Hello there!

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. It was awesome hearing everyone's take on how this tactic for teaching responsibility could prove effective with James. I love reading other people's analysis of him as a character and how they feel his personality, attitude, and morality is shaped.

I'm sure you've all been wondering how James has been faring since discovering his cloak was missing. Well here is your answer.

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter 134: Cluttered Chaos

The closer Severus and Lily got to Gryffindor Tower, the more it became abundantly clear that James had indeed discovered his cloak was missing. The hall was filled with an overall clamor of confusion and discontent and once the pair rounded the corner, they could see why.

The portrait hole hung wide open, the Fat Lady huffing indignantly in her painting and bemoaning the rudeness of teenagers. Around her, students stood in clusters of irritation, either unable to enter or having been unceremoniously ejected from the common room to start with. The hall lay littered in an assortment of junk, from crumpled parchment paper to throw pillows from the common room sofas. Pieces of a chess set rolled across the floor among a puddle of shattered inkwells.

Everyone stood around peering into the portrait hole and tapping their feet impatiently, glaring at the frazzled looking boy currently tearing the common room apart.

"Yeah, I'd say he's definitely noticed its absence, Lily," Severus stated as they drew closer.

Someone thumped him on the shoulder, "You think?"

"Marlene!" Lily gasped, honestly quite shocked to still see her graduated friend hanging around, "What are you doing here?"

Marlene shrugged, "Waiting for Peter to sneak me out before a teacher sees me. Sort of lost my mode of traveling incognito."

Beside her, Peter waved awkwardly before turning his attention back to chaos unfolding before them.

Lily have the good grace to looked ashamed, "Oh no, that's right…you used the cloak to get in."

Marlene nodded, though she seemed far more amused than bothered by her predicament, "Probably should have thought up a plan B to begin with. Always helps to have other options just in case."

"So," she went on, side eyeing Severus, "I take it you two have something to do with this whole mess?"

"I can't imagine why you would think that," Severus replied evasively.

Again, Marlene thumped him on the back, "Relax, Mary filled me in on the vaguer details. The cloak's important in the grand scheme of things, right? For some big plan of yours. Been there, done that; nearly had a snake eat me for my troubles."

"Yes, well…" Severus sniffed, "Hopefully this endeavor will prove itself far more lacking in dangerous creatures."

Marlene wagged a finger at him, "Ah, ah, ah, Severus my boy. Haven't you heard? The most dangerous creature…is man!" She gripped Severus by the collar of her shirt and made a 'Dun, dun, DUN,' noise like some orchestral sting.

Severus detached her hands with a sigh, "Yes, a very apt statement given who we're up against. So…seeing as I absconded with your means of discreet escape last night, how did you managed to stay undetected?"

"Sleepover with Moaning Myrtle," Mary said, popping up next to Severus like a jack in the box and looking far too cheeky, "Transfigured parts of our costumes into blankets and pillows."

"Did the same with some toilet paper," Marlene added with a wry grin, "Not the most comfortable, but you can sleep on just about anything after a good night of drinking."

Peter nodded, "Marlene fell asleep with her foot in a puddle; never noticed."

"And I surprisingly didn't catch pneumonia," Marlene said, rather proud and chipper.

"Everything worked out rather well," Mary said elbowing Severus in the ribs and poking Lily, "Especially since us being out all night provides Lily an alibi for never having come back last night."

Lily flushed with panic, "People noticed?"

Mary waved her off, "Eh, I saw you two head into the Come and Go room. I figured you might be pulling an all-nighter. When Mel and Jess came by breakfast squawking their fool heads off about not seeing you last night—not that they were too concerned that I wasn't there, mind you—I told them you crashed with me in an alcove because we were too snockered to remember the password to the common room."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Mary," she said sincerely, pulling her friend in for a hug, "Last thing I need is them on my case."

Mary grinned, "Hey, I've got your back. Sorry I couldn't cover for you, Severus," she added, "It would have made them more suspicious if I said you were with us."

It hardly bothered Severus, "My dorm mates barely care that I'm alive. If anyone asked, I'll just say I fell asleep in the potions lab; I've done it before."

"Lied about where you've been or actually slept in there?" Marlene questioned curiously.

Severus smirked, "Both."

Marlene laughed, "You're a cheeky git, alright. I can see why we get along."

