Lily woke up with a raging headache, and wrapped in soft, sweet-smelling sheets. With effort, she forced her eyes open and looked around - hospital wing. Her skin felt tight and sunburned.
James, she realized with a start, was wrapped up beside her. "James?" she called out, softly. "James, wake up." He wasn't moving. Lily started to panic a little, and then the Madame came hurrying over.
"Lily Evans, don't you move," she said, clucking her tongue and pushing the girl back into bed. "I have enough problems trying to help all those poor children who were inside that building," she added, "I can't force you to get better."
Lily sat up. "I have to get up," and when the Madame tried feebly to push her back down, she said, "no, really, I'm all right, I just have a massive headache." She rubbed her forehead. "As Head Girl I really have to get up."
The Madame sighed. "It's true, people have been asking after you and James all evening."
Lily glanced over at him. "How is he?"
"He'll live, though not without some help," she answered. "Whatever he did in Hogsmeade did a lot of damage."
She knew that James had known the curse used on Zonko's. Lily drank the potion the Madame gave her absently, and mercifully her head cleared. She thought. James knew the curse, but - oh. Of course.
"When will he be awake?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
The Madame clucked again. "If he's up before tomorrow morning I'm putting him right back to bed. The poor boy needs to rest."
"But I can get up?" The Madame looked like she was going to argue, but there was a moan from down the other side of the room, and with an agonizing look she hurried off again. Lily took the time to get out of bed and get dressed.
She had no idea how she'd made it from Zonko's back to the castle.
Heading up to the Gryffindor Common Room, she passed no students. The halls were deserted; Lily figured most of the children were probably locked in their Common Rooms for the night, teachers scouring the castle. She kept a fist closed around her wand, even though it seemed silly. She was back in the castle. It would be all right.
Stepping through the Fat Lady's portrait was an indescribable relief.
Only the sixth and seventh years were still up, Sirius and Remus talking low in one corner. Lily halted, counting heads automatically. When Sirius saw her, he motioned her over.
"How are you feeling?"
She rubbed the back of her head. "I think I swallowed a Fire Crab."
"That would be," Remus said, "the fact that James managed to reverse whatever spell that was and used you in the process."
Lily blinked. "Used me?"
Sirius looked down. "He, it's quite complicated. It's from, er."
Remus continued quietly, "Agrippina's book, actually."
Lily blinked again. "Agrippina's book?" She looked at Sirius, who refused to meet her eye. "Agrippina's book." She put two and two together. "The one that you stole out of the library."
"James told me," Sirius said slowly, "that he saw my cousin reading it last term, right before holiday."
"And that's why he picked that book to study?" Lily asked.
Sirius was incredibly uncomfortable. "Only partly," he said. "The other part was that, it, it was a challenge--" and he held his hands up as Lily started to look angry, "--a challenge to try and rework the spell so that we could counter them."
Remus looked over their heads, and called Sally and George over. Sally hugged Lily tightly. "Oh, thank goodness," she said, "we weren't sure the two of you were going to be all right so quickly." She glanced around. "Where's James?"
"Er, sleeping," Lily said. "I." She stopped. This was the question that, as Head Girl, she should have asked the moment she woke up, but couldn't quite bring herself to. With Sirius and Remus around, it was a little easier. "Where do we stand?"
Sally broke into a huge grin. "Martha got everyone out of Zonko's, and they're going to need some tender care - but they'll be all right."
"Did everyone get back to the castle all right?"
George spoke up. "A few broken bones in the panic, nothing major. Two third years got lost and Gus had to go find them, but other than that, everyone stuck together and followed James and Gus." He looked down, suddenly embarrassed. "Even I had no idea what to do until James started yelling for the prefects to divide up and start gathering students up by year."
Lily said softly, "I panicked, too."
Sally coughed. "But everything's all right. McGonagall wants to talk to the two of you, but not until tomorrow morning. I think that she's ready to give you two a prize for keen work."
