You Need To Know Something

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie's last encounter with Lyra had made up her mind. Despite Maddie and James not talking at the moment she had to tell him the truth because Lyra wouldn't. Maybe he wouldn't believe her and maybe he didn't want to see or speak to her right now but despite everything Maddie really cared about James, far more than she would like to admit sometimes, and she knew that she was doing the right thing. She waited till the end of the most recent Gryffindor match and then hung around the changing rooms and waited outside until she knew the rest of the Gryffindor team had left. What she had to say was best said in private without anyone else listening and without anyone else knowing, especially Lyra.

She walked into the changing rooms and saw that James had his back to her. Maddie's heart began to beat incredibly fast and her hands began to sweat. She didn't know how she was going to do this but she knew she had to get the courage from somewhere and tell him. "Er, James" she said tentatively "I need to talk to you."

 

[Professor James Cade]

James was elated after the game and after celebrating on the pitch with his teammates he and the others made their way into the changing room and one by one everyone began to leave until James was the last player in the changing rooms. After showing James took his clothes out of his bag and began to dress. He couldn't stop smiling after catching the snitch, the game had been long and brutal and there were times when James thought he was going to fall asleep as he couldn't find the snitch. Both Lyra and Marisol had decided to give him attitude during the game but he decided to let it pass, things would often get heated during long games and there was no sense bring it up once it was over.

As he fumbled around in his bag looking for his T-shirt, James heard a familiar voice behind him. He was suddenly very aware of the fact he was half naked. "Hi Maddie," James said turning to face her. "What's so important it couldn't wait until I was dressed?" He asked with a smirk.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie blushed when James mentioned that she could have waited till he was dressed which was true but what she had to say was important. "I mean I could go if you want but i'd miss the show" she half joked as she pointed to the door but she had no intention of leaving. She peeled her eyes away from James as he continued to get dressed and cleared her throat a couple of times "so there's something important I need to tell you" she managed to get out "I think we should sit down though first" she said as she took a seat on the bench next to James' bag and waited for him to do the same, it was far too hard for Maddie to stand up when James was smirking at her like that she was sure her knees would give way at some point.

 

[Professor James Cade]

James laughed when Maddie referred to him as the show, it was her reaction to him in his current state of dress that made him decide to wait until she left to finish getting dressed. "Its a shame you already me getting out of the shower," James smirked which quickly softened into a laugh. He had a girlfriend so he shouldn't make such comments, but it was Maddie and he couldn't help himself. "Okay Maddie,
what is it?" He asked taking a seat beside her. "Is everything okay?" James asked, a little worried. After all, Maddie wasn't talking to him last he knew so for her to suddenly have something so important to tell him that it couldn't even wait for him to get dressed, it must be serious.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie laughed in spite of herself when James mentioned him showering. She hated how he could turn her into a giggling twelve year old girl even when they weren't on the best of terms. She took a deep breath and looked into James' eyes when he sat down next to her "you're not going to like it but I think you need to know" she began "even though we're not talking that much at the moment I still care about you, a lot actually, and no one else would tell you this" she said trying to get the courage to reveal it all "but... Lyra and Felix kissed. Last semester apparently. " she blurted out quickly looking from James to the floor. "I'm sorry to tell you this after the game and everything but there was no other time. I had to tell you as soon as I could and this was my only chance" she rambled.

 

[Professor James Cade]

Maddie's words took a little time to hit him but when they did they hit him hard. "What?" He asked, making sure he had heard her correctly. She was mistaken, she had to be, there was no way Lyra would do that to him. "No, no, how, where, when, what?" James just felt like he was saying random words to avoid a silence falling between the two of them while he was processing the bombshell Maddie had dropped on him. "Are...are you sure?" He asked. James needed to be sure if he was going to confront Lyra. James knew Maddie didn't like his girlfriend, and while he didn't think for a moment Maddie would sabotage his relationship on purpose, he needed to be sure that she was sure.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie frowned in concern and slowly nodded "it's true, i'm sorry" she mumbled as she looked to the floor. She knew it was going to be painful telling James what had happened but she just kept reminding herself that she was doing the right thing. "I overheard her... She was talking to her friend about it. I think she must have thought that she couldn't be overheard but I did hear her. I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything" she half lied "but I just couldn't leave. I couldn't believe what she was saying. Her and Felix... at the end of last year. They kissed in one of the towers" she explained, talking fast. Hoping it would hurt less if she got it out quicker. At first she considered embellishing the story a little, Lyra deserved it, but she didn't want to hurt James anymore and the situation was bad enough already. She delicately placed her hand on the Gryffindor seekers knee "I'm sorry James, you needed to know and she wasn't going to tell you" Maddie almost whispered.

