Motorbikes at Midnight
After Remus had returned, James and his other roommates began to scour the castle for a place to practice Self-Transfiguration. All of their favorite spots were out of the question, mainly for fear of Remus stumbling upon them, but also because of the popularity of their preferred retreats. The boys knew better than to practice on the grounds, but Sirius suggested sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night if they had any more trouble finding a secluded area.
As of the week before Gryffindor's second Quidditch match, they had already tried the dungeons, the empty History of Magic classroom, and several scattered bathrooms throughout the castle. Unfortunately, no one place remained empty for long—save the History of Magic classroom, but James and the others were deterred from its use when they found Professor Binns snoring just inside of the abandoned fireplace. Following a close shave with a couple of Slytherin students on the dungeon level, Sirius suggested using the kitchens, and James almost agreed after remembering the resident house-elves' kindness. However, he eventually decided that it would be too big of a risk; welcoming though their friend Hokart and the other house-elves were, James could not trust all of them to keep quiet about the boys' illegal behavior, considering that the house-elves' loyalty was still tied to Headmaster Dumbledore and the rest of the staff.
Although they had to migrate for now, James, Sirius, and Peter kept practicing where they could. Their next meeting place was the large, airy room just outside of the kitchens, where they hoped to be undisturbed for at least an afternoon.
"Let's start with the Bestia Spell again," James announced to the others, who were standing in a circle with their wands out.
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus!" the three boys spoke in unison, and a trio of blue lights whisked around them before being directed to their chests. Peter's spell flickered unsteadily at the start, but it sank into his robes just the same as the others, and James nodded satisfactorily before lifting the heavy book Animagi in the Making. Holding it out at arm's length, James squinted at the condensed writing.
"It looks like we have to cast a series of preparatory spells on ourselves before attempting any actual Transfiguration," he said, looking up. "I also read in Intermediate Transfiguration that signs of readiness will be gradual, so we might have to wait another week or so before knowing that it's safe to start Self-Transfiguration."
"Sounds fair enough to me," Sirius answered. "But if we don't find a better spot to practice by then, I say that we try the Forbidden Forest."
Nodding, James used the Levitation Charm on Animagi in the Making to make it hang in midair so they could all read it. Pacing towards Sirius and Peter, who were now attempting spells on their own, he eyed their wand-work for a moment before reading an incantation from the book.
"Para Mutatis!" James commanded, and he stood still as a cloud of violet bubbles flew out of his wand and latched onto his hands, frothing gently as they slowly moved up his arms.
"Are you all right there, Peter?" James spoke, turning to his roommate.
"Er, yeah!" Peter chirruped back, fighting a gulp as he swung his wand about. "I'm sure that I'll get the hang of it!" A moment later, he gasped shrilly as a monstrous swarm of bubbles began to eat at his arms. In the meantime, Sirius had already applied the next few spells to himself in rapid succession, and James laughed as his friend stared at him through an alarmingly fast-growing coat of bubbles.
"I figured that if it was dangerous to try the spells before taking the Animagus Potion, we might as well get it all over with in one go," Sirius explained, his shrug nearly invisible beneath his rounded mass.
"Great idea!" James praised. "Ready to try it, Peter?"
Grunting, Peter did not look back at him as James closed his eyes and placed a handful of spells on himself. "Studio Animagus, Emergo Bestia, Imito Fera, Emissius Nativus Innatus Animalis!"
Whether or not his spells had any other effect, the bubbles creeping up his arms began to churn in earnest, and soon James had trouble seeing through them as they clambered up to his glasses. Having followed his lead, Peter let out a yelp as the bubbles on his body tripled, producing a quantity larger than James' and Sirius' put together. As Peter completely disappeared from James' view—a result of both Peter's sudden fall and James' obscured glasses—James wondered if this idea was a good one after all as he lost all sense of direction beneath the sudsy mixture.
Taking a step towards the sound of Peter's cry, he unexpectedly hit against Sirius, and they both tumbled downwards in a tangled web of purple spheres and body parts. Crying out over the voices of the others, James fought for freedom only to stand and slip again on the soapy floor of the cavern. Crawling away from Sirius, he somehow managed to tread on three different hands (one of them his own) until finally collapsing and gasping for breath. Unfortunately, all that he received was a mouthful of citrus-flavored bubbles, and he started coughing violently until he heard a throat clear itself from above.
