James Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Disclaimer: I solomnely swear that I do not own :'(
A/N: I. Have. Been. Waiting. So. Long. To. Write. This. MARAUDERS CENTRAL! Lol, thank you for all the support and keep the reviews coming! Oh, and it's official; once I've finished writing this story, I'm going to write one about what happened to Harry when he went to the Marauder's Era:) I'll let you know what happens with that:) I also think that I might continue this story on through Goblet of Fire (as I would LOVE to see James battle that dragon!) but I haven't decided yet:P Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for THIS plot, let me know! Thanks a milion!
Chapter Ten: The Marauder's Map
"Fair warning, Hermione, if Snape's teaching again today, we're skipping."
James, Ron, and Hermione were on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts class. They were all looking forward to the Hogsmeade trip later in the week, but James and Ron had no intention of being taught by Snape today.
"Oh, honestly!" Hermione huffed. "Fine! I'll go see who's in there."
"Thanks." James said, smirking. Hermione rolled her eyes, and peered through the doorway of the classroom. She turned around - a smile on her face - and said, "It's okay!"
Both smiling madly, James and Ron raced into Remus's classroom, and took seats in the front of the room, being sure to avoid Malfoy's stupid interpritation of James falling off his broom.
Remus looked awful, but after a full moon, that was only to be expected. He seemed perfectly cheerful as he listened to the class's many complaints about Snape.
As most of them were from James.
"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"
"We don't know anything about werewolves —"
"— two rolls of parchment!"
"Werewolves!" James huffed. "Honestly, the nerve-"
"Did you tell Professor Snape that we haven't covered them yet?" Remus asked, looking pointedly at James, but frowning in general.
"Yes, but he said we were really behind —"
"— he wouldn't listen —"
"— two rolls of parchment!"
"Werewolves!" James growled. "I swear, I will hex him so badly he'll-"
"Now, there'll be no need for that, Harry." Remus said, almost like a warning to James. "I'll talk to Professor Snape; you don't have to do the essay."
"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"
"You know," James whispered to Hermione. "I don't suppose anyone's ever told you this - being as Wormtail and I are dead and Padfoot's been in prison - but you and Moony over there are extremely alike."
"Really?" Hermione asked, her face lighting up considerably.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, Merlin help us."
James snickered, and turned back to Moony, who was pulling out a glass tank with a Hinkypunk in it. As he'd already studied them, James didn't even have to listen to Moony; he knew all about Hinkypunks...especially since he and Sirius had infested the Great Hall with them last year.
When the bell rang, everyone jumped out of their seats, but Remus said, "Harry, would you stay behind a moment, please?"
James's face lit up; he'd be getting out of at least a bit of potions by talking to Remus. He hung back while everyone else exited the room. When they were the only ones left, the student-teacher act dropped, and Remus grinned at James.
"How angry are you?" Remus asked, sitting on his desk like he always had when he was a boy.
"Bout what?" James asked.
"I heard about your...er, Harry's broom. Flew into the Willow, did it?" Remus asked.
James rolled his eyes. "Moony!" he complained. "I'd gone a whole hour without thinking about it!"
"Sorry to bring up such a painful topic." Remus said, rolling his eyes. "It's not even your broom, James...why're you so upset?"
"Huh!" James complained. "If Sirius was here, he'd strangle you! It doesn't matter who's broom it is, Moony! The point is, that it's a beautiful piece of art that didn't deserve such an awful fate! Bloody tree!"
Remus laughed. "Merlin I've missed you, Prongs."
"I thought you would've been more upset about Malfoy catching the Snitch." Remus commented, raising his eyebrows.
"MOONY!" shouted James. "What, is it pick-on-James day? What's with the bad topics of conversations?"
Remus laughed again. "Just small talk."
"I'd settle for talking about the weather, thanks." James huffed, causing Remus to laugh even harder.
"Fine then, how's the weather?"
"Awful." James said. "This is horrid Quidditch weather! And Snape's a right foul git, you know that?"
"Whoa!" Remus said suddenly. "What's with the sudden subject change?"
