Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

24

"Today is the day!" their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor rubbed his hands excitedly as he paced the front of the room. The desk had been pushed against the wall and they all stood in front of him nervously. "We are going to master our patronuses so that you can pass your final exams in a couple of months."

Lacerta groaned, already knowing she wasn't going to be succeed. Sirius, who was just as nervous, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Remus fiddled with the sleeves of his uniform, worried it would be a wolf. James and Peter were both excited to find out what it would take, though they had a really good idea.

"Miss Evans," he turned towards the ginger, who was openly holding hands with her new girlfriend, Tonya, "how does one produce a patronus?"

"You have to focus on a happy memory and say Expecto Patronum," she informed with a bright grin. 

"Correct! Go ahead and get into groups of three so that you can help each other focus," he advised. 

 Sirius rushed to James alongside Peter, leaving Remus and Lacerta together to find a third member for their group. Marlene had joined Tonya and Lily, so the lycanthrope invited Mary MacDonald to join them. 

"Those two have gotten disgusting," Mary scrunched her nose as she referred to Lily and Tonya and Lacerta had to nod in agreement. She'd barely seen her best friend since they became official. Mary on the other hand was seeing far too much of them. "I need to bleach my eyes after what I saw last night."

"Who wants to go first?" Remus asked, feeling a bit tired due to the full moon. By the limp in his step, it would 

"I'll give it a whirl," Mary oozed confidence, something Lacerta envied as she watched her say the spell. It took shape of a lioness, roaring silently as it pranced around the room. Her grin was blinding as she smirked proudly.

Lacerta went next, thinking of her siblings sitting on the roof of Grimmauld as they watched the stars. They weren't scared, they hadn't been tainted by the war or Sirius leaving. It was perfect as they laughed and talked all night.

Nothing but a wisp of silver left her wand. Her disappointment made it disappear entirely. "Try again with a more powerful memory," Mary advised.

Everything she thought about was tainted by something else. Every time she thought about her siblings all she could think about was Sirius abandoning them or Regulus dying. She tried to think about her friends, but it reminded her that she still didn't fully believe they liked her for her. 

Nothing came out of her wand the second time. Remus spoke next, "Why don't you take a minute to think of something and I'll go."

A silver wolf burst from his wand; his face went blank as it faded away immediately. Lacerta grabbed his arm, "That was amazing Remus!"

He shook his hand, trying to seem nonchalant since Mary was right there and didn't know his secret. "Your memory doesn't have to be something that has happened. It could be something you want to happen."

She tried to think of anything. Then it happened. A silver stag ran up to her, nuzzling its head to her cheek as she laughed giddily. She looked for its owner, finding James gazing at her with an unfamiliar expression. Her heart warmed, her crush on the messy haired boy still making her heartbeat faster in her chest.

She closed her eyes as a future came to mind. James was holding a baby that looked identical to him with startling grey eyes that matched her own. She watched as he twirled the child around, looking at her with love in his eyes before he pressed a kiss to her cheek, moving slowly to her lips.

"Expecto Patronum," she whispered. A silver doe rushed out to meet the stag. She stared into those hazel eyes that she could never get out of her head as he blushed from his neck to his hairline. 

The moment was broken by a loud, "What. The. Fuck."

Remus snorted at Sirius's furious expression. Her older brother looked back and forth between the pair with nothing but betrayal and anger on his face. 

"Have you been shagging my little sister?" he rounded on James, making the class look at them curiously. 

James laughed nervously, tugging at his collar as if he was choking. "Of course not, Mate. We um, just - I don't know if. . . who's your little sister?"

Remus was clutching his sides as he completely fell apart. Peter stepped backwards in case someone threw a punch. The Professor stepped forward, "Why don't you boys bring your argument outside while we discuss what matching patronuses mean."

"It means that James is a backstabbing bastard," Sirius pointed accusingly at him. Lacerta stepped forward, grabbing them both by the ears, which was difficult considering they were taller than her. She dragged them out of the room with Peter and Remus following closely behind.

"This is fucken golden," Remus wiped at his eyes. 

"Shut the fuck up, Lupin!" Sirius exclaimed. "How could you do this, James?"

"I can't exactly control it, Pads," he said gently, trying to lock eyes with Lacerta who was staring at her brother incredulously. 

"You're being unfair, Sirius," Lacerta said quietly. "No one said anything when you started dating Remus and we're not even dating."

"I plan on changing that one day," James said boldly with a question in his eyes when she finally looked into them. She smiled in response, making him grin. That was until Sirius's fist landed on his jaw, knocking him over.

"Jesus fuck!" Remus ran forward to pull Sirius back while Lacerta ran to James. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Peter's jaw dropped as he watched all the drama, he contemplated getting McGonagall or turning into a rat to run away. There was a small, but deep, cut on James's jaw from the rings on Sirius's fingers. 

"Ow," he mumbled as he sat up.

Lacerta healed it quickly with magic as she glared at her sibling. "Don't start playing older brother now. You just don't want us to be together because you want James all to yourself."

"I don't fancy James," he crossed his arms.

"I don't think you do," she replied. "I think you like having someone who's free to answer your every beck and call. With James being single and you no longer having a boyfriend, you like having him there when you're bored or need to talk. Don't act like this is about me."

Sirius's face turned stony as he stared her down, but he didn't respond giving her all the answers she needed. "Attention seeking prat," she muttered as she turned to the direction of the library, somewhere Sirius would never go. However, she was stopped by a hand on her elbow. 

"Did you mean it?" James asked breathlessly. "When you smiled after saying I intended on dating you one day, did you mean it?"

She bit her lip, thinking about that right answer. "I did," she said slowly. "But I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Why?" he said with a fallen expression. 

"What if Snape can't find a cure? I'm dying James," she said sadly.

"You still have ten years if there's not a cure," he reminded her. "I want to make those ten years the best you've ever had. You deserve that."

"Let me think about it," she felt her heart warm at his hopeful grin. "I still have that date with Snape to look forward too."