Prologue
April 8th, 1961
Euphemia Potter had gotten pregnant on accident. She had her first baby boy, James, in March 1960 after trying for a while. She had always wanted to be a mother, but she had found it difficult to get pregnant. Then she found out she was pregnant again four months after James was born. She'd always wanted a big family, so it wasn't a bad surprise. However, she had some complications with this pregnancy. It was much more uncomfortable for her and her little boy came a few weeks premature. The doctors and nurses at St. Mungos Hospital weren't sure he was going to make it. But he did. He fought like a champ.
Euphemia now holds the baby boy to her chest, her heartbeat calming the previously wailing newborn. Her husband had fallen asleep with their one-year-old in his lap about an hour ago. Unlike his father, James hadn't fallen asleep. Effie looks at her eldest who hasn’t taken his eyes off his baby brother since they met and melts. Effie motions him forwards with one of her fingers and he scrambles onto the bed. He can’t quite walk yet but he can pull himself onto the bed. This is possible due to Monty having pushed the chair right up against the bed to be as close as possible to his wife. James crawls to his mother, his weight barely making the bed sink. James leans against Effie's side while looking at the very small baby boy.
It’s quiet in Effie’s room, aside from the quiet snores from Fleamont. Oliver (the baby boy) babbles as he wakes from his small dozing session. He'd cried for about half an hour but hasn't cried since he was pressed to his mother's chest. His eyes are more of a hazel colour compared to the brown the rest of his family have. Euphemia’s mother had those eyes. She figures that’s where he got it. She wishes her mother was alive to meet her grandsons. She was able to briefly meet James when he was very very young, perhaps a few weeks old, before she passed. Effie's mother never much liked Fleamont but she adored James. It broke Effie's heart to know that she didn't get to spend much time at all with her grandson.
Oliver smiles and sneezes which makes James giggle. He makes funny faces at his little brother to try and get him to laugh. Of course, Oliver’s too young to comprehend any of this but it doesn’t stop James from continuing what he’s doing. Oliver continues to giggle despite not understanding the noise or the face of his older brother. It’s a core memory for Effie, having James meet his baby brother for the first time. She’s excited to see the two of them grow together. She knows it'll just be the two of them. The doctors had said that they shouldn't have more children because of the complications Effie experienced with Oliver. So, they recommended either having her tubes-tied like muggles did or taking a potion that'll make her infertile. She opted for the potion. The bottle is currently in their hospital bag, having nowhere else to go. They recommended she take it within the next few days, but they understood that it would be hard for her to think properly right after giving birth and having to watch her son fight for his life so they let her know she could take it easy.
Oliver Sol Potter was a very quiet child. He didn't yell or scream like James had when he first got home. He was curious but never loud. He wanted to see and touch everything and if he wasn't with his father than he made small whimpering sounds until he was with him again. James preferred Euphemia when he was young, so Fleamont felt very smug that their second loved him more than his wife. However, sometimes, James would wake in the middle of the night to hear Oliver's small noises.
The next morning, Monty and Effie found James and Oliver cuddled together in Oliver's crib.
Oliver was a very small child and continued to be a very small child as he grew older. He was always shorter than James (which had something to do with the fact James was older than him) but that never bothered him.
Oliver Potter has been around magic his whole life. His parents use it a lot more than they'd like to admit, though they try their hardest to not rely on it. It's strange but Oliver's always liked that about his parents. Oliver's taught how to ride a broom before he can walk (he’s not, but he and James like to joke about it) and they’ve made pinecones roll without having to touch them. Of course, they don't mean to but their young minds absolutely adore it.
James gets his Hogwarts letter in late July 1971. He’s already turned eleven by this point and he’s been dreading this letter. However, his parents have always taught him to be optimistic. He doesn’t open the letter until Peter (James’ best friend since they were two) arrives and they can open them together. Oliver isn’t going to get a letter until next year but he’s still super excited to see if his brother gets in to the school they've both been dreaming about since they were old enough to understand the concept of dreams and desires.