Flipping onto his back, James was just able to make out a head of straw-like hair and a pale, freckly face through the violet bubbles. "Should I get someone?" the newcomer asked, and James gasped for air again.
"Yes!" he managed to cry, and he saw the back of their rescuer turn and jog out of the room.
Lying with his face pressed against the floor in defeat, James waited for the student to return while the bubbles continued to expand and pop around him. After what seemed like a lifetime, he heard the hurried clapping of feet against the stone floor, and he turned to peer again at Sirius and Peter as they wiped their bodies free of the evaporating bubbles. Shocked at the sight of soapy residue reaching all the way to the walls, James did not resist as a pair of strong arms grasped his torso and dragged him to his feet.
"What in Merlin's name went on in here?" Professor Aven asked as he put James down, staring over the room with the freckly student standing just behind him. Hoping to reach Sirius and Peter, Aven slowly stepped into the bubbles, which reached all the way up to his knee, but he slid unsteadily as soon as he tried to rest his weight on the ground. Lifting up his leg with a small hiss, he shook it and called out to Sirius and Peter.
"Er, you couldn't make it over to us, could you?" he requested. Slowly rising to his feet, Sirius stumbled out of the bubbly cloud, only falling once, but Peter slipped several more times before finally reaching safety.
When they lined up with James in front of Professor Aven, the spectacled professor stared at them. "What on earth happened?"
Sharing rapid glances, James and the others paused until James finally cleared his throat. "Er . . . we were dueling."
"Dueling?" Aven demanded, his mouth still hanging open.
"They were tossing my book about," James explained, casting a glance back at Animagi in the Making where it was partially hidden beneath the tower of violet bubbles. Sighing to sell his act, James complained, "Aw, it's still in there!"
Seemingly frozen as he stared at the book, Professor Aven swayed in place until the freckled boy at his side drew his wand. "I'll get it, Professor," he offered, pointing his wand at Animagi in the Making. "Accio!"
Snatched up by an invisible force, the book soared into the straw-haired student's hands. Gasping, Peter stammered as the younger student gave him a pointed look. "How old are you?" Peter blurted out. "We were only supposed to learn that spell this year!"
"It's my second year," the boy answered, glancing down at the book in his hands and frowning at the title. Leaping forward, James snatched it away.
"That's mine!" he declared, and the freckled student narrowed his eyes at him as James hid the book's cover and wiped away the bubbles still clinging to its surface.
"Dueling in the corridors?" Professor Aven asked, still gaping at the room. "Can't three boys of your age think of a better way to use your wands?" Looking at each other again, James and the others did not reply as Aven crossed his arms. "I'll have to put you all in detention tonight for unnecessary shenanigans."
Raising his hand, James said, "Will it run too late, sir? I have a Quidditch game tomorrow."
"Run too late?" Aven repeated, and the student at his side tilted his head and stared at James.
"I knew that I recognized you," he stated, and James rubbed off the bubbles still hanging over his hair and glasses. "You're James Potter, the Gryffindor Chaser."
"That's me!" James agreed, flashing a grin just before a clot of bubbles fell past his eyes. Wiping them away with the back of his hand, he frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
"Barty Crou—well, Bartemius Crouch."
Pushing his wet hair out of his face, Sirius stared at the student. "Crouch? Like the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"
"Bartemius Crouch Jr.," Bartemius corrected, wrinkling his nose slightly. "Not like him at all."
Wondering if they had struck a nerve, James watched as Bartemius glanced back down at the book in James' grasp. "So you keep up with me, do you?" James questioned, quickly reapplying the bubbles on his robes onto the book. "Like the Quidditch matches?" When Bartemius simply stared at him, James smirked and cocked his head. "I guess I'll see you cheering in the crowd tomorrow, eh?"
"Not for Gryffindor," Bartemius said, and James' smile quickly fell as Professor Aven spoke again.
"Dueling over a book?" he questioned, still taking in the mess. "And you managed to wreck this place on your own?"
"Well, it was mostly Black's fault," James told him, throwing a glare at Sirius. "Grrr. Hate him."
Rolling his eyes, Sirius huffed as Aven shook his head slowly. "You three can polish out the Trophy Room this evening. Peeves trashed it earlier this week, though I would say that you gave him stiff competition today."
"Will it run too late, sir?" James asked again. "It's not every day that I get to slaughter Hufflepuff."
