2nd July 1977
"Well our summer just got more interesting," James announced. He tossed the letter that had just arrived across the table towards me. It landed in the middle of my bowl of cornflakes. I tutted as I shook off the droplets of milk, thankfully the writing hadnt been smudged. It was Lily's writing, all small and loopy and girly. I raised my eyebrows at James.
"Been promised a shag, have you?" I said.
James rolled his eyes. "Just read it," He ordered.
Dear James,
Remember when I told you about my Great Uncle Alfred? Well he's going to France for the summer and needs somebody to house sit for him. He lives in this huge old country house that's pretty much away from everything. I'm going to tell him I'll do it, but only if you'll come with me. I hope you're having a good summer so far and that you and the boys haven't got in to too much trouble already! I miss you.
Love, Lily.
"You going?" I asked him.
"Might as well. A huge country house to ourselves all summer? Think of the oppurtunies, Sirius! Think of the parties," James cried. He gazed up at his kitchen ceiling as if he could just envision himself swaggering around like lord of the manor, draped in a fur coat with some form of cane in his hand.
"That's if Lily will let you," I said.
"She will. I reckon she'll really want to let loose this summer. I mean, its our last shot of freedom before we go in to the real world. My dad keeps going on at me to get a job, I said to him I've barely just hung up my Hogwarts robe," James rolled his eyes at the injustice of this.
He wrote Lily a reply that he wouldn't let me see, which probably means that it was tremendously gushy. Then we began drawing up a list of people we could convince Lily to invite along. The whole of our old Gryffindor house made the cut, with a handful of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws in between. It probably goes without saying that no Slytherins were considered.
"Are we not inviting our good pal Snivellus?" I asked.
"He wishes. He'd probably be stalking Lily with a hard on for the whole summer," James remarked.
We both sniggered and attached the list to James's letter.
James stretched his arms behind his head. "Gets a bit boring being a lord of leisure, doesn't it?" He said.
"You still got that spare broom? Let's go and play a bit of Quidditch," I suggested.
"Fine, but let's not go too far. I don't want to miss Lily's letter," James said.
God am I glad that I'm not attached to anyone. I don't think I could cope with drowning in my own emotions every minute of the day.