II — — cherry bomb!

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            LORELAI POTTER IS THE SWEETEST GIRL PEOPLE HAVE EVER MET, she was down to earth and had that cultish ballet dancer frame,  straight black hair, cherry lips, rosy cheeks and smelled like roses, Lorelai knew she was pretty and felt as fragile as her dress. She was the cherry on top of everyone's life, she's cherry sweet!

Although she might look like a fragile dress, her stem is made of steel. Lorelai was a ticking cherry bomb—sweet and delicate on the outside, but capable of exploding with a fiery energy at any moment.

And right now her bomb is on.

There were a lot of things that Lorelai Potter didn't like. She despised the noise of chalk on the board. People who chew loudly or with their mouths open, doing homework, people who walk slowly or talk over people, waking up early.

The stress of school was already crushing her—homework piled high, tests on the horizon—and it was only the first week back. Add to that the looming shadow of the war raging outside the castle walls, and it felt unbearable.

She clenched her jaw as Diana shoved the latest copy of the Daily Prophet into her hands.

DAILY PROPHET
DEATH EATERS TERROR CONTINUES
EXCLUSIVE: MORE MUGGLE-BORNS MURDERED
—> Dark magic sparks panic in the muggle world( muggle family murdered )

"Pathetic!" Diana cried shoving the daily prophet onto Lorelai as the two kept walking past the crowded halls, "Why can't someone just step up and kill the man already!?" She muttered.

"D, if it were that simple, someone would have done it by now," Lorelai replied, her tone weary but honest. "Besides, once we leave Hogwarts, we'll be able to fight. We'll actually make a difference."

Diana snorted, glancing sideways at her. "Lorelai Potter has it all figured out, hasn't she?" She teased.

"Of course I do," Lorelai teased, her lips curving into a sly grin. "We leave school, join the Ministry, or fight with Dumbledore—whoever's fighting against Voldemort Easy."

Diana gave her a sharp look, "Lottie!" She hissed, her tone warning.

"Fine, fine—you know who," Lorelai muttered with a sigh, rolling her eyes.

The longer the two girls walked, the busier the corridors became. Several people are chatting, yelling, and bumping into one another: Lorelai crashed into a girl with forest green Bambi eyes and chestnut hair that practically matched her tan skin.

"Sorry," muttered Lorelai nicely about to leave, but the girl's eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she had her mouth wide open; "You're Potter's sister, aren't you?" the girl inquired, a wide smile spreading across her face.

Lorelai forced a chuckle, exhaling sharply. "I think I am? Don't carry an ID with me," she replied dryly, her tone laced with sarcasm as she gave a nonchalant shrug.

The girl's expression immediately faded shifting to a blank stare still fixed on Lorelai unimpressed by her humor.

With a sigh, Lorelai's amusement waned as well, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Bad joke. . .sorry," she muttered quietly under her breath.

Unfazed, the girl shook her head and continued as though nothing had happened. "I was just wondering— is your brother single?"

Lorelai blinked, struggling to suppress the grimace tugging at her lips, fighting the urge to groan aloud. Another one. Another lovesick girl is asking about James.

Her response ended up coming out as an awkward, stifled laugh. Yet another item to add to the ever-growing list of things she despised: being known as James Potter's sister.

Though, to be fair, it wasn't James himself she resented. She adored him, truly. Being his sister was something she cherished. But living in his shadow—constantly fielding questions from lovestruck girls obsessed with him—was exhausting when his affections for Lily Evans were patently obvious to anyone with a shred of sense.

"Oh. . .Jamie Potter single?" Another awkward laugh, "Nope." Lorelai lied flatly, noticing the girl's face not believing her. "I swear!" Cried Lorelai raising her right hand, "May ABBA break up if James Potter is not single." She ginned.

The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, leaving without another word as her two friends trailed behind like two lost puppies while Lorelai waved goodbye to them with a forced smile before dropping it and sighing turning to Diana whose mouth was agape.

