Chapter Text
The first time James ever saw Regulus Black, he remembered thinking that Regulus looked just like a small and adorable version of his older brother, Sirius.
It was barely the start of his second year. He had just stepped onto the train to Hogwarts when he heard his name being called. Suddenly, arms were thrown around his shoulders with such force that he almost fell to the ground.
It didn't take more than a second before his own arms were squeezing the slightly taller figure back, and James found himself grinning widely.
"I missed you too, Sirius," he said, pulling back.
"Fuck, I missed you so much. I'm so excited for this year, I already planned a bunch of things!"
Sirius had a big smile on his face and was bouncing up and down while speaking, and James couldn't help but relate to the feeling. Gods, he was so happy to see his friends again.
"Me too, mate. C'mon, let's find the others…"
He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a second pair of gray eyes watching him. Just a few steps behind his friend, stood what seemed to be a mini version of Sirius.
As soon as the younger boy realized he had been spotted, he straightened his posture and put his hands behind his back, without breaking eye contact with James.
Sirius noticed the direction of James's gaze and stepped closer to the boy, putting an arm around his shoulders.
"Ah, yes, let me introduce you guys! James, this is my baby brother, Reggie. Reggie, this is my best friend, James!"
The smile on Sirius's face reflected on James as he offered his hand to the boy. Recognition finally dawned on him as he realized he was staring at the young Black brother.
"Nice to meet you, Reggie. I heard a lot about you."
The boy didn't move to take the offered hand. He looked at Sirius and then back at James.
"Hello," was all he said. James dropped his hand.
Sirius laughed beside him, but James could hear the nervousness in his voice.
"Ha, Reggie is just really shy, you know? C'mon we better find Remus and Pete."
Although James thought that the smaller boy looked adorable, he didn't look shy at all. Still, James nodded anyway and followed his friend through the train.
Later that night, they watched as Regulus was sorted into Slytherin, and walked to their table without looking back.
Sirius watched in silence, but when they returned to their dorm room after dinner he went straight to his bed, closed the curtains and casted a silencing charm. They didn't hear anything but it was clear that Sirius had spent the night crying from how red his eyes were on the next day.
Sirius didn't mention Regulus again.
×××
"This is so stupid!"
"Pads, calm down."
"Not until I find out who was that arsehole that did this."
"Do you think it was one of the Ravenclaws? Maybe it was payback for what we did last week…"
"No, I'm sure it was one of those Slytherin snakes."
"How are you so sure?"
"I just am."
James snorted – his friend's dislike for those in Slytherin was nothing new for any of them.
"No, Peter's right. It could've been one of the Ravenclaws," said Remus, downing his cup of coffee.
"No, I don't think it was. It was just our dorm– this is clearly an attack against us!" argued Sirius, glaring at the Slytherin table as if the culprit was about to jump from the table and announce themselves.
"So? The Ravenclaws could definitely have done this as payback, just as Peter said," contoured Remus, shrugging. "It's not like they don't know it was us who turned their robes completely red last week."
James couldn't help but agree.
This morning when the four of them woke up to the sound of James' screeching alarm, their dorm room was completely flooded. The water was up to their knees and getting higher by the minute.
It took them half an hour to be able to stop the water from rising even more, and by that time, Remus was cursing in Welsh about his books getting wet, while Sirius was red with anger. It was Peter who finally opened the door and simply let the water run down the stairs.
James tried to stop him, but for some reason, the water simply disappeared before it could get to the common room and ruin anything, apparently, the only thing that was supposed to get ruined was their dorm.
So, yeah, it was a stressful morning. By the time they got to the Great Hall, Peter was still complaining about how he hated the feeling of wet socks, and Sirius was already plotting revenge. James was just sad that he ended up losing his morning quidditch practice.
And, yes, he was just as anxious as Sirius to find out who the fool that decided to prank them but he also couldn't deny that although they're liked by a great part of the students, they had also annoyed every single person in that castle at least once.
