022. summer 1976

[alotofgood]

July 25, 1976 — Evening
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour
Diagon Alley, London


The match really, really could have gone better — but it's hard to feel too horrible about it when you're spending a brilliant evening with good food and good company.

Not that James particularly likes having to go over how Joseph Ryder somehow managed to lose the Quaffle not twice but three times, and how the Golden Snitch seemed to completely allude Anna Clarke's grasp, allowing the Ballycastle Bats to take it and win the match.

It was a close game, but with hardly a satisfying conclusion.

"Loser's buying, right?" Cliona grins. "That would be you, James."

Sirius laughs.

James rolls his eyes, shaking his head indulgently. "Right, right. Go ahead, then. Whatever flavours you want; it's on me."

Comments

[brilliantchaser]

There's no somehow involved in how Ryder lost that Quaffle -- Ballycastle's got damn good Beaters.

And Cliona doesn't just think that because she's related to one of them.

"Chocolate, mint, and almond, please. With caramel.

"Thank you."

[bound_to]

"And I will have —"

Sirius drags out the 'a' in 'have'.

"— butter pecan. Also with caramel."

[alotofgood]

James gives his best friend a look.

"You know, you don't support Puddlemere or Ballycastle. You ought to pay for your own bloody ice cream."

Not that that seems to change things as he pulls out the right amount of Galleons for their flavours, and his (chocolate with peanut butter bits).

[brilliantchaser]

Cliona waves one hand, unconcernedly.

"Sirius can buy the next round, can't you, Sirius?"

She's probably kidding.

Well ... there are at least even odds she's kidding.

"So," Cliona says, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, "aside from getting to watch your team go down in flames today, how's your summer been?"

[alotofgood]

"Oy!" exclaims James, begrudgingly sucking on his ice cream spoon. "Don't rub it in, would you. I don't know what happened today. They've been winning League matches for years."

He glances at Sirius, who shrugs.

"But summer's been all right. We've been exploring Muggle London a bit, me and Sirius."

[brilliantchaser]

"You were outclassed and outplayed, that's what happened today," Cliona says, cheerfully.

"Muggle London? What brought that on, then?"

[bound_to]

"Sorry, mate," says Sirius to James, as he scoops a sizable spoonful of ice cream from his bowl. "I told you you should've been cheering for the Wasps all along. They're slipping, Puddlemere."

Then he turns his gaze to Cliona, a very Sirius-like smirk crossing his handsome features.

"As for Muggle London, you ought to ask Evans about that."

[brilliantchaser]

Cliona pauses with her spoon halfway into her ice cream, and looks from Sirius to James.

"Lily?

"And what would Lily tell me, if I did?"

[alotofgood]

"Nothing," says James — maybe a little too quickly, even.

He licks his lips and shrugs.

"She just told me to, you know, explore Muggle London a bit this summer. I thought, yeah sure — why not? It's not like we had any other real plans."

[brilliantchaser]

"Is that so?" Cliona asks.

She pauses for a moment (and a spoonful of ice cream).

"And how is Muggle London?"

[bound_to]

Sirius rolls his eyes.

It's obviously been a lot more than just a casual thing.

But for the sake of his best mate, he isn't going to reveal all his secrets. (Like how he'd jumped at the chance to explore more of Muggle London as soon as a reply postcard arrived.)

"It's —"

[alotofgood]

"— been bloody brilliant," James finishes, grinning and completely unaware of the lengths Sirius is apparently going to to keep James' secrets.

"I mean, we hadn't really noticed how much stuff there is in Muggle London," he continues. "We went to this concert the other night. And Sirius has taken up Muggle photography."

[brilliantchaser]

"Really?"

The eye-rolling has not gone unnoticed.

"And it was Lily's idea?"

[alotofgood]

"The photography bit? No."

Sirius shakes his head in agreement.

"But the rest of it ... well, she did say to explore Muggle London. We'd been at the Tower of London when we passed this pub. Then we went to the pub later that evening and were invited to the concert."

[bound_to]

"But it hardly matters anyway, does it?" Sirius leans back in his seat, nonchalant.

"Doesn't change a thing. In a couple months we'll be back in Hogwarts, using magic and still dealing with those pureblood loving Slytherins and baby Death Eaters."

[brilliantchaser]

"That's a lovely thought for a summer evening, Sirius, thanks."

Cliona turns her attention back to James.

"When did she make that suggestion?"

[alotofgood]

While Sirius gives Cliona an offended look, spoon hanging over his mouth, James answers, "At the beginning of the holidays, actually."

He has to be vague about the whole 'Milliways Bar' thing, considering Cliona doesn't know about it.

(And while he tells Cliona a whole lot of things, bars at the end of the universe might be a little too complicated to explain.)

[brilliantchaser]

"Right."

Cliona sets her spoon down.

It's a little surprising.

Just given how little Lily was talking to anyone at the end of term.

Cliona picks her spoon back up.

"How's she doing?"

[alotofgood]

"She's doing well," James answers, putting as much indifference into his voice as he can muster. "You know, busy summer and all that."

He knows what Cliona's doing.

She's fishing.

"How's your summer been, then?"

[brilliantchaser]

Oh, James. For the second time today, you have been outclassed and outplayed.

Forget fishing. She caught you.

"So ... you're in touch? With Lily? Over the summer?" Cliona asks, setting the spoon back down, and ignoring his question.

[bound_to]

"Aren't you?" Sirius asks, straightening once more to continue eating his now slightly soupy ice cream.

(Which is still so good.)

"And can we stop talking about Evans?"

He feels like it's pretty much all they talk about these days.

It's always about bloody Lily Evans.

[brilliantchaser]

"Well, yes, but I've been in touch with her over the summer for years."

Cliona stirs her ice cream around in her bowl.

[alotofgood]

"Well, it's not a big deal, is it?" says James, giving his ice cream bowl a good deal of his attention.

It really shouldn't be to anyone else, anyway.

"We managed to — er. Set things right, a bit, before the year ended."

[bound_to]

"Yeah. He's not an entirely — what was it? 'Bullying arrogant toerag' anymore," Sirius adds, laughing.

[brilliantchaser]

"Well, that's good," Cliona says. "Setting things right.

"I guess not being a toerag is good, too, but it's not like I ever thought you were."