Disclaimer: I am not JKR. James's POV and it starts as they leave to go and meet Dumbledore.

.o.O.o.

Chapter 11

"Mr. Potter," James looked up as Slughorn called his name, reading it from a purple piece of paper, "Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Pettigrew, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office please. You may take your things with you. I will give your homework to Miss Evans. Make sure it is done for next class." Slughorn said, glaring at the four Marauders.

James regretfully gathered up his things and made his way out of the classroom with the other boys. As much as he hated potions, he never turned down an opportunity to be with Lily. He had been pleasantly surprised when she hadn't argued at them being assigned to work together.

"Why would Dumbledore want to talk to us?" Peter mused aloud.

"Hm, I wonder." Sirius said sarcastically, "Maybe it has something to do with a secret organization that we were asked to join and the fact that he said he would talk to us about it once school had started."

"Oh. I guess that could be it."

Before long they were at the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Remus spoke the password and they spiraled up to the door. James knocked on the door.

"Come in." They all shuffled into the room and put their bags down by the door. "Ah, boys, very prompt. Why don't you all take a seat?" Dumbledore gestured to the six chairs sitting in front of his desk. James's parents already occupied two of them.

"Now, let's get right down to business." Dumbledore said once they were seated. "I visited you during the summer and offered you places in the Order of the Phoenix, the organization working to stop Voldemort. Barry and Theresa," he said, looking at James's parents, "you two would be doing field work, fighting battles, spying, gathering information, that sort of thing. You four," he now addressed the boys, "would mostly be working here in Hogwarts. I cannot, in good conscience, ask you to go out and fight while you are still in school, and at the moment you are underage so you can't fight. The one thing that I want you to understand before you accept or decline the offer is that you would be spying on your classmates. What you would be looking for are potential Death Eaters or students who have already joined the Death Eaters."

"That doesn't matter." Sirius said quickly, "I'm in no matter what, Headmaster."

"Me to." James said. He heard his mother sigh lightly, and his father looked slightly disappointed.

"We are with our sons to the end." Barry said, smiling slightly at Sirius and James. "We would be honoured to fight." Theresa nodded.

"Remus and Peter?" Dumbledore asked, "Do you have an answer yet, or would you like more time?" Peter nodded his head quickly. Dumbledore smiled, "Is that you need more time, or you would like to accept."

"I w-want to accept." Peter stammered.

"Remus?"

They were all watching him. Remus fidgeted under their stares. "Uh, can I talk to you in private? It's about how I always get sick."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Of course. Would you all mind waiting in the hall a moment while Mr. Lupin and I talk? Thank you." Barry helped Theresa out of her chair and held the door for her as he escorted her out of the office. Peter scurried out after them, grabbing his bag and Sirius followed behind him. James hesitated at the door, looking back and then leaving the office.

.o.O.o.

"Sirius, stop trying to eavesdrop." Barry called. Sirius sighed, but walked away from the door to Dumbledore's office without complaint. He sat quietly on the floor across from the door, so quietly, in fact, that James started to wonder if something was wrong.

"You okay?" he asked, sliding down to sit beside his friend.

Sirius paused a moment before quietly saying, "He said 'sons'."

"Who?" James asked, confused.

"You're father, James. He said 'We are with our sons to the end'. They only have one son."

"We only had one son." Barry said softly.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking up at the two adults.

"We have to sons now. James and you."

"Welcome to the family, Sirius. You're an honorary Potter." Theresa smiled.

"Really? I can move in with you?" Sirius looked elated.

"Of course, you silly boy. Did you think we were going to say that you couldn't come back to the manor? After spending an entire summer with us and capturing Pippin's heart?" Theresa asked, as Sirius blushed slightly.

"Well, I wasn't really sure if I was welcome back after causing all that trouble on the platform."

"Sirius," James said, exasperated, "We've been over this and over this. None of that was your fault. You didn't make your parents attack, you didn't make the Death Eaters use you and your parents as an excuse to attack, and you didn't start the whole bloody mess. Regulus fired the first spell, remember? And someone else made the Dark Mark."

"Ya, but who fired the second spell?" Sirius asked, sounding thoroughly depressed.

"I did, actually." Peter said, crouching in front of his friends. "I blocked Regulus's shot and then Mrs. Black fired the third shot and after that it was essentially kill or be killed."

