God is Dead | James Potter

3 | I DID SOMETHING BAD

A DARK CLOUD HAD BEGUN
forming over Hogwarts students' heads. A dark, raging cloud. Some would choose to ignore the impending storm, some others would run, hide from it, while the rest would face it for what it was: catastrophe.

Or at least, so had the Sorting Hat had chosen to say last night, as a welcome back speech. If Lovina had heard such a sentence when she was eleven, it would have made her sick. When she was eleven, she'd watched Sirius Black get sorted into Gryffindor instead, an instant cautionary tale. If she'd had those words from the Sorting Hat beforehand, she would've concluded their world was about to face a horrendous threat.

But it had not winded up to be that way, and so, Lovina walked Regulus to his first class of the day, Transfiguration, her books, as well as his, clutched securely against herself. "I can't stand this class. I would choose not to bother with the OWL, if it was up to me." Regulus expressed, dark eyebrows furrowing together. McGonagall had something against him, he knew, but did not know how to prove it. There were no uncalled-for detentions, unfair grades, or bitter words, but there was something, he was sure.

"You can stomach it, I reckon, you're more decent than half the pricks," Said Lovina, handing him his textbook at the entrance of the classroom, "I have a NEWT level potions class to attend with Snape. I could use your pity." Snivellus, as Potter and his friends were fond of calling him.

Snivellus, as Sirius loved to call him. "Have it all, then," Regulus agreed, and with a shared nod, the two were off to their respective classes.

And with the absence of Regulus, Lovina's walk turned into a silent, rather quick one, with most people clearing the path she walked, as it would be far more pleasant than to run into her.

The dungeons, though cold, had already been filled with chatter by the sixth-year students from the different houses, about ten of them so far, and she was quick to find a spot by the front of class, opening Lacrima Lunara's Of the Phenomena Above Us, in the few minutes while everything settled down.

"Is that Lunara? My brother says she's a great read." The unfamiliar Swedish accent caused Lovina to slam the book shut, as quickly as she had opened it, casting a stern look to the pale brunette with the Hufflepuff tie that stood beside her.

"And is that why you're speaking to me?"

The other girl's grin did not waver, "Well, I was wondering if I could sit next to you?"

Lovina scoffed, a tainted smile poisoning her features, "I'm afraid not. Ta-ra, now."

"But... there is no one next to you, and I thought, maybe-"

"Can't recall asking for your thoughts." She promptly interrupted.

"W-Wuh-Well, I-" Just when the bright expression had begun to crack, there came the unmistakable scent of citrus, James Potter had easily flung his arm around Lovina's shoulder.

"You two have finally met! Making my job easier, Love, thank you for that. Elodie, this is Lovina, my biggest fan I was telling you about the other day..." With an unintentional gag, Lovina broke herself free of the shameful embrace. "Love, this is Elodie, and I'm her... dear friend." Despite having said nothing the slightest bit funny, James still chuckled.

Slytherin house might have envied Lovina's luck, that the only thing she got was a word play on her name, one that was far from offensive, at least compared to Severus's Snivellus, or Mulciber's Luciber.