I decided to wait until after the Chamber of Secrets buzz to keep writing…this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy the surprises!
Secrets of Hogwarts 2Chapter 5: Surprises Abound
The first thing the Marauders noticed when they entered Dumbledore's study was a large flash of light to their right.
"Awww…another Burning Day, huh Fawkes?" Ron said. Harry turned and saw a tiny wrinkled bird emerging from the ashes of its former body. He sort of wished he could just burn up and start over fresh. Six years I've been breaking rules, he thought to himself, and I still get nervous when I'm caught. He was sure his friends were thinking the same thing.
The three of them sat in the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Harry was staring straight at his shoes. He didn't want to look up and possibly find that Dumbledore was disappointed in him. That in itself would have been the worst punishment he could think of. There was what seemed to be a rather large silence until Dumbledore spoke.
"I see you're still following in your father's footsteps, Harry…although you missed one. He was a prefect, you know." He smiled at the Marauders. Harry still didn't look up. Ron was the one who ended up speaking.
"We just want to be like the
original Marauders, sir."
"Except the part where one of us turns evil and betrays another one of us" Harry muttered to himself. A small idea popped into his head, but he kept it quiet. Dumbledore simply kept smiling at Harry's remark.
"I quite agree, Harry. I must say that I'm not surprised that you three are Animagi. I assumed you would start studying how to transform when I saw that you had used Marauder nicknames in your…shall we say, debut prank?" The Marauders grinned to themselves, remembering the moment two years before when they had pulled a prank on Dumbledore himself. It was still discussed with awe among the students of Hogwarts.
"I must admit to a bit of spying also…I couldn't tell what your Animagus forms would be from your nicknames, so I kept a watch on the Forbidden Forest, looking for any new creatures that might be roaming around." Harry and the others seemed a bit shocked by this.
"But sir" Hermione said. "I would certainly think that you would have come down on us long before this, just for being unregistered!"
"And perhaps I should have, Hermione." Dumbledore said. "However, with Lord Voldemort (Ron flinched, but no one noticed) regaining his power, and still wanting to murder Harry, I thought it might be prudent for the three of you to be able to adopt forms that will allow you to hide better…even if they are a bit of a giveaway. I'm sure you've noticed by now that 'Beaky' also has a scar, Harry." Harry nodded.
Ron spoke up slowly, as though he'd rather not. "Does this mean, sir, that we're not in trouble?" Dumbledore's face got very serious looking. Harry's stomach dropped as he waited.
"Of course, you won't be punished for becoming Animagi, even if you're unregistered…" Harry was sure that Ron and Hermione were waiting for the rest with baited breath, just as he was. "And I think rescuing Hogsmeade from a vicious attack by evil creatures cancels out the fact that you left school grounds without permission." Three simultaneous sighs of relief could be heard.
"However, I must ask you not to leave the grounds like that again. I will have no choice but to give you a detention next time." The Marauders stood up and nodded, leaving quickly.
"You know, Beaky" Ron remarked as they headed for Gryffindor Tower, "one of the greatest perks I've seen of being your friend is that we never get in serious trouble." Harry grinned.
"Too right, Lionheart…you would think that by now, they'd know we're used to every kind of detention they can throw at us." He smiled, which was almost immediately replaced by a serious look as he remembered the thought that popped into his head in Dumbledore's office. Ron and Hermione saw the look.
"Something wrong, Beaky?" "Yes" Harry replied. "Let's go." He started running for Gryffindor Tower, Ron and Hermione lagging slightly. They caught up to him at the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pearl Jam" Harry said to the portrait, which swung open.
"I still can't believe Dean was able to persuade Professor McGonagall to use the name of a Muggle band for the password" Hermione remarked.
"I still can't believe Dean Thomas was made a prefect" Harry replied. "True…but Beaky, what's wrong?"
"Not here. Let's go upstairs." The Marauders went up to Harry and Ron's dorm room. Fortunately, it was empty when they entered.
"Ok. Remember when Lionheart said we wanted to be like the Marauders? And I said, "Except for the part where one of us turns evil and betrays another one of us?" Ron and Hermione nodded.