"I mean, yeah, but we already pranked every house at least once, so if that's gonna be our criteria then we're gonna have a long list of suspects…", commented James.
"It must be for something recent," mumbled Peter with his mouth still full of toast.
"We also have to consider that maybe this was just someone who didn't like us and decided that this was a lovely day to make us miserable."
"Like Snape," sneered Sirius.
"I meant like any one, really," retorted Remus rolling his eyes.
"Moony, my lovely moon, you're making this more difficult than it should be."
"Sorry, love, I'm just stating facts."
"Ugh, please, don't start flirting, it's too early for this", complained Peter.
"And we're getting off topic,"added James.
"Okay, so here's what we're going to do", started Sirius, leaning in on the table. "We're going to plan our next prank…"
"Obviously," said the three other boys at the same time.
"Can you guys let me finish? Okay, I'm going to start again." He cleared his throat. "It's been a while since we did a big prank and I think we should use this as an opportunity to do it before the break. We can do it here on the Great Hall if we don't find the fucking arsehole. We just can't let this slide, it's bad for our reputation."
"Okay, but do you remember that last time we did something here and got a month of detentions? How are we gonna do this without getting caught?" questions Peter.
"Also nobody besides us really knows what happened this morning, so what's the point in pranking all the other houses?"
"The people that did this know, Moony, and that's bad enough! And it's not like we needed a reason for pranks before." Remus seemed to concede in the last argument, and Sirius took this as an incentive to continue. "I say we start to prepare this week…"
"Nope, not this week," James interrupted very quickly.
"Prongs!"
"No, we have a game this week, Pads. You know this."
"Since when is Quidditch more important than pranks?"
"Since we're playing Slytherin, mate. And I really, really want the cup this year since, you know, I'm captain and all…"
Sirius puts his hands on his chest in a dramatic manner.
"Prongs, I thought you loved me!"
"Pads, you're literally my other half! But, like — the match, mate. I have to practice!"
James was being completely honest, there were few things that he cared about more than Quidditch. And since he had been made captain this year, winning the cup was his more important and absolute goal.
Well, winning the cup would be his goal whether he'd been made captain or not. But now he just had this big sense of urgency running through him and it kept telling him that he had to win this.
He was sure his friends understood him, but that didn't stop Sirius from throwing his hands in the air and groaning loudly, calming down only when Remus, who was sitting beside him, put a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay, fine, but after the game…"
"After the game we're gonna plan the greatest prank this castle has ever seen, Pads!" James confirmed, getting up from the table. "Come on, we're gonna be late, and Minnie is gonna have our heads."
"That would never happen, Minnie loves us," proclaimed Peter, before getting up anyway.
"You couldn't be more right, Wormy!" Sirius said as he passed one of his arms around shoulders, using his free one to point at James. "And you better win this game, Potter."
"Of course he's gonna win, he has me on his team", said a new voice. He turned around to find Marlene grinning smugly at them.
The smile on his face grew almost instantly as soon as he realized who she had with her.
Marlene had her arms locked with none other than Lily Evans. Her wavy red hair was up in a ponytail today, and James couldn't help but think that she looked more beautiful than ever.
"See, Pads? I got the best seeker in this castle, we're practically invincible," James cheered, going to stand beside Marlene. And to his credit, he really tried to keep his cool– he really did. But then his arm was raising to mess up the back of his hair almost in an unconscious manner, he tilted his head and grinned slightly before saying, "Alright, Evans? Looking beautiful as always"
The collective groan that came after was almost instantaneous, and to be honest, he couldn't even blame his friends.
Lily didn't even respond to him, used to his antics and not willing to give him the time of her day, instead she tugged Marlene by her arm and went to talk to Remus about a book he had never heard of.
It was Peter who came to his rescue, pushing him lightly so he kept waking out of the Great Hall. And he did so without much reluctance, although he was walking backwards with his eyes still glued on the redhead Griffindor.
"Come on, Prongs, let's not start the day embarrassing ourselves, waking up to a pool in our dorm was already enough," Peter said.
