Setting: Halloween, 1971
The Great Hall was lit by a thousand candles. Bats swooped about, causing girls to shriek for fear that the winged mammals would fly through their hair. The ghosts were in full form tonight; Nearly Headless Nick cheerfully recounting the saga of his botched beheading, 'which took place four hundred eighty nine year ago tonight!', Moaning Myrtle, well, moaning, the Bloody Baron somehow twice as fearsome on this night.
The air was full of good smells; pumpkins pies and cakes and juice, roasting meat, baking potatoes, simmering vegetables, any number of delicious pastries and candies…. The scents tantalized the nostrils and hinted at what was to come.
The fourth years chatted merrily together. Even the professors had been in a Halloween mood today, with Professor Hecate teaching them special brews traditionally made on this night, and Professor Trimble frightening them – or trying to – with tales of odd events that had occurred. Even Professor Binns gave an almost interesting lecture, about how historically, Halloween had been considered a night where the barriers between this world and the next were weakest.
"Muggles like to tell stories about ghosts and such appearing on Halloween," he said. "Of course, it is ridiculous to think of a spirit such as myself thinking to appear only one night of the year… but strange things have happened, it is true. For instance, prophecies seem to be more accurate at this time, and even those – shall we say, less than reliable seers have often made a correct prediction on Halloween. And it is true that there have been verified instances of simply strange phenomena."
"Like what, Professor?" Bill Weasley had asked. He was probably the only student in the school who actually paid attention in Binns' class.
"Well, Mr. Wheatley, there have been cases of people remembering forward on Halloween, remembering things that have not yet happened," Binns said. "And it is undeniable that Dark powers are stronger on Halloween, just as they are weaker at the summer solstice or Christmas."
"Why?" Remus asked, interested as always in anything concerning Dark magic.
"Belief, Mr. Loman, belief. Muggles think that tonight is a night where Dark powers are stronger, and because they believe, the powers are stronger. That's the way that kind of power works… it has a hard time working when no one believes in it. And Muggles feel safe from evil at Christmas. The summer solstice is remembered from ancient times, when the day was celebrated by sun worshippers as the day when the sun was strongest, where it lasted longest." Binns droned on about various types of ceremonies associated with the solstice, and everyone lost interest.
"Remembering forward," James mused at the feast. "Wonder what old Binns meant? How can you remember something that hasn't happened?"
"Magic," Sirius said simply. "Some things that happen don't always make sense. Well, of course they make sense in their own way. It's just that magic is odd sometimes."
"You're not helping any," James said, laughing.
"It's impossible," Lily said. "I mean, that violates a lot of laws of physics and such…."
"Lily, you're acting like a Muggle-born again," Jenny teased.
"I am Muggle-born," Lily said, miffed.
"I mean, you're acting the way some do when they find out about magic 'it can't be, it doesn't make sense, it violates laws of nature…" Jenny smiled and picked up her fork. "After all, doesn't this violate laws of nature?" She waved at the golden plates, which had just filled with food.
"Some of that stuff in Arithmancy," Remus began, helping himself to a steak.
"No," Sirius said firmly through a mouthful of chicken. "No talking about Arithmancy. There's a reason why I didn't take that class, and it wasn't so I could hear you talk about it."
"Fine," Remus said. "I was just going to comment that some of the things we'd been learning did seem to talk about how you might remember forward, but I'll just talk about Quidditch instead." He grinned at James.
"Right. Now, are you all sure you don't want to try out?" He looked at Remus, Peter, Lily and Elsie.
"No," Remus said for all of them. "You've already asked us."
"We really need some back ups," James pressed. "I mean, this may be the first year that I've been Captain, but I want to win!"
"It's not your fault we didn't last year, or the year before," Jenny pointed out.
"But we will win this year!" Sirius pounded his fist on the table, making plates shake. He grinned, not embarrassed at all. "Pass the potatoes, Peter."
As the stuffed students began to drift out of the hall, the candles began to grow dimmer. When the friends left, almost the last out, it was rather dark.
"You must have eaten twice as much as anyone else, Sirius," Jenny commented.
"So? I'm growing, aren't I?"
