Little Riddle | James Potter

Thirty One

STAGE 7 — OXYTOCIN

Studies have looked at oxytocin's role in various behaviours, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, and maternal behaviours.

     "Why are you so nervous?" Sirius watched James with amusement, arching an eyebrow when he asked the question.

     "Because I've been planning this for weeks, you git!" James replied exasperated, frantically rummaging through his belongings as the rest of the boys laid or sat comfortably on their beds. "All of you remember the plan, right?" He ran his hand through his already dishevelled hair, running from one side of the room to the other.

     "Yes!" The three boys groaned, annoyed, tired of the wreck of a boy going over their plans over and over.

     "Okay, then. I'll meet up with her in ten minutes, and then we'll head out to the Quidditch pitch—"

     "—and we'll take it from there." Remus stretched as he stood up, patting James' back reassuringly.

     "Can you believe this?" Sirius asked, groggily getting up as well. "They just came back from a romantic getaway a week ago and now they're going on another one."

     "The Quidditch Pitch counts as a romantic getaway?" Peter snorted, waiting for them next to the door.

     "We'll put the romantic in their getaway." Sirius patted Peter's back with a cheeky smile.

     "Alright, keep it moving you dimwits, I have places to go." Remus pushed past them, followed by an overly excited James.

     "You've been practising all week James. Do we really have to go out there again?" Alexis mumbled as she tried to keep up with James' fast pace. "Besides, I'm kind of hungry," she whispered.

     James chuckled, feeling slightly guilty about making her miss dinner before remembering the surprise he had planned for her. "Of course I have to practice, woman! We lost the game against Slytherin, we need to step up our game."

     "It's really dark out there." Alexis looked ahead, straight at the big and empty Quidditch field. "Are you sure you're going to be able to see?"

     "Positive. Now hurry up, we'll die of old age if you keep up that pace." James teased her, waiting for her reaction as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

     "I don't know if you've noticed, big guy," she shoved him aside playfully, "but I've got short legs. I'm quite petite, really."

     "Really?" James turned to face her, feigning shock. "All these months I've spent with you and I never noticed," he replied sarcastically, and to add insult to injury he rested his elbow on top of her head.

     She watched him with an open mouth. "The audacity," she whispered before breaking into a run behind him.

     James darted towards the pitch, hoping and praying the boys had properly done their job and correctly charmed everything. He was the first of the two to arrive and smiled proudly as he saw everything was working accordingly. Alexis ran into him, unable to lower her speed in time. She was giggling when her eyes suddenly widened as she looked behind James. "Wow."

     A picnic waited for them in the middle of the pitch, looking as if it were encapsulated in a magical bubble as various objects levitated around it. Candles charmed with beautiful golden and blue flames encircled the fabric and cushions lying on the ground. Pink, red, and white petals levitated above the candles, slowly moving clockwise. And flying alongside the petals were what appeared to be charmed fireflies, moving in the same direction and at the same pace as the petals. It looked like a slow, beautiful tornado surrounded the picnic, where her favourite meal, dessert, and a bottle of champagne awaited them.

     James almost squealed excitedly, amazed at the breathtaking job the boys had done. He pulled her by her hand eagerly towards the middle of the field. Alexis was completely and utterly speechless, fighting to resist the urge to cry, scream at the top of her lungs, and run around the pitch victoriously. Instead, she restrained herself to just walking by his side.

     The petals and fireflies parted ways as James and Alexis neared them, leaving a door-like space for them to walk through which closed once they were inside the circle. Alexis gazed up at the colourful and incredibly beautiful barrier surrounding them.

     "So," James looked at her with a pleased smile, swaying on his feet with his hands behind his back, "do you like it?"

     Alexis turned to look at him with disbelief, her eyes closely scrutinizing his features. "Sometimes I wonder what's going on in that head of yours," she reached lifted a hand to run it through his hair, "because you're a genius, James Potter."

     James swallowed hard before biting his bottom lip, trying hard to hide his cheeky smile. "This is where we had our first kiss, remember?" He stopped trying to fight the smile that appeared on his face.

