A/N: Yes I realize I am another week late with this one…but you'll have to bear with me, it's only me again. As this is getting further into the story it is taking me longer to write each chapter, and I don't know if I can promise one a week. I will still try, because my schedule clears up more as soon as school starts again. But I can't promise any thing until then.

Enjoy this chapter!

Before the Boy Who Lived

Chapter 7

Stop Drop and Roll

James sat at the dinner table on a rainy and miserable March evening trying to focus on his dinner and his Charms homework at the same time. Needless to say, his food was winning.

"Sirius! When will you stop that? It's disgusting!" exclaimed Peter interrupting James from the waging battle between his brain and his stomach.

"I am sorry Peter but my food just tastes better this way!"

"But it makes me sick!"

"If you don't like me putting tomato sauce on my food, then go and turn the other way!"

"Fine. I'll go then." But before Peter could get up to leave Professor Dumbledore have already risen and was clearing his throat.

"I trust you all know exactly what I am talking about when I mention the Whomping Willow that has been planted on the grounds for a few months now." Professor Dumbledore then paused for a second. "I also trust that many of you know about the contests that have been held at such tree. Where one tries to freeze the Willow." Many students began whispering about the contests, "The staff and I see it fit to inform you that the Whomping Willow is now off limits to students."

Loud shouts of "Why?!" and "Come on Professor!" were heard from the crowd of very upset students. Professor Dumbledore held his hands up to calm the crowd, which did so immediately.

"It is now off limits because during one of those contests Mr. Davy Gudgeon, a 2nd year Huffelpuff boy, had his right eye poked out by a very distraught Willow."

Many murmurs passed through the Great Hall.

"You can visit him in the Infirmary if you wish. That is all for now." Professor Dumbledore then took a seat.

James turned to Sirius "You weren't there when he got his eye poked out were you?"

"No were you?"

"No, Peter was though."

Peter had already gotten up and was sitting at the other end of the Gryfinndor table sticking his tongue out at Sirius.

"So, James, do you want to come with me tonight to try and find the kitchens again? We'll have to find them someday, I mean there has to be kitchens hidden around here somewhere, and they can't stay hidden forever!"

"No, sorry Sirius, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I have detention with Pringle."

"Oh," Sirius stifled a laugh, "He caught you did he?"

"Yes, and he wasn't too happy about all the Slytherin's Quidditch robes having been cut into tiny pieces."

"So what are you doing?"

"I have to do laundry for him. All of the teachers spare robes in the staff room. Do you know how many that is?"

"No, can't say I do mate."

"5 wardrobes full!"

"Oh wow, sorry, I would've been with you but I was in the hospital wing from when I was trying to mess with the Potion ingredients the Slytherins had to use, and they blew up in my face."

James laughed, "And your face was priceless!"

The two of them got up to leave the Great Hall as they passed through the doors someone grabbed James' arm

It was Apollyon Pringle the caretaker.

"Come with me Potter."

James shuddered as he followed the aged caretaker to the staff room if any one had asked him, he wasn't afraid, he had detentions all the time, but according to the rumors Pringle was a crazy man, and James didn't want to be in detention with a crazy man.

Pringle abruptly stopped in front of a door. He yanked it open and gestured inside.

"In here."

The room was void of all the teachers except Professor Binns who had fallen asleep in an armchair.

"You will wash the robes in that basin there, then dry them using a Drying Charm. The soap is there," Pringle pointed to a small table next to a large tub filled with water, then he turned and pointed to the wardrobes, "and the robes are in there, I hope I make my self clear."

"Yes sir."

"Very well, I will be sitting in this corner here to observe you do things properly," he sat down in an orange armchair in the far corner of the room and watched James intently.

James turned from him towards the first large wardrobe and pulled open the wooden doors where a flood of black met him. James grabbed as many as he could carry, brought them to the basin, and threw them in sending water everywhere.

"BE CAREFUL BOY!! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE CLEANING THE WHOLE ROOM DO YOU??"

"No sir."

"WELL GET BACK TO IT AND DON'T GO SPLASHING WATER EVERYWHERE!"

James turned back to the basin and began to scrub at the robes, when he had finished he took the robes to a table and laid them there all he had to do now before setting on the next wardrobe was to cast a Drying Charm. There was a problem though.

