"Heya, Brigitte!"
Brigitte snaps her head up, looking at James expectantly. He grinning at her, glasses crooked. She doesn't even have time to protest before he's swept her trunk out of her hands, murmuring something about chivalry. Brigitte claims his owl, which coos raucously at the sight of her own owl, preening its feathers regally in it's ornate cage.
From a distance, they can both hear the Hogwarts Express announcing it's arrival.
Brigitte smiles inwardly. James is such a lovely sight, his traveling cloak slung across his shoulder, a bulky Hogwarts trunk clutched in each arm. Brigitte absentmindedly reaches up to straighten his glasses for him, making his smile yet again.
An odd change had happened in the last week of school. Brigitte was unsure of the details, but according to Peter, Remus and Sirius had entered their dormitory together the night after OWLs had been completed. Both boys had wet cheeks. They didn't speak, just gave a dumbstruck James a tight nod.
Peter swears he heard James sobbing uncontrollably under his blankets, but James denies it vehemently. Brigitte secretly believes Peter.
The next morning, Sirius sat with the rest of the Marauders just as he'd always done. Remus and Sirius didn't speak, but all four of them were together again.
Brigitte suspects that James hasn't stopped smiling since.
"Sit with us, will you?" He asks sprightly, effortlessly hoisting their trunks onto the train. "The girls will have to make do without you for a change."
Brigitte stares wistfully at where Lily, Marlene, Mary and Dorcas are exchanging goodbye hugs. James chuckles when he sees this, jerking his head towards them as if to say, go.
Brigitte doesn't waste any time, running towards Lily with her arms extended. They two girls embrace tightly, nearly barreling into Remus, who gives them an amused smile. Lily presses a soft kiss against Brigitte's cheek.
"You'll write to me. Won't you, my love?" She asks, tucking a strand of Brigitte's blonde hair behind her ear. "I want to hear from you at least every day. Any less and I'll come find you myself."
"I promise," Brigitte murmurs quietly. She leans in towards Lily's ear, as if she's about to tell her an intimate secret. "Thank you for being my friend."
Lily only smiles, holding her gently by the wrists. "Any time, my love. Sorry I was such a bitch to you in the beginning. Oh, I feel so horrible just thinking about it!"
Brigitte laughs, then leans forward to accept a kiss from Marlene.
James is still waiting for her by the time she's been hugged, kissed, and promised to write to by all of her girls. He looks at her.
"Ready?" He asks.
She nods, and they step on the train.
There's already a compartment saved for them by the other Marauders, which they find easily.
"Took you long enough," Sirius says, leaning lazily against the window. It's as though Remus's acceptance of him has transformed him instantly into the boy he was before. Other than the obvious groveling, that is.
Even his looming fate in the Black Household couldn't take away his thrill.
James only grins, offering Brigitte the seat by the door. When she takes it, he immediately plops down on the floor at her feet, crossing his legs in front of him. She doesn't notice the knowing glances the other three Marauders give each other.
"What are you doing?" She asks, perplexed.
"It's a four person compartment, Brigitte," James says with a smile. "Go on, hand me our owls, I'll stow them under your seat."
"You don't need to sit on the floor," she argues, frowning. "Sit up here. There's room, isn't there, Black?"
Sirius grins. "I dunno about that, Alarie. Seems quite stuffed as it is. Maybe Jamesie needs to stay down."
Brigitte smacks his arm, shaking her head. "James, sit here in the middle."
She doesn't notice Peter wiggling his eyebrows at Remus, who lets out a laugh.
"Wow," Sirius drawls, clutching his chest in mock offense. "I didn't know you needed a buffer to sit between us, Alarie. I am terribly offended. Truly-"
"Oh, shut up," she grumbles. Sirius only grins wider.
Brigitte was rather short with Sirius the first few days after he rejoined the Marauders. Even after he apologized for the harm he caused her, Brigitte found herself keeping a wide berth out of loyalty for Remus. However, she soon realized that if Remus was okay with Sirius, if he was willing to welcome him back, then so was she.
Now, they bickered simply because it was their preferred method of communication.
Neither would dare admit it, but in the dwindling hours before they had to return home, it was freeing to act immaturely and behave like children. Every time Brigitte thought about her parents, and the summer they'd spend, her stomach churned. But it didn't make sense to her. They were good parents to her.
All fathers wanted their daughters to succeed, did they not? Her father just believed in unorthodox methods to achieve the means.
No matter how badly she tried to convince herself to be excited, Brigitte felt nauseous at the thought of home.
Brigitte listened to the Marauders overlapped discussions. She didn't feel a need to contribute, but occasionally James would turn and ask her, What do you think, Brigitte?
