Chapter Text
THE DAILY PROPHET
June 17th, 1837
Today marks the end of Cadmus Xarann’s reign of tyranny. Countless victims and unvoiced fears were served justice today for the first time since the British Ministry of Magic was seized by a dark magic terrorist group in 1831. Years before this victorious day, let it be remembered how our beloved history was erased when, for the first time, our Minister was killed and replaced by a traitorous dictator. Cadmus Xarann had served as the Head of Aurors for three years before he was removed from his position due to an insurrection against the Ministry when he broke protocol to enforce Auror's use of dark magic. Rebels who were outraged by his removal banded together to go against the good of magic to form an unstable Ministry.
In a true depiction of bravery, Geoffrey Potter and Katherine Travers, a pureblood couple who had close ties within the Ministry, led the fight to take back our government. Together, they were spokespeople to convince the countless underrepresented wizards to rise in arms against Xarann’s dictatorship. With Katherine courageously destroying the baneful wards with her intellect for curse-breaking, she opened up the path for Geoffrey and their army to raid the hijacked Ministry. Cadmus Xarann was pronounced dead after he refused to comply with the people’s terms.
After rebel arrests were made, there was a unanimous vote to declare Geoffrey Potter and Katherine Travers as the monarchs of the British Wizarding government. The Ministry and the Minister of Magic themselves will work closely with our new, heroic royals to represent the people as we go forward. Using their political and diplomatic experiences, we shall, from this day henceforth, honour our new leaders as they reestablish us back into the Wizarding World in a united front.
Published by Abraham Skeeter
“Your Royal Highness, are you ready to leave?” The guard by his bedroom door asks.
James Potter turns towards him with a big smile, giddy like a child, and replies, “Yep! I just have to get my trunk.” He promptly jumps up from where he had been perched on his bed to grab his luggage on the other side of the room.
The guard heaves a heavy sigh. “Sir, you are aware we have brought staff specifically up here to apparate your things to where the rest of the security detail will be waiting by your Portkey.”
This makes James stop in the centre of the room in his haste to the trunk. He pivots towards his open door and can see the vast, expansive hallway of his home stretching behind the guard. James watches the way the man’s badge and his blue security robes gleam in the morning light of September 1st. Throughout James’ life, most closer personnel guards cycle through rotation and last around four years. While most succumb to his charms, this one has been a stubborn challenge.
However, James Potter is determined to make him his friend.
“Mr. Arnold,” he begins and persists through the stony stare of his guard that greets him. Most people don’t take time to learn the guard’s names, but James always has. “You know I can carry my things. I don’t want to trouble the staff.” He turns back to continue walking toward the luggage before asking, “Will my parents make it back from the meeting in time before Sirius and I have to leave?”
“Their Majesties should be leaving breakfast with the Minister of Magic as we speak. They will be present at the Portkey location.” Mr. Arnold replies. James notes he hasn’t moved nor blinked since he walked into the door frame to summon him. He’s an older man with dark skin, brown eyes, and greyed short curls to frame his head. James has known him for the past seven months, which means they have a lot of time left together.
James is slowly learning how scary Mr. Arnold can be with his monotonous expressions. Most of the time, his guard is exasperated with him not following simple directions. James often wants to take a walk outside, fly on the broom his dad gifted him, or go to a sweets shop with Sirius. Casual sounding as these tasks may be, the problem is that these aren’t simple for a royal or their security personnel. Scanning for press, issuing protection shields, and summoning a guard team to accompany him when he leaves the property usually defeats the hope of spontaneity.
James, in his 18 years of being the Crown Prince of the British Wizarding throne, has learned when to not push it with guards. After all, his parents, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, did not have a second child. In rash terms, he’s extremely aware that the future of the monarchy depends on his safety; or, in other words, they need him alive. While this is an enormous pressure at times since James has always leaned towards mischief, this doesn’t dissuade the fact his parents are there to guide him. He's the luckiest boy on the planet to have his parents. They make their love for him so evidently clear in the way they listen to him, laugh with him, and try to give him as normal a life as they can.
While he may have parents who can forgive him for sneaking out or doing the occasional stupid prank at school, Mr. Arnold does not. James Potter is learning that the British Wizarding World resting on his shoulders isn’t as scary as Mr. Arnold finding out he did something against protocol.
