A/N: Yeah! Next chapter, woo! *dances around with pompoms* Sorry, I got a little over excited there.
A/N: Anyway, I'm back at school which is a happy and a sad moment – happy because I get to learn more things, and because I get to see all of my friends, rather than the select few who've been available and sad because, well, who likes homework and assignments *no offence to those who do, but most people in my class aren't fond of them, and that includes me*? Plus, I won't have much time to write this as much as I'd like to. :( So! To make up for that, here's a long chapter :D
Chapter Thirteen
"You know what? I kind of regret this," said KayCee as she raised her wand high in the air as if to check for any animals spying on them.
"Aww," said James, "KayCee's having second thoughts?"
"Not second thoughts as much, it's more that I'm… regretting but still going through with it," replied KayCee, stumbling on a root and grabbing Lionel's shoulder to steady herself.
Suddenly, James raised his hand, his head cocked to one side.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" asked Bridget, raising her wand a little higher and squinting ahead.
"Voices – I heard voices. They must be near," said James, hurrying forwards.
"Careful, there, you might trip over," said Bridget.
"Yeah, yeah," said James, waving his hand behind him.
He disappeared into the trees and ducked into the clearing.
And there were the mischievous Marauders, lolling about lazily on the logs. Except, Sirius and Peter weren't human.
"Ah, finally, James. Do you know how long we've been in here?" asked Remus, turning around to face James.
"Nope, but I've got company," said James, with a significant look towards Peter and Sirius. They changed back into humans, obviously getting the hint.
"James? Where've you gone?" asked Bridget, her voice quite near the trees circling the clearing.
James hurried back through the trees.
"I've found them," he said, "Come on, it's actually a nice little spot."
The others cautiously followed him, and they entered the clearing. It seemed as though the sun's rays were beaming directly into the clearing, forgetting about the rest of the Forest.
"Nox," muttered Lily, KayCee, Lionel and Bridget. They put their wands away.
"Huh, what do you know. It's actually quite nice. If there weren't any dangerous creatures in here, I'd organise a few picnics here," said Bridget, looking around.
"OK, I'm here, where's my glasses and my wand?" asked James as Lily, Bridget, KayCee and Lionel inspected the clearing.
"Well, here's the thing," said Sirius, "We don't have them."
"WHAT?" bellowed James, with a sudden anger, "I'VE SPENT ABOUT FIVE OR SIX HOURS WANDERING AROUND HOGWARTS TRYING TO FIND YOU THREE, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU DON'T HAVE MY STUFF?"
"I'm kidding," said Sirius. James just glared at him.
"You better be. Never mind the fact that you are going to be pranked so damn hard after this," growled James.
"Wormtail, where's the glasses?" asked Sirius. Peter pulled them out of his pocket.
"Moony, where's the wand?" asked Sirius, turning to Remus. However, Remus wasn't paying much attention to Sirius. Instead, he was staring at Bridget. Sirius threw a rock at Remus' head, and it hit his arm instead.
"Huh?" asked Remus.
"I asked you where the wand is," said Sirius impatiently.
"Oh, right, it's just… here," Remus pulled James' wand out of his pocket.
Peter and Remus passed James' items to Sirius, who gave them to James. Then, they knelt on the ground and started to bow at James' feet.
"What the heck?" asked James, stepping back. They just shuffled forward, still bowing.
"This is our hope that you'll put us on the Quidditch team," explained Sirius.
"What?" asked James with a laugh, "You take my wand and glasses, two of my key items at Hogwarts, and you expect to be put onto the Quidditch team?"
"No," said Sirius, "we took them because we were sick and tired of having to wake you up all the time and then having you blame us when you're late. We're hoping that you've learned your lesson to wake yourself up early enough so that it doesn't happen again. We were actually following you too, and about twenty minutes ago, we hurried into the clearing. It was quite fun, too."
"I suppose so… but did it really have to be my glasses and wand? Since it was my glasses and wand… I suppose I'll have quite a bit of fun quite soon," said James with a sly grin, slipping his glasses on. The effect was quite astounding. He almost took a step back.
"Wow, it feels good to have these back on," said James. He transfigured a dry twig into a ball of snow, and he threw it at Sirius.
