James scowled down at the Wizarding Nobility article in his lap and angrily flung the magazine away as though it had done him a grievous personal injury.

'Well, that was quick,' said Sirius who was lounging on a comfortable sofa next to him. 'How many lines did you manage? Ten?'

'Shut up, Sirius,' said James, 'and I have told you not to smoke in here. My mum is going to have a fit if she notices it.'

It was the end of the first week of the summer holidays. They were sitting in his living room in the Potter manor. Outside, a summer storm was howling, battering the ground with fat droplets of rain.

'Right, I forgot,' said Sirius. He hastily vanished the cigarette and walked over to the window.

'Don't open that,' said James. 'With the way the rain is lashing against it, we are going to get the room soaked within minutes.'

'I am way too clever for that, James,' said Sirius and tapped with window once with his wand. Suddenly James could smell the rainy air from outside and a gust of wind blew in the room, but the rain remained outside, still splattering against the glass.

'What did you do?' asked James, bewildered.

'Air passing charm,' said Sirius. 'I read about it back at school. It enables any object to let through air, without altering the rest of its structure. This way, the window lets in the air, but keeps blocking the rain.'

'Very clever,' said James. 'But you will undo it in a few minutes as soon as the smoke was blown away. Even though the rain remains outside, the wind is still strong and I don't fancy having to clean up the room again.'

'Of course, I will,' said Sirius, rolling his eyes. 'You know, it is not my fault that your mother gave you that silly rag of a magazine. Has she always been reading that drivel?

'Yes,' said James. 'Regularly and intensely. She is very interested in what is going on in the other pure-blood families. I don't know why though. Maybe it is a woman thing.'

'But she does not know that you and Amber were a thing, does she?' said Sirius.

'Well, I certainly have not told her,' said James. 'But it is rather strange that she gives me the magazine, because of the article covering their wedding, isn't it? Maybe she suspects something.'

'She did not give you a reason?'

'No, she just said that I would find it interesting,' said James darkly.

'And was it?' asked Sirius.

'More like revolting,' said James. 'They are making such a big deal out of this wedding. I guess, I can see the appeal: Two high society pure-blood families joined in holy matrimony in these dark times. That certainly is something to distract the population. The fact that it is an arranged marriage adds to the appeal even more. But at least they could stick to the facts! Instead, they claim that Amber and Fawley have already fallen deeply in love with each other and are a perfect match. These bloody fools! She does not love him, just because she is putting on a brave face!'

'Ah, here we go,' said Sirius. 'Listen mate, you have to let her go. It is over between you two, like you knew it would be. She has to move on with her life and you should as well.'

'Yes, yes, I knew that this was going to happen,' said James impatiently. 'But that does not change the fact that she apparently got over me with no problem at all. It is like she never cared for me in the first place!'

'James,' said Sirius, gently. 'I know that you are hurt, but you have to be reasonable. You haven't even spoken to her. All you have is a bloody article in a rag of a magazine. What is she supposed to say to a bloody reporter? Should she publically admit that she does not care for her future husband and would rather be with her dashing Hogwarts boyfriend? That would be foolish beyond belief! Maybe she is crying herself to sleep ever night thinking of you. You should not condemn her just because of this stupid article. You just said that she is only putting on a brave face.'

'Who are you and what have you done with Sirius Black?' asked James, bewildered at his friend's suddenly sensitive comment.

'Ha, ha,' said Sirius. 'I am quite experienced in matters of the heart, as you should know. And according to my family, I am no longer a Black.'

'Right,' said James. 'You still carry the name, though. I am sorry that things went that badly with your family. I never would have thought that they would react that harshly to you moving out.'

'I think, they just realized what it really meant,' said Sirius. 'I had planned to move out as soon as I got off age for a very long time. I was done with them long ago and the struggle for Alphard's money did not help. I am just glad that is over and that we were able to make a clean cut.'

'It is probably for the best,' said James. 'Now you are free to spend time with your real family. You are practically my brother anyway and my parents are thrilled to have you here permanently.'

'I still think I should have gotten myself a flat,' said Sirius. 'I have the money now and that way I would not bother anyone.'

'You don't bother us, you git,' said James. 'And what on earth would you do with a flat anyway? You still have another year at Hogwarts. Why would you rent a flat if you never going to be there?'

'It's not about actually living there,' said Sirius, 'It is about having it in the first place. You know, having freedom, being a proper grown up.'

'I see where you a going, but it is a rubbish idea anyway,' said James. 'This manor is way too big for my parents and me, so you are more than welcome to live here. You even have your own wing for Merlin's sake!'

'I know, Prongs, which is why I am here, am I not?' said Sirius, rolling his eyes. 'I am just saying that I would like to get my own place when I am done with school. That way, I can do whatever I want.'

'You are probably going to come here every day to get some proper food if you ever manage to get that flat,' said James with a grin. 'Everybody knows that you could not cook even if your life depended on it.'

'I have other talents,' said Sirius haughtily.

'Like what?'

'Like pleasing the female part of the population,' said Sirius.

James laughed.

