Unforgettable

Chapter One

Life is hard when you are the sister to someone so popular, especially when you try your best to be invisible. At least, that is how it feels when I am standing next to James. He always seems to be bursting at the seems with energy that others just feed off.

James is my older brother by ten minutes. He makes sure to remind me all the time. He's not a bad older brother. He is quite wonderful, actually. He's my best friend.

Since he is my best friend, that also makes his friends my best friends...sort of. Sirius is awful loud for my taste, so I don't talk to him much. Remus is kind, but he sort of scares me. He is ridiculously intelligent and very tall, pretty intimidating. Peter is sweet, but I don't interact with him much. I think he doesn't know what to think of me. I'm so quiet, yet I hang out with this group of rowdy boys.

I'm usually just tagging along behind them, not engaging in what they do or talk about. They try to include me, but I ignore it and stay in the background. That's typically how I prefer it too. At birth, I think James got all the personality and I got the common sense.

This year, I'm determined to change that. Over the summer, I watched James hang out with his friends and have the time of his life. I want that too.

Now I have friends apart from the boys. For instance, I hang out with Lily Evans, Alice Fortescue, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadows. I'm just not super close with them.

James has a massive crush on Lily and is constantly pestering her. I thought she wouldn't like me because of him, but she didn't judge me based off his actions. I'm genuinely grateful for it.

James and Sirius aren't always the nicest to people, and sometimes people assume that about me just because James is my brother. This year, I am determined to be something more than the 'Potter girl' or 'James younger sister'.

I sigh and crawl out of bed and tip toe to my brother's room that is across the hall. We leave out for fifth year at Hogwarts tomorrow, and we are supposed to be asleep.

I quietly open his door and slip inside. His lamp is on, and he is doing something with his quidditch broom. I go over to his bed and lay down beside where he is sitting.

"What's up CJ." He asks quietly. I roll my eyes at the nickname. My name is Charlotte Jane, and he likes to shorten it to CJ. He has various other nicknames too. Some of the most common are Charlie, Charls, or Janie. Typically, he calls me CJ, though.

"I've just been thinking." I answer.

"What about?"

He knows I have a lot to talk about when I've been thinking about something. He also knows that he's the only person I tell how I really feel about things.

"I'm going to do better this year."

He looks over at me with confusion written across his face, "Do better at what? You already get good grades, and you never get in trouble."

I shrug and look at the wall, "I want to have a life this year, you know? I want to do things with people. Make friends."

He scoffs, "You have friends."

"I mean my own friends. Not ones I share with you."

"Hey! They are your friends too. We all love you. We like having you around. Yeah, it would be better is you were a little more involved in the group, but we still want you there nonetheless." He says defensively.

"Pfft, I know you care. The others...not so much. I'm just their friend's little sister that tags along all the time."

He sets his broom on the floor and turns to me, "CJ." He scolds.

I throw my hands up and look at him, exasperated.

He rolls his eyes at me, "I promise the other boys like you...especially Remus."

He whispers the last part, and I'm uncertain if I even heard him correctly.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just you and Remus are a lot alike. Sometimes I wonder if you fancy him." James teases and pokes at my stomach.

"Shut up, I barely know him." I remark and shove James off the bed.

He falls to the floor with a loud bang and we both look at each other shocked. I pushed him off the bed, and it was obviously going to make a noise, but I guess neither of us expected it.

Suddenly, the door swings open and dad steps in, "What was that noise? Charlotte, what are you doing in here, you're supposed to be in bed?"

"She pushed me off the bed!" James says, pointing up at me. Thanks for throwing me under the bus, James.

"Keep it down and get to bed." Dad bosses.

"But daddddd, we go back to school tomorrow and girls aren't allowed in our dorms, so this is the last night we can have a sleepover!" James whines.

James is a liar. I go in their dorm even though I'm not allowed to. We can have all the sleepovers we want. Also, I wasn't planning on sleeping in here.

Dad smiles at us. He loves how close we are. Some people think it is odd being so close to your sibling. I think it is wonderful.

"Alright, just keep it down and the lights better be off in ten." He says before walking out.

"You are such a liar!" I whisper shout at him.

"I know it's one of my best qualities."

I roll my eyes and him and get under his bed covers. He sighs and flops down on the other twin sized bed in his room. That one is where Sirius sleeps when he is here.

"Don't feel like you have to be loud and seen to have worth, CJ." James says as he turns the light off.

"Don't worry about that. Make sure I participate this year, even if it makes me uncomfortable or anxious."

If I had known the trouble that would get me into, I would have never said it.