Disclaimer: Anything that rings a bell belongs to J.K Rowling

Chapter 28: Bella and her Snakes

"What did you do!" James laughed, astonished that his father had ever done anything so brazen in his life.

"Well I lost the bet now, didn't I?"

Sirius barked out a laugh, complete amazement in his eyes, and James was sure he had the same look on his face.

As a special seventeenth birthday treat, James' parents had offered to take him and his friends anywhere he'd like for the Spring Vacation. He had picked France, as Jude was meant to be going there to see her specialist healer in the first week of holiday, and that way he could spend some time with her as well. Currently, his mum and her were up in Normandy, and will be joining them in Paris in two days, which meant that he had 48 hours to tell his friends about Jude.

Moony and Wormtail were joining tomorrow, while he and Sirius had a special week just with his dad, and his dad's French friend, Alexandre Sabre, and his son, Baron Sabre.

The five men had spent their week doing all things quidditch, to Padfoot's annoyance. He didn't complain though, he was practically frothing at the mouth when James had let him know that they would be going to France, and he had already promised to meet his French girl tomorrow when they went to pick up Moony and Wormtail from the station.

"Well, if I remember correctly jumping into Lake Eibsee stark naked did a world of good for you!" Alexandre laughed, clapping James' dad on his shoulder.

James groaned, he didn't really want to know what that meant. Alexandre and his dad had worked together as junior aurors just after the fall of Grindelwald, both witnessing the historical duel between Dumbledore and the dark lord. James knew that his dad had spent the first few years of his auror training out in Germany, helping them collect Grindelwald's remaining followers, alongside Alexandre.

"Oh hush. He means with your mother, she was visiting me at the time." His father ruffled his hair affectionately, and James groaned louder at his words, somehow that was worse.

Baron shook his head amused. "Why do all of your stories somehow end with someone jumping in a lake, naked?"

"Ah it was the post-war forties. People found any excuse to celebrate. You boys will see when it's your turn."

James hadn't given much thought to the fact that they were actually in wartime. Things were still so normal for the most part, even though, being the son of an auror, he knew it was far from the truth. He stilled, feeling his dad's hand move from his hair to the back of his neck, a comforting gesture.

He glanced up at him, conflicted. He had struggled a lot with his feelings towards his father in the past year, and he knew they needed to have a conversation. But it was impossible to stay angry at Charlus Potter, so he decided to put his feelings aside for just this vacation.

"Okay, this is us!" They had been walking through the Forest of Compiègne, on their way to the final match of the European Quidditch League, Quiberon Quafflepunchers vs Montrose Magpies. The Magpies were the Potters' favourite team in the league.

Alexandre spoke rapid French to a witch in sparkling emerald robes, and James and Sirius exchanged amused glances, as Baron shook his head annoyed. It perhaps, was a bit on the nose, but Alexandre was every bit the charming frenchman, and there didn't seem a witch immune to the magic he wielded. Not that James was complaining, he had been paying avid attention to the older man, but at the same time thought that none of this would work on Evans, but, he'd take whatever help he could get.

Not that he could implement anything he learned here anytime soon, what with his Carmichael problem. The best thing about this break was that there was a whole channel separating them, and he couldn't be happier. Though, considering how he left things with Evans at the end of term, he'd be surprised if he was allowed within flirting distance of her to even try out any of Alexandre's moves.

James had followed his friend up to the dorm, not getting much of a response to his questions. Remus was clearly upset.

"Moony?" They had entered the dorm, Padfoot was lying on his bed, dawdling on the map they were trying to create.

"Ah, you lot are late. Wormy's already downstairs." James glanced at Sirius, they always had dinner together on Sunday night. It was a thing they did back home, and Sirius loved the idea so much that he incorporated it during term time as well.

Remus had his back to both of them, standing at the open window.

"Shafiq okay? I thought it was just a minor burn, Pomfrey usually fixes those up really quickly?"

"What?" James snapped, "Aiza's hurt?"