"I suppose," she said, looking him up and down. He had put on several inches in the past year, and was a good foot taller than little Peter.
Just then, Lily put a hand out to the wall and stopped.
"What's wrong, Lily?" Jenny asked, hurrying to her friend's side. James crossed quickly to them. Lily's face had gone white. She sagged against the wall. Her breath was coming in short gasps. James looked on helpless as Jenny helped Lily to the ground. Then, just as suddenly, Lily looked up, her eyes puzzled.
"I'm all right now," she said. "But something there… I heard myself screaming, but I don't know why. And I was so afraid of something or someone… and there was all this green light." She looked as puzzled as they.
"I think you'd better get to bed," James suggested. "You should relax."
"I agree," Jenny said firmly. "It's probably just from too much food, but…." She helped Lily to her feet and they set off once more for Gryffindor Tower.
Jenny couldn't sleep. Lily had dozed off almost at once, the Herron twins were asleep when the others got in, and Elsie was snoozing in her bed, but Jenny couldn't sleep. She sat on the windowsill and stared down at the moonlit lawn.
She became aware of someone behind her. She turned and saw Elsie standing in a pool of moonlight, her eyes closed and mouth half open. Jenny opened her own mouth to speak, but Elsie's voice rang out first, quiet yet somehow ominous.
"The echo reverberated across the corridors of time. The stag and flower shall fall, and the spy shall flee. An innocent man shall pay for his crimes, and those left shall weep tears and blood. Yet all is not over; at the hour when all seems lost a way shall be found, for in darkness the light shines brightest. Hope is lost when fear is gone, but life shall go on." She stood perfectly still again.
"Elsie?" Jenny asked. She didn't answer. Jenny went closer and saw that Elsie was fast asleep. Puzzled, she guided the sleeping girl back to bed, and then sat on her own bed to think. She was a bit scared, after that…
That had been a prophecy of some sort, Jenny was sure, but what could it mean? It seemed very dark and depressing. But the stag and flower? What could that mean? What had the rest been? There had been much more, but it was slipping from her memory… And when would these events –whatever they were –take place? Should she tell anyone what she had heard?
No, she decided. If it was a prophecy, chances were that making it known to more people would have bad effects. Jenny remembered enough lessons in History of Magic about people trying to thwart predictions and just making things worse to make her think twice before doing something similar.
Still… could it relate to that centaur that James and Sirius had met last year? They might have learned something about whatever Dark Lord was supposedly on the rise from James' dad, but they'd been very tight-lipped about it all year. Yet… one of her best friends had just seemed to prophesy doom and gloom. That, coupled with the centaur's words… not that you could ever be sure of what centaurs really said. All prophecy was like that. What exactly had Elsie said?
She lay back in bed, her mind full of thoughts, but slowly they calmed and vanished as she drifted off toward sleep. It took her a long while, since she was rather upset, but she was really too tired to think much about it. Perhaps tomorrow.
Jenny didn't tell anyone about what she had heard Elsie say. First of all, it was obvious that Elsie herself had no memory of the event. Jenny began to wonder if she had dreamt the whole thing. And she wondered what lay ahead, for herself and her friends.
# # # #
"I really think we'll do it this year," Sirius said. He, James, Remus and Peter were gathered in a secret corridor, watching a potion bubble. "We were pretty close by the end of last year…"
"And then we'll have almost three whole years here as Animagi," James remarked. He stirred the potion. "I think it's almost ready."
"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Peter said, eyeing the potion nervously. "What if we get stuck? What if we get caught?"
"Peter, it's a little late to be getting cold feet," James said. "We're almost there! Come on, it'll be fine. Sirius and I will go first, and we'll help you. Nothing will go wrong." Remus didn't say anything at all. His eyes told much, though; he seemed to be wrestling with a dreadful hope and trying to convince himself that this was all right.
"You first or me?" Sirius asked James, filling a goblet.
"I'll go," James said. "I told you I thought I was almost there last time…"
"Right," Sirius said. He handed James the goblet. James held his wand in his right hand and the cup in his left. He closed his eyes and drank the potion quickly.
