James Potter: A Sirius Matter

A Sirius Matter

Authors Note: If Harry Potter were mine, I'd probably just forget about Harry and his friends, and write about the Marauder's era.Hope you all like it! ^.^

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James Potter was suave, cool, and collected. He was never clumsy, and he never stuttered.
He was also no idiot.

That, however, may not be said for his friends...specifically one Sirius Black.

It was common knowledge to everyone in Hogwarts that James Potter was in love with Lily Evans. It was also common knowledge that every Sunday morning, at breakfast, James Potter asked said girl out. This question was either followed by a "No," a "Drop dead, Potter," or a silence in which Lily would get up and leave.

And in spite of all this, James Potter had befriended Lily Evans, much to the shock of everyone in the school. Lily was heard later, telling her closest friends, that he really did have a good heart. It also helped that he stopped strutting around, acting as if he owned the school.

The Hogwarts' residents received a shock one Sunday morning, a few weeks into the new school year. James didn't ask Lily out on a date thus breaking his two year and three week run (apparently, he even owled her on holidays to ask). He had explained to the other Marauders that she deserved some peace after all these years and as her friend, he was going to give it to her.

And as Peter Pettigrew was heard saying out of James' earshot - "What a load of crock. He'll be going crazy within two weeks."

And two weeks had passed. Lily and James were good friends, but it was obvious to the Marauders that James was going slightly mad.

So Remus, being the ever-logical one, decided to have a little chat with James. And the Sunday morning of the three-week mark, before breakfast, he sat him down in the Gryffindor common room.

"Prongs," he said, carefully choosing his words. "I understand that now you're friends with Lily, you want her to have space. But there is a downside to that." James scoffed.

"I'm serious!" Remus said loudly.

From across the common room, a certain 7th year started to speak, "No! I'm -"

"Shut it, Padfoot." Remus cleared his throat. "As I was saying, there are consequences to your actions. What's going to happen when we graduate in a couple months? You're friends with her, yes, but are you going to chance never seeing her after school's over? What happens if she meets some guy after school, and she gets married -" Remus never got to finish his speech, as James had run out through the portrait hole in the direction of the Great Hall.

James slowed down before he reached the doors, and bent over, trying to catch his breath. He straightened up, and then walked through the doors, towards where he saw Lily sitting across from...

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Jamesie-poo?" Sirius replied, before stuffing his mouth with a muffin. James made a face at the nickname.

"How'd you get here so fast?"

Sirius swallowed, and gave his trademark smirk. "Sirius Black has his ways..." He trailed off as he eyed a blonde Hufflepuff walking past.

Lily just looked on at the exchange with a smile on her face. James cleared his throat.

"Well, do you mind? I have to speak to Lily about something."

"Of course I don't mind!" Sirius spoke, almost indignantly. However, he didn't leave, and looked at them with an expectant look on his face.

Lily chuckled. "Sirius, I think he wants you to leave." Sirius gasped.

"No! James would never ask me to leave! I'm his best mate, since we were seven! He...would...never..." he trailed off as he looked James in the eye.

"Well, Sirius, I'm trying to do something here, and if you don't mind -" Sirius just crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow.

James looked past Sirius and saw Remus standing off to the side. He looked at Sirius, who was now preoccupied with his eggs, and then back at Remus, mouthing the word 'help.'

Remus just nodded with a smile on his face, and crept up behind Sirius. He took a salt container off of the Ravenclaw table, and shook it quietly over Sirius' shoulder. He then put the salt behind his back, and made a show of peering closely at Sirius' shoulder, gasping. Sirius whipped around.

"Sirius! Is that dandruff!"

His job done, Remus casually walked away, but not before winking at both Lily and James. Sirius, meanwhile, caused a few heads to turn by screaming and running out of the Great Hall, presumably to the nearest mirror. James sighed, and turned to Lily.

"Lily, listen. I was wondering if you would go out -"

"Yes."

...And the always-suave, cool, and collected James Potter promptly fell off his seat.