Little Riddle | James Potter

Ten

       Ten names had been written on the cover of the Daily Prophet. Ten lives, ten stories, ten tragedies. Her brother had murdered ten innocent people. It was no wonder people kept staring at her as she walked through the hallways. No wonder the feeling of dread kept pressing down her chest ever since she opened her eyes that Monday morning. The news was out. Tom Riddle was Lord Voldemort, and he just committed mass murder.

                              MUGGLE FAMILIES MASS MURDERED

               When aurors arrived at the scene, three muggle families had been mutilated, tortured, and killed with the use of the Unforgivable Curses along with strange, unknown Dark Magic the Ministry refused to comment on.

               The culprit, who authorities learned goes by the name of Lord Voldemort, is a former Hogwarts student whose real name is Tom Riddle.

               The 'Dark Lord' is said to act alongside an army, whose identities still remain unknown.

               The victims were all residing in North London at the time of the attacks. They consist of:

                              Nathaniel Thompson (56)

                              Bethany Thompson (54)

                              Letitia Thompson (17)

                              Lisa Edwards (32)

                              Jace Edwards (7)

                              Leah Edwards (4)

                              Karl Devine (42)

                              Louise Devine (44)

                              Alfred Devine (11)

                              Catherine Devine (5)

               If you have any information pertaining to the case, please contact Ministry officials immediately.

       Malfoy had been kind enough to shove the newspaper in her face, also mentioning how the Death Eaters had grown so powerful not even the Ministry could stop them now. They had been quiet for the past couple of years, silently recruiting an army, silently planning a storm. But now they were ready to show the world just what their glorious Lord was capable of, and according to their sinister grins, this was only the beginning.

       Alexis ran to hide in the nearest bathroom, the only action she could think of doing as everyone's scrutinizing gazes followed her every move, She began pacing around, unsuccessfully trying to stop the approaching panic attack, but guilt, heartbreak, and disappointment took over her as she slid down the wall, loud sobs escaping her mouth. She was aware of his involvement with the Dark Arts, she knew about the blood dripping from his hands, but having him claim the murders for the first time made it all feel too real and forced her to step out of her stage of denial.

       The worst part of it all was that she had to carry some of the guilt. She had herself to blame. She had always been stupid and naïve, believing that at some point her brother would acknowledge his wrongdoings and would stop before it was too late. She had turned her face every time he did something wrong because, being the silly little girl that she was, she had always had hope. She'd been beyond selfish, trying to hold on to Tom because she was scared of losing the only family she had left, without caring about the innocent people that were suffering at his hands while she waited for him to change.

       It was time to let go. This was not Tom, and it was time to accept that, even if that left her feeling incredibly lonely.

       The Marauders had been frantically looking for Alexis, understanding that finding out her brother was a mass murderer were not exactly easy news to take in.  But when they found her leaving the girls bathroom with a stoic expression and a hard gaze they knew she was no damsel in distress. James ran towards her, engulfing her in a tight hug, reassuring her that his stance had not changed.

       "There she is! Hogwarts' most talked about witch!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, annoyed at the accusing stares his friend was receiving.

       "You'd think I killed those muggles myself, huh?" She laughed humorlessly, not bothering to lower her voice.

       "You should write an autobiography," added Remus with a smirk. "You'd go rich."

       She chuckled. "I'm naming it A Series of Unfortunate Events."

       "Sounds good. Trademark it before someone steals it."

       Her mood had brightened considerably, with James' arm around her and the rest of the boys following behind, she felt the weight in her shoulders decreasing significantly. 

       "Chapter One: Meeting Sirius."

       "Hey! I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, Riddle!" Sirius voiced echoed throughout the entire corridor.

       But if the pointing and staring had been irritating enough as they walked through the hallways, it did not compare to the moment when they entered the Great Hall, where everyone seemed to freeze when she walked in. It was no exaggeration to say all eyes were on her.

