By: Max Pilote
Chapter Seven – What the Doctor Ordered
It felt so good the way his lips tickled the nape of her neck with his soft warm kisses. How would she ever wake up in the morning if he wasn't there to rouse her from her slumber with his gentle and romantic gestures of love? Of course, these little affections also made Lily want to stay in bed, curled up next to her husband.
"Mm, James, you're teasing me," she whispered before opening her eyes. They were greeted by the soft sunlight that pierced through the thin blue curtain hanging on the window. Lily peered up at James, who looked a little different without his glasses on. "It's too early in the morning for whatever you're thinking."
"Is that your response every morning?" asked James in mock disappointment as he got up and took a change of clothes from the dresser. His wife frowned slightly at this, for this meant that his usual morning tease was over. Now she missed it.
"I'm cooking breakfast!" he said with a proud smile.
"No, I think Harry deserves a nice, nutritious, and perfectly not burnt breakfast for once this week," stated Lily as she stood and pulled her robe about her.
James, who had moved on to shaving, didn't even bother poking his head out of the bathroom. She heard him scoff, though, and then the small curse he let out when he nearly cut himself because of the distraction. Her soft laughter echoed into the bathroom before she headed downstairs to cook the first decent breakfast the Potters had since James started cooking for them. He wasn't a bad cook; he just wasn't that good.
As usual, the father had to wake up the son. Summer never produced a decent reason for the Potters' son to get up before midmorning. Thus, Harry would remain in bed well into the afternoon if James didn't wake him up every morning.
Quietly, his came into his son's room. The décor had been changed since he was five. Now, the Seeker that flew about on his ceiling wore the house colors of Gryffindor. The Quidditch pitch that had been painted on the walls also sported the gold and scarlet of the house known for its bravery and cunning.
Over the years, James had thought of many different creative ways to wake up his lazy kin. Today, however, he decided to give the boy a break. Well, not much of one. As quietly as ever, he nearly crawled across the floor of the room before he reached the bed.
Then, he pounced. Harry cried out in surprise. His cry quickly burst into a fit of laughter and giggles as his father began to mercilessly tickle him.
After several moments of hearing her son shriek in laughter, Lily came upstairs and shook her head at the boys. Presently, Harry had James pinned to the floor and was attempting to get him back for the sneaky little trick as his father was trying to cast a tickling curse on Harry.
She drew her own wand from the pocket of her robe and called, "Expelliarmus!" Her husband's wand jumped into her extended hand. The two other members of her family froze and looked at her.
"Oh, good morning, Mum!" said Harry cheerfully as he abandoned his position on top of his father and bounded across the room before James could get to him. He grabbed his mother, as if in a long hug. Then, he turned and gave his father a teasing smirk.
"You are so much like me it should be illegal," remarked James as he continued down the stairs.
Morning pranks and laughs cast aside, the Potters went downstairs to begin their breakfast. The routine went as it normally did. Harry would set the table, James would go to retrieve the paper, and Lily would start to serve whatever was to be eaten that morning.
His attention left what his family was doing as James stepped out into the open air of the early morning. It was as if he were breathing in life itself. Not as good as being in the air, but James decided that it had to tide him over until Quidditch practice that afternoon. With a heavy sigh at reminding himself that hours stood between him and flying, he knelt down and picked the paper off the doorstep.
The front page seemed a little happy. Harry would be delighted to see it, thought James as he started back into the house. Adorning the first page was a large picture of the Weasley family. He and Arthur were on good terms, seeing as though they worked together. They formed a small friendship because of their sons being best friends and all. In the picture, the Weasleys were smiling.
That's when he remembered about what Harry had been telling him about the other night when he was far too tired to pay complete attention. Ron and his family were spending the summer in Egypt, returning for the last part in order to do their school shopping with the money they had won as well.
James smiled as he scanned the picture, sitting down at the table.
"You're friend looks mighty happy," he remarked to Harry. The boy looked up from his eggs.
"He's in the paper? Wow, lucky prat," he said jokingly. "Is the entire family there?"
"Yep, even the oldest ones. Cute, your friend even brought his rat with him."
The grip on his coffee mug faltered and he nearly dropped it. Lily and Harry looked at him n concern as they watched him with concern. He scanned the picture, staring down at the rat once more. There was no way he could forget that rat, especially after everything he had done! Not even the strongest charms ever created could cause him to forget the man who betrayed his family.
Suddenly, he felt sick. Excusing himself from breakfast, he got up and went into the bathroom upstairs, leaning over the sink. What was happening to him? Why did he feel this way?
He knew why. The source of his nausea was just how cruel the world could be. Sirius Black sat rotting away in the feared prison of Azkaban while the man who had done so many crimes against his family and friends walked about free.
