She was occupying too many of his thoughts and being in a house with both Jane and James was going to drive him mad. There has to be a rule somewhere about dating your best mate's sister, and as Sirius repeatedly reminded himself, that was exactly why he had to stop hitting on Jane… and kissing her… basically the whole thing they had going on needed to stop especially since—
"You kissed Lucius Malfoy?"
Sirius snorted as he watched Jane pause for a moment to give her brother a pointed look. "Yes James. Do try and keep up. As I said, I owe him a favour so I agreed to go to his mother's Winter Ball. Will you be coming with me, or not?"
The blatant jealousy stirring in Sirius' stomach had him answering for both himself and James, "'Course we're coming. Can't have that no good Slytherin trying anything with you, can we Prongs?"
James meanwhile just stared at his sister, murmuring quietly to himself before standing from the couch and walking into the next room.
"Do you think I broke him?"
"Quite possible," Sirius noted with a raised eyebrow, "Maybe we should talk about Lily?"
"I'm not sure that would really help," Jane murmured, quietly laughing at her brother's expression. "Perhaps we should leave him be for a few minutes?"
Sirius nodded quickly before following a laughing Jane down the hall. He managed to grab Jane's hand just before she closed the door to her room, "We need to—I mean, I need to talk…to you?"
In typical Potter fashion Jane rolled her eyes, "Is that a question or a statement, Black?" She let out a huff of laughter before indicating her room with a nod, "Come in."
Sirius wasn't expecting her to take his hand and close the door behind them, he had never accounted for any change in her behaviour but a blind man could tell that she was more comfortable in her home. It felt like all of Sirius' confidence had left him for her, but all the same he was Sirius Black and he hadn't gotten to this point in his life without being able to tell a lie. "I'm worried about James."
"He's having a fit," Jane laughed, "Honestly, he's practically more invested in my relationships than I am."
"And our relationship?" Sirius watched as Jane's features dropped from amused in under a second, but he couldn't stop there. "Would he be more invested in us? He's my best mate, Jane—"
"And he's my brother."
"—I can't do this to him. I can't keep lying to him."
"Then don't!" Jane shook her head, throwing her arms in the air, "Don't lie to him. Tell him we snogged, he wouldn't care—"
"He wouldn't care? Jane, are you even hearing yourself," Sirius was practically shouting, "You're his sister! He's having a fit because you were snogging with a Slytherin, but I'm his best mate! He would hate me if he found out!"
"Padfoot!" Jane's exclamation was enough to break through his panic, he hadn't even noticed how close she had gotten until her hand was on his cheek as her fingers brushed stray hairs behind his ear. Her expression had softened considerably and it made Sirius want to erase the entire conversation, of course she wouldn't let him break it off completely without a word. "If you're this worried about it then we'll take a break, we can be friends, yeah? It's going to be fine; tell James, don't tell James. Either way it'll be alright."
That was likely better than anything Sirius could've thought of. Before he could change his mind and just go kiss her, before she could say anything else he was leaving the room with a nod. Walking straight into James.
Later that night Jane straightened her dress, standing between James and Sirius as the entered the extravagant ballroom belonging to the house of Malfoy. Her brother hadn't heard any of the conversation between herself and Sirius but he was not so dense as to miss the tension that lay between them. Still she refused to acknowledge her own underlying feelings.
It was not a surprise for Lucius to appear so suddenly in front of the trio but all the same Jane felt both the boys stiffen at her sides, in return she rolled her eyes. Lucius simply smirked, not sparing a glance to her company as her offered her his arm, "Jane, delighted you could make it."
"Or deny the house of Malfoy," Jane huffed, resting her hand in the crook of his arm, "I wouldn't dream of it. Dance with me, would you?"
Without another word he led her to the middle of the floor, his hand on her hip as she draped her arm over his shoulders, they moved slowly with the music but it wasn't long before one of them would speak. Lucius leant down to speak near her ear and Jane was well aware that the intimate gesture was more for the audience then her. "Care to explain why your brother and his puppy are still staring at me as if they'd like nothing better than to rip off my head?"
Jane returned the gesture effortlessly, leaning up so her lips brushed his neck. "Perhaps because they would like nothing more than to rip off your head." His chuckle fanned his breath across her neck in reply and Jane couldn't help but smile. Things were hardly ever as simple as they were when teasing Lucius Malfoy. "It may also have something to do with their new knowledge of our kiss, but who knows how their minds work."
