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Author: Antonia East Story: Fathoming the Mind of a Werewolf Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 13 Words: 40,807
The term was the best that James had had so far at Hogwarts. He and Sirius got very good at Transfiguring just about anything into their animals. Even Peter, when he wasn’t distracted by Sirius’s pack of black dogs or James’s galloping stags, started to practice his mouse shape. He met with very limited success; he could Transfigure objects into very rough blobs, which had something which might have been a tail, but that was it. James made him do more Visualisation, which Peter didn’t like, saying it depressed him to have to try and see a mouse. Quidditch practice was fun, especially now that Sirius was on the team. All seven of them got on well, and James thought that they had a good chance at winning the cup this year. Their first match was against the Hufflepuffs. The Hufflepuff team, who had won the house cup for the last three years, were now without their four best players – Rosie Honeyduke, Eddie Abbott, Ted Tonks and their Seeker, Esmeralda Clapham. They were now captained by Jack McCarthy, the Beater who had broken Frank’s leg in the final last year. Their remaining Chasers, Giles Grabham and Amos Diggory, weren’t bad, but James thought that he, Gideon and Graham were much better. As they were in the third year, they were allowed to visit Hogsmeade on certain weekends. The first Hogsmeade visit took place just before Hallowe’en, and James, Sirius, Remus and Peter thought it was fantastic. James and Sirius went mad in Zonkos, buying enough to keep them in detention until Christmas. After that, they went to drool in Honeydukes for a while. When they emerged, James had his mouth full of fudge, Remus was breaking bits off a large chocolate bar, Peter’s pockets were squirming with Ice Mice, and Sirius, thanks to a dare from James, was sucking on a blood lollipop and declaring he liked it. They meandered up the street and saw Marlene and her fourth-year friends, who had been to the Shrieking Shack. “It didn’t seem that haunted to me,” Marlene said. “Well, you’re not going to see anything in daylight, are you?” her friend said. “It’s just a Feeling you get when you go near. If you’re gifted, that is.” “Yes,” another girl said. “I definitely Felt a Feeling. And my great-aunt twice-removed was a Seer. It’s teeming with Dark Spirits.” The others ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed,’ and Marlene looked ashamed of herself. James, Sirius and Peter burst out laughing as soon as the girls had passed, and even Remus joined in a few seconds later. “What do you think of the Dark Spirits?” James asked Remus. Remus grinned. “I’m not gifted enough, I’m afraid. I’ve never seen them.” Peter, who was the only one who had not seen the Shrieking Shack, wanted to go there then, but the others opted for the Three Broomsticks and butterbeer, instead. Apart from the odd Snape incident, the only thing that bothered James that term was the thought of the elections. He knew his dad was really worried about Voldemort becoming Minister for Magic. That and the fact that Snape liked him made James concerned about what would happen if Voldemort was elected. On Hallowe’en, the elections took place, and James was slightly quieter than usual. He felt as though he were about to watch a Quidditch match where the Falmouth Falcons might get beaten. He needn’t have worried. His dad wrote to him the next day, saying that Voldemort had been beaten, ‘but not by as much as we’d hoped.’ Still, James didn’t care if this bloke had nearly won – he hadn’t, Snape had been wrong, and everything was fine. In November, Gryffindor played Hufflepuff, and James was proved right. Gryffindor’s Chasers were much better than the Hufflepuffs. Diggory had scored a couple of good goals, but their new Chaser wasn’t much use at all and couldn’t get a single goal past Fabian, who had been promised ritual disembowelment by Gideon if he stuffed up. The final score – 260 to 30 – meant that Fabian’s intestines were safe for the time being. Even Gideon grudgingly admitted that his brother had played well. “Well?” James said, leaping on Fabian after the match. “Bloody brilliant, more like.” “Yes, well, I told you I was good,” Fabian replied, grinning from ear to ear. Sirius and a second-year called Ludo began to take bets that Gryffindor would win the house cup. Sirius went back to Ketterleigh Castle with James again for the Christmas