"You swore on ABBA--!" Diana shouted looking scandalized, "You're very cruel."

Lorelai shrugged nonchalantly; "Yes, well it keeps me young," she retorted back humorously before going back into more serious, "Besides y'know, I hate when people ask me that."

By the time they reached the Great Hall for breakfast, Lorelai's mood had soured further. She flopped into a seat opposite Sirius, who immediately raised an eyebrow.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Sirius asked glancing at Lorelai

"Nothing, Pads," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Except if one more girl asks me if James is single, I might drown myself."

"Sounds like a rough life you've got there, Lottie," Remus chimed in, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Lorelai shot him a look. "Nobody asked for your sarcasm, Moony." She turned to James, who was seated beside Lily. "Can you. . .I dunno announce your love to Lily?"

"Sure!" Beamed James standing up as if to declare it right then and there, if it wasn't for Lily pulling him back down, "Potter! Don't even think about it!" She yelled at him, yanking back to his seat.

He laughed nervously, "I mean. . .I could announce it another time?" James rubbed the back of his neck.

Lorelai groaned, throwing her hands in the air. You're my brother!? Help me!"

"Maybe next time," James said nonchalantly, "Besides, why didn't you tell me about those girls? I could take one of them on a date." His grin widened.

Lorelai looked at him with wide eyes. Then, with a sickly sweet smile, she replied. "D'you want me to set you up with an obnoxious arrogant floozy or would you rather go on a date with an 11-year-old girl?" she questioned him.

The red-haired girl chuckled. "Sounds like they'd be perfect for each other," Lily replied, eyes still glued onto her book.

"Oh come on! Besides the 11-year-old girls the others can't be that bad," James said hopefully.

Lorelai tilted her head, grinning softly at her brother, "Lily's right, you guys will be perfect for each other, just don't come crying when one of them shaves your hair off and puts it in a plastic bag so they can frame it and probably hang it up to their wall."

Remus and Sirius went on to laugh hysterically, even Lily couldn't help but giggle. James looked traumatized.

"Extra points if they end up writing 'James Potter's hair' on the bag," Sirius added between guffaws.

"With little heart doodles," Remus chimed in, making them laugh even harder.

James groaned and messed up his hair even more as he turned to Lily, "Is my hair really that bad?"

After Lily shut her book a bit adamantly, glancing at James, she sighed. "Do you actually want my opinion?"

James smirked at her, "I mean. . .OW—!?, SHE HIT ME WITH A BOOK!" He said as he turned to Sirius. "Blimey woman." He muttered.

"Potter! This is about your hair that we are talking about, not you marrying me!"

"Here, Lottie," Remus handed her a plate filled with four slices of toast. As usual, the first quarter had marmalade, the second had jam, and the last two were butter and lemon curd. "Eat, you'll feel better from all those girls fancying James's hair.

She laughed as she took the plate. "Thanks, Moony'" Lorelai smiled grabbing the plate ready to eat as the older Potter glared back at his little sister; "You're the worst, Lottie d'you know that."

Lorelai only grinned as she bit into a slice of toast, content—for now. 

        AFTER breakfast, Lorelai and Diana headed to their first class, Charms, where Professor Flitwick was introducing Summoning Charms. Lorelai, naturally quick with her wand, mastered the incantation "Accio," almost immediately. Her quill shot across the room and landed neatly in her hand on the first try. Diana, however, wasn't so lucky.

"You're too stiff, D," Lorelai whispered, leaning over as Diana struggled to summon her parchment. "Loosen your wrist and stop muttering the spell under your breath like you're reciting poetry."

Diana glared. "Not all of us were born with magic pouring out of our fingertips, Lottie."

Lorelai grinned, clearly enjoying her friend's frustration. "True, but some of us practice. Accio parchment!" She waved her wand again, and Diana's parchment soared into Lorelai's hand. She handed it to her with a smug look.