"Oh, I hope not," she said, "I didn't do anything, it was all our Head Boy." Remus tugged on Lily's sleeve, discreetly, and Sally and George wandered off, sensing their wish for privacy. "All right," she said, "what's the bad news?"
Sirius grimaced. "We have a bit of a problem - well, I have a bit of a problem, that doesn't have to do with you lot - but other than that, two things." He glanced at Remus.
Remus said, "this is just a bit of an oddity, but - I saw Snape inside Honeyduke's right before the blast went off." He was frowning. "Which means, unless he can Disapparate, it's unlikely he was involved."
Sirius scowled. "I wouldn't put it past him."
"Oh, drop it," Lily said. "You hate him, he hates you - whatever else is circumstantial. Maybe he wasn't involved," she continued, "which is good news." Looking at Sirius' face, she added, "It's not going to make you lot trust each other any more."
Remus replied, "True. It's odd enough, being how tight he wants to be with that group, that he wasn't there, however." He looked extremely thoughtful. "I think maybe he wasn't invited."
"Private party for the initiated," Sirius said, looking extremely black. "That sounds right for those snakes. Or maybe they thought he might tell you," Sirius said suddenly, surprised, as if the thought was disturbing.
Lily sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter - I don't want to talk about it. What's the other thing?"
"There's also the question of how James knew to do what he did." Lily made a face. "Exactly," Sirius said. "And while a bit of mischief making can be overlooked--"
"--tampering with spells as nasty as that one is likely to get you two expelled," Remus answered softly.
Lily winced. If it was just a matter of keeping what, exactly, had happened from general gossip - "What are people saying now?"
Remus checked off on his fingers. "Accident. James performed a miracle. James and Sirius did the whole thing themselves--" and at Lily's anger, said, "that one's mostly dead. Slytherin trick--"
"--which is the truth," Sirius interrupted, savagely.
"James didn't do anything, he was just lucky. James knew the spell--"
"--which is the truth," Sirius interrupted again.
"--for some reason." Remus shrugged. "It's wild rumor right now, but at this school, wild rumor has a habit of being true." He smiled, without humor. "The real question is, how many people saw what he did?"
Lily thought. "Martha was there - I have to call a Prefects' meeting tonight. Theresa and, and her friend--"
"Peter and I," Remus added helpfully.
"Peter and you," Lily amended. "Three Hufflepuff sixths, and a Ravenclaw sixth, a friend of Martha's."
Remus nodded, "That's who Peter and I could remember as well, but." He bit his lip. "I was concentrating on trying to get inside, and Peter, he's more than a little shaken up."
"So, I have to talk to Martha and Theresa," Lily said. "And now." She stood. "But what kind of trouble are you in, Sirius?"
"Er," he said, looking embarrassed. "I was caught by Flitwick with a group of students coming back to the castle. A little."
"Too soon," Remus said. Lily looked between the two of them. They'd obviously already been talking about what had happened for quite some time; there was some tension, but they were sitting closer than they had been in days, and she noticed suddenly that the two of them were holding hands again. Oh, good. Very good.
"Too soon?" Lily asked finally. "Surely he doesn't think you were with that group. I mean, last term you nearly took Bella's head off just for--"
"No, no," Sirius said. "I don't think so. But. Filch found me at the entrance of the school, as I was counting students--"
"Oh, so that was you doing that," Lily said absently.
"And he found something on my person that is," and Sirius grimaced again. "Incriminating, to say the least. Though he doesn't know exactly what it is."
Remus grinned. "We managed to make a, a kind of map of Hogwarts, see." Lily raised an eyebrow, beginning to wonder just how many secrets James and his lot were hiding. Remus lowered his voice. "One that can tell you who's where."
"It's ever so handy," Sirius said, "except Filch confiscated it and threatened to hang me in the dungeon."
