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James hates doctors' offices. They smell way to clean, they rarely have color, and there’s too much noise . He punches down on the scar on his chest for far too long. He likes to feel his heart beat and know that the pacemaker is working. When James was ten he was practicing rugby when his heart broke down. He was put in an ambulance and taken to the hospital and told he had an arrhythmia. The surgery had happened just weeks after. Nobody knew aside from his parents, Sirius, Marls, and his rugby coach/ PE teacher. So when Evan, a boy on the rugby team, showed up to the doctors’ office with Barty Crouch, another boy from the team and asked what he was doing there he froze “ Uhm I’m….s-seeing a doctor for a headache” Evan looked at him concerned but moved to sit down across from him pulling Crouch into the chair next to him. He watched as Evan pulled Crouch’s hand into his lap, interlacing their fingers and slipping an arm around his waist before pulling it back when the other boy flinched. After about another hour of making conversation about rugby and school, even though the two were a year younger than him, the nurse called him in. “ Nice to see you Cap” Evan stuck his hand out and James clapped it in his own “ See ya Rosie” pulling his hand back he followed the nurse into the back hallway. James has had the same doctor since the heart surgery named Dr. McGonagall came to his house a lot because she was friends with his parents and she loved him and the other three boys. “ Hi Minnie” James said as the nurse closed the door behind him “ James” she said with a nod while waving her hand over to the table that he was supposed to sit/lay down on, which he did. He unbuttoned his shirt and she put her stethoscope on his chest in the middle of the scar. “James” she says when he starts squirming under the cold metal and he sat still. “ Okay everything’s all good” she said as he rebuttoned his shirt “ do you still have enough meds?” James knew what she was talking about but he wished he didn’t “ yeah” he nodded in case she didn’t hear him “ and you take them every day?” James in fact did not take them every day but he lied because if he didn’t he had no doubt she would come to his house every morning and watch him take them “ yeah I do” he knew everything would blow up if she asked Peter who was the absolute worst at keeping secrets. After she refilled his heart medication she sent him in his way. Getting in the car and starting it up took him a second. The beetle had been slowly dying but he loved his car so he didn’t care. He put on his tape mix and ABBA’s “ thank you for the music” started blasting and he sped out of the parking lot. He got about three quarters of the way home when he remembered he was supposed to pick Marls up from work at five. He turned around and redrove the main road to the record store where Marls was waiting outside on the curb “ What took you so long Jamie?” Marls wrenched open the door as always “ I had to go see Minnie” James answered wincing as she slammed the door. “ Ah, how is the godmother?” She made this joke a lot “ I don’t have a godmother Marls” “ but if you did Effie said it would be her.” “ Okay okay” James put his hands up in defeat Marls threw her head back and cackled before turning up the volume on the radio and belting out the lyrics of cherry bomb by the Runaways. When he got on their road and started heading towards Marlene’s house she pulled the wheel straight towards his house as he shrieked “ MARLENE MCKINNON WHAT WAS THAT!!” He yelled “ things aren’t good with mum.” She said before shrinking up and turning up the volume on Bikini Kill as the lyrics blare “ REBEL GIRL YOU ARE THE QUEEN OF MY WHOLE WORLD” James’ hands tighten on the steering wheel he knew most of what happens at Marlene’s house but still it makes him mad. That’s part of the reason that she has her own room, wardrobe, and toothbrush at his house. Hell she even had her own place at the table, so does Sirius. They pull into the driveway just as Rebel girl ends. Effie is standing on the porch, arms crossed and brow raised when James cuts the engine “ You’re late!” Euphemia yells once they reach the porch “ mum-“ “ no James you have a phone please use it next time” “ I will mum I promise” “ we had no idea where you were what if something had gone wrong at the doctors appointment!” His mum throws her hands up at the last part wringing them in the air “ Minnie would’ve called you” His mum sighed and let them into the house where James kicks of his shoes and Marlene sits down to try and untie hers muttering about how Lilly ties to tight “ James come back” she hollers from the hall “ why?” He yells back much to Effie's dismay “ just come here.” By this point Effie looks mutinous so James thinks it’s probably best to get away from her so he speeds into the hallway. Just as he rounded the corner Marlene stuck her foot up in his face and demanded that he untie her shoes stating in no uncertain terms that she doesn’t know how to tie or untie shoes and that’s why she has him. So after he not so willingly unties her shoes they bolt up the stairs both tripping and break open Sirius’ door where they find nothing but an empty room. “ WELL” Sirius yells from behind them and Marlene shrieks and pulls James in front of her “ It’s just Sirius” he shrugs her off wheeling around to face her “ Did you just use me as a human shield!” Marlene laughs at his frustration and winks before turning to Sirius “ does the devil know you’re here?” Sirius shakes his head “ Nope Effie promised she wouldn’t call her” Sirius shoos them out of his room saying that he was to change into his swim trunks and that they should do the same. Fifteen minutes later Marls comes out in her swimsuit and James in his trunks and shirt and they head down to the pond in the backyard. James’ house is brick with ivy and morning glories hanging down the walls with a pond out back under a big willow tree with a rope swing. Which is what he’s currently hanging from upside down while Marlene records and Sirius cheers him on, which of course is when Mary, Lily, and Remus show up. Wormy is coming later James remembers “ James what are you doing?” Mary has her hair in tight braids that start at her head and she’s putting sunscreen on her face as she yells at him. “He’s jumping obviously!” Sirius glows with excitement as he explains to Mary what’s happening. Remus rolls his eyes looking at Sirius fondly, he’s looked at Sirius like that for a while. They all know what it means, at this point the only people who don’t know about Remus and Sirius are Remus and Sirius. But Sirius has a girlfriend so there’s not much they can do about it. Sirius’ girlfriend’s name is Eva and she’s nice James thinks, very touchy feely but some people are just like that. “ Oi Jamie don’t chicken out!” Marls yells from below him and Remus sighs “ Cherry,” Marlene looks up at him at the mention of her nickname “ don’t encourage him or else Effie’ll kill us all” she sighs but keeps recording it hits James suddenly that he still has his glasses on he hurls them to Sirius and hears an “oh shit” but he’s too busy flipping in the air to pay it any mind he lands in the water and Mary starts laughing and cannon balls in the pond splashing his face. The rest get in and they swim for hours until the sun sets and the three that don’t live at his house have to go home. Peter never showed up which concerns James. Apparently Marlene had the same thought and was already calling him “ he hung up?” She looked over at James bemused and after Peter hung up on the first ring on him and Sirius they decided to go find him. They tracked his location showing he was at one of the other rugby players' houses, Dolohov he thinks. James rushes to his room and pulls on his jacket and hurries through the halls looking for his left shoe as photo after photo passes by his eyes. His favourite, the one on the left wall above the little table where his mum keeps flowers, is a picture of all of them in very ugly Christmas sweaters in front of the Christmas tree . Mary, Lily and Marlene kneeling in the back and Remus, Sirius, and Peter sitting on the floor with James lying across their laps. He loves this one with his whole heart. Marlene calls his name, snapping him out of his daze, he goes tearing down the stairs skipping the last three and bolts out the door. “ KEYS” Marls screeches and he turns around and pulls his keys off the hook and slamming the door behind him.