing field."

Slughorn quickly went over the ingredients and steps before releasing the class to gather their supplies, Lily looking to Charlotte expectantly.

"James might not follow the steps, but I'm sure he doesn't treat you like his pack mule." Charlotte teased, climbing to her feet and following the crowd of students rushing to the supply cabinets.

She waited as the crowd filtered away, glancing back to Lily who was already lighting up their shared cauldron before turning back to the now dwindling supplies. She hurried to grab what was left of the lavender and a few small black berries in the jar before realizing the only remaining bundles of wormwood were two shelves up, and far out of her reach.

She glanced to her right, meeting Sirius's gray eyes, a small smirk spreading across his lips as she brought her arm back to her side.

"Sirius, will you hand me a bundle?" She pointed to the wormwood, looking back to him when he didn't move.

"Will I hand you a bundle... what?" He asked, his tone irritatingly smug for the early class time.

"The wormwood." She explained, continuing when he raised his eyebrows. "Please."

"Hmm..." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, glancing between her and the shelves. "What'll you give me?"

"Sirius!" Charlotte laughed slightly, glancing back regretfully at her wand sitting on the desktop next to Lily. She leaned up on her toes in one more futile attempt to reach the top shelf before sinking back to the floor and offering him a pout. "What do you even want?"

"How about a-" His final word stuck in his throat as a hand pulled Charlotte's to her side, a bundle of dry herbs falling into her palm as she looked up into the familiar brown eyes, Remus offering her half a smile before turning to Sirius.

"Don't be such a prat." He scolded, hardly pausing at all before heading back to his seat where their own ingredients had already been set out in order. Charlotte glanced to the wormwood in her hand, running her lip through her teeth absentmindedly before shooting Sirius a gloating smile and hurrying back to Lily. She dropped the ingredients onto the table, ignoring Lily's complaints about how long she had taken, forcing herself not to turn for a look at the Marauders behind her.

She knew better than that. Remus would be hard at work the rest of the lesson, not sparing her a glance. Most likely, not sparing her a single thought. Still, she couldn't take her mind off him. The feel of his skin against hers, or the fact that he had been watching her in the first place.

☾

Charlotte pulled the bag around her shoulder tighter. It had been much lighter before her visit to the library, but at least she would be prepared for tomorrow's essay. The sun had already sunk behind the forest, the lamps lighting the hallways on their own now as she passed the dim courtyard, a slender shadow sat on one of the benches farthest from the doorways.

She hadn't seen him the rest of the weekend after their Hogsmeade trip, aside from one coinciding dinner where they exchanged a hurried glance, both of them immediately turning down to their food and allowing themselves to be pulled into separate conversations.

Patting the small package inside the pocket of her robes which she had asked Marlene to secure for her, the girls sharing a knowing look that they were to keep the transaction secret from Lily, she crossed through the archway, heading silently towards Remus.

He looked up when she was a few feet away, his eyes going wide as he shut the book in his lap, watching her draw closer before taking a seat beside him, leaving enough space between the two of him that she wouldn't be able to smell the familiar scent, pine trees and ginger, the lingering scent of cigarettes.

"Hi." He spoke first, still watching her, though she hadn't met his eyes yet.

"Hey." Charlotte finally looked to him, ignoring the fact that he had shut his book for her, though how he was able to see the words out here in the dark was beyond her. "What are you doing all by yourself?"

"James is going over the strategy for the Ravenclaw match with Peter." He answered, "For the fifteenth time. Can't hear a single thought inside my head."

She laughed, effortlessly, watching a small smile rise to his face as they sat together. He still hadn't re-opened the book, the two of them just sitting in silence. Finally, Charlotte reached into her pocket, pulling out the carton and holding it out between them.

Remus's eyes shot between the small box and her blue eyes, his head cocking slightly to the side before he spoke. "You don't smoke." He said it matter of factly. As if he knew her, knew anything about her at all.

"But you do." She answered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth to wait for his response.

"Charlotte, I can't... You didn't have to..." He stuttered, trying to push the cigarettes back into her hands but she pulled them away.

"Well, what am I supposed to do with them? My lungs are pristine!" She shrugged, a smile sneaking it's way to her face as he shook his head, snapping the end of the box open and pulling the first one out. He held the tip to his wand, lighting it wordlessly, and Charlotte resisted the urge to call him a show off. She watched him raise the cigarette to his lips, the smoke rising through the frozen air until it disappeared above them into the black night sky.

"I'd offer you one, but I think I'd like to keep your lungs pristine." He mocked, a small smile gracing his face now as he looked up to the sky.

"And they say chivalry is dead." She laughed, forcing her eyes to the sky like his, anything to drag her focus from the way his lips surrounded the cigarette perched between his fingers, his silver scars catching the moonlight.

"You know you're too nice to me, right?" He asked, looking towards her once again. Charlotte paused, looking into the deep brown of his eyes, truthfully thinking that he might be right.

"Well," She started, sliding off from the edge of the bench and shrugging her bag over her shoulder again. "Lily says you're her favorite. And I'm trying to figure out why." She teased, her stomach falling as he shook his head.

"Then she's got shit taste, Charlotte."

Her mouth opened to ask him what he meant. Remus was a lot of people's favorite from their friend group. Girls were always sneaking side glances to him, admiring how hard working he was, his grades. The way he was never getting into half the trouble that James, Sirius and Peter all found themselves in. He didn't carry himself like Sirius and James, so sure of themselves and talking to new girls every weekend. He knew most people's names, even if they were quiet. Even if they weren't on the Quidditch team, or from an old family.

"Aren't you cold?" She answered, deciding to leave the subject alone entirely. Remus didn't need anymore proof of how she felt for him.

"No." He answered, simply, taking another long drag from the cigarette, finally re-opening the book in his lap.

"Alright, well... I'm gonna head up. Have to start that Herbology essay." Charlotte trailed off, already stepping backwards towards the warmth of the hallways inside the castle as he nodded her a goodbye.

"Night, Charlotte."

She pulled the door open, breathing the familiar warmth into her lungs as she started towards the staircase, not looking forward to lugging her heavy book bag up to Gryffindor tower. She also couldn't explain to herself what she had just done. Why did she constantly put herself back into this position? Remus had made it more than clear that he had no interest in them being friends, or anything more. Yet, James's words from Hogsmeade still echoed through her head.

He does like you!

Charlotte didn't see how whatever delusional version of friendship that Lily and James were imagining hadn't lead them to becoming close friends themselves by now.

"Blondie." Sirius called, Charlotte spinning on the last step to the second floor to see the dark haired boy hurrying up after her.

"Sirius." She answered, leaning against the railing to let him catch up, both of them continuing up towards Gryffindor tower. "What are you doing?"

"What makes you think I wasn't just out looking for you?" He smirked, eyebrows raised as Charlotte's furrowed up at him.

"Were you?" She laughed.

"No. But it's a good thing I found you. Ladies shouldn't have to carry their books by themselves." He pulled her bag from around her arm and slung it over his own shoulder.

"Sirius, you don't have to... How did you know I have books in there?" She turned to him once again and his face blanched, pausing for a second before answering.

"It's Sunday and you've got a heavy looking bag, what else would you have in there?"

She shrugged, accepting his answer as they reached the fourth floor. The two had fallen into a comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional giggles as they overheard the usual absurd conversations between portraits.

"Charlotte?" He spoke again, at last. They were still two flights of stairs away from the cozy common room.

"Hmm?" She looked to him, his gray eyes dark in the dimly lit corridor, yet they were linked on her face, his mouth set into a thin line.

"If there's anyone in this school who isn't falling at your feet, then they're blind. And daft. And not worth a second thought." He spoke calmly, as if he had been thinking his words out their entire walk.

Charlotte blinked a few times, tucking a piece of her bangs behind her ears, her eyes falling to the floor below them.

"Do you hear me?" He spoke again when she didn't answer.

"Okay." She nodded, quickly, her eyes still on her shoes as they continued their climb to the seventh floor. "Reperchans." The portrait door swung open before them and she hurried through.

Sirius grabbed her wrist as they emerged on the other side, stepping into the quiet common room.

"Are you just saying okay so that I'll stop talking?"

Charlotte's lips pulled into half a smile, resisting the urge to laugh at his words, despite them being true. She glanced around the common room, only a few younger students gathered near the fire over a gobstones board and a pair of seventh years scribbling madly against a long sheet of parchment in the corner.

"I'm just... I don't think I'm the kind of girl that guys fall for." She spoke softly, moving still through the common room closer to the staircases to the dorms, wanting so badly to be curled beneath the blankets in her bed. "I'm not smart like Lily, I don't get top grades, and I'm not wild like Marlene and my smile doesn't blind everyone in the hallway like Mary's. So, it's fine, it doesn't bother me." She wasn't sure if he knew that they were talking about Remus, though she had a slight suspicion that he had seen the entire cigarette exchange, that he might have been following her back to the tower since the library.

"You're absolutely mental if you think any of that is true." Sirius answered, his voice, for once, just as soft as hers had been. He leaned against the wall at the edge of the girls staircase, eyes boring into hers as she chewed on her lip, nervously. "I've been blind since bloody September from your smile."

Her mouth fell open without her realizing, scoffing as Sirius's lips pulled into the familiar smirk, watching as she scratched along the tip of her nose and shook her head.

"Goodnight, Sirius." She offered him a small smile, her heart hammering wildly as she turned up towards her dorm.

"Blondie?" He called, his foot hovering over the first step before remembering himself and setting it back to the floor. "Don't you want this back?" He held her book bag out for her and she grabbed it at once, hurrying back up the steps and around the corner out of sight.

Sirius chuckled, pushing himself off from the wall after a few more moments and starting out the portrait hole, jogging easily down the steps back to the dark courtyard. Sure enough, only a few minutes later, he could make out the dark figure, the red glow of the cigarette shining among the greenery beside the benches.

"Budge over." He ordered, Remus's eyebrows rising as he made a spot for Sirius on the bench beside him. "Can I have one?"

Remus didn't hesitate, reaching into his jacket and holding the box out for Sirius who pulled one of the cigarettes from the center between his fingers, lighting it the same way Remus had before. "You're really going through them." He muttered, noting that this was already the fourth cigarette missing from the pack he had watched Charlotte hand over not half an hour ago.

Remus shrugged, leaning forward so that his elbows could rest on his knees as Sirius took his first drag, sighing as he slouched down into the bench, eyes scanning through the stars above them.

"Why does she want you so fucking bad?" He spoke, Remus rolling his head to meet the gray eyes.

"Gee, thanks, Pads. I don't fucking know." Lupin bit back and Sirius let out a short laugh.

"Christ, Moony, I didn't mean it like that... I just... You treat her like absolute shit."

Remus pushed his hands through his hair, settling his forehead into his palms as he groaned.

"I'm not trying to."

"Well, you are, just the same." Sirius pointed out. "What'd she ever do to you? Is it so damn hard to have girls in love with you, Moons? Girls like her?"

"Girls like her? Sirius, if you like her so much, just ask her out! Please! You'd be doing me a bloody favor."

"As if she would say yes, she's been obsessed with you all year." Sirius's voice was raised now, which he knew he would regret in the morning. He never liked fighting with Moony, yet lately, Remus wasn't the Moony he knew. "What is it? You just think she's annoying, or what? She not your type? Is she not smart enough for you?"

"Fucking hell, Sirius." Remus stubbed the last of his cigarette against the stone beside him and jumped from the bench, stalking off towards the castle.

"Yeah, go mope somewhere else." Sirius called, though he was sure Remus would have heard if he had whispered. He didn't care. The anger, the jealousy that he had felt since he had watched Charlotte's eyes fall on Remus at the feast the first day of term could no longer be contained.

Chapter Text

"He said what?" Lily hissed through the nearly silent classroom as Charlotte shot her a warning glance, Slughorn, thankfully, scribbling away at his desk. Although, their professor had made it quite known that Lily was one of his favorite students, and sometimes Charlotte thought Lily could have blown the classroom up with no repurcussions.

"Lily, I said I would tell you, but I'd love it if half the school wasn't listening in..." Charlotte whispered back, scanning over the pages of their book until she found the title matching the chalkboard before them. The room was filling up now, sleepy-eyed students falling into their seats all around them.

"Well, I didn't think he'd admit to being bloody in love with you." She answered, shortly, her pages flying around until reaching the one Charlotte was on.

"He didn't say that." She replied, hearing the familiar laughter at once, dying down as the boys crossed through the doorway and offered Professor Slughorn identical innocent smiles.

"Evans!" James forgot his silence at once, hurrying towards the two Gryffindor girls and dropping into the table beside Lily. "How are my two favorite Gryffindor ladies doing tonight?"

Charlotte pressed a hand over her heart, looking towards James' grinning face. "I've made second place?"

"Shut up, Charlotte." Lily ordered with a warning glance as Sirius dropped into the chair behind James, Peter having already stolen the last spot at the table. Charlotte could practically feel Lily itching to look to the dark haired boy behind them, though she wasn't sure who was having a harder time as she heard Remus pull the chair out beside Sirius.

"Your hair looks different, Lils." Remus asked, noting the curls Lily had let Mary practice on her the night before. He pulled a few books out from his bag on the floor as everyone exchanged wide eyed glances. "Looks nice."

Lily's eyes found Charlotte's, pity forming behind them that made Charlotte's stomach sink. She forced her eyes to the book before her, willing Lily to answer him, to not let her feel like the entire group was watching the entire exchange.

"Alright there, Cassanova?" James exclaimed, shooting Remus an incredulous look that Charlotte could clearly read to mean shut up.

"Yeah, isn't it enough you've got girls throwing themselves at you in every class, you need to steal James's too?" Peter snickered, earning a glare from everyone of his roommates and judging from his wince, a hard kick beneath the table.

"Alright, Charlotte, let's go-" Lily stood from her seat, a flush rising to both of her cheeks before James caught her wrist, pulling her back down.

"Lily! Evans, Evans, I'm sorry. They're all wankers, I'm sorry."

Charlotte burst into laughter, Sirius's jaw dropping.

"Oi!"

"Actually, you've been surprisingly well behaved." James corrected.

"Yeah, we'll get you a treat upstairs if you sit nicely." Remus muttered beneath his breath before diving into his book, Lily and Charlotte exchanging an exhausted glance as Lily retook her seat.

"Ah, I believe that's the last of you!" Slughorn offered Marlene and Mary a thin smile as the girls collapsed into seats near the door. "I've got a bit of a fun lesson planned for us, if I do say so myself." Their professor's eyes gleamed. "Elixir of Euphoria. Now that you've all had a few weeks to study up since we went over this one, I thought it would be fun if we had a bit of a contest."

There was a low murmur of excitement, although Charlotte was sure she could hear a small whine from Peter a few seats down.

"Now, it's got to be fair, of course. We can't have all of our resident geniuses teaming up and taking over," He shot a look between Lily and Snape, who's dark black eyes were latched on the red head. "So, I'll be drawing names."

There was a collective groan now through the room which Charlotte had barely been able to stifle herself. While she did have a good amount of friends in this class, there was also the very real possibility she would find herself sat with Snape, or one of his friends. She unclenched her fingers in her lap before she broke one off.

"Alright, our first pair..." Slughorn was fumbling with a few slips of paper which were circling on their own in a large glass bowl on his desk. "Ah, Miss Evans and Mr. Pettigrew." Slughorn grinned, surely thinking his plan was already working out. "We have Snape and McKinnon." Marlene didn't attempt to cover the groan, Sirius and James bursting into laughter as Remus shot her a sympathetic look. "Miss McKinnon, please."

Slughorn continued drawing slips of paper until most of the class had been sorted. "Potter and MacDonald," He called, Lily taking James's leave as her excuse to hop over to sit beside Peter, a genuine smile rising to her face as she promised him they would definitely be winning. "Black and Mulciber."

"Bloody Hell," Sirius muttered from behind her, lugging his bag over his shoulder and starting towards the other end of the room where Mulciber was scowling in his direction. "Better me than you, blondie." He shot her his best attempt at a grin as he passed her desk, his hand landing on her head and ruffling her hair into a mess.

"And that leaves Lupin and Harris." Slughorn checked over the final slips before tossing them into the bin beside his desk and clapping his hands together. "The rest of the class period is yours. Follow the directions carefully and I will test them after class. The winners will be revealed for our next lesson and I'll have a very exciting prize made up for the pair who brings me the best elixir. Begin!"

There was a shuffle as the remaining students hurried to join their partners. Charlotte reached for her bag at her feet and turned straight into Lupin's chest as he dropped into the seat beside her, a slight pink taking over his face for only a moment.

"Sorry!" He chuckled, tossing his worn potions book to the table next to hers. "Hi."

"Hi." She nodded, praying her face wasn't as pink as his had been, though the color was all but faded now. "This school just won't let you stop helping me out with lessons, huh?"

"Oh, shut up." He shook his head, thumbing over pages in his book, "You're carrying our team for this, Lily probably mutters ingredients in her sleep."

Charlotte laughed, both of them rising to grab ingredients from the now dwindling crowd before the supply cabinet.

"How'd your herbology essay go?" He asked, pulling ingredients from the top shelf and handing them off to her.

"Oh, fine." She answered as they started back to their seats, "I'm actually a bit nervous for the lesson now. Why do so many plants have teeth? I feel like those should be the ones we don't have to work with."

He chuckled, taking his seat and beginning to skin their shrivelfig while Charlotte began to muddle the juice from the sopophorous beans.

"Alright, so these in first..." He muttered beneath his breath, sliding the shrivelfig into the bubbling cauldron and looking to her. "Oh, you..."

"What?" She glanced between his eyes and the bowl of juice she was holding.

"No, you've just got something in your hair." His hand flinched towards her before he pulled it back to the desk, hesitating for only a second before reaching to the side of her face and gently pulling along a strand of her hair. "Feather." He murmured, letting it float towards the floor before turning back to their potion, Charlotte thankful that he surely couldn't hear her heartbeat racing along with her thoughts.

"Thanks..." She forced out, emptying the juice into the cauldron while Remus stirred. "Now I know my friends are all fake if they let me through all of breakfast with that in my hair."

Remus chuckled, softly, setting the spoon on the table. "It was small. I'm sure no one noticed it." They fell into silence now as Charlotte scanned over the final instructions for the potion. They just had to add the wormwood in and stir again after a few minutes. "Charlotte..." Her eyes flashed to his, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "Thank you for... I mean... I'm just glad you're not mad at me. You should be, but I'm glad you're not."

Her lips twitched upwards, though she held down the full smile.

"It's fine, Rem-"

"It's not. It's really not. I really am sorry, and I don't have a good excuse to give you..."

"Sirius says you're moody." She shrugged, offering him a teasing smile and wishing he would smile again.

"Yeah?" He snuck a look over to a very tense looking Sirius deep into Slytherin territory. "Yeah, you could say that."

☾

Charlotte followed Lily down the last few steps, practically knocking the red-head over when she stopped, a low murmur of cheers filling the room. It was nearly curfew, so it was no surprise that the common room was so full. The odd part was the way that everyone was crowded into two groups on either side of the couches which had been shoved to the center a few feet apart, James and Sirius leaning against the wall near the portrait hole, matching grins painting their faces.

"What in Godric's name are you two doing?" Lily shouted over the cheers, a few of the younger students laughter slipping from their faces as they spun towards the prefect.

"Oh, good, Evans! You're here!" James beamed, "You won't be able to see me, I'm so fast, but you can probably watch Padfoot-"

"Shut up, you're all talk." Sirius shouted back, "Peter, just count us down, will you?"

"Count you down to what-" Lily's sentence was cut off as Peter's voice shouted out, James and Sirius pushing off the wall and launching into a full on sprint. Sirius was ahead for only a moment, until both boys reached the couches, Sirius fumbling on the cushions as James leapt forward easily, already zipping around the arm chair when Sirius's feet touched the floor again. Finally, they collapsed against the wall at the far side of the room, Sirius letting himself fall onto James and ignoring the cry of pain as the common room chuckled.

"You cheated." Sirius huffed.

"Cheated at moving?" James giggled, "Who's next?"

"No one is next!" Lily slid her wand through the air easily, the couches re-arranging themselves at once. "You're going to break something, and I'm not sure how you were planning to explain the ruined ancient furniture to McGonagall."

"It was time for an upgrade!" James smirked towards the red-head, "We can have a fundraiser. I'll start." James fumbled into his pockets, pulling out his wallet and dropping down a dozen golden coins.

"Me too." Sirius tossed his wallet onto James's lap. "New couches, all around!" He pointed towards random students as one by one they began to filter out from the room, most of them avoiding Lily's gaze as they hurried to their dorms.

Charlotte led Lily towards the pile of Gryffindor boys, Remus and Peter watching amusedly from beside them.

"Are you two drunk?" Charlotte asked, biting back a smile as she could practically hear Lily's sigh behind her.

"Drunk?" James forced his eyes wide. "Why, I never-"

"Yes." Sirius answered, as if he hadn't heard James speaking at all.

"It's a Thursday night!" Charlotte finally laughed, reaching a hand out to help the boys up, Remus's hand falling to her shoulder as James and Sirius pulled her hand hard.

"Ouch!" She let Remus pull her back from the laughing pair, shaking out her arm.

"How did you not see that coming?" Remus chuckled, knowingly before starting towards their usual places before the fire.

"Get up on your own, then, you drunks." Charlotte tossed them a scowl, falling onto the couch as Remus took the arm chair, Peter and Lily taking the couch across from him. Charlotte watched the two boys groan, pulling each other up from their drunken fall and sauntering towards the rest of their friends.

Charlotte smiled, looking around at the friends. She didn't see why Lily minded so much, although she thought part of it might have been a show for the younger students. It was nice, listening to the boys all laugh together, trying to piece together their drunken jokes. Peter's face was nearly red from laughing at something that James had muttered as he had fallen onto the couch beside him.

Remus seemed almost like a new person. He was still quieter, sure, not screaming his every thought through the room like his friends, but the smile lining his face seemed permanent, and it hadn't faded since Charlotte had entered the room.

"Lupin, go get your record player, we can listen to that new Fleetwood album." Sirius begged, pointing over to Remus as if he wouldn't have known who he was talking to without the hint.

"It's not new, Sirius." Remus sighed, leaning back deeper into his chair. "And I'm not lugging that thing down here right now, it's bloody heavy." He chuckled, watching Sirius's face fall into a pout.

"She rings like a bell through the night-" Sirius shouted up at the ceiling, eyes shut as James burst into a new fit of giggles, watching his friend, Remus letting his head fall onto his lap.

"Please, no." He chuckled, his hands wrapping over each ear, the silver scars stretching along his flesh as Charlotte forced her eyes away from him.

"Rhiannon!" Sirius sang, even Lily breaking into laughter now.

"He's not bad, Remus! You said he was bad!" Charlotte laughed, grinning towards the brunette beside her as Sirius's singing cut out.

"You said I was bad?" His eyes flashed and Remus broke down, laughter howling around the group.

"Charlotte, stop!" James forced out, his head leaning down to the arm chair of the couch beside him. "I'm going to piss myself, you just started an actual war."

"Blondie's the only one here on my side!" Sirius reached out, one hand circling Charlotte's hip as he pulled her closer. "Here." He pulled a glistening silver flask from his pocket and held it over her lap.

"I'm alright, Sirius." She smiled, pushing it back towards the dark haired boy.

"I don't have cooties!" Sirius promised with a small grin.

"Yeah, Pads, show her your vet records, you absolute dog!" James giggled, Remus nearly choking on his drink as Sirius shook his head, the smile never faltering.

"I bloody love you lot." James sighed, his laughter dying down at last as he stretched his legs across the couch, Sirius swatting them off his lap.

"I can already tell you wore these socks to practice, Potter, you reek." Sirius slid farther from his friend, pressing Charlotte against the arm of the couch, the familiar cologne washing over her as she looked to Lily, who's green eyes were stuck on James, who thankfully was still gazing up at the ceiling.

"I can't wait for Christmas." James spoke to no one in particular, yet everyone was listening to his every word. "You all have to come for Christmas."

No one answered for a moment until Peter finally broke the silence. "You know I'll be around."

"We can throw a big party. Evans, you'll come right?"

"Maybe." She answered, dismissively, rolling her eyes towards Charlotte who bit back a laugh.

"Char?" James sat up at last, twisting around to find the blonde haired girl. "Swear?"

"Sure, James. You set it up, I'll be there." She smiled, truthfully. Being around James Potter was infectious, and she could tell that even Lily wouldn't mind being dragged along just this once.

"She's an angel." James looked to Lily now, "You've got great taste in friends, Evans. Can't believe you kept her from us for so long-"

"Alright, Romeo, simmer down." Sirius elbowed him over, though James hardly seemed to notice, rolling his arm beneath his head as a makeshift pillow.

"I've got practice in the morning." James muttered, mostly to himself.

"You've never had a hangover in your life, Potter." Peter laughed, taking another swig from his flask as James heaved himself up from the couch.

"Better not start now." He grinned to his friend.

"Well, at least you're a responsible drunk." Lily smiled, standing from her spot as well and starting towards the dorms. "Charlotte?"

"Yeah, I'll be up as soon as this erumpent gets off me!" Charlotte shot Sirius a grin, watching his lips fall into half a sneer, his eyes narrowing to slits, though she wasn't sure if it was supposed to be menacing or if it was a sure sign that he was tired.

"Night, guys." Remus nodded, his smile only finally leaving his face as he capped his own flask, following James and Peter up the steps slowly.

"You should probably get to bed too." Charlotte reminded, watching as he shrugged, meeting her eyes.

"Je ne suis pas fatigué." He answered, rolling his head back towards the fire again as Charlotte laughed.

"Pardon you?" She watched him, eyes wide as he returned her gaze.

"What did I say?" He blinked a few times.

"As if I could repeat it!" She shook her head. He really was drunk. "Was that French?"

He simply shrugged again, his eyes skating over her cozy sweater and jeans, her hair pulled back into a low bun. A few strands had fallen loose around her face, and Sirius felt his gaze linger only a second too long.

"Tu es étourdissant." He muttered, orange flickering through his bright gray eyes from the fire before them. Charlotte bit back another laugh.

"Is there anything you can't do? I don't know how anyone can stand to be your friend, it must make everyone feel so inferior."

A grin pulled to his lips as he watched her laugh, shaking his head slightly.

"I'm no good anymore, haven't had a lesson in years. Reg is perfect, drop him into Montpellier, no one would bat an eye."

"Have you been? To France?" The blonde sank further into the couch, watching as Sirius's gaze pulled back to her after his comment on his brother.

"Yeah, twice. Mum loves it, she even smiled a few times." He answered beneath his breath, his eyes blinking shut a few times before they snapped back to Charlotte.

"Let's go to bed, okay?" Charlotte sat up on the couch, watching a smirk slide along his face.

"Charlotte Harris, I never thought I'd see the day-"

"Shut up," She stood up, hands on her hips as she waiting for him to finish his joke.

"Begging to go to bed with me." His white teeth flashed through his laugh before he took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet, the two of them stepping around the couches and heading towards the stairs.

"Charlotte." Sirius's voice pulled her eyes to his once more, her foot pausing on the first step. "Tu es toujours dans mon espriti."

"Sirius!" She laughed as he started up the stairs. "Sirius! Translation, please?"

"Goodnight, love." He smiled, already gone from view by the time his words reached her ears.

Chapter Text

"It must have blown off on the way back from Herbology." Charlotte muttered, slamming the drawer shut to her dresser.

"We'll go look tomorrow. Quit banging around." Marlene ordered, Mary offering Charlotte a small smile, her attempt to apologize for their friend's rude behavior.

"I'm just going to go down and see if I can find it." Charlotte grabbed her jacket hanging on cabinet's handle and pushed one arm through the sleeve.

"Charlotte, it's nearly curfew." Lily warned, glancing towards the window which was barely lit by the sliver of a moon.

"I'll be back in time! If I can't find it in fifteen minutes, I'll give up. It's bloody freezing out." She promised, shooting the red head an innocent smile. "It'll blow away in the night!"

"It's just a scarf! It's probably blown away already!" Lily called through the stairwell as Charlotte started down towards the common room, still bustling with activity, even for the late hour on a school night. She pushed through the portrait hole and hurried down the stairs, pulling her wand out in preparation to light her way across the snowy grounds.

"Lumos." She muttered, shaking her head as the light went on and glaring at the tip until it flickered off and back on again. Satisfied now, she lowered her wand towards the ground and started walking, waving back and forth as far as she could cast the light before her, re-tracing their steps from earlier that day. It wasn't like she couldn't just buy another one, but there was something comforting about this one. She had gotten it on her first trip to Diagon alley, along with the matching hat that was now sat alone on top of her dresser.

She neared the black lake, sighing as she accepted that she would have to turn back. Maybe she had been a bit off from their path from earlier. Maybe it would have gotten weighed down with snow and it would be out here tomorrow. Or maybe she would just have to buy a new one.

She tucked her wand back into the pocket of her jacket, along with her hands which were now pink with cold when she heard the laughter. It wasn't all that close, she looked around the white grounds, not spotting a living soul. The wind was carrying it, she realized, turning back towards the lake and spotting the group at once. Only shadows beneath the large, bare maple tree, and only three of them. She never would have known who they were had she not heard their voices.

"Sniv won't know what hit him."

"I almost want to wake up early to watch-"

"You can wake up to watch my practice, Pads, and we'll catch it on our way back-"

"What are you idiots doing out here? It's freezing!" Charlotte could hardly bite back the grin as she listened to the friends laugh, the cold obviously not bothering them one bit.

"Blondie!" She could practically hear Sirius's smile through his words, and her heart sped up for a moment as she made her way towards them. "Blondie, wait, seriously don't come over-"

Charlotte's foot hit something, a pressure launched her body into the air. Her scream echoed through the grounds for only a moment before she fell silent, her head smacking against the solid ice that had formed over the lake's surface. The boys scrambled up at once, racing towards the water when the crack broke through their calls, the blonde disappearing through the ice and plunging deep into the black water.

"Charlotte!" Sirius screamed, his voice ringing across the empty grounds. His wand clenched into his fist, he darted out onto the ice, sliding through the new hole and sinking below the surface, James and Peter calling after him loud enough to wake the entire castle.

"Incendio!" A jet of red flames shot onto the ice, melting it away instantly, dark water lapping against the edges. James cleared a path towards where Sirius had disappeared, wading a few feet into the freezing water and gritting his teeth. "Lumos maxima," A large orb of white light launched over the ice, sinking lower until it looked as though the sun's reflection had returned to the lake, and with a gasp, Sirius emerged, blonde hair plastered across his back as he dragged Charlotte from the water, teeth chattering as he tried to stand.

"Here, let me-" James reached for the girl, pulling Sirius and Charlotte towards the singed grass where Peter had just burnt away the snow on the ground. Sirius dropped her beside him onto the wet grass and pushed the sopping hair out of her face. She was as white as the snow a few feet away, and she hadn't moved since he had found her below the water.

"S-She's not moving." Sirius gasped out, Peter crouching beside her and pressing two fingers against her neck.

"She's got a pulse." Peter called out, nodding to Sirius as James breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. "How do we wake her up?"

"We don't." James answered, "We've got to get her to Madam Pomfrey. A fall like that could have killed her."

Sirius's stomach went cold, sliding his fingers beneath her neck and her knees and climbing to his feet, his shoes slipping against the snowy ground.

"We can't take her to Madam Pomfrey!" Peter called out, hurrying after the taller boys. "We'll be in so much trouble. They could expel us!"

Sirius spun towards the blonde boy, darkness beneath his gray eyes.

"Pete, you can go up and find Remus. We'll take her to the hospital wing-" James looked between the two boys, pushing Sirius to keep moving as they neared the entrance to the castle.

"No," The three froze, their footsteps falling silent on the stone floor as Charlotte spoke. Her eyes blinked open, squinting into the bright lamps lining the walls around them. "N-no hosp..." Her head sank back against Sirius's arm, the dark haired boy looking anxiously towards James who shrugged and shook his head.

"Charlotte, hey. Hey, we're so sorry, Char, we didn't... we didn't think anyone would be down here and we didn't know..." James trailed off as she moaned under her breath, Peter pulling the door open so they could get inside from the cold. "We're just going to take you to Madam Pomfrey and make sure you're okay..."

"No hospital." She whispered. "Just... bed."

Sirius had already started up the stairs when James and Peter caught him. "Pads, what do you think?"

"She just fell onto the ice and nearly drowned! She's going to the infirmary!" Sirius bit back.

"Sirius, she doesn't want to go-" Peter started, nervously.

"She doesn't know what she's saying, she just smacked her head-"

"Why don't we take her upstairs and see what Remus thinks?" James suggested and Sirius scoffed. "He's practically a healer at this point, he's spent more hours than anyone in that hospital wing."

Charlotte had not spoken again, her face tucked into Sirius's chest, both of them dripping frozen lake water onto the pristine stone staircase as he considered the idea. Peter was right, they very well could be expelled for this. Sirius just wasn't sure if he cared at the moment.

"Fine, let's go." He ordered through chattering teeth, marching up the stairs faster than before, shoes squelching beneath each step as James and Peter hurried to keep up.

"Lily's going to kill me." James muttered to himself as they finally reached the seventh floor, slightly winded from their speedy climb, uttering the password and clambering through the doorway.

Sirius spun around the room. It wasn't that far past curfew, yet there was no one around.

"We have to get Lily." He muttered, starting towards the staircase before James yanked him back.

"You can't-"

"I don't care if she hates your guts, James, what else is new!" He barked.

"I meant," James started through a clenched jaw, "You can't get up the girl's stairs."

"Fucking hell." Sirius muttered, searching the room again as if there might be someone hiding somewhere, preferably a girl. "How are we going to get her to bed?"

"Let's just get Remus first." Peter held a steadying hand out towards the dark haired boy and nudged him towards their staircase, his legs burning now, though he was hardly aware of the cold seeping through his clothes anymore.

"Moony," James announced, the door slamming shut as they rushed in, Remus's eyebrows drawing together as he sat up in bed, his book falling to the ground.

"Merlin, what've you done?" He jumped to his feet, crossing to Sirius and glancing down at the blonde in his arms.

"F-fucking prank for Snape." Sirius's words fell from his lips without him even thinking. "She walked into it, she - it launched her, over the lake, landed on the ice. Into the w-water."

"Well, what'd you bring her up here for? She could have broken her neck!" Remus shouted, surely waking up their neighboring dorms.

"No! No, she moved. She was talking to us." James cut in, stepping up beside Sirius. "We were going to the hospital wing, and she said she didn't want to go, she just wanted to go to bed."

"Since when do any of us get to choose not to go to the hospital wing." Remus grumbled, grabbing his wand from his night stand and raising it towards her, a rush of hot air sweeping around her body, her clothes and hair drying at once and Sirius felt his own clothes fall warmly against his skin again. "She could have gotten frostbite, you imbeciles. Why are you all still sopping wet?"

"Forgot." Sirius answered, his eyes skating along Remus's stern face.

"Well, she could still have a concussion. I don't know what you want me to do about that." He shot James and Peter an irritated glance.

"Come on, Moony, you know all the spells." James prodded, his eyes filled with guilt. Remus sighed, loudly, turning back to Charlotte and holding his wand over her forehead.

"Rennervate." He uttered, watching as her eyes flickered open and shut a few times, curling deeper into Sirius's arms. Remus's jaw clicked, dropping down against his mattress. "Not a concussion. Probably just in shock. From you lot almost drowning her."

"We didn't think it would go over the lake!" Peter exclaimed, James nodding along looking sincere.

"Was supposed to drag her into- not her, it was supposed to drag Snape, or... It was supposed to drag whatever Slytherin stepped over it on their way to class in the mornings into the tree. I didn't realize how powerful-"

"Why?" Remus whined, his hands sliding over his forehead for a moment.

"We've been trying to get them back for the slurs for weeks! Not our fault you won't help us prank anymore." Sirius snapped, not looking towards Remus as he dropped onto his own mattress, pulling Charlotte closer onto his lap. "What do you suggest I do with her, then? How are we going to get her into her dorm? Everyone's asleep."

"You're not getting her up there, unless someone miraculously appears in the common room tonight who can wake one of the girls up. So I suggest you take her back down there and sleep on the couch-"

"I'm not taking her back down there!" Sirius groaned.

"So what's your plan?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows towards his roommate.

"She can have my bed." James offered at once. "I'll take the floor."

"Don't be stupid, it was my prank." Sirius muttered, eyeing the floor before looking back to the peaceful face of the girl in his arms, her skin still much whiter than he was used to. He yanked back the blankets from the sloppily made bed and slid Charlotte onto the soft sheets, pulling the blankets over her, eyes lingering on her closed ones for a few seconds. "She's still shivering. What if she does have frostbite?"

"She doesn't." Remus answered, easily, sinking down into his own bed and opening his book in his lap again, as if this entire ordeal had all been an annoying interruption of his previously peaceful night.

"Sirius, just..." James trailed off, looking unusually tired for the boy who usually had more energy than the sun. "She won't mind if you share the bed. You're friends. And she's cold."

Sirius looked unconvinced, looking towards Peter for a second before the blonde boy shrugged. "She's going to hate me."

"Then we'll start a club." James chuckled. "You can tell her it was my idea, none of us will get a second of sleep if she's shaking like that all night."

Sirius shook his head, mostly to himself, sliding into the bed beside the blonde and pulling the blankets up over himself, sighing at the familiar warmth after spending the last half hour in freezing cold clothing. The lights went out around them, though no one had spoken, and Remus dropped his book to the table once again, turning over in bed to face the window.

Charlotte's arms were lined with goosebumps, which Sirius tried to convince himself was a good sign. She was cold, but she was okay. Her body could still sense things, still react. He pressed his own arm over hers, tucking his chin over her head and breathing in her familiar scent. He wished he could stop replaying the moment that her bright hair had disappeared from the darkness, sinking through the waves into the black water. Not knowing if he would even be able to see her beneath the surface. Not knowing if he would be able to get back out from the icy water. He wasn't going to get a minute of sleep.

It wasn't clear how much time had passed, though after a while, Sirius felt he might start counting the seconds of their ticking clock, just to pass the time. James had long since fallen asleep, his tell-tale snores filling the room as Peter's breathing grew heavier as well. It was impossible to tell if Remus was asleep or not, though from the silence, Sirius assumed that he was. Now that he thought about it, Sirius wasn't sure if he had ever been awake longer than Moony, who was always last to bed and usually first to rise, unless James beat him for a morning practice.

Charlotte nestled further into Sirius's chest, one of her hands moving up to grip into the blanket and pull it closer towards her face. "Cold." She breathed out and Sirius ran two fingers over her arm again, pulling her closer when he felt her shaking still.

"Moony?" He whispered through the dark, sure that he wouldn't get an answer.

"What."

He was awake.

"She's still freezing. She hasn't stopped shaking."

"So get her a bloody sweater, or take her to Madam Pomfrey and she can have a pepperup." He answered, quietly.

"Moons," Sirius paused, his stomach filling with guilt as Charlotte shivered against him beneath two blankets. "Will you just help me? Come on, I'm worried about her."

"What do you want me to do about it? Light your bed on fire?" Sirius watched as he flipped over on the bed in the darkness, facing him now and waiting for an answer to the arson offer.

"Will you just come warm her up?" Sirius snapped, already feeling the resentment rise in his throat. "You're always a million degrees."

Remus didn't answer for a minute, silence falling again between the roommates. "Why is this my problem, all because you idiots don't know how to do a single spell." He grumbled, the bed jostling as Remus clambered across the room, not caring how loud he was being, ripping open the first drawer of his dresser and pulling out a thick brown sweater. He launched it to Sirius who sat up quickly, pulling the sweater on over Charlotte's jacket and sinking back down just as Remus ripped the blankets back, climbing into the already crowded bed.

"She is cold." He mumbled, partially to himself as he sank down further, taking what little space of the pillow that he could get and sighing loudly to convey his annoyance.

Sirius waited, silently. This wasn't like Moony. Remus would help anyone, especially someone they... someone Sirius considered a friend. Maybe more than a friend. Remus had started countless study groups, tutored anyone who asked, helped younger years find their way around the castle, stopped Slytherin students from picking on the other houses.

"Moony, why-"

"Don't, Sirius." He answered at once. "I just want to sleep."

☾

Charlotte blinked into the dimly lit room, the only source of light pouring in from the edges of the drawn curtains. It was quiet, all red and gold, dark wood floors. Gryffindor tower. But it was not her room. She turned her head slowly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her temples and spotting the three empty beds beside the one she was sleeping in.

She jolted up at the sound of a yawn in her ear, turning to see a sleepy Sirius Black, the palm of his hand pressed into his eye and he tried to wake himself.

"What's wrong?" He mumbled, groggily.

"Sirius. What am I doing here?" Charlotte pulled her sweater tighter around her chest, feeling along her body, thankful that she was fully clothed. She looked down, lips pulling into a frown, recognizing the brown sweater at once. She had seen it on many occasions.

Sirius's eyes flickered along her body, watching her mind reel for a moment with a small smirk. "You don't remember last night?"

"What are you talking about?" She practically groaned, resisting the urge to smack the smirk from the dark haired boy's face. The singular streams of light seeping in from the edges of the curtains were starting to bother her eyes, her head pounding now.

"Well, I'm not particularly inclined to tell you, as it paints me in a rather bad light." He shrugged, leaning back onto the bed, his arms propped up on his pillow behind his head.

"Sirius, I swear to God." She glared, a sickly feeling growing in her stomach.

"Okay, woah... Okay." His smile dropped at once, hearing her tone and matching the expression on her face. "Nothing bad happened. I mean... nothing like that." He paused, obviously not wanting to go on. "Just... you... got caught in one of our pranks. Ended up in the black lake."

He trailed off as her glare returned, memory trickling back now. "It wasn't meant for you. I'm sorry. James and I pulled you out, we were going to bring you to Madam Pomfrey, you were shaking so bad. But you wouldn't go. So we brought you up here so I could make sure you didn't freeze to death."

"Didn't want murder on your hands, Black?" She scoffed, tossing the blankets off herself and jumping from the bed, starting towards the doorway.

"Blondie!" He continued, watching her gather her things from the floor. "Charlotte, wait! I wasn't done with my story."

"I'm done with it." She grumbled.

"Then I guess you remember not being able to warm up and begging for Lupin?" His tone was teasing, yet his gaze was dark as she froze, turning back towards him and shaking her head slowly.

"I did not."

"You don't recognize his sweater?" His mouth was pressed into a thin line that he was trying to pass off as a smile. "And what could he say? To our poor, frozen Charlotte."

"Stop, Sirius." She warned, stepping backwards to the door, her heart in her stomach. "Swear to me. Swear it's not another prank."

"Remus warmed you up and you fell right asleep." Sirius bit back, running one hand through his hair which was sticking up in odd angles from sleep.

Charlotte ripped the door open, not bothering to wait for it to shut before she was down the stairs to the common room. She crossed to the stairwell towards her own dorm, wanting a three hour hot shower and to never again leave her bed.

"Char!" James Potter's voice was always too loud, even in the early hours of the mornings. Especially after Quidditch. She turned slowly, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the boys eyes widen behind his glasses, half a smile stuck on his face. His normally messy hair was weighed down with what she assumed was sweat from another excruciating practice he had forced on everyone. "How are you feeling? You were still asleep when I left..."

"I'm fine." She replied, shortly, stepping backwards towards the stairwell and looking to her feet as if she might trip.

"We're really sorry." He stepped with her, and she realized now he was worried she was angry. "We never meant for you to end up-"

"I know. It's fine. I've got to get upstairs and-"

"Remus said to tell you... That he hopes you're feeling okay." James seemed to add as an after thought.

Charlotte nodded, trying to ignore the weight in her chest at his name.

"No, honest." James must have sensed her disbelief, or maybe her face had given her away. "He just had an... early study thing. You know Moony."

"Yeah..." She tried for a smile as she took the first step up the stairs. "I know."

☾

Charlotte had never been envious of Lily taking so many classes until today, as the red-head was long gone from lunch, and Charlotte had no where to be for another hour. She had been hoping Mary or Marlene might have shown up on one of their many free periods, but that was not the face she saw hurrying down the aisle towards her.

She gulped down a last sip of her coffee before jumping up from the bench.

"Charlotte! Wait, wait, please!" James begged, nearly slamming into her, his hands grabbing hold on both of her arms to hold her in place.

"What?" She asked, meeting his eyes and pressing her lips together tightly.

"Char, I'm... we're... We're so sorry." He stuttered, waiting a few moments for a response before realizing there wasn't one coming. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She nodded, rubbing two fingers along her forehead absentmindedly. It had been aching a bit throughout the morning, though nothing serious.

"Did you go see Madam Pomfrey? If your head is hurting, maybe-"

"It's fine, James." Charlotte replied, keeping the sharpness out of her voice when she saw the guilty look in James' eyes. "Really. Just going to make it through the rest of the day and then I'll probably just get some more sleep."

