It was the summer holiday and James was relaxing in his backyard, laying flat on the grass, enjoying the warm sunlight on his face. In just a few days Sirius, Remus and Peter would arrive to spend a big part of the summer holiday. They would even make a trip with his parents for two weeks, visiting some cities in England, Ireland and Scotland. Peter had been very excited; he never really went on a holiday before with his parents. This was mainly due to their lack of money and since the Potters had more than enough, they paid for everyone. Euphemia made sure that everyone's parents were well-informed, on board and not feeling guilty about anything. She persisted on visiting in person, so she was away for three nights last week. James thought back about when she returned from her last visit last night. Saving the worst for last, she choose to do Sirius his parents last. And that was quite a visit indeed.

James heard the door close and he quickly made his way down the stairs. He was very curious how his mother visit had been to the Black family. Euphemia hang her coat on the wall and smiled to James. "Hi darling!" She smiled, kissed him om his head and left for the living room. "Hi mum." James said while he followed her. "How did it go?" His mother thought for a few moments. "In the end the visit was fine, nothing major happened. But …" She sighed deeply. "No, it's fine. I said to myself not to say anything about it. I don't want to get myself worked up about anything I can't change anyway." She sat down in her favorite chair, next to the fireplace. "James, honey, could you maybe get your mother a firewhiskey?" James eyebrows shot up. His mother wanted a firewhiskey? Merlins beard, that must have been some visit. She rarely drank, let alone something this strong. "Of course, I will be right back." He made his way to the kitchen, getting his mother exactly what she asked for. "Thank you dear." She said when James handed her the drink. She took a big sip, swallowed it and her face got all screwed up. "Ughh!" She shivered a bit. "It will never taste good I guess." James blushed read. He had a memory back to a particular night back in his first year, when he and his friends; especially Sirius; had a little bit too much of this stuff. He didn't dislike the taste that much, it was just the morning after that he didn't like. And if his parents were to find out about this night, he would be grounded until Hogwarts starts again. He was, and now he agreed with this, way too young to drink at the moment.

His curiosity got the better of him. "So mum, what happened tonight?" "Ha, I would love to tell you everything. But I am afraid that I cannot contain my emotions and I might say something that I regret." Confused as James was, he tried to go over every single possibility in his head, but he had no idea what could have gone so poorly tonight? "And what if I promise that whatever you tell, it is between you and me? Will you tell me?" James held his breath. "Okay. But let us first fetch your dad, dear. I will only tell this once and after this I will try to forget about it." James nodded. "But mum, I don't know where he is. I will go get him." James stood up and returned to the hallway, running up the stairs to the master bedroom. He found his dad in the bathroom, watching himself getting shaved while telling the razor the instructions. About a minute later he was done. "Hi son." Fleamont said while dabbing his chin with a towel. "Thank you for waiting. What can I do for you?" "Well, mum is back from the Black family. But she doesn't want to tell what happened until you're there to. So I came to get you." Fleamont nodded, his eyes darkened a little. "I see. Well, let's go see your mother then. I am sure it will be some story."

Once they were seated in the living room, Fleamont lighted the fireplace. A warmth became over James, who curled up on the couch, watching his mother warily. Euphemia had already finished her firewhiskey, her cheeks were flushed and she seemed more relaxed. "So, what is the matter honey? If you start drinking firewhiskey something must have happened." Fleamont gave his wife a little stroke on her hand. "Oh my dear boys, when I left there I said to myself: don't speak about it. You got what you came for. Sirius can stay the rest of the holiday with us and they are fine with us taking him on the trip. But Fleamont, those people are horrible!" James saw how his mothers eye started to spit fire almost. "Just awful! The way they treat him, it is not okay. I almost couldn't bite my tongue. I wanted to take him with me and to never give him back." Fleamont took his wife's hand. "We already suspected that they were, err.., bad parents." He shot James a look. "Did you see something? Did they hit him? Or hurt him in another way?" Euphemia shook her head. "I didn't see anything like that and as far as I can tell from seeing Sirius they never laid a finger on him. No, this is not physical, this is mentally. They break him mentally soon, if they haven't already succeeded. He gets cut off, whenever he can say something they act like he says something outrageous, they favor his brother over him and above that all they make him feel like nothing at all." Fleamont frowned and Euphemia sighed, her lips trembling. "And he doesn't realize it yet, he is still aching for their approval, their love. And if I take a look at that woman that calls herself his mother, she will never give it to him. Do you know what the first thing is that she asked me?" She looked at Fleamont in disgust. "Your blood status?" He guessed. "No, but I bet that would be her second question. She asked which Hogwarts House I was placed in. A Hogwarts House, Fleamont. She is mental! What does that matter? It is just a House, it doesn't determine the person you become. That is all about your environment and upbringing for example. Something she is clearly doing poorly."

