Forever A Marauder

Eighteen: James

JAMES

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Three boys and a girl sat on a bench outside a cafe in Hogsmeade, waiting patiently for the return of their two missing friends. Lily and James gave each other spoon fulls of ice cream from their shared sundae. James wondered if they got caught. No, Sirius was sure his parents were gone. A loud popping sounded at the end of the street, just a short walk down from their spots.

"Good to see you again!" James' voice lowered significantly as Calysta's body language became defensive. She relaxed when she saw who it was. "Sirius?" Sirius was turned away from them; Calysta whispered something in his ear, to which he nodded. Calysta met James and Remus on the way to Sirius, Peter and Lily trailing behind.

"Something's gone wrong...at his house." Calysta started to answer the question on the tip of James' tongue. They huddled closer together. Calysta stole a glimpse over her shoulder at Sirius, who was supporting himself with a lamp post. "He was disowned. Regulus was right about what his parents would do." Calysta said, fiddling with her hands awkwardly. The group's breath hitched and they looked behind Calysta.

"Oh, Sirius," Lily sighed quietly, looking on in hopeless sympathy. James hooked his arm around her back and rubbed her arm gently, bowing his head. Peter kept his eyes on Sirius' turned back. Calysta wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as Remus found immense interest in the leaf-littered ground.

"What happened?" James asked, lifting his head, a new furious light behind his eyes. Calysta peeked, yet again, over her shoulder, at her distraught boyfriend.

"We were grabbing more of his stuff--to take to your house. And then his brother appeared-- I know, don't comment on that-- and Sirius asked if they really disowned him. He followed Regulus to the tapestry they have of their family tree and he was completely frozen in front of it. I had to drag him out or else he wouldn't move." She finished softly. Lily looked close to tears for him; and like James, the rest were a mix of sorrow and ferocity.

"I swear, one of these days..." James made an angry gesture with his hands and clenched his fingers into a tight fist.

"There's nothing you can do now. What's done is done," Sirius' voice joined the conversation, making them jump slightly and avert their gazes. Calysta placed one hand behind his back and the other on his arm. He blinked a few times; he hadn't been crying, but he looked very distressed. Calysta opened her jacket and pulled out what James recognized as his childhood rabbit. Sirius smiled a small smile.

"I knew I couldn't argue with you," He whispered, holding in one hand. James smiled at the simple gesture that brightened Sirius' spirits, even a little. Calysta leaned her head against Sirius' shoulder, and Lily mimicked her movement with James.

"Do you wanna go back to the castle?" Peter asked softly, looking at Sirius closely. They all looked to him and nodded encouragement.

"I need a seat." Sirius said, detached, starting up the path out of Hogsmeade. He closed the small stuffed animal in his leather jacket he always wore. Sirius' hands were gloved; the fingers of the gloves were cut off, fraying at the ends.

"I would think you crazy if you didn't." Remus agreed, walking on the other side of Calysta. Peter was short on Calysta's heels, with James and Lily taking up the back of the procession. James absently placed a lingering kiss on her temple; their fingers laced together like they'd done it all their lives. He never guessed how much he'd actually love the feeling of Lily Evans being so close to him. Everything with Lily was so much better.

"Why would anyone treat their children like that?" She whimpered in his ear. James huffed out through his nose.

"With wizard families, tradition is very important. Just by being sorted into Gryffindor did he 'defy' the Black family tradition. Their family is an ancient Slytherin family," James explained. Lily -shook her head disbelievingly. "And his brother is such a suck-up, so naturally he hated Sirius too. You have no idea what it's like to be hated so much by a sibling like that." James continued. Lily was silent, causing James to look down to her.

"I do, actually." Lily said quietly. James tilted his head; the crack of a twig breaking underfoot the only sound between them.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"My sister, Petunia," Lily sniffed and rubbed her nose. "She calls me a freak-- I haven't talked to her in months." Lily explained, smoothing her red hair behind her ear with her free hand. "She didn't even invite me to her wedding." Her voice was filled with tears. James gave her hand a squeeze in comfort.

"Some Muggles just don't accept others' differences. It's the same with wizard families. That's the cause of this whole 'rising war'." James exaggerated. Lily sighed deeply and picked up her pace to get to the castle; James easily matched her footsteps. Remus looked behind them briefly, making sure they were still close.

"Not being invited to a wedding isn't as bad as being kicked out of the family." Lily said and gave a small wave of her hand. James nodded, saying nothing. Ahead, Calysta rhythmically patted Sirius' lower back as they climbed the sloping hill. The tall spires of Hogwarts were now peeking over the top of the hill. Dying flower bushes lined the pathway they walked on, a slight breeze bristling the hairs on the back of James' neck.

"Where are we going? The entrance is that way." Lily pointed. Peter let out a breathy laugh.

"There's more than one way we can get in," He gestured ahead, into a flowering patch of land surrounding a large stone arch.

"Is this...is this a garden?" Lily continued, examining a thin, blue petal that just snapped and fell from the center of a flower. "I've never seen this place. In all my years I never knew this was back here." She gaped in awe at the strange flowers around the bank of a man-made lily pond and tiny waterfall. James wanted to take her there on a date, but Sirius led them this way instead, so she wouldn't be surprised anymore; James was a bit bummed.

"Dumbledore took me through this way when I first arrived," Calysta added. "It was a lot fuller earlier in the year. So many colors..." She sighed to herself, pausing the comforting pats to Sirius' back to look at the trickling water flowing over the rocks into the shallow pond.

"Speaking of," Remus nodded his head to the Headmaster that was slowly making his way down the same path, his hands clasped neatly in front of him.

"Professor Dumbledore," James nodded. Dumbledore smiled warmly at them.

"Not sneaking about, are we Mr. Potter?" He said teasingly. James smirked and shook his head.

"No, sir. We're just taking a short way in," He said, not revealing how they knew the hidden passageway. Dumbledore gave him an inquisitive look, but rather kind in nature.

"I'm surprised. Not many students know about this passage," The older man bowed his head slightly. "But I'm sure your Head Boy duties have revealed much to you." The glint in his eye told them he knew better. James nodded, going along with the Headmaster's explanation. Dumbledore's pointed wizard's hat flopped forward. A few soft chuckles were exchanged, the Headmaster's included. The sounds ended once Sirius met Dumbledore's eye. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"A bit cold is it not, Mr. Black? Perhaps some tea will do you well. Good day," He bid them goodbye on those dainty words. Sirius blinked in confusion, but tugged Calysta forward by wrapping his pinkie around hers. Lily clung to James' arm as they continued behind the rest of the group.

"Odd fellow, isn't he?" Sirius spoke his first words the whole trip back to the ancient castle. His voice was like a child's; soft and unsure of itself. James thought it felt weird to hear the usual confidence drained from his best mate, replaced with an overall tired tone. A comfortable silence followed Sirius' statement, with everyone knowing the others agreed. Their friendship was like that; so strong they knew the others held a mutual understanding without having to speak a word.