bittersweet history

Chapter Seven - Jamie

The unfortunate side effect of bonding with Sirius meant hearing all about his boy problems. Anytime they were alone for too long, Sirius would come to Jamie for advice and never take it. It was incredibly weird to hear one of his namesakes wax poetry about his brother's father. Teddy's head would surely explode if he were to find out.

Jamie supposed Teddy was the person he missed the most. Even in his own time, Jamie hadn't seen Teddy much. He was always busy with work or his engagement to someone he met while studying in Italy. He was consumed with his own life while Jamie was consumed in nostalgia.

"C'mon James," Jamie begged, "just a little extra practice." There was a sliver of time in between the other teams' Quidditch practices that Jamie took advantage of to get some practice in. It was a good time to focus on his own struggles instead of James trying to keep track of everyone. If he could, he would bring Marlene out with him so they can work together.

Yet, today James wouldn't let him. No, he wanted Jamie to stay with Sirius while they go down to the kitchens for food and do some sort of weird bonding in the dorms. This would mean more rambling about Remus' hair, or maybe his freckles or eyes. Doesn't matter, Jamie didn't want to hear it today. He was not a romance person, he didn't understand why he was the person Sirius decided to go to.

"We'll be back soon. You don't have a choice since you're one of us. I mean, we all know you were the one to do the swamp in the Great Hall prank. We need to do a prank together!" Now he was pacing with a mess of hand movements. On a particularly hard turn, he smacked Peter in the face. "I'm so sorry Pete!"

"You're good," Peter groaned. "I should've expected that."

"Anyways," James continued. "When there is a successful prank we celebrate by raiding the kitchens and celebrating together instead of going down to dinner. Unfortunately, it was put off due to you not telling us you were doing a prank."

"It wasn't well planned," Jamie tried to defend himself.

"Bullshit!" Sirius called. "That portable swamp? That would take time to design and complete. You were hoarding this idea from us!" With his chin on thin, elegant hands marred with small picked-at scars, Sirius frowned mockingly. "I thought we were friends, Delacour."

"Thought wrong," he remarked with a grin. He leaned back against his bed while sitting on the floor. With how James had shut down his idea of practice, he pulled out some cards and began to play a game of solitaire on the floor in front of him.

"Pete and I will go down and Moony will go nab a bottle of firewhiskey from Mary." Mary did not seem like the type to give up alcohol easily when she won't be the one drinking it. "He knows who she's dating and the deal for him not telling anyone is free alcohol." That made more sense.

"I wouldn't anyways," Remus cut in.

Sirius grinned, "but she doesn't need to know that." Sirius swung off his bed and took a seat next to Jamie. He swung his arm over his shoulders as James and Peter left quickly (James grabbed something from his trunk, but Jamie couldn't see it with the way Sirius was blocking his view). "You see, my young apprentice—"

"We're the same age."

"Hush. I am older, probably. I'm the eldest in the dorm. When were you born?"

"July."

"Aw, Moony, did you hear that? He's a baby. The baby of the dorm, and we get to corrupt him."

Remus leaned against the bedpost with a faint look of amusement. His fingers were tucked into his pockets in a state of casualness. "His poor parents who raised him so well, now for us to send him back a monster."