Not only had he betrayed his family and his trust by nearly handing them over to Voldemort, he had been the reason behind Sirius being placed in Azkaban.
Of course, only days after the shocking news, Sirius Black escaped.
"Oh, that is such a ridiculous notion!" exclaimed James, throwing his hands into the air. "Sirius Black does not serve the Dark Lord and he is not going to try and kill me or my son in a desperate attempt to bring his master back.
"Honestly, can't you find someone else to bother? I have been accused of being an animagus, wrongful practicing of the Dark Arts, and helping Sirius Black escape from Azkaban. Can you people please leave me alone for even a few weeks?"
Lily refilled her husband's teacup and put her hand on his shoulder, an indication that he needed to keep calm. He sighed heavily, removing his glasses to gently massage the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. The past few weeks had been so trying. He had felt trapped and cornered. James Potter wasn't one to be kept in a cage, but he couldn't fight the Ministry either. He was well on the verge of it, though. After all, every day he lived he fooled the Ministry. He had been fooling them since his fifth year at Hogwarts. That was well over a decade now. Fudge frowned as he sat across from him.
"James, we are only taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of your family," he explained. "The other things were merely Ministry procedures. We have to follow up on any leads."
"I worked at the Ministry. You're only saying that to hide the fact that it was really someone higher up on the food chain known as the Ministry of Magic who suggested it," remarked James, disdain and anger hidden in is frosty tone. He took a sip of his tea and looked at the Minister of Magic, his hazel eyes fixing him with a dissatisfied glare. "Honestly, what idiot would believe that I would even dare to use the Dark Arts, let alone hurt someone with them?"
He wasn't sure where the accusation came from, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with a small accident he had last week concerning a former classmate.
"We aren't allowed to divulge that kind of information. You know that."
"Whatever the case is, no Ministry is coming near my house, my family, or myself. Is that understood?" he said sternly, his eyes now burning in anger. "I will punish anyone who decides to hurt my family, and I can assure you that I am very much capable of defending myself. That, however, does go without saying."
The nervous wizard before him nodded slightly and took his leave. James shook his head and frowned at his tea. He hated getting so cross with people, and he certainly hated the way he had scared Fudge. Of course, the fear of him was a rather normal thing. Having defeated Voldemort, it was a ready perception that James was a very powerful wizard. While he did have quite a bit of power, he knew he couldn't possibly have as much power as everyone thought he did. Only Dumbledore could possibly possess that kind of power, if it were possible for any witch or wizard to even dream about possessing the power he was rumored to have.
A soft kiss to the nape of his neck brought him from his reverie. His soft hazel eyes turned on his wife and he smiled, forgetting all his worries. Her bright green eyes, full of love and devotion for her husband, shined with a happiness there that few would understand.
"Come, we've got to get Harry to Diagon Alley," said Lily with a smile. "His school supplies won't buy themselves."
"Oh, how I wish," replied her husband in a sarcastic, yet cheerful tone. Every bit of ice had melted from his voice and left the happy James Potter that most knew.
Harry bounded down the stairs at that exact same moment. He had grown into quite a fine young boy since that one Halloween night, now standing very tall and well built. James smiled as he watched his son running with speed down the stairs of the house, despite the number of times his mother had warned him against that. He looked so much like his father it was amazing. The same round glasses he had worn as a child were still his first choice. Of course, they had long since gotten him a larger pair of glasses. He was the same tall and skinny boy his father was. The family curse, as James so happily put it, had also been passed down to the poor boy. His hair was jet black and unruly, sticking up in the back just as his father's had.
What set him apart from his father was his eyes. He had the same strikingly beautiful green eyes as his mother. If something happened to the other, Harry would always be a reminder of the love the two had held for each other.
James stood and stretched before letting Lily take his teacup. "Yes, let us abscond to Diagon Alley for our annual excursion," he said with a chuckle, but making it sound as if it were a daunting task. "Besides, I need to stock up on some er...supplies."
"For what? Pranking Remus?" asked Harry, so much the Marauder his dad had been.
The response he received was highly unexpected.
"No, I need to keep the Ministry away from the house," replied James, his tone changing from cheerful and carefree to very serious. "Your godfather's out of Azkaban."
"Really?" asked the boy. "They actually let him out? You said that he was going to be in there for the rest of his life! Did they finally listen to you and let him out?" His eyes lit up and he seemed extremely happy. He hadn't seen his godfather since he was one. Thus, he didn't remember much of him. James and Remus had taken to telling him the great stories of Sirius's daring exploits through Hogwarts. They even showed him the pictures from their school years at Hogwarts. While the papers always depicted Sirius Black as a horrible murderer and a dark wizard, Harry always saw him the same way his friends saw him. To Harry, Sirius Black was Padfoot, the fun-loving and hyper puppy that was James's spiritual twin.
