Charming is a Victorian Era Harry Potter roleplay set primarily in the village of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the non-canon village of Irvingly. Characters of all classes, both magical and muggle — and even non-human! — are welcome.
With a member driven story line, monthly games and events, and a friendly and drama-free community focused on quality over quantity, the only thing you can be sure of is fun!
"Are you always this forward?" He asked teasingly since it would be a very short thread if he just ignored her entirely. — Tobin Cartwright in Take A Peek
Did you know? Churchgoers and worshippers had to endure a foul stench during prayers due to the amount of bodies often stored within the vaults of churches and chapels.
Did he love her? Oh, he didn't know. Merlin knew that one could argue that, if he had loved her, he would not have been kissing her sister. But he cared about her, and maybe that was love.
So why was he kissing Camille?
There was no simple answer. Because Xave had first gotten involved with Faye to spite his sister, and now that Jeanine knew -
The payback would be enormous. Jeanine Bouras was spiteful, and while Xavier knew she was not evil she had always been very good at getting revenge. He loved her, but he hated her, and half of his life was based around beating her. But Jeanine never lost.
So he could either ruin things himself now, or he could wait for his sister to do whatever it was he knew - or thought he knew - she was planning.
That was why he was kissing Camille on the porch of a friend-of-a-friend's parisian home, with green-and-blue fireworks exploding in the sky. It was 11:54, and Xavier knew that Faye would find him, and he knew that she would not be happy.
But it was easier for the both of them if Jeanine didn't get to scheme.
Or maybe he just wasn't meant to settle down so soon, or maybe he had always been such a rake; Xavier hadn't decided what he was going to say to Faye yet.
The darkness of the hour couldn't prevent the brilliant twinkling lights floating above them. New Year's Eve was turning out to be a spectacular event, one that Faye was glad to have been invited to. The dancing, the music, the thriving crowd. She was happy, she was in love, everything was grand.
As someone shouted out the time, 11:58, Faye broke off from the dance floor in search of her love. Xavier wasn't all that excited to come tonight, he was more excited to part from her than dance, but Faye wasn't bothered. Nothing could break them. Maybe after this season was over she'd quit the team and they could get married. They would have enough money from quidditch, and they could perhaps rent a small flat somewhere in Paris, Xave could --
Someone screamed out the time again, midnight, happy New Year! Faye wasn't seeing them anymore. She wasn't hearing them. She was blind to everything except for Xavier sitting on one of the sofas with his mouth attached to some blonde's. (Faye down right refused to believe it was her sister. Even if the blonde was wearing the same dress Faye had lent to her only a few hours prior.)
People were kissing, hugging, cheering...drinking.
People were all around happy.
Meanwhile the world was collapsing out from under her feet. The lights were no longer twinkling, the music no longer cheerful, the dancing no longer festive. Everything was wrong. So horribly wrong. What was he doing? They were supposed to be in love! Everything was supposed to be perfect and they were supposed to be getting married in the future! They were supposed to be together! Xavier was not supposed to be kissing someone else.
He wasn't supposed to be kissing her sister.
"Xav-Xavier?" She asked softly even if the loud crowd would drown her out. Faye wasn't standing far from them, if Xavier would only look up he'd see Faye standing with her arms hanging limply by her side and a look of utter confusion in her eyes. He would see the color drained from her face, the flush she'd gotten from dancing gone. He'd see how Faye didn't even notice her sister sitting practically on Xavier's lap.
Xavier would only be able to see the complete betrayal of trust Faye Lyon felt towards 'the love of her life'.
It had to be a mistake. He probably loved Faye, who was a far better kisser than her sister, and she had given her her virtue. That was a huge gift in terms of the fairer sex. Before he had known that Jeanine knew - and had not said anything, that was the important part - Xave had been toying with the idea of proposing. (He did, after all, mostly love Faye. And what better way to spite his sister than to marry her friend? It would be glorious.)
But not anymore. Now he was ruining everything, and he still wasn't sure that he wouldn't be heartbroken after tonight.
Mais, Xavier reminded himself, C'est plus mieux de ruiner les choses tu-mÃme, que de laisser Jeanine ruiner.
And that made up his mind for him. Because Xavier loved Faye, but he could not let his sister win - he did not love her more than he loved - or hated, or rivaled - his sister. He was sure of it, despite the guilty tugging in his gut.
He heard his name - of course he did, Faye was calling him - and turned to her, with the obligatory surprised look on his face.
"Mon dieu," Xave said, trying not to look too fake, "Faye."
Her sister, her silly coquine of a sister, scooted away from him. And Xave knew that he could not change his mind now.
"Un minute!" someone shouted.
It was 11:59, one minute to midnight, and Xavier Bouras was ruining - or saving? - his life.
But it is far better to ruin things yourself, than to let Jeanine ruin them.
My god
Hussy
Faye couldn't understand what was happening. It was as if her brain and her senses were so hideously disconnected that she could've been on fire and not realize it. There was Xavier, and there was her sister, and they were together. Xavier wouldn't do this, though, Faye was certain of it. 'He loves me.'
But, did he? Did Xavier love her or was this some sort of six month ploy to get under her skirts?
"Est-ce que c'est -? Pourquoi Ãtes vous -? Est ce ma soeur?" Faye asked. "Pourquoi embrassez-vous ma soeur ? Vous Ãtes censà m'embrasser ! Il est de minuit. Il est de minuit à Paris sous des lumiÃres de scintillement comme nous parlions!" Faye's desperation was slowly creeping into her voice. "?tait-il ce votre plan tout au long de ? Ficelez-moi le long comme une ligne ensanglantÃe d'habillement et puis -" She couldn't continue, not only because they were getting a few curious stares at her raised voice, but because Faye Lyon was fighting hard against the sobs building in her throat.
