I can love you like no one else

In the morning, Charlotte felt better than she deserved.
She skipped the breakfast because, to be completely honest, she wasn't sure that she will be able to look at the food.
She tried to realize how she felt.
It wasn't bad as she expected. Just a headache, but that will pass after few pills. Maybe it was really good idea to went this party when she did, she would be much worse if she continued with that game.

Charlotte tried to recall everything that happened before and unwelcomed redness cover her cheeks once when she realized she actually kissed Christian Zabini. She really did that.
Molly would be proud.

The second thing she recalled was the fact that she was supposed to talk with Christian today.
But she wasn't sure where he was so she gave the note to one of his classmates. Then she picked up her clothes and once she was ready she went outside to the Great Lake where she told him to come.

She liked this place. It was so peacefully and more than anything, it was her safe place.
She used to come here often the long time ago when she was unhappy, outsider and without the place.
Now everything changed, except the fact that she still likes to be here.


@Christian Zabini

Christian was feeling downtrodden. Sad, in fact. Not because he was on his way to see Charlotte and he didn't want to be, but rather because he almost felt like he didn't know who he was anymore. His eyes seemed incapable of focusing on anything, instead skimming around and half-taking things in all morning. He'd made a point to sit by himself that morning. And Ace had shown up, to his great and almost violent surprise. He hadn't cared to hear the morning news, but she was telling him anyway.

It just wasn't the same, though. And he couldn't tell if she even noticed. She seemed.. unmoved, despite their righteous and horrible argument the night before. As if she hadn't really taken in what he'd said to her.

So when he was passed a note in Charms, he read it immediately that time. It was from Charlotte, the young man had told him. Obviously he was going to read it. Nothing had changed, apparently. So.

He wasn't a very good actor, it seemed, because while she chatted on as ever, he was even more silent than usual. Typically, Christian actually enjoyed sitting back and listening to her plans. But he did tend to at least comment on them beyond a simple agreement or hesitant shrug and grimace. If he wasn't careful, he'd scare her off entirely. But he didn't operate the way she did; he couldn't push it all away and act like it was nothing. He just couldn't.

So at the end of class, he muttered an offer that he'd see her at dinner and made his way down to the lake like she'd asked. He found it surprisingly easy to put on a smile when he saw Charlotte, though. So he dropped his bag down behind her and sank into the grass at her side.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, ever the type to check in on literally everyone else before turning in to worry about himself. "You seem to be doing well with the sun out, so I imagine the punishment wasn't too severe," he added, a slight lift in his tone to indicate that he was joking. He lifted his knees a bit so he could lean back on his palms and look over at her, apology clouding his expression.

"Sorry I took off like that. I promise that won't happen this weekend. That is -- if you still want to go with me."

Charlotte was so much in her own minds that she didn't even realize when Christian came.
She was thinking about home, again. Situations like this made her really nostalgic.
Because if she was back at home now she would already be with her friends talking about last night.
She would probably say everything to Emily and they would together make a list with Christian's good and bad traits or something like this.
But she wasn't at home.
She was here, and she was supposed to figure everything together.

Of course, she could talk with Molly instead but she doubted another Ravenclaw is really interested to find out.
molly was there just to listen and for the first time in six years, Charlotte actually needed someone who may help her.
Maybe she can send the letter to Emily.
It won't be the same like talking face to face but that was all what she could have now.

When Christian put his bag on the ground she almost jumped finally realizing she wasn't alone here.
"Hi" she smiled and that smile came completely naturally to her. It was probably one of her very rare honest smiles when she was here.
"I feel good. Probably better than I deserve" she shrugged and looked at him.
"And how are you? Is everything okay?" she asked curiously and at the same time, a little bit worried.
Another first experience: she was worried about someone here.

"Is everything okay with our little club?" She realized that maybe he would want her to avoid saying Potter's Army even if they were alone because you can't now if someone was listening.

"oh I was expecting punishment to be worse, it is what I deserve for drinking that much during the school" she frowned. Even if it was obviously that he was joking, she still felt really bad about herself. That won't look good in her resume if professors ever find out.