"Well, it served to remind me that there's something we should have done a long time ago." He pulled out his wand, moving it in a circle instead of the regular triangle, over the Marauders crest carved into his bed. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."
With a small pop, the apparitions of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew came into view. Ron and Hermione stared in surprise. None of them had ever summoned Pettigrew before. Harry had a rather evil look on his face as he spoke.
"Hello Marauders."
"Hello yourself, Beaky" Sirius said.
"He's got a nickname?" Peter remarked. "How come I didn't know about all this?" The rest of the apparitions turned to him, just as surprised as Ron and Hermione.
"I see you finally summoned the Rat, Beaky" James said. Remus and Sirius didn't say anything. They simply grabbed Peter and held him firmly. He was obviously shocked.
"Moony? Padfoot? What are you doing?" They didn't answer, just held him tighter despite his struggles. James stood in front of him and pushed up the left arm of his robes.
Everyone else flinched when they saw what was revealed: the all-too familiar skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth. The Dark Mark shone plainly on Pettigrew's arm. His eyes widened in shock.
"J-James…n-n-n-no…it's n-n-not what you th-think, honest…"
"Shut up." James pulled out his wand, pure hatred burning in his eyes. "Did you know that a year after we left this little gift for Harry, you sold Lily and I to Voldemort?" Peter flinched at his master's name.
"Sirius…Remus…" His head jerked wildly from side to side, seeking help from the two of them. Sirius laughed.
"Don't look at me, Peter. The day after Voldemort killed Lily and James, I hunted you down, and you'll never guess what happened…you managed to frame me for your murder! I admit, it was clever how you cut your own finger off and left it where you supposedly "died"…but I spent twelve years in Azkaban thanks to you." He gripped Peter's arm even tighter.
"And let's not forget" Remus added, "that Harry here has spent his life living with Muggles who treat him like dirt. All because you had to go and betray one of your best friends, Peter…shame, shame." He also gripped Peter tighter. The man was positively whimpering now.
"Please, no…" He couldn't seem to get any more words out. He just slumped in Remus and Sirius's grip as James raised his wand.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" James yelled. Remus and Sirius jumped out of the way quickly as the flash of green light hit Peter full force. He fell backwards and disappeared.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched the whole scene in minor shock.
"I didn't think apparitions could do THAT much" Hermione whispered. James smiled.
"Once again, the credit goes to Lily…and speaking of which, I believe there's one more surprise in store. Beaky, look at the crest on your bed again." Harry got on his bed and peered up at the crest. A new animal replaced the spot where Peter's rat form should have been…
"A tiger?" Harry said. Hermione, who had gotten on Harry's bed to get a better look, smiled slightly.
"Not exactly, Beaky. It's a tigress!" Harry was incredibly shocked, and turned to his father's apparition with the proper expression on his face.
"That's…Mom?" James simply kept smiling.
"Try the nickname 'Firefur'." Harry gulped slightly and raised his wand, touching the tigress's head. "Firefur."
There was another small pop, and a very familiar woman appeared. She smiled at the live Marauders.
"I think I can guess which one is our son, James…" She floated over to Harry. "Hello, Harry."
Harry couldn't seem to find his voice. He was too choked up with emotion. Lily, of course, noticed and turned to James.
"James, what's wrong?" James put his arm around her shoulder, and led her away a few paces. Harry watched the two of them talk. He felt a stabbing pain in his stomach when his mother shrieked; no doubt being told she's dead, he thought to himself. That kind of thing would shock anyone, he thought as his mother sobbed on his father's shoulder.
Behind him, Hermione tapped Ron on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, and the two of them walked out. Ron signaled to Remus and Sirius, and they nodded, floating down through the floor. All of them understood: the Potter family had some major catching up to do.
(A/N: Did you like the surprises? Dumbledore knowing about the Animagus forms? Peter getting destroyed, finally? Lily being a Marauder too? The password being 'Pearl Jam'? I have to take blame for that…I was listening to a new PJ song just as I was trying to think of a good password. Anyway, read and review! I'll do Chapter 6 as soon as possible…trust me, the Marauders aren't done with pranks yet!)