***Prepare yourselves for the longest. chapter. ever.
Warnings: Language and maybe an unnecessarily long chapter (idk you tell me.) XO
"The risk would have made it more fun for James." -Sirius Black, fire of the Gryffindor Common Room, 1995
Chapter 11 of year 4: Stage One: Abbott Plan B prt2
It was hard to say exactly how ideas came to James Potter but he always seemed to have one. He was always struck with some grand epiphany or another that usually led to mischief, trouble, and - in the common unlucky circumstance - detention. Perhaps these unlucky circumstances weren't uncommon because James always admitted to his wrong doings. There were few exceptions, as there always are, but they usually involved a greater cause. Like when they got caught stealing Mandrake leaves from the greenhouse. He had lied through his teeth then but the Mandrake leaves were for Remus. For the most part, James Potter owned his shit. There was never any cover up or excuse, he'd simply raise his hand and say "that was me."
Those were two of the things Sirius liked best about James. Maybe it was because of this that he'd always raise his hand and say "me too!"
That's what James liked best about Sirius. He always had his back no matter the risk. So that is why, when he watched his feet stride firmly across the stone floor of the Entrance Hall and he saw his laces slowly coming untied, he thought of tripping, then he thought of falling, and of course he thought of how funny it would be to see other people fall, he only thought of the immediate and most probably consequences and he grinned.
He stopped in his tracks not wanting to leave the Hall and grinned some more. Sirius, whose attention he'd gained by his abrupt halt, was instantly intrigued and ready for what was to come. He arched his brow, enticing James to share his idea.
He looked around before he did, checking to see that the various doors surrounding them were still intent on staying shut then said in a hushed urgent voice;
"Remember that charm you were teaching the second years at tutoring last year? The freezing charm?"
"Yeah, I had to re-write my potions essay from scratch because that little berk -" was his response. James, deciding that they didn't have time for a backstory because the Quidditch team and chosen victims were bound to approach at any moment, interrupted him.
"Do you think we could use it to freeze the Entrance Hall," James said conversationally while smirking.
"I don't … maybe if we… James Potter, you'll be the death of me," Sirius said, suppressing a smile. He took out his wand and got to work, spraying water onto the floor then quickly freezing it. James watched him do it a second time to make sure he knew how it was done then started in the opposite direction.
Before long they were separated by a frozen sheet that gleamed in the light of the fiery torches. James stood on the marble steps while Sirius clung to a suit of armour for balance. They grinned at each other, proud of the work they had done.
"Try it out, see how slippery it is," Sirius whispered up to him. It wasn't necessary. He could see Sirius's feet fighting for traction beneath him. It did look like fun.
James gingerly placed one foot then another onto the icy floor. As he let go of the bannister he began to slide toward Sirius as if on an incline.
"Excellent," he grinned. He leant back just enough so he'd slide faster and ended up colliding into Sirius. They both laughed resulting in them losing their balance and falling onto their bottoms which only caused them to laugh more. Their voices ricocheted off of the stony walls of the Entrance Hall. Oddly it sounded emptier than it had before they added ice.
They were so wrapped up in their own amusement that they didn't realise the volume their laughter produced. As consequence the night was no longer quiet; the castle began to stir, ghosts floated from room to room with as much rigor as they did in the day, professors left their offices to look down their respective corridors, Mr Filch began to prowl, studious students were momentarily distracted from their books though they quickly returned. However, there are always students who were up to no good and it was those students who came to inspect. The first was a friendly face.
Eilidh Nicnevin, startled by the noise owing to the fact that she was left alone in a dark and deserted corridor, came to find the source. She peered through the door to the left of them that led to several classrooms. Upon seeing that it was merely her partners in crime she let the door swing creakily open so as to announce herself.
The boys looked up from their positions on the floor and were startled into silence. The candlelight reflected in her eyes adding a sparkle to them, it added colour to her usually pale complexion and a shine to her hair. Under normal circumstances they found her to be quite plain but in this setting, she looked rather pretty.