It turns out that both James and Peter have been accepted to Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Everyone is so happy for them and Effie and Monty make a big feast. Some of their immediate family come to celebrate which is when Oliver and James put their mirror plan into action. Their Aunt Lucy has two mirrors that act as communication devices no matter how far away they are from each other. They also work at Hogwarts, unlike a lot of other communication devices. Oliver and James have been trying to get her to agree to giving up the mirrors to them for years but she’s always told them that they need a legitimate reason for her to even consider it. It’s safe to say they’ve been secretly planning this for a while.
They go to their aunt and beg and beg for her to let them have them. It even gets to the point when she brings up owls and how that’s the only form of communication everyone else has to deal with, so why should they be any different? This is when Oliver starts balling his eyes out. Lucy seems very awkward and she doesn’t know what to do when the tears start to fall. It ends up working and they successfully guilt trip their aunt into giving them the mirrors. The mirrors are both circle though they are opposites in everything else. One’s body is silver and has been engraved by flowers and leaves made of gold while the other has a gold body with silver details.
James takes the gold bodied one while Oliver takes the silver bodied one. The metal is cool on his skin and Oliver smiles widely. Both he and James thank their aunt before shooting off to find Peter and show him their new toys. It’s nice.
September 1971
Saying goodbye is horrible. Oliver’s allowed to say goodbye at the platform. He hugs both Peter and James goodbye before they leave. As soon as Oliver’s back home, he sits on his bed and pulls out the mirror. It vibrates softly in his hands while waiting for James to answer. His reflection swirls into James’ face. They look very similar in a lot of ways though James has always looked like their dad while Oliver looks like their mum. James has very curly black hair and brown skin with brown eyes that are framed with round gold-framed glasses. Oliver has less curly but still curly lighter hair that’s longer than James’ and can just barely be tied into a ponytail and it almost always has most of his hair falling out of it. He also has glasses (bad eyesight runs in the family. Euphemia is the only one without full time glasses though she does use some for reading) but the frames are silver and less circle but still round. Oliver’s always been more of a silver person while James has always loved gold more. James' skin is dark like their dad's while Oliver's is still brown but it's lighter than James'.
James grins at him. “They work!”
“I know!” Oliver grins back. There was a small part of both of them that was worried about whether or not they’d work from so far away. “How’s the train ride so far?”
“It’s pretty cool, actually.” James delves into a rant about all the pretty landscape you can see from the train. He’s in a compartment with Peter and a girl named Lily Evans. She’s very interested in the mirror.
“Magic is so cool,” she breathes out as she looks at Oliver. She’s got long red hair and green eyes. Her smile is wide as she runs her fingers along the mirror’s edge.
Oliver nods. “It is. James and I have been around magic our whole lives so we’ve really learned to appreciate it.”
Lily’s smile drops slightly but it’s still slightly there. “I wouldn’t know. I’m from a- uh damn it what do you guys call us?" She looks to James for assistance but he's basically drooling over her.
"Muggle," he says. He blinks and comes back to his body. He clears his throat. "Uh, muggles are non-magic people."
"Right." Lily nods. "I come from a muggle family so you can imagine the surprise we got when I was approached by someone and told I was magical.”
“You were approached by someone?” Oliver shifts his position so the mirror’s propped up against a pillow. “Who?”
“His name is Severus,” Lily says. She shrugs. “I hit him when he first told me. I thought he was some weirdo but then he made a flower fly, so I started to believe it.”
Oliver snickers along with James and Peter. “Wow, Evans,” James grins. “Marry me, please.”
Lily scrunches her nose in disgust. “No thanks, Potter. I’m good.”
