we're painted red

James Potter

[inamatus-black]

So Good at Being in Trouble | Sirius + James

[inamatus-black]

“They were all busy, weren’t they?” Sirius countered. That had been the point of the plan. There would never be a better time to get at Emmeline, not while she was in the Malfoy manor. Regulus might have realised the misake he’d make in letting slip her place of safety and then they would have moved her almost immediately. At least with a party going on inside, there had been a chance for some subtle tactics, rather than a full blown attack. Not that it mattered now. “It was a solid plan! Do you think Remus would have come along if it wasn’t a decent plan?”

Sirius had thought that James would realise all of this, once he knew. They so often knew each other’s thoughts and actions unlike anyone else that he’d just assumed this would all fall into place. He’d clearly been wrong but he couldn’t understand why. And James’ admisson made no sense. Drag him home in a body bag? There was no way he was going down in the Malfoy manor, or at the hands of Emmeline.

And it was almost like James didn’t understand; if anyone should have been going home in a body bad during this war it was Sirius. Reckless Sirius, charging-into-battle Sirius, going-to-get-yourself-killed-Sirius. It shouldn’t have been quiet, resourceful Peter. The thought punched him in the gut but he forced himself to speak. “Well you didn’t, did you?” Sirius said, motioning to himself. “Here I am. Whole and breathing.”

At James’ question of Remus, Sirius’ expression went hard. “Yeah, James. I left him to the Death Eaters and came here to take a nap.” He grumbled, remembering that he had been worried about Remus and there was no reason for James not to do the same. “We got split up at the house but he’s fine. Sent a patronus a little while ago.”

He sighed in exhaustion, looking down at the old carpet of the safehouse. “I didn’t get to kill her anyway so the whole night was a bust.”

[impulsivepotter]

James didn’t warrant Sirius’ defensive suggestion with an answer. Truth be told, he didn’t know what Remus would do anymore. He wanted to believe Sirius – that Remus hadn’t change in the past two years and that was a good enough reason to trust the decision – but he just couldn’t. There was something new about his old friend that he couldn’t quite place. Remus was different somehow and the way he’d reacted about Emmeline being Peter’s murderer stuck in James’ mind more than anything. It was almost as if Moony had been with them that night, despite the full moon being weeks away.

Sirius shrugged away his own death like it was nothing and that pissed James off even more than the whole plan had. Wanting to kill Emmeline made sense – even hunting her down during a damn get together James could wrap his mind around, even if the whole plan was utterly mad. But he couldn’t stand the way Sirius didn’t give a shit about anything other than his revenge.

Sirius might not have cared if he died, but James did. (The fact that James, too, had taken risky moves and then laughed it off didn’t cross James’ mind). He took a step closer to his friend, the blood from his shoulder slowing down and hardly noticeable now. “Maybe not, but there’s still time for that.”

It was an empty thread, one that both of them should know would never happen. James and Sirius had their fair share of fights, but neither would seriously injure the other, no matter how angry it was. Didn’t stop the words pouring from James mouth, though, and his hand clenched around his wand subconsciously.

The news about Remus’s safety and the fact that Emmeline was alive eased James’ mind a bit. Even though he had the urge to do exactly what Sirius suggested when he’d seen her – he knew it would create a lot more problems than it would do good. And, because he was angry, he let out a short, bitter laugh that he knew would piss off his friend.

“Oh, I’m so glad you had a fool-proof plan, then. Is that what you said?” James raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice slightly to mimic his friend “’The Death Eaters were busy, James! It was a solid plan, James!”

He waved the hand that wasn’t holding his wand. “And what do you have to show for it?”

[somedaystories]

Letter Meme

✍: a letter that gets sent

✉ For a letter that does not get sent

✈: For a goodbye letter from my character to yours

☁: For a drunk text/ letter from my character to yours

 ☑: For an invitation from my character to yours

 ✿: For a love letter from my character to yours

 ✓: For a confession from my character to yours

[inamatus-black]

So Good at Being in Trouble | Sirius + James

[inamatus-black]

At the sight of James’ face, Sirius stopped in his tracks. He didn’t say anything as James spoke to him; he couldn’t even move. He had no great comebacks for what James was asking, he hadn’t even had a plan on how to tell James yet. He was supposed to speak to Remus first, figure out how they were going to tell James. He’d wanted to have a good argument as to why they’d gone, especially since he’d planned on leaving with Emmeline dead inside the manor.

By the look of James, he’d had a similar night to Sirius. He clearly knew about the plan and it was most than likely that when he’d found out, he’d run after Sirius and Remus to try and stop them – by his tone he definitely hadn’t been planning on helping them. Sirius paled at the thought of James being in that manor when it had been bad enough just losing Remus in there.

“I was thinking –” he choked on the words. He took a moment to gather himself up, taking a deep breath. Even with James in his face, the expression he was faced with, he wanted to defend his choices. He needed to be able to defend them to James, of all people.

“I was thinking that Vance is living in style while Peter’s in the ground,” Sirius responded. “We knew exactly where she was and no one was doing a damn thing about it!” He ran a hand through his hair, breathing out in frustration. “Don’t you think she should have to answer for it? Because no one else seems to think it’s a priority. We’re just letting her sit there with my cousins, James. My cousins." 

