Thanks for sticking with me. I've had a busy year (post-grads are great) and had this idea in my head for ages before I had time to post it. Hope everyone enjoys it. As always Thanks for taking the time to read it!
Bright Lights and Muggle Music
"James, where are we?" Narcissa asked, as the dark-haired boy led her down a road in London. She felt a flutter of nervousness, as she gazed around the streets. Although it was busy enough, people milling about and the bright lights of buses and cars, Narcissa didn't recognise the area at all.
"Narcissa, trust me," James replied smiling brightly. It was an odd smile, one that tried too hard to be innocent, Narcissa couldn't help but feel it was a smile usually reserved for their teachers at Hogwarts.
"Trust me does not tell me where we are, or where we are going. All you said about tonight was that it would be fun." After spending most of their Summer Holidays with one another, James had suddenly decided a "night out" was in order, but had decided to keep most of the information about the night a secret. Needless to say, Narcissa was starting to have second thoughts about letting James plan the entire thing.
"Ta-Da," James said suddenly has he turned to wave at a brightly lit and packed building at the end of the street, it had music blaring out the windows and various people of various states of drunkenness standing at the door and windows.
Apparently Narcissa didn't even have to say anything.
"Don't worry Cissa, I've been here before with Sirius and some friends, it's just a bar."
"It's a muggle bar, isn't it?" Narcissa asked, trying not to channel her mother as she asked. If it had been a wizard bar she was pretty sure Bella would have been here at one point.
"Come on," James replied taking her hand again, "If you don't like it, we can leave after one drink."
Inside the music was even louder, the lights brighter and yet Narcissa couldn't help but enjoy the atmosphere. With everything that was going on in the magical world, tension and suspicion seemed to be everywhere. And yet here, in a muggle bar, where no one had any idea of the ongoing war, that tension and suspicion was gone, everyone was just enjoying themselves.
"See, I knew I'd get you to smile," James said, leaning in to kiss her lightly. "What would you like to drink?" He asked as they made their way up to the bar.
"I don't know, just butterbeer probably?" Narcissa half asked as she looked at the many bottles of spirits on the wall of the bar, none of which she recognised.
"Cissa they won't sell butterbeer here, it's a magical drink."
Of course it was, Narcissa could feel her face heating up in embarrassment, she should have known that. "I don't know then; I'll have the same as you."
"Don't worry about it," James said, obviously noticing her embarrassment even in the dim lights, "my first time in a muggle bar I tried to order firewhiskey. I'm pretty sure the barman thought I was crazy."
As they finally edged their way through the crowd and to the bar the bartender took one look at them and demanded ID.
"Certainly, my good woman," James replied, pulling two cards from his pocket and trying to sound far too grown up in Narcissa's mind.
"Let me see those," Narcissa demanded, pulling the cards from James' hand once they had both been reviewed seriously by the staff behind the bar. "Sissy Blake? Seriously, where the hell did you get this…and why isn't my picture doing anything?" She half whispered, trying to prod the photo into movement.
"Because muggle photos don't move Sissy," he replied, trying not to laugh as Narcissa scowled at her new nickname. "Don't you know anything about muggles?"
"You call me that again Potter and you'll be wearing your drink, and no, in my family knowing about muggles is almost the same as being one." She explained as their drinks were handed to them. "What is this anyway?"
"It's a vodka coke" James replied, nodding over to an empty table in the corner. "How come Sirius knows so much about muggles then?"
"He never told you? He made this friend, years ago…I never found out the details, all I know is that the boy was a muggle. When my aunt found out that Sirius had been fraternising with a muggle, she hit the roof. Obviously. The friendship was ended; I don't want to know how, but Sirius retained an interest in all things muggle. Particularly motorbikes for some reason."
"He never mentioned it."
"He probably blames himself for whatever happened. Standard Gryffindor sense of obligation." Narcissa replied with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I'm liking these…vodka cokes?"
"So, are you saying that Slytherins don't have the same sense of obligation?"
"No, I'm just saying that we recognise that not everything is our fault. And that it's not our responsibility to fix it everything."
"I don't try to fix everything."
Narcissa half snorted her drink, trying not to laugh at James' valiant attempt to seem less honourable, "James the first time we spoke, you practically rescued me from freezing to death. We didn't know each other, you didn't even like me, yet you talked to me and tried to make me feel better."
It was amusing to see James shift about, trying to find the right words. "It was the right thing to do…And I did like you."
"You didn't know me. I was another Slytherin for you and Sirius to prank. But don't worry about it. Now let's dance, this music isn't half bad for Muggles." Narcissa said as she made her way onto the dance floor.
James stared at Narcissa as she danced her way onto the centre of the floor. It had been odd to hear those words coming from her, you didn't like me then, but it's okay. What bothered him more was the fact that she was right. She hadn't just been another Slytherin, she had been the Slytherin Queen Bee. The Slytherin that had embodied the worst traits of the house. It was almost funny how wrong he had been. Or how things had ended up, he noted to himself, before getting up to join Narcissa on the dance floor.
"It really doesn't bother you?" He asked, spinning her round, before drawing her towards him.
"No," Narcissa half laughed, "I didn't really think much of you either. Just another obnoxious Gryffindor and you were doubly annoying because you were friends with Sirius. I thought you were good looking though." She said almost as an afterthought.
