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October 5, Sirius
Oct. 5th, 2017 10:13 amIt's not like he hasn't told Sirius on purpose. He just hasn't worked out what words to use, yet. Sirius is his best mate in the world and there's nothing James has ever kept hidden from him. He doesn't intend to keep this hidden either, which is a good thing because he suspects that's going to be quite difficult. Slowly but surely, the evidence of someone else - two other someones - living in The Nook is growing. Newt is impossibly tidy but the spare room is still being lived in for once, and there are two cups of tea on the dining table now, where once there was one. Melanie's things are a little more obvious, children's clothes strewn about, and the raw meat they keep on hand now is for more than just Newt's creatures.
The two of them moved in a little over a week ago, and James has found the company good for him. Or it had been, at least, until the day that Newt had woken up looking impossibly like Lily. Thankfully, it hadn't lasted too long, but James is still trying to shake off the memories it had woken. Seeing Lily moving about The Nook again had been just about the limit of what James could reasonably handle, despite how apologetic Newt had been about the whole thing. Still it's over and done with now, and James is determined to get back to some kind of normalcy.
Newt and Melanie are both out for the day, and James intends on trying out his newest prototype broom. It's been a long and arduous task creating it, but he thinks it's a better model than the first. Hopefully, it's less likely to send him crashing into any lakes, at least. It's a lot more plain than the Firebolt, none of the fancy embellishments, but it should fly. He's working with Muggle broomsticks in this place, trying to charm them into something more, and James figures he can transfigure it to look pretty after the more important work is done.
It's a nice day for it, the sun clear in the sky. Lately, his magic hasn't been working exactly as he'd like though he can't work out why, but James has decided that the weather is a good omen. It's a perfect day for flying, and therefore the broomstick should work perfectly, too. He'd told Sirius to meet him though he hasn't specified when, and in the meantime James is sitting on the back step with his wand, carefully applying the finishing charms.
The two of them moved in a little over a week ago, and James has found the company good for him. Or it had been, at least, until the day that Newt had woken up looking impossibly like Lily. Thankfully, it hadn't lasted too long, but James is still trying to shake off the memories it had woken. Seeing Lily moving about The Nook again had been just about the limit of what James could reasonably handle, despite how apologetic Newt had been about the whole thing. Still it's over and done with now, and James is determined to get back to some kind of normalcy.
Newt and Melanie are both out for the day, and James intends on trying out his newest prototype broom. It's been a long and arduous task creating it, but he thinks it's a better model than the first. Hopefully, it's less likely to send him crashing into any lakes, at least. It's a lot more plain than the Firebolt, none of the fancy embellishments, but it should fly. He's working with Muggle broomsticks in this place, trying to charm them into something more, and James figures he can transfigure it to look pretty after the more important work is done.
It's a nice day for it, the sun clear in the sky. Lately, his magic hasn't been working exactly as he'd like though he can't work out why, but James has decided that the weather is a good omen. It's a perfect day for flying, and therefore the broomstick should work perfectly, too. He'd told Sirius to meet him though he hasn't specified when, and in the meantime James is sitting on the back step with his wand, carefully applying the finishing charms.
July 1, Sirius
Jul. 9th, 2017 08:09 pmIt's a warm summer morning and James is in good spirits when he wakes up to the sun streaming through his bedroom window. He has a newly acquired job, and if his luck holds, he thinks he might even be able to interest Jack in learning the rules of Quidditch. The next step in his grand plan is to work out how to craft a couple of broomsticks so they can actually play, and maybe even teach the kids at camp how to play, too. It's all a lot of grand plans in his head and not a lot on paper so far, but he refuses to let that dampen his spirits. Nothing, James has decided, is going to ruin his day today.
That is, until he rolls over and there's an empty space in the bed beside him.
It's not all that unusual, at first. Lily often gets up before James, preferring to get things done of a morning without James hovering annoyingly at her elbow. He's a little put out that he can't convince her to roll around in the sheets with him for a bit, but he stretches and contents himself with listening out for her pottering around in the kitchen. There's silence, and James frowns, swinging his legs out of bed and pulling his clothes on.
A quick check downstairs says Lily isn't there either, and James checks the gardens as well before he starts to allow panic to creep in, just a little. Lily has been making fun of him since the day she got here, teasing him about the way he can hardly stand to let her out of his sight. He realises it's been borderline annoying, but he lost her once before and the idea that it could happen again had kept him up nights. Now, he can't find her anywhere, but James forces himself to breathe. It's a big city, and while she normally would have left him a note, it's not out of the realm of possibility that she's gone into town for something or other. He forces himself to calm down, drinks a cup of tea and does a few chores, picturing the pleasantly surprised look that will be on her face when she comes home to a freshly cleaned house.
