The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Goodbyes, Supplies, and Other Things

Goodbyes, Supplies, and Other Things

After the camping trip ended, the summer started to end and James wished it would slow down a bit because as much as he wanted to go back to Hogwarts, he also was enjoying the time spent with the other Marauders being complete lie-abouts in Godric's Hollow. Peter came by via the Knight Bus nearly everyday and the four of them would hang about doing a bunch of nothing. Most mornings started with the four of them sitting along the wall watching Ace Dante leave for the morning while Sirius drooled over his fancy cranberry red motorbike ("Doesn't it just remind you of Gryffindor? That colour?" Sirius asked with reverence; "Everything reminds you of Gryffindor, mate," answered Remus, "I swear if you had a plate of chips with castup it would remind you of Gryffindor!"). Then they'd go walking along down the street to the lake and if it was hot enough they'd take a swim, sometimes going all the way out ot the little rock island in the center and taking turns belly-flopping back into the water and splashing at Remus, who preferred to wade to his knees with his pants rolled up than to actually strip off and get in ("We're technically in public and my scars are awful," Remus said; "They aren't awful, stop it," Sirius argued). Another thing they did a lot of was eating - Mrs. Potter always had some sort of sweet for them to pick up from the kitchen at the Potter house, along with bags of sandwiches to take with them on their adventures. Bacon sandwiches with thick slices of tomato and lettuce or else corned beef with spicy mustard. She made towers of butterbeer cookies and lollipops, cups of puddings and muffins and granola bars with chocolate drizzled over the top... And they spent a good deal of nights in the tent in the woods behind the Potter house, or else sitting 'round a fire and talking nonsense for hours and hours, Peter roasting marshmallows while Remus tried at explaining what s'mores were and how to make them. They played card games and chess and exploding snap and Sirius would break out in song at random, his voice carrying through the dark trees while they roasted frankfurters or great chunks of beef or lamb on kebobs with cut peppers that Mrs. Potter would send out with them for their dinners...

It was the very, very end of August when Newt Scamander's werewolf scratches were healed and he announced that he, Tina, and Ned needed to be on their way. There'd been another litter of Crups that needed attention not too far away and he still had the matter of appeasing Mr. Patra's bent feelings and delivery of the Charkorais birds, whose singing was starting to get quieter as they craved the full moon coming just days away.

"You'll come and visit me again sometime, won't you?" Remus asked tearfully as they said goodbye in the Potter living room. It'd been decided, since there would only be a few more days before they'd be departing on board the Hogwarts Express, that Remus would spend the last of the summer with the Potters as Newt and his magic briefcase laboratory got on the move...

"Of - of course we, uh, we will," Newt stammered, always so terrible at goodbyes. He petted Remus's back awkwardly, then smiled and hurried off to catch the Niffler from stealing one of Mrs. Potter's knickknacks while nobody had been looking.

Tina Scamander smoothed Remus's hair and she smiled at him, her eyes looking a bit red about the edges, trying not to cry. "We'll be back," she said thickly, "To check on you and be sure you're doing okay..." She smiled sadly, "Be good, Remus Lupin, and goodness will come back to you." She held his head by his ears and gently kissed his forehead before going to join her husband at looking busy to staunch the tears that threatened.

Ned Veigler was the hardest of all, though. Remus stared up at him and he stared back and smiled and he said, "You heard Tina. Be good."

"Yes, sir," Remus nodded. "I'll do my best."

Ned used the wrist of his robes to reach out and polish Remus's Prefect badge, which was still pinned to his chest... Ned smiled. "Imagine that. A werewolf for a Prefect." He smiled. "I'm very proud of you. Did I mention that?"