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Sneaking around was what the marauders did best. James had been sneaking around Hogwarts ever since his first day at the school. It had fascinated him. All the corridors and secrets the castle held. He’d found the same wonder in his dorm mates, and together, they had mapped out Hogwarts in a way no others had. At this point, they probably knew more about the ancient castle than Dumbledore did. They were the ruling Kings of Hogwarts Castle, and they acted as such. 

James sauntered down the third-floor corridor, ticking off all the secret passageways along the way. Grinning to himself, knowing that he was the only one in the vicinity who knew where they all were. The grin fell from his face when he heard the familiar sound of stone grating on stone and watched as a familiar head of dark curls carefully peeked out of the secret entrance that led to Honeydukes’s cellar. 

James had hidden himself in the shadows and watched with his mouth hanging open as Regulus Black hauled himself and a heavy-looking bag out of the secret passage and straightened his robes. James was going to have so much fun with this. 

“Hey, Regulus!” He called down the silent corridor and trotted towards Regulus, where he stood frozen to the spot. 

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James Potter’s voice had been piercing in the otherwise silent corridor. For four years, Regulus had been using the secret tunnel beneath the statue to sneak into Hogsmeade and not once had anyone even had the slightest suspicion, and now his brother’s best friend had spotted him. This would get back to Sirius before Regulus made it back to his dorm room. 

James came striding over and hooked an arm around Regulus’s shoulders.

“Been on a little stroll, have you Regulus?” James asked conversationally as if he hadn’t just caught him sneaking back into school. 

“And what’s it to you if I have?” Regulus sneered, trying to escape James's heavy arm and failing. James grinned at him happily, and wrapped his arm tighter around him, pulling Regulus tight against his side. 

“Just never thought you had it in you. It’s nice to know you have a rebellious side,” James let him go and disappeared into the wall. Regulus stared at the empty space beside him and thought over the strange interaction as he made his way back to the dungeons, sucking on a sugar quill. James Potter was a seriously strange boy. 

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James had no idea why he’d walked up to and spoken to Regulus at all. He tried to convince himself that it was because he was Sirius’s little brother. But he knew deep down that wasn’t the case. He felt a storm brewing within. Something was about to change, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. 

That evening, they were sitting in their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. He hadn’t even thought about Regulus for at least an hour. But when his eyes found their way across the hall and locked onto Regulus’s eyes. His stomach flipped and he knew the reason. 

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“Why is Potter staring at you?” Barty asked as he dolloped rice pudding into his bowl along with an obscene amount of raspberry jam. 

“How the hell would I know?” Regulus sniped back at his friend. Barty pulled a face at him and went back to swirling the jam into his rice pudding. 

Once Barty was occupied again, Regulus scanned the Gryffindor table and locked eyes with James again. It was like they just knew when the other was looking over. It was uncanny. 

His heart thudded in his chest as he stared into hazel eyes. That had to be a bad sign, an omen. He shook his head and looked away. There wasn’t a single chance that he would ever fall for his brother's surrogate brother. No, not a single one. 

“James Potter’s staring at you,” Pandora told him in her airy soft voice as she squeezed herself in between Regulus and Barty. 

“Yes, thank you, Pandora, I am aware,” Regulus grumbled, his eyes flicking up again and catching James’s. Damn it.

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“James, James, James, Prongs, oi, Prongs, James Fleamont Potter, pay attention to me!” Sirius threw a roast potato at James’s head, interrupting his train of thought as he caught Regulus’s eye again. 

“Sorry, what?” He asked, brushing the remnants of the roast potato out of his hair. 

“I said, do you fancy a trip to Hogsmeade tonight? I’m thinking Rosmerta might be missing me, and Moony’s out of chocolate frogs again.”

“Hey, you ate half of them,” Remus glowered over his third helping of dinner. 

“Yeah, alright then,” James agreed, hoping the fresh air would clear his mind enough that he stopped thinking about those dazzling silver eyes. 

He chanced a final glance at Regulus as they got up to leave. His stomach did a little flip as Regulus looked up at the same time he did and didn’t look away. 

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Regulus watched the group of Gryffindors leave the Great Hall. He’d looked up at just the wrong time as James had looked over at him as his eyes lifted. He ground his teeth at his own stupidity. When had his willpower been so weak? 