Silence fell over his father, who frowned a little and furrowed his brow. "Harry, they didn't let him out, as you're thinking," he quickly explained, though he felt bad for instantly crushing his precious child's hopes and dreams of ever knowing his godfather. Well, there was still the possibility, but it would be fleeting. It was highly unlikely that Sirius could escape the Dementors forever. Once they found him...James didn't even want to think about. Of course, what he adverted his thoughts to was not that much of an improvement. "He escaped from Azkaban and they're looking for him, Harry."
"Then we have to find him first!" exclaimed Harry. "We can't let Ministry get him! They'll send him back to Azkaban when he never did anything wrong to them!" This was, of course, the first thing James would have thought were he Harry's age once again. At the moment, though, he was far more level-headed and mature than his teenage son.
There were so many things that James needed to explain to Harry, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to scare his child like that. Not only was the news of Sirius Black a huge surprise to both the remaining Marauders, it was not only Sirius who had noticed the photo in the Daily Prophet. He could never forget the face, or form, of evil.
James also had to consider the mental state his fugitive friend was in. Since he had heard no word from Sirius, there was no evidence supporting or denying the fact that his friend may have very well gone insane. Azkaban did things to people. Those unfortunate enough to be placed within its stone walls were driven to insanity, never to return as the ones that they once were.
It was believed by the remaining Marauders (and Peter at one point) that an insane Sirius would probably be a very dangerous Sirius.
He took Harry before him and gripped his shoulders firmly. "Harry, if Sirius ever gets to Hogwarts," said James with a frown, "promise me that you won't go looking for him. This is something that we as the Marauders need to take care of. You just focus on your studies and Quidditch." The tone in which he spoke was not only firm, but commanding. Lily could rarely remember times when James used this voice on those he cared about.
The downcast look in his son's eyes nearly broke James's heart, but he had to do it. He had to make Harry understand that it was not only dangerous, but he didn't want his son around the real Pettigrew. He didn't want his son knowing the real Peter instead of Scabbers. It was already bad enough that he just learned his only son had been sharing a dorm with the rat for the past two years. Then again, he felt even more sorry for the Weasley family. That rat had been living under their roof for countless years. Of course, it depicted the role that Peter was always doomed to play in whatever life he led. He would always be the pet, the tag-along.
"Dad, I don't...I don't understand why I can't see Sirius," admitted his son with a frown as he was pulled into the strong embrace of his father. "Will I ever get to see him?"
"You will, baby. You will."
As was the norm for that time of the year, Platform 9 ¾ was packed with people. Many Hogwarts students and many soon-to-be Hogwarts students rushed around the station, some clad in their robes while others still wore their street clothes. Worried parents bid farewell to their children as they watched them board the train.
The Potters were no different. Lily hugged Harry and kissed his cheek.
"Now you behave," she said to him. "I don't want to get anymore letters about your daring and outlandish pranks with Ron, okay?"
"What your mother means to say," said his father with a chuckle, "is that if you do play any pranks, you better make sure that you don't get caught. I didn't give you the invisibility cloak for nothing."
Harry nodded to both of them. "I love you!" he said to them before boarding the train with his friend Ron.
His parents shook their heads and waved at him as Hogwarts Express took its occupants off to what would prove to be a very exciting year for many of them. The students' minds were not just focused on the year ahead of them, though. News that Sirius Black may be on his way to Hogwarts was a rather disturbing bit of news to many people. While the Daily Prophet had not divulged this information, parents who worked at the Ministry of Magic may have mentioned this in passing or their children may have overheard.
The topic made Harry a little more than uncomfortable. He had to pretend that he didn't know anything about Sirius Black, and it was expected of him. It was simply assumed that James had far better things to speak with his son about than the supposedly former best friend who had allegedly betrayed him and his other friends. This curtain of ignorance was just to keep up appearances.
Ron led the way and they searched for an empty compartment. Harry looked through the windows of the compartment doors as the walked down the aisles. In the one at the end of one of the passenger cars, he saw someone sleeping in there that was oddly familiar.
"Hey, let's get in this one," he said to Ron with a smile.
The red-head shrugged, "I don't see why this compartment is more appealing to the others, but if it works for you."
"My uncle Remus is in here! Well, he's not really my uncle by blood, but he and my dad are so close that we just call him my uncle," explained the other quickly as he quietly slid the compartment door open.
