'God, I am getting too old for this,' moaned James, as he finally dragged himself up from his bed. It was Saturday, about a month into their seventh year. Today the first Hogsmeade visit of the year was scheduled to take place, but as it was the day after a full moon the Marauders were not exactly up to the task.

'Quit whining,' said Sirius, who was already dressed and had his hair neatly in place. 'At least you are not still in the Hospital Wing like Moony.'

'Do you think he will be up for a Hogsmeade visit?' asked James tiredly. He walked over to his trunk and started rummaging for fresh underwear. 'He was not too keen on the idea yesterday.'

'I don't think so,' said Peter, who like James had only now gotten up. 'He told me that after a transformation, every bone in his body is aching. He is probably going to rest today.'

'Poor Moony,' said James. 'He could do with some cheering up.'

'Well, he gave me a very detailed list of all the different kinds of chocolate we are supposed to be getting him in Hogsmeade,' said Sirius. 'Chocolate always cheers him up, so I guess he will be in a much better mood when we return.'

'Possibly,' said James and yawned heartily. 'What times is it? I feel like I haven't slept at all.'

'It is ten past eleven,' said Sirius. 'We got back here around five I think.'

'Six hours is not nearly enough,' said James. 'I need at least eight hours to be up to my best.'

'You are always getting up early to go running,' said Peter. 'Why are you so whiny about some missed sleep now?'

'Because even though I rise early, I get my hours of sleep because I go to bed early as well,' said James impatiently. 'You should try it sometimes. It is a wonderful thing to start the day bright and early.'

'Oh yeah, getting up early to take a run sounds like a marvellous idea,' said Sirius sarcastically. 'Merlin's beard you sound like an old codger. You never used to complain when we did our night time adventuring around the castle before. And we were gone for hours sometimes. I remember back in fourth year, when we were working hard on the map, we used to go to sleep around three in the morning for a whole week. You were fine with it back then.'

'Well, I was younger back then,' said James huffily. 'And I had not yet started to get up that early back then. Anyway, as we are way too late for breakfast, I suppose we will have to wait a bit for lunch to start. After lunch we can head to Hogsmeade.'

'That leaves both you and Peter about half an hour to get yourself presentable,' said Sirius. 'I know Peter can do it, but with your hair, James, you will be on a very tight schedule.'

'Bugger off about my hair, will you?' grumbled James. 'Why are you all dressed already? Normally, you are the last one to get up.'

'I couldn't sleep very well,' said Sirius. 'All the adrenaline from running with Moony kept me awake for more than an hour after we retired. When I finally got to sleep, I only managed three hours of sleep before waking up. Then I could not fall asleep again and decided to give up. As I already was too late for breakfast, I had all the time in the world to get dressed and to groom myself.'

'Good for you,' said James. 'Just leave me alone until I had my tea.'

'You are so irritable this morning,' said Sirius. 'What's the matter with you? Normally, you are all bright eyed and bushy tailed when I get up. Ready for a new adventure and more than excited to start the new day. Should I go and see if Evans is still in the castle? Maybe she can give you a little kiss to cheer you up.'

'She is not about to kiss me anytime soon,' said James. 'And I am always irritable after getting up. You just don't know because you only see me when I have already been awake for more than an hour and usually already went for a run.'

'Looks like there is something good about your masochistic behaviour after all,' quipped Sirius. 'And I would not be so sure about Evans.'

'You think she is finally going to give Prongs a chance?' said Peter.

'Oh yes,' said Sirius. 'I think our little head-girl is having very naughty thoughts about our dear Prongs. I think she would not mind kissing him at all. In fact, I rather think that she wants him to kiss her in more delicate areas as well.'

'What a load of rubbish,' said James. 'We are friends and fellow head-students and that is all.'

'You are not friends,' said Sirius. 'Friends don't want to rip each other's cloths off and shag each other silly. You have wanted her for years and by now I am sure that she wants you as well. So, all you have to do is take her. Just remember the silencing charm when you finally have her in your bed. I don't like being kept awake.'