"James, I think we might have to sack her. This is the second time tonight I found her slacking off," Sirius said sounding earnest but there was a distinct twitch in the corners of his mouth.
"I was actually waiting for Remus and Peter to come back. They had some mysteri-AHHA! Whoa-" her statement was finished by a groan of pain and a whispered string of swears. She had taken one step into the Entrance Hall and fell flat on her back having not noticed the fresh ice on the floor. Being chivalrous Gryffindors, James and Sirius slid laughing toward her to help her to her feet. They had to hold onto each other for support to stand.
"Thanks, Nicnevin, you just confirmed that our plan is foolproof," James smirked. Eilidh nudged him playfully but still caused him to fall and bring her and Sirius down with him.
There was a chaotic moment when they all scrambled to untangle their limbs and struggled to get to their feet. At best they would make it to their knees before falling again. They laughed through the chaos, their voices rising again like a chorus of fun and the castle stirred once more.
"Sirius get off of me!" Eilidh screamed with laughter. Sirius had landed on her in a painful looking position. He made to get up but thought the better of it and said,
"Hang on!" He grabbed her arms and pinned them at the sides of her head. "Take it back first."
"Take what back? Sirius get off," she laughed, trying to wriggle her arms free of his grip.
"Say I'm not a lazy sod," he said, trying to look firm but there was no denying the grin on his face.
"I'll take it back when you actually try to be a good keeper," Eilidh said defiantly. Sirius arched an eyebrow, smirked, then attacked her waist, tickling her to the point of screaming. James caught hold of her arms and held them away from Sirius so he could continue with his torture. "Alright! Alright! You're not a lazy sod!" she screamed. Immediately, Sirius stopped, James let go of her arms, and they looked at each other smugly. Eilidh got to her feet and, now perfectly balance, made her way to the bannister. While she did she shouted back, "you're just a stubborn sod with lazy tendencies!"
"Why you-" Sirius shouted after her. He got to his feet, pulling James with him and they both chased the laughing Eilidh up the stairs.
They had reached the top before they realised that her mood had changed. She was suddenly alert and fearful. She watched the corridor to the right as she hid in the shadows of the left and she pulled them behind her so they too would be hidden by the darkness.
They tried to peer around her to see who the figure making their way towards them was but the corridor was too dark. It didn't seem the time to ask questions even whispered ones so James and Sirius both stayed quiet and watched as the dark figure grew closer and listened as Eilidh's breath hitched with every quickened step the figure took.
The beginning and end of the marble staircase were lit by a torch's flame so as the figure grew nearer they began to realise who it was. It was unmistakeable. The spindly body hidden under loose, baggy muggle clothes. The hair so greasy it looked wet. The pallid face of Severus Snape shined under the light of the torch as he turned to make his way down the marble steps.
James tried with every ounce of self-control in his being to not make their presence known. They had much bigger problems than Snape to deal with tonight. Yet, as he tried to make his mind focus only on Abbot, the image of Lily and Snape's embrace from the night before broke through. Still, he clenched his fists and held them firmly at his sides while he bit his tongue, determined to stay quiet.
"Are you afraid of Snape, Eilidh?" Sirius whispered, sounding slightly amused.
"No," she said defensively. "I've just run into him enough for one day."
That was enough for James. Eilidh, despite her objections, was clearly frightened by Snape's sudden appearance. The thought that Snape had done something to make a girl who runs around with werewolves afraid of him pushed him over the edge.
"All right, Snivellus?" James said loudly as he stepped out of the shadow. He pushed Eilidh's attempts at stopping him off and stepped into the light. Snape didn't recognise his voice at first. He turned around with a haughty sneer on his face until he saw James and Sirius standing atop of the stairs then, much to James's satisfaction, a look of fear fell over him.
"Where ya goin'?" James asked, sounding nonchalant. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and clutched his wand.
"None of your business," Snape said quickly and turned away. He marched down the steps two at a time.
"Oh, don't be like that. We're just trying to make friendly conversation," Sirius grinned. He and James followed Snape down the steps.
