A/N: So, the poll was very much one-sided. Seems everyone who voted wanted to see a sequel to Princes of the Universe. So, here it is, the second year of James, Remus, Sirius and Peter. Enjoy and, as always, reviews are very much appreciated.
James Potter did not think of himself as a remarkable boy. As far as he was concerned, he was just like every other boy he knew, almost. His best friend was, in his eyes, much more creative when it came to mischief. Sirius Black was the one who would come up with strange and wonderful ideas. Then, there was his other best friend, a boy ten times smarter than any other child their age. Remus Lupin was the one who could pull a fact out at the touch of a hat, a boy who could recite a page from a book without even glancing at it for a reminder.
Lastly, there was the fourth member of their group. Peter Pettigrew. Although Sirius was witty and quick, and Remus was intelligent, Peter was, without a doubt, loyal. James knew he could trust Peter with his life.
Compared to them, James Potter did not think of himself as remarkable.
He inched towards the kitchen, wishing his parents were in bed already. He desperately wanted a glass of water, but they had been in the kitchen all evening, talking in hushed tones. They'd even sent him to bed early. He sank down beside the door and listened, mouth forming a frown as he tried to hear what they were saying.
"First Gawain, and now this?" his father whispered, letting out a deep sigh. James frowned, unable to help wondering what, exactly, had happened now.
"He's going to be so upset," his mother replied, her voice heavy. His frown deepened. "He adored him. Did you hear him talking about..."
James' breath caught in his throat when his mother stopped speaking. He felt his body relax, however, when he heard a tap at the window. Slowly, he moved, so he could see into the kitchen. To his surprise, an owl was at the window. His mother leaned forward and opened it, allowing the owl in.
It was odd, in itself; post was never delivered late. Although James had seen owls reach them well after the usual breakfast delivery time, even that had been rare. Now...
His mother reached forward and took the letter from the owl's leg, opening it and glancing over the page. She muttered something, before speaking more clearly.
"It's from the school, to the parents. Just to reassure us that...that what happened was outside Hogwarts, and the school is still open and safe."
"Of course it is. Those kids are safest under Dumbledore." He heard his father sigh, as James crouched down on the floor and pushed his back against the wall. He didn't really understand it all – the events of the previous year played on his mind but, since he had arrived home, his parents had been acting strange, as well.
The few owls he'd received from his friends didn't help, either.
Peter said his parents were constantly working now, constantly in and out of the ministry. They were meant to be going on holiday, but so far, no mention of it had been made. Sirius' letter just said his mother was the same, although she criticised him more and more for his 'blood-traitor ways', saying they would be his downfall. She was currently trying to find out if Dumbledore would allow him to switch house to Gryffindor.
Remus' parents did not let him out of their sight.
"James?"
He jumped up, turning around to see his parents standing in the doorway, watching him carefully.
"James? What are you doing up?" his mother asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wanted a drink," he muttered, shifting in his spot. "I heard you talking and...and I didn't want to interrupt."
"So you decided to eavesdrop, instead?" his father said, shaking his head, though there was no sign of anger there, no sign of reproach. He glanced over James, and the boy thought he saw something unusual in his father's eyes – a sadness that hadn't been there before.
"Go to bed, James," his mother sighed. "I'll bring you a glass of milk."
James nodded, retreating back and climbing the stairs. The few portraits there were asleep, undisturbed by the movement around the house. Once he was in his room, he crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers up, staring out the window.
Something strange and unusual was happening to their world, and James, along with his friends, was being kept in the dark.
X X X
Sirius Black sat in front of the large tapestry that depicted his family tree. The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. His eyes scanned over the names, over the holes where his mother had blasted members off the tree. From downstairs, he could hear music, and laughter. There was a sound out in the corridor and he turned as the door opened.
His little brother stumbled in.
"Sirius?" he whispered, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing in here?"
The contrast couldn't have been more obvious; Sirius was wearing an expensive set of dress robes, deep green with silver lining along the collar. The colour was an attempt by his mother to convince him how wonderful it would be if he were in the snake house.
"Doesn't that colour look wonderful on you, Sirius?" she had crooned earlier that day, after getting him ready for the party.
His brother, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of bright blue striped pyjamas, hanging off his small body. They once belonged to Sirius, until he grew out of them and they were handed down to Reg.
"Why aren't you at the party?" Reg asked, stepping further in. He moved to the middle of the room where Sirius sat, and fell down beside him.
