Chapter 7
"Prongs, mate, I've got it," Sirius' soft voice came floating from outside James' bed curtain. James' eyes snapped open as he struggled to sit up and pull back the curtain.
Sirius was sitting by the window, writing on a piece of paper.
"You woke me because you're doing homework?" moaned James, throwing a pillow at him. The pillow missed by two feet.
"No, get your lazy butt over here," said Sirius. James grumbled but kicked his cozy, warm legs from under the covers and forcibly brought them down on the freezing stone floor.
"What is it?" James asked miserably.
"The Map, Prongs," said Sirius. He held up the Marauder's Map so James could see it clearly. A special feature they had added was that the ink glowed blue in the moonlight, so carrying a candle to read by need not inconvenience the user. Most of the blue dots were still, representing students resting snugly in their dorms.
"You woke me to show me that?"
"No, I woke you to show you this," said Sirius. He produced a match and dipped it into the pitcher of water customarily put out on the windowsill. Then he proceeded to strike it. To James' surprise, the wet match lit and glowed violet.
Sirius moved the match toward the paper, and for a moment, James was afraid Sirius would set the beloved parchment on fire. But his hand was steady and the violet light cast over the Map. The blue dots faded into the page and were replaced by vivid green lines twisting and turning between the rooms and under staircases everywhere.
"Of course," James whispered. "The house-elf tunnels. How could I have forgotten?"
"We have to tell Evans," said Sirius. In one swift move, he licked his fingertips and put out the match.
"Now?"
"Yes, now. Why not now?"
"'Cause she'll be a grouchy git if we wake her at this hour."
"Only you would care. In case you didn't realize, she's always a grouchy git." Sirius pulled a sweater over his striped pajamas and James followed suit.
They descended down their staircase and looked around the common room. It was late enough that no one was in the common room. They crossed it to the other side where the girl's dorms were.
"The thing is not to touch the staircases. Then they make this big sound and wake everyone."
"How do you propose we go about it, then?"
"Tunnels, of course. Have you forgotten already?" Sirius strode over to the wall between the sixth- and fifth-year dorms. He kicked the lowest stone block in the wall three times purposefully. It slid up, revealing a black hole.
The hole was big enough for a child to play in and a house-elf to go about his business efficiently. However, older teenagers were not so suited. Sirius got on his knees and began to crawl, while James favored a stomach shimmy. They crawled up the tunnel and climbed the small ladder into the sixth-year's dorm (one at a time because they were afraid the house-elf ladder would break).
James had never been in the girl's dorm before. Overall, the room was neater. Instead of a desk, like in the boy's room, there was a vanity with a mirror so grimy it didn't seem as though anyone used it. There were four beds where Gryffindor girls slept. Someone was snoring.
Using practiced stealth, they crept in between the beds and poked their heads in the curtains to see who was sleeping where. James poked his head in on Margaret Longbottom before seeing to the last bed in the row.
She was beautiful when she slept. Of course, James thought Lily was beautiful in everything, so it didn't mean much. Her lips were slightly parted and her hand was laying next her pillow. It was portrait-worthy if you didn't count the bit of drool slipping out of the corner of her mouth.
"Oy, Padfoot," James whispered. Sirius came over and bent to see Lily.
"Aw, isn't she sweet," said Sirius. "OY! LILY!" He whispered loudly in her ear and promptly slapped her face.
Her eyes blinked for a moment, not registering what was happening. Then she gave a quick intake of breath. James quickly covered her mouth before she could scream.
"It's us, James and Sirius," said Sirius. She was panting hard under his hand. He could feel her breathe, it was intoxicating. She shoved his hand off her mouth.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know this is a girl's dorm?" she snarled.
"Oops, Prongs, this isn't the loo, I think we're in the wrong place," said Sirius sarcastically.
"We came to see you," said James quickly.
"At the dead of night?"
"Yes."
"Anyway, we found a way into Slytherin Dungeon," Sirius quickly interjected. She immediately sat upright and listened attentively. She smoothed the covers around her knees.
"We'll use the house-elf tunnels."
"House-elf tunnels?" asked Lily.
"Don't you know how they get around?"
"What are house-elves?" Lily asked, frowning. Sirius and James took turns bringing her up to speed on wizarding servility. They lit up the map again and showed her the tunnels going into the dorm rooms.
"Cool, huh?" asked James proudly.
"Where did you get this map? It's brilliant!" she whispered. Her face was aglow with blue light.
"Er, picked it up off a chap in Hogsmeade," said Sirius.
"It's lovely. Well, I think we'd better strike during the Christmas hols. Fewer Slytherins will be there to catch us-"
Lily was interrupted by a moaning sound.
"Lily, is that you talking?" a girl groaned sleepily. "Go to sleep."
"Sorry, Alice," Lily said in a high voice and then dropped it back into a whisper. "I'll talk to you later. You'd better go now the way you came."
"Right," said Sirius. "And by the way, James sends his regards that you're not such a grouchy git when you're half-asleep." To both boys' surprise, her face lost a little of its excited glow and she frowned a bit.
"And I meant that in only the best possible way," added James. She smiled little bit more.
"Now get out before I concuss you two and throw your bodies down the stairs," she said sweetly.