"Oh, but," Lily replied, "that doesn't sound too bad. If he doesn't know what it is."
"Dumbledore will," Sirius answered, a little gloomy. "Or he will when he sees it, when Filch hands it over. He's coming back tonight too, we forgot to tell you. On his way from whereever right now."
"And that, coupled with the fact that you and your cousin were both back early..." Lily finished. "Ahh." She stood. "Well, they can't possibly think you had something to do with it, and James and I can always say we sent you ahead to count students off."
Sirius looked surprised. "You'd cover for me?"
"If you mean, when yesterday I was angry enough to spit at both you and James?" She nodded. "Of course. Obviously, James had the right idea." Lily looked between the two of them. "I just think it's time to bring the rest of us in."
~
She got word to Martha by asking one of the portraits very nicely, and met her and the other Hufflepuff sixth and seventh year prefects, along with Gus and the rest of the Ravenclaw prefects, in the Prefects' study.
"Today has shown us something," she said, quietly, "that I think we've all been aware of, unconsciously or not, for quite a while. We're going to have to do something else to keep our students protected."
Gus nodded. "I'm assuming you're speaking for both you and James, tonight?"
Lily nodded. "Unless anyone has a problem?" Several heads shook, and she said, "all right. James," she started, "wanted to have a plan put into place so that if we had a massive problem like this, we'd be able to counter it." She grinned. "There's nothing like locking the barn after the horse has run away, but we'd better get on it."
Martha's eyes were narrowed. "And how, exactly, are we going to involve the Slytherin students in this plan?" she said.
Lily's face rippled, intense anger present for just a second. "The lower school," she said, "we will treat on more or less equal footing, for all houses." She paused. "Fifth year and up for Slytherin are on their own."
There were a few ripples of whispers, but all in all, no one looked very surprised. Lily sighed. "I don't want to do this, but if anyone noticed, there were no Slytherins present in Hogsmeade today at the time of--" and she stopped. Saying 'attack' made it true. "At the time. Not even a third year. Now, I went past the dungeons on the way here, and there was a notice posted that no Slytherin third or fourth year were allowed to go today, for 'misconduct'." She paused. "The fifths and up? Either they were warned and didn't say anything to us," Lily said, and then paused again.
"Or they did it," Martha finished grimly for her. "You and James aren't the only ones to have come to that conclusion. Hufflepuff took a vote already - fifths and up are on their own." She folded her arms. "No help, no warnings."
Gus put a hand up, looking weary. "Though, Lily, I agree with you on principle, unless we can prove that they had a hand in it, there's no way to take direct action without Dumbledore's assistance, approval and interference."
Lily sighed. "I know. Let me tell you what I know - which, as yet, I haven't heard in the rumor mill." She bit her lip. Sirius wouldn't be angry if she told this story - and if she laid the groundwork for setting up his innocence, he might even thank her later. "Sirius Black followed - don't ask me how, I don't know - that group of Slytherins, including his cousin, back to the castle. The only group to be in the village, might I add. He timed it; they took a route directly from Zonko's to the castle, and he figures they were lounging in the courtyard in just enough time to have set off, whatever they did, and ride back on brooms."
Gus showed the first sign of being angry, truely angry, all day. "You know, I do not like Sirius Black one bit," he started, "but if that's what he did and saw, then it's proof enough to my ears."
Martha nodded, as did Charlie, the other Hufflepuff rep beside her. "What was he doing at the school?" she asked. "I don't see Sirius as the type to race off to get a teacher if something goes wrong."
"He was heading in to count students as they made it safely to the castle," Lily said. "I don't doubt his word for a second," she added fiercely.
Martha raised a hand. "I don't either, I mean, I know how much he hates that lot. Me and the rest of the school." She grinned a little. "It just seemed a bit odd that he'd get out of the thick of things."
Lily answered smoothly, "Sirius did what he thought was best for the school."
