Harry Potter one-shot. The story of how James Potter received "that wonderfully magical cloak."
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Snape would be subjected to several hours of painful torture involving a biology teacher and a pointy stick. (Hi, KagenoKatana!)
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James Potter stared up at the red velvet canopy of his four-poster bed. Night had fallen hours ago, yet he was not tired. Of course, it was the Winter Holiday. He had done nothing in the past few days except hang out with the other Gryffindors in the common room, with the occasional snow fight in the abandoned Quidditch field.
James was bored. With his companions resting peacefully in their beds, he did not know what to do. There was schoolwork, yes, like the fifteen-inch essay assigned to them by Professor McGonagal, but it was only Christmas. He had a full three weeks left of holiday to finish it.
James pulled open the curtain on his bed, and crawled over to the window seat. Pale moonlight illuminated the grounds, casting dark shadows in the shapes of Hogwarts' many towers.
Seeing the twisted patched made James remember something that his best friend Sirius had told him:
"Hogwarts is full of secret passages. There are some that lead to other passages or rooms, and some that lead to outside the castle. They say there's even a passage that leads to a secret underground chamber."
From hearing that, James had become immensely curious about the castle. He had been filled with a desire to be the first person to find every secret passage in the castle.
That gave him an idea. It wasn't too late, and surely he could have a few hours to prowl. The teachers would all be in bed, no doubt feeling the effects of tye large amounts of brandy consumed at the Christmas feast. Filch was always a danger, along with that damn cat of his, Mrs. Norris, but James was very light and quick, good for sneaking away. He wasn't the best seeker in the Quidditch Little League for nothing.
James tiptoed back to his trunk, pulling out his maroon red dressing gown. He made towards the spiral staircase leading to the common room, but paused halfway. He turned to look at the loudly-snoring curtain next to his bed. Should he wake Sirius? James contemplated. Sirius was his best friend, but this was his thing. James turned back and trod silently down the stairs.
The eerie glow of the dying embers in the fireplace gave James second thoughts, but he proceeded through the portrait hole. "You should be in bed," said the Fat Lady sleepily. James said nothing in reply, and continued forward.
Hogwarts castle was much different by night than by day. The lofty ceilings were engulfed in shadows, the various statues and busts but dark silhouettes. James snuck down the hallway. He was not sure where to start first. The entire castle was at his disposal. He had heard Sirius mention Gregory the Smarmy once. Maybe there was something to find there?
The clunking of James' feet on the stone stairway, usually unnoticed during the day, sounded loudly throughout the castle. The Entrance Hall seemed miles away. It was slow walking when making a conscious effort to stay quiet.
Third floor, second floor, then at last, he reached his destination. There, right where it should have been, in a hallway opposite the entrance hall, was Gregory the Smarmy. James made his way towards the statue. He leaned over, examining the base, searching for any cracks in the marble or skillfully disguised knobs. There was nothing. James stepped back to look at the statue, and tripped over a suit of armor. "Damn!" he exclaimed, as the loud clang echoed in the tall, stone room. James frowned. He didn't remember seeing the armor when he walked up.
A pair of yellow, slit-like eyes peered around the corner, accompanied by a meow. James jumped up quickly and ran through the nearest door. If Mrs. Norris had seen him, it would only be a matter of time before Filch followed.
The door James had entered did not lead to a room, but a narrow passage of steps. Not knowing the extent of Filch's knowledge of the castle, James began climbing the stairs. They seemed to continue for an eternity. James attempted to keep count, but lost count somewhere around one hundred and sixty.
The end caught James abruptly. After climbing for at least half an hour, James did not expect the stairs to stop anytime soon. James looked around. There was nothing ahead of him except for a hard, stone wall, yet James heard voices around him.
"There was someone out of bed, Headmaster, I swear!"
James looked down. There was a sliver of light at his feet. James kneeled down and peered through a crack in the floor. He saw Filch, standing in front of Headmaster Dumbledore, who was sitting at a desk littered in glass ornaments and trinkets. James' fingers brushed the inside wall of the room, and became covered in flaky gold leaf. He supposed this had to be Dumbledore's office.
"A student out of bed?" inquired Dumbledore.
"Yes sir!" responded Filch. "They knocked over a suit of armour over by Gregory the Smarmy! Near woke the entire castle!"
Dumbledore rested his chin in his hands, not making eye contact with Filch. "Keep looking," James heard him say. "I will look around too, and if I find anyone, I will bring them directly to you."
"Thank you, Headmaster," said Filch, bowing, and leaving the room.
Dumbledore returned to the letter he had been reading. James lied on the stone floor in the stairway, curious about the Headmaster's office. He had never been in there, never having been in deep enough trouble. He had always been reprimanded for the occasional cheek by Professor McGonagal.
"You can come down now," James heard Dumbledore say. James looked around curiously, wondering if he had been talking to one of the portraits of the wall. He did not hear a reply, but Dumbledore didn't know he was up here, did he?
James saw the stone wall shifting, and felt as though he was being carried weightlessly through the air by invisible strings. The strings placed him in the chair opposite Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore had gotten up, and his back was faced towards James. He was fiddling with something in the shelf behind his desk.
Dumbledore turned around with a pot of tea and two silver teacups. James was frightened stiff. Dumbledore's face was unreadable. James could not tell if he was mad or not.
Dumbledore poured the tea, and placed the cup in front of James. James sipped it eagerly. After the long climb, he was quite thirsty. Dumbledore also poured himself tea. After adding four lumps of sugar to his tea, Dumbledore looked at James. "Now," he said, "you can tell me what you were doing out so very late at night."
James looked away from Dumbledore's unwavering gaze. He did not know whether to make up a story- He had forgotten the password to the common room? James turned his face to look at Dumbledore. His face was blank, but his eyes did not look angry. They twinkled with a certain kindness. "I-I was looking for secret passages," he blurted out.
Dumbledore's face remained blank, but his eyes became filled with curiosity. "Secret passages?" he asked.
James hesitated for a moment. "Si-Sirius told me that there were secret passages all over Hogwarts," he said. "I wanted to be the first person to find them all."
"There was a boy who was just like you when I was at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore, smiling.
James did not know what to say to this. He merely sipped his tea and continued looking at Dumbledore.
"He would sneak out all the time, determined to discover every secret about Hogwarts castle," continued Dumbledore. "He never once got caught. Of course, around fifth year he got more deeply involved with his schoolwork and gave up, but he still loved Hogwarts."
James looked at Dumbledore, confused. "Why are you telling me this, sir?" he asked.
Dumbledore got up and walked over to one of the many trunks in his office. He fumbled through a particularly large one until he found an ugly, embroidered cloak.
He handed it to James. "Use it well," he said.
James draped the cloak over his shoulders. He gasped as his body disappeared. "Sir! This isn't-"
"Use it well,"chuckled Dumbledore. "And I'd begin by getting back to Gryffindor Tower without getting caught."
James put the cloak over his head. "Yes, sir!" he exclaimed, excited. The door to Dumbledore's office opened, and James stepped out, grinning. From then on, Hogwarts was all his…
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And we all know what happens after that…
I was rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when the thought occurred to me. Exactly where did James get his invisibility cloak? They're not very common, it's not something you could walk out of Zonko's, or something with. I really liked the idea of Dumbledore giving it to James, so here we are.
Reviews are much appreciated!