Chapter 18: Boys will be boys

It was close to 1AM when the door of Sirius' bedroom creaked open and Remus took a quick look around the hallway. With his heightened werewolf senses, he checked for any signs of movement or noise. He looked over his shoulder at the two men standing behind him.

"Coast is clear, at least on this floor, I'll check around some more as we go up the stairs."

The other "Marauders" nodded silently. All three were wearing black sweat pants, long sleeved, black t-shirts and black socks - no shoes. ( the better to tip-toe Sirius had insisted ) Severus had been a lit leery of the sweat pants until he tried them on and was surprised at how comfortable and warm they were. Sirius had promised to order him a pair and send them, owl post, to Hogwarts A.S.A.P.

Making their way slowly up the stairs, Severus had to poke Sirius in the ribs when he started to giggle. "Shhh!" Severus hissed, Sirius stuck out his tongue. "Humph!" grunted Snape, shaking his head.

Remus stopped, turned and impaled both of them with a harsh glare, putting his finger to his lips and then pointing at each of them in turn. Sirius held up his hands in a show of innocence, while Severus pointed to Sirius and mouthed silently, "It was Black!" Remus rolled his eyes and then turned to continue toward their objective . . . the back guest bedroom.

Unbeknownst to them, the ladies and girls were watching their progress from the doors of their respective bedrooms. The girls were standing with their hands over their mouths to stifle any giggles threatening to erupt, while the ladies watched with cocked heads and raised eyebrows.

Molly made a move to go after Remus, Severus and Sirius, but was stopped by Minerva. Cupping her hand over Molly's ear, she whispered and Molly looked at her and then nodded before crossing her arms and leaning on the door jam.

Just then, there was a muffled thud from the landing and they could see Severus hopping around holding his foot. Remus grabbed him to keep him from falling and Sirius put a hand over Snape's mouth, until he stopped mumbling and stood still. Severus nodded and Sirius removed his hand as Remus pushed Severus upright. He glowered at both of them but then motioned to them to keep going, as he limped after them up the stairs.

Tonks tip-toed across the hall to the girls room, followed by Narcissa. They shooed the girls back into the room and closed the door gently.

"Molly and Minerva aren't going to interfere, they just want to hear what happens, but I want a ring side seat," whispered Tonks.

"There's a storage room in the middle of that upstairs hall," Narcissa informed them. "Let's hide in there."

"How can we get there? If we 'Apparate', they'll hear us!" Hermione asked.

"Follow me, girls, and I'll show you a secret I bet even Sirius has forgotten," replied Narcissa, as she opened the bedroom door and taking a quick look towards the stairs, went swiftly across the landing and into the short hall that led to the bathroom. Reaching up, she pushed on an acorn carved in the wooden molding beside the bathroom door and with an almost inaudible 'click', a panel opened.

Pointing her wand into the opening. " 'Silencio' "Turning to others, she motioned them to follow her. " 'Lumos'," Narcissa whispered, holding her wand high, leading the way up the narrow wooden stairs. The others followed her silently, ascending the twisting steps and then through another small door/panel into what appeared to be a disused storage room under the eaves of the roof. "Watch you heads", she whispered back down the narrow passage, as she moved aside to let the others enter. Stepping lightly over to the door, she listened and then facing the others, put her finger to her lips and then pointed at the door, mouthing "they're right outside!"

Straining their ears, they could hear a footstep and then a slight creak of a floorboard, then total silence; presumably the three coming up the stairs had frozen at the sound. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Then there was another shuffling footstep in the hallway and they all gave a sigh of relief.

X X X

Dobby sat up and his ears swiveled. Climbing out of his makeshift bed he padded silently over to the bedroom door when he stood, listening intently.

"What is it, Dobby?" Ron propped himself up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes.

Dobby came over to the edge of Ron's bed and whispered, "Mr. Wheezy, sir . . . Master Sirius and Professor Snape and Mister Lupin is sneaking up the stairs . . . they is trying to be quiet, but they is not very good at it." Just then, his ears twitched around and he walked over to the wall and stood very still, then he pointed. "Missy Narcissa is using the hidden stairs, too, with . . ." he listened carefully, "Missy Tonks, Missy Ginny, Miss Hermione, Missy Luna and Miss Emma. They is being very quiet. Dobby thinks they is sneaking around watching where Master Sirius and his friends is going."

