Wraith studied Brian for a few moments, shook his head almost imperceptibly, and said softly, "Never mind, Mr. Brian-were you acquainted with James?"
That answer, together with the closeness of the three people in the photograph, was enough for Brian to be certain that this Mr. Wraith must have been very close to James Potter.
He shook his head. "No, James Potter and I never met-but a friend of mine once showed me a photograph of him.
"In that photograph, Mr. Potter had made himself look very presentable. He wasn't as-wild as he was in the photograph in your suitcase. He looked as though he'd deliberately messed up his hair, as if-as if he'd just been flying over the Quidditch Pitch."
"Ha ha-"
Wraith couldn't help laughing a couple of times before making an effort to look serious. "He did that on purpose-to... ah-"
His spirits suddenly sank. He stared at the three people in the photograph, all wearing Gryffindor robes and beaming, memories surging in his eyes as he said,
"Mr. Brian... would you mind telling me who that friend of yours is?"
"Of course. I think you probably know him too."
Brian nodded and said,
"Since you were a student in Gryffindor House and were close to James Potter, you must know the Hogwarts gamekeeper-Rubeus Hagrid."
While drinking, Hagrid had once mentioned James Potter and his friends to him in a muddled haze. "Those four lads spent every day figuring out how to break school rules. They even excitedly gave themselves a name-the Marauders. Ha ha, ha ha-"
After laughing, Hagrid had inexplicably frozen on the spot, then slammed a fist angrily on the table before bursting into sobs. He had decided to grab a hammer immediately and smash a motorcycle in the Storage Room to pieces-but his