"It was boring," Sirius muttered, his eyes returning to the family tree. It was easier to tell his little brother that, than it would have been to tell him the truth. Sirius had quickly grown fed up of the party downstairs, had grown annoyed at being surrounded by Slytherin students who glared at him every time he passed them, staring at him as if he did not belong.
"Mum said it was a party for Narcissa," Reg sighed, picking at some of the frayed carpet in the floor.
Sirius nodded. "It was a betrothal party. To announce that she and Lucius Malfoy are going to be engaged, at some point, and then married."
"Pretty pointless, if you ask me."
Sirius looked over his shoulder to see his favourite cousin, Andromeda, in the doorway. She moved forward, hitching up her own dress to help her walk. As she reached the pair, she knelt on the floor, pulling her dress up above her knees so as not to get dust on it.
"There will just be another party when they do get engaged," she sighed, shaking her head. She eyed Sirius. "So we have that to look forward to, as well."
"Great," Sirius groaned, rolling his eyes. "Mum just likes any excuse to show off."
"What's Hogwarts like?" Reg asked.
"He's asked me that every single day," Sirius explained, glancing at his cousin. "Seriously. Every single day."
"It's amazing," Andromeda told Reg, reaching for him and pulling him towards her. He giggled as she started to tickle him. "It's a wonderful place, Reg, where you can really be yourself."
"What she means," Sirius drawled, "is that without the family surrounding you every minute of the day, you're free. You can be friends with people Mum hates."
"That's why she shouts at you, isn't it?" Reg sighed. "I like Mother."
Andromeda and Sirius shared a gaze, before Sirius reached forward and ruffled his brother's hair. "I know you do, kid." There was no point in telling Reg why their mother was an evil, cruel bitch; since he'd gone to school, it was only Reg and his mother in the house, most days, and he should have known it would have just given her a chance to dig her claws further into his little brother.
"So this is where you all are."
Sirius rolled his eyes at the voice. His hands were folded together and he found himself digging his nails into his palm, focusing his gaze on the family tree to avoid looking at Bellatrix. Reg cried out in joy and scrambled up, running towards their cousin and throwing himself towards her.
"Bella!" he yelled, and Sirius heard her laugh.
"Hello, Reg," she muttered, and Sirius couldn't help but turn around, to see her hugging his little brother. There was a soft smile on her face, making it look all the softer. She glanced up, her eyes locking on Sirius. The smile didn't fade. "Sirius, 'Meda, why aren't you two at the party?"
Reg pulled away, taking her hand and pulling her to the other two. They stood.
"It was boring," Sirius muttered, and Andromeda nodded.
"Yeah, with Lucius all over Narcissa and Rodolphus all over you..."
Bellatrix sighed. "Isn't he handsome?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who's Rodolphus?"
"He's the year above us," Andromeda explained, her eyes falling on Bellatrix. "It would seem my dear sister has a crush."
Bellatrix shrugged. "He's ambitious, his family are rich and pure-blood and...well, he is handsome."
"You said that," Sirius muttered.
"Sirius Black! Get back down here this instant!"
His mother's voice made him cringe, and Sirius glanced at the other two. "Come on," Andromeda said, placing a hand on his shoulder before pushing him towards the door. "You too, Bella. If you go missing for more than five minutes, Lestrange might just top himself."
"What a shame," Sirius muttered, causing Bella to glare at him.
"Reg, get to bed. Not much longer until you can come to these parties yourself."
"And get bored out of your mind!" Sirius made his way towards the door, his cousins and brother following. "Merlin, I hate these."
X X X
Remus Lupin opened his eyes slowly, unable to ignore the pain that shot through his body. He was aching all over, and without looking, he knew there would be fresh cuts and bruises across him. Slowly, he pulled himself up until he was sitting upright, eyes darting across the dark room.
A single everlasting candle burnt high up on the wall, the flame's light flickering as it showed him the destruction he had caused the previous night.
His head was starting to pound as he crawled towards the door, not wanting to look at the fresh bloodstains on the wall and floor, or see where he had thrown himself against the wooden panelling as he had attempted to escape.
Movement upstairs caused him to stop and he listened to the footsteps as they crossed back and forth. His mother, no doubt, fretting and worrying about him.
It had been the first full moon since he had been home from school, and the wolf had been agitated. Flashe
s of memory crossed his mind, of anger and hatred and fear. The animal was built on base instinct only, and confusion had clouded its mind as it had found itself somewhere it no longer recognised.
Remus refused, now, to refer to the wolf as 'I'; although it was a part of him, he hated it. He distanced himself from it. Or tried to, anyway.