       "Merlin!" James groaned loudly, intending for everyone to hear him. "Honestly? How boring and pathetic can your lives be?!"

       "Very!" Sirius exclaimed just as loud. "If all they do is talk about somebody else's!" Hesitantly, everyone went back to minding their own business, not wanting to wake up with a weird hex the next morning. The punishment most people had to pay for messing with the Marauders.

       "A sleepover?" Alexis frowned at Sirius.

       "A sleepover!" Sirius beamed at Alexis.

       The boys had all but dragged Alexis to their dormitory after dinner, not giving her any type of explanation for their actions until they got there. Their plan was to have her spend the night over in an attempt to shield her from the commotion and the wandering eyes. She borrowed Peter's sweatpants and James' sweater before they all settled in on Remus' and James' beds. 

       "Figured you could use some company," said Remus, offering a comforting smile.

       "I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it, but," Sirius began, carefully choosing his words, "what happened?"

       Alexis sighed, "Well, my brother is a mass murderer, I guess."

       "Do you think it's true?" Sirius inquired. "Do you think he did it?"

       She gave them a sad smile as she replied, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was him."

       Peter frowned. "Did you know anything about this?"

       "No!" She blurted immediately, furiously shaking her head. "Merlin, no. But I did know he was meddling with things he shouldn't have. I just... never thought he'd go to such extent, you know?"

       "Hey," Remus reached over and squeezed her knee reassuringly. "We get it. He's your brother after all. It must've not been easy to see him go down that path."

       "I think we both know that shitty relatives are out of our control," commented Sirius, and suddenly the tiniest bit of relief began to overtake the dread she'd been feeling all day. The boys engaged in mindless chatter as if the events that had occurred hours prior had been utterly mundane. They were avidly trying to distract her and it was then that she realized that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as lonely as she'd initially believed.

       Alexis sat in front of the fireplace of the empty Gryffindor common room, observing the flames dance around with the wind. It was foolish of her to believe she would be getting any sleep when her mind was still racing. No comfortable pillow or cosy bed were going to stop the wild storm occurring in her head. She closed her eyes and made herself comfortable, hoping to clear her mind a little until the sound of footsteps approaching startled her. 

       "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

       She smiled warmly at Remus, his features barely distinguishable due to the darkness of the room, his oversized sweater making him look adorable and cosy. "Oh, you didn't," she replied. "I was just thinking."

       "Do you always snore when you think?" He teased as he took a seat next to her, pulling his legs up and hugging them close to his body.

       She cackled. "I was most definitely not snoring!"

       "Could hear you all the way in our dorm."

       "Oh, sod off." She playfully punched his arm.

       He laughed softly, burying himself deeper into the couch when his demeanour suddenly changed and his face contorted with concern. "Are you okay?"

       His question took her off guard, mainly because it was probably the first time she'd been asked that. She took a deep breath, trying to get a hold of her emotions. "This is my fault, Remus. If only I would've warned Dumbledore about him, maybe this whole thing could've been prevented."

       He placed his hand on her knee and squeezed it reassuringly. "Lexi, it takes more than just one person to fight a monster. Even if you did alert Dumbledore about him, I doubt he would've gone down without a fight. He probably has a plan b, c, d, and so on. You're not responsible for somebody else's actions."

       They sat in comfortable silence for the following minutes, too engrossed in their own thoughts. Remus was caressing Alexis' hand reassuringly, but there was something about his body language that gave away a discomfort. There were doubts eating him away and they reflected in his eyes. 

       "Ask away, Remus," she said suddenly.

       "Alexis, had he killed anyone before?" He asked carefully. "Before this whole Lord Voldemort thing?"

        A question she'd been running away from for years, mainly because she absolutely abhorred the answer. But it was time to come clean, it was time to be honest not only with Remus but with herself. "I'm sure he has. You see, him and I, we come from a shabby background, and there are many things from our past that we've tried to keep a secret, you know?"

