James

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1st September 1975
Fifth year starts today. The Hogwarts Express leaves in 2 and a half hours and I am buzzing.
Hogwarts is the greatest place on Earth and going back every year makes me happy, not to mention the fact that 1st September means I see my friends again. I mean, of course I see Pete throughout the summer given we live so close to one another but on September first, I get to see the other two; Sirius and Remus. Or as I like to call them, Padfoot and Moony.
I mean, those are pretty new nicknames, ones that we've come up with for our animagi. We're so close to becoming animagi, I can feel it, this'll be our year to do it.
"James, your tie is still downstairs and so are your robes, please don't leave the house without half of your belongings. Remember last year when your father had to use the floo network straight to Dumbledore's office because you'd left your broom servicing kit by the door?" Mum shouts up the stairs. I groan. I love my mum, more than anything, she's the best woman in my life, but she doesn't half nag.
"Right, yes, course, sorry, Mum" I reply
"You need to stop worrying so much, Effie, James can look after himself" Dad says, half a laugh in his tone. Dad has always been more laid back than Mum. They're good together, they balance each other out. "A bit of mothering never hurt anyone, Monty" Mum shoots back
"No I s'pose not" Dad says, shrugging his shoulders.
I grab my tie and my robes, packing them in my back at the top so they're easy for me to reach when I change on the train.
"So when do we leave?" I ask, far too excited
"We have a good two hours yet" replies Dad, laughing
"How are we getting there this year? Knight bus again?" I ask
"We were thinking of trying aparation again" replies Mum
"Mum you know that makes me feel sick" I retort
"I thought we could try it again, but if you don't feel comfortable with it, dear, then we can get the Knight bus again" says Mum
"I'd rather get the Knight Bus" I reply
"Very well, that's what we'll do" Dad concludes, finalising the discussion.
Eventually, it's time for us to leave. "Are you sure you have everything, James?" Asks Mum for what must be the thousandth time
"I'm sure, Mum" I reply
"Effie, don't worry, I'm sure our boy has everything he needs and if not it's no trouble for us to send it off to him" says Dad
Mum seems to calm at this comment which is good for me so I don't have to be asked again if I have everything.
We stand on the pavement outside of our house and my dad holds his wand out to signal the Knight Bus
"Alright there? 'ow can I help ya? You rode the bus before?" Asks the conductor
"We certainly have, we'd like three tickets to King's Cross" replies Dad
"Goin 'ogwarts are ya mate?" The conductor asks, directing his question at me
"Yep, fifth year" I reply
"Crikey, well that'll be 15 sickles thank you" says the conductor. Dad hands him the money and we board the bus, finding three seats at the back.
I can't keep still, my legs are bouncing with excitement. So close yet so far.
We finally arrive at King's Cross after what felt like the world's longest journey and I've never gotten off the bus quicker. I thank the driver and the conductor before jumping down off the bus and waiting for Mum and Dad who can't help but laugh at my eagerness.
We push through the bustling crowds of muggles who are packing the platforms of King's Cross station until we eventually reach the wall that separates platforms nine and ten.
I grab my luggage trolley from mum and I check to see if anyone is watching. The coast is clear so I take a run at the wall and swiftly pass through.
I'm followed quickly by Mum and Dad who also pass through the barrier.
There she is, waiting there in all her glory; The Hogwarts Express. The train I love so dearly. It takes me to my favourite place after all.
"Alright, Mum, Dad, I love you both" I say, bidding my parents goodbye
"We love you too, son" replies Dad
"Please remember to write to us, we'll see you at Christmas time. We love you, darling" says Mum.
I give them both a hug before rushing onto the train to find my friends.
"Prongs?" My face lights up as I hear the voice of Sirius Black, my best friend. "Sirius!" I exclaim, engulfing him in a hug. "Christ, it's been a long summer" says Sirius
"Tell me about it" I remark
We sit down in a carriage and wait semi-patiently for the others. The next to arrive is Pete. We say hi to him and he sits down next to me, debriefing us on his summer.
