He wants to say I love you,
but keeps it to goodnight
because love will mean some falling
and she's afraid of heights.
Even though Alexis would be eternally grateful for the Potters' hospitality and kindness, she had been counting down the days to return to Hogwarts. And by the way the boys ran around excitedly, she could tell she wasn't the only one that considered Hogwarts to be much more than just a school. It was home.
Platform 9 3/4 was buzzing with teenagers who acted as if they had been separated from their friends for months rather than the actual two weeks they spent apart.
"Do you need any help, Alexis?" A blonde Hufflepuff boy approached her suddenly with a kind smile.
"Oh, no thanks. I got it." She lifted the small bag she had used for the trip instead of the usual trunk.
"Good to see you, Alexis!" A young Ravenclaw girl waved as she walked next to her. "Hope you had a nice holiday." A seventh year Gryffindor boy smiled and nodded her way. She reciprocated their gestures but quickened her pace, basically running into the first empty compartment she could find with the amused Marauders following behind. "What was that all about?"
"Alexis Riddle sent six Death Eaters to Azkaban." Remus took a seat next to the window and pulled out a book from his bag. "Quite the news, if you ask me."
"Wait, people know?" Her eyes widened as she looked at all of them with shock.
Sirius shrugged, took a seat next to the door and placed his feet on the empty seat beside him. "It was supposed to be a secret. So naturally everybody knows."
She groaned and sat in between Remus and Peter. "Just what I wanted."
Sirius smirked, "We all know you love the attention, Riddle. Stop trying to act like you don't."
"Says the guy who forced people to watch him perform for an hour straight. You're one to speak, Black."
"They watched me perform willingly." Sirius looked at her indignantly. Sirius turned to James, who was sitting next to him and across from Remus. "Tell her, Prongs."
James raised an eyebrow with a teasing smirk on his lips. "Your drunk ass was literally pulling people to the living room so they could watch you sing."
"Excuse me," A female voice interrupted them, making them all turn to look at the compartment door which was slightly opened as Catherine peaked in. "Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full. Even my friends' compartment."
Alexis pushed Peter aside and scooted over wanting to leave a space between herself and Remus, patting the place for Catherine to seat. Although the seat across from them, which was only occupied by James and Sirius, was much more spacious Catherine chose to sit next to Remus, much to everyone's delight.
"So," Sirius placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "How's your mum's rabbit?"
"He died."
"Oh."
≣
Remus shook his head, an annoyed look on his face, while James and Sirius whispered incessantly on his ears, making Alexis watch them suspiciously. She sat across from them at the Great Hall during their first dinner back, where Catherine and her had been invited by Sirius to sit on the Gryffindor table. Even though dragged there would be a more accurate description.
"What are you weasels up to?"
"Nothing." Sirius played with the food on his plate trying to look casual. "Why would you say we're up to something?"
"Because you're the least subtle person I know." Alexis shook her head. "Your 'I have a secret' vibe is literally visible from the moon. What is it?"
"We're not telling." Sirius gave his friends sly smiles.
"Fine, we don't want to know anyway." Catherine stuck her tongue out at him, before turning to Alexis with an irritated expression. "I can't eat in peace when Josh Davis is constantly looking this way."
Alexis' eyes met Josh's as soon as she looked up, making him look away quickly. "He's been staring for a good ten minutes." Catherine huffed annoyed.
"That's odd." Alexis frowned. Josh was now joking around with some fellow Ravenclaw boys, making Alexis realize that was the first she saw him with his friends. All the time they had spent together was all general talk and witty comments, she didn't really know much about the boy.
"Don't know what you see in him." Catherine served herself more potatoes, not noticing Alexis' confused frown. "An absolute ass, he is. I mean, he is Ravenclaw's popular and good looking guy, he's bound to be an ass. There's always at least three girls crying in the common room over him. Weekly."
Josh Davis looked like a nice guy, so everyone assumed he was a nice guy. It was clear Alexis wasn't the only one shocked to hear it was all an act, as frowns and shocked expressions adorned all of their faces at the sound of the news. All but James, who was the only one who remained unfazed. "I told you guys he was a dick."
