James sighed, leaning his head against the outer wall of the astronomy tower. His gaze dropped to the floor and then flew back up to look at the lake which, by now, was almost fully reflecting the moon. He almost dozed off again but was woken in time by a bag being thrown to the floor. It made a cluttering noise like it contained bottles or vials that crashed against books. A body dropped down next to his and James turned his head to look at the interrupter.
‘’ Evening Potter ‘’, the dark-haired boy muttered. James raised an eyebrow and nudged him into the side. ‘’ I thought we were over the whole last name thing Reg. We’re getting married, seems unconventional.’’ Regulus responds with a kick and a half smile on his lips. ‘’I’ll start calling you by your full name the second we get married, and even then, you’ll be James Black, not James Potter.’’ He’s quiet for a second before adding: ‘’Told Sirius yet?’’ James turns his head, looking back into the night, then shakes his head. Regulus doesn’t say anything, just quietly hums and pulls out a packet of cigarettes, passing one to James and lighting it with a snap of his fingers. Regulus takes a drag and pulls his knees towards him, dropping his head on them.
‘’He’ll find out eventually, you know that right?’’ James nods, still staring out into the night, one arm wrapped around himself and the other resting on his knee, cigarette in hand. ‘’I just don’t know how to tell him. He’s so, I don’t know, weird about this stuff’’ And that was probably the best way to put it. Sirius wasn’t exactly a complete hater of the culture surrounding pureblood marriages but if it would come down to the core, he’d pick to have any kind of arranged marriage prohibited.
And heck, if he would have to follow the rules now, while everything was perfectly legal. His marriage contract to Remus had been considered an act of rebellion, ending with his parents kicking him out of their family home. Remus was a pureblood, yes, but one infected with Lycanthropy. For most pureblood families this was simply something that could be swept under the carpet, but not for the Blacks. Regulus remembered that day vividly. It was a screaming match. Sirius standing with the fact that he had at least found himself a pureblood and not a muggleborn while Walburga was hissing around about the dirty creature blood and how it was a shame brought into the Black family.
Sirius left in rage, Walburga blasted him off the family tree. He moved in with James shortly after, finding reassurance in the fact that Euphemia and Fleamont had never openly discussed an arranged marriage for James. He believed them to want a love-marriage regime and with them accepting Remus, he never questioned it.
He was right, to some extents. The marriage between Regulus and James was a love marriage, but only due to a coincidence. James had known from a very early age that his parents would not back down from an arranged marriage. They had told him numerous times and he found himself to be totally okay with it. And then during the summer months of fifth year, the younger Black had showed up at the quidditch pitch, at midnight, just to practise flying in the warm temperatures. James had been there as well. Them getting together seemed to be set in stone from that moment.
They told their parents during winter break of James's sixth year, begging to get married the following summer so all incoming marriage proposals could be declined more easily.
The following discussions of the contract were a safety hazard to everyone’s nerves, but it paid off in the end. The Potters were a well-regarded family, but it took convincing to get Walburga to agree. Orion was set on James getting the Black name, Fleamont didn’t want the Potter name to get lost. The entire week after Christmas was spent with parents stressing and children sneaking off to snog somewhere in the house. They found a solution to each problem, eventually.
They went back to school and all that was left to do was tell their friends. Telling Regulus’s friends was pretty easy, they were shocked and a bit annoyed about not being told earlier, but overall happy. Telling the girls also went fairly well, with Lily and Mary a bit disappointed that yet another one of their friends was following the ‘’Muggleborns aren’t worth marrying’’ scheme. Pandora just nodded when being told. Nothing other could’ve been expected, she was breaking tradition to be with Lily and therefore wasn’t keen on drawing attention towards herself. All over, it went better than both Regulus and James had anticipated. Now only Remus and Sirius were left.
But how exactly do you go on telling a friend that you are marrying into his family, following the exact tradition he was kicked out for?
'‘Just send them like a letter’’ Regulus voice snapped James back to the present and he raised an eyebrow. ‘’I think that’s going a bit far, don’t you think? I mean, what would I even write? Hello Padfoot, I know we haven’t talked allot but after the summer we’ll have the same last name! It’s because I’m marrying your brother!’’ This time Regulus snorts. ‘’Yes, I think that is the perfect approach. He’ll be on his knees, thanking you for seducing me’’.
‘’Really? Do you think so?’’ ‘’No James’’ said persons eyes lit up, a wide grin crawling across his face. Regulus realizes his mistakes and curses himself before quickly moving to kiss James before the sentence ‘’ You called me by my name! ‘’ is able to drop. This happened almost every time they met up and it had begun to be a game for both. Regulus vowing not to call James by his name and his boyfriend waiting for him to break it.
As they break the kiss, James pulls Regulus in his lap and rests his forehead against his boyfriend's. ‘’You’re an ass, you know that?’’ Regulus hums softly and drops his head on James’s shoulder, arms pulling him closer so the two are fully entangled. ‘’You love me though’’.
A quiet sigh is heard from James and then the two are quiet, listening to the birds flying past the tower in almost sequential time order, the breeze pretending to be a wind, and the strange noises erupting from the forbidden forest from time to time. It’s peaceful. The night isn’t warm, it’s march in Scotland after all, but the two boys don’t mind at all, their bodies giving each other enough warmth to comfortably continue sitting in each other’s embraces.
‘’We should go back to our dorms and sleep’’, James murmurs after a while. Regulus doesn’t reply immediately, nuzzling his head further into James’s shoulder. ‘’I can sleep like this’’ As a response, his boyfriend pulls him closer, if even possible, and answers ‘’You’re not the one whose back will be hurting tomorrow’’.
Regulus pinches him in the arm and pulls his head back to look James straight in the face. ‘’You’re supposed to be the strong quidditch star darling. You should be able to handle a bit of back pain’’.
James mouth drops open, ready to reply but his gaze is shifted away by movements at the stairs. His face goes blank in a second, panic spreading across it. Of course, most people knew about their relationship, especially because other marriage contracts were declined because of it. Still, it wasn’t a topic to be gossiped about and if the wrong person found out they’d have a problem.
Regulus, alerted due to James sudden panic, moves his head to look at the door as well and freezes. He’s the first out of the four to realize and a second later James follows, pure panic now visible and body tensing up.
‘’Well shit’’ he chokes, pushing Regulus off his lap and jumping up, pulling his boyfriend with him, and wrapping an arm around his waist as they still their stand. Regulus can’t help but start laughing, not catching his breath as he mentions ‘’Well, I think you won’t have to write a letter now sweetie’’
There in the door stood Sirius, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Behind him stood Remus, hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and disbelief written all over his face. The older blacks gaze falls on James, glaring at him like he’s suddenly become a big green monster.
(Although that might’ve been more plausible to explain than this)
‘’What the fuck, James?’’