Chapter 2
A sharp jab in the shoulder blades woke Sirius up abruptly. He snapped his head up and for a moment forgot where he was. Then the transparent image of Professor Binns reminded him all too clearly of his whereabouts. The History of Magic Professor had once again managed to put Sirius to sleep with his monotonous, droning voice. James was sitting on the edge of his seat, and was repeatedly stabbing Sirius with the tip of his wand.
Sirius turned to James sharply and told his best mate to stop it.
"Well it took quite a few pokes to wake you up," said James grinning and giving Sirius another hard prod in the back.
"I'm clearly awake now so stop it!" growled Sirius.
James's grin only widened and he gave Sirius another particularly brutal jab in the ribs.
"Ouch!" Sirius exclaimed as he reached over and pushed roughly on James's shoulder, knocking him off balance. James toppled sideways and landed on the floor with a loud thud.
Professor Binns looked up in shock at the unexpected noise and he even looked surprised to see a classroom of sixth years sitting before him. Spotting James on the floor with the chair on its side, Professor Binns said, "Potter, please take your seat and we will resume the lesson."
With that the ghost went back to his dull speech on the goblin rebellion.
Before getting up James rumpled his hair then plucked his chair off the floor and took his seat
"Bit unnecessary don't you think?" asked James, rubbing the back of his head.
"Poking me after I was awake was a bit unnecessary, don't you think?"
James shrugged and said with a smile,"I didn't want you to miss this important lesson."
"I already know this stuff," Sirius responded arrogantly.
"Well, now that you are awake-"
"Thanks to you."
"-What do you say we sneak down to Hogsmeade?"
Sirius pretended to ponder this for a moment before smiling mischievously and answering, "Why, I think that's a grand idea, Prongs."
James turned to Remus, who was sitting beside him trying to take in what Binns was saying but to no avail.
"Hey Moony, what do you say we ditch this class and head on down to Hogsmeade?"
Remus looked up at James's grinning face and considered this much more appealing idea. He glanced up at Professor Binns then back at James.
"Fine, but if we get caught..." Remus let his sentence trail off suggesting that there would be consequences if he as a prefect was caught skipping.
"And when have we ever got caught?" asked Sirius.
They didn't bother asking Peter if he wanted to come along because they knew when they all stealthily slid of their chairs and slipped out of the classroom that he would be right behind.
"What are we doing guys?" Peter asked eagerly once they were out in the corridor.
"We're going to Hogsmeade, what does it look like?"Sirius responded.
Peter clapped his hands enthusiastically and followed the Marauders up a flight of stairs, around a corner and they found themselves in a long, dimly lit corridor. Their footsteps echoed in the deserted hallway as they made their way to the hidden entrance of their chosen escape route. An old rusted suit of armor stood to the left with the butt of its spear planted firmly on the tiles. James stepped up to the hollow metal guard and spoke the words,"I request entry to the Blind Boggart Passage."
The suit of armor nodded its head slightly and slid the spear off the tile it was resting on. Sirius stepped forward and helped James pull the loose tile up and push it aside to reveal a dark hole just deep enough for them to stand without crouching. Sirius jumped down into the darkness without hesitating, followed by James and Remus. Peter, however, paused on the edge of the dark pit.
"Do-do you think there will be any spiders down there?" asked Peter shakily.
"'Course there will be spiders, Wormtail! This is a perfect home for those big, hairy creepy crawlers." James replied from within the pit.
Peter squeaked fearfully."I-I ca-can't go down there."
"Oh well, we'll bring you back some cheese from Hogsmeade."
"But I-can't I meet you at the Whomping Willow?"Peter asked hopefully.
Sirius responded,"Nope. Too risky, you'll have to come this way." Sirius's toothy grin could not be seen in the dark but the humour in his voice was all too evident.
"But I-oh alright," Peter complied.
Sitting his round bottom on the edge of the tiles with his feet dangling below, Peter slid off the edge and fell to the bottom with a heavy thud. Peter stood up quickly and dusted himself off. James and Remus's wands lit up a long, dank passageway that sloped slightly downwards. Cobwebs and mildew covered the ceiling and walls. The soft drip drip of water could be heard from somewhere down the dark hall.
Sirius muttered a spell and the tile fell back in to place. Peter whimpered pathetically in the darkness.
"Would you shut up, Wormtail?" Sirius barked at the trembling boy.
"Easy Sirius. You made him come down here. You know he hates spiders," Remus said.
"I almost wish I had let you just meet us at the Whomping Willow," Sirius grumbled.
"Does that mean you'll let me back out?"Peter begged.
"No, you are down here now, lets just get going before those big spiders find us," James said.
Peter let out another squeal of terror before hurrying after the others. They trudged on down the gloomy hall in silence. Their footfalls echoing hollowly around them. Every once in a while an unidentified creature would scitter past them, making Peter jump. Finally they saw a spot of light emerge before them. The passage led directly outside. James stopped once he met the end, standing on the edge of a forty foot drop. Laid out below him was the green grounds of Hogwarts and the Whomping Willow some thirty feet away. James reached into a small nook hidden in the wall of the passage and pulled out a long, thick rope covered in green mold and cobwebs. Lying down on his stomach he stretched over the edge of the drop and tied the rope to a rusty steel peg driven into the stone wall. James lifted himself off the filthy floor and turned a toothy grin on Peter.
"You first, Wormtail. If you get to the bottom all right, we know its safe!" James said in an encouraging tone.
