Chapter 14

James decided to listen to Ginny by skipping Friday night's game. Although he wanted to say that it was out of respect for his mother, he also knew that there was no way his sore body was going to make it through the battle was to take place on the Quidditch field. One of the fifth years took over for him as one of the Chaser positions; Gryffindor ended up winning, but not by much. It was nice to know that he wasn't so easily replaceable.

Saturday came quickly, and the young boy was hardly ready for it. He had taken dozens of dates around Hogsmeade, but of course, this time was different. James quickly ran to his spare trunk, which was hidden under his bed. Pulling the case forward, he opened it to find a dark, multicolored material draped neatly inside. The Invisibility Cloak.

His mother had wanted it taken away from him after he was caught in the hallway past hours, but Harry was adamant about his children posessing the cloak that had been passed down from generation to generation. Luckily, Albus and Lily didn't seem to have much interest in it, although he knew that his sister's appeal would grow once she became more comfortable at the school.

James ran his fingers through the soft fabric. He imagined the number of adventures his grandfather'd had with the very same cloak. Although he knew he should be grateful for peaceful times, part of him often wished he had been alive during Voldemort's rise to power. If he had been friends with his grandfather or father, he could have been a part of those great experiences he had always longed to have. He knew he was romanticizing the time, and his father would be disappointed at him for even thinking those thoughts; Harry had always been honest with his children about what it was like during those dark years, and all three of them understood that the amount of loss he suffered was not light. However, James couldn't help but wonder how he could have contributed to Voldemort's defeat if only he had been born at an earlier date.

Under the cloak lay a piece of parchment paper, yellowed with age. This was the Maurader's Map, created by his grandfather and his friends. Teddy had it in his possession for awhile when he was in school, but James was certain he never used it; his godbrother did not have a knack for mischief, despite the fact that his own father, Remus Lupin, was involved in making it.

He carefully lifted the map out of the trunk, opened it fully, and tapped the inside with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said softly. Instantly, the page filled with drawings of the corridors of Hogwarts. Inside the corridors were dots labeled with the name of a person, depending where they were in the castle. Most of the students were at the Great Hall for breakfast, but a few strays were in the hallways walking back to the dormitories or in the library studying for classes. Besides his Invisibility Cloak, this was his most prized possession. This map was what allowed him and his friends to go through the secret tunnels of Hogwarts without being caught (Besides the time when they had been too confident in themselves to keep the cloak on and the map open. James still couldn't believe that he had let himself be caught). He wouldn't need it today with Evelyn, so he tapped his wand to it while uttering "mischief managed," tucked it neatly back inside the trunk, and stowed the trunk back under his bed.

Taking the Invisibility Cloak into his hands, he started to think about what his plan would be. He couldn't very well walk right out with the cloak and head to Hogsmeade with his peers; both McGonagall and Neville knew he had it and would catch him in an instant. James decided that he would need to stay invisible the entire time he was at the wizarding village; which meant that he would need to use the One Eyed-Witch tunnel to get to Hogsmeade. It took about an hour to walk there through the tunnel, but he figured he had time since most of the students would still be finishing up their breakfasts. Kneeling down on the ground, he pulled out his old trunk once again and grabbed the map from it. Finally, with the cloak over his shoulders, an unseen James headed out of the dormitories and down the stairs.

He couldn't help but shudder when he reached the statue; the one-eyed woman always gave him chills when he looked at it. "Dissendium," he said quietly, causing the witch's hump to creak open. James bit at his lip before sliding down into the passage. A quick Lumus spell caused his wandlight to spill out into the space.

The walk felt longer than it usually did. Apparently when you were sneaking off to Hogsmeade with your friends on an unscheduled day, the time in the tunnel seemed like mere minutes. Finally, he emerged into Honeyduke's cellar; the sweet smell of candy hit his nose immediately. He put his cloak back on and hurried up the stairs. The shop was beginning to fill, as customers hurriedly bought their treats for Christmas, which was only two weeks away. Weaving around the people so that they did not feel an invisible force bump into them, the boy rushed to the window to see if Evelyn was waiting for him. She wasn't there yet, and it reassured him that there were no students inside the shop, which meant that the third through sevenths years hadn't arrived yet. He went back inside and snuck a Chocolate Frog out of the bin, discreetly placed a few Sickles on the counter, and headed out the door when a customer opened it to sit down in the snow and enjoy his treat under the safety of his cloak.