Gus actually laughed. "People will never cease to amaze you?" he asked her. Lily held her breath. She had a feeling that Gus wasn't buying it, but it didn't matter; as long as the story got out that he wasn't bent on revenge, then his story would hold and the fact that the Slytherins were back early would be given more weight. "Flitwick," Gus added, "already told me part of this. I believe it."
"Good," Lily replied, immensely relieved. "I want to talk about this more when James is up and mobile - tomorrow afternoon, perhaps, after tea?" Everyone nodded, and then she said, "then, Martha, may I talk to you for a minute? I'll see everyone else later." At people's suspicious looks, Lily actually laughed. "Oh, this is personal, not school-related."
Martha sat down again, and as everyone filed out, Lily waited, trying to decide how to start this conversation. Martha actually looked amused. "I know what you're going to say, or ask," she said. "I've already thought about it. You and James didn't walk back to the school, after all," she added, grinning.
Lily grinned too. "All right," she said, "then what did you tell them?"
"That thanks to James' valiant efforts, we managed to free the rest of the kids," Martha said. "Everyone was too busy being terrified to ask how." She snorted. "If they do, the likely answer is going to be that we were too afraid to realize what was going on. Plus, half the sixths were trying to pry open a window, and the rest were with Remus trying to get a ladder when James did that spell."
Lily blinked. "They were? I don't remember that."
"You were fairly focused as well," Martha replied quietly. "Remus ordered them away. I think he wanted James to have some privacy."
Likely, Lily thought to herself. She had already figured out that the motto between the four of them seemed to be, no matter what the fight, you keep it internal and watch each other's backs. She was only now getting used to it - but she intended to keep to it. "James has nothing to hide," she began, and Martha laughed out loud.
"Of course he does. He has something to hide - like how he always manages to get food from the kitchens, how he and Sirius and Remus always are top in marks and never try - hell, I have secrets, if you want to go there," she said, still grinning. "I want Charlie to ask me out. Is he? Chances are slim." She stopped grinning, suddenly. "James' secrets, I know that they're a little more serious, but the two of you were chosen to run this school, and so I have to trust those secrets to be for a good cause."
Lily smiled at her. "I can promise you, they are."
"That's good enough for me," Martha replied. "Unless you know how they always get top marks..."
Lily stood, rubbing her cheeks absently. They were still stinging a little bit; must be the after-effects of the spell, still. "He and Sirius trade homework around, Remus and Peter too," she said. "Remus does the bits he's good at, James does the rest, and Sirius makes up the excuses for when neither of the other two have done it."
Martha laughed again. "I have to try it."
"It works wonders," Lily said, remembering several essays she'd given up on in exasperation and finally begged James to let her copy - who'd promptly lent her someone else's work - "so long as you're not copying from Sirius. He's genius enough, but tends to spell things wrong."
~
McGonagall wasted no time; she called Lily and James into her office the very next morning, after Dumbledore reassured the students at breakfast that they were, of course, safe at the school. McGongall, however, didn't seem nearly as reassured as he was. She was actually fidgeting with a quill when Lily helped James into the office. "You two," she said, "please sit down."
Lily helped James - who was still incredibly sore - into a seat, and then sat down herself. "I don't have a lot of time," she said crisply, "but what I would like is your personal accounts of what happened. Any details you may remember, anything insignificant. We shall just wait on--" and then Dumbledore came into the room, "ah, yes, Professor Dumbledore. Shall we begin? Lily?"
Lily blinked, and then narrated her section of yesterday, editing out only the precise nature of what James managed to do, and Sirius' disappearance. James' story, though they hadn't compared beforehand, didn't differ in any details. He even added that Sirius and he had thought beforehand about such a scenario - which Lily hadn't known - and he'd told Sirius to head up to the school straightaway. Lily knew that Sirius was following his cousin, rather than any specific orders from James, but it surprised her even more to know that they'd discussed it, and James had, actually, thought about how to use Sirius' natural tendencies to best help the situation. She could tell, moreover, that he wasn't lying to cover Sirius' ass.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said. "I think I may have to interview Mr. Black, on this as well as another matter--" to which James winced, and Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Ah, yes, James, that's right, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to you about that as well." He stroked his beard. "Nonetheless, that can wait for a little while. We have more pressing concerns on us, do we not?"