James nodded, following the blonde as she started out of the great hall. "Did Sirius find you?" He asked, his voice sounding nervous. "He said he wanted to make sure you were feeling alright."

Charlotte scoffed, "He didn't seem too worried this morning."

Jame's gaze flickered to hers, his lips turning down. "He mentioned you were... upset."

"Well, you all nearly killed me." She bit back, regretting it at once as surprise filled the boy's hazel eyes. "I know, it was an accident. Sirius just seemed like it was a big joke."

"He didn't." James blurted, "He didn't think it was a joke, Char. You should have seen him last night, he was losing his mind. Dove right in the lake after you, we didn't know where either of you were, I don't even know how he found you in the dark, he was-"

"What?" She skidded to a stop, looking up to James again. "He jumped in the lake?"

James blinked twice, replaying the words in his mind as if he might have slipped up. "Well, yeah. How did you think we got you out?"

Charlotte hadn't thought that far. In fact, she had been trying not to think about the events of last night at all.

"Well," She pressed on, resuming their journey to Gryffindor tower. "I didn't know that."

"Where you off to now?" James changed the subject, keeping up with her easily as they started up the stairs.

"Have a free period, then charms." She answered.

"Well, I'll walk you up. I've got a half an hour until herbology." He offered, the perpetual smile returning to his face as she offered him a nod.

"Yeah, you can take Remus's sweater back upstairs for me? I accidentally... wore it down this morning." She held back a wince. Remus had been the last thing she had wanted to bring up, her entire body cringing at any thought of her begging for him last night.

"I thought that was his." James chuckled. "We were all worried about you, Char. I swear, we really were going to the infirmary! Made Remus check you for a concussion and everything."

"Well, tell him I'm really sorry, for whatever I said last night. I can't believe it."

"What'd you say?" James looked confused, reaching the seventh floor a step before her and offering the password to the fat lady.

Charlotte stepped through into the quiet common room, looking away and praying for the flush to crawl back down her neck.

"Sirius said... That I was freezing and... begged for Remus to warm me up." She forced out, watching as James's face clouded over in thought.

"Char, I... I think he might have been making a joke. You were out, I doubt you said anything at all the whole night."

"No, I... I made him promise me he wasn't..." She trailed off, forcing her mind back to their dorm, Sirius in bed, messy hair and hooded eyes. She played over the words in her mind.

"I don't think you have to worry about it. I'm sure Remus just offered you the sweater because you were still really cold." James cocked his head to one side, watching her turn over the memory in her mind.

"Well... I'll go get it, if you'd bring it upstairs? I don't really feel like..."

James nodded before she could even finish, falling into the couch as Charlotte disappeared up the staircase out of sight.

Chapter Text

Charlotte purposely dragged her feet to charms, watching the halls empty out before her, finally reaching the classroom and slipping in silently, scanning through the room and sighing as she met Sirius's eyes, which had been trained on the doorway. His leg was bouncing nervously beneath the desk, though his face lit up a bit as he saw her, nodding her towards the empty desk beside him.

Lily and Mary were sitting in the row ahead of him, Remus and Peter at the table beside them, James and a slightly amused looking Marlene across from Sirius's half empty desk. The classrooms were thankfully emptier than previous years, due to a good amount of students dropping subjects that they didn't think would help them in their future careers after O.W.L's.

She stepped over to an open table across the room from her house-mates, sliding into the seat and plunging her hand into her book bag, gathering the materials onto her desk as an excuse to avoid looking at her friends.

"Blondie?" Sirius's voice came from above her, though she didn't look up to him, flipping through the pages of their charms book and squinting towards the front of the room for the page number. "Charlotte." He spoke softer, leaning against the table, cocking his head to meet her eyes.

"Mr. Black, if you'd kindly pick a seat, we'll get started!" Flitwick announced from the front and Sirius scurried into the spot beside Charlotte, ignoring her sigh as she tucked her leg over her knee, leaning towards the edge of the desk. "We're going to continue our work on our confundus charms from last week. Your essays will be due in four days, so I encourage anyone who has any questions to get them out today!"

"Blondie, please talk to me." Sirius hissed, leaning his head down on the table and looking up to Charlotte's blue eyes, which were trying very hard not to meet his. "I've been looking everywhere for you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Sirius." She replied under her breath, glancing down to the paragraph Flitwick was referring to, ignoring the feeling of his gaze locked on her.

"Are you really? Because James said he thought your head was still hurting at lunch, because you-"

"Sirius." Her eyes shot to his at last, though it didn't make him feel any better. "I'm trying to listen."

"Right..." He nodded, bringing his book to his desk as well, glancing at the page number from hers. "Can we talk after class? Or at dinner?"

"I don't want to talk to you." She answered at once, not looking towards the dark haired boy anymore, his stomach sinking.

"Blondie, come on, please..." He begged, "I'm so sorry, you know I'm sorry." He paused, waiting for her response. For any response. Even if it stung like the last one had. "How come you'll talk to James?" He asked, bitterly, nearly regretting it when her eyes rolled back at him.

"I'm talking to you now." Charlotte bit back. "I just wish I wasn't."

"It was an accident!" Neither of them were listening to Flitwick's lesson anymore, though Charlotte assumed Sirius didn't care.

"You're lucky it was me that wandered into it." She snapped, "If you'd left it for a Slytherin this morning, they'd have drowned. Who knows if there would have been anyone around to save them-"

"I... Charlotte, it wasn't... lucky..." Sirius's face fell into a mixture of guilt and remorse, eyes still glued to hers as she scribbled some attempt at notes from a lecture she was hardly listening to. "I would never have wanted-"

"You take it too far, Sirius. All of you." She corrected.

"I know. I know. It was stupid, we all regret it. I regret it, Charlotte, I would never do anything to hurt you-"

"Okay." She cut him off, ignoring the guilt that was seeping into her chest. Maybe he was sorry. Maybe he did regret it. She was sure that he hadn't wanted to hurt her. That didn't change his smirk that morning when she had woken up in his bed. The jokes, the callous attitude when she had woken up so confused. The comment about Remus, whether it was true or not.

"Are you saying okay so that I'll stop talk-"

"Yes."

Sirius stopped, holding in a deep breath as he watched her scribble more notes down, though none of the ideas seemed to flow together. He was bothering her. Obviously. He knew he should stop. That he should give her some space. He just didn't think he could bear her not looking at him again for... who knows how long.

"Okay." He repeated, softly. "I'm here if you need anything, okay? If your head's hurting or any-"

Charlotte's hand plunged through the air, already shutting the cover to her book as Flitwick called her name.

"Sorry, Professor, I'm not feeling well. May I be excused?" She spoke clearly, Flitwick nodding at once.

"Of course, Miss Harris. Please do let me know if you have any questions before the essay, you know where to find me."

"Thank you." She answered, already halfway towards the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder as James shot Sirius a sad look.

☾

It had been two days. Two days of avoiding the boys. Charlotte didn't see how she could have gone five years without them knowing her name to having to duck behind tapestries every time she spotted one of them in the corridors. It didn't help that James and Sirius seemed to be actively seeking her out. She was starting to understand how Lily felt.

"Hi." The voice she hadn't heard in over a week floated through the room. She took a small breath, shutting her book in her lap and turning towards the tall brunette. His brown eyes were scanning over her on the couch as if he'd never seen her before, as if someone might ask him to give them a full description if she were to go missing tonight.

"Hi Remus." She tried for a smile, turning back to her book as if she had any plan to continue reading with him here. Her whole stomach squirmed uncomfortably. She would never know what had happened that night, how she had ended up in his sweater, what she had said, how he actually felt about her anymore. Although, at this point, she was fine keeping it that way.

He stepped closer to the fire, leaning against the arm rest of the oversized chair beside her couch, studying her silently for a few more seconds, unaware of the goosebumps raising on her arms with every passing moment.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, finally, a warmth spreading through her chest.

"I'm much better." She answered, sneaking a look to his eyes. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't look upset.

"Head's alright?" He pressed, still not taking a seat. Charlotte felt as though she was at a doctors appointment, and they were overbooked. He was checking in on her on his way to his next obligation.

"It's fine. I just needed some sleep, I think."

"Good." He nodded to himself. "Why didn't you go to Madam Pomfrey? Just to be safe? Could have gotten the wankers some detention while you were at it."

She laughed for what felt like the first time all day, leaning back into the comfortable couch. "What's one more detention going to do for them? They haven't learned anything from the first four thousand."

Remus chuckled at this, shaking his head and staring off into the fire.

"I know it was an accident anyway. They don't deserve a detention just for being idiots."

"I think that's the premise for all of their detentions." He pointed out, the two sharing a smile in the quiet common room. "If you're not mad, why are you still ignoring Sirius?"

She shrugged. "I'm not ignoring him."

"Yes, you are. It's all I've heard about all week. It's more than his usual level of whining."

"I just wanted a little time." She stopped before adding the 'away from him.'

"Mmm..." Remus hummed in understanding, "That's what the alcove's for." He offered her a smile which she tried to return, although she didn't hold any fond memories of the small niche after their last encounter there together. "I'll see ya." He finally pushed himself from the edge of the chair, starting up the steps as Charlotte set back to her essay. She was nearly halfway through, although missing the second half of the lecture hadn't helped.

The portrait hole opened again and she looked up, hoping to find Lily, or Marlene or Mary, or anyone but...

"Hi Charlotte." Sirius was watching her as if she was lethal, as if she would pounce at any second to bite his head off. He paused a few feet away from the couch she was sat on, waiting anxiously for her response.

"Hi Sirius." She answered, dipping her quill into the well again, hoping he would realize she was working.

"Can I sit with you?" He asked, eyeing the empty space beside her on the couch as she pulled her eyes to his. "To study. I've got homework." He continued, obviously thinking that she was going to object.

"If you want." She answered, moving closer to the edge of the couch, one arm against the arm rest as she flipped through the pages of the charms book. She had barely finished the first sentence when a new parchment was shoved into her lap, the perfect handwriting outlining the entire lecture she had walked out from two days before.

Charlotte glanced up, meeting the soft gray eyes before looking back to the notes in front of her.

"Thought you might need them. I wrote you a copy." Sirius explained, nodding for her to take the parchment, his lips pressing together into a flat line when she finally did, watching as she looked them over.

"Thanks, Siri..." She muttered, looking back to him just as he shrugged, falling silent as he opened his book in his lap, sneaking glances at her every few minutes as she read through the notes.

A little over half an hour later, she twisted the cap into her inkwell, setting her essay on the table before them to dry and looking over at Sirius, who's eyes were glued to what she was sure was the same page he had been on when she had started.

Charlotte pulled her legs up towards her, setting her chin on her knees and watching as the fire licked at the logs, sparks jumping through the smoke before falling blackened to the ground.

"I've missed you." Sirius muttered, softly. She rolled her head towards his, trying her best to bite back the smile spreading on her lips.

"What?"

"You heard me." He answered, kicking his legs onto the coffee table before them.

"Sirius..."

"Are you going to hate me forever?" He cut her off, although she hadn't had any plan of where her sentence was headed.

"I don't hate you." Charlotte answered, easily. It was true. She had missed them too, James's infectious laughter, Peter's random facts and gossip, Sirius's perfect smile, the way his eyes locked onto hers when she spoke, even if no one else was listening.

"Can I get that in writing?" The familiar smirk was making it's way to his lips once again as she let out half a scoff. "Why are you so much more mad at me than James? Or Peter? This would be Pete's second attempt on your life, I'll remind you."

Her eyes skated over him slowly as he cracked his knuckles in his lap, hating the unusually sad look painted onto his face.

"Because the prank was an accident. Making fun of me the next morning wasn't."

His eyes went wide as he turned towards her, his hand catching her arm to pull her gaze back to his.

"I wasn't making fun of you?" He was shaking his head, as if he had no idea what she could be talking about.

"You acted like it was all a big joke, Sirius." She pressed, remembering the smirk he had worn that morning.

"No, Blondie, I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have handled it that way... I was just nervous... that you would wake up and hate me."

"Why would I hate you? This is what you guys do, you play pranks. It was an accident-"

"Not just for the prank." He shook his head, glancing to the ceiling for a moment as she waited for him to go on. "I mean, I'm sure you didn't want to wake up... in my bed."

She pulled her lips through her teeth for a second, ignoring the heat rising to her face. "I wouldn't have minded half as much if you'd just told me what happened, instead of making it seem like..."

He let out half of a laugh, running both hands through his hair before looking back to her. "I wasn't trying to make it seem like that."

She nodded for a while, considering what she was going to say next. Part of her, most of her didn't want the answer, but she had to know. If she was going to have to keep walking on eggshells around Remus for the next two years.

"What about... the Remus thing?" She finally stammered out, Sirius's smile fading away as he looked to her.

"Remus thing?"

"Piss off, Black. You know what I mean." She whined, leaning back against the arm rest and kicking hard into his arm.

"Ouch! Okay! Alright," He chuckled, rubbing softly over his injured arm now, stalling for time. "I lied." He raised his hands in surrender as her eyes flashed wide at him. "Okay, you didn't ask for him. But you did say that you were cold, and you were cold, you had goosebumps and you were shivering and... everyone else was asleep... I just wanted you to warm up."

She huffed, looking back towards the fire. She couldn't tell if she was more annoyed or relieved, yet there was a new sting of embarrassment now that she knew Sirius had made up the lie just to mess with her.

"Blondie," He called, tugging her ankle twice towards him to get her attention before she kicked his hand away.

"Why'd you say I asked for him then?" She turned her attention back towards the dark haired boy across from her.

"Because I'm an idiot." He shot her his best attempt at puppy eyes which she had previously only seen James attempt, rolling hers in response. "Please, Charlotte. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry about all of it. I'm sorry I got you hurt and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry I lied. My life is so dull without you in it, please come back to me-"

She couldn't hold the laughter in any longer, looking over to the boy as his face broke into a grin as well, eyebrows raised as he waited for her to speak.

"You're an expert at groveling." She taunted, the weight from the last few days fading from her chest at Sirius's smile.

"Years of practice." He explained with a smirk.

"Oh, I can imagine. Do you attempt to drown all of them, or do you try to shake things u-" She shrieked as his fingers looped around her ankle, pulling her closer and rolling over her until she was pressed beneath him on the worn couch.

"I did not try to drown you." His voice was low and soft, slipping past his lips as if he was sharing a secret. "And I would never let anything happen to you."

She pressed her lips closed, practically holding her breath now, hoping he couldn't feel the speed that her heart was racing. His gray eyes were still locked on hers, and she was beginning to feel as if there was a severe oxygen shortage in the room.

"Did you really come in after me?" She asked, softly. "You could have gotten stuck under the ice, Sirius, or something could have dragged you-"

"Of course I went after you." His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down to her. "You think I'd let you drown?"

She shook her head, slowly, eyes still latched to his. "No."

Finally, he pushed himself off from her, slouching down onto the couch, kicking his feet onto the table once again as the fire crackled before them. Charlotte sat up, pulling her legs beneath her and leaning her head back beside his on the back of the couch, glancing towards the clock above the fireplace.

"It's late." She muttered, although the tiredness her eyes had felt ten minutes before was long gone now.

"Very observant. Was it the moon or the stars that gave it away?" He teased and she shot him a glare.

"Shouldn't you be on your best behavior around me for at least a day?" She pointed out and he chuckled.

"Fine. You're right." He nodded, rolling his head along the couch and looking down to her face, glowing orange in the light from the fire. "Do you want to go to bed?"

"In a little." She agreed, tucking a piece of her bangs behind her ear and shutting her eyes, feeling the warmth of the fire against her legs.

"No..."

"Please... stop..."

Charlotte's eyes blinked into the dark room, the only light from the faint glow of the remaining embers dying in the fireplace. She glanced to both sides, realizing she had fallen asleep in the common room and sitting up, reaching for the essay which was still sprawled over the table before her.

"Please, don't. Don't!" Charlotte jumped at his voice, looking over to find Sirius on the couch beside her, his body curled up tightly, his head perched against the arm rest. She frowned, leaning back towards him before he let out a shriek like she had never heard before, thrashing away from her on the couch, whimpering.

"Sirius!" She called, her fingers latching onto his arm and shaking him a few times before his eyes flew open, wide and bloodshot, scanning around the room as he jumped up. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's fine."

Sirius gasped in a few more deep breaths, running his fingers along the soft material of the couch before meeting the blue eyes shining through the dark at him.

"Charlotte." He murmured.

"Yeah, it's me." She set her hand on his arm. "Come on, let's go to bed, alright?"

Sirius nodded, climbing to his feet and wandering towards the familiar dormitory stairs through the dark, hearing the blonde's footsteps following behind him. He couldn't remember a time he had felt so tired, yet so awake all at once. They finally reached the boy's dorm, the familiar sound of snoring seeping through the door.

"You okay?" Charlotte whispered through the empty stairwell, setting one hand on his arm when he didn't respond. "Sirius-"

"I'm okay." He nodded at once, reaching for the door handle, his whole body aching for sleep.

"Good," She forced a smile to her face, taking the first step back downstairs. "I'll see you-" Her voice cut off as his fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back to his side, his eyes tired slits, gray peeking through as he looked down to her.

"I'm sorry."

She blinked, sleep still hazing her mind as she tried to remember what he was apologizing for. "What?"

"For saying... about Remus. I'm sorry." He mumbled, seeming more tired with every passing second.

"It's okay, Sirius. I kicked you, we made up, remember?" She teased, leaning against the wall beside him, watching closely to make sure he wouldn't fall over.

"I would treat you better." He said, his voice so soft yet so clear while he had been mumbling only seconds before. "I would treat you so well, Charlotte. Better than he ever could."

Sirius blinked slowly, dropping against the wall with a quiet thud before Charlotte reached out for him, his eyes blinking back open.

"Come on, Siri. You've gotta go to bed." She twisted the door handle and pushed it open silently, one hand on each of his arms as she led him towards the bed she had woken in only days before. Sirius let himself be pushed along until his knees hit the bed frame, falling onto the mattress fully clothed. Charlotte held back the laugh threatening to burst from her lips, yanking back the covers from beneath his body and pulling them to his chest. She looked down to him, already fast asleep, face pressed deep into the pillow as she slipped from the room, waiting for the door to click shut behind her before starting down the stairs to her own dorm.

Chapter Text

"Good luck, Marls!" Lily waved dramatically as their very tired roommate slung her broom over her shoulder and started towards the exit, James hurrying to shovel another slice of toast into his mouth before he spun towards the red-head.

"Oi! Whuboutme?" He asked through a mouthful of rushed breakfast, earning a round of laughter even as Lily grimaced.

"Yeah, all she's got to do is whack a ball with a stick! James is the one earning points!" Peter pointed out, the second liveliest at the table. James seemed as if he was running on a full 24 hours of sleep, though according to Marlene, he had been the last one to come down off the pitch last night.

"Nice, Peter." Marlene called back as James thumped Pete softly on the back of the head, grabbing his broom and hurrying after the rest of the team.

"We'll see you out there!" Mary called, the five of them watching as the red and blue uniforms vanished from the Great Hall, marching down towards the quidditch pitch. Charlotte looked up to the sky above their tables, a light snowfall disappearing against the invisible ceiling as they finished up their breakfast, Peter urging them on, anxious to get down, as if the match would start any earlier if enough students showed up.

"Calm down, Pete. We've got plenty of time." Remus said, calmly, taking a final sip of his tea and standing from the table, Peter hopping up to join him at once. "We'll see you lot down there? We'll save you some seats."

"Where's Sirius?" Charlotte asked, looking up at the tall boy a few feet before her, his eyebrows raising slightly before he answered.

"Sleeping, as usual. He claims he set an alarm, but we could go-"

"Not our fault if he's late! He's always late!" Peter piped up.

"We've got to go up anyway. I want a warmer jacket." Lily glanced up to the ceiling once more. Charlotte reached over the table, grabbing a chocolate muffin and an apple and tucking them inside a napkin before starting after her roommates back to Gryffindor tower. They climbed the steps slowly, sleep still lingering in their limbs.

"Can't believe Peter wants to spend any more time out there in this weather." Lily shook her head as they reached the seventh floor landing.

"And they always want to sit so high up." Mary grumbled, muttering the password as the portrait door swung open to let them through.

"Well at least when we're that high up, we get to watch all of James's theatrics for Lily." Charlotte teased, turning up the boys staircase, her friends stopping in their tracks. "I'll wake Sirius up, will one of you bring down my coat? And my hat?" Charlotte trailed off, knowing she would be missing her lost scarf in half an hours time when the wind was whipping through her jacket.

She clambered up the stairs much quicker than she and Sirius had the night before, pausing for a second outside of the boys dorm. At least she knew he would be clothed, as she had watched him fall into bed last night still in his school robes. Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open, a very sleepy looking Sirius shrugging on a thick jacket before his eyes fell on hers, jumping back from the doorway.

"Morning." She smiled at his surprise, holding out his breakfast. "Everyone was quite worried you were going to miss the match."

The corners of his lips twitched into a smile as he grabbed for the muffin, his eyes scanning over her quickly as he took his first bite.

"I'd never hear the end of it if I missed even thirty seconds of a match." He assured. "What are you doing up here, Charlotte?"

"Well, I thought you'd miss breakfast..." She trailed off, his gray eyes fixed onto hers. "And I just thought I'd see if you were alright after-"

"Don't go pitying me because I had one nightmare. I can't control what my brain does in my sleep." He ordered, taking his last bite of his breakfast and tucking the apple still in the blonde's hand into his pocket. "Is that what you're wearing?"

"No, Lily and Mary are bringing me down my coat. I said I'd get you."

"Oh, this is you getting me, eh?" He grinned, leaning over his dresser and pulling a Gryffindor hat into his empty pocket, nudging Charlotte down the steps. "Let's go, blondie, I'm not getting a lecture from James because you made me late."

They hurried down the steps, emerging into the common room where Lily and Mary were waiting, Charlotte's coat thrown over Mary's arm as their eyes flew to the stairway.

"About time! Let's get a move on!" Mary grinned, excitedly, the four Gryffindors hurrying down the empty staircase, everyone else gathered outside for the final quidditch match before break.

"Okay, honesty time, Black." Mary broke the silence as Sirius held the front door for the girls, snow falling against their skin at once. "Is Gryffindor going to win, or are we all going to have to listen to James whine until Christmas?"

Sirius laughed, glancing towards the pitch as they drew closer before answering. "According to James, they're guaranteed to win. He does say that before every match, though."

"They usually do, though." Lily pointed out, starting up the steps to where she knew Remus and Peter would be camped out. At the top row in the stadium. The wind whistled past them as they reached the other boys, sliding down the cramped rows and taking the seats Remus and Peter had saved. Charlotte shrunk down into her seat as low as she could, hoping to use some of the students around her to block some of the wind.

"We couldn't find your hat anywhere, Charlotte, we did look!" Lily looked over to her friend, sympathetically.

"Yeah, you need to organize your dresser! It's getting hard to steal stuff from you now if even I can't find it!"

"I wonder why that is!" Charlotte teased, glaring towards Mary who shrugged, innocently.

"Well, now you'll need a whole new set! Hat and scarf!" She joked, flinching out of reach as Charlotte aimed a smack to her arm.

"What happened to your scarf?" Sirius asked from the row below the girls, craning his head back to look between them.

"That's what she went down to look for the night you lot tried to drown her!" Mary teased, Charlotte holding in a groan as guilt flooded into Sirius's eyes.

"I'd like to remind everyone that I had no part in that prank." Remus cut in.

"Yes, that explains how it went so poorly." Lily smirked towards him and he shot her a grin, turning back to the pitch as the crowd began to applaud, the teams making their way out from the locker rooms.

"Here, blondie." Sirius's hands reached around her waist, pulling her up before she had even noticed him move. He spun around in his seat, trading places with her so that she was sat between a large Gryffindor fifth year and Remus, Sirius blocking the wind from her back. She opened her mouth to protest, sure that Remus would rather sit beside his best friend and that Sirius would get just as cold as she would have in the top row. Before she could speak, Sirius had pulled the red and gold hat from his pocket, tugging it over her head and down to her eyebrows, nodding, satisfied with himself and biting into the apple from his other pocket.

"And they're off! Potter at once with the quaffle, Samuels is on his tail! McKinnon launching after a bludger, good hit from McKinnon, Samuels swerves just in time! Potter scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

"It's been forty seconds!" Remus glanced at his watch, shaking his head as they watched James loop around the goal posts, the icy wind seemingly unnoticeable by the chaser.

"Bloody show off," Sirius chuckled, "Let's go, Potter! Pick up the pace!"

"He's got nothing to do with it! It's the seeker that has to win the game." Lily pointed out.

"You don't say, Evans." Sirius smirked back at her, earning an eye roll.

The game sped on, the girls cheering on Marlene any time she caught up to the rogue bludgers, James weaving in and out of blue uniforms, soaring past his friends in the stand and winking towards Lily any chance he could.

"Potter! Head in the game, I swear to Godric!" Marlene's shout echoed through the pitch, the rest of their team breaking into laughter as James shot back towards the center of the action. While it was still freezing, Charlotte had to admit she was much warmer with Sirius's hat, pressed in between two tall bodies, the wind more of a sound now than a feeling. Every few minutes she would pick up the scent of forest pines and ginger, cigarette smoke, though she couldn't say if that was from Remus or Sirius. Still, she ran her hand beneath her nose quickly, breathing in the droplets of perfume she had spritzed that morning in an attempt to pull her mind from the boy beside her.

"Your lips are turning blue." Remus's voice pulled her attention from the game, watching as his eyes flickered between her and the pitch. "You want my scarf?"

"No." She rushed out, pulling her eyes from his lopsided smile, sure that she wouldn't be able to focus on anything but him with his scarf around her neck. "I'm alright, really." She forced out a short laugh.

"No, seriously. You look ready to pass out-" He had already begun unwrapping the red and gold scarf from his neck, moving to pull it over his head.

"Robbins has the Quaffle! Passing it to Potter and, oh- intercepted by Samuels again. Samuels headed for the Gryffindor hoop, here comes McKinnon - no, wait! King sees the snitch! Both seekers have spotted the snitch, it's anyone's race!"

"Let's go, Gryffindor!" Peter stood in his place, cupping both hands around his mouth as he screeched over the pitch, knocking against Remus as everyone too jumped to their feet. The snitch glided into the Gryffindor seeker's fingers as the stadium went wild, a mixture of cheers and groans as James circled the pitch once more, diving towards the ground and dropping from his broom, tackling Marlene into a bear hug and spinning the tall girl around.

"Oh, she's going to love that." Mary giggled, the six Gryffindors jumping from their seats and pushing through the crowd to get to the ground to meet their friends.

☾

"I never knew anyone could be that sweaty," Marlene teased, enjoying the glare James shot back as the friends sipped on drinks by the fire, letting the heat seep into their bones after the long hours at the quidditch pitch.

"Pardon me for showing some team spirit!" James grinned, "And you were sweaty too."

"And I wasn't forcing anyone else to be a part of my sweat." She pointed out, draining the rest of her drink and jumping up to get another.

Lily glanced around, the boys were all grins, James already louder than half of the room, Remus watching as James and Peter re-hashed nearly every shot James had made, the rest of the room listening in and sharing in cheers every few moments. Mary was talking to a seventh year boy off in the corner, the drink in her hand tilting precariously without her notice. The table of alcohol was visibly sticky, empty bottles over turned, some half filled and missing caps.

"Where did Charlotte go?" Lily asked, the group scanning around.

"She was just here." James stood from his spot, as if he'd be able to see over the crowds filling the room.

"I'll go look." Sirius offered, staggering a bit as he tried to step over the many legs around the couch.

"Yeah, go on, Sirius. I'd love to see it." Marlene encouraged him, watching as he finally disentangled himself from the limbs before Remus yanked him back down by his collar.

"Can't get up the stairs, Pads." He reminded, Sirius groaning as he fell back against the couch. "Come on, let's go have a smoke."

"You two have to quit that!" James hollered over the crowd as the Remus led them towards the windows. "That's all I want for Christmas! Cancer-free friends!"

Lily bit back a laugh, turning quickly towards the staircase and finding her way towards their dorm. She pushed the door open easily, spotting Charlotte at once. The blonde was leaned over the mirror above her dresser, messing with the top of her hair, blue eyes slinking to Lily's in the reflection.

"What are you doing up here? They're all celebrating and Mary's left me, I can't listen to Peter grovel over James anymore." Lily grinned and Charlotte laughed back, sounding nervous. "What's wrong?"

Charlotte paused, leaning one hip against the dresser and running her teeth over her lip as she looked to her friend.

"I think I'm going to ask Remus... to Slughorn's party on Friday."

"What?" Lily breathed out a nervous laugh. "You're going to ask Remus... to the Christmas party?"

"I... Yeah. I think I am." Charlotte answered, scanning over Lily's face to get an idea of her thoughts. "You don't think it's a good idea."

"No! I mean, I don't know. Has... Have things been going better with him?"

"I don't know." The blonde sighed, looking back to the mirror and trying to get the stray pieces of hair, which had been stuck at odd angles since she had given Sirius his hat back, into place. "But, I mean, maybe it's like you said. Maybe he's just shy. Maybe he doesn't know I like him and... this will make it... perfectly clear."

"Charlotte, I think as long as you know it could end up one of two ways... and you're prepared for that, then I say go for it. You'll never know if you don't try." She smiled, stepping over and waving her wand over the blonde's hair, the strands lying flat at once. "And I want you two together so bad."

"Oh, you want us together?" Charlotte teased, nodded at her reflection at last, and pulled Lily towards the stairs, both of them stumbling back down to the common room. She hardly needed to scan the room, spotting the boys at once, gray smoke seeping through the air before disappearing through the crack in the window.

"Good luck." Lily offered her friend an anxious smile and Charlotte started towards the windows, pulling the sleeves of her sweater down, nervously, as she drew closer.

"Hey! There she is." Sirius grinned up to her, his head rolling lazily against the chair he was stationed in, the chill seeping through the window panes obviously having no effect on his mood. "Where've you been? Want a drink?"

"Uh... Yeah, maybe in a bit?" She nodded, smiling back at the dark haired boy easily. "Could I actually talk to Remus for a minute?" She paused as Sirius's eyes flicked between the two. "Alone?"

Sirius's face fell, gaze tracing over Charlotte for a moment before he pulled the cigarette from his lips, dropping it through the small crack in the window and getting up from his seat.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll get drinks. Want something, Moony?" His voice sounded different now, though Charlotte hardly noticed, her eyes stuck on Remus who was still puffing away on his cigarette, glancing up quickly towards his friend.

"Er, yeah. Whatever." He replied, Sirius stalking away as Charlotte took his seat. "What's up?" Remus looked to her, waving some of the smoke towards the window, as if that would make it any less noticeable.

Charlotte paused, linking her hands together in her lap and looking up at the tall boy before her. He had part of a smile left on his lips, the cigarette gone from them now, held between two fingers against his knee as he waited for her to answer.

"Slughorn's having another party." She dove right in, not giving herself the option to chicken out. If she didn't ask tonight, she was sure someone else would. Remus looked too good, a thinner sweater than she usually saw him in and blue jeans, his bangs were growing out now, nearly falling over his forehead. "A Christmas party, on Friday."

He brought the cigarette back to his lips for what felt like minutes, not even offering her a nod.

"And, well... we're supposed to bring someone... A date." She went on, praying he wouldn't make her spell it out.

"Charlotte." He started to shake his head, but she cut him off. She couldn't let him say no.

"I thought... it might be fun. We could go together. He usually has really good food and there's good music and Lily and James will be there,"

"Charlotte, you don't want to go with me." He insisted, tapping some of the ash of the edge of his cigarette over the open window.

"But I do." She breathed, a pool of nerves rested in her stomach. "I'd really like to." She hated the way her voice sounded, like she was begging.

He sighed, reaching the end of his cigarette and lurching it out the window with Sirius's, honey brown eyes finally returning to hers.

"Alright... I guess, maybe... we can..."

Charlotte could practically feel her face light up as she grinned. "Yeah? I promise, I won't let you get bored." She could practically hear the blood racing in her ears as she noticed the movement from the side of the room. Sirius was back, holding three drinks, his eyes stuck on Remus as if he didn't recognize him.

"Hey, Siri, what'd you bring us?" Charlotte couldn't tone her smile down, her cheeks starting to ache as she watched the dark haired boy drop the cups on the table between them, some reddish liquid sloshing over the side before he stormed off deeper into the party without a word.

☾

"He'll be down, eventually." James sighed, Peter looking nervously towards the girls dropping into seats beside the boys for dinner. "He's going to get hungry."

"He could have the house elves bringing him food." Peter pointed out.

"Who are we talking about?" Lily asked, sliding her plate closer to herself and looking between the three boys. "Where's your fourth musketeer?"

"Our what?" Peter offered the red-head a confused stare as Remus scoffed beneath his breath, pausing his meal for only a moment.

"Where's Sirius?" Mary repeated.

"That's what we were just discussing." Peter answered. "Been up in the room all day."

"What?" Charlotte frowned, thinking back over the day's events. She supposed it had been quieter in the tower and there had been no pranks pulled that she had heard of. "Is he sick?"

James slid his eyes up to Charlottes face with a grimace and her stomach sank, thinking of her friend seven floors up all alone, missing an entire day off of school. She thought of the last time she had drank too much, Sirius sitting with her in the common room for hours just to keep her company.

"Well, he's got to eat something if he really hasn't eaten all day..." She stood, pulling the empty plate from beside Remus and piling dinner onto it, adding a few scoops of asparagus that she could already see Sirius turning his nose up at.

"Charlotte!" James raised his voice, standing when she did, the table looking towards him. "I really... I just think we should give him some space."

She scanned over her friends. Mary and Marlene looked confused, though Charlotte could see the realization dawning on Lily's face as she met James eyes, Peter hugging his arms to his chest as he watched on silently. Remus, however, had not looked up from his dinner since the girls had sat down.

"Is he puking?" She looked to James again.

"I dunno. Could be." He answered, looking defeated.

"What aren't you telling me?" Charlotte's eyebrows drew together as James fell back into his seat with a shrug.

"Nothing. Just... I wouldn't bother him."

Charlotte shook her head, confused, grabbing the plate she had made up for Sirius and starting out of the hallway and up the first flight of steps. She could hear the heavy door to the Great Hall fall shut behind her, taking the chatter of students with it, the corridors falling silent now as she continued towards Gryffindor tower.

She was practically out of breath by the time she muttered the password and climbed through the portrait hole, not looking forward to another long climb to the boys dormitory. She didn't see why the first years, with their infinite energy, couldn't have had the top dorms in the towers.

At last, she reached the now familiar wooden door, pausing outside of it. Although she knew the room held only one occupant, she wasn't sure if she should knock. He could be sleeping, or like James had said, puking. Though, if it was the other way around, Sirius would never bother to knock on their door. She sent a silent thank you to the founders of Gryffindor tower.

Balancing the plate of food in one hand, she knocked three times, listening to the sound echo through the quiet dorm before he answered.

"What?"

She took that as an invitation, twisting the door knob and pushing her way into the room, Sirius's eyes widening for a second when he saw her before a scowl pulled to his lips.

"Hey," She spoke softly, remembering the headache she'd had after her night of drinking a few weeks before. "You feel alright? The boys said you'd been up here all day."

"Feel fine." His eyes were stuck on hers, dark gray in the dimming light from the windows.

"Oh, good." She answered, pushing down the confusion at his attitude and stepping towards the bed. "I brought you some dinner. Peter said you might be abusing the house elves." She teased, the smile fading from her lips when he didn't laugh. "What's wrong?"

He laughed then, though it was more of a scoff and it sounded cold in the quiet room.

"Nothing's wrong, Charlotte." He answered, "Just leave. I want to be alone."

His words stung as she swallowed, setting the plate on his night stand and looking down to him. His legs were pulled up near his lap on top of the blankets, despite it feeling quite chilly in her opinion.

"Something's wrong." She started, speaking softer now. "You can talk to me."

"Oh, can I?" He sneered, "As if you'd actually listen."

"Sirius-"

"Did I not make it clear enough for you?" His voice was louder now as he looked up to her at last, darkness clouding his usually bright eyes. "Or do you prefer your men to treat you like shit?"

Her mouth fell open suddenly. It felt as if someone had slapped her, though it was only words. Words. From the person who had only ever spoken to her with smirks and laughter.

"What are you-"

"You want to go to that stupid party with Remus? Have so much fun, Charlotte. Maybe he'll even smile at you for once, wouldn't that be a dream."

"Why are you being like this?" She took a step back from the bed, watching as his scowl deepened.

"Get out, Charlotte." He demanded, his eyes dropping from hers as she backed from the room, pulling the door silently behind her and hurrying down to the common room once again.

Chapter Text

Sirius twirled his finger above his milky coffee without thinking, the liquid swirling in a small whirlpool as Remus bit into yet another slice of toast. His own breakfast sat before him, practically untouched, while he tried not to let his gaze wander towards the girls a few seats down. James had been glancing towards Lily all morning, desperate to be included in at least one of their conversations, though Sirius was grateful that James had let him pick a spot a bit further down the table than usual. A bit further down from Charlotte and her pretty hair pulled up in a red bow.

"Sirius, did you finish that defense assignment? Because I just finished mine last night if you want to have a look-" Peter trailed off as Sirius pulled his attention towards the blonde boy.

"It's fine. I finished it." He answered, shortly, reaching for a sip of his coffee, which was now cold, his eyes flicking back to Remus across from him. "Well, Moons, are you going to tell us about the Christmas party, or is it some big, romantic secret?"

Remus's eyes went wide as he looked to the dark haired boy facing him, a cruel snarl painted on his face.

"Sirius..." James mumbled, reaching for his friend's shoulder as he jerked out of reach.

"Yeah, Sirius, it's some big, romantic secret. You know me." Remus bit back, dropping the crust of his toast back onto his plate.

"Well, I thought I did anyway." Sirius muttered, quite aware of Peter and James's shared panicked looks. "Well, what are you going to wear, lover boy?"

"Piss off, Black. You're acting like I wanted this-"

"Oh, I'm sure it must be a terrible inconvenience to have girls fawning over you every waking hour. Tell me, how do you keep your grades up and still remain Gryffindor's most eligible-"

"Maybe if you would have just asked her yourself, you could have spared me-"

"Don't." Sirius growled, his eyes darkening, even in the bright morning light. "Don't act like this is some horrible thing, you insufferable asshole."

"Sirius, calm down." James ordered, leaning forward to catch Sirius's gaze. James was used to breaking up fights, often between Remus and Sirius, though it was normally over one of them being too noisy or pushing the other's buttons. None of them ever fought like this.

The bench scraped against the tile as Sirius pushed out of his seat, slinging his bag over his shoulder and starting down the aisle, eyes set on the exit to ignore the girls on the right who had all spun towards him when he stood up.

"Sirius!" James called, catching the boy just as the door swung shut behind them, grabbing onto his bicep and pulling him around. "Mate, I know it sucks. I know it hurts. But you can't take it out on Moony. You can't be mad if she doesn't like you like that."

Sirius scoffed, pulling his arm out from James's grasp. "That's rich, coming from you."

He took a few steps away, slowing to a stop with a loud huff of a sigh, turning back to James who was waiting patiently outside of the hall.

"I'm sorry. That..." He trailed off, searching his mind for the right words. Sirius and James rarely fought, and he had no reason to be upset at him now.

"I know." James offered him a lopsided smile. "S'fine."

"It's just... Christmas. Going home. I've been feeling like shit all week, even before..." He reached up, rubbing two fingers over the bridge of his nose, willing the headache he'd been suffering through all morning to give him just a minute of relief. "I've never felt like this before. About anyone."

James eyebrows furrowed for only a second before he spoke. "Charlotte?"

Sirius nodded, gaze stuck to the ground in the silent hallway.

"I'm so sorry." He grimaced, watching his friend's gaze follow the lines of the stone floor. "Pads... I just... I think that most of the school knows that you've liked your fair share of girls. So maybe she just doesn't think you're actually interested? It's not as if you've ever asked her out, right?"

"I mean, not in so many words-"

"And I think if Lupin had known how you actually felt about her, he wouldn't have said yes-"

"He knows." Sirius bit back, the bitter feeling welling inside his chest at the mention of Remus's name.

"He knows?" James asked, looking confused before moving on, "Okay, well... I think that... you've had a lot of girls, and if one of them is finally brave enough to go for Moony, and he likes her back, then I think we ought to give them a chance-"

"He doesn't like her." Sirius snapped, "He doesn't like her at all, he's terrible to her."

"He's probably just nervous-"

"I don't care what his reasoning is!"

"Sirius," James voice was low now, snapping Sirius back to reality from where he had been seeing red only moments before. "You really mean it? It's different with her? You feel more for her than all the other girls?"

"Yes." The two boys met each other's eyes at last, Sirius's lips pressed into a thin line.

"Then you want her to be happy right?" He paused, watching Sirius's shoulders sink at his words. "They're not getting married. They're going to a party, that you're invited to, I might add. Just let her be happy. It'll all work out, I know it will."

"Yeah, king of optimism. How much longer until it all works out with you and Evans?" Sirius answered, hoping his words didn't sound as bitter as he felt.

"Dunno. Guess we should have continued with Divination, eh?" James grinned, nodding towards the hall behind them. "Coming back to breakfast?"

"Nah," He shook his head, shortly, "I'll see you in class." He tried for a small smile for his friend before spinning on his heel and starting towards the staircase. He had no intention of watching Charlotte attempt to catch Remus's eye all day, flicking her hair away from her eyes as his friend complained some more about this terrible situation which Sirius would have begged to be in.

☾

Marlene met Charlotte's gaze, who was doing a much better job at holding in the laughter threatening to burst at Lily's frown and James' constant nagging.

"Evans, about this Christmas party." James had started a few minutes ago, Peter's eyes flying up in surprise as Lily let out a heavy sigh.

"About the Christmas party?" She answered, lazily, tucking one leg over the other as she looked to the messy haired boy across from her. Charlotte's eyes snapped towards Remus who was pointedly looking around the room, as if determined not to meet her gaze.

"Will you go with me?" James smiled, charmingly, everyone's eyes flickering between the two, watching every micro-expression appear over Lily's face.

"No." She answered simply, sorting through her pile of notes which Marlene and Charlotte had long given up studying.

"Why not, Evans? Give me a chance, you won't regret it!" He begged, his smile never faltering.

"James, we're all going to be there anyway. You don't need to bring a date-"

"I want to bring you."

"We will both already be there." She bit back, sounding annoyed, though James must have taken no notice.

"Together." He finished for her, grinning as she met his eyes. No one spoke for a moment. "Just let me take you-"

"No, Potter."

"Let me walk you!"

She sighed once again, glancing to Charlotte and Marlene who both wore grins large enough to match James's. Before she even placed Lily's next words, the portrait hole slammed shut, pulling Charlotte's gaze to the tall, dark figure, the gray eyes stuck to hers as he neared their cluster of friends.

"Alright, James. We can walk together." Lily had agreed. "We'll all walk together." She clarified, watching the boy's eyes light up at her words.

Charlotte slid from her chair, setting her gaze to the floor as she started to the staircase. She could still hear Lily and James's banter, as well the snickers from their friends beside them, before the fingers closed around her arm, spinning her back to face him.

"Blondie-" He started, his eyes finding hers at last.

"Piss off, Sirius." She pulled her hand free, watching his face fall.

"Charlotte, let me apologize-"

"No need." She answered, taking the first step towards their dorms. "You wanted to be left alone, right?"

His lips moved, yet no sound came out.

"For the record, I don't prefer my men to treat me like shit." She hissed, rushing up the remaining steps to the safety of her dormitory.

☾

Charlotte pushed the metal backing of her earring into place and glanced over herself once more in the mirror. Her cheeks were beginning to ache from the smile that had been plastered there for the past hours.

"I know you're both jealous that I get to spend this freezing night cozy in bed while you're wearing scratchy tights and wandering the halls for hours." Marlene called from her perch beneath a pile of blankets.

"My tights aren't scratchy." Charlotte grinned, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"Shut up, Marlene, I wish I was going. You both look so great, you're going to have so much fun."

"Sirius really should have just asked you, Mary, instead of moping about-" Marlene trailed off as Charlotte's eyes flickered towards her. "Char, I know you're going to be drooling over Remus all night, but try to keep an eye on Potter and make sure she doesn't kidnap Lily."

"Oh, come on-" Charlotte smiled, looking towards the redhead who had her fingers pressed to her forehead.

"Charlotte, I will give you 40 minutes of every hour for Remus and the other twenty are to be spent protecting me." She ordered, a smile pulling to her lips as they stood up at last, hands landing on the wall as they pulled their heels on. "See you both later." Lily offered their friends a wave, pulling the door open and leading Charlotte down the stairs carefully.

"We're waiting up! Don't stay out all night!" Mary ordered, teasingly.

"Make good choices!" Marlene agreed, her voice carrying down the stone hallway, "Remus counts as one of them!"

