Little Riddle | James Potter

Thirty

STAGE 6 -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Acceptance of the truth or existence of something.

     The Volkov family had been murdered. Any trace of the entire family had been wiped out from the earth. The news came as a shock to most, while a selected few knew the real reason behind the murders. Lord Voldemort wouldn't aniquílate a respected pureblood family just because. 

     But sadly the news of the horrific events was soon forgotten as the students became more concerned about the holiday that was upon them. Valentine's Day was just around the corner, and it conveniently landed on a Saturday, which coincided with their Hogsmeade visit. Madam Puddifoot's was surely going to be a nightmare for the day. And much to Sirius and Peter's amusement, James and Remus were now partaking in the silly activities. Their little brainstorm of ideas for dates only led to an argument over who was doing what.

     "Potter." Frank knocked on their dorm's door before letting himself in. "Dumbledore wants to see you. His office." And just like that, he left as fast as he'd walked in.

     "The Headmaster wants to see you at 9 p.m. on a Friday?" Remus frowned, resting on the comfort of his bed. "What did you do?"

     "Nothing? I think? At least not that I remember." He shrugged nonchalantly as he groaned and complained, making his way out of his comfortable and warm bed.

    "Are you two having an affair?" Sirius chimed in from somewhere on the floor.

    "Yes, Sirius. Dumbledore and I have been getting it on for some time now," James deadpanned, already halfway out the door.

     "I knew it!"

     James was absolutely clueless as to why the Headmaster would require his presence but he wasn't concerned about it either. Whatever they said he did, he didn't do it. That was the Marauders' motto. However, he became much more puzzled when an anxious-looking Alexis paced right outside the gargoyle.

     She looked equally confused to see him there. "You too? What did you do? What did we do?" She tugged at her earlobe nervously.

     "Nothing, I reckon." James chuckled, lifting a shoulder in a half shrug. "That we're being framed is a different story." Alexis' expression of sheer panic made James snort. "I'm only joking, Lex. I'm sure it's not that bad."

     "Not that bad?"

     "You know what I mean." He smirked down at her, pulling her closer to kiss her temple.

     McGonagall cleared her throat behind them, startling the couple. "Sherbet Lemon."

     "Sherbet lemon to you too, Professor." James gave the older witch a goofy smile. Minerva tried to keep a stern expression but Alexis swore she saw an amused grin on her face.

     The three of them stepped into the stairs once the gargoyle ascended. An awkward silence took over the cramped space. "So," James swayed on his feet with his hands behind his back. "How's the litter box?" He asked the Professor, referring to her animagus form. Alexis felt an overwhelming urge to facepalm and smack James' head while she was at it.

     "Shut it, Potter." It was almost impossible for McGonagall to be stern with James, that much was obvious to Alexis.

     "Absolutely." James nodded just as they arrived. The Headmaster was already waiting for them, looking quite pleased with himself, maybe a little excited even, as he led them inside. McGonagall took a deep sigh and followed behind, clearly hesitant about whatever Dumbledore had planned.

     "I've been thinking about your situation, Ms Riddle." Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk and motioned the students to do so as well while Minerva stood by his side. "In light of recent events, and for what's yet to come, I think this is the right time to do this. To hopefully help you get some closure."

     James turned to look from Alexis, who had a slight hint of confusion on her face, to Dumbledore, who was still looking quite pleased with himself. He was about to subtly question the Headmaster's sanity when the old man spoke up again. "I've arranged a trip to Little Hangleton."

     Alexis gasped loudly, startling James. "I— I'm going to— I'm visiting Little Hangleton?"

     "Where's Little Hangleton?" James whisper-shouted at McGonagall. The Transfiguration Professor arched an eyebrow and gave him a thin smile. "Next to Great Hangleton."

     James snorted. "I walked right into that one." He gave his favourite Professor an amused smile.

     "You will be leaving tomorrow morning and will return before Sunday evening," Dumbledore instructed but was interrupted by James obnoxiously clearing his throat. "I called Mr Potter here because I thought he'd like to accompany you on this brief trip."

     "Wicked!"

     "As I was saying," Dumbledore side-eyed James, "you will be travelling by Floo powder and arriving at a small inn just outside town. You'll be able to visit your families' homes and stop by your father's gravestone if you wish."

     James sank into his chair when the realization of why they were visiting the small town hit him. "Will we be sleeping at the inn?"

