James and Sirius crept through the hallway quietly, snickering the
whole way. "Where?" Sirius whispered wickedly, one hand in the pocket of
his robes.
"Outside of Binns's room. He won't be able to smell it, and no one has his class for another half hour, so we can get away in time," replied James, grinning just as broadly as his friend.
The two chuckled silently to themselves, amused with their little prank in the making. They reached the door to Professor Binns's room. James was the smaller of the two, so it was his job to see if Binns was in the classroom. He poked his head halfway into the room. The ghost was there, his back to them. James pivoted, grinned, and gave Sirius the thumbs up.
Sirius grinned back, then pulled a small black ball out of his pocket. Holding it carefully in both hands, he pushed the little knob on one side. It opened slowly, silently. Sirius reverently pushed the button on the inside, then placed it between the open door and the wall. Both held their breaths, plugged their noses, and went into a run. "Hello? Is anyone there?" a whispery voice called behind them, from the classroom, but they were already out of sight.
The corridor curved sharply, right and left. Sirius stood on the left side. Only eleven years old, and he already looked tough in James's eyes. Sirius was already taller than his best friend by four inches, and he probably made a James-and-a-half in weight. He was a little on the stocky side, but it was really muscle, not fat. His short spiky black hair and dark, laughing eyes made his sarcastic, macabre humor apparent.
On the right side was James. He was fairly short, very skinny. No matter how small he seemed, James was wiry and fast. He had a quick mind as well, and unruly hair black that refused to stay where it was told. It was clear he was confident, cocky, just by the way he carried himself. If Sirius was tough, James was brave, and the two made an inseparable and dangerous team.
The two friends nodded swiftly, giving each other a quick thumbs up and wink for good luck before running as fast as they could in opposite directions. Sirius was going to head for Professor McGonagall's classroom to ask for help on his live transfigurations, because he really did need the help. James was going to Gryffindor Hall to study in his room. If all went according to plan, no one would be able to pin the dungbomb on them.
James was cackling like a fiend by the time he reached the Fat Lady. "Smuggle Mirf," he said, unable to stop grinning. The Fat Lady just shook her two-dimensional head as the portrait hole swung open. James entered the common room and headed straight for his communal bedroom, where intended to start his homework.
Much to his surprise, the door was already a sliver open when James got there. He froze outside the door. What if something in the plan had gone awry? Then he heard the sniveling.
It wasn't exactly crying. It was more like a moan of pain. James looked through the crack, and it was Remus! "Oh no! Remus, are you okay?" James rushed to his friend.
"I'm- fine," Remus stuttered. He was shaking.
James shook his head. "No you are NOT fine, and we are taking you to see Madame Pomfrey." All four of the Marauders knew Madame Pomfrey rather well, as she had mended at least one broken bone apiece. James grabbed his arm.
"No!" Remus cried. "Don't touch me, James. It isn't safe. Please, just run. Go get a teacher, any teacher, Dumbledore even. Tell them, tell them my illness is coming on. They'll know what to do." As James started out the door, Remus added, "Hurry, James. And lock the door!"
James did as he was told, running like mad out of Gryffindor Tower. Fortunately, the first teacher he bumped into was Professor McGonagall, walking with Sirius.
"Professor!" James gasped, rather out of breath. Sirius looked at him rather oddly.
"What is it, James?" Professor McGonagall asked him. "If this is another silly stunt of yours gone wrong, then I'll-,"
James just shook his head. "No, Professor. It's Remus!"
Her eyes lit up nervously. "Is he all right?"
"He said something about an illness, told me to get a teacher," James said.
"Dear God!" Professor McGonagall said with a dull gasp. She thought for a moment before whirling into action. "Boys, I need you to get me Dumbledore right away. Time is short. Afterwards, go straight to my room. DO NOT return to Gryffindor Tower, DO NOT go to the Madame Pomfrey's office, just STAY THERE!" With that, the Gryffindor headmaster spun on her heel and practically flew off.
"James, what happened to Remus?" Sirius asked, clearly worried about his friend. For all of Sirius's malicious behavior, he was very protective of all of his friends.
