Note: Please look to prologue for disclaimer and additional notes about the story.

A Dance With Fate

Canopus Carina

Chapter 2 of 20

He couldn't die yet, it just wasn't fair. They had sacrificed their childhood, their very lives to the cause of the Light and survived. Yet some curse would take down the their main support, his best friend?

Harry Potter couldn't understand the cruel fate behind their lives as it once again laughed in their face. The Final Battle was over, Voldemort once more defeated, and for good this time. But Ron was hit by a strange curse that should have killed him outright, but it didn't. So now he was stuck between the living and dead. Madam Pomphrey and countless other healers told them that the cure was a potion, but the recipe was lost as the creator died. But they couldn't let that stop them. Hermione and he had spent the last two weeks searching for some sort of cure that they had missed, but the truth surrounded them.

It was never written down before.

Wednesday: 3 August 1977

Harry was settling in the Potter household simply enough but tension was mounting between the Marauders. When Harry was deemed "okay" by Mrs. Potter, he was moved into James' room, which was the same room the Marauders stayed in when they visited. It wasn't particularly snug, especially as they were already used to the Gryffindor dormitories. But when James had told his parents he wanted his friends over, they had removed a wall bordering James' room so that they could all fit.

But then a problem arose. They wanted to work more on the pranks for the new school year, but didn't know how Harry would react to it, whether encourage or condemn it. It wasn't something that should be creating such tension, but some how it did. When the issue was brought up as Harry was helping Mrs. Potter with dishes for whatever reason, James announced a controversial proposition:

"I think we should include him in the plans."

In the six years that they had been friends, they had only attempted adding someone else in their plans three times. Each time ended in disaster. Jenny Wiegh, who had been Sirius' new girlfriend at the time, was the first attempt of adding on a fifth person in their ranks in fourth year. She had been amused by the pranks they were becoming famous for and despritely wanted to see one in action. Sirius agreed and convinced the others, but she started laughing when confronted by Professor McGonagall which landed them in two weeks of detention when she confessed. Whenever they see her, they make sure to aim a glare in her direction.

Nick Serway, who was a first year two years ago and had started hero worshiping the Marauders for some reason, convinced them to take him with them for one prank. In a moment of weakness, as he inflated their egos, they agreed to take him on, clearly forgetting what happened with Wiegh. While Sirius was levitating James to the second floor to hang bird food in front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, Nick ran into Sirius and James ended up with a broken leg that Madam Pomphrey refused to heal. To make things worst, the bird food they were hanging, because the teacher hated birds and gave them and essay four feet on how nifflers were misunderstood creatures, was found in Peter's hair when confronted on the prank. Again, two weeks of detention and glares towards Nick.

Finally was Michael Chang, the now third year Ravenclaw, who didn't really have permission to follow them in preparation of a prank. He simply followed them last year to the kitchens and started yelling on how house elves weren't to go into his room, therefore offending the small creatures. It apparently stemmed from some freak accident when he visited some harsh pureblooded relatives, but the house elves didn't want to hear it. The Marauders weren't allowed in the kitchens for four months which ruined some rather ingenious pranks that could have happened. When they could, Michael became the target of some embarrassing pranks which seemed to make them happier whenever they were rejected from the kitchens during that time. Even after those four months, the house elves were weary when they entered their domain.

They debated it long after Harry had come back from dishes, and was then confused him as they argued about it without indicating what they were arguing about. He never interrupted, only looked back and forth as they came up with a reason for or against. Once Mrs. Potter joined them, they were forced to end their debate as she would understand what they were talking about easily.

It ended with Peter thinking James' idea was good and Sirius saying he'd agree if Remus did as Remus was "always right". It was clear that Sirius did not want to argue against Remus' logic, as even many Ravenclaws hadn't been able to be beat it. Sirius didn't have a chance if they didn't. Remus could easily say that he wasn't to get Harry involved until he had his own time to speak with the other boy. And that opportunity came quicker than expected.

"Do you stay with the Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Robert often?" Harry asked the next morning when it was only he and Remus left in the room the five boys shared.

Remus nodded, "They like to spoil James, and if that means to have a bunch of boys running around their house, so be it. We have been going to the train station together since fourth year, once my parents let go enough for me to go with them. They only let it happen as long as they are able to pick us up at the end of the year and I stay during Christmas and Easter breaks with them. Very protective they are."

"It's a good thing to have," Harry added softly, sitting on his newly made bed.

Remus berated himself for bringing up a topic – parents – that Harry didn't feel comfortable talking about. If Mrs. Potter was to find out that he made Harry sad in any way, he knew that no matter how much she liked him (as he was the words of wisdom when it came to her son), she wouldn't allow him to stay there. He didn't know how to rectify it so he continued, "I'm going back in a few days, but will be back on the thirty-first."

"Are you sick?" Harry asked.

There was a small amount of something in his voice that made Remus realize that as much as he was watching the other boy, Harry was watching right back. He quickly came up with an excuse, one the other Marauders would recognize as a "way out of the furry problem" as they joke about, and no raise suspicion about it. The other boy took it in stride and led the way down the hall to where Sirius and James were downing eggs and bacon at record speeds. Peter was seated at the side, watching with amazement at the amount of food they could eat so quickly.

Harry watched with a bit of longing in his eyes. Remus didn't know if it was that maybe he didn't have close friends like the Marauders and wanted that friendship. Or it could be he was simply hungry.

Either way, Remus decided that he could prank prepare with them. He seemed innocent enough, even though he had a dark look in his eyes every once in a while. It was probably just the darkness of why he was there in secret, why that way they still haven't been able to get from him or the Potters.

The other Marauders seemed overjoyed that Remus had, as they put it, stopped being a "worry-wart". He couldn't help that he decided that detention wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. With the way they were acting, it was as if they didn't care about the possibility of being expelled if a prank got too far, or didn't think it would ever happen. Harry asked politely what they were talking about, though Remus had a feeling that he knew more then he let on, with the Marauder's pranks and among other things. Sirius immediately got into a rather animate tale about some of their funnier pranks. How he could eat as much as he had while talking and enacting the pranks was a wonder even to Remus who had lived with him for the past six years.

It was just something Sirius was able to pull off that no one else could.

James just sat back with an almost "I told you so" attitude as he watched his second cousin once removed listen to Sirius' tale without berating them. He had always argued that Harry was a Potter which automatically meant that he would think it was a cool thing to do. But he refused to listen when Harry said he wasn't the pranking type so couldn't help them in their mischief making. It was just that his "Potter genes" weren't fully working because he was so far away from England most of his life. Harry only smiled at that with his mysterious smile.

When the Marauders stayed up all night in their room, that amazingly fit all five boys comfortably, Harry sat back with a book only watching. They came up with some ingenious ideas, ideas that would never been thought up and planned if they couldn't talk while Harry was in the room. It made Remus know his decision was right. And the other Marauders actually listened to it, for once without arguing. Definitely a record.

By the time it was time to pack for the trip to Hogwarts, they didn't care about why he was going with them as they had become fast friends. He was a good kid at least. And though he laughed and said he couldn't help them with coming up with pranks, he did smooth over some rough edges. James said it was his "Potter genes" finally poking through.

Overall a benefit more than a liability.

End of Chapter 2 – 1,520 words

Posted: 23 May 2007