Competition/Challenge Block:
Written for/Stacked with: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Term 12); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3)
House/Role: Ravenclaw; Prefect (Hogwarts)

Term (Assignment): Term 12 - Assignment 9
Subject (Task): Games & Sports Task #9 (Write about doing someone else's work/job).
Other Hogwarts Challenges: IHC: (454: [Platonic] James & Sirius); 365 (219: Noise); Seasonal; Quarterly; Writing Club; Geek Pride; Mini Golf Mania;

Other MC4A Challenges: Link Maker; Chimera Creator; Shipping Wars; BAON; SF; Star; T3; ToS; LiCK

Representation: ADHD James Potter; QPR James/Sirius/Remus/Lily; Recon Mission
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Middle Name; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Second Verse (Found Family; Nontraditional; Sneeze Weasel; Zucchini Bread) Chorus (Machismo; Wabi Sabi; Pear-Shaped)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: LiCK (Yarrow; Poppy) T3 (Thimble)

Summary: It was a simple recon mission. What could possibly go wrong?

Rated: K

Genre: General

Warning Tag: N/A

Word Count: 1,743

Alleyways and Filthy Mongrels

The task was as simple and straightforward as any could be; tail Lucius Malfoy and gather intel on his late-night extracurricular activities. There was virtually no way to screw it up, just lay low and be inconspicuous. Sirius and Remus were assigned this essential task because they worked well together. Sirius listened to Remus, who in turn managed to control him relatively easily with these less than stellar missions.

Do not engage, only observe. Simple. Easy. Almost boring if asking the right Order member.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts with the natural phases of the moon and overworked minds within certain Order members, Remus was in a situation James personally hated seeing him in. His sickly complexion due to the impending full moon the following night wiped him out, but knowing how stubborn Remus could be, James could be twice as much.

"Take the weekend off, Moony," James half-whispered while the group was still being briefed. "I'll cover for you."

"No," Remus replied sharply under his breath, keeping his focus on Alastor. "Lily needs you, remember?"

Remus had got really good at ignoring Sirius' concerned looks and gentle nudges in the attempt to encourage him to speak up, but he knew that he wouldn't push him out of a mission in the end. James was much louder about it regardless of what Remus said, however.

"Lily will love to have you as her cuddle buddy, so don't use her as an excuse," James muttered back, tapping his fingers on the table to redirect pent up energy. "You need the rest."

"I'm fine, James. I can handle recon—"

"I'll go with Sirius," James declared, interrupting Alastor and Remus mid-sentence. "Remus isn't feeling well, I'm willing to cover."

Regardless of Remus' protests, Alastor accepted the exchange with mild annoyance but without requiring extra details. The pale, sickly appearance of Remus was enough to show others he was sick while being none the wiser as to why. So, James was given his assignment, partnering him with Sirius; two of the least inconspicuous people in the ranks. Not only were they loud, but both of them also had strong personalities, so putting them together on a recon mission was certainly going to end in an utter disaster.

It didn't help that Sirius found it pointless to scout because he just flat out knew Malfoy was a Death Eater. No one who was that racist and bigoted would decline such an offer from a mad man offering to cleanse the world of those very beings he despised, yet the Order (and by extension, the Aurors) wanted to be proper and gather evidence before bringing people in to avoid any misunderstandings.

So that is what they went and did.

Diagon Alley wasn't as bustling as it normally was during peak hours, but there were still a few straggling shoppers leisuring about picking up last-minute groceries or grabbing a dessert from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour at seven-thirty in the evening. That was where the duo went first since it had a direct line of sight to the ministry's main entrance's underground stairway. The two managed to squeak into the ice cream parlor right before closing and utilized the outdoor seating to devour their sweet treats.

James quickly grew bored sitting in one place once he no longer had a cone in his hand to occupy his attention. So he jostled his leg up and down as he continuously scanned the cobbled street before his gaze wandered over to the quidditch supply store. It was still open.

He got to his feet then. Itching to occupy his mind with something. "I'm going to the quidditch shop."

Sirius tried to stifle his yawn, but gave up and let it go. "Okay, but you're not leaving me here."

"Well someone has to watch for the slimeball," James reasoned, "He could be leaving any moment, and my brain is itching and needs a distraction."

"Fine, make it quick? I want to look too."

James made a dismissive motion with his hand as he closed the distance to the shop. He did actually need new gloves since the grips on his were wearing out with how much he practiced and played. He browsed around for a few minutes, looking at the brooms on display and inspecting the beater bats before moving to the gear he needed. Two pairs of gloves should do the trick, but then he caught a pair of boots in the corner of his eye he had to have. They were also specially designed to hold a grip on the broom bars, how could he pass those up?

