good things fall apart • sirius black

Summer 1971

He was racing through the woods. Faster than really his legs could carry him, but there wasn't enough time to think of such rational things.

Barrelling between the branches, the boy was almost demolishing the foliage he was stumbling amongst. If he'd have been a tornado or a forest fire, he would've caused mass destruction. But instead, he was merely a clumsy child, who desperately needed to get to his destination.

It was all he could think about - getting to her that was. So much so, just the two-minute charge through the trees towards her home, seemed like a lifetime journey.

The boy had been waiting since the beginning of summer. His parents had told him to be patient, for there was nothing he could do to make it arrive any faster and they'd tried to assure him they'd have enough time to prepare, but he just wouldn't listen. Every morning he'd wait by the window for the post to arrive and every morning their owl would bring nothing but the Daily Prophet and the odd letter from family or friends. Deflated, the boy would usually spend the rest of his day moping around. Grumbling to the girl he was seeking now, about whether or not the day they were both desperate for would ever arrive. And all summer it seemed as if it never would.

But that morning had been different.

Finally, his Hogwarts letter had been delivered and the boy's world all but exploded right then and there. He was energetic at the best of times, but his parents hadn't seen anything like it. Jumping everywhere he'd been screaming with joy, almost bursting with excitement and he'd even thrown a rasher of bacon in the air in pure elation. The boy's father had congratulated him, once some form of peace was restored, and his mother had been blubbering with pride.

However, now all that was on his mind was making sure he wasn't the only one.

There would be no possible way his best friend wouldn't receive her letter too, but he had to make sure, for going to Hogwarts without her wasn't an option. They'd dreamed about it ever since they were able to understand what school was and no child in the country was more excited than them to step foot in the stone halls of the famous school.

Once he emerged from the small woods that separated his house from his best friend's, the boy ran down the nearest gravel path, weaving his way through the girl's garden. Of course, he knew exactly where she'd be, for the sun was high in the sky today and she'd never miss an opportunity to bask in the warmth. Eventually the tiny walled garden was in sight and a huge grin spread across the boy's face.

Crashing through the metal gate and leaping over a line of low box hedges, his eyes immediately found who he'd been looking for.

She was lazing on the grass, flat on her back and hair flared around her like a mane, but the hasty footfalls of someone coming in her direction had made her sit up quickly. The boy didn't even announce himself, only tumbling onto the grass before her in a manner which sent his glasses crooked. She was giggling at him in no time, his jet-black hair even messier than usual. Chest rising and falling so heavily, convinced he may pass out from lack of oxygen, he waved the letter in front of her face. Digging in the pocket of her white dress, the girl smiled cheekily at him, before pulling an almost identical letter out to flash before his eyes.

The messy haired boy instantly tackled her into a huge bear hug, one that sent them both collapsing back into the grass, laughing louder than they ever had.

No recordable time passed as they chuckled between themselves, both over the moon at the turn of events. Hogwarts was so close now it was almost within their reach. The laughing subsided eventually, a peaceful atmosphere settling over the tiny walled garden and the two best friends within it. It was in that peaceful atmosphere, that they gazed at the clouds slowly passing in the sky on their way to their next unknown destination. Neither of the pair were able to express the whirlwind of emotions that had been brought by the small pieces of parchment that held so many promises, but the messy haired boy couldn't help himself but speak.

    "Everything is about to get so brilliant." The huge grin wouldn't falter from his lips and he turned his head slightly to the side to see the girl already looking at him. It had always just been the pair of them, and they were about to step into a world full of so many more children their age, that it was unbelievably daunting - in the best way possible.

    "I made it thunderstorm." The messy haired boy scrunched his face up in confusion over her words, "As soon as I opened the letter, I made it thunderstorm inside by accident."

A beat passed.

And then they were laughing even more hysterically than they were before. Radiant joy engulfing them in a blissful wonderland. They laughed until their stomachs hurt, neither of them knowing whether what the girl had said was just particularly funny, or whether they were on the verge of hysteria.

Either way, they were going to Hogwarts together and nothing would ever be such a joyous occasion.

•••
Author's Note-
This is my first ever fan fiction and I'm absolutely terrified...
But I'm also very excited to share it with you fools.

Honestly, this was sort of a personal project and I never really intended to put it anywhere when I first started. But I guess, here we are!!
I've never wrote properly before, but James Potter got stuck in my head one day and I had to write his words down. The rest all stemmed from there. Most of what I write has come from inspiration from other things I've read or seen, so if you think there's something that's too similar to someone else's work, please let me know (because I didn't mean it to be) and hopefully I'll be able to change it. I tried to be as canon as possible, but it's quite difficult and was just not always doable for my storyline, so some things are shuffled around which means they follow a bit a of different time frame/direction/order - please don't be annoyed by this.

And also sorry for any grammar/vocab mistakes, it's definitely not always my strong suit.

All rights belong to J.K Rowling (though I do not support her transphobic views) and in no way do I own the sections of plot or characters from Harry Potter.
However, any new characters added in (and subsequently the way they alter the plot) are mine, of course.

Thank you so much for deciding to take a look at my book and I really hope you enjoy enjoy it!!
Don't forget to comment or vote - it'd be much appreciated!!

Just a warning too: the chapters are pretty long. So get comfortable everyone, you're in for the long haul.

-E