Summer '78: Time Alone (Charlotte)

[Remus Lupin]

Charlotte was so incredibly perfect that often, Remus didn't even know what to do with himself. There was a part of them that was starting to hope she did come by almost everyday. They could make tea and read books. And share their favorites parts of the stories. The sections that made her cry, the parts that made him laugh. Just curled up with each other his couch, quiet music playing in the background. It was almost too perfect of an idea, but he wanted to implement it. There was even a part of him tempted to ask her if she would ever consider staying the night. She could take the bed, he'd sleep on the couch. Nothing dirty, like Sirius would have in mind with that kind of suggestion. But the thought of waking up in the morning and being able to bring her breakfast while she was still sleeping? It made him incredibly happy.

"Ah, red and gold. You never know, I might start to miss it," he joked, fully aware that he never intended to live in a place that was draped in those colors ever again. But now that she had asked, he wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't like he'd ever really had a place of his own to decorate and he didn't have too much dedication to any particular theme. "Well, honestly, I was kind of thinking whatever you want. Especially if you intend to come by often, I want you to be comfortable. Besides, whatever you may have in mind will be perfect."

He placed his hand on the small of her back as they stood looking at the pastries, running his fingers lightly across her. He liked being able to show her affection without worrying about who would see. While it had been easier at school after they had confronted Cole, there was still a level of formality that he had felt the need to adhere to. But now, now he could hold her in his arms all day. He would if she would let him, although he didn't want to smother her. But small things, like holding her hand, having her on his arm as they walked. It felt so right and he never wanted to live his life without that.

He gave a smile as she ordered, secretly pleased she had picked a chocolate biscuit. The man behind the counter nodded, reaching into the displays to grab one of each. Remus extended his hands, passing them both to Charlotte before giving her forehead a kiss. "Go find a seat and I'll pay," he murmured to her, walking towards the register after the man as he pulled as his wallet. It was nice, to have muggle money, although sometimes he was still rather confused about using it. He handed over a larger bill, glad that the man was to be the one to count back change. He shoved the money back into his wallet, before turning to look for his girlfriend.

[Charlotte Fudge]

The amount of faith that he always put in her - as well as referring to her and her works and her ideas as perfect, when she was often far from it, at least in her eyes - would never cease to surprise her. And here Remus thought she had an eye for decorating?

"I could have terrible taste for interior decorating, you know - and then where would you be?" she teased, giving his arm a playful squeeze.

~*~*~*~

Remus passed her the plate of sweets and, of course, offered to care of the bill, before she could put in a word. Char knew money was tight, and coming from her family it wasn't, and she'd've been more than happy to pay. They would be spending so much time together this summer, she knew, that it would be silly for him to pay every time they went out. He had rent and groceries to worry about! But...for today she would let it go. As well as she knew money was tight, she also knew it was a touchy subject, and had already made that mess about the scratch on his neck. So the girl found them stools at the counter, overlooking the street. Her toes brushed the ground, barely, as she waited for him. She turned around to look and gave him a little wave, seeing he'd finished. "Thanks," she said, giving him a grin once he'd arrived. "Hope the choices are to your liking!" Char broke off a bit of the chocolate one to try, nudging the plate towards him, and was soon grinning. She was glad of his suggestion - it was positively delightful!

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled as sat next to her, giving her knee a playful nudge with his as he settled in. As she nudged the plate towards him, he broke off a piece of the blueberry pastry and popped it into his mouth, giving her a small nod. It was delicious, and he wasn't surprised. Anything that could be classified as a desert was bound to be tastey, especially from a bakery that he could practically smell from his apartment. Not that he was going to tell Charlotte that fact, it was a bit of a walk from his place and that would have required far more explaining than he felt like doing.

"So, after this the bookstore? I can't lie, I took a peek in there. It smells almost as lovely as the library at school," he said giving her a smile. He would miss that library, curling up with her by the window and working on essays. It had been nice, bouncing ideas off each other for what to write, taking guesses on when James and Lily would start to make things official. Remus had guessed they'd be official the day they got back from Christmas break, he'd been wrong on that one.