Charlotte covered her ears, mouth falling open as Lily giggled, the girls finally reaching the common room, a loud roar of chatter still filling the warm room, James talking animatedly in front of the fire, his hands waving above his head with every word. Peter sat beside him, nodding along with every point, while Sirius wore a small smile as he listened on.

Charlotte heard Lily take a small breath, as if she was going to call to the boys, before Sirius's eyes raised to hers, the smile vanishing from his face as he blinked. His gaze skated over her for only a second, over the deep red dress which swung just above her knees, the sleeves falling to her elbows, her blonde hair tied half up in loose curls, before James had turned too, his grin widening as he jumped up, rushing to Lily.

"Evans! You look gorgeous." Charlotte bit back a smile, watching Lily allow James to take her hand for only a moment before snatching it back.

"Thank you, James." She said through tight lips, yet it was hard to miss the slight pink which had rushed to her face.

Charlotte kept her eyes trained to the pair, ignoring the guilt which had crept it's way into her stomach at seeing Sirius's face. Before she had even registered James' next words, there was movement from the corner of her eye, dark black leather brushed against her skin, the familiar cologne filling her senses as she turned towards him. His eyes were dark, the light from the fire and the remaining lamps barely reaching them.

He reached up towards her, slowly, his fingers grazing her arm for only a second before he pulled back, eyes meeting hers again. "You look beautiful." He said, softly, as if it was all the sound he could muster before marching away from the friends and disappearing around the bend in the stairs without a backward glance.

"Is he..." Charlotte started, looking back to James who's eyes were wide as he pulled his gaze from the stairs.

"He's been feeling a bit..." He struggled for his next word, "Off today. He's been quiet." Charlotte pressed her lips together, begging for the guilt to subside before James set a hand on hers, pulling her attention back to him. "He's alright, Harris."

"Where's Moony?" Peter asked, now standing at James's side once again, a small grin still plastered there as he glanced around the room, as if Remus would be hidden there. Charlotte's stomach sank again, glancing towards the couch where the Marauders had been sitting. How had she not noticed he wasn't there?

James's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced between the girls. "Oh, I thought... He went to the library earlier, but that was hours ago..." He reasoned, glancing to Peter who's eyes were clouded with confusion.

"He probably stayed there too long and forgot the time." Lily nodded, encouragingly.

"Yeah, he's probably meeting us there, Char." James sounded thoroughly convinced at Lily's explanation, and even Charlotte had to admit, it sounded like Remus. Especially considering he hadn't seemed particularly excited for the party tonight...

She shook the thought from her head and smiled as the three of them bid Peter goodnight and started out into the hall. He wouldn't have agreed if he really hadn't wanted to go.

James filled nearly the entire walk with talks of the upcoming holiday and what he had planned for his break, which included more events than Charlotte thought any human could pack into such a small amount of time.

"Lily, you'll have to visit! My parents throw a massive party every year for New Years Eve, it's great. You'll come too, right Charlotte? Peter will be there of course, and I'm hoping to get Sirius, but Moon... Remus has to stay at Hogwarts for the break this year, which really sucks-"

"Why?" Charlotte interrupted, noting the music drifting out from the opened doors as they neared Slughorn's office at last.

"Oh, I don't know..." James sighed, "Something... his family can't have him home or something, so they need him to stay-"

"They won't let him go to yours?" She cut him off again.

"No, he's really not allowed. It's completely daft, but I guess they'll only let him stay at the school." James shrugged, effectively ending the conversation as he led them into the party. Charlotte had already decided, she would invite Remus to spend the holidays with her, and if he really wasn't allowed to leave school... maybe her parents would let her spend the holidays at Hogwarts. She had never stayed at the school for Christmas, but everyone who had said it was nothing but fun and great food.

"Wow, this is great." Lily smiled, drawing Charlotte's attention back to the room which had been immaculately decorated as if Christmas itself had exploded only in the confines of Slughorn's classroom. There were long dark green garlands with red berries draped from every archway, oversized Christmas wreaths against every door and window, a long table of snacks and desserts spread out below the dark windows overlooking the grounds outside where that morning's snow had settled, scattering the bright light of the moon.

"The moon's nearly full, look Char! I hadn't even noticed. It looks so pretty with the snow." Lily waved her friend over to the table where the snacks were set up, the girls scanning over the sky.

"It's in five days." James answered, helping himself to a brownie before glancing back to the girls who were eyeing him, holding back a laugh. "What? Astronomy, we... she's always talking about..." He sputtered before shoving the brownie into his mouth with a shrug.

Charlotte pulled her gaze from the grounds and scanned over the room, which was beginning to fill quite rapidly now, some of the same faces from the dinner she and Lily had attended near the start of term, some newer ones she could have sworn she had never met in her six years of Hogwarts. Yet there was one face that was noticeably missing from the ever growing party, and it felt as if it was the only face she wanted to see.

"We shouldn't have left without Remus..." She muttered, looking back to James and Lily, "What if he's up in the room waiting for us and he thinks we ditched him?"

"He wasn't up there though Char... I got ready up there, and then I was in the common room for nearly an hour after. I would have seen him."

"Well, maybe I should go check, or I could check the library, or-"

Her words trailed off at Lily's look, her friend slipping her hand over Charlotte's arm and glancing to James. "We'll be right back, okay?"

James nodded, quickly, his eyes flickering towards Charlotte's, a sadness deep behind them which she placed at once. Pity. Charlotte let Lily pull her away from the now crowded table of food and towards a quieter place near the door, peeking out into the hallway once more before looking back to Charlotte's hopeful face with a shake of her head.

"Char, what did Remus say, actually, when you asked him to this?" Lily asked, her voice low in the great roar of the room.

"He said..." Charlotte thought back to that night, the Gryffindor victory party, Remus stubbing out his cigarette. "Alright, he said..." She trailed off, not wanting to go on. Lily's green eyes were watching her, patiently, and Charlotte knew she had to finish. "I think he said... 'Alright, I guess we can..."

Lily's lips pulled together as she watched the realization dawn on Charlotte's face before continuing.

"Char, I just... I think, maybe, he's not coming." Charlotte nodded at once, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back onto the door frame behind them. "I mean, it's really just not his scene, Charlotte, I'm sure it has nothing to do with-"

"It's fine. You're right." Charlotte cut her off, not able to hear yet another excuse for Remus. "Will you just tell James I'm not feeling great, I'm just going to head back and-"

"Charlotte, no!" Lily pleaded, reaching for her hand as if she would run for it any moment. "Please, stay! We were really looking forward to this party, we'll still have a lot of fun, you and me, we don't need dates-"

"You have a date," Charlotte protested, keeping her voice low, despite how unsteady it felt leaving her mouth. "I don't want to crash it..."

"It's not a date and you know it." Lily hissed, dragging Charlotte into motion as the two started back towards James who was already engrossed in conversation with a few Hufflepuff boys. "Don't leave me here to deal with him." Lily pleaded, Charlotte forcing a smile to her face as she nodded her agreement, preparing herself for another night of James fawning over her best friend while Lily pretended not to enjoy his company.

"Hey, there you are!" James grinned at their arrival, stepping backwards to create a space for them in the conversation, "You guys know Henry and Marcus? This is Lily Evans and Charlotte Harris."

Charlotte offered the Hufflepuffs a polite smile and a nod while Lily launched into a conversation with the boy on James's left regarding his extra credit project Slughorn had been telling her about. James took one step closer to Lily as she spoke, the other boy, Henry, Charlotte was pretty sure, though now that they had moved she realized she hadn't been paying attention during James's introductions, glanced at James's gaze on the red head before turning to Charlotte with a small smile.

"Can I get you a drink?" He offered, taking a step closer to her so that she could hear him in the crowded room.

She considered his offer for only a second before shaking her head, "No, I'm alright. Thank you, though."

He opened his mouth again to speak before his eyes were pulled above her head, locking onto something behind her and straightening up, nodding her a quick goodbye and returning to Lily and James. Charlotte felt her heart skip in excitement, spinning around, sure that Remus was finally here. He hadn't blown her off, he'd only been late.

Her eyes met Sirius's gray ones, which looked much brighter than they had an hour ago up in the tower. He had changed clothes since then as well, the leather jacket no where to be seen, replaced with a dark blue button down, his messy hair pushed back neatly as he stood before her, two glasses of pink punch from the oversized bowl Lily and her had seen earlier in his hands.

"What about me?" He spoke slowly, taking another step towards her and holding one of the cups out. "Can I get you a drink?"

She studied the glass, "I'm just not sure we should be drinking with our early morning train ride tomorrow-" She smiled, weakly, as his lips pulled into a smirk.

"I highly doubt that Slughorn is serving spiked punch to a bunch of children. Though, if he is, I'll definitely be in attendance more often." He raised the glass to his nose and breathed in for a second before taking a long sip, holding the other glass out for Charlotte again. "You're safe, love."

Charlotte's lips pressed together at his words, hoping the smile was still on her face as she took the first sip of the fruity drink.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, at last, "I thought these parties were stupid and pretentious."

Sirius smiled back for a moment, eyes scanning over the room as he shrugged, looking back to her. "Well, I was right about that. They'll let anyone in here." He nodded towards the group of Slytherin huddled near Slughorn who had his head thrown back in a deep laughter, a smaller version of Sirius beside him, wearing an eerily familiar lazy smile.

"Is that your brother?" She looked between the dark haired boys to where Sirius was nodding through his last sip of his drink. "Don't you want to go say hi?"

"Not in present company." He answered, looking back down to Charlotte's blue eyes. "His, or mine." He watched her eyes widen, a small smile tugging at her lips at his words before deciding to continue. "I saw Lupin upstairs... I didn't want you to be alone."

He nearly regretted his words, watching her face fall, her eyes dropping to their feet and swishing the remaining punch around in her glass.

"Oh," Her voice practically a whisper in the noise of the party. She blinked twice, willing herself not to cry. She and Lily had spent too long getting ready to let tears ruin her makeup, and she didn't need Sirius to catch her crying again. Her mouth opened and shut again twice before she finally spoke, "Did he say why?"

Sirius reached for her hands, stacking her cup into his own before slipping his fingers through hers, her gaze pulling to his again.

"I didn't talk to him." He answered, "Cause I felt like I might have hit him. And James always gets mad when I do." He teased, hoping for a laugh that never came. "Charlotte. He's an idiot."

She shook her head, slightly, before he ducked his head to catch her eyes, offering her a stern glare. "You don't have to say it, you just have to believe me." Charlotte laughed now, noting the smile it brought to Sirius's face. "Do you want something to eat?" He asked, tugging her slightly when she nodded.

"I meant what I said earlier." He spoke again once the two were wandering back through the crowds of students, plates piled high with desserts. "You look absolutely stunning." He watched the color rise to her cheeks as her teeth sank into her lip before she slowed a bit, looking up to him once more. There was a new shine in her eyes which he hadn't seen in weeks, possibly in months, as she looked at him, her chest rising slowly beneath her shimmering dress. He remembered catching that look in her eye at the start of term, and the way he had followed her gaze to Remus. Only now, her eyes were latched to his, and he let himself think that maybe, finally, she wasn't thinking about Lupin. Maybe, she was finally thinking of him.

"Thank you." She answered finally, her voice still soft, though he felt he would have been able to pick it out from across the room. "For... coming here. For me." She trailed off as a warm smile pulled to his face.

"I'll always come for you. Always." He nudged her softly, as they continued their walk around the cramped party. "Could I ask you a favor in return?"

She smirked, cocking an eyebrow up at him, skeptically. "I'm not sure I could handle whatever it is you're going to ask-"

His laughter cut her off, pulling her against the wall and biting into a beautifully decorated cookie as he shook his head. "My parents throw a... ball... every year on Christmas Eve. Our whole family and... well, almost everyone they know comes and..." He paused, his eyes locked with hers for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. "It's not going to be fun. And I was wondering if you'd like to come with me. We can have a terrible time together."

She thought for a moment, glancing at the new drink Sirius had handed her a few minutes before and back to his eyes which were watching her every movement.

"A ball?" She confirmed, "Like, an actual ball?"

Sirius nodded, half a smile spread across his face.

"People still have balls?" He laughed as she did, grateful that he had at least somehow been able to pull a smile out of her.

"Only the worst kind of people." He confirmed. "So..."

"Yeah," She answered at last, smiling up to him, watching his lips pull into a grin over his teeth. "Course I'll go."

"Really?" His voice sounded different, surprised, even as his grin stuck to his face. "And I thought I could come get you, before... I mean, since you can't apparate, I could-"

"Okay," She nodded, cutting him off, her cheeks tiring from the grin she'd been wearing since he had asked her. "What do I wear?"

"I couldn't care less about that." He answered, taking another bite of a cookie.

"No, Sirius, you don't get to answer like that, please don't let me show up to some massive ball looking ridiculous." She whined, pulling his arm down to force the cookie from his mouth. "Will James be there? Or Peter..." She trailed off, deciding at the last minute to leave Remus's name from her question.

"No," Sirius shook his head slowly, his eyes falling to the floor, a guilty expression taking over his previously giddy one. "My parents are quite... picky with the guest list."

"Oh," She said, confused. She would have thought all of the old pureblood families would stick together for their fancy balls. "So, I'll buy a dress then? Like, a long, fancy one?"

"Don't worry so much about the dress. You could show up in pajamas, you'd still make the night more tolerable." He smirked, watching as the wheels began turning inside her head. "You want to go find James and Lily, then? Make sure that they're not holed up in a broom cupboard somewhere?"

"Make sure they are holed up in a broom cupboard somewhere?" She countered, laughing as they began scanning the room for their friends.

Chapter Text

"Only for a few days, we leave the day after New Years." Lily was finishing up, attempting to explain her ski trip to Marlene who was looking at her like she'd gone mad.

"You're strapping sticks to your feet and jumping off cliffs of ice, but a broom in the air is where you draw the line?" She shook her head, finishing her coffee and watching as it refilled again the moment it touched the wood table.

The conversation had only held half of Charlotte's attention, the rest had been spent focusing her gaze on her eggs in front of her. Or, more accurately, keeping her gaze off the doorway. The train would be leaving in just over an hour, and it was rare that the girls had beat any of the Marauders down for breakfast. James or Remus, or likely a combination of the two, paired with an exhausted looking Peter or Sirius nearly always drew everyone's attention each morning toward the Gryffindor table.

Charlotte could feel Lily sneaking nervous glances her way at the end of each sentence, which Charlotte would sometimes return with her best attempt at a confident smile. Yet, as she pushed her breakfast around once again on her plate, she couldn't help but grimace at the nausea that had settled in her stomach the moment the girls had stepped into the common room that morning.

She didn't know who she was more anxious to see. Remus, who had stood her up and embarrassed her for the last time, or Sirius, who had smiled at her all night and invited her to meet his family for Christmas, at an annual family ball.

She heard them before she saw them, though she forced her eyes onto Marlene as if she'd been listening to the conversation the whole time, taking another sip of the black coffee before realizing she had forgotten to add anything to cover the bitter taste.

She watched Mary and Marlene's eyes rise above her head to where the boys had to be standing now, judging by the voices behind her. Before she even had time to decide if she was going to turn, she watched James and Remus appear at the other end of the table, James falling into a spot across from the blonde and grinning up to Lily, who was making a far less convincing show of avoiding his gaze than Charlotte felt she herself was doing with the rest of the boys.

"Morning ladies, Evans." He smiled, pulling food to his plate without another moments hesitation as Remus dropped into place beside him, his eyes wide, and Charlotte pretended not to feel the way they lingered on her face. "Sorry we're late, hope you lot weren't bored."

"No, it was quite peaceful, actually." Lily answered, bringing her mug of tea to her lips to hide the smirk as she looked to the brunette, his hair ruffled terribly from sleep, his eyes lit up as if he'd just won the lottery.

"Oh, I'm sure." His lips pulled into a matching smirk, and Charlotte decided that something had definitely happened between the two the night before, despite Lily's insistence that Charlotte had completely let her down by disappearing for over an hour with Sirius at the crowded party.

"Morning, blondie." Sirius's voice was soft near her ear as he dropped into the space beside her, Peter filling in the final remaining seat, the boys all launching into breakfast, Peter's eyes still seemed half asleep.

"Morning, Sirius." She answered, finally looking to the gray eyes, the corners of his mouth turned into a small smile down at her. She felt a jolt of nerves flood her stomach, pulling her eyes back to the rest of their friends, though still pointedly avoiding the brown eyes she would have been searching for only a few days ago.

"How was the party, you guys?" Peter asked, cluelessly, James blinking through a plastered smile as Remus dropped his head lower, hurrying to shovel another bite of toast into his mouth.

"It was really fun." Sirius answered, his voice loud and sure, and Charlotte pressed her fist against her cheek, keeping her gaze off from Mary and Marlene who wore matching grins and were stifling giggles. "Terrible crowd, though, but fun."

Charlotte smiled to herself, reaching across the table for some cream and stirring it slowly into her coffee. She still felt no desire for any of the food before her, but picked small bites from a muffin for something to do, not to mention the day long train ride they had ahead of them. She would surely be starving by the time she reached home, at this rate.

"What are you guys up to then, for the break?" Remus's voice sounded odd, though Charlotte realized it might have been the fact that she hadn't heard it in days. She picked a larger bite of the muffin off, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly as Marlene answered him.

"Well, Lily's going skiing, which, for those of you who don't know, unlike me, as I'm very learned, is where you tie sticks-"

"No," Lily cut in, biting back laughter.

"-to your feet and jump down a big pile of snow-"

"Marlene." Lily sighed, allowing the laughter to come now as she dropped her face into her hands against the table.

"My parents said we're headed to my grandparents for Christmas, but hopefully I'll be back after that. Maybe we can all hang out?" Mary suggested, the rest of the girls nodding in agreement, though Charlotte noted Remus's silence, remembering James' words from the night before. He had to stay here at school for break. And though she had felt terribly for him last night, she was now only thankful for a long day on the warm train without him.

"Charlotte?" The tall boy asked, his eyes locking on her, though she wouldn't meet his. His voice sounded so small, as if he was scared. As if she had ever been the one to hurt him. "Doing anything for the holidays?"

She shook her head once, picking up her spoon and stirring the milky coffee before her, a silent chant in her head, begging her not to look to him.

"Actually," Sirius's voice rang out again, and she silently thanked him in her mind for taking the focus from her. "Charlotte's coming to mine, Christmas Eve. The stupid ball." He said with a shrug.

"What?" James' eyes were wide, his mouth had fallen open slightly, though Charlotte couldn't make out if it was half of a smile or a glower. "Since when?"

"Last night." Sirius answered before she could, and though her heart was still pounding beneath her chest loudly, she couldn't bite back the smile at Sirius's words. Or, more importantly, the way he sounded so excited for the announcement.

She finally looked up, watching as James's mouth shifted into a small grin, locking eyes with his best friend from across the table. She widened her eyes once towards Mary, who's jaw had dropped at the news, and then turned from the girls, desperate for a change of subject, when her eyes finally landed on the honey brown ones she had been avoiding all morning.

Remus's gaze flickered from her eyes to her chest and then at Sirius, who was paying him no attention, finishing up his plate and turning to the blonde beside him.

"Do you want to go get your stuff? I can help you." He offered, his voice had dropped low, as if he thought he would be able to keep the conversation from the rest of the table.

"I'm quite capable of a simple levitating spell." She bit back with a small smirk as she stood beside Sirius, following his lead as he nodded towards the entrance hall.

"Not once we're off school grounds, though, hmm?" He teased, pushing through the heavy doors. "Are you okay?" Sirius spoke finally once they were in the hallways, students rushing in all directions, most of them holding trunks or pets and hardly dodging the two Gryffindors as they started up the stairs.

"What?" She pulled her attention off the children to their left, "Yeah, of course."

"Okay. Good." He nodded, mostly to himself, as they neared Gryffindor tower. "You know he's staying here for the holiday. You've got two weeks without having to even think of him."

She looked to his face, though his gaze was hooked to the steps beneath them for once, his jaw looking tight.

"I don't know who you're talking about." She shrugged, her eyes sliding along the tall boy beside her, finding herself wishing he would look to her again.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about." A small smile rose to his lips as he finally granted her wish, his gray eyes meeting her blue ones. "I'm here. If you need to talk."

She flashed him a reassuring smile as they reached the portrait hole which opened before they even spoke, two first years rushing out together in a great hurry. "There's nothing to talk about." She promised, "Really, I'm fine." She nodded, realizing it was the truth. She had been nervous to see Remus, for the awkwardness that surely would follow whatever had happened last night, but now that she had gotten it over with and escaped, she realized Sirius was right. Two weeks away from school, two weeks away from work, and classes and stress. Two weeks away from Remus.

"Are you packed?" He started, his lips pulling into a grin at her face. "I don't even know why I asked that. Go get your things, I'll meet you back down here."

She hurried up the steps, excitement dancing through her lungs at the thought of being home, of Christmas. Seeing her parents again. The door had hardly shut by the time she was pushing back through it, trunk in hand, tossing her coat over her shoulder and heading down to meet Sirius.

She stepped into the common room once again, scanning around the bustling students all clad in red and gold before realizing he wasn't down here yet. She leaned against the wall for a few minutes, watching the chaos and feeling sorry for the stressed out younger years who were frantically searching for lost items under couches and pillows, before sighing and starting up the steps to the boys dorms.

"Sirius, if I come in here and you're not even packed-" She called, stepping into the dorm which was in a state of disarray like she had never seen. "What the hell have you done?" She bit back a laugh at the dark haired boy before her, feeling around the floor beneath his bed before he sat back and shot her an exasperated look.

"Hey, I didn't do all of this, some of this was Pr- James. And Peter." He lunged back beneath his bed once more before groaning and flopping back to onto his heels. "My wand rolled under the bed." He explained, "Other than that I'm ready!" He pointed to a dark colored trunk near the door frame which looked far too small to fit even half the things she was bringing home for the holidays.

"And you're telling me you haven't learned wandless magic by now? I thought you were meant to be top of the class." She teased, her smile faltering as his eyebrows raised, rising to his feet and crossing to her in a few steps.

"I am top of the class." He said, his voice low, his face hovering inches above hers with a smirk. "You just happen to have distracted me."

She let out a breathy laugh, swallowing once, yet not pulling her eyes from him, the way she always found herself whenever Sirius was this close before.

"Now, would you kindly get me my wand so I can walk you to the train?" He had yet to take a step back, leaving less than an inch of space between the two as Charlotte fumbled for her wand, aiming towards the bed and willing the wand to her outstretched hand. She felt her eyes go wide for only a second as the smooth dark wand shot towards her and into her fingers before she pulled it at once behind her back, looking up into the smokey gray eyes.

"Charlotte," He muttered under his breath, taking a step forward as she took one back. "Give me my wand."

"Ask nicely." She shrugged, her teeth sinking into her lip to stop the smile, "I've just done you a favor."

"And I'd be very interested in thanking you, once you've handed it over." He watched as her fingers felt along the space behind her, hoping she was anywhere near the door, noting the way that Sirius lunged only a second before her, her free hand grasping for the door handle before his fingers looped around her waist, pulling her up and against his chest, ignoring her scream of protest.

"Stop!" She laughed, feeling his fingertips dig into her hips, spinning her away from the doorway and reaching for his wand with one hand. "Put me down, play fair!"

"You're stealing! How is that playing fair!" He chuckled back at her words, letting her slide to the ground, one arm still wrapped around her waist as he snatched his wand back easily.

"Are we interrupting?" James' voice rang through the small dormitory, Sirius and Charlotte spinning to the doorway, Charlotte, for one, feeling the warmth spread over her cheeks at James's knowing grin.

"Yes, thank Godric you're here." Sirius answered, looking between James and Charlotte, a gleam in his eye, his smile never disappearing from his face. "She tried to rob me and assaulted me when I intercepted her plan."

"Will you shut up?" She asked, grabbing for her trunk which she had discarded at the foot of his bed, finally looking back to the boys. "I'm headed down, I'll see you guys later maybe?"

"Maybe?" James asked, a knowing look taking over his face once again. "You're stuck with us the whole train ride, Char."

"Wait up, I'm coming." Sirius announced, grabbing his leather jacket from on top of his unmade bed and rushing to the doorway where the boys had stepped aside to let Charlotte through.

"Charlotte," She paused, one foot already into the chilly hallway before she forced herself back into the room, eyes rising to Remus's reluctantly. "Have a good holiday."

She bit back a scoff, nodding twice, and forcing her mouth shut before she let a response slip through her lips. It would have been too easy, too polite, to just have responded with a simple 'you too.' But she wouldn't give him that.

Sirius wore an especially smug grin as they started down the steps and through the hallway towards the grounds. He paused a ways away from the door, pulling her to a stop beside him and dropping his trunk to the ground, pushing his arms through each of his sleeves and grabbing for Charlotte's jacket. He drew it out behind her, nodding for her to slip her arms through as well, before levitating both of their trunks without a word and pushing through the doors to the wintery grounds.

"Do you think me a child?" She asked, teasingly, watching him consider her words for a moment with a grin.

"Yes." He answered, eyes lighting up as she laughed, neither of them seeming to care about the wind whistling through their hair or the light snow that was falling around them. "So, listen. I do have something else I wanted to talk to you about."

She looked to the boy beside her, who's voice had suddenly fallen soft, a sharp contrast to the way they had been up in the dorm. Although, that had been before they had seen Remus, before Remus had spoken to her. Her stomach tightened and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat, nodding for him to continue.

"Do you..." He started, trailing off, "Have you..." He sighed, rubbing two fingers along his temple before looking back to her. "I just feel like... I have to warn you a bit, before you really agree to come to this ball with me."

Her chest relaxed, and she took a deep breath in, forgetting the chill of the air and snapping her mouth shut again.

"Why are you acting like this is going to be the worst night of my life?" She laughed, eyeing his face, which, despite the smile, still looked nervous.

"It's not about that." He answered, "I was exaggerating. If you're there, I mean... We'll have fun. I just... I just get the feeling that you don't know... you don't hear what everyone says, about my family."

He watched as her eyebrows came together slightly, hating the fact that he had to tell her this, that he was ruining the blank slate she apparently had in terms of an opinion on his family. That he was going to be the one to make her see him as the rest of the world did.

"It's like... you know I don't get on with my brother well anymore?" He went on as she nodded, the two of them crossing with the small crowd into Hogsmeade, the glistening red train stationed a short ways ahead. "That's because of my parents. My whole family, really. They don't want him to be close to me, though, I think now it's more of his choice. I'm the family disappointment, being sorted into Gryffindor."

Charlotte cocked her head, watching his eyes locked to the dirty snow beneath their feet, dozens of footsteps already packing it down for their path.

"Why would they care about that?" She asked, confusion laced in her words. "I mean, wouldn't you think, Gryffindor's one of the most impressive... I mean, I guess it depends..."

"They wanted me in Slytherin. Like the rest of my family. No one's been sorted anywhere else in decades."

"So, they don't want Regulus hanging out with his own brother, all because you're in the wrong house?"

"That, and, they don't like the friends I keep." He finally looked to her again, willing her to understand. To not make him say it. "My family... they're... old fashioned. Like... Like how Salazar Slytherin thought. About students, about wizards."

Charlotte thought back to the first few years of History of Magic, or, as much as she had retained from the long droning lessons she had managed to stay awake for.

"Like... Like, blood purity? Like Snape, and Rosier and all them?"

Sirius nodded after a moment, trying to ignore the drop in her voice as she had realized what he was saying. "Yeah. But, I'm not like them, Charlotte. And that's why they don't want Reg around me, they say I'm a bad influence."

"Sirius," She started, softly, her voice barely rising over the wind that whipped past their faces, "I know you're not like that." She watched as the muscles of his face relaxed at her words, "Were you scared to tell me that?"

He let out a small scoffing sound, shaking his head. "No. I just... it was nice, having someone who didn't know all that about me. Having you not know all that."

"I know who you are Sirius." Charlotte reached for his arm to slow them on their path to the train. "What your family's like doesn't matter to me at all."

His lips pulled up into a smile as he met her eyes, pulling her arm lightly back into motion towards the crowd of students waiting to board the train. "Come on, before someone takes our compartment."

"Our compartment?" She questioned, letting him pull her through small breaks in the messy line.

"No, our compartment. Me and the boys." He winked, his voice finding it's teasing tone again as he finally pulled them up onto the steps and hurried down the skinny corridor to the same compartment they had stepped out of in September.

In less than twenty minutes, the whistle of the train was blowing last call just as James and Peter launched themselves into the compartment, Peter huffing while James offered him a small eye roll.

"If you didn't want to run, you should have packed up last night." James shrugged, falling into the remaining open spots next to Marlene. Lily was pressed against the window seat, though from the way her eyes hadn't left the crowds of last minute students, Charlotte was sure it was only to make sure James and Peter had arrived on time.

With every new addition to the compartment, Sirius pressed closer to Charlotte, letting her have the window seat the moment they had entered, taking the spot next to her after stowing their trunks above their heads. The girls had arrived first, Lily taking the other window, Sirius standing to help them with their luggage as well, the space between his and Charlotte's legs noticeably smaller after he had once again taken his seat.

There was no longer any room for her to shift away from his touch, though Charlotte wasn't sure she wanted to. She let her knee fall against his and looked back down to her lap as the corners of his mouth twitched into a smirk.

She finally pulled her eyes up to the window again, watching the snowy town fade off into the distance before glancing around the group of friends, James's eyes locked onto where her and Sirius's legs were touching before meeting her eyes. His mouth was open, as if he was going to speak, and Charlotte waited, her eyes stuck to his hazel ones as the moments ticked by in silence.

"Charlotte, do you want to go find the trolley with me?" He finally blurted, already standing from his spot, everyone spinning to face him.

"James, we only just left!" Mary laughed.

"You're the most impatient git I've ever met." Sirius chuckled, leaning back deeper into the soft seat behind him.

"I don't want everyone to nick all the good stuff before they get here. And Charlotte barely ate breakfast, I'm just doing my Gryffindor-ly duty." His eyes latched to hers again as he started towards the doorway, Charlotte standing at last, shaking her head in confusion as she followed the messy haired boy into the hall.

"I didn't eat much because I'm not that hungry, and I'm perfectly fine waiting for the trolley to come-"

"Yeah, never mind that." James answered with a short wave of his hand as they started down the hall at a snails pace. "You're going to that party with Sirius?"

"Oh," Charlotte felt her eyebrows furrow as they continued their walk, "Yeah, why?"

"When did he ask you?" He went on, ignoring her question.

"Last night..." She answered, nerves settling into her stomach. She was beginning to see where he was headed; she was going to a party with one of his friends that she was invited to at a party where another friend had stood her up.

"Are you excited?" He asked, staring down at her as she nodded, biting back a smile. "I just... they're not normal, Charlotte. Like, uh..."

"He told me. That they're old-fashioned." She didn't feel like repeating Sirius's exact words, though she was sure if he had trusted her with the knowledge that James would already know.

"They're more than that. They're honestly... They're dark. They don't just think muggle-borns are beneath them, they hate them." His eyes were dark, even with the bright morning light shining through every passing window. "Just be really careful. What you say around them."

Charlotte nodded, a sinking feeling creeping into her chest before the familiar grin pulled back to James's lips as he spotted the trolley, the short witch only just pushing through the sliding doorway, her eyes landing on the tall brunette.

"Mr. Potter, we've only just begun our journey. You were ready before I was." She offered him a warm smile which he returned as the two Gryffindor's approached the cart, scanning over the selection. James had already filled his arms with a small assortment of most everything on the cart, dropping a few gold coins that Charlotte was quite sure was much more than he owed into the witch's outstretched hand.

Charlotte picked out a chocolate frog and a pack of jelly slugs, scanning over the rest of the sweets before James nudged her arm, nodding to the pack of jelly slugs which were twitching slightly in her grip.

"Those are his favorite." He shrugged, "Sirius."

She pressed her lips together, shifting her gaze from him and grabbing another bag of the candy, handing over her coins to the smiling woman before the two of them turned back to their compartment.

"So, anything to report?" James sounded giddy now, "Slughorn's party, The Black Family Christmas Ball-"

"Inside jokes at breakfast? Hiding smirks behind coffee mugs?" She countered, James's grin spreading deeper into his cheeks as he nodded, twice.

"Alright, Harris. Well played." She slid the door open, holding it so he could rush inside, tossing his pile of sweets to the floor between the group.

"Potter, honestly, did you save anything for anyone else?" Lily groaned, looking up into the hazel eyes.

"They should have sought her out like I did." He shrugged.

"We left plenty." Charlotte assured Lily, stepping over the pile and taking her spot next to Sirius, her leg brushing his as she sat down, noting that there seemed to be even less room than when she had left. She set the packet of jelly slugs onto his lap, watching as his eyes lit up, flashing to hers.

Chapter Text

The two girls stepped into another of, admittedly, far too many shops for it only being eleven in the morning. Yet, Charlotte didn't feel bad. It wasn't her fault that she only had three days to find a suitable dress for a ball with next to no instruction from Sirius on what to wear.

"If you start dating Sirius Black, do you know how difficult it will make it for me to ignore James?" Lily's voice was teasing, and though Charlotte allowed her eyes to roll to the ceiling for a moment, even she could tell that her friend was bluffing.

"We're not dating," She began the practically rehearsed line by this time, pulling a few hangers apart along the wall and running her fingers over the shiny gems of a gold dress. "And if I am the one to get you and Potter together at last, I think the school would give me some sort of medal."

"Shut it." Lily muttered, pulling out a bright red dress. "How about this one? Very Gryffindor for you."

Charlotte shook her head at once and continued her slow walk along the hanging fabrics. "I'm not trying to stand out, Lily."

"It's Christmas, I'm sure people will be wearing red."

"It's not long enough, anyway." She pointed out, pulling out a silky emerald gown and holding it above her so the hem wouldn't drag on the ground.

"Well, you're not going dressed as a Slytherin!" Lily protested, meeting Charlotte on the other side of the small shop and reaching for the dress. "Oh, that is soft though."

"This is exactly why I should have said no." Charlotte held back a sigh, hanging the dress back up. "Sirius was no help at all. I asked him what I should wear and he said he couldn't care less."

Lily burst into laughter, which spread quickly to Charlotte's mouth as well as the two moved deeper towards the back of the shop.

"Oh!" Lily shoved her arm to stop her friend, reaching up to tug down a satin black dress, sleeves falling from the hanger on each side.

"I can't even tell how to put that on." Charlotte tugged the sleeves out in confusion as Lily huffed.

"This is the back!" Her eyes were wide as she pointed out the deep cut of the back of the dress. "That's gorgeous, you have to try it on. You have to!" She repeated, apparently realizing Charlotte was going to protest.

"I'll be cold! And are we sure I should wear black at Christmas?" She trailed off, letting Lily tug the curtains to the fitting room shut behind her and sighing, stepping into the dress and tugging it over each arm. "Lily, it goes really far down in the back-"

Lily had ripped the curtain back open, a grin spreading over her face.

"Oh my God, yes. This is the one. Five stores and you dragging me up before the sun, but it was worth it."

"We weren't up before the sun." Charlotte muttered, peeking behind her at the mirror. "You don't think this is a little scandalous?"

"Don't be such a prude. We should have brought Marlene, she'd be on my side. Besides, it's a ball. How often will you get to wear something like this?"

Charlotte fluffed her hair behind her neck, looking over every inch of the dress for a few more moments before nodding along with her friend. She waited for Lily to step back outside, slipping the dress off and back onto it's hanger carefully before getting dressed again.

"I should get him something for Christmas, shouldn't I?" She asked, quietly as they started towards the register, rummaging for coins deep in her purse.

Lily simply smiled to herself as Charlotte paid, the woman behind the counter zipping the dress into a white bag and handing it over.

"You're totally falling for him." Lily answered at last once they were back onto the frigid street.

"I'm not falling for him." Charlotte snapped. "We're friends. And he did save my life."

"He's the one who put it in danger!" Charlotte was thankful they were outside now, where Lily's voice could be carried away with the wind.

"And came to the party with me when Remus stood me up." She added, shooting Lily a tight lipped smile, which shut the read head up. "We're just friends."

"Friends don't look at each other the way Sirius Black looks at you." Lily answered, matter of factly. "And don't think I didn't notice all of the nudges on the train ride and you trying not to meet his eye."

"I don't do that?" She couldn't stop the laughter now as they pushed through the glass door of the next shop. "And you should know how non-friends look at each other, after all the years of studying James."

"We've got to hurry up, it's getting colder by the second." Lily changed the subject at once, pressing her hands deeper into the pocket of her coat, Charlotte breathing warm air onto her hands, still clinging to the metal hanger.

"Did you get James anything?" Charlotte changed it right back, warmth pooling in her chest despite the cold seeping through her coat.

"None of your business." The ginger replied, picking up a pink fluffy feather quill, the tip flowing in an imaginary breeze before she set it back down.

"Well, he got you something, if that makes a difference." Charlotte grinned to her friend who rolled her eyes, lightheartedly. "This is torture. What do I get any of them? Give me a peek at your list, for inspiration."

"I finished my shopping weeks ago, you think I still carry around my list?" Lily laughed, picking up a silver, glittery mirror and handing it towards Charlotte. "Here, get them this, arrogant toe-rags."

"You've got to come up with better insults." Charlotte pushed the mirror to the floor. "Can we stop into Sugarplum's so I can at least get them something for Christmas?"

"Your gift to them can be that they weren't all expelled for nearly drowning you." She added, both of them hurrying through the wind again, the sky growing darker with every shop they passed, snow surely on it's way soon. Christmas was nearly here.

☾

Charlotte pushed the back of the ruby earrings into place, a gift from her mother her first year at Hogwarts, and smoothed her hair into place once more in the mirror. She pulled the heels from beneath the vanity and pulled the straps over each heel, her head snapping to the hallway when she heard the knock.

Her heart was already pounding before she was even on her feet, pulling the door shut behind her and hurrying down the stairs only a second too late, watching her father reach for the door as she hit the last step.

For a second, she didn't realize he was dressed up, so used to seeing him in black, but as she looked closer, she realized it was a suit, a crisp white shirt beneath it buttoned all the way up with a long tie and golden cufflinks at the sleeves. His hair was tucked back neatly, though she wasn't sure if it was for the ball, or to meet her parents.

"Come in! It's freezing!" Mr. Harris announced, nodding the tall boy into the house, a relaxed smile spreading across his face as his hand moved forward to shake her father's.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Harris, I'm Sirius." His smile practically lit up the dim hallway as the door swung shut behind him.

"Sirius!" Her mother called, rushing into the hallway and pulling everyone's attention to her. "It's so lovely to meet you, we've heard so much about you-"

"That's..." Charlotte scoffed, taking the final step off the stairs as Sirius's eyes landed on her finally, his smile faltering for a moment before he pulled his eyes back to hers, a smirk rising to his lips. "That's not true."

"Charlotte, don't be rude." Her mother scolded with a slight glare and Charlotte choked back a laugh.

"So, Sirius, you can... oh, what's it called..." Mr. Harris struggled for a moment, "Appreciate? Appearate?"

"Yeah," Sirius nodded, quickly, Mr. Harris smiling proudly, while Charlotte and her mother stood on silently. "I turned seventeen last month. I took my test and everything, and I've practiced loads, so... she'll be totally safe."

"Oh, I wasn't even thinking of that." Mr. Harris grinned with a slight wave of his hand as Charlotte shoved him out of her path.

"Thanks, dad. Really."

"It's just nice you two get to just pop around places, probably don't even mind the cold, do you?" He went on, merrily.

"Well, dear, we don't want to keep you. What time does the ball start, Sirius?"

"About half an hour. I'm sorry for stealing her on Christmas Eve-"

"Nonsense, I think it sounds lovely! She's been so excited-"

"Mom!" Charlotte pressed a finger to her temple and offered her mother a pointed look. "We'll get going now, bye."

"Merry Christmas, it was nice to meet you both!" Sirius called as Charlotte yanked the door open, a blistery wind blowing through the hallway for a second before the two were stood on the covered porch, Charlotte nearly wishing she had brought a coat, but knowing it would ruin the dress.

"Did you not want me to meet your parents?" He asked, a slight smile still gracing his face.

"I would have, if they weren't being imbeciles." She joked, tucking her arms over herself, the wind stinging the skin on her back before Sirius reached out, one hand linking with hers.

"I think they're nice." He spoke, softly, "Get ready." Before he had uttered the final word, Charlotte felt the floor drop from beneath her, her front yard twisting from her view as everything went black for what couldn't have been more than a few seconds.

She stumbled on the landing, grabbing a hold of Sirius's outstretched arm to steady herself as she wobbled in her heels.

"First time?" He grinned, teasingly as she looked up to the building before them. It was dark, and stretched a few stories tall, every window lit up and glittering in the darkening night sky. It was snowing more gently in London, and though the house looked dark, the rest of the street was bright and snowy, green wreathes lining every gate and lamp post.

"First time in heels." She shot him a warning glance, leaning a bit closer to him to keep away the chill as they started their walk towards the front steps.

"You look amazing." His voice was low, but clear, and she felt her stomach lurch before smiling up to him.

"So do you." She cold feel the cold air hitting her teeth, but she couldn't stop her smile. "Though I still think I'd like to see you in yellow sometime."

"My mother will have your head for even thinking such a thing." He teased, his voice no more than a whisper as they reached the entrance, Sirius pushing the door open with his shoulder and letting her in first. The interior of the house was not much warmer than the air outside, though as she glanced around the room, she realized there were already a number of guests milling about and assumed it would warm up soon enough.

"Come on," Sirius tugged her sleeve lightly away from the door, "Dozens of the worst people you'll ever have the displeasure to meet will be spilling through that very door any time now."

"Where is your holiday cheer?" She reprimanded, though her eyes hadn't stopped roaming over each new room they passed. The walls were painted darker colors, which would have made the rooms appear gloomy had they not been lit up with candles and sparkling chandeliers every few feet. "This is where you live?"

He paused a second, answering through a sigh when she turned to look at him again. "Yeah."

"It's gorgeous." She didn't miss the absence of his smile, poking his cheek softly and earning herself a laugh as they finally entered what had to be the ballroom. There were more people in here, though Charlotte only recognized two. One was the blonde haired witch who had played Quidditch for Slytherin a few years before, surely one of Sirius's cousins. The other, the smaller version of Sirius who she had seen at Slughorn's party, was nodding quickly at a tall, skinny woman with dark curly hair pulled back into a tight updo. Beside her was a large man, his dark hair fading to gray as he grinned down at Regulus, who's smile seemed forced at best.

"That's your brother, should we-" She had stepped forward without realizing it, Sirius's fingers catching her at once as he shot her a warning glance.

"Please don't rush us towards the worst moment of the night." His voice was teasing, yet his eyes were dark, lingering on his brother as he planted a peck on his mothers cheek and walked swiftly towards the corner of the room where the blonde witch was standing beside a taller girl who's voluptuous curls could have taken up the entire room.

"Are those your parents?" Charlotte looked between Sirius and the couple who had started towards a group of guests who had just wandered in, Sirius's gray eyes pulling from his brother at last as he exchanged hugs with each of the girls.

"Yes." He nodded, just once, pointing back to his brother. "My cousins, Narcissa, the blonde, and Bellatrix."

"I recognize her." Charlotte pulled her eyes from the beautiful girl, not wanting to be caught staring. "They're gorgeous."

"They're rotten." He replied with a scoff, "Andromeda was the only one I liked. And they haven't spoken to her in years."

"Another cousin?" She asked, trying to keep it all straight in her head.

"My favorite cousin. She married a muggleborn, a Hufflepuff, right out of Hogwarts. Totally blindsided everyone, I guess they had gotten quite good at sneaking around. She left with him, and they announced to everyone that she was no longer their daughter the very next day. Burned her off the family trees and everything."

"Their daughter?" Charlotte pulled her mouth shut, not wanting to seem as though she and Sirius were trading gossip in front of everyone.

"That's how they do it here." He shrugged, "I wish you could have met her, though. Well, maybe one day, she still writes me. Narcissa is engaged too, to the Malfoy's son, Lucius. He should be here any moment, he'd better not be late, she'll have an absolute fit."

Something dawned on her as she watched Regulus move to greet more friends, or possibly family, most of the guests at this party did look quite similar.

"Are Regulus's friends from school coming?" She asked, not meeting Sirius's eyes, pretending to scan over the guests curiously.

"I asked him this morning." He answered quietly, nodding politely to an older man who patted him roughly on the shoulder as he passed them by. "Barty won't be here. His dad's really high up in the Ministry, very vocal about the dark arts, totally against them. Wouldn't show up here even if Mum and Dad had invited them. The Rosier's will come though, they do every year. But Evan's dad's real strict, and Reg won't let them act up here. You don't have to worry about anything."

Sirius pressed his arm against hers, as if to remind her he was beside her and she nodded, offering him a smile.

"You know, I came to a terrifying realization the other day when I was buying this dress." She changed the subject, biting back a smile as he turned to face her.

"What's that? That I'm going to have to keep everyone's hands off you the entire night?"

She shook her head, failing to hold back the laughter that spilled out at his words. "No. That I don't know how to dance." She added, quietly, though the noise was growing rapidly over the music now.

