Chapter 3: The Portal
A blustery Autumn morning had never in his life seemed more breathtaking than today. James had just awoken from a brief slumber and was gazing out upon the school grounds. Without the aid of his glasses, he could just make out the figures of what appeared to be students, taking advantage of this magnificent day. But I suppose, he thought to himself rather suddenly, the weather wasn't the reason for my lifted spirit. As he turned from the window to look about his dormitory, he remembered the events of the previous night. Him and Sirius were friends again, The marauders were back. James walked over to his bedside table to retrieve his glasses. The others were beginning to stir.
"Hey buddy, what you doin' up so early?" questioned Sirius rather sleepily.
Having no real reason for his early awakening, James replied, "Ah, nothing. Just couldn't sleep that well."
Grunts from the two other four-posters in the dormitory had let them know Remus and Peter were awake as well. After the group had departed from their beds and dressed , they strolled down to the common room. James and Sirius began their usual antics of bewitching the furniture (they found great pleasure in watching the first years scream as they sat in a reclining chair, only to discover that it enclosed them as the chair twisted and writhed around them).
"Well, I'm happy to see that you two are back to normal…" began Remus, "but I thought that maybe this year you two would exercise a little control over your trouble-making." Being a Gryffindor prefect, Remus seemed obliged to inform his friends when they had gone too far.
"Oh come on Moony, we're just having a little fun. It's our last year, you know, and we'd really like to go out in style." James grinned at Sirius' comment. It was their life dream to be known as the greatest troublemakers in the history of Hogwarts, and this year was their last chance to make a lasting impression.
"What on Earth are you doing?" came a voice, coming from the girls dormitories. They glanced over in that direction, only to see a disgruntled Lily standing in the entranceway.
"We were just-, I was-" began James, searching desperately for a valid reason for his and Sirius' antics.
"It's just, I'm disappointed James, that's all. I thought that you, having your new position, would be better behaved. Set an example for other students."
"What is she talking about?" inquired Remus.
James looked rather upset. "I don't want you all to be upset at me for not telling you, but we had that argument before I even had the chance to." He glanced from Sirius, to Remus, to Peter. Having just reunited with the marauders on the previous evening, instigating a new feud was that last thing he wanted to occur.
"Tell us what?" barked Sirius. He didn't wish to be angry with James anymore, but the thought of his best friend keeping something from him was more than he could bear.
"I'm… I'm…" the expression an James' face changed to a rather uncomfortable one. What were they going to think when he informed them? Mustering up all of the strength possible, he said, "I'm head boy. Satisfied now?"
The jaws of the three remaining marauders dropped in unison. "WHAT?"
Remus seemed to be the most shocked by this revelation. "Why in the world would Dumbledore do that? I mean, you've caused more trouble than any other kid in our year, with the exception of Sirius of course." Sirius gave a smirk, exemplifying his pride.
"He seems to think it best. He's never lead me wrong before, so I trust him." replied James. He turned to Sirius, eager to find some appearance of approval on the face of his best friend. The grin was still on his face as he turned to James.
"Well, you know what this means…" began Sirius. "WE HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER!"
James, ecstatic over his friends reaction, gave Sirius an energized high-five.
Lily walked out of the room, headed out the portrait of the fat lady, muttering to herself something that sounded like "Boys…"
Classes for Lily and the Marauders had become quite unbearable over the following weeks. As professor McGonagall had pointed out during their latest Transfiguration lesson, N.E.W.T.S were to be administered at the end of the year, which meant a tremendous amount of work for the seventh years. Anywhere you went, you'd find a seventh year pouring themselves over a book or scratching a piece of parchment furiously with a quill. Even James and Sirius, whom everything always seemed to come easily to, were spotted studying diligently in the common room on occasion. During a particular study session, Lily and the marauders were seated beneath a giant oak tree that overlooked the lake. Remus, Lily, and Peter were engrossed in reading material. On the other hand, James and Sirius were whispering secretly between each other; no doubt they were planning some fresh new adventure.