'Yeah, you are certainly good at that, but terrible at keeping them,' said James. 'Just ask Marlene what rumours are circulating about you. Apparently, some witches are convinced that you are a shirt-lifter, because you only shagged them once in a dark broom cupboard before dropping them like a flubberworm.'

Sirius snorted.

'Well, some ladies can't take no for an answer,' he said. 'I don't get what they are so upset about anyway. Everybody knows that I am not boyfriend material and only interested in short flings. Should I pin a warning label on my robes to make it even more obvious?'

'That would probably help,' said James. 'I can picture the label right now: "Danger: This wizard is a man-whore and will break your heart if you expect more than one to three shags".'

'That would do the trick,' said Sirius. 'But we are getting side-tracked here: We were talking about the new Mrs. Fawley: You have to address this issue soon, Prongs, before the wound festers.'

'How very poetic,' said James, rolling his eyes. 'And what exactly are you suggesting?'

'Using my proven heart-mending method, of course,' said Sirius.

'When has your heart ever needed mending?' asked James. 'You are usually the one causing the pain, rather than the one enduring it,'

'Pish, posh,' said Sirius. 'You are supposed to get royally smashed on firewhiskey, and find another girl to shag. I assure you that afterwards the world will look much brighter. You must not get stuck on Amber. She was a fit bird and I liked her, but she is gone now and you will have to move on.'

'I highly doubt that an empty shag will make me feel any better,' said James. 'And besides, we are not at Hogwarts. Where am I supposed to find a nice witch to fool around with?'

'I does not have to be a witch,' said Sirius. 'If you go down to the village, you will probably find a nice Muggle girl or two to warm your bed. You are James Potter, after all. Turn on the charm and make them swoon! And if you can't do it on your own, I can help you. I will just get us a nice double date and everything will be fine.'

'Sirius, I live here!' said James. 'I can't go around and shag the Muggle girls in my village! Besides, no respectable girl is going to jump into bed with me just for the holidays.'

'Rubbish,' said Sirius. 'Girls have holiday flings all the time. I would know, I have been the one they fool around with quite often. But alright, if you want something more permanent, just go and write Evans an owl. I am sure that she will glad to take your mind of Amber.'

'What are you talking about?' said James. 'Lily and I are friends, but nothing more. Besides, she has a boyfriend.'

'Not anymore,' sang Sirius. 'The coast is all clear for you, Prongs. I am sure that she will welcome your company over the summer. Maybe you should just pop in for a visit. You know where she lives after all.'

'Lily and Palmer have broken up?' asked James, astonished. 'How on earth do you know that?'

'Marlene told me,' said Sirius simply.

'Did she now?' asked James, astonished. Marlene tended to keep her distance from Sirius, as they did not get along. Sirius's cocky personality and tendency to chase everything in a skirt really rubbed her the wrong way. However, Sirius was not discouraged from her rather cold behaviour and only flirted harder with her which naturally did not improve things. James had never been able to figure out whether Sirius only flirted with Marlene to annoy her or because he truly was interested. James himself was rather annoyed by his best mate's interest in one of his oldest friends, as he had never gotten used to Marlene dating anyone. She was like a sister to him after all. It was more than unusual for Marlene to divulge any information to Sirius and not to him. Therefore, James was determined to find out what exactly was going on here. I saw Lily holding hands with Palmer on the train. So they must have been still together at that point in time. When exactly did Marlene tell you this?'

'Oh, you now, recently,' said Sirius loftily.

James narrowed his eyes at his friend's evasive answer.

'Spill, Padfoot,' said James. 'I know that she cannot have told you on the train, because Lily and Palmer still were a couple back then. And I also know that Marlene currently is on vacation in France as she has been since the day after we returned from Hogwarts. If she told you anything it must have been via letter and I find it very curious that she would write you if I have yet to get a letter from her.'

'Alright, alright,' said Sirius, raising his hands in surrender. 'Yes, she wrote me a letter and yes it said that Evans and Palmer had broken up. You shouldn't be angry with her that you have not yet gotten a letter. She is just very busy in France.'

'Thanks for telling me what I already strongly suspected,' said James, rolling his eyes. 'Now, would you mind telling me why Marlene would use her precious time to write you of all people? She does not even like you after all.'

'Why do you consider it strange that I get a letter?' said Sirius. 'Am I not likeable enough to be someone's pen pal?'

'Marlene has never been interested in keeping a pen pal and she is not very fond of you,' said James simply. 'So don't give me that rubbish. What have you done that she writes you a letter? And if you give me another evasive answer, I swear that I will hex you.'

'Alright, alright,' said Sirius, raising his hands in defeat. 'Blimey, relax will you. Why do you make such a big deal out of this anyway? I thought that you would be so happy about Evans being single again that you would not even care who told me.'

'I am still waiting for that explanation,' said James, pulling his wand from his pocket. He put it next to him on the couch, so that he could snap to action quickly.

'Oh what the hell, you are going to hex me anyway,' said Sirius. 'Marlene and I are kind of dating.'

