true loves poison • james potter

65

February melted into March, and the workload tripled in preparation for their NEWT exams. Lorelei barely had time to breathe outside of studying.

Despite the heavy workload, James still found time to spend with her between classes and during meals. She valued time with him, as the days got warmer the air at Hogwarts got more melancholic. There was nary a newspaper without mention of Voldemort or his death eaters.

It was becoming normal to see children crying in the hallways, confiding to their peers their fears about being muggleborn. Even half bloods could be found anxiously awaiting letters from their families reassuring them of their safety.

More than a hundred students were pulled out of school to flee the country between February and April.

Dumbledore seemed unaffected by any of the changes happening in the stone walls. Every meal he could be seen chatting chipperly with the other professors, chuckling as if nothing were awry.

Anger was the only response she could fathom toward the Professor. How could Dumbledore show no sympathy when surrounded by children and teenagers that were clearly very affected by the impending war?

But she had very little time to be upset with him.

Her days fell into the monotonous routine of waking up early to study before breakfast, eat quickly as James and Sirius tried to make everyone laugh, study more, go to class, eat lunch while Melissa and Liz quizzed each other on transfiguration, go to class, study, eat dinner, study, sleep, and repeat.

The monotony came to an end after the Easter Holidays.

A forceful end to the never ending cycle of studying, as even looking at her book bag made her want to crawl under her covers for the rest of time.

So in an attempt to protect her sanity, she decided a Sunday morning stroll was in order - the angry clouds in the sky doing very little to dissuade her.

The fresh air didn't quite pierce through her jacket like the winter had, and already the signs of spring were melting into summer. The evidence was written on the buds of the trees and the never ceasing call of birds picking up for the first time since August. Still, she found herself wary of leaving her dorm without a coat and she stood by her decision as she looked at the grey covered sky.

Finding a bench that would be sufficiently covered if it happened to rain, Lorelei plopped down and stared around the empty grounds as the first drops landed around the courtyard. Of course the few drops grew into a decent sprinkling, creating the perfect ambiance to read in.

Pulling her pocketbook edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lorelei got to work on relaxing. She got two sentences in before her mind wandered, leading her everywhere except the page in front of her.

Just that Friday another paper published how Voldemort was on the move.

She found it both concerning and terrifying that one dark wizards actions could affect the entirety of the wizarding world. Even the Minister of Magic has checks and balances to keep them from becoming a totalitarian, but a rogue man was able to garner enough power to cause a war.

One man.

Lorelei found herself wondering if it was pure mania fueling Voldemort, or some hidden vendetta causing his psychotic rampage. From the general populace perspective, Voldemort is just some one. He has no personality outside of the public image wrought upon him by the likes of reporters.

It was difficult for her to comprehend how someone who was murdering hundreds could have some twisted reason to feel justified in doing so, and even more difficult to understand how such actions hadn't dissuaded his followers at all.

Voldemort had somehow gathered a cult following by murdering muggleborn's and muggles alike, and thus far no one had been able to stop him.

How?

The page before her could have been empty and it would have made little difference. Elizabeth and Darcy paled in comparison to the thoughts filling the world around her.

She feared thinking of the future of the wizarding world. She doubted there was a single witch or wizard alive that could face Voldemort and win.

Maybe, and she loathed to think, Dumbledore could. But a single resentful thought crept into her mind, Would he? And the validity of her thought wasn't easily dismissed. She couldn't reasonably argue Dumbledore would fight Voldemort if given the chance, she didn't have enough evidence on Dumbledore's character.

But from what she knew, Dumbledore would rather train someone else to do it rather than putting himself in the line of fire.

Snapping her book shut, Lorelei stood. More frustrated and overwhelmed then she was before she tried relaxing, she tried to figure out how to cross the courtyard without being soaked to the bone by rain.

Just after resigning to the fact she'd have to run for it, a path parted in the rain for her and at the other end stood James Potter.

Despite her melancholy thoughts, Lorelei smiled at him before walking through the path he made for her.

Reaching him, she watched as he lowered his wand and the rain went back to falling as if nothing had interrupted it in the first place.

"Thank you, James." Lorelei said, shoving her pocketbook into her coat.

"I saw you staring at the same page for thirty minutes and decided a rescue was in order." James teased.

Smiling up at him, she crossed her arms in an attempt to keep her warmth. "Yeah, I didn't do very much reading. Mostly running myself in circles."

"Well," He started, maneuvering slightly closer to her, "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"I know." She sighed, "I just don't think you-know-who needs to be spoken of more than he already is. Practically the whole of Hogwarts speaks of him daily. I think the stones would join the conversation if someone gave them mouths."

James smiled, "And what would the stones say? 'You think Voldemort's bad, wait until you see what they put me through to make me so smooth'."

A small chuckle left her lips, "That was a terrible joke."

"But it got you to laugh." James said, both brows raised.

Lorelei nodded and a comfortable silence fell between them. After a moment her resting smile faded, and she said quietly, "How long will we have to live with the threat of Voldemort over our heads?"

James pursed his lips, "If I get a crack at him, not long."