Chapter Seven: Black Deeds

Time moved on, the homework piled up - as did the detentions; their notes on how to become animagi sat locked away in James' trunk and they never found time to sit down and really get their teeth into it. Before they knew it, the first month had passed at school, the air was getting crisper and the leaves on the trees were turning golden and crimson, and starting to drift to the ground.

The day after the October full moon, the second edition of Sabrina13 came out - and Remus once more spent his recovery time reading about the latest cut for a witches robes and the correct angle she should wear her hat at; the recipe for a cheap, homemade potion to tame flyaway hair; a roundup of the last month's Quidditch scores along with expert analysis (sadly, The Harpies - Remus's own team - were not faring so well) and the seven secret signs that a boy might like you ( "they can run hot and cold, so try not to read too much into changes in manner - if they're suddenly sulky or angry it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but watch for them seeking you out…")

The door to the Hospital Wing banged open and Sirius walked in. 'How are you feeling?'

'Awful.' He checked his watch, 'what are you doing here? Break isn't for another fifteen minutes.'

Sirius shrugged. 'James and Peter are in Ancient Runes. I'm meant to be in prep - but I asked if I could go to the toilet and bunked off to see you. Budge up,' and he nudged Remus over and sat down on the bed next to him.

'I'm meant to be recuperating, you know.'

'And I'm helping. How's the magazine?'

'It's a distraction.'

'It's certainly driving James to distraction. He's gone out of his way to find Evans and tell her how annoying she is five times already this morning... Is it me or does he seem to be really overly annoyed with Evans this year?'

'It's not you, no.'

'Why do you think that is?'

'Well,' Remus said thoughtfully, 'I don't claim to have Mary's Mastery of the Male Mind but ..'

They both snorted, and shoulder-barged each other, and then sat in companionable silence, reading the magazine together, until the bell for break rang and James and Peter turned up.

…

While the girls were publishing monthly, it seemed like the Daily Prophet was publishing opinion pieces from the so-called Knights of Walpurgis every day. It was almost every morning that the boys would read a fresh article brimming with hatred, over their kippers and toast, and on the bad days there would be another piece in the Evening Prophet as well.

It was getting so bad that everyone around school was finally starting to notice. Although most students did not read the paper everyday, the articles were now so numerous that the ones that did were starting to talk - and rumours were spreading. Over the next few days and weeks there were headlines like: A Call for Reclassification - Are Muggles Unworthy of "Being" Status? And On the Matter of Mudbloods - Why they should not be allowed seats on the Wizengamot And Is It Time to Revisit the Ministry Ban On Muggle Hunting? ( this last one was by Sirius's first cousin, once removed - Araminta Meliflua).

Worse even than the ugly words being printed, was the sight - every morning - of Severus and his gang of greasy, fellow Slytherins with the Prophet wide open, lapping it all up and leering at any muggleborn who crossed their path.

It all seemed to come to a head one Friday, in prep (Sirius and Remus were in Muggle Studies at the time, but James and Peter avidly watched the whole thing and told them about it later) when Lily caught Severus reading: A Gruesome Grimoire: Horrible Hexes and Crafty Curses for the Slippery Sorcerer by Acheron Advorsius, instead of doing his Astronomy homework.

'What - in Merlin's name - is this?' She asked, seizing it from him and then holding it by just the corner, as if it was dirty. There was a look of great distaste on her face.

'Nothing - it's just a bit of light reading.' He tried to snatch it back.

'Light reading?' She dropped it on the desk and then, still looking very squeamish, flicked through the pages. 'Sev, there's really nasty stuff in here. Dangerous stuff! How to curse magical objects, how to cast powerful hexes from a distance… there's even a bit on how to transmogrify animals! These spells are cruel, Sev - this book is evil.'

'Don't be ridiculous - it's just a book. I'm only reading it for fun.'

'For fun!'

He flushed a dark, blotchy red. 'Everyone's reading books like this down in the Slytherin common room and - anyway - this isn't even mine. It's Regulus Black's. He lent it to me.'

'Well isn't that nice? A little lending library of evil - where you can spread around your horrid ideas, the same way all your parents do in the paper.'

'People are allowed to write about what they believe in the paper, Lily.'

'Yes - and I'm allowed to judge them for it. Them and anyone who agrees with them. Which you and your mates all do.' Two red spots had appeared on her cheeks - and there were angry tears brimming in her eyes.

'Lily, you know I would never believe anything bad about you,' Sev hissed at her (though the way he was glaring at her rather undermined his words). 'You know that.'

'But that doesn't mean you object to the idea of my family being hunted! You don't actually care if I'm allowed to work at the Ministry. So what do you mean - you'll stop just short of letting your precious "Dark Lord" kill me? Well - thanks very much!'

