THE SECOND OF MAY, 2015
A twelve year old James Potter hurried along the second floor corridor, his leather book bag slung over his shoulder, with a piece of parchment eagerly clutched in his hand. The strap of the bag was considerably too long, and so it banged his knees as he rushed down the corridor. If you added this to his small, skinny frame, and the square glasses perched slightly wonky on his nose, you had in front of you the clichéd image of the bullied first year. However, James Potter II was not that clichéd image. He was quite the opposite. And if any threatening Fourth Years had known the nature of the parchment he so preciously clutched, and the knowledge he therefore possessed, they would be right to be really quite scared.
Even at twelve years old, James Potter exuded the confidence of a boy who was extremely clever, extremely loved, and extremely famous. He often reflected that he was, probably, the most famous wizard under 18, if you didn't count his siblings. On the day of his birth, the whole front page of the Prophet had been dedicated to his family, or rather his father- but it was about him. Not that James was one of those insufferably arrogant boys who thought he was Gods gift to everyone. You often find that children who are loved unconditionally by their parents, and told it very often, have no need to be arrogant. He just acted like it sometimes (a lot). And there was also his false belief that he could never get into any serious trouble. Which is why, today, he hurried down the second floor corridor to meet his friends, with the Marauders Map held in his hand.
When he reached the unused classroom at the end of the corridor, he performed a series of taps on the door - two quick knocks, a silence, four slow ones and then another silence before one final thump. Then he stepped back and waited. The door didn't open.
"Hello?" He called out impatiently.
"Who's there?" Came a muffled voice, which James recognised as Louis.
"James, you moron."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, but can you open the door?"
"No, I can't. You got the knock wrong."
"No I did not!" James cried indignantly, "Its: two quick knocks, a silence, four slow ones and then another silence before one final thump."
"Its five slow ones! Idiot!"
"You're the idiot, you just told a total stranger your secret code!"
There was a horrified gasp, and suddenly the door flew open. Louis' face was stuck through the gap, desperately trying to see who he had betrayed the code too. When his eyes finally rested on James, he blew a raspberry at his face.
"You tricked me!" He declared, in a sulky tone, before opening the door fully and letting the boy in.
"Well, why wouldn't you let me in? It was obviously me!"
"It could have been anyone. That's why you have a secret code, to identify!"
"Yeah, and you forgot it!" James threw out an accusing finger at his cousin.
"You forgot it!" Louis shouted back.
"It's FOUR slow knocks."
"It's five!"
"It is five, James." Another voice said, and this was Lorcan's: he was sat on a table in the corner, a pile of books next to him, his Ravenclaw tie perfectly placed in comparison to James' loosened Gryffindor version.
"Oh, you always stick up for Louis." James sat atop another table and tried to look as furious as possible
"Because I'm right!"
"Oh, forget it."
The two Ravenclaw boys burst into laughter at the other's stubbornness. Seeing as there was not much James liked more than making people laugh, even at his own expense, he softened and held out the piece of parchment he had rushed all the way to deliver.
Lorcan reached over to take the parchment, and looked curiously at the blank paper.
"What is it, then?"
"Well," James began dramatically, "I was sat in the common room, minding my own business, when Teddy walked up to me. He handed me the very parchment which you are holding in your hand, and, very mysteriously, told me it had been a gift from my dad-"
"Uncle Harry?" Louis interrupted.
"Of course Uncle Harry you moron! How many other dads do I have?" James groaned. Louis blew another raspberry at his cousin, who glared again before continuing his tale with gusto, "Anyway, Teddy hands me this parchment, and tells me that my dad, Harry, gave it to him when he came to Hogwarts. Ted said he didn't need it very much anyway, so he'd decided to hand it on to me. And all you have to do is take your wand, tap on it and say these words: 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' Well, go on then!"
Lorcan followed James' instructions, folding the map out onto the table and taping his wand once. The two Ravenclaws gasped as the map of Hogwarts was drawn out in front of them.
"Merlin's pants..." Louis said, drawing the words out, "This is incredible."
"Its called the Marauders Map. My granddad and Teddy's dad made it with their friends. Its the coolest, most useful thing in the world."
"Are those secret passages!?" Louis exclaimed.
"Yeah!"
"And everyone's on here?" Lorcan asked, evidently wondering what charm must have been used.
"Everyone. We can see what everyone in this castle is doing. Do you know what this means?"
The two boys turned to their friend with wide eyes.
Lorcan spoke first, "We can plan out the perfect pranks!"
Minutes later, the trio were hid in an alcove behind a statue of Helga Hufflepuff. Lorcan held the map, and was watching the corridor they were in carefully. James and Louis were unpacking brightly coloured boxes. The two often agreed that one of the best things about being a Weasley were the unlimited supplies of the latest Wizard Wheezes products. This time, Louis had been sent two unreleased products, with strict instructions from George to write to him the exact results.
The three prepared themselves, going over the plan one last time.
"James, I think I should start the second phase." Louis said seriously.
"No way! You're already starting the first. We each have a part to play."
"I just don't think your responsible enough."
"Oh, Mr wit and learning, ready mind Ravenclaw has to do everything because he's responsible."
"Hey! I just think you might get carried away with the first phase."
"No you don't, your just jealous that I got this job. We drew straws, it's completely fair."
"I'm not! And it wasn't fair, you knew which straw was short."
"That's beside the point. All I've got to do is release it, I think I can manage that. And anyway, what makes you more responsible than me?"
"I'm a Ravenclaw."
"HOUSE PREJUDICE! HOUSE PREJUDICE!" James screeched like a siren, apparently disgusted at what his cousin had said.
