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Leaving On a Jet Plane


Sirius stood in the doorway of the dorm room, looking about at the four posters and their desks, the neatened bookshelf, the closed drawers, made beds… the trunks were gone, the mess from the floor picked up… Sirius ran his fingers over the list of rules on the back of the door and smiled. It was time to go home. The other three were yelling for him as they went down the stairs to the common room, but Sirius felt less like he was going home than he did like he was leaving it and he took a deep breath and tugged the door shut as he backed into the hall. He was three steps down the flight when he realized ---

Sirius ran back.

“SIRIUUUUUUUS c’mon!” James shouted from the foot of the stairs.

“I’M COMING!” Sirius yelled back, pushing open the dormitory door and running across the room. He flung himself over James’s bed, frumpling up the duvet and leaning over the side, shoving his arm under the mattress by the head and pulled the Marauder’s Map out. He slid back off the bed, slid his hand over the blanket to smooth it out a little (it was still a mess), and he turned and ran back to the stairs, thundering down to where James, Remus, and Peter were waiting. He waved the Map at them, “We almost forgot someone.”

“Bloody hell, how could we?” James asked and he snatched the Map out of Sirius’s hands, looking aghast. “Good call remembering, mate.” James opened his bookbag and slid the Map in.

Sirius jumped up on James’s back, wrapping his arms ‘round James’s shoulders and James hoisted him up on his back as Sirius snuggled his cheek into the wild hair and James laughed and the four of them set off out the portrait hole and down the moving staircase, past all the portraits that were waving goodbye to the students. Several of the suits of armor waved and clanked as Sirius went by.

They’d made it to the entrance hall before James heard his name called and he paused to see Maryrose coming ‘round the bend from the corridors that led off to the Hufflepuff common room and he paused. Sirius slid off his back and patted his back, “We’ll see you on the Express, Prongs,” he said and he turned to Peter and Remus, tugging Peter into himself and they went out the door of the castle as James ducked back to meet her up.

Maryrose and James came to a stop just steps away from each other. James felt a lump in his throat. “Hullo Maryrose,” he said.

“Wow, you do remember me,” she said. But she said it sadly, not in a rude way at all. Maryrose’s eyes searched James’s. “I feel like I’ve barely seen you all month.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” James said and he ran a hand through his hair down to the back of his neck. He felt badly. He’d saved her and everything had changed, she’d suddenly become his girlfriend and he just wasn’t used to it. Being with Maryrose was one of the weirdest elements of this timeline, and he was terrible because he seemed to keep forgetting that he and Maryrose were together, too busy struggling with why he and Lily Evans were not.

Maryrose said, “Look, James, I think I know what’s going on.”

“You do?” he asked.

Maryrose nodded. “We’re both in the same place, really, aren’t we?”

James looked around. “The entrance hall?”

“No, James,” Maryrose sighed, “I mean emotionally.”

He blinked at her.

“You want Lily Evans,” Maryrose said. “You’re spending all your energy at trying to get her attention.” She paused as James flushed. “And honestly, James, I’m doing the same thing with Regulus Black.”

James studied her. “Are you?”

“Of course.” She sighed heavily and shook her head, “You know I can’t get him out of my head - I’ve told you. And you’ve told me about Lily…”

“Have I?” James asked.

Maryrose didn’t even seem to notice how weird it was that James didn’t already know this. Rather, she just said, “I know we agreed we both understood that about each other when we got together… I know we said we were going to just keep each other company. Two people who would’ve loved each other if someone else wasn’t keeping us distracted.” She smiled sadly.

He didn’t remember agreeing anything.

“But I don’t know. I don’t think it’s working out very well. Do you?”

He shook his head.

“I think we should just be friends, James.”

James nodded. “I think you’re right, Maryrose.” She nodded back, and took a deep breath, using her sweater to wipe her eyes. James cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“I’m sorry also,” she said.

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, staring at one another.




Sirius stood at the edge of the platform in Hogsmeade, waiting for James. Remus stood beside him, holding the envelope that Dumbledore had given him just that morning - it contained his aeroplane tickets to and from Iceland and a little bit of muggle money to buy drinks and snacks on his trip from London to Reykjavik. Peter had gone onto the Express already to save their compartment. Sirius squinted down the little road, watching the thestral-drawn carriages coming and the students pouring out of them…

He glanced at Remus. “Are you excited about your aeroplane ride, Moony?” he asked.

Remus nodded, “Nervous, but excited, too.”

“I’ve never been on an aeroplane,” Sirius commented.

“I was once,” Remus said. “Mum took me to visit my grandparents when I was little. But I don’t remember it much.”

Sirius looked down at his boots.

“I’ll send you postcards,” Remus offered.

“I’ll send you one also,” Sirius said, nodding, “From the seashore. Lily said there’s a boardwalk - dunno much what that is, but she says there are loads of shops and games and the like. There’s a carry-sell.”

“Carousel,” Remus corrected.

“Right.”

They stood awkwardly.

“I’ll miss you,” Remus offered after quite a long pause.

“Nawh, don’t be mental, you won’t miss me even a lick,” Sirius drawled, “You’ll have Ned Veigler and loads of adventures to be worried about.”

“I will. I’ll miss all of you, really,” Remus added.

“Oh c’mon Rey, there’s bound to be… you know, like… arctic rats and… loads of… caribou and… sled dogs to run with an whatever. Who knows, you might enjoy them so much you just… don’t wanna come back to boring old… not-Icelandic… us.”

Remus shook his head, “Oh I do doubt that so very much.”

