Chapter 6: James’ POV – The Marauders Assemble
James leaned against the brick wall outside Hogwarts High, watching the courtyard as students filtered out after lunch. The cool autumn air felt refreshing, but his mind was still heavy with thoughts about Reina. He was waiting for his crew—Sirius, Remus, and Peter, the Marauders—hoping to get their help with everything that had happened.
He spotted them in the distance. Sirius, with his usual swagger, had his arm slung casually around Remus, who was walking beside him with that calm, quiet energy of his. The two of them were always in sync—like opposites perfectly balanced. Sirius was all loud laughter and boldness, while Remus brought the gentle warmth, the quiet steadiness that made their relationship so solid. They looked like they belonged together, and they didn’t shy away from showing it, not for a second.
As they approached, Sirius pressed a quick kiss to Remus’s temple, making Remus blush and smile shyly, while Sirius grinned smugly. James chuckled, shaking his head at the sight. Those two were so disgustingly in love.
“Oi! Lovebirds!” James called out, waving them over. “You’re making the rest of us look bad. Tone it down, yeah?”
Sirius smirked, clearly unfazed. “Jealous, Potter?”
“Always,” James shot back. “It’s a wonder you haven’t been fined for public indecency with the way you two carry on.”
Remus chuckled, pulling away slightly from Sirius’s side but still holding his hand. “We’re just giving the world something beautiful to look at, James.”
“Yeah, real selfless of you,” James grinned, but the humor didn’t fully chase away the worry weighing on his chest. He’d come here for more than just the usual banter.
Peter Pettigrew jogged up to join them, his shirt wrinkled and his hair sticking up as if he’d just rolled out of bed. “What’d I miss?”
“Just the usual,” James replied with a grin. “Sirius and Remus making the rest of us look like lonely losers.”
Peter laughed but quickly noticed the look on James’s face. “You alright, mate? You look… serious.”
James nodded, running a hand through his messy hair. “Yeah, actually. I wanted to talk to you guys about something important.”
The humor left Sirius’s face immediately, his expression turning sharp. “What’s going on?”
“It’s about Reina,” James said, his tone soft but serious. He looked over at Sirius, knowing this was going to hit him hard. “She had a rough time at lunch. Mulciber was a complete prick to her.”
Sirius’s eyes narrowed, and his whole posture stiffened. “What did he do?”
James exhaled slowly. “He was… racist. Said a bunch of garbage about how she’ll never fit in. And then he did this.” James mimicked the slant-eye gesture that Toby had made, feeling sick just repeating it.
Sirius’s reaction was instant. His eyes darkened, and his fists clenched so hard that James could see his knuckles turning white. “He did what?” Sirius’s voice was low, dangerous.
Remus quickly placed a calming hand on Sirius’s arm, trying to ease the tension. “We’ll handle it, Sirius. But don’t let this get you into trouble.”
Remus knew Sirius felt strongly about punching first in situations like that but Remus knew better, punching can make you the bad guy, don't stoop so low so quickly.
Remus didn't condone Mulciber's actions. Definitely not. Mulciber had made a few comments on Sirius back in the marauders first year and Remus whilst he hadn't quite understood he knew it was wrong and felt so.
Sirius’s breathing was heavy, his whole body radiating anger. He shook his head, clearly struggling to control himself. “But Moons...He crossed a line. The line. That’s not just some insult. That’s—”
“Yeah, I know,” James interrupted gently. “But what’s worse is… Reina’s been bottling it all up. I found her after lunch, and she was a mess. She hasn’t been eating much either.”
At this, Sirius seemed to pause. The anger faded from his eyes, replaced by something more like guilt and worry. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Shit.”
Remus furrowed his brow, sensing something more in Sirius’s reaction. “Is there something else, Sirius?”
Sirius looked conflicted, his gaze dropping to the ground for a moment before he finally spoke, his voice quieter. “Yeah… Reina’s always had a hard time with food. She was hospitalized a few years back, for… well, for not eating enough or anything at all really." Sirius said his heart racing at the thought of it happening again. He remembers seeing Reina so small and thin in the narrow hospital bed. He doesn't want to do that again. He can't. He won't.
"Mum was furious, thought she was doing it to act out or something..." Sirius paused and frowned, that house really wasn't something he wanted to think about.
"She never really talked about it much after that, but I think she’s always struggled with it.”
James felt a pang of shock in his chest. He hadn’t known. None of them had heard it. “You never mentioned that before,” he said softly, his voice full of concern.
James knew he was a natural carer. He had helped Sirius with his god awful family. He'd helped Remus when he had a flare up. He helped Peter when his parents divorced.
And god damn it... He was going to help Reina too.
Sirius let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t think it would come up again. She was doing better for a while. And when Reina was going to Beubaxtons, it was like out of sight out of mind you know? She wasn't a part of this world... But with everything that’s been going on—with the pressure to fit in, our parents, and now this crap with Mulciber—it’s probably hitting her harder than usual.”
Remus’s expression was full of empathy, and he tightened his hold on Sirius’s hand, offering silent comfort. “That’s really tough, Sirius. But now that we know, we can help her through it.”
Peter, usually the most clueless when it came to emotional matters, surprised them all by speaking up. “Maybe we can do something together—like, make her feel included. Take her mind off things. Being closer with you, Padfoot, would also help.”
James nodded, grateful for the suggestion. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. I want her to know she’s not alone, that she’s got people who care about her.”
Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment, his anger having cooled. “She needs to hear that from more than just you. Maybe I’ve been too distant. I didn’t know she was slipping back into old habits.”
Remus gave Sirius a gentle nudge, his voice soft but firm. “You’re her brother. You still mean more to her than anyone else, even if things have been tense between you.”
Sirius let out a small, bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, I’ve been so caught up in my own shit, I didn’t even notice what was happening with her.”
James reached out and clapped a hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “It’s not too late. We’re all in this together. You don’t have to fix everything on your own.”
Sirius gave a small nod, though his eyes still held that haunted look. “Yeah… thanks, mate.”
The group stood in silence for a moment, the weight of the situation settling over them. Then, as if sensing they needed a lighter note, Peter grinned and said, “So… we’re all agreed then? Operation ‘Make Reina Smile’ is officially on?”
James chuckled, grateful for Peter’s attempt to break the tension. “Yeah, Operation ‘Make Reina Smile’ sounds like a solid plan to me.”
Sirius managed a weak smile, he was still worried and mad as hell but his shoulders relaxed ust a bit. “Let’s just make sure it works.”
As they stood there, united as always, the Marauders made an unspoken promise. They would help Reina through this, no matter what. She was one of them, after all, even if she didn’t fully realize it yet.
And as for Toby Mulciber… well, if he ever messed with Reina again, he’d have a lot more than Barty to deal with.
