“I’m so fucking tired of this,” Marlene huffed, dropping down onto the Gryffindor tables with a thump, throwing her satchel onto to bench next to her.
She was wearing a pair of oversized robes that looked like they had belonged to Hagrid back when he was a student. They reached all the way down to her feet and covered her body in its entirety.
“Hello to you too,” Sirius laughed in reply, popping a grape into his mouth.
“What happened?” Lily asked instead, leaning over Remus’ shoulder to ask.
“Pince is what happened. I was in the library trying to get a book for Potions and the raggedy old bitch was stalking me. She saw me when I was trying to grab a book and then gave me a citation for being out of dress code- I was wearing fucking trousers!” Marlene explained, gesticulating wildly, anger lacing each word.
James was well aware of the problem that had currently been brewing at Hogwarts.
The wizarding world has always been behind the Muggle one in regards to music, culture, technology, everything really. It was just a fact.
However, as the times have begun to change, more wizards were warming up and beginning to incorporate Muggle fashion and ideas into their own everyday life. Sirius, for example, has been sneaking off into Muggle London as often as he could to buy Bowie vinyls, choosing to listen to him instead of Celestina Warbeck. Or Remus, who had taken a certain fancy to Doc Martens, buying as many pairs as he could and wearing them with his normal school uniform.
Another thing that has been changing were ideas and notions around gender and sexuality.
The world wasn’t quite so black and white anymore and while it never truly was, more and more people were becoming more outspoken about it, choosing to live their lives as honestly as possible rather than hiding who they were for the comfort of others.
As James looked around the table, he could see the evidence clearly in the way Sirius leaned his head on Remus’ shoulder, gently threading his fingers through his hair, as he listened to Marlene or Lily who was currently painting Mary’s nails, holding her hand with such care and tenderness, happy to just be feeling her skin on hers.
As they headed into their final years at school, they had all come out in their own way.
With this, came changes in the way they wanted to express themselves. Marlene never felt comfortable in skirts but trousers weren’t an option for the girls’ uniform. She had tried and failed to wear trousers many times and today was another one of those days. On the other hand, James remembered Sirius talking to him about how he wasn't quite comfortable being labelled ‘just a boy.’ After some research, he realised he was genderfluid and that maybe some days, he’d like to wear a skirt.
He had managed it a few times actually but last month, the minute he walked out of the Gryffindor common room, Filch was walking by. He had shouted at Sirius, practically giving himself an aneurysm, and forced him to go back and change, foregoing the citation completely.
He never felt quite comfortable wearing one again.
The biggest problem with all of this was that when one received a citation, it wasn’t just a silent slip of parchment, as those could easily be thrown away or ignored. Hogwarts was a big school and if one wanted to avoid professors, they could.
They had a special sort of charm put on them. The individual was tagged in a manner of sorts. A magical pin would be fastened to the breast of their robes and it would flash an angry red as well as emit a loud screeching sound, annoying themselves and others and notifying everyone what their particular offence was.
If one took off their robes, it would reappear on their tops, if they took off their tops, it would show up on their bottoms.
If they decided to live with the pin and disturb everyone else, elves would come by with a pair of school sanctioned robes and be forced to follow them around until they put them on.
It was more effort than it was to just let students wear what they wanted.
During the weekends, students could wear whatever they wanted, trousers and skirts included, but on weekdays, the uniform couldn’t be ignored and when they went off to class, the professors would immediately mark them off.
Some professors didn’t mind, McGonagall for example.
She had a bit of a conniption the first time Sirius walked in with a skirt. She had lost all of her usual composure, spluttered a bit, then just yelled at Sirius to take a seat. He didn’t know whether it was because the class period had started or if she saw the tattoos snaking scandalously high up Sirius’ leg. He had ended up getting cited in the next class anyways.
“Marls, you know they’re always going to get you, I don’t know why you keep trying,” Peter complained, trying to empathise but feeling as hopeless as everyone else.
She lifted her head up swiftly, her messy blonde bun atop her head jostling with the movement, “Because Pete ,” she began, raising a pointed finger, “If no one does anything then the uniform stays. That’s such bullshit. Me wearing trousers doesn’t take anything away from anyone. Just because the founders made those rules like a billion years ago doesn’t mean we still have to adhere to them.”
Alice was calmly plating up her food for her, nodding along with what she said.
