true loves poison • james potter

20

It had been nearly a month since getting the permission slip from Professor Binns. But since that day in History of Magic class, she had been swamped with homework and drama and she honestly forgot her paper was due at the end of the month.

But she finally had a moment on Sunday afternoon to run to the library.

Madam Pince, the librarian, sat behind her large desk like usual. "I have permission from Professor Binns to retrieve a book from the restricted section." She stated.

Looking at Lorelei through her unfathomably small glasses, Madam Pince extended her hand to which Lorelei placed her permission slip. Madam Pince looked at the slip for several long moments, Leaving Lorelei to fidget.

Finally, Madam Pince nodded and stepped off her wooden stool.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Lorelei followed the lanky librarian to the back section of books separated from the rest.

Madam Pince asked her to wait outside the roped off area as she retrieved the book.

Waiting was never Lorelei's strong suit.

It took two minutes before she wandered to the closest bookshelf to peruse the shelves. She read the titles as she went along, chuckling at the ironic nature of some of them. "If There's A Wand, There's A Way. How clever." She muttered lowly.

Once she got to the end of the bookshelf, she walked back perusing the second shelf. And on and on until she had finished skimming the titles of each book on the shelf.

Pulling a book off the shelf titled, Decoding Ancient Texts, she skimmed the back. Deciding it might be a useful book for her venture, Lorelei held onto it until she heard the rope rattle.

Hearing a noise from her right, she looked over and saw Madam Pince holding a book that was slightly larger than an average book, with a black cover. "My apologies for the wait, I had to retrieve a ladder to reach it." Extending the book to her, the librarian waited patiently for Lorelei to grab it.

Lorelei smiled gratefully as she grabbed the rough cover, adding it to her arm where she held the other book. "Thank you."

Stalking off, presumably back to her desk, Madam Pince Left Lorelei in the back of the library. Thankfully, the library wasn't built as a maze, so it was fairly easy to find her way to the seating area on the west side.

Sitting in one of the many empty seats, Lorelei gently placed her prizes on the table. On the cover of the bigger book in large, dark red letters were the words: Blood Magic: A Lost Art.

Eagerly she touched the book, feeling the interesting texture of the cover, "Hey, Lorelei? Isn't it?"

Looking up from the book, she looked into the face of Alice Fortescue. "Yeah,"

Alice smiled brightly and gestured to the seat across from her, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No," Lorelei said, smiling back. Although in the privacy of her mind she wondered why Alice didn't sit in one of the many other empty chairs.

"What book are you reading?" Alice asked politely, setting her things on the table.

Looking down at the two books in front of her like she didn't already know, Lorelei answered half heartedly, "Oh. A book on decoding ancient texts and a book Professor Binns recommended."

"Oh? What book?"

"Um, it's about blood magic and demons I'm pretty sure. We have to write a paper, so I'm just studying for class."

"Demons?" Alice shivered slightly.

For a moment the two sat in silence. "What brings you to the library?"

Alice gave a small smile, "Well I actually came to study for my defense against the dark arts class." She gestured to her stuff piled on the table, "I'm going to go find a book, will you watch my stuff for me?"

Lorelei nodded and watched Alice walk off.

Looking back at the book she ignored the book on blood magic and opened the book on decoding ancient texts. She read the first three pages before a new voice called.

"Lorelei!"

Looking up, Pandora was walking over to her. "Hello, Pandora." She said, shutting her book, using her index finger as a book mark.

"Can I sit? I have to study for Astronomy." Looking at the pile of stuff in front of an empty seat she asked hastily, "Unless whoever else is sitting here will mind."

Lorelei chuckled, "No, Alice, uh, Fortescue was going to join me also but she needed to find a book. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you joining too."

"Are you sure?" Pandora asked, already pulling out the chair next to where Alice's things were piled.

Nodding Lorelei watched the blonde sit down across from her. Unlike Alice, Pandora didn't try to make conversation with Lorelei. She simply opened her astrology textbook and read it over.

Opening the book again, Lorelei read up to chapter two before Alice finally returned. "So sorry I was gone so long. I just couldn't find the book I needed, but when I asked Madam Pince she told me where it was and it was a bookshelf over from where I had been looking which is incredibly frustrating." She laughed, dropping a rather large book on the table next to her other things, "Pandora, are you joining us as well."

Pandora looked up from her astronomy textbook, "Yes. I would have studied with Regulus but he was busy."

Alice nodded and plopped down in her seat. "How is Regulus by the way?"

Pandora raised a brow, "You're not going to be upset with him?"

"No, why would I?" Alice asked genuinely, concerned about covering her face.

"House prejudice, he's Sirius' brother and they loathe each other." Pandora listed.

Alice smiled and shook her head, her good cheer returning to her, "Oh absolutely not. I don't believe in house prejudice. And Sirius' business is his own."

Pandora hummed. "He's well. A bit... Trapped. But he still somehow manages it all, I'm lucky to consider him a friend."

Alice smiled in response, "I'm glad he's well, and you?"

Shrugging softly, she answered, "Same as always. Eager to move on to bigger things."

"I always thought you and Regulus had the hots for one another." Alice said, seemingly out of the blue.

After a moment of silence, Pandora started laughing. "Oh, heavens no. Regulus would need someone of particular strength to handle him."

Lorelei watched the two converse with slight interest. At least, the intersection was more fascinating then the book she held limply in her hands.

"And you Alice? Any budding romances on your horizon?" Pandora asked.

Alice smiled, somewhat shyly. "Perhaps."

Her interest now increasingly spiked, Lorelei dropped pretenses of reading the book. "Who?"

Looking helplessly between her and Pandora, Alice chuckled nervously. "It's very new, and we've only been on a few dates."

"Who is it?" Pandora pressed.

Alice sunk into her chair, her neck turning scarlet. Mumbling incoherently, Lorelei and Pandora both leaned forward to try and hear. "Who?" Lorelei asked.

Pandora grinned widely. "Frank Longbottom?"

Her blush crept from her neck onto her cheeks.

Lorelei half scoffed, half laughed, "Go Alice!"

Sitting straight quickly, Alice rushed out, "You two can't tell anyone. I really like him and I don't want to ruin it by looking too deeply into anything."

Lorelei kept a smirk on her mouth as she mimed zipping and locking her mouth shut.