     "Well, that's another detail. Yes, you'll be able to spend the night at the inn." Dumbledore rummaged through his belongings before pulling out a key. "But you'll also be able to spend the night at the Riddle mansion if you please."

     "Now," Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "We rarely allow students to leave the grounds, so I expect you two will be on your best behaviour. I don't want to hear you caused any disturbances." Her gaze landed on James, who did little to reassure the Professor by giving her a sheepish smile. "Can either one of you cast a corporeal Patronus?"

     Alexis lowered her head ashamed but it went unnoticed as James raised his hand enthusiastically. "I can!"

     "If you ever find yourself in danger," Minerva's voice had gone from stern to concerned, "you send us a Patronus immediately. They travel faster than owls. Also if you see anything slightly suspicious, notify us immediately or head back to the inn as soon as you can."

     The student smiled warmly at McGonagall's evident concern. "Don't worry, Minnie. Any Death Eaters around and you'll be the first to know."

     "Go get ready now and meet us here tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock," Dumbledore instructed. James and Alexis took that as their cue to leave.

     "Just a small backpack will do, right? What if we get lost? What if the Gaunt house is cursed? What will the people of the town say when they see us?" Alexis rambled as her hands fidgeted nervously. 

     As soon as they stepped out of the Headmaster's office James had noticed how her nerves were consuming the poor girl. He reached for her hand, making them both halt in the middle of the deserted corridor, and pressed his lips against hers in a slow and sweet kiss. "It's going to be okay, love."

     They soon parted ways after a kiss goodnight, both nervous and excited about the day ahead. James was greeted by his three dorm-mates as soon as he walked into the room, all anxiously waiting to know what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into.

     "You can use the Quidditch pitch for your date tomorrow," James told Remus nonchalantly as he lay back on his bed. "I'm taking Lex somewhere else. Somewhere much more meaningful and less romantic."

     Sirius yawned. "Where are you going?"

     "To her father's grave. No big deal."

     James and Alexis doubted Dumbledore had ever visited the inn he had sent them to. And if he did, then the old wizard probably wanted them dead. The place had an uncanny resemblance to a mixture of both the Leaky Cauldron and the Hog's Head Inn, but even more eerie and grim, if that was even possible. It was impossible to tell it was morning already because the place had all of its windows closed down, making the room look dark, and making the few men sitting around look much more menacing as they scowled and glared their way. James held Alexis protectively as they made their way out, en route to start their eventful day.

     Alexis had been dreading but somehow also looking forward to this day. Visiting the place where her mother had been abused for so many years and the mansion where her brother murdered her father wasn't daily occurrences. Her feelings towards this visit were as complicated as her feelings towards Tom and Merope themselves. Deep inside she knew she loved them, but there was no denying the bitterness she felt every now and then. Her entire life she'd had to face the consequences for their actions. Her entire life had been hell because both of them decided to make all the wrong choices. She didn't really blame them for acting the way they did given the circumstances, but she couldn't help but ponder, ’What if Merope had been less foolish? What if Tom had been less selfish? What if either one of them had been more thoughtful and considerate towards their children?’ They only left her with a lot of what-ifs and a huge bitterness.

     The cloudy skies suited them perfectly, although the couples who were actually celebrating Valentine's Day were probably not too thrilled about it. "Great Hangleton, 5 miles. Little Hangleton, 1 mile." James read the road sign ahead. Neither had uttered a word ever since they stepped out of the inn, settling for a silent walk instead. It pained James to not know how to handle the situation, he just knew this was no joking matter and he needed to be as supportive and mature as he could, which wasn't exactly something he was used to.

     One of the first buildings they saw as they entered the village happened to be a small cafe. "Come on, love. We could use some coffee." He pulled her into the cosy establishment, where an elderly lady smiled at them from behind the counter.

     "How can I help you, dears?" The small woman with short and greying hair approached them with a kind smile.

     "Two coffees, please." James returned the kind smile, making the woman nod politely before turning back. "Listen, Lex," he held her hand over the table. "We don't have to do this. We can just go back to Hogwarts if you want."

     "I got this, James. Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly, although James wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or convince herself. "Dumbledore's right. I need some kind of closure, you know?" Their waitress returned with two mugs of black coffee, placing the sugar and cream aside as James and Alexis gave her strained smiles, impatiently waiting for her to leave.

     "This is a really brave thing you're doing," he whispered as the elder lady began to walk away. "Just know that if you need a shoulder to cry on, I’ve heard mine's quite comfortable."

