Of Pinstripes And Potions

Wednesday

Before James has the chance to find Regulus and ask him what Snape has said or done, he finds himself unwillingly face to face with the subject of their proposed conversation instead. It's immediately after their Potions lesson, and Sirius has darted off without him, Remus quickly following behind as he always was. Pete was somewhere beside James last he knew, but he looks around and can't see him anymore. All he can see is greasy hair and a ridge between eyebrows that threatens to become permanent if Snape doesn't lighten up soon. Though he already knows what their conversation is to be about, would be a fool to think of anything else, James still attempts to keep his cool though he's cornered and only offers a false grin.

"Snivellus! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Back when they'd first started calling him that, the boy would flinch slightly at the name and James would feel slightly guilty when he thought about it later. But given all that has passed, and the kind of things Snape has taken to calling other people, calls the muggle born students, any sense of guilt or moral opposition to the name have thankfully vanished. Now, Snape doesn't flinch at it either, only squints at him.

"I suppose you think it's very funny, don't you, Potter?"

"What's that?"

"Bringing him down to your level, filling his head with—"

"Ha!" The laugh really is involuntary, and he glances about to be sure that they haven't drawn any unwanted attention before shooting back, "it's pretty rich for you to be talking about filling his head with things."

"It's not a crime to remind somebody of their place in society."

"Nor is it a crime to let them know that there's other options. Ones where they don't have to—" Again, he cuts himself off, reminds himself that they're standing in the middle of the corridor and that anybody could overhear them. It's not that he has any desire to protect Snape from the consequences of his own actions, but if anybody got the wrong impression about Regulus' involvement, it would fuck things up for him and complicate things with Sirius when word eventually got back to him, which it obviously would. It seems to amuse Snape that he won't finish what he's begun to say, and he lowers his own voice as he leans further into James' space.

"If you don't stop whatever foolish notion this is, I might have to let people know what you've been up to."

Had the threat been credible, had James actually been doing what Snape thought he had, had it been likely that anybody would take his word over James', the thought of him telling people about his 'relationship' with Regulus might have been a frightening one. As it was, James' lips were still yet to actually ever touch Regulus', and the only people important enough to him that he'd care of their opinions already knew all that Snape could tell. So instead of quivering and apologising and begging Snape not to tell anybody what he knew, James stands taller, lifts one eyebrow and delights in the surprise that passes Snape's face when he says,

"If you do that, I might have to let people know that you poisoned him." Snape obviously hadn't reckoned that Regulus would tell James about the potion, and takes long enough to recover, to attempt to formulate a comeback that James can barge past him, adding, "bit fucked up that, mate."

Perhaps he shouldn't have done that, shouldn't continue to rile up Snape at every given opportunity, should give further thought to the potential consequence of him opening his mouth, not just for himself but for Regulus and the others too. But James isn't the kind of boy who often spends hours dwelling on all that he's said and so doesn't give their conversation any more thought as he takes the stairs two at a time to catch up with his friends.

Up in the dorm, James finds Sirius and Remus alone and thanks his lucky stars that they're for once sitting on their own respective beds. It's not that he's opposed to anything like that— the kind of thing he's been hoping not to catch them doing since Remus confirmed what he'd suspected for a while. On the contrary, James has probably spent more time in the past week thinking about those kind of things than he has in his entire lifetime so far. It's just that he knows Sirius would be awkward about it afterwards, and he really doesn't think his friend needs any further excuse to ignore James' existence. A couple of times since Sirius had snapped at him, the last time they've properly spoken to one another, Remus has intentionally left the dorm, citing a need to get down to the library or pretending to have left an important book or the Map somewhere around the castle. James appreciates it, but has thus far found any attempts at conversation ignored.