Written for Quidditch League, Round 6

Team: Wigtown Wanderers

Position: Chaser 2

Prompt: James/Regulus

Additional prompts: (emotion) surprised, (trait) cheerful, (word) memories

i was just beginning (to see)

James' car won't start.

He curses under his breath and slams his hand against the horn, then curses again when Mrs. Black, his neighbour, glares at him. He can hear her shrill voice even before he rolls down the window to apologize.

"Sorry, Mrs. Black! Won't happen again!" James calls cheerfully. He flashes her his most brilliant smile, but Walburga Black is no teenage girl and therefore is immune to his charm.

"Teenagers! Irresponsible scum of the earth!" she rants. She doesn't even acknowledge that he has spoken.

James sighs as he rolls the window back up and pockets his key. There's no point in reminding her that her sons are teenagers too.

He remains in his car for another couple of minutes, giving his best mate's mother time to cool off a bit before he gets out. He fiddles with his mobile and even contemplates texting Sirius, but decides against it. Instead, he ponders how quickly he'll have to run to catch the next bus.

Once Mrs. Black's tirade appears to be over, James grabs his school bag and hightails it back to his house, where he quickly explains the situation to his mum. She promises to have someone come and look at his car while he's in school.

"Brilliant. Have I mentioned that you're the best lately? Love you, Mum!" James kisses her cheek and flies out the door.

On his way past the Blacks' house, he notices that the matriarch has gone inside, but Sirius and Regulus are standing on the porch, waiting for their chauffeur to pull around.

He waves.

"Oi, where are you going, mate?" Sirius calls.

"Bus!" James yells back. "My car won't start."

"Don't be silly, just ride with us!"

James jogs over, eyeing the sleek black car with a certain degree of apprehension. He has always wondered what it would be like to arrive at school in such a fancy vehicle, but he hasn't wanted to test Mrs. Black's wrath, and besides, he is quite fond of his car. It was a sixteenth birthday present from his parents.

"You sure?" He glances over at Regulus, whose face is curiously blank. The younger boy carries himself with his usual prim and proper airs, and James is tempted to laugh at him for it.

"Yeah, of course," Sirius answers. "What, you think I'd let you take the bus when you could ride in style?"

"You could have," Regulus mutters.

James' gaze flicks over to him. Sirius' brother has always intrigued him, in part because he is so unlike Sirius despite the two of them having the same upbringing. Where Sirius is loud and excitable, Regulus is quiet and poised. Sirius is a storm, while Regulus is the calm that precedes him.

"I won't come if Regulus has a problem with it," James says, his voice casual. While he would love the chance to observe Regulus more closely—he doesn't see much of him at school, and he and his friends don't hang out at Sirius' house—he doesn't mind taking the bus, either.

The chauffeur, Ernie, rolls down the window and sticks his head out. "What's the holdup here?"

James opens his mouth to respond, but Regulus beats him to it.

"We have an extra passenger today, Ernie."

James isn't able to keep his mouth from falling open in surprise. He didn't expect Regulus to allow him to ride with them, let alone be so gracious about it.

Sirius climbs into the car, unaware of James' shock. "It's probably going to be a bit cramped, but we'll make do. Regulus, you're the smallest, you sit in the middle."

James swallows hard, but he quickly pastes on his usual upbeat grin so that the Blacks don't suspect anything. Their school is only fifteen minutes away by car, yet the thought of sitting so close to the younger boy for any stretch of time is somehow incredibly nerve-wracking.

Regulus huffs out a breath but does as Sirius says. James follows, sliding onto the soft leather seat and dropping his schoolbag at his feet. Despite his best efforts to maintain some distance, his leg ends up pressed against Regulus'.

"This is cosy," he remarks, more out of a need to fill the silence than anything else. He takes in the rest of the vehicle's interior and lets out a low whistle. "You never told me how nice it is in here, Sirius."

Sirius grins at him over Regulus' head. "Sure I have, you just weren't paying attention. Too busy drooling over Lily, I reckon."

"Oi!" James' face burns as the memories come rushing back, reminding him of his foolish attempts to get Lily's attention. He grew tired of chasing her some months ago, but Sirius continues to tease him about it anyway. "I don't—I'm not—"

At the same time, Regulus asks, "Lily Evans?"

"That's the one." James risks a peek at him and finds blankness once more. "I, er, used to have a thing for her."

Sirius throws back his head and laughs. "I'd say it was more than just a 'thing,' James."

"Shut up." He folds his arms and turns to look out of the window. His leg is still touching Regulus', but he tries to focus on the sprawling houses in the neighbourhood instead of acknowledging the uncomfortable warmth growing inside of him.

Sirius actually grows quiet, and James is surprised once more. His best friend never actually listens when he is told to shut up. When James looks over at Sirius, however, he sees only the back of his head—Sirius is gazing intently at something outside.

James looks at Regulus again. The younger boy continues to stare straight ahead, his shoulders and back rimrod straight. James is willing to bet that if he placed a book on Regulus' head, it would balance perfectly.

Suddenly, Regulus looks down and opens the flap of his leather messenger bag. He moves a notebook out of the way to grab a book, which he then opens onto his lap. James doesn't notice which book it is, because he is too busy staring at the cover of the notebook. In neat handwriting, Regulus has written RB + JP. The second set of letters—initials?—has a tiny heart next to them.

James frowns. RB is probably Regulus, but who is this mysterious JP? He wracks his brain, mulling over the possibilities. How many girls go to their school and have names beginning with the letter J, anyway? The only ones who come to mind are Julie Baker and June Abbott. After a few minutes, James is forced to conclude that maybe the girl doesn't go to their school at all.

At some point, Regulus realises that James is looking at his notebook and he hastily closes the bag before returning to his book. His cheeks are red, and James can't help but find his embarrassment endearing. Regulus Black isn't always calm and collected, it seems.

Ernie mutters something under his breath, and James tears his eyes away from Regulus to look at him.

"Everything all right, sir?"

"Traffic," Ernie grouses.

James groans inwardly. His leg is hot where it meets Regulus', and the rest of him is beginning to feel rather toasty too. He wishes he didn't have to wear a uniform to school—he wants nothing more than to rip off his tie and shirt and maybe take a cold shower.

"Sirius." He starts to lean over Regulus to poke his friend's shoulder but thinks better of it. "Sirius, what are you looking at?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're in Remus' neighbourhood now," Sirius says without turning around.

"Ah." James suddenly understands. "Say no more, and have fun ogling our friend if you see him."

This time, Sirius tells him to shut up. He does, but not before exchanging an amused look with Regulus.

"So, er, you know Sirius fancies Remus too?" he asks the younger boy a minute later. The car is moving again, and they're only minutes away from school now.

Regulus looks up from his book and rolls his eyes. "He's not exactly subtle, Potter."

The way that Regulus enunciates the "P" in his last name reminds James of something. P...JP. His initials are JP—but he can't be the "JP" on Regulus' notebook, can he?

He shakes his head. What a ridiculous idea. Regulus probably isn't even into blokes. Still, the thought nags at him as the vehicle travels the last few blocks to the boys' school. Once there, Ernie navigates to the front of the drop-off line with ease—the other cars simply move out of the way.

"Have a good day," he says gruffly. The three boys thank him and exit the car. James stretches, relishing the cool, fresh air outside. Now that his head has been cleared, he decides he ought to just ask Regulus about the initials on his notebook. The worst that will happen is that Regulus will refuse to answer, and maybe James will get to see him blush again. When he turns to find him, however, he finds that Regulus has slipped away.

James is crestfallen for a moment, but then he grins. There's always the ride home.

WC: 1,527