       He chuckled humorlessly, the sarcasm evident in his action. "I understand that some secrets are more intimate than others. You're talking to the boy who turns into a monster once every month, but," he sighed, "you've never judged me. So I promise you, whatever this secret is, I won't judge you either. Know that I'll always be here, supporting and understanding you, no matter what."

       "Well, you know Tom and I are orphans, right?" She asked, fidgeting uncomfortably under Remus' gaze. He simply nodded in response. "But what you don't know is that we actually know who our parents were. I know everything about my family. Hell, I even know more than I'd like to."

       "Mhm." Remus nodded, signalling her to continue.

       "Our mother's name was Merope Gaunt. She lived in Little Hangleton with her father and brother, Marvolo and Morfin. Abusive and mental, both of them." Alexis' eyes were set on the fireplace ahead, feeling Remus' gaze on her, feeling that familiar pressure on her chest she felt whenever she had to force her mind to wander back to her family. "The Gaunt family are the only known descendants of Slytherin." Remus was clearly taken aback but allowed her to keep talking, not wanting to break her from her trance-like state. "You know how crazy Salazar was with all his blood purity crap, so there was definitely a lot of inbreeding in the family. Well, long story short, Marvolo and Morfin got sent to Azkaban for Merlin knows what, and mum, she--she fell in love. She fell in love with a muggle named Tom Riddle." She pressed her shaky hands under her thighs in an attempt to conceal them. "The only problem was that he thought mum was a freak. He thought wizards overall were freaks. So she--" her voice broke slightly, causing her to let out a bitter chuckle, "--she gave him a love potion. You know what happens to children who are conceived under the use of a love potion, right?" She whispered with a pained expression, finally turning to look him in the eye.

       Remus swallowed hard before nodding, his eyes wide and filled with emotions. "They can't feel love," he whispered.

       "She gave him the potion for years, but when she got pregnant with me she thought it was time to come clean." She went on, figuring she might as well tell him the entire story now. "Tom Riddle Sr. didn't think about it twice before leaving. Merope gave birth at the orphanage and then she--she died right after. Didn't even get the chance to hold me." 

       Alexis closed her eyes shut for a brief second, hoping to push back the tears that threatened to escape. Remus' eyes welled up and he immediately pulled Alexis into a hug. "Tom looked after me, can you imagine?" She laughed humorlessly, resting her head against his chest. "He taught me how to walk, how to talk. He fed me and changed my diapers, even if he was just a five-year-old little boy. I can sympathize with Merope, you know? She was foolish, but she didn't deserve to suffer the way she did. But the key piece here was always Tom Sr." Her words became venomous and Remus could feel her tense under his touch. "I understand that you can't force love, and hell, I'd understand if he simply walked out on us. But he was disgusted by us, Remus," her voice unwillingly broke and the tears Remus had been trying to hold back were now running free. "He went back to town and ridiculed us. So he killed him. Tom killed our father and his family."

       Remus inhaled deeply. All the theories he had come up with didn't even come close to the severity of the situation, but all he could think of was how her story consisted solely on her family's wrongdoings. Alexis Riddle did absolutely nothing to deserve being in the position she was currently in, and yet, it seemed like she was the only one carrying all of her family's sins. 

       "What about James?" He questioned suddenly, knowing there'd been something more than friendship growing between the two but this new confession had changed the narrative completely.

       "Oh James, bloody James," Alexis threw her head back, her eyes running over the ceiling's details. "I feel something for him, you know? An attraction perhaps, and for others, it might not be much, but for me? For me it's--it's the strongest I've ever felt about someone. But who knows, maybe I'm just trying to convince myself I'm not a lost cause."

       "Because you're not," Remus argued back, suddenly feeling defensive over her, "children that are born under the use of a love potion are... complex. There are not many books about it. It all depends on what love potion was used, how strong it was, who the person surrounds themselves with, and a bunch of other stuff. It's not all black and white, Lex. There are lots of colours in between."