No place feels like home

Date: September, 1975
Location: Potions Classroom
Status: Private-ish (Narcissa Black, James Potter) - Join in if your character has reason to be there.
Incomplete.

It was amazing how large the Potions dungeon actually was when all of the students were gone, James thought to himself as he set his satchel on the table, pulling out "Dissolution and Solution" with his potions kit. Well, not everyone was gone, like him there were a few seventh years putting in the extra hours after class to finish up their various projects. The faint sound of bubbling liquid and the occasional pop filled the room as he walked over to the supply cupboard marked "Seventh Years Only". He opened the door and a haze of smoke immediately escaped, along with odours of varying pleasantness as he glanced around for the cauldron that he and Narcissa had been using. Putting on his dragonhide gloves, he picked up the object in question and took a moment to regard it. The consistency was right, as was the colour (although he thought that it could possibly be a little paler), and he allowed himself a small smile.

Whatever else Narcissa Black might be, she wasn't half bad at the art of potion making.

He made his way back out into the main floor, the simulated windows casting rays of light into the room. It had been Slughorn's idea, actually, to put the windows in. They were modelled after the ones at the Ministry, the rotund professor had thought that due to the amount of extracurricular time spent by his NEWT classes in the dungeon, there might be some stress-related problems. This was his way of relaxing people. In autumn they showed a pleasant afternoon, in winter they snowed. He took a moment to sit and relax, having been on the go all day. Lily's notes earlier had helped immensely, allowing him at least some breaks throughout the day, but it didn't change the fact that they were barely a month into the course and some people were already struggling to cope. The NEWTs, he figured, weren't just an academic test, but a character and personality exam too. They tested how well you reacted under pressure, how you could keep to deadlines and relax in limited time.

He felt like a rat in a cage sometimes, but it wasn't all bad. A few of his mother's trainees had told him once that they tended to ease up a little once you settled back into the rhythm of work anyway, he just hoped that it happened soon. His attention turned back to the concoction brewing gently on the table. They'd let it stand for just about long enough, and Narcissa would be arriving soon to engage in the next stage of perparations for it. Opening his book to the recipe, he stirred the mixture idly as he waited for the Slytherin.

James glanced up, doing a slight double-take at the sight of the...very feminine Narcissa Black standing in front of him. Who knew what those Hogwarts robes were hiding, eh? Raising an eyebrow, he put his ladle down. At least started, pfah.

"I see you've at least shown up." He retorted in a bored accent. There wasn't actually much malice behind the sarcasm, surprisingly. He and Narcissa sniped at each other frequently, but they actualy got on rather well. The dry humour and irony was just the way that they seemed to interact. He smiled almost sadly, in another world, perhaps, they could have been rather good friends. As it stood, one might end up killing the other once they left Hogwarts. It was no secret as to what side Black would side with, just as it was no secret the James would side with the Ministry. Or perhaps not, perhaps, as the whispered rumours were true, he might join with the volunteers who fought them. Heroes, James thought of them. The Order of the Phoenix.

But that was a line of thought for another time, and James had been well prepared to mind his thoughts in public. You never knew who might be listening.

"Believe me, of all the places I'd like to be on an evening like this, a dungeon is not one of them." He glanced at her up and down, giving a wry smirk. "Going out, are we?"

He turned back to the cauldron then, reladling the mixture and allowing it to drop from a height so that she could see the sluggish, viscous liquid's consistency.

"It seems to be going well, I think that kneazle hair you added was a good idea, it's kept the swells right down. What's the next move?"

He noticed her smirk as he visually appraised her, a wry grin of his own forming at her compliment. Who'd have thought, two Blacks and a Potter getting along.

