| 1 |
Chapter One
“What about the crust?” James asks me, when he’s noticed that I’ve stopped taking bites.
“I don’t like the crust,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “Never have. When I was little, they gave me stomach aches.”
James gives me a weird look, like he can’t believe that I don’t like the crust, but nevertheless, ends up eating the rest of it anyway.
|
3,251 |
2
|
| 2 |
Chapter Two
Within the next few hours, while we all are eating breakfast together, and Mr. Potter is reading the Daily Prophet, he casually says, without even looking up at any of us, “Charlotte, how about bunking with James?”
We all stop eating to stare at Mr. Potter like he were crazy.
“I’m sorry?” I say, feeling sure that I’d misheard him. “Bunking with whom?”
|
3,909 |
2
|
| 3 |
Chapter Three
Fred finds this rather rude and latches onto my side once more. “Charlotte! You don’t think I’m rubbish company, do you?”
I pat his head as best I can. Standing between these two makes me feel like an ant. “No, of course not, Freddy. I think you’re excellent company.”
Fred grins in triumph and sticks his tongue out to James.
In response, James smacks Fred with the Potions book he’s planning to buy.
|
3,044 |
0
|
| 4 |
Chapter Four
“Just quit calling her love!”
“Quit being a git!”
“Lads, lads!” I shout, shoving both of their hands away from the other. “Have we learned nothing from The Great Fall of 2020?”
Both of them immediately flush and back down, as they remember the incident.
The Great Fall of 2020 is something that we don’t like to talk about, unless really necessary.
|
3,167 |
1
|
| 5 |
Chapter Five
On my way out of the portrait door, I stumble across Professor McGonagall, and we both stand there for a while, staring in astonishment at one another.
She takes notice of my state – bed hair, pajamas, and surprised look. “Miss Wood,” she finally says, nodding her head to me. “I assume that you’re leaving from Mr. Potter’s dorm.”
“Uh…I, um…” is all that I can even manage to say. “It’s not what you think.”
|
3,503 |
3
|
| 6 |
Chapter Six
“Oh, Merlin, Charlotte, you don’t know how much we’ve wanted to hear that since yesterday. I’m so happy, I could kiss you!”
James steps in front of me and Drew’s smile vanishes quicker than Al when he’s hiding from Nelson.
“I said ‘could!’ Could, not would!” Drew quickly yelps.
|
3,486 |
2
|
| 7 |
Chapter Seven
"Oh my Merlin. What have I done?”
“I don’t know, what have you done?” James says, patting my head. He takes the seat that Nate had just been in. “I saw Nate on the way in. He looked a little confused. Isn’t that funny? Our Head Boy looking like he’s confused?”
“Oh, Merlin,” I mumble. “He’s like that because I basically just turned him down.”
James stops his laughter almost immediately. “Wait, what?”
|
3,935 |
3
|
| 8 |
Chapter Eight
“Your mum says to give you a kiss from her,” I inform James, who looks surprised, and then offers me his cheek, which I lightly peck anyway.
|
3,653 |
1
|
| 9 |
Chapter Nine
“On a scale of one to ten, how hot do you look in it?”
“I’m this close to shoving you over the Astronomy Tower,” I snap. “Besides,” I add, smiling, “I’m always a ten.”
James rolls his eyes. “Debatable,” he mutters. Then, in a louder voice, he says, “Dunno how other people feel about that statement, but just so you know, I think you’re always a ten.”
|
3,754 |
1
|
| 10 |
Chapter Ten
“Did you come just to see me?” he grins, wiggling his eyebrows.
Autumn stares at Fred for a moment before blankly saying, “No, we came to give Charlotte support while she rebuilds her whole team.”
It’s completely silent for a good few seconds, until Al bursts out laughing, causing a ripple effect in everyone but Fred. “Oh, mate, you just got burned!” Al cries, with actual tears falling from his eyes.
|
2,900 |
0
|
| 11 |
Chapter Eleven
“Finished?” he mumbles, barely half-awake.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Also, I’m a little sweaty and whatnot, but I’m also tired, so would you mind if –”
“Just shut up and come back to bed, Char. I don’t really care if you’re sweaty or not,” he mumbles again, moving in so I can climb into the bed.
|
3,408 |
3
|
| 12 |
Chapter Twelve
"Oh Merlin, Lena was right. I’m such a mother.”
“Yeah, you are, aren’t you?” Isaac grins, hugging me back.
“Alright, kid, that’s enough,” James says, tossing Isaac to the side. “You did brilliant Char! I’m so proud of you!” he cries, squeezing me tightly.
Of course, Lee ruins the moment because he’s still in the Commentator Box. “See?” he cries. “Look at Wood and Potter! You’re trying to tell me that they’re not together? Rubbish!"
|
3,964 |
1
|
| 13 |
Chapter Thirteen
Before I can so much as leave the Common Room to go to the Great Hall, Fred decides to ambush me, shouting, “Charlotte Wood, I’m in desperate need of your help!”
What is this, “Charlotte-dishes-out-free-love-advice-101” or something? Merlin.
|
4,389 |
2
|
| 14 |
Chapter Fourteen
James eyes me up and just stares for a very long time.
“What?” I ask.
Then, he smiles. “Nothing. I was just wondering when you became such an expert on love.”
|
3,645 |
3
|
| 15 |
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m going to propose to Charlotte!”
Silence.
Then, chaos.
