Disclaimer: Under the internet alias cybErdrAgOn, I do not own or claim to own any portion of the works of J.K. Rowling, including but not limited to Harry Potter. That being said, I am not liable in a court of law for any damages caused to readers by mutilation, destruction, or otherwise harm to any characters. Anything which you recognize as yours or of another author's is not mine.
Chapter One: Idyllic Summer Days
"Gerroff me…now!" mumbled one sleepy James Potter as he suddenly jumped up, eyes wide open, and pushed whoever had just hit him with a soft object off the bed. He rubbed his eyes with the back of a tanned hand and glanced at his watch for the time, but there was no need. A dazzlingly bright ray of sun shot through a crack in the heavy blue drapes, explaining perfectly clearly that it was already around ten. With a wide yawn, he leaped off the four-poster bed to land right next to-Sirius? Of course, remembered James, mentally slapping his head. The Marauders, with the exception of Peter, were staying over for the remaining three days of summer, and frustrating as he could be, Sirius was a welcome break from the monotony of homework (none of which he had actually finished), parties (Lily wasn't there, so they didn't count), and simply lying around the mansion.
From his position on the carpet, Sirius shot a wide grin up at his best pal, then raised a brow quizzically. "Geez you sleep a lot," remarked the tall black haired boy. "And don't touch the hair," he added just as James moved his hand up almost reflexively. "It's messed up enough already, and there's no one to watch."
"Except us, and we would prefer not to see you practice before you try the girls," finished Remus, who had been standing in the doorway observing them with a completely logical eye. He stepped into the bedroom, taking special care to walk around the body lying prone on the ground and stopped next to the window. "Right then, up you get," he said, and signaled Sirius, who promptly dumped a bucket of cold water on James. Simultaneously they grinned, the all-knowing glint back in their eyes.
James stood up rigidly, momentarily shocked by the icy water. But soon he regained the usage of his arms and grabbed the pail, tossing it lightly at his friend's head. "All right all right, I'm getting up. Don't know what you two are thinking about, waking me up," he said darkly and half walked, half stumbled into a bathroom. A minute later, a torrent of water could be heard rushing through the pipes and out the sink and shower nozzle; it was soon muffled as the noise protection system kicked in. Evidently this was one aspect of the Potter manor that hadn't quite been perfected but still met its owners' undemanding requirements, something Sirius happened to like about them.
He jumped up and shook a dark lock out of his face, making Remus comment, "You look even more dog-like when you do that, Padfoot old friend." Sirius simply grinned again, rather pleased with himself. Perhaps it was the veritably true fact that becoming an Animagus was a worthy accomplishment; more probably, it was just his natural self-confidence. Stretching his long arms upward, he jumped onto the bed and let out a long sigh.
"Any idea what we're doing today?" A flash of movement at the door caught his attention before any more words could come out. It was Prongsy adorned in his entire Muggle wardrobe consisting of loose black pants, a bright red shirt, and horribly clashing green socks. His hair was even more rumpled since it was wet, and the look on his face spelled "You are going to pay," but in a very amused way. Even more amusing were the glasses, hung on one ear and falling off the other.
James began trotting down the stairs, shouting, "As a matter of fact, we're going to eat breakfast" on his way. It left Sirius and Lupin staring at each other for a moment, but the silence was broken as Sirius got up and casually said, "Now why didn't I think of that? I'm starving." He followed quickly, careful not to trip over the various objects strewn on the floor.
Standing up tiredly, Remus made his way to the door and muttered, "Like always," rolling his eyes to the sky. His footsteps echoed through the empty halls elegantly decorated with curious and rare magical artifacts but he was oblivious to his surroundings, concentrating instead on navigating the maze of rooms and finding the breakfast. It wasn't half as bad as Hogwarts though, he mused, or maybe not. They must have already found all the secrets in it by last year, yet there was an element of mystery lurking behind the stone walls. But Remus forgot all his thoughts upon reaching the spacious kitchen in the southeastern corner of the building.
It was a large, airy room with double windows that let in sheets of light that sparkled on the meticulously clean glass. A cuckoo clock rested above the stove, chirping whenever something was finished heating. To the side a stack of plates was scrubbing itself in the sink-the entire family, so it seemed, was more gifted with wand work than house cleaning. The Potters and Sirius were already there and had started on a plate of blueberry pancakes, pausing only to mumble hello that sounded more like "hewow" with their mouths stuffed full of food. Mrs. Potter, a slightly plump, wide-eyed woman, stuck her head out, smiled cheerfully and said in a breezy voice, "Good morning Remus, as you can see, breakfast's on the table, ask me if you need anything."
Next, a tall man with rumpled black hair, who he recognized as Mr. Potter, nodded at him from above a copy of the Daily Prophet, then resumed reading the paper. An annoyed frown crossed his face; Remus soon saw why by reading the front cover: Ministry Denies all Employee Ties to He-who-must-not-be-named. "The bungled Ministry," he said quietly after folding the paper back up. "They're too proud of what they represent to admit to the truth. And what do they have to be proud about?" Shaking his head slowly in unbridled disgust, Mr. Potter carefully shoved the newspaper to the side of table and took a sip of coffee, refusing to so much as grace it with a sideways glance.
