The plan was quickly made. Go after Snape, find him, return unseen. There was nothing difficult about it, which meant, of course, that Peter could come. James was shaken by a fit of laughter when Black pointed this out to him until he remembered that this person's jokes were, by definition, nothing to agree with. Or laugh about, for that matter. Black was a tool. An unpleasant necessity in their efforts to not get expelled before they had even finished their first year. But James could not help it - he kept slipping off guard.
Remus seemed to feel similarly. On their way through the tunnel (loaded with provisions from the kitchen and a highly useful map of Hogsmeade and surroundings, which belonged to the Potter family) he jumped into a conversation with Black, about state-run werewolf support services and the classification of werewolves as beasts in general. James had no nerve to follow the discussion, so he talked to Peter about the latest Quidditch games and why it was harder to catch a Snitch than shove the stupid, red Quaffle through one of three giant loopholes. Peter nodded every now and then, Remus and Black were chatting along avidly. James got lost in his elucidations until Black suddenly stopped, causing Peter and James to almost bump into him, pulling their wands out in reflex as they did.
'What?'
'What is it?'
'This is the end of the tunnel,' stated Black. 'There is light over there.'
And he was right. A feeble gleam of daylight illuminated the edge of the tunnel, showing that there was something new ahead of them.
'Why is it so feeble?' muttered James. 'It seems almost - not there.'
'It is quarter to five,' replied Remus, looking at his watch and frowned. 'Must be getting dark already. We ought to be back at eight, or they'll start looking for us as well.'
'Don't be ridiculous,' whispered James. 'We can't come back without Snape. They'll fry us.'
'Scared, Potter?' grinned Black.
'You wish,' muttered James, taking his wand out and approaching the gleam of light. 'Are you coming or not?'
And they followed. Cautiously, a tense but excited quiet surrounding them as they stepped into the twilight, looking around for a glimpse of Snape or anything that would be of help for their search.
Sirius stepped into the clear evening air and drew a deep breath before allowing his gaze to wander around the marvellous landscape surrounding Hogsmeade. He stopped at the sight of the Hogwarts ruins some two or three miles from here, clearly prominent against the darkening evening sky, looking like a destroyed Muggle building for the ignorant mind, and not like a boarding school at all. He smiled.
'Hogwarts,' said Peter Pettigrew, holding a hand before his small eyes as if shielding his view from a sun that was not there anymore.
'Or - what is left of it for the uninformed eye,' nodded James Potter, following Peter's gaze in the direction of the castle.
'I read about it,' said Remus Lupin. 'This is Muggle protection, right?'
James nodded. 'Of course. I dunno how they can be so blind. Isn't it clear that something's hidden there? You can almost see the towers.'
'No, you can't,' growled Sirius. 'That would mean it's not hidden properly and it is! My mother was one of the witches and wizards to renew those spells at the beginning of the century. Are you saying she didn't do her job properly?'
'Well, not that that would be too surprising...' James began, but Remus interfered.
'You mean to say,' he said, 'that all wizards are likely to know this is Hogwarts?'
'The decent ones,' said James.
'Purebloods,' said Sirius.
James raised an eyebrow. 'Remus knows about it and he is only half,' he said. 'Mind your attitude, Black.'
'I am saying it as it is,' replied Sirius snappishly, taking a few steps towards the castle. 'Well, come on. Snape is likely to have taken the way back up, isn't he?'
'No?' snapped James. 'Smarty-pants. Suppose he wanted to stay here for another while, wait until someone found him and pretend he had been outsmarted by a bunch of Gryffindors we're all acquainted with...?'
'Don't try to be clever with me, Potter,' hissed Sirius, feeling hot anger rise inside him about this fellow's insolence. 'I know that's what I would have done, but -'
'I think he has taken this way,' said Remus calmly, pointing into the opposite direction in which Sirius had begun to walk. 'I think he has taken that footpath.'
'Are you insane?' snapped Sirius. 'What would he have done that for?'
'How can you be so sure?' asked Peter and even James looked doubtful.
'Yeah. How?'
'Instinct,' snarled Remus. 'I can... smell him.'
Sirius let out a bark of laughter, and at the same moment felt himself being pushed against a tree.
'Shush!' snarled James. 'Are you insane? If anyone hears, we're history.' Then he grinned.
'No, seriously Remus, how d'you know?'
'Instinct, I told you,' said Remus matter-of-factly. 'Well... and one or the other unmistakable sign pointing in that direction.'
'Sign? What sign?'
The boys were looking in the direction Remus pointed at. James grinned and clapped his shoulder.
'Footprints! Well done, mate. Those'll lead us straight to him.' And he started walking in the given direction.
Remus followed him. 'Hang on! Does that mean you don't trust my instinct? James! Don't you trust my instinct?'
They followed the path until the very end of the village. Luckily, on a Sunday afternoon no one was likely to come across the strange little group of first-years who made their way further and further away from Hogwarts, but they had to be careful, of course, not to meet any of the teachers strolling the darkening village this afternoon. They were not the only ones worried about Snape's whereabouts after all.
'Worried?' snapped James. 'Are you insane? I am not worried about that git.'
'No,' replied Sirius, realizing that he had been muttering his thoughts aloud, 'I know. You are no more worried about him than I am. You don't care about anyone but yourself. I have learned as much in six strenuous months.'