'What makes you think that she wants to shag me?' asked James. 'I have not noticed anything unusual about her and she was never fond of the idea in the past.'

'Are you bloody serious?' asked Sirius. 'Oh, never mind, of course you aren't. I am Sirius after all.'

'Just answer the question, Padfoot,' said Peter, rolling his eyes at the old joke. 'Personally, I think you are just trying to rile Prongs up.'

'Well, you wouldn't know whether a girl is interested in you if you she pulled off her clothes right in front of you, Wormtail,' said Sirius dismissively. 'But Prongs is not an idiot, he must have noticed something. Fine, I am going to spell it out for you. First of all, she spends a lot of time with him.'

'She is head-girl, I am head-boy,' said James. 'It is only natural that we spent a lot of time together.'

'Yes, but she does not have to stick around after you are done like she did yesterday,' said Sirius.

'She needed help with her transfiguration homework!'

'Of course she did, but she did not have to stare at your lips every few seconds. I doubt that she took in more than a word you said. You have to tell me how you did it, Prongs. I have never seen a bird get so bloody turned on by someone rambling about transfiguration. I always thought that doing homework together was only code for a nice little snogging session, but apparently it is more useful for foreplay as I have thought.'

'You are completely and utterly insane,' said James. 'She was tired and probably more than a bit bored. This is why she was zoning out all the time and she certainly was not looking at my lips. Why are you imagining all these things? Do you want the two of us to get together all of sudden? I thought you hated the very thought of it.'

'I do,' said Sirius. 'Evans is a stickler for rules and will only make you even more responsible and therefore boring as you already are. But I cannot ignore what's happening right under my nose and neither should you.'

'So, you really think that Evans fancies me?' asked James. 'You are not pulling my leg and only want me to embarrass myself in front of her?'

'I am completely serious,' said Sirius. 'Marauder's honour.'

'That does not mean much,' said Peter. 'And I thought you are always serious anyway?'

'Not a good time, Peter,' said James. 'Fine, Padfoot. I am going to ask Moony about this and if he agrees with your assessment, I will ask her out again. But if I discovered that you lied about this, I am going to hex you into next week.'

'Fair enough,' said Sirius. 'But you will see that I was right all along. I am a love guru after all.'

'Of course you are,' said James, who by now was fully dressed. 'I am going to pop into the bathroom for a moment. When I am done, Peter can have a go and then we will be ready for lunch.'

'Fine with me, but hurry up a bit,' said Sirius. 'I am starving.'

'Of course, your majesty,' said James and disappeared into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, both Peter and James were presentable and the trio made their way down to lunch.

'Do you think Moony will be there already?' asked James, when they were climbing down the staircase into the entrance hall. 'Sometimes Pomfrey lets him out early if the damage is not too severe.'

'I don't think he will be,' said Peter sadly. 'He sounded very groggy this morning. She will probably keep him there for the whole day.'

'Maybe I should pay him a visit and see if I can talk Pomfrey into letting him go early,' said Sirius. 'She likes me after all. I bet, I could shag her if I wanted to, but she just is too plain for me.'

'There is no way you would be able to shag Pomfrey,' said James. 'She is way too prim and proper to find herself in bed with a student! And I never noticed that she liked you. In fact, I remember her being rather cross with you last year because of that out of control joke with the combustion solution.'

'Hey, that joke was brilliant!' said Sirius. 'If you can't see that then she lacks a sense of humour.'

'You put half of the Slytherin Quidditch team into the hospital wing,' said Peter. 'That does sound a bit out of control to me.'

'She does not even know that it was me,' said Sirius. 'So how is it fair that I get blamed for it? It could have been one of you two after all! And I did not put them in the hospital wing! They only had some minor burns. If they had put essence of murtlap on it, they would have been right as rain within an hour. But they had to be big babies and make a fuss in the hospital wing. They probably thought that we would get punished more severely if they exaggerated their injuries. But we have always been too clever for them. They did not have any proof after all. I am only sorry about the school brooms.'

'Don't be,' said James. 'They were useless lumps of wood even before you reduced them to splinters. We got new better ones after the incident after all, so I think you did the school a service.'