It was nice knowing that he thought of her. And yet, even when she listened to them talking without her, she didn't feel excluded in any sense. She was simply grateful to share this space with four brilliant boys, knowing that she would always be welcomed when she chose to contribute. Peter would grin at her, Remus would roar with laughter at her dry remarks, Sirius would make fun of her and they'd bicker endlessly, and James would smile, the way he always did, and look at her.
This was a different feeling, she thought. To be able to close her eyes and drift away to the sound of the Marauders conversing arbitrarily, and feel calm.
********
"Anything off the trolley, dears?"
Brigitte snapped awake with a start, her heart pounding wildly. She heard the sound of rustling, then the familiar jingle of galleons exchanging hands. She quickly became aware of the fact that her head was resting snuggly on a firm surface.
A traveling cloak had been fastened backwards, so that it covered her front, the hood sagging awkwardly against her neck. It smelled faintly of earth and the Quidditch Pitch, as if it had been haphazardly thrown to the grown many times during practice.
Dread filled her stomach when something shifted from beneath her head. A jolt of electricity shot down her spine at the familiar smell of peaches. She immediately bolted upright, her head colliding with the open compartment door with a loud BANG!
"Oi!" James cried, instantly turning to face her. A mixture of concern and utter perplexity clouded his features. "Merlin's balls, Alarie. Are you trying to give yourself a concussion?"
Brigitte cursed, gingerly touching her temple. And then she looked down, remembering the backwards cloak. Her accent is sharp, noticeable and uninhibited by her tired mind. "What the fuck am I wearing?"
James ignored her, extracting a small bundle of coins from his pocket. He handed them to the trolley witch, who'd watched the entire interaction with a small, amused smile. "Two ice follies, please."
Upon receiving the lollies, he immediately turned to Brigitte with a frown, reaching up to tilt her face towards his. He gently pressed the lolly towards her temple, whilst Brigitte winced at the cold and tried to swat his hand away. James only clucked disapprovingly. "You seeing double yet, Brigitte? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Leave it, Potter," she said, twisting out of his grasp. "What time is it?"
"You've slept for an hour or so," Remus supplied, mouth contorted into a sly grin. "We arrive in two."
Sirius handed him a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, just the kind that he likes, looking at him anxiously. Remus knew that it was all part of his plot to curry favor. Remus still remained quite cold with Sirius, despite his acceptance of the boy's presence. He didn't mind in the slightest if there was chocolate involved, though.
James unwrapped a lolly and stuck it in his mouth, holding the other one stubbornly against Brigitte's face. She scowled, snatching it out of his grasp.
"What gave you such a start anyway, Alarie?" James asked, biting through the sweet, lemony sherbet. "Had a bad dream, did you? Oh, that's right. I got you a few chocolate frogs. Pass them over, would you, Pads?"
She remained silent, glaring at the boys with fierce mutiny.
"Fell asleep on old Jamesie there, didn't you?" Sirius snickered, avoiding James's swift kick.
Remus caught his eye, shaking his head slightly. He immediately sat up straighter, clearing his throat. "Er, sorry. Didn't mean to poke fun or anything."
"Rot in hell, Black," she snapped hotly. She briskly unbuttoned the cloak James had wrapped her in, throwing it into his lap. She stood up swiftly, marching out of the compartment in a flushed rage.
As she left, she heard Remus sigh, muttering, "look what you've done, Black. Honestly."
********
Brigitte laid her head on Lily's lap, feet propped up against the wall of the compartment, listening to Mary and Marlene engage in a heated argument about Florean Fortescue. Marlene chews furiously before muttering something about how he's "standoffish".
"I think he's sweet," Mary giggled, her nose scrunching like a cute little kitten. She sighed, placing her head on Marlene's shoulder. "He wants to start an ice cream shop, did you know that? Oh, I'd buy his cream-"
"Mary!" Lily cried, reaching forward to swat her coy friend against the shoulder. She poked Brigitte's cheek, giggling at her scowling face. "Oh, you've been in such a mood, my love. Is it Potter? He tends to have that effect on people."
Dorcas grins, still throwing Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into Marlene's mouth. By now, the compartment floor is littered with their failed attempts. She winks at Brigitte, pressing a finger to her lips before displaying an innocuous looking purple bean between her thumb and forefinger, mouthing, "doxy droppings".
When Marlene catches it in her mouth, her smile instantly disappears.
"Dorcas!" She whines, spitting the bean into a stray chocolate frog box. "You are so cruel. I don't want to play anymore."
Dorcas pouts, but it only looks like she's trying to humor Marlene, for she breaks out into a smile moments later. "I'm sorry, darling. I'll be nice. C'mon, please?"
Marlene sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine."
Lily smirks, inclining her head to whisper to Brigitte, "this has happened five times already."