"Ugh, it's still horrible. Wish we could do something about that taste… oh well. Here goes." He waved his wand through a complicated series of moves, muttering the spell under his breath. Then he stopped and they all waited.
For a moment, nothing happened, and then, in the corridor, were three human boys and one large stag. Sirius shouted in triumph, Remus grinned so broadly his eyes crinkled, and Peter made little squeaking sounds. With a pop, James returned to his normal form.
"I did it!" he shouted. "Sirius, your turn." Sirius grinned and filled a cup for himself.
"It's not that bad," he commented as he drank it down. "Just hope I remember all the words…."
"You should, we practiced it often enough," James said. They scrutinized Sirius closely. He gave a shudder, and suddenly a huge black dog appeared in the corridor.
"Impressive," James commented. "Very large. You look like a Grim!" He laughed. Sirius reappeared.
"Well, now, Peter, it's your turn," Remus said quietly, holding out a cup. "Do you remember everything we went over?"
"Yes, I do," Peter said. "You don't have to tell me everything so many times, I'm not a total lackwit." He picked up the cup and drained the potion, shuddering at the bitter taste. His face screwed up in an agony of concentration as he recited the complicated spell. For a long moment, nothing happened. And then a large gray rat fell to the floor, squeaking and chittering.
"You did it!" Sirius yelled. "Good going, Peter!" Peter transformed back and sat on the floor, breathing hard.
"Why did I have to be a rat, anyway?" he asked. "You and James get to be neat animals, and I'm a rat!"
"Peter, we explained already. First of all, it's very hard to affect what animal you're to be. Second, well, someone had to be little, to get to that knot on the Willow, and some of us have to be big, to, er, " Sirius glanced at Remus and stopped.
"Yeah, but I might get eaten!" Peter shrieked. "I didn't realize the rat was going to be that small!"
"Peter, I'm not going to eat you," Remus said quietly. "Besides, with James and Sirius there, you won't be in any danger."
"I don't know," Peter said. "I don't like the idea…"
"We'll give it a try, okay Peter? And if you change your mind after the first time, well, that's all right," James said. "Come on. It'll be fun." Peter looked as if he very much doubted this, but sighed in resignation.
# # # #
"So, aren't the boys going to come by?" Elsie asked. Jenny glanced around the room.
"I don't know…. They didn't mention it to me. Lily, what did James say?"
"He said he'd be by for a butterbeer himself, but wasn't speaking for Sirius or Remus." Lily took a sip of her drink. "I don't know what they've been doing recently, but they seem a little odd to me. What do you think?"
"Um, well, with them, how could you tell?" Jenny asked, rolling her eyes. "We've known them what, five years now? And the one thing I've learned is that you cannot predict what they'll do. Nothing they might pull will surprise me."
"Look out there," Elsie said, gesturing out the window. Jenny and Lily followed her finger and saw Sirius across the street. He was walking down the road, arm in arm with a rather pretty girl.
"Who is that?" Lily asked. "I can't tell from here."
"That's Erin Tanly. She's a Ravenclaw." Jenny stared at the girl. Lily saw that Jenny had a rather strange expression on her face. "I guess Sirius is finally noticing girls."
"We'd better watch out," Elsie commented. "Sirius is bad enough, but Sirius in love!" She laughed, and Lily laughed too. "That's a strange idea."
"You think that's all that's been going on recently?" Jenny asked.
"Maybe," Elsie said. "But I'd be careful about opening doors and such, you never know what booby traps they may have put up."
"Good idea," Lily said. "It's kind of nice, anyway. They make life interesting. Nothing really exciting ever happens."
"Not this year, anyway," Jenny remarked.
"What do you mean?" Lily finished her drink. Jenny was staring at her cup.
"Nothing… I was mostly thinking about that centaur the boys met a couple of years back…." But her tone seemed to hide something. "Anyway, I was thinking."
"About what?" Elsie looked interested.
"Oh, Seers."
"Seers?" Lily stared at Jenny. "Why on earth?"
"There was one in my family, years and years back. Mum keeps bugging me about whether I've ever Seen anything. Of course, I haven't." Jenny smiled at the idea.
"I doubt there've ever been any Seers in my family," Lily remarked. "Not many Muggles are Seers."