'That's right!' said Sirius enthusiastically. 'This makes it even more unfair that Pomfrey holds a grudge because of this.'

'Speaking of grudges,' said Peter warily. 'Look over there. I think we are about to have company.'

James looked to where Peter was pointing and spotted Rosier waiting next to the entrance to the Great Hall. His gaze was fixed on the Marauders and his face was carefully arranged in a blank mask. That did not bode well for James. Rosier should be in Hogsmeade like the rest of the older students. It did not make any sense for him to hang around here. Had he been waiting for them? If so, whatever for?

'We are going to see what he has to say,' said James quietly. 'No hexes unless we have to defend ourselves.'

Sirius looked disappointed at that strategy, but did not protest.

'There you are, Potter,' said Rosier when they had reached the bottom of the staircase. 'I was afraid that I had missed you and you had already snuck off into Hogsmeade, but it seems like you were having a bit off a lie-in.'

'We did,' said James vaguely. 'What is it?'

'I need a word, in private,' said Rosier. 'Tell your friends to bugger off, will you?'

'If you think we are going to leave him alone with a snake like you, you are an even bigger fool then I thought,' said Sirius hotly.

'It's fine, Sirius,' said James. 'We will only have a quick chat. Find me if I am gone for more than ten minutes.'

'But James...'

'I have made my decision,' said James firmly. 'Lead the way, Rosier.'

'Follow me,' said Rosier, after flashing Sirius a contemptuous look. He led James into a side corridor and into a broom cupboard. James was glad that no one saw them enter it together. He could vividly imagine the kinds of rumours such an unlikely couple in a broom cupboard would create.

'I can't see how you can stand hanging around with Black all the time,' said Rosier after casting a silencing charm. 'He is such a fool.'

'You did not drag me into the cupboard to talk about Sirius,' drawled James. 'Get to the point, Rosier.'

'Patience is a virtue, Potter, surely you know that,' said Rosier. 'But if you don't appreciate small talk, we can cut this conversation short. Don't go to Hogsmeade today.'

'What?' asked James, a little thrown by this rather random change of subject.

'Don't go to Hogsmeade today,' repeated Rosier slowly with a rather wicked grin on his face.

'Why not?' asked James.

'Let's just say that there are things underfoot in the village today and it would be best to stay far away from them,' said Rosier obviously very pleased with himself.

'I see,' said James with his mind racing. Rosier was tied to the Death Eaters. Whatever he was warning James about could therefore be nothing good. Did the Death Eaters plan to attack Hogsmeade? Surely they wouldn't dare! It was so close to the school and therefore close to Dumbledore. And the Ministry was bound to react quickly to any disturbance in the village. They would be foolish to strike at this place! However, it did make sense if they just wanted to spread terror. People were worried about their children already and an attack on Hogsmeade would cause many of them to panic altogether. The pressure on the Ministry and on Dumbledore would increase. He had to think about this. 'Why are you telling me this?'

'Because I am a generous and friendly person,' said Rosier. At James's disbelieving look he continued. 'Your father asked for proof that his family is safe if he supports the cause. Let's consider this a demonstration of the kind of safety we can provide. Be sure to tell you father that I gave you that information, Potter. My own father would be very disappointed if I failed this quest, very disappointed indeed. Well, I suppose that concludes our little chat. Take care Potter. Don't do anything stupid.'

He cancelled the silencing charm and left the cupboard. James remained rooted to the spot for a moment, still trying to make sense out of what Rosier had just told him. Then, he cursed loudly and colourfully, before storming out of the cupboard and back into the Great Hall.

The other Marauders had already taken their seats but had not yet started eating. Sirius visibly relaxed when he spotted James. Obviously, he had still been worried about what Rosier might do to his friend.

'That was rather quick,' he said, when James set down opposite of him. 'Are you alright? You look a bit rattled.'

'Oh, I am rattled alright,' said James. He cast a quick Muffiliato and quickly told Peter and Sirius what Rosier had just told him.

