Tumblr prompt -from Ash-Castle - JAMES OR SIRIUS HAVING AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING THEY SWEAR IS THE REASON GRYFFINDOR WINS EVERY GAME! THEY ALSO REFUSE TO WASH SAID CLOTHING.
Good Luck
James sat at the Gryffindor table, staring at all the usual breakfast dishes, but for once couldn't find any interest in any of them. Although he would never admit it to his friends, today was one of the few times he had none of his customary self-confidence.
"Alright there, James?" Sirius asked as he slid into his usual seat across from the dark haired wizard. "James?"
"Oh," James blinked owlishly from behind his glasses. "What? Yeah, yeah, m'fine." He set about fixing his tea.
Sirius raised a dark brow. "You're sure? You left for breakfast before Peter finished packing his bag."
"Yeah mate, you always wait so we can walk down together." Remus frowned as he passed over the milk. "That's not milk, by the way."
James hastily set down the syrup he had be pouring into his cup and stirred his tea, dissolving the thick liquid. "This is fine. Perfect."
"What's the matter with you James?" Sirius asked with obvious concern.
"Nothing really. Leave it. Say, is that a new jacket?" James asked, changing the subject.
Sirius glanced down at his clothes.
"Oh, yeah, I suppose it is. I ordered it from one of the catalogues left in the common room. I think I mentioned it. Fitting, don't you think?" He replied, taking a bite of his sausage and egg sandwich.
James took a longer look at the new jacket. It was the most garish thing he'd ever seen Sirius wear. A ripped denim base, it was obnoxiously adorned with beads and sequins in foreboding patterns in a multitude of dark colors.
"Fitting? I'd say so. You'd give your mum a heart attack if she caught you wearing that." James told him.
"Well, maybe I'll go home for the Holidays and see how accurate your opinion is." He jokingly replied.
James knew that even the promise of being free of his mother forever wasn't enough to get Sirius to spend more than two seconds in her presence.
"Ready for quidditch tryouts today?"
James sipped from his cup and promptly spat the liquid back out. He pulled a face, his eyebrows scrunching together. "Ugh,"
"Perfect, huh?" Remus snickered.
"Shut it," He wiped his mouth with a napkin. He switched cups with Sirius ("Hey!") and filled it with tea. James wearily glanced at the breakfast selections and decided he couldn't handle a full english breakfast, much less toast. He gulped the contents of his cup, wincing as the earl grey burned his throat on the way down. "Right then. Ready to go?"
. : : . : : . : : .
"I think I'm going to be sick all over you if you don't stop waving that in my face, Remus." James said darkly.
"You barely touched your supper." The sandy haired wizard admonished, pushing a block of chocolate into his friend's face. "Eat. It'll help with… whatever isn't wrong with you and hasn't been bothering you all day." Remus eyed his friend.
He sighed, rolling his hazel eyes, but accepted the sweet from his friend. James unwrapped the chocolate and bit into it, smoothing over his nerves with richness and warmth.
"Come on, let's head down to the pitch. Get a good seat and all that rot."
"You're sure you won't try out too, Sirius?"
Sirius shrugged a bedazzled shoulder. "Maybe I will the year James is made Captain."
James grabbed his broom and walked with his trio of friends into the chill. Autumn had taken over the grounds in an explosion of color and crunchy leaves.
He scoffed. "I've got to make the team first, Sirius."
Sirius' bark of laughter carried across the grounds, his grey eyes light as he clapped James on the back. "I'm not worried. You're a shoo in for sure."
. : : . : : . : : .
"Good job mate," Remus' lopsided grin was wide and looked more relieved than James felt.
James smiled back, elated and glad he made the team as Chaser but not really believing his luck. As they walked back to the castle and made their way up to Gryffindor tower, he thought dazedly back to his trials.
He flew just as well as he usually did, when the Mauraders played a pick-up game together. He dropped the quaffle, though less times than others… there was something different about tonight, James knew it.
The boys entered their dorm and shucked off their jumpers and coats, starting on their nightly routines. James showered, dried himself and was getting dressed in his night clothes while mentally going over the entire day again for the fourth time. A sudden thought struck him and he sucked in a breath of realization.
"I know the buttons can be difficult James, but did you get stuck again?" Remus asked.
"That's it!"
