Charlotte and Christian in the closet xD

While Christian was almost pulling her to the closet, Charlotte kept laughing and decided to make in her head the list of the facts.

Fact one: After tonight she will, hopefully, be the official member of the Potter's Army.
Fact two: She will say that to him in the closet.
Fact three: She was absolutely, without any doubt completely drunk.
Fact four: What was the fact for again? She couldn't remember.
And finally, she wasn't able to keep calm and get serious. Christian may think she was messing with him, but she really couldn't stop laughing.

"Okay I need to talk with you" she started once they were hidden so others couldn't hear them. She remembered that being the member of PA was like, the big secret so she needed to talk with him in private.

"I want to join the potter's Army" she looked at him and at the same time tried to keep her mouth closed so new rush of laughter wouldn't be visible, even if she was close to starting crying because of the laugh.

"I'm sorry, I think I had a little more than enough drinks but I think it seriously, I swear" and there it was, she started laughing as insane once again.


@Christian Zabini

The closet wasn't what you would call roomy, but at least they weren't completely cramped. Christian didn't actually think about the fact that a closet shouldn't have existed in the Room of Requirement -- that is, until they were already inside. Well. Brilliant. Molly and Margo certainly knew what they were doing, didn't they?

Lifting his wand, Christian lit the room with a Lumos charm.

He sighed a little, but Charlotte seemed incapable of halting her laughter. Perhaps it was a good thing, in the long run, that they were more or less stuck in here. Maybe it would give her time to sober up. He seriously doubted that she would appreciate hearing stories about her behavior once she got past her hangover the next morning.

He made to respond to her request to join their -- what was it, actually? A club? A sub-faction? The latter sounded less stupid, so he went with that -- but she continued.

"Yeah, I think that's safe to say," he agreed. Drunk, indeed. "But I'm glad you changed your mind. We could definitely use the help."

He tilted his head a little, trying to really get a good look at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am more than good. I feel alive like never before. I think I could fly, and I mean that without that stupid broom. I can do everything!" Charlotte said those words almost singing, but she definitely wasn't aware of the fact that she was actually yelling.
The small, rational part of her brain kept telling her that she should stop, that she had more than enough drinks but there was that big part of her brain which was drunk and decided to shut that small part. She was almost one hundred percent sure that she would regret this tomorrow, but now it felt so good, so who say that was the mistake?

"I am glad to change my mind as well" she started smiling again, now happy as a little child who gets chocolate or finds out unicorns are real.

"I need. You know, Molly said. I need. I take a chance. I feel brave enough," of course, everything she said probably doesn't make any sense for him, but her drunk brain was able to understand. And even if every part of her realized this would be her biggest mistake tonight, even if he would probably hate her in the morning because of this, she came closer to him.
Once when they were close enough, she out her arm around his neck and kissed him.

If Christian were being honest - and, at this point he should've been - then he would admit that he had told the truth when it came to Charlotte. There was something interesting enough about her that he had always been curious. He just got the feeling that she was capable of so much more than she let on, or than she even believed, herself. Despite his surprise at her outburst, Christian finally realized that he was right. The chance was there, she had it in her.

It brought a surprised smile to his face, if only a gentle one.

But, of course, she changed the game yet again. "Molly?" He asked, his eyebrows pulling together only to lift up towards his hairline when she stepped towards him. She almost sounded confused, but the way she closed the gap suggested otherwise.

He was about to ask her again, presuming that she might not have been paying attention since he spoke over her. But she wrapped her arms around his neck and he realized immediately that he didn't need to ask. He knew, quite suddenly, what this was.

One hand came up to curl around her upper arm, hoping to politely dissuade her, but she leaned forward to kiss him anyway.

Christian was so taken aback that for a moment, he didn't do anything at all. But then his free hand reached for her side and he turned his chin away, forcibly breaking away. "Charlotte, you've had a lot to drink. I don't think you'd be doing this otherwise," he added. How strange, he mused in the back of his mind. It wasn't like he wasn't telling the truth, obviously, but he also didn't notice the driving force that Veritaserum inevitably put behind his words. Perhaps he was just too concerned to think very hard about how he wanted to phrase things.

He looked at the shelf to his left, only half surprised to find a clean, empty glass there. This room was genuinely something, wasn't it? So his hand left her arm to reach for his wand and conjure up some water.

"Here, drink this. You'll feel better," he said encouragingly. He reached up to brush her hair out of her face as he pressed his lips together. How strange. Part of him actually wished she'd been sober, but the other wasn't sure she had meant it at all. Whether he was running away from something or towards it, Christian didn't know. But he felt himself add on words that he didn't realize he meant:

"Perhaps once you're feeling better we can properly talk about what just happened."

"Why not tell either how you feel?"

"Until you clear it up with at least one of them, you're going to be stuck the way you are now. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"But, maybe it's not being brave. Maybe it's being smart enough to spare yourself some time and worry by settling an issue on your own terms."

Of course, there was the reason why she decided to kiss him now.
While they were stuck in this tiny closet together, her drunk brain started recalling Molly's words. And damn it Charlotte decided that this time other Ravenclaw had a point, she needed to know. She needed to say him how she feels about him.
But even if she is Ravenclaw and that probably means she is smart enough, words just didn't come to her.
She wasn't good with telling about emotions so she decided to show him instead.
And that was how they came to the kiss.

