Plot: The Marauders and their female counterparts, the Rogues, have been sworn enemies since first year. Seventh year means the big finale of their timeless battle - but it also means newfound maturity. Could this bring something more for Lily and her friends?
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters and themes are the property of J.K. Rowling. The only characters I own are Jamie, Hannah, Regan and a few minors. Other than that it's purely fanfic.
Chapter Notes:
-braces self for onslaught of insults and profanities-
-cringes-
Yes, I know it's been something like six months since I last updated. I'm aware of how absolutely pathetic that is. I apologise sincerely, but I don't think that really does a whole lot of good. I should just learn to stay on task. My exams are coming up, so naturally I decided, "Hey, what a great time to work on TMATR!" My brain works in weird ways.
For those of you who like long chapters, this one's an extra-super-mega-gargantuan chapter compared to the others. I hope it's not too boring.
Anyway, I shall shut up now and let you read the chapter - because that is (hopefully) what you're here for. For now, I have an ice skating competition to get to. (And I'd be oh-so-happy to be surprised with lots of reviews when I get back. Pretty please?)
Chapter Nineteen – The Fine Line Between Right and Wrong
There was silence in the Room of Requirement. All four of the Rogues stood in an even formation, facing in toward the centre of the room; eyes closed, arms hanging limply at their sides, heads bent slightly forward in concentration. They hadn't spoken in twenty odd minutes, and the silence was intense. Lily's brow was furrowed; Jamie was biting her lip so hard it ought to be bleeding by now, and Regan's hands were beginning to ball into fists at her sides. Hannah, however, would have appeared entirely at ease had any of the others opened their eyes to look.
Regan exhaled in one quick burst as she broke out of her trance. "Well, this doesn't seem to be working," she concluded through gritted teeth. Lily slowly opened one eye to look at her, watching as the brunette sat down cross-legged on the carpet. There, she started tugging at one of the threads with a look on her face that suggested – no, declared – that her patience was fully expended. The tugging soon turned into ripping and Lily began to fear for the carpet's life.
Concentration now fully disrupted, the redhead breathed out and shook her stiffening limbs. "I hate to say it, but she's right, Han. We're not making a lot of headway." She gestured at her completely unchanged, completely human body.
Jamie suddenly sneezed, calling the others' attention to herself. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I think I've been picturing myself with fur for a little too long."
Reluctantly, Hannah broke her static position and came to join the others, who were gathering on the floor with Regan. "Fine, we'll take a break. But we've got to have at least one more go at it before we leave. We're working on a tight schedule here, troops – exactly twenty-nine days to perfect our transformation abilities."
Regan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Exactly how obsessed are you with this little scheme, Hannah?"
The accused gave a shrug and a smile as she sat down. "No more so than any of you, I expect." Even as she said this, she regarded Regan questioningly. "But somebody has to take charge. Regan's the biggest procrastinator in the Northern Hemisphere. And you two-" she addressed Lily and Jamie, who were smirking at a highly offended Regan "-for some ludicrous reason, seem to think schoolwork is a priority."
Lily opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it and simply crossed her arms in a defensive gesture, while Jamie pouted. Hannah rolled her eyes and moved on.
"Anyway," she said, "we've got to keep working at it if we want to be experts. Do you think Warbus Flechbert gave up just because he got frustrated?"
"If you wouldn't mind telling us, Hannah dear," Regan interjected in a very Trelawney-esque voice, "who was good ol' Warbus?"
"I read up on him in our DADA textbook, actually," Hannah admitted, meriting several shocked expressions from the others; to these, she stuck her tongue out and went on without a word. "Warbus Flechbert was an early eighteenth century Auror, born Oruwazbus Grindelwald."
"An ancestor of Grindelwald? But he seems like such a merry chap!" Regan's voice was thick with the tone a middle-aged gossip might use when deeply enthralled by some new juicy secret or another.
"In case you haven't noticed, Reegs, you're living proof that the apple really can fall miles from the tree," Hannah said pointedly. "Besides, Oruwazbus – it's a mouthful, isn't it? - ditched his birth name when it started sprouting links to dark magic and the like. He picked up 'Warbus' and 'Flechbert' from a Hippogriff farm in Scotland around the time he started writing books. Turns out some of his earlier published stuff covered some pretty touchy topics, if you know what I mean. As if that wasn't bad enough, he killed three Muggles 'by accident' during one of his experimental phases, and the Ministry wanted to send him to Azkaban, only he got away."
"Whoa, hold on," Lily cut in. "We're following the advice of a murderer?"
"It wasn't murder," Hannah corrected defensively. "It was an accident – didn't you hear me the first time?"
"And she's on his side, too," Jamie murmured into Lily's ear. "Scary, isn't it?"
Hannah folded her arms and went on. "Call him what you will, but you can't argue with the fact that he's renowned as one of the most influential figures of all time when it comes to the development of the Animagus theory."
Regan regarded her with wide eyes. "McGonagall hasn't been hypnotising you again, has she?"
"Regan," Hannah practically growled, "do you want me to get on with the story or not?"
Regan simply shrugged.
"Anyway, being on the run was hard on Flechbert. He was – if my sources have it right – considerably overweight, and had a few close calls with dementors in his first few years as an escapee. What you have to understand is that the Animagus concept didn't even exist before Flechbert. He made the... er... 'discovery' quite by accident."
"Was everything an accident with this guy?" Regan interrupted. She put on a deep voice and mimicked, "'Oh, whoops, I killed some people. Better lay low for a while. Oh deary me, now I'm an animal. How did that happen? Maybe I'll accidentally write a book about it.' Seriously. I'm guessing his death was an accident too?"
Hannah bit her lip in all seriousness. "Yes," she admitted sheepishly. Regan's eyes lit up in astonishment, but Hannah stopped her from getting too excited. "But we'll get to that later. Please, Regan, just let me finish. You're the one who asked about Flechbert in the first place."
"Yes, Professor. I'll raise my hand next time."
"Shut up or I'll expel you."
Although the pair was clearly joking, Regan let out a little cough and didn't say another word. At long last she seemed to have found the courtesy to let her friend go on without interruption.