He really, truly does try not to make any of the staff’s lives harder. His mum made it very clear since he was little to always treat everyone in their home with respect. Some of his fondest memories are of him and his parents helping the chefs in the kitchen cook dinner when he was younger. Since then, it has been a tradition in the Potter home to cook with the chefs as a family when someone receives great news. The day his parents got the Minister to agree to sign the Free Enslaved House Elves Act, they made a stew. When his parents hosted their first Blood Unity Ball, they made a cottage pie the following Sunday. When James made the Quidditch team, they made a roast when he visited for a holiday.
That being said, sometimes it’s difficult for James to make everyone’s lives easier. Especially security guards. But especially Mr. Arnold’s life when he finds out he has to deal with James Potter and his friends. He can see how strained Mr. Arnold’s face is, knowing that today is the first day back at Hogwarts for James’ seventh year. It’ll be a long one for him but a great one for James. Just knowing he’ll be getting on the train in less than an hour is making him burst with energy.
Don’t get it wrong, James loves the summers. As a boy, he would run along the gardens surrounding the Potter estate after his etiquette classes ended for the day. Summers have always been the time James is trained in all things from posture, royal protocol, and politics so that during the rest of the year, he can focus on his schoolwork. While he has always liked his tutors since he was a kid, James struggles with paying attention in his sessions when the beauty of his mother’s flowers can be seen outside the castle windows. As he gets older, the expectations grow with him. He finds that the sun on his skin after a political lesson washes all of his troubles away. When he’s eating fruit under his favourite tree in the gardens on his family’s property, everything else seems so mundane.
When Sirius had shown up on his doorstep after his fifth year, James had made it his mission to make his best mate feel at home here. It took a while for James to spend time with him, though, even considering that they were only a hallway away from each other. Sirius and Effie had many private discussions when he first moved in. Often, James would be waiting for hours until he could see him. Other times, Sirius just wanted to be alone. To this day, Sirius doesn’t discuss all of the events that led to him running away that one summer night. All James knows is that defiance doesn’t survive in the House of Black. You either are fully compliant, or you are the enemy.
James loved Sirius throughout his mourning that summer and has never stopped. When Sirius would burst into tears in the middle of laughter, James held him. When Sirius would get up from the dinner table after a lapse of silence, James would sneak up food to him later because he knew he’d be hungry. James took Sirius to his favourite hiding spots in his home, introduced him to the staff, and gave him his best broom when they’d fly. Sirius had gone through something unimaginable and had changed as a person because of it. James helped him find himself again that summer. Slow as a process it may have been, he would do it all again in a heartbeat for Sirius. Making him laugh for the first time since he had run away from home is James’ greatest achievement.
Now, since the summer after fifth year, James’ summers are filled with training, fruits, and Sirius Black. While he wouldn’t trade it for the world, he’s practically leaping out of his skin to get back to their Hogwarts dorm room, and he knows Sirius is, too.
His suspicions are correct when he eventually makes his way down the marble steps, wooden trunk clunking against the wall where he walks, and sees his best mate already standing by the apparition point. James can feel his smile widen when he spots his parents back from their meeting and talking with Sirius. He places his trunk on the floor, turns to wink at Mr. Arnold because he carried it by himself successfully, and runs to kiss Sirius with a big smack to his forehead.
“Oi!” Sirius exclaims in surprise.
“Morning!” James pivots away from Sirius to kiss his parents on their cheeks.
“Good morning, love.” His mum begins. James can see that she’s wearing her favourite pair of red robes she usually preserves unless she’s meeting other diplomats. “Did you shrink everything you need into your trunk? Shoes, socks, shirts, robes, pants, books-”
“Yes, Mum.” James interrupts her list quickly. Sirius grins from beside him when Effie narrows her eyes at James suspiciously, her lips pursing. “I swear! Mr. Arnold can confirm it.”
This earns him an exasperated eye roll from her due to the way he addresses Mr. Arnold. He knows it’s too casual, and he’s going against royal protocol by doing it, but James stays resilient. Fleamont only shakes his head in amusement as he watches his wife turn to his guard waiting by the stairs and say, “Sir, is he all packed?”
“He is, Your Majesty. I had a checklist made for him as he was packing his belongings.”
James beams at his mum when she turns back to face him, watching her huff and lean forward to ruffle his hair. “Thank you, Sir.” She calls back to Mr. Arnold.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He responds.
“Sirius was just telling us how many posters he has stowed away in his trunk for this year,” Monty speaks from beside them, hands in his pockets as he raises his eyebrows at Sirius.
“In my defence, half of them are going to Remus’ side of the room. His dad gets mad at him if he spends his money on too many Bowie posters, so I make sure I always pack extra for him.” Sirius retorts. James and Peter always get to watch Remus and Sirius fight about where to place new posters every year. They are the two most stubborn people he knows; they can go for hours with Remus insisting one poster must go one way, and Sirius insists it should face the other way.
