There and Black Again

"... you were completely toasted by that point," Lucius told Sirius as they headed to their Potions class. "And thought it would be a good idea to dance to the Kneezels in your boxers. It was completely..."

Sirius was only half listening to what Lucius was saying. He was too busy trying to figure out exactly what was happening to pay any attention. All he remembered was falling back into the veil and waking up in the Slytherin dormitories twenty-odd years before.

"And then... Hello Professor," Lucius said. Sirius finally snapped his attention and realized that they'd entered the Potions lab. Professor Slughorn, who was sitting at his desk, waved them in with a smile and went back to his lecture. Lucius leaned over and whispered, "Thank Gods it's Tuesday, eh? Wouldn't have wanted to be late for
McGonagall's class."

Sirius nodded absently.

Just after he'd settled into the rhythm of Professor Slughorn's lesson the doors flew open and two of the people Sirius knew best came running into the lab. He was about to greet the latecomers when Slughorn looked up from his lecture notes, said crisply, "Detention," and went back to his speech without missing a beat. Sirius couldn't help but grin at the boys.

Except, Sirius forgot who and where he was and instead of earning a grin in return, both of the boys glared and flipped him off.

"Bloody imbeciles," Lucius muttered and elbowed Sirius in the ribs with a grin. "Can't even get to class on time."

"We didn't get to class on time either," Sirius whispered, annoyed.

"And who's fault was that, Sleeping Beauty?" Lucius whispered back with a smirk.

Sirius had to concede that point and shrugged it off. He spent the rest of Potions trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to do now that he was in Slytherin and Lucius Malfoy's best mate. Ugh, why did his life have to always be so complicated?
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The rest of his morning classes sped past and before he knew it, Sirius was entering the Great Hall for lunch. His classes weren't quite as bad as he'd thought they would be. He only had to block a few hexes from the other houses and somehow managed to find a Charms essay at the bottom of his bag. All in all, he was quite astonished at how well he was handling things.

"Sirius?"

Sirius was startled out of his thoughts by Lucius' questioning tone.

"Where are you going?" Lucius asked, a confused expression on his face. He pointed in the opposite direction of where Sirius was headed. "The table is that way."

"Oh," Sirius said slowly, realizing he was heading towards the Gryffindor table subconsciously. "I know."
Lucius laughed, put his arm around Sirius' shoulder, and directed him to the Slytherin table. "You really screwed your short term memory with all that whiskey didn't you?"

"I guess," Sirius mumbled and let Lucius push him down onto the bench. Sirius bit the inside of his cheek and looked up just as his cousin Narcissa took a seat across from him.
"And how do you feel this fine morning?" She asked and snatched the roll he'd just picked up.

"Sirius here not only killed all his brain cells last night," Lucius said with a grin, "but he also shot his short-term memory to hell."

"He never had any brain cells to begin with," Narcissa said and grinned at Sirius as she took a bite of his roll. "At least, not any that I can remember."

"Oh shove it," Sirius said playfully, thinking back to the days he spent with Narcissa before Hogwarts separated them. "I seem to remember you being the one who gave long, drawn out fashion shows for your stuffed animals."

"And you loved them," she laughed. "I think you may have modeled with me a time or two."

Sirius grinned.

"Sirius Black striking a pose in front of the mirror?" Andre Zabini teased from beside him. "Who'd have ever thought it?"

Again, Sirius grinned. James and Remus always used to tease him about his primping in the mornings. They'd tell him he would pose in the mirror for hours if they'd let him.

"Certainly not me," Greg Goyle said and grabbed the piece of chicken from Narcissa's plate. She slapped his hand away from her food and he held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Snape, pass the chicken."

Sirius recoiled at the sound of his worst enemies' name. He was in the process of glowering at the greasy-haired git when Narcissa grabbed his hand from across the table. Sirius looked up, bewildered.

"I need help in Defense," she said softly, her blue eyes glittering. "Could you meet me after classes in the common room? Lucius promised to help, but he's got to oversee a detention."

Lucius nudged her with his shoulder. "You know I'd much rather be helping you learn to banish banshees than watching some pathetic Gryffindor scrub the entry hall."

"Gryffindors aren't pathetic," Sirius said before he could stop himself. "I mean... Gryffindors are worse than pathetic. They're really, really..." He finished pathetically, "Pathetic."

"Are you sure you're all right Black?" Lucius asked. "Maybe you should skip your afternoon classes."

"You know, I really am feeling a bit off." Sirius took a deep breath. "I think I will take a nap."

"I don't have any classes after lunch," Narcissa said and took a sip of pumpkin juice. "I can get you some of the
hangover potion Lucius lent me if you'd like."

Sirius smiled stiffly. "Yes, I'd like that."
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Sirius slumped down on the bed and sighed deeply. The day had been long and confusing and it wasn't even half over. All he wanted to do was fall asleep and wake up back in his grimy room back at Grimmauld Place with Buckbeak pecking at him for food.
"Knock, knock."

"Come in," Sirius called and pulled off his school robe. He watched as Narcissa waltzed into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Then he leaned back on the bed with his hands behind his head and looked up at her expectantly.

"Just a drop," Narcissa said and handed the small vile to Sirius. "Don't want you overdosing again. It makes you even more loopy."

"Just a drop," Sirius repeated. He turned the vile over on his finger and licked the liquid off. He gagged and said,

"Ugh, that's disgusting. What the hell is in it? Rat droppings?"

"You don't want to know." Narcissa smiled and took the vile from him. She stood up, grabbed his legs, and pushed them so that he was laying straight on the bed. Then she pulled the blankets out from under him and pulled them up to his chest. "I'll expect you to be awake in time for my Defense lesson after dinner."

She bent down and softly kissed his forehead before pulling his curtains closed and leaving him to his thoughts.
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