He couldn't help but notice how beautiful Hogsmeade Village was this time of year. Each shop was decorated with bright Christmas colors, the enchanted lights twinkling brightly, even in the daylight. As he admired him, he almost didn't notice the soft features of the girl that put all of that splendor to shame. James watched her for a moment out of curiosity. She was bundled up in a large coat and a black and white striped hat. Her Slytherin scarf hung loosely around her neck. Standing quietly in the snow, she looks out in the distance, although she wasn't truly watching the happenings of the village. That was the thing about Evelyn...it seemed like she could be present somewhere, but it didn't mean she was truly there.

He walked over to her and gave her a gentle nudge. She looked around curiously, but not confused or afraid. "James?" she asked with a laugh.

"How didya know?" was his reply, although he stayed under the cloak. He watched as a group of third years entered the sweets shop.

"When I didn't see you at breakfast or in the Entrance Hall, I figured you had used your Invisibility Cloak."

"How did you know I had an Invisibility Cloak?"

Evelyn shrugged, shooting him a light, playful smile. "Word got around when you were caught with your thick friends. Really, Potter...if you have a damn Invisibility Cloak, you should never get caught."

"Not my greatest moment," James said with a sigh. "I managed to stash away the cloak before we were caught, though. Or else I'm sure McGonagal would have made me give it back to my father."

"Thank goodness. I was worried there for a minute." Her voice was thick with sarcasm as her eyes narrowed in on him, as if she could see him standing there.

"Funny," James replied with a smile.

"So is this what we're going to do for most of the day? I look positively mad right now, talking to myself like this."

"You really underestimate me, don't you?" The boy's voice carried a feigned hurt tone. "Watch my footprints; follow closely so no one notices them."

The two of them headed through the crunchy snow, down the hill toward the fence at the end of the village. He stopped suddenly, forgetting that Evelyn couldn't see him. "Hell...Potter!" she said with a laugh as she bumped right into him. "Where are we going?" Her lips moved in a slight shiver when a gust of wind suddenly picked up; James longed to step forward and warm her lips with his. Suddenly realizing that the coast was probably clear, he quickly emerged from behind his invisible shield.

"Ahh," Evelyn said, reaching out a hand to lightly graze his cheek. The act caused his own set of shivers to run through his body. "It's nice to see you. Now...where are we going?"

"Shrieking Shack," he said, pointing toward the infamous, abandoned house. It's boarded up windows and doors looked strange amongst the rest of the sparkling, quaint village, which was only a little ways back up the hill.

The young girl tilted her head and opened her mouth a little bit in a curious expression. "Isn't that place haunted?"

"Long story. Let's go before anyone sees us."

The two walked down toward the shack, stopping right before they reached the large willow tree that was planted outside. Its branches were covered in a thin layer of snow.

"Uh...that's a Whomping Willow," Evelyn pointed out. "We won't get even close to the Shrieking Shack."

With a laugh, he shook his head. "So little faith, so little faith." With that, the boy lunged ahead toward the gigantic perennial. Sensing him, the willow threw down its giant branches, twisting like it was flailing collosal arms. But James, having faced many bludgers in his life, was quick. He dodge, ducked, and darted down toward the base of the willow tree. With a giant leap forward, he pushed the tiny knot that no one would know was there. Instantly, the tree became immobilized.

When he looked back, Evelyn was giving him a curious expression. As if it were the second key to entering the shack, he hastily walked over, threw his arms around her lower back, and kissed her. When they parted, the girl took a deep breath through her nose. "Fantastic," she said, grabbing James' hand and pulling him forward. They ducked under the branches, now as still as a tree should be, and headed down the secret tunnel. The inside of the shack was thick with dust, the flowered wallpaper torn into long, jagged strips. The furniture, or what had been furniture at one time, was broken into bits on the ground. James walked carefully around a pile glass, so covered with dust it blended into the floor.

"What happened in here?" she asked as she ran her long fingers down the side of the wall. She rubbed them together to remove the layer of dust that had clung to them.