James came up the steps to the platform then. He stumbled to a stop between the two of them. He looked funny - not in a ha ha sort of way, but a confused, almost baffled sort of way. Sirius turned to him, “Oi, Prongsie, what’s the matter, darling?” Sirius asked as he slipped his arm’ round his back.

“I’ve just broken up with Maryrose,” James replied.

Sirius nodded, “Ah.” He paused, then, “In that case... You should be sadder.”

Remus said had to bite his tongue to keep from correcting Sirius’s grammar.

“She says we agreed to just keeping each other company, snogging and the like, until we’d got with the people we really were interested in.” James said with a shrug. “But it’s not working out.”

Sirius sad, “Well, that’s a bummer.”

James nodded.

His eyes flickered over the crowded platform… until he spotted her…. Lily Evans.

She waved when she spotted James looking over, too, and James paused to glance about and be sure Jasper Odair wasn’t there somewhere… and, finally, seeing no Jasper, he waved back. She smiled and turned to get onto the Hogwarts Express. The train whistle blew and steam came from the smoke stack. Most everyone was in their compartments, the trunks were just finishing up being loaded and Hagrid was waving to everyone and anyone who would pay him mind...

“C’mon,” Sirius said, pulling Remus and James both along, “Moony’s got a plane to catch.” He paused, then, a grin slowly played across his lips….

“All my bags are packed
I’m ready to go…”

“Here we go,” murmured Remus.

Sirius’s smile only grew.

“...I’m standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye….
But the dawn is breakin’
It’s early morn
The taxi’s waitin’
He’s blowin’ his horn…
Already I’m so lonesome…
I could diiiiiiiiii-ii-iiiie…”

Sirius took up James’s hand and spun him ‘round as they moved toward the train, and people were looking…

“Soooooo… kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never… let me gooo-ooooh--ohhhhhh...
Cause I’m leeeeeeeeeeaving onnnnn a jet plaaaaaaane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh James. I hate to go.”

James laughed and tugged away, “You dolt.”

They’d ended up next to Lily Evans on the platform and she laughed and said, “This is what I have to look forward to?”

James flushed and nodded. “Just avoid saying anything that could relate to a song lyric of any sort. Good luck. Everything sets him off.”

Lily smiled.

Sirius meanwhile had spun back around and he’d grabbed onto Remus’s hands and people were lauging, a couple were singing with Sirius, and the first years were watching in a cluster, pressed against the their compartment window on board the Express, and Sirius pulled Remus along, singing:

“There’s so many times I’ve let you down
So many times I’ve played around
I tell you now… they don’t mean a thing….
Every place I go… I’ll think of you
Every song I sing… I’ll sing for you
When I come back… I’ll bring your wedding riiiiiiing…”

And Remus stared into Sirius’s eyes.

Was Sirius just singing a song to be a prat or was he singing to Remus? It was hard to tell, the intensity in Sirius’s eyes could’ve gone either way…

“So kiss me… and… smile for me
Tell me that you’ll… wait for me
Hold me… like… you’ll never let me go…”

And he deposited Remus there beside James and Lily too and he turned ‘round to face the other people on the platform, leaving Remus behind to continue his performance.

Lily hugged Remus gently as he watched Sirius go on.

“Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane
Dunno when I’ll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go…
But now the time has come to leave you…”

Sirius ran a palm over the cheek of Carly Shaw, who happened to be standing near by and she swooned a bit as he let his knuckles slide over the rosiest part of her cheek.

“One more time
Let me kiss you…”

She stared up at him desperately, but he spun away with the next line --

“Then close your eyes and I’ll be on my waaaaa-aaa-aaaaaay…”

He wrapped his arms around Frank Longbottom, tugging him into a sort of fancy waltz-like dance, putting Frank’s hands on his waist….

“Dream about the days to come
When I wont’ have to leave alone
About the times that I won’t have to saaaaaaaayyyyy….
Kissss meeeee and smiiiiiiiiiile for meeeeeee
Tell me that you’ll waaaaaaaait for meeeeeeeeee
Hold me like you’lll neverrrrrrrrrrrr let meee goooooooooo!”

And he leaped away from Frank. “He’s mad, that one is,” Frank said, laughing as Sirius headed for the door of the train…

“I’m leaaaaaaaving on a jet plaaaaaaane
Dunno when I’ll be backkkkk agaiiiiiiiin…”

He grabbed onto Hagrid’s hand.

“Oh Hagrid, I hate to go…”

Hagrid snuffled and James stifled a laugh.

Sirius backed slowly away from Hagrid… dramatically… one hand extended, their finger tips brushing as Sirius let go of Hagrid’s hand, his eyes rolling up to the sky as he reached the door of the Hogwarts Express. He stood in the frame….

“But I’m leaving on a jet plane…
Don’t know.. When I’ll… be back again…
Oh yeah… I hate to go....”

And with a bow and a flourish… Sirius ducked onto the train.

Hargrid drew a great duvet-sized handkerchief from his pocket.

Remus looked over at Lily who was shaking her head. “As I said, you’ll be wanting a leash.”

Lily laughed, “I must be mental, purposely taking him along with me anywhere.”

“You have to be mental if you want to belong with us,” James said, laughing.

“Do I?” Lily asked. “Belong with you, I mean?”

James smiled and, in the smoothest move he’d ever made, he turned to her and slid a hand over her shoulders, like Sirius might’ve done to any one of them, and he leaned in close to her. To his surprise - she did not immediately pull away, but, rather, she smiled. “Of course you belong with us, love,” he said, and he pressed a soft, gentle kiss to her forehead. “Always.”