DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. 'nuf said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those Wicked Eyes
Chapter five~ Things Remembered
James sat on the sofa in front of the fire in the Heads' Common Room, arm over his eyes. It had been two weeks since break was over and he still hadn't adjusted. He still expected to see Katie laughing with her friends, still expected to have his owl fly in with a letter from his parents. He had barely spoken to anyone, save Dumbledore. Who could help? Who understood what it was like to loose a sibling, let alone your entire family? Who? No one. There was no one who knew what he was going through. When people asked him how he felt, he just said he didn't want to talk about it. He felt like screaming when they said, 'I understand.'
"No you don't!" he felt like shouting. "You can't! Have you lost your entire family recently? Come back when you have; then we'll talk." But of course, he never did. A few tears leaked out from under his arm. He was glad for the excuse to just lose himself in memories.
*
"Her name is Kathryn," his mother said, showing him the pink bundle in her arms. A sleeping face poked out of it, topped with black fuzz.
"Yuck!"
"What's wrong, James?" his mother asked.
"That's a yucky name for a little girl. It's too grown-up. Call her Katie."
Mrs. Potter laughed. "All right, James. Katie for short."
"Hi, Katie," six-year-old James whispered, patting her head.
*
"Whee!" three-year-old Katie Potter shouted as James pushed her on the swing, almost over the bar.
"James Robert Potter!" He groaned as his mother came running out of the kitchen. "Do not push her so high! She could fall!"
"Aw, mum. She likes it!"
"She's three! Put her down." Grumbling, James stopped the swing.
Lifting Katie down, he whispered in her ear, "When mum leaves for work, I'll push you again. But don't tell!" She flashed him a grin.
*
"Katie, no! Don't play with Mummy's wand, sweetie." Mrs. Potter rushed in just in time to grab the wand before Katie accidently cast a spell. But as soon as she touched it, it turned into a sock with a loud bang. The four-year-old laughed.
"I got you, Mummy!" she shouted joyfully before running off. She ran into James' bedroom. The ten-year-old had just run into his room from where he'd been watching from the stairs.
"Good work, kid," he told her. "I think I'll keep you."
*
"I got my Hogwarts letter! I got my Hogwarts letter!" James shouted while dancing around the kitchen.
"James, calm down. You act as though it wasn't going to come."
"Be quiet. Sirius! I wonder if he got his!" James bounded to the door just as it opened. "Sirius! Did you get your letter?"
"Yeah. Did you get yours?"
"Yup! See? Isn't it cool? We're going to Hogwarts!" Someone tugged on his shirt. He turned to see Katie, 5, standing beside him.
"Can I come, too, James?"
"Not yet, Katie. You're not old enough. You have to wait."
"You mean you're leaving me?" Her lower lip started to quiver.
"I have to, Katie. Don't cry, okay? I'll be back at Christmas." A few tears fell down her cheeks.
"That's too long! It's forever until Christmas, James!"
"It'll go fast, I promise. Besides, I don't leave for another month."
"Okay," she sniffled.
*
The train gave a long, low whistle. James started to board, when a small pair of arms encircled him from behind. He bent down and gave his sister a long, tight hug.
"I don't want you to go!" she wailed.
"Katie, we've been through this. I will be home at Christmas, and then we can get back to pulling pranks on everyone, ok?" She nodded. "And I promise to write you loads of letters, all right?" She nodded again. "I'll see you, Midget." She waved until the train was out of sight.
*
"How was your first term, son?"
"Fine, Dad," James answered. "How has everyone been?"
"We've all been fine. Just, do me a favor, and don't mention your detentions to your mother."
James laughed. "What? She doesn't want me to turn out like you?"
His father laughed. "Exactly. So, you and Sirius are the new prank masters?"
"Of course. But it's not just us. It's us and two other boys. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. We need name for us, but no one has thought of a good one yet."
"Well, I'm sure you'll come up with the perfect one." They pulled in, and James bounded up the stairs.
"Katie? I'm home," he called. She didn't come. That was strange; he thought she would have come running down the stairs the minute the car pulled in. "Katie?" His door was cracked open, and he smiled. She was in his room. "Katie?" He pushed the door open and was instantly soaked in ice water that someone had balanced atop his door.