James just shrugs but Oliver knows that this is not over. He sees that look in James’ eye. Oliver’s only seen it one other time and that was when they got a bunny. His name was Cosmos and he was James’ pride and joy. He was so happy he was in love. That’s the look James has on his face. Oliver just hopes this doesn’t end the same way as the Cosmos Incident. He’d gotten out and hopped all the way down to the street. It… didn’t end well. James cried for weeks and didn’t cheer up until Oliver got Ashe, his owl. She’s small and brown with white spots here and there. James loves Ashe with all his heart. Oliver’s just glad owls live longer than bunnies.
The door to Oliver’s room opens and Rosie walks in. Oliver smiles at her. “Hey Rosie. Can I help you with anything?”
Rosie nods. “Mister Fleamont requires you in his lab, Mister Oliver.”
Oliver smiles. “Just Oliver is fine, Rosie, and I’ll be down in a moment.” He looks back at the mirror to see it back in James’ hands. “Dad wants me so I’ve gotta go. Keep in touch, yeah?”
James nods. “Of course. Have fun!”
“You too,” Oliver smiles. “Oh and it was lovely meeting you Lily!”
Lily pops her head over so Oliver can see her. She’s smiling big. “You too! Hopefully we can meet in person next year.”
Oliver nods vigorously. “I look forward to it!” He waves one more time before closing the mirror and putting it into his pocket. He gets up and follows Rosie down to his dad’s potion lab. Rosie leaves them alone when Oliver’s inside. Monty is hunched over his desk, a cauldron bubbling next to him. He’s scribbling down something on a piece of paper.
“Hey Dad.”
Monty looks up and smiles. “Ollie! Come over here kiddo.” Oliver does so and sits up on the chair. He’s still a bit short and his legs don’t quite reach the floor. Oliver has always shared his father’s admiration for potions. Since Oliver and James aren’t allowed to use magic (outside of Hogwarts for James at the moment) until they’re seventeen, Monty’s been teaching them potions. James took in the basics but he’s never really known interest in them. No one faults him for this. He’s usually out on his broom. Most of the time Oliver’s with him but sometimes he’s in their father’s lab helping him brew potions. It’s a nice routine.
The year without James is a tough one. Oliver has spent his entire life with James only a room away — most of the time within arms reach. Not having his brother always there no matter what is weird. The house is awfully silent without James. Sometimes Oliver goes into the library and curls up in the corner or hides himself in Monty’s potion room for the purpose of pretending that James is just in his room or out practising for quidditch. He can’t complain that much because, as James promised, they’ve kept in touch. It’s mostly James who uses the mirrors because Oliver knows he’s busy with school and all of his new friends.
Oliver’s also been getting a lot of owls from his brother about how wonderful his classes have been and how he’s already made friends. He also tells Oliver who everyone sorted into. James is a Gryffindor like their dad and so is Peter. Their friend Lily is also a Gryffindor though her friend Severus is a Slytherin. That bummed James out a lot but Lily’s moral compass hasn’t seemed to stray from her first magical friend. Oliver doesn’t see a problem with this but James is furious. He doesn’t ever bring it up during their mirror conversations but Oliver’s known James his entire life. He knows when his brother’s pissed.
Lily’s made other friends who like James enough to call them friends. Their names are Marlene and Mary. James talks highly of them. Oliver’s very excited to meet them all. James and Peter are put in the same dorm which they’re both very happy about. They also share a dorm with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. The Noble and Ancient House of Black is known all throughout the pureblood circle — including Euphemia and Fleamont Potter. They’re not the nicest people but James seems to really like Sirius.
Peter also sends letters to Oliver about his own happiness at Hogwarts. Peter was ecstatic about being able to share a dorm with James. He never outright said it but Oliver knew he was scared he was going to be put into a dorm with people he didn’t know. Of course it can’t just be him and James in the dorm but, according to the consistent rants about how awesome Sirius is and how smart Remus is, neither of them mind it all that much. Oliver’s just happy they’re happy.