"Anyway, Warbus got so tired of running that he considered turning himself in to the dementors, but quite frankly he was afraid of being caught. So he kept at it, running and hiding, like all good heroes do, begging for a way to disappear without exerting another drop of sweat. One day he thought to himself – and bear with me, 'cause I'm not quite clear on this part – 'Wouldn't it be great if I could turn into something small and nondescript, something that could waltz right up under the dementors' noses without-"
"But dementors don't have-"
"REGAN!" Jamie and Lily both exclaimed in exasperation.
"Thank you," said Hannah. "As I was saying, he thought it would be great to transform into something entirely different, so that even if the dementors did catch up with him, he could never be recognised. That was the stem of his idea, which was more like a ludicrous fantasy than anything. Flechbert was driven to insanity by the desire to get away unscathed, and every day he begged and begged to no end, hoping to make his wish come true. He would hide in an empty dumpster somewhere and close his eyes, imagining life as a tiny animal, happy and free. It became more of a trance he would slip into, and soon enough he was spending the majority of his conscious hours in his imagination. And then suddenly, one day, he opened his eyes and the fantasy didn't go away. He managed to remain in animal form. It took him a while to reverse the transformation, but when he finally did, he made plans to run away. Then, in his Animagus form, he fled across the sea to northern Mexico, where he investigated his discovery extensively, experimenting with different things, and, with the help of some locals, put together this book. He continued to travel after that, and was never seen or heard of again."
No one spoke for a few seconds. Then Regan, finally given a gratuitous opportunity, asked a question. "That's all very interesting. And really, I'm being serious," she added when the others looked at her disbelievingly. But tell me one thing... If nobody ever tracked Flechbert down, then where did all this information come from?"
Lily had to hand it to Regan for that inquiry. She'd been temporarily fooled, but, now that she thought about it, the credibility of this material seemed somewhat questionable.
Much to everyone's surprise, Hannah deflected the question with a very simple answer. "He wrote another book, an autobiography: Flechbert – Man or Savage Beast?, while he was on the run. Dumbest thing to do, if you ask me. He gave away pretty much all his secrets and his plans for the future, handed it in to a Mexican bookbinder along with the Animagus Guide, said 'Toodle-oo, now' and took off."
The others couldn't do much more than shrug in acceptance. Hannah grinned, clearly interpreting their silence as a sign that she'd done her duty, and stood up.
"Alright, time to try again. This'll be the last time, I promise," she said, offering a hand each to Jamie and Lily, and sticking out her tongue at a scowling Regan.
Assembled once more, the Rogues closed their eyes and returned to their former relaxed positions. During the first minute or so a few deep inhalations could be heard, but the noise soon settled as the girls began to fall into concentration.
This time, it was easier to focus. Lily was able to lapse into a calm state of mind, thinking of nothing but her chosen Animagus form. Long legs, sleek coat, beady eyes... Lily kept repeating to herself. She tried to feel her ears on the top of her head, imagine that, instead of two feet, she had four delicate hooves. She was to the point of trying to make her arms disappear when she heard a shriek, opened her eyes, and lost any progress she might have been making.
She forgot all that in an instant, though, for what she saw made her clap a hand to her mouth in shock. Jamie, who stood next to her, had gone as white as a sheet. She stared at Lily with eyes twice their normal size, a look of sheer panic on her face. What drew Lily's gaze more than anything, however, was what Jamie now held up with one violently trembling hand – a velvety silver tail had sprouted from the girl's jeans.
"Jamie, is that...?" Lily struggled to form a complete sentence as she blinked in astonishment at her friend's brand new, completely out-of-place appendage.
Jamie gulped. "I... I... I was just trying to imagine it and..." She began to breathe in quick bursts, beginning to panic. "Help me, Lily! I don't know... how to make it... go away!"
Lily stepped closer, putting a steadying hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Okay, calm down. You just need to concentrate on changing back."
"But I can't, Lily! I can't!"
As was almost always the case, the words "calm down" had no effect whatsoever on Jamie's composure. She had a tendency to overreact in situations like this – and, Lily realised, there had been many instances of this severity throughout their school lives – always freaking out and never stopping to think about possible solutions.
Jamie put a hand to her head as her breathing became something close to hyperventilation, and she stumbled backwards. Lily grabbed her arm and tried to bring her back to her senses. "Breathe, Jamie. Come on. You'll never get rid of it if you can't concentrate! Just ask Hannah. Han?"
There was no answer. It was then that something finally dawned on Lily – neither Regan nor Hannah had made any move to help. In fact, they hadn't said a single word. And, as Lily's eyes darted around the room, she realised that they weren't even there.
"Hannah? Regan?" she called, letting go of a shaking Jamie's arm and turning in a full circle in search of the others. The room was empty. "Okay, that's creepy. Where the hell did they go? HANNAH! I need your help here!"
The response was distant and slightly strangled, but – to Lily's relief – a response all the same. "M'afraid that's not possible right now."
Lily froze, puzzled. She was certain she had heard correctly, but surely Hannah's voice hadn't come from the...
"Up here, Lils." There it was again, and this time, Lily concluded, it was definitely coming from overhead. She looked up in alarm, gasping at what she saw there.
Regan hovered in an outstretched position high above the ground, a streak of black robes against the enchanted, non-existent ceiling. She moved a little from side to side as she tried to control her movement with one arm. With the other, she clung fast to Hannah, whose eyes were wide with fear and – Lily almost couldn't believe it – unconcealed thrill.
"How in Merlin's name did you get up there?" Lily stuttered, forgetting the squealing Jamie at her side.
"I'm flying," said Regan dryly, giving Lily a tight-lipped, that's-the-way-it-is sort of smile.
"You're what?"
"Flying," she repeated with no more colour to her tone, as she adjusted her grip on Hannah's arm in a near daredevil-worthy stunt.
"Flying? Oh yes, and that's a perfectly normal occurrence when you don't have a bloody broom!"
"Oh Lily," Hannah sighed, "think about it. She's trying to become a maccaw, right? She obviously performed a partial transformation, like... Jamie there... and, uh, speaking of Jamie, is she alright?"
Lily turned quickly back to Jamie, who was staring straight ahead, a greenish palour to her face as she unconsciously stroked the fur on her new tail. "I can't get rid of it," she whimpered, not making eye contact with anybody.