"My grandfather's friend was a werewolf," James told her casually. He cleared a space on the ground and lay the Invisibility Cloak down so that the two of them could sit. "Albus Dumbledore had the house built so that he could come here at the full moon. Obviously, he wasn't very well mannered in that form."

"Does he still change to this day?"

He shook his head and sighed. "He died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Remus Lupin was his name. Actually, his son is Teddy is my father's godson. My dad practically raised Teddy after his parents died."

"Oh," she replied quietly. "Well, I can definitely relate to that."

"How old were you when he was put into Azkaban?" James asked carefully.

She looked up at him, her eyes burning with anger, though he had a feeling it was not directed toward him. "Eight. He's been in there for six years. I can't imagine what's it's like for him. I think about it every day."

"I don't blame you. If that happened to me, I don't know how I would think of anything else." Except for you, James wanted to say. She was beautiful, even sitting on the dusty floor of a "haunted" shack. Her long hair fell into her face as she turned her head toward him-she brushed it to the side with her hand.

"What makes it worse is I know he's innocent," she said.

"You said you saw it happen. Saw what happen?"

Evelyn's gaze moved away from him once again. "It was at Diagon Alley. We were walking down street to get lunch somewhere. Truly the wrong place at the wrong time. Had we been one street over, even ten feet over, none of it would have happened.

There was a fight over something, with two men I'd never seen before. One of the man pulled out a wand and fired some sort of spell. The other man fell over into the street. Then there was chaos. I..I don't remember much of it. But when I looked over to my father, I saw the look in his eyes. It was a determination to protect me. One of the spells that was fired struck the building behind us, which caused the side to crumble. It crushed one of the men. My father was scared, so he grabbed my hand and we ran. It wasn't long before your father found us. I tried to get him to listen; my father was only trying to defend us. But what were the words of an eight year old girl over a man who was trying save his own skin? The man who pulled his wand out first, the one who started the fight, testified against my father. He said that my father had suddenly become irate over something and immediately pulled out his wand and fired it. Of course, they checked his wand; they found a Confringo curse had been used. But I know he didn't mean to hurt anyone. He was only trying to save me. And for that...in that one moment, the worst moment of my life, my father was sentenced to forty years in Azkaban."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds. "I...I don't know what to say," James finally said softly. Some of the words of the story continued to echo through his head.

"Not much to say. Its difficult to live with, I'll tell you that much. It makes me wonder how many innocent people are sent to that inhumane place. They say you go mad within weeks, you know."

"My dad's godfather, Sirius, was sent there for killing their friend. But he didn't do it. He was in there for fourteen years before my father discovered the truth."

She looked over toward him. Her eyes, now soft and vulnerable, almost looked like they belonged to someone else. "And how'd he get out?"

"Well...he...he escaped."

Another few seconds of agonizing silence, until James' voice filled the room. "Evelyn? What if I talked to my father? I'm sure he would listen. You could tell him what happened, and he could reopen the case. Maybe he could use a truth serum on the other man. Then they would have to believe you."

Evelyn's face suddenly scrunched in anger. "Do you run to Daddy for every little thing?"

His heart skipped a beat, and it felt like it dropped into his stomach. "Wow. I do not run to him for every single thing. Quite the contrary, actually."

"Oh, I see. That's why didn't come to the Hospital Wing just a few days ago. Right?"

"Longbottom called him!" he snapped, standing up to his feet immediately. Evelyn stayed seated on the ground. "Wasn't my bloody idea. In case you forgot, I was everything but conscious at that point in time. If you don't want me to talk to my dad, all you had to do was say so. You don't have to bite my head off about it."

"Not trying to bite your head off. But your father can't fix this. And I wouldn't be caught dead asking him to."

"Fine then. Sorry I brought it up," he grumbled. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable that he was towering over her, he leaned against the wall of the shack and slid back down to the ground. Dust probably covered his back, but he didn't care. This date was far from what he expected. But for some reason, he didn't want to leave. Even arguing with her was better than being apart. Today was the day he realized that her angelic face when she was angry and passionate drove him crazy. Heart pounding with anger and lust, he crossed his arms and looked toward the broken chair next to him.

Silence once more. James hated silence, but he didn't know what to say. Finally, she spoke.

"James?"

"Yeah?" His voice was softer than he had intended it to be. He looked over to her.

"Let's break my father out of Azkaban."