When another two hours pass with no Lily, James starts to abandon reason. He Apparates to all of the places she's been known to visit; her favourite bookshop, the record store, the beach. He comes up short at every turn, and just when he's ready to tear his hair out, he remembers the muggle telephones the city gave them both. He hardly uses the bloody thing, but luckily Lily had programmed her number into his own, so it only takes a small amount of fumbling before he works out how to dial. A little tinny voice tells him her number has been disconnected, and James throws his phone at the wall in response.
She can't be gone.
James grabs his wand, turns on the spot and Apparates again, this time landing in the living room of the Bower. Sirius and Kieren can be as half-naked as they like for all James cares right now; he strides to the bottom of the stairs, fists clenched at his sides.
"Sirius!" he shouts up the stairs, his voice strained and just shy of cracking.
That is, until he rolls over and there's an empty space in the bed beside him.
It's not all that unusual, at first. Lily often gets up before James, preferring to get things done of a morning without James hovering annoyingly at her elbow. He's a little put out that he can't convince her to roll around in the sheets with him for a bit, but he stretches and contents himself with listening out for her pottering around in the kitchen. There's silence, and James frowns, swinging his legs out of bed and pulling his clothes on.
A quick check downstairs says Lily isn't there either, and James checks the gardens as well before he starts to allow panic to creep in, just a little. Lily has been making fun of him since the day she got here, teasing him about the way he can hardly stand to let her out of his sight. He realises it's been borderline annoying, but he lost her once before and the idea that it could happen again had kept him up nights. Now, he can't find her anywhere, but James forces himself to breathe. It's a big city, and while she normally would have left him a note, it's not out of the realm of possibility that she's gone into town for something or other. He forces himself to calm down, drinks a cup of tea and does a few chores, picturing the pleasantly surprised look that will be on her face when she comes home to a freshly cleaned house.
When another two hours pass with no Lily, James starts to abandon reason. He Apparates to all of the places she's been known to visit; her favourite bookshop, the record store, the beach. He comes up short at every turn, and just when he's ready to tear his hair out, he remembers the muggle telephones the city gave them both. He hardly uses the bloody thing, but luckily Lily had programmed her number into his own, so it only takes a small amount of fumbling before he works out how to dial. A little tinny voice tells him her number has been disconnected, and James throws his phone at the wall in response.
She can't be gone.
James grabs his wand, turns on the spot and Apparates again, this time landing in the living room of the Bower. Sirius and Kieren can be as half-naked as they like for all James cares right now; he strides to the bottom of the stairs, fists clenched at his sides.
"Sirius!" he shouts up the stairs, his voice strained and just shy of cracking.
Early June, Jack
Jun. 4th, 2017 08:21 pmThe Drembleydrop season has wrapped up for the year, and James has heard whispers that the whole thing was some kind of city-wide conspiracy, which honestly, isn't all that surprising. It had been confusing and complicated and exactly the kind of thing that would turn out to be some kind of social experiment, but he can't deny he misses it a little. No Drembleydrop means James is out of a job again, and it had been a whole lot of fun while it lasted.
He's not the kind of man who can just do nothing, but James is at a bit of a loss as to what he should do now. Sirius keeps himself busy enough, but other than Apparating into his best mate's house at inappropriate times and bugging Lily, James has nothing to pass his day. Drembleydrop had been fun because it appealed to his sense of nonsense while at the same time letting him do something sport related again, and so when James catches sight of an ad looking for someone to help coordinate sport events at a kid's summer camp, he figures why the hell not?
His experience with kids boils down to the brief time he was allowed with his son, and years at Hogwarts spent terrorising first years, but he figures that hardly matters. He does have experience with sport, and the camp isn't far from home, either. It's the kind of thing Lily would like, helping kids who maybe have nowhere to go after school or during the holidays, and James thinks it might be the kind of thing he'd enjoy, too. He tucks the newspaper with the ad into his pocket, still a little bewildered that the papers in this city have no moving pictures, and goes to enquire. The place is called Runamuk, which endears it to James immediately.
He Apparates to just outside the camp, and when he asks around he's directed to find a man named Jack. After a beat he wonders if he maybe should have made an effort to flatten his hair a little more before asking after a job, but that's always been a lost cause. It takes him ten minutes of asking around blindly before somebody finally points Jack out, and James approaches him with a hopeful smile on his face.
"Jack?" he queries, tugging the newspaper out of his pocket and holding it up. "I've come about your ad."
He's not the kind of man who can just do nothing, but James is at a bit of a loss as to what he should do now. Sirius keeps himself busy enough, but other than Apparating into his best mate's house at inappropriate times and bugging Lily, James has nothing to pass his day. Drembleydrop had been fun because it appealed to his sense of nonsense while at the same time letting him do something sport related again, and so when James catches sight of an ad looking for someone to help coordinate sport events at a kid's summer camp, he figures why the hell not?