"It'll run as long as it needs to," Aven admonished him, but James could see his eyes soften. "But don't worry, I'll keep your match in mind."
"Thank you, Professor," James told him, giving Sirius and Peter one last dirty look before marching towards the door. However, as Bartemius moved to follow them, Professor Aven stalled James by tapping his shoulder.
"Er, if you don't mind me asking," he whispered, peering at the churning sea of violet bubbles, "what spell was this?"
"Mine, sir."
Scratching the back of his head, Aven frowned at the room before clearing his throat. "I suppose I'll just let Argus look after this, then," he finally decided, quickly turning and leading the way towards the exit as James stuffed Animagi in the Making into his robes.
The night's detention passed more quickly than many of James' previous punishments, and James attributed it to his belief that Professor Aven was softer than most of the other staff members. In fact, Aven ended up letting the three leave an hour before dark, even though half of the trophies were still out of place. Thankfully, Remus had only been too willing to believe his roommates' story about dueling over some small slight, although James could not help but feel a bit miffed that he shrugged off their detention so easily.
"Aven's not bad, anyway," Remus said, turning back to the textbook on his lap with a small smile at the purple bubbles still clinging to his roommates' hair. "He knows you have a Quidditch game tomorrow, James, and he won't let you miss it by sleeping too long."
Sure enough, James felt well-rested the following morning, but that did not stop him from chewing on his lip as he donned his Quidditch uniform. Gryffindor was still behind the other teams after being defeated by Slytherin, and they would have to beat Hufflepuff by a considerable lead in order to have a chance at the Cup. Slytherin's latest match had done nothing to quell James' nervousness, since they had pulled ahead of Ravenclaw by a hundred points at the last second. Regulus seemed to be doing his team a huge favor by his addition, and James briefly wondered if he had reached some level of stardom among his Housemates as he mounted his Airwake on the pitch.
"What's your plan with the Chasers, King?" Kennedy inquired before the team could rise into the air, yanking James free of his thoughts. King had not trusted the Seeker with any information about the other players' strategies after the last game, which James thought a wise call. "You're not hoping to use the Hawkshead, are you?" Kennedy prodded. "Hufflepuff understands teamwork like no one else."
"You just worry about finding the Snitch, all right?" King responded, cutting him off. "I want to take a big lead off of this one."
His attention diverted, Kennedy nodded as the two teams kicked off and started swarming the pitch, James and his fellow Chasers dodging in and out of the Hufflepuff players. Only a few minutes into the game, James and Frank had both scored a goal to the cheering of their Housemates, and James waved to Frank's mother as he zoomed by on his Airwake.
"Go, Gryffindor!" Mrs. Longbottom shouted into the wind, cupping her hands over her mouth. The sound was lost to the wind a moment later, and James leaned back slightly to slow down beside Frank and King.
"How do we look?" he shouted to them over the roar of the stadium.
"Maine's a little slow today," King yelled back, pointing at the curly-haired Chaser a short distance from them. "She had an accident with a Bludger during their last practice, and they don't have a replacement."
"That's good for us!" Frank pointed out. "It means less fancy maneuvers with the rest of the Chasers."
"It all depends on how badly they want the Cup," King answered, eying the other players as they started to regroup. "If their place in the lineup last year has anything to do with this year's strategy—"
Breaking off, King stared up at the Hufflepuff Seeker as she shot off down the pitch to the wild shouting of the crowd. "Oh no," King groaned, and the Gryffindor Chasers quickly flew into playing position while Kennedy hurtled after the enemy Seeker.
Working as quickly as they could, James, Frank, and King only managed to score once more before the abrupt ending of the match, which came to a close with Kennedy's gloved fist holding the Golden Snitch. Despite their speedy win, King and the other players were unnaturally quiet in the locker rooms, knowing that the sudden ending did not give them nearly enough time to pull ahead. Only Kennedy seemed unperturbed by the turn of events, whistling as he took off his uniform. His nonchalance made James wish for a Beater's bat, and both Michael and Raul seemed close to leaping on him as well.
"Today was a mite disappointing, wouldn't you say?" Kennedy commented to no one person in particular. "I would have liked to fly a bit longer, if only to stretch my limbs. Merlin knows that I haven't had a satisfying workout in ages!"
