10. Arithmancy

The boy pushed his long hair out of his eyes. He was hunched over his Arithmancy homework, concentrating intently.

"How very out of character of you, Padfoot," James smirked.

Sirius’s head popped up, a grin on his face. Wordlessly, he pushed the parchment over to James.

It began with numbers -- they were doing numerology, a load of you-know-what if you asked Sirius -- but gradually digressed into a drawing of a motorbike.

"This is what I want. One just like this. Only it’ll fly!" He laughed, picturing the look on his mother’s face when she saw him riding across the sky.