Back to the Future
(10): Dances and disaster
'I see, Mr.
Potter,' Dumbledore replied, stroking his beard. He had allowed James to speak
into silence. 'That is quite a predicament.' James glanced around Dumbledore's
office nervously, from Harry, who looked perplexed, to Ron, who looked merely
bored, to Hermione, who had a shrewd expression on her face, before finally, to
the real Neville Longbottom, sitting in the corner, whose expression was a mix
of all three.
It had been Hermione's idea to explain the whole situation
to Dumbledore. Ron and James had both openly agreed. Harry, however, had been
more reluctant, and James felt sure he knew why. He would probably be sent back
– back to the past – back to his own time. And Harry wouldn't want him to go,
at least not yet.
Eventually, though, Harry had conceded the point, realising
that, with Neville's return, James chances of remaining hidden were slim to
none at best. Therefore, the four of them had traipsed up to Dumbledore's
office (the new password was 'gumdrop'), whereupon they had interrupted a
meeting between the Headmaster and Neville. Neville's face upon seeing James
had been a sight to behold. Of course, the explanation that James was Neville
under the influence of Polyjuice Potion would have helped little, especially in
terms of preventing Neville from requiring heart surgery. Therefore, the
absentee had remained for a conference between the group of anxious students
and the wise headmaster. He now looked completely astounded.
James had recounted everything. From waking up in the
hospital wing to Hermione's less-than-enthusiastic welcome ('There's five seconds
I'll never forget.'), to conjuring his Patronus for Snape and allowing
Gryffindor to win their Quidditch match. He missed out only a few details, most
notably when he and Sirius had accompanied Remus in the Forbidden Forest in his
werewolf form. Dumbledore, at his desk, sighed again, though his eyes were lit
with an excited blue flame. James could tell he had something up his sleeve.
Dumbledore always did.
'Let us think,' he said, standing up again, and stroking
Fawkes under the chin. 'Neville, you may not be aware, as the others are, that
two members of the Order of the Phoenix joined our school community yesterday.'
Neville looked up, as did Ron. 'Now,' Dumbledore continued. 'There are two more
members arriving tomorrow, whom I'm sure you will enjoy meeting. It could
easily be arranged, James, for you to take the place of a third Phoenix
member.' At these words, both Harry and James started.
'I can stay?'
James said, at exactly the same moment that Harry said 'He can stay?'
Dumbledore nodded.
'I think, in
light of recent events, it would be most useful to have you with us, James. I'm
sure none of you would object to this?' he added, to Ron, Hermione, Harry and
Neville. Each of them grinned, in turn, before shaking their heads
simultaneously.
'It seems that
you are a welcome visitor, James. Also, though you have not yet experienced it
in your time, before your death you were the best Phoenix member we had.' James
smiled.
'Sure – I'm
nothing but a recruit,' he replied, though his faced showed what he though of
the great man's compliment.
'I see,' Harry said, breaking the few minutes of silence
that ensued. 'So James would be Sorted into Gryffindor, obviously. He would
essentially be taking the same role as he is now.'
'But he'd need to
take Polyjuice Potion or something,' Hermione put in. 'He certainly couldn't be
Neville any more.'
'And what happens
when Neville comes to play the next Quidditch match?' Ron asked. 'How's he
gonna feign James' talent?' At these words, Neville's look of anxiety
transformed into an expression of pure horror.
'That's not
really important right now,' James said, sighing. 'I think I just need to get
undercover. Does Severus have an Aspectus Draught lying around somewhere, sir?'
'What's wrong with
Polyjuice Potion?' Hermione put in, before Dumbledore could answer.
'Think about it,
Hermione. I don't want to impersonate somebody, as you do with Polyjuice
Potion. I want an unique visage.'
'Could that be
translated as an ugly mug?' Ron whispered to Harry, who had to stifle his
laughter. Hermione looked slightly different, somehow, as though being told
something by someone else was an experience she'd long forgotten. Dumbledore,
meanwhile, looked pensive.
'I have no idea,'
he replied. 'Perhaps I should invite him up here and ask him?' James shook his
head.
'No sir, maybe I
should ask him on my own. Catch up on old times, stuff like that …' James could
see Dumbledore's eyes laughing.
'Certainly,' he
replied. 'And now, I suggest the rest of you return to Gryffindor Tower.
Neville, I am sure your classmates will be delighted to see the real you again,
though I advise you to ask Harry, Ron, Hermione and James here to explain what
has supposedly happened to you over the past few days. James, I will speak to
the two young ladies arriving tomorrow morning and explain the situation.'
'It might be wise
to omit a few small details,' James replied, glancing at Harry. Dumbledore
smiled.
'I will speak to
you tomorrow. Good night.'
*
Why I have to put up with such imbeciles … I don't know.
"Sir, is my friend supposed to turn into an aardvark as a side effect?" Thank
God I wasn't a Hufflepuff. Severus Snape's thoughts were interrupted
by a loud knock at the door. He approached it carefully.
'Hello?' he said
weakly, wondering what exactly had caused him to become such a coward when
opening doors.
'Afternoon
Severus,' said a cheerful voice. Snape knew that voice. James Potter stepped
into the room. Snape stood, frozen.
'Longbottom –
Potter – but how – Patronus –' Snape collapsed onto a chair. 'How are you
here?' he said, finally.
'Time turner,'
said James, pulling it out from around his neck. 'Came to see all my old
buddies again.'
'No,' replied Snape,
his voice full of hatred. 'It can't be you – it's impossible. You're Neville
Longbottom.'
'You know
perfectly well that all of those statements are false,' James replied, seating
himself opposite Snape and looking him straight in the eye. 'Neville is back in
Gryffindor Tower and … you saw the Boggart.' His voice shook slightly. Snape
looked even more horrified – as though all his nightmares had come true at
once.
'I don't know why
you look so terrified, Severus. We're on the same team, now. And Dumbledore
told me what you did.' James couldn't help keeping the pride out of his voice.
'Lily and I would have died a lot sooner without your help. If only Peter
hadn't intervened.' At this, Snape did start.
'Black killed
you,' he hissed. He looked less horrified now that he was convinced James
wouldn't attack him.
'And you know
that's false as well. I must say I was disappointed when I heard about the
Shrieking Shack incident …' James felt sure he'd imagined it, but he was
certain something akin to shame crossed Snape's features. It was soon replaced
with a sneer, however.
'I thought that
Weasley, Granger, and your illustrious son might be in danger.'
'And why would
you care about Harry being in danger, hmm? You once vowed to me that you would
hate me and my descendents, and their descendents. And theirs. You went on for
some time, as I recall.' Snape muttered something incoherent, but James
distinctly heard the words "life debt" in the sentence. He almost fell
backwards in shock.
'Don't tell me
that's what all this has been about?' he said, amazed. 'The time I saved your
life? That's why you hate Harry, and hate his friends, and hate Sirius –'
'HE TRIED TO KILL
ME!' Snape bellowed, interrupting James.
'Shut up,' James
replied, his eyes two chips of ice. 'You know Sirius would never intentionally
harm someone. He just meant to scare you a bit. And he would have saved you,
had I not been a faster flier. He went after you as well, Severus, but I got
there first. He didn't tell me that for months. He ran as fast as he could to
try and save you, try and pull you back, as I did. That's the truth, Severus:
Sirius would have risked his life to save you as well.' Snape looked astounded
for a minute.
'But – but I
thought …'
'We know what you
thought, Severus,' James replied angrily. 'We were there when you woke up. The
first and only thing you said was that you hated us both and never wanted to
see us again. Something changed in you that night, Severus. Your relationship
with us went from dislike to intense hatred. But you never had a good reason,
Severus, you never had a reason.' Snape said nothing. He continued to glare at
James, who merely shrugged.