"Prongs, mate, I've got it," Sirius' soft voice came floating from outside James' bed curtain. James' eyes snapped open as he struggled to sit up and pull back the curtain.
Sirius was sitting by the window, writing on a piece of paper.
"You woke me because you're doing homework?" moaned James, throwing a pillow at him. The pillow missed by two feet.
"No, get your lazy butt over here," said Sirius. James grumbled but kicked his cozy, warm legs from under the covers and forcibly brought them down on the freezing stone floor.
"What is it?" James asked miserably.
"The Map, Prongs," said Sirius. He held up the Marauder's Map so James could see it clearly. A special feature they had added was that the ink glowed blue in the moonlight, so carrying a candle to read by need not inconvenience the user. Most of the blue dots were still, representing students resting snugly in their dorms.
"You woke me to show me that?"
"No, I woke you to show you this," said Sirius. He produced a match and dipped it into the pitcher of water customarily put out on the windowsill. Then he proceeded to strike it. To James' surprise, the wet match lit and glowed violet.
Sirius moved the match toward the paper, and for a moment, James was afraid Sirius would set the beloved parchment on fire. But his hand was steady and the violet light cast over the Map. The blue dots faded into the page and were replaced by vivid green lines twisting and turning between the rooms and under staircases everywhere.
"Of course," James whispered. "The house-elf tunnels. How could I have forgotten?"
"We have to tell Evans," said Sirius. In one swift move, he licked his fingertips and put out the match.
"Now?"
"Yes, now. Why not now?"
"'Cause she'll be a grouchy git if we wake her at this hour."
"Only you would care. In case you didn't realize, she's always a grouchy git." Sirius pulled a sweater over his striped pajamas and James followed suit.
They descended down their staircase and looked around the common room. It was late enough that no one was in the common room. They crossed it to the other side where the girl's dorms were.
"The thing is not to touch the staircases. Then they make this big sound and wake everyone."
"How do you propose we go about it, then?"
"Tunnels, of course. Have you forgotten already?" Sirius strode over to the wall between the sixth- and fifth-year dorms. He kicked the lowest stone block in the wall three times purposefully. It slid up, revealing a black hole.
The hole was big enough for a child to play in and a house-elf to go about his business efficiently. However, older teenagers were not so suited. Sirius got on his knees and began to crawl, while James favored a stomach shimmy. They crawled up the tunnel and climbed the small ladder into the sixth-year's dorm (one at a time because they were afraid the house-elf ladder would break).
James had never been in the girl's dorm before. Overall, the room was neater. Instead of a desk, like in the boy's room, there was a vanity with a mirror so grimy it didn't seem as though anyone used it. There were four beds where Gryffindor girls slept. Someone was snoring.
Using practiced stealth, they crept in between the beds and poked their heads in the curtains to see who was sleeping where. James poked his head in on Margaret Longbottom before seeing to the last bed in the row.
She was beautiful when she slept. Of course, James thought Lily was beautiful in everything, so it didn't mean much. Her lips were slightly parted and her hand was laying next her pillow. It was portrait-worthy if you didn't count the bit of drool slipping out of the corner of her mouth.
"Oy, Padfoot," James whispered. Sirius came over and bent to see Lily.
"Aw, isn't she sweet," said Sirius. "OY! LILY!" He whispered loudly in her ear and promptly slapped her face.
Her eyes blinked for a moment, not registering what was happening. Then she gave a quick intake of breath. James quickly covered her mouth before she could scream.
"It's us, James and Sirius," said Sirius. She was panting hard under his hand. He could feel her breathe, it was intoxicating. She shoved his hand off her mouth.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know this is a girl's dorm?" she snarled.
"Oops, Prongs, this isn't the loo, I think we're in the wrong place," said Sirius sarcastically.
"We came to see you," said James quickly.
"At the dead of night?"
"Yes."
"Anyway, we found a way into Slytherin Dungeon," Sirius quickly interjected. She immediately sat upright and listened attentively. She smoothed the covers around her knees.
"We'll use the house-elf tunnels."
"House-elf tunnels?" asked Lily.
"Don't you know how they get around?"
"What are house-elves?" Lily asked, frowning. Sirius and James took turns bringing her up to speed on wizarding servility. They lit up the map again and showed her the tunnels going into the dorm rooms.
"Cool, huh?" asked James proudly.
"Where did you get this map? It's brilliant!" she whispered. Her face was aglow with blue light.
"Er, picked it up off a chap in Hogsmeade," said Sirius.
"It's lovely. Well, I think we'd better strike during the Christmas hols. Fewer Slytherins will be there to catch us-"
Lily was interrupted by a moaning sound.
"Lily, is that you talking?" a girl groaned sleepily. "Go to sleep."
"Sorry, Alice," Lily said in a high voice and then dropped it back into a whisper. "I'll talk to you later. You'd better go now the way you came."
"Right," said Sirius. "And by the way, James sends his regards that you're not such a grouchy git when you're half-asleep." To both boys' surprise, her face lost a little of its excited glow and she frowned a bit.
"And I meant that in only the best possible way," added James. She smiled little bit more.
"Now get out before I concuss you two and throw your bodies down the stairs," she said sweetly.