holidays. They had a wonderful time. Both James’s mum and dad were much more relaxed, now that the elections were over, and James found himself with lots of willing Quidditch opponents. He and Sirius usually played against his parents, with his grandfather refereeing. When Christmas Day came, Sirius had an extra present. “That one’s from us, Sirius,” James’s mum said, handing Sirius a cylindrical parcel. Sirius looked at James’s parents and stammered his thanks before he tore the wrappings off. “Wow, thank you!” James leaned over and examined the reinforced Beater’s bat. The handle was red leather, with an embossed golden griffon on the end. The wood was thick and smooth; when Sirius tapped it with his finger, James could feel the charms surge through it. He looked up and grinned at his parents, who were smiling back at him and Sirius. When Sirius opened a silver signet ring bearing the Slytherin crest from his own parents, he frowned and looked over at his new Gryffindor bat. On Boxing Day, James’s parents went to a party given by the McKinnons. James and Sirius were invited, so that Marlene would have some ‘little friends’ to play with, but James’s mum said they didn’t have to go. James was rather relieved; he’d been Marlene’s ‘little friend’ a few times before, and it wasn’t pleasant. Sirius and James took their brooms to the Quidditch pitch, instead. While James raced around, testing the new broom speedometer his dad had given him, Sirius practiced his aim using his Beater’s bat and his signet ring. James pulled up as a silver object whizzed past him. Diving after it, he snatched the signet ring up in midair and tossed it back to Sirius. “Don’t do that.” “Why not?” Sirius said, raising his bat again. “It’s a waste. Couldn’t you change the engraving to a Gryffindor crest, or something?” Sirius shrugged. “She’s probably done something with it,” he muttered. He pulled out his wand and squinted at the crest on the ring. For a few seconds, it remained unchanged, and then the lines shifted until the word TRAITOR was spelt out along the face of the ring. “Bloody typical,” Sirius said, throwing the ring high into the air and poising his bat. This time, James didn’t try to stop him. On New Year’s Eve, James’s parents had to go to yet another party, and they insisted that James and Sirius go with them. “I’m not leaving you two on your own in the house all evening.” “But Grandpa will be here,” James protested. “Even more reason why you shouldn’t be around to worry him.” James sighed. Arguing with his parents was useless; they had no logic. His grandfather had been closed off since Granny had died and refused to go out to parties anymore. “Sirius hasn’t got any dress robes,” he tried. “He can use your old ones. You’ll wear the ones Granny Walker gave you for Christmas.” “I should think Grandpa would like some company if you are going out.” James’s mother pursed her lips, and James knew he hadn’t a hope. “James Jolyon Potter …” “Oh, all right,” James said, stomping upstairs to get changed. By the time James and Sirius were dressed, James had decided that going to the party wouldn’t be too bad. It was being held by his great-aunt and uncle Walker, so lots of his relatives would be there. That meant that he’d get his face pinched a lot and told how much he’d grown, but sometimes his grandfather and uncles would slip a Galleon or two into his hand. Before he left his bedroom, James tucked a couple of dungbombs into his robe, along with the old tin of itching powder. Sirius caught his eye and grinned, before glancing at himself in the mirror and smoothing his hair. “You boys look so sweet,” James’s mother said, when all of them congregated in the kitchen. James scowled at her. “Sorry, I mean you both look very handsome,” she amended. “That colour suits you, Sirius.” She bustled round them, smoothing their robes and straightening James’s tie. “Oh, James, your hair.” James’s scowl returned. “It’s your hair.” His mother smiled and touched a hand to her head, where her normally wild black hair was scraped back into a bun. It was a bit like Professor McGonagall’s, although James thought it suited his mother, unlike Professor McGonagall. Mr Potter glanced at his pocketwatch. “Are you sure you’ll be all right, Father?” James’s grandfather snorted. “I’m perfectly fine, Jolyon,” he barked. “Sirius and I could stay - ” “James!” Mr Potter nodded. “Right, well, we’d better be off.” He cast an eye over James and flicked his wand. “ Accio dungbombs,” he said. “Da-ad,” James moaned, as