"I'm still gonna make her like me, you know?" James mumbled back.
And the thing is, he meant that. He's been infatuated with Lily since his first year and he's never held back from saying that out loud, and he's never doubted himself either.
Or he didn't, until a few months ago.
But James doesn't like to doubt himself, he doesn't like the weird burning feeling that grows in his chest everytime he gets distracted and his thoughts take over.
So he won't think about it. He's gonna keep himself busy and he's gonna keep up with the agenda everybody's already used to.
"Sure you are, Prongs. Sure you are," replies his friend.
James laughs, finally managing to take his eyes off Lily and turning around.
"What was that, Wormy? You don't think I am a handsome and charming guy, huh?"
"Shut up, Prongs. Go find someone else to boost your ego," mocked Peter, knocking on him with his shoulders.
James sways to the side, with a hand on his chest dramatically.
"But, Wormy, what are friends for if not —"
His sentence is abruptly interrupted when his shoulder collided with someone, causing him to lose his balance. He would have ended up on the floor if he hadn't managed to clumsily grab onto the first thing within his reach, which turned out to be the arm of the person he just knocked into.
He steadied himself and was ready to start apologizing when the arm that he was holding was pulled out of his grasp.
"Watch it, Potter."
And that's when he finally saw who he bumped into.
Bright silver eyes staring directly into his.
Regulus was taller than James remembered – not taller than James himself, but he was definitely at Sirius height by this point. He still looked so much like his brother, but his features had also changed with time, they were harder, sharper.
James couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the Slytherin. Somehow, the image he had of him in his mind still was the small boy on the train.
He only snapped out of his surprised stupor when he saw Regulus crouching down and realized that his books and quill were on the floor.
"Oh, shit. I'm sorry…"
He started to crouch down to help the boy but before he could actually touch anything, Regulus held an open hand right to his face. James froze mid action as the sign clearly meant 'stop'.
"Don't," was all the younger boy said.
He collected all his things and turned around without a second glance. James watched as he walked away, still frozen in place.
He turned to look at Peter only to find Sirius already beside him, he was also watching Regulus with a quizzical expression.
"What did he say?" Sirius asked.
But James didn't pay attention, his mind was still running around a simple detail.
"When did your brother get so tall?" he questioned in return.
"What? He's not tall."
"Yeah, you're right. You guys are the same height," James nodded in agreement.
He made the motion to rest his hand on the top of Sirius's head but was quickly batted away.
"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" Sirius said, his tone offended.
Peter who was watching the whole interaction from the side laughed, and hearing the contagious sound James couldn't help but join him.
Sirius made an indignant sound and started to walk away which only made them laugh harder.
They trailed behind him and went to class together, managing to only be a few minutes late.
Sirius didn't bring up his brother again, and James didn't think to mention it either. He knew how strained the relationship between the brothers was and didn't want to create any kind of tension by talking about how surprised he was that Regulus wasn't the adorable little kid that he had met in the train anymore.
Instead, he spent the day thinking about Quidditch strategies. He didn't realize until that day how used he had become to his morning practices. By midday he was shaking with restless energy and couldn't wait to be on the pitch.
It seemed like the day was dragging and that the minutes were lasting longer that they should. By the time he was finally free to run to the pitch he already had one meter of parchment filled with doodles of tactics and plays.
If only his mind worked as hard in other subjects, his grades in potions would be much better.
The pitch was empty when he got there, but he ran to the locker rooms and didn't waste time getting ready anyway, it wasn't the first time that he was the first to arrive and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
He spent the first few minutes mindlessly flying around the pitch. Most of the time James felt like his mind was running a thousand miles by minute, and the only time everything was quiet and he could think straight, was when he was in the air.
Not much longer after his teammates started to arrive and James was in captain mode for the next two hours. Leading practice and encouraging his colleagues, especially the younger ones who didn't feel quite confident yet.
