James button his muggle trench coat, running his hands through his hair. He grinned, as he looked at Sirius, dressed in a similar trench coat. His mum had bought it for them. "Mum, we're going now," he announced, craning his neck towards the drawing room.
He heard a shuffle of footsteps before his mother arrived into the foyer. Her eyes smiled as she looked at the boys. Smoothening out the collar of James's coat, she said, "Now you both be very careful." She smiled, fixing her gaze on Sirius, who nodded in response.
James beamed, nodding fervently, "Don't worry mum."
"Do you have enough muggle money?"
James pulled out the money his father had given him, "Right here."
"Do you know how to use it?"
"Peter taught us," replied Sirius, putting his hand on James's shoulder. The boys beamed at Euphemia.
"Alright, be careful."
"Bye mum," said James, kissing his mother on her cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too sweetheart," replied Euphemia, returning the kiss. She turned to Sirius, holding him at an arm's length.
"Bye Mrs P –" started Sirius. When Euphemia raised her brows, shaking her head, Sirius corrected himself, "Mum."
She pressed a kiss on his cheek too, "Take care."
James and Sirius walked down the street with grins plastered on their faces. The snow had stuck to the ground, turning everything white. The wintry sun held little warmth, but it made everything brighter. Children were playing in the town square as the boys passed them. Their giggles sounded like a happy music.
"So, we need to get to the train station first," started James, turning his head in Sirius's direction. He had his hands in the pocket of his coat. It felt warm and soft against his skin.
"Alright," started Sirius, shaking his head slowly. "Or we can walk?"
James looked at the sun overhead, it wasn't going to be hard. "Walking is good." Glancing sideways, he wondered why Sirius wanted to walk.
"Let's walk," mumbled Sirius, chewing on his lip. He avoided James's gaze like his life depended on it.
James narrowed his eyes, shaking his head, "It's only going to take us half an hour!"
"You have something better to do?!" cried Sirius, scrunching his nose. He pushed his hair out of his eyes. Setting his eyes straight ahead, he continued walking.
James had no option but to agree, "Alright, we'll walk."
The little muggle town near Godric's Hollow started appearing into their view. The people were dressed in muggle clothes. Not one person had robes on. It looked strange. All the houses looked exactly the same, with their red bricks. The narrow streets were bustling with people. Somewhere among the excited buzz, there were jingles being played.
James couldn't put his grin away as his eyes tried to take everything in at once. "This isn't difficult, I don't know why Remus and Peter were worried."
"They think since we grew up in a pure blood household, we are weaklings," replied Sirius, walking more at ease now. Though they had earned a lot of glances, James reckoned it was because they were new faces.
"Weaklings?!" cried James, furrowing his brows. His face twisted in grimace. "We're fitting right in."
"Muggles aren't that different from us," said Sirius, nodding his head fervently.
"Exactly, who can even tell the difference between them and us?"
"If we were squibs, or half-blood, we'd be just like them," whispered Sirius, inching closer towards James.
"Which is why I think this war is stupid too," agreed James in an instant. He pinched the bridge of his nose, waving off the irritation. Muggleborns, Half-bloods, Pure bloods, they were all the same! His parents always told him that everyone had the right to live. And something like blood purity doesn't give anyone the right to take a life away.
"I am shocked how much they are underestimating him with everything going around."
"I reckon Dumbledore is doing something, but we don't know what it is."
"Any guesses what it is?" asked Sirius, a smirk playing on his lips. He raised his brows, looking at James from the corner of his eyes.
"Look if he is gathering supporters, I reckon Dumbledore is too."
"Isn't Dumbledore a little too late in doing that?"
"Do you think someone would willingly risk their lives?"
"I would," replied Sirius, with a nonchalant shrug. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would," said James, nodding, as he pursed his lips. "But not everyone would."
"Then why wouldn't Dumbledore let those who want to join, join it?"
"First, there should be an it to join, this is just my assumption," said James, holding out his hand, palm facing towards Sirius. "Second, we're children."