So say that James was surprised was a gross understatement. He never would have thought that Marlene could ever grow to like Sirius at all. Fancying him seemed even more impossible.

'Explain,' he growled at Sirius. His surprise slowly ebbed away, but anger threatened to replace it. He did not like the fact that someone as flirty as Sirius was doing unspeakable things with his almost sister. In fact, nothing about Sirius dating Marlene pleased him at all. It was a recipe for disaster and he did not look forward to getting caught in the inevitable crossfire.

'It was the weirdest thing,' said Sirius. 'I stumbled into her at the lake on evening. I was out for a smoke and a late time walk over the grounds and found her there looking over the water. That was about two weeks since she broke up with her git of a boyfriend. She seemed rather sad and at first I wanted to just leave her alone, but she noticed me and asked me to come sit with her for a while. I complied and we got talking and suddenly she grabs me by the collar and just snogs me! Well, I am not one to leave out a good snogging session, so I kissed her back and things got rather steamy very quickly. I assume that you don't want to hear the details.'

'Certainly not,' said James. Inside his head, he was calling Marlene every rude name he knew. She should know better than to seek a rebound relationship with Sirius of all people! Especially, because she had been the one ending her relationship with Davies. What did she need a rebound in the first place? After all, they were normally used to mend a broken ego and Marlene's should be quite unharmed. Why did she choose the arms of a known lothario like Sirius when she had just come out of a serious relationship with, as much as James loathed to admit it, a rather decent bloke? It did not make sense. But he probably would have to talk with her about it. Sirius probably had not gathered any deeper insights into Marlene's mind. He tended to focus on the physical aspects of a relationship after all. 'So, where does that leave the two of you know? Are you a couple?'

'I don't really know,' said Sirius, who was still eying James rather nervously. He probably still expected to get hexed rather soon. 'We have not bothered to put a label on it, but I am not looking for a proper relationship and I doubt that Marlene is either. At least not from the way she was acting back at school. I was rather surprised to get a letter from her to be honest. When we were back at school, we would occasionally meet up for some fun but otherwise stay out of each other's hair.'

'So, just the way you like it,' said James. 'This probably explains why I never noticed that something was going on. Bloody hell! Looks like Marlene jumped from a respectable and serious boyfriend to the biggest player in the school and is satisfied with keeping things casual. Bloody brilliant!'

'You know, that is rather hurtful,' said Sirius. 'I am obviously a much better guy than Davies. I thought you hated that git, anyway.'

'I did,' said James, 'but I would rather see Marlene in a relationship which is not doomed from the start.'

'I have told you already, it is not a relationship,' said Sirius. 'And why on earth do you think that whatever Marlene and I share is doomed from the start anyway? I am an expert on handling witches, thank you very much!'

'Yes, you are,' said James, rolling his eyes. 'Up to the third time you shag or until the first month has passed, whatever comes sooner. Then she starts to cling and you search for an exit, doing as much damage to her ego as necessary to make sure that she does not bother you in the future. And don't try to deny it, you just said so yourself. That does not seem like a very great outlook if you ask me.'

'Well, I don't,' said Sirius, matter-of-factly. 'You don't have to worry your pretty little head about this, Prongs. Marlene and I are both old enough to make our own decision.'

'Don't push me, Sirius,' said James. 'I have managed to keep from hexing you until now, but you are on very treacherous ground. Out of all the girls in the bloody castle, you just had to choose Marlene, hadn't you? You know that I would not approve and yet you did it anyway. So, don't give me that rubbish about Marlene and you being adults. It is not about that it is about you and me and that you were supposed to stay away from Marlene in the first place!'

'Look, Prongs, she kissed me,' said Sirius. 'I never would have thought that she would ever give me the time of day, but she did. I know that I probably should have backed away and told her that things would never work between us, but I wanted her too much to do it. I was fine with staying away from her as long as I thought that she would never like me back. All my flirting was only to annoy both you and her at the same time. But now, I cannot stay away anymore. She likes me, Prongs and I like her back and I really, really want to see where whatever we have leads us. I know that she is almost your sister and that you don't approve, but I am too weak to stay away from her know. I am sorry, I should be a better friend and stay the hell away from her, but I just can't. I guess you know that feeling.'

James was quiet for a moment. Sirius's words did ring a bell. They reminded him of his time with Amber and how he had remained with her even though he should have walked away as soon as he learned about her arranged marriage. That did not mean that he was fine with Sirius fooling around with Marlene, but at least he could understand the feeling. He was still going to have a word with Marlene about her choice in boyfriends.

'I guess, I do,' said James. 'You are still a prat though.'

'I know I am,' said Sirius.

'Well, I am going for a run, I need some time to think,' said James. He stood up from the couch and started rummaging around a cupboard for his slacks and a ratty t-shirt.

'It is still raining,' protested Sirius.

'So?' asked James. 'Nothing a little impervious charm won't fix.'

'You are complete and utterly mad,' said Sirius, while James changed hurriedly.

'Don't I know it,' said James, as he left the room after pulling on his shoes. Some time for himself was just what he needed right now.