Sirius sighed, glancing at Remus, just noticing his friend's dark mood, "It's a long story. Moony?"

"I just. I need some time alone, please." His voice broke, and James and Sirius exchanged glances.

"Okay." James nodded at the door, "You want us to bring you up any food?"

"No, thank you. But, if you could please make sure Aiza's gotten back to the dorm okay, I'll appreciate that. We were in that unused classroom next to the one eyed witch."

"Sure." Sirius furrowed his brows at James, "You know, she'll probably like it a lot better if it were you checking on her mate."

"I don't think she would. I don't think she wants me near her."

"Moony - "

"Please, Padfoot." Their friend was most definitely crying.

"Of course." James threw his broom on the floor, knowing the best thing he could do for his friend right now is appease his wishes, and he and Sirius left the room quickly.

"What's that about?"

"Well I was up on the Astronomy tower writing to Cece, when I heard some noise. I found Shafiq there with Bella and her Snakes. Anyway," He sighed, "Devon was there."

James had stilled in the exit to the Common Room, "What? Jude Devon?"

"Yeah. They got her somehow, and I don't really know the full details, Aiza wasn't very coherent, and well Devon doesn't communicate period. But she was covered in blood, not her own thankfully, and garlic juice and then Bella put the torture curse on her." Sirius was half way down the seventh floor corridor before he realised that James had not been keeping up with him. James hastened forward, desperate to hear the rest of the story. They took the short cut down to the fourth floor.

"Apparently they were trying to figure out if she has fangs, cause they think she's a part-vampire. Anyway, I got there when they put the torture curse on her, and obviously, things escalated, Bella and I got into it. Shafiq kept trying to get Devon out but she kept fighting her, and somehow she just loses it, magic is flying everywhere and she tosses Bella over the fucking balustrade of the North Balcony. Anyway I caught Bella and managed to get her back on the Tower. We stopped duelling after that because Bella threatened to go to Dumbledore and say that Jude tried killing her. I mean, I think she doesn't have a leg to stand on because we all saw her use the unforgivable, but Shafiq didn't want it to escalate, which I don't really know how I feel about, I don't really care about getting thrown out as long as those tossers are too."

James heart beat very slowly, as he processed what his best friend said. Jude covered in blood? Tortured?

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, he said third floor right, so should be close."

"No, I mean, Devon?"

"Oh she's alright, well as alright as she usually is. She didn't want Pomfrey, I walked her up to the dorm, I told her she should get some rest. Fuck! Shafiq!"

James had almost turned around, ready to run back to the dorms, to Jude, but snapped his head around at Sirius' voice and ran after him, just noticing what had caused his fright. Shafiq was passed out on the classroom floor.

"Shafiq!" Sirius got there first and nudged Aiza, who stirred, blinking groggily first at James, then Sirius, and then looking expectantly around, not spotting who they both knew she really wanted to see. "Okay, I'm taking you to Pomfrey!"

"No! No!" Aiza said, "I'm okay, I just. Overexerted myself. She said to rest, and I …didn't. And." She ran her hand through her hair, and James just realised how unlike herself she was. She had clearly been crying, but there was something else, she was disoriented but also jumpy.

"Are you okay?" James had knelt to the floor, looking her in the eye. Her warm almond orbs blinked up at him, and then she burst into tears, grabbing him in a hug.

Sirius raised his brows, staring at the pair of them, as James patted her back, soothing her. "You're okay. It's okay. You're safe Aiza, they can't hurt you. You're safe."

This just made her sob harder and James' heart began to pound.

Aiza and Jude, the closest things he had to sisters, were hurt.

"Let's get you to Moony."

Padfoot realised his slip up, his mouth hanging open behind Aiza. They weren't supposed to use their nicknames in front of anybody for obvious reasons.

"No. I can't do it. I'm so sorry. I can't do it." She wasn't crying anymore, but her voice sounded raw.

