The Marauders
Before Claudia even realised, it was just one week to Easter and with it came the conclusion of the Alchemy competition. She was horrified – they still had so much to do! The last thing she wanted was to stand in front of Dumbledore and Slughorn empty-handed.
On Monday evening, Claudia and Sirius were in the Alchemy lab, doing some last-minute research before they were to try making the potash that needed to be added to the mixture they made earlier. It was not easy. Alchemy was chaos. There was no universally agreed recipe for anything. They had to read dozens of books and pick the most reliable method for each step. It was by far the most complicated thing that Claudia had to do at school, and they were running out of time.
It was nearing eight o'clock and they barely started. Sirius was becoming increasingly agitated. He was glancing at this watch every thirty seconds.
"I have to go." He finally mumbled.
"Where?" Claudia frowned. She could hardly imagine anything more important than trying to get this project finished.
"The guys. I promised I meet them tonight." Sirius replied, unusually meekly.
"Why tonight?" Claudia barked. "We literally have two days to figure this out."
"I'm sorry." Sirius whispered. "I just have to go."
"Would you at least tell me why?" Claudia asked, becoming increasingly frustrated with him. Sirius looked at her but did not say a word. "Fine." Claudia added. "Keep your dumb secrets."
"Please don't be annoyed." Sirius whispered and kissed her on the cheek. For the first time since they started dating, Claudia pulled away slightly. He was not going to buy her off that easily.
"Just go." She hissed. "I can do this by myself." She added and buried her face in the alchemy book and did not raise her head when Sirius left the classroom.
She really did not want to be that sort of girlfriend – to tell him what to do and how to behave. She knew what she was getting herself into, dating Sirius Black. He never did as he was told or played by the rules. She may have even liked him because of that. But at this moment, she wished with all her heart that he would just listen to her and finished that stupid project, rather than running off like that and getting into trouble.
"He better not get himself into detention for tomorrow." She mumbled.
Claudia was still very annoyed with Sirius when they resumed working on the alkahest the following evening. But she got a special dispensation from Slughorn to use the lab all night if she needed to and was absolutely determined not to let Sirius out of there until they were finished. Not even for dinner.
"I found a better spell yesterday to alter the evaporated sea salt." She hissed the moment Sirius emerged through the door of the lab.
"Hey." He whispered. Claudia barely looked at him. Instead, she pointed her wand at the container full of raw salt.
"Visio Electri Solution." She said resolutely. The substance barely changed.
"Are you sure that worked?" Sirius asked.
"Yes." Claudia frowned. "And if you read the book I found in the library, you would know that visually this spell does nothing. But it breaks down the components of the salt into something we can use." Sirius did not dare ask anything else. He sat down at desk and began going through their notes. Claudia opened one of the alchemy books and began double-checking what the next step was supposed to be.
Not half an hour minutes later, James, Remus and Peter walk through the door of the lab.
"What are you doing here?" Claudia asked wearily. The potash was difficult enough, she did not need a distraction.
"We brought you food." James replied.
"You did what?" Claudia just did not understand.
"Food." James repeated. "You missed dinner."
"Oh. OK." Claudia mumbled. Still somewhat perplexed. She did not expect anyone, let alone James Potter, to bring her dinner.
"And we felt bad about yesterday." James added. Claudia even managed to raise a tiny smile. She reached for the plate James was holding out and grabbed and sandwich. She studied their faces for a sign of laughter and seeing none, she took a bite. Surprisingly, it tasted rather nice.
"You finished your project, James?" She asked, her voice somewhat softer.
"Lily isn't letting me anywhere near the panacea." James frowned.
"Has she actually managed to make it?" Claudia was desperate to find out whether she still had any chance of winning that competition.
"I think it's just some healing potion." James shrugged. "But she wouldn't tell me. She's been very angry lately."
"Mate, she's been angry with you for the last six years." Sirius chuckled. "How is this news?"
"This is different." James frowned. "She seems sort of flustered and angry with herself, mostly. I'm just collateral damage."
Claudia stopped listening to them, hoping desperately that this was not a sign that Lily liked James back. She was just about getting used to him and having to hang out with her filled Claudia with dread. She submerged herself in the book again but did not get the chance to concentrate for long.
"What's this?" Peter peaked over Sirius' shoulder and reached out towards the transfigured cauldron full of quicklime.
"Don't touch it." Claudia barked. Peter frowned at her but did as he was told.
