Little Memories

October faded into November and November turned to December. With this change brought colder weather, snow, and anxiousness toward the winter holiday. Nothing much had happened between those months, nothing out of the normal at least. Both Charlotte and Theodore and Draco and Daphne were still the couples to be reckoned with in Slytherin. Mid-term exams were drawing closer, the only thing for the students to watch for after the Slytherin victory over Hufflepuff. It seemed, like every other year, that it would be Slytherin pinned against Gryffindor for the Quidditch Cup.

The group of four, Charlotte, Ginny, Luna, and Neville, would occasionally be spotted coming and going from the library. Sometimes all four of them would meet. Sometimes it would just be Neville and Ginny or Luna and Charlotte, but they were meeting for some reason unbeknownst to the only person who monitored who entered and exited the library: Madam Pince. No one paid this any mind though, even though they were discussing something very important and dangerous if anyone raised suspicions about them.

“It’s snowing pretty heavily today,” Luna commented from her chair in the library. Charlotte glanced out window and frowned a bit before nodding.

“Yeah,” she said softly, “I wonder if our Care of Magical Creatures classes will be moved inside for the rest of the week.” Charlotte and Luna were sitting in the library, preparing to go over a few, final details with their little group. It was normal for people to arrive later than intended, if it was necessary to divert attention by taking the long way to the library or walking slowly and casually.

“Charlotte,” Luna asked, her normally dreamy expression going serious, as serious as Charlotte had ever seen it, “would you be offended if I asked you a personal question?” Charlotte’s brow furrowed as she stared cautiously at Luna before decided that she was basically harmless.

“No, go right ahead,” she replied softly. Luna gave a small nod, pursing her lips for a moment before drawing in a deep breath of air. The cold, snow-laden wind pressed hard against the mullioned windows of the library as Luna stared earnestly at Charlotte.

“You’re dating Theodore Nott…even though I know that you have feelings for Draco. Why?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. Charlotte let out a heavy sigh and shook her head slightly, staring ahead at the countless spines of books on the shelf just across the table from her.

“Truthfully, Luna,” she said softly, dropping her voice so that only the other girl could hear, “I don’t want to be alone.” Luna pulled a sort of remorseful face before Neville and Ginny rounded the shelf of books and sat at the table.

“Sorry,” Ginny apologized, clearly oblivious to the fact she was interrupting whatever Luna was about to say. “I just got out of a rather eventful class with the Carrow bitch,” she said grumpily, the tops of her cheeks tinged and angry pink color. Neville merely sunk lower into his chair, glancing anxiously around at the three girls. Charlotte gave Ginny a warning look.

“Don’t you dare let her hear you call her that,” she said sternly. “I’ve seen how twisted that woman can be. Anything you’ve heard from her is just skimming the surface of how psychotic she actually is.” Ginny merely nodded and let out a heavy sigh, obviously not wanting to hear any more about the woman.

“I know,” she said, an edge of annoyance in her tone. Charlotte didn’t take it personally though. Everyone who had to endure classes with the Carrow’s, regardless of which side of the battle they stood on, was on a short tether with the crazed teachers. The student’s patience ran thin and it’d only be a matter of time before they retaliated. Few students enjoyed their new “detentions” and “lessons”.

“So,” Ginny continued, glancing anxiously around the table as she seemed to have gotten her temper under control, “everything is set for our plans, right? When do you think we should go through with them?”

“Tomorrow night,” Charlotte replied almost immediately, to the surprise of all who sat at the table with her.

“Tomorrow night?” Ginny repeated, her mouth falling open slightly as everyone stared at Charlotte like she had grown an extra head. The girl merely nodded in response.

“Yes, tomorrow night. It’s the week before exams and I doubt anyone would be expecting something like it. They all probably think we’re merely focused on studying or excited about the upcoming break,” she explained, glancing around the table. “We’ve been preparing for this thing for months. I think we’re ready.” Neville merely sent a skeptical look to Ginny, who was staring appraisingly at Charlotte for the moment. Charlotte merely stared back at Ginny before turning her gaze to Neville. She knew they had their moments of doubt in her and knew it was probably the best for them. She’d be the same way if she were in their situation, dealing with someone who had a reputation and spotted and stained as hers.

“I think so too,” Luna added, immediately breaking the tension with her sing-song, dreamy voice and her endearing smile. Charlotte looked over at Luna and offered her a thankful smile before she turned to Ginny and Neville, who were shooting each other looks but not saying anything.

“Fine, we’ll do it tomorrow,” Ginny complied with an edge of finality in her tone as she turned back to Charlotte. “Exactly the way that we’ve planned it out,” she said with a nod, glancing from Luna, to Charlotte, then to Neville. And the four of them knew, at that moment, there was no turning back.