'Anyway, Severus, while I'm here, I need a favour. Do you
have an Aspectus Draught lying around?'
'Yes,' Snape
muttered, clearly thankful for a way out of the previous conversation. 'Wait
here…' He disappeared for a few minutes into his storage cupboards, and
returned a few moments later carrying a small vial of dark blue solution. 'Here
you are,' he said, rather grudgingly. 'One drop every twelve hours – you must
add a hair for the potion to work.'
'I know – Sirius
explained it to me once. If you ever put aside your differences, you'd realise
that you have quite a bit in common. Well, thank you, Severus. I must be
getting off. Oh, and one more thing. You know, I never actually hated you.'
*
'He still
hates me,' James replied. 'That much is obvious. But I got the stuff.'
'Excellent,'
Harry replied, grinning. 'So, what will your new pseudonym be?'
'Hmm … I wonder
if Don Juan is taken …'
'You could always
fall back on Postman Pat.'
'How …
inspirational. Have you got a partner for the dance yet?'
'Marie Déesse,'
Harry replied nonchalantly. James could tell that he wasn't as excited about
this as a number of other boys would certainly be.
'Really? So,
think she's going with you for your thoroughly gorgeous façade or that large
gash on your head?'
'Hard to say,'
Harry replied, pulling back his fringe with a slight smile playing around his
lips. 'You know, this attracts girls more than any other inanimate object I've
encountered in the past.'
'Dean must be
devastated,' James replied dryly.
'Hello children,'
said a voice from the corner.
'Hi, Ginny,'
Harry replied. 'Here – have a seat.' He didn't notice James' warning look.
Hi Neville,' she
said. James could visibly see her putting two and two together and,
unfortunately, obtaining four. 'Hold on, Neville, I thought you'd changed back …'
Harry shot James a questioning look. James nodded mutely.
'Ginny,' Harry
said. 'I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine …'
*
'Good luck,'
Hermione said, passing James the small vial. James took it. It smelled
uncannily of Sirius' old socks; not a pleasant odour at the best of times.
'Blimey,' he said
to Harry. 'Smell that!' Harry took the mixture and made a face that implied
he'd just been told he had to attend the dance with Millicent Bulstrode. Ron
took it and promptly went into a coughing fit.
'Just take it,
James,' Hermione prompted. 'Or we'll all die of asphyxiation.' James nodded to
her and then to Dumbledore, who was standing behind the four of them with an
amused look in his eye. James tipped his head back, and threw the foul liquid
down his throat. The effect was instantaneous. James' insides began to shudder,
first softly and then more violently. His eyes were burning, and his skin felt
like it was being stretched across a rack. There was only minimal pain, but it
was indeed the strangest sensation of his life. He could no longer feel his
stomach, just a strange writhing inside it, as though live snakes had replaced
it. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the feeling of numbness
disappeared, and James felt perfectly normal again.
'It worked, I
guess?' he said to Hermione, except the voice he heard wasn't his own. It was
deeper, and hinted slightly at a Mediterranean accent. He looked up to see
Hermione literally gaping at him.
'Good God
Almighty,' she whispered (a/n. And somewhere in England, a guy called James
Bemand cheered). She took a deep breath, clutching her chest.
Hermione had certainly seen handsome men in the past. Ron
and Harry, even, in their individual ways, were quite good-looking. And Seamus
had that mysterious-Irish aura about him. Never before had Hermione felt she
was in the presence of pure, unblemished beauty. Until that moment.
James – who no longer looked anything like James Potter –
was just slightly taller, with a mop of fairly long black hair. His body was
completely covered with just the perfect amount of scrupulously sculpted muscle
– what seemed like the result of hours spent in a gymnasium. His eyes appeared
no longer blue, but a rich light brown, almost like pools of melted gold. By
the tone of his skin, it looked as though he had spent many a hot day
sunbathing in the warm Mediterranean sun – a deep bronze tint. He smiled at
her, flashing her a set of perfect, pearl-white teeth behind a deep-set jaw
line. This person was not just handsome; he achieved something greater, almost
transcending the human perception of good looks and attaining something amongst
the ranks of the immortal. He gave Hermione the impression that he was an
angel, sent down to guard over mere mortals.
'Hmm …' Ron said,
a few moments later. 'Maybe ugly mug might not quite fit the bill …'
Harry grinned. He was having a great time watching Hermione practically drool
all over James.
'OK, James?' he
said. James nodded.
'Yeah, I feel
fine. Do I get to see myself?'
'Certainly,'
replied Dumbledore, also looking somewhat amused, as he handed James a pocket
mirror. 'May I introduce you all to Iago Alfarero?'
'That's my name,
is it?' James replied, admiring his new façade in the small mirror. He looked
up, grinning. 'Very clever, Albus.' Dumbledore smiled.
'It should work,'
Dumbledore replied. 'Now, I suggest you three –' he motioned to Harry, Hermione
and Ron, '– go and help yourselves to some breakfast. I will be announcing
James and his colleagues shortly. They arrived early this morning.' Harry
nodded to the other two, to Dumbledore, and finally to James.
'See you in a
bit,' he said. 'Good luck.'
*
'Blimey, he's
nice,' Hermione said.
'Nice?' said
Harry airily, grinning. 'Nice? Is that all?'
'All right,'
Hermione said, flushing purple. 'He's the most gorgeous human being I've ever
set eyes on. Satisfied?' Harry laughed, slinging an arm around Hermione's
shoulder.
'Don't worry,
Hermione. Dumbledore did that on purpose. He had to put James up to Veela
standard.'
'He's crossed
that boundary by ten miles, I'd say,' Hermione replied.
'That's an
interesting thought,' said Ron, with an amused chuckle. 'Hermione has an
illegitimate relationship with James…' Harry and Hermione shuddered as the
three of them entered the Entrance Hall.
'Aha!' said Ron,
skipping ahead slightly. He drew their attentions to a new piece of paper on
the notices board.
Dancing Competition
These are the current pupils participating in the event
from Hogwarts:
Justin Finch-Fletchley – Hannah Abbott
Harry Potter – Marie Déesse
Seamus Finnigan – Ginny Weasley
'Cheeky git,' Ron said, though he didn't sound too worried.
Seamus has matured an incredible amount since his early teen years, and was
unlikely to do anything hasty.
'Cor, there are
plenty of people entering,' Harry remarked. 'Look at all these down here …
blimey …well, well, well … look at the last two couples…
Flora Déesse –
Draco Malfoy
Hermione Granger – Neville Longbottom
'Oh dear,' Hermione said, pulling out her wand. She muttered
a few words. Ron, however, was quicker:
Hermione Granger – Neville Longbottom Iago Alfarero
'Simple,' he said, as Hermione raised her eyebrows and Harry
grinned.
'Yes, of course,
Ron dear,' Hermione said, kissing him swiftly. 'Come on, now. Places to be,
people to see …'
'I'd hardly refer
to the Great Hall and repulsive, disgusterous kippers in such a way, but
whatever you say …
*
'A pleasure to
meet you, Iago.' James smiled good-naturedly. The two Veela smiled at him
hungrily, and he felt he could sense what they were thinking.
'Nice to meet
you, Adrienne. And you, of course, Elizabeth …' He grinned and kissed both
girls on their fingers.
'Call me Lizzy,'
the slightly shorter Veela purred. 'So, Iago, what brings you 'ere?'
'I am a member of
the Spanish Confederation of Wizards,' he replied smoothly. 'But my mother was
English. I was sent for by Dumbledore.'
'I see,' Adrienne
replied softly. 'We were sent for also. I expect our cousins arrived not long
ago.'
'Two days,' James
replied, and, without skipping a beat, 'Dumbledore informed me.'
'I am sure Flora
'as been up to her usual tricks…'
'Usual tricks?'