********
When the train finally slows to a stop, Brigitte feels rather ill.
James finds her after they leave the train, carrying her belongings. He can't help but notice she's rather pale, constantly touching her forehead. He fights the urge to wrap her in his cloak again.
James misses the weight of her against him, how soft she is when she sleeps. She was so delicate, so fragile that James had remained frozen in place the entire hour she slept. He felt as though she'd shatter to pieces if he shifted even the slightest bit.
Brigitte is sweating now, on the bridge of her nose. He wants to ask her if she's taken ill, if she has a fever and perhaps she should stay with him this summer? To recover, that is. Not that her parents are incapable of caring for their daughter. All he says, with bated breath, is this:
"Heya, Brigitte. Look, I'm sorry about what happened on the train. Sirius is a prick-"
"What're you saying about me?"
Sirius no longer looks happy. His eyes are stormy and defiant. They flicker towards Walburga and Orion, waiting with expectant eyes.
Suddenly, it clicks in James's mind.
Brigitte is plagued by the same thing that Sirius is.
Brigitte doesn't want to go home.
Brigitte looks at Sirius, who stares gloomily back at her. But his eyes are softer when they match hers.
Slowly, he extends his hand for her to shake. She takes it.
"Hey, write to me, if there's ever any trouble, okay?" Sirius says, bravely. "We don't get along all that well, but I'm still here."
Brigitte nods.
It makes him feel better, James realizes, to treat Brigitte like a little sister. It gives him the strength to go on.
Sirius shakes Peter's hand next. Then Remus's, letting go reluctantly.
"Write to me?" Sirius asks, quietly.
Remus nods. This makes him smile.
Lastly, there's James.
"Mum always has a place for you," he whispers, voice cracking. "Maybe drop by sometime?"
Sirius says yes, because sometimes he must lie, when he can't bring himself to say the truth.
Walburga beckons Sirius sharply when she catches his gaze.
Sirius obeys.
********
James watches Brigitte shamelessly. This is his last chance to see her before school starts. Their group of friends slowly dwindled away, until it's just James and Brigitte. His mum and dad have already arrived, of course. But after greeting them warmly, James decided to keep Brigitte some company.
"Have fun in France," he tells her, his voice coming out awfully strained.
"Thank you," she murmurs. She's toying with the handle of her trunk.
"I'm so happy I got to meet you this year," he says politely. "I'm glad you're my friend, Brigitte."
"Thank you, James," Brigitte replies. "I'm glad you're my friend, too."
James finds that he wants to lean over and kiss her.
Instead, he says, "You're always welcome in the Potter household. Don't forget that, okay?"
There's a loud cracking noise, and they both turn to see a beautiful, almost regal couple. James instantly knows that they are Brigitte's parents. Her mother is undeniably a Veela. When James catches her father's eye, he notices that his gaze is completely cold.
Then Brigitte is running toward them, burying her face in her mother's arms. Right when mother and daughter touch, there is another crack, and they're all gone.
Finally, James heads towards his own parents, burying his face into their shoulders.
"Oh, isn't she a darling," Effie coos, ruffling his hair the way she always does. "She looks like such a sweet girl. Not your girlfriend yet, you say?"
"Mum!"
hey y'all!!
this chapter was pretty uneventful, but don't worry, brigitte doesn't get any peace this summer :)))
when sirius and brigitte had their little moment where they were actually nice to each other for once I was like devastated :(((( I feel like their relationship so far has been characterized by a very sibling- like relationship. like ofc sirius is an ass but he also knows that brigitte can handle it (not in the beginning few chapters obvs bro was basically committing hate crimes then). but I think them bickering and going back and forth annoying one another is what's normal for them, so to see that mold broken and see them be genuine under those circumstances was so sad to me
also it was so sad when james noticed that sirius treated her like a little girl when they departed. I don't think I wrote it clearly enough but what I mean by that is sirius sort of sees brigitte as a regulus like figure, someone he has to put up a brave front for and that's how he copes with his situation, the idea that he "needs" to be strong for regulus/brigitte
anyway, james is a little cutie patootie as always, and we get a little bit of wolf star resolution!! but not all of it, don't worry. sirius needs to grovel a little more if he wants to win back remus's affection :)
anyway, that's enough of me rambling! how have your summers been?? I've traveled quite a bit, but I'm finally back and school's starting for me in a few weeks :(((((
OHHHH also I'm excited to announce TDOI has a spanish translation thanks to the amazing gsvnflr !!!! tysm for the work you've put into translating my story, I'm so honored <3
I LOVE Y'ALL SM STAY INCREDIBLE AND AMAZING
oh also!! to anyone who left comments on my last chapter tysm!! y'all were so kind and welcoming of my return
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