The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Jealous James

Jealous James

The boys did not talk to one another as they raced through the castle, careful not to run into Peeves or Filch a second time. They got through the portrait hole and up to their dormitory without any further incident, however, and James whipped the cloak from over their heads. "Blimey!" he cried.

Sirius held up James's wand, "That was bloody close. How did you lot end up there? Where did the pit go to? We thought you were goners!" James took the wand from Sirius and tossed Peter his wand back. Peter fumbled to catch it.

"We were going to get Dumbledore when we ran into Peeves," Remus explained.

"We were going to come find you," Peter offered.

"But then we ran into somebody in the Entrance Hall," James tacked on.

"Did you see who made that great big mess then?" Sirius asked, excitedly.

James shook his head, "We were too bent on getting out of there without getting caught!"

"Wish we knew," Remus commented.

"Me, too," Sirius said. "Think it was Hagrid?"

"What would Hagrid be doing up at this hour, trudging mud about the entrance hall?" Peter asked.

"What would anybody be doing up at this hour, really," Sirius said, "Other than doing suspicious stuff."

"We were up at this hour," Remus pointed out.

"And we were doing suspicious stuff," James pointed out right back.

Remus nodded, "True."

Sirius climbed onto James's desk and pressed his nose to the window there, peering down at the lawns. "Think whoever it is came from outside?" He couldn't see a thing out there, but that didn't stop him from craning his neck again.

"Where else would they come from if not from outside?" Peter inquired, looking up at Sirius with an eyebrow raised.

James laughed - extra hard because it was Peter who had got Sirius in saying something as stupid as all that - and said, "It probably is Hagrid. You know how much he likes stomping 'round in the mud out there!" He threw himself on the bed, "All I know is we didn't get blamed and in the end that's what matters, isn't it?" He was studying his wand, quite thankful Sirius had found it.

"So where did the pit go then?" Remus asked holding up a hand to help Sirius down off the desk.

James grinned, "The pit turned out to be a slide, almost. It brought us right down to the Hogwarts laundry room." His eyes sparkled with excitement. "We went sliding down and landed in a big pile of Ravenclaw bedclothes. You should've seen it, though, all magically operated - the whole business!"

"I wonder why they don't have the house elves doing that?" Peter wondered.

"House elves wouldn't be able to, would they?" Remus asked, "They'd be free. That's how a house elf is freed - when he's given clothes. Even incidentally."

They all got changed into their pyjamas and went to bed. The night had been full of such a lot of adventure that they all slept quite soundly, but not for long. Morning came and they were all exhausted as they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, in states of disarray.

"What happened to you lot?" Lily asked as they settled onto the benches at the Gryffindor table. She reached up and smoothed Remus's hair a bit with her fingertips, a look of concern in her eyes. "Looks as though you've been getting into trouble again," she added.