The Bonds of Spirit are stronger than the Bonds of Blood

Chapter Twenty Four

Summer was nearly over, though the days passed as if they were one endless day. That was what Sirius had wished for. He wished this summer would never end! But at least at the end there was Hogwarts and adventure to be had! And of course they could finally continue their work on the map. He doubted they would be able to finish it this year, there was still so much left of the castle to be mapped out. But at least they had some idea of what they were doing! A grin on his face, he began his latest letter to Lily.

"Dear Lily,

Today has been the best day so far! Moony finally arrived! We spent most of the day catching up and planning pranks for next year. Don't worry, I still plan on keeping my word to you! But we've gotta do something to liven up the Castle! Gotta keep Filch and the staff on their toes! And just a little while ago Wormtail showed up! He managed to convince his mother to let him join us for the rest of the summer! This is gonna be a great end to an incredible summer! How're things with you?

~Sirius"

Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter spent their days planning various pranks that they could play on the school over the year, while making sure to include time to map out every part of the castle and the grounds. They set about creating a plan to find every secret passage possible, figuring out ways to make note of them on the map properly. They would also need indicators to show where each secret passage led, making sure to note what would be on the other side, not just where the path stopped. They also kept notes on different ways they could potentially enchant the map. After their latest planning session, Lily's reply arrived.

"Dear Sirius,

That's wonderful! I'm glad the four of you get to spend the rest of your vacation together. At least you'll get some time to enjoy yourselves before you have to worry about classes! And you better be keeping your word! If I find out you haven't been, you'll have to answer to me! Understand?! As for me, it's been rather dull. I can still have fun, since Severus keeps me company whenever he can, but it's just as dull as ever. Tunie ignores me no matter what I do. But I've gotten used to it.

~Lily"

Sirius read her letter with interest. Severus... Severus... Ah, right, Severus Snape, the Slytherin. Sirius rolled his eyes at the memory of the boy. He was irritating, always trying to catch Sirius and James, and even Remus and Peter, in the act of something. Even the smallest hint of a prank or some other mischievous action led the boy to attack the other four. They retaliated of course, it was a rather vicious cycle, but neither side was willing to stop and talk. Sirius considered it, he did regret his actions after all, but then that Snape boy would just go after his friends again and he'd react rather harshly. He wasn't about to let anyone harm his friends in any way.

"Dear Lily,

You're right, that does sound incredibly dull! But better to have someone than no one, right? And don't worry, I understand. I will never break my word to you. It'll be great to be back at Hogwarts soon. Sure classes cut into a lot of plans, but at least we'll all be back at Gryffindor Tower, together. No need to worry about going home again until summer! And best of all, no need to think about our birth families until summer! We get a full school year's worth of freedom! With a relatively small cost at that. And just think! Only four more years and then we'll be full-fledged wizards! We'll be able to do whatever we want! What do you want to do after Hogwarts?

~Sirius"

The Marauders spent the remainder of their vacation constantly together. Where one could be found, the other three were not far behind. They played games of their variant of Quidditch, ran amok in the town, and finally purchased all the supplies they would need for the year. They ventured through Diagon Alley, stopping by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for their favourite flavours, before hitting Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. While they didn't always use the joke shop's products, they usually got decent inspiration by wandering through the rows of displays. There were the classics, like the Serious Shocker, Dungbombs, and even Nose-Biting Tea Cups. But this time there was something new! Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start. No-Heat Fireworks! Oh, the fun the Marauders could have with these! Each of the four boys grabbed as many as they could carry, and as many as they could afford, and swiftly bought their newest delights. They could just imagine what sort of fun they could have if they set these off in the perfect place!

"Dear Sirius,

I can't believe how quickly time flies! It seems like just a few short days ago we were properly speaking for the first time! I still can't believe how well you hide who you truly are... Why do you? Why not just be honest with everyone? As things are now, they'll all just see you as some arrogant jerk, unworthy of even a second glance. Is that what you want? Do you want to be so isolated? Sure, the girls in our year are crazy about you, but they don't really see you as you are.

~Lily"

Sirius read over Lily's latest letter. Of course she would bring up his duality. He used a mask the way many others did, but he never did explain to Lily why he used this mask. Thinking back, he couldn't remember why they hadn't had this conversation sooner. They had spoken about every aspect of their lives, yet somehow they had never actually spoken about the masks they wear.

"Dear Lily,

I keep up this mask because I don't want to be a burden on others. They shouldn't have to know my back story, or feel like they should pity me. I don't need their pity. And really, I found my best friends despite this mask. If other people can't see beyond it then that's alright. It's not ideal, sure, but it suits me just fine. All I need are the people who can be bothered to take a closer look. You hide things from your closest friends. No one, except for me, knows about how your sister treats you. Though I suppose Severus Snape knows, because you two live in the same area. But even still, you hide yourself from others just like I do. Not to the same extent, but you're not exactly an open book either.

~Sirius"

Lily read over Sirius' reply, unsurprised that he turned the situation back on her. She couldn't blame him for wanting to hold back and continue wearing the mask. After all, his past, and his home life, wasn't the best. It was far from happy and it clearly tormented him. He acted arrogant, just like every member of his family seemed to. Sure she never really met them, but they held that sort of aura. The moved as if they were too good to share the same space as anyone else. Sirius, while arrogant in his own way, still had a great kindness to him. He acted so confident, but he freely admitted when he was wrong. To Lily, Sirius' family was a jagged blade, existing only to serve themselves, to prove they were the best and anyone else was unworthy of their time. Sirius was the opposite. There was a softness to him, a kind of strength that was warm and welcoming. Perhaps that was what had made her agree to share the compartment with him on the train last year.

"Dear Sirius,

I understand. Perhaps things are really better this way. You really are worth getting to know, I just worry that the mask will take over if you aren't careful. It's easy to get caught up in the persona. I was surprised how easy it was to tell you my story, properly of course. But, there's something about you that makes a person feel at home. If you still want to hide your troubles, that's fine, but don't hide anything from me, okay? We are family now, and family doesn't keep secrets from family! It's nearly time to return to Hogwarts. Promise me we'll still chat there! I know you are often busy, with whatever it is you, Remus, James, and Peter have been getting up to, but we should still set aside a time to just relax and catch up. Okay?

~Lily"

Sirius read Lily's letter and smiled. He never imagined he would be so lucky as to find someone like her to be a part of his newly formed family. He wrote his response, assuring her that they would have time to talk properly over the coming school year, and that he would never hide anything from her. Well, at least anything that solely concerned him. He still couldn't reveal Remus' secret, not until he got the okay, but that was a secret of a different calibre. He sent off his response, and reminisced on all that he had done this summer. It was easily the greatest time he had had outside of Hogwarts. This was his last night here, so he planned to make the most of it. He, James, Remus, and Peter sat in a circle and shared stories they had heard, legends of strange creatures and dangerous spirits. The spent half the night trading stories before finally falling asleep. Tomorrow they would return to the one place they could all call home.