“Speaking of Remus, you’ll tell him and Peter we say hello, won’t you? Same for Marlene, Lily, and Mary.” Effie asks. His parents can only see his friends every once in a while since monarchs tend to have a busy schedule. Every year, the Palace permits his friends to all stay over for a night during Christmas break. That is usually the only time his parents can see them, but they love his friends all the same.
“Of course, Mum.” James nods earnestly.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Majesties, but the train will be leaving in a half hour.” Mr. Arnold speaks from where he still stands by the stairs.
“Thank you, Sir,” Monty says. He turns to James and Sirius, and before James can even blink, they’re both being squeezed in a hug. His father does this every time they have to leave for school. Like it’s automatic, James and Sirius wrap their arms around him at the same time. “You two be good, alright? Try to be smart this year, for once. Let Remus talk some sense into you both.” He smirks.
“Ahh, you see. Remus tries, but I don’t think he’ll find much success again. Maybe next year is the charm.” Sirius says with a wink when Monty releases the hug.
“Well, for everyone’s sanity, let us all better hope this will be the year his words stick.” Effie joins in warmly before leaning forward to ruffle Sirius’ hair too. He practically lets out a shriek before quickly moving to fix his hair with his hands. Effie barrels him into a hug before he can fix much of it. James snorts when Effie smacks a kiss on Sirius’ cheek and leaves a lipstick mark that makes him shriek again.
When she turns away from Sirius to face him, he melts into her arms. He breathes in the sweet, floral scent of her shampoo as he buries his face into her neck. James is convinced he would be content to stay here forever, by the apparition point, surrounded by his family. He truly is the luckiest boy in the world.
To his dismay, his mum pulls back. She kisses his forehead, also leaving a red lipstick mark to match Sirius’, when she sees James pouting at the lack of a hug. “You two better write to us. We want to hear all of it, no matter how boring. I’ll track you down myself if you don’t send us letters.”
“Yes, Mum.” Sirius and James simultaneously reply.
“Alright, now. Let’s get you off to your final year.” Monty says with a smile.
After exchanging final goodbyes, James turns to pick up his trunk from where he left it on the floor. In his peripheral vision, he sees Mr. Arnold step forward with his palm outstretched. “Your Highness, if you will.” James looks up and sees what he’s holding.
It’s the golden signet ring he wears every school year. Before James’ first year at Hogwarts, he begged his parents not to send security with him. He didn’t want to feel like more of an outcast than he already is, with multiple intimidating guards tailing his every step. After listening to his desperate pleas that no one was going to be his friend if guards were always watching them, his parents drafted a solution: this Auror-designed golden signet ring that tracks his heart rate and sense of fear. If he squeezes it twice, Palace guards, including Mr. Arnold, will be immediately dispatched to his location by sensing danger through the ring wards. When he is away from guards, he is forbidden from removing it.
Beyond wearing it at school, he wears it when he goes to events that have big crowds of people. James wears the signet ring in case of a potential kidnapping, so the Palace has his location at all times. Or, when he senses danger, James can squeeze it if he needs to alert the guards without causing a stir.
Without a fight, James immediately takes it and puts it on. The familiar sense of magic it contains tingles his skin as Mr. Arnold apparates him and Sirius to the King’s Cross Portkey. They both grin at each other once the twists and turns of the Portkey stop and the train station comes within view. A bittersweet pang fills his heart when he realises this is the second and last time Sirius and James have pushed through the crowd of the station together. He loved seeing Sirius after the summer on the train for the first few years of school, too, but something about boarding together is important to James. Once they run through the wall together and make it to platform nine and three-quarters, Mr. Arnold takes the lead instead of trailing them. There’s an automatic shift in the environment of the people surrounding him. When they walked through the other platforms, no one even batted an eye at him. Now, the familiar sensation of people staring stung his skin.
As a young child before Hogwarts, he loved attention and getting people to light up when they recognised him. When he began growing, he found that a constant stream of stares when he left his home or dorm room had started to bother him. At the owl shop in Diagon Alley, James finds himself in a similar predicament to the animals in cages. He’s familiar with the feeling one gets when people stop, stare, and observe your every move to decide if you’re worth investing in or not. Naturally, as a young teenage boy, he found himself scrutinising his appearance in the mirror harshly. He remembers the burning sensation in his chest and the well of tears that formed when he hated a moving photograph of himself so much that was published in The Daily Prophet. It’s taken years to learn how to calm that frantic need for control James possesses. He has learned with time how to be confident, comfortable, and happy in his body under all the stares that have accompanied him his whole life.