James had never seen his mother so worked up. He was touched, she cared so much about Sirius. "Did they gave you a hard time about him coming here and going on a trip with us?" He asked silently. Euphemia snorted. "As if! They practically asked if I couldn't take him already, like he was in their way. The poor child is usually up in his room, all alone for the best part of the day. And I would have done it, take him already, but they are still his parents. It is still the place he calls home now." Fleamont was still frowning. "This all sounds horrible. But I don't understand something quite yet. Was Sirius in his room or with you?" Euphemia gave a watery smile. "The poor dear was first in his room and their House-elf had to get him. When he entered with Sirius, he said: the disgraced son is here, just like you asked, mistress. Sirius sat down, quietly. It looked like he was used being talked to like this. Then I told them about our plans, the trip and keeping him until school starts, and she couldn't cared less. I think she was annoyed with me, when I told her that my House wasn't important and up for discussion.

Then she heaved her head and said that there was no way she was paying for this trip. Sirius got an certain amount of money for his birthday and that was it. He either spend it or saves it. When I asked her how much he got, she just blatantly ignored me. And then Sirius answered; he whispered an amount. And do you know how much he gets? 5 Galleons! For each birthday! That is outrageous." James felt a knot in his stomach. He had no idea how much his best friend got. He just knew that there were a few packages on his birthday and a envelope from his parents. He knew Sirius barely bought anything from the cart on the Hogwarts Express, but he did spend a lot of money on presents for him, Remus and Peter. And he barely had any, because his parents were hogging it. Somehow, James thought, he would help his friend.

"Is there any way we can just make sure he will be here every holiday? Or at least at Hogwarts? I don't want him to go back there either." Euphemia shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we can discuss it with Professor McGonagall? Or Sirius himself?" Fleamont nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Let's just forget about it now, I can't bear to think about how Sirius must feel being at a place like that. We will make sure he has a good time when he gets here in a few days." With that note they closed this topic and started discussing what kind of things they wanted to do on their trip.

James opened his eyes, he was back on the grass. This memory of last night had been playing in his head over and over again. He felt quite guilty that he hadn't noticed how bad the situation was at Sirius his home. Sirius never talked about it, saying he was doing fine and managing. But clearly it was just a place that he had to call home because he grew up there. Nothing there must feel like home to him, James thought. His childhood had been so easy, filled with love and everything he had ever wanted. Money wasn't a problem, but neither was that for Sirius his family. So that didn't mean anything. Remus' family barely had any money and he had a great childhood, except from the fact that he had a fury little problem every month. His parents loved him and did anything for him. James felt so blessed for everything that his parents had done for him. There was food on the table, there was love, compliments and encouragement. But also rules and punishments, whenever the rules were broken. All in all: a good life.

James his thoughts were interrupted with his mother calling for him. "James, dinner!" James rushed inside, his stomach growling. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was, but then he remembered he had skipped lunch. He had slept in, woken up around noon and only ate a sandwich around one. His hunger made sense right now. "Look honey, it's your favorite!" Euphemia pointed at the table. There was a chicken, roasted to perfection, filled with stuffing and surrounded by potatoes and vegetables. "Wow, mum! We usually only eat this with Christmas or my birthday. What is going on?" James felt a little bit suspicious. Euphemia smiled and ruffled her sons hair. "Nothing! I just wanted to spoil you a bit. You have been so good lately. Your grades were astounding this year and it was quite rough with your fathers health at one point for you as well. Plus the fact that it all happened on your birthday, I just wanted you to enjoy everything a little bit more today." James felt warm on the inside. He hugged his mother and tried to tell her in it how much she meant to him, how thankful he was for everything. He held her for a couple of moments, longer than usual. Euphemia was stroking his hair, enjoying this moment. "Thank you mum, you're the best." "Hey, hey, hey! And what about your old man? You won't deprive him of a hug, would you now?" Fleamont stepped into the kitchen. James walked over to his father and gave him a hug too. "Of course, dad. You have no idea how happy I am that you are healthy!" Fleamont padded his son on his back. "The same goes for me! And this smells amazing! Your mother has outdone herself once again! It smells delicious, honey." He kissed his wife before he sat down on the head of the table.

Dinner was phenomenal! James was so stuffed at the end, he barely made it to the couch. When his father had lit the fireplace, James was so at peace he started to drift away. The feeling of being full with food and the nice warmth was too much for him. His mind was starting to drift off to his subconscious. He was excited for the upcoming year, finally able to go to Hogsmeade. There were extra classes he would attend this and Quidditch would start again soon. A lot to look forward to. His friends were here soon, so he wouldn't miss them anymore. Daydreaming about Hogwarts somehow another Gryffindor popped into his mind, smiling at him. Her red hair was warm, just like the fire in his living room and her smile made him feel at ease, like he had full stomach and was content. Somehow his stomach felt even fuller, but not with just food. "Hey son, what you are smiling about?" James heard his fathers voice coming from far. "You have this grin on your face and you look like you won a million Galleons." James was back in reality, no longer thinking of Lily Evans, but somehow could smell a hint of roses now. "Oh nothing." He said casually. "Just thinking about winning the Quidditch Cup!" Fleamont nodded proudly. "You sure did that, son! And this year again, I assume?" "Of course, father! We always give our 100%. That should be enough!"