     "Oh, I remember." Alexis chuckled softly. "I've been losing my mind ever since."

     "I love you," he blurted out, the smile disappearing from his face as a more serious expression took over. "I love you so much," he whispered with closed eyes, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. "I don't expect you to say it back just yet, but—" he took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to wrap hers around his neck, "—I just feel like nothing I do does justice to how much I truly love you, you know? So I made a promise to myself that I'll keep reminding you, over and over, every single day," an adoring smile adorned his lips, "because you're the love of my life."

     Alexis didn't waste a single second before she crashed her lips onto his, inhaling deeply as their lips moved with that synchronization that she never quite understood but never ceased to adore. The famous tune of 'How Deep Is Your Love' by the Bee Gees began to play in the distance, creating the perfectly soothing background music. "They were late with the music," James whispered, chuckling softly.

     "They were probably eavesdropping," Alexis giggled, instantly catching onto who 'they' were.

     "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" James asked suddenly, his fidgety hands on her waist giving his nerves away.

     "I would love to be your girlfriend," she replied instantly, although their intimate moment was soon interrupted by some cheering in the background. They managed to see three silhouettes running in the distance, and, noticing they had their attention, Sirius began to frantically wave as Remus pulled him by his robes. She felt a tug on her heart as she watched those three idiots run away. Her idiots.

     "Every second we waste is a second we could've spent drinking champagne." James lifted the bottle. Alexis sighed contently and sat down across from him.

     "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" James whispered, trying to hold back his laughter as they wandered through the empty castle.

     "If Filch catches us we're as good as dead." Alexis giggled, clearly not very scared of running into the caretaker. "Well, I think this is where we part ways." She sighed looking ahead at the dark corridor that led to the dungeons.

     "Absolutely not. You're coming with me." James didn't leave time for complaints as he pulled her up the stairs. But Alexis didn't utter a word as she willingly followed him. They tried their best to keep quiet to diminish the chances of getting caught and did so successfully as they arrived at the Tower with no sign of Filch or Mrs Norris.

     "Won't the boys mind that I'm staying over?" Alexis asked as they made their way through the common room and up the stairs.

     "Eh," James scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't think so." He took a deep breath as he gripped the doorknob and opened the door to reveal an empty bedroom. "I might have told them to spend the night someplace else." He smiled nervously. "I just— I wanted to spend the night with you. Alone."

     Alexis' heartbeat skyrocketed in a mere second as she realized what his intentions were. She nodded slowly, taking small steps as she walked into the room, feeling like her breath was stuck in her throat. Thankfully, James looked just as nervous as she did. "I can tell them to come back if you want."

     She chuckled softly and shook her head before taking much more steady steps towards the record player. Her fingers ran over the many vinyl records until they suddenly stopped on James' Elvis record. 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was the first track. She felt James' presence behind her, his arms reaching around her for the vinyl and placing it in the record player. He hurriedly reached for his wand and used a nonverbal spell to make the song play on repeat, ensuring ’Jailhouse Rock’ wouldn't blare at an inopportune moment. The slow and familiar tune began to flow through the room. James tossed his wand to the side and placed his hands over hers, slowly running them up her arms as he pressed loving kisses on her shoulder. She bit her lip as his hands continued wandering, this time moving through her torso as his lips moved up to work on her neck.

     Unsure of what to do and overwhelmed with emotions, she turned around slowly, finally coming face to face with those warm hazel eyes. Their eyes were clouded as they stared into one another's. It was her hands' turn to wander over his body now as they ran up and down his chest, before finally crashing her lips onto his with an eagerness she'd never experienced before, but still kept the kiss sweet and slow while their hands began to aggressively tug on each other's clothes.

     James' shirt was the first item of clothing to come off. Their ragged breathing seemed to be synchronized as her hands touched his exposed skin, goosebumps running over their skin at the contact. Absentmindedly, they began to take small steps towards his bed as their lips continued devouring each other. Alexis pushed James back onto his bed and straddled him, and although she would've loved to say she had a newfound confidence, the truth was that she felt more nervous than ever. She looked at James, who was looking up at her the way she needed to be looked at. With love and adoration. She took a deep breath and took off her shirt, leaving her upper body in nothing but a black lace brassiere. James' pupils dilated as he sat up slowly and ran his hands up her torso until they landed on her breasts, which he gently squeezed before turning her over so he was now on top.

