the_debt_of_time

"What the hell, mate?" James shouted as Frank Longbottom walked into the Great
Hall, stopping to let go of Alice's hand as it was commandeered by a group of girls eager
to see her engagement ring.
"What?" Frank asked incredulously, looking more amused and smug than anything
else. "It's not my fault I'm more mature than the rest of you, and I've been thinking about
my future instead of the next Quidditch match. I've got a career in the works and a wife to
look forward to."
"Hey! It's not just any Quidditch match," Sirius insisted, and Frank shook his head,
chuckling in reply. "It's going to be the Quidditch match where my brother gets knocked
off his broom. Nothing is more important than that!"
"Nothing?" Mia raised a brow.
"The only thing in my entire life more important to me than knocking Regulus off
his broom is shagging you to celebrate knocking Regulus off his broom," Sirius said with
the most genuine look on his face Mia had ever seen, which only caused her to laugh loudly.
"Oi!" James glared at his best friend. "My sister!"
"Is shagging your mate." Sirius grinned mischievously. "Get over it, Prongs. I'll start
being quiet about it when you learn to cast Silencing Charms."
James turned to face Frank, his cheeks bright red. "Why are you so busy worrying
about a career and a wife, Frank?" he asked, ignoring Sirius and Mia who continued to
guffaw at his expense.
"Changing the subject?" Sirius smirked. "Classy move."
Frank laughed along with Sirius and Mia but indulged James in his need to divert
attention away from himself. "We weren't going to make a big deal about it, but Alice and
I got accepted into the program for early Auror training. We're going to go into the
Academy right after graduation as long as our N.E.W.T.s are up to par."
James grinned. "Good job, mate! That's fantastic!"
"Thanks."
Sirius stopped laughing and suddenly looked worried; the boyish features that
became so dominant while he was laughing faded into the sharp angles of a mature—and
stressed out—adult. "Should I have put my application in early? I thought I had to wait to
complete N.E.W.T.s."
"You're still planning on being an Auror?" Mia asked with a frown.