Marauders - Always - Part One

Strawberry Angel Delight

Breaking and entering didn't really apply in their situation, Sirius told himself as James closed the door, sealing them into the house. After all - they hadn't broken. Only entered.

"Lumos," James's wand lit up as Sirius was folding closed his pocket knife and slipping it back into the magically extended pocket of his leather jacket, right next to his miniaturized motorbike, record player, and collection of records. He and James naturally gravitated toward one another until their backs were nearly touching, at angles to each other so that they moved slowly away from the door like the head of an arrow. James tilted his head to glance into the parlor as Sirius looked into the dining room on opposite sides of the hallway they stood in. The house was similar in build to Number 12, but the floor plan was mirrored with the stairs leading up to the left of the door instead of the right. James ran a fingertip along a narrow table that held a tray for mail and keys and such. The dust was thick. "I dunno if anyone's been here in quite some time," he murmured.

Sirius ducked his head into the dining room, all the furniture was covered with dust cloths, the chairs pushed close against the table, a chandelier overhead that had been fitted with tiny electrical lights instead of the candles that would be on any chandeliers in the wizarding world. Most of the bulbs had a shadowed look to them that indicated they'd expired. A hutch displayed very old, patterned china with tarnished silver tea set on a matching tray on the lowest shelf. Sirius looked at his reflection on the silver set and it was distorted so his nose looked quite large and he could see up his nostrils. "Hmm," he murmured, "No wonder Marlene didn't want to see up them."

James meanwhile had ducked his head into the parlor. The fireplace was dark and cleaned out, and most everything was cloth-covered there, too, with the exception of one very old looking upholstered chair, which was uncovered and had a book sitting on the stand beside it. James tilted his head to see the cover of the book - a very old, browning copy of a biography of Vincent Van Gogh. He paused, brows cinching together, then looked over the room again. A great deal of the carpet was dusty, but there did seem to be a bit of a path where the dust had been stirred in the antique rug that covered the floor. 

Returning to the hallway, James looked in after Sirius in the dining room. Sirius was messing with the smallest fork in a single place setting at the far end head of the table. "What are you doing?"

Sirius looked up.

"Stop messing with things," James said in a very parental tone.

Sirius grinned, "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

James stepped back into the hall and started down past the stairs toward the kitchen. Sirius came out of the dining room a moment later and followed James down the narrow corridor, past a couple old paintings that were quite boring because their subjects sat still, and they came into the kitchen, which had been modernized at least. At Number 12 they still had the fire stone stove and hearth for cooking but here at least there was a gas stove and refrigerator, better suited for the 20th century. 

The kitchen table had a couple dirty dishes on it and a bottle of ketchup left out. A sketchbook with a tin of charcoal pencils lay next to the dishes, and on the fridge there had been stuck a magnet with a print-out schedule of classes. 

"I think Spencer's been living here," James said, pointing to the schedule.

Sirius looked around the room, "Hasn't done much with the place, has he?"

James shook his head, "Willing to bet he's just moved in recently... Probably when him and Lula started fighting. D'you reckon they might've lived together before they broke up?"

"Possibly," Sirius shrugged. "Remus would know better."

James took the ketchup bottle and put it back in the fridge. There was a small smattering of things that had been placed inside - not a lot, but a few things. Sirius looked over James's shoulder. "Oooh," he said, reaching over James to the top shelf, "Strawberry Angel Delight." He grinned, taking one of several small dishes.