Lost Legacy, 28

Year 2: Chapter 28
The Snowball Wars

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“You are sure your parents won’t mind extra people?” Sirius turned to James as they and Remus and Peter searched for an empty compartment, trailing their trunks behind them.

James shook his head. “‘Course not! Uncle Charlie might show up, but at the most.”

“Besides, we could always swap houses over vacation,” he added.

“Uh…no,” Sirius remarked, opening the doors to an empty compartment and milling inside.

“My mum and dad probably wouldn’t mind,” Peter shrugged. “What are three more guests?”

“That would probably be alright. The moon is on the 20th, but besides that…” he trailed off. The train jerked as it pulled out of Hogsmeade station and they left Hogwarts behind.

Sirius stared at the snowflakes falling outside the window and sighed. “I’m bored.”

Remus moaned from behind a book. Setting it down, he pulled out his trunk, opened it, and pulled out-

“A book?” Sirius spat in disgust while James and Peter laughed.

“Here,” he held it out for Sirius to grab it, which he did. Looking it over, he read on the spine in peeling gold letters. “‘Treasure Island?’”

“Yeah, that’s what is says right there, ‘Treasure Island,’” James read. Sirius punched him playfully on the shoulder.

“I don’t read,” he shook his head.

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” he argued.

“It’s a muggle book,” he stated.

“Broaden whatever of your mind there is left.”

“Moony-” he tried to irritate him.

“Read the first chapter,” he bargained.

Sirius glared at the book covering Remus’s face again. “Fine.” He opened the book and began to skim it. Shortly after beginning, he set the book down again.

“Done already?” James teased.

“This book’s about pirates!” Sirius exclaimed, ignoring James comment. Remus set his book down for a seconds to give him mock applause.

“Funny,” Sirius tucked himself into a corner like Remus and began to read chapter one.

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“‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest - Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!’” Sirius jumped down from the train, singing quite off key. James groaned.

“Hey Si, you forgot something!” he called back. Turning around, he saw his trunk sitting in the doorway.

“Silly me,” he shrugged gleefully and went back for it.

“I hate you,” James shook his head to Remus.

“James dear! Over here, James!” Mr. And Mrs. Potter stood together amidst the crowd. James walked toward them and met them with a warm hug. Sirius felt an odd jolt in the pit of his stomach, but managed to hide it from his expressions.

Releasing him, Mrs. Potter waved for the three to come as well.

“Sirius Black, yes?” Mr. Potter shook his hand. Sirius nodded.

“Hello,” Mrs. Potter grinned cheerfully at him. “And Peter…”

“Pettigrew,” he finished.

“Terribly sorry, dear.”

“And we’ve never met,” Mr. Potter stated. As if realizing where he was for the first time, Remus nodded.

“Remus Lupin.”

“Lupin? That isn’t a very common name. Aras Lupin?” Mr. Potter asked.

“That’s my dad,” he nodded.

“Thought so. I use to work with him before he left, how is he?”

“He died almost four years ago, sir.”

“…oh…terribly sorry,” Mr. Potter quickly apologized. Remus shrugged.

“It’s fine.”

“Ah yes,” Mrs. Potter nodded. “Well let’s be getting off! I’ve got a pumpkin pie at home and four very hungry looking boys just standing here.”

“Yes. I am hungry,” Sirius grinned. They left through the column, pushing trolley carts in front of them. At the entrance doors, they took their belongings and put them in the trunk f the Potter’s car.

Peter opened the car door and crawled inside. The inside of the car had been magically expanded to accommodate all of them.

“This’ll be my first time in a car!” Sirius clapped his feet and hands together like an excited little kid. Everyone laughed. Mr. Potter started the ignition and they pulled out of the Kings’ Cross Station parking lot.

“You weren’t too much of a load on the teachers this year, were you?” Mrs. Potter asked.

“Of course not, Mother,” James answered.

“We had Snape riding into the Great Hall on the Hungarian Horntail skeleton in the Defense Against The Dark Arts room!” Sirius exclaimed.

“Now I want to hear that one,” Mr. Potter laughed with them, until Mrs. Potter playfully swatted him.

“No one was hurt; Sirius and I were given two weeks detention scraping the old puke off of the bathroom walls,” Remus added.

“Oh,” Mr. Potter remarked. “Filch?”

