The Marauder's Tale [MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, & PRONGS]

XLII. Seventh Year

James smiled, and submitted to his mother’s fussing. He wished she would refrain from calling him Jamie. “I can’t believe it either. I was sure it would be Remus.”

“I thought so too,” Sirius agreed. “No offense, Prongs.”

James shook his head. “How could I take offense? I never dreamed it would be me. I thought I had spent far too much time in detention.”

“So did I,” Mrs. Potter said a bit harshly. “I’ve always said you didn’t work hard enough, and that you wasted too much time goofing off, but it looks like you did something right. Congratulations, James!”

James was grateful that she had abandoned the “Jamie” in favor of his full name. He had asked her to stop calling him by the nickname when he was nine. She had agreed, and he hadn’t heard it since then. It was rather odd to hear it again, and made him feel like he was still a little boy. Then again, maybe he was. He was her little boy.

“Thanks, Mum,” he said.

“I can’t quite figure out what you did right, though,” Sirius said with a shake of his head. “Dumbledore and McGonagall must have lost it!”

“Maybe I will take offense,” James laughed. “And now that I’m Head Boy, I have the power to put you in detention, you know. You should watch what you say around me!”

“Oh, please,” Sirius laughed. “You know how little detention bothers me. Actually, I sort of miss it.”

Mrs. Potter shook her head. “You boys will be the death of me.” She picked up James’ letter, reading it again. “We have to tell your father, James.”

James’ eyes lit up. “Can I Apparate to the Ministry to tell him?” He had passed his Apparation test the week before.

“I don’t see why not,” Mrs. Potter said with an indulgent smile. She handed him his letter. “Here, take this. I’m sure he’ll want to see it.”

“Do you want to come, Sirius?” Sirius had passed his test even earlier than James.

“You go ahead,” Sirius said. “But come back soon – we have to owl Remus and Peter with this news!”

“I hope Remus isn’t upset it wasn’t him,” James said, concern showing on his face.

“He won’t be,” Sirius said, shaking his head. “I don’t think he ever really wanted to be Head Boy. Can you see him in charge of all the prefects and all the other students? He’d hate that.”

“Yeah, probably,” James said, completely unconvinced.

“I’m serious! He was a good prefect in terms of taking care of the problems everyone had, teaching the younger students what to do, and being a mentor to everyone, but he hated enforcing the rules and being in charge. As a student, you can’t get any more ‘in charge’ than being Head Boy or Girl.”

James frowned. “I wonder who the Head Girl is.”

Sirius shrugged. “It didn’t say in the letter?”

“No,” James said, scanning it again. “Doesn’t that seem odd?”

Sirius shrugged again. “Search me. I’ve never been Head Boy.”

“James, if you’re going to tell your father, go!” Mrs. Potter said. “I want you to make it back here today.”

“All right,” James agreed. Clutching his letter tightly, he Apparated to his father’s office.

***

When James returned, he found Sirius and his mother in the sitting room busy going over the packing list she made for the boys each year. They were writing a second list, this one of the items Sirius needed to purchase in Diagon Alley. James smiled as he looked at them. Even though Sirius would never admit it, James knew that he loved spending time with Mrs. Potter like this. His own mother had never been overly maternal toward him; James realized how touched Sirius was by Mrs. Potter’s interest in and concern for him. James cleared his throat as he entered the room. They both looked up.