"James! Sirius, come on we've got to get Remus and Peter!" Eilidh said, lurching out of the shadow and after them.
"Yeah, that's where we're going, but I wanna know where Snivellus is going," James drawled. He smirked as Snape quickened his pace.
"As I said, it's none of your business," Snape said, his voice tight. James's smirk widened as he neared the last step.
"Well, wherever you're going, I hope you have a nice trip." James bit his lip in anticipation, his eyes focused on Snape's feet. Severus, in his haste to get away, decided to skip the last step and jump. He fell, instantly, forward. He was quick enough to catch himself. Sirius snorted and James grinned wickedly. Snape pushed himself up but lost balance and he flailed about trying to find it again. James and Sirius fell into a fit of laughter. Eilidh, who stood rigidly behind them with her wand in hand, looked as if she wanted to laugh but for whatever reason held herself back.
Snape fell again, this time landing on his face. He used the bannister to climb to his feet. He faced the three of them with a look of the utmost contempt, his face red with anger.
"What the hell was that?" Snape sneered.
"Don't blame us for your shoddy equilibrium," Sirius laughed. Snape glowered at him.
"Idiot," he breathed.
There was a blinding flash of light. Snape flew back very suddenly and with enough force that would suggest that someone had punched him in the chest. James had attacked. Sirius, after realising this, whipped out his wand. When Eilidh realised she took a step forward, intent on pulling James back. James, however, moved forward before she got a chance to touch him.
"Insult my friend again, Snivellus, and I'll kick your arse," James said, threateningly.
"I'd like to see you try, Potter," Snape snarled, getting as quickly as he could manage to his feet. James moved forward once again but this time Eilidh caught him by the back of his robes. Sirius pulled on her arm, trying to set him free.
"Why is it that there's always a girl around to save you?" James snarled after struggling to break free.
"One of these days it'll be just you and me, Potter, then you'll see," Snape said, ominously. Then he did something that surprised James and Sirius. He walked away, towards the door that led to the dungeons. He still looked furious. His knuckles were white as he held his wand tightly in hand, his jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, his eyes hard and focused on the path in front of him.
"See what? You falling on your face again! Think I'd pay to see that, wouldn't you James," Sirius laughed, trying to goad Snape into responding. James was too stunned to reply. He had hurt him and embarrassed him and all he got was a half arsed threat. He was deeply unsatisfied. He hoped that Snape would at least say something back to Sirius but all they heard in return was the door slamming shut behind him. The exchange initially meant to calm the beast that was awakened in James, only angered him more.
With Snape gone, Eilidh finally let go of him. Sirius and James both turned back to look at her. James with a look along the lines of the 'what-the-hell-is-your-problem' sort and Sirius with a blank face, a look he reserved for when he was expecting to be scolded.
"Well, let's get it over with," Sirius said, crossing his arms. Eilidh eyed James reproachfully and James never broke eye contact even when she turned to face Sirius.
"Get what over with?" she asked, moving through the space between them and stepping out onto the ice.
"Whatever you have to say about Snivellus. We're idiots and arseholes and whatever else," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Eilidh stopped her sliding steps and turned back to them.
"I don't know what to say," she said carefully.
"That's a first," James scoffed, stepping towards her.
"It's just - he's Lily's friend," she said definitively.
"Yeah, great friend he is," James returned, sounding like he blamed her for Snape and Lily being friends.
Instantly recognising Eilidh's defiant expression and James's still edgy mood, Sirius strode forward, towards the door from where Eilidh came and said loudly, "Where did Remus and Peter leave you, Eilidh?"
"The lavatory," she said shortly.
She kept her eyes on James even as they walked down the corridor. Sirius decided it would be best to let them have a moment alone so he jogged ahead and disappeared behind the door that led to the toilets. James huffed and sank into the wall, avoiding Eilidh's eye.
"I don't like him, you know," Eilidh said, suddenly, "Snape. He's… well, he's something else."
"That's a nice way of putting it," James snorted. Eilidh sank down next to him.
