Happy Memories // James Potter

i: 9.11.1977

"Got enough alcohol there, cupcake, or should we order another round?" James mocks, receiving a punch on the arm from Remus.

"Don't encourage her!"

"What do you want, Remus?" I interject, expecting some sort of explanation for why I'm sitting on a musty, uncomfortable bench pinned in between him and his friend while I could be doing anything else.

"I want to know what my little sister is doing working at a bar!"

"It's work, I need money, I think you can connect the dots, Rem." I explain simply, expecting nothing more than for him to think of me as such an immature person as he seems to. My brother is many things, my twin (born almost exactly seven minutes before me, and he'll never let me forget it), my self proclaimed protector, and the person I love most on this plane of existence. Not that I'll ever tell him that, but what he doesn't know can't hurt him. Truly, I love my brother more than anything, it's just that he's the most annoyingly protective person alive. Sure, he has his reasons, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. "And yes, I'd love another round, Potter."

"Absolutely, hey Rose! Could we get another round?" He questions as the older woman walks past from another table, hands filled with dishes and a smile on her face. The woman chuckles and waves him off, muttering something to James about not telling McGonagall about this.

"Prongs!" My brother chastises in a whispered tone, leaning over to cuff his friend over the head. "I said don't encourage her!"

"Well I wanted a drink, Moony. If I need remind you, we're meant to be here drowning away our sorrows, not screwing with your sister."

"This is exactly why I don't want her working here, they serve far too much alcohol." Remus insists, forcing out a huff at the thought. I know he worries more about alcohol than I do, it's always been the case given the frequency of James and Sirius' visits to the pub, and Dad's issues, obviously.

"I won't be drinking, Rem, I'll be working."

"You say that as if you didn't just take two shots of firewhiskey." He says, a hand slipping down over his face and rubbing at his forehead for a moment, clearly worried.

"A shot and a half, and it's the first time I've touched the stuff since June, it'll be okay. I'm not even tipsy, just a little buzzed. Firewhiskey isn't the strongest liquor on the shelf, you know that."

~☾~

After finishing off another shot of firewhiskey and downing a glass of water– upon my brother's insistence –I find myself back in the common room alongside the two people who make this hellish school bearable for me.

Seraphina and Davie. Seraphinas' in the year below Davie and I, so we really only get to see her during meals and at night. Davie and I have a few classes together, but he usually spends his time in the greenhouse when he can.

Which usually leaves me alone. Which I don't mind– Really I don't, I just prefer to be beside my best friends, that's all.

"You smell like firewhiskey." Sera states, wrinkling up her nose slightly and wafting her book at me, trying to get the smell away from her. Without hesitation, I jump over her lap and hug my arms around her waist, refusing to let go as she breaks out laughing, trying to swing me off of her somehow. Davie chuckles lightly from the other side of the couch, pulling my ankles over his lap in an attempt to keep me from accidentally kicking him.

"I take it you got the job, then?" He questions me once Sera is done fake gagging as I blow my liquor-breath in her face. "And quit torturing Phi!"

"Never!"