Chapter 5
September 20, 1975
Sirius
Sirius’ legs are bouncing as he waits for James to return from his evening fly. They’ve had to squeeze more Quidditch practices into their schedule (Sirius skips them all; he’s already brilliant) after James spent almost two weeks in detention due to that incident with theft. James hasn’t yet told Sirius as for why he would even consider doing something that reckless but he won’t push, though secretly he is dying to know what had really happened.
The door opens and Peter comes in, a sandwich from the dinner on a plate in his hands.
‘Is James coming? We’re running late if he doesn’t show up soon.’
‘He is coming. I don’t know what’s taking him so long, he was supposed to be back half an hour ago,’ Sirius says nervously. He isn’t getting himself in trouble again, is he?
‘Please don’t tell me he decided to break into Dumbledore’s office this time,’ Peter says, taking a bite of his sandwich.
‘Ha ha, Wormy, very funny.’
‘I’m not joking, Pads. He’s our best mate but you have to agree that his decisions sometimes are very questionable. What if he’s running an underground thieves club?’ Peter raises an eyebrow.
‘I guess you’ll never know that, Wormtail, because the club is underground for a reason,’ James smirks as he enters the dorm, taking the uniform bag off of his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry for being late, lads, I wanted to practice some new tricks. Lost track of time,’ he says apologetically.
‘’s okay, Prongs,’ Peter shrugs his shoulders.
‘’s not okay, Prongs,’ Sirius protests. ‘You can’t be careless when it comes to the full moon.’
‘I said I’m sorry, Pads, and we still have enough time to get to the shack,’ James replies.
‘Hurry, then,’ Sirius throws, leaving their dorm.
He doesn’t bother waiting for James to put his invisibility cloak over them, too excited for what’s about to come. Sirius feels bad looking forward to full moons, because he can only imagine how painful the whole transformation process must be for Remus, but Padfoot enjoys playing with the wolf, and Sirius just can’t help the rush of adrenaline in his veins as he runs to the Whomping Willow, Peter and James following him.
Sirius remembers how he first saw fresh scars on Remus’ face after he went home for a couple of days in mid-December in their first year, thinking his parents had hurt him for misbehaving. At least that’s what would happen to Sirius when he broke any rules at home, though Walburga and Orion never left any marks on the parts of his body which couldn’t be covered with clothes. He thought it was too cruel of Remus’ parents to punish their son like that, making the wounds across his face visible for all to see.
In less than three weeks after Christmas break, however, Remus fell sick for the fifth time that year, and Sirius felt like something was wrong. He knew that some kids would get ill more often than others, but something wasn’t adding up. He shared his concerns with Peter and James, and the three of them started their research on the possible reasons behind Remus’ absence in classes and his wounds.
Consequently, it was in the middle of January 1972 that Sirius and his best mates figured that Remus’ monthly illness and injuries were due to him being a werewolf, all thanks to James finally pointing out that Remus would be absent on the days of full moon. Sirius was partly relieved that although Remus struggled with being a werewolf, at least he might have had loving parents taking care of him after full moons at home, as the scars on his face now seemed to be due to self-injury and not because of child abuse.
Sirius, James, and Peter decided then that they wanted to help Remus, but they had no idea how. And even if they did find out something that could be helpful, they still didn’t know the place where Remus was kept during his transformations. Peter suggested he might have been kept in a cage like those the Ministry provided somewhere in the dungeons, but neither Sirius nor James considered that option. If professor Dumbledore were aware of Remus’ lycanthropy, they were sure he wouldn’t lock one of his students in a cage. Remus must have been kept somewhere else.
The boys spent months reading all the books and articles on werewolves they could find in the Hogwarts library, but it seemed like nothing could be done to lessen Remus’ self-injuries. The lack of progress there was compensated by the progress they had achieved in discovering secret passages within Hogwarts grounds, one of which, they were sure, was leading to Remus’ hideaway.
Finding out that werewolves were dangerous to humans only, the unanimous decision was made by the boys to become Animagi, in hopes that a company during full moons would help the wolf feel more free and welcome, causing him to stop hurting himself. It was in October 1974 that Sirius, James, and Peter finally mastered their skills of transforming into a dog, a stag, and a rat, respectively, and the full moon of November 1974 was the first full moon in years when Remus wasn’t injured.
Tonight is the first full moon since the last one in June. Sirius swears he hasn’t been counting days to this day, but if you asked him how much time has passed since Padfoot last played in the forest with the wolf, he would say with no hesitation that it’s been precisely 90 days.