He might have spat at the mention of them if he wasn’t so busy trying to make a point. "She’s with Death Eaters.”

[impulsivepotter]

Sirius had a point - Emmeline was living and breathing and Peter was dead. But killing her wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t bring him back and certainly wouldn’t help their case. Even if James had the urge to do exactly what Sirius had said when he’d seen Emmeline with young Draco Malfoy, he knew it wouldn’t help anything.

“I get it, alright?” He said, his voice loud and exasperated after the night he had. “I get that you’re pissed off - I am, too! But did you really think breaking into the Malfoy Malfoy, of all places, was going to help anything?”

He ran a hand through his hair and paced a couple of steps before moving back to his spot in front of Sirius. “And why the fuck did you choose a Death Eater party? Are you mad?”

But James already knew Sirius was mad - had seen it several times, in fact. And they were friends in spite of it. James loved his friend, but that didn’t mean he loved everything about him.

“I thought I’d have to drag you home in a body bag, Padfoot!” It was true. James had been worried about Sirius and Remus’ safety and maybe that was the whole reason he was really angry about this whole thing. His voice threatened to break, but James forced himself to stay strong. Sirius needed to hear it if he was going to come out of this whole war alive.

But then James remembered something and looked around. He hadn’t only been worried about Sirius. “Wait - where’s Remus? Did...”

[inamatus-black]

So Good at Being in Trouble | Sirius + James

After a particularly hard night, Sirius needed a safe place to stay. As much as he loved his apartment it often felt too open after a mission or a battle, somewhere where lives had been in danger, and it was these times that he went to stay in an Order house. He felt raw and emotional after his confrontation with Emmeline, guilt for losing Remus in the manor, irritation at being caught by Mary Macdonald of all people. He didn’t often seek out quiet, unoccupied spaces but he needed time to think. He needed to wait for Remus to return and if he didn’t – Sirius paled at the thought, but he knew that Remus was capable of taking care of himself, especially now. He was going to wait here to see if Remus came back and if he didn’t, Sirius was going to storm the Malfoy manor, bloody Death Eaters be damned.

Apparating from outside the manor grounds to London had upset his stomach again so sitting down was his only option for now. His head swum when he flopped onto the sofa and he groaned in discomfort. The lasting nausea only served to remind him of his major failure of the evening (as opposed to the smaller failures) which was the fact that he hadn’t managed to kill Emmeline. From the look of her, he’d barely even managed to seriously injure her. He would have settled for a bit of maiming but she seemed to leave the fight unscathed. Sirius blamed the situation, losing Remus, and being completely surprised to actually run into her. She would never have got the jump on him otherwise, he told himself.

Once Remus had made contact with him (and he had never been so happy to see the light of a patronus in his life), Sirius realised his whole body had been on edge until he’d heard the Remus was safe. He finally felt like he could fall asleep. He’d just been settling into the sofa, thinking about how they were going to tell James about all of this (because there was no way to not tell James) when he heard the sound of the door opening. It was obviously someone who was meant to be here because the safe house’s wards didn’t go crazy. Sirius slipped off the sofa slowly, giving himself time to adjust to standing up again, before he headed towards the door. “That you, Remus?” He called out.

[impulsivepotter]

The loud CRACK! of James’ Apparation was lost on him as his heart pounded in his ears. He’d barely been able to escape to the outskirts of Malfoy Manor to get away from Evan Rosier, who had only barely been stunned with a weak, yet manageable Stunning Spell. He was still feeling uneasy from the battle and from the fact that he’d both gone and left the Manor without finding either Sirius or Remus. He wouldn’t have left without them if he didn’t have to – but, somehow, the Death Eaters had been alerted of intruders and James had fled during chaos. He hoped they were just able to get out before all of the craziness had gone down.

Though, part of him hoped they did encounter a battle of some sort. Would serve them right for starting the whole damn mess in the first place.

Blood was soaking through his robes and he gingerly pulled them off to throw them on the ground one he got inside. The light-colored shirt underneath was slowly turning red from Evan’s Severing Charm. James was just glad he’d been able to dodge that enough that it’d only hit his shoulder and not his entire wand arm that way he was sure Evan had intended.

He almost grew distracted for his true reason of Apparating here rather than to his flat when Sirius’ voice rang out. Anger immediately jumping back to the forefront of his mind, James eyes narrowed behind broken glasses as his friend came into view. “Not him,” James said shortly. “Or were you planning on coming up with another idea to try and get you killed?”

It reminded him too much of another time Sirius had gone behind James’ back – and that time had almost gotten Snape killed. “What the fuck were you thinking?!”

[murderousvance]

Not in the Nursery || Emmeline & James

[murderousvance]

Emmeline’s first reaction to James’s complaint was to scowl and open her mouth for a sharp retort–but then she blanched as the full weight of his words sank in. She looked at Draco (and away from James) and bit her lip, but being at a loss for words had never been one of her weaknesses. It was probably only a moment or two before her tongue had sharpened itself on her teeth again and she was looking back up at him with a frown furrowing her brows. “Don’t overreact, James,” Emmeline said coolly. “You’ll upset Draco, and there’s no reason for that, is there?”

