Ch 14 Day after

Back in Dumbledore's office, James and Sirius sat at two chairs in front of the headmaster's desk waiting for Dumbledore to come. McGonagall stood by the desk not saying anything but pursing her lips tightly together; they were still very white and thin.

Dumbledore walked in about fifteen minutes after the trio arrived and sat behind his desk.

"Now, I want to know why exactly you did this." James and Sirius looked at each other.

"We wanted to pay him back for what he did to Sirius,"

"But it wasn't only Mr. Snape who inflicted Sirius; there were four other Slytherins involved. One of which was his brother."

"How did you know?" Sirius asked.

"I know a lot more then you may think Sirius. I know who was involved in the attack and they have been dealt with."

James and Sirius sat there astounded. They hadn't told anyone, and were sure Peter and Remus hadn't.

"It was my mom wasn't it," James mumbled, "she told you, didn't she?"

"Vallery told me you knew who it was but she didn't tell me directly no."

"I don't understand," James said.

"There are many ways to find out things in this castle. Hogwarts is protected on many different levels and, being headmaster, I am able to use those protections to get information."

James still wasn't too sure what Dumbledore meant by this but didn't question it further. "Now, your punishment," James paled slightly, he knew this was going to be big. "After last years attack on Mr. Snape I didn't think you would do anything else to him."

"That was just a harmless prank though," Sirius said.

"As true as that may be, there were still consequences to your actions. You both will receive detentions with Hagrid. Two weeks, as the others were given and fifty points each taken from Gryffindor."

McGonagall didn't say anything but there was pain in her eyes for losing so many points in a night.

"Also, not only will your parents be written to, but James, you may not play in your next Quidditch match and you are both not aloud to attend any matches until the Gryffindor Hufflepuff match. During the matches, you will have detention."

"Yes sir," James mumbled, he only hoped Snape had the same punishment.

"I understand the want for revenge boys, but why attack only the one?"

"To show we weren't going to stand for it. We thought, by attacking Snape, we could show the others what would happen to them if they tried anything."

"Did you not think they would attack again because you attacked Mr. Snape?"

"No," James admitted, the thought had never occurred to them.

"Very well, I believe we should have a watch on duty for these boys Minerva and I don't want you boys to travel without Mr. Pettigrew or Mr. Lupin."

"What about when Remus goes to visit his mum?" James asked. A confused sort of look dawned on Dumbledore's face for a slight second, but he seemed to register something and the look was gone instantly.

"Then I don't want you wandering around at all,"

"Yes sir," the boys said in unison.

"Good, Minerva, take these boys back to their common room, would you?"

"Sure thing Albus," McGonagall said and the boys left with her.

"What happened?" That was the first thing James and Sirius heard as they entered the common room. It was well past two in the morning but it seemed Remus and Peter had waited up for them.

"Hagrid caught us and we were taken to McGonagall…" James and Sirius told the boys the whole story. "So now every time we go out we have to be with you two and a teacher will be escorting us practically everywhere we go."

"Well at least you won," Peter said. James looked at Peter and a look of triumphant crossed over his face.

"You're right Pete, we did win," James said. Sirius smiled as well and laughed his bark like laugh.

"We can boast to everyone about our victory over Evans and Snape!" James said, "Speaking of Evans, when did she return?"

"Awhile ago, when we heard the portrait hole we thought it was you. We walked down but saw Lily walked up the girls stairs to the girl's dorm. We knew it was only a matter of time before you returned so we waited. We started to get worried when it took so long."

"Did anything bad happen?"

"Besides this cut Snape shot me with, no. McGonagall healed it, not as well as Madam Pomfry but well enough. There's a scar but nothing grave."

"How come you weren't sent to the Hospital Wing?" Remus asked.

"McGonagall said if it was any thing more serious and she couldn't fix it I would've, but she waved her wand and the cut healed over. Only thing she said while we awaited Dumbledore."

"You realize Ryan is going to be angry when you tell him you can't play in the next match?"

"We have back ups and that's all that matters, I'm going to bed." James said. Sirius yawned and also got up. He hadn't said much since returning to the common room, besides helping in telling the story and laughing over their victory. The others followed and they all climbed into bed quietly.

The next morning, James had to go up to his captain and deliver the news.

"WHAT?" he said loudly in the common room when James told him.

"I can't play in the next game and I'm not aloud to watch any matches until the games after."

"Why, what happened?"

"I duelled Snape," James muttered.

"Snape? That greasy second year Slytherin?" James nodded, "why did you duel him?"