'Bloody hell,' said Sirius quietly, when James had finished. 'We have to tell someone! Sound the alarm! There need to be aurors in Hogsmeade right now! Maybe the attack has already taken place.'

'It's possible,' said James. 'Rosier obviously did not expect us to take that long to get down from the dormitory. I doubt that he has any say about when the attack is supposed to take place, so they could very well already be at it. We have to tell one of the teachers and then rush to Hogsmeade ourselves.'

'What? Why?' asked Peter. 'We already know that Death Eaters are going to be there. Why should we put ourselves in danger by going there?'

'We have to help the others,' said Sirius. 'Marlene and the other girls are in Hogsmeade and they have no idea that Death Eaters are about to pay them a visit. We have to go and warn them. If we are lucky, we can get them out of the village before the trouble starts.'

'We could just write them an owl,' said Peter. 'I am still unsure whether Rosier was telling the truth at all. Maybe he is just trying to test you, James. He will know that you gave away the secret if the teachers arrive there early. Maybe there is no attack at all and he just wants to find out whether you are truly loyal to their cause.'

'It's possible,' agreed James grudgingly. 'He did not present any proof after all. But can we take the risk of just doing nothing? I am not sure. People could get killed!'

'The Death Eaters don't fuck around,' said Sirius. 'They will be out for blood. We have to tell someone, no matter if this reveals James's true loyalty.'

'I am afraid, you are right,' said James, running a hand through his hair in agitation. 'Fuck! That's going to ruin my father's plans.'

'Do you think, he will be angry with you?' asked Peter. 'I can tell a teacher if you want to. Maybe that gives you some deniability. I don't want to go to Hogsmeade anyway.'

'Why not?' asked Sirius.

'I am not good enough at duelling to fight Death Eaters,' said Peter quietly.

'Bloody coward,' said Sirius with a withering look. 'Your friend's are in danger and you want to stay behind to save your sorry skin. Pathetic.'

'Leave him, Sirius,' said James. He did not like Peter's lack of courage as well, but he had to admit that his friend had a point. Peter was dreadful at duelling and would not last a minute against a Death Eater. He would probably only get in the way and if he told the teachers about the assault, James could pretend that Peter had acted without his permission. It was not a very believable lie, as Peter always was at his beck and call, but maybe the Slytherins did not know that. Yes, it was a plan, not a very good plan, but a plan nonetheless.

'Alright Peter,' said James. 'You stay back here and find a teacher to confide in. McGonagall or Dumbledore would be perfect, but others will do as well.'

He took a quick glance at the teachers table which was empty except for Flitwick and Sprout.

'See if you can catch Flitwick on his own and tell him if neither McGonagall nor Dumbledore show up,' he continued. 'Just make sure that the Slytherins don't see you. Sirius, you and I are going to Hogsmeade. We have to warn whoever already is in the village.'

'Right,' said Sirius, who skewered a steak with his fork and pulled it onto his plate. 'But we have to eat something first. We are not going to do any good if we are about to faint from low blood sugar levels. Remember: The last time anyone of us ate something was at dinner yesterday and we have a night without sleep as an additional handicap.'

James did not like sitting still at a time like this, but he had to agree that Sirius had a point. The line between being brave and being foolish was a very thin one and they were already edging into foolish territory be even going to Hogsmeade. So, he hastily grabbed a steak as well and started eating at high-speed.

'You are going to choke,' said Peter warningly and after pausing for a second, James obediently slowed down.

'Thanks for the heads-up, mum,' he said after swallowing. 'I can eat fine on my own.'

'Apparently not,' said Peter with a smile on his face. 'How are you going to get into Hogsmeade? Do you want to use the secret corridor under the hump-backed witch?'

'Maybe,' said Sirius. 'It is a bit faster than the regular way through the grounds.'

'Yes, but we will end up in Honeydukes if we take it,' pointed James out. 'That is about in the middle of Hogsmeade. We will have no chance at spotting any danger on our way there and may find ourselves surrounded as soon as we arrive. I think we should take the regular way. Then we can even warn students who have not yet arrived in Hogsmeade.'