"Certainly Slytherin, you are." He murmured to himself. "I'll stir, you add? I think there's some Jobberknoll feathers in that vial there." He pointed at the other side of the bench, retrieving his long wooden spoon as he did so. They concentrated on the task for a moment, James forcing his eyes to look straight forward at the mixture and not...elsewhere. Certainly not at outfits that really, should be illegal. Lily Lily Lily, he repeated as a mantra over and over in his head, then realised just how ridiculous that really was. Despite his long-term fixation with a certain red-haired Head Girl, he'd been out with other girls, of course he had. He was a teenage male after all, not a eunuch.The defining difference was that he never felt quite happy with any of them. It didn't stop him from appreciating the female form, however.

Once all of the feathers were added, he allowed the potion to stand for a moment, turning to the book.

"One-third heat...and then a few more stirring sequences, a sprinkling of seersdust and then we don't really have anything to do for ten minutes." He leant against the desk, one foot up on the bottom brace of the benchstool. "Good week, then?" He asked, genuinely interested. It wasn't something that kept him awake at night, but they didn't speak outside of these study sessions, really. The logistics would be a nightmare, especially since James was always with Sirius or vice versa. It was a well-known fact in the school that the two of them hated each other with the fiery passion of a thousand suns...Sirius had been pissed off enough that James had agreed to work with her, let alone talk to her in public. "How's Andromeda?"

James shrugged as Narcissa mentioned the change in her sister. Of course, when she mentioned her other sister, he kept his mouth clamped shut. Somehow, he didn't think that she would appreciate his opinions on Bellatrix. Come to think of it, the crazy bitch was probably listening in somehow.

"People change," He said matter-of-factly as he began the second stirring cycle. "Part of life I guess, I've noticed that Peter's been a bit absent recently too...distant..." He trailed off, before clearing his throat. Internal Marauder politics were not to be discussed, especially not with a Slytherin. And especially not with Sirius' cousin. He smiled sympathetically as she revealed that he wasn't the only one to find the NEWTs something of a challenge.

"I know, it's ridiculous isn't it. I've barely got time to sleep lately, let alone eat." He turned the spoon anti-clockwise before glancing up at her. "My week's been much like yours. Not great, but not bad either." He couldn't help the small grin as he thought back to the times he'd spent with his friends and Lily, the latter seeming to be a constant presence in his mind at the moment. It was quite distracting, actually. "Would be nice to have a reduced workload though." His eyebrow quirked upwards once more at her question as he set down the spoon again, reaching for the snuff-box full of Seerdust.

"How did I get it? I don't know, really. Must have done something very wrong in a past life." He joked. "Seriously though, everyone's utterly shocked that I got it. I'm not that irresponsible you know. Mostly. Well I'm sort of okay. Truth is, Dumbledore is as Dumbledore does I suppose."

"So, Hogsmeade weekend's coming up soon. Doing anything fun?"

His eyebrows shot right up at the contact, her skin gliding over his smoothly, assuredly. He felt the rest of her body shift upwards until it grazed his, the girl close enough for him to almost taste her scent on the air.

Sorry. Yeah, right.

Think of Lily, think of Lily, think of Sirius...think of Sirius in Lily's clothes...

He had to fight the urge to groan as he blinked, his vision coming back into focus just as Narcissa bent low over the table to daintily pluck a Hellebore spore from the container on the far side of the desk.

Why, why did he have to put these ingredients in those positions?

There was certainly no doubt that Narcissa was an attractive girl. Beautiful, really. Her figure was enticing, her sharpness and her wit exciting...her personality not so much. A little too much cruelty, but he supposed it was how she was raised. It would be so simple to return her fire, to provoke her in the same ways. He wasn't, after all, an amateur at seduction, and by the looks of things she was something of an adept.

But that would just be silly, even if she did have lovely legs. Sirius would kill him.

"Unpredictable? I don't think McGonagall even knows what he's going to do next." He replied, but in a fond, rather than harsh way. He'd always liked Dumbledore, seen a kindness in him that was rare for such an authority figure. And he supposed he owed him rather a lot, for letting them get away with even half of the things that they had.

