Ch 8 Halloween

When James woke up the next morning it was to find Remus's bed empty. He looked at his watch and realized it was seven o'clock. He got up, showered and got dressed. He then headed down to the common room and found Remus sitting on the couch staring into the fire.

"Remus, everything ok?" James asked. Remus jumped, he had not heard anyone enter the room.

"Oh yes, everything's fine," he said in a slightly higher voice then normal.

"Well alright," James said not believing his friend. "How long you been up?"

"An hour I believe,"

"And you've been down here all this time?"

Remus just nodded his head.

"Well, I'm going to get some breakfast, you coming?"

"Maybe later," Remus muttered. James noticed, despite the fact that he usually looked tired, that he looked even more so today. In fact he looked exhausted.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

"Of course, I slept all night."

"Alright, well I guess I'll see you in the Great Hall," Remus nodded his head and James walked out the portrait hole. He had a bunch of thing running through his head. What was wrong with his friend? Why did he look so tired if he got enough sleep? And why isn't he confiding in his friends about it?

James was sitting in the common room reading later that evening.

"Hey mate, what are you reading?" Sirius asked.

"A book on werewolves for my potions essay. Slughorn wanted an eighteen inch essay on any possible way to brew a potion to help werewolves. I though a bit of reading and research would help."

"Anything interesting?" Sirius asked munching on some Berty Botts Every Flavour Beans; he obviously was just in the kitchens.

"Well I was looking at the moon cycles. Werewolves transform during the full moon right, so I thought I'd check last years cycle and guess what I noticed."

"What?" Sirius asked now eating a pumpkin pastry.

"Remus was sick during all the full moons last year,"

"So that's when he needed to take his medication,"

"Yea, but then technically he'd have had to take it during the middle of the month in September and this month, but he took it at the end. A little odd if you ask me,"

"James, I think you're looking a little too into this. You're starting to sound like Remus."

"It's just, I haven't forgotten about the werewolf we found about last year. We never found out who it was, what if it's Remus?"

"We need to trust our friend,"

"We need to find out if it's him!"

"Can we worry about it later? Let's work on the prank." Sirius suggested.

"The prank," James whispered, and then he looked at Sirius seriously. "Sirius, Halloween is a full moon. Remus said he'd help us with the prank but back out as soon as it was mentioned that there was a full moon on Halloween."

"James, please, pranks now, worry later." Sirius said. Defeated, James took out their notes on the prank and they looked them over.

"I think this is going to work," Sirius mumbled.

"Too bad we couldn't find that one charm though; it would've been wicked then."

"Yea but this is still going to be good."

"Alright, so can we discuss my theory now?"

"James, you need to let it go. Remus is not…"

"I'm not what?" Remus asked walking up to his friends.

"Going to help with this prank," James quickly said.

"Sorry mates, wish I could help with it but I can't. I have to take my medication that night."

"You know, I find it odd how last year you were taking it during the middle of the month and suddenly it's at the end," James said.

"I was in St. Mungo's over the summer and the doctor changed it up a bit," Remus replied.

"How come you never mentioned St. Mungo's then when we discussed our holidays?"

"Didn't find it important,"

"Whatever you say, I'm going to bed" and James walked away from his friends.

"What's wrong James?" Peter asked. He was searching his trunk for a book when James walked in and slammed the door shut.

"Nothing," James mumbled. Peter continued to search.

"James, have you seen my book on plants? I need it for my Herbology essay."

"Ask Remus," James said with a note of bitterness in his voice. Peter looked at James and saw his friend was upset.

"James, did something happen?"

"No," James mumbled.

"Alright, I'm going to go find Remus," and he scurried out of the dorm. James knew he had made his friend leave but he couldn't help it. He was mad at Remus because he knew he was keeping something from them but he wouldn't say. He started thinking how he would react if Remus really was a werewolf. It would be scary yes, but he would find a way to help his friend. He wanted so hard to believe in his friend but he knew he was keeping something from them. He would find out what it was if it's the last thing he would do.

Halloween approached fast and James still hadn't done anything to prove his theory about Remus. He had researched a bit more but to no reward. He came up with nothing and that disappointed him.

Remus wasn't seen in class at all that day. James and Sirius sat in History of Magic going over the final details of their big prank.

