Chapter 3 2/2: In Which Sub-Plot #1 is Formed and the Chapter is a Whole

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to all the people out there that are actually reading this thing. I apologize for taking so long to update, but school is now fully into gear and I've been jumping from play to play consecutively, and for people who've been in theatre company projects during the school year, you'll know it's hectic. My rambling is finished, and now, on to the story!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we visit James Potter and Sirius Black...

James and Sirius jumped onto the train and ran down the aisle, frantically looking for their friends and barely noticing the compartment next to their own containing a dirty blonde covering her face with a book and an Indonesian-looking girl bouncing in her seat, drinking out of a black flask and singing drunkenly like there was no tomorrow.

When they reached their compartment, they saw that Remus and Peter had settled in nicely. All the suitcases were tucked in the overhead bin, and the two boys were already in the middle of a game of Exploding Snap.

"Finally!" Remus exclaimed in a mock angry voice once Peter's cards had exploded in his face. "We've been waiting for you two foreeeeeeeeeeever!"

"Excuse me, Rem," James ventured, watching his small friend wipe soot out of his eye with a digusted expression. "Would you mind if we 'borrowed' your opponent? It'll just be a second."

"Yes, but why are-"

"Homework question! Great! Thanks! Bye!" Sirius cut Remus' sentence short and dragged Peter out of the train compartment, leaving behind a very confused werewolf.

The three passed the lair of the insane, bouncing girl and locked themselves in the last empty compartment they could find, just missing a bewildered redhead looking for a place to sit. Sirius and James sat down and turned to Peter, who was wearing his best happy face to hide his fear.

"S-s-o..." he stuttered, smiling his artificial smile like a complete maniac, "h-h-ow are y-y-y-y-ou g-g-uys d-d-o-o-in-ing?" The two other boys raised their eyebrows at their friend with expressions as if they just saw Peter grow another head and a tail.

James started the conversation. "Erm... Peter, we need to talk about the-"

"I TOLD REMUS!!!!!"

From their point of view, Peter just grew another arm and another set of eyes. Then James and Sirius understood.

"... You told Remus WHAT?!" Sirius exclaimed, trying his best not to take his anger out on Peter.

"ImetupwithRemusatthetrainstationandhestartedaskingmeaboutstuffandIwassonervousanditjustkindofcameoutandI-"

James placed a kind hand on the rambling boy's shoulder. "We all need to calm down," the bespectacled boy said. "We can figure out how to solve this. Remus can still know about the...plans and still be none the wiser." At this suggestion, Sirius' fist stopped shaking. James smiled. That was always a good sign.

"Okay," Sirius said, feeling a bit better about the situation. "How are we going to pull this off?"

There was a long silence. Surprisingly, no one had thought of what to do. Even more surprising, Peter, the normally quiet one, was the one of the three to break the silence."

"We could maybe...ask him to...help us with the potions?"

Sirius turned to the smaller boy, gaping, and took Peter's head in his hands, practically squishing his ears to a pulp.

"Peter, you are a genius!" he exclaimed. Peter smiled, though it was slightly muffled. He and his ears were thankful when Sirius returned to his previous position.

"So...it's settled, then?" said Sirius.

James looked to his best friend and then to his acquaintance with a new-found wisdom. He nodded. "Let's go then!"

The three Griffindors walked to their own compartment at the end of the train car. As they walked, Peter looked up to Sirius and noticed the old man on his muggle T-shirt. Peter read the caption under it, revealing the man's name, and was more confused. The name rang a bell, but not enough of one. He confronted Sirius half-heartedly on the subject.

"So... Who's Gandalf?"

A/N: Finally, after who-knows-how-long, this is being updated! Huzzah! Anyway"

I don't think there are any important notes concerning the chapter. Then again, no notes on this story have been all that serious. The one thing I have to say is in regards to Sirius' T-shirt with Gandalf in it. This T-shirt is mine. My dad's actually, but he gave it to me now that it doesn't fit him anymore. In 1976 (a year after this fic takes place, which is pretty darn close, but I'm getting to the point now) my dad was in a softball league in junior high. Their softball team was called "The Wizards", and what better mascot than Gandalf? I'd scan a picture of it and post it in the reviews, but I don't have a scanner, so...yeah. Bye!

Sirius Orion Black II

PostScript: I didn't mean for Sirius to be that violent and all three of them to be the stupid in the last bit. It just kind of happened, and I apologize for any of my actions that might cause flames. (ducks just in case of tomatoes)