Little Riddle | James Potter

Twenty Three

     "Who would've thought the Dueling lessons would actually come in handy?" Frank laughed nervously as he watched his classmates practice some spells in the Room of Requirement before they headed out to Hogsmeade for the night.

     Alexis sighed, if even she was nervous she couldn't even begin to imagine how the others felt. "Frank, you don't have to do this. None of you have to." She turned to look at all of them. The Prewett twins, Frank, Alice, Catherine, and Ivy were adamant on accompanying the Marauders and herself.

     "And leave you alone? No. You said it yourself, there'll be a couple of Death Eaters there. You're gonna need backup and that's what we're here for," Frank reassured her, his previous uneasiness gone.

     "Guys, it's 8:50 already. I suggest we get going," Remus instructed them, a hint of worry on the lycanthrope's face.

     "Uh, yeah, about that." Catherine pointed out as they all cautiously made their way out of the room. "How do you suggest we get to Hogsmeade late at night without getting caught?"

     James chortled. "I'm offended."

     "Do you know who you're talking to?" Sirius pointed at himself and his partners-in-crime with a mischievous grin growing on his face. "Follow me, dear."

     Leave it to the Marauders to know all about secret passageways not even Filch himself knew about. One of those passageways was beneath a one-eyed witch statue and happened to take them all the way to Honeydukes' cellar.

     "Now we just walk this creepy tunnel for about thirty minutes," James noted once they were all inside the dark passageway. "Lumos Maxima." Their surroundings, although more clear now, were still eerie as an orb flew before them providing them with light.

     "I should've told the girls," Alice muttered. "That way there'd be more of us."

     "If there were more of us then there'd be more targets," Remus reminded her. After all, he and Alexis had been the ones insisting on not involving any more people.

     "Yes, that way if only the eleven of us die, then it'll be no big deal," Sirius commented sarcastically, not doing much to ease the others' nerves. Although they were putting on a brave front, Alexis could tell they were all as terrified and anxious as she was.

     "No one is dying tonight." Alexis' voice came out shakier and hoarser than she intended, not soothing their uneasiness in the slightest. "No one is dying tonight," she repeated more assertively, although she wasn’t quite sure if she was trying to convince herself or the others.

     Alexis couldn't help but feel a certain responsibility over the group. Not only was she the only one with a little experience and background on the Death Eaters, but if it came down to it, she was the only one that could stand a chance against Tom. Although they were all skilled witches and wizards, she was the most practised one and her relation to Tom played a huge role in that. The weight fell on her shoulders.

     "So," Catherine cleared her throat. "What's our exit strategy?"

     "Our what?" Sirius frowned.

     "Oh, Merlin. We're all going to die," she whispered, panicky.

     "We'll figure it out once we get there," Remus assured her. "First we need to see where the Calders live to figure out how we can get out of there."

     "Oh, yeah, what's the deal with that?" Sirius turned to face them as he walked. "Are we going to just walk around like bloody morons and wait until we hear some screaming, or are we going to ask for directions? 'Hey, can you tell us where the Calders live? It's life or death.'"

     "Well, I know there's a couple of cottages on the hill behind the Shrieking Shack. Like four or five, all scattered, some empty. The first place I thought of when I heard they live outside Hogsmeade." Remus was quite familiar with the surroundings of the Shack from his personal reasons. "But asking Rosmerta is not a bad idea. Perhaps you can do it," he nodded at Sirius. "Make up some lie as to why you need to get there."

     "My pleasure," Sirius grinned wickedly.

     "Is anyone else as excited as I am?" Ivy received odd looks from everyone.

      "Yes, I'm particularly looking forward to getting injured and potentially dying." Gideon faked enthusiasm.

     "No one is dying tonight," Alexis repeated her mantra of the night. "I already told you, only use nonverbal spells. Always be ready to cast a Shield Charm. 'Arresto Momentum' and 'Petrificus Totalus' really comes in handy, but always have your shield charm ready. And just... curse the hell out of them."

     "Yeah!" Ivy leapt, excited. "You're all being too pessimistic, and if anything, that's our biggest weakness. Because we're just as capable and skilled as they are! We are Hogwarts students under the guidance of the greatest wizard alive! Albus Dumbledore!"

     "You know who's the only wizard Tom fears?" Alexis asked them, a proud smile growing on her face. "Dumbledore himself."

"     Yes! And we come on Dumbledore's behalf to kick some ass!" Ivy's little speech seemed to wake the courage and pride within them, making them hold their heads a little higher and embrace the adrenaline rushing through their veins. "And whatever happens tonight, we need to go down fighting. Because we're the good guys, and if we don't try to stop the bad guys, then who will?"

     "I say we go in there and we make Dumbledore proud!" Fabian backed her up.

     "For Dumbledore!" Sirius shouted dramatically, followed by everyone else's cheers.

     "Let's go kick some Death Eater ass!" James grinned, feeling powerful and mighty.

