The Ghosts of the Past (The Marauders' Story)

SIRIUS' FLAT

On the train journey while going back home for Christmas, Sirius said, "Remus, I want to speak to your mother."

James, Sirius and Peter didn't know Hope Lupin well, but they had spoken to her occasionally. It was clear that Remus had inherited his calm, gentle nature from his mother.

"What for?" asked James in astonishment.

"I'm thinking of buying a flat, you know—a Muggle one. Remus' mum is a Muggle. She'll be the best one to give advice, I reckon."

"You are living with us!" said James.

"I know that, mate, and I love your family. But I can't live there forever, can I?"

"I don't see why you couldn't," said James stubbornly.

"What about after we're grown up, then? After you're married—and have children?"

"After you're married too, Padfoot," put in Remus snidely.

"I'm not going to marry, but that's beside the point," said Sirius. "You see, James, I've got to get a place for myself in the end, that's why I thought I should begin the proceedings now."

"All right," said James, rather ungraciously.

"He's not at all far sighted," said Sirius to Remus and Peter regretfully. "He just lives in the present."

But Sirius knew it was one of things—one of many things—he loved best about James.

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By the end of the Christmas holidays, Sirius had bought a flat in a Muggle colony, about two kilometers away from Godric Hollow.

The Marauders had great fun the day Sirius moved in. Of course, he had straightaway invited his three friends to spend the day with him.

So they arranged Sirius' things, which they had brought from James' house with the help of his mother. The flat was not very big; it had only four rooms.

"Don't put the cupboard in that room!" said Sirius when he saw Remus and Peter levitating a cupboard.

"Why not? That room is empty," said James.

"It will remain empty—except for my—MOTORBIKE!" Sirius enlarged his motorbike from his trunk.

"That won't do at all, Padfoot, how d'you suggest we fit in all this stuff into the others rooms alone?" demanded Remus.

They argued and shouted as they always did when they actually settled down to do some work, and by mid afternoon, the house was looking all right.

"We used an awful lot of magic here," said James doubtfully. "Shoudn't we be getting a letter?"

"I took care of it, mate. There's a wizard living just below this flat on the first floor," said Sirius. "You don't reckon I'd actually buy a flat where I couldn't do magic at all?"

Then the Marauders settled down to the task of cooking—which they soon found impossible. After an hour, there was a strong burnt smell pervading the rooms and quite a lot of smoke was streaming out of the windows.

Remus groaned and collapsed on the sofa, admitting that he gave up, which his wiser friends had done twenty minutes ago.

The doorbell rang. Peter opened the door. An elderly looking woman with a kind face looked in.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Mrs. Trott!" said Sirius warmly, standing up.

"There you are, Sirius—are these your friends?"

"Yes, my best friends. Won't you come in?"

"I don't think this house is fit for anyone to come in or stay. You were cooking, I presume?"

"Yes, mam, we were."

"And I suppose you're hungry too. Come over to my flat, all of you, dears."

Mrs. Trott distinctly reminded them of James' mother.

So though their efforts at cooking failed sadly, they didn't go hungry.

In the evening, the Marauders decided to play Exploding Snap, and they made so much noise that all the other inhabitants of the building complained.

As there was only one bed in the flat, two of them had to sleep on the floor. There was another argument over this.

"You're the host, Padfoot, get down!" said James, pushing Sirius off the bed.

"That's a dumb logic!"

The other three shouted him down. In the end they decided to push James off the bed too, with which Sirius enthusiastically agreed.

It was one of the best holidays they had ever had.

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"Why do all elderly women seem to like Sirius so much?" James asked Remus when they were back at Hogwarts.

"You know, I've noticed that too. All of our mothers, and you saw Mrs. Trott—they're all fond of Sirius!" said Remus.

Sirius tried, and failed to look virtuous and modest.

"I guess it's the way he speaks to them," said Remus at last.

"Yeah, sort of grown-up like—"

"And respectful—"

"But not too much—he doesn't overdo it," said James, with a glance at Sirius.

"And haven't you seen, Prongs, almost all the girls in the school fawn on him too!"

"I wonder why," said James. "With looks like that—"

"Don't insult my looks, James," said Sirius at once. "And Moony, I s'pose it's a gift I have."

James and Remus rolled their eyes.