Dec 10th: Caught (Charmus/James) : 3rd floor broom closet

[Remus Lupin]

“Lumos,” he whispered, the tip of his wand illuminating the dark broom closet. Giving a sigh, he looked to Charlotte and gave her an apologetic smile. “I could have sworn Rufus said he was going out tonight. He picked a wonderful time to change his mind.” The older Fudge was incredibly overprotective of his sister, and had set down the rules ages ago. The last thing Remus had intended on was being the person breaking them. But he had been seeing Charlotte in the moments he could for over a month now, and while they hadn’t officially labeled anything, he didn’t think Rufus was going to care why the two of them were alone together.

“Although, if he catches us in this broom closet, tell the guys I loved them. And that your brother murdered me,” he joked, before clearing his throat awkwardly. He wasn’t afraid of Rufus - physically, Remus was much more adept at being in a fight than he appeared. But that didn’t mean he wanted to get into it with his dorm mate. And while it had been a couple of minutes since they had seen Rufus, he wasn’t about to walk out of this broom closet until he could be sure the coast was clear. Should have brought the map, would have been smart.

Turning to rest his back against the door, he sighed. It was stupid, to be hiding in this closet. Her brother shouldn’t matter. Especially considering it wasn’t as if this could really go anywhere. As much as everyone was going to tell him he shouldn’t prefer to just stay alone, he had to be realistic. Going to school had been a dream enough, he wasn’t about to pretend that anything serious could happen. No matter how much he wanted to follow these feelings and emotions Charlotte gave him. No life with him would ever be happy. “How was your day?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Oh, but this was just absurd. Charlotte settled herself down primly on an upturned bucket, knees tucked to the side so as to save some sort of room for Remus in the rather squashed space. The hour had grown late as they'd worked side-by-side in the library tonight; well, late for the pair of them, the great clocks having just rung eight o'clock. Curfew had yet to come, so it wasn't a prefect they were hiding from...

How long will he wait before asking you to tell Rufus? The blonde looked up at her study partner? her first kiss? Remus, smiling apologetically as he lit his wand and spoke. She quickly followed suit, wand held in her lap to help brighten the closet. "I don't expect you to be his keeper," she whispered on instinct, secrecy seeming to be the name of the game. "If anything, I should know his schedule...but he would already have come in if he'd seen us, so we should be fine. If I'm proven wrong, don't worry, I'll pass on your last words," she continued in a weak attempt at a joke. The need to keep their situation so quiet was all on her end, or so the sixth year felt. Rufus was not the forgiving sort, or the understanding sort; he lived in a world of black-and-white, a world in which Charlotte expected he thought she was still eleven years old. His rather archaic stance on her dating life hadn't been an issue, though, until the last few weeks...Are you just waiting to see if he wants to make this "official"? Not trouble Rufus until then?... Never having had any sort of relationship with a bloke before, everything seemed daunting - besides the easy time she had when they were simply together.

"Thank you for being patient about all of this." Charlotte gave him a small but earnest smile, truly hoping that he felt that the current stress of uncertainty was worth having whatever-it-was with her. She chuckled quietly at his question, amused at how sweet he truly was. After too many all of the stories she'd heard from Daisy over the years at what generally transpired within four walls like these, those sorts of activities not even seemingly on Remus' radar...you've just kissed the once, maybe it didn't leave as much of an impression on him as it did you?

"I can't complain, really. Sylvia and I got quite a lot done on our essays for History of Magic, and the lesson today in Magical Theory actually was quite wonderful. We usually just think that spell casting is the tricky bit, but spell writing? There's so much to consider - " The girl cut herself off and, after meeting Remus' anxious eyes with her own, muttered "Nox." The abrupt knocking at the door, though, continued...

[James Potter]

James Potter was on top of the world.

For the last week, everything had been perfect.

(In truth, the usual amount of things had gone wrong. One or two freak outs by the younger prefects. An essay for Astronomy turned in late by mistake. But none of it mattered, not really, not when the big picture of his life was finally starting to piece together.)

(He'd gone on a date with Lily.)

(It'd gone well.)

