Ephemeral

He’d barely scratched the surface but his eyes were already beginning to tear up, Remus was so determined not to let the tears spill over. Once the river burst its banks there would be no return.

*James and Sirius cheekily smiling at a fifth year party*


“But McGonagall said no parties until after the quidditch finals”, Peter whispered.

It was 11PM but the sleeping quarters of Gryffindor castle were still echoing with raucous laughter and the high-pitched voices of the Jackson 5 booming through; every gap in the bottom of the door, and every window left ajar, and every tiny crack in the stone walls. The Gryffindor common room was alive. The three restless school boys were not quite sure what the rest of the residents were celebrating, but they knew they were missing something great. Peter had been sticking his pudgy little fingers into his ear for the past hour and a half. He’d never cared much for loud noises. Sirius was constantly moaning because of the ‘monotonous beat’ of the disco music. He made it sound like an insult, like poison in his mouth the word disco. “I wish they’d put on some proper music”.

“Oh shut it will you” Remus retorted.

Sirius was a complete music snob. Everyone knew it, but he would for the rest of his life deny the fact. And James had spent the entire evening feebly convincing the other boys in the dormitory to sneak downstairs to the festivities. He felt only a little defeated as Remus and Derek Feuille the other boys in the room had ignored him entirely, so it was just Sirius and Peter left. “Please Sirius” James begged, “oh come on Peter I know you’re awake!”

“James I'm not getting into trouble on your behalf” Peter complained, hiding under the bedsheets.

“Fine then if you’re too scared I’ll go alone.”

James had known exactly what he’d just done. This became a game to Sirius now, a bet, a fire inside him. Sirius was always trying to prove himself to everyone, including his parents but to them he wanted to prove how he didn’t deserve to be their heir. Sirius immediately prang out of bed threw on a Beatles t shirt. It had a dripping of toothpaste down the front covering Paul’s face. James grinned at the chaos he caused, it turns out he had never even put on pyjamas. He tripped Sirius up as he was pulling up his jeans. Well they weren’t actually his jeans they were James’ pair that were too short on the boy’s tall frame. Sirius swept James’ legs from beneath him and started sprinting out the door. Unfortunately for him James was quick on the chase and raced him down the winding stairs of Gryffindor tower. Eventually, Peter’s persistence faltered and he crept downstairs in pursuit of James Potter.

The common room was decked out with animated banners that spelled happy birthday to a fifth year girl the boys had never encountered before, Jean Wheaver. After a few moments to adjust, this was entirely irrelevant as the three little first years were welcomed with open arms into the occasion. The older boys had slung their arms over James and Sirius while telling them naughty jokes. “I have one, I have one, What do you call a rowdy muggleborn witch?” Rhys Ivanova queried. The answer of which James didn’t find very funny at all but Sirius snorted with laughter and Peter giggled covering his mouth so it must have been okay. James just smiled he couldn’t quite bring himself to laugh and the conversation had been changed so quickly, by Frank Longbottom, that here wasn’t enough time to dwell on it.

The 6th years offered them sips of fire whiskey and some muggle alcohol called vodka that someone had nicked from home. Sirius had been the only one bold enough to taste it, but after his spluttering, he decided that wasn’t so bad. He’d lied saying “well I’ve had it all before I drank my dads fire whiskey all the time at home”. He wasn’t fooling anyone but they all nodded along smirking.

The drunk girls fawned over them, pinching their cheeks and calling them cute. “Aww look as his little curls” the birthday girl said before nearly collapsing on Sirius. He shifted his stance and guided her back to her chair that had been specially designated for the occasion.

One the girls, named Tracey Bodey, made James promise to never grow up like the filthy boys in their year. “James Jamess Jamesss you’ve got ta pinky promiss otherwise it dossent caunt”. She’d somehow managed to string together.

“Okay. Alright, I promise I’ll never grow up”, he replied.

“Now you caant ever get old”, she said, beaming at him. He smiled back sweetly, she then promptly threw up all over the rug and James ran to get water. He felt rather out of his depth but this had been his idea in the first place and the others seemed to be enjoying themselves so it was too early leave.

For the rest of the party the mob stood swaying and singing loudly, completely out of tune. It was difficult to call it singing really, just shouting was more fitting. Graham Gilly had even permitted Sirius to play one of his records. He bolted upstairs to snatch ‘KINKS’ from this trunk. All the party goers made a symphony of groans when they saw him return with the record clasped between his pale fingers, but by the end of ‘You Really Got Me’, all the students were thoroughly enjoying themselves again. The birthday girl, Jean Wheaver, spent the closing moments of her party chasing those left behind asking for a photo, ’to remember’ she whined. She snapped a quick one of James and Sirius broadly grinning. And another of Peter was hoisted up in the air by the older lads. That night the boys could not sleep, for they had never felt so full of life. —

Where on earth was the picture of Peter? Remus quickly rifled through but it seemed to have vanished.

Remus had the whole story recalled to him on twelve separate occasions the next day. Most of which were Peter who didn’t let it go for the rest on the year after protesting do heavily beforehand. Remus wished he hadn’t protested, despite how intimidating there trio was, they had invited him after all. The party was meant to have been the best that year as Jean was very popular. Remus didn’t remember seeing her after her owls, although back then people disappeared all the time. Especially as a halfblood it was quite common for people to be on the move.