Chapter 11- Padfoot and Prongs:

James paced around the room. "So then he says that he has got wind that Voldemort might also be aware of this mysterious Prophecy that I can't know about!" He wheeled around to find Sirius gaping at him.

"Well!" James snapped impatiently. "Say something!"

Sirius continued to stare for a while. "But... I don't get it!" He said finally.

"Well, welcome to my club, we've got jackets! Dragon hide, with "The Unenlightened" written on the back!"

"Don't joke about this James!" Sirius scorned.

"Well what do you want me to do Sirius? I tell you this and the best you can say to me is 'I don't get it!' Well I don't either!"

"That's not what I meant. What I did mean was that if it concerns your family alone, then there shouldn't be any reason for you not to know."

"Oh, well done!" said James cynically. Sirius rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I now officially worship your wife. Don't know how she lives you." He said irritably. "Anyway, what I meant to say was that maybe there's a possibility that the prophecy doesn't concern your unborn baby. Maybe he is not sure, and that's why he can't tell you." James looked slightly more interested, but still determinedly moody.

"Yeah maybe," he said dismissevely. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I need to worry about that raving lunatic coming into my house and hurting my family."

Sirius' arms dropped and he wheeled around to look at his best friend. James seemed unusuallyexasperated, fear like Sirius had never seen before was marking every inch of his friend's face.

"Don't worry about it, Prongs." He said bracingly. "You aren't an easy target, and don't you make the mistake of underestimating Lily, I bet Voldemort is even scared of her."

James grinned. "I know Sirius. But I can't sit here and do nothing." He looked up at his friend. "I can't!" He said, more firmly andstood up. "This might be a mistake, but if it comes to it... will you help me?"

"Do what?"

"Never mind that now, but if it gets to a situation where I need your help Padfoot-"

"-I'm always there for you Prongs." Sirius cut in. "Always."

"Alright," said James hurriedly, "I think that the only thing we can-" but he broke off at the sound of footsteps coming from the hall. Seconds later, Lily was in the room, looking curiously from one man to the other.

"Are you two plotting?" She asked, looking suspiciously at James, who grinned.

"Maybe." He said smiling.

Lily scowled.

"I'll leave you two to it!" Sirius said quickly, leaving the room. James made his way toward Lily and wrapped his arms around her from behind, he moved closer as if to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"Don't be a killjoy Lily, it gives me nostalgia!" James said sweetly, forcing her back toward him and kissing her neck.

"What were you and Sirius talking about?" She asked suspiciously, tryingonly half heartedlyto force himaway her.

"We were trying to figure out the best way to replace those awful curtains in our living room without you noticing." He hugged her even tighter, and kissed her again.

"I'm- serious- James!" She said, in between his nuzzles. James let go abruptly.

"And now the moment is ruined!" He said grumpily. "Great choice of words, thanks!"

Lily looked at him very seriously. "I trust you, James." She said quietly. "Don't you forget that. I hope you haven't been sharing without talking to me first."

"I wasn't doing anything!" James said rather urgently. "Why are you making this whole interrogation? I'm the one who should be mad at you for giving me baneful coffee!"

"I just find it a little odd." Lily said quietly.

"What's odd? Me talking to Sirius? That used to be the most quotidian thing in the world for you and everyone else!"

Lily nodded. "I know. I just don't see why you couldn't do it in the living room." James opened his mouth but she cut in, "It's alright. I told you already, I trust you."

James felt a small pang of guilt as she grabbed his hand and led him out of the study.

"James!" Sirius whispered. "Prongs wake-up!" he grabbed Lily's pillow and tossed it a James' head.

"Wha-? Where's Lily? What's the time?"

"I think Lily fell asleep in Harry's room, and its 5:30 am." Sirius whispered, his eyes dancing with excitement.

James groaned. "I hate you!"

Sirius gave a small chuckle. "That's not the Prongs I remember!"

"The Prongs you remember wasn't married and did not have a baby that wakes up every two hours!" James replied moodily.

Sirius snorted. "If married Prongs stayed up all night, that is his own fault... well, and Lily's. As for the baby, I sympathise. though technically that is also your fau-"

"Ugh! Shut up Sirius, it's too early in the morning for your dirty, immature, testosterone-driven jokes!" James snapped. "May I at least inquire as to why I'm being forced out of bed at such an unreasonable hour? Does Lily know you're here?"

"Nope."

James raised his eyebrows. "No? How did you get in?"

Sirius glared at him. "You told me how to get into the house, Prongs. I have a key; I know what you and Lily did to the doors. It wasn't all that hard!"

"You aren't meant to burst in unless it's an emergency, Sirius!"

