Chapter Text
The alarm had begun to ring way too early for James. Not that he didn't like to get up early; it's just that getting up to go to school wasn't as funny as getting up to do whatever he wanted all day with his friends. Liking it or not, it was the 4th of September, and he had to go to school.
His parents usually left the house before him, so it was all extremely quiet. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter always took the same bus together; his stop was the first one, so at 7:35 he managed to be ready, fully awake, and in front of the station.
«Good morning, John! Happy to be here?» He joyfully said to the driver as soon as he stepped on the bus.
«Good morning, James. I can't say that I'm enthusiastic, but at least there are kids like you who make it more enjoyable. » The driver smiled back.
John was the bus driver since James' first year of middle school; he basically saw him growing up (along with his friends), and as time passed, James managed to become John's favorite kid on the bus.
Well, that was pretty normal actually; it didn't matter who you were; if James decided to be your friend, you'd end up being his friend and considering him the best person around.
-
Anyway, he was one of the first sitting there, so, like always, he occupied another three seats for his friends.
8 minutes before the next stop.
«'Morning, Mr. Heathcliff.» Remus' low voice still managed to reach James.
«Oh Remus, are you going to call me like that until your graduation?» John replied jokingly.
«I can see that happening,» the boy said with a small smile while walking to James, sitting next to him.
«Aren't you going to sit next to Sirius?» those words were followed by a sly smile. James liked to tease his friends like this here and there.
«I think he'll sit with Regulus; you know it's his first day here.»
Remus completely ignored his friend's teasing and grabbed a book from his backpack.
«Oh shit, you're right; I forgot about Reggie. Well, it's not like I forgot about him, but I wasn't thinking about it,» he said all to himself, trying to justify his forgetfulness to God knows who, since Remus didn't care and just giggled at the situation.
«You're funny; just remember to not call him "Reggie" in front of him; you know that only Sirius and his friends are allowed to do so.» That's all he commented.
«Like I care, and by the way, it's just a nickname; he shouldn't be offended or anything.» James sighed, offended while crossing his arms.
«You don't have enough courage to act so recklessly with him, and you're also fully aware of it.»
Now Remus was the one teasing him, and it was objectively funny and painfully true, in a mocking way.
«I don't know what you're talking about, Moony.»
James still tried to deny it with a serious face, but he wasn't convinced enough to even remotely try to fool Remus.
«Oh yes, another year of Loony Moony, here I come.» He whispered with an exasperated tone, unintentionally changing the subject.
«Fuck off, you're still being called like this by anyone? Bet I can punch their face.»
«James, calm down. It's not like I care anymore, and, besides, probably no one's going to call me that; freshmen are an easier target.»
Remus said with an amused smile, knowing that he was right.
«It's still not fair,» James mumbled, annoyed by the general bullying that no one cared about in their school.
«I know.»
«No one should ever ruin the first year of high school for any kid.»
«I know.»
«I want to punch all the bullies in their face!»
«I know.»
«Hey, are you going to keep saying that just to make me shut up?» He finally asked, trying to act offended, but he was smiling because he and Remus always used to have interactions of this type, and it's not like Remus didn't like to listen to James; besides, he was probably the one who most encouraged James to talk whenever he felt like it.
They exchanged a complicit look, then they heard a way too familiar voice as the bus stopped.
«Hey, John! Still here to take me to school, huh? So kind of you!»
Sirius' voice echoed in the entire vehicle, loud and lively.
«Glad to see you so happy and thrilled to go back to that place,» John responded, then he noticed the new entry of the year.
«You must be Sirius' little brother? Happy to meet you,» he said in a kind way to the boy in front of him: Regulus Black.
«Mh, yes, good morning,» he replied without a very joyful expression on his face, but he still tried to appear polite.
«Sirius!»
«James!»
They both stood up and reached for one another to hug, like the whole bus wasn't staring at them.
While they were so busy greeting each other (even though they were together the day before), Regulus surpassed them and sat next to Remus.
The two of them never talked that much, not that Regulus ever talked much to anyone, but they still considered themselves good friends; they had a sort of special connection and a shared passion for reading.
«They're embarrassing,» the younger Black commented with a slight disgust on his face.
«Yes, they are,» Remus confirmed without paying much attention; he just knew that they were.
«You're dating one of them, my brother, to be correct.» the other one pointed out like it was some sort of flaw.
