Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for Hogwarts Assignment 12; Muggle History 1; Someone getting drunk underage.
Word Count - 1276
Beta'd by the lovely Sam
Have Some Class (In Your Bad Decisions)
James walked the aisles of the library, checking for errant students. It was handy that he knew all the best make out spots from his younger years. He loved catching the younger students; blackmail material was always handy to have.
He thought that he was probably misusing his Head Boy-ness with that, but sometimes, having leverage over someone was the difference between a detention and a pass.
He shivered against the cold, pulling his cloak tighter around him and snuggling his face deeper into his scarf. He was about to call it a night and go and annoy Sirius and Remus about being sappy in their newfound coupledom when he heard a thud from the back end of the restricted section.
Thinking that it was probably a Professor, he turned to leave. Then he heard a muffled "Fuck!" and rolled his eyes.
Really?
Walking silently through the stacks, he found the student, eyes widening slightly when he saw Regulus Black sitting by the window, slouched in his seat, his eyes closed. The moonlight was the only source of light, Regulus hadn't even lit a candle to see better by.
A bottle of Vodka was on the table in front of him, the lid nowhere to be seen.
"Muggle spirits, really?" James asked, his head tilting slightly.
He'd tried Vodka before at one of the Ravenclaw parties (it was always the quiet ones) and it was disgusting.
"It's what I could get my hands on," Regulus replied, shrugging his shoulders as he opened his eyes to look at James.
"You know you shouldn't be here, right?"
Snorting, Regulus nodded. "Of course I do. But if I'd have stayed in the common room, I'd have had to share."
He picked up the bottle and drank straight from it, barely wincing at the burn James knew he must be experiencing.
"If you go now, I won't write you up," James offered, though he knew it was a lost cause.
Regulus rolled his eyes with a sneer. "It must be so boring, being you. You used to be so much fun to watch, Potter. An arrogant arse, of course, but still. Fun. Now you're all…" he waved his hand, clearly struggling to find the word he wanted.
"I grew up," James snapped.
"Your parents were murdered," Regulus replied, his words slurring. He took another gulp. "You had no choice but to pretend to be an adult."
"I can't be bothered doing this with you right now," James murmured in reply, rubbing at his temple. "Do what you want, but fair warning, as soon as I drop the names list off, a Professor will be here, so you should probably move."
James turned to leave, but Regulus stopped him.
"Potter, wait. I'm sorry. That was out of order. I'm sorry, really. Stay, have a drink. I'll even share with you."
"I'm not going to sit around the library drinking vodka," James replied, rolling his eyes. "If you're going to drink underage, at least have some class about it and drink the good stuff."
Regulus snorted. "So you're not offended by my decision to drink underage, but you're offended by my drink choice?"
James shrugged and then nodded. "Basically. Do you really think that we didn't drink when we were your age… younger than your age? Be serious, please."
"I can't be Sirius, I'd get disowned."
James groaned. "Not you too. He uses that bloody joke at every possible opportunity."
Regulus smirked. "Where is my older brother this evening? Wrapped around his boytoy?"
"They're in love," James snapped.
"There's no such thing as love. It's a fantasy."
Shaking his head, James replied, "You're a really morbid drunk, you know that?"
"You can only be a happy drunk when you've got something to be happy about, Potter."
James sighed, sitting down in the only other chair at the little table. "You wanna talk about whatever drove you to the bottle?"
"Not particularly. Talking about it won't make it go away."
"Probably not. Might make you feel better though."
"Ohhhh I doubt it."
James watched him for a moment. "General Black hubris bullshit?"
Regulus laughed bitterly. "Not a bad guess, but no."
James shrugged. "Snake face?"
Regulus paled.
"I'll take that as a yes then. You've joined him already?"
Shaking his head, Regulus mumbled, "No. Not yet."
"And you don't want to."
"I didn't say that!"
"Someone who is excited for something, who is proud of something they plan to do, wouldn't need to sit getting drunk on subpar alcohol to make them feel better about it. So… you kinda didn't have too."
Regulus huffed but didn't reply. He span the bottle in his hands, before placing it on the table between them.
"I just… I just want to… not have to think about it for a while. That's all."
"We can help you, you know? You have another choice."
"You can't save everyone, Potter."
"No," James agreed sadly. "I can't. I couldn't stop the monsters from murdering my parents in cold blood. But I can try and save you, can't I?"
"S'hopeless."
"Nothing is hopeless. You have options, Regulus. Sirius will help you. I'll help you."
Regulus stared at him for a moment before he got up, surprisingly steady to say how empty the bottle looked, and leant over James.
"What are you -"
Regulus cut him off, pressing their lips together in a hard kiss. James sunk into it for a second before he realised what he was doing and gently pushed Regulus away.
"No."
"You said you'd help me!"
"Not like that," James replied quietly. "Not when you're drunk and upset. I can't."
"I just… I just want to forget," Regulus whispered, burying his face in his hands.
James couldn't help but think how young he looked.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to the dungeons," he murmured.
"I'm fine!" Regulus tried to snap. The sob that caught in his throat ruined the effect rather spectacularly.
James ignored the protest and pulled Regulus to his feet. "Then let me walk you down for my own piece of mind, huh?"
Regulus sighed but nodded. James vanished the bottle before Regulus had chance to lift it to his lips to drain it. The younger man scowled but said nothing, and they left the restricted section.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, before Regulus sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"Just forget it, okay?"
"Yeah, like it's that easy."
James didn't know what to reply to that, so he chose not to. When they reached the dungeons, he paused before he laid his hand on Regulus' arm.
"Come find me when you haven't been attempting to pickle your liver. I won't be something you regret, Regulus, and if we'd continued in the library, you'd have regretted it in the morning. That isn't fair to either of us."
"So it wasn't me that offended you, but the vodka?" Regulus murmured, his lips tilting up. "Good to know."
James winked at him. "I told you, be classy about your bad choices. Look after yourself… and don't forget. You have options." He unwound his scarf from his neck and draped it around Regulus'. "You can return that when you made a good decision."
…
Regulus lifted the bottle to his lips, the Muggle Vodka burning wonderfully. He only drank Vodka when he wanted to dwell on memories best forgotten, an indulgence that he could scarcely deny himself.
He remembered every second of that night in the Library; the first time he'd tasted Vodka. The only time he'd tasted James Potter.
Regulus did regret James, and what he could have been if only Regulus had been brave enough to ask.
Also Written for;
Character Appreciation - 5. Sneer
Showtime - 13. Hubris
Seasonal - Summer - "There's no such thing as love. It's a fantasy."
Seasonal - Gryffindor - James Potter
Hot Air Balloon - 17. "Just forget it, okay?" / "Yeah. Like it's that easy."
Eagle - 1. Scarf / "It must be so boring to be you."