Chapter 20 Obligations and another memory
"Morning people are the worst!" groaned Remus, his voice hoarse and tired. He rubbed his temples throwing himself down next to Frank Longbottom in the Great Hall. "James insisted on waking us up an hour early so we wouldn't miss breakfast today." Frank looked around Remus and saw James dragging Sirius by the sleeve of his school robes and Peter by his collar. "He's so damn talkative in the morning. It's unnatural."
"Just remind him that he promised the whole school he'd stay silent for a month," Frank advised, hiding a laugh behind his tea cup.
"Oh, I have, but because I wasn't there he technically didn't promise me. James Potter, King of Loopholes!" Remus announced as James finally reached them. He pushed Sirius and Peter into their seat and gave Remus a dramatic bow before finding his.
"I hate to have to tell you this," Frank began, looking apologetically at Remus. Sirius had rested his head on the table and Peter was using his back as a pillow. Remus's shoulders fell, sensing dreadful news. James's head snapped away from the pastries and back to Frank. "I got there before you - with Snape and Malfoy - and… well… Dumbledore's cancelled the meeting. Said something's urgent's happened that needed his immediate attention. He only rescheduled with Malfoy." Remus let out a slow sigh as Sirius groaned loudly and with so much force Peter's head slipped off his back. James locked eyes with Remus, trying to get him to ask the right questions.
"I have no idea what you're trying to say," said Remus, his irritation surfacing again.
"I don't know what happened, if that's what it is," Frank shrugged, taking a bite out of his sausage.
"It's probably nothing to do with the school then. He's a prefect James, he would have told him," Remus concluded.
"I thought so too, but he didn't have a cloak on and it's still pretty cold outside," Frank added. Remus, James, and Frank exchanged suspicious looks. Sirius and Peter didn't seem at all interested in what Frank had declared, they had fallen back to sleep on their arms.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Remus said, waving off the issue. James narrowed his eyes at him. Frank shrugged and returned to his meal. Remus pushed Sirius into Peter, waking them both. "Hurry up and eat," he ordered without explanation but, they seemed to catch on that he was planning something.
James and Peter ate quickly as Remus suggested, but Sirius, instead of shoving food down his throat, stuffed his pockets with everything on the table that was still wrapped and carried a plate piled high with food into their dormitory. They spread out in the centre of their dormitory with Peter's map between them.
"You are not writing on the map! Do you know how hard I worked it getting it just right? How many maps I went through originally because you guys kept writing notes on it?" Peter yelled, lisping and choking a bit on the extra saliva the Mandrake leaf in his mouth produced.
"The name is supposed to disappear after the Homunculous Charm is performed," Remus said calmly, hoping it would rub off on Peter.
"On the off chance, you do it right! I'd rather not have 'Albus Dumbledore' scrawled across my map while I'm trying to get to class!" Peter argued, clutching the map to his chest.
"I told you, Anthony McKinnon, a very skilled seventh year, taught me what he knew about the charm last night. Have a little faith, please," Remus smiled, he moved to touch Peter's shoulder but he backed away still clutching his map.
Sirius and James sat on the floor, watching the ordeal while sharing what was left of Sirius's breakfast. They had never seen Peter even remotely close to being this angry and found it rather entertaining to watch but noticing Remus's increasing frustration, they thought it best to intercede before things got out of hand.
"Peter, if it doesn't work then all three of us, will make you a new one - a completed one," James offered. Peter scowled at him for his lack of support.
"Do you have any of the ones you made before?" Sirius suggested. Peter shook his head. Sirius slumped his shoulders and took a moment to think.
"What if Sirius performed the spell? He the best out of the four of us at charms," Remus said.
"It's too advanced," Peter argued.
"Okay, what about this," Sirius stood and crossed over to his desk pulling out four pieces of parchment and quills to go with. "Each of us will quickly draw our dormitory and try the charm, to see if any of us can do it. If we can't, then we'll figure out a different way." Peter eyed the parchment he held out for him to take, looked back to the map clutched to his chest and sighed in defeat.
"You owe me a new map," he muttered, taking the quill.
Each of them drew a rough outline of their dorm room, marking where their beds, trunks, and desks were.