"Oh, and as for your earlier statement, if you've got a terrible interior decorating taste - which I doubt - everyone will just assume it's my fault," he said with a laugh, poking her on the nose lightly.

[Charlotte Fudge]

She was happy to see him first test the pastry she'd picked and validate it, and pleased to continue munching on both as they spoke. Maybe they could do an every-other sort of thing with treating for the bakery, he shouldn't have a problem with that, see the logic in it, right? Didn't make it any less of a date, her paying for them, would it?

At Remus' mention of the bookstore and library, Char gave a welcome nod and smile back. Books had always been their common language, a comfortable standby when they needed or wanted it - the school library had been the site of their first date, which she hadn't actually known was a date at the time, the bookshop in Hogsmeade went well-frequented by the pair once they were a pair, and the library was a predictable place to find them, holed up in some forgotten section where they could just simply be. "It's a plan! And speaking of the library," she said, eyes darting up to his as she bit back a laugh, "I suppose enough time's passed for this not to be incredibly embarrassing, but you should know...our first date, at the library? You - well, the boys - were right to worry about my not knowing it was what it was. Alex swore it was a date from the moment I told her you'd asked me to study, but I was determined to keep an open mind - probably to not scare myself into believing the reality of it." Nope, nope - even though it felt like a lifetime ago, this was still embarrassing to share. "All  worked out for the best, though, or so it would seem," she said, letting out her laugh as she caught his leg, linking her ankles around one of his.

Charlotte grinned at his tease, giving the "offending" hand a squeeze. "And you would take the blame for my failures?" she teased back with a laugh, swinging their joined hands between them. "That is much too noble of an act, even for a Gryffindor."

[Remus Lupin]

The pastry was far too delicious, and the chocolate biscuit? Remus wished he had never come here. He was going to end up being one of those regular customers, they'd end up knowing his name. Perhaps they'd trade stories about their lives. Of course, Remus would have to make up some sort of story about what school he went to, what he did with this life. Perhaps they needed a helping hand. Remus would certainly accept payment in forms of baked goods.

He gave Charlotte a smile as she spoke, and let out a small chuckle at the memory. He had been so nervous asking her to go the library. He'd done it quickly, and made the date for the next day so he didn't have time to chicken out. The boys had cheered, before pestering him with questions about exactly how he went about asking her on a date. Once he'd told him, they'd given him crap for the rest of the night, and the next day, about how she wasn't going to know it was a date. He'd even hunted down Daisy to ask what she had thought, and once he told her, she laughed before wishing him luck and hurrying to class.

He wasn't surprised that they had been correct, and he leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead before replying. "Yeah, I heard all about how I didn't properly ask you out from the boys. I'm glad Alex had my back though. Daisy laughed at me when I told her how I'd done it," he said wih a grin. Daisy had been trying to get him to ask Charlotte out since his fourth year when she became a staple in their group, always attached to Peter. He wondered if he should have taken her advice sooner. "But I do believe it worked out well. You managed asking me to Hogsmeade much better than I would have handled it."

It seemed like so long ago. Not that it was a bad thing, Remus was comfortable. He could imagine the rest of his life with her, and he couldn't think of a moment without her. It simply didn't exist. If only he knew how to express that too her-he dismissed the thoughts, glad to have her be a distraction for his mind that never stopped thinking. "Indeed I would. I'm glad you think it noble, but never fear, I can handle the judgement of mismatched couch cushions."

[Charlotte Fudge]

The girl smiled up at him as he laughed at the memory, sweetly kissing her forehead. The gesture was one she was still unused to, and never failed to bring her smile. Char was glad he wasn’t upset - sometimes it seemed that the two of them traded the worry of messing up their relationship back-and-forth, and misunderstanding him from their start wasn’t a great thing to admit to. But Remus was, as always, surprising her - he thought she’d done that well?

"Oh, yes, I was a right Wilde with that endeavor," she said sarcastically and joined his laugh, her absolute lack of wit and suaveness at asking him to Hogsmeade coming back to her. "Surprised I got out all the important words! But - you’re right," she said, giving him a grin, "it’s all worked out well. Don’t know how we’ve managed, tripping over even the basics in the beginning!" Char gave the hand she held a squeeze, shaking her head at their mutual ineptitude, before digging into the treats again. This was definitely going to become a regular stop - each bite was divine!