When the Christmas Holidays come around, Oliver’s very happy to be able to hug his brother again. He wasn’t allowed to go with Effie to get James from Kings Cross but he didn’t mind. The waiting was a pain though. It was only James that came back, Peter going to his mother’s. He lived right down the road so he comes over all the time. His mother, Marie, has never really liked being a mother so she lets Peter do whatever it is he wants— which is to stay at the Potters for the Christmas holidays.
Even though Effie, Monty and Oliver have heard all of their stories already, James and Peter tell them all again. None of them mind all that much. “And everything’s so wonderful!” James rants around a mouthful of Effie’s baked potatoes. “Really, amazing! The Great Hall is MASSIVE! It stretches thiiiiiis high!” James stands on his chair in an attempt to reach the ceiling of their house. He’s a few inches too short to reach but his spirits aren’t tampered in the slightest. Peter, who’s sitting next to James, has been nodding along excessively while James recounts all the fun things from the first three months of his time at Hogwarts. Oliver’s excitedly been listening to everything that’s been said. “It's so big and everyone I’ve met so far is really nice- well, except for the Slytherins but that’s to be expected.”
“James, dear, feet on the floor,” Effie tells him in an attempt at scolding. She’s very scary when she needs to be but she’s obviously trying not to laugh and not trying to hide it.
James huffs and sits back down. “Sorry mum,” he says. “I’m just so excited. Did I tell you how me and Pete get to share a dorm?! Isn’t that so cool?!”
Oliver rolls his eyes. “Yes yes, James, as you’ve said many times. You’ve talked nonstop about sharing a dorm with Peter and being in Gryffindor and loving your head of house and how much you miss it already and blah blah blah.” His head falls into his hand as he continues to poke at his food with his fork. He hadn’t had anything to eat yet but everyone was too focused on James Potter to notice. In his mother’s defence, she’s mostly trying to keep everyone alive.
James frowns for the first time since he got home. “You okay, Ollie?”
Oliver nods. He gets a look from Monty which makes him frown. “I dunno. I was just wondering if I’ll even get a Hogwarts letter, let alone find friends like you have.”
James scoots closer to his brother. He slings an arm around his shoulders. “Ollie. You are awesome and so so magical. You’ll get accepted, I have no doubt. And when you do, you’ll find the coolest friends to match how cool you are.”
Oliver shrugs off his brother but there’s a smile on his face. “Thanks, James.”
“Course!” James ruffles his brother’s hair. “Besides, I’ll be there the whole time. If you need anything, just call.” He’s referring to the mirrors.
“Me too!” Peter speaks up. Oliver smiles at him, his cheeks flushing slightly. Ever since he was seven, he’s had a pathetic crush on his brother’s best friend. It most likely stems from the fact he’s one of the only people around his age that he talks to, apart from James. He realised that it was a crush when he was crying in Effie’s arms about how much he hated feeling left out when Peter and James were hanging out. He doesn’t know what he said but he must’ve said something to make Effie start laughing. She wiped his tears and broke the news to him that he fancied Peter. It was horrific, if he’s honest, the realisation that he liked his brother’s best friend. It never really went away but the panic every time Peter got close did. The way he flushes whenever Peter’s attention is solely on him, though, has never gone away.
“You’ll be taken care of,” Monty assures. “You’ve got your big brother to protect you.”
Oliver giggles while James puffs out his chest. They all laugh and the tension slips away from Oliver. He has nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
It hits Oliver when James and Peter have been back at school for a couple months just how long it is till the school year ends. It’s early March and Oliver’s sitting in his room curled up in a ball under his desk, sobbing into his knees. What if he does get into Hogwarts but he’s not in the same house as James? James has told him about Sirius and how all of his family has been in Slytherin for generations and he’s the first to be put in Gryffindor. He’s also heard about how much his family absolutely hated it. Oliver knows his family isn’t anything like Sirius’ but it still leaves a funny taste in his mouth when he thinks about it.
