The journey back to Hogwarts seemed shorter than it had ever done. Remus had been sitting in his compartment in the back of the train for a few minutes only when Sirius appeared on the other side of the compartment door and stepped in when he spotted his friend inside. The young Black had changed slightly over the holidays. His hair had been cut to reach just under his broad neck and there was the same look of subdued anger in his eyes, which Remus knew only the holidays could put into them.
Against his expectations, however, the first thing Sirius said when the compartment door had closed behind him again and he had slammed himself in the seat opposite Remus was, 'You all right?'
Remus knew he was actually interested. Asking such a thing as a means of politeness was not the way of a Black. He smiled. 'I had an interesting Christmas. A massive turkey from my auntie, lots of presents... well, and full moon on the twenty-sixth, of course.'
Sirius frowned. 'Chiz,' he swore. 'And? How do you feel?'
'Same as ever,' replied Remus casually. 'How was your Christmas Dinner?'
'Odd,' said Sirius truthfully. 'My cousin Bellatrix started some weird attempt of recruiting all the grown ups for her little... well... for something... and the adults just cut her off before she had actually started.' He grinned. 'Well, and lots of stuff. Malfoy wasn't there, thank Merlin. And Snape actually managed to open his mouth once without being crushed by his stupid father. - Pity, really.'
Remus felt inclined to return the taller boy's grin. 'How is Regulus?'
'He is the same stupid git as ever,' mumbled Sirius. 'What did you think?'
'Just wondering,' said Remus quietly. 'Isn't he going to come to Hogwarts next year?'
'If he doesn't get eaten by one of his lice first,' replied Sirius, 'I fear yes. He -'
The compartment door was torn open and a giggling, very out-of-breath Peter hurled in, slamming himself onto the seat next to Sirius, pressing himself against the much taller boy, actually hiding away under Sirius's broad arm, not stopping to pant and laugh all the way through. Only seconds later James appeared in the door, panting as well, looking as excited as his friend, only not quite as harassed.
'Where is he?' He spotted the Pettigrew within seconds. 'Ah.'
From under his robes, James pulled a device, which looked a bit like a Muggle water-pistol, Remus found, but it was smaller and looked like something you would obtain from Zonko's joke shop down in Hogsmeade. Sirius and Remus jumped up at the same time, trying to escape the line of fire. Because like fire it looked what came out of the small plastic device in James's hands.
'PUT THAT THING AWAY!' roared Sirius, having taken refugee behind Remus's large trunk. 'WHAT THE HECK TO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING??'
'Playing,' grinned James, aiming, and pulled the trigger.
He hit both, Sirius and Remus with a beam from the tip of his "gun" and Remus had the odd sensation of drowning in a sea of pebbles. Then his skin started prickling unbearably and he lost control of both legs beneath him.
'Stop it! Stop it!' he panted, torn between laughing and screaming. 'What are you doing?'
Sirius jumped forward and tore the pistol off James's hands.
'What the bloody... Merlin is that?' he snarled. 'I ought to destroy it straight away.'
'It is a magic converter,' said James dryly, making no attempt of re-obtaining his little toy. 'A children's device. My mother gave it to me. Apparently, she and her brother used it when they were small. It's just a toy, Sirius. No need to wet yourself.'
'It looks obscenely dangerous,' remarked the Black. 'A magic converter? What does it do? It feels just like a primitive tickle spell. Just a bit rough in comparison.'
'It draws your magic from you,' grinned James. 'Don't look like that. It's not dangerous. You know how your magic is inside every inch of your body, no matter what you do? Well, it's a bit like a weak magnet. It tries to separate you from your magic. But that isn't possible, as you should know, so it just tickles a bit. Depending on how much intrusion you allow.'
'Insane,' said Remus weakly.
'Brilliant,' grinned Sirius, seeming fully reassured now that he knew the source of his unwell-being, while the magic converter was still pointed at his chest. He took a closer look at the device and found a few levers. 'What are those for?'
'They do the actual converting if you choose one of the other functions,' said James smugly. 'This one's for turning your magic upside down for a short while. Every spell you cast will backfire or,' he pointed at another lever, grinning, 'have the opposite of the desired effect.'
Sirius laughed loudly. 'That is excellent!,' he stated, taking a closer look at James's large trunk now. 'The best Christmas present ever. What else did you get?'
James's expression suddenly assumed an odd glitter, Remus noticed. The Auror's son had another treat for them in store, but seemed not quite ready to give it away just yet.
'I'll show you at Hogwarts,' he said eventually, looking around with a secretive air about him. 'It is too risky on the train.'
Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'Now I'm curious,' he said sarcastically. 'Well then, what are we going to spend the ride with?'
Minutes later, all four boys were strolling along the train's corridor, peering in every compartment in search for trouble. Remus knew they were looking for trouble, because he had seen these looks on James's and Sirius's faces before. This kind of expression usually meant that for someone the day would soon cease to be enjoyable. Also, the magic-converter behind James's back gave Remus the strange feeling that they were breaking the school rules before having even arrived. He was not quite sure whether he liked this situation or not, but he had to admit that it was certainly exciting, as Peter pointed out in a whisper.
