The rest of Charlus' birthday played out in a rather predictable fashion. The newly turned sixteen year old was extremely paranoid for the remainder of the day, constantly glancing over his shoulder and being conscious that he had to be aware at all times, for he never knew what to expect around the corner...literally.
As Euphemia and Charlus wandered back up towards the castle from the lake, Charlus' shoes still squeaking until Mia claimed that it was irritating her and she waved her wand swiftly, drying her boyfriend off in an instant, there was a rumbling noise that sounded a little like thunder to Charlus, at first. That was until he saw Euphemia concealing a giggle behind her hand and he knew that it had to be another prank.
"What's happening now?" Charlus asked cautiously and Mia batted her eyelashes at him innocently, widening her eyes though she couldn't disguise the twinkle of mischief peeking out from her grey-blue irises. "I have no idea," she responded, the ghost of a smirk lingering at her mouth but she bit down on her bottom lip furiously, digging her teeth right in so that she didn't release the laugh that was bubbling inside her.
"CHARGE!" came a sudden yell and Minerva dashed into the couple's sight, pointing her wand firmly at something with a grin spreading across her face. Charlus felt something akin to dread creep up in his body but resigned amusement was also wavering - he had to truly admire their creativity and that was in fact the case when a parade of desks galloped his way, chasing him all the way down the hill.
Another moment when Charlus 'admired' their creativity was when he finally trudged back up the hill, disheveled from being chased by the desks for the majority of the early afternoon, only to find himself incapable of walking. Though Charlus couldn't work out what charm had been cast on his shoes without him realising, the stickiness on his soles proved walking up to castle to be extremely difficult.
The entirety of his friends and the S.S.E.A.W. (including Mia, the traitor) were watching from the double doors, giggling and waving at him as his shoes dragged on the floor, gluing themselves to the ground before shooting him backwards so that Charlus landed on his backside before struggling to rise again, only to be faced with the challenge of sticky feet again.
This entire prank played out for a solid half an hour before Alastor claimed that he was bored and Filius waved his wand to remove the charm. As soon as Charlus realised that the spell had been removed, he took off running towards the castle which caused everyone else to quickly sprint away, not wanting to be the victim to his wrath. Florean was even screaming, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" at the top of his voice as they all rushed down the corridor, away from Charlus.
Throughout the rest of the day, Charlus found himself a victim to many more pranks - including one that made his hair change to different colours of the rainbow, every time that he ran his hand through his hair. That particular prank had been schemed by Euphemia because she knew just how much her boyfriend messed with his hair during a single day and so she had thought it exceedingly hilarious to play a prank that would change his hair colour every time he did so.
Another prank that took place that day was when Charlus decided to venture upstairs to his dormitory, where he found (much to his dismay and amusement) that all of his furniture had been placed on the ceiling, flipped upside down by some type of sticking charm. His mouth dropped into a perfect O as he looked at his bed on the ceiling, with everything hanging the wrong way up.
''What the....'' Charlus started to mutter and he reached up to his dangling bed post, trying to tug the bed down but it wouldn't budge, staying firmly fixed to the ceiling in a rather stubborn nature. It was turning out to be a very eventful birthday....
"I can't believe you would do this to me," Charlus said to Mia around about four o'clock in the afternoon on the day of his birthday. Euphemia simply beamed innocently at him again and pecked him on the cheek before grabbing his hand and pushing him through a door, which led him to a completely random place in the castle.
For at least another hour, Charlus found himself stumbling about Hogwarts in confusion. Every door that he chose to open led him to another place in the castle, until Charlus was completely and utterly lost - despite him having attended the school for the past five years.
"What on earth is going on..." Charlus muttered underneath his breath as he sighed and grabbed another door handle, shoving through the doorway and falling out into the corridor to the tapestry room - he would've known that corridor anywhere, due to it being the frequent place for them to hang out in since first year.
''If this is another prank, I swear to Merlin that I will not hesitate to kill you all,'' Charlus called out in the darkness, groping his way towards where he knew the tapestry room entrance was.
