i really loved him

chapter 29

James POV

July/August –

'James,

Thank you for informing me of Sirius' arrival. I am glad that he had somewhere to go.

Yes, I am safe at Grimmauld Place and whilst I appreciate your offer, I have to remain here.

Do not write to me again. The disguise was decent, but not enough; they could still find out.

R.A.B'

That was it. Five sentences. And two of them were saying not to contact him anymore.

James had read that letter a lot over the past month, as if the more he went back to it, the more information there would be, hidden within the oddly rigid, formal words. To his disappointment, however, there were no secret messages or meanings to be found. According to Sirius, who had read over his shoulder when Dottie returned, that was just how Regulus wrote.

Apart from the constant worries that lurked in the back of his mind, the rest of summer was just glorious.

All four Marauders in the same place, with no homework or responsibilities (besides Remus, who still managed to fabricate revision for himself), led to a week of pure fun and mischief. As Euphemia suggested, they had Flooed to Diagon Alley the next morning and spent the day romping and browsing to their hearts' content. They had even headed out to London for a bit, where Sirius had bought himself an entire new wardrobe of Muggle clothing and returned home essentially looking like a rock star.

"All I've ever worn is poncy dress robes!" he'd exclaimed gleefully, emerging from a shop changing room clad in torn black jeans, gleaming leather Docs and a Queen t-shirt that James was also tempted by. "'Cept the stuff Andromeda smuggled me," Sirius had added absentmindedly, flicking his hair over one shoulder as he admired his own reflection. "What d'you think?"

The three of them had been quick to confirm that he looked bloody fabulous, Remus in particular; those two had roamed the aisles together for ages, picking up every other item they found.

Then, the rest of their time was happily passed in the sun, holding picnics and whizzing around on the Nimbus 1001 in James' garden. On the last evening before Remus and Peter went home, they'd all stayed up hours into the night setting off Fleamont's impressive stash of Filibuster Fireworks into the sky, kept warm by the campfire – courtesy of Euphemia, whose Incendio Charms were legendary.

To James' delight and relief, having Sirius stay with them was brilliant. He had been shy for roughly thirty minutes before slotting right in as if he'd never lived anywhere else; eager to assist with the chores and cooking, happily joining dinnertime debates about the best Celestina Warbeck songs and actually waking up at a reasonable time in the mornings for family breakfast. That one was the most shocking.

James pretty much considered himself the luckiest teenager in the world, getting to live with his best friend. They were practically inseparable, planning next year's pranks and building pillow forts in James' bedroom. Which were spectacular, by the way; most of the time, Sirius ended up abandoning his room and bunking in James' instead.

"I should've guessed," Euphemia had laughed as she walked in one morning to find them fast asleep in their latest home-made den.

But however wonderful that all was, James couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts. For more reasons than one.

* * *

Wednesday, 1st September, 10:59 – "I'm gonna go find Reggie," James announced as the train began to chuff.

Sirius, who had taken his usual place lounging against the window with his legs sprawled out over the seat, nodded and straightened slightly.

"Check he's alright for me, will you?" he said. James rolled his eyes.