SUNSHINE IF ETERNAL; JAMES
BY ~*~ DAISY CHAIN~*~
My first fic.... please r/r! If people think this is any good, I might continue the series. It's from James' POV. Other parts will be narrated by other charactors [Lily, Sirius, Lily's friends, Remus, Peter, etc. etc. ]
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"James, are you planning to get up some time this morning?" my Ma stuck her head round the door, letting a square of light fall though the doorway onto my bedroom carpet.
"I'll think about it," I turned over in my comfortable bed, not wanting to have to get up.
"James!" she put on a warning tone of voice.
"What?"
"Up! Now!"
"But, Ma-"
"Come on. Up! We're meeting Sirius and Tzetele this morning, remember? They won't be happy if we're late!" Sirius is my best friend. I've known him for years. Since we were little, in fact. Some people think he's annoying, but I think he's funny. Tzetele's his older sister. She's quite cool, actually. She's finnished Hogwarts now, and is training to be a teacher, of all things! Why anyone would want to be a teacher is beyond me. Hogwarts, though... wonder what it'll be like?
"Yeah, ok, Ma." I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My mum nodded approvingly, and dissapeared from the doorway, allowing me to get dressed in peace. I pulled on my trousers and T shirt, and attempted to brush my hair. However, my hair strictly refuses to be brushed. It has a life of it's own, and it constatnly looks like I'm wearing a nail brush on my head.
I stared at myself in the wardrobe mirror. Round face. Black hair. Dark eyes. Glasses. Hair that suggests someone has just given me a very nasty shock. In fact, almost exactly like every other member of my family, save for my Mum, whose hair is brown and whose eyes are blue.
"James, hurry up for Chrissake! Good Grief, do you want to be late?" Good old Ma. Her real name's Martha, which means 'lady of the house',. It suits her, although I'd never call her that, of course. She's so organised! She's forever fussing, telling me not to be late, to do my homework on time, to tidy my room... everything! Mind you, I suppose someone in this household has to do so, since every other one of us is untidy, disorganised and scatty.
"Coming, Ma!" I continued trying to flatten my hair.
I could hear the twins playing down stairs. They're both five years old, and have an inexhaustable supply of energy! They're noisy, too. Sirius calls them 'The Fireballs'. Measles and Bobby, The Fireballs. Those aren't their real names, of course. They're really called Esme- Rosalie and Robert. If I ever tried calling Esme- Rosalie by her name, I'd probably end up getting tortured to death. Death by Barbies. Yeah.
"James, for the athousandth time today, are you coming ?!"
"Yes, Ma! I said!" I gave up on my hair- it was obviously a hopeless case- and dashed from the room, dodging stray toys all the way. Hurrying down the stairs-
"Ow! Measles, did you have to leave that Lego there?!"
"Yes!" Measles scowled at me from the doorway to her room, carrying her Baby Rosumrey doll by the hair.
"Well, don't!"
"James, if you don't come now I'm going without you!"
"Coming, Ma!" I promised myself to deal the Measles later, and ran into the kitchen.
"And finally!" Ma scowled at me, shoving a piece of toast into my hand. My older brother, Joseph, was eating boiled egg at the kitchin table. He has another year of Hogwarts left before freedom, and here's me, not even started it.
"Ma, can't I have an egg?" I objected. I never liked toat, and she knew it.
"If you'd have been on time, you could have done. But you weren't, so you can't. Eat!"
I finnished the toast, and pulled on my shoes, fumbling in doing up the laces "How're we getting there?" I asked my mum.
"Floo powder. Well, come one then, what're you waiting for? Good grief lad, look alive!" Dead complimentory, my Ma.
I took a pinch of the coloured powder, and threw it into the glowing flames in the fireplace. I stepped forewards, feeling the flames heating me slightly, not al all hot "Diagon Ally!" I shouted.
Next thing I knew, it was like I was being pulled down a long passaway at tremendous speed, fireplaces and glimpses of people's homes and shops flashing past me. I blinked the soot out of my eyes, and suddenly found myself being catapulted though a fireplace, onto the hearth of a small cafe in Diagon Ally. I nursed my bruised elbows, and moved out the way so that my mum could step out onto the cafe floor, as neat as if she'd never moved.
I could here someone laughing behind me. Who else should it be but Sirius Black, laughing his head off.
"Good trip, James?" he grinned at me like a maniac.
"You could say that," I brushed the soot off of my clothes, and stood up.
"You ok, kid?" Tzetele, Sirius's older sister asked me, smiling mockingly.
"Yes, thankyou." I nodded. Tzetele turned to my Ma.
"How's life, Martha?"
"Could be worse," my mum replied "James, you look a state. However did you get so black?"
"Eh, let him alone," Tzetele fussed "Boys will be boys, right Sirius?"
