Author's Note:
Lupin-Lover349: Thank you so much for each and every one of your reviews! I think James should punch Malfoy in the face too…who knows…he just might. I hope it's not just you who thinks the quotes are funny!
Man eating plant: That's true, but the enmity between Slytherin and Gryffindor is so fierce they can't just overlook it. Plus, James has liked Lily for the longest time and James's friends and Lily's friends all think those two would be perfect for each other. Thanks for the review, by the way!
AnjaliMalfoy: It's reviews like this that make me want to keep writing ). Thank you SO much for making my day (we missed you at the party last week, by the way).
OTHCharmedHPFreak: Is that good? I hope it's good! Haha. Well, I'm updating now!
Thanks to freshie for the review!
Author's Note (2): This chapter is pretty long, and it somewhat seems like fluff, but there's a lot of background information that will be important later on!
Chapter Seven: Mr. Brightside
"I
just can't look, it's killing me,
and
taking control.
Jealousy,
turning saints into the sea,
Swimming
through sick lullabies,
Choking
on your alibi.
But
it's just the price I pay,
Destiny
is calling me
Open
up my eager eyes,
I'm
Mr. Brightside."
-The
Killers, Mr. Brightside
"Prongs, quite frankly, I'm getting tired of your moping around," said Sirius. "All right, Lily broke your heart. Get over it!"
He shook his mop of black hair and turned away with mock disgust. Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and glared at James out of the corner of his eye. James kept his eyes glued to the parchment sitting before him.
"I think we need to do something to get Prongs's mood back," Remus said with one of his wicked grins, which was even more rare than a gnome in prim and prissy Mrs. Black's garden.
"Ah, Moony has a plan!" Sirius said with a glint in his eye.
James looked up with astonishment, his quill frozen in the air. A glob of black into dripped onto the neatly done essay, but he didn't even notice.
"You have an idea for a prank?" Peter spoke up. "Finally…as long as I'm not the diversion again."
"What's my role?" Peter asked eagerly.
"You get to be the diversion," Sirius informed him.
"I get to be the what?" he questioned.
James and Sirius exchanged pitying looks. Poor guy. He wasn't very bright, but then again, it was because his mother spent every waking moment having fun with her beloved son. Peter's family situation was actually quite sad, but it wasn't something they wanted to dwell on at the time.
"You get to distract Filch and Mrs. Norris," James explained gently.
"What?" Peter's chubby visage paled. "What if they catch me?"
"They won't," James assured him. "We'll finish in time, I promise."
Peter looked at Sirius and then James, then Sirius again, hesitantly.
"Don't you trust us, mate?" Sirius questioned, almost mockingly.
"Yeah," replied Peter. "All right, I'll do it."
He muttered a couple of words and then his place stood a rat. It squeaked, as though to tell Sirius and James that he was ready.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," James said, tapping his wand against the map. He studied it closely. "Go, Wormtail, Filch is in the second floor corridor."
Peter scurried off, finding those cracks and holes that he always used when traveling through Hogwarts castle – making sure to stay far from the other rats, of course. Using those secret shortcuts known only to him, he reached the second floor corridor and slipped out of a crack.
With a slight squeak, he leapt out of the way as a student almost stepped on him. He turned his head to look this way and that with his little rat eyes. Although he was in the form of a rat, he was technically an Animagus, so his eyesight wasn't all that bad. He skimmed the corridor and his eyes found the feet of Mrs. Norris.
Praying for his life, he scuttled onto a Slytherin girl's shoe. Her gaze fell to her feet and she shrieked – "RAT! RAT! Help me!"
"I'll get you, you filthy rat!" growled Filch, dashing after Peter, who hurried away, as fast as his little legs would carry him. His heart was pumping and he actually felt a rush from the excitement, but mostly what he felt was fear.
More screams echoed those of the Slytherin girl, especially when people caught sight of Peter.
Filch swiped at him.
"Get him, Mrs. Norris!" he commanded.
The cat hissed and darted at Peter, who zigzagged around horrified people's feet. He was almost there – there was a crack somewhere around here! There it was! With a relieved squeak, he began to enter it, but found himself face to face with a real rat. Wanting to avoid confrontation, and being afraid of real rats, he continued flitting down the corridor.
