Sunshine if Eternal

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"James, are you planning to get up some time this morning?" my Ma stuck her head round the door, letting a square of light fall though the doorway onto my bedroom carpet.

"I'll think about it." I turned over in my comfortable bed, not wanting to have to get up.

"James!" she put on a warning tone of voice.

"What?"

"Up! Now!"

"But, Ma-"

"Come on. Up! We're meeting Sirius and Tzeitele this morning, remember? They won't be happy if we're late!" Sirius is my best friend. I've known him for years. Since we were little, in fact. Some people think he's annoying, but I think he's funny. Tzeitele's his older sister. She's quite cool, actually. She's finished Hogwarts now, and is training to be a teacher, of all things! Why anyone would want to be a teacher is beyond me. Hogwarts, though... wonder what it'll be like?

"Yeah, ok, Ma." I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My mum nodded approvingly, and disappeared from the doorway, allowing me to get dressed in peace. I pulled on my trousers and T-shirt, and attempted to brush my hair. However, my hair strictly refuses to be brushed. It has a life of its own, and it constantly looks like I'm wearing a nailbrush on my head.

I stared at myself in the wardrobe mirror. Round face. Dark eyes. Glasses. Black hair that suggests someone has just given me a very nasty shock. In fact, almost exactly like every other member of my family, save for my Mum, whose hair is brown and whose eyes are blue.

"James, hurry up for Chris sake! Good Grief, do you want to be late?" Good old Ma. Her real name's Martha, which means 'lady of the house’. It suits her, although I'd never call her that, of course. She's so organised! She's forever fussing, telling me not to be late, to do my homework on time, to tidy my room... everything! Mind you, I suppose someone in this household has to do so, since every other one of us is untidy, disorganised and skatty.

"Coming, Ma!" I continued trying to flatten my hair.

I could hear the twins playing down stairs. They're both five years old, and have an inexhaustible supply of energy! They're noisy, too. Sirius calls them 'The Fireballs'. Measles and Bobby; The Fireballs. Those aren't their real names, of course. They're really called Esme- Rosalie and Robert. If I ever tried calling Esme- Rosalie by her name, I'd probably end up getting tortured to death. Death by Barbies. Yeah.

"James, for the thousandth time today, are you coming ?!"

"Yes, Ma! I said!" I gave up on my hair- it was obviously a hopeless case- and dashed from the room, dodging stray toys all the way. Hurrying down the stairs-

"Ow! Measles, did you have to leave that Lego there?!" I hopped around, clutching my severely dented foot.

"Yes!" Measles scowled at me from the doorway to her room, carrying her Baby Rosemary doll by the hair.

"Well, don't!"

"James, if you don't come now I'm going without you!"

"Coming, Ma!" I promised myself to deal the Measles later, and ran into the kitchen.

"And finally!" Ma scowled at me, shoving a piece of toast into my hand. My older brother, Joseph, was eating boiled egg at the kitchen table. He has another year of Hogwarts left before freedom, and here's me, not even started it.

"Ma, can't I have an egg?" I objected. I never liked toast, and she knew it.

"If you'd have been on time, you could have done. But you weren't, so you can't. Eat!"

I finished the toast, and pulled on my shoes, fumbling in doing up the laces "How're we getting there?" I asked my mum.

"Floo powder. Well, come on then, what're you waiting for? Good grief lad, look alive!" Dead complimentary, my Ma.

I took a pinch of the coloured powder, and threw it into the glowing flames in the fireplace. I stepped forwards, feeling the flames heating me slightly, not al all hot "Diagon Ally!" I shouted.

Next thing I knew, it was like I was being pulled down a long passageway at tremendous speed, fireplaces and glimpses of people's homes and shops flashing past me. I blinked the soot out of my eyes, and suddenly found myself being catapulted though a fireplace, onto the hearth of a small cafe in Diagon Ally. I nursed my bruised elbows, and moved out the way so that my mum could step out onto the cafe floor, as neat as if she'd never moved.

I could hear someone laughing behind me. Who else should it be but Sirius Black, laughing his head off.

"Good trip, James?" he grinned at me like a maniac.

"You could say that," I brushed the soot off of my clothes, and stood up.

"You ok, kid?" Tzeitele, Sirius's older sister asked me, smiling mockingly.

"Yes, thank you." I nodded. Tzeitele turned to my Ma.

"How's life, Martha?"

"Could be worse," my mum replied, "James, you look a state. However did you get so black?"

"Eh, let him alone," Tzeitele fussed "Boys will be boys, right Sirius?"

"Most of the time," Sirius grinned, "but some of them aren't at weekends!" I laughed, and Tzeitele smiled, but my mum remained completely composed. She doesn’t mind Sirius, really, but she dislikes Tzeitele, because 'she's a bad influence on impressionable children,' apparently. I suppose me and Sirius are the 'impressionable children' she's so fussed about.

"Well," Tzeitele gave my mum a bright smile "come and sit ye down. Have a teacake or something? Right."

