A/N: Hopefully I can get this chapter out tonight…but I doubt it. Let's see…I'll try.
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"Why are we going to the library of all places?" Sirius Black sputtered.
"To buy books," Remus Lupin responded good-naturedly.
"Duh," James Potter added, just for measure.
"And remind me, why are we buying books?" Sirius asked.
Remus sighed. "Stemson Library is holding its annual fundraiser. Some people help by donating books. Some people help by buying books. The money goes to a program for disabled children."
"Since you obviously don't have any books, Sirius, we get to buy some for you. Although, we could probably just save the money and help our disabled friend here, don't you think, Remus?"
"Hey! I do too have books! And I'm not disabled. So there!" Sirius retorted.
Rolling his eyes, Remus pushed the double doors of the library open and walked inside, his two bickering friends trailing behind him.
"Guys, I'm just going to leave you alone for a while, and I'm going to go pick out a few books for myself. James, make sure he buys something," Remus said.
The poor boy's words fell on deaf ears, for James and Sirius were still arguing. With a sigh, Remus walked off.
James and Sirius meandered around the library for a bit, trying to find books to "help the common effort" as Sirius put it. Finally they decided to split up, for though the two boys were the best of friends, James was not interested in Sirius' choice of books, and Sirius was not interested in James'.
James headed toward the "Classics" section for a bit of intellectual reading; Remus had suggested The Count of Monte Cristo last year for a bit of "light" reading, and James had loved it immediately. He wanted a copy for himself, but highly doubted that anyone would donate such a lovely book. But he was in luck, and found a copy on the bookshelf.
He picked it up and looked inside. In the margins, written in beautiful, neat, flowing script were little notes and annotations about the book. James read a few and was immediately amazed at how in depth the person who had made the annotations thought. Such intelligence! Such brilliance! What a mind! James had to know who this person was. I will find this person, he vowed to himself.
Just then, he heard his name being called by none other than the infamous Sirius Black.
"Ready, James?"
"Yes, yes, coming."
"Okay good! You've just got to see this book I'm going to buy…it's so funny…it's a joke book…great stuff Muggles have…"
James rolled his eyes and the two set off toward the checkout desk, where they found Remus paying for his bag full of books. They paid for their books and left the library in high spirits. James did not think more about the book he had bought until two months later, on a rainy day where water poured down from the skies and it was too wet for anyone to set foot outdoors, a day where Remus was animatedly talking to Stella Simantra (who had liked him and he had liked for ages but both were too shy to say a word) and Sirius was sitting in the corner making out with Bella, his girlfriend for ages. It was on this day that James decided to take out The Count of Monte Cristo.
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A/N: I hope you like this story better…no real action yet. Probably not until the next next chapter. The one coming up is about him finding out about Lily and writing a letter to her. Then there will be Lily responding to the letter and a bit about her life at Beauxbatons…etc., etc., I can't afford to give away the whole thing!