A Broken Inheritance

Chapter 22: Misunderstandings

Riddle. Bloody Riddle.

Lost in his thoughts, he nearly collided with someone coming around the corner.

"Potter?"

The familiar voice made him freeze. His eyes flicked up, and there she was, standing just a few feet away, her expression a mixture of surprise and concern. Anastasia Gaunt, as poised as ever, though the faint crease in her brow betrayed her confusion.

James paused, the sight of her bringing a rush of conflicting emotions. The anger, the hurt, the unresolved tension from the night before—all of it converged in a single, overwhelming moment. Yet, despite the turmoil within him, he found himself incapable of facing her, of engaging in any conversation that might unravel the precarious control he had over his emotions.

With a coldness he didn't truly feel, he gave her the cold shoulder, brushing past her without a word, his actions a shield against the vulnerability that threatened to surface. The brief encounter, charged with a silent intensity, left an unspoken chasm between them, a divide that seemed to widen with each step he took away from her.

Anastasia, left standing in the corridor, watched him go, confusion flickering across her face.

He didn't stop. Didn't even glance back.

For a moment, she stood there, her lips parted as though she might say something else. But the words never came. Her expression hardened as she turned away, her steps measured and deliberate as she headed in the opposite direction.

James didn't stop walking until he was far enough away to be alone, leaning back against the cold stone wall as he raked a hand through his messy hair. His heart was pounding, his chest tight with emotions he couldn't even name.

He clenched his fists, trying to banish the image of her standing there, looking at him like that—like she cared. Like he wasn't the fool in this situation.

She doesn't need you, he reminded himself bitterly. She's made that perfectly clear.

But no matter how hard he tried, the weight in his chest refused to lift.

***

The rest of the day was spent avoiding her. Unfortunately for James, Slughron paired him with Anastasia in potions class. The tension between James and Anastasia was palpable from the moment Slughorn announced their pairing for the potions class. The air around them felt charged, the usual banter and camaraderie that characterised the classroom replaced by a cold silence that neither seemed willing to break.

James's focus was anything but on the potion at hand, his thoughts tumultuous and distracted by the events of the previous night. His agitation manifested physically when he carelessly cut himself with the knife while chopping ingredients, a sharp curse escaping him as he did.

"What's the matter with you, James?!" Anastasia whispered urgently, her concern breaking through the icy facade for a moment, only to be met with his bitter scoff.

"Sorry, not all of us had a lovely night. Enjoyed getting paraded around like a trophy by a complete psycho?" His words were laced with venom, a raw expression of the hurt and jealousy he felt.

Anastasia recoiled, the cruelty of his accusation cutting deeper than any blade. "You think I enjoyed myself?" she countered, her voice low and tight with emotion.

"It sure looked like it, to me, to everyone else. Saw it with my own two eyes— and spending the night with him? What's the matter with you?" James's anger spilled over, his words a reflection of his pain and confusion.

Anastasia took a step back, her expression one of shock and hurt, as if she'd been physically struck. The warmth that occasionally flickered between them, even in their most contentious moments, was extinguished, replaced by a coldness that mirrored the chill in her voice. "You need to grow up, Potter."