“Yep,” Sirius answered.

He laughed. “Old Argus has been up there as long a Dumbledore, I think!”

“He only became Headmaster last year,” Peter stated.

“He taught Transfiguration before that McGonagall,” he replied. “So what do you boys do for fun? What are you interested in?”

“Besides pranking people?” Sirius asked. “I like eating and sleeping.”

Everyone laughed again. James rolled his eyes and sighed.

“I read a lot, I suppose,” Remus shrugged.

“I don’t know,” Peter shrugged as well.

“Peter likes to sleep, too!” Sirius threw his arm around him.

“Sirius also likes to be annoying,” James commented. Sirius stuck his tongue out.

“We’re here,” Mr. Potter announced. He pulled the car into their driveway. Everyone got out, collected their belongings, and walked toward the house. It was smaller than Number 12, Grimmauld Place, but homier; more inviting.

Mr. Potter unlocked the backdoor and they took their trunks inside. After taking their shoes off, as was Mrs. Potter’s rule, she directed them to where they would be spending the night.

“We have a guest bedroom across from James’s room. He’ll show where it is. It has one large bed in it, so two of you out to be able to sleep on that. Whoever’s left can sleep inour smaller guest room, which is beside James’s.”

“Well we could take the large guest bedroom,” Peter said practically, referring to Remus and himself. “And Sirius could have the other one.”

“Actually, I’d like to sleep in Jamsie Poo’s bedroom, if that would be alright?” Sirius asked.

Mr. Potter shook his head. “You two will be up all night. No.”

“But those two will be in the same room!” Sirius pouted.

“Which is bad enough. You two, no,” he repeated again.

“Does anyone want pie?” Mrs. Potter asked from the kitchen.

“Oh! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!” Sirius jumped up and down, forgetting about the rooms.

“Well come on, then,” she laughed. He was the first one in the kitchen, hands down, and sat to eat his humongous slice of pumpkin pie. The four then brought their trunks upstairs and went to bed.

For the most part.

Sirius snuck out of his room and talked with James for another hour before Mr. Potter sent him back to his own room.

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Sirius woke up the following morning with the rising sun, rather early for him. He yawned and opened a bleary eye, but much to his surprise, he couldn’t see! Feeling frantically around his face, he felt and pulled off a scrap of parchment taped to his head.

- The war begins!

He reread it and, laughing, stood up and stuck it in his back shorts pocket.

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Upon entering the kitchen, he yawned hugely, drawing everyone’s attention. Mr. Potter set down his newspaper and James and Remus stared at him.

“Lovely hair,” James commented, though his hair didn’t look as if it had ever met a comb either.

“Thank ya!” he ran a hand through it and sat down. “So Petiekins is still asleep?”

“You looked charming yourself. I thought you were drooling Niagara Falls,” James took another pancake and stood up to refill his glass of orange juice.

Sirius stared at the back of his disheveled hair, making a connection. He stretched across the table for the bottle of maple syrup and spread it across James’s pancake, reading ‘WAR!’ clearly. Mr. Potter read it and, with a short chuckle, returned to his paper.

James set his glass down on the table again, but paused before sitting as he read his message. He smirked at Sirius and cut up his pancake in a brutal manner.

Mr. Potter stood up and set his newspaper on a pile of older, folded papers. Sirius watched this with interest.

“Could I do the crossword on that, Mr. Potter?” he asked.

“Sure,” nodding, he bent down again and picked the newspaper up again. Sirius flipped it to the last page like a little child in a candy store with a pocket full of sickles.

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Sirius ran up the stairs after breakfast and into Wendy’s room. He dug through his trunk and pulled out a change of clothes before stealing to the bathroom for a shower.

When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around his middle and walked to the mirror to comb through his hair. He picked up his brush, but found a clip of paper in its bristles. He read:

-Soon, Black, you will die in a coldness of…death!

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“Are you sure you’ll be alright? You won’t need anything?” Mrs. Potter frantically fussed over Remus who, unknown to her, was returning home for the upcoming full moon. The four had talked and discussed over a good reason, and had come to terms that they couldn’t think of a better excuse than him visiting his ill mother.

“I’ll be fine, Mrs. Potter. I should be back by the 23rd or the 24th,” he assured.

