All the Young Dudes ( Sirius' Perspective )

The War : Winter 1978-1979

Long ago

And oh so far away

I fell in love with you

Before the second show

Your guitar

It sounds so sweet and clear

But you’re not really here

It’s just the radio

 

Saturday 23rd December 1978 – 1:22 AM

“We could buy a boat,” Sirius said, shoving one shoulder against the sofa. “No—drape it this way, not that way—hang on…”

“Why would we do that?” James asked, swaying slightly as Sirius grabbed the blanket from his hands and attempted to drape it between the back of the sofa and the lamp.

“Be pirates,” Sirius mumbled, narrowing his eyes ruefully at the blanket when it slipped and fell to the floor.

Building a fort had seemed like a brilliant idea half an hour ago, when Remus had finally thrown in the towel and stumbled off to bed. A few minutes later, Lily had followed after him, displaying an appalling lack of confidence at James and Sirius’s ability to construct a sleeping space out of the living room furniture that would rival the comfort of an actual mattress.

“Need’a steal a boat t’be pirates,” James slurred, laughing.

They’d all gone out that night for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron, a sort of pre-Christmas celebration. It had been Mary’s idea, as she’d be out of the country come Christmas day. She was visiting her relatives in Jamaica for the first time.

Sirius and Remus would be spending Christmas at the Potters’, along with James and Lily, so they’d see each other anyway—but it was still nice to see their other friends. Yaz was spending the holiday with the McKinnons, since her family didn’t celebrate Christmas, and Peter had tagged along too, of course. Frank and Alice had even popped by to say hello, with Alice flashing her shiny new ring.

They’d all crammed into a taxi back to Sirius and Remus’s flat afterwards, where there was always a handle of something strong and alcoholic kept under the sink and at the back of the cupboard. Everyone had ended the night utterly smashed, and once Remus and Lily began to serenade the room with muggle Christmas carols the others had finally decided that it was time to see themselves out.

It was around that point that James had had the idea to build a fort. He and Sirius had been attempting to make this dream a reality for the better part of an hour, but so far all they’d managed to do was shove the sofa into the middle of the room and fling all the cushions off of it.

“Sailors, then,” Sirius said, trying once more to drape the blanket across their makeshift fort. He was no longer entirely certain how they’d stumbled upon this topic of conversation, but it now seemed very important to figure out what they would do with their hypothetical boat. “Sail around the world.”

“Pfft.” James waved a hand, slumping down onto the floor—apparently, he’d given up on the blanket-roof. “Who needs’a boat when you’ve got magic?”