5 years ago i took this story away because i lost the boundaries which made a hobby healthy, and instead i became obsessive. Happy to say i've grown a lot, and these last few months i've rekindled my love of reading and writing.
I have no idea where i am going with this... but i have 29 chapters and 280,000 words already written, and i'm happy to share those if nothing more :)
So, without further ado...
Chapter One - All about Lily, Nomomom
"Sorry, what was your name again?" Charlotte asked, a sigh barely contained as she slouched across from him, head resting heavily on one hand.
Her skull throbbed, the noise of the Great Hall doing nothing for her hangover. Most of the students were still basking in the Quidditch win, but Charlotte? She was recovering from a party of one.
The stench of Firewhiskey clung to her despite the long, scalding shower that morning. No matter how many times she tried cleaning her robes with a flick of her wand, they seemed to get dirtier. And that rip—had it always been there?
She wasn't in the mood for company, especially not his.
James Potter sat across from her, all grins and no sign of the previous night's debauchery. His thick, dark hair was messily perfect, his bright blue eyes annoyingly awake behind wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like he'd just walked off a Quidditch poster—minty fresh and smelling like a woodsy cologne, of all things.
"James," he said with that obnoxious smile. "James Potter."
"You're an idiot, James Potter," Charlotte replied, her voice dripping with fake cheerfulness. "And no, I won't help you."
She barely heard what he'd asked, honestly. She was still trying to figure out why he had come to her at all. His smile faltered slightly, and she took a small, silent victory in that.
To drive the point home, she flicked her spoon across the table, sending a splash of porridge toward a group of first-years. They barely noticed, but the look on James' face was priceless. At least something was going her way today.
"Now, move along and leave me in peace," she said, dropping the false sweetness and leveling him with a flat glare. She knew she was being a bit of a prat, but honestly, what had he expected?
James didn't budge. Instead, his smirk reappeared as if he had a plan.
"Look, Catherine—"
"Charlotte," she groaned, rubbing her temples in slow circles, trying to fend off the pulsing headache. "It's Charlotte. Merlin, you're hopeless."
James blinked, that dopey look still plastered on his face. She could list the number of people who forgot her name—or never knew it in the first place—and it would be longer than her unfinished Potions essay.
"Anyway," she muttered, "I'm not helping you. So bugger off."
"Why not?" he asked, his voice laced with a whine. His expression morphed into one of confusion and... was that a pout?
Despite herself, Charlotte's insides melted just a little. He looked like a bloody puppy. But she wasn't going to give in. She crossed her arms and gave him her iciest glare.
"For one, you didn't even know my name," she shot back. He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a raised hand. "And two, I'm not helping you get with my bloody sister."
James blinked, clearly caught off guard. If it wasn't so pathetic, it might've been funny. Scratch that—it was funny. She let out a dry laugh, watching his flustered reaction with mild amusement.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you're up to," she said, leaning back in her seat. "You're hoping I'll play matchmaker and help you with Lily. Well, news flash, you have as much chance of dating her as you do of turning the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team into Slytherins."
He sputtered for a moment, completely speechless. The boy really had no clue, did he?
"Think about it, Potter," she added with a sly grin. "Lily can't stand you. And no amount of begging or tips from me is going to change that."
James sat back, arms crossed, but that smug grin reappeared as if he'd just solved some great mystery.
"Actually," he said, leaning in conspiratorially, "I think all that hate she throws at me is just… y'know, her way of dealing with the sexual tension."
Charlotte blinked, then burst out laughing. The entire hall seemed to pause and glance their way, but she didn't care. She hadn't laughed this hard in weeks.
"Sexual tension?" she wheezed, wiping at imaginary tears. "Oh, Merlin, that's rich. You think Lily Evans wants you?"
"Sure," James said, though his pink cheeks betrayed him. "She's just too stubborn to admit it."
Charlotte shook her head, still laughing. "You're delusional, Potter. The only tension between you and Lily is the kind that makes her want to hex your face off."
