Confessions of a Potter Princess XIV
Ding Ding Ding
"I'd like to say a few words in honor of Maxim and Delilah's engagement." Said my father standing up and clinking his champagne glass with a spoon.
"Now I've known Delilah Daisy Longbottom since she was about a day old and Neville called on the floo at two in the morning to announce Luna had just given birth to their first and only daughter. She was a beautiful baby all big blue eyes and bright blond hair and little rosy cheeks. She looked like a doll. At the time Maxim was only four years old. Ginny and I brought Caliber and Jude and him to the hospital with us. The other boys looked on with out much interest. Cal asked if this is what was going to pop out of Mommy soon and Jude wandered off to play with Colton, and Delilah's brother Sebastian, and all of the Weasley children. But it was really love at first for Maxim who took one look at Delilah and ran to me and said 'Daddy, Daddy is that an angel?' Well, son, it took fifteen more years to realize that she could be your angel and another four years to finally propose. I only hope that now, together, you can find eternal heaven. To the soon-to-be bride and groom Delilah and Maxim"
We all raised our glasses as my Dad finished his speech. My mom had tears of joy running down her face. Finally one of her children was getting married.
"Congratulations!" I squealed hugging Delilah. We jumped up and down excitedly and screamed happily.
"O Merlin do you have to do that?" Colton asked sliding an arm around my waist after giving Delilah a congratulatory kiss on the cheek. Delilah gave me a suggestive glance at the gesture but I just rolled my eyes.
I looked around the ballroom of the Crown Royal hotel in London, the site of Maxim and Delilah's Engagement party. The room was filled to maximum capacity with a million redheads, all the Potters, and Delilah's brothers as well family friends like the Lupins danced and talked joyously. It felt so good to be around family it never seemed like we were all in one place anymore.
"Colton, here you are, Cal is looking for you" said Colton's sixteen year old sister Jemina walking towards the three of us champagne glass in hand.
"Where is he?"
" Do you even have to ask, he's at the bar hitting on the barmaids" I said pointing to where he sat with a couple of giggling, girls in rather short tight work uniforms on his lap.
"I'll be back" Colton sighed squeezing my hand affectionately before walking away.
"Oh your brother is going to be so mad at me." Jemina said smiling
"Wait, what do you mean? Cal wasn't looking for Colton?" Delilah said just as confused as I was.
"No, of course not, I just wanted to see if Colton would actually leave Charlotte's side" she smirked. Delilah just laughed as I rolled my eyes again
"You guys please there's nothing going on between us" I said
"Yeah, and Cal's a virgin" Jemina said sarcastically
"Charlotte, come on don't lie to us. What's really going on between you two?" Delilah begged
"I told you before Dee, we have an arrangement that's all, it just sex nothing more, and yeah it's damn good sex-"
"Ok, well this is the part where I leave the conversation, good luck with my brother, um I'm going to go dance or something" Jemina said cutting me off and making her way to the dance floor.
"Look, I know you think that that's all you guys are doing but I mean really. Don't you know that when you sleep with someone, your body makes a promise whether you do or not?" Delilah said earnestly
"Coming from the girl who's only slept with two different guys in her life that makes complete sense, but, that's because you've always had a true love. All I've got is Colton… right now anyway"
"Okay so you haven't found the right guy yet, but it could be Colton, give it a chance, because otherwise…well face it, Colton is just your fuck buddy"
"How eloquently put, thank you"
Delilah opened her mouth to say something, but Colton came back and a second later Maxim swept Dee away to dance.
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I sit in my design studio with dozens of sketches littering the floor amidst a sea of white silk and lace. Dee had asked me to design her wedding dress and all the bridesmaids gowns and even though the wedding wasn't for another seven months I wanted to start right away. The design I had in mind would probably take about a couple of weeks to complete and the bridesmaids' dresses about another six weeks.
I had thought a lot about what Dee had said in regards to Colton. I still wasn't completely convinced that Colton was the one. But seeing Dee and Max and how happy they were now that they were getting married, I knew that no matter how I felt about love I wanted that for myself too.
When I think about it now, had I decided to marry Rainier, I'm sure we would have been just as happy as Max and Dee. I know, I mean in my heart I just truly know, that we could have made it forever together. But things happen for a reason and maybe years from now if it was meant to be, it will be.
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"And that was 'Black & White' by The Faux Pas. It's an awesome song, it just recently shot to number one on the wizarding wireless charts. And they've also been nominated for three Ace Awards including best new group, best album, and best song." Came over the wireless I was listening to while sorting through color palettes.
"OH MY GOD" I shrieked and dropped everything as I heard the announcement. I ran over to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder.
"Penthouse C Phoenix Court" I yelled hoping Jude would be home.
"Jude! Jude! Where are you?" I yelled
"Holy fucking hell Charlotte what's wrong!" he said running into the living room of his ultra modern London flat.
"Jude how come you didn't tell me I just heard your number one! And three Ace nominations! That's, that's just fabulous!" I said hugging him jumping up and down.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool, I just got the letter from the Ace Academy this morning. Speaking of which I have a surprise for you. You're probably going to get hundreds of calls between now and then to make dresses for all the celebrities invited, but make sure you save a design for yourself because you're invited too."
"Me!" I exclaimed
"Yeah, you, Cal, Max, Mum, Dad, Tierney, Dane, we get to invite our families so I'm counting on you to make us look great"
"Well, yeah of course, oh my god this is so exciting" I said hugging Jude tightly.
"Oh, can you help Calista find a dress too. I'm going to ask her to be my date."
"Calista Carson, isn't that the pretty brunette you dated in your seventh year?"
"Yeah, she's working for Hearsay magazine these days. I saw her at a label party and we kind of-"
"Jumped each others' bones in the bathroom"
"No, actually we ditched the party and went to a little café"
"And read beat poetry to each other over glasses of red wine." I said making fun of his tendency to be overly romantic. Jude is kind of a funny guy. A perfect gentleman and a sort of mysterious type. At Hogwarts he was always shy and quiet preferring to let Caliber and Maxim take center stage. He always had a little entourage though. All the girls were attracted to him because of his deep chestnut hair, it was a gorgeous natural red-brown color, and the Potter eyes. He would sit in the corner of the common room playing his guitar as the girls all watched him. It made him reluctantly popular. Sure, he likes attention but only if he feels he's getting it for being a true artist.
That's why this Ace award nomination was such a big deal, he was signed with a small indie label and him and the boys refused to sign with anything mainstream to preserve their artistic integrity.
So, who are you going to bring as your date? You know he needs to be Potter men approved first" Jude teased
"Umm, well I guess I should bring…I don't know"
"How about Colton? You guys looked pretty cozy at Maxim and Delilah's party"
"Oh no, not you too Jude"
"What? It was just a suggestion"
"Yeah, well trust me your not the first to suggest such a thing"
"Was it Mum?"
"Mum, Dad, Dee, Jemina, Grandmum, I swear I even saw Tierney give us a look when we were dancing"
"She's eight she doesn't give looks yet, well there's the: you'll pay if you touch my pink teddy bear look. But it's not particularly romance insinuating"
"Shut up."
"Fine, I'll call on you with all the details okay"
"Okay, I'm so proud of you Jude, I'll see you soon." I said giving him one last hug before leaving.