James was horrible at Charms.

He tried to perform the spell but obviously failed, seeing as his wand sent gold sparks everywhere, on his second try large flower blossoms were shot out of his wand, Pringle scowled at him. Apparently he didn't like being covered in pansies.

James tried and tried again only to result in failure. He looked around the room and winced. It was full of purple confetti, flowers, and various kinds of insects.

"AAARRGGHH!!"

James wheeled around to face an incredibly furious caretaker. He winced again wondering what this crazy man might attempt upon his feeble body, James had heard the stories of violent floggings and even seen a few scars.

"WHAT IS THE PROBLEM POTTER??"

James gathered up enough courage to speak to Pringle, "I apparently am no good with Charms." After he said that James realized just exactly how bold that was.

"APPARENTLY! NOW WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO?"

"Er…clean up the mess?"

"RIGHT!" Pringle then brandished his wand, "FINATE INCANTATUM!" All the mess vanished. "NOW WHAT?"

"Dry the robes?"

"RIGHT! AND THAT IS YOUR JOB! HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE YOU DO IT?"

"Use a Drying Charm."

"GOOD! NOW WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?"

"I can't seem to get Charms right"

"SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?"

James shrugged.

"WELL?"

"I don't know how to do a Drying Charm properly sir."

"YOU DON'T? YOU ARE A FIRST YEAR, ALL FIRST YEARS KNOW HOW TO USE A SIMPLE DRYING CHARM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DON'T! THIS IS INCREADIBLE! I MUST SPEAK TO YOUR PROFESSOR ABOUT THIS! BUT FOR NOW, HOW DO YOU PROPOSE YOU TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM?"

"Er…could I ask you to dry them for me?"

"ME? DO YOUR JOB? LOOK! I CAN GET THESE DRY IN SECONDS, WITHOUT EVEN USING A DRYING CHARM!!" Pringle pulled his wand out again. And pointed it at the robes, "Incendio!"

The spell hit one of the robes not only drying it, but also setting it on fire, and Pringle didn't stop there. "Incendio! Incendio! Incendio!" he cried setting the table, wardrobes and various chairs on fire as well.

James put both his hands on his head and crouched behind a desk, which soon burst into flames and burnt his forearm, James stood up and saw how much of the room was engulfed in fire, and those flames were spreading. He wasn't going to be stuck in there when the whole room was in a blazing inferno. He turned heel and ran, leaving Pringle raving like a madman still setting things on fire.

James ran down the hall, he was heading out to the grounds where it was safe. While on his way he nearly ran into Professor McGonagall.

When she saw him she grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Mr. Potter! Shouldn't you be in detention?"

"Yes Professor, but…" He tried to argue. She wasn't going to let him finish though.

"No 'buts' Mr. Potter! Back to detention you go!" she said wheeling him around and forcing him back in the direction he came. "Now where are you holding your detention?"

"In the staff room, but you see Professor…"

"I've heard enough of yours and Mr. Blacks excuses over the past half year! You aren't getting out of this detention that easily!"

"No Professor! You don't understand!" nearly screamed James, he was growing more and more frustrated by the moment.

"Understand? What is there to understand? You got in trouble. You got punished. You try to worm your way out of punishment. It's pretty black and white to me…Oh. My. Word."

They had come to an abrupt halt outside of the staff room, which was now entirely engulfed in flames. Pringle was stationed about 5 feet through the door laughing and muttering things incoherently to himself. This image confirmed the assumption that he was a madman in James' eyes.

Professor McGonagall ran into the room to try and get Pringle out. Then she abruptly turned around and pointed at him.

"Potter! Go and get some more help! We need to put this fire out!"

James tore down the corridor, his eyes scanning for anybody who could help. He rounded a corner and collided with Head Boy, Amos Diggory. James knew he could help.

"Please…go…McGonagall…staff room…fire…need help…" was all James could manage to spit out but Amos seemed to understand and he sprinted off in the direction of the fire.

James continued to search for more that could help. He raced through more corridors, found some more people to help, and was then confronted by Dumbledore himself.

"Mr. Potter, why are you out and running though the corridors like some mad man?"

James took half a second to catch his breath. Then managed some fully formed sentences.

"Professor, we need help in the staff room, it's on fire." As soon as James had uttered the word help Professor Dumbledore started off in the direction that James had come from.

