Chapter Eleven: The Invisibility Cloak

A few days into the new year, Remus hugged his mum goodbye - holding her tight and wishing as hard as he could that she would be well again next time he saw her. He took a pinch of floo powder from the jar his father held out to him and then cast it into the fire. The flames turned green and he stepped into them. 'Professor McGonagall's office, Hogwarts,' he said as loudly and clearly as he could. And then there was a wooshing sound, the flames jumped higher, he got one last look at his mum's face … and then he was revolving very fast, tumbling through darkness.

A few moments later, everything was still - he saw a square of light - and then he tumbled out of the fireplace and onto the stone flags of McGonagall's hearth - choking and spluttering.

'Welcome back, Lupin,' he heard her dry voice from somewhere above him. 'Do get up - or Miss Evans will land right on top of you, she is due in … twelve seconds. Eleven...'

He scrambled out of the way. The flames grew tall - and then a small shape was spinning around very fast … and then Lily was collapsed on the floor, her face grimy and her eyes watering. 'That's horrible,' she choked.

Remus held a hand out and pulled her to her feet and they started to gather their things. 'Just a moment,' Prof M said. 'Miss Linehan will be here shortly - you may as well all return to Gryffindor tower together.'

Lily was still coughing. 'I'd never done that before I went home for Christmas,' she told Remus. 'Muggles don't travel by chimney … I'm not used to it yet. It's worse than broomsticks.'

'Quicker than the train though.'

'Oh yes - my dad would have gone spare if he'd had to travel down to London to pick me up, when I would have passed our house on the way down. He grumbled enough at the start of the year.'

Remus thought of something and wrinkled his brow. 'How did you use the floo network - if muggles don't have it?'

'I went to Sev's house.' She bit her lip. 'I wish we'd been flooing to the same place - I want to check he's alright. His dad doesn't like magic much, he didn't seem happy to have me there - and us using the floo powder. I think Sev might be a bit afraid of his dad.' She blushed, 'don't tell him I said that.'

'Of course not.'

The flames turned green again - and a moment later Petra tumbled out, and then the three of them made their way back to Gryffindor tower, struggling to carry all their things.

'Did you bring them?' Petra asked Lily … Remus didn't know what she was talking about.

'Yes - i had to sneak into Tuney's room to get them. I'm sure she won't notice. I'll get the first one out for you as soon as we're in the dorm. I hope Mary's brought hers so Mandy can borrow them.'

'What have you got?' Remus asked.

Lily went bright red. 'Nothing.'

'Yeah… alright.' He gave her a funny look, but shrugged it off. James was bringing something from home that he was being cagey about too. He wasn't falling over himself to tell Lily that secret, so he supposed he could afford to let her keep hers.

They arrived at the portrait of the fat lady, gave the new password ("earthshine") and scrambled through the hole up into the common room, which was still more or less deserted. Remus parted ways with the girls and headed up to his dormitory to deposit his trunk and then went back downstairs, Professor Tenebris's book about vampires in his hand, and sat in the squashy armchair closest to the fire to read it.

…

Meanwhile, the other three boys had caught the Hogwarts Express and found a compartment all to themselves. 'You're not going to believe what I've got to show you,' James said to them, his face shining with excitement.

'What is it?' Peter asked.

But James shook his head. 'Not 'til we're at school - not 'til Remus is with us as well.'

'You could give us a sneak peek.'

'No - all together.'

'But -'

'Leave it, Peter,' Sirius said, his voice came out in an annoyed bark. 'We're waiting for Remus.'

Peter flushed and looked mutinous. He opened up a chocolate frog and bit into it rather viciously. Sirius glowered. James grinned at them both. 'So - did you both have good hols? What presents did you get?'

'The less said the better,' Sirius told him. 'Honestly - I just want to forget it ever happened. We're going back to school now - that's what matters.'

'Well I had a good time,' Peter said.

'Who asked you?'

'James did.'