"But, what do you mean if I get to the bottom? Haven't you tested this passage out before?" Peter asked worriedly.
"Well no not exactly. Sirius and I found this passage only last week since he destroyed our usual one."
Sirius responded to the jibe in his own defense,"How was I to know she was claustrophobic?"
"You shouldn't have been taking a stupid girl down that secret passage just to snog, in the first place!" James replied.
"It doesn't matter," Remus interjected. "What's done is done. No one expected her to get claustrophobic and start shooting Reducto spells everywhere. And James just be glad Sirius got out of that passageway alive without being crushed by all the falling rock."
Sirius smirked in a self-satisfied way, evidently pleased with Remus's logical reasoning. Peter let out a terrified squeak that captured the attention of the other three. They all looked to him as he stood on the edge of the drop looking straight down. Peter's legs were trembling and his face was covered in a sheen of sweat. James stepped forward and shoved Peter out of the way.
"Man up, Wormtail. I was only kidding, Sirius and I made sure the rope is sturdy and we have already tested it out." James scolded.
Sirius flicked a lock of hair from his eyes and glanced down the drop. "I'll go first so Wormy here doesn't piss himself in fear."
Four figures slipped down the coarse rope and disappeared into the now still Whomping Willow. They fled through an underground passage and emerged into a rickety shack that the locals of Hogsmeade sincerely believed to be haunted. In a small room within the Shrieking Shack, Sirius lounged on a dusty, floral patterned couch that was so old the springs could be seen poking through the fabric in some areas. Peter and Remus stretched out on the creaking wooden floor(Remus with a book in his hands) and James stood at the window gazing down at Hogsmeade. James's thoughts turned to Lily Evans and the corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile. Her thick red hair and stunning green eyes...
"And her sharp tongue and hateful words towards you," Sirius threw in, interrupting James's thoughts.
James spun around and gave Sirius a confused look. "How did you...?"
"You were speaking your thoughts aloud, mate," Sirius answered James's question.
Rather than blush, James drew his eyebrows together in a frown and grumbled,"Why doesn't she like me?"
Remus looked up from his book saying, "You're a strapping young lad, James but I think she finds your arrogance rather immature. Try being a little less–"
Sirius cut in roughly,"James is who he is, if Evans can't appreciate that then she's no good for him anyway."
"Ya!" Peter piped up. "I'll jinx her for ya, Prongs!"
James turned on Peter, an angry scowl marring his features. "You don't go near her, Wormtail! If you harm Lily Evans I'll–"
"Easy James," Sirius interrupted. "He didn't mean anything by it."
James directed a quick glare at Peter before suggesting that they go down to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers.
The four best friends followed a worn path from the Shrieking Shack. The ground was littered in vibrant orange, red and yellow leaves of the autumn season and the ancient trees creaked their song in the chill breeze. The bare branches reaching across the trail like gnarled claws. A tabby cat streaked across the trail in front of them, vanishing back into the forest. Sirius had taken an aggressive step forward at the sight of the cat with a menacing look in his gray eyes.
James flashed a playful grin. "My Padfoot, what animalistic behavior. Almost dog-like," he teased.
Sirius just shrugged nonchalantly and continued down the path.
Once inside the Three Broomsticks the four sat around a table and turned their attention to the man standing before them expectantly. His graying hair and shabby, patched up jacket gave him an overall unremarkable appearance.
"Butterbeers for you boys?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"That would be great, thanks," responded Lupin to the proprietor.
"Oh no, I'll have a firewhiskey, "James requested.
The proprietor simply chuckled and replied "Butterbeers it is, boys."
James shrugged and said,"worth a try, right."
The three of them laughed outright at this display from James and Sirius's barking laughter rang above them all. A young girl of about ten years with long golden hair cowered behind the bar counter. Her pretty face screwed up in alarm at the sudden outburst from the boys' table. Her head suddenly spun to look behind her at the sound of her father's voice.
"Rose! Would ya bring these butterbeers to the young lads in the corner over there." The proprietor shoved his daughter in their direction with a tray holding four butterbeers.
Little Rosmerta timidly crept over to the table that the four boys occupied. She carefully placed the four butterbeers onto their table and stood gazing up at them with wide eyes. Her father's commanding voice broke through her awe-inspired stare and she took off back to the bar counter before any of the boys could greet her.
"Odd little thing isn't she," Remus murmured.
"She certainly stares a lot," James stated.
"Who wouldn't stare at us, we're the envy of every witch and wizard at Hogwarts."Sirius's gloating expression beheld that he was completely serious in saying this.
"Oh yes Sirius I envy you oh so much. You and your little mischevious gang."
The four boys turned to see who belonged to the mocking sarcastic voice. A penetrating, heavy-lidded gaze stared directly at Sirius. Thick, raven tresses surrounded a darkly beautiful face.
"Well hello cuz. So nice to see you. Aren't you supposed to be in class right now, or are you out for a leisurely routine of muggle-born hunting?" Sirius replied with a falsely sweet smile on his face.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class or have you come to save some filthy mud-bloods from my considerable talents?"
"I don't consider the dark arts talent!" retorted Sirius.
Bellatrix's voice turned cold and hard. "That is a dangerous accusation to make, cousin" Turning on her heel she strode out of the Three Broomsticks.
"We should get back to school before someone notices that we are missing," suggested Remus.
"Yeah or before Sirius's dear cousin rats us out." said James
"Bellatrix maybe a lot of things but she's not a snitch." grumbled Sirius.
