Disclaimer: the same as in Chapter 1.
Author's notes:
This chapter's title comes from the 1982 song by British band Duran Duran.
Chapter 13: Hungry like the wolf
James and Sirius encountered no trouble on their way back to the dormitory – in fact, the most difficult thing for the boys was preventing themselves from laughing out loud. What a prank they have played on the disgusting Potions Master! His grandiloquence had been cut short like with a sickle after that bottle of Infinite Ink had fallen down on his report; it would take months before Nitric would ever show his face in a Teachers' Meeting again, and James had already a few ideas to ridicule even more that snobbish, back-stabbing, cruel man posing as a professor. And it would serve him right!
The two boys quickly climbed the Grand Staircase and they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady guarding the entrance of the Gryffindor dormitories. The woman in pink was asleep in an armchair painted in gold colours and Sirius got a bit worried about how they would ever go to bed if the Fat Lady was too lost in Dreamland to open the door.
But James got it covered as well: he grabbed his peashooter, uncovered his head from out of the Invisibility Cloak and shot another dried pea. The projectile hit the portrait's wooden frame with a resounding smack, making the woman jump on her throne.
"Eh? Eh? What is it?" asked the Fat Lady, squinting from the light provided by the torches placed in brackets on the walls.
James ducked inside the Invisibility Cloak to avoid detection, and said: "Salamander!"
"What?" said the half-asleep portrait.
"Salamander!" repeated James, a bit louder this time.
The Fat Lady's eyelids were too heavy to make out the contours of the room, but she recognized the password. Shrugging off the matter, she let her portrait to turn on its hinges, opening the round door. Minutes later, James and Sirius were back to the safety of their bedroom.
Samuel Whittaker Brown could be heard snoring softly behind the drawn curtains of his bed, Domino was curled up in his basket and Peter Pettigrew was an unmoving huddled mass under his crimson covers. Remus Lupin, on the other hand, was wide awake, reading by candlelight coming from a lantern set on the bedside table.
The sandy-haired boy lifted his eyes from his book as the bedroom door opened and closed, apparently on its own. But James shrugged the cloak off and Lupin had a small startle as his friends became visible again.
"Wow! Welcome back, guys!"
"Thanks, Remy. Well, it has been a very instructive trip!" said a smiling Sirius.
"C'mon, tell me all about it," said Lupin, gesturing to the young rebels to sit down on his bed. "Sammy and Peter have been asleep for hours so we can talk freely."
James neatly folded the Invisibility Cloak before stashing it in his trunk, and then he wasted no time retelling what had happened in the Great Hall a few hours ago: the Teachers' Meeting, Nitric in his usual nasty self, words of praise from Professors Filtwick and McGonagall, how the Potions Master had wanted to send a work of denunciation to the Ministry of Magic in a deliberate move to dirty Hogwarts' reputation and to make the life of non-Pureblood students a misery.
"And only James' quick thinking saved us all from disaster," added Sirius. "He had the genius idea to shoot a dried pea at a bottle of ink, making it topple over and it poured its contents on Nitric's report which is now absolutely unreadable; our dear Potions Master is the laughing stock of his colleagues!"
"But he never figured out what had happened?" asked Remus.
"He was too furious to think, mate!" laughed James. "He stormed off the Great Hall ranting and raving, promising Hellfire and punishments for the sabotage but he's so stupid he didn't even have the idea to cast a Detection Spell in an attempt to find the culprits."
"And a good thing too, otherwise a Detection Spell could have put us in trouble."
"No way, Siri. The Invisibility Cloak is too powerful to be outlined; I'm telling you, nothing or no one can see us as long as we remained under the cloak. Professor Scott suggested Peeves was the guilty party and Nitric is dumb enough to have swallowed that jibe hook, line and sinker!"
"But what was written in the report?"
"Only calumnies about students hated by Nitric: some Hufflepuffs, a few Ravenclaws, but we Gryffindors got the best of it! Of course, the Slytherins weren't even mentioned: they are such little angels, especially Malfoy..."