“Are you sure you won’t stay here? You do look frighteningly peaky,” she pointed out.

“I’m just worried, I suppose,” he stared at his shoes. Looking up again with a faint smile, he walked back into the fireplace and disappeared.

Sirius watched as Mrs. Potter sighed and left the room.

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With Mrs. Potter’s permission, the three left the next morning to visit the Lupins and the Pettigrews.

“The Pettigrew Residence,” James threw a good handful of powder into the fireplace and stepped inside first, Peter second, Sirius third.

When the spinning stopped, Sirius stepped out of the fireplace and into the Pettigrews’ spacious living space. Six-year-old Belle and five-year-old Sara looked up from where they had been playing dolls together and grinned.

“Hi Peter!” Sara waved. “Do you want to play?”

“Hi Sara. Uh, no, I’m busy right now, maybe later.”

She shrugged and returned to her playing. “Wake up! It’s time to go to school!”

“Mum,” Peter called out, walking into the dining room. Sirius and James remained where they were. “Mum, Dad, I’m home!”

Small footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Sirius turned his head toward their sound and saw a six-year-old Belle peeking her head through the railing. She ran away, giggling madly.

“In here!” Mrs. Pettigrew called from in the kitchen.

“Come on,” Peter led the way. The Pettigrews’ kitchen was modest enough. Many copper-toned pots and pans hung from the walls according to size as four others sat on the stove, boiling and brewing dinner.

“Happy Christmas, Peter,” she moved from the stove and gave him a great hug.

“Happy Christmas, Mum,” she released him and grinned toward James and Sirius in the doorway.

“Hello, boys,” she nodded toward them and they grinned back. “Peter, could you help set the table?” She nodded at the large pile of plates and dishes.

“Yeah,” he nodded and picked up a large pile.

“Sirius!” Ten-year-old Lyla anxiously peeked her head into the kitchen. He grinned at her. “Could you come upstairs? I want to show you something!”

“Uh…” he looked unsurely at James and Peter. James picked up another pile of plates.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“Alright,” he nodded and followed Lyla out of the room, down the hallway, and up the staircase.

“Come on,” she ushered him into her room.

“Cute,” he nodded his head at the ponies on her dresser.

Her door shut and clicked. He turned around and saw her leaning against the door with a wide smirk.

“…hi…” he shrugged nervously.

“Bellie, Sara,” she called. The two girls crawled out from under the bed and stood on either side of him.

“Hello?” he looked curiously at them. “What did you want to show me?”

“Sit down, I’ll get it,” she nodded to a lone chair in front of her dresser.

“‘K…” he did what she said. The two girls giggled. “What?”

“Here,” Sara handed Bella a piece of rope over Sirius and wrapped him to the chair once.

“What are you doing?” he almost laughed.

“Don’t worry, we make Peter play this game all the time,” Bella grinned as they strapped him tight against the chair and tied a knot in the back.

“I don’t like the way that sounds,” he grinned up at her. The two walked away to another part of the room, giggling madly. “Are you gonna let me out now!”

“Nope,” Lyla replied, dropping a case on the dresser in front of them.

“What is that?” Sirius asked. With a wild grin, she opened it. “A makeup kit? I don’t want to play this game anymore,” he shook his head, but Bella stuck one of the stuffed ponies into his mouth. He gave a defeated moan.

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“Sirius, are you alright? You’re yelling bloody murder!” James hollered from outside of the door. Sirius had managed to spit out the horse and had yelled for someone to come up and help him.

“James! Get me out of here!” he cried.

“I can’t! The door’s locked!” the doorknob shook.

“You can see him when we’re done!” Sara said to the door as she finished painting his nails. He groaned. Lyla and Bella pulled his hair up into two ponytails and scrunchied it off.

“Alright,” Bella announced. Lyla ran to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.

James stood into the room carefully, but stopped when he saw Sirius.

“Good. He looks loads better. Only,” he picked up what Sirius thought had been a crayon, “he needs some eyeliner.” He smirked, took the lid off, and leaned down to get to Sirius’s level.

“No! You’ll poke my eyes out!” he shut his eyes tightly shut.

“No I won’t!” he laughed.

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

James laughed one more time. “Alright, I’ll untie Miss Black and escort her down to dinner myself!”

“No, you probably better keep me tied up unless you want to die,” Sirius replied.