"Thank you for the food, boys." Sirius said. "But we got to get cracking." He added and began ushering Peter and the other two out of the lab. "Before someone cracks." He added with a chuckle. Claudia shot him a warning look. It was just like him to drive her up the wall and then have the audacity to mock her about it.
"Do you want any help?" Remus asked as he stood on the threshold of the lab.
"That's alright, my friend." Sirius laughed and patted Remus on the shoulder. "You've bailed me out enough times already. It's time I did my own homework."
"Right." Remus gave him a fleeting smile. "Good for you."
"Come on." James wrapped his arm around Remus' shoulders. "He doesn't want us anymore. He found an even bigger know-it-all to do his homework for him."
"If only." Sirius laughed. "I'm stuck doing my own homework. That's what I get for falling in love with a Slytherin." For the first time that evening, Claudia made eye contact with Sirius and chuckled.
Remus gave Sirius a fleeting smile and shut the door behind him. They were alone again.
"Your friends are alright." Claudia whispered.
She moved over to the alchemy oven. The last step in making the potash was to treat the salt-like substance above the flames of a fire. It had something to do with depriving it of oxygen, which was one of the substances in the air. All of this sounded like muggle science and went way over both of their heads.
Finally, they had all they needed. The potash was ready to be mixed with the substance of quicklime and alcohol. It was time to make the alkahest. They tried a ratio recommended in one of the more reputable books and carefully added few drops of the resulting mixture into a simple Pepper Up Potion. It did nothing.
They kept tweaking the proportions of the two substances until the morning, trying it on a variety of potions. Nothing worked. It was now well past six o'clock. Sirius was sleeping on the desk. Claudia was frustrated, hot, and exhausted but kept herself going. The desire to put something passable in front of Dumbledore and Slughorn was overwhelming.
"One more try." She whispered as she dropped some alkahest into a potion, barely able to keep her eyes open.
"It's doing something!" Claudia screamed. That startled Sirius awake, and he moved over to peek into the cauldron. "It's split." Claudia exhaled. "We can try adding bit more…" She began to say and reached for the potash.
"No." Sirius shook his head, grabbed Claudia from behind and hugged her tight. "You'll ruin it. It's kind of working. Let's leave it."
"But it could be better…" Claudia began to protest. "I'm sure of it."
"Let's just go to bed." Sirius yawned.
"By the time we tidy up here, it will be time for breakfast." Claudia scoffed.
"Fine, you go to bed then." Sirius said. "I'll clean up this mess."
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Go to bed. There is too much temptation for you here." Sirius added, nodding his head towards their creation.
His arms were still wrapped around Claudia, he moved them up to her shoulders and marched her out of the lab. They stopped on the threshold and Claudia turned towards him.
"If we could just try one more…" She uttered and tried to get back inside. But she did not get to it. Sirius kissed her.
"Bed." He whispered as his lips parted with Claudia's.
"Just bit more of the potash…" She pleaded with him. "I'm sure it will work." Sirius kissed Claudia again and pushed her out of the lab.
"Bed." He repeated even more resolutely, took few steps back and shut the door in her face.
"Let me back in!" Claudia banged on the door. There was no response, so she sat down on the steps. There was no way she was going to listen to him now. She rested her head on the wall and closed her eyes.
When Claudia woke up, she was not on the steps to the Alchemy lab anymore. She was on the lounger in the prefects' bathroom. She looked around and had the shock of her life – she had no body. It took her a while to realise that this was not some stress-induced dream. She was just sleeping under the invisibility cloak.
"How did I get here?" She asked sleepily.
"How do you think?" Sirius replied as his head emerged from the pool. "You're heavier than you look."
"What's the time?" Claudia yawned and stretched. Her back was hurting.
"Eight-fifteen." Sirius smiled and pulled himself out of the pool.
"We need to prepare the presentation." Claudia scrambled to her feet.
"You need to take a bath and eat something." Sirius replied and wrapped a towel around his waist.
"But. We need to think about what we say." Claudia protested.
"I'm nearly done with a draft. I'll finish it now." Sirius said. "You can look over it at breakfast. But you really do need to wash." He added and began unbuttoning Claudia's shirt. "You look like you've crawled through a chimney."
"I'm sure your draft is fine." She whispered and wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck. They have now been dating over three months, but his touch still made her skin tingle. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. She had no chance resisting him when he was just covered in a towel.
They just about made it to the class on time. And it was very lucky that they did, as there was a special guest helping Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn to judge the competition. The famous alchemist, Nicholas Flamel! The only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. Claudia never experienced this feeling before. She was starstruck.
