After dessert vanished from the golden dinner plates, Sirius left James and Peter to head for the dungeons. He quickly disappeared among the crowd of students. James pulled out his cloak as soon as Sirius was gone from sight.
“He shouldn’t go by himself,” he told Peter.
“But he doesn’t want help. You heard him earlier,” Peter replied. “Sirius can handle himself. I mean, have you seen his muscles lately?”
“He’ll thank me later.” James stood up from the table.
Peter grabbed his arm but quickly let go with a wince. “But what should I do?” Peter asked worriedly, cradling his still-sore wrist.
“Go ahead and wait by the willow. We’ll be there soon,” James said as he walked away.
Peter tried to protest further but lost James amid the students leaving. With a sigh, he slumped back down on the wooden bench and rested his chin on a pudgy fist. He would wait until most of the Great Hall had emptied before attempting to sneak out the front doors. Curfew was soon, after all, and any rule-abiding teacher would be sure to prevent him from slipping outside. He absentmindedly tried to balance a spoon on his nose while he waited and happened to look across to the Slytherin table. Two ghoulish Slytherins watched him with matching menacing grins. Perhaps it was fear, a quick petrificus totalus, or a combination of the two that instantly froze Peter in his seat. To Peter, it didn’t matter much the reason why but more the mere fact that the two goons had stood up and he could do nothing to run. Even his mind had seemed to stop functioning. He could only think of one clear word: Dang. On the upside, the golden spoon on his nose hung perfectly still.
~
Sirius checked to make sure no one watched him. Satisfied no one cared to look his way, he headed down the stone steps to the dungeons. The cold air gripped him as soon as he jumped off the last stair. For a moment, he thought he had heard a gasp from somewhere over his right shoulder. He paused but heard nothing else. Shrugging it off, he continued down the hall to meet Snape.
Following him, James internally scolded himself for being so careless. The sudden cold nearly blew his cover. Literally. Not only had he gasped, but his violently shivering arms had been close to throwing off the invisibility cloak altogether and revealing himself to Sirius. As they approached the conference dungeon, Sirius and James could hear Snape’s impatiently tapping foot echo from the stone walls. Sirius quickened his pace. James struggled to keep up while maintaining silence.
“You came,” said Snape once Sirius appeared at the door. His foot stopped tapping.
“Well, obviously.” Sirius stalked into the room but kept his distance from his blackmailer. “I couldn’t miss our date, could I?”
Snape narrowed his eyes. “Enough fun and games. It’s time to get serious.”
“Oh, but I beat you there,” Sirius replied mockingly. “I’m already Sirius.”
“That joke got old years ago, Black.” Snape paused for a moment, glancing out a small grate near the ceiling of the dungeon. A glint of moonlight streamed through. “I noticed Lupin was missing from dinner again. Where is he?”
“Visiting his ill mum. He’s the only one who can calm her down,” Sirius automatically answered with the usual cover-up story. “His voice is very soothing. You’ve heard him read the textbook in History. Right put me to sleep last week.”
Snape shook his head. “I may not be a Legilimens but I can tell when someone’s lying. Every time Lupin disappears, you other three sneak off after curfew, and it’s not to visit his mum. I’ve seen him walking from the castle with Pomfrey.”
Sirius covered his anxiety with a laugh. “Been stalking us, Snivellus?”
“Something is up and I want to know what,” Snape sneered. “Where does Lupin go every month?”
Under the cloak, James held his breath, waiting for Sirius’ response. Every moment that passed made James more uncertain of what he might say. Is Sirius’ secret really more important than Remus’? James wondered to himself.
“Fine,” Sirius finally broke the silence. “You want to know? Find out for yourself. Go to the Whomping Willow. There’s a knot on the trunk that freezes the branches. Poke it with a long stick and go down the tunnel between the roots. Then you’ll know.”
James’ stomach lurched. He had his answer.
“The Willow?” Snape asked with a little doubt.
Sirius chuckled, already backing out the dungeon door. “Have fun.”
~
James waited until he had followed Sirius far enough down the hall that Snape would not overhear them. Yanking off the invisibility cloak with one hand, he shoved Sirius through an open door with the other.
“Are you out of your bloody mind?” he shouted.
Sirius rolled his eyes. “I should’ve known you’d follow me.”
“For good reason, Black! You sold out Remus and now Snape’s going to see him.”
“And I hope the git gets torn to shreds,” Sirius added. “Snape had it coming ””
Someone grunted in the hall. Heavy footsteps echoed along the hallway. James leapt forward and clamped Sirius’ mouth shut.
