Starry Serendipity || R.A.B

43. Valerie and summer

July 1976

I sit in my room, my cello cradled in my arms like an old friend. Its familiar wooden curves bring me comfort in these uncertain times. The notes I coax from its strings resonate with melancholy, filling the room with a bittersweet melody.

Outside my window, the world continues to turn, but it feels like everything is at a standstill. The war looms closer with each passing day, casting its ominous shadow over our lives. My parents, once so full of vitality, now carry the heavy burden of uncertainty in their weary expressions. They've been out for work for weeks, casualties of the growing conflict.

I had hoped that my friends from Hogwarts would be a source of solace, a connection to simpler days. But the silence of their unopened letters speaks louder than words. So much for keeping in touch... but I know how things are with their families and I don't want to make the situation worse by writing to them everyday. It would be too cheesy anyway, just like Regulus said.

I lose myself in the music, allowing the cello's haunting notes to carry me away from the worries that weigh on my mind. The melodies I play are a mix of classical compositions and my own improvisations, each note a reflection of the emotions swirling within me.

As the sun dips below the horizon, casting long shadows in my room, I slow the tempo of my playing. I rest the cello against my shoulder, my fingers lightly tracing the strings. I know that the world outside my window is changing, that the days of innocence are slipping away. 

Sirius' sudden intrusion into my room pulls me out of my thoughts and I can't help but smile as he playfully bounces on my bed, causing me to bounce along with it. He's always been the embodiment of energy, his presence brings a welcome burst of life into my otherwise somber surroundings.

He's concerned about James, I can tell. My brother has been absorbed in his studies lately, driven by a determination I've rarely seen in him. It's a stark departure from the carefree and mischievous James I grew up with, and it's left Sirius wondering what might be troubling him.

He looks at me with those intense gray eyes, his concern genuine. "Val," he says, "we need to get you out of this room. James is locked away in his, studying his arse off, and that's just not right. That's not our James. I'm bored out of my mind, so please, at least you, get out of here."

I chuckle at his dramatic theatrics and give him a playful shove. "You're right, Sirius. Something's definitely up with James. But what do you have in mind to pull him out of his study cave?"

He grins, that signature Sirius Black smirk that could charm even the most stubborn of house-elves. "I was thinking we could go outside and stir up some trouble. You know, the good old days when the Marauders were in their prime."

I can't help but laugh at his suggestion. It's just like Sirius to want to relive our Hogwarts days, even if it's just for an afternoon. "Alright, you've convinced me," I say, standing up from my bed. "Lead the way, Mr. Black. Let's see if we can remind James that there's more to life than textbooks."

Sirius and I exchange mischievous grins as we fill the water balloons to their absolute limits. Remus must have been quite resourceful to find these muggle contraptions for our little escapade. We're a pair of misfit teenagers.

Once our arsenal is ready, we creep under the second-floor window of James' room, which, luckily for us, is open. He's been cooped up in there for far too long, and it's time to remind him that life is fun, it is summer after all.

We count silently to five, and on cue, we launch our watery assault at James' window. The balloons explode on impact, sending a cascade of water splattering all over his room. James, predictably, reacts with a mix of shock and outrage. His shouts of surprise are music to our ears.