Celebrean - Another update ! o.x don't get lost down there... and be careful of-- oops! Almost spoiled where the passage leads! I confuzzled you... excelllleennt.... hee hee.

Urges - Thank you for accepting my apology! I read the whole thing, it wasn't as long as you think .! Heh, I try replying to people, and I try to post two chapters per day. I can't say I will keep up with that pace forever...

Author's Note: Another chapter! Wooo hooo! Erm... yeah.. JKR's cool, and I'm still in school. Uhh...forget it. I'm never good at poems. Rhyming gives me a headache

Chapter Fourteen: Slytherin

"The—the Bloody Baron?" Peter gapped, clutching to James' arm. James, who had rolled up his sleeves because of the heat, was extremely uncomfortable letting him clutch his arm for Peter's small hands seemed to be sweating bullets. He could feel the perspiration dripping along his arm, and he shuddered, not daring to look down at it.

"It's okay, Peter…" James comforted, the ends his mouth twitching at the sudden grip Peter had on his poor arm, "…The Baron wouldn't be down 'ere. Now please, let go of my arm…"

"B-b-bu-but!" Peter pleaded, his eyes seeming to well with as just as much tears, as there was sweat on his hands. "Look at Sirius' face! He doesn't look like he's joking!"

Remus nodded; James seemed to be the only one not fooled by Sirius' hearty joke, or so he thought it was a joke. Sirius' face was stern and emotionless as he stared at the three of them.

"What's with the look, mate?" James asked cocking an eyebrow upward, "You are just joking, right?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and heaved a sigh of hopelessness. James frowned and rumpled the back of his head as usual; Sirius had a habit of joking around a lot, and at times one couldn't decipher whether or not he was or was not. This appeared to be one of those times, and James wasn't too happy with himself about it. He'd known Sirius for about six months now and he still didn't know enough about him nor any of his friends to pass a short quiz about them if Professor McGonagall gave it out for extra credit.

"In that case, what makes you think the Baron's down here anyhow?" he asked quickly, gently brushing Peter off his arm.

"Peeves." Replied Sirius, sternly not a single quaver in his voice. The handsome young chap glanced around cautiously, his deep black eyes flickering along with the flames Remus held in his palm. "The Baron's the only one Peeves will ever listen to."

"Are you saying that's the reason Peeves hangs around down here?" asked Remus, curiously, holding the flames up higher. "I'd say that was a good reason, Sirius, but there can be many other reason why Peeves could hang around down in a place like this."

"Think about it, Snape and two other Slytherins were down here." Sirius accented the two words hinting that they were both important things to realize. Even with this James was stumped; there wasn't any luck with Remus either for yawned, as if to be completely uninterested.

Sirius was about to give another sigh when Peter gasped, his round eyes bright and awake. The rest of them turned their attention to him.

"Slytherin!" he exclaimed, his round face up in excitement, "I get in now, Sirius, you're saying this passage way leads to the Slytherin House; the common room!"

Sirius grinned widely at Peter and proudly said, "Gee, Peter, I have to give some credit. You're the last person I expected to get that one."

"Bloody brilliant, Peter!" James exclaimed, smiling.

Both James and Remus looked at each other; Sirius had tried to make it completely obvious to them, but instead of taking the hints they had been given, they decided to think completely out of the box. It made perfect sense to them now.

Everyone knew that Severus Snape never had any friends, so the reason there were two others with him was because he just happened to run into two other people from his house as they walked into their common room. And the reason Peeves hung around here was because the Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost! It was only proper for Peeves who looked up to/was afraid of the Baron to hang with him.

"Case closed." James laughed, getting in between Peter and Sirius, and putting his arms around them. "I suppose we don't have to investigate this passage. That is unless any of you want to."

Everyone shook their heads vigorously; the last thing on their minds as first years was not to mess with the Slytherin house, especially since they were all Gryffindors. Sure, they could mess with Snape all they wanted to, the git didn't have any friends anyway so what was the big deal? And Bellatrix was Sirius' problem and when Bellatrix was involved so was Sirius, it was their fight and no one could possibly cut in between them. So the Mischief-Makers technically weren't messing around the Slytherin House.

It was their moment of happiness for they had found another secret place in Hogwarts; no matter if it was the Slytherin house, it was still a rare finding. Everyone wondered where in all of Hogwarts the Slytherin House was located, but no one would even speak of it; the Slytherins were just too proud to share that information with everyone.

Unfortunately, their joyous moment was stopped and everyone fell silent. An eerie creaking noise echoed through the corridor, causing James to freeze in his tracks and look back into the deep dark passage. The sound came from within the passage and it resembled that of an old rickety door whose hinges had not been oiled for months. The four of them gulped, and without even looking back to see who it was, they quickly scrambled away ignoring any kind of pain or jab that seemed to get in their way.

