DOWNFALL || J. POTTER ✓

three | chaos

James, Lily and Peter hated visiting the small apartment that their friends share. Sirius constantly left his clothes everywhere, Remus was always nagging Sirius to clean up after himself, and Hazel was always blasting her loud music while baking something new everyday. On top of all this, the three were also in an intense prank war that seemed to be never ending. Entering that small apartment meant entering complete chaos, a war zone.

After a month of living in the apartment, Sirius barged in the door, startling Remus and Hazel, who were discussing a book they had been reading together. They look at Sirius in confusion, who was holding a large, white box that seemed to be very heavy.

"An air conditioner!" Sirius cheers, lugging it towards the window in their small living room area.

"What does it do?" Hazel questions, getting up off the couch and joining Sirius near the window.

"You put it in the window, plug it in, and it makes it cold in here. Figured we could use one, it's always hot as shit in here."

Hazel nods her head, then sitting back down on the couch. Remus gets up to help Sirius install the odd machine, Hazel watching on in amusement for the next thirty minutes. The two boys bicker with each other, eventually getting it to work after several failed attempts. Remus turns towards Hazel, hands on his hips.

"Thanks for the help."

"Oh, it was really no problem."

Remus walked towards his bedroom, stating he needed a good, long nap. Sirius plopping down next to Hazel on the couch, picking up Remus' book he had left.

"Why can't I join your little book club?" He questions, flipping through the pages of the old book.

Hazel laughs.

"Because all you ever do is make fun of the characters."

"Hmm. Touché."

Silence lingered before Sirius chose to speak up again.

"Have you spoken to James?"

"Not since he visited last week."

"He proposed to Lily."

Hazel's chest got alarmingly heavier after hearing that news. Her head felt odd and she grew dizzy. She then excuses herself from Sirius, quickly walking to her room and locking the door behind her.

She falls backwards onto her bed, several tears falling down her cheeks. Glancing over to her bedside table, she grabs the picture of her and James from their second year, where he was kissing her cheek after they both made it onto their respective house Quidditch teams. At that moment, she wishes nothing more than to go back in time to 1971 and choose a different compartment to sit in.