"It's okay," Lily soothed, rubbing her friend's arm. "Just go over to that corner, close your eyes, and try to think about life without a tail. That shouldn't be too hard, right? Unless you have something to tell us..."
The joke was clearly lost on Jamie as she nodded and shuffled away in a daze, leaving Lily to turn her attention back to a slightly more life-threatening – well, almost – matter. "That doesn't explain how you got up there, Han. I thought your Animagus was going to be a tiger."
"I tried to help her down when she started lifting off, okay? Stupid Regan didn't let go of my hand and now I'm kind of stuck."
"Hey!" Regan protested, reminding her, "I can let go of you."
"Alright, clever Regan didn't let go of my hand, then. It's all thanks to her astounding wits that we ended up where we are. Thank Merlin for Regan's brain. If she were dumb, we might be... oh, perhaps on the ground? Wouldn't want that, now, would we?"
"Oh dear, my hand's slipping..."
"How can you two joke around in a situation like this?" Lily demanded, breaking in before they went too far and Regan really managed to drop Hannah amidst all their squabbling. They were considerably far from the ground – high enough that, should these two daredevils fall, there would undoubtedly be multiple broken bones.
"Stop bloody interrogating us and help us down," Regan fired back at her.
Lily reached for her wand. "Fine, I'll give you a little cushioning charm, but-"
The unmistakable sound of a door opening hit Lily's ears, and her blood froze right there and then. Hannah's eyes became very serious, and even Regan dropped her sardonic smirk. In the far corner, Jamie whipped around and her hand tightened around the furry tail in a death grip.
"Tell me that's not...," Hannah hissed, and those were the only words that could be uttered before the door opened fully.
HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-H-HG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-HHG-P-HA-H
(A/N: You get to guess what the letters stand for this time! I'll give you a hint, though – think of the Rogues in Lily-Jamie-Hannah-Regan order. And maybe look back on Chapter Three, if it's really that difficult.)
After setting out from the Gryffindor common room, the Marauders had made their way along the familiar path to the Room of Requirement, traversing corridors and slipping through shortcuts that had long since been engraved into all of their memories – well, except perhaps Peter, who, despite having taken the class since third year, still got lost on the way to Divination.
Sirius continued to badger his friends, never ceasing to ask "what the bloody hell" they were going to "that room" for, making so much noise that James was tempted to cast a silencing charm on him. By the time they reached the fifth passageway and Sirius was still going on about his unfinished essay – a futile excuse if there ever was one – James exchanged a look with Remus, who shook his head as if to say "he'll never change." James had to agree with that one.
When they had reached the seventh floor, from among Sirius's obnoxious moans and groans emerged a question that nearly stopped James in his tracks. "So what is going on with you and Evans, dear old Prongsie?" he asked innocently, immediately after expressing his need for the toilet.
James tried to put on a convincingly nonchalant voice. "Going on?"
"Cut the crap, mate. For six years you were totally infatuated with her, and now that we have evidence that she might like you back, you've suddenly gone all serious. That's not right, man. Being Sirius is my job."
"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. Really, nothing is going on." The four of them had rounded the final corner and could see the tapestry landmark up ahead, but James had momentarily forgotten their mission. He began to slow as he considered what Sirius had said. Sure, he'd been pretty crazy about Lily ever since first year – although, according to a select few others, "pretty crazy" was the understatement of the millennium. He'd done a lot of embarrassing things in attempt to win her over, some of which he would rather forget about, but those same select few people made sure to keep reminding him from time to time. But despite the teasing and nagging and incessant bothering, he really did have... well, a crush, was really the only way to put it, on Lily Evans. He'd evolved past saying he was in love, not because he could convince himself otherwise, but because it tended to sound incredibly creepy.
But right now, Sirius was right. He should have been over the moon at the thought that she might possibly return his feelings, but their relationship had recently become very strange. One minute they were arguing, the next they were getting on like lifelong friends, not six-going-on-seven-year rivals. Just the other day they'd had a brief spell of civility, and now she and the other Rogues were back to their usual trickster selves, blackmailing the Marauders in the worst way possible. True, they didn't have any idea what they were really dealing with, but James couldn't help but be angry. It was a defensive instinct, he supposed, to be so determined to protect his friend's secret.
On the other hand, James knew he couldn't stay mad at Lily for long. No matter what reason she gave him to hold a grudge, there was just something about being around her that made him forget everything else. It didn't matter that she sided with the "enemy". She may have fought with him since first year, but James had never, not for one second, fallen out of love with her.
"PRONGS! Daydreaming about Evans again, are we? Tell her I said hi, and that you have to get your sorry butt back to reality."
James snapped out of his thoughts, looking around him and realising that he had come to a complete standstill several metres from the tapestry. Sirius was waving a hand in front of his face, wearing a teasing grin, while Remus looked at him thoughtfully. Peter was distractedly picking out earwax.
"Shut it, Sirius," James said, not in the mood for his friend's joking while in this confused state of mind. "Who wants to get us into the room?"
"I'll do it," Sirius offered. "If you try, it'll be filled with a thousand clones of Evans."
James took a joking swing at his head, but Sirius dodged, laughing. Remus stepped in, shaking his head and smirking. "And Padfoot'll grant us access to a giant toilet, the way he's been complaining. I'll do it."
It took Remus several attempts to make the door appear, but eventually it was there, allowing them access into the room. Remus put one hand on the knob and turned. It didn't budge. His brow furrowed as he tried again, unsuccessful once more. "That's weird," he muttered. "Has it ever been stuck before?"
"Don't think so," James answered. In all the years the Marauders had used the room, they had always been granted entry without problem. Why should it lock them out now? "Alohomora," James tried, and although sparks flew out of the keyhole the door remained firmly shut, and the knob would not turn.
"Allow me," Sirius said, stepping forward with an eager expression on his face that made James wary.
"What are you doing, Padfoot?" he asked suspiciously as Sirius rolled up the sleeve on his wand arm.
"Beating you and Moony at Charms," he said with a shrug.
"You're not using the exploding spell again, are you? 'Cause with your skill level, you might do permanent damage to the room."