Sirius tutted. He folded his arm and tapped his foot impatiently - and glanced across at James. James also seemed to be a ball of pent up kinetic energy … he was shuffling and fidgeting - and casting glances every so often at Peter. He looked like he was bursting with something - and Sirius guessed it wasn't whatever it was he wanted to show them - because, if he was that desperate, he'd just show them. He was the one imposing secrecy on himself, after all.

No - James wanted to talk about his letter … his theory. Only Sirius had banned him from mentioning it to Peter, and so he was having to keep it inside. Every so often the boys would catch each other's eyes - and then look away. Sirius's foot kept tapping. James kept fidgeting. Peter kept on munching chocolate frogs.

Sirius drummed his fingers on the window pane. It was raining, a miserable , grey January afternoon and the raindrops streaked down the glass … He chased them with the tips of his fingers - and then glanced at James again.

James cast a sidewards look at Peter.

Peter kept on munching his chocolate frogs.

Eventually - after hours and hours - Peter got up and mumbled something about going to the toilet. They both watched him leave - and then, the moment the door slammed shut behind him, burst out talking.

'Alright but hear me out on this -'

'You're being ridiculous. And you could get Remus in trouble.' They both stopped talking. 'Alright,' Sirius said, with a haughty nod of his head, 'you go first - I'll listen.'

'You know it all fits,' James said. 'It explains … everything . Why he's so secretive. Why his family just disappeared. His dad was a world leading expert on apparitions and he just abandoned his job - and it's not like they can afford it. Remus is dirt poor.'

'His mum is sick. Remus told me his dad gave up work to look after his mum.'

'Well he would say that, wouldn't he? He can't say "my dad gave up work because I'm a great, hairy monster that'll rip your face off as soon as look at you".'

'That's not fair,' Sirius said sharply. 'There's nothing wrong with Remus.'

'Oh you know I didn't mean it like that. Of course there's nothing wrong with Remus. But he is a werewolf. Saying his mum is sick is his cover story - it's him his dad left work to look after. And that's not the only reason he left. He got into trouble with the wizengamot - why wouldn't Remus tell us about that? Wouldn't you tell people if your dad had had a blazing row with the people who run the country?'

'My dad is the person who runs the country,' Sirius shrugged. 'Or close enough. I get into blazing rows with him all the time.'

'It's not the same and you know it,' James said reprovingly. 'The fight was about anti-werewolf laws. Laws that would make life harder for werewolves. Mr. Lupin is an apparition expert, not a werewolf one - why would he even be involved?'

'There's got to be another explanation.'

'Why? Why can't it be the simplest explanation? Look - he gets sick and disappears once a month. He's covered in scars. He's really private and his family have all but abandoned the magical world and gone into hiding…'

'Well his mum's a muggle - lots of people leave our world when they marry muggles.'

'But they didn't leave until after the fight about werewolves. That was when we were about five. Mrs. Lupin had been married to a wizard and living in our world for years at that point. Something happened to make them leave… and I think that something was Remus getting bit by a werewolf.'

'How did he not die?'

'He got lucky.'

Sirius snorted. 'I don't think you get more unlucky than being bitten by a werewolf!'

'Look - what will it take to convince you? How much proof do you need?'

'Oh - I don't know, how about … actual proof ?'

'Well if you won't let me ask him…'

'I'll hex you if you try. I've learned some good ones over the holidays.'

'Alright - well, there should be another full moon at the end of the month, right? So what about we wait and see - and if he disappears and gets sick again…'

'Three months.' Sirius said. 'If it happens for the next three full moons … then we'll consider whether we should mention it. But nothing until then.'

It was James' turn to snort. He folded his arms across his chest and looked grumpy. 'Fine. But you'll see I'm -'

The door slid open. Peter had returned. James immediately fell quiet. Sirius went back to looking out of the window. Peter looked at them both and narrowed his eyes. 'What's going on?'

'What?'

'You both just went quiet when I came in. What were you talking about?' His voice had a hard note to it - as if he did not like that they were talking behind his back.

'Oh - er - Sirius was just trying to get me to tell him what it was I had to show you all.'

'Well I like that!' He sounded very annoyed, as he settled himself back into his seat. 'You tell me off for asking and then try and get James to show you in private. Hypocrite.'