"Then I’d be glad to help you find them - who wants cushions that match anyway? No character, I’ve got to say." The girl could practically feel her mother and sister cringing at that, but she felt it true, preferring something eclectic and personal to something stiff and dull. She’d grown up in a house almost too tidy to believe people lived there, and although she, of course, wouldn’t be living with Remus, she fancied spending as much time as she could at his place with him. May as well make it comfortable for them both, and the prospect of shopping for things for his flat together was a heart-fluttering one. Char knew he’d be agreeable to whatever she put forth - he rarely put up any sort of fight to a suggestion of hers - but was still interested to see how his choices may differ from hers. This sort of adventure made their relationship feel real, not something confined to holding hands as they walked the halls of the castle.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus could get used to this. Being able to lean over and kiss her whenever he wanted? He was constantly scared of messing things up, something he knew he needed to get over. The small things wouldn't matter in the end, as long as he didn't mess up bigger things. Like a proposal asking her to move in with him. A conversation he was going to save until later in the summer, since he couldn't even figure out a way to tell the girl that he loved her. And a lot of his plans depended on if she loved him back, something he was certainly hoping was the case.

He was happy that she joined in with his laugh, although he did wish she didn't think she had done a bad job in asking him to Hogsmeade. At least the intention behind her asking had been clear, unlike him stumbling over his words when attempting to ask her to the library. He had to agree with her however, it was amazing they had made it this far when they had barely been able to speak to each other in the beginng. "I agree, we were quite an interesting pair in the beginning. But I suppose that is just part of getting closer to someone, you become more comfortable. And learn how to speak around them, for the most part."

He returned the squeeze she had given his hand, smiling as she enjoyed their treats. He was quite certain that she would have no complaints in coming here fairly often. Perhaps this would become their place, where everyone knew they were together and greeted them by name. When she went to school he could come and tell them about her studies - although they would be stories than contained little truth. Still, it would be quite nice to have a place like that.

"No character in matching couch cushions? Well you know best, so mistmatched cushions it will be!" He gave another laugh, before nudging the plate towards her that contained the last of their treats. He had plenty of sweets at his apartment, and besides, he had wanted to treat her. He leaned back in the chair, surveying the street outside as he waited for her to finish. Today was possibly one of the best days he could have ever wished for.

[Charlotte Fudge]

"Yes, yes - luckily we've gotten better at that," the girl agreed with a light laugh. It'd taken some time for them to start speaking normally to each other - she'd been so nervous in their first meetings that she was sure he thought her mad, the way she would go off on sometimes seemingly random tangents. And although Char knew that he loved when she shared her opinions, she felt she'd gotten better at conversing instead of just spurting information and opinion.

When Remus smiled at her as he was doing now - no matter what sort of mood she was in - Charlotte couldn’t not return the look. It had become quite impossible, as seeing him happy mirrored the feeling within her. Although she knew she had much more to learn about him and about being in a relationship, she felt that they were on the right path together, if simply seeing him smile made her do the same. And want to keep him smiling. Sure, they'd already had some downs where keeping up a joyful look wasn't possible, and neither of them was naive enough to imagine that there wouldn't be more. But there really wasn't anything better than knowing that she could put that look on his face, whatever Char could do to keep the boy she loved looking like this? She'd do it.

As long as, you know, they were addressing problems that came up and not brushing them under the rug to wait for them to emerge later on -

You've already pushed some buttons today, but you made progress with helping with that cut - that's got to be it for today. The rest will come out naturally...

"You've got it - no character at all, and your place really should have personality," she said, laughing with him as he pushed the remains of the treats to her to finish up. In the back of the slim girl's mind she could hear Alex urging her to give the bits to him, not seem like a pig in front of her boyfriend - but, just as with the internal nudges to put on more make-up this morning, Charlotte waved the inner voice away. She couldn't see her gaining a bit of weight or going make-up-free impacting how he felt for her. If their relationship was that surface level, he wouldn't have done so much to get them together, after all. So with a grin she popped the last of the goodies into her mouth and hopped off the stool, taking their plates to where she'd seen a stack of dirties before. So unusual for her to see, as when she went out to eat she was used to being waited on, but Charlotte was finding that the more casual experience here was much more enjoyable. They could take their time and relax in their sunny window seats, the friendly staff of the bakery present but not interrupting. She could very much get used to this.

