James Potter can arrest you! But not really. (jamesagain) wrote in thesocieties, @ 2010-08-29 23:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! log, 2023: 09/september, ch: albus potter, ch: james potter |
Who: James and Albus Potter
When: Sunday, 29 August
Where: A pub
What: Passing of family heirlooms
Rating: G
Status: Completed log
James didn’t want to give up his map, and that was a problem. It was a problem because he knew he had to pass down the map and it was causing him pain in his stomach just thinking about it. Or it could be the fish he’d just eaten. The pub around the corner from the Ministry might give Aurors discounts, but the food there still wasn’t worth the money. James made a face, reminding himself (as he did every time he ate there, which was on a weekly basis) not to order food next time and just stick to pints. Pints were always safe. Holding up his hand and signaling for another round of said pints, James looked over at his younger brother and stuck his hand into his pocket. The pocket that contained a plain white envelope. The plain white envelope that contained an old, folded sheet of parchment. An old,, folded sheet of parchment that contained his most prized possession. His only link to his grandfather besides his name. Or maybe he was just a packrat. “So? Are you ready for another year of passing out detentions? Ready to be king of those who take points?” he asked instead, his hand still on the envelope but not quite sure how to move beyond that. Albus was wary. It put him on edge, James going out of his way to request time with him, and being on edge around James put Al at a disadvantage. Though he ought to have been used to it by now--seventeen years should have been enough to teach him some tolerance--Al hated being surprised by his brother. It was just one of the many unbridgeable gaps that Al felt between him and James: try as he might, he couldn’t keep up with James, but he knew he at least had to brace himself for the worst. The worst, as Al imagined it, was that James was going to try to convince him to use his powers as Head Boy for some strange and likely immoral purpose. So he answered carefully, his shoulders still stiff and his eyes still narrowed and watchful, despite a pint of beer already inside him. “There’s more to being a prefect, and Head Boy, than detentions and points. Like being a leader. And being responsible. And stopping conflict. And helping people.” He stuck his chin up. “So, yeah. I’m ready. And I’ll be good at it.” Okay, maybe his pre-emptive attempt at refusing to let James corrupt him was a bit heavyhanded, but it did leave him feeling steadier. James raised an eyebrow at Al’s almost political response. Again he felt another urge to keep the map. What if Al did use it to catch people breaking rules? The thought almost made James feel sick. If this was a movie he’d have brought two envelopes in different colours and held them out, telling Al that the blue one would lead him to a life of responsibility and stopping conflict and the red one would lead him down the rabbit hole of rulebreaking and freedom. Or was it the blue one that did that? James didn’t remember. And besides, if it were that movie he’d look like Minister Shacklebolt and Al would be wearing leather. The next round of beers arrived at the table and James took his glass with his left hand, his right still in his pocket with the envelope. “But will you like it?” he asked, finally drawing out the envelope and put it on the table, out of Al’s reach. “And what if you found something else you would be good at and would like even more?” Al stared down at the envelope and considered whether he was supposed to know what it was. He didn’t think he’d seen it before, and if James was carrying it around, of course it couldn’t be good. Tamping down his curiosity--Al assumed James wanted him to be curious, so of course he’d attempt to resist the intrigue--he pulled his concentration back to the conversation and reached for his drink. “I don’t know if I’m going to like it,” he said slowly. Although he had been thinking about this issue, Al had yet to vocalise his complicated thoughts. That James wanted to know if he’d like it, that surprised him, and made him a bit embarrassed, even, although he quickly chalked up the unwanted sentiment to his general unease with this entire outing. “But I can probably find a way to make it so I’ll like it. Redefine it, if I have to. And if I find something else I want to do, I’ll do it. Being Head Boy isn’t going to stop me from illegally launching a weather balloon from the Owlery. For example.” James wasn’t sure if Al knew it, but that was the perfect answer. Of course he wouldn’t have believed him he’d staunchly declared that it was his dream and he’d do the best job any Head Boy ever had, and he knew well enough