"How exactly are we getting past this?" James shrugged at Gavin's question, lightly jumping in the same spot while dodging the occasional swinging branch.
The knot was barely visible at the bottom of the tree, and none of them were animaguses or really tiny people to be able to reach that knot unharmed.
Luckily with them, they had one of the best chasers in Hogwarts with almost perfect aim.
"Leslie, you're up" The girl caught the stone being thrown at her by James before carefully calculating how she would throw the rock.
It soared through the air, avoiding expertly each swinging branch that came at it until it crashed against the latch, stopping the branch which was about to slap Theo in the face.
"Great. Let's get moving" James didn't wait for the rest and dropped down into the passageway to the Shrieking Shack.
He was in the lead guiding the group with his lit up wand. Ty at the very back had taken it upon himself to watch their rear so they didn't get ambushed by Cedric, or even worse, an angry Professor McGonnagall.
The moon rays finally began peaking from above their heads, meaning they had reached the shack.
James was a ball of nerves as he scanned the house, he hoped the eerie silence in the house didn't mean they had come too late and something terrible had happened to Zoe.
"Are we just standing around or are we going to search for Zoe?" The group nodded at Melody's suggestion as they wordlessly spread out to search through different rooms.
Room after room, and still no sign of Zoe. James didn't even want to imagine what he would've done if they had found absolutely no evidence of Zoe and they had officially lost her forever.
That would've taken him down a very dark road he didn't think he could come back from.
Suddenly a scream was heard from the attic which Melody had been searching. It was more of a screech for help, but either way everyone ran to her aid.
James was the first to reach the room and witness Melody's face covered in black streaks that used to be her perfect makeup, all while clutching a paper close to her chest, a paper that had been tied onto a black rose.
As insensible as it sounded, James ripped the paper away from Melody before even thinking of comforting her. There were others to do that in the moment, but there was only them that knew about the clue she had found.
"What does it say?" Gavin's voice was barely above a whisper as he tried not to startle a sobbing Melody even further.
James read the words before he spoke out loud, and as soon as he did so he was almost positive his heart had stopped beating and was about to collapse from how hard his head had begun pounding.
"James?" No reply came from him, his eyes had glassed over as he tried not to end up in the same state they had found Melody in.
Now he understood why Neo hadn't spoken in weeks, it was easier to hide within yourself than face the truth.
It was Ty's turn to rip the paper out from James' hands, only he read it out loud for them all to hear.
"Heard the Black Lake is beautiful at this time of the year. Come find us alone little brother and I might just let her live"
Hearing the words out loud only made the situation even more real, and made James' brain pound harder against his skull. He had even begun to hear faint whispers at the back of his mind.
"I have to go find her" James was about to burst through the door, nothing could've stopped him from leaving. Except of course a half Russian giant who was way too loyal for his own good.
"And do what James? Even if you find her, he's still likely to K-I-L-L her! He said it himself, the best way to destroy you is by destroying who you love first!" James tugged at his hair harshly, his pacing beginning as it always did when he was too stressed to even think.
"Then I'll fucking kill him if I have to Leslie! I'm not letting Zoe die! Not if I can do something about it" Ty didn't object a second time as James ran past him back to the Black Lake.
James couldn't fix what he had done in the past, he couldn't take a time turner and re-do things. But he could give Zoe the gift she deserved the most, the gift to live.
It was his fault she was pissed at him, it was his fault Cedric even became who he was, it was his fault Zoe got in danger, and it was his fault that Cedric even considered kidnapping her. And if he had to sacrifice it all for her to let her take at least one more breath of fresh air.
He would do it.
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a/n: Countdown:
4....
I am sick 😃 and I don't even know what I have 😃 Because of this I missed out on pranking everyone on April Fool's Damn </3
Anyways vote and comment so Cedric doesn't kill Zoe <33
YOU ARE READING
Black Roses {James Potter x OC}
Fanfiction-"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend with your trollish manners" "I'd call it more of a tedious rom-com Lily has forced me to live"- Zoe Wood and James Potter had an odd relationship. They had known each other since the moment they came out of t...
