Little Riddle | James Potter

Twenty

     Even James was surprised to find himself heading towards the Headmaster's office at 7 a.m. that Monday morning. He always saw Dumbledore as a figure of protection and guidance rather than authority, so he had never felt nervous or intimidated the previous occasions he had visited this office, all due to the consequences of his rule-breaking,

     But he hadn't broken any rules just yet and Dumbledore was not expecting him, and the messy-haired boy was sure the Headmaster was certainly not expecting the conversation James wanted to have. But over the course of the night he had figured that if anyone was to solve his doubts and give him peace of mind, it was Dumbledore. He felt slightly anxious as he made his way through the considerably empty corridors, a feeling that didn't cease when he found himself in the moving stairs that led him right outside the Headmaster's office door. It was a moment of truth that he preferred didn't have to wait any longer.

     "Ah, Mr Potter!" James was greeted by Professor Slughorn, who opened the office's door for him. "I was just on my way out. I assume you're here to have a word with the Headmaster?" Slughorn inquired, apparently unaware of James' desperation to walk past him and into the room once and for all. 

     "Yes, sir." He nodded politely, plastering a fake smile.

     "Come on in, Mr Potter." Dumbledore's voice came from somewhere inside the room. James nodded politely at Slughorn once again, stepping aside so the Professor could walk out before entering the room. "Glad to see you're awake so early. Eager to begin your classes, I assume?" Dumbledore stood on the left side of the room, putting away what James believed to be a Pensieve.

     "Of course, sir." James gave Dumbledore his most charming smile, always pleased to be around the wise old man. "But I didn't come here to talk to you about my morning routine, sir." His smile changed to a sheepish one, making Dumbledore chuckle as he observed the spectacle-using boy.

     "Well, of course not. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore sat behind his desk, motioning James to take a seat as well.

     "Sir," James said hesitantly, his previous confidence faltering. "I'm here to ask you about children who were conceived under the use of a love potion."

     As bizarre as the question was, Dumbledore nodded in understanding, remaining so calm it was almost as if he had been expecting James to ask the question for some time now, much to James' surprise. "Merope Gaunt was an uneducated woman."

     James frowned confused, not understanding what Alexis' mother's level of education has to do with anything, but before he could question the statement Dumbledore proceeded. "When a child is conceived under the use of Amortentia, the consequences can be dreadful. I'm sure by now Professor Slughorn has taught you that it is the most powerful love potion in existence." James nodded, watching Dumbledore stand up and walk around the room. "Everyone, the Riddle children included, is under the impression that simply because the potion that Merope used on Tom was successfully administered for such a long period of time, that it must have been quite a strong concoction. But Amortentia is a N.E.W.T. level potion," Dumbledore neared James with a kind smile, "Merope Gaunt was an uneducated woman, and Tom Riddle Sr. was nothing but a mere, defenceless Muggle."

     "So—" James' face brightened, a broad smile growing on his face, "—you're saying it was not a strong potion?"

     "I believe it was not a strong potion, yes." Dumbledore nodded, trying to hide his amusement at the sudden shriek the boy let out before covering his mouth. "Even if she did somehow find a book with precise instructions on how to brew Amortentia, which is not widespread information, a woman that was believed to be a squib and who had just recently begun to experiment with magic couldn't possibly know how to make such a complicated potion. Here at Hogwarts, we teach it to sixth years who have been studying the art of potion-making for five years already and have exceeded at it enough to take the N.E.W.T. level classes. And even then, some students have difficulties brewing such an elaborate potion."

     Dumbledore sat back down, his gaze never leaving James, who was paying the utmost attention to his every word. "My best guess is that she created a potion similar to those they sell at joke shops. It is impossible to tell but, from basic reasoning—" he smiled knowingly, looking at James with a glint in his eye, "—I believe the consequences of this easy love potions aren't as dreadful."

     James was ecstatic and his expression clearly showed that, but he had a doubt on the back of his head that he wanted to clear out. "But, sir, what about Tom— Voldemort— him?"

