5Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter Saga and all its scenes, characters, etc. and movies, etc. based on them, including the soundtrack, etc. belong to their respective owners (Stephenie Meyer, J. K. Rowling, etc.). I'm merely writing this to entertain and I don't get any profit out of this.
Some people wanted an English version of this story, so I translated it for you with my wonderful beta Mikarin Aoi's help, as always. X3 I hope you like it! ;D
Carlisle & Esme at Hogwarts
Esme, a Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts in her fourth year, was so upset after a terrible meeting with Professor Snape about a potions lesson that she used the wrong rhythm to open the lid of the barrel to enter her common room in Hufflepuff basement and ended up all covered in vinegar.
The poor thing felt so useless, she started to sob. She feared trying to enter in her common room again, because everybody would laugh at her, and right now she wouldn't be able to deal with that. She left and rounded the corridors thinking about what she could do. She thought about going to the lake and having a bath, but it was already dark outside and it was not safe… And what would she wear after? If only she could use one of the Prefect's bathrooms, she could bathe and then get some uniforms from the laundry without anybody knowing what a clumsy moron she was…
She was thinking about that when she heard somebody approaching her. Scared and mortified, she turned and saw a tall boy walking straight towards her. He was probably a Prefect. What if he took away some points from Hufflepuff because of her stupidity, wandering around the corridors this late, past dinner time? What if he'd made her go back to her common room and everybody would point out and laugh at her and get angry at her for making the House lose points? Esme wanted to run, but she felt glued to the ground. Anxiety and the strong smell of the vinegar were starting to make her feel a bit nauseated. She had to lean against the stone wall for support.
"Hey, are you okay?" The boy had finally reached her. "Oh, my… Esme, what happened to you?"
Relief washed over Esme like warm water, making her skin hot. It was a Ravenclaw Prefect, but he also was her friend Carlisle. Unfortunately, she also had a crush on him, and this was horribly embarrassing. Her cheeks turned a deep red. She leaned even more against the wall, wishing she could just disappear into it.
"It's just… I'm too stupid to remember the rhythm of my common room password correctly. I did it wrong and… they drenched me in vinegar." The poor girl couldn't hold it back anymore and sobbed. "I can't go back there now. Everybody would laugh at me. I don't know what to do." She hated the fact that she couldn't control the tears that fell down her cheeks. Esme had never felt so pathetic. She was just a stupid, weak, vinegar-drenched thing.
"Hey…" Carlisle said in a soothing tone. "It's all right, Esme. It could happen to anyone on a bad day." He took his handkerchief and handed it to her so she could dry her tears and clean her face a bit. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere you can have a nice bath and change clothes and nobody needs to know, ever. It will be empty now. Let's go."
He took her hand, not caring it was dirty with vinegar, and gently moved her away from the wall to make her lean against him. She hesitated. "But… I'll get your clothes dirty…"
"It doesn't matter. I can change later. You are upset right now and this is more important."
Esme offered him a weak smile that Carlisle quickly returned as they walked together until they reached the Prefects' bathroom in the fifth floor. They reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered and Carlisle said the password.
"Pine Fresh."
The statue opened and they entered the bathroom. Esme's jaw dropped when she saw the beautiful room with pictures of mermaids on stained glass windows and the large swimming pool in the middle of the stance. It was the most beautiful bathroom she had ever seen.
"Wow… It's amazing."
Carlisle smiled. "I know, right? Hogwarts never stops amazing me."
"I hope I get to be a Prefect next year, just to be able to use this bathroom."
He chuckled. "I bet you will. You are a great student."
Esme sighed. "No, I'm not. I can't even remember the rhythm of my common room password."
"That's because you had a bad day," Carlisle reasoned, getting a yellow bathrobe matching her house colours and some towels for her. "You get great marks in practically all your subjects, you are efficient and responsible. I'm a hundred percent sure you will use this bathroom again next year. Here. The tapes will provide you with shampoo and everything you need. You can use everything you want."
She shyly took the towels and the bathrobe he offered her. "Thank you."
