"Hurry!" Remus hissed as he tripped down the long hill, glancing over his shoulder to make certain his friends were keeping up.
"Where are we going this time?" grumbled Peter, plodding in the back, obviously the least interested.
"Yeah, I was supposed to meet that Hufflepuff tonight," said the shaggy-haired boy, his eyes twinkling.
"This is more important than your love life, Padfoot," whispered Remus. He led them down the narrow path he had discovered one morning after the full moon, a path that snaked across the grounds and disappeared into the Forbidden Forest. Peter whimpered as they stepped in among the trees, but as always, he followed his friends.
Remus stopped just within the trees. He could still see the lawn of the castle, but they were out of sight of any teachers who might still be awake. The moon, quarter-full, was rising from behind the castle and cast a pale glow across the grounds.
"So what are we—" started Sirius, but Remus put a finger to his lips.
"Wait," he breathed.
They stood in silence for only a few minutes before they heard the sound of crunching feet. Remus darted off the path and crouched in the underbrush, and the others followed his lead. They could hear voices now from within the forest, male and female, both upset.
"…and I don't know why you're so caught up with Malfoy, of all people. He's a complete git." It was Lily Evans.
Beside him, James shifted forward slightly. Remus prayed that he would stay put; if anyone would give them away tonight, it would be James.
"I told you." Severus Snape's voice floated out of the darkness. "Lucius and his lot know loads of advanced magic, way more than we'll learn in first year. He said they'll teach us."
"In the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night?" Lily was incredulous, and Remus didn't blame her. "You know they're doing dark magic, don't you? There's something not right about all of this. And you saw how they looked at me. You probably weren't supposed to bring the muggle-born along." She stomped past the hidden boys and burst out of the forest. Snape scuttled after her, his oversized robes flapping comically in the night. Though the two continued to argue, their voices grew indistinct as they neared the castle.
Remus glanced at his friends. Sirius's hand was twitching as if he were holding his wand; Peter was bouncing nervously in place. And James… James had a strange look on his face. "Well?" he said.
As if he had broken a spell, Sirius burst out, "What the bloody hell was that?"
"I think the Death Eaters are recruiting at Hogwarts," said Remus softly. How else to explain the dark magic, if that's really what they were practicing out there? But Sirius just snorted.
"If You-Know-Who wants someone as pathetic as Snivellus, I don't think he's much of a threat."
"Don't say that!" cried Peter. "He could-"
"You-Know-Who isn't listening in on a bunch of schoolboys," said James harshly. His gaze was still following the two figures on the hill. "And besides, why would Death Eaters want a bunch of underage wizards? Not like we can do any serious magic yet."
Remus bit his lip. Who knew how many students were running around learning dark spells that they probably couldn't control. And rather more importantly to him, students traipsing the grounds was more dangerous than they—or Remus's friends—could know. He had almost run into Malfoy and his Slytherins last moon on his way back to the castle. The last thing he needed was to be discovered post-transformation, or worse, just before it!
"So what's the plan, then?" asked Sirius. "Do we narc on them? I'd love to see Snivellus in detention."
James sniggered, but Remus said, "If we do that, they'd know we were out after hours, too."
Sirius made a face. "So we catch them during hours. I dunno! Maybe we can get Evans to rat for us. Gryffindor solidarity and all that."
"Evans hates are guts," said James. "Or have you forgotten hexing her parchment to read her and Snape's notes out to the whole class?"
"Oh, Severus," crooned Peter, "however am I supposed to send an owl home to Mummy in the muggle world?"
"Shove off." James gave him a push and nearly bowled the small boy over.
Suddenly, they all heard the unmistakable sound of feet stomping through the underbrush. Almost as one, the four crouched down. Ten or so hooded figures filed past them, so quiet that Remus could hear their breathing with his enhanced senses. Beneath the hood, he saw flashes of a mouth here, a nose there, but he couldn't identify a single person. From their height, though, they seemed to be mostly sixth- and seventh- years. Remus wondered how a first-year like Snape had gotten involved with them. The group broke out from the cover of the trees, and it was as if a Silencio spell had been broken. They condensed into a cluster of students, talking and laughing in hushed voices. Then one of them lowered his hood to reveal a head of hair as pale as the moonlight.
"We will meet again next Tuesday," said Lucius Malfoy. "Make certain you aren't followed, and for God's sake, don't tell anyone." There was some snickering. "I still think Severus has potential. He's not as stupid as the other first-years this term. We just have to separate him from his little tagalong witch." His eyes flitted across the group, and they were calculating. "Run any potential recruits by me this week. The Dark Lord wishes for support from young wizards like us. Let us prove ourselves worthy."
There was a moment of silence, and then the students began murmuring again. In groups of two or three, they headed back to the castle. Lucius walked alone. Only when the last person disappeared over the hill did Remus dare to stand up and stretch his legs.
"Well then," said James to his left. "What are you lot doing on Tuesday?"