A/N: This chapter refers to drinking and puts police officers in a bad light. I have nothing against cops; I hold them in the highest respect.

James's Pov

Kyle had been my best friend since kindergarten. We'd been playmates in Elementary school, teammates in Junior High, and now drinking buddies. I would trust him with my life. Not once had we ever been caught drinking. All because of his sixth sense. Yet tonight, he seemed distracted. Not once had his ears perked up and his nose hit the wind. He could smell a cop a mile off, and we'd just passed another car in the lot of Dunkin' Donuts, and Kyle hadn't said a word, or slowed down.

"Buddy, you all right?" I leaned forward from the back seat to yell over the radio and open windows.

"Course I am," he laughed. "Merlin Jimmy. Take a stunner." Kyle ruffled his bleach-blond hair and then continued to howl along with the radio. His girlfriend, Sara Gibbly, was laughing hysterically and swatting at Kyle's hand, which kept attempting to have a rest on her thigh. Kyle giggled, (yea, I know, giggled) at the game, and glanced occasionally at the interstate he was speeding down.

I leaned back into the plush leather of the BMW. I t was a hot, stick night and few stars were visible. The whole setting was giving me an ominous feeling. But then, Lizzie Huttings, (who was sitting next to me) smiled my way, and my mind lost all coherent thought. Sara turned around and grinned at us. Her dark hair was blowing across her pale face and red lips. From the depths of her face I could see two blue eyes glinting. A splatter of freckles covered her round cheeks.

"Where are we going Jim?"

I shrugged.

"Please," she begged. "Only I have to be back by midnight."

I let out a bark-like laugh. "Or what? You'll turn into a pumpkin?"

"That's impossible." Kyle said. "She's far too beautiful to turn into a pumpkin. A flower maybe."

I gagged as Sara kissed Kyle on the cheek. She glared at me, and then continued interrogating me.

"So, we're going-" She left the sentence hanging.

"Nice try, but it's a surprise."

"You'll tell me, right Jimmy?" Lizzie was leaning her head on my shoulder. I could smell her vanilla scented perfume and feel the heat radiating off her body. She sat up, and her honey colored eyes met my grey ones. The blonde locks that usually framed her tan face were tied back in a loose braid. Yet some had come loose from the elastic. Her complexion bore no flaws and her lips were plump, round, and red. I leaned in and she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Where are we going Jim?"

I was about to respond, when Kyle slammed his foot on the gas and the car shot forward.

"To get pissed!"

Sara laughed wildly; Lizzie winked in my direction and then faced the front. I was in a daze for a few moments, and then I began howling along with the radio, Kyle conducting from the drivers seat.

We pulled into a small nearly empty parking lot. A few birds were flocking around the day's trash and a couple empty cans sat on the edge of the grass.

"This is it?" Sara wrinkled her nose. "We're in the middle of a parking lot."

Kyle grinned while locking up the car. "Don't judge on what you see. This way."

I shoved my hands into my pockets and Lizzie automatically linked arms with me. The first time Kyle had taken me here I too thought it was a parking lot, and it was. The cement was cracked and weeds had sprouted up along the ridges. A few moths were hovering around a cracked lamppost. The light from this barely lit up the long grass around its base. Directly ahead of us was a small building. The shingles were pealing off, the windows were broken in, and the siding was cracked.

"This used to be a golf course." Kyle explained. "But Ian Jonson bought it."

"The head of the MLEF?" Lizzie asked.

"Yea, don't worry. He never comes down here. Why else do you think it's so run down? Anyway, that's why it's the perfect location. Nothing but grass for miles and Jonson would never check his own property."

"For what?" Sara questioned. We stopped in front of the shack. Kyle grinned. "The Whomping Willow." With that he pulled the door open.

The room was dark and since Kyle led the girls up to believing they were entering a coveted fortress, I could tell they were both sorely disappointed. I tripped over what felt like a golf club.

"Bloody!" I gasped, catching myself before I hit the floor.

"Jim is that you?"

"Yea, Dave?"

"I haven't seen you in a couple o' weeks. How you been kid? How'd you get here? Surely not the bus, it don't come out this far."

"No, Kyle drove," I replied while slowly moving towards his voice.

"Kyle's already sixteen?"

"Yea. Just turned a week of so ago. Where are you Dave?"

A bright light momentarily blinded me. Once the spots had cleared from my vision, a large bulky man came into view. He had wiry brown hair and smooth tanned skin. Brown eyes were crinkled in laughter. Dave was dressed in entirely in black and was currently shinning a large flashlight onto our faces.

"Congratulations Kyle," Dave grinned. "Remind me to buy you a drink later. Four?"

I nodded as he jotted down a few thing on a notepad. "I just need your wands."

We passed our wands over one at a time and waited as Dave scanned each with a long metal bar. Once he had done this, he wrote down the information it spit out on his notepad. Then he handed our wands to Kyle who passed them out to their rightful owner.