She patted the little boy comfortingly on his knee; he didn’t stop fussing, but his nervous squirming quieted. “There’s no reason for melodrama,” Emmeline continued in the same level tone, firm but quiet–not yelling, or even snapping, although she wanted to snap at him, if only because he had snapped at her. “Nobody is going to be killed just because you got lost. It’s not like you came to the nursery on purpose after all, is it?” Her words were phrased like a question, but the grim glare she fixed on him held no doubt. For one, she couldn’t imagine James Potter–reckless as he was–willingly putting anybody under the age of three in danger; secondly, she couldn’t imagine James Potter–reckless as he was–putting the son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy in danger, knowing how viciously they, and their relatives, would surely react.

The forced-calm she was maintaining for Draco’s sake did nothing to stop her hands curling into fists on her own thighs once she let go of the little boy. She fixed James with a narrow-eyed glare and added crossly, “And I hadn’t switched sides at all, thanks for asking. Why do you think I’m up here, and not down with everybody else talking business?” Emmeline sniffed, not the dignified sort of sniff that both of Draco’s parents probably practiced in front of the mirror, but an angry huff of air that more resembled a child sulking than anything else. “I came here because I needed to go somewhere and Lucius offered. Just as a friend, not as anything political.” Emmeline knew James wasn’t the sort who had ever been good at keeping the two things separate, but surely he knew that she was–he’d been harping on about her friendships enough lately, from what she’d heard. “It wasn’t like I could stay where I was, was it?” she continued, voice hard, making sure he knew who was responsible for her current location. “I wasn’t exactly safe there, was I?”

Of course, she didn’t exactly feel safe here right now, either–but that was for the same reason, because of the same people, that had she’d left the Order’s safe house in the first place. Emmeline had been sure that she wouldn’t have to see either James Potter or Sirius Black–or anyone else in the Order, for that matter–until she chose to see them; until they’d had a chance to calm down and come to their senses. Who could have ever expected to see James here? There was a sick, tight feeling in the back of Emmeline’s throat; it was fear but more than that, it was helplessness. She couldn’t fight back, not without maybe getting Draco killed, and that would hardly do; while Emmeline wasn’t exactly selfless she also wasn’t such a monster that she would callously risk a child’s life like that, and besides, that would be a terrible way to repay the Malfoys for taking her in and offering her a place of–supposed–sanctuary. Emmeline was not accustomed to not fighting back; it left a bitter taste in her mouth that almost entirely obscured the metallic tang of fear.

Maybe that was what made her petulant enough to add, “I’ve never wanted anyone killed. Turns out, though, when you confront a traitor and threaten to expose them, they don’t always react sensibly.” Emmeline met James’s eyes firmly, then glanced to little Draco (frowning now as he watched them both, and chewing on his thumb; if they didn’t calm down and start entertaining him again there would doubtless be a tantrum soon) and back again quickly, hoping that he would follow her gaze and remember that they weren’t alone and any fighting would hurt more than just the two of them. “When a person goes for their wand, what else can anyone do but reply in kind?” she asked, turning her hands palm-up to show they were empty. She longed to grab her wand from its holster up her sleeve but if the debacle with Peter Pettigrew had taught her nothing else, she had at least learned how dangerous the consequences of meeting an accusation with a hex could be, and the child at her side didn’t deserve to be caught-up in a duel–or a death.

[impulsivepotter]

Emmeline’s angry look only further James’ resolve to stand firm where he want – and not take his wand off her. He hadn’t expected to find her here, though there had always been that chance. Still, even so, he hadn’t anticipated this intense rage to flow through him the way it had at the simple act of looking at her. All he could think about was the last time he saw her – with Peter’s blood covering her hands and arms and face and clothes. How he’d drawn his hand closer to touch, as if he couldn’t be sure it was real. Later, he had to wash off his own friend’s blood and remember again what she’d done. In his mind, it was like a mantra.

She killed Peter.

She killed Peter.

She killed Peter.

And he barely heard anything else. It was even almost easy to forget he’d come here to stop the very thing he was now itching to do and to forget there was a small child who could get caught in the mix.

But James stayed steady and didn’t fire any curses her way. “That’s easy for you to say,” he replied back to Emmeline coolly. “You’re not the one who will get hunted down if the Malfoys realize I’ve broken in.”

It was obvious Emmeline was reminding him exactly where he was and the idea that he was really thinking about going through with Sirius’ ranting ideas while a child was present had him taken aback. His wand hesitated and shook slightly. “I didn’t get lost.” Even though he had. “I’m just here looking for –“

He stopped, realizing he was about to give away the fact that his best friend had coming looking for revenge. In the Malfoy household during what seemed like a little Death Eater party, no less. Emmeline didn’t need to know that. Emmeline had switched sides – her coddling the spoiled Malfoy brat like he was Merlin’s gift to wizardry was enough to prove that point. “- something,” he finished lamely.

Emmeline basically confirmed James’ fears after his run in with Snape that it wasn’t just the Malfoys he’d have to worry about – but the whole of Voldemort’s followers. Sirius couldn’t have picked a worse night to try to run a rampage murder. If she’d still been a friend, she could’ve been a great resource to have and James might’ve asked questions. But Emmeline was no friend.