his dungbombs floated away. “Can’t you stop doing that now? I’m not little anymore.” “But you’re still carrying dungbombs about,” his father answered. “I’ll treat you like an adult when you behave like one.” He handed the pot of Floo powder to James’s mum, and she tossed a handful on the fire and disappeared. James followed. “Don’t worry,” his mother said, as she dusted him off in the Walkers’ hall. “Your grandpa was so used to checking your dad for dungbombs that he still used to do it when we went out on dates.” At that point, Sirius and then James’s dad stepped out of the fire. “Jolyon, Freda, how lovely it is to see you. It feels an age.” A pungent lavender scent made James want to gag as his great-aunt Juliana descended upon them. “And here’s James!” The smell of lavender got even worse as Aunt Juliana pinched James’s cheeks. Her hands were cold. “Darling boy,” she said, before turning to Sirius. When they finally got away, Sirius and James went in search of the food, which was good, at least. There, they caught sight of Frank, who was standing at the side of his mother. “She looks fierce,” Sirius said. They watched as Frank’s hand was slapped away when he reached for a second square of smoked salmon from a platter which was hovering in front of him. “That’s Margaret Longbottom,” came a quiet voice behind them. “And I’d keep your voice down; she’s got ears like a house-elf.” They spun round to see a wrinkled old lady sitting in a chair by the wall, looking at them with twinkling eyes. “Aunt Louisa, this is my friend Sirius,” James said. Aunt Louisa shook Sirius’s hand. “Great-great-aunt, he means,” she said. She lowered her voice. “Or perhaps it’s great-great-great. I forget sometimes. Sit down. It’s nice to talk to young people.” She fumbled in her sleeve and took out her wand, conjuring up a pair of armchairs on either side of hers. She peered at James. “You’re Freda’s boy, aren’t you?” James nodded. “Yes, I can tell by the hair. She always had such dreadful hair. Married Potter, didn’t she?” James nodded again. “We always thought she’d done well for herself. Now, Sirius, I suppose you’re another of those frightful Gryffindors,” she said. “Gryffindors aren’t awful, Aunt Louisa!” James said. He’d never heard anyone apart from Slytherins say that Gryffindor was a bad house. She patted his knee. “Well, I suppose you can’t all be bad,” she said. “Gryffinbores I used to call ‘em, eh? I was disappointed when my little Alice became one.” “Gryffindor’s the best house,” Sirius said. “Gryffindor? No, Hufflepuff. That’s a house to be proud of. I did so hope my little Alice would become a Hufflepuff. She’s such a sweet girl. I told her she didn’t want to be with all those wilful Gryffindors. That’s where she met Margaret’s boy.” Aunt Louisa nodded at Frank, who was looking wistfully at a tray of vol au vonts . “ Ever such good friends they are; that’s why Juliana invited the Longbottoms. Never had ‘em here before. There’s a little Lily creature here, as well. I suppose you’re at school with them all, aren’t you?” James nodded once more. “And you’re one of those hideous Gryffindors. Gryffinbores, I used to call ‘em.” James was beginning to fear they’d never get away from his mad old aunt, when she clutched his arm. “How horrid, here’s the wretched Juliana. You haven’t seen me.” With a pop, she Disapparated, just as James smelt lavender. “Boys, darling boys. You must find Alice; she’s simply dying to see you, I’m sure,” his great-aunt murmured as she glided past. When the coast was clear, they made a break for it and crept into the room where the house-elves had stored the guests’ cloaks. “Your family are loopy,” Sirius said, leaning back on an ermine-lined cloak. “I know,” James said. “I can’t believe she thinks Hufflepuff’s better than Gryffindor. But she is about a hundred and seventy. Being that old must addle your brain.” “So what do we do now?” James looked around and remembered the itching powder in his pocket. “What about having some fun?” he said. When they emerged half an hour later, music had started in the ballroom. Inside, they could see couples dancing to slow orchestral music. James grimaced as he saw his parents whirl past. Sitting in a corner, they could see Aunt Louisa. They made their way to the opposite side of the hall, where they found Alice, Lily and Frank. “Have a good Christmas?” James asked. “Yeah, thanks. It was all right. Can’t wait to get back to school, though.” James glanced at the dancers and made out Mrs Longbottom dancing stiffly with