The most craziest place in Hogwarts by far has to be the Great Hall, you can barely do anything and keep track of it. Much less speak to someone and hear their reply. So when my friend sprouted out the most unexplainable sentence I've ever heard, I was certain I'd heard it wrong.
"You WHAT?" I yelled incredulously over the chatter around us.
Cowering, Amelia spoke loudly enough for me to hear, albeit quite reticently all the same. "I might've spiked Potter's drink to, make him like you, with a love potion, y'know."
"Of course I know what a love potion is Amelia." I snapped, frustrated by her incomprehensible actions. "I'm just wondering why you would do it to that prat."
"It's for your sake ok?" Amelia explained.
"Why would I want Potter to like me?" I asked exasperatedly.
"You know you love him right?" Amelia said smirking. "You just never had the wits to ask him. So I just gave him a push."
I blushed profusely before retorting, "It doesn't matter, it's wrong to potion someone. And it's not that I don't have the wits to do it, it's because I know I'd get denied, he already likes Evans."
"But you agree that you like Potter?" Amelia prodded.
"No, I think it's a load of rubbish anyways, just my wishful thinking." I responded, covering my head and slumping on the table.
From my peripheral vision, I could see Amelia shaking her head, her lips forming the words denial. When I saw that, I groaned and faced down on the table.
"Look, I don't even know if it worked or not ok? The potion I used might be complete rubbish-" Amelia started but was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
"Bones! What did you do?" Black roared. He was staring at Amelia with a hint of amusement.
"Nothing." Amelia said innocently. I glanced between Black and Amelia in confusion.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" I demanded, peering at my fellow Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor. They've never talked at all and here they were acting like best mates. "If I remember correctly, neither of you ever have even spoken to each other, why start now?"
"Well because we're playing matchmaker." Amelia stated in a teasing tone.
I gazed at Black and he nodded in confirmation. "James has been after Evans for almost all of his Hogwarts years, and Evans is already dating someone who likes her back."
"Hold up, who's she dating, how come Potter doesn't know that, and how do you know?" I queried suspiciously.
"She's dating Snivellus, it's secret and they don't want an outrage for the obvious reason of Gryffindors hate Slytherins so James doesn't know, and I have my ways of figuring things out." Black answered patiently.
"So all you nutters are doing is just giving Potter a 'push', which is actually a love potion? And I'm the victim." Both of them nodded their heads.
"Great, just bloody great." I muttered dryly. "What are you pricks gonna do once your supply of potions are gone?"
"We're hoping that Potter will develop feelings for you through the potions." Amelia said confidently. "Also, Remus and Peter are in on this."
Before she could continue explaining the details to me, Black got called back to the Gryffindor table by Lupin. I took this opportunity to bump my head onto the table at how impossible and luck-based Black and Amelia's plans were.
"I thought you'd like this plan. You'd get Potter and save him from some terrible heartbreak. I mean, having Evans, his crush for years, being taken by him from his arch nemesis would've felt horrible." Amelia gazed into my eyes curiously and I raised my head to look at her.
"I don't want him to love me because of a stupid, bloody potion. Merlin, I'm not that desperate to magic him into liking me. I want him to like me for me."
Amelia nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry, he will. I know he will." She smiled a fleeting, cryptic grin before returning to her meal that she had discarded at the start of this conversation and unbelievable plan.
I promised to myself that I wouldn't like it. I wouldn't take this to my advantage, no, I wasn't going to take any action just because of my feelings.
"I won't like it." I murmured, staring at my now unappetizing food. "I won't."
=====
Merlin, I was liking it. It had been about a week, and Potter would not leave my side. In fact he refused to. It wasn't noticeable at first, just simple smiles and grins. Granted they were dreamy grins, but I didn't dawdle so much on them. I responded politely with a small, half hearted smile of my own, much to the pleasure of the other marauders and Amelia, and she would then send me a smirk.
But then, it turned to long conversations, in which every time we passed, we'd talk about random things. Then hugs were exchanged and cuddling. I was afraid to get any farther and drew the line there, not allowing anything else.
It would hurt once the plan goes wrong and the whole thing fails, because a love potion couldn't make love. Nor can it make feelings of love.
I felt a hand stop my procession towards my common room and arms wrap around my waist, and judging by the butterflies in my stomach, I could make a pretty good guess of who it was.
"James what are you doing?" I asked, grinning as I turned around to face the ravenette. My heart was beating from the close proximity, and I suddenly felt conflicted. It was wrong to do this when James had no feelings for me, but it felt so right in my heart.
"Hugging my girlfriend." He replied nonchalantly, nuzzling his head into my hair.