“And another thing,” she continued, stabbing an angry fork into her chicken, “Don’t you all remember that one time Lily was sick during winter and Binns still made her change her trousers and wear a skirt. How is that fair!”
Her voice cut off at the end and James could see angry tears begin to form at the edges of Marlene’s brown eyes and he felt his heart squeeze at the sight.
He knew how much it meant to Marlene to be able to wear what she wanted. She hated the idea of wearing skirts, always did, and only just recently did she actually begin to start trying to change in earnest but she was constantly being cited and forced to change.
Sirius could see the change in emotion as well and leant over the table to put his hand atop hers, rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand.
“I’m really sorry Marls,” was all he said.
Nothing else could really be said. No matter what they tried, they were always forced to change.
“You shouldn’t have to apologise. The whole thing is shite. I mean- Like don’t you remember the one time Regulus tried to wear eyeliner? Slughorn forced him to take it off. He literally shamed him in class, in front of everyone! No one would’ve even noticed had he not mentioned it. They’re literally trying to control everything about us, not just our clothes.”
James remembered it vividly. The way Regulus’ face had turned beet red, how he’d left class and didn’t come back. How he’d cried in James’ arms when he finally found him in the bathrooms four floors up from the dungeons.
It had taken him entirely too long to gather the confidence to wear it and once he had, he was immediately shot down.
Marlene had felt a bit better after dinner. Dorcas came up to the Common Room after with them and they spent the rest of the evening playing Gobstones or Exploding Snaps, foregoing all homework or studying in favour of just spending time together.
They didn’t talk about the events of the day either once Marlene had promised them all that she was fine and that she just wanted to move on.
Unfortunately, it was the first nor the last time it happened.
_____
Two months later, it happened again.
Only this time, it was in the form of Barty Crouch Jr. wanting to wear a skirt and Evan Rosier wearing nail polish.
Whether it was planned or not, both were caught on the same Thursday morning by Slughorn at breakfast.
Again, no one would have noticed, until twin alarm bells ringing had echoed across the hall, notifying everyone of what happened, and all heads turned towards the Slytherin tables where the two boys were sitting, looking outraged.
“You’re fucking joking,” Barty exclaimed, raising his hands then dropping them theatrically.
“Language, Mr. Crouch. I cannot change the rules and if you do not want detention, it would do you well to follow them,” Slughorn commanded, using his voice of authority.
James could see the despair on Barty’s face that was poorly concealed by anger. His coping mechanism was more similar to Marlene’s where they resorted to anger when threatened. Evan was more like Regulus as he just looked down at the table and slowly used his wand to remove whatever lacquer was there.
Barty suddenly stood up, getting right into Slughorn’s face and forcing him to take a few steps back. His face was laced with defiance as his brow was furrowed and his mouth was set into a line.
He then stepped up onto the bench and then onto the table, shucking off his outer robes and kicking them onto the floor, leaving him standing with a plaid skirt, just like the ones all the girls were wearing, and a white button up top with a tie. Everything about the uniform was exactly the same except Barty’s knees were jarringly visible to everyone around.
Some students cheered and whistled while others whispered to each other, faces shocked and angered at his audacity.
Their table was certainly the loudest as Sirius, who had to force himself to hate the Slytherins out of sheer principle, was slamming his hands down at the table while Lily, Mary, and Marlene were cheering and whistling.
Barty wore a triumphant smile for one moment as their cheers drowned out the sound of the alarm pin still flashing angrily on his top.
James could see some of the other Slytherins smiling while others were looking at him with outrage, probably wondering how the Crouch heir had fallen so low.
Evan’s buzzer was magically removed once he had finished but he didn’t look relieved in the slightest. He looked more sad than anything else but looked up at Barty with a bit of a smile on his face, admiring his confidence and likely wishing he had some of it as well.
Two elves popped into fruition soon after, a pair of heavy black robes in hand as Slughorn demanded Barty step down at once and put it on.
“I apologise Mr. Crouch but as breakfast is coming to an end and it is clear you will not be following our rules of conduct, I am forced to give you a week's detention and do this,” he finished and he gestured to the elves with an incline of his head.
Suddenly, the robes popped onto Barty, zipped up from top to bottom.
He looked down at the professor with shock and admonishment but the professor was unruffled and simply turned back to sit at the Head Table and finish up the rest of his meal.
Barty jumped down from the table and stormed out of the hall, not even sparing a glance back at the rest of them.