"Or what they're up to, more likely." Grabbing his wand as he swung his long legs out from under the covers Ron whispered, " 'Silencio'! ", even as he reached over to shake Harry's shoulder. "Harry!," he hissed. "Wake up!"

"Wha . .what's wrong? Ron?" Harry sat up half way, reaching for his glasses and wand. "Lumos."

"Your godfather and our two favorite professors are up to something out in the hall and the girls are sneaking up on them, using a hidden staircase." Ron grinned

"What's going on?" Neville sat up, looking around, as Dan also rolled over to hear what all the fuss was about.

Rupert sat up, rubbing his eyes."'What the bloody hell . . . "

"Sirius, Remus and Snape are out in the hall," Ron repeated for their benefit. "Dobby heard them. I did a silencing charm, so I could wake you lot up. Now be quiet so I can drop it for Dobby to listen." Ron waved his wand and Dobby put his ear to the door again.

"They is heading to the other bedroom, where Mister Wheezy's brothers and Mister Tom and Master Draco is sleeping," he informed them quietly.

The boys exchanged looks and then slid quietly out of their beds and gathered around the door.

"You don't think they're trying to pull a prank on Fred and George?" Dan asked. "Do you?"

Harry, Ron and Neville swung their gazes around to stare at Dan, disbelief written on each face.

Rupert snickered and got a poke from Ron. "Ow!" He rubbed the spot. "I just thought it was funny that they are that foolish to try, is all."

"Shhhh!" Neville cautioned, as Dobby held up a finger. He turned around and the boys leaned in close to hear.

"They is going to try and sneak in and . . . . "

WHOOSH! THUD!

"AHHHHHHHH!" "UMPH!" "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" "OUCH!" "GET YOUR ELBOW OUT OF MY EAR, BLACK!" "OW!"

The boys and Dobby burst out of their bedroom just as the girls, Narcissa and Tonks emerged from the storage room, to behold Remus, Severus and Sirius suspended in midair in what appeared to be a cargo net, hanging, swinging, from the ceiling. Fred, George, Draco and Tom came flying out of their bedroom to join the crowd gawking at the three struggling "Marauders", trapped, and 'caught' in the act, so to speak. Laughter rang in the hall and they were soon joined by Molly and Minerva, who whooped delightedly at the sight of the discomforted pranksters.

"My, my, what have we here?" Tom asked, as he circled the struggling miscreants. He gave the net a push, setting it swinging gently. "Isn't it a little late for you three to be roaming the halls?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Mister Felton!" Minerva nodded. "Just look at you three! Aren't you a bit old for late night excursions of the 'Marauder' persuasion?"

"Ah, but that's the problem with these three, Minerva," Emma giggled. "They've never grown up! But I think they are realizing there's a new generation that's a little smarter and a little more devious then they were, even in their Hogwarts days."

"Why thank you very much, Emma!" George bowed to her.

"Someone finally recognizes our greatness!" Fred added, taking her hand and kissing the back.

"But in all fairness," George supplied.

"It wasn't our idea," Fred admitted.

"Really?" Dan looked at them, surprised. "Who . . ." But then he turned to his friend. "You?"

"I just suggested a few ideas and the twins and Draco did the magic to make it work," Tom admitted, then shrugged.

"And it worked just like you said it would," Draco said, as he threw his arm around Tom's shoulder, grinning.

"EXCUSE ME!" came from the tangle of arms and legs in the netting. "Could someone let us down . . . GENTLY . . . please," came Remus' voice.

"Certainly, we'll get you down, straightaway," said George, lifting his wand.

"Since you asked so politely, Remus," Fred spoke through the netting.

The rope bundle and its cargo were lowered to the floor with a soft thud and the netting was pulled back to release the three men. As they stood, and straightened their clothes, they had the good grace to look sheepish and a bit embarrassed at how easily they had been caught.

"'Well, I've had enough laughter and excitement for the night, so I think I'll retire and let all of you young people sort this out . . . quietly!" Minerva waved her hand and started down the stairs.

