Chapter Text
James
James stretched his arms above himself laboriously as he lay out on the sofa in the stifling hot sitting room of the manor. He yawned and sat up. He’d accidentally fallen asleep at some point during the course of the morning and he shook his head to wake himself up. The day was oppressively hot. He sat up and blinked around himself, the house was quiet, he couldn’t hear a thing other than the steady ticking of the clock in the corner of the room. He rubbed his hands over his face to wake himself up some more. His mother’s book was laying open on the coffee table in front of him, so he picked it up and flicked through the pages. It sent a shiver down his spine to think of his sweet mother reading this filth with her friends, but he thought about nicking it from her once she was done nonetheless. He opened the first page and read for a while before the still air of the sitting room got too much to bear. He would have to venture outside, he realised, there might be a hint of a breeze to provide some relief.
He threw the book down behind him and strolled through the manor. Every door and window was open, a desperate attempt to provide some airflow to the cavernous rooms within. He made his way down to the kitchen and saw that it was empty of any activity. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of lemonade and took several long gulps before exiting through the kitchen door into the vegetable garden. There were a few bees lazily bumbling from plant to plant, but otherwise there was no one around.
James sighed and decided he’d head into the village to kill some time instead. He jumped on the back of his bike and cycled lazily through the long country lanes towards the village. Fields of green and yellow spread out around him as he meandered around the bendy stone-wall lined lanes. He wasn’t in a rush; he didn’t have anywhere to be. He made it into the village green and spotted a singular other person. Lily was standing at the far side of the green in front of a large red post box. She had something clutched in her hands and was frowning down at it. James cycled towards her and hopped off as he reached her.
“What you got there?” he asked. Lily jumped slightly at his sudden arrival and her face shifted into an anxious grimace.
“Oh it’s nothing,” she said.
“Doesn’t look like nothing, looks pretty important to me,” James said.
Lily turned to face him and hesitated for a second before speaking. “It’s an application,” she said. “For a dressmaking class in London.”
James whistled lowly and approached Lily. He leaned against the post box and considered her anxious energy. “Shouldn’t it go in the box?” he suggested. Lily rolled her eyes at him, but he could see a smirk leaking out from beneath the façade.
“I’m not sure… well it’s a bit silly, isn’t it?”
“What is? Post boxes? I think they’re rather ingenious actually. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to send a letter without them,” James replied. Lily raised her eyebrow at him, and James couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you worried about Lils?”
“What if I don’t get in? What if they say I’m not good enough and it was ridiculous for me to even think I had a chance?”
James scoffed. “Not a chance, I’ve never met someone so gifted in all my life. Look at the dress you’re wearing, could have told me came straight from Paris and I’d believe you,” he said. She was wearing a pretty green dress that complemented her dark red hair rather well. It had short sleeves, a swooping collar and a loose skirt that puffed out from her waist. Lily smiled slightly and looked down at her dress. She was still clutching the letter in her hand tightly and its edges had begun to get crinkled. Eventually she shrugged and looked around the sleepy village, it was unnaturally quiet and there didn’t seem to be a single person outside. “Lily, is all that’s stopping you from posting that letter the fact that you think you’re not good enough?” James asked after a moment.
Lily twisted her mouth as she contemplated the question before nodding sadly at James.
“Okie doke,” James said, he jumped towards her and grabbed the letter from her hand. He shoved it into the post box before she had any time to react.
“James!” Lily cried. He turned to face her and shrugged, not attempting to supress the grin on his face. “I was going to do it,” she mumbled after a moment.
“I know you were,” he said. James softened his smile and looked at her properly, she met his eye and couldn’t help from returning the smile.
“Thanks James,” she said reluctantly after a moment.
“You’re going to be magnificent Lily, just wait and see.” Lily shrugged, but she still had that smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. She turned to walk away back towards the tailors. “Are you coming to the dance tonight?” James called after her.
“Yep,” she replied over her shoulder.
“And are you finally going to dance with me?”
“Nope.”
“That’s alright, I’m a very patient man.”
Lily turned to face him but continued walking backwards.
“I know you are James. And believe me, what you’re really waiting for, it’s going to find you.”
Her face broke into a dazzling grin and she laughed before she turned away and jogged away from him.
James huffed slightly and watched her leave. He scanned the village green and found it empty. He got on his bike and rode to Marlene’s, the windows and doors were closed and there didn’t appear to be anyone home. He threw down his bike and began trudging up the tall hill that sat behind her house. He immediately regretted the exertion when his shirt began seeping with sweat and his breath became laboured. Once he’d finally puffed his way to the top, he took a seat on the parched grass and looked across the sweep of the countryside.
It was beautiful there, the cloudless skies and rolling hills spread out before him like eternity. It was probably his favourite place in the world, that small hill in a forgotten part of England.
The hours stretched in those days, long hot summer evenings and sunny, stifling afternoons. James felt like time had slowed for him. He was waiting for something and time itself was conspiring against him to prevent him from finding it sooner.
He thought about the rest of the day. Sirius would be arriving later, and then they’d likely head to the hideaway with Remus to drink before the dance. What he’d do in the meantime, he had no idea. Maybe he’d go back to the manor and lay out on the lawn to soak in some of the sun. He closed his eyes and let the heat beat down on him, a gentle breeze blew across his face and a bird sung in the distance. He took a deep breath of the warm country air and exhaled.
‘Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes.
It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.’