Katie, who was sitting on his bed, smiled up at him sweetly. "Welcome home, James," she said to her dripping brother. He tried to look angry, but he ended up laughing.
"Okay, okay. You got me."
"I know. Hey!" she squealed as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "You're getting me all wet!"
"That was the general idea," he told her as she laughed.
"Why, James. You're all wet," his mother said in mock surprise as she came to the bottom of the steps.
"Yes, I know. Someone decided I needed to wash my school clothes."
"Well, if you'd waited until tomorrow, I would have washed them for you."
"Tell that to Katie," James said, setting her on the bannister to give her a ride down. "I'm going to change." Mrs. Potter waved her wand and the water was gone.
After he had changed, James jumped on the bannister and slid down. He entered the family room, where the tree stood decorated.
"I really did a good job, James?" Katie asked.
"Yes, you did," he told her, picking her up and depositing her on the couch before sitting beside her. "You and me, we can go far, kid. I'll teach you everything I know. We'll be an unstoppable team."
"You mean it?" she asked happily.
"Of course. You have to be good enough to be prank master at Hogwarts when I'm gone."
*
"Are you kids ready?" Mrs. Potter called.
"Mother. We're off to Aunt Connie's. You can never be ready for Aunt Connie's," eight-year-old Katie said, lugging her suitcase down the steps.
Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes, sighing. "She's not that bad, kids."
"No, I agree with Katie," James, 14, said, following his sister down the stairs. "Aunt Connie is impossible."
"All right. Yes. I know. But she does enjoy seeing you kids."
"I'll go along with that," Katie said.
"Yeah. I mean, if she didn't have us to nag on, she might go crazy."
"Okay, enough. Promise me, please. No pranks at Aunt Connie's."
"Who, us?" James and Katie said in unison. They received 'the look' and laughed, carrying their suitcases to the fireplace.
*
"Was this your idea, Mr. Potter?" the Headmaster asked him with amusement.
"What? This?" James gestured to the twenty-odd students that stood in the doorway to the Great Hall, drenched. "No way. Wish I'd thought of it, though." He caught a blue-grey eye from across the Hall. Katie looked up at him, winked, then looked away quickly.
"Do you know who the culprit is?"
"It's not any of the Marauders, if that's what you mean."
"All right. Oh, say. Will you give your sister a message for me?"
"Of course."
"Give her my congratulations."
"On?"
"Her originality." Dumbledore flashed him a smile, winked, and walked away, chuckling.
*
"That was a nice one you pulled, sis," James said, sitting beside her in the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Thank you. Thank you very much," she said, bowing.
"I have a message for you, Midget."
"Shoot."
"Dumbledore says, essentially, nicely done." She gave him her most contagious smile.
"I've got to get my name known somehow, right?"
"Of course."
*
The Marauders walked out of the trophy room, grinning.
"We did it, guys, we did it!" James shouted.
"Broke the record! Two thousand five hundred and thirty-six detentions in seven years! And it's only October!"
"You realize you've given me a new goal, don't you?" said a voice from behind them as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room.
James turned to see, not to his surprise, Katie. "I'm sure. But it takes more than luck to break this record."
"That's right," Remus put in. "It takes skill. Real skill."
"Speak to me not of skill. I've been personally taught by the best," Katie said, putting her arm around James.
"I don't know about that."
"What are you talking about, Sirius? She's been taught by me, after all."
"My point."
"That sound like a challenge, Padfoot."
"Maybe because it is."
"Okay. We each pull a prank, and whoever's is the most popular by a Gryffindor vote, wins."
"Agreed." They shook hands.
*
"Okay. One more for me."
"And the last one goes to me! I have 11 votes. How about you?" The pranks had been pulled and the votes were in. Sirius and James were now in the process of counting them. Both had pulled exceptional pranks.
"I have 11, too," James said.
"A tie? No way. There are an odd number of people in Gryffindor house. It can't be a tie." Just then, a first year girl came down from her dormitory.
"We must have missed her," Remus said. James and Sirius both stood up and ran over. Or at least that was the plan. But instead, they both tripped and fell over the table, landing in a heap, pulling it down with them. Someone had tied their shoe laces to the table, causing them to fall when they tried to move. They looked around frantically, James' eyes finally settling on Katie.
"Katie."
