It was two weeks later when I next walked into our common room. The cuts had refused to heal with magic, and they had been quite deep cuts.

As soon as I stepped in, hoots, hollers, and the entire Gryffindor house greeted me, the squad in the middle.

"Sirius my old friend," James grinned, putting his arm around me and hugging me to him. "We decided this was a cause for a celebration, and who knows the time when we can resist a party? Drink up!" He grinned wickedly and shoved a large glass of Firewhisky into my hand. I think that I had arrived a little late as James already seemed a bit tipsy as he cried out "To the tables, Peter!" And climbed onto them.

"Where the hell did he get all the firewhisky?" I exclaimed in laughter, wanting to know out of curiosity, but at the same time not wanting to know what chaos had gone through his head.

"The Hogs Head. I think their security is getting laxer and laxer since we've been here. They've had a lot burglaries since we've been at school." Peter said next to me. I hadn't even realised he was there, but then I remembered James was dancing alone on the table.

I took another swig, before I looked at James again. Elbowing my way to the middle of the crowd I grabbed James' hand and scooped him up in my arms, as he was about to fall over.

"Hey!" he exclaimed loudly. "You're ruining all my fun!"

"Am I?" I laughed, "You were about to see it you could fly by jumping off the table. I feel more like I just saved you a trip to the hospital wing." I set him down in one of the squishy armchairs, and I landed next to him with an "Oomph!"

James yawned, and he saw me looking at him. "I'm not tired!" he yelled defensively.

"Alright, Alright! No need to spit in my face!" I laughed again as I rubbed my eye. I'd laughed a lot this evening. "Thanks mate, though, for tonight," James turned around in confusion.

"Whadda ya mean?" Realisation erupted across his face like spots on a hormonal teenagers face. "Oh, haha, yeah, this was more for me, not you," he giggled, "I just wanted to Part-AYYY!" he attempted to stand up again, but I held him down.

"No! You've drunk enough!" I forcibly took the bottle out of his hand and placed it next to mine. "How many of these have you had?"

"Just, just a little bit, I promise!" he whined. Oh god, whiny James was so annoying and I really couldn't be bothered tonight. He sniffed and wiped his nose with his hand.

"Sirius," he began. He turned to look at me, but turned away again just as quickly. "Sirius, you haven't had a girlfriend in aaaaaaages, have you?" he looked at me warily.

"Um, no?" What was he going on about? "And your point is?"

"Well, I was wondering, if, maybe perhaps,"

"That you could get to the point?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry. DoyouwanttosetmeupwithsomeoneIknow?" he said this so fast I had to get him to repeat it twice.

"Aw James, thanks but no thanks, I think I'm fairly capable of finding myself a gf. But thanks bro," I clapped him on the back.

"Don't you want one?"

I hesitated for a second, before lying and saying "What!? Of course I do!"

He didn't say anything for a while, before he muttered something under his breath.

"What did you just say?" my eyes narrowed.

He said it again, but it was barely audible, and I thought I'd misheard.

"I'm sorry J, but you're speaking at about the level of Peter, just spit it out!" Jeez, James. What could he possibly be so embarrassed about?

He gulped and seemed to brace himself. "IsawyouandRemusinthehospitalwing."

Shit.

"I saw you and Remus in the hospital wing and I had detention one night and I came back to see you but someone stole my invisibility cloak and I know it was Remus cos I saw him take it out of his bag and show you and I saw everything cos I didn't want to come in when I saw you two but then I saw you two kiss and sleep and everything and WHAT THE HELL SIRIUS!?" I jumped at his sudden loudness.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

"You fucking snogged Remus!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, looking around at the continuing party.

"What? You don't want people to hear? To know? Not even your own brother?" he hissed back, his harsh words cutting through the atmosphere. "I wouldn't have even fucking cared. But you didn't even tell me! And no!" he cried as I tried to interrupt. "No! Don't you dare say 'Oh, I only just found out, blah blah blah!'" I saw you two and then everything clicked! Your hugs, your secret conversations, when I can't find you, my missing cloak and Marauder's Map. You could've told me! What the hell were you so scared about?"

I could have said anything, I should have said anything, but nothing came out. All I could manage was a strangled gargle and a panicked look. James looked at me in disgust and stormed off, through the portrait hole and to who knows where.