"Nitric slandered the Gryffindors in particular?"
"Yeah, especially Nicholas Perkins, Mary, Lily, Peter Pettigrew, James and myself. He also accused you of laziness, using your health as a pretext to skip classes," said Sirius.
"That's a lie!" exclaimed Remus. "I do have a condition and I study double time to make up for my absences..."
"Remy, you don't have to prove anything to us! We know you are not a faker. You have earned your grades fair and square; no one can discuss your integrity and your reputation as a serious student precedes you. You are at the top of the class in History of Magic and no skiver would bother with that subject, for crying out loud!"
"Yes, well you guys are not dunces either: Sirius is the best in Transfiguration and you, Jamie, are pretty good in Charms."
"Along with Lily Evans, I know," sighed James. "It is just my luck to be level-like with a girl who hates my guts because I refuse to make friends with her pet snake. Sirius doesn't have this kind of trouble with Mary!"
"By the way, Jamie... Haven't you noticed something odd in Nitric's slandering?"
The boys turned their heads towards Sirius, who was sitting on a corner of Remus' bed.
"Something odd? Well, no: I was sure our hated Potions Master would read the riot act about the Gryffindors, and it certainly happened. Why?"
"Because Nitric mentioned Lucius Malfoy as his star pupil, but we all know that isn't true. Malfoy has gotten mediocre grades in potions since the beginning of term, and he adamantly refuses to dirty his hands chopping herbs or gathering ingredients. He lets his goons Crabbe and Goyle do all the work and he only deigns to stir the mixture with an offended look on his face. No, the only First-Year who is good in Potions is..."
"Severus Snape," said James and Remus at unison.
"Lily's pal, that's correct. Now, why wasn't he mentioned during the meeting? The Slytherins are in deep trouble with 923 points to win back, one expelled student and three others just shy to be shown the door as well. As the Slytherin's representative, Nitric should grasp at any straw to regain a bit of prestige for his house; he claims indifference towards the House Cup but I happen to know some powerful families who do care about it! Gaining this trophy is considered a great honour and the glory of the winning house is reflected on its students. How do you think Slytherin-proud families will react at the end of the year, after learning their favourite house has scored so low?"
"They'll probably scream for murder," said James with a chuckle.
"Yes, with my parents screaming the loudest. And three guesses who would be held responsible for this situation?"
"The Head of Slytherin House," answered Remus.
"Correct again. So Nitric's job is on the line but also his reputation, his future, even his life since some people wouldn't hesitate to employ bodily harm, like it happened with Professor Demeter's brother. And yet, Nitric doesn't award Snape many points for all his good answers in Potions class, nor does he mentions that kid's name in front of the other teachers."
"What are you trying to tell us, Siri?"
The young Black sighed, and then he looked at his friends straight in the eyes before saying: "Guys, Severus Snape is a non-Pureblood."
"Are you sure?" exclaimed Remus.
"It's the only logical explanation. Nitric snobs Snape because of his family – Muggle-born or half-blood, it doesn't matter – and he wouldn't be caught dead praising a student of "altered" origins. It probably makes our detested Potions Master mad with fury that the only First-Year who manages to make head or tail of his lectures is a boy issued from a reprehensive marriage! That's the reason why Nitric doesn't bother with Snape."
"Well, it may explain why I've often seen that greasy-haired kid alone; at first, I thought he would be hanging around Malfoy and his goons but his Lordship would have a fit at the thought an inferior-born would approach him. I've seen Snape prowling around in the Library or in the gardens, and that's too bad he inspires only antipathy with that disdainful smirk of his," said James.
"Probably in an attempt to mimic a noble attitude: he makes a perfect imitation of my mother!"
The trio muffled their laughter with much difficulty after hearing Sirius' joke, especially James. Then, after much discussion involving future expeditions under the Invisibility Cloak in the Dungeons, the Slytherins' Common Room and even in Nitric's office, the boys regained their respective beds as it was getting very late and they didn't want to be tired for the upcoming Halloween celebrations. Remus blew off the lantern's candle and, within minutes, the dormitories' occupants were asleep.
