JAMES POTTER
And The Road To No Promises
Chapter 10. Swear By It
Rose Weasley jumped off the train onto the platform at Hogwarts. She stood up straight, looked around, and turned back to the train to grin at Albus.
"Dare you to jump farther!" She called. Albus rolled his eyes and stepped off the train calmly.
"Rose, you are 13 years old, don't you think we're a bit old to be jumping off of things?" He asked. Rose rolled her eyes at him and turned back to look at the school with a shudder.
"Winter break over. I loved the break, and I love it here, but I'm not ready to go back to class." She said sadly.
"I'm sure there will be some sort of Bon Voyage party this evening." Albus assured her, watching E.G Jordan meet up with some of his friends suspiciously, "Gryffindors do love a good party." His eyes drifted away from E.G toward a pillar, and the first thing that caught his eye was Landon holding Fiona against him, her face buried in his chest as he tried to sooth her. Her shoulders shook in small, hysterical movements. Albus turned to leave the platform but Rose caught his elbow, observing the same things he had.
"We don't have to be mad at her." Rose said matter-of-factly, "We knew the whole time and we didn't say anything either. Plus, we're family, James can't stay mad at us for too long."
"I'm not mad." Albus grumbled, "If anything I feel guilty, we helped and she got all the heat." The two of them walked to the carriages and climbed into one, after a few moments Lily climbed in with them. Her cheeks were rosy pink with excitement.
"We're back!" She said cheerfully. Rose and Albus looked at each other.
"Ah, to be a first year again." Albus mused, Rose elbowed him and turned back to Lily.
"What are you most excited about?" Rose asked her youngest cousin.
"I'm excited about everything! I missed Hogwarts, and the food, and the classes, and the teachers, and Ella."
"How are things going with Ella, by the way?"
"She's actually really smart, her grades are always better than mine and she doesn't even have to try!" Lily answered.
"Humph." Albus said with a sidways glance at Rose, who ignored him.
"Do you guys talk much?" Rose continued.
"Not really." Lily said ruefully, "But that's okay because I say enough for the both of us."
"I'll bet!" Rose laughed. Lily settled into her seat as the carriage started to move.
The next morning Rose watched Albus pick at his breakfast moodily.
"Cheer up." She told him, "Classes aren't that bad, you even like them most of the time. Plus, there's Quidditch practice later."
"I know." Albus groaned, "It's just one of those days where you don't want to wake up."
"Sounds like you have spring fever." Rose giggled, "Ready for summer to emerge."
"It's only January, if that's my problem I'm in for big disappointment." Lily came skipping up to the table, dragging Ella with her. They sat down across from Rose and Albus.
"Hello Rose, Ella." Rose greeted good-naturedly, Albus lifted his hand in greeting. Lily put jam on her toast and ate it comfortably. Rose and Albus had been very supportive of her friendship with Ella. They allowed her and Lily to sit with them at meals, or in the common room. Rose was great for homework questions because once they got Albus started he was hard to shut up. Plus, Rose often put forth an effort to include the small first year; asking questions, saying hello, and just being friendly in hopes of getting Ella to open up a bit. It went without saying that her attempts were fruitless, Ella stayed as distant as ever.
"I heard that there was a Hogsmaede trip in a few weeks." Lily pouted, "Are you all going to go and leave us here all alone?"
"It's not until February." Albus said, "And you won't be all alone, other people are staying." Lily just crossed her arms.
"Maybe you could convince Ambrose or Andrea to stay." Rose suggested. Lily looked at her hopefully. "What classes do you two have this morning?" Rose asked, keeping the conversation going.
"Tansfiguration and History of Magic."
"Oh." Rose and Albus winced. Although they both found the subject bearable, no one could stay awake listening to Professor Binns, it just couldn't be done. Lily nodded, accepting their sympathy, then turned to wave at someone entering the dining hall. James came in and sat down next to Rose.
"How did you sleep?" Rose asked. James shrugged, grabbing some toast and buttering it.
"James, are you going on the Hogsmeade trip next month?" Lily asked hopefully.
"I was planning on it, why?"
"Ella doesn't want everyone to go and leave us." Lily said, gesturing toward her small friend.
"Now, she's not a scapegoat." James scolded, starting to smile, "I'm sure Ella will survive."
"Quidditch practice today!" Rose told him excitedly.
"That's right! I forgot, thanks Rose. Sometime I think I'd lose my head if you didn't keep telling it to stay on my shoulders." He said appreciatively.
"Funny, that's what Aunt Luna said about it too." Albus commented.
"Stop worrying!" Rose commanded Albus as she climbed through the door of the Room of Requirement. Albus followed her in nervously.
