Welcome to the second installment in the James Potter series! If you are new to this saga, I highly recommend reading James Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor before proceeding, which you will find on my page. Thank you for reading!

Hardwin's Arrival

Grinning to himself, James looked back at the Hogwarts Express puffing in the bright afternoon sun.

"Yeah. There's going to be a lot of people visiting us during the summer."

Eyes leaping open, James Potter bolted upright from his sleep, sending one of his pillows flying to the floor. Shaking his head to clear it, he stared down at where his pillow had fallen against the mahogany desk next to his bed and blinked tiredly. Too exhausted to retrieve it, he looked up and spotted a collection of open letters lying on his desk next to the ripped-apart envelopes that had once held them securely.

A lot of people visiting indeed, he thought bitterly.

Only two of the envelopes had the carefully handwritten name of Remus Lupin on their fronts, a tribute to the quiet and intelligent nature of one of James' roommates from his first term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. James had waited until nearly a month had passed by since leaving the castle before sending his personal owl, Hardwin, to find Remus with a letter in tow. When Hardwin had returned with Remus' response, James had been delighted and entertained by the strictly-executed forwarding address, which contained both his name and the full titles of his parents just in case the screech owl had flown into the wrong hands. However, after opening the letter, he found only a brief message.

To James Potter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter

Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow

Cornwall, England

James,

How has your return treated you? Knowing you, you've probably set fire to your house already. I'm enjoying break immensely, even though it feels strange to be sleeping in my own bed again. Still, it's good to be back.

Write soon,

Remus

The next note from Remus, which came a few weeks later, was even shorter, and the handwriting was a little smudged in the corners as if he had been in a hurry when he wrote it.

No, of course I haven't memorized my textbooks. I haven't even gotten them yet. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.

Remus

Next to his letters now lay a lengthy note from Peter Pettigrew, the last of the four roommates. Four other envelopes from his address sat underneath it, but the top letter was the most recent update.

Hi, James!

How are you doing? I tried to send this as soon as possible after receiving your last letter, but my mother wouldn't let me stop by the Owlery until after I had finished uprooting the garden gnomes, which took a few days. One of them grabbed my arm and gave it a nice tug, and now I think my shoulder is dislocated. I'll have to have it looked at.

Good news! I won two Sickles from Arnold Flutterbury when the Banchory Bangers made it to the Quidditch Cup this summer. Do you remember him? It turns out that he lives just a few houses away on the other side of the neighborhood creek. He's a big fan of the Falmouth Falcons, but I knew they weren't going to beat the Bangers in their own stadium. Unfortunately, he got a little sore after that and has refused to place any more bets on following matches.

You spoke about meeting up soon. I think that's a great idea! Have you talked to Sirius and Remus about it yet? There's not a whole lot of room at my place, but I'm sure we could all squeeze into the main hall if we laid out side by side. My room would only have enough space for one extra person on the floor, but I'm sure Sirius and Remus could take my mother's bedroom. She won't mind. Still, just in case, do you think it's a better idea if we came to your place?

I'm sorry if Hardwin has a little trouble flying. I accidentally knocked him over when I opened my bedroom door. My arm was still aching from when that gnome attacked me. Hardwin ate one the other day, though, so I think he's well-fed.

Tell me what you think about meeting up! I can't wait to see you again!

Peter

P.S. Do you know what to do if your broom keeps tilting to the left when you dive? I tried to fly in the opposite direction, but that just makes it go into a tail-spin and crash even faster. Now my other shoulder aches.

Peter was the only one of James' roommates who had kept up with him regularly throughout the summer. Although James had sent his last letter to Remus nearly two weeks ago, Hardwin still had not returned, and James sometimes wondered if his friend was purposely ignoring him. However, none of his disappointments ranked as highly as the unbroken silence from Sirius Black, his best mate from Hogwarts. Nothing so much as an owl's feather had flown in from his bedroom window in response to his many letters, and he had started to doubt the strength of their friendship. Maybe Sirius had forgotten how they had snuck into Professor Slughorn's dinner party the year before, the first of numerous escapades aided by James' Invisibility Cloak. Had he forgotten the detentions they had ended up in together, only made bearable by each other's company? Did those long nights awake laughing and shooting fireworks from their wands in their dormitory mean nothing to him?

Propping himself up, James grabbed his glasses from his desk unhappily and placed them on his nose, squinting at Peter's letters through the round-shaped lenses. Sighing, he laid his head back down on his bare mattress and closed his eyes, feeling too disappointed to reread any of the letters. However, after a few moments, he heard a creak from his bedroom door and glanced to the side as his mother entered his room and drew the curtains away from the window on the far wall.

"Still in bed?" she asked cheerfully, the scent of half-cooked eggs clinging to her clothes. "If you don't come down soon, your breakfast will get cold."

Humming happily, she opened the window to let both the sunlight and the breeze inside, the crisp morning wind ruffling her gray curls. Sighing, James sat up again and held his chin in his hand, watching her silently. After walking back to his bed to retrieve the fallen pillow, his mother placed it on her hip and brushed it off slowly, studying his gloomy expression thoughtfully.