"I'm thinking the answer is yes? It's Sirius' turn to help you out, mate."
"What? No, Remus. Sirius' jacket! Sirius,"
The dark haired wizard poked his head out from behind his bed curtains. "What're you shouting about? Is it the button thing again?"
"No! That was one time,"
"- three times,"
"Remus!"
"I wouldn't be surprised if it's not the last time."
"Sirius, your jacket!" James cut in, running a hand through his jet black hair.
It was the jacket that had brought him the good luck. He was sure. James remembered seeing it in his peripheral vision often, as he flew across the pitch. The times he told himself not to be distracted by the sequins, he had dropped the quaffle or didn't score a goal. The jacket was Gryffindor's secret to winning the quidditch cup.
Sirius frowned. "I thought you said you liked it."
"Yeah, smashing. Look," He held up a hand to stop all the interruptions. "I was thinking back, and I think I only did well in the trials because of the jacket. It's good luck, I'm telling you." James finished earnestly.
Remus shared a look with Sirius.
"You guys, I'm being serious. Don't say it," He said to Sirius, before the other wizard could reply. "You believe me, don't you Peter?" He demanded.
"Uh, yeah. Of cour-"
"See? Peter believes me!"
"It wasn't the jacket," Sirius replied, baffled.
"It really was."
"You're mad," Sirius rolled his eyes, and ducked behind his curtains. His muffled reply floated out. "Get some rest, mate."
Remus held his hands up in supplication when James rounded on him. "Maybe it was the jacket, or maybe you just flew well." His green eyes widened appealingly. "Let's just turn in for the night, and you can have a hippogriff about it tomorrow."
"I'm telling you, Remus. That jacket is the reason why I got on the team today. It'll bring us good luck."
. : : . : : . : : .
After much nagging, quibbling and finally bribing, James was able to convince Sirius to dig out the beadazzled jacket from the depths of his trunk in order to wear Gryffindor's first quidditch match. Though he would be sorely missing the next tin of homemade biscuits from his mum, James had a good feeling about the upcoming match.
The other Mauraders weren't surprised when Gryffindor won the quidditch match against Ravenclaw. James vehemently insisted his superb flying and the team's efficient plays were due to Sirius' obnoxious jacket.
"It brought good luck," he said.
Sirius agreed that the jacket was his lucky charm, but only because it served as a better wingman than James these days.
Later, James found the gaudy jacket in Sirius' laundry bin. He hastily padded over to the bin and snatched the jacket from the pile.
"Sirius! What do you think you're doing?" James demanded. "I've been telling you guys for weeks. Weeks! This jacket is our secret weapon to winning the quidditch cup." He waved the jacket in Sirius' direction.
"You're still going on about that?" Sirius stared at his friend. He glanced bewilderedly at Remus, who shrugged.
"You can't wash it, Sirius! You'll wash the luck away. It won't work anymore."
"Sounds like the luck is transferring from me onto the jacket, thereby making it lucky. I've been showering regularly, so I think it'd be alright to wash it James."
"Don't be ridiculous," James scoffed. "I mean the jacket itself is lucky. And you have to be the one to wear it. Don't wash it, Sirius."
"He says I'm being ridiculous," Sirius grumbled, taking the jacket from the bespeckled wizard and stowing it at the bottom of his trunk. "There, happy?"
James grinned in relief. "You have no idea,"
. : : . : : . : : .
The Mauraders showed up to the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff game without the jacket.
James swallowed the bitter taste of trepidation, but the feeling only settled low in his stomach like a weight. He shook his head, and refocused his attention away from the stands, flying in formation once more. He told himself to fly as he usually did. He was a fabulous flyer. He performed well during practices. Sirius wasn't wearing the jacket, but he could do this. They could do still win the game.
They lost the game. They lost the game so badly, James was afraid they wouldn't be able to compete for the quidditch cup if Slytherin defeated Ravenclaw in their match.
"James," Sirius prodded the other wizard.
His friend was laying face down on his bed, shifted and turned his head so he could see Sirius. James glared sullenly at him.
"What?"
"It wasn't that bad," Sirius hedged.
James sat up, huffed and looked around the dorm. "Where are the others?"
"Remus and Peter are in the common room. Said we needed to kiss and make up." When the other boy didn't reply Sirius groaned. "Just say it."
"I told you so."