He stood from his table; he’d had enough anyway, and headed back to the sanctuary of his dorm room. Or so he thought. 

“What is that?” He grimaced at the plant pot on Evan’s bedside table. 

“That is my new houseplant. It’s my friend. He brings me joy,” Evan gushed, stroking one of the wide, waxy-looking leaves. 

“Oh, so it’s a he now?” Regulus rolled his eyes and flopped onto his bed, pulling a chocolate frog from his pocket that he’d procured from Honeydukes on his way back to the castle earlier. 

“Yes,” Evan answered, using the tip of his wand to water his plant. “His name is Gerald,” Regulus didn’t acknowledge Evan’s words and drew the curtains around his bed. He cast a silencing charm around himself and closed his eyes. James Potter’s face flashed behind his eyes with the big goofy grin he so often wore, smiling at him. Regulus groaned and tried to think of anything else but that dumb, handsome face. 

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James tripped early on their journey as he followed behind Sirius, Remus and Peter on their way down the secret passage to Honeydukes. He was thinking too much about how Regulus had walked down here not too long ago and wondered how many times they’d missed each other when he and the rest of the Marauders had gone on an adventure. 

He ran his fingers along the wall, imagining he was following grooves made by Regulus’s fingers before him. He quickly pulled his hand away when he realised how ridiculous he was being. He rushed ahead and tackled Sirius, starting a boisterous game of tag in the narrow passageway. Even that didn’t stop his mind from wandering. He really needed to stop before he started to fall for Regulus. 

“Tag, you’re it!” Sirius had caught him off guard, and he tripped again, this time falling onto his face, his glasses skidding off into the distance. “Oops, sorry, Prongs,” Sirius apologised, pulling his wand out and casting Lumos as he searched for James’s glasses. 

Remus offered his hand and helped James haul himself to his feet. Sirius handed him his glasses, and they carried on, but James still couldn’t stop thinking about Regulus.   

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Regulus lay awake on his bed long after his dorm mates had fallen asleep. He was mad at himself. He’d been lying there for hours trying to convince himself the stuttering heart had been a fluke and that he hadn’t felt good when they’d locked eyes across the tables. The corner of James's mouth had lifted and made his eyes crinkle and… No, Regulus was not thinking about James Bloody Potter. He could think of a lot of colourful things to say about James Potter, but for some reason, they didn’t sound right in his head when he was referring to him. 

“Stupid Potter,” He hissed into the quiet dorm. Barty’s sudden sleepy snort made Regulus jump. He needed to get out of the dungeons and go for a walk. 

He used the secret passages he knew and the lesser-used staircases to make his way unseen to the Astronomy Tower. He liked it up there. The cool night air filled the area and the unobstructed view of the night sky. It was one of the things he loved most about the castle. 

He’d just settled down on the floor overlooking the open part of the Tower, hanging onto the railing when the door behind him creaked open. He spun as best he could, drawing his wand and pointing it at the door, but there was no one there. He stood up and cautiously approached the door. 

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James’s pockets were filled with as many sweets and bottles of butterbeer as they could carry. Sirius had figured out how to put permanent silencing charms on all their pockets. It had come in useful quite a few times. 

He had the Marauders Map out while they snuck back up to Gryffindor Tower. He scanned the surrounding corridors. He paused his scanning when his eyes landed on the little scroll labelled Regulus Black. He watched as he climbed the staircase up to the Astronomy Tower. He wondered why Regulus would be going up there at this hour. It was way past the time Astronomy classes were held, and no one else was out of bed, as far as he could see for it to be a secret rendezvous. 

James let the others get a few steps ahead of him before he pulled his invisibility cloak out from under his robes and swung it around himself. He got all the way to the end of the corridor and around the corner before he heard Sirius ask where he’d gone. 

He hurried up the staircase to the Astronomy Tower, keeping his footsteps as light as possible. He checked the map one last time to make sure Regulus was still there and pushed the door open. 

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There was no one there, but Regulus could have sworn he heard someone breathing. 

“Revelio,” He hissed under his breath. The space remained empty. He spun around when he heard the sound of a shoe scuffing on the stone. But again, he was alone. 