Regulus looked up at James, disappointment laced into his delicate features, and he pulled Evan up with him as Dorcas grabbed his bag and the group followed him, likely wanting to console him just as they did for Marlene so recently.
When James turned back to look at his friends sitting at the table with him, he saw them all shaking their heads or whispering about how horrible this was.
“Something needs to change,” Lily voiced aloud sadly and everyone nodded in assent.
Those four words caused a seed to burrow deep in James’ mind and take root.
_____
Three weeks later when James was walking in the halls next to Regulus, bickering light-heartedly about who would win the upcoming Quidditch match, it was when the next incident happened that finally tipped the scales.
Mary had burst past them, running at full speed, hand outstretched and clasped with Lily’s. Lily’s hair was whipping behind her in a blaze of fiery red and Mary’s laughter echoed in the halls, bouncing wildly off the stone walls.
A few paces behind them was Filch, chasing after them in a rather goofy run. Ms. Norris was keeping pace with him, bouncing along on soft paws and threading in and out of Filch’s legs.
When James turned back, he saw that the two girls were wearing shorts which technically weren’t uniform for either of them but many of the boys were allowed to wear shorts without problem once the weather warmed up.
“Do you think they’ll make it?”James asked, still smiling, once he turned back to Regulus.
“Oh certainly. Filch has the stamina of Kreacher at best, he’ll give up soon,” Regulus proclaimed, threading his slender fingers into James’ own, their hands melding together perfectly.
James looked down at their hands, relishing in the feeling of what it's like to be able to do so openly after how long it had taken them to get to this point.
As he gazed into Regulus’ eyes, he saw the faintest hints of eye makeup he wore- the thin line of black liner sitting along his lashline and the clear gel that coated his eyelashes. It was practically imperceptible but to James, who had memorised all of Regulus’ features, it was noticeable.
He knew Regulus was a bit like Sirius who also liked to play around with makeup for the sheer artistry of it but after what happened last time he was caught, he was too afraid to ever wear it so boldly again.
“It’s a shame they even have to do that in the first place. Barty’s still fuming about what happened to him and Evan. We need to have a bloody revolution or something.”
Regulus laughed a bit at that last bit but it caused a switch to flip in James’ mind and he knew exactly what they had to do if they wanted to enact real change for not only themselves, but for future generations of students.
_____
“Alright so I’m sure most of you are wondering why I’ve called you all here,” James announced to everyone crowding into the classroom.
He figured the best place he could meet everyone and guarantee they would be undisturbed was in one of the old unused classrooms that were set all around Hogwarts.
He did do a bit of light cleaning though which was best as everyone was scattered around- sitting on tables, leaning against walls, or just sitting right on the ground. A few silencing charms and notice-me-nots were added as a precaution and then they were ready.
He had ordered most everyone in their year in Gryffindor as well as Regulus and his usual group to meet him here on Sunday because he had a ‘plan.’
Everyone nodded their assent and so James began.
“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the dress coding this year has been a bit out of control.”
Snaps and murmurs rang out among everyone.
“And I think we’re all unhappy with the way things are going. Marlene & Barty, Lily & Mary, you all are just some of the most recent victims of the coding they’ve been doing for years and they’re only getting stricter. I mean nail lacquer and makeup, really?” James voiced, infusing as much strength and passion into his voice as possible, urging everyone on though he knew they probably already agreed with him anyways.
“Just yesterday, Hooch said Sirius had to cut his hair if he wanted to stay on the Quidditch team!” Frank shouted out and the others gasped and expressed their dismay.
“Exactly!” James agreed. “So I propose we do a little revolution of sorts, thanks Reg for the idea,” he grinned cheekily, winking at Regulus who just gaped at him, not knowing what exactly he’d done.
“What are you saying?” Mary asked, grinning eagerly, leaning forward and swinging her legs excitedly from where she sat on the countertop.
“I say that we all switch clothes tomorrow. Boys in the girls uniform and vice versa. Transfiguration is too hard, our clothes will probably end up disintegrating so switching is probably best. If we all do it, there’s no way they can dress code all of us,” he announced, internally crossing his fingers and hoping everyone agrees.
For a moment, everyone was quiet as they considered it, brows furrowed together and glazed expressions in their eyes as they thought about it until Barty shot up, “James Potter you bloody genius, I’m in!”
“Fuck yeah,” Marlene announced, pumping her first in the air.