"Yes?" she smiled sweetly at her brother.
"Can I change my vote?" a voice from across the room called.
"W-what?" Sirius asked wildly.
"I vote for Katie." People all around the room agreed. James and Sirius stared at each other, then at Katie, who was still smiling sweetly.
"You will give me a challenge, dear brother," Katie said, coming over to untie their shoes. "And I can't resist a challenge."
"Well done, Midget. You've done this Prank Master proud."
*
"Admit, brother mine, that you like Lily." James stared at her.
"One, I hardly know Lily, two, I can't admit something that isn't true, and three, why did you interrupt me for that?"
"It's obvious, James. One, you're always talking to her. Two, sometimes you seek her out to talk to her. Three, you keep muttering about her as you work on your homework. I've heard you. James? James?"
*
"James?" An overly familiar voice shook him out of his reverie. He sighed.
"I don't want to talk about it, Lily."
"I think you should."
"Well, I'm not going to."
"Why not? Do you enjoy wandering around the castle like a lost soul?"
"I might as well be one."
"James, that isn't true. There are plenty of people around this castle that want to help! Myself included. Don't shut us out, James." When he didn't answer, she went on. "Do you want my advice?"
"Not really, but you'll probably give it to me anyway, so go ahead."
"Seriously, James. Do you?"
"Sure."
"Talk to Remus."
"What?"
"Talk to Remus. You have to talk to somebody, and it's obvious it can't be an adult. You won't talk to me, so you should talk to one of your friends. Peter doesn't really seem the right kind to me, and Sirius, despite his name, is not a good person to discuss these things with. But Remus is. Talk to him. Please?"
"All right. I will."
"Thank you."
~~~
A/N: Whew! *pant, pant* I am officially exhausted! Since I am going to be so busy starting very soon, I have worked nonstop since I got home around six to complete this next portion of Thos Wicked Eyes. NOt a lot of action in this chapter, but we learn a few things. I had a good time writing this chapter, even if it is a bit sad, rememberence-wise. HOpe you enjoyed it. I will try to be as prompt in future updates, since I know all my reviewers*wipes away tear. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!* are waiting! Until the next chapter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those Wicked Eyes
Chapter five~ Things Remembered
James sat on the sofa in front of the fire in the Heads' Common Room, arm over his eyes. It had been two weeks since break was over and he still hadn't adjusted. He still expected to see Katie laughing with her friends, still expected to have his owl fly in with a letter from his parents. He had barely spoken to anyone, save Dumbledore. Who could help? Who understood what it was like to loose a sibling, let alone your entire family? Who? No one. There was no one who knew what he was going through. When people asked him how he felt, he just said he didn't want to talk about it. He felt like screaming when they said, 'I understand.'
"No you don't!" he felt like shouting. "You can't! Have you lost your entire family recently? Come back when you have; then we'll talk." But of course, he never did. A few tears leaked out from under his arm. He was glad for the excuse to just lose himself in memories.
*
"Her name is Kathryn," his mother said, showing him the pink bundle in her arms. A sleeping face poked out of it, topped with black fuzz.
"Yuck!"
"What's wrong, James?" his mother asked.
"That's a yucky name for a little girl. It's too grown-up. Call her Katie."
Mrs. Potter laughed. "All right, James. Katie for short."
"Hi, Katie," six-year-old James whispered, patting her head.
*
"Whee!" three-year-old Katie Potter shouted as James pushed her on the swing, almost over the bar.
"James Robert Potter!" He groaned as his mother came running out of the kitchen. "Do not push her so high! She could fall!"
"Aw, mum. She likes it!"
"She's three! Put her down." Grumbling, James stopped the swing.
Lifting Katie down, he whispered in her ear, "When mum leaves for work, I'll push you again. But don't tell!" She flashed him a grin.
*
"Katie, no! Don't play with Mummy's wand, sweetie." Mrs. Potter rushed in just in time to grab the wand before Katie accidently cast a spell. But as soon as she touched it, it turned into a sock with a loud bang. The four-year-old laughed.
"I got you, Mummy!" she shouted joyfully before running off. She ran into James' bedroom. The ten-year-old had just run into his room from where he'd been watching from the stairs.
"Good work, kid," he told her. "I think I'll keep you."
