Like Real Muggles Do

A Spell and a Blessing

The room was cold when the boys awoke the next morning. The sun had hardly risen and an icy breeze began to blow through the room as Mrs Potter cracked open the window-the most effective method, she had found, of getting the boys up and out.  

James had attempted to brush his hair, with minimal luck. Sirius pulled his hair up out of his face tiredly, not retaining the energy needed to make any kind of effort first thing in the morning. Peter and Remus took showers in a bid to try and wake up a bit, though it hardly helped at all. 

James, Sirius and Peter attacked breakfast hungrily while Remus picked at a single slice of toast. Mrs Potter obsessively re-filled his orange juice and made him 3 cups of tea, concerned about him turning ill. She was almost teary-eyed watching the four boys leave. Even now, she would reminisce on the good times she had at Hogwarts, it broke her heart to know that they were being robbed of that pleasure, even if only for a short time.

Arriving at John and Ianto's cottage the boys were given yet another cup of tea and made themselves comfortable, they didn't think they'd need to leave so soon what with it only being 7:15 am.

"You'll really have to come round some day Fleamont, Euphemia too!" Ianto spoke to Mr Potter's head in the fire.

"Of course Ianto, we'd love to!" He waved goodbye to the boys and disappeared.

"John's been out in the shed for nearly an hour already this morning." Ianto had his own tea in his hands and was now perched precariously on the edge of the coffee table, Sirius and Remus on the windowsill and Peter and James in armchairs. 3 cats had been roused from their seats at the, once peaceful, fire and were now looking suspiciously at the new guests. "I've no idea what he's up to, but he reckons it'll get you to school faster than my car can." He said looking exasperated.

"Wait, can't you just...?" James questioned, remembering Ianto's legillmency. 

"He's been blocking me out all morning, hardly said two words to me. Must be exhausting, mind, he's usually so bad a keeping me out that I can hear him from the kitchen." Ianto gasped suddenly. "I bet it's that bastard motorbike again!" 

At this, Sirius' face lit up.

Ianto had noticed. "Oh God not you too! You will never catch me on that death contraption." 

Remus, again, thought of how alike he and Ianto were. 

Ianto began asking about school while he pottered around dusting shelves and organising books. He seemed to grow in concern the more the boys spoke, even though they had only told the abridged story. It was quite clear that he was hearing more than he was being intentionally told. 

At 8 am John finally burst into the room, looking dishevelled and excited. 

"Guess what I've been doing all morning?" He asked without so much of a greeting.

"You've been messing around with that motorbike that should be sent to a blummin' skip." Ianto said with a kind of passing resentment.

"You're an angry little man." John joked his smile wide as ever. 

"How on earth do you plan on getting all 5 of you anywhere on that old thing?" Ianto pressed.

John tapped the side of his nose and smirked at Ianto. He frowned.

"That's absolutely not legal. He's put 2 side-cars on somehow." He said for the benefit of the boys. He looked around the room for a moment. James and Sirius were almost bursting at the opportunity to ride on a real motorbike, Peter was just thinking about how cool Ruby would think he was if she saw him with them. Remus couldn't even bear the thought of it. Another time, maybe, but not right now.