The only downside of Hogwarts is when The Daily Prophet gets delivered with gossip about him, and everyone latches onto him with claws immediately. The Hogwarts Student Newspaper often uses James as a regular topic in their writing. Luckily, his classmates in his year have grown accustomed to him. Walking through the school halls usually only greets him with gawking stares from the younger years. His professors used to treat him cautiously as a boy, but after years of a growing mischievous streak, they roll their eyes and sigh at him like he’s any regular student. So, for the most part, he feels normal at Hogwarts, much to his relief.
However, a crowd full of Wizard parents like this usually makes him feel cornered. He finds himself naturally pressing closer to Sirius as they follow Mr. Arnold’s lead. James’ posture and etiquette training snap into place as he walks and smiles like clockwork.
Ignoring the whispers and gasps as he approaches the train, he instead focuses on the familiar steam and its colour. The Hogwarts Express welcomes him with open doors as he and Sirius make their way towards an available one. Before James takes his first step up the stairs, he turns around and shouts, “Goodbye, Mr. Arnold!” He beams with a big wave when Mr. Arnold only huffs in response. James could swear on the crown there was a small smile tugging at his lips.
James is immediately hit with the familiar stale scent of old carpet and sweets when he boards the train. He and Sirius push and slide past other students as they make their way through the slim hallway compartments, looking for Remus and Peter. James is craning his head to look through the window at the compartment to the left when, all of a sudden, he hears a door sliding open to his right. When he looks back to where Sirius is standing in front of him, James watches as Sirius is immediately engulfed in a hug.
James snorts as he can hear Sirius make a deflated oomph sound as Remus crushes him. Predictably, Sirius drops his trunk carelessly to wrap his arms around Remus.
“Missed me, eh, Moony?” Sirius asks, grinning against Remus.
“Not one bit,” is the quick, muffled response.
James rolls his eyes at the two of them as he pushes past and into the compartment. Ever since last year, they’ve been practically dancing around each other.
Remus and Sirius have always unspokenly had something, or at least James knew they had something since their first year. Sirius was the first to guess Remus was a werewolf, which means he must've been paying attention. But more obviously, between the four of them, Remus is only sweet around Sirius, much to Pete’s and James’ dismay. He'll snap at the two of them, then turn around and let Sirius borrow his jumper or something.
Beyond that, his suspicions were confirmed when Remus admitted to James he had smelled Sirius in his amortentia in fourth year. Remus was terrified to tell him, but he had only gotten a big, immediate hug from James.
He feels pity for Remus because Sirius is quite possibly the most emotionally traumatised and stunted man to exist on the planet. He's also terribly oblivious, to make matters worse.
James is happy for his friends regardless of what ends up happening between them. All that matters to him is that he loves them, and he will most definitely not get involved, no matter how painfully flirtatious their bickering is.
His partner in suffering from the Remus and Sirius situation immediately springs up from his seat to hug him.
“Hey, James!” Peter says.
“Oi, Pete! How was your summer?” James claps him on the back. He has an ongoing theory that Pete gets shorter each time he sees him.
“Same old, same old. Spent a lot of time outside with my Pa and read some books. How was yours?” Peter asks. James grins at the way Peter smacks his hand when James pokes the sunburn on his nose.
James turns and lifts his trunk into the carrier above the seats. “Same old, same old. Did some training, played some pranks on Sirius, and peeved off my security guard.”
“The usual.” Peter snorts.
“Pretty much. I swear Mr. Arnold smiled at me when I boarded the train. I swear it, Pete!”
Peter smirks, tilts his head to the side, and taps James’ head. “Did you hit your head this summer?” He asks with a gleam in his eye.
“Oi!” He huffs, offended.
Before James can touch the sunburn on Peter’s nose again despite it, Remus suddenly hugs him. From his peripheral, Sirius is barreling into Peter.
Remus used to not hug any of them, especially in their first few years at Hogwarts. James likes to think they softened him up, or at least they gave him no choice but to soften up. Even though James, Sirius, and Peter have made Remus susceptible to their hugs over the years, Remus still doesn't initiate affection physically that often.
So, when Remus deems the first day of school enough a reason to hug them, James squeezes him back with so much enthusiasm that he lifts Remus straight off the ground. He jolts and smacks James, "Christ!- Bluggering fuck, put me down- James, I swear to God I'll-"
Sirius and Peter cackle when they watch James ignore Remus' complaints and spin him around. "Look at you go, Moony! You're soaring!" Sirius laughs as he jumps onto the couch and pats the open spot next to him for Pete to sit.
