James blew out his breath in frustration and he reached for the crumpled parchment lying on the floor again. He knew that its content was still going to be the same it had been a few minutes ago, but he just had to read it once more. Maybe there was some kind of hidden message in there or some other way to interpret the writing. It was shortly after breakfast and he was supposed to be in charms. A week had passed since he had returned to Hogwarts and so far his time back had not been very relaxing. With exams only two months away, the teachers had smothered them in homework. Together with his head-boy and Quidditch captain duties, it left James little time to think. The fact that both Marlene and Sirius were still angry with him and had so far refused to make up, didn't make things any easier. With so much going on, James had spared little thought about the aftermath of his kidnapping. However, the official letter he had gotten this morning had brought it all back. The ministry owl had delivered it to him during breakfast. James had quickly opened it, skimmed it and had promptly rushed from the hall in a blaze of white-hot fury, leaving his stunned friends behind. He had retreated into this small alcove on the third floor to brood and had read the letter about a dozen times since then. He knew that he was bound to get into trouble with Flitwick for skipping class, but he found it hard to worry about that at the moment.

Sitting on the window sill, he unrolled already rather battered scroll of parchment and quickly read it again:

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am pleased to inform you that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (called DMLE from here on) has processed your testimony with the internal testimony id 1543-7651-3421. The DMLE has decided to start an official investigation regarding your abduction and the alleged involvement of Mr. Evan Rosier, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Edward Nott and Mr. Walden Macnair. The accused have been asked to provide a written statement to the DMLE regarding their whereabouts in the night of your abduction within the next two weeks. As soon as the DMLE has received and has processed these statements, further steps will be taken as needed. The Wizengamot will be informed as necessary.

Please note that the DMLE has decided against arresting the accused because of the lack of proof to back up your statement. While your credibility is not questioned, a simple accusation is not deemed enough for arresting three well-respected members of our community.

You will be kept up to date on any further events regarding this investigation.

Have a great day.

Yours sincerely

Pirellus Greengrass

DMLE Investigation Department

James ground his teeth and threw the offending parchment back to the ground. It was bloody unbelievable! How obvious had Death Eaters to act until someone arrested them? He had heard their bloody names for Merlin's sake! He should have listened to his father! He had tried to warn him back in the hospital, but James had actually gotten his hopes up that he would be able to get at least some of these bastards thrown into Azkaban. He only fuzzily remembered giving his interview about the kidnapping. Two aurors he had never seen before had visited him in St. Mungo's a day after he had regained consciousness. Apparently, they had been part of the recuse team. He had expected Moody to come, but the grizzled auror was occupied elsewhere. James had answered all questions as best he could and the aurors had been rather friendly. They didn't seem to have any doubts regarding his credibility and James could not think of anything he could have done to improve his statement. Furthermore, the aurors had seemed quite interested and eager to see the offenders arrested. He could not think of any reason why they would want to protect the suspected Death Eaters. Either the Ministry was slowing things down or the accused had decided to bring out all the tricks in the book. James knew that many old pure-blood families considered themselves above the law. Their famous names and old money bought of lot of influence and together they could often get out of messy situations without too much trouble. Also, they had access to the best lawyers in the wizarding world and given how complicated wizarding law was, there was quite a good chance to find a loophole for almost any offense. James suspected that the Malfoy, Nott and Rosier family were putting in a lot of effort to keep their family members out of Azkaban. They had both the necessary influence and power to make a difference. Macnair only had an old name, whose glamour had long since faded, but his Death Eaters friends were not going to let him go the prison easily.

James sighed. He had no doubt that the Death Eater movement would have been defeated years ago if it were comprised of only Muggle-born. Too many influential members of wizarding society were at least somewhat sympathetic to the murderous idea of blood purity for any decisive action to be taken. James remembered the argument between Sirius and Lily back in the hospital. Maybe Sirius had a point after all. It was about time that these murderers were brought to justice! If that meant temporarily removing some of the safeguards of the judicative, then James was willing to pay the price. After all, there would be no more justice if the Death Eaters took over. He shivered at the thought. How would a victory of the Death Eaters look like? Would the Ministry fight to the last man and all the Death Eaters would rule over would be the gutted hulk of a country? No, probably not. Resistance was too half-hearted even now for this to be an option. Maybe they would go for some kind of coup and at put on the appearance of an orderly transition of power. Hell, maybe they would have the guts to appoint one of their own as candidate for Minister of Magic in the next election. While Voldemort had no chance of ever being accepted as a candidate, a well-connected pure-blood, whose ties to the Death Eaters were not proven, might very well have a chance. It would be the ultimate gambit. Voldemort would pull the strings from behind the curtains and the wizarding world would not even notice that it had been taken over by terrorists. James hoped that this day would never come. If the Death Eaters somehow gained access to the resources of the Ministry, things would become very grim for all of their enemies. From what his father had told him, the Ministry could be quite formidable if it really wanted to be. Granted, he had a hard time picturing that at the moment, but maybe the bad performance of the Ministry was truly caused by Voldemort's agents rather than by its own incompetence. However, it hardly mattered. James knew without a doubt that he could not rely on the Ministry to either protect him or to defeat the Death Eaters.