"Come on, you," she teased, running a hand through his hair after she'd returned to him. The bandage she'd put on earlier seemed to be sticking, thankfully, but she tried to keep herself looking forward, not back. Getting lost in bookstores was one of her favorite pastimes, and Charlotte loved sharing that with him, and if memory served that's what they had agreed to do next. Some days they gravitated towards similar texts, sometimes they wound up in opposite ends of the store - but they'd always find each other, share their finds, excitements.

[Remus Lupin]

He had originally thought he would never be able to speak to her properly. He had spent most of their first conversations just sharing facts and asking questions. While they had been wonderful conversations that he greatly enjoyed, he was pleased that they were able to converse on a level that didn't involve their knowledge of school topics. It also made it a lot easier to be around other people now that they could converse normally, as hanging out with his group of friends had been rather awkward at first when neither of them would talk to each other.

As she returned his smile, he couldn't help but feel a blush creep up his face. It was astounding that she could still do that do him, after these past seven months. But every time she looked at him he could feel his heart flutter, and he was embarrassed because he was positively convinced that she knew how strong his feelings for her actually were. Which if that was the case, she still seemed to be sticking around. Perhaps just telling her how he felt wouldn't be that bad.

You should probably wait, she doesn't know about the wolf

He felt his lip twitch at his thoughts, glad that she was focused on teasing him and finishing the last of the treats at the moment. Even if she did return the feelings, surely she should know the truth before she even made that sort of decision. Or perhaps after the summer was over he should simply let her go - it would be better for both of them. He watched her take the plates away, letting himself continue to smile at her. She was perfect, and he wasn't about to let his thoughts ruin that.

After all, she hadn't questioned the scratches too much, and that was something he greatly appreciated. Even if he had given her one of the worst possible lies that he could of. He gave a content sigh as she ran a hand through his hair, leaning into her touch before standing up and pulling her into his arms. He placed a kiss on her forehead before letting go, intertwining their fingers as they headed out of the shop.

It was short walk down to the bookstore, and he held the door open for her as they headed inside. He gave a nod to the shopkeeper - he had gotten to know the older man quite well already - and lead Charlotte towards the back of the store where they had some chairs and a couch for people to sit and read at. "Well, where would you like to start? It's not as impressive as the school library, but it's a much better selection of muggle books," he whispered to her quietly, brushing hair from her face as they stood in the store.  

[Charlotte Fudge]

The bell on the door tinkled as he opened it for her, and she ducked under his arm, eager to see the place. It smelled as a bookshop should, the distinctive scent hitting her as soon as she was inside - tad musty with that old book smell, homey and comforting all in one. That was the thing about bookshops - anywhere you went in the world (well, in her limited experience at least), you could find a home inside of a shop like this. Remus gave a nod of hello to the shopkeeper, which gave her just the warmest feeling. It had been only a few days that he'd been living around here, and already he was making himself a part of this little community. It was wonderful to see, and Char was excited for what this meant for him. At Hogwarts he had always had a solid group of mates, and the core of them would be following him to the Order. But here he could define himself differently than he did with those who'd known him through school. It was an opportunity he already seemed to be taking advantage of, and she was glad for him.

Rem led her through the shop with purpose, his feet knowing the way, and they made their way hand-in-hand through the stacks until reaching a sweet reading nook in the back. They had passed few patrons along the way, but he still whispered his words to her, courteous as always, and she moved closer to properly hear him. Before she could formulate a reply and settle whatever worry he may have had about the "impressiveness" of this perfect spot, her boyfriend was fixing her hair, fingertips on her skin leaving trails like the fleeing, pulsing, lights of fireflies. Before Remus, she hadn't thought herself to be the sort of person who could get easily distracted - she was a list-maker with daily goals to tick off, much satisfaction brought by completing the day's tasks by nightfall. So she stuck to her self-appointed duties, rarely straying from whatever task was at hand. But he...didn't have to do much to stop her mind from rushing, to keep her in a moment instead of thinking of the next step.

