Chapter 3
JAMES
James likes getting up early. Not just for Quidditch practice, but because of the quiet. Not many students are awake that early, and the ones that are up are either half asleep in The Great Hall or on the Quidditch pitch with James.
"Pads" James opened the curtains around Sirius' bed, "Get up. We have to be there in 5 minutes"
An odd moan came from Sirius, who was hidden under the covers. His arm came out to swat the air, aiming for James but missing badly.
"Get up bloody hell!" James yelled a bit too loudly that he could hear Peter stirring in his bed.
"Shut up Prongs" Peter hissed.
"Sorry Pete" James replied, “Fuck, Sirius get up"
James pulled down the covers of Sirius' bed. He was curled in a ball under them and his hair was covering most of his face.
"Stoppp" Sirius stretched, "I hate you."
"You love me" James snorted.
"Okay, I love you. But I hate this" Sirius rubbed his eyes before slowly getting up.
"I know" James chuckled.
"Fuck! It's not even light outside!" Sirius yelled which earned him a 'shh' from Peter.
"Sirius! Come on, we need to go!" James groaned.
"Hang on I need to piss" Sirius snapped, running towards the bathroom.
He was out nearly a minute later, James rolling his eyes.
"Don't lie to me when you say you were in there to piss. You combed your hair" James mocked.
"You're just jealous" Sirius whispered before slipping out the door, James behind him.
They took the steps two at a time and were going so fast they nearly missed the person reading on the couch.
"Moony?" Sirius asked, "What the fuck are you doing up so early?"
"Shit" Remus looked at his watch, "It's 6:15 already? I was about to go up to bed."
"Jesus, Moons this can't keep happening" James said.
"It's 6:15 ?! You dick" Sirius turned to James. James shrugged.
"Frank wants us to start at 6:30 so we have at least 2 hours" James said.
"Fucking fascist" Sirius scowled.
"Well, enjoy" Remus yawned, "I'm heading up to bed."
The two boys watch Remus stroll up the stairs before jolting out the door, remembering the asshole Frank can be when you're late to practice.
"I don't understand how Remus can live like that" James whispers to Sirius.
"That's our Moony" Sirius laughed, "You two are polar opposites. You get up at the time he falls asleep"
James laughed at that. He didn't have a lot of time to dwell on Remus' sleeping schedule before they arrived at the Quidditch Pitch.
"Do you think we should've had breakfast? I don't know if I can train on an empty stomach" Sirius asked James as he threw his uniform over his head.
"I figured, so I stole some of Moony's chocolate" James pulled some chocolate from his pocket and handed it to Sirius.
"James Potter! You cannot let him know or he will actually murder you" Sirius laughed, "I can't believe you took his chocolate, I expect that kind of shit from me, but never from you"
"What can I say, you're like a disease Pads" James replied, "plus it's not like he will even notice since he has so much in his stash."
"I don't know, I think he has a spreadsheet or something on the amount of chocolate he has at each moment, made one after I took a bar last year." Sirius snickered, "He's such a nerd, but like what would we do without him, you know? I feel like without Moony we would all be either dead or expelled. I dunno, it's just what I love about him."
Sirius continued to rant on and on about Remus, James was actually rather annoyed that his best friend was so oblivious. He was falling, or probably has fallen, head over heels for Remus Lupin.
"And did you see the amount of girls that've been staring at him all week? But Moony never seems to notice. I don't know. Prongs?"
"You done with your Moony talk?" James smirked at the boy, "Getting a little obsessed with him, haven't you Pads?"
"Oh piss off, I just was shocked he has so many girls, that's all." Sirius was blushing a little bit, and James was smiling to himself.
James loves his two best friends so much, but sometimes he wants to punch a wall when they act so stupid around each other. If they keep going like this one day he will just straight up ask them to get it over and done with and have sex. It will solve problems for all three of them.
James is starting to think that the girls have noticed too. Lily definitely has. Her and Remus have some special connection that James is a bit jealous of, and she has definitely noticed the tension once or twice.
James has also felt that something was going on between her and Mary, too. Or maybe something already had occurred, he wasn't sure. But yesterday morning in Potions, one of Lily's favourite classes, she wasn't paying attention. She was watching Mary stir her potion with a look in her eye. James thinks it was both a happy look and something else.
James wouldn't be surprised if all three of the girls turned out to be gay, he hears them discussing things like that in class, and none of them seem too uncomfortable about it.
"Potter, are you deaf?" Frank yelled, "I said get your ass out here or I'll make you run around the entire pitch before you can get on your broom."
"Yes sir" James put a hand on his head to resemble a salute before putting his glasses on and heading out.
"Hey Jamie" Marlene was grabbing hers and Sirius' beaters bats from the supply cupboard.
"Hey Marls, you coming to the party tonight?" James asked the girl.
"You bet I am" Marlene poked her tongue out at James, "Hey, Black! Come get your bat!"
"Coming McKinnon!" Sirius came rushing over, running a hand through his long hair.
Sirius grabbed his bat just in time for Frank to call them over.
"Now that Potter has decided to show up, I think we can start." Frank glared at James, "Mary, James, Gideon. You guys practice over the holidays?"