He was about to leave when a hand definitely brushed against his arm. “Who’s there?” He barked into the quiet tower. He half expected Peeves to appear and throw something disgustingly sticky at him or a selection of pottery, but Peeves didn’t have the patience to wait this long. What he wasn’t expecting was for James Potter to appear out of thin air. 

He jumped and, forgetting about his wand, punched James right in his stupid, handsome face. 

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If James hadn’t been edging on six feet tall and didn’t have the physique from years of practising Quidditch, the punch that Regulus just administered to his face would have sent him toppling to the ground. Instead, he stumbled back a couple of steps before righting himself. 

“Oww, that hurts,” James moaned as he cupped his nose with his hands. 

“You snuck up on me and then appeared out of thin air, of course, I hit you,” Regulus snapped back. James dropped his hands from his face. 

“What are you doing up here anyway? Pretty late to be so far from the Dungeons,” James hadn’t meant it to sound so much like an accusation as it did, but Regulus’s slightly wary face turned cold. 

“And what are you doing up here so late?” Regulus spat at James, narrowing his eyes and glaring at him with total disdain. James blinked, his eyes wide as he tried to think of an answer that didn’t involve showing him the Marauders Map, as he’d have to move abroad as the others would kill him for revealing their secret.  

“Er… I fancied a stroll.” He shrugged and walked past Regulus to lean on the railing and look out at the night sky. “It’s so beautiful up here,” He said, tracing the consolations with his eyes. There was Canis Major with its brightest star, Sirius. Orion and his three-star belt were on one side, and on the other, the Leo constellation, with its heart shining brighter than the rest. He smiled as his eyes settled on Regulus, glittering away. 

It took a few moments, but then Regulus was standing beside him, looking up at the stars above. 

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How he ended up in this romantic setting, staring up at the twinkling night sky beside James Potter, Regulus couldn’t figure out. But strangely, it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful. They stood side by side, not talking, and looked up at the heavens. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d just stood silently with someone. The last person had probably been Sirius. He’d been able to keep his mouth shut for more than five minutes. It definitely hadn’t been with any of his friends. Not a single one of them, not even Pandora, had the ability to just be and not fill the silence with inane chatter. 

He let out a breath and felt his body relax. James must have noticed as Regulus caught him glancing down at him with a soft smile on his lips. 

James turned back to look at the view, and Regulus spotted something shimmering on James’s eyelid. 

“Are you wearing makeup?” He asked, screwing up his face as he scrutinised James’s. James automatically raised his hand to touch his eyelids. 

“Oh, yeah,” He laughed, eyes twinkling. “Sirius needed someone to practice on and Remus wanted to read his book, so I said I’d do it. I forgot I even had it on, to be honest,” 

“It, er…” Regulus cleared his throat. “It looks nice,” He gritted his teeth when he realised what he’d just said, but the dazzling smile James gave him that put the stars to shame made it totally worth it.

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He couldn’t believe that Regulus Black had just complimented him, and not just any compliment. Regulus had said the makeup that Sirius had applied to his face looked nice. James couldn’t remember ever being given a kind word from Regulus, and he felt warm all over. He was so surprised that all he could do was smile. He was so glad that he’d forgotten about the sink of hot water he’d run to wash it off, but his head had been distracted by the thought of peppermint imps. 

James watched as the tiniest hit of pink spread across Regulus’s porcelain skin. He wanted to reach out and touch it. Kiss the delicate skin that covered his sharp cheekbones. He quickly turned back to look at the stars before he did something that would definitely lead to Regulus hexing his bollocks off.

“Are you staring at my star?” Regulus drawled, moving slightly nearer to get a better look at where James’s eyeliner was. 

“Not on purpose,” James spluttered as he realised that had been exactly what he’d been doing. 

“Uh-huh,” Regulus said, raising a brow at him incredulously.

James tried to look anywhere but at Regulus and accidentally brushed his little finger against Regulus’s hand beside his on the railing. Regulus’s breath hitched. James looked down at him, searching his face for any sign of what he was thinking, when Regulus’s hand flashed out and grabbed the front of his jumper, pulling him down until their lips connected, and then he was kissing Regulus Black. 

