parents after all

chapter 8

Chapter 8 - A Very Busy Week

James and Peter ran towards the Gryffindor Common Room. It was nearly one in the morning; Harry could have gone to bed long before that. Though bursting into the dormitory was no strange business for the Marauders, it was Harry's dorm after all, and James was eager to display his most caring side to his future son to whom he had taken a great liking since he first set eyes on him.

'At least show your faces, young men,' mumbled the Fat Lady as she swung her portrait open, revealing the portrait hole for the still invisible James and Peter to enter. 'Respect is absolutely necessary at all times, even when you're invisible. Yes, I know you're under a spell or something,' she said haughtily.

'Sorry, next time,' James muttered as they climbed through the hole. The Common Room was in semidarkness, the torches on the wall were no longer burning. A silhouette with messy hair was crouching in front of the fireplace, listening intently to someone speaking, unmoving and unaware of the two approaching boys.

'...Karkaroff has a motive. I'm not saying it must be him, but I knew him well enough to suspect him,' said a hoarse voice, which James assumed was coming from the fireplace.

'You knew him?' asked the boy in front of the fireplace who James recognised in a second was Harry. Relieved that he didn't have to burst into the dorm, James tiptoed forward, wanting to surprise Harry by bringing the news of the first task to him.

'Well, not exactly. He was caught the same time as I,' the voice sounded tired and grim. James could see that it belonged to a head in the fire, a head of a man with unkempt dark hair and a handsome face, though its beauty was marred by the permanently haunted expression it was wearing. It was at the same time familiar yet strange: James was sure he had seen the man somewhere but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

'He pulled a few stunts to earn the Ministry's trust,' continued the man, his grey eyes deadened and cold in the blazing fire, 'he wasn't popular in Azkaban, I tell you. Well, not that I was particular popular either even after twelve years in that damn place,' he laughed bitterly. 'Your father would find it funny that Sirius Black was finally not everyone's favourite boy.

'Sirius?' gasped James, the invisibility cloak falling off and revealing him and Peter. Harry spun around, looking flabbergasted and horrified. The man in the fire froze, his gaze fixated on James and Peter and his lips slightly parted.

For some minutes, no one spoke or moved. Finally, the man – the older Sirius spoke, his voice odd and empty. 'Long time no see, James.' His gaze swept over to Peter, who couldn't help but shiver under the blade-like stare.

Harry jumped; gesticulating frantically, he placed himself between the fireplace and the jaw-dropped James and Peter, 'Er... I was talking to ....um... y'know, er...'

'We haven't been properly introduced, Harry,' said Sirius steadily, 'I'm Sirius from 1994.' He paused but kept staring at James and Peter, as though he was searching for something on them, 'I know about you. Harry told me everything.'

'Good Godric!' James dashed forward and squatted down before Sirius's head, 'did you say you were in Az-'

'Did you want to see me, James?' Harry piped up.

'Uh – that, ah yes,' James ruffled his hair, 'I was going to tell you that we went to the forest. We saw dragons – four big, fire shooting dragons. That's your first task, Harry, getting past dragons.'

'The Beauxbatons woman and Durmstrang goatee were there, so the other champions probably know about that already,' added Peter.

'Dragons,' Sirius looked thoughtful, 'quite exciting for a first task, isn't it?'