Padfoot's Twelve Days of Christmas
Day Twelve! What a journey! I have given a character that I write so well as a bit-part a complete devotion, and discovered my characterisation was painfully shallow, which is a soul destroying moment. However, the levity must be metered with the meaningful, so without further ado, I give you the final day in this saga, Day Twelve! Late! But still, as the old adage goes, better late than never! If you like it, favourite it, favourite me – 2012 promises to be a fanfic filled fun fest of a year! – and make sure to leave your quill mark in the Review section. Enjoy!
Day Twelve
On The Twelfth Day of Christmas, The Marauders Gave to Me… The Marauder's Map?
At the end, he saw Snitches. He knew it was a kindness, but he didn't know how he knew. The sensation was odd, like a bludger was lightly tapping you on the back of the head, calling to remember something in slow motion. Eleven gold Snitches; a happy a memory as any, and the happiest memory Sirius Black had been a part of for a long time. There were others, of that he was sure, but the moment of unbridled joy he had felt, the moment of connection with the only member of his family that meant something to him, that was what filled his heart. What was it Dumbledore always said? To the organised mind-
Sirius shook his head. The music was dreadfully loud here. Probably a stray Sonorus charm. He gently took another sip of the Champagne canapé and wished he could be back in the Castle with his friends. James would be making great fun at how Padfoot had been hoodwinked into attending a Soiree hosted by the Fudges. From what he could gather, it was a collection of up-and-coming talent within Hogwarts, akin to the Slug Club, but with a view of introducing youngsters to their intended real-world counterparts. Sirius had the honour of conversing with the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, who turned out to be some boor of a gentleman, and the conversation was dull enough to lull him into a light stupor. His head, now throbbing, was still reeling from the sheer monotony of the man.
His plus one had evaded any scrutiny so far, but then Lily Evans was always fantastic at deflecting attention. James had protested when Sirius had posed the question, but after swearing no amorous intent, seemed content to allow it. Sirius suspected it was primarily to do with an icy glare sent his way by said female. He took a step forward, and immediately wished he hadn't. The room around him swam lazily through his vision, a sure sign of inebriation. What had he been drinking?
"Oh Sirius, why do you ever bother at these damned events?" Lily laughed as she walked up to him. Sirius was too busy focussing on not falling over to pay her any attention. Could she not see that he was concentrating?
"I dunno Lil, help me sit?" He blurted, gripping the champagne flute with all he was worth. It shattered. "Dammit!" Sirius shouted, as he clumsily brushed glass off his best dress robes.
It was the map. It was always the map. The one sign he still had left of friendship, the one symbol of worth that his childhood produced. He looked up at his friends. One was dead, another turned betrayer, and a third afflicted since childhood. Three unlikely people who all had a truly magical childhood together. How the future had changed them. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Marauders of Hogwarts, turned loose on the world.
They held it out with pride in their eyes. James looked at him and nodded, shaking the map as he did so. "Look," He said, "You should see this before-" Before what, Sirius did not want to think of. He took the map silently, a slight incline of his head in acknowledgment. He stepped forward to open it and tripped. It was an eerily familiar sensation. Like he was falling.
"Siri! You're drunk!" James called, roaring with laughter as he slumped next to Sirius on the couch, "Remy, Peter, you need to see this!" He prodded Sirius on the arm and watched him sway. Sirius felt sick enough as it was. The last thing he needed was his friends making matters worse. His friends? How did they get here? He blearily opened his eyes to see James sat next to him, and Remus and Peter stood over him, matching smug expressions on their face.
"How di-"
"Lily." James interrupted, "Remus, give him the potion!" Remus forced a vile tasting liquid into his mouth, and he coughed and spluttered. The pain was excruciating but short-lived. He blinked and found his vision to be better, and the dizziness had subsided.
"Sobering Potion?" he spluttered, instantly aware of how dry his mouth was.
"Had to be done mate, you were embarrassing yourself!" Peter said. Sirius felt a pang of something alien, it felt like hatred, but was probably to do with the potion. Damn alcohol and damn these socials!
Sirius affected a lopsided grin, "Me, embarrass myself? What kind of party would it be where I didn't?" they all laughed.
Lily ushered them off to a quiet corner, for which Sirius was glad; he didn't feel like explaining the presence of three extra guests, one of whom was a registered werewolf. He loved Remus dearly, but these social circles ran almost entirely on tradition, and it just wasn't proper to be part magical creature.
The battle raged on in almost mute fascination. Sirius likened it to hearing fireworks from inside the house, a series of dull thuds; as though he was listening through cotton wool. Something had just happened, he knew it, and he could feel it. What was this place? The map would tell him, he was sure, and his friend's reassuring smiles brought him comfort. Opening the map with a tap of his wand, he expected to see the school. What appeared shocked him.
"Siri, we have something to show you, it's- "
"It was really my geniu-"
"We all helped!" Remus finished, shouting over James and Peter. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket, and handed it to him. Sirius knew what it was immediately; he had spent months trying to place all the charms correctly, but nothing had worked.
He looked from beaming face to beaming face and asked "What were we doing wrong?"
"We were applying the tracking charm in the wrong place. You can't have the permanent parchment spell in the same phrase as it, so we improvised." Remus looked particularly pleased, so Sirius guessed it was his idea. Certainly James would never have thought of it, and Peter didn't have a thought of his own, so that ruled him out.
"Shall we try it?" Sirius almost bellowed, excitement slowly taking over him. Not even seeing his cousin Bella could dampen his mood. He cheerily sent a glare her way, almost daring her to come over, then turned his attention back to this wonderful piece of spellwork in front of him. "I solemnly Swear I am up to no Good!" he intoned, almost reverently. The parchment was alight with ink, forming the words 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are Proud to Present… The Marauder's Map!'
"It looks good, doesn't it?" James said, elbowing his way next to Sirius.
"Bloody good spellwork, eh James?" Sirius cheekily replied. The map formed, yet it wasn't of Hogwarts. For a moment, he could have sworn that it read 'Ministry of Magic', but then it changed into a perfect representation of the school, and he was lost in the magic.
It was the moment he had been expecting. A warm handshake and friendly smile. They were waiting for him, all of them, and he knew. He was still falling, wasn't he? The sensation had dulled, but if he really thought about it, he could still feel it faintly. Like an itch that you forgot about. Perhaps if he left it alone, ignored it even, then it would disappear forever. The happy memories he had were fading too, leaving only a feeling of peace. Sirius felt peace. A stag pointed at a point below his feet. There was no floor, and yet a wand lay there, expectantly. He picked it up; it was his. With a wan look, he saw the map. Huge and sprawling, it filled the space behind him, and yet it was faint. Like he was seeing it through a veil. He could make out a shape that could have been him, or Harry, or Remus. The feeling of peace coursed through him, and as he lifted his wand, Sirius wished happiness on what he saw. He pointed it at the map, gave one final smile, and cast.
"Mischief Managed."