𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗|| James Potter

11.

Rhea finds speaking to James Potter calming. She doesn't remember someone making her laugh as much as he does either. Though she misses the way his smile grows whenever she giggles or smiles at something he's said.

The bitter feeling she had gotten in the owlery comes back when he starts telling her about his parents. It didn't last very long. Rhea thinks he looks much more at peace and self assured when he talks about them. Sometimes she catches the slight longing look in his eyes as he mentions home.

Rhea desperately wishes she had that feeling. The one of just wanting to be home. Craving the warmth and familiarity, to crave to feel truly safe and at home.

She can see why Sirius loved the Potter family (even James) by the way James speaks about them. It's so obvious that Fleamont and Euphemia Potter hold so much adoration for their son and he greatly returns it by the way he speaks about them.

Rhea tells him about her papa- completely ignoring the pity look he sent her when she mentioned he's dead. Rhea tells him about their shared love for art and fondness of horses, though mother and her sisters hated them.

Eventually parting with a promise of seeing each other tomorrow, Rhea heads back towards the dungeons not realising how late it was until she looks out of one of the passing windows. Pulling her robe tighter around her as coldness hit, rubbing her arms with hands, squinting her eyes down the corridor when she notices movement between two figures.

Recognising the two girls, a smirk pulls at her face. Just friends, her ass. "Why were you both in an alcove? That's very scandalous."

Macdonald coughs averting her eyes from Rheas. Kathleen smiles smugly at her, "Where have you been?"

"With a friend."

"Which friend?" Kathleen raises an eyebrow at her, Macdonald suddenly looks more interested than she did when the attention was on her.

"My friend."

Macdonald awkwardly coughs. Poor girl. "I am going to go, erm, see you later Kathleen. Bye Black."

Rhea snorts in amusement when Macdonald is out of ear shot, receiving a glare from Kathleen.

"Don't say a word," Kathleen warns. Rhea holds her hands up.

"I wasn't going to."

"Which friend were you with then?" Kathleen asks, changing the subject from her rather obvious secret relationship. Her and Rhea walk side by side on their way to the common room, "Because I know Evan is with the boys today."

"Potter." Rhea acts as nonchalantly as she can. Tying to brush it off as though it was a regular occurrence for her to be spending the day with him. Nevertheless she finds it highly amusing by the way it makes Kathleen sputter.

"Has James Potter got another relative that we don't know about that you spent the day with?"

"He does in fact but they're older and left Hogwarts years ago. Did you know my grandfather and Potter's aunt are brother and sister?"

"What?"

Rhea nods. "My papa's cousins, Altair and Astrid are Potter's cousins as well."

"Does that mean you're related?"

Making a disgusted face at the thought. "No, we share relatives though on different sides of the family."

Kathleen releases a relieved sigh, causing Rhea to send her a questioning look. "That's good or the bet would be off otherwise."

Bet? Is this the same bet Regulus had been going on about after her birthday when she confessed she was forced to take Pettigrew's socks off.

She trembles at the memory.