As a captain it was his job to understand how all positions in the team worked and to be able to identify weaknesses and how to improve them. And he did his job well, they were doing much better than they did in the previous year and James was confident that they would win the houses cup this season.
They would start by beating Slytherin next Friday.
When he left the pitch the sun was already setting, he was freshly showered and ready to get back to his room when he noticed that not everyone was leaving.
He went up the stands and watched for a few minutes, immediately recognizing Marlene's blonde hair as she practiced seeker drills in the air. It didn't take long before she noticed his presence and flew closer to him.
"Oh, hey Cap! I thought you left already," she said as she came to the stands.
"Hey, Marls, I thought you left too. Is everything alright?" He asked, concerned.
Marlene pursed her lips and sighted, but she was smiling when she answered.
"Don't worry, Cap, I just – I want to be prepared for our next match, you know how brutal they are."
"Yeah, I do," he acquiesced. "But please, don't overdo it, okay? Come back inside before it's dark, you need to be well rested to be at your best next friday."
Marlene's smile was tight but she nodded before flying back to the pitch.
James went back to the castle still thinking about the interaction, Marlene was a great player and a good teammate but he knew she felt insecure about her abilities sometimes.
He tried to reassure her and any other teammates that felt like that in the best way possible but it often felt like his words could not reach them in the way he intended. He also felt too much like a hypocrite, trying to comfort his friends while internally feeling exactly like them.
But he tried no to dwell much on it, instead he focused solely on their next match and after they won – because they will win – he could think about bonding activities to help with the team dynamics.
He was trying to think about activities that the whole team would agree on his way up to the Gryffindor tower, fully intending on taking a kip before dinner when his line of thought was interrupted when he tripped while getting up the stairs.
Living in a big magic castle had it's perks, but James found himself cursing everytime the castle decided to remind him of that by moving the stairs under his feet. He had to hold on the handrail after he lost balance when the stairs decided to move by themselves, leading him to a totally different corridor than he was heading to.
He stumbled on to the corridor and looked around. It was incredible that even after all these years he still could get lost in these hallways, but it was not his fault that they all looked the same, especially when it was getting dark and he didn't have the map with him.
He sighed loudly, staring at the stairs as if it would make them move again and take him where he wanted to. But of course, they didn't move again.
Resigned to his fate, James turned around and followed the hallway, trying to identify where he was exactly. He hadn't wandered too far when he heard that sound of voices at the end of the hallway.
The hallway ended in a turn to the left, where the voices were clearly coming from. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but it was obviously a heated argument. James kept getting closer, and the voices kept getting louder.
He was just a few meters from the end of the hallway when he stepped on something and stopped in his tracks. James crouched down to pick the small piece of wood from the ground — a wand.
He didn't recognize it, and for a second, he thought that someone might have lost it there, when a flash of light on the end of the hallway caught his attention.
Someone didn't lose the wand, someone had been disarmed.
James wanted to say that he actually thought through his next actions, that he actually weighed the consequences that might come after but the truth was his impulsive thoughts and curiosity just won in that moment.
He sprinted to the end of the hallway, keeping close to the wall before turning left, just so he could see what was happening before coming into view. There were three people there — two of them were cornering the third person on the wall. The third boy was on the ground, kneeling, his head hanging low.
The two boys standing had their wands raised, and were pretty easy to identify. Avery and Mulciber were the embodiment of every bad stereotype the Slytherins had, and target of a great part of the marauders pranks.
"You should take this as a lesson, you know? Keep your brother and his blood traitor friends away from us, and we won't need to keep having these little encounters," he heard Avery saying.
The boy on the ground chuckled, and James had to hold his breath when he finally lifted his head to face Avery.
If they hadn't bumped into each other earlier, James might not have even recognized him. Regulus's eyes were sharp, staring directly at his housemate's face with a wicked intensity that James hadn't been expecting.
His nose was bleeding, but he didn't seem fazed by how it was dripping and staining his robes.
The corner of his lips turned upwards when he retorted, "the only thing I learned from this is that you still don't have the bollocks to take it up with the big bad Gryffindors and that's why you come crying to me like a little bitch."
