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“Evans, you look beautiful this—”
“Shut up, Potter!” Lily Evans snapped. Her green eyes flashed with annoyance.
Heir James Potter almost cursed her. Her tone of voice was disrespectful, but it was the way that she spat his last name—as if it were something vile and filthy—that nearly ruined his control. The Honorable and Most Ancient House of Potter was a bastion of strength in Avalon, blessed by Mother Magic Herself. That a Muggle-born who hadn’t even qualified as a New Blood yet would dare to speak of his family thus was infuriating.
“How dare she?” Master Sirius Black hissed under his breath. He was leaning against the corridor wall, bristling with rage at James’s side.
If there was another Muggle-born that he could reasonably be “in love” with, James would have long since switched to pursuing that person, instead, in the desperate hope that he would finally meet his soulmate. Even when he was unfailingly polite to Lily, even when he paid her compliments, she always responded ungraciously.
James internally winced as he forced himself to ask, “Will you allow me to escort you—?”
“I’m not interested, Potter!” Lily snapped, her red hair falling forward over her shoulder.
It was a disgrace. Her hair should’ve been up, even though she was a Muggle-born. She was insulting her soulmate in the extreme by allowing others to see it down.
“How many times do I have to turn you down before my words pierce your thick skull?” Lily demanded.
A series of giggles and offended hisses filled the corridor as several students stepped out of the library.
Lily’s words hurt. How many times would James have to deal with this public humiliation before he finally found his soulmate? James’s soul-mark had arrived before his second birthday, so he knew he was older than his soulmate. The only reason he had ever even spoken to Lily Evans—the only Muggle-born in Gryffindor—was because of his soul-mark, which contained the first words his soul-mate would ever speak to him.
Starting at his left hip and curling down his left leg to his knee were the words that would help him find the other half of his soul. In beautiful calligraphy, they read: It’s appalling how you pursue a filthy Muggle-born, Heir Potter. Have you no self-respect?
He had waited until third year to “fall madly in love with Lily Evans,” because there was no chance his soulmate would be old enough to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before then.
“At least once more,” Sirius answered for him. The smile that stretched his lips was tight and unpleasant.
“You always say that!” Lily complained. “Why don’t you just give up already? I don’t like you. There’s nothing appealing about you, Potter.” She crossed her arms and stamped her foot. “You’re immature, conceited, and a bully. It’s no wonder you’ve never had a date!”
If the wall hadn’t been behind him, James would’ve retreated a step. Her words gouged at his self-confidence. He had been dealing with her verbal abuse for four years now, and it seemed he was no closer to finding his soulmate, no closer to a courtship, holding hands, kisses, and magical bonding.
Sirius had felt so guilty about finding his soulmate in Heiress Elaine Fawley last year that he hadn’t told James about her for almost three months. Then, Sirius had followed up his confession with a vow on their blood brotherhood that he wouldn’t bond until James could bond as well.
“Watch your mouth, Evans, before I sew it shut. I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re too simple-minded to understand that you have no right to address your betters in such an uncouth manner,” Lady Regina Black said as she stepped away from a small group of Slytherin girls, her voice frigid and biting. “Then again, I couldn’t expect any better of a Muggle-born, could I? You’re nothing more than the result of a dalliance between two people who aren’t soulmates.”
It was entertaining to see Lily turn white as stone, and then blush redder than her hair. “How dare you talk to me like that, Black? Fifteen points from Slytherin for disrespecting the Head Girl!”
“Lady Regina,” James corrected. He would not tolerate anyone dishonoring a pureblood lady by stealing her title from her, not even if it hurt his quest to find his soulmate. His honor wouldn’t allow it.
“You will address my sister as Lady Regina,” Sirius bit out, eyes like flint, his muscles coiling like they did before he shifted into Padfoot and tackled Moony. “You will grant her the respect she deserves.”
Regina turned her piercing gray eyes on James. She swept a face-framing lock of hair out of her eyes, drawing attention to her intricately styled hair which was up in butterfly-shaped plaits. The white lace of her gloves was a stark contrast against the true black of her hair. “It’s appalling how you pursue a filthy Muggle-born, Heir Potter. Have you no self-respect?”
