Abnormal ?James Potter?

Chapter 6: Loyalties Divided

With one last glare at Evan, Sirius turned on his heel and stormed off, disappearing into the trees as quickly as he'd come.

The silence left in his wake was thick, the tension hanging like mist. Evan shifted slightly, glancing at Remus with an inscrutable expression.

"You don't owe me anything," he echoed, his voice quieter now. "But for what it's worth... you held your own."

Remus offered a tired smile, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Sirius means well. He just—" He paused, searching for the right words. "He's always been protective. Sometimes to a fault."

Evan snorted softly, the sound bitter but not unkind. "Loyalty like that's rare. Even if it's misplaced."

Remus tilted his head, studying Evan for a moment longer than he probably should have. "It's not misplaced. It's just... complicated."

Evan looked at him then, his gaze steady and unreadable. "Complicated," he repeated, the word hanging between them like an unspoken promise.
Whatever this was, it was far from simple. Yet somehow, in the shadow of Sirius's suspicion and the weight of house rivalries, a fragile thread of understanding had begun to weave itself between them—and perhaps fate in the works

                                             –—----
Evan and Remus vanished from view as Sirius rampaged through the forest, trying to wrestle with the storm brewing inside. He stood for a moment,
stuck in place, before turning sharply away, his steps quick and forceful as he moved through the dense forest. Every crunch of leaves underfoot seemed to echo his tumultuous thoughts.

Somewhere along this path, he realized he had left Marlene, his partner for the competition, and guilt over abandoning her nagged at the back of his mind. But eclipse that guilt with a wave of something much heavier—an emotion he couldn't quite name after his encounter with his friend and foe, though it pulsed angrily in his chest like an unwelcome drumbeat. Jealousy? Maybe. It settled uncomfortably alongside his protectiveness, a volatile mix.

The image replayed endlessly: Remus standing beside Evan, their partnership appearing too easy, too natural. A connection between them that made something inside Sirius clench. Flicking aside low-hanging branches, he scowled, an irrational protectiveness swelling, more intense than he'd ever felt. But why? That's a question he wasn't ready to confront.

Sirius had always been fiercely loyal to the Marauders, and Remus had always held a special place among them—a bond forged through shared secrets and silent understandings. But now, this unexpected intrusion of Evan Rosier seemed to challenge that unspoken connection, stirring insecurities that gnawed away at him.

Pushing through the forest, Sirius finally stumbled into a small clearing, where the sun filtered down gently through the trees. For a moment, he stood still, running a hand through his hair, trying to untangle the knots his thoughts had tied themselves into. The forest's peace contrasted sharply with the chaos inside him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, letting the quiet seep into his bones.

He would watch over Remus more closely. Not out of distrust—no, this was something else. Something about ensuring the place he had with Remus remained untouched and unchallenged. Maybe it was about keeping Remus safe from potential harm, or maybe, just maybe, it was about keeping his heart safe, too.

Sirius shook his head, as if to clear it of thoughts he wasn't ready to face, guilt for Marlene prickling at his conscience once more. He would need to apologize, offer explanations, though he wasn't sure he had any that made sense, even to himself. Why had he left her so suddenly? Why did this feel so much bigger than mere worry for his fellow Marauder?