From where he stood James couldn't see Avery's face but it was very clear that he wasn't pleased with the insult. Avey stepped even closer to the young Black, bending down so he could be face to face with him, pointing his wand at his neck.
"Listen here, you little…"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. In a swift move, Regulus grabbed Avery's wand, yaking out of his grip and throwing it far away. Avery was startled by the sudden movement, making him react a little too late – unfortunately for him – because not even a second later, Regulus’s fist connected with his nose with such force that made him fall backwards.
James couldn't help but be a little impressed. It wasn't exactly common for wizards to end up in a fist fights, but Regulus seemed to be able to hold his own without any problem.
He had Avery pinned to the ground, who also had a bloody nose now. Mulciber, who had only been watching the interaction before, pointed his wand at them, probably intending to help his friend but afraid of accidentally hurting him since the two Slytherins were wrestling on the ground.
James decided that this was the moment he should interfere. He would do that for anyone, he thought to himself. Two against one was not a fair fight, it didn't matter if he was in Slytherin, or if he was his best friend's estranged little brother.
He would do this for anyone.
He then finally stepped out from where he was hiding around the corner, quickly casting an expelliarmus on Mulciber, which announced rather abruptly his presence. The three Slytherin now had their eyes on him.
Avery used that moment of distraction to push Regulus off of him and scrambled back on to his feet, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them. The younger Black also stood back up and James used that opportunity to get closer to him.
Regulus looked at him with confusion written in his eyes, he was frowning a little and didn't seem not even a little grateful that James was helping him.
"Oh, look, how cute. Saint Potter came to rescue our little Reggie," Mulciber sneered.
"Do not call me that you, bastard. Unless you want matching black eyes with your boyfriend," Regulus spat back.
Both Avery and Mulciber's face contorted in a grimace at words. Avery accioed his wand and took a step forward pointing at Regulus.
James found himself also taking a step forward, putting himself in front of the younger Slytherin and ignoring the glare he was receiving from him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," advised James.
He usually wasn't one for fights, but he wouldn't back down if it came to it. Especially if it was to protect someone else.
Avery looks at James for maybe two seconds before scoffing and flicking his gaze back to Regulus.
"You should think about your words carefully, Black. You know that there will be consequences to this."
It was Regulus' turn to scoff.
"I think you… "
"What on Merlin's name is happening here!"
The four boys turned around in synchrony, in time to see McGonagall appear in the hallway with a stern look in her face.
James wanted to laugh at how Mulciber was now hiding his wand behind his back, at how he lost his threatening demeanor real quick at the sight of a professor. None of the boys said anything so McGonagall spoke again.
"Mr. Black and Mr. Avery, whatever happened to your faces?"
"Nothing, Professor," said the two Slytherins at the same time.
McGonagall's reaction to the answer was simply raising a brow, but James was not so reserved. He turned to Regulus with wide eyes, how could he say that nothing happened when his nose and shirt was still stained with blood?
He could understand if it was Mulciber trying pretending nothing happened, he was the one attacking Regulus at the end of the day. Right? Why would the younger Black do this? How could he let Avery and Mulciber get off this easy?
James still had a bewildered look while staring at Regulus' emotionless one. Now he didn't know if he should go with it and agree with the other boys or if he should tell the truth. What he really wanted was to see both Avery and Mulciber to be punished for what he saw but James was, for the lack of words, fucking confused so he just stayed quiet.
Which didn't change anything since McGonagall was nor buying that. Of course not.
"The four of you, in my office. Now."
The boys all trailed behind her without another word. They would have to tell her what really happened now, James thought to himself.
On the way to McGonagall's office, James kept looking sideways at Regulus, who kept his gaze straight ahead without even glazing back. He didn't know if the younger boy was actively ignoring him or if he just hadn't noticed.
Arriving at the office, McGonagall decided to speak to them in pairs, taking Avery and Mulciber with her inside the room and instructing the other two boys to wait for their turn.
