true loves poison • james potter

79

Another month flew by, but Lorelei hardly noticed. After their initial conversation, James and Lorelei had taken the route of examining the other prophecies. Considering much of the subject matter involved one or both of them, it wasn't exactly Lorelei's favorite passtime.

James seemed determined to puzzle through them, however. Together, they concluded each vision must connect with Lorelei directly. Even when she wasn't shown in the vision, such as in the first vision. As a guest, she would be there when Pandora and Xenophilius shared their wedding kiss. And then when James and Sirius were laughing, she must also be there. And the baby Lily was holding very well could be Lorelei's.

The only anomaly was Dumbledore and the strange woman.

From what she could remember, she hadn't been sitting at the table with them. More like she was a spectator of the moment.

Without more information, the most they could guess was maybe she was being talked about between the two and that's why the Noisiv Globe included the conversation.

Time came to a crashing halt the morning of Pandora's wedding.

Lorelei had barely registered the month as being September, and she would have entirely forgotten the wedding if Liz and Melissa hadn't been obsessing about their attire.

After breaking the Noisiv Globe, Lorelei had majorly withdrawn from Pandora and Xenophilius's research and experiments. But the two had still given her updates with any new information they uncovered, up until a month prior to their wedding when they put all their research on hold.

But Lorelei was happy they were giving themselves enough reprieve from the disheartening exercise to enjoy their own wedding.

And in true Lovegood fashion, the wedding was unlike anything Lorelei had ever seen.

To begin, Pandora's dress was just as extravagant as she was - layered tulle dyed blue made up most of her skirt and an embroidery collage of creatures created the bulk of her bodice.

Of course, Xenophelius's attire wasn't quite typical either. Other then the unusual shade of purple, the upper half of his suit was quite normal, but he'd forgone pants and instead wore a skirt made from the same fabric as his suitcoat. Combined with his long white hair, and he made quite an odd picture.

But their unique styles only complimented one another, and no one could deny the brightness of their smiles as the two faced off on the alter.

Lorelei, sitting in the front row, couldn't hold onto her anti marriage beliefs as she watched the two recite their vows - odd as they were.

A small, delicate thought wormed to the front of her mind. Perhaps, in some circumstances, waiting to get married wasn't the best policy.

As she allowed the thought to simmer, she carefully kept her eyes on the couple on the alter despite the overwhelming urge to look at James next to her.

And then, just as they went to lean in for their first kiss as a married couple, Lorelei was hit with a wave of deja vu and it took her the entire second the two were pressed together to remember she'd already seen the image of their first kiss.

The reminder of her visions made her frown as cheers broke out around her. Quickly recovering, she brushed aside thoughts of the parchment as she clapped and cheered as loud as the rest.

Together, the pair turned to the crowd and walked into the fray of people.

Being in the first row, Lorelei was one of the first to hug Pandora. The blonde beamed as she soaked up the reception, and Lorelei studied her with hesitance. Once again, she fought against her desire to look at James.

Unfortunately, James didn't have the same restraint. Snaking his arms around her waist from behind, he leaned his chin on her shoulder so the two could watch the couple together. "You know, this whole wedding business has me thinking."

She couldn't help but grin at his failed nonchalance. "Oh yeah?" She played along, placing her arms on top of where his rested.

"Have you ever considered it? Even once?"

"Considered what?"

James pulled away so he could stand in front of her, "Getting married young."

Unable to avoid the pull of his blazing eyes, she stared up at him. It was just as bad as she expected as she read every desire pouring out from him. "Why does marriage matter anyway? We're happy, we don't need rings and vows to make that more true."

"Well, for starters I selfishly want you all to myself. Is it so terrible to be legally bound to me?" He asked.

A wry smile escaped her careful control. "Not terrible. Dangerous. Marriage doesn't make a couple. Love does."

"I agree." James replied calmly, "But marriage is symbolic as well, meaning we're throwing our lot together no matter the outcome."

Almost as a physical sensation she could feel her trepidation as they continued the conversation. "We haven't even been dating two years."

Creeping slightly closer, James wrapped his arms loosely around her waist - the action feeling much more intimate now that she could see the emotions pouring from his eyes.

Gently resting his forehead against hers, James whispered, "You know I'll wait as long as you like."

Later, as the two danced and laughed at the reception, Lorelei couldn't help his words swirling around her head as well as another thought of her own.

If getting married wasn't a big deal, why was she so against it?

<>

"I understand why you're opposed. But I'm telling you now I've already planned preparations for the party to keep it safe from death eaters."

Dumbledore pursed his lips, the action nearly hidden by the hair flowing down his chin. "I'm afraid the war doesn't just stop for celebrations."

"No," Lorelei replied, matching his firm tone, "But I don't tend to allow the war to dictate my life. And it shouldn't dictate others lives either."

At that, Dumbledore raised a brow. "Is that so, Miss Byrd?" His look held further meaning then their conversation, but Lorelei refused to be drawn into one of Dumbledores cryptic games. At her stubborn expression, he continued, "Regardless, I'm afraid I must still oppose you hosting a Halloween celebration."

"We can't continue on as though death eaters are lurking around every corner. I'm not telling you my intentions because I want your opinion. I'm telling you so you can prepare for everyone on that list," she motioned to the paper between them, "to be otherwise occupied the evening of October thirty first."

Dumbledore's expression turned thoughtful. For a moment, the room was silent. Then he inclined his head, "Very well."

Lorelei nodded and fled the room.