James opened his mouth to argue, but Charlotte cut him off. "And for the record," she added, leaning across the table, "if my sister says she doesn't like you, she means it. There's no hidden message. She doesn't do 'sexual tension.' If she says you've got no chance, well… you're better off asking Slughorn to be your date to the Yule Ball."
She stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Good talk, Potter. Really enlightening."
And with that, she turned and strode out of the Great Hall, leaving him to sputter uselessly in her wake.
By the time she reached the Gryffindor common room, most of the students had already gone to class. She relished the quiet as she settled down at the table she shared with Lily, pulling out her unfinished Potions essay.
Not ten minutes into her work, Lily appeared, her hair as immaculate as ever. Charlotte barely suppressed an eye roll.
"Morning, Charlotte," Lily chirped, flashing a bright smile. "Free period?"
"Yeah," Charlotte mumbled, scrawling a half-hearted note on her parchment. "By the way, James Potter cornered me at breakfast."
Lily's smile dropped like a stone, replaced by a dark scowl. "That prat," she muttered. "What did he want?"
Charlotte smirked. "Oh, you know… just the usual. A plea for help in his quest to win your heart."
Lily's expression soured further, her hands clenched into fists. "I'll kill him."
"Don't bother," Charlotte said with a laugh. "I already turned him down."
Lily sighed, rubbing her temple as if the very thought of James gave her a headache. "He's an absolute pain. Thanks for dealing with him."
"Anytime," Charlotte replied, watching her sister with an odd mix of affection and irritation.
Lily. Perfect, ambitious, loved by everyone—and a saint in the eyes of their teachers. Where Charlotte's messy blonde hair seemed permanently tangled, Lily's fiery red curls framed her face effortlessly, looking like they belonged in some elegant portrait. Even after a sleepless night on prefect duty, Lily was impossibly put-together, her forest-green eyes bright, her petite frame practically glowing with energy.
By contrast, Charlotte felt like she'd been run over by a herd of hippogriffs. She towered over Lily, with a lankier build that seemed to attract awkward stares, as if people still couldn't believe they were twins. Where Lily was small, delicate, and charming, Charlotte had inherited their father's height and sturdy athletic build. It was like they'd been split into two completely different molds at birth.
Not that it mattered much. People only ever saw Lily anyway. Charlotte was just the twin they forgot existed.
It was a comparison she had grown used to over the years, but it never stung any less. She loved her sister, of course she did, but sometimes it felt like standing next to a living, breathing reminder of everything she wasn't.
Lily's eyes softened as she reached out, placing a hand on Charlotte's arm. "Seriously, thank you. I know he's... persistent."
Charlotte shrugged off the praise. "He's harmless, just a bit thick."
Lily gave her a small smile before glancing at her watch. "I've got to run—Transfiguration. You sure you'll be alright? You look exhausted."
Charlotte gave a half-hearted wave. "I'll survive. Go knock 'em dead in class."
Lily laughed lightly and left, her figure disappearing gracefully through the portrait hole. Charlotte watched her go, her sister's back straight and head held high, exuding that natural confidence she'd always envied.
And then it was quiet again.
Charlotte glanced back at the common room, now blissfully empty. Everything looked remarkably clean—far too clean, considering last night's Quidditch celebrations had left the place in shambles. While Lily had been patrolling as a prefect, Charlotte had been drinking alone, hoping to escape the world for a while. Of course, she hadn't.
Shaking her head, Charlotte turned back to her unfinished essay. She couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between their lives: while Lily was likely working on some complex Arithmancy problem or practicing her spellwork with grace, Charlotte was stealing glances at her sister's Potions essay, trying to finish hers at the last minute.
Twins, they were—yet so different it was laughable.
In the quiet of the empty common room, Charlotte let out a soft sigh. Maybe, in another life, things would have been different. But right now, she was just too tired to care. Her bed looked more inviting by the second, and the call of sleep was impossible to resist.
With one last glance at the scattered parchment and quills, she pushed everything aside and slumped onto her bed. Maybe she wasn't as flawless as Lily, and maybe she didn't care to be. At least here, in her own little world, no one was comparing them.
For now, all she wanted was a few hours of peace.