Chapter 47

Responsible Marauders?

Six o'clock pm the next day found the Marauders back in the Room of Requirement, trying to figure out how many newt eyes to add to the potion.

"I say we add five." Sirius told them.

"Would you want to be living though your worst nightmare for five full minutes. I think one would be enough." Remus argued. Newt eyes was the only customizable ingredient in the potion. The more you put in, the longer the affect would last.

"One! Please a minute is like.." Sirius snapped his fingers to show just how short he felt it was.

"Not when you're living though your worst fear." Remus told him and Sirius was about to make a response before James interrupted.

"Guys, enough. We aren't going to fight over this. Remus is right Sirius, time moves a lot slower when you're scared, I think he of all people would know that."

"Are you kidding you're really going to add only one."

"Fine if you think it's such a short time you can be the one to test it." Remus sugjested with a smirk.

"Test it? You mean the fact that it's the perfect color and stuff isn't enough to prove it works?"

"We need to test it, Sirius. It would be irresponsible to not." James answered for Remus.

"When did we become responsible? Remus skipped class for this for Pete's sake. No offense Remus."

"You're testing it Sirius, just deal with it. If you still think it isn't long enough afterwords then we will add some more." James told him smiling at the relieved look on Peter's face. He had been worried they would all have to test it.

"Wait, how did I get volunteered for this again?"

"You don't think it's long enough, remember?" Remus said watching James place the newt eye in the potion.

"No." He said worryingly, his face becoming paler and paler as James stirred. Remus just chuckled evilly, none of them even knew he had an evil chuckle.

"I think it's done."

"Are you sure? There isn't any thing else we have to do to it is there?"

"Sirius you probably want to get it over with as fast as possible."

"Why can't we force feed it to Snivellus. Then we would be testing it without actually trying it." Sirius looked at it like it was going to try to eat him.

"Then Snivellus would know we're the Marauders."

"We could erase his memory."

"You don't know how to do a memory charm yet, Sirius, and don't try and tell us you do." Remus reminded him.

"Come on Si. You're braver than that."

"I never claimed to be brave. I only got in Gryffindor because I refused to be in Slytherin." Sirius complained, but closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok fine, I'll do it."

"Good, 'cause you didn't have a choice." James told him. "I need a cup."

"Oh darn, we didn't bring one. Guess we'll won't be able to test it."

"Sirius, were in the Room of Requirement." James reminded holding up a small cup.

"Crud." Sirius watched with dread as James put a very small amount into the cup and handed it to him.

Remus had to force himself not to laugh when Sirius gave out a little puppy like whimper.

"If I die, tell everyone that I snuck into the forbidden forest." He said, before Remus could tell him he wasn't going to die James asked him why. Sirius just shrugged and closed his eyes before drinking the potion.

"I can't believe he actually did it." Remus said staring in shock as Sirius' body went stiff and his eyes flew open.

"Me either, I thought we were going to have to find some Slytherin to do it." James was watching with wide eyes as Sirius began to shake. "I know I wouldn't have done it."

Remus stared at his watch, not willing to watch Sirius, and exactly one minute from the time Sirius drank the potion they heard him scream.

They wanted to hold him at tell him it was over but they couldn't move. They'd heard him scream in fear before, but it was nothing like that. Sirius was lying on the ground shaking like there was no tomorrow. He seemed to collapse, but he was clearly still conscious.

James was the first to recover, he picked up Sirius and hugged him. Remus quickly followed, telling himself over and over that this had been a really really bad idea.

It took a few seconds, seconds that felt like hours, before Sirius seemed to realize where he was.

"James?" He said quietly.

"Sirius are you okay? I didn't expect you to really drink it. I'm sorry!" James replied talking a little too fast. It took Sirius a few moments to understand what he was talking about.

"Ohhhhhhh. The potion. Okay, now I remember. Dang that was scary." Sirius sat up, so he wasn't leaning on James anymore.

"Sirius, we really didn't expect you to drink it." Remus told him.

"It was you're idea." Sirius accused lightly. He was really just happy to see them.

"I was joking, Sirius. It was a joke, I didn't mean it!"

"Calm down. Don't have a heart attack, Remus. I've already watched you die too many times today." Sirius said as though that was the most normal thing in the world to say. Remus moaned.

"You watched me die?" He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, you couldn't be friends with Sirius for very long without knowing how protective he was over his friends.

Sirius blushed a little, he hadn't actually planned on telling them that. "Both of you actually, Peter was already dead." With that information Peter finally fainted. He'd been threatening to ever since Sirius drank the stuff. "My mother did it." Sirius added quietly. James hugged Sirius.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have suggested you drink it. We didn't even really need to test it that much."

"James, it's okay, really." He said trying to squirm out of James' embrace, feeling really embarrassed. "It's not like I've never seen it before." James let go and he and Remus looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Nightmares. Guys I have them all the time. I mean they aren't exactly the same, and that was scarier than any of them, but I figured you guys would have known that."

"I thought they were of her hurting you."

"Very rarely. If I was afraid of her hurting me I wouldn't be willing to live with her." He said trying to understand the guilty looks they were wearing, "But I wouldn't let you guys come within a mile of Grimmauld Place."

"So." James said changing the subject. "I'm assuming we don't need another newt eye?"

Sirius just looked at him with an annoyed facial expression. "Nope, don't think so."

A/N) And this is why the Marauders should never try to be responsible.

YAY a chapter that was easy to write! I'm updating it despite having updated already today to make up for taking so long to do it before.

This story is officially 200 pages long.

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