It was extremely late when the boys turned up in the common room,
chattering excitedly about what they had found. Peter was sleeping, curled
up in a ball in an armchair by the fire.
"Peter! Wake up Pete!" James shook the small boy who opened his eyes and yawned.
"What i- i- is it?" he asked.
"We've found something amazing!" Sirius began, but then looked around the common room and asked "Where's Remus?"
"He was ill so he went to the hospital wing," Peter told them, now intrigued as to where they had been until gone one in the morning.
"The hospital wing again? He only went last month!" Sirius looked puzzled and then collapsed into a chair and let James tell Peter about their discovery.
"We found a secret passageway and-"
"Wow!"
"And it's got all these magic candles and –"
"Wow!"
"And we walked for like twenty minutes and-"
"Wow!"
"Oh Pete!" Sirius resisted a temptation to strangle him. "Shut up and let him finish the bloody story!"
James grinned at Sirius and went on to tell Peter that the tunnel came out in the middle of hill just outside of Hogsmede.
Peter looked nervously at Sirius who nodded. "Wow!" Peter exclaimed, oblivious to Sirius sarcastically mouthing the same word from behind his back.
The boys didn't get to sleep for hours; they were excitedly discussing the possibilities of the secret tunnel in whispers so as no to wake the other boy in their dormitory.
"Remus!" Sirius called at dinner the next day as their friend entered the Great Hall, looking thinner and paler, but no less cheerful.
"Hi Remus!" James stared, open mouthed as the pretty red-haired girl ran up to him and gave him a hug.
"Hi Lily!" Remus returned the hug and assured her he was fine.
"What was that?!" James said angrily as Remus sat next to Peter. "You fancy her or something?" Remus laughed loudly and Sirius shot James a scathing look.
"How are you feeling Remus?" Sirius looked at the boy's thin face with concern. "We wanted to come and visit you but you know what Pomfrey's like."
"It's Ok, I'm fine," Remus assured them and started shovelling food down like he hadn't eaten for days.
"Good because we've got something to tell you!" Sirius grinned and quietly told Remus the story of how they had found the secret passageway and their plan to find more.
Remus thought it was a great idea but was worried about them getting caught sneaking about the castle after dark.
The answer came with James's birthday the following week. James was wakened by the bangs and pops of Dr Filibuster's fireworks whizzing around their dormitory. He sat up and reached for his glasses. His friends had stuck up a banner saying 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!' on the wall and Remus and Sirius had bewitched it to flash different colours. There was a large pile of presents on the end of his bed, which he ripped into excitedly. There was two big boxes of sweets from Peter, a book about Quidditch from Remus and some Dung Bombs from Sirius. Mr and Mrs Black had sent him some of Honeyduke's chocolate and his grandparents had sent the promise of a broomstick when he was old enough. But even that wasn't the best present. He tore the paper off the parcel from his parents and out slipped a silvery velvet cloak.
"Is that a-"Sirius began.
"I think it is," James ran his hands over the material and a smile spread across his face.
"Wow!" breathed Remus. "You're so lucky!
"What is it?" Peter squeaked.
"It's an invisibility cloak!" Sirius told him as he sat next to James and stroked the material. "You know what this means don't you?" he looked almost manic with joy as he watched James try it on and disappear.
"Yeah!" came James's disembodied voice excitedly. "When should we start?"
"Tonight?" Remus asked eagerly. "Not possible Remus mate," Sirius grinned at James who had just become visible again. "We've got detention again!"
"Peter! Wake up Pete!" James shook the small boy who opened his eyes and yawned.
"What i- i- is it?" he asked.
"We've found something amazing!" Sirius began, but then looked around the common room and asked "Where's Remus?"
"He was ill so he went to the hospital wing," Peter told them, now intrigued as to where they had been until gone one in the morning.
"The hospital wing again? He only went last month!" Sirius looked puzzled and then collapsed into a chair and let James tell Peter about their discovery.
"We found a secret passageway and-"
"Wow!"
"And it's got all these magic candles and –"
"Wow!"
"And we walked for like twenty minutes and-"
"Wow!"
"Oh Pete!" Sirius resisted a temptation to strangle him. "Shut up and let him finish the bloody story!"
James grinned at Sirius and went on to tell Peter that the tunnel came out in the middle of hill just outside of Hogsmede.
Peter looked nervously at Sirius who nodded. "Wow!" Peter exclaimed, oblivious to Sirius sarcastically mouthing the same word from behind his back.
The boys didn't get to sleep for hours; they were excitedly discussing the possibilities of the secret tunnel in whispers so as no to wake the other boy in their dormitory.
"Remus!" Sirius called at dinner the next day as their friend entered the Great Hall, looking thinner and paler, but no less cheerful.
"Hi Remus!" James stared, open mouthed as the pretty red-haired girl ran up to him and gave him a hug.
"Hi Lily!" Remus returned the hug and assured her he was fine.
"What was that?!" James said angrily as Remus sat next to Peter. "You fancy her or something?" Remus laughed loudly and Sirius shot James a scathing look.
"How are you feeling Remus?" Sirius looked at the boy's thin face with concern. "We wanted to come and visit you but you know what Pomfrey's like."
"It's Ok, I'm fine," Remus assured them and started shovelling food down like he hadn't eaten for days.
"Good because we've got something to tell you!" Sirius grinned and quietly told Remus the story of how they had found the secret passageway and their plan to find more.
Remus thought it was a great idea but was worried about them getting caught sneaking about the castle after dark.
The answer came with James's birthday the following week. James was wakened by the bangs and pops of Dr Filibuster's fireworks whizzing around their dormitory. He sat up and reached for his glasses. His friends had stuck up a banner saying 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!' on the wall and Remus and Sirius had bewitched it to flash different colours. There was a large pile of presents on the end of his bed, which he ripped into excitedly. There was two big boxes of sweets from Peter, a book about Quidditch from Remus and some Dung Bombs from Sirius. Mr and Mrs Black had sent him some of Honeyduke's chocolate and his grandparents had sent the promise of a broomstick when he was old enough. But even that wasn't the best present. He tore the paper off the parcel from his parents and out slipped a silvery velvet cloak.
"Is that a-"Sirius began.
"I think it is," James ran his hands over the material and a smile spread across his face.
"Wow!" breathed Remus. "You're so lucky!
"What is it?" Peter squeaked.
"It's an invisibility cloak!" Sirius told him as he sat next to James and stroked the material. "You know what this means don't you?" he looked almost manic with joy as he watched James try it on and disappear.
"Yeah!" came James's disembodied voice excitedly. "When should we start?"
"Tonight?" Remus asked eagerly. "Not possible Remus mate," Sirius grinned at James who had just become visible again. "We've got detention again!"