gold string, JAMES POTTER [under construction]

chapter two.

chapter two — bertie bott's every flavour beans
December 28th, 1976

      "Master Maurice," Tobbs gently knocked on his bedroom door, Maurice placed his feather quill down and turned his neck to the side to face the house elf in his doorway. "Tobbs was sent to fetch Master Maurice for supper."

      As he waddled away, Maurice said, "Thank you, Tobbs." He made a point to wrap up the letter, as he usually did. Whenever he finished, he wrote the date at the top. Standing on his tiptoes, he reached for a wooden box on top of his wardrobe. The box was full of letters, dating back to when he first started Hogwarts, up to the letter he just finished. Writing those letters meant a lot to Maurice. Even though he could never send them out, it was his own way of communicating with his parents. They were the first to hear that he liked boys in the way he should like girls.

      "There you are, I have been waiting for you." Ethel spoke when he turned the corner into the dining hall, walking past a couple of Death Eaters.

      "Good evening, nan." He smiled, taking the empty seat across from her. A house elf placed a plate in front of him while another poured orange juice into a glass. He glanced down at his forearm, for the first time he was not wearing a sweater, mainly because every fireplace in the manor was devouring wooden logs. He grimaced, jabbing his finger at the snake.

      "Oh, would you stop poking at it." Ethel warned, bringing her napkin up to her lips, lightly patting them. "It has been an entire month dear, it is time to accept it." Maurice found her advice funny, truly, how could he possibly accept something he didn't even want in the first place? Something he was forced to do against his will. He still hadn't thought how he could possibly keep it hidden from James and Sirius... well, everyone at Hogwarts, actually.

      "I didn't—" He stopped himself mid-sentence, he knew it was better to bite his tongue than to get in any trouble with his grandmother. "It's a big adjustment, really, I'll get used to it." That was a complete lie, a lie he forced through his teeth. "Do you know when I'll start to get called into meetings, Nan?" He spoke under his breath, hoping any wandering ears wouldn't hear.

      There was a distinct glint in her eyes, a sight Maurice is oh so familiar with. That sinister glint appeared whenever she knew or thought she had gotten exactly what she wanted."Most likely when the new year starts, unless the Dark Lord decides otherwise."

      Maurice didn't respond to that, he didn't know how to really. Instead, he kept eating the meal in front of him counting down the days until the new term began at Hogwarts. It was his last year before everyone he knew would go their separate ways, he just hoped to keep in touch with his close friends. They meant the world to him. Throughout the entire time at the table, Maurice just kept replaying Christmas Eve in his mind, it was one of the many highlights of his year.

      After a couple of moments of silence, surprisingly, Ethel was the one who broke the silence "Are you excited to start your new term?" She stared at him from across the table as the house elf walked by, taking her plate away from her. They attempted to take his plate too, but he refused.

      "I am!" He replied. "I'm looking forward to potions class, oh and of course quidditch season." By the time he glanced up Ethel was flipping through the pages of the daily prophet. Clearly uninterested in what he had to say. "I think I'm more excited to see James and Sirius every day." He murmured to himself, but after that name fell from his lips, his Nan swiftly placed the newspaper down at the table.

      "How many times have I told you to stay away from that, that blood traitor?" She pointed at him, looking above the rim of her glasses. "Salazar, I have no idea what the Potters were thinking, taking that boy in." She rambled on and on.