(Sneaking around Hogwarts with her now, finding little alcoves to occupy, holding hands from class-to-class of those they shared, had made for a much happier James than had been seen since the carefree days of summer.)

The bloke was whistling semi-melodically, extremities thawing, as he made his way through the winding stairs and halls of the castle, having just spent the post-dinner hours at the pitch readying for tomorrow morning's practice. While he would've preferred to spend the whole of the evening in the common room with Lily and his mates, Sunday morning practices in winter went to hell if he neglected to plan them out. It was a rare sort of person who enjoyed waking up before the crack of dawn to face the bitter winds usually found on the pitch this time of year, and unfortunately he didn't only have that personality on his team. Thus - planning ensured that everyone would be busy with either individual skill building or team maneuvers practice, no excuses to be late, no excuses to be still...

Mind still mainly occupied with the schematics he'd just drawn out for the team to review, James gave Rufus a nod as he passed by, shouting a reminder back at him about the morning, and nearly missed a most extraordinary event. But, unless he was severely mistaken - Remus and Charlotte had just disappeared into a broom cupboard down the hall as he'd rounded the corner.

I thought you "hated broom closets with the fierceness of a thousand suns," Moony.

Feeling that the pair had likely retreated to not be seen by Fudge's brother, not to sneak a snog, James cut off his whistles and quieted his footsteps as he approached the closet. Rufus had drilled into all of their brains the importance of not pursuing his sister; while he wasn't much of a threat, really, out of not wanting to put more pressure on the blossoming relationship, the two Gryffindors were trying to be subtle. He paused outside of it, seeing wandlight and hearing murmured voices through the crack under the door. Unable to resist this, the rarest of opportunities, James rapped on the door sharply, struggling immensely to contain a bout of laughter.

[Remus Lupin]

He really didn’t see the appeal in broom closets, they were cramped spaces that made him think about the early transformations, and the accommodations his father had for him. Snogging was the furthest thing from his mind, he’d only kissed Charlotte a week before! And while it was a very nice thing, he hadn’t repeated it. He couldn’t let himself get attached.

”You aren’t his keeper either,” was the quiet response to her words. He didn’t fully understand Charlotte and Rufus’ relationship, seeing as he didn’t have a real sibling of his own. But it seemed complicated. There were a lot of things about Rufus that Remus didn’t really understand, and if he was being honest he hadn’t really tried much in their seven years at school to get to know the older Fudge. “You are right though, I’m sure he’d have caught us by now.”

At least that was what he could hope, because there was no explaining away a broom closet. He could have given an excuse for the library, study group or book discussion. “You don’t have to thank me,” he mumbled, a sudden wave of embarrassment washing over him. It wasn’t that big of a problem, avoiding Rufus when he was with Charlotte. His dorm mate had his own life, his own girl he was seeing.

Charlotte’s story about her day was cut short by a knocking on the door, and he gave a sigh as he held his wand, following Charlotte’s lead and muttering a quick Nox. They were caught and he was going to have explain his actions before accepting whatever fate Rufus would bestow upon him. Opening the door, he poked his head out only to see Prongs standing there with the biggest sh*t eating grin on his face.

”It’s not what it looks like,” Remus said with a sigh, letting the door open the rest of the way so Charlotte could see who it was. “I can’t decide if this is worse than it being Rufus.”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Charlotte pursed her lips, knowing what he said should be true. But she and Rufus had taken responsibility for the other for as long as she could remember; as the only members of the family who seemingly cared about what the other was going through, she was protective of him, even if it sounded silly. She didn't want to hurt him, but knew she was taking the coward's way out at the moment by delaying the harm that must come eventually. If she and Remus were to stay together, that is. She gave a nod at his agreement that her brother would've come by if he'd seen them, but wanted to wait a few moment's longer. Just in case. Her honesty was met with embarrassment on Remus' part, and she hoped that he wasn't put off by it. For she did truly appreciate his patience with her, and she was trying to be equally as patient with him. But is it strange that we haven't kissed again? It's been a week.

    You've been counting?

