Little Riddle | James Potter

Thirteen

       The castle's ceiling and walls looked awfully interesting when Josh Davis was standing right in front of Alexis intending to ask her to be his date to the Yule Ball. Alexis was far from stupid. She knew the sole reason he'd joined the Dueling Club was to get closer to her and was definitely not oblivious to the way he always showed off his amazing skills in an attempt to impress her. He was nice to look at, that much was true, but Alexis was going through her man-hating phase, and she was far more concerned about finishing her somewhat illegal task than getting a date.

       Josh was about to recite the speech he had memorized but was interrupted when a nasally and suspiciously loud voice echoed through the hallway. "Merlin! Did you hear?" Alexis instantly recognized the annoying voice that belonged to Dorcas Meadowes. "James offered to take Lily to that new, fancy shop at Hogsmeade!"

       "How romantic! I bet he's going to buy her a beautiful gown for the Ball!" Marlene gushed as she and Dorcas walked past them.

       Josh frowned in confusion as Alexis chuckled at the girls' obvious and extremely ridiculous attempt to make her jealous. Suddenly, Josh Davis became just what she was looking for.

       "You were saying?" She gave him a friendly smile, slightly biting her lower lip. She got the reaction she had hoped for when the boy lowered his gaze to her lips, staring at them for a second before swallowing hard and returning to his senses.

       "Well, in all honesty, I didn't plan some huge show because I figured you weren't into that type of thing." He gave her a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head nervously.

       "Well, you were right."

       He sighed with relief. "Oh, thank Merlin! So for a proper invitation, I was wondering if the beautiful Alexis Riddle would like to accompany me to the Yule Ball?"

       His smile was captivating, and he carried himself with an air of confidence but far from arrogance. He was definitely in the top ten of the most good looking boys at school, and after all, witches who recently got their heart broken by their dream boy were allowed to have fun.

       "The beautiful Alexis Riddle would love to."

       He smiled broadly, hardly able to contain his excitement. "Also, I was thinking," he gave her another sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his neck, which Alexis assumed was something he did when he was nervous. "It would be a good idea if we went to Hogsmeade this weekend? You know, together?"

       "Sounds good to me. See you around, Josh!" She turned and walked away, hiding the quizzical look on her face. Had she just agreed to go on a date?

       The Hogwarts grounds were now painted a beautiful white as December brought cold winds and inches of snow with it. Unlike most of the student body, Alexis enjoyed the cold and even found herself out on the grounds more often than usual. That Saturday morning was not an exception as she hurriedly tried to finish reading a chapter before she had to meet up with Josh so that they could depart to Hogsmeade together. The task of concentrating on her book was proven to be rather difficult when the two approaching voices kept interrupting her.

       "All I'm asking for is that you stay away from my bed when you're in your animagus form."

       "You're being ridiculous, Padfoot."

       "Rats are infected! Go read about the Black Plague!"

       "Why would I read about your family's history?"

"       You know what? You win this one, Wormtail."

       Alexis snickered silently, she seemed to always find their little conversations and arguments amusing, even if they were about insignificant things. She frowned when she realized the grounds had gone quiet and Sirius and Peter were no longer having a row at each other. She turned just in time to see Sirius finishing a snowball and approaching her slowly.

       "Don't you dare throw that snowb— dammit!" She wiped the snow from her face, and soon enough Peter was helping her get rid of the one in her hair.

       "Fine Saturday it is, huh?" Sirius sat ever so casually next to her.

       "It is indeed, Mr Black." Alexis closed her book and focused her attention on the boys sitting on each side of her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

       "Why?" Sirius mocked, offended. "We can't hang out with our friend without a motive?"

       "If we spent one more second in the common room with James, Lily, and all her friends we would've gone mental," Peter muttered, making Alexis wince. Their friend group, minus James, had concluded they did not like the girls Lily was always surrounded with.