“Where you headed, Snape?” a low voice spoke.
There was a short, indistinct reply.
“Sure you don’t want to join in on some fun? We just caught this scum in the Great Hall.”
“The stupid kid was just sitting there playing with a spoon,” a second voice put in. “He’s the one always trailing Potter and Black, you know?”
Sirius peeled James’ hands away. “Where’s Peter?” he whispered.
James pointed his wand at the open doorway. “Out there.”
One set of footsteps faded away while two others grew closer.
James inched towards the door. “Let’s wait until they pass here…”
“And then surprise them,” Sirius finished, drawing his wand.
“Did you hear that?” asked the low voice from the hall. The footsteps stopped.
Sirius looked to James. “I swear I whispered.”
“Now!” James yelled and charged into the hall. He fired a quick stunning spell at the first figure he saw: a pudgy boy carried between two muscled Slytherin goons. Peter fell to the ground limp as the shocked Slytherins dropped him to grab for their wands.
They reacted too late. One waved his wand uselessly, his tongue tied in a fat knot. The other sprouted tentacles on his face and landed next to Peter when invisible bonds forced his legs together.
Sirius smirked, his wand still aimed and ready. “Now that’s how you throw a jinx, Prongs old boy.”
James shook his head, still too upset to laugh, and hurled another “Stupefy!” at the tongue-tied Slytherin. “Since you’re so bloody great at spells, you can deal with this mess,” James grumbled after the Slytherin had collapsed on top of his fishy friend. He stepped over the boys and hurried down the hall. “Take Peter to the dorm. I have to save a slimy git’s life.”
The entrance hall was empty. The students had long since retreated to their respective houses for the night. Knowing Snape would have headed directly to the Willow, James rushed across to the massive doors.
“Oh, Potty-poo, what’s this?”
James stumbled to a stop and whirled around, dreading what he’d see.
“Sneakin’ out? Runnin’ away?” Peeves mocked with an evil grin. He floated by the hall leading to the kitchens and Hufflepuff house, his arms full of something James couldn’t quite see. “Leaving and not saying goodbye, were you?” He floated closer.
“Peeves, I don’t have time for this,” James started, frustrated.
“No time for Peeves!” the poltergeist roared, soaring forward. James walked backward, now seeing the muffins piled in Peeves’ arms. “No one has time for Peeves!”
Smoke spewed from Peeves’ ears. James made a desperate break for the doors, knowing the worst was coming. A blueberry muffin bounced off the back of his head. Crumbs clung to his well-groomed hair. Within seconds, the entrance hall was a hailstorm of pelting muffins. Peeves cackled manically from above. James dived forward and yanked the doors open, heaving them closed behind him.
Safe. He sighed in relief. James had never seen Peeves take anything in life seriously, much less outright fuming.
“And to think I used to admire him,” James muttered to himself.
He jogged off to the Whomping Willow, hoping Snape had not yet reached the tunnel. Clouds hid the full moon. At the very least, Remus may have not yet turned and would be able to warn off Snape in time. Distracted by the different possibilities, James tripped on a root.
“Oh, who am I kidding?” He didn’t move from where he fell. “Snape’s gonna die. Remus will be locked up for the rest of his life. Sirius will be forced into hiding after betraying his friends. Peter will die of heartbreak, and I will become a depressed loner shunned by the world.”
James closed his eyes. Grass rustled somewhere nearby, and in the quiet night, James heard chattering. He snapped his eyes open. A foot away, a squirrel sat motionlessly on its hind legs.
“We wouldn’t be in this trouble if it weren’t for you,” James grumbled. “I’ll never understand how Sirius sees you so terrifying.”
The squirrel cocked its head to the side and seemed to smile at him. James then noticed the sharp fangs. He reeled backwards just as the monster lunged. He hurried to get away without thinking about where his feet took him.
Air whooshed overhead. James ducked as a willow branch swept through the air again. He rushed out of the willow’s reach and snatched up a stone. He imagined throwing the quaffle for a goal through the Slytherin keeper’s outstretched arms. The stone sailed perfectly through and hit the knot to freeze the tree. Smirking, James headed for the tunnel entrance but was stopped by a sudden weight on his leg. The squirrel was back. It dug its claws into his trousers, chattering madly.
“Aguamenti!” shouted James, sending a blast of water at the squirrel with the first spell to come to mind.
The drenched squirrel jumped off and disappeared among the tree roots. With no more time to waste, James scrambled into the tunnel.