They managed to avoid James 'I-told-you-so' speech thanks to Lily, who hesitantly sat next to them along with her friends. Alexis eyed Lily suspiciously, the outcome of over five years of rivalry, but for once Lily didn't seem prepotent or angry as she approached the girl. However, the tension around them was clear as day, with James avoiding meeting Lily's eye and the rest of them staring at each other with confusion and uneasiness on their faces.
"Hi, sorry to interrupt." Lily cleared her throat, her cheeks were tinted a light pink as she greeted them.
"Hi, Lily." Remus offered her a kind smile while everyone else remained silent, some only offering a small smile.
"I know this is odd, but —" Lily fidgeted nervously, trying to sit up straighter and look at Alexis in the eye. "— I came to apologize. For everything. We heard what you did and... that was very brave of you. I messed up, I know I was inexplicably rude to you, it was unnecessary and petty. I am truly sorry, Alexis."
Marlene hesitantly reached over and squeezed Alexis' hand. "We were too quick to judge you and it was truly unfair. We never considered how hard this was for you."
"If everything we've heard is true, then what you did was pretty badass, Riddle." Alexis tried not to giggle at the face Catherine made when she heard Dorcas' nasally voice.
"Anyway," Lily sighed, "we just wanted to come here to apologize and tell you we're glad you're okay." Lily finished, giving her a warm and sincere smile.
"Thanks, girls. I'm glad we can leave this animosity behind." Alexis smiled back at them. "It was getting old."
"We'll get going then." Lily stood up to leave, but froze for a second when her eyes landed on James, giving him a sad smile before walking away.
≣
Catherine was adamant on having Alexis spend the night with her at the Ravenclaw Tower for a 'much needed' girl time where they would most likely talk about James and Remus and do everything but braid each other's hair or have a pillow fight. They rushed down the dungeons first, getting all of Alexis' needs for the night and for their classes the next day before racing up to the Tower.
"Listen, I might be looking too much into it." Catherine said, slightly out of breath, as they both took quick steps on their way. "But I think Marlene fancies you."
Alexis halted and looked the Ravenclaw as if she was the most bizarre being. "Why would you say that?" She frowned as she continued walking.
"The girl was basically drooling earlier!" Catherine giggled amused. "I don't believe you didn't notice her biting her lip the whole time she was there! And the whole squeezing your hand thing? Yeah, there's something there."
Alexis shook her head with amusement and a smile playing on her lips, "You're out of your mind." She had never noticed Marlene acting particularly flirty towards her, but then again, she never payed much attention to those type of things. "Oh, we're here!" She squealed excited, earning herself a puzzled look from Catherine which she reciprocated with a roll of her eyes. "I've never had a girls night, that's it."
"What tastes better than it smells?" The bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle questioned them, making it the first time Alexis found herself pondering about the famous riddles to gain entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.
"A tongue." Catherine answered absentmindedly, stepping into the common room ahead of a disbelieving Alexis who muttered under her breath. "You didn't even stop to think about that one."
"That one was fairly easy, Alexis. You'd think with your name you'd be better at riddles." Catherine giggled as she pulled Alexis up the stairs, not letting the girl have a proper look at the blue and circular common room.
The dormitories for each House were all quite similar except for certain decorations here and there and of course, the colors that surrounded them. She thought the blue and bronze were a beautiful combination, so were Gryffindor's red and gold, but unfortunately for her green was one of her least favorite colors which happened to be the one that adorned almost the entirety the Slytherin's dungeons, Alexis saw three girls on the room, who she assumed were Catherine's dorm-mates. One of them was sprawled lazily in her bed as she flicked through a magazine while the other two were chatting excitedly on a bed.
"This is Ivy." Catherine introduced her to the blonde girl that was sprawled on her bed. Alexis knew who Ivy was, and knew the short-haired girl was mainly known around Hogwarts for one thing. Her bluntness. She was never afraid of an argument and never hesitated to speak her mind. The second most noticeable thing about Ivy was the red lipstick she always used, which contrasted beautifully to her pale skin and light features. Ivy nodded in Alexis' direction, simply acknowledging her presence, looking neither annoyed nor excited to see her. "And those two," Catherine turned to the girls who hadn't even bothered to notice them. "Irrelevant."
Alexis, Catherine and Ivy sat cross legged on Catherine's bed while she placed an Imperturbable charm around them. "Is that really necessary?" Alexis frowned.