Sirius raised an eyebrow testily at James. "Do you have any better ideas, Prongsie?"
James sighed. "Well, go ahead, but for the record, I had nothing to do with this."
Just as he began to turn away to consult Remus about a more foolproof plan, there was a loud BANG from where Sirius stood before the doorknob flew off and hit Barnabas's tapestry. James watched with wide eyes as the door inched slowly open, then gradually swung further on its hinges. The Marauders approached the doorway, waving smoke out of their faces. When the remnants of the explosion cleared, a very unexpected sight met their eyes.
"What the hell?" Sirius shouted.
Peter screamed.
Instead of whatever meeting place Remus had tried to conjure for them, the door gave way to an enormous, invisible-ceilinged space that, at first glance, looked something like a training arena, though training for what, it was impossible to tell. Then James caught a glimpse of some armchairs in one corner, and became confused by the vast array of different terrains that spread across the ground. What really made his jaw drop, though, was seeing Lily Evans standing panic-stricken in the middle of the room, wide eyes locked on his.
"Wow, Evans really did appear," Sirius commented, but James knew it wasn't that simple, and Sirius probably did as well. Something strange had happened with the Room of Requirement. And this was clearly the real Lily, not just some illusion created by the room. He could tell by the way the blood had left her face at the sight of them, the way it always did when the Rogues were caught unawares.
"What are you doing here?" shrieked the Lily that was, unbelievable though it seemed, right there in front of their eyes.
"What are you doing here? How did this-"
But before he could finish his sentence, Sirius took a step around him into the room, and things got even stranger. There was a violent gust of wind, and all four of the Marauders were knocked off their feet and sucked into the room. The lush grass and red mats and blue sky disappeared, and instead their surroundings became a void of unintelligible colour and space as they struggled in the apparent tornado that had picked them up.
"HELP!" James heard a female voice scream as somebody shot past him in the raging wind. A body crashed forcefully into him, but they were instantly whisked off again, although James could still hear squeals of terror around him in various tones. The wind carried him around in rapid circles until he became dizzy and disoriented. Then, with a painful blow to the shoulder, James was thrown into something that felt very much like a door frame. Without thinking twice, he hooked his arm around the outside and hung on for dear life. As he tried to pull himself through, something – or rather, somebody – was catapulted at his chest, knocking the wind out of him. James managed to grab hold of their cool wrist, and then, as he yanked with all his might on the door frame, the two of them fell out of the cyclone and onto the ground outside the door.
For a moment or two he just laid there, stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened or why. Then he picked up on the fact that the floor wasn't quite as flat as he remembered, and jumped up as he realised he had fallen on top of the mystery figure he'd pulled out of the room with him. "Sorry," he muttered as he rose, but was not quite prepared to find out who he was apologising to. But of course it would be Lily who came crashing into him, and who in return he had nearly crushed. ("Crushed on," he knew Sirius would have corrected. "And not 'nearly' – no, not at all. You're head over heals, mate." It was almost frightening how clear Sirius's teasing voice could be inside his head sometimes.) The redhead lay sprawled on the marble floor, grimacing in pain and holding a palm to her forehead.
"Oh crap, Lily, I'm sorry," he exclaimed, as his left hand shot instinctively to the mess of black hair atop his head. "I didn't shatter your skull with my elbow or something, did I?"
"No," she mumbled, waving it off. "Just smashed my head on the doorway." She looked up, frowning thoughtfully. "You pretty near yanked my ankle out of its socket, though. But I suppose it's just as well. Er... thanks. For pulling me out."
James shrugged awkwardly. "No problem." His forehead creased in thought as he registered her words. "That was your ankle?"
"Why yes, James. What part of me were you hoping to have grabbed?" She jibed, while James marveled at the fact that, several months ago, that "James" would have been a disgusted "Potter", and her tone would have been far more acidic.
"Er, you have skinny ankles," he said in an effort to clear things up, but regretted it immediately. "No, sorry. I was confused. Never mind that."
She laughed lightly, rubbed her forehead once more, and dropped her gaze to the ground. Much of the tension and nervousness disintegrated when she looked away, but a part of him, perhaps his subconscious, wished their eyes would meet again, if only for that rush of happiness it always gave him.
Feeling like an idiot, James stuck out one of his hands, the other shoved firmly into his pocket. "Here, let me help you up." Oh, Merlin. Could he sound more cliché?
Lily took it gingerly and he pulled her gently to her feet. He noticed that her eyes traveled upward, but not quite far enough to make contact with his. As she slipped her hand out of his grasp, now stable on her feet, James experienced a strange tingling sensation, as if his hand were begging hers not to let go.
Lily cleared her throat and stepped away, still looking at the floor. "It's strange," she began. "I didn't think anybody else knew about the Room of Requirement. If we'd thought you guys might be using it, we'd probably have abandoned it years ago."
"Or fought for it," James said with a grin, which Lily returned. "Either way. But it was the same with us – we thought we were the only ones who had the whole school scoped out. Now that one of our hideouts has been discovered we'll have to be careful. Next thing we know, Bertha Jorkins will be discovering all our secrets."
"Hey! Are you comparing our intelligence to Bertha Jorkins'? That twit can't tell a cauldron from an ink pot."
"Oh, I don't know... I get confused sometimes too."
A large mass of robes, hair and limbs flew out of the windy doorway just then. It was catapulted straight into the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, where it fell into a heap underneath the abused tapestry.
"Get your hands off of me, Wormbag!" growled the mass. A pair of arms flung up and pushed a considerable-sized heap of robes away from them. Regan stood up and put her hands on her hips; Peter looked confounded where he lay in a pile on the floor. It took him a few seconds to realise what had happened, at which point he stood up and turned to Regan.
"I-I'm sorry, R-Regan, I-"
"Save it, Pettigrew. Next time you want to rescue me from a rampaging whirlwind, grab my arm, okay?"
Peter nodded quickly, looking very pathetic indeed.
Regan turned her attention to James and Lily. "Now, does anybody want to tell me what the bloody hell happened in there?"
Lily looked from Regan to James and back again, apparently at a loss for words. James decided to go ahead and offer what he had to say, fully aware that the least accepting of the Rogues would probably just throw it back in his face with the usual "Not talking to you, Marauder" comment.
