Little Riddle | James Potter

Twenty Eight

STAGE 4 -- INTENSE MOTIVATION

Intense: Extreme and forceful or (of a feeling) very strong. 

Motivation: Enthusiasm for doing something.

     Catherine and Ivy watched, their mouths were agape. One day. They had missed one day in the lives of the Marauders and Alexis, and all hell had broken loose in those twenty-four hours. They had been dragged out to the grounds, and after a dramatic inspection of their surroundings, the boys proceeded to inform them all about their newest problem.

     "Shouldn't we tell Dumbledore, then?" Catherine inspected her fingernails. "If she's acting so suspicious then let's just get it over with."

     "Why do you always want to run off to Dumbledore? Where's the fun in that?" Sirius rolled his eyes.

     "I'm more of a safety kind of girl, really." She stuck out her tongue childishly, a gesture that Sirius obviously reciprocated.

     "'Hey Dumbledore, there's this girl. She looks evil. Expel her,'" Ivy mocked, resting lazily against the tree. "Sounds legit."

     Remus sighed. "I have a plan." He pulled on the sleeves of his sweater anxiously. "Although I'm not particularly fond of it. We're going to have to break some rules and it might be illegal." Everyone sat upright, their undivided attention focused on Remus. 

     Sirius rubbed his hands together with a mischievous grin etched on his face. "Sounds like my kind of plan."

     Remus turned to James. "We're going to need the cloak."

     Slughorn hummed contently to himself as he prepared some ingredients to brew in the comfort of his office, completely unaware of the door unlocking behind him before it opened slowly. He smiled as he held a phial up close, inspecting its contents, and jumped at the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, making him turn around in alarm, but shrugged it off when he saw that he was indeed the only person in the room. The old man simply blamed it on his mind playing tricks on him.

    A cabinet door opened with the utmost precaution behind him as a sneaky floating hand rummaged through all of its contents. The hand held up a small jar victoriously before disappearing once again. Poor old Horace almost had a stroke when his office door was slammed shut.

     "Polyjuice Potion? Check." James smiled smugly as he took off his invisibility cloak and walked into the Room of Requirement.

     "We need better communication." Ivy leaned back with a pout. "Why on earth did I not know you dimwits have an invisibility cloak?" She snatched the cloak from James' grasp, playing with it amusedly as she placed it over some of her body parts.

     "Because you never asked." James gave her a sarcastic smile, throwing himself onto the sofa across from her and pulling out a golden snitch from his pocket.

     "Oh, yeah, my bad." Ivy rolled her eyes. "Remus, what's next?" She turned to face the tall boy who was sitting in a desk and going over some of his notes and books.

     "We have to find out who Mildred's closest friends are," he replied absentmindedly as his eyes continued scanning the paper.

     "Oh, that's easy!" Catherine jumped up from her sitting position on the ground. "Claire, the acne girl, and Olivia, the big nose girl."

     "Cute nicknames," Sirius muttered.

     "Oh, yeah!" Ivy nodded as she recognized the names. "Stupid as f**k, the both of them." Ivy gave the group an encouraging smile and a thumbs up.

     "And then we get some hair," Remus instructed, his eyes still glued on the parchment.

     James whistled unfazed as he stood up and snatched the cloak from Ivy's hold before walking out.

     "Who do you think is the hottest?" Olivia's nasally voice could give Dorcas Meadowes a run for her money.

     "Sirius," Claire gushed, her acne-filled face turning a light shade of pink at the mere mention of the boy.

     "Well, I think it's Remus. But apparently, he's dating that ugly hag Cathe- Ow!" Olivia rubbed the back of her head. "Claire! Why did you pull my hair?!"

     "Why did you pull my hair?!"

     James' expression, once he took off his cloak, was one of downright outrage. "They don't think I'm the hottest!"

     Ivy shrugged uninterested and reached for the cloak again. "Wait, is this blood?" She pointed at a dark red smear on the side of the cloak.

     "No?" James carefully placed the hairs on the table next to Remus.

