January brought cold winds, Quidditch Practice, and endless Potion essays for Sirius and his fellow first years. February saw snow, a practical charms test, and 30 house points for Gryffindor for good work. Then March flew by, bringing with it a Gryffindor victory against Slytherin, 200-70, in Quidditch.

As April came to light, the Gryffindor's had only one thing on their minds, the Quidditch Final. Slytherin had lost their match to Ravenclaw, so the game would be Gryffindor V. Ravenclaw.

The Slytherins were in a foul mood. They had started to jinx every Gryffindor that walked the halls. Sirius and James got the impression that Evan Malfoy and a group of 4th year Slytherins were plotting something. They could be seen at meal times, heads together, discussing. Sirius tried to put it out of mind, until the weekend before the match when Professor Lupin made a terrible announcement.

Lupin was angry. That was the first thing Sirius noticed. And, as he looked along the staff table, so were the rest of the teachers.

"The Quidditch Cup," Lupin began, "Has been stolen!"

Gasps rose from every table, Sirius couldn't believe his ears.

"This is a terrible act of selfishness, and until the Cup is returned and the culprit punished, the Quidditch final has been cancelled."

Shouts of protest rose up from both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Sirius glanced towards the Slytherin table and was mildly surprised to see Malfoy with a huge grin on his face.

"If anyone has any information they must speak either to me or their head of house immediately. I assure you, that when the culprit is caught, he or she will be punished, and that could include exclusion."

When everyone was dismissed, Sirius, James, Cory and Nancy made their way back to Gryffindor tower.

"Who D'you think took it?" James asked.

"No idea." Sirius said, angrily. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a Slytherin."

As they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, a large cardboard box came into view. Sirius and the others examined it and found a large label with "Sirius Potter" scrawled on it.

"Another student left that for you." explained the Fat Lady. "He couldn't bring it in as he wasn't a Gryffindor.

"Open it then." Said Cory, eagerly.

"No, wait. I'll take it to the dormitory and open it there."

They all grabbed a side and carried the box into the empty boys dormitory. There, Sirius pulled off the lid…and gasped.

"It's…it's the Quidditch House Cup!" Gasped Nancy, a horrified look on her face. "Oh Sirius! I don't believe it!"

"I didn't steal it!" exclaimed Sirius.

"But you said yourself downstairs, you wanted to open it up here…"

"Only because I thought it was something from my Dad!"

"Oh."

"Come on Wormtail!" Said Cory. You can't really have thought he'd nicked it! He's been with us all day!"

"'course, sorry Sirius."

"Don't mention it." Sirius mumbled. "But that still doesn't explain why I have it!"

"Malfoy."

Everyone looked round at James, who was frowning at the cup.

"We knew he was planning something. You've got to hand it in, Padfoot." He added, looking at Sirius.

"I can't! They'll exclude me!"

"Just tell them it was Malfoy…"

"We have no proof! We're only guessing ourselves!"

"He's got a point there." Said Cory, sadly.

"Well, what do we do with it?" asked James.

"Get rid of it." Cory stated simply.

"How? When? Where?"

"Tonight. In the Shrieking Shack."

"Fine. But I'm going, not Sirius."

"James! This is my problem!" Sirius cried.

"No, our problem." It wasn't James who answered, it was Cory. He looked like he'd just swallowed a horned slug.

"I'll use your invisibility cloak." James said, leaping into action. " You and Cory need to put in an appearance, show yourselves to Malfoy looking normal, that everything's fine."

"I'm coming with you."

James, Sirius and Cory stared at Nancy.

"I can help carry the cup, and no one will notice I'm gone anyway 'cuz the other girls in my dormitory don't like me."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Ok but you're taking the map, and be careful!"

That night, Cory and Sirius opened the portrait from the outside, as James and Nancy slipped out in the invisibility cloak, clutching the marauders map and the Quidditch cup.

Sirius awoke with a start. He had had a restless night, full of disturbing dreams to do with the Quidditch cup.

He pulled open his bed curtains and looked across at James' bed. It was empty. Sirius leapt out of bed and walked over to where Cory lay sleeping.

"Cory! Cory, wake up!"

"I don't have it!" Cory yelled, as he awoke with a start. "Oh, Sirius. Sorry mate."

"Cory, James isn't here!"

"He's probably waiting for us in the common room, or at breakfast." Cory yawned.

As soon as they were dressed, Cory and Sirius went to look for James. He wasn't in the common room, and when they reached the Great Hall he was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok, let's not panic." Cory raked his hands through his hair. "We'll find Nancy. She was with him, she'll know."

"Right." Sirius began to walk back towards the common room. "Hang on, have you actually seen Nancy today?"

"No, but she'll be in the girls' dormitory."

When they returned to Gryffindor tower, however, none of the girls had seen Nancy since the night before.

"They've been caught! They've been caught, I know it!"

"Look, calm down, Padfoot! If they'd been caught, we'd know! The teachers would have announced it!"

"Anything wrong boys?" Professor Fiddler grinned at them as they passed the staff room from which Fiddler was exiting.

"Er, no Sir." Mumbled Sirius.

"Oh Sir?" Cory piped up. "You haven't found the Quidditch cup have you?"

"No, I'm afraid we haven't." Fiddler said seriously. "I assure you, when we do, you'll know." And he disappeared round the corner.

"See?"

"Ok. But if they haven't been caught…"

"…And they're not in the castle…"

"…Then they must still be in the Shrieking Shack." Sirius sighed.

