Disclaimer: This is where I say that I don't own nor did I create any of the Harry Potter Characters.
And now here is where I say thank you foe the great reviews, especially to my Good friend A-Wall who is always trying to help me improve. Thanks guys!! Please remember to review after you read.
The rest of the day seemed to pour by too slow. James, Sirius, and Remus went up to their dormitory and stayed there for the rest of the day. James and Remus got out their potion books and their N.E.W.T. study guide and were trying to tackle the theory of Polyjuice Potion while Sirius sat on his bed staring out the window.
The atmosphere was still and quiet for a good hour, with the exception of Remus or James turning the page and the scratching of their quills. That is until....
"Why?" Sirius let out an exasperated growl. "Why would anybody use a class "C" curse on Peter?"
James and Remus closed their books. It was the same burning question they wanted answered.
"I mean," Sirius continued, "whoever did it must have wanted to hurt him. You don't go around putting dangerous curses on people just because there prats!"
James stared at the ground. He had an uneasy felling. Dumbledore knew something like this would happen, and would keep happening unless he, James Potter found out whom.
"James?" came Remus' voice over his thoughts, "What are you thinking?"
James shook his head. He knew it would do no good.
Remus stared at him closely a few seconds longer and said, "What aren't you telling us?"
James didn't answer. If he said anything, then it would be verifying what Dumbledore said about the Death Eater's in the school. But, the attack on Peter had already did that.
"The night before term started, after the feast," James started uneasy, "Dumbledore told me there're Death Eaters here at Hogwarts."
James could hear the air being sucked out of the room as Remus and Sirius took deep gasps out of shock.
"Who would they be?"
"Why would any body want to be a Death Eater, and then flaunt it under Dumbledore's nose?"
"But, James, how dose he know?"
"Where are they?"
"Where is the proof?"
The flood of unanswerable questions that James had been asking himself for a week came pouring out of Remus and Sirius. James had pondered all of these and more, coming to the same lost conclusion every time. But he also knew he had to answer them with something, and as bleak as the truth would sound to them at this time it was all he had.
"I don't know mates. I guess that's what I have to find out."
Sirius looked as though he had been slapped, and a sudden look of understanding was creeping around Remus' face.
"Hold on" Remus said slowly, "do you mean to tell me that Dumbledore made you head boy because he wants you to find the Death Eaters in the school?"
James nodded.
"Is he mad?" exclaimed Remus, "Has he lost his bloody mind? James we are not Arours yet. If these people are using class "C" cruses on the innocent for no apparent reason, think of what they will do to you when they find out you're working for Dumbledore."
He had hit a nerve. Dumbledore was indeed, not mad. James took a lot of stock and pride in what Dumbledore confided in him with and the responsibilities he put on James were considered honors.
"First off, Remus, Dumbledore has not lost his mind. He is as keen as ever. But he can't watch the world and his school for Death Eater activity all at the same time. He needs all the help he can get."
"Yeah, James but wha-..." Remus was cut off.
"And second," James' voice was slightly raised now, "We don't know if Peter is innocent. God only knows what he dose when we're in Quidditch training, or thinks about over the Summer, and writes in letters to people we don't know."
"PETER?" Sirius and Remus said together.
Sirius laughed at the thought, but Remus was going to make James see reason. "James, come on! Be reasonable, man. You are talking about one of the most highly cowardice, untalented, lazy, defenseless, clumsy idgets we know. What makes you think he would even dabble in the dark arts? I mean Peter is afraid of his own shadow, for pity sake!" "All I know" James said in his defense, "Is that Dumbledore told me not to trust any one. He said some Gryffindors will be my enemies and some Slytherines will be my allies."
"Will, James, or may?" Remus seemed bent on not believing James. He expected this from Sirius, but from Remus? Remus was usually very keen to see every one as equal, especially given his condition as a werewolf. But some reason not now. Not when it put Peter in a bad light.
"Look, James," Remus said shutting his book with a snap. "Do you trust, Sirius and I?"
James looked taken aback. "Of course I do."
"Then why not Peter, he is your friend."
"YES, Remus!" James exclaimed, "But all I know is that someone used a class "C" cruse on Peter Pettigrew, and mysteriously disappeared after it was done, and no one can apperate or disapperate into, around, or out of the castle.
"So everyone is a suspect?" Remus asked slowly.
"Yes! That's what I have been trying to tell you! Every Gryffindor, every Slytherin, every Huffelpuff, and every Ravenclaw are suspects."
"Every Gryffindor?"
James sighed. "Yes, Remus, every Gryffindor."
"So, Lily is a suspect, though she was with Madam Pomfery in the hospital wing?"
James didn't answer.
"And what about Sirius, who carried him up?"
"Oh, but that means I would have had to have done it. Because I was the one who came and got you immediately and..."
