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CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
bear witness
PETER HAD TO barely contain his laughter at the sight of the bright pink plastic flamingos that littered the magical creature enclosures, almost set up in time for the third year's class. Sirius was drawing mustaches on each of them as Remus calculated how far apart they could be to appear like a cluster, but cover the most ground and James ran around frantically, trying to place extras in the most random places, giggling like a child. Eventually, Sirius ran after James and tackled him. It was sunny, but the clouds were starting to move in—thick and grey, but not stormy.
"You're wasting them, you tosser!" Sirius yelled through this laughter.
"Oh sod off! It's more fun this way!" James exclaimed. He shoved Sirius off of him and walked over to Remus, adjusting his uniform as he did—making sure that his tie was neat and his button down tucked in once more, his hair was still messy though and his glasses askew. Sirius was the only one who wore his button down untucked in the group now.
"James, help me figure this out," Remus ordered, making James roll his eyes, but go to stand next to him. "How do we optimize—"
"It's more fun if they're not though!"
"That's not what I asked, dipshit."
James rolled his eyes and studied the flamingo formation as he calculated it all in his head. "You can move them all a foot more apart from each other and you'll be okay."
"It's not fair that James is a Pureblood and can do that sort of mental maths!" Peter yelled from where he was adjusting some of the flamingos that had fallen. "He didn't have to take maths like the rest of us and he's so bloody good at it!"
"Can't help that I'm perfect!" James shot him a glittering, stunning smile. However, seemingly at the same moment, he yelped as something hit the back of his head. Cradling it, he looked around for what it was until he saw a paper airplane sitting, slightly crumpled, on the ground. He grumbled as he bent down and picked it up. He recognized the handwriting immediately. He quickly read the urgent note telling him to meet him at her courtyard before folding it and shoving it in his pocket.
"I've got to go lads," he announced with a cheerful smile as he started backing up, back towards the castle.
"What? Where?" Sirius asked with furrowed eyebrows as he made his way back over to the group.
"Uh . . . Head Boy meeting. Totally forgot about it. Just got reminded!" James smiled tightly as he held up the folded note, but did not stop moving.
"You seem to have a lot of those," Remus's eyes narrowed at him as his voice held unease. "It's funny because Lily's never mentioned them."