"I still wish Remus was helping us," Sirius said. James kept his mouth shut. He hadn't really said much to Remus in the past week.

"James, why don't you just get over the fact that Remus isn't what you think he is?"

"I'm determined to prove it to you. It wouldn't matter to me anyway if he was or wasn't. I'd still be his friend. I just wish he'd tell us if he was."

"Well since he hasn't said anything doesn't that mean he's not?"

James glared at Sirius. "You just wait. Tonight I'm taking out the cloak and waiting by the tree for them to bring the werewolf down the tunnel,"

"How do you even know it'll be done at night?"

"They can't do it during the day or students would see so obviously they do it at night. As soon as the moon comes out, I'll prove it to you," James said.

"I think you're too caught up in this James to see the reality behind it all."

"I think you're too ignorant to see what it is at all," James retorted. Sirius just sighed.

"Do what you like, as long as the prank get's done."

So he did. After their last class the students were to drop off their things in their common rooms and return to the great hall for the Halloween feast. James and Sirius had Peter take their things up and went to the hall early to make sure they would be able to pull it off.

James entered the hall and saw the decorations were similar to the year before. Pumpkins and candles, the room dimly lit and bats flying around.

"Sure we can do this?"

"Oh yea," Sirius replied.

James took a seat at the Gryffindor Table, where there were a few students already.

"Happy Halloween James, Sirius." James turned around Selena was standing there.

"Here James, mom sent them for you. She knows how much you love her pumpkin icing on her sugar cookies. It's what she's giving the muggle children."

"Why is she giving muggles food?" Sirius asked.

"Halloween is a time where little kids dress up and go around the neighbourhood collecting candy and treats. My mom would take me and James every year along with Johnny. James would always dress up as Emeric the Evil."

"Fun little costume?"

"I had a plastic wand and everything. The muggles always thought I was just a wizard. They are so naive when it comes to costumes. Muggle children think witches are those people with green faces, warts on their noses and long black hair."

"You know, I always wondered why there were a bunch of kids looking ridiculous outside the house at this time of year." Sirius trailed off in thought.

"Thanks for the cookies Selena, let your mom know I said thanks,"

"Write her yourself," she said walking away. James laughed.

"Sirius, you have to try these, they are amazing." Sirius took a cookie and took a bit out of it.

"It is fairly good," Sirius mused.

"Yea, I think I'll save them for later when I'm out waiting upon the wolf man," James said and he put them in a pocket of his robes. "And now for the feast!"

Sirius laughed and watched as the rest of the students sat down and Dumbledore stood up.

"As you all know Halloween is a time for celebration in the Wizarding World. It is our holiday, a holiday of magic and fun. So without further ado, the feast." Dumbledore sat down and the plates filled with a lot of different food. There were a ton of Pumpkin Pastries and Bat Droppings (chocolate balls) and chocolate frogs as well. James and Sirius took a lot of sweets and started to eat.

Near the end of the feast James nudged Sirius and pointed at his watch indicating it was time. Sirius nodded his head slightly and they both took out their wands. They hid them carefully under their cloaks and tried to hide them from the staff. On the count of a very quiet three James and Sirius both muttered different spells and the pumpkins around the hall all exploded and a bunch of bats flew out of them. These weren't at all like the live bats that already flew around the hall; these were bats that dropped candy from the sky.

Students were getting rained on by chocolate and sprinkles. However the other spell scared people. The banners around the hall started to float in the air and drop themselves on various groups of students. The Gryffindor banner dropped down on Snape and some of his 'friends' at the Slytherin table.

Some students screams, other laughed and some just sat there and ate their food. James and Sirius were laughing their heads off at the look of one Hufflepuff first year that seemed to be both scared and confused as the Slytherin banner chased her around her table and finally fell on top of her.

James looked up at the staff table. Dumbledore finally waved his wand and the bats disappeared and the banners went back on the wall.

"SILENCE!" he roared. Students stopped what they were doing and got back in their seats. "Thank you. As much fun as that little prank was, I will ask the pranker not to disrupt another feast," He seemed to stare right at James and Sirius, "Or the consequences will be sever." He sat back down as the hall broke out in conversation.

"Well James, was it worth it?" Sirius asked.

"Probably would have gone smoother if Remus helped us out." James muttered.

"That was funny," Peter giggled.

"Thanks Pete, now, what are we doing at the Christmas feast?"

