Chapter 9
Harry got up around seven and made his way down to breakfast. Ginny was still asleep and he didn't feel like waking her. Dressing quickly, he made his way to the great hall. This was the first time the castle felt so quiet and tranquil. He burst into the great hall to find it empty save three staff members and two students (both studious Ravenclaws). Harry made his way to his seat to be greeted by Dumbledore himself.
"Hello Harry, I see you're up early." Dumbledore said.
"Yes, well the sandman left early today morning." He replied making use of a muggle figure Dumbledore would find most amusing.
"Pardon; who is this sandy man?" He asked. Harry was baffled. Usually, Dumbledore knew who a muggle figure was.
"Oh, just a muggle saying is all."
"Ah, you know about muggle ideologies?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well of course. Muggle ideas are very interesting and are a source of knowledge."
"You make a fair point, but wizard ideas are much more advanced are they not?"
"You could say that professor, but muggle aren't stupid. They have lived year upon years without a hint of magic and yet they can do everything we do. They can transport themselves while sitting, they can make food without magic and they can even communicate without the floo. Muggles are human after all and I feel that they are a great people in themselves." Dumbledore seemed genuinely intrigued at this point.
"Muggle periodicals are especially good. They give us information the prophet leaves out, or that is overlooked by wizards. They provide an ulterior angle of looking at things. Also, another thing I am quite fond of is muggle candy. Muggles have the best candy. Here, why don't you try this lemon drop?" Harry said, offering the professor a piece of candy. Dumbledore hesitantly accepted and brought the small yellow ball to his lips and slipped it inside his mouth.
"Why this is absolutely marvelous! Wherever did you get this delectable sweet? Hmm… you said it was muggle. What was it called again?" Dumbledore asked happily. Apparently he loved the sweet.
"Lemon drop" Harry replied.
"I see that you were right. Muggles do have delightful sweets."
"You should try looking at muggle papers once in a while as well. They offer a great source of knowledge. Hell, you should try attending a muggle school to learn about science and mathematics. Mathematics is what muggles call arithmancy (without magic) and science is what creates muggle technology, which is their replacement for magic."
"I will try reading a muggle periodical one day. Perhaps you are right Harry; perhaps I have overlooked a source of vast knowledge and wisdom." Dumbledore stroked his chin pensively.
Harry smirked inwardly. Just how many habits of Dumbledore's did he have to instate?
In the Marauder dorm
"Oi, Prongs, Padfoot wake up. Remember we have a mission to start today eh?" Remus prodded before flicking his wand at them both. They both jerked off their beds and were held in the air by their ankles.
"OI MOONY WE'RE UP YOU GIT!" James yelled reaching for his wand which was on his nightstand, but to no avail.
"Alright then, let's begin soon. We should get some breakfast and get ready for classes. It's already eight fifteen." Moony chided as James and Sirius fell to their beds. When Sirius landed, there was a small, high pitched whine. "Padfoot, who the hell is that?"
Sirius smiled sheepishly. "Well, this is the date I've been telling you about, Melanie Swick." The girl however looked hurt by this.
"My name is Bianca Swan!" she said near tears.
"No one cares Swill" Sirius said brushing her off. She began sobbing.
"It's Swan!"
"Alright, we get it; Sirius could you please get Swin to leave? We have classified matters to discuss."
"MY NAME IS SWAN!" The girl all but screamed shrilly.
"Shut up Duck! We are in the middle of an important discussion here and you are being very shrill." Sirius said glaring at his companion.
"MY NAME IS.." She began again but was interrupted by Remus.
"With all due respect Miss Swallow, could you please get out. I'm sure you will be welcomed back later by Sirius." Remus said trying to be polite.
"MY NAME IS… oh now I'm confused. Merlin I'm just going to go and cut myself in a dark corner of the castle. She said before storming out of the room sobbing.
"So, breakfast?" James asked after an uncomfortable silence ensued. "Padfoot, you'll never get married if you don't stop shagging girls for the sake of shagging them rather than out of deeper feeling." He chided sounding an awful lot like Remus.
"Well, would you rather me be like Remus who barely settles with a single girl?" Sirius asked.
"Hey, I'll have you know that I don't engage in such activities because I have my furry little problem!" Remus said. He knew it was all in good humor, but he was still quite affronted.
"Forget it alright, let's just hit the tables, I'm starved!" Sirius said rubbing his stomach. "Oh, and on the way, I was wondering if we could spell the dungeons pink?" Moon and Prongs both burst into grins.
"Of course we can!"