XXX

A few days later it was the day that Remus, Peter and Sirius would finally arrive at the Potter mansion. Peter was the first one to arrive. He and his parents used the Floo Network. Fleamont and Euphemia had invited everyone's parents for an afternoon tea that day. But only Remus and Peter's parents had accepted. But James didn't had the idea that his parents were mourning the fact that the Blacks weren't coming. "Very nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew!" Fleamont extended his hand to Mr. Pettigrew, who shook it greatly. "The pleasure is all ours! Thank you again so much for letting Peter stay here. He is very excited!" Peter grinned at James, giving him a thumbs up. Euphemia and Mrs. Pettigrew gave each other two kisses on the cheek. "Please, take a seat. Take a seat! Tea will be served shortly, we are just waiting for the Lupin gathering." The Pettigrew's sat down, looking at ease. Mrs. Pettigrew was a small and quite chubby woman, but her face was very young. Her smile was brightly and it made you feel relaxed around her. Mr. Pettigrew was skinny, a bit taller, but already bold in some spots of his head. He slumped a little bit with his shoulders, but he looked like a guy you could have a laugh with. Their clothes were very normal. Just some jeans and a blouse for Mr. Pettigrew and a flowery dress for the Mrs.

The flames in the fireplace turned green again and the Remus stepped out with his parents. "Hi James! Hi Peter! Good to see you guys again!" He put down his trunk, stepping into the living room with his parents. "Good afternoon, Lyall! It is so good to see you again. I hope you are doing fine!" Fleamont was up on his feet again to welcome these new guests. Just as Euphemia and Hope were saying their hello's the flames colored green again. Sirius stepped out of the fire, his trunk in his hand. "Hi guys!" He said, happy to see his friends again. "How are you all doing?" But before anyone could answer Euphemia ushered them all deeper into the living room. "Come, come! Just take a seat and leave your stuff here. I will summon them to the rooms. Fleamont, dear, can you clean the carpet?" Fleamont nodded, whipped his wand around and all the ash and dust disappeared. "Thank you! I will go get the tea!" She levitated the tree trunks in front of her, out of the room and probably to the rooms. After a few minutes she came back with a large tray with a teapot, cups and a lot of food. She gently landed it on the table in front of the couches and chairs. The teapot rose up, just like the cups and it started filling them with tea. When they were full they slowly flew to everyone in the room. "Very good! Please, do feel free to take something." Everyone was eyeing the plate with the pastries, cake and cookies. "This all looks wonderful, Euphemia!" Mrs. Pettigrew said while helping herself to a slice of cake. Hope Lupin nodded. "I totally agree! And thank you and Fleamont for having us all for tea. Your house is lovely." Euphemia smiled. "Thank you, ladies. I will give you a tour after the tea. So you can also see where your boys are sleeping!" Everyone nodded.

The conversation quickly changed into the upcoming trip. Which cities were they going to visit? "Well, we were thinking about Newcastle, Edinburgh and Belfast or Dublin. But it will probably be Belfast! We will stay about three nights everywhere, enough time to explore these wonderful places." Fleamont explained to everyone in the room. "Newcastle is lovely this time a year!" Hope said. "We've been there together before we had Remus, but I suspect it might has changed a lot over the years." She put her hand on her husbands knee, smiling at him. "What a wonderful holiday that was, right?" Lyall nodded. "It was!" Remus was smiling. "I'm sure it will be amazing! But what about Edinburgh? The history in that city must be amazing! I can't wait to see the university there and the library." The three boys laughed out loud. It was typical Remus to think about seeing schools and visiting libraries in his holiday.

Another round of tea and tour of the mansion later, it was already time to go for the parents. They said their goodbyes to their sons. "And you behave, Peter! Listen to Mr. and Mrs. Potter and help as well with cooking and cleaning. I don't want to find out you misbehaved and misused their hospitality." Peter's father spoke very strict to his son. Fleamont clapped him on the shoulder. "Oh I am sure that we will have no problem with Peter, or anyone for that matter. They have never been anything but helpful and polite! It is a pleasure to have them here!" Mr. Pettigrew smiled at him. "Thank you, Fleamont. That is always nice to hear about your own child. But please, feel free to discipline him if you think so. It is more than generous of you two to take him in house for the upcoming weeks, let alone taking him on a trip." Hope Lupin was hugging her son tightly. "Send a letter after you come back, okay, dear? We can't wait to hear how you enjoyed yourself. Take care of yourself and be nice here." Remus nodded and said his goodbye to his parents. The Lupins stepped into the green flames and were gone within seconds. Half a minute later the Pettigrew's were on their way home as well. James looked around, to his friends. He grinned broadly. The holiday could finally start now!