     "The Riddle children were victims of unfortunate circumstances." Dumbledore nodded knowingly. "Although they did not naturally possess the ability to love, being raised in that grim orphanage did nothing to help their case. Maybe if Merope had been around to raise her children with love and understanding, things would've been different. It is easier for us to believe people like Tom Riddle are absolute monsters who are more different from us than they are alike. But the truth is Tom is just like Alexis, and I'm sure you don't consider Ms Riddle to be a monster, do you? You consider her a good person, someone with a good heart. You came all the way here because deep inside you believed there was a chance for her. You know better than anyone else that she has a light inside of her. And so did Tom. Tom was not a victim of the circumstances, he was a victim of his decisions." Dumbledore expression had gotten stern, but he immediately changed it to a softer one. "Tom allowed darkness to consume him. Alexis is still putting on a fight."

     "So she can learn?" James' eyes widened, his foot bouncing impatiently. "She can learn to love?"

     "She can develop the ability to love with time, patience, and commitment." Dumbledore chuckled as James leapt out of his chair excited. "She was born from a loveless union and raised in a loveless place, but nothing is stronger than love, Mr Potter. If her heart really wants to, a silly love potion won't be able to stop it. Love always wins."

     By now, James could no longer contain his excitement. An electrifying feeling ran over his body at the thought that he was hopelessly in love with a girl that could love him back, that his feelings weren't going to waste because they could be reciprocated.

     "Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Mr Potter." Dumbledore smiled, amused. "I'm sure you are aware Ms Riddle will not wake up one day suddenly bursting with love. It's going to be a long, maybe even tedious process. You will need a lot of patience for it will come gradually. Step by step."

     "Yes, I understand completely, sir." James had spent the last years showering Lily with affection and didn't think to do the same, or even more, for Alexis was an inconvenience in the slightest. It was the opposite really, as he was more than eager to face whatever came his way. "Thank you so much, sir!" James shouted as he ran out the door, waving Dumbledore goodbye.

     "Oh, and Mr Potter?" James stopped halfway out the door and turned to face a smiling Dumbledore. "Good luck."

    "Isn't this a bit... too much?" Alexis scrunched her nose as she inspected her reflection in the mirror. She would've never imagined the boring uniform she wore on a daily basis for the past five years could be changed into something so provocative. The top buttons of her white blouse had been unbuttoned as Ivy had instructed and her skirt had been pulled up so it now ended on her mid-thigh as opposed to above the knee like it usually did.  Her everyday makeup had been changed from natural to a bit edgier, with winged eyeliner and a subtle smokey eye, perfectly defined contour and several coats of mascara. She didn't look bad, just not really appropriate for class.

     Alexis hoped Catherine was going to save her, but the girl had sat back during the entire process and looked genuinely impressed with Ivy's finished work. "You look hot as hell."

     Stares followed the Slytherin ever since she walked down to the Ravenclaw common room and made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. "I feel uncomfortable." She fidgeted with her skirt and kept her eyes down.

     "I thought you were more confident than this." Ivy rolled her eyes, making Alexis scowl and hold her head higher, walking with much more grace in her step than she did before. "Now, that's the spirit! Work it! All the girls envy you and all the boys want to f**k your brains out!"

     "There she goes." Catherine shook her head, amused. "Doesn't know how to be subtle even if her life depended on it, this one."

     "Look who's here!" Sirius exclaimed when James finally joined them for breakfast. "A James Potter imposter!" He put his pumpkin juice down and towered over James. "Who are you and what have you done to Prongs?"

     "I have no idea what you're talking about, lads." James greeted them with a wide smile on his face. "Besides, I'm always one of the first ones to get up, am I not?"

     "To get up? Yes. To actually get ready and be on time? Rarely." Remus answered, filling his plate to the brim. "Where were you off to?"

     "Dumbledore's." The smile and overall good mood never left. "The Headmaster and I had a good chat."

     Remus eyed him, confused. "What did you do?"

     "Nothing. I'll tell you guys later! But for now, we have other things to worry about. We have a plan to carry out gentlemen." James took a sip from his pumpkin juice before spitting it all out, staring at the doors of the Great Hall dumbfounded. The boys all frowned and complained before turning to see what the commotion was for themselves. Sirius choked on his juice while Remus' jaw dropped and Peter froze in his place. They weren't the only ones impressed with what they saw, seeing as a couple of other students whistled at Alexis as she made her way to the Ravenclaw table. Just when James thought his morning couldn't get any better, the girl of his dreams/future girlfriend walked in looking like heaven on earth. Although hell on earth was always a more suitable description when it came to Alexis.

