Chapter Nineteen: Confession and Confrontation
The Marauders followed Dumbledore silently to his office. Even James looked a bit uneasy. Inside his office, there were enough chairs for all of them on the near side of a large desk. The bird that Remus had seen on his first visit looked quite a bit older, and was covered in beautiful feathers. Dumbledore sat behind his desk and waited for someone to begin explaining why they were all there. The boys were all waiting for James to begin, and once he realized that he had been appointed spokesperson, he began.
"Well, sir, I bet you're wondering why we're here," James said with a smile.
Dumbledore didn't smile back. "Yes, Mr. Potter, the thought did cross my mind."
James stifled a laugh and continued. "We just wanted to confess to you that we're the Marauders." Seeing Dumbledore's blank stare, he added, "The ones who talked the house elves into serving that tasty treat for dinner tonight."
Dumbledore's eyes smiled back, but his face remained stern. "That was a serious thing you did, Mr. Potter, and all of you," he reprimanded, looking at the entire group. "Sneaking into the kitchens and tampering with the Hogwarts menu is not an offense that I can overlook, like the chalk incident."
James nodded solemnly. "I know, sir."
"I assume you all took part in this prank?" Dumbledore asked, then went on. "Mr. Lupin, please inform me as to how you pulled this off."
Remus was a bit scared, but once he had started, he explained the whole plan excitedly. He was quite out of breath when the headmaster raised his hand to stop him. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin, I understand now." He paused for a moment, then added, "Since no one was harmed by your actions, I will assign you each a detention and take 10 points from Gryffindor. But I must warn you, next time I will not be so lenient."
The boys nodded silently, but as they prepared to leave, Dumbledore's stern face relaxed into a smile. "So you're calling yourselves the Marauders now?" he commented.
"Yes, sir," James grinned. "You really gave us the name, you know." Dumbledore nodded and James took a deep breath and asked quickly, "Will you not tell the school who the Marauders are? I'd like them to remain a mysterious group."
To everyone's surprise, the headmaster laughed aloud. "I expected that you boys wanted the glory of being known for this, so I wasn't going to tell school. How odd!" Just as the Marauders joined in the mirth, the headmaster became serious once more. "I would like to see you all stay out of trouble. You can do quite well here, you know. I don't want to see you in my office for punishment again before you graduate. Please meet Mr. Pringle in the front entrance tomorrow after dinner for your detentions. You may return to your tower now."
Remus and his friends had stifled their laughter as best they could once the headmaster had turned serious, but as they left his office, they almost collapsed in hysterics. "He doesn't want to see us for punishments again before we graduate?" James said in disbelief after he had caught his breath. "We're the Marauders and we've still got plenty of tricks up our sleeves!"
Sirius chimed in, "Imagine if he caught us at work making our map of secret passages!" James and Remus joined Sirius in another round of laughter, but Peter and Austin stared at them blankly.
"What map?" Austin asked.
"Oh," James said. "We are gonna search all over Hogwarts to find all of the secret passages and make a map of them that only we can use. We figured we'd be good at finding them since we found that one at my house."
Austin looked a bit hurt. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
James, Sirius and Remus looked at each other uncomfortably. Remus finally spoke up. "I guess we just wanted to surprise you and Lily when we had it finished. Now it sounds pretty stupid, but at the time it sounded like a good idea."
Austin nodded sullenly. "I see, you just thought you could keep me and Lily out just because you felt like it. I know how she feels now." He turned quickly and walked in the opposite direction.
James sighed. "It was a pretty stupid idea, keeping it from Austin. Why didn't we think so then?"
Remus and Sirius shrugged sadly. Peter cheerfully tried to change the subject by bringing up the Potions test they were taking soon, but that didn't really cheer anybody up. They walked slowly and silently towards their tower when they heard a large group heading towards them. A group of Slytherins turned the corner and stopped when they saw the Marauders.
Severus Snape was in the front of the group and he laughed when he saw who was standing in front of him. "Look who it is, a half blood and some pure bloods who have sunk to his level."
Sirius stepped forward and pushed Snape down with all of his might. The rest of the Slytherins moved out of the way and Snape fell loudly onto the hard marble floor.
"Oops!" Sirius giggled. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I thought with all that grease in your hair you'd slide right across the floor."
James snickered loudly, Remus grinned and Peter laughed nervously, watching closely for Snape's reaction. Snape stood up and glared fiercely at Sirius, but addressed Peter.
"I don't know why you're hanging with this riffraff, Pettigrew, you could have been great had you stayed with us."
'If only you knew how great I'll be,' Peter thought to himself. Aloud, he replied, "Why would I want to hang around a brainless git like you only to be your slave?" He looked surprised at his own daring, but stood his ground. Snape looked at Crabbe and Goyle and nodded and they began to advance towards Peter's small form.
Peter raised his fists and stood bravely until Goyle raised his fist, which was almost as big as Peter's face. Then Peter cowered and backed away. Snape snickered. "What's the matter Pettigrew? You're not scared, are you?"
Goyle's fist was drawing back to hit Peter as hard as it could when an adult voice said, "Something wrong here, boys?" It was Professor Carter. He smiled at the Slytherins as Goyle reluctantly pulled his fist away from Peter.
"No, sir," James said smiling. "Everything is fine. We were just on our way back to our tower."
"Alright, Mr. Potter. Goodnight, boys. Oh, is that Miss Bellatrix with you, Mr. Lestrange? I apologize. Goodnight, boys and girls." With a wink at James, Professor Carter began to walk away, and the Marauders headed for their tower.
"Don't think this is the end of this," Snape hissed at their backs.
The Gryffindors laughed loudly and continued on their way. In their common room, they passed Austin playing exploding snap with a couple of second year boys. They said goodnight to him, but he just nodded coldly.