She killed Peter.

Her insistence that she hadn’t switch sides was lost on James. Shacking up with Death Eaters, no matter the cause, was enough proof for him that she’d turned her back on the Order. If Emmeline couldn’t see that, then perhaps she hadn’t been a true member at all. The fact that she blamed him and Sirius for her decision to leave the safe house made it all worse. If Emmeline hadn’t killed their friend because of a weak theory of betrayal that she couldn’t prove, then there wouldn’t have been any reason for her to feel unsafe.

“Oh yes,” he continued sarcastically. “I’m sure the Dark Magic in this house really makes for a safe environment for someone like you, eh?”

Through the conversation, James’ wand slowly lowered so it was pointed at the ground in front of Emmeline, rather than Emmeline herself. It was like his mind and body were interfering with one another – confused at what should be done or if he really could go through with it. But Emmeline’s threatening tone about the murder caused his arm to spring right back so the tip of his wand was pointed at her heart.

She killed Peter.

She killed Peter.

“Tell me, then – if Peter had attacked you, then why did you come to my house covered in his blood. Where were your injuries, then? He might’ve not been a very good dueler, but he could’ve gotten a one up on you at least once.” It was hard not to shout. “Didn’t think about that, did you? Never collected any proof. How did you think that would hold up?”

His eyes glanced over to Draco and he spoke with clenched teeth. “How about the grown-ups speak outside the room?” he said in a pointed voice. If she refused, James couldn’t promise he wouldn’t curse her with Draco in the room anyway.

[tedblack-soulmate-blog]

Sometimes Even Doing Whats Right Fails || James and Ted || 15 April ‘82

[tedblack-soulmate-blog]

They continued to work slowly, Ted still using his hands, his wand completely forgotten. He kept looking up and around, trying to foretell if the building would collapse and getting frustrated because he had no idea what to look for. The work was slow but after what seemed like years, they finally seemed to be coming across something.

“Hold, hold.” Ted warned, lifting the ends of his shirt to wipe dust away from his eyes to get a better look at things. They had seemed to come across a kind of cavity in the rubble. Looking into the darkness, Ted called out. “Hullo? Hullo can anyone hear us?”

Looking back at James, Ted backed away, suddenly at a loss for what to do. This was all completely new for him. Moving rock was one thing, physical labor was straightforward and he had seen enough of that in his lifetime (albeit not recently) to be comfortable with it. But this… dealing with victims or bodies. Ted ceded to James to take the lead.

Scoffing, Ted pushed James’ ideas to the side. “Is that really what we should be thinking about right now. Whoever planned it… maybe it went off in the wrong place or the wrong time. That’s not really our business though is it. Leave it to the Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the cause. Then you can go avenging whoever’s arse it is you want - your people, the others, or whatever new group you think exists.”

[impulsivepotter]

When Ted told James to stop, he did so abruptly and the rubble he’d been moving dropped in the middle of the street, dust flying everywhere. It littered James’ face, making him even dirtier than before, and he had to take off his glasses to wipe them clean before he could see what Ted was looking at. There was a small alcove in the rubble and James peered inside it. As Ted called to see if anyone was around, James lit the end of his wand to look more clearly inside.

Tentatively, he took a step inside and called out again, “Is anyone in here?” He moved his wand back and forth around the cavity for a few moments and, when he was just about to give up and walk back out to try another location, he heard a woman call out in a gravelly voice, “Over here!”

Her head was just visible above a clearing in the cavity and there was no way she would be able to crawl through without moving more rubble. James went over to her and promised, “I’ll get you out, alright?”

He raised his wand, but hesitated slightly, nervous that any movement in the rubble would cause it to collapse onto the both of them. “I’m with my husband,” she said. “He’s - he’s hurt.”

James nodded and called out to Ted. “I need your help, mate! Someone has to hold up the exterior while I get her out.”

[boxed-in-black-blog]

On The Outside | Regulus&James

[boxed-in-black-blog]

Regulus jumped back, tipping his chair back and then scrambling unsteadily to his feet. It wasn’t a well thought out plan, just an instant need to get away from the spilled tea which only ended up upending his own mug in his hands and leaving it to spill down the front of his already ruined robes. 

He stood there for a long moment almost dripping and hands full of a mug that was now 2/3rds empty. He stared at James, who was clearly at fault, and then something loosened unexpectedly. He took a breath, a huff, and then started to laugh. 

“What–James. Do you prefer your tea Black?” It almost hurt to laugh but he couldn’t stop it. He slid back into his chair, put his mug in the middle of James’ spill.

[impulsivepotter]

Regulus looked ridiculous as he scrambled away from the table, as if he wasn’t a wizard and spilled tea couldn’t be done away with magic. James couldn’t help but laugh - bursting out and doubling over with his fist springing to cover his mouth automatically. It was how he laughed with Sirius and that relevation could’ve startled him if he thought about it. But he wasn’t thinking too much about anything other than the fact that Regulus was standing in front of him, spilling more tea on himself, and looking at James like he was the worst person on earth.