"Fun day out with the blood traitor?" He grinned rogueishly, teasing her. "Honestly, I think you'd have a...well, not a better time with Lucius, but probably one more to your tastes." He winked at her before waving the remains of the smoke out of the way. "Next it's diced Jamray root and ground chizpurfle carapaces, then we're done again until the next cycle...I think...might want to check that."

Sirius decided that it would be fun to rig James' cauldron with a dungbomb. It was his usual mischievious way, and besides it would serve Prongs right. Besides their plot to have Malfoy wake up with a few bed fellows they haven't spent much time doing what it is they do best. He knew James had more responsibility this year, but he never thought he would ever shirk this much on his Marauding. Maybe this would knock a bit of sense into him, though recalling the many pay backs he recieved for pulling things like this on him, Sirius only hoped this time would be the same. At least then Prongs would be participating. It was always fun playing these little games and over the years Sirius had come to expect a year full of them. James had grown increasingly distant and he barely spent much time around him, Peter, and Remus anymore. When he did, it looked as if he were exhausted and withdrawn. Of course him spending as much time with Evans as he had been doing, it was only expected. Her ability to hamper ones playful manner and subdue them quickly with her motherly griping was famous. He himself has been on the recieving end of the griping more times than he would care to remember. No wonder Prongs has been downtrodden he thought. It was up to him to rescue James, and this hopefully would do the trick. Making his way down to the sub-levels Sirius couldn't help himself but feel as if this was more than just a simple prank. To him it was bringing back the Prongs he knew and loved. He was almost overcome with excitement. If only he would put this much effort in his studies, he would probably be Head Boy instead of James. But he was glad he wasn't, he didn't envy the position at all.

Upon reaching the dank barely lit area of Hogwarts Sirius went over how he would make his plan work. Hopefully no one was in the room and it would be a simple procedure. Though as he had came to find out in the past, nothing of this nature was as simple as it sounded. But he was an elite in these matters and welcomed any obstacle that followed. The echoes he heard as he walked down the hall brought his usual sly grin to his lips. The closer he got to the classroom the wider it would grow. Pausing for a moment to look through his materials, Sirius didn't want to start his work and then find he had forgot something. Satisfied at the sight that all he needed was there he continued down the hall. Reaching the entrance to the robust professor's classroom he would take a deep breath before entering. Turning the knob and slowly pushing the door open, the creaking sound it made startled Sirius. It somehow seemed louder and more prominent than any other time he opened it. Snapping his head looking left then right down the hall he was relieved to see no one around. Slowly he leaned his head through the barely opened door. What he saw nearly caused him to choke on his own tongue. Narcissa and James working together! He knew they were lab partners but never in a million years would he expect them to be around each other longer than they had to be. Whats more it looked as if a bit of flirting was taking place. Outraged Sirius swung the door open causing it to slam against the wall with a loud bang. Eyes narrowed as he looked at his cousin the hatred in his stomach began to boil."Whats going on here!?!? he shouted as he stomped his way into the classroom.

Lucius meandered his way down into the dungeons, his bag hanging lazily at his side as he walked down the stairs and into the corridor. He wasn't particularly thrilled about potions. He loved the art, it wasn't that. It was that he had it with them. James Potter and his little posse. Oh how he despised them. He and his own group had spent much of the prior years in squabbles, fights, and the like...usually ending in a few hexes bouncing off the walls. He stopped outside the potion's classroom, removing his book from his bag before walking in.

He had expected there to be more people there, but the less he had to deal with people and their stupidity, the better. He was staring at his book as he walked to the front of the class, not yet noticing James and Narcissa. He only looked up when he heard that bloodtraitor cousin of hers shout.

"What are you telling about now Black?!" He snapped tossing his bag down on the floor by his cauldron and his book onto the work table. What he saw next completely mortified and astounded him. James was working with Narcissa. James was working with Narcissa. "What's this?" His hand immediately went for his his wand as he stormed over, steely gray eyes full of contempt.