"Remus, put out that light would you?!" Sirius stammered, looking back at him as they turned another corner.

"That's a smart idea!" Remus huffed, trying to keep up with his friends. Instantly, the place grew dark again; being used to the light, their eyes were blinded at first, but they continued to run It was far too dangerous down there, and the only safe place they knew was back in their common room.

Just as they saw the first small glimpse of moonlight from the stairway something jumped in front of them. To their horror and bad luck, that something turned out to be Peeves the Poltergeist. Sirius who had been running in front didn't have enough time to stop, and accidentally ran right through the translucent poltergeist.

"A—Ah!" Sirius muttered stumbling to the ground, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, "S—So cold!"

"Naughty Gryffindors…" Peeves mocked, "'ey lookie 'ere! INTRUDERS! INTRU—"

"Shut it! We don't have time for this!" Sirius growled, getting to his feet, and grabbing Peter's wrist. The two of them ran around Peeves and up the staircase before them. James followed them, running at the same pace and speed. But Remus, on the other hand, took the time to apologize to Peeves then run after his friends.

The four of them didn't stop running until they finally came before the door to the Fat Lady in which they all collapsed from exhaustion.

The Fat Lady looked down at the four of them her plump face frowning at the sight of them.

"G—gelu Feles." Remus panted, looking up at the Fat Lady with his normally tired eyes.

"I knew you lot were up to no good! What kind of mischief did you do this time?"

"Just open the bloody door!" Sirius stammered, struggling to his feet.

The Fat Lady pursed her lips angrily and the door swung open. The four of them stumbled through the doorway all at once and were surprised to see their prefects and Professor McGonagall staring down at them with particularly suspicious faces.

"Hello Professor…" James smiled trying to keep a casual tone in his voice.

"Don't you 'hello professor' to me!" she exclaimed, the tone in her voice rising, and the anger in her eyes building. "Sweet talk won't you buy you out of this one, Potter! Now, explain yourselves! It's passed ten o'clock; you lot should be in your dormitories by now! Lupin, I want you to keep your mouth shut!"

Remus, who had opened his mouth to talk first, quickly shut it, and sadly looked at his friends. It was most apparent Professor McGonagall that Remus was the kind of person to create a really good excuse for his friends. Sirius frowned; he was depending on Remus to begin with, and none of them had a speech prepared keep from getting punished.

"No explanation? Very well then, detention, all fou—"

James waved his arm as if to ask her wait; "Not all four of us! It was my fault! I was the one who made them come with me to the—"

"Bathroom!" Sirius said quickly, cutting James off in order for him not to take all the blame. "James—James is frightly scared of the dark!"

James stared horrified at Sirius; now all the prefects, teachers, and students would think that he, James Potter, was afraid of the dark!

The two prefects looked at each other and remembered what James had said before they left and both found this explanation to be quite accurate. "I remember; Potter did say they were going to the bathroom." Mumbled the female prefect.

"That maybe so, but that still doesn't answer the question as to why you four were down there for over two and a half hours!" said McGonagall, her face still flush with fury.

"We were there for that long?!" Remus gasped; his face faulting into one of the saddest faces one had ever seen. Then he whispered, "My essay… that was the time I was going to use to finish my essay…"

"James and I played a joke on Peter," said Sirius, his face serious and stern. "And it sort of backfired on us."

"Peeves came along too!" Peter exclaimed, his face as white as snow, the poor boy didn't want to dare say anything, but did anyway. "He gave us a—a really big scare!"

The two prefects nodded in agreement; Peeves was occasionally seen in the bathroom. The explanation seemed to also check out with Professor McGonagall since the anger in her face disappeared. Even if that explanation checked out, James felt like they were still going to bite the big one; and he was very right.

"Lupin, I want you to take Mr. Pettigrew up to your dormitory with you." She said her eyes not leaving James' nor Sirius' faces.

"But—But Professor!" Remus pleaded, his feet still planted in the same position it had been; it seemed that he wasn't going to move.

"Didn't you have an essay to do?" she asked trying to keep from exploding. "GO DO IT!"

"Y—yes ma'am." Remus gulped, dragging Peter up the stairs of his dormitory and disappearing from sight.

Neither James nor Sirius could blame the two of them; they obviously brought this fate upon themselves by saying that they played a joke on Peter. When they heard the distant slam of their dormitory door, Professor McGonagall spoke loud and clear to the two of them.