Sirius caught my eye, and mouthed something at me. I nodded, and turned to my mum.

"Ma… you know how much I love you…?" I wheedled.

"Yes, James?"

"Can me and Sirius-"

"Sirius and I-"

"OK, Sirius and I, go and look around after we've got all our robes and things?"

Ma opened her mouth to say something, but luckily for me, Tzeitele got in first.

"Well, I don't see why not, Martha. Let them have some fun for a change, eh?"

"Tzeitele, I really don't think-"

"Give them some independence! You won't be there to look after James at Hogwarts, after all! Give them a chance to make some new friends, why not?"

"I-"

"That's settled then!" Tzeitele beamed "We'll get your robes fitted, then you can go and have fun without us boring old adults, and me and Martha can have a chat and a chance to relax for once!"

Ma gave up objecting "Oh, very well," she said at last, "but we'll meet you back here at three thirty PM, or else I'll never trust you on your own again, James Andrew Potter!"

"Thanks Ma! Thanks Tzeitele!" I couldn't wait to look in Quality Qudditch Supplies!

"Thanks, sis," Sirius added "Thanks, Mrs P." My mum nodded approvingly.

"Well," she said, "If everyone's finished their teacakes, I think we may as well get to Madam Malkin's Robe Shop."

At Madam Malkin's, both Sirius and I, got our robes fitted. Personally, I think they looked a bit daft, but school uniform always does. At least we weren't required to wear a tie. We used to, only I coloured all the blue Payling House stripes on mine in with colour changing ink. That really confused the Muggle teachers!

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"Yes! Escape at last!" Sirius threw his arms into the air as we left Tzeitele and my Ma to their lives. "No more worries for another four hours! Wahoo! Bugsy we go into that brill Quidditch shop first!"

"OK, sure!" We raced along the crowded street, dodging members of the public like anything, no worries in the world! We stopped and stared though the window of Quality Qudditch supplies, as though we were looking at the Crown Jewels.

"Whoa..." Sirius breathed, "look at that broom stick...!"

"A Nimbus Two hundred and sixty! One thousand Galleons! Wow! I so wish!"

I noticed another boy staring at the broom, as though it were a Dream Come True.

"Wouldn't you just love to have one of them?" I asked Sirius. The head of the boy next to me jerked upright at the sound of me addressing someone. He was a little shorter then me, but then, I'm pretty tall for my age. He had dark hair, and his robes looked distinctly shabby, you know, all worn. To go by his face, I would have said he was about thirteen or so, although I'm none so good at guessing ages. He had a rather serious aura about him. He was nothing at all like Sirius or myself!

"Sorry, were you talking to me?" he blinked at me, looking very nervous, although I had no idea why.

"Er, no. Sorry."

"Oh..." He blinked, and looked back at the display.

"What's up?" Sirius leaned across to look at the stranger "OK, I know James isn't much to look at, but there's no need to be depressed by his ugliness- ow!" I kicked him.

"Nothing's wrong. Er. And I'd love to have this broom, but there's no way I'd ever get the money... Um."

"You'd have to be a flippin’ millionaire to afford this!" Sirius pointed out.

"I suppose." The strange boy nodded, glumly.

"What's Hogwarts like?" I asked him, guessing that since he looked at least thirteen, he'd have been going there for some time now.

"Wish I knew...."

"You don't go there?"

"No, I start next week. I just know it's going to be a disaster."

"You're kidding!" Sirius interrupted "It's gonna be so cool! Midnight feasts, practical jokes-- everything! We're new too," he added, as if this needed explaining.

"I suppose."

"What's your name?" I looked at him, and he avoided my eye.

"Remus. Remus Lupin. My friends call me Moony. Or they would if I had any friends..." he shrugged hopelessly.

“And do you?”

“What?” He looked at me as though I’d gone barmy.

“Moony?” I grinned at him, but his face remained blank. Sirius sniggered slightly, but changed the subject.

"You'll make friends at Hogwarts," he prophesised, with his own personal brand of mindless optimism.

"I'd like to hope so." I noticed he didn't ask my name, or Sirius's. Maybe he didn't think we'd want to be friends with this serious, quiet, shy boy.

"I'm James Potter, by the way," I told him anyway, "and this freak's Sirius Black."

"How am I a freak? You're more of a freak then I am!" Sirius objected.

"Or not!"

"Well, see you," Moony turned to go, obviously giving up on the conversation.

"Hey, want to come to Florean Fortescue’s with us?" I called after him. He turned, and gave me the first suggestion of a smile I'd seen from him so far.

"You won't mind?"

"Nah. We can get ice creams, right? Provided the queue isn’t too long I mean," I explained.

"Thanks." He smiled, as if he was really grateful. Odd. After all, it’s only ice cream! But then again, this boy did look as though his life hadn’t been one huge bundle of laughs lately.

"What're we waiting for, then?!" whooped Sirius and the three of us continued up the busy street to the ice cream parlour.

Florean Fortescue's was empty, except for a girl who was being served, and another girl who was apparently waiting for her friend to return, sitting at one of the fancy little tables.