"It's all right. I will get some clothes for us from the laundry," Carlisle said, since his robe was now dirty with vinegar too. "I'll change inside one of the toilets and wait inside until you are ready."
"Okay," Esme answered before turning to the swimming pool. Carlisle turned to leave, but Esme called him.
"Carlisle… Nobody will enter here, right?"
He smiled to reassure her. "Nobody comes here at this time. But if somebody tries to enter when the pool is being used, the door won't open unless somebody knocks and you open from the inside. When I come back, I'll knock three times and you'll know it's me. Don't worry, I'll hurry up."
"Thanks so much, Carlisle. I'm sorry I'm causing you so much trouble."
"You're most welcome, Esme. Don't worry. Enjoy your bath." Carlisle opened the hidden door and left.
Esme approached the swimming pool and opened the tapes. From each of them, liquids, foam and bubbles of different colors appeared and the amazed girl opened all of them till the swimming pool was full of rainbow water.
"I think I went too far with the tapes," she thought, but she decided to enjoy the bath anyway. She took her drenched clothes off carefully and stepped in the water. It was nice and warm and smelled divine. She took the soap and washed her hair and body. She was rinsing when she heard three knocks at the door. Esme quickly finished rinsing, took the bathrobe and went to open the door for Carlisle.
He had his eyes closed so he wouldn't see anything inappropriate and she chuckled.
"Can I…?" He hesitated.
"You can open your eyes if you want."
Carlisle obeyed, but his cheeks turned a bit red seeing her with only the bathrobe. Her cheeks were flushed too, but the relaxing bath had made her feel better and she smiled, taking her uniform from him.
"Honestly, I can't thank you enough for this, Carlisle."
"It's okay. That's what friends are for."
She grinned and he did the same. Then they went to different toilet cubicles to change clothes.
"Carlisle… About what you said before…" Esme said from her cubicle. "Well, I've been doing well for now, but next year I have O.W.L.s and I'm so scared, I feel like I can't do it… I had a terrible potions lesson today with Snape and he said people who make mistakes like mine won't pass O.W.L.s efficiently…"
"Esme, since when does Snape treat people who don't belong to his own house well?" Carlisle answered from the stall next to hers. "Don't worry about him. You know you can do it and you will do better next time. You just need him to leave you alone while you make potions, that's all. It happens to me too."
"You? I doubt it. You are a Ravenclaw. You are clever; you are good at everything, like that Hermione Granger from Gryffindor… You are her equivalent in Ravenclaw House."
"Of course not. I'm still getting used to this "being Prefect" thing. And not all Ravenclaws are very clever, you know. Remember Gilderoy Lockhart?"
"That terrible teacher we had? Of course. He couldn't even cast a protection spell properly…"
"Well, he was in Ravenclaw when he was a student. Professor Flitwick mentioned it in a class. We couldn't believe it. But it's true."
"Wow."
They finished changing clothes and Carlisle offered to go with Esme to her common room so no Prefect would bother her. She gladly accepted and they rounded the practically empty corridors until they reached the Hufflepuff basement.
"This time I'll get it right," she said. "I'm sure I will."
Carlisle smiled to her, "That's the spirit."
Esme played the password melody correctly this time and the lid of the enormous barrel opened to reveal the passageway which led to the common room, with a few students reading and chatting by the fireplace.
"Well," Esme said. "See you tomorrow, then. And thanks a lot, again. You saved my life."
"It was my pleasure," he answered and she looked at him with a shy smile. How could he be both so kind and so handsome? Deep blue eyes, hair of gold and heart of gold… He was almost painful to watch. But she decided she had an excuse to do what she had wanted to do for so long and it was now or never, so she stood on her tiptoes (and how could he be so tall?) and quickly pecked him on the corner of his lips before wishing him goodnight and disappearing inside the passageway to the Hufflepuff common room.
Carlisle stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. He had never thought Esme would feel for him what he felt for her. He had always thought she saw him like a big brother. But apparently he was wrong and that thought made him smile while he finished his patrol and walked to Ravenclaw Tower. While he was preparing for bed, he decided he had to ask her to go with him to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day. That would be the definitive proof.