Disclaimer: The only thing I own here is the plot. The characters, places, etc, all belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers.

Through the Barrier

Chapter One: Strawberry, Chocolate and… stuff

July 1978

There was nothing like Diagon alley in the summer. Full of witches and wizards weaving in and out of each other, clutching bags bulging with purchased items and muttering about the huge croud and stuffy atmosphere. The small shops were leaning up against each other at crazy angles as if exhausted - and no' one could blame them. The sun was beating down with an almost unbearable heat, smothering the street with a blanket of stuffy warmth. As a result old men mopped at their foreheads with pristine white handkerchiefs and young woman bared their midriffs and knees to the ogling groups of adolescent boys leaning against the wall.

One shop in particular shop was doing a roaring trade this sweltering day in July. 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour'; a new addition to the street, was heaving with life. The young man who owned it had actually had to hire half a dozen more staff just to cope with the sudden surge of business which had appeared with the heat wave. The tables outside were stuffed with groups of friends and families, young and old, all enjoying the sweet, cold relief that the ice cream brought.

A certain table in the middle of the ice cream parlour was louder than the others. On the polished surface sat four ice creams, two of which were chocolate, one strawberry and one a mixture of at least five other flavours. As they sat there, slowly melting in the afternoon heat, the roar of laughter around them swelled and then dropped as the occupants of the table collapsed in their seats. Peter Pettigrew hiccupped slightly and reached for one of the glass cups of chocolate. Next to him Sirius Black stretched, extending his toned arms skyward to the red and white stripes of the umbrella. A group of girls on a nearby table eyed him appreciatively and he winked unashamedly back.

"So," James Potter, the owner of the strawberry ice cream, reached down and began to rustle around in one of the bags under the table. After a moment he produced a tall pointed hat the colour of strawberries, grinned and flung it on top of his ruffled head of jet-black hair. "What do you think?"

Remus Lupin looked gently at him for a second with a smirk on his face, "Prongs, don't take this the wrong way, but you look like a complete plank."

"Plank?"

"Plank."

James' chest swelled with indignation, "I do not! I actually think it looks rather cool."

The other three burst into laughter, much to James' annoyance, and Sirius reached over to snatch the hat from his best friends head. "James. If I ever see you wear this again, I will ram it somewhere painful, right?" He threw the hat back across the table at James' chest and settled back in the wicker chair, chuckling merrily as the hat was shoved back into the bag. James sniffed proudly and took a big spoonful of pink mush, only to pull a disgusted face a second later.

"Ugh! It's all warm!"

Sirius raised his eyebrows and Remus wrinkled his nose. Peter however, nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I know. Shall we get another round?"

Sirius shrugged and tipped his chair onto its back legs. It was a relief to be able to do this without some uptight teacher telling him he'd smash his skull open. Sirius had once innocently asked Flitwick, with genuine curiosity, how many smashed skulls he'd seen, and had lost Gryffindor twenty points as a result. Now he leant back with expert balance and flagged down a pretty young woman with a tray and an apron so white it practically glowed.

"Can I help you?"

"Hey! Yes, could we get another portion on strawberry, two more of chocolate and another of… erm… stuff." He picked up the thick glass goblets and passed them to be added to the hundred others balanced precariously on the silver tray.

"I don't think I should…" came a voice from behind him, which was promptly quashed.

"Shut up Remus, we'll pay for you. Thanks." Sirius nodded at the girl, who scuttled back inside, the goblets wobbling dangerously. The four young men turned back to continue their analysis of James' latest purchase.

Watching the scene, you would never have guessed that the world in which these men, woman and children lived in was balancing on the cusp of a full blown war. The young men themselves hadn't been aware until they'd left Hogwarts school, and had realised just how shielded they had been there. The fact that a group of people were intent on 'purifying' the Wizarding race, and meant to do this through means of murder and torture, was something they simply were not aware of, caught up as they were in a world of pranks, exams and rule-breaking. Not until they'd left the school and had been thrown into a place where there were no teachers or adults to protect them, had they realised the real seriousness of the situation. They were the adults now, they were responsible, and that scared them all more than they would ever admit.

"Okay guys!" bellowed Sirius, holding up his new ice cream and rapping the side smartly with a long, silver spoon. The tiny chime sent the group, plus a few tables around them, into an uneasy silence. The crackle of distant conversation always present, Sirius stood and held his ice cream up high. A multicoloured droplet glided down the side and fell onto the table, when Remus wiped it up with a napkin.