Diana snatched it back. "If you weren't so annoyingly good at this, I'd hex you."

"Love you too," Lorelai quipped, earning a chuckle from Diana.

By the end of the lesson, Diana managed a shaky Summoning Charm that sent her textbook skidding across her desk, knocking over an inkpot. Lorelai smirked but refrained from teasing—too much.

Next was, Transfiguration, which was taught by their head house but that doesn't change anything. Professor McGonagall was strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.

"Passing your O.W.L.s will require a lot of studying, which is why I suggest that you all form study groups. We can all benefit from helping each other out, A conversation with your Head of House later in the year will determine what courses and scores you all need to achieve next year. As you choose a career, review the qualifications so you know what you would like to discuss with me, any questions?"

After taking a lot of complicated notes on the first spell that they would be learning - the Inanimatus Conjurus Spell - for the first half, they were left to practice on their own for the second. By the end of the lesson, only one student with wavy dark hair and an aquiline nose had made any difference to her match, Professor McGonagall gave her a rare smile and gave Gryfindorr two points for their attempt.

They finished the lesson unscathed, and Lorelai couldn't help but feel a small surge of satisfaction at how well the day was going. But then came Potions, and that good mood evaporated like one of Slughorn's infamous cauldrons of bubbling goo.

"Why does it always smell like something's burning in here?" Diana complained as they slid into their usual seats in the middle of the dungeon classroom.

Lorelai whispered, "Tell me about it," "It smells like wet socks." Chuckling she unpacked her belongings.

Professor Slughorn bustled in, his walrus mustache quivering with excitement, his belly shaking as he clapped his hands together. "Ah, my talented students!  Welcome, welcome, my dear fifth-years! I trust you're all settling in nicely, yes?"

A few students muttered half-hearted agreements, and Slughorn beamed widely; "Excellent! Now, I have a special announcement regarding your Potions curriculum this year. As you all know, Potions mastery requires not only individual skill but also cooperation, collaboration, and critical thinking. So, I'm introducing a new initiative—a year-long group project!"

The room buzzed with murmurs, most of them apprehensive. Lorelai exchanged a glance with Diana, who looked like she'd just been sentenced to Azkaban.

"Each group will consist of five students," Slughorn continued, beaming. "You'll be assigned different aspects of potion-making to focus on, and together, you'll present your findings at the end of the year. I've taken the liberty of forming your groups based on skill level and—ah—interpersonal potential."

The murmur grew louder, a mix of groans and whispered speculation. Lorelai tapped her quill against her parchment, dreading what "interpersonal potential" could mean.

"Here I have a couple of parchment papers. These papers contain your potion lesson and your group number. I will randomly distribute them, and you'll have to find your group and work together. Any questions? Alright let's begin"

Professor Slughorn then lifted his wand and distributed papers randomly. As the papers landed gently on every desk.

Draught of Peace, group five

"Group five?" Lorelai asked Diana.

"Group five." She replied smirkingly.

In the scattered room, Lorelai looked around for her other group members, as her eyes landed on the last person she ever wanted to be near, she froze. Regulus Black, seated across the room with his usual Slytherin entourage, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A girl with shimmering blonde hair and a somewhat straight crooked nose walked up to her.

"Group five?" She asked, her voice stern and sharp.

The two Gryffindor girls nodded causing the blonde girl's eyes to roll her eyes;  "Why don't they just sew our sides together." She said flatly before storming back to the group.

Lorelai clenched her jaw, she felt her bomb ticking. "This can't be happening." She muttered as Diana nodded; "She's scary," she admitted quietly.

"It's gonna be a lot scarier when she gets a megaphone in her hands," Replied Lorelai standing and making her way to the corner of the dungeon where the Slytherins had gathered, Diana right behind her.

Regulus looked as serene and untouchable as ever, his cool gray eyes giving nothing away. And all Lorelai could do was cross her arms and roll her eyes move her head the opposite way refusing to look at him. 