Halfway down the train, a group of unfortunate Slytherin first-years crossed their way and Remus could see the effect of the magic converter from an outsider's perspective for the first time. It was certainly a very worthwhile view. Against Remus's expectations, you could actually see the magic being dragged out of people. It had all sorts of colours and actual shapes, their variety depending on the person's character and, it seemed, magical talent. One of the smaller boys appeared to have a whole animal in him, but its shape was blurred and there was no colour around it.
Remus suddenly wondered whether his magic took, perhaps, the shape of a werewolf when the converter was pointed at him. He was about to ask James when, quite unexpectedly, Severus Snape turned up from behind the door leading to the next carriage. He was looking for something, apparently, and not overly pleased to find his four archenemies lined up in front of him in a corridor almost too narrow for two people to pass each other.
'Hey Snivelly,' said James casually. 'Had a nice Christmas?'
Snape looked at him for a while, then nodded. 'Yes, thank you,' he said, his face remaining entirely unfathomable. 'You?'
James seemed taken aback. Peter grinned, and Sirius checked whether James was hiding some sort of personality converter under his robes with a light slap on the latter's chest. Remus laughed quietly.
'What's wrong with you, Snivellus?' said James derisively. 'Learned to lie low, have you?'
Snape did not reply. He gave James a look full of pure loathing and, in a jolt of sudden daring, tried to push his way through, shoving Sirius and Remus aside. James was not pleased.
'Hey,' he said. 'I am talking to you, chizpurfle!'
'But I am not talking to you, scum,' replied Snape, just loud enough for Sirius and Remus to hear. Within seconds he was pinned against an empty compartment's door by the much bigger Sirius, while Remus was taking a step backwards, feeling his eyebrows draw together in concentration. He was not quite sure what was wrong, but he suddenly had to think of his own time at the Muggle primary school at Mull and at an especially nasty boy in one of the higher classes, who had kept taunting him even when he had been doing nothing but sitting peacefully in a corner, reading one of his books.
Snape squealed.
'Take your paws off me, Potions genius!' he snarled at Sirius, making Remus frown and look up in surprise. Potions genius? Had he missed something?
'Look who's talking!' hissed Sirius, pressing Snape even more firmly against the compartment door. 'You couldn't brew a proper potion if your life depended on it! Even Professor Robertson says so.'
'Well,' said Snape, an unpleasant sneer appearing at his gaunt face while trying to shake Sirius's fists off, 'I am not the one heading for an "academic career", am I?'
Sirius tightened his grip, letting Snape's greasy head bang sharply against the windowpane. Remus felt that the small Slytherin had hit home with this last remark, but was nevertheless at a loss what exactly was going on between the two.
'You stinking idiot,' snarled Sirius. 'You little piece of Slytherin scum dare make fun of what I tell our stupid relatives? When your father is convinced you'll join his stupid army with that non-existent flying ability of yours? I should be rather worried if I were you. There is hardly three years to go till the basic training, after all!'
'Don't you think that will be a problem!' snarled Snape. 'Anyone can learn how to fly. But I shall be interested to see you convince your parents to let you go into Potions.' He grinned again. Sirius's expression twisted slightly as if being about to hit him in the face. Remus hesitated shortly, then put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder rather reluctantly.
'C'mon, Sirius,' he said quietly. 'Let's go.'
Sirius turned. His face had gone red and his eyebrows were almost meeting above his nose. He did seem angry, making Remus gulp and take a small step backwards against James, who was also looking slightly worried now. Sirius ignored them and turned back to Snape.
'You think you are so clever, do you?' he hissed. 'You think you are a cut above the rest of us, just because a few teachers seem to have taken a liking to you last year. But Professor Robertson is a lot more competent than bloody Jones. I bet you don't even pass the exam, because he's asking for real skill!'
Snape made a furious movement towards him, but Sirius was still pinning him against the window, so Snape's hands brushed Sirius's robes only. The latter grinned, mirthlessly.
'I suggest we make that a bet,' he hissed. 'Whoever gets the better mark for that essay on shape shifting theory has to tell his parents that he isn't going to join the army.' He grinned. Snape frowned.
'Do you think me stupid?' he hissed. 'That's easy enough for you, isn't it? You'll come off winning in any case. Your parents don't care about what you do these days. They'll just ask you to do whatever you please if you tell them you won't join up.'
Sirius gave him a derisive grin. 'Afraid, are you?'
Snape hissed. 'Let's see you tell my father you're not going to join up. Let's see you put the wizarding army down in front of him. I'd die for the sight of what he'd do to you, you know.'
Remus saw Sirius's hand open and close convulsively, as though he was about to hit the smaller boy, which was probably the case. He sighed and patted Sirius's shoulder again in an attempt to calm him down.