''That's very mean, Fleamont! I take offence!'' Florean's voice called out but, no matter how hard he looked and how much he craned his neck, Charlus couldn't see where his friend was, thanks to the absence of light that his friends had ensured.
''Guys...'' Charlus started to say, feeling rather sick and tired of all these pranks now - he just wanted to relax and have fun instead of constantly glancing over his shoulder in a paranoid fashion, always waiting for a prank to happen. "Excuse me, some of us are not guys - that's sexist!" Pomona's voice came from the dark expanses of the tapestry room and, concealing a chuckle, Charlus moved forward and had to shield his eyes as soon as he entered.
What awaited him in the tapestry room did actually surprise him for the place had been heavily decorated and, unlike the mocking decorations that had been placed all over the Gryffindor common room that morning as a joke (with stupid pictures of Charlus plastered everywhere which were accompanied by sparkly pink banners), these decorations were actually more suited to him as a person and the room actually looked stunning.
The tapestry room had been completely transformed - the old, sagging but comfortable sofas had been draped with red silks to make it seem more eloquent; colourful banners that actually were in Charlus' favourite colours of maroon and gold were adorning the walls; balloons drifted in the corners, weighted down in baskets; a massive table had been conjured that was filled with a little banquet of all Charlus' favourite foods and The Stupefiers music was playing, which warranted a smile from Charlus as he loved that band.
Photos of him and his friends were propped up on every surface possible and Minerva beckoned him over to see a massive book that his friends (including everyone in the S.S.E.A.W. because they were all practically one big friendship group now) had all filled with photographs and messages from them, many including favourite memories and inside jokes that made Charlus laugh. "Everyone wanted to do something nice for you," Minnie told him and Charlus surprised her with a hug, causing her to squeak in alarm.
"I know we've been dreadful to you all day but we didn't want to make you suffer for all of your birthday," Lyall said with a grin, patting him on the back before Florean bounded over, excitement radiating off him, "Charlus! Charlus! Seeing as you're sixteen now and only two years off drinking legally, I decided to go out of my way to smuggle us some alcohol....only a bit though, we don't want you getting drunk on us!" he shoved a bottle of Firewhiskey into Charlus' hand, skipping back to David soon after.
The rest of the night was filled with laughter, jokes, reminiscing and a lot of eating and drinking - everyone confessed which pranks had come from each individual and Charlus did take slight offence to the fact that it had been Clover Paris and Daphne Meadowes of all people, easily the most 'innocent' ones out of the entire group, who had flipped his dormitory furniture upside down.
"It's always the people you least expect that surprise you," Pomona laughed, nudging Charlus slightly and he rolled his eyes affectionately, wrapping an arm tighter around Euphemia, who was seated beside him but had gone rather quiet for a bit. There was a moment of collective silence before Garm raised his hand, "Hey, is anyone up for a game of Truth or Dare?" he asked the group, which was a suggestion that was met with cheers and affirmative noises.
"Do you remember the firs time we played this together?" Charlus leant over and whispered in Mia's ear, his arm still wrapped around her, "We were dared to go to the Astronomy Tower and back without getting caught and you told me about Marius," he reminded her and Euphemia span in his grip to glance at him in surprise, "You remember that?" she asked, startled.
"Of course I do, it was the first time that I realised how bloody much I wanted to kiss you...but I didn't want to ruin our already weak friendship," Charlus admitted quietly and Mia's grey-blue eyes softened before she leant to kiss him gently on the lips, forgetting that all of their friends were there but she soon remembered when her action was met with whistles and whoops along with Alastor's groan of, "Get a room, you two!"
"Speaking of people who should get a room - what's going on with you and Brutus, Min?" Eugenia asked her friend rather quietly but evidently not quietly enough as Elphinstone Urquart glanced over indiscreetly from where he had been chatting about something with Edgar Bones. "We're dating," Minerva said shyly with a slight blush to her cheeks and Brutus squeezed her hand affectionately, the two of them both missing how Elphinstone's smile slipped off his face, which didn't go unnoticed by Filius who narrowed his eyes.