"Do what?" James glanced around the room, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Be with him." Aiza staggered to her feet, pushing James away from her, "I'm so sorry. Please tell him I'm so sorry, and I'll keep his secret, of course. Of course I'll keep it."

And with that she turned and ran, exiting the classroom in a blur of black robes. Sirius looked at James, shocked.

"You think he told her?"

"Looks like." James muttered, straightening up. He was surprised. Yes, Aiza could be superficial, but he never expected she'd care that Remus was a werewolf. James had always thought she'd find it a bit exciting actually, because it would piss her father off and that was her favourite past time.

James couldn't really fixate on this though, now that he knew Aiza was okay he needed to check on Jude. But would she be up in the dorms, or down at dinner? This would be a useful function for the map they had been working on, if they could somehow get it to show the location of the Castle's inhabitants.

He had followed Sirius down to dinner, telling himself that it had to be okay, if Jude had been injured Sirius would have never let her just go to rest, he'd have taken her to the Wing. Though she could be stubborn.

Just then he spotted him. His hair greasier if possible, his hooked nose more pronounced in James' anger.

Snape had just left the Great Hall with Evans, whose beauty usually eclipsed everything that surrounded her.

But now all James could see was that green tie.

Bella and her Snakes.

Blood.

Garlic Juice.

The Torture curse.

Aiza sobbing on the floor, terrified.

Jude.

The spell had left his wand almost of his own volition, and caught Snape unaware, throwing him backwards, right into the Great Hall.

"Potter!" Evans snapped, as a fury erupted inside James.

He'll make every fucking one of them pay.

He caught the shocking blue in his periphery, Snape had always been quick, and had fired a spell while he was still on the ground, but Sirius had James' back with a shield charm, and the curse never touched him.

Snape, already on his feet, cast his second spell, a yellow jinx, which James easily dodged, and Sirius hit Snape square in the face with a stinging jinx.

Spells were coming fast from their left, from the Snake table, but none of the Lions needed telling twice, they had already got to their feet at the first spell, and were charging over the Puff table, opting for close range combat rather than standing off firing from a distance like cowards.

Suddenly there was a ear splitting ringing that had them all yelp in pain, and James' wand went flying out of his hand.

"I, in all my years as a teacher, I have NEVER! Duelling at dinner, like neanderthals!" McGonagall's eyes were bulging in fury, and Professor Flitwick had about two dozen wands at his feet. "Potter! Black! Snape! Evans! My office! NOW!"

McGonagall stormed passed, and they all followed, James glared at the way Evans' kept trying to make eye contact with Snape, who had been ignoring her. They reached her first floor office in seconds, and their teacher barely had the door open before Evans started.

"Potter and Black started it Professor, they attacked Severus, he didn't do anything to deserve that."

"And that is all well and good, but that doesn't give Mr Snape permission to retaliate!"

"So, I'm to just let them attack me!" Snape screamed in McGonagall's face and James turned on him, taking quick steps forward but being blocked by Sirius who moved into his path, catching the look on James' face.

"You watch your tone when you talk to her!"

"I can defend myself quite adequately Mr Potter, so if you will kindly shut up." The Professor took a deep, calming breath. She stared at James and Sirius. "Two weeks worth of detention for you both when you're back from Easter break. And fifty points each from Gryffindor."

James couldn't make himself care for the detention or house points right now. The deputy headmistress turned to the other two students.

"You both will be serving a detention each, irrelevant of who started it Miss Evans, I expect better from you. No duelling is allowed out of class, that's the rules." James frowned, Evans hadn't even flung a spell though. "You're dismissed."

They knew better than to protest, and they made their way out of the room, James glaring at the back of the oily head, hoping it would pop like the zits that now covered his face.

"Sev -"

"Get off me!" Snape shoved Evans off him, she had been trying to look at his face to assess the damage, an enraged look just about noticeable among the redness, glaring at her with so much anger that James took a protective step forward.

"Sev." Evans whimpered, she sounded as if she was close to tears.

Snape spun around, fleeing down the stairs and off to the dungeons.

"Why do you let him treat you like that!"