Peter, looking utterly perplexed, pulled his head from his potions essay and questioned " Does anyone know the ingredients you need to make the Draught of Peace?"
James broke off his conversation with Sirius and commented, "Come on Wormtail, that's fifth year material!" Sometimes he was bewildered at the stupidity of his friend.
"Well, some of us can't be as smart as the great James Potter and Sirius Back!" he retorted with a slight quaver in his voice.
James didn't mean to upset Peter; he usually wasn't upset when James made comments of that sort. For the next half hour, James assisted Peter on his Potions essay, hoping Peter would forgive him. But after a while, even Lily was growing restless from studying.
"It's time for a little fun," began Sirius, "…Marauder style."
The time was now dusk. The sun had disappeared from view, but James could still distinguish the dim glow of it's rays from beyond the horizon, creating a magnificent spectrum of colors throughout the evening sky. An aroma of freshly fallen leaves filled the air as Lily and the Marauders crossed the school grounds. Aided by James' trusty invisibility cloak, the grounds were theirs to roam freely. This particular evening, the group decided to head towards the shrieking shack. But seeing as it wasn't yet full moon, and Lily was not an animagus, they had to utilize and alternate route they had not yet used. So with the marauders map in hand, they headed towards the lake. It was told by some that under a bank in the lake resided a secret tunnel to the shack.
"I really hope that this tunnel thing exists." gasped Lily." "It's getting really chilly out."
"James, please remind your girlfriend that the marauders ALWAYS know what they're doing." grunted Sirius. But James didn't have to. Lily understood.
"Ouch, James. Will you stop stepping on my feet?" Wormtail gasped as, for the sixth time, James had trodden over his feet.
"Sorry, buddy. But it's a tad hard to keep an eye out for your feet when were all packed in this cloak like sardines." James was quite right. They had managed to hide the four marauders in the cloak many times previously, but with the addition of Lily (and the fact that they had all grown a considerable amount), doing so was now a near impossible feat.
"We're almost there," reassured Remus as they rounded the bend. They now found themselves standing in a small ditch at the base of the lake.
"To get to the entrance, we have to wade through the lake for a bit." said James.
And for the next ten minutes or so they walked through the scum and muck, until they came across a gaping hole in the side of the cliff. But this couldn't possibly be an ordinary tunnel, James thought. It stood about 10 feet tall, and confined within it was a violet, gaseous substance that swirled and churned around. The great portal let off a bitter gust of air that made each of the five shudder violently. James leaned forward to touch this mysterious substance, when Lily lurched forward and pulled him back.
"What'd you do that for?" shouted James.
"Are you nutters?" Lily looked thoroughly upset. "You don't know what in the world that is or what it would do to you!"
"But we're going to find out, aren't we?" inquired Sirius. It seemed that only him and James were eager to investigate this mysterious portal.
"Of course we are." He was now staring straight at Lily; directly into those brilliantly green eyes of hers. "Come on Lil. It's a real adventure. I promise I'd never let anything happen to you."
"Well… alright then." replied Lily rather hesitantly.
Sirius was ecstatic. He looked around for the approval of Remus and Peter. They too agreed, giving a slight nod.
"It's settled then." pronounced James, appearing as though Christmas had come early. "We'll all go through together. On the count of three."
Gathering closely around James, the group prepared to walk through. Lily embraced James tightly, frightened beyond all belief.
"Okay then." He gulped, attempting to suppress a lump in his throat around the size of a golf ball. He would not let the others know, but fear was now flooding into every fiber of him "One… two… three."
And with the final count, the five strode forward into the unknown. James could feel the immense cold saturate his body, and within seconds he was soaring through the substance at an enormous speed. There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach and he knew that he was going to be sick. The tunnel seemed to carry on interminably. Soon, James was only vaguely aware that the others were still surrounding him; all thought was leaking from his mind.
