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The corridors of Hogwarts were quieter in the evenings, save for the occasional laughter from the Gryffindor common room or the hushed whispers of students sneaking around after curfew. Charlie was supposed to be studying for his Care of Magical Creatures exam, but instead he found himself wandering toward the greenhouses. That was one of the only quiet places in the castle where you could have a decent chance at being alone, and didn’t have any have horny teenagers.
He did not expect to find Felix Rosier there.
If Charlie was honest, he had a slight crush on Rosier, but he would never say that! Who would? It was just a small crush, admiration, really, nothing more. I hope.
Charlie never thought that he could have a crush on a boy. There have only been a few students at Hogwarts that have ever come out, and they were labeled with insults.
Queer. Faggot. Bent.
Stoke. Frit. Homo.
Felix was sitting at one of the tables toward the front of the classroom, the only light coming from his wand. He was flipping through pages in his textbook, and occasionally writing notes down on a price of parchment. The plant in front of him was unknown to Charlie, at least from this distance. Felix’s blonde dreadlocks were covering the sides of his face where his sharp features usually were. He was wearing a dark purple casual robe and some black boots.
“Weasley,” Felix drawled, his voice as smooth as silk. “Out past curfew, are we? Trying to be sneaky, house cat?” He looks up from his book and glances over at Charlie, but doesn’t take focus away from his task. The light from the wand gets warmer; Charlie has no clue what that’s about. He’ll have to ask Tonks later.
Charlie grinned, shaking himself from his thoughts. “Says the Slytherin hiding in the greenhouse,” he remarks. “What are you scheming this time, that plant doesn’t look familiar to me. Is it going to blind the fat lady?”
Felix snaps his book closed, his dark eyes staring deep into Charlie’s; unblinking. His glare stabs Charlie. “Not all of us fit our house’s stereotypes, you know,” Felix snaps. “And no, I’m not ‘scheming’. I like the quiet.”
Charlie, still a bit shaken, leans against the table near the other boy. “I know that,” Charlie says. He didn’t, but how else do you respond? “I also enjoy the quiet. The common room’s loud tonight.”
Felix looks Charlie up and down; debating what to say. His hand is still resting on top of the book, but the weight on it seems to have lifted slightly. His jaw unclenches, and Charlie thinks he’s safe from another jab-
“And what does the famous Charlie Weasley need quiet for? Dreaming about dragons again?”
Charlie’s cheeks flush as red as his hair, and his brown eyes widen in surprise. “Well- well, yes, but no, I think these two fourth years finally got together, or something, but how do you know that?” Charlie’s eyes are zipping around rapidly; trying to find something, anything, to save him from this conversation. He finds nothing.
Felix smirks. He leans against his hand, which just so happens to be playing with the silver scales charms in his hair. His elbow on the table; standing atop the book. “Well you've not exactly been subtle. You’ve been talking about dragons since I think third year. It’s honestly endearing.”
“Endearing?” Charlie echos his face growing even redder. Oh my Merlin, why must he do that, playing with his hair pretending it does have an effect on anyone, he must know what he’s doing, right? “You’ve got a funny way of handing out compliments, Rosier.”
Felix shrugs and stands up, and walks over to the other boy; the clack of his boots loud in the empty greenhouse. His smile got even wider when he was only standing a few feet away. “You’d be surprised how much you can learn about someone when you pay attention to the present, Weasley?”
Charlie raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Felix’s tone. There was something in his voice. Was it vulnerability?
“And what do you notice?” Charlie asks, his voice quieter now.
Felix hesitates, just for a moment, and Charlie thinks that Felix’s gaze flickers down to his lips. “More than you think.”
The air between them felt charges, and for a brief second, Charlie thought Felix might say something more. But then, the distant sound of Filch’s grumbling and the faint meow of Mrs. Norris shatters the moment.
Felix’s smirk returns, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’d better get back to your tower, house cat. Wouldn’t want to ruin your spotless reputation.”
Charlie chuckles softly; out of humiliation or genuine laughter he doesn’t know “And you? Aren’t you worried about getting caught?”
Felix turns back to the table, and starts to quickly put all of his items into the bag. “Getting caught isn’t something I do, Minou. See you later Weasley. Maybe next time we can meet in the astronomy tower,” he says as he turns toward the door; his pace quick and silent; his boots somehow no longer clack on the ground as they did earlier.
As Felix disappears into the night, Charlie finds himself lingering in the greenhouse, his heart beating just a little faster than before.
And for the first time, he wonders if dragons were the only thing he's going to dream about tonight.