Ephemeral

Remus loved this picture of them. It was a little blurry. When Peter took it he was shaking his laughter, his stomach burned with ache for hours after. Mr and mrs Black had not found it quite so funny.


* The proud boys next to their boat *



Professor Byrnes, Hogwarts’ charms teacher had for the past few years been hosting the annual Hogwarts boat race. It was created, by the teacher, to encourage students to properly learn some practical charms in their spare time. 

Remus convinced the other boys in their dorm to compete in the race after his professor had mentioned it. Just as the class started packing up, Professor Byrnes announced, “One moment before you all head off. As some of you know, the annual boat race is coming up next Friday, so I implore you all to start working on your boats as soon as possible. Thank you all, enjoy your evening”.


The rules were very simple:
- Your boat may be crafted from any appropriate material you can procure.

- Boats may be held together with the permanent sticking charm.

- 2 minimum, 4 maximum to a boat.

-You must not receive help from any student or teacher not participating within your group.


- You must only compete in your league.

-You may use any water protecting charm at your disposal.


-You may enlarge or shrink your boat to between 5 feet and 14 feet in length.


-You must not tamper with the boats of other teams.

That very night, the boys: James, Sirius, Peter, Derek and Remus started crafting their boat. First the base, Sirius had suggested transfiguring his empty trunk and then enlarging it to fit all five boys. Peter and Derek had studied some boats from previous years and noticed many of their boats weren’t boats at all, but just platforms, so they wanted to create a wooden raft. This, of course, started an unnecessary squabble between the two, quickly resolved by James. They decided to have separate boats in the end. James, Sirius and Remus in one. Peter and Derek on the other. Remus wasn’t particularly happy with the arrangement. They were supposed to be a team but everyone just sort of did as James told them, so he let it go fairly quickly. 

Sirius’ case was a thick oak covered with stony, grey canvas and black, leather-edged. The inside was emerald green velvet, S.O.B was stitched with silver thread on the inside. Remus opened the case and, puzzled, mumbled “son of a bitch?”.
“SON OF A BITCH!” James repeated, before everyone, including Sirius, dissolved into fits of laughter.

“It’s a shame I am.” Sirius whispered under his breath after the room recovered itself.

James began unscrewing the hinges with a screwdriver sent in a kit by post, from Mr Potter. The owl had come the same day James sent a letter to his parents briefly mentioning the race. He never had to ask for anything. The potters always spoiled their son. Meanwhile, Remus and Sirius travelled down to the library to locate spells some more complex than the standard published first year charms book. Unfortunately, it seemed that every other student had the exact same idea and there was nothing worthwhile to borrow. Upstairs, James had removed the lid of the case and was waiting, lounged, on his bed for the others to return. 

“Nothing, absolutely nothing there”, Sirius complained as they returned through the dorm’s entrance. 

“We’ll think of something alright. In the meantime, we need to prepare the boat for transfiguring.” Remus soothed.

“I actually have something for that”, Sirius immediately piped up and raced across the room to his side table. James bolted between their beds to kneel over Sirius’ drawers. Sirius pulled out a dark, wooden box similar to the one which encased his wand in the night. However, this one was a little shorter and fatter. He removed the lid, discarding it behind him. James quickly placed it neatly on top of the cabinet. The mysterious item was wrapped in paisley patterned silk. Sirius gently unwrapped the cloth to reveal a gorgeous silver dagger. The grip was two serpents intertwined and the blade was only short, but it was extremely sharp. The quillions were lovely dragon wings, so detailed even the veins were visible. Sirius slid the wrapping along the blade, staring at it intently. When the dust was removed, it glinted in the light. Sirius caught his own eyeline in the reflection, his deep gaze caught him off guard. He suddenly felt attached to the knife. Startled by the sensation, he began to breathe heavily. He rolled the weapon between his fingers still fixed on the object. He smiled and spoke, “Godric Gyffindor wasn’t the only with a shiny peice of metal"

"Is that?" James began

But he was soon interrupted, “Salzar syltherin’s. Yes, he left it to his nephew and it was either sold, stolen or bestowed upon my great-great grandfather. It trickled down to me. I must admit my father was glad to see it go, for the life of me I don’t know why.”

Remus reached out to touch it but, without even looking, Sirius swiftly moved it in the other direction, “No.” He spoke harshly and Remus hurriedly retracted. Sirius got up, spun on his heel and slid his knife under the fabric in his trunk. The stitches made a satisfying sound as each stitch popped one by one. In just over five minutes, the velvet had been removed. The boys had never seen Sirius work so controlled and diligently. After completion, he just sat on his duvet staring hard into the blade, as he could see something other than himself within it. Remus had thought he looked entranced, his eyes remained glazed over and unfocused until James slowly placed a hand on his shoulder while Remus pried it from his fingers and placed it back in the box. Putting it away, he felt as if he’d just had his heartbeat ripped from his chest. Remus felt cold. In a split second, something had breathed life back into him. He could: see, smell, taste, feel everything around him and he heard James.

“Sirius, are you alright?” James interrogated with panic. He gripped either side of his friend’s head, trying to get eye contact. He was elated to be reciprocated. James suggested an early night and Remus concurred.

Nobody mentioned the dagger for the rest of the year.

The next morning was a fresh start for the group and by the time Sirius had rolled out of bed, James and Remus had already begun to transfigure their ‘vessel’, as James called it. James had managed a simple row boat but he wasn’t happy with the results until they were back to square one.