Charlotte looked at him and frowned. She is the one who got drunk, kissed him and what not and yet he was the one who was apologizing to her.
"Christian Zabini, you better stop there," she said seriously and looked at him again.
"I get it, you needed to go. It's not like I want to tie you for myself, I can understand that sometimes they are more important stuff that you hanging around with me" she smiled.
"But if you do something like this on our meeting, I will curse you, I promise" she tried to look serious but without her willing, the smile formed on her face.
With him, it was really natural to be happy and smile.

Christian nodded when she asked if everything was okay, but he wasn't sure if she asked because she could tell something was off, or if she was just concerned because of last night. He decided it was best to be honest, though. "I'm alright, yeah. I think it's just been one of those days where things seem off, y'know? Probably because of how people feel about last night."

He looked openly concerned at her next question, though. "Definitely little, our club. Um.. When I found Ace last night, we got into a massive row. It sort of ended with me promising to help her recruit people this weekend, after you and I go to lunch." Christian tilted his head a little, sitting up and nudging her shoulder with his as he added on, "If you want to come with, that might be helpful. Better to have three people rather than two."

Okay, so he looked a bit sarcastic about that, but it was still true. Having someone who actually wanted to join them would look great when they needed to bring people onboard.

He blinked in surprise at her chiding, but it was something he was glad she wanted to cover. Something he was glad they agreed upon. Her warning surprised him, but he couldn't help the laugh that escaped - perhaps because he really, really needed a laugh right now.

"That's fair," he told her after gathering himself again. "I have no intention of cutting lunch short."

Christian quieted a little, looking serious despite the little smile on his face. "So, I just wanted to clarify... That is," he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, as if he had reason to be shy after everything, "I wanted to know if you'd like to -- make this official. Y'know, if you'd want to be my girlfriend." He could feel the heat of his embarrassment turning his ears a bit red, but that was honestly the best he could come up with in the moment.

Merlin help him, he wasn't cut out for this.

"Yeah, last night was really... something" she shook her head and smiled a little bit still embarrassed about what she did last night.
"I am so sorry because of what happened last night. I can't say I wouldn't do the same if I can be on the last night again, but I am still sorry. I shouldn't just kiss you like that without warning." Charlotte looked at the ground just so she won't look at him but then, she gave up and looked at him.
"You know you can talk with me if something bothers you. We are still friends, right?"

She realized that she really said that, she wants to be the member of Potter's Army. But even if she was glad to make it official, she had no idea what the hell was she supposed to do. And when he said something about her helping, she almost smiled.
"Sure, I would be glad to help but you know..." she paused a little and sighed before continuing.
"I am not really sure that people would join if I talk to him. Most of them still hate me, you know" she frowned.
The knowledge that was her own guilty for what people thinks about her hit her without any warning.
If she was able to just be better toward others, she wouldn't be the outsider with very few people who actually likes her. Or at least they pretend to like her.

"But I can try to help. I would love that" finally, small, shy smile formed on her face again.

"Don't laugh at me, I am serious" and she really tried to look serious but his smile was contagious so she just shook her head in surrender. Lt him be, but she really won't allow him to apologize to her every time when he had more important stuff to do rather than spending time with her. After all, Ace was his friends for a long time, at the time when Charlotte just hated him like everyone else.

He wanted something to say and to be honest, his insecurity was kind of cute. She could assume what he wanted to say but she let him say it out loud. Just seeing him like this was funny, and she was probably bad person because of that.
"I would love to be official with you." Charlotte finally said and smiled.
"Your ears look like they are burning," she said and gave her best to not start laughing.

"Am I really that much scary you get redness all over your face just because you wanted to ask me if I want to be your girlfriend?" She said pretending to be shocked.

Christian actually couldn't help the bemused look on his face when she tried to apologize. Considering he'd just asked her to lunch, he figured she had more right to kiss him than anybody else, but he couldn't say he wasn't something of a romantic. Hopefully, the next time that happened, it wouldn't be just because, or due to the influence of alcohol and morally ambiguous friends.