her husband. He could see why Frank was keen to get back. “Did you have a nice holiday?” Alice asked politely. “It was great. Dad got me this speedometer for my broom; it’s amazing - ” “Oh, I’ve seen those; there was a feature in Which Broomstick? I really want one of those, ‘cause I reckon they really help you dive faster,” Frank said, his eyes lighting up. “They do; they’re brilliant. I’ve been practicing, and I can go a mile an hour faster just by altering the balance of body weight by …” Out of the corner of his eye, James could see Alice and Lily sitting next to Frank looking very bored, but he forgot them as he, Frank and Sirius became absorbed by Quidditch talk. Midnight came and went at the party, with a lot of indoor fireworks and toasts to the new year. At about quarter past midnight, everything got very loud and confused. James heard his mother’s voice rising above the chaos of the party. “James, Sirius, James!” James’s stomach sank. Had she found out about the itching powder in the cloaks? He didn’t see how she could know. It’d be really embarrassing to get into trouble in front of all these people. His mother reached them. Some of her hair had worked loose, and her cheeks were very pink. James prepared himself for a telling off. To his surprise, he was hugged. On a closer look, he could see that his mother was upset, rather than angry. “James, your father, he’s had to go. He had a fire call. They all did.” “Mum, do you need to sit down?” His mum closed her eyes. When she opened them, she spoke more calmly. “No, I’m fine. We’re going to go now, boys.” She began to push her way through the crowd, in which James could now pick out some shocked faces. Near the hall where they had come in, they bumped into Alice and Lily. “Alice, dear, your mother is looking for you,” James’s mother said, hurrying on towards the fireplace. When they got back to the kitchen of Ketterleigh Castle, James’s mother sank into a chair at the table and buried her face in her hands. Sirius and James exchanged a look. “Um, Tilly?” James called. The house-elf appeared in front of him. “Tilly, could you make Mum some tea, please?” “She looks like she needs firewhiskey,” Sirius said in a low voice. James’s mum sat up and managed a faint smile. “Tea will be quite all right, thank you, Sirius.” “What’s wrong, Mum? Where’s Dad?” His mum bit her lip. “Your father had to go. There’s been … there’s been some sort of an attack.” “An attack?” “A lot of Muggles have been murdered.” “Then why’s Dad…?” “They were murdered by a wizard. Your father thinks that it may have been this Lord Voldemort who did it.” “Why does he think that?” Sirius asked. Tilly scurried in with the tea, and James’s mother gripped the mug in her hands. “There was a sign … in the sky.” She took a sip. “Right, it’s very late, and I think that you boys should be in bed.” “But - ” “Go.” James managed to glean a little more information from his father before school started again. A Muggle village had been attacked; all the people who lived on one street had been killed. The street was called Hope End. “We don’t know for sure who did it,” James’s father had said, “but it could well be Lord Voldemort, or some of the people who follow him.” In the sky, the first people on the scene had seen a picture of a skull with a snake in its mouth. When he was back at school, James soon grew sick of hearing about the New Year’s attack. It was all over the Daily Prophet, and the Minister for Magic gave an interview, saying that the Aurors would catch whoever did it in days. Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, rumours abounded. Fabian was telling everybody that it was giants who had come down from the mountains and had mistaken the Muggle road for a Wizarding settlement. “Nah, ‘cause giants would just squish people,” Ludo Bagman had said. “It could be goblins, though, out to get revenge.” James pictured the Gringotts goblins rampaging about the countryside. “Don’t be daft,” he said. Frank thought it was vampires. Lily Evans didn’t understand why it had to be anything to do with the Wizarding world. “Muggles kill people, too, you know,” she said. Alice Walker said it was ‘really horrid,’ and asked the others to stop talking about it. