A Sirius Matter
1972 Diagon Alley
The alley was filled with the buzz of people crowding around the stores. Parents with their first year children buying supplies for Hogwarts a few weeks prior in worry they’d miss anything the children would need, or in uncontainable excitement from the children, that they, the young eleven-year-olds would finally be able to use magic in nearly a month.
“I don't know Peter, I don't think Marlene would fancy an exploding quill” James remarked with a smile.
“What? she would love it” replied Peter in mock-hurt at James’ remark.
“This is a Serious matter!” James said, now sounding a little frustrated
“don't you mean this is a Sirius matter, James?”
James’ frown turned into a wide grin, he chuckled at the pun. “Well since we're on the topic of Sirius, what should I get him?”
“shouldn’t you know that? because he’s YOUR best mate?”
James looked deep in thought for a second, then his expression turned into sheer panic. “Oh merlin you're right, I'm an awful friend! How can I even call myself a ‘friend’ much less his ‘best friend’. A real friend knows what their friends would like, but I- ” James was muttering and pacing around quickly with his face in his hands.
Peter watched, looking quite amused. “James” Peter called out having had enough of the stressed mumbling, but James kept pacing. “JAMES” James suddenly stopped and relaxed his shoulders, giving him a sort of apologetic smile before turning back to the matter at hand.
He looked around frantically praying to see something he knew Sirius would like, because as Peter had said, he should know shouldn’t he? He then caught a glimpse of something across the street, a store he did know Sirius would like. A record store. James grabbed Peter by the wrist and dragged him, while bumping into the people on the streets, to the door of the store.
“Woah, where are we going?” Peter asked but James silently pulled him into the store.
It was disorganized to say the very least. Buckets of records sat on the floor collecting dust and fingerprints. Records hung on walls to emulate decoration, and shelves formed the ailes in the store, which were also filled to the brim with records.
James and Peter did not fit in with the store. Not the way Sirius would have instantly belonged among the mountains of Queen, and Bowie. After staring at the vast amounts of records on display James set out on his mission to find, and choose something Sirius would love.
“C’mon Pete, help me look” he nudged Peter as he started moving to the first shelf on the left wall.
“You're kidding, right?” Peter's eyebrow was raised.
“Well what do you suggest we do?” James asked. Peter stared, overwhelmed by the huge piles of music records. Nonetheless, he started flipping through them (Wanting to swear but keeping quiet knowing how much this meant to his friend).
Peter started getting irritated after the first hour and a half of James heading to the counter with yet another haul of music records, before promptly turning away to make changes to his selection. It was a long, tedious process of trying to remember which bands Sirius mentioned liking in the previous year, and then another long, tedious process trying to find them in the seemingly unending shelves of records. In the end James took the first three they had found anyway. The duo walked out after paying for the gifts.
“That was a massive waste of time.” Peter sighed
“Well I'm sorry, but this is for Sirius. It needs to be perfect.” James stressed.
“Yeah yeah whatever. Why do you care this much in the first place?” He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn with his hand.
“WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS?” Peter had a confused look on his face, with a hint of impatience.
“What about them?” Peter questioned.
“WE ONLY GOT GIFTS FOR SIRIUS WE HAVE GOT TO GET THE REST–” Peter turned his back to James and began walking away.
“Yeah you go do that, I'm calling quits.”
James thought about chasing after Peter, but instead he watched him leave before smiling to himself. He knew Peter would get tired of buying presents fairly fast, actually he was surprised to see he’d lasted the whole record choosing process. Now, he could properly get him a present without giving it away.
“Bye, Pete!” he yelled over the crowded voices of the street. “One for Remus, one for Marlene, and one for Peter…” he muttered to himself as he walked looking at store fronts, hoping as he had for Sirius, to find the other three presents.
For Marlene he bought some jewelry he thought she’d like, along with a few boxes of hair dye. For Peter, the easiest gift since he knew him so well, he bought a dumbbell (an inside joke because they used to say that their insufferable next door neighbor, Mr Macintosh, was shaped like one) and an assortment of sweets from honeydukes. Last but not least was Remus.
“What in Merlin's name do I get him?”
James thought for a moment; getting Remus a gift was very different from getting a gift for anyone else. Because it was Remus. Remus would love whatever he got him, because he had that dumb muggle saying, what was it again? ‘It’s the thought that counts’? That was the moment James figured out exactly what he was going to get him.
A book. Yes. When it came to Remus Lupin, James had learned during the last year, a book was always the right answer, a good book, and chocolate that is. So that's what he got. 1876 by Gore Vidal and two bars of top-shelf rich, and decadent dark chocolate. Remus would love it.