Evans whirled around, her face flushed, "Why do you treat him like that! What makes you think you can just attack someone, when they're not ready! What kind of coward acts like that!"

"Coward?" James growled, "The only cowards are those fucking Snakes! How do you sleep at night playing all nice with the bastards that attacked your dormmates!"

"What!" Evans stepped back, confusion etched on her pretty features, "What happened!"

"Why don't you go and ask Sev!" James spat, his anger far outweighing his attraction.

Evans looked as if she had been smacked, she had tears in her eyes, but he knew those were angry ones, and he tried not to process the fact that he upset her so often that he knew all the faces that her fury wore. She shook her head, stepping away from James, "Why do I even bother?"

And with that, she turned and ran up the stairs.

Sirius, who had been quietly staring at James with a concerned look on his face, looked as if he wanted to speak.

"What? You agree with me right! He deserved that!"

"Always!" Sirius added, high pitched in his speed to back up his friend. "It's just…well…technically he wasn't there this morning."

James' mouth stiffened, and Sirius hastened, "But he probably had something to do with it. Like, they're all, tossers. It's just, I mean, I'm the last one to ever tell you to be nicer to Evans. But that was a little harsh, she just defended you down there."

"What?"

"Yeah when Snivellus retaliated, she had a shield charm on you, I couldn't get there fast enough. Why do you think the snot face is so pissed off."

James groaned, he thought that had been Sirius defending him.

"Well," Sirius clapped James on the shoulder sympathetically, "I'm definitely hungry now."

"You go ahead, I'm not in the mood."

James didn't wait for a response from his best friend, he turned and made his way up to the seventh floor.

He pulled out the Parch and scribbled a message onto it, and despite running, Jude had beat him into the Room of Requirement, she must have been on the seventh floor already.

She rushed forward, holding out the parch.

Are you okay?

James pushed the Parch aside and grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head, not really knowing why he had done it.

She hugged him back, her small hands stroking his back affectionately. They stood like that for minutes, unmoving.

James pulled back, glancing down at her,"You're okay? Are you sure?"

She nodded, a smile on her face. And James honestly didn't know how she did it. People had been awful to her all this year, he was one of them, but she always managed to twinkle up at him. He stroked her cheeks affectionately, taking in her dark eyes, trying to make sure that she really was unharmed.

Jude pushed at his cheeks with her two fingers, forcing him to smile, which in turn made her own grow wider.

He let out a chuckle at her silliness, and he pulled her back into a hug, only letting go of her when his heart slowed down to normal.

Alexandre turned to them, nodding his head for them to follow and pulling James out of his thoughts. They entered the stadium and began climbing the stairs to their seat, which was understandably mostly in pink, the Quafflepunchers colours, they did have home ground advantage. Their own group had majority Magpies supporters, Sirius, himself and his dad in the black and white kit - Sirius had mentioned what a big fan Cece is of the Quafflepunchers but James had made it clear if he supported his girlfriend's team over his best friend's team he is going to pick Wormy has godfather of all his children - it was a threat that quickly worked.

"We're in here." Alexandre led them through a door and James gasped, turning wide eyed to his dad, who held a big warm smile.

They had got Top Box seats, which was incredibly hard to secure - there were only twenty seats up here.

"Nice comfortable place for you to cry in when the Magpies lose." Baron joked and James shook his head, taking the seat to the left of him while Sirius settled down on his other side.

The dads were busy talking to a bunch of formally dressed people, and James smiled as his father spoke French to the commentator for the night, Jacque Lejeune, who had played for the Quafflepunchers in his heyday.

"Is there anything that your dad cannot do." James turned to his best friend, who had also been looking at his father, complete adoration on his face.

"Apparently win a bet against my dad." Baron laughed. "They're something, alright. You know, my dad told me your dad saved his life at least five times. He was going to name me Charlus but my grandmother refused. Not French enough."

"And Baron is!"

"Not the way you say it!" The blonde man chuckled.

