on hogsmeade days, we were able to wear whatever we wanted. of course, this rule would eventually be repealed, but while it was still in place, it was utilized to the fullest.
lily was wearing bell-bottom jeans and a light green top, like she always did. she preferred functionality to fashion, something i wished i could get on board with. marlene and dorcas wore matching sweaters, which were knit by remus. even sirius wore remus's sweaters, though he always claimed to hate how geeky they made him look. i wore a short floral skirt, and a top that just barely showed my midriff. it was just warm enough for me to wear this, and i was planning on catching every ray of sun possible.
james and remus wore matching suits, something lily had told them was fashionable in the muggle world. they were orange and red, both with frills and sequins, homemade by the two boys themselves.
the seven of us sat at a table at the three broomsticks, missing peter so he could take a test. the boy was constantly sick and missing from class, so he could barely ever make the hogsmeade trips. i did truly feel bad for peter, because he was an unappreciated part of our small group of friends. he would never do anything to hurt anyone, not even a fly. even when he got frustrated, his face would just turn red and he'd sputter and fidget until james or sirius cracked a joke about it.
"and then, the guy went absolutely mad! dementors had to come and get him from hogwarts the next day!" sirius recounted a story of an older student, from at least ten years ago. james's boisterous laugh escaped his lips, and sirius gave him a disapproving look. "i'm not lying! when the dementors got there, the guy was g-" suddenly, there was a hand on sirius's face, and the teen was quiet.
"i saw a lady do that to her dog before," remus smiled, and then picked up his mug of butterbeer again. "figured it would have the same effect."
rays of sun shone in the window as all of us laughed, and i sighed. it felt so warm against my skin, which had many goose-bumps from the air conditioning inside the crowded restaurant. james looked at me, concerned. "you cold?" he asked, and i shrugged. he pulled me close to him, and i shifted uncomfortably against the polyester of his jumpsuit. it seemed to be more embarrassing for me than for him. suddenly, remus set his mug down, a mustache of froth covering his top lip.
"d'you guys ever think about what we're going to do after we're done here?" he bit his lip. "like, after hogwarts, i mean." there was a nervous look in his eye, like he was afraid that we'd all leave him.
"i think i'm gonna go on to play quidditch," sirius smiled to himself, looking out into the distance. he seemed to be imagining himself on the national quidditch team, scoring the winning points. james shook his head and shoved his friend.
"yeah, right. if anyone's going major leagues in quidditch, it'll be me." he boasted, flexing his muscles a little bit. "and so will my kids," he smiled proudly. lily scoffed a little bit.
"who'd even have kids with you, james?" she questioned, and then looked to me. "no offense, al." i shook my head.
"none taken, i can't see james with kids either." i confessed, and james's cheeks went pink.
"i'm offended! baby james jr. will be awesome, just you wait."
"james jr.?" sirius spoke up with a laugh. "you really want to put your kid through that?"
"i like the name harry," remus said with a small smile. lily and marlene nodded, seconding his opinion.
"fine. baby harry will be awesome." he gave in, and then looked at his reflection in a dirty, old spoon. "hopefully he gets my eyes." he batted them playfully.
a loud bang from the kitchen caused james to drop his spoon, a small yelp escaping his lips.
eventually, everybody decided to head back to the school. there was nothing to do in hogsmeade that we already hadn't done before, and little to no shopkeepers would let james and the boys into their shops anymore- zonkos, however, regarded them as their top customers.
i walked behind sirius and remus, who were chattering about a plethora of topics, and at some point, had started to hold hands. the two were extremely comfortable with each other, and i was almost jealous of their friendship. they already knew they were going to live together after school, and maybe they'd get a few pets and just be happy until they found the person they were meant to be with. when sirius and i were together, there was never that assurance that we'd be together forever. i had never even met sirius's parents, whereas james was already talking about if I should meet his, or if that would be considered overkill.
james made his way up to me, taking my hand. his eyes were still on lily. i let out a small laugh. "nobody's going to believe you if you still stare at her like you want to have her children." i quietly urged him. he shrugged.
"she doesn't notice, so it's fine. as for sirius, it looks like he's already gotten over you." he pointed out, nodding towards the two boys. sirius was now riding on remus's back. i shoved james.
"no, that's just them being friendly." james raised his eyebrows at me, and shook his head in disbelief.
"whatever makes you feel better."