     "That's not a question you're supposed to answer with another question." Ivy didn't look too fazed by the potential smear of blood as she continued entertaining herself with the cloak.

     Remus stood up and stretched his arms as he paced across the spacious room. "Now two of us have to drink the potion, turn into her friends and try to find out what she's up to." Remus sat down next to Catherine on the floor, placing his arm around her shoulders and stretching out his legs in front of him.

     James began to walk around, eyeing his friends. First, his gaze landed on Catherine. 

     "I'm a terrible actress." The Ravenclaw shrugged with a sheepish smile. 

     James nodded and turned to his left, where Ivy sat on the couch. "You're too blunt. You're gonna give us away." Next to Ivy sat Alexis. "You have anger management issues."

     Alexis' jaw dropped. "I do not!"

     James hurriedly walked away and out of Alexis' grasp. "Hm, Peter," he took a look at the short boy sitting by the window. "No."

     "Fair enough," Peter shrugged.

     "It's down to you three." Alexis regarded James, Sirius, and Remus, who did not look anxious or pressured whatsoever.

     "I think Remus should go," Ivy commented. "We have to send someone with a brain."

     "Excuse me?" Sirius asked indignantly just as James' loose snitch whacked him across the face.

     "So," Catherine clapped her hands. "James or Sirius?'

     "Sirius," said Remus, earning himself a look of utter disbelief from James. "Listen, I'm sure Mildred won't have many nice things to say about Alexis and the last thing we need is for you to jump the girl after she offended your girlfriend." He gave James a knowing look, making the boy nod in agreement once he thought it over. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice Alexis' pink cheeks after being regarded as James' girlfriend.

     "We're doing this tomorrow." Remus absentmindedly intertwined his fingers with Catherine's as he addressed the others. "We've been here for too long and if she's really spying on us then she's going to get suspicious. Tomorrow, you two," he pointed at Ivy and James, "are going to take care of the real Claire and Olivia."

     James mockingly saluted Remus while Ivy couldn't possibly look any more excited about finally helping. James sat down next to Alexis, annoyingly wrapping his arms around the girl in an overly tight embrace as she desperately tried to get out of his grasp. Ivy, who sat on Alexis' other side, began whacking James' head with a piece of parchment.

     Remus sighed. "What are we getting ourselves into?"

     Ivy would never admit it out loud, but her life had taken a turn for the best ever since Alexis and the Marauders were in it. Now, her usually boring Monday consisted of hiding in a broom closet with James Potter of all people as they waited for the right time to kidnap two of their fellow schoolmates. Talk about exciting.

     "Okay, they just turned the corner. We have to do this quick! Remember, we get them in here as soon as I hex them," James blabbered.

     "Yeah, yeah, Potter. The plan's not even that complicated." She snickered as James made his way out. Next thing she heard was two loud thuds, which was her cue to help James.

     "You levitate that one, I'll levitate this one," James whisper-shouted as he pointed his wand at Claire while Ivy did the same with Olivia. The unconscious girls' bodies flew inside the closet James and Ivy had been previously occupying. The only problem they seemed to encounter was that the limp bodies were putting pressure on the door, thus making it hard to close.

     "Push." James groaned as he pressed his body weight against the door. Ivy mimicked James, although it was clear the girl did not possess the same amount of strength the boy did. She tried to push herself further to apply more strength, however other parts of her body seemed to have applied pressure as well, resulting in flatulence leaving the girl's behind in what became the most embarrassing moment in all of Ivy Edwards' life.

     "What the hell was that?" James asked, with the broadest, most amused smile appearing on his face.

     "I sneezed."

     "That was not a sneeze." That was the precise moment in which James broke into a fit of laughter after successfully hiding the unconscious bodies in a closet. See? Exciting.

     "Sirius, stop touching your boobs," Remus scolded the short girl walking next to him.

     "I can't help it! This feels so weird!" Sirius continued running his hands over his body and eventually over his face. "Oh, no! Acne! Now I'm not gonna be able to stop touching my face," he said as he began popping a pimple before Remus pushed his hand away and turned him over so they were now facing each other.