Remus, who James is still holding up, has now resorted to smacking James on the shoulder. "James, I swear- you put me down." James continues twirling him around and looking up at him with a smile.
Remus glares at him before thinking of his most intimidating threat. "Fine. Then you won't get privileges to my sweets stash."
Peter gasps, "Oh, that's a dangerous game, James."
Sirius nods with a half-contained smile, "I'd put him down if I were you." Sirius keeps looking up at Remus being spun around in the air until he breaks with a snort. When Remus turns his glare on him, Sirius immediately looks down at his feet.
James sighs as he relents, "Alright, alright. But we should do this again sometime. You make a lovely dance partner." He gives his most charming smile to Remus when James finally sets him down on the ground.
Remus huffs and swats him on the back of his head before dropping into his seat.
After more greetings and situating luggage into the carriers, James offers to go get them some sweets. He dutifully takes their orders and promises Remus extra chocolate in retribution for his antics. He eventually steps out of the compartment, which muffles the sounds of laughter when Sirius recalls a prank they did over the summer.
James begins walking down the hallway as he feels the train move with a hiss. The sun glimmers off his robes when he approaches, and slides open the section door to spot the trolley line. Much to his excitement, he recognises a few waiting.
Picking up his speed, he rushes forward and wraps his arms around Mary from behind her. She shrieks while Marlene and Lily turn around.
“James Potter, you better put me back on the ground,” Mary says, defiant as ever.
“Yes, ma’am.” James obeys but presses a sneaky kiss on her cheek after he does.
“Christ. How will I put up with you for another year?” Mary gives a faux sigh of agony, lips twitching up in amusement.
James grins when Marlene gives his arm a playful punch. “McKinnon.”
“Your Majesty,” Marlene responds, leaning up against the train wall. James swears her hair gets more blonde each time he sees her.
He reaches up and tugs on one of Marlene’s braids. “When will you ever learn, McKinnon? We do this every year.” James sighs wistfully when she smacks his hand away. “Your Majesty is reserved for the King and Queen. Yours truly, me, James Potter, your ray of sunshine, your favourite, should be addressed as Your Highness.”
“Whatever you say, Your Majesty.”
James puts his hands on his hips. “I am too scared to do so, but just know, if I was brave enough, I’d fight you on this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
James is about to retort when a throat is cleared behind him.
He turns around and sees Lily Evans with her head tilted at him expectantly. He immediately drops his hands from his hips to launch himself forward to hug her. In an impulse decision he's also made with Remus and Mary today, he lifts her off the ground and spins her, laughing when she swats him.
Oh, Lily Evans. It took them five years to become friends, but now that they are, the fact it’s comfortable enough for him to do this is an ease off of his shoulders. James has always fancied her quite recklessly. When he was younger, he apparently could never shut up about her. In his defence, she’s rather gobsmacking to wrap his head around. She’s funny, clever, witty, kind, caring, and devastatingly beautiful.
She was his first crush, but he was never her crush.
She had laid it bare for him in fifth year after ages of his pining that made everyone feel awkward. Lily told him she wasn’t interested, and he had two options: accept it and become her friend or don’t accept it and never become her friend. She broke his heart, and Lily did. But what was he supposed to do? If Lily Evans is threatening to cut him out of her life, he’s going to do everything he can to prevent that.
In hindsight, she had only been that blunt because nothing before had worked to deter him. It worked, he accepted, they became friends, and it slowly but surely eased away contention.
At first, it was hard to be around her and know that it would never become anything more, but then he realised that being her friend allowed him to get to know her differently.
Before they were friends, he had a one-track mind when it came to her. Now, he gets to appreciate her in a way where they aren’t considering something more.
They worked on their friendship, James worked on himself, and he apologised for ever making her feel pressured to like him.
And here they are. He’s happy and learning to be okay with it.
The three of them catch up on their summers together as they wait out the line. Mary explains to him how she acquired her muggle driving licence, and Lily talks about her job she worked at a library. Marlene picked up guitar over the summer, much to James’ excitement. He made her pinky swear to play something for him sometime.
Once they acquire their sweets, James leads the way to their compartment, James can see the rolling hills from outside the train window as they make their way towards Hogwarts. It’s a bright, sunny day with a rare occasion of no clouds in the sky.
He takes this as a sign that it will be a good, easy year.