Xavier didn't love her, Faye was certain of it. He hadn't meant it when he called her 'mon amour' or when they said the three little words. Christmas must've been a huge joke for him, something to howl about with his buddies in the locker room.
He didn't love her, and she was thinking of marriage and quitting her favorite thing in the world to marry him, and he didn't love her. There would be no small flat in Paris or children eventually running around. There would be no keeping the house for him while he had to go away for games, there would be nothing. Everything Faye was building in her head was utterly useless. All the plans might as well have been a dandelion blowing away. Someone else, Camille even, would have better use for those plans than her.
Camille scooted away, thankfully, but didn't say a word - not that Faye wanted to hear the harlot's voice. How could Xave look so shocked? It wasn't as though this wasn't something he was planning. The goals were to have sex, and then shatter her. Faye knew that now, she understood that. Xave had never once meant anything he said or did towards her with the exception of the sex. Everything had been a lie.
And then, the first of Faye's tears slipped past her resolve to not cry.
"Is that -? Why are you -? Is that my sister? Why are you kissing my sister? You're supposed to be kissing me! It's midnight. It's midnight in Paris under twinkling lights like we talked about! Was this your plan all along? String me along like a bloody clothing line and then -"
My love
Je suis dÃsolÃ, je le regrette, j'Ãtais tellement inquiÃte pour ma soeur et je ne suis pas une bonne personne, Faye, c'Ãtait la seule solution que je pouvais penser - que vous ne comprenez pas, pas comme je le fais, elle n'est pas un bon non plus, et elle doit Ãtre la planification quelque chose.
It would be so easy to apologize.
But Xavier hardened his resolve - it was better for both of them if he made things implode in the worst way possible, and all he could hope was that one day Faye would understand why. One day he would tell her, and then things could be okay - but first, he had to make her hate him.
"Bien s¹r, je n'avais pas prÃvu þa!" Xavier exclaimed, and it was easy to muster the requisite indignation for lying because he was indignant that Faye would think so lowly of him.
Never mind that he was so lowly.
"C'est le rÃveillon du Nouvel An et c'est une partie, Faye, il ne veut rien dire - je suis dÃsolà que tu es contrariÃ, mais vous savez comment sont ces choses," Xavier said. He was being an ass - such an ass - but he had to be, because it was better for the both of them.
Or at least that was what he told himself. Even he knew that he was quite probably doing this more because he wanted to win than to help them both.
He loved Faye, but he loved winning more.
And he knew that made him a terrible person, but despite the guilt Xavier felt in his heart - he was making her cry - it really was too late to go back now.
Je l'aime.
But he had to win.
I'm sorry, I regret it, I was just so worried about my sister and I'm not a good person, Faye, it was the only solution I could think of - you don't understand her, not like I do, she's not a good person either, and she has to be planning something.
Of course I didn't plan this!
It's New Year's Eve and this is a party, Faye, it doesn't mean anything - I'm sorry you're upset, but you know how these things are.
Seeing Camille sitting there, fixing her hair and correcting her makeup, caused something to snap in Faye. Xavier was cruel. He was disgusting. He was a pig. He was rude. And horrible. And Faye never wanted to see him again. She didn't want her heart to be breaking inside her chest or her resolve to be strong slipping away. She didn't want this horrible, feral, rabid pig as the love of her life. Xavier didn't deserve her. He deserved some slag down from the whorehouse who was riddled with diseases.
"Non, je ne me rends pas compte de la faþon dont ces choses fonctionnent." She said coolly as she swiped the single tear away. Later she would cry. Not now. Not in front of this pig. "Mais, alors je devine si ceci ne signifie rien à vous, alors ni l'un ni l'autre ne font nous. Nous n'avons probablement jamais importà à vous, mais vous ne devez pas s'expliquer à moi. Je n'ai aucune utilisation pour vos excuses. Pas maintenant. Pas toujours encore."
This was a party, yes, but it didn't give him the excuse to cheat and be so vile. It didn't give Xave the excuse to break her heart, and Faye didn't deserve to be feeling so low when she hadn't done anything wrong.
'Juste promenade loin. Elle serait celle beaucoup plus facile.
Fermez juste la porte. L'amour viendrait encore pendant un jour.
Soyez juste fort. Vous Ãtes meilleur que lui.'
"Au revoir Xavier." Faye offered as she turned on her heel to apparate away, though he didn't deserve it. All her plans were gone now. Everything was gone now, and all she had to do was tumble through it.
"No, I'm not aware of how these things work. But, then I guess if this means nothing to you, then neither do we. We probably never mattered to you, but you don't have to explain yourself to me. I have no use for your apologies. Not now. Not ever again."
'Just walk away. It'd be that much easier.
Just close the door. Love would come again one day.
Just be strong. You're better than him.'
"Goodbye, Xavier."
He wished he could trust Jeanine. He wished he could trust Faye to believe him rather than his sister. He wished there had been a better solution.
He wished, he wished, he wished.
In reality, there was nothing wishing could do - not unless he had a timeturner, and he didn't, so all there was left to do was leave.
Peut-Ãtre qu'un jour, tu seras en mesure de rÃsoudre ce problÃme, Xave thought. He had to hope - he didn't have a choice, because if he didn't hope all he could think was that he had just ruined a good thing for what was quite possibly a stupid reason.
But he had won.
Xave apparated home with a crack and sighed when he got there, sitting on his couch as soon as he arrived and shutting his eyes tight. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that if he regretted it, it was all his fault.
And besides - even if things didn't get better, he would get over it. He would be okay, because he was Xavier Bouras, and he didn't need her anyways.
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