As she was killing a little more time by sharing about her day, Charlotte's heart nearly stopped at the sudden loud knocking that rattled the closet. Their wands were doused nearly instantaneously, but the pounding continued, and she knew that their attempt at subterfuge had been fruitless. If it wasn't Rufus, though...who could it be? She sat stiffly on the bucket as Remus edged the door open enough to let a crack of light in, and at his words and the adjustment of tension in his shoulders, her back straightened even more. Because who could it be that this may turn out even more poorly than it being her brother?

Remus opened the door wider to reveal...James Potter. Charlotte met his eye warily. Nothing about either of their ensembles suggested anything - er - suggestive. Her long hair was securely held back by a looping braid, sweater and skirt in line. But James was looking at them as if he'd caught them tearing each other's clothes off. Being caught by one of Remus' best mates was embarrassing, no doubt about it - but surely James wouldn't disclose this to Rufus! Not when he and Remus were such good friends!

"Good evening, James," she said, an uncertain creak in her voice from her suddenly dry throat. The sixth year got to her feet, the strap of her schoolbag securely on her shoulder, hands clasping in front of her. James was rather blocking the door, making escape impossible. She swallowed, trying to keep from blushing too brightly. "If you'll excuse us, we were just on our way back to the Tower."

[James Potter]

James' eyebrows shot up as the cupboard door crept open to reveal his mate. At Remus' words, he wasn't expected not to laugh, right? If that was the case, he was failing miserably. The other lion was so downtrodden, but really, this was inevitable. And did Moony really think that James was about to spill the beans to Rufus? No way! He'd known about this little affair since its inception, why would he share a secret that wasn't his? And James and the others could've used the Map to track the pair down, or jumped out at them after following them under the Cloak, or any number of other tricks if they'd wanted to! This? This was just good timing.

James jokingly lamented, hand to his heart, as Remus declared that this was worse than Charlotte's brother finding them out. "I am hurt, Moony. Just doing my job, making sure the closets are clear before curfew," he teased, leaning to the side as Remus opened the door more so he could grin at the little lioness inside. Remus' not-girlfriend was eyeing him like he was some sort of snake to be carefully stepped around, and in the moment he couldn't have found that more entertaining. He was on their side! Just taking the mickey out of them! But Charlotte certainly did not understand that; his own beaming smile spread as the girl stood stiffly and spoke to him ever so innocently.

"Of course you were," James said, stepping aside and waving his arm to show her out of the cupboard. She's gonna have to get used to this if she's sticking around, he thought over her head to his mate. "I, too, sometimes take the more scenic route upstairs. Detours are life's grandest adventures, after all."

[Remus Lupin]

James was finding this whole situation quite hilarious, judging from his laughter. And Remus did suppose that he see the humor in it, but they had their reasons for being in the broom closet. Remus hadn't a clue how Rufus was going to react when he found out that his younger sister and roommate were dating, and he didn't need it to be because they had gotten caught together in a broom closet. No, if this was going to be anything official Remus wanted to be able to break the news himself.

"Wow, you are such a fantastic Head Boy," Remus replied with a roll of his eyes as he pushed the door open. Charlotte seemed sufficiently embarrassed by the whole thing, but they really were quite lucky that it was one of his friends and not anyone else. "They grow up so fast. One day you're worried they don't know how to do the job, and the next they are checking broom closets."

Closing the door behind him after James let Charlotte out, he leaned back against the door for a moment to give James a look. Let's keep this between the two of us? He didn't need a hard time from the rest of his friends either, especially considering the fact he hadn't been snogging Charlotte by any means in a broom closet. "Can I at least ask how you knew we were in here?"

[Charlotte Fudge]

Listening to the boys' exchange, Charlotte felt cemented to the bucket she sat on; James was clearly lying, it was no secret that empty closets and enforced curfews were low on his list of priorities, and as he looked in and grinned at her, it only made her more uncomfortable. While she appreciated the closeness that Remus had with his friends, James Potter was nearly a stranger to her. And not having trust in him, only in his friendship with Remus, was unsettling, to say the least. She hoped he would keep this quiet due to the fondness he obviously had for Remus, but how much longer were they going to be treated to this I found you in a broom cupboard look of superiority? You've been found in much worse situations, she wanted to say to the Head Boy after Remus' sarcastic remark, but kept quiet until standing. She was still unamused, just wanting to be in her dorm, as James deemed it time to let them out, teasing all the way.