Sirius tutted again - but he didn't reply. He chased another raindrop down the window with his fingertip.

…

Remus passed a very pleasant, if solitary, afternoon reading his book. Petra and Lily never came down from their dormitory - and he did wonder once or twice what they were up to - but for the most part he was perfectly happy in his own company. He knew it wouldn't be for long. The train would arrive - and then there would be a feast, and he would have Sirius and James and Peter back.

The rain poured down outside the window, hammering against the glass. It had washed away all the snow from before Christmas and now everywhere felt misty and damp. But still, it was cosy enough in front of the fire. It was not often that first years got such prime spots - and he was making the most of the empty common room while he could.

The pale sun set and the dark drew in, and he heard a clatter on the stairs - and the girls arrived. 'It's time for the feast,' Lily said to him, 'you coming?'

He put his book down and followed her. 'I suppose you'll be hanging around with those dreadful boys again once they get here?' she said.

He grinned. 'You know they're really not that bad when you get used to them.'

'I don't want to get used to them. I want them to grow up.'

'They're eleven!'

She sniffed.

'Anyway - you hang around with Severus. You can't talk.'

'That's different … Severus needs me.'

'Why?'

But she didn't answer. She just linked her arm through Petra's and walked on ahead.

The entrance hall was packed tight with a scrum of jostling students, as they made their way down the marble staircase. Half way down, Petra pointed to Mary, who was fighting her way through the sea of bigger children, and waved to her. Mary swam upstream against the tide and fought her way through to the bottom stair to wait for them.

'Do you bring them for Mandy?' Lily asked - as soon as they were together.

'Yes! And I spoke to Sandra Lewis from Ravenclaw and Connie Bidwell in Hufflepuff on the train. They're in too - they're going to speak to the girls from non-muggle families in their own houses. They said they'd send home for their own sets so they could explain it better.'

'Excellent! Are there any Slytherin muggleborns? … Sev might know.'

Petra snorted. 'Muggleborns don't get sorted into Slytherin.'

Remus was still none the wiser as to what was being spoken about - however he was stopped from asking by the sound of his own name being bellowed. 'Remus! Hey Remus!' And then something small and wearing glasses catapulted out of the crowd, dived on Remus and rugby tackled him to the ground.

It was fortunate Remus had still been on the stairs, otherwise they would have been crushed under foot by the students trampling their way to the Great Hall. As it was, they just had a bit of an uncomfortable and precarious landing, rolled down a step or two and then bumped to a stop, all tangled up together. Lily looked down at them sprawled and spreadeagled at her feet. She sniffed, shook her head, and walked off with the other girls.

'Did you have a good holiday?' James asked.

'Yeah - great - you?'

'Brilliant. Only - Sirius isn't talking about his, so don't ask.'

Remus bit his lip. 'Was it awful for him?'

'He didn't say - but anyway - never mind him, what about you?'

'What about me?'

'Are you alright? How are you feeling?'

Remus furrowed his brow. The answer was "mystified" - as to why James was asking. 'I'm fine.'

'You're sure?'

''course I am - why wouldn't I be?'

James shrugged and then grinned at him. 'No reason, come on.' And he struggled to his feet and then stuck a hand out to haul Remus up. They headed into the hall - Peter waved to them from the Gryffindor table, 'over here!' and they went and joined him.

Remus looked between Sirius and Peter - who were glowering at each other, 'what's going on?'

'Sirius and Pete have been sniping at each other since London. It's been exhausting.'

'Oh come on, cheer up,' Remus shoulder barged Sirius and gave him a small smile, 'we're back at school!'

'And just you all wait until we get upstairs,' James said, 'you're not…'

'Going to believe what you've got,' Sirius finished for him - he flicked a forkful of peas at James. But he was smiling as he rolled his eyes. 'He's said that every twenty minutes on the train ride up here,' he told Remus. 'It's been exhausting .'

James pulled a face. Sirius pulled one back … they all laughed. The sniping between Sirius and Peter seemed forgotten, and being with friends was just as wonderful as Remus remembered it.

...