       "What happened?" Sirius asked upset. "Between you and James, I mean. It was all going so good, he was head over heels for you." Sirius gave them a sad smile, both Alexis and Peter held similar expressions. "Now it feels like he's trying to force himself to like Lily. It doesn't feel natural, you know?"

       "What did you guys fight about?" Peter tilted his head in curiosity.

       "Me," she whispered.

       Sirius rolled his eyes. "Queen of being specific."

       She chuckled slightly. She had a feeling it was time to tell them both, after all, they were her friends just as much as Remus was, and she trusted them. She repeated the story for the third time, the same story she had previously never shared before and was taken aback when both of them wrapped their arms around her.

       "That's horrible, Lexi," Peter whispered with a pained expression.

       "You're a good person, babe. You're kind and loving. No potion or family can change that." Sirius kissed the top of her head and held her tighter.

       She would've been lying if she'd said that she hadn't felt completely overwhelmed by her friends' understanding and compassion. But also slightly hurt by the fact the only person that had turned his back on her had been James.

       "Alright, we're getting too sappy now. And I cannot cry," she patted underneath her eyes, wiping away any trace of tears. "Not with this makeup. I better get going though," she stood up and fixed her outfit. "My date is waiting for me."

       "Date, huh?" Sirius smirked. "With who?!" He shouted at the already departing Alexis.

       "You know Josh Davis? That insufferable Ravenclaw?" She winked, her giggles filling the surroundings.

       "Hey, Lexi!" The girl stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Sirius. "Have fun, yeah?" She gave him a broad smile before turning away.

       "You look like a garbanzo bean."

       "What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Josh frowned, but Alexis could see him fighting a smile.

       She shrugged. "What I just said."

       "Oh yeah? Well, you looked like an eggplant with that purple dress." He tried to be serious but his playful tone gave him away.

       "A sexy eggplant, Davis. Know your facts."

       "Oh, right, my bad." He chuckled as he made his way back to the dressing room. They had been in Gladrags Wizardwear for about an hour. Alexis had already found a beautiful dress after many failed attempts but refused to let Josh see her in it just yet. Now they were busy trying to choose an attire for the lad.

       "How about this black suit with this black button-up?" She held the clothes as she walked through the aisles.

       "All black?"

       "Yes," she replied absentmindedly, looking through the shelves, her face brightened when she found what she had been looking for. "And this gold pocket square. Because my dress is white and gold."

       "So we'll be matching?" He raised an eyebrow smirking.

       "The only way I'll be stepping a foot in that Ball is if we're the most magnificent looking people there."

       "Uh, I never thought you'd be the one to like this place." Josh looked all around their pink surroundings.

       "I've actually never been here before, so it would be nice to see what all the fuss is around. Besides, I'm sure the Three Broomsticks is awfully crowded right now," she lied. The truth was she had seen James and Lily entering Rosmerta's pub, and she knew she wouldn't be able to look away from them if they went to the same place, so she pulled Josh to their only other option, Madam Puddifoot's.

       James had thoroughly planned that day for years, so when it finally arrived, everything had to be perfect. He was finally going on a date with Lily Evans. Half of him felt content with how much he had been enjoying himself, but the other half felt somewhat guilty for moving on. For some reason, it just felt wrong. But regardless of his internal battle of whether he was enjoying himself or not, it didn't matter once they walked past Madam Puddifoot's. Alexis and Josh Davis sat next to the window on what seemed like a date, and instantly, his day had been ruined. He tried his best to play it off so Lily wouldn't notice, but he suddenly felt the urge to pull his hand away from hers and keep a fair distance away from the redhead.

       Forcing himself to fancy Lily was proving to be more difficult with each passing day.

      The Dueling Club was no longer fun, at least not for James. Their little get-togethers after their sessions had been cancelled and now everyone went their own way. Sirius had run off with a Hufflepuff to an empty classroom. Peter and James headed straight to their dorm for an early night in. And Remus and Alexis fled to the kitchens for some hot chocolate that cold December night. Much to James' dismay.

