“Yeah, a proper holy arse.” Felix chuckled as he held open the door to his home—well, his parents’ home. He froze somewhat, unsure how to help his friend inside, or if it was polite to offer. So Felix stood awkwardly, happy to move onto another topic of discussion. “Yeah? Reckon I’d be taller?”

.

“Amen.” James grinned in return. He could sense his friends uncertainty, but the good thing about being on holiday, and being reckless with equally reckless friends, meant he had already tested out all the ways he could flip himself over in the chair. That didn’t seem appropriate now, trying trying to bunny hop up the step, so he pulled out his wand and, using the spell his healer had showed him (one that would come in handy with his degree, even), widened the door and flattened out the step, rolling on through with ease. It all went back to normal once he did, and the spell would remain until no longer needed. He was adjusting well, outwardly at least. Frustrations were easily hidden when you were James Potter. “Much. Musclier too.” 

“Nah, I reckon I’d need to buy you dinner before tongue stuff and then dinner and desserts for butt stuff.” 

.

“I dunno mate, I’d put most stuff in my mouth but my arse is sacred.” James grinned, looking up at his friend from where he was still sat in the wheelchair, borrowed from Mungo’s ever since his release just before Christas, who, until about five minutes ago, he’d never actually met in the flesh. “I thought you’d look different.”

“A new year is always nice to look forward to, yeah,” agreed Doris. “Maybe you’ll even be better by then.” Maybe she would be, too.

Doris shook her head. “Oh, not much. Had Hanukkah with my family a couple weeks ago and now I suppose it’ll just be a quiet holiday until after the New Year. Which I don’t mind.”

.

“New Years will be as good.” Unsaid was, hopefully he’ll be out of this bed and able to enjoy it.

“You’ll figure out what works for you, I reckon,” said Doris. “As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters.” 

.

“Yeah.” He’d suddenly feel more like himself once he was out of Mungo’s. But like always, he was quick to outwardly recover, asking, “Go on then, what’s been going on?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t have to involve someone else,” said Doris shaking her head. “Not unless they want to. Always creates a stronger case, though.” She understood the impulse to not report those things, however– “They’ll do it again, you know. It’ll be someone else, and then another, and then more and more,” she spoke softly. “I never thought you would be the one to take things lying down and do nothing about it.”

.

He wasn’t, she was right about that much. But he was torn, personal loyalties and priorities versus what was right. “I know,” he eventually sighed. 

“Good. Then it’s time we test the theory.” Zoe, gathering odds and ends from her bag, transfigured a clip into a balloon. She then made the daring decision to duplicate it a few more times to make sure they’d have enough to properly experiment. “Time to get blowing.” The lack of helium wouldn’t stop them.

.

“Yes ma’am,” James grinned, more than happy for the entertainment -- even if it left him in great need for a nap later that afternoon.

“Is there a reason it wouldn’t be?” Esmeralda looked up from her papers; notes on the event, receipts that would need to go to the Treasurer. She hoped not, as she’d already paid the venue. 

.

“Well -- a lot of people wouldn’t be welcome in a place like that.” It went unsaid, St Armand had a reputation, and a certain type of resident. Even someone like James, who’s blood was as ‘pure’ as it came by definition, would be unwelcome, due to the way he was raise. “A lot of our members.”

“What does that mean? It’s not you?”

.

“That I wasn’t the only one involved. Taken, and all that.” After all, Dorcas wasn’t wanting to talk about it, insisting she was fine, and merlin knew where Maeve was.

“Do you think the nurses would mind if I started tying you up to balloons?” She looked back over her shoulder, eyes gazing down the hallway.

.

“Nah, they love me.” Or they felt pity, for the bedbound young man filled with too much energy.

“Well, no offense James but, all of this lying around has lost you some muscle mass. A good four balloons these days.”

.

“Oi.” But she wasn’t wrong. “It would still take a fuck ton of balloons. At least like, fifty.”

“You mean you don’t want us to just float you around everywhere like a balloon?”

.

“Better -- use real balloons. How many do you think it’d take?”

“Are you– are you gonna try to do something about it?” asked Doris. “Report them or press charges or anything? I mean, I know you just said that you don’t know who they are, but muggles have a way of figuring it out.” 

.

“I would.” He paused for a moment. “It’s just -- it’s not just me, you know?”

She frowned, shaking her head. “I’m not here to be comforted by you. You don’t have to— Really, it’s fine.” She’d had a month of coming to terms with what had happened — and, well, she hadn’t, but that didn’t matter now.

.

“Alright. Okay.” James frowned, gaze dropping to his lap. "If you’re sure.” For once, James Potter didn’t know what to say. Of course, he wanted to talk about it, to know how Dorcas was. But he certainly wasn’t going to push anymore.

It felt good to have another secret between them. Peter felt a little richer in friendship for it, as if secrets were the currency with which their brotherhood had been bought. The Animagus secret had been a vault of riches before Peter had been so disappointed. He’d been bankrupt by it, it was where all the anger had come from. He felt some of that leave him now. “Yeah mate, see you soon. Stay strong in here.” 

“I’m pleasantly surprised to hear so,” she admitted, and then made herself comfortable before pulling the planning papers from her leather-bound folder. “You should know,” she warned the WBG President, “I’ve forgone renting Chateau Cheval for the event.” It was a New Years tradition that she would be breaking, but while half the duty of a President was to preserve tradition the other half was to find new ways forward. “The Ballroom in St. Armand is twice the size and provides a full bar service.” 

.

Of course, it was no surprise that for James, half the fun lay in finding a suit more ridiculous, yet stylish, than the last. “A shame. I have fond memories of that horse palace place.” He raised a brow though, at the mention of St. Armand. Thus far he had been more than fine with Esmeralda taking her preferred lead on planning of the events, but this change didn’t sit well with him. “St. Armand? You really think that’s a good idea?”