Books, Backs, Blunders and Good Byes.
Disclaimer and all.
Ok this is my first real story. I know the fab four's first year isn't very original but that isn't my fault. I've only planned for their first term. R/R people. I get very few reviews so l greatly appreciate them and return the visit.
Thank you to my beta Winne Bago who pulled me back into the here and now.
* * *
The 8th of August 1970 found me at eleven years old sitting in a bookshop sick with anger.
'Come on, Son. This is for you.'
I gave Dad what I hoped was a disgusted look. He just sighed and went back to the ratty little man in front of him. I stared out the window, and for the second time that week I found myself fighting not to cry. I kicked savagely at the newly ordered books under me.
It was a hot day; I should have been out dive-bombing into the river with everyone else, maybe even hanging out with the third years the others say they had met. Not that I cared. They would be coming back on their hands and knees. They were nothing without me.
My friends - my gang. We've been together since I moved down four year ago. I soon proved I was good with the 'inventions'. We tested them down in the quarry when it isn't flooded. Sometimes we used a little weed called Pullman as a test subject. We were all going to the local school this year - before my letter - Trionbonk covers the whole of the southwest. It was all we talked about last year. All the times we had watched the bigger kids hanging out at the gates, sometimes we went up to them, trying to be accepted. Next year I could have shown all them punks what 'just a little kid' could do. But now, of course, I'm not even going to be here. My letter came a week ago. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is proud to present the end of your life."
I didn't feel like that when I got the letter, even with Mum and Dad bouncing around the house and owling all the relatives, I still thought I could talk them out of it. I don't know what came over me. I should have started panicking when they didn't freak when I said I wasn't going, instead they chose to ignore me or fob me off with, 'I know it's a shock dear, but you'll love it once you're there.' I should have recognised the signs, the only realistic reason to this lack of brain activity is a very sudden and brief coma. My so-called best friend soon sorted that out, knocking me hard into reality.
It's always been Justin and me, running our own little group. We make the perfect team, me coming up with the ideas and Justin working out how to carry them though. Together we were unstoppable, and I was sure we could come up with something to get me out of going. So with Dad writing more letters and Mum screeching at me about the opportunity I was getting, I left the house to look for Justin. I found him outside old Trionbonk. I looked up at it and my anger towards my parents and that stupid sapping school doubled as I thought what they were trying to take from me. I pulled Justin away from the rest and explained the situation. 'But I reckon I can come up with something to make sure a stay here. We just need to come up with a plan of attack.' I finished, grinning at him. Now I was with Justin, it felt like it was just another of our projects.
'Sounds good.' He said, nodding. 'Let me know how you do.' He turned away. I stood for a moment stunned.
'What!' I shouted back at him. 'Aren't you going to help me?'
Not even turning Justin said, 'It's your problem, Sirius.'
I stared disbelievingly at the back of his head, trying to figure out what had just happened.
'You coming, Sirius?' someone over in the huddle of bodies shouted. 'We're going to meet some third years.'
'No, he's not.' Justin answered for me. I saw a couple of people look at each other, trying to work out what was going on.
I felt out of things as I turned back, by the time I'd gone a hundred yards I felt my stomach tighten and my eyes were stinging.
I didn't have to accept the place, I could have still gone to school with my friends and been able to come home in the evenings, but oh no, my parents thought going to a strange place a hundred miles away totally alone and staying there 24-7 sounded a lot nicer. They hadn't got in themselves. It's supposedly the best school in the country. The problem is my parents think this is a good thing, they don't realize that it means it's full of a load of swots. It's going to be like having hundreds of Pullmans around, an invasion. Come to think of it, it could be a laugh. Hundreds of test subjects, one after the other. Boom-boom-boom. Though I don't know how much fun it'll be on my own. I wish Justin were coming.
Like I said Justin and me, were a team, we didn't work alone, and as it turned out I couldn't. I calmed myself down on the way home by deciding to work out the problem on my own and then after give Justin a good beating, but even though I walked home by way of a detour past the old Muggles house, I didn't come up with any ideas. I became so frustrated I threw some stones in the Muggles pond, and managed to hit one of their ducks. By the time I got home I was really pissed, so the first thing I did when I got in was turn the dining room table over. My parents came running into the room. At least I had their attention.
'I'm not going.' I said. Not the best line in history.
'What the hell happened to the table?' Mum said.
'I'm not going to that school' I said again, annoyed that Mum wasn't following the conversation.
'Now, Sirius.' Dad said in that tone that made it clear a father and son talk was on its way. 'I thought we had got over this. You can't throw furniture around to get what you want. I'm disappointed.'
'I'm not going to Hogwarts.' I screamed at them.
'Don't be silly, darling' Mum said smoothly 'I know the idea of going away to school is scary, but when you get there.'
'But I'm not going to get there. Haven't you been listening?'