Ah, another crack, thank goodness! He threw his chubby body into it – and found himself wedged in the hole. He pressed his forepaws against the wall and tried to wriggled himself free, but his hind legs – waving uselessly in the air on the outside of the wall – were weighing him down. Plus, there was his tail. With it wiggling around like a worm, he was certain to catch Mrs. Norris's attention. In fact, he could hear her hissing.
"I've got you now, you filthy animal!" Filch snarled triumphantly.
Exhausted, Peter stayed still, hoping that if he played dead, Filch would be satisfied and leave him alone.
"Oh, your little tricks won't fool me," said Filch menacingly, dispelling any hope Peter had left.
What were James and Sirius doing? Why were they late so late?
Then suddenly, a cannon-like booming echoed through the corridor, and the ground gave a shake that jolted Peter free. Thanking his stars, Peter hurried through the wall back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"What – " Filch gasped. "POTTER! BLACK!"
Sirius and James roared with laughter – James forgetting all his troubles for a moment – and even Remus smiled.
"So, what's the plan, Moony?" Sirius asked keenly.
"I'll tell you after I reconcile with Chelsea," he said. "You guys will just have to wait."
Sirius glared at Remus and threw his arm around James's shoulder.
"Come on, man, are you going to torture Prongs like this?"
"Actually, I think Prongs is quite content with waiting," Remus said mildly. "I believe you have a problem with it."
Pleadingly, Sirius turned to James to support him.
"I think he's right, mate," James said, amused.
"I can't believe he took Lily's side," Chelsea said miserably, lounging in a comfortable chair in the Gryffindor Common Room. "I think he does like her. God, why is Cerise so stupid, and yet always right?"
"She isn't always right," Amirah said, soothingly, from the sofa beside Chelsea's chair. "I think he was just trying to see it from Lily's perspective and not jump to any conclusion."
"I don't know," Chelsea said, doubtfully. "Remember back in…fourth year? Fifth year? She fancied him then. He probably fancied her then and still does. He's just too faithful to James. God, if only Lily was the same way."
"She betrayed our trust by not telling us about Lucius," Amirah agreed. "But I think I agree with Remus now. I'm so tired of hearing about Lily and Lucius. At the same time, we can't just forget about them, because I know he's going to hurt her."
"He's a Death Eater now," Chelsea said quietly. "If Snape is, he definitely must be. I mean, he's the ringleader of his little group and all."
"Hey, Chelsea," Remus said, coming up to them. Then he addressed Amirah, "May I please speak to her alone?"
"Don't ask her that," Chelsea responded irately. "She isn't my boss. If you want to talk to me, ask me."
"I was just trying to be polite," he said, a little thrown off.
That made Chelsea feel a little bad for snapping at him, and she said, "Well, all right then."
"I can see I'm not wanted here," Amirah said with a joking smile. "I'll be over there with James, Sirius, and Peter."
"I'm really sorry if your feelings were hurt, Chelsea," Remus said. "I was just trying to see things in a different light."
"But, I don't know, the way you said it made it seem as though you fancy her," Chelsea said, crossing her arms.
"I don't," he assured her. "I like her as a friend, despite her keeping her Slytherin boyfriend a secret from all of us. But, Chels, I…love you."
The last three words were said somewhat hesitantly, and there was a surprised, exultant look on Remus's face, as if he hadn't meant to say that, but after saying it, realized it was true.
"I love you," he repeated, a smile breaking across his face.
Chelsea bit her lip and studied him for a moment. Then she sighed and leaned forward so her forehead was touching his forehead.
"I love you too, Remus. I'm sorry…I'm sorry I'm so insecure. I jump to conclusions easily. It's just the way I am."
"It doesn't matter," he said, hugging her and planting a kiss on the top of her head. "All that matters is that now you know how I really feel. I love you. It feels so wonderful to say that! I love you. I mean it."
She laughed and kissed him on the lips, her heart all a-flutter and filled with love, drowning out even her conscience.
"Did I ever tell you?" began Lily. "I learned how my parents died."