Sirius chuckled, his gray eyes seeming brighter than they had since they had arrived. "I'll teach you."

"I'm going to look like an idiot." She hissed beneath her breath, Sirius already shaking his head.

"I promise you won't. The guys have to lead, you just have to let me push you around."

"Oh, great. I've been doing that all term." She teased and his eyes crinkled at the edges as he attempted a glare.

"There we are," He changed the subject, nodding to the entrance of the oversized room, a tall man with blonder hair even than Narcissa had just joined her side, leaning before her to plant a kiss on her hand where Charlotte could now see the sparkling engagement ring. Bellatrix, too, was wrapped around a darker man with a perfectly groomed beard who's eyes had not stopped scanning the room once.

"Their kids will be whiter than snow." She whispered, Sirius clapping a fist over his mouth, attempting to force his laughter into a cough.

"See, this is why I had to bring you." His smile faded at once, and Charlotte followed his gaze, watching his mother summon Regulus and head through the growing crowds towards them. "Shit." He muttered, his lips hardly parting before he forced on half a smile, stepping closer to Charlotte so that he was between her and his family.

"Sirius, you're being very rude keeping your guest over here all to yourself. You haven't introduced her to anyone."

"Sorry, mother, she's just been admiring the fixtures you see." He answered at once. "This is Charlotte. Charlotte, my parents, and my brother, Regulus."

"She hasn't even met Regulus?" Mrs. Black's eyebrows rose as she looked between her sons.

"She's a Gryffindor." Regulus answered, his voice raspier than Sirius's, though his eyes were trained to his brother.

"Well, of course she is." Mrs. Black answered, as if that was simply a mistake she couldn't deal with at the moment. "It's nice to meet you, Charlotte. You look lovely." She nodded down at the blonde who pasted a smile to her face after trying to keep up with the families conversation.

"It's so great to meet you as well, your home is beautiful."

"Thank you, dear." She answered, though her voice was flat and Charlotte could hardly imagine what a smile would look like on the woman's face. "Would we know your parents? Did they go to Hogwarts?"

Charlotte wet her lips, giving her a moment to stall. Her mind returned to James's warning on the train, though she hadn't expected them to ask her the direct question.

"My mother did, yes. I believe class of 1952."

"Your father?" Mrs. Black pressed on, obviously aware of what Charlotte was attempting to hide. "What is your last name, dear? I don't think I caught it."

"Um... H-"

"Mother, did you see the Malfoys have arrived?" Regulus cut in, Charlotte's looking up to meet Sirius's eyes, his jaw clenched as he stared at his mother, his hands wound into fists in his pockets.

"Oh, good. Do go congratulate Narcissa and Lucius, Sirius. Please. And I should hope that you'll be dancing this year?"

Sirius hardly nodded, his fingers lacing through Charlotte's as he pulled her towards his cousins, a frown overtaking his face as they weaved through the couples who had already begun dancing near the center of the room, the music growing louder again, though Charlotte couldn't place where it was coming from.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, hardly looking back to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't think... Well, I should have assumed..." He sighed, both of them falling into silence for a few moments as they walked. "And I would have congratulated Cissy... Just was hoping not to do it around Bella." He grumbled before they drew close enough for the Black sisters to notice them.

"Sirius!" Bellatrix's lips curved into a scathing smile while Narcissa's eyes flickered between Charlotte and Sirius.

"Merry Christmas, cousin." Narcissa's smile was warmer than her sisters, her ring-clad hand wrapped through Lucius's resting against his knee. "To what do we owe the pleasure? You usually never spare us any greetings."

"Mummy told him to come congratulate you." Bellatrix laughed through her words and Charlotte watched Lucius's lips curl into a smirk.

"Bella," Sirius's eyes hardly lingered on the dark haired girl, moving towards Narcissa. "Merry Christmas. Congratulations on the engagement," Sirius's words sounded so foreign, and Charlotte could already hear him fighting the urge to throw in a snide comment.

"Thanks, Sirius." Lucius answered, nodding slightly their way as Narcissa beamed.

"Who did you bring, Sirius?" She asked, finally looking back to Charlotte who had been trying not to stare at the sparkling diamond on the blonde's finger, or the dark emerald gracing Bellatrix's.

"This is Charlotte." He answered, ignoring the girl's expectant looks as they waited for her last name.

"Charlotte, how exciting. It's been getting so dull around here, with the boys at school. I miss when we were all small, don't you Sirius?" Bella's voice sounded teasing, though something told Charlotte she wasn't reminiscing fondly on childhood memories.

"Oh, come on, Lucius, I want to dance." Narcissa smiled, pulling her fiancé to his feet and through the crowds of dancing couples, Bellatrix and Rodolphus on their heels.

"Come here," Sirius spoke, launching towards the side of the room once again, avoiding the center of the dance floor as Charlotte hurried after him. "Wait here for just one minute. I'll be right back."

"Wait, what? No!" She latched onto his arm, eyes wide as he spun back to her, his mouth pulling into a small smile.

"Just thirty seconds! I'll be right down, I have a gift for you."

"I don't want a gift, I want you to not leave me in a room full of strangers." She whispered, pleading.

"It's your Christmas gift!" He pulled his arm from her grip and started towards the staircase.

"Can't I go with you?"

"My mother would kill me here and now if I let everyone see me taking you up to my room." He winked, hurrying up the steps as Charlotte worked to control the flush which had risen to her cheeks. His footsteps disappeared from earshot as she leaned against the wall, watching the colorful dresses swish along the dance floor. She caught sight of Narcissa, her face flushed pink from dancing as she grinned up to an older woman in a black shimmering dress.

"Charlotte, have you seen our..." The voice trailed off as fingers closed around her arm, pulling her from the wall into a brisk walk towards the other side of the staircase. She looked up to see Regulus, a scowl pulled over his lips as he loosened his grip, glancing behind them where Lucius Malfoy was now standing a few feet away from her previous spot along the wall. "Sirius shouldn't be leaving you on your own, the idiot." He muttered, though Charlotte couldn't tell if it was to her or himself.

"What?" She asked, unsure what to say, though Regulus didn't seem to care to carry on the conversation, looking up as Sirius returned to their side.

"What are you leaving her on her own for?" Regulus sneered, Sirius's eyes flicking around the room quickly.

"Who are you saving her from? Our cousins or your little friends?"

"Piss off, Sirius." He grumbled, stalking away towards a small group near the corner where he had disappeared earlier.

"You alright?" He asked, finally, pulling her farther beside the stairs, the laughter and music from the room fading as they drew farther away.

"Great." She nodded, thankful that he was back.

"Great." He repeated, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile. "Want your present?"

"No!" She tried to fight the grin rising to her face, "You didn't have to get me a present-"

"Course I did," His eyebrows drew together, "It's Christmas." He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a thin black velvet box, pausing for just a moment, long enough for Charlotte's heart rate to increase. He pulled it open, the lights from the sparkling chandeliers around them dancing off the glow of the white pearl necklace.

"Sirius," Her words trailed off, as she didn't know where the rest of the sentence was headed. She pulled her eyes from the pearls to Sirius who was watching her every move, smile faltered.

"You like it?" His head cocked slightly to the side as he watched her nod.

"You shouldn't have... My present to you is going to seem so stupid, now..."

"Blondie, you didn't have to get me a present." His smile was back now, curving up into his cheeks as he began to pull the necklace from it's case, slipping the box back into his pocket. "I just... I didn't know what I was going to get you, and I was in Diagon Alley and saw it in the window and... Can I put it on for you?"

She nodded and spun around slowly, scanning the room, thankful that no one had seemed to notice their absence. Sirius's fingers brushed against her neck slightly as he lifted her hair to the side, lowering the necklace before her face and lining the clasps up in the back, the gold chain falling to her skin. She glanced down, running her fingers over the pearls before she felt Sirius's fingers trace along her spine slowly, goosebumps erupting along her skin.

"You're so beautiful." He stepped forward, his breath landing against her shoulder. He reached for her arm, gently, pulling her to face him again. "If I promise not to let you look stupid, will you dance with me?"

"You promise?" She reached slowly for his hand, his fingers sliding into hers at once as he started towards the dancing couples.

"I promise." He pushed her lightly so she was stood before him, one hand still clasped with hers, the other guiding her arm to his shoulder. "I'm going to put my hand on your waist now, are you going to complain?"

"Shut it." She snapped back, trying her best for a glare as his fingers settled onto her waist, the satin scrunching lightly beneath his grip.

Without warning, Sirius pressed her backwards into the crowd, and she felt her stomach lurch for only a second, her eyes flickering between the couples beside them and his feet.

"Don't worry about the steps." He pulled her attention back to him, "They don't matter and no one can even see your feet."

She nodded, meeting his eyes again and ignoring the familiar smirk he wore.

"See? You're doing fine." He whispered, pulling her closer to him with the grip on her waist.

"You dance with a lot of girls, Sirius?" She teased, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach at their new closeness.

He hummed, as if pretending to count in his head. "Not many that I'm not related to."

She bit down on her lip to stifle the laugh, the first song rolling into the second and then the third until she could no longer keep count. Sirius's hair had come undone from it's neat styling by now, and she was sure her face was a bright shade of red from a mix of the dancing and laughter.

"Can I get you a drink?" Sirius asked at last, pulling her from the crowd and nodding towards some open seating near a few older couples. "I'm sure your feet hurt."

"They don't, actually, they're fine." She grinned, looking up to him, eyes wide. "I'll come with you?"

"Sure." He nodded, pretending not to notice the way she hadn't yet dropped his hand as he led the way towards a waiter balancing a tray of golden champagne.

"Sirius, won't we get in trouble?" She hissed as Sirius grabbed two crystal glasses and stepped towards the wall out of everyones way.

"I'm of age." He grinned, passing her glass over as she swatted his chest. "Reg and I have been drinking champagne at these parties since before my father had gray hair." He explained, watching as she took a sip.

"Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention!" One of the dark haired men was stood near Bellatrix and Rodolphus, a long black cape hung from his neck and he held a full glass of champagne in one hand, raised towards the ceiling. "I'd like to make a toast!"

There was a murmur of agreement as the guests all turned for a better look at the speaker who grinned out to them all. "Firstly, to Lucius and Narcissa, the future Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

Bellatrix was the first to clap, grinning towards her younger sister who was gazing starry eyed up towards her financé.

"And secondly, and I must say, more importantly." A hush fell over the crowd, "To the Dark Lord, and to all of us who have come to him, and those of us who will support him. He is the way, the future, for all of wizarding kind!"

"Shit," Sirius breathed, dropping his glass to the table beside them and grabbing for Charlotte's arm as the guests all around them began to cheer, everyone clinking crystal glasses and finishing off their champagne. Charlotte's mouth had fallen open at the tall man's words, yet she forced it closed as she saw Sirius's face grow pale. He pulled her with him, barely linking eyes with Regulus who's own gaze flashed over his brother and down onto Charlotte, moving to strike up a conversation with his parents, though it did little to distract Mrs. Black from spotting Sirius's rush from the room.

"Sirius..." Charlotte muttered, trying to keep up with the long strides as best she could in her heels before he reached a set of double doors, dark wood fading into the intricate wallpaper. He twisted the doorknob, shoving through and rushing towards the fireplace. He grabbed at the small pot on the mantle, tossing it into the soot along the ground and muttering off an address.

"I'm so sorry," He spun back towards Charlotte, pulling both of her arms towards him. "I'm so stupid, I shouldn't have brought you... You've got to go."

"What? Sirius, I don't want to leave you-"

"You've got to go, blondie." He whispered, sliding his fingers along her cheek and pressing the hair that had come loose behind her ear.

"No, come with me... I don't want to leave you here when they've just said-"

"I know what they said, Charlotte. Now go, please!" He moved her, easily, towards the fireplace, the green glow reflecting on his face as he pushed her through, the library spinning in the emerald flames before the noise of the party disappeared, and she could no longer see anything.

Chapter Text

Charlotte could barely make out the high pitched shriek over her own coughing as she tumbled down onto a thick rug now coated with soot.

"Charlotte?" The familiar voice rang through the room before two hands were latched beneath her arms, pulling her to her feet, her eyes latching onto James'. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

"I-" She trailed off, her mind running in circles. She scanned over the room, a beautiful, dark-haired woman was looking down to her, her face pale as she waited for her answer. "I don't... I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to-"

"How'd you get here?" James asked, glancing between the blonde and the fire behind her.

"Sirius... I was with Sirius and he... pushed me through, I didn't know where I was going-"

"Where is he?" The smile had fallen from James's face now entirely, his skin paling to match his mothers. "Did something happen, Char? At the party?"

She was nodding before she could even think.

"Is he okay?" He pressed on, ducking his head down to meet her eyes again. "Charlotte, is Sirius alright?"

"I- I think so! He..." Her eyes flickered between the Potters.

"Charlotte, I already know... about his family. What they do to him... You're not giving away his secrets."

She blinked at his words, though nothing was truly sinking in at the moment. What they do to him.

"Tell me what happened." He was speaking quietly, though Charlotte could still see the fear in his eyes.

"I'll wake your father. He might be able to find something out." Mrs. Potter announced, standing from her spot on the couch and waving her wand towards the fireplace, the soot from the rug disappearing. "Can I get you anything, dear?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Potter. I'm so sorry about the rug, too-" She looked back to the spotless carpeting.

"Nonsense, it's quite alright." She offered the blonde a smile and started from the room.

"We usually talk..." James started, sinking to the seat along the window at the front of the room, the snow falling in thick waves in the moonlight. "11 o'clock every night when he's at home. Just to make sure that everything's okay over there. I don't trust his parents..."

Charlotte was silent, partially listening to James while her mind ran circles over the last half hour. Could it only have been that long since Sirius's hand had been on her waist, his thumb brushing over the silky fabric with his signature smirk.

"And I knew tonight we wouldn't talk... Or at least, it would be later... I had it out." He rushed towards his previous spot on the couch and returned holding a thin mirror, turning it side to side as if he was unhappy with the reflection. "I just thought because he was at the party with you... I didn't even think to worry if anything was going wrong-"

"It wasn't." Charlotte finally spoke again, thinking back to the start of the party. "Everything was fine. The whole night, it was great... I mean, his cousins are a bit much, and his parents are scary, like you said... but everything was going fine until..." She glanced at the crystal clock on the mantle. "Until like half an hour ago... this man stood up to make a toast and..."

She paused. She knew, whatever she knew about Sirius, about the Blacks, James had to know more. She wasn't sure that there were any secrets between the two friends. They were more like brothers than anything Charlotte had seen between Sirius and Regulus.

James nodded for her to continue, and she forced her words out, seeing how worried he looked.

"He said... To the Dark Lord. And everyone started clapping. And Sirius... Sirius freaked out."

James's shoulders sank into a sigh, his eyes falling from hers for a moment, as if he had just connected everything.

"He took off, he pulled me away from everyone and into their library, I think, and... he really didn't explain anything, he just kept swearing and saying he was sorry and he threw the floo powder down and pushed me through and... now I'm here."

James nodded silently for a few moments, neither of them speaking, though Charlotte could practically hear the gears turning in his brain.

"We can go get him, right?" Charlotte finally asked. "You know his address? I'm trying to remember the numbers outside-"

"Maybe... I might have it around here somewhere..." James shook his head once, looking back to her. "Char, we can't just... go there."

"Why not?"

"He would kill me. After he got you out, if I brought you back?"

"James, I don't care if he's mad at you!"

"I'm not bringing you back there, even if I could find the address." He glanced down to the mirror again. "Listen, it's late. Let's get you home... It's Christmas, your parents are probably worried-"

"I'm not going home?" Her eyes were wide, glaring at him as if he had officially lost his mind. "How am I going to know about Sirius?"

"I'll write you as soon as I hear-"

"No!" She watched his eyes soften and knew she had won. "It's my fault, James. If something happens."

"Charlotte, it's not your fault. Whatever happens... It would have happened even if you'd never been there."

"I shouldn't have left him alone."

"It doesn't sound like he gave you much of a choice." He tried for a smile. "Alright, well if you're staying much later, you'd better write your parents." He led her into the kitchen and rummaged through a few doors before producing a quill and some parchment. "I'll go get you something to change into."

"You don't have to-"

"It's nearly midnight and you're in a ball gown." The edges of his lips twitched towards a smile. "You look ridiculous."

"Gee, thanks." She sputtered out a laugh, setting to work on her letter. Part of her was convinced that neither of her parents were waiting up this late to even notice she hadn't come back, but they would surely notice bright and early if she still wasn't home.

She scribbled down the best attempt at an explanation as she could, leaving out the mention of the Dark Lord, but hopefully conveying her worry for her friend.

"Here," James re-appeared into the kitchen as she straightened up, folding the letter a few times and looking to her friend. There was a small elf hurrying along behind him with outstretched arms.

"Miss, you'll have to excuse me, miss, I didn't hear you come!" Her hands clasped together as Charlotte took the soft clothes from James. "I can send that for you, if you'd like miss."

"Oh..." Charlotte scanned between the small elf and James who, although looking very tired, wore half a smile. "Would you? Thank you so much."

"Of course, miss." The elf smiled.

"Leeny, I told you to get some sleep! I have everything handled!" Mrs. Potter had returned now, offering the elf a warm smile, as if this was an every day occurrence.

"James has a guest, Leeny must be up to help! Leeny does not need to sleep-" She argued, starting out of the room with Charlotte's letter.

"Charlotte, can I show you to one of the guest rooms upstairs, if you're staying? You can change up there-"

"Oh... I..." Charlotte glanced at James, his hip rested on the counter as his eyes flickered between his mother and the windows. "I really don't want to trouble you, it's Christmas and I've already barged in unannounced and-"

"Charlotte and I are going to wait up a bit... see if we hear from Sirius..." James finally cut in, his mom sending him a worried look. "If it gets too late, I'll show her the room."

"Alright dear... Please come and get me if you need anything, both of you." She set a hand on James shoulder and turned to the blonde girl. "Charlotte, I'm sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances. James hasn't stopped talking about you and the girls since he got home for break and-"

"Goodnight, Mum." James tugged the sleeve of Charlotte's dress and led her from the kitchen, nodding towards the bathroom door in the dark hallway. "You can change."

"Thanks." She whispered, still holding the bunched up pajamas he had brought down for her. She slipped into the bathroom and pulled the door shut with a click, turning to the mirror and running a hand over her hair. It had come partially undone, pieces poking out from around her face, though she wasn't sure if that was from the dancing or the unexpected trip through the floo.

She pulled her arms from the dress one by one and let it fall to the floor before pulling on the sweatshirt and the soft plaid pajamas, glancing at herself once again in the mirror. It was a Gryffindor sweatshirt, a quidditch one, though it looked quite old, and she guessed it hardly fit him anymore.

She turned the handle silently and pushed out into the hall, glancing through the room to find James perched before the window again, the mirror leaning against the cold glass pane, hazel eyes reflecting back to him.

She set her dress on the table and moved to sit beside him, heat filling the room from the fire now.

"Anything?" She glanced to the mirror and James shook his head slowly, turning to face her.

"Not yet." He spoke quietly, and Charlotte pulled her legs up beneath her to watch out the window with him.

"Are you worried?" She asked, the nerves filling her stomach had started to feel like a ton of bricks. "Honestly."

James sighed, running a hand through the hair lying at his forehead. "Yeah. But... whatever happens, we'll figure it out. We always do."

"So, you think he'll be alright? Even though everyone was saying... About the Dark Lord."

"Oh, Charlotte." James leaned back against the wall, kicking his feet onto the table before them, the chill from the frosted window eating through his sweater. "You're going to get me into trouble."

"I won't tell!" She blurted, leaning closer to him. "And I thought you said we both knew everything anyways-"

"I'm sure you don't know everything..." James murmured, his eyes clouding over in thought. "I just know... he doesn't like to talk about it with people at school. It's like his time away from his family and all of their bullshit."

"What bullshit?" She pressed.

"All of this. What I told you before, on the train. And now tonight." He sighed, "He always said it was just a matter of time. He said his parents had never actually said... but, I mean if all of their friends are..." Both of them were silent for a few moments now, the only sound filling the room from the cracks of the fire licking at the logs. "He really didn't want you to know."

"That's stupid." She breathed out, setting her head in her lap and turning towards the window again, as if they were expecting Sirius any moment now. "I mean, we know him! Does he actually think any of his friends would care what his family's like? When he's nothing like that?"

"No," James nodded, "I mean, not anymore. It took him a while to talk to us about it all. It was you he was worried about. That's why I was so surprised he asked you to this party, he hates them."

"The parties? Or his family?"

"Both." James answered, picking up the mirror again absentmindedly. "How was the party then? Anything to report?"

Charlotte shot him her best attempt at a glare and a hint of a smile ghosted over James's face.

"It was fun." She said, vaguely as he looked to her with wide eyes.

"Oh, how much fun?"

"Oh, please, shut up." She laughed now, leaning back on her end of the wall.

"Did he kiss you?"

"No!" She assured him, watching as his jaw dropped.

"What? You're joking!"

"We're just friends, James. Why would he kiss me?"

"Oh, that's bullshit."

"I hope Santa is hearing all of this language tonight." She grinned.

"Did he even try to kiss you, or-"

"James!"

"Alright, fine! I just figured it would be easier to get it out of you than him."

"There's nothing to get out of either of us." She paused, watching as the large snowflakes fell to the ground one by one outside. "What did you get Lily for Christmas?"

"Oh, on to me now, huh?"

"Well, you already told me you've had her gift for months."

"I got her clip for her hair... it's a butterfly but the wings flap." He ran two fingers down the edge of the mirror lying between them on the bench. "She'll probably hate it, but I just... it made me think of her."

"She won't hate it." Charlotte promised, "Even if she says she does."

"What'd you get Sirius?" He asked, doing a terrible job of trying to bite back a smile.

"Who says I got any of you anything? You all tried to kill me, after all-"

"That's your own fault for lurking about in the dark!"

"Don't start, Potter."

"Remus didn't try to kill you." James's voice was soft now, as if he might not have wanted her to hear him at all.

Charlotte blinked twice, her eyes stuck to the mirror now as an excuse to avoid his gaze. "Yeah, I suppose."

"What happened with you two? And Slughorn's party?"

Charlotte shrugged at once, meeting his eyes at last, hoping to show that it was fine. They could talk about it. She didn't care anymore.

"You tell me, he's your best mate."

"Well, I didn't really get to talk to him much, we left the next morning."

"Well, I haven't talked to him either."

"Oh," He muttered, watching as her eyes sank back to her lap, picking at a fraying thread at the end of his old pajamas. "Are you mad at him?"

"No." She answered, too quickly.

"It's fine if you are."

Charlotte shook her head, silence falling between the two for a moment. "It's just... he could have just told me if he didn't want to go."

"I'm sure it wasn't that-"

"Sirius saw him in the common room, after we'd all gone down." She explained, "That's why he came to the party. I mean, even if he had something else to do, he could have told me. I would have just stayed back, he didn't have to stand me up."

"I know." James nodded, nudging his knee into hers. "I really can't explain him, Char, he's such a mystery sometimes."

"It's fine. I don't need an explanation." She tried for a smile, though the heavy conversation on top of every passing hour with no news from Sirius was beginning to drain her.

"You can go up to bed. I'll show you the room. I swear I'll wake you up if I hear anything-"

"I'm not going to be able to sleep." She sighed, looking to him, his eyes looking heavy in the dim room. "You can sleep though. I'll keep the mirror-"

"Nice try, Charlotte. You really want all the excitement for yourself, don't you?"

"No, honestly, I would rather life dulled down a bit for a while." She replied, James breaking into laughter as they both leaned back against the walls of the window seat watching the snow fall in the distance beneath the lamp lit streets.

"What..." James voice was groggy, his feet kicking against Charlotte's legs as he jumped off their shared window seat, the fire burning low beside them, casting a dim glow through the dark room.

Charlotte jumped to her feet too, stumbling after James in his sprint to the front door, finally realizing what had woken them.

James's hand surrounded the door knob, wrenching it open just as another knock sounded against the thick wood, a tall figure collapsing into the hallway where James was quick to catch him, dragging him inside, the door seeming to slam behind them.

"Mum!" James screamed, his voice carrying through the hallway and surely to all of the neighbors houses as well. "Pads, hey, eyes open. Look at me, yeah? You're alright- Mum!"

"I'm here, what- Oh, no." Her voice went cold, locking eyes on the boys as James hauled Sirius over to the couch, dropping beside him and lying him back. His clothes were soaked through from the blistery winter snow outside and there was partially dried flow of blood down the side of his face. Yet the scariest part of Sirius's appearance was not the blood, or the fact that he hadn't stopped shaking since he'd entered the house; it was the haunted look in his eyes, even as they seemed to grow heavier with every blink.

"Hey, Sirius, dear." Mrs. Potter spoke softly, kneeling to the ground before the shivering boy. "Can you keep your eyes open for me? For a few more minutes, I'm going to get you all fixed up and then we can get some sleep, alright?" She ran a finger along the damp hair lying on his forehead for a better view of the gash and winced. "Fleamont, will you write-"

"Right away." Mr. Potter had hardly spoken when he was already stepping through two doors at the end of the hallway, a lamp lighting up on his entrance before the doors shut on their own behind him.

"Alright, honey." She spoke again, waving her wand over Sirius's head as the blood disappeared, the gash fading to a pale pink color. Charlotte sat herself on the oversized armchair behind the woman, tucking both arms over herself, her eyes not leaving Sirius's. "Can you talk to me? Can you tell me what else hurts?"

Sirius didn't answer, his eyes landing on James between heavy blinks, his hands shaking in his lap.

"Sirius, you've got to tell her what's wrong, and she can help you, okay?" Charlotte spoke, Sirius's eyes finally going wide as they found hers, his mouth falling open.

"You're..." He mumbled before his eyes shut again and James grabbed for his shoulders.

"Mum! What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." She answered, softly. "We can talk about it in the morning. You all need to get some sleep, can you help me get him upstairs, James?"

"I'll get him, yeah." He answered at once, jumping to his feet and lifting Sirius from the couch.

"Be gentle, honey." Mrs. Potter begged, hurrying to Sirius's feet to help. "He needs to rest." The three of them carried Sirius carefully up the steps, letting James lead the way into a room that had very clearly been designed for Sirius. While the closet and the dresser stood mostly empty, there were posters hung on each wall of Quidditch teams and even some stationary band flyers.

"Come on, both of you. Let him sleep." Charlotte and James hurried from the room as Mrs. Potter shut the door silently, turning to both of them once they were a few doors down.

"What happened to him? Mum, please." James voice was soft in the silent hallway.

"We'll have to ask him tomorrow, James... but... If I had to guess, I would say... It looks as though he's been tortured. I don't know what else they did to him, the cuts..."

Charlotte could practically hear James's teeth grinding, his fists balled at his sides.

"Get some sleep. We'll know more in the morning." She leaned over to press a quick kiss to James head and nodded towards the room behind them. "Charlotte, you can use that room there. I had Leeny make up the bed for you. Let me know if you need anything else."

"No, this is great, Mrs. Potter. Thank you so much." She whispered, watching as James's mother stole a final glance at the door to Sirius's room before shutting her own bedroom door behind her.

"Hey," James spoke again, and Charlotte spun towards him, nearly forgetting he was still beside her. "He's okay. He's back, everything's okay."

"He doesn't look okay." She breathed out, leaning back against the door frame.

"I'll tell him you said so." James teased, nodding behind her. "Goodnight."

"Night, James."

Charlotte turned over once more, facing the window now. Even with the curtains drawn, the light from the street outside still poured in, though Charlotte knew that wasn't the only thing keeping her up.

There was no clock in the guest room, and Charlotte thought it entirely possible that it could be nearly morning by now. What time had Sirius even arrived? How long had James and she been asleep for?

She tossed the blankets to her feet with a huff, sliding from the bed quietly and testing each step for creaks. She should go back to bed. She knew she should. Yet she couldn't stand another second of lying in this brightly lit room, wondering if he was okay.

The door hardly made a sound as she crept into the hallway, crossing to the bedroom she had watched them set Sirius into earlier. How much earlier, she still didn't know.

Charlotte winced at the creak of the door as she stepped softly inside. She just wanted to see him, just for a minute. Just to make sure he was still there, that he was breathing. She stepped carefully before the night stand, watching the rise and fall of his breathing for a moment.

Before she could force herself to leave, she watched his eyes blink open, flickering towards hers, one eyebrow raising above the other.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," She whispered, thankful that his room was much darker than hers as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. "I was... I was worried-"

"No, what are you doing way over there?" His voice was soft, yet she could hear how different it sounded even from a few hours before, when he had pushed her through the fireplace. It sounded raspy, as if he barely had the energy... as if he had strained it.

"I'm leaving," She breathed out nervously, her heart hammering in her chest, "You need to sleep."

"Stay." He looked up to her through hooded eyes, and she could see how much he needed sleep. "Please?"

There was only a second's pause before she was nodding, climbing into the bed beside him, making sure to stay close to the edge.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." She started, sneaking a side glance towards him, his eyes locked on the ceiling in the dark. "I couldn't sleep, I just-"

"Me neither." He muttered, both of them falling into silence again.

"Sirius."

"Mmm." He murmured, sounding very close to sleep now.

"Were your parents mad... because you brought me?"

He didn't answer, quiet falling between them before he rolled onto his side, stifling a groan as he threw an arm over her, pulling her against him and tossing the blanket over the both of them.

"M'bloody freezing." He breathed, tucking his chin against her shoulder, his lips brushing against her hair.

"Yeah, you are." She sputtered out a laugh. It was fine, being with him like this. He was cold. He needed to warm up.

"They're always mad." He spoke, her eyebrows drawing together as she turned for a peek at his face.

"What?"

"My parents." He explained, realization dawning on her now. "Wasn't you. They're always mad."

Chapter Text

Charlotte blinked into the warm morning light, snuggling deeper into the thick blankets surrounding her, her eyes shutting again. She couldn't remember ever being this comfortable.

She jumped, a sharp breath leaving her mouth as Sirius's fingers brushed the skin at the base of her spine, dragging them slowly upwards beneath the material of her t-shirt which had ridden up in the night. She laid still, forcing her breathing back to normal as best she could, waiting to feel his skin against hers again.

"I know you're awake." Sirius mumbled, his voice clearer than it had been last night, though there was still an evident hitch near the middle of his words.

She rolled over, fixing her shirt behind her and ignoring the flush she could feel rising to her cheeks as she met his eyes, brighter than the dimly lit bedroom.

"How you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He said with a single nod, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Sirius,"

"It's Christmas." He pressed on, "I don't have to talk about it."

"Alright... that's fair." She spoke softly, glancing towards the curtain covered windows. "What time is it?"

He rolled over her and she felt her eyes go wide, lying still for a second before he returned with the small clock from his bedside table, squinting at it in the low light.

"Nearly ten."

"Shit," She muttered, throwing the blankets to the edge of the bed and swinging her legs off, much to Sirius's dismay.

"Hey!" He whined, snatching the covers back over himself in protest. "Bloody freezing. Where are you going?"

"I'm..." She paused, glancing between him and the door. "I'm going to get ready. I've got to get home, and you know James, he's probably been up for hours."

"Or he's sleeping like the dead." Sirius argued, wincing as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed beside her. "You're not going home. Why can't you stay?"

"It's Christmas, and I feel guilty enough spending the night un-invited. Why did you send me here anyways?"

"It was the only address I could think of. Pardon me for not memorizing yours as you shoved us out the door last night."

She pressed her lips together and looked nervously towards the door.

"Please don't leave just yet." His voice was softer now, both of their eyes growing accustomed to the low lighting. "Stay for breakfast. Then I can take you home."

"You're not taking me anywhere, you..." She trailed off, remembering his demand to not speak of last night. "I'll stay until you're up and then I've got to go home. Before my parents report me missing."

"Deal." Charlotte watched as he climbed to his feet, pushing up on the night stand and swallowing a groan, though the pain was clear on his face. "And Charlotte?"

"Yes?" Her voice was soft now, her hand resting on the door handle.

"I'm going to have to tell Effie you forced your way into my bed last night." His lips curled into a smirk as he watched her jaw drop, twisting the door handle and pulling it open to slip into the hallway. "I mean, it's completely indecent!"

Twenty minutes later she was starting down the steps again, her dress from last night tucked beneath one arm and her shoes hanging off two fingers. She could hear laughter from the kitchen before she peaked her head around the corner, Mrs. Potter grinning over to her at once.

"There you are, Charlotte!" She hurried over to the girl, grabbing the things from her grasp and dropping them on the crowded countertops. "Can I get you something for breakfast? I thought James was going to die of boredom, you and Sirius nearly slept the morning away."

Charlotte's eyes flashed to the dark haired boy beside James, an iced cinnamon roll paused halfway to his mouth as he shot the blonde a lazy wink.

"I'm sorry James, I didn't mean to sleep so late." She offered her friend a smile and turned back towards Mrs. Potter. "Thank you so much for letting me stay over, I'm sorry for just barging in."

"Charlotte, honestly, it's nothing! I'm glad you're here for presents!"

"Oh, I can't stay..." Her eyes flickered between the boys, wishing she had thought to bring at least Sirius's present with her last night, although she thought they would have ended the night back at her house.

"We'll send you back home in a bit, Char. Your parents owled these over..." James's grin was spread nearly eye to eye as he handed her a small bundle wrapped in string.

"Oh, and I expect you think one is for you, do you?" Charlotte teased as James shrugged, Euphemia bursting into laughter.

"James, who raised you to be this spoiled?" She swatted him gently with a napkin.

"It's Christmas!" James protested, leaning out of her path and reaching back for another pastry. "Come on, Charlotte, eat something. You're taking forever!"

She sputtered out a laugh and took the seat beside the messy haired boy, pulling a cinnamon roll to her plate as Effie poured her a glass of juice.

"James, if you weren't already in boarding school, I'd be looking over pamphlets." Effie scolded.

No sooner than Charlotte had put her fork back to her plate, James was yanking them into the family room, the oversized Christmas tree glittering in the corner even in the bright morning light. Mr. Potter took a seat beside his wife, working his way through his third cup of black coffee as Euphemia flicked her wand near the tree, presents flying through the room at once. A few landed at James's feet while Sirius caught his before it dropped to his lap.

Charlotte tore into the package her mother had sent, spotting the perfectly wrapped presents that had been stowed away on her desk for days.

"Here, Charlotte. I'm sorry, it's not much, it was so last minute-"

Charlotte's eyes went wide as she looked to the glittering present Euphemia was handing over.

"When did you even have time... Honestly, Mrs. Potter, you're too kind."

"You can call me Euphemia if you'd like dear."

"Effie, actually." Sirius added from his spot in the corner where he was tearing into a large, golden phonograph, eyes shooting back to the Potters. "You're joking!"

"James said you really liked Remus's." Her lips pulled into a smile, "Open the next ones."

Charlotte smiled as Sirius leaned forward to catch the next packages, which were all identically shaped, and even Charlotte knew they held records.

"Here, James. I'd hate for you to run out of gifts." She teased, tossing him her gift and watching his eyes light up.

"I knew it! Here, wait..." He leaned towards the tree, scanning over the remaining gifts for only a second before tossing a lumpy package to Charlotte with a grin. He tore the paper off his own gift, pulling the box inside open and peering down into the box of candy, sifting through before he landed on the dungbombs in the corner.

"Those are to be used strictly on the Slytherin." She teased, earning a laugh from James as Euphemia slapped a hand over her ears.

"I'm not hearing any of this. Whatever you do, I'll discover for the first time from Minerva's letters."

"Mum, what doubt you have in our abilities." James shook his head, looking back to Charlotte. "Well, go on and open yours!" Charlotte bit back a smile, picking at the edge of the package and ripping the paper down, a beautiful dark brown scarf rolling into her lap.

"James, this is beautiful!" She looked to the bright hazel eyes. "I got you dungbombs!"

"Yeah, well... I owed you a new scarf." He shrugged, his eyes flicking between Charlotte and his mother before there was a light tapping on the window behind them, a small brown owl hovering patiently as James jumped to let it in. He pulled the small package from the owl's leg and pet it's head gently, turning the paper over in his hand before his eyes flew to Charlotte's.

"It's from Lily." He practically gasped, the owl taking flight again as Sirius shut the windows with the wave of his wand, sending James a cross look and pulling the blanket behind him around his shoulders.

"That little liar! I asked her if she got you something!" Charlotte craned her neck to watch as James tore the package open, a small golden ball zipping just out of his reach. He jumped up at once, leaping into the air to drag it back down and grinning ear to ear.

"It's an alarm clock." He laughed, turning it over a few times in his hands as Effie hurried over to admire the gift.

Charlotte grabbed the golden envelope she had stashed at her side and hurried to Sirius's side, his eyes on her at once as he shifted over to give her room to sit beside him in the oversized chair.

"Alright, now remember, I already warned you your gift was going to put mine to shame." She smiled, nervously, passing him the envelope.

"And I already told you you shouldn't have gotten me anything." He mumbled, his eyes not leaving hers until he tore into the top of the package, pulling out two flimsy pieces of paper and turning them over, his jaw dropping in place.

"They're coming to London this summer... It was too good of a coincidence, I thought-"

"You got me Fleetwood Mac tickets?" His voice was nearly a whisper, though none of the Potters were even looking their way.

"Yeah." A smile rose to her face at his reaction. Maybe it had been a good gift idea after all. "I remember you and Remus said... I thought you could take him, or James or Peter, I don't know, whoever-"

"James wouldn't know good music if it hit him in the face-"

"Pardon me?" James perked up, glancing to the two of them, eyebrows furrowed as he shot Charlotte a knowing glance.

"No, you're stuck with me blondie. We're going."

"Whatever you want! It's your gift!" She smiled, plucking at the string at the end of her pajama pants watching as Sirius's eyes flicked over the tickets in his hand before standing up. "Alright, I really should get home. Thank you all so much for everything, it was so nice to meet you both."

"Here, I'll take you." Sirius mumbled, dropping the tickets carefully onto his pile of presents and moving to stand before Effie shot him a glare.

"Absolutely not, Sirius! I'm sorry, dear, but you're not to be apparating anytime soon. You need to rest-"

"Mum," James shot his mother a warning glance which she ignored, though Sirius wore half a smile.

"Alright, yes ma'um." He chuckled, looking quickly between Charlotte and the fireplace. "I'll come help you grab your things?"

Charlotte nodded, although she didn't see how she would have any trouble carrying a few things through the fireplace.

The two of them stepped into the quiet kitchen, heading towards the counter where Effie had dropped her things earlier. She slung the shoes over two fingers, draped the dress over her arm and turned into Sirius's chest, looking up into the familiar gray eyes.

"I'm..." His voice was quiet, though Charlotte was sure no one would have been able to hear them had he been shouting, not with James's conversation carrying through the house at top volume. "I'm so sorry about last night. I should have known... I mean, I shouldn't have brought you into-"

"Don't be sorry." She stopped him, "I'm not sorry. I had fun."

"Did you?"

"Yes." She nodded, slowly, eyes not leaving his before her lips pulled into a small smile. "Until you shoved me head first into the fireplace-"

"Yeah? I'd do it again. You'd deserve it."

"Are you really feeling alright?" She asked, leaning back against the counter if only to give her some breathing space away from him, the smell of his cologne surrounding her was beginning to make her brain fuzzy. "You can tell me the truth. I won't tell Mrs. Potter. Or James."

He nodded at once, "I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me, love."

"Oh, is that what I was doing?" She muttered, watching as the smirk grew along his lips.

"Will you come visit? If I write you? I'll... I'll probably be here the rest of break..."

"If it's okay with James... I think his parents are going to start thinking I'm a freeloader."

Sirius scoffed, his eyes rolling towards the ceiling briefly. "I don't want to wait until we're back to school to see you again."

Charlotte desperately wished they were back upstairs in the dark bedroom, where it wouldn't matter what Sirius said to her or how warm her cheeks grew in response.

"I'll be here whenever you want, Sirius." She promised, watching as he nodded twice before gesturing for her to follow him back to the fireplace where she muttered her address and stepped through the warm green flames.

☾

The sky was already growing darker, though it wasn't even dinner yet. James's parents had left a while ago, on the pretense of dinner, though James had informed Sirius and Charlotte that they would most definitely return with sparkling new decor and supplies for the Potter's upcoming New Years Eve party.

Sirius had owled Charlotte early that morning, much earlier than she would have expected him to be up, although living with James Potter, even for a few days, was bound to affect his sleep schedule. She had informed him that she would be over shortly after lunch, and had spent the rest of the morning putting together an outfit that would be warm enough for the blistery winter, yet still acceptable to meet the two Gryffindor boys.

They had sat in the now familiar living room for hours, talking and laughing, the tree still sparkling, even with the sunlight pouring in from the windows all around them. Charlotte had made a concentrated effort to not let her eyes stick to Sirius, even when he nearly doubled over in laughter and his smile spread practically eye to eye.

He looked better today, the gash was almost entirely faded now, and you couldn't see it behind his bangs anyway. Charlotte was also pleased to note the haunted look and dark circles beneath his eyes had dramatically disappeared, likely with a few nights of good sleep and days full of laughter with his best friend.

So when the Potters had announced their plans for the evening, starting towards the front door where they could apparate together, James and Sirius had made a dramatic show of following them out, waving and calling goodbyes as Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest to keep out the chill, not noticing as James crouched to the ground to scoop up a ball of snow, launching it her way.

This had prompted nearly an hour long snowball fight, in which Sirius had somehow managed to scrape together a very makeshift fortress which James trampled over in no time. The three had finally called it quits when they were soaked through with melted snow and their hands nearly frozen.

James had announced he was going up for a quick shower, Sirius following suit, both of them offering Charlotte the guest bathroom as well, though she turned them down, settling for Sirius to dry her hair and clothes before settling down to wait for the boys to return.

She glanced around the cozy room, the sun hanging low in the tree line in the distance, the Christmas tree near the fireplace looking impossibly brighter now as it lit the dim room around her. She stood from the couch, crossing to the fireplace she had arrived through only a few nights ago, running a finger along the impeccably clean mantle. It was lined with evergreen garlands and strands of deep colored berries, unlit candles staked out every few inches.

There were several pictures, not only on the mantle here, but throughout the house, of the Potters, James at varying stages of youth, his hair always equally unruly. There was one of him when he was far too young, Charlotte was sure, to be riding a broom that high in the air, though she doubted anyone could have stopped him if they had wanted to.

She wandered along the mantle until she paused at the large, meticulously polished black piano which looked brand new, though Charlotte was sure it must be quite old. She wondered if the Potters could play, if James could play, or if it was an old family heirloom of some sort that they were unwilling to part ways with.

She dropped carefully to the wooden bench, tracing over the pearl colored keys with two fingers before pressing lightly, the note echoing through the silent room.

"Can you play?" She jumped at Sirius's voice, practically forgetting she had been waiting for their return. He had changed into knit red sweater with a zipper running along the neck, and though she had seen Sirius in scarlet plenty of times before, she knew at once that this wasn't his. Of course not, if most of his clothing was still at his family's house...

"No," She let out a light laugh, moving to slide off the bench when Sirius dropped down beside her, shoving her over easily. "Can you?"

Sirius shrugged, his fingers sliding over hers above the keys and pressing down gently, until a half-decent string of notes had erupted from the piano before them.

"Of course you can." She smiled, pulling her hand away before he could feel the goosebumps erupting along her arms.

"Had to take lessons. When I was younger though, haven't played in ages."

"Yeah, it shows. You're a bit rusty." Charlotte teased, watching as his lips curled into a smirk, his eyes rolling slightly before reaching for her hands again.

"I can teach you, if you're done being rude."

"I highly doubt you could teach me-" She trailed off as he moved her hands to the keys again, one warm hand over each of her own, his chest leaning into her, familiar cologne enveloping the two of them at once.

He pressed against each finger in turn, pulling beautiful notes from the keys as if he had been practicing every day for years. A small smile pulled at Charlotte lips as she watched him play, or rather, them play. His face was so close to hers now, the room darkening with every minute, the piano fading into the dim light, only the keys and their fingers were truly visible anymore. She was sure if she turned her head, even slightly, his lips would press into her skin, though she wouldn't let her mind linger on that thought, blinking twice and focusing on the music again.

Sirius let his hands still over hers, the notes fading out into the now silent room for a few moments. "Charlotte..."

She looked to him, careful to only move her eyes, locking onto his gray ones at once. She wet her lips, which felt very dry all of the sudden, though she realized at once that her whole mouth felt the same.

"Yeah?" She breathed out, waiting for him to finish his thought.

"Can I-"

"Where are you two?" James voice rang through the house, Charlotte jumping away from Sirius's grip. She had forgotten where they were, that there was anyone else in the house. Anyone else in the world. "You want hot chocolate?"

"Yeah..." Sirius answered, his voice still soft as he stood from the bench, his eyes still stuck to Charlotte's blue ones. "I'll help."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be a great help." James retorted, the grin evident in his words even from around the corner. "Send me Charlotte or don't come at all!"

