AN: This chapter is heavy on description (Which is why it didn't take quite so long to write, lol) as it is simply a chapter to show how our two boys are slowly drawing closer together, despite the secret battle going on in the background. I wanted to try to convey a struggle within Sirius, he likes James but he knows he's not supposed to. He has a deep sense of loyalty towards his mother yet he is slowly developing romantic feelings for James who he knows is his brother. James meanwhile is more accepting of his feelings as he does not know his familial connection to Sirius, as far as he's concerned Sirius fascinates him and he has to know more at whatever cost. I hope that comes across in this chapter, thank you once again for reading and reviewing. :)

Chapter Three

"Sirius? What on earth is the matter?" Walburga stepped into her son's room and stared at the boy who lay curled up on the bed.

"He knows!" Sirius snapped and sat up, his face was flushed with anger and pain. "The old bastard knows we want something! He said he wasn't going to accept me! He won't acknowledge his own bloody son!"

Walburga watched her son for a moment before sighing. "You are acting like a child." She said coldly as she moved further into the room and shut the door. "He will have no choice but to acknowledge you if you get closer to his son, don't you see? He loves the boy and would do anything for him."

Sirius stared at his mother as she sat down on the bed and stroked his head gently. "But what if-"

"Hush now, child…do you not think I have planned for this? It is going to plan and we will gain our rightful place, Sirius. I promise you that someday soon you shall sit upon the throne where you belong, you are the King's eldest son and he has no right to deny you."

"I may be the eldest but I'm a bastard! I'm illegitimate and have no claim-"

"You would have every claim if his son should suffer a tragic accident." Walburga's smile widened as her fingers played with strands of Sirius' hair.

Sirius looked away. "I'm not sure I can hurt him." He breathed and felt his mother's hand tighten on his hair, he winced but made no sound.

"Why not?" She snapped angrily. "Why would you not want what is rightfully yours?"

"I do want it!" Sirius insisted, pulling himself away and sitting against the headboard. "I do! I just…I…I like him. I like James! He's…he's different…"

"Oh my poor dear." Walburga sighed and shook her head. "You've been taken in by him, he's tricking you! Can't you see that? Their whole family is full of liars and thieves, they're all weak my sweet and you know what we must do to the weak?"

Sirius closed his eyes and hung his head. "The weak must die." He whispered.

"Yes, good boy. Now, keep that in mind and make sure that you seduce him well, he must truly believe your feelings are genuine or the whole plan will fail."

"Yes mother." Sirius watched her stand and leave him alone once again, when he was certain she was gone he threw himself back onto the bed and sighed heavily.

That evening Sirius sat at the huge table during the feast and merely picked morosely at his food, he huffed occasionally and sent his fringe fluttering. Occasionally he raised his eyes and gazed down the table to where the royal family were seated, his eyes found Charlus before sliding to his son. James was laughing and smiling with such ease it made jealousy fill Sirius' heart, he continued to push his food around his plate and flick glances towards James all evening. Even when his mother tried to gain his attention her voice was drowned out by James' laughter. Half way through the fish course James happened to look up, his eyes met Sirius' who felt heat filling his cheeks, they burned and yet he was unable to tear his gaze away. His mouth went dry and his heart made a good attempt to break out through his ribs. The early evening light streamed through the high windows to fall upon the young prince, it shone in his hair and made his eyes turn gold. The effect made breathing difficult, Sirius' hands became sweaty and he dropped his fork. And then James smiled and Sirius was blinded by his radiance, it was agony.

James watched Sirius throughout the meal, sometimes surreptitiously from the corner of his eyes and sometimes he would find himself outright gawking. Sirius was surrounded by shadows, they slid over him like soft shrouds, his skin was milky pale and seemed to glow with the light of the stars. Not even the dying sun seemed to be able to reach his dark, ethereal beauty. James was confused by the sudden upsurge of intense feelings that Sirius stirred in him, he had no idea what to do with them nor what they were, yet he knew that he wanted to get to know more about the young man. He was filled with an insatiable curiosity that he had never experienced before, he needed to understand him, he had to know what made him tick. He wanted to know who he was when there was no one else around. He found himself noticing silly little details, details like the way his hair shone blue beneath the candle lights, the way he used his knife and fork with perfect elegance, the way he pushed his fringe from his eyes in one sweeping movement, even the way his throat moved as he swallowed. Several times James was forced to physically shake himself as he found himself staring at Sirius as if it was the first time he had met another human being, he was acting strangely and it was more than a little disturbing.

When the meal had been eaten and drinks had been drunk it was time for a dance, the royal family moved up to their proper places upon the low dais that stood at the end of the long hall. James sat and watched the party goers dancing, several times he was asked to dance by hopeful girls from prominent families, he did his duty but his eyes constantly searched for only a single face. Occasionally he got glimpses of him through the heaving mass of brightly coloured robes, he would be dancing or sometimes sitting alone by the wall and simply watching. Whatever he was doing each time James saw him he felt his heart jump into his throat, the feeling was not unpleasant.

