true loves poison • james potter

33

"So now that we're back, is your project back in play?"

Lorelei paused her quill, "What?"

"You're project to topple the social structure of Hogwarts, are you going to finish it?"

Redipping her quill in the ink bottle, Lorelei returned to her essay. "I haven't really thought about it." She lied.

"Hmm." Melissa hummed innocently. "Because I could have sworn I saw you giving Potter some lingering looks earlier. Something you haven't done since January."

Keeping her eyes innocently on the parchment in front of her, Lorelei kept writing. "I don't know what you're referring to. I haven't given Potter a second thought since January."

"Really? Because I overheard Lupin the other day telling Potter he should make amends with you, but if you don't care then-"

"What?" Lorelei asked, cutting her off.

"What?" Melissa asked back.

Realizing her mistake, Lorelei mumbled, "Nothing," and got back to her essay.

"For a moment I assumed you were wondering what Potter said back, but obviously you're done with all that."

Lorelei glanced up to see Melissa smirking, staring right back at her. Sighing, Lorelei set down her quill. "Fine. I have been thinking about it. Was that the big confession you wanted?"

Melissa grinned, "So? What's the verdict?"

Slowly puffing out air, Lorelei shook her head, "I'm not sure yet. Maybe?"

Humming in response, the room then fell into a comfortable silence.

"And Potter?" Lorelei asked.

"He agreed with Lupin. As if they'd had the conversation plenty before, he seemed a bit frustrated. Not with Lupin, with himself." Melissa shook her head, "He's probably guilty after what happened to the Slytherin kids. I mean, he has to have been, why else would he have stopped pranking people since then?"

Shifting her sitting position, Lorelei picked up her quill again, "I hope so."

Melissa hesitated, then said, "You know, he could have done it because of what you said."

Sighing, Lorelei set her quill down again, "What do you mean?"

"You did tell him off for finding the situation funny." She shrugged, "Maybe he stopped pranking people because he realized you were right. Then again, that would make the project feel more sadistic."

Lorelei picked at a hangnail. "The project was easier back when I thought Potter was a heartless asshole who didn't care about anyone he wasn't friends with." Looking up at the ceiling, she continued, "I don't know, I guess now that I know he's a." Pursing her lips, she searched for the right word. "Decent person," she settled on, "I guess I feel like moving on with the project would be moving on with an impossible task. Removing Potter from the social ladder would be like removing Dumbledore from the spot as headmaster."

"They're both morally questionable, but likable regardless." Melissa said.

Lorelei scrunched her brows together, "Comparing Potter to Dumbledore feels like comparing a petty thief to a mass murderer. Yes, they're both criminals, but ones clearly less redeemable."

"Why don't you like Dumbledore anyway?"

Raising her brows, Lorelei met Melissa's eyes, "Do you want to see my list?" A smile ghosted onto her lips, "I think the fact that he can read minds, can never give a straight answer, and I'm absolutely sure he only sees others as pawns in his game is a good start."

Smiling back, Melissa leaned back on her bed, "Okay I get it." Letting out a small laugh, the two fell into silence again.

"Do you know when Liz is supposed to come back?" Lorelei asked, grabbing her quill again.

Shaking her head, Melissa grabbed a book from her side table, "I'm not sure."

Humming, Lorelei let the room settle into a longer silence as she finished her essay and Melissa read.

After a half an hour of silence, Lorelei dropped her quill and shook out her hand, "I'm done."

Looking up from her book, Melissa grabbed a bookmark, "Do you want me to proofread it for you?"

Smiling, Lorelei stood from where she sat on the floor, "Would you?"

Nodding, Melissa held her hand out for the paper. Handing it over, Lorelei got to work picking her things from the ground as the door burst open.

"You will never guess what happened." Liz said, panting heavily while standing in the doorway.

"What?" Lorelei asked, setting her things on her side table.

Liz entered the room quickly, throwing her bag on her bed, "So I was just studying with McGonagall, right? And our time ends and I leave her classroom, anticipating a quiet walk back to the dorm, right? Wrong. I pass Lily Evans in the hallway, I wave to her, whatever she's head girl so it's not that odd she'd be in the corridors this late. But, then I saw Potter walk up to her. At first, I thought it was weird, but then I rationalized that, you know, they're head boy and head girl of gryffindor. Well, as I was walking past I overheard them talking."

"Okay." Lorelei said slowly. Glancing over at Melissa, who wore an equally unimpressed expression, she asked, "And?"

"And they were talking about being in the order."

Lorelei scrunched up her brows, "The order?"

Liz nodded, "Apparently Dumbledore recruited them as well, and from what I overheard it was around the same time he recruited us."

Shaking her head, Lorelei crossed her arms, "So he's recruiting more students? Does that not seem...odd to you? That he wants teenagers to fight in a war for him?"

"Well," Melissa chimed in, "He did say he would hopefully not need our help until we were out of school."

"Barely adults doesn't make it that much better. Why doesn't he just recruit aurors?" Lorelei asked.

"He probably has, we don't know." Liz defended, "Anyway, that's not the point. The point is, Lily and Potter are members of the order too."

Blinking at the floor, Lorelei shook her head, "I just have a horrible feeling."

"About Dumbledore?"

"About everything. Dumbledore, Voldemort, the war." She shrugged lightly, "It all gives me this horrible feeling."

Silence smothered the room.