"Most of the time," Sirius grinned, "but some of them aren't at weekends!" I laughed, and Tzetele smiled, but my mum remained completely composed. She dosn't mind Sirius, really, but she dislikes Tzetele, because 'she's a bad infulence on impressionable children,' apparently. I suppose me and Sirius are the 'impressionable children' she's so fussed about.
"Well," Tzetele gave my mum a bright smile "come and sit ye down. Have a teacake or something? Right."
Sirius caught my eye, and mouthed something at me. I nodded, and turned to my mum.
"Ma?"
"Yes, James?"
"Can me and Sirius-"
"Sirius and I-"
"OK, Sirius and I, go and look around after we've got all our robes and things?"
Ma opened her mouth to say something, but luckily for me, Tzetele got in first.
"Well, I don't see why not, Martha. Let them have some fun for a change, eh?"
"Tzetele, I really don't think-"
"Give them some indipendance! You won't be there to look after James at Hogwarts, after all! Give them a chance to make some new friends, why not?"
"I-"
"That's settled then!" Tzetele beamed "We'll get your robes fitted, then you can go and have fun without us boring old adults, and me and Martha can have a chat and a chance to relax for once!"
Ma gave up objecting "Oh, very well," she said at last, "but we'll meet you back here at three thirty PM, or else I'll never trust you on your own again, James Andrew Potter!"
"Thanks Ma! Thanks Tzetele!" I couldn't wait to look in Quality Qudditch Supplies!
"Thanks, sis," Sirius added "Thanks, Mrs P." My mum nodded approvingly.
"Well," she said "If everyone's finnished their teacakes, I think we may as well get to Madam Malkin's Robe Shop."
At Madam Malkin's, both Sirius and I, got our robes fitted. Personally, I think they looked a bit daft, but school uniform always does. At least we weren't required to wear a tie.
***
"Yes! Escape at last!" Sirius threw his arms into the air as we left Tzetele and my Ma to their lives, "No more worries for another four hours! Woohoo! Bugsy we go into that brill Quidditch shop first!"
"OK, sure!" we raced along the crowded street, dodging members of the public like anything, no worries in the world! We stopped and stared though the window of Quality Qudditch supplies, as though we were looking at the Crown Jewels.
"Whoa..." Sirius breathed "look at that broom stick...!"
"A Nimbus Two- hundred- and- sixty! One thousand Galleons! Wow!"
I noticed another boy staring at the broom, as though it were a Dream Come True.
"Wouldn't you just love to have one of them?" I asked Sirius. The boy next to me's head jerked upright at the sound of me adressing someone. He was a little shorter then me, but then, I'm pretty tall for my age. He had dark hair, and his robes looked distinctly shabby. To go by his face, I would have said he was about thirteen or so, although I'm none so good at guessing ages. He had a rather serious auror about him, nothign at all like Sirius or myself.
"Sorry, were you talking to me?" he blinked at me, looking very nervous, although I had no idea why.
"Er, no. Sorry."
"Oh..." He blinked, and looked back at the display.
"What's up?" Sirius leaned across to look at the stranger "OK, I know James isn't much to look at, but there's no need to be depressed by his ugliness- ow!" I kicked him.
"Nothing's wrong. Um. And I'd love to have this broom, but there's no way I'd ever get the money... um."
"You'd have to be a bleeding millionaire to afford this!" Sirius pointed out.
"I suppose." The strange boy nodded, glumly.
"What's Hogwarts like?" I asked him, guessing that since he looked at least thirteen, he'd have been going there for some time now.
"Wish I knew...."
"You don't go there?"
"No, I start next week. I just know it's going to be a disaster."
"You're kidding!" Sirius interupted "It's gonna be so cool! Midnight feasts, practical jokes-- everything! We're new too," he added, as if this needed explaining.
"I suppose."
"What's your name?" I looked at him, and he avoided my eye.
"Remus. Remus Lupin. My friends call me Moony. Or they would if I had any friends..." he shrugged hopelessly.
"You'll make friends at Hogwarts," Sirius prophisised, with his own personal brand of mindless optimism.
"I'd like to hope so." I noticed he didn't ask my name, or Sirius's. Maybe he didn't think we'd want to be friends with this serioius, quiet, shy boy.
"I'm James Potter, by the way," I told him anyway, "and this freak's Sirius Black."
"How am I a freak? You're more of a freak then I am!" Sirius objected.
"Or not!"
"Well, see you," Moony turned to go, obviously giving up on the conversation.
"Hey, want to come to Florean Fortescues with us?" I called after him. He turned, and gave me the first suggestion of a smile I'd seen from him so far.
"You won't mind?"
"Nah. We can get ice creams, right? Provided the que's not too long I mean," I explained.
"Thanks."
