Chapter Text
‘Mine’s a tale that can’t be told
My freedom I hold dear
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air’
Ramble On - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Monday June 5, 1978
The brown Ford appeared in front of Mr. Lupin’s house on Monday night.
Sirius black had noticed the new addition to the street as he peered out of his best friend’s bedroom window. He was supposed to be paying attention to the new game James had received for his birthday—some insane mix of cards and tabletop boardgaming—but inside was taking the time to marvel at the mysterious truck.
James Potter's room was warm, lit by only his desk lamp and the string of lights running from his broken ceiling fan to the wall by the door. In classic teenage boy fashion, he had action movie posters and popular bands plastered across every surface of the wood paneled walls, an american flag hanging over his bed in some uneducated patriotic act.
It was normal. It was safe.
One of Sirius’s records was playing softly on the turntable in the corner of the room—Sirius’s corner of the room—Led Zeppelin II buzzing through the second-hand speakers Mr. Potter had given him for his birthday last year.
”It’s just—no, look here, my card goes here and you move here, and-yeah, there,” Peter mumbled, sitting on James’s squishy, questionably stained beanbag.
The complex card game was spread across the foot of the bed on top of James’s bright red comforter.
“Padfoot, come over her—what are you looking at?” James asked as he leaned over onto Sirius’s shoulder to look with him out the window. His glasses dug into the side of Sirius’s arm, making him squirm against the frames. James was the only one aloud to touch him besides his brother and, instead of pulling away, he leaned into the uncomfortable touch.
“Did Lupin get a new truck?” Was all Sirius said, not turning away from the window. He dug his fingers into a small hole forming at the hem of his shirt, a pleasant ripping sound just for Sirius.
“I don’t think so, wouldn’t have the scratch for that, now would he,” James sighed, turning back to the game he was definitely losing.
“No… suppose not. Think he’s got a girlfriend?”
“Hah, you're funny!” Peter giggled, slumping farther into the beanbag. His sandy hair falling into his eyes like dead grass.
Sirius rolled his eyes and chucked a pillow at Peter’s head, missing his scalp and plopping against his ear. He shouted in dismay before turning and hurling the pillow back at Sirius.
Sirius flinched on instinct, covering his head with his arms as the pillow sailed over his own head and collided with the window with a thump.
“Not cool, dude,” James said with a frown, turning away from Sirius’s shoulder.
Sirius looked up from his freeze response and shook his shoulders out, ignoring Peter’s smug apology.
Waving Peter off, he instead looked back outside just as a tall figure exited Mr. Lupin’s front door and made their way to the mystery truck.
The figure leaned on the hood of the car before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, barely distinguishable in the dim light. Lighting the cigarette, Sirius could just make out the face of a boy, messy brown hair falling in his face. But before Sirius could get a good look, the boy flicked the lighter closed again, leaving only the soft orange glow of the cigarette.
Sirius watched the small dot of light move periodically as he took long drags from the smoke in between staring up at the dark sky. He finished his cigarette just as the street lights flickered on, casting him in a soft yellow glow, like he was trapped in the yoke of an egg. The boy dropped the butt, grounding it into the pavement with the tip of his shoe.
Before Sirius could get a good look at his face, the boy promptly turned around and unlocked the driver's side door of the Ford. Swiftly turning the car on and peeling out from the cerb, the Ford barreled East towards the freeway and out of sight.
“It’s a boy,” Sirius mumbled, eyes still glued to the dimly lit street,
“What?” Peter and James asked in unison.
“The truck, some guy our age, just drove off in it.”
“Cool?” Peter said, not looking up from the game. He had a hand of complex looking cards fanned out between his fingers as he surveyed the board with a squint. Peter seemed to be beating James in whatever it was they were playing with calculated skill.
“We should see if he’s around tomorrow,” Sirius suggested, turning around to face the two boys next to him.
“Yeah, maybe he’ll actually be a worthy opponent,” Peter grumbled, discarding his cards on the carpet at his victory.
“Maybe,” Sirius said, turning back to stare again at the old Lupin house. A single light shone from the window in the kitchen making Mr. Lupin’s movements around the room illuminated and casting a thick yellow glow on the dead grass of his side yard.
Maybe summer won’t be so dull this year, Sirius thought with a small, private smile budding across his face.
James and Peter were good company, sure, but they usually just dug holes at the beach or smoked weed in the forest behind James’ house. Nothing exciting, or bubbling with edventure ever seemed to happen in these summers on the coast, but maybe this mystery boy would change all that.
Maybe.