He’s so indulged in his own head that he doesn’t notice his bedroom door open or the desk chair shielding him from the outside is moved. He feels a hand rest on his head making him look up. He sniffs and rubs away his tears with his forearm so he can see who it is. It’s his dad. Fleamont’s kneeling in front of him with a worried look on his face. When he sees whatever expression Oliver’s supporting on his face (he’d guess something between utter heartbreak and sheer discontent) he opens his arms for his son. Oliver takes less than a second to lurch forwards into his father’s arms and break down again. Monty just holds him and whispers reassuring things into his ears.
It takes a long time for Oliver to calm down enough to be able to breathe properly. For a moment, Monty thinks he’s fallen asleep but then Oliver raises his head and wipes the tears from his cheeks. “Sorry Dad.”
Monty shakes his head and reaches up to help brush away the tears. Oliver leans into his touch. “There is no need to be sorry, son. Are you upset about Hogwarts again?” Oliver nods. He hides away in Fleamont’s chest again. “You know you have nothing to worry about.”
“But- but what if I’m- I’m not in Gryffindor?” Oliver gets out. He’s slightly hiccupy from the crying fit.
Monty takes a deep breath and pulls Oliver closer to him. “I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like that would matter, because it doesn’t. Your house doesn’t define you as a person-”
“Isn’t that the whole point of the Sorting Hat?” Oliver cuts in while leaning back to look at his dad. “It literally judges you based on your personality and sticks you in the corresponding house.”
Monty shakes his head fondly with a smile. “That’s true, but just because you’re put in Gryffindor doesn’t mean you’re outwardly brave all the time and if you’re put in Ravenclaw, that doesn’t mean you have to be the smartest in all of your classes. It’s the same with Slytherin.” Monty pushes Oliver’s hair out of his eyes. “That doesn’t make you heartless or an arrogant person who's destined to do horrible things.”
“But-”
“I know who’s been in Slytherin in the past,” Monty interrupts. “And I know Salazar’s beliefs about people but that doesn’t change the fact you make your own choices. I’ve also met some wonderful people who were in Slytherin. We’ll love you no matter what house you get sorted into.”
Just those simple words are enough to have the worry slip away from Oliver. He takes a deep breath and leans his head against Fleamont’s chest. “Thanks, papá.”
“Of course.” Monty presses a kiss to his son’s hair. “Now, how about we put on one of those muggle movies you love so much and Rosie can make some hot chocolate?”
Oliver nods and stumbles to his feet. He takes Monty’s hand and the two of them go down to the living room where Euphemia is sitting on the couch reading a book. Oliver lets go of his dad’s hand to go to the couch. Effie slides her bookmark into her book and opens her arms when her son gets close enough. Oliver curls into her side. It’s one of his favourite places to be. In Oliver’s opinion, Euphemia Potter’s arms should be everyone’s favourite place. Effie’s always been one to give hugs and she never lets go first because you never know how much someone really needs a good hug.
Monty finds the movie Mary Poppins (Oliver’s favourite) and puts it in. Rosie comes in with cups of hot chocolate floating around her. They each take one and curl up together. Rosie summons a blanket and Oliver smiles gratefully at her. It’s the first time that Oliver’s felt like his parents don’t only love him because he’s a little brother. They love him because he’s their son.
Later in the week, Oliver gets out the mirror which sends a ping to James. It’s around 10 at night so he isn’t sure if his brother’s going to answer. He’s sitting under his desk with his knees pulled to his chest. He always sits under his desk when he feels sad. It started as a sort of a way to hide himself from things but it’s now just morphed into his safe place.
The mirror vibrates softly in his hands while it waits for the other side to respond. The image of Oliver’s faint outline in the dark swirls and gets replaced with James’ face. He blinks multiple times before his eyes focus on his brother. He smiles. “Hey Ollie,” he whispers. His glasses are a bit crooked on his nose. “You alright?”
“Fine,” Oliver says, matching his brother's tone. “Just missed you. How are you?”