"Nothing, I'm going home for Christmas. Mom invited you as well; just don't charm all the cousins this time."

Sirius looked innocent, "What? Me? James, I wouldn't do such a thing," Sirius looked at James who was trying to keep a straight face but couldn't and they both broke out laughing.

"Mom also asked to invite Remus and Peter if they want to,"

"I'm spending my holiday in Switzerland; we have a few family up there." Peter said.

"Ah well, maybe Remus and if not, it'll just be me and you again Sirius." James said.

"Well, don't I feel sorry for you." Sirius laughed.

They ate a bit more and then the feast started to break up. James and Sirius went up to the common room and into their dorm.

"It gets dark in about half an hour," James stated.

"Don't you think the kid would already be down there?"

"If he isn't we can catch him." James said.

"Since when is there a we in this?"

"Don't you want to know who it is?"

"Well yea," Sirius said.

"Then come on, quickly."

Sirius rolled his eyes but got up anyways and joined James under the cloak. Luckily a group of third years were walking in the common room at the time so the portrait hole was open. James and Sirius walked all the way down to the oak front doors and found them open. They walked across the grounds to where the tree stood and waited there, about ten feet from the trunk, to see if anyone was coming.

Five minutes after they arrived James saw Madam Pomfry crawling out the tunnel.

"I think we're too late," Sirius whispered to James. James nodded and they turned around. James suddenly came up with an idea.

"Let's follow her, maybe she'll lead us to someone who can hint us who it is."

Sirius's adventurous attitude kicked in a nodded so they followed the matron for a while. Finally they ran into professor McGonagall.

"Well Poppy?"

"The boy's safe, once again. I do hope he doesn't tare the whole place apart though. Every month when I bring him down more and more furniture is destroyed in that place." She sighed, "I just wish there was some kind of potion that could help the poor boy."

"If there was such a thing, the world would be a safer place."

"Let Albus know the job is done would you Minerva?"

"I was just going to see him. He wanted to talk to me about those boys who pulled the prank this evening,"

James and Sirius looked at each other.

"I didn't hear about it, what happened?"

"Well nothing serious, two second years thought it would be fun to pull a very irresponsible prank during the feast. Had bats fly out of pumpkins and the school banners drop on students,"

"Second years were able to do that?"

"Yes I know, they are very talented boys. If only they showed their talent in the classroom rather than acting like a band of baboons,"

"Boys will be boys, as the muggles say."

"Too true, I will let Albus know though Poppy." The healer nodded and walked back to the Hospital Wing. James and Sirius turned and headed back to the Common Room.

"Brilliant, we didn't even find what we went to go find," James said pulling the cloak off.

"Maybe next time mate," Sirius replied and he headed up to the dorm. "You coming?"

"In a bit," James said. Sirius shrugged and walked away. Why does it have to be so difficult? Wondered James and finally turned and walked up the stairs.

Remus returned the next day looking exhausted. James took one look at him and decided he couldn't be mad at him.

"Remus you don't look to well mate,"

"Side effect from the, uh, medication," James nodded his head.

"So the prank went off well last night."

"What happened?"

"Well Sirius pulled off the bat charm perfectly, those things flew and dropped candy everywhere and my charm on the banners was amazing. The Gryffindor one even fell on Snivelly." Remus laughed, it was tired laugh but it was nice to see the smile on his face.

"Wish I could have been there,"

"Yea so do I,"

"Did you guys get in trouble?"

"Do we ever?" James asked with a mischievous grin.

"Do you honestly want me to answer that?" James laughed.

"Dumbledore just said not to disrupt another feast,"

"Well that's good; I wouldn't want to see my friends get expelled for a prank I didn't help with."

"What does that mean?" James asked laughing.

"That you can get expelled, but I have to help." Remus said with a huge grin on his face.

"You git," James said and laughed even more.

"What did I miss?" Sirius asked.

"Just telling Rem what happened with the prank," James said as soon as he stopped laughing.

"Great job mate," Remus said.

"Yes, too bad we can't do it anymore," Sirius sighed. "Oh well, so we have Transfiguration first."

"Then potions," James groaned.

"Let's go, Peter's already down there," Remus stated and they walked out the common room and to the great hall for some breakfast before class.

A/N: Another chapter up! Yay! Please review and tell me what you think!