Lucius turned his head abruptly and asked almost harshly, "Oh really? How?"
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Lily said softly.
As tears filmed over her vision, she leaned against the wall and shut her eyes, allowing them to break free.
"I just don't understand it," she said after taking a shuddering breath. "I was told they kill for fun, but that doesn't make any sense."
"Why not?" he asked guardedly.
"If they killed purely for fun, wouldn't they want to torture their victims, rather than kill them straight off painlessly?"
"That makes sense," Lucius agreed, then muttered, "but I know that bastard father of mine enjoys killing. Maybe it's because when you snuff out a human life, it shows that you have the power to do so. You have the ability and strength to take a life."
"True," she said. "That may be the case. Or perhaps it's just that he loathes Muggles as a race and just kills them systematically to wipe them out."
"But he kills witches and wizards too," Lucius pointed out.
"Yes," Lily conceded. "He does."
Both of them were quiet for a moment as she turned these facts over in her head and assumed he did the same. She thought back to everything she could recall Professor Binns teaching them about massacres and killing.
"Maybe…maybe it's both," Lily said suddenly, quietly. "Maybe he kills Muggles to purge the world of them, and kills witches and wizards as a show of power."
"I think you're probably right," Lucius said. "But do you really want to think about this and talk about this right now?"
"No," she replied. "Not really."
"Come on, then," he said with a grin. "Let's go for a walk."
"What do we call this prank?" James questioned.
"Operation Bright Side," said Sirius, "because this is to cheer up Prongs."
"What's my role this time?" Peter asked nervously.
The four Marauders were seated around a table in the Gryffindor Common Room, speaking in low voices. Normally, Chelsea, Amirah, or someone else would have been hovering about them, but everyone could see that they were not to be disturbed at the moment.
"Don't worry," Remus said. "Padfoot and Prongs will be the distraction."
"What?" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. "I don't get to actually pull the prank?"
"We're doing this together," Remus said severely. "All of us have our parts, so without even one of us, we couldn't pull off the prank. You have the fun part, anyway."
"Do tell," James said, interested.
"I will get the eggs –" Remus continued, only to be interrupted by Sirius.
"Hold on, eggs?"
"I happen to know that Hagrid has the eggs of a very rare type of spider," Remus said, wiggling an eyebrow. "It's a mix between an acromantula and a tarantula and fully grown, is about the size of a pumpkin. Its eggs are so small they can fit in the lines on our hands. However, when they hatch, which they do approximately twenty-six hours after the eggs are warmed, they grow quite quickly and a frightening to look at. The purpose of this spider – "
"Cut the lecture," Sirius said impatiently. "Go on with the plan."
"I think I know where this is going," James said with a grin. "We're going to sneak it into the Slytherin Common Room."
"In the boys' underwear, to be exact," Remus said. "I got the idea from Sirius."
"What do I do?" Peter asked.
"You take the eggs to the Slytherin Common Room and get them in the boys' underwear."
Peter gulped and put his head down on the table.
"You'll do it in your rat form," he continued. "You can hold the eggs in your mouth."
"And if he swallows them?" asked Sirius, with a bark-like laugh. "He'll have spiders hatching in his stomach."
Peter blanched.
"Don't worry," Remus said, throwing Sirius a dirty look. "If you swallow one or even fifty by accident, they won't hatch in your stomach. They'll be broken down by your stomach acid."
"Oh," Peter squeaked. "What if they hatch in my mouth?"
"They won't," Remus promised him. "It won't be time."
"What exactly do Prongs and I do?" asked Sirius.
"You two just act wild and crazy. Do something that will make everyone watch and listen. Make it something that will draw out a crowd of Slytherins."
"Fine," said Sirius.
"Cool," said James.
"Let's do it, mates," Remus said. "Operation Bright Side will begin on October third. James's birthday."
Operation Bright Side Part I – The Steal
Remus crossed the Hogwarts grounds, enjoying the glow of twilight and the coolness of the weather. He rapped on the door of Hagrid's hut with his knuckles. He could hear Fang barking furiously and scratching against the door.
"Who is it?" Hagrid called. "Calm down, boy."