Everyone did their presentations, the three judges examined all the four projects in ridiculous detail, and after a couple of hours, it was finally time for the announcement. Green and Julius managed to get absolutely nothing for the metal transmutation projects. Snape's creation did not look like it would please You-Know-Who in the slightest, if the elixir was his test as Claudia suspected. Lily created some kind of healing potion that was about as close to the panacea as Claudia was to becoming the Queen of England. Maybe their split potion did have a chance after all.
"And the winner is…" Professor Dumbledore began to say. Claudia reached under the table and grabbed Sirius' hand. This was nerve-raking. "Alchemy!" The Headmaster laughed. The whole class groaned. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Alchemy is a difficult subject. It would have been extraordinary if any of you succeeded". Dumbledore added.
"Albus, if I may." Professor Slughorn jumped in. Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. "I would like to award a special commendation to Miss Evans and Mr Potter. It is not quite the panacea, but that healing potion is outstanding and based on at least one alchemic principle. If I'm not mistaken." Lily chuckled.
Claudia was beside herself with rage. She stormed off to the storeroom to tidy up her things, hoping the rest of the class would disperse before she came out. Sirius followed her in few minutes later.
"It's not fair." Claudia growled. "We got further than she did. If only you let me add some more of the potash." Sirius put his fingers across his lips. "Don't you dare shush me." Claudia whispered menacingly.
"Shush." Sirius implored her quietly. "The teachers have come back." They both pressed their ear against the door and listened.
"They almost got there, Albus." They heard a soft voice with a hint of a French accent. It was Flamel. "They just needed higher-density quicklime, and that potash needed to be treated in the oven longer. They might have had something half decent. Not the real thing, of course, but something that might do a reasonable job on the easy stuff."
"You mean Black and Avery?" They heard Dumbledore ask.
"Oh, I don't remember their names." Flamel replied. "The tall, dark-haired boy and the girl with short hair. The couple." Claudia saw Sirius' eyes go as wide as hers.
"They are a couple?" Dumbledore sounded surprised. "Are you sure about that?"
"I'm six hundred and fifty years old, Albus." Flamel chuckled in response. "I can tell when teenagers are trying to hide a relationship."
"Now you say that, Nicholas." Slughorn pitched in. "I caught them skulking around the potions storeroom a while back. They definitely looked like more than just friends to me then."
"Interesting." They barely heard Dumbledore's reply. The teachers must have been leaving the classroom again.
"Busted." Sirius whispered as they heard the door shut.
"Lucky that no-one on my Quidditch team has an ounce of emotion awareness." Claudia sighed.
"Or is six hundred and fifty years old." Sirius added and laughed. "By the way, the lack of potash was not the problem after all." He teased her.
"Oh, shut up." Claudia hissed but could not help but laugh a little with him. Her heart was not really in it though. She was worried they have been reckless. All of Sirius' friends knew, Alice knew, Eleanor knew. And now Dumbledore, Slughorn and Flamel of all people. If that list got any longer, who knew how much longer they would be able to keep their secret. Claudia did not even want to imagine what would happen if people found out.
For the Easter holiday, Claudia convinced her mother to let her stay at school. Sirius and his friends were staying too, and with the school almost empty, it was much easier to hang out with them without inviting too many questions. One afternoon, they were all sitting in the grounds. Remus and Peter were engaged in a game of wizard chess. James was watching them, playing with a snitch. Sirius was leaning against a tree, with Claudia resting her head on his leg and reading a book.
"Avery." James turned to her. "I was meaning to ask you. What is Snivellus up to? I heard you mention something, and he won't tell me a thing." He gestured towards Sirius.
Claudia sat up and exchanged a look with her boyfriend. Then she examined James' face. She had nothing to lose telling him. Not all of it, of course. But he seemed to hate Snape as much as anyone and might be actually able to help her.
"Other than trying to kill me." Claudia began. Remus looked up from the chessboard. "He seems dead set on joining the Death Eaters." She whispered.
"The Death who?" Peter piped up.
"Death Eaters." Sirius said impatiently. "Really, do keep up."
"You-Know-Who's followers." Remus added, when Peter looked none wiser after Sirius' 'explanation'.
"I know he's into dark arts and shit, but joining the Death Eaters? How does one even do that?" James asked.
"I think everyone gets some sort of trial from You-Know-Who to prove that they would make a worthy follower." Claudia sighed.
"What kind of trial?" Remus jumped in.
"Finding or making some powerful weapon." She replied. "Anything that would make You-Know-Who stronger."
"We thought Snivellus might be working on the Elixir of Immortality for him." Sirius shuddered. "But his attempt in the Alchemy class was really pathetic."