'Your mother's right, Sirius. It's just nerves.' Dad said like it made it fact. 'Anyway, it's all arranged now. We've already sent the owl accepting the place.'
'What!' I screamed. 'Without even asking what I wanted?'
And then it came, for the hundredth time that morning: 'But it's the best school in the country.'
My hands were already on the back of the chair before the last words had bored their way in to my head. Later, we did have that father and son talk, were I was told exactly how much of a disappointment I was. I was also, by some unknown dominating power Dad had over me, made me promise to apologise to Mum and work hard at Hogwarts. With a last twist of the knife, which I could have sworn was intentional, Dad said, 'It really is a great school.'
I was gazing out the bookshop window when I spotted one of my 'boom's. A scrawny little runt that looked around five was standing in front of the shop gawping through the other window. Probably scared to go in without Mummy and Daddy. I glanced over at my own parents, they were engrossed by the ratty little man and to my horror I heard things like 'getting a head start' and 'extra-curricular'. Well one thing at a time.
I moved over to my parents and notice how big the pile of books has gotten since I had last looked over. My parents where splashing out, all my relatives had sent 'a little something' to celebrate my total misery. I wanted to spend it on a broomstick.
'What's all this?' I asked my parents, pointing to the books. 'You thinking of starting a library?'
'Nothing wrong in getting ahead of the game, son.' Dad said, clapping me on the shoulder. It was a friendly gesture, but it's funny the things that will make you crazy. As Dad turned away, I punched him just under the ribs. He crashed into the table spilling the newly piled books over the floor.
'Sirius, what the hell are you thinking.' Mum screeched at me. 'Richard, are you ok?'
I just heard Dad grunt 'my back', before I stormed out of the shop. Oh, god, his back. I forgot. I turn sharply on my heel as soon as I was outside the shop. In the corner of my eye, I saw Dad being helped into a chair by the ratting-looking man. I swung myself on my heel again, and slammed my back into the window of the next shop, out of sight. Oh, god, his back. Well I can't remember everything. Damn. He would have gotten it sorted weeks ago, but there was some big shot causing riots, and only emergencies are getting treatment. Well, maybe he's an emergency now. I did him a favour. I sighed and banged my head against the window. I turned back to the shop and saw that runt from before glaring at me. When he saw me looking, he looked down at the ground and then back into the shop. Stupid little weed, I thought savagely. He turned back to look at me and I gave him a reassuring grin. The idiot smiled back a little nervous. The perfect picture of Mummy's little soldier. I beckoned to him and he took a clumsy step, before working out how to use his legs, and stumbled forward. I turned and walked around the corner to the side door of the shop, stopping at the corner to make sure the mindless twit was following, and gave another grin. I stood on the doorstep of the side door and waited for the game to arrive. He poked his head round the corner and I lent forward a little.
'Come on.' I said, all friendly.
He tried to smile again but he looked scared. Maybe his mind was slowly moving into action. As I began to think that I would have to grab him and pull him after me, he started moving again. He stood in front of me, with what could have been grin on his face, and said, 'Hi. I'm James.'
'Hi.' I said, burying my fist in his stomach. He doubled over and fell to the ground immediately. I gave him a solid kick and turned him over.
'Pleased to meet you.' I scoffed before trying to hit him again, but found it hard as his legs where pulled up to his chest.
'Get up.' I spat at him, although I knew he wouldn't be on his feet for long. He didn't move. I tried to pull him up but only managed in dragging him across the floor. He didn't try and stop me.
'Get up.' I yelled in his face after I had slapped it. He didn't react at all let alone gibber and sob like most do. He looked like he wasn't there. I let go, backing off. He just lay there, curled up on the ground in a stinking alley, and I wondered if I'd really hurt him. Then a thought cruelled into my mind: Maybe he was dead.
I ran.
I only saw Justin a handful of times over the few weeks left of the holidays. I don't know who was avoiding who, but we didn't seem to cross paths and when we did it was briefly. He only came to found me once, a few days before the end of the holidays
'How's the plan of attack going, Sirius?' Justin sneered at me. I stared at him, not knowing what to say. A guy called Luke, big but not much up stairs came forward and stood in front of me.
'Come on, Justin.' He says 'ain't nothing here.' He laughs a little forcing it out between gasps. As they walk away, I hear Justin mutter, 'pathetic.'
I launched myself at his back and grabbed his head. The rest immediately jump me. I guess they knew what I was going to do. I'm not the most subtle person. The resulting fight made it very clear that I was out. Luke actually spat on me, and I earned myself an extra kick by biting his leg. He all but put up a neon sign saying he had taken my place. I guess those weeks were the loneliest I could remember, but I wasn't really paying attention, I had something else on my mind. Every moment my body was tensed by the thought of a knock on the door connected with a young boy's body lying in Diagon Alley.
