Standing There By You

Ch. 32- Tedious Tunnels and Maraudering Himalayans

Disclaimer: Let it be known... it's not mine. Oh, also, I think there's a line from Babe in here. Two words long... props if you find it! Hmm.. there's also a line from our bio. So I disclaim that, too.

A/N: Hullo. Extremely sorry it took me a long time to get this sucker out, I planned to have it posted by Friday night, but I unexpectedly spent my time from noon Friday till noon Saturday walking for Race for Life (yes, all night) and then slept the rest of Saturday. Okay, I won't bore you further with life rambles, so on with the story...

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"Men; we have dived into the premises of unknown. We have reached beyond the assumed boundaries. We have soared past the expected," a fist pounded on the bed post to further prove his point. "Now, are you prepared for something past the diving, reaching, and soaring? Are you ready?"

Three bored faces looked back blankly at Sirius.

"Well, I'm off to bed..." James said slowly, leaning back into his awaiting comforter.

Remus shook his head. "Yeah, me-"

"I don't think so!" Sirius thundered, yanking James back in a sitting position and glaring at Remus. "I said, are you ready!"

"Yeah," James grumbled.

Remus shrugged. "I guess."

Peter made a slight noise as his head drooped over.

Sirius looked aghast. "Pitiful! Pathetic! Now let's hear it again, with enthusiasm!"

"I guess," James grumbled.

Remus shrugged. "Yeah."

Peter made a slight noise as his head drooped over. Distinct snoring commenced.

Sirius sighed. "That'll do. Now, we've got to be at the witch early so we can set out tomorrow morning around sev-"

"Tomorrow morning?" Remus asked, looking up with- for the first time that night- interest. "We can't go tomorrow, we've got classes."

Sirius peered at him. "And..."

"What do you mean 'and'?" said Remus. "We can't just skive off a whole day."

"Sure we can," Sirius replied, smacking him on his shoulder. He turned back to face the others.

"Now, we first must ascend into the undiscovered meaning of-" he paused. "Peter, Peter are you sleeping?"

"This is the longest tunnel ever," Sirius complained, rubbing his aching back.

Beside him James agreed. "That it is. Does anyone see light yet?"

"No sign of light," Remus replied next to him, "but actually, the longest tunnel is located between

Laurdal and Aurland, connecting the Bergen area and Eastern Norway-"

"Fine," Sirius huffed. "It's the longest tunnel I've ever had to crawl through."

"Unobjectionable," Remus agreed.

Sirius grimaced. "It's too early for big words."

"I'm hungry," Peter whined. "I told you we should've stopped for breakfast first."

James sighed. "We'll get something in Hogsmeade, Pete."

"Light," Sirius announced suddenly, dropping to his knees and declaring, "I see the light!"

"Finally," Remus sighed, as they approached the tiny streaks of illumination that had managed to sneak between the dusty cracks of a trapdoor.

They looked up and cringed at what lay before them. "Stairs?" Peter moaned. "Why must there be stairs?"

"Well, let's get started then," James said, as he began to climb the staircase.

Sirius bounded in front of him. "Stairs aren't so bad," he said happily, taking each step with stride. "Excellent cardio."

The aging old man sat at his elaborate oak desk, watching as his two eldest and most reliable professors took seats before him.

The dignified witch stared back, her eyes alert and ready for his commands. The wizard, who in appearance resembled nothing more than a child, but held as much brilliance as he held years, donned a worried expression that was unfamiliar on his usually cheerful face.

"Do we tell them?" the woman inquired, folding her hands with apprehension.

The Headmaster nodded. "It is better to gain knowledge from one who can be sure of that knowledge in the first place, than from others who know nothing of the knowledge and all of the embellishments and elaborations."

"But sir," the small wizard squeaked, "it's only just begun. Perhaps it will cease in no time?"

"Perhaps," the old man agreed, his voice uncommonly somber. "But we must never be certain."

"So... Many... Stairs," Sirius panted, as he nearly crawled up the remaining stone steps.

"Thought you loved stairs," James said lightly, stepping in front of him.

"What was that, oh- good cardio," Remus put in, smiling.

"Shut up you lot," Sirius grumbled wearily.

"Next time, don't sprint," James advised.

"Hey you guys," Peter wheezed, from his spot behind the others "do you see the-" he paused as Sirius's head and a solid object collided with a loud clunk, sending Sirius into a loud cursing heap on the ground. "Oh, good. I thought we'd never get there."