"You were the one that just made fun of our house." Louis pointed out.
"Whatever. I'm still responsible. Aunty Hermione is a Gryffindor, look at her: she's very responsible."
"Well... I'm older than you!" Louis declared, somewhat desperately.
"By TWO days!"
Louis signed resignedly. "Fine. You can do phase two. Just don't mess it up."
"You don't mess your bit up." James retorted.
"I won't."
"Neither will I."
"Good."
"Good."
"Will you two be quiet." Lorcan said more from habit than necessity, still concentrating on the map.
A bell sounded and Lorcan looked up. The three exchanged a look which said clearly- this is it. Louis took out a small grey ball out of piece of tissue paper and held it in his hands, preciously. This was their first big prank, it had to go perfectly.
James held another, smaller box. Unlike his friends, he was utterly confident that this would be legendary. Listening out for the command from Lorcan, James planned out exactly what he what he would write in his letter to Albus.
Lorcan looked up again, "Here they come." There was clear apprehension in his voice. For him, this prank was more about keeping up with his friends, and the excitement of inclusion. He didn't have anything to prove, unlike the other two. Also unlike the other two, he had the fear of being found out. This had to go smoothly.
The sound of voices began to fill the corridor, which they had chosen as it held the main classrooms . Lorcan watched as from both ends, the corridor filled up, "Wait for it," he cautioned to Louis, no one had entered a classroom yet, "Wait for it."
Everything went into slow motion as Lorcan watched the dot labelled Diana Briggs enter the charms class room, a troop of others behind her. At the same time, various other dots entered other class rooms. This was the moment, "Go!"
Louis rolled out the ball, and with a fizz, a thick, dark grey mist spread through the hall. With in seconds, the corridor was filled and the trio couldn't see a thing. Screams and shouts reached them through the impermeable fog, but when James heard the commanding voice of Professor Longbottom amongst them, he knew it was time to act. Determined to prove Louis wrong, he opened the box at exactly the right moment. A sound like a strong wind whooshed past the crowd of shrieking students as the hex was released and found its way into the closest rooms. He turned to where he sensed Lorcan and Louis were and whispered victoriously: "We've done it."
After a subdued cheer, which no one would have heard anyway over the screams and shouts and teacher attempts to calm things down, the trio shoved the boxes into their bags and then entered the jostling crowd, hoping that when the fog cleared (they had about 15 seconds, Louis estimated) they would just be taken for a few scared first years caught up in and elder students elaborate prank. They had specifically chosen the corridor where they had transfiguration, in order to have a reason for being there.
As the mist began to thin, shouts turned to laughter as the students regrouped with their friends and realised it was just a prank. Louis, James and Lorcan put on their best worried first year faces as they scurried past the elder students to their class, but were in fact listening carefully for the beginning of the next stage, the real point of the mist. It came quickly, Lorcan guessed from Diana Biggs, a screech of disbelief and then uproarious laughter from more people. Everyone else rushed to see what had happened.
"It's upside down!"
"Who did this? It was perfectly normal before the fog."
"What is my desk doing on the ceiling?" Came the furious, and comically squeaky, voice of Professor Flitwick.
"Its in this classroom too!" Observed another student.
"And this one."
The three boys broke into huge grins and, now the mist had faded completely, made their way to transfiguration. Indeed, every single piece of furniture had been fixed to the ceiling.
"I wonder who did it..." Murmured James to his friends, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.
At the Ravenclaw table that evening, Lorcan and Louis heard one disgruntled Prefect explaining to some elder students that they had absolutely no idea who it had been, but Professor Tremlett had ruled out every lower school trouble maker due to the complexity and scale of the hex.
Louis took a victorious bite out of his treacle tart, whilst Lorcan nervously watched James holding court across the room with the Gryffindor first years. He was repeatedly chanting under his breath, "He's going to tell them, he's going to tell them."
Eventually Louis grew tired, "He's not a complete idiot, Lorcan, don't worry."
"He's going to tell them!"
"Shush! Stop acting so guilty. You'll be the one to tell everyone if you don't keep your voice down."
Lorcan huffed and turned back to his pudding.
Louis watched James for a few seconds longer, and then scanned the table for Victoire. He hasn't managed to say Happy Birthday to her yet. Before he spotted her, though, someone grabbed his collar and pulled him back, whispering harshly in his ear: "How did you do it, you little twerp?"
His other sister did not let go of him until the Prefect from earlier looked concernedly up the table due to the loud protests Louis was making. When the second year Slytherin relinquished her grip, Louis looked at her reproachfully, rubbing his neck.
Dominique sat down between him and Lorcan, "Go on then, how did you do it?" She was still speaking in a markedly aggressive tone. It was clear once she found out, she would either self-righteously write and tell mum and dad, or inflict as much physical pain as possible on him for coming up with a better idea then her.
Louis decided to play dumb. "Do what?"
"Stop being a twerp. I know you did it." She whispered confidentially, but grabbed his ear and twisted it all the same.
"All right," Louis surrendered. She let go of his ear. Again he regarded her reproachfully before continuing, "Uncle George sent us some stuff to test out."
Domi looked satisfied, and said with a grim smile "Knew it. Everyone's saying its seventh year stuff. Freddie's going to be furious, you know."
"Oh, don't tell him for a few days yet, Dom." Louis begged.
His sister looked down at him contemptuously, but eventually softened, "Okay, I wont. For now." And with one last threatening look she swept back off to the Slytherin table.
Lorcan stared after her, wide-eyed, "Your sister is so scary."
"Tell me about it." Louis whimpered, still rubbing his ear.