'Let us just say
– she is a very passionate girl. Woe betide the one who succumbs to her
charms.'
'Lucky Draco,'
muttered James wryly.
'What was that?'
said Lizzy swiftly, running a finger through her hair. 'Draco Malfoy? 'E – 'e
is 'ere? And –' She swore softly, and muttered something to her sister. James
overheard, however, with a slight grin, '– she got to 'im before I could.'
'You know him?'
he said airily.
'Er – yes – we
'ave met, so to speak. What house is 'e in? Slytherin?'
'Right in one.'
Lizzy shot her twin sister a quick glance.
'That is
terrible,' she said. 'Poor Draco.'
'Yes. Anyway, I
think –' James was interrupted at that moment as Dumbledore entered the room.
'If you'd all
like to follow me,' he said kindly. The three teenagers shared a look, nodded,
and slowly followed Dumbledore out into the Great Hall.
*
'Seems to be
creating a fair bit of excitement,' Harry remarked. Most of the boys in the
Hall were now craning their necks to get a better look at the door behind which
James, Adrienne and Lizzy were concealed.
'Methinks some of
the females in here will soon be eating their words,' Hermione said, looking
pointedly to Parvati, admonishing Dean for gazing at the door with his mouth
open and his tongue protruding.
'All right?' said Ron, coming over.
'Yep,' Harry
replied. 'Going to go goo-goo on us again, Ronniekins?' he added, in what he
felt was an uncanny impression of Fred and George Weasley. Ron grinned.
'Sorry about
that, Hermione. But it's impossible to resist, you know …' Harry looked
nervously to Hermione. He could tell from her tight-lipped expression that she
too knew the only method of escaping the Veela charm. That came rather
unsurprisingly – Hermione knew everything.
Dumbledore stood up. Immediately, all male eyes in the Hall
bar those of Harry, Draco and Seamus looked to him. Seamus turned around and
grinned as the anticipation in the Hall rose. Even Malfoy, at the Slytherin
table, caught Harry's eye and shrugged. Harry thought it was unusual for Malfoy
not to abuse him, but these thoughts were removed when Dumbledore opened the
door behind him.
The quiet buzzing that had started in the Hall subsided
immediately. A tall girl stepped out of the door, and smiled around at the
Hall. She was fairly thin, with long hair flowing gracefully down her back.
And, obviously, she was a Veela. She was elegantly dressed in a
dark red robe, with glittery red teardrop, blood-coloured tassels
dangling
down, ending at the bottom, just above her anklebone. She
smiled around the Hall again before standing to one side of Dumbledore. The
door opened again.
And in stepped what Harry perceived must be the leader of
the four. She was, incredibly, more stunning than either of the other three.
She had the trademark long Veela hair, though it was dark instead of the usual
blonde. She smiled around the Hall, winking in a similar fashion to Flora
Déesse. She caught Marie's eye and grinned at her, both of them obviously
enjoying the attention. Harry glanced to Dean, who was goggling at the second
Veela's attire, or lack thereof, for she was dressed in merely some form of pale
blue material that looked suspiciously like water. Long gashes covered the
dress, leaving very little of her body to the imagination.
The two sisters stood at the front of the Hall beaming
around widely. Dumbledore stood up, raising his arms.
'I would like you
all to welcome Mesdemoiselles Adrienne and Elizabeth Beauté.' There was
rapturous applause, but a number of perplexed looks as to why the door at the
back of the Hall was still ajar.
'Thank you,'
Dumbledore said, raising his hand for silence. 'Now – before we eat - there is
another last-minute student joining us today, who arrived earlier this
morning.' Hermione saw him glance amusedly to the Gryffindor table. 'I would
like you all to welcome … Iago Alfarero!'
For the first time in two assemblies, it was the turn of the
female contingent of Hogwarts to look interested. There was a scraping of
chairs as the door opened slightly wider and James stepped into the room. And
there was a loud gasp.
James stepped into the room, clad in a simple forest green
robe. He caught Hermione's eye, grinning, and made a gesture as though to blow
her a kiss. She grinned back, pretending to blush. James stepped up next to
Dumbledore, and soon realised that nearly every girl in the Hall, except
perhaps Hermione, was craning her neck to get a better look at him. He smiled,
and looked over to the Gryffindor table. Harry was in conversation with Seamus,
whom kept shooting furtive glances at Marie Déesse, in rapt conversation with
her sister, both of them staring at James. Ron appeared to have lost interest
in the Veela and was courteously serving Hermione a drink (though from where it
had come James could not quite envisage). Dean, however, was staring
relentlessly at Lizzy Beauté, and James had to work quite hard to suppress a
grin.
Dumbledore motioned once again to Professor Flitwick, who
left the Hall swiftly and returned with the patched, frayed Sorting Hat.
However, the Sorting Hat did not seem too pleased at being used so frequently,
twice in three days, and therefore bluntly refused to sing anything.
'That hat's the
last person you'd expect to have an attitude problem,' Harry muttered to
Hermione, who chuckled amusedly.
Dumbledore motioned to Adrienne to step forward. She did so,
and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. She glanced around as the Hat made up
its mind. After about thirty seconds it bellowed, 'Slytherin!' There was
a loud cheer from the Slytherins and Adrienne, smiling, made her way over to
the Slytherin table, seating herself next to Draco Malfoy. At the Sorting Hat's
words, however, most of the Great Hall had let out a load moan, Dean in
particular. Seamus, meanwhile, remained silent and looked extremely pensive.
Lizzy stepped forward. She grinned to her sister, Flora and
Marie, and put the hat over her hair. It had barely touched her head before it
positively screamed, 'Slytherin!' Lizzy, through more cheering and
moaning, went and sat on Draco's other side, attempting to engage with him in
conversation. Draco, however, was deep in conversation with Flora, who shot
Lizzy a triumphant look. Dumbledore, still beaming widely, turned to James.
James smiled back and walked over to the small stool on
which the Sorting Hat was placed. He'd done this before, but that seemed like a
lifetime ago. Taking a deep breath, and getting one last, fleeting look of all
the girls in the Hall staring at him avidly, he slipped the hat over his head.
And he heard a familiar voice.
'Good Lord – is
it really James Potter? Oh, I see, you came here via time-turner.'
'You always that
said the Gryffindors were the troublemakers,' James thought back.
'Quite. Now, let
me see – you've changed James, certainly. A lot less careless, more wary of
others' welfare … I daresay you and your son are a dying breed. I couldn't put
you anywhere else really, could I? You're going back into Gryffindor!!'
The last word reverberated loudly around the Hall. James, still
grinning, took his seat at the Gryffindor table. He didn't notice the jealous
looks from the girls in the other houses, or the triumphant glances of Lavender
and Parvati. He merely saw the amused glances of those who knew the whole story
– Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Ginny and Neville. He approached Harry.
'A pleasure to
meet you at last, Mr. Potter,' James said solemnly, shaking Harry's hand and
trying to prevent himself from bursting out laughing. He could tell that Harry
was having to work hard do the same thing.
'Tell me, Iago,'
he said. 'Have you been to England before?'
'Oh no,' James
replied loudly. 'I learned English off the back of cereal packets.'
*
James and the others whiled away the afternoon in the
Gryffindor common, supposedly getting to know one another better. Shortly
before five-thirty, James volunteered to go and fetch some food from the
kitchens. All those who knew not of James' true identity were amazed that a
newcomer could have located the kitchens in such a short space of time. James
merely shrugged. Harry gave him the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map, for
what he described as, "just in case".