The three boys joined Sirius at the end of the stairs- careful not to meet the same fate- and inspected the dusty trapdoor. James heaved his best friend up, and together they lifted the trapdoor and took in their surroundings.

James crawled out first, followed by Sirius, Remus, and then Peter. He looked around the basement-like room, and kicked around a few boxes before figuring they were in some sort of storage area.

The four boys headed up a set of wooden steps, ("Not more stairs..."), and snuck through the door that stood at top. They were met with the sugary odor of sweets, and found themselves in none other than Honeydukes. The only people in the store were a lone witch searching the Jelly Slugs and an old clerk resting on a stool and reading from a magazine.

"It's clear," Sirius whispered, "go, go, go!"

They hurried out of the store, and even when Peter tripped over a fully stocked shelf of blood lollipops, no one lifted an eye.

"Ha!" Sirius exclaimed happily, looking around at the empty surroundings with mirth. "We're finally free!"

"Yeah, so what should we do first?" James asked, as the four of them walked along the empty dirt path.

"The pub!" Sirius shouted, rubbing his hands together with excitement.

"It's nine o' clock in the morning," Remus groaned. "You want that... stuff, now?"

Sirius grinned. "Nothing like a good Firewhiskey in the morning, that's what I always say."

James rolled his eyes. "You've never even tasted a drop."

"I thought we were going to get breakfast," Peter put in, trotting to keep up with the other boys.

"Sirius, where are we going to get Firewhiskey anyway?" James asked, ignoring Peter's whines.

"Well from Rosie, of course," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at the obviousness. He smiled proudly and added, "We're tight."

Remus shook his head. "This should be amusing."

"Okay," Sirius said, as he came within several paces of The Three Broomstick's, "let me handle this."

"Gladly," Remus chimed from his left.

"Do they have cakes here?" Peter asked. "Ooh, ask if they've got any cakes.

"Wait," James said, holding a hand out to stop Sirius from entering. "Should we go in there? There's a whole group of hags sitting by the bar."

"So," Sirius shrugged. "They don't know we're supposed to be at Hogwarts. I mean, I've always thought I look rather mature for my age-"

"True, Sirius," Remus agreed, having a rather difficult time of restraining from rolling his eyes, "but just to be safe..."

"Oh fine," he obliged reluctantly. He leaned over and examined the pub from behind the large glass window. "Well I really don't want to throw on the old invisibility cloak. Restricting, that is. Oh look, there's Rosmerta now."

He tapped on the glass as she walked by, causing her to nearly spill the tray of drinks she was holding in surprise.

Turning to find the source of the noise, her big blue eyes widened to their fullest extent as they fell upon the four mischievous boys. "Hullo, Rosie," Sirius mouthed, grinning broadly.

The benign girl gave a small wave, her eyes still friendly through her confusion. Sirius thrust his hands to the left with a big movement, motioning toward the side of the building. Rosmerta gave a slight nod and held up a finger, before turning to deliver the waiting customers their drinks. She held a conversation with the bartender before untying her apron and setting it on a rack, and finally heading out the door. Walking along the side of the pub, she found three boys leaning against the far end of the neighboring store's brick wall, and Sirius anticipating her arrival out front.

"Ah Rosmerta, how are you m'dear?" Sirius bowed before her and clasped her petite hand with a lavish motion.

"Fine," she laughed. She looked at him and over his head at the other boys skeptically. "What are you and your friends doing here, anyway? Don't you kids have school?"

"Kids?" Sirius repeated incredulously, scoffing at her offensive remark. "Rosmerta, darling, we're merely two years apart-"

"Five," she corrected.

Sirius waved his hand. "Details, details." His nonchalant grin twisted into a charming smile. "Now Rosie, what'd ya say we just sit down in a cozy little booth and, oh I don't know, you pour a couple mugs full of Firewhisk-"

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head with realization. "You're not going to get any of that from me."

"Rosmerta," Sirius whined, his feigned suave demeanor replaced by a childish one. "Why not?"

"Because you're too young," she answered, tapping his nose with a smile. An amused expression settled over her face as Sirius pouted further. "Don't give me those puppy eyes,

Sirius," she told him, "trust me, that liquor is much too strong for you."