     "Sirius, this is serious! Oh, no." He winced at his pun while Sirius gave him a sheepish smile. "Remember, we have about thirty minutes to get the hell out of there."

     "You have a big nose," Sirius noted, making Remus groan. "I'm just joking, Moony. Don't worry, I got this."

     The portrait door to the Slytherin common room opened, allowing Claire Fontane and Olivia Nelson to walk in.

     "Why are you walking like that?" Olivia gave Claire a puzzled look.

     "Like what?"

     "Like that. You're swaying your hips too much." Olivia whispered discreetly.

     "I'm feeling myself. Don't be a hater, Livie." Claire flicked her hair and continued walking with a bounce in her step.

     "Oh my god," Olivia whispered, horrified.

      "Where were you, you morons?" The girls turned, startled, coming face to face with a scowling Mildred Volkov.

     "We had a little... distraction on our way here." Olivia shifted uncomfortably.

     "We ran into Alexis Riddle," Claire blurted out. "So we followed her for a bit."

     The displeasure on Mildred's face disappeared as she led the girls to the corner of the room. "And? Saw anything important?"

     "Not really." Claire fidgeted with her skirt. "Snogged Potter the whole time."

     Mildred's scowl returned to her face. "I swear all she does is hang with those weasels. She knows we're up to something but she's not doing anything about it? Isn't that suspicious?"

     "No." Olivia blurted. "I think it's good. She probably thinks it's nothing to worry about. She doesn't know what's coming her way."

     "Damn right." Mildred grinned wickedly.

     "So—" Claire tried to casually wrap her hair around her finger, "—what is coming her way, exactly?"

     "Oh for Merlin's beard, Claire! You have to be the densest person I know!" Mildred rolled her eyes, annoyed, while Claire looked genuinely offended. "I already told you, Rosier will be sending us the poison sometime this week. We'll poison her food, place the phial on the kitchens and make some stupid elf take the blame." Mildred looked pleased with her plan although her expression turned sombre soon after. "But we have to be extremely careful. Not only does it have to be convincing enough for Dumbledore to believe, but for Voldemort as well. If the Dark Lord finds out it was us who murdered his sister we're as good as dead."

     Claire and Olivia looked utterly mortified, which Mildred assumed was because of the possibility of getting murdered by the Dark Lord. "Don't worry. We'll be okay. We just have to be extremely careful when we kill Alexis Riddle."

     "That sounds lovely and all, but we have to get going." Olivia pulled Claire up, making Mildred frown.

     "Where are you going? I'll go with you."

     "No! I have diarrhoea!" Claire exclaimed loud enough to make the rest of the students in the Slytherin common room turn to look at her.

     "We'll see you at dinner!" Olivia shouted once she was halfway out the door.

     The girls raced up to the seventh floor without uttering a word. They walked into the Room of Requirement and ten minutes later Sirius and Remus walked out. They ran to Gryffindor Tower now, still speechless about the news they had acquired. It was dinner time by then, so the red and gold common room was empty except for their friends, who sat around waiting for them.

     Although their little mission had been all fun and games so far they couldn't help but feel slightly panicked when they saw the mortified expressions on the boys' faces.

     "We're screwed. We're so, so, so screwed." Sirius paced around the room with his hands buried in his hair.

     "What happened? Did she steal the locket?" Alexis frowned.

     "Oh, honey. That stupid locket is the least of our concerns now." Alexis opened her mouth to protest but Sirius gripped her by the shoulders. "Lexi, they're planning to murder you."

     The room was engulfed in a deafening silence which was broken when Peter began having a coughing fit. "To murder her? What? Why?"

     "We don't know why exactly, but they're not Voldemort's orders. They're doing this on their own." Remus sat next to Catherine. "Rosier will be sending a poison this week."

     "He's probably sending something foreign and full of dark magic," Catherine murmured with a horrified expression. "That way Pomfrey won't be able to help her. And they wouldn't be able to fool Dumbledore with regular poison, but if it's unknown to him then..."

