RUN - James Potter

Chapter 23

Shaking her head slightly, in hope that the memory of James reading wouldn't be ingrained in her mind. She was wrong. Antonella slowly made her way to the kitchen, locating the glass jar of hot chocolate mix by the small pink nail-polish mark on the glass lid. Without asking, she fixed herself and James a cup of hot chocolate. 

Sliding the mug towards James, she stayed standing on the opposite side of the kitchen counter, holding her mug in her hands. The hot chocolate burnt her hands, but Antonella has never been afraid of the heat. Her gaze stayed on James, as he slowly placed down the paper and took a sip from his hot chocolate slowly, as if she had poisoned it.

Maybe she should have.

'Did you actually add hot water to the hot chocolate?', he asked as his nose crinkled, 'Did you only add water?'

A grin formed on Antonella's lip, 'There is some milk', she replied as a matter-of fact.

She watched him take another sip: his eyes squinted shut, a small gagging noise left his lips as his lips curled into a frown. James placed the mug back onto the counter, and he didn't even need to make direct eye contact for Antonella to know, he absolutely hated the hot chocolate.

'Not to say there is something massively fucked up about you', James begun, his voice still hoarse from earlier, 'But how do you mess up a hot chocolate?'

A small giggle left through Antonella's lips, and for the first time in the past hour. She enjoyed her company. Placing the mug onto the table, she leaned across the counter to pick up James' mug and she moved towards the sink to empty it.

With her back to him, she spoke her mind freely, 'It's rather rude to complain about a drink someone has made you.'

A cough came from James as she emptied the mug, 'You couldn't even drink that. That was pure evil in a mug, never took you as a murderer, Ella.'

Frozen in her spot, the mug fell from her hands into the sink. She was long used to the many nicknames he had given her over the years, but there was something gold about the way he said 'Ella'. She hated the way her heart jumped outside of her skin, this new development towards James was going to be the death of her, and Antonella knew exactly that.

Picking up the mug, she continued to wash it as she spoke, 'Would you like me to make you another hot chocolate?'.

Her voice carried weight, it was earnest in all the ways it shouldn't be. Antonella threw her head over her shoulders to see James' grin turn grim at the though of having to stomach another hot chocolate by Antonella. 

'I expected better from a daughter of a Fortescue', he muttered as Antonella let loose another laugh as she put away the mug and turning to face him once more, 'Makes a piss-poor hot chocolate and incompetent at potio-'

Without thinking, Antonella leaned over the counter to push him, lightly. She wanted to shrivel up within herself as she just realised that she had just playfully pushed James, the very thought made her gag.

She picked up her now warm hot chocolate and drank it fervently as James watched in horror. Unlike James who was probably raised on premium Belgium chocolate, her father didn't believe in wasting money when hot water, a dash of milk and milo was the perfect combination to make a hot chocolate. To her, anything else was revolting. 

Her mug remained in her hand as she smiled at James, 'I expected better manners from a Potter, didn't your mother write a book about morning etiquette?'

The question made James blink twice, 'My mother wrote no such thing-'

'Maybe she should have.'

The atmosphere grew tense. Normality resumed.