Hey guys...
So here is a chapter for all my lovely readers. Thanks to the guys who reviewed the last chapter; willtheranger, bookwurm1612, Jannice Sace and ebonbon. You guys are seriously awesome. You make checking my emails great fun.
Chapter 55:
The morning after the Quidditch match, James was called to Professor Dumbledore's office. James knocked on the door to the headmaster's study. He could hear voices coming from insider. They stopped as he knocked and the door opened. Barty Crouch, James' father's boss was stood in the office holding the door open to let James in. "Ah James," Professor Dumbledore smiled from behind his half moon spectacles. James looked around the room. There was only one other person present; Professor Kilmont. "I believe Miss Jackson told you about the situation. You are aware that the Knights of Walpurgis have issued a list of people who they are threatening to attack?"
"Yes sir," James replied.
"And you know that your name was on the list?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Yes professor," James nodded.
"Ok. Mr Crouch has arranged for you to have an auror escort. We doubt very much that the knights will be able to attack you whilst you are in this school but we would rather be safe than sorry."
James nodded.
"You will of course remember Holly Kilmont," Dumbledore gestured towards the ex-defence teacher.
"Of course I remember Professor Kilmont," James smiled.
"I'm not your teacher anymore James," Holly laughed.
"Well as you know Kilmont has been training to become an auror with your father. She has nearly finished her training and we thought it would good for Holly to watch over you. Since she has been a professor here, she knows the school and the pupil – she knows who to look out for."
"You mean which Slytherins," James laughed.
Dumbledore merely smiled, "Holly will only leave you when you are in the Gryffindor common room. She will have rooms on the seventh floor directly opposite the Fat Lady's portrait hole. I know you very well – I don't want you wasting the protection the ministry is offering you – that means not leaving the common room without Holly. It means no midnight trips or secret outings. Or at the very least you take her with you. You are not to risk your life – because it's no longer just your life – every time you risk your life you now risk hers."
James nodded sadly, knowing that this was going to mess up his plans for becoming an animagus.
"Right then off you go," Dumbledore smiled, "Holly I'll arrange for your things to be taken to your room."
"Thank you Albus," Kilmont smiled.
Kilmont and James made their way down the stairs, "where to then Potter?"
"Don't know… Kilmont if we're going to be spending time together I need to ask a favour."
Kilmont raised an eyebrow, "what Potter?"
"Well actually there's two things; first this whole second name thing is killing me. I'm James," he said offering her his hand to shake.
"I'm Holly," she laughed shaking his hand gently. "What's the second favour?"
"Well… you are probably going to discover some of my secrets over the next however long you are here," James sighed, "the marauders have a few secrets and I must ask that anything you find out must be kept secret."
"I see," Holly smiled, "I'll promise you this. I won't say a thing when you break school rules and I won't betray your trust but I will be honest with you when I'm concerned. Does that work?"
"Sounds good," James nodded.
"Good," Holly smiled, "we've got a deal."
"Tonight," James smiled, "we're breaking into the library. I don't want you to ask why because I'd just have to lie to you and I don't really want to do that."
"Ok," Holly Kilmont grinned, "No problem."
James spent the afternoon working on his homework in the library with Remus. Holly walked around the library a few times but mainly just stood at the door with a book that she was pretending to read. James quickly glanced around the room to check no one was listening, "how's the enchantments on the map coming?"
"I'm struggling with a few of the more complicated spells," Remus frowned.
"To be fair we aren't supposed to learn some of those spells until seventh year," James laughed.
"What spells can't you do?" Holly asked as she came to sit with the boys, "sorry. I'm just being nosey – I was bored – but seriously you might as well take advantage of your ex-defense teacher's magical abilities. There has to be some perks to having me follow you around, right?"
James smiled, "this is one of those secrets that you have to keep."
Kilmont nodded.
"Ok so we've made a map of Hogwarts and we want to enchant it so that it cannot be read unless you know the password…" James began to explain.
"I've already managed that," Remus told them.
"Ok… well we also want it to show us where people are…"
"That's where I'm struggling," Remus frowned.
"I see… can I see the map?" Holly asked.
"Yeah sure you can," Remus pulled the map out of his bag. He tapped it with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Kilmont giggled slightly at the password, "fitting."
"I suppose we can make it so that we alone can edit it?" James asked.
"That's the plan," Remus answered, "I haven't found the right spell yet."
"Holly do you think…?" James asked.
"I'll see what I can do… this is pretty cool." Holly replied as she looked over the map.
"You were right about the transfiguration spell James," Remus sighed.
"It is my best subject," James laughed quietly; "I'm shit at charms though."
The boys watched as Holly ran her wand over the map several times casting non-verbal spells. Within minutes they saw several small dots appear. They were moving around the map. "Whose handwriting do you want?" Holly asked.
"James' handwriting is better than the rest of us marauders'." Remus laughed.
"Fair point. I remember your essays…" Kilmont smiled, "right James the incantation is Nomen Ostendo Sum. You just need to touch your wand to the map and say the incantation and hey presto. It should work a treat."
James pulled out his wand and tapped the map, "Nomen Ostendo Sum."
Little black names appeared beneath each of the dots. The boys cheered happily. Madam Pince shh'd them from her desk. "Oops sorry Irma." Holly whispered to Madam Pince.
Later that night James removed his cloak from its home in his trunk and made his way down to the portrait hole where he was meeting Holly. She was stood just outside the common room talking to the Fat Lady. "Ah James, perfect timing," She grinned, "let's go."
"Right, since you did so well with my first secret, I'm going to tell you another one." James pulled out his invisibility cloak, "this is how I never get caught."
Holly laughed, "Well it was bound to be something like this."
James covered himself in the cloak, "now it will just look like you are going for a late night stroll."
Holly smiled, "Sounds practical."
"Well it prevents me losing points. Evans would never forgive me if I lost Gryffindor points."
"Evans – forgive you? The chance would be a fine thing," Holly joked.
Holly Kilmont paid little attention to what James was doing in the restricted section. "Holly, as a visitor could you take a book out of the library?"
"I don't see why not," Holly replied.
"Could you take this book out," James handed her a book.
Holly looked the book over, "The Art of the Animagus." Holly sighed, "I don't have to tell you that this is seriously dangerous and complicated magic? And that it's illegal to become an animagus without…"
"The permission of the ministry," James laughed, "yeah I know. It's just… well transfiguration is my best subject and one day I want to be able to do magic like this. You know being an animagus will seriously help me fight dark wizards when I'm an auror. It wouldn't hurt getting some background information on it, would it? You know a bit of light reading…" James felt guilty lying to her but he knew it was necessary if he was going to help Remus.
Holly nodded her head, "Ok. Let me just go write a note for Madam Pince."
James' face lit up, "thanks Holly."
They walked over to Madam Pince's desk and Holly pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, writing a quick note. "So… you want to be an auror?"
"I want to be just like my dad," James answered.
Holly nodded, "They're big shoes to fill."
"I've got big feet," James joked.
So just to let you know... I made up the incantation for the spell James cast - it's latin for name reveal... (nice and simple but works well I think)...
Next Chapter...
James' date...
Lily and Tom...
James finds a new hide out...