"I don't know. He was shaking badly, and sort of moaning in pain. He told me to go get a teacher, so I ran."
"We have to go do what McGonagall told us to," Sirius said, so the two boys took off at a run. "Let's find Dumbledore first."
After nearly tripping over a few "accidents" left for them by Peeves, the two made it to Dumbledore's office. "Professor Dumbledore," they called, stumbling into his room while simultaneously trying to break their run and not crash headlong into Dumbledore's desk.
"Yes, James, Sirius?" the headmaster replied, his eyes peering at them over half-moon spectacles.
"It's Remus, Sir. Professor McGonagall told us to fetch you. He's in Gryffindor Tower, in our room."
Dumbledore practically launched himself out of his chair, ran to the fireplace, and pulled a few grains of sand out of a belt pouch. He tossed them into the flames, shouting, "Poppy? Quentin? Come immediately." Suddenly, both Madame Pomfrey and Professor Trimble stepped out of the fireplace. Why Professor Trimble, James wondered. Trimble was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "It's Remus Lupin," Dumbledore said shortly, and the three left at a near run for Gryffindor Tower.
"Well, I suppose we should go to Professor McGonagall's room now," James said with a sigh.
"Shouldn't we follow them?" Sirius asked with a slight smile.
"You know, Sirius," James said with the same grin, "there's a time and place for everything."
Sirius just shook his head as the two made their way to McGonagall's office. "And you call yourself a Marauder."
After about a half hour of sitting in the professor's office, a very distraught McGonagall walked in. Her normally neat bun was not quite as orderly as it usually was, and there were small tears at the bottom of her robe. Neither boy commented on either.
After slumping into her chair, McGonagall just looked at James and Sirius. "Well, at least you two followed directions when it counted," she muttered under her breath."
The two just looked at her for a moment anxiously. Finally, James spoke, "Professor, is Remus okay?"
"Yes, he's fine. He has a recurring illness, rather serious if it is not attended to immediately, but fairly harmless otherwise. We got to him in time, everything is fine now."
"What illness-?" Sirius started to ask.
Professor McGonagall just looked at them both and said, "It is all right for you both to return to Gryffindor Tower now. Remus will be back with you in a few days."
"May we at least visit him?" asked James tentatively.
McGonagall shook her head. "No, James. I will see you both in class tomorrow," she replied, effectively ending the conversation. Sirius and James turned and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, both immensely worried about their friend.
They gave the Fat Lady the password, climbed through the portrait hole, and James slumped down into a chair in the common room. James did not want to go back into their room just yet, and Sirius did not ask him any questions. Instead, he flopped down beside his friend.
Within moments, they were joined by Lily, Arabella, Hazel, and Peter. All three girls had been tutoring Peter, who was quite behind in his studies. Seeing James and Sirius looking dejected, they quickly joined them.
"What happened?" asked Lily. "Where's Remus?"
It only took about a minute and a half for the boys to tell their story. All six friends sat in shocked silence. "Recurring?" Arabella asked when they had finished. "He gets this all the time?"
Hazel sighed. "I can't imagine, all the pain he must go through. To cry like that, when he's used to it..." she murmured with a shudder. Lily just patted Hazel's hand from her seat between Ara and James.
"But he'll be okay soon, right?" asked Peter.
Sirius looked at the ground, trying to hide his concern. "McGonagall said he would be back in a few days."
Over the next two days the friends were a bit more subdued, but they passed without any event of note otherwise.
When Remus finally walked back into the common room on the third day after his illness struck, he was virtually attacked by six people, all asking him how he was. The normally reserved Remus was even quieter than normal, when replying, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it," to every question they asked him.
Eventually, they all settled back down. James sat beside Remus. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Remus said with his shy smile, a tad embarrassed.
"Professor McGonagall wouldn't tell us what was wrong with you," James added.
Remus suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights. James only knew because his muggle father insisted they own a normal car, which had accidentally hit a deer a few years back. Remus had the same frightened, tense look that deer had had in his normally friendly grey eyes. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just a little sickness I've had since childhood. No reason to worry!" He finished this tirade in one breath and with a nervous laugh. This said, he quickly excused himself to bed, leaving James to wonder.