He pounded his fist against the door before slumping to the floor, legs curled up tightly against his chest. Above him, the footsteps quickened until they were moving closer to the door. His mother pulled it open and instantly reached down, scooping him up in her arms.
Without a word, Remus reached out and wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his head in her chest as she turned and carried him up the stairs. From the kitchen, he could hear his father's voice, talking to another he did not recognise.
"Who's Dad talking to?" he mumbled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, smelling his mother's perfume. Safety wrapped itself around him like a blanket.
"A friend of his, via floo," she whispered, as they climbed the stairs. "More of our old friends have got in contact with us, since you started school."
"Good," he sighed. "I'm glad."
When he opened his eyes, it was to see his mother smiling softly in the light in the hallways. She pushed open the door of his room and was soon laying his naked body on the bed, pulling his duvet up around him before she sat down and placed the back of his hand against his forehead.
"Water?" she asked.
"Please," he rasped.
She left him for only a few moments, returning with a tall glass full of water and ice. Smiling gratefully, Remus sat up and took it, gulping it down quickly before placing the empty glass on the bed stand. As he stared out the window at the dawning sun, his mother took a variety of ointments and potions out of the drawer in the stand. As she rubbed the ointment over his wounds, she told him a story.
The tale was one he had heard time and time again, but it washed over him in the way only a familiar tale could. He sank down in the bed, smiling as his mother told him of the princess whose father wanted her to marry a powerful warlock.
"The princess knew it would be best for the land. The warlock was a powerful man, when Muggles lived side-by-side with witches and wizards. The court wizard was not powerful enough to defeat him, and neither was the witch who lived in the town. So the princess made a deal; she told her father and the warlock that she would marry him in a year."
"Exactly a year?" Remus muttered, closing his eyes as the ointment began to take hold, easing the pain around the wounds. His mother cupped her hand at the back of his head and he tilted it back, as she lifted a small vial of potion to his lips.
"Exactly a year."
He knew he was too old for fairytales.
"But under the condition that she be allowed to travel during the year, for she knew the warlock would lock her away in his tower and keep her there forever."
"Where did she want to travel, Mother?" he said, his voice full of sleep as the birds chirped outside. Too old or not, he did not care.
"Everywhere. She wanted to see the whole world. It was a lot smaller in those days."
He smiled.
"So the princess set out on her best horse, a creature of pure white that had been bred just for her. And she went off travelling, scouring the land."
Remus turned his head to look at his mother, as he sank further under the duvet. His head rested on the pillow, his eyes dimmed with sleep.
"Eventually, she came upon a castle near a village. Stopping at the village, she asked who lived in the castle, for she did not know who the lords of the land were. The villagers smiled at her and told her the prince lived there; a wonderful, kind man who ensured his people were happy and healthy. They told her that, if she so desired, he would surely give her a place to rest for the night. And so, the princess approached the castle..."
"Was the castle like Hogwarts?"
She smiled at the son's new question. "Yes. But it was smaller. And although there were many servants who lived happily there, there were not as many people as Hogwarts has. So, the princess approached the castle and was allowed to enter. The horse was taken to the stables to be looked after, and she was taken to meet the prince."
She glanced at the empty glass on the table, the empty vial and the ointment she had used. Pain shot through her, but she didn't allow it to cross her features. Instead, she turned back to Remus and continued the story.
"Do you remember what happens next?" she asked.
"The prince was struck by her beauty, and she by how handsome he was."
His mother nodded. "He ordered a banquet to be set up for the princess. It was nearing the end of the year, and she told him she could only stay one night, for she had to return home. The prince begged her to stay, but she informed him that she could not, for she was to be married in a week."
"And the prince was devastated," Remus muttered, his eyes closing.
"Yes, he was. And she found herself telling him, during the feasting and music, that she could not get out of the marriage, because of the warlock's power."
"And then the prince told her he was a wizard."
"Yes, Remus. The prince told her he was a wizard. They travelled back together the following morning, the prince determined to save the princess from her marriage. When they arrived, it was to find the land preparing for a wedding, although the people were solemn. They knew that, once the princess was married, they would lose her. Together they travelled to the castle, where the princess told her father that she had met a wizard prince. The prince told him he would defeat the warlock, or die trying; for he could not live without the hand of the princess."
She paused, smiling as she listened to her son's soft snoring. Reaching forward, she brushed his hair back once more, her hand lingering on his forehead, glad to find it had returned to a normal temperature. She kissed his head before standing and moving out of the room, wondering if Remus was dreaming of a prince who duelled with a mighty warlock for the love of his life, and won, becoming king when his father-in-law died.