"For your body or for your brain?" James could not help but jibe on his way out of the locker room, and he ignored King's warning glance as he ducked out into the light. Leaving behind his teammates, he trudged out to join his waiting roommates.
"That was awfully disappointing," Sirius said at the sight of James' scowl. "I don't understand how Summerpine could have spotted the Snitch from clear across the other end of the field. I'm starting to think that she cheated."
"That's impossible," Remus disagreed, shaking his head before turning to James. "At least we still won, even if it wasn't by a lot."
"There's still a chance at the Cup, right?" Peter spoke up, but his face fell when the others ignored his question.
"Are you sure that Hufflepuff didn't cast a Probe Charm over the pitch before the game?" Sirius prodded Remus. "It would make finding the balls a lot easier."
"They wouldn't do that," Remus sighed.
"Well, other fouls have slipped past Instructor Zunderfield before," Sirius pointed out. "Do you remember how Malfoy used to knock about our players when he thought no one was watching? I don't remember any penalty shots being given because of him!"
"Spells are different," Remus disagreed. "They're a far more serious thing to get away with, and the professors scan the field for enchantments before each game. Besides, Violet would never try anything like that."
"Violet? Since when were you on such good terms with the Hufflepuff Captain?" Sirius asked.
"We're often in the library at the same time. She's helped me with some of my Care of Magical Creatures assignments before."
"And you're on good terms, then?" Sirius inquired, wiggling his eyebrows. "She's a bit older, isn't she? A fifth-year?"
"Sixth-year," Remus corrected, frowning at Sirius' tone. "She's just nice, is all. I know that she'd never allow her team to cheat."
"If you say so," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Who am I to say anything bad about your student crush?"
Flushing darkly, Remus glared at him. "Oh, you're impossible!" he exclaimed, quickly stalking ahead through the departing crowd.
As he watched their roommate disappear, James glanced at Sirius as he grinned after Remus. "What was that for?" James asked, immediately recognizing when Sirius was deliberately being difficult.
"I just wanted him to scoot off," Sirius replied, taking out a slip of paper from the inside of his robes. "This came in with an owl this morning."
Opening the letter quickly, James read the clumsy lettering scrawled at the very top of the page.
Got the motorbike. Be ready after sundown — Mundungus
As the sun began to set over the distant mountaintops, James stood waiting next to the Black Lake with Sirius and Peter, hugging his robes over his body to keep warm. The three of them were huddled next to the giant boulder that covered the tunnel entrance out of the castle, which they had used to sneak out just before dark. Peter, who had at first seemed reluctant to enter any cramped space darker than James' hair, now sat shivering on top of the oversized stone, and Sirius was seated on the grass next to him with his back against the rock. While the time ticked by, James worried that Mundungus would miss them completely in the quickly darkening grounds, and he began to wonder if the wizard had gotten lost after nearly half an hour of silent vigil.
However, Sirius and Peter soon scrambled to their feet as the heavy chugging of an engine traveled over the landscape, and James strained his eyes through the fresh wave of fog until he spotted a single spotlight blazing through the mist. As the roaring drew nearer, James watched the speck of light grow larger, and he realized with a start that it was positioned far above his head. Bobbing to and fro as it slowly lowered to the earth, the light caused James and the others to shield their eyes as it illuminated a squat man crouched over the handlebars of a flying motorbike, jerking his ride to a halt within a few meters of the boulder. Skidding around for several seconds before stopping, the motorbike's wheels threw up handfuls of dirt as they thudded to the ground, and Mundungus wiped his forehead after the dreadful noise had subsided.
"I hope you know that your bike nearly killed me!" he accused, leaping off of the seat and pointing an enraged finger back at the motorbike. "If my reflexes weren't so refined as they are, I would have been bucked off all the way back in Dorchester!"
"What have you done to it?" Sirius demanded, staring open-mouthed at the grounded bike.
"Improved it, and you're ruddy well welcome," Mundungus sniffed. "It can fly now, thanks to a few well-executed Levitation Charms. There was no way that I was going to make it past Hogwarts' front gates without giving it a little lift. It's just a good thing that I thought of that a few cities away, or else I might have been stopped."
"You didn't enchant it in front of any Muggles, did you?" James questioned.
"No, no one saw me!" Mundungus insisted, but he hesitated a moment later at the others' expressions. "Well, a few Muggles might have spotted me, but I don't reckon the Improper Use of Magic Office could have followed me all the way here. I'm too quick for them."
