I Wish You Were Here
I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I need to catch the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy
Happy
I wish you were here
After causing some distinct trouble at the headquarters, James and Sirius, utterly bored, were now forced out of it, and spent it at the Leaky Cauldron as they had no home to return to at the time. They wandered the cobbled stone street of Diagon Alley, and even ventured to go into the other alleys, but noticed that they were being watched. So resolved to stay in the alley, they ambled through the familiar street causing as much destruction as they could. Finally, when the sun had begun to sink and the sky turned a cold blue, they traversed back to the pub and drank and watched all that happened around them. They pondering when Moody would come get them for the meeting with Dumbledore when a man completely covered in a trench coat and hat cam limping into the pub from the direction of Diagon Alley. No one around them noticed his entrance, but they sure did and watched the man with interest.
"He looks familiar somehow . . . " James said thoughtfully.
Just then, the limping man raised his head ever so slightly and Sirius and James saw, to their surprise, an electric blue eye, staring at them piercingly, and then swivel into the back of the man's head. As if their seats were suddenly covered with burning orange coals, Sirius and James quickly sprung to their feet and followed the man through the door to the entrance to muggle London. They followed him through the crowds of walking muggles along the sidewalk, around corners, and past shops and straight into a dark and dank alley, where they surely would not be seen.
Moody stood opposite them, doing nothing until he reached into his coat pocket. Sirius and James flinched, thinking he would pull something out to punish them, but instead he pulled out an old pen, he handed it to the boys, James took it gingerly, and within minutes, they felt the sensation of a portkey. Through time they traveled, their bodies knocking into each other, before they hit the floor of a bright, familiar circular room.
They found they weren't alone, it was occupied by Lily, Remus, Peter and Jaimie and as well as Professor Dumbledore, who sat in his high seat, his long fingers folded on the handsome mahogany desk in front of him.
"So glad that you could come, Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. I trust you had no trouble getting here?" He said in his wise, old voice.
"Yes, professor." They said in unison.
"Good. Please take a seat. He took his wand from the depths of his intricately decorated robes and with a lazy wave of it, procured two comfy looking armoires. They sat down, and Dumbledore proceeded to speak.
"You may all be wondering why I have called you here, and I will guess that you are impatient to hear these news, so I will hurry.
"These past few days you have encountered more than many adult wizards have and I have seen you act with the best judgment, courage, and skill that are far beyond your years. I have seen you fight for what you believe in, and act with great courage against odds that are heavily stacked against you.
"You have borne with tremendous hardship and have come out of them wiser and stronger than before. You have become more than these walls have taught you and for that you have been chosen to uphold my request. What I ask of you may not be so ludicrous a favor, but a very difficult choice to make. I ask that everyone in this room present join the Order of the Phoenix. You don't have to make your decisions now," He added, "You all have your seventh year to think about the request I place upon you. If you do agree to the proposal I place before you, I'm afraid that you all will not be able to attend your graduation ceremonies, but will immediately start on your training at the headquarters. Of course, you will all be taken care of while you stay but after your training, I urge you to find your own lodgings. You will of course be paid for your services to wizard-kind and to humanity in general.
"However, I must insist that you keep our association, its members and your ties to it a secret. If you choose not to accept my offer, I will of course modify your memories to secure our existence."
The room was quiet. No one dared speak due to awe, fright or just for a lack of something to say. Unanimously however, the reaction to Dumbledore's offer was positive; they were all sure that they would accept it at the end of their seventh years.
After assuring their confidence in the highly incriminating information they had been trusted with, and even signing a binding, magical contract, the six of them had all left Dumbledore's office via portkey to the Leaky Cauldron. Under the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Lupin and (though they didn't know it) for their own protection, Sirius and James spent the night with the Lupins, until the Potters could get their house magically fixed or they could move to a new house.
So as a group Remus, Jaimie, Sirius, James, Lily and Peter all traveled with The Potters and Lupins to the ruinous house to salvage what goods they could find among the rubble. As they expected, they found the house barred from entry, though it was a surprise that it was the muggle law enforcement that blocked it and not wizard officers. Muggle police officials were looking over every burned brick and wooden block. Among those that were investigating the sight were a few wizards that they recognized, most from the Ministry of Magic and a few, who were working for the Ministry and the Order, like the Longbottoms, were there as well. A large group of muggles mobbed around the yellow barrier tape looking at the shambles of the house and watching the officers nosily, trying to see if they could manage to create a few rumors. Sirius watched them with mounting dislike.
