Chapter 639 - Supervision Ⅲ (1/2)
Back at Hogwarts, it is early in the morning when Remus Lupin awoke to fulfill his Prefect duties causing the others to startle awake. Sirius in particular covered his head with a pillow and fell promptly back asleep, while Peter with a loud yawn and sat up in bed to sleepily stretch his limbs. On the other hand, James immediately grabbed his wand from under his pillow and fiercely pointed it in the direction of the attack.
”Settle down, Auror Potter,” Remus teased his dark tousled haired friend.
James stiffens for a moment at Remus's words, before lowering his wand. ”Er, sorry, Moony,” he sheepishly muttered as he ran a hand through his untidy dark hair, before getting out of bed and slipping into his bed robe and slippers.
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Peter Pettigrew sniffs loudly at the morning chill. ”Aren't you going to get dressed, James?” Peter asked.
”Not yet,” James replied only to see both Peter and Remus blink at him in surprise. Perplexed by their stares, he asks, ”But what should I be recalling that I am not?”
”Er, well this is awkward,” Peter mumbled to himself, before glancing over at Remus and hinting with a pointed glance that he should be the one to tell James.
Letting out a loud sigh, Remus finally relents under the combined gaze of his two friends. ”What Pete means to say James is that ever since our third year unless you have a date, it is always a tradition for you and Rowan to head down to Hogsmeade together on the first carriage.”
James visible blinks in surprise, before furrowing his brow. ”And I wasn't told this, why?”
”It easily slipped from all of our minds,” Remus truthfully murmured as he hurriedly pulled on his shirt revealing a thin, pale, body covered in countless, thin scars. Still sitting on his bed, Peter nods his head in agreement with Remus's words.
”Wait, what time is it?” James urgently asked as recalled the task given to him by Dumbledore.
”Er, about five minutes until eight,” Peter mumbled as he glanced over at the clock.
”By Helga's rear!” James cursed to the amus.e.m.e.nt of Peter and the exasperated expression of Remus. Scrambling out of his clothes, he pulls the nearest clothes within reach, before clambering down the stairs still putting on his robes. However, halfway down the stairs, he recalls that he had left mokeskin in the dorm room and rushes back upstairs.
Peter just shakes his head at James' antics and returns to stretching while Remus mumbles something under his breath about Gryffindors, which only caused Peter too loudly snicker, while Sirius murmurs something in his sleep blissfully unaware of the morning's events.
Not even pausing for brunch, James runs down the winding staircase and out into the front hall. To his dismay, he hears the first carriage departing. Panting, he rushes out of the front entrance only to see the first carriage headed to Hogsmeade being pulled by reptilian horse-like skeleton creatures. With wand in hand, he almost casts a spell, before recalling what the creatures in fact were, Thestral's.
Slowly lowering the wand in his hand, James stands there stiffly in the cold morning air. He had never seen Thestral's during his time at Hogwarts, but then again, he had never witnessed death before. And now, well, he was not the same as before.
Sliding his wand into his back pocket, James hastens towards the next carriage and climbs inside. With a loud creak, the carriage sets forward towards Hogsmeade gently being pulled by a pair of Thestral's. Finally catching his breath, he leans back and sighs. He was truly not cut out for this, but he did not have a choice, it was what Dumbledore had requested of him.
James's eyes flicker outside as he studies the gray sky and realizes with a shiver that he was cold. Hastily pulling his robes shut, he shivers again and casts a warming charm over his robes. In his haste, he had forgotten to even grab his house scarf much less a cloak or even gloves. But at least, he had remembered to return for his mokeskin pouch. It would truly be embarrassing if he had Lily pay for their date at Hogsmeade.