chapter 2
Prongs was shit at taking History of Magic notes. Perhaps it was how Professor Binns's voice was so dense and quiet that he couldn't help but take a nap the entire time, but nevertheless James was apprieciative of Lily Evans helping him with reviewing for their test later that week.
The two had decided to skip dinner so they could have the Gryffindor common room to themselves, but it was mostly James watching Lily attack his paper with a red inked quill with his knees tucked into his chest, not paying attention.
His mind was elsewhere, on the argument he'd witnessed with Sirius and Regulus at breakfast earlier that day. Regulus hadn't even looked his direction. James knew it was a selfish thing to feel hurt over as they were discussing family matters, but they were partners for a Potions project and he didn't even glance James's way. And who wouldn't? James sighed in discontent, and at this Lily's head snapped back up.
"Something on your mind?" She asked, putting her quill down, but her eyes were trained behind James, and he turned around to follow her gaze.
Michelle Dante, Sirius's (alleged) girlfriend, marched into the room with an irritated, pissed off look on her face. Although maybe his glasses were decieving him. James sure hoped so, Michelle got real bitchy when she was mad.
"Where in this goddamn school is my boyfriend?!" she exclaimed, sitting down on the couch between them with a huff. "I've been looking everywhere for him since lunch, he's been avoiding me this entire time and he didn't go to see me at breakfast!"
Evans opened her mouth to reply, but James knew better. "I think he's dealing with something right now," he said hestitantly, hoping that would sell her. The truth was, he had no idea where Padfoot was either. He was probably out and about with Moony, but it wasn't like Black to not talk to his girlfriend who he worshipped so much.
"You," Michelle poked in his direction. "You're his best mate. He wouldn't lie to you. Is he seeing someone else?"
"M, you know boys. They're trash anyway," Lily said soothingly, putting her two Galleons in. "I'm sure he's just stressed about family, that's all."
"I would be there for him!" Michelle retorted angrily. James wanted to add that all they did was snog each other most of the time and never really talked, but from the look on her face he knew that wasn't the best remark to make in the moment.
The room went silent for a minute, before Michelle spoke suddenly again.
"What if he's gay?"
"Michelle, maybe you're overreacting," Lily said nervously.
"Oh my Merlin, my boyfriend is a faggot."
Both James and Lily winced.
"Your boyfriend has feelings," snapped James. She could bitch about Sirius all she wanted, but this was cutting it close. "Get your head out of the gutter and maybe help him. The last thing he has on his mind is you." Perhaps it was the usage of the word "faggot," but James wasn't sure he liked Michelle all that much anymore. Sirius had been disowned, and she was worried about why Sirius wasn't up for snogging her in broom closets anymore.
Good grief, he was tired of her anyway.
"I know he's not being fair to you, but he'll get his shit together soon. Promise." Lily pressed on as Michelle turned a bright shade of red. The three sat on the couch together in awkward silence until James opened his mouth again.
"So what if he is gay, though?"
Michelle burst into tears, slapped him across the cheek, and fled the common room, leaving a shocked Lily and a perplexed James.
"I don't understand why that's a bad thing..." Prongs said like the idiot he was.
"James, they're dating!" Lily said exhasperately. "And don't label someone's sexuality. Can't you see Michelle's already doubting their relationship?"
"She called him a fag though!" James responded angrily. "You're going to defend her after she says that?"
"I know, but..." Lily paused as though in thought. "Ugh, come here. Your cheek is bleeding. That girl has sharp nails. Where'd she even learn to hit like that?" She began muttering some healing spells under her breath, waving her wand around.
"I just don't understand why it's such a big deal to find out someone's gay. I'm not saying he is, but why should it be any less different when we catch straight couples snogging each other on patrol?" And he truly believed so. It was 1978, he didn't understand why people were still so caught up about things like that.
"It's different, Prongs-"
"But oh nooo, if we were to catch two blokes having a go, everyone would have a right fit," continued James.
"Why are you so caught up in this anyway? It doesn't contribute to you," Lily pointed out at James's oddly defensive wordings.
James responded swiftly. "He's my best friend. I don't think he should be running around with a girl like her. I mean, how close are they really if he hasn't even told her about what happened this summer?"
"James, I don't think anyone told her Sirius got disowned."
"No shit, Evans!" James said, gritting his teeth in pain as he applied one of Moony's salves to his cheek. The two were sitting on the couch farthest from the fire. A couple third years were hanging around, but oblivious to the rather bloody battle scene.
"Well, is he going to tell her any time soon? I thought they were a pretty serious couple, and the way he ignored her all summer too..."
"For obvious reasons! And she should know that even when he was living with his family, he was never allowed to recieve any mail. I learned that the hard way," James added, remembering the fatal summer before second year when he'd mailed Sirius a letter only to recieve a Howler from Mrs. Black telling him to "stop sending my son letters, you filthy blood-traitor." That was what happened when your pureblood family didn't support You-Know-Who, even if you were eleven years old and oblivious to wizarding politics at the time.
"James..." Lily bit her lip nervously. "You like blokes, right?"
"Damn right I do, you've got a problem with it?" James teased. Lily knew he was bisexual, but she always asked him as though it were the first time, probably because she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. He didn't have the faintest idea why he could trust Evans with this secret regarding his sexuality more than his best friends, but he knew he could trust Evans to not say anything outside of their conversations with each other.
Lily hesitated. "Are you being so defensive because you like Sirius?"
"What?!" James started, then lowered his voice as a couple people in the room looked at him strangely. "Evans, trust me when I say it's not like that. We're best friends. I'm being defensive because that word Michelle used has been used on me before, and I don't like her remarks about him. Yes, he's been a shit boyfriend lately, and it's not her fault he hasn't told her about him being disowned, but she needs to have common sense."
The idea Lily of him liking Sirius almost made him laugh out loud. They were like siblings, the two of them.
Interestingly, Lily just nodded her head and went back to her correcting (destroying) of his feeble history notes. Wormtail came along and joined them, he and Lily took devastatingly long notes alike and loved to compare eachother's remarks. A half hour later, Sirius and Remus entered the common room with a flash, talking animately amongst themselves and not noticing Lily, James, and Peter staring at them in confusion.
"Where were you two today during History of Magic?" Peter decided to ask the golden question they were all wondering.
"My dear brother had to tell me something and Moony here decided to tag along," smirked Sirius as he took a seat at the couch facing them.
Remus swatted him with his wand. "You made me come with you, don't start now!"
"Merlin, how is it almost ten already? Evans, mind lending me the notes from today?"
As this transaction unfolded before him, James wondered if he should tell Sirius about their encounter with Dante. He concluded not to, Padfoot seemed in a better mood than he was at breakfast and he preferred not to spoil it. The rest of the night was peaceful, instead filled with talking and studying, and a few games of Exploding Snap.