James woke up on the day of the first disapparation lesson with a feeling of excitement coursing through him.
First off, this would be the first time he'd seen Lily since the dinner and he was bursting to see her again. Some little part of him half expected to get there and find out that he'd some how hallucinated everything from the week before and he'd find her being just as adamantly stand-offish as ever. He even had a nightmare in which he'd tried to kiss her only to have her shove him off with a cry of what are you doing, Potter?
Second, the training was to be held in the Auror Centre for Training where, if he got the marks he hoped to this term on his N.E.W.T.s, he would one day be training to go into the Magical Law Enforcement. He was excited to see what would one day be a place he would go to everyday in furthering his magical career. Plus, with a little luck, he might even get to say hello to Frank Longbottom, who was currently enrolled in the program.
Thirdly, he was eager to learn the art of disappearing and reappearing anywhere he liked.
He sat at the kitchen table, antsy as ever, as Dora filled his plate with bacon and eggs. "Getting older... moving out soon..." Dora muttered, shaking her head, fighting back tears. She paused and hugged James's head and kissed his messy hair.
"When I get older and move out, mum, I swear I'll disapparate to you every morning for breakfast," James said, shrugging away the snuggles.
"Oh sure, use me for fried strips of pig fat!" Dora said, letting go of his head, and turning about to continue cooking.
CRACK!
"BLOODY HELL!" Dora yelled, the pan clattering on the stove as Sirius appeared at the doorway. She shook the spatula in her fist at him.
"Sorry mum," Sirius said, "Just fancied giving Prongsie here a little taste of what a licensed disapparator can do." Sirius blew James a kiss as he settled into the seat opposite him and leaning back in his seat, looking quite pleased with himself. "One day, you'll be as good at it as I am."
Remus walked in, hair still half sticking up on the side of his head and sank down next to Sirius, blinking blearily. "He's been up for hours planning that," Remus yawned.
James said, "Yeah, well. I remember you coming up to the dormitory, whimpering about getting splinched during your training."
Sirius looked outraged, "I did not!"
"Did so!" James argued. "Came back, practically in tears, all shook up like you'd had the scare of your bloody life."
"I've never splinched!" Sirius claimed. "Moonie, tell him he's fibbing."
Remus yawned, "I'm staying out of this." But the moment Sirius's back was turned he mouthed he's splinched loads.
James laughed and started wolfing down his food happily, grinning at Sirius, who was eyeing Remus as though to figure out what he'd done behind his back... but Remus just smiled down the table.
Peter arrived to disapparation lessons on the Knight Bus using the remainder of the money James had given him when he'd left St. Mungo's from seeing Sirius. He wore a watch on his wrist, which he stared at all the way into the Auror Centre for Training. He was nervous, rotating the band around his wrist, willing himself not to think any of the terrible things that were vibrating in his mind every time he saw the watch on his arm...
The entrance for ACT was located through several telephone boxes on the embankment in front of Scotland Yard. It was appropriate, Peter thought, that the Muggle police force would have their headquarters just above ground from where the Magical law enforcement facilities were located. The river was calm, and Peter stopped to stare at the pretty reflection of the sunlight on the water as a woman with a baby and a little poodle walked past. When they were out of sight, he turned back around, ducked into the nearest phone box, pulled the door shut, and announced, "Auror Centre for Training please."
"Welcome to the Ministry for Magic's Auror Centre for Training," came a cool witch's voice similar to the one that greeted a visitor at the Ministry's phone booth entries.
Peter squeaked, "Thank you."
"Please state your name and surrender your wand for weighing," the voice said.
"Peter," he said as a little drawer opened before him and the phone box began to descend below ground. "Peter Pettigrew." He dropped the wand into the drawer, which closed. There was a momentary pause.
"Chestnut. Nine and three quarters. Dragon Heartstring core. Thank you Peter Pettigrew. Please wear your badge until you depart the Auror Centre for Training and report to the Training Hall for your scheduled Disapparation Lessons straight away." The drawer opened again and his wand was accompanied by a little badge that said his name, followed by "Disapparation Student".
Peter snatched up his wand and badge and hastened to tack the badge to his chest, and slipped his wand back into his pocket as the door to the phone box opened and he stepped out to find himself in a long corridor made of what looked like pure grey marble. The floor was so shiny he half expected to slip when his foot made contact with it, but he didn't, and once he was certain he wouldn't, he scurried down the corridor, following a stream of laughing witches and wizards he recognized from Hogwarts, most of which were in the year below him and the other Marauders.