James shrugged and walked away. “Fine, suit yourself.”

“Wait, Jaime! I’ll be good!” he called back.

“Are you sure this time?” he turned around.

“…yes…?” Sirius replied with the most innocent grin he could muster. James rolled his eyes and untied him.


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James and Sirius sat together at the dinner table where the Pettigrews had been waiting. They were having lamb that night. Sirius grinned at it and reached over to grab some, but was kicked under the table.

“What?”

“Wait,” Peter commented.

Sirius stared unsurely around the table as everyone folded their hands.

“Let us say Grace,” Mr. Pettigrew said.

Sirius blinked unsurely. Grace?

But he looked down onto his empty plate, folded his hands, and closed his eyes

“Heavenly Father, we thank you for the food you have given us today,” Mr. Pettigrew recited. “We thank you that everyone here is in good health. And please bless our young guests Sirius Black and James Potter as they celebrate the season of your birth.”

The lamb! He could smell it, taste it! Why were they bothering with all of this talk! Why didn’t they just take the food!

“Amen,” everyone said, except Sirius. Plates clinked and clattered together as they took the lamb and other foods.

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The three bid the Pettigrew family goodbye and stopped in front of the fireplace. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon and the only lights came from the neighbors’ houses, the stars, and the moon.

Sirius picked up a handful of powder and threw it on the fire. “The Lupin Residence.” The flames turned to green as the three walked into them and disappeared from the Pettigrews’ living room.

They came out in a very small, cramped living room. Peter spotted Remus lying on the beaten couch; the full moon had been the previous night and he was still recovering.

“Oi Remmy,” Sirius grinned, sitting down on the floor in front of the couch. Remus’s mother was a muggle; she couldn’t heal wounds with a wave of a wand like Madam Pomfrey. And although she had access to wizarding potions and medicines, it was limited. Most of his wounds were fixed up the old fashioned muggle way.

“Hello,” Mrs. Lupin came out from one of the other rooms. “Did you just get here? You look freezing.”

“A little. Nothing serious,” Peter shrugged.

“Could I make you tea or cocoa?” she asked.

“Uh, tea is fine,” James said.

“I’ll take cocoa,” Sirius grinned.

“Me too,” Peter spoke.

“Alright,” she nodded. “Do you need anything, Remus? We should probably be changing your dressings soon,” she added.

“I suppose I’ll take tea.” She grinned at the boys and walked away into the kitchen.

“So when do you suppose you’ll be coming back to James’s house?” Peter asked as he sat down, too. James alone remained standing, staring helplessly at Remus.

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Sirius nodded.

“Did you already visit the Pettigrews?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded.

“Oh…I was looking forward to that!” he laughed.

“Well we could always go again,” Peter offered.

“James, what’s the matter? You’ve hardly said a word since you got here,” Remus looked up at him.

“Yeah, join us Jaime!” Sirius grinned. He shrugged but said nothing.

“Is everything alright?” Remus asked again.

James sighed and nervously scratched the back of his neck. “I really hate seeing you like this. I wish there was something we could do.”

Remus stared. “Well there’s not, so you’re going to have to get over it. I don’t need anyone’s pity.”

“James…” Sirius glared, trying to keep him from going on any more and mentioning the Animagus project they were working on.

“It’s nothing to do with that.

“James, drop it,” Sirius remarked.

“Drop what?” Remus stared between the pair unsurely. “Drop what?”

“Here you are,” Mrs. Lupin came out of the kitchen carrying a platter with five glasses on it. Setting it down on a small side table, she passed out the drinks. Sirius took his, cupping it between his two hands. Clearly visible on them was the black nail polish. When James and he went into the Pettigrews’ bathroom to wash off his makeup, he had actually taken a liking to the nails and decided not to wash them off.

“Thanks Mrs. Lupin,” James put on a fake grin.

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“Please, Peter! I need an ally! Potter wants to kill me!” Sirius clung onto Peter’s shirt.

Peter stared in shock and disgust. “Get off of me!”

“Peter-”

“No!”

“I-”

“No!”

“Would you-”

“No!”

“-listen!”

“No!”

“Don’t make me lose all self dignity I have left!”

“Uh…no!”