As Sirius, James, and Peter reach the Whomping Willow, Peter wastes no time in turning into a rat and pushing the knot at the base of the tree, letting James and Sirius enter the tunnel and following them through.
They hear the first howl, signaling Sirius and James to transform immediately. In less than a minute a stag, a dog, and a rat enter the shack, and the wolf, smelling familiar scents of his pack, runs towards them, welcoming and growling happily. There’s a whole night ahead of them, and they have lots of catching up to do, so the animals waste no time in leaving the shack and running into the depth of the forest, where they, undoubtedly, will be play-fighting and return before the dawn.
September 23, 1975
James
James is sitting in his Transfiguration class and daydreaming. Professor McGonagall’s explanations on the Bird-Conjuring Charm are interesting but not as interesting as James’ fantasies about winning this Friday’s Quidditch match against Slytherin. This year, he thinks, they have all the chances to beat Slytherin by even more points than last year. They have him and Marlene, and Mary has finally joined them as a beater, much to Sirius’ joy.
He has concerns regarding Marlene, though. She’s incredibly good at her work, better than most, but the only reason she caught the snitch and brought the victory to Gryffindor last year was because Regulus accidentally fell off of his broom, winning McKinnon some extra time to reach the golden sphere. Regulus is extremely good at being a seeker, too, and James doubts he will fall off of his broom again, meaning Marlene will have to try twice as hard to catch the snitch.
James hasn’t seen Regulus much during Slytherin Quidditch practice this month. He’s wondering if something has happened to him, or maybe he simply enjoys training alone. It’s not as if he had to do much of team work anyway. James thinks Regulus was born with a broom in his hands, because he’s a natural when it comes to flying. That’s what makes him so powerful: all he needs to do to win is to follow his instincts without focusing on his surroundings – that’s something no one but him can afford.
Sirius, on the other hand, is very into team work. One couldn’t tell by looking at him that he’s a beater, but what do they say? ‘Never judge a book by its cover?’ That applies to Sirius perfectly. Like Regulus, he was born with the talent of soaring throw the sky. Maybe that’s some Black family magic - James doesn’t really know. Whatever that be, he’s just glad he has Sirius on his team. James tries not to think about how powerful they would be were Regulus their seeker.
He hasn’t forgotten about the incident with the snitch but he has no idea how to actually make Regulus talk about it. James can’t just show up at his dorm and demand explanations, can he? Or should he blackmail him? He doesn’t have anything on the younger boy, though. Maybe James could simply make up a lie? But he’s an awful liar. Why does it have to be so difficult, for Merlin’s sake?
‘Mister Potter, what did I just say?’ McGonagall suddenly appears in front of James, looking at him from behind her glasses.
He looks at Sirius, silently asking for help, but Sirius simply shrugs his shoulders. Peter, paying no attention to anything but his notes at the moment, doesn’t even turn his head to James’ side.
‘Excuse me, Professor? What did you just say?’
‘That’s very nice of you, Potter, to let me assess your prompter skills, but I’d rather you payed more attention in my class. Five points from Gryffindor.’
The classroom fills with whispering and stifled laughter. James sighs and lays his head on Sirius’ shoulder.
‘Sorry, mate, I didn’t listen to her either.’
‘’s okay. By the way, Pads, I was thinking about the match this Friday. I think we need one more extra practice today. Mary’s just joined us, and I want to make sure you cooperate well with her.’
‘I’ll be there.’
‘Good to know, you haven’t shown much enthusiasm in attending extra practices lately.’
Sirius smirks. ‘Well, that’s because I’m already perfect.’
‘Yeah, whatever. Wormy, mind sharing your notes later? I don’t-’ James doesn’t get to finish his sentence because he is interrupted by McGonagall again. Why do people always cut in when he’s in the middle of saying something?
‘I’m sure you’re capable of taking your own notes, Potter. Detention after classes, my office.’
Sirius gently runs his fingers through James’ hair and whispers, ‘I guess no extra practice today.’
James just covers his head with his hands and exhales exasperatedly. The odds haven’t been in his favour lately.
James doesn’t usually skip lunch but today is an exception. He wasn’t in high spirits in the morning but now his mood is completely ruined, and it’s all because of Regulus. James just can’t help thinking about him, and it’s actually getting quite annoying. It's mind-blowing how one simple encounter with your best friend’s brother late at night can affect your life.