"Does it matter?" James practically growled. "He knows! The git knows that about your furry little problem, Remmy! And he's trying to get the students to find out! I'll kill him!"
"We almost did." Remus said, looking down.
"...What?" James asked, his tone softening considerably.
"That's how he found out about me." Remus sighed. "Sirius told him about the knob in the Willow, the one that stops the branches. Snape went there on a full moon, and saw me transform. You saved him, Prongs."
"Me?" James asked in disbelief. "I saved that good-for-nothing's neck, and he still has it out for Harry?"
"I don't think he'll ever actually forgive you for the years of torture, James." Remus laughed. "I just think that you're little heroic act stopped him from actually killing you. Do you think that Snape is actually capable of forgiveness?"
"Forgiveness." James Jamse huffed. "I don't need that slimy grease ball's forgiveness - he deserved everything that came his way!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Be that as it may, it doesn't make him like you or Harry any more."
James rolled his eyes as well. "Whatever. I've got to go, mate; I reckon if I get detention for being late to Potions, Minnie won't let me go to Hogsmeade."
"You're not supposed to be going anyway." Remus said. "No one's signed your form, and with Sirius still out there-"
"You really think he'll attack me?" James asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "And I don't need a bloody form signed, Moony; I've been using the One-Eyed-Witch passage the last two trips."
"Fine." Remus sighed. Then, he smiled, and said, "Have fun in Potions, Prongsie."
James turned around, trying to ignore the hurt feeling inside of him, for it had been Sirius who'd come up with that annoying version of 'Prongs' and James really missed his own time.
James practically skipped down the corrider as he made his way to the One-Eyed-Witch passageway. Everyone else had already left for Hogsmeade, so James was free to go about the Castle un-noticed, though he did have his Invisibilty Cloak with him - just in case.
No one was around...so it goes without saying that James was scared out of his wits when the Weasley Twins jumped out behind the statue of the One-Eyed-Witch and pulled him back there.
"We've got a bit of a surprise for you, Harry." Twin 1, Fred, said with a smile on his face.
"Bit of an early Christmas present." Twin 2, George, added.
"What?" James asked eagerly, knowing he would love anything that the Weasley Twins had to give him.
"D'you got it, Georgie?" Fred asked his brother.
"Right here!" George said triumphantly, retrieving the parchment from his robes and handing it to James.
To a Muggle or anyone else for that matter, there would be nothing abnormal about the piece of parchment in James's hands. But to James-
"MERLIN!" he yelled happily. "NO WAY! HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU TWO GET THE MAP?"
"You know what it is?" Fred asked, obviously confused and taken aback.
"Of course!" James shouted, pulling his wand from his robed. He tapped the map once, said, "I solomnely swear that I am up to no good." and watched with a gleeful expression on his face as the introduction made itself known in a curling ink.
"How'd you know that?" Both Twins asked at the same time.
But James ignored them, staring happily at the Map. "How'd you guys get it?" he asked.
"Knicked it from Filch's office." Fred said absently.
"First year." George added.
"Not bad." James approved.
"Do you know how it works?" Fred asked, scraping to tell James something he didn't already know.
"'Course I do." James said happily. "Shows everyone in Hogwarts, what they're doing, every minute of every day."
"Yeah." George said. "See, here I am...and here's Fred...and..."
"What?" Fred asked, noticing how pale George had gone.
"Yeah? What?" James smirked, trying to look innocent but failing horribly.
"What, Georgie?" Fred asked, taking the map. He looked down to see what George was so nervous about, and he paled, too.
"There's got to be a mistake." George said.
"The Marauder's Map never lies." James assured the boys, not really caring - and actually excited - that they knew the truth.
"James Potter?" they both asked together.
"At your service." James grinned, bowing.
"But- but-" George stuttered, Fred at a loss for words.
"I can't tell you how many times I've explained this." James sighed. "I know, I know, I'm dead. But I - somehow - went through a serious case of time travel and came here. Harry's in my time. Any questions? Oh, sorry, don't have time."