"Well, I'm not sure. We tried to get into the room, but the door was locked or something... and then Padfoot used an explosion charm on it and we... well, we saw you. And then that weird wind thing started."
Lily and Regan exchanged a far-from-subtle, alarmed glance. "Saw us?" Regan questioned slowly.
"Well, we only saw Lily, really. But we figured the rest of you were in there."
That seemed to relieve them of most of their panic, for Regan's face relaxed noticeably. Then she became stern again. "What were you doing here in the first place?" she demanded, folding her arms.
James regarded her skeptically. "We could ask you the same thing."
Regan looked at Lily again, and then back at James. "Point taken," she said with a curt nod. "But there's something weird about this."
"Regan, it's just a coincidence," Lily put in, before whispering something – again, not so subtly – into her friend's ear. James thought he heard a few words along the lines of "couldn't have known...", but otherwise their silent exchange remained a secret.
"Okay, well, just assuming that the Marauders are in the clear..." Regan narrowed her eyes and James, glared ferociously at Peter, and resumed her sentence. "... I suppose the only question left is how we're going to get the rest of those fools out of there." She inclined her head toward the carnage inside the room.
"Right," said Lily, cautiously stepping a little closer to the door. "I've always wanted to try this – dunno if it'll work... let's see... Accio Jamie!" With a violent whoosh of wind, a figure easily distinguished by its long golden tresses came flying out of the doorway. Lily caught one of Jamie's shoulders and James caught the other, and together they helped the girl steady herself.
Jamie was as pale as the Grey Lady. "Thanks," she said simply and quietly. For a second Lily looked horrified, as if she'd just remembered something terrible, but with a quick glance behind Jamie her expression settled into a small, knowing smile.
"So the summoning charm works, then," she concluded, looking into the room again. "We'd better get the others out."
Peter, keen to help, shuffled forward and pointed his wand through the doorway. "Accio Remus!" he said loudly – and, well, not so clearly. His words were mumbled and his wand arm slack, and before anybody could stop him, he went soaring back into the room, caught up in the wind once again.
"My hero," muttered Regan sarcastically, shaking her head. "Dibs on not getting him back out."
In the end it was Lily who retrieved both Remus and Peter – in fact, Lily was the only one (aside from Remus, who successfully rescued Sirius while Lily was summoning Hannah) whose skill level in Charms was adequate for this particular task. That was understandable, though – the wind was frightfully strong, and anybody of average weight or heavier, James thought, would prove quite difficult to summon using a wand unless the holder was highly practiced. The heaviest thing they'd worked on in class was the stack of books that served as Flitwick's stool. To tell the truth, they weren't supposed to be practising on it, but back in sixth year Sirius and James had been having a game of "Topple Flitwick", in which the latter had successfully slipped the books out from underneath the teacher's feet using a summoning charm. Flitwick never found out who the culprit was, but the next time they were asked to demonstrate the charm in class, James received a "Very well done, Mister Potter," which was nearing Remus's "Splendid, as always," and just that much closer to Lily's "You never cease to amaze me, young lady."
Finally, the eight of them were safely in the hallway, and Hannah forced the door to the room of requirement shut. There was still a large black hole where the knob had been before Sirius tampered with it, which meant, unfortunately, that they would probably have to talk to Professor Dumbledore if they hoped to make future use of the room (or to save themselves from being convicted without having first admitted to the crime).
"Well, that was interesting," Sirius said, getting the ball rolling.
"Very," said Hannah coolly.
"Look, I've got a... proposal," Jamie said nervously, and the others looked to her for further information. "I take it everyone is probably a bit... well, confused. So I think we should agree on something. We" – she gestured at herself and the other Rogues – "won't ask questions as to what you" – she looked at the boys – "were doing, so long as you return the favour."
The Rogues and half of the Marauders nodded. Sirius interrupted the agreement to say loudly, "Hold it. I've got a problem with that. See, I don't even know what we were doing here. So technically I have a right to ask questions, since I don't have any secrets to share." He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "So you'd better spill, Roguies."
The Rogues all looked like they were ready to protest – some of them quite heatedly – but it was Remus who contradicted Sirius. "No," he said, glancing briefly at James, who understood what he was thinking. "It's a team sport, Padfoot. We can't give them a specific answer, so we can't ask for one either. It's only fair."
"Thank you," said Hannah with a grateful smile at Remus – he returned one briefly, James noticed, but then his eyes turned to Jamie, whom he regarded with a very odd look in his eyes. Hannah, on the other hand, turned to Sirius and harrassed him with pure venom in her words. "At least somebody isn't trying to cheat the agreement."
Sirius just made a face at her, to which she responded with a firm stomp on his foot.
Sirius made to return the favour, but Hannah jumped nimbly out of the way and went to stand by Regan (who, in a feeble attempt to escape the ever-looming Peter, had migrated to the outside of the mob). Sirius looked vaguely irritated, but said nothing and simply stood there, an expression on his face that indicated great self-restraint. James wondered if Padfoot was finally beginning to see the futility of his scuffles with Hannah.
"I hope you haven't forgotten about our little meeting tonight," a triumphant Hannah reminded almost menacingly. Evidently, she quite enjoyed having the upper hand. Noting the slightly frightened look on Peter's face and the wary looks the other three Marauders shared, she queried, "You aren't going to chicken out, are you? 'Cause if you are, a little something might happen to slip..."
It was James's turn to exercise self-restraint as he stopped his fists from clenching in rage. He hated that the Rogues could be so casual about something like this - they treated it like it was just another little game, like it was a part of the Marauder-Rogue war - which, in principle, ran on a sort of unspoken treaty that involved no rules or limitations. This situation was different. Should this information (concerning the Marauders being outdoors afterhours on the night of the full moon) fall into the wrong hands (and, with the decision left to the Rogues, it most certainly would do just that), Remus's secret could get out. And if his lycanthropy became known, well... he'd be facing unthinkable scrutiny - from the teachers who didn't know, from the Slytherins, and, almost the most frightening possibility, the Rogues themselves.
