Unrelenting Fate: A Marauders Era AU

Chapter 42

February 1978

Adelaide and James continued to meet up for tutoring, and in a couple of weeks, McGonagall was pleasantly surprised to see that the troublesome Marauder was improving with his studies.

Adelaide, for her part, enjoyed spending time with James and was disappointed to think that their work would end once Professor McGonagall was pleased enough with his Transfigurations.

She was sitting at the Ravenclaw table for lunch, pushing peas around her plate, thinking of the best way to show her feelings, when someone sat down heavily in front of her.

Glancing up absentmindedly, the strawberry-blonde barely held in a gasp of shock when she saw the perpetually messy black-haired boy with crooked glasses and a teasing smirk that now seemed shy for some reason.

"Hi, Adelaide," James Potter said, giving her a small wave.

If she had been drinking, he would have been wiping pumpkin juice off his handsome face.

"Uh, h-hi!" She blurted incoherently, looking around to see if he was sitting with anyone else, but found they were alone.

Well, except for Royan stuffing his face a couple of feet down from them. He didn't count.

"How are you?" James asked, awkwardly clearing his throat and fidgeting on the bench.

"Um, fine. Thanks," Adelaide was racking her brain for something intelligent to say.

"Good. That's good!" James replied, nodding and staring down at his plate of food.

"Did you do the homework for tomorrow?" "Yeah, Harthwood, that's totally a great conversation starter!" She thought to herself.

"I finished it earlier. Remus bugged me about it enough I figured might as well," James said, grinning at her.

"Good!"

******

Royan held in his laughter as he secretly watched the exchange happening between the two love birds.

"Poor, kids!" He thought.

 If Jaxson was here, he would have been rolling on the floor, probably in hysterics.

It was obvious that Potter was head-over-heels in love with Adelaide, and she clearly returned his feelings; they just needed to realize they felt the same way!

Until that day, Royan would enjoy every second of this awkward romance.

Taking a large bite of roast, the Head Boy went back to listening to the conversation going on down the table.

*******

"Did you finish the homework?" James asked, peeking up at the girl across from him.

She nodded and took a sip from her cup.

They sat in awkward silence for several seconds before James finally took a deep breath and asked the question that had been on his mind for days now.

"How are you and Blaze?"

Adelaide looked up at him with a startled expression on her face.

"What?" She sputtered.

"You and Blaze? How are things going with you two?" James pressed, confused by her reaction.

Adelaide didn't know what to say. Was he asking if they were dating still?

"Um, we're fine, I guess." She said with a shrug.

"That's good," James nodded, trying to hide the disappointment that now weighed him down. "I'm glad everything is fine."

"Yeah. It was a tad bit worrisome to think that he wouldn't want to still be friends, but Jaxson was really fantastic about it all!" Adelaide said with a smile, resting her chin on a propped-up hand.

"Well ... that's ... wait, what?" James was beyond confused now. What was she talking about?

"I mean, why can't two people remain friends? We still like each other, just not in the way we did before!" The strawberry-blonde said in exasperation, waving her free hand in the air.

James was staring at her with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

"Could she possibly mean?"

*******

Royan was almost sorry for Potter.

The look on the poor boy's face was priceless, and he was finding it extremely difficult to hold in his laughter at this point.

He guessed that Adelaide had broken the news to him that she and Jaxson were no longer an item.

Taking a bite of the mashed potatoes on his plate, he leaned slightly to the right for a better listening vantage.

******

"Hold on a bloody second!" James shouted, drawing attention from several nearby students and a very amused Royan.

Lowering his voice and ducking his head as he felt his face heat up, he said in a softer tone, "Are you saying that you and Blaze aren't together anymore?"

Adelaide arched a brow at his question. Apparently, everyone except for James knew that she and Jaxson had agreed to stop dating.

"Yeah -"

"WAIT!" James was dumbfounded. "How long ago was this?"

"Around the first week of the new year."

Adelaide watched as different emotions played across James's face before he finally settled on annoyance.

"Who else knows?"

"Everyone, I guess."

The bespectacled Gryffindor commenced to let loose a string of foul language that would have put any sailor to shame; even her brothers would be impressed.

James huffed in frustration and slumped down on the bench, glaring at his food.

"What has the roast ever done to you?" Adelaide chuckled.

"Huh?"

"You are burning a hole in the roast with your glare!" The Ravenclaw said with a pointed look.

"Oh," James glanced down sheepishly.

Adelaide laughed and shook her head, causing a couple of strands to fall from the loose braid she wore.

A small smile made its way onto James's lips as he watched her laugh.

She was so beautiful, and he adored her so much that it hurt, and if he could be the one to make her laugh and smile, then that was all he wanted in life.

And maybe now he had that chance.

This was it! He was going to do it!

James stood up so quickly that he knocked over a glass of pumpkin juice on himself but ignore the mess before he chickened out.

"Adelaide!" He yelled.

The poor girl was baffled as she stared at him in shock. "James?" She gasped.

"Will you go out with me?" James Potter all but shouted in her face.

Every single person in the Great Hall held their breath as they waited for an answer.

Adelaide wasn't sure what she wanted to do more. Strangled James, or jump up and kiss him!

So she settled on a simple stunned expression and a slow nod of the head.

"S-sure." She muttered quietly, feeling her cheeks flush.

"I'll take, sure!" James beamed, giddy that after months of pining and jealous feelings weren't for nothing!

******

Royan choked on his pudding.

"Well damn!" He sputtered.