     Everyone's face filled with horror, all except one. They all turned to look at Alexis, whose expression grew darker by the second. "She won't get to me. Not if I get to her first."

     "Are we going to kill her?" Sirius didn't look the least bit outraged by the idea.

     "Maybe we should tell Dumbledore now?" Catherine whispered with unease.

     "Not kill her, no. But she'll wish we did." She muttered that last part before turning to Remus. "We poison her. I don't know with what but I'll figure it out. I'm sure Slughorn knows a thing or two. I want her insides to burn. We'll use Veritaserum to make her tell us everything. And then," she turned to Catherine with an overly sweet smile, "we tell Dumbledore."

     "I'm in," Ivy said in a heartbeat, immediately backed up by Sirius and Peter.

     Remus ran his hands through his face with frustration. This had to be the most illegal thing he'd ever partaken in, not to mention they were once again messing with dangerous Death Eaters. He was extremely reluctant and almost refused to be a part of it all, but his mind began bringing back memories, almost as if he was trying to convince himself to help his friend. The first proper conversation he had with Alexis played in his mind, his insides stirring at the memory of how the girl greeted him with the sweetest of smiles even after she discovered he had lycanthropy. And nothing compared to how he felt when he remembered back when the girl first gave him the life-changing ointment he now used regularly. His heart ached at the thought of anything happening to her, one of his dearest friends. "Let's do it then."

     James took a deep breath and stood up. "I need to go de-stress."

     "Where are you going?"

     "To demolish our dorm."

     Alexis ran to the library after receiving an owl from Remus telling her to meet him there immediately. It was dinner time already, which meant she'd miss going to the Great Hall for the third night in a row, but seeing as she was avoiding food anyway, accompanying her friend in the library didn't bother her at all.

     Remus sat in the middle of an empty library, his eyes going over William Shakespeare's words before he raised his gaze. "Listen carefully," he placed the book aside and motioned for her to sit down. "Just yesterday I was remembering the day we met. The day we properly met. It was during a prefects' meeting. I was really nervous but you were the nicest one of the lot." A warm smile appeared on his face as he relished in the memory, making her smile as well even though she was beyond confused as to where this was going. "I used to feel so ashamed about how I never really thanked you for the ointment back then. But by now I think you know that you've changed my life, Lexi. And I truly mean it when I say that out of all my friends, you're the one I prize the most."

     He slid a folded piece of parchment across the table. She opened it to reveal the words 'third floor' inked on it. "Someone's waiting for you there. I hope you paid attention." He gave her an encouraging smile before reaching for his book and burying himself in it once again.

     She chuckled, her mouth wide open, as she stood up slowly and made her way out. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, but if this wasn't one of the Marauders' practical pranks then she had an idea of who was behind it. She didn't hesitate as she ran to the third floor, going over Remus' words in her head.

     'You're the one I prize the most' echoed in her head as her eyes landed on the Trophy Room. She squealed excitedly and made her way inside the seemingly empty room. "Hello?"

     A loud thud came from behind one the shelves before Sirius appeared. "Lex! My Lex! Are you listening? Yes? Good, because you're like a sister to me, do you know that? And like any good siblings we've had some altercations, we've had some duels, and I will never publicly admit this, but you've got the best duelling skills I've ever seen. You could give Tom a run for his money, I'm sure. And I want to tell you, Alexis Gertrude, from the bottom of my heart, that it is the greatest honour to fight by your side. But I'll also tell you this, don't forget the place where you learned how to defend yourself." He threw a piece of parchment for her to catch before winking at her and walking out. The first floor was her new destination.

     She walked through the corridors thinking about Sirius' words as she peeked in every room. She walked past the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom absentmindedly but backtracked in her steps. The place where she learned how to defend herself.

     Ivy waited for her inside, swinging her legs as she sat on top of the Professor's desk. "Riddle! You're here! You know, you have to be the most interesting person I've ever had the honour of meeting. Everything changed the second you walked into my life and I thank you for that. You're a risk-taker, but a responsible one, that's why you earned the right to use this place." Ivy handed her a parchment with 'fifth floor' written in it.

