the cadence of part time poets

Chapter 69: Potter Cottage

Our house is a very, very, very fine house,
With two cats in the yard;
Life used to be so hard,
Now everything is easy 'cause of you...
- "Our House" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 1970

With only a week of summer holiday left, Remus packed them a bag and together with Andy's guitar in hand, he and Sirius started the trek across London to see their friends. They first hopped a cab to Camberwell, then a bus to Charing Cross where they crammed themselves into the first train toward East Finchley along with all the rest of London's late-morning commuters. Remus would've preferred to let James know that it was not just him on his way over, but as dramatic as always, Sirius was determined to make an entrance.

"If I'm to show up on their doorstep a pauper, then I might as well make it a surprise," he insisted for the hundredth time, turning to watch the London Underground speed by. Sirius never got tired of city-watching; no matter how dirty or crowded, he was always facinated. Every little thing thrilled him and he spoke to whoever cared enough to strike up a conversation. Remus had thought on more than one occasion that if Sirius had looked any more like his true blue-blooded self they'd have been tagged by a pickpocket ages ago, but neither of them had much to steal in the first place. Just a single old guitar, a few dingy records, and the clothes on their backs.

"Blimey. Look at this, Moons," Sirius said after a while. Remus looked up from his song journal, which he'd really only brought to pass the time, and found that Sirius had picked up one of the stray papers other commuters were always leaving behind on their seats. He was flipping through the rental classifieds.

"This one here says one bedroom flat in Brixton, a ninety-eight pounds a month. Sounds reasonable, right?"

"For a one bedroom in Brixton? Way too expensive."

"Alright, then how 'bout this one—two bedrooms in Mill Hill. Sixty-seven pounds a month. That's like plonk-change!"

"Except Mill Hill isn't exactly close to the city."

Sirius huffed and passed him the paper. "Go on, you have a look then."

Setting his journal aside, Remus opened the paper and began scanning each ad. "This one in Chelsea don't sound all that bad... Or here—in Shepherd's Bush. Three bedrooms."

"That's where we went to that killer pub, innit?" Sirius beamed. "God, their bathrooms were disgusting though."

"As so many in Shepherd's Bush are."

"Eh, I'll keep looking. Dunno what I'd do with three bedrooms anyway."

Remus just about started. He'd began the conversation thinking Sirius was talking about all of them getting a flat together after school... not about him moving in by himself.

"M'sure rent's cheaper in Scotland..." He murmured.

"Oh totally, I'm just having a look. S'good to keep my options open, but I can't leave you lot anyway. You're simply too irresistible." Taking the paper back, Sirius leaned into him and pouted his lips into a kiss. Remus smiled in relief.

"Wouldn't want you to leave," he said.

"I know. It's because I'm even more irresistible."

"Don't forget modest."

As Sirius went back to his search, Remus reached for his journal again. As he was flipping it open to the correct page, he glanced up to find a man and a woman business dress watching them from a short ways down the carriage. Remus eyed him warily, and the next time the train gave a jostle he slid away from Sirius on the bench slightly.

"Do you think we should've told James I was coming?" Sirius asked, not five minutes later.

Remus resisted a groan. "Are you joking me?"