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Staring out of the dirt encrusted windows of the hogs head bar, James had to question how great this idea had been. A date had seemed to be the perfect idea at the time, it would bring a touch of normalcy to his relationship with Narcissa and with other people around, James would have to control how he was with Narcissa. Their private meetings were becoming increasingly more heated and passion fuelled; their last one had resulted in James going swimming in the great lake to cool off.
However, perhaps the hogs head wasn't the best choice, the bar itself was grimy; the patrons scary; the bar tender looked oddly familiar although James couldn't place his face and the whole place had a subtle stench of goat.
As the door opened and yet another hooded figure walked through, James could feel his heart sink again. Narcissa had taken some convincing before agreeing to a date, and after waiting for thirty minutes James was starting to suspect that she had only agreed to get him to shut up. However, as the hood fell from the hogs head's newest customer, James recognised the flash of golden hair.
He could feel himself smiling as he stood up to welcome Narcissa Black to his table. He laughed as her nose wrinkled at the surroundings: "This was your choice Cissa, we could have gone somewhere more cosy."
"We could have, but I'd rather not spend our date being stared at by idiots. I can stand a little dirt," she said before leaning in to kiss him gently. As he pulled her closer Narcissa placed a firm hand on James' chest, "I thought the idea of this date was so we wouldn't be tempted to go too far Potter," she said smiling.
"It was a stupid idea; if we hurry we can get to the shrieking shack before anyone notices."
"And what would you do to me once we got there?" Narcissa asked as she slipped into the booth, shrugging off her jacket to reveal a figure hugging pale green dress under it.
James could feel himself gawping at the dress, or rather the body that it clung to sensuously. The dress had caused a moment of distraction, "once we got where?"
Narcissa laughed delightedly at James' reaction: "See something you like, James?" she teased. James was surprised, not just by how Narcissa looked, but by her manner. She seemed to be enjoying herself more than before.
"Maybe. You seem different Cissa, has something happened?"
"Actually yes, Andromeda finally owled me back. I suspect Sirius asked her to, but never the less, it is good to hear that she is okay and the she doesn't hate me."
"See, telling my friends about us was a good idea."
"Maybe it was, although your friend Peter continues to stare at me as though I'm a poisonous snake."
"So nothing has changed then?" James joked. He knew his friends were still getting used to the idea of him dating a slytherin but he was hoping they would eventually get over it. The only exception seemed to be Sirius, who seemed to have accepted the relationship with a surprising ease ever since he had talked about it with Narcissa. A part of James wondered if Narcissa had hexed her cousin, or at least hit him over the head with something large enough to cause a concussion.
"I suppose not," Naricissa smirked, "Although I always thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave. Peter seems permanently afraid of something."
"That's wormtail for you. Never really knew what that hat was thinking when he put him into Gryffindor."
"That's funny I used to say the same thing about Sirius."
"So did Professor McGonagall,"
As the conversation evolved from this teasing back and forth to each of them describing any noteworthy events of the past week James found himself watching Narcissa's every movement. The way she crinkled her nose when she telling some distasteful part of a story, or would laugh before telling a joke. In fact James was watching her so closely that he didn't notice Sirius' entry into the hogs head until his friend crashed down onto the chair beside him.
"So what are you two love birds talking about?" Sirius quizzed as James groaned inwardly.
"I was just telling James that Slughorn has been kicking more people out of the slugclub. I think he wants to distance himself from the Voldemort supporters."
"And yet he's still not invited Prongs and I back into the club."
"What did you expect after that whole fiasco with the enchanted snake?"
"Oh come on it was funny, right Prongs?"
"Hilarious, what are you doing here? We're on a date." He retorted. He was glad Sirius and Narcissa had been getting on well, but it was still weird. Sirius had hated Narcissa up until two weeks ago and now they seemed to be the best of friends. In classes where they sat together due to the teacher's penchant for alphabetical seating, an amicable chatter had evolved from what had once been a stony silence between the two.
"I know, I wanted to make sure you were treating my little cousin well."
James could feel his eyebrows rise at the ridiculousness of what his friend had just said, but "She's six months older than you," was the only response his brain seemed to manage.
Luckily Narcissa's wits seemed sharper: "As opposed to what? The way you have treated me in the past?"
Sirius let out a dramatic sigh: "Fine, if you must know I was bored, Moonys studying for some test and Wormtails got detention."
"So you thought you would crash our date?" James felt himself smile despite his annoyance. Sirius would never change; he always needed to be annoying someone, somewhere.
"Maybe I just like the hogs head. Barman, my usual!" Within minutes a bottle of firewhiskey was on the table.
Both James and Narcissa just looked at Sirius for a moment. "How often do you actually come here?" James asked.
"Where did you think all that firewhiskey was coming from Prongs?" Came his friend's roguish reply as he fished a strange card from his pocket.
Narcissa grabbed the card from his hand: "Alphard Black, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. But…this clearly isn't you, there's a picture on it for crying out loud."
James stretched over to have a look at the card and stifled a laugh.
"Abe can't sell firewhiskey to Hogwarts students, he said all he needed was proof I wasn't a student."
"Does uncle Alphard know you have this?"
"Course he does, he was the one that told me that Abe could hook me up. Apparently they're old friends."
"So, this Abe, knows Uncle Alphard and yet you're using Uncle Alphard's identification to get sold?" Narcissa asked, looking between the two boys and together they all burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. The sound echoed in the almost empty bar.
"Pure genius!" James managed to choke between laughs as the remaining patrons of the bar turned to stare at the trio.
Suddenly the bartender was back at the table, grabbing the bottle of firewhiskey from them, he turned to Sirius: "Maybe you should all calm down," he told them as the group descended once more into laughter. It felt good, James thought, to just laugh at something so…idiotic.
After more talking, and a great many more butterbeers the three of them traipsed back to school, laughing over another joke. At a nod from his friend, Sirius disappeared along the path and James pulled Narcissa into an alcove.
"I'm sorry about Sirius interrupting out date. I promise next time I'll tie him up in the common room."
Narcissa smiled at the promise, "As if that would work James, and besides today was…perfect."
"Really? Even with your idiot cousin being there?"
"Yes, even with my idiot cousin. It was nice to be with…friends. To talk and laugh with them. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much, everything is so serious now." And then she kissed him. James could taste the butterbeer on her lips and could feel her heart beating. At the sound of snickering in the background James broke away from Narcissa, but she didn't look worried about being caught. She was smiling, "you were right, a date was a perfect idea."
