The next day, James came barging into the Gryffindor common room with a letter clutched in his hand. He went straight for Sirius.
"Sirius! You won't believe what I just got from my father!" he exclaimed as he plopped down next to him.
"What is it?" Sirius asked, already having a feeling he knew what it was.
"Bellatrix is going to work for my family to earn money to pay the fine Crouch is making her pay," James explained.
"I was wondering when that would be finalized," Sirius replied.
"Wait, you knew all this time and didn't tell me?" James asked, sounding hurt.
"Sorry, but I didn't know for sure if it was going to happen, so I didn't want to tell you something that might not happen," Sirius explained. "If I had known for sure it was going to happen, I would have told you."
James grinned. "That's alright. I understand," he said, throwing an arm around Sirius, giving him a quick hug. "I can't wait to boss her around during the summer!"
Sirius rolled his eyes at James. "Prongs, I don't think you should boss her around," he admonished him.
"Wait, did you just call me Prongs?" James asked, never having heard that name before.
"Yeah, I just came up with that nickname for you," Sirius lied smoothly. "I think it fits you well." James could now turn into his stag form without adult supervision, so Sirius decided to start using his nickname.
"I like it," James said with a smile. "Alright, if I have a nickname, then you need one too."
Sirius pretended to think about it for a while before finally speaking. "Padfoot," he stated.
"Padfoot? That fits you so well!" James said excitedly. "After all, you are a dog."
"That's why I picked it," Sirius said.
"Do any of the others have nicknames?" James asked curiously.
"Not yet," Sirius answered. Technically, there were, but not in this timeline yet.
"We should call Remus er... I don't know. Wolfy?" James suggested.
"Wolfy?" Sirius asked, unimpressed. "No, I think we should see if he likes the name Moony."
James leaned forward and whispered, "Did you really just come up with these nicknames, or are these nicknames what you used in your original timeline?"
"They are nicknames we used in the original timeline, but we're in the common room, so I don't want to be overheard," Sirius whispered back.
"Oh, got it," James whispered. Then, in his normal voice, continued, "Alright, let's go ask him."
When they approached Remus, James, not knowing any other way to ask, blurted out, "Remus, do you like the name Moony? It could be your nickname!"
Remus gave James a strange look. Sirius glared at James before explaining. "My nickname is Padfoot, and James' nickname is Prongs."
"Oh, I see," Remus said with understanding. "Yes, that nickname works for me. What about the others?"
"We'll talk to them about it later," Sirius decided. "I think all of us should have a nickname."
"Great idea," Remus agreed. "We're meeting with the others later in the library, so we can ask them then."
"Sounds good," James said with a grin.
They did not, however, have a chance to discuss it with the others when they got to the library. Almost immediately after they arrived, Yeoman came in and informed them that Ms. Elphinstone was coming any minute now. The Marauders followed Yeoman to Professor Sprout's office, where Yeoman was going to meet Ms. Elphinstone. She arrived a few minutes later.
"Hello, Yeoman," Ms. Elphinstone greeted him. "Are these the friends you were talking about yesterday?"
"Yes," Yeoman said, introducing the Marauders. Once he had introduced everyone to her, Ms. Elphinstone decided to get started.
"Get your cane out, Yeoman," she instructed him. Yeoman unfolded his cane like he had done the day before with the Marauders. "Good," she said with a smile. "I know that you have some vision, which is great, but we're going to make sure you can navigate Hogwarts with or without vision."
"Alright, that makes sense," Yeoman agreed. "I'm ready."
The Marauders watched as Ms. Elphinstone showed Yeoman how to grip the cane, and how to have it in front of him while walking. She showed him the different techniques, like two point touch and constant contact. He decided to use two point touch.
Ms. Elphinstone then had Yeoman learn how to use the cane while walking up and down stairs. Since Hogwarts had so many staircases, he got a lot of opportunities to practice.
"This is really cool," Lyanna whispered to Alice as they watched Yeoman practicing with Ms. Elphinstone's guidance.
"I know, right?" Alice responded. "I am so glad he will be able to navigate without fear of falling down the stairs."
After two and a half hours of learning the cane, Ms. Elphinstone ended the lesson.
"I will be back tomorrow," she informed him. "I believe we will only need a few lessons, seeing as you are a quick learner, and since you can see some, we don't have to work on cane skills for people who are totally blind."
"Thank you, Ms. Elphinstone," Yeoman said gratefully. "I look forward to seeing what else you will teach me tomorrow, and the days to come."
"Excellent," Ms. Elphinstone said with a smile. "I will update the staff here at Hogwarts on your progress. I will see you tomorrow, Yeoman."
"See you tomorrow!" Yeoman called out as she walked away.
"That was brilliant!" Regulus said after she'd left.
"Agreed," Sirius added.
"I'm going to go talk to Maple, to update her on everything," Yeoman said. "Thanks for sticking around today."
"No problem," Mary said with a smile.
Once Yeoman had left, James grinned. "Sirius, Remus, and I have something to talk to you all about," he announced. "Let's go to the library!" The other Marauders gave them questioning glances as they all made their way to the library. They wondered what Sirius, Remus, and James wanted to talk about. They would find out soon.
Author's note: Below is a link to learning about constant contact and two point touch.
.tech/blog/how-to-learn-to-use-a-white-cane/