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter talked about it a lot, though. James told the others what his father said. “But why would he want to kill a load of Muggles?” Peter asked. “Well, it’d show that he hasn’t just gone away,” said Sirius. “He said he wanted to get rid of Muggles, so maybe he is.” “That’s what Dad said,” said James. Remus nodded. “My father said that, too. He said that people like Lord Voldemort wouldn’t just give up, and that he’d find another way to be powerful, if he couldn’t be Minister for Magic.” “If the Aurors are looking for him, he’s not going to last much longer,” James said. But he was wrong. In February, a family of Muggles were found dead, and witnesses reported seeing several dark-robed figures in the street. The skull and snake was seen above the house. The next month, it happened again, and the message ‘Fear Lord Voldemort’ was found with the bodies. The Aurors, despite the Minister for Magic’s quote that they were on ‘the cusp of capturing this maniac,’ seemed no nearer to finding him, and a shadow of doubt and worry settled over the school. James felt resentful of it. Why was one man making the whole country worried? He knew from letters from home that his father had to work very hard now. They had to try and protect all the Muggles in England from this man, without letting them know that anything bad was happening. “But try not to think about it,” his mother had written. “It’s horrible, but I’m sure it’ll get sorted out soon. Keep on at your school work and still have fun.” James tried to take his mother’s advice; it was rubbish having to tiptoe about the school. So, he, Sirius, Remus and Peter started to play more jokes. The itching powder at New Year’s gave James the idea to do the same to the Slytherins’ clothes left in the changing rooms during their Quidditch practice, and the four of them watched with their hands in their mouths as the itching Slytherins pelted up to the castle, with Snape running along behind scratching his backside. Mr Filch was incensed when the fourth-floor corridor frosted over with ice. Professor Whall’s cauldron was turned into chocolate, a spell which Remus had found, and which James had carried out during a detention. After the Gryffindor victory over Ravenclaw in the Easter term’s Quidditch match, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter snuck down to the kitchens and came back laden with food and drink for a party which lasted long into the night, much to Professor McGonagall’s displeasure. The Hogsmeade weekend also drove the outside events from James’s mind for a while, as he and Sirius made an important discovery while sweet shopping in Honeydukes. The four of them were lingering in the sweet shop, avoiding the spring rain which was drizzling outside. They had drifted to the corner where the alternative sweets were kept. “I dare you to try a cockroach cluster,” Sirius said to James. “I’m not eating anything with bugs in it.”
“That was just blood,” Remus pointed out. “These are cockroaches.” “They don’t really have cockroaches in, do they?” Peter asked. “I don’t know. Try it and see,” James said. Sirius had turned away and was watching Mr Honeyduke, who had stomped into the shop through a door behind the counter, carrying a large box. “D’you fancy a look at the storeroom?” Sirius asked. “What’s the point?” asked Remus. “You’re not allowed in there,” said Peter. “All right,” said James. “It’s boring out here.” “I hardly think a load of boxes will be more interesting,” Remus said. “But you never know, old boy,” Sirius said. “Can you and Peter distract Honeyduke for us, then?” Remus rolled his eyes to the ceiling, but then grabbed a box of cockroach clusters and made his way to the counter. “Excuse me, sir,” he said, brandishing the sweets. “Are these really made from cockroaches?” As soon as Mr Honeyduke’s back was turned, James and Sirius darted behind the counter and slipped through the door, which had been left ajar. They went down some steps and found themselves in the storeroom. It was cold and dark, starkly different to the warm shop, with its cheerful customers and brightly packaged sweets. “Look at all that chocolate,” Sirius breathed, indicating a corner where box upon box of Honeyduke’s best chocolate was piled up. “It’s huge,” James said. “They must have millions of sweets down here.” “Remus was right,” Sirius said after a minute. “It is pretty boring, isn’t it?” “Yeah,” James said. “Shall we go?” But as he said it, they heard a creak, as the door above them opened. They sped to the back of the room and ducked behind some crates of sugarquills. They heard footsteps come down the stairs and then a hiss. “Sirius? James?” For a second, James’s heart crashed against his chest, before he stood up and laughed. Remus and Peter grinned at him. “Thought