The Marauder's Inauguration
Summary: Since Harry has recently turned sixteen, James and Sirius decide it's time for Harry's Marauder Inauguration. The inauguration involves a few shots of Firewhiskey while explaining Harry's role in the Marauders. What they didn't plan on was Harry getting drunk.
AN: This is the result of a plot bunny. It wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. Enjoy!
"Can either of you explain to me why we are here?" Harry asked as he stood outside Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of the Black family, Sirius's childhood home.
"Well, you're sixteen," James explained. "In the Potter family, you're an adult at sixteen. Only you can't use magic yet. Sirius and I decided it's time to bring you into the Marauders. Tonight we're doing your Marauder's Inauguration." James wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders.
"I've been waiting for this since you were born."
"And we're doing this at Grimmauld Place because…..."
"Your mother," Sirius replied.
Lily felt that Harry wasn't ready to join the Marauders officially. James assured her they weren't making Harry join them. Harry was joining willingly. If James felt Harry wasn't ready to join them, they wouldn't be doing the inauguration. James knew his son. During one of their conversations, Harry had mentioned becoming an Animagus. That was among the things they were going to discuss that night.
"So, we came here to get out of Mum's hair?" Harry asked.
"Yes, son," James answered. "There's another reason. The inauguration involves some Firewhiskey."
"What!" Harry exclaimed. He knew if he were to come home drunk or hungover, he knew Lily wouldn't be sympathetic. He had learned about sobering spells and the hangover potion at school. There was one problem Harry didn't know how to do the sobering spell. Lily didn't keep hangover potions in the house. He had even heard stories from Sirius about how his mother reacted when he would bring James home drunk.
She wasn't sympathetic at all.
When Harry turned thirteen, Lily had told him during their talk that if he ever came home drunk, he would have to suffer the consequences.
"We're not going to let you drown yourself in alcohol. Just follow our directions, and everything will be fine," James assured his son.
Harry nodded. "Got it."
They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Sirius pulled out the bottle of Firewhiskey from his jacket pocket and conjured up three shot glasses.
"Are we ready to get started?" He asked.
"Yes," Harry and James exclaimed in unison.
Sirius poured three shot glasses of Firewhiskey. He handed a glass to James. Then he handed a glass to Harry before taking one for himself.
"Welcome to the Marauders, Harry."
After the first shot, they began to discuss starting the process of Harry becoming an Animagus with the plan of discussing with Remus the possibility of Harry joining them on their monthly jaunts when he successfully mastered the transition.
How little did James and Sirius know what was about to happen?
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Lily sat in her kitchen, a cup of tea in her hands. She was flipping through a photo album, watching her baby grow into the young man he was today. She paused when she came to a picture of Harry, James, Sirius, and Remus taken last Christmas.
"Lily?"
Looking up from the photo album, she found Remus standing in the doorway leading to the front hall.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked her.
"Not at all." With a flick of her wand, another cup of tea appeared on the table.
"Thank you," Remus murmured, taking the seat beside Lily.
"I can't believe my baby is sixteen," she said softly.
Remus smiled as he looked at a picture of Harry, James, and Lily on Harry's sixteenth birthday.
"I sometimes still see him as that baby who wouldn't let me out of his sight."
Remus chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. "I remember that time Sirius and I were visiting. You needed to go to Diagon Alley. It took James, Sirius, and me two hours to get Harry to quit crying."
Lily smiled softly. She turned the page to find a picture of Harry with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Harry's arm was around Ginny's waist, and her arms were around his waist.
"I don't think I've seen him so happy as I do when he's with Ginny. Molly told me that she never worries about Ginny when she's with Harry," Lily said.
Remus agreed with her. "Those two are you and James all over again."
"They are. Did you know Harry talked us into letting him take Ginny into London alone?" Lily asked.
"No."
"He did. He took Ginny to London, and they spent the whole day there, using the Underground to get around. He took her to the movies. They took a bus to the Leaky Cauldron and had dinner before flooing home. He took Ginny home first. Then he came home."
"Are they planning another date before school starts back?" Remus asked her.