Sharing a glance with his roommates, James certainly hoped so; he did not fancy a inquiry from the Ministry over Mundungus' carelessness. Looking over the motorbike, he frowned when he saw the unsightly sidecar attached. "Why did you bring that?" he questioned, pointing at the extra seat.
"It was attached when I found it, and I thought that you might want it," Mundungus replied before spitting onto the ground. "Besides, I wouldn't have had the chance to remove it with that ugly little house-elf watching my every move. He was the only one at the Godric's Hollow residence, and he might have been a guard-griffin by the way he treated me."
"My parents were probably still at my Quidditch match," James guessed. "Did Winthrop let you get in all right?"
Scowling, Mundungus said, "He put up quite the fuss, but I eventually got past him. The cheeky little hound even had the nerve to tell me that he didn't care for my face. Well, I didn't care for his much either, so we were even."
Smiling to himself, James called to mind the image of his white-headed house-elf following Mundungus around Potter Cottage. With Winthrop guarding the house, James knew that Mundungus would not have had the opportunity to nick any valuables, so he did not question the wizard any further as Sirius began pushing the motorbike up to the boulder. Joining him, James and Peter huffed while Mundungus observed off to the side.
"Are you just going to leave it standing in the open?" the grubby man critiqued once the others had finished, not offering any help of his own.
"Not out in the open," James corrected with a sharp look back at him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and flung it over the motorbike as Mundungus watched with wide eyes. Adjusting it with Sirius' help, he managed to cover the sidecar as well.
"Well, bless my boots!" Mundungus whistled slowly. "I wonder how much one of those would fetch on the market . . ."
"You aren't here to find out," James told him severely, snapping him back to attention.
Crossing his arms, Sirius interrogated, "You remember the rest of the deal, right?"
"Yes, yes, of course I do. My memory hasn't gone," Mundungus replied, kicking at the ground. "I've been poking around for any mention of Sibuna."
"Have you found anything yet?" Peter asked.
"Now, now, these things take time!" he responded, raising his hands. Before any of the others could threaten him again, however, he shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at them with one eye. "But before any of you get riled up, I'll let you know that I have a lead. Apparently, the bloke has made a few other appearances over the last few months."
"Just let us know as soon as you've found him," Sirius insisted. "If you could fly here in a day, we'll be able to reach you wherever you end up."
Suddenly, a thought struck James like a thunderclap, and he scratched the back of his neck before turning to Mundungus. "Er, I just realized that we don't have a way to get you back out of Hogwarts."
Expecting a fit of rage, James was surprised when Mundungus simply shook his head. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll just Disapparate in Hogsmeade."
"But you'll have to get there first," Sirius reminded him. "It's back out the front gate."
"There's a secret passage leading to the Honeydukes cellar on the third floor," Mundungus told him. "I used it many times during my years at Hogwarts."
"But Filch, the caretaker—" Peter began.
"No one knows about the entrance except me," Mundungus interrupted. "It's only an hour's walk using the tunnel, assuming that you lads can get me into Hogwarts without being seen."
Wordlessly, James pushed aside the boulder next to the hidden motorbike, revealing the dark tunnel underneath. His mouth falling open, Mundungus stared at the opening for a moment before composing himself.
"Blimey, I never did find this one!" he commented, quickly slipping in behind the boys.
After half an hour's time, the four emerged out from behind Gregory the Smarmy's statue, stealing quick glances around the hallway before lighting their wands and hurrying up the ascending floors. Once they reached the fourth level, Mundungus took the lead and guided the others towards a humpbacked statue of a one-eyed witch. Dousing his stubby wand of its glowing tip, he tapped the stone carving as it stared down towards the prowling group in silent contempt.
"Dissendium!"
Reacting instantly, the statue groaned aside to reveal a cramped entrance, looking much too small for a fully-grown person to step into. Fortunately, Mundungus was quite a bit smaller than average, and he stuffed himself inside feet-first by crouching over.
"I'll be seeing you later, lads," he said in farewell, suddenly disappearing through the tight entrance with a scraping sound. A moment later, the stone witch moved back into position, and James watched with the others until it screeched to a stop.
"Just how many passages does this school have?" Sirius finally questioned aloud, and James and Peter shared a glance before turning back towards Gryffindor Tower, their adventures concluded for the night.