'That's hyperbolic nonsense. I can't take you seriously if you're going to be so melodramatic.'

'Well unfortunately I do take you seriously - I take the stuff you're reading seriously, I take the stuff you and your friends are saying seriously, and I take what you think seriously. And I think you do too - which is why it's so … serious! '

'Do you want me to lend you a thesaurus?'

She smacked him with the grimoire. 'Fine - make your jokes. But if you want us to keep on being friends then you need to think really hard about why it is you are so willing to believe every nasty thing that is printed about people like me. I want you to think about what you get out of that - and if it's worth it, if the cost is our friendship. And until you've figured it out, don't bother talking to me.'

The bell for the end of the period rang, and she stormed off without a backwards glance. And though this fight took place on a Friday, they clearly had still not made things up by the following Monday - as Lily stayed away from Severus as far as was humanly possible during their Potions lesson. And she continued to keep her distance for the next couple of weeks. And as things festered, and did not get fixed, she seemed increasingly angry and Snape seemed increasingly sour … and James was increasingly delighted about the whole thing.

…

As they reached the middle of October, the Hogwarts Quidditch season officially started - and the first match was to be played between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. James was buzzing with energy, and went out to the pitch to practice all hours he was not in lessons (or detention).

The day of the match itself dawned crisp and bright - perfect Quidditch conditions - and the whole school turned out to watch. Remus, Sirius and Peter took their seats surrounded by yellow and green scarves as well as red and blue. Snivellus was sitting not far away with a Ravenclaw banner. 'Git,' Sirius muttered when he saw him.

They cheered and catcalled as the teams came out. James looked very small and determined down on the pitch. They waved and shouted, but he kept his eyes fixed firmly on Madam Hooch and didn't so much as glance their way. The whistle blew - the players kicked off from the pitch and rose into the air, there was a flash of gold as the snitch was released and then it vanished immediately, the quaffle was thrown and they were off.

They had barely been playing a minute before James intercepted the quaffle from the Ravenclaw chasers, passed it to Bethany Ellshaw and then streaked down the pitch to be in just the right position to receive the ball again. A moment later he had sent it sailing through the middle goal post, while the Ravenclaw keeper was left flailing. The crowds of red supporters roared in approval, while the blues groaned. Sirius, Remus and Peter jumped up and down and waved their banners.

'Ten points to Gryffindor - and our first goal of the match comes from James Potter,' the announcer said, while the boys kept on screaming, barely able to hear her. 'A controversial appointment, he played for the lions in the cup final last term - only to be disqualified. Clearly Ellshaw has decided his brilliance on the pitch is worth more than his instability as a sportsman…'

The boys stopped cheering to drown the announcer out with boos, and Sirius gesticulated wildly with his middle finger.

Out on the pitch, James had flushed - though whether that was from pleasure at having scored, or embarrassment at the announcer's words, it was impossible to tell. But he certainly didn't seem to be letting them get to him as the whistle blew and they started the next play. He swooped around like a hawk, a crimson blur in the sky, intercepting, passing, darting back and forth - he was always in just the right place for Bethany or Petra to pass to him, always there when it looked like they were about to get tackled, or hit by a bludger and it was not long before he scored again … and then again.

The Gryffindor crowd went wild.

'See - he always said he was brilliant,' Remus shouted in Peter's ear, and Peter - with the omnioculars trained steadily on James - nodded in agreement.

The whistle blew again, play resumed - and by this time, even the announcer seemed to have forgotten and forgiven James' disqualification from the previous year, as she was loudly enthusing about his skills over the megaphone. 'And just look at him go - he really is the one to watch this match, he really is a find for the Gryffindor team and with him on their side I'm not sure anything can stop them but … what just happened?'

There was an intake of breath from the crowd; Peter, peering through the omnioculars, gave a moan.

'What's he doing?' Sirius asked, 'what's he playing at?' For up in the air, James had come to a dead stop, his face was pale and he was gripping his broom so tightly that the whiteness of his knuckles was visible from the ground. The broom jerked - and he was nearly thrown off. The Gryffindors gasped. James gripped all the tighter, but the broom bucked underneath him, again and again, causing him to kangaroo jump through the air.

A few Slytherins started to snigger. The Gryffindor players came to a rather puzzled stop, 'Potter - what's going on?' Bethany called to him.

'It's my broom - it…'

Everyone in the crowd stood and watched, open mouthed, as the broom gave another wild jerk, and suddenly James was thrown off completely and left clinging on by only one hand. It continued to buck and bump, and - with a massive effort - he managed to reach up and clasp it with his second hand. He was just starting to pull himself back on when it violently spasmed again and he tumbled off once more.