*
"I got my Hogwarts letter! I got my Hogwarts letter!" James shouted while dancing around the kitchen.
"James, calm down. You act as though it wasn't going to come."
"Be quiet. Sirius! I wonder if he got his!" James bounded to the door just as it opened. "Sirius! Did you get your letter?"
"Yeah. Did you get yours?"
"Yup! See? Isn't it cool? We're going to Hogwarts!" Someone tugged on his shirt. He turned to see Katie, 5, standing beside him.
"Can I come, too, James?"
"Not yet, Katie. You're not old enough. You have to wait."
"You mean you're leaving me?" Her lower lip started to quiver.
"I have to, Katie. Don't cry, okay? I'll be back at Christmas." A few tears fell down her cheeks.
"That's too long! It's forever until Christmas, James!"
"It'll go fast, I promise. Besides, I don't leave for another month."
"Okay," she sniffled.
*
The train gave a long, low whistle. James started to board, when a small pair of arms encircled him from behind. He bent down and gave his sister a long, tight hug.
"I don't want you to go!" she wailed.
"Katie, we've been through this. I will be home at Christmas, and then we can get back to pulling pranks on everyone, ok?" She nodded. "And I promise to write you loads of letters, all right?" She nodded again. "I'll see you, Midget." She waved until the train was out of sight.
*
"How was your first term, son?"
"Fine, Dad," James answered. "How has everyone been?"
"We've all been fine. Just, do me a favor, and don't mention your detentions to your mother."
James laughed. "What? She doesn't want me to turn out like you?"
His father laughed. "Exactly. So, you and Sirius are the new prank masters?"
"Of course. But it's not just us. It's us and two other boys. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. We need name for us, but no one has thought of a good one yet."
"Well, I'm sure you'll come up with the perfect one." They pulled in, and James bounded up the stairs.
"Katie? I'm home," he called. She didn't come. That was strange; he thought she would have come running down the stairs the minute the car pulled in. "Katie?" His door was cracked open, and he smiled. She was in his room. "Katie?" He pushed the door open and was instantly soaked in ice water that someone had balanced atop his door.
Katie, who was sitting on his bed, smiled up at him sweetly. "Welcome home, James," she said to her dripping brother. He tried to look angry, but he ended up laughing.
"Okay, okay. You got me."
"I know. Hey!" she squealed as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "You're getting me all wet!"
"That was the general idea," he told her as she laughed.
"Why, James. You're all wet," his mother said in mock surprise as she came to the bottom of the steps.
"Yes, I know. Someone decided I needed to wash my school clothes."
"Well, if you'd waited until tomorrow, I would have washed them for you."
"Tell that to Katie," James said, setting her on the bannister to give her a ride down. "I'm going to change." Mrs. Potter waved her wand and the water was gone.
After he had changed, James jumped on the bannister and slid down. He entered the family room, where the tree stood decorated.
"I really did a good job, James?" Katie asked.
"Yes, you did," he told her, picking her up and depositing her on the couch before sitting beside her. "You and me, we can go far, kid. I'll teach you everything I know. We'll be an unstoppable team."
"You mean it?" she asked happily.
"Of course. You have to be good enough to be prank master at Hogwarts when I'm gone."
*
"Are you kids ready?" Mrs. Potter called.
"Mother. We're off to Aunt Connie's. You can never be ready for Aunt Connie's," eight-year-old Katie said, lugging her suitcase down the steps.
Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes, sighing. "She's not that bad, kids."
"No, I agree with Katie," James, 14, said, following his sister down the stairs. "Aunt Connie is impossible."
"All right. Yes. I know. But she does enjoy seeing you kids."
"I'll go along with that," Katie said.
"Yeah. I mean, if she didn't have us to nag on, she might go crazy."
"Okay, enough. Promise me, please. No pranks at Aunt Connie's."
"Who, us?" James and Katie said in unison. They received 'the look' and laughed, carrying their suitcases to the fireplace.
*
"Was this your idea, Mr. Potter?" the Headmaster asked him with amusement.
"What? This?" James gestured to the twenty-odd students that stood in the doorway to the Great Hall, drenched. "No way. Wish I'd thought of it, though." He caught a blue-grey eye from across the Hall. Katie looked up at him, winked, then looked away quickly.
