Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

James picked his way through the mounds of broomsticks on either side of the corridor on the Seventh Level of the Ministry of Magic, after coming from his own office on the Second. He noted that it was looking messier than usual. He came up to a door marked 'British and Irish Quidditch League Broomstick Director' which had two large bundles of brooms on either side. He opened the door to a sleeping Sirius.

"Looks like you had a fun night." James put some brooms on the floor so he could sit in the chair by the desk.

Sirius groaned and sat up wiping the drool off his cheek. "One could say that."

"Too much fun perhaps?"

"I never have too much fun, James."

James surveyed the office (which was a complete disaster) and said, "Getting a bit behind?"

Sirius began stacking the brooms in his office in an attempt to make a neater pile. "Department wants to make these brooms the 'choice of Qudditich players'. Bunch of bullocks that is. These Twigger 90s are nothing but accessories. Look at the way they're made, it's complete shit. Tested them out last weekend, they shut down if you go passed ninety." Sirius shook his head. "Complete shit."

"Better off with the Nimbus 1000s?"

"Much," Sirius said rolling his neck.

"So why are there all of these Twiggers out in the corridor?"

Sirius grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, they thought it was a good deal, the price they were getting for mass orders. I don't blame them; they just didn't know these things couldn't last a match." He kicked the closest pile.

"Did you get a hold of Dung?"

"Yeah, I've owled him, but he doesn't seem to want them. Even he knows they're awful."

James smiled. "I'm thinking bonfire at Hogsmeade, Saturday?"

Sirius laughed. "I like the way you think and I'm not entirely opposed to the idea. I'll keep it in mind."

James continued to smile. "So about last night?"

"Smashing," Sirius smiled back.

"Really?" James looked surprised. "That good?"

"Better than you could ever imagine."

"I didn't think that was possible." James frowned slightly.

"I didn't think so either! I've never met a girl who could outdo me."

James mouth hung open.

"I mean, it was like one after another, and then another. I couldn't keep up! I just passed out entirely after ten or eleven. Are you alright, Prongs? You look a little green."

"I'm," James swallowed, "fine. We are talking about Lily, right?"

"Sure. You should have seen her. I woke up when she was on her fifteenth! Fifteen, James! You can't even do fifteen."

James decided not to answer.

"But Merlin is she going to have one hell of a hangover today. No one does fifteen Firewhiskey shooters without feeling it."

"You're talking about drinking?"

Sirius pulled a face. "Yeah, what else?"

"Nothing, nothing else," James shook his head.

Sirius began to laugh. "You thought I -? Oh Prongs, she's - You thought we -!"

"It sounded like it."

"James, do you think I'd be at work today if I shagged Lily last night?"

"My guess is no...?"

"You know me too well. Now make yourself useful and find me some Wit-Sharpening Potion. I need to try to get the money back that we spent on these brooms."

Sirius' boss, the actual British and Irish Quidditch League Broomstick Director, chose this moment to walk in. He was none too happy that Sirius used his office for a convenient napping area (which has happened before) and that he was now using it to host social gatherings. The argument ended with both Sirius and James being dragged out of the office.

James came home later than usual. After, Sirius' boss had gotten rather short about the large amount of broomsticks cluttering up the already messy corridor and demanded that Sirius take care of them. Sirius had decided that the best way to get rid of them was to have a large bonfire and made it into a party which was nearing two hundred invites. However, they needed a place to keep the brooms until Saturday.

At this time they marvelled at their own genius of introducing the Shrieking Shack to the world.

James was going to be home on time, but they also decided to stop in at the Three Broomsticks for a pre-burning celebration.

"Rosie! A round on the house if you please! We need to celebrate!"

She finished an order with another customer. "Sirius, how many times do I have to tell you? You are not the one to decide if the 'house' will be buying your drinks."

"Don't bother, Rosie, I'll buy tonight," James waved her off.

She nodded gratefully and went off to the bar.

"Why did you do that, Prongs? She was going to give us free drinks."

"No, she wasn't. She never does."

"She was going to."

Remus and Peter walked in. "What's so important, Padfoot?" They sat down at the table.

"It's time to have a drink, my fellow Marauders. Time to toast a hard day's work and a hard work day."

"This was the important issue that we had to discuss today at this very moment? Have you been drinking already?"

James shook his head. "No, he was drunk last night, this is his second wind."

"Where have you been?" Jane question James when he came home.

"Long story, I'll tell you later." James threw his cloak on the couch.

Jane shrugged and continued, "You'll never guess who I saw at work today."

"Davis Faxon?" James asked.

"I wish."

"Then I'm at a loss. He's the only person in the world that's worth mentioning."

"Funny, James."

James laughed. "So who did you see?"

"Lily Evans."

James came into the kitchen, his face indifferent. "Yeah? What was she doing at St. Mungo's?"

"She's the new Healer the Chief has been raving about for weeks."

"Really? She never seemed the type to become a Healer; she was always squeamish around blood."

"Not all Healers work around blood, James. She's on the third floor, Potion and Plant Poisoning; everyone's excited that she's working here."

"I bet." James was content with dropping the subject, Jane was not.

"Yeah, I read that she was the Healer for the Viterbo Vulcan's. They refused to see anyone else. You know who's on that team?"

"No, I don't." James was growing impatient but continued with the conversation to satisfy Jane.

"Davis Faxon. One of the greatest Quidditch players of all time. He brought the Vulcans to the World Cup five times. Five times, James! And he's only twenty-five." Jane's eyes glazed over.

"He's nothing special until he plays for Puddlemere."

Jane threw a spoon at James. "You ruin my fun," she pouted. "I'll have to ask Lily about him tomorrow."

"You do that."

"She's changed, James."

He nodded. "People change."

"I mean she's not the same as she was eight year ago."

James continued to fuss over the tea he was making. "I know she's not the same."

"So why don't you act a bit more tolerant when I talk about her."

"I am acting indifferent which is tolerating. I am also hoping that you're not going to make a habit out of talking about her."

Jane frowned. "So Lily moved to Rome."

James' shoulders dropped, he turned around and nodded.

"That would have been after you finished school, right? Or did she finish there?"

"She left at the end of our seventh year."

Jane smiled. "That's when I met you."

James nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Was Lily good friends with Sirius?"

"Yeah, they were pretty good friends."

"Then she moved?"

"Yes."

"And broke your heart," Jane continued.

"Yes."

"Was she friends with Remus?"

"Even more so than Sirius." James suddenly sounded tired.

"And Peter?"

"Him too."

Jane thought for a moment. "You?"

James gave her a look.

"I mean, were you friends with her.?"

James sighed, then yawned. "I'm tired, Janey. Can we talk about this another time?"

She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night."