"What're we waiting for, then?!" Whooped Sirius, and the three of us continued up the busy street to the ice cream parlour.
Florean Fortescue's was empty, except for a girl who was being served, and another girl who was apparently waiting for her friend to return, sitting at one of the fancy little tables.
"I'll order, shall I?" I suggested.
"OK," Sirius agreed, and he and Moony sat down at a table "I want one of those double choc- chip American- Style... things."
"O...K...! what do you want, Moony?"
"I'll just have a normal vanilla ice cream, thanks,"
"Right."
They both handed me the money, and I walked over to the counter, to que behind the girl who was being served. As she turned around with her tray containing the wto ice creams that she and her friend had ordered, the corner of the tray hit against my arm, and the whole thing fell to the floor with a loud crashing noise, and the tinkeling of broken glass.
"Agh! You idiot!" she screeched at me.
"You called?" Sirius looked up from the table he was occupying.
"I wasn't talking to you!" She yelled at him.
"Sorry. Easy mistake to make!" Sirius grinned and turned back to the table, leaving the girl seething.
The other girl who was evidently her friend, got up from the table, "Lily, wha's wrong?" She asked. And then she noticed the mess on the floor "I'm not payin' for it," she added quickly.
"Well, I'm not!" I scowled, It had been this creepy red- head's fault as much as mine!
"Why not? You knocked it over!" she objected.
"Yeah! You aught'a pay!" Her friend put in, in her thick Oxfordshire accent.
"No way! If your freaky friend had have looked where she was going-"
"I was! You got in the way!"
"Be quiet all of you!" The owner of the shop interrupted our quarrel. I noticed that Sirius had been watching us with the kind of expression that soemone might wear if they were watching a rather ammusing film. Moony was just looking out the window, trying, as usual, not to catch anyone's eye.
"You're both as much to blame for this as each other," continued the owner
"No, I-"
"Be quiet, for goondess sakes, girl."
She scowled blackly.
"You will both pay half and half for this mess. That's five galleons each."
Me and the stuck up prat of a girl glared at each other. She had a bright green stare that seemed to cut you in half. Her friend also watched, with apparent interest, the way you might watch a rather interesting magical experimant.
"Yes, alright," I fished in my pockets for some money that didn't belong to Sirius or Moony, and eventually handed over my five galleons. The girl did so too, glaring at me all the while.
"Thanks to you, I ahven't got any more money left to buy an ice cream," she tossed her head "Come on, Banbury, let's go."
"No, I wan' to get my ice cream. An' I'll buy you one an' all," she added to her friend.
"Fine, but you buy them this time," she flounced over to the table where her friend had originally been seated, and sat in the seat, as if expectantly. What a snob!
I returned to my friends "are you two still getting anything?"
"You kidding!" Sirius grinned "I'll get with drawel symptoms if I don't have some ice cream soon!"
"That's a yes, then?"
"You bet!"
"Moony?"
"I, er, well... why not?" I handed their money back, and waited while they qued and then retuned with their ice creams. I was starving, having eaten nothing since that toast earlier, but as I had speant the last of my money paying for the stupid try, I had no money to pay for my own ice cream. Tough, really.
After a few minutes, the redhead and her friend, who was tall with sandy plaits and freckles, not to mention a definate countryside look about her, came and stood next to the table.
"What do you girlies want?" Sirius asked "because I'm giving you none of my ice cream!"
"We don't want your ice cream," the girl celled Lily tossed her head, an annoying habit she seemed to have "If I wanted ice cream, I'd get my own, right, Banbury?"
"Right Lily." Agreed her friend, who was evildently called Banbury.
"I'm just decent enough to come an appologise," Lily continued.
"Very nice of you. Now go away," I frowned, not wanting to have to put up with this annoying child any longer then I had to.
"Charming! Look, let's make friends. I'm Lily Evens. This is Banbury Norton. Who are you?"
Sirius spoke before I had a chance.
"Hi, I'm Michelle," he said. Lily and Banbury looked at him with vague amazement.
"Er-" Banbury began.
"But since that's only at weekends, you can call me Sirius Black."
"Er, Sirius-" I began, wondering if the ice cream had gone to his head.
"Oh shut up, Jennifer."
The girls continued to stare at him. Sirius can often have that effect on people.
"Look," Remus interrupted "I'm Moony, well, my real name is Remus, but people call me Moony. The idiot's called Sirius. He's James Potter. Not Michelle and Jennifer," he added, with feeling "how do you do?"
"OK, I guess. Right, we're all friend now, and everyone can live happily ever after, and I'll be happy if I never see you again." Lily snubbed his politeness.
The two girls turned away, and left the ice cream parlour, leaving me wondering weather I'd have to put up with them at Hogwarts, too?
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WHADDYA THINK! PLEASE R/R!
~*~Daisy Chain~*~