Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 261: Paths Not Taken
"And here you can have a shelf with ingredients." James was explaining to Bella how to make use of the space in the chamber. "The cauldron is best if it goes near the pond, just in case it explodes and… are you listening to me?"
He noticed that she was no longer paying attention to what he was saying and instead, she was staring at him.
"Thank you," Bella then said.
James cleared his throat. "I believe you have already thanked me enough…" She had not let him go for almost five minutes.
"It's not that," she responded. "I was thinking about everything that happened last year. When you pushed me on the train…"
"That was an accident." James recalled that this took place on the initial trip to Hogwarts. He had gotten a bit too distracted and ended up bumping into Bella.
"Sure…" She still didn't seem too convinced. "Then you bumped into me again during our first Potions class."
"That was also an accident," James pointed out. "I remember apologizing both times, but you were really out for violence."
"Oh yes, I was…" Bella smiled. "I thought you were pranking me, like you and my cousin Sirius did for most of our third year. I was so furious that you would think I was going to be an easy target."
"I wasn't much of a prankster anymore," James said.
"Yes, I am aware of that now. I didn't know about your 'change' until some time later, when I started to ask about you to the other students," Bella said. "But that day during our first Potions class… was the day I became interested in you. When you showed me your brewing technique."
"And then you began pestering me to teach you that same brewing method." James was wondering where she was going with this.
Bella did not deny it. "And you agreed to teach me."
"If I remember correctly, you followed me, found out my secret lab, and threatened to tell if I refused to do so."
"I have to admit that... at the time, it seemed like a good idea," Bella said.
"But…" Her expression became more serious. "You probably had, like, a hundred different ways to get rid of me while keeping your secret safe."
Now that she understood how powerful and resourceful James was, she was sure of this. "But you still decided to play along and agreed to give me some potion lessons. Why did you do that?" She had been wondering this for a while now.
"Mmm… perhaps I was charmed by those pretty violet eyes," James said playfully.
Bella raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that."
"Maybe…" James began. "Maybe I realized that, beneath all that Slytherin hostility, was someone who just wanted a chance to prove herself. So I gave you a chance to walk a different path, and you did not disappoint me."
"Mmm…" Bella felt there was something more to it. Something that James was not willing to tell her just yet. But she was not upset about it. Right now, she only felt grateful toward him.
"A different path…" she muttered. "I was just thinking about that. If it wasn't for you… how different would my life have been? Wouldn't I have ended up being forced to marry that bastard Rodolphus? Would my family have joined the Dark Lord's side, and then… would I have become one of his followers, just like Malfoy did?"
James knew the answer to that. Of course, this was something he could never reveal to anyone...and especially not to her.
"Instead of dwelling on paths not taken, a more productive use of your time would be to think about the future."
"The future, huh?" Bella considered his words for a moment. "You mean like getting married and starting a family? That future?"
"I was thinking more about your studies and what you want to do after graduating," James said.
"I can do that too, but…" She wriggled the fingers on her left hand toward him. "My sister pointed out to me the other day how, usually, the girl gets a ring to symbolize the engagement. When are you going to give me something like that?"
James seemed to recall something. "Now that you mention it, I do have something for you." He put his hands inside his robes.
"Really?" Bella looked surprised. "I was mostly jesting. You don't actually have to give me a ring now. Although you did promise me a tiara…haven't forgotten about that one."
"No, I do have a ring for you." James pulled a box from one of his robe's dimensional pockets and opened it up. "I just finished this last night."
Bella glanced over at the box. Inside it was indeed a ring, but it didn't look like an engagement one. This one had a completely black surface and looked like polished obsidian.
"You actually made a ring for me?" Bella asked. "Wait… this is not just a ring, right?" The feeling this ring was giving her was very familiar, as she had used them before.
"Of course it's not just a ring… do I look like a jeweler to you?" James looked offended at the implication that he would create something so useless.
He handed her the ring, as well as a small conjured blade. "Put a drop of your blood on it. That way, it will become bonded to you."
A year ago, Bella would have questioned this, but she had grown accustomed to this kind of thing from James, so she did as told. She poked her index finger and allowed one drop of her blood to fall on top of the black ring.
The blood was immediately absorbed into the ring, and it seemed to react.
Bella felt an immediate connection and heard the sound of a palpitating heart being sent directly into her mind.
"Wait, I can feel it!… is it still—"
"Indeed, it is not ready to be born yet," James responded. "I have been able to modify the incubation process so it can take place in its ring form. All you have to do is wear it on your finger at all times. The chimera will take a tiny amount of your magic and become attuned to you. Once it's ready to be born, you will know."
Bella glanced down at the 'living' ring in front of her. "You really give the strangest presents."