"So we just say 'hominum locus' as we wave our wands counterclockwise over the parchment," Remus summarised after going over what Anthony McKinnon taught him the night before. "And make sure you cover the whole parchment!" James and Sirius nodded determinedly while Peter sulkily attempted the spell. It took a few times, James even tossed his drawing away and made a new one, but in the end, Sirius finished first. He showed the other three the black dot labelled Sirius Black. James held the paper as Sirius moved about the room, proving that it could pinpoint his location.
"What if it's just a fluke, you know beginner's luck?" Peter argued, weakly.
"I'll try it again. James give me yours." Sirius held out his hand and James gave him the parchment. He waved his wand slowly around the drawn out room, carefully pronouncing the incantation around the leaf in his mouth. James's dot appeared where he stood. The three of them looked up at Peter expectantly.
"It didn't disappear, you said it'd disappear if it worked!" Peter argued.
"How would it work if it didn't show us where he was?" James said irritably.
"It got smaller. James's handwriting is huge and now look how small it is!" Remus said feebly.
"Peter, mate, just let us do it! We'll find a way to erase it when we're through," Sirius told him.
"Having the exact location of the Headmaster at all times-" James began.
"James not now," Sirius warned, taking the map from Peter's reluctantly outstretched hand. "We'll make it up to you Pete," he said. He spread the parchment out across the floor, scribbled Albus Dumbledore in the centre, and performed the spell. They all watched nervously as his name faded with Sirius's wand movements. When he was finished Sirius pulled back and scanned the parchment starting at the astronomy tower and worked his way down.
"There!" James announced, pointing to the dot in the middle of the square off the first floor. "Where is that, Pete?"
Peter looked, taking in the surrounding landmarks he had noted around each of the castle's rooms.
"The hospital wing," he said finally in a tone of surprise.
"Merlin, we've really gotta finish this map I thought it was the potion's storeroom," James muttered.
"Does that mean there's been another attack?" Peter said nervously.
"Or he's sick. He is old," Remus offered.
"Obviously there's only one way to find out," James said, getting to his feet.
"Pomfrey's not gonna let us in James, especially if Dumbledore's sick," Sirius argued. James turned away from the door, his thumb tracing his bottom lip.
"Alright. Remus, you're feeling dizzy still from the last transformation and we came with you because we wanted to make sure you didn't pass out," James said.
"All three of you?" Remus questioned, arching his brow.
"No nose goes!" Peter yelled, his finger pressing onto the tip of his nose.
"All two of us, so we can carry you in case you pass out," James said motioning to Sirius.
"I don't wanna be left here alone!" Peter said.
"But no nose goes," James argued.
"Guys, if we don't hurry we might miss our chance," Sirius said.
James nodded sharply and lead the way out of the dormitory. They (including Peter) made their way to the hospital wing. They stopped outside the door so they could spin Remus around a few times to make their story more convincing. They creaked open the door to peer inside. Albus Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and a young witch of an unknown identity were huddled together talking in hushed tones. Sirius pulled his friends out of the doorway and into a neighbouring corridor as quickly as humanly possible. He leant up against the wall so a shadow was cast over him but he could still see the doors to the Hospital wing.
"What is it?" James whispered to his very shaken friend.
"I recognised that woman," Sirius whispered back, his eyes still glued to the door. His friends waited for him to continue.
"As whom?" Remus pressed. Sirius looked quickly at him then back to the door.
"I don't remember," he answered.
A few minutes later the woman showed. Sirius took in her features carefully, hoping to find some place for her in his memories. She had chestnut coloured hair that fell to her chest, her brow was set in a determined scowl as her eyes scanned the path ahead of her seeming to anticipate an attack. She stopped just before their corridor and bent to fix her shoe, a small rose was tattooed along her dainty wrist. She stood, full of pride, shook her hair from her shoulders and continued her march towards the entrance hall.
"She kinda looks familiar now too," James said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, just picture her shorter, with short hair and an angry expression," Remus said. Remus ignored his friends' questions and entered the Hospital Wing.
"What are you four doing here?" Dumbledore asked before Madam Pomfrey could speak.
