"Get up, Padfoot." James lobbed a pillow at Sirius's head. "We've got to get to King's Cross."
Sirius groaned, pulling up his blankets and burying his face in the pillow. "The sun's just come up," he protested.
"Yeah, but my mum always makes an enormous breakfast the day I leave for Hogwarts, and we've got to have time to savor it," James said. "Plus, I don't think you packed at all last night."
"You're right," Sirius admitted. Reluctantly he climbed off of his air mattress and went to brush his teeth, dragging a comb through the tangles of his thick dark hair. He looked so much healthier than he had when he'd arrived six weeks ago, James thought.
The two of them finished packing their suitcases for Hogwarts, with James having to bribe his owl Lexie into her cage with a pair of dead mice. Then they followed the scent of sizzling bacon down to the kitchen, where Euphemia Potter had served up a full English breakfast of bacon, eggs, beans, toast and sausage. Both of James's parents greeted the boys with radiant smiles as they stumbled down the stairs. "You excited to head back to school?" James's father asked.
"Oh, definitely," James replied, plopping into his seat and immediately stuffing his face with sausage. "Now that I'm Quidditch captain, this year's going to be brilliant." Going back to Hogwarts also meant reuniting with Peter and Remus and trying to put the Marauders back together, which James was more determined than ever before to do. "And no more History of Magic."
"Thank Merlin," said Sirius. James and Sirius had both received Outstandings across the board on their O.W.L.s, with a couple of Exceeds Expectations in classes they hadn't bothered to study for like Astronomy and History of Magic. With their grades, they could take whatever N.E.W.T. classes they wanted, but since neither of them had any idea of what they wanted to do with their lives, they instead were taking whatever classes interested them the most: Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, throwing in Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies to round out their schedules with something easy.
Once they'd finished their breakfast, James's parents Apparated him and Sirius to King's Cross, directly onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The glistening scarlet Hogwarts Express was already at the station, with students dragging their trolleys into its compartments and waving their goodbyes to tearful parents.
"This is where we leave you boys," Fleamont Potter said. "I'm hoping we won't be receiving any angry letters from the school this year. That goes for you too, Sirius."
Sirius blinked. "I don't think they'd be sending my letters to you, Mr Potter."
"All the same, I would appreciate if you two would try to keep out of trouble." Fleamont gave James and Sirius a mischievous grin that seemed to suggest he knew the impossibility of his request. James grinned back at him.
Then Sirius did something James hadn't been expecting: he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around both the Potters, making them "oof" with surprise.
"I just wanted to say thank you," Sirius said as he broke off the hug. "For letting me stay with you all summer. I know it was…unexpected, but you let me stay anyway."
"Of course, dear." Euphemia pinched Sirius's cheek affectionately. "You know you're always welcome in our home. With or without fair warning."
"No matter what, Sirius," Fleamont added. "You're like a second son to us."
Sirius's lip quirked up into a small smile. For a moment he looked like he was going to say something else; then he nodded and turned away to head onto the train, leaving James alone with his parents.
James gave each of them a hug and his mother an obligatory kiss on the cheek before following after his friend. "No angry letters," his father called after him. James gave him a nonchalant wave in response.
He pushed his way in front of Sirius and led him through the train, searching the compartments for Remus and Peter. "James," Sirius murmured behind him, having caught on to what he was doing, "I'm not sure he's going to want to sit with me."
"The Marauders have sat together on the train every year since our first," James said firmly. "We're going to sit together this year, too."
He found them at last in a private compartment towards the back of the train, both of them picking silently at their robes. "Fancy finding you two here," said James as he swung inside and took his seat opposite them. Sirius moved to sit beside James, shrinking into himself and taking up as little space as possible.
"Hello, James," Peter said in a forced cheery tone. "How was your summer?"
"Brilliant." He looked to Remus, who was frowning at his feet and doing everything he could not to make eye contact with Sirius. James had written to him when Sirius arrived at his home, telling him what had happened with his family, but Remus had not replied. "How did you do on your O.W.L.s, Re?"
"I got an Acceptable in Potions," Remus replied without looking up. "Outstandings and Exceeds Expectations in everything else."
"That's great, Moony," Sirius said, a hint of desperation in his voice. Remus's frown grew deeper. "Er, what about you, Peter?"
"Mostly Acceptables," Peter replied; he was doing everything he could to diffuse the awkwardness. "I got a Dreadful in Potions, but I got Exceeds Expectations in Defense Against the Dark Arts—probably because I showed off my Patronus."
"All right, Petey!" James broke out into a grin and high-fived him; he was surprised Peter had gotten Exceeds Expectations in anything. Remus glanced up from his shoes long enough to give Peter a smile, too.
Maybe this can work, James thought. As the train shuddered to a start and began to pull away from the platform, he pulled himself up straight and cleared his throat. "All right, you lot, listen up. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry cannot function without its most brilliant band of mischief-makers, which means that we've got to do the noble thing for everyone and become the Marauders again. So Remus, your job is to come up with some horrid punishment for Sirius to make up for the horrible thing he did to you last summer. Whatever you deem fit, it will be Wormtail's and my solemn duty to ensure he is adequately disciplined." Peter eagerly nodded his agreement—clearly he was just as desperate as James for things to go back to the way they were.
"I'll do anything you want, Remus," Sirius murmured. "I'll even chop off my hair if that's what it takes. Please, just look at me."
Remus didn't look at him. Instead he rose to his feet, grabbing his suitcases and shrugging on his overcoat as the train lurched beneath him. "I have to go," he said quietly. "I should be with Lily in the prefects' carriage talking to the fifth years."
"Remus, wait," James called after him, almost pleadingly. But Remus pushed his way out of the compartment and hauled his trolley out of view without turning back.
The rest of them sat in silence for a few minutes as the train wound its way out of London. James bit at his sleeve frustratedly.
"Guess the Marauders aren't sitting together this year after all," Sirius muttered eventually. "What a break from tradition." He was trying to sound wry, but James could hear the distress behind his words.
"We've got a whole year to fix things, Padfoot," James told him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Next time we set foot on this train, the Marauders will be a big happy family again, and no one will be ditching us to consort with prefects—I swear it."