James took that as an opportunity to finally speak to Regulus, but before he could even utter a word the Slytherin boy turned to him with an icy glare that made him take a step back.
"What the hell did you think you were doing, Potter?" Regulus hissed.
"What?"
"What. The hell. Did you think. You were. Doing?" He repeated, speaking slowly and emphasizing every word.
"I – well, I thought… Hm, helping you?"
"Well, funny, Potter. Because I don't remember asking for your fucking help, and if anything, you only made everything worse!"
"How could I have made things worse? Grodic, Regulus, there's two of them and you were on the ground…" James explained, frustrated. He didn't feel like he needed an ulterior reason to help Regulus, or anyone for that matter.
"I was handling the situation just fine on my own, and even if I wasn't, that's just none of your business."
The younger boy now had his arms crossed over his chest, his words gravelly as if he was trying to express how angry he was but was not speaking too loud in case McGonagall could hear from her office.
James felt like a scolded child. Why couldn't Regulus just be grateful he stepped up to help him? The ungrateful little shit.
"Yeah, I saw how you were handling the situation. And what was this whole fight about anyway?"
"Salazar, you don't take a hint, do you? I just told you that's none of your business."
"Well, I kind of made it my business, didn't I? Pretty sure we're about to get detention for it too, so I think I deserve to at least know what was happening."
Regulus seemed almost offended by his words.
"You thought wrong. If it weren't for you we wouldn't get detention, just because you're friends with my brother doesn't …"
James didn't even wait to hear the end of the sentence.
"This has nothing to do with your brother, I would have done that for anyone. Anyone, Regulus."
The younger looked a little taken aback by his words, but it only lasted for a second. He tightened his arms around his torso and his expression was emotionless again.
That was when James realized that Regulus was not as much as crossing his arms but instead he was holding his right arm against his chest.
"Well, you just have a stupid savior complex, then," Regulus concluded.
"What? I ‐ I don't have a ‐ you know what? Forget it. What happened to your arm?"
He realized how stupid the question as soon as it came out of his mouth, Regulus only scowled. James took a tentative step forward, but the younger boy automatically took a step back.
"Is it hurting? Should we ask to go see Madam Pomfrey –"
"My arm is fine," Regulus exclaimed. "I swear, Potter, if you say another word about…"
Regulus was once again interrupted, this time by the sound of the door of McGonagall's office opening.
From there came Mulciber and Avery, both wearing sulken faces. None of them said anything, they only walked away and James guessed McGonagall must have sent them back to the Dungeons.
Mulciber glared at him for a few seconds before turning his face away, and James had the feeling that the fight he interrupted today was far from being over.
"Mr. Black and Mr. Potter," called McGonagall from the open door. "If you may please come in so we could talk."
Regulus immediately turned and started walking, in quick movement James shot his hand out, touching him on his shoulder. And if looks could kill he'd be lifeless on the floor in seconds with the glare he received from the boy.
Before he could say anything, James took from his pocket a wand that was definitely not his and held it out for the boy.
"I just thought you might want this back," he said, and he couldn't contain the lopsided smirk as he saw Regulus' eyes widened for a second.
Regulus took the wand from his hand without saying a word, he turned around and started walking to McGonagall's office in quick steps.
On the other hand, James was in no rush to the same, already dreading the lecture he was for sure about to receive.
"Please, sit down," said the professor, gesturing to the chairs facing her table. She then noticed the blood on Regulus' robes. "Mr. Black, are you hurt? Do you need me to call Madam Pomfrey?"
"No, professor. I'm fine, thank you," Regulus responded. No inflection on his voice, his back impossibly straight in front of the professor.
She eyed him for a few seconds more, as if not believing his words, but she didn't push.
"Very well. I already talked with Mr. Avery and Mulciber about the fight I witnessed in the hallway, but I would like to hear your version about the situation." None of the boys said anything. "Mr. Potter? Care to enlighten me?"
