The screech of Sirius' post owl interrupted their breakfast, just as James and Sirius were sitting around the table trying to set out their exam schedule for the end of term. The end of school seemed to be racing away.
Sirius paid the owl, who took off with a hoot, and started flipping through the paper. "Augh," he said, "I knew this subscription was a good idea." Sirius flapped a page at James. "More of my illustrious pedigree in the news."
"I'm trying to work," James answered absently, "keep your kin out of my porridge."
Sirius balled the newspaper up, shredding the classifieds section. "We're going to get our chance to do some good, James old boy. We have to."
"Then hurry up and fill out your exam sheet," James replied, "or you won't get into the defense against the dark arts sections you want." James was already writing out his own schedule. "I think that, all things considered, I'm going to concentrate on Defensive magic and hexes this term, then--"
Sirius interrupted. "That's what we're both doing, then," he said, scribbling on his sheet. James leaned over and saw Sirius hastily scrawling a few lines in "focus" and then copying out the N.E.W.T.S. subjects he intended to take - two in Defensive Magic, Advanced curses, and Runes. He still had two slots, and studied the list, forehead creased.
"Think you're studying enough, lad?" James asked.
Sirius was bent over the parchment, head bowed. "I concentrate best when I'm busy."
"And when you're taking the same subjects as me," James added.
"Am I?" Sirius glanced over and saw they'd picked nearly the same focus. "You're not taking Runes."
"You're only taking that because you want to study with Remus."
"Not only." Sirius sucked on the end of his quill for a moment, then absently spat it out in disgust when he realized it was a real feather. "A lot of the overseas postings like a chap to know his Runes."
James blinked, interested. "Really? I can't see them being much help against--"
"No," and Sirius interrupted. His course selection sheet was crumpled at the edges a little where he'd been clutching it. "I mean, the normal postings. Jobs. With the bank, for example?" He shrugged. "I figure, I like it - maybe I'm daft since I like it - but it comes naturally, and maybe after everything we'll need something." He shrugged again. "Else."
James stared at his own sheet, then wrote in four dark arts defence N.E.W.T.S. "Can we take any of these first term?" He scratched his head. "Get some out of the way?"
"Don't know." Sirius was still frowning. "I almost wish we could take more."
"You want to take more exams?" James held a hand to Sirius' head. "Are you well?"
"I just," and Sirius pursed his lips, skimming over the list again. "I'm quite happy to never crystal-ball gaze again, and you were always the one that liked Arithmancy, but I hate having to choose." He tapped his quill against the parchment.
"We can always just take these and learn the rest ourselves, mate," James said, leaning back. "Do a spot of research on our own?"
"What do you want to look up now?" Sirius was still staring at the list of options. "We've both mastered magic more advanced than any student in the school, we've pulled Snape's robes above his head more times than I can count..."
James glanced around the Dining Hall, and his eyes were drawn to the Slytherin table, where Snape was sitting on his own reading a textbook. James snickered despite himself; Snape was already in his exam-prep mode. He looked farther down the table to Snape's typical group of friends, and said -- "That reminds me, your cousin was acting very oddly the day after you left for work."
"Oddly?" Sirius narrowed his eyes. "How?"
"I just mean," James said, "she seemed a little too interested in a certain section in the library. Her and the rest of those little toads were talking about, I don't know." James shrugged. "It was just odd."
"Odd is your uncle that smokes hashish from India," Sirius countered. "Anything odd about my family is no good."
James sighed. "I know that if anything's happens here, Sirius, you'll try and catch them out." He stared across the room, still watching Snape read and the rest of them eat. "But please try and consider the other issues as well."
"Someone is going to have to catch them," Sirius said. He was unconsciously shredding the paper again. "I just really want it to be me."
"It would be nice to know that we stood a chance against them, though," James answered glumly. "Not like your duel last term that McGonagall had to break up--"
It was a stray comment, but Sirius snapped his head up. "What the hell are you talking about?"
In the back of James' mind, he was reviewing what the Slytherins had been up to right before the start of Christmas hols. He looked down at what was left of the headline news, and then said suddenly, "We haven't had enough practise with the Dark Arts to be fully effective." He pursed his lips, as Lestrange's head popped up and glared their way. James added, quieter, "even with all the Defense stuff we've done, how do we have any idea that it's going to work unless we know the curses themselves?"
"You don't mean."
"Nothing that bad, not to practise anyway," James added quickly. "But we could read up one night." He glanced over, made sure the rest of the table was engrossed in other things. "And it would be nice, for once, to know that if they pull out one of the nastier things that people don't like to talk about - and I think they might - we'll at least know what to do about it."
"You're talking about learning the tricks of the trade," Sirius said to James, frowning hard. He leaned over the table, pitching his voice low. "You're willing to do that?"
James nodded, fierce. "If it means we're more prepared? Yeah."
Sirius chewed on his lip. "What do you think Dumbledore would do if he found out?" At James' disbelieving glance, he said, "I'm just wondering, mind."
"I think that Dumbledore's tired," James answered shortly, "and that he's getting more tired every day. And I have to protect Lily."
"She'd have a fit if she heard you say that," Sirius answered, but he didn't grin. "Head Girl and all that. You're Head Boy, come to say. Willing to risk that, too?"
