James Sirius Potter and the Forbidden Parchment

James Sirius Potter was about to start his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A bright, though mischievous boy of almost twelve years, the morning of his departure found him snooping in his father's study long before anybody else was awake.

"Alohomora." The auburn haired boy whispered, pointing his wand at the locked desk drawer. The lock opened with a small click and James reached for the handle. Inside, there were various papers and objects. Wrapped together in a muggle rubber band were several letters from his mother to his father.

"October 31, 1998

Harry,

Hallowe'en at Hogwarts is so strange here without you-or- without you causing trouble! Remember, in my second year, when Sirius broke into the Common Room and we all had to sleep in the Great Hall? I miss those days, Harry. We were so young... though I suppose none of us was innocent by that time. Ah, well, life goes on though it isn't always easy.

Thank you for coming to the first match. I'm sorry we couldn't play better for the Boy Who Lived but the Gryffindor quidditch team isn't as good as it was when you were captain. I suppose it's more to do with the fact that the people who tried out this year are all complete rubbish! It took me ages to sort through the horrible, the mediocre, and the disastrous. I hope I can whip them into shape by the next match. The date for the Hufflepuff match is set for the 14th, think you can make it? We could stop by Madame Puddifoot's! Speaking of upcoming dates, the first Hogsmeade Visit is on Saturday 19 December. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks. And of course, you'll be spending Christmas at my house? Well, you have been for... how many years now? A long time at any rate..."

Ginny went on in this manner. Most of the letters consisted of "I love you, come visit soon," and other romantic rubbish along that line. James was not interested. Pushing aside the letters, he felt something cool and hard-oh and sharp. He grabbed it, careful to mind the edge that cut him, and was surprised to find a broken shard of mirror in his hand. After several minutes of examination, James could think of no reason to keep what seemed like a safety hazard, but his father's motivations were a mystery, and he replaced the jagged mirror. After inspecting an old snitch that he assumed was left over from Harry's quidditch days, he spotted a folded piece of parchment on the far end of the drawer. Curious, James reached for it only to find that it was blank!

"Why would Dad keep a blank piece of parchment?" he wondered. Setting it aside, James continued to rummage in his father's belongings. Underneath where the blank parchment had been, there lay a small piece of paper with Harry's handwriting on it. James drew it out and read:

"to open: 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'

to close: 'Mischief managed'

Tap once."

James looked from the parchment to the note and back again. Then, he drew his wand and tapped once on the parchment before whispering:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." To his astonishment, words started to appear! It was just like his father to write a note with a secret incantation that unlocked a magical map.

"I bet he was afraid he'd forget it and assumed nobody would be rummaging through his desk." he thought. Laughing to himself James watched as a map of Hogwarts spread out before him. And-there were people! This map showed where people were in the castle! A grin slowly spread itself across the boy's face. He was going to have fun with this...

James closed the map with the incantation his father wrote, closed the drawer, and returned to his bedroom with his new toy.

"Whatcha got there, James?" asked Albus when he saw his older brother sneak into their room. James narrowed his hazel eyes.

"None of your business!" he retorted. He would be keeping this to himself for a while, at least until Albus came to Hogwarts. Maybe longer...

xxx

Harry sat at his desk a few days after the start of term. Lily and Albus were at muggle school and Ginny was off doing research for an editorial on the upcoming quidditch world cup. He was about to start preparing supper when he noticed that his bottom drawer was ajar.

"James," he thought, amused. "I wonder..." True to his suspicions, the Marauder's Map was gone.

"I guess he found the note I left for him," Harry said, chuckling to himself.