After paying and leaving, James spotted Sirius had moved to a bench a little further down the alley by the apothecary shop, so he shrunk his boots down and tossed them and the gloves into the small rucksack Lily gave him and headed over. If James didn't know any better, Sirius appeared to be asleep, but even their charmed disguises couldn't fool him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," James almost cooed, taking the space next to Sirius before combing his hand through Sirius' silky black hair. "The night's still young."

Sirius playfully knocked the hand away.

"Satisfy the shopaholic in you?" Sirius teased, sitting more upright now. "We have only managed to kill an hour. The shops are closing down, and soon we're going to be the ones who look suspicious. I say we hex the pompous blond snob and bring him in, it would save loads of trouble."

"Ah, yes, it is such a great plan because we want to put everyone in danger that way," James deadpanned. "As much as I agree with you, we have to do it by the books. Until we get legitimate dirt on Malfoy, he hasn't technically done anything illegal."

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius muttered, lazily waving a dismissive hand in the air. "What did you end up buying me?"

James went into a spiel about the new boots and gloves he got, leaving Sirius to whimper in such a way that mimicked the way a dog whined when there was no gift for him.

"Grow up, Padfoot. You know that behavior only works on Lily and Remus," James said, showing no remorse for the faux hurt.

"Well, if you didn't take so long, I could've got my own, meanie."

Malfoy had been reported leaving the ministry relatively late in the past couple of weeks. James and Sirius continued to camp out in the otherwise quiet streets of Diagon Alley for over two hours keeping close tabs on the stairway. They knew the ministry closed at eight, and the work-a-holics didn't leave until nine at the earliest, so since about seven-thirty, they both skirted the shops until each one started pushing them out to close.

Soon they were the only souls around, and it made them both get antsy. James grew exceptionally jittery while Sirius' impatience only fueled it more.

"Maybe you should've stayed home too. You're way more restless than usual, mate," Sirius said, observing the increased pacing and mixed ticks of James' when he was trying to stim through a hyperactive spike. "Recon isn't really your forte, either."

"Yeah but I can manage better than Remus—" James stopped in his tracks then, putting his finger to his mouth to silence any questions from Sirus.

Sirius followed the silent gesture to the dark figure creeping up the stairs not far from them. The pair hastily disillusioned themselves to avoid being seen. There was no mistake it was Malfoy, the nearly-full moon shimmered off the white-blond hair of the man who paused only briefly to adjust his cloak before continuing down the cobbled path. The tap of his cane was in rhythm with his clicking steps.

James slapped Sirius' chest before they both tailed after Malfoy, being careful to not get too close. When they turned down the route that led to Knockturn Alley, James could feel the tension spike then as they dodged the sketchier, grimier side of their world. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get into the shop Malfoy entered, and so the waiting resumed in the dark, dingy, rubbish littered alley they found themselves in.

"This is ridiculous," Sirius hissed, letting the disillusionment fall. "This is the most suspicious innocent thing you could possibly do. Can't we just jump him?"

James ignored Sirius, peering around the corner to see what he could through the dirt-caked windows. He almost had the nerve to walk over and clear a spot on them just to see better but decided against it.

"Shouldn't be much longer now," James muttered, starting to pace while Sirius crouched to the ground.

"I see him! He's leaving!" Sirius hissed, but it wasn't loud enough to get James' attention.

Malfoy exited the shop and immediately headed in their general direction. Even though the alley did a weird V-shape intersection here, they were bound to be seen.

"James! Hide!" Sirius said again, standing up suddenly and causing James to run into him.

This promptly had James stumble right into a metal rubbish bin, sending very loud noises echoing down the alley.

"Shite," James said, looking around frantically before diving into a mix of cardboard boxes and trash piled up behind the toppled over bin.

His line of sight wasn't the best under such foul-smelling gunk, but he could hear that obnoxious tapping of the cane and rich boy shoes on the stone head for them. He could only pray Sirius got out of dodge. He dared not move then once he saw over-polished boots right next to him.

"Filthy mongrel," he heard Malfoy snarl, which was followed by a nasty, chest rumbling growl from an animal.

The threatening sound discouraged Malfoy from whatever he was about to do, though, and he turned and left with a swish of his robes. James waited to be sure he was really gone before escaping his dirty hiding spot to find a black dog standing in the alley.

"Seriously?" James sputtered out, flicking something gross looking off his arm. "I really don't like you sometimes, you know?"

Sirius morphed back to his human form, a lazy half-grin plastering his face. "You're just jealous you didn't think of it first."

"Yeah, because seeing a stag in the middle of an alleyway hanging with a dog is totally normal around here, Padfoot," James shot back, "You cheated!"

"And you're filthy," Sirius said with a laugh. "Looks like we lost the target."

"Whatever, he's as good as caught if he keeps up this nightly stroll," James muttered, attempting to clean himself up with a spell. "That mission will be left to you and Remus next time. I need a shower."