"Of course I did" Mary laughed, "I gotta keep up my title as best player."
"In your fucking dreams, Macdonald" James growled, staring her down. Mary just rolled her eyes in return.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Potter" Mary retorted.
"Stop it the two of you" Frank snapped, "Well, I'm assuming we have all had some practice over the holidays, then?"
Everyone nodded.
“Okay then. What are we waiting for? We need to start going through our plays, asap!”
James loved flying. He soared through the air so effortlessly, the wind would whisper in his ear and his hair would sway so beautifully that it would enchant anyone who noticed it. Any worry that happened to be in you heart and mind that day would completely perish as soon as your hands touched the wood and the fresh air touched your cheeks. Flying was his escape. When his thoughts got too much, James would grab his broom and fly to wherever he wanted. That was the magic about flying.
James Potter loved flying, and he was good at it. He loved flying even more when he was with Sirius. They were really such an excellent duo, even Frank agrees. Even when they don't make the best decisions while they're up in the air, they never fail to execute it and reach their goal: to score and win the game. Or sometimes the goal is to just show off, either way it's a win.
He loves his team. They are definitely the best in the school. Everyone has their own special skills that benefited different areas of the game. They all fit together like pieces in a puzzle.
***
8:30 came by in a second, and James was disappointed to be called in.
"Good practice everyone" Frank gave them a small smile, "See you all bright and early on Sunday!"
"Frank! I told you no more Sunday mornings! Sunday mornings are sacred!" Sirius had his hands on his hips. His hair was stuck to his face due to sweat, and his cheeks were flushed.
"Sorry mate, it's either Sunday morning or no Quidditch" Frank shrugged at the annoyed boy.
"See" Sirius whispered to James, "Fascist."
"I didn't quite hear you Black, what is it about me that you find so amusing?" Frank stepped closer to Sirius, who continued to stand his ground. Frank was several inches taller than Sirius, but Sirius made himself seem so... big. Sirius Black carried himself with so much strength and character that James believed even Frank Longbottom, the (in Sirius-terms) fascist of Hogwarts, couldn't win against him in an argument.
The only person who could stand a chance and actually win an argument against Sirius Black is Remus Lupin. But that isn't really because Remus is good at arguing. He is, but Sirius just has a soft spot for Remus. Sirius can't think of comebacks when he's around him, because he gets all flustered. Remus Lupin is Sirius Black's one and only weakness.
Surprisingly, Sirius just stormed off to the change rooms. James walked after him.
"You good Pads?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I don't know" Sirius clenched his fist, "I was so mad. I don't even know why, it's not even that big of a deal. That was just the final straw for me today."
This is normal, Sirius Black bottling up his emotions until one tiny inconvenience tips him off and he lashes out at anyone and everyone who is close to him. The first time it happened was a shock for James, but now he's just used to it.
"What's gotten you so wind up?" James sat down, gesturing for Sirius to sit next to him.
"Fuck, I can't even explain. Everything." Sirius sighed, "Mainly shit at home. But, I don't know, kinda shit at school too."
"Is this shit at school relating to a certain someone?" James asked him. Of course, James was referring to Remus. He wasn’t sure if Sirius knew that, though.
"What do you mean?" Sirius' eyebrows are drawn together.
"I think you know. A certain someone with a furry little problem." James is trying to get Sirius to understand. He needs him to understand.
"Moony? What, why- why do you think that?" Sirius has frozen beside him.
"I dunno Padfoot, you tell me" James was getting a bit sick of this.
"I don't understand" Sirius looked at the floor, "Why does Moony have anything to do with this?"
James really wanted to slap Sirius in that moment. But he stopped himself from doing so. Honestly, he gets it. James has tried to deny his unsettlingly large crush on Regulus Black ever since he saw him on the Quidditch pitch last year.
It was Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw, the first match of the season. James was focusing so he could analyse the moves of every player on the field. He failed miserably because one dark haired boy had caught his eye. He couldn't stop himself from watching Regulus play, because he played so beautifully. James had seen Regulus play before, but not like this. Regulus had grown up a lot over the summer, and he looked so hot on his broom.
James remembers the moment when Regulus flew directly in front of him, James could see his hands grasping his broom. They were veiny, something James found disturbingly attractive, and he imagined those hands around his throat. He was about to bring his own hands to his throat out of instinct, but remembered who was with him.
That night, James lay awake in his bed, thinking about Regulus Black. In ways that would make his best friend murder him on the spot. So ever since then James has tried whatever he could to push those feelings down and out of him.
However his countless tries have never been successful because Regulus Black is, well, Regulus Black. The permanent scowl, brooding eyes, lean build, and his personality add miraculously to his attractiveness. James has come to terms with the fact that he finds malice very attractive.
“Prongs?” Sirius repeated. “What does Moony have to do with this?”
“Why don’t you dwell on that yourself, Sirius.” James replied, giving his best friend a knowing look before heading towards the showers.
James turned the heat up, hot showers were a great source of pain relief after Quidditch matches and trainings. He likes the numbness that’s left on his skin after. He also likes when the water pelts against his skin, however the water pressure was low this morning. It pisses him off that it changes so much.