Up in the dormitory, the three of them all sat expectantly, squashed together on Sirius's bed - while James made a great show of checking there was no one out on the stairs. Once convinced they were alone, he ostentatiously closed the door and then crept back to his own bed on tiptoes - where he then opened his trunk.

'Now you must keep your voices down, boys,' he whispered at them. 'We don't want any Tom, Dick or Merlin coming in to see what we're up to.'

'What are we up to?' Remus whispered back.

'Shhhh, you'll see.' He glanced around the room - as if expecting to see intruders peering out from behind the curtains or from underneath the beds. 'Alright, boys - feast your peepers on … this .' And with an extremely dramatic flourish, he brought out a shimmering, silvery piece of fabric that caught the light in a way that made it look fluid, like it was made of water woven into cloth.

Peter and Remus were nonplussed - and they just stared at it, slightly perplexed frowns on their faces. But Sirius had gone completely still - and his eyes were narrowed, almost calculating. 'Where did you get that?' he asked - and his voice was sharp but also … hungry.

'My dad gave it to me. And his dad gave it to him. It's been in the family for generations my dad says - forever and ever - over a hundred years at least.'

'I've never seen one like it before. My mum has one - but it's just demiguise hair and it cost her … a lot. Probably more than Remus's entire house cost.'

Remus flushed.

So did Sirius. 'Sorry,' he muttered.

'But what is it?' Peter asked.

'God - Pete - don't you know?' James was grinning, his whole face was lit up like a birthday cake for an octogenarian. 'It's an invisibility cloak! Look!' And he swirled it around and wrapped it around his shoulders. Immediately his entire body disappeared. His disembodied head now seemed to float in mid air - grinning cheerily at them.

'Wow!' Remus breathed, his eyes going wide. 'How does that work?'

'Magic.'

'Well … obviously. I mean what enchantment is it? If it's not …' he wrinkled his nose as he tried to remember what Sirius had said - and to sound like he knew what he was talking about, 'demilise skin?'

'Demiguise hair,' Sirius corrected. 'How does it work James? Ones with Disillusionment Charms shouldn't last a hundred years.'

'I don't know how it works - all I know is: it's really old, it's really brilliant - and it's really mine. So...' His smile became wicked. 'Where are we going to go first?'

The other three boys glanced at each other, 'what do you mean?'

'Oh come on! It's big enough to cover all of us - we can go anywhere in the castle - anywhere at all. Filch will never find us. So … where shall we go?'

'Right now?'

'No, Pete - next Tuesday. Of course right now!'

'Errr…' They all stared at each other. Stumped. The whole castle to go to - and suddenly they had no idea where they should go first - what it was they wanted to see.

'We could go to the staffroom - listen in to what they're all saying,' Sirius suggested.

'No way - Big Macca's probably still talking about our todgers,' Remus said glumly.

Sirius turned pale - and agreed if that was the case he would rather not know.

'Could we …' Peter bit his lip and shook his head, 'no - it might be too dangerous.'

'Nothing's too dangerous - tell us, Pete!'

'Alright - well - could we go to the Slytherin common room?'

James' eyes lit up, 'imagine if there was a Slytherin going in when we got there - we could get inside. We could hex them all in their sleep! Nice thinking, Peter!'

Peter flushed and tried not to look too pleased with himself.

'Come on,' swirling the cloak from his shoulders at last, his body becoming visible once more, James held it out for them. 'Everyone get under.'

The three of them scrambled off the bed, their faces were flushed and their hearts were beating faster in their chests. They huddled together and James flung the cloak over them all. 'Has it worked?' Sirius asked, 'we can't tell from under here.'

'Of course it's worked - but you and Remus need to hunch a bit, you're both too tall, your feet will show.'

'We're not tall - you're shrimpy.'

'You're like giants.'

'I'm five foot three.'

'There's not much point in us being invisible if we're going to argue at the top of our voices,' Remus hissed at them both. 'The cloak isn't soundproof!'

