Rules! BAH! [James]

[narcissa black]

Strutting about without a care.

A short, thin figure swooped across the dirty of the Forbidden Forest, eyes flickering from beneath a black, velvet hood. It looked like Narcissa was up to it again, trying to find herself a means of escape from the castle. This hadn't been the first time, though she'd only admit it to those she trusted. She had done this on several occasions, having a hunger for doing things that were against the school rules.

She could never explain it, but walking around in a vast, open space always excited her, whether it was the forest, a large corridor in the school, or the grounds. And night time was always the best time to visit when you wanted it empty. The girl had her wand drawn in case anything decided to pop up at her. Despite her age, she was ready to defend herself, and wasn't completely oblivious to what was lurking around these trees.

[james potter]

James had been out on a nighttime excursion to Hogsmeade, dismayed to find most of the shops closed. He'd made a mental note to go earlier next time. Dissapointed in not finding more excitement in the village, he'd decided to make the return trip through the forest, feeling reckless. He felt secure under the confines of his invisibility cloak, though he still hadn't managed to figure out whether or not it worked on the beasts that prowled out here. Still, his recent growth spurt had left the cloak flapping around his ankles, and he felt somewhat vulnerable.

That feeling increased when he spotted a dark figure amongst all the darkness around him. It wasn't an animal either, but that was about all he could tell, it was too hard to see from under this cloak at night. As quietly as he could he raised it above his face and stepped out from under it, stowing it in his pocket. He almost wished he hadn't, he could now distinguish a person in a black cloak, moving quickly through the forest. Death Eater, was James first thought, but they couldn't be coming for Hogwarts, could they? He thought about heading back to the castle and telling someone, but being wrong would leave him feeling embarrased. James Potter wasn't supposed to spooke easily. Moving closer, he tried to get a better view of the fleeting figure. He was taking long strides and closing in when *snap* he trod on one of the ever present sticks. James groaned, that was only supposed to happen in stories, and tried to blend into the shadows in case the mysterious figure had heard him.

[narcissa black]

Not another scene like this.

The boy probably would have gone unnoticed if he hadn't groaned, considering Narcissa hadn't heard the twig snap. Her body spun, heels digging against the soil of the forest as her eyes flickered to the direction in which the sound had come from. Her wand rose higher into the air, lighting up the area only several feet in front of her. She knew that she couldn't have heard things...unless maybe this forest was trying to make her think something was stalking her. Sourly, she turned back around, her back facing her unknown intruder. She was convinced that maybe it was just a harmless animal. But if she was wrong, then she was probably in for one hell of a treat.

Might have been a dangerous animal, she thought again, turning her gaze back over her shoulder slowly. She arched an eyebrow, ordering herself mentally to remain alert. He grip tightened on the hilt of her wand, and she kept her breathing quiet. Her entire body was still so that she could focus on her surroundings, and no sounds would keep her from hearing what she was hoping to catch onto. So much for going about undetected, right?

[james potter]

While James stood pressed against the trunk of a tree, wishing he could risk the motion of pulling out his cloak, the figure whirled around. He had, evidently, been heard. He saw the wand come up and breathed a sigh of relief mentally, outside his brain he was still silent. The light from the wand now lit the face beneath the hood, and he saw it was none other than Sirius' cousin, Narcissa.

Having had his share of confrontations with Slytherins for the day, James was tempted to simply leave Narcissa where she stood and continue on his way to the castle. But what if she was in trouble? She had been moving away from the castle at a rather brisk pace. Maybe she was lost? Curiosity finally got the better of him and he stepped away from the tree trunk, wand at the ready in case the girl was jumpy and fired something at him. She wasn't looking in his direction but was clearly trying to figure out what was around her. "Little late for a nighttime stroll, isn't it?" he asked, deciding to have a little fun and chance startling her rather than give a regular greeting.

[narcissa black]

Let's get to the point.

The voice that erupted out of the distant darkness hardly startled Narcissa. Her eyes turned over her shoulder again, where she saw a figure standing beside a tree trunk. She turned her whole body, pointing her wand threateningly into his direction. Oh, she knew that familiar face, having seen it in the corridors of the school more than she desired. He was a Gryffindor, and nothing but a little annoying prat, in her eyes.

"I should ask you the same thing, Potter," she returned sharply, her blue eyes flashing from under the velvet hood. Her other hand rose to pull it down to her shoulders, letting her long, golden curls fall about her shoulders. "You're no different, strutting around the grounds as if you own the place. Getting yourself into more trouble than you can afford once again, are you?" She laughed icily, giving a roll of her eyes.

[james potter]

James met Narcissa's look evenly. "I can handle an awful lot," he replied, watching her reveal herself beneath the hood. He'd expected as much of a greeting from Narcissa, Slytherin house held no love for James. The words meant to hurt him had little effect on James. So what if he acted like he owned Hogwarts, what made that a bad thing? "Go on then Black, ask me the same thing, I'm headed towards the castle, unlike you." Calling her Black felt odd, not because he felt like he was on a first name basis with her, but because she was Sirius' cousin. Sirius and his family were so different it felt wrong to even refer to them by the same name. He brushed a twig off his shoulder, as if the answer to his upcoming question meant very little to him. "Where ya headed?" In truth, he was very curious to find out.