"Mum mentioned once that one of her grandmothers had predicted things accurately," Elsie commented. "And since it's supposed go down the maternal line pretty well, she thinks she might be sensitive to that sort of thing. Not that she's ever Seen anything."
"Your great-grandmother?" Jenny asked.
"Yes. Problem was, her prophecies were always so impenetrable that no one could work them out until after the events occurred."
"That does seem a bit of a problem," Lily agreed. Jenny was absorbed in thought.
"The stag and flower…" she muttered.
"What was that? I didn't catch it," Lily said.
"Oh, nothing, just thinking about something." Jenny grinned. "So, Sirius likes girls. Maybe we could make him miserable…"
"Jenny, that would be cruel," Lily said.
"Oh, you're just sympathetic because you're in love too," Jenny teased. "You don't have to help, I'm sure James will be glad to give me a hand."
"Here he comes now," Lily said. James pushed the door open, followed by Peter and Remus.
"Have you seen Sirius?" he asked when the boys got to the table.
"Yes. He was across the street, arm in arm with a cute Ravenclaw," Jenny said.
"Sirius?" James stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"Unless Snape has for some odd reason used the Polyjuice potion to make himself look like Sirius, I'd say I'm sure," Jenny said dryly.
"This is odd," Remus said. "Sirius has never really liked girls before. Not like that, I mean."
"I guess he does now," Elsie said.
"Well," James said, sitting down. "I suppose we might as well have a drink…." But his eyes kept straying to the door, and although their talk was cheerful and friendly, everyone felt that something was missing.
When they got done, James turned to Jenny.
"Want to go practice Quidditch?" he asked.
"No," she said slowly. "I think I'm going to take a walk…I have to pick up a new quill."
"All right," James said. Jenny got up and walked out. She meandered down the street, looking in windows.
"What's wrong with me, anyway?" she muttered to herself. "Something's funny here. A year ago, I'd have jumped at the chance to spend time alone with James. Now I don't really care. And why do I feel so strange?" She stared into a window at her reflection. "I'll bet my hair would look better loose," she said, and pulled her braid out. "There, that does look nicer… too bad I'm so pale. I know I'm no beauty, not like Lily, but I guess I'm pretty enough." She froze. "What is it with me? I'm never concerned with how I look, not really. Jenny, girl, what is going on with you?" She caught a glimpse, in the window, of Sirius and the Ravenclaw walking down the street. Oh no! She turned a corner and sank to the ground. That's what it is. Well, now, Jenny, you've moved a step further toward stupidity. Bad enough when you had a crush on James. She peered around the corner. The Ravenclaw was laughing at something that Sirius had said. Sirius! How could this happen to me? I'm not one of those flighty girls, throwing themselves at every handsome boy in school…if I have to fall in love, why can't it be with someone like Remus? He's nice and kind… but I feel absolutely nothing but friendship for him. She sighed. "Sirius. Great." So that's why I was so upset when I saw him with that Ravenclaw. That's why I – she broke off her thought in astonishment as she realized something. That's why he gets me so mad, isn't it? And, for a long time, it hasn't been James at all, has it? It's been Sirius! I thought I wanted to spend time with the boys to spend time with James, but it was to spend time with Sirius! He gets me so mad, and he makes me laugh, and he…and he… She looked around the corner again. James and Lily were walking down the street the other way, back toward school. They were laughing together and holding hands. Jenny sighed. You know, for a girl who claims to have a brain, I sure manage to do the stupidest things… She stood up and walked across the street to the store, where she bought the quill. She purposefully refused to let herself think about Sirius, running her mind instead over the weather, Quidditch, classes, and anything else she could think of.
But as she walked back to school, her mind kept returning to the same topic: Sirius. She remembered things her mother had said on more than one occasion: "There's ways we women have of attracting men, you know, Jenny," and variations on that theme. No! Jenny thought. "I won't be another one of those fluff-brained girls who throw themselves at every boy they think is handsome. I won't. If he was interested in me, he could make it obvious. I'm not going to chase him. I have my pride, after all!" She spoke aloud, not caring who heard her. "I'm not going to go all loopy over some boy!"