Chapter Text

New Years Eve was a Friday, and as calm and collected as the Potter's had seemed the entirety of Christmas Break, Charlotte wouldn't have described the afternoon as anything else beside chaotic. Even with Leeny directing all of the tasks and setting James, Sirius and Charlotte small tasks throughout the day, she had never seen Effie looking quite so frazzled.

"Oh, no. This is nothing, you should have seen her last year." James smiled as he strung another garland over the staircase, shooting Sirius a glare as it whipped out of his fingers and up the banister on it's own. "It's a blessing and a curse having you here sometimes."

"I make your life easier, how could I be anything but a blessing?" Sirius's teeth sparkled as he grinned.

"Because you're a big show off about it. You just wait until March, I'm going to have so much to make up for."

"I'm quaking, on Merlin." He teased, Charlotte rolling her eyes as she fluffed up the next poinsettia at the bottom of the steps.

"I do notice that none of your spells have been helping me carry any of these over." She shot him a pointed look, though even she could feel the smile tugging at her lips.

"My apologies, lovely." He muttered from above her as the remaining two pots flew towards them, crashing into Charlotte's open arms and knocking her a few steps backwards.

"Never mind. I'm with James, stop helping." She laughed, placing the final plant beside Sirius's.

"Done there?" Effie's voice appeared around the corner from the kitchen. "Oh, that looks perfect! Charlotte, I swear, we've gotten everything done so much faster this year with your help!"

"We're done?" James's eyes lit up as he glanced at his clock. "Merlin, that was fast. We've got ages until-"

"We've not got ages, James! Both of you upstairs, you look a mess. Charlotte dear, I can't thank you enough."

"No, it's fine!" Charlotte grinned, forcing her eyes away from the boys. She was sure Effie would be able to see right through her gaze and realize she would have volunteered for any job if it meant spending the day with Sirius. "Everything looks amazing, I can't wait for the party."

"You can come back over as soon as you're ready! Everyone should be getting here around seven, but you're welcome anytime."

"Yeah, don't take too long now blondie!" Sirius called, a twinkle dancing through his gaze as he followed James up the stairs, Charlotte stepping towards the fireplace which hadn't been lit all morning, everyone feeling plenty warm from the constant running around.

It was only a few minutes past seven when Charlotte stepped out of the floo for what felt like the fiftieth time that week, yet the house was already packed. Charlotte stepped to the side, sure that more people would be arriving any moment, and looked down, brushing any residual soot from her dress. It fell just above her knees, and she was relieved to find her skin free from any black smudges and that she had guessed correctly that the entire house would be perfectly warm despite the winter storm raging outside.

"Blondie!" Sirius hadn't yelled, yet she felt as if he was standing right beside her. She turned and spotted him at once, lounging on one of the couches, James and Peter beside him, all with sparkling glasses in their hands. Sirius stood at once, meeting her halfway and ignoring whatever comment of Peter's which had James snorting out a laugh.

"Hi." She smiled up to him for a second too long before turning to Peter. "Hey, Pete! How was your Christmas?"

"Was great! Thanks for the sweets." He smiled genuinely, sitting up straighter.

"Course." She glanced around the room, looking over all of the unfamiliar faces streaming through the house. "The girls aren't here yet?"

"No, and it's all James's been whining about." Sirius grinned back to his friend who's mouth fell open in offense.

"You're one to talk!" Peter practically giggled, Sirius's hand landing on Charlotte's elbow, steering her away from the boys and towards the kitchen.

"Want something to drink?" His words rushed out as they stepped into the bright room.

"Okay." She agreed, running her lower lip beneath her teeth as Sirius dropped her arm and grabbed for a crystal glass from the glass cabinet before them, mixing together a healthy pour of champagne and some sort of red juice mixture.

"You look beautiful." He spoke softly as he passed her the drink, his gaze snaking down her dress before returning to her eyes.

Her breath felt stuck in her throat before she forced out a response. "Really?"

His laugh echoed through the emptying kitchen as he nodded, refilling his own drink. "Of course you do. You always look beautiful."

Charlotte wished that they were back in the crowded room, the only light from the fireplace and the Christmas Tree and wreaths scattered throughout the guests. Maybe then Sirius wouldn't be able to notice the bright red that was surely covering her face now.

"Even earlier, with your hair up and your ripped up jeans."

"They weren't ripped this morning, only after you and James wouldn't stop messing around with those wreathes-"

"Whatever you say, blondie." He shrugged obnoxiously, leading them both back to the boys who had found some new friends.

"Charlotte!" Mary screeched, drawing the attention from half the room as she sprinted towards the blonde. "Bloody look at you!" She pulled her in for a hug between glances at the gold colored dress.

"Hi Mary." Charlotte laughed, pulling Marlene and Lily into hugs as well. "Thank God you're finally here, thought you were going to stand us up!"

"Oh, as if you'd have had an issue. From what James said, you've been spending a lot of time with just the boys." Marlene voice was teasing, yet Lily's eyebrows were raised in a very I-told-you-so manner.

"Well... I went to the party with Sirius and I've been over a few times since... yeah." Charlotte trailed off, careful not to accidentally spill anything about Sirius's family or why he was now living with the Potters.

"And?" Mary nodded for her to continue.

"And what?"

"How is he?"

"Who?" Charlotte scanned over the three of them, Marlene scarcely holding in her laughter as Lily rubbed two fingers along her temple, shaking her head at Mary. There was no way they could already know about what had happened on Christmas Eve...

"Sirius. In bed."

Charlotte blinked, realization dawning in half a second.

"Mary, what in Godric's name..." She glanced behind her, half expecting to find a dozen strangers listening in on their conversation.

"Don't tell me Sirius Black brought you home after his family's big holiday ball and didn't try to seduce you."

"He didn't!" Charlotte hissed, shooting her friend a warning glare which did nothing to quell their giggles.

"Leave her alone, you're both terrible." Lily scolded through a smile. "Charlotte will tell us when she sleeps with Sir-" She trailed off in a new fit of laughter as Charlotte slapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry! I'm only joking!"

"We'll sooner get details of James's bedroom performance from Lily, Lily who sent James a Christmas gift, custom picked for him, I might add." She enjoyed the wide eyed shock as the girls looked to their red-headed friend who blinked in confusion.

"How did you-"

"What's it going to take to get you four back over here?" James shouted over the crowd from their couch, "I'm not averse to begging." He smirked, dropping from the couch to his knees on the floor, his eyes linking with Lily's green ones.

"Get off the floor, you imbecile." Lily chuckled, grabbing his hand and helping him back to the couch. Sirius stood to make room for her beside James and plopped onto the other couch, his fingers linking between Charlottes and pulling her down onto his lap with a grin.

"Sirius!" Charlotte called out in shock as she fell backwards, her voice cutting off as his hands found her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, his breath warm on her neck.

"Won't you be cold in that dress?" He asked softly, either unaware or choosing to ignore the smirks Mary and Marlene wore as they took seats beside them.

"It's quite warm in here." Charlotte answered, sliding from his lap into the seat beside him and praying for her blush to subside.

The night flew by, Marlene keeping everyone entertained with stories from her break and presumptions of what the professors were doing back at Hogwarts, while Lily filled Charlotte in on her ski trip and her sister's ever present bad attitude. Charlotte's eyes flickered between Lily as she spoke and James, who seemed to be hung on every word. It was as if he could never soak in enough information on the red head.

Mary was informing the group of all of the Christmas cookies and sweets she had packed up for their train ride back, yet all that Charlotte was focused on was the fact that Sirius's arm had been slowly snaking it's way around her waist, his fingers falling to the exposed skin of her thigh and brushing small circles, eliciting goosebumps that she was praying he hadn't noticed.

"You do seem cold, love." He breathed into her ear and she shook her head at once, more to herself than him, forcing her mind back to Mary's words.

There was a small roar of excitement and everyone turned towards the clock. Only a minute left until the New Year.

"Merlin!" James jumped from his seat, everyone's eyes following him. "We're going to miss it!"

"Miss what?" Lily shouted over the chatter of the room, letting James pull her to her feet, leading the group towards the back of the house. Charlotte smiled to herself, sliding up between Sirius and Marlene and watching as James's eyes searched through the sky.

"James, what are we standing out here for it's bloody freez-" Marlene stopped, a grin pulling to her face as golden sparks whistled through the air, exploding into color and raining down through the sky.

"Why haven't we been coming here every year?" Mary asked, grinning to Lily, though the green eyes were stuck to James.

Charlotte hugged her arms to her chest, watching her breath cloud up before her face and turning to catch the gray eyes staring back at her. There were cheers from all around them and inside the house, everyone shouting out new year's wishes and watching the fireworks, yet Sirius was silent, only the ghost of a smirk painted over his lips.

"Happy New Year." Charlotte spoke softly.

"I'm really glad you're here." He answered, the fireworks finally stilling in the sky as everyone started back indoors.

"Me too." She answered, not daring to move from their spot until Sirius nodded to the doorway, stepping beside her and blocking the wind as they shut the door.

☾

Charlotte snuggled deeper into the impossibly soft couch, her feet pulled up at her side, though she couldn't ignore the minimal space between her snowflake printed socks and Sirius's thigh. The three of them had been playing an excruciating few rounds of exploding snap as the snow whipped past the windows behind them until Charlotte had finally won, the tips of her fingers still numb from the constant zaps.

"You excited to get back to school?" Charlotte asked, not enjoying the silence the two had fallen into since James had left the room a few minutes before. Sirius shot her half a glare and she let out a soft laugh. "Of course, what was I thinking?"

The silence returned and Charlotte turned to face the dark haired boy beside her, watching as his gray eyes scanned over James and Euphemia from their space in the kitchen. James wore a soft smile as he let his mother pull him in for a hug, her lips catching his forehead for just a moment before he pushed her off, and Charlotte could vaguely make out his words, "Alright," and "Quite enough."

"Hey..." Charlotte mumbled, stretching her fingers to brush against the top of his hand, his eyes flashing to hers in an instant.

"What?" He answered too quickly, crossing one ankle across his knee and turning away from the scene in the kitchen.

"Do you want to get out of here? For a bit?"

"Why?"

"I don't know... Change of scenery?" She couldn't bring herself to say the words. To tell him she could see the sadness in his eyes plain as day. "We could go to my house? My mom's making casserole... It's pretty good-"

A small smile pulled at the edges of Sirius's lips before he nodded, nudging her knee with his. "Okay. Let's go."

Not ten minutes later, James was grinning behind their backs as they said goodbye and stepped into the glowing emerald flames of the beautiful fireplace. There was a pause as the world around them scattered into a million pieces, re-forming into the familiar scene of Charlotte's living room which was much less decorated than the Potter's had been.

"You know, I can apparate still." Sirius brushed some imaginary soot from his sweater and Charlotte shot him an amused glance. "I mean, I know Effie had me on forced bedrest, but I am completely capable-"

"Sirius!" Mrs. Harris grinned from around the corner near the kitchen. "It's so nice to finally see you again! We thought Charlotte was hiding us from you."

Charlotte reached up to scratch her eyebrow, watching Sirius's smile widen at her mother's words.

"Well, I forced her hand. Couldn't stand to not see you again before school." He grinned, charmingly, Charlotte resisting an eye roll as they headed deeper into the house, the warmth floating from the kitchen.

"Did you two eat? I've almost finished dinner... Charlotte, would you go grab your father?"

Charlotte's eyes flickered towards Sirius, hesitant to leave him so soon, yet he was already pulling a chair out at the table and listening as Mrs. Harris launched into a million questions about the New Years Party, thankfully not starting on Christmas Eve.

"Dinner's ready." Charlotte gasped into her father's study, slightly out of breath from her race over. "Sirius is eating with us."

"Oh, Sirius?" Her father's eyes lit up as he joined her, starting down the hallway and back into the bright kitchen. "Look who's back!" He grinned, Sirius offering his hand across the table, still nodding along as Mrs. Harris continued her speech.

"Mom, you're going to make his head explode." Charlotte crossed around the table towards the vacant chair at Sirius's side which he kicked out as she neared, as if she was planning to take a different seat.

"Have a good Christmas, son?" Mr. Harris asked, Charlotte's eyes flashing towards Sirius's gray ones which surprisingly didn't even twitch as he answered.

"Yeah, I did. How was yours? I know we kept Charlotte for the morning, but I promise you can blame that entirely on James."

The table chuckled and Charlotte let out a silent sigh, the breath that she had been holding in her chest without realizing.

"Alright, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Harris smiled as she began dishing food onto four plates. Charlotte felt her heart jump to her throat as Sirius's fingers inched along her thigh beneath the table, finally reaching her hands which were knotted together and prying them apart, fingers looping between hers with a squeeze.

Charlotte had offered to clean up after dinner, half as thanks for her mother cooking, and half to give Sirius a few moments of peace from the constant chatter he'd put up with all through the meal. Sirius had stayed to help, Mr. and Mrs. Harris reluctantly filing into the living room after offering the pair to join them in a board game, though Charlotte had insisted they were going to bake cookies before the holidays were officially over. A small smile pulled it's way onto Sirius's lips at her words, though he leaned against the counter beside her and reached for the next dish to dry.

"They're fun." He spoke at last, once the two were alone in the kitchen, the quarter moon now bright in the sky outside of their window. "Thank you for having me."

"They're a lot. I'm sorry they brought up... Christmas."

"They didn't know." He shrugged, stacking the next plate beside her. "And besides... I did have a great Christmas."

Charlotte nodded, peeking towards him from the corner of her eye and catching his eyes on her. "Good." She started towards the pantry, spinning to look at him once she had made it a few steps away. "Do you want to make cookies? We don't have to... We could do something else, or you can go back to James's..."

Sirius's lips were locking in the familiar grin as he watched her ramble on.

"If you'll show me how. You're looking at someone who can hardly manage toast."

Charlotte laughed, easily, grabbing a large bin of flour which Sirius took from her arms at once, placing it on the table as she went back for the rest of their ingredients.

"Should be even easier for you to learn to cook... you can use magic."

He shrugged, watching as she started measuring out the flour and handed him a small glass jar with a slice of butter. "Can you melt that for me?"

"Can I?" He rolled his eyes, playfully, pulling his wand from his pocket, the butter bubbling at once before he passed it back to her.

"You're going to make this whole experience insufferable, aren't you?"

"If you've made it this long without realizing I'm insufferable, blondie, I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed."

Not twenty minutes later, Sirius and Charlotte sat at the table once again, the heat from the oven behind them warming their backs as they waited.

"There's got to be a charm for this. We could be eating them by now." Sirius glanced back for the tenth time at the oven and Charlotte laughed.

"I'm sure there is. But my mom does it all by hand. She says it relaxes her. But we can look when we get back to school."

"No. No." He shook his head, "You're not tricking me into voluntarily going to the library."

"Then I guess you'd better familiarize yourself with muggle cooking." She shrugged, watching as his eyes flickered to hers, falling to her lips and then meeting somewhere in the middle. "What?"

"You've got..." He mumbled, reaching out before attempting to finish his sentence. His fingers hooked gently against her jaw and pulled her gaze up to his before brushing his thumb along her cheek, white powder lining the pad of his finger when he finally pulled away. "Flour."

She reached up, swatting gently at both cheeks to ensure it was gone as he chuckled. "Don't trust me?"

"No, not really." She grinned, teasingly as his jaw fell slightly.

"I sometimes forget why I enjoy being around you." He slouched over the table, his head falling to his fist. "You're lucky you're so nice to look at."

☾

The train rolled along, sunlight reflecting off the light snow still falling across the white mountains in the distance. The Gryffindor's compartment was a record quiet, Charlotte was sure. James and Peter had hardly made it an hour in before giving in to the sleep pulling at their eyes. James had given Peter the bench, falling easily to the floor and bunching Lily's purse up at her feet as a makeshift pillow; something Charlotte was sure would have started a screaming match only a year ago.

Sirius had put up more of a fight, biting back a smile as even Marlene, usually the epitome of energy and laughter had leaned her neck against the frozen window. He had made it all the way until the trolley arrived, purchasing everyone some sweets and even a small stash for their sleeping friends, even if he insisted that they hide the pile to convince James and Peter they had missed out.

He was now, however, visibly fighting the fatigue, blinking forcefully every few minutes as Charlotte snuck peeks over to his face each time she turned the page of her book. She had thought she would be more nervous, returning to Hogwarts, having to see Remus again every day. She had hardly thought of him over the break, only for the times James would mention their friend, though Sirius was always quick to change the subject when it arose.

"What're you reading?" Sirius mumbled, leaning closer to Charlotte until she was sure all of the air in their compartment had been replaced with his cologne.

She turned the cover towards him as an answer, pressing her lips together into a thin line as she turned up towards his face which was much closer to hers than she had been expecting. "Why? Want to borrow it when I'm done?" She teased, watching his eyes roll towards the ceiling.

"Yeah, you know me so well." He grumbled, quietly, before giving in completely and dropping his head to her shoulder. "M'going to just take a quick nap." He murmured, his eyes shutting as he spoke, not noticing Mary and Lily's had grown twice as large as they grinned.

"Charlotte, come on-" Mary hissed a few seconds later, the blonde shooting her a murderous glance to stop her mid-sentence. There was no way Sirius was already asleep, and she didn't even want to think about the next words Mary had planned.

Lily shook her head with a smug grin, flipping the page on her own book as Charlotte pointed at James, messy curls spilling onto Lily's bag at her feet, cheeks flushed pink.

"Are you nervous?" Mary asked softly after a few minutes of silence. Charlotte's eyes flicked to Sirius beside her before answering.

"For what?"

"To see him again? Remus?" She went on, Lily watching Charlotte closely, as if she could tell the answer even if Charlotte didn't know it herself.

"I don't know." The blonde whispered, shutting her book, her thumb in the center to mark her spot. "It's been two weeks, I'm sure he's already forgotten."

"Oh, please." Mary scoffed, clapping a hand over her mouth before realizing the rest of the car was still fast asleep. "We all saw him at breakfast that morning. He looked bloody awful."

"Mary..." Lily warned through a sigh.

"It's fine guys. Really, it's fine. I'm sure he won't want to talk about it, and neither do I, so we can just move past-"

"He wrote me. When I got back from the trip. Asked how it went and how my Christmas was... and he asked how you were doing."

Charlotte's heart had stopped. She was sure of it.

"What? You didn't tell me-"

"I didn't know how. I just thought I'd give you a few Remus free days," she dropped her voice even softer, "And then we saw you on New Years and you seemed so happy and I just couldn't bring it up."

"What did you tell him?" Charlotte asked, annoyance pricking at the back of her mind now. If Remus had wanted to know how she was doing, there was only one person that he should have asked.

"I told him I hadn't seen you and I didn't know." She shrugged, watching for Charlotte's reaction for a few moments. "I agree with you, I don't think he'll want to talk about it. But I thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah, I guess." She nodded, leaning back against the comfortable bench, nearly forgetting that Sirius was still pressed against her until he let out a soft groan, re-adjusting his head onto her shoulder and thoroughly convincing Charlotte that he was actually asleep.

Chapter Text

The return from the Holidays was a whirlwind, as was usual. The train had been extra full this year, parents wanting their kids home more than ever as the papers grew more and more dark, disappearances and un-solved break-ins littering the pages each week.

Charlotte tried not to think about how Remus was surely one of the only students who had chosen to stay at Hogwarts this year. She tried not to think about him at all, in fact, even as she fell back, slowing down in their march to the Great Hall as Sirius, James and Peter all raced towards their friend who towered over the rest of the students in the hall, leaning against the stone entranceway.

Mary slowed with her, whether she realized or not, while Marlene and Lily too rushed to greet Remus, waiting patiently for James to let go of the bear hug he had forced the missing Marauder into.

Mary didn't speak, letting them reach the rest of their group in their own time, though their absence was hardly missed, the boys all launching into stories and questions of what Remus had been up to over break.

Charlotte pulled her eyes from Remus's face, watching as Sirius listened to the conversation, a small smile plastered on his lips to be re-united with their full group. Remus looked well rested, for once, a slight glow radiated from his skin, though she couldn't pretend not to notice the two red lines painting along his neck. They were new, she would have known that even if they weren't still bright and angry. They hadn't been there before the holiday.

"Hey," Remus's eyes finally latched onto her own as she and Mary caught back up, the group moving slowly towards their usual seats for dinner.

"Hey, Remus... Good Christmas?" She forced out, feeling James gaze flickering between the two of them even as he reached his seat.

"Yeah, it was good." He answered, "Yours?"

"Same." She offered him her best smile, grateful as Mary dropped into place beside her, hips locking together easily. She wasn't angry anymore, and she truly didn't want to talk about it. Everything was fine, even if they weren't friends. She didn't want to make it everyone else's problem, especially watching James's wide eyed stare. It was important to him that everyone got along, and she intended to make that happen.

Dumbledore stood, stealing everyone's attention at once, offering them a short and sweet welcome back and ordered them to all dig in after a long day of travel. Peter and James apparently hadn't needed to be told twice, despite their mid day snack of sweets Sirius had finally offered them nearly an hour after they had woken from their naps.

They ate in silence for a while, a few comments slipping out as they all grew full before Sirius finally looked to Marlene, a large grin spread across his face.

"Well, Marley... You'll never guess what I got for Christmas."

"Why are you singling me out, Black?" Her eyebrows furrowed, "Why do I feel like I'm in danger?"

The girls laughed as Sirius waved his wand towards the doorway, two small pieces of paper zipping past them and into his outstretched fingers which he then held out towards Marlene.

"You're joking!" She reached for them, but Sirius was too quick, pulling them just out of her reach as Lily and Mary stood slightly against the bench to see. "Your parents would never get you Fleetwood Mac tickets, where did you get those?" She was practically whining, Mary chuckled though the boys were silent.

"Blondie's a real giver." Sirius teased, Lily rolling her eyes as Mary let out a dramatic retch.

"Sirius," Charlotte swatted his chest, though his grin didn't fade.

"Charlotte?" Marlene's eyes were wide as she spun to the blonde.

"I got him two! He can take you-"

"Na-uh, Charlotte! We've been through this!" Sirius poked her between the ribs with his free hand and sent her squirming away into Mary's side. "Sorry, Marls, but I'm sure you'd agree. It's in everyone's best interest if we convert another of our friends to real music."

"You're such a prick sometimes." Marlene rolled her eyes, "How much were those, Char? I'm going to buy out the rest of the stadium and all you'll be able to hear is me singing along to each of your favorite songs." She jabbed a finger Sirius's way and James burst into laughter, face falling against the table as Lily bit back a giggle.

"I think I'd go in on that with you, Marls. Just to see his face." Remus grinned, taking a final sip from his goblet.

"Alright, you're all exhausting. I'm heading up." Charlotte pushed her near empty plate towards the center of the table where it vanished from sight and swung her leg over the bench.

"Blondie!" Sirius whined, stuffing the tickets into the pocket of his robes. "It's early!"

"Well some of us didn't get a two hour long nap on the train." She shrugged.

"No one was stopping you!"

"I actually seem to recall someone using me as a personal travel pillow, so if you'll excuse me... You owe me some sleep."

"Well, I'll be happy to pay that back anytime, love." The edge of his lip curved as he winked and she shook her head, stepping back from the table.

"I'll see you upstairs." She offered the group a wave, turning towards the doorway before she heard the table creak, Remus hurrying down the aisle and catching her at once.

"I'll walk you." He mumbled, his eyes latched to hers as if waiting for her to refuse. To send him away.

"You don't have to. Finish your dinner." She tried to keep her voice soft, though she truly did wish he would stay behind. Let her have a few minutes to herself.

"I did. I'm fine." His words were rushed, his eyes dropping to his bag as he fished around quickly, steps slowing as they reached the landing of the second staircase. "I got you something."

Her brain had stopped. She was sure. There was nothing happening up there as she turned to see him pull a small brown box from the bag over his shoulder.

"What?" She muttered, hardly processing her words. "Remus, you..."

"Please. Come on, it's the absolute bare minimum of what you deserve, I..." He shook his head, the words never restarting as he finally forced the box into her hands. "Would have owled it... I should have owled it, for Christmas."

Charlotte pressed her lips together, no response had formulated in her brain as she peeled back the lid of the box, her lips parting again in a small smile. The scarlet and gold scarf was certainly not hers, assuming hers was still in one piece somewhere out on the grounds, frozen and muddy. This one was brand new.

"I didn't know if you'd gotten a new one yet... you know, after the idiot's... well, after you lost yours." Her head was already shaking.

"No, I... I didn't get one yet." She felt as though she was stumbling over every word, "Thanks Remus... honestly, you didn't have to... I didn't get you-"

"Don't." He cut her off, his eyes serious as he looked down at her. "You don't owe me anything. Okay?"

She took a deep breath as she nodded slowly, tucking the scarf back into it's box and shutting the lid as an excuse to not have to meet his eyes anymore.

"Thank you, Charlotte." His lips were pulled into a strange smile, before he took a step back from her. "Sleep well." He started down the stairs before she could reply. Before she could ask what he was thanking her for.

☾

School had started up again as if there had been no break, no two weeks of holiday bliss. And while Charlotte had spent the entire two weeks, the entire train ride back reminding herself that this term would be different, she was already feeling overwhelmed, only three days in.

She had also spent the entire train ride back reminding herself that she wouldn't need Remus this term. As a tutor, a friend, or anything more.

Yet as she climbed the final flights of stairs after their first night back to school, the Gryffindor scarf tucked under her arm, she had no idea what the year would hold after all.

Which is why when Lily, Mary and Charlotte had decided to spend the rest of their time before dinner in the library, Charlotte was unsurprised when the girls waltzed over to the back of the the library, spotting Remus at once, nose buried between two potions books.

"Remus!" Lily smiled, and Charlotte felt the familiar spark of jealousy as the two girls pulled out a chair. No nerves, no second guessing, no planning out conversations.

"Oh, hi." His eyes flickered between the three of them, landing on Charlotte's at last as she pulled the chair out across from him.

"Didn't hear us coming?" Mary asked, skeptically.

"As loud as you are, MacDonald." Remus shot her half a smile, eyes already returning to his book. "I'm quite busy you see."

"Mary's here to study, trust me." Lily shot her friend a warning glance, pushing her textbook over to the brunette. "Let me tell you, Remus, you're missing some impressive stuff in Ancient Runes..."

A small smile flickered across his face as he looked to Lily, head cocking slightly to one side.

"I'm devastated." He answered, Lily letting out a dramatic sigh and Charlotte failed to bite back a laugh. "How are classes, Charlotte? How's transfiguration?"

It felt as though someone had gripped her heart through her chest, squeezing uncomfortably.

"So far so good." She answered without even considering the question. She would study day and night before letting herself back into the same situation as last term.

The tall boy's smile relaxed on his lips as he nodded twice, his eyes returning to the page before him. "Good."

"Well, well, well!" The familiar voice boomed over the library, Charlotte cringing even before she looked up, most of the students gathered at the tables around them already glaring daggers at Sirius's back. "How did I know I'd find you lot in here?"

"Sirius, keep your voice down or we won't associate with you anymore!" Lily hissed, though it did nothing to suppress the grin plastered on his face as he finally reached their table. He paused behind Charlotte's chair for only a second before she felt his fingers on her skin, slipping beneath her hair and squeezing her shoulders, smile growing as a sigh left her lips.

"What are we working on?" He asked, finally pulling his fingers from Charlotte's neck as he took the seat beside her, looking over the various books laid out on the table. "Moony, you're going to ruin your spine sitting like that."

Remus shook his head, the easy smile he'd been wearing moments before now no where to be found.

"Thank you for your concern, doctor, but I think it'll all work out." He answered sarcastically, Mary and Lily stifling matching laughs.

"Need help, love?" Sirius finally turned his attention back to Charlotte, obviously realizing Lupin wasn't in the mood for his pestering.

"Yeah, I'd love if you could be... really... really quiet." She shot him a small smile and he rolled his eyes in return.

"You know it's really... really quiet in my dorm. James just left for practice and-" His sentence was cut off by the sound of Remus's chair scraping against the floor as he slid both of his books into a pile, eyes stuck to the floor.

"Just remembered I left a book in Flitwick's room... I'll see you lot for dinner." He muttered hastily, already a few tables from them before the rest of the Gryffindor's had even blinked.

Sirius shrugged, turning in his chair and leaning back until the front legs no longer touched the floor while Lily's eyes followed Remus along the windows to the hallway until he turned out of their view, her eyebrows creasing as she tried to return to her previous paragraph, her mind still stuck on her friend's abrupt exit.

☾

One week into term was much too soon for their first exam, in Charlotte's opinion, especially in Transfiguration. Though it seemed as if McGonagall did not agree, which left Charlotte hurrying back from dinner each night and pouring hours into her textbook, surprisingly feeling much more prepared than she had for most of the exams last term.

Lily, Marlene and Mary had returned a while after Charlotte, raving over the cheesecake she had missed, Marlene assuring her that even a perfect score on the exam wasn't worth missing dessert.

"I hate cheesecake, so sounds like it was a good call." Charlotte shrugged, flipping the page and starting over the final chapter that the next day's exam would cover.

"Who the hell hates cheesecake?" Marlene muttered, diving onto the sofa beside the blonde before Mary pushed her over to make room. Lily took a spot at the couch beside Charlotte, who was sat on the plush carpeting, her book balancing against the wooden coffee table before the fire, her back flat against the edge of the couch.

"And all I'm saying is if you lose to Ravenclaw this weekend because you have everyone out in 0 degree weather morning and night, that's on you." Sirius was grinning despite the way James's jaw had dropped open as they strolled through the portrait hole, Peter offering an eye roll that Sirius couldn't have cared less about.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was speaking to a Quidditch expert!" James blurted, though Charlotte could tell even from the distance that he was seconds away from laughter. "Why don't I just turn the team over to you, Pads?"

"I'd hate to upstage you, but if that's what we need to solidify our win-" He jumped backwards, anticipating James's lunge toward him and flung himself easily over the couch, landing next to Lily who shook her head at the two boys, biting back a smile.

"Blondie," Sirius's voice had turned stern and she spun to meet his eyes behind her. "You're not still reading that bloody book, give it a rest! You're never going to beat me!" He leaned down, his words ghosting against her ear as the smirk returned to his lips.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Sirius. She's been at it all week." Mary shrugged as Sirius groaned.

"Ugh, I know, and it's so boring!" He announced to the room, not a single care of the shake of Charlotte's head.

"I'm almost finished." She cut in, hoping that would settle him down for just a few more minutes, though from the dramatic sigh Sirius let out from behind her, she was guessing she didn't have long.

"Did I hear him correctly that you're getting all of your team mates sick, Potter?" Lily asked, shooting the messy haired boy a stern look.

"He's exaggerating. Everyone gets colds this time of year!" James protested, looking to Peter beside him for approval.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a tyrant, Potter." Mary grinned, loving the way that James spiraled each time they began to gang up on him.

Charlotte had nearly reached the final page of her chapter when she felt the soft tug at the edge of her hair, her back straightening up at once as she turned to Sirius once again, half a smile resting on his face as he stroked gently over three sections of her hair.

"What are you doing?" She asked at last, realizing he wasn't planning to let her go.

"Your hair." He answered, as if she was the crazy one.

"No, you're not." She chuckled, pulling out of his grip and turning sideways to restrict his access.

"Yes, I am!" He insisted through a slight glare now, "You don't trust me?"

"I've never seen your work. Do you have references?" She teased, enjoying the way his eyes lit up as he traced them over her face.

"Why are you always so difficult?"

"Why can't you just let me study?"

"Who was stopping you? Finish your chapter, but you've got to let me entertain myself."

She sighed, glancing over his face one last time before turning back to the table before her and re-opening her book, feeling his fingers twist through her hair again and ignoring the urge to look to her friends, even as she could feel their eyes locked to her.

It felt nice, at first, the soft tugs every few seconds as Sirius began to braid three sections together at the back of her neck and she forced her way through the final page of her chapter. As soon as she finished, setting the tattered looking book on the table, she could feel that it was no longer going well for him.

"Sirius, I can feel you knotting it!" She reached back to feel his work, though he caught her hand with one of his.

"Because you're moving!" He shouted back, slapping her hand away as Lily laughed beside her.

"Oh, Charlotte..." She mumbled, none of them noticing the portrait door slide open over the laughter. "You're going to kill him and I'll help you."

"Moony!" Peter grinned, noticing the tall boy behind them at last. He had one hand laced through the bag over his shoulder, his eyes latched onto Sirius's fingers.

He offered them a short nod before turning towards the staircase and hurrying up without a word.

"Is he alright?" Lily asked, looking to James who was glancing at his watch, eyes flickering to the window where the sun had just begun to sink before looking back to Lily's green eyes.

"Not sure..." He shrugged, already on his feet. "Probably... He's been really busy is all."

Peter was on his feet as well now, both of them glancing to Sirius who had dropped his poor attempt of a braid and looked dismally to her blue eyes for only a moment before joining his friends.

"We'll see you lot in the morning." He spoke at last, starting towards the stairs where Remus had disappeared. "And blondie... your hair really looks wretched... you ought to do something about that-" His grin returned as he ducked out of the way, a second before Charlotte's pillow would have smacked straight into his face.

"Here," Lily sighed, moving into Sirius's place as the boys scampered up the stairs and reaching for the blonde mess before her, gently dissecting it piece by piece. "Think Remus is alright?"

Charlotte didn't answer, sure that the question had been directed at one of the other girls. How would she know is Remus was alright? She wasn't sure if Remus was ever alright. Wasn't sure she had ever seen him alright or otherwise.

"He's been a bit off lately." Marlene shrugged, as if it was a mystery that could never be solved. Charlotte was tempted to agree.

"Probably all of those cigarettes." Mary mentioned, kicking Marlene gently as if to force her to listen. "Makes people jittery and nervous. Suppresses dopamine production too, so-" She trailed off as Marlene and Charlotte watched her, wide eyed. "That's just common knowledge! Come on."

"Godric, Charlotte, never let Sirius touch you again." Lily muttered, and Charlotte jerked her eyes up towards the red head behind her. "This is a literal knot!" Lily continued, and Marlene shot Charlotte a smirk.

"Okay, that's another thing," Mary moved to the edge of the couch, looking down to the blonde on the floor. "I know I've always had my opinions on Sirius, but Charlotte, honestly... why aren't you two together?"

"What?" Charlotte could feel the heat rising to her face at her friends words, ignoring Marlene's smirk which had turned into a full blown grin.

"Cut the bullshit." Marlene interrupted Mary and Charlotte heard Lily stifle a laugh.

"I'm not... cut... what?" Charlotte stuttered, the four girls falling into a fit of giggles before Mary pulled their attention back.

"Look at me, you bitch." Mary ordered, Charlotte's eyes going wide, meeting Mary's brown ones. "You fancy him."

"That's not a question-" Marlene trailed off at Mary's glare.

"Let her answer!"

"Oh, please-" Lily added,

"Mary,"

"Just admit it! We're your best friends, how could you not trust us-"

"Okay, yes! Yes, I fancy him, yes." Charlotte blurted into the empty common room, all three pairs of eyes latched onto her now, Lily's fingers finally finished deconstructing the mess of a braid and stroking over her tangle free hair gently.

"Exactly. So why aren't you together?" Mary repeated.

"Because..."

"Because why?" Marlene cut in, looking at Charlotte as if she was speaking gibberish.

"Because he hasn't asked!"

"Oh, you idiot, he might as well have. You're together, but neither of you will admit it."

"Because there's always going to be another girl." Charlotte admitted, meeting Mary's eyes again. "You said so yourselves. At the start of the year."

Mary and Marlene shared a look, a pause taking over the group, the only sound in the common room now from the crackling fire before them.

"And that's fine. Because I'm ready for it. I know it's going to happen, and as long as I don't let myself fall in-"

"Oh, Charlotte." Marlene scoffed.

"Honey, you've fallen." Mary assured her, "You're face down in the dirt."

Charlotte pulled her lower lip beneath her teeth, running her fist through her hair.

"And he's right there next to you." She continued, a small smile making it's way to her face again.

Chapter Text

A month back at Hogwarts and Charlotte was already beginning to forget what free time felt like. Taking a page, or perhaps a few pages, from Lily's book, she had spent practically every afternoon holed away in the library with the red-head, and though she fell into bed most nights, sleep finding her barely a second after her head hit the pillow, each assignment handed back to her in the high 90's was reward enough for all of the hard work.

Mary and Marlene did not agree, and had often taken to begging for Lily and Charlotte to do anything with them outside of the library. Though of course, and through much fault of her own, she reasoned, the one night that she was caught up on work was the night none of her roommates were anywhere to be found.

The sun was nearly hidden behind the trees outside of the stained glass framing common room, which meant it couldn't be all that long before at least one of them showed back up to the tower. She would wait them out.

She glanced around the crowded room, watching the familiar groups laughter echo through the space, a few seventh years attempting to study in the corner with obvious silencing charms placed around themselves. She glanced towards the doorway once more as if Marlene might come bursting through any moment, though she was sure she would be able to hear her from the hallway if she were anywhere close. Her eyes skated involuntarily towards the staircase to the boys dormitories and then around at the crowd once more.

It wasn't that late... It wouldn't look bad. The sun was still... Her thoughts trailed off as the last sliver of yellow fell behind the forest in the distance, the sky now painted a faint pinkish orange around the clouds as she started up the stairs, glancing back a few times as if expecting the entire room to riot.

Her legs felt ready to give out by the time she reached the boys dorm, but she wasted no time raising her hand towards the door to knock. She only waited a second before it was pulled open, Sirius towering over her, a confused look fading away as a slight smile pulled to his lips.

"Well, well." He cocked his head to one side and leaned against the doorway, staring down at her, her insides threatening to melt just from his gaze. "What can I do for you, Blondie?"

"The girls aren't up here?" She half pretended to scan the room behind him, despite knowing she wouldn't find her roommates. "I haven't seen them in hours and I'm bloody bored."

"Too much studying, Charlotte. They've probably grown bored of you." He shrugged, his grin giving him away, though he didn't step aside to let her in.

"Are you busy?" She asked finally, her stomach seizing up ridiculously. It was Sirius. Sirius, who she'd spent practically all of Christmas break with, and countless hours since they'd returned to school. They were friends. Friends hang out.

"Uh..." He stammered, glancing back in the room and then at the watch on his wrist, not meeting her eyes. Her heart fell in her chest, though she pushed the feeling from her mind. She had assumed he would be free, which was stupid. Of course Sirius would have plans.

She looked him over again. His hair was messy, though she knew he liked it best that way. He was wearing a familiar sweatshirt and dark jeans, and though it certainly wouldn't have been her idea of dressing up, she reminded herself that Sirius might not consider his late night plans as dates...

"I'm sorry, you have plans." She forced a smile to her face as his fell, taking a step back from the door towards the stairs again. "I'll see you-"

"Charlotte! I don't have plans... Well, I mean... not plans..." He stuttered out, eyes not leaving hers as his fingers surrounded her wrist. "I've got something I have to do... I'm sorry, Blondie. You know I'd love to keep you company."

"It's fine, Sirius." She tried for a lazy laugh and brushed him off with a small wave. "I'll see you for class tomorrow!"

"Blondie!" He caught her in two steps, pulling her back to face him. "I'm... I'm just meeting the guys. Something... Well, doesn't matter."

"Okay." She whispered, her chest nearly pressed into his from where he had pulled her into him. "No problem, Sirius, really."

"It's just such a shame, because you never want to spend time with me." He teased, though the smile on his face seemed forced.

"Oh, shut it, Black." She rolled her eyes, her heart still feeling heavy no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

"I'll walk you down?" He offered, his eyes stuck to hers as she nodded and started down the stairs beside him, pushing the thought of whatever girl Sirius was sneaking off to meet out of her mind.

☾

There was no shortage of seats in Transfiguration that morning, even as Charlotte and Mary slipped into class with barely a minute to spare. Lily glanced back at the footsteps, eyebrows furrowed deeper as the friends slid into their spots.

"Where are-" Marlene trailed off as the door flung open once more, James, Sirius and Peter  falling into seats along the back row, all three of them sporting faint purple bags beneath their eyes.

"I believe that's everyone, then." McGonagall called out as Peter slouched down onto the desktop, dropping his head into his arms as James's eyes found Lily.

"Morning, Evans." He mumbled, offering her a small smile which she did not return.

"Where's Remus?" She whispered, scanning along all of the boys.

"Sick." Sirius answered for him, flipping through random pages of a pristine looking Transfiguration book. "Morning blondie."

"Morning." She offered him a smile before turning her eyes back to her book. She tried to reason with herself that all of the boys looked equally tired, not just Sirius. Maybe they had really been out together, pulling some great prank.

She pulled out another slip of parchment and began copying down McGonagall's words between the two pages before they set into teams to practice. The table jostled before them as Sirius dropped into the chair on Charlotte's left, Mary offering him a smug grin.

"Can I work with you lot? Can't have three idiots to a team, need someone smart." He shrugged, glancing over at Charlotte's paper.

"You'd better be talking about me, Black." Mary teased, pulling her wand from her bag and pulling a feather from the pile before them which they were to be turning to ferrets, nonverbally, though many of the other teams weren't even trying.

"Of course, MacDonald." He nodded.

"Why do you all look like you haven't slept in weeks?" She asked, though Charlotte couldn't decide if she wanted the question answered or not.

"Oh, you know us. Long night of mischief."

"I don't doubt it. Any pranks we should be ready for on the way out of this classroom?"

"My lips are sealed, ma'um."

"You're safe, Mary." Peter answered through half shut eyes.

"Thanks, Pete." She smiled back at him as the tail whipped wildly at the end of his feather which he was paying no mind to.

"What's wrong with Remus?" Charlotte asked quietly as Sirius ran two fingers along the speckled ferret now pacing along their desk.

He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Just feeling under the weather. I would have pulled a sickie too if I didn't love Minnie's lessons so much."

"Yeah, Minnie." Mary muttered and Sirius's lip curled into a smirk, eyes flickering over Charlotte's pink cheeks.

In what felt like no time, class was over, everyone reluctantly bidding goodbye to their ferrets and packing up their supplies into their bags. Charlotte folded the extra notes in half and started towards the door after the Marauders.

"Time for a nap." Sirius stretched his arms over his head dramatically and James nodded beside him, Peter seeming already asleep.

"Got a free period, Char?" James asked as the group started up the stairs.

"Yeah, until defense." She answered, "Hey, when you guys go up there you can bring Remus these notes I guess?"

"No, we can't," Peter answered through a yawn, "He's not up there."

"Not up there?" Lily answered, glancing between the boys, concern filling her eyes.

"No, I mean..." Sirius cut in.

"He's up there!" James nodded at once, shooting Peter a pointed glare.

"No, right. He's there, he's just not... there, you know?" Peter forced out a laugh.

"What are you guys going on about? Did you murder him last night and bury the body by the lake?" Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Shut it, Marls. You're too loud." Sirius whined, pulling himself up the last few steps.

"Well, I'm headed to Arithmancy." Lily glanced at her watch and offered everyone a wave goodbye, starting down the hallway at their left.

"Wait, I'll walk you!" Charlotte called, catching up to Lily in a few steps.

"Why?" She asked, pulling her books to her chest as they walked.

"What do you think is wrong with Remus?" Charlotte asked, noting the concern in Lily's eyes.

"I don't know, Charlotte..." She shrugged, slowing slightly as they neared the classroom. "He's sick a lot."

"You think so?" Charlotte asked, forcing her mind back to the last couple months. "I know he was sick in the fall."

"No, he's sick like every..." She trailed off, "Well, I don't know. Just feels like a lot. I've asked him, but he always brushes it off and says the guys make a bigger deal about it than it is."

"Well, that sounds like a possibility." Charlotte shrugged, sharing a smile with the red-head before waving goodbye as she headed towards the classroom. She paused for a moment, glancing at the empty hallway behind her and the notes in her hand before starting down the last staircase.

The Hospital Wing's doors came into view, silence taking over the usual chatter that filled the corridors. She had to be wrong. If she had to guess now, she would have said the infirmary was completely empty.

She pushed the doors open slightly, peeking into the empty room. Every bed was vacant aside from one, curtains pulled around tightly to block out any sunlight. She paused for a moment, ready for Madam Pomfrey to chase her from the room any moment, though nothing came.

She crept forward until she reached the curtains and paused. There was no way to knock on a curtain, and what if it wasn't Remus? What if it was?

"Remus?" She finally whispered, ready to flee if she heard anyone's voice beside-

"Charlotte?"

She pulled the curtain aside just a sliver, watching Remus push himself up from the pillows, rubbing his fist into his eye.

"What are you doing here?"

"I uh... I brought you the transfiguration notes." She answered, stupidly, passing over the slightly crumpled parchment and he offered her half a smile.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked, scanning over the page. "I missed the ferrets?"

She laughed, falling into the chair beside the curtain and trying not to think about the morning a few months ago when they had both woken up in this same room.

"You missed the ferrets."