With a fair bit of mumbling and shoving, James and Sirius went quiet and then the four of them started to make their unsteady way towards the door, stumbling a little as they all tried to move in tandem and stay hidden. They eased the door open, travelled carefully and sidewards down the stairs and then sneaked through the now deserted common room.

The fat lady was snoozing when they pushed the portrait open, but she woke with a start and called out 'who's there?' when they crept past her unseen. They ignored her and made their way down the corridor, headed for the stairs.

'Err …' Sirius came to a halt and they all bumped into him. 'Where is the Slytherin common room?' he asked them.

'Oh - er -' Remus scrunched his face up as he thought.

'Hmm … bugger!' James said. 'Pete!'

'What?'

'You sent us on a wild kneazle chase!'

...

Anyone walking down the corridor at that moment would have heard the sound of a disembodied fist hitting an arm and a dull 'ow'.

...

Under the cloak, Peter rubbed his arm. 'Look,' he said, 'when we come down to breakfast - they come up don't they? So let's just … head downwards.'

'You know … I think I've heard my horrible family talk about their common room sometimes. From what they've said … it might be in the dungeons.' Sirius sounded thoughtful.

James snorted, 'best place for them.'

'It's right at the other side of the castle,' Remus said. 'Lily told me that once. She knows because she hangs out with Snivellus.'

'What on earth does Evans see in that creepy bloke?'

'She said he needs her.'

'For what? Spare parts?'

'She wouldn't say.'

'Well - come on - let's go poke around in the dungeons.' And moving as silently as he could on his tiptoes, James led them all down the stairs.

The castle was a completely different world at night. The lamps were turned down to their lowest glimmer, the night pressed in against the windows and dark shadows loomed large and mysterious. Everything seemed deathly still. The portraits snoozed and snorted in their frames.

As they shuffled their way along the Charms corridor they caught sight of Nearly Headless Nick drifting silently in the opposite direction. He gleamed pearly white in the low light. They went still - and he passed them by, seeming completely unaware that he was not alone in the hallway.

They kept on going, making their way to the marble staircase. Once they were down by the Great Hall it would not be far to the stone staircases which led down to the Potions classroom and the dungeons. They had just crept down onto the bottom stair when Sirius threw out an arm and stopped them all. 'Bollocks,' he whispered. 'Peeves!'

And sure enough, Peeves - the school poltergeist - was floating in the middle of the entrance hall - chortling to himself as he stuck chewing gum into the keyhole of one of Filch's broom cupboards.

'D'y' think we can sneak past him?' James whispered. 'He seems busy.'

But he spoke too soon - for a moment later, Peeves straightened up and looked around - a grin on his horrible face, and the bells on his hat jingling in the quiet air. 'Someone's out there…' he cried in a singsongy voice. 'I know you are … I can hear you … I can smell you … students out of bed!'

'Maybe we should go back?' Remus hissed.

But before they could move one way or the other, there came the sound of tiny, mewling cries coming from down near the floor. Filch's kitten, Mrs. Norris, had just slunk around an open doorway and was staring up at Peeves with her lamplike eyes.

'See that, little chiddlers?' Peeves chortled. 'Filch is on his way - I'll have to tell on you, I will. For your own good.' He puffed his chest out sanctimoniously. 'Oh Mr. Fi -ilch!' He sang out.

'Let's go,' James said.

'No, wait,' Sirius shook his head. 'I've learned the perfect hex to distract him. I found it in a book over Christmas when I was hiding - er - reading up in my room. Watch this!' He raised his wand to shoulder height and pointed it at the chewing gum blocked keyhole. 'Waddiwassi!' he hissed.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight up Peeves's left nostril. He was knocked back through the air, cursing loudly.

'Cool, Sirius!' Remus breathed - his eyes wide and delighted.

Sirius's handsome, haughty face managed to look both shy and very pleased with himself at the same time. 'Thanks, Remus.'

But out in the hallway - things were not going to plan. Instead of zooming away, Peeves had bounced against the wall, fighting with his own nose to try and dislodge the gum. He let loose a stream of the most shocking swear words Remus had ever heard and then banged into another wall before clattering into a suit of armour.