"We're just here to visit Nicnevin," Remus said, nodding to the bed enclosed by curtains.
"Poppy, is she ready for visitors?" Dumbledore asked the nurse.
"I suppose if you're quick. You have classes soon anyway," Madam Pomfrey answered before she muttered her way to her office.
"I'm sure you'd like to see Miss Evans as well?" Dumbledore asked.
"What happened to them, Professor?" Remus asked, trying to seem like he already knew she was there.
"If you find out I implore you to let me know," Dumbledore replied, before making his way out of the Hospital wing. "Please do make your visit a quick one, Miss Nicnevin has been under a lot of strain."
James paced around the room looking for Lily, still finding no signs of her. Remus, Peter, and Sirius stared at the enclosed bed immobilised. For some reason, they were overcome with extreme nervousness.
"Potter?" Lily's voice came from behind them. James, startled by this, tripped over one of the bed's frame and crashed into a tray carrying various tools often seen in hospital wings. He shot back up to his feet and leant casually against the offending bed frame.
James nodded his head casually as he ran a hand through his hair. His friends did their best to stifle their laughter as a soft groan issued from the only occupied bed.
"Oh, Eilidh's got a headache," Lily said softly, looking concerned at her hidden friend.
"Why are you here?" Remus asked.
"Oh, apparently I've been obliviated," Lily said, waving her hand as if she had nothing more than a head cold.
"I'm sorry, what?" James questioned, momentarily forgetting his vow. He clamped his hand over his mouth his eyes wide in shock.
"Yeah, I can't remember anything that happened yesterday. Except for breakfast, but still," answered Lily, "and apparently Eilidh doesn't know who did it or why so…."
"And this doesn't worry you at all?" Remus asked.
"I was practically hysterical earlier," Lily laughed, "but they gave me the Draught of Peace and I've never felt better. Granted it's not as potent as yours Black, but still… I feel great! People worry too much, ya know." Lily skipped over and opened the curtains surrounding her friend's bed. "Eilidh," she sang softly. Eilidh stirred and blinked her eyes open. She squinted from the light and rested a hand on her head. "We've got visitors. Boy visitors," she whispered and pointed over her shoulder to the foursome.
"Lily, if you don't stop this god-awful cheeriness I'm going to send you to the dementors," Eilidh threatened, halfheartedly.
"Aw, she gets grumpy when she's in pain," Lily told the boys. Peter rolled his eyes remembering his previously broken nose.
"How do you feel?" Remus asked.
"Like my head's been split open, and my brain beaten, then sewn back together only for it to implode. And my body feels like I've been sent through a meat grinder," Eilidh answered, bitterly. Remus chuckled and nodded his head. "Any chance you're not going to ask me questions about what happened?"
"Any chance you've got something to tell us that you didn't tell Dumbledore?" Remus countered. Eilidh sighed and glanced around the room, noticing that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight. "Lily, love, didn't you want to ask James exactly what he meant by saying 'I love you' the other day?"
"Oh, right," Lily blushed. James groaned. Peter, Sirius, and Remus smirked.
"Remember your vow, James," Remus warned as Lily lead him to the opposite end of the room, well out of earshot. Peter closed the curtains again and Sirius and Remus sat at the foot of her bed, waiting expectantly.
"Remember yesterday at tutoring when you asked me if I knew about, you - know - what?" Eilidh started after Peter took the chair at her bedside. They nodded in response. "And Lily was there and she asked if the reason why I got so mad about Severus is because… he was there with him?" The nodded again. "Well, he attacked me while I was on my way back to the dormitories. I visited my brother last night. He's in Ravenclaw. Then somewhere along the fourth and fifth floors, he showed up and threatened me to stay quiet, he doesn't want me telling anyone that I know what he is. I honestly don't know what happened to Lily. Maybe it was Severus because he would never actually hurt her, and this was his way of keeping her quiet, but I don't think they'd leave something so important to a third year. They still need to keep their secret ya know, cause not everyone believes that they exist. So it was probably another seventh year, and they only obliviated her because she's friends with Severus," Eilidh explained, in a low rushed voice. She took a moment to catch her breath in the end. Remus looked thoughtful. Peter looked scared. Sirius looked livid.