But then Regulus was laughing too and it wasn’t almost as if they were friends. As if they’re marks made sense, somehow. The joke only worsened it and James could barely catch his breath to say. “See what I mean? You’re funny.”

Only this time it wasn’t an insult.

[murderousvance]

Not in the Nursery || Emmeline & James

Emmeline came from a large family. She was a lowly side-branch, often overlooked and entirely extraneous of course, which was how she could so easily get away with doing what she wanted without any concern for family duty–but it did mean that she was quite accustomed to dealing with children, despite having none or her own nor any inclination to change that fact any time soon, if ever. But she was good with children, sometimes much to their parents’ annoyance because she was a little bit reckless and had never learned to lie or coddle someone just because they were young, and she liked them well enough. When Lucius had asked her if she minded just “popping upstairs for a moment to check on dear Draco,” Emmeline hadn’t minded; it was true that as the hosts it would have been unseemly for Lucius or Narcissa to duck-out on the party, and as a houseguest it was the least Emmeline could do for the Malfoys–but she also knew that it was an excuse to get her out of the way so the other guests could talk about the things they’d really come to dinner to discuss away from her ears.

The fact that Lucius knew it was a transparent excuse, and didn’t make any attempt to hide the ruse, made it bearable; that and the fact that Emmeline had already learned how much the Malfoys doted on their little boy and knew that flimsy excuse that it was, Lucius was also at least a little bit genuine in his desire to make sure his son wasn’t bored or fussing under the watchful eyes of the House Elves assigned to guard his comfort tonight while mummy and daddy were trapped by business. So Emmeline had given a crooked smile, not bothering to hide the fact that she knew it was a transparent excuse too, and agreed in a voice that would have curdled her teeth if she wasn’t so used to social games, and made her excuses to the roomful of people who knew exactly why she was being gotten out of the way and knew she knew it, too.

Still, for a not-quite-two-year-old Draco was a clever little thing, and Emmeline did like playing with him. It was past his bedtime by this point, but he almost never got tucked in by anyone other than mummy or daddy or both unless it really couldn’t be avoided, so when his parents hosted parties he got to stay up late. It made him fussy, but Emmeline was used to fussy children; she’d just left a roomful of them behind to come up to the nursery. A bit of marzipan in the shape of a chubby owl won smiles from Draco again (Emmeline thoroughly approved of the way the Malfoys indulged their son’s sweet-tooth; it made life much easier for her and, she’d already learned, for Regulus although he tended to go a bit too far even for Draco’s indulgent parents) and Emmeline tried to teach him one of the simpler clapping games she’d learned from her Muggle-born friends. It might have been easier if she remembered all the rules herself, but Draco was only two; he couldn’t tell she wasn’t being consistent.

They were both giggling–Draco’s high-pitched and bubbly, hers lower and quiet–when the sound of a door opening made Emmeline turn. She was a little surprised; surely the business under discussion couldn’t have been sorted out this early, and she couldn’t picture either of the Malfoys slipping-out so early to check on their son, especially when they’d just sent Emmeline off to do just that for them–but that was nothing compared to her surprise when she recognized the dark-haired figure in the doorway. Her jaw dropped and her hands froze; Draco kept clapping until he realized she wasn’t playing any more, then he too looked up curiously. Something cold crawled up Emmeline’s spine. She was seated cross-legged on the floor, facing a toddler, in a house full of trained duelists who were all too far away. There were no elves in sight; with Emmeline here they had probably slipped away to clean something or get Draco’s bed ready for him. She was alone with a baby while a man who was definitely a trespasser, a man who was supposedly a friend and ally, stared down at her. She wasn’t sure she had ever felt so helpless or uncertain.

Her eyes flicked to Draco, then back up to James. In a voice that was very, very calm, she said slowly, “Fancy meeting you here. Tonight. In the nursery.” She swallowed and managed a thin smile. “What a surprise. Draco, why don’t you say hello to…” Emmeline’s mind raced, running through family trees at record speed; too fast to be sure she’d got it right, but wanting to say something to underscore the fact that there was a child in the room with her. “To your second-cousin James Potter.” Obedient, Draco waved a chubby hand in a child’s staccato wave, although he still looked confused by the intrusion of a new face into his sheltered life without mummy or daddy standing at his side to say everything was okay. Emmeline couldn’t say it for him; she wasn’t either of his parents, and she had never learned to lie to children. The weight of her wand under her sleeve was suddenly as heavy as stones.

[impulsivepotter]

James made the mental note to kill Sirius the minute he saw him. Not only had he come back after days of little sleep on dirty ground and floors, James had found himself face-to-face with Severus Snape, of all people, on the lawn of Malfoy Manor. All because his best friend thought a midnight murder would be fun. It had taken a little while to find his way out of the situation with his former rival, but James had managed like he always did. He, of course, couldn’t stick around. Not unless he wanted the little snake to bring the rest of his slimy friends around to teach James a lesson.

Problem was: James didn’t know a thing about Malfoy Manor.

