Chapter 8
The first potions lesson of the new year was definitely interesting. As they entered the room, Slughorn announced his new seating plan.
"Black, Rosier, Evans and Snape, you're at this table here." He said. Sirius exchanged a glance with James before taking his seat beside Evan and opposite Lily and Snape.
"Potter, Lupin, McKinnon and Meadowes." Slughorn continued. "Pettigrew, Macdonald, Mulciber and Longbottom."
"You feeling better?" Evan whispered to Sirius as Slughorn continued his seating allocations. Sirius nodded.
"Yeah, not drinking for a little while." Sirius said. Evan chuckled.
"I have not seen anyone that drunk before."
"Alright class, today we are going over the theory of veritaserum." Slughorn announced. "Open your books to page one hundred and six, read and take notes."
Sirius opened his text book and stared at the page. The section on veritaserum was five pages and that was before instruction on how to make the actual potion.
"So, what do we want to do when we leave?" Evan asked the table, hands cupped under his chin.
"You're such a gossip." Sirius rolled his eyes. Evan elbowed him.
"Answer the question."
"I don't know, maybe run away and become a Muggle." Sirius shrugged.
"You're good at running away from your problems, aren't you Black?" Snape commented. Sirius kicked him in the shin. "Ow!"
"Sirius! Be nice!" Lily scolded.
"I am being nice!"
"You kicked him!" She shot him a glare.
"Snape, you go." Evan interrupted.
"Id like to teach." Snape replied, not looking up from his notes.
Sirius and Evan exchanged a look and started sniggering. Lily shot them both a glare.
"What did I just say?" She asked.
"Right." Sirius composed himself. "Sniv- Severus. I'm sorry, but you're not really a people person."
Snape looked up at him. "Thank you for that Black."
"What would you teach?" Sirius asked.
"Defence against the dark arts ideally." Snape replied.
"I thought dark arts was your thing?" Evan asked from where he was doodling on a piece of parchment.
"I'm interested in it, yes." Snape sighed.
"What about you Lily?"
"Id love to do something in Herbology." She replied.
"You'd be good at that." Sirius said honestly. He had worked with Lily in Herbology several times over the years and she had always been incredibly good at it, but also incredibly enthusiastic as well.
"Thanks Sirius." She smiled at him. "Rosier, what about you?"
"I want to do something exciting." Evan replied. "Maybe explore the world."
"I would have thought you'd go for an auror Sirius." Lily mused as she scribbled down some notes.
"Id end up locking up family and people I've known for years, which yeah some of them are dark wizards, but it's a bit uncomfortable." Sirius replied. He had always tried to be honest with Lily, he liked her and respected her a lot.
"I never thought of it that way, I assume it would be the same for you too Rosier?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, and please call me Evan." Evan replied. "Bit depressing that I'm the only one here you call by my surname."
"Sorry."
"Hey, no hard feelings." Evan grinned at her. "Are we still meeting tonight or are you abandoning me now they've taken you back?" He added, whispering in Sirius' ear. Staring directly at Remus and James as he did so.
"I'll be there, don't be so dramatic." Sirius whispered back. Lily was looking at them curiously.
"Do you two know each other?" She asked.
"We're both from big bad pure blood families Lily, we all know each other." Sirius replied, looking down to see that Evan had begun doodling in the corner of his notes, having run out of parchment. "You've ruined my notes."
"I made them better." Evan replied. "Your handwriting is ugly."
"It is not!"
"You two seem like friends." Lily continued to probe.
"We are. Why be friends with one Black brother when you can have the set?" Evan replied, snatching Sirius' notes from him to continue to doodle in the borders of his notes.
"I'm a man of the world Lily, I'm well acquainted." Sirius explained himself. She laughed.
"Just surprised me, that's all." She replied.
---
Sirius was already in the great hall for lunch when his friends joined him. Muggle studies always let them out earlier than other classes. He wasn't sure why he took it, it hadn't annoyed his parents as much as he had hoped, but he persisted anyway.
"What is up with you and Rosier?" James asked as soon as he and Remus sat down.
Sirius paused, bread roll halfway to his mouth. "Eh?"
"We saw you two whispering." Remus continued.
"Okay?" Sirius put down his bread. "I don't know what you're asking."
"Are you together?" James demanded. Sirius stared at him.
"What? Mate, no?"
"You're not?" Remus looked relieved.
"Lucky for you two, I'm still on the market." Sirius tried to channel his usual persona. It was harder and harder these days, especially around his friends.
"Come off it mate, you're friends then?" James asked.
"I guess, yeah." Sirius sighed. "He's one of Reggie's friends, we chat sometimes, didn't want Lily and Snape overhearing what we were saying."
"That's all?" Remus asked.
"Yeah?"
"We're just looking out for you, you know what they say about the Rosiers." James told him.
"You know what they say about the Blacks." Sirius shot back. He got up, abandoning his lunch.
"I didn't mean it like that Pads." James begged, but Sirius just left the great hall, bumping into Peter as he went.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Peter didnt look convinced, he has always been able to see right through him. "Come on."
He followed Peter to the kitchens, where the house elves made them both hot chocolate. "It's not like you to get mad at James." Peter began.
"Sorry Wormy." Sirius sighed. "They were interrogating me because I was talking to Evan during potions."
"Evan?"
"Rosier."
"Okay, continue."
"James said 'you know what they say about the Rosiers' and it... I don't know it kinda got to me. Because it's the same for my family and I'm nothing like them, he took a chance on me, why would that not apply to anyone else?" Sirius sipped his chocolate. "I'm nothing like them, but it's still expected that I will be. Evans actually been really nice to me, and not just because he's my brother's friend, or because of my family."
"I get it, Padfoot." Peter nodded. "The prejudice people have against you and others because of your family is awful, as awful as the way your families treat others and even you. Everyone should get a chance. That's what you want, isn't it? For everyone to have a chance?"
"You always know exactly what I mean Peter. I don't know how you do it." Sirius nodded.
"I listen." Peter replied. "Also I observe a lot."
"Thank you, for this. I needed it." Sirius smiled.
"Hey, we're best friends. And we're all best friends for different reasons."