Truth or Dare started then and some of the truths included Daphne Meadowes telling a story about how she almost accidentally drowned her four year old sister, Dorcas, in the family pond by not realising the child couldn't swim and also Augusta's admittance that she had never liked Charms and that she wasn't very good at it, despite being the Charms Professor's goddaughter.
"Bet she isn't too happy about that then," David laughed but Augusta brushed it off, "I don't need Charms anyway - it's a useless subject," she told them, which would've been a fact that a rather indignant Filius would've objected to, if it hadn't have been for Clover clapping her hands and declaring that it was Florean's turn to do a dare.
"Flo, your dare is....kiss someone in this room. Anyone. It can be someone you're attracted to or just someone random," Pomona dared him and Florean's eyes widened before a slight degree of panic entered them, Charlus and Mia looking on with sympathy as Minerva mouthed to him 'Just go for it' as Florean was obviously deciding whether this was a great time to suddenly announce his sexuality. Probably not.
"Anyone?" he reiterated and the blonde Hufflepuff nodded eagerly, everyone waiting with baited breath to see who he was going to kiss, which girl he was going to pick. But, of course, as a few of them already knew, Florean preferred boys at this moment in time, despite still being attracted to girls, and Florean Fortescue did quite possibly the bravest thing ever that he had ever done in his life.
He kissed David Anderson. In front of the entire S.S.E.A.W. No one spoke for a moment, no one even uttered a sound and then Charlus started clapping, which Euphemia soon joined in with, then Minnie and soon the entire room was filled with applause as all of his friends surrounded Florean and David, asking questions and expressing their support for the couple, etc.
Whilst everyone fussed around Florean, Charlus started to move towards the crowd but he soon realised that his girlfriend wasn't there. In fact, Mia had trailed over to the nearby corner and was staring resolutely at her feet, a single tear slipping down her cheek as she fiddled with the threads of her Slytherin jumper nervously.
Charlus made his way over to her cautiously, concern written all over his face, "Hey," he said softly, causing her to look up and quickly wipe the tears from her eyes, "What's wrong, love?" he asked her gently, reaching forward for her hand and becoming even more concerned when Euphemia gripped it tighter than she ever had, like it was a lifeline.
"It's just...everyone supporting Florean and David....they get to be accepted in their relationship....why can't I? Why can't my parents just allow to be happy with the guy I love instead of forcing me to marry a slimy git?" Mia blurted out, her tone a mixture of hurt, disgust and sadness and Charlus' heart ached for her. He wanted to help her, he just didn't know how.
"You're not going to marry him, Mia. I won't let you do that to yourself," Charlus promised her but Euphemia shook her head, aware that a few of their friends had started to look over in their direction in concern. "Don't you see? I have to....otherwise they'll-they'll—"
"Charlus! Mia! We're cutting the cake now so get over here before we eat it all!" Eugenia called over at that moment, causing Mia to break off and Charlus was tempted to snap at the blonde behind them for interrupting such a crucial moment but he reeled his temper in, wiping away Euphemia's tears and sending her a weak but encouraging smile.
"Tell you what - we'll continue this tomorrow. How about a little picnic by the lake to take your mind off it all?" he suggested and Euphemia's face lit up considerably, hooking her arm through Charlus' and leaning her head on his shoulder, "I would love that, Flea."
~~~
The picnic the next day went really well - Mia cheered up a lot and there was a lot of laughter, kisses and throwing of grapes for the other to catch in their mouths, which failed miserably. However, the heavens above seemed to disagree and it soon began to drip down on them, ruining the end of the picnic and, subsequently, Charlus's mood.
"Crap, it's raining. This picnic was a bad idea anyway, let's just go inside," Charlus sighed and placed his hands over his hair, as he attempted to bundle up the picnic but Mia shook her head, looking quite happy, "Don't be such a wuss, Flea. A little rain never hurt anyone," she patted the space next to her with an irresistible smile.