Sirius was unable to prevent his eyes from following the princes every move, he couldn't stop himself from watching and becoming enchanted by the way his face lit up like sunshine. It wasn't long before he found himself dragged into a rather exuberant dance himself, the guests stood in a circle and moved in graceful precision. Over the laughter and music and merry making Sirius could hear the clear, uninhibited laughter of James. It made him smile, at first reluctantly but no matter how much he tried to fight it wasn't long before he was grinning and laughing with everyone else. Joy, it seemed, was contagious. Finally, as the night wore on, Sirius managed to escape the hall and especially his mother. He found himself in the gardens and walked through them slowly, the moonlight highlighted his path and made the roses look black. He paused and picked one from its bush, they were growing out of season as it was only March but he knew that magic was on them. He gazed down at the flower and ran his fingers over its soft petals; gently he blew on it and watched it turn to dust in his fingers. A wind picked up and blew his hair around his face before picking up the ashes of the rose and taking them away, he watched them scatter and felt a deep sense of grief that seemed to have no discernible cause. "The weak must die." He whispered to himself, for all his life those words had been his truth, they had been his mantra. He had been born with only a single purpose; to overthrow the King and place himself upon the throne where he belonged…but now, now he was coming to know the prince. Now he was coming to like him and he was beginning to have his first doubts about his lifelong mission.

James watched Sirius from the shadows, for some unknown reason he was reluctant to alert him to his presence. He was happy to just absorb every little detail of the scene before him, he gazed in wonder at the way the moonlight seemed to make Sirius glow with an inner light. It glided across his skin and alternated with shadow of varying shades, James realised that they were both so different, they were like the sun and moon, destined to only share the same sky on occasion. They knew two totally different worlds and he was disturbed by the thought that perhaps they could never grow any closer because of the barriers surrounding them. He watched as Sirius turned a flower to dust with a silent incantation, the only sign that he had used magic was the faint tingle left behind in the air. He sighed to himself and leaned against the statue he was near, his hands slid into his pockets as he watched Sirius draw further away from him. After a moment's hesitation he pushed himself away from his resting place and strode into the moonlight.

"Sirius?"

The soft voice shattered Sirius' thoughts, he jumped a little and spun around to see the prince stood behind him on the path. "Oh…James, I…I'm sorry, I didn't see you." He said hastily, he was glad they were surrounded by shadows as they hid his involuntary blush from the other boy.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." James said and smiled warmly, Sirius returned it with surprising ease.

"Don't worry." He said and looked up at the sky a moment. "What brings you out here? Is the dance over?"

James shook his head. "No…I just find these occasions stifling and wanted to get some air." He replied.

"Do you…do you want to take a walk?" Sirius asked abruptly, flushing once again in the near dark.

"Yeah, why not?" James grinned and Sirius returned, together they strode off into the sweetly scented night.

"Very good, child." Walburga muttered to herself from where she stood in the shadows of a nearby tree. She watched the two boys taking their moonlit stroll. "How very romantic, what a clever boy he is." She giggled to herself and watched Sirius pause and bend down, she saw the prince watching her son with eyes full of burning curiosity and an unrealised desire. "You have him now, Sirius. Soon you will finally complete my revenge and this Kingdom will become mine!" She laughed again and turned away, missing the light brush of the boy's hands and Sirius' soft, gentle smile.

Sirius had no idea how much time had passed, he was having too much fun simply walking and talking to James. He found himself enthralled by the way James smiled and laughed, he was utterly smitten by the way James rumpled the hair at the back of his head when he was showing off and when James' fingers brushed his own he felt tingles shoot through his skin. He was in heaven and he didn't want to think about the future, not when they were surrounded by the night and the soft sounds of the owls and other nocturnal creatures. He wanted to drown in this sweet dream forever, even if it meant his own death. When James reached out to him he never flinched, his smile merely widened. James plucked a stray leaf from his hair and let it fall to the floor, he allowed the very tips of his fingers to linger upon Sirius' cheek bone before allowing his hand to fall back to his side. The touch was simple yet it made Sirius' body shiver in excitement.

James gazed at Sirius as he leaned against a tree trunk, their eyes were locked and he felt the world fade slowly. It was so easy to take two steps and close the gap between them. It was almost too easy to slide one shaking hand into Sirius' hair. It was simple to tip his head to the side a little and lean close enough so that he could feel Sirius' breathe on his cheek. It was the easiest thing in the world to close that infinitesimal gap between their lips, it was wonderfully simple to put a little more pressure into the sudden kiss. When he pulled away he found himself staring at Sirius in a whole new light. He stood as if frozen to the spot with wide eyes that seemed to soak up the moonlight and glitter like twin stars, his cheeks burned darkly in the night and his lips parted as if he was going to speak. James smiled and prevented such an inopportune interruption, he didn't want logic to spoil this fantastic moment.

Sirius felt as if he had been thrust brutally into a dream, not a nightmare but a gorgeous dream full of golden sunlight and dancing water. James' lips were slightly chapped, his mouth moved with nervous hesitation that told Sirius he was still a bit of a novice when it came to kissing. It was innocent and sweet and something that Sirius had never before experienced. Oh, he had been kissed before but nothing like the way James was kissing him now. His previous experiences were hot and wet and messy, they were done in the darkness of his bed with hissed warnings about being caught. They were done with ferocity and a desperate, overwhelming passion that culminated in a quick orgasm and then sleep. This was different. This was an innocent press of lips, a nervous, clumsy kiss of one who is not entirely sure what they are doing and it was the most wonderful thing Sirius had ever experienced. It awoke a whole new vista of tantalising possibilities that swirled in his head like the brightly clothed dancers back at the castle. It was new and wonderful and perfect.

"James?! James, dear, where are you?"

Charlus' voice shattered the moment like a brick through glass, Sirius jerked himself away from James as reality crashed in about him with agonising clarity. He gasped in a breath and pushed James away from him, without a word he turned on his heels and fled into the night.