A blustery Autumn morning had never in his life seemed more breathtaking than today. James had just awoken from a brief slumber and was gazing out upon the school grounds. Without the aid of his glasses, he could just make out the figures of what appeared to be students, taking advantage of this magnificent day. But I suppose, he thought to himself rather suddenly, the weather wasn't the reason for my lifted spirit. As he turned from the window to look about his dormitory, he remembered the events of the previous night. Him and Sirius were friends again, The marauders were back. James walked over to his bedside table to retrieve his glasses. The others were beginning to stir.
"Hey buddy, what you doin' up so early?" questioned Sirius rather sleepily.
Having no real reason for his early awakening, James replied, "Ah, nothing. Just couldn't sleep that well."
Grunts from the two other four-posters in the dormitory had let them know Remus and Peter were awake as well. After the group had departed from their beds and dressed , they strolled down to the common room. James and Sirius began their usual antics of bewitching the furniture (they found great pleasure in watching the first years scream as they sat in a reclining chair, only to discover that it enclosed them as the chair twisted and writhed around them).
"Well, I'm happy to see that you two are back to normal…" began Remus, "but I thought that maybe this year you two would exercise a little control over your trouble-making." Being a Gryffindor prefect, Remus seemed obliged to inform his friends when they had gone too far.
"Oh come on Moony, we're just having a little fun. It's our last year, you know, and we'd really like to go out in style." James grinned at Sirius' comment. It was their life dream to be known as the greatest troublemakers in the history of Hogwarts, and this year was their last chance to make a lasting impression.
"What on Earth are you doing?" came a voice, coming from the girls dormitories. They glanced over in that direction, only to see a disgruntled Lily standing in the entranceway.
"We were just-, I was-" began James, searching desperately for a valid reason for his and Sirius' antics.
"It's just, I'm disappointed James, that's all. I thought that you, having your new position, would be better behaved. Set an example for other students."
"What is she talking about?" inquired Remus.
James looked rather upset. "I don't want you all to be upset at me for not telling you, but we had that argument before I even had the chance to." He glanced from Sirius, to Remus, to Peter. Having just reunited with the marauders on the previous evening, instigating a new feud was that last thing he wanted to occur.
"Tell us what?" barked Sirius. He didn't wish to be angry with James anymore, but the thought of his best friend keeping something from him was more than he could bear.
"I'm… I'm…" the expression an James' face changed to a rather uncomfortable one. What were they going to think when he informed them? Mustering up all of the strength possible, he said, "I'm head boy. Satisfied now?"
The jaws of the three remaining marauders dropped in unison. "WHAT?"
Remus seemed to be the most shocked by this revelation. "Why in the world would Dumbledore do that? I mean, you've caused more trouble than any other kid in our year, with the exception of Sirius of course." Sirius gave a smirk, exemplifying his pride.
"He seems to think it best. He's never lead me wrong before, so I trust him." replied James. He turned to Sirius, eager to find some appearance of approval on the face of his best friend. The grin was still on his face as he turned to James.
"Well, you know what this means…" began Sirius. "WE HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER!"
James, ecstatic over his friends reaction, gave Sirius an energized high-five.
Lily walked out of the room, headed out the portrait of the fat lady, muttering to herself something that sounded like "Boys…"
Classes for Lily and the Marauders had become quite unbearable over the following weeks. As professor McGonagall had pointed out during their latest Transfiguration lesson, N.E.W.T.S were to be administered at the end of the year, which meant a tremendous amount of work for the seventh years. Anywhere you went, you'd find a seventh year pouring themselves over a book or scratching a piece of parchment furiously with a quill. Even James and Sirius, whom everything always seemed to come easily to, were spotted studying diligently in the common room on occasion. During a particular study session, Lily and the marauders were seated beneath a giant oak tree that overlooked the lake. Remus, Lily, and Peter were engrossed in reading material. On the other hand, James and Sirius were whispering secretly between each other; no doubt they were planning some fresh new adventure.