"I agreed with you on that, Minerva," responded Molly, but she turned, pointing a finger at Fred and George, leveling her 'I'll not tolerate any more silliness' look at them, but then ruined it by laughing as she when down the stairs to get some sleep.

"I told you, you made enough noise to wake the dead," groused Severus to Sirius, as they stood there in front of the others.

"Me? Who stubbed his toe and hopped around like a demented rabbit on the landing?" Sirius shot back.

"Don't start, you two," Remus chided them. "We could have been silent as a grave and still would have been caught . . . this lot were WAY ahead of us! Admit it!"

Fred, George, Tom and Draco were standing together, smug looks on their faces, as the others watched with delight. Narcissa started to snicker, which caused Tonks to follow suit and pretty soon the whole group was laughing hard, tears were running down not a few faces. Even Severus was leaning on Sirius for support. Dobby had disappeared, but soon Kreacher and he came up the stairs with trays laden with bottles of Butter Beer.

Sirius had just given Narcissa a hug when he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked around the hallway.

"Wait a minute, where did you girls come from? You didn't come up the stairs. How did you get here so quickly? " he asked her, eyebrows furrowed.

"That secret stair by the bathroom . . . we wanted a front row seat and we got it!" Narcissa informed him. "We just popped out of that door." She pointed and then took a seat.

"I'd forgotten all about that!" Sirius slapped his hand to his forehead. "Brilliant!"

"There's a secret staircase?" Harry asked.

"We'll show you all the secrets of this old house, if we have time." Narcissa assured him. "Bella, Andra and I used to sneak down that stair, get Sirius and Regulus and we'd continue all the way to the kitchen to get midnight snacks, when we were young and having a visit."

"And Mum never told me!?"Tonks gasped. "Well, I'm going to have to have a talk with her about THAT!"

"But you've never stayed here, Tonks, until you were in the Order, so why would she bother telling you." Narcissa questioned.

"Yeah, probably for the best, really . . . as dead clumsy as I am, I'd have fallen down it from top to bottom and broken a bone or two." Tonks admitted.

Narcissa and Sirius told a few more amusing stories about visits when they were growing up and then the Butter Beers were finished, goodnights were given and everyone returned to their bedrooms with promises to behave themselves and not try any more late night 'raids'. . . only about half of them had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

X X X

There were quite a few bleary eyes and hastily covered yawns at the breakfast table the next morning, although Albus was bright eyed and chipper. Wisely he keep his observations to himself, as Kreacher and Dobby fussed around, making sure everybody had a mug of coffee.

It was a mostly silent meal, Quidditch being the main topic among the males, with clothes and fashion the topic for the ladies.

Dumbledore stood and looked around when everyone was about finished. "I believe it's time for another movie . . . and having read a good bit of the book from which it was taken, last night, I'm quite looking forward to this one."

"But . . ." Harry looked up at the Headmaster. "Isn't this the one where you die?"

"Yes, but history isn't going to repeat itself, or even get to that point, so this is more of an example of what might happen. Personally, I don't intend to die at Severus' hand, even though it was forced on him to kill me. . . we'll have to see how we can circumvent those particular details . . . shall we?" Albus waved his hand toward the stairs and everyone rose to file up to the front parlor.

After they were all settled comfortably, Dan stood in front of the TV and took a deep breath. "As you all have been told, this movie is mostly from Harry's viewpoint, and even he doesn't know all the details of what is going on around him, so his reactions are understandable . . .but so are Severus', especially at the end of the movie. The one big give away, which Harry misses totally, happens on the Astronomy tower . . . keep an eye out and see if you catch it. Okay, Rupert, start the movie," Dan directed over his shoulder. The DVD was swallowed by the player and then Sirius darkened the room while Rupert worked the remote.

X X X

As the credits started to roll, Sirius again raised the light level in the room as Dan stood and walked to stand in front of the TV. But before he could say a word, Luna raised her hand.

"Yes, Luna?" Dan asked.

"I know what Harry missed," she informed him.

"Okay," Dan replied, casting a quick look at Harry and Severus. "What should have tipped him off that all was not as it seemed."

"When Professor Snape held his finger up, telling Harry to be quiet. If he was truly a Death Eater, he'd have disarmed Harry and dragged him into view and they've had kidnapped him, after Professor Dumbledore was dead," explained Luna, as eyebrows rose around the room.