"Nah, it's not," Sirius said, donning a hopeful expression. "Here, how about I show you-"

"Nope," she interrupted, shaking her head firmly. "Dangerous side effects, I tell you. You could find yourself in the bottom of a strange dungeon if you drink too much of that stuff."

Sirius sighed. "But-"

"No," she repeated firmly. "You're too young, it's too strong, and that's final."

Sirius's lips formed a deep frown. "Fine. I see how it is, Rosmerta..."

"And besides," she said, patting him on the shoulder and whispering in his ear as she walked by, "my uncle's the bartender. I'd never be able to get anything past him."

"So now what do you want to do?" Remus asked, as they distanced themselves from The Three Broomsticks. "Maybe we should put on the cloak and go into the quills-"

"Well we're not giving up on the Firewhiskey, of course," Sirius informed him, throwing James an exasperated expression from behind Remus's back. "There are loads of other possibilities."

Remus frowned. "But you've already been turned down by the pub. What else can you do?"

Sirius shook his head. "You need to expand your mind, Remus."

Remus rolled his eyes and looked over at James. "Can you believe him? We're spending our whole day looking for something that'll probably be disgusting anyway."

James glanced at Sirius before turning to grin at Remus apologetically. "Actually, I can. I want to try it too... why should everyone else be allowed to drink it except us?"

"Ha!" Sirius said, clapping James on the back and sticking his tongue out at Remus. "Knew you'd be with me, mate."

"Fine," Remus resigned. "What do you plan to do, then?"

Sirius grinned. "The Three Broomsticks isn't the only pub in Hogsmeade."

"This is ridiculous," Remus said grumpily. "Remind me again why we're dressing like idiots?"

"Not idiots, Remus," James corrected him. "Goblins. Well, you and Peter are, at least. Sirius and I are manly investigators of the Himalayans."

"That we are," Sirius added croakily (in what he suspected a Himalayan accent might sound like). He stroked the long white beard he'd borrowed from Zonkos for good measure. "And we are doing it to pull our full espionage abilities into play, and fool the steely eyed bartender into giving us our rightly deserved drinks."

"But why do we have to have the ears?" Remus complained. "These pastries are all flaky, and barely match my skin tone."

"That's alright," James reassured. "Once you've got your cloaks on, the shadows will blend them right in. Besides," he added, "You and Peter will be behind Sirius and I."

Sirius nodded slowly, as he fixed his long, floppy, green and blue hat. "Yes, that's- Peter! Stop eating your ears!"

"Well I told you I was hungry," Peter defended, patting his half-bitten ear back on. "Would it have been so hard to pick me up an extra cake?"

"There, I'm done," James announced. He turned around and grinned at his friends. "How do I look?"

Remus examined his wrinkly face, gray hair longer than Dumbledore's, enlarged nose, and the tall, jagged jester's hat he donned. "Great," he supplied dryly, turning back to fix his own disguise.

James sighed and turned to Sirius. "What do you think?"

"I dunno," Sirius shrugged, "what's a manly Himalayan investigator supposed to look like?"

"Good question," James replied. "Well do I look old enough, then?"

"Old enough to buy at least ten drinks, mate," Sirius answered. He looked over his reflection in a broken glass piece they had found in a side alley. "What about me?"

James turned his gaze to critique Sirius's costume. Nodding, he said, "If I saw you walking along the street, I'd wonder where your goat was."

Sirius grinned in approval, and looking around at his odd appearing (and two very grumpy) friends, he declared, "We're ready. Let me just grab my cane, and we'll be off."

James reached out a gold trimmed, cloaked hand to push open the dusty and creaking door. Next to him, Sirius was commenting something about the sign out front not doing anything for his appetite, as Remus and Peter begrudgingly dragged their heavily cloaked figures inside the room.

"Okay," James muttered, "just remember, remain calm and cool." He looked thoughtful. "And old," he added.

The Hogs Head Inn seemed to be abandoned; filthy glasses littered the bar and chairs were turned up onto the tables. After a closer look, a shadowy figure was seated at the far end of the dark room, barely visible at first glance.

The four boys made their way carefully up to the bar, where James and Sirius heaved themselves onto two stools and Remus and Peter stood behind them. Sirius looked at James questioningly before craning his neck in search for the bartender.

They both lifted their fists and pounded on the bar, the dusty glasses quaking in the effect.

Just as they began to thought no one was there, an old and grumbling man staggered into view.

