Prelude
“GUYS! GUYS! WE FUCKING GOT IT!” James shouts even before he swings the door of their dorm wide open, “Guys! Oh my fucking God!” he laughs manically.
“What? What is it?!” Sirius asks excitedly from where he is seated on Remus’ bed, springing forward at James’ arrival. “What did we get?”
“I can’t believe it guys!” James continues, apparently oblivious to his friends’ confusion. So fucking James, Remus thinks. This guy wouldn’t get a sign if it hit him on the head.
“Elaborate?” Remus drawls, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah mate what are you on about?” Peter nods along, his nose still in his comics book, so used to James or Sirius shouting as they enter the room, a common experience when sharing a room with two drama queens. James’ news could very well be that they got new footballs for the school team, with how extreme he is.
“The World Wide Experience Trip. We fucking got in.”
Turns out James wasn’t being dramatic at all.
“WHAT!” Remus shouts from his bed, quickly followed by Sirius who goes even louder.
“YOU’RE KIDDING”
“THERE’S NO WAY” Peter continues, all three of them now staring wide eyed at James with their jaws sitting on the floor. Remus can’t even let himself believe it could be true: they’d submitted their names for the experience when McGonagall asked on a whim, just to be able to say ‘at least we tried’ when the names of those going would get announced two weeks later.
And now, two weeks later, James is waving a paper that Remus hadn’t seen was in his hand before while grinning like a madman, “Minnie’s just told me. We’re fucking going. All four of us.”
All four of us
No way they got this lucky. Remus grabs the paper from James and stares at it and sure enough, written black ink on white paper is his name underneath Sirius’ and above Peter’s welcoming them to the experience of a lifetime; the World Wide Experience Trip.
Six months, fifteen countries and his three best friends.
Remus stares at the paper unblinking until his eyes start to sting and shakes his head.
“I can’t fucking believe it.” He croaks and moves his eyes up to meet with Sirius’ grey ones.
“Fuck,” Sirius chuckles something breathy, wide eyed, “If even Moony says you’re not spewing bullshit.”
“All four of us?” Peter asks in a small voice, probably sharing Remus’ disbelief. There’s no way they got this lucky; that one of them would go would be incredible already, but all four? This has to be an unmatched level of luck. Not like Remus ever had much of it in his life so far.
“Minnie said she might’ve had some influence on that.” James adds sheepishly, “But yeah, we’re leaving on the first of May. All four of us.”
“A woman after my heart.” Sirius swoons, hand on his heart. His crush on their headmistress will always be funny, Remus thinks as he chuckles.
“She said that we’re to head to London on the 30th of April and the director of the experience will collect us from King’s Cross and get us to a hotel with the rest of the people who got in. And we’ll take the plane to Tokyo on the first.” James recounts and sits on the floor, the shock being too much for him to stand.
Fuck. Guess, they're really going then.
_______________________________
It’s the 30th of April, and they’re exiting the train on King’s Cross station in London. The last day they’ll spend in the UK for six months. Remus feels like he’s going insane: the last two months since they heard that they’d gotten in went by in a frenzy, punctured by plans of what they’ll do in what country, of writing down their bucket lists – even Remus made one after a lot of forcing from James and Sirius – and by both Remus and James’ birthdays. And now, they’re finally meeting with the man who’s supposed to be their guide for the next six months: a battered looking man with long shaggy grey hair, loads of lines on his face and an eye patch, looking every bit like a pirate. Alastor Moody is holding a sign with ‘Potter and his lot’ written on it, which doesn’t make Remus feel insignificant in the slightest. He’s just happy to be here.
“Didn’t know Prongs was a celebrity.” Sirius mutters under his breath, making Remus smile.
Moody eyes them and says with a gruff voice, “You’re McGonagall’s kids right? Let’s get on.” He turns his back on them and walks purposefully across the station.
“Very welcoming man.” Remus remarks in a low voice. Sirius jabs at him with his elbow but Remus can catch a smile on his face.
They follow him out the station and onto a cab, in which trunk they hastily throw their suitcases while Moody barks at them to go faster and that he doesn’t have time to make sure their Harrods luggage aren’t a little rugged. Remus thinks it’s fair, looking at his mum’s old suitcase that she lent him for the trip lying next to Sirius’ and James’ very expensive looking ones. The cab ride isn’t too long and soon enough they’re being hushed into the vast sitting room of a hotel, where a lot of other eighteen-year-olds such as themselves are already waiting. Peter, James, Sirius and Remus stand with their suitcases next to the wall, closest to the door and wait for Moody to start speaking.
“Alright now that every chap is here, let’s get on.” He grumbles and looks at the room that’s filled with about thirty teenagers, including themselves. “We’re leaving for Japan tonight, flight’s at one am, so we’re leaving for the airport in an hour. We have fifteen countries to visit and only six months to do so, so we’re staying ten days in each country. Pair up already, no girl and boy pairs, and you’ll keep those pairs for the next six months for the sleeping arrangements. You’re all eighteen or getting there, so I count on you to not treat me or my two helpers, Fab and Gid like we’re your mums. There’s thirty of you, from six different posh schools and only three of us to supervise, so behave yourselves”
“Helpers.” One of the two identical tall ginger blokes scoffs.
“There’s just three rules here,” Moody continues, ignoring his coworker’s comment, “One, don’t be a pain. You eat what we give you, you walk when we tell you to and you’re respectful to everyone. Two, nothing illegal. No drugs, no killing, and no stealing. Or if you do, don’t let me catch you. And third, don’t die. The paperwork’s a bitch.” He says, putting a warm atmosphere on the group, “If you’re smart, take a lot of pictures and notes to help the writing of your thesis in the end of the trip. Or, you, know, don’t and die under a bridge. Don’t matter to me.” He ends his speech like that, letting a cold vibe fall upon the room. Remus vaguely wonders if they’re going to do anything that might lead them to an early death, but dismisses it. Minnie wouldn’t let that happen to them, would she?
“So… he’s nice?” James smiles crookedly.
“The nicest.” Sirius snorts.
“Are we actually going to be in near death situations?” Peter scratches the side of his head, apparently reading Remus’ thoughts.
“Minnie wouldn’t have helped us get in if we were.” Remus muses.
“Oi back off, she’s my woman.” Sirius frowns, making James laugh.
“We know Pads, we know. So, sleeping arrangements?” James asks. “I don’t mind sharing with any of you.” He shrugs.
“I mind.” Remus says immediately. Anything but sleeping even closer to the fucking chainsaw James is at night than he does back at Howgin’s. “It sounds like the school is crumbling down every time you snore.”
“I agree with him.” Peter nods, “Your snores are horrendous.”
Sirius scoffs, “Please. As if you’re not just as bad. No, I’m bunking with Moony. You two chainsaws can share.” He goes to stand right next to Remus and links their arms together and Remus can feel his stomach dropping. No. Anything but that. He’d take James The Chainsaw a thousand times before having to share a bed with perfect, godlike Sirius Black for six whole months. He feels his gut twisting and begs to the sky above for one thing: single beds.
Remus swallows and realises that perhaps he should talk, as to not look like the idea of sharing a room alone with him for months on end doesn’t sound like a death sentence to him. “Guess we’re sharing then.” He tempts for a smile that he’s sure looks crooked and feels immensely relieved when one of the twins shouts across the room.
“Get in groups of four for the cab rides to the airport. And get some food, we’ve got about fourteen hours in that plane.”