Peter shrieked. Sirius swore.

Petra and Bethany flew upwards, trying to grab and bring him back down to safety, but every time they got close, the broom would jerk upwards and shoot up a few feet - taking James out of their reach. Eventually, James was just a tiny dot in a vast sky, and still the broom bucked and jerked and threatened to throw him off. Admitting defeat, the girls dropped back and then hovered beneath him, as if hoping to catch him should he fall.

There was a flash of gold, as the snitch put in an ill-timed appearance, but Jenny Price was too busy staring at James to notice, as was everyone in the crowd.

There was another violent wobble, and James was left dangling one handed again.

'What can have happened?' Squeaked Peter. 'Is his broom broken?'

'Don't be soft, Pete,' Sirius snorted, his eyes trained on the distant, struggling figure of his best friend. 'That's a top of the range model - it doesn't just "break".'

'But something must have…'

'It would take a very powerful jinx to interfere with a broom, Peter,' Remus told him. 'Even more so if it's being cast from a distance… who would have the power to cast a curse like …?'

'Oh … bollocks, ' Sirius groaned in realisation. 'Gimme…' he grabbed the omnioculars from Peter and, instead of looking upward, trained them on the crowd instead. 'That bastard, ' he hissed.

Remus was just about to ask him what was going on, when Sirius vanished from his side - hurtled through the crowd of spectators, pushing and shoving people out of his way (and knocking acouple of Ravenclaw second years into the row in front) and then flung himself on Snape, rugby tackling him to the ground, and then began to pummell him, punctuating each hit with a swear word or an insult.

A hundred feet in the air, James' broom seemed to right itself and he clambered back on, Madam Hooch's whistle blew and the game resumed, though the Gryffindor players were clearly shaken, and it was only a few moments later that the Ravenclaw seeker caught the snitch and ended the match - 150 to 30 to Ravenclaw.

Meanwhile, a great crowd of Slytherins had set upon Sirius and, as Snape scrambled back to his feet, his nose bleeding, it was Sirius's turn to get pummelled into the dirt.

…

'He could have killed James, and somehow I'm the one who ends up in detention?' Sirius roared in disgust that night, by the common room fire. 'I'm telling you - this place is the pits.'

'You did look a bit mental - just attacking him like that,' Peter said - and then, under Sirius's furious glare, backtracked quickly. 'But I believe you! How - how did you know he was cursing him?'

Sirius snorted. 'It was obvious - he was staring up at James the whole time, not blinking, muttering away to himself. What else could he be doing?'

'Praying for my safety?' James offered. Sirius hit him.

'He was cursing the broom - I know it. Want proof? Wasn't the broom fine the moment I tackled him and he broke eye contact? That was a Jolting Jinx, if ever I saw one.'

Remus frowned. 'That's very advanced magic though,' he said. 'Not the jinx itself but - to cast it on a broom - from that distance. Brooms, especially top of the range ones like James', have all sorts of in-built protections against that sort of thing. A third year shouldn't be able to jinx a broom.'

But Sirius only snorted again. 'It was all in the book he had in prep. Reg's book. You mark my words - he's more than up to it. And he's more than up to a spot of murder as well…'

'And yet it's you everyone's calling a nutter… but not me!' Peter threw his hands up hurriedly in defence.

…

But it seemed that Sirius was not the only person in the castle who had put two and two together. As Severus made his way back to the common room from breakfast the next morning, he felt a tug on his arm and was suddenly yanked behind a suit of armour, where he came face to face with a furious looking Lily.

'I know it was you,' she hissed.

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Everyone's saying Black attacked you out of nowhere - that he's mental… But it was you jinxing the broomstick. Go on, admit it!'

'So what if it was?'

'So what? You could have killed Potter, if he'd fallen - that's what.'

But Severus only snorted dismissively. 'With a stand full of teachers right there? - Not likely! They'd know some spell to stop him falling, or turned the pitch into a bouncy castle, or something. He was never in any danger - I just gave him a fright, made him look a fool in front of everyone.'

'Why, in Merlin's name…?'

'Payback.' It was Severus's turn to hiss. 'And I didn't see you telling him off when he was cursing me - when I couldn't lift my head because…' He went bright red and stammered out the last part: 'he'd engorgioed my nose.'

'Maybe I just expect better from you.' Her tone was cool.

But Sev wasn't having it. 'Oh come off it - you're siding with Potter. Over me. You're betraying me.'

'I'm not -' She shook her head. 'Sev, what he did…'

'Was cruel - and humiliating.'

'But it wasn't dangerous!'

'And I told you - he was never in any danger.'

'You can't know that!'

'He deserved it, Lily. Or do you think he should be able to get away with cursing me? Do you think he wouldn't do the same to me - if it was me up there?'