«I unfortunately am aware of that.» The response came with a sigh.
Meanwhile, James and Sirius sat on the seats in front of Remus and Regulus's one.
«Look at that, my brother is betraying me for my boyfriend,» Sirius said all dramatically.
«And they're also ignoring us; I wonder why...» James pointed out with a truly perplexed expression on his face.
«'Cause we care about not becoming stupid like you two.» It came out sharp and harsh, basically in Regulus' style.
As he said that, Remus chuckled while reading his book.
«That is not funny, Reggie!»
«Yeah, it was a bit rude, Regg—» James stopped himself mid-sentence when he noticed the terrifying look that the boy was giving him; this was enough to discourage him from using that nickname. Instantly, Remus gazed at him and smirked, knowing that he was right when, a couple of minutes ago, he said that Potter wasn't reckless enough to use "Reggie" in front of him.
-
James and Sirius just stayed silent and, as they said, "deeply offended" for not even three minutes, exactly when Peter also joined the bus and the chaos began again. Peter wasn't as loud as that duo, but he wasn't even as silent as Remus; generally, he matched the vibes of the situation, caring to never appear like a dude without a personality, though he was equally important to the group as the other three... well, four? Should Regulus be counted too now?
The bus stopped in front of the school at 8:05 am like it always did, which was fine since lessons started at 8:30 and all of the students had to be in class at 8:25. Anxious? Thrilled? Scared? James began to ask Regulus as soon as they left the bus, while Remus, Sirius, and Peter were chatting and looking for their other friends.
«Enthusiastic about not having to see you for the next few hours.» his sharp response was just how James imagined that.
«I was just asking; no need to be rude.»
Still, he felt a bit offended by the way Regulus responded; besides, no matter his effort, James Potter would have never been able to befriend Regulus Black, and that was just how things were.
«Besides, why did you dress like this? I'm sure you have way nicer clothes in your wardrobe.» James pointed out, not in a mean way, but with his usual irritating and natural charm (that's what Regulus called it).
Anyway, it was true that the boy had many other clothes that were definitely cooler than a random black sweater and a normal black cargo, but he wasn't going to let Potter win the argument (he decided that it was an argument; James was just trying to be nice).
«Doesn't seem like you dressed any better.» He spitted out those words while giving James a judging look.
«I always dress like crap; it's easy to predict, but you usually don't.» This was also true, and realizing that Potter knew how he dressed normally was kinda weird; since when did that boy give him enough attention to notice something like this? Maybe being around each other for seven years should have given Regulus a hint, but it didn't happen.
«It's not crap; you're just very basic, but your whole personality is basic, so I'm not surprised,» this wasn't exactly an insult, but it wasn't a compliment either, for sure. Being mean was the only way Regulus was confident enough to use when interacting with other people, and for some strange reason, James Potter never cared about that.
«Are you afraid someone is going to bully you for the way you dress?» The question came out of nowhere, with sincere curiosity and an almost imperceptible hint of concern, but he probably was wrong about it. By the way, it was a nonsensical question; Regulus changed schools because of the bullying.
«Sometimes I ask myself if you are stupid or if you like to be stupid,» seemed like the only reasonable answer Regulus could give in his best sarcastic tone ever. By the way, it was a nonsensical question; Regulus changed schools because of the bullying.
Interesting, though, how James was the only one who noticed and pointed out his clothes that morning. Bizarre, if you want.
«Ha ha, how funny... anyway, you can tell me if someone is being mean to you, okay? I'll kick their ass in a blink of an eye!» James was genuinely happy to offer his help, hoping he was going to be useful. Regulus felt glad, deep down, extremely down, down enough to not be perceived in a million years.
The younger boy rolled his eyes at him, and then he spotted Pandora waiting at the entrance, so he walked to her.
«Does your brother always have to be so rude?» James asked Sirius in a sad voice.
«You know how Reggie is; ignore it,» his best friend replied with a nonchalant face. Well yeah, that's how Regulus always was, but sometimes you need to do some research to find out someone's true personality. Or at least you can try.
That first morning of school wasn't as funny as James hoped it was going to be; all of the professors kept talking about how this was their last year of sixth form and how serious things were (every time they said that, James and Sirius had to try their best not to make the same old joke that Remus was permanently banner, the one where his lovely boyfriend would say, "But I'm always Sirius!"). It wasn't funny anymore, and how important their last year was going to be for their future.