"Feel better?" asked Sirius.
"Not quite. You know how after you prank me, I get you back so badly? Now this'll be even worse. I can't wait," said James, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got another adventure to attend to."
"Hang on a second," said Sirius, "Where are you going?"
"Well, I'm going with this lot to the Founder's quarters," said James, waving a hand towards Lionel, Lily, Bridget and KayCee.
"Why?"
"Because during my adventure to find you people, Bridget here found me in the Entrance Hall and we all had a tour of Hogwarts," said James.
"Can we go?" asked Remus.
"Well, I suppose. As long as you know that I'm going to prank you very hard and very soon," said James.
"I believe you mentioned that a minute ago," said Remus.
"I believe that I did," replied James.
"Anyway," interjected KayCee, "Are we going now, James?"
James saw Sirius raise his eyebrow at KayCee's mention of James' first name.
"Perhaps," said James, more to the Marauders than to the others, "I will tell you about my morning and afternoon. But for now, let's go back into that castle!"
"You people ready?" asked James as they all stood before the tapestry that hid the tunnel to the Founder's quarters.
"Is it scourgify then look or look then scourgify?" asked Peter.
"You pick," said James with a shrug. Peter looked terrified at the prospect of choosing on his own.
"Anyway," Sirius cut in with a roll of his eyes, "Let's do this, now. Before I run away screaming."
Lily looked perplexed.
"Spiders are his worst enemy," Remus explained.
"They would be yours too if you woke up to a room infested with them, crawling all over your hair and in your drawers…" Sirius shuddered.
"How many times do we have to tell you that it was just a dream?" asked James, slightly exasperated.
"It was real enough!" said Sirius indignantly.
"Well, you're not the only one with a fear of spiders," said Lily, a smirk on her face, "Bridget here hates them. You'd make a good couple, fearing spiders together. I suppose your friends will have to save you from them, though, and that's never fun."
"No way," said Sirius, "Not in a billion years. No offence to Jones, I mean she's hot and everything, but… she belongs to Moony."
"Shut up, git," muttered Remus, blushing brilliantly and whacking Sirius' arm.
James rolled his eyes, and pulled his sleeves up and frowned.
"Who's holding the tapestry?"
"Magic, of course," said Sirius, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said James, "I didn't realise that magic was the solution to all of our problems."
Sirius merely stuck his tongue out at James.
"Uh, guys…" said Bridget, "I think I'll hold the tapestry – I had enough of Heath to last me a life time."
"Who's Heath?" asked Sirius.
"Only the biggest, ugliest and hairiest spider in the tunnel. I suppose we'll see him as soon as Bridget pulls the tapestry back," said James cheerfully. Sirius' face turned into an interesting shade of green.
"I thought you were afraid of headless corpses," commented Remus.
"Oh, I am," said Sirius, sounding as if he was trying to restrain himself from crying or vomiting, or both.
"I think it's best, then," said Lionel, glancing at Sirius, "That he and Bridget assist with the tapestry? After all, it looks quite heavy…"
"James managed it quite fine," KayCee pointed out.
"That's because James is a Chaser. Chaser's and Beater's are meant to be rather strong," said James, pointing to himself.
"Did you just refer to yourself in third person?"
"James thinks it's fun," replied James shortly.
"This process is taking longer than expected!" stated Lily.
"James thinks that that was a good observation," replied James.
"James… shut up," said Remus.
"I think I'm about to vomit," said Sirius. He indeed look greener than before.
"Alright!" said James, clapping his hands, "Let's get this done!"
Bridget hurriedly attended to the tapestry, dragging Sirius by his left arm.
"Scourgify!" everyone else cried, pointing their wands directly at the tunnel.
Soon enough, the tunnel was looking quite clean and the spiders where definitely gone. It even looked a little brighter.
"Calmed down enough, mate?" asked James, "'Cause, the coast is clear."
"Or at least, spider less," added Peter.
"Now, the main question now is… how the hell are we going to get up there?" asked James.
"Boosting?" suggested Sirius, coming back to the large group. Bridget let go of the tapestry and hurried after him.