"You're really James Potter?" Fred asked, finally regaining his voice.
"You can check the Map." James shrugged. "It never lies."
"We know." George said, almost reverantly. "Ah, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs...we owe them so much."
"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," Fred solomnely agreed.
"Why thank you." James smirked. "We try."
Both boys looked up at him with dumbstruck expressions on their faces.
"What?" they gasped, looking as though they were about to kiss the ground James stood on.
"What did you say, James?" Fred asked eagerly, his face already lighting up.
"Well, you could call me that." James shrugged. "Prongs is a new nickname, after all...didn't expect it to catch on quite so quickly."
"Y-You're Prongs?" Fred sputtered.
"The Prongs?" George breathed.
James smiled broadly, and the Twins fell to their knees in front of them and shot the questions and comments out faster than James cared to answer them.
"You're a GOD!"
"Who's Padfoot?"
"Why the nicknames?"
"Did you personally write the map?"
"What gave you the idea?"
"We are not worthy of thy presence, oh great Marauder!"
"Who's Moony?"
"Is it true that you managed over five hundred and fifty two detentions before your third year?"
"Did you create the seven secret passageways?"
"Is it true that you're the reason McGonagall has that anti-levitation curse on her hat?"
"Who's Wormtail?"
"PLEASE, TEACH US WHAT YOU KNOW!"
"I would've stopped you earlier, but being as I've never been called a god before, I was rather enjoying that." James laughed.
"No wonder you were headed this way-"
"-if you were trying to get to Hogsmeade!"
"You obviously know about this passageway-"
"-I'm truly at a loss for words. This is easily the greatest experience of my young life."
"Will you sign my broom?" Fred asked quickly.
"Will you sign my head?" George added.
"Will you sign my shirt?"
"Will you sign my brother?"
"Boys, boys, enough." James laughed. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later, but I would like to get to Hogsmeade before nightfall."
"Yes, Master!" the Twins yelled at the same time.
And James thought the entire time, "Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail would have busted veins laughing at that. Why did I have to have that experience alone?"
"Want to go get a Butterbeer?" Ron asked, as he, James, and Hermione made their way through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade.
"Sure." Jams said. "I'm freezing."
"Yes." Hermione agreed. "Though I expect Ron only wants to go to see Madame Rosmerta - he fancies her!"
"Not true." Ron grumbled, going slightly pink.
"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrased about, mate." James laughed. "Sirius fancied her, too."
Laughing, the trio made their way into the Three Broomsticks, and ordered three Butterbeers. They sat at a table for nearly an hour, talking and laughing. James felt like he was with Sirius and Remus, in a weird way - he and Harry seemed to have the same taste in friends.
"And then, Harry stabbed it with the Sword of Gryffindor!" Ron concluded, happy at his version of how Harry killed a Basilisk in his second year.
"That's brilliant!" James exclaimed, his pride for his son overwhelming.
"And dangerous." Hermione muttered lowly, though she was very plainly smiling.
A sudden, cold breeze shook the place as the door was opened. James let out a not-so-quiet swear, and thrust the Inivisbilty Cloak over him, Ron, and Hermione. The act came just in time, as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, Hagrid, and Cornelious Fudge entered the pub, ordered their drinks, and sat down at the table right next to the three friends.
James saw Fudge offer Madame Rosmerta a seat, and found himself strangely intrigued by their conversation.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Madame Rosmerta asked.
"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school?" Fudge asked in a quiet voice. James knew that they were talking about Sirius's trying to break in. He winced as he thought of how hated his best mate was.
"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.
"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said McGonagall exasperatedly.
"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.
"I doubt it." James thought. "Sirius was there, but he's not stupid...he wouldn't linger, not with all these people after him."
"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice that James recognized all too well - she often used it when Sirius and him had too much Butterbeer and ended up spilling the contents of their glasses all over her 'nice clean floor!' "Scared all my customers away… It's very bad for business, Minister."
"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. James had to fight back a snort - if it was completely up to Fudge, James knew that the Dementors would be teaching classes. "Necessary precaution… unfortunate, but there you are… I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore — he won't let them inside the castle grounds."
