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Dorcas rouses her from slumber with news of James waiting outside the Ravenclaw common room.
"What—" She mumbles, her groggy mind struggling to process.
"James is outside," Dorcas repeats.
Josephine ended up recounting what happened to her friends, ensuring they are in the know.
"Why is he outside?"
"Because he wants to talk to you. Do you want me to give him a little push down the stairs?" Dorcas suggests with a hint of seriousness.
Josie shakes her head slightly. "It's alright, just tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."
Dorcas nods and descends to the common room.
Is she prepared for whatever this conversation might entail?
She nervously bites her lip.
Josephine acknowledges that she is delaying this talk, so perhaps his sudden appearance is good.
Besides, she has questions.
She hurriedly gets ready, brushing her hair back and inspecting her reflection.
My eyes are darker than James, my hair is darker than James
She sniffs lightly, then leaves her room and descends the stairs, weaving through students until she reaches the common room exit.
James is waiting there, drumming his fingers with a nervous habit.
"Jo," he greets, standing up straighter.
"James," she replies, attempting to mimic the cold, aloof tone that Regulus sometimes adopts. She hopes it will work.
His expression wavers. "Can we find somewhere more private?"
She considers options for quiet spots.
"Room of Requirement, perhaps?" she voices her thoughts.
James nods, and they begin walking toward the room.
She guesses she might miss her first class today, but that's alright.
Finally, they reach the room, and it seems that the room itself deems their conversation a necessity, conjuring a door for them.
Josephine's nerves escalate, and she wishes she doesn't feel so much.
Her thoughts are interrupted as James opens the door, revealing a cozy room.
A blue sofa sits in the center of the room with a table in front of it, and a crackling fireplace provides warmth.
James appears just as nervous.
He fidgets with his glasses.
Josephine walks ahead of him and settles onto the couch. He follows suit.
"So," she begins.
"Listen, Josie, I'm truly sorry," James begins.
But apologies don't change much.
She swallows hard and musters the courage to ask, "Did you know?"
James's eyebrows furrow, prompting her to clarify, "Did you know I was adopted?"
He blinks a few times but stays silent, eventually whispering, "Yes."
She feels herself almost physically recoil. She hoped that maybe he didn't know, that he genuinely believed she was his sister.
"How long did you lie to me, James? How long?" she demands, her voice filled with hurt.
His jaw clenches as he admits, "Since you were ten."
The facade she has carefully maintained shatters.
It hurts.
Josephine remembers how just last year during holiday break in her fourth year, James was there to comfort her.
She tried to wipe away the tears as quickly as they came, but they persisted.
Her father had yelled at her for dropping something which quickly spun into how she needed to get her grades up and start doing more.
A quiet knock sounded at her door.
She quickly wiped her eyes and attempted to ensure she didn't appear to be crying. "Come in," she cleared her throat.
James offered her a sad smile as he walked in and settled beside her on the floor in front of her bed.
Her eyes welled up with tears again, so she looked up to prevent them from falling.
"Josie," her brother whispered and reached for her hand.
She resisted the urge to pull away. Comfort from family felt too little, too late.
"You know I..." Her voice wavered. "I didn't know why, every year, I expected him to treat me differently or something. It never happened."
James remained silent.
"I don't think I'm like you or anyone else in our family," she turned to look at her brother.
James's eyes softened. "Of course you are like us, Jo. You are my sister and their daughter." He leaned in and hugged her tightly. "You are the same as me," he whispered.
She clung to her brother as if he could save her.
It had been a lie.
She moves herself farther away from him.
Her gaze drops to her hands, a tumult of emotions brewing within her.
"Why didn't you tell me? I mean, all those times I cried to you, and you didn't say anything," she can't help but rise from the sofa.
As he stands up too, she absentmindedly picks at her nails.
"Josie, I'm sorry," he repeats.
A bitter laugh escapes her lips.
"Is Josephine even my name?" She chuckles again. "Did your parents even tell you who my real parents are? Or did they just inform you that I was adopted?" The room's atmosphere grows heavier as her agitation increases, as if an unseen weight presses down on her chest, compelling her to speak her mind.
James attempts to reach out, but she takes a step back. "I'm tired of always being the one who fixes things, of pretending I'm not upset just to make the other person feel better," she declares sharply. "I hope you feel bad. I'm done."
Josie turns and swiftly leaves the room.
~~~~~ ⬇️PLEASE READ⬇️ Okay guys I need your opinion!! so this story will be very long as Josie is only in her fifth year and I do have a lot planned.
BUT idk if i should just keep the story all in one book or maybe start like a second book? What do you guys think?