"PETER!"
He'd just stepped around the doorway into the training room and he heard James Potter's voice calling his name. He looked over and saw James and Remus across the room, each holding a big silver hoop that had been distributed to them. "I've got your training hoop already! C'mon!" James waved, pointing to an extra hoop on the floor beside him.
Peter hesitated only slightly, seeing the light glint off the face of James's watch when he waved, but then he pushed himself to move forward and hurried across the room. He found himself eager to see his friends, whatever burning sensation might come on his wrist as a result of defying Voldemort's orders to take the watch.
"Happy birthday late!" James announced as Peter arrived at their side.
"Yes, happy belated," Remus agreed, smiling from his hoop. He was still rather sleepy. "Hope it was grand."
"Yeah! How was New York? Did you see the Entire State Building I told you about?"
Peter nodded, "Yes, great views... It's actually the Empire State Building, though. They had a fantastic movie filmed there about a big monkey that steals a girl."
"King Kong," said Lily Evans, walking up to them, carrying her own hoop. She smiled, "Happy Birthday Peter!" She kissed the side of his head quickly, then, seeing the look of jealousy on James's face, she stepped around Remus, tossed down her hoop, and swept her arms around James's neck. "Hullo, you," she said, and she kissed him deeply.
Peter was so shocked that he dropped his hoop on the ground with a clatter. "What - wait- what!?"
Remus looked at him, "What?"
"THAT!" Peter pointed at James and Lily, still kissing rather passionately, "When did THAT happen?"
Remus yawned, glanced at James and Lily, and answered, "Oh about a week ago. On the camping trip you didn't want to come on."
Peter looked hurt by the words, and he looked down at his wrists.
"Hey, is that your watch?" Remus asked, pointing to it on his arm.
"Oh... yeah," Peter said, and he held it up for Remus to look at.
Remus looked impressed, "Hey, this is a nice one." He smiled.
Peter turned red, "Yeah."
"Your mum and dad have good taste," James said, having parted mouths with Lily and turning to see the watch. "Better than mine have." He held out his wrist showing the Mickey Mouse.
Peter squeaked, "We could trade?" Instantly he felt stupid - and terrible. Equally. What an idiot thing to say. James would never just trade watches with him, however nicer Peter's was than his own - Peter knew that. And besides, Peter hated himself for even trying to get the watch away from James. However stupidly.
James gave Peter a funny look, then chuckled and said, "Oh you wish you had something as fine as my cartoon mouse watch, Wormy." He scruffled Peter's hair up and stepped back, taking Lily's hand in his. "Are you ready for dispparation, love?" he asked her.
"As ready as I can be," Lily answered. "The whole idea of it is rather scary, moving your atoms through space like that." She shivered.
"Not much different than transfiguration," James said, shrugging.
"I'm just so scared to end up splinched," Lily explained.
"Me, too," Peter said eagerly.
Remus nodded, "Just don't think about it. Statistically, you're ten times more likely to splinch if you think on it. It's all in the determination part of the act."
"Listen to this one," James snorted, thumbing at Remus, "Talking like he's an old pro."
"Do you lot have any idea how hard I had to study this rubbish with Sirius in order to get him to pass it?" Remus asked. "Bloody hell, I feel like I've already done the whole course. Might as well have done..."
Lily said, "Well good, you can help the rest of us study it then."
Remus said, "And that's different than every other thing we study how?"
James said, "Remus always tutors us."
Peter nodded eagerly.
"No wonder you've got passing grades," Lily chided James, elbowing him in the belly as the doors at the front of the room opened and a hush fell over the students collected inside. "Ohhh look!" Lily squealed, pointing.
At the front of the room, Elphinstone Urquart and Minerva McGonagall had just entered, carrying hoops of their own.
"MINNIE?" James rubbed his eyes as though he might be seeing things. "YES... Well now we know we'll do alright in this class! Bloody hell, Sirius is going to regret not coming along to watch now."
Remus grinned, "Yeah he is."
James waved eagerly and he saw McGonagall's eyes roving over the students, pause when they landed on him, and a quirk went through her lips - ever so slight, but there just the same.
"Oh man," James murmured, grinning. "This is going to be good."