 

[Professor James Cade]

Instinctively James took hold of Maddie's hand once she placed it on his knee. It felt right, it always did but knowing James he would do or say something to push her away like he always did, it wasn't what he wanted but it was usually what he had to do. "Maddie I'm sorry about what happened in the common room," James said quietly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "I reacted like that because I felt guilty, for what I think might have happened if Lyra hadn't walked in when she did," It had been clear at the time he and Maddie had been having a moment, as they had on a number of occasions since they met. Usually, they were interrupted, the only time they weren't being in their second year when they shared their first kiss.

James looked up at Maddie, despite everything she had come and told him something he didn't want to hear, but that he needed to know rather than let him continue in ignorance. James was sure he would have to talk to Lyra about the incident. James believed Maddie after all, maybe she was wrong, he hoped that but he believed she was telling something she believed to be true, and he knew it was hard for her to do.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie felt a jolt of electricity when James took her hand in his and stroked them with his thumbs. She closed her eyes and tried to contain her sigh, she would have given anything to feel this with James every single day but that wasn't going to happen. Her eyes instantly opened when James mentioned the awkward encounter in the common room last year. It was the last time that the two had properly spoken or looked at each other for an extended period of time. All because of Lyra Potter. She was always the root of the problem and loved annoying Maddie as much as she could which resulted in any friendship that James and Maddie were trying to cultivate after years of animosity were ruined before they even began.

She looked at the floor when James confessed his apology. Maddie had been experiencing so many emotions that day; happiness, outrage, love, anger, disappointment and embarrassment all in one afternoon! She couldn't pretend that she could forgive James that easily, she needed a friend that day and as soon as Lyra appeared she was dropped which really upset her. However, Maddie had directed much of her anger towards Lyra and given the situation she felt a little sorry for James herself so the irritation she felt rising to the surface remained hidden.

Maddie knew what James was saying was true, which was probably part of the reason why she was so annoyed that Lyra had interrupted their conversation. It was getting a little heated and passionate and Maddie was sure that something may have happened between the two Gryffindors, James had just said what she had been thinking out loud. So, in a way, they should have been thankful for Lyra interrupting when she had else the two Gryffindors would have found themselves in a very awkward encounter. Maddie found herself thinking back to the time in second year when they were left to their own devices and for some reason they just kept getting drawn to each other when they did not mean to. Which is the situation that they found themselves in at that moment. The changing room was empty and it was taking all of Maddie's strength to not grab James and kiss him right there and then.

She eventually looked from the floor up to James and she wished she hadn't. She had a weakness for his hazel eyes and what he was saying wasn't making it any easier for her. "I know what you mean" she said in almost a whisper, "it's always the same for us James. Maybe that's why... no matter how hard we try we just can't be friends. Its just too hard. It's easy to hate each other and..." she paused, debating whether she should voice what she was thinking "to deny our feelings" she added quickly, her eyes flicking over his features as she wondered whether she had said too much. It was probably the most honest conversation the two sixth years had had in years.

 

[Professor James Cade]

James nervously looked over at the door to the changing rooms, wondering if anyone would be walking in. That seemed to be how these things went, whenever he was alone with Maddie someone would interrupt. James didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but he knew in that moment he didn't want to be interrupted and he had a feeling Maddie felt the same way. No matter how hard they tried to be friends something always seemed to come between them, lately, it was his girlfriend Lyra. James hated to see the look of hurt and betrayal on her face when he had moved away from her when Lyra showed up in the common room. He hoped he would never cause her that much pain again but he had a feeling he would.

There was a spark of electricity as he held onto her hand, and he could tell by the look in big brown eyes that she had felt it too. For those moments, James forgot the outside world. It was just him and Maddie and they were all that mattered. James couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth, she had been denying her feelings for him just as he had for her. It all made sense and looking back he felt like the biggest jerk, why couldn't they have had this moment before Lyra, before Aion, before Link, before anyone. "Pretending not to love you is the hardest thing I've ever done," James whispered, barely audible but he knew Maddie would hear.

