true loves poison • james potter

8

"We have to do that again."

"Already planning on it, Turpin." Lori squeezed her wet hair with a towel. They'd just returned from their escapade at the lake.

Throwing her towel on the ground, she turned to her friends, "I need help."

Her friends leaned back simultaneously, "With what?" Melissa asked hesitantly.

"Phase two. I've got my audience hooked, now I need a good first body paragraph." Lori started lightly pacing, like walking around would get her gears turning.

"I mean, shagging Lupin was the right idea. You probably just didn't do it at the opportune time. The people who witnessed your escapade haven't spread that info to the rumor mill as of yet." Liz started.

"Do I want a reputation for shagging people?" Lori said.

Melissa shrugged, "What's the worst that could happen? There's a medical wing."

"A baby if she's not careful." Liz said before pausing and turning back to Lori, "You and Lupin did use protection, magical or whatever, right?"

"Yes, Liz, we weren't that intoxicated." Lori rolled her eyes playfully.

Liz raised her hands, "Hey, I just don't want any baby Byrds yet."

The room fell into a comfortable silence as the three all tried to think of a good move.

"If you really wanted to start drama," Melissa started, catching both her friends' attention, "Snogging, or shagging, a Slytherin would do the trick. I know Potter's group seems to be especially averse to them."

"Especially Snape." Liz grumbled.

"I actually refuse to go near Snape, but any other Slytherin could work."

"I have a horrible idea." Liz said, gaze planted on the wall just behind Lorelei.

Melissa smiled over at her, "Those are the best kind."

Finally making eye contact with Lori, she winced, "You'll hate it."

"Just spit it out already!" Lori laughed out.

"Fine!" Liz chuckled, "What if, and remember this is just an idea, you helped Lily out."

"That was way too vague." Melissa said blandly.

Liz smiled, "What's the one thing Lily hates most at this school?"

"Blood puritans?" Melissa suggested.

"Death eaters?" Lorelei tried.

"Wow serious much? No, I meant: Lily hates Potter flirting with her."

Both Melissa and Lorelei gave a soft, "Oh."

After a moment Lori said, "Wait what does that have to do with your idea?"

"I'm getting there. Why don't you help Lily by taking Potter's attention elsewhere."

Lorelei stared at her blankly, "I really need you to stop being as cryptic as Dumb-old-door for like five minutes."

Looking at the ceiling as if it has written instructions on 'how to get your point across', Liz tried again. "Lily doesn't like Potter's attention, so take his attention off of Lily and on to you."

Nodding slowly, Lorelei listened. When she finished she shook her head, "I'm lost, I have been trying to get Potter's attention."

"Godric, I don't know how I can be more clear." Liz stood up and grabbed Lori's upper arms, "You should get Potter to fall in love with you or something along those lines."

Realization slowly spread across Lori's face in a slow smirk, "I would kill him."

Confusion spread across Liz's face, "How did two and two make seven?"

"If Potter trailed me like a puppy like he does to Lily, I'd kill him. I wouldn't be able to stand that. Lily is quite literally a saint for not permanently transfiguring him into a tree by now."

Liz chuckled, "But what better way to get everyone talking? Potter has been publicly enamored with her for years, and then you swoop in and steal his affection. Lupin already admitted to being interested in you because of your newfound popularity."

"Exactly, Potter has been publicly in love with Lily. I really don't think, even if I wanted to, that I could steal his affection."

Liz sighed and looked at Melissa, who was watching their conversation from the bed, "Melissa, tell Lori that she could one hundred percent bag Potter."

"He hates me! And for good reason, I made sure he would!" Lori grinned, "Melissa, tell Liz that she's delusional. If I wanted a challenge, I'd go for Black. Potter is another level of difficulty."

The two girls turned to Melissa, waiting for her verdict.

"I agree with both of you on some points. Lori could definitely pull Potter, but I agree, why would you want to? But then again, you'd be helping Lily, but also Black would have a similar effect with less effort." Melissa shrugged, "It's up to you, Lori. Which would you rather pull?"

Lori sighed so long it morphed into a groan, "I'll think about it. For now, my goal is to snag a Slytherin, piss Potter off, and then I'll decide who my main paragraph will be about."

"Why do you keep using essay format as a comparison?"

Lori shrugged, "It's easy to keep track of my project if I view it like an essay."

After a moment of silence, Melissa asked, "Do you have any Slytherins you're gonna go for?"

"Not yet. I suppose I'll scout them out at dinner."

"Which is in," Melissa looked at her watch - a surprisingly handy muggle invention that told time. "Now, it's dinner, come on."

The three Ravenclaws walked down the stairs, through the common room, through the corridors, and into the Great Hall, where the majority of the students were already gathered.

"You know," Lori said as the three sat down, "working out is overrated. All you need to do to stay in shape is get from one place to the next."

The three ate quietly until Lorelei remembered her side mission for the meal.

Looking up at the Slytherin table, she scanned faces until she landed on Snape. Ew, was her immediate thought.

Next to Snape though, sat Avery and Mulciber. Two people she also refused to touch.

Sitting alone at the end of the table, sat Regulus Black. Eating alone, sending nasty looks at his fellow Slytherins as they laughed.

His birthday had been just a few weeks prior. An event like that was hard to miss as his parents publicly sent him a slew of presents, all expensive, and yet he gave every one of them away.

Still, he was a year younger than her.

<<>>

You would not believe how long I spent trying to calculate that.

Far too long.

Lorelei's Birthday is February 10, 1960. RAB is (unsaid, but I just made it up) September 16, 1961.

So we are simply going to pretend he's not awkwardly young because I don't want to make up a Slytherin, okay? :)