Still unable to calm himself as he stormed into the potions classroom Sirus was beside himself with anger. What the hell was Narcissa doing flirting with his best friend? Outraged and disgusted, Sirus stopped just a few feet away from the two and stared at them both. His thoughts of pranking James and having a bit of fun instantly vanished the moment he laid his eyes on them. His face was probably four shades of red and the look in his eye would cause a boggart to fear him. Before he was able to utter another word he was interrupted by another shout from behind him. He'd recognize that hiss of a voice anywhere, Malfoy! Now he was really agitated, not only did he have to stomach his cousin but now Lucius was there. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, Sirius didn't want to act irrationally. It was a tense environment and the wrong move could cause someone to get hurt. Though he didn't mind at all if it would be either one of the Slytherins, he didn't want to risk putting James in harms way. He knew however that Prongs was more than capable of handling himself, he just didn't see any reason to escalate the situation any further than it already had. Funny thing, when it came to friends especially James, Sirius was rational and smart, but otherwise he had gained the reputation as an irresponsible jokester. But now wasn't the time for thoughts like that. Besides his anger, Sirius had to take control of the situation and relieve the tension somehow. Too late for that however, Malfoy already had noticed Narcissa with James and made a move for his wand.

Being a Slytherin was more than Sirius coould stomach, but being a Malfoy and a Slytherin was twice as bad. Whats more how dare he go for his wand with the obvious intent to hex James. Siruis would not and could not stand for this. Action had to be taken. Reaching for his own wand Sirius pulled it out and pointed it straight into the back of Lucius. "Malfoy!" He said in a raised voice, "Don't even think about it, if you know whats best for you!"

Oh what was this? His cold eyes flitted from James to Sirius immediately and he put on a nasty sneer. "Know what's best for me? You filfhty blood traitor!" His blood was boiling, more than likely giving his pale skin the look that he had been sunburned. How dare he get in his way! The thought of Potter fled his mind and he turned on Sirius, wand clenched tightly in his gloved hand. "Colloportus!" The familiar squelching noise of the door being seald was heard. "There, now we can deal with this without that walrus interfering." He glared at Sirius, his eyes full of rage and contempt. It was enough that he hated him because he was a traitor, leaving his family for whatever half-thought reason, but the fact the he had gotten in his way only angered him more. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted, taking a step towards Sirius as his wand flew out of his hand. "Now sit like the dog you are! Locomomotor mortis!"

To say that James sighed in unbridled despair as Sirius stormed into the room would be an understatement.

To say that James, if possible, sank even further into the quagmire of despair when Lucius turned up would be another understatement.

However, he very much doubted that it would be possible to understate the sheer rage flowing through his veins right now, as the Slytherin threw several spells at Sirius, Narcissa drawing her wand to stand by him. Briefly, an urge to simply hex seven shades of shit into Lucius overpowered his limbs, his fingers twitching in anticipation for his wand. But then, a flash of the letter he received that summer passed through his mind, a glimpse of neat, slanted text and one particular sentence pushed into his consciousness.

"THAT. IS. ENOUGH!" He bellowed, not caring who heard or who rushed in, be they a Professor or another Slytherin. With spellwork so fast that he surprised even himself in retrospect, his wand flashed through the air quicker than the eye could track, twirling and flicking with a silent, non-verbal command. A bright flash illuminated the room for a moment, causing everyone to shield their eyes, and when it faded Lucius, Narcissa and Sirius were all knocked off of their feet, an utterly furious James Potter standing over all of them, wand clenched firmly in his left hand.

"You're all behaving like CHILDREN!" He shouted, feeling his face turn red and the veins in his neck beginning to protrude. "YOU!" He shouted, turning to Lucius. "Whatever the hell you think is going on, I assure you, is not! Do you see me bursting in on you when you're working with Evans? If you took more than two seconds to think with your brain instead of your wand, you might have noticed the ingredients everywhere, or the simmering cauldron which," He glanced over, the force of his spell having caused the mixture to topple out of its container, "is now RUINED, you fucking idiot!" He wheeled around, looking directly at Narcissa.