'But it wasn't you up there!'

'Are you going to tell on me, then? Get me into trouble - maybe get me expelled, sent home… to my dad…'

'I…' She hesitated for a moment and then tutted and stormed off.

'So we're back to not talking are we?' He yelled after her. She didn't look back - and he cursed to himself under his breath.

…

When Sirius returned from his detention, he was in a towering temper. He had been made to disembowel horned toads down in the dungeons for Slughorn, and he had gut residue stuck underneath his fingernails. 'And Snivellus gets away with attempted murder, scot free.' He flung himself down in his armchair and glowered darkly into the fire. 'How's James?' he asked eventually.

James had spent the day moping. The game had not gone as planned and, as far as he could see, this meant that the whole season - and possibly his entire career - was a writeoff.

Sirius scowled even more deeply when Remus relayed this to him. 'Snivellus knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what would hurt James the most - and he went for it. I'll get him back - just you watch - I'll get him back.'

…

The next morning there was something pinned to the noticeboard in the common room that did nothing to allay Sirius's black mood. They came down from the dorm to find a huddle of students gathered around the board and, when they had barged their way to the front, found that the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was scheduled for the following Saturday.

Sirius walked away from the crowd, without saying anything, and kicked a footstool.

'Maybe we should offer to stay behind,' James whispered, watching him. He was now trying to stuff his Transfiguration textbook into his school bag with rather more force than was strictly necessary.

Peter looked disappointed, but nodded to James' words. But Remus shook his head. 'I think we're better off not mentioning it for now … not if we don't want an explosion.' Sirius strode over to the portrait hole and kicked the portrait open - they heard the Fat Lady squawk. 'He isn't going to accept our pity.'

'It isn't pity!'

'Isn't it? … Anyway … He'll only say "no".'

…

So when the day came, Remus, James and Peter put on their cloaks, wrapped their scarves around their necks and promised to come back laden with Honeydukes sweets. And Sirius did his best to smile manfully and not look too bitter (though this was severely tested at the sight of Snivellus and friends making their own way out of the castle, gloating and sneering at everyone being left behind, as they went).

Sirius waited until his friends were out of sight and then, with his hands deep in his pockets and his feet scuffling along the floor - occasionally kicking out at things that annoyed him just by existing, he made his lonely way back to the common room. 'Eventide,' he said, glumly to the Fat Lady.

'Why haven't you gone to Hogsmeade?' she asked him, her eyes narrowing.

'Eventide,' he repeated, balling his hands into fists in his pockets. She harrumphed and swung open and he went inside.

The common room was filled with first and second years, and his lip curled as he stared around at them all. Ignoring everyone, he slowly made his way up the stairs to his dorm and got his toaster out. But after ten minutes of staring at it listlessly and not touching it, he put it away again. He punched his bed post, and swore when his knuckles started to sting. Then he kicked his trunk for good measure. He flung himself down on his bed, stared up at his canopy and started to seethe … but he was too restless to do even that for any length of time, and less than a minute later, he was up and pacing again.

'Stupid, old hag…' he muttered to himself. 'Won't buy me a broomstick, won't let me go to Hogsmeade - locks me up like a prisoner even when I'm away from her…' and he punched his bedpost again. He stared out of the window; he could see the mountains in the distance - and imagine the little village nestling at the foot of them, with half the school currently streaming towards it … and here he was trapped inside. He swore again, and decided to go down to the kitchens and try and frighten some food out of the house elves.

Things got even worse when - en route to the kitchen - he reached the fourth floor and bumped into Peeves, the school Poltergeist, who was busy sticking chewing gum into keyholes. 'Why, it's Barking Mad Black!' Peeves cried when he saw him. 'What are you doing in the castle - sneaky sneaky creepy creepy through the corridors - should be in the village with your little friends. What are you up to?'

'Piss off, Peeves.'

'Now now - none of that - Who are you trying to kill this time?'

'I said "Piss off, Peeves".'

Peeves cackled and abandoned his keyholes, choosing to pelt Sirius with the chewing gum instead. Sirius covered his head with his arms and fled round the corner - hearing the sniggers of the hideous little spook behind him.

'The say that he's barking that little boy, Black

They say he's the looniest one in the pack…'

The song floated after him. Sirius scowled back in the direction he had come from - and then looked down as he heard a meowing sound by his ankles. 'Oh - bollocks !' Mrs. Norris was standing there, watching him balefully with her lamp-like eyes. 'Shoo - go on - I'm not doing anything wrong.'

But she continued to watch him and - a moment later - he heard the slapping of soles on the stones, which could only mean the flatfooted approach of Filch was nigh.

