Chapter 4

When James, Sirius and Peter caught up with the Slytherins they found themselves outside in the courtyard. In the dark outfits Narcissa and Regulus were wearing, they were swallowed up in the darkness along with their conversation. They all sat, hunched around a low wall, whispering in hushed voices with quick glances towards the front doors.

The music still managed to flood the night air.

The three marauders managed to duck out the front doors unseen by the Blacks and hid in the shadows of the front steps. From their angle, they could just make out Regulus' pale face pinched in what looked like frustration.

"What is that nasty git up to?" Sirius voice sounded viscous in James' ears and he turned to look at his friend in worry. He didn't like the tone in Sirius' voice. Nor the look of anger on his face.

Lily wouldn't speak to him if he did something to wreck her well planned night.

"Sirius-"

He was cut off when Sirius shoved a hand to his mouth, shushing him with a motion of his hand.

Narcissa was looking straight at them.

For one heart pounding moment, they felt relief when she turned away from them, but it was quickly replaced with cold realization as Regulus turned quickly in their direction, removing his wand.

Sirius already had his out and was stepping out of the shadows. James followed quickly, fumbling for his wand which was sticking out of his pocket.

Peter was mumbling something to himself and stayed where he was.

"Sirius." Regulus' quiet voice was barely heard over the laughter and music coming from the hall, but they could see his eyes; angry and sharp, shift over his brother than onto James.

"Dear cousin." Narcissa moved around her younger cousin to face Sirius now, a grin on her own pale features. "Trying to spy?"

Sirius laughed, though it sounded slightly different than usual. James felt his grip on his wand tighten. "Are you doing anything that shouldn't be spied on Narcissa?"

She laughed too, shrill and mad. "We were just discussing your friends actually..." Her gaze drifted over to James now. "Weren't we Severus?"

Both James and Sirius turned to look quickly at the taller boy standing next to Regulus. He was dressed in a hooded outfit and hadn't recognized him before.

Sirius tensed, and James knew why.

Severus looked almost like a Death Eater.

"And what, exactly, were you discussing?" Sirius' voice was low and dangerous now, his eyes staying on Snape who seemed to shift uncomfortably under his gaze.

"How your James here is dating a filthy mudblood."

James' reaction was fast. His wand was up, pointing at Narcissa before she could blink. His gaze was fierce. Daring her to try and say something more.

But she did.

"What you don't like that? Don't think she's a mudblood? Filthy blood traitor..."

This time, at the mention of Lily being a mudblood, James noticed Severus' involuntary twitch.

He ignored it.

"Shut your mouth Black."

Sirius had his wand raised and was standing next to James. They heard Peter shuffling behind them, whimpering.

"You can't do anythi-"

"Watch me!" James hollered

The scene suddenly turned chaotic.

James, normally good at dueling only managed to stupify one of the unknown Slytherins as they moved forward to protect Narcissa, before he was suddenly hit with a well placed curse by Severus.

He fell to the side with the force of the attack, knowing full well he was bleeding by the throbbing pain across his cheek and the growing warmth that seeped across this face and down his neck. His top hat rolled away as his head made contact with the cobblestones.

Everything went out of focus.

Narcissa yelled in fury and Regulus' voice mixed in the with hers as they moved back from the enraged Sirius who, when James looked up, was clutching his wand arm. His wand was somewhere on the ground behind him.

Then Narcissa was standing right above James, that mad grin on her pinched face. "Blood traitors have to be done away with." Her voice quiet and deadly.

Then she was gone along with the rest of the Slytherins.

Sirius let out a string of curses and moved into James' line of view again. He didn't say anything, but James was suddenly being helped to his feet by both him and Peter.

They were all silent for what seemed like forever until Sirius muttered, "I hate them."

"I'm sure they think the same thing about us." James told him bitterly, touching a hand gently to his cheek. "What the hell did he do to me?"

"You've got a cut on your cheek." Peter's voice was just a squeak from his side.