"What are you glaring at, Pothead?" Regan demanded with a smirk. "I suppose you think we're just the evilest little witches on the planet? Oh, come on. It's just a little late-night rendezvous."
James cleared his head and tried to appear untroubled. "Evil? No. Evil takes a certain degree of intelligence... and you don't appear to meet that mark. So 'sneaky schoolgirls' will have to do." He shoved his hands into his pockets and gave a little apologetic shrug.
"Oh, clever." That was Lily, who was grinning playfully, her words not tainted by the same spite as, say, Hannah's seemed to be this evening. She gestured at herself and Jamie. "And you realise you're talking to the two girls who absolutely pummel you in Charms and Potions?"
Peter jumped in, eager to put in his two sickles' worth. "Do you realise you're talking to the creators of the Marauders' M-"
Sirius slapped a hand against the boy's mouth. James and Remus exchanged glances that simultaneously said "close call" and "man, that boy's getting stupider by the day".
"The what?" Regan asked, amused. "Didn't catch that, Pettigrew."
But Sirius wouldn't return Peter's power of speech quite so easily. Keeping his hand clamped over the struggling boy's mouth, Sirius turned to the Rogues and feigned innocence with an entirely unconvincing smile. "The Marauders'... er, Muffins," he said, and James wanted to slap him.
Hannah raised an eyebrow, intrigued by their attempted - and one hundred percent failed - cover. "The Marauders' Muffins, eh? And what's that... a top secret, mind-blowing, revolutionary recipe? I gotta say, that must have taken some real brains. You've outwitted us, boys."
Sirius finally relinquished his hold on Peter, who looked a little confused and stumbled backward. "Yeah...," the boy said, filling the awkward silence. "They're delicious!" He grinned idiotically and looked to the others for praise on his appallingly untactful line. Remus just shook his head; Peter lowered his.
Regan rolled her eyes. "Riiiiiiiight... Well, if we're done here - which we are, by the way, 'cause I can't stand your pathetic acting a moment longer - let's set this straight. It's almost eight now, and I think it'll be stupid if we all take a merry stroll down to the Black Lake together. Ruins the effect, if you know what I mean. So..." She exchanged a quick, whispered conference with Hannah, who was smirking.
Hannah delivered the final verdict. "Okay. You've got an extra twenty minutes. Do whatever it is you need to do to... get ready, and then meet us down at the lake. Capiche?"
Sirius expelled a harsh laugh. "You actually think we're going to play along with your stupid game, don't you?"
Hannah raised her eyebrows. She looked at the other Rogues, who nodded, and they all began to gather their things. "I don't think you've got a choice, Black," Hannah said triumphantly, bumping her shoulder against Sirius's arm as she stalked past. She was barely gentle about it. Regan stuck her tongue out at the Marauders, Jamie ducked her head, and Lily offered a sympathetic smile on her way past. James returned it only halfheartedly, unable to forget the metaphoric barrel of flobberworms the Rogues were dangling over their heads.
James watched the Rogues disappear around the corner, and, when he could hear their giggled conversation begin to fade as they traipsed down the stairs, he turned back to consult with the Marauders. When he went to speak, though, he couldn't decide what to say.
"Is anybody here as confused as I am?" Sirius said loudly, indicating complete obliviousness in his expression. Peter stuck up his hand, but Sirius just shook his head, waving off the matter. "Okay, so does anybody want to tell me what just happened?"
James exchanged a quick glance with Remus before responding. "Er, that's for later, mate. We should probably get going."
"Right. 'Cause we have to do everything the Rogues tell us to do."
James looked at Remus again. Why was Sirius being so stubborn about this? It wasn't as if they had a choice. The Rogues had dangerous information, had decided to use it in a blackmail capacity, and would stop at nothing to drag this out for as long as was humanly possible.
"Padfoot do you even know what you're talking about?" he asked tentatively. Sirius had been a little out of it this morning.
"Of course. Those pompous idiots are luring us down to the Black Lake so they can hang us upside down on the Whomping Willow in our knickers and leave us till morning, and you two are going to walk right into their trap."
"Sirius, mate, how much of this morning do you remember?"
Sirius blinked, looking confused. "Not much."
"That would explain it," James said with a tiny smirk that quickly turned back into the frown that had creased his face all day. "C'mon, let's get going. We'll fill you in on the way."
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(A/N: This one's easy to guess if you've read even semi-thoroughly through the chapter thus far.)
"Password?"
"Turpis pinguis," Regan replied cheerily. "And a good day to you, Miss Fat Lady," she added with a wave over her shoulder. Lily wasn't sure why, but ever since their unexpected encounter with the Marauders, Regan had been in a superb mood. She'd sung and danced halfway here from the Room of Requirement, which, in all truth, was not something that could normally be expected of the Queen of Pessimism.
As the Fat Lady swung shut, muttering all the while about adolescents and mood swings, Lily and the others mounted the stairs without a word. As soon as they were safely upstairs, Regan burst out euphorically.
"Oh, this is gonna be so great!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "We have total control over tonight. We can make them do anything and they'll never be able to object. Ooo, can I make Pettigrew eat dirt? Yesyesyes, this is gonna be so much fun!" She launched herself backward onto the nearest bed, crashed into a startled Rosalie, tumbled off and hurriedly picked herself up again. "Sorry, Rosie. Didn't see you there," she said quickly, and then beamed. "Isn't today just the greatest day ever?"
Rosalie blinked and raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Lily and the others. "Did somebody drug her pumpkin juice?"
Lily shook her head with a smile just as Regan exclaimed, "No! And speaking of which, did we miss dinner?"
Rosalie gave a tiny, amused smile. "Well I didn't see you there, so I'd say so. That's got to be a first – Regan Tain skipping a meal..." She shook her head in disbelief.
"Glad to know you think so fondly of me, Rosie," Regan said brightly. She pinched a disgruntled Rosalie on the cheek and waltzed off toward her own bed.
"Sorry about her, Rose," Lily apologised. "I don't know what's put her in such a weird mood..."
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Might it be your latest antics with the Marauders?"
Lily chuckled. "It could be."