"No, but a lot makes people drown," Charlus grumbled but he sat down next to her, trying to ignore the rather persistent drops of rain now beating down on them, running down Euphemia's face but she didn't seem bothered. "I like the rain," she said simply, her hands clasped together on her lap and Charlus reached for one, holding her icy fingers in his slightly warmer grip as his hands had been buried in his pockets.
"Your hands are freezing," he told her, attempting to warm them up and Mia shrugged, "There's worse things in the world," she replied casually but Charlus saw the flicker of fear pass through her eyes, evidence that she hadn't forgotten that the wedding date was creeping closer and closer despite Charlus' opportune picnic distraction. "I keep telling you, you don't have to marry him, Mia. Come to my place, don't go home when school ends...my family would love to meet you."
Euphemia avoided his heartfelt gaze, "They'll kill me," she whispered, her voice breaking and Charlus was pretty sure that his heart broke with it, "I won't let them," he promised fiercely and he meant it with all of his heart - he would rather die than allow Mia to suffer in any way, shape or form.
"You can't protect me forever, Flea," Euphemia smiled sadly, her tears mingling with the raindrops running down her face so that Charlus wasn't sure which he was wiping away but he did it anyway, cupping her cheek with his hand. "No, but I'll bloody try," he told her and she let out a choked laugh, leaning her wet head on his chest, covered by his now soaked robes.
The rain suddenly picked up then, starting to bounce off the lake's surface and flood the grass below them with growing puddles which caused them both to leap up, Charlus' arms wrapped around Mia as they discarded the picnic's remains, Euphemia flicking her wand to vanish the rubbish. There was a sudden clap of thunder and the rain absolutely poured down from the skies, relentlessly beating down on them.
"We should go inside, we're going to catch our deaths out here," Charlus practically yelled at Mia, unable to be heard over the deafening sound of the rain crashing down on the grounds, the onslaught of water leaving them looking like drowned rats. "No, that's boring! Dance with me?" Euphemia asked him, shivering in the cold but still smiling.
As an answer, Charlus grabbed her hands and span her around in a circle, causing her to stagger and nearly fall over into the puddles. The magical sound of Mia's loud laughter filled the air then and, even though she was soaked to the core and her dark hair was now plastered to her forehead and dripping down her back from the rain, the ends of her strands looking more like rat tails than hair, Charlus still thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.
They danced for a little longer, waltzing clumsily around the grounds, nearly toppling into the lake at certain points and Charlus did actually trip eventually, sending them both sprawling and Euphemia continued to lie in the wet grass, surrounded by water, even after her boyfriend had scrambled to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. "Get up, you idiot," Charlus laughed.
Mia spread her arms and legs out in an angel position, moving them back and forth like she was making a snow angel, "I'm making a rain angel!" she giggled and the rain sloshed against her arms and legs, her robes physically sticking to her skin because they were so wet. "You're crazy," Charlus told her fondly, affection and love shining in his expression.
"No, I'm not, I'm Mia," Euphemia said with a dead-pan expression and she tried to hold back her laughter but it simply burst out of her, causing Charlus to chuckle as well because her giggles were so contagious, "Come on, you can't just ditch your dance partner," he offered a hand to her again, intending to help her up but, when Mia did take his hand, she pulled him down so that he was lying on top of her.
"Oops," she sniggered and Charlus shook his head, placing his arms in either side of her head so that he was hovering over her, "You're such a troublemaker," he whispered before leaning in and capturing her lips in his.
Then Charlus was kissing her, kissing Euphemia like he'd never kissed her before, drinking her in as if he couldn't get enough, placing his arms around her waist and rolling over so that she was leaning over him, her wet hair dripping onto his face as his own hair lay in a puddle of rain.
The rain was still powering on but the couple were completely unaware and oblivious as they snogged fiercely, Mia straddling Charlus' waist before he flipped her over again, making sure it didn't get too intimate because, after all, he was only just sixteen and Euphemia technically hadn't turned sixteen yet so he didn't want to go overboard, as much as his body was urging him on.