“Good.” James yawns. He smiles. “There’s this guy named Frank. He’s a couple years older than me but he’s in the quidditch team and he’s amazing. He’s also in Gryffindor…” James continues to rant about quidditch for the next hour or so which Oliver was counting on. He just needed his brother’s voice. To be reminded that he’s still there.
Oliver ended up falling asleep under his desk that night and Euphemia found him the following morning. She scolds him for sleeping in such a place but she does make sure he’s alright. She’s a good mum.
When the school year ends and it’s time for the summer holidays, Oliver’s allowed to go with his parents to Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station. Oliver’s excited. He hopes he gets to meet James’ friends. He’s not an idiot, he knows meeting Sirius is most likely out of the question because of his parents but Oliver might be able to meet Remus and perhaps Lily, considering she did promise they could meet in person.
James steps out of the train with Peter and who Oliver assumes is Remus and Sirius. He’s unsure if either of them know about the mirror because the only person Oliver’s met through it is Lily. Sirius has curly black hair that’s just past his shoulders and he’s wearing muggle clothes, like most people on the platform. He’s wearing a white button up shirt and black slacks along with a pair of Doc Martens. Remus has short light brown hair and scars over his face. He’s wearing a sweater and jeans along with brown boots. Sirius walks away with a small goodbye. Remus also excuses himself and a part of Oliver is sad. He wanted to meet him. He seems very cool. Lily doesn't walk out with them so he assumes she’s with Mary and Marlene.
Peter and James wave goodbye to their friends but when James sees his family it’s like he forgets they exist. He sprints over while Peter yells for him to wait up. James scoops up Oliver which causes him to squirm in his brother’s arms. “James! Put me down!”
James laughs as he sets Oliver down on the ground. “But I missed you, Ollie.”
Oliver rolls his eyes but hugs James. “Missed you too.”
Peter huffs as he reaches them. He doubles over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Oliver laughs and hugs Peter. Peter hugs him back with a smile on his face. “Hey Ollie.”
“Pete.” Oliver pulls away and looks around. When he can’t Marie Pettigrew, he frowns. “Your mum not come?”
Peter’s smile falls and he shakes his head. He shrugs. “It’s fine. I asked her if I could go to yours anyway. I’ll go home before sunset- if that’s okay with you guys.” Peter looks up at Effie and Monty who both smile.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Effie says. She slips her arm around him and squeezes his shoulder. She starts to walk off and the others take that as their cue to go home. Oliver listens adamantly as James recounts the last six months. He talks about all the friends he’s made and about how he wants to be on the quidditch team and it’s a lot of things that Oliver can’t quite keep up with so he just smiles and nods to whatever James is saying. They’re driving back to the house via car because Monty loves the feeling of driving for some reason. Oliver wants to learn when he’s old enough. Apparently, muggles have to be sixteen before they’re allowed to learn to drive.
Listening to James and Peter makes Oliver all that more excited for himself to go to school. He’s stopped worrying about getting in now. He’s sure he will and he’s excited. He also can’t wait to meet Sirius and Remus and Lily and all of James’ other friends. They all sound lovely.
James has dragged Oliver out of bed to train for quidditch with him almost every day. As hard as it is to get Oliver’s brain caught up with his body, he’s happy to be out on his broom with James again. Their parents are inside helping Rosie with chores and cooking breakfast. James is allowed to try out for the quidditch team this year which he’s very excited about.
Monty calls for them to come inside and they do. They’re huffing breath as they sit down at the table. Peter’s with his mother so he’s not there. This doesn’t stop James from saying the same speech about the Great Hall that he does every time they eat. Oliver’s a bit sick of it but he doesn’t say anything and just lets James have his moment. The owls come in and Ashe drops a letter right into his porridge. “Oh, come on, Ashe,” Oliver groans. He puts down his spoon and pulls the letter from the bowl. It’s dripping porridge. Oliver glares at his owl who’s preening herself on the table.