Peter shushed her, "We don't want to attract too much attention. We need to figure out how we're sneaking you back to Hogsmeade."

"Can't go through the tunnel into Honyedukes?" Severus asked.

If Peter seemed shocked that Severus knew of that secret, he didn't show it. Instead he shook his head, "Woke up too late; they'll be in the back room counting inventory by now at that place. They'd see us straight away coming out of the tunnel."

"Well then," Severus sighed, "Might as well assuage Potter's worries about his dear cloak and maybe he'll be feeling generous enough to let you borrow it real quick."

Peter looked alarmingly confused, "You're giving it back? But I thought—" his words were cut off by a curse of dismay from the portrait hole.

"It isn't here!" James cried.

"I told you to take better care of your things, James," Remus said tiredly, leaning against the frame of the portrait hole with a very unamused expression hanging heavily on his face, "You were supposed to keep an eye on it at the party."

"I did keep an eye on it!" James insisted furiously, whipping around to glare at his friend, "I had it on me most of the night. It's just…things got a little hazy after the third Firewhiskey."

"And the Merlot," Sirius drawled, somehow making himself comfortable hammocked over the legs of an overturned plush chair, "And the cider…and the nip of bourbon…"

James turned his glare onto Sirius, "You think that since you were so capable of tracking my drinking habits all night that you would have had the good grace to keep track of the bloody clo—"

Sirius cut him off with a shushing noise, "Listening ears, James. Lots and lots of listening ears."

James clammed up, still fuming nonetheless.

"Are you lot done in here?" One grouchy six year asked peevishly, "Some of us were actually trying to enjoy our weekend before you louts came barging in."

Remus waved his hands to abate the students, "Just a second. James is terribly sorry for the intrusion. Aren't you, James?"

James didn't answer, busy looking underneath a throw pillow.

Remus cleared his throat harshly, "Aren't you, James?"

When he still got no response Remus's placating expression of levity dropped, "Hey, Head Boy! Maybe want to apologize to the students you pissed off?"

"Wuh?" James looked back at Remus, following the frustrated boy's gestured towards the portrait hole and out to the angry students beyond.

"Oh, right," he stood straighter, dropping the cushion in his hands, "Terribly sorry to put you all out like this. Just…misplaced something belonging to my father. Very important I get it back, you know?"

"And just what is this thing you've lost?" Some fourth year boy snarked with a bit of venom, "We probably could have helped look for it instead of, you know, being tossed out on our asses!'

"It's…it's personal," James replied awkwardly, "Rather not get into it with too many people. Better to just find it myself and all that, you know?"

Someone snorted, "What, is it something embarrassing? Borrow you're dad's dirty magazines or something."

James blanched, "Nothing like that!"

"Ooh, Potter's got something embarrassing," someone brayed; it sounded a bit like Jess, "Scandalous perhaps."

James was starting to turn red in the face, "It's not—"

"Bet it's a thong!" someone crowed.

Another voice joined in, "Or a filthy picture of his mum!"

"Whatever it may or may not be," Severus cut in, his cold and indifferent voice parting the crowd instantly as he strode forward, "It's hardly anyone's business. Lest we forget that prefects are privy to much…humiliating information of their own from the various dalliances we break up or stumble across."

His gaze swept the crowd impassively, eyes alighting on the various students he'd caught in compromising situation this month alone, "Isn't that right Mr. Cormack…Ms. Celia?"

Two students sunk back into the group in awkward silence while the majority began to shuffle away lest they being dragged to the forefront of everyone's attention as well.

"Snape," James said in relief, a genuine smile washing over his face at the sight of the Slytherin.

"Potter," Severus replied, drawing his wand and beginning to magic the room back into orderly neatness, "I see you've had a rather lively morning."

James chuckled, scratching his neck, "Yeah, um…lost the…you know what from last night. The thing I let Peter borrow."

"So I've gathered," Severus drawled, still rearranging the room. His eyes landed on Sirius and narrowed in disapproval, "You know, just because you're not a prefect doesn't mean you can't lend Lupin some assistance when he needs it."

Sirius rolled his eyes, huffing as he pulled out his own wand and set about helping Remus fix the furniture placement.

"Now, Potter," Severus said, redirecting his attention to the messy haired seeker, "It just so happens that I crossed paths with the Headmaster this morning and it would seem that he stumbled across something not far from Slughorn's quarters that he is very eager to return to you."