"How did you know I was here?" He asked again, eyes boring into hers.

"I didn't really... I just was walking by and... I don't know why I thought you'd be here." She shrugged. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. You know Madam Pomfrey. She worries about everything. Even a little cold."

☾

Charlotte nodded a quick goodbye to Lily the second the doors shut behind them, blocking the icy windy from entering the castle, though the chill had already set into their bones. Lily had Ancient Runes which was halfway across the castle, and Charlotte was grateful once again that all she had to do for the rest of the night was snuggle into a dozen blankets and not think about the frozen grounds until next week.

She hugged her arms to her chest through her jacket and hurried up one staircase after another before finally laying eyes on the Portrait Hole, muttering the password and breathing warm air into her fingers as she entered the cozy common room.

She spotted him at once, though for once he hadn't spotted her, dark hair falling over his face as he scribbled onto a scrap of parchment in the vacant room. She let herself pause for only a second, ignoring the familiar nerves that ran through her stomach before starting over towards him and falling onto the couch beside him.

Sirius jumped the second she hit the couch, pulling the parchment from his lap to hide it from view before his eyes met hers, his shoulders dropping as a smile pulled to his lips.

"Merlin, blondie, you little sneak." He grinned, returning his paper to his lap, yet keeping it upside down.

"What are you working on?" She asked suspiciously as his eyes flickered to his parchment once again.

"New prank." He answered, vaguely. "James's idea." He offered her a shrug that did nothing to convince her that whatever he was planning was not exclusively his idea. "You're freezing."

"Just got back from Herbology." She mumbled, pressing her fingers to her nose which still felt freezing though her fingers were finally starting to warm up.

"Here," He dropped his notes to the table beside them, reaching for the bottom of his sweater and dragging it over his head, his hair falling messily back into place as he leaned towards her, her breath catching in her throat as he tugged the warm sweater over her top.

Her eyes caught on the flash of pale skin by his hips before he had the chance to fix his shirt, and though she was quick to pull her gaze to the sleeves of her new sweater, pretending to roll them up her wrists, Sirius's smirk was instantaneous.

"See something you like?" He teased, enjoying the flush that rose up her neck to her cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah. You're hot, we get it." She answered without thinking, her eyes meeting his and watching the smirk fall from his face at once.

"Did you just flirt with me?" His eyebrows curved as he waited for her answer, a grin returning to his face as she scrambled for an answer.

"Well, I figured I'd return the favor after months and months and months- hey!" She giggled, swatting his hand from where it had tried to link around her waist which did nothing to deter him as he moved closer to her, pinning her against the end of the couch.

"It's not my fault you're so bloody-"

"Sorry, thought this was the common area not your bedroom, Pads." James's voice shocked the pair apart, Sirius retreating a few inches back and giving Charlotte space to sit up straight, meeting James Potter's brown eyes and forcing herself to ignore the knowing grin.

"Don't blame me because you can't get any, Prongs." Sirius flashed a bright smile and a wink to James as Peter barked out a laugh behind them, the door shutting as Remus disappeared from their group, James spinning to check on their friend just in time to see the portrait hole slam.

"Where-" James looked back to Peter who offered him a shrug as the two Gryffindor's started towards the fireplace to join their friends. "Well, anyways. Any news you'd like to share with the class?" He continued, unsure where to plant his gaze as he looked between Sirius and Charlotte who wasn't sure if her face would ever return to it's original color at this point.

"Oh, yeah. That jacket's hideous, and we've got to be going." Sirius answered, jumping from the couch and linking his fingers through Charlotte's, pulling her up beside him, his hands landing on her waist to guide her towards the portrait hole ahead of him.

"Where are you going?" James called, already on his feet again.

"Got plans, Prongsie! You wouldn't understand!"

Charlotte chuckled and shot James an apologetic glance, though he looked anything but sad as he sank back to the couch beside Peter, both of them sharing a knowing grin.

"Where are we going?" She asked, softly, hearing the portrait hole fall closed behind them as Sirius started down the first flight of stairs at her side, his eyes scanning along the portraits on the walls, watching as they hopped between frames to gossip with their neighbors.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked, eyes finally meeting hers again.

"Sure." She answered, forcing herself not to look away from him as they turned at the next staircase, starting down a dimly lit corridor of empty looking classrooms.

"Have you noticed... Remus..." He paused, as if thinking of the words. "It's like every time I'm anywhere near you, he storms out of the room..." Charlotte didn't answer, partially because it didn't seem like he was asking a question anymore. "Have you noticed?"

"No." She let her eyes fall to the stone walls behind him, thinking over the past weeks. Now that he mentioned it, she realized he was right.

"Mmm..." Sirius hummed, leaning against the wall and Charlotte took a step closer towards him, keeping away from the chill of the wall that didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Why are you asking?" She pressed, not wanting him to drop the subject. What was he getting at?

"Is there anything going on with you?" He blurted, "You and Remus?"

Charlotte felt her mouth fall open slightly as she watched him, his eyes raking over her face as if he was trying to memorize every feature in the shadows of the hallway.

"You know everything that's going on..." She started, her stomach twisting nervously. "He hates me... and we don't really talk much at all anymore-"

"He doesn't hate you." Sirius cut her off and she shrugged. "You asked him... to Slughorn's party."

"Sirius..."

"Do you still fancy him?"

She had never seen him go so long without even the hint of a smile or a joke. His normally bright eyes were dark, and she couldn't tell if it was simply the lack of lighting in this corridor.

"I don't fancy him." She answered, her voice barely a whisper, her heart beat seemed to echo throughout all of her limbs.

"No?" The smile was nearly back now, she could see the start of it in his eyes even if it hadn't reached his lips yet.

"No." She shook her head, her feet feeling heavy, holding her in her spot as Sirius moved towards her again, one hand coming to the side of her face. There was barely a space between their noses now and Charlotte was sure her lungs would give out any second if she didn't breathe. His thumb traced gently over her cheek, fingers curling beneath her chin and tilting her face towards his before she finally took half a step back, eyes falling to the floor.

Sirius paused for a moment, his fingers falling from her face, the smile vanishing from his face once again.

"Why do you always do that?" He asked, his voice quiet though Charlotte could hear it as if he was whispering into her ear.

"Do what?" Her blood was pumping so loudly in her ears she was shocked he couldn't hear it himself.

"Pull away from me." He answered, closing the gap between them again with another step.

"I didn't-"

"Yes. You did. You always do."

Charlotte ran her tongue over her lips nervously and pulled one arm over the other, fingers tracing over the soft fabric of Sirius's sweater.

"Blondie." He tucked one finger between hers and pulled her closer until all she could smell was the familiar cologne, her head practically swimming from the proximity. "Talk to me... please?"

"You..." She shook her head, letting out half a laugh.

"I?" His head cocked to the side, pulling her gaze back to his.

"You make me nervous." She whispered, pulling her lip beneath her teeth.

There was a terrible moment of silence where Sirius's eyebrows knit together, his mouth opening and closing twice before settling on a response.

"I'm making you nervous?"

"It's..." She clapped her hands over her eyes, resisting a groan. "It's not your fault, it's me, I-"

"No, blondie, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... I should have taken the hints, I'm sorry-"

"No!" She blurted now, dropping her hands to her side and meeting his eyes, hating the sad look that was waiting there for her. "Just... It's not... Sirius, I don't want you to get sick of me and... and I let myself..."

She had seen Sirius Black confused many times, yet the look that graced his face now was nearly unrecognizable.

"Sick of you? What are you talking about?"

"I just don't want to... I don't want it to go wrong and... or if next month you..." She couldn't find a single sentence that didn't sound rude coming from her mouth, though he obviously got the idea from the scoff and matching smile that pulled to his lips.

"You think I could get sick of you?" He waited only a second for an answer, "Blondie, I'm surprised you're not sick of me."

The nerves that had twisted their way into her stomach began to settle, though she still wouldn't meet his eyes until his fingers found their way back to her chin, his thumb running over her bottom lip carefully.

"I'd really like to kiss you, Charlotte. So you'd better tell me if you don't want me to." The bold smirk had returned at his words, though Charlotte hardly noticed as he once again tilted her chin up until her lips pressed to his, his other hand slinking along her waist, shivers erupting beneath her sweater as he pulled her against him. The hand on her chin slid along her cheek until he could cup her jaw, pulling her into the kiss more than she had even thought possible, his lips working against hers as if he'd been waiting a lifetime to do so.

It felt like an eternity before he pulled away, as if it had been another lifetime entirely before their lips had touched, yet Sirius's smile was the same.

"I care about you so much." He muttered through the small space between their faces. "I could never get sick of you."

Charlotte chuckled nervously, rolling her eyes before she felt his fingers back on her waist, pulling her roughly against his chest.

"So..." He started, "Can I start telling everyone that you're mine, officially?"

"Officially?" She asked, her lips curving into an involuntary grin.

"Well, you see, you've been mine since September. You just made me work like hell for it."

Chapter Text

Charlotte could practically feel the air shift as the boys entered the Great Hall for breakfast. As Sirius entered the Great Hall. James's laughter boomed over the crowd, Sirius wearing a sleepy, yet full, grin, Peter and Remus dragging their feet behind them as they made their way to the girls.

Mary kicked Charlotte, unnecessarily hard, in the shin as they drew near with a smirk and Lily shook her head at the dark haired girl, mouthing a warning for Mary to behave.

James fell into place beside Lily at once, as if there had been no other seat he could possibly have taken in the entire room, Remus dropping down at his side and pulling breakfast over towards himself without a moments hesitation.

Charlotte pushed a mug of milky coffee towards Sirius as he took his seat beside her and a smile tugged at his lips as he wrapped his fingers around the steaming mug.

"Thanks, blondie." It was ridiculous, how just hearing his voice could fill her chest with warmth. He took a sip, set the mug back to the table and looped one arm around her neck, pulling her close to press a kiss to her temple.

"No!" James called, drawing the attention of everyone at the neighboring tables who simply offered the Marauder's an eye roll and went back to their breakfast.

"He didn't tell you?" Marlene didn't even attempt to bite back her laughter at James' wide eyed stare.

"Pads, the betrayal!"

"You're joking!" Peter now looked fully awake, though Remus's eyes skated over the couple before falling back to his breakfast at once in silence.

"It's not been twelve hours, tossers."

"It has absolutely been twelve hours." Mary muttered, Marlene glancing at her fingers briefly as Lily choked back laughter.

"Are you paying her?" James grinned, obviously already lining jokes up in his head. "Char, blink twice if you need help."

"Yeah, we've got a safe house all ready if you need one, don't we, Moony?" Peter kicked the brunette lightheartedly though Remus hardly looked up, raising his eyebrows slightly to appease his friend before gulping down another sip of tea.

"Are you feeling better, Remus?" Lily asked, noting her friend's silence and also knowing Charlotte would appreciate the attention being stolen from her.

"Much." He answered, nodding Lily's way.

"Good, because there was no way you were missing this game!" James clapped Remus on the back before turning back to his own breakfast. "Can't believe you didn't tell me, you've only been pining after her since Sept-"

"Sod off, kindly?" Sirius interrupted, though the damage was done, Mary practically on her feet across the table.

"I told you!" She blurted, "Day one, I told you all!"

"Well, this has been lovely." Sirius tried for a glare at James, though it did nothing to suppress either of the boy's smiles.

James had finished scarfing down his food at record time to pull Marlene along down to the pitch to get ready. Peter had allowed the rest of the group twenty more minutes before claiming he couldn't wait any longer and begging them to start down to the game.

"Peter, it's bloody cold and we've nearly half an hour left before they'll actually start." Sirius groaned, eyes flashing towards the doorway.

"We want good seats! We can watch them warm up!" Peter whined.

"You watch them practice practically every night." Sirius bit back before Remus set a hand on Peter's shoulder and nodded towards the Entrance Hall.

"Come on, I'll go with you." He spoke softly, already out of his spot and nodding a quick goodbye to the Gryffindors.

"Lunatics." Sirius called, a grin spreading over his face as he watched Remus shake his head.

The rest of the Gryffindor's were able to stall nearly another 45 minutes before Lily glanced at her wrist once again, declaring they should really get outside.

"Yeah, you'd hate to miss James's first big loss of the year." Sirius grinned, flinching away as Charlotte smacked his chest lightly. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be on my side now?"

"If that was part of the agreement, I must not have read the fine print." She teased as the four of them pushed through the heavy doors leading to the snow covered grounds. Charlotte wrapped the brown scarf tighter around her neck and leaned deeper into Sirius's side, his arm circling her waist and his fingers pushing into her pocket for warmth.

"You don't actually think they'll lose, do you?" Lily asked, glancing up to Sirius, Charlotte noting the nerves painted on her face clear as day.

"To Hufflepuff? Not a chance." Sirius beamed, "Even if half the team does have a cold from Potter's ridiculous practice schedule."

"Yeah, don't you worry, Lils. Your boyfriend will lead Gryffindor to another victory." Mary grinned, Sirius's eyes lighting up at the comment.

"Why's he practicing so hard then? If Hufflepuff is such an easy win?" Charlotte skated past Mary's joke, though Lily's cheeks were still tinged pink.

"Because James is a perfectionist. Annoyingly, really. And when they win this game, James thinks it will shake Slytherin's confidence for next month's game."

"I don't think anything can shake Slytherin's confidence." Mary said through an eye roll as the group climbed the last few steps of the crowded bleachers, falling into their seats that Remus and Peter had saved for them near the top of the stands.

"Peter, I know the view is bloody brilliant, but it's colder than Salazar's heart up here." Sirius grumbled, finally releasing his fingers from Charlottes and stuffing them into his own pockets.

"Want my scarf?" She whispered, biting back a smile at the way the tip of his nose had turned pink.

"No, blondie. Bit too fashionable for me, don't you think?" He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes. Coming from the grunge king himself. I'm surprised your jeans are hole-free today."

"It's winter." He snarled, though the corners of his lips were turned permanently into a smile. "I thought girlfriends were supposed to be nice?"

"You picked the wrong one." Mary teased, leaning forward to thump Sirius on the back of his head as Charlotte giggled, Remus's eyes glued carefully to the sky as the game began.

"Girlfriend?" Peter repeated, apparently finding this a big enough conversation to distract him from the start of the game he'd been so excited to watch all morning.

"Yeah." Sirius answered, "Girlfriend."

"About time." Mary grinned, meeting Lily's eyes, though her green ones flickered between Sirius and Charlottes smiles and Remus's clenched jaw before everyone's attention was finally pulled back to the game.

"Potter with ten points, the first goal of the game, not even five minutes in!" The announcer's voice rang through the stadium as everyone jumped to their feet to cheer, Lily's grin nearly taking up half her face now.

☾

January had come and nearly gone in what felt like the blink of an eye. It seemed only yesterday that she had been snuggled up on the Potter's couch beside Sirius, watching the snow fall outside of the glittering windows. Sirius's fingers were cool against hers, though she guessed it was from the chilly corridors which they had been walking through since dinner. He had taken to walking her back the last couple of nights, purposely taking different turns around the perimeter of the castle, though she didn't mind. Extra time with him, just the two of them, before she would have to leave him for the night. She didn't mind one bit.

"You know, I miss waking up beside you." Sirius spoke, as if he had read her mind. Her lips spread into a small smile, though he caught it at once, his eyes hadn't left her face in a while.

"That has only happened once, Sirius." She pointed out as the two of them finally started up the final staircase towards Gryffindor tower.

"Exactly my point. I think it should happen more often." He grinned.

"Well, it's such a shame Gryffindor didn't trust boys like you with access to the girls dorms."

"And such a relief that he trusted good girls like you with access to ours." He teased, mischief sparking in his eyes in the dimly lit corridor.

"Your roommates won't appreciate that, I feel."

"I don't give a rat's ass." He laughed, "Besides, if I have to listen to James pine over Evans every night, they can put up with an overnight guest a few nights a week."

"A few nights a week?" She grinned as he muttered the password, pushing through the portrait hole.

"Alright, every night, then? God, you're needy!" He shrugged, Charlotte's laughter echoing through the room, the rest of the Marauders glancing up at the pair. James's grin spread over his face, his mind trailing away from the game of chess he and Peter had been focused on, while Remus's eyes flickered back towards the book in his lap at once before it snapped shut. He didn't spare anyone another glance before rising from his seat and starting up the staircase to the boys dorms.

Sirius's smile fell from his lips at once, glancing to Charlotte who was quick to pull her gaze back from the tall Marauder's disappearance, pasting a convincing smile over her frown.

"I'll be right back..." Sirius muttered, pulling her closer to press a quick kiss to her forehead. "We're not done with this conversation." He pointed a finger at her as she started over to sit with James and Peter, Sirius starting up the staircase after Lupin.

His friend moved awfully fast for someone with such a bad hip, and Sirius was already at their door before he finally caught the boy. He knew he had heard him, that he had likely heard the entire exchange, every step Sirius had taken after him, yet he didn't turn as he pushed through into their shared dorm.

"What is your problem, lately?" Sirius asked, Remus finally facing him, a scowl painted across his face as he shook his head with a small shrug.

"Dunno what you mean." He muttered, dropping his book to the nightstand beside his bed.

"Yeah, you do." Sirius snapped, "Why are you still being so terrible to her? She's left you alone now, isn't that what you wanted."

"If you're talking about Charlotte-"

"Yeah, Charlotte, of course Charlotte!" Sirius bellowed, Remus blinking as his voice rose. "I'm not standing by anymore while you treat her like shit."

"I'm not doing anything, Sirius."

"Storming out every time you see us together? Completely dropping out of every conversation when anyone brings us up? She's my girlfriend, Lupin, so whatever problems that you had with her, either spit it out or let it go."

"I have no problems with her, Sirius! She's great! She's bloody perfect, I'm so happy for you both." Remus's voice rose now too, neither boy seeming to care for the other dorms surrounding theirs.

"Okay, so that's your problem then?" Sirius's voice was practically a growl. "You've still got feelings for her-"

"I've never had feelings for her-"

"Well, excuse me if I couldn't tell! You've been so back and forth the entire year. Tutoring her every weekend, talking shit about her behind her back, lending her all of your favorite books, standing her up for Slughorn's party. Don't think I don't know about you getting her that scarf."

"I can't get her a scarf?"  Remus scoffed, his lips sliding into half a smirk. "Should I remind you of the reason she even needed one?"

"Piss off, Lupin." Sirius was practically seeing red. "I'm happy. She's happy. I'm not letting you ruin that just because you can't get your bloody feelings in check."

Remus was silent, his jaw clicking into place as he watched Sirius, looking almost bored with the conversation.

"You had your chance. You had months. She picked me. And you've got to accept that, or we're going to have to talk it out."

More silence.

"And I guess that's not happening." Sirius scoffed, crossing back to the door and slamming it back into it's frame as he started back down the stairs, Remus sinking onto the bed and wincing as the noise echoed through the tower. He glanced at the book on his nightstand, contemplating for only a moment before falling back into bed, shutting the lights off with the wave of his wand and yanking the covers over his head.

Chapter Text

Charlotte crossed out the last line of her paper with a huff, the pressure of her quill nearly tearing through the parchment. Sirius had been helping, or at least pretending to, until about half an hour before when his head had fallen into his arms on the library table and his breathing had grown soft, fluttering the bangs strewn across his face.

Her lips pulled into a small smile as she watched him for a moment. It was hard to believe that even a year ago, he didn't even know her name. That she had spent all those years watching the Marauder's antics from afar, listening to Lily whine about their pranks and loud disturbances in class.

Determined to finish up before Sirius woke up, she set back to the paper, her eyes flicking between the book at her side and her work before Sirius's breathing began to pick up. Her gaze rose to watch him once again, her eyebrows creasing as she watched his face twitch in his arms.

"No..." He muttered, Charlotte glancing around at the emptying tables around them. The sun had long since sunk beneath the forest in the distance. "Please... M'sorry..." His voice was growing louder now, and Charlotte could see Madam Pince in the corner of her eye glaring towards them.

"Sirius..." She whispered, shutting the book at her side and moving into the chair beside his, her fingers falling into his hair, taming it out of his face gently. "Siri... Hey, wake up."

"Don't!" He cried, his eyes flying open at her touch as he jumped from his seat, his gaze flicking around the room wildly before landing on Charlotte beside him, her jaw dropped as she watched the realization dawn on his face.

"Shit." His fingers flew to his eyes, digging in as if he could wipe the sleep from them. "Sorry... Fell asleep." He mumbled, dropping back to his spot, his eyes avoiding Charlotte's even as he could feel them latched to his face. "Did you finish your... paper?"

She didn't answer, watching the pink rise to his face as he started to pull her essay towards him.

"Sirius..." She reached out, her fingers grazing his arm for half a second before he jerked out of her reach, his eyes finally meeting hers and softening at her hurt expression.

"Sorry." His shoulders relaxed as he slouched slightly back into his seat.

"Siri..." Charlotte tried once again, her fingers looping through his in his lap. "You had... you had one of those nightmares, didn't you?"

The gray eyes rolled to the ceiling, a scoff spilling from his lips. "I had a nightmare, yes. No big deal, blondie-"

"Do you have them a lot?"

"No." He lied, "Not a lot."

"You can talk to me... I'm here for you...." She whispered again, though by now they were one of the last few people in the library.

He blinked quickly, meeting her eyes again with a single nod. "I know, Charlotte. I'm fine, honest."

"Well..." She pulled her parchment closer and began rolling it neatly, stuffing her supplies back into her bag and nodding towards the hallway. "Maybe I'll just have to take you up on your offer from the other night... You can't be trusted to sleep alone anymore."

He chuckled softly in the quiet corridor as they walked side by side.

"Whatever I have to say to get you back into my bed... conscious, this time around." He teased and she shook her head, offering him a glare.

"You want to bring that up right now?"

"No, maybe not." He grinned, obviously well aware he had her wrapped around his fingers. Just the sight of the familiar smirk was enough to have her melting to the floor.

They climbed a few flights of steps and Charlotte listened quietly as Sirius droned on about the new Bowie album he had heard was coming out that summer, though Charlotte's mind could not focus on her boyfriend's words. All she could picture was him twitching on the table... the words he had mumbled beneath his breath.

"Listen," She said, suddenly, his words trailing off mid-sentence. "I know you don't like to talk about it... and I get it... because I can only imagine..."

"Charlotte."

"But... I would really like to help you, and I think that talking it out might help and we could work through it and maybe you wouldn't have the nightmares anymore-"

"I don't need your pity, Charlotte." His voice had grown dark now as they neared Gryffindor tower and Charlotte was thankful for the silent hallways, knowing she would likely not be able to have even heard his words otherwise.

"I don't pity you, Sirius!" She bit back, "I'm worried about you! I care about you!"

"Then just respect that I don't want to talk about it-"

"Do you ever think that maybe I feel guilty?" She stopped now as they neared the portrait hole, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened for her next words. "You got me out that night. And I wanted to go back for you, I begged James-"

"Blondie, for Godric's sake-"

"And he wouldn't take me back. I wanted to go get you, to help you-"

"Because Prongs isn't an imbecile."

"Because he knew it was dangerous!" Charlotte's voice was echoing through the halls now, "How do you think that made me feel? Knowing you had gotten me out, that James wouldn't even bring me back to you because it was too dangerous? And that's where you were? And we didn't know what was happening to you."

Sirius was silent, his eyes flickering to his feet, his head shaking lightly back and forth.

"And then you came back... and... you looked... so broken." She could feel the warmth pooling beneath her eyes, and was for once thankful that Sirius wouldn't meet them. "And James's mum said..." She trailed off, not knowing how to go on.

"Said what." He spoke again finally, looking to her, his lips flattening into a straight line as he stepped closer to her. "What'd she say?"

"That you looked like you'd been..."

"Yeah." Sirius breathed, his gray eyes linking with hers at last, his jaw set. "You don't have to say it."

Charlotte paused, watching the fear that seemed to lurk behind his eyes, though he wouldn't drop her gaze.

"Did they hurt you?" She whispered, the tears finally spilling over her cheeks. "Your parents... did they torture you?"

Sirius nodded just once, but it was enough. Charlotte couldn't remember the last time her heart had felt that way, as if it had frozen over and shriveled up all at once. She wasted no time, her fingers looping through his again and pulling him towards her, his arms clasping around her back. She could feel his breath against her hair, the scent of his familiar cologne engulfing her completely as she rubbed small circles against the warm skin at his neck.

"I'm fine, blondie." He muttered. "Everything's fine now."

"I don't want you to have nightmares anymore..." She breathed and felt his laughter rumble through his chest.

"I think I can handle it."

"Doesn't mean you should have to."

"Alright," He nodded, pulling away from her at last and tugging her lightly towards the portrait hole. "How about we wait a bit for everyone to be asleep, and then you can come oversee my sleeping habits."

"Oh, embarrassed to bring me upstairs now, Black?" She teased and he rolled his eyes, falling into the couch before the crackling fire.

"Never." He answered, "I've just been avoiding... well... Moony and I aren't really on speaking terms."

"What?" She tore her eyes from the fire to face him as he shrugged. "Why?"

"Because he's being a git."

"Sirius, he's your best-"

"Doesn't matter. I'm not going to sit around while anyone treats you like shit."

"Treats me... He hasn't been..." She trailed off, "You're fighting because of me?"

"No, we're fighting because he's an asshole."

"Sirius." She muttered, offering him a stern look.

"I am." He shrugged, the famous grin pulling back to his face.

"Very funny. He's not doing anything to me, so whatever you think you're mad at him for-"

"Oh, please. He storms from the room anytime you're around..."

"Well..." Charlotte paused. She couldn't pretend that she hadn't noticed that. "We've already been through this. Not everyone is going to like everyone."

"Nope. I don't care. He has to like you, he's got no choice." Sirius said, stubbornly before kicking his feet up onto the couch and falling onto Charlotte's lap.

"You're ridiculous. Do you know that?"

"I've been told." He smiled up to her, smugly.

☾

March was finally here, and aside from the constant reminders from James regarding their plans for Remus's birthday which were consistently met with an eye roll or a scoff from Sirius, what Charlotte cared about most was that Spring was coming.

Granted, it was still freezing outside, the walks to herbology could attest to that, especially the days where the rain turned to sleet in the early mornings. Yet, the promise of warmer weather on the horizon had everyone's spirits lifting enough to overlook the obvious tension between the two Marauders which James and Peter were doing their absolute best to overcome.

"Okay, yes, it's a Thursday, but we could all skive off lessons Friday to catch up on sleep-"

"We are not skiving off lessons, Potter." Lily interrupted, and Charlotte stifled a giggle. How James thought that idea was going to land with the red head was truly laughable. "Remus and I are prefects."

"It's his birthday, Evans! Let him live a little!" James was practically pleading now, though Sirius, usually the first to side with the idea of a party, was focused solely on the final few bites of his sandwich.

"I'm not sure Remus even wants a party..." Mary said, her eyes linked with James widening ones, as if she had just suggested they all take a leap from the astronomy tower head first.

"Well, he always says that, but everyone wants to celebrate with him-"

"If Lupin wants to spend his birthday alone, we should let him." Sirius shrugged, leaning back from the table, his arm stretching over Charlotte's shoulder.

"Pads..." James shot him a warning glance before his eyes glazed behind the couple, latching onto something just above Sirius's head.

"Sirius." The new voice spoke, and Charlotte could feel Sirius tense up against her at the sound. He turned slowly, eyes finally meeting the matching gray ones before him.

"Regulus..." Charlotte was sure she had never heard Sirius speak this softly, almost as if he wasn't in control of his words at all.

The dark haired boy didn't answer, holding out a crisp white folded parchment with a broken green seal. His eyes widened in annoyance as he waited for Sirius to take it before glancing to where Sirius's arm was still wrapped around Charlotte, turning quickly on his heel and starting out of the Great Hall.

"This ought to be good." Sirius muttered after clearing his throat, unfurling the parchment and scanning over the scrawled letters for only a second before his arm fell from Charlotte's shoulder.

"What is it?" James asked, an uneasy silence falling over the table as Charlotte watched Sirius's mouth fall open, his eyes blinking a few times.

"Sirius?" She whispered and he shook his head once, crumpling the letter and tossing it to the floor.

"My uncle's dead." He finally spoke, though his voice sounded forced.

"No!" James face fell into a frown nearly as deep as Sirius's. "Uncle Alphard?"

"Yeah." The dark haired boy answered, his eyes falling to the table before him.

"He's the one you really liked-" Charlotte whispered.

"He was." Sirius cut her off, "He was my favorite. The only one of them who was any good."

"How did-"

"Doesn't say." He cleared his throat, pushing his now empty plate to the center of the table and standing up. "I'm going to head upstairs... I'll see you..."

"Sirius, we can-" Lily trailed off as the group watched the dark haired Gryffindor storm past, falling into silence again as he left the Great Hall.

"Damn it..." James sighed, rubbing over his eyes with two fingers.

"That's awful." Peter muttered, sliding his plate away from himself as well.

"I'm going to see if he's alright." Charlotte nodded her friends a goodbye and hurried from the room, glancing quickly through the hallways to make sure he hadn't wandered off before starting up the stairs after her boyfriend.

It took her less than a minute to scan the common room before realizing he wasn't there. She barely paused, ignoring the glances from the rest of the Gryffindors before heading up to the boys dormitory and pausing outside of the familiar wooden door.

"Sirius?" She called, knocking softly twice. She waited for only a second before it sprang open before her, though he wasn't behind it. She stepped inside, shutting it quietly and glancing towards the mess of blankets Sirius was perched on across the room. "Hi."

"Hi." He answered, dully. "I'm really fine, you didn't need to come."

"I can leave if you'd like..." She took a few steps closer. "But I didn't want you to be alone. In case you want to talk-"

"Not really." He shrugged, his eyes meeting hers at last. "Nothing to say."

"That's fine." She nodded, finally reaching his bed and nudging his side with her knee. "Can I sit with you?"

"Course." He slid over a bit, her fingers slipping between his as she took her place beside him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I wish I could have met him."

He nodded, falling into silence for a moment. "Me too. He would have liked you."

"Was Regulus close to-"

"No." He was already shaking his head. "Reg's not close with anyone."

Charlotte didn't reply, just listening to the sound of their breathing in the quiet dorm. If Sirius didn't want to talk, she wouldn't force him to.

"Do you want to be alone?"

"No." He finally looked to her, squeezing her hand in his. "I'm glad you're here. I want you here."

She felt a small tug at the corners of her lips and bit back the smile. The way that he could still be so sweet even when he was hurting. And he was hurting, she could see it on his face.

"Will you stay with me?" He asked, his gray eyes dark in the dimly lit room.

"Love to." She answered, watching him fall back against the fluffy pillow easily, his fingers wrapping around her arm to tug her down beside him. She let her head rest on his chest, enjoying the rhythmic beating of his heart beneath her. They didn't speak again, relishing in the rare silence of the Marauders dorm as Sirius absentmindedly wound two fingers through the ends of Charlotte's hair until they had both fallen asleep.

☾

It had been a quiet few days, even as Remus's birthday drew closer, though Charlotte secretly thought that would work out in his favor. If Sirius was too sad, and James and Peter too busy walking on eggshells around their friend to plan him a giant birthday bash, Lupin might just get the quiet Thursday night he'd probably been wishing for the last 5 years.

Charlotte had been giving Sirius the silence he had asked for, all the while never leaving his side. He didn't want to talk about his parents, about Christmas Eve, about his uncle's death. That was fine. It was his life, his decision, and she would let him choose how he wanted to deal with it. Even if that meant searching his eyes a bit harder each morning at breakfast and each night before bed to make sure he wasn't hurting. At least, not too much.

She swung his hand in hers slightly as they walked from McGonagall's room back up to Gryffindor tower. It really was a Godsend, the free periods this year, and though she would suffering through each one in the library hunched over a book, she had been more than happy to give up the studying the past week to keep Sirius a company.

"You feeling alright?" She asked, finally, when he hadn't responded to her last two attempts to start a conversation. "Sirius?"

"Hm? Yes." He answered, his thoughts obviously miles away, even as he pulled his eyes to hers and nodded.

"You seem quiet." She said this as if he hadn't been quiet for days now, although he would probably appreciate her pretending not to have noticed.

"It's nothing." He answered, reaching out for the railing of the next staircase.

"Hey," She breathed, squeezing his hand softly. "I know you don't like talking about it. Any of it. But you can, if something's bothering you. I'm here."

He took in a deep breath, letting it out in a drawn out sigh and turning to face her as they reached the top of the last staircase.

"I've just been thinking..."

"Well, it's about time." She teased, relief flooding her chest as she watched the corner of his mouth twitch into the start of a smile.

"Blondie..." He rubbed two fingers over his eyelids before looking back to her. "I just don't know what I'm doing anymore..."

"What do you mean?" She asked, tugging him to follow her down the hallway, away from their common room and to a dimly lit corridor with three empty benches.

"I ran away from home." He muttered under his breath, "It's good. I'm glad I did. It was long overdue."

"Right..."

"I have decent grades..."

"More than decent."

"But nothing special. Nothing enough to overcome... if my parents don't want me working somewhere."

"You think they would really-"

"Yes. They would. I'm sure anything at the Ministry is out for me now."

"You would hate working there anyways-" Laughter bubbled through Charlotte's chest before Sirius spoke again.

"Well, I may not have a choice anymore. Working somewhere I would like to work? Becoming an Auror with James? What if I can't get a job anywhere... I mean, I never really thought what I would do after graduation because..."

Charlotte waited, partially knowing where his mind was headed.

"I didn't have to." He grumbled, "The heir to the Black fortune." He spoke as if the words were bitter on his tongue. "But now, I'm not... and I have nothing. If I didn't have James, I'd be homeless this summer."

"You wouldn't be homeless." Charlotte pressed her fingers into his, twisting them together easily. "You can stay with me. And we'll find work, both of us, and maybe we'll hate it, but eventually we'll find something we love, and-"

"I don't want you to have to take care of me." Sirius scoffed. "I'm supposed to take care of you. I never thought I wouldn't be able to, I mean... even the last few months, after leaving... I just kept thinking, my uncle... He didn't really speak to my family, they all knew they hated each other, but it was amicable. I thought... that's how I could be. After graduation... that maybe, I wouldn't have to lose Regulus. I wouldn't have to be an outcast."

"You don't have to lose Regulus."

"I already have." He shrugged, though it did nothing to hide his true feelings on the subject. "And now, without my uncle... It just feels like there is no one left on my side. Nothing left for me."

Charlotte shook her head, mostly to herself, as Sirius's gaze had fallen to the floor beneath their shoes. "Siri, life is not about money. I know, maybe you've never been without it, so it seems scary. But look at everyone else here? Look at Lily and Mary, Remus, me... you're in the same spot as all of us. Are you worried about us?"

"Y... Well, no." He stuttered, turning to face the blonde.

"Exactly. Because we're all going to stick together. We'll all find great jobs, we'll help you. Even if your parents do try to block you out. They're not your family anymore. We are."

Chapter Text

Charlotte stepped down into the warmth of the common room, hearing the familiar sound of laughter she hadn't heard in what felt like weeks. Her eyes flashed around the room for less than a second before landing on the boys, James, Peter, Sirius and... Remus. Remus, who wore a genuine smile and sat beside Sirius as if they hadn't been ignoring each other for weeks now.

She watched for a few more seconds, leaning against the arch of the doorway to the stairs behind her. Even if Remus had made the first few months of the term a bit glum... even if he had been driving Sirius crazy for weeks... she was thankful in this moment for the brunette. She had been waiting for that signature grin to return to Sirius's face ever since he had opened that letter and found out about his uncle. And there it was. Mesmerizing, infectious...

"Blondie!" He called at last, his gray eyes linking with hers, the smile spreading wider across his cheeks. "We've been waiting for you all evening!"

"Oh, have you?" She asked, nearing the couches, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. They deserved a bit of time, just the boys, and she was sure Remus agreed, though his smile hadn't faltered even as she joined the group.

"Yeah, come on. Let's do something. What should we do?" James agreed, scanning the room, likely for some more people to rope into their plans.

"I'm going to owl this home." Charlotte raised the roll of parchment in her hand and the boys groaned.

"Tomorrow. I'll take you before breakfast!" Sirius offered, his bottom lip jutting out in an exaggerated pout.

"Sirius, I'll be back in twenty minutes." She dropped her fingers to the top of his head, ruffling his hair messily and giggling as he slapped her hand away.

"Well, you've just bought yourself an hour for him to fix that mess." Remus grinned, the boys bursting into a new round of laughs as Sirius raised one finger towards the tallest Marauder before setting to straightening up his hair.

"I'll be back in a bit." Charlotte called, starting through the portrait hole and down the quiet corridor. She glanced up to the windows lining the walls where the sun was already slipping behind the horizon, leaving the faintest glow to compete with the lanterns lining the staircase.

The owlery was a short walk from Gryffindor tower and she smiled as a few small owls hopped down to greet her as she entered, obviously all hoping for some sort of treat in exchange for their flight. She slid two fingers softly over the nearest owl and reached for it's leg, tying the string around the parchment carefully onto it's ankle before offering it, and the friend beside it each a small part of a biscuit.

The owl hooted happily and hopped closer to the window before taking off into the night air, and Charlotte watched as it faded into the distance before turning back towards the staircase. She stopped in her tracks, one foot already onto the next step when three familiar faces rounded the corner, grins pulling into sneers as they spotted her.

"Oh, look who we have here." Rosier spoke, and Charlotte felt her stomach twist uncomfortably as she took another step to pass them before Crouch stepped out to block her path.

"Where you going, Harris?" The brunette asked, his canines poking out beneath his grin as he stared down at the blonde.

"Out at night with no little body guards?" Rosier continued, though Charlotte glanced towards Regulus who was making it a point not to meet her eyes.

"Bodyguards?" She scoffed, shaking her head and trying once again to pass the boys.

"How is Sirius? Haven't seen him much lately..." Crouch sneered, and Charlotte pressed her lips together, resisting the urge for a snappy comeback.

"He's alright..." She answered, though she knew their question had been rhetorical. "I'm sorry about your uncle, Regulus." She tried, the younger Black's eyes finally flashing to hers.

Evan let out a short laugh which echoed up the staircase. "His filthy blood traitor uncle? You think he needs your condolences? Their family is rid of one more embarrassment." He glanced to Regulus as Charlotte's mouth fell open, slightly, waiting to see how the smaller boy would respond.

"I should... get going..." Charlotte finally spoke again when it was clear that Regulus didn't plan to, taking another step down the stairs. "You know... if you do ever need to talk, Sirius is-"

Regulus scoffed now, eyes returning to Charlottes. "Oh, I'm going to talk to Sirius?" His voice was laced with venom. "My mother's told me plenty of things about my dear brother... and you can tell him he's not fooling anyone with his little half-blood girlfriend."

Barty and Evan snickered, Evan stepping aside at last, as if they had finished the conversation, excusing Charlotte from their sight. She didn't hesitate, shaking her head quickly and hurrying out of the stairwell and back towards the tower, though she no longer felt much in the mood to lounge around with the boys.

☾

Sirius's eyes raked over the clock along the wall once more, Flitwick's voice weaving in one ear and out the other as the seconds ticked by. It was the last class of the day, and he was more restless than tired by this point.

"Blondie..." He whispered and Charlotte glanced to the dark haired boy beside her, her eyebrows rising. "Want to do something after this?"

She shrugged, gaze drifting back towards the front and hurrying to jot down Flitwick's last sentence. "Like what?"

"Whatever you want." He leaned his head onto the desk, gray eyes still staring up to her. "It's not as chilly today... could go for a walk?"

"If you'd like." She nodded.

"Are you alright?" He asked, scanning over her face, her eyes stuck to the parchment before her.

"Course." She answered at once, Sirius's eyebrows furrowing in confusion as Flitwick at last ended his lecture, instructing everyone to read next week's chapter over the chatter and noise of everyone gathering their things.

"Hey," He reached for her arm as she slung her bag over her shoulder, her eyes finally returning to his. "Come here." He ordered, tugging her lightly into the hallway and around the nearest corner, away from the crowds headed down the staircase.

"What?" Charlotte asked after a moment when Sirius didn't speak.

"Are you upset with me?"

She shook her head, plastering on her best smile which did nothing to fool Sirius.

"Blondie... Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong!"

"You think I can't tell when something's bothering you?" He ducked his head to meet her eyes, his fingers wrapping around her wrist to pull her closer. "I'd like to think I know you quite well by now..."

She sighed, though Sirius couldn't ignore the hint of a smile pulling at the corner of her lip.

"Could I ask you something?" She finally spoke, her voice soft in the vacant hallway.

"Course you can." He nodded, peering down at the blonde and waiting as she considered her next words.

"Did you only bring me... to your family's party... to piss them off?"

Sirius paused, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion for only a second before he scoffed. "Charlotte, no. I brought you because I knew I would have an awful night and I wanted you with me so I wouldn't try to jump from the roof."

Charlotte sighed, resisting the urge to laugh as she considered his words.

"You could have brought anyone then... you've loads of friends..."

"I didn’t want to being a friend. I wanted to bring you and dance with you and… Charlotte, I’ve been in love with you for months now, is this really so shocking?"

"You couldn't be in love with someone you just met in September-"

"Blondie, dammit, I bloody knew you! We’ve had classes together for five years! Maybe we never talked, but I knew you. I knew you’d always sit in the middle of the class and that you hardly ever raised your hand and only spoke when you were called on but you always got the charms the quickest and memorized everything in history of magic.”

He paused, watching her eyes skate along the floor at their feet.

"I knew you before you started spending more time with Lily and the girls... I always knew you. Like in fourth year when we had those murtlaps in magical creatures and-"

"Did you just say you love me?" Charlotte interrupted and Sirius blinked twice, thinking over his last few sentences.

"Did I..." He paused, eyes returning to the wide, blue ones before him. "Yeah. Because I do. I love you."

The two stood in silence for another few moments before Sirius couldn't take it anymore, "You don't have to say it back. But I do. I'm in love with you, Charlotte, so no, I did not bring you to my parents to piss anyone off, I-"

He trailed off as Charlotte's fingers flew around his neck, pulling him down roughly into a kiss, though he couldn't have cared any less. His arms surrounded her as well, pulling her against his chest, both hands inching down to her hips as if there was anyway to bring her any closer.

"I love you too..." Her words were more of a breath against his lips and he felt his own tug into a grin at the sound. "I love you."

"Say it again." He mumbled, rejoining their lips for only a second. "Again, blondie."

"I love you." She giggled, the noise cut off as Sirius pressed another kiss to her lips.

"One more."

"Sirius!" She laughed.

"I can't help it. Never thought I'd see the day-"

"Shut it." She ordered, though her smile didn't falter as she waited patiently, only for a second, for his lips to return to hers once again.

☾

Charlotte climbed up the final flight of steps before reaching the rickety ladder that lead to the astronomy tower. It really wasn't all that late yet, and she couldn't have been less tired. She had spent the last two days entirely tucked into Sirius's arms, through classes, meals and any free time, and now it felt odd to be without him.

Still, she knew it was important for him to be able to spend time with his friends, and if they wanted a boys night, she wouldn't stand in their way. Especially now that Remus and Sirius were on speaking terms again.

She hadn't seen Mary or Marlene since lessons had ended earlier and Lily had far more homework than Charlotte could ever have dreamed of, in her nightmares anyway. How her friend was handling her extra classes when Charlotte herself felt on the verge of mental collapse most days was beyond her.

She pulled herself onto the platform of the tower, the night's chill was a pleasant change from the stuffy air she had left behind in the stairwell. Her eyes scanned over the stars, though you couldn't see as many tonight as she was used to. There were a few rolling clouds in the sky and she stepped closer to the railing before noticing the dark haired boy at the end of the tower.

Regulus.

She hesitated, her heart hammering a bit quicker in her chest as she waited for him to speak, though after a few seconds, she realized he wouldn't. He often didn't. She was starting to register that about him.

"Sorry... I didn't realize..." She muttered, glancing back towards the ladder back into the castle. "I'll go."

"You don't have to." Regulus finally spoke, his voice much softer than it had been last week in the owlery.

She paused, thinking it over but not moving to leave. It was rare to find him without any of his housemates. She only wished it could have been Sirius who found him instead.

"Alright." She answered finally, leaning against the railing, her eyes returning to the sky. She wasn't sure what she had intended to do up here, or how long she had planned to stay, though after three flights of stairs, she wasn't ready to head back down just yet.

The clouds rolled along until they began to thin out, revealing the glowing full moon alongside the glittering constellations. Charlotte snuck a peek towards Regulus, only to let out the breath she had been holding in when she noted his eyes stuck to the sky as well.

The two sat in silence for a while, though she had no way of knowing how long it had been. The chill began to eat through her, or rather, Sirius's sweater and she had all but decided that it was time to head down when he spoke again.

"I'm sorry." His voice rang out, clear, yet quiet and Charlotte turned to face him, though his eyes were glued to the floor boards. "For saying anything... about Sirius. I shouldn't... I don't know what I was talking about."