“Good thing I just shaved my legs,” Sirius laughed maniacally, tipping his head back as Remus smiled at him.
“What about the black robes though? They’ll end up putting them on us even if we don’t give in?” Peter asked and James knew he had a good point.
“Actually,” came a voice from over by the wall and James saw that it was Pandora and a small group of other Ravenclaws who had joined them after Regulus asked to include them, knowing they’d be a wonderful help and cared about the cause just as they all did.
“We actually came up with a bit of a modified protection spell that can go over your clothes so they can’t put them or the screaming pin on you,” she offered and James called her up next to him.
She pulled her wand from her pocket and taught them to say the spell and how to flourish their wand correctly over themselves to protect themselves from the pervasive robes.
It was entirely unfair that the school thought they had the authority to command students how to dress and if they didn’t follow, that they have their autonomy violated for the sake of archaic and irrelevant rules developed at a time when students didn’t yet have the courage to voice their feelings aloud for fear of repercussion.
It wasn’t like this was a problem only affecting their ‘generation.’ There have been people that lived outside the rigid boxes of society since the beginning of time, it was only now that these individuals were speaking out.
James felt infinitely grateful for all of his friends, for how open and accepting they all were of themselves and each other and while not everyone may agree with them, he knew that they’d always have each other to lean onto.
“Alright boys start stripping,” Marlene grinned and from the looks of genuine fear on their faces, she began to cackle, “I’m just kidding but when should we switch?”
“We meet again here, tomorrow, before breakfast. Say 6AM?” James offered.
Everyone groaned but no one refused.
After that, people began to pair up, seeing who wore similar sizes and who could switch clothes with who. They also began talking about how they could do their makeup and hair and it seemed the only criteria were that it had to be absolutely mad.
Regulus sidled up to him and just shook his head as he leaned in and said, “You’re out of your mind.”
“Perhaps, but it had to be done,” James grinned.
“I’m proud of you,” Regulus whispered, voice low and genuine.
James just responded in turn with a kiss.
Sirius’ dramatic groan rang out above everyone else and neither of them could help the smile that broke out over their faces.
_____
The following morning was a flurry of activity.
James was the first one in the room, wide awake after a bit of Quidditch practice in the morning as per usual and hair still dripping wet from his subsequent shower.
The room was silent at first as he waited but soon after, people began bursting into the room.
First it was the Ravenclaws, led by Pandora. Then Sirius showed up with an excited Pete and grumpy Remus. Then it was the rest of the Gryffindors and then finally the Slytherins.
Remus, very smartly, transfigured chairs into dividers, creating little cubicles for everyone so that they could change out of their clothes and swap with someone else.
Mary switched with Sirius, Remus with Pandora, Lily with Peter, and so on and so forth. James ended up switching with a tall, athletically-built Ravenclaw girl who he recognized as one of the Quidditch beaters for their team.
Skirts and trousers were all tossed in the air, thrown over the high dividers to be swapped and soon enough, they all stepped out at the same time and shouts and laughs filled the room, likely shattering any of the silencing spells they had cast.
Sirius strutted out of his room in his very short skirt and collared shirt tied high up on his waist and James didn’t couldn’t tell if he was even wearing anything under his skirt. Remus stepped out then, his shorts so short that his pants peeked out and Sirius’ eyes almost bulged out of his skull.
On the other hand, Lily stepped out of hers, the trousers hugging her figure perfectly. Her shirt was left untucked and the first half of the buttons undone, her red and gold tie simply hung around her neck untied.
She looked like every Hogwarts’ first-year dream and everyone certainly agreed as they showered her with praise.
When Regulus stepped out, James grinned but was met with an outstretched hand. James knew he was secretly loving this and was only trying to deny it to keep up his ‘cool’ attitude.
Once everyone had swapped clothes and protection charms were applied, it was time to accessorise.
The girls pulled out large packs full to the brim with makeup and jewellery and set to work on each of the boys.
Lily settled with Remus, colouring his eyes with green eyeshadow and that caused his golden eyes to pop and lined his lips with a deep maroon colour that complimented his tie and skirt.
Marlene on the other hand was going mad with Barty. She had already dyed his hair a platinum blonde colour. It had gone so well that James had to double check to make sure a Malfoy hadn’t wandered in at some point.
