024. 25 august 1976.

August 25th, 1976 — Late afternoon
Diagon Alley
London, England


"I still say we ought to find Remus and Peter and get back to your house," Sirius says. "I'll bet your mum's cooked up something brilliant for dinner."

James shakes his head, looking through the window of one Flourish & Blotts store. (And hoping he won't catch sight of that blasted Jeremy.) "Just — give it another half hour."

Sirius groans, rubbing his face. "We've been here for hours already. You've been dragging us all about, looking for Evans and Cliona. And you won't even let me go out with Cliona."

James swivels around to give his best mate a look. "Um, mate, you can't go out with Cliona because she's got a boyfriend."

"That's never stopped me before."

"And," James adds, rolling his eyes impressively, "besides that, if you go out with her, it'll just — ruin the whole Quidditch season."

"How?"

"Because you're a bloody git, that's why."

"That's a stupid reason."

"It's not stupid, it's true."

"Well, then you've got the date wrong, because I haven't seen Cliona or Evans about."

"No. She told me they'd be here."

"At Milliways."

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you didn't dream that bit up?"

James turns away from the storefront and hopelessly glances about them. It's a long street, Diagon Alley; they could be anywhere.

Sirius' voice suddenly grows a little more sympathetic. "Can we at least get a butterbeer? This hopeless search has got me parched."

"Yeah, all right."

Together, they walk into the pub, noting familiar faces here and there — students come to pick up their school supplies, or otherwise spend the last of their summer holidays doing nothing in particular.

Then, scouting out a table, James hears Sirius swear before he stops where he is.

"What is it?"

"Looks like we found Evans," is what Sirius says. He almost sounds a little ... disappointed.

Following Sirius' gaze, James finds both Cliona and Evans at a table near the window.