* * *
Disclaimer and all.
Ok this is my first real story. I know the fab four's first year isn't very original but that isn't my fault. I've only planned for their first term. R/R people. I get very few reviews so l greatly appreciate them and return the visit.
Thank you to my beta Winne Bago who pulled me back into the here and now.
* * *
The 8th of August 1970 found me at eleven years old sitting in a bookshop sick with anger.
'Come on, Son. This is for you.'
I gave Dad what I hoped was a disgusted look. He just sighed and went back to the ratty little man in front of him. I stared out the window, and for the second time that week I found myself fighting not to cry. I kicked savagely at the newly ordered books under me.
It was a hot day; I should have been out dive-bombing into the river with everyone else, maybe even hanging out with the third years the others say they had met. Not that I cared. They would be coming back on their hands and knees. They were nothing without me.
My friends - my gang. We've been together since I moved down four year ago. I soon proved I was good with the 'inventions'. We tested them down in the quarry when it isn't flooded. Sometimes we used a little weed called Pullman as a test subject. We were all going to the local school this year - before my letter - Trionbonk covers the whole of the southwest. It was all we talked about last year. All the times we had watched the bigger kids hanging out at the gates, sometimes we went up to them, trying to be accepted. Next year I could have shown all them punks what 'just a little kid' could do. But now, of course, I'm not even going to be here. My letter came a week ago. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is proud to present the end of your life."
I didn't feel like that when I got the letter, even with Mum and Dad bouncing around the house and owling all the relatives, I still thought I could talk them out of it. I don't know what came over me. I should have started panicking when they didn't freak when I said I wasn't going, instead they chose to ignore me or fob me off with, 'I know it's a shock dear, but you'll love it once you're there.' I should have recognised the signs, the only realistic reason to this lack of brain activity is a very sudden and brief coma. My so-called best friend soon sorted that out, knocking me hard into reality.
It's always been Justin and me, running our own little group. We make the perfect team, me coming up with the ideas and Justin working out how to carry them though. Together we were unstoppable, and I was sure we could come up with something to get me out of going. So with Dad writing more letters and Mum screeching at me about the opportunity I was getting, I left the house to look for Justin. I found him outside old Trionbonk. I looked up at it and my anger towards my parents and that stupid sapping school doubled as I thought what they were trying to take from me. I pulled Justin away from the rest and explained the situation. 'But I reckon I can come up with something to make sure a stay here. We just need to come up with a plan of attack.' I finished, grinning at him. Now I was with Justin, it felt like it was just another of our projects.
'Sounds good.' He said, nodding. 'Let me know how you do.' He turned away. I stood for a moment stunned.
'What!' I shouted back at him. 'Aren't you going to help me?'
Not even turning Justin said, 'It's your problem, Sirius.'
I stared disbelievingly at the back of his head, trying to figure out what had just happened.
'You coming, Sirius?' someone over in the huddle of bodies shouted. 'We're going to meet some third years.'
'No, he's not.' Justin answered for me. I saw a couple of people look at each other, trying to work out what was going on.
I felt out of things as I turned back, by the time I'd gone a hundred yards I felt my stomach tighten and my eyes were stinging.
I didn't have to accept the place, I could have still gone to school with my friends and been able to come home in the evenings, but oh no, my parents thought going to a strange place a hundred miles away totally alone and staying there 24-7 sounded a lot nicer. They hadn't got in themselves. It's supposedly the best school in the country. The problem is my parents think this is a good thing, they don't realize that it means it's full of a load of swots. It's going to be like having hundreds of Pullmans around, an invasion. Come to think of it, it could be a laugh. Hundreds of test subjects, one after the other. Boom-boom-boom. Though I don't know how much fun it'll be on my own. I wish Justin were coming.
Like I said Justin and me, were a team, we didn't work alone, and as it turned out I couldn't. I calmed myself down on the way home by deciding to work out the problem on my own and then after give Justin a good beating, but even though I walked home by way of a detour past the old Muggles house, I didn't come up with any ideas. I became so frustrated I threw some stones in the Muggles pond, and managed to hit one of their ducks. By the time I got home I was really pissed, so the first thing I did when I got in was turn the dining room table over. My parents came running into the room. At least I had their attention.
'I'm not going.' I said. Not the best line in history.
'What the hell happened to the table?' Mum said.
'I'm not going to that school' I said again, annoyed that Mum wasn't following the conversation.
'Now, Sirius.' Dad said in that tone that made it clear a father and son talk was on its way. 'I thought we had got over this. You can't throw furniture around to get what you want. I'm disappointed.'
'I'm not going to Hogwarts.' I screamed at them.
'Don't be silly, darling' Mum said smoothly 'I know the idea of going away to school is scary, but when you get there.'
'But I'm not going to get there. Haven't you been listening?'
