//
Day two began with Remus.
We had decided to do the whole arts and crafts thing, and the other Marauders decided to join.
"Mine looks like a... blob," I mutter. Remus thought it'd be a genius idea to paint, instead of sketching.
"I'm sure it looks fantastic," Remus reassures.
"Nope. It does look like a blob," James speaks up with a laugh. I just stick my tongue out at him.
"Don't worry, Paws," Sirius laughs. "I'm sure your creativity will make an appearance." Then he turns to Lily and James and stage whispers, "No it won't."
"You guys are so mean," I pout. "So rude. I am trying to create a masterpiece and you guys are bringing my mood down."
"Sorry, Renley-dear," Sirius chuckles. "Good luck."
After a long moment, Remus and I compare our works. He carefully unplaces his canvas from the wooden stand, with it facing his chest so we can't see. I do the same, though the others already know what it looks like.
"Ready?" Remus asks.
"Yup."
"Alright... three, two, one! Show!"
We both flip our canvases over, revealing both portraits. Remus bursts into laughter at the sight of mine, while I stare in awe at his.
"What—what even IS that?" Remus chokes out.
"It's a doggy!" I huff. "See? That's his tail, that's his blue collar, his spots, and his paws!" I explain, pointing them out one by one.
"Are you sure?" Sirius asks. "Looks more like a deranged cat."
"Shut it!" I growl. Turning back to Remus' art, I murmur, "That is amazing, Moony poo. Seriously, how in the fuck did you do that?"
His art has a blue gradient background, with a brown tree in the center with yellow dots resembling fireflies. The shades of different colors look amazing, along with the overall effort put into it.
"Practice," Remus answers simply.
"Mhmm," I hum disbelievingly. "Well, it's obvious who won this competition!"
Remus just laughed.
//
I'll miss Remus' playful but mature attitude. I'll miss how he helps with pranks and jokes, but also keeps us in check and not let us go too far with it. Most of all, I'll miss how happy he is in this era.
//
Day three begins with Claws.
The moment the sun begins rising, I'm getting dressed and racing off to the Forbidden Forest. I lower myself into the cove, where Claws is still sleeping.
The dragon lazily opens one eyes, then grumbles and tries sleeping again. I grumble, quickly poking her shoulder.
"C'mon, Claws!" I exclaim. "I wanna hang out with you!" The dragon just rumbles quietly, then shifts and rolls over away from me. "Meanie."
I sigh, deciding to just lean against her. Claws purred, flipping over again and pulling me into her grasp. I laugh, nuzzling into her warm form.
"Teddy bear," I mutter.
After a long moment of just lying there, slipping in and out of unconsciousness, I was growing restless. I huffed, climbing out of her paws and standing. I grunted as I stretched out, then poked at her shoulder again.
Claws huffed, finally deciding to get up. The Devil Spawn slowly stands up, a large yawn taking over. Her tail flops as she stretches herself, then turns back to me.
"I'm bored," I mutter. "Ooh, wanna swim?"
She just stares at me for a long minute, then glances over to the large pond in our cove. She rumbles, then races forward and leaps into the water.
I laugh as a large splash erupts from her colliding with the water. I slip off my shoes, socks, shirt, and pants. Then I'm darting after her, jumping into the water and swimming around with her.
We began a water fight, splashing water at each other. Of course, Claws won because she could send water at me with her wings. I grumbled to myself, ranting about how that's cheating. She just let out her dragon laugh.
After just sitting in the sun streaming into the cove, I began drying off. Claws rolled around with a purr into the soft grass, getting strands of grass stuck to her wet scales. I snicker as she stands back up, covered in green grass pieces and green stains.
Claws purred and returned to the pond, rinsing off the grass and grass stains. I chuckle as she finishes and begins hopping around, whining for a flight.
I reluctantly stand, slipping my clothes back on and snatching up her saddle. I slip the gear on, and the moment I'm atop her shoulders, she's shooting into the air.
We fly for a long while. We glide, then zoom, then maneuver across obstacles. After all the times of flying, I've adjusted to the twists, rolls, and other moves she uses to avoid obstacles. She prefers speed the most, which makes sense, because she's a Devil Spawn.
We soar across the Quidditch pitch, moving at a speed impossible for any other creature. I sit low to her form, giving less air resistance and giving us better speed. We zoom across the Hogwarts grounds, a small whistle just barely ringing out, though not very noticeable.
We turn around towers and bridges, near-effortlessly dodging the obstacles. Her wings tuck into her body while squeezing through small spaces, and she sometimes barrel rolls to avoid crashing while flying through certain areas.
She flies high into the sky, facing straight up to the clouds. The sun is still rising, and classes have begun. I have been excused because of Dumbledore, and it took a bit of convincing to reassure my friends I'm okay... even though I'm not.
After gaining a good altitude, we lean forward, then dive at an unbelievable pace. This time, the whistling noise is loud and obvious to anyone nearby. We dive swiftly, the Earth growing closer and closer.
We pull up at the last second, water parting under us as we soar across the Black Lake. Droplets shoot out under us, a wave forming. I whoop as we speed up again, her wings flapping harshly.
After a long time, we finish our extreme flight. We return to our cove, where we laugh and land. I pat her head lovingly, scratching her neck and under her chin.