"What boy, Jenny?" She whirled to see Remus standing by the road, under a tree. He smiled apologetically. "I couldn't help overhearing you…" Jenny flushed and started off again. Remus followed her. "Sorry for eavesdropping."
"Me and my mouth," Jenny said ruefully. "How much did you hear?"
"Most, I think." Remus shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't go broadcasting it all over school."
"Thanks," Jenny sighed. "I just don't know why I don't have more sense about this!"
"From that remark, I'd guess that it's Sirius," Remus guessed shrewdly. "Is that why you were so upset back there?"
"I think so," Jenny admitted. "Did anyone else notice?"
"James was there, so I doubt Lily noticed, and Lily was there, so the same for James." Remus grinned. "Sad but true…".
"Now that sounds like something Sirius would say."
"Yes, it does. Peter – he probably noticed, but he'd never ask you about it. As for Elsie, I couldn't tell."
"Right." Jenny looked at the sky. "I really do feel stupid, Remus."
"I don't see why you should."
"Well, he doesn't seem the least bit interested in me." Jenny scuffed her shoes along, kicking up clouds of dust. "I'm acting like a brainless flibbertigibbet!"
"No, you aren't," Remus said firmly. "Now, if you were doing something really stupid, or thinking about doing something stupid, that would be another matter. But you're handling yourself well."
"Obviously not, if I was ranting where you could hear."
"You didn't know I was there," Remus pointed out. "Look, Jenny. Personally, I think you and Sirius would make a great pair, but I know that's because I want all my friends to be happy. But if I'm right, it might just be that it'll take him a little while to realize that he likes you."
"I didn't want to fall in love with him," Jenny said tangentially. "I'd much rather have fallen for someone – someone more like you, Remus." She glanced at her friend, but his face was expressionless. "Instead, I have to fall in love with the one person who gets me angry enough to blow things up regularly."
"Maybe it's the other way around," Remus suggested. "Maybe he gets you so upset because you love him."
"I don't know." Jenny stared at the ground. "I just want to - I don't know."
"Jenny, I'm certainly not going to mention this to anyone. If you need someone to talk to, or to help you –or just to yell at, to let off steam, I'm the one. Okay?" He looked at Jenny. She didn't answer for a moment, then nodded.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "I do feel better now."
"Good. Now, don't go hurling curses at Erin Tanly, or anything," Remus cautioned her.
"Trust me, if I were to curse anyone, it'd be Sirius." Jenny finally smiled. "But I won't."
"Just remember what I said."
"I will. And, Remus," she hesitated, then continued. "Thank you. For being a friend."
"Thank you for being mine." He slipped off, heading toward Hogwarts alone and letting Jenny think alone for a time.
FIFTH YEAR – SUMMER – INTERLUDE
Elaida Malfoy enjoyed being home for the summer. Her family home was old, large, and luxurious, and there were plenty of servants to do things for her. She also didn't have to deal with other girls. How she despised most of the girls at Hogwarts. Her one friend, Esmerelda, was from the same sort of background that Elaida was, and they spent most of their time together, eyeing boys and disparaging the other girls.
But she really didn't enjoy spending time with her older brother, Lucius. Ever since their father had died last year, he had taken over the family – occupation. He had grown colder than Elaida remembered him, and his anger was deadly. She'd managed to avoid him over the past week, but now she had to talk to him.
"Well?" Lucius asked as his sister entered the room. "You've taken long enough. I hope you did everything I asked you to this past year."
"Of course I did," she said coldly. "I'd say at least half the Slytherins should be convertible. It's harder to tell with the other Houses."
"And are there any students we should keep an eye on?"
"Yes." Elaida sat down. "First of all there's Severus Snape."
"I remember him – Slytherin, your year, good potions brewer."
"Correct. He would be a valuable asset if you could recruit him. However, he has a complicated sense of morality. It won't be easy."
"We'll start looking into him. After all, there are a few years yet…."
"He's about the best of Slytherin House. I must say that it's quite disappointing."
"You see how impure blood is polluting our kind?"
"Of course." Elaida smiled coldly and passed him a photograph. "You may remember these boys… James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin."