     Alexis snorted, a glint returning to her previously dead eyes. "Are you insinuating I'll be a crying mess today?"

     "I mean, you are quite the crier," he shrugged jokingly as he took a sip from his coffee, only to almost spit it out as he began giggling at the look on her face.

     "I am not a crier!" She watched agape as he continued laughing. "Shove it, Potter."

     Alexis was once again interrupted by the old lady who brought trays of food to their table. Food they hadn't asked for. "You two looked awfully tired. Figured some food would help. It's on the house, darlings." She smiled once again, only this time her gaze landed on Alexis, where it stayed for longer than she intended.

     "Thank you!" James was seemingly oblivious to the little stare down that took place right in front of him.

     "Do you think it's poisoned?" She whispered uneasily, side-eyeing the door the woman had just walked through.

     James dropped his fork. "Seriously? A nice old lady gives us free food and- okay, maybe it does look suspicious." He pushed his plate aside. "Or maybe we're just being paranoid. I mean, if she wanted to poison us, don't you think that if the coffee was poisoned then she wouldn't have bothered bringing us poisoned food as well?"

     "We've gone mental," he chuckled, placing some muggle money on the table before walking out behind Alexis.

     "So here's the asshole that left us."

     "Lovely way to call your father," James snickered. He couldn't deny how relieved he felt to see the girl in much better spirits, even though they were now standing over her father's gravestone.

     "Tom Riddle Sr," Alexis read the name written on the gravestone. She shoved her hands in her jeans' pockets and took a deep sigh, the wind gently disheveling her hair. "Do you think this man had any idea he created the biggest threat the Wizarding world has ever seen?"

     "You?" James joked, earning himself a shove from the girl. "Nah, I don't think he did. It'd be fun to tell him, though. 'Hey, remember the son you abandoned because you're a poor excuse of a man? Yeah, he's a psycho now. Mostly because you ruined his life by walking out on him, letting his mother die from terrible living conditions and left him to rot in an orphanage.' Asshole."

     Alexis chuckled as she shook her head. "Oh, father, father, father," she said in a singsong way before crouching down and running her fingers through the gravestone. "Why did you have to be so selfish?" She whispered with a pained expression. She straightened up, trying her best to hide her pain before turning to face James. "Where to next? We’ve got the Gaunt shack and the Riddle mansion on our tour."

     "Let's go to the shack, yeah?" He draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked out. "Then we'll go for some lunch and go take a look at the mansion. See if it's habitable."

     The Shrieking Shack looked glorious compared the old, putrid-smelling place in front of them. The infamous shack where her mother had once lived and suffered. Neither one of them had high expectations for the place and were still disappointed with how horrid looking it was. Even though Marvolo and Morfin were long gone the place still felt filled with negative energy. Tom had described Morfin as the closest thing to a neanderthal he had ever seen, and by the look of their surroundings, she believed him. The place was in complete shambles and now she knew who was responsible for such a mess.

     "This is where the last descendants of Slytherin lived." She picked up a dusty picture frame only to put it down with disgust. "Sad."

     "You'd think they lived like royalty." James looked up at the ceiling with a hint of disgust. "I thought the founders were rich."

     "They were. These ones were clearly bad handling money, though." She continued looking at family portraits in which her mother had been blatantly cut off.

     "Isn't it crazy, though? That you and Voldemort are the only descendants left?" He looked at her over his shoulder as they were both standing on different sides of the living room.

     "Yeah. Don't know if that's a good thing, though," she muttered, carefully inspecting the shelves. 

     "Why wouldn't it be?"

     "I mean, Salazar wasn't exactly the nicest chap now was he?" She opened a drawer filled with folded letters and ripped parchment.

     "Still, he was a powerful wizard. I think his bloodline should live on. With much less pretentious beliefs, of course." He reached for a book only to jump back when a spider crawled from behind it.

     Alexis turned to face him with an amused smirk. "What are you getting at, Potter?"

     "I think we should have tons of babies." He shrugged, blurting his sentence out as if it was the most common thing to say.

     "Don't you think we're a little too young?" Alexis turned back to hide the scarlet tint growing on her cheeks. She could feel her heart pounding on her entire body, and her hands now moved with shaky movements as they gathered pieces of a torn letter.

     "We can start after we graduate." He dusted off his hands on his pants, subtly wiping them as they got increasingly sweaty.

     "James," Alexis whispered, shocked.

     "We can also do it whenever you want to. That'd be fine, too," he rambled on, avoiding meeting her eyes.