"What about the last person?" asked Lily.
"Either the second last person pulls them in, or the tallest person goes last – they'll be able to get up there," said Remus.
"How about a bit of both?" said James uneasily. He was obviously the tallest in the group, Lionel and Sirius two or three centimetres short of passing James in height.
"If you feel you need it," said Remus.
"Right then, girls first. But what if there's just one booster and it's me," said James.
"Why would it be you?" asked Bridget.
"Because I am the last person," stated James.
"That doesn't mean you have to boost everyone," said Bridget.
"Yeah, who'll hold the tapestry?" asked KayCee.
"Touché," replied James.
"Good thing you've got fast reflexes, because you'll have to be quite fast to beat the tapestry," said Sirius.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure you get your lumos on," said James, waving a hand.
They sorted out their boosting method between a not-so-friendly game of Wand, Cloak and Stone – a game derived from the popular children's story, The Tale of Three Brothers.
Who knew that Wand, Cloak and Stone could be so dangerous? wondered James as Remus reeled back after being furiously poked in the eye by Sirius.
"Just because I won," muttered Remus.
James pulled back the tapestry and watched as KayCee was being boosted by Bridget, and then Lily boosting Bridget, Remus boosting Lily, Peter boosting Remus (with much difficulty), Sirius boosting Peter (again, with difficulty) and finally, Lionel boosting Sirius.
Well, until James awkwardly shuffled towards Lionel, the tapestry weighing on his left side.
Soon, after a strained minute in which James was deciding whether or not he should boost Lionel with one hand or both, Lionel crawled through the tunnel.
James pulled back the tapestry so that the tunnel was fully exposed. He quickly dashed the the tunnel and hauled himself up, which proved to be a bit of a challenge – even with Lionel's help.
"So," said James as he brushed himself off, "This is quite a tall tunnel."
He emphasised his point by jumping.
"Yeah, we know, Potter," said Lily and he could almost imagine her rolling her eyes. James pulled out his wand and contributed to the light in the tunnel.
They walked and walked for what seemed like an hour. Realistically, however, it was about five minutes.
Suddenly, Lionel stopped and James walked into him.
"Sorry for that," called KayCee from the front of the single file line (it wasn't wide enough for the group to be anything other than a single file line), "I've just found a door."
"What're you waiting for?" asked Sirius grumpily.
"Shut up, Black, I'm trying to decide whether or not it's a trap, or if I should use alohamora," replied KayCee scathingly.
"Well, hurry up about it before Heath and his buddies decide to come back," snapped Sirius.
"Why don't you do this then, if you're in such a hurry?" snarled KayCee.
"Merlin knows how they'll survive their Transfiguration assignment," muttered James.
"Hear, hear," replied Lionel.
"Why are you so frustrating, huh, Williams?" yelled Sirius.
"Me? ME?"
"Yes, you!"
"Merlin's pants, I've got to open the door before they start really going at it," James murmured to himself.
"Excuse me, thank you, excuse me, please, thanks," James repeated, slipping past the bored group of friends. When he passed Sirius, Sirius didn't pay even the slightest bit of attention to James.
"Excuse me, KayCee," said James, having successfully reached the front of the line.
" – I DON'T KNOW HOW YOUR FRIENDS EVEN STAND YOU, BLACK!" she was yelling, waving her wand about wildly, almost poking out James' eye – or at least, almost breaking his glasses.
"Excuse me," said James again, louder this time. She didn't answer James. Instead she yelled, "YOU'RE A GIT, YOU KNOW THAT?" to Sirius.
With a sigh, James placed his hands on her shoulders and shuffled her along to the left of the tunnel. KayCee didn't seem to notice.
"Alohamora," muttered James, tapping the doorknob. There was a loud click from the doorknob, and James turned it, surprised at how easy it was to turn it.
He pushed the door open, surprised to see a huge ray of sunlight pouring into the room ahead. He didn't spare a second glance at the room, however, because he wanted them all to see it at the same time because they were all there to see it.
"Oi, you lot, the door's open," James called over his shoulder. Everyone gladly pushed past KayCee and Sirius, who were still shouting at each other. James didn't dare drink in the appearance of the room because one of his best friends was still outside, and the others seemed to restrain themselves from really looking at it, too.