James smiled crookedly as if to say that he was perfectly right, but Sirius merely shrugged and shifted his chair over a few inches. The last boy picked up half a stack of pancakes and dropped them onto his own plate, shooting a mildly puzzled look at James. He quickly replied, "Mum makes wonderful Muggle food, y'know." It was enough to make Remus take a bite, then another soon afterward. A reciprocating grin appeared on his face, silently agreeing. His hand moved to the orange juice just as three identical owls flew in through the window, dropped their letters, and left as quietly as they came.
The first to grab one was Sirius, and as soon as he said, "It's from Hogwarts," there was a slightly chaotic scramble for the start-of-term notes resting among the other letters, during which James managed to knock over a glass of orange juice and a chair fell over but in the process of righting itself, sent Lupin sprawling on the floor. Mrs. Potter shook her head in mock dismay but let slip a little smile; Mr. Potter had somehow disappeared into another room upon spotting the initial signs of an upcoming disaster. But after a few moments, everyone had opened their respective letters and settled back in the now-upright chairs to read them.
Inside was the usual notice calling them back to school and the list of spell books. But in James's, he found a second smaller envelope enclosing a shiny golden badge inscribed with the words "Head Boy". There was also a note reading:
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to appoint you a Head Boy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As a leader of the school, you will be expected to fulfill responsibilities in addition to those regularly asked from students. You will be contacted regarding that and anything otherwise asked of you. On the first day of term, there is a compartment in the Hogwarts Express that you will report to and inform the Prefects of their duties.
Enclosed is your badge, and do enjoy the remainder of your summer.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
"Amazing," said James in a shocked whisper as he took the badge out and held it up to the bright sunlight shooting in through the window. "Who would have thought…"
"What?" Sirius glanced up from his own letter briefly and looked down again but immediately jerked his head up again at the spark glinting off polished metal. "Oh no, this isn't what I think it is, is it?" He groaned in exaggerated resignation to the horrible truth. "Tell me, Moony, you wouldn't happen to have gotten a certain badge with your letter, would you?"
"Nope, not a chance," answered Remus amicably, tilting his head to the side in order to get a better look at the Head Boy badge being waved above it. "Prongsy here's gotten one though…ah well, I'm still a Prefect." He shrugged nonchalantly, hiding the eagerness to watch their reactions by shoving his head into the list of books. Although not at all interesting, it was the most convenient paper to read at the table.
A wide grin slowly spread across James's face. "Unbelievable…I thought Moony would've gotten it, he's the Gryffindor Prefect and all. Don't have a bloody clue why they picked me, unless it's for my outstanding Transfiguration, Quidditch, and-" He was interrupted by a chorus of voices vying for attention while his own words were quickly drowned out.
"Oh Merlin's beard, Head Boy? That's wonderful!" exclaimed Mrs. Potter, reaching over to give him a flour-dusted hug.
"Well done, James." Mr. Potter was at a loss for words, just overhearing the others, but he was never the verbose type, as everyone recalled from previous visits.
Sirius, however, had quite a different opinion. "And what else, your big head? No offense and all, but Remus deserved it more. He was the one who, er, stayed out of Filch's office more often?"
"Thanks a lot! That's why you weren't picked, I suppose?"
"Actually," Remus piped up, "he earned it, it was fair, no one bribed McGonagall, all right?" There was a finality in his tone that made everyone shut their mouths, but he did hear Padfoot whisper a hurried congratulations across the table. But now an uncomfortable silence hung over the group, staunching any attempts at conversation. Shifting in his seat stiffly, he finally asked timidly, "Are we going to Diagon Alley today?"
The Potters nodded, and Mrs. Potter smiled in her usual reassuring way. "Of course we are, how about now?" She flicked her gaze around the table and observed identical looks of agreement. "That's right then, everyone ready?" From a shelf she pulled out a glass jar filled with a metallic green powder and passed it around, waiting for the boys to take a pinch. Changing her mind abruptly, she grabbed the jar and sprinkled some into her own hand, which she tossed into the fireplace. An ordinary fire shot up, then died down, replaced by apple green flames. "Well? Hurry up!"
"Mum, can't we Apparate there?" James was quite determined to offer his own suggestion. "I mean, we've all passed exams, and well, can't we?" He shot a pleading look at her and at Sirius and Lupin in turn.
She considered it for a second before replying. "No, no and absolutely not. It's too far and you're going to get Splinched. Besides, even if you did make it, you'd probably land on top of someone. So it's no."
The elder Potter sauntered over to his wife and remarked, "Really, I don't see why not, they're all bright young fellows, and they've got to learn someday. So why not today? We'll watch them" There was a roguish sparkle in his brown eyes that had been mysteriously absent just a few minutes ago, as if he had just remembered what it had been like to Apparate to a some place, not just downstairs.
Mrs. Potter glared at him for a second but conceded. "Oh fine, you can all go," snapped the woman in an annoyed voice, but out of the corner of her eye she shot a hint of approval. "Think of it as a becoming-Head-Boy present then."
The boys smiled easily and hastily shoved the letters into their pockets. "Me first then," said James, waving cheerfully and disappearing with a loud "POP!" Fortunately there were no body parts left behind, at least none visible to the naked eye…
AN: So how was it? Flames are accepted, reviews are welcomed, and criticism is most definitely encouraged. Even after the fifth book I'm still such a James and Sirius fan, partly because certain people think I have the arrogant streak. *cough* You know who you are… Anyways, please review; also if you have time, please R&R my one-shot Snape fanfic. I'm not really a Snape fan, but it was an interesting exercise in writing, to say the least, and I was feeling rather harsh at the time. Ok, I'm done with my rambling now, so have a nice day!
