VOWS
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Harry had been counting down the days for weeks now. He couldn't wait to see Charlotte again, and this time, he was determined to board the train he was sat on in the New Year and not feel the regret he had the last time he left. He'd make his move on Charlotte this time, and he'd planned it out to a tee.
It would be private, and quiet, and as romantic as he could make it (although he knew something would mess up) and it would be the start of wonderful things to come. Merlin knew he needed some wonder in his life.
The train pulled into platform nine and three quarters and Harry had never gotten off the train faster, Hermione and Ron struggling to keep up whilst Zara and Nott slowed him down, dawdling in front of him as he awkwardly tried and failed to over take them. When they finally made it onto the platform, Zara immediately turned to him, eyes sparkling with glee.
"Harry," she said, with a smirk as he hauled his trunk off the train. "You better hurry up."
"What?" He asked, just as confused as the others who stared at Zara as if she had two heads. The girl simply laughed, nodding her head towards Charlotte who stood a couple feet away.
Damn. She looked better than he remembered as he caught her eye. She was so beautiful, truly gorgeous to the point where Harry was sure she had a Glamour Charm on her, before remembering that was impossible. The wind was knocked out of his lungs as the blonde came flying at him, launching herself onto him in a warm embrace as he dropped his trunk on his foot but ignored the pain, kicking it to the side as he hugged her back, still slightly shocked at how forward she was.
"It feels like you've all been gone for ages!" she said as she pulled away, arms still wrapped around his neck, but something told him she wasn't really talking to the others. "I've missed you so much- life's been so boring over here, I feel as though there's nothing to do but schoolwork!"
"Oh," Harry stuttered, staring into her ocean blue eyes, bright and happy and he told himself to pull it together. "Really?"
"Yes, really," Charlotte sighed. She glanced from side to side, as if only now noticing the volume of her voice, and the fact that there were plenty of people on the platform. Harry heard Ron snigger from behind him, and Charlotte's eyes immediately snapped away from his, to give his friend a glare. If looks could kill... She looked back at him. "And you haven't been writing, either."
She was right. He'd written once, and only once at the beginning of October and he hated himself for it. It was his fault, and his fault alone, yet he still found himself stumbling for excuses.
"Sorry, it's just there's been so much going on, I haven't found the time," Harry said, and Charlotte's beautiful smile faded. He was so stupid! Why would he say that? "Not like that- I just meant, well, there's only so many hours in a day you see, and well, they're all taken up by other things, and trust me, I'd rather they weren't but-"
"Oh, shut up," Charlotte laughed, and all of a sudden she was pressing her lips against his. This wasn't what he'd planned, this was everything he didn't want to happen, because he could've sworn he'd heard the click of a camera shutter as he closed his eyes, heard Zara squeal in delight from beside them, felt stares all around him. He'd wanted privacy for the first time.
But Harry got lost in the kiss anyway, it was hard not to when Lottie tasted like chocolate cake, and ran her hands through his hair and smelt like roses and held his heart in her hands. When they pulled away from each other, both grinning like mad, their friends had left them alone, but everyone else was still watching.
"Merlin, what have we done?" he mumbled, still smiling, regardless of the panic he felt inside.
"What we should have done a long time ago," she replied, smiling.
"There's so many people here," he spoke and she shrugged, something mischievous glinting in her eyes.
"Good. Now any young witches who fancy themselves a celebrity can know this one is mine," she retaliated, and something burned in the pit of Harry's stomach, chilling his soul.
He glanced towards where his family stood waiting, Sirius and Layth listening to Zara as she spoke excitedly. Sirius held out his palm and Layth dropped five sickles into it, the Slytherin looked quite defeated as Harry's godfather laughed. They'd never let him hear the end of it, he just knew it.
