Authors note: Hope you enjoy any suggestion send my way if you want!
The next couple of weeks pass quickly inside the grounds of Hogwarts, lessons begin to step up as the teachers promised they would and the usual Hogwarts gossip had begun to swarm around the school, nothing particularly interesting just about who was dating who, who had been caught in the broom cupboard on the sixth floor in a very uncompromising position, the answer to which Charlotte knew straight away, and the blossoming relationship, or lack of, James Potter and Lilly Evans. Charlotte knew gossip only got you one way and that was involved within it, so like the rest of the school began to get bogged down with the amount of homework that is thrown in their direction, finding herself for the first time in 5 years spending many nights in the library until it closes trying to finish off the latest homework task. Luckily she had found Remus in the library working on his transfiguration homework, the one which she was just about to sit down and tackle so she wormed her way in to get some help from him.
"I still don't understand this switching spell", Charlotte
"You will get in eventually Lottie, your just putting too much pressure on yourself", Remus
"Easy for you to say, I am never going to get it and spend the rest of my life as a dishwasher at the leaky cauldron!", Charlotte
She bangs her head dramatically on the table as Remus chuckles and pats her comfortingly on the back, probably wishing he had found somewhere with more cover in the library.
"Hey there is nothing wrong with working in the leaky cauldron, just think of all the free drinks and the characters I swear we once saw a troll dressed as a women in there once, right Moony?", Sirius
Charlotte looks up leaning on her arms as Sirius falls into the seat opposite her a smile on his face as he recoils the story and knocks Remus on the arm who offers him a small smile back.
"Yeah and I can remember that troll becoming more alluring as the fire whiskey got down you and James", Remus
"We don't discriminate Moony you should know that", Sirius chuckles as Remus shoots him a look across the table and Charlotte rolls her eyes
"Anyway what are you two doing having secret meetings", Sirius
"Yeah secret meetings in a library full of people, the perfect place", Charlotte
"Oh I don't know I have found a few places in here which can be very secret", Sirius
"Highly doubtful Padfoot you hardly step a foot in the place", Remus
"Any surprise look at the place doesn't exactly shout out exciting and fun does it", Sirius
"It's a library not a disco", Charlotte
"Well maybe if madam Louton let us put up a few lights and a bit of music-", Sirius
"What do want Sirius", Remus
"Was just wondering around the old place looking for something to do", Sirius
"Where's James?", Remus
"He's got head boy duties with the missus and Peter is a gob stones club he invited me along but when I saw the talent in the room I decided to leave", Sirius
"So the library was your next option?", Charlotte
"Well you're here aren't you LP", Sirius
"Shut up", Charlotte blushes as he chuckles
Sirius picks up the books scattered around the table and reads the title before scoffing and chucking the book back down on the table, Charlotte ignores him and looks back down at the parchment biting the end of her quill as she tries to figure out where to go with it next, glancing up she catches Sirius watching her before he coughs and looks away quickly swinging back on his chair legs.
"Well anyway I thought you might want to come and help me sort out a few things for Saturday Moony", Sirius
"Why what's happening Saturday?", Charlotte
"Did you really just ask me that question?", Sirius
"What?", Charlotte
"It's the first quidditch patch LP!", Sirius
"Oh right", Charlotte
"That is not the attitude to have towards quidditch, you won't be saying that at the epic party we will be throwing", Sirius
"Well we haven't even won the match yet", Charlotte
"That is not even a valid question to ask LP, of course we are going to win", Sirius
"And if we don't", Charlotte
"Like I say not a valid question, well Moony?", Sirius
"I'm helping Lottie", Remus
"Oh its fine, go on he won't shut up and I will never finish until you run off with him", Charlotte
"Exactly, come on Moony", Sirius
"Fine, cya later Lottie", Remus
"Bye bye LP", Sirius
He winks in her direction as Remus collects his books and they both leave her in peace in the library, a little while later Charlotte notices people beginning to pack away there things and Madam Louton beginning to do the rounds and asking people to leave as she starts to pack away all her things the essay still unfinished but hopefully will be completed before the next lesson on Friday and she walks back up to the common room behind a group of third years who have also been studying till the late hours following them in through the portrait hole into the welcoming environment of the Gryffindor common room.
"Where have you been?", Sophie
"In the library, I thought I would see you two there", Charlotte
She falls into the seats beside her and Helen who are currently looking over a magazine and by the looks of things completing a quiz about when they will find their true love.
