It'd Be Safer to Hate Her

Chance walked a few steps ahead of Charlotte, trying to be as quiet as possible in the empty corridors of the castle. It was around midnight, and he was positive they'd get in trouble for being out this late. He walked all the way up to the seventh floor until they reached a blank wall. He grabbed her hand and dragged her with him as he walked back and forth past it three times.

Suddenly, a large wooden door appeared out of no where on the wall. Chance grinned and pushed the door open. The room inside was sort of small. There were bookshelves lining every wall, and a fireplace with a crackling fire burning inside. There were 2 comfortable chairs and a couch, and tiny beads of light hung in the air around the room, looking like muggle christmas lights, ensuring that the room never got too dark if the fire went out.

Still smiling, he turned to Charlotte to see her reaction, hoping she was surprised.

Charlotte walked behind him, a slight pout on her face. Why in the world had she agreed to this? She was almost too tired to stand, and here she was, following a Gryffindor to something he claimed was "cool". As they climbed the stairs, going higher and higher in the castle, Charlotte spoke.

"Where are we going?" She asked. She scowled when he didn't answer and then she realized they were standing in front of a large blank wall. Charlotte stared blankly at it. This is what he wanted to show her? Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, walking back and forth in front of the wall.

"What is this all about?" She huffed, thinking that whatever he was about to show her had better be great or she'd be pissed. When the door appeared, she froze, and reached forward to touch it lightly. "That wasn't there before..." she mumbled, a confused look crossing her face.

Chance pushed the door open and Charlotte gasped. The room was lovely. Books all over the place for her to read, a warm fire, and lights, lots of lights! Charlotte bounded forward, forgetting her drowsiness.

"Merlin, this is great! How am I just now seeing this place?" She asked, looking around the room in awe.

Happy that he finally got her to smile, Chance chuckled.

"This is the Room of Requirement, Charlotte. It turns into whatever you want, I think... I discovered it last year when I was on a little night time stroll." He gave a cheeky grin and gazed around the room. He went and sat in one of the armchairs, leaning his head back on the headrest.

"It's cool, isn't it?" He picked at his fingernails and looked over at Charlotte, who was still staring around the room in what he assumed was shock.

"The Room of Requirement? I've never heard of it..." Charlotte said, averting her attention over to the many books lining the walls. She gazed at the titles, all seeming very interesting. There were fictional stories as well as educational books, and she was exicted at the prospect of going through these some time soon.

She turned to Chance, worry clouding her eyes momentarily.
"Chance, why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, scrunching her nose up like she always does when she's confused.

"It's not like I've been nice to you, or anyone else for that matter. Why are you showing me this? I'm a Slytherin, remember? Aren't we supposed to be rivals?" She said, almost laughing, even though she was being serious. She crossed her arms self consciously across her chest and looked at him.

"Not a lot of people have heard of it. It's pretty secret," Chance said, looking back into the fire. He was starting to drift off slightly when he heard her ask him an odd question.

"What do you mean?" he asked, before she elaborated the question.

"Charlotte, I'm nice to everyone. It's just who I am. And you seemed like you needed a friend... You were all alone out there by the lake, after all," Chance said, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her. He stood up from his chair and strode over to her, standing in front of her.

"I don't care about what house you're in. It doesn't define who you are, you define who you are. So many people mold themselves into what they think they should be to fit into their house, but I think it's rubbish," he said, but stopped when he realized he was rambling. He locked his eyes with hers and placed a callused hand on her shoulder.

"You're not going to be able to scare me away that easily, missy," Chance said with a laugh.

Charlotte felt her insides clench up when he mentioned friendship. She had never had friends besides her cat, Farley. A friend would be nice to have, she decided. She scratched absentmindedly at an itch on her arm while he continued to speak.

"Don't turn all wise and deep on me, Chance," Charlotte said, the corners of her mouth tugging up into an almost smile. She winced slightly when he placed his hand on her shoulder but she didn't move away like she normally would have.

"Oh you think I can't? We'll see about that!" She said, laughing and batting his hand away. Suddenly, her face turned somber again.

"It's just... I don't get along with people very well. As you've probably figured out for yourself. I sort of raised myself, my parents were never around and they barely know me. I just never really made friends because I was too busy trying to impress them. It gets lonely sometimes, having no one to talk to..." She mumbled, staring down at the ground. She didn't know why she was opening up so much to this boy who was still almost a stranger to her, but something about him made her trust him. It was a weird feeling, trust. She'd never experienced it before towards another person, and it made her nervous.

"Everyone just thinks I'm this snobby Slytherin brat, which I suppose I am, but no one bothers to meet the real me. No one knows who I am. I'm not always as confident and arrogant as I seem, but no one gives me the time of day." She continued to stare down at her feet, talking in almost a whisper.

Chance listened quietly while Charlotte spoke, absorbing every word. She had grown up with a tough life, and it was sort of sad. No wonder the girl hated people so much. He decided right then and there that he would stand by her side and be her friend if that's what she wanted and needed.

"That's really unfortunate Charlotte, and I'm sorry you had to grow up like that. I'm always here to talk to you, as long as you don't push me away..." Chance said quietly.

"It's not fair that people think that about you. You can't judge a book by it's cover... I for one can tell that you're more than what people make you out to be. I'd love to get to know you more Charlotte," He said to her. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him.

The moment their eyes met, Chance knew that this girl trusted him.

"Friends?"

Shuffling her feet awkwardly, Charlotte sighed. She didn't like opening up like this, it made her feel vulnerable, and weak. But this boy understood her. His voice calmed her, lulling her into a sense of security.

When he lifted her face towards his, she met his concerned eyes. She trusted Chance, and when he uttered that question, a tiny grin spread across her face.

"Okay Chance... friends."

She had never been more confused in her life. What was she doing? She had never let her guard down before, never let people in. And now here she is, accepting the friendship of a Gryffindor who she had just met an hour previously.

But she knew that from that moment on, he'd be there for her. Friends. It had a nice ring to it.

A grin blessed Chance's face when she agreed, and he wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug. He didn't know what he was getting into, and not even for a moment did he think about what could come of his actions.

He was happy. Charlotte clearly needed a friend, and here he was, the answer to her problem. What it was about her that intrigued him, he still had no idea. But he was determined to find out.

"Well Charlotte, I think it's about time for bed. It's well past 1 oclock and we'll definitely be in trouble for being out this late if we're caught," He said, releasing her from his tight hug.

Charlotte stiffened slightly when he wrapped his arms around her, but she quickly relaxed into his embrace and placed her arms around his waist, returning the hug.

When he pulled away, she stepped back, covering her mouth when a yawn escaped.

"Yeah, bed sounds good..." She mumbled. With a pang of annoyance, she realized she'd have to walk all the way down the dungeons to get to her common room. She'd have to take a few shortcuts, and be very quiet so she wasn't caught out of bed at this house.

With another yawn, she released her hair from the ponytail it had been in and started to walk towards the door.

"Goodbye Chance, I'll see you around," She said with a smile and a wave, before turning back towards the door and leaving the room.