And where Char wanted to start was, for once, not buried within a story, she realized with an unusually coy smile.

You should probably just concede and start wearing heels for convenience's sake, she thought as she rose up to press her lips to his, her kiss soon turning playful. This day was reassuring her that they could do this for real, and although she knew that things would get more difficult as his life in the Order hit them both...if they could still have days like this, they would be happy. But in terms of the utterly important topic of footwear - her hopes of growing more were dreadfully dashed upon arriving home this summer, as she found herself within an inch of her mother and sister's heights. She could've sworn they were much taller than her, but over the last year she had caught up, and if genetics were worth anything, there was no way she'd become closer to her boyfriend's sizable height. And her sandals really weren't meant for all of this bending to get on her toes nonsense.

"This is grand," she said sincerely, giving him a peck before meeting his eye, unable to and not wanting to keep a smile from her face.You have nothing to worry about. She turned from him to look around their area, and with a laugh she quickly quieted as an idea struck her, started them towards the section labeled Poetry. "People who were paid to find the words we can't," she explained, voice hushed. It was true that they were getting better, but neither would claim to be a wordsmith, or even to have a handle on their emotions. Luckily there were people who were more tuned in and employed descriptive language that captured the essences of otherwise indescribable feelings.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled as Charlotte ducked under his arm, glad that she was so eager to explore the bookshop. He just knew that she was going to love it, as he'd fallen in love with the place almost immediately. He was determined to make this bookshop a place that they came every time she was over, there place. They hadn't had many places to call their's at Hogwarts, and it was going to be nice to finally have those kind of things.

And so when they reached a cozy spot, his hand trailing down her face as he waited for her to decide where to start, he was pleased when she stood up to press her lips against his. Their height difference was something he adored, and he leaned down more so that she wouldn't have to continue to stand on her toes. He wanted to pick her up, but they were in public and that kind of action could be pushing it too far. So he grinned at her as she pulled away, accepting the last kiss she gave him happily.

He happily slipped his hand into hers, letting her pull him toward's the poetry section of the book store. He gave a grin at her statement, remembering the first time they had ever spoken. He'd quoted Shakespeare at the dinner table, and while it hadn't been directly at her, he had been embarrassed at the time. Still, everything had worked on in his favor after that incident.

Letting go of her hand, he scanned the bookshelves until he saw a poet he recognized, and pulled the book off the shelf. Flipping through the pages, he stopped on a familiar poem and turned to Charlotte, "I ne'er was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet, Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower And stole my heart away complete. My face turned pale as deadly pale, My legs refused to walk away, And she she looked, what could I ail? My life and all seemed turn to clay."

He stopped and looked up from the book, feeling his face turn red. Perhaps this wasn't a poem he should finish reading, not when he had yet to tell her how he truly felt. So he closed the book, waving towards the books. "Your turn then, right?" 

poem here

[Charlotte Fudge]

Watching Rem look over the bookshelves, Char contentedly rocked back and forth on her heels, happy to sit back a moment while he took the initiative. She honestly had no clue what he would choose, even what sort of poet, poem, he'd find. But what came out of him was quite remarkable, she would admit. Her heart gave a bit of a jolt, hearing "love" leave him as the poet described the girl of his affections. It was something else, hearing him speak like this, and although the words weren't his - and although he cut the poem short, or so it seemed - it was lovely.

Remus, apparently, snapped to his senses - his eyes darted off of the page and over to hers as his face reddened, and with a wide gesture he prompted her to find something to aptly describe her own feelings. The girl gave a slight chuckle, giving his arm what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze as she bypassed him, looking about them for something familiar enough to read aloud to him. They were in the start of the section, the start of the alphabet by author, and - You'll do quite nicely, thank you. A small book was soon in Charlotte's hands, and she scanned the index for something suitable. Because she - as anyone would, how could one not when given the opportunity? - loved him, more than she could say with her own words. They were so new in many ways, though, just recently having confronted Cole and all, so perhaps that was what was causing the hiccough about saying the words. Remus had cut himself off here, or so it seemed, when he realized just how telling that particular poem was. But hopefully...