     "James." She said louder this time. "I'd love to have babies with you. I don't care when. Now look at this." She held several pieces of torn parchment. The handwriting had been unrecognizable at first, but then she found a piece with 'Love, Merope' scribbled in it. "A letter from mum."

     "Let's save it and we'll put it together in Hogwarts, yeah?" He gave her a sympathetic smile. "We have to get going now."

     The Gaunt shack was a gruesome place that held nothing but bad memories, but Alexis was still upset about having to leave. She wished she would've found more than just a torn letter. She wished she could've done a deeper search and found something new about her family, but sadly her brother had beat her to it.

     After all, maybe closure wasn't coming to terms with the tragic life her mother had lived. Maybe closure was slamming the door shut so hard Marvolo heard her all the way in hell. Maybe closure was muttering, "f**k you, cunts" on her way out.

     "Well, this is... nice." James looked in awe at the luxurious surroundings. Saying the place was the polar opposite of the Gaunt shack was an understatement. The new owners had apparently prepared the mansion for their arrival as everything around them was clean and polished. "I reckon we should spend the night here."

     Alexis walked uneasily behind James, having a much harder time taking in her surroundings than him. "This is where he killed them," she muttered.

     "Oh, right." He winced. "Or maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we should head back to the inn." He turned to look at her, offering her an apologetic smile.

     "No, it's okay. We can stay here. Just give me a minute to get my s**t together." She shuddered, trying to shake away the feeling of dread creeping onto her.

     James placed a kiss on her temple. "Take your time, love."

     Alexis stared absentmindedly at the flames growing on the fireplace. Although the Riddle mansion was one of the fanciest residences she'd ever visited, second only to maybe the Malfoy's, the silence and emptiness around made the place feel even more frightening than the Gaunt shack. 

     James was taking a shower upstairs, leaving her all alone in the vast living room. She held on tightly to her blanket, her wet hair doing absolutely nothing to help the coldness in the room. She was in a trance-like state as she focused intently on the fire until a small noise startled her. She wanted to blame her imagination. She wanted to believe it was all in her head, all a hallucination. That her tiredness was getting the best of her. But when her eyes focused, her brother's head was still looking up at her from inside the fireplace, moving with the flames and wood around it. The initial shock didn't allow her to react, but even after her mind wrapped itself around the fact she was facing her brother she managed to remain calm and seemingly unbothered. She was too tired. She didn't have the energy now, not to hide, not to run away, not to make a scene.

     "Was it the old lady?" She whispered, hugging her legs closer to her body to give herself some warmth.

     "Yes. And she didn't poison your food, you moron." Tom chuckled. "I see that you've found our father's humble home." He sneered, his features looking even more sinister than usual.

     "Ironic, isn't it?" She asked bitterly. "We were rotting away in an orphanage while this guy was living here." She hated herself for entertaining him, but if she wanted the evening to have a peaceful ending she needed to play her cards right.

     "What are you doing there?" Tom asked with a harsh tone.

     "I don't know." She refused to look at him, opting to look down at her pyjama pants instead. "Needed some peace of mind, I guess."

     "And what is he doing there?" He muttered angrily.

     "Because I needed some company." She replied calmly. "And because I'm starting to have feelings for him."

     "That's pathetic!" Tom sneered, although Alexis could feel the uneasiness radiating off him. "That's not possible."

     She sighed and gave a half shrug. "That's what I thought as well. Guess I was wrong."

     "Give it a break, Alexis." Tom scolded her. "Are you even listening to all this nonsense you're saying? How many times has he put your life in danger over the last few months?"

     "None." She replied defiantly. "May I remind you that it was Bellatrix who cursed me and put me in the Hospital Wing for a week? That it was your Death Eaters who kidnapped me, used two unforgivables on me and tried to r**e me? And that it was Mildred who wanted to poison me?!"

     "None of that would've happened if you hadn't meddled on my business!" He barked back. "But now that you're hanging with some filthy Gryffindors you're feeling brave all of a sudden, huh? I knew I should've gotten rid of that Potter boy a long time ago. I guess it's not too late to do it now." He muttered darkly, making her heart drop to her stomach.

     "You wouldn't." She whispered, shaking her head with panic. "Tom, please. Just— let me have this, please," she pleaded, the desperation obvious in her voice. "I swear on Merlin's beard Tom, that if you kill him then I'll kill myself." She threatened, taking them both off guard. She didn't back down though, she continued staring him down as his breathing became ragged.