She was lining his eyes dramatically with eyeliner, veering away from the makeup world and leaning into artistry. She drew thin swirling lines up on his eyelids before dipping down and creating shapes on his cheekbone. She did the same on the other side, creating the illusion of symmetry. She painted his lips with a deep red colour and the entire combination was so striking James thought he should go straight to a modelling agency after this.
Evan’s hair was purple, Sirius’ was a deep red, Dorcas’ was pink, and each and every single one of them looked amazing.
No student was allowed to have ‘unnaturally’ coloured hair nor should it be ‘unkempt’ and it was so outlandish, that it seemed doing the exact opposite of that was the only logical route.
Dorcas fitted Sirius with long and dangly earrings while he gave her his favourite silver pair.
Alice fitted Frank with an array of rings and at some point Remus had received a stack of gold necklaces that dipped down past his collar.
When he finally caught sight of Regulus again, he was sitting in the chair next to him, serving as Marlene’s new canvas as she drew on his face. She was more reserved with him but she brought out his mercury-coloured eyes and highlighted his sharp features making him appear as though he was crafted from marble.
He himself had also been transformed. His hair was curled with Mary’s heated wand and pinned back in various spots. His lips were sticky with a clear gloss and his cheeks glowed a rosy pink to match his sparkly eyeshadow.
He was also wearing a pair of circular earrings and each of his fingers was painted a different colour.
Soon thereafter, the wild activity quieted down and everyone took a moment to admire and appreciate each other.
Of course not everyone felt the same desire to wear the other uniform as others did. James didn’t necessarily feel compelled to wear the skirts and nor did Peter. At the same time, Mary didn’t have any qualms with the skirts and wore them without question.
It all went back to comfort and autonomy.
It shouldn’t matter what someone wore because it doesn’t change who they are.
“Let’s go out there and show those old fuckers what we’re about,” Barty grinned cheesily, looping his arm around Evan and kicking the door open before marching out.
After the last touches were applied, everyone slowly filtered out of the room, the next phase of their plan coming into action.
_____
At first, it was just Sirius who walked into the Great Hall, keeping a casual pace and acting as normal as possible, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
As they all peeked from the edges of the doors, they saw everyone’s head turn at his entry, taking in the very short skirt, stacks of jewellery, and dyed hair. From the back he wasn’t even sure if he’d recognize him as his best friend.
Next was Remus, who followed in Sirius’ footsteps, sitting down and making a show of trying to figure out what he should put on his toast on this fine morning.
Instantly, Sprout came over, robes billowing behind her and a small hat sitting at attention on her head.
“Boys,” she greeted tersely. She was generally a very kind woman who didn’t care much what the students did outside of the greenhouses but their look was entirely out of bounds and she likely would have gotten in trouble herself had she not said anything. That theory was only further supported as James saw all the other professors lined up at the Head table, watching with intent alight in their eyes.
“While I see you have had a bit of a makeover, you know as well as I that you are both out of proper uniform.”
“Are we? I hadn’t noticed,” Remus quipped, simply crossing one leg over the other and letting his hand hover over the jar of spreads. Circling his fingers like a bird searching for prey before diving and picking up butter, a classic choice.
Sprout looked like she was going to continue but then Dorcas walked in with Marlene, levelling her with a kiss before separating and walking to the Slytherin table, instantly multiplying where the professors needed to keep their attention.
“Miss McKinnon!” Sprout spluttered then, eyes darting between the two girls.
“Professor Sprout, lovely to see you this morning, how are the mandrakes doing?” Marlene asked sweetly.
“Oh dear they’re doing quite well I actually-” she caught herself, jumping on her toes for a bit before pointing, “You can’t wiggle yourself out of this one.”
“Can’t I?” she pouted before joining Sirius and Remus.
Then Barty and Evan walked in, their looks so extreme that Sprout deemed it above her level of expertise that she just went back to her table. The Head Table broke out into aggressive whispers over what to do but the students just acted like they couldn’t hear them.
The other students watched in morbid fascination as their group tore down generations of archaic gender norms and horrific uniforms.
They went on in pairs then, Pete with Sonya, a Ravenclaw girl, James with Regulus, Frank with Alice, until they were all out.
All around the room, professors were in arguments with students in their own house.
Flitwick was bargaining with the Ravenclaws, McGonagall just staring at the Gryffindors, dumbfounded at what to do, and Slughorn just gesticulating wildly with the Slytherins who barely even spared him a second look.