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“You taste like peppermint,” Regulus blurted out when he finally broke away from their kiss. His eyes grew wide as he looked at James in horror. What in Salazar's name had he just said? James’s soft smile and twinkling eyes made his knees shake. This was ridiculous he was Regulus Arcturus Black! He did not get weak knees over a boy. 

“You smell like apple shampoo,” James’s low tone did things to Regulus’s insides. He couldn’t help it when he reached back up on his tiptoes and pulled James down for another kiss. It shut them both up at least. 

Regulus shivered when James’s hands found his hips and pulled him closer. He made a funny little whine into James’s mouth when he started stroking circles into his hip bones and found his arms winding around James’s neck.

He shouldn’t let this carry on any longer, but his feet had other ideas. They carried him as close to James as he could get. James’s hands moved to the small of his back and he walked him backwards to the wall. 

Regulus groaned as his back hit the stone. James pushed his leg between Regulus’s, and Regulus obediently widened his stance, letting James’s thigh slot between his legs. He gasped in a breath when James’s muscular thigh made contact with the bulge in his trousers. 

Regulus had to break the kiss then, as his head flung back, and he lost control. James took advantage of the easy access to his neck. He kissed and sucked the delicate skin, probably leaving love bites behind, but Regulus didn’t care. His hips stuttered against James’s thigh as he chased his release. 

“James… I’m gonna…” James pulled back and looked at him as Regulus helplessly bucked against his leg.

James moved in close and, with a deep, gravely voice, murmured, “Take what you need, love,” and smashed their lips back together, nipping Regulus’s lower lip before licking up into his mouth. 

Regulus couldn’t hold on any longer. He felt the familiar pressure building at the base of his spine, and with two last jolts, he came right there at the top of the Astronomy Tower held in place by James Bloody Potter, and he couldn’t care less. 

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Regulus fell against James, completely spent. James wrapped his arms around him carefully and held him. He twisted his head so he could get a look at the sated pleasure on Regulus’s face. James had a myriad of emotions coursing through him, but the overwhelming rightness of holding Regulus like this made everything in his head quiet. 

But all too soon, the peace broke, and Regulus was shoving him away and racing out of the Astronomy Tower without a backward glance. James sighed and leaned against the wall he’d just had Regulus pressed up against. He pulled out the Marauders Map and watched Regulus go back to his common room and up to his dormitory. 

James had no idea what to do now. That had been the single most exciting thing to ever happen to him. He’d felt more of a thrill from just kissing Regulus than he’d ever got riding a broom. But Regulus had run away before he could even say anything. He’d need to figure out how to get him alone again and if that involved some light stalking, so be it.

He checked the map again, his eyes drifting to the dungeons again before checking where Filch was and making his way back to Gryffindor Tower with a dopey grin on his face as he replayed his entire time in the Astronomy Tower over and over in his head.  

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How could he have been so stupid to go that far with a boy he wasn’t allowed to be around? His parents had made it abundantly clear that he was not to follow in his brother's footsteps and befriend the Potter boy. It had been drilled into him every time he left Grimmauld Place to return to Hogwarts, and here he was going far further with the Potter boy than he was sure his brother had ever gone. 

He was going to be disowned for sure. But the little voice in the back of his head that sounded eerily like Sirius, kept telling him, so what? 

The little voice grew louder, pointing out that he’d never felt so safe and comfortable. James asked for nothing and expected nothing of him. James had held him lovingly like no one ever had.

Regulus’s head flopped back onto his pillow and he let himself imagine what it would be like if he could actually be with James Potter in the way he’d glimpsed an hour ago. 

In his vision he was happier than he’d ever remembered being, and he wished he’d never allowed his mind to wander.

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James tried in vain over the next few days to get Regulus on his own, but the sly little thing was always one step ahead of him, even with the Marauders Map. James had Remus scan him for tracking spells because there was no way that Regulus could be avoiding him as well as he was without some help. But Remus couldn’t find anything on him apart from a jinx that Sirius had put on him that turned his pubes ginger; he hadn’t even noticed. Regulus seemed to have a sixth sense of where James would be and successfully continued to avoid him. That’s when James came up with his plan. 