James perked up immediately, a blinding smiling lighting up his face, "Dumbledore found it! That's great!" His smile dropped a second later, panicked realization dawning across his features, "Wait…he knows! I'm going to be in so much trouble!"

"Dumbledore's favorite actually getting in trouble?" Severus mused sardonically, "I'll alert the papers."

That seemed to defuse some of the tension, James's relaxing straight away.

"You're right," he laughed, "What do I have to worry about. It's Dumbledore we're talking about. He adores me."

Remus sighed, giving Severus and Sirius an exasperated look, "One of these days, James, you're going to find yourself hoisted with your own petard."

"I'll pretend that I know what that means and say thanks for the vote of confidence," James shot back, grinning broadly.

"It's not a compliment—"

"Lily!" James exclaimed, practically shoving Remus out of the way when he spotted the redhead, "Missed you at breakfast this morning."

Lily folded her arms and smiled good naturedly, "You miss me at every breakfast, James. I sit at the Hufflepuff table with Nesme and Sev."

"Yes, but I still get to see your lovely face to start my morning off right," James insisted with a goofy smile, "The party was really something, wasn't it."

Lily nodded, "It was fun. I'm surprised you actually remember the party with how hard you hit the drinks."

James chuckled bashfully, "Yeah, I may have had one too many last night."

"Or two," Remus said.

"Or six!" Sirius added.

James glared ruefully at the pair both turning his charming smile back to Lily, "We'd you run off to after the festivities, though? I heard Jess squawking about how you weren't in the dorms."

"I wasn't squawking!" Jess cried in outrage.

James ignored her, staring at Lily expectantly.

Lily did her best to act chagrined and embarrassed, "Well, I'm afraid it's a bit silly. Mary and I ended up getting locked out of the tower because we forgot the password."

The Fat Lady harrumphed, "I never saw them—"

Severus cut her off with a glare.

"Play along and I'll put in a good word for you with that knight portrait you're always pursuing," he hissed.

The Fat Lady quickly snapped her mouth shut.

"Mary and I slept in an alove," Lily explained to James, running with Mary's previous lie to Jess and Meldonna, "Disillusioned so that we wouldn't be caught by Filch, of course."

"That's what we get for drinking too much," Mary tacked on, swinging an arm over Lily's shoulder.

Meldonna could be heard sniffing disdainfully, "Serves Mary right, sleeping on the cold floor."

"I wouldn't want to be stuck with her all night," Jess added rudely.

"Excuse you," Marlene interjected before Peter could stop her, "When did you cackling hens decided to become such snotty bitches?"

Peter buried his face in his hands.

"Marlene?" Jess gasped, while Mel just stood there gaping at the insult, "What on earth are you doing here."

"Standing up for my friends against some tittering twats, apparently," Marlene said viciously, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, "Where do you get off talking about Mary like that."

Jess struggled to put on a brave face, head held high, "Maybe you missed all the drama last year being knocked out in the hospital wing, but Mary put the moves on my boyfriend!"

"Bullshit!" Marlene refuted, "The only one interested in that preening peacock were equally pompous prima donna's like you!"

Jess looked like she have been slapped.

Mary stood there with her arms crossed, "She's right; some of us have better taste."

"Hey, I'm standing right here," James defended himself with discomfort.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you'd side with her, Mackinnon," Jess hissed, sizing Marlene up, "After all; cheap, loose women stand together don't they?"

Jess let out a shriek of fright as Peter's wand was suddenly pointed square at her face.

"Take that back," he growled with uncharacteristic fierceness.

"Peter, no," Mary tried to reason with him while Marlene attempted to pry his wand out of his hand, "Don't do something stupid."

Peter would not be swayed, "I won't stand for them talking about Marlene like that. Or about you for that matter."

"W-who do you think you are?" Jess asked haughtily, as though she wasn't cowering behind Meldonna.

"Peter," Remus rushed over, trying to push Peter's arm down, "Don't lose your head."

Sirius joined Remus, "Yeah mate, crazy bint's not worth it."

"Who are you calling a crazy bint?!" Jess cried angrily.

"Obviously the crazy bint shrieking like a dumbass banshee in the corridor," Sirius snapped.

Lily tried to squeeze her way between the quarreling groups.

"Everyone, let's all take a deep breath and try and calm down, shall we?" she pleaded.