"It's Remus," he responded, smiling to himself as he imagined Hagrid pulling Fang back away from the door.
The door opened, and candlelight fell upon Remus.
"What are yeh doin' here, Remus?" Hagrid asked, but he smiled all the same, and there was warmth in the darkness of his eyes.
"I just wanted to say hi to an old friend," Remus lied, feeling his conscience drum on his mind. "I haven't properly seen you in so long."
"Thanks fer comin' by," Hagrid said. "How're things goin' fer yeh this year?"
"Oh, all right," Remus responded, drumming his fingers on Hagrid's wooden table.
"I'll get a cup o' tea fer yeh," Hagrid told him.
Once he turned his back to Remus to tend to the kettle, Remus brushed some spider eggs into his pockets.
"So, it's yer last year at Hogwarts," Hagrid commented.
"Yeah," Remus agreed, then gave a fake, dry cough.
"I don't feel so great," he said, coughing again, several times. "I think I should head back up. Sorry to cut this short again, Hagrid."
"Should I walk yeh back?" Hagrid questioned, concerned.
"Don't bother yourself," Remus said, coughing and waving him off. "I promise, James, Sirius, Peter, and I will come down here and visit you a lot more."
"All righ' then, Remus," he said.
Remus hurried back up to the castle, throwing a glance at the sky. He narrowed his eyes. The moon was almost full. In a couple of days, it would be time. He shuddered. Even after almost nine years of this, he still couldn't get used to it.
'This is my life,' he thought, sighing.
It was his eighth birthday, and his party had just ended, and his house was stuffy and packed with presents.
"Why don't you go take a walk outside?" his mum suggested with a mysterious smile.
"All right," he agreed.
Remus stepped out of his house and stepped down the sidewalk, the spring air cool on his skin. The night was perfumed with jasmine and rose and lavender. He breathed it in deeply and turned his eyes upward, admiring the perfectly round, silvery moon.
A strange feeling surrounded him, as though he was being followed. A low growling sound emitted from a bush, and the bush rustled.
He froze and stared at the bush with alarm. The growling deepened and a creature with glowing eyes stalked out of the bushes and toward him. Remus backed away slowly, and the creature roared and leaped at him, sinking its teeth into Remus's arm.
Shockwaves of pain were sent up his arms, and he cried aloud before dropping to the ground, and rapidly losing consciousness.
Remus shuddered again. Then, to lighten his mood, he thought to himself, 'I never did find out what that surprise was.'
Operation Bright Side Part II – The Pass
"Here, Wormtail, I've got the eggs," Remus said triumphantly.
Peter looked at the greenish eggs, repulsed. "I don't want those in my mouth, Moony."
"I know," Remus said, "which is why I'm going to wrap them up in this napkin and set them carefully in your mouth. When you get to the Slytherin Common Room, just spit the whole napkin in one of their trunks."
"All right," Peter agreed nervously.
He transfigured into a rat and opened his mouth. Remus placed the napkin inside.
"I'll amplify my hearing and wait right outside the Slytherin Common Room. Squeak three times if you're in trouble, and I'll make a lot of noise and do something you can get free. Good luck, mate."
Operation Bright Side Part III – The Diversion
"Hey, James! Happy birthday, mate!" Sirius said loudly, as they walked by the corridor to the Slytherin Common Room.
He had no problem being loud and obnoxious; he had had plenty of years of practice due to his mother and father, who had disowned him, and who he had disowned.
"You will follow the Black tradition, boy!" roared Donovan Black, his father.
"I will not," Sirius said calmly. "You may be a Death Eater, Mum may be a Death Eater, Regulus may become a Death Eater, but I will never stoop to your level."
"Is that your final choice?" Donovan asked, his face an unattractive shade of puce.
"Yes," Sirius replied stolidly.
"Think carefully," Donovan continued, imitating his calm voice. "There's no one to take you in if we disclaim you."
"On the contrary, dear Father," Sirius said. "James and his family would be happy to take me in."
"Oh, would they? Well, go on then, live with those blood traitors, you bastard!" Donovan started out evenly, but his voice rose with every word. "Get out, boy! You are no longer a part of the Black family!"
