The Pureblood Princess | Sirius Black

|104| Fowl Predicament

"MOVE, PADFOOT! THIS IS OUR SONG!" James hollered, clumsily trying to push Sirius aside as 'Piano Man' began blaring through the gigantifide dormitory.

Without a second thought, Sirius flicked his wand at his best mate and winced as his nonverbal spell knocked James backwards onto his bed. James groaned, and mumbled something about Mary and harmonicas. His feet stuck straight up in the air and he should have been too drunk and uncoordinated to get up very fast, but previous experience told Sirius he'd probably try to bolt again.

Sirius blew some hair out of his eyes and wiped his glistening forehead with his sleeve. Wrangling inebriated underaged teenagers was quite the workout.

It hadn't been difficult to find James. He was right where Regulus said he would be, next to the table of fire whiskey shots, surrounded by a herd of mini trumpeting Leroys in Greek helmets, one hand draped over Finley Bell's shoulders, laughing like he had just heard the funniest Quidditch joke in the world. The real trouble was convincing the old sport that his time at this soirée was over.

"No! Stop it!" James had shouted, forgetting about Finley and running off like a naughty toddler, zapping random partygoers' drinks into miniature elephants as he did so.

Sirius had chased him all through that bloody party, leaping over elephants and by some miracle managed to corner him in the nook he'd reserved for their beds... and he was not going to let his best mates sudden infatuation with a random Billy Joel song stop him now.

"You're drunk, Prongs," he said, shimmying one of James's loafers off. James's feet were at a convenient angle given that he was still wallowing on his bed like a dying bug. "You'll thank me in the morning."

Sirius tossed the shoe absently onto the floor and reached for his wand, planning to use a nice sticking charm, when quicker than he should have been possible, James summersaulted off the bed. At first, Sirius thought he'd fallen by accident, but then James stood up, hair messier than ever, crooked grin and glassy eyed—and dashed off towards the party— now only wearing one shoe.

"Prongs!" Sirius yelled, running after him, weaving past all those stupid random people. Why hadn't someone shut this party down already? "GET BACK HERE!"

He was so damn angry at James. Being angry at James was a new thing. But he supposed it wasn't really James, it was more like James's alter-ego—His drunken self-destructive ball of chaotic toddler energy alter ego. Still, he was so furious that he sounded like his mother when he screamed... which only made him more upset.

"SING US A SONG YOU'RE THE PIANO MAN!" James sang loudly, voice cracking, pushing a few hufflepuff girls out of the way.

Sirius half-muttered an apology as he pushed them aside as well. "Sorry—friend—shoe—"

"MARY!" James hollered, wobbling on his toes, looking over the top of some random tall kids head. "MARY MCDONALD GET OVER HERE! IT'S OUR SONGGGGG!"

He was finally standing still, but there were too many people in the way for Sirius to get a clear shot to stun him, so he pulled a Leroy and charged.

"MARY?!" James called, unsuccessfully trying to push his glasses up his nose. "MARY WHERE ARE—GULPIN GARGOYLES!"

Sirius leaped. He should have tackled James to the ground in a gigantic bear hug, but James ran away at the last second. Sirius tried to break his fall, grabbing on to some random person, but only succeeded in taking them down to the floor with him.