Setdown.
One word, seven letters and the perfect way to get sober.
Charlotte never felt like this. That one small act had the better effect on her than strong coffee.
She was completely sober and humiliated.

Somehow he found a glass of water, probably gift from the room but she just shook her head and step back.
She didn't need anything. Except to find a way to left this space and never see Christian again.

He really didn't like her. He probably thinks she is desperate, and tears in her eyes confirm that.
In just few second she became claustrophobic.

"I need to go," she said trying to sound like she wasn't close to start crying. Tears in her eyes would start falling down her face in every moment and she didn't want him to see that.
She just wanted to leave and never look back.

Something in her face changed as she stepped away, and Christian could only watch in confusion as his hands fells back to his side. "Charlotte?"

He knew that tone. The one that hinted at a tight throat and speeding pulse and the promise of stinging eyes. And it just about killed him that he'd been the one to cause it. So he took a step forward, inching his way between her and the door. It wouldn't be enough to keep her trapped inside, but he hoped it might encourage her to listen to him.

"Lottie, please. Just wait a moment, okay? I'm trying to tell you that I- I like you. But you may seriously regret doing anything when you've been drinking, and I can't stand there and let you do it." He reached out slowly enough that she could stop him if she wanted to, trying to again move her hair away from her face. "I mean it, Charlotte. I drank that Veritaserum, remember? I couldn't lie if I wanted to, and surely you know I wouldn't anyway."

He sighed heavily, shifting his weight. "I meant that I wanted to talk about, well, us. But preferably once you're feeling better."

kiss him was probably the worst idea she ever had.
And now he was standing in front of the door, her only way to escape. She felt claustrophobic more than ever. He was, they were so close to each other and he was almost able to feel that kiss again.
It wasn't really kissing because he didn't kiss her back.
"Christian I..." she paused when she realized that she wasn't sure what to say. It was the first time in her life that someone said No to her.

He was speaking something but her brain was able to understand only pieces, not the whole speech.
But he said something about liking her. He can't lie now, right?

"Christian," she said once she realized how to use her voice.
"I like you with and without alcohol. Alcohol only gave me the courage to kiss you because I would never be brave enough to do that if I was sober. But this doesn't change anything. The only reason why I would regret this is because you said No." She said honestly avoiding to look at him.

He reached toward her face and she did nothing to stop him from whatever he wanted to do.

"I didn't know that," he told her seriously, just before an almost ironic smile formed on his lips. "I'm not saying No, but... I wish you could be this open and comfortable with me when you hadn't been drinking. What if, in the morning, you don't remember part of this or you wish you had never done it?"

He shook his head, passing the backs of his fingers over her cheek. Why was this suddenly so easy? Oh. Right. The whole being unable to lie thing. And Charlotte being out of it probably helped as well, now that he took a step back to look at their situation. This wasn't at all what he'd been hoping for when he agreed to attend this party, but it wasn't a bad outcome by any means. Well, not if she said what he hoped she would.

"I want us to figure this out, Charlotte, seriously. But it doesn't seem right to start something like this. How about we see how you're feeling tomorrow and see how it goes?"

Christian tilted his head, trying to make sure she was looking at him as he spoke. "I like you, and -- if you aren't mad at yourself come tomorrow, I'd like to take you to lunch this weekend when we're out to Hogsmeade."

"I wasn't brave enough to do this before because I was almost one hundred percent sure I will just ruin our friendship" she looked at him seriously.
"Try to look at the things from my position. You are one of the very few friends I have here and telling you what I really feel could ruin that, and I wasn't ready to lose you completely" she said honestly. Damn this Veritaserum was really good thing.

The feeling his finger on her cheek was really good. She felt electricity passing through her body and she realized that she probably never felt like this before.
She was dating with boys, but this was something new.
Something unstable, where she had no control.
Just a few months before this night, she couldn't even think of being friend with someone who has magic inside like she, but now she was not just friend with someone of them, she was actually in love with him.
This was probably some ironic game of universe. Like if her whole mind was making the joke about her but for the first time, she didn't care.

"We can do that" she nodded and finally looked at him again now when she wasn't ashamed like before.
"We can talk tomorrow and yes, lunch sounds perfect" she smiled a little and moved one strand of hair from her face.

"Do you think if it's time for us to go back to that party?" Charlotte frowned when she tried to think how long they were here, for hew it looked like hours.

Her explanation twisted something in his stomach, and Christian didn't know how to respond. His mouth turned down into an apologetic grimace, but lifted upwards when she agreed. It was so strange, really, that some part of him had known even as he tried to pretend he didn't. It would've been easier if neither had said anything, but Christian certainly hoped that if they had somehow become friends, he could find a way to help her feel comfortable with others as well. Drunk and on Veritaserum, she was pretty spectacular. He just really hoped that she could learn to do the same when she was sober.

His smile grew when she agreed, until he was grinning at her. Oddly, he felt more confident in this than he had in most everything else during the past week. Choosing not to linger on what might have caused his inability to find his footing, he nodded.

"Yeah, definitely."