"I'll order, shall I?" I suggested.

"OK," Sirius agreed, and he and Moony sat down at a table "I want one of those double choc-chip American- Style... thingies."

"O...K...! What do you want, Moony?"

"I'll just have a normal vanilla ice cream, thanks,"

"Right-oh. I think I’ll have a Raspberry Ripple Sundae. Give me a mo, I’ll go and get ‘em.”

They both handed me the money, and I walked over to the counter, to queue behind the girl who was being served. As she turned around with her tray containing the two ice creams that she and her friend had ordered, the corner of the tray hit against my arm, and the whole thing fell to the floor with a loud crashing noise, and the tinkling of broken glass.

"Argh! You idiot!" she screeched at me, giving me a hefty thump round the lug.

"You called?" Sirius looked up from the table he was occupying.

"I wasn't talking to you!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry. Easy mistake to make!" Sirius grinned and turned back to the table, leaving the girl seething. I nursed my boxed ear, deciding that it would be tactful not to annoy her any more, lest I die horribly at the hands of this insane female.

The other girl who was evidently her friend, got up from the table, "Lily, wha's wrong?" She asked. And then she noticed the mess on the floor "I'm not payin' for it," she added quickly.

"Well, I'm not!" I scowled; it had been this creepy red- head's fault as much as mine!

"Oh, you think so, do you?! Why shouldn’t you? You knocked it over!" she objected, tossing her head.

"Yeah! You aught’ a pay!" Her friend put in, in her thick Oxfordshire accent.

"No way, José! If your freaky friend had have looked where she was going-"

"I was! You got in the way!"

"Be quiet all of you!" The owner of the shop interrupted our quarrel. I noticed that Sirius had been watching us with the kind of expression that someone might wear if they were watching a rather amusing film. Moony was just looking out the window, trying, as usual, not to catch anyone's eye.

"You're both as much to blame for this as each other," continued the owner

"No, I-"

"Be quiet, for goodness’ sakes, girl."

She scowled blackly.

"You will both pay half and half for this mess. That's five Galleons each."

Me and the stuck up prat of a girl glared at each other. She had a bright green stare that seemed to cut you in half. No-one should be allowed eyes that colour, I swear! Her friend also watched, with apparent interest, the way you might watch a rather interesting magical experiment.

"Yes, yes, alright," I fished in my pockets for some money that didn't belong to Sirius or Moony, and eventually handed over my five Galleons. The girl did so too, glaring at me all the while.

"Thanks to you, I haven’t got any more money left to buy an ice cream," she tossed her head "Come on, Banbury, let's go."

"No, I wan' to get my ice cream. An' I'll buy you one an' all," she added to her friend.

"Fine, but you buy them this time," she flounced over to the table where her friend had originally been seated, and sat in the seat, as if expectantly. What a snob!

I returned to my friends, "Are you two still getting anything?"

"You kidding?!" Sirius grinned. "I'll get withdrawal symptoms if I don't have some ice cream soon!"

"That's a yes, then?"

"You bet!"

"Moony?"

"I, er, well... why not?" I handed their money back, and waited while they queued and then retuned with their ice creams. I was starving, having eaten nothing since that toast earlier, but as I had spent the last of my money paying for the stupid try, I had no money to pay for my own ice cream. Bloody typical, really.

After a few minutes, the redhead and her friend, a sandy haired girl with too many freckles, approached our table.

"What do you girlies want?" Sirius asked, "Because I'm giving you none of my ice cream!"

"We don't want your silly old ice cream!" the girl called Lily tossed her head, an annoying habit she seemed to have. "If I wanted ice cream, I'd get my own, right, Banbury?"

"Right, Lily." Agreed her friend, who was evidently Banbury.

"I'm just decent enough to come and apologise," Lily continued.

"Very nice of you. How sweet. Now go away," I frowned, not wanting to have to put up with this annoying child any longer then I had to.

"Ooh, charming! Look, let's make friends; I'm Lily Evans. This is Banbury Norton. Who are you?"

Sirius spoke before I had a chance.

"Hi, I'm Michelle," he said, putting on a cheesy fake American accent. Lily and Banbury looked at him with vague amazement.

"Er-" Banbury began.

"But since that's only at weekends, you can call me Sirius Black."

"Er, Sirius-" I began, wondering if the ice cream had gone to his head.

"Oh shut up, Jennifer."

The girls continued to stare at him. Sirius can often have that effect on people.

"Look," Remus interrupted "I'm Moony-- well, my real name is Remus, but people call me Moony. The idiot's called Sirius. He's James Potter. Not Michelle and Jennifer," he added, with feeling. "Not even at weekends, bearing in mind today is Saturday. How do you do?”

"OK, I suppose, boy. Right, we're all friends now, and everyone can live happily ever after, and I'll be happy if I never see you again." Lily snubbed his politeness.

The two girls turned away, and left the ice cream parlour, leaving me wondering weather I'd have to put up with them at Hogwarts, too?

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Ginny Ha-ha