That made James laugh. Or maybe it was just the energy of the club, it was almost infectious. He leaned in to kiss Narcissa. "Well I'm happy to know that I was at least considered a good looking, obnoxious Gryffindor."
After several more drinks and dances Narcissa and James had finally retreated to their table, having suitable tired themselves out.
"So…do you come here often?" Narcissa asked, before they both dissolved into laughter.
"What a pick-up line." James retorted. "And no, we met up with a cousin of Moony's a while ago, and he showed us this place. Had a pretty good laugh until Sirius got us chucked out. But I thought we could come, that it might be fun."
"It has been. What did Sirius do?"
"The usual, he was talking to some girl, turns out she had a boyfriend. Big guy, took an instant dislike to Sirius for some reason." James smiled at the memory. "Luckily we were able to break up the fight before anything major happened."
"Standard Sirius," Narcissa replied, swirling her empty glass around.
James checked his watch, "One more for the road?" He asked nodding at Narcissa's empty glass. They had tried a variety of different drinks, although James couldn't help but still feel that firewhiskey was superior.
"Why not."
As James made his way over to the bar he caught sight of a familiar flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Looking to the other side of the bar he saw Lily Evans, talking to pale, scrawny girl. Glancing back at Narcissa, he hesitated, but before he could retreat out of sight, Lily turned and locked eyes with him. He couldn't help but silently cursing, of all the pubs in the world, what was she doing in this one.
"Lily," James' greeted the fire haired Gryffindor as she walked over to him. He was used to seeing a look of scorn or the standard eye-roll every time he spoke to Lily, but that was gone.
"James, I didn't expect to see you at a muggle bar. Are you drunk?"
"Eh…No," he replied, ignoring the general fuzzing of his brain, "Even if I was, it's a bar. What are you doing here?"
"I was out for dinner with my sister, celebrating her engagement. She's meeting him here, so I agreed to wait with her." That was her sister? The resemblance was non-existent, James wisely decided to keep that observation to himself. Who said he never learnt anything. And that must be the fiancée, James noted as a large, blonde man greeted Lily's sister. Rather her than me. "I saw you here with the Slytherin ice princess, you've not been hexed, have you?"
And there was that look of derision again. "Not hexed Lily, we've been dating for a while."
"Why her?" She blurted out. Although from the look on her face, Lily was wishing she could swallow her words.
"Because she's beautiful, and funny, and interesting," he replied, more than a little annoyed at Lily's attitude. She hardly had any ground to stand on, being friends with Snivellus for years.
"Oh come on, she's a stuck up Slytherin, looking down at the rest of us mere mortals. So, she's suddenly decided you're, what? Worthy of dating…and you've leapt to attention."
Wow, where had this come from? "I pursued Narcissa, and she is nothing like that."
"She's a Slytherin."
"So is Snivellus, yet you've kept him around. At least Narcissa is good looking."
"Severus is a friend, nothing more. And it's not just her house, don't let Sirius fool you. Most people from families like theirs don't turn out right."
"Families like theirs? What the hell does that mean? I'm a pure blood, have I not turned out right?"
"No…I didn't mean that…it's just…"
"Hello Lily," came Narcissa's voice from behind James, as she slid her arm through his. "Having a good summer?"
"It's been great, and yours?" James could never understand women, and their ability to be perfectly civil to one another, when their voices were dripping with disdain.
"It's been busy," Narcissa half laughed, "right James?"
Her face was close enough to kiss, although James opted not to, under the circumstances. "Yeah, it's had its moments. Are those our drinks?" He said, trying desperately to end this conversation. Hell, if he had a time turner he'd have used it to get out of this whole situation.
"Yes. Let's take them back to our table. Lily, is that your sister trying to get your attention?" Narcissa responded, nodding in the direction of Lily's unlikely sister, before taking James' hand to guide him away.
"That was weird," James exclaimed when they finally sat down. Glancing at Narcissa, he could tell the encounter had bothered her.
"Does it bother you? That I'm from the wrong sort of family," practically hissing the last word.
"What? No, of course not. I don't know what Lily even meant by that."
"Yes you do. It's a family full of prejudice and hatred. Toujours Pur."
"You're not like that. Neither is Sirius, or Andromeda…even Bellatrix didn't seem that bad when I met her." Batshit insane though. "You are not your family. I love you, not where you came from."
"…Well remember that, because my parents want you to come to dinner before school starts."
"They what?"
"Well they know about you…they know we've been spending time together. Dad insists that they meet you. I think they just want to get a measure of you. I was going to talk to you about it tomorrow when we sobered up."
That'll be fun. A Black inquisitorial squad. "Will Sirius be there?"
"You don't want Sirius there, trust me, all he'll do is annoy my dad.
"Well that's better than me annoying him, right?"
Narcissa sighed, "Sirius won't be there, Bellatrix will be though. She promised to keep some of the heat off you." Somehow that wasn't comforting to James.
"They don't expect me to marry you, do they?" He started to realise he hadn't phrased that quite right when Narcissa shot him an annoyed look. "Not that I wouldn't…eventually. But we're still in school." Any my parents would kill me.
"Don't worry I don't want to get married either. And no, my parents don't expect you to marry me. Yet."
Yet, how comforting. "Yes, of course I'd be happy to come to dinner." He lied, hoping it wouldn't turn out to be a bad decision.
