true loves poison • james potter

36

"Can I sit with you for breakfast?" Lorelei caught up with Sirius in the corridor leading to the Great Hall.

Sirius's face melted into a smile, "Of course, love." Placing his arm around her shoulder, he led the two of them into the Hall, taking her to the gryffindor table.

Liz and Melissa, aware of Lorelei's plans, walked to the ravenclaw table whispering about the couple. Many of the students of Hogwarts did the same.

Sitting next to Sirius, she asked, "Where's the rest of your friends? I thought you four were practically joined at the hip." She teased.

Chuckling lowly, Sirius looked down at his empty plate, "Sleeping in, I'm afraid."

Smiling, Lorelei started putting food on her plate, "Oh? I was under the impression Remus and Peter were more of morning people."

"Then let me amend, James is sleeping in. Remus and Peter are studying and when I asked them to join me for breakfast, they declined."

"Well," Lorelei said, moving closer to lean in, making their legs touch, "Lucky me then. I get you all to myself."

Sirius hummed, "I have to disagree. I'm the one who's lucky."

Chuckling Lorelei bumped his arm, "That was cheesy."

"Byrd!"

Briefly, her smile dropped. But a split second later her smile was back on her lips as she turned toward the doors to see Potter storming toward her and Sirius.

Pausing in front of them, James gestured between them, "What is this?"

Turning toward Sirius, she asked, "Have you not told him?"

Looking uncomfortable, Sirius shrugged, "I couldn't find a good moment."

"It's been a week."

Sirius shrugged, "How was I supposed to tell him we've been going out-"

"Going out? You mean like on a date? With her?" James interrupted.

Looking away from Sirius, Lorelei's smile felt slightly harder to hold than it had a moment before, "Yes Potter."

James's neck muscles flexed as he swallowed spit. "Remember my list from the beginning of the year?"

"Yes." Lorelei said as Sirius simultaneously said, "No?"

"Lily, Remus, Regulus, and now Sirius?" James said, barely containing himself from yelling.

Smiling genuinely at his dramatics, Lorelei squinted her eyes a bit, "I think you're missing a few."

"You snogged Regulus?" Sirius asked from her side.

Her smile morphing briefly into a smirk she turned back to Sirius, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "That one was a rumor." She whispered, glancing at James as she did so, knowing it was irritating him more that she was whispering in front of him. "But don't tell him that."

"My point is, Byrd, this," He gestured between her and Sirius again, "Is not happening."

Raising a brow, Lorelei's smile slipped. "And why is my private life any of your business?"

"I don't care about your private life, it's Sirius-"

Cutting him off, she asked, "And why is Sirius's private life any of your business?"

"Because I don't want you to hurt him." James said, crossing his arms.

Feeling a fight coming on, Lorelei stood and stepped out of her chair, approaching James. "What makes you think I would hurt him?"

James's eyes flicked rapidly between her eyes. "Because when it comes to you and romance, I'm sure any person in this school can attest you're not exactly the commitment type."

Blinking, Lorelei processed his words. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough that I don't want you near my brother." James said, stepping closer to her.

Clenching her jaw, Lorelei refrained from punching him in the face. "And why is that, huh? Because I might snog him? I really don't see how my relationship with Sirius involves you."

"I don't want Sirius getting involved with people I know will only hurt him!" James exclaimed, his eyes rapidly flicking between hers.

"What did I do to you, James? You 're the one who harassed Lily and attacked those kids!" A lump formed in her throat. "And to think I once thought you were close to being a decent person." Her words came out on the cusp of being a whisper.

Walking away, she brushed past him toward the doors. Passing Peter and Remus on their way in. Bumping into Peter, Lorelei mumbled, "Sorry," as she fought tears.

Wishing aparation was allowed in the castle she tried to keep walking but Peter asked, "Are you okay?"

To which she turned around, walking backwards, and said, "Not exactly!" Turning back around, Lorelei found herself seconds away from becoming a puddle.

Practically running at this point, Lorelei rushed to the ravenclaw common room. "What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?" The door knocker asked.

Thinking for a moment, Lorelei felt a surge of her want to beat the door in instead of pausing to think. But eventually, she breathed enough air to know the answer. "Silence."

The door swung open and Lorelei rushed in and up the stairs, bursting into her dorm.

Empty, as she expected, she slammed the door behind her. Letting her tears fall freely now, her mind ran in circles making a million thoughts flow through her head at once.

Placing her hand on her forehead, Lorelei paced the room trying to take longer breaths as tears fell down her cheeks dripping off her chin.

<>

"I don't care what James says. He is allowed to have his opinion, and I'm allowed to have mine!"

"This was never going to work anyway." Guilt dripped as sweat down her spine. "You worked with James to scare those kids. And that was the whole reason that-" Catching herself before she finished, she sighed. "That was the whole reason I ended my friendship with Potter."

"Lorelei," Sirius argued, stepping forward to put his hands on her arms, "We didn't know the kids were the last to come out of the common room, it was for laughs! And anyway, all four of us have stopped pranking this year, with James being head boy, and Remus being a prefect that doesn't leave us any time really to do anything!"

Covering her eyes with her hands, Lorelei huffed and pulled away from his touch, "It doesn't matter, Sirius. I don't want to be at war with Potter, and because you two are so close I don't want to be in the middle."

"You won't be! Our relationship isn't any of his business!"

Crossing her arms, Lorelei stared at Sirius. The eyes of those surrounding them in the Great Hall felt more palpable when she wasn't yelling or listening to him yelling.

Hot guilt overrode her anger as her mind screamed at her for using Sirius. "He is your best friend. I don't want to cause any more tension between the two of you than I already have."

"Listen, Lorelei, stop." Sirius stepped forward and grabbed her hands, "I will talk to James. I really like you, and I don't want him to get in the middle of us."

Looking him in the eyes, she whispered. "I think he already has."