"Because he was asking for it," James said clenching his hands into fists.

"I can't say I'm proud of you for it because it got you suspended from the team, but if that wasn't the consequences I'd say 'way the bloody hell go,' But in all honesty, don't do anything to get in anymore trouble."

"I'll try mate, but I can't guarantee anything," James mumbled. Ryan nodded and walked off. Sirius walked down at that moment.

"Hey mate, how'd Captain Jack take the news?"

"It's Ryan, Sirius," James sighed.

"Muggle joke… I think." Sirius muttered.

"How would you know a muggle joke?" James asked.

"I do live on a muggle street, even if they can't see my house, I can hear them and everything."

"Oh, well Ryan took it as best as can be expected. He was upset but he said way the bloody hell go anyways."

"Well, let's head down to breakfast."

"We have to wait for Remus and Peter remember?"

"Right," Sirius sighed. He plopped into a chair by the fire place. It wasn't even thirty seconds later that the boys walked down.

"Hey, ready for some breakfast?" Peter asked.

"Yea," James said. Sirius got up and the four of them walked down to the Great Hall. Gryffindors along the table glared at the two boys but it wasn't so cold. They were glaring because they lost so many points but they weren't that mad because of the circumstances.

"Well, they don't see to mad at us,"

"Look at the Slytherins," Remus muttered. The four boys all looked up at the same time. Sure enough, the Slytherins were glaring at Sirius and James. But the worst part was, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black were shooting daggers at them through their eyes, begging for them to try anything else. You could tell they wanted to attack them then and there, but didn't dare to with the teachers in the room.

"You better watch yourselves,"

"We know Remus, that's why you're supposed to follow us everywhere."

"What if they tried to attack us all? I'm not a very good dueller," Peter mumbled.

"You have nothing to worry about Peter; we'll always have your back." Peter smiled slightly and the boys ate breakfast. James saw Lily walk into the room and glare at him before stomping by. She was still angry about the night before. James shrugged his shoulders and sighed before picking at his bowl of cereal.

After they all finished eating, they walked silently to class. They had potions first, with the Slytherins.

"This is going to be the worst class ever," James sighed.

"Let's make the best of it," Sirius said.

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't pulled the stunt with the ink bottles yet right? Well…" Sirius pulled out a bottle of ink, "I say we go for it today."

"You're going to risk us getting into trouble, after what just happened last night?"

"Oh come on James, where's the prankster I know and love?"

"Dead, along with me if my mum ever gets a hold of me."

"Cheer up mate, here, it'll be fun." James sighed.

"Alright, but this is the only prank today, understood? We can't risk getting in any more trouble."

"Yea, yea, yea, deal." Sirius said. "Now come on, we have to get this in Snivellus's bag." The boys stalked the halls for Snape until they found him in one of the dungeon corridors. The boys hid around the corner as they heard him talking with someone.

"I can't believe it," said the other voice. Sirius recognized it immediately, it was Regulus. "How in the bloody hell did they beat you?"

"That great oaf Hagrid stopped the bloody duel… got in a spot of trouble there."

"I hope they got the worst of it,"

"Probably, I heard Potter can't play on his team or attend the games until the Hufflepuff match," Regulus snickered.

"Serves him right,"

"What are we going to do about your brother though? Take one down, we take them all down and Potter and Black are the ringleaders in that little gang."

"Leave my brother to me and my cousins,"

"Fine, I want details though."

"Just go to your little Gryffindor girlfriend," Regulus spat. It was obvious the Slytherins hated the fact Snape hung out with Lily. They heard footsteps walking away from the corner they were hiding behind and Peter, being as quiet as a mouse, peeked around and saw Snape standing there looking at a watch.

"I think he's waiting for Evans, go James." James nodded and whispered the splitting curse on Snape's bag. They heard a crash and things spilling and falling onto the floor.

"Bloody hell," Snape muttered and started picking everything up. Sirius levitated the ink bottle and flew it towards Snape's items without his notice.

"Reparo," Snape muttered on his bag and started packing everything away again.

"Hey Sev, sorry I'm late… what happened?"

Lily had arrived, "Oh, hi Lily, my bag split and everything fell out."

"Need some help?"

"No, I got everything."

"Well we should get going, Potions starts in ten." The marauders dashed towards the next hall and towards the potions class laughing.

"This'll be good,"

"Let's just hope we get a nice long note to write!" Sirius said. They waited outside the classroom and talked casually as Snape and Lily walked towards them. Both pairs glared at each other and Peter and Remus stood back watching in anticipation. Finally, Lily looked away and engaged Snape in a conversation. They kept glancing at James and Sirius out of the corner of their eyes though.

