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Author: girlyswot Story: Time's Winged Chariot Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 4 Words: 14,262
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world all belong to J.K.Rowling. I’m just grateful she lets me play in it from time to time. ‘Here.’ Lily was shyly holding out a piece of paper with a picture on it. ‘What is it?’ James took it and looked at it carefully. A woman with long dark hair that fell carelessly around her shoulders smiled unmovingly out at him. ‘She’s beautiful, Lily. Like you. Come and tell me about them again.’ He held out his arm and pulled her onto his lap, tucking her head under his chin. She began to tell the familiar stories, remembering some different, silly moments which made James laugh. After a few minutes, she stopped talking and sighed. ‘What’s up, sweetheart?’ ‘Nothing. I was just thinking… Perhaps I’ll try and send them a letter. Explain about things. At least try.’ ‘Where will you send it?’ She shrugged. ‘Our old house. They might be getting things forwarded. And I could try Aunt Marjorie. She might be persuaded to pass it on. Would you write the envelopes for me? So that they at least open it. I thought I’d get some stamps. Use Muggle post, you know. Show them that I do understand it’s difficult for them.’ ‘Of course I’ll help. But…’ He frowned, holding her closer as if to protect her from any further harm. ‘I just think you shouldn’t hope too much. You know? I mean, after that last letter.’ She snuggled into him. ‘I know. I was thinking about that. Dad wrote it just after she died. Of course he was angry. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t thinking straight. He might even be starting to regret some of what he said. I have to try, James.’ ‘I know, darling. I know.’ He kissed the top of her head. Some time later she asked, ‘James?’ ‘Mmm?’ ‘Do you still want to do lessons before breakfast? I mean, you’ve practically caught up with everything now and we’ll be busy preparing for NEWT’s and things.’ ‘Do you want to stop?’ ‘Not really. It’s good for me, going over things with you. It helps me know what I know and what I don’t.’ ‘Good. Why don’t we do revision then and we can use the evenings for homework and flying practice?’ Lily raised an eyebrow. ‘What? You didn’t think we were giving up flying?’ She giggled. ‘Well, I didn’t think you were giving up but won’t you have proper Quidditch practice?’ ‘Sure. Mondays and Fridays.’ ‘And we have Prefects meetings on Wednesdays.’ ‘And McGonagall on Thursdays.’ ‘So flying lessons will be…?’ ‘Tuesdays and Sundays, Miss Evans. Okay?’ She leaned back in his arms. ‘Yes, okay. But now I have to go to bed.’ ‘Fine.’ He didn’t release her. ‘James!’ ‘Oh, go on then.’ She stood up, then turned round to kiss him. ‘Goodnight, Potter.’ He smiled contentedly. ‘Goodnight, Evans.’ He was still looking over at the girls’ staircase when he was joined on the sofa by Remus. Looking up, James saw Sirius and Peter pulling chairs over. There was none of their customary banter, no joking, not even a grin or a raised eyebrow. James was bemused. ‘What’s up? It’s not tonight, is it?’ Pointlessly, James looked at his watch, as if that would tell him when the full moon was coming. ‘No,’ Remus reassured him. ‘Not for another week or so.’ ‘It’s something much more important than that,’ announced Sirius. Peter nodded. ‘Well, come on then. Spill the beans.’ Sirius looked at James contemplatively. ‘Where to start?’ he wondered aloud. ‘Charms,’ suggested Remus. ‘Ah yes. Well, Potter, it may have escaped your attention, but this morning in Charms, Professor Flitwick left the room for at least… what would you say, Peter?’ Peter considered. ‘Ten minutes?’ ‘Oh yes, I should think so. Perhaps even fifteen, do you think, Remus?’ Remus smiled. ‘Call it ten, to be fair.’ ‘Yes, quite right. Well now, Potter. Can you tell us what you did with those ten minutes?’ Sirius folded his arms and waited for James to answer. ‘I practised the different Silencing Charms with Lily, setting a good example for the rest of the class,’ replied James, with a slightly ironic smile. ‘Was that what you thought, Remus? Peter?’ They nodded. ‘And what did you two do during that time?’ ‘I turned Emily Harris’s pencil case into a guinea pig,’ said Remus. ‘And I tried to make the buttons on Katy Walton’s blouse pop,’ admitted Peter. ‘It didn’t quite work.’ Remus sniggered, but Sirius merely nodded before continuing. ‘Right. Good. Now there was the matter of yesterday’s Quidditch practice. What do the team usually do after practice, Potter?’ ‘Well, we, er, usually shower and change,’ he tried hopefully. ‘And then?’ ‘Grange sometimes smuggles in some Butterbeer and we drink it out in the shed and talk over the practice. Tactics, that sort of thing.’ James squirmed uncomfortably, beginning to realise where all this was leading. ‘And yesterday? Had Grange acquired some Butterbeer?’ ‘I believe he had.’ James sounded resigned. ‘But you didn’t partake of it?’ ‘No.’ ‘You returned directly to the common room?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I see. Perhaps we should move onto the most serious offence of all now, Potter. Last Sunday afternoon.’ ‘I wondered when we were getting to this,’ James murmured. ‘Ah. You have, perhaps, a guilty conscience?’ ‘No!’ James protested, suddenly realising that actually he did. Sirius shook his head. ‘Very bad. Very bad indeed, Potter. You were invited, were you not, to join those of your friends sometimes known as the… er…’ He snapped his fingers, as if trying to recall something. ‘Oh, what is it, Peter?’ ‘The Marauders, Sirius.’ Peter was laughing uncontrollably this time. ‘Yes! The Marauders, of course. Who were off on an… excursion. But you had something much more important to do, eh, Potter?’ James bit his lip. He’d spent Sunday afternoon with Lily, out on the lake. It had been fun but, if he were honest, he’d known at the time that he shouldn’t have let the boys down. ‘Much more urgent, I believe he claimed, Sirius,’ Remus put in. ‘More fun, perhaps,’ gasped Peter. ‘All right!’ James silenced them. ‘Okay, I wish I’d come with you guys. And, yes, maybe I’ve been neglecting you the last few weeks.’ ‘Months,’ observed Sirius. ‘Months, then. But Lily’s had a hard time. Okay? She… I… sometimes we just need to be alone.’ ‘Two hours before breakfast,’ Sirius began counting on his fingers. ‘All that time planning Prefects meetings and doing Head Girl and Boy duties.’ ‘Flying together,’ put in Remus. ‘Hogsmeade weekends,’ added Peter. ‘Saturday afternoons if there isn’t a Quidditch match.’ ‘Sunday afternoons whether or not there’s a Quidditch match.’ ‘Every night in the common room until she goes to bed.’ ‘Yes. Fine. You’ve made your point.’ ‘All we want to know is… when’s the James Potter we’ve come to know…’ ‘…and like…’ ‘Quite right, Remus. …know and like over the years, coming back?’ James had been stealthily shifting in his seat, reaching for his wand in his back pocket, but before he could draw it out, Sirius shot out a hand and pulled James’s arm forward. ‘Oh no, you don’t. Come on, lads.’ Eventually, James lay on the floor groaning. His hair was bright blue, his face covered in spots, his fingernails were four inches long, his Gryffindor colours were now sporting Slytherin green and silver and his trousers were shrunk to reach just above his ankles. Sirius knelt beside him, grinning broadly. ‘So, Potter? What do you have to say for yourself?’ James looked calmly back at his friend. ‘Well, Sirius. I suppose I should thank you for teaching me an important lesson about friendship. And, I just want to say one more thing…’ and whipping out his wand he performed a perfect Bat-Bogey hex. Remus and Peter were doubled over laughing until James turned on them and did the same trick. ‘Never trust a Marauder not to get his own back,’ remarked James. Then, glancing down at himself, he added. ‘Wish you hadn’t waited until Lily’d gone. She’d have sorted this lot out in a moment. Anyone remember the counter-charm for Acnes Explosus?’ Half an hour later, things were just about restored to their normal order. ‘So then,’ began James, ‘when’s the next trip planned?’ ‘Friday night. Hog’s Head. You in?’ He nodded. ‘Yes. I’ve definitely been working too hard lately.’ Remus nodded but added. ‘Everyone’s been working harder, not just you. Even Sirius was seen in the library the other day.’ Peter and James laughed. ‘With Stella Midgeon,’ retorted Sirius. ‘In the History of Magic archives. I don’t think we’ll be seeing a marked improvement in my grades as a result.’ Peter laughed again, but looked thoughtful as he said, ‘It’s this thing with whatshisname. It all seems to matter more.’ James nodded. ‘He’s right, you know. That’s what I feel. One day soon it might really matter that I can do a good Silencing Charm whether Professor Flitwick’s looking or not.’ ‘I’m not sure I really believe it,’ commented Sirius. ‘Dumbledore said…’ began Remus. ‘I know. I don’t mean I don’t believe Dumbledore. It’s just hard to imagine that what we’re learning will ever really make a difference.’ ### ‘Is everyone going to try out for the Aurors?’ asked Peter at lunch a few days later. ‘You don’t try out for them. It’s not a Quidditch team,’ replied Sirius, scathingly. ‘Sorry. But are you?’ ‘Lily and I’ve both applied,’ said James. There’d been a certain amount of tension over this. It was possible that only one of them might be accepted, or that they’d be separated in training. James pointed out that there was an obvious solution to make sure that Lily would never find herself entirely on her own. Lily retorted that if he thought she’d marry him for a reason like that he clearly didn’t have a very high opinion of her. James shrugged and said if that’s what she thought he didn’t know how she’d ever managed to pass a single exam in her life since it was apparent to everyone else in the entire school that he worshipped the ground she walked on. Lily said that was exactly what she meant and stormed out. The row had escalated over the best part of a week, with early morning work sessions conducted in an icy civility and flying lessons abandoned entirely. Eventually James had apologised. Lily had melted into his arms and admitted that she’d said some things she hadn’t meant either. The making up had more than made up for the quarrel. In the end, they’d agreed they should both apply to be Aurors. James would speak to his father and see if he could pull strings so that they’d at least be on the same initial training programme and after that they’d just have to see. So when Peter asked about their plans, James winked at Lily and she reached across to squeeze his hand. ‘Me too,’ agreed Remus, pointedly ignoring this public display of affection. ‘Though they probably won’t want me.’ ‘Why not?’ Peter sounded genuinely surprised. ‘Because of his furry little problem, Peter. Remember?’ James explained, as if to a particularly stupid child. ‘Oh I see. Sorry. What about you, Sirius?’ ‘Yes, I’ve applied too.’ He sounded bored by the whole subject. ‘Have you, Peter?’ asked Remus. He shook his head. ‘McGonagall said there was no point. My grades just aren’t good enough. And… I don’t really know if I’d be any good anyway. I’m not very good at thinking quickly. Not like the rest of you.’ No-one liked to agree with him but they all realised the truth of this. ‘What will you do, then?’ asked Lily kindly. Peter smiled. ‘I’m not quite sure, but I think my dad’s trying to arrange something.’ ‘Oh. Right.’ Lily didn’t quite know what to say to this. ‘So when will you know?’ Peter persevered. ‘If you’ve been accepted.’ ‘They’ll send out letters once the NEWT results are published. Then there’s an initial six months training which only half the recruits pass. After that, there’s another year of further on-the-job training before you’re fully qualified.’ ‘And then the rest of us can sleep easily in our beds,’ commented Remus dryly.
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