Round 7 Chaser 3 for the Falmouth Falcons
Season 10, The Quidditch League Competition
Prompts:
CHASER 3: A Holiday Party/Event
Bonus Prompts:
[dialogue] "This is going to be a night you'll never forget."
[action] kissing someone's knuckles
[plot point] making a discovery
Warnings: underage drinking, snogging, mild language, mentions of attempted sexual assault (not involving the main characters)
Beta: Ikuni
Note for the judge: Characters sneaking off from the party to enjoy some alone time has been approved by the mods as fulfilling the prompt!
Pettigrew isn't in this fic because I didn't want to write him. If you care about canon why are you reading a James/Regulus pretend he's sick.
Arms slung over his best friends' shoulders, Sirius dragged them towards the Great Hall with an infectious grin splitting his face. The party he was leading them to was the culmination of weeks of preparation and nothing would stop his triumphant entrance—not even James almost tripping over his feet and having to cling to him to stay upright. Sirius only tightened his hold on his friend and kept marching. He hadn't calculated the perfect time to arrive at his own party to be fashionably late, because any time he arrived would be fashionable, but that didn't mean he would slow down for something minor like almost tripping. Now, if James had actually gone arse over teakettle, he could have pencilled in a few minutes to point and laugh. As it was, he restrained himself to a bark of laughter as they walked on. He even pretended not to notice when James elbowed him as punishment for the affront.
"Here we are," Sirius announced with a flourish when they reached the corridor leading to the Great Hall, finally freeing James and Remus so he could gesture widely enough to satisfy his sense of drama. His friends stopped with him, long-suffering but ready to indulge Sirius's grandstanding. After all, he had a right to be proud.
The doors to the Great Hall were open wide, showing a space that had very little in common with the Great Hall they'd had dinner in four hours prior. The candles that usually lit the hall had been substituted by fairies flying free and spheres of light that changed colour on a whim. The house tables had been pushed towards the walls, and they were heavy with platters of finger foods and fountains of pumpkin juice and Butterbeer. The best hits of the Wizarding Wireless Network were playing throughout the hall, and people were already making merry—eating, drinking, dancing or relaxing on the settees with friends. James could also spy several groups taking advantage of the game tables that had popped up around the hall. They allowed students to try their hand at all sorts of Muggle games—Sirius had spent weeks begging Lily to explain them to him, bothering her in-between classes and taking notes as they walked. James didn't know how faithful the instruction sheets pinned to every table were to the original Muggle games, but Sirius seemed well pleased. He looked upon the hall as a proud father showing off his first born daughter, arms spread to embrace the scene.
"I give you—" He paused to build anticipation. "The party to end all parties. The moment that marks the end of an era and the beginning of the rest of our life. The—"
James couldn't hold his breath anymore and burst out laughing right in Sirius's face, holding onto his stomach and doubling over at the sheer hilarity.
"Piss off, Pads," he said when he could breathe again. "The year isn't even bloody over."
"The NEWTs are done, Prongs! Sure, we still have to crush Slytherin in next week's match, but that will be a matter of a few hours," Sirius bragged confidently, head so swollen it might have been a balloon. "For all intents and purposes, we've graduated, and this will be the best end-of-year party ever put together by Seventh years!"
James let himself get caught up in Sirius's enthusiasm, accepting the vigorous pats on his back and laughing with him, while Remus smiled indulgently.
The end of year party organised by the graduating students (and conspicuously ignored by the professors) was a tradition that all Marauders could get behind, though Sirius had gone above and beyond. Instead of stressing for the exams by haunting the library and bothering Madam Pomfry for either Pepperup or sleeping potions like everyone else, he'd put all his nervous energy into planning the event of the year. He'd really stepped up, removing the lion's share of responsibility from the Head Students and seventh-year prefects' shoulders—who were, predictably, the most stressed and concerned about their results, although James hid any nerves behind an overconfident exterior with remarkable nonchalance.
