Tarnished and Hurt | James Potter [A Short Story]

Chapter 2

Everyone had a drill for every day.

A standard, typical way or pattern of doing things everyday. 

It was a habit — it was safe. Ophelia had one, too. But there was a new addition to it.

Theodore.

Ophelia went to Theodore's dormitory every Friday and Sunday. She gave up the one thing that she really wanted to keep for someone who truly loved her.

She told herself it was still okay, considering she loved Theodore. Did it really matter whether he loved her?

It was a normal day at Hogwarts — well, as normal as it could get for a girl that got bedded by Theodore Nott.

Anya and Ophelia were just in Transfiguration class, amusedly watching McGonagall scold the Marauders.

"Never in all of my years of teaching would I have expected four students to cause this much chaos," McGonagall said in disbelief, staring at the Gryffindor boys.

Remus Lupin bowed his head slightly to hide his smile that refused to go away. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were completely unashamed with their grins, and smiling like seeing Snape walk into Potions covered in dirt and plucking bits of moss out of his ears had been worth it.

Anya turned to Ophelia, "So what about you and Theodore?"

"What about us?" Ophelia stared back at Anya blankly.

"Are you two dating?" Anya pressed on, with a meaningful look.

Ophelia tried to smile, but she was sure looked utterly awkward, "Uh, no. We're not."

Anya laughed, "So it's just friends with benefits, then?"

Friends with benefits.

Ophelia laughed along with her best friend, but she couldn't ignore the twisted knot in her gut. 

━━━━━✁┈┈┈┈┈

Ophelia was just taking a walk around the castle with Anya, until she was stopped by a certain someone.

"Ophelia!" yelled a familiar voice.

She turned around to see Theodore. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach to see him and his perfect hair blowing lightly in the wind.

They had been 'friends with benefits' for a while now. All of Hogwarts seemed to know about it.

"Can you come over tonight?" Theodore asked.

"Tonight? But today's a Wednesday." Ophelia told him uncomfortably.

Wednesday was not part of the drill. They had only ever had sex on Friday and Sunday nights. It was normal. It was safe.

"I know. But that doesn't really matter. Are you going to come?" He tapped his foot impatiently.

Ophelia looked at the others around her. Everyone was watching them.

What would happen if she suddenly said no? She shouldn't care, but she was the only thing that kept the popular girls together. She was the one everyone admired. She was Theodore's sex buddy.

So, she quietly muttered out, "Of course."

Theodore shot her another smile, which made her heart skip a beat, "Thanks."

"Hey, Theo. This is the girl you've been fucking?"

Ophelia felt revolted. They hadn't asked if they were dating or together. They hadn't asked if she was his girlfriend.

"Yeah."

Theodore didn't say anything further.

"She's hot."

"You sure have good taste."

"Willing to share her, Theo?"

Hearing the last comment, Ophelia nearly snapped her neck to take a look at Theodore. He raised his perfectly arched eyebrows at her reaction.

One of Theodore's friends turned to Ophelia, "Well? You up for getting banged by me too?"

"No," mumbled Ophelia. She felt somewhat guilty and scared for saying no.

"Why not?" Another one of his friends asked. "Your clothes look slutty enough, why not be one yourself?"

Ophelia looked down at her outfit — a denim miniskirt with a black shirt tucked into it. She had gone on a shopping spree in the summer, and bought a lot of cute clothes.

Well, at least that's what she thought they were — cute. Not slutty.

She thought Theodore would defend her, but he didn't say word.

Ophelia began to feel conscious. She felt naked in the clothes she was wearing.

"So? Would you like to spend the night with me, then?" A boy his tapped his foot impatiently.

She stared at Theodore who wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all. Weren't boyfriends supposed to stick up for their girlfriends?

But then, she and Theodore were not in an actual relationship. They were just sex buddies.

The more that she kept him waiting, the stupider Ophelia felt.

She felt like a fool, standing their and staring at Theodore like an idiot.

She swallowed hard, and put a smile on her face, "Sure," she replied sweetly.

She was...the word hit her hard:

A slut.