"It wasn't your fault, Sirius. There was nothing you could have done."

"Ya," Peter said with a crooked smile, "Siriusly."

"Shut up." Sirius said, pushing Peter over. James and Sirius tackled him when he tried to get up, and all three were soon breathless with laughter as they roughhoused in the corridor, banging into suits of armour and causing the gargoyles to yell for someone to break up the fight.

"James William Potter, Sirius Orion Black, and Peter Pleiades (A/N: PLEE-ah-deez) Pettigrew!" James looked up into the furious face of Theresa Potter. Barry was standing behind her, barely containing his smile. "What sort of behaviour is this? You were all raised better than this! Honestly, brawling in the school hallway! It's no wonder you four receive so many detentions. You would think that you four had been raised by Satan!"

"I was." James muttered.

"Nonsense, Jimbo. You were raised by a saint." Barry with a wink.

"Quiet, Barry. These boys are in trouble."

"Honestly, Mother Theresa," Sirius said, standing up and brushing down his robes, "Didn't you ever have a bit of a good natured tussle when you were here?"

"Sirius, she's a girl." James pointed out.

"So?"

"Girls don't tussle."

"Oh. Well they don't know what they're missing."

"Oh, I know exactly what I missed." Theresa said, pulling out her wand and coming over to the boys. "I missed getting black eyes, split lips, cut eyebrows, and ripped and dirty clothes. You three, however, have managed to contract the lot of them."

James lifted his hand to his eyebrow, which was stinging from where he had hit it against the stone floor accidentally. Sirius wincingly touched his eyes, which was already turning purple.

"You're gonna have a hell of shiner tomorrow." James said.

"You're one to talk, Gore-Face." Sirius replied, grinning. "Anything you can do for us, Mother Theresa?" Theresa pursed her lips, but waved her wand and fixed Sirius's eye all the same.

"Thanks, love." He said, winking.

"Sirius!" James exclaimed. "That's my mother you're flirting with, you wanking twat!"

"Language, Jamie!"

"Sorry Mum." James said sheepishly as Remus finally came down the spiral staircase saying, "He wants to talk to all of us again."

.o.O.o.

"I don't understand a bloody word of this bloody paragraph of bloody transfiguration!"

"Well if it's so bloody, Padfoot, maybe you should take it to the Hospital Wing."

"Har-dee har har Moons. Very funny."

"I thought it was."

"You think every joke they make is funny." James said reasonably. Peter flushed and looked back at the essay he was trying to write.

"Oi, Jamie, Jamesie, Jimbo. Help with this damn thing, won't you?"

"Nope."

"Come on, Prongs. I'll give a carrot." Sirius tempted.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I'm gonna go to the kitchens."

"Watch for Prefects. The Slytherins are on rounds tonight." Remus warned.

"They can't do anything." James scoffed.

"Since it's after curfew, they can dock points and give detention."

"Fine, I'll take the map."

James left the room, muttering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He paused, staring at the map.

Marlene McKinnon was standing in the Divinations stairwell, surrounded by Donald Greenback, Chad Schaal, and Kiernan Pourkaviani, three sixth year Ravenclaw boys. Peeves the Poltergeist was floating around in the hallway leading to the stairwell.

He quickly stashed the map and his wand into a pocket in his robes, and dashed out of the portrait hole. If he took the short cut behind the Goblin Wars Tapestry, he could get to the stairwell and avoid Peeves.

James slowed to a walk as he made his way closer to the exit in the practically invisible alcove behind the circular staircase.

"Come on, Mar-Mar." Donald was saying. "Just go out with me. You can stop playing innocent. I saw the look you were giving me at dinner."

James peered out of the shadows to see Donald leaning against the wall, one hand on either side of Marlene's head. Marlene was holding her divination text book in front of her, keeping it securely between herself and Donald. Chad and Kiernan were leaning against the wall next to the entrance from the hallway.

"If you mean the look of disgust as you shoveled as much food into your mouth as fast as possible, than yes, I was looking at you." Marlene said, "But I have no idea how you managed to misinterpret it as a look of longing."

"Don't lie, Mar-Mar. You and I both know how much you want me." He wiggled his eyebrows in what he clearly assumed was a seductive manner, and leaned in, clearly inching in for a kiss. Marlene struggled, trying get away from him, but she had nowhere to go.