Even though he grew up in a Pureblood household (or so they all assumed – his mother never had any official records to her bloodline), James’ family had been on the cusp of Pureblood society. They kept friends – even some who believed in the same ideals as most of the Sacred 28 – but that didn’t mean they’d be invited to the most prestigious parties. His father choosing to bring in someone foreign – an unknown name – had nearly done it by itself. If it wasn’t for James’ mothers’ outspoken nature against the English ways of Wizarding living, the Potters might have even made the cut. Fortunately for James, his mother never hesitated in speaking out (in both English and Filipino), which meant he never had to suffer through nights of boredom with too-high collars and very few laughs.

Unfortunately, this meant he had no idea where he might be going. Or where he might find Sirius. Malfoy Manor was the biggest home James had ever seen – and it was hard not to stopping his running to admire the elaborate paintings and details of the walls and stairwells. If only each corridor didn’t feel as cold as icicles or smell like dragon dung, then James would’ve even considered it a nice home. But he couldn’t stop as he ran from corridor to corridor, turning corners without thinking. Snape would surely get the other Death Eaters – and even James Potter couldn’t fight off thirty angry men with wands.

It wasn’t until he noticed an open door that he stopped. It was only cracked open, but enough for James to push his way in (hoping to Merlin that he wasn’t dooming himself in the process). He noticed the child first and, for some reason, his mind jumped immediately to Lily’s son, Harry. This child and Harry would be around the same age, though completely different in looks. It took a moment for James to register that the boy – a Malfoy, judging by the blond hair and the horrible expression – wasn’t alone. He put his wand up instinctually, but he didn’t know what he was planning to do. If he were Sirius, Emmeline might already be dead.

Just looking at her caused the anger to rise up in James’ throat and it took everything in his power not to shout out a curse right then and there. Hadn’t that been what he’d come all the way here to stop? But – she’d killed Peter. Perhaps Sirius had a point.

“Er – “ he said instead, for once at a loss for words. But Emmeline was talking anyway, introducing James to the boy. Draco – ah, yes, Sirius had mentioned Narcissa having a child once or twice, James was sure. Draco waved at James and he couldn’t help but think was inappropriate and awkward the whole situation was. James had known he would run into Emmeline eventually – but he never expected a child in the mix.

He raise his non-wand hand up in a stiff response, but turned to Emmeline with gritted teeth, finally coming to his senses. “What’d you go and tell him my name for? Don’t you think he might want to tell Mummy and Daddy that he met James Potter while you were babysitting? Have you really switched sides that quickly that you want me killed?”

[impulsivepotter]

Mission for Dumbledore (April 19th - April 24th)

When Dumbledore asked James to go retrieve a ring, of all things, James didn’t know what the hell it all meant. He went anyway - when Dumbledore asked him to do something, he rarely said no - but he didn’t understand why he couldn’t take Sirius with him.

He had to go alone, Dumbledore had insisted and so James had. He didn’t have to worry about Sirius, he didn’t think - it’d been a week or so since his friend had gone off on a rant about killing Emmeline. Beside, Remus was there and wouldn’t let Sirius do anything insane.

It took him several days just to find the damn place and then two more to find the ring. It was tempting, when he’d finally found it, to put it on. Something about it sucked him in - and it was nearly around the tip of his middle finger before he was able to stop himself. He threw it on the dirty ground he’d been sleeping on and lost it for another hour, but it was worth it - something about that ring was dark and so James put it in his pocket and tried to forget it existed.

He hadn’t given it back to Dumbledore by the time he got back to find that Sirius and Remus weren’t there - but instead off on a witch hunt.

[impulsivepotter]

I forgot. Peter probably didn't get the chance to talk to you. You need to talk to Lily about her son.

Her son? What in the hell does Snape’s kid have anything to do with James? And - what did this person mean by mentioning Peter? It was someone James knew then. Peter never did anything on his own.

Did he?

[tedblack-soulmate-blog]

Sometimes Even Doing Whats Right Fails || James and Ted || 15 April ‘82

[tedblack-soulmate-blog]

Ted jumped when James touched his shoulder but he calmed down almost immediately. “Yeah, I’m safe. That’s… that’s good.” He couldn’t really think of anything more to say on the subject. Fate was a tricky force, fickle and nigh understandable. But he had a daughter who needed him and wife who loved him and a life worth living. Those things alone could convince him not to to fret over the fact that he was alive and well while others lay buried under rubble. He smiled grimly at James and grabbed his arm in a sign of solidarity before letting go.

Ted immediately began helping clear away rubble, using his wand and hands alternatively. Living as a muggle until about the age of sixteen, Ted’s natural instinct is still to rely on his own two hands rather than a flimsy stick. Ted felt his mind wander away from the situation directly in front of him and he pocketed his wand for good. Sharp rocks and splintered wood scraped againt his palms as he threw them to side and it felt good. The pain was keeping him grounded. Besides, it was easier to tell what was going on when he wasn’t levitating whole sections of debris away. “Careful.” Ted warned, as he watched the building creak treacherously. “If we move away too much too quickly we might cause the whole thing to come down. Then us and whoever might be inside are doomed,”

His shoulders tensed when James said ‘your people’ they weren’t “his” people. Ted didn’t have any people. He had a small family of three, that was it. Ted wasn’t loyal to any particular group or cause and if it seemed otherwise, well, that was his business wasn’t it? Still he understood what James meant and he simply shook his head, his voice curt as he replied. “That makes absolutely no sense, James. Think about it for another three seconds and you’ll see why. Maybe… maybe this was just a fluke. An electrical short or…” Ted stopped and swore. “Christ, that doesn’t make sense either. Maybe a potion exploded or, I mean, you know what kind of stuff they sell here. Maybe someone dropped a Dark Artifact that shouldn’t have even been created in the first place.”