The rest of the class had arrived now and Slughorn led them all into the class room.

"Today we will be learning about the wolfsbane plant. Can anyone tell me what it is?"

Lily and Snape raised their hands.

"Yes Miss Evans?"

"Wolfsbane is a plant used in many potions, which goes by the name of monkswolf or aconite and is a flower that belongs to the buttercup family."

"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor. Now, many have tried to create a potion using wolfsbane as the main ingredient, but no luck as of yet. Today we'll experiment with the plant. Try not to make anything that'll explode," the class laughed slightly. "But before we get started on that I'd like you all to write down this note on the proper way to boil and use wolfsbane in a potion."

"Yes," Sirius whispered. He and James watched silently as Snape and Lily got their items out of their bags. Snape set his quill and parchment on the table before grabbing the ink bottle and looking at it.

"What's the matter Sev?" Lily asked.

"All my other ink bottles smashed when my bag split but this one survived,"

"So?" Lily asked indifferently, "Maybe that landed on something soft,"

"Maybe," Snape muttered. Hesitantly, he opened the bottle. As soon as the air hit it, the ink splashed out of the bottle and all over Snape's face. Some landed on Lily's face and in her hair as well.

James and Sirius led the class in laughter. Even Slughorn couldn't fight back the smile he desperately was trying to fight back. "Oh dear, Severus my boy, what happened here?"

"Sir, is it possible for an ink bottle to squirt ink?" Lily asked.

"Anything's possible with magic," Slughorn said, "Perhaps you purchased a special ink bottle and mixed it up with this one?"

"No sir, I was with Sev when he purchased his school supplies. He did no such thing," Lily reassured.

Under all the ink, Snape's expression was one that would kill. He looked pointedly at James and Sirius who were still laughing loudest of everyone.

"Potter," he spat. Lily heard him and turned cold eyes on the raven haired boy.

"Black," she said nodding.

"Ah, you can't possibly think we'd be able to pull this off do you Evans?" James asked through his laughter.

"You could pull anything off," Lily said, "With that big head of yours. Why can't you learn to just leave other people alone?"

"Sorry Evans, we don't work that way," Sirius said.

"Alright settle down everyone. Let's get that note copied down and the lesson started,"

The class grumbled and started copying the note down.

"Severus, why don't you go to the back of the class there and wash the ink off?" Slughorn suggested, "You can always copy Miss Evans note later,"

As Snape walked towards the back of the class, where the sink the students usually washed their cauldrons and such in was located, James and Sirius whispered about the brilliance of their prank.

"Mate, that could not have gone any better," Sirius said as Snape glared at them, walking by their desk.

"Yea, Evans got a bit too," James noted, watching as Lily copied the note down.

"That's what she gets for being friends with a slim ball like Snivellus," Sirius shrugged.

"True," James said.

"Are you two going to copy the note down or whisper through out the class?" Remus hissed at them.

"Why copy it down now when we can always get it off you later," Sirius shrugged, sitting back in his chair and raising his arms behind his head.

"What if I refuse to let you copy it?"

"Then I guess we'll have to wing it mate," James said. Remus sighed and James smirked, knowing he wouldn't let his friends mess with a Potion because things could go horribly wrong. Sirius gave James the thumbs up and Snape walked back towards his seat, most of the ink was off his face but his hair was starting to stick together.

"Looks like Snivellus is in need of another shower," Sirius muttered when Snape was in ear shot.

"Maybe we could do him a favour then… like last year," James smirked. Snape rounded on them.

"You'll be sorry you ever messed with the Slytherins," he hissed before turning and walking back to his seat where Lily passed her note over and got up to wash the little bit of ink of her face.

By the end of class, Sirius and James had produced a potion that looked as if it would poison the drinker if they tried to use it.

"Nice attempt boys," he said, "by far one of the more interesting ones," he glanced over towards Peter and Remus's potion, "It may not look so good but at least it smells better then that,"

Remus and Peter's potion was a dark black and bubbles were popping every few seconds. Every time one popped, a horrible smell of rotten eggs mixed with milk that sat out in the sun and heat, was blasted through out the class room.

"Well done mate," Sirius said as they packed away their things and went to clean their cauldron. "And I don't just mean the potion," he winked as he glanced over at Lily and Snape. "By far a more interesting class then I would've expected,"

"It was your idea after all," James shrugged, "You were the one who suggested we do the prank,"

"I knew it was you," hissed a voice from behind. James turned and saw Lily there.