"YOU are supposed to be a PREFECT! What the fuck did you think you were doing, joining in instead of breaking it up? Now I really, really don't care if you two," He motioned between Sirius and Narcissa, glaring at them both equally, "can't accept the fact that you're different. I don't care if you're both so fucking immature that you can't be in a room with each other without bickering like first years, but I will NOT have this kind of thing happening while I'm Head Boy." He waved his wand irritably at his best friend, shouting 'finite incantatum'.

"You come with me." He hissed, already stuffing his potions kit back into his satchel before slinging it over his shoulder. "You two," He glanced back at Lucius and Narcissa, the venom dripping from his voice. "You two disgust me."

Without another word, he stormed out of the potions lab, slamming the heavy door on his way out and leaving a room full of bewildered seventh years behind him.

The next few moments were a bit of a blur to Sirius. Here he was one moment wand pointed at Malfoy, his anger boiling beyond anything he's ever felt before, the next minute his wand was thrown from his grasp and he was unable to move. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the door slamming shut and Lucius locking it afterwards. Sirius felt no fear at all, he was no coward, but he was mentally kicking himself for acting without thinking. This position he was in wasn't a good one by any definition of the word. He was at the mercy of that ass of snake Malfoy, and his precious bitch of a cousin Narcissa. It was still rather funny to him for some reason, Sirius always did like to see the Slytherins infuriated. It was so easy to do so. But here he was now, unable to move, unable to protect himself, and looking straight up at the two. He couldn't keep himself from laughing out loud at the looks on their faces. The sneers and the evil in their eyes, he found funny for some odd reason. His laughing was sure to drive them all the more insane and he really hoped it would.

What happened next however was completely unexpected, and in Sirius' mind beyond any reasoning he could fathom. The outrage he saw in James, the anger was seething. He has never seen James that pissed off in his life. The way his voice sounded and the look in his eyes, it wasn't the same Prongs from years passed, no this was a completely different Prongs. It was apparent to Sirius now , that he had to have a talk with his best friend. There was something on his mind and the pressure of what is was, was getting to him. His yelling and spiteful remarks towards Malfoy and Narcissa, and his words directed at both him and Narcissa and their rivalry. Once he was able to move Sirius stood up glaring at all three (yes even James). Dusting himself off with his hands he walked over to where his wand flew and retrieved it. Sirius has never once thought James would ever change but the events thats taken place this year, Sirius has finally seen he was somehow different. Retrieving his satchel he followed James out of the door but not before glancing back over his shoulder looking at Lucius and Narcissa with disgust. Once out of the classroom he caught up to his friend. Looking at Prongs warily but seriously he grabbed him by the shoulder causing them to stop, "Prongs, what the hell happened in there?" Shaking his head he continued, "We have to talk man."

James wheeled around, the adrenaline still pumping through his system.

"Yeah, we do, what the hell was that about? Narcissa's my lab partner, yeah she's a flirt, but what the hell am I supposed to do about it?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and he began walking back towards Gryffindor tower again, motioning for Sirius to keep up. "Look, mate, I appreciate you standing up for me and all, I really do." he spared a smile for his best friend, trying to show that he wasn't really pissed off at him, just generally out of patience. "It's just...you can't rise to it, it gives them an excuse, you know?" Even as he said it, he knew that it was a lie. Lucius was always spoiling for a fight with one of them, seemingly bent on his own little Sanguist crusade inside Hogwarts. The problem was, that he was clever. He manipulated situations, pushed the right buttons until he goaded people into it. Sirius was angry enough and so set in his beliefs that he was a prime target for people like that.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," He said finally, after long moments of walking. "I didn't mean to, I just fucking lost it, you know?" He sighed again, his jaw working as he thought about what to say next. "My mum and dad are on assignment, something closed-book by the sounds of it, incommunicado for a couple of weeks." He stared and walked straight ahead, not caring about the students who had to duck out of their way as they advanced. "It's just getting to me, those Slytherin twats, their views...the fact that they act on them and now suddenly, I'm the one who has to break it up when it's all I can do not to swing a few punches and throw a few hexes myself, knock them back on their racist, bigoted arses."