And no doubt, he was right. Harry, Charlotte, Theodore, Sirius and the Afasy twins took the muggle train back to the town where their small cottage resided. That beautiful blonde who had a heart of a gryffindor and cunning of a slytherin feared side along apparition more than anything it seemed. Harry had tried to insist that his family leave without them, that they would meet them at home in a couple of hours but, no. They'd never pass up an opportunity to tease him, it seemed.
"I always said he was a womaniser," Sirius barked, he and Layth still laughing from the two seats across from him and Charlotte. Zara and Theodore had sat on a pair of seats across the aisle from them, the girl's head in her boyfriend's lap as he gently plaited her long brown hair. "James was always so-"
"Why don't we go?" Harry leaned down to whisper into Charlotte's ear and she smiled. He didn't see her smile, but felt the muscles in her cheeks rise as she leant into his touch. The most PDA she'd show after that performance on the platform.
"Where?" she replied and he shrugged, pulling away from her.
"Anywhere," he offered. "Another compartment. Another train. Merlin, even if we hid out in the toilet cubicle I'd be happy."
"I'm not that sort of girl," Charlotte grinned, but stood regardless. She turned to Sirius and Layth, giving them that smile that Harry knew came from her mischievous soul. "I'm going to steal Harry now. Sorry!"
And with that, she took his hand, tugging him out of his seat and pulling him along the aisle, waving to Zara and Theodore as she went, only coming to a halt when they were in an empty compartment, two carriages away. Then she gave him that look, and Harry thought she must have known it drove him crazy, because at that point, his logical brain disappeared and he was just as hormonal as the next teenager.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him as he flopped onto a seat, kissing her once more, properly, without worry, without restraint. Fire, fire, fire. When did he get this practice?
Her hands snaked through his dark hair as his roamed to her hips, gripping tightly, as she tugged. He had no idea where this was coming from. He'd never kissed anyone like this, only ever shared shy, gentle kisses with girls, never this. A groan was ripped out of him as she pulled on his bottom lip with her teeth, finally pulling away to breathe. He thought foolishly of fireworks.
That's when a faint, drunken memory resurfaced in his mind, of his promises to kiss the girl in front of him last August. The promise he was sure she still did not remember.
"I was supposed to do this months ago," Harry panted, and Charlotte chuckled, voice husky as she spoke.
"Good job I did it first," she grinned and Harry properly pulled away at this, sitting up straight and lifting her from his lap to the seat next to him. He rubbed his face as she glanced at him with concern. "What? Aren't you glad?"
"I just wish it hadn't been there," he admitted. "With so many eyes."
"Why?" She challenged, suddenly on the offensive. "Don't want to be seen with a muggle girl?"
"No," he countered, horrified that she believed he'd ever think that way. Was he not fighting a war against the very people who did? "I don't want Death Eaters to see me with any girl. Muggle or otherwise. I don't want to endanger anyone. But now- now, they've probably seen, there were probably a load of them on that platform-"
"There might not have been."
"Even so," Harry insisted, desperate to make her see his view, his worries. "There was a camera there. No doubt they'll sell those photographs to the Daily Prophet, and if they didn't see in person, they'll see through that. They might target you!"
"I don't care," she said, firmly. "Let them do whatever they want to me. It won't change the fact that I like you, Harry. And I don't care if the whole world knows it."
"I like you too," he admitted, and it felt like a weight off his shoulders. "But there's so many strings attached."
"Then let's cut them," Charlotte proposed, offering her hand. "Together."
Harry hesitated for a moment, looking into her bright blue eyes and he couldn't find the nerve to let her down. So, he took her hand, and repeated her words, although it still did not calm his worries. "Together."
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Hi everyone! It's official! The Harlotte ship has sailed! To be honest, I'm not really feeling this chapter but I wanted to give you guys some material, and the quality and length is acceptable from my point of view. Sort of suffering a block at the moment, but my way of dealing with that is just sucking it up and writing, I suppose!
Qotd: your tactics to overcome writer's/reader's block?
-Amber.