"Well then we have to go and find them." Said Cory brightly.

"When?"
"Now. It's Sunday, we can do what we like. No one will miss us if we're only gone a couple of hours. We just have to make sure no one sees us near the Whomping Willow."

"And without my Dads cloak…"

"…it's going to be harder than last time, but we'll manage because we have too."

Sirius smiled weakly.

The journey to the Shrieking shack seemed to take much longer than before, simply because Sirius wanted, or needed, to be there now.

Without the map or cloak, he felt insecure; so instead, he had in his pocket the two-way mirror Harry had given him.

When they reached the opening, Sirius peered through. He could see James and Nancy sitting with their backs to the wall, on the other side if the room. James had his head in his hands and Nancy was staring at the floor. She looked exhausted.

Sirius crawled in, stood up and asked, "Why didn't you come back?"

He felt Cory behind him, and then suddenly there was a cry of "Expelliarmus!" and his and Cory's wands flew into the air and landed in the hands of a plump looking wizard.

"You!"

"Sirius Potter, we meet at last." Peter Pettigrew smiled slightly, placing both wands inside his robes. He moved so that he was blocking the opening from which Sirius and Cory had just entered.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Your Father has to realise that even with the Dark Lord gone, those who honoured him live on." Pettigrew shifted from one foot to the other, still blocking the entrance.

"What…what are you going to d…do?" Sirius asked, his voice faltering. He had meant to sound brave, to keep him talking, but he was all out of ideas.

"By the time everyone up at the school realises you are gone, it will be too late!" Pettigrew grinned, a mad glint in his eye.

"He's lost it!" Cried Cory. "He's gone completely bonkers!"

"Silence!" Pettigrew yelled, pointing his wand at Cory.

Sirius didn't know what to do. He'd been stupid, leading everyone down here, putting his friends in danger.

"Think, think!" He thought to himself. He put his hand in his pocket, clutching the mirror…

The mirror!

"Harry Potter!" Sirius said out loud, causing everyone to stare at him. He felt the mirror vibrate slightly, and knew it had worked. Pettigrew, however, was still staring at him.

"Um…Harry Potter…um…why Harry Potter?" Sirius stuttered lamely.

"Why? Why?" Screeched Pettigrew. "He killed the Dark Lord, that's why! Not to mention over half the Death Eaters!"

"Sirius?"

Sirius heard his fathers voice through the mirror, but luckily so did James. He began coughing loudly, so Pettigrew didn't notice. And besides, he was still ranting on about Harry Potter.

"The Shrieking Shack!" Sirius said loudly, hoping his Dad would take the hint.

"Why the Shrieking Shack, Peter Pettigrew?"

"Just like my good friend, Sirius Black. He hid out here once, you know." Pettigrew seemed to be in his element, as long as he still thought Sirius and the others were at his mercy.

"But that's enough talk, I'm going to kill you." He said, simply.

"Help!" Screamed Nancy, losing her head completely. "The Shrieking Shack, help!"

"Stupid girl! No one can here you all the way down here!"

"That's what you think!" thought Sirius, as Nancy gave him a small wink.

Sirius felt the mirror vibrate again, and knew that Harry was on his way. Now all he had to do was keep Pettigrew talking.

"I want to join you." Sirius said. Nancy gasped and Pettigrew froze, staring at Sirius.

"What?"

"I want to join you. I want to be on your side."

Cory opened his mouth, no doubt in order to protest, but Sirius stood on his foot.

"Don't be stupid boy." Pettigrew snarled.

"I'm not stupid." Sirius was thinking fast. He crossed his fingers inside his robes. "I'm clever enough to know that you're way more powerful than, oh, say, the Order of the Phoenix. I want to be on your side."

Pettigrew surveyed Sirius carefully. Sirius Potter, son of Harry Potter, on the side of the Dark Lord? Madness! And yet, he seemed determined. He could be useful too. After all, his father runs the order. Young Potter would be the key to so much information…

"How do I know that I can trust you?" Pettigrew asked.

Sirius was ready for this question. He used his puppy-dog-eyes look, as his mother called it. It was the look he used to get himself out of trouble…"I didn't do it, honest!…" Thinking of what his mum would say if she knew what was going on made Sirius feel sick. Instead, he ploughed on…

"I wouldn't betray you." Sirius said, keeping his fingers crossed.

"In that case…" Pettigrew hesitated, then held out Sirius' wand. Sirius held his hand out when "BANG!" a disarming spell hit Sirius and he was thrown against the far wall. Another one it Pettigrew, as Harry Potter climbed through the opening leading from Hogwarts.

"You fool!" He yelled at Pettigrew. "You really think my son would ever join forces with you?"

Sirius eased himself up onto his elbows and watched as Professor Lupin climbed through the hole, followed by Tonks, followed by Professor Fiddler. Lupin immediately joined Harry's side, while Tonks tied up Pettigrew with ropes she shot from her wand.

Professor Fiddler helped Sirius to his feet.

"Sir…"

"Not now." Fiddler looked across at Harry.

"Get them out of here, Sammy." Harry said, not taking his eyes off Pettigrew. "Take them to Lupin's office, I'll meet you there."

As Sirius followed James, Nancy and Cory through the opening he heard Pettigrew, "Remus, my friend, my good friend…"

"You're no friend of mine!" Spat Lupin as Professor Fiddler followed Sirius into the tunnel.