027. september 1976

September, 1976
Hogwarts, Scotland
Boys Dormitories
Directly after this; simultaneous to this.


The boys dorm is dark when James opens the door and steps in.

He's a bit torn tonight. Between his pleasant conversation with Lily and the slight tingling warmth from holding her hand just now, and seeing Sirius and Perdita in the Common Room, he isn't quite sure how to feel.

Content, or angry? It's difficult to make up his mind.

From the far bed, by the window, he can hear Peter's even snores from beneath his comforter. And from the bed nearest the door, he hears Remus' slow, quiet breathing.

That's not surprising, really.

Of the Marauders, it's usually James and Sirius who go to bed last. And honestly, it's getting late — even for him.

He undoes his tie and flings it across his bed before the door opens again and Sirius enters.

"Merlin's Beard!" Sirius swears with a low hiss. "I thought you were all asleep."

James shakes his head. "No," he says, keeping his own voice low. "I just got in too."

Sirius looks exactly as though he's just been snogging someone in the Common Room. His shirt's a bit of a mess — rumpled, with the shirttails sticking out of the waistband of his trousers. His longish hair is in disarray, and there's a ridiculous smirk on his face, the one they've all gotten used to. It expresses that all is right in the world because he's just snogged someone. James used to sport a look similar to that every now and then, before everything changed.

But now, Sirius raises an eyebrow. "Oh?" He starts to grin. "Finally got over Lily Evans, then?"

James has half a mind to come over and punch his best mate in the face. "No," he says again, and not without a hint of bite in his tone. "I was at Slughorn's stupid dinner thing, something you probably would have remembered if you weren't in the Common Room shamelessly snogging Perdita bloody Pennifold like you two were on display."

Sirius runs a hand through his hair almost guiltily. "You saw that? When?"

"Not long ago."

"Before Blane, yeah?" He seems to think about this. "Definitely before Blane. I would've noticed you walk in."

"Blane?"

Sirius looks wry. "Yeah. Him and Cliona came in and sort of — well, things were interrupted."

"So Cliona knows."

"Yeah. I suppose she does, now."

James thinks about Evans and Cliona and how likely it is that the rest of Evans' roommates are probably being informed about it right now. Including Glynis.

He remembers how concerned Evans was about Glynis finding out.

Bloody hell.

"You know what, you're sort of a prick, Pads."

"What?"

"What's going on?" comes a groggy voice from Remus' bed. Remus sits up, rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing," says Sirius. "Go back to bed, Moony."

"Sirius has just been caught snogging Perdita down in the Common Room," James explains without hesitation.

"Perdita?" Remus repeats. "Perdita Pennifold? Lily's friend?"

James nods. "Yeah, that's her."

"Perdita." Remus blinks. "You, Sirius Black, and Perdita."

"Yeah, so?" Sirius shrugs. "What's so bloody inconceivable about me and Perdita Pennifold?"

Peter's snores can be heard in the background.

"Well," Remus starts, "how about the fact that you two have nothing in common? Not to mention the fact that she's friends with Lily Evans and Glynis Cadwallader. And you know how much she —"

"Fancies me — yeah, yeah," Sirius says airily. "But tons of girls fancy me. What does it matter? What's the difference?"

James shakes his head and lets out a low breath.

Remus actually laughs, and it's a wonder that all Peter does is grunt a little in his sleep and turns over. "It matters," Remus explains the way one might if they were speaking to a very small, very young child, "because she's friends with Lily and Cliona. Glynis and Perdita are. You already know how much James fancies Lily. You know how close James and Cliona are. Honestly, you're treading very dangerous ground here, Padfoot."

"So, what? I've got to go about asking permission for who to snog now?"

"Is that all it is?" James asks. "Snogging?"

"Well —" Sirius looks from James to Remus. "No. Of course not. A situation as 'delicate' as this one is, it takes more care. I'm going to go out with Perdita."

"Did you just decide this about five seconds ago?" James asks.

"No," Sirius lies.

Remus sighs exasperatedly.

"Look, it just happened," says Sirius. "Neither of us meant for it to. We were bored. It was something fun to do. And I didn't think any of Evans' friends would be into it, given how rubbish she is with you, Prongs, so it took me by surprise. But you know what? It's brilliant."

"So you're not going to stop."

"No," says Sirius. "I'm not going to stop."

James doesn't say anything else.

"Like I said," Remus says, "this could get a bit dangerous. If you bugger it up with Perdita, it'll affect the rest of her friends. And that includes Lily."

"What do you know, Moony? S'not like you've got a plethora of experience with girls, do you?"

"I don't need to have experience to understand how these things work," Remus says, a little indignantly. "A couple of brain cells to rub together works well enough, I find."

Sirius scoffs. "It'll be fine. It's not like I'm bloody marrying the girl or anything."

"Just don't be an insensitive idiot, Padfoot," James says. "And try not to be so revolting when you're with her, too. No one needs to see you sucking Perdita's face off in the middle of the Gryffindor Tower, all right?"

"No one made you watch, Prongs."

"Don't be an idiot," James repeats before he reaches for his pyjamas.

Somehow, unsurprisingly, he's got a bad feeling about this. And when he exchanges glances with Remus, before they flick off the lights, it's clear the other boy is thinking the same thing.