★★★
"Psychopathic, don't be so dramatic."
★★★
Christmas had flown in and drifted away, and before the kids could even notice, they were stuck amidst their last months ever at Hogwarts.
It was a bittersweet realization, one that caused Chip to become overly emotional and in slight denial in the Common Room only a few weeks after they had gotten back from break.
"Charlie, we're almost grown up! Do you understand the severity of this situation?" She scolded him, as though this was somehow his fault, all while flipping off a third year who had tried to shush her as she ranted loudly.
Charlie was curled up in the armchair in their Common Room, laughing at the terrified expression on the girl's face. She wasn't the only one that was scared of graduating and venturing out into the real world. Of course they were all scared, why shouldn't they be? Especially with the current state of things, i.e. a psychopathic elitist wizard wreaking havoc on their society.
"Charlie, I'm going to be married soon, and before you know, I'll have kids, and have a job, and then die? Do you understand that? Charlieee," she moaned, flopping beside him on the couch and laying her head down in his lap,
"I'm so old." Chip resolved, closing her eyes sadly as Charlie began to braid her hair.
"Hey, don't worry too much about it, hun," Charlie soothed, gathering her hair into three separate strands. He knew how she would stress over something constantly if no one was around to stop it, "Besides, as your best friend, I hereby swear that I will be the one to buy you a walking cane and/or put you in a nursing home when the need arises."
Chip just gave a loud groan at that, not even bothering to lift her head as Andy came bouncing into through Common Room door and yelled their names.
"Well, what are you two sitting around for?" She sputtered, arm perched on her hip, eyebrows raised in disbelief, "The game is starting soon!"
Charlie and Chip looked at each other, back at Andy, and started laughing.
"You do know the game starts at 6:00, right? It's currently," Charlie looked at his watch-less wrist for dramatic effect, "4:30."
"Okay, and?" She looked offended that they weren't currently in their seats in the Quidditch pitch. "You've got to leave soon to get good seats, at least."
Everyone always packed out the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch games, and this was sure to be a good game, considering the two houses were neck and neck for the Cup this year. The game would be interesting, and if nothing else, it would be fun to see what lengths each team would go in order to subtly cheat.
"We'll leave in a minute, Andy," Chip giggled, apparently completely forgetting her early crisis, in true Caitlyn Sherwood fashion. "Besides, shouldn't you be on the pitch already? You're on the team. Won't your captain get his panties in a twist?"
"Hah! Chip, very funny," She rolled her eyes, "I'd like to see Potter try to punish me. He's too busy worrying about our shitty reserve beaters to even notice I'm gone."
Andy eventually bounced back out the door, skipping joyfully, as if she was sure of their future victory. Charlie and Chip went to their respective dorms to put on some warmer clothes before leaving. Charlie shrugged his leather jacket over his red sweater. He had to make sure he was sporting some Gryffindor colors, or else Andy would come for his head. He can remember the last time he went to her Quidditch game against Ravenclaw, and he accidentally wore a blue jacket. Andy didn't talk to him for the rest of the day.
He retied his shoe laces before grabbing a pair of gloves and jumping down the stairs to meet Chip. His wand was tucked in his waistband, having just been used for a small warming charm before they left.
"Who's your bet on?" Chip asked slyly. Slytherin and Gryffindor were evenly matched in talent this year, making the whole school eager to watch the game.
"Gryffindor, for the sole reason that Andy physically refuses to let them lose." Charlie responded, scrunching his nose up as the cold wind bit against his face. Finn met up with the two in the stands, having saved a couple of seats from entitled first years for them.
Charlie settled down against the cold wood seats, laughing as Chip scoots closer to him, trying to leech body heat off of him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squinting to see the players warm up through the slight snowfall that had just begun. The game was set to start in the next ten minutes, and the last of the spectators were filing in.
He watched as Andy flew circles around one of the Gryffindor beaters, taunting him for some reason or another, laughing whenever he launched the bludger she swiftly dodged. Charlie pondered the thought that he really ought to take Lauren to a Quidditch game at some point.
She's always been extremely competitive, just like her brothers. The Atkinsons have been known to yell at the referees or at the television during a football game once or twice. Or multiple times.
Regardless, Lauren has been asking to try a flying broom for the longest time. Charlie made a mental note to ask Andy to bring hers along when she came to visit next summer.
He heard the announcer, some fifth year Ravenclaw, make a statement about the referees getting set up and players shaking hands, and soon after heard a bell toll, commencing the game.
Immediately, there were blurs of red and green shooting across the pitch. To the normal eye, it would be extremely hard to deduce what was happening, but the students were used to watching a fast paced Quidditch game.
"Excuse me, sorry,"
"Seriously, dude?"
"Watch out!"
"God, I said sorry," Peter Pettigrew gave up his attempts to be tactful and shoved his way through the front of crowded stadium, plopping down near Charlie with a grin, "Quidditch fans, am I right? Insane, the whole lot of them."
"Or, you could have walked around the back, so you weren't blocking their view," Remus emerged from behind the crowd, a small smile gracing his lips. "Just a thought."
"Whatever," Peter mumbled, his eyes locking on the players on the field.