First, he went down to the kitchens before dinner started, and the little house elves were only too happy, because why wouldn’t a growing boy want a pile of food right before dinner? He then went to the empty classroom he’d warded and set everything up before racing back down to the dungeons after quickly checking the map to make sure Regulus was where he was supposed to be. James spotted him in the Slytherin Common room with Dorcas Meadowes and Pandora Rosier. Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch were still in their dorm room, standing extremely close to each other. James threw on his invisibility cloak and stood outside the blank patch of wall that hid the secret entrance to the Slytherin Common room. 

He didn’t have to wait long as an elaborately carved wooden door appeared, and Regulus and his friends walked out. Regulus was exactly where he wanted him, at the back of his group of friends. 

In one swift movement, James covered Regulus with the invisibility cloak and put his hand over Regulus’s mouth. 

“Shhh, love, it’s only me,” He whispered and whisked Regulus off to the secret date he’d set up. 

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Regulus was enraged. Not because he was being kidnapped. No, because he’d known it was James the second his hand went over his mouth, and he hadn’t even put up a fight.

James dragged him behind a tapestry and up onto the second floor into an unused classroom. 

The second James released him, Regulus snatched his wand out of his robes and pointed it at James. He didn’t even know why he was doing it. He wasn’t mad, and he actually found it quite thrilling that he’d clearly put some thought into how to get him here because he’d been doing an amazing job of avoiding James. It had been fun slipping into secret passages with James hot on his heels. 

As he thought about the last few days, red sparks fizzled out of the tip of his wand. James flinched and Regulus felt bad. He had no idea why his magic was reacting like that. He lowered his wand and finally took in the room. 

James had moved all the tables and chairs into a circle around a collection of soft-looking blankets and cushions. On a low table, James had laid out a spread. All Regulus’s favourites were on it, including lemon tarts and squashy iced buns. 

“Did you do all this for me?” He asked, pocketing his wand and moving towards the table. He plucked a lemon tart from a plate and did something that would have given his mother a heart attack if she’d seen him. He stuck his finger right into the lemon curd and brought it to his mouth. 

He licked the thick treat from his finger in long, slow licks. He stopped when he heard a strained whimper from behind him. 

James was staring at him like he was the Quidditch cup. He’d seen the look in James’s eyes last year when he won the large trophy in their last match of the year. 

Regulus felt like torturing James a little after what he’d done, so he stuck his finger in the tart again and offered it to James. He’d never seen the boy move so fast and barely had time to snatch his hand away and pop his finger into his own mouth, taking his time to lick his finger clean. 

James stood with his mouth agape, and Regulus felt a shiver run through him. He took his finger out of his mouth and James pounced. 

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Regulus was torturing him. James felt that he probably deserved it as he had just dragged the boy away down a secret passage with his hand over his mouth. But still, teasing him with that damn lemon curd and even though he could just ignore him, he couldn’t take his eyes off Regulus’s pink lips forming a little o around his finger. He was pouting, and he knew it, but Regulus continued licking the lemon off his finger. 

“You done?” James asked once the last crumb had disappeared into Regulus’s mouth, his voice a little strained. Yes, he had just watched Regulus eat the entire tart, and now they were just standing there awkwardly, staring at each other. He needed to do something to move them along. He took Regulus’s unlicked hand and led him over to the blankets. 

They both sunk down and got comfortable. 

“Did you really do all this for me?” Regulus asked as James pumped up one of the cushions and propped himself up with it.

“Yeah, of course I did,” He hadn’t really done that much. The hardest bit had been getting Regulus there. 

Regulus suddenly moved closer to James. He crawled between James’s thighs and settled himself there, leaning back against James’s chest. 

“Thank you,” Regulus said, so quietly James almost missed it. James’s face broke into a ridiculously wide grin. He wrapped his arms around Regulus and pulled him closer. Regulus sighed, seeming content being held tight by James. 

They picked at the food, and James produced a couple of bottles of butterbeer. It was a simple date in the end, but it was the best one James had ever been on. 

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James had dropped Regulus back off outside the entrance to the Slytherin Common room under his invisibility cloak. Regulus had been fascinated by the liquid-like material and, under James’s amused eye, had experimented with it for a while, enjoying watching his reflection in the window glass appear and disappear as he put on and took off the cloak. 

But now he was trying to keep his face blank as he sat around the fireplace with his friends. His thoughts were all on the sweet date James had planned for him. 