James cleared his throat and watched with amusement as Kiernan and Chad started visibly. Donald leapt back, giving Marlene the room to move away.

"Whose there?" Donald asked and James stepped out of the shadows. Marlene's face transformed into one of relief as she saw him. Donald, however, was not so pleased. "What are you doing here Potter?"

"Oh, I just fancied a stroll." James replied, leaning back against the wall. He casually tucked his hands into the pockets in his robes, his right hand closing around his wand, just in case. He looked at Marlene. "What are you doing here?"

"Marlene and I were just having a nice chat." Donald said. "Why don't you run along? Go annoy Evans or something."

"I was asking Marlene." James responded, still looking at Marlene.

"I was talking with Professor Frosch about astronomical divination." Marlene said.

"And were the boys bothering you?"

"Yes." she said with a little smile.

"Well, then boys, why don't you all run along? Go play with each other … or yourselves." James smirked.

All three boys changed colour at the implications, Donald and Chad going red, and Kiernan going white. Marlene coughed slightly to hide her laugh.

"Why you little–" Chad hissed, drawing his wand and starting towards James. James drew his wand and flicked it, thinking Stupefy as hard as he could. Chad collapsed. James smiled wryly.

"Rule number one, boys." James said, still smirking and pompously running a hand through his hair. "Never duel someone infinitely more skilled than you are." Marlene grinned and moved to his side.

"Why do you even care about her?" Kiernan asked, still white with anger. James sighed, and made a split second decision.

"Because I'm her boyfriend." he said, and, taking Marlene's hand, pulled her into the passage way.

Marlene started to laugh as soon as they were out of earshot of the three boys. "Oh, did you see their faces? That was hilarious!"

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen." James said, not even cracking a smile. Marlene's laughter subsided and she walked quietly beside him down to the kitchens. They sat at the small table in one of the kitchen corners as the house-elves brought them butterbeer and toast. Comfort food.

"What's the matter, James?" Marlene asked after a few moments of silence.

"Why does something have to be the matter for me to want to go to the kitchens?" Marlene glared at James. "I just wanted to have a drink with my girlfriend, is that so weird?"

"Yes, considering the fact that until a few moments ago, I wasn't your girlfriend." Marlene sighed and reached for his hand across the table. "If you aren't in this completely, this relationship isn't going to work. No one will believe it."

"I am in it completely. I've thought about it, and it's the right thing to do." James replied.

"Okay." Marlene nodded. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

"How are we supposed to convince everyone that we're madly in love?" James asked, "You said you have a plan."

"Oh, that's easy, really." Marlene smirked. "We don't have to convince everyone that we're in love, just that we're committed completely."

"And how are we doing that?"

"We're going to shag almost every night." James was so surprised he practically sprayed his mouthful of butterbeer on his new girlfriend.

"I beg your pardon?" James spluttered. Marlene laughed.

"We won't actually shag, we just have to make everyone think that we are. We could sit on your bed and do homework and put up the precautionary spells, and then I stay the night. No one would be able to tell the difference."

"So we just sit and do homework?" James asked incredulously.

"Yup. I'll help you with essays and things and you can help me with wand work."

"I suppose it could work." James said.

"Of course it'll work." Marlene said confidently. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, finishing off their toast. James had one more question to ask her, but he felt odd bringing it up. Marlene seemed to be able to read his thoughts.

"What's up?"

"Um, why me?" James asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you pick me? Why not, I dunno, Sirius or something? He's more popular than I am and he doesn't have a reputation of being entirely in love with someone."

"Because kissing Sirius would be weird." Marlene replied calmly, standing and picking up her text book. "Come on, we should get to bed." James stood and took her hand, wondering why, exactly, kissing Sirius would be so weird.

.o.O.o.

A/N: If you have a second to type an adjective (such as cute, awful, decent, entertaining, etc.) into the review box and then click the Post Review button, I would be eternally grateful!

And if anyone was wondering where I pulled the middle names from, I really like the name William, Orion is always used as Sirius's middle name and when I looked up Pleiades (I was writing this after watching Treasure Planet and the main character's name is James Pleiades Hawkins) I found this: 7 daughters of Atlas and half-sisters of the Hyades who were placed among the stars to save them from the pursuit of Orion. I was originally gonna use Pleiades for James, but once I saw that I had to use it for Peter!

Tapi