Theodore Nott leaned against the railing on the Astronomy Tower, his green and silver scarf whipping around in the frigid wind that blew around him. It was no longer snowing or cloudy and the moon was casting an eerily bright light across the school grounds and castle. It was a beautiful sight, despite how cold Theodore actually was. He didn’t know how much longer he’d have to wait up in the tower, but he knew it’d definitely be worth it if his plan was going to work out. His gloved hands dove into the pockets of his jacket and he tentatively and gently squeezed the small box in his right pocket.

Soft footsteps slowly echoed up the metal and wooden staircases leading up to the top of the Astronomy tower and Theodore turned around, a grin playing around his pleasant mouth. Soon enough, he spotted the blonde, curly hair of one Charlotte Goyle peeking out from beneath a knit cap as she climbed up the last few stairs. She was still in her school uniform, her stocking legs exposed to the cold whenever she would step forward. Thankfully, the woolen cloak she wore shielded the majority of her body from the cold. The moment she spotted Theodore, she smiled and stepped over to him quickly, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” she said softly, “I had to sneak around Filch and that blasted feline of his.” Theodore grinned even wider, staring down at the beautiful girl before him.

“Did he see you?” He asked, but he could already bet he knew the answer. Charlotte shook her head, matching his wide grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Of course not,” she replied, “I’m far too clever for that.” Theodore merely leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, warmth flooding both of their bodies with that simple gesture. It seemed that their kissing had become more frequent, both in and out of plain sight. Charlotte found herself growing more and more fond of an actual relationship with the boy before her and he felt the exact same way about her. It was obvious they were more than just friends and pretending was growing old for the both of them.

His hands slipped beneath her cloak and grasped at her waist, pulling her body snugly against his as they continued to kiss. Her gloved hands wrapped around the lapel of his wool coat, pulling him closer to her as well. They parted reluctantly, drawing in slow, but much needed breaths of air as they studied each other’s face. Charlotte pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as Theodore looked down at her, something behind his eyes that definitely wasn’t there before.

“Why’ve you asked me to meet you up here, Theodore?” She asked him in a whisper that seemed to float on the breeze that passed them. He gave her hips a slight squeeze before he withdrew his grip from her. She followed his example and let go of his lapel.

“I-uh,” he started nervously, looking down at the snow covered floor beneath their feet, “I had this idea…the other day. And I was just curious as to if you wanted to go along with it,” he finished, staring up at Charlotte through his long eyelashes. Charlotte tilted her head to the side as she took a small step back from him, cutting her eyes at the boy in front of her.

“What does this plan of yours entail?” She asked softly, adrenaline slowly seeping into her system for a reason beyond her. His right hand dove into his pocket as he nervously licked his lips. He let out a short, sharp, and equally nervous chuckle and shook his head slightly.

“I don’t know why I’m so…scared of what you’re going to say to this,” he said as he pulled a small, black velvet square box from his pocket. Charlotte’s eyes shot to the item in his hand as he looked up at her and slowly lowering himself down on one knee, into the snow. He slowly pulled open the box and within it’s containment lay a sparkling, antique looking silver and diamond ring. A large, clear diamond sat in the middle of a circle of smaller diamonds. The silver that surrounded the precious gems glowed and shined in the moonlight, almost appearing unreal. Charlotte’s lips slowly parted as she stared at the ring before her eyes slowly lifted to Theodore’s. “So, Charlotte Adelyn Goyle, would you do me the honor of pretending to be my fiancé?” He asked, staring earnestly up at her.

The girl before him remained silent for the longest time, staring hard at him as the snow beneath his knee melted and moisture seeped into his trouser and doused his skin with cool water.

“Are you serious?” She finally asked, glancing between Theodore and the ring with a look of utter disbelief on her face. He merely swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. “Theodore,” she breathed, training her eyes on the glittering beauty of a ring once more, “I…if I were to do this, I wouldn’t want to use that ring. It’s far too valuable to be used for a mere joke.” Theodore slowly stood and held the box out to Charlotte.

“I know,” he said with a nod, “but it’s got to be believable.” Charlotte gave him a disapproving look. “Everyone know my family comes from money,” he explained, “if I were to get you a small or ugly ring, people may get suspicious.” Charlotte continued to frown a bit as she watched Theodore take the ring out of the box. He gently took her left hand in his and pulled off her glove, slipping the ring onto her ring finger. She gave a short hum as she looked over the ring. It was a stunning ring and it fit her perfectly, to tell the truth. “And it wouldn’t be like we’re actually intending to marry, Charlotte. It would just…be one more thing to get back at him for how much he’s hurting you,” he continued softly. Charlotte bit her bottom lip and brought her eyes up to Theodore. Her expression was unreadable for a few long moments before a smirk slowly curled the corner of her lips upwards.

“I think it sounds like a plan, Theodore,” she said softly, to which Theodore smirked in return.