It had been his first date ever. No one he’d hooked up with had ever thought past getting him into a broom cupboard without being noticed. Not that he’d minded. He’d felt nothing for those boys; he’d just needed a release. But with James, feelings were cracking his iced-over heart, melting the frozen cage and releasing the emotions trapped behind it, letting them cascade out like a waterfall and filling him for the first time in years. 

“So I sent that little shit flying,” Barty laughed nastily, ripping Regulus from his daydreaming and deposited him into the present. 

“Barty!” Dorcas chastised, pinching the bridge of her nose as she shook her head at their impulsive friend.

“What? She asked for it. She dropped bubotuber puss on my shoes,”

“It was a girl, Barty?” Dorcas threw a cushion at Barty’s head. He plucked it from the air and put it behind his head, reclining onto it. 

“It was a first-year Hufflepuff girl,” Evan sighed. Everyone, including Regulus, was paying attention now. 

“You’re a disgrace, Crouch,” Dorcas tutted him. Regulus had had enough. He was bored by all the Slytherin superiority bullshit. 

His wand flashed before him and he released all the anger he’d stored from earlier and sent Barty soaring across the common room. Barty bounced off the long windows that looked into the gloomy depths of the black lake and fell to the floor in a heap. 

“HEY WHAT THE FUCK BLACK!!!” Barty roared at him as he clambered to his feet, but Regulus was already gone. He was on his way up to Gryffindor Tower, hoping that James’s uncanny ability to know where he was was in full working order as he was the only person he wanted to be around for the foreseeable future. 

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James wanted to go to bed. He was tired, and he had to be up early for quidditch practice, but Sirius and Remus were up there. James had learnt that if those two snuck upstairs alone, it was better to steer clear of the dormitory for at least an hour, and it had only been twenty minutes. He did not want a repeat of last time; he still had nightmares of Sirius’s pale arse wiggling at him in the dim room as his head bobbed up and down over Remus’s groin. He stood there wide-eyed, like a deer in headlights, until Remus spotted him and got Sirius to stop. That had also been the day he’d found out that his two best friends had been seeing each other secretly for months. 

He shuddered as the image of Sirius’s arse flashed behind his eyes. Trying to find something to occupy himself with, he opened the Marauder's map to try and track down Peter. He was in the mood for a prank. 

Peter was otherwise engaged. James spotted him behind a statue on the fourth floor with Gertie Appleworth. He was just about to say ‘mischief managed’ to the map and attempted to finish his charms essay when he spotted a figure moving towards his name on the map. What was Regulus doing at this time of night so far from the Dungeons? He scoured the higher floors of the castle for anyone who Regulus might be meeting and saw someone who made his blood run cold. Filch was about, and Regulus was heading straight for him. He folded up the map and took off at a run. It would be a miracle if he made it to Regulus before Filch caught him. 

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Regulus was lost in his thoughts. Now that the initial adrenalin had worn off, he found himself a long way from the dungeons and thinking how stupid he was to think that James would suddenly appear at the very moment he was looking for him. 

He approached a turn in the corridor when he was suddenly yanked backwards behind a tapestry. 

He didn’t have time to protest as the sound of approaching footsteps made him fall silent. Light peeked around the edge of the tapestry, throwing a sliver of light onto the pair hiding behind it. 

Filch scuffled past with his lamp held high and Mrs Norris at his feet, completely unaware he was not alone. 

Regulus’s heart was pounding in his chest, as was James’s. He could feel the thump, thump, thump, vibrating into his back, where it was pressed against James. 

He felt like a convict on the run, hiding from the Aurors with the man he’d fallen in… He shut that thought down as the sounds of Filch’s retreating footsteps became too faint to hear. 

He turned in James’s arms and looked up where he thought James’s face was, as he whispered into the dark. 

“How do you always find me?”

“Just lucky, love,” James answered. Regulus felt him move and tilted his head to meet James’s mouth as he leaned down to kiss him.  

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James only just made it in time. He silently thanked the universe that Regulus hadn’t lashed out when he’d been dragged backwards through the tapestry. They’d waited for Filch to disappear before they moved, and then he was kissing Regulus. He wasn’t sure if it was from the excitement of almost being caught or what, but he was very much enjoying the sweet taste of Regulus’s mouth. 