we’d come and join you,” Peter said. “Where’s Sirius?” Remus asked. James looked beside him. “He’s just here.” Sirius was still bent behind the crate and appeared to be examining the floor. “Sirius, what on earth are you doing?” Sirius looked up. “I think it’s a trapdoor. Look.” James ran his finger along the crack in the floor. “It is,” he said, excited. “Come on, help me shift this crate.” The four of them moved the boxes back until the trapdoor was uncovered. Sirius pulled the stone slab up, and they peered down into the dark hole. Peter looked from Sirius to James to Remus and sighed. “Do we have to?” Sirius lowered himself through the gap. “There are steps here,” he said. “Go on, Peter. You go next,” he called up. Peter slowly slid through and disappeared from sight. “It’s really dark down here,” came his muffled voice. “Then I suggest you light up your wand,” Remus said, clambering down after him. James followed them in and lifted the trapdoor so that the hole was covered. He lit his wand and set off down the stairs after the others, the spirit of adventure dancing through his veins. The stairs lead to a tunnel, which narrowed as it went on, until they were walking in single file, crouched low to duck the low ceiling. “What if it keeps getting smaller, and we get stuck?” Peter moaned. “Just be thankful you’re short, Peter,” Sirius called back. “You don’t have to bend as much.” “I wonder how long the air supply will last, if we did get stuck,” James said, grinning. Peter squeaked. “Don’t be silly, Peter,” said Remus. “Anyway, we seem to be rising. It can’t go on much longer.” “Good job, too; my neck’ll never be the same again,” said Sirius. The tunnel got steeper until they came to a dead end. “Feel for a trapdoor,” James said. Sirius pushed up against the ceiling of the tunnel, and, slowly, a shaft of light began to appear. Sirius stuck his head out. “Where are we?” Peter called. “I think.” Sirius pulled himself out through the hole. A few seconds later, his grinning face appeared. “Yep, we’re in Hogwarts. Come out; there’s no one coming.” They stood in front of a statue of an old woman with one eye, a long nose, and a humped back. “Looks like Snape’s mother,” James said. “Hang on, the gap’s closed,” Remus said. “It closed once we were all through,” Sirius said. “Do you think it’ll open from this end?” “Dunno,” said James, trying to push the statue over. “Maybe you need a password,” Remus said. “Open up!” Sirius said. Remus looked at him. “Pitiful.” “Well, you try it, then.” “Open Sesame!” “Open Sesame?” “Yes, well, it was worth a go.” James tapped it with his wand. “ Alohamora. ” Nothing. “What about the password to get into Gryffindor tower?” Peter said. “Why would only Gryffindors be allowed through?” said James. Remus tapped the old witch, anyway. “Spotted socks,” he said. Nothing. “Maybe you have to tickle something, like with the kitchens,” James said. Sirius started tickling the statue under the armpits. Peter prodded the eye patch. “We’re going to look very strange if someone comes along,” Remus said. “Shall we just go back to the common room?” asked Peter. “This is useless.” “What? We can’t go back. I haven’t been to Zonko’s yet,” James said, now doubly anxious to work out how to open the statue. “Any good ideas?” he asked Sirius. Sirius stood back. “One,” he said. He tapped the statue. “ Malor Mundis ,” he said. The others stared at him. Sirius tapped the stone again. “ Triordan ,” he tried. Remus and Peter still looked puzzled, but James thought he knew what Sirius was doing. “How about Pro Bona ?” James said, tapping the witch. “ Sang Sacre, ” tried Sirius. “ Ordissium, ” said James. “ Dissendium,” said Sirius. The crone’s hump sank in, leaving a gap small enough for a person to squeeze through. “Yes!” Sirius punched the air with his fist. James grinned. “We have dissendium, too.” “What are you talking about?” asked Remus. “Secret passages,” said James. “We were going through the passwords for the secret passages – we’ve got a few at home.” “And my uncle and aunt Black have got loads in their manor. Andromeda used to show me,” Sirius said. “Apparently, dissendium ’s a common one,” said James. “Anyway, shall we get back to Hogsmeade?” “Nah,” Sirius said. “Do you realise what this means? We can go to Hogsmeade whenever we want, now, if we use the Cloak. I’m hungry.” “The kitchens it is, then,” James said, casting an eye back at the one-eyed witch as the four of them walked off down the corridor.
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