       "Wormtail?" James turned over on his bed to face Peter, who was sitting with his legs crossed on his bed while he sorted his chocolate frog cards. "Does Moony have a date for the Ball?"

       "Yeah," Peter replied absentmindedly.

       "Is it Alexis?" James tried sounding casual, pretending the thought hadn't been annoying him for the last few days.

       Peter frowned. "No, it's not Lexi. I think he's going with a Ravenclaw."

       "Oh." He began fidgeting with his sweater hesitantly. "Do you know if she has a date?"

       Peter tensed, abruptly stopping his movements. He knew Alexis would be attending with Josh, but he didn't feel like he was the right one to notify James about it. "I don't know, mate. She hasn't said anything. I think she might not even go."

       Alexis was not an avid partygoer, so the possibility of her not attending was not far-fetched. James shrugged it off, hoping what Peter told him was true.

       There's plenty of girls who take pride in their natural good looks and never bother with makeup. Girls who didn't see the point in spending hours getting ready, and left everything to the last minute. Alexis was not one of them. The anxiety and nerves didn't allow her to focus on anything else, so she began doing her makeup four hours before the Ball began.

       She had shamelessly gotten some books from the library about makeup tips and hair spells, which were now scattered all around the place as she delicately applied her makeup. She praised herself whenever she did something right and used all her willpower to not stab her eye with mascara when she messed something up.

       Thankfully, time was on her side so she had time to perfect any flaw. Three hours had gone by, but now she had impeccable makeup and flawless wavy hair, making the whole process worth it. Now, she had an hour left to put on her dress, have an existential crisis and walk painfully slow to the Great Hall with her unbearable shoes.

       James felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched Lily walking down the stairs wearing the beautiful green gown he had bought for her. It felt as if she was moving in slow motion and everyone else around them were frozen in time. He felt immense happiness as the moment that he had waited years for had finally arrived. That night it was all about Lily Evans. And without Alexis Riddle in attendance, nothing could make him look away from his beautiful date.

       "Close your mouth, Potter." She giggled.

       "Uh— Yeah— Sorry." He blushed. "You look—" he looked her over from head to toe with an awestruck expression. "—beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."

       "Let's get going then. Time to be Hogwarts' hottest couple." She playfully winked at him, not even realizing he had melted inside a little when she referred to them as a couple. James Potter and Lily Evans, a couple.

       That's what he wanted, wasn't it? He had the girl of his dreams next to him, willing to give him a chance, to love him. And he should enjoy that, he should enjoy the moment instead of sulking over what he couldn't have. He wanted Lily.

       The couple met with the rest of their friends inside the Great Hall which had been properly decorated for the occasion. Remus, Sirius, and Peter had all invited girls from different houses, and Alexis was indeed nowhere in sight. James sighed with relief, taking a seat in between Lily and Sirius. His friends all looked cheerful as they drank from the spiked juice. He felt happy at last. He felt like he didn't need to force himself to enjoy the moment anymore, he just did.

       "I'm telling you it's true!" Dorcas' nasal voice snapped James out of his happy trance. "Filch found Alice and Frank getting it on in an empty classroom!"

       "They've been dating for ages," Sirius shrugged. "Don't see what's the big deal."

       "You pig!" Marlene laughed.

       "Oh please, like you and Remus didn't pull that same stunt back in fourth year," Sirius smirked. Remus blushed furiously as his date glared at him.

       "You truly are dense, Black." Mary intervened. "You can't s—"

       "Merlin!" Peter gasped, rudely interrupting Mary who shot him a glare. Everyone gazed at him with quizzical expressions. Remus turned to look at the Hall's entrance where Peter was still staring, and his eyes widened in shock. 

       "Merlin, indeed."

       As if on cue, they all turned to look at the cause of the commotion. James no longer lost his breath, this felt more like being kicked in the gut. Alexis Riddle had arrived wearing a beautiful white and gold dress. She looked so mesmerizing, everyone knew there were simply no words to do her justice. James felt his insides warming up as he gripped into his chair. She was an ethereal beauty. A mythical beauty, even