"I see Lily's side of things and for her, I can't stand by while he's in an unfair fight," Eilidh said. James nodded slowly and took a moment to think about what she said.
"I never thought of that," he said. "Sorry."
"S'okay," she smiled.
"You erm… you said you ran into him earlier today. What happened?" James asked, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, I just… I thought he might have some information on Mr Hogsmeade," Eilidh said weakly. James nodded to indicate that he understood that she meant Abbot. "He didn't really like me asking him questions, probably because he thought I was spying on him, to begin with… which I guess I was."
There was a moment's pause.
"I really hope you didn't draw too much attention to yourself," James said. He tried to keep any aggression he might have out of his voice but his emotions were still running high and if she had caught too much attention she could have possibly ruined the mission.
"I don't think so. I made it look like I had a crush on him. Which by the way, if Peter says anything, is not true," Eilidh promised, a smile playing on her lips.
"Good to know," James smirked.
"James, we've got a problem," Sirius said, coming out of the toilet with Remus and Peter in tow
"What happened?" James asked.
"He's er, well he's in his common room," Remus answered and looking at Eilidh added, "sorry for leaving you so long by the way."
"All right, do we know the password?" James said, looking at Peter.
"Yeah, but -" Peter said.
"Then we're fine," James shrugged. "Lupin, be a mate and get my invisibility cloak will you?" James sent a subtle smirk to Eilidh.
"James, I'm not your house elf. Besides we all can't fit under there," Remus said.
"Remus Moon-"
"Don't."
"child Lupin! I would never consider you to be my house elf! I simply requested that, as my mate, you'd run upstairs and fetch my invisibility cloak from the you-know-where in my you-know-what," James said, simply.
"Are invisibility cloaks even allowed at Hogwarts?" Eilidh asked, incredulously.
"Welcome to the vigilante club, we have access to the kitchen," Sirius grinned.
"I am not-"
"Remus please," James said, pouting his lip, "I'm all sore from Quidditch."
"You're all sore from sitting on a broom?" Remus muttered stomping toward the door. "If I go out there and find Peeves waiting with a cream pie there will be hell to pay!"
"There's no point in you going now anyway. Listen," Sirius said, holding a finger up. There was a definite sound of a large group of people making their way to the front doors of the castle. "I think it's about time for the Quidditch team to show up."
They all hurried forward and hid behind the door, waiting for the unsuspecting Quidditch team to walk into their slippery fate.
Marlene came first. Her body was completely turned toward those behind her as she laughingly agreed with someone's joke. Then she slipped. Frank Longbottom and Kingsley Shacklebolt caught her before she hit the ground. Cresswell had the misfortune of running into them. All four of them fell landing in a pile of tangled bodies. Their exclamations of pain and insults to whoever's elbow was in their ribs or whose knees had hit their face echoed loudly enough to cover the laughter of the guilty party.
What it didn't cover was Filch angrily stomping down the steps as he yelled for them "shut it! Or it'll be-!" Filch fell head over feet before he could finish his threat. He spun, screaming and with his legs in the air, across the floor.
Peeves flew in overhead, laughing and singing a crude song about Filch being sprawled on the floor. Filch sputtered and spat with anger.
"Good evening," said a very calm, stern voice. Silence fell almost instantly. Peeves floated in the air, a thoughtful look crossing his grinning face, then disappeared with a loud pop. The Marauders and Eilidh crept into the Hall. Everyone looked at the tall man wearing purple robes embroidered with gold stars, waiting for him to speak. "You seem to be having some difficulty walking across a usually very steady floor."
"It was my idea," James said, stepping further into the room.
"An interesting one at that," Dumbledore returned with a hint of a smile that made his moustache twitch.
"I helped," Sirius said, moving next to James.
"No doubt," Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling.
"Professor," Remus said, feeling compelled to defend his friends, despite his sweaty palms and dry throat. "That haven't actually broken any school rules."
"It's destruction of school, property Professor! Don't let him fool-" Mr Filch yelled, his legs shook as he tried to find his balance.