Lily nodded. Harry had asked her and James if he and Ginny could go to Muggle London again the following Tuesday. Harry planned on taking Ginny to the Aquarium and Regent's Park for a picnic.
Lily smiled as she turned the page. "Oh look, here's a picture from last summer's vacation."
Remus leaned over, smiling at the group shot. James had his arm around Lily's waist, his other arm around Harry's shoulders. Harry stood in between him and Sirius.
"That was a fun trip," Remus mused. "Except for the vomiting." Harry had gotten car sick on their way to Weymouth Beach and then got motion sick on one of the rides.
"Yes, I know. I need to remember to pack some motion sickness potions or medicines next time," Lily noted.
"Here are the pictures from that road trip James, Harry, and Sirius went on."
Remus smiled as he looked at the pictures James had taken. He, Sirius, and Harry went on a short holiday to Alton Towers Resort in Alton, England. It was a place they hadn't been to since Harry was in primary school. It was just James, Harry, and Sirius as Lily was on a girl's trip. Remus and Tonks were on their holiday.
"You and Tonks were on holiday to Dover. James said he would have invited you to come had you and Tonks hadn't had plans."
Remus smiled, remembering that trip.
"And James said that Harry got car sick that time too."
"Sirius was driving," Lily explained, "And he got food poisoning too."
Remus winced. "Poor kid."
He and Lily spent the rest of the evening looking at pictures and enjoying each other's company until James, Sirius, and Harry returned.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Harry had passed out on the sofa in the lounge of Grimmauld Place. James and Sirius shared a look before Sirius broke the silence.
"You want the kid?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, I'll take him," James replied, staring at his son's limp form.
"You know," Sirius began. "Maybe we should give him Firewhiskey more often."
"He gets loose lips when he gets drunk," James agreed. "But Lily wouldn't allow it."
Sirius nodded, pocketing Harry's glasses to keep them from falling off his face and breaking.
After the first five shots, Harry started spilling his guts out about his fears. Everything from the prophecy to what could happen to those he cared about the most. Somewhere along the way, Harry moved on to admitting liking Ginny before the Yule Ball and then how scared he was for her. They had just started dating. Harry didn't want her to get hurt, nor did he want to hurt her.
"When did he get a hold of the bottle?" James inquired.
"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "He probably just grabbed it when we were busy listening to his confession," Sirius said softly.
They left Grimmauld Place, returning to James's car parked on the other side of the street. James carried Harry over his shoulder, careful not to drop his son. Sirius opened the back passenger door for James to put him in the back seat behind the driver's side. Once Harry was secure and provided with a bucket, just in case, James and Sirius got in the car to head back to Potter's Bar.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Lily and Remus jumped at the sound of the back door opening. Sirius held the door open for James. He came in, carrying Harry, who was moaning slightly.
"James Henry, what happened to our son?" Lily demanded.
"Well, we started slow, only doing five shots. Somehow, Harry got a hold of the bottle and started chugging it," Sirius explained, shutting the door gently.
Lily turned to her husband, hands on her hips, "How did he get a hold of the bottle?!" She exclaimed, careful not to shout for the sake of Harry's pounding head.
"I don't know. Although, there was a benefit to that. The more Harry drank, the more he blabbed," James admitted, trying to keep a hold of his son.
James headed upstairs to Harry's room. He gently laid him down on the bed. He returned downstairs to find Lily pointing at a chair.
"I want to know what happened from the beginning." It was not a request.
James sighed deeply. "As I said, he started slow. Harry began with the prophecy and how stressful the last year was. He said that he couldn't take the pressure. He felt like he was drowning. After that, it was blabbing. He confessed to liking Ginny way before the Yule Ball. How scared he was for Ron to find out. He moved on to how scared he was for Ginny. That was when he started drinking it straight out of the bottle. We didn't realize he had a bottle until it shattered to the floor."
Lily shooked her head before making her way upstairs. James followed Lily up the stairs and into Harry's room.
"Are you okay, Kiddo?" A muffled moan was his answer.
Between James and Lily, they helped him out of his clothes. They decided to leave him in his boxers for the night. They tucked him into bed, knowing he would feel the effects of the firewhiskey in the morning.