"And where were you during that anyway!" Sirius rounded on the smaller boy suddenly but James held him back, quickly grabbing his arm. "Cowering here in the corner well we-" He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair causing the cat ears he still had on to become more lopsided. He turned away from both of them.

"Let's find Remus." James told him quietly, pressing his sleeve to his bleeding cheek and glaring towards the castle. The doors the Slytherins retreated to. "There isn't anything we can do now."

They fell silent again, listening to the noises from the castle, as if dreading entering it once more. To face the humiliation...

Lily would know when she saw him.

He didn't want to disappoint her.

"Peter." James spoke to him, knowing he was there, nervously by his side. "Go get Remus and bring him here."

He nodded, and obediently rushed back towards the castle, stumbling on the slippery steps for a moment before disappearing past the doors.

James and Sirius didn't look at one another, not even when Sirius spoke to him. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head, noticing that Sirius was still clutching his own arm. But he didn't ask about it. Sirius would just reply the same.

It seemed hours before Remus moved out of the castle, walking quickly towards them, his bunny ears in hand, an I-told-you-so look on his face.

James wanted to shrink away.

"Your bleeding." He stepped up to James and pried his hand away from the bloody mess on his cheek. His voice was cold. He wasn't pleased with them obviously.

"I figured that out, yes Moony."

The werewolf shot him a glare and raised his wand to the wound.

A quick healing and cleaning spell later and he felt his cheek tingle faintly. Strangely.

Remus moved to Sirius, but he seemed unable to help him.

"Does it hurt?" Remus asked the question, and Sirius replied just as he thought he would. A shake of the head. Remus frowned. "Good, because you'll have to get that fixed tomorrow. I think the nurse in at the ball." He looked back towards the castle than suddenly turned to James, his glare intensifying. "Lily's wondering where you are."

He felt a surge of guilt wash through him so large that he had to look away from his friend. "I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me that."

Without another word, Remus turned and walked back to the castle, Peter following in his footsteps unsurely.

After a moments hesitation, James sighed and began to follow. "C'mon mate..."

But Sirius only shook his head and looked at the ground, his hair falling into his eyes, his arm slightly limp at his side. "Go on, Prongs. I'll catch you up."

He knew he wouldn't.

He knew he wouldn't see Sirius again until later that night in the dorms.

But there was nothing he could do.

"See you."

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It felt strange, back in the warmth of the castle, surrounded by students drunk with the nights activities. Laughing, dancing and swapping stories. Enjoying the band and the costumes.

It felt like he had walked back into a place he'd never been. A place that seemed so out of reach now...

Lily made her way over to him almost as soon as he entered into the room, her beautiful green eyes blazing furiously.

She knew.

But she didn't say anything.

She stopped a few steps from him, crossing her arms over her chest.

She looked so beautiful in that dress.

"Lily-"

"Don't James, just..." She trailed off, her gaze melting momentarily to one of worry as she took in the traces of the cut still on his cheek and the blood on his sleeve. "Why did you even have to go?"

He didn't know how to answer.

All Slytherins are bad. They can't be trusted.

He didn't have to follow them outside... he knew.

"We didn't think-"

"No, well that's fairly obvious."

He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He realized suddenly his hat was still outside. "Can we go and talk?"

She was quiet, just... watching him well a few students pushed past them, tired and going to their dorms.

He felt his heart pounding in his ears. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, letting her eyes trail from his face down his chest than finally to the floor. "I was worried... so I didn't want to follow Remus and Peter outside."

"I'm sorry." He repeated, wanting so badly to be alone with her right now. Though he could probably pretend they were very easily. He could always just see her in a crowd of people.

"Go up to bed, James. I'll see you in the morning."

She turned away from him, though it seemed with great difficulty, and wound her way through the students till she was out of site.

Defeated. Exhausted. Humiliated... and now annoyed and heart broken; he turned to head up the commons, deciding he'd wait up for her anyway.

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AN: Now we're getting even more into the story line... you'll just have to wait and see.

Hope this was alright...

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