So in an attempt to make up for my laziness I've been writing my fingers off and have another two chapters to post. YAY for lazy Fridays in bed. Hope you all enjoy and don't forgot to chuck in a review at the bottom. XOX

JAMES POV

Almost a week had passed since the incident with Remus, but the werewolf was still refusing to acknowledge him. To re-hash that, Remus had apologized constantly for three days straight, and then we he noticed how little James cared, he taken to ignoring him. The only reason James wasn't angry, was because he'd almost been expecting Remus' reaction.

And the fact that he remembered very little of that night probably helped considerably. James slugged down from his one-man bedroom, his satchel hefted over his shoulder. His and Lily's common room wasn't in its usual empty state – instead Lily had both Marlene and Alice over for their weekly, Tuesday night study session. James stifled a yawn as he flopped down onto the couch.

At the beginning of term he'd been over the moon to be sharing a common room with only Lily, but ever since the Remus-incident things had become tense again. Once he'd been able to rely on being surrounded by people after they fought, but since they now both retreated to the same common room it had just made things more and more awkward. And it didn't help, that instead of shouting and grueling him, Lily had taken up a stony silence. Maybe stony was the right word, James thought, glancing over at her. It was more curious, and sometimes she even looked intrigued. But somehow that was even worse.

She wasn't angry – that much James' knew since they'd been friendly during last night's patrols. Well, as friendly as they'd ever been. Teasing and jostles only came hand in hand when you put James and Lily together.

"Oh stop sulking," Marlene said, poking James in the thigh.

James blinked out of his daze. All three girls were watching him – each with entirely different expressions. Marlene looked nauseatingly all knowing, as if she could somehow read James' thoughts. The thought bothered James immensely. Alice looked as if she had a smile on the tips of her lips. Off the three girls Alice was the most romantic, and she'd often dropped hints to James that he and Lily would make a great couple. He appreciated the gesture, but never failed to point out that he agreed wholeheartedly with her, and that it was Lily she should be trying to convince not him. Then there was Lily. She was perched on the edge of Alice's armchair, her friend's essay clutched in her fingers. James' wasn't sure how to explain her expression but it looked as if she were about to leap from the chair and throw herself at him. She looked so fragile, so uncertain, so indecisive.

"I'm not sulking," James argued, scowling at his cousin. Her expression was the easiest to figure out, that he aimed his words at her.

"Yes you are," Marlene flaunted. She looked pleased with herself. "You're bored and your crew of insufferable friends aren't here to appease you."

"Insufferable?" James repeated. "You don't happen to be referring to your boyfriend?"

"That's exactly who I'm referring to," she continued, her mannerisms heavily swaying towards a joking tone. "I invited that little prat over tonight but he's occupied with something else."

At that James frowned. He was about to speak, when Lily sliced through his thoughts. "You invited him over here? Him as in Black?" She asked. "Even though you were well aware of your other priorities." She waved her wand over the display of textbooks and scattered, half written essays.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "After you left Lily," she said.

"And what makes you think I'd leave my common room with only you and Black to look after it?"

James tutted. "Our common room," he pointed out.

Lily scowled at him. She'd been teasing with Marlene, but with James the annoyance fall into place almost simultaneously. And to think that they'd gotten along so well after Quidditch trials.

"Is that why you're buddy-ing me up?" James said, turning to his cousin.

"Huh?" Marlene said, innocently scratching out a line on her parchment.

"Don't play me the fool," James teased.

"Well is it working?" Marlene asked.

"Even if it were, I couldn't tell you. I have no clue what that boy is up to," James told her. Catching Lily's skeptical glare, he added. "Honestly."

"Don't you lot have ways of knowing were everyone is?" Alice asked. James' knew she was referring to fifth year when he used to stalk Lily around the castle.

Usually those sorts of comments would draw displeasure from Lily, but for once it seemed to perk her curiosity. She dumped her essay, and slide down to join Alice in her armchair. Once again, James found all three girls staring at him. This whole ganging up on James thing was already growing old, he thought miserably.

"C'mon girls," James said testily, backing up off of his chair. "Play fair."

Marlene smirked. "We could always search your room," she threatened.

James laughed at the look of disgust on Lily's face. Even though the marauders map was resting on his bedside table, there was no way they'd be able to figure it out. As for the cloak – well that was sprawled all over his floor.