"I say we test your theory."
"Oh?" The Ravenclaw pulled back enough to meet his eyes, "How do you suppose we do that?"
It took less than a minute for Lucius to guide Jane out of the ballroom, just as quickly he pressed her back against a stone wall and kissed her. Before anything else could happen Lucius pulled back with a smirk to the sound of someone clearing their throat, only for the observer to be none other than Narcissa Black.
"Best of luck with that," Jane commented, turning on her heel and meeting Sirius' eyes. Her heart dropped to her stomach from the look in his eyes, but just behind him stood her perturbed looking brother so she kept walking.
Right, friends.
Despite what had been said they did write to each other. Sometimes as simple as a letter being sent across the room to share a joke, sometimes as long as a detailed sharing of hardships. Jane sat against a tree as her owl approached her, the letter tied to its leg a stark contrast to its dark feathers. She smiled as she recognized Malfoy's elegant script.
Addressing The Only Good Potter,
Your brother is a downright git, as I'm sure many people have told you. He and his bloody cronies spelled the door to the Slytherin Common Room so that no one can get out. Sadly I was practicing that song on the piano and now cannot leave, to make matters worse Narcissa is here.
She wishes for me to save her.
I wish for her to leave me alone.
Honestly, if my parents weren't so adamant about us being wed I'd hex her myself. I know what you're thinking now, but do try your best not to comment, Potter. Unlike some I wish to live up to my parents legacy.
Lucius Malfoy, Terribly Annoyed
Maxima Malfoy's Winter Ball was generally a party that lasted for a few days, and while the adults continued to gossip on the third day their children often went to another room in the manor. Jane wasn't the least bit surprised when Lucius declared his invitation to the trio extended until his mother announced the ball to be over. Nothing on the first day had truly hinted as to why Lucius had wanted two out of four of the Marauders to attend, especially enough to suck it up and ask Jane to bring them.
It wasn't until Jane found the group standing off in a hidden corridor that she understood. A fairly large group of Slytherins stood in a semi-circle around Severus Snape as he pointed his wand at James and Sirius. From the looks on their faces Jane could tell that they had been hexed to the spot, it wasn't hard to put two-and-two together when Malfoy stood just behind Severus' shoulder.
His taunting was loud enough for her to hear, "Do it, Sev. What have they ever done for you? What have they always done to you? Or are you going to prove you're just as spineless as they say."
Somehow that broke Jane from her trance as she stormed forward, putting herself between the group and the boys. "Enough." Her hand was on her wand but she kept it at her hip, determined to stay in a defensive position while in someone else's home, all the same she glared to kill.
"Move, Jane," Lucius scowled as he spoke, "This has nothing to do with you."
"This has everything to do with me. You had me bring them here for this?" The Ravenclaw rolled her shoulders and stood tall, "You're damn idiotic if you think I'm going to let you touch my brother."
"I have to do it," Severus insisted, Jane's gaze snapping to the boy, "It's the only way to prove my alleigen—"
"Shut up, Snape," one of the others snapped, stepping forward threateningly, "I take care of the girl then we can move on, how 'bout."
"No," Lucius snapped, turning his glare on the boy long enough for the other to sink back in submission. He looked to Jane again and raised an eyebrow, "If you say we can't hurt your brother then what of the blood traitor?"
Behind her Jane could almost sense the fear from Sirius as she paused, "Sirius Black has tormented most of the school's population," her top lip lifted in a sneer, "Yet he will always be a better person than someone like you." Her arms crossed over her chest and she met Severus' eyes, "Besides, you hate the both of them so what would that prove? You truly want to show Lucius and whoever else that you're worthy you'll hex me."
"Don't be ridiculous, Potter," Lucius said, a façade of annoyance in full effect. Perhaps if they hadn't written to each other so often she might believe it, as it was she saw the worry in his eyes. He wouldn't have confided in her as he did if he didn't care for her, they both knew that.
But now they both knew she was testing him, and there was no right answer. "Ridiculous, Lucius? I'm just the blood traitor he is."
In the end it wasn't truly his decision. The hex on her brother and Sirius seemed to begin to wear off just as Severus lifted his wand and the shouts seemed to all come at the same time. Just as James and Sirius yelled her name Severus slashed his wand down with a shout, "Sectumsempra."
An unwanted scream ripped itself from her throat at the feeling of her skin splitting across her abdomen, blood soaking through the front of her dress before she even hit the floor.