"As you all know, I got myself a lovely little house..."

"Flat." reminded James.

"A lovely little flat," reprimanded Sirius without missing a beat, "And I am pleased to say that I have finally managed to remove that boggart from the big bedroom and all the doxies from the kitchen."

"There were doxies there as well?" James turned to Peter, "No wonder it was so bloody cheap."

"Yes, thank you James. As I was saying, now that the place is… pretty much animal free, I will be able to move in!"

A cheer from the rest of the group, and smiles from the surrounding tables. Sirius inclined his head slightly, lips curving into a smirk. "Thank you. And I reckon you guys should move in with me."

The cheering stopped almost immediately, and Sirius raised his eyebrows in question. The three others sat there, looking blankly at him with their mouths slightly open. Sirius let them stare for a moment (they were probably admiring his fantastic looks) before sitting back down with a thud. "Okay…Some words would be good round about now…"

The three glanced at each other awkwardly.

"I can't," said Peter almost immediately, turning back to Sirius. "Sorry Pads, but you know mum's ill right now and, well…"

"Yeah no problem. I thought that might be it." Slightly relieved, (but not showing it) Sirius brushed aside Peter's apologetic look with a grin and a wave of the hand, "Remus?"

Remus was suddenly enthralled with his ice cream, picking off the almonds with his long fingers. "I don't think I should," he said quietly.

Sirius' grin fell, "And why not?" he probed, leaning across the table towards him with deep grey eyes filled with a mixture of irritation, curiosity and disappointment. Remus glanced over his shoulder, before leaning in and hissing across the table. "It's just not a good idea Padfoot, and you know it. I mean, it's a flat for god's sake! What's going to happen during that time? You could… I could…" He looked pained even thinking about it.

"Ugh! Fine!" Sirius flung himself backwards into the chair, crossing his arms and looking moody for a second. He seemed to consider arguing with Remus some more, but it was one of those rare occasions when the logical side of his brain kicked in and it told him that having a werewolf running round a flat, though very entertaining on some levels, probably wasn't a great idea. So instead of persuing it, he turned to James with an upset expression. "What about you then Mister Prongs? I have been rejected by two of my best mates, are you about to follow their example?"

"Well," James said brightly, a thoughtful expression stretching his face comically, "I suppose... and if I take in the tax reasons..." He pretended to think hard for a ridiculously long amount of time, causing Sirius to groan and mime hanging himself. "James, if you take much longer I'm afraid I'll have to retract the offer," he said seriously.

James grinned crookedly, "If you're going to be imptient... I guess I'll have to move in with you Mister Padfoot."

"Really?" Sirius' mood vanished almost immediately, and he looked across at James, a wide grin beginning to unfurl, "You serious?"

"No, I think we established many years ago that you're Siri…" James' joke was squashed as Sirius jumped off his chair and flung his arms round him, hugging him so tightly he was lifted slightly off his seat. "It's fine…" rasped James over his shoulder, "I don't need to breathe that often anyway."

At the table, the other two were looking on, seemingly caught between jealousy and amusement. Amusement, of course, won out in the end.

"You guys look cool." grinned Peter.

"And straight." added Remus.

"Yep! Straight as a banana."

Sirius let James go and looked meaningfully at the two others. He then looked over at James, who raised an eyebrow. Seconds later, Sirius was down on one knee and extending to arms to James, who had crossed his legs most attractively. Then Sirius, being without shame, began to proclaim his love to James very, very loudly. So loudly it caused several passers by to stop and watch, clutching their bags tightly. When Sirius was done, claiming that James' round glasses reminded him of 'the smoky beauty of crystal balls'. James pressed one hand to his forehead, "What are you saying Sirius?"

"Darling James, will you move with me into my nest of love?"

"Why yes, yes I will!" cried James, clasping his hands together and fluttering his eyelashes. "My parents will be so happy!"

It was probably true – James and Sirius definitely kept Mr and Mrs Potter on their toes. They would be glad to have the house to themselves again, without having to live in fear of dungbombs and singing fruit (a more recent idea of Sirius').

Sirius extended his hand and James took hold of it tightly. The two took off down the street, skipping merrily between the crooked houses and confused shoppers and singing an old, out of tune love song. Remus and Peter sat comfortably in the shade of the umbrella, laughing as the new roommates vanished round a corner.

Peter raised his eyebrows at his companion, "I guess we're paying after all then?"