It was a depressing sight. They were allowed to enter after the Potters had assured the police that it was indeed their house and that they were there to look over the mess. James looked sadly upon the area where the living room had been and where he and Lily had had their first real encounter, even though it was an argument. Remus and Peter wandered around asking the muggles stupid questions to annoy them. Lily, having a breakdown went to cry in a quiet corner and James, in what seemed like genuine concern went to comfort her.
This left Sirius and Jaimie alone for the first time since the incident. Sirius, a little occupied with the fact that the only home he dared call so was now ruined, felt a great weight come off his shoulders when Jaimie carefully slipped her hand in his and held it tightly, pressing her face into his shoulder affectionately.
Slipping his arm around her shoulders into a hug, they stood there watching over the adults' sad progress.
"Are you alright now?" Sirius asked.
"Of course. I just needed some time to think things over. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. It's just . . . " Jaimie stopped.
"What?"
Jaimie looked up at Sirius' face, picking her words. Sirius just looked solemnly back, a hint of perplexity in his expression, but did his best to hide it.
"It's so confusing and so mind blowing. I came so close to being-It made me think about what my family must have gone through. I haven't thought about it in so long. I never really thought about it thoroughly. That's probably why I'm the way I am now."
"The way you are now?"
Jaimie nodded.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not who you think I am, Sirius. I'm not what I used to be. I'm . . . different."
"People change. Its life." Sirius said wisely.
Sirius looked at Jaimie's face which seemed to be casting out for words to say. Failing, she just closed her eyes and looked away. So it had come to this. They couldn't even speak anymore.
Later that day, when Sirius and James returned to the headquarters, it had then occurred to Sirius that maybe he and Jaimie had never really spoken to each other as intimately as he had always hoped or thought. They were both so good at hiding their emotions that it was impossible for either of them to notice that something wasn't right. It was these thoughts that Sirius had last contemplated that put him to sleep.
The next day dawned and with it Sirius Black. He sat up in bed and knew immediately what he would do. He got up and instantly saw two large bags of clothing on a chair in the corner of their room. One was labeled for Sirius and the other for James. Good thing too, I'm starting to smell myself.
So deciding to take a shower first in the headquarters' bathroom, he came downstairs to ask permission to use it, he nearly opened the door, when he heard a bit of information and it wasn't at all to his pleasure.
". . . But can we trust Dumbledore after this? I mean, seriously, he's been wrong before-"
"Yes, but rarely-"
"Still, this could be another time. What if he's wrong about the Dijon girl? What if she is a spy. Mighty convenient, don't you think, for her to get caught and returnedwithout one scratch on her pretty little body? I think she really is working for you-know-who-"
"What choice have you? You're not the leader, we just have to trust Dumbledore is all."
"I didn't say I was going to revolt!"
Sirius, getting angry, was about to march in on whoever were talking when he heard a third, unexpected voice interrupt, to his pleasure.
"If you're done criticizing the judgment of the greatest wizard of all time and an innocent girl who's gone through more trauma than anyone her age, will you bother helping? Besides, the Black boy is standing outside the door, looking mighty miffed."
Sirius froze. Damn that eye, he thought to himself. Left with no choice, Sirius walked inside the kitchen, with a silly grin on his face, just as the door leading to another part of the kitchen swung shut.
"Don't mind those idiots. Just because they're fighting against Voldemort, doesn't mean they're any smarter or more sensible for it." Said Moody, as a morning greeting.
Sirius couldn't help but smile at Moody's comment, no matter how much the man irritated him.
"So what is it do you want, Black?" He inquired in his usual brusque manner.
"Oh. Yeah, I just wanted to get a towel, so I can take a shower and change out of these clothes."
"Right. Mimi will bring one up for you."
"Thanks."
Later, when he had finished taking a rather long and hot shower, he came downstairs to find that James had awoken and had showered as well and was dressed in his new clothes already. He was talking to a man that he didn't recognize. There was also a small gathering of people at the table, much smaller than the usual amount of people that could be seen there. In fact, it was only the Potters, a three other members he hadn't yet met and to his very great surprise the man whom James was talking to was none other that Jacob! A very battered and bruised Jacob with a patch on his left eye, but Jacob none the less. At least the man was all right.