'I'm not doing anything wrong,' Sirius hissed again at the cat, but - not wanting to get caught anyway - he looked around for somewhere to hide. He was by a large mirror, which he knew - from their explorations back in first year - opened up and had a large corridor behind it. He got his fingernails beneath the rim of the mirror, prised it open and scrambled up, slamming the mirror shut just as he heard Filch come round the corner.

'What is it, my sweet?' he heard the wheezy voice of Filch ask. 'Who was here?'

Mrs. Norris mewled for a bit, and Sirius held his breath until he heard them both walk away. Then he turned to look at where he found himself. It was pitch black, and he took out his wand and whispered ' Lumos '. And then, with nothing better to do, he kept one hand against the rough wall to guide him and started following the passageway wherever it would lead him.

…

'Cheeese!' James and Peter, their arms wrapped around each other, grinned - the flash of Remus's camera went off and they were blinded for just a moment.

'There, done.'

'I'll take one with you and Pete in it.'

'No, it's fine - I'm documenting. Our first trip to Hogsmeade.'

'It's not the same without Sirius,' James took a rather glum sip of his butterbeer and slumped back in his seat.

'No - it's not.'

'He'd have really appreciated what a stunner Madam Rosmerta is.' He perked up a bit - sat higher in his chair and peered back at where the very young, very pretty, very curvy barmaid was pulling pints.

'If you say so.'

'I do - look at her.'

'Proper gorgeous,' Peter agreed, kneeling up on his own chair for a better look.

Remus shook his head, wound on his camera and then took a sip of his butterbeer. 'What are we going to do next after we leave here, anyway?' They had already been to Zonko's and Honeydukes, and James had spent obscene amounts of gold buying nose biting teacups and pocket frogspawn and fizzing whizzbees for Sirius. They were now in the pub - The Three Broomsticks - and frankly, it seemed like maybe they had already exhausted all that Hogsmeade had to offer. It was a very small village, after all.

'The girls are all in Gladrags,' Peter said, 'trying to get robes that look Hag-made.'

'Well, we know where to avoid, then.'

'Post office?' Remus suggested.

But James shook his head, his nose wrinkled. 'What's so interesting about a post office?'

'Madam Pudifoot's?'

'It's full of couples.'

'Not all couples - I saw Professors Babbling and Vector in the window having a coffee together.'

'Well they're best mates aren't they - they do everything together… They even share an office…' James paused and then shook his head at the weirdness of some teachers. 'Anyway - the last thing we want to do is go where there are teachers.'

'I could do with a new quill - we could go to Scrivenshafts.'

James yawned ostentatiously, while Peter sniggered.

'Well - what then?'

James stopped yawning, and his face took on a mischievous glow. 'Well,' he said slowly. 'There is always … the most haunted house in Britain ...'

Remus sighed deeply - and wished Sirius was with them.

…

By the time Sirius had stumbled his way along the passage for half an hour, he was sweaty and grimy and knew there was no way he could still be inside the castle. He remembered the four of them having to abandon their search down here - back in first year - otherwise they would have been late for lessons, but he had not realised just how long the passage was, or how it really had gone on and on and on. It twisted and turned, sometimes the path rose upward beneath his feet and he tripped up - and sometimes it plunged away downward and he stumbled and lost his footing. He had fallen once, and scraped his knee - and the palm of his hand was grazed from running along the rough stone of the wall.

After about another fifteen minutes (though there was very little way of knowing how much time had passed, in the gloom) he caught just the faintest whiff of fresh air and, a few minutes after that, caught a distant glimpse of daylight. He hurried towards light got brighter, the air grew clearer and - after what seemed like forever in the murkiness of the tunnel - he eventually found himself stepping out and blinking in the autumn sunshine.

The air was cold and crisp - and thin, he was very high up - and, once his eyes had adjusted to the light, he saw that he was on a mountainside. He could see Hogwarts a couple of miles away, in the distance, and, right at the foot of the mountain, was the sloping thatched roofs and smoking chimneys of Hogsmeade. He gave a bark of delighted laughter. He was actually here - his mother hadn't been able to stop him, the school had not been able to hold him .. and it was all thanks to the unholy trio of Peeves, Filch and Mrs. Norris.

Still chuckling to himself, he began to carefully pick his way down the rocky, uneven path towards the town.

…

'You could take a photo of us, here.'

'Thanks, I'll pass.'

'I thought you were documenting.'

'Not this - not here.' Remus stared up at the broken down old hovel, with its boarded up windows and ramshackle, rotting fence. He had never seen it from the outside before … He did not particularly wish to see it from the outside ever again. James, however, had clambered over the fence, pushed his way through the long grass and was now peering through the shutters.

'What are you doing?'