James and Lily both nodded. McGonagall said to them, "I want to be honest with you. Your handling of the situation yesterday was remarkable, and I have no doubt, that if," and she stopped. Dumbledore put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Yes, well." She dabbed at her glasses. "This has made me even more convinced of the decision to make the two of you Head Boy and Girl."
James spoke up. "We've already been talking with Gus and Martha," he said, "about being better organized the next time."
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "the next time. Do you know," he asked quietly, "what happened yesterday?" They nodded. "Then you know that caution is of the highest imperative. We are not as free," he said, "as we might wish to be. Not at all."
Lily said, face hard, "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are together."
Dumbledore nodded again, sadly. "Yes, yes, that is to be expected." He stood. "Very well. Yes. To be expected." He looked at James. "I believe you and Sirius Black have an appointment with me about a piece of parchment?" he asked, more jovially.
James winced.
Lily was surprised at his ready acceptance of their implicit shut-out of Slytherin House, but then it occurred to her that perhaps he had much more significant problems elsewhere. Frank Longbottom, she remembered, had nearly been killed in a building fire downtown, it was in the Daily Prophet this morning.
~
"We're going to be hanged," Sirius moaned. "This is it."
James smacked the back of his head. "Come off it," he said, "things are too serious for them to worry about the pranks we might get up to, old chap." Sirius grinned. James added, "besides, they'd have to figure out how to work the damned thing, first."
The two of them were bantering, trying to keep up a light mood in order to dispel an incredible case of nerves. Since Hogsmeade, nearly everyone had been walking around jumping at shadows. The tension was getting to them all.
James leaned out the hall window, where Sirius' cousin and her boyfriend were doing who-knew-what, laughing. He amended, nearly everyone.
"All right," McGonagall said, "he'd like to see the two of you now."
Sirius and James mounted the staircase to Dumbledore's office. Neither of them were overly concerned; events of the last few days had highlighted sharply where their concerns needed to lie, and school-age pranks were not it. Detention seemed miles off, nearly impossible. James' skin still itched whenever he brushed up against something, a faint residue of burning tinging the hair on his body. It made nearly everything, sleeping included, extremely unpleasant.
"Ah, boys," Dumbledore said, "to think that the two of you are back into trouble so soon." His face was incredibly neutral, rather than amused, and their hearts sank. They weren't really going to get into trouble for a bit of parchment that no one really knew what it did.
Filch was standing off to the side, holding the Map like a time-bomb. "That one," and he pointed to Sirius, "had this bit of paper in his pocket. He was with them snooty Slytherins," he added, "That Day. It insulted me," and he waved the parchment needlessly. "Called me by name. Said it wouldn't give up its secrets."
Dumbledore looked at Filch for a very, very long moment. "Is that so," he finally said gravely. "Very well, Argus, you may be sure that I will deal with this matter personally."
Filch's expression suddenly went from triumphant to disappointed. "But, Sir, you're busy, you are--"
"No, no," Dumbledore cut in, "that's fine, thank you, Argus." He pointed at the Map. "Please leave that for me - I need to study it to determine their," and he hesitated. "Punishment."
"But that's evidence--"
"I'll send it along as soon as I'm finished with it, I assure you."
Filch had no choice but to go, putting the ratty piece of parchment onto his desk. James and Sirius glanced at each other while Dumbledore picked it up, carefully examining it from all sides, sniffing the paper, balancing it on his head. He attempted to tear a small corner of it, and the paper resisted - not fancy or showy, it just simply refused to be damaged. "Well," Dumbledore said.
