Little Riddle | James Potter

Seven

If there was a word to describe the five of them at the moment, it would most certainly be tipsy. Although in Sirius' case, inebriated beyond belief did it more justice.

The Marauders had gotten their hands on two bottles of firewhiskey earlier that day, and after noting that the Gryffindor Common Room was far too Alexis-less for their liking, they decided to set off on a quest to get the Slytherin into the red and gold room, so with the help of James' invisibility cloak, the lot made their way over to the dungeons late at night, scaring the living soul out of Alexis by abruptly waking her up. The view of the four boys looking down at her, their faces obscured by shadows, would be surely appearing in one of her nightmares.

They waited until the common room was empty to open the first bottle, not feeling like sharing neither the alcohol nor the experience with anyone else. They started off the night with a cheeky Never Have I Ever that made James and Sirius get significantly tipsy and followed it with a couple more drinking games until the five of them began to lose focus and were unable to continue any organized activity. Peter had passed out on the floor after accepting Sirius' drinking dare, he was laying next to Sirius and Remus, who were having a very intense discussion about destroying the moon so it would leave Moony alone.

James had been sitting next to Alexis on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling with a slight frown and bloodshot eyes, lost in what appeared to be some invasive thoughts. Alexis' gaze was set on him with a glint shining in her bloodshot eyes as well. Most people would say she was looking at him with adoration, but her drunken state made her realize James piqued her interest in many ways, and that sparkle in her eye reflected the utmost curiosity that boy awakened in her.

It wasn't simply the way her body reacted when he was around that left her confused. Her curiosity was bigger and much more detailed than that. She couldn't take her eyes away from him, her intoxicated state wouldn't allow it. Whether it was his lips or his hair, there was something pulling her in, urging her to get closer, inviting her to uncharted territory. She had never felt a physical attraction towards anyone before. She had tried to force her brain into finding Fabian appealing, a task that shouldn't have been complicated given the boy's good looks, but her attempts had been futile and her numbness had remained intact.

But then there was James, slowly but surely stirring up chemicals her brain refused to work with. Unfortunately, she wasn't bursting with love for the boy like she somewhat hoped she would, but the attraction she felt was strong and unprecedented, and that was something, right? She didn't love him, but she wanted him, and although those were quite mundane sentiments amongst teenagers, it was a first for her. It was more than she'd ever felt in 16 years.

James turned to gaze at her, his warm hazel eyes assuring her that there was something there indeed. She reached out her hand and hesitantly ran it through his hair, figuring she had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and could always blame it on the alcohol later. He smiled at her gesture before taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips to repeatedly kiss it. And there it was, a small tingle that would've felt like bursting butterflies to any other person.

Their little trance that had consisted of intense staring got interrupted by Remus and Sirius, who were attempting to carry a passed out Peter to their dormitory. "What are you two even doing?" James' hoarse voice ended the silence between the two.

"Taking this one to bed." Remus nodded towards the unconscious body, holding on to Peter's legs while Sirius did the same with his arms.

James cackled at his friends' shenanigans before directing a playful smirk Alexis' way. "Then I guess I better take this one to bed as well."

Before Alexis could even process his words, he stood up and carried her bridal style, making her break into a fit of giggles and the occasional complaint. He carried her up the stairs with ease despite his intoxicated state, Remus and Sirius were having no such luck though, dropping poor Peter several times on the way.

"You wanna know something?" Alexis murmured in James' ear, amusedly watching Peter's body tumble around, "Those two idiots could've used magic to carry him instead."

She was grateful she was never one to get hangovers, but the smudged makeup on her face and the smelly clothes that reeked of alcohol left her feeling uneasy and gross. Never a good beginning to a morning. She slowly began to come to her senses, remembering she had slept in the boys' dormitory and was currently sharing a bed with James. She tried to stretch a little, her back pressed against his chest, when she suddenly felt something hard poking her lower back. Her eyes widened and she blushed furiously, trying to keep calm so she wouldn't wake him up. He was having quite a good dream by the looks of it.

She untangled herself from him and carefully sat up, accidentally catching a glimpse of James' erection. She blinked several times, her smudged mascara making her look like some wild raccoon, and hurriedly made a run for it. She heard giggling, and turned slowly, praying for James to still be asleep. Instead, she saw Remus' head poking from inside his covers, his eyes still looked sleepy but the smirk was ever-present.

"Looks like he enjoyed your company a little too much," he muttered with a hoarse voice, causing her to scrunch her nose and immediately leave.

She was the first one to arrive at Potions that morning, followed by a group of Slytherin girls who she knew nothing about other than that they wore their skirts a little too short and somehow had the energy to curl their hair every morning. And surprisingly, the Marauders arrived straight after. It was an odd sight to see any of them show up to class on time. A miracle if they showed up early.

"Mary, my angel face," Sirius said to one of the girls from the group who was sitting on the opposite side of the classroom, "show us your jugs." Remus, who took a seat next to Alexis, banged his head against the desk, while James and Peter sniggered behind them.