Harry woke up with a pounding head and an upset stomach. He rolled over to lie on his belly, burying his head under his pillow.
"What did I do last night?" He asked himself softly. He couldn't remember much from the night before. He would need to ask James or Sirius what happened. Anytime he tried to think about what happened last night, his head would throb. He moaned quietly, the noise muffled by the pillow.
The light was too bright. It was making the headache worse, causing the roiling in his stomach to worsen.
Harry's head was still under the pillow when James quietly opened the door and entered his son's room. He chuckled to himself when he saw Harry's head under the pillow.
"How are you feeling, Son?" James's response was a moan from under the pillow. "I take it you don't want any breakfast?"
"Please don't mention food right now," Harry moaned as he felt his stomach roll.
James closed the curtains to Harry's bedroom window. He pulled Harry's desk chair over and straddled it.
"The curtains are closed. You can bring your head up now."
Harry moved his head out from under the pillow, groaning slightly. "I don't think Mum would sympathize with me and give me a hangover potion, would she?"
James shook his head. "No. She's threatened to hex Sirius and me if we do. We love you, son, but we're not risking it."
"I don't feel so good," he murmured. He felt James rub his back soothingly.
Harry laid still, trying to gain control of his stomach. But his stomach wouldn't have it. He tried to get up, getting tangled in the blanket and duvet. He slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling some bile rise in his throat.
James watched Harry's face turn a pale green. He quickly grabbed him, helping him get to the bathroom, getting him in front of the toilet in time for Harry to puke his guts out. He vomited until he felt like there was nothing left in him. His throat burned. The muscles in his abdomen were aching, and Harry continued to heave, feeling like he was never to stop.
Eventually, he did. James flushed the toilet as he summoned a washcloth, dampening it with his wand to wipe the sweat from Harry's face. Once done, he tossed the washcloth in the sink. Then he summoned a cup to fill it with water. Catching the plastic cup, he used his wand again to fill it with water.
He handed the cup to Harry. "Here, rinse your mouth out. Then take a drink, slowly."
Harry rinsed his mouth out first, spitting the water into the toilet. Then he took a drink of water.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah," Harry replied hoarsely.
"While you're in here, take a hot shower. Breathing in the steam will help your head. The hot water will soothe your stomach."
James went into Harry's bedroom, returning with a red T-shirt, Harry's grey lounge pants, and a clean pair of boxers. Harry took them when James returned to the bathroom.
"Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, Son."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Lily stepped out of her and James's bedroom as James slipped out of Harry's bathroom. He met her halfway to give her the laundry he had collected from Harry's bathroom and bedroom.
"How is he?"
"Hungover. He just got done throwing up. I'd wait a bit before asking him if he wants breakfast," James cautioned her. "He's taking a shower. The hot water will help him feel a little better."
Lily nodded, dropping the dirty clothes, used towels, and washcloths into her basket.
"I'll take this chance to change the sheets on the bed. I can wash the ones that are on his bed now."
James nodded mutely and let Lily go into Harry's room. She waved her wand to make the room smell a lot better. With another wave of her wand, the sheets on his bed was changed for clean ones. The ones that were on his bed Lily tossed into the laundry basket. Once she finished, Lily collected the laundry basket as she left the room.
James came back in when Lily was done. The shower was still running in Harry's bathroom.
He settled in the red armchair in the corner of Harry's room. He remembered sitting in the same armchair, reading bedtime stories to Harry when he was a little boy. He read so many books that he was positive he could quote them word for word.
The bathroom door opened. Harry walked out, only pausing when he saw James in the armchair.
"I remember you sleeping in that chair every time I was sick."
"Do you?" James replied, amazed that Harry would remember that.
"The Muggle flu when I was ten, Wizard's Flu when I was thirteen, and that stomach bug back in the spring. I had it an extra day than you did. The time I woke Mum up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache when I was fourteen. I woke up the next morning. You were asleep in that chair," Harry explained.
"And you remember all of that?" James asked softly.
Harry nodded gently as his head still hurt a little bit. "Yeah."
James smiled. He asked, "Did the shower help?"
Harry nodded his head slowly again. The shower helped him feel a little better. His head still throbbed, and his stomach felt awful.