'C'mon,' he said again. 'He's not worth the trouble.'
Sirius gave him an angry snort. 'I will not have this spineless piece of filth tell me I don't have the guts to stand up to his bloody father!'
'It doesn't matter,' said Remus calmly. 'Who cares whom you could stand up to if you got the chance? Better not pick fights for no real reason, hm?'
'Are you siding with him?' snarled Sirius.
'I am trying to end this,' said Remus, suddenly feeling a bit awkward in the position of the mediator. 'Please, Sirius.'
'I'm telling you what,' snarled Sirius. 'The day this one here can prove that he is not the stupid, cowardly git everyone takes him for, the day he proves to me that he has indeed all the spine he always pretends to have...' he turned, glaring directly into Snape's eyes, 'that will be the day when I walk up to your father, telling him to shove his stupid army where the stupid son doesn't shine! Got that?'
And he let go. Roughly, making Snape gasp and grab his throat before retreating quickly. All four Gryffindors had realised instantly that his was the end of the matter and James did not even make an attempt of raising his newly acquired toy again. Instead, he stared at Sirius, puzzled, but exceedingly curious about what had been going on. They entered the empty compartment, all more or less openly scrutinising Sirius's expression until the young Pureblood lost his patience, slammed himself into one of the seats by the window and crossed his arms. 'Well? What!' he said indignantly, returning their looks with a challenging glitter in his eyes. 'Got any questions?'
'Several,' said Remus.
'First, what was that all about?' prompted James.
'Second, why do you keep letting him wind you up,' added Remus in a quiet voice.
'And what the heck did he mean by "basic training"?' said Peter gloomily.
James gave him a marvelling look. 'Come on!' he said. 'You do know what the basic training for the army is, don't you? Flying and Tracing and that sort of thing? You do know that practically everyone is doing it in preparation for a soldier's or an Auror's career?'
'Gotta be excellent for doing the Auror's career, though,' remarked Remus. They are not taking just anyone.'
'You have to be excellent to be taken on as a soldier as well,' said James. 'As I say - everyone's doing the basic training, but less than two percent are taken. And of those, more than forty percent give up during the first few months of the actual drill. It is said to be the hardest job ever. But very well paid.'
'Why is everyone doing it?' asked Peter curiously. 'I have never heard of it, although I am Pureblood. Technically,' he added as an afterthought.
'Well, your parents would have realised it was useless with you from the start,' remarked Sirius dryly. James grinned.
'Don't be like that,' said Peter defiantly. 'I have a lot of hidden qualities. Mother keeps stressing it.'
'Your mother keeps stressing other things as well,' said James grumpily. 'People's nerves, for instance.'
Sirius laughed.
'Oh look!' he said. 'We've passed the northern magical barrier already. The train's going at normal speed.
Normal speed was what the train assumed once it had left the Muggle railway line and was heading towards the wizarding part of the world, Remus had learned. Although personally he had the theory that the train was never actually visible for Muggles at all, he found the idea that there were magical barriers all over the place quite alarming, considering what he knew they could do to him during his... vulnerable time.
He looked up and noticed that he was standing alone in the corridor, seeing as James, Sirius and Peter were all clinging to the nearest window, each in their own very individual way, staring into the rising semidarkness outside, each going after their own individual interest.
'Too late for the tickling, I guess,' said James, sounding disappointed, both his hands resting on the right and upper window frame.
'Wonder if the Hogwarts Express is faster than a Portkey,' remarked Peter, squashing his nose against the pane. 'Everything's rushing past so quickly.'
'No, it's not,' snapped James indignantly. 'You're the one rushing. Or the train, at least. Besides, there is much more worthwhile things to know that how fast a Portkey's going.'
'Such as?'
'I wonder if those fleecy clouds out there are as tasty as they look,' came an absent-minded voice from above them, belonging to Sirius, who was licking his lips while staring down through the window from the luggage rack. Remus wondered for a second how he had managed to climb up there - or for what reason, come to think of it. Then he stepped behind James quietly, placing one hand on the Potter's shoulder, the other one on Peter's and said, using the same matter-of-factly voice as they had: 'It's going to be full-moon tonight.
All three boys jumped. There was an embarrassed silence.
When realising that he was having them on, Sirius's expression changed into a broad grin, while James's was one of slight irritation.
'Very funny,' he snapped, exchanging a nervous glance with Peter. 'Stop giving me such frights, moon-howler!'
Remus decided not to take this remark personally and, as far as one could claim such a thing with Sirius and James around, enjoyed an uneventful rest of the journey.
Author's Note: I keep getting into trouble with my writing, time-wise. Well then, the plan is made, only the actual storytelling needs to be done. Not at any point during the next days, though. It is a week of Glasgow for me now. cavort
Thanks to all those who reviewed and are still interested. I find it hard to maintain people's interest in sequels, but I am doing my best not to give too many tibids at once that mean nothing but wait to be resolved. :)