I frowned, "James I'm not your girlfriend." I said, feeling piqued.
"But you're my friend and you are a girl. So that makes you my girlfriend." James remarked easily.
I rolled my eyes before turning around. "You know, I would like it if you'd stop clinging on me, it's just a tiny bit annoying." I quipped wryly.
James rolled his eyes and responded by grabbing my hand and clutching onto it tightly. "Where are you going anyways?"
"To my common room."
"Can I escort you there?" James peered at me coyly.
I sighed and nodded before James shouted happily and voraciously walked the way to Hufflepuff's Common Room.
"Merlin, James you didn't have to yell. I'm going to be deaf if you keep it up." I criticized, glaring playfully at him.
James shrugged his shoulders and walked me down the hall as if it was the best thing he'd ever experienced. I hastened my pace to keep up with him and he slowed down before smiling at me.
"So, there's a quidditch match coming up." James casually stated while I groaned.
"Yes, I know, Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor."
"Yeah." James replied, hesitating with his next words. He tousled his hair, a tell-tale sign that he's nervous or self-conscious.
"And you're wondering who I'm supporting aren't you?" I asked. "Well my answer is Hufflepuff."
"But I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team." James whined.
"Tough luck James. Hufflepuff is my house and I'll support it all the way through." I retorted, smiling at him.
"Why?" James groaned, feigning lament. "Can't you just wear a bit of red? For me?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I'm staying true to my team."
"Please." James moaned, stretching the word out for as long as he could.
When James wouldn't back down, I finally gave in. "Ok, ok. I'll support Gryffindor too." I grumped, sighing in defeat.
"Yay!" James yelled like a little kid getting a surprise present.
"Blimey, are you out to make me deaf?" I snapped irritably.
"Of course not." James replied innocently.
I spotted a wall of barrels and immediately ran up to the middle barrel before crouching down and tapping 'Helga Hufflepuff' on one of them.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." James asked, hugging me around the waist.
"Yep. See you tomorrow Potter." I recoiled from him and waved before stepping into the tunnel towards the Hufflepuff Common Room.
=====
I came into the Great Hall and ran to the Hufflepuff table before squeezing next to Amelia with a suspicious look on my face.
She glanced at me and sent me a curious expression before turning to face me and said, "What?"
"Amelia, it's been a month. There's no way you nutters stole so many love potions that it'd last this long. Or stolen that many ingredients so spill."
"Actually, we're on our last potion." Amelia said, looking at me intently as if she was afraid I'd break. "It's scheduled to end at noon. I was going to tell you right now but you figured out on your own." She looked at me sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked, surprised.
"I didn't know the potion count until Sirius told me. He's the one who spikes James' drink in order for him to digest the potion and keep the effects going. If anything your should blame that him." Amelia exclaimed.
"Bloody, well at least I have a few hours to steel for rejection." Amelia stiffened and seemed to want to tell me something, but didn't. I just brushed it off and got up from my seat. "Come on. Class is about to start."
The hours ticked by quickly and soon, it was noon. I entered the Great Hall with Amelia and we took our seats in the Hufflepuff table.
Everyone was chatting amongst themselves, waiting for the food to appear before a voice cut across the other noises, speaking my name.
I looked to the direction of the sound when my eyes widened, pinpointing James Potter, standing up from the Gryffindor table, staring straight at me with a smirk. "Will you go out to Hogsmeade with me?"
Everyone's eyes incredulously turned to me, awaiting for my reply. I froze from shock. Glancing subtly at Amelia's watch, I saw it was five minutes past noontime. I was stuck in my seat and couldn't even comprehend what was happening and how it was possible.
Amelia peered at me, trying to will me to speak, but I couldn't move my lips to form coherent sentences.
Miraculously, I still held the ability walk, and with a still incredulous expression, I walked over to James, pulled him out of his seat, and out of the Great Hall, closing the door in the process. Finally out of prying eyes, I stared at James curiously while he smirked, completely self-assured.
"What the hell was that Potter?" I asked, finally able to speak.
"My name is James you know." He responded, still with an infuriating smirk on. "And I just asked you out on a date."
"Why?"
"Because I like you." James' expression finally turned serious and he stared at me with convincing love.
"No, you like Evans." I said in an obvious tone. "If you didn't, then you wouldn't have tried to chase her for six years."
"I thought you were out of my league." James admitted. "That's why I went for Evans, because you never seemed to be interested in me. But I've never loved Evans." He smiled at me, before saying, "I loved you."
My cheeks flushed red and I froze, not knowing what to do. "So what do you say? Hogsmeade next week?"
"I'd love to." I said, smiling back. "And James." Pause. "I like you too."