"Outside of Binns's room. He won't be able to smell it, and no one has his class for another half hour, so we can get away in time," replied James, grinning just as broadly as his friend.
The two chuckled silently to themselves, amused with their little prank in the making. They reached the door to Professor Binns's room. James was the smaller of the two, so it was his job to see if Binns was in the classroom. He poked his head halfway into the room. The ghost was there, his back to them. James pivoted, grinned, and gave Sirius the thumbs up.
Sirius grinned back, then pulled a small black ball out of his pocket. Holding it carefully in both hands, he pushed the little knob on one side. It opened slowly, silently. Sirius reverently pushed the button on the inside, then placed it between the open door and the wall. Both held their breaths, plugged their noses, and went into a run. "Hello? Is anyone there?" a whispery voice called behind them, from the classroom, but they were already out of sight.
The corridor curved sharply, right and left. Sirius stood on the left side. Only eleven years old, and he already looked tough in James's eyes. Sirius was already taller than his best friend by four inches, and he probably made a James-and-a-half in weight. He was a little on the stocky side, but it was really muscle, not fat. His short spiky black hair and dark, laughing eyes made his sarcastic, macabre humor apparent.
On the right side was James. He was fairly short, very skinny. No matter how small he seemed, James was wiry and fast. He had a quick mind as well, and unruly hair black that refused to stay where it was told. It was clear he was confident, cocky, just by the way he carried himself. If Sirius was tough, James was brave, and the two made an inseparable and dangerous team.
The two friends nodded swiftly, giving each other a quick thumbs up and wink for good luck before running as fast as they could in opposite directions. Sirius was going to head for Professor McGonagall's classroom to ask for help on his live transfigurations, because he really did need the help. James was going to Gryffindor Hall to study in his room. If all went according to plan, no one would be able to pin the dungbomb on them.
James was cackling like a fiend by the time he reached the Fat Lady. "Smuggle Mirf," he said, unable to stop grinning. The Fat Lady just shook her two-dimensional head as the portrait hole swung open. James entered the common room and headed straight for his communal bedroom, where intended to start his homework.
Much to his surprise, the door was already a sliver open when James got there. He froze outside the door. What if something in the plan had gone awry? Then he heard the sniveling.
It wasn't exactly crying. It was more like a moan of pain. James looked through the crack, and it was Remus! "Oh no! Remus, are you okay?" James rushed to his friend.
"I'm- fine," Remus stuttered. He was shaking.
James shook his head. "No you are NOT fine, and we are taking you to see Madame Pomfrey." All four of the Marauders knew Madame Pomfrey rather well, as she had mended at least one broken bone apiece. James grabbed his arm.
"No!" Remus cried. "Don't touch me, James. It isn't safe. Please, just run. Go get a teacher, any teacher, Dumbledore even. Tell them, tell them my illness is coming on. They'll know what to do." As James started out the door, Remus added, "Hurry, James. And lock the door!"
James did as he was told, running like mad out of Gryffindor Tower. Fortunately, the first teacher he bumped into was Professor McGonagall, walking with Sirius.
"Professor!" James gasped, rather out of breath. Sirius looked at him rather oddly.
"What is it, James?" Professor McGonagall asked him. "If this is another silly stunt of yours gone wrong, then I'll-,"
James just shook his head. "No, Professor. It's Remus!"
Her eyes lit up nervously. "Is he all right?"
"He said something about an illness, told me to get a teacher," James said.
"Dear God!" Professor McGonagall said with a dull gasp. She thought for a moment before whirling into action. "Boys, I need you to get me Dumbledore right away. Time is short. Afterwards, go straight to my room. DO NOT return to Gryffindor Tower, DO NOT go to the Madame Pomfrey's office, just STAY THERE!" With that, the Gryffindor headmaster spun on her heel and practically flew off.
"James, what happened to Remus?" Sirius asked, clearly worried about his friend. For all of Sirius's malicious behavior, he was very protective of all of his friends.
"I don't know. He was shaking badly, and sort of moaning in pain. He told me to go get a teacher, so I ran."