'Your mother's right, Sirius. It's just nerves.' Dad said like it made it fact. 'Anyway, it's all arranged now. We've already sent the owl accepting the place.'
'What!' I screamed. 'Without even asking what I wanted?'
And then it came, for the hundredth time that morning: 'But it's the best school in the country.'
My hands were already on the back of the chair before the last words had bored their way in to my head. Later, we did have that father and son talk, were I was told exactly how much of a disappointment I was. I was also, by some unknown dominating power Dad had over me, made me promise to apologise to Mum and work hard at Hogwarts. With a last twist of the knife, which I could have sworn was intentional, Dad said, 'It really is a great school.'
I was gazing out the bookshop window when I spotted one of my 'boom's. A scrawny little runt that looked around five was standing in front of the shop gawping through the other window. Probably scared to go in without Mummy and Daddy. I glanced over at my own parents, they were engrossed by the ratty little man and to my horror I heard things like 'getting a head start' and 'extra-curricular'. Well one thing at a time.
I moved over to my parents and notice how big the pile of books has gotten since I had last looked over. My parents where splashing out, all my relatives had sent 'a little something' to celebrate my total misery. I wanted to spend it on a broomstick.
'What's all this?' I asked my parents, pointing to the books. 'You thinking of starting a library?'
'Nothing wrong in getting ahead of the game, son.' Dad said, clapping me on the shoulder. It was a friendly gesture, but it's funny the things that will make you crazy. As Dad turned away, I punched him just under the ribs. He crashed into the table spilling the newly piled books over the floor.
'Sirius, what the hell are you thinking.' Mum screeched at me. 'Richard, are you ok?'
I just heard Dad grunt 'my back', before I stormed out of the shop. Oh, god, his back. I forgot. I turn sharply on my heel as soon as I was outside the shop. In the corner of my eye, I saw Dad being helped into a chair by the ratting-looking man. I swung myself on my heel again, and slammed my back into the window of the next shop, out of sight. Oh, god, his back. Well I can't remember everything. Damn. He would have gotten it sorted weeks ago, but there was some big shot causing riots, and only emergencies are getting treatment. Well, maybe he's an emergency now. I did him a favour. I sighed and banged my head against the window. I turned back to the shop and saw that runt from before glaring at me. When he saw me looking, he looked down at the ground and then back into the shop. Stupid little weed, I thought savagely. He turned back to look at me and I gave him a reassuring grin. The idiot smiled back a little nervous. The perfect picture of Mummy's little soldier. I beckoned to him and he took a clumsy step, before working out how to use his legs, and stumbled forward. I turned and walked around the corner to the side door of the shop, stopping at the corner to make sure the mindless twit was following, and gave another grin. I stood on the doorstep of the side door and waited for the game to arrive. He poked his head round the corner and I lent forward a little.
'Come on.' I said, all friendly.
He tried to smile again but he looked scared. Maybe his mind was slowly moving into action. As I began to think that I would have to grab him and pull him after me, he started moving again. He stood in front of me, with what could have been grin on his face, and said, 'Hi. I'm James.'
'Hi.' I said, burying my fist in his stomach. He doubled over and fell to the ground immediately. I gave him a solid kick and turned him over.
'Pleased to meet you.' I scoffed before trying to hit him again, but found it hard as his legs where pulled up to his chest.
'Get up.' I spat at him, although I knew he wouldn't be on his feet for long. He didn't move. I tried to pull him up but only managed in dragging him across the floor. He didn't try and stop me.
'Get up.' I yelled in his face after I had slapped it. He didn't react at all let alone gibber and sob like most do. He looked like he wasn't there. I let go, backing off. He just lay there, curled up on the ground in a stinking alley, and I wondered if I'd really hurt him. Then a thought cruelled into my mind: Maybe he was dead.
I ran.
I only saw Justin a handful of times over the few weeks left of the holidays. I don't know who was avoiding who, but we didn't seem to cross paths and when we did it was briefly. He only came to found me once, a few days before the end of the holidays
'How's the plan of attack going, Sirius?' Justin sneered at me. I stared at him, not knowing what to say. A guy called Luke, big but not much up stairs came forward and stood in front of me.
'Come on, Justin.' He says 'ain't nothing here.' He laughs a little forcing it out between gasps. As they walk away, I hear Justin mutter, 'pathetic.'
I launched myself at his back and grabbed his head. The rest immediately jump me. I guess they knew what I was going to do. I'm not the most subtle person. The resulting fight made it very clear that I was out. Luke actually spat on me, and I earned myself an extra kick by biting his leg. He all but put up a neon sign saying he had taken my place. I guess those weeks were the loneliest I could remember, but I wasn't really paying attention, I had something else on my mind. Every moment my body was tensed by the thought of a knock on the door connected with a young boy's body lying in Diagon Alley.
* * *