"Firewhisky?" A pretty waitress offered them a tray of the drink and James glanced to his dad for permission, who had caught his eye, smiled and shrugged. James didn't know what that meant and his father mouthed, "Your call."

James laughed, it was his call! He was off age now, and he took a glass from the blonde girl, who Baron had been entertaining.

"James. Sirius." Baron gestured at them, "Anglais."

"Ahhh!" The girl said, looking at their clothes as if it were somehow obvious they were English. "Go Magpies!"

Her accent was so strong, the boys chuckled at her words.

"Comment tu t'appelles?"

James rolled his eyes at his best friend, was one French woman not enough, but Baron laughed, correcting Sirius, "No, Comment vous appelez-vous? Formal, always formal first, out of respect."

"Ah non! But we are all friends here!" The waitress laughed, smiling down at Sirius.

Okay so the Black charm translated well in all languages.

"Je m'appelle Camille! But, I am practicing my English, so I would much prefer we talk with your tongue!"

James bit back a laugh, knowing that was just a translation gone awry.

"My tongue will very much like to teach you."

Camille laughed at Sirius, glancing away, a slightly anxious look on her face, she was meant to be working, not flirting with the young men. She turned to Baron, speaking quickly in French and then gave them all a big smile, especially Sirius, and then went back to her job.

"What did she say?" Sirius whispered.

"That she prefers the quiet one," Baron gestured at James, "and to give him her address to write to her."

"What!" James and Sirius said in united surprise, and Baron laughed.

"I'm joking. She was asking if we'll go to the Arc tomorrow. It is a big national holiday, and there is a big party. She'll be there. With friends. For me and the quiet one." He shook his head as Sirius smirked, appeased that she was most interested in him.

"Also, why is it so surprising to you that a girl could fancy me over you."

"Tonnes of girls would fancy you over me. You just give off taken energy."

"What?" James scowled.

"Ah, yeah, he is right! You do give off that you have a girlfriend." Baron supported Sirius' statement.

"Women can smell other women on men - it's a fact." Sirius added.

"I think that's just how your nose works." Sirius grinned at James' whisper, "And I don't have a girlfriend, so you're wrong."

"You dumped Carmichael!" His best friend barked in excitement!

Shit. James had forgotten about Azura.

"No, I just mean, I don't give off taken energy or whatever that means!"

"Ah James, you do! But that is okay!" Alexandre settled down in his seat, the match was close to starting, "You know you are lucky to find love so early! It took me till my thirties to find my Amélie, and I wish everyday I had found her sooner!"

Baron's smile slid off his face at the mention of his late mother, and James was glad that his father had joined them, he always knew how to fix a conversation going south.

"Ah, Amélie, now, she was way toooo good for you." His father laughed, taking the seat next to Baron, "You know your mother was the most talented magical law enforcement officer I have ever met. All that hard work we did catching Grindelwald's men would have been completely useless without her."

Baron's lips quirked into a proud smile, and James looked at his dad. How did he know the best thing was to double down, talk more about Baron's mum, rather than change the subject. How did he always just know the right thing to say, the right thing to do.

James' brows rose as his dad's face suddenly took on one of surprise, and he rose to his feet again, "Orion."

James snapped around, and his stomach dropped.

Sirius' father and brother had walked in, along with two other men, one which James recognised as an old Hogwarts student, Rodolphus Lestrange.

And of course the only seats available were the four empty ones next to Sirius.

Sirius had not acknowledged the new arrivals, and seemed to find the pre-game festivities very interesting.

James wondered if there was a way to swap seats with him, but it would be too obvious now.

"Charlus." Orion nodded, glancing down at Sirius, before folding into the open seat next to his son.

James glanced at his father, but he had a feeling not even his dad could fix the atmosphere in the box right now, and finally, the start of game whistle went off.

A/N: Well, a bunch of Lions and Snakes all in the same confined space - sounds like a recipe for disaster! What do you guys think of the story so far - would love to hear any feedback :) Thank you for reading!

Kalina