you said you were
afraid to lose me
and then you
faced your fears
and left
The first thought that crossed James' mind once he fully regained his conscience was fucking Peter. The mousy lad had clearly forgotten to close his drapes once again, causing the light to shine bright through the room that early Sunday morning. The second thought that crossed his mind was our dorm isn't completely white and we don't have that many beds.
The sudden recollection of what had happened before he passed out panicked him, making him sit upright and looked alarmingly at his surroundings, ashamed to admit he pondered if he was dead for a good six seconds.
"You're going to get all dizzy if you don't lay back down." A female voice startled him. For a second he believed the voice belonged to Alexis due to his still dazed state, causing a feeling of comfort and warmth to spread through his body. But even through his blurred vision he could see that the girl keeping him company wasn't his girlfriend. The blonde hair gave it away.
"Marion," he whispered somewhat disappointed. He couldn't quite tell how he felt at the moment given all his conflicted emotions. Marion was always a good sight to see, and the attention the girl frequently gave him certainly lifted his spirits, not to mention his ego. But it was at moments like this where his girlfriend's company was all he needed to make him feel better. Alexis not being there was deeply felt.
"You've been out for ages!" Exclaimed Marion, a little too loud considering they were in the Hospital Wing. "Pippy gave you a sleeping draught so you could get some good rest."
James began to stretch his muscles once his senses had fully recovered, only then noticing the chocolate in the bedside table. "Had some visitors?" He asked as he picked the chocolate he already knew Remus had left.
"Yes. Your friends." Marion nodded rather cheerfully. "Um—Peter? And—and the other two," she shrugged, clearly not remembering their names.
"Only them?" He asked pained, pathetically trying to not let Marion see how upset he was.
"Yes. I'd know if somebody else came, I haven't moved from here," she pointed at the chair positioned next to his bed. James gave her a grateful smile that caused her to giggle and run her hand through his disheveled hair. "Oh, Pippy told me to give you this when you woke up. And then you're good to go." She handed him a glass with a green and thick substance that made her gag just by looking at it.
"It's Poppy, dear," he chuckled and took the medicine from her hand, wincing at its smell.
Marion covered her nose and looked away. "Just drink it so we can get out of here. And please don't throw up."
James felt as good as new on his way to the Gryffindor Tower but that certainly didn't help him keep up with Marion's endless chatter. His ears were being filled with gossip he didn't care about, and it was only then that he realized Marion had no one else to talk to. She was confiding all of that to him because she had no proper friends, and as far as he was concerned, she never even tried to get any.
"Anyway, I told one of the House Elves to bring us breakfast here," she clapped excitedly and pointed at the generous amount of food waiting for them in the mostly empty, apart from some first years, common room. "Had to hex the little bugger though."
James looked absolutely mortified. "They're not supposed to be seen, Marion," he whispered. "He could've gotten in trouble."
"I believe what you're trying to say is thank you," she said through gritted teeth.
James was about to backtrack and apologize but got interrupted by a distressed McGonagall entering the common room. "Ms. Favreau? I need to have a word with you." Although Marion was clearly not even remotely close to being of Minerva's liking, the Professor still approached the girl with a mother-like concern. "You might want to sit down."
-
"Look at me! As pathetic as it gets!" Alexis kept aggressively stirring her scrambled eggs which were far past cold now as Ivy watched with an alarmed, and slightly scared, expression adorning her face as she watched her friend continue her assault on her breakfast. Alexis sighed and pushed her plate away with an evident frustration. She covered her face with her hands, looking more defeated than ever before. "I'm losing him, Ivs."
Nothing in the world could prepare Ivy for such a hectic morning, and furthermore, for the pain she would feel by seeing her friend in such a state. She prayed and hoped for any of their friends to show up, knowing that Alexis needed comforting words that she personally was never good at articulating. Her prayers were answered, for the most part, when Peter walked into the Great Hall. He frantically looked around and jogged towards the Slytherin table once he located them. Unfortunately, he didn't look like he was carrying good news.