Panting, Sirius threw his hands up to pause what had devolved into a small scuffle, and James stepped back good naturedly, thinking they may finally join the festivities. It wasn't to be. Sirius started straightening his clothes—fancy but far from traditional—but as soon as he caught a glance of the festive Great Hall, he was back to staring at it like it was his life's greatest accomplishment.
James and Remus shared a look and tried to muffle their snorts. They were unsuccessful but Sirius wasn't offended. He turned towards them and put a hand on James's left and Remus's right shoulders with all the gravitas he could muster.
"You may laugh," he said. "But this party is going to be part of our legacy as Hogwarts alumni and as Marauders, and I swear to you on my honour as a wizard—" Sirius paused to stare at them with all due intensity. "This is going to be a night you'll never forget."
As soon as he'd delivered his lofty prediction, Sirius turned and dragged them into the Great Hall. Two goblets of what looked and smelled like Butterbeer but was definitely not Butterbeer seemed to materialise into Sirius's hands, and he magnanimously passed them to the other Marauders. While Remus stared at his goblet and tried to figure out how the enchantment to disguise liquor as Butterbeer worked, Sirius nudged James and winked, murmuring, "If you can hold your firewhisky, that is." A third goblet had already manifested in Sirius's hands, and he drank deeply from it, encouraging them to do the same and down their liquid courage so they could join the awkward group of brave souls that had started dancing.
~~~~~
Less than an hour in and no one could deny it—the night was an unmitigated success.
Sirius had gone all out, and the party was a triumph, the coronation of a perfect streak of the greatest pranks Hogwarts had ever seen, some of the best marks of his year, and Quidditch successes that decorated McGonagall's office with trophies.
James was happy to give into the atmosphere. He was brimming with energy, dancing next to his friends and feeling like the world held nothing but potential. Twirling the Gryffindor girls to the music and making Hufflepuffs blush was great fun, and he was surrounded by people who had stuck by his side for seven years and who he'd trust with his life.
But he couldn't lie to himself. His eyes kept straying to the other side of the Great Hall, where the Slytherins were mostly keeping to each other or mixing with Ravenclaws.
A frisson of something ran up James's back when he spotted Sirius's little brother holding court amongst a gaggle of them. Regulus was far from the only underclassman at the party—the end of NEWTs coincided with the end of all other exams, and everyone wanted to relax. But no one else caught James's eye or kept his attention, and, when the chance presented itself, James took it with both hands.
Sirius was grinding back into Remus and swaying forward into Mary MacDonald to the dulcet notes of "My Dragon Roars For You", and James couldn't think of a better time to unobtrusively slip away.
An exchange of looks was enough to set it up. James barely had to nod to indicate where he wanted them to meet, and the proof of trust inherent in following such directions in a crowded room warmed him all the way through.
Once they were behind the High Table, James didn't waste time. He grabbed Regulus and pushed him through the hidden door in the same fast movement, forcing the Sixth year to enter quickly or be trampled.
"James!" Regulus protested the rough treatment once the door closed behind them. "You're an ogre."
"Yeah?" James asked, holding Regulus with an arm around his waist as he flicked his wand to light the fireplace at the end of the room. "How much of an ogre am I?" he breathed against Regulus's svelte neck.
Regulus shivered and exposed more of his skin to him like he couldn't help himself.
"You know—" Regulus choked on what would have surely been a magnificent insult, and James puffed up with pride, still dispensing the light neck kisses that made Regulus falter. He stashed his wand and wiggled his fingers to try and get into Regulus's dress robes, only to be thwarted by the tiny buttons.
"Bloody hell," he murmured, interrupting the kisses to squint down at the uncooperative robes. Regulus recovered his voice just to laugh at him.
"Do you need a lumos, dear? A magnifying glass perhaps?"