"If there isn't, then you must give him the idea of it," said Sirius, nudging James with his elbow. Then his face grew solemn, "And we aren't children, this is as much their war as it is ours."
"Don't say that in front of mum though," chuckled James, shaking his head. He averted his eyes to a group of people wearing Christmas caps. His eyes glistened, and he wondered if he could get one too.
"Do you reckon she'd let you join the war?"
"I am sure she'd not let either of us do it."
"But we will, right?"
James tore his eyes away from the tiny shops they were passing. He felt his stomach grumble as the scent of fresh cookies hit him. "Of course, no matter how small our contribution is, it will be worth it," he said.
"How do you think this war would end?" asked Sirius, as they lumbered down the pavement. He stared sightlessly at a place somewhere over James's shoulder.
"There is only one way, isn't there?" mumbled James, as his brow puckered. "He will die."
"Who do you think is going to do that?" asked Sirius, his mouth turned up a fraction of an inch.
James grinned; of this he was sure. "Dumbledore."
At last, James and Sirius reached the Cinema Hall. The small yellow building knocked the air out of James's lungs. There were posters lined up, with still photographs. James's mouth hung open, his head moving in every direction.
Sirius and he noticed that there was a heavy crowd gathering near the small window outside the Cinema Hall entrance. People had formed a queue outside it. The queue in itself wasn't very long.
"That must be where we'd get the tickets," said James, turning towards Sirius.
Sirius nodded fervently, as he pointed at something. "Yes, it is," he said.
'BOX OFFICE' was written in silver letters on top of the small window. James remembered that it was the place where they were supposed to get tickets. Without further delay, the boys joined the queue, waiting for their turn.
James approached the man sitting inside the box office. He had a swirling feeling of nausea in his stomach. He felt his mouth go dry. This was the first time he was going to talk to a muggle! "Good afternoon sir," said James, flashing a smile.
The man inside the box office looked at James in an unimpressed way. His eyes half open, he pursed his lips. The fat man had no smile on his face whatsoever.
James could feel his resolve melt. The smile faded from James's face. "Why is he looking at me like that?" he asked, whipping his head in Sirius's direction.
"Just ask for the movie tickets!" cried Sirius, pushing him near the window once again.
James cleared his throat. "Two movie tickets," he said, in a deeper voice. But when the man set his eyes on James again, he meekly added, "Please."
"For which movie?" asked the man, tapping his fingers against the counter.
James's eyes widened, as he looked at Sirius again. "There's supposed to be a name?" he asked, his heart in his mouth. He could see the queue behind them getting longer.
Sirius pointed at one of the posters, his face flushed, "That one."
The man did something on the register in front of him. He slid the two tickets from under the small hole in the window. "That'll be £3.34," he said, setting his eyes on James again.
"What – What?" stammered James, looking at the muggle money in his hands. As if the last bit of learning had left his brain, he scrambled his brain to remember what was he supposed to do.
Sirius snatched the muggle money out of his hand. "Give me that!" he said, counting the money and sliding it under the small hole.
The boys picked up their tickets and dispersed away from the crowd. "That was stressful," mumbled James, fidgeting with his fingers.
"How about I handle the money?" asked Sirius, holding out the money in front of them.
James didn't have to give it any thought. Pushing Sirius's hand towards him, he said, "Good idea." That way he won't have to talk to muggles. He made a mental note of learning about their currency more.
"This way," said Sirius, pointing towards the entrance of the cinema hall.
"What are we watching anyway?"
"The Hindenburg," replied Sirius, looking at the tickets. He handed James one, making him beam like a child. The boys made their way inside the warm building.
Inside, it was like paradise! The delicious scent of food hit James's nostrils right away. Everywhere he looked, he could see popcorn, hot dogs, sodas, candies. If James could, he would come here every day!
"Do you want something to eat?" asked Sirius, his lips curling up in a smile.
"Absolutely!" exclaimed James, nodding his head like a child.
"Wait here," instructed Sirius, as he strolled away to the food counter.