"I don't have anything to finish, we managed to get it done the other day", Helen
"Alright for some", Charlotte
She rubs her eyes leaning her head back on the chair and listening to the two girls chatter when a hushed whisper comes from her side and she opens her eyes glancing in the directions spotting her brother and Lilly sat discussing something over at a back table and by the looks of things it has just began to get heated.
"Oh god", Charlotte
"Here comes the 50th argument of the year so far", Sophie
"Not if I can help it", Charlotte
She jumps up from the chair quickly and heads over to them placing herself at a seat on the table where many people have begun to look over some interested in the latest argument between the two and some bored by the situation but maybe hoping to see James hexed by Lilly again.
"Hey guys having fun?", Charlotte
The two of them stop mind sentence and turn to face her a furious Lilly who cheeks have begun to turn pink a sure fire sign that well fire might be on the way and James currently looked like he was trying to solve the impossible, Charlotte suddenly felt very vulnerable as they turned to face her and was regretting the decision to come over and try and calm them down.
"No not exactly", Lilly
"Oh come on Lilly", James
"Don't you start-", Lilly
"Guys, guys cant we all just be friends here", Charlotte offered them both a smile
Lilly huffs and stands up swinging her long red hair behind her and leaving the table in a flurry 4
"Just get it done Potter", Lilly
"Its James!", James
Lilly ignores him and bounds up the dormitory stairs, the rest of the common room seems to relax as she departs some breathing a sigh of relief and some upset at the now lack of entertainment now that the two have been separated.
"I hate it when she calls me Potter", James
"Maybe you should start telling her that", Charlotte
"I tell her everyday", James
"Ok maybe not every day, slightly obsessive, looks James why don't you just you know play it cool", Charlotte
"Play it cool?", James
"Yeah you know don't follow her around so much, don't proclaim your love every second of the day things like that", Charlotte
James looks at her tilting his head slightly as he contemplates over what Charlotte has said before bursting out laughing.
"If it's all the same to you Lottie I don't think I am going to take love advice from my younger sister, I think I can manage that pretty well myself", James
He carries on laughing as he stands up and heads over to the sofa in front of the fire joining the other self proclaimed marauders who are sat there looking back over in her direction and laughing again before shaking his head. Charlotte shakes her head and heads back over to her friends falling back into the seat that she has just left.
"He is totally clueless", Charlotte
"What's up with them now?", Sophie
"The quicker answer would be what is right with them", Charlotte
"Anyway talking about love life's Jared was asking about you earlier", Helen
"Sorry how have love life's and Jared got anything in common?", Charlotte
"Because he is totally head over heels for you", Sophie
"And he's hot", Helen
"You go for him then", Charlotte
"He's not interested in me is he, much to my disappointment", Helen
"Look me and Jared are just friends, how about I put in a good word for you", Charlotte
"Would you-", Helen
"No, he's not interested in you, no offence", Sophie
Helen swings her head around to look at Sophie at the comment and Charlotte despite herself smiles before smoothing out her face when Helen looks at her
"I thought you said that we should concentrate on school work and not boys", Charlotte
"It's different when them boys are interested in you, oh no offence again Helen", Sophie
"Oh don't worry about me, I have to have broad shoulders tonight apparently", Helen
"You know what I meant", Sophie
"Anyway if you are suddenly so interested in love life's how about you and Kieron", Charlotte
"Have you finished that quiz yet Helen?", Sophie
Charlotte smiles to herself as Sophie begins to finish the quiz that they had started when she walked over, Sophie might be interested in her love life but when it came to her own she suddenly changed the subject every time it was brought around. Helen and Sophie might be best friends but were completely different in their terms of the boys of Hogwarts, Helen tended to run after any boy she saw in the hallway trying to get them to go on a date with her and flitted from one to the other each week with little success, whereas Sophie has many of them chasing after her and spurned their advances at the most available moment they should have been born in each other's bodies Charlotte was sure they would be happier that way. Charlotte joins in with them just to give herself something to do and finds out that she is going to find the love of her life within the next couple of years but he will be taken away from her too early leaving her to live a life of solidity and bitterness, just what she wanted to find out. After that the common room starts to empty and Charlotte decides this is the best idea as Helen and Sophie begin to discuss what Helen's answers mean in the long run she leaves them to it and heads up to the dormitory falling asleep as soon as her clothes are off and her head hits the pillow.