"So I told Remus, I'm not going to Uni, I'm taking a year off to do Order work," Sirius said, walking alongside James into the corridor at the bottom of the stairs to the dungeons.
James said, "How'd he take that?"
"Not well. He got rather peeved, to be honest," Sirius sighed. "I mean, I managed to calm him down pretty quickly, he can only be mad so long, especially when the full moon is effecting him like it is this month, so we're alright and all, but I could tell he was realyl bothered."
"Remus really values education," James said wisely. "He just wants what's best for you."
"Well, what's best for me is killing You Know Who," Sirius said.
"Yeah," James said, "Best for all of us, really, but you know Remus. He's against Voldemort and he'll fight anytime he's ready to but I think Ned's death really drove home to him how much risk is involved. Remus's life is risked every month as he turns, and I reckon he just feels like that's enough risk. And it is. More than enough. He's lost enough already. He just doesn't want to lose anymore of his life."
Sirius mused. "Yeah, I s'pose that makes sense." He edged into James, jabbing him with his elbow. "You're too bloody smart for my own good."
James laughed, "Nah. You need my smarts to keep you in line."
"Ah very true, Prongsy," Sirius crooned, and he draped himself on James's shoulder, his nose pressed against his bicep. "Whatever would I do without my harem?"
James lay his head atop of Sirius's, "I haven't a clue, Pads."
They continued on down the hall like that, appraoching the dungeon rooms, when they heard raised voices arguing ahead of them, echoing down the corridor. James stood upright and so did Sirius and they looked at one another. Sirius drew his wand and James felt for his but, as usual, he'd forgotten it back in the dormitory. Sirius rolled his eyes at James, then stepped ahead of him as they inched down the corridor toward the sound of the voices.
"-- am I supposed to do when you've just left and I haven't any idea where you are?" It was Regulus, James recognized his voice, so much like his brother's, carrying down the hall. "I could've been killed if they'd found me out while you were off --"
"Saving he lives of everyone who they would've turned with their stores?" came a cold voice. Both James and Sirius stopped in their tracks at the sound of it.
"Snivellus," breathed Sirius, a grin spreading over his mouth, as he brought his wand up. James grabbed hold of Sirius's elbow to stop him from moving forward.
"Don't. Wait," James hissed.
"Yeah, that and abandoning me, which was directly against our plan."
"Was it not in your plan for me to gain the information of where the werewolf saliva stores were kept?"
"Well yes but --"
"And was it not in the plan to obtain the store, whatever means possible, should we discover their location?"
"Yes, but --"
"I did not have a choice, Regulus," Severus said darkly, "The bottles were too loud to return to the main room where you were, and disapparating away once was risky enough. If I'd been caught in that cellar we would've both been killed for traitorous acts to the Dark Lord."
"But you could've told me --"
"How? How was I supposed to tell you?" Snape demanded, "Without blowing both of our covers? I had snuck away unnoticed. I needed to stay unnoticed to protect us both." His voice had a touch of finality to it. "So you can stand there, looking angry and on the verge of tears all you want --"
"I am not on the verge of tears!" Regulus snapped, but James could hear the edges of his voice breaking and imagined the furious tears that Sirius often got at the edges of his eyes when he was mad, and suspected that the trait was something the Black brothers shared.
"-- and I will await your appreciation for the chance that I took and the success that I had in collecting the store of saliva. Because of me there are a good deal fewer people in danger of being turned. Because of me, you and your precious friends in the Order of the Phoenix, are safe from the mean little werewolves."
"Oh don't be such a martyr," Regulus snapped. "It isn't as though you would've done it if I hadn't told you it was for Lily Evans!"
James stiffened in the corridor and his grip tightened on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius glanced 'round at him. "Now may I go hex him?" he breathed in a slightly sardonic tone. Jame shook his head.
"I knew you wouldn't," Regulus was continuing, "I knew you couldn't help out of a purely unselfish reason, and that's why I told you that they were targeting Lily. They aren't. They're just evil werewolves doing basic evil werewolf things, without any specific plans for Lily. If there'd really been any plans involving Lily, don't you think that James Potter would've taken care of it himself instead of involving a grimy snake like yourself in the matter?"
There was a crack of magic, immediately followed by another and several bright flashes that lit up the dark corridor ahead of James and Sirius. There was silence for a moment, then a continued sound of cracking magic and flashes of light and several loud grunts, then a thump and a groan. James started to go toward the dungeon but it was Sirius's turn to stop him, and Sirius held him tight.
"Do not - ever - ask me - for help again," Severus Snape's voice came out, panting and edged with pain. "I will not give it." And there was a sweeping swoosh of his cloak and Severus came into the corridor hurriedly, clutching his wrist, scowling, and his nose bloodied. He stopped short as he came 'round the corner and found Sirius and James standing there in the dark hall, crowded together against the wall. He stared at them in surprise, caught off guard.
"Hullo Snivellus," Sirius crooned.
Snape shoved 'round him, shoving James in the process directly into the stone wall, and moved down the corridor so quickly that neither Sirius nor James had time to react, though that didn't stop Sirius from shooting an errant spell after him down the corridor, the sparks flying and glowing as they trailed off. "Shall we go after him?" Sirius demanded, ready to dart down the corridor after Snape.
James glowered after Severus, his fists balled, and his mouth twisted sourly, then he looked at Sirius and shook his head, "It's not worth it," he murmured, "Not worth it... Not worth it..." He stood up right and dusted himself off, "Besides, I haven't got my wand and the only way I'm going after that git is if I have my wand. I'm not about to piss off Evans and not even be able to hex the bastard." He turned toward the dungeon room Severus had just come out of, "Besides - Reg's waiting."