"Yeah, yeah, take the piss out of the visually impaired," James said, but he still appreciated Regulus lighting up his wand. As he focused on the task at hand, Regulus had the time to look around the room he'd been shoved in, lingering on the rows of portraits lining the walls.
"Actually," Regulus said, pushing James away. "I don't think that's a good idea."
James blinked owlishly up at him, then followed the direction of his gaze.
"What, because of the portraits?"
Regulus rolled his eyes.
"Yes, because of the portraits. I know you're an exhibitionist but I don't fancy an audience when I perform, dear."
James groaned miserably. He didn't bother defending his proclivities, as he knew Regulus would use his Quidditch career as proof of his supposed exhibitionism, and got to the heart of the matter right away instead.
"Cockblocked by paint! Next time we'll go straight to a broom cupboard," he swore, accepting Regulus's mocking laughter as his due.
"How do you even know this room?" Regulus asked, still studying their surroundings. "I don't think I ever even noticed the door behind the High Table."
"I know everything," James bragged with a wink.
Regulus made to slap at him for the unoriginal boast, but James caught his hand between his own and raised it to his lips. He pressed soft kisses to each knuckle, smiling when he felt all tension drain out of Regulus. He kissed every finger of the hand he'd captured, from pointer to pinkie, and shifted to kiss his thumb as well. Then he raised his eyes and fixed Regulus with the most serious look he could muster, bringing his mouth back to his ring finger. He parted his lips so Regulus could feel the wet heat and sucked just enough for the sensation to be unmistakable, then, eyes sparkling with mischief, he licked him.
"Potter!"
James chuckled, his warm breath making Regulus shiver as it hit his damp skin. James stepped even closer to Regulus and closed his eyes to fully focus on his self-given task. He kissed him again, then he took the skin between his teeth with the utmost care, nibbling on Regulus's ring finger. James opened his eyes in time to see the play of emotions on Regulus's face as the younger boy tried to decide if his attentions were too weird to be quite so endearing—or so arousing. James released his finger with a smacking sound to grin up at him.
"I would spend the rest of my life making you take that tone with me," he said, and Regulus's eyes widened.
"Is—is that a proposal?"
James let out a chuckle, embracing Regulus before he could start retreating at the perceived mockery.
"Do you want it to be?"
Regulus heard the sincerity in his tone and let himself melt in his arms for a few seconds, then he pinned him with an unimpressed look.
"How are we supposed to bond if you won't even tell Sirius we're together?"
James's expression turned sheepish.
"Wedding invites are a perfect coming out tool?" he asked, voice rising hopefully. Regulus's look became even more unimpressed, and James decided to divert the conversation before things could get dicey. He tightened his hold around Regulus, taking advantage of the few inches he had on him to kiss the crown of his head. He passed his fingers through Regulus's wavy hair, massaging his scalp and baring his neck for more of the distracting kisses. Regulus's eyelids fluttered.
"We'll have to tell him at some point," he sighed, and James made agreeing noises against his skin.
Things were just getting back to where he wanted them when the door was thrown open and light and noise spilled in the secluded room. James and Regulus separated and turned towards the disruption with a jump, only to find two backlit figures blocking the only entry point, the party still going on behind the strangers' shoulders.
"And what do we have here?" the one who'd opened the door asked with such malicious delight that James instantly pegged him as a Slytherin, though Regulus would have surely frowned at him for his bias. The person he was holding hands with tried to tug themself free but was ignored. "A blood-traitor and—Black, is that you? Sneaking off with Potter?!"
Regulus grimaced at the incredulous tone.
"Let it go, Mulciber," he ordered. "We don't want any trouble."
"Too late for that, isn't it?" Mulciber sneered. "It looks like you're already betraying everything that being a pureblood means."
Regulus scoffed, nodding at Mulciber's companion, who'd been silently trying to break free of his hold throughout the short conversation.
"And what were you going to do in this room, mh?"
Mulciber's hackles raised immediately.
