Chapter 151: When Snow Covers the Mud (4)

James Potter stared at the closed door, his whiskey-fuzzed brain struggling to process what had just unfolded. They had been having fun, teasing each other, and then, out of nowhere, Catherine and Sirius were both furious. A rational part of his intoxicated mind told him he should console Sirius, who looked utterly miserable, but he wasn't sure how to do that without making things worse. Trying to push down the rising panic, James took another sip of whiskey, searching for a way to break the tense silence.

"Can you believe this?!" – Sirius finally blurted out bitterly.

"Maybe you overreacted a bit." – James suggested cautiously – "Plus, Flame's right. Marianne did kiss you in front of everyone."

"What the hell!" – Sirius shouted, his temper flaring – "You know perfectly well that Hufflepuff ambushed me!"

"She's pretty though." – James added, in a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

"I don't care!" – Sirius sulked – "What kind of maniac goes around kissing people on the street? Mistletoe or not, it's insane!"

"Was that your first kiss?" - James asked after a brief hesitation, sensing there was something deeper behind his friend's anger.

Sirius paused, his expression darkening. "No. My first kiss was the year before I got into Hogwarts. We were having Christmas lunch at my aunt's house. That bitch Bellatrix used a Full Body-Bind Curse on me and then shoved her tongue into my mouth. Said that since she'd probably end up being my wife, it was better if I got 'proper training' early on. It was the most disgusting thing that's ever happened to me, James.! And now, this… it's not like I can't take a joke, but it felt too close to that memory."

James' mouth went dry. "Mate…" - he faltered, unsure how to respond - "That's... horrible. But for what it's worth, I don't think Marianne meant any harm. She probably likes you a lot and felt she couldn't get your attention, especially with Catherine around."

Sirius sighed heavily. "I know. I'm not mad at Marianne. I get it, I give off this... image, and she probably thought I wouldn't care. But none of it matters, because Catherine doesn't care either. She's off kissing other people left and right!"

"That's not fair!" – James protested, fighting a sudden urge to throw up – "She's not like that, and you've never even seriously talked to her about your feelings. She doesn't owe you anything, least of all to save herself for you. And does a kiss really matter that much? Your first kiss was a horrible experience, but it doesn't have to define your future relationships. Honestly, all this stress is pointless. Maybe one just needs to kiss their best friend and get it over with. At least then you'd have a good memory and you wouldn't be a nervous wreck."

"What do you mean?" – Sirius asked quietly, his voice soft but laced with tension.

James glanced at him and instantly realised he'd made a serious mistake. The alcohol wasn't helping his sluggish reactions, and the look in Sirius' eyes was very threatening.

"Was it you?" - Sirius' tone remained light, but his eyes flashed with something far more dangerous - "Did you kiss her, James?"

James froze, his mind racing. He had known Sirius wouldn't handle this news well, but now he could see how close they were to a complete disaster for their friends group.

"Yes! It was spur of the moment, and it didn't mean anything!" - he blurted out, trying to sound as sincere as possible - "Look, I know you're mad, and if you want to punch me, I'll take it. But don't be angry with Catherine. It's not fair to blame her for something that was entirely my fault."

Sirius stared as James blankly. "Why are you lying to me?" – he asked with unreadable expression.

"I'm not!" – the other boy exclaimed, doing his best not to blink.

"Yes, you are." – Sirius' voice was calm but sharp – "You've got that odd habit—when you lie, you always stare without blinking."

"Nonsense." – James retorted, quickly looking away – "I told you, it meant nothing. We're just friends, as always. Let's forget about it."

"I'm absolutely certain you're lying." – Sirius smirked, but his face darkened as the pieces began to fall into place – "You lied because you thought I'd handle it better if I believed it was you she kissed… which means you know who it really was. But why go through all this trouble unless… Bloody hell… It was Remus, wasn't it?"?!"

"No!" – James groaned in frustration.

"Of course it was him!" – Sirius shouted, furious – "That's why they were acting so weird after the damn ball! Now everything makes sense!"

"Mate… it's really not that big of a deal!" – James tried to calm him – "It was Catherine who kissed him, and he turned her down, largely out of respect for your friendship, though there were other things at play."

"Am I supposed to feel better hearing that?!" – Sirius grumbled – "And on top of everything, you hid this from me! You of all people!"

"I didn't want to cause a rift between us over something that wasn't important." – James sighed, sounding exhausted.

"It's extremely important." – Sirius wasn't backing down – "How do you think I feel? Not only does Catherine prefer someone else, but my best friend doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. Do you think I'm some spiteful wanker who's going to throw a fit? I have dignity, you know!"

With that, he stormed out of the bedroom, leaving the other boy feeling utterly drained and nauseous. James had no idea when Sirius returned, but by the time he woke up the next morning, the grey-eyed wizard was already dressed and left for breakfast without a word.

James dragged himself out of bed, fighting a pounding headache and the persistent urge to throw up in one of his mother's plant pots. When he made it downstairs, the others were busy unwrapping their presents.

"Marry Christmas, dear!" – Euphemia greeted him warmly – "Come, join us, and we'll have breakfast after!"

"I'm not that hungry." – the boy muttered, wondering if he looked as awful as he felt.

"Nasty hangover?" – Catherine mocked him with a smirk as she opened a huge box of Dragonfire Delights – "Hah! You always know what I want, Sirius!"

"It's because you always want the same thing, Flame!" – he laughed, ruffling her hair playfully.

James sighed in relief, seeing the two interact normally again. "I'm glad you're not mad." - he remarked quietly as they all sat down for breakfast.

"I'm not mad at Catherine." – Sirius said flatly, staring out the window at the bleak, grey sky – "She doesn't know how I feel about her, and maybe that's for the best. It's pretty clear the feelings aren't mutual. But Remus... that's different. He betrayed me in the most cowardly way. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. And I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us. Don't involve Flame - I've been humiliated enough."

James opened his mouth to argue but found himself at a loss for words. He glanced at the fresh snowflakes drifting down, adding to the thick blanket outside.

'How did we end up in such a mess?' – the young wizard thought desperately – 'We were having a nice time, and I thought everything about that kiss was sorted out. And if that was not enough, I feel like something crawled into my mouth and died. I swear, I'm never drinking again!'