     He looked utterly appalled by her words. "Stay safe, kid," he whispered before disappearing, leaving her even more drained and tired than before.

     James hummed contently as he walked down the stairs, a wet towel draped over his shoulders as he ran his hands through his dishevelled wet hair. He saw Alexis sitting on the exact same spot she'd been in before he walked upstairs. "Everything alright, love?" James frowned slightly as he took in her distressed expression. He walked towards the dining room, placing the towel over a chair but never taking his eyes off her.

     "Tom gave us a little visit."

     James reached for his wand with one swift movement, frantically looking around. "Where is he?"

     "Gone," Alexis whispered. "Apparently he stopped by to check on me." She chuckled humorlessly.

     "How did he know we were here?" James frowned, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

     "The old lady." She smirked, making him chuckle. Alexis looked dispirited to say the least, and although James attributed it to her brother's sudden appearance, there was a different issue bothering her. "James," she cleared her throat as she fidgeted with her sleeves and looked down, clearly struggling to look him in the eye. "Don't you think this is dangerous? You being with me, I mean? You're putting yourself right on his radar. What if he hurts you?"

     James was definitely taken aback. Of course, he knew he'd have to deal with Tom Riddle much more closely if he dated his sister, not to mention it was extremely dangerous. But that wasn't nearly enough to scare him away. He had his mindset, he always stood for what he believed in, and fear wasn't going to stop him from loving her with every inch of his being.

     "Where's the sudden concern coming from?" He didn't look half as distressed or worried as Alexis did.

     Her hands were fidgety and her head lowered as she continued trying to avoid his eyes. "He doesn't really like us together."

     "Screw him." He blurted out, making her raise her head stunned. "What? Am I supposed to ask bloody Voldemort for permission to date his sister? f**k no! He can f**k right off." Now it was Alexis' turn to look taken aback by his angry outburst. "I swear I'll punch his bloody nose off even if it's the last thing I do, that wanker," he muttered heatedly before turning to glance at a very much amused Alexis. "Sorry," he gave her a sheepish smile.

     "It's alright," she chuckled. For some reason, she found his defensiveness heart-warming. She knew James loved her, but she'd always found it hard to understand why the boy was willing to risk it all for her. But then it hit her that she was willing to do the same. He sighed, breaking the silence that had taken over them. Alexis watched quietly as he stood up and reached for the guitar that had been placed next to the fireplace. He pulled a wooden stool from behind a nearby small table and positioned it in front of her, sitting down on it as he tuned the instrument.

     "There's this song. It's from the Beatles but before they were the Beatles. The Quarrymen, they were called," he explained as his eyes were set on the guitar on his lap and his hands continued running over the strings. "It was mum's favourite, I remember. Dad used to serenade her with it every time he'd have too much to drink." He chuckled, a sparkle glowing on his eye as he relished in the memory, but was still too shy to look her in the eye. "It goes a little like this." She took a deep breath and leaned back on the sofa, trying to regulate her breathing as her heart thumped with every strum of the guitar.

"In spite of all the danger

In spite of all that may be

I'll do anything for you

Anything you want me to

If you'll be true to me."

     Leave it to James Potter to have the voice of an angel on top of his many other redeeming qualities. Every time Alexis thought he couldn't be more beautiful or perfect, he'd managed to find a way to prove her wrong. And she loved every second of it.

"In spite of all the heartache

That you may cause me

I'll do anything for you 

Anything you want me to

If you'll be true to me."

     He finally gathered the courage to look her in the eye, and Alexis swore she was the luckiest girl in the entire universe.

"I'll look after you

Like I've never done before

I'll keep all the others

From knocking at your door.

In spite of all the danger

In spite of all that may be

I'll do anything for you

Anything you want me to

If you'll be true to me."

     Her eyes welled up with tears and her hands tightened into fists. She had never felt so heavy but so light at the same time. She had never felt so balanced, so complete. Her body trembled slightly as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks, making her heart beat a million times faster. "I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispered as a single tear ran down her face.

     The guitar slipped from James' grasp, landing noisily on the ground. He stared at her with wide, shiny eyes before his shaky hand reached for hers. He brought it to his lips, like he had done plenty of times before, and kissed it just as tenderly as ever. Their eyes not leaving each other for a mere second. Lost in their own connection. In their intimacy. In their own little world,they were just beginning to build.

     Love was a weakness. And Alexis Riddle was loving every second of her vulnerability.