James cleared his throat. Sirius fidgeted. It had been two whole terms since they'd been hauled into Dumbledore's office; it was a little embarrassing. "Sir," Sirius started, "James didn't--"
"Did the two of you buy this?" Dumbledore asked. He acted as if he hadn't even heard Sirius.
James shook his head, swallowing thickly. "Er, no..."
"Then you manufactured it yourself. Very interesting," Dumbledore said, and James sagged. He was interested, which suggested that he might not be angry. "I assume," he asked them, "that it has more unique properties than simply refusing to tear, wrinkle, or insult the holder by name." James nodded. Dumbledore studied it, then pulled his wand out, putting it to the paper. "Show," he said - and the map wrote "no :) ".
They were extremely grateful that they'd charmed it to only insult specific people. Still, Sirius gulped.
"Interesting." Dumbledore's face was still completely neutral, however he handed the Map to James. "I don't suppose you would like to demonstrate how it works?"
James pulled his wand out, Map spread flat on Dumbledore's desk, and murmured, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Instantly, the lines of the castle began to appear, criss-crossing like magic. The largest portion of the parchment began to draw Dumbledore's office, and then little dots labelled "James Potter" "Albus Dumbledore" and "Sirius Black" appeared within the office.
Sirius coughed gently, and then walked rapidly to the door. Dumbledore's eyes followed the dot labelled "Sirius Black" as it, too, moved towards his office door, then as it moved back to his desk as Sirius returned. He stared at the Map for a very long time, then said, "Amazing."
Sirius and James looked at each other.
Dumbledore folded his hands on his desk, staring at the two of them with a pleased expression on his face. "The two of you managed this all by yourself?"
James was a little unsure of what precisely was going on; he wasn't sure if they were going to get in trouble, or whether they were going to be commended. He decided that the whole truth - at least about how they made the Map, even if not how they found out everything about it - would be best, even if it did rat out their friends. Dumbledore didn't appear to be angry, at least not now. "Er, no. Remus and Peter had a large hand in it," James told him. "Remus is much better at actually looking things up than either of us," he said.
"The four of you created this?" Dumbledore said. "Magnificent." He studied the Map. "What else, exactly, can it do?"
Sirius stepped forward. "It will track anyone inside the school," he told Dumbledore. "Just ask it whereever you want to know where people are."
"Amazing," Dumbledore said again. He put his wand to the Map, and said, "Kitchens!" The Map re-formed itself, showing more of the kitchens instead of his office - and a hundred little house-elf dots. "Truely remarkable," he said. "And this was how you tracked the students yesterday?"
Sirius nodded.
"And once you are finished your business, what then?" Dumbledore asked.
James leaned over with his wand, saying "Mischief managed!" to the Map, and immediately it was blank again, an ordinary looking piece of parchment.
"It doesn't work for just anyone, either," Sirius added, belatedly. "You really do have to be up to no good, in some sense. It knows."
"Remarkable," Dumbledore said again. "And incredibly valuable to someone who might want to cause mischief in school." He picked up the parchment. "I believe, boys, that this map will have to be sent down to Mr. Filch." Sirius and James both nodded. They didn't really expect to get it back. "How long, precisely, did it take you to make?"
James thought hard. "Once we figured out all the potions and charms, maybe a week or two? Of course, figuring out all that took months."
"You four have remarkable perseverance," Dumbledore told them, grinning, "Despite certain evidence to the contrary." He folded up the Map, tucking it into his robes. "And I had best get this to Filch."
"You're not going to keep it?" Sirius asked.
Dumbledore nodded. "Knowing all the secrets of this castle," he said, "even the incredibly unique secrets the two of you have managed to stumble across in your years here - it takes the magic out of the job," he told them.