Fred shoves me out of the way. “Alright, I know this is a lot to take in, so if everyone could just do this classroom style and pluck their hands up for a little Q and A, that’d be lovely.”
All the hands go up.
|
5,156 |
4
|
| 16 |
Chapter Sixteen
“Rose, can we talk?”
And Rose, that stupid, stupid girl, says, “I get it, you hate my guts! I’m sorry!” and she runs away, bolting really, right past me.
Scorpius is frozen to the spot, mouth open and everything.
I glance at him, frozen myself. “Uh,” I say, causing Scorpius to move again.
He glances at me, shakes his head, looks up at the sky, and cries out the heavens, “WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE PAINFUL LOVE LIKE THIS?”
|
4,760 |
2
|
| 17 |
Chapter Seventeen
He’s quiet for a moment. “Char.”
“Hmm?” I hum, still looking around the stands for his parents. I see all of his family members come down towards us, but not his parents.
Actually, everyone is here. All of the adults. Even the graduated Weasley children. That’s weird. Then, I finally catch sight of Mr. and Mrs. Potter.
“Char…let’s get married.”
Wait, what?
|
4,991 |
4
|
| 18 |
Chapter Eighteen
“I knew it was a bad idea to go to bed without packing, but no! You just couldn’t let me pack our things last night!” I smack him with his pillow. “If we miss the train, I swear to Merlin, I’m never sleeping in your bed again.”
James pauses for a moment and smiles.
“What are you smiling for at a time like this?” I cry out.
“Char,” he says, laughing. “You’re acting like a wife.”
So, like any sane girl, I smack him with the pillow again.
|
4,352 |
2
|
| 19 |
Chapter Nineteen
“Oi. Is that exploding lemonade?” James nods his head. I reach out a hand for it. I’m going to need something other than water to get me through this night. He hands it over to me, across the table, seeing as we’re seated directly across one another, and I take a sip, feeling a bit better. Merlin, please let this night go through without too much chaos.
Unfortunately, I forgot to hand the cup back with my right hand, so Fred, who’s sitting right next to James, glances over and the ring is right in his face.
|
3,580 |
4
|
| 20 |
Chapter Twenty
“By the way,” Vic says out of the blue. “I thought you ought to know; once, James mentioned he’d love a small little cottage home and three kids and a wife.”
I choke on my coffee, which makes Vic start laughing quietly.
“I thought you’d appreciate that bit of information,” she says in between giggles.
|
4,096 |
2
|
| 21 |
Chapter Twenty One
“Quit it!” I laugh. “You’re making it harder for me to do any proper work.”
“That’s the point,” he points out. “I just want some love here.”
I laugh again and turn to face him. “You do, do you?” He nods his head, grinning ear to ear, assuming he’d won this one. I basically just attack his face with about a million short kisses and then send him off. “I think that's enough love to last you a week or two."
|
3,505 |
1
|
| 22 |
Chapter Twenty Two
“Do not feel guilty. Do what you need to do. You’re fierce Charlotte Wood. Just because you’re engaged to James doesn’t mean you have to back down every time.”
And that makes me angry all over again.
“Right,” I say, pulling the ring off. All three of them widen their eyes and look a bit shocked. “About that,” I continue, slapping the ring into Archie’s hand. “Tell him that if I’m such a bad fiancé then he can go and find a better one.”
|
4,078 |
3
|
| 23 |
Chapter Twenty Three
That night, I get just about the longest sleep I’ve had since the two week break period. When I do wake up, James is awake, sitting upright, looking cheery as ever, eating oatmeal.
He must be seriously drugged up.
|
4,013 |
1
|
| 24 |
Chapter Twenty Four
I roll my eyes and mum starts crying when I hug her tightly. Dad sighs because then I start crying and suddenly it’s a crying fest with dad trying to handle his two sobbing women.
I’m sure he’s loving it.
“Alright, you two, quit crying,” dad whines. “Everything is fine. Cry at home, would you? You’re making it look like I’ve told you two that I’m bailing on this family.”
|
4,975 |
3
|
| 25 |
Chapter Twenty Five
And as for fending for food, we’ve improvised.
And by that, I mean that James is working on trying to make canned corn and some apples into a gourmet meal by completely butchering it.
“James, love, that looks positively hideous,” I say when I stare down at his so-called masterpiece.
“Yeah, I know.” He stares at it a bit longer before shrugging his shoulders. “Well, plan B, it is. Let’s just go out for dinner.”
|
3,336 |
2
|
| 26 |
Chapter Twenty Six
“Char?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m saying this as your fiancé who loves you to bits, okay?”
I put the wet cloth down and give up on trying to get the stain off of the countertop, and turn to look at him. “Well out with it then. And if you’re going to tell me that my hair looks horrid or that I’ve gained a few pounds, save it, because I already know that.”
He tilts his head and smiles. “That hadn’t even occurred to me. You’re perfect as you are."
|
6,253 |
2
|
| 27 |
Chapter Twenty Seven
Rose falls onto the couch and takes a deep breath. “My feet hurt.”
Nearly everyone agrees with her.
Scorpius grins. “Oi, Rose, let’s get married.” Mr. Weasley double takes at this, but Rose responds by throwing her pillow at his face.
“Shut up, Scorp.”
“Love ya, too,” Scorpius laughs.
|
3,459 |
0
|
| 28 |
Chapter Twenty Eight
“Char,” he keeps grinning. “Char, I’m gonna be a daddy.”
“I swear to Merlin, James, I am three seconds away for murdering you.”
|
4,464 |
14
|
