AN: Hi guys! PLEASE, please, please review! Thanks to powerofthename for your review of chapter 2!

Everything you don't recognize belongs to JKR. :)

Chapter 5: Year Three

James' POV

James stared at the back of her red hair, the mistletoe growing above her. Sirius' figure retreated. It felt like someone had suckered punched him and time was frozen on this moment.

She liked Sirius? Sirius?

James took off in the other direction. He knew Sirius had detention tonight, and typically he should be spending dinner with him. But no way was he going to catch up to his best friend now. Ex-best friend as far as he was concerned. He bumped into some first years.

"Oi! Watch it," a brave kid said to him. He seemed feisty; kind of like a small James.

James glowered with his wand out and said, "You watch it, small-fry."

The first years grumbled but shuffled away. Because he was pissed, and because that kid was a punk and needed to put in his place, James muttered a spell to tie his shoelaces together as they left, but it just missed and got a fifth year. He tripped and his three buddies turned menacingly to James.

Excellent, he thought.

He could use a good fight.

James Potter, thirteen and sulking, showed up to detention none the wiser. After taking on four fifths years and putting one of them in the Hospital Wing he still had an itch that just hadn't been scratched.

She liked Sirius.

Sirius.

His best mate. And not him. Not even greasy, smelly Snape! Why'd it have to be Sirius? Even Remus was a better scenario inside his head, though the thought of her liking anybody else made him queasy.

But why's it have to be Sirius?

"Scrubbing dishes . . ." Filch muttered as he led the way. "Why in my day, we hung 'em by their thumbs. In the dungeon! I miss the old days . . ."

James had heard it a million times. He kicked a loose stone, hands in his pocket, and face sullen.

"Well," Filch smacked his lips. "Here we are then. You'll not be using magic. You know the drill. Told the elves not clean a single dish. I'll be back at midnight. If you're done by then you lot can go."

James didn't pay his words any attention. He kicked open the door and stocked in. Inside he found —-

"Hey, mate," Sirius grinned. He stood by the sink, sleeves rolled to his elbows, hands sudded as he wiped a dish. "Missed you at dinner." James just stared. He hated the stupid grin on his stupid friend's face. Sirius, turning back to the dish, continued. "Heard what happened though. Shame about Arnold's elbows switching arms, eh? Wicked bit of Transfiguration —- wish I'd seen it."

Sirius looked up at James' silence to find him glowering. Wordlessly, James marched over to the sink opposite the room of Sirius and got to work. Knowing something was wrong - because James always shared in a good joke (especially when he had bragging rights) and because they always work side by side - Sirius furrowed his brows.

"You alright?"

"Fine," he said shortly. He grabbed some dishes and started scrubbing. There were literally over a thousand dishes, platters, and goblets laid out before them, in teetering stacks from the floor to the ceiling. Most still had left overs on them, some with half-chewed chicken drums, and others with what looked like food chewed and spit back out. It was disgusting, and a huge amount of work for the two of them. If they worked till next Sunday it still probably wouldn't be enough time.

"You sure about that?"

"Just peachy," James said through gritted teeth, scrubbing a burnt pot with all he had.

After a short pause: "Oookay . . ." Sirius turned back to his sink. Halfway through cleaning the dish he glanced at James' back. "Did you like the idea Pete had for the map?"
"Yes."

"Did you do any research for it?"

"Did you?" he didn't know why this set him off, but James' blood started to boil.

"Nooo, I've been here . . ." Sirius explained like he was talking to a five year old.

"Well maybe you should be where you should be and not where you shouldn't be," James said tersely.

Sirius looked at him bizarrely . "What? I can't even begin to understand that."

James glared at his pot, which was well beyond clean at this point. He determinedly focused on not looking at his ex-best friend. "I mean, that maybe you should stay away from things that aren't yours."

Sirius furrowed his brows. "Wait - is this about the snitch I borrowed from your trunk after you knicked it from the quidditch supplies again?" he asked incredulously. "I'll put it back."

James hunched his shoulders. "Maybe," he said gruffly. "But if it is, than maybe you shouldn't be playing with things that aren't yours." The pot was definitely clean now, but James scrubbed like he had a point to prove.

"Well it's not like it's yours either," Sirius pointed out.

"Well maybe it could be!" James countered. "If people didn't keep messing with what's mine!"

Sirius threw down his dish in the sink with a clang! "Alright! That's it! What the hell is wrong with you? What are you going on about? It's just a stupid snitch."

James threw down the pot as well. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me! I'm not the one who's acting like a prat!" Sirius spat.

James barked out a laugh, "Oh - Oh! So I'm the prat then? I'm the problem here?"

"Yes, you're the bloody problem," said Sirius. "Now stop brooding like a girl and tell me what it is so I can tell you can get over it. Than we can finish these stupid -"

Bonk! The soap hit Sirius in the head. After a second of processing, Sirius looked at James and roared, lunging, and the two rolled over. Dishes toppled over, and James got in a good punch. Sirius pulled James' back by the hair and managed to pry him off with the clatter of a hundred dishes crashing to the floor. Food dirtied their robes, as well as soap and pumpkin juice.

"What did you say to her?" James said in a strained voice, rolling his ex-friend onto his back and grabbing him by the robes. Mashed potatoes was in his messy hair, giving him a wild look.

"To who? You're barking!" Sirius socked him and managed to scramble to his feet.

"EVANS," James roared, kicking up soap. He panted. "I saw you, Sirius. You were being," he gestured wildly, "you. Flirting. And I saw her. She looked at you, and mistletoe grew."

They stared at each other. Sirius was quiet.

James glared. "What. Happened."

Sirius started and stopped a couple of times. Eventually he kicked some dishes and they shattered.

"I don't know, alright!? I can't help it! I mean - You can't!"

James looked bewildered. "Wai - what?"

"Evans! She's alright! Alright? She's . . . I don't, know, she's fit! I tried to -"

James held up a hand to stop him. "Wait." He took a second to process this. "You - You like Lily?"

Sirius looked confused and like James was stupid. "Isn't that what you just - ?"

"NO," James said. "I thought she - ?"

Sirius cut him off with a shake of his head. He shuffled his feet and looked down guiltily. "I . . . I have for a while now . . ." James couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I just . . . I couldn't help it mate. I thought - maybe . . . " He shuffled his feet and finally braved a look at James. "You would be okay -"

"Okay? OKAY?" James had a crazed look in his eye. "AFTER THREE YEARS? After everything? After Valentine's presents, and pranks, and Snape and after everything?"

"I thought -"

"You thought! You though what, exactly?" James stared with hatred in his eyes. "That I would just be 'okay' with it? With you?" He glared. Sirius opened his mouth stubbornly then thought better of it. "Well I'm not. And you're not going near her." Sirius narrowed his eyes as if he dared James to try and stop him and James gave him a disgusted look.

"We're done here, Sirius," James said, turning away. Some sauce dripped from his robes and dozens of dishes lay broken on the floor from their brawl. "Forget this. Forget you, man. I'm outta here." He held up his hands to signify he was done, and walked away.