"Love is like the wild rose-briar," she began quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to what would hopefully remain a moment between them, as she mainly kept her eyes to the page while she read the poem in its entirety.

"Friendship like the holly-tree—

The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms

But which will bloom most constantly?...

But I feel - I feel they more go together than work against each other, you know?" she said, closing the book on a finger as she turned her look up to him. As she went on the girl's cheeks colored to match his, because they hadn't come so close to admitting love before, and while part of her just wanted to say the words, another was still holding her back. "Friendship isn't only for the winters of life, and love not only for the summers. Would be rather unfortunate if you couldn't have the other while you had one, and if they didn't coexist. Don't think we've abandoned our friends for each other, eh? As we - er - I mean, still new at all this and everything, but I feel it's going well and - " What are you saying?! Turning from him to squeeze the book back into its place, she said, trying to force her nerves away, "I'm just - really happy with you, is all."

Her hope - Charlotte's hope, with Remus and herself, was that no matter what, they would still be friends at the end of each day. Still be fond of each other, no matter what. Still care for each other as the best of friends did - as he did with his mates, as she did with Daisy. Because she - she felt that - although love and friendship were mainly separated in the work she'd read - she felt that they, at their best, went hand-in-hand. Of course, her feelings for him went well beyond friendship, but there was something to be said in looking at one's partner and knowing that underneath the love that was shared, there was a bond of friendship. To fall in love with a friend and have them do the same? It felt like an ideal, and one that Char still sometimes couldn't believe may be happening to her. And beyond that, she'd seen her roommates get swallowed up into relationships sometimes, and it was definitely not an example she wanted to follow.

(ooc: poem here and little Irish adorable voice here because would like to say that yes she's Irish is that chill because her natural voice = <3 and imagining her reading poetry with it is amazing and also featured in there: very Charlotte-like accounts of shopping and being labeled as a reader xD)

[Remus Lupin]

He wanted to tell Charlotte how he felt, but it just wasn't the time. And he didn't really know when a good time would be, given the secret he was keeping from her. But reading that poem, and saying that word. It had flowed nicely off his tongue, even if he was terribly embarassed by the situation now. Charlotte seemed to understand him though, as she squeezed his arm gently as she went to scan the shelves herself. He watched her, taking in the moment as she pulled a book down and started to flip through it.

His heart jumped at the first word of the poem, and he listened intently, feeling like his chest was going to burst of admiration for the girl in front of him. She was anaylizing the poem in the adorable way that she did, and he watched as she turned as pink as he was and stumbled over her words. Was it possible she felt the same way about him as he did about her. He gave a quiet chuckle as she put the book back, closing the distance between them so he could pull her into a hug.

"I think the poem was wonderful, but I do have to admit that I agree with you," he whispered quietly, choosing his next words carefully. He didn't want to slip up and admit something that he was beginning to realize either of them may not be ready to say. "I'm really happy with you Charlotte." He leaned down to give her a kiss, letting it linger for a few moments before he stood back up with a smile.

"How about we go home, make some tea and curl up on the couch? My mother sent me some books from home I think you would be interested in."

[Charlotte Fudge]

Not that Char was particularly worried about his response to her poem, them both obviously trying to find their footing in this new territory, but it was nevertheless reassuring when he slipped his arms around her, holding her close. She felt his chest rumble first with a quiet laughter and then with words, words so sweet and affirming that the trepidation she'd had earlier - that nasty cut and his lie about it - seemed like a thing of the past. The girl happily returned his kiss and smiled back up at him as he stood tall. At his suggestion she quickly agreed, and hand-in-hand they returned to his apartment from their outing.

As Remus readied the tea, Char took note of where the mugs wound up being kept and all, so that next time she could be of more use - so many things to adjust to now that he was here, but it was all...good. More than, really. He was independent and doing so well, and she had a place to go to meet someone who likely loved her. She feeling the same...this summer was going to be magnificent.

They were soon on the couch with their respective mugs, and she was happy to hear about the books and their significances to him, to find more about his wonderful mum. They each wound up choosing one, and while conversation winded down, were happy to spend the afternoon reading.

...mostly.