     His lips met hers in a passionate and steamy kiss, which he broke as his lips moved to claim other parts of her body. He took his sweet time on her neck, kissing and nibbling it before continuing his way down. He felt her breath hitch as his hands travelled to her back and he swiftly unclasped her bra. The undergarment came off, leaving her upper body completely exposed to him. He kissed her tenderly, feeling his self-control wearing thin as a soft moan escaped her lips and her hands ran wildly through his hair.

     His lips continued their path downwards but stopped once they came in contact with her jeans. He looked up at her, silently asking for permission; a quick nod of her head was all the confirmation he needed to unbutton her pants and pull them down, recklessly throwing them to the side and out of their way. He kissed down her thigh and made his way up once again, this time focusing on her inner thighs. His face was inches away from her centre, causing him to hesitantly bite his lip before pressing a soft kiss on it over her panties, which was enough to make her squirm.

     He made his way up and crashed his lips onto hers with much more lust and hunger than before. Their bodies began to move faster, hesitance overthrown by eagerness. Alexis ran her leg over his bulk, feeling a tingling sensation in her stomach when he moaned in her ear. She reached down and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down along with his boxers, wanting eagerly to feel his naked body against hers. She got a bit of help from him as he kicked them off his feet before removing her underwear, the only remaining piece of clothing between the two.

     Their naked bodies continued grinding as their mouths stifled each other's moans. They broke apart to catch their breath and took the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the moment. She placed her arms around his neck, her hands gently pulling on his hair. She relished in her vulnerability and rejoiced in how whole she felt in his grasp, under him, feeling him. "I love you, James Potter," she whispered, her honesty reflecting in her eyes. 

     Their eyes became glossy as he held her closer and whispered against her lips, "And I love you more."

     He positioned himself outside her entrance and slowly thrust in. And she finally felt it. She felt the butterflies, felt the adrenaline, felt the entire universe as his waist rolled into hers and her nails gripped onto his skin.

     He continued thrusting in and out, neither tried to stifle their moans anymore. They were loud and sweaty and wanted nothing more than to feel each other closer. James' thrusts became harder, causing her to throw her bead back in ecstasy as she gripped the sheets with all of her might. His moves were fast and hard, hitting her spot with every thrust. A knot began to form in her stomach as her legs began to shake. "I'm coming," she whispered.

     "Me too." His eyebrows were furrowed with concentration as he tried to ride out their orgasms. Their bodies trembled, loud moans and groans escaped their mouths as they came undone in each other's arms. She gripped onto his bicep as her world caved in with pleasure and emotion. James collapsed next to her, but Alexis held onto him.

     "I love you," she squealed excitedly, making him chuckle before she captured his lips in a kiss. "I love you." Another kiss as her hands played with his hair. "I love you," she whispered, placing her legs beside his waist in a straddling position.

     "Woah— oh— oh," James smirked as he gripped her waist. "Ready for round two, already?"

     She giggled and leaned down, placing a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose. "I love you." 

     Two Ravenclaw girls watched in annoyance as half of their dorm was invaded by outsiders. Catherine and Ivy's roommates weren't too keen on the idea of having three Marauders spend the night, but of course, quoting Sirius' words, "Nobody cares what they think."

     Remus and Catherine cuddled in her bed, watching amusedly as Ivy bickered with Peter and Sirius who had been lucky enough to stumble upon her journal.

     "Do you think they got it on already?" Ivy asked, referring to her friends, as she sat on top of her journal to avoid the boys grabbing it again.

     "Please," Sirius scoffed. "They're probably on round two already."

     "How would you know?" Catherine arched an eyebrow with a sly smile growing on her face.

     "Because I know James— wait, that doesn't sound right."

     "You know how long James lasts during s*x? Interesting." Ivy pressed her fingers to her chin as she pretended to be deep in thought.

     "Shove it, Edwards."

     "Where?"