"I'm kind of trying to study for DADA, so do you think you could tell her to keep it down?" Rosalie gestured at Regan, who had discarded a Quidditch magazine and was now hanging upside-down off the edge of her mattress, humming some sort of waltz tune at the top of her voice.
"Regan, shut up!" Hannah yelled, but Regan just laughed. Hannah shrugged. "I tried."
The Rogues left Rosalie to her study and went to join Regan on the other side of the dormitory. The brunette dragged herself back into an upright position. "Whoa, head rush!" she said with a giggle. The other girls sat down around her, shaking their heads in incredulity.
"What is with you today, Reegs?" Hannah asked. "You're so... not yourself."
Regan scoffed, sounding at least a little bit like her normal, sardonic self. "Like you can talk, Milsie."
Hannah gave her an odd look that seemed to say "I don't know what you're talking about", but it was pointless trying to deny that she had been acting strange as of late. Dodging the topic, she just rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you should take a downer. This is very serious business tonight."
Regan's brow creased in confusion. "Why? What have you actually got planned?"
Hannah's face eyes adopted a mischievous glint. "Oh, nothing in particular... just a little strip poker. And then I thought we could take them on at a game of Truth or Dare. Only without the "truth" this time. It's about time we smash them into the ground where they belong."
Regan jumped backward a little. "Whoa. No way am I playing strip poker. Especially not with the Marauders! I don't want to see Pettigrew's... his... ARGH!" She grabbed a pillow and smashed it into her face, collapsing forward. "BAD MENTAL IMAGE! SCARRED FOR LIFE!"
Jamie regarded Hannah doubtfully. "Not to say she isn't being a total baby, Han, but I'm not sure if strip poker is such a good idea. It's a little..." She blushed a deep red as she trailed off into silence.
"Relax, scaredy cats," Hannah said with a laugh. "Not total strip poker. That would just be wrong. I figured we could be properly prepared... dressed, you know. Many layers and all that. The Marauders won't have the same advantage." She winked conspiratorially. "So what do you all think?"
Regan made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, Jamie looked down at her hands, and Lily shrugged hesitantly. "I dunno, Han. It seems a bit... risky to me. You know the Marauders – they come up with a way to turn everything against us. We could end up dancing the "La Cucaracha" naked in front of Hagrid's hut or something."
Even Jamie couldn't help but let out a giggle, but Hannah folded her arms and looked the others over suspiciously. "You're all just scared," was her assessment. "Come on! We'll have no trouble beating the Marauders at this. If it makes you feel better, I'll bewitch the cards in our favour. They'll never know a thing. With Lily's help, of course."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Not that I condone cheating, but... if it'll spare us serious embarrassment..."
"So we're on, then?" Hannah's voice was filled with excitement.
"I suppose." Lily shrugged.
"As long as you're bewitching the cards," Jamie said sternly.
Hannah turned to Regan, whose eyes were as wide as McGonagall's had become when Sirius had lit her hat on fire. Regan shook her head slowly and definitely. "Nuh uh. You can't make me. I won't do it. Ever."
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Some ten minutes later, the Rogues were on their way down the dormitory staircase, ready to sneak out of the school for their out-of-hours meeting.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," Regan said through gritted teeth. She was bundled up in a t-shirt and shorts under khaki pants and multiple sweaters, topped off with a whopping seven layers of robes. Under a mountain of fabric, all various levels of itchy and misfitted, Regan was completely disgruntled. Needless to say, her good mood had gone whooshing down the drain some time ago.
Jamie checked that the coast was clear (no Marauders – they suspected they were still in the boys' dormitory, contemplating the meaning of "get ready") and the girls hurried down the stairs. Just as they were approaching the portrait hole, a voice called out, making them all jump.
"There you are."
The four of them pivoted in alarm, only to see Frank Longbottom standing up from his seat on one of the couches by the roaring fire. He eyed them warily (particular Regan's angry, swollen form) before letting his eyes settle on Jamie. The girl blinked in astonishment.
"Hey, Jamie, I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a minute," he said politely, his eyes shifting with every few words from Jamie's face to the ground. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "In private, if that's alright?"
His voice, sad and hopeful, made Lily's heart ache even though it was no business of hers. She ushered Hannah and Regan straight out the door, whispering to Jamie on the way by, "Tell him the truth. Now's your chance," waving to Frank with a polite "Night, Frank," and letting the Fat Lady's portrait fall closed behind her.
"I feel sorry for Jamie," Regan said a moment later. "That conversation's gonna be hell for her."
"Are you kidding?" was Hannah's response. "I feel sorry for Frank. He actually thought he had a chance with her."
"Be quiet, both of you," Lily scolded, but she couldn't hide the worry on her own face. "Jamie will handle this as she sees fit." She bit her lip. "I just hope she doesn't let him down too hard."
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Jamie couldn't seem to breathe. As soon as the portrait hole closed behind her friends, she felt like the whole room was closing in on her from all directions. She felt she would soon drown in the pressure – pressure to be honest, pressure not to hurt Frank's feelings, pressure not to say the wrong thing.
"Hey, so, we haven't talked much since our date last week," Frank said quietly, looking up. He appeared to be concerned. "Is that like... your way of telling me this isn't working, or have you... just been busy?"
Jamie swallowed hard, trying not to make eye contact as she formed her response. "No, that's not it," she started, and even she wondered what she meant by that. "I'm sorry, I've just..." Oh God, what was she going to say? "I don't like you," was too harsh. He might have seen it coming, but she would feel like such a monster delivering those words. And yet somehow, she couldn't bring herself to lie, to tell him it was all just a misunderstanding.
Then, completely out of the blue, Remus popped into her mind.
She wasn't sure why. But as she thought more about it, an answer began to formulate in her head.
She'd embarrassingly admitted to liking him. Did she really? She was still confused about that. Seeing him made her stomach do a double salto with a half twist, or something similarly crazy. Being near him made her face heat up, her hands shake and her words come out all disjointed and not at all how they sounded in her head. The trouble was, Jamie acted that way around most people. Maybe she was just socially awkward, full stop. Maybe she didn't feel that way about Remus after all. But then there was that little nagging fact: Veritaserum never lies...
She mentally slapped herself. This wasn't the time to be internally debating her feelings for Remus. This was the time to be debating her feelings for Frank. She sighed. She wasn't about to kid herself. She didn't like Frank in that way. She liked...
