James caught up with Sirius in the next corridor. Unsure of how to start, he just greeted him. Sirius whirled around in a fury.

"What do you want? Come to laugh again?"

"You seem upset – I was wondering if you wanted to go flying to work it off." He received a flat stare in response.

"Why?"

"I always fly when I want to feel better. It clears my head. I think it's after hours, but we could sneak into the broom storage and take."

Sirius's face lit up at the idea of breaking the rules and having such a thrilling adventure. "OK, let's go."

The boys crept down the stairs, hiding in the shadows. The shed was locked, but both boys knew of the Alohomora spell as a mischief-maker's first tool. They quickly scanned the room and picked the first decent brooms they could find. They launched into the air just as Hagrid's lamp appeared. Their laughs rang loud over the grounds as they soared above the huge man, knowing that he was too large to follow.

James and Sirius swooped around each other, reveling in the freedom and wind in their hair. Sirius had had more practice, but James had a natural grace in the air that gave him the advantage.

They flew for about half an hour until Sirius aimed for the ground, tired. James was still enjoying himself, but he floated down as well, smirking slightly at his perceived victory. As they regained their breath, they started laughing again, but abruptly stopped when they each felt one of Hagrid's hands on their collars.

"Get off me!" Sirius demanded, twisting furiously under the firm grip. James, who was several inches shorter, had been lifted right off his feet and was pedaling comically in the air.

"Right, you two are going straight to Professor McGonagall. It's after hours, and you can't use school brooms without permission." He effortlessly tucked a boy under each arm and made his way back to the castle.

James groaned – he could not believe that he was in trouble again, and it was because of bloody Sirius again. It was bloody embarrassing to be dragged around like a backpack.

Hagrid arrived at the door and pounded on it. It opened, revealing a rather a sour-faced McGonagall, who raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two boys, who had just been dropped rather painfully on the floor.

"They sneaked out and stole brooms from the shed. They're yours, right?" Amazingly, the giant man seemed deeply in awe of the scrawny witch.

"Yes, they are mine, Hagrid. Come in, boys."

James and Sirius dusted off their clothes and entered, sitting in the chairs they were indicated.

"Well, can you explain yourselves?"

James felt the flame of injustice burning in his chest. He had just wanted to help Sirius feel better, as McGonagall had told him to do. Was he really going to be punished for this? But he could not stand up for himself – it would offend Sirius no end to hear that he had been patronizing him.

"It was my idea" he admitted flippantly.

"Really, Potter? I would never have guessed – you seem so reserved and shy" she answered wryly.

Sirius remained silent, and James glared at him.

"None of this is really very interesting to me. What does interest me is why you felt that the rules, which were clearly explained earlier, do not apply to you. You are forbidden to go outside after dark. You are forbidden to steal brooms from the school store. What I want is for you to explain what you were thinking."

Sirius grinned, his spirit returning. "Well, it was fun …"

"I see. Potter, wait outside while I talk to Black. I will be assigning your punishments separately.

James loitered outside, feeling a bit sulky. Sirius was only in there for a couple of minutes. When he emerged, he kept walking. "Sorry, she told me to go sharpish. See you later."

James entered the office for the third time that night.

"Well, James, this is becoming a bit of a habit."

"You told me to cheer him up!"

"I did not really mean bonding over illegal activity, Potter. Are you honestly expecting me to overlook this?"

To James's horror, he felt tears welling up. He stubbornly looked to the side, willing the tears to disappear. McGonagall's face softened slightly.

"Look, I realize that this seems unfair. Andromeda told me that you were originally given detention because you stuck up for Black, and now you think he has landed you here again. That is not true – your impulsiveness is the problem, though I admire the compassion behind it. I can't just let this go just because you meant well."

"So now what? I get detention again and I still have to be nice to the brat? Did he even get detention?"

"Of course he did, Potter, don't act like a baby. Now listen.

"I saw the two of you flying. You were having fun, don't deny it. It hardly looked like an effort to be nice to him. You are two of a kind – I certainly doubt that this is the last time I will have you both in my office. So I'm not telling you to suck up to him, but don't walk away from him just because you are upset.

"I have to give you detention because what you did was wrong. Don't gape – it was against the rules and I cannot tolerate it. Now it's your turn – what can I do to make it up to you? You have been wronged – what will make you feel better?"

"Get out of jail free card?" James suggested cheekily. He was vaguely impressed with McGonagall for even offering a boon.

"Not a chance."

"Move Sirius to Slytherin?"

"Absolutely not. I have a good idea – would you like to know where the kitchens are? I don't think that any of the students know."

James nodded, his eyes gleaming. The possibilities were endless.

McGonagall explained where the passage was. "Just have patience with Black. He is irritating, but he is in Gryffindor for a reason, and you might be the right person to find out."

When James returned to the dorm, only Remus was there. "What happened?" he asked.

