Study...Date? (Library - October 24 - Remus)

[Charlotte Fudge]

Charlotte’s smile broadened as he went on so exuberantly about her favorite shop and admitted that his friends did the same to him, pulling him away from the books to go have their kind of fun. Why folks couldn’t appreciate that becoming engrossed in a bookshop wasn’t just as fun to people like Remus and herself as being in a bawdy pub was to the others was unfathomable to her - she would be quite content to stay by herself in the shop, and expressed it, but Alex said that was just sad and would tug her away to Gladrags’. It was rather nice to meet someone who seemed to speak her language naturally. She could see happily starting their next Hogsmeade visit beginning with Daisy and Peter, but winding up as just the pair of them hunkering down in Poe’s until they were kicked out at closing...

"I absolutely agree. Doesn’t seem like we’ll be arguing over what to do on the trip," she said with a slight laugh, unable to believe her luck in this date. This first date. Because there were going to be more. Well, at least one more. Unless Remus changed his mind for some reason, word got out and Cole got to him, or he figured out he really didn’t like her like that -

The girl tried to keep her mind from running away with her in that not-so-good direction, as the signs - Oh, Merlin, you sound like Daisy and Alex. - were all pointing to him liking her. Like that. He’d asked her out on a date, and held her hand, and jumped on her ideas, and accepted a second...

She was rather enjoying having the opportunity to simply watch this boy think. Whenever she asked a question, Remus was so thoughtful in his approach, a gentle smile making his eyes crinkle a bit in the corners -

Goodness, focus!

When he said that Easter, of all things, was his holiday of choice, Charlotte was certainly surprised. Sure, Hogwarts followed the Christian calendar, abiding their breaks by the holidays, but she rarely met someone with that as a favorite...A smile of her own grew as he admitted that it was because of sweets. Sweet tooth, indeed, she thought fondly. "Well, can’t blame you for that! Your mum sounds fantastic, that’s so kind of her to do. What does she send? And for you and the others, I'm guessing?" Charlotte had the rather odd urge to want to meet this Mrs. Lupin - which was extreme to be thinking on a first date, and if it ever came to her meeting Remus' mum she was sure she'd be immensely intimidated. But she just seemed so lovely of a person, so different than many of the mothers she knew. Those in her family were rather standoffish, and unfortunately it was the same with Alex's. Daisy's mum was a peach, and she always loved spending time at the Hookum's over the summer. But besides that, she really hadn't had much exposure to good caring attentive mothers, and got to wondering what Mrs. Lupin would think of her...

Because if Remus wrote her daily, then he'd likely be writing about this, which was certainly an intimidating prospect.

[Remus Lupin]

One thing Remus could pride himself on was his memory. He didn't tend to forget things, especially when they related to other people. So he could remember the first time he had seen Charlotte. It had been at her sorting, she'd sat down next to Daisy, who had ended up sitting down at the Gryffindor table next to them. He hadn't paid her much mind, she'd simply been another new Gryffindor that year.

And as the years had gone by, they had been warned to stay away. That Cole's sister was off limits, and so he'd kept his distance. He'd noticed her, admired her work - and occasionally her- when no one was paying attention. But a part of him wanted to kick himself as they sat here talking, because they had so much in common. She was beautiful, sweet, and Remus could feel his stomach doing all sorts of flips every time he looked at their intertwined hands.

"I agree. It seems like we will have plenty to do," he answered her with a smile. A second date, one that they both actually knew was a date. And it was going to be perfect, no matter what. Even if he had to bribe his friends with free passes from detention and letting them copy his homework. He wasn't about to let anything ruin their time in Hogsmeade.

He couldn't help but grin when Charlotte mentioned that his mother sounded fantastic. The truth was that she was fantastic. He couldn't ask for a better mother. She'd always been supportive of whatever he had chosen to do, and there with a bit of advice whenever he was in a situation that he didn't know how to handle. "For me and the guys, yea. She'll send all sorts of different sweets. My favorite are these little caramel filled ones that-" He stopped short, as a familiar girl entered the library and started to scan around.

He cleared his throat, giving Charlotte's hand a gentle squeeze before taking his own back, reaching to gather his books. "Sorry, I've probably kept you too long now. Daisy is here, looks like she is looking for you," he said, nodding towards the red headed girl who had finally spotted them and was approaching their table.

[Charlotte Fudge]

As she listened to him, Charlotte smiled and kept thinking that this was going too well. There had to be some sort of catch, didn't there? She couldn't have gotten this lucky - somehow not messing up this date-she-hadn't-admitted-was-a-date and landing a second with a bloke she was truly starting to fancy? And allow herself to? But this wasn't a trick, Remus wasn't playing her - he wasn't doing any of the terrible things Cole had always warned boys would - and she was enjoying herself, being with him like this. The way she was able to make him smile warmed her heart and made her want to make that happen more and more and more. It was a very nice smile, and she liked seeing him happy, was all. She didn't often get attached to people quickly, but she was feeling good about this, about him, and didn't quite know how to handle it. Because they were going to need to go about their daily lives as if nothing had happened, right? To keep Cole unawares until they figured out what they wanted to do? Merlin, but you're jumping the gun! You're going to Hogsmeade this month and spent some time in the library together, that's all. For someone unused to having any secrets, Charlotte was a bit perplexed at how she was going to keep this one from all in her life except Daisy and Alex, who it would be utterly impossible to hide from...

Speaking of -

Remus cut off his story, distracted by something, and she looked about to try and see what or who it was. Daisy was coming towards them, and Char looked back to the boy next to her as he gave her hand one more squeeze before letting go and apologizing. Knowing her friend interrupting them was inevitable at this point - Daisy couldn't resist, she was sure - she simply gave him a smile and started to bundle up her own books, shortly getting to her feet as she spoke. True, Daisy likely wanted to talk with Remus, but she wasn't about to subject him to the knowing smirk her friend was probably wearing. "Nothing to apologize for, really - she's just attentive, is all. I'll - I'm sure I'll see you around?" You only share a House. With increased flustering, she continued, red-faced, "I mean, obviously will, but, ah - yes. This was really nice, glad to have - " Daisy was upon them and the girl did not know what to do or say to make this less awkward. It wasn't even - it didn't have to be awkward, she wanted there to be no question in his mind that she had liked this and wanted more, but was feeling like she was coming off as having the opposite effect. She gave her friend a look of you're-really-here-now-to-see-this? before taking a breath, books to her chest and a sheepish smile on her face. "What I mean is that I appreciate you taking the time and if you ever want to study, or not, you know where to find me." With that she gave him a bit of a wave and headed out with Daisy, hoping she hadn't mucked it up at the very end of things!