It was on his way down to the kitchens when James noticed
two distinct things on the map. The first, in the Slytherin common room, was
the dots 'Draco Malfoy' and 'Flora Déesse'. The dots were not the usual black,
however, but red. James grinned as he remembered that extra charm Sirius had
added. He also remembered what Lizzy had said earlier, "Woe betide the one
who succumbs to her charms". Chuckling, he looked to the second odd thing
on the map. The dot in the Gryffindor common room, 'Ron Weasley', was not black
either. It was green. James, straining his memory, remembered that that had
something to do with protection.
'Ron is
protecting someone?' he muttered, a little puzzled. Remus had added a lot of
anti-Dark Arts charms to the Map, some of which James knew little. He looked
back to the map, but, astoundingly, the dot had returned to its black colour.
Shaking his head, James folded up the map, put it in his pocket, and continued
on his expedition, intent on catching up with an old friend.
*
'Afternoon.'
'Hi James. What
are you up to?'
'Not a lot,
Remus. Just wanted to check something. Here, look at this.' He drew out the map
and showed Remus the peculiarity he had noticed beforehand. Remus looked at it
with a furrowed brow.
'Hmm … green, you
say? No, I didn't write that one. Must have been Peter.'
'Where is Peter?'
'No idea. Ask Dumbledore.'
'Well, I'll leave it for now.' He
checked his watch. 'I have to go and get changed in a minute.'
'Oh, for the
dance? Who're you going with?'
'Hermione. Why,
are you going too?' Remus grinned.
'Hermione, eh?
She'd be just right for you. All that intellect …' James punched him playfully
on the arm.
'Less of that,
you. Who are you going with, pray tell me?'
'Professor
Sinistra. You know, Caroline.' James threw his head back in an exaggerated
manner.
'Ah, fair
Caroline. A beautiful young lady and an absolutely marvellous dancer.
Who is she again?' Remus chuckled.
'Never mind. So, Iago,
how have you been getting on?'
'Don't take the
Miguel out of me,' James said in a mock-horrified tone. He drew himself up. 'I am
a member of the Order of the Phoenix!'
'Huhhhhh. So?'
'So you must
wespect me. Where's Siwius?'
'He should be in
hiding – though I bet he's off finding a dance partner.' James grinned.
'Ah yes, he
always wan –'
'Ranked, highly.
R-anked.'
'I remember
that,' James remembered, laughing hard. 'Along he came, with his wisp. I
remember what Sirius would say …'
'Yes, I don't
think we'll ever forget. Moving swiftly on …'
'Rats.'
'Go on. You go
and get changed. You wouldn't want Hermione to stand you up, would you now?'
'She would have
to be pretty stupid.'
'That's what you
said before, and Lily still went with Sirius.' James did not reply. He merely
sighed, and seemed to wipe away a tear from his eye.
'You miss her,
don't you?' Remus asked. James nodded glumly.
'I dunno – it's
great to be here and all – I just – I wish Lily was here to see it as well. To
see Harry – Ron and Hermione – Seamus – you – Sirius.' He sighed. 'I love her
so much.' Remus smiled.
'I know,' he said
softly. 'I know. We all did.'
'A little too
well, sometimes. All right then, I'd better be off. See you later, Remus.
Thanks.' Remus smiled, and opened the door.
'See you later,
James,' he said quietly. He closed the door quietly, and put his face in his
hands, thinking long and hard about the contemporary and friend he could have
had.
*
'Ron, you're too
nervous. It's only dancing, for God's sake.'
'Shut up,' Ron
replied, grinning. 'Just because you've become Mr. Sex-On-Legs doesn't mean the
rest of us can't try.'
'I will treasure
that moment for a whole thirty seconds, Ron. Thank you so much.'
'Oi,' said Harry,
in a mock-affronted tone. 'Come on, idiot, I'm trying to prove that you're not
brilliant at everything.' James held up his hand.
'Oh – too late.'
'Ha ha,' Harry replied. 'You're absolutely
useless at this game.'
'I used to be
good, but constant thrashings from Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter in particular
led me to suicide. When I say suicide what I mean is giving up.'
'But you thought
you'd play me just to make me feel better?'
'No, I thought it
might be hereditary.'
'Baldness and
chess skills are two very different things.'
'It'd be a bastard
if they weren't. And they do say, "Unlucky at chess –'
'– Lucky at
Transfiguration." Yes, we know, Hermione proved that years ago.'
The conversation continued in this vein for about ten
minutes, until a loud cough interrupted the boys' arguments about Hermione's
hairbrush. It was Marie Déesse, looking absolutely spectacular in robes of
sapphire blue. Her hair had not been changed very significantly, yet she looked
truly beautiful. Harry smiled.
'You look
beautiful, Marie,' he said kindly. Marie smiled, nearly blinding James as she
flashed her teeth in his direction. Ron seemed to have lost the ability to
construct coherent sentences, and appeared to James to possess all the charm
and charisma of half a chewed banana.
'Thank you,
'arry,' Marie replied. 'You look very 'andsome.' Harry bowed and put his arm
through the crook of hers.
'Are you ready to
go, Ron, James?' he asked.
'We're going to
wait for Hermione. You go on ahead.'
'All right,'
Harry replied. 'See you in Hogsmeade. Bye.' He and Marie crossed the room, arm
in arm, and left the common room amidst chatter and giggling.
*
'She's taking her
time.' Ron glanced nervously over to the door that lead to the girls' dorm.
James, who was attempting to engage Ron in a game of chess, sighed.
'Don't worry,' he
said. 'Hermione is hell-bent on winning the Dancing Competition – she'll not go
AWOL.'
'Yeah, but it's
not that, it's …'
'Look Ron,' said
James kindly. 'I know how much Hermione means to you. Lily meant the same to
me.' He sighed at his use of past tense, and felt an odd clenching in his
chest. 'Believe it or not, it pains me to be here, purely and simply because
Lily isn't. My relationship with Lily is different from my relationship with
Harry, even though I love them both – I miss her, Ron. I miss her badly.' Ron
sat silently, feeling terrible for James. He was just about to utter some words
of confidence when Hermione entered the room.
Even James' jaw dropped. Hermione looked completely
stunning. Her hair had been tied back in a sleek, elegant knot, and came to a
rest at her shoulders. She was wearing a fine silk green dress, coming down to
her ankles. She also wore a thin diamond necklace, given to her by her deceased
grandmother, around her neck; it sparkled in the flickering light. She smiled
at Ron and James nervously.
'What do you
think?' she asked. Ron merely gulped. James took Hermione's arm, however.
'You'll knock
them all for six, Hermione,' he said, grinning. 'You look beautiful.' Hermione
smiled.
'Thanks James. I
won't comment on your appearance for fear of foaming at the mouth –' James
grinned. 'Come on, shall we go?'
*
'Sh - sugar, this
place has changed quite a bit since I was last here,' James remarked, as he,
Ron and Hermione walked arm in arm across the main street of Hogsmeade. Ron
chuckled.
''Spect you still
had Honeydukes and Zonko's though, didn't you?' James grinned.
'Ah, those were
the sites of our misspent youths,' he replied fondly. 'That place was here too,
and the pub, of course. Ah, I could tell you a hilarious story about Lily,
Sirius, that restaurant over there and myself. But I'd rather not …'
'I think I'd
rather not know,' Hermione muttered, her teeth chattering slightly. James gave
Ron a sidelong glance. Ron, without even noticing, removed his jacket and
placed it around Hermione's shoulders.
'Thanks,' she
said. 'Come on – it's just over here, James.' They were walking into the part
of the village that had been revitalised shortly after Voldemort's first
defeat. When they passed into the shadow of once particularly grim looking
house, James shuddered.
'What?' Hermione
asked.
'Just – in this
house. Horrifying things – too horrific to recount – sorry …'
'The resemblance
between you and Harry really is uncanny,' Ron remarked. 'He was kinda like that
at the end of our fourth year – not giving any horrific details …' Hermione
sighed.