"They remind me so much of you two last year," said Remus, nodding at James and Lily.
"We didn't fight like that, did we?" asked James, surprised.
"Actually, you did. All of the Gryffindors were getting quite sick of entering the common room to yet another fight. I would've hexed both of you to the Hospital Wing so that there'd be a few days of peace," said Lionel honestly and unabashedly.
There was a sudden silence from outside the tunnel.
"They've stopped, just like that?" asked Remus.
"Wonder what's happened," said James. Remus pushed open the door, which Lionel had partially closed behind him to minimise the shouts.
"Holy cheese and crackers!" exclaimed James in surprise.
There was KayCee and there was Sirius, but James was finding it hard to distinguish whose face was whose because their faces were… joined together? At least, James couldn't think of a better description than that at that current moment. He was more shocked to find them snogging than to be inquisitive about describing what their faces looked like.
Sirius and KayCee broke apart, and she looked into his eyes, as though searching for something. James thought that she was about to say something resembling, "Hogsmeade next weekend?" or "Be my boyfriend?" but instead, she slapped Sirius and ran out of the tunnel. James was sure that he heard a faint sob as the tapestry swung back in front of the tunnel.
Sirius, however, just stood there, looking as shocked as everyone else. Then, without a word to his friends and spectators, he ran after her.
James blinked a few times, and then said, "Looks like we're going to explore this without them."
"Sometimes you can be so insensitive," said Lily. Then she sighed.
"I think you're right, though. They need to work things out between them – especially after that."
"Well then," said Remus, clearing his throat, "Let's look around?"
The room they were in wasn't very eye catching in itself – it was more or less a large, stone walled room with handsome, dark brown wooden flooring that had been split into four, spaces between them large enough for several people to comfortably stand next to each other with large antique windows on each wall.
"I suppose the exciting bits are in the smaller rooms," said Lily.
"What's up with those windows, though," asked James, pointing.
"What's wrong with it?" asked Remus.
"Their positioning is a bit weird – they're on the left and right walls."
"So?" asked Lionel moodily as though the windows personally offended him.
"So there shouldn't be any sunlight because the left and right walls aren't on the outside of Hogwarts – on the other side of them is a different room or a corridor," explained James.
"Maybe this was a room built attached to the main outer shell of Hogwarts?" suggested Lily with a shrug. James rolled his eyes at her and pointed to the window above the door they had passed through to get into the room.
"Then explain that one."
"Magic," said Lily.
"Sorry to break this enthralling conversation," said Remus sarcastically, "But I think that we should get to the more interesting rooms."
"You're right, Moony! How about that one?" asked James, pointing to the room on the left of him.
"Why not, Prongs?"
The group followed James and Remus to the door. There was a handsome portrait of Salazar Slytherin on the door.
"Well, I think I know who's room this is. It's Helga Hufflepuff's," said James sarcastically, reaching out to turn the knob.
"Wait, James," said Remus, grabbing his arm.
"What?" asked James.
"This is Salazar Slytherin's room. No doubt he's rigged the door knob with all sorts of curses," said Remus.
"Why would he do that?" asked James, "He's with his best friends – why would they attack him?"
"Still, be careful," warned Remus, letting go of James' arm.
Now James felt a bit worried.
"Alohamora," he muttered, tapping the doorknob with his wand. There was a click and James, with an uneasy glance at Remus, turned it. To his surprise, it opened quite easily and without any harm to him.
"That's good, then," said Lionel, clapping James on the back, though there was something off with Lionel. James decided not to ponder about this because, while they were friends, they weren't that close. For all James knew, it could be that Lionel's mood reflected the sun – happy and high in the sky in the morning, especially around midday, and then diminishing as the sun fell behind the horizon.
James made to enter when he found that he couldn't pass the threshold for some odd reason. It seemed as though there was an invisible barrier preventing him from entering.
"There's a barrier," said James, after realising that all eyes were on him.
"Ah well, we can see what's in there just by looking at the doorway," said Remus with a shrug, as though he was expecting there to be a barrier.
