Disclaimer: The ideas are mine, the characters are not... Neither is my David Bowie, although I wish we could have had coffee sometime...
James was happy. Peter was excited. Remus was nervous. Sirius didn't really care.
For James it was about the adventure. Travelling to London, taking the muggle underground, and sneaking into the concert. All while his mum and dad thought he was having a sleep over at Remus' place. He lived for this sort of thing. Besides, Remus talked about this Bowie fellow all the time. And Remus was the quiet type, he hardly ever talked about anything. This concert thing seemed like a big deal. It didn't seem right that his mate should miss it. James would make sure that that didn't happen.
Peter was buttoning up his jacket for what seemed like the hundredth time since they got in the train. Every now and again he would cast curious looks at what his friends were doing. None of them talked much during the train ride. Peter just couldn't believe he was doing this! He was in a Muggle train with James and Sirius, on his way to an event that probably didn't even allow kids as young as he was. He had been sort of friends with James and Sirius for more than a couple of years now, but still, he was so surprised they would have included him in something like this! And they didn't even have to, I mean, they weren't even at school! They could have gone without him and he never would have known! But they sent him an owl! He'd been so afraid they would cast him out after all the trouble he ran into last year with that animagus-turning plan. But here he was! It was lucky that his parents lived in London so he didn't even had to lie to them. Well, he didn't tell them exactly where he was going, but then again, he didn't even know exactly what it was. He just wanted to be a part of it. So he kept buttoning and unbuttoning his jacket again and again as if the gesture would make him believe it a little more.
Remus looked at the small map above the nearest sliding doors, making a mental note whenever the mechanic voice said the name of the station they were in at each stop. They were supposed to get down at Hammersmith. Seven more. Now six. Five stations left. He could hardly contain his excitement that he was about to see David Bowie live. His dad had given him The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars for his birthday the year before and the record was worn out from being listened to so many times. And yet, he couldn't help being nervous. He had never been to a music gig before. His father had told him about the many times he had been to these events, but Remus didn't expect to be in this position for at least a few more years. He glanced over at James. His friend was phased at all about the strong possibility that they might not be able to get in the venue. But then James never really worried about anything. Remus was the one who was supposed to worry. He was older after all. Wasn't that what Dumbledore counted on him to do? After all his parents had gone through for him, he wasn't at all comfortable with lying to them about being at James' place for a sleep over tonight. But it was a white lie wasn't it? There was not real harm, I mean… What was the worst thing that could happen? And besides… He was finally going to see Bowie.
Sirius was making bubble gum balls in his seat. These were muggle gums, and they were a bit different from the ones he got at honeydukes or at the Diagon Alley. These required a bit of effort on his part, but he had pretty much dominated the technique. He glanced at the girl at the other end of the car. She was a few years older than him, but she looked nice. If she smiled at him he might just have to ditch James and follow through with her. He would love to bring a muggle girl home to have dinner with his parents. They would freak! And he was pretty sure they couldn't actually harm the girl or they'd have to answer to the ministry. He didn't understand why James wanted them to go to this thing anyway, there was a ton of other things he could think of for them to be doing. Trying to sneak in one of the training sessions of the Holyhead harpies came to mind. But this concert was a big deal for Moony, for some reason, and James wanted them to do that, so here he was... But if that girl so much as smiled at him…
"This is our station," Moony said, standing up and pulling Sirius from his musings.
The boys got out at Hammersmith and started walking towards the big venue. Wormtail had been in charge of figuring out how to get there. He was the one who lived in London anyway. He was dressed in a buttoned down jacket and he looked at least two years younger than the other boys. If his mum had known he was going to a rock concert she might have chosen a more appropriate jacket, but on the other hand, she might not have let him join them, so all was well. James was wearing long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows. Sirius had his favourite leather jacket on. And Remus was wearing a t-shirt with a print of the band they were about to watch and loose worn out jeans.
Sirius started telling James about the girl on the train, trying to convince Prongs that was flirting with him but Remus didn't really pay attention to it. He was thinking about the gig. His friends didn't really listen to music records. The wizardry community was relatively small in Britain, there was but one or two radio station and most of the music they played had nothing to do with rock n` roll. In that sense, the muggle world was much bigger.
His father was muggle born. He didn't know anything about the Wizarding world until he was eleven years of age. Over the years he had assimilated pretty much every aspect of life among wizards, but some things of his muggle life stayed with him. One of those was an extensive record collection. He played records for Remus to listen to since he was a baby, and as the boy grew older, even encouraged him to visit record stores and find his own music. That was how Remus found Bowie.
They lived in the outskirts of a small muggle city up north. There was only one record store there, but it was Remus favourite place in the world. Records stacked everywhere, posters with pictures of the most legendary artists on the walls and music playing all the time. He got his first Bowie record because the girl behind the counter suggested it. He'd gone back to that shop three times during the same week that summer just because he knew she would be there. She was probably eighteen or nineteen, had a blue strand on her hair and a dragon tattoo on her left arm. She had the best taste in music. And he had overheard her taking to a friend once, telling her that she thought he was cute. At least he was pretty sure they were talking about him.
There was something about Bowie's music that just… spoke to him… He couldn't explain it. None of his friends listened to music, and by all accounts it was a weird thing to do, just sit there, paying attention to a sound. But when the music played he felt something. And it didn't matter so much that the explanation eluded him. He'd lost count of how often he'd sat down in his darkened room listening to the same record, moving his lips silently according to the lyrics he now knew by heart.