Sirius looked like he might go after Snape anyway, but finally lowered his wand and shuffled after James. "I could go," he murmured, "It isn't me Evans won't be doing rounds with later if Snape's accidentally hexed into a fruit bat."
"No but if she finds out I was with you when you'd done it, she'd probably bat-bogey hex the both of us into next century," James said.
Sirius shuddered at the thought of Lily Evans's bat-bogey hex.
Regulus was sitting on the floor in the dungeon, sprawled and pushing himself up as James and Sirius walked in. James rushed over and helped pull Regulus to his feet. "What'd he do to you?" he demanded, an edge to his voice.
"Nothing much, really," Regulus answered, dusting off and nodding appreciation to James for the hand up, "Just a knockback jinx is all. I hit him harder than he hit me."
"Good," Sirius's voice was rough. "You ought to have hexed his arse straight through the wall. Knockback jinxing a Black! The nerve of that little pisser..."
James raised an eyebrow, amused by Sirius's ability to embrace his status as a member of the Black family when it presented a united front against the likes of Severus Snape. It was nice to know, too, that Sirius would side with Regulus over Snape, at least.
Regulus had regained his composure, holding his chin slightly high in the noble way he was taught that, to those who did not know him, might come off as stuck-up or haughty. Regulus said, "I'm assuming you must have overheard our argument, then?"
"Bits of it," James admitted warily, then, "You let Snape in on the information?"
"Only partially," Regulus replied.
Sirius scowled. "We didn't tell you that you could let that leech in on it, little brother. There are Order members at stake here passing along that information to a known Death Eater..."
"I didn't tell him anything about you or the Order having clued me in, I made it sound like I obtained the information on my own, elsewhere," Regulus replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm not stupid."
"Maybe not, but you are extremely reckless."
"Rich coming from you the most reckless --"
"Stop!" James announced before they could get going on their usual route of argumentation. Both brothers stopped instantly and looked at one another, then back at James. "Regulus, next time try not to involve Snape is all, alright?"
Regulus shrugged, "Well you heard him, he isn't going to help me anymore anyway. Good bloody riddens with him, too, if he's going to be an idiot about it."
"So you lot got the stores?" James asked.
Regulus nodded, "Severus did. We went to Fallengunder village and we went to the tavern where Greyback's lounging about... and I kept him talking while Severus used legilimency to look into their minds and he saw where the store was. I was still talking to Greyback, so I didn't notice him slip out of the room and I guess he got all the bottles of werewolf saliva they had there at the tavern, stuck them all in his robes and disapparated away without telling me." Regulus's face clouded. "So there I was, still talking away to Greyback, making up all this rubbish to keep him distracted, expecting Severus to come back, and he just... doesn't. Took me a good long time to realize he wasn't going to be coming back and I had to make up some excuse about going to tell Voldemort everything I'd learned from talking to Greyback and get out of there on my own. I had to bloody floo out. Luckily, I had Slughorn's floo powder still... Then I come falling out of Slughorn's fireplace all on my own, no way to tell if he was in the room or not, and I got real lucky because he WAS in the room, but he happened to have fallen asleep in his chair and I somehow managed not to wake him up. I dumped the floo powder on the floor by the cupboard he keeps it in so he'll just think he's dropped it, and I ran like mad out of there." Regulus scowled. "Bloody git, leaving me off like that. I could've got found out, or he could've, and then what?"
James shook his head.
"What you get for involving a shitehead like Snivellus into anything," Sirius said roughly.
"But you got the saliva, and in the end, that's the most important bit, isn't it?" James said, bringing the topic back around to the good portion of the news. "Where is it?"
"Oh," Regulus looked stunned a moment, "Well, Snape's got it, I suppose."
"Right so he can just return it back to Greyback anytime he sees fit and it benefits him, then," Sirius said rolling his eyes. "Or else you didn't really go and when it turns out the werewolves have it again you'll be all, Oh Severus had it, I didn't know -- Is this all a great plot, to look good to the Order and actually just be covering your own arse?"
Regulus scowled. "I did go, you idiot."
James held up his palms to stop Sirius from attacking back at Regulus. "Bloody hell, you lot, can we please not act like children?" he begged, looking between the two brothers. He looked at Regulus. "If you could, see if you can get the saliva back from Snape so we can give it to Dumbledore, alright? I reckon it might be of use for Newt Scamander or someone. Perhaps it might come in handy to work out a cure."
Regulus nodded, "I'll do my best."
James smiled, "Thanks. I know you always do your best, Reg. You're a good kid." He turned to Sirius, "C'mon, mate, let's get back up stairs."
Sirius sighed and turned for the door, slouching into the corridor and disappearing 'round the corner.
James turned back to Regulus. "Seriously, good job, okay? You did exactly what I asked and more. Without you, the Order would be a whole lot weaker. You're seriously a really great kid, Reg. Don't let Sirius's attitude get you down, alright? He's just full of himself."
"Oi, I can bloody hear you!" Sirius shouted.
Regulus smiled, "Thanks James."
James smiled back, "Of course. Thank you Regulus. See you, alright?"
Regulus nodded, "See you." He waved lamely with one palm up as James followed after Sirius into the hallway.
"Would it bloody kill you to be nice to your brother?" James's voice echoed back into thte dungeons from the corridor.
"I reckon it just might," came Sirius's reply.