"I should think not," said McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"
"Hear, hear!" squeaked Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground.
"All the same," said Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse…We all know what Black's capable of…"
"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought…I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."
"She would have." James thought. "She loves it when we come in here in my time. She thinks we're a hilarious double-act..."
"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."
"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"
"I certainly do," said Fudge.
"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"
"Oh not this again!" James thought sadly. "Moony already told me about my best friend's betrayal...must I hear it again from unkinder mouths?"
"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here — ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"
"Ha! I so called that one!"
"Precisely," said McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course — exceptionally bright, in fact — but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers —"
"No, you haven't. But I thank you greatly for remembering us, Minnie!"
"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."
"Now I don't know about that Hagrid. They're good, but did they beat the Hogwarts detention record before their third year? Me thinks not!"
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Flitwick. "Inseparable!"
"We are brothers. Or, er, were brothers...we are in my time...and we will be in this time too, if I have anything to say about it."
"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."
"It shouldn't be that way. Harry should be calling Sirius 'Uncle Padfoot'."
"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"I still refuse to believe that - not unless Moldy Shorts put Sirius under the Imperius Curse."
"Worse even than that, m'dear…" Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."
"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Flitwick cleared his throat.
"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find — unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"
"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Duh. You just said we were brothers - why wouldn't I have trusted him?"
"Naturally," said McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself… and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."
"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."
"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"
"I did."
"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed —"
"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.
"Why did this happen? Why me, why us? What did we ever do that was so bad, huh? Or bad enough for this to be our fate?"
"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colours as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it —"
"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.
"Shh!" said McGonagall.
"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead… an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.
"He was white and shaking? Something doesn't add up here...if he betrayed us, why would he have been so worried?"
"Hagrid, please!" begged McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"
"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him —' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.
"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.
"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore…"
"No. No, that doesn't make sense...he was white and shaking...he was laughing when the Ministry took him away...and I know he only does that when he's upset..."
A long silence followed Hagrid's story, thought James hardly noticed. He was too caught up in his own thoughts to concentrate on much else. However, Madam Rosmerta's voice snapped him back into reality, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"
"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew —another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."
"Pettigrew… that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.
"Nicely put, Rosmerta, really."
"Hero — worshipped Black and Potter," said McGonagall.
"Now I won't argue with that."
"-Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I — how I regret that now…" McGonagall had begun crying, and James was sure he'd never seen his Transfiguration teacher so upset. But then, tears were pricking his own eyes, as well.
"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses — Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later — told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…"
"Sirius...I know Peter used to annoy you a bit, but blow him to smithereens? How could you!"
McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy… foolish boy… he was always hopeless at dueling… should have left it to the Ministry…"
"Yeah, you should have Peter! Why'd you have to die, too? You were third in line to take Harry! If you would have just let Sirius be, maybe Harry wouldn'tve ended up at the Dursley's!"
"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands — I'd 've ripped him limb — from — limb," Hagrid growled.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I — I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him… a heap of bloodstained robes and a few — a few fragments —"
James couldn't listen to it anymore. Motioning to Ron and Hermione that he was getting up, he led them briskly out of the pub. Once the cool, evening air bit his cheeks, James whipped the Invisibility Cloak off of Ron and Hermione, and took off on his own.
"I'm going to find you, Sirius." James thought bitterly. "And you're going to wish I hadn't!"
I KNOW that that ENTIRE conversation was taken straight from the book, but THAT's why I added all of James's thoughts; I couldn't really changed what they said, and I wanted James to hear them, even though he already knew most of what they were going to say. So in your review, don't get mad that I copied that from the book - it had to be done. Anywhoo, let me know what you think! Oh, and if you have any James, Sirius, Remus, Harry, and/or Lily fics [maybe time travel, or coming back from the dead, or just some fluff...but prefferably no slash please:)] that you'd like to recommend, I'm looking for a good read tonight:) Okay, that's it! Review, please!
~PeachyKeen13