/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟏.𝟙𝟙.𝟣

"and now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." ~ John Steinbeck

~may 1972~

"Shhhhh, shut up, Peter," James hissed as he led the way across the grounds to the broom shed outside the quidditch pitch. "Hagrid's hut is literally right there."

Peter let out a little squeak and put a hand over his mouth. Sirius looked over his shoulder, rolled his eyes, and quickened his step to lead the way to the door of the shed. "Alohamora," he whispered, and there was a little click as the lock unhinged itself. "Come on."

Sirius held the door open for the rest of the boys as they snuck into the shed. When they were all gathered inside and Remus lit his wand, Sirius let the door close gently behind them. James surveyed the lines of brooms hanging on the walls and let out a low whistle. "Take your pick, boys."

Remus walked slowly down the line of brooms, surveying each one. "You know, we really shouldn't be doing this," he said, though he didn't sound too worried about it.

"Oh, don't ruin it with all your garbage about 'rules'" snorted James. "Just pick a broom and let's go."

Peter already had a broom in hand and was sizing it up, trying to remember how Madam Hooch had told him to get it started in flying class. Sirius was pretending to decide between two completely identical brooms, but really he was trying to figure out how to get out of this. Maybe if he pretended to be sick... "You know, this is stupid," he said at last. "We could totally think up a better end-of-year prank."

James turned and scrutinized Sirius. "Oh yeah? Like what? I mean, come on- we planned this for weeks. It's perfect."

"Yeah..." Sirius muttered, "guess so." He gritted his teeth together and grabbed one of the brooms he'd been debating between without really thinking about it. "Let's go then."

The four boys traipsed back outside with their chosen brooms- all except for Sirius practically dancing in excitement. Sirius tilted his head to look up at the stars scattered across the sky and sighed. "Come on, Sirius!" Peter whisper-shouted. "Let's go!"

"Right..." Sirius mounted his broom and looked around at his friends doing the same. James gave him an overexcited grin, then kicked off and floated up into the black sky. Remus and Peter followed. Sirius looked up and was surprised at how balanced Remus looked on a broom. He kept up just fine with James, who was always bragging about how he'd been flying since he was four years old. Peter, on the other hand, was wobbling precariously like he might fall off at any second. Sirius let out a little sigh and kicked off, trying as hard as he could to force down the nerves in his stomach.

Sirius and Peter followed James and Remus zooming towards the school, up, up, further and further. Sirius took deep breaths, focusing as hard as he could on not looking down and not throwing up. "Come on!" James called behind him, "let's go knock on Frank's window!"

"Yeah, that'll scare him," Remus chuckled, dipping below the upper branches of a tree and making a complicated maneuver to dodge the leaves.

James watched him in wonder. "Remus... why can't you try out for the team next year? You're a natural."

Remus blushed, but his face fell ever so slightly. "I- well, I wouldn't have the time. With classes and everything. Anyways, how're you doing, Peter?"

"Great!" Peter squealed, although he was just barely hanging onto broom by his legs. "We- we should scare the girls too."

"Brilliant idea, Peter!" James cried, reaching out to clap Peter on the shoulder, but thinking better of it at the last second. "One of your best! Let's go- come on, Sirius! -Sirius? What's wrong?"

"Ahhh, guys," said Remus, his smile slipping as he came to a sudden halt in the air. "We've got trouble."

All four boys looked down from their brooms and Sirius saw black spots cover his vision. They didn't cover the thin shape of Professor McGonagall standing with her hands on her hips and an unmistakably furious expression on her face. "What in Merlin's beard do you think you're doing?" she shouted up to them in a shrilly.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter all looked to James. "Ahhh, I think you might be dreaming, Professor," James called down to her. He caught Sirius's eye and shrugged.

"Don't even try that with me, Potter! Get down here this instant!"

"I- ah- actually forget how to fly, Professor!" James called down again. When he caught sight of the incredulous look on Remus's face, he shrugged again. "Worth a shot."

"Get- down- here-!"

~

A week later, the boys sat in their usual detention seats in a line across the front of Professor McGonagall's classroom. James tapped his foot impatiently under his desk and Remus watched fixedly, the tapping noise annoying him more and more with every second. Sirius was bent low over the paper he was supposed to be writing his lines on and for a moment, James thought Sirius might actually be doing his work, but when he got a closer look he saw the very large-headed caricature of McGonagall on the paper and had to stifle his laughter. Peter was actually writing his lines, oblivious to the intense boredom of his friends.

At last, McGonagall looked up from her work and surveyed the four boys in severe satisfaction. "I expect you've all learned your lesson," she said, hoping it was true. "And I expect a higher regard for the rules from all four of you. You could've been hurt."

"Of course, Professor," James said, bobbing his head enthusiastically. "But did you see Remus? He's a natural, I mean, don't you think he should try out for the team-"

"Potter!" McGonagall snapped. "That's not the point."

"Right."

The boys all slipped out of their seats to bring McGonagall the lines they'd written. As McGonagall flipped through the papers, her lips pursed more and more until they were chalk white. "Potter, Lupin, and Black," she said at last, fighting to keep a straight face. "Another week of detention. Pettigrew, I'll see you in class." Peter nodded and scampered for the door. "Well, off with you lot." McGonagall waved an impatient hand toward the door.

"Yes ma'am," Remus said, giving her the slightest of bows before following Peter.

Sirius and James stood side by side and saluted together, as if they'd choreographed it. "See you in class, McGonag- Professor," said Sirius, catching himself at the last second.

"Can we call you Minerva?" asked James. Sirius had to turn away to hide his laughter. "I mean, let's be real, we spend so much time in here, we have to be on first name basis by now."

