Sirius swore as he flicked a lever. James could only assume that was what made the bike invisible, but he and James could still see it.
"Almost forgot," he muttered. "Last thing I want is my face all over the Prophet..."
Riding a flying motorbike felt a bit like a broomstick, but not only was the seat shaped much different, but the bike had an engine that rumbled with life like a growling animal. James was no stranger to heights, but he felt he had to hold onto Sirius's shoulders now and then. He didn't know how far his house was from Sirius to begin with. Either way, the flight was exhilarating, in a different way than Quidditch was. He found himself glancing at the ground far below a lot of the time, while Sirius kept his eyes trained ahead of them.
"Are you sure they can't see us?"
"Nope. I enchanted it," Sirius explained. "The Muggles haven't a clue. I found some of my parents' old schoolbooks and found a Disillusionment Charm, remember?"
James gaped, still feeling vaguely unsettled.
They tore through the sky for maybe twenty minutes until Sirius started gazing downward, searching for James's neighborhood. When he was satisfied he'd found it, he gripped the handlebars.
"Hold on, we're going to head down now," he told him.
James only grinned, excited. He felt the rush of adrenaline as he held on, still rather awkwardly; once they were making a steady decline, it felt more like a broomstick once more.
The Potters' house began to look less like a tiny model and more like the place he knew up close.
Though he doubted he would ever admit it to him personally, James felt guilty for Sirius's brother, Regulus. Not only did he have to stay with his parents, but now Sirius was gone for good. It made him feel a bit better to know that at least they were kinder to him.
They touched down in the Potters' backyard, and not in the most graceful way, either: the front wheel left a muddy trail behind it, where Sirius winced.
When James dismounted the bike, he felt rather dizzy and disoriented. Sirius only chuckled as he began to unload his trunk from the sidecar.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Sirius insisted. "I don't suppose your parents will mind?"
James glanced at the mud-trail, laughing in response. "No, they like you too much. They'll just fix it with magic."
"Even with the Muggles around?"
"They don't notice anything. You'd be surprised what kind of excuses they'll make up for magic. It's always a trick of the mind, or a coincidence, or something else." He was mildly amused, considering Sirius never really encountered Muggles. Though his house was quite near to them, his house was only visible to wizards. That and the fact that his parents, mainly his mother, considered Muggles to be dirty half-breeds.
Sirius left the bike invisible and they headed into the door. Fleamont and Euphemia looked shocked as they entered, clothes dirty and hair windswept (in James's case, more than usual). Sirius looked sheepish, as if he still believed that they would be angry with him.
"We took his bike back here," James explained as they headed to the stairs.
"A bike? Like Muggles?" Mr. Potter raised an eyebrow. He only turned to his wife, who looked just as confused.
The best part about Sirius moving in was designing his part of James's room. They had an older mattress from before James had gotten a new one, and they dressed it with new sheets and pillows before Sirius unpacked all his things. He could hardly believe it, and it was easy to tell with the mood he was in. James rarely saw him so pleased.
"We should tell the others," Sirius suggested. "That way no owls will go to Grimmauld Place. Wouldn't want my parents opening my letters."
"Good point." James searched his chest of drawers for two rolls of parchment, then had to dig through his trunk for a quill. They were both rather crumpled, but James only shrugged it off and began to write the same letter twice. One was for Remus, the other for Peter. He wrote something along the lines of Sirius is staying with me now, send your owls here instead, before rolling them up and opening Winfred's cage.
As Sirius put his clothes away, James tied both letters to the owl's feet. He explained to her who they were for and she took off, hooting gently.
They had a lot of fun that afternoon, playing Gobstones, wizard chess, and just talking. He debated bringing up Lily again. He knew she had been grateful for saving Snape's skin, even if he had had to sacrifice a bit of his dignity to do it.
She had said she wouldn't date him, though. That made his heart sink a little.
That night, the Potters made dinner and Sirius and James laughed as they ate and talked over the table. Sirius got to know James's parents more. He was like the brother James had never had, and it made his home life much more exciting.
Sirius still seemed baffled at the fact that the Potters never seemed to be mad at him, or the least bit distrustful. They treated him as one of their own, bringing the two teenagers snacks and drinks in their bedroom. They were allowed to stay up as long as they wanted. From one of their windows, they could just get a view of the neighbor's television, which they liked to watch and guess what was happening. Neither of them had ever owned one, as wizards rarely used Muggle technologies, and it interested them greatly. One show was a cartoon, which they found particularly interesting.
Occasionally, Sirius would borrow Winfred to send letters. James had a strong feeling they were for Regulus, but wasn't sure if he should ask. He had told him that he could borrow the owl whenever he felt the need to. He only wondered what their relationship was like now that they lived separately and the Blacks' favorite child was now their only one.