"Thank you, Argus. I assure you, I won't," Dumbledore said sternly, and Mr Filch fell silent. He turned back to James and Sirius. Both had adopted a look of pure innocence while Remus remained expressionless beside them. "I will not be taking away house point," he started. Every Gryffindor in the room breathed a sigh of relief. "And because you did not, I assume, intend to harm anyone with your-"
"Practical joke."
"Harmless prank."
"Good-hearted fun."
James and Sirius suggested.
"Yes," Dumbledore smiled. "I will not be giving you detention," James and Sirius sighed in relief while Filch made a noise of disgust, "and thus ruin your streak of good behaviour. You have done very well this year."
"Thank you, sir," Sirius and James said together.
"You're welcome," Dumbledore nodded. "However, as Mr Filch has kindly reminded me, this is destruction of property and cannot go unnoticed. Therefore, you will get up early tomorrow morning and clear the ice away. 6:00 should give you ample amount of time, would you agree?"
"Yes, sir," James and Sirius mumbled. Filch groaned and muttered his way to his office.
"Very well. Everyone, please return to your dormitories, it is almost curfew," Dumbledore said. He stepped onto the ice and slid gracefully across the room. "Good night," he said and disappeared behind the doors.
"You had better not get yourself kicked off the Quidditch team again, Potter," Cresswell threatened. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.
"Relax we didn't even get a detention," James shrugged and led them up the stairs toward Gryffindor tower. "Any chance a brilliant seventh year like you knows a good spell to get rid of a room full of water?" James asked, conversationally.
"Try Evanesco. I've only used it on small things, mostly cauldrons but it might work," Cresswell said, heavily. Upon reaching the common room he finally said, "Listen, Potter. I know you're just having fun."
"Mate, we'll be careful. Trust me. I don't want to lose quidditch. We'll be toeing the line this year. Right, Sirius?" James promised, nudging his friend.
"Yea totally. We'll be right on the line," Sirius agreed.
"And not a hair out of place," Cresswell ordered, pointing a finger at both of them. He turned to leave before they could respond. Frank passed with a smile and a nod while rubbing a lump on his head. Kingsley Shacklebolt passed with an awkward grin.
"If I have a bruise on my bum because of you two, you'll wake up to find your hair blue," Marlene threatened.
"An interesting response, McKinnon. You've always made a worthy opponent," James nodded and crossed his arms. Marlene eyed him then turned with a flick of her hair to stomp across the almost empty common room.
"If I find any of my butterbeer missing Eilidh-" she shouted.
"You'll know it wasn't me because I haven't been up there since this morning," Eilidh said, talking over her. Marlene huffed, flicked her hair again and stomped up the steps toward the girls' dormitories.
"Right, you lot should get to bed too," James said, herding Peter, Eilidh, and Remus toward the dormitory steps.
"Um, I still have a job to do," Eilidh argued.
"You've done enough today. Sirius and I haven't done anything except class and Quidditch. It's our turn," James said, conclusively.
"We can't let you have all the fun, Nicnevin," Sirius smirked. Eilidh eyed him looking slightly put out.
"You need to be at full strength for tomorrow, there's likely to be a good fight," James grinned, leading her with an arm around her waist toward the girls' dorms.
"Right," she said, her voice flat and expressionless.
"How are you at duelling anyway?" Sirius asked.
"I can hold my own," Eilidh shrugged.
"Good. We'll meet you in the Entrance Hall after breakfast," Sirius said, opening the door and waving her through the threshold. She eyed both of them, looking stubborn and resolute.
"You're lucky I'm tired, or there'd be a heated argument about this," Eilidh said.
"I've come to expect nothing less," Sirius smirked. Eilidh passed through the door then turned back to look at them.
"Just because I'm a girl-"
"Remus and Peter are going to bed too," James said.
"We'll see," Remus muttered. James and Sirius smiled, ignoring Remus's remark and waited until Eilidh started up the stairs before herding Peter and Remus towards their dormitory.