«I hope all of you already know which college you would like to send your application to.» their English teacher said halfway through the lesson.
«Is McDonald's a good option?» Mary asked with a concentrated face and a genuine curiosity. Hilarious enough to make the whole class burst into laughter, Mary included.
«Mrs. Macdonald, I already told you last year what I think about it.» The teacher smiled too while saying this.
James thought that the best thing about this day was going to be his friends; meeting them all again was comforting, even if he saw all of them during summer. It's just that school can be terrifying sometimes, and having someone you can rely on is the best feeling in the entire world, from Potter's perspective.
Not that he openly said anything to his friends when he was feeling down, but he still appreciated their presence and knew that they were there.
-
On lunch break, he finally had to do a reunion with all of them.
«Marauders aside, are we all there?» He asked while sitting with pretty much everyone, which included him, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Lily, Mary, and Marlene. That table was barely enough for them.
«Still using that name? You're all eighteen; is it necessary»? Lily asked with perplexity.» She referred to the name "marauders," which sounded pretty weird indeed, but at the mere age of twelve, Remus told his friends about this book he read where a group of four people called themselves "The Marauders," and they also had one special nickname each. From that moment, they decided they were going to be Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prong until their very last breath.
«You wouldn't understand, my dear,» Sirius replied to her with an amused smirk.
«I'm more surprised that Remus gets along with this thing so easily,» Marlene said with shock while pointing at the boy and looking at the other girls.
«What can I say? I like it,» he justified himself with a playful chuckle. More than liking it, being Moony, one of the Marauders, always made Remus feel like he was a part of something important.
«That's the spirit!» James exclaimed.
«Yeah, that's just our style; it's okay if you girls don't get it.» Peter joked, but his words sounded softer than how he intended them to be.
They continued to chat like this, like always we could say; the girls were making fun of the boys (Remus excluded), Peter and James were trying to defend their pride with awful results, and Sirius was complaining about it to his amazing boyfriend, who just giggled all the time.
It was after a solid fifteen minutes that James noticed Regulus, sitting at a table just with Pandora. They seemed relaxed while eating their lunch, and that was amazing, to be honest. Regulus used to appear at ease every time he had to eat with Pandora; James understood it years ago.
Still, he couldn't help but feel the need to go there and join them.
«Why don't you go to your brother?» he asked Sirius suddenly, very unexpectedly. Sirius glanced at his brother and her friend.
«He seems fine; should I check on him?» The worry in his voice increased slowly. Unfortunately, Sirius tends to get overprotective with his little brother.
«No need to; he might get angry at you if you press him like this.» Moony intervened, speaking wisely as usual.
«Remus is right; let him enjoy his first day. Besides, he's with Pandora.» Mary decided to take part in the conversation.
«I'll go check on him,» James said not even as a proposal, he was already standing up and walking towards Regulus' table.
«I'm so happy that my friends listen to me and try to use their brains; such an achievement,» Remus whispered with exasperation while picking up a book from his bag to read it.
James reached his goal and happily sat next to the younger Black.
«What the fuck are you doing here?» He welcomed Potter so warmly like he only could.
«Happy to see you too. Hey Pandora, by the way, how are you?» and Potter acted like nothing happened.
«Hi James, everything's fine.» The girl replied with her usual kind smile.
«See, Reg? Why don't you learn some manners from your friend?» He tried to joke, not being serious about it.
«And why don't you just go away and leave us alone?»
They stayed quiet for a second, looking into each other's eyes.
That was mean, of course, but James was used to it, and Regulus knew it wasn't enough to piss him off.
Surprisingly, James sighed.
«Alright, sorry for the interruption, guys. See you later.» And just like this, he smiled gently and walked away.
He smiled at his rudeness.
"How dare he smile so calmly at my rudeness? Why does he always have to be the good guy who never snaps? I hate it." Regulus' first thought was when he saw how James reacted to his harsh words.
As Remus saw James coming back, looking defeated and sad, he closed his eyes and exhaled before opening them again.
«This is going to be a very long year...» he commented quietly.
«We're going to have a lot of fun, my love; I guarantee you that.» Padfoot put an arm on his lover's shoulders and talked with confidence.
«I'm going to kill myself; that's different.»
Luckily enough, Remus was joking, and no one heard him, but that was going to be his last drop of luck for a very long time.