Unrelenting Fate: A Marauders Era AU

Chapter 32

The day was bright and warm for mid-December in Scottland, reaching a lovely ten degrees!

The Slytherin and Hufflepuff teams were down on the pitch, preparing for their match to begin.

The stands were crowded with excited fans dressed in their respective house colors, and on the Hufflepuff side, several red and blue robes could be spotted in the jumble of yellow.

The Marauders sat huddled together with a group of Ravenclaws, trying to brave the cold until the match was over.

James had made sure he was close to Adelaide, hoping to start a conversation with her, only to find that Jaxson Blaze had his arm curled around her shoulders.

Gritting his teeth, the frustrated Gryffindor took his seat and smiled brightly at the strawberry-haired girl he adored, blatantly ignoring the smug-looking Blaze.

Adelaide returned his smile, and James thought for a second that he saw a light blush color her beautiful face.

"Could I be doing that to her?" He wondered gleefully.

Sirius nudging his side brought James out of his thoughts, making him arch a confused brow at his curly-haired friend.

"What?"

"You were staring, moron!" Sirius snickered.

"So what? You stare at Gerrwick all the time!" James hissed quietly, throwing a glance in Adelaide's direction.

Remus, sitting next to Alexander on Sirius's other side, rolled his eyes and leaned over to look at James, "Don't be a complete creep, please, Prongs?"

"Yeah, only be half a creep!" Sirius laughed.

Adelaide caught his last sentence and peered at the boys with a curious glint in her pale blue eyes.

"Nothing, Darling!" Sirius sang, a bright white smile on his face.

James nearly growled as he shot him a glare.

Adelaide watched them suspiciously for a moment longer before turning back to the Quidditch pitch.

Alexander chuckled at their antics, finding them extremely amusing.

"I hate to ask, but are they always like this?" He questioned the annoyed boy next to him.

Remus snorted, "You haven't seen anything yet, trust me!"

The blonde Ravenclaw let out a bark of laughter that made a soft grin bloom on the young werewolf's face.

Further down the bleachers, Della and Peter giggled with each other, their noses close to touching and love-struck smiles plastered to their lips.

Royan was positioned in between the happy couple and Alexander, an awkward expression present on his features.

The Ravenclaw Captain leaned forward and cleared his throat.

"Oi, Lark? Fancy trading places with me?" He nervously pleaded with his teammate.

"Not a bloody chance, Chase! Suck it up, whiner!" Alexander laughed, throwing an arm around Remus's shoulders, causing the brunette to blush.

Royan glared at him, but before he could udder an insult, the Prewett twins announced that the match was beginning through the megaphone.

"And, here we go! The Snakes are off in a blur of ugly green - sorry Professor!" Gideon shouted as he and his brother watched from the announcer's booth above them, already getting into trouble with Dumbledore.

"The Hufflepuffs are hopefully going to mop the pitch with them today! Right, shutting up now, Professor!" Fabian joined in.

The crowds were hollering with joy and encouraging their teams loudly.

This was the last match before the holiday break, and everyone wanted their house to be the last one to gain a victory before they all headed home.

"Flint sure looks like he is out for blood today," Alexander commented, watching the Slytherin captain with wary eyes.

"Yeah, everyone will do well to avoid him," Remus agreed.

"And there goes Bones! Off like a Fanged Frisbie!"

"Crabbe and Nott are lookin' a bit flustered! Maybe the high altitude is getting to them?"

"Right you are, Professor, focusing on the match now!" Gideon shouted, sounding the furthest thing from sorry.

Dumbledore could be seen shaking his head with the hint of an amused smile on his face.

Adelaide was on the edge of her seat, watching as yellow-robed Chasers flew in zig-zagged blurs around the pitch, all while still keeping her eye out for the Golden Snitch.

"Quite a match, huh, Harthwood?" Someone asked, nudging her side gently.

Absentmindedly, Adelaide turned her head but kept her pale eyes on the players flying before her. "Hmm. It is," She muttered.

The voice chuckled, a deep sound that made her heart speed up, and a fierce flush of heat washed over her entire being.

"Not as exciting as watching your brothers play, I bet?" James Potter mused, a small smile on his lips.

He was looking at her with an emotion burning bright in his hazel eyes that she didn't understand but desperately wanted to.

Adelaide felt her breath catch and let out a shaky gasp before meeting his powerful gaze.

"Depends on who's playing. Phillip and Luis are both very talented, but Collier is truly smashing," She began to ramble to cover up her nerves.

James nodded as if everything she had just said was brilliant.

"And the way Colli can speed past anyone upside down is beyond amazing! Although our mother is never thrilled when he does that!" Adelaide laughed.

**********

James hung onto every word she uddered, in constant awe of everything she did.

He wanted, no, he ached to be able to reach over and pull her to him.

He longed to hold her. To feel her laughing against his chest, to kiss her.

But most of all, he longed to tell her that he loved her.

Not some schoolboy crush, but a love that burned with a promise that it would only grow the longer she was around him.

James was scared that his feverish love was one-sided, but he was far more fearful to never find out what life would be like if he had Adelaide Harthwood all to himself.