"Maybe only Slytherins can enter," suggested Bridget.
"Maybe only those of Slytherin lineage can enter," said Lily.
"Or maybe just purebloods?" said Bridget. James gave her an 'are-you-serious-I-am-a-pureblood-so-explain-that' look.
"I said purebloods, not blood traitors," said Bridget, obviously being able to read his 'look'.
"Anyway," pressed on Remus, "I think that we should take it in turns to look at the room, in this… line we're in at the moment."
He said line as if he was unsure whether or not to call how the group was arranged a line.
"Good idea, Moony," said Peter approvingly, speaking for the first time since entering the room. James jumped – he had almost forgotten that Peter was there. (A/N: I bet you did, too :P)
"Guess I'm the first to get a peek," said James, flashing a grin over his shoulder.
"Just hurry up, James," said Bridget.
"Alright, alright."
James pressed up against the barrier, peering around as best he could. In all honesty, the room was breathtaking, even though there were barely any possessions in there – there was just a mysterious yet enchanting aura about it.
Faded silk banners of the silver Slytherin serpent against a dark green background and the silver word 'Slytherin' against a dark green background were hung on all of the walls and there was a four-poster bed against the right wall with faded silk hangings. The ceiling was quite high and there were two more windows on the left and right walls. The flooring was the same dark wood that was on the ground outside the office of sorts.
On the left wall, there was a dark wooden desk with a chair made that looked as though it was make from the same piece of wood. A green cushion sat on the chair, which was placed in such a way that you could imagine that Salazar Slytherin had just gotten up to get a drink of water or to take a shower.
On the desk sat a handsome array of eagle, owl and hawk feathers, aged rolls of parchment and several stamps and books. There was another door at the end of the room, either to the outside or to a bathroom. James lowered his head to check if there was a trunk under the bed, but there was none.
It was then that James remembered the old story – Salazar had left his friends after an argument of some sort. So of course he would take his trunk.
But why not the stuff on the desk? James wondered, Maybe he expected to come back.
"Well?" asked Bridget.
"It's not exactly got a lot of stuff in there, but then again, Salazar Slytherin did leave," replied James, stepping aside so that Remus could look around. After a few minutes, he moved aside so that Bridget could look at the room.
"Why's there stuff on the desk? Why didn't he take it?" asked Remus.
"I thought that maybe he expected to come back someday – perhaps he hoped that the feud would fade away with the years?" suggested James.
"That'd be likely," said Bridget, stepping aside for Lily, "Wonder why the House Elves stopped cleaning the place."
"Maybe they lost interest since their original Masters left, and over time the knowledge of this place left too," said James with a shrug.
"Stop shrugging, otherwise your shoulders will stay like that," scolded Bridget playfully. James gave her a 'whatever' shrug and poked his tongue out at her.
"That would be quite a sight, though, watching James uncontrollably shrug his shoulders forever," remarked Remus.
James just poked him in response.
Lily stepped aside, and Peter took his turn to stare at the room.
"Quite a nice design, cosy yet roomy and quite simple but effective," commented Lily with an approving nod.
"Lionel, don't sulk like that," said Bridget suddenly.
"Why not?" he snapped.
"Hey, don't argue with her," said Lily defensively.
Lionel sighed and ran a hand frustratingly through his hair.
"I know, I know," he said in a much gentler tone. James glanced at Remus with a 'what's-going-on?' look. Remus shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe you should move on," suggested Lily, placing a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"Move on?" asked Lionel, as if he never heard of the words.
"Yes, move on. Or, you could try and make her jealous, though I don't recommend it," replied Lily, "Lots of things can go wrong and she can either blame you for using a girl and hate you for it, or you get slapped in the face by both of them, among other things. Or lots of things can go right. But I don't recommend the risk."
Finally, James caught on.
"KayCee's tickled your fancy?" he asked.
Lionel groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Was it really that obvious?"
"Well – "
"Please don't tell me."
"OK then."
Suddenly, Bridget blushed.
"Um, we kind of told her, actually," she said, a guilty look on her face.
"You what?" yelped Lionel, staring at Bridget.
"Actually we both did," said Lily, taking the heat off Bridget, "We thought she knew."