Charlotte was already nodding before he had even stopped speaking, stepping silently closer to him and taking a seat a safe distance away. Even if he was being nice right now... even if Sirius thought he wasn't like the rest of the Slytherin... She was sure he wouldn't want her that close to him.

"It's alright." She said, tugging her knees to her chest and leaning back against the wall to look back at the stars. The two fell into silence again and Charlotte wondered if it would be rude to leave now... if he had more to say, or if he was wishing she would leave him alone.

"You smell like him."

Charlotte blinked, turning to face Regulus who had finally met her eye.

"Like Sirius?" She confirmed, and Regulus nodded once. "His sweater." She explained.

"Figured."

She paused for a few more moments of silence before looking to him again. "Do you miss him?"

Regulus let out what sounded like a mix of a scoff and a sigh, and for a few moments, Charlotte was sure he wasn't going to speak to her ever again.

"Sirius just never gives a shit about anything." He said, and Charlotte noted the lack of a yes or no. "The rest of us have to play by all of the rules. We don't get to do whatever we want to."

"The rules?" She pressed and Regulus rolled his eyes to her, his lips pulled into a tight line.

"As if you don't know."

"At home?" She asked, her voice so soft she wasn't sure how the younger boy could still hear her. Though perhaps he hadn't, as he didn't answer, even as minutes ticked by in silence. "Birds born in a cage think flying's an illness..."

Regulus finally looked to her again, his eyebrows furrowed together almost identical to the expression she watched cross his brothers face multiple times a day.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"A... playwright said it... I read it... Doesn't matter." She stuttered, refusing to admit to the boy that she had been quoting a muggle. "It's your life, Regulus. You have to do what you want... but, do it because you want to, not anyone else."

"Not that easy." He grumbled under his breath and she nodded, though he wasn't looking at her anymore.

"It would be hard. It's been really hard for-" She trailed off as both of their attention was drawn over the railing, to a long and deafening howl.

"What the hell?" Regulus's eyes were wide as he jumped to his feet, rushing towards the edge of the platform and scanning over the dark school grounds.

"What was that?" Charlotte asked, quietly, ears still trained for any noises.

"Bloody wolf..." Regulus shook his head, turning away from the edge. "Who knows what they've got in that forest."

"Yeah... we should-"

"Bed." He cut her off, already halfway towards the doorway. "Well, come on. Not leaving you up here unsupervised."

"Unsupervised?" She chuckled, attempting to turn it into a cough at his scowl. "What am I going to do? Light the place on fire?"

"Launch yourself off, maybe? You are dating my brother now." He grumbled and Charlotte's lips pulled into a small smile as she started down the ladder ahead of him, pausing at the bottom as he jumped down the final few rungs, stalking off towards the next staircase without another word.

Chapter Text

Charlotte fell into the open spot beside Marlene, who looked nearly as tired as Charlotte felt herself. She had outlasted even Lily's studying in the common room the night before, trying to wait up to say goodnight to Sirius before bed, though eventually giving in after jolting awake for the third time in the arm chair beside the fire.

Whatever the boys had been up to, it had kept them out quite late, and she wasn't surprised to find them still half asleep as they fell into three of the four vacant seats in the back row just as McGonagall rose from her desk to begin the days lesson.

"You idiots were out all night again, weren't you?" Marlene laughed, shaking her head as she pulled out her notes.

"What's life without a bit of fun, McKinnon?" James answered through a yawn, though none of the boys were moving very quickly to at least appear as though they were taking notes.

"Where's Remus then?" Mary asked the question Charlotte had been fighting since they had entered the room without their tallest roommate.

"Oh, you know Lupin..." Sirius started slowly.

"You boys keep him out too late! He's not always hyped up on adrenaline like you three." Lily said loudly, pulling the attention to herself before changing the subject. "Now I'll have to bring him his notes again, he doesn't like to fall behind, you're all going to fall ill if you don't get enough sleep-"

"Yes, mum! We hear you loud and clear!" Sirius hissed through a grin, James sleepy eyes stuck to the back of Lily's head through her ramble, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

While it certainly would have been no ones pick, aside from Lily's perhaps, double transfiguration first thing in the morning, the hours passed quickly and before long the group was headed towards their last lesson before lunch. A thought that seemed permanently etched into Peter's mind.

"Well, we did miss breakfast!" He whined as they started towards their usual seats beside a very tall, yet very slouched figure.

"Remus!" Mary grinned as he turned back to offer his friends a tired looking smile. "God, you look awful. Why didn't you take the whole day off? Someone ought to give you one of those Merlin Order medals for putting up with this lot." She rambled, though Remus's smile didn't waver as he shrugged off her words.

"Well, there's still time." He agreed, the rest of the class filing into the room at last.

"Good morning class, hopefully everyone is enjoying the warmer weather we're getting lately?" Their professor muttered from the front of the room, shuffling through a few piles of parchment on his desk before looking up. "I've got a special lesson planned for us today. Mr. Filch has found himself a Boggart in a storage closet on the fifth floor and the Headmaster has agreed that we can study it this week before they cart it off."

There was a low murmur around the room, some worried glances exchanged with neighbors while some people seemed excited, James's eyes finally widening from their previous sleepy stance.

"Now, for those of you who haven't read up on the creatures, you should know they can be quite fearsome. They've learned to read their opponents quickly, and transform themselves into whatever you fear the most. Some of you might not even know this yourself, and it can be a frightening experience. This being said, I will not force anyone to participate, but I do hope that some of you are willing to face your fears so that we can all learn something today. And I'll expect a two page paper on Boggarts on my desk by next week. You may work in pairs."

There was a low cheer which their professor allowed for a few moments before waving his hands through the air and nodding towards a large oak cabinet near the corner of the room.

"Anyone who's willing to give it a shot? Come on up!" He scanned the room, most of the Ravenclaws seemed content in their seats, and Charlotte's eyes wandered towards Sirius who's gaze was planted firmly on the table before him.

James was the first out of his seat, a mixture of chuckles and eye rolls spreading through the room as he started towards the front excitedly, Marlene shrugging and following suit along with a few other students from around the class.

"Very good, Mr. Potter, I should have guessed." The professor smiled, taking a seat behind his desk as James approached the cabinet. "Now, I'm going to open the doors, whatever you see... you're to picture it as something laughable. Imagine it as anything humorous, it thrives on the fear of it's opponents, and you cannot let it see that from you."

James nodded, confidence practically flowing from the messy haired boy in waves.

"Once you're ready, the spell is Riddikulus!"

"I'm ready." James confirmed, and everyone watched as the doors flew open at once with a slight bang, a dark, tattered, cloaked creature drifted through the room. James blinked, took one step back and watched for only a moment as the creature grew larger over the room.

"Riddikulus!" He shouted at last, a loud ruffle filling the room as the creatures cape surrounded it's hood and began to shrink into itself like a deflated balloon. James's smile returned to his face as the class offered him a quick applause and the professor stood once again, the cabinet doors shutting with the flick of his wand.

"Well done, Mr. Potter! Rather a two-for-one for us, everyone! Can anyone tell the class what that creature was?"

"A Lethifold, professor!" Lily answered, her hand in the air, though she hadn't waited to be called on. "They're nearly silent, and are known to capture and suffocate their victims before digesting them whole. No remains are ever found in these attacks." She muttered, her eyes lingering on the cabinet.

"That's correct, Miss Evans, five points to Gryffindor. Miss McKinnon, when you're ready?" He gestured towards the cabinet and Marlene stood a bit father back than James had, nodding once before the doors opened again.

After the class had successfully vanished a very large acromantula, a troll, and what looked to be a disfigured skeleton, there was only one Ravenclaw remaining in line, and she looked quite ready to be back in her seat.

"Alright, last one! Then I'll give you the rest of the lesson to start your papers with the partners of your choice." The professor nodded towards the Ravenclaw before the cabinet burst open once more.

There was a long pause of silence before a slender creature crawled slowly from the cabinet, hunching forward and letting out a low growl towards the small Ravenclaw.

"Ah, shit." Sirius hissed and Charlotte spun to face him for only a second before letting her eyes flicker back towards the wolf at the front of the room.

"Ri-" The girl started, though the wolf cut her off, leaning back, tossing it's snout towards the ceiling and letting out a long, eerily familiar howl. "Riddikulus!"

The howl was cut short, the wolf shrinking down lower and lower until a small poodle sat in the room before them, a large pink bow tied to each ear and it scampered quickly back into the cabinet, the doors shutting with a bang behind them.

"Well done, class! If only it were that simple to escape a real werewolf, isn't that right Miss Spencer?" The professor chuckled as the girl took her seat, smiling nervously at her friend. "Alright, everyone pair up now! You've about twenty minutes left to get started."

Before Charlotte could even look to Lily beside her, the red-head was already out of her seat, pulling a chair closer beside Remus in the back row.

"Hey!" James glanced between the seats, apparently confused how he had already managed to lose Evans before he'd even had a chance to try.

"Oh, come on." Lily argued, already pulling out a roll of blank parchment as Remus blinked slowly. "You exhausted the boy last night, he deserves a partner who will actually do their fair share of the work."

"We do our fair share of the-" James trailed off as Sirius dropped into the now vacant seat beside Charlotte.

"Fine by me." He shrugged, pulling the empty parchment from before Charlotte towards him. "What are we writing about, love?"

"You think I'm going to do the whole assignment for you?" She grinned, pushing the ink well towards him.

"No, just give me a rough idea. I'll get you a good grade, blondie." He dropped his fingers to Charlotte's thigh, squeezing quickly, his fingers dragging over her tights and watching as her gaze flickered between his eyes and his hand.

"That was stupid. What he said." Lily muttered to Lupin, already two sentences into their work.

"Sorry?" He mumbled, glancing up, though Lily's writing didn't stall.

"About werewolves." She continued. "They're people too. Everyone seems to forget that."

Remus glanced to the floor, thinking over her words. He'd had very little sleep after returning to the hospital wing that morning, and his heart was now racing at the redheads words.

"It doesn't seem to be a very popular opinion." He answered, quietly.

"Well, it's mine." She said, dropping her quill back into the inkwell and finally meeting his eyes, the bright green color practically glowing, her mouth set into a thin line. Neither of them spoke for what felt like minutes before Remus finally nodded, his heart still thundering beneath his chest.

"Thanks, Lils..." He whispered, hardly believing what was happening.

"Of course, Remus." Her lips pulled into a smile and she nodded twice before returning to their paper. "Can you grab my book, because I'm almost positive that the first boggart was spotted in Venice, but now I'm second guessing myself because-"

Remus bit back a smile as he passed the book towards her, allowing her to ramble on as he took a deep breath, waiting for his heart rate to return to normal. She knew. And she didn't care. And he felt quite sure there would be no afternoon nap for him that day. He hardly felt tired at all anymore.

☾

"What do you mean she knows?" Sirius hissed, biting his tongue at the stern glare Remus shot him from across the table.

"I mean. She. Knows." Remus answered, digging into their dinner and glancing towards the doorway, anxious for the arrival of the girls. If Lily knew, would she have told the rest of them? Would they react the same? Perhaps they had convinced the redhead that he really was far too dangerous to associate with. Maybe they were running late after a meeting with Dumbledore to discuss his immediate removal from Hogwarts.

"Lupin!" Peter snapped two fingers in the tall boys face. "Stay with us."

"How could she know?" Sirius asked again, his eyes linking with his friends once again.

"Well couldn't be the fact that we're conveniently missing every full moon..." Remus muttered.

"Or that we all show up half asleep the morning after and Remus is always in the infirmary-"

"Charlotte's seen me there. The next morning. They could have pieced it together. Oh Merlin, they surely all know by now..." He dropped his face into his hands, his plate of food the last thing on his mind now.

"Moons, the girls are not going to care, we've always said that." James started, setting a warm hand on Lupin's arm, though he didn't remove his face from it's hiding spot.

"Yeah, Lupin... this is a good thing!" Sirius said. "I don't have to sneak around behind Charlotte's back anymore and make up excuses for where we're going every month and-"

"I'm so happy this could benefit your relationship, Pads." Remus groaned through knit fingers as James shot Sirius a warning glance.

"What did Lily say, Remus? Exactly?" The messy haired boy asked, relieved as Remus finally looked back to his friends.

"That werewolves are people too." He started. "And I said that was not a popular opinion and she said that it was hers."

The four of them were silent for a moment before Sirius spoke again.

"Moony, that doesn't mean... she doesn't know shit, you idiot." He rolled his eyes, returning to his dinner.

"She knows." Remus repeated. "You didn't see her face. Staring at me, like she was waiting for me to admit it. She knows."

"I bet she does know. You can't get much past Evans." James agreed, watching the color once again fade from Remus's face. "If there's anyone in this school who I would trust with your secret, Moons, it's Lily."

"I agree." Remus nodded, picking lazily at his dinner again. "Still doesn't mean I wanted her to know. Any of them."

"I don't think she would have told-"

"Why can't Charlotte know?" Sirius cut in again, Peter's eyes flicking between the boys in rapid succession.

"Why does Charlotte need to know?" Remus bit back.

"Because she's our friend?" Sirius looked between the boys who both wore identical blank expressions. "Because she's a good person, like Lily, and she would keep your secret and you'd have one more person in your corner to-"

"I don't need anyone in my corner." Remus shoved his plate towards the center of the table where it vanished from sight. "And in case you haven't realized, the second that anybody at this school finds out what I am, it's over. I'll have to leave, no one wants a monster sleeping in Gryffindor tower." He hissed, standing from the table and starting towards the doorway, dropping his eyes to the floor as the girls walked through.

"Lupin, you can't be done eating already!" Marlene called, though Remus continued up the staircase, not sparing any of them a single glance.

"What's going on now?" Charlotte asked, her voice low as she dropped into the empty seat at Sirius's side.

"Nothing." He answered with a sigh, though Charlotte didn't press the issue.

"Where's he off to?" Lily asked, linking eyes with James.

"Needs a bit more rest. Long day. Long night." He joked, a fake grin plastered to his face.

"And yet a whole day passes with no pranks discovered? Perhaps you four have lost your touch." Marlene teased, starting on her dinner as the group launched into a loud conversation.

"How are you?" Charlotte asked the dark haired boy beside her and his eyes finally met hers, a small smile pulling to his lips.

"Much better now." He remarked. "Missed you."

"Did you?" She felt the familiar warmth envelope her chest at his words, though she focused her attention on the plate of food before her again.

"Always." He kicked her shoe gently beneath the table before falling back into silence as they both ate.

"Guess who I ran into last night." Charlotte said, watching as Sirius's eyebrows pulled together in thought.

"Last night?" He started, "Trying to confess something to me, blondie?"

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, turning slightly in her spot to face him. "You're allowed to sneak about the castle all night but I can't?"

"Correct. Go on."

"Found your brother. In the Astronomy tower."

There was a beat of silence, taken up only by Lily and James's banter over Boggarts and Lethifolds and how James truly can't explain why the Boggart would become that for him seeing as he is most certainly not afraid of them.

"You saw Regulus?" Sirius finally spoke.

"Mhm."

"By himself?"

"Yes."

"By yourself?" He scowled and Charlotte shot him a look.

"Sirius, he's your brother-"

"Yeah, and when he hangs out with a bunch of future death eat-"

"Stop!" She whispered, setting a hand on the rough fabric of Sirius's jeans. "I know he misses you."

"I'd sooner kiss Filch on the lips than believe he told you that."

"He didn't. But I can tell."

"Spare me." Sirius scoffed, stabbing through a piece of his chicken with his fork.

"I was wearing your sweater and he said I smelled like you."

"So? That's rather creepy, if anything."

"Sirius!" Charlotte whined, "He's struggling. I can tell. You know him. You always said he wasn't like the rest of them. You should try to talk-"

"I have tried to talk to him, Charlotte. You think I haven't tried that? He wants nothing to do with me, and he's too far gone, and I don't want you alone with him, or any of his little friends, alright?"

"I didn't go looking for him,"

"I know. But still."

"Alright, Mr. Over Protective." She huffed, allowing the conversation to rest. She knew Sirius missed his brother, even if he wouldn't admit it, and at the very least, she hoped she had put the idea of speaking to his brother back into his mind. "One other thing... when we were up there, we heard the strangest noise from the forest..."

Sirius looked to her once again, though his eyes were wide now as he waited.

"Your brother thought it was a wolf... I mean, I thought so too, and then today in class... Do you think there could be-"

"Charlotte, you've hardly eaten a thing! We're going to be down here all night at this rate!" Lily scolded, the crouton she had just thrown bouncing off the blondes nose and pulling her mind from the forbidden forest entirely.

Chapter Text

"Thank Merlin, it's finally nice out." James Potter's voice carried over the students all crowding into the streets of Hogsmeade, and Charlotte grinned as she watched Lily roll her eyes to the gray sky.

"Nice out? Potter, it looks like it's going to downpour on us all any second."

"No... No, I don't think so." James glanced up again before spinning to face the redhead behind him. "And it's not freezing, at least! Take a win when you can get one, Evans!"

She shook her head, though she didn't step away as James slid up beside her, their shoulders bumping as the group neared the Three Broomsticks.

"I'll get drinks." James offered, though Marlene pushed him easily towards the booth near the edge of the pub.

"No chance, Potter. You buy every time." She pointed towards their friends and James reluctantly retreated, taking a seat beside Lily in the back of the booth.

"I'll go with you." Charlotte said, following the tall girl towards the bar and leaning against the sticky wood as they waited.

"God, you two make me sick." Marlene muttered, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"What?" Charlotte's eyebrows flew up, scanning the room before Marlene could explain.

"Black hasn't taken his eyes off you since they sat down, it's like he thinks you're going to get lost in here." She answered, Charlotte's eyes linking with Sirius's gray ones, cocking her head to the side which only elicited her a familiar smirk from the marauder. "We need... eight butterbeers please."

The girls piled the bottles into their arms and started towards the booth near the back.

"Alright, what about Lily letting James fawn all over her all day?" Charlotte asked, softer now as they neared their friends.

"Oh, don't get me started." Marlene grinned.

"Sirius, none of us can keep up, love, just say aunt or uncle..." Mary begged as Sirius's mouth dropped dramatically.

"No, no, I'm with you! Your uncle, your mom's brother-"

"No!" Sirius whined, reaching for the butterbeer Charlotte held out and popping off the top easily.

"Pads, none of us can keep track if your family tree is more of a wreath..." Remus muttered, the edges of his lips curling into a grin as James burst into laughter, dropping his head to the tabletop.

"Fuck all of you." Sirius blurted, though his eyes were lit up and Charlotte slid into the empty spot beside him.

"We don't have much longer..." Lily looked worriedly towards the sky through the window. "It's definitely going to rain."

"Lils, are you going to melt?" Marlene teased and Lily shot her a glare.

"It's a long walk back when your boots are filled with water." She pointed out and Charlotte giggled as Marlene eyed her feet.

"Fair point... Remus can teach us that spell though for the rain?" They all spun to the tall boy who took another drink from his butterbeer, shaking his head.

"It's my day off. No teaching." He joked.

"Oh, how I wish that were true." Sirius teased. "Feel like you're lecturing me every day of my damn life."

"Well, I'm trying to catch up on the years you've neglected." Lupin answered without a second thought.

"Oh, please! I out-manner you any day."

"Out manner?" Mary chuckled.

"Neither of you have any room to talk about manners." Peter shook his head.

"Stay out of it Pettigrew." Sirius ordered, "Unless you're on my side. Like James."

"I'm definitely not on either of your sides... especially yours." James grinned as everyone finished the last of their drinks. "Alright... quick visit to Honeydukes then head back?" He glanced out the window once more where throngs of students were already marching back towards the school, eyes flashing to the sky every few minutes. The light spilling through the clouds in the village had already dwindled away significantly since their arrival.

"Potter... We get Honeydukes every time, it's going to pour-"

"What's a Hogsmeade trip without Honeydukes?" James pleaded, jutting out his lower lip and waiting patiently for Lily to give in. "I promise I'll get you back to school safe and dry, Evans."

"Oh, alright... we'll go quickly." She slid from the booth and James wasted no time jumping out after her as the rest of the group climbed to their feet.

"We'll catch up..." Sirius waved lazily at the group, catching Charlotte's wrist as she had gone to move.

"I don't think they'll change the curfew if we're stranded here for the storm." She teased, sliding back into the booth beside him.

"Oh, stranded... Don't be dramatic." He rolled his eyes, stealing a sip from her drink.

"Wonder where I learned it. Why aren't we going with them?"

"Maybe I'd like you to myself for a bit longer, blondie." He shrugged, his arm warm against hers as they watched their friends disappear into the crowds down the street.

"Is that so?" She smiled, watching as he slid one hand over her knee, rubbing small circles, gray eyes glued to hers.

"And I figured you'd want to stop at the bookstore before we head back?"

"Well not if it's going to rain..." She pointed out and Sirius shrugged.

"You can get a book. We'll fit it in your bag. It'll stay dry."

"And what about me?"

"You've got clothes back at the school." He grinned and Charlotte rolled her eyes, pushing her drink into his hand for him to finish before sliding out from the booth at last.

"Sirius Black choosing books over sweets? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Sirius Black's choosing his girlfriend over sweets." He pointed out, slipping one arm around the blonde's waist as they stepped out onto the dark street, the clouds looking dark and heavy now. It was much easier to move through the village now, the crowds clearing out for the inevitable storm and they made their way towards the bookstore at the end of the street. The bell rang as they pushed inside, the wind outside vanishing from earshot as the heavy door swung shut behind them.

"Do they even get new books here? Or do you just re-read them all?" Sirius mumbled, glancing around for the shopkeep as Charlotte began to glance over the first shelf on the wall.

"They get new books all the time, Sirius, how else would they stay open?" She bit back a laugh, flipping to the back of each book as the dark haired boy's eyes scanned over her face, a smile resting easily on his lips as he waited.

"This sounds good." She looked up, blinking in surprise when his eyes were already on her and held the book out for him to look at just as a loud clap of thunder shook the shop windows.

"Oh, Sirius, you've doomed us." She whined, stepping closer to the doorway and glancing up at the sky.

"It's not raining yet! Is that your pick?" He reached for the book from her hands but she snatched it back just in time.

"Yes, hands off." She ordered, leading the way towards the back of the store to pay and shoving the book into her crammed bag.

Sirius followed closely as they stepped back onto the street, the wind rushing through their hair and up the street as goosebumps erupted on Charlotte's skin through her sweater. Sirius looped his fingers easily around her arm, pulling her closer and pointing his wand at the bag resting on her hip.

"Impervius." He muttered, a slight glow outlining her bag for only a second.

"So you admit we're going to get stuck in the rain."

"We're not going to get stuck in the rain." He grinned, leading the way up the now empty path towards the school.

"What are you doing with the rest of your day then?" She asked, hurrying to keep up with him through the wind.

"Oh, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon, Charlotte." He grinned and she shook her head, her eyes rolling up to meet his.

"I wasn't trying to get-" She trailed off as another roll of thunder boomed above them, the floodgates of the promised storm following immediately. "Sirius!"

"Dammit..." He chuckled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along the path. "I blame you! You weren't walking fast enough, it threw off my calculations!"

"Right!" She called through the wind, her clothes already soaked through and clinging to her skin. Sirius's hand was slippery against hers, yet he continued to adjust his fingers around hers as they ran.

At last, they slipped through the gates guarding the school and Sirius pulled her quickly beneath the first tree they spotted, yanking her arm easily until she fell against his chest, her breath fogging up in the chilly March air.

"I'm sorry..." He muttered, though he could no longer hold back his laughter, his eyes scanning over her sopping hair, the way her clothes clung to every curve of her body heavily.

"What am I going to do with you, Black?" She giggled, locking her arms over her chest and glancing to the sky once again as the water sloshed through the muddy grass beyond the tree's cover.

"I can think of a few things..." He mumbled, stepping to her side, his fingers resting on her cheek, wiping away the stream of water running from her hair onto her neck. "I'm sorry I let you get rained on."

"It's alright." She whispered, watching as the gray eyes before her lit up brighter in the darkness of the storm. There was hardly a seconds thought before he had tilted her jaw up towards him, his lips pressing roughly to hers and his mouth parting easily, teeth sliding over her bottom lip and grinning at the slight gasp it earned him.

"You're so bloody perfect." He muttered, dropping his hand from her face and letting his fingers trail along her waist, leaning forward slightly and hoisting her from the ground, pulling her thighs around his waist before he slammed her back against the tree trunk to another clap of thunder.

His lips trailed from hers, along her jaw, down her neck until they could sneak beneath the soaked collar of her sweater, her breathing ragged, the goosebumps painting her skin no longer from the cold.

"Sirius..." She muttered and he hummed back an answer. "Someone will see."

"No one but you is crazy enough to be out in this storm-" He teased, trailing off as she used one leg to kick his hip, earning herself half a groan and half a laugh. "Alright, alright... I'm sorry... not my fault you're so beautiful."

"Oh, I'm sure... I look a mess right now." She stammered, her thoughts still on where his lips had been sucking against her skin only seconds before. Sirius let her down to the ground carefully and she ran her fingers through her tangled hair, bunching it behind her head in a makeshift ponytail.

"Alright... Let's get back to the school... Then I promise, no more storms."

"I'm not sure you can make that promise." She smiled, taking his hand once again as they sprinted back into the rain and towards the blurry doorway of the castle. Their shoes squelched against the tile flooring as Sirius squeezed her fingers into his, pulling her up the staircase.

"We're making a big bloody mess..." She whispered, as if that would keep them out of Filch's earshot.

"Filch has probably been getting bored anyways." Sirius grinned, though he cast a drying spell on the trail of water following their path up the steps.

"Where are we going?" She asked as Sirius yanked them from the staircase at the fifth floor, turning at the first corridor and tucking her beneath his arm.

"Are you cold?" He asked instead and she looked to him, confused. "Just trust me."

They walked for another minute through the silent hallways before Sirius paused beside an old iron doorway and muttered a spell, the door propping open as the Marauder peeked his head in, glancing around before pulling Charlotte inside.

"What... Is this a prefect bathroom?" She understood at once, shooting Sirius a stern look.

"Maybe." He grinned, shutting the door behind them and locking it with another incantation.

"We're not supposed to be in here!" She reminded him, although she was more than sure that Sirius knew this.

"Remus won't care."

"Remus is not the only prefect-" She trailed off as Sirius pulled her deeper into the large bathroom, stepping towards the deep, empty, pool-sized bathtub and turning a few silver knobs until water began to flood the empty basin.

"Come on... It'll be nice, and we'll be warm and I'll dry your clothes while we're waiting." He grinned, ripping his shirt over his head and tossing it neatly over a bench near a row of lockers.

Charlotte hesitated, her eyes trailing along the pale skin of his chest and back as he cast the first drying spell on his shirt before turning to her.

"We don't have to... I can just walk you back upstairs. I just thought it'd be nice and you'd get to warm up after I got you stuck in the storm-" His words trailed off as Charlotte's fingers reached for the bottom of her sweater, pulling it over her head and stepping over to her boyfriend, dropping the sweater beside his already dried shirt.

The icy gray eyes wandered over her figure for only a second before he turned to dry her sweater like his own and quickly undid his belt, letting his trousers drop over the edge of the bench as well as Charlotte pulled off her jeans, forcing her eyes back to Sirius's face, her arms crossed over her light pink bra as he finished drying their clothes and turned back to her.

"You're so gorgeous." He muttered quietly, crossing to her in a few steps and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, his fingers trailing along the soft skin at her hip. "Come on." He pulled her hand, leading them towards the bath which had now filled with steaming water and wasted no time jumping in, warm water splattering along the floor around them as Charlotte laughed, sliding in at the edge and waiting for him to surface.

"Worth it, right?" He sighed as he reached her, leaning against the tile beside her.

"Worth it." She agreed, sinking her shoulders into the hot water. "Sirius..."

"Hmm?" He answered, his eyes flicking to hers.

"Are those scars on your back from Christmas?" She asked, her voice nearly a whisper even in the oversized room. She watched as the corners of his mouth turned into a frown and silence overtook them for a few moments.

"No." He replied at last, dragging his fingers easily through the water in front of him and watching as the ripples vanished. "Those are old, Charlotte."

"Old?"

"Few years."

Neither of them spoke again, and Charlotte felt as though her stomach had iced over, thinking of what could have caused the long, thin slices along Sirius's shoulders.

"Do the boys know?"

Sirius nodded at once, and Charlotte waited to see if he would speak. "Course. James has been begging me to run away since first year, I swear." He tried to joke, yet Charlotte saw right through it.

She nodded, closing the inches between them and leaning her head against his shoulder, looking up and watching his frown fade away slightly.

"You didn't deserve that."

"You don't even know what happened." He pointed out, though she was already shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter. I know you didn't deserve it."

"I know I don't deserve you." He forced a grin back to his face, reaching for her legs again from beneath the water and chuckling as she screamed, her bare skin breaking free from the warm water she'd been enjoying.

"Stop! It's cold!" She laughed, still allowing him to press her back against the edge of the pool, his lips pressing lazily to her cheeks, not wanting to drown out her giggles.

"Is it?" He teased, wrapping her legs easily around his waist once again and trailing his kisses from her cheek over her jaw, her laughter fading into shaky breaths. "You want me to put you down?"

She didn't answer, pressing her lips together and shaking her head and Sirius felt the smirk rise to his face as he brought his lips down her neck and over her collarbones, noting the marks that were already forming from their time beneath the tree outside.

"Do you know how perfect you are?" He mumbled against her skin, earning himself another laugh as color rushed to her cheeks. "Answer me."

"Stop it." She whined, ducking her face into his shoulder, his chest vibrating beneath her as he laughed.

"But I can't..." He breathed, letting his lips trail lazily farther down her chest, sliding the wet strap of her bra down her arm and pulling her tighter against his hips as he pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder. "I'm so." Another kiss. "bloody." His lips returned to her neck. "In love with you." And finally, his lips met hers once again as he lowered her back into the warmth of the bath water.

Chapter Text

James Potter's birthday was on a Sunday. For anyone else, that would be a blessing. A day off from lessons, schoolwork, quidditch practice, yet anyone who knew James would have known he still had the team up at the crack of dawn.

Still, it didn't escape Charlotte's notice, Lily's lack of opposition as Sirius, Peter, Marlene and Charlotte spent most of the afternoon setting up their friend's school night party. She even caught Lily adjusting a crooked banner over the boys staircase, though she shrugged and rolled her eyes when Charlotte shot her a knowing grin.

And now, as the party raged on well after curfew, Lily had been the one to cast the silencing charm outside of the common room, allowing for the rest of the students to get some sleep upstairs, though judging from the crowds surrounding them all night, Charlotte figured most of Gryffindor tower was in fact still up celebrating their Quidditch Captain.

Peter and James had been locked into a heated discussion over the following week's Quidditch match, along with about a dozen other students Charlotte didn't recognize who were hanging onto every last word when Sirius tugged lightly at Charlotte's arm.

She glanced up from her place on his lap, her feet crossed on the arm of their shared chair and he nodded towards the window at the edge of the room, Remus waiting a few feet away, an unlit cigarette trapped between two fingers.

"I'll be back." Sirius pressed a soft kiss to Charlotte's temple, but she grabbed onto his arm as he moved to slide from the armchair.

"I'll come?" She spoke softly, not wanting to be left to the Quidditch conversation, as her only other ally was hanging onto James's every word, her green eyes sparkling in the low light of the fireplace.

"Yeah, alright." Sirius bit back a smile, pulling the blonde to her feet and leading the way after Remus towards the all too familiar seats beside the windows. The three took their spots, Charlotte making sure to find her own chair now that she was very conscious of Remus's presence, though the brunette had hardly looked to either of them until he held a cigarette out for Sirius. "Blondie?" The dark haired boy teased, and before Charlotte could even turn her nose up in disgust, Remus had answered.

"Knock it off." He ordered and Sirius threw his hands into the air, dramatically.

"Sorry, my lord." He grinned, still holding the unlit cigarette towards Remus who lit it silently with his wand, letting out an aggravated sigh.

"Yeah, we'll keep your lungs pristine, won't we, Charlotte?" Sirius smirked through a puff of smoke, turning towards Lupin at last. "Are you having a decent time, at least?"

A smile tugged at Remus's lips before he answered, tapping a bit of ash out from the cracked window.

"You guys did good. Bloody prat will be smiling all week." He glanced over to their abandoned group where James had now flung back onto the couch in laughter.

"All month." Charlotte assured him, scanning over their group of friends. It was clear it had been Marlene who had made the birthday boy laugh, the triumphant smile painted on her face as James finally found the strength to sit up, beaming up towards Lily who shook her head with a faint smile from their shared couch.

"God, what a travesty." Sirius grinned, smoke drifting lazily from the cigarette between his fingers. "Did Lily get him a present?"

Charlotte blinked, watching both boys eyes trained to hers.

"He hasn't told you?" She asked, and Sirius nearly dropped his cigarette.

"I knew it! That little cheat never tells us anything-"

"Alright, calm down!" Charlotte laughed, "She just got him a quidditch poster signed by some player..."

"Which?" Sirius asked and Charlotte shrugged.

"I am surprised he managed to keep it a secret all day." Remus mused.

"They're so in love..." Sirius sighed, leaning back into his seat and kicking his feet up onto Charlotte's knees. "Dibs on best man."

"I'll give it to you just to hear you fumble your way through the drunken speech." Remus grinned, ducking out of the way as Sirius shot a jinx which sailed just over his head, smashing through the window pane behind them.

"Boys!" Lily called, hardly a second later.

"It was Charlotte!" Sirius called, hopping up to fix the glass before Lily could push him through it.

☾

While James Potter's grin and laughter had lasted long into the morning, no one else seeming concerned for their early morning classes, and the Quidditch Captain had still managed to hold a frigid early morning practice, Charlotte had found it quite difficult even pulling herself out of bed. Now, after hours of lessons and a few bites of lunch which didn't feel quite right in her churning stomach, she found herself carefully climbing the familiar flight of steps to the boys dormitories, a steaming cup of coffee balanced in one hand and a sandwich wrapped in a napkin in the other.

Sirius had somehow managed to escape all of the morning's classes, an exceptionally rare feat considering James and Remus could usually drag him from bed even on his worst days and force him into pretty much anything.

She paused for a second outside of the dorm before knocking with the hand not wrapped around the coffee mug, hesitating for only a second before nudging the door open and peeking inside. Maybe a few months ago she would have let the boy sleep, though by now she knew he could and would sleep the entire day away, waking up ready for mischief at midnight.

"Sirius?" Her eyes landing on the dark haired boy sat in the middle of his bed, a small box splayed out before him, a few small photos and letters scattered over the blankets. "Hey... Thought you were sleeping."

"I was." He answered, finally meeting her eyes, though she was unable to read his expression.

"What's wrong?" She took another step towards the bed, setting the lunch on his night stand.

"Nothing... Nothing's wrong, it's... It's good, actually." He sighed, rummaging through a few of the papers to hold one out for her, the top of it stamped with an official looking header. "It's my uncle."

"Oh..." She felt her stomach jolt, though he had said it was good news... "Do you want to be alone?"

"No..." He shook his head quickly, his fingers surrounding her wrist as if he thought she was going to leave. "His lawyers released his will."

Charlotte nodded, looking around at the letters and photos and the tattered looking box. "He left you some stuff?"

"These are just... whatever was with him... In his briefcase. When he... you know." He shrugged. "Couple letters, mostly about work. Old family photos though..." He jerked his head towards a few of them featuring nearly identical dark haired boys running around a dark green sofa. "Charlotte... he left me..." He paused, and Charlotte sat gently on the bed across from him, pulling the photos towards her for a closer look while she waited for him to go on. "He left me everything."

She met the gray eyes again, and though they looked sad, there was a brightness to them that she had missed so much the last few weeks.

"Everything? What do you mean?"

"I mean... everything. His whole estate. His flat, his furniture, his inheritance." His eyes widened on the last word, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"Inheritance?"

"They've got to be... so pissed." He chuckled madly, shaking his head and scanning over the letter once again. "I mean, he didn't have anyone... no wife, no kids... I just never thought... I mean, I loved him, and I know he loved me, but... God, my parents have to be so livid." He laughed again, and Charlotte's lips pulled into a confused smile at the sound.

"Sirius! What are you talking about?"

"They disowned me, Charlotte! I left, I left everything. The name, the titles, the money, my inheritance, my only chance at anything from the Black Family-"

"Sirius,"

"No, and I know, Charlotte, I know. We were going to be fine, I know. But now we really are. We are going to be fine, I mean... His whole bloody estate, Charlotte!" He jumped up, crossing towards her and grabbing both hands into his to pull her to her feet, bright gray eyes linking with hers. "I didn't know how I was going to take care of you... if I couldn't get a job..."

"Take care of me?" She scoffed, her mouth pulling into a grin. "I didn't realize, are we back in the 20's? I'm perfectly capable of working-"

"Yeah, yeah, save it." He grinned right back, pulling her back to the headboard, collecting the letters and photos and dropping them back into the box so they could sit. "I'm going to work. We can do whatever. I just... feel better, knowing... I don't know, with the war and everything... We have something, for emergencies."

"We?"

Sirius glanced at her, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You're making an awful lot of plans for our future, Mr. Black."

"Don't call me that." He nudged her playfully and grinned as she laughed. "Look." He muttered, reaching back into the box and pulling out a silver ring, a small black gem stone stuck into the top above an intricate cursive B.

"That was his? Your uncle's?" She asked, watching as he turned the ring over in his fingers.

"Yeah... was probably his great-great-great-grandfathers or something..." He shrugged, pausing for a second before reaching for Charlotte's hand, pulling it over to his lap and sliding the ring easily onto her finger.

"Sirius..." She left her hand against his knee, watching as his eyes scanned over her face. "You want to keep this. It's yours."

"Nah. I want you to have it." He answered instantly, an easy smile spreading over his face. "Oh, come on, blondie, it looks so good on you."

She hummed under her breath, watching as the gemstone caught the light filtering in from the curtains over the window pane before looking back to Sirius. "Alright... Thank you... It's lovely. And you can have it back whenever you want-"

"I don't it back. I want you to have it. Je suis à toi pour toujours." He drawled, and Charlotte smiled, rolling her eyes back to meet his.

"Sirius."

"I'm yours." He translated, "Forever."

"Hmm..." She stalled, ignoring the skip of her heartbeat and the heat creeping into her cheeks. "If I'll have you."

"It's too late now, Charlotte. You're stuck with me." He lunged for her before she could even blink, hands wrapping around her waist and yanking her back onto the bed with him, the tips of his fingers trailing teasingly along the hem of her sweater, enjoying the giggles it was earning him.

"Gladly." She mumbled, rolling over and hovering above him before closing the gap, her lips finding his easily. "Forever."

☾

"Alright, alright! Everyone settle down, I've got a pretty good lesson for us today." The class fell into silence, or as close to silence as once could hope for with the Marauder's around. "Now, can anyone tell me what a Patronus-" Their professor trailed off as his eyes found Lily's, her hand thrusted high into the air, James smirking from the table behind her. "Miss Evans."

"A Patronus is a magically conjured guardian against dark creatures, specifically known for being the only true way to ward off Dementors. The charm is really difficult, and apparently a good portion of adult wizards can never conjure their full Patronus, but can still manage a non-corporeal glowing mist."

"That is correct, Miss Evans, ten points for Gryffindor." The professor nodded, returning to the board at the front of the room and listing off some of Lily's points. "Now, as we all know, Dementors are the chosen guardians of the wizarding prison, Azkaban... but that does not mean they are not also found in the wild on occasion. Patronuses are also useful for other things, as they can ward of Lethifolds and can be used to send messages in case of emergencies."

The class was practically on the edge of their seats, surely itching to get started on the new spell, though Charlotte couldn't help her mind drifting back to Lily's words.

Really difficult

 A good portion of wizards can never conjure their full Patronus

"Alright, everyone, the incantation is 'Expecto Patronum.' Everyone say it with me." The class muttered the spell back in terrible unison. "The key here, before I set you loose to practice, this spell takes an enormous amount of thought. Happy thoughts, to be exact. And not just any happy thoughts, a memory that is strong enough to conjure such a powerful guardian. I would guess that it would take most of you multiple lessons and encourage you to practice on your own as well."

At last, he set everyone free, encouraging them to partner up. Before Charlotte had even turned her head, James was at Lily's side, and though she sighed dramatically, she hardly hesitated before standing up and starting to the corner of the room with him.

"Alright, blondie? You're with me?" Sirius nudged her, playfully, catching her arm before she toppled and dragging her towards their friends at the end of the classroom. Mary and Marlene had of course partnered up, and Charlotte met Remus's eyes for only a second before he pulled his wand from his robes and looked back to Peter.

"Doubt anyone else will go with her with the giant crest on her finger." James teased.

"Yeah, careful when you're reaching for things, Charlotte, that could give someone a black eye." Marlene grinned, watching as Sirius shook his head through an eye roll.

"Yeah, well then, I suggest you stick close to Snivvelus." He muttered, as though Lily couldn't hear him.

"I just hope Padfoot isn't setting the new standard for romance... I don't have a terrible gaudy ring to give to my future girl." James whined, though his eyes were alive with laughter as Sirius lunged for him, knocking him easily into the stone wall.

"As if you could ever get one to look your way, Potter." He grinned, the boys laughter drawing a stern glance from their professor.

"I should think you would all need some time to practice, or do you have it down by now?" He called, shooting them a knowing look.

"Sorry, Professor, you're right. Ladies first?" James answered, looking to Lily who rolled her eyes, aiming her wand out before her, green eyes deep in thought.

"Expecto Patronum." She called, a sputter of mist erupting from the tip of her wand, her face sinking in disappointment.

"That was quite good for a first attempt, Miss Evans!" Their professor assured her, moving on through the room which had now exploded as everyone began their practice.

Mist too flew from James's wand on his first try, though Charlotte wondered for a second whether he was holding himself back for Lily's sake, though it didn't sound like him. She glanced over towards Remus and Peter, neither of whom seemed to have had any luck so far.

"Quit stalling, blondie." Sirius muttered, bringing her attention back to him.

"You first!" She said, watching as he held his wand up, the picture of confidence stood before her.

"Expecto Patronum!" He exclaimed, waiting for a few seconds before his face fell into a scowl at the lack of silvery mist.

"What memory are you thinking of?" She asked, watching as his eyebrows knotted together.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know." He teased, shooting her a dramatic wink and chuckling as she crinkled her nose, glancing towards her friends who were thankfully all in their own worlds.

She let her gaze fall to the floor between them, her mind racing over a few memories... Her first day at Hogwarts... A couple of birthdays flashed through her mind, her parent's smiles, dancing with Sirius on Christmas eve... Sirius's grin lighting up beneath the tree in the rain... "Expecto Patronum!" She said, quietly, nearly jumping in place as a mist crept out from her wand, evaporating almost instantly into thin air.

"Hey, way to go, Charlotte!" Remus smiled from beside Peter, who was still whipping his wand through the air with no results.

"Look at our little Charlotte, top of the class." Sirius grinned, knowingly, leaning against the stoney wall beside her. "What are you thinking of, love?"

"The last quiet night I had without you harassing me." She teased, "You're up. Not going to let me show you up, are you?"

They set back to work, in near silence aside from the repeated incantation every few seconds, usually followed by a frustrated groan from somewhere in the room, until at last, there was a great burst of silver light, everyone spinning towards Lily, who's face was illuminated by the glow of the slender doe stepping through their friends.

"Holy shit!" Peter shouted without thinking, slapping a hand over his mouth as the room sank into laughter, though earning a glare from their professor.

"Miss Evans, I am not surprised. Well done... on your first day, that is quite a feat..." He muttered, returning to his desk as the doe faded into thin air.

"Lily, leave some room on the wall of best students for the rest of us, couldn't you?" Mary grinned, setting back to work once again, seeming more determined than ever now that she had actually seen a real Patronus.

"Evans, that was brilliant." James's eyes were wide as he watched Lily, a flush creeping to her face.

"Well... keep practicing, Potter, I'm sure you're nearly there..." She shrugged, smiling towards Charlotte who had nearly given up for the day. While she would have been the first to guess that Lily would have conjured hers day one, she was perfectly happy with the progress she had made with her silver mist.

"Alright class, thank you all for the hard work! Class is nearly finished, but I'm sure you will keep practicing and I will see some progress next week!" There was a collective shuffle as everyone hurried to grab their bags and be first out the door. Sirius, Remus and Peter, however seemed to be in no hurry, slinking slowly back towards their desks, all looking rather put out at their lack of progress made.

"Oh, come off it you guys. Once in a while you can't be the best at everything. It's probably doing loads to boost the class's morale-" Marlene trailed off with a gasp as another burst of silver light engulfed the room, everyone spinning towards James, though it was hard to tell which was brighter: his grin, or the enormous stag standing proudly over him.

"Oh, of course." Sirius shook his head, a lopsided grin pulling to his lips. "Of course!"

"Evans!" James shouted, though Lily's jaw had dropped so low, Charlotte was beginning to think it might fall off.