James is lying on the sofa in the common room, waiting for Sirius and Peter to get back from lunch and wish him luck. Detentions with Professor McGonagall aren’t usually bad, but considering the latest events today’s detention could be very unpleasant for him. He’s just hoping it won’t affect the Friday’s match, because Professor Hooch made it clear that she won’t tolerate James’ behaviour if he throws something like this again. Technically this time he didn’t, but another misdemeanor won’t benefit him at the slightest.
‘Potter, what are you doing here?’ Lily says as she goes down the stairs from her dorm. James gets déjà vu hearing this question.
‘Hi, Lils, didn’t expect anyone to be here. I’m waiting for Pads and Wormy to take me on my last journey.’
‘You mean detention?’ Lily raises her eyebrow, sitting next to James.
‘Yeah,’ ,James replies as Lily rolls her eyes. ‘What are you doing here, though? I haven’t seen Mary and Marlene get back yet. You lot usually do everything together.’
Lily grimaces and starts picking at her nails. ‘Me and Mary, we had a fight. Don’t want to be around her for now.’
James hesitates whether he should hold Lily’s hand in support or give her a hug but he’s not sure she’ll get the right idea about his intentions. After all, he spent years chasing her and most likely making her feel uncomfortable with all his gestures. Maybe he should refrain from any touching for now.
‘D’you wanna talk about it?’ he asks, trying to sound as genuine and supportive as he can.
‘Not really, but thanks. You know, it’s actually nice to be in your company when you don’t act like a smug asshole,’ Lily smiles.
‘I’m trying my best, Lils,’ James says half-jokingly. ‘I did want to apologise to you for everything, by the way.’
‘It’s about time. Well, I’m all ears,’ Lily crosses her arms and looks at him expectantly.
James sighs, trying to gather his thoughts. There’s so much he wants to say but he has to fit it in just a couple of sentences.
‘I’m sorry for being a prick and violating your personal boundaries, I promise I’ll never do it again. If I do, I’m giving you my permission to punch me, or curse me, or whatever you deem desirable,’ James smiles awkwardly. ‘I should’ve stopped bothering you when you first told me you didn’t want my attention, and I’m sorry I didn’t take you serious. I really want to be your friend, Lils, you’re an incredible person, and I’m sorry for being a dick,’ James finishes and awaits Lily’s reaction.
Lily looks at James as if trying to assess the degree of his sincerity. James has nothing to hide, he’s been meaning to apologise to Lily for ages, and he hopes she can see it in his eyes and feel it in his words. Maybe he should’ve practiced in front of the mirror? Did he sound genuine enough? Did it all look believable?
‘That’s very sweet, James. I’m surprised it took you so long to understand that I never had any intentions of dating you. You’re really not my type,’ Lily lets out a laugh.
‘Ouch, Lils, that hurt.’
Lily shrugs her shoulders. ‘That’s the truth, Potter. And I thought we already are friends, aren’t we?’ she winks.
‘Yeah, sure, we are.’
‘Glad we’re on the same page now,’ Lily tilts her head to lean on the back of the sofa, playing with her hair.
‘Me too,’ James smiles softly, following her movements.
Lily really is gorgeous. Soft red hair, bright green eyes, a sweet smile – she’s everything and so much more. And she’s smart. He likes her sharp language and how she never gives up her own principles. How could he ever mistreat her?
James thinks that Regulus is also beautiful. His hair is a bit darker than Sirius’ and is always curled. He looks like a male model from one of his mom’s muggle magazines, his clothes always perfectly ironed, and he smells so good. The picture of Regulus standing in that dark corridor under the moonlight is imprinted into James’ brain.
He quickly looks away from Lily when he sees Sirius and Peter walk through the portrait, feeling his cheeks turning red. How did he even go from admiring Lily to thinking about Regulus? Merlin, Sirius would probably kill him for this. James keeps convincing himself it’s all because the whole incident was weird and he hasn’t dealt with Regulus yet. There’s no other explanation for James’ recent obsession with his best friend’s brother.
‘So, Prongs, ready for a date with Minnie?’ Sirius smirks, patting James on the shoulder.
‘’Course, Pads. I’m very excited,’ James says emotionless.
‘I’ll give you my notes later if that cheers you up,’ Peter suggests. ‘Unless Minnie decides to give you a private lesson to make sure you memorise the Bird-Conjuring Charm,’ he adds, letting out a laugh.
‘Thanks, Wormy. See you later,’ James throws over his shoulder. ‘Bye, Lils!’
‘Good luck, James!’ four voices reach him as he walks through the portrait, hoping for this day to end as soon as possible.