"This is the second time!" she screamed, her pale face turning as red as a ripe apple. "You two look like the type to get into more trouble as the years go by. You're likely to get into even worse trouble! I don't expect to hear anything else from you two for the rest of the year, got that?"

James and Sirius tried their best to look as though they had learned their lessons, but deep with in their minds there was a voice whispering, "Like we'd ever learn our lessons." The two of them tried their best to keep from laughing at the thought of it.

"So you're letting us off again?" James asked his face suddenly bright with relief, "But I thought you said that you'd never let us off again."

"Who said I was letting you off?" she gasped looking at them with surprise, "You're going to have to write me an essay on everything about transfiguration on four rolls of parchment!"

"E—everything!?" the two of them exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, everything, like all the types of transfiguration, etcetera. Good luck, I want it done by the end of the day tomorrow. Turn it to me at my class room." She said calmly walking toward the door out of the common room, "Have a pleasant sleep."

She then closed the door behind her and the two prefects went up to their dormitories, obviously, exhausted by the look on their faces. James and Sirius walked up the step of their tower grumbling and complaining, but when they opened the door into their room they immediately stopped.

Remus and Peter had been waiting for them; Remus had hardly written anything on his roll of parchment that was set out on his bed, and Peter had been pacing around like an old man. Sirius and James realized that it wouldn't be the best idea to just complain to the two of them for it would only make them feel even worse than they already were.

"You didn't get detention, did you?" Peter asked, concern in his round face.

"I should have spoken up. We should have taken the punishment too." Said Remus, not wanting to look at his two friends straight in the face.

"Punishment? What are you two sulking on about?" James laughed, his face as bright as usual, "It's not like we got detention or anything."

"Just a small essay, mate." Sirius added combing his hair with his hand as usual. "It'll be a breeze; don't get on about this. It's nothing too bad."

Peter and Remus sighed in relief and both sat back on their beds. James walked over to his luggage and propped one open in order to get his sleepwear.

"What topic is this essay on?" Remus asked as interested as one could possibly be.

"Everything on transfiguration." Replied James, plainly, as he popped his head out of the top of his shirt.

"Oh! That's a very interesting topic." Remus implied quit ready to start a conversation about it. "Do mention Animagi, 'kay James? Professor McGonagall will love it if you do."

"Why would she love it…? Besides the fact that she teaches the subject." Sirius wondered aloud scratching his head as he did so.

"Don't you know, Sirius?" Peter asked his eyes round with awe. "Professor McGonagall is an Animagus!"

"Yeah, can transform into a cat, that McGonagall." James laughed, plopping onto his bed. Sirius looked at all of them curiously and it was rather obvious that he didn't know about her strange transformations. James looked at Sirius sympathetically and said, "Don't worry, mate, everyone learns something new."

It was not long before each one of them was lying on their beds with their blankets tucked around them. James rested his hands behind his head as his laid their staring up at top of his poster-bed.

"Hey Sirius?" James said softly not looking up, he wasn't sure if his good friend had already fallen asleep. There came no reply, so he tried again, "Hey mate?"

He must be sleeping already, he thought. James sighed deeply and scratched his head. It took a good fifteen minutes until his eyes suddenly began to feel heavy. They drooped ever so slowly till they were closed all the way, and the poor boy was finally asleep…

-----------------------------------

Move out of the way, worthless blood traitor.

No! James thought frantically, his mind racing. Who was this man? Why did he want him out of the way? Surely he'd move out of the way without a second thought, but there was something about the situation that made him think twice.

There was nothing but darkness that surrounded him; he could no longer see anything or anyone there. Wasn't he just in his dormitory with his friends? Where were Sirius, Peter, and Remus? Were they all right? There was something that utterly pained him when he thought about them, but why? It wasn't like they'd ever betray him…

More questions popped into James' head and he felt like he was swirling, lost in the dark. Where did that voice come from? Why did it want him to move out of the way? He had nothing to hide! He was just James Potter, an innocent bystander!

You're frightened… Scared… I can see it in your eyes.

James began to breathe heavily glancing around frantically trying to get a glimpse of something or someone. There was nothing; he felt so alone; it was like no one cared for him. He could feel the evil that filled the air; it made him shudder and feel uneasy. He began patting his all of his pockets trying to search for his wand. The minute his fingered it, he pulled it out and at the ready staring deeply into the dark that awaited him.

Then something moved behind him, he gasped and spun around. There, before him, stood about what looked to be thirteen cloaked people. They all towered over him looking down with their dark eyes, which pressed harshly against him.

Among the group of cloaked people, there were, to his surprise, some he could recognize. The first person he saw made his eyes nearly pop out of his sockets, is that…Sirius? No. It can't be… but they look so much a like… Could it be Regulus, his brother?

