Chapter I: Time does really pass away
"Do not forget to brush your teeth every single night, if not the Unclean-
Child Eater will come for you, and you know what will happen next, do you not, James Harold, darling? He will eat you up and then –"
"Julianne, dear, James's not a boy, he's already a man, you know…"
"Well, Harold Julius, I am only concerned for his health. I mean, he is not old enough to take care of himself, and thinking of it, we ought to get a tutor and stop him from going to this... this... low-class school! –"
"Mom, you are starting to be very annoying"
"Oh, dear! I never thought my beloved child would ever speak to me in that way! You are so impolite, James Harold. I did not bring you up to be so unrespectful to me, I am ashamed of you." And with that, Julianne Potter turned her back on her son and started crying. James rolled his eyes as his father tried to comfort her.
"Oh, come on, Julianne, he didn't want to hurt you -"
"You are blind, Alastor Julius darling! He loaths me!"
"He does not, dear, you know teenagers are very difficult to handle, and he's just a teenager after all..."
Mrs Potter stopped then crying and she faced her son again, who had been watching the whole scene in disgust, he was starting to get angry...
"So, you OK now, mom?"
"Language, James Harold! You will not say that rude word ever, do you understand me?"
"What did a say wrong, "OK"?"- James yelled.
Julianne Potter shivered but didn't rise. "Alright, let us forget this pointless quarrell, but James Harold, you ought to say something like "are you feeling reasonably well" instead of… of… Do you know what I mean?"- said Julianne matter-of-factly, she took in breath and did not wait for her son's reply- "All these years I have been wondering why you had not a girlfriend, and now it is quite clear to me: no sane girl would ever want to have beside her a rude man. Well, James Harold, let us see if you get this year a girlfriend and become engaged, thus married in Paris next July. Oh! I am going to design the bride's clothes -"
"I thought I was too young, mom"
"Well, yes, of course you are my child, that is why I will live with you and your wife for five years, I will take care of the children if you do not mind, darling. Oh, I do not want any boys, I just want girls, have I made myself clear? And dear, your wife has to be either the cleverest, the most beautiful or the richest in all Hogwarts. Oh, well, Head Girl would be fine too. And James Harold -"
"JAMSIE! WHERE ARE YOU? YOU ARE NOT PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK, ARE YOU OLD BOY?"
Sirius Black was parting the crowd looking for his best friend, James Potter. When he finally spotted him he almost ran away but James pulled him back so he could meet his father and his adorable mother.
"Why, Mr Black, you should be ashamed of yourself, why were you yelling like that?" - Julianne Potter asked to a frightened Sirius Black.
"Well… I'm sorry, m'am, I really am, it's just that I had to find James, you know, we really ought to get on the train as it leaves in ten minutes."- Sirius replied.
"Now, James Harold, why can you not be like your friend? He was so concerned… And you here chatting…"
"Julianne, I think we should leave" Mr. Potter said as he watched Sirius lifting James's luggage and placing it inside the train with his own and coming back for James.
"Well, James Harold dear, take care. Mummy will miss her little Sir Lancelot…"
With that, James's parents got out of platform 9 ¾ to leave King's Cross Station, leaving their son with Sirius. They got on the train and headed for their compartment.
"Tell me, Prongsie, did you enjoy the summer?"
"Are you mad? With that old hag hanging around? She really pisses me off… By the way, did you know I'm Head Boy? Got the letter from Dumbledore just last week, my mother started crying, "Oh James Harold, my beloved child, I'm so proud of you"… She sickens me! She held a party at home because of it, I'd never felt as bored as I was in that lousy party… I wonder who's Head Girl…"
"Hopefully not Meelena McBones, I can't stand her, honestly…"
"Well, I don't think Dumbledore would pick someone as stupid as her, I think she only knows how to count because of her eyelashes… Anyway, she wasn't a Prefect and usually the Heads have been before one, except I, of course. Thank God she wasn't a Prefect, can you imagine her all day long running after me saying that we were the perfect couple and that we should get married -"
"Hey! She told me that too! And I who thought I was someone special, I'm hurt"- Sirius said, pretending to be offended.