It gets to 10:58 and there's still no sign of Remus. We all begin to get a bit nervous. He knows the train leaves at 11, so surely he wouldn't miss it.
As if he were summoned, Remus Lupin finds our carriage car at 10:59
"Jesus, Moony, you're cutting it close!" I exclaim, engulfing him in a hug regardless
"Sorry, Mate, stupid matron was fussin and takin her bloody time" replies Remus
He always comes back after summer with a bit of a cockney accent. We always bully him for it...in a loving way.
Remus stops briefly, staring at Sirius who seems a tad flustered before he sits down next to him.
The train gets going and thus begins our voyage to the start of a new year at Hogwarts, more pranks, more laughs and ultimately; more chaos.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" Asks the trolley witch as she wheels her trolley down the halls of the train.
"Chocolate frog please" says Remus
"Bertie Botts please" says Pete
"I'll take a frog too please" says Sirius
"I'll have a pumpkin pasty please" I say
The trolley witch smiles at us as she hands us our treats and we hand her her money before she carries on down the train.
Eventually it's almost time for us to change into our robes, we all begin to get up when the compartment door opens, revealing Sirius' brother; Regulus Black.
I take no notice of him at first. Why would I? Sirius' family are all tossers, the way they treat him is unforgivable. In all fairness, Regulus isn't too bad but still, I don't make the effort to get on with Sirius' family because they boil my blood.
But then he speaks.
"Sirius, you have my tie" is all he says
But there's something about the soft tone of his voice that makes me turn my head to look at him. Truth is I haven't had many conversations with Regulus so I've never really heard him speak before. But his voice is so...soft and encapsulating. Mesmerising even. If he were to read a story right now I'd sit still and listen, which is rare for me, I never sit still.
"Why would I have your tie, Reg?" Asks Sirius, not even sparing his brother a glance.
He sighs and I watch him look down at his hands. There's something about the way his soft black hair falls into his face that makes me want to just look at him forever.
My mouth feels a bit dry, my heart has seemed to drop into my stomach. It's the same sort of feeling as I usually get when I see...Lily
"Well, I distinctly remember being sorted into Slytherin, and yet at this moment I'm holding a Gryffindor tie" replies Regulus
Sirius looks over at his brother "Christ, Reg, you're already dressed!" Exclaims Sirius.
I take my eyes off of Regulus' face and study him as a whole and notice that he is indeed dressed in his robes.
The crisp white shirt clings to his chest which suits him in the most flattering way. His robes hang down by his side but not in a way that makes him look a pillock. It suits him. He looks...handsome
"Shit, you do have my tie. Sorry, Reg. Here you are" says Sirius, swapping ties with Regulus.
"Thanks" Regulus says bluntly and he turns to go.
But for a moment I could have sworn he stopped and stared in my direction.
We lock eyes for a moment, a split second, but it felt like so much longer. I think I almost see the glimpse of a smile but the moment fades away before I have a chance to analyse it. Regulus walks away, but part of me doesn't want him to.
"You alright, James?" Asks Pete
"Yeah I thought I forgot something but I can't think of it so we're all good" I lie
No one takes any notice of my lie which sends a flood of relief through me. Maybe I stared at Regulus a tad too long, longer than I should have.
Either way no one says anything which works for me.
Once we're all changed into our robes we head back into our compartment and chill for a while, all of us waiting eagerly to see the grand castle in all its glory once more.
"Remus, are you ready?" Asks a feminine voice
I turn again and it's Lily Evans. My heart flutters and my lips involuntarily turn upwards into a smile but the feeling isn't as strong as usual
"Shit yeah I forgot, sorry, Lils" Remus replies gruffly
"Ready for what?" Sirius asks, almost protective of Remus' whereabouts
"Prefect duty" Lily replies in a tone that suggests that we should have known this information, that it should have been obvious.
"I didn't know you were a prefect, Moony" I remark, a grin on my face
"Yeah, got the letter last week, can't wear the badge though" Remus replies
I raise a questioning brow "Why not?" I ask