“It’s just not good enough for us. I know I can do better, but give me some time.”


“You’re too right James!” Sirius yelled from the bathroom, “If I don’t feel like Cleopatra gliding down the Nile, then I don’t want it”, he announced, strutting out of their bathroom with just a towel around his waist. James laughed and felt the tension within him disperse. Remus and Sirius stood aligned with him waiting.

He lifted his wand and took his breath. He released it slowly while enunciating the incantation carefully. James was by a mile the most gifted at transfiguration, but this was incredibly difficult. In a moment, the boat took shape into a glorious little barge.
 James remained with his eyes scrunched up.

“Look what you’ve done!” Remus shouted.

“I know I’m sorry I wasn’t focussed. It was supposed to be a Viking ship.” James sulked, his head lowered.


“No, no, it’s brilliant, it’s more than brilliant. It’s perfect.” Remus managed to assure him this was exactly what they needed. James allowed himself to smile, but inside, he was still disappointed he’d become so distracted. 

Sirius was, of course, thrilled with the craft and talked of nothing but the hieroglyphics they were going to paint on the side. He galloped across to his books and tomes and tapped his fingers along the spines, whispering until one jutted out of the shelf ‘Egyptology: Life along the Nile’.

“How did you do that?” Remus questioned.

“ It's just something I learned at my house. If I call it, it comes to me.” Sirius responded. “Well, sometimes anyway.”

“Yeah but your wand is in your trousers”, James chuckled.

“I guess non-verbal has always intrigued me”, Sirius smirked back.


“You bastard”, James laughed. “You could have told me!”


“Well, I’m not very good at it yet, it only works with simple spells. I'm still practicing for now.” James and Sirius were both very gifted wizards they excelled at every opportunity.

The book was now in Sirius’ hands and he rifled through the pages. “Okay, first I need to find her name, then I’ll attempt a translation”. Remus watched amazed as Sirius worked searching through the book. It was like a puzzle, a code to crack. Seamlessly, he started to string together the characters. “Okay James, write this down, I think I’ve translated it.”. James obliged.

“Right: Hill, lion, feather, lasso, stool, maybe write slash stand. That one is a little unclear. Vulture, loaf, mouth and finally vulture again”

A few minutes of double checking confirmed the Hieroglyphics Sirius had chosen. Next, it was time for painting. James promised the others he would handle it.

Remus woke up startled in the night with the odd sensation of someone watching over him. “James you puff, what are you doing on top of me?”. Remus had a second surprise when he noticed Sirius next to him giddy with excitement.


“Calm down Remus”, James whispered.

“Yeah, you’re going to get us caught”, Sirius agreed.

“I’m sorry, but I was a little started when I woke up to you ugly mugs staring at me”

“I might be a mug, but I am most definitely not ugly”, Sirius argued.

“If you two could stop flirting, then I have something to show you”, James rolled his eyes when Remus shoved Sirius off the bed. They tiptoed over to James's corner, careful not to wake up the other boys. James smirked before quietly opening the latches on his trunk and pulling out what Remus presumed to be thin air. James lifted it over him and Sirius loudly gasped.

“You’re not the only one keeping secrets, I see. You little git. Where did you get that?”

“My dad, of course, and keep your voice down.”


“I’m sorry, am I missing something? Where is James? How are you so calm right now?” Remus was panicking.


“My father would do anything, and I mean anything, for that.”Remus knew Sirius meant what he said from what he had seen. Mr Black owned some incredibly rare and dangerous artefacts.

James had planned an entire operation to break into Madam Hooch's office and procure a set of colourful paintings. Remus feared the cloak. Despite trying it on several times, he refused to leave the room, so James and Sirius set off alone. They returned with five small tins of paint: black, blue, red, yellow and white. Remus wanted to start right away but the others were too tired, so he worked alone, by candlelight. Remus liked painting and sketching and colouring, anything of the sort. By dawn there was nothing left to do but outline.

  The launch was approaching. It was sunrise, the day of the race, and everything was ready to go. The boat had been painted, scrubbed with James’ broom polish. Remus was best at charms. He performed ‘reducio’ so that the three boys could heave the wooden structure out of their room and through the castle. Then ‘engorgio’ to expand its barge to the proper size once it could be concealed on the boat house. James unpacked his book bag in readiness for the team’s surprise. After the first year final exams, the summer heat had begun to creep in. The all the older years sat on the grass outside near the black lake, buzzing with anticipation. Mcgonagall was announcing the line up and each boat came out in procession. There were periodic rounds of applause and then a quiet lull when the Gryffindor head of house paused before announcing the next craft. “Queen of the Nile” she uttered, confused.

The ‘Cleopatra’ soundtrack album began blaring out of the speakers and the boat suddenly burst forth from its hide away. Remus and James stood in wraps made of cut white cloth and intricate beaded collars. Palm leaves disguised real surprise behind them. Sirius lay draped over a red fainting couch. He was dressed in a golden gown with beads hanging off the ends of his long curls. He had thick eyeliner stolen from his cousin, Bellatrix. He was covered in necklaces and bracelets and rings and anklets. He wore a wonderful beaded headdress. Sirius looked beautiful.

Everyone watched in shock and awe as the Sirius Orion Black, heir to the ancient and most noble house of black, drifted across the lake in style.

They did not win, not even close. It was actually Lily Evans, Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon. The three were an inseparable force to be reckoned with, especially when Lily set her mind to something (like competing against James). But nonetheless, the whole house cheered for them as though they had won.