James almost had to run again to keep up with Professor Dumbledore's large strides as led him back to the staff room. Then very suddenly he took a turn in the complete opposite direction.

James opened his mouth to protest but Dumbledore held his hand up.

"This situation is in up most urgency am I correct?"

James nodded.

"Then follow me and do not argue, I know what I am doing." There was not the usual mirth in his voice or the twinkle behind his half-moon spectacles Professor Dumbledore was in completely aware of the graveness of the situation.

After a few yards Dumbledore came to a stop and turned towards the wall of the corridor. He pulled out his wand and stroked it across one of the stone slabs.

To James' surprise a large slit appeared where Dumbledore's wand had been.

"Password?" it whispered softly

"Viscantheum." He whispered back equally as soft. But not soft enough for James not to hear.

Then a tunnel appeared where wall used to only exist. The two of them swiftly entered it. It was lit by torches, which led James to believe it was one that was used often.

They hurried through the tunnel in silence. When they exited James found them only around the corner from the staff room.

Dumbledore rushed to join the rest who were fighting the fire with water coming from their wands.

Madam Pomfrey came bustling down the corridor levitating stretchers in front of her for those injured. She immediately took Pringle and forced him onto one despite his loud protests.

"NO! I HAVEN'T BEEN HURT! DO YOU HEAR ME WOMAN! I AM FINE! DON'T YOU DARE PUT ME ONTO ONE OF THOSE BLASTED STRECHERS!"

Even with Pringle's shouting the only thing that held James' attention was the fire. He stood in awe of the scene before him, and watched as if it were played in slow motion. He watched the fire as it burned, and slowly dyed with the water from the wands of those who fought against it. And how they fought so valiantly against the flames that threatened to engulf their whole school. James could have watched it until the fire died. But Madam Pomfrey would have none of it.

"Come on now dear, we must see to that burn of yours."

"Oh, it's nothing," said James dismissively.

"Nonsense. Come with me."

James reluctantly climbed onto a stretcher and allowed himself to be carried to the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey doused his arm in some sort of potion and them wrapped it in bandages, when James then tried to leave she insisted he stay the night and rest, he had been through a lot that evening, plus you never know with those magical fires.

After Madam Pomfrey practically force-fed him a rather nasty sleeping potion James drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

"AAAAHHH!!" shouted James in the middle of the night. He had awoken to a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Ssshhh!" urged Sirius, "She'll wake up and kick me out," he said nodding towards Madam Pomfrey's quarters

"Oh, sorry, so what are you here for?" inquired James lowering his voice.

"I came to check up on you. When you weren't back in the common room by 1 in the morning I started to get concerned. Plus I wanted to hear what had happened the whole of Gryfinndor Tower is buzzing about something big happening. And knowing you, I figured since you weren't back yet, you had something to do with it."

James grinned, "Well, yes it did have something to do with me…" James then relayed the whole story to Sirius, saving the secret tunnel for last.

Needless to say Sirius was very pleased to hear about that.

"…and do you know what the best part is?"

"What?" asked Sirius eagerly.

"I know the password." James whispered.

"Brilliant! Now, who knows what sort of hav…" He was stopped short when James clamped his hand over Sirius' mouth.

"He, waf dis fo?" he asked, his voice muffled by James hand.

"Shhh! Listen."

There were voices heard outside the door. Voices that James immediately recognized as Pringle and McGonagall.

"…I'm sorry, but we can't let you stay after what happened," said Professor McGonagall

"After that? You are going to fire me after only loosing my temper? And perhaps setting a few things on fire?"

"Not merely a few things, Mr. Pringle, the whole staff room might I remind you, which will have to be completely redone! Though that can be redone, but the life of an innocent individual is irreplaceable…"

'Life of an innocent individual'? thought James confused. Almost right away his stomach plummeted a few feet

Binns was napping.

Professor Binns was killed in the fire.

That struck quite a chord with James.

A/N: I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed!!! Thanks so much! You have now idea how awesome and incredibly special it makes me feel!! I really appreciate all of you!!

Reviews really inspire me to open up Microsoft Word and start writing, the more often I get reviews the more I tend to write…though I don't NEED them like some authors, I'd greatly appreciate it if you took the 3.7 seconds to hit that button!!