He grabbed a precious Ming vase and hurled it at Sirius, who deflected it easily. The pieces tumbled to the floor. He turned on his heel and left the house, slamming the door shut.
Never, from his young days had he agreed with their ideals and he had always made it clear. Sirius's brother, Regulus had felt the same way, but had wanted nothing more than for his parents to be proud of him. Besides that, he was pretty much a coward, being in Slytherin and all. The "Good Son" the Mr. And Mrs. Black called him. There had been no happier day in Sirius's life when Harry and Andrea Potter had allowed him to stay with them. He hoped and prayed that his poor brother would soon see reason and turn away from the Black way of life.
As he made his announcement, several students walked by, including Lily and Lucius.
"Happy birthday, James," a Hufflepuff girl told him.
"Hmm…thanks," he said tonelessly. "Shut up, Padfoot."
"It's your birthday today?" asked Chelsea, hurrying up to catch up with the two of them. "Happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday!" Amirah echoed with a smile.
"Looks like you aren't getting a birthday kiss this year," Sirius said with a grin.
Sirius's manner of speaking made it seem as though James conned a girl into kissing him every year, but actually, until fourth year, his mother, Andrea Potter had given him his birthday kiss. He hadn't been kissed by her in so long, yet he could remember the way she always smelled of honeysuckle and placed one cool hand on one cheek as she kissed the other cheek.
She was his mother and she met more to him than anyone in the world (except, perhaps, Sirius and Lily) now that his father, Harry Potter was gone. He recalled how, when he was younger, his father and mother together had made up his whole world. He hadn't had many friends; he hadn't needed many friends, yet their love and caring had given him the recipe to make friends instantly, which had catapulted him to popularity in first year.
He hadn't shown anyone his true feelings then, yet he had been slightly homesick and missed his parents so much that first year of Hogwarts. As second year came around, however, he had adjusted and was finally able to let go of the apron strings. Now he and his mother weren't as close as they had once been, but he knew, judging by the way he had turned out, she and his father had raised him well.
"I'll give you your birthday kiss," the Ravenclaw sixth year from the other night. James was torn out of his thoughts and once he realized who was talking, he was actually quite astonished that she had the audacity to talk to him and suggest such a thing after the way he had caught her and threatened to tell Professor Dumbledore.
James ignored her and glared at Sirius. "I can get my birthday kiss, you'll see."
He looked around really quickly and grabbed Chelsea, and was about to plant a kiss on her. Sirius intervened quickly.
"Hold on, mate, you can't do that. You know she's Remus's girl!" he exclaimed.
"Fine then," James said, whirling around and grabbing Amirah. He kissed her on the lips.
"Whoa," she said, when they broke away, looking bewildered, angry, and horrified.
"Wait, don't slap him, " Sirius said, grabbing her hand. "It's his birthday after all."
"I don't care if it's his birthday!" Amirah exclaimed furiously.
More Slytherins trickled into the hallway, apparently drawn by the raised voices. Glancing around quickly, James was happy to see that every seventh year Slytherin seemed to be there.
"How dare you?" Amirah was saying, with her hands on her hips.
She turned with disgust to Sirius too. "And you! Encouraging him like this! Both of you jerks ought to be ashamed of yourselves!"
Several Slytherins chortled. Snivellius didn't just chortle. He laughed outright.
'We'll see who has the last laugh,' thought James, grinning to himself. It served a double purpose, because he knew it looked simple cheeky to Amirah.
"I don't believe you! You're shameless!"
James was about to respond to provoke her and give Peter more time, when something happened. Pain flashed in waves of crimson across his vision, and it felt as though he had gotten an aptly named "brain freeze."
"Stung by her aversion, he will be poisoned by her betrayal until the life bleeds out of him, slowly, excruciatingly…"
Doubling over as he felt as though a pit had formed in the center of his stomach, he swallowed hard, sweat beginning to form at his temples.
"Prongs, mate, are you all right?" Sirius asked with concern.
"Oh, come now," Amirah said, rolling her eyes.
"I don't think he's faking it," Chelsea said, worriedly.
"Come on, Lils, there's nothing to see here," James heard Lucius say.