Concerned for how many wands were coming out in close proximity to Lily, Severus stepped into the fray, cowing at least Mel into dropping her wand with an intimidating stare.

"May I remind you all that dueling in the halls is strictly forbidden," Severus recited sternly, "I suggest we deescalate the situation before you all land yourself with a handful of detentions."

Peter finally lowered his wand, but he continued to glare hatefully at Jess and Mel.

"You're going to be in trouble for this," Jess sneered at the others over Lily's shoulder, "The lot of you. Sneaking in Marlene to do Merlin knows what with her little boyfriend. That breaks all kinds of rules. And to think the head girl helped!"

"Where's your proof," James cut in suddenly.

Jess faltered, "What?"

"Your proof," James said, his voice cold and harsh with authority. It was as if he was a different person, standing there with his Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest, "So far all anyone here has proof of it that Mackinnon is in the school. No one said anything about her being helped in."

"W-well she's with Peter," Jess insisted, "There's your proof."

"So Marlene sought out Peter after she arrived," James said dismissively, "That doesn't prove he was the one who brought her in. Nor does it implicate Mary. For all any of us know, she came her for a perfectly acceptably, rule abiding reason."

"Oh yeah," Mel challenged, "Then what reason is that?"

Before Marlene could respond, someone cleared their throat behind the group, making them all whirl around.

"Oh my," Dumbledore hummed, "Am I interrupting something."

"Not at all, Headmaster," Jess replied with a sicky sweet smile on her face. She smirked nastily at the others as if to say 'now you're going to get it', "Sir, it has come to my attention that—"

"Mister Potter," Dumbledore said, cutting Jess off, though it was unknown if this was intentional or simply accidental, "Just the man I was looking for."

James stood tall.

"Headmaster," he greeted with a nod, chancing a glance at Severus, "I was told you wished to see me?"

"Quite right," Dumbledore replied, "I was paying Professor Slughorn a visit to check up on him—he's always a late riser after a soiree, you see—when I happened to stumble across something stuffed up inside one of the suits of armor outside his quarters."

He pulled a wrapped parcel from the confines of his robes, handing it over to James.

"Most peculiar place for it," he added with a knowing look at James, "You could almost say one was hoping no one would be…able to see it…"

Catching his meaning, James gratefully and eagerly took the parcel, hugging it to his chest tightly, "Thank you so much, Professor Dumbledore. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost it."

"I could see how that would be concerning," Dumbledore said wisely, "Family heirlooms hold value not just to us, but to our entire families. To lose one would be a tragedy not just to yourself, but your whole Potter line; a piece of history gone forever."

James's smile lessened, the seriousness of Dumbledore's words settling over him, "Yeah…I…I guess I didn't think of that."

"Well you'll have plenty of time to consider it this afternoon," Dumbledore said with a smile, "I was hoping you could join me for a spot of tea this afternoon. Just to…go over a few things."

James nodded dumbly, his professor's words still sinking in, "S-sure…" he clutched the wrapped cloak all the tighter to himself.

"Ah, Ms. Mackinnon," Dumbledore greeted kindly, a twinkle in his eyes, "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"You invited her?" Jess asked in disbelief.

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, I requested her here to discuss some potential avenues for her future. She was hoping for a recommendation for the Aurors department, yes?"

"Uh…right," Marlene said, playing along.

"Then let's be off, shall we?" Dumbledore said merrily, "And afterwards, I highly recommend you stop by Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. They're pumpkin flavored sugar quills are quite popular right now."

Seeming to understand his intentions, Marlene grinned. Giving Peter a quick kiss on the cheek, she winked at her boyfriend, "Catch you around, Petey."

Denied her right to get Marlene and Mary in trouble, Jess stormed off angrily after one last rueful glare at Mary, Meldonna right behind.

Severus watched as Dumbledore left, presumably to sneak Marlene out of the school under Dumbledore's provided ruse.

"You know," he said to Lily after a few moments, "I know he's doing it now to help us and our friends…but it still irks me how easily he bends the rules in his own school."

Seriously have you guys ever thought about it? From the hero's perspective in canon, Dumbledore helping Harry out of trouble he got himself into seems cool and awesome, but from the perspective of everyone else in school who gets inconvienced by their headmaster making special allowances for the golden trio, that has got to be upsetting as hell.

Short chapter cause I'm tired, sorry guys.

Review please :)