"I have some stuff to tell you, about... you know."

James was shocked. "And you came here to talk about that? Padfoot, are you insane?" He hissed.

Sirius shrugged. "You always seemed to think so." James continued to scowl, so he added. "Alright, I didn't know how else to talk to you, so I figured I'd venture into your house and see if I could sneak you out for a while."

"Act first, think later, huh? We're lucky Lily is asleep; I don't suppose you thought about the fright you'd give her if you had met her at the corridor. I already almost hexed her once." He paused and surveyed Sirius. "How long is it going to take me to talk you out of doing this now?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment, pretending to think, and then. "I think I found out who made the prophecy that Dumbledore was referring to."

James eyes widened, he suddenly felt wide awake. "Come on!" he whispered, getting up and pulling Sirius out of the room.

"Trelawney?" James frowned "Is she related to the Cassandra Trelawney?"

Sirius shook his head. "No idea, mate. I reckon so; I hear she's the new Divination teacher now, started two months ago, a little before Harry was born."

James was silent for a while, his eyes fixed on a small portrait of Lily, Harry and himself on the day Harry had been born.

"Makes sense doesn't it?" He murmured. "Dumbledore finds this seer, she makes an important prophecy right in front of him, so he takes her to work at Hogwarts, right under his nose."

Sirius put his hand on James' shoulder. "Prongs, you need to relax a little, there's nothing you can do-"

"Oh but there is," said James seriously. "There is Sirius, and I'm going to do it. I'm not losing another family. I'm going to find a way to contact this woman!"

Sirius laughed "Come off it James. Use your common sense. Dumbledore has the woman well placed so that Voldemort can't speak to her, what makes you think that you have a chance to get that information."

James' eyes glinted, and the familiar mischievous grin Sirius knew only too well appeared on his face. "Since when has a little obstacle like this one got in our way, Padfoot?" He asked, almost cheerfully. "First we make our plan, then we start from the outside and work our way in!"

Sirius looked bemused. "You're spending too much time with Dumbledore, mate. Stop speaking in riddles."

"Well," said James thoughtfully, "First thing I need to know is how far you'll help me, because I can't leave home that much and you're the only one I trust with my family's life."

Sirius grinned. "If my help was all you needed, you could consider the job done."

James smiled back, and nodded."Alright, in that case, the next thing we'll need is to retrace Dumbledore's steps, where, how and when he first contacted this woman. We also need to know who she is and what will attract her attention."

"I'm on tothat! I was always the meddler of the group anyway."

"Alright, and now I need to secure Harry. You know, somewhere to leave him for Order meetings. I'm not leaving him with anyone that Voldemort might suspect, especially not Lily's parents, they are vulnerable targets."

"But didn't you say at Diagon Alley that Harry would stay with the Evans'?" Sirius asked curiously.

James sighed exasperatedly. "You are all so slow these days! This is the first time when I can say that Peter's the only one who has not come to me with thick questions. I already explained this to Lily, Remus was a dolt and asked the question in the middle of a crowded street. What on earth was I meant to say? I couldn't say no, because surely Peter would then ask why."

Sirius frowned. "What is it with you and Peter these days, Prongs?"

James stared at him blankly. "You and Lily are in tune. She asked me that too, a few weeks ago. And my answer to you is the same asit was toher: Nothing. He's just a little slow and my patience is overlapping."

Sirius raised his eyebrows "And?"

"And I don't want him to be told much about what is going on." James saidquickly.

Sirius looked slightly stunned. "Why not?"

James shook his head. "I don't want him making foolish comments, which he undoubtfully will anyway, but I just don't want him knowing too much about what he doesn't understand." He looked at his friend, and was slightly annoyed to see him perplexed.

"James, mate, I had no idea that you and Wormtail weren't getting along..."

"Look it isn't like that!" James saidangrily. "Pete's my friend, I just don't want him saying things he shouldn't say in front of Lily, or maybe even someone else. Is that so hardto understand?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's alright, I get you. But now, Lily…"

It was James' turn to stare. "What about Lil?"

"Well," said Sirius, "aren't you going to tell her about all this?"

There was a pause.

"No." James said at length. "Not yet, not now. She isn't ready to hear it and she isn't ready to approve ofit."

"Whoa Prongs, I'm not sure I agree with this one. Lily is going to find out and she'll be furious that you didn't talk to her first."

"I did talk to her, she doesn't agree with any of it, she wants to follow everything Dumbledore says and sit at home like the good girl Lily is."

But then Sirius scowled. "Shouldn't you at least tell her? I mean, she asked you not to meddle with this. It's risky."

"What Lily doesn't know," said James slowly, staring back at the picture, "can't hurt her."