Chapter 3 - James Sirius Potter's Last Show of Fury

Lorcan knew that keeping a relationship hidden at Hogwarts wouldn't be easy, but reality surpassed his expectations. In the first days after the kiss, he found himself stealing glances at Roxanne in the Great Hall, only to realise that James was watching him with an increasingly suspicious gaze. In the common room, he felt a growing desire to sit next to her on the sofa, but, seeing Dominique and Rose nearby, he would pull back. It was a constant game of pretending nothing had changed, while, in fact, everything had.

Roxanne, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the situation. She would approach him in the corridors with a playful ease, brushing her hand lightly against his, just to watch Lorcan flinch. She'd pass him during DADA lessons, whispering a "see you later" that made his stomach churn. And whenever they found a moment alone, she couldn't help but laugh at the nervous expression on his face.

"You need to relax, Lorc," she'd say, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Relax? Do you have any idea how hard it is to hide that I like you?" he'd reply, his tone louder than he'd like, frustration evident.

She'd smile even more, pulling him behind a tapestry in the fourth-floor corridor.

"If you want to avoid suspicion so much, you should stop acting guilty."

He'd sigh, about to argue, but before he could, Roxanne threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. And, just like always, any worry disappeared. The world shrank to that moment, to the sensation of being there, hidden and distant from everything and everyone.

Lorcan knew that this game couldn't last forever. But for now, he was hooked. Hooked on the adrenaline of secret meetings, the furtive pleasure of hiding in the corridors, the way Roxanne would smile at him in the middle of everyday conversations, as if they shared something only they knew.

The problem, of course, was Fred.

Whenever he and James went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Lorcan felt the weight of guilt. What would Fred think if he knew? Would he be angry? Disappointed? These questions hammered in his mind.

"You're acting strange," Fred commented during one of their visits to the shop.

Lorcan nearly choked on the pumpkin juice he was drinking. "Great, just what I needed."

"What? Me? Strange? No!" He forced a smile, but Fred didn't seem convinced.

Fred narrowed his eyes, studying him closely.
"You're nervous. Did something happen?"

James, sitting next to them, glanced between the two and smirked as if he knew exactly what was going on.

"He's been like this for days. I bet it's something to do with a girl."

Lorcan nearly stopped breathing. His heart raced.
"What? No! Of course not!"

Fred crossed his arms, now with a more piercing look.
"If it's that, you can tell me, mate. You've never had a problem telling me these things before."

"Because it's never been your sister," Lorcan thought, but he kept his composure. He gave a nervous laugh.
"Seriously, there's nothing. I'm just tired."

Fred seemed to consider this for a moment before shrugging.
"Right. But if you need to talk about anything, you know you can count on me, yeah?"

The guilt squeezed Lorcan's chest, but he forced a smile.
"I know, Fred. I know."

James, however, continued to watch Lorcan with a suspicious look, as if he knew he was hiding something.

Later that night, when Lorcan and Roxanne were alone again in the common room, in a secluded corner where no one could overhear, he murmured:
"Fred's starting to notice that something's off."

Roxanne, who had been quietly playing with his fingers, smiled, a grin that mixed amusement with challenge.
"Maybe he needs to notice."

"What?" Lorcan asked, surprised.

She sighed, as if she already knew the answer, as if the weight of the situation was something she was more comfortable with.
"Lorc, I like the mystery and the fun, but don't you think we'll have to tell eventually?"

Lorcan ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated with the situation.
"I know. I just... I'm not ready yet."

She squeezed his hand, offering a small comfort amidst the turmoil of emotions.
"It's okay. But when you are, I'll be here."

He looked at her for a moment, and without thinking twice, leaned in and kissed her quickly. Roxanne smiled, surprised, her eyes still full of curiosity.
"What was that? Here?" she murmured, remembering that someone could have seen.

Lorcan shrugged, slowly getting tired of hiding how he felt.
"Thanks for being patient with me."

She smiled again, her gaze soft and full of understanding.
"Someone has to be, right?"

Across the common room, James Sirius watched everything from a distance. He hadn't seen the kiss. They were well hidden, but he felt that something was different. And he was going to find out what it was.

Lorcan knew he was playing with fire.

There was a limit to how long they could keep the relationship a secret, and he felt they were getting dangerously close to that limit every day. The problem was James. His friend seemed more suspicious with each passing moment, and Lorcan could feel James's penetrating gaze on him, as if he was trying to pry the truth from his soul.

Despite their efforts to keep things discreet, he and Roxanne were not exactly the best at acting naturally around each other.

"You're staring at me again…" Roxanne whispered during lunch in the Great Hall, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and challenge.

Lorcan, startled, quickly lowered his eyes to his plate, grabbing the first thing he found — mashed potatoes — and pretending to take sudden interest in it.
"I wasn't staring." His voice sounded more convincing than he actually felt.