"Evans doesn't look to happy with that idea," James pointed out. He was almost at the portrait door.

Marlene shrugged. "Don't you want to know what your best friend is up to?"

Honestly, James wasn't too fussed. Before Marlene, if he'd snuck off after hours it was usually to get with some chick in an empty classroom, or if the girl was easy, in a cramped broom cupboard. James didn't want to talk bad about his friend, but not once had Sirius mentioned how serious his thing with Marlene was. Sure he'd gotten Marlene a birthday present – something he'd antagonized over for ages – but that was typical Sirius foreplay. His motto during fifth year had even been – keep 'em happy till your bored of 'em. Luckily for him, the motto had never left their dorm.

"He's a big boy," James commented. He could sense that Marlene was put off by James' lack of interest, and he felt slightly guilty as she backed down. "I wouldn't worry," he added.

"I'm not," Marlene snapped back.

Alice and Lily hastily went back to their work. James and Marlene weren't the only two Gryffindor's with huge opinions and permanently stubborn backbones, but being cousins made them more comfortable around each other and whilst their arguments blew over quicker than most, they were usually some of the loudest and harshest.

"You know he might be studying," Alice said, although it was clear she didn't believe her words.

"I know what you're all thinking," Marlene growled. She shoved a finger into James' chest. "How about you go and do your secret marauder business and confirm everyone's suspicions."

James wasn't sure how he was supposed to explain how a single trip to his room would inform him of Sirius location but he left anyway. Back in his room he waved him wand over the map and muttered the password. It took him nearly five full minutes to locate Sirius since he was too lazily to strategically search each corridor, and had instead gone to places he'd thought Sirius would be. Alone in the astronomy tower didn't exactly scream Sirius, but there he was. James' watched his dot for a bit, wondering why Sirius was pacing back and forth.

James' first instinct was to go to his friend, but how was he supposed to explain where he was going to the girl. He glanced at his watch. He had patrols with Lily in less than an hour. Not for the first time, James wished that apparating inside the castle's walls was a thing. He scanned his room, only stopped to glance momentarily at his broom propped up against the wall. Using his broom to jump out from his window after curfew to check on his mate in the Astronomy tower was definitely detention worthy. In fact, James' suspected it'd break enough rules to impose a months worth of detentions.

Why was he even contemplating the risk when he could easily stroll through the castle confident in the fact that his being Head Boy would distill any suspicions of his late night intentions? The answer was simple. Whatever Sirius was doing, James knew that bringing the girls along – since Lily would insist, Marlene would argue that it was her girlfriendly duties and Alice would tag along for fun – would just cause Sirius to hide the truth behind his wall of sarcasm and pratty comments.

"All right you idiot," James spoke aloud, picking up his broom. He eyed the cloak on the ground, but decided against it. It was most likely to just fly off. He shoved the map into his cloak pocket, kicked his invisibility cloak under his bed and shuffled over to the window.

Once he was outside and zooming through the darkness, James couldn't help whooping and doing a couple of loop-de-loops in quick succession. The night was cloudy, which hide the moon perfectly and cast James into thick shadows. Bottling up his excitement, James pulled his broom in the direction of the Astronomy tower.

All up it look less than a minute to fly there. The marauders had all sorts of short cuts around the school, but none that cut of at least fifteen minutes. He flew through the nearest window, almost crash landing straight into a surprised Sirius.

The boy yelped in confusion, instantly reaching for his wand and brandishing it at James.

"Hey," James shouted. "Woah, Padfoot. Mate, it's me."

"Prongs?" Sirius said skeptically. Then, when he was sure it was his friend, "what the hell mate? Are you mental?"

"I had no other options," James protested. "I was cornered."

"Walking too above you now?" Even for Sirius, the words had too much sting.

"I was concerned," James explained. "Marlene said you turned her down, and really mate, when do you ever turn a girl down? I was peer pressured into performing our sacred rituals."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "All right, all right – tone it down. Filch has already been up here twice."

"What are you even doing up here?" James pressed.

"What do you think?" Sirius grumbled, waving a sealed envelope at James. "But I think Regulus has our owl."

"You can use mine," James offered, ignoring that fact that it was entirely out of character for Sirius to be up here, after hours, posting mail. But James knew better than to pry, Sirius would come around eventually.

