Alina Nightshade doesn't think much about James Potter. Only that he seems rather keen on being annoying.
James Potter thinks Alina Nightshade is a mystery all wrapped up in a very pretty girl. And he is keen on trying to be her friend.
James Potte...
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MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT CHAPTER!! I think wattpad glitched again... sigh
James Potter POV.
The first weeks of summer drift by faster than James would like. At least he still has some time off—though he wishes Remus weren't already stressing about school.
"It's fine, Rem," James reassures, crouching by the flowerbeds outside. He's watering his mother's plants as a sort of apology. For what, exactly, he's not sure—but better safe than sorry.
Remus sighs from where he sits in the doorway of the Potter manor, book in hand but clearly distracted. Sirius is a few steps away, basking shirtless in the sun under the pretense of tanning, though James knows it's really for Remus's benefit.
James pours a bit more water onto a vibrant flower, the splash breaking the quiet. Most days are like this—Quidditch games with Sirius, trips into nearby Muggle towns with friends. But something is missing. Peter has barely been around, sticking close to Alina all summer. Not that James blames him.
If he hadn't been the one to mess things up, he'd be right there by her side, too.
Thinking of Alina brings that familiar spiral of regret. It's a daily torment, spiraling into self-loathing, replaying every mistake he's made, while less than two months stretch ahead, giving him nothing but time to dwell on all the things he can't fix.
He wonders what Alina is doing now. It's not as if she's shared much about her home life. The glimpses she's given him, though... he still can't fathom the cruelty of her family, their resentment toward her just because she's a Seer. It's something he can hardly believe—that someone could harm their own daughter over something so remarkable.
Do her parents ever see her smile? Have they ever seen her happy, even as a child?
James's mind drifts to one of his clearest memories of her laughing, that day in Hogsmeade. The sight had felt like sunlight breaking through clouds. He can remember every detail if he tries: the gentle sway of her hair in the breeze, the faint scent of pomegranate from her perfume, the glint in her blue-green eyes as she smiles at him, cheeks dimpling.
"Thinking about her again, hmm?" Remus's soft voice breaks the silence.
James blinks, lowering the watering can to glance over at him. "Yeah," he admits quietly, matching Remus's tone.
Remus offers him a sympathetic smile, though his gaze soon drifts back to Sirius, as it always does.
The morning is still young; none of them have eaten breakfast yet. Remus stayed over the night before, which is always a treat, turning mornings into quiet moments like this. James finishes watering the plants, and just as he sets down the watering can, his mother appears behind Remus.
"Breakfast is ready," she says with a warm smile, reaching down to ruffle Remus's hair. He looks up, smiling back at her from his spot on the doorstep.
"Breakfast?" Sirius shoots up from his chair in the middle of the lawn. "Thank Merlin!" He practically bounds toward the door, putting his shirt back on. James rolls his eyes, chuckling as he stands and dusts off his trousers. Together, the three boys head inside.
In the kitchen, his father is already setting out plates, each piled with food carefully chosen for each guest's taste—a habit he's adopted to connect with James's friends. Fleamont Potter has memorized each of their favorite dishes, so much so that James is certain his father only remembers Marlene by her love of banana pancakes, the one food she always requests at the Potters'.
Euphemia takes her seat at the head of the table, with Fleamont beside her, the Daily Prophet folded beside his plate. James sits across from his father, Remus beside him, and Sirius across from Remus. For a while, the only sounds are the clinking of cutlery and the comfortable hum of casual conversation.
Midway through breakfast, Fleamont unfolds the newspaper, lifting his teacup just as he skims the headlines. Suddenly, he sputters, coughing as he chokes on his drink.
"Merlin!" Euphemia exclaims, giving her husband a worried look. "Are you alright?"
Fleamont waves her off, eyes wide as he glances back down at the paper. He looks over it with an expression that sends a prickle of curiosity through James. "James," he says, his tone gentler than usual as he looks up, eyes meeting his son's. "What was that girl's name? The one you like?"
"Alina?" Sirius answers for him, leaning over to get a better look at whatever is in the paper.
James nods, still pouring syrup over his food as if the rest of the world hasn't just tilted.
"Is this her?" Fleamont asks, flipping the paper around for James to see.
The sight makes James's stomach drop. There's Alina, standing between her parents in a photograph that looks a few months old—she seems younger, different from the girl he remembers, the one who fills his thoughts so often. But it's the headline that makes him feel cold all over.
"Nightshade Heir Engaged to Mysterious French Man?"
Beside Alina's picture is another image—a man with dark brown hair that hangs over his forehead and icy blue eyes, staring with an unsettling sharpness. The man is older. Much older.
Engaged? James's heart sinks. Alina is only sixteen.
"Engaged?" he mutters, frowning as he takes the paper from his father. Remus leans in to read over his shoulder, his face mirroring James's shock. Sirius, who's already read the headline, looks at James with a mixture of pity and frustration.
James knows this can't have been Alina's choice. Families like hers often force their daughters into these things, pushing them into the lives they want, regardless of what the daughters themselves want. The thought makes him sick.
"Engaged?" Euphemia repeats softly, sadness dimming her usual warmth.
"It's not her choice, James," Sirius says quietly, his voice edged with bitterness.
"I know," James mutters. That's what hurts the most. It isn't her choice. Merlin, why did he ever agree to that stupid bet? Because maybe, if he'd just reached out honestly—if he'd just tried to be her friend for real, without the bet hanging over him—maybe she would have had somewhere to go. Maybe she'd have been able to run, like Sirius had, and come to him.
But instead, he's ruined it all.
Without another word, James folds the paper and hands it back to his father before standing and leaving the room, his shoulders tense.
He's made a mess of everything. And now, she's paying the price.
~~~~~ I've lived a whole life again guys...BUT I GOT TO SEE RACHEL ZEGLAR AND KIT CONNER IN ROMEO AND JULIET. THEY WERE AMAZING. Same with the rest of the cast!! Tommy and Gabby ate down so fucking hard. It was amazing and Kit Conner stood right in front of me so many times??? I was literally going insane. AND ME AND RACHEL LOCKED EYES I SWEAR
Anyway!! next week i'll update on Wednesday as usual!! Hope you enjoy these chapters!
Wattpad hates me
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