Sure, Lorelai despised plenty of things in life—cold tea, tangled necklaces, and essays due at the crack of dawn—but at the very top of her list, reigning supreme without contest was Regulus Black. If there were a competition for who she hated most, he'd win every time, hands down.

Her thoughts, however, were abruptly interrupted by Evan Rosier's voice, "Oi, Potter," he said with an exaggerated grin, leaning casually against a nearby table. "Where's your brother, then? Not here to defend you today, is he?" He said, dripping with mockery.

Barty Crouch Jr, standing just behind Evan, let out a snicker, clearly enjoying the show. Lorelai raised an eyebrow, unbothered. "Oh, how terrifying," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A pair of Slytherin clowns. What, ever will I do?"

Evan smirked, clearly undeterred, but Lorelai's sharp tongue was more than ready to hold its ground.

Evan opened his mouth to retort, but before he could get another word in, the blonde-haired girl practically sparking with frustration—interrupted, her voice cutting through the brewing argument like a knife.

"Enough," she snapped, striding forward with her usual no-nonsense authority. She grabbed a heavy textbook, the thud echoing as she practically slammed it onto the table. "This is no time for messing around."

Without waiting for anyone to argue, she began flipping through the pages, her focus unshakable. The others exchanged glances, but she didn't so much as glance up. In a matter of moments, she was scribbling a detailed plan, already assigning roles.

"You'll handle the measurements," she said curtly, pointing at Regulus, who merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Pierce, you're on stirring." She didn't bother waiting for protests. "And Evan, Barty—just don't touch anything that explodes."

Behind her, Evan and Barty were far from helpful, snickering quietly as they made some whispered joke about Regulus. Whatever it was, it earned a smirk from their usually stoic friend, but the girl shot them a sharp look. "If you two are done acting like children, we can actually get something done," she said, clearly unimpressed.

Evan, unbothered, leaned back against a wall. "You're a real ray of sunshine, Val," he said with a grin, while Barty pretended to shield his eyes. "We're blinded by your brilliance."

"Funny," she replied flatly, not missing a beat as she flipped another page. "Maybe try using that energy to follow directions for once."

The girl barely acknowledged the quip as she continued jotting down notes, completely unruffled by their antics. Lorelai, however, crossed her arms and leaned back against a wall, a sly smirk playing on her lips.

"And what about me, Mary?" Lorelai asked, her voice dripping with mock sweetness as she emphasized the name. The sarcasm in her tone was razor-sharp.

Diana snorted, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter, but the rest of the group didn't react as enthusiastically. Evan raised an eyebrow in confusion, Barty simply shrugged, and Valeria didn't even dignify the comment with a response.

"Merlin," Lorelai said with an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes. "Have none of you heard a joke before?"

It was Regulus who broke the silence, his gray-gold eyes narrowing as he leaned forward slightly. "Is that what that was?" he drawled, his tone as dry as parchment. "I was under the impression it was another one of your inane attempts to be clever."

Lorelai's smirk faltered for half a second before she leaned forward, her cherry lips curling into a full-blown grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, I don't need to attempt anything, Black," she shot back, her voice laced with a sharp edge. "Unlike you, who has to put effort into every little thing just to appear tolerable."

Regulus's lips twitched in what might have been amusement—or irritation—it was hard to tell with him. "Well, if you spent half as much time doing something useful as you do running your mouth, maybe we'd actually accomplish something."

That was the last straw. Lorelai slammed her hands on the table, startling even Diana, who had been halfheartedly flipping through her own textbook. Her voice came out sharp and furious, like a fuse that had finally burned down to the bomb.

"Useful?" she snapped, her cheeks flushing as her temper boiled over. "I'd rather be useless than a pompous, uptight—"

"Enough!" the blonde girl's voice sliced through the tension like a whip, "If you two are finished, we have an assignment to complete. Or is that asking too much of either of you?" Her pale blue eyes blazing as she glared between the two of them.

