So I know that the last chapter was fairly uneventful. My cousin has a calico cat named Weasley and it just reminded me that the Potter's were supposed to have a cat too. This chapter should be much more exciting for everyone. Enjoy.
"Hey Tom!" James called across the crowded room to the barman, folding his cloak over the nearest chair and settling in to watch the comings and goings of the local and visiting witches and wizards. His chair creaked as he swung his feet up onto the rickety table and leaned back, hands behind his dark head. A moment later a young lady with long blonde hair and a pale round face appeared in front of him with his usual in hand and set it down in front of him. She stood expectantly for a beat until he dropped a handful of knuts into her small white hand, then turned and made her way back to the bar.
James was quite afraid that he had lost his touch. Not so long ago, he would have been swarmed by young women upon entering the leaky cauldron but in looking around he saw very few people who were even as young as he was, in fact, the majority of the customers were elderly and they looked around them nervously even as they sat drinking, some deep in conversation, others alone. An old man with a stubby white beard seemed to have fallen asleep at the next table, overturning his goblet so that the burgundy liquid ran across the wood and poured onto the floor. No one was paying him any attention however and so the old man slept on. James could see that even Tom was not at his usual place polishing glasses behind the counter.
The door leading to the alley swung open suddenly, letting in a gust of cold, wet air and a dark figure. He could smell the rain and he could see the darkness beyond, that entered before the door slammed closed. Several heads turned but the new arrival was only young Sirius Black, known to all. Padfoot threw back his hood and shook out his shaggy wet hair, which had grown quite a bit in the last months and crossed the room, his boots heavy on the wooden floor. He waved to the barmaid as he sat and she appeared again in the next instant with another goblet, transferring it to his hand, blushing brightly. Padfoot winked and the girl glided away, leaving James to wonder if the same would have worked for him. He grinned at his friend and let his chair fall back into place.
"So. How're things?" Padfoot asked, taking a long drink from his goblet and pulling a face.
"As well as can be expected. You certainly got here early if you already had a chance to look around."
Padfoot grinned. "I had a matter of my own to attend to."
"Ya. And her name's Priscilla Tomlin, she's eighteen years old, she works at Madam Malkins and she's far too good for you."
James jumped, sloshing half his drink down his front and turned his head to find that Moony and Wormtail had just arrived and were grinning down at their friends as if they hadn't seen each other in ages.
"So the marauders live to see another adventure" Moony said lightly, pulling out a chair and flopping down in it, already looking exhausted.
"It's not quite the same when were doing stuff on teachers orders, not to mention Moody'll be there. And Frank." Padfoot replied with a sigh. "Hows the alley?" Wormtail asked quietly, eyes on the back door. Padfoot shook his head, dark hairs tumbling over his forehead. "Subdued" he replied simply, taking another gulp of his drink.
Someone coughed behind them and they turned to find the old man that they had thought to be asleep sitting up and glaring at them with a familiar expression on his face that was unmistakable. " Constant vigilance!" the old man barked. None of them jumped as they were far too used to this Mad Eye Moody, despite the disguise that he had created, which was indeed quite well done. Moody rose from his table and crossed to stand in front of theirs, arms crossed over his chest, taking each of them in with narrowed eyes as if they hadn't known each other for years. "You are far too lacking in the security department" he told them. "But you'll have to do. The other ministry aurors are all.. occupied... as far as you lot need to be concerned and Dumbledore has assigned you four to help out. You're the muscle for the night so try not to get anyone killed" he said in a tone of voice that was overly nonchalant for the information he had just given them. "Frank will be meeting us outside shortly."
"Why so many of us?" Padfoot asked curiously, though James knew that there was nowhere else his friend would rather be than right in the thick of things.
Moody shrugged. "Just in case."
James exchanged nervous glances with his friends. He rose and followed the disguised Moody out the front door of the tavern with them behind him, not able to help himself but be slightly envious of those who had nothing more dangerous to do that night than sit in a bar and drink or go home to their families.
The dark street in front of the pub was fairly quiet apart from the muggle vehicles running up and down the road. James shivered and pulled the collar of his cloak up higher around his ears, pulling the hood up. Rain pelted down viciously on their heads which was certainly not helping them stay warm. He could see the others shaking with cold even in the dim light from the street lamps overhead. He looked around, past his three friends and the old man and down the street. There was not a person in sight and so he refocused on the old man who was really Moody.
"What are we doing then?" Wormtail asked impatiently before Moody had the chance to utter a word, rubbing his hands together and earning a glare from the auror that said quite clearly that if he had a choice, Peter wouldn't be there at all, but was really just a tag cowered under the man's gaze and James decided to intervene.