"It's getting worse." He said finally. "The war, I mean. It's coming here, and I don't know how much longer I can pretend that I'm not a part of it, that I can just carrying on having a laugh with you guys and not think about what I'm going to do. Where I stand. I just don't think we're kids anymore, Padfoot."

Sirius stood there awaiting James' reply. He stared directly in his eyes and could tell there was a lot on his mind. He listened intently to him as he spoke. His voice had more of a mature sound to it than it has ever had before. Sirius knew that James meant every word that came out of his mouth. He was stressed, exhausted, and it seemed to Sirius, he had a weight upon his shoulders. There was a different air about him than there ever was. It was a bit intimidating, but the more Sirius listened the more he began to understand some of what he was being told. "I don't really know what came over me. I just lost all sense of composure when I saw you and Narcissa standing together. I know you and her are lab partners, but I just couldn't stand seeng her flirting with you, she and my family have taken damn near everything from me, and I guess I just felt like she may be trying to push in on our friendship." His voice was low and a bit of remorse hit his features as he thought back on the day he ran away. Walking with James now as they made thier way towards the common room, suddenly everything became a bit more real to him. The words he heard, seemed to bring him back into reality. They were brothers in his mind James and his parents were the only family he had, besides Peter and Remus. He would be damned if he lost any of them to his wretched cousins or any other Black family member.

Quirking a brow at hearing James tell him there was no reason to rise to the Slytherin's taunts and rantings, he was a bit perturbed. On many occasions in the past James enjoyed flaring thier tempers just as much as he did. Especially that of one Lucius Malfoy, 'what a prick' Sirius thought, and the whiny Severus Snape. But in some strange way he knew deep down James was right. Reacting to their words he only played right into the game. But still it didn't take the satisfaction away when he was able to out think any of them. Hearing the apology afterwards, Sirius nodded in acceptance, he knew James had a lot running through his mind and as much as he hated to admit to himself that all of this had to happen sooner or later. Now that he was beginning to understand what James was going through, Sirius understood without a doubt his reaction in the Potions classroom. "I know exactly what you mean Prongs, I accept your apology." He slapped him on the back as spoke. "It must be something important then, given there has been no word from them. I 'm sure they're fine though, after all putting up with you they would have to be damn near invincible." now nudging him a bit as a small smile defined itself on his lips.

Adjusting his satchel hanging off his shoulder Sirius continued to listen. Oblivious to all that was around the two as they walked. It was apparent that James held tremendous distaste of Slytherins and their views. This also held true with Sirius, what with him being sorted into Gryffindor as opposed to Slytherin like just about all of his family before him. "I completely understand my friend, Sometimes I would like nothing more than to bust them in thier mouths as well, just to see how "pure" their blood really is." The thought of actually seeing that pleased him to no end. With him not paying attention Sirius ran right into a small second year Ravenclaw. The impact barely phased him but the force caused the boy to drop his things. Sirius bent down to help him regather his items and then patted him on his shoulder as he sent him on his way. Finally after hearing James' final words Sirius stopped dead in his tracks. Waiting for him to turn around Sirius' eyes narrowed, he knew James spoke true but upon hearing it just then Sirius realized he never took the time to think about any of these things. "James", Sirius crossed his arms, "This war, I agree it is coming, and you know I'll stand by your side. But to dwell on such matters, trying to balance that and your responsibilities, it's more than any of us can handle right now." Funny Sirius thought, him talking about being responisible, shifting his weight he continued, "And no we aren't kids anymore, but we aren't old fogey's either, as long as we're here we are the Marauders, we are family. After this year, it will be time to discuss things such as this." Though Sirius knew where he would stand, he didn't feel it was necessary to talk over these kinds of things. After seeing how his family was and what they thought was the right way, Sirius knew he would have no part of that, he was with James his brother. He stood with Remus and Peter, they were his family.