An Epic Of Time Wasted (Sirius)

[james t. potter]

James loved a lot of things about the quidditch pitch. Flying was one of them. He loved to feel the air chill his face. He even liked when it rained and he couldn't see and got pelted in the back with a bludger. Some would say that James was a freak for enjoying the hardships of the game but that was just love to him. Yet there was something even more satisfying than broken arms and black eyes.

The grass. James Potter was by no means a naturalist, but he loved the feeling of the grass on the pitch. No one really walked on it very often so it was still nice and squishy and save for the few smudge marks in the mud where a Ravenclaw girl had crash landing from the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff game. Hufflepuff actually had a pretty good team this year. Not that James would admit that on any day they were playing them, but he did have a profound amount of respect and admiration for them when they played against Slytherin. This particular patch of grass was untouched and soft on his neck as he lay mid-feild on the ground.

The sky wasn't too horrible and little sun was managing to peek out from the clouds that were lingering against the blue sky. There were some ominous grey clouds in the distance and James knew that the decent afternoon was only temporary and that the chilly spring rain would return before long and he would have to retire to the castle. But for now he was content gazing at the clouds and thinking that they all looked like Lily's face. Never the less the sun was shining the grass was green and the boy was pining.

It was starting to seem like an improbable reality. She hated his guts. It was pointless the way he followed her around and tried to impress her. The only boy Lily liked was that sniveling freak, Snape. God he pissed James off. "It's never going to happen you idiot..." With a sigh, James looked to his arm laying to the left of him and picked at the emerald blades jutting up through his fingers. In his other hand was the marauder's map.

He often stared at her name and watched her wandering the halls or reading the common room. Glancing at it now he found her in the library as she often was. It was cute how bright she was. James found himself smiling as he thought of the way she tied up all her rolls of parchment all neat and tidy. She was so perfect. He would have sat there all afternoon until the rain came and he got soaked and drowned in a puddle, but another name caught his eye.

Lazily lifting himself up onto his elbows he sighed and ruffled one hand through his messy hair. The name on the map was walking toward him. Turning to see the figure coming up onto the pitch, James waved. Sirius Black was practically family. Maybe a good dose of tom foolery would get him in better spirits about Lily. And Sirius was usually just the man for the job. "Shucks. You found me. Boy am I that obvious? How'd you know I'd be out here?" He chuckled and stood up dusting grass and dirt off his jeans before taking a step or two toward his friend, all thoughts of his love tucked away in his pocket next to the map still focused on her name.

Word Count: 601
Tags: Sirius Black
Outfit: cuz I like to make James play dress up!!
Comments: Let the Emo-ness commence!!!!

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[Sirius Black!]

With shaking hands, Sirius patted his pockets, looking for the Marauders' Map. It seemed silly to be using the Map when he was quite aware where his friends would be, but he didn't want to make the mistake of going to where he assumed they were and then running into someone he didn't want to see. Unfortunately, the Map wasn't in his pocket when he need it the most. He looked back at McGonagall sitting at her desk and then exited. He kept his eyes downcast and ignored everyone who called out to him as he nudged past them through the corridors. He could feel tears sting his grey eyes, but he ignored them. He hid behind a tapestry. He knew none of his friends were together. Remus was in the library, Peter had told Sirius he was with Professor Flitwick and James was out in the Quidditch Pitch, no doubt. Sirius smiled at the thought.

Sirius tried to hold on to the smile as best as he could. He wasn't even sure why there was tears in his eyes. He wiped them away while still hidden behind the tapestry. He was going to be OK. He supposed the onset of tears was due to the fact that someone in his family actually sympathized with him. Although he didn't see his Uncle Alphard often, he supposed something about himself shined to his uncle.

Sirius continued outside quickly. James became larger and larger as Sirius approached. He was glad the tears in his eyes had disappeared, despite the fact that his face was still a little red and blotchy. Out of all of his friends, James was definitely the person he wanted to talk to. He didn't want to talk to sympathetic Remus. He didn't want to talk to Peter, who probably wouldn't know what to say about the situation, even if he would be there for him. He didn't want to talk to Lena.. he felt it would be too awkward to actually talk about something so important to. James was perfect for the job - James was his brother, after all!

"Guess it was just a bit of luck. You're never where I expect you to be," Sirius joked back, although his smile wasn't as big or enthusiastic as he hoped. He was glad that James was at the Pitch as he wouldn't know where to look for his best mate otherwise. He paused and looked at his friend. He didn't want to have to bring it up. He didn't want to talk about it, really. All he wanted to do was joke and laugh, but the impulsive side of Sirius seemed to be taking over. As much as he wanted to hide it away, what would be the point? All he would be doing is acting like a girl. Saying 'I'm fine' when he actually wasn't. Sirius wasn't about to act like a girl.

He looked down at his shoes and kicked some dirt up from the mostly-unfrozen ground. He tucked his hands into his pocket and then looked back up at James. "My Uncle Alphard died."

Sirius didn't say anything further. He didn't cry, nor did tears enter his eyes. Sure, he felt a lump enter his throat uncomfortably, but he ignored it. Sirius was a master of masking his feelings when it was something other than anger or happiness. How could he not when he grew up with the family he did? He didn't really expect James to have much to say, really. He was just happy that James would know who Sirius was talking about without having to say anything. It was the nice thing about James: as far as Sirius was aware, James knew Sirius' family tree almost as well as Sirius did. Mainly because Sirius complained about the lot of them frequently.

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