The Marauders followed Dumbledore silently to his office. Even James looked a bit uneasy. Inside his office, there were enough chairs for all of them on the near side of a large desk. The bird that Remus had seen on his first visit looked quite a bit older, and was covered in beautiful feathers. Dumbledore sat behind his desk and waited for someone to begin explaining why they were all there. The boys were all waiting for James to begin, and once he realized that he had been appointed spokesperson, he began.
"Well, sir, I bet you're wondering why we're here," James said with a smile.
Dumbledore didn't smile back. "Yes, Mr. Potter, the thought did cross my mind."
James stifled a laugh and continued. "We just wanted to confess to you that we're the Marauders." Seeing Dumbledore's blank stare, he added, "The ones who talked the house elves into serving that tasty treat for dinner tonight."
Dumbledore's eyes smiled back, but his face remained stern. "That was a serious thing you did, Mr. Potter, and all of you," he reprimanded, looking at the entire group. "Sneaking into the kitchens and tampering with the Hogwarts menu is not an offense that I can overlook, like the chalk incident."
James nodded solemnly. "I know, sir."
"I assume you all took part in this prank?" Dumbledore asked, then went on. "Mr. Lupin, please inform me as to how you pulled this off."
Remus was a bit scared, but once he had started, he explained the whole plan excitedly. He was quite out of breath when the headmaster raised his hand to stop him. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin, I understand now." He paused for a moment, then added, "Since no one was harmed by your actions, I will assign you each a detention and take 10 points from Gryffindor. But I must warn you, next time I will not be so lenient."
The boys nodded silently, but as they prepared to leave, Dumbledore's stern face relaxed into a smile. "So you're calling yourselves the Marauders now?" he commented.
"Yes, sir," James grinned. "You really gave us the name, you know." Dumbledore nodded and James took a deep breath and asked quickly, "Will you not tell the school who the Marauders are? I'd like them to remain a mysterious group."
To everyone's surprise, the headmaster laughed aloud. "I expected that you boys wanted the glory of being known for this, so I wasn't going to tell school. How odd!" Just as the Marauders joined in the mirth, the headmaster became serious once more. "I would like to see you all stay out of trouble. You can do quite well here, you know. I don't want to see you in my office for punishment again before you graduate. Please meet Mr. Pringle in the front entrance tomorrow after dinner for your detentions. You may return to your tower now."
Remus and his friends had stifled their laughter as best they could once the headmaster had turned serious, but as they left his office, they almost collapsed in hysterics. "He doesn't want to see us for punishments again before we graduate?" James said in disbelief after he had caught his breath. "We're the Marauders and we've still got plenty of tricks up our sleeves!"
Sirius chimed in, "Imagine if he caught us at work making our map of secret passages!" James and Remus joined Sirius in another round of laughter, but Peter and Austin stared at them blankly.
"What map?" Austin asked.
"Oh," James said. "We are gonna search all over Hogwarts to find all of the secret passages and make a map of them that only we can use. We figured we'd be good at finding them since we found that one at my house."
Austin looked a bit hurt. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
James, Sirius and Remus looked at each other uncomfortably. Remus finally spoke up. "I guess we just wanted to surprise you and Lily when we had it finished. Now it sounds pretty stupid, but at the time it sounded like a good idea."
Austin nodded sullenly. "I see, you just thought you could keep me and Lily out just because you felt like it. I know how she feels now." He turned quickly and walked in the opposite direction.
James sighed. "It was a pretty stupid idea, keeping it from Austin. Why didn't we think so then?"
Remus and Sirius shrugged sadly. Peter cheerfully tried to change the subject by bringing up the Potions test they were taking soon, but that didn't really cheer anybody up. They walked slowly and silently towards their tower when they heard a large group heading towards them. A group of Slytherins turned the corner and stopped when they saw the Marauders.
Severus Snape was in the front of the group and he laughed when he saw who was standing in front of him. "Look who it is, a half blood and some pure bloods who have sunk to his level."
Sirius stepped forward and pushed Snape down with all of his might. The rest of the Slytherins moved out of the way and Snape fell loudly onto the hard marble floor.
"Oops!" Sirius giggled. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I thought with all that grease in your hair you'd slide right across the floor."
James snickered loudly, Remus grinned and Peter laughed nervously, watching closely for Snape's reaction. Snape stood up and glared fiercely at Sirius, but addressed Peter.
"I don't know why you're hanging with this riffraff, Pettigrew, you could have been great had you stayed with us."
'If only you knew how great I'll be,' Peter thought to himself. Aloud, he replied, "Why would I want to hang around a brainless git like you only to be your slave?" He looked surprised at his own daring, but stood his ground. Snape looked at Crabbe and Goyle and nodded and they began to advance towards Peter's small form.
Peter raised his fists and stood bravely until Goyle raised his fist, which was almost as big as Peter's face. Then Peter cowered and backed away. Snape snickered. "What's the matter Pettigrew? You're not scared, are you?"
Goyle's fist was drawing back to hit Peter as hard as it could when an adult voice said, "Something wrong here, boys?" It was Professor Carter. He smiled at the Slytherins as Goyle reluctantly pulled his fist away from Peter.
"No, sir," James said smiling. "Everything is fine. We were just on our way back to our tower."
"Alright, Mr. Potter. Goodnight, boys. Oh, is that Miss Bellatrix with you, Mr. Lestrange? I apologize. Goodnight, boys and girls." With a wink at James, Professor Carter began to walk away, and the Marauders headed for their tower.
"Don't think this is the end of this," Snape hissed at their backs.
The Gryffindors laughed loudly and continued on their way. In their common room, they passed Austin playing exploding snap with a couple of second year boys. They said goodnight to him, but he just nodded coldly.