Chapter Text
"Just make out already!" a girl almost shouted as another one giggled behind her, both walking past Prongs and Padfoot.
James looked up from Sirius's essay about "Magical creatures in the south of Japan" just to find his best friend and the whole Gryffindor common room staring at him in confusion.
"What was that all about?" Sirius whishpered, holding a laughter, maybe an hysterical one.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, it might be because we're doing our homework together?" James whishpered back, perplexed.
"Ah, yes, studying human blood-thirsted creatures: very romantic." the long haired boy joked.
"Oh, c'mon Pads, I'm serio- I'm for real."
"Sorry, sarcasm is a family thing, y'know."
"And anyway, how come studying human blood-thirsted creatures with me is not romantic but revising Boggarts with Moony is basically a date to you?" James smirked.
"Well, Moony makes studying Boggarts super romantic, sir. InlovewiththesamegirlsinceIwastwelve" Sirius replied "That's also a family thing."
"First of all, I've been over Lily for months, and you and Moon-" but James got interrupted.
"Don't say his name a third time or you could summon him" a familiar voice said.
The two Marauders turned around, two tall piles of books that were once also known as Remus John Lupin and Peter Pettigrew standing in front of them.
Sirius smiled. "Moony!"
"And Wormtail." James corrected him, helping Moony and Wormtail with the books. "Did you find anything about japanese creatures in the library? Pads's essay is quite... weak" he asked.
Remus turned to Sirius. "I leave you alone twenty minutes-"
"It's really not that bad!" Padfoot hurried to say "It just... lacks of informations about Kappas..."
"Sadly, we didn't find anything about Kappas in particular in the library." Peter finally spoke "We did found Mary, though. And she told us something that might interest you two."
"What?" Prongs and Padfoot asked at the same time.
"Oh c'mon Wormtail, it's so stupid we shouldn't bother them with-" Lupin tried to say, before Pettigrew interrupted him. "But we have to. This is about them after all."
James and Sirius looked at eachother confused for the second time that day.
Remus sighed "Alright, alright... but it's better if we talk about this in our dorm room, shall we?"
"Did something happen to Lily?" the boy with the messiest hair at Hogwarts asked, once in their dorm room.
"You're over her, huh?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow.
"She's still my friend! And I was about to ask about Mary as well if you didn't interrupt me." James replied.
"They're fine." Remus said.
"That's good to know." Sirius sighed "What's wrong then?"
"Apparently, some first year started a rumour that you two are dating" Peter explained, unbothered, as if he didn't just say the dumbest thing a wizard ever said in the history of the wizarding world.
James and Sirius went silent for a second.
Then they dramatically turned to eachother, as they often did, and bursted out laughing.
"Peter is not joking, guys." Remus said.
The two best friends went silent again.
"WHAT?" they repeated, once again at the same time.
Remus nodded (with the face of someone who is confirming someone else just died tragically), as to let them understand they heard right.
"But- Pads is like a brother to me- how could someone even think-"
"To you." Peter repeated. James let himself fall on his bed, like he was exhausted.
And then, it was Padfoot's turn to complain. "That rumor still doesn't make any sense, I've been spending most of my free time with Moony so why they don't see us as a coup-"
"They shouldn't see any of us as a couple!" Remus blushed.
Sirius stared at him for a second. "Right."
"Anyway, those stupid rumors can wait because you know what can't, in fact, wait? The final exams coming next week. So please, let me read that bloody essay-" Remus said, in a desperate attempt of changing topic.
Sirius understood that. "Well, the bloody essay still lacks of informations about Kappas. But I think Regulus has a book about magical creatures that live in water. Prongs, Wormtail, could you please go ask him if he'd be so kind to borrow me the book for an afternoon?"
Peter nodded right away. Instead, James stood up and asked "Your Slytherin brother?"
"Yes, Prongs. He's the only brother I have. And don't make this about Slytherins: I saw you and Marlene's new girlfriend getting along pretty well." was the answer he got.
"Fine, I just don't think he can stand any of us."
"C'mon, he's just a more boring, tiny, version of me. And I really need to pass this exam."
"Then why don't you go ask him yoursel-"
Sirius stared at James, and then at Remus.
Prongs raised his eyebrows and let out a little "Ohhhh" and then sighed. "Have you got any idea of where Regulus might be right now?"
"At the lake" Sirius smiled.
And so Peter and James left the dorm, and then the Gryffindor common room.
While they were walking for Hogwarts's hallways, they met Marlene.
"Peter!" she said "Thanks Merlin, I was looking for you! I need to revise Herbology and you're great at that, have you got fifteen minutes, maybe?"
Peter looked at James, raising his eyebrows. "That sounds like an emergency"
"You can go" his four eyed friend said "I can deal with a tiny Sirius"
Peter turned back to Marlene. He agreed to help her and they walked away.
Once alone, James finally reached Hogwarts's garden, and then the lake. There were some students there, but just two of them were Slytherins. James fixed his glasses to check if one of them might have been Sirius's little brother. He could have recogninzed those black blocks everywhere, even if they were shorter.
He got closer, noticing the other bloke was a certain Barty Crouch, if his memory wasn't tricking him.
"Regulus Black?" James said.
"Who's asking?" the black haired guy replied.
When he turned around, James's heart skipped a beat. There was no doubt that guy was a relative of Sirius's, they looked a lot alike, but Sirius's looks never made James's chest feel... warm?
Prongs decided to ignore that feeling.
Regulus stared at him for a second and then smirked.
"Well if it isn't my brother's boyfriend."