Tarnished and Hurt | James Potter [A Short Story]

Chapter 5

It had been a week since the incident had happened.

Seven days had slowly ticked by since the incident that turned Ophelia's world upside down, revealing the heartbreaking truth that Theodore didn't love her—and, more devastatingly, that he never would.

She was left grappling with the raw, unfiltered pain of unrequited feelings and the dawning realization that the hopes she had harbored were just fantasies never to be fulfilled.

Every time she looked at Lily and Theodore, Ophelia found herself wrestling with a very, very uncomfortable emotion: jealousy.

It was directed towards Lily, someone whom, until recently, she had considered below her own social and intellectual standing. 

She'd always kind of looked down on Lily, she realised.

Yet, here she was, feeling petty and green-eyed, watching Theodore laugh and spend time with someone she'd barely given a second thought before.

This shift was not just unexpected—it was profoundly disorienting, challenging her self-image and the hierarchies she had accepted without question.

Every time she saw them together, chatting like old friends, it stung. It made her rethink all those times she'd brushed Lily off as unimportant. 

Each day, as she had witnessed their growing closeness, her jealousy burgeoned into a mix of resentment and self-doubt. It made her reassess her past attitudes and the loneliness that now enveloped her—a loneliness compounded by her realisation that her previous certainties about social order and personal value were built on shaky foundations. 

Now, she felt a mix of annoyance at herself and this weird loneliness that came from realising maybe she had been too quick to judge.

She questioned not just her judgment of others, but also the very standards by which she measured her own value.

"Hi,"

As she was walking to the next class, Ophelia looked up to see a boy—a really good-looking boy.

Standing tall with a bit of a lean, he had that effortlessly cool vibe about him. His messy black hair was practically its own entity, seeming to defy gravity, and his hazel eyes sparkled with mischief.

James Potter, she recognised him. He was a Gryffindor in her year. He was on the Quidditch team, just like Theodore.

"Hey," Ophelia replied back.

"Well, I was wondering if we could go out. This Sunday. On a date." James scratched his neck.

Sunday.

Sunday was the day that Ophelia was supposed to be with Theodore, warming his bed.

But Theodore had Lily now. He had no use for Ophelia, she realised bitterly.

Ophelia looked back up at James. He just wanted to have sex.

She nodded, "Sure,"

"Is six okay?" He asked, shooting her a small smile.

Ophelia's brow knitted in a frown. It seemed earlier than the typical time for guys to drop by, but she shrugged it off. She'd give him what he wanted.

"Yeah," She replied, "Six's okay."

"I'll come get you at your dorm at six, then. See you on Sunday," He shot her a wink, and walked off.

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