“I’m not sure what you all think you’re doing but it won’t work,” Slughorn announced and with his wand, he made a wide arc in the air, likely attempting to catch them with the shouting pin.
They materialised in the air around him but once they fell onto the students, they simply slid off the shimmering cloak that enveloped each and every one of them.
The other professors gaped and when James looked over at Flitwick, he saw that the Professor had taken to asking which of his students had done it and how, a sneaking smile pulling at the edges of his lips.
McGonagall was still staring at them with an air of shock.
“You- How- I-,” she took a deep breath, steadying herself, “What is it that you all aim to accomplish here?” she finally asked, looking exasperated and in need of some strong coffee.
“Professor, with all due respect, the current dress code is absolute shite and needs to be changed. I mean, why can’t the girls wear trousers or the boys skirts, what does it change?” Marlene asked, imploring the professor to understand her.
Mary jumped in then, “We’ve considered this from every angle. When you take into account the screaming pins and the big black robes, it just takes away from time that we could spend focusing on class and embarrassing students more than they ever would have been if we just let them be!”
“If the rule was against looking too good, maybe then I’d understand but the rules do nothing except put us down,” Sirius offered, making eye contact with his head of house and doing his best to show her that their feelings were genuine.
She sighed deeply, “We can’t just change the entire structure of the school in a single morning and look at the lot of you, jewellery spilling behind you and hair way too dyed to be natural, we can’t just allow that or else the rules have no meaning at all.”
“But why not!” James asked, “And the rest of it was just to grab your attention so to speak, though I do like the lip gloss. Sorry, I just mean to say that all we ask is to wear what we want, what we feel comfortable with.”
“The other professors will never agree to this,” she replied finally and James could see her softening to the idea, entertaining the possibility of it.
“That’s why we need your help,” Lily urged.
A symphony of popping noises interrupted their conversation and their eyes were drawn to the Slytherin tables.
A huddle of elves were currently chasing Barty and Evan around the long tables with swaths of black robes in hand. Regulus on the other hand kept charming comically large sunglasses to drop onto their pointed noses, blurring their vision and causing them to slow down, giving the other boys a head start.
Flitwick was deep in conversation with his students though it appears he’s forgotten all about the outfits and was now discussing magical theory with them, using today’s revolution as a chance for an impromptu lesson.
Slughorn had taken to discussing matters with Kettleburn who just shook their head, clearly having given up or just not really caring, taking a Sprout-focused point of view that if it didn’t interfere with their class, they couldn’t care.
The hall was full to the brim as not only the usual group of students showed up to breakfast but everyone else as students ran back to their houses, grabbing their friends and forcing them to come back to see what was going on.
Word spreads fast in Hogwarts and today was proof as each and every seat was filled up, making it look like the first day of term all over again.
Students were cheering on each other, more people showing signs of support than not and it was clear the professors were beginning to give up to the masses.
Finally, towards the end of breakfast, Dumbledore walked in and soon the entire Hall fell into a hush as he took in this morning’s sight.
He walked at a leisurely pace before taking his seat at the Table and scooping a heavy portion of eggs onto his plate.
He began taking idle bites as the professors around him began to fill him in on what was happening and everyone resumed their roles.
“Professor McGonagall please ,” Alice begged, tightly clasping her hand around Marlene’s.
The woman looked torn as she looked around and then back at her students and without another word, she turned and left, walking up to the Head Table.
“No,” Marlene whispered, her hope escaping her and causing her to deflate.
“What’s that mean?” Sirius asked, nervously worrying his lip and looking around at them.
“It means she doesn’t care,” Remus replied, pushing his plate away from him and losing his appetite entirely.
James watched with dismay as his friends slowly gave up and when he turned to the Slytherin table, all previous mischief was gone and they took to directly arguing with Professor Slughorn and now, Madam Pince who had joined the fray. Their faces were constructed with stress and pleading and James saw smudges along Barty’s eyes, as if he had cried from the sheer emotion of the situation.
Suddenly, the sound of a chair scraping against the stone floor beneath them was audible and everyone looked up with bated breath as Dumbledore stood up from the table and took his spot behind the raised podium, a spot usually only reserved for announcements or speeches.
“It has come to my attention that certain students are upset with the rules we have in place at Hogwarts, specifically when it comes to the dress code.”
It was so silent in the hall that James felt like if he even breathed too loud, he would shatter the fragile hope that everyone held.