[narcissa black]

I'm hurting you for your own good.

What - or who - gave him the right to ask her of her intentions? Narcissa laughed at his question, finding it utterly amusing that he was curious to know where she was headed. "Mind you, I'm not heading anywhere in particular. Even if I was, I'd see no point in informing you of the details." She crossed her arms coolly, pulling off the same stubbornness that she tended to be well-known for.

"Where were you coming from, Potter? No doubt, somewhere you weren't supposed to be to begin with?" She snickered and took a couple of steps forward, "So like you, searching for trouble in all the wrong places. You're never going to get it through your daft, thick head, are you?" Of course, the girl was all talk, and almost everyone knew that. Regardless, she still used it to make her feel at least a little taller than those she talked down to. It made her feel great...until it would turn around and bite her in the ass.

[james potter]

Narcissa certainly didn't seem up to giving James' straight answers, and his questions didn't seem to put her in a better mood. James didn't believe that for a second. Narcissa just didn't want him to know what she was up to, who would wander around pointlessly in a forest? Still, he decided not to press the issue, she clearly didn't seem willing to answer questions, and he didn't feel like starting an argument this late. He still had to get back to Hogwarts after this little confrontation.

Instead of answering immediately, he contented himself with raising an eyebrow at the girl, as if questioning her authority to make demands of him, or even talk to him. He didn't particularly fear Narcissa however, and saw no downside to telling her where he'd been - just not how he got there. Let her tell a teacher, he'd just deny it. Regardless, he decided to play with her first, "Wherever I am is where I'm supposed to be, of course," he said smirking, "Or don't you believe in fate?"

"Hogsmeade," he added, "Just for your information." He just shook off her insults. Clearly Narcissa thought she could rile him, and just as clearly, she couldn't. Not with that material anyway, James didn't particularly lend much weight to Slytherin opinions. "And at least my daft, thick head is capable of picking destinations and finding them, rather than wandering around lost in the forbidden forest," he said, enjoying turning her words back on her.

[narcissa black]

Mix the blood and put it in the ground
So you can never leave.

'...Or don't you believe in fate?'

At the mocking question, the Slytherin girl merely laughed. "I certainly do not," she clarified matter-of-factly. Fate was never a word she used in her vocabulary unless it involved her denying it. "I think of it as more of a case of you thinking you're on top of the world. That's no surprise." She had heard much about James Potter and his friends. The subjects mostly consisted of how much trouble they had riled up in the past. A part of her had been amused by the tales, though at the same time, she was agitated by the fact that he seemed to think he could get away with anything and everything. He claimed that he was meant to be in Hogsmeade? And who else would agree with him? No one else but his half-blood and blood-traitor friends, no doubt.

Then he finally had confessed that he had been in Hogsmeade. At this, Narcissa Black now raised an eyebrow, her arms still crossed before her as she twiddled her wand between her fingers. "And what was the point of that, really?" she asked out of curiosity. She wasn't really being cold and demanding at this point. She truly couldn't understand why one would waste their time traveling to and from the village at this time of night. "Aren't most of the shops closed during these hours?" She then grinned a little, shifting her weight a bit just enough to wake up her limbs a bit. Standing here in one spot wasn't too easy. The girl could never stay still for too long. "I would have gone to somewhere much more exciting. If you're looking for a bit of havoc, Knockturn Alley is the way to go."

'And at least my daft, thick head is capable of picking destinations and finding them, rather than wandering around lost in the forbidden forest.'

Narcissa rolled her eyes. His words had hardly phased her. "You thought I was wandering, Potter? Mind you, I'm not here just for kicks and giggles. I have my reasons, though they are none of your concern."

[james potter]

"I think of it as more of a case of you thinking you're on top of the world. That's no surprise."

James spread his arms and tried to look modest, but he thought he did an exceptionally poor job of it, "If the shoe fits..." he trailed off, letting the expression answer her remark. To be honest, James felt that he was on top of the world. He had his best friends, he was an animagus, he was on the quidditch team (and quite good), and even Lily seemed to be coming around to him. Life was good.

"Aren't most of the shops closed during these hours?"

James cringed at her words, but he tried to recover quickly, instead of letting her know she'd hit a sore spot. He weighed his options, admit he'd been stupid enough to go when, yes, all the shops were closed, or lie. Hmm, tough. "Ah, you assume I was only there recently Black, and not all day." He made sure there was a mischevious glint in his eyes to add substance to the lie. "Besides, if you know the right places - and people, there's a lot more to do than go to shops in Hogsmeade." That was complete bullocks, James knew. He didn't know anyone in Hogsmeade, and even if he did, there was nothing but shops and taverns. All the same, what Narcissa didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

He rolled his eyes at Narcissa, yeah, James sure did love Knockturn Alley. "And you accuse me of looking for trouble," he said, making sure his tone gave away exactly what he thought of Knockturn Alley - and those who traversed it. And what was that last comment? So now she did admit to having a reason to be out here. All the same, he was sure that he wouldn't be privy to what it was. Yep, there it was, as he heard Narcissa say 'my reasons, though they,' he made a stupid face and mouthed "none of your concern," along with her.