It was a sobering thought and also caused him to reconsider his own plans for the future. Like Sirius, he had planned to join the aurors once he was done with school. In fact, the rather lengthy and complicated form one used to apply for the auror program was stored in his bag. He had started filling it out during the weekend, but had not gotten around to finishing it by now. Sirius had already sent his in a flurry of rather unusual activity. His best mate was more than eager to do his part in the fight against the Death Eaters. It worried James sometimes. Sirius could be almost maniacally dedicated if he wanted to be. James vividly remembered the early days of their attempts at becoming animagi. Sirius had spent whole nights in the restricted section of the library, trying to come up with all the information they needed. Now, he was using the very same energy to make sure he got into the auror program. He had fussed over the perfect wording for his cover letter for a whole weekend and had started studying properly for school for the first time ever. The auror program only accepted the best of the best after all. While James could understand his friend's dedication, he still found it weird to be reminded to do his homework by Sirius of all people. Apparently, his best mate was worried that they would not be able to become aurors together if James slacked off too much. Naturally, both Remus and Lily were very pleased about Sirius's new work ethic, but James did not appreciate it at all. He had been just fine with only Lily and Remus nagging him about school work. These were strange times indeed if they managed to turn Sirius Black of all people into a model student.

James wondered how exactly it would feel to work as an auror. His father had told him some stories over the years, but they were only little pieces of the big picture. How did a typical day as an auror look like? How did you cope with the huge work load and the constant danger in the field? How quickly were rookie aurors sent on field missions? Aurors were better paid than most entry level jobs at the Ministry of Magic, which was not terribly surprising given the danger of the profession, but James suspected that most aurors were not just motived by money. He felt like he had too little information to make such a serious decision. Maybe he should write to his father and ask him what he thought about his son joining the aurors. James didn't have to ask his mother to know what she thought about it, though. As long as he could remember, she had always been less than happy about her husband's profession. She had been opposed to the long hours, to the huge danger, to the brutality you both had to deal out and take. She had been very happy when her husband had finally retired. She would be furious if either Sirius or he joined the auror department. Sirius could probably get away with only a serious scolding, as he was only her surrogate son and therefore had some more liberties than James had, but James himself would be in a lot more trouble. James could understand his mother's reservations very well, but he could not just ignore what was happening around him. In each case, he should break the news to her carefully. Springing it on her was a recipe for disaster. Maybe he ought to talk with his father about this. He normally could get her to calm down.

The sound of approaching footsteps caused James to snap out of his thoughts. Only a few moments later, Marlene entered the alcove and almost barrelled into him. Clearly, she had not expected the space to be occupied.

'Careful there,' said James, reaching out with his hands to stabilize her as she had lost her balance during her abrupt stopping motion.

'What are you doing here?' she asked. 'Shouldn't you be in Charms?'

'I am brooding angrily about my life and the world,' said James dryly. 'Shouldn't you be in Herbology?'

'Maybe,' she said flippantly. 'But like you I have decided that I would rather spend my time thinking about a few things.'

'Really, like what?'

'The fact that both you and your idiot best friend are gits has been on my mind quite often during the last few days,' she said. However, there was not bite behind her words and James knew that she had calmed down about Sirius's wandering lips by now. 'Budge over, I need to sit down.'

'You are so charming today, Marlene,' he said, rolling his eyes. Nevertheless, he made room for her and she settled down next to him, her shoulder pressing against his. 'So, do you want to talk about Sirius?'

'Not particularly, no,' she said. 'We had agreed not to talk about our love lives, remember? And Sirius is your best mate which makes this even more awkward than it is already. Besides there is not really anything to talk about, is there?'

'A lot of agreements are getting broken at some point in time,' said James. He was not quite sure why he was pushing her, given that he himself was not too keen on having this conversation, but he did so nevertheless. Maybe it would cathartic for both of them. 'And I actually think that there is quite a lot to talk about.'

'You might very well think that, but I am still not interested,' said Marlene grumpily.