"None of your business, blood traitor!"
The person with him reacted to his fury by flinching violently.
"Let me go, let me go," they whimpered, and James, who'd assumed Mulciber had been trying to sneak away for a consensual snog like him and Regulus and had been perfectly happy to let Regulus handle his housemate up until that moment, found his wand in his hand and pointed at Mulciber with no conscious thought on his part.
"I'll make it my business if you don't release them this instant, Mulciber."
When Mulciber hesitated, James shifted so Regulus was behind him and let the tip of his wand light up.
"Now," he growled, and when the person tried to tug themself away again Mulciber let them go with a shove.
"I don't know where you get off telling people what to do, Potter. You were in here doing the same thing I planned, except you're a filthy Muggle-lover corrupting a pureblood scion."
James was pushed aside before he could answer, as Regulus stepped forward with a truly forbidding expression.
"Don't you dare compare what we were doing with what you planned, Mulciber. I should drag you to Slughorn right now!"
If the threat worried him he didn't show it.
"But you won't, Black," he said, advancing on them with a glower. "Unless you want your little entanglement with Potter to become public knowledge."
"I've no reason to be ashamed," Regulus stated, his hair messy and love bites on his neck but holding himself with a quiet dignity that made James's heart beat faster. "While you are a stain on your family's good name. Except, I'd forgotten, you don't have one of those," he corrected himself with a small grin and an innocent brow—a wicked glint in his eyes.
James burst out laughing, covering any reply that Mulciber could have offered, although the smile slipped off his face when Mulciber started to pronounce the first syllable of a curse.
Focused as he was on the threat in front of them, James didn't even see Regulus draw his wand. Suddenly, Mulciber was flying through the air and crashing in front of a group of Hufflepuffs. Their cries raised the alarm and the party came to a screeching halt more effectively than if a professor had showed up.
James saw Sirius run towards the disturbance from the corner of his eye but he kept most of his attention on Mulciber, who stopped rolling across the ground and scrambled clumsily to his feet.
"You'll pay for this, Black!" he spat. "Don't think you're safe, I found you out and soon everyone—"
James didn't let him finish. In the space of a breath, he drew back his fist and hit Mulciber with all his might. The Slytherin fell down like his strings were cut.
James had only been a few seconds quicker than Sirius, who barely had to take a look at the scene to understand that someone had upset his little brother. If he happened to accidentally kick Mulciber in the side, no one minded. As a matter of fact, James was shaking his hand with a grimace and was more than happy to leave any further intimidation to Sirius.
Regulus stepped up to join them around the moaning lump that was Mulciber and caught his hand between his own.
"Honestly," he said, eyes fixed on the already-forming bruise. "Brawling like a Muggle."
James would have joked about not having to take up the role of bigot just because Mulciber was out of commission, but Regulus slowly raised his hand to his lips and kissed the bruised knuckles. Then he parted his lips and took James's ring finger into his mouth. A frisson of pleasure shook James to the core. He raised his other hand to cradle Regulus's face.
"Is that a yes?" he murmured, too choked up to sound as suave as he wished.
Regulus released his finger and looked at him from beneath his eyelashes.
"Yes," he said, as simply as that, and James threw himself at him to kiss him in front of everyone.
~~~
"Wait," Sirius said. "What's happening? What are you doing?"
James and Regulus didn't appear to hear him, kissing like nothing else mattered, completely ignoring the fact that they were surrounded by the majority of their yearmates.
"Hey! Are they—? Did my little brother just—?!"
Remus, who'd taken his time to follow the chaos instead of throwing himself into it head first, grabbed Sirius's arm.
"Accept a proposal by sucking your best mate's finger? Sure looks like it," he said helpfully.
Sirius stared at him, mouth agape, then turned back to his best friend snogging the life out of his little brother.
Remus patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"Look on the bright side," he urged him. "You were right! No one could possibly forget this night."