"Have you heard?" An incredibly vague question that only made Alexis and Ivy even more anxious.
"No?" Alexis' eyebrows furrowed with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Peter didn't utter a word, instead he just slid the newest Prophet edition across the table. The title was written in big bold letters. Front and center. Five words that managed to knock the breath out of both girls.
FRENCH MINISTER OF MAGIC MURDERED
A tense silence surrounded the trio. No words were needed when they all knew they had the same question running through their heads.
Was it Tom?
Alexis turned her attention to the group of known Death Eaters sitting in the far right side of the table, and they all seemed to be having a rather cheerful morning. The usual grim group was all smiles and loud laughs which was never a good sign.
"You—do you think it was—you think it was him?" Ivy stumbled over her words, unsure of how to phrase it. 'Was it your brother who murdered a political figure?' didn't sound like a coherent thing to say at the moment.
Alexis' shaky hands gripped the newspaper before storming out of there, her body trembling as an excruciating worry overcame her. Had her brother murdered a political figure?
She needed to find Remus. She needed a clear mind, comforting words, and warm hugs. And considering the lycanthrope's absence in the Great Hall, Alexis' best bet was that he was still resting, worn down by the approaching full moon.
She didn't know what to expect when she walked into the Gryffindor common room, her emotions admittedly getting the best of her. She was a ticking bomb. But she was certainly not ready to see a sobbing Marion finding comfort in James' arms. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" The bomb exploded. Her outburst made the pair break apart but only slightly, causing her to physically, and rather aggressively, pull James away from Marion. Her shaky hands and erratic behavior let everybody know that she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown.
James pulled his arm from her grasp with such a force and anger, the outrage in his eyes could make one believe that Alexis was the villain of the story. "Have some fucking consideration, won't you?" He spat angrily. "After your brother killed her father that's the least you could do!"
Alexis took a step back. Never had James spoken to her in such a way. The fact they had no evidence her brother did it but automatically blamed him made her blood boil. For the first time in what felt like ages, she felt defensive over her brother. "You don't know if it was Tom."
"Oh, please!" weeped Marion, curled up in a ball in the couch with a tissue covering her nose. "I know you ordered your brother to do this!" Alexis gasped audibly, completely taken aback by the accusations. "James! James!" Marion stood up and pathetically held on to the boy for support. "Two—two days ago. On Fri—Friday, she threatened me!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Alexis, her lack of breath from crying so hard causing her to stutter. "She told me to watch my back because Voldemort was her brother!"
It hit Alexis like a pile of bricks. And as pathetic as the narrative that Marion was trying to push was, it was a smart one and it was working.
"Is it true?" asked James through gritted teeth. His face turning an unnatural shade of red that clearly reflected his anger.
Alexis could feel her chest tightening and her knees going weak. She had walked into the room with an imposing aura but had soon turned into a scolded puppy. "No," she frantically shook her head as her voice trembled.
James closed his eyes and took a deep breath in a frail attempt to calm himself down before pulling Alexis outside the Tower, after helping Marion back to the couch, of course. The deserted stairway was deemed appropriate by James to let out his frustrations. "What the fuck were you thinking?! I thought you were better than that! I though you were a good person!" Everything about the usually charming lad looking menacing. His bloodshot eyes and flared nostrils took away all the warmth his soft features usually provided. "Asking him to murder her father just because you're jealous?!" He whispered through gritted teeth, his hands balling into fists.
"I didn't do it!" Alexis cried hopelessly. Deep inside she was proud, and a little amazed, no tears had slipped despite her eyes flooding with them.
"Yesterday, Alexis!" He barked, "just yesterday you were telling me how much you dislike her! And then suddenly her dad gets murdered?!" He believed Marion. He believed every single word that came out of her mouth. And not a single one that came out of Alexis'. For James Potter, Alexis Riddle was the deceitful one. She was the liar.