"When did you get here Evans?" he asked surprised.

"Just now…in time to hear you confess,"

"What are you going to do about it?" Sirius asked her. "Slughorn thought it was hilarious and everyone else laughed as well."

"When will the two of you ever grow up?"

"Well, considering we're just kids… not until we have to. I'm thinking another twenty or thirty years, how about you Sirius?"

"Thirty or forty, hmm, yea it seems about right," Lily rolled her eyes and pushed her way to the sink, ignoring them for the rest of the day.

"Too bad mate," Sirius said as they walked out of their last period class, "I really thought she was going to crack,"

"All I asked her to do was pass me the box to place the button in and she turned as red as her hair," James said.

"I know mate, shame you have to sit right beside her,"

"It's not my fault she wandered in late… Evans is never late, what do you supposed she was doing?" James asked.

"Beats me," Sirius shrugged, "All I know is you are drawing a thin line with her, perhaps you should consider ignoring her for a bit,"

"Maybe," James mumbled. They made their way up to the common room.

"Potter, Black,"

James and Sirius turned to see McGonagall there.

"Yes Professor," James asked.

"Tonight at seven you'll have your first detention with Hagrid, don't be late," She then turned before they could say one more thing.

"How did she get here so fast?" Sirius asked, "We really need to figure out this school. There are so many secret passage ways and halls that lead everywhere… we've just got to get a move on it."

"Sirius didn't you hear her? We have detention tonight,"

"Big deal mate," Sirius said, "We have it with Hagrid… it'll be easy,"

"Yea," just then Peter and Remus caught up with them. "What took you guys so long?"

"You're supposed to wait for us," Remus panted as he tried to catch his breath, "You aren't supposed to wander the halls without us,"

"Whatever… there are portraits everywhere… if anything happened to us they'd know for sure," James then dawned on something. "That's how he knew!"

"What are you going on about mate?" Sirius asked.

"That's how Dumbledore knew who attacked us, well you, but still… it was the portraits,"

"Makes sense,"

"Sirius, don't you see? We have to watch the halls we pull pranks in… the walls could be watching us,"

"The harmless pranks we pull won't get someone hurt," Sirius said disregarding the fact, "There's nothing for the portraits to tell, right guys?" Sirius asked as they passed a portrait of wizards playing Quidditch. "Besides," he said as he continued to walk towards the common room, "Who says a portrait doesn't lie?"

"I think they're binded to the headmaster," Remus said, "They can't lie to him,"

"Remus has a point," James said as they reached the fat lady and gave the password, "What if they have to tell the truth?"

"Who cares," Sirius said, "Nothing we do can get us in too much trouble." James stopped in his tracks.

"Are you forgetting last year? What about what happened just last night?" James snapped.

"James, that was nothing,"

"Sirius we were almost expelled last year and last night,"

"You worry too much James," Sirius said taking a seat on the couch.

"My parents are defiantly not going to be happy with me come winter break," James sighed as he took a seat next to Sirius, "Are you coming mate?"

"Of course, Christmas with your family is the best,"

"Oh, are you coming for Christmas again this year Sirius?" asked a voice behind them. James and Sirius turned to see Selena standing there.

"That's right," Sirius grinned to her. Selena blushed and looked to James. "Mum just sent me this and asked me to tell you that out family is staying at your place for Christmas this year… as it is magically expanded to fit everyone,"

"Joy, I get to have a house full of whiny little cousins and cousins who ignore me and everything I do," James sighed.

"Oh relax, Johnny's coming,"

"That's one for the bright side,"

"Well, I've got to go meet my friends, see you guys later," Selena said as she walked towards the portrait hole.

"Nice kid," Sirius said, "I'm looking forwards to Christmas at your place."

"Well mum will probably set us on chores for the first few days, cleaning like crazy, as punishment."

"Your mum can't punish me!" Sirius said.

"She will mate, she considers you a son remember?"

"Ah man, right when I was looking forwards to a nice relaxing break, you've got to ruin it by telling me I'm going to have to clean."

"It's the reality of it Sirius," James said, "Now we should get a bit of homework done before dinner, as we have detention with Hagrid I doubt we'll have time to get any done afterwards," Sirius sighed.

"Fine," he said pulling out his books along with the rest of the boys. What a way to spend my free time Sirius thought to himself.

A/N: Alright so heres another chapter up… at the moment I have nothing written for the next chapter but I have a lot of time coming up next week (I have Thursday and Friday off school) so hopefully I can get some written for you to post next weekend. Thanks for reading and please remember to review!