He peered at them with angry eyes, setting his rather large rump on a rickety stool. "What do you want?" he grunted.

"Firewhiskey," James said, in his version of the Himalayan voice. "Four of them."

The bartender scowled as he got out four glasses. The boys watched hesitantly as the man poured the steaming liquid into the disgusting cups, and shoved them over the counter. He held out a palm to collect their money.

James complied, reaching into his bag and setting a few coins into the grumpy bartender's hands. Collecting their glasses, Sirius and James grinned in achievement as they turned around to set off towards a worn-out booth. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Argh!" Sirius cried, as Peter tripped on his heavy cloak and grabbed onto Sirius's shoulder.

The two came tumbling down, knocking down James in the process.

"Noo!" Sirius wailed, "save the Firewhiskey!"

James grabbed onto the glasses he had carried, holding on desperately to the contents that had yet to slosh out. Remus stood over them, shaking his pasty-eared head and closing his eyes in disbelief.

"I've got some," James announced happily, sitting up and rubbing his head.

Sirius grinned. "That's..." he trailed off as he saw James's messy raven hair instead of the long white wig. Looking up, his fears were confirmed when the bartender stood hovering above them.

"H-hi," James gulped, as the frighteningly large man stared down at him. He began a hasty explanation. "Well you see, we-"

"Knut," the man grunted his interruption.

Sirius glanced sideways at James. "What?"

The bartender gestured his hand impatiently. "You're short a knut."

Sirius looked surprised. "You mean, you don't care we're underage and not really wise and manly Himalayans?" He flinched as James elbowed his side.

The bartender just responded by wiping his mouth with a dirty sleeve and repeating the short change.

Remus quickly took out a knut and shoved it into the man's grubby fist, looking at his three fallen friends and signifying for them to get up. They did so hurriedly, grabbing the Firewhiskey that had survived the fall and rushing out the door.

"Thanks!" Sirius called over his shoulder. He looked down and added, "We'll bring back the glasses.. er- sometime, and-" he cut off as James pushed him through the door.

As they ventured back onto the main street, Sirius looked at James and grinned. "Ready for that Firewhiskey?"

"See," Sirius said proudly, as he and his friends tread the curvy dirt path that served as the main road for Hogsmeade. "I told you I could handle it."

"Right," Remus laughed. "There were barely two sips left after you fell, and of those two sips, none of it stayed in your mouth."

"Yeah, it ended up all over me instead," Peter put in dryly.

"Well that's because I had to sneeze," Sirius stated, rolling his eyes. "If I didn't have a blasted cold, I could've downed that in a second." Looking around at his friend's skeptical face, he added a loud sniff for further emphasis.

"Oh yeah," James agreed, nodding. "Same here. I think my allergies are picking up, or something..."

"Right," Sirius affirmed. He gave a content sigh and a lazy grin. "You know, if we can get away with this, we can get away with anything."

James slipped one hand into his robe pocket and waved the other at the empty road before them. "Yes, my friend, and as you can easily see, there is nothing and no one standing in our way."

"Actually, there is," Remus contradicted. "Better get out that cloak, James, there are people coming out of the shop up ahead."

As James pulled out his cloak and threw it over their heads, Peter spoke up. "What are they all looking at?" he asked, staring at the huddled group of witches. "Do you see 'em?"

"I can't tell," Sirius said, standing on the balls of his feet and maneuvering as far as the cloak would allow him to.

James tilted his head. "One way to find out."

As one they moved closer to the unusual scene; a mixture of frantic, hushed, and frightened voices was made clearly audible.

James turned to Sirius with a cocked brow, but Sirius only shrugged a shoulder in return. They inched forward to better hear.

"Such a terrible thing to happen. And they were so well known," one middle-aged witch muttered. "You wouldn't have expected it, wouldn't have expected it at all."

"No you wouldn't have," another lady agreed, nodding her head vigorously before turning to squint at the paper. "I've never heard of him, have you?"

An elder witch shook her head, folding her arms across her chest and heaving a tired sigh. "I'm sure it'll all be dealt with in no time. This Voldemort won't last long, I'm certain."

…

A/N: Sorry guys, it wouldn't be a true L/J story without he-who-must-be-hyphenated. Well I had to introduce him, at least. Thanks so much for all of the lovely reviews, and to Dulcis for the quick betaing!