Initial Thoughts
"Any of you lads talked to Dorcas yet?" Alexander flung himself between Regulus, Barty and Evan. Nothing they weren't used to, he was always surprisingly quiet on his feet and the crowd of first-years gathering at the far end of the hall with all their whispering weren't helping them. All annoying whispers about which house they'll end up in, something very idiotic to worry about, if you were to ask Regulus, since you don't get a say in the matter, it's up to that annoying hat.
"Is there any reason we have talked to Dorcas about anything?" Evan was the first to reply, there was something about Alexander that made him short-wicked, they were friends and everything, but Evan was the kind of person to play games with people, and so was Alexander, the problem was that Alexander was better at it than Evan. It was annoying to Regulus as well.
"Not with that attitude," Alexander picked up a fork and gestured to Barty's plate, he nodded, allowed him to grab a bite out of it. They on the other hand, had a good relationship, it was like fire and gasoline. Barty was the pyromaniac and Alexander was more often than driving an unsupervised gasoline truck and giving out free samples Barty was glad to take.
"Anyhoo, I've got some business to attend. Be sure not to book your Friday night, or rather, book it right now." He stood up just as quickly as he had sat down. And now was pestering someone else probably.
Don't get him wrong, Regulus does like Alexander, admirable, great at dueling, and the only person Regulus would admit could beat him in a Legilimency/Occulumency battle on both ways, but he had the most annoying habits of being the biggest gossip-monger of Hogwarts (he was supposed to have avoided literally everyone in his first years at the school, Regulus had never bothered to find out why that changed, he put a pin on that), of popping in with random and often game-changing news and then popping off (for instance this interaction, but he's also done it when announcing James Potter would be the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, that Professor Huddenheim would retire from Arithmancy, and that there were rumours about his brother Sirius dating Remus Lupin, for fuck's sake), and lastly and most annoying of them all, he had the habit of either being unpredictable or choosing to do the thing that would most annoy Regulus. Every singly time.
Not one of the three still sitting could figure out what the Friday night was holding for them, but if it involved Dorcas it was either going to be a social function, in which case Regulus planned to decline, or a probably-life-threatening outing that they considered a "quiet afternoon". It was a good thing Barty didn't have any love for planning and scheming because if he were put into that mix, not one of Regulus' friends would still be alive and he would be forced into making new ones, which he very much didn't want to do.
Dorcas made an appearance at last, she sat next to Regulus, and she was... blushing? Since when was Dorcas Meadows the kind to blush over someone?
"Alexander was looking for you, I think?" Evan seemingly was not as observant as Regulus, because neither he not Barty commented on the blushing.
So Regulus took it upon himself, "You're blushing." He might not be a poet, nor a gossip, but he was curious, like a scientist would be.
"So you're planning to be a detective now?" Dorcas made a weak attempt at deflecting, and she knew that, but she was Regulus' closest friend, many would be surprised to know that, but it's fact, her and Barty are Regulus' best friends, and he let her off the hook, for now. She knew he would most likely press her for answer later if he really wanted to know. He was weary of people coming into his friends' lives, and rightfully so, there was a war waging on.
"You could get one of them funny hats and a coat!" Barty was already having a fitting session in his mind for Regulus, "I can get you a pipe as well, that's what makes a real detective. And a magnifying glass."
"Why would he need a magnifying glass?" Evan pursed his lips at him.
"Well it's the done thing, I reckon." Barty shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't see him with a pipe, though." Dorcas decided to chime in, "he's more of the 20's cigarette holder kind."
Barty and Evan look at him with precise calculations and deep, deep thoughts behind their eyes, something he's never seen either of them do this in class.
"You got it." "Bloody right."
Dorcas made an open hand gesture accompanied by a humble "what can I say? I know my people."
The tension between the Slytherin students and the Gryffindor students was palpable. This year more than others, because this year there was a war waging on, and statistically, Gryffindor produced the most Aurors and Slytherin the most Death Eaters. So there was a sort of quiet agreement to stay out of each other's way since last year.
Still, you always had your exceptions to the rules. James didn't catch him until he was sitting between Lily and the girls, and Sirius and them lads. But Alexander was already sitting and picking food off Sirius' plate when he turned his head.
"Oi, so I was telling you about that film Lily took me to over the summer," he was halfway through the story, James hadn't caught the first half, his mind was preoccupied this year, he was set on getting Dubledore to take him seriously as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and join the war effort properly, he was hoping to intercept him before the start of the year feast, but he wasn't here yet anyways, McGonagall had started the sorting.
"James?"... "Oh James?"... "Earth to James?" Sirius waved her hand in his face. "Potter!" Lily clapped in front of his face, drawing him back to right here.
"Something on your mind?" Padfoot twisted his head. Then he turned to Alexander, his question was a little on the nose since Alexander was a very accomplished Legilimaj.
"I'm not looking in there." He raised his hands in protest, "Last time you had me look I took a turn at the wrong hallway and I saw---" James cut him off immediately.
"Well, now that we got you attention," It was Mary who took the lead now, so this was obviously going to be about...
"For the start of term party." She was the best party planner in the whole school. Ever since they all got closer a year back and she took over the party planning, the Marauder's party had turned up so much better than before. James wasn't bothered by them, he would always be fine with just a few bottles, a little music and good company, but Mary was born for this, she got invite lists, bouncer spells for the entrance, she taught them which bottles were better for sneaking in, it was just a spectacle every time.
"I need you and Sirius," she looked at Alexander, "to sneak in the alcohol, you can handle it without getting caught, right?"
"You can always count on us for getting booze Mary, it's like the basis of our friendship." Sirius looked at her and rolled his eyes dramatically.
"My favourite drunkards." She made a heart in her fingers for them, James loved that they all had become so close, having fun like this, it reminded him that while he was in Hogwarts, he didn't have to worry about the war yet. He could have this moments without feeling shit for not helping until he was accepted into the Order. "James, Remus, and Marlene. You guys are my muscle, you're setting up what needs to be set up in the Room of Requirement." Marlene took the chance to flex her muscles. She had the biggest biceps out of the three.
"Lils and Petey, you can set up the music and the speaker charms, right?" She finished her speech as the last two aye aye Captain-ed her.
"Then we're having the best party of the start of the term yet." She was just missing a notepad and a pair of glasses and she would be the perfect party planner, James thought she had a real future in the industry if she wanted to stick to the muggle world.
"What are you doing, then?" Asked Peter, the eternal voice of reason.
"I, my dear Pete, I'm headlining the invitations." Mary flashed a list in parchment, names, houses, year, she knew everyone in Hogwarts and nothing escaped her. That's why her hair was so big, probably, that's where she hid all the secrets she learnt from gossiping with Alexander, that's why those two started getting along after all.
James thought it was a mistake, after all his glasses were dirty and he just saw a quick glimpse of the parchment, but he thought, that there was Slytherin written next to some names in the list. He must be mistaken, had to be. Who would even come to the party from Slytherin? Maybe it was just Alexander's name. Yes, no canoodling with the enemy, that had to be it... right?