His experience with kids boils down to the brief time he was allowed with his son, and years at Hogwarts spent terrorising first years, but he figures that hardly matters. He does have experience with sport, and the camp isn't far from home, either. It's the kind of thing Lily would like, helping kids who maybe have nowhere to go after school or during the holidays, and James thinks it might be the kind of thing he'd enjoy, too. He tucks the newspaper with the ad into his pocket, still a little bewildered that the papers in this city have no moving pictures, and goes to enquire. The place is called Runamuk, which endears it to James immediately.
He Apparates to just outside the camp, and when he asks around he's directed to find a man named Jack. After a beat he wonders if he maybe should have made an effort to flatten his hair a little more before asking after a job, but that's always been a lost cause. It takes him ten minutes of asking around blindly before somebody finally points Jack out, and James approaches him with a hopeful smile on his face.
"Jack?" he queries, tugging the newspaper out of his pocket and holding it up. "I've come about your ad."
[Feb 12, Sirius]
Feb. 12th, 2017 10:31 pmIt's not that he's been avoiding the place, exactly, it's just that it hasn't really come up. Sirius had told him not long after he'd arrived about The Nook, the little magical cottage that Harry had been living in. That's almost ridiculous to think about on its own - that his one-year-old son has a house of his own in the countryside. James has to keep reminding himself that the Harry that lived here wasn't one, was a grown man, in fact. It sends a sharp pain into his chest each time he thinks it, and maybe that's why he has, admittedly, avoided coming.
It's easier to distance himself from the idea of Harry than to be confronted with it dead on. He knows he was here, he's met his friends, heard first-hand from Sirius what he was like. But it still feels like a kick in the stomach that he was brought here so soon after Harry disappeared. How could this place make him miss his son like that, when he could have had the chance he missed back home?
Still, James has decided that he's put it off long enough. He wants to step foot inside, wants to see the things his son left behind, wants to see the small space he carved out for himself in this city. He'll take any small hints he can get in order to try and piece together what he doesn't know about his son.
There's the added benefit of it being out in the country, and in truth James is itching to stretch his legs. He's been awfully well behaved since arriving in this city, only shifting twice. Once was worth it, just to get the upper hand on Lila, and the other had been the result of the same itch, but cut short. This time he intends to make the most of it, and if Sirius is to be believed, they've got a nice run through the countryside to do it in. Before he can talk himself out of it, James slips out of his apartment and walks until he reaches the outer edges of the city, where the buildings peter out and the people become few.
Satisfied that there's no one around to see, James ducks behind a tree and shifts, lets the stag pull over his skin and his mind. There's a dull moment of confusion in his head as always when the stag takes over, and he stares, unblinking for a moment before he comes back to himself. It's still an adjustment, even so many years later, a brief moment where he has to wrestle for his sense of self. Sirius used to make fun of him for it, probably would still now, but James is adamant that it's probably easier for him, being that he's already practically an animal.
Quietly, pawing at the ground absently, Prongs waits for Sirius to arrive.
It's easier to distance himself from the idea of Harry than to be confronted with it dead on. He knows he was here, he's met his friends, heard first-hand from Sirius what he was like. But it still feels like a kick in the stomach that he was brought here so soon after Harry disappeared. How could this place make him miss his son like that, when he could have had the chance he missed back home?
Still, James has decided that he's put it off long enough. He wants to step foot inside, wants to see the things his son left behind, wants to see the small space he carved out for himself in this city. He'll take any small hints he can get in order to try and piece together what he doesn't know about his son.
There's the added benefit of it being out in the country, and in truth James is itching to stretch his legs. He's been awfully well behaved since arriving in this city, only shifting twice. Once was worth it, just to get the upper hand on Lila, and the other had been the result of the same itch, but cut short. This time he intends to make the most of it, and if Sirius is to be believed, they've got a nice run through the countryside to do it in. Before he can talk himself out of it, James slips out of his apartment and walks until he reaches the outer edges of the city, where the buildings peter out and the people become few.
Satisfied that there's no one around to see, James ducks behind a tree and shifts, lets the stag pull over his skin and his mind. There's a dull moment of confusion in his head as always when the stag takes over, and he stares, unblinking for a moment before he comes back to himself. It's still an adjustment, even so many years later, a brief moment where he has to wrestle for his sense of self. Sirius used to make fun of him for it, probably would still now, but James is adamant that it's probably easier for him, being that he's already practically an animal.
Quietly, pawing at the ground absently, Prongs waits for Sirius to arrive.