Claudia frowned. Something had occurred to her.
"Almost too pathetic, if you ask me." She said. "I really do think we need to keep an eye on him." No one seemed to disagree with that.
"Are there any others?" James asked, looking disgusted. "Someone helping him?"
Claudia gave Sirius another look. She was not ready to tell them about Marcus. They just about started to be civil to her. If they found out what her brother and father were, Claudia suspected that this sentiment would not last long. For all their faults, she could see the hatred of You-Know-Who and dark magic in their eyes. But there was another reason why she was looking at her boyfriend. His younger brother.
"There are couple others in Slytherin, who are into the pureblood nonsense. Enough to be tempted into my brother's old cabal. Marauding around the school…" Claudia did not get to finish that sentence. All the boys started giggling.
"What?" She barked. She really disliked being laughed at.
"Nothing." James chortled.
"Come on. Tell me!" She insisted.
"Marauders." Sirius said. "That's our nickname. That's what we call ourselves."
"That's a dumb nickname." Claudia rolled her eyes. "What are you? Ten years old?" The boys began giggling even more.
"You were talking about your brother's old cabal." Remus finally managed to stop laughing.
"Right." Claudia remembered. "The stupid gang that Snape is now in charge of. It gained a couple of members last year. They might be on a similar path to Snape." She paused, weighing up her words carefully. "Regulus was one of them."
"Nonsense." Sirius laughed. "He's just trying to make himself interesting. There is no way he would actually join the Death Eaters."
"I hope you're right." Claudia sighed.
"Positive. The only reason why he likes this pureblood nonsense is to suck up to our mother." Sirius insisted. "He would never do anything as stupid as actually joining You-Know-Who." There was a long pause. No one dared to contradict Sirius on this. "Anyway. We should head back for lunch." He added, jumped up from the ground and began to make his way to the castle. He walked fast, not giving anyone else in the group the opportunity to catch-up and talk to him.
That did nothing to increase Claudia's confidence in the assertions Sirius had just made. Regulus had changed and who knew who he was these days. She could see from Sirius' behaviour that he was worried too.
After they finished their meal and were on their way out of the Great Hall, James grabbed hold of Claudia's arm.
"Do you have a minute?" He whispered.
"You agree with me, don't you?" Claudia's eyes narrowed. "About Regulus."
"I do." James whispered. "But that's not what I want to talk to you about." He glanced around, looking incredibly nervous. Eventually, he found the courage to speak again. "You used to hate me, right?"
"Yes." Claudia chuckled nervously, really not sure where this was heading.
"What made you like me?" James continued, seemingly undeterred.
"Who said I like you?" Claudia laughed. Seeing a serious expression on James' face, she took pity on him and continued. "Once you let people past that dickhead persona of yours, you're alright. Why do you ask?"
"There is a girl I like." James grimaced. Claudia had never seen him look this uncertain. "But she really hates me."
"Is this Evans?" Claudia winced. "I really don't know what you see in her." James raised an eyebrow. "Fine, she's pretty." Claudia rolled her eyes.
"So pretty." James gushed. "And kind. And smart. Every time I see her smile, my day becomes just that little bit better."
"Good grief." Claudia laughed. "You're a hopeless romantic, Potter." She paused. "Just try to be more like this in front of her, and less, you know..."
"Less of a dickhead?" James asked, uncertainly.
"Indeed." Claudia chuckled.
The rest of the Easter break was quite blissful. The weather was beautiful. Claudia got to study for her exams in relative peace. She got to hang out with Sirius and his friends, who were becoming more bearable with every passing day. Even James was growing on her.
Soon, April gave way to May and Slytherin's final game of the season was upon them. It went considerably better than the same game the year before. Leanne was not playing, which meant that Claudia and the rest of the Slytherin team were able to keep their heads. Regulus was on his best behaviour and run circles around the Hufflepuff seeker all game. As a result, Slytherin annihilated Hufflepuff by two-hundred and fifty points. It was all to play for in the last game between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. If Gryffindor got more than a hundred and fifty points, they would win the Cup. If they got less than that, the Cup would be Slytherin's.
"This is going to be nerve-racking few weeks." Claudia said to the team as they relaxed in their changing room after the game. She knew that there was nothing she could do to affect the outcome of the last game. But that did not make it any easier. In fact, it made it much harder. She hated not being in control.
The only thing preventing Claudia from spiralling completely was the fact that she was turning seventeen in few days. Finally, she was going to be of age and free from the grasp of her awful family.