Roxanne clearly didn't buy it. She smiled, the kind of smile someone gives when they know exactly what's going on.
"Yes, you were, and James just noticed." She said in the same low voice, but with a satisfaction that made Lorcan feel cold.

He stiffened and, discreetly, cast a quick glance to the side. James was sitting further ahead, his eyes fixed on Lorcan with an unsettling intensity. James's eyes seemed to shine with the certainty that something was going on, something he didn't fully understand yet but was about to uncover.

Lorcan nearly choked on the air. James narrowed his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips as if he had just pieced the puzzle together.

"Shit," Lorcan thought.

"He knows something," Lorcan murmured to Roxanne, his voice low but full of concern.

"Or he just thinks he knows," Roxanne retorted, her confidence clear in her posture. "Unless we give him a reason, he can't prove anything."

Lorcan nodded, trying to calm himself. He was trying to convince himself that James didn't really know. After all, he'd been at Hogwarts long enough to realize that Potter was an excellent observer. But still, Lorcan wasn't ready for this conversation.

Before they left for class, Roxanne pulled Lorcan into a small corridor hidden behind a tapestry. The place was tight and dark, the perfect kind of spot to hide from curious eyes.

"You're really tense," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her voice had a softness that Lorcan couldn't ignore.

Lorcan sighed, but before he could continue his lecture about "we need to be more careful," Roxanne kissed him.

And, once again, just like always, he forgot all his worries. The world shrank to Roxanne, to that kiss, and to the way she made time disappear around her. Her lips were warm and soft, and her touch was filled with urgency and playfulness. Lorcan slid his hands along her waist, pulling her closer, completely lost in the moment.

Then, the inevitable happened.

"BLOODY HELL?!" A shocked voice echoed down the corridor, making the two of them jump apart, as if time had snapped back to normal.

James Potter was standing in the entrance to the hidden corridor, his eyes wide and mouth open in absolute shock. The silence was deafening; neither of them knew what to say.

James pointed at them, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"You two...? I KNEW IT!" His voice sounded incredulous, a mix of anger and surprise.

Lorcan opened his mouth to deny it — but knowing it would be a futile attempt, he simply closed his mouth. No excuse would be enough for this situation.
"Err..." was all he managed to say.

Roxanne, on the other hand, just smiled, casually fixing her hair as if what had just happened was the most natural thing in the world.
"Hi, James." She seemed completely at ease, as if being here, in this exact moment, was perfectly ordinary.

James stayed in shock for a few more seconds, alternating his gaze between Roxanne and Lorcan.
"HI? Is that all you have to say?!" He looked like he was about to have an emotional breakdown, his body tense, eyes wide with rage. "How long has this been going on?!"

Roxanne didn't flinch. She simply sighed and rolled her eyes.
"A while," she answered, as if it was a completely trivial matter.

"WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT?!" James was in a mix of panic and disbelief. He looked between the two of them again, as if trying to understand what he had just discovered.

Roxanne crossed her arms, looking at James with a surprising calmness.
"You love showing up at these moments, don't you, James?" she said, clearly already exhausted by her cousin's inconvenience.

James let out an incredulous laugh, running his hands through his hair in an impatient gesture.
"Oh, great, now I'm the bad guy here?"

"It's not that simple, James." Roxanne was unfazed, despite all the confusion around her.

"NOT SIMPLE? YOU KNOW WHO WON'T THINK THIS IS SIMPLE, LORCAN? FRED!" James looked like he was about to explode but was interrupted by Lorcan's gaze.

Lorcan ran a hand over his face, the weight of the situation finally hitting him.
"I know." He took a deep breath, trying to control the rising pressure in his chest.

James scoffed, hands back in his hair. He seemed to be losing his patience, trying to decide what to do with the information.
"You two are unbelievable." His voice was full of disbelief, but there was also a hint of understanding.

"Are you going to tell Fred?" Lorcan asked, hesitation clear in his voice.

James fell silent for a moment, and the two of them watched him think.

Then, finally, he sighed and crossed his arms.
"No." He looked at them with an expression that mixed frustration and weariness. "Of course not."

Lorcan and Roxanne blinked, surprised.
"You won't?" Roxanne asked, a bit incredulous.

James rolled his eyes, his face softening slightly.
"I'm not a traitor." He glanced at them before continuing: "But, for Merlin's sake, sort this out already. Because if Fred finds out from someone else, you're screwed."

Lorcan exhaled the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, relieved but with a growing sense of panic.
"Thanks, James." He tried to sound grateful, though he knew it wouldn't solve the problem.

James narrowed his eyes.
"Don't thank me. Just promise me that, when Fred punches you, you won't drag my name into this mess."

Lorcan let out a nervous laugh.
"I promise..." But deep down, he knew the storm was still coming. Fred Weasley was going to find out, and he had no idea how he would react.