"Of course she wouldn't know, no one does unless someone tells them!" said Lionel.
"I think Lily is right," said Remus quietly, "I think you should move on, because if she hasn't talked to you about it and she knows, then perhaps… she's after someone else."
"Oh, of course she's after someone else," said Lionel, a savage edge to it. He glanced back at the entrance, as if expecting Sirius and KayCee to come through it.
"There's a reason that some arguments end in kisses," said James defensively, "It's usually because you're both moving towards each other and you get so close that you don't realise what's happening 'til it happens! Plus, you have so many emotions and you kind of… take it out on the other by a kiss. It's how I got my first kiss, actually," he added, blushing.
"Wait a second, you've actually argued with girls other than Lily?" asked Bridget as Lionel looked thoughtful and moved over to look at the room.
"Well, we were discussing whether or not to go to the 'Saturday Date Night' thing or sneak into Hogsmeade. She was the one who suggested 'Saturday Date Night' because it was 'wrong to sneak into Hogsmeade, especially unsupervised', and I said that she needed a bit of adventure in her life, and she accused me of calling her boring, and then we got really stuck into it and… well, that's what happened," replied James, slightly embarrassed.
"Who was this?" asked Remus.
"Rebecca Ellen," replied James.
"That Ravenclaw goody-two-shoes who's always fascinated with hexes and jinxes?" asked Bridget, surprised.
"Yeah, her. She's a bit of a daydreamer too. Annoyed the heck out of me sometimes," replied James.
"Bit of a looker now," said Peter. James jumped again.
"You fond of her?" asked Remus, teasingly.
"I might be," said Peter, with a blush.
"Woo hoo! We should set you two up," said James enthusiastically.
Peter just blushed even brighter.
Lionel returned to the bigger group, closed the door and relocked it, and said, pointing across the room, "How about we go over to that one?"
"Sure," said the whole group in unison. Then they burst into laughter, once more in unison, Lionel joining in. After they sobered up, they travelled across the room and saw a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, a House Elf on her shoulder, smiling a shy smile that was breathtaking.
This time Remus reached over to the doorknob and turned it. It opened easily.
"Well, there's no barrier," he said, putting his arm through the doorway.
"Does that mean that we're all going in there?" asked Bridget.
"Three at a time?" suggested Remus.
"Why not?" said Bridget, grinning at him. A faint blush tainted his cheeks.
"If we go by the line," said James, interrupting their sweet moment abruptly, "Then that means Remus, Bridget and Peter go in first."
"Alright then," said Remus with another blush. The three of them entered, while Lily, Lionel and James hung back.
"This is fun," said James lazily, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.
"Heaps of fun," replied Lionel, also lazily.
"Gee, this is great fun," said Lily.
"I think I might explode because of how fun this is," said James sarcastically.
"Well, don't," said Lionel with a grin.
"Because you asked, I might just do so," said James.
"How fun that will be for the person who has to clean it up," said Lily.
"I think that it will be the highlight of their life," said Lionel.
"Quite," said James.
"Are you three having fun out here?" asked Remus, coming out of the room with Peter and Bridget.
"Too much fun," Lily, Lionel and James replied at the same time sarcastically. They glanced at each other and laughed.
"I suppose you better go in there before you die because you've been having too much fun," said Bridget, grinning.
"Oh no," said James, "She's right!"
"I almost always am, James, and don't you forget it," said Bridget with a wink.
James entered the room with Lionel and Lily, and drank in the appearance.
It looked very much like Salazar Slytherin's room, however the banners were a faded black badger against a yellow background and of the word 'Hufflepuff' in black writing against a yellow background, the hangings on the four-poster being black and yellow. The objects on the desk were different as well, and there was a trunk under the yellow four-poster. There was a different feel to this room than Salazar's. It seemed much friendlier and welcoming.
There was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff and what James presumed was her family. They all smiled and waved at James and James couldn't help but smile back at them. The Hufflepuffs made James think back to his own family, and how much they resembled the Hufflepuffs in the way they seemed so friendly and their smiles were infectious and (by the way that one little girl was laughing in the portrait) it seemed that the Hufflepuffs were quite funny too – like the Potters.