"But this is probably out of bounds." He argued.
"Albus, barely anyone even knows about it. Plus, out of bounds places at Hogwarts are password protected. Come on now, I hid it in here." She dragged Albus inside the room and he gasped. The room was dark, a single bracket of candles illuminated the room which was about half the size of the great hall. Albus thought it looked like a tortured poet's study, the floor was littered with bits of parchment and overturned wastebaskets, the desk was dark and covered in dried wax, the chair had once been worthy of a headmaster but now it was stained and the stuffing ran out of slashes in the cushion.
"You hid what here?" Albus demanded dryly. Rose walked over to desk and opened one of the drawers with great difficulty; it stuck and Rose had to jiggle it loose. She pulled out a small stack of very old-looking blank parchment.
"I got it from James, it's how he got away with all those pranks, he never got caught. But he was cornered by Filch once and I was passing by, he slipped it in my pocket. Well, I asked him about it later and he told me I should hide it for a while, but I shouldn't tell him where it is just in case he gets too tempted. Then I asked him what it was and he told me everything, so now I know how to use it."
"How to use what?" Albus repeated, becoming more exasperated by the second. Rose stuck her tongue out at him and knelt, laying the parchment out on the ground. Albus knelt across the parchment from her, watching curiously. Rose took out her wand and tapped the paper.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She murmured. Albus's eyebrows shot up at the familiar phrase. He bent over the parchment and read the words Marauder's Map just as they appeared. The map formed below the words, stretching out across the parchment and littering itself with small labeled dots.
"Blimey." Albus whispered, "You've got the Marauder's Map!"
"You seem really surprised." Rose observed as Albus continued to gape at the map.
"I am. My dad used to tell us stories about it, what it did, how he got it, what he used it for, who made it. But I always thought it was just a story, there's no mention of it anywhere. All of those biographies and studies, not even a hint. And now I come to find out that James had it the whole time." He stroked the map affectionately, "It's brilliant."
"Do you two want a moment alone?" Rose asked, crossing her arms. Albus glared at her.
"Shut up. But what are we going to do with it?" He asked.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Rose said, smiling wickedly. She pointed her wand back at the parchment with a flick muttering "Mischief managed." She tucked them into her robes pocket and laughed aloud.
"What's so funny?" Albus asked.
"I was just thinking about the people who wrote this, I know who it was because I've heard that story a few times myself. But think about actually being able to come up with something that was controlled by words like 'I solemnly swear' and 'Mischief managed'. Isn't that just brilliant!"
"I'll say."
"We should make our own." Rose suggested as she stepped into the corridor outside of the Room of Requirement. Albus followed her thoughtfully. "I mean, not a map but something like it. Some kind of legacy, maybe." Rose continued.
"Yeah..." Albus agreed in a daze. Rose grinned at him, knowing that he didn't see her, he was too caught up in the new idea. "I suppose we could. We'd have to get help, mind you. We're just a couple of really smart third years, after all."
"Well, what about James?" Rose suggested.
"Maybe." Albus replied, but he sounded doubtful.
"What about E.G? Or maybe Fiona? Maybe even one of the Lovegoods?"
"I refuse to let E.G even see this, he'd take all the glory. The Lovegoods are smart but I don't know how much help they'd be, they can be kind of batty sometimes, have you noticed?"
"Yes I have." Rose giggled, "So that leaves Fiona. I don't think Millie would be a lot of help. And neither would Michelle, she gets distracted too easily. I don't know Landon very well but maybe he could help, he does seem to know a lot about breaking the rules, after all. Maybe we could even get Lily and Ella in it a little, and don't you dare dismiss that!" Rose warned, Albus looked momentarily stumped.
"I know they'd be helpful and good at it, but they're first years and I don't know how much they could help."
"There's always Felicia Massengil, she's the smartest person I know."
"But we don't know her very well, she's nice and all but that'd be uncomfortable. She can be a resource."
"A resource. Oh listen to you." Rose said with amusement.
"But what should it be? Something to help break rules? I can't think....something that the map doesn't already do....direction, detection, detention," Albus started listing off words, searching for something that would fit their scenario.
"Detection...distraction." Rose jumped in with excitement, "Delusion, deception!"
"That's it!" Albus shouted, the two exchanged a quick high five.
"That's going to be really hard..." Rose said softly. Albus hadn't yet gotten past his planning process, and if it weren't for Rose he never would. "Come on!" Rose commanded, dragging him off to the library.
Just a little bit shorter than usual...but the next chapter IS coming out soon.
Yes, it has strayed a bit from following Fiona around all the time. Time passes, and sometimes things become less important to our characters....I don't know what that means but that part of the story will return.
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