You're being too harsh, he's just finding this amusing. Remus, Daisy, and Lily are so close with him, and you hold them in high esteem...he can't be all brashness. You'll look back at this and laugh... But it was mortifying to be caught, even if they hadn't been up to anything! Rumors spread like fiendfyre through these halls, and as they hadn't told Rufus...Him finding out because of a rumor would be awful. Her relationship with her brother was finally mended, after years of picking up after him - but not wanting to disturb their meticulously come by equilibrium was making her paranoid, if this was how decidedly unentertaining she found this situation. Relax, he wouldn't do something to get Remus into trouble. She stood uncomfortably to the side as Remus closed the door inconspicuously, turning her eye from him to James at the question. How had James known they were inside? He was dressed for Quidditch, not for doing rounds...but while she wanted to know, she wanted to go. "Walk and talk?" she said in a suggestion that was anything but, adjusting the bag on her shoulder before turning towards the nearest staircase.

[James Potter]

James simply beamed at his mate's sarcasm. "Knew you'd be proud of me one day." He made room for the just admit it already couple, thinking he was doing a grand job of smoothing this hilarious thing over, even if the younger Fudge was pale as a ghost. This was funny, wasn't it? A little nagging worry nipped at his heels - Remus had a grand sense of humor and needed a partner with one too, even though it was great that this girl had caught his eye, was she a good fit? - but he tried to put it away for later as Remus spoke. "Crazy story, really, you'll never believe it," James began, wondering what his mate thought he'd been getting up to. I'm not bloody spying on anyone. "Eyes. I've got them." Charlotte was off momentarily, and he exchanged an amused look with Remus before hiking his bag up on his shoulder and trotting after her.

"All right there, Charlotte?" he asked genially as he fell into step with her, hoping to put the agitated girl at ease. "You've got nothing to worry about, promise - Ruff was headed the other way, totally out of earshot by the time I knocked!"

[Remus Lupin]

Rolling his eyes at James - although, you have to admit you’re proud of the progress he’s made - he let the comment pass him by. While James had certainly stepped up this year, and let go of his ego a little bit, there were certain things you didn’t just admit to your friends in this sort of situation. Pride in each other was more of an implied thing, with pats on the backs and grins exchanged across classrooms over the years. And while he and James would certainly be laughing over this later; right now it was an awkward situation. He had assumed that James had found them on the map, but as he answered Remus raised an eyebrow. Awful luck then, really. Remus had quickly learned to use the map over the years, it was much easier to know which places to avoid with you could see where everyone was in the castle.

Charlotte wasn’t standing around for answers though, and he shrugged to James before following to catch up, catching her hand with his to give it a squeeze. Rufus wasn’t around - no one else was here to see what had happened. And if James was positive Rufus hadn’t seen, that was enough for Remus. “Hey, don’t worry. James may never let us live this down-” he said with a grin shot to his brother, laughter soon following, “-although mate, I have warned you about the dangers of opening broom closets.”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Ease up on them, Charlotte. It was painfully apparent that the seventh years had easily caught on to her discomfort and were trying to make it better, and it wasn’t their fault that she was wound tightly. She winced slightly as James said her brother’s name in his loud usual voice, but held on to Remus’ hand all the same. Breathe. It’s fine. You do need to tell Rufus sooner rather than later, if something as little as this has gotten you into such a tizzy. "Yes, I’m fine, thank you," she said stiffly with a forced smile. "You warned him about broom closets?" Charlotte asked, raising her brows at Remus as she gained a bit of humor back. "Surely there were more dangerous aspects of the job that warranted a warning."

Why James had gotten the position over more qualified applicants, like the boy she'd been spending so much time with these last months, was as much of a mystery to her as Lily's appointment was clear. He was well liked by much of the school, to be sure, and smart, as foolish as he could be at times - but why had their Headmaster so strayed from tradition? Hogwarts was, admittedly, doing fine under the two Head Students, but Charlotte did wonder why Remus - phenomenal as she was learning him to be - had been passed by. It just didn't add up...