"What happened to we're all in this together? We're all apart of this group. We're with each other 'till the end?" Remus argued, fighting against Sirius pushing him up the steps.
"That's why we're doing this," Sirius grunted.
"Sirius and I have done next to nothing all day, Remus," James said and helped Sirius by pulling on his arms. "Besides, your furry little problem tends to wear you out."
"Oh, don't give me that rubbish!" Remus yelled in a whisper as he strode through the door of their dormitory.
"I know it sucks, but it's true," Sirius said, gently.
"The full moon was weeks ago and the next one is far enough away that its effects haven't started yet. I am at my prime," Remus argued.
"You are tired because we keep waking you up early in the morning," James said.
"Peter and I are going," Remus said, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm actually really tired. And I have to wake up early to keep up with this animagus thing," Peter said, apologetically.
"Thank you, Peter, for being reasonable and responsible. Please don't forget to set your alarm," Sirius said.
"See, Remus you need to stay and make sure Peter doesn't sleep through his alarm. If he doesn't we'll have to start this whole thing over and you'll have to deal with our vow of silence again," James said. This seemed to break down Remus slightly. He glared through narrow eyes and a tight jaw at the pair of them.
"What are you planning on doing anyway?" Peter asked.
"Just gonna see if he's in the common room. Then see who he talks to and what not," James answered.
"And if he's not there?" Remus asked.
"We'll spend the night there. Sirius'll finally get to see what it's like to be a Slytherin," James grinned. Sirius gave him a scathing look but said nothing.
"Have you actually lost your mind?" Remus asked, irritably.
"Yeah. If you spot it anywhere let me know," James joked, hoping to calm Remus's exasperation.
"Remus, that's enough! You'll go to bed even if I have to stupefy you into it!" Sirius said, firmly. James withheld a laugh. Peter shrank. Remus blinked rather quickly.
"Thanks, Dad, I'll take that under consideration," Remus returned.
"I'll do it," Sirius threatened, taking out his wand.
"All right," James said stepping up and forcing Sirius's arm down. "Remus be reasonable about this."
Remus clenched his jaw and stared James down seeming intent on burning a hole in his face. Neither of them backed down for several seconds.
"You're not spending the night in the Slytherin dungeons. Not after everything you've done to them," Remus said, firmly. James nodded.
"Remus you're being -"
"All right. We'll try to make it back before midnight," James conceded, startling Sirius into silent disbelief. Remus nodded.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered, digging through his trunk.
"Pete, could we borrow the map?" James asked, moving to his own trunk for his invisibility cloak. Peter moved quickly from his bed with his arm outstretched, his map in hand.
"Don't do anything to it," he muttered sleepily.
"Could we add a bit more to the Slytherin common room and stuff?" James asked, taking the parchment. Peter nodded, then snuggled back onto his pillow still in his school robes. James and Sirius moved quickly to the door while Remus growled and grumbled his way into bed.
"Night, Moonchild," Sirius said.
"Good night," Remus said shortly, then quickly rolled away from them, wrapping himself in his blankets. Sirius chuckled and James smirked.
They made their way back to the Entrance Hall, under the protection of the invisibility cloak. They did not touch the icy floor in case Dumbledore should return and thus know that they were out of bed.
They walked through the dungeons for a while, not quite remembering where the camouflaged door was hidden. Running out of patience, Sirius took the map from James, tapped it in the general location of the Slytherin's common room so the password (Carpe Noctem) appeared. He tapped the walls with his wand, muttering the password as he did until one of them slid noisily aside revealing a large, stone doorway.
"You don't think they heard-"
"Shhhh."
James pressed forward quickly forcing Sirius to clutch his robes so he'd stay covered by the invisibility cloak. They entered a room with rough stone walls that was lit with a green hue of round lamps hanging from chains on the ceiling. A fire was slowly dying under an elaborately carved mantelpiece straight ahead of them and two Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.
"Was that the door?" Snape's voice came in a whisper as he turned slightly toward his companion.