Sirius fell to his knees and looked up into Peter’s plump face. “Please, Peter! Please? You would want to see your best buddy in the whole world get swallowed alive by that JAMES POTTER?” Sirius begged, saying the last part as if possessed by an evil spirit.

“No! Remus and I made a pact to stay out of your little charade!”

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Sirius woke with a pillow thrown at his face the next morning. “I was having a nice dream here!”

“Happy Christmas to you, too,” James snorted.

“Happy Christmas!” Peter and Remus grinned. Sirius sat up and rolled his eyes in a grin.

“What? Going to sleep in ‘til noon on Christmas?” James smirked. He yawned and pulled his feet out from under the sheets.

“Fine, I’m up,” he yawned and scratched his side. Giving them a fake feeling, he raced for the door.

Remus and Peter caught on as quickly as he began and the three got stuck in the doorway.

“Move!” Sirius yelled. He could here James laughing behind them.

“No!” Peter and Remus hollered back. The three clawed at the air until they finally fell through the door and onto the floor. Sirius, being the one in the best shape, was the first to scramble up and crawl down the stairs.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Potter! Where are the presents?” he said upon entering the kitchen. She sat at the table in a pink robe, holding tightly onto a cup of coffee. She looked and, half-asleep, nodded toward the Potters’ parlor.

“Oh boy!” grinning wild-eyed, he ran in and slid before the tree. He dug madly through the wrapped boxes, searching for one that said ‘Sirius Black.’

“Si, you have to wait for everyone, you know,” James commented, sitting on the couch beside the tree.

“Whatcha get me?” Sirius ignored him, picking up a gift marked for him and looking it over very carefully.

James rolled his eyes. “You’ll find out.”

“Alright, let’s open presents,” Mr. Potter clapped his hands together upon entering the room. Mrs. Potter came in as well as sat next to him on the couch. Remus and Peter sat on the floor.

“We need someone to be Santa,” Mr. Potter said. Sirius looked up confused.

“Santa?”

“Yes. Jolly old man that brings Christmas presents in his sleigh. Someone is always Santa and passes out the presents here-”

“Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!” Sirius jumped up and down, waving his arm widely in the air.

“No one wants to?” Mr. Potter asked the room, deliberately trying to ignore Sirius. He laughed and nodded. “Sirius is Santa.”

“YAY” he clapped his hands and quickly sat back down. “Okay…Jamsie!” He handed the long present to James.

“Okay…” he looked at it before ripping through the paper.

“Who was it from?” Remus asked.

“Me! I’m Santa!”

He rolled his eyes.

“No, it’s from Mr. And Mrs. Potter,” he replied seriously, looking to James again, who had opened the present. “James got a box!”

James laughed and opened the box. “It…it’s a broom!”

“A Nimbus 1000,” Mr. Potter nodded with a grin. “It can reach speeds of one hundred miles an hour and turn 360 degrees in a fixed point in the air.”

“Wow…” James had taken it out of its case and was running his hand over it. “Can I try it out?”

“No,” Mrs. Potter laughed. “We still have presents to open up.”

“Mr. Potter,” Sirius passed a present to James’s father.

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“Let’s go outside and try out my broom!” James tugged on Sirius arm.

“I suppose,” he followed him, wrapping his scarf around his neck.

James mounted his broom and kicked lightly off from the ground, hovering a few feet above Sirius. Leaning forward on the broomstick, he zoomed off at fast speed.

“Alright, James, quit showing off,” Sirius rolled his eyes as James flew around and around a humongous old oak tree. James laughed and leaned back down, landing behind the tree and out of Sirius’s view. Only he wasn’t coming back.

“James! Come on!” Sirius, arms crossed, trekked through the snow toward the tree.

James was behind it, waiting with a smug smirk. When Sirius came into view, he found himself target for many snowballs.

“James! What?” he laughed, covering his face with his arms. James’s Quidditch skills were excellent, and he hadn’t missed a shot yet.

“Jamsie, give me a chance!”

“No way!”

“Fine!” Sirius stooped down, hiding his face as he concentrated on making snowballs. James would run out eventually.

“What are you-” Remus began. Peter and him had come outside and stood staring dumbfounded at the two. They stopped. Sirius took this opportunity to sneak up behind James and stuff a great snowball down his neck. He squealed.

Wide-eyed and shocked, “That was cruel!”

Sirius laughed. “You deserved it!”

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