"Okay. Mum has some errands to run, but I'll be here. I'll be downstairs in my office if you need me for anything," James said.
"Okay, Dad."
James was only gone but five minutes when Lily entered his room. She carried a tray with a plate with some toast, eggs, and tomatoes. There was also a glass of orange juice and a bowl of bananas.
"I thought you might be ready for some food. You don't have to eat it all," Lily assured him. She sat down the tray, handed Harry the plate and a fork, sitting the glass of orange juice and a bowl of bananas on the nightstand.
Harry looked at the food apprehensively.
"It might help you feel better to have something in your stomach. I'm going to run some errands real quick to get some things. I'll be back soon. Dad's in his study." Lily kissed the top of Harry's head.
"Mum." Lily stopped and turned around at Harry's voice. "Thanks," Harry said.
"You're welcome." With that, Lily left the room.
"For not killing me," Harry whispered after she left.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
James entered Harry's room, finding his son asleep in his bed. There was an empty plate, bowl, and glass with a dab of orange juice on his bedside table. James picked up the dishes, taking them downstairs to the kitchen.
He returned five minutes later with a bottle of water. He got the blanket from the back of the armchair. He tucked the blanket around Harry and placed the rubbish bin beside his bed in case Harry got sick.
"Is he asleep?"
James whirled around to find Sirius standing at the door of Harry's room.
"Yeah, he's asleep," James replied.
Quietly, James and Sirius went downstairs to the kitchen. They sat down at the table.
"How was he this morning?" Sirius asked.
"Like we were when we drank a bottle and a half of firewhiskey that time my parents left us alone in the house. He threw up some this morning. He seemed to feel better after he had a shower. Lily made him some eggs, tomatoes, and a banana."
"Did he keep it down?" Sirius asked.
"I didn't hear him throw up in the bathroom from down here. He's never quiet when he throws up," James explained.
The back door opened. Lily came into the kitchen, sitting bags of groceries on the counter.
"How's Harry?" She asked.
"Asleep." James got up to help Lily put up the groceries.
"I'm going to try to make Chicken Bouillon. I've read somewhere that helps with hangovers," Lily explained. "I picked up some Gatorade, bottled water, and apple juice. I also picked up things I figured would be easy on his stomach today and maybe tomorrow if needed."
"I'll go check on him," James said, leaving the kitchen. He walked upstairs to Harry's room with water in hand, finding Harry awake, curled in a ball.
"Are you okay?" James asked.
"My stomach's not feeling too good," Harry groaned slightly, wrapping his right arm around his middle.
"Mum got you some Gatorade. I brought you some water. You need to stay hydrated."
"I know," Harry sighed as he propped himself up with his left hand and took the water from James.
"Do you want red Gatorade or blue?"
"Red."
James left the bedroom. He returned a moment later with the red Gatorade Harry requested. He set the bottle of Gatorade on the side table.
He set the bottle of Gatorade on the side table.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Harry gently flopped back into the bed. He groaned, "I'm never drinking firewhiskey again."
James smiled, chuckling softly. "So we'll not need to worry about you coming home drunk anytime soon?"
"No," Harry deadpanned. He wasn't planning to get drunk anytime soon.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
In the afternoon, Harry moved downstairs. He spent the rest of the day on the sofa in the family room, watching television once his headache was dull enough to handle watching television. He slept on and off all day, drank Gatorade or water, and ate food that was easy on his stomach.
Lily made him take a vitamin potion and a hydrating potion. It helped replenish the vitamins that were depleted from Harry's body from the vomiting and to rehydrate him. Lily made the chicken bouillon which Harry managed to keep down, despite his stomach's protests. A stomach soother solved that problem.
Lily made chicken noodle soup for Harry and beef stew for James and herself for dinner. Harry sat at the table, crushing crackers into his soup as Lily and James talked, catching up.
"Are you going to eat?" Lily asked him.
"Yeah," Harry replied, scooping the soup with a spoon and bringing it to his mouth. Lily smiled as Harry started eating.
James and Lily discussed their plans for the rest of the summer. Was there anything else they wanted to do before Harry returned to school for his sixth year?