The thing is, James very much would like to tell her about everything that happened, but he doesn't think Regulus would be much pleased by this.
The Slytherin boy did tell him that he made the situation worse and he didn't how he did that but he sure wasn't trying to do that again. McGonagall was still looking at him, expectantly, he opened his mouth but no sound came out of it.
"Mulciber and I were just arguing, professor. It was just a misunderstanding, nothing to be worried about."
It was Regulus that answered, sensing that James was struggling and would probably say something stupid.
"There's blood on your clothes, Mr. Black," noted McGonagall.
"An accident," he deadpanned.
James had to hold back a snort.
McGonagall stared at the Slytherin boy for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to James.
"And what about you, Mr. Potter? How do you take part in this?" She questioned.
"I don't, actually, Professor. I was going back to my dorm when the stairs changed direction and I ended up in that hallway."
It wasn't really a lie, James did find them in that hallway by accident, and he didn't really have anything to do with their fight. But by the stern look on her face, McGonagall was not buying that.
"Very well. Funny enough, Mr. Avery and Mulciber did tell me a history similar to that, yes. And while I cannot force you to tell me the truth, I find it hard to believe that this is what actually happened." She pushed the glasses back on her nose. "And just as I offered to the other boys, we could settle this rather simply. Both of you could hand you wands so I could check the last spells used. It wouldn't be a problem since nothing happened, right?"
Well, shit.
Honestly he should've known she would do something like that, Regulus should've known. It would be obvious that they were lying if she checked they're wands only to find that they're hexing other students in the hallway.
The prolonged silence lasted for a few seconds while none of the boys said anything, and James could swear he saw a hint of a smug smile on McGonagall's face when she spoke again.
"I think this is settled then. I want to remind the both of you that using magic against other students is strictly against the rules, as it is the use of violence. I think you would like to know, Mr. Black, that Mr. Avery was already sent to the hospital wing to fix his broken nose. Again, I advise you to do the same if you're feeling unwell."
Regulus only nodded, and sensing she would not get a proper response, McGonagall stood up, prompting the boys to the same.
"Now, you should go back to your respective houses, dinner it's going to be soon. We're gonna see each other every day in detention for the next week." James opened his mouth to argue but she spoke again before he could. "Yes, Mr. Potter, the whole week."
James sighed but didn't argue. Both boys were dismissed then, and found themselves alone in the hallway again.
Regulus was still holding his arm to his chest, and he had to bite his tongue so he didn't ask once again if he didn't want to go see Madam Pomfrey.
"Stop that," Regulus said, abruptly.
"W-what?" James answered, dumbly.
"I told you to stop that."
"What am i doing?"
"You're staring at me."
"I'm not staring! I was just – looking…"
"Well, stop."
"I'm not allowed to look at you?"
"No, you're not."
"What…"
James was about to argue again when the younger boy suddenly stopped walking and turned in his direction, he couldn't help but stumble two steps back, still remembering how quick Regulus had punched Avery in the face.
"Are you always this annoying?", he asked, glaring.
"Are you always this skittish?" taunted James.
Regulus' eye twitched at the choice of words, and although he looked ready to curse him, he must have decided that it was not worth his time. The younger boy huffed a dramatic manner that James found amusing, and turned away from him in quick steps.
He almost followed him down the hall until he realized that Regulus was heading to tge Dungeons, and that the Gryffindor tower was pretty much in the opposite direction.
"See you in detention, then!", he exclaimed, loud enough that he was sure Regulus heard him, but he didn't reply anyway. To be expected, really.
He chuckled to himself and walked to the Gryffindor tower thinking about how his day had taken such a wild turn.
×××
The voices in the dorm room quiet down the moment James pushed the door open, and three pairs of eyes turned to him.
Remus and Peter were in the middle of a chess game in Peter's bed, and Sirius was sprawled in Remus' bed like a starfish. The older Black sat up as soon as he'd noticed his presence.
"Prongs! Where the fuck were you, mate?"
And, Gods, how was he going to explain that?