Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

34

"I mean," Lacerta paced back and forth in her dorms, ignoring Natalia's eyerolling and their fourth dormmate - who was glaring at her as she tried to study for their NEWTs, "how could he do this after EVERYTHING we went through to get out of there?"

"Because he's not a fucking blood-traitor like you," Natalia snorted. 

"Piss off bitch," Tonya snapped, turning towards her best friend with a worried expression on her face. Lacerta wasn't one for showing her emotions unless it was anger. Anger was something the Black family was very familiar with. Of course, the girl knew what it was like to feel happy or sad, but letting other people know was weakness in her manipulated mind. 

"He's such a --"

Tonya cut her friend off before she could begin her string of curse words. "Maybe he's scared? I mean, I'm pissing myself thinking about life after we graduate Hogwarts with Voldemort's army growing stronger. Some people may think that he is going to win. Like idiots," she directed at the other two girls, one of which flipped her the bird.

"But," she struggled to find the words, pondering for just a moment before she looked up. "I just thought it'd be better to die doing what's right then being a coward. He believed the same thing. . . or he used to."

"Don't blame Regulus because you have backwards thinking," the fourth dormmate sneered.

"WHO ASKED YOU?" Both girls asked her loudly, getting irritated with their eavesdropping roommates. 

"Can't even have a private conversation in our own room anymore," Lacerta shook her head lividly, her hands shaking with the urge to hit something - or someone. 

"Don't you have a new dorm?" Natalia questioned. 

"I still have a bed here, making this my room as well," she countered. 

"Why aren't you talking to James about this?" Tonya asked. She hadn't meant it in a 'you should've gone to your boyfriend way' and was just being curious, but the look that flashed over her friend's face let her know that it hadn't come out in the way she'd intended. "I didn't--"

"Everyone always dumps their problems on James," she answered with a cooler tone. "I didn't want to do the same after he dealt with us getting out of Grimmauld and the aftermath of that."

"You're supposed to talk about things in a relationship," Tonya said, grasping the other girl's hand carefully. "When Lily and I have a spat we always make sure to talk about it before we go our separate ways. Or if something happens with her sister."

"Her sister being an arse is a bit different than my little brother joining the Death Eaters," Lacerta narrowed her eyes. 

"You're right," Tonya sighed, feeling a mile away from the girl in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to compare. The situations are entirely different. I want you to be able to come to me with your problems. . . I just want you to feel like you can do the same with James as well."

Lacerta looked at her for a long moment, making her feel like she was staring into her soul. "You're right. I'm just being difficult because I'm upset."

"Time of the month, Black? Or did you get knocked up by Potter?" the fourth, they really needed to learn her name, dormmate asked. 

"Neither," she snarked. "Just the restraint it's taking to not curse you until you're begging for mercy is making me a bit tired and cranky."

"Let's take a walk," Tonya jumped off her bed, dragging the girl behind her. She started the path towards the kitchens, knowing that she needed some chocolate and Lacerta could benefit from it as well.

"It's past curfew."

"You're Head Girl," she laughed. "Just flash your badge and we'll be fine."

They walked from one side of the dungeons to the other, enjoying the warm Autumn breeze that snaked down from the windows and open arches. The moon, a half crescent in the sky, looked down on them fondly as they made their journey in silence. They didn't let go of one another's hands and opted to swing them lightly. 

It had been a while since they had last done something, just the two of them. Tonya knew that she was the blame. Her girlfriend took up the majority of her time and she had tossed Lacerta to the side to enjoy it. It had been nice to not be second best to the perfect pureblood she had attached herself to. With Lily, she was a Goddess - so divine and looked upon as if she were something holy. 

Now, Lacerta was just another blood-traitor. 

It was wrong to think like that, she knew that and Lily had told her as much as that, but the ginger also couldn't blame her for her way of thinking. They believed that even Remus and Peter had to be exhausted with friends like sleekeasy Potter and the disowned Black. They would always be the background noise with friends that were louder than the crowd. 

"Liz!" she cursed her thoughts for jinxing her, making Potter appear out of thin air - literally. The boy was like a golden retriever in the way he greeted his girlfriend, lifting her off the ground in a suffocating hug that had Lacerta grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you doing down here?" Tonya questioned, keeping an eye out for any other Marauder creeping around but all she saw was a rat peering at her from around the corner. Odd but not the strangest thing she's seen at Hogwarts. 

"Hungry," he answered simply. "What about you lovely ladies?"

"We needed some chocolate," Lacerta kissed his cheek as he nodded in understanding. James could read the other girl easier than he could read a book. His hands drifted to her cheeks, turning her head side to side with unease. 

"Are you ok?" he questioned, moving his palms down to her sides and drawing her close. It made Tonya feel slightly sick how adorable they were together. Suddenly, she felt a bit of what Lacerta had felt when she and Lily had gotten together. She wished that James was anywhere but with her. 

The first time she and Lacerta had a meaningful conversation in ages and Potter was taking her away.

Her face turned solemn. "Regulus is becoming a Death Eater."

"I'm sorry. . . what? We literally broke into Grim Old Place to make sure that didn't happen," James said with a confused look. 

"I know," Lacerta said, looking lightyears away and somehow James knew that she wasn't ready to tell him everything. "He was even getting cozy with. . . " her face screwed up as if she'd eaten something sour. 

"Why don't we get you girls that chocolate," he had such an easy going grin that Tonya wanted to punch it off of his face. He was too nice. Too fucking perfect and it pissed her off. "Then we'll walk Tony back to her dorm and we can head to ours and I'll draw you a warm bath, yeah?"

The way the nickname came off his tongue made her see red for a second. Only two people could call her that. Lily and Lacerta. Still, she kept her cool because Lacerta needed this. The smile on her friend's face was something she hadn't been able to do before. "You're brilliant," Lacerta connected their lips momentarily, glancing at her for a second before the couple entered the kitchens.

The Black turned at the door, looking at her strangely. "Aren't you coming, Tony?" The nickname made her smile once more, eagerly falling behind the girl to get some chocolate. 

Tonya does NOT like Lacerta - she just doesn't like James.