James tore his eyes away from the portrait and looked instead at the other objects on the desk. There was a letter that looked like it would crumble at James' fingertips, so instead he read it with his glasses slipping off his nose frequently. His mind automatically corrected and translated the Latin to English – his mother made a point to teach James how to read and write Latin, should the need arise.
Dearest Helga,
The baby has been fair. She will be a beautiful girl, like you. It's a shame that you have to go back and forth to Hogwarts and home. Stay for Christmas?
Love William
Beside the letter was an open owl cage, a container containing quills, a small box that contained inkwells that were gluggy and cracked with age. There was a box of stale chocolates on the other side of the letter, and there was a small portrait of Helga, someone who James presumed was William, and a baby girl propped up against the wall.
A yellow coat hung on the edge of Helga's chair, and it was remarkable how there was barely any dust on anything.
James made his palm face upwards and observed large dust particles from the window touch his palm and magically disappear.
"I don't think that they had much use for House Elves routinely cleaning in here," said James, "It was just the tunnel that was a problem."
He turned, and found that Lionel and Lily had disappeared. The door at the end of the room was ajar, and a light was on. Curious, James made his way to the smaller room, and saw that it was a splendid bathroom with white marble tiling and the light was coming from two burning candles at either side of a large mirror. The bathtub was porcelain and the toilet was very clean.
"It seemed like they did pretty well, knowing how to make sure the sewerage and everything worked," Lily was saying when he entered.
"Of course they would know," said James, "Wizards have used this system, but with dodgy pipes and more leakages than you can count, for ages. Why would there be bathrooms everywhere else if they didn't know how to work the system? Obviously, they improved overtime though, but they still built the space for bathrooms. It took ages for the muggles to catch on, though."
"I suppose," said Lily, chewing on her lower lip.
"Let's go back before the others suspect that a huge spider or a ghost has come to attack us," said Lionel.
They returned to the other three, who were in a deep debate about whether or not having a wand made you a wizard.
"… but five year olds are magical!" said Remus, "They don't require a wand."
"Yes, but without training, they are not a wizard. They are just a child with magical powers. Training makes you a wizard, and with that, a wand is required," countered Bridget.
"Interesting debate guys," said James, clasping his hands together, "But I think we should be moving on before dinner comes and goes. Maybe then you can continue your debate."
They hurried up the corridor and took the left path.
The handsome face of Godric Gryffindor greeted them, a hat with a wide brim on his head and a sword in one hand.
"Hey, isn't that the Sorting Hat?" asked James, taking a closer look.
"Why yes, it is. I think this was the Hat's glory days – looks much better here," said Remus.
"Of course it does, the Sorting Hat was new then!"
"Alohamora," Lily interrupted abruptly, stepping forward, and tapping the doorknob with her wand. There was a click, and she opened it. The doorway was significantly bigger, and it was obvious that the room was bigger too.
"Maybe there'll be room for all of us," said Remus, peering inside.
"I think so, too," said James.
"Well, I still like the three people at a time thing," said Lionel, looking doubtfully at the room.
"Those in favour of three people?" asked James. Peter, Bridget and Lionel raised their hands.
"Well then, there needs to be a representative of each idea to play Wand, Cloak and Stone," said James.
"I'm a pro at this game," said Lionel, rolling up his sleeves. James raised an eyebrow.
"OK then, best out of three," said James, also rolling up his sleeves.
"Wand, Cloak and Stone," Lionel and James chanted twice, shaking a closed fist. Lionel kept his fist closed and James opened his.
"Ha! One out of three for me," said James.
"Remind me, again, how the Cloak beats the stone?" asked Lionel, a grumpy expression on his face.
"It's because if you cover the Stone with the cloak, it's as good as gone."
"I guess so. Anyway, back to the game."
"Wand, Cloak and Stone," they chanted twice again. This time, however, Lionel had his index finger pointing, and James opened his fist again.
"Boom!" said Lionel, thumping his chest.
"How does the Wand beat the Cloak?" asked James, with a touch of unhappiness on his face.
"A powerful charm can destroy the Cloak!" Lionel sung.
"Whatever," muttered James, "Last round."