Lorelai and Regulus exchanged a heated glare but said nothing, their unspoken animosity still crackling in the air. The blonde girl huffed, clearly unimpressed, before turning back to her notes with an exaggerated sigh and setting her quill down with a dramatic to face the Lorelai. "Since no one else seems to be taking this seriously, I'll introduce myself. Valeria Rose." Her voice was clipped and precise like she was addressing a room of unruly first-years. "And since you apparently think this is a joke, you can help Black with the measurements. Maybe between the two of you, we'll actually get somewhere."

Lorelai groaned loudly, throwing her head back in exasperation. "Brilliant," she muttered under her breath, clearly unimpressed. The mere thought of working alongside Regulus Black was enough to set her teeth on edge.

Regulus, for his part, arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching slightly as though he found her misery amusing. "Try not to spill anything, Potter," he said dryly, already reaching for the measuring tools.

Her irritation deepened, and as she begrudgingly took her place beside him, her thoughts wandered back to the first time she had met Regulus Black.

Back on the Hogwarts Express, during her very first year. All she had been looking for was a friend, someone to make her feel less alone. She'd heard James gush about his bond with Sirius—their instant camaraderie, the way they were inseparable from the start. So when she realized Sirius had a younger brother in the same year, her heart leaped at the chance. Maybe she could have a friendship that is just as magical.

But that hope had been short-lived.

She could still remember the icy tone in Regulus's voice when he refused her offer to sit with him, the way he looked at her like she was something beneath his notice. It wasn't hard to see where he got it from, considering how the Black family seemed to despise the Potters. Everything his parents had taught him about her family was the polar opposite of the values she had been raised with, and it was clear from that moment that they were never going to see eye to eye.

Each year, their animosity deepened. From the moment Lorelai and Regulus had met, their personalities had clashed in a way that neither could ignore. Lorelai, with her Gryffindor bravado and disregard for rules, saw Regulus as just another loyal pure-blood supremacist, someone who believed in an outdated ideology she had no patience for. To her, Regulus represented everything she despised about the elitism and arrogance that pervaded their school. His unwavering commitment to his family's values felt suffocating, and his icy, aloof demeanor only fueled her frustration.

Regulus, on the other hand, viewed Lorelai as another reckless Gryffindor—someone who refused to think before she acted, who was quick to run her mouth without considering the consequences. To him, her defiance of authority, her seemingly endless energy, and her constant pushing of boundaries was the epitome of disorder. It was a mockery of everything he was taught to value: tradition, control, and loyalty. Where Lorelai saw freedom, he saw chaos. And to him, chaos had no place in the world.

They were often bickering. It spread into the common areas, the courtyard, and even the hallways, not just the classrooms or passageways. Whether it was a petty argument or something more profound, like their divergent opinions on blood purity and the impending war, they always found new ways to irritate one another.

They'd cross paths in the corridors and shoot each other with glares so sharp they could cut glass. When Regulus tried to offer some lecture about tradition and honor, Lorelai would respond with a biting remark about how the pure-bloods had a monopoly on their narrow-minded version of history. It was a never-ending cycle of insults and frustration, neither ever willing to back down.

Unlike James and Sirius, who seemed to fit together like two halves of the same whole, Lorelai and Regulus were a mess of opposing forces. They weren't bound by friendship or some unspoken connection; they were bound by nothing but contempt. James and Sirius had an unmistakable bond, an undeniable camaraderie that even the most casual observer could see. They were inseparable, the kind of duo that made everyone else feel like outsiders by comparison. When people saw James Potter and Sirius Black together, they didn't just assume they were friends—they assumed they were brothers, their loyalty and understanding of each other so deep that it transcended the usual definition of friendship.

