Day nine...whew...long day for me. This one is...weird...idk. I feel like these are getting steadily darker but I have no clue why...

Any ideas would be lovely!

And please leave a review, I'd love to get some more!

The sound of clinking glasses and pompous laughter filled the ballroom and James shifted uncomfortably from where he was standing stiffly next to his parents.

The annual Christmas party was just as much of a bore as he remembered from when he was a child, except now he was old enough to be dragged into boring pureblood politics and get a bearing on just how removed these old men were from real life.

His mother laughed and he turned to face her.

"You look bored out of your mind Jamie."

"Muuum," He dragged the word out and she winked at him, pressing a crystal goblet into his hand.

"Here darling, to loosen you up a bit."

"Great...and here I thought alcohol could fix everything, guess I was wrong." He muttered, rolling his eyes but he took a sip of the wine anyways. "Were these parties this boring when you were a kid?"

"Merlin yes, if not more so, now cheer up, I think I spy that Yaxley girl with the big bust over there..."

"Serena? No way Mum, she's such a bitch."

Mrs. Potter laughed and smacked James lightly on the arm, "Play nice Jamie."

"I'm always nice Mum." He retorted as a hush fell through the room and they both looked up just in time to see the Black's enter the room.

Somehow, at Hogwarts, James sometimes forgot that Sirius was a Black. At school his best mate was all girls and pranks and laughter. Mischievous smiles and sparkling eyes and casual grace.

There was no pureblood supremacy in Sirius at Hogwarts, no ramrod straight spine and slicked back hair. His clothes were always carefully disheveled but there were no crisp diamond adorned dress robes and certainly no family crests.

But now...

People said a lot of things about the Black family, but boy oh boy did they know how to enter a room.

V formation, exclamation, snap your fingers in a z formation the Blacks had it covered. James let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as Bellatrix stepped into the room, breaking the spell.

Bellatrix and Narcissa were in the lead, both unearthly beautiful, long shimmering hair and glittering eyes, their lips painted matching shades of crimson. Diamonds draped on long necks, leading to skin hugging dresses that covered everything yet somehow still showed more than was appropriate. There wasn't a man in the room who wasn't watching them, yet there was also not a single man as handsome or as well dressed and the other half of the Black's.

Sirius and Regulus flanked their cousins in matching velvet dress robes with the Black Family Crest embroidered on the chest, pearls and emeralds sew in in silver thread. Hair slicked back, tall, dark and handsome. They walked with a purpose, heads held high, chins up, dark eyes surveying the room, cutting up the patrons like meat to be served for dinner. They were oh so above you, so high above you.

James watched as Bellatrix turned to Sirius, a smile curling on her dark lips and he took her hand gently, leading her to the dance floor as the band struck up a tune just for them.

They moved so slowly, so gracefully, Sirius' hand resting just a little too low on the curve of his cousin's back, Bellatrix pressed just a little too close. Their two long elegant, cream necks drawing attention as they spun to the music. Bellatrix raised up, hand curling around the nape of Sirius neck as she whispered something in his ear and suddenly he was staring straight at James as he laughed. Not his usual bark like laugh, but something rich and tender, rumbling from deep inside his chest.

He held James' gaze just a little too long before tilting his face down to Bellatrix's level, their forehead so close they were almost touching.

Standing there, frozen, James felt his breath hitch as Sirius' lips moved, smiling as he spoke and watched Bellatrix's eyes light up and the two of them looked so perfect.

So dark, so elegant, so royal.

They were like gods together, standing there, unaware of the power they held over the room, only aware of each other, so enwrapped in each other.

And James took a step back. Anything to get away, away from those two.

Because they were perfection. Together they were perfect.

And it was always a shock to remember that he wasn't Sirius' family. That he wasn't Sirius' anything.

Just a friend.

Maybe a best friend, but still. Just a friend.

He felt his mother's hand on his arm, he could see her mouth moving, but he couldn't hear the words she was saying.

Slowly, ever so slowly he turned, walking unsteadily toward the door.

Entirely aware of the fact that Sirius' eyes weren't on his back.

Yeah...not sure where that one came from...but yeah.

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