     "Liking your girlfriend's makeover?" Remus lifted an eyebrow, an amused grin etched on his face as he saw James continue to gaze at Alexis.

     Sirius cleared his throat, looking at them with a preoccupied expression. "This feels wrong." He turned to frown at Remus. "She looks really good but she's basically my sister! This is like incest!"

     Remus laughed and shook his head, focusing back on his food before noticing Peter was being awfully quiet once again. The short boy's eyes were still glued on Alexis as his mouth fell slightly open. His expression resembled James', giving Remus a bad feeling. He snapped his fingers, hoping to take both boys out of their trances. "Earth to Prongs!"

     "Bloody hell," James whispered with a sheepish grin, his cheeks tinted a slight pink. Peter cleared his throat and looked down at his plate.

     "She's with Ivy," Remus noted. "So we know who's responsible for the makeover."

     "James," Peter whispered, subtly pointing at the right side of the Gryffindor table where Lily sat. James made eye contact with her, and even though she smiled at him, he could clearly see the sadness in her eyes. "Should I go talk to her?"

     "An explanation would be nice, I guess." Remus shrugged without looking up. "We have a free hour after lunch, maybe try talking to her then."

     James nodded, picking up his belongings as the bell rang, signalling the beginning of classes. He took a detour, the boys following behind,  so he could walk next to the Ravenclaw table and give Alexis a quick kiss on the cheek as he passed. "Have a good day, love!"

     Catherine was about to tease Alexis, whose mood seemed to brighten up considerably with the small gesture, but Remus caught her eye. Giving her a shy smile, the boy mouthed a 'See you around?' to which she nodded immediately, her cheeks already turning red.

     "Looking good ladies!" Sirius greeted them as he walked by, his eyes landing on Ivy for a second. His infamous smirk appeared as he winked at the girl.

     "Are you sure I can't punch him in the face?" Ivy scowled as she got up and walked behind the girls.

     "Yes."

     "What if I just break his nose a little?"

     James looked around nervously, his hands fidgeting in his pockets as he headed towards the tree next to the Black Lake where Lily sat waiting for him. It pained him to do this, it really did. Although he and Lily were never an official item, and she had despised him for the last five years, they still had their fair share of history together. This was still the girl who used to keep him up at night, the girl who he had daydreamed about on a daily basis, the one he had dedicated so much time and effort to. And he didn't regret one single second of it because Lily Evans was an amazing girl and it pained him to sit there and tell her that he didn't fancy her anymore now that she developed feelings for him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings. 

     A piece of his heart would always belong to her because the butterflies she made him feel were far from forgotten and all those nights he hoped and prayed for a sign were still clear in his mind, he remembered how his heart would beat like crazy when he saw her at the start of each year after those excruciating months without her. And love simply never dies, it is outgrown or forgotten, sometimes even neglected. But never dead.

     "I don't bite, Potter." She giggled, watching him approach her ever so slowly. She sighed once he sat quietly across from her, conflicted emotions visible in his face. "Why did you want to meet up?"

     "Hi to you too. I'm fine, thanks for asking," he said jokingly, making the girl erupt in a fit of giggles before turning serious again. It was clear to her that he was having a hard time sorting out his feelings, so she decided to do the talking.

     "I like you, James. I fancy you, I am attracted to you, I am infatuated with you. And all the other ways to put it." She sighed, watching as his expression turned to distress. "But I know you don't want me anymore, and that's okay. If anything, I'm to blame for being so blind and conceited, always refusing to see what a wonderful boy you really are."

     James was rendered speechless, watching the girl wipe a couple of tears away. "I don't blame you for moving on. I completely understand the situation, yeah? I think Alexis is a wonderful girl and I want to tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that I hope you're happy with her."

     James' eyes filled with tears as he embraced her tightly. "Now stop worrying about my feelings and go win her back." She chuckled through the tears, hugging him just as tight. "You deserve each other, James. You both deserve to be happy."

     James closed his eyes, his body tensing at the words he desperately wanted to hear.

     "Thank you, Lilypad."