james potter couldn't be more intrigued by the somewhat mysterious ravenclaw, belle clement. the problem is, he can only find her holed up in the hogwarts kitchen at three am and no one seems to know who she is.
belle clement is content with being u...
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Belle Clement rubbed her tired eyes as she rose from her dorm room bed. In the bed to her right, laid her best friend Ana Thomas, snoring loudly, her other roommates quietly asleep. The time was three am, meaning the school of witchcraft and wizardry was still fast asleep.
She exited the dorm bathroom and pulled on her chilled Ravenclaw uniform, shivering when the crisp cloth made contact with her smooth skin. Her creased Mary Janes slipped on with ease as she grabbed her satchel and quietly exited the dorm.
Gliding through the Ravenclaw common room and down the winding stairs of Ravenclaw tower, Belle scanned the hallway for any lingering personnel. When she saw none, she slipped into the hallway and started the short trek to the kitchens.
She soon arrived at the disguised kitchen entrance, admiring the carefully painted fruit like she did every time she approached it. She reached forward, tickling the large pear for entry, causing the door to swing open without hesitation. The familiar smell of Hogwarts breakfast filled her nose as she watched the bustling house elves hurriedly prepare it.
She sat down at one of the stools by one of the large ovens, letting its heat caress the small pockets of bare skin that her uniform didn't cover. Without a word, Hokey, one of the house elves, placed a fresh cup of chai tea on the table in front of Belle, before scurrying back to her cooking duties. It was quite clear that Belle had visited the kitchens often.
Belle lifted the steaming cup of tea to her chilled nose, breathing in the familiar scent before bringing it to her lips, feeling the hot tea fall down her throat, leaving a trail of soothing heat in its path. Placing the cup down, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a book.
The book was old and black leathered, years of heavy use left it nearly falling apart. Belle returned the folded corner of the page she left off on back to its straight nature, smoothing her fingers over the crease a few times before finally turning her attention the printed words.
Her mind was moments away from loosing itself in the pages of the book when the kitchen entrance swung open harshly. Before she had time to blink, a very intoxicated James Potter stumbled into her line of sight. His Gryffindor tie hung loose around his neck and his shiny brown hair was a disaster.
Trying to ignore the drunken boy in the hopes that he would simply not notice her was a bust as James immediately headed in her direction. Cursing under her breath, she kept her head lowered into her book, trying to prevent her eyes from glancing in his direction.
"You're not a house elf," James stated when he reached Belle, his thick eyebrows pulling together in confusion.
"No, I am not," She responded quietly, eyes still frozen on the tattered book in her hands. She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her face as he grabbed a stool and pulled it next to her, pulling himself sloppily on top of it.
"Well, who are you then?" He slurred, leaning towards her.
Belle sighed and slowly peeled her eyes from the page, looking towards the smell of stale fire whiskey. His hazel eyes staring curiously down at her, awaiting an answer.
"Belle Clement," She replied, pulling her eyes away and closing her book, slipping it into her satchel.
"Belle Clement," He repeated with his eyebrows returning to the confused scrunch from moments before. Belle could practically see the gears turning in his head. "Are you a fifth year?"
"Sixth," She corrected while slinging her satchel over her shoulder and standing up, having wasted too much valuable reading time already. Belle barely took one step before a hand grasped hers.
"Where are you going, Belle Clement?" James asked, the same confused expression remaining on his face. "We aren't finished."
An amused smile fell upon her lips at the use of her full name. She softly pulled her hand out of his, "To class." She responded.
Belle glided towards the entrance at a quickened pace, trying to leave before James had time to think about her answer. She had one foot out the door before she heard his voice one last time.