He stood, and went to the door, opening it for the two of them. "You know," he said, stroking his beard, "such an ingenious invention may be useful in other ways." He paused at the threshold of the door. James got the feeling that he was thinking, very hard. "Perhaps when this term is over - yes. When this term is over." He smiled at them, suddenly snapping back to life. "And as for your punishment - I think a spot of Quidditch training for the lower schools will do the four of you good."
~
It was not, as they found out, as easy to coach the lower school as it looked. Especially since those who showed up were eager - but nonetheless incredibly inexperienced - volunteers.
"All right!" and James blew his whistle wearily. "That's it," he yelled, "everyone inside." He and Sirius landed next to Remus and Peter, who'd been throwing the Quaffles for the students to catch and block. "Same time next week," James yelled.
The four of them trudged into the castle, moping. "How much longer did Dumbledore say we had to do this?" Peter asked for the millionth time.
Sirius whimpered. "He didn't."
Remus stretched his muscles. "I think he's got the idea that it will bring us closer to the lower school." He sighed. "I'm closer to wanting to throttle the little bastards."
"Language," Peter countered, and then the four of them finally reached the Common Room and fell into chairs. "For pity's sake," Peter said, "I finally know how the two of you were feeling when you were doing extra credit."
Sirius looked at him sharply, then glanced at Remus. Remus was grinning, however. "He's right," Remus said. "I don't think we fully appreciated the sacrifice the two of you made to practise illegal magic."
"What's illegal now?" Lily asked, kissing James on the forehead. James, for his part, looked fast asleep, Quidditch robes still hanging about him loosely. "And speaking of magic," she added, pulling a chair up closer to the four of them, "I have a proposal."
Sirius eyed her. "You do."
"I know that it's usually the four of you in adventures," Lily told them, and glanced at Remus apologetically. "And a girl should never try and come between her boy and his mates." She looked at James fondly. "And if it were a typical adventure, I wouldn't butt in. But this is different, and you and he," she said to Sirius, "ought to have given us the option of joining in."
"Lily, I don't know--"
"No, you listen to me," she said, low. James stirred. Sirius got the feeling that he was awake, but trying to deny it through body language. "I thought that you and James were batty to do what you did, batty and out of your minds. But you weren't. And now I think that we should all try it."
Sirius looked helplessly at Remus. Remus frowned. "You and James hate the Dark Arts more than anyone," he said slowly, glancing around to see if anyone was listening, "and yet, you managed to use them to save a dozen students."
"I'd like to," Peter piped up. "I think, I mean, I think that it's a good idea."
"Well then," Lily said. "Out-voted--" and she paused, suddenly flushing, "unless you don't consider me trustworthy enough to include in this little boys club?"
James finally opened his eyes. "I suggest you listen to the lady," he said, "as she's tougher than you, Sirius." When Sirius protested, James added, "oh, come on, we all know it."
"I'm not trying to convince you," Lily added, "because I'm James' girlfriend, either." She looked at Sirius, determined. "And I know that Remus isn't interested because you and he are whatever you are." Sirius went crimson. "I'm trying to convince you as an equally concerned student, as Head Girl." She paused. "As a friend?"
Sirius finally nodded. "I never thought I'd be the voice of reason," he said, "but I still don't know if this is a good idea." He shrugged. "But we do it anyway."
"Grand," Lily said. "Then I have the perfect extra credit assignment." She held up the newspaper, Frank Longbottom's nearly charred face on the front cover. "Do you have any idea how to counter this?"
~
"Stand back," James said, and then stared at the goose-down pillow. He pointed his wand, gathered up all the venom and bile he'd been storing away for the past few days - and willed it all into the spell. "Incendatur," he hissed.
There was a little flash, as before, and then the pillowcase sagged. Remus reached over, snagged the pillowcase, and tipped out a little pile of ash.
James lowered his wand.
"Wow," Peter said, eyes on the pile. "That was almost," he paused. "Easy."