I slip off her shoulders, then remove her riding gear. I rest it against a nearby boulder, frowning sadly. I'll probably never get to do this again. I never saw Claws in 1997.
Claws nudges me concernedly. I smile, turning back to her and rubbing her face. "Ugh, I'm going to have to leave soon," I murmur. "I'm sorry Claws. I'm leaving soon, and it's important that I do. I need to leave."
Claws whines softly, resting her forehead against mine.
"I know," I sigh. "I just hope you'll be here when I return."
I smile nostalgically as I recall the first time we met. "Claws, if you understand me, I want you to promise me something." She purrs. "I... I need you to live. Live as long as you can, and return to me in the future. It'll be about a decade and a half, okay? Well, not that you know what a decade is... but try to make it."
Claws rumbles, licking my face. I groan, wiping away the slobber. "Gee, thanks." She gives another dragon laugh.
I sigh, rubbing again at her black scales. Claws croons sorrowfully, vivid blue eyes meeting mine.
//
I'll miss the flight Claws provides me, and the loyalty she has for me. I'll miss her teddy bear personality and how she worries for me. I'll miss her friendship.
//
Day four, and I'll be spending it with James.
I sit by James at breakfast in the Great Hall. I ask him, "Can we hang out today?"
"Sure," James answers.
Later, when he finishes classes for that day, I yank him towards the Room of Requirement.
'I need a place to talk to James. I need a place to talk to James. I need a place to talk to James.'
Like always, a door appears in the wall. James and I enter silently.
The room is actually the Gryffindor common room. The fire burns wildly, but with quiet crackling noises, not loud. The furniture is spotless and clean, looking plush and more comfortable than the real common room. There aren't windows, just walls.
"Perfect!" I exclaim.
I plop down on a chair by the fire, staring into the flames for a second. When James sits down in a chair beside me, I turn my attention to him.
"Sooo, what's up?" James asked. "I've noticed you acting weird. You're spending a lot of time with certain people, and then switching it to another person."
"That's... actually what I need to talk to you about," I mutter. "Dumbledore found a way to send me back to my time."
Silence reigns the room. James stares for a long while, eyes unblinking and expression blank. He's leaning forward slightly, then finally reacts.
"Back to your time?" James whispers. "W-Well, isn't that good? You'll go home."
"No," I murmur. "THIS is my home. 1976, or well, 1977. It's my home, my NEW home."
"Hen, what about the people from your time?" James inquires. "Don't you have family and friends there?"
"Well, yes, but... I want to stay here. It's much better," I sigh.
"I want you to stay too," James confesses. "Really, I do. I can't imagine how the others would react to your disappearance, but maybe it's for the best."
"Yeah, that's what Dumbledore said," I replied. "I just... how am I supposed to return to an era without all of you guys? How am I supposed to see older Sirius, and older Remus, and older everyone else? How will I ever return to my old life?"
"You don't," James answers. "You don't return to your OLD life. You start a new one. Now that you've been here, you can go home to your time and see your older friends. You said you have big responsibilities there, what are they?"
"You'll be Obliviated, right?" I asked. He nodded. "Okay. Well, my brother and I are expected to defeat Voldemort."
"Say WHAT now?!" he shrieks. "You're supposed to defeat the guy rising to power? I've heard of him. He's killing a bunch of people. They say he'll become a Dark Lord."
"Yeah. He'll become the darkest wizard of all time," I continue. "My brother and I survived the Killing Curse, so we're expected to defeat him."
"You guys survived the—? Okay, but how does that cause people to expect you to kill the monster? People shouldn't put that pressure on two children!" James rants.
"Exactly!" I respond. "Seriously, it's a lot of work dealing with all the attention we get."
"Okay, but... your brother, what's his name?"
"Harry."
"Ooh, I've always like that name," he chuckles. "Anyways, Harry needs you, doesn't he? And if the Wizarding World expects you to defeat Voldemort, don't they need hope? I mean, you definitely don't have to kill him, I certainly don't want you going up against him, but... they need hope. I can't imagine the chaos going on there."
I fidget, already knowing he's right. "Yeah, okay. You're right. But I just... it's going to be so hard to say goodbye!"
"I know," James whispers. "But the future needs you, more than this era's world needs you. We're going to miss you so much, but Merlin... you need them, and they need you."
"I know," I sigh.
Quietness came again. We just sat there in each other's presence, reminiscing. I think of 1997, and the years before it. Harry and I went through so many obstacles and problems, yet here I am, and I'm sure he's doing somewhat okay in 1997. I remember older Sirius, and older Remus. Both amazing people. I remember Hermione, Ron, and even the Weasley twins. They always made me laugh.
"Okay, this is depressing!" James exclaims. "C'mon, let's play some games. What about Exploding Snap?"
I groan. "This is going to be horrible, but okay."
We prepare the game, laughing as time goes by. We play and enjoy it, having fun and enjoying ourselves. For now, at least.
//
I'll miss James' playfulness and humorous behavior. Although he acts reckless and careless, he is very wise. I'll miss his advice and helpfulness. Most of all, I'll miss knowing him as a father and a friend.
//
A/N: WOW. Thanks so much for all the support! I'm not active on Wattpad but I really really really appreciate it :D There's more updates on Quotev, but I'm gonna try publishing every update onto here as well.
Again, thank you!
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