that Al would never admit to hating the position. But admitting that he’d break the rules, that he was open to game changing occurrences? Well, it was the best James could hope for. The envelope with the map inside was slid across the table, James’ finger still on it, a physical symbol of his hesitance to let it go. “When you swear to it you can’t go back on it. And I want it back when you leave Hogwarts,” he said finally, keeping his gaze steady with Al’s until he broke it to stare longingly at the envelope beneath his finger. Thrown by his brother’s seriousness, and with his curiosity triumphantly wrestling back control over his attention, Al found his own hand shooting out toward the envelope even as he struggled to interpret James’s words. He hesitated, his hand hovering over the envelope; he didn’t know what was in it, or what swearing or leaving Hogwarts had to do with the contents. “Is...is it going to explode or something?” he asked, his confidence shifting. Grinning, James reluctantly pulled his hand away and grasped his glass for something to do with it. “No. But it will change your life,” he said sagely. Or as sagely as James could say with a smirk and a beer in his hand. “Just trust me for once. You’ll be glad you did.” Al opened his mouth to deny that he’d ever cave to a request from James to trust him, but instead he just sighed and picked up the envelope. With exaggerated care, he opened it and slipped out its contents. A worn piece of parchment. He brushed his fingers across the folds, brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to figure out what James had given him, and he unfolded the paper. It was disappointingly blank. Al felt as if he should understand this. His heart had sped up as his imagination ran away with the possibility that his suspicion was correct, but his suspicion didn’t make sense. Eyes narrowed, he looked up at James. “What is this?” With a lift of his eyebrows James took a drink of his beer, watching as Al examined and questioned the parchment. “What do you think it is?” he asked once he’d swallowed, setting his glass down. “Because whatever you think it might be? Is probably what it is.” “It’s your--I mean, it’s Dad’s map. Except,” Al added accusingly, using indignation to cover up his confusion, “it’s blank.” And it didn’t make sense that James would give this to him, he thought, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud. “I’m not in school anymore. Lily would get it confiscated. You wouldn’t. And you’re next in line. My choices were limited,” James said with a shrug. Then he crossed his arms and leaned forward against the table, having difficulty masking the amusement on his face at Al’s confusion. “It’s clean right now. There’s a phrase to activate the map and a phrase to wipe the map. I had to figure them out myself and so do you,” he warned seriously, amusement fading as he got into the rules. “If you talk to the map Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs will respond, usually with insulting things, but they’ll help you figure it out when you swear to use it for mischief. Just... don’t tell them your name. They really hate Severus Snape. And make sure you figure out both phrases because you can’t leave it active. Someone might see it and then what? You lose it. Several of the passage ways are blocked off, but you’ll figure that out on your own. Think you can manage it?” There. Plenty of clues in that description to help. More than he had at any rate. That explanation was understandable enough, but Al was still partly stuck in disbelief. He turned the parchment over, examining it and only half listening to what James was saying. No, he wouldn’t get the map confiscated. He would use the map to help him and Lindsay sneak out for meteor showers. He would use it to make sure he could elude Bloxam and Filch when out and about doing Circle activities. And he would use it to avoid people when he needed to get away from being Head Boy. This was, quite possibly, the best gift ever, and James had given it to him. “Yeah. I can manage it.” He cleared his throat, his wariness replaced by excitement: subdued, Al-like excitement, but excitement nonetheless. “Thanks. This is really cool.” This was the right choice. Lists and common sense had told him that a week ago, but he’d still been nervous about it until right that moment. It wasn’t often that he was the one making Al happy, and being able to do it now? Well, he wouldn’t deny that it felt very big brotherly of him. And it was a good feeling. “It is cool. And you’re welcome. You earned it. Just... you’ll give it back at the end of the year, yeah? We can decide if Lily’s discreet enough yet for it then. Or something.” Pushing himself up and leaning back in his chair, James picked up his glass again, more satisfied then he’d been in months. |