James weaved his way between students, silently and inconspicuously. They couldn't see him, not beneath his cloak. But a bump on a first years' shoulder, a step on a fourth years' shoe, any small, little thing would be enough to draw suspicion. If James Potter, the righteous Gryffindor and Head Boy of the school, let anyone see him in a train compartment with the likes of Narcissa Black, well, people might get the wrong idea.
So James stayed invisible beneath his cloak.
He was almost there—third compartment from the back. Knock twice. Then something caught his eyes.
A flash of bright red hair turned into a compartment near by. Lily, he thought, and fallowed her inside. He barely slipped by as Lily slid the door shut.
"Finally alone," she said, smiling as she pressed herself against Severus Snape.
James felt his hands curl into fists.
"But not for long," Snape pouted. James watched. Snape's long fingers ran along her shoulders soothingly.
"I'm sorry!" Lily replied. "But I've got Head Girl duties to attend to."
"Head Girl duties. You make it sound like you're some kind of super hero," he teased.
Lily smiled wide. "Does that make you the damsel in distress?"
Snape scoffed.
Lily kissed him. And James, meanwhile, seethed with jealousy.
"I've got to go now," she said, pulling away.
"But Lily," he whined. "I'm in distress. Remember?"
Lily laughed and made her exit. James held back the urge to shoot a curse in Snapes direction, and followed her out into the hall.
He made his way to the back of the train.
"What took you so bloody long?" Narcissa snapped as James entered their compartment. His cloak, by now, was hidden in his robes. No sense in them knowing about that quite yet.
"We need to make this fast," he said, sitting down at her side. "I've got to go do some Head Boy shit." Something about seeing Snape and Lily together had left James feeling empty, deflated. He yearned to tare their relationship—or maybe just Snape's face— into a billion shreds.
"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" said Narcissa.
James rolled his eyes.
"Anyway," she said. "I've made it real easy for you two, because I've figured it all out. First off, Sev must be the one to leave Lily. Because, as the past reflects, if Severus is the one dumped he'll simply do anything to get her back. Or never get over it." (She said this part with envy heavy in her tone.) "But Lily—well, she's just so bloody proud. I can't imagine she'd sit and mope for too long. So, James, come time, the mudblood will be all yours."
"Watch it, Black," James growled. "I'm not some Death Eater scum and you can't talk like that around me."
"My bad, my bad," said Narcissa, but James caught her rolling her eyes in Regulus' direction.
She went on. "So Snape leaves her. But how to do that?"
"We get him mad," James stated. "Really mad."
"Good," said Narcissa. "Luckily, you're the expert at that."
James leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, "I don't know, Narcissa. I've been trying not to act like, well, a kid anymore."
"You know that there's this muggle saying… all is fair in love and war."
"Um." Regulus raised his hand a little. "I'm not in love with him. or Lily. And I'm not at war either."
"But you still have a job here, Reg. And it's easy. All you have to do is be Severus' best friend."
"Doesn't sound easy to me…" James mumbled.
"What?" asked Regulus.
"You'll feed him information. Lead him to believe things. He'll only trust them from you," said Narcissa.
Regulus didn't seem too pleased with the idea but stayed quiet none the less.
"And me?" asked James. "I—what, put bloating potion in his pumpkin juice? Hex him upside down?"
"No," said Narcissa, "nothing of the sort.'
"Then what?" he asked.
"You act totally civil. The perfect gentlemen. But also, start playing nice with Lily again. With Reg here feeding him false concern, he'll be acting like a jealous prat in no time."
"That's it?" asked James. "I just flirt with his girlfriend?"
"For now," she said.
James raised an eyebrow. "So you have more up your sleeve?"
"Mate," Regulus chirped in. "This is Narcissa we're talking about. She's always got more up her sleeve."
"It's called thinking ahead," said Narcissa. "Dumbledore does it. The Dark Lord does it. And, if you two know what's good for you, you would too. You'd think ahead and trust me. Understand?"
I trust you like I trust the Beater on the Slytherin house team, thought James, but he only said, "I'm in. I'll talk to Lily. But I've got to go now… is that all?"
"That's all," said Narcissa. "Now get out of here, Golden Boy."
James got up and, checking to see if the coast was clear, slipped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Just as he prepared to slip on his cloak, a familiar voice asked, "Potter?"
"What is it Sniv—Severus?" said James, turning around. He caught site of the Slytherin boy who had been leaving a compartment nearby.
"Just looking for Narcissa and Regulus," Severus replied suspiciously. "Shouldn't you be in the Perfects compartment?"
"Yes well, I just needed to… to tell Regulus something."
Severus rose an eyebrow, and so James continued. "Their house elf found a missing school book and an owl has been sent to deliver it to Hogwarts. Or so Sirius told me."
Severus' deep, dark eyes bore right into James. "And why couldn't Black tell his brother himself?"
"You see, Snape," said James, thinking fast, "Sirius' owl wouldn't stop chirping on our way to the platform. Sirius figured he'd use a silencing curse and one mistake later, he's lost his voice. But I told him I'd get the message out to Regulus."
"But how— " Severus began.
"Been lovely chatting with you," James said, cutting Snape short. "But I'm awfully late. See you at school." James spun around and dashed down the hall.
Lovely chatting with you? Being civil with Snape was harder than he would of imagined. Frowning, he turned into the Perfects compartment. There, at least, he could see Lily without the greasy git's unwelcomed company.