"Blimey, she's right, Harry," gasped Ron.

"And now that we know about the 'Unbreakable Vow', we know Severus really was between a rock and a hard place, whether or not the Headmaster had made him swear to kill him, if it became necessary," Hermione added.

"Sorry for calling you a coward, Professor," mumbled Harry.

"I will not accept that apology, Potter," huffed Severus, as a few gasped. "As none of this has happened, no offense has been taken by me." Then he smiled at Harry, who nodded. "Don't go looking for complications, Harry, they seem to gravitate to you in any case."

"With great regularity, if these movies are any indication," added Minerva, as she reached out and patted Harry's knee..

"The problem is, how do we get through next year without Albus dying?" inquired Mad-eye. "There's a complication, if I ever heard one."

"Does he have to die?" asked Harry. "If we're changing everything, why not change that, too?"

"I believe I have the answer to that question, Harry," Albus spoke up, a smile on his face. "It seems that in all epic stories, the hero's 'mentor' must be taken out of the equation, so that he can get on with his 'quest'; he's on his own, so to speak. However, another reason I don't think I'll be dying is, I won't have poisoned myself, first with the cursed ring and then having to drink that liquid in the cave. . . however, would it be prudent to fake my death, so as to give Tom a false sense of confidence, removing a roadblock in his quest to kill you."

"Ah, right, we've got most of those Horcruxes, or know where they are," nodded Harry.

"So, the only reason for my having to get the cabinet working again was to let the Death Eaters into the castle so they could witness my killing the Headmaster?" Draco questioned.

"Apparently; they retreated as soon as Albus was killed, taking you with them," Tom answered. "That's when he moved into Malfoy Manor and started his plans for taking over the Ministry later in the summer."

"The Dark Lord moves into the Manor?" Narcissa sat, shaking her head. "Bella, too, I imagine."

"He takes over the Ministry?" Mad-eye asked. "Why didn't the Aurors stop them?"

"He had too many of his Death Eaters already in place in the various departments, and with Albus dead, the Order was in shock and leaderless, so that defense was breaking down." Replied Rupert. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves. What we really have to focus on, besides your trip to the Ministry and the raid on the house at the end of the school year, is gathering the Horcruxes. And the Hufflepuff Cup is the one that's the most worrying. Severus puts the replica of the Sword of Gryffindor into Bella's vault only after he's made Headmaster, as, presumably, once in the office, he has access to it hanging on the wall and offers it, as a gift, to Voldemort . . . or Voldemort just wanted it as a prize, from Albus possessions. Either way, Severus could still offer the replica to Voldemort, suggesting it be placed somewhere where is couldn't be summoned . . . say, Bella's vault, perhaps?" The last phrase done in a fairly good imitation of Severus' slow drawl, which caused the Potions Master to raise an eyebrow and smirk at Rupert.

"Yes," added Emma. "The enchantments the Goblins have on all of those vaults would, conceivably, keep it there forever."

"But what if he wants Bella to go with Severus? How will he get the Hufflepuff Cup out?" asked Neville.

"I believe I can persuade the Dark Lord to keep Bella under his thumb and by his side. I would be sure and hint that it's best she not touch it, as it might just fade away and return to Hogwarts . . . my being Headmaster giving me the privilege of touching and removing it. She'll be satisfied it's in her vault, bragging rights, so to speak, perhaps she is the one who volunteered the space to the Dark Lord," Severus suggested. "Although she doesn't trust me, she knows I'd do the Dark Lord's bidding and place the sword in her vault without hesitation."

"I am so glad you're on our side, Severus," commented Sirius. "You're too devious for your own good . . . that's why you're turning into such a great Marauder!" He smiled sweetly at Severus, batting his eyelashes outrageously. Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head, while Remus patted Severus on the shoulder.

"Right," said Dan, looking around the room. "Let's write out a rough timeline for the next six months or so, including gathering what Horcruxes we can and then we'll get some lunch before we see the last two movies, which actually cover Harry's last year at Hogwarts or that year, anyway . . . you'll see what I mean," he added when he saw a few quizzical looks at his announcement.