true loves poison • james potter

41

"Are you really okay with us breaking up?" Sirius asked lowly as he and Lorelei walked through the crowded hallway to their next class.

Lorelei scrunched her eyebrows together as she dodged a student who was barreling through the hall. "Godric, Sirius, you are acting like we were dating for twenty years. We're friends first, and snogging you didn't change that."

Sirius nodded quietly.

"Besides, it's probably for the best that you get Remus off the dating market as quickly as possible." Lorelei commented off handedly.

"What do you mean?"

Tilting her head, Lorelei looked over at Sirius, "I would say ninety percent of our year has wanted to or currently wants to shag Remus."

Laughing out his response, Sirius shook his head, "That is not true."

"I am not even exaggerating." Lorelei said, keeping her face serious as he laughed.

"Godric, really?" Sirius asked once he recovered and saw her expression. "I guess I have some competition."

"Not really, I'd bet you have a better shot then most. Remus knows you."

Raising both his eyebrows, Sirius asked, "And you would know what Remus wants in a person?"

A sly smirk crept onto her face, "Perhaps."

"Brilliant," Sirius started sarcastically, "I'm trying to win over the affection of my best friend with coaching from his ex shag."

Laughing loudly, Lorelei attracted the attention of a few students walking past them. "Godric Sirius, do you have to be so crass?"

A smirk melted across his expression, "Always, darling."

<>

Walking alone to the Ravenclaw dorm two weeks later, Lorelei watched through the windows as the dreary weather readied for the winter.

Inside the castle, Halloween was creeping ever closer and the buzz of the students was finally recovering from the autumn break. Seeing as the break ended tomorrow, Lorelei wasn't surprised to see more faces crowd the hallways as she walked.

Halloween was a happy holiday for the Ravenclaws, she always enjoyed candy and dressing up. Although she had no plans to dress up this year, she always imagined when she had children she would dress them in little vampire outfits, or as little werewolves.

"Lorelei!"

Turning around, Lorelei searched the sea of faces until she saw a familiar Gryffindor. "Potter!" She yelled back, a small smile settling on her lips.

Slowing his run, he stopped in front of her, "I need to talk to you." He huffed out, breathless from running.

Slightly tilting her head, she said slowly, "Of course, right now?"

Nodding, James looked around the crowded hall, "Let's go somewhere a bit quieter, yeah?"

A bit unsettled, Lorelei nodded and let James lead her to the Gryffindor common room.

Sitting gently down on the couch while James plopped harshly down in the armchair, Lorelei tried to convince herself James was probably going to ask her about homework and nothing serious.

"It has been two weeks and Sirius refuses to tell me who got between you two." James said suddenly, making Lorelei look over. "It is driving me crazy." Scooting forward in the chair, James lowered his voice, "You have to tell me who it is."

Laughing, Lorelei let go of the worry building in her chest. James stared at her, unamused. "I am not joking, Lorelei."

"Listen, Potter, I don't-"

Cutting her off James said, his frustration leaking out, "Oh my Godric, please. Call me James."

A bit taken aback by being corrected, Lorelei took a moment before continuing. Clearing her throat, she started again, "I don't think Sirius would be very happy with me if I told you who it is."

Standing up suddenly, James started pacing, "It has ruined my life, Lorelei. I keep picking my mind apart for every possibility. Is it someone I know? Is he half in love with her and that's why the two of you broke up? I can't even fathom who would be that much more important to Sirius, other than me, moony, and wormtail." James rambled. "And if he wasn't half in love with her, why did it break up your relationship? It has to be a girl he connected with, even more so than he connected with you, which is hard to imagine considering-" He cut himself off with an indecipherable mutter.

Slowly standing, Lorelei approached James and put her hands on his shoulders, getting his attention. "James. Have you asked Sirius?"

"Yes!" James said, leaking frustration out of his ears, "At least a dozen times, or more! He refuses to give me a hint, a hair color even." He sighed and looked down at the ground, "I don't know why he would ever be so secretive unless it was someone we both know! But there is no one he should have to be this secretive about. There isn't a single person in this castle that would surprise me if Sirius said he had feelings for them. That man could develop feelings for a plant."

"I can assure you, it is a student." Lorelei said, a bit distracted on how to safely pull away from James without it being awkward.

James, plundering forward as if lost in his own head, rambled, "I have gone over every possibility, Lorelei. It has to either be a Slytherin, Lily, or someone else I'm not thinking of. Why else would he be so secretive? Unless it really is a plant, then I would have to have a conversation with him about those feelings, but honestly I could learn to be supportive. If I have to, I would be his best man at his plant wedding. I'd even learn how to keep a straight face if he just opened up and told me!"

"James Potter!" Lorelei yelled, shaking his shoulders where she still had her hands, "It. Is. Not. A. Plant." She said, enunciating each word.

"Well thank Godric for that, I don't know if I could have taken that seriously."

Sighing, Lorelei took the opportunity to remove her hands from his arms and sit back down. "Sirius probably is embarrassed."

"Why would Sirius be embarrassed? He's dated at least fourteen people in the years I've known him, why is this girl any different?"

A twinge of annoyance flared at his assumption Sirius's crush was a girl. Pushing the feeling aside, Lorelei answered his question. "Maybe because he's never had serious feelings for those other people. From what I gathered, he has real feelings for this person."

James stared at her in that particular way that she knew meant the gears in his head were turning.

"Can you answer one question for me?" He asked suddenly after the break of silence.

Blinking, Lorelei answered slowly, "Perhaps."

"Is it even a girl?"

Panic clawed at her lungs. Fighting to keep her composure, Lorelei kept a straight face. "I don't understand the question."

A large smile slowly grew on James's lips as he looked at her. "It's a guy, isn't it? And that's why he's being so secretive?"

Lorelei didn't move. "I didn't say anything."

"I'm going to go talk to Sirius," James said suddenly, moving abruptly toward the staircase. Pausing at the base, as if remembering he was being impolite, he turned around and said, "Thank you, I'm sure you can find your way back to your common room?"

Trying to pray to what ever deity that Sirius didn't murder her for James's realisation, Lorelei nodded softly.