"Well, sort of a long story. I was in detention, and then Sirius came in and was all upset because he's in Gryffindor and McGonagall wouldn't move him and he was even more upset and she told me to cheer him up and we went flying and Hagrid caught us and I got detention again and now I know the way to the kitchens!" James ran out of breath abruptly.

"Right, I think I got all of that. Did you really get detention again?"

"Aw, it was totally worth it. I love flying. Besides, who cares? The kitchen! Think of what we can do."

"Wow, James. I never realized you were so much trouble." Remus's comment was softened by his smile.

"Oh, come on, don't be such an old man. It'll be super-fun. Can you believe he asked to be moved?"

"Well, he does seem unhappy. He was complaining earlier that the common room is too hot and dry, and that the red hurts his eyes. Besides, he's a Black."

"I guess. Anyway, I'm tired of getting into trouble because of him. We're going to have some real fun!"

Remus looked slightly worried at his friend's look of determination and wondered what he had gotten into by befriending him, but he remembered James's kindness on the train and dismissed the thought. He was too serious and had to learn to have fun. "OK, but let's stay away from Sirius."

"Great! OK, we won't have an adventure tomorrow – I think I should lay low for one night. But then the madness begins."

Sirius returned, tailed by Peter. He ignored Remus as usual, turning to James. "Hey, Potter, can we talk?"

"I don't think so, Black. I prefer to make my own trouble, if you don't mind. Go away."

"Look, I'm sorry." He spat out the word as if he were unused to it. "I can't have McGonagall write to my parents – they're furious as it is. Yours are liberals – they won't mind. So I thought it would be best if you took most of the flack. It's not as if it worked anyway – I'm still in detention."

"You know, you make me sick, Black. You brag about your family all the time, but there's nothing noble about shifting the blame. My dad will care about me getting into trouble, but he'd prefer that to me being a liar."

"It was your idea, you prat."

"So? You went along with it. You had fun. But you're too good for Gryffindor, too good for the rest of us."

"I'm not supposed to be here, and I'm going to make life for you so bad here that you will be begging McGonagall to transfer me yourself. You will be moving my trunk to Slytherin and thanking me for leaving, you blood traitor."

The two boys, who had playfully chased each other through the air not an hour before, raised their fists. Remus got between them. "That is enough."

"Oh, look at mini-prefect half-blood, how cute" Sirius sneered. "Bellatrix told me who you are. The nerve of you, passing yourself off as coming from a real family. Nobody has ever heard of you – you could have any filth in your line. But don't worry, Potter the blood traitor is too noble to care."

James lost it completely and attacked. He had now gotten used to Sirius and figured out how to overcome his height disadvantage, and he had the larger boy pinned to the ground within minutes.

"Watch your language, Black. I'm getting really tired of you."

Sirius struggled to tip off James, but he felt pressure on his shoulders – Remus was pressing down with a strong grip.

"What is your problem? What makes you think you're so great? All you've done since you got here is show how much better you are. But you're not – you're a lying, lazy bully. Look, even your friend won't defend you." He indicated Peter, who was cringing in the doorway.

Sirius looked at James in confusion. "But I am better."

"How? Why are you worthwhile? Why would I want to associate with you? Explain, please"

"I'm a Black. I don't understand what you're asking."

"Listen, I don't care about your family. All I've seen is that one of your cousins is a flaming lunatic and another is a bit stuck up but mostly OK, but I'm not interested in making friends with senior girls, so I couldn't care less. What might interest me would be if you were smart or fun or a good friend, but every time I see something good in you, you mess it up again.

"So I'm leaving it for now. If you want friends here, prove it to me. If not, go and hang on your cousin's coattails for all I care. Now apologize to Remus and then shut up until you have something interesting to say."

He gave Sirius one last shove and got up. He stepped back quickly, anticipating another attack. But Sirius just sat there, looking completely lost.

"I'm waiting, Black. You will damn well apologize or you will regret it. I don't care if I spend the rest of the year in detention."

"Sorry, Lupin" Sirius muttered. He got to his feet and ran out the door.

Remus turned to James in exasperation. "Is it going to be like this all the time?"

"Maybe" James answered. "Either he'll shape up or he'll be so much trouble that he'll be moved to Slytherin. Don't really see the downside."

A soft thud interrupted him. Peter had fainted. In the process he had struck the edge of the doorway and was now bleeding profusely.

Sighing, the two boys hoisted Peter up and dragged him to the hospital wing. When they returned, Sirius was in bed, though they were sure he was pretending to sleep.

The next day, James was woken by Remus yet again. Peter had spent the night in the hospital wing. The two boys looked at each other warily, wondering what to do with Sirius. Eventually, James's eyes lit up with mischief; he whispered his instructions to Remus and told him to wait at the door, ready to leave.

