A/N: PLEASE R&R even if you've reviewed before. Chp.5 will be up soon. Any ideas would help

The four boys ate their breakfast in silence. All three of them thinking about the morning events. As they were about to go to their first classes, a good lookin seventh year named Ray Wood, quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team, came up to James.

"Hey James, how was your summer? You ready to get back on the quidditch pitch?"

"Looking forward to it!" James said enthusiastically.

"Good!" Because I booked the pitch for practise today at 8:00! See ya there!"

"I'll be there!" James yelled after him.

"Quidditch on your first day back?" Sirius said.

"I guess," James said with a shrug.

"What's our first lesson Mooney?" Sirius asked.

"Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs." Remus informed looking at their timetables.

"We'd better get going then, we don't want to be late!" James said sarcastically, winking at Sirius, Come on Wormtail!" When Wormtail gave James a sad look, James added, "You can take some muffins for the trip."

Happier, Wormtail scooped some muffins into his pocket, and followed the three boys out of the great hall.

About an hour later, James, Sirius, and Remus walked out of the Transfiguration lesson. Wormtail had to stay behind, because he accidently transfigured himself into a badger.

"Where to now?" James asked.

"Well," said Remus studying his timetable, "Right now we have a spare, so anything you want.

"We could..." Sirius started.

"I know!" James said, lets check out the classroom we heard noises from the other night."

"But.." Sirius stuttered.

"Brilliant!" Remus said, "Maybe we can pick up some clues."

They all ran down to where they had been the previous night, and entered the door where they had heard the argument.

"Nothings really here," said Remus with a quick gaze around the now obvious classroom.

"Must be a deserted room." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Should we check out that closet over there before calling it quits?" James asked the other two.

"Sure why not." Remus answered a little apprehensivly.

The three boys moved quietly through the classroom until they came to the closed door. James tried the handle, and flung it open.

"Nothing!" said Sirius checking every crack and cranny of the closet, "Just an old brrom closet."

Suddenly, from behind them came a slam. They whirled around and came face to face with a figure in black.

"So.." said the figure in a voice the boys reconised as the one they had heard last night, "Thought you'd go snooping around did you. You know that now that you've seen someone here, namely me, I can't let you go. Corny line I know, but that's the way it has to be." The figure raised his wand, and yelled, "Rictusempra!"

"Duck!" Remus yelled, and He, Sirius and James ducked just before the spell hit the wall behind them.

"Expelliarmis!" Sirius and James yelled at the same time.

This distracted their attacker, and gave them enough time to barrel him over and run out the door.

"You may have escaped this time," he called after them, "But I'll get you in the end! And so help you if you tell anyone!"

The boys ran into the Great Hall, where they stood, panting.

"Who was that?" Sirius wondered.

"Haven't got the faintest idea." Remus said.

"What's he doing here is the more important question." James said.

"I don't....I Caramba!" Remus suddenly yelled, We're late for class!"

They dashed to the dungeons as fast as they could go, and got there just as the potions master was coming in.

Later that night, James made his way to the quidditch pitch at 8:00.

"Care to watch?" he had asked the other boys.

"No thanks," they had all answered and had made up excuses.

So he made his way there by himself. As he got to the pitch, he realised something was wrong. There was no one else there. He looked around and still saw no one. He checked his watch and saw that it was 10 minutes after 8 which meant that even if no ther members were there, Ray Wood certainly would be.

"Hey James!" said a cool voice from behind him, "How's it going?"

James whirled around, and standing there was Ray. But something wasn't right about the look he was giving him. It was an almost hungry look.

"What's up Ray?" James asked uncertainly.

"Nothing," Ray replied.

"Where is everyone?" James asked taking an unvoluntary step backwards.

"I don't know," Ray answered.

"What's going on?" James asked.

"You'll see!" Immediatly Rays features began changing, and a boy, about the same age as James, in a mask stood before him.

"Poly-Juice Potion," James said quietly.

"Very good James," the boy clapped.

From behind him came movement and 9 other masked figures emerged.

James whipped out his wand, but knew it was no use, there were too many of them.

Sirius looked up from his homework for the thrid time, once again looking at his watch, and then toward the fireplace.

"For goodness sake Padfoot!" said an exasperated Remus,"I can't concentrate with you looking up every two seconds."

"It's just that shouldn't Ray be on the quidditch field too?"

"What are you..." Remus began, then he saw Ray Wood sitting by the fire, "Your right!"

"Hey Ray!" Sirius called walking toward the fire.

"Hey Sirius!" Ray replied, "Where's James?"

"That's what we'd like to know!" Remus said coming up behind Sirius.

"You told him that there was a quidditch practise today at 8. So why aren't there?" Sirius accused.

"I never did that!" Ray said defensivley.

"Well, if you didn't call practise, then..." Remus started. Already Sirius was on his way out of the common room. In a few seconds, Remus was chasing after him. The two boys ran out of the entrance hall, onto the school grounds, and made their way to the quidditch field. Sirius was the first to reach the iron gates that seperated the school grounds from the quiddtich pitch. The gates, however were locked.

"Alohamora!" Sirius said taking out his wand. The locked creaked open, and they ran inside.

"Stop!" whispered Remus suddenly. Sirius stopped and could see the ten black robed figures in front of them.

Sirius and Remus ducked behind the tall bleachers and hid. They just saw James whip out his wand before 9 masked people raised their own.

The spell they all cast was drowned out by Sirius trying to get to James and remus holding him back.

"We can't," Remus said struggling to hold Sirius back.

"So we're just going to let James get hurt, or possibly killed!" Sirius asked, "Some friends we are," and stopped struggling. As Remus released him, they both looked up. With each wand lowered, an imaginary knife would cut a deep gash on James' body. Sirius did a quick count and saw that his friend had 9. 2 across his cheeks, one across his stomach, one down each arm, one down each leg, and two forming an X on his back. Yet James didn't utter a sound, though Sirius and Remus could see the pain in their friend's eyes.

"9," Sirius thought, "That means that one of them hasn't hit him yet!" By the look on Remus' face, he had come to the same conclusion.

One of the masked people walked forward, "My turn James," he said, while James gave him a look of loathing. "Don't look at me like that, it will be over soon," he raised his wand and moved it in front of James' body in a diaganol pattern, making many cuts appear on his body. Very deep cuts! When the cuts had appeared down to James' feet, the attacker stopped.

"We're finished with him," the last attacker said, "Let's get ou tof here!" and the ten masked people left the stadium. Double checking that the coast was clear, Remus and Sirius raced to James' side. James, now on his hands and knees, looked up at them.

"What's up?" he asked them.

"You aren't!" Sirius replied. James let out a weak laugh, "Come on James, we gotta get you back up to the castle." Remus said in a stern tone.

As Sirius and Remus helped James to his feet, James said, "Wait! What will we asy happened? You know we can't tell them the truth."

"We won't tell them anything," Sirius said with a worried glance at James. His friend was loosing a lot of blood.

"Good plan Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.

"Glad you like it." Sirius said with a smile.

"I hate to interrupt this once in a life time moment when Sirius gets a brilliant idea, but I'm kind of in pain!" James said, and with the help of his friends, he made his way to the castle.

A/n: See I told you this chapter would be longer. I got the idea of the gashes on James from ootp, when Harry is in the pensive, and Snape hits James with a spell. I just wanted to give her the credit for that. Please read and review even if you've reviewed my other chapters. Any ideas would be helpful for chapter 5 too.