'He's been
through enough, though,' she said. 'And you know he's saved our necks on more
than once occasion. Look at the time he saved my life – what knowledge do any
of us have of that, eh?' James averted his eyes. Ron merely changed the
subject. Harry, James thought, if you don't tell her then I will.
In later years, James would swear that he had heard a voice in his head at this
point, and yet, the more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. I'll
tell her, dad. Don't you worry.
*
'Good evening
contestants!' The moderator of the dancing competition beamed around the hall.
'My name's Hayden, and I will be running the competition tonight. My
colleagues, Matthew, Leanne and Kim, will be helping me to judge the event.'
Most
people were sitting down at tables when James, Ron and Hermione entered. There
were waiters rushing around, hastily taking down orders for drinks, and a few
people had even started to dance unaccompanied by any music. The three made
their way over to where Harry, Marie, Seamus and Ginny were sitting, chatting
unconcernedly. Upon seeing Hermione, Seamus pretended to fall to the floor in a
dead faint, claiming he was 'blinded by her radiant beauty'. Harry merely sat,
speechless. He eventually managed to stammer, 'You – you look beautiful,
Hermione,' before James rescued him, leading Hermione away to help him get
drinks.
Presently,
the dancing began. A fast beat started, with all of the couples moving from
every direction like tributaries to a river into the centre of the dance floor.
James took Hermione's hand, and Harry took Marie's. Seamus and Ginny had
started to dance exuberantly almost the minute they left their seats.
They
danced for approximately half an hour to different tunes, from Beethoven's
Moonlight Sonata to Stutter, by Mystikal. At one point, Justin Finch-Fletchley
and Hannah Abbott were politely asked to leave the floor because of the
'evident passion' they were displaying while dancing. Evidently, the operators
didn't like their "bumping and grinding" (which they claimed all the Muggles
did) to the Thong song. Fuming, Hannah exclaimed, 'God, it was only my
nipple!' whilst the judges attempted to get them away as hastily as possible.
They were soon seen exiting the club to find a more private spot. The rest of
the partners gave the angry couple unreadable looks before they left, yet
continued dancing with just as much flair as before.
To
take the dancer's minds off of the disturbance, the judges started to play the
Tango.
At this, two of the judges, Kim and Hayden, decided they would have a
better
look at the dancers while dancing themselves. James laughed when he heard Kim
giving Hayden terse orders, 'Pretend my body is a globe. Your hands don't go
south or north of the equator. Got it?' Kim ordered, placing his hands
on her waist. She glared up at him, but a grin started to spread across her
face as Hayden led her across the floor with the other couples. He merely
smirked innocently before they began.
Presently, most people sat down for a drink. James and Hermione remained for
the tango, however. James took Hermione's right hand and
guided it onto his forearm, whilst his left went onto the small of her back. His right hand grasped
her left and
stretched
it out into the correct position. Then, slowly, they began to move. Slowly,
Hermione turned around and relaxed his arms. She fell against him in the usual
slow dance position seen in dozens of both Muggle and wizarding television
shows and films. They continued dancing in the simple two-step pattern. The two
were clearly the best dancers out on the floor, in tune not only to the music,
but to each other; always on the beat, aware of where the next one would move –
they would be most likely to receive the top marks.
Seamus
and Ginny waltzed across the floor, flying through the gaps in the
other
couples as if they were butter. Somehow, however, Ginny got the impression that
Seamus would prefer to be dancing with someone else. Flora and Draco,
meanwhile, matched the others perfectly with their grace and skills in all the
dances ... however, because Draco had decided that the seventh slow dance of the night
was the perfect time to kiss his partner softly on the lips, they had been
asked to leave, and display their affection elsewhere. Draco jumped at this,
and hastily led Flora to an old broom cupboard at the back of the club.
After
the first set of dances, people began to start dancing with other people. Harry
took one round with Hermione, though she was clearly far better than he was.
Then Hermione led Ron in a slow dance, letting her head rest on his shoulder as
he turned her around slowly. But easily the most heart-warming sight was when
Seamus asked Marie if he could dance with her. The sparks were practically
flying from them, in Harry's opinion, as they danced slowly to an encore of the
Moonlight Sonata. Whilst dancing, they were staring unwaveringly into each
other's eyes. Harry felt he could quite easily guess the three small words
Seamus whispered into Marie's ear at the end of their dance.
There
was a break shortly after the second set of dances. The judges were to
collaborate their marks and the top three couples were to prove their
excellence by dancing 'La Tango de la Burro'. Harry and the rest sat drinking
at their table. Hermione insisted on sticking to orange juice. Dean, however,
had other ideas. Hayden stood up to announce the finalists, when there was
suddenly a huge crash from the street outside.
The
whole club went silent.
'What the hell
was that?' Harry said, glancing worriedly at James.
'No idea,' James replied,
pulling out his wand. 'But we'll soon find out. Come on.' Harry nodded and
followed. He noticed Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus do the same. The four
friends ran outside of the building, whilst the dancing continued. It was
deserted.
'OK,' said James.
'Whatever that was probably isn't good. We need to find it. Harry, you and
Hermione go that way, up towards the Shrieking Shack. Sirius, you and Remus go
up the main street. Ron and I will go this way, towards the Castle. We'll meet
back here in an hour.' The four nodded, and went off their separate ways. James
muttered, 'Lumos!' and, with a slight sense of foreboding, started off
down the dark path, Ron to his left.
*
'See anything?'
'Nope. Come on, I
think this is safe.' Harry inched forward and allowed Hermione to tiptoe past
him.
'I don't like
this, Harry,' she said, shuddering slightly.
'Neither do I,
Hermione, but we need to find whatever it was that made that noise.' She
nodded, and they continued along the dark path, the shadows of the Shrieking
Shack lit by Harry's wand light. It was odd, in a way, to know that the
Shrieking Shack was not a haunted building, as it practically epitomised one,
in Hermione's eyes. The overgrown moss on the side, and the boarded-up windows
served to give it a very spooky aura. Harry made a sudden movement. He seemed
to be straining his ears, as though listening for something. He motioned for
Hermione to be quiet, and stepped closer to the Shack. It looked very ominous,
particularly when only lit by the light of Harry's wand. He inched closer, and
saw something move on the ground. It was very small, dark and thin.
'What's that?'
Hermione asked, looking at what looked like a black sheet.
'Haven't a clue,'
Harry remarked. Hermione peered closer, however. She knelt down until she was
close to the cloth-type creature.
'There was only
one creature I can remember being cloth-like,' Harry said, straining to
remember. 'What was it – hmm –' He mused for too long. The small black cloth,
whatever it was, leapt up suddenly and onto Hermione's face. Her screams were
muffled by the thick black sheet that was, Harry suddenly remembered, a
Lethifold.
'Good God,' he
said, instantly wondering how a Lethifold had made its way to Hogsmeade. He
pulled out his wand, and concentrated extremely hard on the moment he had
kissed Hermione, all those months ago. The feeling swelled in his chest, and,
almost automatically, he heard the words, 'Expecto Patronum!' escape
him.
James' Animagi form's appearance was a brief one. The
silver, dazzling stag rushed at the Lethifold, catching it on its antlers.
Hermione managed to sit up, looking dazed and very out of breath. Harry watched
as the Lethifold slithered away, incensed that there was no Light Arts way of destroying
the creature. He looked up at Hermione, who looked extremely shaken and very
pale.
'Hermione –' he
began, but he was cut off. Hermione, wiping tears from her face, threw her arms
around him helplessly, sobbing into his jacket. 'There there,' he said,
consolingly. 'It's all right.' Hermione gulped.
'Harry,' she
said. 'I'm sorry – a Lethifold – I didn't know – I didn't mean to –'
'Shhh, don't
worry,' Harry said kindly. 'It's gone now. See? It's not here.'