“Ashe,” Effie says, her voice firm. “Off the table.” Ashe hops off the table and onto Oliver’s head. James cringes at the sight but Oliver doesn’t mind it— that is unless she goes to the toilet on his head. It’s happened before, and yet, Oliver still lets her sit there. She likes it up there anyway.
Monty takes out his wand and cleans the letter. James and Oliver watch in awe. They’ve always loved watching their parents (and other of-age wizards) use magic. Oliver looks at the letter and almost drops it back into the bowl. He jumps to his feet, Ashe squealing in protest at being jostled around.
“Sorry Ashe,” Oliver mumbles his half-hearted apology as he stares at the Hogwarts stamp. His eyes dart to his family.
“Open it!” James urges. He’s on the edge of his seat- literally.
Oliver swallows and opens the letter. He unfolds it and looks at the pretty cursive handwriting. He reads it out loud. “Dear Oliver Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been ACCEPTED AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY! I GOT IN!” Oliver starts to jump up and down.
James whoops and starts dancing around. Effie and Monty laugh fondly at their children. Effie puts on a record while the two boys dance around. Rosie dances with them and soon everyone’s dancing. Effie and Monty are dancing together elegantly while James and Oliver and just mostly jumping around.
“I knew you’d get in,” James says excitedly. He squeals and hugs his brother. Oliver grips onto him with a big smile on his face. He lets out a breath and buries his head into his brother’s shoulder. James is taller than him but only by a couple inches. “I knew you could do it. You’re going to be the best.”
Oliver can’t help the tears that fall from his eyes. He thought he’d gotten over his worries about getting in but now that it’s confirmed he has, it’s like there’s a massive weight that’s been lifted off his shoulders. They’re happy tears. Monty and Effie join the hug and they stay like that for a while. Rosie also joins the hug, wrapping her arms around one of Oliver’s legs and one of James’. She’s happy for him, he knows. And he’s happy for himself. He’s going to Hogwarts.
Bloody hell- he’s going to Hogwarts. MERLIN, THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO!
Oliver’s been to Diagon Alley a couple times before. He went when James got his school supplies for his first year and a few times before that. Peter’s mum couldn’t be bothered (as usual) to take Peter so she sent him to the Potters with some money for supplies. None of them minded. Well, Peter seemed a bit down but his mother’s shitty parenting is to be expected at this point. Oliver wants to see everything and James is equally excited to be so close to the start of the year and so close to seeing his friends. James and Peter go off to see if they can find Remus while Oliver stays back with his parents. They get some more food for Ashe and some things to put in her cage, considering Oliver’s bringing her to Hogwarts with him. He goes around looking at everything. Monty and Effie offer to buy him a new broom but he refuses to let them. He has a perfectly fine broom now. He knows it’s not trouble with money but he still doesn’t like spending it all.
“Is there a certain type of quill I need?” Oliver asks as he walks down the street. He’s looking at the list Professor McGonnagal wrote out in his letter. James also got a letter for the supplies he’d need but they weren’t fussed about that at the moment.
Monty chuckles. “No, Ollie. Any quill will do.”
“You sure? Because there are a lot of quills to choose from.” Oliver turns into a store and gestures to the quills. They had been to a lot of different stores before this looking for the other things on the list. “I mean, how will I know? Does the colour matter? What about how big it is? Should it be small? No, you’d want it big- but what’s too big? Shouldn’t it be-”
“Easy, Ollie, easy.” Effie puts a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Take a breath, okay? We’ve got plenty of time to get everything you need.”
Oliver takes a deep breath and nods. “Right. Sorry. I was just in my own head about getting everything.”
“No need to apologise,” Effie says. She kisses his forehead. “Come on, let's pick out a pretty quill.” Oliver smiles as he links arms with his mum and walks off to find a nice looking quill, based on how pretty instead of how well it would work. It makes the tension drip from his shoulders.