"But something's wrong with James," she argued. "I have to see what happened. Let go of my arm, Lucius."
"All right, all right. I just don't want you to get snubbed by them, again."
'Yeah, right, bastard,' thought James. 'Fucking Death Eater. How dare you use her like this? You claim to love her?'
"James," Lily's voice said, and then she knelt by him.
"You're just going to make things worse," Sirius said coldly.
"Sod off, Black," Lily snapped, flipping her scarlet hair over her shoulder. "I believe I know more about this than you."
"Has delicate Potter finally crumbled?" Snivellius asked maliciously.
"Oh, shut up, Severus," said Lucius. "Come on, you guys. Let's get out of here. There's nothing to see."
"On the contrary," Sirius spoke up quickly. "There's obviously something wrong with James, which means there is something to see."
Lily looked at Sirius, stunned. "Do you know what you're saying? You want people to gape at James while he's in pain?"
"Shut up, Lily. Don't interfere when you have no idea what's going on."
She pressed her fingers against her forehead then looked up at him, opening her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again, then shook her head, defeated.
"I give up, then. I'll just try to help James out."
Lily placed a cool hand on James's cheek, and he cried out and threw himself backwards. He winced as he put his hand up to the scalded skin of his cheek.
"Whoa," Lily murmured. "I'm sorry, James."
She reached out again.
"Don't," he said, heart stopping with fear, but it was too late. Her hand brushed his cheek again.
This time, however, the pain from his cheek and the rest of his body subsided; it was almost as though it had just evaporated. He rose slowly and looked at her suspiciously.
"What was that?" he questioned.
"What was what?" she inquired.
"I feel…better," James responded, bemusedly.
"My magic touch," she said with a small smile. "Happy birthday, James."
Operation Bright Side Part IV – The Conceal
Peter nodded his rat head at Remus and scurried into a crack in the wall.
He was so lucky to have friends like these three. He hadn't had a very rich or thrilling childhood.
His mum's family had been a wealthy family of Muggles, and they hadn't wanted her to marry the poor man who later became Peter's father (wasn't that just typical?). Her father, Dwight Cunningham tried to marry her off to a rich English man, rather than the Irish bloke she wanted to marry. Well of course, she went off and married Patrick O'Malley, who later changed his name to Patrick Pettigrew so his wife's family wouldn't find them.
Due to some careful spying, however, Dwight Cunningham found now-pregnant Julianne Cunningham-O'Malley-Pettigrew (known, simply has Julianne Pettigrew). He told her he would still give her a chance, but for that she had to leave Patrick and give up her baby once it was born. That, she blatantly refused.
So, she stayed with Patrick, who worked hard at a dock. Soon after, Patrick O'Malley-Pettigrew, for whom she gave up her prosperous lifestyle, died suddenly.
Peter had been told numerous times when he was younger that his father had died from pneumonia shortly after Peter's birth. Julianne had been forced to flee to her parents protect her son's health.
However, just a few years ago, he had heard the truth from his own mum's mouth when she had been talking to her best friend. She hadn't known that Peter was listening, or she would never have admitted it.
"He didn't die from pneumonia, Suzanne," she had said quietly. "My own father had him killed."
"How can you say that?" Suzanne asked alarmed. "He's your father. He just wants the best for you. He wouldn't kill the man you love."
"He tried to trick me into marrying Stephan," she said. "You know how he hates it when he doesn't get his way. Because of it, he began hating Patrick with a passion. It was almost an obsession for him. He wanted me to give up Peter, Suzanne. He wanted me to give up my son."
"Why did he want you to marry Stephan in the first place?" questioned Suzanne. "Didn't he care about your happiness?"
"He thinks money equals happiness," replied Peter's mum. "He just wants to fuse two affluent bloodlines."
She began to weep, and her voice broke as she continued, "My father broke my heart and he doesn't even care."
"Then leave!" exclaimed Suzanne. "Why stay here still?"
"I want Peter to be raised properly," she responded. "And he's so arrogant that it's unheard for him to not care for his grandson. He doesn't want to be his reputation to be defaced. He doesn't one whit about my son, though. He hardly talks to the boy. I look forward to the day Peter graduates from Hogwarts and would like to remind you that I'm only sticking around for Peter."