He got out of the shower to find everyone gone. James scoffed at this, Sirius had left him. He quickly got dressed before making his way to his first class.
***
"Oh fuck, and guess what?" Sirius was giving Remus a play-by-play of the entire morning.
"What?" Remus was looking at Sirius amusedly.
"I have to get up at 6 o'clock again for Quidditch. ON SUNDAY!" Sirius emphasised the last sentence by placing his hands on Remus' shoulders and shaking them gently.
"Merlin, okay, was that really necessary?" Remus was trying to sound annoyed but he failed. He kept giving Sirius a look as though he was the only person in the world.
"It was necessary because who the fuck is that mentally insane?" Sirius replied, "Well, except for you I suppose, Prongs"
James snorted at this, then looked back down at his potatoes. James didn't even realise Sirius was aware James was there, as he only had eyes for Remus. As much as he loved this, James had watched his two best friends pining over each other since they met, he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.
"Don't you normally have practice on Sunday mornings?" Peter asked.
"We did, but I would've thought Frank might've played it down a bit as we did pretty well last year." Sirius was in his element, bagging out Frank Longbottom.
"Oh wait, Moons I forgot something!" Sirius turned back to Remus who hadn't taken his eyes off him.
"Do they realise we are here too?" Peter whispered to James.
"Let them have their thing, Pete" James smiled at his best friends.
"You reckon they're gonna hookup tonight?" Peter asked.
Of course, the party was tonight. James intended on getting extremely drunk so he could go one night without thinking of Regulus Black.
"Not in front of everyone, but maybe by themselves" James replied, "I think Remus has been holding it in for a while and he will take his chance when he has it."
"You think Sirius won't take his chance though?" Peter asked.
"See, I've been thinking about it. I think Remus has a bit more self-awareness so he knows he has a crush on Pads."
"Mhmm... and Padfoot on the other hand..."
The two boys looked over at Sirius, who was blushing tremendously when Remus had laughed at his joke, and he was now unintentionally flirting with him.
Sirius will probably just blame this later on the fact that he has a flirty personality. Except this is a little bit extreme. Sirius won't factor that into his thoughts, though.
James cleared his throat "Boys, we have class now."
The two boys were so unaware of their surroundings that they didn't realise everyone had exited The Great Hall.
"Oh, right" Remus gulped. He got up from his seat and headed down the hallway.
"Remus! What are you doing? I need to keep telling you the story!" Sirius stumbled out of his seat, reaching for the other boy.
"Then hurry up!" Remus yelled over his shoulder. Sirius ran after him, leaving Peter and James speechless.
"Wow. I can't believe they abandoned us" Peter snorted.
"Honestly, I can" James scoffed, “Well, come on then. We can walk together.”
James put his arm around Peter and they slowly made their way to class.
***
When James and Peter arrived at their Defence Against the Dark Arts class Remus and Sirius were already seated at the back of the classroom.
“Huh“ Peter breathed. Sirius almost never sits with Remus. He always sits with James, unless they’re in some petty argument and last time he checked, they’re not.
Like he had read his mind Peter said: “You guys in an argument?”
“No” James muttered. He huffed and sat at the desk in front of them, trying his best not to acknowledge them as a punishment.
“Hey guys” Peter squeaked when he got near Remus and Sirius. Remus only smiled in return, Sirius didn’t even notice; he kept on talking to Remus about random shit.
James was over it.
“Okay, no.” James turned around to glare at Sirius, “Acknowledge Peter, and say hi back. It is only polite. I don’t really give a fuck that you guys are having a conversation, but can you not fucking ignore us completely?”
Both Remus and Sirius stared at James dumbfoundedly. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and Remus bit his lip. It didn’t help things that Remus looked very attractive while doing that. It seemed Sirius noticed as well, because he paused for several seconds, watching Remus, his lips in particular.
After several minutes of complete, utter, and awkward silence, they spoke.
“I’m sorry Wormtail. Hi” Sirius sneered. James rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry” Remus looked down. He looked genuinely sorry, unlike Sirius.
“It’s okay” Peter whispered.
No one said a word for the rest of the school day.
***
“Which top suits me best?” Sirius was standing in the centre of their dorm, holding up 3 shirts.
“The black one” James answered, “It brings out your eyes.”
“Ah, my best feature. Gotta play my cards right, huh, Prongs?” Sirius winked at James.
“What do you think, Remus?” James blurted out. Everyone fell silent as they looked over at Remus to see what he had to say.
“I think the black one looks good on you” Remus said, voice barely a whisper.
“Thanks Moons, which sweater are you wearing?” Sirius asked. James could tell he was trying to stop himself from blushing furiously.
“This one” Remus held up a brown sweater with green and white stripes.
“Er…” Peter said in disgust. Sirius and Remus both gave him a look of daggers.
“Personally, I think it is beautiful. I have better taste than Wormtail, so you can trust me” Sirius smiled at Remus. Remus’ mouth fell open in an ‘O’.
“Thanks” Remus said quickly, turning around to remove his shirt and pull the sweater on over his head. James could see Sirius look away quickly.