'Yeah that's a good point,' said Sirius ponderously. 'Maybe the Death Eaters will lock down the entrance to the village, though. It might be helpful to get into the village undetected.'

'We don't know that they will,' said James. 'And it is better to be locked out of the village than being stuck inside with the Death Eaters.'

'What about the tunnel under the willow?' asked Peter. 'It would deliver you into the Shrieking Shack which rests on a hill. From there, you should have a good view over the village and nobody is going to expect you to arrive from that location.'

'Hm... yes, that could work,' said James. 'But how do we get out of the Shack? The walls and windows are charmed, so that Remus cannot break them during the full-moon. We would have to disenchant them and put the charms back into place before the next full-moon. Otherwise, Moony could run free.'

'I am not sure how complicated the charms are, though,' said Sirius. 'Dumbledore supposedly cast them himself. If we can't break them, we would be stuck in the Shack and would have to double back all the way to Hogwarts before making a second attempt at getting to Hogsmeade.'

'Hah, I got it,' said James. 'Sirius we are going to take the regular way over the grounds, but we are going to take our brooms rather than going on foot! This way, we will make it to Hogsmeade in record time. And we will have a great view of what's going on.'

'You are a bloody genius, Prongs,' said Sirius. 'That's exactly what we will do! Can you imagine Marlene's face when we swoop in to save the day? She is not going to believe her eyes!'

'You should either wear the cloak or put up some disillusionment charms,' said Peter. 'Otherwise the Death Eaters might see you coming and try shooting you down.'

'Good idea,' said James. 'But I think we are going to go with the charms. The cloak is not going to stay on during sharp manoeuvres. But I am still going to take the cloak. Just in case we have to hide more people.'

'Right,' said Sirius. By now, his steak was down to half of its original size. 'Do we still have some Ever-Alerts around? I don't know about you, but I am still knackered from last night. I am sure that a battle to the death is going to wake me up, but I would prefer to be alert before heading in nevertheless.'

'There are still a couple left in my trunk,' said Peter. 'They last a lot longer now since James and you have stopped guzzling them so much.'

'We there using them responsibly, thank you very much,' said James. He took another bite of his steak, but found it hard to concentrate on eating. He felt jittery and on edge. His mind flashed with all kind of nightmarish things which could happen in Hogsmeade right now and he was itching to get there and try to help. On the other hand, he knew that he was putting himself in grave danger and therefore his excitement was mixed with a liberal amount of fear as well. He was brave, but he was no fool. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to act because he would never forgive himself otherwise. James glared at Rosier over at the Slytherin table, but the Death Eater lackey was too occupied with his lunch to notice it. He looked remarkably relaxed for someone harbouring such a secret. Death Eaters and there accomplishes were feverishly looked for by the Ministry. If they found out that Rosier knew about the attack in advance and did not tell anyone, he could serve a long sentence in Azkaban. However, it was very hard to proof this fact. Rosier could just say that he had just played a trick on James which miraculously had turned out to be true. It was be difficult to prove that he was lying. And hard proof would certainly be required. If someone connected Rosier with whatever could happen today, then there would be a trial. Rosier would have the best lawyer money could buy and the Wizengamot would be hesitant to sentence the son of a respectable family unless he was guilty without a doubt. James did not see that happening. He suppose he could report Rosier, but this would expose him as an enemy of the Death Eaters and most likely be a fruitless endeavour. No, he would keep his mouth shut and see if he could help directly.

'Alright, all done,' said Sirius as soon as his plate was clear. 'Let's go and see if we can catch some Death Eaters.'

'OK,' said James, eager to push his still half-full plate away. He was not going to be able to eat more anyway. 'Peter, you stick to the plan. Get a teacher and tell him, but make sure no one sees you.'

'Will do,' said Peter. 'Be careful, both of you.'

'Aren't we always?' asked Sirius jokingly.

James grimaced at the joke. They were a lot of things, but careful certainly wasn't one of them. Still, he followed Sirius out of the Great Hall without saying anything, his heart pounding at what they were about to do.