"They're Gryffindors, aren't they?" Lucius frowned. "Not that that automatically makes it impossible to recruit them, but…."
"They are Gryffindors," Elaida agreed. "Gryffindors who would be perfect additions to our side, if they could be turned. Probably the cleverest boys in school, Potter and Black. They have a talent for getting into trouble." She looked thoughtful. "But recruiting them will be a bit of a challenge. They are pretty firmly on the other side."
"Tell me about them some," Lucius suggested.
"Lupin's a werewolf." Elaida smiled coldly. "Not many people know. We've got a few werewolves on our side, don't we?"
"Indeed, the prejudice society shows them has helped us greatly… if we pretend to be on their side, we can often get them to do anything for us."
"Potter – if he could be recruited, it would be a great coup for our side. His girlfriend might be a problem, though. They're pretty serious. I think if we want one, we'll have to recruit both."
"That isn't impossible."
"She's a mudblood." Elaida pointed Lily out in the picture.
"Now, Elaida, you know that we Malfoys don't think much of Mudbloods. But there are some very influential members of the circle who had the misfortune to be born to Muggle parents… while someday it may be possible to remove the scum, it's not practical today. If I receive authorization, we'll attempt to convert her too. What about Black?"
"Probably as bright as Potter, a little more reckless, - and very interested in girls. The feeling is usually mutual. He's taken out about half the girls at school in the past year." Elaida scowled.
"But not you, sister, obviously."
"He has a certain prejudice against Slytherins. But if he were turned to our side, that would no doubt vanish. And he could go far with us, become a powerful man once – after the victory."
"Well, these candidates are all excellent. You did well, Elaida. Are there any others to tell me about? Who else is in this picture?"
"Oh, a couple of girls who hang out with Potter and his friends –and Pettigrew."
"Pettigrew?"
"Peter Pettigrew. He's a cowardly little thing – I don't know why the others bother with him. If we ever wanted him on our side, it'd be easy enough to convert him. I just don't think he'd be much of an asset. He's practically a Squib."
"Still, he might be useful. Keep an eye on all of them, Elaida."
"I plan to, brother." She rose gracefully from the couch.
"The other girls are not worth recruiting, then?"
"I don't think so," she sneered. "They – never mind. I doubt they'd be any help to use at all."
"Keep watching these people, Elaida," Lucius instructed her. "You did well, I think, in selecting them. Keep an eye on them, and don't do anything until I give you instructions."
"I understand." Elaida walked out, swaying slightly as she did. She smiled a bit as she walked down the hall. That had gone much better than she had expected, and her brother seemed pleased. I may be only sixteen, but I know where my best chances lie. I'll make myself valuable to our side. That's how I'll get what I want.
# # # #
James kept glancing at the clock. Where was Sirius? It was getting late, and they were supposed to finish this essay together. If they wanted to go join Remus tonight, Sirius had better show up soon. The dorm was empty except for him; the full moon shone in the window at the far end.
James swung around as the door opened. But it wasn't Sirius; it was Lily. She was panting, obviously having just run quite a distance.
"Lily –you're not supposed to be here," he said, puzzled.
"James – Sirius told Snape how to get under the Willow! He's going there now, I couldn't get Sirius to stop him!" Lily gestured wildly with her hands. "If he gets under there – "
James' mind was already filling in the blanks.
"I'll stop him," he said grimly, rushing down the stairs quickly. He heard Lily following. He rushed out of the portrait hole, down seven flights of stairs, and out the doors, not caring who saw him. He almost flew down the lawn, cursing Sirius every step of the way.
As he approached the Willow, he saw it freeze. He yelled, "Severus! Stop! Don't go!" but got no answer. When he arrived at the tree, it had begun to flail its limbs again, and there was no sign of Snape. James grabbed a long branch and prodded the knot, then hurried down the tunnel as fast as he could. He could hear Snape ahead of him. "Stop!" James yelled again, to no avail. He doubled his efforts, but no use; Snape just sped up, too.
