ᴍɪꜱᴄʜɪᴇꜰ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ~ Wolfstar

Year 5- Chapter 17: Indiscreet

***

"I don't know how to look at him anymore."

Peter doesn't ask who James means. He hums.

"Who could do that, you know? I wouldn't've thought he could." James adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder, sigh lost to the racket of the crowded corridor. His heart isn't really in the conversation; over the past two weeks, it's become well-trodden territory. "Thought I knew everything about him. Being surprised is..."

"Unsettling?" Peter suggests.

James shrugs. "I dunno how I feel. Let me know if you work it out." He glances past Peter's shoulder and fixes his honest, elastic face into something casual and unconvincing. "Hey."

Remus has materialized beside them. "Hi."

"You just come from Magical Creatures?"

"Yeah," says Remus, answering the question James actually asked by picking up their pace through the crowd. It backfires: he nearly collides with Sirius, turning the corner from the other direction.

"Hi," Sirius says.

James tugs on Remus' and Peter's elbow, pretends Sirius is an oddly-shaped suit of armour. "Two minutes to get to the dungeons, come on..."

Peter watches Sirius' face do something funny. Sirius' eyes land on something on the other side of the corridor, he pulls out his wand, and calls out, "Think fast, Snivellus! Expelliarmus!"

Peter turns around. He hadn't even seen Snape among the crush of black robes until half a dozen books flying into the air point him out. The books come falling back to earth with a clatter, knocking Snape down with them. A lot of people laugh, among them James, who seems to forget that he's ignoring his best friend as he steps forward next to him, wand drawn.

"Walk much, Snivelly?" James says, elbow-to-elbow with Sirius. Traffic has slowed to a stop in the corridor. People watch as the show begins: Snape sprawled on the floor and scrambling for his things, James pointing his wand and saying, "Impedimenta."

The spell doesn't land. Lily Evans lowers her wand, whisking away the Shield Charm she'd cast, and kneels to help Snape gather his books. Peter only just catches the expression that flickers over James' face.

Lily shoots daggers with her eyes. "Very funny," she says, icy. Snape staggers to his feet, steps toward James and Sirius, wand raised and eyes flashing, but falls silent when Lily takes him by the arm.

"C'mon, Sev."

With one last sharp look, she leads them away through the laughing crowd. James scrubs a hand through his hair, dignified. "Will never understand that. Really won't."

"One of life's great mysteries," Sirius agrees.

That's about when James seems to realise who he's standing next to. He pockets his wand, turns on his heel, and says— pointedly to Peter and Remus only— "Potions, lads, shake a leg." He marches off. Sirius follows him, sour-faced.

Peter doesn't move. Neither does Remus, who turns to him and says, "Are you noticing a pattern developing?"

Peter frowns. "A bit."

"It's..." The space between Remus' eyebrows scrunches up. He has a way of looking older than he is when he does that. He does it a lot lately. "...troubling."

"You mean Sirius trying to earn back James' friendship by torturing Snape?"

"I do."

"Not so out of the ordinary, is it?"