But Regulus Black and Lorelai Potter? They were the exact opposite. They were like fire and ice, utterly incompatible and destined to clash. Every moment they spent together was another opportunity for bickering, another opportunity for their dislike to simmer just below the surface. There were no inside jokes, no shared glances of understanding. No, their interactions were a battlefield. And the more time passed, the more the battlefield expanded.

Lorelai couldn't stand Regulus' smug self-assurance, the way he carried himself as if he knew his place in the world, as if he was superior to everyone else. And Regulus, with his sharp, cold demeanor, despised Lorelai's impulsive nature, and her willingness to challenge anyone who disagreed with her, especially when it was someone like him.

Every time they were forced to work together, every time they locked eyes across the room, the tension grew thicker.

And in the midst of it all, James and Sirius remained a shining example of what their own relationship wasn't. James would throw a joke in Sirius' direction, and Sirius would laugh—effortless, light, and easy. There was no bitterness there, no animosity, just a connection that everyone could see. They were the perfect example of a friendship that defied logic, an inseparable pair that made everyone else jealous.

In the meantime, Regulus and Lorelai's relationship was based solely on resentment, with the two of them continuously pushing against one another like opposing poles on a magnet. Neither would give an inch, neither would bend and every year it felt like it would only get worse.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you actually going to help?" Regulus's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, his tone laced with impatience.

Lorelai scowled, snatching a set of vials from the table. "Don't get your hopes up, Black. I'm not doing this for you."

Regulus smirked faintly, returning to his work. "The feeling's mutual, Potter."

The tension between them was palpable, their mutual dislike threatening to overshadow the task at hand. But with Valeria's watchful eyes on them, they had little choice but to begrudgingly cooperate, each silently vowing to make it through the project without strangling the other.

But the project was already a disaster. More time was spent by Barty and Evan snickering and muttering jokes than making any valuable contributions. Diana's normal self-assurance wavered in the face of Potions class, and she gazed blankly at the cauldron. Lorelai and Regulus were constantly arguing about every little thing, from the right way to cut materials to the precise measurements Valeria had meticulously determined. And Valeria? She was exerting every effort to keep the project going, and every sigh and scathing remark showed how frustrated she was becoming.

"This is hopeless," Valeria muttered under her breath, flipping through her textbook with barely concealed frustration as the cauldron bubbled ominously.

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, Diana and Lorelai made a swift move toward the door, eager to escape. But Valeria wasn't letting them off that easily. She planted herself in their path, arms crossed and a no-nonsense expression on her face.

"We're meeting in the library every night," Valeria declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We're not failing this project because some of you think it's a joke."

A collective groan erupted from the group. "Every Tonight?" Lorelai echoed, her voice rising with disbelief. "We might have plans. You can't just—"

"I don't care what your plans are," Valeria interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "If you want to pass, you'll be there. Nine o'clock. Sharp."

Lorelai clenched her jaw, her temper dangerously close to boiling over. She exchanged a look with Diana, who seemed equally unenthused but far less confrontational. "Of course, you'd demand we all drop everything for your precious grades," Lorelai snapped.

Valeria raised an eyebrow. "Some of us actually care about succeeding," she said coolly.

Lorelai couldn't help herself. "Alright, Virgin Mary," she quipped, crossing her arms. "We'll all bow to your holy commandments."

Diana stifled a laugh, but the rest of the Slytherins merely looked confused. Lorelai glanced around at their blank faces, baffled. "Merlin, is it really this hard this please you lot?" she asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Y'know you can laugh if you want to?" She raised a brow, "It's funny I know." Grinned Lorelai.

Regulus rolled his eyes, stepping closer with a retort on the tip of his tongue, but Valeria's sharp tone cut through the tension. "Nine o'clock," she repeated firmly, ignoring the chaos brewing around her. "Don't be late."

Lorelai stormed out of the classroom with Diana trailing behind, muttering under her breath about overachievers and Slytherin egos. She was a ticking bomb, and late-night meetings in the library might just be the spark to set her off.

Lorelai Potter was a cherry bomb!