The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

How'd It Go Enrique?

James couldn't help but think that Summer was flying past. After Minnie's wedding especially it seemed that time was picking up pace and things were going rather speedily. He didn't like it. He had this odd sense of wanting to drag his feet and slow things down, as though time were cheating him of something that he couldn't get back once it was gone by. But then again there was the old adage that time flies when you're having fun and there was quite a lot of fun being had in between the busier times. 

Things were getting back to normal, too, it seemed, after all of the tumult that had been caused by Regulus Black's disappearance and Sirius's arrest and Merlin's beard was that a welcome turn, at least.

Sirius had gotten the job at Spiller's Records in Cardiff and he bragged about it quite a lot to anyone who would listen, wearing a t-shirt with the shop's logo emblazoned across his chest under his leather jacket with his ripped up jeans and heavy black boots. "My uniform is better than yours," he said to James with a shit-eating grin one morning when he was over pestering the Potters at breakfast before going to work as James was getting ready to go in for his hours in Underhill's office.

"Mine at least doesn't have bean sauce all down the front," James answered.

"What?" Sirius looked down. "Mother fffluffer," he said, eyes meeting Dora's as he swore and catching himself just in time.

"I'll get it, dear," Dora said and she did some quick cleaning spells to siphon off the spilled beans.

The full moon would be coming early in August, landing on Peter's birthday, so that the Marauders decided to do it up right and have a good old fashioned camp out for the night, out behind the old Dumbledore property like they used to do. This set Sirius into Event Planning Mode and he was excitedly begging off "fundage" from James as he purchased supplies for what he was calling The Most Brilliant Camping Adventure Ever In The History of the Entire Universe And Beyond.

"Haven't we already had the Most Brilliant Camping Adventure Ever in the History of the Entire Universe And Beyond?" James asked, forking over a handful of galleons like it was pocket change. "I distinctly remember you using that phrase once before, in like fourth or fifth year."

Sirius shook his head, "No. No. This is in the history of the universe. That one was the Most Brilliant Camping Adventure in the History of All Time and Then Some. Entirely different."

"You're mad," James said.

"Barking," Sirius answered, nodding.

And Sirius wasn't the only one begging off galleons from James. Lily was, too. She'd found an incredible amount of joy in feeding random people out on the streets of London and she regularly was coming up short on expenses when her and James were at the grocery or out to lunch themselves because she'd spent her money on things she gave away - blankets or shoes or sandwiches, flashlights and socks.

"It's like she's adopted the entire city," James said to Remus one night. "She's mum to the whole of London."

Remus laughed, "You need to hurry up and make her a mum for real."

"I'm trying," James said, shaking his head.

Which was the one thing that was not going quickly at all. Despite how many times they tried - and bloody hell they were trying every chance they got, it seemed - they still had not gotten pregnant. 

One night, the last night of July, James and Lily lay in bed staring at the ceiling. They'd planned to try again that night, but both of them were just honestly quite bored of it and were putting off getting started, their heads next to one another on the pillows, their fingers twined together, listening to each other's steady breathing in the dark.