James S Potter

The way back to his world isn't full of fanfare or anything like that.

It's just one door opening from one end of the universe to the other.

And just like that, they are welcomed into a slightly messy (okay, very messy), vaguely boy-smelling space with several corners, each occupied by a bed, a set of trunks and clothes strewn about.

It is quiet and empty - everyone must be in class.

James' side looks identical to the others - only his side of the room's got a bunch of Quidditch gear left haphazardly atop his apple-pied bed. To the bed's left is a wooden night table with a bunch of miscellaneous items, including a slightly worn out looking origami figure and a dagger properly protected in its sheath.

The first quarter of the school year moves quickly from month to month, through the Christmas holidays and into the new year.

James is busy with classes, catching up on all his lessons (he can never seem to get Charms right!) and busily preparing for Quidditch tryouts. He practices as much as he can (most often after he is finished with the mountains of homework that accumulates far too quickly for his liking), intent on being chosen as one of the Gryffindor team's new Chasers.

As September swiftly turns into October, practicing on the Quidditch pitch proves to be worthwhile. During the first round of tryouts, James passes his trial, and by the end of it, he is proud to discover that he's been made one of the new Chasers. He'd written to his parents about it, announcing his happiness in great messy bold letters.

His schedule becomes full of activity, what with classes and Quidditch practice. Their first Quidditch game turns out all right; the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors are currently tied for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup, with Slytherin in third and Hufflepuff out of the running. Still, during some weekends, James likes to steal off on his own to a small part of the school where he is likely not to be seen; and it is there that he practices using his dagger, pretending he is one of Robin Hood's Merry Men.

Some of his friends say he's changed; even his professors notice that he isn't as loud and obnoxious as he usually is, but James passes that off with an easy wave of his hand, and a sharp quip that gets him into trouble all over again. The truth is, of course, that he has changed - at least in some way. Going to the bar at the end of the universe and meeting all sorts of people from unimaginable lands can have that effect on a person.

Days turn into weeks, and sometimes James wonders whether or not he will ever see the bar again, but he keeps his small keepsakes tucked into the drawer beside his bed and looks at them on the occasion, wondering if the door might open for him then. He's found the hidden package his mum and dad left for him during their time at Hogwarts, a cool sort of secret he knows of only because he managed to meet his parents in the bar. These objects (a Sneakoscope and a series of pictures), he keeps with his Milliways objects, all closely protected and taken care of (mostly by the red-ruby & gold dragon).

Life is relatively easy to adjust to even after spending so many months at Milliways. He hasn't seen the door since, but he is certain that any day now, it will return.