"Maybe we should go back to the coast," Lily suggested.
"Invite Sirius and Remus. Tell them to bring Hestia and Tonks with them," James said.
"And maybe we could take Ginny," Harry added hopefully.
"If it's alright with Molly and Arthur," Lily said. "Maybe we should pick somewhere we can drive to instead of taking a Portkey."
"That's fine with me," Harry blurted.
James looked at his son over his glasses. Harry wasn't keen on traveling by Portkey, especially after the third task. Car trips, he could handle if he had taken some anti-nausea or motion sickness potion.
"Sounds like a plan," James answered. "We'll invite Remus and Tonks and Sirius and Hestia over and inform them of the plan."
The rest of dinner consisted of the clanking of spoons against the bowl.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Harry stood, with damp hair and clean pajamas, outside the cracked door of James's study.
James's study was a room that Harry was rarely ever in. The room was off-limits, just like Lily's lab in the basement, to Harry when he was a little boy. Then when he got older, Lily started allowing him a section of her lab to practice brewing potions. James allowed him in the study to get books for Defense homework.
James's study was where punishments were often issued. When Harry came home from Hogwarts in his first and second year, he no sooner walked through the door than James would tell him to go into the study. Harry remembered the many boring hours he had spent in his room, grounded after those school years. They were only for a week, but to Harry they were the longest weeks.
Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," James called.
Harry pushed open the door standing at the doorway.
"You can sit down, son." Harry walked over to the sofa sitting down.
"Am I in trouble for what happened last night?" Harry asked before he lost his nerve.
James looked up, noticing the frightened look on his son's face.
"Are you in trouble for what happened last night?" James repeated the question. "No."
Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. James noticed this.
"It's partly my fault. Sirius and I should have kept the bottle out of your reach."
Lily came into the room after coming up from her potions lab.
"Sweetheart, your father and I discussed this. We decided that since this is your first offense with Firewhiskey, you've suffered enough," Lily assured him.
Harry nodded.
Lily added, "But if there's a second time, there will be consequences other than the hangover. I think you know what they are?" Harry nodded slowly. He knew very well what the consequences were.
"I saw this morning when I asked you how you were doing, and you said that….."
"I'm never drinking firewhiskey again," Harry finished.
James smiled at Lily knowingly. "We'll see about that."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
James turned off the lights in his study and climbed the stairs. He paused outside his and Lily's bedroom when he saw the light on in Harry's room. Deciding to check on Harry before he went to bed, he turned to head to Harry's bedroom. He found Harry sitting on his bed, a book in his hand.
James knocked on the door. "It's getting late, son."
Harry looked up from the book he was reading. "I'm almost done with this chapter," he said. His eyes scanned the page for another minute until he closed the book.
"Are you flooing to the Burrow tomorrow?" James asked.
"Yeah, I'm going to get Ginny. We're going to go to Muggle London for the day. Maybe go see a movie?"
James nodded. He approached the bed, sitting down on the side.
"Harry, you do, know that your Mum and I are not mad at you, right?"
Harry nodded. "I figured this was Mum's way of assuring this doesn't happen again. It was my fault. I shouldn't have grabbed the bottle."
"Well, Sirius and I are at fault. We should have kept a closer eye on you.
Just know that this shouldn't happen again," James warned. "At least until after you are seventeen."
Harry nodded. "I know. I didn't know what I was thinking."
James looked at his son. Harry was all James with Lily's eyes.
"You're sixteen years old with a lot on your plate. I'm just glad that it happened under my supervision."
"Just didn't mean for me to grab hold of a bottle and drink straight out of it?" Harry asked.
"Right." James looked at Harry sternly. He asked, "This is not going to happen again, is it?"
Harry shook his head. "No, sir."
James got up, leaning over. He kissed the top of Harry's head.
"Sleep tight, son. I will See you in the morning."
"Good night, Dad."
James reached for the doorknob, pulling the door to, leaving a crack. Harry leaned over to turn off his lamp. He laid down, gazing at the stars on his ceiling. Feeling himself getting sleepy, he closed his eyes.
Harry slept well that night. Although, he knew that he would wait until he turned seventeen to try Firewhiskey again.