A sudden spark ignited her brain with newfound determination. Why should she like Remus when he clearly didn't return the same feelings? She'd embarrassed herself; when he'd tried to confront her after that, he was probably going to let her down as easily as possible – tell her he liked her, but not like that. It was always the answer. And it would hurt, as always.
So why was she standing here, about to do the exact same thing to Frank?
And even if Remus did return her feelings, what good was it now? When she'd tried to apologise for being so cold, he'd totally exploded at her, telling her it was "harder for him than it was for her". Well, if Remus was going to be like that, Jamie didn't owe him any sort of loyalty. If anything, Remus deserved to know just how much she didn't depend on him liking her back.
Frank cleared his throat uneasily, snapping Jamie back to reality. "Uh... Jamie? Is something wrong?"
At that moment she met his gaze, and a strange thing happened. She barely had time to reason with herself before her feet carried her forward. One quick stride took her within a foot of Frank, and with a second her lips were on his and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His face was frozen beneath hers to begin with, but soon he melted under her touch, responding softly but passionately to the kiss. Jamie half-expected chemistry, fireworks, and a sudden realisation that she really did feel that way about Frank – but there was nothing. She acted almost mechanically, and was admittedly a bit disappointed. Still, Jamie made sure he got the point before she stumbled backward out of the embrace, breathing heavily. She swallowed hard, trying to make sense of what had just happened and wondering what had possessed her to do such a thing.
Frank looked at her through wide, exhilarated eyes. "Um... wow. That w-was... that was amazing." His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Not that I'm c-c-complaining or anything, but you never really answered my question. Why haven't you spoken to me since our... our date?"
Jamie's throat was almost completely closed up with mixed emotions – fear, confusion, disappointment, and a tiny bit of thrill – but she managed to choke out a reply. "I... Frank, I thought you were mad at me. I mean, I ran out so quickly when the M... when they turned up and started ruining everything, and I just thought you... I thought you might have, you know, been ready to... break up with me. I was scared to talk to you, Frank. I just didn't know what to say."
Frank looked like he felt very sorry for her – which was ironic when he was the one getting the short end of the stick. But he didn't know that. He stepped forward and took her hand gently. "I'm sorry you had to feel that way, Jamie." He looked sincerely into her eyes, and she vowed to someday achieve the flexibility needed to kick herself in the head. "I wasn't mad at you. I was worried that you were the one who wasn't interested. I thought I did something wrong." He smiled shyly. "But if you want to, you know, go out again, I'd... I'd like that."
Jamie bit her lip and tried not to show what she was feeling. "Yeah, me too." She thought for a moment. "The next Hogsmeade trip isn't for about a month. But you know, the Quidditch season's starting soon. Maybe, just for now, we could go to the first game together?" That way, she wouldn't have the pressure of being in private with him.
Frank's smile widened. "Yeah, sure."
"Okay, cool. Um... I have to... be somewhere right now, so can I talk to you later?"
Still a bit dazed, Frank nodded. "Sure. I'll see you, Jamie," he said with a wave.
"Yeah. See you."
As soon as he couldn't see her face, Jamie stopped forcing a smile, and instantly her face fell into a somewhat horrified expression. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. She stepped out the portrait hole, ready to scream, but tried to pull herself together as she came face to face with her friends.
"So? How'd it go?" Regan wanted to know. "Did the sorry little wimp go off crying?"
"Regan," Hannah chided, "of course not. Jamie was nice about it – weren't you, Jay?"
Jamie began to formulate an answer in her head, but Lily stepped in before she had to voice it.
"Guys, stop badgering her. I'm sure she did the right thing." Lily put a comforting hand on her arm, obviously interpreting her panicked expression as a guilty one – a different sort of guilt than what Jamie was feeling. Lily linked her arm through hers and whispered, "It's all right. You had to tell him someday." Jamie could only nod meekly in response.
"If you two are done whispering, I'd like to get this over with," Regan complained, shifting uncomfortably under her many garments.
"Yeah," said Hannah with fierce anticipation. "Let's go kick some Marauder ass." And with that, the Rogues were off, inconspicuously through the corridors, out the gates, and down to the Black Lake for a late-night meeting their arch rivals.
Author's Notes:
So there you have it - the longest chapter yet. 9,840 words, I believe.
Frankly (no pun intended) I'm getting a little fed up with the Frank/Jamie obstacle that hasn't managed to resolve itself in the slightest over the past ten chapters, so I figured I'd get that storyline going. I know they're an annoying pairing, but there's a lot in store for those two. Just wait and see.
And our dear Hannie, she's also got a lot of... drama... coming up, most of which, you'll be glad to know, has to do with good ol' Padfoot. I'll say no more.
As for L/J, I'm not sure where those two are headed at the moment. But there are several big events coming up that should include some Lames (Jily?) action.
Regan and Peter are a lost cause but they're fun to write about.
I'm very sorry for not including the lake meeting in this chapter. Originally I was going to cram the whole strip poker/truth or dare thing in, but then I got carried away as usual. I can promise you the next chapter will be almost entirely dedicated to it, though (which means yet another chapter will take place on this same day - oh goody!).
I'm actually getting back into this story (I know I keep saying that and not updating for months on end, but this time I really do mean it). A while back I came up with an idea for a semi-sequel (three chapters or so) to tie everything up after they leave Hogwarts, and I don't want to give anything away, but I'm pretty excited about it, which means I'll be more motivated to finish TMATR itself. No pressure or anything (PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE) but I'd quite like it (be absolutely ECSTATIC) if you left a review (or twenty - you know, make multiple accounts just for the sake of reviewing many times. Just kidding. I don't ... that server-clogging behaviour, for the record).
But seriously (TWO PUNS IN ONE AUTHOR'S NOTE!!), even if you hate this story and it makes you want to smash your head against a brick wall (please don't do that), say so in a review. There's nothing worse than your opinions going unheard. If you want something about this story to change, you'll have to let me know.
Ah, who am I kidding with all this logical reasoning? I just love getting reviews. Make me happy, won't you? :)
Until next time,
~Sam (PrincessEarth)