“Come on,” He breathed when they finally pulled away from each other, and he led Regulus up the hidden staircase to the next floor. 

They wandered about the castle for a while, showing each other the secrets of Hogwarts. Regulus actually showed James a few passageways he’d had no idea about and made a mental note to add them to the Marauder's map tomorrow. He wouldn’t be able to tell the others how he’d actually discovered them. Maybe he could add them over time if he could remember them. 

“How did you know Filch was coming?” Regulus finally asked. James knew he’d ask eventually, but he was still caught off guard and scrambled to come up with an answer. 

“Erm…” He had nothing. 

“Is it some Gryffindor secret?” Regulus joked. James cleared his throat at how close Regulus actually was. 

“Sort of,” He answered. Regulus narrowed his eyes at James. 

“Is it a secret my brother is in on?” James’s palms were suddenly clammy as he debated breaking his promise to the other Marauders and showing Regulus the map. After all, he already knew about the cloak. 

“Well— erm—yes. Yes, he is—erm,” He wanted to wash the sweat off his palms as they got clammier. He was saved when they walked headlong into Peter on his way back up to Gryffindor Tower after saying goodnight to his girlfriend. Peter’s jaw dropped when he realised who James was wandering about with after hours. Sirius was going to kill him. 

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Regulus glowered at the pair of them. Had James planned this? Was his plan to make him part of his ridiculous pranks? Was Sirius in on it? 

Regulus turned to storm away, but James’s hand shot out and wrapped around his wrist, stopping him. Regulus’s head snapped in James’s direction, ready to demand he release him. Regulus paused when he saw the pleading look in James’s eyes. He let his shoulders relax and watched as James’s chest expanded with a shuddering breath. 

“I’m not ashamed of you, love,” James said earnestly, shocking both Regulus and Peter by the looks of it. “We’re just getting to know each other, but I think it’s serious,” 

“Mate, that’s Regulus,” Peter snickered, interrupting James before he could say more. Regulus rolled his eyes, and James groaned. Apparently, his brother was still using that tired joke. 

“Peter,” James sighed. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. So… Are we telling Sirius, or is it a secret?” Regulus felt a wave of cold rush through him. Sirius wouldn’t react well. They hated each other and the fact that James was not only his best friend but a boy as well. They’d both heard the spiteful hate their parents spouted about that. He was sure Sirius would say the same as they had. 

“Not yet. It’s still so new and, well, you know, Sirius,” James joked, trying to lighten the mood. Peter nodded knowingly, and something passed between the two Gryffindors that Regulus didn’t understand, and then Peter was smiling at him, and honestly, that was the worst part of this whole ordeal. He did not need people looking at him like he was adorable or something. 

He was planning on spitting out something scathing when they heard the scuff of a shoe. 

“Filch! Quick run!” James hissed. He dragged Regulus to the left, and Peter went right. Regulus looked over his shoulder after a few steps, and Peter was gone. He didn’t have time to ponder on it when James pulled him behind another tapestry. This really was becoming a common occurrence, not that he was complaining. 

James took a ratty-looking scrap of parchment out and held it up to the sliver of light coming in from around the edges of the tapestry and let out a relieved sigh. “He’s gone the other way; we should be safe to go in a minute,” Regulus tried to get a better look at the parchment, but James hurriedly stuffed it back in his pocket. 

“What’s that?” Regulus asked, far too curious. James stiffened beside him. “Let me guess, it’s one of those secrets you have with my brother that I’m not allowed to know about?”

“I’m sorry. I want to show it to you, I really do, but Sirius, Remus and Peter would all have to be alright with it and…” Regulus sighed, deciding to let it go for now. He realised how closely they were standing together again, and flashes of their last encounter played behind his eyes. James must have been thinking the same thing as his next breath came out ragged. Regulus leaned up on his tiptoes to capture James’s lips. 

James wrapped his arms around him and drew him closer. Regulus thought about James’s words to Peter. He was right. This did feel like it was about to get serious, and he didn’t know whether he should be elated or scared shitless. All thoughts were swiped away when James’s hand snuck under his shirt, and Regulus’s attention was wholly focused on James.