Unrelenting Fate: A Marauders Era AU

Chapter 31

December 1977

It had just hit the two-week mark until Christmas break started, and the students of Hogwarts would journey home for the holidays.

If given the choice, James would already be running for the hills, screaming freedom!

But no, he was forced to stay put and struggle through the rest of the classes he had left before said freedom was allowed.

"Why, though?" James whined, banging his head on the table in frustration.

Remus rolled his eyes at the pathetic display in front of him.

"Because the world is a cruel place that insists that we need an education!" Sirius joined in, copying his friend's actions and banging his own head on the table.

Peter snorted, an amused grin on his face.

Remus sighed, "I really can't take you, people, out in public."

James lifted his face from the wooden surface and gave him a quizzical look. "And why do you say that, Moony?"

"Because you two are bloody embarrassing!"

"We are not!" James and Sirius whined loudly together, drawing the attention of several other students in the library to them.

"Yes, you are!" Remus hissed.

Peter sat back in his chair, homework momentarily forgotten, and watched his friends bickering with a cheeky grin.

*********

Wren Gerrwick flung herself onto her bed and sighed into her pillow.

She was tired, and right now, all she wanted to do was sleep in her room until she could go home and hideaway in the back gardens of the manor house.

Home.

That was a foreign concept for her, something straight out of a myth or fairy tale.

Her parents had both decided long ago that they had better things to do than take care of a child, and therefore left Wren to her own devices, pushing her to grow up and build a shell to protect her heart.

She had learned not to trust easily and to choose carefully who to let pass her walls.

Wren had succeeded for years with this philosophy, avoiding attachments and relationships that could deem to be hurtful in the future.

Until Adelaide Harthwood fought her way in and challenged her in just the right way, forcing the Slytherin girl to accept a friend.

Of course, along with Harthwood, came Marcello and Lark to complete the Blue Trio.

So in all fairness, Wren acquired a package set.

Buy one, get two free.

Not that she really minded.

Lark was irritating but enjoyable; Marcello was a sarcastic witch with a short fuse, and Adelaide was sweet, with a smart arse side that Wren relished.

They were enough for her.

She didn't need anyone else in her life.

Enter Sirius Orion Black. The curly-haired-imbecilic-egotistical-charming-moronic-Gryffindor!

Merlin, how she hated him! His annoying smile and persistent ambushing!

Wren wanted to escape him ... but at the same time ... had a feeling she would miss those magnetic gray eyes.

It was only because she would miss throwing insults at him and harshly rejecting every nice thing he would do daily for her.

Yes, that was it.

She just needed to keep telling herself that.

*******

Adelaide was beaming when she stepped into Defence Against the Dark Arts class that day.

Soon she would be going home to see her family.

Collier had sent her an owl yesterday, informing her that he was picking her up at the station and that everyone would be home and waiting for her.

Adelaide was thrilled that Collie was going to be there when she stepped off the train, and she was equally as thrilled to hear that Phil and Luis would be around for the holidays instead of traveling all over Europe.

As she sat down next to Jaxson, who looked up and shot her a brilliant smile, at a desk near the back of the classroom, Adelaide wondered whether or not her family would approve of her boyfriend?

 He was everything a young Witch's parents would want in their daughter's beau, but she couldn't help but shake the suspicion that her family would pretend to like him for her benefit.

Adelaide returned his smile and pulled out her thick tomes, flipping to the pages they were working on in class.

That was a thought best left till later.

"Did you get Royan's message to meet up by the pitch tomorrow before the Hufflepuff and Slytherin match?" Jaxson whispered in her ear as she began to read about Banshees.

"Yes, I did. He seems excited to cheer on the Hufflepuffs!" Adelaide chuckled, careful not to attract the attention of the Professor.

"He's really just excited to boo the bloody Slytherins," Jaxson smirked.

Before she could protest on behalf of the house, Gideon Prewett butted in from his desk behind them. "Oi! It's going to be a smashing match! Fab and I got three galleons on Slytherin to win!"

"Right o'!" Fabian chimed in from over Adelaide's left shoulder.

"What in Merlin's name? Why the bloody hell are you lot siding with the snakes?" Jaxson hissed, a confused expression on his face.

Adelaide was growing tired of him insulting the Slytherins.

"Because Rogers and Barnes have been on fire lately! Didn't you see them when they played against Gryffindor?" Gideon pointed out.

"Yeah, but -"

"Shh! The professor is looking over here!" Adelaide shushed them, tilting her head down.

The Prewett twins chuckled as they fell back into their seats, and Jaxson turned around so he was facing the front of the room again.

The brunette Ravenclaw leaned over and kissed her cheek sweetly, and Adelaide caught herself wishing she would blush when he did that.

She wanted to be able to feel the butterflies in her belly and the heat rushing her cheeks, but she didn't.

In the near month, they had been dating, Adelaide was content but not happy.

She wanted more. Was that so bad?

Jaxson was a wonderful person, but he wasn't the one she wanted next to her.

He wasn't James Potter.