The next person he recognized was Bellatrix Black, then Rodolphus Lestrange, then Rabastan Lestrange (Rodolphus' brother), and then two others that also looked very familiar. Unlike the faces of Bellatrix's and Rodolphus', these two faces were shrouded in mist, it was almost as if something kept him from seeing their faces.

In the very center of this group that surrounded him was a man. He looked extremely sinister and evil and by far the worst one James laid his eyes on. This man was the voice that called to him… and he seemed to be the master of the group. Death Eaters, said a voice from inside his head, they're Death Eaters.

You will die at my hands. At my wand, Potter. Be ready for it… You and your unworthy family will be no more.

James felt as though his body had gone rigid, he could no longer move. The wand that he had in his firm grip clattered to the floor leaving him helpless. The man lifted his wand to James' neck and his lips curled. James could feel his heart beat in his throat as the wand leveled itself under his chin. He had never felt this scared in his entire life. He was going to die at the hands of this mad man, and he couldn't do anything about it. The so-called Deatheaters behind the man were all laughing excitedly at him. They were excited to see him die… One of two Deatheaters that James couldn't decipher at first became half visible… "Pe—?"

Avada Keda—

"James!"

James' eyes shot open at sound of his name, and he blinked as he looked up to see Sirius, Remus, and Peter staring down at him. It took him a while to fully recover from that nightmare. When he did, he realized that he had in fact fallen off his bed and was sprawled out on the floor at the base of it. All of his friends were staring down at him with both concerned and frightened looks.

"You went all rigid!" Peter gasped, shivering uncontrollably. "And your face was all pale and… and!"

"Your palms were sweating, but your whole body felt cold to the touch." Implored Remus trying to help James up, "Sirius was the most concerned though, and he was about to run to Dumbledore saying that you had died. He even started tearing—!"

"I didn't go that far, Remus." Sirius scowled harshly, his cheeks apparently turning red with embarrassment. "As long as you're all right, mate. You were also talking in your sleep that's why I knew you were still alive."

Sirius had given Remus a small glare, but Peter, on the other hand, was quite puzzled by Sirius' explanation.

"But when James started talking in his sleep, you thought he was possessed, Sirius!" Said Peter innocently, looking at him with concern.

Remus burst out into a fit of laughter, and Sirius turned the color of crimson. James, who had sat up, smiled weakly and tried groping around his desk for his round glasses. Upon grabbing them, he put them on and looked them; it was clearly passed 10 o'clock and none of them were wearing their uniforms. This startled James so he tried to stand up, but only ended up collapsing to his knees again.

"Hey, mate!" Sirius muttered, walking over to him, "Take it easy! It's Friday today."

"Friday? But we have class—"

"Class…? Have you already forgotten? First years have Friday's off!" Remus smiled patting James on the shoulder. "Take your time to recover. You'll need it, I mean having a dream about that mass muggle murderer—"

"What!?" James said in astonishment, "How'd you know it was—? I didn't even know who it was!"

Sirius, Remus, and Peter stared at James with a look of shock and despair. It was awkward for James; it was his nightmare! He didn't even know who the man was in his dream so how could they know for sure it was the muggle murderer? Were they psychic? No, only very small amounts of people are psychic, and most of them are very troubled people.

"James, didn't you know what you were saying…?" Peter spoke out, his tone going all airy.

James shook his head, "I didn't say a bloody word!"

Remus and Sirius looked horrified at the reply and hesitated to say what James had been whispering while he was asleep. Peter on the other hand began quivering again, but Sirius conked him on head and told him to stay calm.

"Well, what did I say?" he asked them, impatiently awaiting an answer.

"You only said a phrase, James, but you kept repeating it over and over again." Remus began, gulping down some saliva in his mouth so that he could continue to talk.

"It sounded like you were straining," added Sirius, rubbing his forehead.

James waited for them to finish, it seemed like forever had gone by when they finally said it.

"The Dark Lord Voldemort." Murmured Remus, "Those were your exact words."

:: Uh Oh ::

Next Chapter: Coincidence?

Well it's getting closer to chapter 17 now isn't it? I've only got up to 17 done so when that chapter has finally been posted... my posts will come slower than before... Reviews help me to work faster! Also, my computer seems to be down for the time being... Hopefully it doesn't wipe out my entire story .!

I shall warn you right now. The next chapter that's coming up will consist of a fight between our beloved Marauder's Four. I know, I know, they're supposed to be friends forever during their time at Hogwarts and stuff, but reality just isn't like that, ya know? So please don't flame me saying that they shouldn't be fighting because it's just not realistic to me. Thankies!