     Sirius walked into the crowded pub by himself, the rest staying behind to avoid attracting too much attention. Unlike most of his previous visits, the Three Broomsticks was currently crowded with middle-aged wizards as opposed to the Hogwarts students that took over the place during the day.

     "Rosmerta, my dear!" Sirius approached the barmaid of the pub with open arms. She shook her head, amused at the sight of the boy but hugged him anyway.

     "What are you up to, boy? You know you're not supposed to be out this late." Rosmerta continued attending other customers while her attention remained on Sirius.

     "I need to go visit some old family friends."

     "Do I even want to know?" She sighed, well aware of the boy's troublemaking ways.

     "No. But you can tell me where the Calders live." He leaned over the counter, flashing his most charming smile.

     "The Calders? Edward Calder and his family, you mean? I don't know which house exactly, but it's on the hill behind the Shrieking Shack. Only thing I know." She shrugged, hurriedly walking around the pub with Sirius following suit.

     "Only thing I need to know. Thank you so much, angel." He kissed both her cheeks and hurried out.

     "Sirius?"

     He turned to face the thirty-year-old woman. "Stay out of trouble."

     "You already know me, Merta." He winked at her before finally walking out, immediately greeted by his shivering friends, courtesy of the cold January night. "Remus was right. Shocking, I know."

     "Hill behind the Shack then?" James didn't even wait for an answer as he led the way.

     "Speed it up, it's getting late." Remus looked around warily.

     "This is my life now," Sirius panted as they climbed the steep hill. "I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it."

     "Shut up, we've only been walking for ten minutes." Alice scolded Sirius, even though she sounded quite out of breath herself.

     Small cottages were coming into view, and just like Remus had described them, they were all a fair distance away from each other and at least two of them looked abandoned. If anything was to happen tonight, no one around would notice.

     "Our exit strategy-" Remus swallowed hard, "-is the Shrieking Shack."

     "The Shrieking Shack?!" Alice looked alarmed at the thought of entering the supposedly haunted building, a bit ironic when she was on her way to fight against the most powerful Dark Wizards there were.

     "Yes, it has a passageway that leads to the Hogwarts grounds," James replied casually, subtly trying to divert the attention from Remus, who didn't look very comfortable with the conversation.

     "Alright, then." Catherine nodded, not looking frightened whatsoever. Remus stared at her for a few seconds, his emotions battling inside him, before pulling himself together and walking faster.

     "Yes, so if anything happens, we just roll ourselves down the f*****g hill and break into the Shack." Sirius nodded, once again, not helping anybody's nerves.

     Remus sighed. "It's our only option."

     In the blink of an eye, black smoke-like figures stormed into the cottage nearest to them. Alexis' heart stopped, her limbs felt numb and her breathing turned uneven. She wasn't the only one, seeing as everyone else stood frozen in place, paralyzed with fear and panic-stricken expressions taking over their features. James, the bravest of Gryffindors, was the first one to react. "Come on!" He took off running, motioning everyone to follow him. Alexis felt the anger and adrenaline building inside of her as she saw the shadowy figures through the window and heard a young boy cry. No one was dying tonight. Not her friends, and not the Calders. Not if she was there to stop it.

     She turned for a fraction of a second to face the others as they neared the entrance door. "Good luck. Bombarda!" The wooden door was blown away, making their presence known to the Death Eaters. The first face Alexis distinguished from the lot was the villainous one of Bellatrix Lestrange, who looked taken aback for a second before quickly regaining her composure, flashing them all a vicious smile. If Alexis had a nemesis, Bellatrix was it.

     "This one's mine," Alexis muttered angrily, eyes set on the deranged woman. She was the first one to raise her wand, thus beginning what would be a long, draining battle. Her friends got into action immediately, blocking any spells that were thrown her way and engaging in a duel with any Death Eater that crossed their path.

     The Prewett twins had each other's backs, just like Catherine and Ivy did. Frank Longbottom had mentioned plenty of times he wanted to become an Auror, and was showing everyone he had the skill to do so. The Marauders looked like they were dancing around, surprising Alexis with how genuinely skilled they were, even if this was powerful Dark Magic they were fighting against. Alexis' eyes were everywhere, somehow managing to never let her guard down against Bellatrix but also looking after her friends. Every time she managed to take down Bellatrix for at least ten seconds, she used that time to help her friends, hitting Death Eaters with unexpected spells. She had been hit with a few spells herself, and even though she could feel the impact, she managed to pull herself together every time.

     "Isn't it past your bedtime, children?" 

     James had knocked down Mulciber just in time to hear Dolohov's irksome voice. He had taken Alice off guard, throwing the poor girl flying back. After a quick reminder of what he had done to Alexis before she escaped the Malfoy Manor, James decided he wanted to do the honours and personally knock the asshole down. "Sectumsempra!" James used one of Snape's very own curses against their own. "Alice, go check on the Calders!" He instructed the girl who was slowly coming back to her senses but got into action immediately.