"With those two gossip queens around? Absolutely."
Ivy looked at her nails uninterested, "Anything we talk about would be out first thing tomorrow morning if it's up to those two."
"That bad?"
"A bunch of drama queens AND dumber than a pile of unscented soaps." Ivy nodded, still looking around uninterested.
"Lovely."
"Poor Lily." Catherine sat back down with a frown, mindlessly interrupting Ivy and Alexis' uninteresting chat. "She began fancying James once he was over her."
"You think she really fancies him now?" Both girls nodded at Alexis, making her sigh. "I feel a bit guilty."
"Don't. It's not your fault you're prettier and more interesting than her." Ivy shrugged unamused while Catherine frowned, "Ivy, don't be rude."
Ivy completely ignored her as she kept her gaze on Alexis with a devilish grin appearing on her face. "I say you make Potter pay for what he did."
"Ivy." Catherine said in a scolding tone.
Ivy rolled her eyes and turned back to Alexis. "The whole school saw how much of an ass he was to you! He ridiculed you in front of everyone. And I bet it didn't feel good to see him parading Evans around."
Alexis frowned, "Make him pay?"
"Revenge, woman! You have to stop being so nice to these boys. It's okay to be a bitch sometimes, you know? You have to remind them you're not just some toy they can toss around."
"You're being a little too intense." Catherine said in a sing-song way.
Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"Put on some eyeliner and unbutton that shirt." Ivy smirked, leaning back on the bed. "Listen, you can't just jump right back into his arms. The fact that you're willing to give him a second chance is foolish enough." Alexis frowned and Catherine shook her head. "At least make him work for it." Ivy the Blunt had a point. She ran back to James with open arms and a quick "It's okay'', even thought she had certainly not been okay for weeks on end when the boy had decided to stop acknowledging her existence. It was not very Slytherin of her.
"What about Remus?" Alexis asked abruptly, hoping for a change of subject and making Catherine's cheeks heat up while Ivy chortled.
"They've been fancying each other for ages." Ivy nodded in Catherine's direction.
"By the time he decides to make a move I'll probably be married and have children already." Catherine sighed disappointed. "He gets really nervous when you're around." Alexis giggled, always amused by how out of it the most composed Marauder was around her.
"No, shit." Ivy rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Cat, out of all the hot guys who fancy you, you had to fancy Remus Lupin." She shook her head, making the two girls frown at her.
"Oh, hush! Don't make me remind you about your little crush on a certain Sirius Black back in fourth year!"Catherine didn't hesitate to throw a pillow on the blonde's direction.
Alexis watched amused as Ivy buried her face in a pillow and groaned. "That was two years ago! I was foolish back then!" She sat up straighter and fixed her shirt. "I'm a different woman now."
"A different woman who no longer fancies Sirius?"
"A different woman who thinks he's an insufferable toerag who can choke for all I care."
Catherine smirked with a glint in her eye. "If you say so."
≣
Peter tossed and turned in his bed, trying desperately to ignore his friends' conversation about girls, which he certainly didn't feel like joining.
"You have to make a move now, Moony. Or else you'll be crying when someone else does."
"Sod off." Remus groaned at Sirius and turned over, but unfortunately James' bed was on his other side, where the boy was looking at him with the same smirk Sirius had. "Don't look at me like that! Like you don't turn into the sappiest crybaby when Alexis is around."
Peter tensed, his breath catching on his throat at the mention of her name as he waited for James' response. All he heard was a giggle and a breathy, "I do." He swallowed hard, fidgeting with his covers before finding the courage to speak up. "Do you still fancy her, Prongs?" He felt silly even asking the question when he, and everyone else, already knew the answer to.
The boys turned to look at him startled, probably thinking he was already asleep. James frowned, sensing the hesitancy in Peter's voice. "I never stopped."
Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to go to sleep. It was not a good idea though, because all he could dream about was having Alexis laying by his side.
✘
A/N: I haven't posted since forever and I'm soooo sorry. I'll try to post tomorrow as well!!!!
This chapter was more of a filler chapter to introduce Ivy really, but i hope you liked it!
What do you think about Ivy? 👀
Please comment and vote! Thank you for all the feedback!