"Well speaking of the devil-Sirius, mate, look what the cat dragged in? Jacob!" James said enthusiastically.
Jacob turned his head and gave a hearty wave of the hand.
"Jacob! I thought you were--Well, I'm glad! Are you alright? What happened to your eye?" Sirius asked.
Jacob let out a laugh. "Oh this-" he took off his eye-patch and revealed his normal gray eye, "It helps impress the ladies, if I do say so myself."
All Sirius' feelings for the stupid American returned. Ah well, more for the fight. Sirius took a seat on James' other side and immediately a plate of waffles in a thick amount of syrup was placed before him by Mrs. Potter. She smiled down at him then said, "Eat up, Sirius. James stop bothering Jacob."
"It's alright, Mrs. Potter, I don't care." Jacob assured.
"Alright. You two," She said, redirecting her attention to Sirius and James, "We're looking for a house today. You two don't have to come, but you'd better behave."
James' father gulped down a slice of waffle then said, "You'd better behave or you'd bet your asses you'd be restricted."
Mrs. Potter gave her husband a reproving look. He just looked back in a smothering sort of way. Letting it go, Mrs. Potter said, "Well, in any case, he's right. You'd best behave yourselves. And I mean it, you'll not only be in trouble with us but with the entire Order too."
"Yes, mum." James said dully.
Mrs. Potter walked away angrily with Mr. Potter who got up as well, when his wife gave him a reproving look and took away his partially finished breakfast with him.
Throughout the rest of breakfast, Sirius, James and Jacob, who they noticed was not the arrogant idiot they had first thought him to be had gotten into a conversation of Quidditch which ended in the three of them accidentally overturning the rather heavy table in a reenactment of a famou Quidditch play. Deciding that they should tone down, Sirius made to sit down again but James, instead, headed for the door and said without so much as a backward glance, "I'd better be off."
"Where are you off to without me?!" Sirius asked, indignantly.
James didn't look Sirius in the eye but rather stood with his back to Sirius and Jacob, who was also looking at James, but with a steely glint in his eye. Sirius, totally perplexed, looked from Jacob to James and back again, asking with his eyes what in the name of Merlin was going on.
"Well? What is it? What's gotten you?"
James looked slowly at his best friend's face, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Well, Sirius, buddy, I was going to, um, to, uh-"
"Oh for god's sake-Sirius, dude, he's spending the day with Lily. On a date."
"It is not a date! As a matter of fact, Lily just needed some support, and seeing as Jaimie wasn't going to be the likely person she was gonna get it from, she confided in me." James puffed his chest out proudly.
Sirius stared with a skeptical eye. Then he said, "You? I would have expected her to come to Remus before you. Peter even."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Jacob watched with a interested eye as Sirius said, "Well, James, mate, you're not exactly the person that, uh, exudes support. Well for girls anyway." Sirius then proceeded to finish his pancakes at top speed.
"Well its true, and I've got to leave now, or I'll be late."
"And you're going to leave me here all alone?!" Sirius called after him, but before he could finish, the door was already swinging shut.
Sirius sat flabbergasted at his best friend's behaviour. Over a girl! Jacob gave him a hearty pat on the back and said, "Tough luck, dude." Then stood up as well.
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked him.
"The Lupins invited me over-oh before I forget, Jaimie was asking about you. But you were in the shower. I think she wants you to come to." Then Jacob, a little tipsily, walked out.
Sirius sat still for a moment, completely oblivious to the others at the table, and said, "Less work for me then." Then followed Jacob out the door.
(A/N: Hey y'all. (why do I sound country now?) long time since my last update. But its for a good cause (well for my own n e way) I suddenly have a life now. And compared to the torture that was spring break when NO ONE called me AND I had writer's block AND a really big assignment was due that involved teaching my ENTIRE English class w/ out the assistance of my bitch teacher (who will go unnamed) things are going great! I volunteered at the March of Dimes (this charity walk thing) and I was surprised to see a lot of Japanese ppl from Sanyo. They were all bowing to each other and saying "ohayo (o-hio) gossaimasu (go-zai-mas) " (I think thats how u spell it-my friend's studying Japanese) which means good morning you higher ranking person or something along those lines. n e ways thats all! toodles.