G | 718 words | by goldenbi for @effiepotterisamilf
@struttingstag may 3rd prompt "first time"
Regulus Black/Pandora Lovegood/James Potter
read it on ao3
The conversation was only a minute or two long. Long enough for James to feel his breath catch, for him to see Pandora's eyes sparkling with amusement and Regulus's mouth cock up at the corner. Long enough to know that he had it bad.
It had also been long enough for people to notice. The whole of sixth year Gryffindors were staring at him, some with forks halfway to their mouths.
James crossed his arms, "They are just Slytherins, I don't know why you are all so shocked." This was quite hypocritical because James was shocked himself.
They had approached so casually, Pandora sitting on the edge of the table, Regulus smirking down at him. But these Syltherins in particular were James’s weakness.
Pandora was as ethereal and intoxicating as the wings of a Veela. And Regulus, well he was Sirius's brother, wasn't he? They were so similar in some ways. But Regulus was like cool water. Unaffected. James just wanted to toss the stone that would make waves on that pretty surface.
They just continued staring. "You don't even realize," Remus observed curiously. "Maybe it was his first time."
James blushed. Did he give himself away? He'd only told--well, he hadn't told any humans about his fascinations with the two Slytherins. So what if it was the first time that he’d been invited?
"Couldn't have been, they started it before he did," Sirius said. "They knew."
James's mouth went dry, "What did they know?"
"What did they say?" Peter asked, his voice high and squeaky.
James's face scrunched in confusion. "You heard them, they asked if I was going to the Slytherin party tonight."
James looked to Sirius, always his anchor, but Sirius was just studying him blankly. "And what did you say?"
"I mean–you were there–I said that the only times I've been in the Slytherin common room is when I've snuck in," James answered.
Sirius nodded for him to continue.
"And they told me that if I like snakes as much as they think I do then I should sneak in again tonight," James finished with a blush.
James swung his head toward him. "What?"
"Snakes," he laughed harder.
Remus chuckled too, and even Sirius had a small smile.
"James, mate, you were speaking in Parseltongue," Remus explained.
"All we could see was your face getting redder and redder," Sirius teased.
"Fuck off," James said, and he knew his face got even redder because all of his friends started laughing around him.
Eventually they calmed down enough for Remus to ask, "So, Parselmouth, eh? How come you didn't tell us?"
"I thought you all could..” James lowered his voice, “like an animagus thing.”
“A bit weird though,” Peter said. “Thought only Slytherins could do it.”
“Honestly, I thought we were speaking English just now."
"I wonder how they knew then," Sirius mused, reaching for a scone. “It’s very rare.”
James knew he would just blush again so he laid his forehead on the table and mumbled, "Because I talked to a fucking snake."
Another round of laughter.
"You talked to a snake about...?" Remus asked, mirth in his voice.
"Oh, Merlin," James knew he would never live this down. "I helped him off the path and asked him if all snakes were as pretty as he was." James lifted his head so he could clunk it back down on the table. “Then I talked about all the pretty Slytherins."
There was even more laughter from his awful, no good friends.
"You can't trust snakes to keep secrets," Peter giggled.
"James, only you," Remus said fondly.
"So… Are you going?" Sirius asked. His voice was neutral, like he didn’t mind either way.
James looked up and saw all his friends smiling. "They just exposed me in front of everyone!"
"No, James," Remus shook his head. "They just claimed you in front of everyone."
James swallowed. Claimed. He liked the sound of that.
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“From our perspective, the three of you were flirting, just in a completely different language,” Remus said. “They wanted everyone to know you were like them.”
Fuck. James was going to be putty in their hands.
"Yeah, I'm going," James said. "But first I have to find that snitch of a snake."