     James managed to cast a Shield Charm just in time, but still felt a burning sensation running through his body from the powerful curse. He looked at Dolohov with utmost hatred, casting spell after spell at him, making the Death Eater backtrack. "This is for touching my girlfriend, you bastard!"

     "Alice, move!" Sirius alerted the girl just as Nott's curse rebounded. Thankfully, she was able to move just in time and continued her way to the Calders, who hid inside a cupboard.

     There were ten Death Eaters, which allowed the Hogwarts students to duel one each while Alice looked after the family. But the odds weren't particularly in their favour. Death Eaters had much more practice when it came to duelling, and regained their composure much faster than the young and inexperienced students did. James had managed to knock Mulciber out cold, and even though that should have been an advantage, Peter had also been taken out. But their biggest disadvantage so far was that Tom hadn't even shown up yet.

     It felt like it all happened in slow motion, seeing Catherine get hit with a spell on the chest, making the Ravenclaw fall back. Frank struggled to get back on his feet, getting towered by Avery. The twins were laying on the ground, and although still conscious, their injuries looked bad. Alexis' heart stopped when she saw Ivy lying unconscious in a pool of her own blood.

     Alexis, James, Sirius, and Remus were the only ones standing, fighting more than one Death Eater each, trying to stop them from further injuring their friends. Sirius had been hit pretty bad but refused to stand down. All of them looked worn down, making Alexis feel extreme exasperation. She felt impotent and useless as she watched her friends fight for their lives.

     With all the strength and might she could muster, she shouted 'Expelliarmus!' Disarming and sending some Death Eaters flying backwards, allowing her friends to breath. But Bellatrix took the perfect opportunity to strike. It happened suddenly, all her surroundings becoming a blur as her soul burned with pain, all she managed to see was James screaming in horror when he saw what happened. She fell back, nastily hitting her head on the wall and letting dizziness get the best of her. She could feel blood pouring from several parts of her body. It was not hard to tell Bellatrix had used very strong Dark Magic against her, with blood dripping from Alexis' ears and nose, but the most disturbing of it all was the blood dripping from her eyes, giving the impression she was crying blood.

     Her senses weren't functioning properly, but there was no mistaking the silhouette that appeared was none other than Tom Riddle himself. She saw the three boys being held back by an invisible force, forcing them to kneel as if there was a rope tied around them. Tom took slow, calm steps to the cupboard where the Calders and Alice hid. His steps echoed on the deafeningly silent room.

     "Tom." Alexis' voice was nothing but a whisper, but it managed to paralyze Tom completely. He had his back turned to her, not allowing her to see his expression but could see how his body tensed. "Look at me, Tom." He hesitantly turned around, and although Alexis' vision was all a blur, the panic on his eyes when he saw the state of his sister was crystal clear. He raised his wand and pointed it at someone out of Alexis' view, followed by Bellatrix screaming in pain.

      As much as she wanted to emotionally manipulate her brother, she knew those things didn't work with Tom Riddle. However, it seemed like her words had been perfectly timed because although Tom proceeded to step towards the cupboard, he was stopped when the kitchen door exploded into a million pieces.

     The mighty figure of Albus Dumbledore was the last thing Alexis saw before she passed out.

     James shifted uncomfortably on the chair, seriously considering laying down on one of the empty hospital beds to get some sleep. But that would mean leaving Alexis' side and he couldn't afford that.

     After being sent to St. Mungo's for three days, Alexis Riddle was now back in Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was keeping her unconscious so her recovery would be faster and less painful. That's why the young Riddle was the only one who remained in the Hospital Wing after everyone else was already dismissed.

     Despite how bad things looked, they were all lucky enough to walk out of there with no life-threatening injuries- with the help of Dumbledore and many Aurors and Healers, of course.

     Even Alexis was expected to make a speedy recovery, but James refused to leave her side regardless. And whenever he was forced to do so, he always made sure someone was by Alexis' side. One time, James even made McGonagall stay with the girl, seeing as she was the only one around and James desperately needed to take a shower. But when he went back and didn't see the Professor around, he made sure to give her an earful, scolding the woman for her negligence, much to Minerva's amusement.

     He reached for Alexis' hand, mindlessly playing with her fingers before intertwining them with his own. "I'm so bored without you, love." He was well aware that she couldn't listen, but he still liked having quiet conversations with her, a small smile always adorning his face.

     "I've been thinking about you lately— about us. Now more than ever- which is a lot, believe me," he chuckled. "And I just— I won't give up on you, Lex. I won't give up on us. I know it's pathetic but... I've been doing my research. I've been trying to educate myself on every possible aspect to help you fall in love with me. I even made a small plan. I don't know if it'll work but I'm willing to give it a try. I even planned a lot of activities for us to do, to help you with each stage." He sighed, his cheeks turning a deep pink and a sheepish smile growing on his face.

     "I hope you realize how lucky you are because I'm being a complete sap and the boys haven't stopped teasing me," he laughed, caressing her hand with his thumb. "But you're worth it. And even if it all fails then—" He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly.

     "—I'll still be here."