The new marauder

Chapter 55

CHRISTMAS. CHRISTMAS. CHRISTMAS.

Christmas in in twenty four hours and only now am i getting excited.

They got the big Christmas trees up, the halls are decked with tinsel and little Santa on broomsticks fly around.

I love the festive season.

I'm clad in my most seasonally appropriate gear, my fluffy black jumper with a little robin on it, woolly leggings and bunny slippers.

Because i'm adorable like that.

Not many people stay at Christmas I've found, this year none of the Ravenclaws or Slytherins stayed, only about twenty Hufflepuffs and it's just me, Charlie and maybe fourteen other Gryffindors.

That that i'm complaining i mean, Christmas is a time for family.

I don't got none of those so i got me the Charlie Tyler Wilson.

My bae.

We have tones of fun things planned.

But right now, we're eating brownies on the top of the astronomy tower.

He's got his big fluffy cardigan on that i love and we're spotting stars as it is late.

"That's Sirius."

"You really snagged yourself as star did't you?"

"Shut up you corny twat!"

"I'm just stating the truth."

I laugh it off and we fall silent, comfortably munching on our brownies.

"Do you think i'll ever be accepted without judgement?"

"No, there's always going to be homophobic people out there, but you learn to not care about them."

"Why are you so good at advice?"

"Because I've been through it all."

"You've been gay?"

"No."

"But you just said-"

"I know but what i meant was-"

"When were you gay?"

"I wasn't gay!"

"Sure, i always knew you put up with Clara for a reason."

"Shut up, i wasn't gay! We were just friends!"

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that."

"Even if i was, which i wasn't, would you treat me different?"

"Fuck no, after everything you helped me through? Not in a million billion years."

"That's nice."

"I mean it, thanks for helping me figure out who i am."

"I was glad to help, still am glad to help you with anything. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you helped me much more than i helped you."

"Nah, you helped me tones. You let me kiss you to see if i liked girls or guys, that's friendship."

"No really Charlie, i want you to see something."

"What is it?"

"You knew i had a bad time at home didn't you?"

"Yeah, you hated going home and you hardly ever spoke to your brother."

"Well um, just read this."

I hand him the book and he sits on the floor to read. I carry on looking out at the sky as i hear him gasp and mutter things like 'no'.

This is what I've been doing with all my friends, letting them read it as i trust them. I know now isn't the best time to spring it on Charlie but it's now or never.

Lily thought it was a good idea, as did Sirius. Then i'll hide the book in the room of requirement. If you ask it for a place to hind something, it will give you a room stacked with chairs, tables, wardrobes and old things from the years and years of Hogwarts.

Twenty minutes later he stands and hands it back to me with shaking hands.

Charlie is the kind of person who never cries, not at sad movies or dogs dying on a show. So when i see him wipe his eyes and sniffle, i feel bad for showing him this close to Christmas.

"I never knew how strong you are."

"Ha, i'm far from strong Charlie."

"What do you mean, you've been through all this and you still think you're not strong?"

"A strong person doesn't cry at night, doesn't feel sad at nothing and doesn't get angry at the tiniest things. I'm weak and a failure."

"No! Summer Olivia Brown, i have known you since you were twelve. That weird, three-second-older sister of Toby Brown. You were funny, witty, sarcastic, cheeky, sly and loving all in one. You helped me figure out who i was, stopped my sister from hurting herself and cared about everyone. You hated to admit it but everyone knew that deep deep down you were a massive softy and would never hurt someone without a good reason. If anyone was sad, you would cheer them up with a stupid joke. You were strong, helping everyone with their problems even though you faced that hell at home. You survived and pulled through all that, and yes you've lost people along the way, but you're here alive and healthy. Nobody's life is perfect, your's was far from it but here you stand today. Strong, independent, beautiful and still loving. If that's not strength, god knows what is."

He wraps his big fluffy cardigan around me and holds me as i cry.

I cry because he's right.I am strong, i got through that hell.

But i cry because i really love Charlie Tyler Wilson, my guardian angel.

I wake up in my bed.

In the boys dorms.

Charlie is sat on James's bed, reading. I can see him through the gap in the curtain, and i hear a soft song playing in the background.

You'll Be Okay by A Great Big World.

I decide against getting up to face the world and instead lie there, watching him read and listening to him sing me back to sleep with his soft voice.