The boys stood stock still - horrified, wide eyed and waiting. The suit of armour swayed. It creaked. It clattered and moaned. Peeves banged against it again, still struggling with his blocked nostril … it shuddered … and then, with a groaning, scraping, clanking cacophany that seemed to echo through the whole castle, it collapsed to the floor with a mighty, metallic smash.

'PEEVES!' the hunting cry of Filch sounded through the empty hallway - and a moment later, he appeared, gasping and panting. A pulse was twitching in his red and pouchy face.

'Go!' James hissed. And moving as one they all turned and stumbled and staggered their way back up the stairs, fighting to keep under the cloak.

Down in the entrance hall, Peeves was still swearing, Filch was still yelling, and some of the bits of armour were still spinning gently on the ground. Peter stumbled over the ridge of a step. For just a fraction of a second - a flash of foot was visible in the darkness.

And Filch stopped yelling.

'Students,' they heard him say. And he sounded delighted. They kept running.

Back onto the first floor, along a corridor where the walls were carved with gargoyles and grotesques, up another staircase, zigging and zagging - they ran as fast and as far as they could. Until suddenly Filch was right in front of them.

That … couldn't be … and yet there he was.

As one, they turned and fled back in the direction they had just come. They could hear his flat feet pounding after them, practically feel his grasping fingers reaching out to seize them.

They turned a corner - and then another corner - and seemed to shake him. They got back to the Charms corridor on the third floor and scuttled along. Only Peter stumbled again … he tripped and fell - and was suddenly out from under the cloak.

'Pete!' James turned back to get him. But he moved too quickly - and as he ran off to get Peter, Sirius and Remus suddenly found themselves visible, exposed and standing blinking at each other in the middle of the corridor. 'James!'

And then they heard Filch's voice from behind a tapestry. 'They were headed this way, my sweet, we'll find them.'

And unable to see James to get back to him - Sirius and Remus grabbed hold of each other and tore off down the corridor - running as fast as they could to get as far away from Filch as possible.

But the footsteps kept coming … and suddenly they had reached a dead end - with nothing but solid wall facing them.

'We're done for!' Sirius moaned, clutching Remus all the tighter.

'We need to hide, here.' He pulled back the tapestry of Frederica the Fearsome, knowing there was an alcove behind it. He had once found Lily and Snape in there. They tumbled in, pulled the tapestry back and then gripped onto each other tightly - trying not to breath, trying to will their pounding hearts to beat less loudly in their chests.

Filch's footsteps rounded the corner … 'nothing here,' they heard him say. 'They must have headed for the library. Come, my sweet, we'll catch them there. Once we've got them we'll chain them up and tell Dumbledore in the morning.'

And then they heard him walk away - his steps getting quieter. They stayed where they were, still clutching one another - not yet daring to move.

They nearly jumped out of their skin when the tapestry was suddenly pulled back. Nothingness greeted them on the other side. Remus blinked. 'James?' he said.

'Get under here - both of you - quick,' and an edge of the cloak materialised from nowhere and was wrapped around them, hiding them from sight once more.

...

On trembling legs they made their way back to Gryffindor tower - pulling the cloak off as they reached the portrait. 'Where have you four been?' the fat lady frowned down at them.

'Out,' Sirius told her. 'Earthshine.'

The portrait swung forward, they tumbled through the hole and scrambled up into the common room. And then - with their legs feeling like jelly and their palms sweaty - they staggered up the stairs, into the dormitory and collapsed on their beds.

'How did Filch do that?' James asked. 'He was behind us - and then he was in front of us.'

'Secret passages,' Remus said. He lay on his back - staring up at the canopy and trying not to have a heart attack. After a moment, he picked up his pillow and began to fan himself with it. 'He must... have used... secret passages.'

'Cool!' James, alone, was still upright - his face still lit up like the Blackpool Illuminations. 'How amazing would it be to be able to nip through shortcuts like that? That no one else knows? We need to find them - all of them. Learn where they all are.'

'Right, but - during the day, yes?' He put his pillow back down and put his hand on his heart to feel how much it was still racing. 'I think - we should only go out at night when we absolutely have to.'