"You really love your son," Suzanne said, with a smile. "I would offer you a place to stay, but you know I haven't a proper place of my own. I believe your father disapproves of my being here."
"Probably," agreed Peter's mum, laughing through her tears.
"But I still have one question," Suzanne said. "Why did he let you keep Peter?"
Peter's mum smiled. "Because I told everyone. It was probably the only smart thing I did. You know how much he cares about appearances and respect, and he made it seem as though he had always supported our relationship and that when Paddy tragically died, I came running to my darling father and he decided to take care of me and my son."
Peter almost gritted his teeth, but reminded himself in time that the eggs were delicate. He dropped carefully into a hole and followed a set of miniature steps upwards in the darkness of the wall before finding himself at a dead end. He felt around for another passage, and once it was found, he flattened himself and squeezed through it.
There was now only a thin layer of wall separating him from the corridor outside. He could even hear Sirius say, "Hey, James! Happy birthday, mate!" very loudly.
Peter was dashing about for about half an hour when he finally came to a small, round hole. Once he forced himself through, he found himself unmistakably in the Slytherin Common Room. He scurried up the stairs to the Seventh Year Boy's Dorm, feeling shaken by the green glow surrounding him, rather than the warm maroon décor of the Gryffindor Tower.
Footsteps thundered down the stairs, and Peter flattened himself against the foot of the banisters to avoid being crushed. His heart raced as two Slytherin boys stamped down toward the common room.
"Those Gryffindors'll never know what hit them," one sneered.
"Slytherin will win the House Cup this year!" vowed another.
Peter waited until he was positive they were gone and dashed up the stairs and squeezed under the door into the Seventh Year Boys' Dormitory. He found a half open trunk and spit the napkin into it. Then, he dashed out again, hoping he wouldn't be caught.
The crowd dissipated, and Lily left with Lucius, glaring at Sirius the whole time. Only the indignant Chelsea and the livid Amirah remained.
"Great acting, Prongs," complimented Sirius.
"I wasn't acting," said James. "It really hurt."
"Hold on, acting?" said Chelsea with disbelief. All of this was a farce? That was a relief, and yet it was infuriating. How dare they do that?
"Wait and watch," Sirius said with a wink at her.
"Sorry, Amirah," James said. "I didn't want to tell you before because I didn't want it to be ruined, and I didn't want to have to kiss a Ravenclaw and explain it to her. I'm sure you two are far more understanding than them."
Remus hurried over to them, followed by Peter.
"Where did you come from, Moony?" James asked.
"I was standing in front of the Slytherin Common Room, making sure Wormtail was all right," he replied.
A scream erupted from the Slytherin Common Room, and a girl ran out.
"Spiders!" she shrieked.
More people ran out soon after, including Snape. As he dashed up to them, he pointed his finger and yelled, spittle flying from his mouth, "YOU ARE BEHIND THIS, I KNOW YOU ARE!"
At that moment, Lucius and Lily rushed back through the corridor.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Lucius cried.
"THEY PUT SPIDERS IN OUR DORM!" Snape bellowed.
The four Marauders shrugged innocently.
"What spiders?" asked James.
"We don't know anything about this," Sirius said.
"Not a thing," agreed Remus.
Peter just nodded.
"Just go back to the Gryffindor Tower," Lily commanded shaking her head.
"Shut up, Lily," said Sirius.
"She's right, Sirius," said James. "She is Head Girl, after all."
Giving each other high-fives, the four boys and two girls returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
Sneak-peek Chapter Eight:
"Leave me alone!" Tom shrieked, a mere child. "When I'm trained properly, you'll all be sorry! I'll be the most powerful wizard in the world!"
"Right then, Merlin, show us one of your magic tricks," a boy demanded.
"He doesn't know any," said the fat one smugly.
"Stop it," the lord commanded himself. "After tonight those memories need never be revisited."
Author's Note: Next update will be on either July 5th or July 10th because I'll out of town then! Please keep reading and reviewing! Also, please read my one-shot fic, Long Way Down, which I will upload sometime soon!