[impulsivepotter]

Ted got to work clearing rubble and James noticed as he gradually moved from using his wand to his hands. It wasn’t all that surprising, really. James had been meeting with Ted long enough to know how much his Muggle heritage meant to him - it was actually what made him so interesting and confusing to be around. The more James got to know Ted, the more he questioned the other man’s decisions. It didn’t seem right, the company he kept - not when he had such loyalty to something they hated so much.

James could understand it - after all, he still saw Lily, even with her growing allegiance to a man who represented everything James hated - but it still seemed odd to him that Ted could actually live like that. And that the Death Eaters would accept him.

James nodded at Ted - he was right, they could be doing more damage - and slowed down his wand movements. It wasn’t easy for him to be more careful. His instincts told him to rush through it - that people could be dying down there - but he tried to ignore them. If the rubble shifted and crushed those people, then they would be dying anyway. This time because of James.

“That’s what I’m saying,” James replied determinedly. He’d been in war long enough to know that this wasn’t some fluke. “This wasn’t you - it wasn’t us. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t planned.”

You think about it,” he continued. “Do you really think something so big happened just by chance when we’re in the middle of the war. No - this was intentional. It’s a message. I just don’t know what message yet.”

James knew Ted could easily dismiss his idea with the destiny, but James wasn’t going to have it. Destiny didn’t do this - but someone did.

[boxed-in-black-blog]

On The Outside | Regulus&James

[boxed-in-black-blog]

Regulus stared at him a moment, then shrugged, “I think even my closet friend never mentioned me at all.” The thought of it made him feel a little nauseous and strangely small but he brushed that aside as some lingering effect from the explosion. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t matter.”

He wanted to cling to that idea, perhaps make it a reality, but it was a flimsy one and sharp. He knew well that whatever his opinion, it likely hadn’t been shared. He remembered well enough the conversations, Sirius and James had featured heavily. It was hard to argue that he was just as important when Regulus knew he never existed at all in other conversations.

He curled his fingers over his cup instead—more of a mug for this type of tea—-and blew on it. There were other more important things than Sirius and his friends, he reminded himself. There was family. There was purpose. People didn’t matter so much.

"What next… tell me that Sirius was a better Black than me—or is that too much of an insult to him?" He hummed slightly under his breath and took a sip of his drink. "Go on, have at it."

[impulsivepotter]

James gave a huff of annoyance at Regulus’ response, but didn’t say anything else. In reality, Regulus was right - James knew Sirius well enough to know that, every time his friend spoke of his family and Regulus, that something was still there. They’d really fucked him up for good.

“It’s too much of an insult,” he replied. “And you -” He cut off, the anger disappearing from him as he spoke each words. There was a lot more he could say about Regulus Black but it was no fun when Regulus didn’t care. Insulting people just to do it lost its thrill a long time ago - now it was more to make his point (and a little bit because it was still fun to see people go red in the face from embarrassment). And James doubted Regulus would reply will any sort of reaction that James was aiming for.

Instead, he picked up his own mug and took a drink before throwing it back down haphazardly (the contents spilled over the top and slithered across the table). James made a noise of disgust. “Ugh! That’s awful. You need to do better at your spontaneity.”

Ok, so maybe he wasn’t quite done insulting Regulus - no matter how light that last one was.

[viciouslupine]

But you were Always Gold to me | Marauders

[inamatus-black]

Sirius’ eyebrows went up at the explanation of the potion. It sounded almost too good to be true but Remus had obviously used it before and was keen to keep on using it. Sirius wouldn’t begrudge him that.

His gaze shot to James at the mention of Evans — now wouldn’t be the time to get into an explanation about that particular course of events, but he was right that she might be able to help. Sirius didn’t like the idea of any of them going to Evans for help. “Pretty sure we don’t need Evans’ help, especially since she’d probably tell the slimy git himself,” he argued.

Remus’ yawn and James’ dismissal were the deciding factors though and Sirius nodded his head, placing his glass in the sink and slipping off the bench. “If you’re sticking around then we’ve got time to talk about it later. No need to stuff your head full of stuff.”

[viciouslupine]

Remus noted his friends reactions to the potion with silent satisfaction. They both seemed interested in how it worked, almost as if they were happy for him like he hoped they would be.

But he couldn’t conceal his curiosity at James’ mention of Lily. Their relationship had always been interesting and he could plainly see that hadn’t changed. Making mental note to ask James what exactly was going on the next chance he got, Remus simply nodded in response. Lily would be a good person to talk to the potion about.

When James mentioned sleep, Remus couldn’t keep the relief off his face. He loved both of them and all he wanted was to stay up all night long talking to them, but he was about to fall over if he didn’t get horizontal soon. “I’ll be here.” He responded softly, meeting Sirius’ gaze confidently before biting his lip. “It’s really great to see you guys. I’ve missed you both terribly.” He meant every word and was reluctant to begin heading towards the doorway that would lead him upstairs despite his exhaustion and the bed that was waiting for him. “I’ll see you in the morning?” He asked, even though he knew what the answer would be. So with another small smile he slipped away to find the first available bed and fall asleep almost immediately into a deep dreamless sleep.