"Have you gotten any word back yet?" she asked sympathetically, her brow wrinkling even more deeply than usual.

"It's been two weeks," James said in answer, laying back down after she placed his pillow underneath his head again. "Hardwin's never gotten lost before."

"I'm sure he's just had a delay," she comforted. "He's bound to be on his way back now."

"I sometimes wonder if they even want to talk to me," James confessed, locking his arms behind his head.

Shaking her head warmheartedly, his mother approached his desk and picked up a few of Peter's letters. "Look how many letters you've received," she argued, flipping through the envelopes. "If your friends really wanted to ignore you, I'm sure they would have found a better way to do it."

"Peter's talked with me a lot," James replied, "but I've hardly heard from Remus or Sirius at all."

"You've told them they're welcome any time, right?" his mother asked.

"Yes," James responded automatically, but he sat up animatedly as he grew excited. "It'd be great to have them over! Peter wouldn't be a bother, although you might have to lock away the glass vase next to the kitchen. And Remus—you'll just love him! He's really polite and smart, and he won't do anything unless a professor gives him a signed document saying he can." Smiling to himself, he rubbed a hand through his jet-black hair reminiscently. "And Sirius is just like me, so I know you'll get along well! We do the most mental things together." Sobering suddenly, he frowned down at his hands. "I just wish he'd write."

For a moment the room was silent, and James eventually looked back up at his mother expectantly. She had laid the letters back down on his desk and was staring at the floor, opening and closing her mouth as if struggling with an idea. Finally, she glanced back up at him and rubbed a spot on the back of her neck.

"Do you—I mean, do you really think it's a good idea to hang around this Sirius?" she asked hesitantly.

Horrified, James shot upright. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his mouth agape.

"All I mean is that it might be wise to consider where he's coming from," she continued consolingly, slightly embarrassed. "I've heard about his family from a few of my friends at the Ministry, and . . . well, they don't exactly hold the same views we do, especially regarding Muggle relations. Some of their ideas are quite old-fashioned, even pertaining to Muggle-borns."

"Sirius isn't like that!" James protested, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. "I haven't heard him say one word against non-magical people, and I know he'd rather hex himself than believe any of that pure-blooded nonsense! Besides, he hates his family!"

Although evidently not pleased with James' description either, his mother nevertheless shook her head and sighed. "Well, if you say so," she relented while James glared at her accusingly. Glancing around the room at the piles of unfolded clothes scattered about, she added, "I'll have to get Winthrop to clean up this mess while you're eating. You'd better hurry down, too: he was threatening to throw your plate away if you didn't get it while it was hot."

As she headed towards the door, James reached for his wand on the desk so that he could summon his robes from his closet. "And no magic outside of school, dear!" his mother called out from beyond view. "You know the law!"

Disappointed, James released his wand with a grimace and let it clatter onto the desk. Crossing his arms, he stared out of the window and glared at the neighboring houses as if they had personally caused all of his problems. If only Sirius could visit, his parents would know that there was nothing to be worried about by the two of them rooming together. He could not imagine anyone that he trusted more, and he knew his parents would agree if they just met him themselves. Narrowing his eyes at the gray haze of clouds over the rooftops, James nodded firmly; if Sirius failed to respond to his letters during the few weeks left before the start of term, James would just have to sneak out and find his friend himself.

Suddenly, a speck of light outside the window caught James' eye, and he sat forward on his bed to get a better look. Growing slowly larger as it bobbed through the air, the white form appeared to be heading directly for his window, but only when it floated over the house on the opposite side of the street did James recognize it and bolt upright.

"Hardwin!" he shouted excitedly, and he jumped up from his mattress to sprint towards the window in his nightclothes. Holding out his arm, he allowed his screech owl to settle near his elbow and drop an envelope into his waiting palm. Hardly daring to breathe, James ripped open the envelope while Hardwin flapped away and settled on his bedpost, and he quickly pulled the message out from inside.

James,

Sorry about the long wait. Hardwin probably had trouble finding me, because my family moved to Oxfordshire after your last letter. We're just getting settled in now, but it seems nice so far. It's quiet, at least.

No, I haven't heard from Sirius either. I'm sure he's just busy. Whatever he's doing, I'm certain that we'll hear all about it once we see him again. At any rate, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

About visiting, I don't think there's much of a chance I can get away. Like I said, we're still getting used to the new house, and my parents could use the extra help. Besides, the start of term is only a few weeks away. I'm sorry we couldn't plan anything before now, but we'll meet up again soon.

Write back if you can,

Remus

Folding the letter up, James sighed and rubbed the back of Hardwin's neck to stop him from sending moody glares across the room, obviously upset that he had not received any thanks for his trouble.

"Sorry about that," James apologized, and he pulled out a treat from a small bag next to Hardwin's cage. Perking up, the owl snatched the biscuit from his fingers as soon as it came within reach and turned away greedily.

As Hardwin tore into his treat, James stared down at him with a mixture of feelings. Remus had completely shattered his hopes of meeting up with his friends over the summer, but at least now he knew that he was not the only one whom Sirius was ignoring; still, he could not help but wonder why.