"Enough, Remus," James said in a slow defeated voice . "I see what you mean."
The dormitory was sucked into silence for another hour. The discussion released no tension, only worsened it. James and Remus sat across from each other glaring frustratingly up at each other as they were writing their potion's essay, each wondering how the other could be so unreasonable.
The sun was sinking ever closer to the western horizon. And it was not until the sky began to turn a brilliant shade of pink was it Sirius' turn to break the silence.
"So, what are we going to do tonight?"
"Don't know." James said in a low voice.
"You always know!" Sirius groaned.
"Well, Sirius, I don't know tonight!" James snapped.
Sirius let off a soft smile.
"Girls, girls, girls," he said shaking his head, "why are we fighting?
Just kiss and make up."
James and Remus exchanged looks.
"Go on! A big wet..."
But before anything else could be said, James and Remus did forgive
each other by jumping onto Sirius' and attacking him with pillows.
"Girls are we, Pad-Foot?" exclaimed James as he slapped Sirius hard upside the head with a pillow.
"You are!"
"Wrong answer!" Yelled Remus taking another brutal hit with a pillow.
James tackled Sirius at the middle and they toppled over onto the floor. They scuffled across the floor in a tangle of arms, legs, and black hair, until James was holding Sirius in a head lock and sporting a slightly bleeding nose.
"Do you give up?" Yelled James.
"Never!"
And with that Sirius broke James' grip, stood up and flipped him onto Peter's bed breaking the frame. James felt the air knocked out of him. He rolled off the bed just in time to see a big black dog bounding toward him.
"UH, NO!! SIRIUS THAT'S CHEATING" He bellowed at the dog.
The dog didn't stop. He jumped up and pushed James back down on the bed.
"Sirius, wait...." Remus chocked through hysterical laughter. The dog turned and looked up at Remus.
"Now, you know that's not right. You can't attack a man with glasses as a dog. Now, James take off your glasses." James gave a short grimace. He reached up to take off his glasses.
"Right, but it's not fair that I can't transform..."
But James didn't finish his sentence. No sooner had he taken off his glasses than the big black dog jump on him, licking his face furiously. James picked up the pillow by his head and hit Sirius hard with it. It seemed to be working until Sirius grabbed the pillow between his teeth and began to pull. The big pillow ripped in half as the feathers began to fly all over the room. Sirius began to bark as he stood triumphantly over James.
The victory was short lived however when a sharp loud pounding was coming from the opposite side of the door.
"What IS going on in there?" It was Lily's voice and it was more furious than James had ever heard it.
"Oh, bloody, hell!" said James as he was trying to sit up. "Sirius get off, and you might want to change...."
The door burst open as Sirius jumped behind the bed. Lily was standing in the door way fuming with a fifth year boy, a third year boy, and the first year girl Lily was helping on the train the night they had arrived at Hogwarts. Lily's eyes were on fire. She glared from James to Remus and back to James.
"WHAT BLOODY HAPPENED? ARE YOU RAISING CHICKENS IN YOUR DORMITORY? WHERE IS SIRIUS?"
Sirius popped up from behind the broken bed. "Ah, Lily," he said lightly, "How nice to see you."
James felt his heart stop. He knew Sirius like him liked to make light of tough situations, but Lily was a force to be reckoned with. James would have preferred Professor McGonagall find him than Lily. With the Professor he may be able to find some way to make the sentence lighter, but with Lily, the only option was to wait for the axe to fall.
Lily turned to the students behind her. "Sean, Clarence, thank-you. Beth we'll finish tomorrow. Right now I need all three of you to go back down stairs."
As the others left, and Lily turned to face them, James flinched ready for her wrath to sweep over them. She walked across the threshold and shut the door.
"I can't believe you! All of you!" she exclaimed her voice shaking slightly. "How could you? Remus Lupin, you are a prefect! You are suppose to responsible. You are suppose to make sure your fellow students follow the rules." Remus looked at the floor.
"Sirius, you want to be an Unspeakable? How do you think you will get there if you can't even exercise a little self control now? You do realize unspeakables have to have a LOT of self control?"
Sirius also, looked at the ground. And mumbled, " I'm sorry, Lil."
Lily nodded and turned to leave. James felt awful, he would rather her scream or shout. He would want a detention, or even prefer a personal ban from Quidditch for three weeks, than to have Lily just ignore him.
"Lily?" She shot around and giving him a venomous look. James saw that tears began to stream form her eyes. Her voice and body shook horribly.
"I am so disgusted with you, James Potter. I can barley stand to look at you right now." She turned to walk out the door.
"Wait, Lily, what about to.."
"Come tonight if you must, Potter, but I can assure you I can take care of myself." She turned and left, slamming the door with such force it bounced back slightly opened. Leaving the Marauder's feeling the worst they have felt in a very long time.