FIRST YEAR - The week before Halloween
Halloween seemed to come out of nowhere for many occupants of the castle that weren't Gryffindor's.
For anyone who entered the Gryffindor tower, you’ve have been aware of the event well over a month in advance. James and Sirius, having not got Remus on bored with their pranking plans yet, had thrown themselves into planning for a grand Halloween party.
One night when James was holding a crying Sirius, a boy who never let his tears show in daylight, had admitted that his birthday was the 3rd of November, James therefore aware of the mixed feelings Sirius likely felt about such a date decided he would throw a Halloween party that was also for Sirius’s birthday. He could then celebrate turning 12 with the excuse of Halloween if the expectations and pressure of his past birthdays crept up on him. The party was planned for Sunday.
James’ plan was proven effective as a week before the party Sirius came the great hall for lunch, his head down and his eyes glaring at the floor.
“I’m expected to have tea with my cousins, on Wednesday.” He spoke into his plate, anger and sadness rippling off him in all directions.
“Will you go?” Peter asked scooping up some butter to add to his bread.
“Don’t have a choice.” The mood of the table seemed to continue dropping each second. James wanted to improve the atmosphere but wasn’t sure how.
“Would it be that bad?” Peter spoke again without putting much thought to it, he was aware of how Sirius had a tendency to be dramatic, so assumed this was just like any other situation Sirius made a big deal of.
James however learned more and more about Sirius almost every night. So far he knew that Sirius’ parents were extremely strict, his father was more of a ghost in the background of his memories, someone he knew had been present in his childhood but couldn’t remember a time when they shared a meaningful encounter. His mother however, was a topic he seemed to head towards whenever James got him to open up, but also a topic he tried everything in him to avoid talking about. His entire body would tense as he tried to force something about her out, knowing and hoping that if he talked about it, it wouldn’t be as bad as his mind had made his childhood out to be.
Walburgh Black, as James already knew was a cold women that loathed muggles and any wizards that defended them, which included James’ own parents. She was a significant figure in the ministry, her husband working there in an influential position that had say over laws and regulation. Sirius would talk about her like a monster under the bed, one who’s mere presence would incinerate any life from a room, the description of which James had a sickly feeling wasn’t an exaggeration.
Then there was another person that Sirius seemed even more reluctant to bring up. If his words started leaning towards them, he’d slam his mouth close and refuse to speak any further for the night. James had picked up on the way Sirius’ eyes would water with a more gentle, sorrowful expression, like he cared for the person, but James also couldn’t be sure, as he had never gotten Sirius to speak of them.
Friday afternoon, as detention with McGonagall came to end, Sirius there for handing in an essay that had clearly been copied from Remus, Remus because she had assumed he had let Sirius copy rather than the truth of which he had stolen the essay when Remus had fallen asleep on the common room couch, Peter because he had simply not done the essay and James because after fining his friends were all giving detention did not want to be left out so made a commotion in class until he was told to join them. The four boys started towards the kitchen’s, James had discovered an entrance mid through the semester when he’d been exploring and had since used the passage to retrieve extra food; when Sirius was hangry, Remus hadn’t eaten, or Peter was in need to relax. His grades not the best, and a nice cup of tea was just the right thing to get him to unwind and stop worrying. Or James just needed someplace to go when he wanted space to unwind, admittedly if he wasn't heading to a particular destination or jogging for fitness, having no objective in his travels made him feel somewhat lonely, his mind without a goal to focus on would take the silence of the castle to ponder thoughts he’d otherwise push to the back of his brain and ignore.
When they reached the kitchen a small but friendly elf came hurrying over, a smile causing their eyes to crinkle in delight, “Master Potter, always a pleasure seeing you, as it is to see you…” the elf said hello to James’ friends before asking what they were after.
Having ordered four cups of tea with extra sugar in James’ and extra strong for Remus’ who had started to get the pained expression on his face the closer to the weekend they got. James leaned against a wall and watched the scene beyond him, an assortment of elves dashing around the room, a sea of movement seeming to travel as one, an organized chaos in a sense.
When Gringo, the elf that had welcomed James to the space returned with the teas’ and extra plates of deserts. James thanked him and said goodbye before they left the kitchen.
His family had never had an elf growing up, James’ mother having preferred to do the housework by hand, with help from James and his father of course. And from what James had heard from other wizards, elves were the help, only there to take orders and do as they were asked, however the elves in the kitchen were always nice to James so he thought it only natural to treat them with respect in return.
Sirius however, couldn’t fathom the way James acted towards them, he stated as much as they started for the common room, “they're just elves,” he was saying, “they enjoy working for wizards and witches, its what they exist for.”
James could agree that all through history there were only every reports of elves being used as helpers for wizards, but it was still a strange concept that they wanted to be slaves.
The portrait to the Gryffindor was in sight when Remus excused himself informing the others that he forgot to pick something up from a professor. James and Peter who had no reason not to believe him said a quick goodbye before whispering the password and heading through the portrait.
Sirius had originally joined them but as soon as the portrait closed behind him, he turned around and exited. He had his own secrets and a past he hated bringing up, he could see that Remus had his own secrets that even if he thought of his dorm mates as his friends, didn’t make him trust them with things such as his past.
Once back into the hall, Sirius found Remus half collapsed on the wall, his arms acting like jelly as he tried to hold himself up.
“Alight Lupin?” Sirius tried to smile to his friend but upon seeing the way Remus’ body tensed at the sight of him, his face crunching in pain as he forced himself to look okay, Sirius’ closed the distance between the two and reached out to help.
At first Remus stumbled away from the contact but the pain in his body was too much that he ended up falling into Sirius like a rag doll. Surprised that Sirius had caught him Remus’ arms relaxed at the relief of pressure he’d been using to keep himself against the wall.
Sirius wrapped a protective arm around Remus’ waist and started towards the hospital wing, he silently concluded that it had probably been where Remus was planning to go in the first place and while he didn’t understand why he’d lied about it, he walked in silence.
Remus who had been waiting for Sirius to bombard him with questions hadn’t said a word until he knocked on the door of the infirmary and was met with Madam Pomfrey
“Remus, my dear,” her voice came out calm, a layer of honey seeming to fill Remus’ ears as she smiled down at him, her voice towards Sirius however had a harsh edge, her face blank aside from the accusation in her eyes, “What happened?”
She hadn’t intended to come off as annoyed as the boys heard it, but Remus didn’t miss the way Sirius’ body straightened when she addressed him. His eyes not moving from her gaze.
“Well, come in.” Madam Pomfrey had noticed Sirius’ change of demeanor but chose not to mention it.
A quick check over Remus, and a smile sent purposefully towards Sirius who had split his attention been Remus who’d all but melted into the bed and analyzing the room, from the tiled floor and matching white walls to the plastic curtains around each of the beds with their ironed sheets. His body had remained rigid and seemed to get more tense when Pomfrey suggested he leave Remus and return to Gryffindor tower.
It was only when Remus requested, eyes closed in pain, that Sirius leave that he did as he was instructed.