"Hmm, I think it was the squid. Hagrid sometimes doesn't feed him so he doesn't forget how to hunt for his own food," Abbot responded, barely looking up from his book.
"Sounded like the door," Snape muttered, but returned to his book nonetheless.
Neither of them moved again for what felt like several hours. James and Sirius settled themselves in a corner out of the way of anyone who might venture through. No one did. They were bored, tired, and irritated because Abbot didn't seem to have any friends he'd be willing to commit an illegal and potentially lethal act with.
James had fallen asleep uncomfortably on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius was so bored he was seriously considering changing his hair to blue and attempting to convince him that Marlene had done it. It would be amusing to see how frustrated he'd get. Then Snape stood. Excitement bubbled in his chest. He nudged James awake. They watched Snape head up the stairs. James pulled on the sleeve of his robes, indicating that he should get up.
"What about Abbot?" Sirius said in a barely audible whisper.
"He hasn't moved. Probably asleep," James whispered back.
They edged forward, taking slow deliberate steps. Abbot shifted. They froze. He let out a soft snore.
"See," James said. They hurried up the steps after Snape, still careful to stay silent.
Snape's dorm room was very much like theirs. Sans the wall covered in embarrassing pictures, the only differences were the green and silver decor and their window was under the Black Lake. There was a grindylow with its face pressed up against the glass leaving James and Sirius to wonder if they could see through invisibility cloaks. They waited against the wall shadowed by one of the beds (just in case) for Snape to fall asleep.
When he was quite sure they had waited long enough, James tugged off the invisibility cloak and took out a bottle of Bulbadox Powder from his robes.
"Where'd you get that?" Sirius breathed.
"Nicked it from Filch's office awhile back," James grinned over his shoulder. He crept forward and sprinkled a generous amount of powder onto Snape's school robes.
"Reckon Avery needs some too?" Sirius asked, peering through the curtains of the neighbouring bed. James tossed the bottle into Sirius's waiting hands and watched as he set to work, getting not only his school robes but the inside of his socks too.
They flew out of the room as quickly and quietly as they could while suppressing giggles. Once back in the Common Room they found Abbot still snoozing in his chair, head resting in hand, abandoned book barely balancing on his knee. The thought of waiting for him to wake or for someone to come and get him was bleak.
"What if we just make a noise? Startle him a bit?" Sirius suggested.
"And risk him finding us here with the cloak?" James challenged.
Sirius shrugged as if the risk was nothing more than a paper cut.
James moved forward, slowly. A small voice in the back of his head told him that the risk definitely was not worth the means. He couldn't stop though. It was as if something inside him was pushing him forward, daring him to find out if he could get away with it. He reached out a hand. He felt Sirius tense beside him, as if on edge. He watched as his hand floated in the air like it didn't have a body. His fingers pinched the sleeves of Abbot's robes and pulled quickly.
Abbot's head fell causing his forehead to smack into the arm of his chair. His book fell to the floor with an audible thud. Sirius choked down his laughter as James scrambled to get all of his limbs under the cloak while they silently moved backwards, crouching low so their feet were completely covered.
"Fuck, that hurt!" Abbot exclaimed, rubbing the reddened spot on his forehead. He looked once about the room, picked up his book, and strode angrily to his dormitory never knowing that he was being followed.
The light of day was muffled by the Black Lake and the algae that grew around the edges of the window. The water did allow waves of light in a greenish hue to silhouette the furniture of the dormitory giving the room an odd shipwrecked feel.
The problem was, James didn't know if sunrise had passed yet. He did know that he had woke up in a seventh year Slytherin dormitory only half covered by his Invisibility Cloak. Sirius had moved so much in his sleep that most of the cloak was snaked around his leg making it sort of a checkered board of visibility. He also knew that they needed to get out of their as quickly as possible or the Slytherins would have a very good motive for murder.
He kicked Sirius's shoe and pulled his cloak so it would uncoil itself from Sirius's leg. Sirius woke with a start, looking utterly confused by his surroundings. Neither of them had planned on falling asleep there.