'How about a trade? You tell me about your issues with Sirius and I am going to tell you a little secret about my own love life,' said James.

Marlene snorted.

'You don't have a love life,' she said. 'I haven't see you even glance at anybody since Amber and you fell apart. You are not even flirting with Lily anymore. What could you possibly tell me?'

'Well, there is only one way to find out,' said James, grinning cockily. 'However, I am quite sure that you are not going to regret talking to me.'

Marlene looked torn for a moment, before she nodded.

'Fine, I will bite,' she said. 'Spit it out then.'

'That's not how this works. You go first.'

'What? Why?'

'Because I know that you will immediately close off and walk away as soon as you have satisfied your curiosity,' said James smugly.

'I hate you,' said Marlene, scowling at him.

'No, you don't,' said James lightly. 'But fine, I am going to give you some help getting started. It seems quite obvious to me that you are more serious about Sirius than you had initially planned. Otherwise you would have never reacted that strongly to him snogging another girl.'

'I had figured that part out myself,' grumbled Marlene. 'I am a fool for feeling that way, though. I should have known that Sirius would go for a different girl sooner or later. When I first approached him, I just wanted something simple and safe. Something that could keep me in my comfort zone. And Sirius was the perfect choice for that. He never pressured me for anything romantic. He was happy to just hook-up and be casual. It was such a nice change in contrast to Charlie's overbearing manner that I did not pay too much attention to the dynamic between us.'

'Things got more and more intimate over time for you and you assumed that he felt the same way,' said James.

'Yeah, exactly,' said Marlene, looking at him in surprise. 'How do you know that? You have never paid too much attention to the two of us.'

'I have some experience in the matter,' said James darkly. 'It is almost exactly what happened to me with Amber.'

'Right, I should have known that,' said Marlene. 'I mean, you have never talked to me about this, but I got enough out of Sirius to figure out what had been going on.'

'I should deck him in the face the next time I see him,' grumbled James. 'He can't keep his bloody mouth shut.'

'It is not his fault that I am so persuasive,' said Marlene with a smile. 'And he didn't tell me much: It was rather easy to figure out once I knew about her arranged marriage. Combined with the heartbroken expression you wore every time she was mentioned, it wasn't too difficult to figure out.'

'Yes, you are very smart,' said James, rolling his eyes. 'But this talk is about you and Sirius and not about Amber and me. So, what are you going to do next?'

'I am not sure,' admitted Marlene. 'I mean, I am not even sure I want a proper relationship. You know how I feel about all the expectations and the pressure surrounding these. And after the rather horrible ending of my last one, I am not particularly eager to just jump into the next one.'

'It hardly qualifies as jumping if you get together with Sirius after sort-of dating him for almost a year,' pointed James out. 'I think you are overthinking this. Obviously, you cannot just go one the way you were before. You would only get hurt again, as Sirius will still be attracting the attention of other witches. Why don't you just sit down with him, tell him that you want to be exclusive and carry on the way you were before? After all, it was clear for everyone but the two of you that you were a couple.'

'Hang on: We weren't a couple,' said Marlene. 'We were not doing any romantic rubbish. Instead, we were only enjoying each other's company.'

'Rubbish,' said James. 'You can deny it all you want, but it is the truth. I have seen the way you two look at each other. Also, you two were always out on a date and even went on a holiday together! How is that not romantic rubbish? And I know for a fact that Sirius has fretted for weeks about what he was supposed to get you for Christmas. Apparently, he drove Peter up the wall with his antics. Poor bloke was so annoyed he even complained to me about it even though he knew that I didn't want to hear anything regarding Sirius and you.'

'Alright, alright,' said Marlene, lifting her hands in surrender. 'So maybe we were a little close than I thought. That still does not change anything, though. Sirius does not want a relationship and I am still not sure whether I want one. There is nothing here for either of us to do.'

'Maybe you should actually talk with Sirius about this before jumping to that conclusion,' said James.

'Come off it, James,' said Marlene. 'Sirius has never had any interest in properly dating a girl. His attention span is so short, he usually dumps the girl after a brief shag or two. It is a miracle that we two lasted as long as we did.'

'Which is precisely why it might actually work,' said James. 'You have been seeing each for almost a year now and believe me I know how unusual that is for Sirius. He must see you as something special or he would have moved on already. So, it cannot do you any harm to try to make more out of this.'

'Do you really think he cares that much about me?' asked Marlene, looking both hopeful and a little scared.

'Well, it is hard to tell with Sirius,' said James. He knew he must choose his words carefully. If he overstated his best mate's interest in her, Marlene was bound to either be disappointed when Sirius coolly rebuffed her or she would bolt right away as she felt pressured.