'But H – Harry,
how did it get here? I thought they were tropical creatures…'
'They are,' Harry
replied. 'Someone left it in Hogsmeade with the intent of murder, I perceive.
Something bad is going on, Hermione. Something is wrong. We need to find the
others, and quickly.'
*
'Something bad is going to happen, I can feel
it.'
'Don't worry,
Sirius.'
'I tell you, I've
only sensed this feeling once before.'
'When?'
'Can't you
guess?' Remus nodded.
'Halloween 1981,'
he said glumly. Sirius bowed his head, and wiped some tears from his eyes.
'Right,' he said,
his voice cracking slightly. 'The night – Lily and James – died. I could feel
it, Remus. I knew something was wrong. And I got twelve years in a living hell
for it.' The deadened look in his eye became more pronounced than ever before.
'I hope you're
wrong, Sirius, that's all I can say.'
*
'Anyone there?'
Ron asked nervously.
'Don't think so,'
James replied, pulling back from the window. 'They're all still at the dancing
competition.' He turned and looked to the path ahead of them.
'I think we
should go back to the castle,' Ron said, voicing what James was thinking.
'Something's just not right.' James nodded.
'Good idea. Come
on.' They left Hogsmeade, both with their wands out in front. As they walked,
they looked left and right for signs of anything out of the ordinary. The most
they encountered was a rather irate Jarvey who harangued them for at least five
minutes on the importance of remaining quiet when walking past his home. Ron
got rather annoyed himself, eventually, and put a Jelly-Legs hex on the
creature. The Jarvey had danced away before it could protest.
They walked until they could see the looming turrets of
Hogwarts on the horizon. James motioned to the tallest tower.
'That was where I
proposed to Lily, I'm told,' James remarked fondly.
'Eh? How'd you
know?'
'Sirius told me
about it. Apparently I made Snape write it on the wall in his own blood, which
just goes to show that Sirius never tells the truth …'
'How do you think
you would have proposed to her?'
'I wouldn't be
extravagant. No need. Go down on one knee, tell her how much I love her, and
offer her the ring. No need for extra complications.'
'So you wouldn't
mind the casual tossing of the ring over the table, "fancy getting hitched?"
approach?' Ron replied slyly. James chuckled.
'That's more a
Sirius thing, probably. Nah, only kidding. That would just be pathetic.'
'There goes my
plan, then.' James chuckled.
'Never mind.
We're both a bit young to be thinking about marriage, anyway …' He suddenly
chuckled again.
'What?'
'Oh, just never
thought I'd hear myself saying that sentence.'
They walked further, and the windows of Hogwarts became more
and more distinct. The moonlight was shining off the lake in ripples when it
appeared, and James sighed wistfully.
'What's wrong?'
Ron asked.
'Can't you
guess?' James asked, smiling.
'You must miss
her badly, James. Everything seems to remind you of her.'
'You could name
any single thing associated with Hogwarts and I could associate it with Lily.'
Ron grinned, accepting the challenge.
'All right then …
The Great Hall.'
'Place where every
single person in the school found out about Lily and me.'
'Ah, I'm sure the
ticket prices were astronomical. Hmm … the library.'
'Let's just say
there's one section called, "Detailed Studies of History of Magic" where nobody
ever goes.' Ron smirked.
'All right then …
the tallest tower – ah, no, you said you proposed to her there … the lake.'
'Ah, the time
when Lily er, fell in, so to speak.' Ron grimaced.
'OK – last one –
the seventh year Gryffindor boys' dormitory …' James laughed.
'Nice try. I'll
just say that I'm not at liberty to answer that question.' Ron smiled.
'You were lucky,
you know,' he said. 'To have Lily, I mean.'
'I was,'
James said, sighing. 'And that's the problem.'
They ambled on further, Hogwarts becoming clearer the closer
they got to it. It looked, as it always did, positively mysterious in the
moonlight. The evening air was still warm, though there was a very light breeze
coming in from the north.
'Nice night,'
James muttered. He turned, expecting an answer, but he couldn't see Ron. He
turned, puzzled, and he saw it. A large black shadow was making its way towards
him. It all happened very quickly.
The black shadow moved forward, breathing slowly, but before
it could react, there was a loud cry of 'James!' from the other side of
the path. Something tall flew onto the path, and knocked James, completely
frozen, onto the floor. This happened just as the words 'Avada Kedavra!'
escaped the mouth of the black shadow, and green light issued around the small
clearing.
*
'What the hell
was that?' Hermione said, looking anxious. Harry didn't answer; he merely
grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her in the direction of Hogwarts castle.
*
'Ron,' James
gasped. 'Ron? Ron!' He struggled to his feet, and saw Ron, lying spread-eagled
on the ground.
'James,' Ron
whispered slowly. 'I'm OK. The spell missed me …' James breathed a huge sigh of
relief.
'Thank God,' he
said. 'Come on – up you get.' He put his arms under Ron's and pulled him up. He
looked all right, just very shaken. James released him, and he just about
managed to stand on his own two feet. His face was deadly pale.
'Thank you, Ron,'
said James sincerely. Ron muttered something incoherent. 'Thank you for saving
my life. Come on.'
'What happened to
him?' Ron asked suddenly, motioning to the assailant.
'I Stunned him,'
James replied, his eyes two chips of ice. Ron nodded.
'Good. I think we
had better get going …'
'Ron! James!' Hermione's
voice rang out across the path, as she and Harry came running up.
'Are you all
right?' Harry asked. 'We heard a – Good God, what happened to this one?' He had
noticed the attacker, sprawled on the ground. James had the man's wand, and was
twirling it between his fingers.
'He attacked me,'
he said simply. 'He probably though I was you, Harry. Ron knocked me out of the
way.' Ron did not look up, and James would be forever touched by his modesty.
Harry smiled, meanwhile, and looked up towards the castle.
'I think we
should go back,' he said. 'It's been a busy evening, what with one thing and
another. Come on.' They turned to leave. James conjured a stretcher for the
attacker, and letting him float along ominously. Just before they began to
walk, Harry muttered something rather disconcerting in James' ear, 'I'll tell
her when it's the right time.'
*
James, Ron, Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the evening
playing Exploding Snap in the Gryffindor common room. They had dropped off the
attacker, who both Dumbledore and James had recognised as a Death Eater called
Avery, in the hospital wing.
After seven or so games, people began to return from
Hogsmeade. One of the last couples to come through was Seamus and Marie Déesse,
who had certainly settled their differences. They came through the door hand in
hand, and made their way over to the corner.
'Made up, have
you?' Harry asked, smirking. Marie and Seamus grinned at each other.
'I suppose so,'
Seamus replied. Marie replied by kissing him swiftly on the lips. She pulled
back to face a rather dazed Seamus.
'I 'ave to go
somewhere,' she said, checking her watch. Seamus pretended to look very upset.
'Oh, OK,' he
said, kissing her again. When he did, however, Marie was taken by surprise, and
fell over on top of Ron. She jumped up hastily, and apologised profusely. Still
embarrassed, she muttered, 'See you later', smiled at Seamus and the others,
and left the common room through the portrait hole.
Ron, almost immediately after she had left, jumped up and
said, 'I'm going to the kitchens.' He didn't sound quite all there when he said
it, however. It sounded almost automatic, as though he hadn't meant to say it.
'What?' James
asked. Ron shook his head.
'I'll go and get
us some food,' he said, quietly. The others nodded.
'All right,'
Harry replied. Ron stood up and left the common room. James stood up too, as he
had noticed something odd. A green stain on Ron's dress robes.
'Harry,' he said.
'Can I borrow the Marauder's Map? I need to go and see if Remus and Sirius got
back all right…' Harry wasn't fooled.