'Yes, I do!' said James indignantly. 'I care about many people. I care about my parents, I care about my friends...'
'That is Remus and Peter, of course,' said Sirius, trying not to sound too amused.
'Yes,' snarled James, 'that is Remus and Peter. Not you, not Snape, not anyone else. Perhaps a few others I won't tell you about, but apart from that - no one.'
'Fair enough,' muttered Sirius. 'You'd make a useful minion, I guess. Should I ever seek world domination, I will recruit you as the first of thousands of dogsbodies.'
James shot him a foul look. He seemed surprised, which was rare with him. Sirius grinned. The remark James seemed to have on the tip of his tongue went down again. He decided to return the grin. And it was Sirius's turn to be surprised.
'Hey, you two,' came a voice from the front, where Peter and Remus had taken the task of looking for signs of the missing Slytherin. 'We have found something.'
'Here's a pub,' added Remus. 'Or... sort of. Have any of you ever heard of The Porlock's Inn?'
'It's the last pub in this street,' said James thoughtfully. 'I think there's nothing behind it. Let's go in. They might know something about Snape's whereabouts. And it's probably warm in there as well.'
'Yes, probably,' growled Sirius indignantly. 'Are you insane? How d'you think are the chances that we don't come across a teacher in there? Let's have a look through the window first.'
The others agreed at an instant and thirty seconds later four first-years' heads were spying through the glass of the pub's only window, trying to make out any signs of life inside.
The room, although deserted, was filled with the green smoke of fluxweed pipes and the sound of classical music emerged faintly through the thick window glass. Sirius supposed that it was Muggle music, as he had never heard anything like it at home. Then again, his parents were not what you would call culturally open-minded people. They were not interested in music.
'No one in there,' he said, not wanting to let thoughts about his parents penetrate his mind now he found himself in alliance with what his mother would have called a blood traitor and a dirty half-blood. Not to mention ickle Pettigrew, who, although sprung from a rather respectable branch of the family, did not seem to be of the clever sort at all.
'I must be mad,' thought Sirius grimly, 'wasting my time with this lot. Then again, if I don't, I'll soon enough not be wasting my time with anything that seems vaguely worthwhile... and I don't think I can afford that. Only keep out of trouble in future.'
And kept that resolution in mind until they had reached the big oak door with its blatantly ancient sign, stating "This is The Porlock's Inn. Please knock."
Sirius knocked. The other boys gave him three startled looks. Sirius grinned and turned at James who seemed to be gaping at him in a mixture of - was it panic? - and respect. Then the door opened and an old witch asked them to come in, which they did, expectantly, though a bit scared by now.
'Which of you is the black star?'
The four boys looked at each other, unable, at first, to give a sufficient reply to this bizarre question.
'Me,' said Sirius finally. 'That would be me. I suppose it is a pun?'
'It is indeed,' giggled the witch. 'You are a bright star, I must say. Where have you left your constellation, little Sirius?'
They stared at her.
'How do you know his name?' asked James sharply. 'You have never met, have you?'
'I have seer blood in my family,' said the witch, still giggling. 'True seer blood. Why have you come?'
'Find out, why don't you?' retorted James. 'I thought you said you could predict the future.'
'The future is not interesting for me,' said the witch, staring at him as if daring him to contradict. 'And nor is the past.'
'Err... excuse me,' Remus said timidly, 'but... what are you seeing then? If it is neither past nor future, I mean?'
The witch giggled again and stared into his eyes without blinking. 'The present, dear Lupus. It can be as entertaining as anything.'
'It's Lupin,' snapped James. 'How do you know these things? And have you found out what we have come for yet?'
The witch blinked and turned. 'Of course I have,' she snapped. 'You have come to look for young Snape. But I cannot help you, I'm afraid. He is not here.'
The boys stared at her.
'She is a seer,' Peter whispered so that only Sirius could hear it. He nodded.
'Can you help us?' he asked. 'Have you any idea where he has gone?'
'He is not here,' said the witch again, 'but I believe I can tell you where he is. Roughly, at least. Sit down.'
They sat.
'I have spoken to the boy,' said the witch in a hushed voice, 'asking him what he wished to do and how I could help him on his way.'
'Well,' said James, 'and what did he say?'
'He asked me to direct him back to his school,' said the witch, 'and I did. I told him, to reach the castle of Hogwarts he'd have to take that way.' She pointed towards the edge of the village and Sirius narrowed his eyes.
'That is the wrong direction,' he snarled.
'Oooh, the little star goes brighter and brighter,' giggled the witch again. 'But I didn't lie, you see. If you walk in that direction for... oh, I don't know... six or seven years, you will finally arrive at Hogwarts. Mind you, on the other side, of course, but I assumed he would recognize it nevertheless.'
'I don't believe it,' groaned James, sinking back in his comfortable blue-glittering chair. 'You have told him that? That bloke's not bright enough to figure this out. He'd just have walked into the direction you pointed without thinking.'
'Snape's not a fool,' said Remus calmly. 'A bit of a daydreamer, maybe, but not a fool. He won't have walked into that direction. It's Muggle territory. That way would have led him straight into the Muggle village next to Hogsmeade. Hampton, I think it's called.'
'Yes, yes, yes,' giggled the witch, clapping her hand in wild exhilaration. 'That's it! That is exactly where he went!'