"Let's stop talking about her, she makes me want to puke" James said.
"Fine, I can't stand even hearing her name, she has really hurt my poor heart which was filled with true love for her..." James was looking at his best friend, really worried about his sanity. Sirius watched him and sighed. "Well, I suppose I can't fool you, Prongs. Anyway, I don't want you to vomit on me… Geez, I'm tired, let's go and find Remus and Peter.
James Potter and Sirius Black had been best friends since first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, six years before. Both worshipped leaders made friends with Remus Lupin, a sandy-haired boy who was always looking peaky, though quite handsome in a low profile way, and Peter Pettigrew, a chubby friendly fellow who was prone to forgetting where he left his things. They started calling themselves "The Marauders" a week into their first year and began setting jokes on their Slytherin mates. Now in their seventh year, they still were the most popular boys at school.
Both James an Sirius were very tall (6ft 2), very handsome and extremely desirable in Hogwarts. In fact, not a single day passed without a girl telling either James or Sirius –or both- how much she loved him.
"Moony! Peter! How are you guys?"
"Not bad, Padfoot, not bad. I heard you went to Spain over the summer... How many?"- Remus Lupin said, his grey eyes twinkling.
"I didn't only went to Spain, but also to France and Italy…"- Sirius said all dreamy. When he came back to earth, he realized his friends were expecting him to tell them all his summer. "Well, Ok, I'll start with Spain. This country is situated in the South part of Europe, in the North He -"
"Sirius, darling, would you kindly TELL US THE IMPORTANT STUFF!" James yelled.
"Well, Prongsie, old boy, I thought Spain's location would be important. Fine, if you don't think so, I'll start with something else…" Sirius stopped talking to think. " Spain has a fine balmy weather -"
"GET OUT!" James bellowed. Throwing Sirius out of the compartment.
"Ouch, Prongsie, that did hurt! Don't you love me, little Sir Lancelot?"
The compartment door shut and was locked up.
"Oh, Jamsie… Open the door up, pleaseeeeeee!" Sirius barked. Remus started laughing but asked his friend to open the door and let the 'silly bloke' in.
"Alright, you idiot, I'll unlock it, but shut up" James said as he picked up the keys and opened the door letting Sirius in.
"Oh, I'm thankful, how can I ever pay you back for your kindness-
"Shutting up and cleaning my shoes, Padfoot" James said in a good mood.
Everyone bursted into laughs.
"You're a clown James, isn't he Wormtail?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, he surely is. But Padfoot also's one. Why don't you go and join a circus?"
"Haha, very funny Wormtail"
"Well, as Sirius doesn't seem very keen on telling us `bout his summer… Do you know who's Head Girl?"
"No idea. Maybe that Prefect from Ravenclaw, Sarah Summers." Peter said.
"Nah, don't think so, she is too stupid to be Head Girl, I mean, if she's in love with Sirius as we all know she is… She must be really dumb then, isn't that so, Padfoot?" James said merrily.
"Well, Prongsie, you don't need to have much brains to be Head, just look at yourself."
"I am the most responsible guy here and -"
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, sure"
"I AM"
"YOU'RE NOT!"
"Oh, drop it, will you guys?" Peter said as James and Sirius began arguing.
"SHUT UP!" yelled both at the same time.
"Ok, ok, I'll leave you alone. Go on start yelling at each other as if you were insane, well, you already are but -" Peter was interrupted.
"I think you didn't hear me, Wormtail, would you kindly shut up?" James snapped.
"Hey guys, you're not being fun, chill out, ok? C'on, let's start planning a prankfest on the Slytherins" Remus said.
"Yeah, we really should, I would really like to see Snivellus with a pig's snout" James said. Sirius stiffled a laugh and then looked up at his best friend, he couldn't help himself and he bursted out laughing, followed shortly after by James himself.
"Thank God they've stopped arguing." Peter said under his breath.