Remus cast a Chilling Charm. His mastery was not perfect and it would only last a couple of minutes. But that was enough. Holding his bag, James crept silently over to Sirius's bed and pulled off the covers in a flash. He bolted for the door as Sirius howled from the sudden contact of the freezing air.

Ten minutes later, Sirius appeared at breakfast. He looked torn for a moment, his eyes flashing between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. He seemed to decide, and made his way over to Slytherin.

Sirius ignored his housemates the whole morning. At lunch his plan became apparent. He made his way over to Slytherin, but did not remain there – he simply spoke to someone and returned to sit next to James, though he did not greet him.

A few minutes later, James felt a prickling at the back of his neck. He glanced up – as he had suspected, Bellatrix loomed above him.

"Detention to Potter and Lupin for bullying." She gave a cruel smile. "Remember, don't mess with a Black. Treat your betters with some respect."

Remus and James looked at Sirius, shocked. They had not believed him to be such a coward.

Sirius smirked. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"But it was a joke!"

"Yes, and it was pretty funny. But that will teach you to speak to me as you did last night. That was a warning, Potter. Bella will curse you herself next time."

James was left speechless, but managed to calm himself. He did not need more detention.

Looking up, he saw Bellatrix returning, a determined look glinting in her eyes. But she ignored him this time; she grabbed hold of Sirius's long hair and pulled it back so that his head tilted upwards. Impressively, he did not make a sound.

"What were you thinking? You little idiot!"

James realized with a start that he had again mistaken Meda for her sister. But it was forgivable – her eyes were alight with the anger that he already learned to associate with Bellatrix.

"Detention, Sirius. See McGonagall at dinner." Meda released his hair and crossed her arms.

"Why, Meda? What did I do?"

"I will not have you ruin your time at Hogwarts by running to Bella every time you throw a tantrum. You know you can deal with things yourself – don't be such a coward. If I find out again that you are having Bella hand out detentions to people you don't like, I will assign you enough punishment to keep you busy until your OWLs."

"You can't do this!"

"Of course I can. You started this. Now you will finish it or I will finish you."

"Didn't Bella tell you what they did?"

"A bit rich coming from you. Would you like them to know how you released a Boggart at the Malfoys' ball?"

James gaped at Sirius – as angry as he was, he was half-filled with admiration at the ingenuity of the prank. The other half was marveling at Meda – she was truly as scary as her sister when she wanted to be.

"As for you two, try to behave yourselves. My cousin has far more tricks up his sleeve. And you, Scruffy, fix that collar already." She flicked her wand at Remus and the collar straightened. "If I have to fix it once more, I will glue it to your neck." Her sharp words did not conceal the good humour in her eyes.

She cuffed Sirius on the back of his head and then gave him a hug – he squirmed resentfully. "I'm sorry, Siri, but you'll thank me one day. Enough, all of you. Stop this nonsense."

James turned back to Sirius. "Are you happy?"

Sirius looked shocked. "I don't understand."

"It's quite simply – are you a bit thick? You reported us to Bellatrix, so Meda decided to dole out a matching punishment. I bet she can even come up with a rule that you broke, other than being a spiteful bastard. So, Sirius, what's your next move?"

Sirius had the decency to blush. "Not sure. I didn't really expect this – Meda normally spoils me rotten."

"I am sure she does." Remus's soft voice broke through with a force that James's exuberant chatter lost by its frequency. "She loves you. She wants you to be happy, and you'll never be happy if you go around acting like you do now."

"Come on, Peter." Sirius dragged his friend away, his voice breaking slightly.

"You think there's hope for him?"

"There is hope for everyone, James. Nobody is so twisted or dangerous that they are beyond redemption."

"I guess. I don't think he's actually that bad – just needs to drop the attitude. We might be close to breaking him. So, what are we doing to him tomorrow?"

"James, we just got detention for pranking Black. Shouldn't we calm down for a bit?"

"Why? Either he learns a sense of humour or he cracks and moves to Slytherin. Do you have a better plan?"

"Surely it would be better to talk to him …" Remus trailed off – he sounded silly even to himself.

"I've talked to him. It doesn't help – he's nice for a few minutes and then he gets all worked up about this House of Black crap. He needs to see that we're not afraid of him. Then he can decide."

Remus nodded slowly. James was good at reading people; he was probably right. In any case, he was enjoying the chance to show off some of the cooler spells he knew. He enjoyed James's avid admiration of his talents, though he could see that the smaller boy would overtake him if he applied himself properly. He reminded himself that there was a reasonable chance that all his good fortune would be short-lived – he should take full advantage of it while he could. Guiltily, he remembered all the earnest promises he had made to Dumbledore. But that was different – he was not putting Sirius in any real danger, just having some fun. He would never dream of allowing himself to hurt him, or anyone else. He briefly imagined James's carefree face scarred and disfigured, and winced. He shook the thought aside and began discussing plans for tomorrow's adventure.