"Fine," James said quietly, tossing his quill on the table. "I have to protect me, then. And you're nutters if you think that I'll let any advantage out of my sight." He sighed. "You know it's a good idea, especially with how things are going, even in school."
Sirius nodded, slowly, and looked dark. "I don't think," he told James slowly, "that we should involve anyone else." James stared at him. "You know we're the quickest students."
James continued to tap his quill against the table. "You don't think that they'd want to know the curses we learned?"
Sirius frowned, biting his lip hard. All the blood was leeching out of his bottom lip slowly, and it was turning faintly white. "Maybe," he replied, finally.
~
James was quiet all through their study block the next day - "study block, why do they call it that when it's only the second day of term? I bloody well hope we don't have anything to study yet" - even though Peter nearly spilled bright purple ink over all their textbooks. James just muttered a few words and mopped the stuff off his books with the sleeve of his cloak, not even bothering to pull his wand out.
"What's up with him?" Peter asked Sirius as James switched tables with an absent smile. He settled down to read as Peter peered over at Sirius' book. "And what are you taking your N.E.W.T.S. in?" He rubbed his head wearily. "I can't imagine ever passing any of mine."
Sirius passed over his selection parchment - still not all filled out. "I thought that what I was taking this year would mean that picking the exams would be easy," Sirius said, "but it seems that each class you pick has at least three different possible exams. And you can sign up for double exams, or half-classes, or practicals."
Peter sighed in disgust. "Fat lot of good that does me. I'm taking none of what you lot are, am I?"
"Not unless you're taking Defensive Charms, Curses, theory and practical both--" Sirius waved the paper around as Peter tried not to laugh, "oh, and Runes."
"Why the ruddy hell are you still taking Runes?"
"I like it," Sirius answered, then ducked as the Professor overseeing their study glared at them. "Remus is taking exactly what you'd expect, and Runes. Lily's sticking with Potions and things, and James basically has the same exam schedule as I do."
Peter scribbled something down. "I think I'm going to stick with four," he said finally, "I definitely won't pass any more."
"You'll be fine," Sirius said.
"Quiet!" the professor said, but not too angrily, so Peter and Sirius just lowered their voices.
"So what is up with James, d'you think?" Peter whispered. He drew a stick figure on his parchment, adding a stupid hat and an umbrella. "He seems, a bit. Well."
"James is always 'a bit,' " Sirius whispered back. "It's nothing."
~
It turned out to be James sneaking out in the middle of the night that very night.
Sirius opened his eyes sleepily to James staring at him, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I got it," James whispered, "come on, get up."
It must have been two in the morning, and they had a double block of directed - "coming, coming," he muttered, trying to find his dressing gown.
Sirius padded down the cold steps barefoot, and found James curled up beside the embers of the Common Room fire. He studied his watch, blinking a few times before he could actually focus on the time. It was two thirty six in the morning. The Common Room was, as expected, deserted.
"All right, you psycho," Sirius whispered, "I'm up, what did you get?" James held up a slim little book with tight bindings around the cover. Sirius sat down, curling his toes underneath himself. The fire wasn't nearly warm enough. "Er. That."
"Is exactly what you think it is," James said, placing the little book on the table. "I figured we should start here. Been looking through the library all holidays, trying to figure out where to start."
Sirius, alarmed, looked up from the book. "Hold on, I thought this was a stray thought from yesterday!" He shuffled around in his seat. "You've been to the library already? You managed to get a book out of the Restricted Section already? What exactly were you doing all holidays while I was slaving for a living?"
"Don't tell me you're worried," James immediately replied. "We handled the Map fine."
"And nearly got it confiscated last term," Sirius said. He searched James' face, finally saying, "I am worried."
James frowned. Sirius looked at the book. It seemed relatively harmless, really. Small, grey, just a book - except for the tight metal rings clamped around the covers to hold it closed. "I am too," James said. "You'd be mental not to be. But I think we can do this. We've done everything else, right?"
Sirius picked up the book. The fire didn't give off enough light to read properly, so he lit a few candles on the table. It still wasn't really enough light to see anything. "All right," he said, examining the covers. "How do we open--"
At that, the snaps holding the book flew open, nearly slicing his finger in their race to free the pages. Sirius yelped, almost dropping the book right onto the floor. He held it gingerly, on his flat palms, while the cover opened to the first page.
James pulled his chair closer, leaning on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius began to read. " 'An Account Of Curses, Olde, and--"
He broke off when James put a hand over his mouth. "Do you think," James said slowly, "that we should be reading these books. Er. Aloud?"
Sirius scowled, and pushed James away. "This little project was your idea." He pulled his own chair closer to the firelight. "But if we're going to do this, we might as well do it right." James tugged his own chair as close to Sirius as he could get, leaning over the arm so he could see the pages too. Sirius swivelled around, to give him a better view, and then said quietly, "Got a quill?"
~
"We'd better take this one back, the teachers are all starting to--"
Peter leaned over to whisper, "What?"
Sirius nearly jumped out of his skin. "It's nothing," he said, stuffing the book away, out of sight. He shouldn't even really have it out of the dorm room - no one had noticed its disappearance yet, at least they hoped. "Leave off."
Peter narrowed his eyes, hurt. James frowned at Sirius, and told Peter, "it's just extra credit."