Ginny woke up to an empty bed and realized that Harry must have gone downstairs to breakfast early. He quickly got dressed and ran down to the great hall. Today was a report day; the two partners would have to report their progress to Hermione and Ron. She reached the great hall to see Harry chatting amicably with Dumbledore. She took a seat next to him and began her breakfast.
After breakfast, Harry and Ginny walked slowly back to their quarters to get ready for class.
"Harry, I didn't know that you were on good terms with the headmaster?" Ginny asked in passing. "Besides the fact that you're disappointed in him, we were told not to get to close to him during our mission weren't we?"
"Yes Ginny, you're absolutely right, but relax over it. It's not like I'm messing up the mission am I?" Harry asked playfully.
"Fine, but it's on your head; when we return and Hermione's pissed, you have to answer to her, not me." Ginny said archly.
Harry stiffened a bit at that. "Yes Ginny, of course I will." He kissed her and ran the rest of the way to their rooms.
James and his two friends reached the Great hall seven minutes before Ginny arrived. They all began to eat as fast as possible.
"Ugh, Potter, Black, could you be a bit more considerate of others and a bit less disgusting?" Lily asked eyeing them with distaste.
"Sawee Eblands, blut here win a flush!" James said spitting food in the process. Lily looked horrified. Remus felt an odd need to help his friend out in this situation.
"What James meant to say is that we're in a rush to study today. James and Sirius wanted to be early for potions today as well." Remus said, coming to James' rescue and hurting him all in one blow. James paled considerably.
Lily looked shocked. "Is that true Potter?" She asked incredulously.
"Of course it is Evans! I mean would old Remus "bookworm" Lupin lie to you?" he said glaring at Remus.
"Well, I'm glad that you are beginning to take your studies seriously now." She said as she left the table.
"THANKS A LO-" James began but Remus silenced him by pointing at their two professors.
"Look, Potter and Weasley are moving; let's go!" Remus said and all three friends scrambled under the cloak.
The Marauders (minus Peter) followed the two listening as they went along:
"Harry, I didn't know that you were on good terms with the headmaster?" Ginny asked in passing. "Besides the fact that you're disappointed in him, we were told not to get to close to him during our mission weren't we?"
"Yes Ginny, you're absolutely right, but relax over it. It's not like I'm messing up the mission am I?" Harry asked playfully.
"Fine, but it's on your head; when we return and Hermione's pissed, you have to answer to her, not me." Ginny said archly.
Harry stiffened a bit at that. "Yes Ginny, of course I will." He kissed her and ran the rest of the way to their rooms.
The three marauders stood in silence mouths agape at the two. James was right, they were death eaters!
"Does this situation warrant the words 'I told you so'?" James asked horrified at the prospect of their teachers being Death Eaters, yet giddy at the prospect of winning a bet with Sirius.
"I don't believe it. We trusted them and they turned their backs on us; traitors!" Sirius yelled at no one in particular.
"Now guys, maybe we are jumping to conclusions. One, he gave me that potion that lets me retain my mind during the full moon. Doesn't that count for something?" Remus asked, ever the sensible one.
"Probably gives it to all the death eater wolves so they can kill consciously." James spat. "And to think, a Potter a death eater. Probably a disowned wanker anyway."
"Oh, come on, maybe he's not a death eater. I mean wouldn't Dumbledore have checked him for the mark? And another thing, he talks of death eaters like they're dirt and hates slytherins with a passion." Remus reasoned.
"So, he could be a cocky death eater speaking as others are his lowers, and he doesn't have to be from Slytherin does he? He could be a puff, or a claw." Sirius reasoned back. Remus sighed; the other two were going to be very stubborn about this.
"Oh fine, but when I'm right about this you two will have to study for three hours straight with me for a week for our NEWTS next year!" Remus threatened and both boys nodded their heads cockily.
James was quite angry with this new development. He had a hex on the tip of his tongue and the next non-marauder he saw was going to get it. A fourth year 'puff was strolling down the corridor and stopped to wave to the three popular boys. The curse flew of James' wand and hit the boy square in the nose.
A second later, the boy had a head twice his original one's size and fell over with a thud. Sirius joined James in laughing and Remus fled. James and Sirius had wondered why he had done this, but the next minute they found out; McGonagall was right behind them.
"SIRIUS BLACK AND JAMES POTTER!" She yelled causing them to jump. "You will have a double detention with Mr. Filch and I will have to take away ten points from Gryffindor, each." She said through her tightly pursed lips.
"Aw, but Minnie, we were just expressing ourselves!" James and Sirius said before they ran like hell from their head of house whose face was now officially matching her house colors.