“These rules were set in place by our Founders in the 10th century and we have followed them dutifully since then, trusting them with our legacy and our future. Never have we strayed from them and their rules have proven effective as Hogwarts is still running today as the primary school for Wizarding Britain. It saddens me to see the students of today acting in such a manner.”
His words were sharp, piercing each and every one of them, wiping away all traces of joy they felt this morning.
He was guilt tripping them, making them feel like they were some sort of disappointment for caring about what they believed in and James just wanted to cover his ears, to block out whatever else he had to say but he just stayed frozen, watching on in horror.
“It saddens me because I did not realise that this is what it had to take for you all to gain our attention.”
The air in the room changed then and James was hanging on to each and every word, hoping they could drag him out of the deep hole he was slowly falling into.
“Just as quick as we are to follow the rules, it is important to know when to mend them as well. Hogwarts is a safe haven for many, a place where students are to spend their formative years, building friendships alongside learning and celebrating magic. A place where we are able to prepare our youth for the future so that they are free to do whatever they may choose. Never would I want Hogwarts to be an institution in which students feel unheard or uncomfortable and it is evident that for many of you, this is how you felt.”
James was sure that he had simply stopped breathing at this point.
“Starting from today, the dress codes will be amended so that students may feel comfortable to wear what they want and not what they have to. While the clothing will remain the same, they will not be confined to a single gender and students are free to wear what they like. In other words, boys, enjoy your skirts, and ladies, your trousers.”
Cheers and applause broke out around the hall- so loud that the tables were practically vibrating.
There were a few groans and noises of protest but they were easily drowned out as the entire student body celebrated the change.
All the Gryffindors roared as they stood up, embracing each other and laughing wildly at their success. Soon enough the students from all the other houses joined them, crowding the space and enjoying this major boone.
Then James felt his feet leave the ground as Remus and Sirius took to either side of him and hoisted him up onto their shoulders, shouting that it was he who should be celebrated.
Well really, they each deserved a minute in the spotlight.
Each and every one of his friends had their own story to tell with the dress codes, had fought with themselves and then professors about how they wanted to present themselves and while James had gotten them all together, it never would have been possible without them.
McGonagall finally came over and levelled them with a look, “I hope you hadn’t entirely lost faith in me yet.”
“Never Minnie, now bring it in,” Sirius grinned, pulling her in for a hug, a move he would’ve dared to make on a normal day.
She hugged him for a moment before swatting his arm and forcing him to let go.
Dumbledore had one last message then, “It is clear that today’s energy is a touch infectious so all classes today will be cancelled and resumed tomorrow. Enjoy this day and celebrate your individual power for it will carry you all far into the future.”
They spent the rest of the day doing just that- enjoying it.
______
The following days and weeks after that were business as usual, except now Marlene didn’t have to come to the table, disgruntled at one of the professors for catching her. Evan didn’t have to take off his nail lacquer and Remus could wear eyeliner.
While the world wasn’t perfect and problems arose everyday, they could face them knowing that they could feel a touch more comfortable navigating it in the way they chose, not in the way they had to.
“What do you think we should change next?” James whispered to Regulus once as they sat next to each other up on the Astronomy tower, gazing up at the clear night sky, the stars twinkling above them.
“Hmm,” Regulus hummed, his thumb tracing idle patterns on James’ hand, “The world? That shouldn’t be too hard I think.”
“I changed you didn’t I?” James smiled, turning Regulus' head with his fingers so that they were looking at each other now.
“You’re horrible,” Regulus tutted but gave in to James entirely, pulling him in for a soft kiss.
“Ugh can you do this somewhere else, you’re disgusting,” Sirius groaned from where he was standing across from them, staring into a telescope and trying to map out the stars for his Astronomy homework.
Regulus looked up at his brother and then made a noise somewhere between shock and disgust, “Ew Sirius, if you’re going to wear a skirt at least wear pants, no one needs to be seeing all that.”
“I beg to differ,” Remus said slyly and James and Regulus ran out the door to the Astronomy Tower before they were subjected to that traumatising sight though the mere thought was enough to make them both cringe.
Down and down the steps they went, each step a bit lighter as long as their hands remained clasped and hearts beating in tandem.
Maybe one day he’d change the world or maybe he’d lead a perfectly ordinary life.
He wasn’t quite sure but that was okay because all that mattered was the boy running alongside him, his laughter echoing in James’ ear and thrumming in his soul.