Chapter 3- Changing Secret
"He'll be here soon, Lily. You know how he is."
"Yes, I know. That's the problem."
"You're not talking about me, are you?" a new voice said. James jumped up to greet his best childhood- and adulthood- friend.
"Padfoot!" he exclaimed, embracing him.
"Enough of you, where's my godson?"
James caught Lily's smile as she stood to hand Harry to Sirius. No matter what she said, she loved Sirius as much as James did.
"All right. Dumbledore called me here, but he did not tell me what for," Sirius told them. He looked at the suddenly troubled expressions on his friends' faces. "What is wrong?"
James took the responsibility of relating all that had happened, aware that Lily would not be able to get through one sentence of the story without crying. By the end, his own voice was strained with the effort of holding back tears.
"Well, of course I will, Potters. I can't believe you even had to ask."
"We'll tell Dumbledore- as soon as we eat." James led the way to the Great Hall.
This night's dinner was quite different from the previous week's. With Sirius there, James regained his old frivolous manner, and they sat at the Gryffindor House table instead of the staff table- where Lily chose to sit. James and Sirius decided to act like students again.
"Okay, which year do you want to do."
"All of them," Sirius said slyly.
"All of them?! You must be out of your mind, Padfoot. That would take forever. Anyway, we'd need Snivellus to be the butt of our pranks. Lily would kill me if we did that."
"Prongs, you are whipped."
"I know," James replied, pretending to cry. "I can't help it! She's just so perfect. Not to mention the mother of my son."
Soon, a few of the Gryffindors realized who they were. They were introduced up and down the table to at least fifty students.
"I was unaware we made such an impression, Prongs."
"Are you kidding me, Padfoot? We're legends."
A throat clearing behind him made James turn. "I thought you were over the gloating phase of six years," Lily said, smiling. "You guys have not called each other by those names for almost eight years."
"It's the Hogwarts spirit, Lils, that's making us do it." Sirius grinned, then shoved an entire piece of bread into his mouth.
"That is disgusting, Sirius."
"Thnngoo," he said.
The next morning, Lily and James were on their way to Godric's Hollow.
***********************************************************************
Lily was giving Harry a bath upstairs, so Sirius took the opportunity to confide his latest idea and worry to James.
"You can't be serious."
At the opening for the joke, he could not resist. "Sure I can. I always have been Sirius."
James smiled. "Not that again, Padfoot."
"Think about it, James." He saw his friend's expression change at the use of his given name. "Everyone who went to Hogwarts with us knows that we've been best friends since forever. I'm too obvious of a choice. I would never tell him intentionally, but I know what people can be made to tell under Cruciatus."
"Say, just for a minute, that changing Secret-Keepers *was* something that people actually did. Peter? Are you out of your bloody mind? You must be, because no one in their right mind would choose him as a Secret-Keeper."
"That's the whole point. No one would expect him to be made your Secret-Keeper, especially if I'm an available choice. No, it's actually *less* likely that you'll be found with Peter than with me."
James put his head in his hands. "When did our world turn upside down, Padfoot?"
"I think it was when Tom Riddle went evil. I'm worried about your family, Prongs. I don't think I'm the safest choice. Please, change to Peter, for Lily and Harry if not for me."
James looked up and sighed resignedly. "Well, I'll have to talk to Lily about it."
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He had never expected an opportunity like this. It was one in a million. He accepted at once, and as soon as it had been done, he set off for his master's lair.
He rubbed his hands together as he waited outside the door. "Come in," a harsh voice said suddenly.
Peter jumped at the voice, and stepped unsteadily into the room. He did not come around the armchair. He knew who was in it, and he did not want his voice to shake at all while he said this. "What news, Pettigrew?"
"Master, the Potters have just made me their Secret-Keeper. I know where they are hiding."
End Chapter 3
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"He'll be here soon, Lily. You know how he is."
"Yes, I know. That's the problem."
"You're not talking about me, are you?" a new voice said. James jumped up to greet his best childhood- and adulthood- friend.
"Padfoot!" he exclaimed, embracing him.
"Enough of you, where's my godson?"
James caught Lily's smile as she stood to hand Harry to Sirius. No matter what she said, she loved Sirius as much as James did.
"All right. Dumbledore called me here, but he did not tell me what for," Sirius told them. He looked at the suddenly troubled expressions on his friends' faces. "What is wrong?"
James took the responsibility of relating all that had happened, aware that Lily would not be able to get through one sentence of the story without crying. By the end, his own voice was strained with the effort of holding back tears.
"Well, of course I will, Potters. I can't believe you even had to ask."
"We'll tell Dumbledore- as soon as we eat." James led the way to the Great Hall.
This night's dinner was quite different from the previous week's. With Sirius there, James regained his old frivolous manner, and they sat at the Gryffindor House table instead of the staff table- where Lily chose to sit. James and Sirius decided to act like students again.
"Okay, which year do you want to do."
"All of them," Sirius said slyly.
"All of them?! You must be out of your mind, Padfoot. That would take forever. Anyway, we'd need Snivellus to be the butt of our pranks. Lily would kill me if we did that."
"Prongs, you are whipped."
"I know," James replied, pretending to cry. "I can't help it! She's just so perfect. Not to mention the mother of my son."
Soon, a few of the Gryffindors realized who they were. They were introduced up and down the table to at least fifty students.
"I was unaware we made such an impression, Prongs."
"Are you kidding me, Padfoot? We're legends."
A throat clearing behind him made James turn. "I thought you were over the gloating phase of six years," Lily said, smiling. "You guys have not called each other by those names for almost eight years."
"It's the Hogwarts spirit, Lils, that's making us do it." Sirius grinned, then shoved an entire piece of bread into his mouth.
"That is disgusting, Sirius."
"Thnngoo," he said.
The next morning, Lily and James were on their way to Godric's Hollow.
***********************************************************************
Lily was giving Harry a bath upstairs, so Sirius took the opportunity to confide his latest idea and worry to James.
"You can't be serious."
At the opening for the joke, he could not resist. "Sure I can. I always have been Sirius."
James smiled. "Not that again, Padfoot."
"Think about it, James." He saw his friend's expression change at the use of his given name. "Everyone who went to Hogwarts with us knows that we've been best friends since forever. I'm too obvious of a choice. I would never tell him intentionally, but I know what people can be made to tell under Cruciatus."
"Say, just for a minute, that changing Secret-Keepers *was* something that people actually did. Peter? Are you out of your bloody mind? You must be, because no one in their right mind would choose him as a Secret-Keeper."
"That's the whole point. No one would expect him to be made your Secret-Keeper, especially if I'm an available choice. No, it's actually *less* likely that you'll be found with Peter than with me."
James put his head in his hands. "When did our world turn upside down, Padfoot?"
"I think it was when Tom Riddle went evil. I'm worried about your family, Prongs. I don't think I'm the safest choice. Please, change to Peter, for Lily and Harry if not for me."
James looked up and sighed resignedly. "Well, I'll have to talk to Lily about it."
************************************************************************
He had never expected an opportunity like this. It was one in a million. He accepted at once, and as soon as it had been done, he set off for his master's lair.
He rubbed his hands together as he waited outside the door. "Come in," a harsh voice said suddenly.
Peter jumped at the voice, and stepped unsteadily into the room. He did not come around the armchair. He knew who was in it, and he did not want his voice to shake at all while he said this. "What news, Pettigrew?"
"Master, the Potters have just made me their Secret-Keeper. I know where they are hiding."
End Chapter 3
Please review, please. Review. I'll Arvadek Adava you if you don't.