"WHAT ARE YOU MUTTERING, WORMTAIL?" James bellowed.
"No-nothing, James, I-I was just… saying my prayers, you know my mother's very religious and she forces me to do this eleven times a day" Peter stuttered. Sirius and Remus snorted in disbelief.
"Man, I can't believe this is our last year here… We'll still be together after Hogwarts, won't we?"
"Have no hesitation in that, Padfoot" Remus replied.
"Yes, I agree with you, Sirius" James said as he sighed. "We'll have good memories about our school days, won't we? Oh, Padfoot, I wanted to ask you –"
"I'm all yours, Sir Hector -"
"IT'S SIR LANCELOT!"
"Whatever"
James calmed down. "I meant to ask you if there is any girl left in Hogwarts who has not fallen for you yet?"
"Why Jamsie, of course not… But there's a little weirdo from outer space who hasn't… yet, but it can't be considered as a girl, can it, Jamsie-poo?"
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT HER! SHE'S THE MOST GORGEOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD, SHE'S THE BEST!" James barked.
"James, calm down, will you? Sirius was only trying to annoy you… and he's done quite a good job, hasn't he? Speaking of which -" Remus turned his head to Sirius who was holding in mid-air a mirror by magic and flexing his muscles, he sighed "- Sirius, really, if you stop showing your body to us I'll be quite grateful, we're not gays…" He sighed and continued to look at his friend who was now trying to make the mirror fall in love with him. "You're a playboy - you even flirt with a mirror…" he added.
"Yes. It's just that every single girl falls for me, and it's logical, as I'm the most handsome, intelligent -"
"You forgot modest, Padfoot" James said.
"Yes, thank you Prongs, and modest in Hogwarts"
"I don't know why I put up with you" James retorted as he opened up a Chocolate frog and ate it.
"Elemental, James, you've fallen in love with me too." James started going red. "See, oh Jamsie dahhhhhling, you're so cute when you blush." Sirius said imitating a girlie giggle.
"I think he's not blushing, he's choked on a Chocolate Frog or something like that and if he doesn't throw it back he'll die" Remus said matter-of- factly.
Sirius patted hardly on James's back and frog leg came out out his mouth jumping. James coughed thoroughly and thanked Sirius. "Well, Prongsie- buddy, you're in life debt with me, will you let me go out with Lily to pay it back?"
Lily Evans was the girl James had fancied since fourth grade but up to the date he hadn't yet managed to get her to go out with him.
"Don't you dare and put a finger on her or you'll have it from me."
"Gone all protective, hasn't he? Really, I'm not going to rape her… she'll do it willingly with me" Sirius said grinning, but this vanished when he saw that James's face was indeed turning into the colour of an overcooked red cabbage. "James, only joking, really; I would never touch her. I appreciate my muscles and face and- well, my life too much to risk it for a single girl. I don't want to be beheaded, you know…" James's face relaxed at this. They all stared through the window for a while. It was their last year at Hogwarts and deep down they knew that the best part of their lives would be over the following summer.
Sirius face turned serious and looked at all of his friends as if they were the most valuable treasure it the world, and for him they were. "I know I repeat myself but I can't believe this is our last year here. I think I'll miss the place, though I won't Potions."
"Yes, it's going to be difficult to leave Hogwarts. I can't believe it either, to me it's like it was yesterday when I met you Sirius, you bumped into me -"
"No, you bumped into me -"
"LEAVE IT!" Remus yelled, starting to get annoyed. They shut up at this, Remus was usually the one who was calm.
"- or when I met Remus, he walked in on me and Hannah Mckay." James continued.
"Do you remember when I met you Peter? You were praying to God, "oh please, I'm very scared, will you protect me? I don't want to be laughed at and I don't want to be beaten up…" Sirius said dreamily.
"Time does really pass away…" James said heavily and began to peer through the window glass again. After a while, he turned his face, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said "Oh, Padfoot, you do repeat yourself."
Sirius smacked James's arm as they got up, the train had already arrived at Hogwarts. Or that was at least what the boys thought.