As the unlikely trio climbed onto a staircase and it began to move, Charlotte again tried for conversation. "So - er - James," she addressed uncertainly, "what had you at the pitch tonight? No Gryffindor practices on Saturday nights, right?"

[James Potter]

The younger student was hardly convinced of his honesty, it seemed, and James did his best to not be put out by it. If memory served, the girl was close enough with Lily, so he could get some advice on how to best be around her without potentially embarrassing Remus by asking him outright. There was something special about her if Remus was so enamored, and he was curious to find it out. He had to smile at seeing Remus come after them and take her hand in his, nodding at the "accusation" and letting out a laugh as Charlotte piped up.

James went on, patting his mate on the back, "This man taught me everything I know!" It hadn’t been simple, not even the slightest, to get this position. Beyond the overall confusion about it not being a prank pulled by dear old Dumbledore, stepping up to the plate and earning the title after he’d received it was something he was still working at. And the tear it’d wrenched between him and one of his brothers? They’d patched things up as well as they could, and Remus had even helped him score some points with Lily without him being the wiser. He hopped onto the staircase, whistling tunelessly in the quiet of the castle, and turned a welcoming smile back to the girl at her words. "You've got that right." Memorized the practice schedule so you know when Ruff won't be around? He continued, amused, "No practice for anybody tonight, actually - so the place is free. Freezing, but free. Did some prep-work for tomorrow morning's practice. A captain's work is never done!" While he laughed, the truth of the statement was the truth of his life this year, but he'd realized that even if he worked nonstop...he'd never finish everything he was responsible for on his own. It was just too much, and delegating to a trusted friend or two in recent months had truly been a lifesaver. "Ready to get to a fire, though, toes haven't numbed yet. You should stick around when we get to the common room," he encouraged the pair. "Sure Lily and the blokes are up."

[Remus Lupin]

Charlotte was still adjusting to his friends, which given the little amount of time she’d truly spent around them, was fair. James was constantly busy with all of the tasks he was juggling, and it didn’t seem like his schedule would be getting any less full now that things were going so well with Lily. Sirius was the one with the most free time, and he wasn’t sure that the two of them knew how to act around each other. Charlotte was a least used to Peter, given how long he and Daisy had been together. It didn’t help that this was a secret they were keeping from her brother, but his friends wouldn’t tell.

But she doesn’t know them well enough yet.

        Yet? Like there’s a future there.

He tried not to let himself think negatively about things, but how could he not? He’d been thinking and overthinking things for the majority of his life. Thankfully, Charlotte was easing up as they walked away from the closet, and Remus laughed with James. “I can’t take credits for all the rules we’ve broken over the years, but no one better to enforce them than someone who knows how to break them,” he smirked. Being assigned a prefect had been an advantage, their pranks and mischievous escapes to Hogsmeade easily done with someone inside. And since they’d hashed it out back in September, the things they could potentially get away with James as Head Boy? The list was a long one.

As they reached a staircase, things felt more relaxed between the three of them, and it was nice to see Charlotte and James holding a conversation. He wanted to spend time with his friends and her, curled up in the common room like other couples they saw. Things he shouldn’t want - not with the secret they were keeping, or the much bigger secret that he was keeping from her. While they’d curled up together last week, the common room had been empty them, and the people that had seen them weren’t the sort of go blabbing to Rufus about it. “That reminds me, I finished the schedules,” he spoke to James, moving further up the staircase as it got closer to stopping. The second part of James’ statement caught him by surprise though, and he looked to Charlotte. Would she want to hang around his friends? “Sounds good to me, I’m sure Daisy will be around,” he said, hoping that the presence of Charlotte’s best friend would help her feel more comfortable. “What do you think?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Charlotte found her smile easing as the friends seamlessly went back and forth, enjoying seeing this side of Remus firsthand. Not that she hadn't seen him with his dearest friends before, they shared a common room and so much else, and she'd been on the outskirts of them with Daisy. But this felt different, something more intimate to be privy to, and it was nice. James clearly appreciated learning from Remus, as he should, Remus had so much to teach from his experiences of being a prefect; but the spin he put on how he was so successful in the job had her grinning. "That's the secret to your success, then? I hadn't thought the group of prefects would be full of mischief makers, such an abuse of power," she teased, giving his hand a squeeze. She'd known that many of the pranks that had happened in her younger years at Hogwarts were set up by the four of them, but things appeared to have mellowed out on that front. Was she wrong to think so? What were they cooking up behind the scenes? Rules were rules for reasons, and they were in positions to enforce them, and Charlotte knew that she should likely not find it amusing to think of them skirting the rules - but it wasn't as if they'd do anything to harm someone, it'd just be for a laugh, and they could all use a laugh...