She had a point, though. "Of course we are. And that's not gonna change, but.. It's like I said. Ace and I had a huge fight. I mean, I've only really known her since this past summer, and it seemed like we got along pretty well ever since she asked me to help her restart the-- the club. But Merlin, last night was bad." Christian lifted a hand to his forehead as he sighed, trying to figure out how to explain it. "I think we both convinced ourselves that everything was just fine when maybe it wasn't. .. I don't know.

"I'm not trying to hide anything, Lottie, I just- I don't know what to say."

With his arms wrapped around his knees, Christian turned his head to look at her, pressing the lower half of his face against his upper arm. But something she said made him lift his chin back up. "They don't hate you, Charlotte. I think sometimes, when people are really different from them, people don't understand it. Just like you've always been weird about the magical world, people here feel like it's the only world. And for some of them, it is. They love it, and take pride in it. Anyone who fights against that is bound to get some backlash, y'know? And this is coming from someone with a very, very pretentious family," he pointed out, lifting his eyebrows.

"Besides, if we could convince someone who doesn't even like the wizarding world, surely that's a good sign for other people who may want in?"

Although he was smiling at the fact that Charlotte said yes, he rolled his eyes a little when she went on. "Oh, good. Thanks for pointing that out," he teased, lifting one arm so he could poke her. Even better, she didn't seem like she wanted to drop it. Inclining his head towards her, he added, "Trust me, I've seen scarier."

"Earth to Christian" she looked at him and smiled. She was actually apologizing to him and he looked like he didn't hear a word. But she wasn't able to argue with that. Maybe it was better if he didn't hear because, to be honest, she just told him that she doesn't regret for kissing him.
Maybe it would be better if she did that while she was sober, but Charlotte wasn't sure that she is brave enough to try that again. She wasn't ready for another rejection.

"Maybe realizing what was the reason for fight could help. You know, if you realize what is the reason on that way you can fix that, or at least try to fix" she shrugged and in the same she doubted he would listen to her.
After all, who was she to give advices to anyone. She doesn't know everything and she even didn't know what the hell happened last night. So after all, she really wasn't the one who could try to help him, no matter how bad she wanted to be the one who woul help him.

"I know that you are not hiding something, don't be silly. And even if you do, it's totally okay to have a secrets you know" she shrugged and looked at him with smile on her face.

"I bet you family wouldn't like me at all then" she frowned and for the first time today, she wasn't smiling at all.
"I'm not sure. I mean, I was the one who hated this school for more than five years. And everyone know that so they have every right to hate me. But I understand what you are trying to say" she looked at her arms before cntinuing.
"I felt the same, you know. I was always proud because I thought I was normal. And then, they just said me everything and I realized I have something magical in my blood. That is why I was... like that. I hated all of this because I thought that I am not normal." Charlotte looked at him again and took a deep breath.
"I was afraid that my friends would think that I am a freak if they ever found out about me. So I saw magic like something bad, like something I should be ashamed of." She said honestly and she realized that this was the first time she was honest not with Christian but with herself.

"It really is" she finally smiled when the scene of the day when he helped her to find a way back to home came into her mind.
"Who would say, everything changed that day when I asked you for help."

"Hey, I am really scary. I am Ravenclaw, after all. I can curse you easily, I know a lot of stuff" she joked and finally, hard topic seemd to be behind them.

"But you know, I think you are born as leader. You can convice people to follow you, and that is really great" she admitted.

"I don't want to have secrets from you," Christian countered, shaking his head. "Not on purpose, anyway. Granted, I figure there are bound to be some things we just don't know about each other yet."

Christian looked upwards for a moment after Charlotte realized the truth about his parents. When he turned his gaze on her again, it was in a sort of resigned and slightly apologetic way. "They hate a lot of people. You shouldn't take it personally. But my brother dated a so-called blood traitor once," he said, his pulse jumping at the line he was walking with that comment, "and they dealt with it. Apollo and I are apparently more rebellious than our parents would like," he decided in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Shifting his weight onto one hand, Christian reached up almost absentmindedly to her hair, toying with one of the curls. "I know. It's not wrong to be afraid of something like that. The fact that you've recognized it? That's important. Means you're starting to move on."

When she smiled, he couldn't resist doing so as well, and dropped her hair to instead drape his arm around her shoulders before laughing at her quip. "Yeah, I bet you do. Maybe that'll come in handy in the club." Of course, he couldn't resist calling back to her joke about her house. Particularly once he started to feel self-conscious under her praise, and when he found himself unable to look her in the eye because of it.