"It's scary how easy," Sirius added. "We sorted through nearly half the book, even managed to figure out a counter to a few of these, and Agrippina said they were fool-proof." He sighed. "They tend to rebound on the wizard, however," he added, "as James so nobly demonstrated."
Peter shuddered. James added, "here's another one, we haven't worked out how to counter this if it's not cast by yourself--" and he pointed his wand at the table. "Solvo," he said, and the table started to fade away. James hastily stopped the curse. "That one can be modified all sorts of ways, she has charts and everything."
"So basically," Remus said, flipping through the pages carefully, "this is every way to curse your enemy so they can't retaliate?"
"Basically."
James and Sirius looked at each other. James said, "but Lily brought up a very, very good point." They all looked at the newspaper headline spread across the table. It read 'MINISTRY SPY CAUGHT UNDER IMPERIUS. LONGBOTTOM SURVIVES.'
Lily said, "We saw how it works last year, when Dumbledore took our Defence Against the Dark Arts classes." She folded her arms. "I do not intend to ever be caught at it."
Peter's eyes widened as Sirius said, "So we'll figure out how to fight it off." He looked at James. "We'd already tried it on some spiders, like in class - but, you know how frightening it can be," he said.
Remus stood up. He'd been eerily silent, a shadow, throughout the whole night. "Do it," he told Sirius. "Come on." Still Sirius hesitated. "If it's going to work it had better be you and me, don't you think? I'm more likely to give in to you than James." He put his wand on the table out of reach. "And you said you saw your mother use the curse already. You're the only one of us with direct experience."
Sirius gulped. He remembered the day his mother had forced someone to do her bidding, and it had been the final straw, the day he'd run away from home for good. Going to the Potters' was like a rebirth. He knew that no one in their family would ever use such magic - but James was here, his mind argued. James was here.
Sirius raised his wand.
His eyes darkened, narrowed, and his voice became deeper when he said, "imperio."
Remus squinted, then hopped, then sat, then got up. He stood on one leg, put both hands on his ears - but then his leg tumbled down, making a muted tap on the stone floor of their little room. Sirius nodded, and lowered his wand - and Remus toppled over, hands still to his ears.
James said, "even with the spiders, we couldn't really control it. Not like. You know." He held a hand out to Remus, who hauled himself up, one hand pressed to the side of his head and the other, once he was seated again, fiercely rubbing his knee. "You all right?"
"I can't believe what that felt like," Remus said. "That was nothing like it was in class."
Lily stood up, after a moment putting her wand down on the table in front of James. "That's because," she said softly, "you don't trust our professor." She faced James, and he held his wand out, hand shaking only a little.
After a few tries, they could at least recognise the curse and what it was doing to their minds, even if none of them could really manage to get out from under its effects. James and Sirius got a little better at control, but neither of them could sustain the curse for more than a minute.
"How long will it take?" Peter asked, wiping sweat off his forehead. He'd been standing on one leg for nearly two minutes. "To sort it out, I mean."
"Er," James said. "I don't know."
Lily flipped through the newspaper. "Here's another one - ugh. Muggle torture." She pointed to the picture - it didn't even rate a front page headline, was stuck in the corner of page ten. "Can we find something similar in Agrippina's book?"
"I'm going to get a few more volumes later," Sirius said. "I think I may anonymously write my mother." He made a dark face, and suddenly there was something of his cousin in him - at least, the same kind of hatred. "If anyone knows the latest tricks, it will be her."
Remus put a hand on his shoulder, and after a moment, Sirius leaned against him. James said, "all right, we'd better switch."
"Just like that?" Peter squeaked. "Really?"
Sirius told him, "Really." He added, "we need the practise, just like you do."
Remus kissed the back of Sirius' neck, but then pulled out his wand. He bit his lip, hard, but replied, "in for a Knut, in for a Galleon, I guess."
James nodded, and squeezed his shoulder. "It's all right," he said. "We know what we're doing."
~end~