𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ epilogue ✧

1977/1978

Sirius Black sat at his house's long dining table in the Great Hall staring silently at his hands. The room was filled with the hum of excited chatter amongst friends as the whole school awaited their breakfast; Lily and James sitting together on one side of the bench flanked by Remus and Marlene, while Sirius' girlfriend and surrogate younger brother Peter sat either side of him. There was no clock to signify the hour, but as if on cue a large breakfast buffet materialised on every table, just like it did every day.

'Right on time.' He thought, checking his watch to see that it was seven o'clock on the dot. Same as the day before, and the day before that, and all the days to come.

There was always endless conversation during mealtimes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The air around the students buzzed as students and teachers interacted with each other. Sirius, no longer focussing all his energy on not scraping his cutlery against the fine crockery, joined his friends in yet another friendly debate, this time over the importance of the muggle subject of mathematics. The smallest noise from the now almost fully grown boy was no longer met with a harsh, disapproving glare from his mother. The manners that were engrained in him from such a young age slipped as he threw his head back and laughed loudly at a ridiculous rebuttal James had come up with on the side against mathematics.

On that particular day, the crazy eights routine mealtime debate was interrupted by an owl swopping in through an open window, swooping low enough to drop a letter in front of Sirius's plate, before circling back and exiting the way it came in. As soon as the owl had left the group fell silent, curious as to what the contents of the letter Sirius just received could be. James watched on from his spot opposite Sirius, his head coked to the side as he came up with theories on what the letter could be.

Wordlessly, Sirius plucked the wax sealed letter from where it lay, propped up against his goblet of pumpkin juice. He turned the letter over carefully in his hand, reading the front, as if to double check it was meant for him, before turning it over and carefully peeling back the wax seal.

Sirius felt an excitement bubble up inside of him. This was the letter he'd been waiting to receive. He read his own name printed in elaborate black cursive on the front before turning it over to reveal the wax seal of The Order of the Phoenix.

✧✧✧    

James Potter awoke to the smell of traces of Lily Evans perfume on his pillow, mixed with smelly socks and a suspicious smell he suspected Sirius to be guilty of producing. He slowly rolled over and stretched, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table.

He slid out of bed and stretched once more, before heading towards the source of one of the smells. At the foot of his bed, stood a very smug looking Sirius Black, who's grin confirmed James's suspicions that the smell emitted definitely was coming from his friend. A small gust of wind was pouring from the tip of his wand, blowing the foul smell directly into James' face and making his eyes water.

"I thought this might wake you up," Sirius laughed, flicking his wand to disperse the wind, "follow me, a letter came for you this morning while you were asleep."

With that James' eyes widened and he broke into a run, the annoyance he felt towards Sirius along with the revenge plan he had quickly cooked up in his mind long forgotten as he hurried towards one of the windows after his friend.

Sirius stepped aside to reveal the elaborately sealed envelope addressed to James sitting on one of the cushions that lined the dormitory window seats. James gently pushed Sirius further aside and clambered up onto the bay window, reaching out and snatching the letter up. He quickly took in the neat writing on the front clarifying that it was addressed to him, before flipping it over and tearing open the wax seal stamped with a crest that was to become his life for the next few years; The Order of the Phoenix.