'Why do you
really want it?'
'I don't know,
Harry. Just an odd feeling. Please?' Harry nodded.
'OK, see you in a
bit.' Within a few moments, James had also left the common room.
Seamus remained with Harry and Hermione for some time. He
procrastinated for a while, but eventually they found out what the story was
between him and Marie.
'We met in
France, two years ago,' Seamus recalled. 'And fell in love, even though we were
really young. I dunno, it just seemed – right.'
'But it didn't
work out?' Hermione asked.
'No – Marie had
to leave, with her sister. God knows where, and God knows why. She just left me
a very tear-stained note explaining the situation.'
'That was why you
were so shell shocked around that time,' Harry recalled.
'Yeah,' Seamus
replied. 'I was pretty devastated. But when she showed up here …'
'That's why she
was staring at you when she arrived,' Harry said. 'She recognised you too.'
Seamus nodded.
'She didn't
expect me to forgive her,' he said, smiling. 'But I couldn't stay angry with
her – I love her too much.' He sighed, and seemed to remember something. 'Oh
yeah, Hermione, why did you and James leave? You won!' Hermione gasped.
'I – we won?' she
said faintly.
'Yeah – but you
weren't around to get the trophy. I think – Flora has it – ask her when you see
her.' Hermione finally looked as though all her dreams had come true.
'I won – we –
James and I – we won,' she said, still amazed. Harry chuckled.
'Did you really
think anyone else would win?' he asked incredulously. 'Ron and I dance like
pregnant gherkins.' Hermione and Seamus laughed. 'Not funny,' Harry added, in a
mock-affronted tone.
Seamus stayed for one more game, but insisted he had to go
to bed. Harry and Hermione remained alone in the common room playing chess.
After two games, Hermione suddenly became acutely aware of that fact, and of
how closely together they were sitting. But, then again – she was going out
with Ron, wasn't she? Why should she be bothered about Harry? Do you really
want me to tell you? Came a small voice from the back of her mind. Hermione
sat up, suppressing it.
Harry, meanwhile, was suffering some description of internal
suffering – he couldn't decide whether or not to tell her. Surely it was the
perfect moment. He smiled nervously, and was surprised to see Hermione smiling
back. He gulped, and braced himself.
'Er, Hermione,'
he said, as another of his pawns went flying.
'Yeah?'
'I think there's
something you ought to know,' he replied, as casually as he could.
'Fire away.'
Harry exhaled and took a deep breath.
'I think you
should know what happened the night I saved your life …'
*
Hermione couldn't believe it. She sat, stunned into silence,
as Harry drooped his head onto his shoulder. Something else began to swell
inside her – anger. Why had he not told her? She had a right to know,
didn't she? How dare he not tell her?
'Why didn't you
tell me, Harry?' she asked, a few tears leaking out. Harry had to work to keep
his voice steady.
'I just – I
couldn't do it – I didn't want to ruin …'
'So you thought
you'd just wait until I was seeing Ron?!' Hermione practically screamed. 'Just
thought you'd wait until you could ruin our romance, hmm? And there was me
thinking you weren't self-centred, Harry. You're too late, I'm afraid.'
'Hermione,
please, just listen –'Harry, sitting devastated, was interrupted.
'No Harry, you
listen to me. You love me, fair enough. But I don't love you, I'm sorry to tell
you. I love Ron, and he loves me…' She broke into tears. Harry had to work hard
not to bite through his lip.
'Yeah, Hermione, you're
right. I'm sorry. Forget anything ever happened.' Harry walked across the
common room, feeling his heart literally being wrenched out of place
uncomfortably in his chest and smashed into a hundred pieces. After all this
time – and she didn't feel the same way. What was he going to do now? He could
barely look at her any more, let alone attend every lesson. He again felt a
painful pang in his chest. He swallowed – with difficulty – and made his way up
to the boys' dorm.
Hermione suddenly felt terrible. What had just happened? Had
she really said those things? She suddenly looked at the conversation from
Harry's perspective.
'Oh my God,' she
whispered. 'What have I done?'
She did not have long to dwell on this, however. James burst
into the common room, his face bloodless and his eyes on fire.
'Hermione,' he
said, in a toneless voice. 'Get Harry. Now.'
'Why?' she asked,
almost fearful of his commanding presence.
'Peter and Avery
have escaped,' he said calmly, obviously not showing his emotions. 'They took
Severus Snape with them.' James looked into the light, clearly suffering
internally. 'And Ron –' his voice cracked very slightly as he lifted the
Marauder's Map from his pocket and drew his finger across it. 'Ron has
disappeared …'
Oh dear.
Blimey, that part was quite long. Thanks and double
thanks go to: Firstly, the absolutely superlative ~*Snow Angel*~,
without whom this chapter would not have been possible. You can congratulate
her for the dancing competition section, and for costume design. Secondly,
thanks to Lizzy/Tygrestick, Chinook, ~*Snow Angel*~ and Mina for allowing me to use them
as good-natured although seductive Veela. And thirdly, to all you reviewers,
who really inspire me to churn out these chapters as fast as I possibly can.
The Thanks Section comments are only minimal, this time, but I can assure you
that your reviews mean a lot to me. Thanks.
HGW (In again first is HGW. Congrats. Ah, thanks a
lot again, HG. Love ya.), Ah, the intensely beautiful Lizzy/Tygrestick
(Another one quick off the mark. You know how much I love you, Lizzy, I'm sure
… and that 2/3 bit? Now you can decide. Cheers, and I hope you liked your cameo
J),
Cat Samwise (Glad to hear it. Thanks again, Cat. Ciao.), the insane,
speaking-to-me-on-AIM Mina (You've just gone. Ohhh well. Ah, you and
Seamukins made up. Lucky you. Ciao Mina; still love ya.), Chinook (Yup
*nods*. That I do. Enjoy the cameo, eh? *G* Love you, Adrienne. Thanks.), Lilly
Potter (Thanks. Was it you who plugged my fic? I think it mighta been. Love
you for that and reviewing!), Kelzery (Ooh, long review. 'Petrified' can
just mean 'terrified; afraid'. Still love you, Kelly. Ciao.), Twilight and
Silence (I thought as much. *g*, thanks a lot, T&S. Ciao.) Kenady
(Going AQAP. Thanks a lot!), Jagara (Thanks a lot. Will do.), Lilliana
Rivas (Thanks a lot, Ruby. Yeah, Gladiator is great. The name's my MSN
pseudonym, actually. Ciao.), Aria* (I probs could have made the Neville
thing more interesting – but I wanted to be realistic. Thanks a lot. Ciao.), Ashleigh
(Good, good. Ah, people who read this deserve thanks … thanks!), Hank Riddle
(Ooh, a fancy/fear kinda situation, eh? Sounds very interesting, Hank. I'm sure
you enjoy it, anyway. Cheers.), Mayleesa (Thanks. The Quidditch game was
fun J),
illusions2525 (Too kind, illusions. Thanks once again. Love ya.), SilverTone
(I like Ron. He's a cool character. And, there was the Dancing. Thanks a lot), Griff
(Thanks very much!), the oooh … superlative gumdrop (Ooh yeah, I
love Neighbours, me. About the Veela-hair thing. Hmm … I dunno. Thanks again,
Nadia. Love you as always), Rufus (Ah, the poem was classic. Thanks
again, Rufus!), (hermione in disguise) Hallie (You had time to
spare from Textiles to read this? I'm corrupted. Ah, you'll never convert me.
Thanks Hallie! Ooh, I'm sure I love you …), Trin (Ten seconds?! That
long?!! J/K, thanks a lot), Nickzchick (Ah, keep up. He went …
somewhere. I know R/H has more basis in fact, but I don't care. This is
fanfiction. Thanks a lot! Loved the review.), athena_arena (Ah, yours
are better, Rachel. Still, it's always nice when better authors compliment.