"Wand, Cloak and Stone," they chanted twice for the last time. James pointed his index finger, and Lionel still having a closed fist. Before James could ask, Lionel imitated smashing James' index finger. Then, Lionel pumped his fist into the air.
"Ha, I win!" said Lionel.
"Yeah, I let you win," bluffed James.
"Sure you did, James, sure you did."
"So," said Remus, "Same groups?"
"Why not?" asked Lionel.
"You can go first," said Remus and Bridget, nodding to Lionel, James and Lily. Remus and Bridget glanced at each other and turned away quickly, Remus blushing and Bridget biting her lower lip, as if to hide a smile.
"Oh for goodness sake," snapped Lily, "Why don't you two just admit having feelings for each other?"
Remus and Bridget turned a bright red colour.
"Come on, Lily, you can chew them out later," said Lionel, pulling her arm into Godric Gryffindor's room. James followed.
The room followed the same sort of style, but it was considerably larger and there was a cabinet in the corner of the room closest to the door. James didn't dare touch the cabinet, even though he was tempted. A picture of Godric and a petite blonde woman stood on the cabinet.
The faded banners had a scarlet background on top of which was a golden lion and the word 'Gryffindor' in gold. The hangings on the four-poster were the same as the hangings in the Gryffindor dorms. There was a trunk under the four-poster.
James turned to inspect the desk, which, like the room, was larger than Salazar and Helga's desks.
There was a large portrait of all of the Four Founders of Hogwarts above the desk, all of them beaming and smiling at James, and sometimes Salazar would slip out of the portrait and Godric would glare at the space that remained.
A pot of eagle and phoenix quills and a box that held inkpots that were gluggy and cracked with age, and stale chocolates sat on the desk beside an assortment of books on Transfiguration, dated centuries before James' time. A perch sat on the desk, a few phoenix feathers under the perch. A few letters were scattered across the table. James read only one.
Godric,
I am so, so sorry to tell you this, but your youngest daughter has died in an accident involving her husband. Don't do anything drastic – your two other children need you to stay strong.
Love, Elizabeth
Beside the desk was a large, glass case and there was the sword that was in the portrait of Godric on the door. It had a ruby encrusted hilt, and Godric's name engraved on the blade. A replica of the Sorting Hat sat beside the tip of the sword, though James didn't know why that was there. There was a shrunken robe hanging on the edge of the chair, and once more, Lionel and Lily had disappeared into the bathroom.
James entered, and it was exactly like Helga's bathroom but a tad bit roomier. The three of them exited the room.
"We've only got Rowena Ravenclaw's room to check out now," stated Remus as the group headed off to Rowena's room.
"That much is obvious," said James, "because did you ever hear of a fifth Founder?"
Remus just shot him a playful glare.
"Hahaha, you are so funny."
"I try my best," said James with a wink.
"Well then, alohamora," said Lionel, clearing his throat and tapping the doorknob with his wand. However, it didn't click. Lionel twisted the doorknob and tried the spell again. It refused to be opened.
James felt a slightly uneasy feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. Why was this room different?
"I suppose that's it, then," said Remus, looking at the door curiously. James sighed, and led the way back to the tunnel.
"That was fun, I suppose," said Lionel.
"Yeah."
James pushed past the tapestry when he reached it, and jumped out of the entrance. The rest followed him, jumping out with a slight thud.
They all walked to the end of the corridor in a sort of pack in silence. They turned the corner and saw an exasperated Professor McGonagall.
"Ah, Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew," said Professor McGonagall, hurrying towards them when her eyes rested upon them.
"Yes, Professor?" asked James, putting his hands in his pockets.
"There's a few Fanged Frisbees attacking students on the fourth floor. Any attempt to charm them to stop attacking students only makes more fangs appear and they double. If anyone can get rid of these, it's you four. Or three, rather," said the Professor, looking behind Peter as if she could find Sirius hiding behind Peter.
"Yes, Professor," said Remus, saluting her. There was a hint of a smile on her face before she led the boys to the Fanged Frisbees.
James turned and waved to his newfound friends, who were already walking away. It was only Lily who turned back. She smiled at him.