'Trying to find a way in - what does it look like? Here Pete - help me tug on this.' Peter obliged and they tried to prise a board away from the window.

'It's dangerous.'

'It's not really haunted!' James said, turning around and staring at Remus in surprise. 'You, of all people, should know that, Moony.'

'Shhh - someone might hear.'

'There's nobody here. Just us and the non-existent ghosts.'

'Yes - but if you find a way in…' he lowered his voice to a mutter, 'that means I can find a way out.' He folded his arms, and sighed very deeply. A heavy arm wrapped itself around his shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze - and Remus glanced to the side and gave Sirius an appreciative smile.

'What a pair of total, insensitive berks,' Sirius said.

Remus nodded… and then something in his brain clicked - and he cried out. 'Sirius! What - how? - What are you doing here?'

Sirius's face broke out in a broad grin of delight, 'I lit a fire in the prison laundry room, slid down the drain and tunnelled my way to freedom… no fortress can hold me, you should know that.'

Remus grinned back, 'No - but really…' and then they were interrupted by a cry from James - as he noticed they were no longer alone.

'Sirius, mate!' He shot back across the grounds of the Shrieking Shack, jumped the fence and dove on Sirius, pulling him to a bear hug. 'This is great - you've learned to apparate!'

'Gerroff, you speccy git! Of course I haven't learned to apparate… I came down a secret passage…' and he told them all about his find.

'To think it was there all this time - all this time we could have been coming to Hogsmeade,' James said at the end, sounding rather annoyed. He perked up again. 'Still it means we don't have to wait around for Hogsmeade weekends like everyone else, we can pop in for a butterbeer whenever we fancy.'

'It's a bit of a trek,' Sirius warned, 'we really could do with a shorter way to get in … Speaking of…' he checked his watch and glanced up at the sun, which despite it only being early afternoon was already low in the sky, 'I better start heading back. I don't want to get lost up in the mountains in the dark.'

'But you haven't been into the village yet!'

'Next time - you can show me around, but for now - stop torturing poor Moony and clear out of here. I'll see you back up at school, OK?' And with a cheery wave, he turned the collar of his robes up and started back up the path to the entrance way to his secret passage.

'Smug git,' James said, watching him go. 'Imagine finding a secret passage to Hogsmeade all by himself - we'll never hear the end of this now.'

…

And, indeed, Sirius was in a rather jubilant mood that evening. 'Ah, if only I could go and see all this for myself,' he sighed as he munched his way through all the sweets James had bought him. 'If only there was a way...'

James smacked him around the back of the head, but his good mood was infectious and they were all grinning.

It did not last long, however. After tea, The Evening Prophet arrived bearing the headline:

In Conversation With The Dark Lord!

By Abraxas Malfoy

…

There was excitement down in the Slytherin common room when the paper arrived, and they saw its front page. Regulus immediately cut it out and stuck it in his scrapbook, and then spent the evening poring over the Dark Lord's words. So too did Severus read again and again what the mysterious Dark Lord had to say.

Seeing it all written out was the next best thing to hearing him speak in person (something very few had ever done) and Severus ran his fingers gently over the print as if to try and absorb the words and their meaning. Right here was what they stood for - and it was good to finally see it written down. It was only the beginning, there would be more to come - but this was a glimpse into the Dark Lord's vision for their glorious future… and Severus wanted to see as much of it as possible.

…

AM: Some say you are dangerous, a renegade - seeking to overthrow society as it stands.

TDL:Not in the least. I am a conservative - a traditionalist. I stand for what wizarding society has always stood for, what it has always had, and I seek to ensure that we maintain it for future generations to come. It is the so-called "progressives" who are the renegades - who seek to change the institutions of which we have been so rightfully proud.

AM: It is true though, that you wish to undo the so-called "progress" inflicted on our world by Minister Nobby Leach.

TDL:I wish to ensure that power remains in the hands of those worthy to wield it, responsible enough to hold it - and ambitious enough to seek it. It should not be given away to meet some government quota, and it should be held by those who know what to do with it.

AM:And you do not believe the muggleborns - the mudbloods - know what to do with power?

TDL:I do not wish to speak ill of the mudblood, that is not my purpose here... But I know that they are ignorant of our ways, that they straddle the divide between the worlds, belonging in neither. And that, in order to rectify their own precarious balance, they seek to bring our two worlds closer together. But we are separate for a reason. I do not expect them to know that of course, they are not of our blood, but that is why they cannot be trusted to hold power.

AM:Some say muggleborns are descended from squibs - that there is magical ancestry if you simply go back far enough.

TDL:Perhaps that is true. I know not - nor do I care. The truth is: squibs are born without magic, deemed unworthy of it and are rightfully cast from this world. They have no place in our society - and neither do their descendants.

