"And here I thought you'd be done with me when they made you Head Boy. Guess you haven't changed as much as they think you have."

James snorted, shaking his head as he glanced over the parapets of the Astronomy Tower. "It's not like anyone knows about this, Reg. I haven't even told Sirius."

"And you won't." Regulus's voice carried his threat. James looked over, meeting his eyes. "I mean it. Sirius'll take any opportunity he has to undermine me, and if my mother finds out about this—"

The other boy just nodded, turning around and sinking down to sit beside Regulus. His back rested against the walls of the tower, his hand resting on Regulus's thigh. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Cheers."

As much as James wanted to tell his best friend that he was with his brother, it was not a mistake he felt he could bear to make. Keeping this secret was better for everyone involved. James had decided this a year before, when he had first started meeting Regulus up here in secret.

Regulus pulled two small boxes from his pocket, pulling a cigarette from one and a match from the other. James laughed. "You're just like your brother, you know. You could light that with magic."

"It feels more real this way." He put the filter to his lips as the door to the tower banged open. Regulus froze; James's eyes shot toward the Invisibility Cloak, which lay unhelpfully across the room.

"Shit."

James looked to see who entered, feeling his heart sink to his feet at the sight of Sirius. He didn't move a muscle, apart from his eyes which flit between Regulus and James. The latter moved his hand from Regulus's thigh, but it was too late now. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Regulus leapt to his feet, bearing toward Sirius. James stood, reaching for Reg's arms, trying to pull him back. "Sirius, please. Let me explain," he said, taking hold of the other boy's brother.

"Explain what? That you've been sneaking up here to see my brother while we all thought you were off with Evans?"

"You—what?" James shook his head, amending. "Doesn't matter. Look, I just—"

"I really don't want to hear it." With a last glare at Regulus, Sirius turned around, leaving the Astronomy Tower with his robes billowing out around him.

Regulus looked back, meeting James's eye. His expression was unreadable; James's was tense and unsure.

James gave a half-shrug, trying to play it off. "At least we don't have to keep any secrets anymore?"

"Yeah," Regulus said with a sigh. "Because we're done here, Potter." And he, too, left the tower, mirroring his brother's exit exactly and leaving James alone.

.

A/N: Written for Advent Calendar Day 19: (restriction) Only males;

Writing Club – Showtime 8: (object) box of matches; Sophie's Shelf P3: James/Regulus; Liza's Loves 6: Write about bad timing; Angel's Arcade 11: (pairing) JamesRegulus, (location) The Astronomy Tower, (action) Reaching for someone;

Writing Month and Dragons: wc 459