Deja Vu
There was a fatal flaw in Sirius' plan, one that presented itself a few days later. James had taken Sirius' most expert advice and had written back to Lily proposing the idea of a phone call. She had accepted. But that news only came James’ way the day after Remus had left. Neither James nor Sirius knew how to use a telephone.
After hours of deliberation between the two of them on what on earth they would do, their savior came in the form of Mrs. Potter.
James, being absolutely lost, had told his mother that he needed to know how to use a telephone for a “very important business engagement” and Sirius had barely stifled a laugh.
Business or pleasure?, he thought.
Mrs. Potter promptly told the two boys that she had received an outstandings on all of her NEWTS, including one in muggle studies.
And so, midafternoon, three days after Remus had returned home via floo powder: Sirius, James, and Effy left the house to get to the phone booth down the street.
“Honestly!” Effy scoffed when she stepped in a stubbed out cigarette next to the booth's door. Sirius lowered his head, worried that it might have been his or Remus’. He really didn’t want to Mrs. Potter to know that he smoked.
“Okay, boys, listen up” she said and then divulged into a long and arduous demonstration of how to use a telephone that Sirius only half listened to. James seemed to understand immediately, much to Sirius’ chagrin since he didn’t comprehend what was going on at all. He would have to have Remus explain it to him later.
James demonstrated his new found knowledge flawlessly much to the pride of Effy who ruffled both of the boys’ hair before making her way back to the house. Sirius reached up to fix his hair and was reminded of a portrait at Grimmauld Place that would always threaten to pinch his cheeks.
Sirius shuddered at the reminder. But he was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of James.
“LILY?!?” James yelled into the phone. “LILY, ARE YOU THERE?!?”
Sirius had seen Moony make a bunch of phone calls earlier that week, so he knew that this was incorrect but was also tactless, in his own personal opinion.
“Oi!” Sirius shouted, “No need to shout, mate. I think she can hear you.”
James blushed and looked away, but lowered his voice. Sirius would swear that he heard the words “bloody purebloods” come from the phone.
James was sort of half whispering into the phone and Sirius realized that it may have had something to do with him standing in the doorway. He thought it may be best to give James some space with his lady-love.
Unfortunately for Sirius, Remus was not here to provide cigarettes which would have been the perfect thing to do while James was on the phone for Merlin knew how long. Sirius wandered away a bit, gaining a strange sense of deja-vu.
He kicked some stones, considered turning into Padfoot to chase his own tale, and actually did turn into Padfoot. Over thirty minutes later, Sirius was laying on the grass a few feet away from the phone booth, he always ended up here didn’t he.
James was talking animatedly inside. He looked more cheerful than he had in weeks and this brought up a sense of relief in Sirius. He had done good and had helped James, he had helped not only him but Lily as well. That gave him a little twinge of pride in himself.
James had stopped talking but his lips were slightly upturned at the corners, a look of blessed contentment on his face. That expression seemed to impart itself onto Sirius, seeing people he cared about being in a pleasant mood put him in a pleasant mood himself.
His mind drifted to Moony. The last time he had been in this exact position he had been woken up by Remus. He missed Remus, more so than he had before Remus had visited. It was also like having a little taste of what he wanted had made the craving so much worse. Sirius drifted into his own imagination, a coping skill that he had used at Grimmauld Place when it all became too much. Sirius would never admit it but when it became worse, when his parents started to show more and more of their true colors, when he felt that he was entirely abandoned by his brother, Sirius went back to his memories in the boys dorm at Hogwarts. The highlights of his life so far had been in that room, or in the common room of Gryffindor Tower with his best friends. Playing Quidditch with James, sparring in chess with Peter, and just sitting with Remus.
Remus. Merlin, he missed him a lot. Sirius didn’t know why it was a strange feeling, missing someone you had just seen. He always considered James his other half, his brother. But Remus was just his friend.
Maybe that was it. He didn’t miss James this much when they were apart, but that was because they were essentially family. He missed the simplicity of friendship he had with Remus. And he saw Peter enough for him to be in the same category as James.
Sirius wasn’t tired enough to fall asleep like he had the last time he was in this spot, if anything he was a bit antsy. He also needed something to do, not just in this moment as he waited, but when he returned to the house.
How the hell do I keep getting here. Sirius thought with an even stronger sense of deja-vu than before. If James suggested Quidditch like he always did, Sirius may throw up. He didn’t want to hate the sport by the time school rolled around.
Sirius briefly considered a long walk, but that didn’t sit well with him. Wasting the day well away by walking seemed sacred to him and Remus. And James probably wouldn’t let him get a word in, he would want to jabber on about Lily. Sirius would listen to his best friend, he always would. This put them back where they were weeks before school ended, years before this moment. James would talk, specifically about Lily, and Sirius would listen. All would be as it should be.
But that didn’t solve Sirius’ resurfaced boredom, he supposed he could write letters to Andromeda and Remus like he had two weeks ago. Maybe he could convince James to go with him to some muggle stores, Sirius had always wanted to buy some muggle clothes.
***
James got off the phone moments later and the two boys spent the walk back with James’ voice filling the silence. It seemed the two young lovers would not be falling out of each other’s favor when the new school year began.
Sirius listened and listened and listened, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“I was thinking,” He practically screamed over James, who was going on about a situation with Lily and her sister. They bloody jumped right from the just dating stage to the boyfriend-girlfriend-listen-to-all-of-each-others-problems stage. Sirius thought. “We could go to some muggle shops this week.”
James was nice enough not to comment on being interrupted, “What is Hogsmead not enough for you?”
“We go there all the time.” Sirius said, “Besides, muggle clothes are cooler.”
“Yeah, I guess you would want to look cool in all the detention you’ll be doing next year.”
“Shuddup.” Sirius muttered, “I’m best mates with the Head Boy now so I have a feeling my amount of detentions per month is about to go down significantly.”
“Oi, I intend to be fair and just.” James said.
“And what is your ‘fair and just’ assessment of all the pranks I plan to pull off this year?”
“That you deserve all the detention with Filch that’s coming your way.”
“Tosser.” Sirius laughed, and through an arm around James’ shoulder as they walked back home.