[narcissa black]

You will never be deceived.

All while he was making up what she felt must have been a well-rehearsed tale, Narcissa was hardly even bothering to pay close attention. She rolled her eyes, most of what she was hearing from his mouth was "blah, blah, blah." Sure, she wasn't the smartest of girls. In fact, she was passing her classes by the skin of her teeth, but she knew when she was being lied to, no matter how well the act would have been pulled off. There was always that lingering scent of suspicion contaminating the air.

'And you accuse me of looking for trouble.'

"Only because you're assuming too quickly. I never said I stepped foot into that horrid hellhole," Narcissa added quickly. "Just thought that maybe I should give you a bit of friendly advice." Actually, that was only half the truth, considering the advice wasn't all too friendly, necessarily. If there was one thing that she knew about James Potter, it was that he was a trouble-magnet, and couldn't seem to live through a day without causing some sort of chaos. Perhaps she was almost making an attempt to set him up for the trouble to come around and stab him in the back. She had been known to do something along those lines before, setting people up, which would oftentimes result in them getting seriously injured.

[james potter]

"You're smarter than you look, in that case," James replied quickly. He hated using old cliches, but the comment fit. "Of course," he drawled, "That's not saying much." He wasn't insulting Narcissa's looks really. She was quite good looking, but most people assumed good looking people were dumb. Then again, the people who made those kind of assumptions were usually ugly. He returned his thoughts to her comment as she continued talking. "Friendly advice, how kind. And from you, of all people." James snorted; he had no intention of setting foot in Knockturn Alley. Especially if a Slytherin told him he should go there. Can you say ambush?

James was getting bored. Either this got interesting or he headed back to the castle. "Come on Cissy," he said, using the nickname he'd heard members of her family use. He hoped it would annoy her hearing him doing the same. "Let's get on even footing here. You know what I was doing. What were you up to before you were so pleasantly surprised?"

[narcissa black]

Lost beneath a silent sky.

Was he truly complimenting her, or was he just trying to get smart? Narcissa couldn't really pinpoint why he would bother using such a statement as that. So far, their conversation had been nothing but witty.

'Of course, that's not saying much.'

Narcissa scoffed. She should have known there was a catch. There often was, especially when associating with tricksters like James Potter. However, she was hardly affected by what he said. No one her age was meant to be taken too seriously, as far as she was concerned. She had flinched as he used the nickname "Cissy". It wasn't a title she necessarily cared for, let alone preferred. At least "Cissa" was a little less humiliating; that one she could tolerate without a fuss. But Cissy? Ugh!

"Even footing, huh?" she snickered quietly, "as if I'm going to tell you my business? I don't see why it's such an importance to you, unless you're just trying to make small talk with me." She grinned a little and allowed her hands to fall to her sides, pocketing her wand. She didn't really feel that he was any threat to her at this point, though she couldn't help but feel at least a small need to be cautious around him. Who knew what he would try to pull on her.

"Fine. Mind you, I was actually doing a bit of studying before I came out here. There was a fight in the common room, so I didn't feel like sticking around. I figured maybe I could get away and relieve my curiosity as to what was in here."

[james potter]

"I can tell you what's in here," James said, "Mean, nasty, terrible things....and don't even get me started on the animals." James made a sour face, sticking his tongue out, "Nasty place." He made light because it was what he did and was expected to do, but the forest was a pretty dangerous place. James felt more at ease than most here because of his cloak and, if he needed it, his animagus form. He very much doubted he'd be displaying that tonight however, at least not with Narcissa around. Narcissa probably didn't need a lecture however, he reckoned. She was, like him, in her fifth year and he was sure she'd heard her fair share of forbidden forest horror tales. Still, running through all the ones he'd heard (and been a part of) in his mind made him look around shiftily, though he pretended to be cracking his neck, for Narcissa's benefit. Rubbing his neck with his hand he decided to return to one his favorite passtimes, insulting her house. "So....Slytherins fighting, big surprise there. Was there a disagreement over whose turn it was to mop up the grease from Snivellus' nose?"

[narcissa black]

No need to know the reasons why.

His response hadn't surprised her. Of course, she already knew what lied within the forest - more roamed, not all of them stayed still - but she merely wanted to see for herself. Curiosity killed the cat, right? "Oh, I know what's here," she responded, "just figured I had to see for myself." She had noticed that he was "cracking his neck", and even she had been a little suspicious of the fact that maybe he was a bit anxious. She was as well, and that was only human nature.

'Was there a disagreement over whose turn it was to mop up the grease from Snivellus' nose?'

Cissa couldn't help herself. She broke out into laughter and held a hand to her mouth, trying to keep the volume of her amusement at a lower level, as to not disturb anything. She didn't really favor Snape all that much either, considering his blood and lack of fitting in, which was why she had found James's comment quite hilarious. "If that was it, then I'm glad I stayed out of it," she eventually sighed, a couple of chuckles still escaping her from time to time. "Ah, good one, Potter."