"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."