He had brought his record layer to Hogwarts and played it in their dorm once. He laughed at Sirius' reaction when he first listened to Starman:
"Well that's daft! There's no such thing as a star man. What does he even mean?" Sirius had asked. For all his protests against his family's pureblood mania, of all Remus' friends Sirius was the one who most often fell on the trap of oversimplifying muggles.
"That's not the point," Remus started exasperated.
"Besides, as far as this Bowie knows there are no wizards, right?" James interjected, playing with yet another snitch he had stolen after the last game of the season. "For all we know there could well be a Starman, we just don't know about it."
Sirius didn't seem convinced. James continued.
"Look at what he is saying. He'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds. That's kind of why we don't announce ourselves to muggles either isn't it?" James asked.
Actually it's because we don't fancy being hunted and burnt in stakes, Remus thought sarcastically, but since James was making his point for him, Remus remained quiet.
Besides he liked that James had actually payed attention to the lyrics of the song… And his friends never complained when he was playing records in their dorm.
"I guess this is the place", James said as they got to the Hammesmith Odeon and stood behind a long line of people that already waited to get in the venue.
"I don't think they'll even let us in." Peter said nervously, looking around.
"Of course they will, I got it covered." James said putting a hand on his pocket. Remus knew he was reaching for his wand.
"How hard could it be, it's only handful of muggles anyway," Sirius said, "hey, Prongs, maybe that girl from the train will be here. I thought I saw her getting off at our station."
Remus smiled. Standing here in this line it was hard not to be overwhelmed by excitement. He was almost sixteen years old now. Two years older than James and Sirius. It had taken some time for Dumbledore to convince the Ministry to allow a werewolf kid to attend Hogwarts and by the time he finally managed, Remus was a couple of years late. But it did not matter. Any earlier and he wouldn't have been on the same grade of his friends. And he'd never dreamed he would have such good friends. Last year, when they found out what he was, what he turns into every month, he thought it was all over but no… They didn't cast him out. And he was so enormously grateful for that. The only person he thought might understand him in that regard was Peter. Peter also seemed to have that... that fear that one day the others might wake up and go about their business without him.
Remus knew he was supposed to be more responsible than this. He knew he was older, that what they were doing was probably dangerous and that he was supposed to be the one stopping them from doing such reckless things. But standing here, in line to the concert he had wanted to watch the most in his life, it was difficult to even remember why what they were doing might be dangerous. When it got to their turn to face the big guy collecting tickets and tying paper bracelets around people's arms James and Sirius confounded them so they could get in. And when they were finally inside the four boys ran for their lives so they could get a spot near the stage. Wormtail was a bit behind but the other boys pulled him forward towards where they were.
"Okay, so it's more than a handful of muggles," Sirius said incredully, looking back as they place filled up with people. There were easily several thousand people there.
"I told you this was going to be fun", James said excitedly, opening a large smile.
There were thousands of people there, they were talking, the energy was building up and it was starting to take over the Marauders as well. Suddenly the lights went off and the place was pitch dark. A few colourful lights were turned on right above the stage and everyone started screamed. And to Remus surprise Sirius was the first to lift both arms in the air and scream at the top of his lungs.
"Woooohoooo!"
James, Peter and Remus started jumping too, joining Sirius in his excitement, and before long the first chords of an electric guitar filled the entire venue.
The second song was Ziggy Stardust. The man on the stage opened up his arms wearing his shining robe and down in the crowd Remus did the same. James and Sirius lifted their friend up on their shoulders and for a second there Remus knew David was looking straight at him. There was this intense exchange of energy. And when James and Sirius put him down they were all jumping according to the beats of the drums. Remus sang along, he knew every world by heart. And at some point when David lunged forward and pointed to the audience, Remus knew he was pointed at him.
"He took it all too far but boy could he play guitar", he sang along, completely taken by the energy of the moment.
"Oh, yeah!", his friends jumped in, James throwing an arm around his shoulders and Sirius messing his hair up.
At some point during one of the next sings the guitar player came close to the crowd and Sirius grabbed his arms along with a dozen other crazy fans.
"I wanna play that!" Sirius screamed over to James pointing at the guitar."James, I gotta do that."
James just smiled. Remus was once again taken by the music.
"Don't fake it baby, lay the real thing on me," he sang along to his favourite song once again, opening his arms at the same moment as Bowie did on stage. And by the type the final notes on the guitar were strung the four boys were going absolutely mad. And they were still fully energized when Bowie got to the last song.
"You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide"
Remus continued to sang along the entire song. It was like he did when he was alone with his record in his darkened room. Exactly like that, only a thousand times better. Gimme your hands, Bowie said, reaching out to them, and Remus did, and for a second their fingers touched and it was electric.
And he knew it was going to last forever
"Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands"
Author's note: This fic is in need of a Beta, but I haven't written anything in ages and I just wanted to upload it already.. I spent the better part of the weekend in my darkened apartment, watching to video recordings of David Bowie's old gigs on youtube, including the iconic one at London's Hammersmith Odeon, in 1973. I have been feeling "too old to lose it, too young to choose it", and just hoping that the clock is waiting so patiently on my song… Wishing I had my own group of marauders and that we were alive in 1973 just so we could have sneaked into that gig and reach his hands at the end… It would have been electric.