"Do you know who the culprit is?"
"It's not any of the Marauders, if that's what you mean."
"All right. Oh, say. Will you give your sister a message for me?"
"Of course."
"Give her my congratulations."
"On?"
"Her originality." Dumbledore flashed him a smile, winked, and walked away, chuckling.
*
"That was a nice one you pulled, sis," James said, sitting beside her in the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Thank you. Thank you very much," she said, bowing.
"I have a message for you, Midget."
"Shoot."
"Dumbledore says, essentially, nicely done." She gave him her most contagious smile.
"I've got to get my name known somehow, right?"
"Of course."
*
The Marauders walked out of the trophy room, grinning.
"We did it, guys, we did it!" James shouted.
"Broke the record! Two thousand five hundred and thirty-six detentions in seven years! And it's only October!"
"You realize you've given me a new goal, don't you?" said a voice from behind them as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room.
James turned to see, not to his surprise, Katie. "I'm sure. But it takes more than luck to break this record."
"That's right," Remus put in. "It takes skill. Real skill."
"Speak to me not of skill. I've been personally taught by the best," Katie said, putting her arm around James.
"I don't know about that."
"What are you talking about, Sirius? She's been taught by me, after all."
"My point."
"That sound like a challenge, Padfoot."
"Maybe because it is."
"Okay. We each pull a prank, and whoever's is the most popular by a Gryffindor vote, wins."
"Agreed." They shook hands.
*
"Okay. One more for me."
"And the last one goes to me! I have 11 votes. How about you?" The pranks had been pulled and the votes were in. Sirius and James were now in the process of counting them. Both had pulled exceptional pranks.
"I have 11, too," James said.
"A tie? No way. There are an odd number of people in Gryffindor house. It can't be a tie." Just then, a first year girl came down from her dormitory.
"We must have missed her," Remus said. James and Sirius both stood up and ran over. Or at least that was the plan. But instead, they both tripped and fell over the table, landing in a heap, pulling it down with them. Someone had tied their shoe laces to the table, causing them to fall when they tried to move. They looked around frantically, James' eyes finally settling on Katie.
"Katie."
"Yes?" she smiled sweetly at her brother.
"Can I change my vote?" a voice from across the room called.
"W-what?" Sirius asked wildly.
"I vote for Katie." People all around the room agreed. James and Sirius stared at each other, then at Katie, who was still smiling sweetly.
"You will give me a challenge, dear brother," Katie said, coming over to untie their shoes. "And I can't resist a challenge."
"Well done, Midget. You've done this Prank Master proud."
*
"Admit, brother mine, that you like Lily." James stared at her.
"One, I hardly know Lily, two, I can't admit something that isn't true, and three, why did you interrupt me for that?"
"It's obvious, James. One, you're always talking to her. Two, sometimes you seek her out to talk to her. Three, you keep muttering about her as you work on your homework. I've heard you. James? James?"
*
"James?" An overly familiar voice shook him out of his reverie. He sighed.
"I don't want to talk about it, Lily."
"I think you should."
"Well, I'm not going to."
"Why not? Do you enjoy wandering around the castle like a lost soul?"
"I might as well be one."
"James, that isn't true. There are plenty of people around this castle that want to help! Myself included. Don't shut us out, James." When he didn't answer, she went on. "Do you want my advice?"
"Not really, but you'll probably give it to me anyway, so go ahead."
"Seriously, James. Do you?"
"Sure."
"Talk to Remus."
"What?"
"Talk to Remus. You have to talk to somebody, and it's obvious it can't be an adult. You won't talk to me, so you should talk to one of your friends. Peter doesn't really seem the right kind to me, and Sirius, despite his name, is not a good person to discuss these things with. But Remus is. Talk to him. Please?"
"All right. I will."
"Thank you."
~~~
A/N: Whew! *pant, pant* I am officially exhausted! Since I am going to be so busy starting very soon, I have worked nonstop since I got home around six to complete this next portion of Thos Wicked Eyes. NOt a lot of action in this chapter, but we learn a few things. I had a good time writing this chapter, even if it is a bit sad, rememberence-wise. HOpe you enjoyed it. I will try to be as prompt in future updates, since I know all my reviewers*wipes away tear. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!* are waiting! Until the next chapter!