"Are we going after someone then?" he asked, though he already knew the obvious answer.
"Oh yes, Potter." Moody had a viciously excited edge to his voice that told James that whoever they were about to go after, whatever was about to happen was bound to be good.
A loud crack announced Franks arrival on scene. He looked around at James and the others and nodded solemnly. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
****
"Expelliarmus!" Moody cried.
The door swung open, crashing against the wall and rebounding. Padfoot stepped forward and gave it a good kick to keep it open and the rest of them followed him into the room, where Evan Rosier stood against the far wall, looking nervous, his wand some five feet away. James remembered him from school and felt a fresh wave of sick hatred for the death eaters and everything that they stood for.
"So I see you've finally found me Mad Eye. Congratulations" Rosier said, regaining enough composure to mock the auror.
Moody said nothing.
"But I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you to Azkaban tonight. You see, I have a meeting scheduled shortly."
"I'm afraid old Voldemort will have to do without you for the time being" Frank replied, taking a step forward. Rosier's eyes moved to his own wand, still on the ground, unaccessable and then to Frank who was getting closer.
"Don't be a fool, Longbottom. The dark Lord will get you. And that pretty little wife of yours!" he hissed, leaning forward threateningly.
To James it seemed as if it all happened at once though he was quite sure that it took a least a minute to play out entirely. He heard a small sound just beyond the door and turned to see what it was just as Frank lunged for Rosier's throat and James made a mental note never to threaten Alice in front of him. A jet of red light flashed over his shoulder as he was just able to leap out of it's way, sending a stunning spell back down the dark corridor, his subject still unseen. He heard a roar from behind him and spun to find that Rosier had regained his wand, which was what happened when you decided to fist fight instead of using magic but the man's spell flew wide of Frank and hit the window, shattering the glass.
"Wilkes!" Moody shouted angrily. James saw that a tall man with long dark hair and a horrible scar down one side of his face had appeared in the doorway wearing a poisonous green cloak. One clawed hand held a long wand that was directed at Moody, who was fighting him for all he was worth.
Flashes of light and cries of anger and pain filled the small room. Moony was helping Frank, the two of them attempting to restrain Rosier as he shot killing curses at them,forcing them to deflect them. Padfoot was sending his own curses at Wilkes' back and Wormtail hovered in the middle, unsure.
Moony jumped out of the way as a spell flew towards him from Rosiers wand. James leapt forward with a cry of warning and pulled Wormtail to the ground and the spell flew over their heads. and caught Moody in the face,wounding, but not disabeling him. he gave a furious roar and turned his back on Wilkes', bearing down on Rosier and leaving James to jump in next to Padfoot.
He could smell the smoke an instant before he realized that the house was on fire. Magical flames had already begun to lick at the walls and the curtains. James turned to see what he could do just as Wilkes cried 'Crucio!' and a pain unlike any that he had ever felt tore through his body and he fell to the floor, writhing and screaming in agony, every second of it so excruciating that every inch of his body longed for death. He heard a voice call his name and then another scream of pain reached his ears, though he didn't know if it was his own or someone else's.
And then the pain lifted and he found that he was able to rise to his feet and look around. He had not been the only one on the floor. Wilkes' lay a few feet away, clearly dead, and James reached out a hand and helped Padfoot to his feet from the floor, where he too had fallen under the Cruciatus curse.
"You killed your own ally Rosier. I don't think Voldemort would like that at all!" Moony was saying mockingly as James and Padfoot joined the group that was circling him slowly. Rosier glared defiantly around at them all through the haze of smoke from the fire. He had killed his own friend by mistake when he missed his target and so he was all alone, once again, against six people.
"You might as well give up now, you can't kill us all" Moody informed him, sounding mildly bored as he said it, loosening his grip on his wand.
James felt the heat on his face, sweat poured from his brow. They had to get out soon or they would all just burn up.
If Rosier had aimed the curse at one of the others he may have succeeded in at least taking someone with him but as it was he pointed his wand at Moody and the curse flew from the tip to be deflected instantly by the ever ready auror and rebounded upon it's originator. Rosier fell to the ground in a heap, dead.
"Well that certainly didn't go as planned" Frank said, nudging Rosier's corpse with his foot but Moody just shrugged. "I like it this way just fine. We'd best move out before we get torched" he said cheerfully, glancing around the room as if it was a piece of artwork that he was particularly proud of.
The next chapter should be pretty good too. I'm leaving in two days on a three week vacation but I am taking my computer with me so it all depends on if I have any time, if I feel like writing and even if i do write, I have no idea what kind of internet service i'm gonna have. I'll do my best though. And remember to review because thats really what I'm here for, I want your input. Thanx everyone. See you all soon.
