Lure: Chapter Two

It was five thirty when Peter scrambled from his flat, and back into the streets of London. The little place he called home was only a fifteen minutes walk from the Leaky Cauldron. He had spent the better part of the afternoon replaying what had happened at the ice cream parlour. Never, in all the time he could remember, could he recall a girl appraoching him. Orinda wasn’t just a girl, she was a woman, and quite an attractive one at that. ‘Why did she ask me out?’ Self-confidence had never been Peter’s strong suit, he had always lived in the shadows of the other three Marauders. It was his lot in life, and he was as content as one could be in such a situation. Still…somehow he had found himself invited out, and out he was going.

His blue eyes scanned the common room of the Cauldron as he arrived. As it was a week-day there wasn’t much business going on at the inn. Trepidation filled the man as he seen no sign of the chocolate colored hair from earlier that day. ‘She’s not going to show.’ A sigh escaped him as he made his way to a table in the corner. He had made the walk from his flat to the inn, so he desided he might as well treat himself to dinner. ‘Though a bit of company would of been nice for a change.’

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Staring out the window from her room at the Leaky Cauldron, Orinda had a good view of the street from the London side. It had not been hard to spot the man walking along the street twords the seemingly non-discript pub. She watched as he walked along he pavement, his head down, apparently watching his feet as he went. A slight frown crossed the woman’s lips, she almost felt bad about this. Granted, she didn’t know Peter Pettigrew well, but he had seemed sweet enough when she had invaded his table at lunch, and helped herself to his ice cream sundae. Still, for whatever reason, though she couldn’t fanthom what, her boss wanted this man. And, it was her job to deliver him to her boss, no matter what it took.

Shrugging slightly, Orinda turned back to the mirror over the dresser. She tweaked the color of her hair to the dark brown she had set it at when she approached the man earlier. Her lips formed a pout as she looked into the amber eyes. ‘No,’ she thought, shaking her head. ‘They don’t really go with this shade.’ As simple as breathing, the golden irises shifted in color, becoming a greenish-blue. "Eh, not perfect, but good enough." Orinda muttered, not quite liking the combination.

Forgoing her robes, as she had seen that Peter hadn’t worn his, as he was coming from Muggle London, Orinda desended the stairway to the common room. Her eyes took in the room before her, locating her prey quickly. Peter sat in the corner, staring absently out a window that faced the alley. A small smile crossed the burgundy painted lips of the woman as she made her way twords the table. "Good evening Peter."

Blue eyes looked up at her as the man turned his head to the sound of the voice. "E-evening." A small smile appeared on Peter’s lips. ‘Awww, he’s nervous, how adorable.’ After a brief pause he came to standing, and pulled out the chair that was across from where he’d been sitting, and indicated for Orinda to sit.

"Why thank you." A geninue smile in place. "It’s been along time since a man’s pulled out a chair for me.

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Orinda thanked him for pulling out her chair. It was something he had seen James do for Lily a hundred times must me. ‘Like I could have an orginal thought.’ Still, she had smiled, a warm smile that made him return one in kind. The woman sat down in the offered seat, Peter pushing it in, then taking his spot across from her. Curosity crossed his features as he noticed a change in the woman. "Weren’t your eyes…" ‘Amber’ He could of sworn they had been, as they had reminded him of something from his school boy days.

A slight laugh escaped the woman before him, and she nodded. "Yes, they were another color earlier." Once more the color shifted, taking on a more blue shade. "I’m a Metamorphamagus." Orinda explained simply. "See." She ran her fingers through her hair, lifting up the locks, and allowing them to fall once more. As it slipped through her hands, it changed color as well, going from the deep chocolate brown to a honey-blonde. "What do you think?"

"It’s…nice." Peter watched, amazement obvious. ‘Nice…Can you get any lamer Wormtail?’ "I mean…"

"It’s okay, really." The now blue eyes looked back at him. "I can tell I took you by surprise." Reaching out she rested her hand on one of his that rested on the table.

Peter swallowed hard at the surprising move. Orinda’s hand was warm as it rested on his, he could feel his heart quicken it’s pace. He wanted to say something, but his mind was suddenly a jumbled mess. ‘What would Sirius say? Or do?’ Then he wondered if anything that was in the range of Sirius would be a good idea anyway, as the man didn’t seem to keep any one woman around for very long. Before he could come up with something the barmaid approached the table asking to take their order.

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As her hand reached out and came to rest on Peter’s Orinds sensed his shock by such a mover on her part. ‘The poor boy, he really doesn’t know what to expect.’ Her mission was seemingly going to be quite easy. Orinda knew she was attractive, and she knew with her inborn power, she could mold herself to any guys secret most desire. It was only a matter of finding out what a guy liked, and somehow, she got the feeling it wouldn’t be hard getting such information from Peter. This man would soon be putty in her hands. "So tell me," Orinda began as the barmaid, having taken their order, headed back to the bar. "if you could chose to look into any shade of eyes, what shade would you chose?"

Peter opened his mouth, then closed it once more before speaking. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment before speaking. "I like blue. Blue is good."

Another laugh spilled from her lips, "there are many shades of blue," she began, "what color of blue would you like?"

"Colbolt." The word slipped from him, it seemed almost a shock as it did. Orinda closed her eyes, concentrating on the grey-blue shade the man had indicated. Opening them once more, she blinked at him, showing off the new color. The man’s mouth opened slightly. Whatever words he was looking for failed to make it to the surface.

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"Colbolt." The color had come unbidden to his mind, and spilled from his lips. Peter watched as the woman who sat before him closed her eyes, then opened them once more. The shade was almost perfect. ‘It’s been so many years since I’ve seen such eyes.’ He found himself entranced by the orbs that now blinked over at him. He wanted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come to mind, let alone from his mouth.

"Do you like them?" Orinda asked him after a moment. Peter nodded that he did, despite not being able to vocalize how much so. They were just the right shade of bluish-grey, like t

he ocean at dusk. There had been a girl he’d known, very briefly, that had such eyes. And though they never really spoke, there had always been something about her. Looking into Orinda’s new eyes now, he felt a strange flutter inside, almost like seeing this girl once again.

Their dinner soon arrived, and the two made small talk over the simple meal. Much to Peter’s surprise, he found himself with a meeting set with the stunning young woman the next day. Standing in the doorway of the Cauldron, Ordina leaned over kissing his cheek. Peter could feel himself flush at the attention. ‘This is to unreal’. "Good-bye," he whispered stepping out into the darkening streets of London.

"Good-bye Peter," Orinda returned. "I will be seeing you tomarrow." The man’s blue eyes blinked back as the woman shut the door between them, and he turned, stuffing his hands into his pockets, he headed back to his flat, his head held a little higher than it had been on his way to the pub.