Sirius mouthed, "Oh, shit!" and they clambered out of the dormitory pulling the cloak over them along the way. They had to dodge several Slytherins (mostly third years too excited about their first Hogsmeade trip to sleep in) mulling their way around the Common Room. They held their breath as they passed Professor Slughorn going into his classroom.
When they finally reached the Entrance Hall, James dragged Sirius across the still icy floor toward the large oak front doors, determined to know if they had missed the sunrise. He was delighted to see that the sun had not yet left the horizon.
"Thank Merlin," James breathed, pulling off the cloak, crumpling it up, and stuffing it into his pocket. James and Sirius took out their wands. They placed the tip of it to their hearts and chanted together, "amato, animo, animato, animagus," just as the sun had completely risen. They waited until the foreign heartbeat that sputtered inside them every time they performed the incantation vanished.
"That was close," Sirius said, panting. His second heartbeat was apparently extremely fast.
"Yeah, it was." James nodded in agreement. "I wonder how mad Remus is gonna be. We did promise him we'd be back by midnight."
"You did, mate, not me," Sirius said, striding back through the door.
"Thanks, Sirius, good lookin' out," James responded sarcastically.
They set to work on opposite sides of the room as they had last night. They cleared away the ice with a simple melting charm then a quick "evanesco" to stop the water from flooding. It was longer and harder than it had been to freeze the room but James supposed that that was the whole point of the punishment.
Slowly students started coming in for breakfast. Each of them would slow down momentarily to watch James and Sirius work. They would just continue on as if they weren't there unless they heard the door to the dungeons opening then they would pause to see who was coming but then they went right back to work. That was until they heard the person whom they had been waiting for coming through the dungeon doors.
"Don't be stupid, Will," Abbot said, sounding very sure of himself. James and Sirius ducked into the broom closet so they wouldn't be seen and watch through a crack in the door. Abbot came strutting in with two others in his year walking shoulder to shoulder some distance away from him.
"But, are you even sure he'll let us in if we somehow pull this off?" said one of his friends, his voice dripping with apprehension.
"When we pull this off, it will get his attention. Make him see that we're much more than what Malfoy made us out to be," Abbot responded.
"So we're not even getting in after this? Is it really worth getting expelled over?" the other said defiantly.
"Listen. I can't have you two mucking this up for me, so you need to make up your mind now," Abbot said, stopping to turn and look at them. The other two froze and looked at each other. "Barker, mate," he said, placing a hand on the scared looking one's shoulder. "You in?"
Barker's eyes shifted slightly toward the defiant one but he simply refused to meet his eye so Barker nodded, reluctantly. "All right! Saunders, mate…." Abbot punched his arm in a playful way.
Saunders looked around the room as if this were the last time he'd be seeing it and said: "Yeah, all right."
"Aces! That'll pay off, mates you'll see," Abbot said, enthusiastically.
"Bloody hell mate, it'd better," Saunders said, his voice fading in the noise of the Great Hall.
"Gits," Sirius muttered angrily and burst out of the broom closet. "We should just take them now. Stop any chance of them succeeding."
"Yeah, well, if we catch them red handed it'll get the teachers on our side," James said, stuffing his hands into his pocket. A large part of him agreed with Sirius. After all if they ended up in the hospital wing before they could make it to Hogsmeade they wouldn't have to worry about what would happen should they fail. However having the staff on their side for once would be a tremendous help.
"Yeah…. Man, I hope they get expelled," Sirius said, spitefully.
"Me too," James nodded then set to work again. "Let's hurry, I wanna tell Remus and Peter before breakfast."
***Hey Lou, thanks for your review and the compliments. Things will get better for Sirius... eventually. XO
***I really hate that the chapter's this looonnngg. But I didn't want to cut out the scene in the Entrance Hall because it was a typical Marauders prank and I haven't written one of those in, well, way too long.
As usual, I am desperately and pathetically eager to know what you guys think.
Shout out to the new followers and favouriters. Thank you and welcome :)
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Until next time,
XO