Mischief Managed
His father's office had always fascinated James, not the least because it was the office of the world-famous Head of the Auror Department, Harry Potter and therefore likely to contain several Top Secret and Highly Confidential documents. However, there was also the fact that in that office, his father keep several other things. Things James was sure his mother would not approve of. Several boxes, for example, of uncle George's Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs, not to mention the tub of nosebleed nougats, puking pastilles and fainting fancies that his father keep for unwelcome visitors.
James could think of several times somebody from the ministry had demanded to see Harry Potter, only to leave again within a very short period of time.
"That wasn't a very long visit," Ginny has said to her husband the last time this happened.
"Oh, poor guy wasn't feeling too good," her husband had replied easily. "He's gone home for a bit of a break, been overdoing it a bit, you know."
"I see," Ginny had said doubtfully.
James was positive, however, that he had spotted a purple nosebleed nougat wrapper in the bin later on.
It hadn't taken James particularly long to learn how to pick the lock to his father's study, and was, by age thirteen, well practised at sneaking in and out in search of those Top Secret and Highly Confidential documents that he just knew Harry kept in there.
Not that he had found anything particularly special to date.
That was except for a blank piece of parchment which he had found tucked down the back of the desk.
James felt that this was a highly suspicious place to keep and blank piece of slightly tatty parchment and so had immediately set out to find what was so special about it.
It had taken nearly two weeks of constant surveillance before James had even seen his Dad use it. Frankly, he was surprised that it hadn't taken longer. When his Dad didn't want somebody to know about something, that something generally stayed hidden.
Maybe Harry was getting old.
Then again, maybe not.
Either way, the next time he had sneaked into Harry's office he had found the blank piece of slightly tatty parchment and tapped it.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Whatever he was expecting, it hadn't been a map of Hogwarts, and it definitely wasn't of a map that showed, he quickly referenced some of the passages against what he knew of Hogwarts' secret passages, then recounted the ones he could see on the map. Three new passages. Three whole new secret passages.
The potential of the map was endless and, now a third year, James could fully appreciate every single scrap of it.
The teachers wouldn't have a hope of catching him. Not a hope.
Unfortunately, that was when James realised that somebody was behind him. Spinning around, he shoved the map behind his back and contrived to look as guiltless as possible.
Harry didn't believe him for a moment.
"Hand it over," he instructed his eldest son. James did, scowling. Harry tapped it with his wand, and James watched the map disappear in awe as his Dad said "mischief managed", leaving just the blank piece of parchment
The slightly severe look that Harry was levelling at him made James exceedingly glad that his mother wasn't there. His mother's glares were seriously scary and James didn't mind admitting it, even at thirteen. She definitely wouldn't be happy that he had broken into Harry's office again.
"Scoot," Harry told his eldest son firmly and James scooted, but not so quickly that he missed Harry putting the map back in its old hiding place.
Since then, James had attempted several times to retrieve the map, the last ending in him setting off the Caterwauling Charm that Harry had set up in his office. James had been on the receiving end of his mother's glare for a good half an hour as she yelled at him for waking everyone up at quarter to four in the morning. Albus and Lily, both woken by the commotion had sat sniggering at the top of the stairs until their mother had levelled her glare at them and they scooted off back to bed in a hurry.
It was the last day of the holidays now and James was getting desperate. The Caterwauling Charm meant that he would only be able to get into the office at the same time that Harry was in there and James didn't think it was likely that he would be able to get the map out of the office right under his father's nose.
He spent all lunch trying to come up with a workable plan, in between Ginny telling him to stop throwing peas.
"It wasn't me!" James protested but Ginny just levelled a glare at him so he shut up. There was a time and a place for everything, after all. As soon as her mother's attention was fully occupied, Lily, still smiling sweetly, lobbed a pea at him. James did what any good older brother should do and lobbed it straight back.
"James!"
It was after clearing up the kitchen single-handedly that the opportunity presented itself to him, and James was nothing if not opportunistic.
Passing the office door on the way to the stairs, he heard a slight snore. It might have been slight, but it was definitely a snore.
Tiptoeing over to the door, James pushed it open a crack and looked in. Inside, his Dad was asleep in one of the chairs, a cup of tea balanced precariously on the arm. There was another slight but distinct snore and James grinned.
Nobody could say that James was anything but opportunistic.
As he reached a hand down the back of the desk, the old snitch Harry kept in his office made a whining noise as it hovered behind his head. James made a grab for it, but missed, the snitch easily darting out of reach. Scowling, he returned his concentration to fishing out the map.
Even his younger brother could catch that snitch, even Lily could.
Carefully, he pulled the map out from behind the desk and turned towards the door.
Harry grunted slightly and his son froze. He watched the mug wobble slightly, then settle, still balanced precariously on the arm of the chair.
Deciding not to push his luck, James slipped out the office door and dashed upstairs to stow the map in his unpacked trunk.
Mischief managed.
Downstairs in the office, Harry smiled slightly without opening his eyes.
Mischief managed.