"Absolutely not." She stuttered.

"Evans, we match!" James grinned, his stag still sauntering around the room.

"What are the odds?" She fumed, gathering her things and starting out the doorway, pulling Charlotte along with her, obviously not noting the laughter the blonde was trying her best to bite back.

"There is no way." James called, rushing towards his friends. "No way you can deny it now. We're meant to be. I mean, come on, that can't be a coincidence!"

"Keep it down, Potter." Sirius warned, "As your future best man, I thought we had decided to keep your screaming about your love in the hallways to a minimum."

Chapter Text

"I'm not waiting around anymore, she could be anywhere-" Charlotte could practically hear Sirius shouting even before the portrait creaked open and she stepped inside, all eyes flashing to her. "Oh, thank God."

"What are you shouting ab-" She trailed off, letting Sirius pull her into a tight hug. "Sirius!" She smiled, though it fell quickly from her face as the hug went on a few seconds too long, her eyes catching Lily's and Marlene's from across the room.

"Mary's been hurt." Remus explained as Sirius finally let go of Charlotte, the two of them heading over to the couches now. "She's alright... In the hospital wing..."

"She's not alright." Sirius growled, "Who knows what might have happened Remus, if you hadn't come around the corner-"

"But I did."

"Someone's got to do something. We can't let them keep getting away with this-" James said, his voice low and serious and Sirius was nodding along at once.

"What can we do?" Peter piped up, his gaze flickering between James and Remus.

"It's being handled. McGonagall, Dumbledore and Slughorn are all in the hospital wing-"

"Yeah, lot of good Slughorn's gonna be when it comes to punishing his own house-"

"Professor Slughorn is their Head of House! He has to do something!" Lily cut in.

"He lets them get off with everything, Evans!" Sirius growled.

"What happened to Mary?" Charlotte asked, the various conversations dying down as all eyes returned to the blonde before turning to face Remus.

"I don't know really... What he did... I didn't hear the spell, but it was blue. Dark blue, the light. And she just... crumpled to the ground."

"Who?"

"Mulciber." Sirius answered before Remus even had the chance. Charlotte's stomach jolted, thinking of the older Slytherin alone with Mary, much less the use of dark magic...

"Can we see her?" She turned to Lily now who shrugged, jumping from the couch, Marlene on her tail.

"We could ask." Lily suggested, "Maybe she's awake by now and she can tell us what happened-"

"You're not walking down there alone!" James was on his feet now too.

"James, it'll be-"

"No." James said, his voice set. "Sirius and I will go."

"Don't you two go looking for trouble though." Remus ordered, though it sounded more like a plea. "Honestly, let Dumbledore handle it."

"Moony, what little faith you have in us." Sirius shot his friend a sly grin as they let the girls lead the way into the hall to start down the first flight of stairs. They walked in near silence towards the infirmary, James and Sirius scanning down each passing corridor, and Charlotte was sure if they spotted any silver or green, there would be nothing in any of their power to stop the brawl that was sure to follow.

Thankfully, they reached the hospital wing with no distractions. There was a faint glow from through the frosted glass doorway, and the five of them paused to listen for voices from the other side of the seemingly abandoned infirmary.

Lily moved first, reaching a tightened fist towards the glass and knocking three times, all eyes locked on the doorway for a few seconds before it was opened silently, Madam Pomfrey glancing at the group with sad eyes.

"Figured it was only a matter of time before some of you turned up." She muttered, softly, stepping aside and nodding them in. "You can come see her for just a little while. It's almost curfew."

James was already nodding halfway through her words, stepping into the room behind Lily before Marlene or Charlotte could even move.

"Mary." Marlene was the first to speak, hurrying to the side of the hospital bed, the creaseless white bed sheets folded perfectly over the girl's body as her eyes finally met her friends. "Are you alright?"

Mary shrugged, dropping her eyes to her lap and tracing along a loose thread near the end of the sheets.

"Hey, you're not in pain, right?" Sirius asked, stepping forward, as if she could have missed his voice in the silence of the empty room. "Did she give you something for-"

"Yeah." Mary answered. "I don't... I don't really remember. What happened. I'm just really tired and I'd like to get some rest."

Lily's face fell, glancing back to Charlotte before nodding and reaching out for Mary's hand at her side.

"Of course. We just wanted to make sure you were alright. Get some sleep."

The five Gryffindor's bid Mary a goodnight and sauntered back into the darkening corridors before starting the trek back to their tower.

"Do you really think she doesn't remember?" Sirius asked under his breath, and Lily shrugged, glancing between Charlotte and Marlene.

"Maybe she just didn't want to talk about it... with all of us there." James mumbled, and Charlotte's stomach sank. What if Mulciber had done something really fowl to Mary. What if that was why she was too scared to admit it, even to her closest friends?

"Well, I just hope she told Dumbedore. And McGonagall. He's got to get in trouble for it. Hopefully, they'll expel him." Sirius scoffed.

"When's the last time anyone was expelled from here?" James pointed out.

"If you two haven't been, then I don't have much hope." Marlene sighed, and James forced on half a smile as they finally reached the common room again. It was empty this time around, Remus and Peter must have already gone up for the night.

Charlotte moved instinctually towards the girls dorms behind Lily and Marlene before she felt the fingers wrap around her wrist, spinning back to the wide gray eyes.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" He asked, his voice soft, though Lily and Marlene had paused, hardly attempting to stifle their grins from near the staircase.

Charlotte's eyes glanced between James's retreating form and Sirius, her mind flashing up to the dormitory where Remus and Peter were surely already in bed, certainly not expecting any late night visitors.

"Stay the night?" She stammered, "The boys will be annoyed..."

"No, they won't." Sirius was already shaking his head, not even giving her words a second thought. "Come on, blondie... I..." Charlotte waited, stepping closer to the dark haired boy as she waited for the rest of his thought. "I was worried about you tonight... when we found out about Mary, and no one had seen you-"

Charlotte resisted the smile she could feel pulling at her lips, twisting her fingers through Sirius's with a nod towards the staircase James had disappeared from moments before. Sirius didn't drop her hand, pulling her gently towards the dark spiraling corridor and up to the familiar dormitory, pushing through the unlocked door.

The boys dorm was only slightly brighter than the hallway, light spilling from the open bathroom and a lamp lit beside Remus's bed, the brown eyes flashing to Sirius and Charlotte for only a second before returning to the book sprawled in his lap.

"I knew he'wd weaw you dow!" James mumbled, his mouth full of toothpaste before he spit into the sink, flicking the light off behind him and jumping into the bed nearest the door.

"Pardon?" Peter chuckled, reclining back on a pile of pillows.

Sirius paid them no attention, pulling Charlotte towards the wooden dresser across from his bed and rummaging around for only a moment before passing her a worn looking black t-shirt, some faded band name etched across the front that Charlotte had never heard of, and a pair of plaid, red pajama pants.

"Thank you..." She mumbled, forcing her mind only to the dark haired boy in front of her and not on his roommates surrounding them, particularly the tall, sandy haired boy in the closest bed. She hurried into the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind her and slipping easily into the oversized clothing Sirius had found for her. She peeked in the mirror for only a second, tucking her hair back and folding her clothes neatly into a pile on the counter before twisting the door handle quietly and returning to the dorm.

The absence of the bathroom light plunged the room into darkness now. Remus's light had been distinguished and as her eyes adjusted, she realized the curtains had been drawn on all three beds, leaving only Sirius's nearest the window and bathed in the cool white light seeping in from the window.

Charlotte snuck silently towards him, dropping to the bed at his side and pulling the blankets over her legs at once. It was nearly June now, but the nights still got just as cold this high up in the castle.

"C'mere." Sirius breathed, pulling her against him easily with a small sigh. "Thank you for staying."

"You're thanking me? Is it so hard to believe I might enjoy spending time with you?" She giggled.

"No, I'm a joy." He agreed, his fingers working soft circles over the exposed skin of her hip beneath his t-shirt. "I'm going to find out what that asshole did to Mary. And I just want you to know, I'd never let anything happen to you. Anything..."

"Sirius," She mumbled, "You worry too much."

"Apparently not."

"You can't be everywhere all the time."

"No, but-"

"You shouldn't have to be. This is school. We're supposed to be learning, and having fun, not worrying about-"

"Dark magic."

"Right." She answered after a moment. "Let's not talk about it anymore tonight."

"Yeah." He muttered, resting his chin on the top of Charlotte's head and breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume. "I love you."

She felt a slight rush of heat rise to her face, though she knew he couldn't see her, her face tucked into the crook of his neck.

"I love you too."

"I can feel your heart racing-" He teased.

"Piss off." She bit back a laugh, very aware that they were not alone in the room.

"You must really, really love me."

"A little less every day-" She laughed, trying to turn over, though his arm wrapped over her waist and held her in place.

"Last Hogsmeade trip's this weekend." Sirius said, though his voice was quiet and slow, his eyes heavy with sleep. "Want to make a date of it?"

"The last trip of the year? You don't want to spend it with the guys?" She grinned, burying closer into Sirius's chest and enjoying the rumbling of his voice when he spoke.

"Those tossers? No, I think I'd rather spend it with you, pretty girl."

"Well, let me check my calendar-"

"You're free." He answered, "I've just checked."

"Oh, I'm taking applications for a new assistant if you're so interested in running my social life-"

"Yes, perfect. Monday, skip classes with Sirius. Tuesday, skip classes with Sirius, Wednesday-" He trailed off with a chuckle as Charlotte slapped him lightly on the chest.

"I do expect to actually get some sleep tonight, if you're not planning to yap the whole time?"

"Mhm." He mumbled, sleepily, finally letting his eyes drift closed, pulling the blonde tighter beneath his grip under the now cozy bedspread. "Goodnight, Charlotte."

"Goodnight, Sirius."

☾

Madam Pomfrey had released Mary into the care of her friends before lunch the following day, with the promise that they would take her straight to the Great Hall for some food. The boys led the way through the hallways, head's all on a swivel for any sign of everyone's least favorite Slytherin and then walked the girls back up to the tower after lessons, only leaving their sides, rather reluctantly, as they hurried up the stairway to their dorms.

"Don't get me wrong, it's very sweet..." Marlene mentioned as they all collapsed face down onto their beds, "But if I have to hear another Quidditch analogy or listen to Peter's stomach growl for another 5 minutes..."

They all chuckled, Charlotte flipping over, her gaze stuck to the top of her bed frame, letting the silence ring between them for a few moments.

"Mary, I'm so glad you're alright." Lily spoke at last, "And you don't have to talk about it, but if you want to, we're all here-"

"I can talk about it." Mary said, sounding quite determined, though her eyes looked nervous. "I just figured, better not to rile the boys up anymore..."

"Good call." Marlene muttered, leaning up to rest her head against her fist.

"I guess I should have been paying closer attention, but he came around the corner so fast... Mulciber." She started, slowly, and Charlotte forced herself to sit up, to face her friend as she spoke, even though Mary's brown eyes were planted firmly on the wooden floor boards beneath their feet. "He asked what I was doing all alone, well... He asked what my blood traitor friends were thinking letting a mudblood wander the halls alone."

"Of course." Marlene groaned, and Charlotte could practically feel the white hot rage building inside her friend even from across the room.

"I asked him what his parents were thinking letting him come to Hogwarts with a face like that-"

"Mary..." Lily breathed, dropping her forehead into both hands, as if already knowing the outcome of the story.

"Took him a moment to get it..." Mary shrugged, half a smile twisting along the corners of her lips. "Then he said he could find a better use for my mouth... He tried to use the imperius curse on me, but I was ready... well, I wasn't ready for that... An unforgivable..."

"The Imperius curse?" Lily shouted at the same time as Marlene spoke, "An unforgivable?"

"I honestly didn't think even they would dare..." Mary shook her head, "But I knew he was going to send something my way, and I blocked it. It bounced off my shield and for a second I thought I was going to be alright, but then he noticed Remus round the corner and shot that next spell... I didn't even hear what he said. Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall were trying to figure it out last night, but... I think he thought if he could knock me out I wouldn't be able to tell Remus about the unforgivable."

"But you did, right? You told Dumbledore and everyone?" Charlotte finally spoke, forcing her mind off the image of Mary's body crumpled in the hallway, or what other spells Mulciber would have been willing to do to her or to Remus if he hadn't have been ready to fight back.

"I told them everything I could remember. Dumbledore said he would be addressing it, so we'll see what that means."

"I swear to Godric if he gets off with nothing."

"A detention probably." Charlotte scoffed.

"The Mulcibers are an old family." Marlene muttered, "Even if Dumbledore wanted to do something, he would face a lot of push back from the parents. I'm sure they all have friends on the board, or at the Ministry."

"No one has more friends than Dumbledore." Lily promised, moving to the bed next to Mary and pulling her into a hug. "We don't have to tell the boys."

"It's not a secret..." Mary shrugged, "Just... you know how wiry they get at the thought of a fight."

"I swore Sirius was going to head out last night on a war path." Lily chuckled, glancing to Charlotte. "You did well, calming him down?"

"Yeah, in bed." Marlene muttered and Mary's eyes lit up.

"We just slept, you perverts." Charlotte promised.

"He was worried about you, blondie." Marlene teased, giggling as she narrowly dodged the pillow Charlotte had chucked her way.

"Alright," Lily cut in, smiling, "I for one plan to enjoy my next Marauder free hour before dinner, and I suggest you all do the same. I'm sure Mary could use some rest."

"Actually, I'm quite bored-" She trailed off, catching Lily's warning look.

"Rest." The red-head ordered, and Mary groaned, flopping back on the made up bed while Lily leaned back against her head board, propping her defense book against her lap.

"So, you two didn't do it in front of his roommates, just to be clear-" Mary hissed across the beds, as if Lily wouldn't be able to hear if she whispered.

"Mary, for heaven's sake..." Charlotte shook her head, the familiar blush creeping over her neck and into her cheeks as the two girls giggled.

"You'll tell us when you do though, right?" She begged.

"I truly don't think I'll ever be informing you of any activities that take place in the same room as his roommates." She quipped and Mary rolled her eyes.

"You never know with that lot-"

"This conversation has to end, or I'm leaving!" Lily pleaded, her eyes wide as she flipped the page of the book in her lap.

Chapter Text

"No." Lily fumed, round the corner in yet another attempt to lose the dark haired boy who had been following her since they'd been let out of Runes.

"Lily!" Severus begged, either not knowing or caring for the way his voice was hinging on begging, on desperation. "Please, slow down!" He pulled himself around the corner after her at the last second.

"I have no interest in talking to you!" She called, not sparing him another glance, though he didn't seem to mind, finally reaching her side again, his fingers surrounding the exposed skin of her arms where she had rolled up the sleeves of her sweater.

"We're supposed to be friends." He mumbled, "Best friends."

"We..." Lily sighed, glancing at his hand on her arm. "We were. Supposed to be." She watched his face fall before going on. "I don't like the people you hang around with. They've ruined you. Avery, and Mulciber? Mulciber? What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy!"

"You don't know them-"

"Do you know what he tried to do to Mary the other day?"

"That was nothing," Snape was shaking his head before he'd ever started speaking, though his lips had curled without his knowledge at the mention of Mary's name. "That was a laugh, that's all-"

"It was dark magic." Lily's voice had grown louder, pulling away from her old friend until she could no longer feel his cold fingers against her skin. "If you think that's funny, unforgivable curses, who knows what he was-"

"And what about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" Snape bit back, color flooding into his previous pale face.

"What does Potter have to do with any of this?" Lily's voice was rising to match the Slytherin's, and though Snape appeared to shrink back slightly at her tone, he continued on.

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about Lupin... Where does he keep going off to?"

"He..." Lily could practically feel the color draining from her face, her heart sinking down into her stomach. "Remus gets ill."

"Every month. At the full moon?" Snape asked, his gaze set now, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

"Don't be ridiculous." She scoffed, "I know your theory. Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"

"I'm obsessed with them?" Snape scoffed, "Coming from you. Hated their guts last year, now you're with them every waking minute. Hogsmeade trips and Quidditch matches-"

"We're housemates."

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as great as everyone seems to think they are."

Lily bit back a sigh, tugging her bag more securely over her shoulder to avoid the piercing gaze, the dark eyes that hadn't left hers for a second.

"They don't use dark magic though." She said, softer now. "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You were sneaking around the Whomping Willow? James Potter saved you, that tree is bloody dangerous, I'm surprised none of you were hurt-"

"Saved? Saved me? You think he was playing the hero?" Snape sputtered, Lily stepping backwards once again, watching as he struggled to complete his thought. "He was saving his neck and his friends too! Whatever it is they're all doing down there all the time... No, you're not going to... I won't let you-"

"Let me?" Lily was practically screaming now. "Let me what?"

"No, Lily... I didn't mean let you... I just... I just don't want to see you made a fool of! He fancies you! James Potter fancies you and everyone... everyone thinks... this big Quidditch hero..."

"I know James Potter is an arrogant toe-rag." She cut him off, her words icy now as he looked back to her, wide eyed. "I don't need you to tell me that. He has nothing to do with this. Mulciber and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them. I don't understand how you think we could ever be friends again-"

"Oi!" The familiar voice rang through the corridor and Lily watched Snape's scowl fall back into place at once, his gaze latching at the group appearing over Lily's shoulder.

"Stay away from us, Potter." Snape growled, though Lily's eyes had already met James' eyes, taking a few steps away from the Slytherin.

"I promise you, Sniv." Sirius called, glowering at the greasy haired boy, his grip never loosening from around Charlotte's waist. "We wish we could." He crinkled his nose dramatically and Marlene huffed out half a laugh.

"How about you extend her the same courtesy, Snape? I don't think Evans particularly enjoys public screaming matches in the hallways." James called, though he didn't move, his fingers tightening around his wand from inside his pocket, though he knew better than to approach Lily. She could handle herself, especially with Snape, and so he pushed the thought of looping his fingers through hers, having her tucked under his arm the way Sirius had Charlotte.

"Learned that the hard way, did ya, Prongs?" Sirius grinned as Lily rolled her eyes, starting towards Marlene without another glance at Snape.

"You alright?" James asked, ducking his head to meet hers and biting back a grin at the glare it earned him.

"How are you everywhere?" She grumbled.

"Talent?" James shrugged, shooting the other Marauders a smirk. "I mean, when the school needs a hero-"

"Oh, shut up." Marlene laughed, shoving the messy haired boy against the stone wall and linking an arm with Lily as they started ahead of the group.

"Nicely done, Prongs." Remus nudged his friend with his shoulder. "That didn't actually go so horribly."

"Hey, it was bound to happen eventually, right?" James grinned.

☾

"Detention until the end of term." Sirius scoffed, stabbing into his eggs so roughly that Charlotte was surprised the plate didn't shatter. "That's two bloody weeks!"

"He should be expelled." James agreed, though less forcefully, noting the way Mary was picking at her breakfast.

"They were never going to expel him." She said, quietly. "At least his last few weeks can be miserable."

"Detention with Slughorn can't possibly be that bad. What'll he be cleaning cauldrons? They'll probably just chat it up for an hour. Maybe they'll do dinner."

"Sirius, calm down." Mary offered him half a smile, though it did nothing to still the fury rolling off of Sirius in waves, and Charlotte set her hand on his knee beneath the table until he finally stopped tapping it against the wooden bench.

"I'm not calming down." He bit back, though starting on his breakfast again was a significant improvement to Charlotte. "I will avenge you, Mary. I swear." He pointed his fork her direction with half a mouthful of food.

"Alright, avenge me. That's nice." She bit back a laugh, "Just don't you go get yourself expelled too."

"Oh, please. You lot would be miserable next year without me around. Couldn't do that to ya."

"Right, but think how much we'd all get done. Think of the quiet!"  Lily grinned, enjoying the eye roll it earned her.

Charlotte took the opportunity as the group fell into laughter to lean into Sirius's side, thankful that he seemed to be calming down at last.

"Last Quidditch Game of the year, can you believe it?" Peter asked, sounding almost more excited than James, who according to Sirius had been up before dawn for the past two weeks.

"I can believe it." Remus muttered, pulling over another helping of bacon. "Feel like I've sat through a months worth of Quidditch this year alone."

"Oh, Moony, you know you love it." James grinned, pushing the rest of his breakfast towards the center of the table where it disappeared from sight.

Charlotte glanced at Remus as he returned James' easy smile. Despite his grumbling, he looked... happy, excited almost, his face practically glowing as he bit into his crispy bacon. Charlotte wondered if he was simply more rested lately, in his element studying for exams with the rest of the school, or if he had looked this way for a while now and she just hadn't noticed.

"We'll see you lot out there, then. Marls?" James nodded towards the doorway and with an over-dramatic groan, Marlene heaved herself to her feet at his side, a number of other maroon clad Gryffindors standing with them and heading towards the hallway, most of the Great Hall's noise disappearing as they rounded the corner.

"Remus, you're going to puke if you eat another damn slice of toast!" Lily said, though her lips had twisted into the start of a laugh.

"I'll lean the other way, Lils." Remus promised, the rest of them laughing as Lily's nose crinkled in disgust.

Sirius had managed to hold Peter off for only twenty minutes before they let him drag the group down towards the pitch.

"It's finally nice weather! Last match of the year! It's going to be crowded..." He explained, hardly noticing that the group was falling behind as he raced ahead. Sirius glanced over, his eyes landing on Charlotte who was nodding along to something Lily was explaining too low for Sirius to hear. The sunlight washed over them, warming Sirius's skin and painting Charlotte's skin in a warm glow, her hair practically sparkling where it rolled down her back.

For a moment he let his mind wander... Only two more weeks of school, and then they would be home... No, not home. Better.

The Potter's.

Their last summer before graduation. Before job interviews and permanent deadlines and horrible bosses... They had a full summer where he could see Charlotte whenever he wanted. And he didn't plan to waste it.

"Sirius?" The familiar voice brought him back to the sunny Quidditch stands, Charlotte's fingers trailing over his lightly. "You planning to watch from down here?"

"Funny." He nodded towards the bleachers and followed her up to the space the Gryffindors had staked out, letting the summery breeze flow through them and looking out over the empty pitch.

"James will be exhausting." Lily muttered as the teams landed in the mud, wasting no time before throwing their brooms into the air, flocks of maroon and gold racing around, the cheers echoing through the stands as the Ravenclaw team sauntered off single file towards the locker rooms.

"Maybe for you tonight." Mary teased and Charlotte giggled as Lily's jaw dropped, her face flushing red.

"In his dreams." Sirius snickered as they all started down the steps towards the ground, ready for the celebration of a lifetime.

"Literally." Peter huffed under his breath, and just as Sirius turned to face him, grin spreading across his lips, he saw Remus stumble, falling, face down onto the uneven steps with a painful sounding groan.

"Fuck!" Sirius yelped in surprise, hurrying to grab for his friend's arms and yanking him back to his feet carefully, ignoring the girls screams. "You alright?" He asked, though Remus was already nodding, a flash of emerald disappearing beneath the bleachers in the crowds.

"Fine. Tripped." He explained, though he wouldn't meet Sirius's eye.

"Lupin-"

"I. Tripped." Remus protested, stepping around Sirius and following the rest of the crowds onto the worn path in the dirt.

"He's alright..." Charlotte assured him, linking her arm through his as they too stepped from the wooden bleachers and onto the sturdy ground.

"I know." Sirius nodded, as if it was nothing, though he couldn't ignore the way Remus was walking now, one hand firmly planted on his lip and trying his best to cover up his obvious limp.

They started the familiar trek back towards the school, and Sirius hadn't had to wait long. For Charlotte's arm to slip out of his, inserting herself into Lily and Mary's conversation. Peter had of course elected to wait and walk back with James and the rest of the team, which just left Sirius to slow down just enough to match Remus's speed.

"How'd you really fall?" He asked at last, when enough distance had passed between the two of them and the girls.

"Black-"

"Come on. You never fall."

"Never?" He muttered, though didn't meet Sirius's eye.

"Oh, come on, Moony. Tell me what happened, don't you trust me?"

Remus sighed, glancing around to ensure there was no one near them aside from the girls a ways ahead.

"I just don't need you going out for revenge... anymore than you already are."

"So it was them. The Slytherin?"

"Yeah." Remus nodded, his voice low, though Sirius was hung on every word. "Tripped me. Grabbed my leg through the stairs, that's all."

"Which Slytherin?"

"Not Regulus." Remus replied, shooting Sirius a knowing look, and the tightness that had wound itself around Sirius's chest without his notice faded slightly.

"I... I didn't..."

"Snape, obviously. Mulciber and Crouch." He went on, saving Sirius from having to come up with a direction for his previous sentence. "And it's fine. Please don't go make it all worse."

"Remus, you're hurt!" Sirius no longer cared how loud his voice was, though Remus winced in response.

"Yeah, what else is new? It'll be nothing compared to how I'll feel after the moon-"

"I thought... I mean... It's not as bad anymore, now that-"

"Right." Remus nodded. "It's not as bad. Come on, I want to get back." He pushed forward, leaving Sirius to catch up for once as Charlotte pulled the door open, glancing back with her bright blue eyes and perfect smile that lit up her face.

"Thanks, lovely."

"Thought you were trying to give me the slip." She teased and giggled as he slipped his hand around her waist, his fingers trailing beneath the hem of her shirt teasingly.

"Not likely." He mumbled against her skin, pushing her easily towards the stairs after their friends.

☾

"Finally." Marlene slumped against the wall, dramatically as the rest of the students spilled out from the Transfiguration classroom.

"How'd you do, blondie?" Sirius asked, though he couldn't contain the arrogant smile spreading across his face.

"Should have copied off you, looks like." Charlotte answered, though truthfully she felt just fine. There was no doubt it had been one of the more difficult exams, though after the countless hours of studying the last few weeks, or actually, for most of the year, she felt decently confident.

"You're fine." He grinned, looping his arm around her waist and pulling her close, pressing his lips to her temple.

"I'm going out to enjoy this weather." James announced, glancing at Lily. "How about it? Black Lake? Or we could get brooms, have a little game for fun-"

"No flying." Lily insisted, already looking wary at the idea of agreeing to hang out with the boys.

"Not for me, I plan to spend the rest of the night in bed." Mary explained, already eyeing the familiar staircases that would take them to Gryffindor tower.

"Oh, come on, MacDonald!" Sirius whined.

"I'm going with her." Charlotte agreed, sleepiness tugging at her eyes. It felt like ages since she had been to bed before midnight and even then most of her nights were filled with anxiety over the upcoming exams.

"Charlotte!" Sirius groaned, Remus stepping forward towards the girls.

"I'll walk you up. I've got a list of books to read with actual plots now that exams are through."

"Shh! Lord, keep it down, I don't want the entire school to know that all of our friends are lame." Sirius teased, glancing back to Lily, Marlene, Peter and James. "I'm walking them up. Be down in a bit."

"Good call, mate." James nodded, and Mary and Charlotte shared an amused glance. They hadn't been left to walk anywhere without at least one of the boys in weeks.

"We have Remus." Mary pointed out.

"Remus needs my protection just as much as you two." Sirius grinned.

"Piss off." Lupin replied, half heartedly, though he had already started up the first staircase.

"Lily voluntarily hanging out with James?" Charlotte muttered, Sirius shaking his head immediately.

"Never going to happen!" He shrugged, "You're all waiting on a miracle."

"That's what we said about you too, Black."

"What?" He hissed, Charlotte and Mary breaking into giggles, Remus rummaging through his bag for something to do, his lips set into a thin line.

"Oh, for god’s sake." Mary groaned as they reached the portrait hole at last, Charlotte's stomach sinking at the sight. "Look, Lily's not interested in talking to you, so fuck off!"

"Black." Snape muttered, hardly sparing either of the girls a glance. "Tell your muggle bitch to shut up."

"Hey!" Charlotte called, cut off only by Mary's shout.

"What did you call me?"

Before Charlotte had even blinked, Sirius had stepped forward, his wand pointed towards Snape with no hesitation.

"Stop it! Now." Remus ordered, rushing between the two. "Snape, go back to your common room or I'll give you detention. Sirius, just... calm down."

Snape scoffed, not moving from his spot beside the doorway.

"Listen to him, Black. Even Loony Lupin knows you couldn't beat me in a duel-"

"That's not what I said." Remus whirled back around, "Shut up and get lost."

"You're not looking well, Lupin." Snape's scowl had melted into a sneer now. "Coming up on your time of the month, isn't it?"

Charlotte and Mary glanced between the three boys, Remus's face had fallen still though Sirius was scowling again.

"What... I... You don't know what you're talking about-" Remus stammered and Sirius stepped forward again, as if to shove Remus behind him.

"Charlotte, Mary, go inside."

"Sirius, don't-"

"Please go inside." His eyes locked with Charlotte's and she paused for only a second before Remus met the girl's eyes.

"It's fine." He nodded back towards the doorway, and Charlotte finally let Mary pull her through the portrait hole.

"What? They don't know?" Snape chuckled, his voice dark, "God, I know you lot aren't bright but I didn't think you were brainless!"

The door shut behind them, Snape's voice fading as Mary rolled her eyes.

"God, I hope Sirius does throw him down the bloody stairs."

"Mary..." Charlotte rolled two fingers over her eyes in frustration.

They only waited in the empty common room for a minute, maybe two, before the portrait swung open again and Remus climbed in, worry etched into his features.

"Where's Sirius?"

"I let Snape get a bit of a head start before I let him go. Hopefully on his way outside by now."

"They didn't-"

"No fight?" Charlotte asked and Remus offered her his best attempt at a smile.

"Stole both of their wands." He explained. "Held Sirius's captive until Snape was out of sight."

"So bright, Lupin." Mary grinned, "I'll see you all for dinner." Mary waved, heading towards the girls dormitories without a second thought.

Remus started towards the empty couches, finally pulling a book from his bag as he settled into his usual arm chair.

Charlotte paused, glancing between the doorway and the stairs where Mary had vanished from sight.

"Thanks... for calming him down." She muttered and Remus looked up to her once again, as if he had forgotten she was still there.

"I'm not sure I can accept that. You know there's really no calming Sirius down."

Charlotte hummed out the start of a laugh.

"Are you... Alright?" She asked, nerves flooding into her stomach as his eyes went wide. "I mean... I don't think you look sick, but I thought I'd ask-"

"I'm fine, Charlotte." He nodded. "Thanks."

"Sure." She nodded quickly, pushing off from the arm rest of the couch and starting up the stairs after Mary.

Chapter Text

Charlotte huffed, blinking into the golden light already spreading over the girls dormitory. Typically, Lily insisted on leaving the curtains open at night to help keep them all on a steady sleep schedule. To wake with the sun. That had worked great all year, though now that exams were over, Charlotte wouldn't have minded an extra hour in bed.

Her mind wandered to the boys dorm, some hundred feet to their left, always plunged in a heavy darkness at all hours of the day. How James managed to be up before dawn for Quidditch most mornings was beyond her.

Still, she was awake now, and had a whole day with no lessons, no studying, and she quickly snuck towards her dresser, letting her roommates sleep a bit longer as she tucked the door shut behind her silently.

She had barely reached the final stairs when she spotted James and Peter, the familiar hazel eyes latching to hers at once and though she hadn't thought it possible, she watched his face fall even farther. Peter too looked distressed, curled into a tight ball in the oversized armchair Remus usually planted himself in at the end of each day, though Remus and Sirius for that matter were no where to be found.

"You guys alright?" Charlotte asked and watched as Peter's head spun to James, as if he wasn't sure of the answer on his own.

"Char..." James trailed off, letting his face fall into his hands propped up on his knees.

"What's happening? Where's Sirius? And Remus?"

"He won't come down..." James grumbled out beneath his breath. "Sirius."

Charlotte paused, glancing over to Peter, though he had dropped his eyes to the floor to avoid meeting hers.

"Sirius? What's wrong with him?"

"I- I can't..." James shook his head, looking thoroughly frustrated with himself. "I can't say. I don't really... You gotta go check on him, Charlotte, please? He won't listen to us, he won't talk to us."

"Alright... Okay, I'll go figure it out-" She trailed off as James jumped to his feet, the worn springs in the couch creaking with the movement.

"Charlotte... just..." He paused and then took a few steps towards the blonde, pulling her into his grip tightly, his arms surrounding her with ease, as if he might have needed the hug. "Whatever he says... Please, don't leave him, alright? He needs you..."

"James..." She was already shaking her head, "You're scaring me."

"Don't be scared." James forced out, dropping his grip from her and nodding towards the stairs.

Charlotte didn't waste another second, hurrying towards the staircase and starting up the familiar path at record speed, anxious to be away from James and Peter and their cryptic glances. All she wanted to see was Sirius. To make sure he was alright, whatever was happening.

She knocked twice on the door, paused for a second, remembering the time of morning before knocking again louder. There was no answer and she had no desire to wait any longer, pushing through the doorway and scanning over the dark, empty dorm.

"Sirius?" She called, pausing to listen in the silence. "Siri?" She mumbled, softer now, glancing towards the bathroom door and stepping closer. She hesitated, knocking against the hard wood and twisting the doorknob after another moment of silence.

It took a moment to find him, crumpled up against the wall beside the sink, his gaze locked on his wand which had rolled out in front of him.

"Hey..." Charlotte whispered now, dropping to the floor beside him and resting her hand on his arm. Sirius flinched at her touch, yanking his hand from her and ducking his head lower, though not before she had noticed his eyes - red rimmed and flushed. "Sirius, what's wrong?"

She watched as his mouth opened and shut, his lips wobbling slightly.

"I can't..." He muttered, so softly Charlotte wasn't sure she'd been meant to hear it.

"Hey, whatever's wrong, it's going to be alright. I'm right here, everything's-" She trailed off as he finally looked to her, taking in a shuddery breath and pulling her closer, his hands clasping behind her back as he squeezed her impossibly tight.

"Siri-"

"Please don't leave me." He sobbed, his head falling against her shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere." She replied, nuzzling into the crook of his shoulder, engulfed in his scent. At least one thing was the same, was familiar. They fell into silence for a few minutes, and Charlotte didn't push, letting Sirius hug her tighter and tighter until she was sure her lungs would give out. "Can I help you?" She asked, finally, feeling him shake his head at once.

"I fucked up." He answered into her hair. "I fucked up. I fucked everything up."

"You couldn't have." She assured him, though her confusion was growing by the minute. "It'll work out. We can fix it."

"I can't. Fix it. No one can fix it, everything is..." He trailed off, pulling away from her at last and dropping his head into his hands. "I'm no good."

"Sirius..." She breathed, tracing her hand over the messy hair lining his face. "There's nothing wrong with-"

"I'm no good." He repeated, "I'm no good for you."

She paused, her blood running cold through her veins. "What?"

"I'm not a good person, Charlotte. You deserve... Everyone deserves better. James, and Peter and Rem..." His voice broke and Charlotte realized her head was already moving, shaking back and forth.

"Is that it?" She mumbled, though he still wouldn't face her. "You and Remus had a fight?"

"Not a fight." He shook his head violently, finally raising it to the doorway, the hint of sunlight peeking around the curtains in their dorm. "I can't be here... when he gets back... I can't-" He grabbed for the edge of the sink above them, forcing himself to his feet and hurling himself through the doorway.

"Sirius! Wait!" Charlotte called a second too late, lunging after him into the dark room only to find the open doorway, Sirius already out of sight.

She scanned the now empty dormitory one final time, as if it might give even the start of a clue, anything she could use to piece together what had happened, before pulling the door shut and racing down the steps after Sirius. She had stepped into the common room now, glancing around pointlessly, already knowing the dark haired boy she was looking for was long gone.

The ancient grandfather clock resting against the wall near the windows ticked away in the silence as she glanced towards the girls staircase, contemplating heading back up to find her roommates, to ask their opinions of her whirlwind of a morning so far, before deciding against it. She didn't know what was going on, but judging from the boys reactions, she knew better than to bring anyone else into it.

Thankfully, before she had to decide what else to do, Lily emerged, fully dressed and hair pulled back neatly as if they had anything to do today... Exams were over, and they were unlikely to be assigned another homework assignment over the final week of lessons.

"You're up early." Lily said, "Marlene and Mary are still sleeping like the dead. Figured I wouldn't wake them, though. They've got to be tired after exams - are you alright?" She asked, her eyes scanning over Charlotte's face.

"Fine." She answered, quickly, forcing her mouth into her best attempt at a smile. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Starving." Lily nodded, the two girls pushing through the portrait hole and into the airy landing of the corridor where Charlotte's steps slowed, the two familiar voices carrying through the empty hallway.

"-wouldn't even talk to me... I barely had to explain, it was like he already knew what happened."

"Sometimes he can remember what happens-"

"I was hoping he wouldn't... This time."

"Well, we can go visit after breakfast-"

"Madam Pomfrey wouldn't even let me in. Had to sneak with the cloak-"

"We can sneak again, just the two of us. We'd fit-"

"He doesn't want to see us, Pete..." James was doing his best to keep his ordinarily loud voice soft, though Charlotte hung onto every word. "Kicked me out."

Peter had opened his mouth to respond, though his eyes linked with Charlotte's and went wide, James whirling to face the girls and shoving his hands behind his back.

"Evans!" He plastered on his best attempt at his usual charming smile.

"What's got you two all worked up?" Lily asked, nervously.

"Oh... Typical... Marauder's things, Lily. You two headed for breakfast?" He met Charlotte's eyes now, and she could practically see the question, the request, the need to know what she had told Lily.

Charlotte shook her head only slightly, watching James let out a large sigh before Lily answered his question.

"Yes, we're starving. Have you two already been?"

"Nope! Headed down now!"

"Where is Sirius?"

"Probably sleeping!" Peter squeaked out and Lily shrugged, following their lead down the first staircase of many as Charlotte's mind continued to race. Where had Sirius run off to? What was wrong? Remus and Sirius fought all of the time... It was hard for her to imagine something Sirius could have done to the tall boy to cause the type of reaction she had seen upstairs.

☾

Remus did not join them for breakfast, or lunch, though that was not unusual these days. What was unusual was the absence of Sirius as well, and with every passing hour that he did not turn up, Charlotte's stomach churned more.

The girls had mentioned it, of course, once they had finally dragged themselves out of bed, though James had simply shrugged it off, as if he and Sirius were not permanently joined at the hip any other day.

Finally, after the girls had decided to head outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather, Charlotte cornered James on his way back to Gryffindor tower.

"Char, please-"

"What is going on?"

"I can't tell you-"

"That was this morning." She shook her head, "He didn't tell me anything, James. He was a mess. And now he's missing-"

"He's not... missing... Give him some space, he needs to cool off-"

"What? They had a fight?" Charlotte waited as James blinked, twice, "Sirius and Remus?"

"I don't... I don't know."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Thank you, I rather pride myself in that-"

"Potter!" Charlotte hissed, "I'm worried about him!"

"Charlotte, I'm worried about him too, but I don't know what to do." James admitted. "I don't know what to do. I have no plan, and I don't know what to tell you-"

"Tell me where he is."

"How am I supposed to know-"

"Because you know him." She answered, "And because I know you four have some system. Some... map...?" She said, uncertainly, thinking back to Remus's words so many months ago now.

"You don't know-"

"Can you please help me?" She pleaded, watching James' eyes soften. "I just want to make sure he's okay."

James considered her words, glancing between her face and the floor a few times before nodding.

"Fine... you... wait here." He ordered, zipping towards the bathroom at the end of the hallway as Charlotte watched on, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She leaned against the stone wall behind her as she waited, praying he hadn't in fact just ditched her, sneaking through some hidden bathroom passageway that only he would have known about.

At last, James returned, a slightly brighter look in his eyes as he hurried back to her side.

"He's in the stairwell on the 4th floor, end of the wing by Flitwick's classroom." He told her, hardly noticing the nod she offered him before she was off, starting up the staircase without another word.

Three flights of stairs was nothing, especially not at her current pace, and she reached the familiar wing at once, her footsteps echoing through the silence of the castle. She slowed down at last, nearing the staircase, knowing Sirius might run off again if he heard her.

She passed Flitwick's office, a few more empty classrooms and turned at the end of the corridor, lined with windows, spotting Sirius at last, on the second step down, his back pressed against stone, head in his hands.

She stepped forward quietly, sinking down to the stairs beside him and setting her hand on his arm gently.

"Hi Siri." She whispered, waiting a few seconds before accepting that he wasn't going to look to her. "Have you eaten?"

"Not hungry." He answered, too quickly, his voice barely audible, even in the silence of the stairwell surrounding them.

"Okay..." She nodded, mostly to herself, as he still had not raised his head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't talk about it." He hissed, finally looking up to her, "It's not my place to talk about it, but I should Charlotte. If I could, I would tell you what I did, because then you would leave. You would leave me be, because you would know like everyone else knows, that you're too good for me. I don't deserve you."

"Sirius,"

"I'm being honest. You don't understand-"

"I'm not going anywhere!" She answered, cutting off his ranting, "Everyone makes mistakes. You and Remus-" She trailed off as his face fell once again, a pained expression overtaking his eyes. "People fight Sirius. You guys always fight-"

"We're not fighting." He said, "Not this time. He did nothing wrong, it was me. It was all me, and he will never forgive me, and I'm glad. I deserve it. I don't deserve to have him as my friend-"

"Sirius, stop it." Charlotte whispered, leaning closer to him, her heart settlings lightly as he let his head fall to her shoulder now.

"I've got detention the rest of term, and I've been banned from any clubs or quidditch-"

"That's not that bad..." She whispered.

"No, it's not that bad." He answered, "Not nearly as bad as what I should have gotten..." He trailed off, his gaze still stuck to the floor, the worn steps beneath their feet. "Dumbledore had to talk to me... He had to ask... He had to make sure that what I did... wasn't some part of a... death eater initiation."

Charlotte's heart had sped up now at his words.

"What?"

"That's what I did, Charlotte. Something so horrible, our headmaster thought I was proving something to Voldemort."

"Sirius, don't-"

"Charlotte, I'm..." He muttered, "I'm sorry. I just want to be alone."

She blinked, her mind still racing as she nodded slowly.

"Alright, Sirius..." She stood from their shared step, "I'm going to head upstairs... You can come get me, if you need anything okay?" She paused, waiting for his answer before leaning back down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you. I'm here for you."

He nodded, silently and Charlotte finally started back down the corridor, her heart heavy and her mind racing in circles.

☾

Remus shifted uncomfortably on the stone floor, the new scars lining his chest beneath his shirt still burned off and on, and with each new wave of pain, his stomach churned uncomfortably at the reminder of the last full moon. Of what had happened, and what had nearly happened.

He kicked his legs out in front of him, his boots pressing against the other end of the alcove as the sky outside began to dim, casting the corridor in an orange glow. The book he had brought up under pretense of reading. He had spent the last three days holed up in the infirmary before Madam Pomfrey had finally and unceremoniously kicked him out, declaring that he was "over-rested."

He did not feel over-rested.

Everything hurt. The scars, his head, his eyes, his hip, and possibly worst of all, his chest. The memories, the thought of what had happened floated back through his mind nearly every sixty seconds, no matter how he tried to distract himself.

He missed his friends. James, and Peter and... even Sirius. But he wouldn't go see them. He couldn't. Couldn't look at them, not after what had happened. Not after what Sirius had done.

A shadow fell over the alcove and Remus's eyes flashed upwards, his heart settling at once when he locked eyes with the dark blue ones standing before him.

"Sorry, I was just-" She muttered, looking nervously back down the hallway where she'd been headed.

"Hi Charlotte." Remus spoke, possibly for the first time that day, his throat slightly scratchy from lack of use.

"Hi." Her smile was forced, and Remus's stomach sank once again.

"Did he tell you?" He grumbled, his chest already tightening at the thought. Of course. Of course Sirius wouldn't be able to keep his secret. He'd already proved that, hadn't he? Remus had been stupid to think it wouldn't have spread. No, Sirius would not be able to wallow in his self pity without Charlotte's help-

"Not really..." She answered, Remus's brows cinching together. "He hasn't said much at all. I just know you two are fighting."

Remus didn't answer, though the relief that had sank into his stomach was short lived.

"And that's fine." She continued. "I don't need to know. You don't have to tell me either. And I can go, if you-"

"No." He answered, his eyes flickering back to his boots. "You can stay."

Charlotte nodded, taking a small step into the alcove and sinking down across from the brunette,  her eyes trailing over the un-cracked book at his side.

"I just don't really feel like talking." He said, softly, and Charlotte hummed in agreement, her gaze falling to the windows across from their spot. The sun was nearly behind the forest in the distance, and she let her eyes shut, the orange and pink glow painting her skin like summer had seeped through the glass with her arrival.

Remus looked back to his hands in his lap. His senses were always heightened after the moon, and now it was as if all he could smell was floral... Like orange blossom and lavender...

Every few minutes his eyes would flick back to her face, only for a second, knowing better than to let her catch him watching. It was nice... Having her there. Even in silence. Even if she'd probably spent months of the past year hating his guts. Even having her now, in the silence, Remus felt the ache in his chest lessen slightly as the orange sank out of the alcove, leaving the two of them in shadows.