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CHARLIE COULD NOT TELL CARINA NO. No matter how hard the boy tried to hold his resolve, he always caved. When she came to him with a request for the Gryffindor Halloween party, it was no different.
"Charlie," Carina drawled in the sugariest voice possible.
"What do you want?" Charlie asked flatly.
Her eye lashes were already batting at him when she said, "Will you dress up as Prince Charming for Halloween?"
He pulled at the collar of his costume, grumbling under his breath and stomping down the stairs to the common room.
The music was already playing loudly, and the space was packed with students in different costumes. When he scoured the crowd for Carina, he caught sight of a glittering tiara.
Moving toward it, he began to hear the familiar voice of Nymphadora Tonks.
"Mate, I don't mean to tell you what to do, but I'd take a step back," Dora grunted.
Finally maneuvering around the dancing bodies, he saw Carina in a red princess dress leaning away from an obviously drunk Merlin.
"He bothering you?" Charlie questioned gruffly, dropping his arm over Carina's shoulder. It didn't take long for the pieces to fall into place that the pair was wearing matching costumes.
"Sorry, man. I didn't know."
"Told ya," Dora whispered in a sing-song voice, watching the boy retreat.
Carina's face brightened at the sight of Charlie in his black and white costume. His face burned while she squealed, her eyes raking over his whole body.
She clapped giddily, "You look so handsome, Charlie! We'll have to have our photo taken for your mum."
Carina ignored Dora's snickering, but Charlie's face only turned redder. Bill would never let him live this down.
"Oh, and Ginny! It was her idea," Carina smiled up at him.
Bill can go to Hell. He'd dress up in as many embarrassing outfits as she wanted to see that smile.
"Whatever you want, doll."
He earned an eye roll from Dora for that one. She pulled a magical camera from her bag and motioned for them to squish together.
Charlie pulled Carina closer and gave his best smile to the camera. There was a great flash, causing him to blink the dots out of his vision.
"One more!" Dora insisted, aiming the camera again.
Charlie and Carina were both startled by the shouts of Fred and George, who appeared at either side of the pair just as the flash went off. Charlie glared at them, but Carina only cheered at their presence.
The camera spit out the last photo, and Carina rushed to get a glimpse at it. She watched Charlie smile down at her before both of their faces filled with surprise, the twins grinning wildly beside them. Using a charm to multiply the photo, she gave one to the twins and one to Charlie.
"What're you going to do with the others?" Charlie asked, seeing her holding two in her hands.
"One's for me, and one's for your mum!"
Charlie huffed, mentally preparing for what his family will have to say. Another photo was thrust into his line of sight. He looked down to see Carina had duplicated their first photo.
It was a good picture. His heart warmed at the sight of Carina leaning into his side. It looked like they were right where they belonged.
"Can we dance now?"
There was no way he was going to turn her down.
-
When the night began turning to the early hours of the morning, Charlie could see tiredness marring Carina's features. Nudging her shoulder from where he sat beside her on the sofa, he waited for her to face him.
Her movements were sluggish, but she eventually turned to him.
Chuckling, he stood and offered his hand to her. "Come on, doll. We'd better get you back to your common room."
Carina let Charlie pull her from the worn furniture. It was well after curfew, so they would be sneaking her back to her common room.
Charlie nodded, "I offered to walk her back, and she hit me."
That earned a breathy laugh from Carina. Of course she did.
Dora didn't like being treated like a damsel. Carina wasn't fond of it either, but she knew Charlie meant well. He always walked her back to her common room to ensure she got there safely.
Coming upon the barrels that led into the Hufflepuff dormitories, Carina gave Charlie a sleepy hug.
"Thank you for dressing in a costume you hate, Charlie," she murmured into his chest. "You're a good friend."
"Anytime," he responded softly.
Bidding him a goodnight, she methodically tapped the barrels and slipped inside. He watched her go and remained in the hall for several moments before turning to walk back to Gryffindor Tower.
