Shadows of Loyalty

Chapter 12

The morning had started off quietly enough, but things were never truly calm when Sirius and James were involved. James barely had a chance to let his guard down before Sirius made his move, grinning mischievously as he took the opportunity to lunge at James.

With swift precision, Sirius tackled James back into his chair, pinning him down with an ease that could only come from years of playful wrestling. James barely had time to react, his mouth opening in surprise as Sirius’s hands shot out toward his sides, fingers wiggling with malicious intent.

“Sirius, no—” James began, but it was already too late.

Sirius’s fingers found their mark, pressing into James’s sides as he began to tickle him mercilessly. A burst of laughter immediately erupted from James, his body convulsing as he tried in vain to fend off Sirius’s attack.

“Stop! Stop! Mercy!” James gasped between bouts of laughter, squirming under Sirius’s hold. But Sirius, grinning like the mischievous devil he was, showed no signs of stopping. If anything, his grin widened at the sight of James’s helplessness.

“Oh no, Potter,” Sirius said, his voice dripping with mock villainy. “This is payback for siccing your dogs on me. You think you can get away with that and just eat your chocolate in peace? Think again!”

James’s laughter grew louder as Sirius dug into his ribs, the tickling becoming relentless. “Sirius—help—” he gasped, trying and failing to push Sirius off.

From across the room, Regulus stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with an amused smirk. “You brought this on yourself, James,” he said, clearly in no rush to intervene.

James glanced desperately at his dogs, who were watching the chaos unfold with interest but hadn’t moved to help. Luna remained seated by his side, her calm gaze never wavering, while Liesel and Zora, the two Malinois, seemed to understand that this was all in good fun and made no move to intervene.

James, still laughing uncontrollably, managed to choke out a few words between breaths. “Girls—help me—play nice!” His command, spoken in German, was clear even through his laughter.

Liesel’s ears perked up at the sound of James’s voice, and she quickly rose from her spot. Zora followed her lead, the two dogs trotting over to where Sirius had James pinned. They approached slowly at first, heads tilted as if to assess whether their intervention was truly necessary. But James’s dramatic cries for help seemed to be enough for them to decide that it was.

“Come on, now, girls,” James panted, still trying to free himself from Sirius’s tickling grasp. “You know the rules—no one gets away with tickling me without consequence!”

Sirius, still laughing himself, glanced down at the approaching dogs. “Oh, come on, James,” he said with a grin. “You’re not really calling in reinforcements, are you?”

But James’s grin was all the answer he needed.

With practiced ease, Liesel and Zora moved in, their noses nudging at Sirius’s arms as they tried to break his hold on James. Sirius let out a surprised yelp as one of the dogs gently pawed at his shoulder, nudging him just enough to loosen his grip.

“All right, all right!” Sirius laughed, pulling his hands away from James as the dogs continued their gentle intervention. “I surrender, you win!”

James took a deep breath, finally freed from the relentless tickling, but the wide grin on his face never wavered. “That’s right,” he said between breaths, still catching his wind. “You should know by now that I always have backup.”

Regulus, still standing off to the side, chuckled softly. “I’ll admit, James, your dogs are quite impressive.”

Sirius sat back on the floor, looking slightly disheveled but still grinning. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he said, brushing himself off. “I’ll get you back eventually, Potter.”

James, still seated and now regaining control of his breathing, looked down at his loyal dogs with a fond smile. “Good girls,” he said, giving both Liesel and Zora a well-deserved pat on the head. “Always coming to my rescue.”

The dogs, clearly pleased with themselves, wagged their tails as they returned to their positions beside James. Luna, ever the calm one, hadn’t moved from her spot, but her eyes watched James carefully, ensuring he was okay.

Sirius, ever the troublemaker, sat up on his knees and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, truce for now,” he said with a grin. “But just know that this is far from over.”

James smirked, brushing some of his disheveled hair out of his face. “I’ll be ready for whatever you throw at me, Black.”

Regulus stepped closer, finally deciding to join in on the fun. “Honestly, you two are like a pair of overgrown children.”

James shrugged, still grinning. “Keeps things interesting, doesn’t it?”

Before anyone could respond, the door opened once again, and in stepped Orion and Walburga Black, who had clearly been drawn by the commotion. Orion raised an eyebrow at the sight of Sirius sitting on the floor, looking like he’d just lost a battle, while James, still sitting in his chair, looked like the triumphant victor.

“What’s going on in here?” Orion asked, though there was an amused tone to his voice.

Walburga crossed her arms, surveying the scene with an exasperated but fond expression. “What have you boys gotten yourselves into this time?”

Sirius looked up at his parents, grinning sheepishly. “Nothing, just… a bit of revenge.”

James, never missing a beat, leaned back in his chair and flashed them both a wide grin. “I won, by the way.”

Orion chuckled, shaking his head. “I should have known.”

Walburga sighed, though there was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “You lot are incorrigible. Honestly, it’s like having a house full of children.”

Sirius stood up, brushing himself off as he shot a playful glare at James. “Next time, Potter,” he said, pointing a finger at him. “Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

James simply shrugged, his grin never faltering. “Bring it on, Black.”

Luna, sensing that the fun was coming to an end, moved closer to James, leaning her soft head against his leg. James reached down to pet her, grateful for her calming presence as the playful chaos died down.

“Well,” Regulus said with a smirk, “now that the excitement’s over, what’s next?”

James stretched his arms above his head, feeling relaxed and content. “I don’t know about you lot, but I think I’ve earned myself some breakfast after all that.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. “Fine. But next time, no dogs allowed.”

James just laughed, feeling lighter than he had in days. With his friends, his dogs, and the Blacks all around him, life felt good. He knew that, no matter what happened, there would always be laughter—and maybe a little tickling—along the way.

“Deal,” he said with a grin. “But don’t be surprised if I change my mind when you’re up to no good.”