AM: You think squibs should live with the muggles? That they should be driven from our world?

TDL:They are not of our world - they are one with the muggle and should live with them. My vision is simple, my belief is clear - listen well, Abraxas. Magic is might. It is a gift, bestowed by the universe on the worthy. It makes us a better race, we are superior - empowered where the muggle and the squib are disenfranchised. We are gods and they are strengthen ourselves we must keep ourselves pure, cling to our own ways and reject their ways entirely. Muggles are beneath our notice, squibs must be rooted out and forced to join them and the mudblood must be kept in its place and never allowed to undermine that which we hold dear. It is not to be contentious, but to ensure the good of future generations - of our children - that I say this.

AM:And you are the person to lead us into this glorious future.

TDL:I am flattered that wizards of such ancient blood as your own have deemed me worthy of that position. Though I am a humble servant to all…

…

Up in the Gryffindor common room, Sirius snorted in disgust. 'A humble servant who calls himself a "Lord" - what a hypocrite… if people are too thick to see through that…'

'He doesn't mention anything about his plans to live forever - or his penchant for cannibalism, does he?' Remus said.

'Of course he doesn't - people would run for the hills if they knew the truth. But I bet they're falling for this, left, right and centre.'

'Dumbledore isn't,' James said. 'I can help but notice Malfoy junior wasn't made Head Boy this year - I bet he expected to be. Instead Dumbledore chose…whashisname?'

'Benjy Fenwick,' Peter supplied.

'Right - and his dad's a muggleborn. That was a political choice, you mark my words.'

'And The Kneazles aren't falling for it either,' Peter said.

It was James' turn to snort in disgust. But Remus looked across the common room to where the girls were sitting chatting - blissfully unaware of the ugliness in the evening paper. 'And as long as The Kneazles hold out, maybe all the young people will as well,' he said hopefully. 'Maybe we'll win.'

…

But over the next few days "mudblood out" graffiti started appearing on the castle walls again, and no one was quite sure if it was Peeves who trapped Filch in his own broom cupboard for three hours on end - or if something more nefarious was at play.

Halloween fell on a Wednesday that year and, as soon as they were finished with Herbology, the boys traipsed back up to the common room to wash off the worst of the soil and get ready for the feast.

It was already getting dark, but they could just glimpse the distant figures of the Slytherin team out on the quidditch pitch - being buffeted around in the wind and the rain. 'They must be freezing,' Sirius said, rather gleefully.

'They need the practice,' James said. Slytherin had played Hufflepuff the day after the Hogsmeade visit and had been trammelled into the ground. Their brooms might be the fastest money could buy - but that did not make up for the fact that Reg simply was not a very good seeker, and Laila Flume had snatched the snitch from right under his nose.

Remus checked his watch, 'they'll be late for the feast if they're not careful.'

But Sirius only shrugged, 'who cares?'

…

By the time they left the common room, the rain was bouncing down and the wind was howling. It was almost pitch black - but the Slytherin team were still out there.

Severus, on the other hand, was up on the seventh floor, lurking near the portrait of the Fat Lady. He had not spoken to Lily in over a week and, though the Dark Lord's words had filled him with a new fervour, he found he was missing her.

He scowled when he saw the four idiots come round the corner, instead.

'Ey up - what's Snivelly doing, creeping about?'

'Looking for some shampoo?'

'Looking for something to wipe his great, greasy nose on…'

'Yeah - did Madam Pomfrey not shrink it after you engorgioed it? Still looks the same to me…'

And the two loathsome idiots began to cackle, while their fat little friend grinned sycophantically and the sickly looking halfblood didn't have the balls to join in, but didn't have the balls to stop them either. Severus flushed and drew his wand, but Potter was too fast for him.

'Expelliarmus!'

Severus's wand flew from his hand and he was left defenceless in front of the four of them, not sure if he wanted Lily to come past and rescue him - or if he couldn't bear to be humiliated in front of her again.

' Tarantellegra ,' Black called out, and Severus's feet began to perform a frenetic tap dance, while the purebloods howled with laughter and the half blood squirmed.

'Just you wait…' Severus spat at them.

'This is payback, Snivelly, this is nothing compared to what you did to James.'

'It's nothing compared to what I'll do to him when I get my wand back.'

Black roared in anger, but the sickly looking Lupin put a hand on his arm. 'Come on, Sirius, we'll be late - let's go.'

Black nodded (he always did whatever the half blood told him to, it was pathetic) but then: 'Petrifcus Totalus!' Severus seized up and keeled over, stiff as a board, and then - with the pair of them sniggering away, found himself being hoiked under the armpits by Black and Potter and stashed in a cupboard.