Remus took the empty seat right beside Charlie, greeting both him and Chip, to which they both responded happily.
(Charlie tried to ignore the way Chip shoved her elbow into his rib cage, wiggling her eyebrows at him and Remus.)
The game flew by. The score was 110-60, with Slytherin in the lead. Fouls were called what seemed like every play, from simple holding players or people throwing hexes at their opponents. Things were finally getting interesting.
At the height of the entertainment, a Slytherin chaser threw a particularly nasty hex at Andy. She was left wobbling precariously on her bucking broom, holding on by a death grip while the referee seemingly turned a blind eye. The hex made her miss the quaffle thrown her way, allowing the Slytherins to intercept and score a goal.
The crowds, specifically the Gryffindor side, were roaring in disdain at the referee. Finn, for one, was yelling profanities at the Slytherin who hexed her. And it seemed as though Charlie was not excluded from this mentality.
"Come on, man! What are you? Blind?" He roared angrily, standing up, worried for Andy's safety above all else. The cheap wank that hexed her and stole her quaffle, Goyle, was grinning slyly as he soared on his broom, receiving subtle claps on the back from some teammates.
"Assholes, the whole fucking lot of them," Charlie grumbled, flopping back into his seat. Remus and Chip both looked at him, amused, not used to him swearing.
(Although, Remus would deny it to his grave that he found Charlie swearing attractive.)
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Remus quipped, snickering at Charlie's embarrassed face.
"I— The guy didn't even— come on! Can you blame me?" He still looked affronted at the situation, but he settled down eventually.
Chip and Peter were engaged in a heated conversation about some dinner food the Hogwart elves make (I'm sorry your tastebuds are dreadful, Peter, but you don't speak for the rest of us functioning people.), leaving Charlie and Remus sitting together in silence.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, however it may have seemed to others. The two of them sat contentedly and watched the game, enjoying the others presence.
The only elephant in the room, at least to Charlie, was the letter Remus sent with his Christmas present. Love, Remus. Love, love, love. It was all so complicated. Charlie had half a mind to live the life of a nun and swear off all love. Surely it would spare him some stress.
However, Remus didn't seem to be worried about it, instead he was cheering Black and Potter on under his breath, paying no mind to the looks Charlie kept giving him.
The two of them kept each other company, laughing at the game and mocking the players lightheartedly. It turns out Remus' Lucius Malfoy impression was uncanny, nasally voice and everything. Their hearts were happy and bright smiles graced their faces as the game unfolded.
The game was now 180-70, Gryffindor losing. Everyone was growing tense, knowing that this game could mean winning or losing the Cup. That was, until Gryffindor's seeker stopped aimlessly floating and shot lightning fast towards a spot on the outskirts of the pitch.
Every student, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, collectively held their breath as the two seekers flew neck and neck, arms outstretched. No spectator could tell who ended up with the snitch, until the Gryffindor seeker landed with her arm outstretched, tiny golden wings peeking out of her fingers.
The energy was electric. People were screaming and cheering, the announcer was totally biased in congratulating Gryffindor. Chip had grabbed on to Charlie's arm in a death grip and jumped up and down incessantly.
"They did it, Charlie! I can finally tell Evan Rosier to suck my dick, he lost the Cup!"
"I'd rather not you tell him that," Charlie advised, "He doesn't seem stable enough to take that well."
Remus was grinning as bright as can be, whipping his head to Charlie after finishing his cheering with Peter. Their eyes locked, and Charlie's eyes shot downwards quickly to his chapped lips and red nose. Remus looked adorable with his wind chapped face and messy hair peeking out of his knit beanie.
Charlie unknowingly bit his bottom lip, turning it into a grin as their eyes left each others. Chip's elbow found her way into his rib cage once again after witnessing that interaction.
The five of them made their way to the pitch to congratulate the players, dodging the crowds on their way down. Charlie caught Andy's eye as she was being hoisted on Sirius Black's shoulder.
She grinned roguishly at him, hopped down from his shoulder, and charged towards him. He braced himself as she barreled into his chest full force, arms flying around his neck.
"You did it, you bitch," Charlie laughed, "You showed them!"
"Hell yeah I did!" Andy giggled uncharacteristically, pushing his head down and ruffling his hair jokingly. He shook his hair out, feeling the cold air hit his scalp.
"Party in the Common Room!" Potter yelled out, hoisting his broomstick into the air like it was a trophy. People cheered at the announcement, fully aware of how Gryffindor parties worked.
People either got tipsy, high, or so wasted that it took a shit ton of healing spells to even let them crawl across the floor. The Gryffindor first to fourth years knew to steer clear of the Common Room after victories in an attempt to keep their records clean.
This should be fun, Charlie thought as he met Chip and Finn's eyes, the three shrugging in unison and following the Gryffindors into the castle.
★★★
i know, i suck, i haven't updated in months. school and life has been tough, and I haven't had much time for it, but here's a chapter! i'm on thanksgiving break right now, so more should be out soon! i'm excited for y'all to see the next chapter!
(also, I have absolutely no idea how to write a quidditch match, so oops.)
thank you all so much for sticking through this and reading! let me know what you think!
-a.d.