The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Getting a Prongs-On

Getting a Prongs-On

Dora handed James a sweater. "Make sure you put it on if it gets cold," she said.

"Mum, it's June. It's not going to get cold."

"Listen to your mother," said Charlus, staring down at the Daily Prophet.

Dora turned to Sirius and shoved a sweater into his hands, too. Sirius blinked in surprise. "The wind gets a lot more chilled by the ocean, even during the summer," she scolded. "You don't want to go catching anything."

Sirius turned the sweater over in his hands, feeling the warmth in the stitching. It was hand knitted - dark red, with a tag in the neck that read Property of Sirius Black, Made With Love. He smiled at it and tugged it on, even though he wasn't cold at all. The sweater was a bit long on him, the sleeves needed to be cuffed in order for his hands to come out, but it was already his favorite. "Thanks, Mrs. P," he said, smiling.

Dora smiled back and half-hugged him as James whined and pulled the brown sweater she'd handed him 'round his shoulders and said, begrudgingly, "There, you happy now mum? Blimey..."

"Yes, I'm happy now..." she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a coin purse she handed to Sirius, "Here you are. You already have your galleons of course, James. Now you two be good, stay out of trouble, and have fun."

"Yes mother," James said and he grabbed Sirius's arm and pulled him toward the door, "Hurry, before she thinks of something else to delay us with," he said under his breath.

Sirius waved to Dora as they went out the door and she waved back.

They were walking down the street toward the main road to summons the Knight Bus when Sirius said, "You shouldn't be so hard on her, she's amazing."

James said, "She's alright."

"No," Sirius said firmly, "Seriously. She is a really great mum and you should be bloody thankful for it. I wish my mum was half as good as her."

James said, "Well you can borrow mine anytime, get the focus off me once in awhile," he laughed.

Sirius's sweater sleeves had come uncuffed and hung over his hands and he thought he would borrow her all the time if that was possible.

James stuck out his wand hand for the Knight Bus when they reached the road and Sirius worked on re-cuffing his sleeves as the bus cracked into view and rolled up to the curb beside them with a honk, honk. It hissed as it settled and the doors opened and out stepped Ernie the conductor and he grinned about at them and took their sickles, issuing them tickets and waving them aboard.

The ride to Maryrose's house wasn't too long - there were a couple other party goers on board, including Marty Brown and the two McKinnon sisters, but Marlene was still awkward about Sirius and Annalee was talking endlessly to Marty so that James and Sirius were still entertaining each other, laughing and making loud noises while they slid back and forth across the length of the bus as it went about, stopping and going, sending them this way and that.

Maryrose and Pandora lived with their mum and dad in a house by the ocean, on a sort of moor that stretched off in both directions for miles before the next house dotted the horizon. The knight bus rolled to a stop right in front of their house and Ernie saw the five teenagers off and tilted his cap and with a crack the bus disappeared. James led the way up the walk - he'd never been there before, but Maryrose was his girlfriend so they sort of all followed on after him as though he were the leader. He realized halfway up the walk that this was the first time he'd be meeting Maryrose's parents and he wondered whether they knew about him and Maryrose and what they would think of him... He nervously cupped his hand to his mouth and smelled his breath and adjusted his shirt as he walked, wishing he'd worn something nicer than he had...