"We most certainly are not, Potter. Now, if you don't want another month of detention..." she gestured to the door again. The boys nodded and hurried out of the room. Before James could reach the door, though, McGonagall stopped him. "I do hope you'll go out for the team next year, though, Potter," she said in a less formal tone. "I have a bet with Professor Slughorn and can't afford another loss."

James turned and gave her an enormous, gap toothed grin. "You can count on me, Minnie." And with that, he dashed out of the room before he could receive another scolding.

The boys all talked at once on their way back to Gryffindor tower. "What'd you guys write?" Sirius asked eagerly, jogging ahead and looking back at the others.

"I must always break the rules, 52 times- what? Did I get the assignment wrong?" James snickered and high-fived Sirius. Remus's mouth twitched into an amused smile, but he stayed silent. "Oh, come on Loopy," James chided, "what'd you write?"

Remus shrugged modestly. "A five paragraph essay on why detention isn't an effective punishment."

"Ahhh," Sirius clapped Remus on the back, "that's our boy. But look- maybe we should stop getting detentions so much. I mean, really, I think if I have to spend one more hour staring at that clock in McGonagall's room, I'll go insane." James nodded pensively.

Remus nodded. "Maybe we should tone it down a bit. I mean, what if we end up expelled?"

Peter's eyes grew very wide at this and Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "We're not going to get expelled, Pete. I'm just saying, maybe we should start-"

"Wait!" cried James, stopping in his tracks and turning around to face the other boys, who also stopped and stared at him expectantly. "What do we care about detentions?" He reached up to fix his large, square glasses and push his hair out of his eyes. "What do we care about rules? I mean, think about it. Think about how boring life would be if we didn't spice it up a little bit. If we hadn't stolen those brooms, we probably would've sat in the common room all evening doing homework with the girls and then gone to bed at curfew and who wants that?" Remus slowly started to raise his hand, but Sirius reached over and pushed it back down. James kept going, pretending not to notice. "I say we break the rules even more! To hell with the rules! If we cause enough trouble, McGonagall'll just lose track of it all and eventually we'll end up getting less detentions."

"That doesn't make any-" Remus started, but Sirius shot him down.

"Exactly!" he shouted, jumping up and pumping his fist. "The more trouble we cause, the less trouble we get into. It all checks out." Remus gave up on trying to reason with the boys, who had the familiar identical malicious glint in their eyes. "What should we do next?"

James started walking again with Sirius at his side. Peter trailed behind them, just barely keeping up and Remus watched them go for a few seconds before quickening his pace to catch up, thinking the whole time- his new favorite phrase- oh shit. "I say we put a sleeping drought in Slughorn's pumpkin juice," James proposed.

"Or charm the chalk in Professor Bones's room to dance away every time he tries to touch it," said Sirius.

James's face lit up. "I like your thinking!"

Remus, finally giving up completely on trying to keep them in line, caught up and walked on Sirius's other side. "I read about a love potion that'll make the drinker fall for the first person they see," he said softly. "We could have some fun with the professors that way."

Both James and Sirius turned their heads to him in awe. "You're evil," James whispered.

"And evil genius," Sirius corrected, and he kept walking, eager to get back to the dormitory to finish up their plans.

~

Bellatrix and Lucius sat across from each other at a table in the Slytherin common room, a game of wizards' chess between them. "It's your move," Bellatrix said, boredly running a slender finger through her messy dark hair.

"I know," murmured Lucius, "I"m thinking." Bellatrix rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, letting out a dramatically long sigh. Lucius looked up at her with one raised eyebrow. "Got a problem?"

Bellatrix pulled a face. "I'm not going to lie, Lucius, you may be the most boring person in Slytherin to hang out with."

"I'm not the one who started this game," Lucius said, looking back down at the board. "Where's your sister?"

Bellatrix frowned. "Off with the mudblood."

Lucius's head jerked up, his blue eyes wild. The corner of Bellatrix's mouth pulled upwards in amusement at the sight. It was rare that Lucius reacted this strongly to anything. "What's wrong, Malfoy?"

"What are you talking about?" Bellatrix shrugged and twirled her finger through her hair again, almost flirtatiously. Lucius gave her a dubious look. "Come on, Bel. What're you talking about? What mudblood?"

Bellatrix let out a high pitched giggle. "Oh- you didn't hear about Andromeda and the mudblood? I thought she was telling everyone now."

Lucius's hand dropped onto the table as he let out a sigh of relief and rocked back in his seat, shaking his head at Bellatrix. "I meant your other sister, idiot. Don't scare me like that- and we can talk about 'Dromeda later. Where's Narcissa?"

"Oh." Bellatrix looked uninterested again. "Dunno. I think she went out with Eva or someone. Why do you care?"

Lucius shrugged and stared down at the table, then back up at Bellatrix. "Bella, does she ever... mention me? Narcissa, I mean."

"Ahhh, I dunno," Bellatrix said disinterestedly. "I guess so. Sometimes. Why?" Lucius was silent for long enough to make Bellatrix look up in peaked interest. "Lucius? What is it?"

He tilted his head back and forth, debating how much he wanted to tell the youngest Black sister. Finally, he decided to go all the way. "Bella... d'you think your sister would... marry me? If I asked? Narcissa- I mean."

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "Marry you? Yes! Oh my Merlin, yes! You have to- it would keep the bloodline pure- especially after Andromeda.... Oh, Lucius, this is wonderful. Please ask. She'll say yes, I swear. I can sway her if she's not sure- I'm good at that-"

"Whoa, slow down, kid." Lucius laughed and glanced nervously around the common room. "And lower your voice. We're not even really together yet anyways. But- you think it's a good idea?"

Bellatrix nodded her head enthusiastically and Lucius was almost worried she'd fall out of her chair. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Alright, alright," he chuckled softly. "Now what were you saying about Andromeda?"