Written in QLFC Season 9 Round 5 for the team Falmouth Falcons

Position: Chaser 2

Main prompt: Jealousy

Optional prompts: (word) dangle, (object) bottle of wine, (word) casual

Word count: 1278

A.N.- Minnie is Minerva McGonagall, Lils is Lily Evans, Prongs is James Potter, Padfoot is Sirius Black, Moony is Remus Lupin, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew.

Warning: Alcohol drinking

Guess who thought I had a crush on them?

O-O-O

The party was a rowdy one. After all, they had just won the Quidditch cup of the year, effectively winning them the house cup unless someone jeopardized that with their stupidity, and by someone, everyone – even the Marauders – meant the Marauders.

"I think Minnie is celebrating too," roared Sirius into the ear of James Potter over the loud chatter and wizard radio music. He nursed a glass of firewhiskey, standing over a study table with James, who was pouring firewhiskey into a conjured glass.

"Minnie is probably drunk enough to give us a run for our money," James replied, opening another bottle of some sort of red wine.

"What's this?" Sirius asked, taking a small gulp from his own glass of firewhiskey, wincing as it stung in his throat. Even after four years of drinking this stuff at house parties, and growing to love it, he had never gotten used to the burn.

"This, my friend, is a special improvised cocktail, named by me as New York Fire Sour," James said with serenity on his face as if imparting the greatest knowledge known to mankind. Looking at Sirus' face, it did look like he was.

"Where are the others?" James asked, squeezing a lemon in the drink, and taking a sip, enjoying the sour blend of wine that felt like fire going down his throat.

"Moony took Wormtail to the infirmary. I told Wormtail to go easy on the butterbeer. You know he can't handle much alcohol, but he didn't listen," Sirius told James, looking slyly towards the big bowl of butterbeer in the opposite corner of the Gryffindor common room.

"And?" James asked knowingly. He had known Sirius for seven years and he knew there was more.

"Because I might have spiked it with tasteless potion combined with firewhiskey." Sirius hid his grin behind the glass of firewhiskey, taking another sip.

James laughed at his friend – no – brother, all but in blood, and glanced around the common room. Now he understood why his housemates were buzzing around like bees. They were all unknowingly drunk.

"Well people should know better than to drink something that I have been around of," Sirius said defensively and saw Lily coming towards them, a bottle of wine dangling in one hand and a firewhiskey bottle in another.

"Whoa, Lils! You are gonna end up like Wormtail if you don't slow down," James laughingly warned as he put his glass down on the table and tried to take the bottles from Lily.

"No, I am not," Lily slurred a little as she let go of her bottles and stumbled into James just as he had put the bottles beside his glass on the table.

"Easy, Lils," James said, opening his arms to hug Lily, his girlfriend. Her presence still made him fuzzy, just as it had for all these years he had a crush on her. But now, they had been dating for almost a year and the butterflies in his stomach seemed to have increased in number.

"Sirius," Lily said, acknowledging him and directed a small smile towards him.

"Hey, Lily. How much did you drink?" Sirius asked as he smiled at Lily.

"Just one of each," Lily replied, extracting herself from James' arms and reached for the bottle of firewhiskey standing on the table.

James laughed at her antics and saw her walk into the group of her friends, all cheering as she showed them her bottle of firewhiskey.

O-O-O

Sirius watched with a forlorn expression as Lily walked towards her friends. It warmed him to see her with James. They both looked much happier than they had for as long as he had known them, but he couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Hey, Padfoot, are you ok?" James asked with concern on his face as he studied Sirius' face.

He had schooled his expression but it must have stayed for a moment too long for he saw James frowning as he tried to make sense.

James knew him and there was no hiding his emotions from one of his best friends. He sighed and prepared for the difficult conversation they were about to have. It might have been the alcohol talking but he needed to sort this out.

He looked around and saw that they were almost alone and no one would be able to hear their conversation. He sat down on the chair around the table and put his glass near James', pouring firewhiskey and wine, making the same blend as James.

He put a casual look on his face, avoided James' eyes, and mumbled, "I might be jealous of your relationship."

O-O-O

James barely heard the sentence over the loud noise of the common room.

"What?" James asked, astonished as he took in Sirius' words and tried to make sense of them. "Why? Did I do something?"

"No! It's not your fault," Sirius exclaimed as he quickly looked up at James, who had a guilty expression on his face.

"Do you like her?" James asked tentatively. He should have foreseen this. She was a smart and beautiful witch and other people, other than him, were bound to have a crush on her.

"What? No!" exclaimed Sirius as he took in what James was thinking.

"So, do you have a crush on me?" James questioned, a slightly confused smirk on his face as he relaxed a little.

"Maybe," Sirius replied with a sly smile of his own, holding it for a few moments, then they burst into laughter.

A few moments later they settled down a little and took a few sips of their drinks.

"I think I am jealous that you have found someone you cherish, someone you love and I haven't," Sirius admitted with a miserable expression, trying to hide his despair as he took a long sip of alcohol.

"You know, it really got out of hand during the Christmas break when we all stayed here at Hogwarts."

James recalled Sirius' foul mood over the Christmas break. They also had a little fight over some stupid reason he couldn't seem to recall. At that time had thought it was because Sirius felt he didn't have a family who sent him presents, but now he knew the real reason.

"I am sorry that you feel that way, Padfoot," James said sincerely, hoping that he could say something that would make Sirius feel better. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No. I have got to work on it. It's much better now," Sirius admitted, gulping the last of his drink and setting the glass on the table. "Also, I have a date tomorrow evening."

"What? With whom? How come I never heard of this?" asked James, pulling an offended expression.

"Because I asked her just before the party. I am going with Marlene McKinnon," Sirius said, standing up, waiting for James to finish his drink.

"Good for you, Padfoot!" exclaimed James and patted Sirius on the back, standing and looking around the room. They saw Remus and Peter making their way towards them, former holding a glass of firewhiskey and the latter seemed to have opted for a glass of soda.

"And, by the way, you are handsome and all, Prongs, but I would never swing that way for you," Sirius said with a smirk, waving at the other two Marauders.

"But you did for Moony once!" James exclaimed in a fake offended voice.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did," Sirius replied in a way of explanation and started walking towards the other two Marauders.

"Guess who thought I had a crush on them?" Sirius asked as he heard James calling him back to explain himself.