In a moment he would later describe as madness, or as being caught up in the moment. James leaned forward, Maddie's lips looked as inviting as they always did and for the first time since their second year, he wanted to feel them on his again. James placed his free hand on her face and cupped her cheek as he closed the gap between them and planted his lips on hers.

 

[Madeline Walden]

James had uttered the words that Maddie had longed to hear for so long and she thought that she would never hear them. He felt the exact same way and she was so relieved. She had no idea how long James had felt this way and she wondered if it had been as long as she had. Maddie looked into James' eyes and felt like they had truly connected for the first time in so long. She felt her eyes begin to well as she felt a rush of pure emotion for the boy in front of her. It had been a long time coming and it was a shame that it happened under such unfortunate circumstances. Before she knew it, James had decided to make the first move and close the space between them, something she had been wanting to do ever since she stepped into the changing room. She closed her eyes when she felt his other hand on her cheek and she smiled as he pressed his lips against her own. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering so much that she thought they may burst out of her stomach at any time. She grabbed the back of James' head with her free hand and kissed him harder. Her head was spinning but she didn't want the kiss to end.

 

[Professor James Cade]

James had half expected Maddie to pull back when he tried to kiss her, he had always thought he wouldn't be good enough for her, that she couldn't possibly feel about him the way he felt about her. Those doubts soon melted away as she kissed him back. It was nothing like the tame peck they had shared in their second year, the kiss was laced with years of repressed sexual tension, passion, pain and wanting. It was the culmination of everything they had been through since they met and James never wanted it to end. He dropped his hands from her face and slipped them around her waist and hoisted her onto his lap. Nothing else mattered but her, he hoped the kiss said everything that he could never quite put into words.

 

[Madeline Walden]

The kiss between the two Gryffindors was electrifying and passionate. Everything that Maddie had imagine it would be. It was so much more than the kiss they shared in second year, that was nothing compared to this. Everything that they had wanted to say but couldn't was transferred in the moment their lips met. It was like a dream and Maddie didn't want to open her eyes and she didn't want James to take his hands off her and she let out a soft whine when he did so. However, it was replaced by James grabbing her and placing her on his lap. She smiled as she continued to kiss him and responded enthusiastically to James lifting her onto his lap by tucking her legs either side of him. She ran her fingers through his hair as she pulled away for a quick breath of air, their heads still pressed together. "Wait" she said breathlessly "you know what i'm going to say don't you?"

 

[Professor James Cade]

James was in heaven. Nothing could ruin it, except the one thing that could and it was Maddie's next move. She pulled away, leaned her head against his. James was panting but he still heard what she said. He knew exactly what she was going to say and she shouldn't have been the one to do it. "I do, her," James didn't want to say her name. Not to stop himself from feeling guilty, that ship had sailed. He knew how Maddie felt about Lyra and mentioning her name probably wouldn't go down well. "We shouldn't go any further," He sighed and kissed her forehead. James wanted nothing more than to go further, to give Maddie everything.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie was relieved that James seemed to be on the same page as herself. Even though it killed her to hear him refer to her. She closed her eyes and kept her fingers intertwined in his hair and didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. All Maddie wanted to do was savour the moment between them. She had no idea how much she had craved this until now and she didn't want to let James go. She eventually sighed and removed herself from his lap and vacated the bench. "You know what has to happen now James. But only you can do that. I won't wait forever, not for her" she warned as she patted down her hair and smoothed her top. "I guess I'll see you around.." she said as she moved towards the door and pulled it open.

 

[Professor James Cade]

Everything Maddie said was right. James knew exactly what he needed to do and he knew he needed to do it soon. He couldn't bear to lose Maddie because he was too slow to break up with someone he didn't want to be with anymore. "Maddie, just a little longer okay," James pleaded as he watched her straighten herself out. "Don't give up on us, not just yet," James knew he had felt something for Madie for years but finally having her in his arms, finally being able to give himself to her it had not only confirmed what he knew himself to feel but it had made him realise just how much he needed her. James was close to having everything he had always wanted. He couldn't blow it now. "I'll see you soon," James added as Maddie made to leave.