He heard their laughter and their footsteps fade away, as he lay there in the dark and waited to unfreeze. He would get them back … they wouldn't even know what had hit them… but he would get them back.

…

The Halloween feast was as rowdy and raucous as ever. The Great Hall was decorated with the usual man sized pumpkins and live bats, and the Fat Friar enjoyed great success with a little play he had written called "Scenes From My Death" .

The Slytherin team were late, and they all trooped in one by one - hoping to go unnoticed. Reg was last of all to arrive, flushed and still covered in mud and about ten minutes later than everyone else.

'Hopeless git,' Sirius said, giving his brother the finger, as he took his seat. 'They should sack him from the team.'

'I'm pretty sure your sainted mother would take away their broomsticks if they did that, mate.'

He gave his bark of a laugh, 'too right - Walburga did not give those out of the kindness of her heart. She doesn't have any kindness …or a heart.'

But - despite the iniquities of his mother and the fact he had a total git for a brother, the feast was too much fun to not enjoy. The Houselves had outdone themselves in creating a variety of pumpkin dishes (though James stuck with the treacle tart over the pumpkin pie for dessert), one bat dropped a great dollop of guano right on Ellis Stebbins' head, and Snivellus obviously never unfroze, as he never made it down.

The boys laughed until their sides hurt and ate until their robes were too tight and - when it was finally time for bed - they left the Hall in great spirits.

'Race you back,' James said. 'Last one to the dorm has to kiss Snivellus.' And with much laughter and grabbing of the backs of each other's robes to haul the others back, the four of them pushed and shoved and raced and tripped their way up the marble staircase, flinging people out of the way as they went.

Once they reached the first floor they separated out, running off to find their own shortcuts - trying to beat everyone else. Remus pulled aside a tapestry and hotfooted it down the corridor which would eventually bring him out in the Charms corridor. James ran up a hidden staircase. Peter followed him, but he forgot about the trick step and sunk in it up to his knees. James left him behind and ran on. Sirius shouldered his way through the crowds and took the main staircase three at a time.

Remus popped out on the third floor and hurtled down the hallway to the next set of stairs, James was up on the fourth floor - he barged through a doorway and another until he hit a dead end; cursing, he turned around again and headed back to the corridor. Peter was still stuck in his trick step. Sirius had made it to the seventh floor but he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because he was by a tapestry he had never seen before - of an unusual looking wizard trying to teach trolls how to ballet dance.

He whirled around back and forth, again and again. 'I'm lost, I need a way to get to Gryffindor common room,' he thought, rather frantically. He whirled around again, 'I need to get to the common room.'

He caught sight of a door … he hadn't noticed it before, but he shrugged that off, and yanked it open. There was a dark passageway behind, which twisted and turned and - with another shrug - Sirius ran down it, headed into the gloom.

By this time, Remus was on the sixth floor - a sweat was breaking out in a sheen on his forehead as he raced down the homestretch. James had made it back to the main part of the fourth floor and was shouldering his way through the crowds, climbing higher with every passing second. Peter had finally been rescued from his trick step and was now scuttling along a hidden passage that led from the second floor to near the library.

Sirius reached the end of his mysterious tunnel, found a door barring his way - shoved it open and then tumbled out right by the feet of the Fat Lady. 'That was…' he stared around in amazement. The door he had come through had vanished '... magic ,' he concluded. He grinned in delight and shoved his hands in his pockets; the hallway was empty, there was no one there but him - he had won.

He was just about to give the password and go in, when a rather pitiful mewling caught his attention … it sounded like an animal in distress, or pain… or both. Frowning, he turned away from the Fat Lady's portrait and went to investigate, following the sound of the whimpers and cries.

Eventually, he located their source - a small, dark shape seemed to be struggling up by the rafters; a shaft of moonlight from a nearby window illuminated its silhouette, as whatever it was battled with whatever was restraining it. Not knowing what else to do, he used the uneven stones of the wall to start shinning up towards the shape. Eventually he reached the beams and slid out onto them… and then he came to a stop.

It was Mrs. Norris up there, miaowing in fear. She had been hit with a body binding curse and then transmogrified, so that she was swollen like a balloon and her tail had grown in length, wrapped around her legs tying her feet together and then tied around the rafter in a double knot so she hung upside down. She was fighting to get free - but every struggle caused a painful tug on her tail and her lamp-like eyes were bulging in fear.

'That's sick,' Sirius breathed, looking at her. 'Who would do … hold still - I'll get you…' He shuffled further along the beam and had just reached her, reached out to free her, when there came the sound of footfalls and chatter - and the whole of Gryffindor house rounded the corner, laughing and talking… and then came to a dead stop, as they looked up and saw Sirius, sitting alone on the rafters, hanging a transmogrified cat…