[impulsivepotter]

Blood Red Summer | James&Emmeline

[murderousvance]

James didn’t look happy. So what; she wasn’t exactly brimming with happiness herself. Emmeline scowled back at him. “Excuse me?” she demanded. “What ‘attitude’ would that be?” She folded her arms across her chest, a belligerent position even if she hadn’t still had her wand in her hand—but not exactly a threat; she just wasn’t going to pocket her wand when they might be surrounded by Death Eaters any moment. “Look, I didn’t ask for your help, did I? Not my fault not everybody’s going to happy at the fact you’ve got some kind of savior complex, or whatever.” Emmeline knew she was being unfair; they’d been fighting together so it had clearly been only natural for James to try and help; he was used to being part of a team, he and his three little friends. She shouldn’t be cross with him just because she wasn’t, and hadn’t planned for him to be, and had gotten hurt because of it.

But her head ached and her cuts stung and she was tired. Being Crucio’’ed had never left her this exhausted when she’d been researching it in school (on her own time of course; not even Defense Against the Dark Arts had required—or would have permitted—its students to do hands-on research into the Unforgivables, which of course was why a curious Ravenclaw like her hadn’t been able to resist the lessons) but now she felt like she wanted to go home and sleep for a week. She sighed; she was even—almost—too tired to argue with James. “Just forget it, okay?” Emmeline suggested tiredly. “We got what we came for, we didn’t get too badly hurt, and we’re probably both facing a lecture from Dumbledore as thanks for our success. Let’s just…go get that over with.”

She shook her head over him and led the way toward the door, only half-caring at this point if he followed. Let him go ahead and linger, dawdle until more Death Eaters came or these three recovered and freed themselves; he would only have himself to blame, and she wasn’t afflicted by any urges to save people from their own mistakes. Emmeline glared at the treacherous step and made a point of stepping on it—hard—as she limped out the door.

[impulsivepotter]

In fact, it may very well be the most idiotic idea I have ever heard. This is the second notice for ant sort of record that it is entirely not my fault if you die, are otherwise disfigured, or fuck everything up during... any errand. Ever.

This was his second letter in days. He hadn’t told anyone about them, but he was starting to wonder whether or not he should. Someone knew about this mission - and he was almost positive it was someone he didn’t want knowing.

[impulsivepotter]

For the record--I don't think that entrusting you with anything, even the most banal potions run is a good idea.

James didn’t understand what this meant or who this was from. Was it in reference to his last escapade for Dumbledore? And, if so, who had found out? James had only told a handful of people what he was doing - and none of them would be sending him anonymous letters.

[viciouslupine]

But you were Always Gold to me | Marauders

[inamatus-black]

Sirius shook his head. “Haven’t heard of it.” He might have felt a bit bad about not being aware of the potion but then again, they hadn’t had a werewolf around to tell them about all the werewolf news. “Lucid? That sounds — bizarre.” It also sounded like a solution to a problem that they had helped with years ago — keeping the werewolf entertained during the full moon. Did this mean that Remus would need them on a full moon anymore? The thought bothered Sirius more then he liked.

"Well — Knockturn’s not a great place for us to be at the moment," Sirius said, bypassing the entire subject to focus on something else. "Be careful, or take someone with you. Are you sure you can’t get this thing somewhere else?"

[viciouslupine]

Remus considered James’ theories quietly. He had been so absent from Order business that he had no right answer for his friend. But things were different and he had no doubt that the explosion was the result of all the tension in London, despite whoever was actually responsible.

Remus couldn’t help but smile softly. “Yeah. I’m me. I remember everything. I would…be able to remember everything the wolf does with Padfoot and Prongs.” Ever since he had discovered the potion with the wolves, Remus had thought only of how amazing it would be to spend a full moon with his best friends as the wolf and be able to remember the whole thing. But he couldn’t help but wonder if they’d still want to spend the full moon with him. They hadn’t in a long time afterall..

“I’m not sure that I can.” Remus responded after poorly concealing a yawn. “I have to go to a dark alley to get a dark potion after all. Either that or find someone to brew it for me. But it’s pretty complicated and I don’t remember either of you being potion masters.”

[impulsivepotter]

The potion did sound pretty amazing - after all, Remus’ biggest worry as the wolf was the fact that he could hurt or even kill someone without knowing it. They could still have their monthly escapades, if he wanted them, but this time it would be easier to keep Moony in check. It was still rather odd, though. So much has changed with him in just two short years. Sirius and James hadn’t changed that much - had they?

“You could ask Lily if she’d know how to brew it. She was always good with potions. And she’s staying at that bloody slimeball’s house - so I’m sure there’s dark ingredients lying about.” He looked at Remus, knowing that he’d have questions about Lily and James’ relationship with her but, judging by that yawn. now was not the time.

“Don’t ask,” he said. “It’s a long story. We’ll talk later - you go to bed. We’ll be back in the morning, alright?”