All but one: Peter Pettigrew waited for fifteen minutes after the lights were out, and only then did he dare to lift his head from under the covers. He had listened to the secret conversation with an envious expression on his face and he was about to call out for James, Sirius or Remus but only light snores could be heard throughout the darkened dormitory. With a heavy sigh, Pettigrew let his head fell on his pillow, cursing his cowardice preventing him to talk with the young rebels since the first day of school.
The next day was October 30th and all of Hogwarts' students woke up bright and early for the beginning of the Halloween celebrations. To keep a semblance of discipline in the school, outdoor activities have been organized so the kids would spend their sugar-induced energy away from the classrooms: the First and Second Years could choose between walks in the Forbidden Forest under Hagrid's supervision, mock Quidditch matches on training brooms or owl racings. The oldest students mostly chose to spend money at the Hogsmead village for more Halloween candy or funny stuff at Zonko's, the tricks and jokes shop.
Sirius, James and Remus had opted for a promenade in the Forbidden Forest, not to stretch their legs but to get acquainted with those woods since their prohibited character could only mean very interesting things lived there! Coaxing information out of Hagrid had been a piece of cake, too: the friendly giant-sized gamekeeper was always eager to speak about magical creatures, especially the large and dangerous ones.
"What lives in de Forbidden Forest? Well, many creatures – centaurs, fer example; they dun't like bein' disturbed and they dun't trust humans, even young ones. Them bows are always on the ready and arrows missed me posterior by an inch more than once. The only decent one amongst them is Firenze, he's peaceful but the rest o' the herd despise him. There's the Giant Squid, too, but in autumn it hibernates in the deepest parts of the lake so yeh won't see it before March. Not to furget a huge spider living in the western parts of the forest, he's a friend o' mine. He has lutta children, always ready to bite at yeh! There're also blood-drinking bats, will-o'-the-wisps in the swamp that will make yeh go blind, mushrooms letting out toxic fumes and I think one or two werewolves are prowlin' around… (Remus' pale features turned a bit whiter at these words) but I'm not sure abbat that. The ones I cannut stand are the carnivorous worms with them sharp teeth: they are bigger than my hand and pester de life outta yeh if yah accidentally stomp on them. One tore to pieces me favourite pair of boots once, with me feet still inside!"
"Blimey! Are there only monsters in this forest?" asked James.
"No, no! There are also nicer beings, like the unicorns, the dragonfly-winged fairies – well, they stung yeh a bit, but not too badly -, the mermaids in the lake, the sapphire lizards... Why should yah worry, anyway? It isn't as if you're gonna walk in the Forbidden Forest alone!"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of doing this!" said James with such an innocent look on his face Remus and Sirius nearly busted out laughing.
"Good lad! Besides, nutthing won't hurt ya as long as I am wif you. I have tramped in those woods way before yur Daddy was born and all the beasts know me, so they leave the children accompany me alone – and they'd better, if they know what's good fer them otherwise I'll kick their lower backs all the way frem here to London!"
Hagrid went on ranting about his efficiency as a gamekeeper and how the forest creatures wouldn't dare touching the students, impressing the bunch of First-Years trotting behind him while the Second-Years discreetly rolled their eyes heavenwards. However, a certain trio of Gryffindor boys remained behind to enjoy a discreet conversation.
"Well, well! The Forbidden Forest seems to have interesting tenants," said Sirius.
"You've said it, pal! Definitively worth a tour while being huddled under our favourite cloak," laughed James. "And I hope you'll feel better to come with us this time, Remy!"
"Oh, er... Well, I hope so, too."
"You are not worried about the animals Hagrid mentioned, are you?"
"No, I rather like forests. It may sound curious, but I've always felt safer there than in my bedroom at home. Forests give you a feeling of... liberty, but also of protection with all those trees, the burrows, the bushes. It gives endless possibilities to escape from predators."