The look that James gave her once they were on the stairs and she'd perhaps let on to her knowledge of Gryffindor practices too well made her cheeks color, but she nodded along. The dedication that he had to the sport was grand, and as an avid Quidditch follower - even if she was avoiding her brother these days, that didn't mean she'd stopped supporting his sport - and Gryffindor, she was glad that he took his captainship seriously. Even if his laugh was a bit...off. The younger student hadn't given much thought to his varied responsibilities, hadn't looked closely at his strain, only hearing about it through Remus' recounting of conversations and observations. Well - no one can say you're not trying. Either of you. She shot Remus a smile at his addition, struck momentarily by being oddly proud of him for helping out, and moved with him up the staircase as James went on. Inviting Remus and her to socialize with others once they were back at the Tower.

Initially, the prospect was daunting. After a moment's thought, it still was. But it was a shared space, and they would be doing nothing wrong, and - and she wanted to be part of Remus' world outside of the library. We both deserve that. She'd hardly ever met someone who cared for his friends the way Remus did, and if he wanted her to share time with them, and rightly thought that Daisy would be there, then... "Yes," Charlotte said decisively. "yes, that sounds lovely. Thank you."

[James Potter]

James grinned at his fellow marauder, and snorted with laughter in surprise as Charlotte became sarcastic. All right then, starting to get it a bit more, he thought, entertained and knowing that if someone was going to be with Remus, they had to have an ability for and an appreciation of all things sarcasm. "Oh, hey now," he began, shooting Moony a grin over her head, "we didn't put ourselves into power. We're playing the cards we've been dealt, and sure, sometimes we play them to our advantage. Keeps things interesting." Most notably this year was the epic prank he and Remus had pulled on the Medusas, giving them hair befitting of their namesake. He never wanted to forget the look of horror on Lydia Avery's face when she'd realized that the hissing sounds were coming from her head, her shrieks at seeing the writing mess of snakes that her long hair had been Transfigured into. Sure, maybe the girls hadn't done anything that week to deserve it - but they'd done enough damage over the years to people he cared about to, frankly, stop him from caring what in particular this payback was for.

"My hero, thanks mate," James returned gratefully, mentally checking the task off of his to-do list. He'd strike it from the one in their room once they were back, and then he'd be able to settle in at the fire able to relax enough to enjoy the time with Lily and their friends. The schedules done meant that nothing more was officially needed from him tonight, and that was grand. The Head Boy watched curiously as the pair considered his invitation, interested to see how it would play out. He knew they were being all secretive, and surely that had its fun - if they could not stress about it for a bit - but wouldn't it be nice to just...be in the common room with people they liked? He was all for Remus branching out into the dating world, but at the same time, he didn't want the bloke to have to choose between spending time with them and spending time with Charlotte. Gonna have to come clean sometime, you two. So James counted himself relieved as they agreed, even though Charlotte seemed to think she was accepting an invitation to something rather formal. How did you and Ruff grow up in the same house? he wondered to himself in amusement, hardly seeing much in common between the siblings besides the blue of their eyes. 

"Well - well great, that's that then," he said with a chuckle as he stepped off of the staircase and transferred to the next. Only a few more floors stood between them and home, and he was ready to be there already. I'm sure you had your reasons, Dumbledore, always seem to - but maybe you could lift the ban on Apparition in here? I worked out enough tonight, don't need the exercise from all these stairs. "Gotten far into Dragonfight yet, Charlotte? In case you haven't learned yet, never turn down a book recommendation from this guy. He's got great taste, dunno how he finds the time to read though."