     Alexis walked straight to the prefects’ bathroom with the broadest smile adorning her face. She was enjoying this little evening activity, after all, listening to all those amazing things her friends said really did warm her heart.

     Catherine was taking a bubble bath in the otherwise empty private bathroom as she motioned for the girl to come closer. "You're so selfless, do you know that? So caring and kind. You're the type of leader I'd follow to war. Even when things get really bad you're always standing strong, always looking after us. It's ironic, really, how it all began in a room."

     Alexis didn't need a note to know where to head to next. She gave Catherine a thumbs up before running out towards the seventh floor.

     Peter sat awkwardly in the middle of the Room of Requirement. The same room they had used for their duelling lessons. But his awkwardness left as he greeted the girl with a warm smile. "I've always said meeting you was one of the best things that have happened to me, Lex. Your kindness, your intelligence, your bravery. They have no match. It doesn't matter what we're up against, if I have you by my side, I feel fearless. And I guess I have to thank the stars for putting you in my life." He took her hand and placed a note in it before closing her hand around it. He sighed as they stared at each other and nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Hey, Lex," Peter blurted out once she was halfway out. "I love... having you as a friend."

     She giggled. "Me too, Pete. Me too." She closed the door behind her and took a shaky breath. James was the only person missing which meant he was waiting for her now, meaning she was minutes away from coming face to face with the boy who never ceased to amaze her. She opened the folded parchment with shaky hands. 'Tower.'

     Peter said he thanked the stars, and so did she once she began making her way to the Astronomy Tower.

     Her hands were incredibly sweaty as she made her way up the stairs. She felt an overpowering warmth growing in her chest, a sensation she had never experienced before. For a reason unknown to her, her legs felt like they were going to give out at any given second and so did her lungs, forcing her breathing to become unsteady.

     She couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips as she took in her surroundings. Candles and red petals adorned the Astronomy Tower, which looked even more magnificent as the moon and the stars shone upon it. But no view was as beautiful as the boy standing in the middle of the room. Alexis could proudly say that, for the first time in her life, someone had taken her breath away.

     He approached her with slow and confident steps but Alexis could see he was just as nervous as she was. Two people who had already shared many encounters before took shaky breaths and had trembling hands as they neared one another.

     "So this was your plan all along?" Alexis asked, unaware of the tears sliding down her face. It was all so beautiful, the feeling in her chest was becoming almost unbearable.

     "I remember the exact moment where our paths crossed. September 1st, 1976, Dumbledore's office." He took a sharp breath. "I remember the day I began to feel attracted to you. It was your first time going to Hogsmeade, remember? We went to every shop and we talked about Quidditch almost all day. And just like that, you pulled me in. It was so effortless, the way you made me long for you. The way you made me want you. I remember my first heartbreak, which surprisingly wasn't because of Lily, it was because of you. But let's not dwell on that, if anything, that day I realized how much you meant to me. I was an arse to you, but know that every second I was away from you was excruciatingly painful." His eyes watered slightly, making her heart beat almost painfully fast. "And I also remember the day I realized I was hopelessly in love with you. You were at the Malfoy Manor and I was so miserable, so worried. It was then that I realized nothing in this world mattered as much as you do."

He swallowed hard, gathering all of his courage to look her in the eye. "Because I'm in love with you. And it's absolutely f*****g terrifying but also the most beautiful f*****g thing I've ever experienced. You're the best— the best thing that has ever happened to me, Alexis, and I love you."

     They both had tears streaming down their faces, feeling just as defenceless and breathless as the other did. James knew better than to expect her to say those three words back, but when she pressed her lips against his with such fervor he felt like that was an answer in itself.

     Alexis gasped against his lips as a somewhat painful feeling spread through her body. It left her even weaker than before, forcing her to wrap her arms around his neck. Her entire body felt like it was on fire.

     It felt like electricity.