"Still, we'll have to be careful, guys," said Sirius. "Hagrid said some creatures are dangerous; he even mentioned the presence of werewolves lurking about and I know you are nervous about them, Remy."
"Bah!" said James with a shrug, "the cloak will protect us; it erases not only our visibility, but also our scents. A werewolf wouldn't be able to find us even if it tried to sniff out our presence for hours."
The young Black looked reassured by James' words; but when he turned his head to address his sandy-haired friend, he stopped short as he saw Remus being immobile, his head held up and his attentive gaze fixed on the Forbidden Forest, inhaling deeply the air smelling of pines, decomposed leaves and humus with his nostrils dilated to the maximum.
Sirius was astonished: what was Remus playing at? The boy acted as if he were...
... Smelling the air, like an animal.
But that was a ludicrous idea! Remus wasn't the kind to do wild things; in fact, his reasonable temperament was a healthy counterweight to Sirius' brashness and James' facetious nature, gently inviting them to think before acting. Sirius casted a glance at his other friend and he could see James was also puzzled by Lupin's strange behaviour.
Suddenly, Remus declared: "Hagrid is wrong, there are no werewolves in this forest."
"What? But how you can be so sure, Remy?"
"Er... Well, they have an unmistakable strong scent and this forest smells of lots of things, but not of werewolves. There are a couple of normal wolves, however, with a few cubs that will reach adulthood next spring; Hagrid must have found their footprints and he drew at the wrong conclusions. Ahem! It's getting late, guys, the others are way ahead of us and we shouldn't be separated. Let's shake a leg, shall we?"
And, without another word of explanation, Remus ran after the group which was slowly disappearing around a corner of the dirt track, leaving two astonished boys in his trail.
"What in the world has bitten him?" asked James. "Sometimes I really wonder if his condition doesn't affect his brains as well."
"And what did he mean by knowing how werewolves smell like? I thought he was scared to death of them, but all of a sudden he develops a liking to those creatures?"
James suddenly started to laugh: "Oh gosh, Siri! Remy has made fun of us! All this sniffing was nothing but a prank from our favourite bookworm."
"Are you sure? He looked so..."
"Serious, I know, but it's was all part of the act! That's the trouble with those stick-to-the-rules guys, we can't know when they're joking until it's too late. Remy is the last person in Hogwarts who could be suspected of acting the clown."
"But the stuff he said about wolves and their cubs, and..."
"Remy has really fooled us, mate; with his acting talents, he ought to go on stage! But he's right, let's join the group otherwise Hagrid will start yelling our names and draw unwanted attention upon our persons. With his size, he probably has a trumpet-like voice and we pranksters need to keep a low profile for the development of our illegal activities!"
The two boys ran after the group of First and Second-Years and within minutes, they were walking behind Hagrid's huge frame; James was still laughing about Remus' strange behaviour, but Sirius remained silent. He simply couldn't believe the young Lupin had played a joke: he seemed very sure of himself while declaring no werewolves were roaming in the Forbidden Forest. And the way he had smelled the air earlier, it made him act just like a...
...dog.
Sirius took some pentagonal boxes of Chocolate Frogs out of his cloak's pocket; inwardly, he was furious at himself for comparing Remus Lupin, the world's most amiable boy, to an animal. It was ridiculous to be troubled by his friend's comportment; it had been only a joke, nothing to worry about. Why, being suspicious about everyone and everything was an attitude worthy only of Walburga Black!
"Have a Chocolate Frog, guys?" asked Sirius, offering the boxes to his pals. He was resolute to make amends for making strange comparisons about Remus, even if he hadn't expressed them out loud.
"Yeah, don't mind if I do," answered James.
"How about you, Remy, do you want one?"
"Oh yes! Thank you, Siri, it will help me to wait until dinner."
"Is your stomach growling already?"
"Guys, I'm hungry like the wolf!"
TBC...