By Christmas, Sirius had well-settled in. Even though they would be going back to Hogwarts in another week, it had felt like he had been there years. James got a new broomstick, and as Sirius was presented with supplies for his motorbike, James was convinced he saw tears forming in the boy's eyes.
Mr. Potter explained how he had went to a Muggle auto shop, asking around for what he should get for a motorbike, while the Muggle clerk only seemed astonished at his lack of knowledge. Sirius embraced both of them, an enormous smile on his face that made James grin too.
They spent the rest of the morning polishing the bike, chatting about nothing at first, until the subject came up.
"Have you thought about trying again?" Sirius shrugged. "Maybe now that you've saved Snivellus's neck Evans won't hate your guts anymore."
James chuckled. "Maybe. I don't know," he admitted. He still couldn't understand how Lily, who seemed like such a respectable person, could ever be friends with someone as vile as Snape. He looked like he was on his way to the dark side.
Sirius echoed his thoughts. "She's probably tired of him by now. He's gotten... weirder."
"Weirder than he already is?" James smirked.
"Yeah. Like, I'm pretty sure he's the type to follow the wrong people," Sirius went on. "If you know what I mean."
Voldemort. James knew exactly what Sirius meant, but people rarely said the Dark Lord's name anymore. Uttering it alone struck fear in the hearts of the bravest wizards and the most powerful witches. There was a brief silence.
"You've got a point," James agreed slowly. He hated Snape's guts, that was no secret, but he hadn't exactly thought of that possibility. All Slytherins in his eyes were suspicious to some degree, so maybe it wasn't so surprising. "I don't think Lily would approve of that."
"When we get back to school, just do it," Sirius advised him. "Ask her to Hogsmeade or something. We don't have to tag along." He was joking, of course, but suddenly James envisioned the rest of the Marauders following him and Lily around, and he suddenly felt awkward.
"Good idea," James agreed.
At the end of the break, he and Sirius were back on the Hogwarts Express with their trunks and Winfred. They met up with Remus and Peter, who they talked excitedly with as the train rumbled to life and began to pull gradually out of the station. Remus was looking pale due to the approaching full moon, but Peter was clutching a bag of licorice wands and nibbling on them excitedly.
Sirius talked about how he had moved in with the Potters and had to escape on his bike, which particularly interested Peter. His piggy little eyes glinted as he listened to every detail, fascinated at the idea of a Muggle vehicle. Unfortunately, that was back at the Potters', where they were unable to show anyone. The idea of Peter drooling over the bike as Sirius showed it off was quite amusing.
They went back to class the next day. It was early January now, and James was debating on when to ask Lily out again. He could handle rejection just fine, but what made him hesitate was what Snape would take from it if he refused. He could just imagine his pale, hooked nose in his face, mocking him as he pointed his wand and shouted made-up spells. He decided he would after Transfiguration before their lunch break when she would meet up with him.
He put away his notes and wand, which he had just used to turn a rat into a coin purse. Maybe the reason teachers weren't fed up with him more than they already were was because he was an able student, because he easily imagined himself dangling by his ankles in chains while Filch only laughed.
He caught sight of her making her way to the door. James crammed in his things, picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Hey," he called. "Evans."
She glanced at him for a moment, doing a double take before slowing down. Her expression was difficult to decipher.
"Yes?"
She looked vaguely annoyed.
Sirius was leaving the classroom now, too, and flashed James a thumbs-up behind Lily's head.
"Right, so now that you know I'm not a complete git, I was wondering if maybe we could go out sometime." He grinned widely, trying to read her expression. Her green eyes blinked, and for a moment he felt completely lost in them before coming back to his senses.
Her eyes traveled to the ground for a moment, James hanging on to every moment as he waited.
She rolled her eyes, but she was laughing this time, and he suddenly felt at ease. "Just this once," she insisted, but something in her was hesitating. She locked eyes with him for a fraction of a second, and he felt suddenly very exposed.
"Great," he nodded. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"Sure, just let me know," she responded. She turned around, red hair flying behind her.
For a few seconds, James seemed to forget where he was and what he was doing before coming back to reality and heading down the hall. He was looking for Sirius, but found Remus instead.
"How'd it go?" he asked.
James felt he couldn't answer with words, but the enormous grin on his face said it all.
**Hey guys! Sorry for the hiatus.
I'm working on an original novel that I hope to publish publicly at some point, along with a collection of short stories, so that's taken up a decent amount of my free time. But I wanted to make a chapter to push the plot forward and to let you guys know what I am in fact still alive.
If you liked this, please consider a vote and comment. Thank you for your time, I truly appreciate it!**