"Malfoy attacked you to keep you quiet. And someone obliviated Lily to keep her in the dark," Remus clarified. Eilidh nodded. "How did he attack you?"
Eilidh's face drained of all remaining colour. He eyes flicked to the already livid Sirius, to Peter looking both concerned and frightened, and back to Remus whose face was determinedly blank.
Eilidh shook her head and clenched her jaw as if she were scared the words might just fall out of her mouth.
"Eilidh," Remus reached for her hand, and locked her eyes with his, "you can trust us. We only want to help."
"You guys are only going to get yourselves hurt," Eilidh shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. She blinked them away and took a deep breath to calm herself.
"We already have enough information for us to do something," Remus argued.
"Damned vigilantes," Eilidh scoffed. She ran her fingers through her hair and swallowed the lump in her throat. "He used the Cruciatus Curse on me," Eilidh said, not meeting any of their eyes. Sirius jumped to his feet, his wand already clutched in his hand and pushed his way out of the curtains.
"Sirius! Sirius!" Remus called, running after him. He pulled him back inside the curtains and held him there by the arm. "Eilidh, Sirius, I'm sure, has many questions for you. So, if you don't mind, will you allow him to break his vow of silence momentarily." Eilidh nodded, looking nervously at the steaming boy. "Thank you. Also, Sirius has developed a speech impediment, that causes him to lisp. Let's just say it's because… we've enlarged his tongue, for experimental sake." Eilidh nodded again, ignoring the obvious lie, and waited for Sirius to speak. Sirius took a deep breath, wrenched his arm free of Remus's grip, and placed himself back onto Eilidh's anger that flared inside the boy's steely gazed quickened Eilidh's pulse, but she showed no signs of fear nor discomfort. She held the eye contact easily as she waited for his questions.
"Why didn't you tell Dumbledore?" Sirius asked. There wasn't a lisp, but his voice was thick like he held something in his mouth. He had skillfully kept his anger out of his voice.
"Would you have?" Eilidh countered. Sirius eyed her, surprised by her easy tone. Excitement blazed in her eyes and this confused him more than anything.
"Why wouldn't I?" Sirius asked.
"He used the Cruciatus Curse, Sirius. Then he threatened my family. Call me a coward, but that was enough for me to stay silent," Eilidh answered fiercely, seeming to dare any of them to actually call her a coward.
"Dumbledore would protect them," Remus said.
"Dumbledore is only a man," Eilidh answered, finally tearing her eyes away from Sirius.
"Are you planning on doing anything?" asked Sirius.
"No," Eilidh answered, staring blankly ahead, "it's not my war."
"Maybe not but they attacked Lily too, and it is her war," Sirius argued.
"Lily knows how to defend herself," Eilidh replied, blankly.
"She's your friend," Remus accused.
"And they're my family," Eilidh said, tears in her eyes again. This time she didn't blink them away, she held them in, burning her eyes until they blurred her vision and let them spill down her cheeks. She watched Lily staring intently at a piece of parchment as James watched her nervously, only noticing the owl hovering over his head with a large, rectangular parcel in its talons at the last minute. The owl dropped the parcel and James caught it before it hit Lily's head.
"Come on guys," Sirius said, making his way towards James without a backwards glance towards Eilidh. Peter smiled to Eilidh before following Sirius out. Remus paused behind Peter and looked back to her.
"Get well soon, Eilidh," he whispered and pulled the curtains closed behind her.
"Oh, no," James groaned, breaking his vow again.
"What is it?" Remus asked. James held up the parcel and pointed to the return address. "Ah, mummy's revenge," Remus laughed. James glared before ripping the brown paper off the box.
"What'd he do to his mum?" Lily asked, looking between Remus and James.
"Can't say, it's against the rules," Remus said vaguely. James's hands froze around the box. "Just be glad it's not a howler and you're not in the Great Hall," Remus said, intending to comfort.
James grimaced, looked at his friends then at Lily, and then tore the lid off of the box. They all looked in. The box contained something pink and fluffy, with a white pompom attached to it.