The two boys came into the compartment; keeping the amount of noise they made down as to not wake the sleeping man. Ron thought he looked rather peculiar. His robes were ragged, but patched in places where there might have been holes. Apparently, he wasn't a man in the greatest of wealth or social classes.
He wasn't completely wrong. Harry knew that Remus was a werewolf. James wasn't about to hide that from his son. His ailment made it rather hard for Remus to get or keep a job. The only reason his house was in decent conditions was the fact that Sirius had left it for him and James helped him pay for it.
Why was he there, though? His father hadn't mentioned anything about him being at Hogwarts and Ron knew nothing of it, thus Harry was utterly clueless. He dismissed it, though, as Hermione entered the compartment. The three frowned as the train jerked, nearly throwing the standing witch to the floor. Scenery that had been moving was now completely still as the Hogwarts Express had drawn itself to a complete halt.
"What's happening?" asked Ron as he helped Hermione to her feet.
The intelligent young witch shrugged and looked out the window, "Maybe there was something on the tracks?"
"I doubt that," said Harry as he continued to watch out the window.
It became piercingly cold, a blanket that engulfed and swallowed him. Harry became suddenly aware of a different presence...a dark and disturbing presence. He had felt something like this before, and his father had told him that it was the Dark Lord when he came to kill the Potters. This, however much less threatening, struck an odd fear within him.
Ice reached out across the windows, like fingers reaching out in all directions. Their breathing became visible on the air as steam as soon as it parted with their bodies. It was approaching swiftly. He could feel it. It was closing in around him and sucking what felt to be the very life from him.
The creature was hard to describe as he came past the window. Sorrow and fear followed in its wake along with the sudden drop in temperatures. Billowing black cloak, it seemed to float along aisle. It didn't pass the second window, for it stopped in front of their compartment door. The three students pressed themselves against the back of the little space as the door slid open.
It engulfed Harry, choking him as he felt the cold become more like a gripping hand. The very life felt as if it were being squeezed from him. His chest felt constricted and his breathing labored. As he fell to the darkness, he heard screaming voices in his head.
"Where have you hidden the child? Where is he? You cannot protect him forever."
"You're wrong! I will always protect him. No one, not even you, can harm my son as long as I am alive."
"CRUCIO!"He spent the better part of the hour trying to explain his predicament without relenting any information that he was not comfortable with having known to anyone else. After a while, the man sitting across from him gave him an odd look before speaking.
"So, you're saying that you're feeling useless?" asked his therapist with a frown. James had asked if he could schedule an early appointment. It sounded urgent, so the man had agreed.
"Not useless, just helpless," corrected the distraught wizard. "To put it simply, there is something that I have to do but I'm having second thoughts about it. I fear, however, that if I do not attempt to solve this problem, I may fall deeper into madness."
He looked up as the doctor laughed softly at him, "Then why not take the needed course of action? What is life if we do not take some chances? Isn't that what you told me once? I think that it is time we stop talking about your problems and you get out there and solve them. Start with the simplest one, and then complete the most daunting task."
Silence fell over the doctor and the patient. James felt more than foolish at that moment. Why was he so blind to the simplest solutions? Then again, was it just that everyone had actually started to convince James Potter that he was no long self-sufficient enough to make his own decisions concerning his mental state?
With a heavy sigh, he gathered his coat and decided that he was definitely going to solve this problem.
He had defeated Voldemort; he could definitely defeat Peter Pettigrew. Unfortunately, he knew Lily would never allow him to go to Hogwarts without a good reason. She kept a watchful eye on James. She had attempted to keep him on a short leash, but he was not a man for limits. Thus, she allowed him to roam, so long as he adhered to the certain circumstances that are obvious between a husband and wife.
Remus would never help him, not that the werewolf could. He hadn't been at home, and it looked as if he had packed a bag or something, because most of his precious things were missing from the apartment that he had Sirius had once shared. James didn't break in, mind you. The doors to each of their houses would always open for a fellow Marauder. Only true Marauders, though.
No traitors.
That was deepest blow to the Marauders that anyone could have dealt. The four were so close that a traitor within them seemed the farthest possibility. Then again, they had suspected it was Remus.
It seemed only fitting that it would be Peter, the tag along who searched only for powerful friends.
"I guess we didn't have the power you wanted," muttered James. "Oh, I will show you the kind of power I have, though. Sirius better hope he gets a hold of him before I do, because I won't even leave a finger left for the Ministry to find."
To be continued...
Author's Notes: Okay, seeing as though this chapter is long enough already, I will respond to all reviews next chapter! Sorry, Moony, but Remus didn't do you-know-what to you-know-who this chapter, but I promise it will be a definite thing in chapter eight!