James could already feel his mouth water, he gulped in. Looking away from the food counter, he noticed other things too. There were six doors with a number hanging to their side. Looking at his ticket again, he saw number 3 on his ticket.
Not many people were waiting outside the number 3 door. James wondered what kind of movie it was going to be. On the other hand, a lot of people were waiting outside the door of number 4.
James shifted from one foot to another, as he waited for Sirius. The place was buzzing with loud chatter. James noticed he was standing next to a young woman with bright red hair, it reminded him of someone. 'Evans' he thought, he shook that thought away. In her arms, was a tiny baby.
The baby's hazel eyes found James's eyes and the baby laughed, extending his chubby arm towards James. James could feel his heart melt, as he broke into a smile. The woman seemed to notice her baby's reaction, she turned towards James. She smiled looking at James, and then her baby, who was still giggling as he looked at him.
"Hello," cooed James, grinning from ear to ear. The baby's hand landed on James's shoulder, clenching onto his coat.
"I reckon he likes you," said the woman, as she tried to contain the excited baby in her arms. The baby had taken a liking to James. He extended his hand from his coat to his cheeks.
James had never been around babies. "He is very sweet," he choked out, letting the baby touch his face. He couldn't drop the smile from his face.
"Yes, he is," cooed the woman, planting a kiss on the baby's cheek.
It hadn't been long since the baby started playing with him. With hesitation, James offered the baby his index finger. The baby grabbed onto it, shaking his tiny fists.
"James, c'mon!" Sirius's voice made James look behind himself. Sirius stood with two big buckets of popcorn and two glasses of sodas in his arms.
"Bye," cooed James, reluctantly pulling his hand away from the baby. He looked at the woman with a smile, "It was nice to meet you."
The woman grinned, nodding. She took the baby's hand, waving it towards James as she said, "Bye bye."
James had the biggest grin on his face when he rushed over to Sirius. He looked over his shoulder. The woman had turned her back towards James, but the baby still looked at James with his big hazel eyes.
Sirius extended his right arm towards James. He had tucked the popcorn buckets in his elbow, his hands holding the sodas. "Here," said Sirius.
James took the popcorn bucket and soda from Sirius's hand, beaming, "Thanks."
"What do we do now?" asked Sirius, taking a sip of his soda. He looked around, taking in the surroundings.
"I suppose we wait," said James, with a shrug.
"I can't wait to tell Remus and Peter about this!"
"Neither can I," agreed James, letting out a sigh.
"Hey, you never told me what you sent them for Christmas," said Sirius, standing in front of James.
"I sent Remus that jumper we were looking at," started James, raising his brows. "And I couldn't think of anything for Peter so I bought him a gold quill."
"A gold quill?!" cried Sirius, his jaw hanging open. "You made me give him that CD," he narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, it is the limited edition of his favourite band," said James, his brows furrowed. He couldn't think of a gift for Peter because he had told the best gift to Sirius!
Sirius thought about it for a moment. Smiling, he mumbled, "You're right, what will he do with a gold quill anyway?"
"Use it."
"He'll lose it the first day he brings it to school," scoffed Sirius, rolling his eyes.
"Then use it at home," said James, shaking his head.
The door of the number 3 screening opened. The few people waiting outside started making their way inside. The crowd started to thin out. James felt a surge of excitement, as he said, "Come on let's go."
James's heart leaped when he walked through the massive doors. He saw the big screen, and something playing on it. The sound was loud, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. But he had to keep walking.
Sinking into their seats, James tried to take in everything at once. They made themselves comfortable, and waited for the movie to start.
"That was –" started James, his eyes unfocused. He was still in a daze. "Brilliant!" He could still hear the background music in his head. It seemed like he had disconnected from the world.
"I feel empty," said Sirius, wrapping his arms around himself. He shuddered, and James reckoned it had nothing to do with the cold.
James had to agree. "I can still see the Hindenburg burning."
"You know what this reminds me," started Sirius, as they were back on the streets once again.
"What?"
"We've never had an adventure," said Sirius, throwing his hands in the air.
"What are you talking about?" scoffed James, his face hardening in concentration. "We have adventures."