Thanks!), FiFi :) (I thank when peeps review. Thanks a lot!), jen
(Ah, maybe in an AU fic I would have Herm/James. Ohhh well. Thanks.), Penny
(People who don't like generally haven't read. Me? Single? Hmm … let me check …
*drops of water from tap fall* Yup!), Cassandra Lynn {x2) (Ooh, I bet
the H/Hers didn't like the end of this chappy. Thanks a lot for double
reviews!), JadeiteZ (Thanks, JZ. Love ya!), Malfoy's Best Friend
(THANKS {Ooh, monosyllabicism}), da supoib AngieJ {x9} (Ar,
thanks, Angie. It means a lot to me not only to have my stories reviewed by one
of my favourite authors, but an English teacher nonetheless. Thanks for the
comments. Incidentally, the ending was purely a vote for Sirius' Dementor's
Kiss in TiP9. Hooray!) Leap (Ah, poor Snapey. Thanks!) the seraphim
(Ah, thanks, seraphim. I won't love you if you don't want. Hating is easier.
Ciao!), jj (Thanks a lot! Ooh, a Malfoy-hater *g*), Mladybug3
(Yes you are. Ooh, tell me how you get on with your fic. Love you. Ciao), dcChic
(Thanks a lot. Ciao), the … hmm … ooh, too superlative for words ~*Snow
Angel*~ (Ah, a very interesting review. Simon sends his love, I'm sure.
How's Strip-Man? Hmmm? Ohhh, never mind. Thanks as always, Kim/Flora. Love
ya.), Calder Lynch (Ah, give that to Angie, she's around here somewhere.
Thanks anyway, of course. Ciao), *Ice Lily* (Going AQAP. Thanks.), ClayZebra
(Glad to hear it, CZ. Thanks; love you.), someone2 (Yeah, I love you
too, s2. Thanks again.), ex-LongLongHair {x2} (Ooh, you will hitherto be
known as 'Baldy'. Thanks a lot. Hope Marshmead was good. Ciao), Krazzie Krys
(Thanks a lot. Ciao), MK (Thanks very much!), Anime Freak (No it
isn't. Thanks a lot), Rachel Granger-Gryffindor (Ah, thanks as usual,
Rachel. Love you.), You-Know-Who {x3} (It makes noises? Thanks for the
multiple reviews. Ciao), Lita of Jupiter (Ooh, that's what you thought.
Ah, I'm off to Venus, in that case. Tchau!), Professor Unicorn (How
fascinating. Thanks a lot), ah, the wonderful The House (Ah yes,
I do love everyone. I think. Ah, you're still a star, Andy. Look – chapter
dedicated. Ahhhh), Sandrilene
Anastasia (Nice pseud. That exciting? Blimey … thanks), Liz (Ooh,
nice vote. Glad you like the Snape/James bits. Always fun. Thanks.), Prongs
(Thanks a lot. Will do), Bryn {x2} (A conversion. Heh heh. Glad to hear
it. Thanks), whatever (Ooh, a well thought-out alias name. Thanks a
lot), Lily Vance (Ah, thanks a lot), Caro (Ah, going AFAIC.
Thanks), Guy Fawkes (Thanks for your intelligent comments. Oh yes, James
is highly mature. It's his way. Thanks), Melissa (Will do. Cheers), len
(Thanks a lot), Lily of Ravenclaw (And I'm very happy to hear it.
Thanks!), Skittles (Ooh, definitely not. There are some betters, though.
AngieJ, Cassandra Claire, Lori. Keep looking. Thanks), Sarah (Thanks a
lot J),
Grace (You shouldn't hate Ron. He's kewl. Thanks a lot for all the
comments {you're right about the electronics thing} Ciao), J {x2} (You
should vote then. Cheers for double reviews), Ivi Murffy {x4} (Ah,
thanks for the multiple reviews. Ciao), Acromantula (Ooh, subtlety. The
second person to do an email address vote. Thanks), Charmsangel (Hmmm.
Now. Thankeledankely!), Teardrop005 (Ah, me going AFAP. Thanks a lot), Ppofn
(Ah, don't hold it against me. I know R/H is far more likely – I'm just having
a bit of fun. And Ron is kewl; I like Ron. Thanks), Little Witch (Aha,
going AQAP. When's the next part of 'WHmL' out, hmmm? Thanks, LW!), Switchblade
{x3} (Thanks for multiple, albeit insane, reviews. Ciao), Herms (Will
do. Thanks), herm (I will. Thank you), Kacie Michelle (Ooh, more
ficciness. Thanks), Lady Ev (Dead yet? Ohhh well. Cheers), Paparazzi
(Ooh, you press are so changeable. Thanks a lot!), Angel Star (Ah yes. I
like Seamus. I think … gumdrop voted the same. Sorry – he has Marie. Thanks), star
beneath the stairs (It's got better, IMO. Thank you), FunkyMonkyLO8
(Ah, good vote. Thanks), ? (I'm a god? I knew it – House, you owe me a
tenner! Cheers), Spunky (Ah, thanks a lot), K.A.P. {x3} (Thanks
for multiple reviews. I think James wanted, in this fic, for Harry to regard
him as a contemporary, as they are both 17. Thanks), Angelina Johnson
(Ooh, shoulda voted. Cheers), Dragon88 (Glad to hear it. Cheers), Unknown
(More what? Ohh well, thanks anyway. Ciao), Lycus (I'm not that good.
Thanks a lot), Courtney (Ooh, long review. Cheers), Hedwig {x2}
(Nice, subtle vote. Happy to hear you enjoy it. Thanks), Menyl, Goddess of
Manipulation (Thanks a lot for two reviews! And I am 14 … I think), sam
(Yes, I've shortened it. Ta), becki~ (Thanks a lot), George Must Die
(Must he? Thanks for comments. Ciao), Daniel Diggory (I think I did …
hmm … thanks), Taylor (Yup. Like cliffies, I do. Cheers), HP FREAK
(A self-confessed freak … that's rare. Thanks), James + Lily, Harry +
Hermione (Add a sprinkle of sugar and you're on. Thanks), jus1digigirl
(Yes I must. Cliffies are fun. Thank you), Princess Sakura (Nice vote.
Thanks a lot), ooh, the very spiky Jae-san (Will do, sah, thank
you, sah. Good night), Phoebe (Thanks for a kind review. Ciao), pool
(Thanks), G-chan (Yeah, James is cool. Cheers), Unshed Tears {x2}
(Love that pseud. Still going … thanks), tina (Ah, nice vote. Thanks), Arthurs
Merlin (Yes. Thanks a lot), do you really care ?! (No, I suppose
not. *g* Thanks a lot), anonymous (Oh yes. I understand all of not at
all. Thanks), Menyl, Goddess of Manipulation (Well, I know you reviewed
before, but oh well. Thanks a lot. Liked the vote – and I definitely am 14. I
checked. Thanks), Withywindle (I think, just for that, I'm making it
Ron/Marie. We'll see. You scare me, Maria; did you know that? *g* Thanks a
lot!), JadeiteZ (Pray tell me, which story was it you found? Thanks
anyway, JZ. Ah, once again, this becomes my favourite reviews, as it allows me
to finish the INHUMAN PRACTICE that is the THANKS SECTION!!).
I think you should all give yourselves a pat on the back.
Yes, very good.
Some twivia:-
Ooh, now, the whole thing is: 11, 148 words
The Thanks Section is: 1, 387 words
The Percentage is: 12.5% Oh yeah, baby.
Thanks again, everyone. I hope you'll stick with the fic
'til the end. Only … two chapters to go! (I think …)
I love you all more than I did last chapter.
Tchau