James swayed, heart racing in his chest, wondering if he had just imagined the words because he wanted so desperately for a pureblood witch to speak them to him. His leg throbbed. He leaned his head against Sirius’s shoulder and shook with anticipation.
“Padfoot?” Until he heard his own voice, he hadn’t known what real begging meant.
Sirius looked stunned, and then his barking laughter echoed down the corridor. It was so loud that James expected Madam Irma Pince to storm out of the library any second and demand that they be quiet.
“Yes, Prongs,” Sirius said when he finally stopped laughing. “Yes.”
Feeling light-headed, James had to focus on walking for the first time since he was a child. Regina was only a few feet away. His soulmate was within reach. If he tripped or fainted, he would never forgive himself. It had taken much too long to find her in the first place.
“I hate her,” James said. Regina’s eyes widened the slightest bit. “I’ve been using her this entire time just so that I could finally find you.”
“What? You’re k-kidding, right? Potter?” Lily asked, sounding like she was crying.
James didn’t spare her a single glance. After all the times that she had publicly scorned his politely worded invitations, it felt vindicating to know that Lily would finally learn how it felt to be publicly scorned.
Regina placed a hand just beneath her right breast and took a shaky breath. Her other hand reached out toward him, but stopped before making contact. James lifted it to his lips and kissed it. Pink dusted across Regina’s cheeks as she stared at her hand in his. “My lord.”
James twined their fingers together and tugged her down the corridor, lessening his strides so she could keep up. “Padfoot,” he said, voice adamant as he passed Sirius.
“I’m here, Prongs,” Sirius assured him, chuckles still escaping him.
James yanked open the nearest door, which led to a parlor that was rarely used. Sirius followed them into the room, closed the door, and began a conversation with a portrait that just-so-happened to be facing the opposite direction, allowing what privacy he could while still serving as chaperone.
Before James could think of what to say, Regina kissed him. She leaned up on her tiptoes, hands against his chest for balance, and kissed James with abandon. His eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and helped support her.
When he opened his eyes some time later, his lips were sore, and he whispered, “Merlin, you’re beautiful.”
Regina pouted slyly and batted her eyelashes at him. “You think Merlin’s beautiful? I must not have done that right. I want you to think I’m beautiful, James.” Then she promptly guided their lips back together, one hand sliding up to feather through his hair.
“I—” Words failed James as he gazed upon her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Her gray eyes glittered with passion.
“Regina,” Sirius said, his back still turned.
“Curse you, Sirius,” Regina grumbled. Her arms dropped to hug James. “You know what kind of wizard he is. Do you really think I’m going to let go of him by choice.”
Sirius huffed a laugh, and then walked over to them with an apologetic face. “Sorry, Prongs. I know how much you hate this.” Sirius gently grasped Regina’s wrists and removed her from James’s arms, before tucking her against his side.
“I will forgive you, Padfoot. In a bit. I’m still trying not to punch you in the face for touching her so familiarly, even though she’s your sister,” he grumbled. He had finally found her and all he wanted was to keep her in his arms.
Regina looked up at Sirius. The pale arch of her neck drew James’s attention. He wanted nothing more than to kiss it.
“If you don’t find time every day to chaperone us, I’ll never forgive you, Sirius. James owes me.”
“What does he owe you?” Sirius asked, his forehead wrinkled.
Regina smirked and trailed the back of her hand down one of James’s cheeks. “A kiss for every day of my life I spent without him.” Regina’s smirk widened when James gasped. “I won’t be satisfied until the debt is paid in full.”
Sirius winced. “Thanks ever so much for that visual, Regina,” he said sarcastically.
James wondered how he would ever be able to sleep with that picture in his head. “Never let it be said, my lady, that Heir Potter reneged on his debts.” He kissed the gloved fingertip closest to his mouth. “It will be my greatest pleasure to see you satisfied.”
Ignoring the choking sounds Sirius made, Regina grinned. “We’re going to Hogsmeade at 10:00 tomorrow morning, James. Then you can get started on the thousands of kisses you owe me.” A flash of pain appeared in her lovely gray eyes. “Please”—her voice broke the slightest bit—“please don’t keep me waiting.”
The remembered pain of not having found his soulmate yet was still too near the surface for James to even consider teasing her. They had kept each other waiting long enough already. “I won’t.”