"Thanks," he said, tying his letter to the leg of James' white owl.

"Who's it too?" James asked, picking up his owl and carrying him over to the window.

"My uncle," Sirius grudgingly offered. "Ellie knows were to go."

At that, James raised his eyebrow.

"Okay so I've used your bird a few times before, what gives?" Sirius said.

Shrugging, James stroked Ellie a few times before gently throwing her out the window into the darkness. "Want to talk about it?" James said, leading Sirius back down the steps and to the corridors below.

"Not really," Sirius said dejectedly. "But you're probably going to hear about it soon enough."

James frowned, growing worried. "Padfoot," he started slowly. "Has this got to do with your family?"

"When hasn't it got to do with them?" Sirius growled. "It's my uncle," he added, his voice softer. "Alphard Black." Noticing James confused expression, he continued. "You know who I'm talking about. Kinda like me with the whole hates his family and their blood purist ideals. He was in Ravenclaw during school, so they never disowned him. It's really only Gryffindor and Hufflepuff they have issues with. My cousin, Andromeda was Hufflepuff. But they only blasted her off the tapestry after she married Muggle born Ted and ran away with their kid."

Realizing he was starting to stray off topic, Sirius groaned and frantically ran his fingers through his hair.

"My uncles really sick," he said. "Mother is trying to get him to re-consider his will. He's really rich you see – not only with money but also with his estates. He has quite a few spread out throughout the country. My Aunt Druella wants him to give one to each of her daughters – well aside from Andromeda. And Mother wants some of the money for herself and Reg. But Alphard's not having any of it."

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Black family wasn't even bothering to help their relative; instead they were too busy squabbling over his will.

"So if he's not passing it to his family, what is he doing with the money?" James asked.

Sirius laughed at that. "Well that's the issue – he is giving away his stuff, but only to one relative. I know he means well, but it's basically turned the entire family even more against me."

"Hang on – what? Your uncle's given everything to you?" James nearly shouted.

Sirius gave him the stink eye.

"Sorry, sorry," James hastily whispered. "It's only, mate – that's a lot. You'd be set for life."

"If I survive through this. Mother's making my life a living hell, and even if she can't get the will revised before he dies, she'll probably torture it off me after. And there's not much I can do with the money, aside putting it away in a trust fund until I'm of age."

"Which is only four months away," James pointed out.

"This is getting depressing," Sirius complained. They'd almost reached the door to James' common room. "And don't you have patrols."

James risked a glance at his watch and muttered a curse. He'd only be a few minutes late, but any type of lateness was a one-way ticket out of gaining Lily's approval and friendship.

"Do you want to come inside?" James offered. "You can camp out on the sofa's if you don't feel like being near people."

"Aren't the girls inside?" Sirius pointed out.

"You should probably talk to Marly. She seemed off all afternoon."

Sirius winced. "Maybe in the morning. Night Prongs."

James waved his friend off, fuming with anger that was directed straight at the Black family. He was planning exactly what he'd say and what hex he'd use if he ever met the infamous Walburga Black, that he completely forgotten the fact that he had a broom in hand and was last seem strolling up to his room. The three girls spun on their feet, wandering who the hell would know the password, before realizing that it was James.

"What in Merlin's name," Marlene started, before her eyes trailed to the broom in his grip. "James Robert Potter, if you tell me you flew from your bedroom window I will hex you into tomorrow."

"You have got to be kidding," Alice said, but her tone varied immensely from Marlene's. James swore he heard some admiration in her words.

"Rest assured girls," James said. "For I was not caught, and I did find Sirius." Hooking his focus onto Marlene he pointedly added, "a very alone Sirius."

Rolling her eyes, Lily waved a finger at him. "Hurry and dump that broom before I decide to give you a couple hundred detentions."

"That's definitely a positive improvement Evans," James said, winking and wondering when they'd gone back to using last names.

"I'm getting close Potter," Lily said smoothly.

James ran for the stairs, and was about halfway up when he overheard Lily's voice floating towards him – "he may be a prat but you have to give it to him, that boy's got talent."

Heart thumping, James paused instantly.

"He's still a prat," Marlene said loudly, causing James to snicker before realizing it was overtly obvious as to what he was doing.

The rest of the hike to his room was done in maximum silence.