Girl from the stars (Marauders era)

thirty-seven.

it was the last day of their last year at hogwarts. They were adults now, almost.
James and Sirius were moving into a flat together, Callie, Chaos and Phoenix were going travelling. Remus had a little flat above a bookshop, Marius had a job at the same bookshop, Peter was going to Australia for a holiday. Jesse didn't know what she wanted to do, what she needed to do.
After being brought up in an orphanage, then transferred to a home at a boarding school, she'd only ever known home as a place packed full of people, and she didn't really know if she could cope alone.
But everyone else had plans, and she couldn't just ask them if she could move in, too.

She packed her stuff into a case slowly, taking only the clothes she really needed, the others she just shut away in a trunk with had a rather large padlock on it.
The things she packed were practical- a few pairs of jeans, some long sleeved t shirts, a few sweaters, underwear, her favourite pair of boots, and her favourite pair of sneakers. The only non practical clothes she packed was a slip style black mini dress, a pair of black stockings, and her favourite corduroy jacket.
She took all her photos from the years down from her wall, smiling at the photos of her and the boys, her and the girls, her and regulus, photos of her friends doing random stuff, pretty much anything and everything.
although the going got tough, sometimes, and they'd been through a lot in their years here, they'd had a lot of fun, too. She packed the photos into the trunk she was taking with her, and a journal she'd written poetry in for years, before closing the trunk shut.
She then went for a shower, which after she dressed herself in a pair of black, slightly too large, high waisted denim shorts, and a black and white grandpa style sweater, along with her muddy white high top converse. She dried her hair with her wand and let it bounce up into its chocolatey curls, and tried to make herself look as presentable as possible.
She grabbed her trunk, and used a spell to shrink it, and tucked it into her back pocket, also using a weightless charm so she couldnt feel its heavy weight.

"J?"
James stood in the doorway, leaning against it with ease, although he wore a concerned look on his face.

"Mm?"
Jesse looked at her friend, and suddenly he moved, engulfing her in a massive hug.

"I know we'll still see each other, neither of us is really going anywhere, but god, i'm gonna miss not seeing you every single minute of every single day. Sometimes you annoy the heck out of me, yeah, but you're my best friend and practically my sister and... J, just promise me you'll take care of yourself. Don't get hurt in this war, please. Okay?" James mumbled into her shoulder, his arms which were wrapped around her refusing to let go.

"I promise, James. I love you, okay? You'll always be my brother. I'll come visit as often as I can. Take care of yourself, too, yeah?" Jesse pulled back, reaching up and ruffling James's hair, which caused his teary face to turn into a laughing one.

"C'mon, you dork." James slung an arm around her shoulders, and the two walked through the halls, all the way down to their spot under a tree by the black lake, where all the others were sitting.

They'd decided on their spot the day earlier- their favourite tree near the black lake for their last few hours at Hogwarts. It'd been where they'd hung out for years, and as the summer air was heating up, that was where they wanted to be.
Sirius and Lily already had their shoes off- Lily bare legged in her short skirt and Sirius's jeans pushed up to his knees as they stood in the shallows of the cool water.
Remus was laying out under the tree, his eyes closed peacefully, jeans cuffed at the ankles, feet bare, sweater sleeves pushed up to his elbows, his hair a little overgrown and flopping into his eyes.
Peter sat beside him, donning black head-to-toe, his nose buried in a book as his back rested against the tree, shoes still on but unlaced.
James joined Lily and Sirius almost immediately, throwing his shoes at Remus who let out a muttered half-groan, half-laugh.
Jesse took off her shoes, too, but placed them neatly near Lily and Sirius's shoes, before flopping down next to Remus, laying the back of her head on his stomach, staring up at the blue sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds.

They all stayed like that for a while, hanging out in the sun, until someone appeared, speaking Jesse's name softly.
It was Regulus, looking sicker than ever, his dark eyes surrounded by bruise-like bags, his black sweater and jeans hanging off his skinny frame, feet bare and tickled by the green grass.

"Hey, Reggie. What's up?"

"I just... can I talk to you, J? Please."

So Jesse headed off with Regulus, not too far away from the others, but far enough so they couldn't hear the conversation.

"What's up, Reg?"

"I- Jesse, i'm gonna be totally honest here. I'm scared. Terrified, actually. I know I don't always see eye-to-eye with my brother, but I know what he believes in is right. Still- I've grown up in a family where I have to do what my parents say. They want me to join... him. I know I won't be able to hold them off much longer, and Jesse, I just wanted you to know, know that no matter what I love you and care about you, and I'll always be here for you, even if i'm not on the right side, even if you're '0lder and wiser'. J, I love you, you're the sister I never had, so please take care of yourself. And, god. You're the best friend i've ever had. I'm gonna miss you so much." With that, Regulus let out an unseemly sob and wrapped his arms tightly around Jesse, letting out heaving sobs as he buried his face in her neck, arms pulled tightly around her as if he never wanted to let go.

After a few minutes of the two just standing there, hugging, Jesse pulled back, and held Regulus's face in both of her hands, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Reg. Y'know what, you're joining us for the rest of this day. I don't care if you don't want to. You're hanging with the losers, and then when we have to get on the train we'll all say our goodbyes and I'll send you letters even if you're not allowed to answer and i'll Floo you sometimes if you want me to, and you're always, always welcome to come and stay with me."

...
Regulus had been reluctant to join the group at first, but after his brother had glared at Jesse a few times, they all seemed to settle, and Reg spent the day chatting to Remus and Jesse on the warm grass under the tree, watching James, Sirius and Lily frolic about in the water, and Peter focus soly on his book.

The atmosphere became friendly, nice, loving, and each one of the marauders and their friends found them self wishing that the day might never end, that they could stay there in the golden-hour sun forever, that they could waste their lives away with bare feet and sun on their faces, under their favourite tree with their very best of friends.

But, if you were to ask any one of them, they wouldn't say it was wasting their life away, and that's the one thing that was certain that day.

| woah. what? I updated? i'm so sorry it took so long, if anyone's still reading, and thankyou for continuing to read this if you are. i love you very dearly. i don't think that there's going to be much more of this book to go, but there could possibly be a sequel? I have some ideas for one, but i'm unsure if anyone would actually read it.
anyway, that's enough authors note. thankyou, again, for reading. <3 |