"c**k off, Black." A short girl with a thick Scottish accent stepped forward. "Or c**k out?" She licked her lips seductively, eyeing Sirius up and down.

Alexis almost choked on her own saliva, an act that Remus mimicked. Sirius turned to flash his friends a grin before turning back to the girls, checking to make sure no one was coming, he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down slightly. He pulled them up straight away, winking at the giggly and excited girls. Alexis rested her head on Remus' shoulder as she fake cried. "Why?"

"I don't know—I don't know." He patted her head sympathetically. "I think his mum dropped him when he was a baby."

"It was a house-elf," Sirius clarified, "a house-elf dropped me when I was a baby."

James threw his head back with a laugh. "Well, that explains a lot."

The duelling session had been a success once again. This time, due to the increased intensity, Poppy Pomfrey had to join them in the Room of Requirement to take immediate action if needed. Dumbledore congratulated them before ushering them to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Hey." James pulled Alexis aside and motioned the other boys to go on without them. "Are you busy right now?"

"Well, I was sort of on my way to dinner. Just like everyone else. Before you decided to bring me to this empty hallway, which is not suspicious or creepy at all." The rest of the group were already out of view, and as much as Alexis enjoyed James' company, a nice dinner sounded promising.

"Dinner? You want to spend your night having dinner? That's awfully boring." He leaned back into a wall, causing Alexis to gaze at him amusedly. "Luckily for you, I planned something for us."

"Oh no, James Potter! Whatever it is you're planning on dragging me to, forget it!" She attempted to walk away but was unable to get further than three steps when his hand reached out for her arm.

"That's adorable," he pinched her cheek, "you think you have a choice. Now come on, let's go."

"I think I forgot to mention I was horrible at quidditch." She looked around the empty field, still unsure of what her presence's purpose was.

"No, you did tell me. That's why I'm not gonna make you play." He was holding his broom in one hand and a quaffle in the other as he led the way. "But there's a game coming up next weekend, and I want to practice a little. An extra warm-up, you know?" Hesitantly, he began to close the distance between them so they were walking shoulder by shoulder, an act that Alexis didn't seem to mind. "And I could use the company."

She wanted to question him on why he hadn't asked his friends to join him, but decided against it and chose to play along instead. "Show me what you got, then," she smirked and made her way over to the stands. "Let's see if the famous James Potter is as good as they say."

He bit his lip and mounted his broom, his body suddenly filling with both excitement and nerves. "Careful. I might take your breath away with my amazing skills."

Alexis laughed, "A risk I'm willing to take."

James Potter had been a cocky little s**t and didn't get yelled at in return? That was new. He flew gracefully. Never losing his balance as he managed the quaffle in his hands with ease. He could tell she was enjoying herself and could swear he even heard her gasp once after a particularly risky move. "You liking the show?"

"I don't know, mate. I think Amos Diggory could give you a run for your money." She teased him, enjoying the playful back-and-forth arguments between them.

He laughed loudly and flew in closer, hovering over her. "Listen, let's do this. I'm going to throw the quaffle from there," he pointed at the middle of the field, "to there," he gestured towards the highest hoop. "With my back turned. On the first try."

She looked torn between impressed and incredulous. "A little ambitious. What's the catch?"

James smirked. Of course, there was a catch. "If I win, you have to do anything I tell you to. And vice versa."

She grinned, already picturing all the ways she could publicly embarrass him. "Alright, deal."

He confidently positioned himself in the middle of the field, stretching his arms and taking deep breaths. She felt the anticipation building inside her as she saw him balancing the quaffle from one hand to another, warming up to it. In a swift and sudden motion, he swung his arm back, sending the quaffle flying at a surprisingly fast speed. Her jaw dropped seeing the quaffle make a steady way towards the highest hoop. She held on tightly to her seat, watching in admiration and breaking down in laughter when she saw the quaffle fly through the designated hoop. He did it, the little git really did it.

She ran to the field, still laughing with amusement and disbelief. James was waiting for her in the middle of the field with his arms wide open and a huge smile adorning his face. She jumped and circled her arms around his neck, while he held on to her waist and spun her around. "That was wicked James! On Merlin's beard, absolutely wicked!"

He smirked, placing her back down. "So I take it that I won?"

"Fair and square," she nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"Kiss me."

She took a step back, taken aback by the request. She looked at him confused, inspecting him with utmost curiosity. That was certainly not the request that she was expecting, but despite her initial confusion, she didn't dare complain. After all, if she wanted to solve the dilemma she was currently in, she had to start somewhere.

She took a slow step forward but crushed her lips against his without hesitation, catching him off guard. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. His lips were soft and moved in an uncanny synchronization with hers. The slow and tender kiss became rough and passionate in a matter of seconds, with both of them becoming eager and desperate to feel closer to the other. She enjoyed every second of it but also tried to focus on her body and its emotions. Her heart was racing, her body felt lighter, her lips felt electric. This was nothing like her previous kisses with random boys, with her body not having any reaction to their touch.

No. This was more than physical contact. There was something there.