And then, James realised to his despair that they were climbing upwards. The Shrieking Shack lay ahead, very close. And Remus would be there…
James rounded the last corner and ran into Snape. He was frozen in fear, staring at the horrible sight of a fully-grown, slavering werewolf. Remus started toward them. James seized Snape by the shoulder, whirled him around, and forced him down the passageway. Now Snape's legs began to work again, and he ran faster than he had to get in. James took a glance back and saw that Remus was following them, blood-lust in his eyes. James impelled Snape further onward. He briefly considered transforming, then decided to do so only as a last resort. He didn't want Snape to find out about the Animagus thing unless there was no other choice.
Suddenly, the exit was ahead. James reached for the knot and froze the limbs, then shoved Snape out. He began to clamber out himself, hurrying as he saw how close Remus was. The werewolf seemed to realize that its prey was escaping, for it suddenly leapt for James. But he got out of the tunnel and lay panting on the grass.
"What are you doing here?" A cry made James look up. Professor McGonagall was standing over him, hands on her hips. She was staring at him and at Snape, eyes full of fury. James opened his mouth, then closed it as he realized he had no idea what to say. "Don't you know students aren't allowed near the Willow?" she asked furiously. "You're both going to see Dumbledore, now!" That was when James realized just how much trouble he was in. McGonagall never sent anyone to see the Headmaster; she preferred to deal with things herself.
"Interesting," Dumbledore said when both boys had finished telling their version of events. "Minerva, please ask Mr. Black to come to my office." A few minutes later, Sirius appeared, looking rather ashamed of himself. "Mr. Black, did you tell Mr. Snape here how to get under the Whomping Willow?" Dumbledore fixed his eyes on Sirius.
"Yes, sir," he said. His eyes didn't quite meet Dumbledore's; James thought that he was trying not to show what he felt in front of Snape. His face had an angry look on it.
"I would like to know how you knew about the knot on the trunk, but for now I will simply ask why you decided it would be a good idea to let him under the tree. I assume you know about Remus?"
"Yes, sir. I – I just didn't think."
"That is obvious. Your 'prank' could have resulted in death, you do realize that, don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"And of course, if Remus had been responsible for Severus' death, I am sure he would have had to be expelled. I don't think you'd have wanted that?"
"No, sir." Sirius' angry look faded as he seemed to release what he had nearly done. It wasn't the fate Snape might have faced that bothered him; it was the idea of Remus being punished for something that was his fault.
"Well." Dumbledore stared at Sirius. "I'm very disappointed in you, Mr. Black. Very disappointed. You will be given a detention – a very severe one- and, I think, no more Hogsmeade trips for you this semester. And twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor." Sirius hung his head. "You may go now."
"Now," Dumbledore said after Sirius had left, turning back to Snape. "Mr. Snape, didn't you think that if we had gone to all the trouble of hiding something under the Willow, there might be a reason?" Snape didn't answer. "You said you heard James yelling to you to stop, several times. But you didn't. If you had been killed, or bitten, it would have been your own fault." He held Snape's gaze. "You will also receive a detention, and twenty points will be taken from Slytherin. You are also not to tell anyone –anyone – that Remus Lupin is a werewolf. If I hear that anyone else has learned the truth, I will hold you responsible, and you will be expelled."
"But, sir – Potter and his friends might tell someone just to try to get me expelled!" Snape glared at James. James opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore silenced him with a wave.
"Mr. Snape. I am sure that neither Mr. Potter nor any of his friends would tell the school that their friend is a werewolf simply to get you expelled. Would you?" He directed his stare to James, who turned to Snape.
"We care a lot more about Remus than about getting you expelled, Snape," he said coldly. It seemed a bit ridiculous. He'd just saved Snape's life! And here the git was, acting ungrateful and obnoxious. Well, he should have expected it.
"You are dismissed, Mr. Snape." When Snape had departed, Dumbledore turned to James. "That was brave of you, James."
"I couldn't let him get killed." James shifted his feet, uncomfortable under the blue gaze of Dumbledore's eyes.
"It took considerable courage to go after him, knowing what was at the end of that tunnel." Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Gryffindor House will be awarded fifty points for your actions."
"Thank you, sir." Dumbledore waved him toward the door. Halfway there, James hesitated. "Sir?"
"Yes, James?"