"Flea," Mia gasped, pulling away for a second and they gazed into each other's eyes, their eyelashes spiked with rain as their entire bodies were drenched, the cold seeping into their bones. "Do you want to go inside?" Charlus asked her, standing up and tugging her up after him this time, wrapping her in his arms as she placed her head on his chest, a small smile settling on her face as she looked up at him.
Euphemia shook her head, "No, I feel free out here." Charlus felt the depth of her words and he placed a kiss on her soaked forehead, smoothing her wet hair out of her face, "Me too," then he twirled her around again, causing her to laugh as Charlus began to dance with her again, one hand on her waist and the other gripping her icy-cold hand whilst she gazed into his eyes.
Then Charlus' mouth began to move, his words so soft at first that Mia had to strain her ears in order to hear what he was saying. And then she realised that he wasn't speaking, but singing and she found herself listening closely as they danced, "I'm singin' in the raiiinn, just singin' in the raiinn....what a glorious feelingg, I'm haaappy agaiiin."
Mia let out a shrill of laughter as he span her around again, pulling her into his arms where he swayed with her, arms tight around her waist, singing directly into her ear now, "I'm laughin' at clouds....so daarrk up abovee. The sun's in my heart and I'm...readyyy for luuurveee," Charlus drawled the last bit playfully, pecking her on the cheek before she span away from him, their hands still attached as they started to skip.
"Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place...come on with the rain, I've a smileee on my face," Charlus sang as Euphemia obediently beamed a smile, showing off all her teeth, her eyes glowing with happiness as she ducked under his arm, allowing him to hug her to his side, leaning his wet head atop of hers.
"I'll walk down the lanee....with a haaappy refraiiin," Charlus jumped in a puddle, shrugging his shoulders theatrically as Mia chuckled, "Just singin'..." he held out an imaginary microphone to Euphemia, prompting her to send him a confused glance before guessing the next words, "...singin' in the raiiinn," she sang, warranting a high-five from her boyfriend in response.
Charlus jumped through the air with a great amount of energy before pulling Mia up onto his shoulders, which she did so with a squeal as she gripped onto his extremely wet hair to steady herself, "Dancin' in the raiiinn," he did a little tap shuffle movement, "Da da da da da da....I'm happy agaiinn," he span around with Euphemia on his shoulders as she screamed with delighted laughter, "I'm singin' and dancin' in the raiiinn.....I'm dancin' and singin' in the rainnn..."
"You're crazy, Charlus Potter," Mia swung down from his shoulders with a laugh, placing her hands on her hips, "Where'd you learn the song? It's kinda...catchy," she tapped her foot a little, splashing it slightly in a puddle before kicking the water at him, causing him to let out a yelp before he splashed her back, soaking her skirt (not that it wasn't already drenched - it was still raining).
"Has Florean not been talking your ear off about it? It's some Muggle show, a musical on Broadway called, wait for it, 'Singing in the Rain' that he loves," Charlus told her, lacing his fingers through hers as Euphemia sent him a slightly confused glance, "What's Broadway?" she questioned, tilting her head to one side.
"You what? You don't know what Broadway is? How—" Charlus cut himself off as he remembered who her parents were. Now that he thought about it, Cassiopeia and Arcturus Black didn't seem like the type to listen to Muggle musicals, let alone inform their daughter of the most iconic theatres in America (to be honest, they probably didn't know what Broadway was themselves).
"Flo will have to educate you," he smiled and Mia shivered, the cold from the rain finally getting to her and when Charlus suggested they go inside, there was no protesting that time and the two of them ran inside, shielding their heads against the vicious onslaught of rain that was still ongoing, not that it would've made any difference as they already were soaked and struck a remarkable resemblance to a couple of drowned rats.
Still, Euphemia thought, I'd rather catch pneumonia and look like a drowned rat than marry Orion but, hey, life doesn't grant wishes and make dreams come true. It only makes nightmares possible.
Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