'He is one of the most closed-off persons I know. I can guess what he is thinking most of the time, but he has surprised me on more than one occasion in the past. Both for the better and for the worse. But I know that Sirius is a person of habits and he doesn't break his habits without a good reason. He doesn't spend a lot of time with girls once he has slept with them and under normal circumstances he followed this rule like it was a law. However, not only has he broken it for you, he also risked getting into trouble with me in the process. I believe in actions over words and Sirius's actions clearly show that he is more than a little interested in you. So, we know that you may want a relationship and he may want a relationship. That sounds rather promising to me.'

'You know it doesn't sound that terrible if you say it like that,' said Marlene. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought furiously. 'What should I do now?'

'Figure out what you want and then talk to Sirius,' said James. 'Find out what he wants and go on from there.'

'What if either of us doesn't want a relationship?'

'Then you don't have one,' said James, shrugging. 'It hardly is the end of the world. And I was against that relationship from the start anyway.'

She hit him lightly on the shoulder in response.

'Be nice,' she chided. 'I know you don't mean that.'

'Whatever you do, at least try to make it civil,' said James. 'I don't want to have to pull you two apart and hand out detentions.'

'We will see about that,' said Marlene. 'That prick still owes me an apology for snogging that slag. No matter whether we were exclusive or not, he should have better taste than her.'

James kept his mouth shut at that. O'Connell was a beautiful girl, hardly a slag and technically Sirius had done nothing wrong. He was wise enough not to say any of these things to Marlene through. Sometimes the truth was not welcome.

'Thanks for that,' she said after a moment. 'I feel much better now. You are better at this sort of thing than I thought.'

'Please Marlene, it is widely known that I am an expert in romantic matters,' said James with a flourish. 'In fact, I expect Witch Weekly to approach me very soon. Apparently, they are looking for a love healer who educates their reads in the inner workings of the heart.'

Marlene snorted.

'Of course, how could I forget that?' she said. 'Well, I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now it is your turn. What exciting change has happened in your love life?'

'I have been dating Lily for around half a year now,' said James. He felt his face stretch into a huge smile at the words. He had never thought that he would live to see that day where he could say them and by Merlin did it feel good! 'She wanted to keep things private at first, but my kidnapping made it clear to her that she wants to enjoy my company as much as possible. So, we are officially a couple now.'

Marlene blinked. Then, she broke into laughter.

'That was a good one,' she said, wheezing after she had calmed down again. 'You know I feared that you were losing your touch with the whole head-boy thing, but you still crack great jokes.'

'I am not joking,' said James, a little offended that that idea of him finally getting Lily seemed so ridiculous to his friend. 'We are dating.'

Marlene eyed him critically for a moment. James folded his arms and glared back at her, trying to convey with his eyes how serious he was about that subject. Finally, she seemed to grasp it. Her eyes widened in shock and before James had any chance to react, she had hurled herself at him and hugged him tightly.

'Oh my god,' she squealed. 'I can't believe it! Finally! Someone must inform the prophet! Miracles can still happen! This is the best news of the year!'

'I never thought you would be that happy about it,' said James, wheezing for breath through her embrace. 'If I remember correctly, you were never a fan of the idea of the two of us dating.'

'I never was a fan of you bothering her every minute,' corrected Marlene after releasing him. 'It got on everybody's nerves and made Lily very difficult to deal with. But I actually agree with Mary: I can see the two of you working as a couple. I never wanted to tell you before, as I didn't want to encourage you. Your ego was big enough as it was.'

'I could have done with some support,' said James sourly. He still vividly remembered the times when he had chased after Lily and he never wanted to feel that way again in his life. 'It wasn't easy for me back then.'

'It would have been a lot easier for you if you had just taken the hint and left her alone,' said Marlene dismissively. 'However, that is all in the past now. You have to tell me everything!'

'I thought you didn't care about my love life,' said James.

'I don't, but now you are dating Lily and that is something else entirely,' said Marlene. 'You two are sensational news. Just wait for word to spread. The rumour mill is going to bloody explode! Head-boy and head-girl become a couple after years of one-sided hatred. Isn't it a wonderful love story? And you are pure-blood and Muggle-born as well. What a wonderful symbol in these times!'

'I don't care about setting any kind of symbol.'

'You may not care about them, but you are sending them with your actions,' said Marlene. 'Now, spill. And start at the very beginning. I want to know everything'

James sighed, but realized that she was not going to let him go without getting something out of him. Resigning to his fate, he launched into his story.