"What on Earth?" Remus asked, reaching to take hold of the pink catastrophe. James pushed his hand away and sprang to his feet holding the box out of everyone's reach.
"James we just want to see it," Lily pleaded, trying to hide her grin.
"We won't laugh," Remus offered. James rolled his eyes. "Okay, we probably will."
"But we're already laughing, so it makes no difference," Lily added. James scowled at the pair of them. "Please, James. Please, please, please, pleeeaaasseee."
James took a deep and bitter breath before placing the box onto the bed between them. Remus reached out once more only for James to push him away again. James's hand hovered nervously over the pink fabric. He reached down and clutched the fabric. He had to stand to hold it at its full height. It was a giant pink and white rabbit costume. Its ears hung limp, its tips grazing the floor. Thick heavy rabbit feet hung along the torso. They stared in silence for a moment taking in the pink nightmare before them. Then they all burst out laughing - all except James who stared mouth open and barely blinking.
"There's a note," Lily said, giggling still. James dropped the costume to the floor and took the paper from Lily's outstretched hand. Remus moved to read the note out loud over James's shoulder.
Happy Easter Jamie.
I expect to see pictures of you in this with your friends.
Your father says hello and that he hopes you're doing well in school.
Tell Remus and Sirius I said hello and Peter that I hope to meet him during the summer holiday.
All my love,
'Mother'
P.S. If I don't get the pictures you really will be grounded. FOr. Life.
"Oh! I can take the pictures for you!" Lily laughed.
"No," James said, firmly, gathering up the pink lump and stuffing it back into the box.
"Why not? She said she wanted a picture of you with all of your friends, how are you supposed to take the picture?" Lily argued. James glared and seemed to struggle with keeping his words in. He huffed and turned to leave, waiting for his friends by the door.
"I suppose we'll have to take more than one," Remus winked at Lily. "This is so going on the wall!" James growled and marched out of the hospital wing. "See you in first, Lily." Remus waved ducking out behind his friends.
"She called me James, twisss!" James announced after he ran back to his dormitory with his friends trailing behind.
"I'm sorry how many times did she call you James?" Remus asked, smirking.
"Shut up! Two times! She only ever calls me Potter and now she's called me James, two times. And she was practically affectionate," James said excitedly, packing his rucksack with the books he needed for his first few classes. "It's only up from here."
"I don't know, she's seen your bunny costume. The affection might have been out of pity," Remus teased.
"It's a rabbit Lupin, a rabbit. Bunnies are for babies," James said, clinging to what was left of his dignity.
"The bunny costume would look excellent out in nature! It'll make it look more realistic," Sirius smirked.
"The rabbit costume is not to leave this dorm room, nor is anybody going to hear about it!" James said, sending a threatening look to all three of them.
"The ginger already saw it!" laughed Peter.
"Anyway! What did you find out from what's her name?" James digressed.
"That Malfoy was the one that attacked her because she told Lily he was a Death Eater but she doesn't know who attacked Lily only that they're trying to keep her in the dark," Remus explained. James nodded and began pacing around the room.
"Okay, so we'll have to find some way to start listening to their conversations. And of course make some plan against Malfoy," James said.
"We're not doing anything to Malfoy," Sirius said. James spun around to face him, Peter and Remus were already staring at him. "She doesn't want us too. He's family," Sirius explained not caring about the bitterness in his voice. He turned away from his friends and back to his books.
"I don't think that's what she meant Sirius," said Remus gently.
"Yeah, it was," Sirius muttered. He swung his rucksack over his shoulder and made his move to leave but he stopped, noticing that his friends were still staring at him. "Look we have plenty of reason to get him back, I just want it to be clear that we're not doing it for Nicnevin." And with that, he left, not caring if his friends followed or not.
***Thank you, Samthethespian, for your review. I hope I didn't fail to meet your expectations. And I'm sorry for not getting back to you right away I just didn't want to spoil anything ;)
To the rest of you, thanks for reading it! I hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think in the review box down below. (Especially if I got the incantation wrong for the homunculus charm.) Lurking is always welcome and encouraged because seriously thanks for reading!
JKR owns our souls and you know it.
XO***