"The metal it's made of, it erm...irritates me, yunno" replies Remus. Then I understand, it's iron, it'll burn his skin. "Oh, chuck it here, I've got a spell to help with that" I say
Remus seems relieved and nods, he pulls what looks like a small package out of his pocket and chucks it my way. I unwrap it to reveal the prefect badge. I pull my wand out of my back pocket where I'd just put it and mutter a spell under my breath, changing the metal type to steel.
"Should be all good now" I say, throwing him the badge back. He catches it and nods, smiling in my direction.
"Thanks, Prongs" He says "Right, Lils, ready when you are" Remus adds as he turns to face Lily
"You've not said anything to our dear Lily, Prongs" Sirius says as Remus and Lily are about to leave
"Well, Sirius, if you must know I don't fancy my head getting bitten off before we've even gotten to Hogwarts" I reply
"Oh very funny, Potter, I think you've just run out of ways to try and charm me and you've finally given up" Lily states
I hold my hand over my chest in faux shock and heartbreak "Never! I shall never give up on my quest to woo the one and only Lily Evans" I reply
Lily rolls her eyes "Shut up, Potter" she states. However, I can't help but catch the hint of a smile that starts on her face.
Lily and Remus walk away, leaving Me, Pete and Sirius. There's an awkward silence before Pete pats his legs and stands up "I'm gonna go check in with some of my Ravenclaw friends, lads, I'll see you in the Great Hall" says Pete before walking away.
Just me and Sirius now.
I notice Sirius is a lot more anxious than usual. He keeps bouncing his legs and wringing his hands as well as constantly checking around him as though someone might attack him at any given moment. I just know his Mum has been worse this summer.
"You're not going back there, Pads" I say
"What? What're you on about?" Asks Sirius, as though I'd broken him out of a trance
"You're not going back to Grimmuald Place" I state
"I always come to yours for Christmas so you know I won't be back till next summer" replies Sirius
"No, I mean you're not going back ever" I state
"Don't be stupid, Prongs"
"I'm not, we have spare bedrooms, you can move in"
"You can't say that without asking Effie and Monty first"
"Are you joking? Mum and Dad love you like their own, in fact I'm convinced they love you more than they love me"
"Rubbish"
"The point is, is that you're never going back. Look at what she's doing to you, I've never seen you so anxious"
"What about Reg?"
"What about him?"
"You know he gets it too. I can't just leave him there. Do you know how many times I've snuck into his room to clean his wounds after he'd been punished? Do you know how many nights he's crawled into my bed because he's scared to be alone? I can't leave him, James"
"Sirius, if you can look me in the eyes and tell me that any of that happened over the past two summers than I'll think of something else but if these are all examples from when Regulus was younger and you know they don't do that to him anymore then you're moving out of there"
Sirius doesn't meet my eyes. He has nothing to say to me. That's all I needed. "I don't want to abandon him"
"He'll understand"
"What if he doesn't?"
"You need to explain it to him, he's fourteen he's not an imbecile"
"I know you're doing the right thing but just let me think about it? I want to leave there, I'm just worried about Reg"
"I get that, I won't pretend to understand but I can see why you'd worry. Take some time mate, but I really don't want you going back"
"Thank you for looking out for me, mate"
"always"
We regard each other with a smile and spend the rest of the journey in a comfortable silence,
Eventually, the Hogwarts Express pulls up to its stop at Hogwarts and we all start shuffling towards the exit of the train so we can get to the carriages that take you to the castle. I take in the castle with a big smile on my face and head to the carriages.
Let fifth year commence!

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Hello my lovelies!

Surprise! I'm back! (again)
I didn't really ever intend on writing again because I had A Levels before and now I'm at uni and working three jobs so I'm a busy gal but ngl I really missed writing and I missed your guys' comments with your opinions. I just missed it all and I got bored so I've made time for writing again.
Basically I just missed everything and I had this idea so I had to execute it
Hopefully my writing is still as up to standard as it once was!
I hope you all enjoy!

Stay wonderful!
All my love,
Blue <3

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