"One or two people know something about what was happening tonight. Is it all right for me to explain what happened, if they ask?"
"I trust your discretion, Mr. Potter. I am sure you will know what is best to do."
"Yes, sir." James left Dumbledore's office and headed slowly back up to Gryffindor Tower.
It was quite late, but Jenny, Lily, Elsie and Sirius were still seated in armchairs as James came in. They looked at him.
"All right, what happened?" Jenny asked finally. "Lily told us some, but Sirius won't talk." James explained what had occurred with Snape and with Dumbledore.
"And Snape wasn't even the least bit grateful?" Elsie looked amazed.
"No, but then I didn't do it to be thanked."
"Sirius, do you have any common sense at all?" Jenny stared at him. "Snape might have been killed-"
"Serve him right," Sirius muttered.
"Snape might have been killed, and then Remus would have been expelled. You'd probably have been expelled too, and that would serve you right." She crossed her arms. "I swear, there has never been a boy with fewer brains than you."
"Sirius, just once, think before you act," James asked. "At least try. This could have ended up a lot worse than it did."
"Yeah, I guess you're probably right." Sirius looked up. "I – I wouldn't want Remus to get in trouble…all right, I'll never do it again." He grinned. "Not that Snape would fall for it if I tried to."
James sighed. "Sirius, you are incorrigible. I'm going to bed."
Sirius paced the empty common room. It was a beautiful April afternoon, and every Gryffindor who could be was in Hogsmeade. The first and second years were all taking advantage of the weather to play various games outside, but Sirius hadn't wanted to join them. So he was striding back and forth, feeling a bit sorry for himself.
The portrait opened and Sirius looked up. Jenny slipped inside.
"Aren't you in Hogsmeade?" he asked stupidly. She carried a largish bag.
"James and Lily were –well, they killed off my appetite," she said, grinning. "And Elsie bullied Peter into helping her pick out gifts for her parents' anniversary. So I decided to come back."
"What's in the bag?" he asked curiously.
"Something for you –though I shouldn't have." She set it on the table and pulled out two bottles of butterbeer and some chocolate frogs. "I figure, if you couldn't come to Hogsmeade…" she shrugged. "Though I suppose I should have – oh, forget it and drink up." She opened one of the bottles herself, and Sirius followed suit.
"Thanks," he said. She glanced at him.
"Look, Sirius. The next time you get a bright idea, please run it past someone before you actually do it. Otherwise, you'll end up in Azkaban." She laughed, taking the sting out of her words.
"Who? You?"
"Better to ask me than to end up hurting someone." She took another swig of her drink. "I hereby volunteer to be your 'Brilliant Idea Sounding Board'."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said.
"If you don't, you'll be sorry," she warned.
"A threat?"
"If you like." She reached under her chair, laughing. "Now, are you ready for that rematch? I'm still sure you cheated, last game."
"I did not. Ask your knight, he saw everything and will tell you my moves were all legal." Sirius picked up two pawns. "White or black?"
"You're Black, so I'll play white," she said, smiling. He laughed.
"All right, I prefer moving second anyway."
As the game wore on, Sirius found himself paying more and more attention to the pair of bright eyes across from him, and less to the game. He knew he was making mistakes, but she often seemed not to notice. Sirius wondered, suddenly, why it was that in the two years he'd been asking girls out, he'd never though about Jenny. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in school –everyone knew that was Lily –but she was rather pretty, and smart, and she played a pretty decent game of chess… And she spends her afternoon with me, instead of at Hogsmeade. Do you think – nah. He shook his head.
"What?" Jenny asked, staring at him.
"Oh, I just decided on a move. Better watch your queen!" He forced a smile, and she grinned back.
There, another couple –well, six and a half - thousand words closer to the end of the story! I have finally almost figured out what's going to happen – and it's a doozy. Should be done in a little over three weeks, I hope. Just to tantalize you, I'll tell you this: the next piece is probably the best part of the whole story, and I've already revised it about three times. It's also one of the most important pieces, and after I post that, I can post some more Double Trouble.
You know all the drill: stuff that's J.K.'s is hers, the stupid things are mine, and the odd characters who aren't real are also mine. And reviews are very appreciated!