"We have to go do what McGonagall told us to," Sirius said, so the two boys took off at a run. "Let's find Dumbledore first."
After nearly tripping over a few "accidents" left for them by Peeves, the two made it to Dumbledore's office. "Professor Dumbledore," they called, stumbling into his room while simultaneously trying to break their run and not crash headlong into Dumbledore's desk.
"Yes, James, Sirius?" the headmaster replied, his eyes peering at them over half-moon spectacles.
"It's Remus, Sir. Professor McGonagall told us to fetch you. He's in Gryffindor Tower, in our room."
Dumbledore practically launched himself out of his chair, ran to the fireplace, and pulled a few grains of sand out of a belt pouch. He tossed them into the flames, shouting, "Poppy? Quentin? Come immediately." Suddenly, both Madame Pomfrey and Professor Trimble stepped out of the fireplace. Why Professor Trimble, James wondered. Trimble was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "It's Remus Lupin," Dumbledore said shortly, and the three left at a near run for Gryffindor Tower.
"Well, I suppose we should go to Professor McGonagall's room now," James said with a sigh.
"Shouldn't we follow them?" Sirius asked with a slight smile.
"You know, Sirius," James said with the same grin, "there's a time and place for everything."
Sirius just shook his head as the two made their way to McGonagall's office. "And you call yourself a Marauder."
After about a half hour of sitting in the professor's office, a very distraught McGonagall walked in. Her normally neat bun was not quite as orderly as it usually was, and there were small tears at the bottom of her robe. Neither boy commented on either.
After slumping into her chair, McGonagall just looked at James and Sirius. "Well, at least you two followed directions when it counted," she muttered under her breath."
The two just looked at her for a moment anxiously. Finally, James spoke, "Professor, is Remus okay?"
"Yes, he's fine. He has a recurring illness, rather serious if it is not attended to immediately, but fairly harmless otherwise. We got to him in time, everything is fine now."
"What illness-?" Sirius started to ask.
Professor McGonagall just looked at them both and said, "It is all right for you both to return to Gryffindor Tower now. Remus will be back with you in a few days."
"May we at least visit him?" asked James tentatively.
McGonagall shook her head. "No, James. I will see you both in class tomorrow," she replied, effectively ending the conversation. Sirius and James turned and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, both immensely worried about their friend.
They gave the Fat Lady the password, climbed through the portrait hole, and James slumped down into a chair in the common room. James did not want to go back into their room just yet, and Sirius did not ask him any questions. Instead, he flopped down beside his friend.
Within moments, they were joined by Lily, Arabella, Hazel, and Peter. All three girls had been tutoring Peter, who was quite behind in his studies. Seeing James and Sirius looking dejected, they quickly joined them.
"What happened?" asked Lily. "Where's Remus?"
It only took about a minute and a half for the boys to tell their story. All six friends sat in shocked silence. "Recurring?" Arabella asked when they had finished. "He gets this all the time?"
Hazel sighed. "I can't imagine, all the pain he must go through. To cry like that, when he's used to it..." she murmured with a shudder. Lily just patted Hazel's hand from her seat between Ara and James.
"But he'll be okay soon, right?" asked Peter.
Sirius looked at the ground, trying to hide his concern. "McGonagall said he would be back in a few days."
Over the next two days the friends were a bit more subdued, but they passed without any event of note otherwise.
When Remus finally walked back into the common room on the third day after his illness struck, he was virtually attacked by six people, all asking him how he was. The normally reserved Remus was even quieter than normal, when replying, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it," to every question they asked him.
Eventually, they all settled back down. James sat beside Remus. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Remus said with his shy smile, a tad embarrassed.
"Professor McGonagall wouldn't tell us what was wrong with you," James added.
Remus suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights. James only knew because his muggle father insisted they own a normal car, which had accidentally hit a deer a few years back. Remus had the same frightened, tense look that deer had had in his normally friendly grey eyes. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just a little sickness I've had since childhood. No reason to worry!" He finished this tirade in one breath and with a nervous laugh. This said, he quickly excused himself to bed, leaving James to wonder.