Chapter Two

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own HP or its characters; otherwise I would never of killed off Fred.

Five minutes.

Albus Dumbledore waited patiently outside the bustling Hog's Head, the local tavern in the town of Holyhead. Night had fallen a few hours ago and even after the tramatic events that occurred earlier, the street was silent.

Four minutes.

The Hog's Head was a magnet for "colourful" characters, druggies and , of course, "adventurers"- also known as pirates. It was one of the dirtiest, most despicable places in town, besides the harbour. There was always one place in a town like this; one place that would drag down the image of a well-respected metropolis. Scorned upon by the aristocrats, it thrived due to the amount of shady "businessmen" it attracted.

Three minutes.

Dumbledore wondered if his vision was accurate; but the future was as changeable as his favourite sweets- today, it was lemon drops. One move and his course will be altered.

Two minutes.

The silence was broken by the sound of screaming and smashing of glass- he now knew his vision was precise.

Dumbledore heard a girl yelling gibberish, some excessive giggling and some more glass shattering. He wondered what kind of rascality they were getting up to now.

One minute.

More yelling and then, finally, the door of the tavern opened and the bartender threw a completely naked man out into the street.

"And stay out, you disgusting piece of filth!"

Dumbledore grinned and rushed over to the man, covering him up with his cloak. "I knew this would come in handy," he thought.

The man opened his eyes and shook his long, raggedy black hair. "Dumbley-dorre! The power of our Lord is within!"

Letting the cloak slowly slid away, he began rolling around on the ground, muttering unearthly chants and off-key lyrics to old Gaelic songs:

"From Bantry Bay up to Derry 'Key

From Galway to Dublin toooowwn,

No maid I've seen's like the sweet cailin*

That I met in the County Dowwwwwn!"

Dumbledore sighed good-naturely. "Sirius Black, you're drunk again."

Sirius stood up, letting the cloak entirely slip away and put his hands on his hips. "Ain't I always, my special bumbling Bumblebee! It isn't my fault though! My fatherrrr sent my brotherrr off to be a rich doctor, while I was forced to enterrr..."

"...a religious order to calm your wild ways," Dumbledore finished, wrestling him unsuccessfully to pu on the cloak. "Y'told me before, Sirius. And put on some clothes!"

"That's Padfoot to you, Misterrr!" Sirius protested. "And...I lost them."

"How did you...y'know what, never mind," Dumbledore began then gave up. "Where is James?"

"Oh, you mean where's Rrremus? Gooood ooold Mooooony!" Sirius slurred, ignoring the question. "He's at the library or something God awful like that. Rrresearrch orr something...I really don't listen..."

Sirius suddenly staggered towards the alley beside the Hog's Head and proceeded to vomit violently into the gutter. One word came to Dumbledore's mind:

Dignified.

Once he was finished, Dumbledore tried again. "Sirius, where is James Potter? Y'know, about this high?" He gestured a height with his hand, stretching well over his and Sirius's heads. "Arrogant, good with a sword? Devilishly handsome?"

Sirius tried to look at him but his eyes were unfocused. "Y'know what? I haven't seen him since the lizard bit my..."

I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" Dumbledore yelled and then sighed. "Were all the main Marauders with you?"

"Yeah, I've mentioned them all, haven't I?"

"Sirius aren't you forgetting someone?"

Sirius scowled, his eyes still unfocused. "I mentioned Moony, didn't I?"

"No Sirius," Dumbledore sighed. He'd seen Sirius's wild nights out and the mornings after before and got much amusement from doing so. "Where's Peter? Peter Pettigrew?"

"Ah Wormtail, that little rogue," a voice came from the shadows. Dumbledore watched as a dark haired youth stepped out into the streetlight, his hair messy and his glasses askewed. He held himself as if he was proud to be stumbling out of a tavern late at night, following his friend the drunkard. "We had a little adventure tonight, didn't we Wormy?"

And with that, he pulled a shivering Peter from behind his back, who looked like he had witnessed some unspeakable things. "Knowing James, he probably did," Dumbledore thought.

Peter swallowed. "Sure did, Prongs," he replied shakily, looking at the ground.

"What did you do to Peter, James?" Dumbledore inquired, looking worried.

"That's CAPTAIN James to you, good sir," James slurred, helping Sirius to his unsteady feet and clapping him on the back. "And, technically, it was Padfoot's fault."

Sirius wolf-whistled. "My, my, now how did that go again, Capt'n?" He leaned unsteadily on both James and Peter's shoulders, his face flushed a deep red.

"Well, if I remember correctly Padfoot, it began when you wagered a friendly game of Go Fish with that young boy," James said, letting Sirius dangle from him limply as he let Peter take a break from holding his drunk body.

"Ah yes, I wagered that if I bet him, he would buy me butterbeer for the night," Sirius slurred, gazing glassily into the distance. "However there was a... problem with my...little wager...I bet that if I lost, I would give fifty Galleons to the boy."

James doubled over, laughing. "Only you weren't playing Go Fish, were you? You were playing marbles, you twat. You were too locked and out of it to even realise what you were betting on."

Sirius grinned crookedly. "Oh yes and when I refused to pay up, the little goblin proceeded to rob me of my clothes and kidnap Wormy."

James gave Dumbledore a wink. "And enter Captain James, the hero of this troublesome tale. This dashing hero saved Wormy from the drug den above this tavern, which actually happens to be run by the adorable midget who robbed Sirius." James then bowed and said, "No need for applause, my good friends."

"Hold on," Sirius croaked, looking dazed and confused. "That little boy was a midget?"

"Yeah, he goes by the amusing name of Mundungus..."

"Enough!" Dumbledore interrupted, causing James to look startled, while Sirius just hung from his shoulder, aiming insults at a curled up Peter. "T'would like to speak to James alone. Peter, could you take Sirius somewhere else for now?"

Peter just nodded, not able or unwilling to speak. He half-heaved, half-dragged a muttering Sirius through the streets. The last thing Dumbledore heard was a cry of "The power of our Lord is within us! Lordy Holy Moly!"

James gazed after Sirius and with one swift motion, his posture straightened and his eyes sharpened. His hair remained messy, as it always was, but he fixed his glasses as he strolled over to where Dumbledore stood.

Dumbledore took one look at James and held out his hand. "Lemon drop?" he asked, while James looked confused.

"NO, I do not want a lemon drop, Dumbledore," James said, looking at Dumbledore as if he were mental. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh y'know, to get some spare knitting needles, that sort of thing." He popped a lemon drop into his mouth and looked accusingly at James. "I have a better question James; you don't smell of butterbeer and you aren't acting as if you are drunk..."

Looking away, James put his hand through his hair, ruffling it in an extremely messy fashion. "Look, just drop it, okay. It helps me fit in with the crew better..."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "M'dear boy; they will find out eventually. Y'shouldn't live in darkness your whole life."

James scowled. "I've said it before and I'll say it again; I'm not telling them." He looked down. "I know I'm selfish, but it's for the best."

Sighing, Dumbledore looked exasperated as James began to walk away. "Look James, why don't you just settle down with some girl; any girl, start a family and just leave this life behind?"

James stopped half-way along the street Sirius and Peter left not long ago. "No girl I've met burns bright enough. I think I'll just stick to adventures, Dumbledore." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, I like my life on the Marauder."

"James?"

James looked at Dumbledore one last time for a very long time. "Would you stay in Holyhead for one more day? It will benefit you greatly."

"I will always trust your "judgement", Dumbledore." And with a swift step, the handsome, broken man was gone into the darkness.

*cailin= girl (There was no fadas, sorry! My computer is crap!)

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Ashxx