"Fine," she whispered angrily, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Take her side. Believe every single lie she's feeding you. But this is absurd, James. You know me! I thought you'd have a little more faith in your girlfriend," it was hard for her to remain angry when she was indescribably disappointed.
"Ex girlfriend," he whispered pained. Alexis' body went numb to the point she has to remind herself to breathe. For the first time in her life, the heart she had just learned how to use ached like never before. "I'm done with this. I'm tired." He shook his head, using his sleeve to wipe the couple of fallen tears.
She wanted to cry, to scream, to make the pain pressing down on her chest stop. But it was too late, an all too familiar feeling was beginning to take over. Numbness.
"Is this really how it ends, James Potter?" Her voice was shaky, just as the rest of her body was, but there was a venom in it that made James shudder. And still no tears. "You made me fall in love for this? Just so you could dispose me like a piece of trash? You made me fall in love just so you could break my heart?" One tear, an angry one. "Because listen very well," she was seething, and it was undeniably an intimidating sight to see. "I can guarantee you this is the worst mistake you've made in your entire fucking life."
James kept a stoic expression and looked away, adamant on not making eye contact. But his eyes gave it away. Those beautiful hazel eyes were now dull. The glint she so hopelessly adored was all but gone. Gone. Just like every trace of love between the two.
It was an immature outburst, and she knew she was going to regret it later, but before she turned and walked away once and for all, she spat at him.
Her legs seemed to have a mind of their own as they carried her to the Owlery. Her mind knowing very well that she had to keep herself together and not break down just yet. She could feel the incoming panic attack but she had things she needed to do first. She sent her owl to deliver a torn piece of parchment with only three words written in it.
Was it you?
Her next stop was the Room of Requirement. A grim and dark Room with two leather sofas and an astounding fireplace. Tom's Room. A place that could only be found by the siblings thanks to Tom's incredibly precise instructions. Nothing could reflect the darkness inside quite like that place.
And then it happened. She came undone. Voldemort's little sister, a heir of Slytherin. Nothing but a sobbing mess in the corner of a dark room. Crying because of a boy. The irony was comical, really. The girl that couldn't love had her heart shattered to pieces because of it. It seemed like Love was her favorite poison, much like her mother's.
The day went by and no improvement was made. She was still drowning in an unbearable amount of emotions that were foreign to her. She had never felt so much at once, and she was sure it wasn't good for her soul, if she still had one.
She was preparing to spend the night there, knowing word of their breakup had already spread and not wanting to deal with it just yet. All the crying and panic attacks had worn her out, making it effortless to succumb to sleep. That was until a letter flew in through the fireplace.
'If you're referring to the murder of Claude Favreau like I assume, I can assure you that it wasn't me nor was I involved. The French have had quite some issues as of lately, and many deemed the man incompetent. I do not care about other countries' political climate.
I do, however, want to take the opportunity to tell you I am glad you have decided to write to me, despite how meaningless it may appear to you.
I have missed you terribly, sister.
A/N:
Here's a little bit of Marion through James' perspective.
Also PSA — We all know that Alexis is a badass and that's one of the reasons we love her, but let's not forget this is the first time she has experienced love, and all this emotions are new for her. They had fought before but that was before she truly loved him. She feels more strongly now
The thing is, she's madly in love with James and is absolutely heartbroken by what's happening. And she has every right to be. I mean, HE taught her how to love. And after all, she's only a teenager.
She WILL overcome this. She will get herself together and go back to being the empowering witch we all love. But let's give the girl some time to cry first.
Patience! She/Tom can't just kill Marion now because believe it or not this bitch has only been here for a week! (and two chapters lmao). We need her for the plot, and in all honesty, for the drama.
Alexis Riddle ain't no crybaby. But she's only human.
I hope you liked this! Please vote/comment if you did ❤️