Peter, looking utterly perplexed, pulled his head from his potions essay and questioned " Does anyone know the ingredients you need to make the Draught of Peace?"
James broke off his conversation with Sirius and commented, "Come on Wormtail, that's fifth year material!" Sometimes he was bewildered at the stupidity of his friend.
"Well, some of us can't be as smart as the great James Potter and Sirius Back!" he retorted with a slight quaver in his voice.
James didn't mean to upset Peter; he usually wasn't upset when James made comments of that sort. For the next half hour, James assisted Peter on his Potions essay, hoping Peter would forgive him. But after a while, even Lily was growing restless from studying.
"It's time for a little fun," began Sirius, "…Marauder style."
The time was now dusk. The sun had disappeared from view, but James could still distinguish the dim glow of it's rays from beyond the horizon, creating a magnificent spectrum of colors throughout the evening sky. An aroma of freshly fallen leaves filled the air as Lily and the Marauders crossed the school grounds. Aided by James' trusty invisibility cloak, the grounds were theirs to roam freely. This particular evening, the group decided to head towards the shrieking shack. But seeing as it wasn't yet full moon, and Lily was not an animagus, they had to utilize and alternate route they had not yet used. So with the marauders map in hand, they headed towards the lake. It was told by some that under a bank in the lake resided a secret tunnel to the shack.
"I really hope that this tunnel thing exists." gasped Lily." "It's getting really chilly out."
"James, please remind your girlfriend that the marauders ALWAYS know what they're doing." grunted Sirius. But James didn't have to. Lily understood.
"Ouch, James. Will you stop stepping on my feet?" Wormtail gasped as, for the sixth time, James had trodden over his feet.
"Sorry, buddy. But it's a tad hard to keep an eye out for your feet when were all packed in this cloak like sardines." James was quite right. They had managed to hide the four marauders in the cloak many times previously, but with the addition of Lily (and the fact that they had all grown a considerable amount), doing so was now a near impossible feat.
"We're almost there," reassured Remus as they rounded the bend. They now found themselves standing in a small ditch at the base of the lake.
"To get to the entrance, we have to wade through the lake for a bit." said James.
And for the next ten minutes or so they walked through the scum and muck, until they came across a gaping hole in the side of the cliff. But this couldn't possibly be an ordinary tunnel, James thought. It stood about 10 feet tall, and confined within it was a violet, gaseous substance that swirled and churned around. The great portal let off a bitter gust of air that made each of the five shudder violently. James leaned forward to touch this mysterious substance, when Lily lurched forward and pulled him back.
"What'd you do that for?" shouted James.
"Are you nutters?" Lily looked thoroughly upset. "You don't know what in the world that is or what it would do to you!"
"But we're going to find out, aren't we?" inquired Sirius. It seemed that only him and James were eager to investigate this mysterious portal.
"Of course we are." He was now staring straight at Lily; directly into those brilliantly green eyes of hers. "Come on Lil. It's a real adventure. I promise I'd never let anything happen to you."
"Well… alright then." replied Lily rather hesitantly.
Sirius was ecstatic. He looked around for the approval of Remus and Peter. They too agreed, giving a slight nod.
"It's settled then." pronounced James, appearing as though Christmas had come early. "We'll all go through together. On the count of three."
Gathering closely around James, the group prepared to walk through. Lily embraced James tightly, frightened beyond all belief.
"Okay then." He gulped, attempting to suppress a lump in his throat around the size of a golf ball. He would not let the others know, but fear was now flooding into every fiber of him "One… two… three."
And with the final count, the five strode forward into the unknown. James could feel the immense cold saturate his body, and within seconds he was soaring through the substance at an enormous speed. There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach and he knew that he was going to be sick. The tunnel seemed to carry on interminably. Soon, James was only vaguely aware that the others were still surrounding him; all thought was leaking from his mind.