After quill shopping, they go to Ollivanders to get Oliver a want. James and Peter were still off with Remus (they’d found Effie, Monty and Oliver to tell them that they’d found Remus and were going to go for their supplies with him and his mum) so it was just Oliver and his parents. Garrick Ollivander is a strange person but he’s kind. He speaks in a rushed tone that's hard to understand. He speeds around his store while muttering to himself about unicorns and falcons.
Oliver’s wand is very pretty. When Ollivander hands it to him, he takes a moment to realise that it’s for him. It’s made of dark ash wood with a unicorn hair core. When Oliver touches his fingers to the wood, it feels like he’s being pumped with energy. It feels right. He takes it and holds it in his hand. He smiles at Ollivander who smiles back and urges them out of the shop. Monty pays for the wand before following his family out. They meet James and Peter before heading home with their things.
On August 31st 1972, Rosie makes dinner and Peter comes over to celebrate the day before school starts. Everyone’s excited and there’s a happy buzz throughout the house. Oliver has been packed for the past week. His trunk is sitting at the foot of his bed and he’s made sure Ashe feels comfortable in her cage. He’s got his robes folded neatly at the top of his trunk. He’s so excited he’s practically vibrating. He doesn’t know why his parents think he’s sleeping at all tonight.
It’s almost September 1st (a few more minutes) when James comes into the room. Oliver sits up as James sits on the bed in front of his brother. “You okay?” Oliver asks slowly. James is fiddling with his fingers. Oliver reaches out to stop him picking the skin around his nails. “James?”
James sighs. He squeezes Oliver’s hand before reaching into his pocket. He pulls out his mirror. Oliver furrows his eyebrows. James still hasn’t spoken. Oliver reaches into his bedside table to grab his mirror. He holds it in his hands. James takes a deep breath. “The whole reason for these is to keep in contact, right?”
Oliver nods. “Yeah, while you were at school. But we’re going to school together now and we’ll see each other all the time.”
James shifts on the bed. It’s dark in Oliver’s room but the moon peeks through the gap in the curtains.
“James.”
“I want to give it to Sirius,” James blurts out. Oliver blinks.
“What?”
James deflates. “Not the whole time. You can have it at school if you need me but in the holidays when he’s back home. He’s barely even allowed to send owls to me and when he does, they’re always checked by his parents so he has to be careful. I want to give him a way to communicate with me if he ever needs me.”
Oliver looks at James and starts giggling. James just stares at him as he folds forwards in a fit of giggles. He keeps quiet because the others in the house are sleeping but it’s a bit hard not to laugh.
“Ollie? You think it’s stupid, don’t you. Damn it.” James squeezes his eyes shut.
Oliver seizes his laughter to put his hands on both of his brother’s shoulders. “James- Jamie, I don’t care.” James opens his eyes and the relief in his eyes makes a sympathetic smile pull at Oliver’s lips. “I know how much you love Sirius. I’ve seen the way you are when you talk about him and Remus and Peter. I know you want him to be safe.” Oliver reaches forwards and puts his mirror in James’ hand. He curls James’ fingers over it. They both just sit there for a moment while James comprehends what had just happened. When he does, tears spring to his eyes and he lurches forwards to squeeze the air out of Oliver’s lungs.
“Thank you,” James says. He repeats it again and again and again until it’s illegible around his sobs. This is new for Oliver. He hasn’t seen James like this before. He’s always been the big brother, the stoic one that doesn’t let anything get to him. He’s usually comforting Oliver, not the other way around. Something in Oliver breaks that day, knowing that Sirius is going to hurt James a lot without even realising it. It isn’t his fault- it’s no one’s fault but Sirius’ parents. They’re the ones hurting Sirius which hurts James. Oliver doesn’t see this going well but he doesn’t want to think about that. He’s got school tomorrow and Sirius isn’t his to worry about.
However, some part of Oliver knows this is going to end exactly like the Cosmos Incident.