"Yeah, well.. you wouldn't expect it of us Hufflepuffs," he teased. "I think people just know I'm not going to just.. give up on them. I try very hard not to, with anybody. If people don't want my help, that's up to them. But I'm always going to offer it." He glanced back up at her, then. "And just hope that they deserve it in the end. Or that they'll return it. That's- that's what the club is about, right now. For me, anyway. Yeah, trouble is probably coming eventually and we need to be ready. Yeah, we need help. But.. without people we can trust, there's no point. Just signing up anyone who wants to fight would be naive. Stupid, really. So I try to make it clear that they can trust me."

"Well, we have a chance to meet each other. We will have the plenty of time for that" the smile formed on her face once again. Thinking about the idea to get to know him better was great. That is something she wanted from the day she saw him in Diagon Alley even if she probably wasn't aware of that then.

She frowned trying to look like she didn't care about that all but the pain was written all over her face. Even if she really wanted to act like she didn't care, her eyes would tell the truth when he looked at her. Blood traitor.
She heard about that. And, to be honest, she knew what that means. Nothing good.
So his parents wouldn't hate just her, they would hate her parents as well.
Because, according to the definition, they were both blood traitors.
The fact that Christian would probably hide their relationship because of that was terrible, but she knew that wasn't his guilty.
But the way he tried to lighten up a little bit this situation was almost pathetic. And she wasn't really sure how they come to talking about this when they just wanted to talk about them.
"It's okay" that was all she was able to say without letting her voice to break.

"Yes, it is important" she pursed her lips thinking about that and then looked at him.
"That means, when I move on, I would be the popular girl" she joked but pretended to look seriously.
"That means you would date the most charismatic and the best girl at school" she started smiling again happy because hard topics were behind them, or at least she hoped they were.

"Of course it will be good for the club. You should be happy and proud to have someone like me, I am the best" he hugged her and she put her head on his shoulder smiling as insane.
She couldn't remember when was the last time she was calm and happy like today.
The worry for her friends, for school, college, her headache, everything was gone at least in this moment and she was glad because of this. Finally, she had a chance to forget about all her problems, at least for a couple of minutes.

"Hufflepuff is my favorite house here" she admitted and looked at him.
"They are the only one who was always nice to me, no matter how I behaved. I guess Hufflepuffs really can see something good in everyone" she shrugged.
"And about the club, I am sure we will find right people. I knew few of them who are worth of trust so maybe I can start with them. The club is not about fighting but about help. It's something like the Red Cross in Muggle's word. People who volunteer to help to others and if it comes to fight, they will be there to help" she shrugged and looked at him.

Christian realized far too late that he had said the wrong thing. His attempted joke clearly didn't land, so his eyebrows pulled together apologetically. "..It's not going to change my mind," he told her seriously. "What they think, that is."

Still, she found the positivity that he'd hoped she would, making him shake his head as he laughed along with her. "If you're saying that to try and convince me, you don't have to," he reminded her. When he went on, though, his tone was softer. "You've already got me."

He hadn't really noticed that about Hufflepuffs, but he was proud to hear it. Christian took a great amount of joy from the traits he'd had assigned to him at the school, and the people who shared them. They weren't all as nice as she seemed to think he was, but he didn't feel like telling her so. Not now that they were laughing and seemed comfortable.

"I think we just try to be good people. And sometimes we succeed. But I'm glad to hear that my housemates have been kind to you."

Christian would have to mention this Red Cross thing to Ace if she ever stopped being weird. She probably knew more about it than he did, if nothing else. But if not, he got the feeling she might want to research it and see how they recruited and kept the organization going. "I didn't know that," he admitted easily. "I'll have to mention it to Alice once we're okay again. But I'm really glad you're this interested in helping out. If we can keep this sort of quiet, but still get people to join, we'll probably be set."

He shrugged the shoulder she wasn't leaning against, using it as a chance to move on to his next question. "So," he started, his fingers drifting up and down her arm, "where do you want to go tomorrow before we meet Ace?"