Too Honest ~ James Potter

Chapter 25

*7th Year*

Despite Mariya's concerns, the Marauders did not have too much trouble keeping the younger students in line as they moved around the village. There were a few - those who were clearly going to grow up like the Marauders - who tried to escape their watchful eyes but most were either willing to behave properly or kept in line by their more sensible friends.

Within only a couple of hours, everyone had found everything they needed and all five seventh years breathed a sigh of relief as they packed them back into the carriages. Now they just had to sort themselves out. Mariya split off from the boys in the knowledge that they wouldn't be heading for the same shops; she found a dress shop and spent a long time browsing the lines of clothing before she found anything she liked. One of the rules for the ball had been that students weren't allowed to wear their house colours as Mariya thought it would be a good way to promote inter-house relations. Therefore, anything green or silver was immediately ruled out; she thought it would look good if she wore red, especially if James happened to wear green. After all, who better to display friendship between rival houses than the Head Boy and Head Girl?

Eventually she pulled out a dark red that made her smile; it was shorter in the front than it was at the back, so it wouldn't get in her way when dancing; the neckline was simple and appropriate for a school dance; and it had short lace sleeves that would not get in the way or arm movements, or itch when she moved. Hooking it over her arm, she found a matching red cloak which would be necessary, she knew, in the cold air. Paying for both, she left the shop and began to head back towards the carriages, knowing that she already owned shoes it match perfectly.

~

James Potter was not having quite so much luck. He had assumed Mariya would want to wear each others house colours in a show of support but most of the green robes in the shops were either too pale, or horribly bright shades of lime or mint. His eyes had always been closer to brown on the hazel scale and so he needed a slightly darker colour if possible. As distressing as trying to find robes of the correct colour was, he was also worried about how Sirius was acting. Sure, he was joking like usual but when he wasn't speaking his face fell into a slightly sullen expression and his silver eyes faded to a dark grey. In a way, James wished he knew what he and Mariya had been talking about but somewhere in the back of his mind, he already knew - Regulus. It had to be; there was nothing else that could have this sort of effect on Padfoot. So Mariya must have told Sirius about Regulus being friends with her, but why was he having such a dramatic reaction. It was a good thing, after all, that his brother had friends who did not believe in his parents ideals. Unless there was something about Regulus that Mariya had not told him. After all, she had mentioned Lord Voldemort and at the time he had presumed that Regulus had just been dragged there for a meeting by his parents, but if Regulus was a Death Eater well, that would warrant this sort of reaction from Sirius.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice the boy in question waving a piece of material in front of his face, "Prongs!" He said in a sing-song sort of voice, "Are you there Prongsy?"

James snapped back to reality and caught hold of the dress robes Sirius had been waving like a banner, "What?"

Sirius gave him an amused look, "Were you thinking about your love, Prongs?"

James felt he must have missed something because he had no idea what Sirius was talking about, "What in the wide world are you going on about, Padfoot?"

Padfoot gave him an incredulous look, "Evans, Prongs. Evans just walked into a dress shop across the road."

"Oh did she, well good for her I suppose." James didn't quite know what Sirius was quite expecting from him after that statement but clearly his less than exuberant statement did not constitute the correct reaction.

He beckoned Remus over and threw an arm around the others boy's shoulders, "Moony, I just told Prongs here that Evans was less than fifty metres from him and he replied, and I quote 'Good for her'. What is going on?"

"Get off Padfoot, your arm is ridiculously heavy." Sirius did as Remus said and crossed his arms instead, "And why is Prongs not immediately running to be at Evans side worrying. I personally think it is fairly unconcerning."

"I agree, you're being overdramatic Padfoot." James said, rolling his eyes as Sirius threw his hands into the air.

"I have 'Jily4ever' carved into my bedpost thanks to this idiot, that is never going to be fixed."

"In fairness Padfoot, you only made matters worse by carving 'Lames4ever' into the other post with the explanation that it was more fitting because their relationship was lame." Sirius pouted slightly.

"Don't be smart, Moony. I don't like it when you're smart."

Remus rolled his eyes, "That's because it tends to be to your detriment, Padfoot. Anyway, Prongs are those the robes you are going with in the end?"

James glanced down at the robes he had liberated from Sirius, just to find that they were indeed the perfect shade of green.

"Yes."

"Brilliant, we can leave then." With that, Remus herded them both to the counter to pay and urged them back towards the carriages before they could try to head in the direction of Honeydukes or Zonko's, knowing that if they made it there they would probably never leave.