Chapter 3
“Ugh Mummmmm!” James whined, as his mother fussed over him. She somehow managed to worry over him every year.
“I really have to go now Mum. Everyone’s probably waiting for me”, he groaned, an exasperated look on his face.
“Alright, alright”, she told him, “Promise me you won’t cause too much trouble, we’ve already been owled too many times for us to count”. His father ruffled his hair, earning him a glare and his mother gave him a peck on the cheek that he was quick to wipe away.
He rolled his eyes, “Sure Mum, we’ll try”. He gave them both a quick smile and, pulling his trunk behind him, made his way onto the train. It wasn’t long before he saw a flash of dark hair enter one of the compartments. He ran over.
“Sirius!”, James exclaimed, as he threw open the door of the compartment. Sirius jumped to his feet, crashing into him and giving him a crushing hug.
“I was starting to worry you were gonna be late”, he said, looking up at him with a crooked smile. His arms dropped to his side, he stepped back and, as he sat down, he patted the open seat next to him.
“Don’t worry so much. I always make it, don't I?” James said as he quickly stowed his trunk in the overhead, quite easily, thankfully, due to the feather light charm his mother had placed on it.
“You know my Mum. She always finds something to fuss about”, he said as he plopped down into the spot next to Sirius. He put his arm around Sirius, pulling him close.
“I missed you. How was Christmas? Are you ok?”, he said in a hushed voice, brows furrowed and a worried look on his face. Sirius laughed, pushing him gently away.
“And you complain about how much your Mum worries”, he shook his head,wryly, “Don’t get all worked up. I’m back here aren’t I?”. James could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, but he couldn’t help the feeling that something bad had happened. The joy he usually saw in Sirius’ eyes had all but disappeared. He opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. He didn’t want to rub salt in the wound. The rest of the ride back to school was spent playing exploding snap, buying snacks from the trolley and discussing new prank ideas, James already forgetting the promise he’d made his mother.
Sirius and James rushed up to the Common Room, greeting the Fat Lady as they attempted to recall the password. Once inside, Sirius ran up to Remus, throwing his arms around him. Startled, he let out a laugh and called up to Peter who raced down from their dorm to greet his friends.
“Thank god you’re back,” Remus mumbled, his face burrowed into Sirius’ shoulder, “I thought we’d die of boredom before you both got back.” He released Sirius from his grasp, settling into one of the plush maroon armchairs close by, wearing an exhausted expression.
“It’s always nice to know you can’t get enough of my glorious presence,” Sirius boasted, placing his hands on his hips. James sighed, following Pete up the stairs to the dorm. Sirius and Remus soon joined them as they got ready for an early night. The trip back on the Hogwarts Express was always somewhat exhausting and James had gotten quite used to going to bed early to facilitate his morning outings. They’re usual conversation came easily. They all laughed as James pulled out his new Christmas pyjamas adorned with reindeers riding brooms, tossing a second pair his mother had bought over to Sirius. As his friends continued to talk late into the night, despite their claims that they would soon go to bed, James drifted off into sleep, surrounded by the warmth and familiarity of his best friends, their voices slowly becoming quieter and quieter.
James awoke with a groan, covering his eyes and turning to his side. He rubbed his face and reached for his wand, concealed under his pillow. He cast a quick tempus charm. It read “5:37”, the numbers brightly displayed in the air above him. He pulled back the curtains looking over at his friend’s beds. It was much earlier than the time that any of them usually got up so he knew he would have to be quiet making his way out of the room. Carefully, he crept over to his trunk, opening it as soundlessly as possible and grabbing his uniform. He hastily got dressed and, stuffing a small bag he had retrieved from a small compartment in his trunk into his pocket, he tiptoed his way out of the room.
He pulled on his invisibility cloak and, pushing past the portrait of the Fat Lady, slipped out into the hallway. He hurried through the halls and made his way to the steep stairs that led to the astronomy tower. He didn’t want to risk going out to the quidditch pitch so this was his next best option if he was going to keep up his flying.
As he scurried up the stairs, he pulled the small pouch out of his pocket, pulling the hood of his cloak down. He looked around the tower, making sure no one else was around and, drawing out his broom, unshrunk it.
Drawing close to the windows, he got on his broom and leisurely flew out into the open sky. He felt a chill run up his spine, as a cool breeze hit his face and flew loops around the peak of the astronomy tower before drifting over the Great lake, the water lightly rippling. It was still quite dark out but sunrise had begun and the sun was soon steadily rising. He knew soon those within the castle would wake if they had not already and, so, he made his way back to the tower, shrunk the old Cleansweep and rushed back to the Gryffindor Common Room.