"Have a good time Kyle, Jim, ladies." He winked at Sara and Lizzie as they walked passed him. If anyone else had tried that trick they would have found themselves upside down by their ankles. But Kyle and I knew it was Dave's job to be flirtatious, so we let him slide. Well, I did. But I could have sworn I saw Kyle glare at Dave when he walked passed.

Sara pulled the door open on the opposite side of the room and a blast of loud music and smoke nearly knocked me down. It took a moment for my senses to adjust. But once they had, I could examine the room properly.

We were standing on a balcony over looking a large dance floor. On the farthest end was a stage where the newest trend in bands was playing. Fog machines and strobe lights covered the crowd in a heavy and misty layer. The left of the room bore tables, chairs, and a few booths. On the right hand side was a long bar complete with stools and a bartender who was currently holding a shot contest. Kyle could win hands down.

"This is the Whomping Willow?" Lizzie asked. It looked as though she were trying to take it all in.

I nodded. "You want a drink?"

"Sure."

I took her hand and immediately felt my own start to sweat. I cringed inwardly. I hated how she had this hold over me. It wasn't fair. I led her down the stairs and through the crowds to the bar. I ordered a large Dragon. Lizzie ordered a small Fairy and we took a seat at the bar. I had never been one to drink much, until Sirius showed up. Just thinking about him made my blood boil. How dare he just move in and take over? I had been forced to play "daddy" for the past fifteen years and now he just wanted to take it back? And he didn't even want it back, he was on the run. I chugged down my drink, and ordered another one.

I don't remember what happened after my sixth. Lizzie and I were dancing for a while. I can remember the feeling of her body rubbing against mine. The sweat was layering thick upon my skin and it was hard to find space in the crowd to breath, let alone dance. At one point I pealed off my shirt and had someone sprayed florescent green paint upon my skin. By the end of the night, Lizzie was covered in it too, and no one had sprayed her. But, my dulled senses told me this was fun, this was what I needed.

Eventually though, all good things must come to an end. I was ordering another drink when the MLEF burst threw the doors and down the stairs.

"You are all under arrest. There is no point in trying to escape, we've placed a freezing charm on the whole place. Each on of you will receive up to 1,000 muggle dollars in fines for trespassing and, or underage drinking based on alcohol consumption."

It was at this point my mind became suddenly clear. My mother's boss was about to find me holding a half empty glass of the strongest whiskey this bar held. My stomach began lurching. I was screwed.

Jonson spoke quickly to the large squad gathered behind him. Then, they began moving threw the crowd, no doubt taking names, checking alcohol levels, and assigning fines. Trickles of sweat had formed on my brow and I couldn't move. This was it. I was pissed out of my mind and the head of the MLEF and my mother's boss was about to find me.

With a loud "clunk" I dropped my glass and it's contents spilled across the floor and seeped into my shoes.

"James Demmers?"

But the voice wasn't the growl of Jonson's, or even the harsh tones of a squad member. It was curious, laughing even. He was dressed in the uniform of a squad member, and a hat was pulled low over his brow. But those storm cloud eyes were mine, and there was a gauntness even magic couldn't erase.

"Sirius?" I slurred.

"You smell awful."

"I don't need your bloody help!" I screamed. "I can do it on my own."

He made a shushing noise and looked around suspiciously. "I know you're drunk, but shut up. I'm going to help your sorry behind because your mother would loose her job if you were caught. And I too got drunk often enough when I was your age."

"I don't care! She deserves to loose her job. She's hiding you!" I was yelling again and felt oddly winded.

He looked around nervously. No one seemed to care. "Please James, just listen. I'm going to take you home. They'll assume we're going to Headquarters."

Vomit began to rise in my throat. I tried to hold it back, to look menacing. But all in one burst, it left my mouth like a dam breaking. I coughed once and another flood of sick fell off my lips. Sirius had leapt out of the way and was watching me hurl up my stomach's contents. Once he was sure I was finished, he vanished the pile of puke with a flick of his wand.

"Let's go," he said gruffly.

He was forced to practically carry me to the stairs. The squad pretty much ignored us. A few people called orders at Sirius but he didn't seem to care. But I got the feeling that I was his first priority, that and to get me home. Even when I stumbled, he still gripped my arms and not once did I fall. I don't remember how we got home. That part is fuzzy. I have a feeling floo powder was used, but I can't be certain. I do remember passing out in the hallway outside of our flat. I woke up ten hours later with a hangover to kill and a large bruise on my forehead.

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AN: I know it's months late, but school has been so busy lately and I just haven't had the energy to update. But luckily I realized that I can work on it during lunch hours. So, I hope there will be another update soon. But I can't make any promises because then I break them and feel horrible. Thank you so much for your support.

Love,

MJ16