"No!" cried Sirius, shaking his head. "None like that!" he pointed back at the Cinema Hall, his eyes widening.
"You want to be on a zeppelin set to burst into flames?" snickered James, raising his brows. He couldn't believe Sirius wanted to do that!
"That would be too easy."
"Would it?" asked James, cocking his head.
"Muggles are interesting and creative," whispered Sirius, nodding his head. "They only lack one thing –" he continued, his eyes glistening. " – magic."
James gave it a thought. Sirius was right, fire wouldn't be a problem. They could use hundreds of spells to control it. "Yes, because if we were on that zeppelin, we'd have managed the fire."
"We must have an adventure that is risky," said Sirius, skipping as he walked. He had the biggest grin on his face. "At least once in our life!"
The idea alone made a thousand fireworks go off inside James's head. That would be wonderful. He could feel his own smile growing, "I am onboard."
The boys were making way to the farthest compartment on Hogwarts Express. The students in front of them were walking slow. All they could do was wait for the crowd to diffuse.
"How was Christmas?" asked Peter, as they were halted in the aisle once again. The only reason they could hear Peter over the noise of the train against the tracks was because they were squashed together.
"We watched a movie," started Sirius, with a smug grin on his face.
Remus whipped his head around, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you?"
"Yes," said James, nodding his head fervently. "The Hindenburg."
"How was it?" asked Remus, his curious orbs studying the boys. His lips curled up in a smile, as he cocked his head.
"It was brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius, with as much enthusiasm he could managed with being squashed in a small space.
"Sirius now wants to have a risky adventure," told James, pointing towards his best friend.
Remus snickered, pressing his lips together. "You do that every time you try to pull a prank when McGonagall is near."
"No," started Sirius, shaking his head. "Imagine our lives are in danger –"
"They are in case you haven't noticed," squeueaked Peter, pointing towards the students still clamped inside the train. James wondered what was the hold up.
"No, we are out there," said Sirius, pointing outside the train window. "Fighting," he continued, with his smile turning to grin. "And there is a life and death situation."
"Never take him out for a movie," scoffed Remus, looking at James.
"Why couldn't you watch something cheerful on Christmas?"
"Right," agreed Remus, his hand pointing towards Peter, palm facing upwards. "Disaster movie?"
"What's wrong with that?" asked James, his brows puckered.
"Nothing if the idea of fun Christmas for you is people dying," squeueaked Peter, as he managed to push a student off his foot.
The crowd started to disperse, and the boys at last managed to make their way to their compartment. James's heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of Evans. She was walking with her friends, a few inches ahead of James.
James cleared his throat. "I think the movie was very creative," he said, louder than necessary. But he needed Evans to hear it. Why? He had no idea. But he needed her to know that he knew about movies too. "With the way people were dying."
The people around James, turned around, giving him a puzzled look. Evans too looked at him like he had lost his mind. Maybe they hadn't anticipated that James could go watch a movie by himself!
"James you realise that people didn't actually die in the movie?" asked Peter, as they stepped closer to Evans.
James could feel his cheeks turn hot. "I know," he said, gulping in. "It looked very – lifelike."
"Yes, we were shocked," agreed Sirius, draping his arm around James's shoulder.
"It was surreal when we stepped out of the Cinema Hall," mumbled James, remembering the feeling when they had just watched the movie. It took them a few days to come back to the reality completely.
"They've just discovered the effect of movies," chuckled Remus, looking at Peter. The brown-haired boy chuckled with Remus too. It made James's face flush harder. It wasn't supposed to go this way! This was supposed to impress – Ev – no, not her, it was supposed to impress people!
"And Hindenburg was magnificent looking," continued James, ignoring the comment Remus had just made.
"You also realise that it is based on real events?" asked Remus, looking over his shoulder.
James and Sirius's eyes grew wide, their mouth hanging open. They shared a quick glance, hurrying off near Remus and Peter. "Tell us more about it," begged Sirius, tugging onto their arms.
Remus let out an exasperated sigh, as he said, "You must study muggle history."