The Patronus Charm- A Lily and James Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty-Three: You ate an Acid Pop?!?

I stare at the Marauders' Map for a moment. "So, the one eyed witch?"
James nods. "That's the passage into Honeydukes cellar."
"Can you bring me back some candy?" Sirius asks from the armchair next to fireplace.
"Sirius! This isn't some daytrip into Hogsmeade! This is sneaking out after hours." I protest.
"Lily, I hate to be the one to remind you, but we do this regularly." Remus declares.
"Fairly often." Peter agrees with a small smile.
I look at Alice. "What do you think?"
Alice attempts to flatten her hair. "Let's do it."
"You know what would be easier though?" I say softly.
"Getting Marlene to kiss me?" Sirius laughs.
I jab him in the ribs. "Actually, telling McGonagall that our gear is gone, so we can get permission to leave the grounds. Plus, we wouldn't have to spend our savings."
James, Sirius, and Alice stare at me for a moment. "Loaded pureblood families, Lilykins." Sirius grins.
I look at my feet. I don't have a fortune or a fancy manor in the English countryside. I don't have a name that protects me.
"All the same, she does have a point," Peter sighs. He pulls three Galleons out of his pocket. "It's all I've got." Peter is pureblood, but his family has never been wealthy like the Potters, Blacks, Malfoys, Prewitts, Lestranges, or the Longbottoms.
"I'll pay. It's fine, there's plenty of money under the Potter name." James says, looking totally relaxed.
"Still, it's not our faults that our gear is missing, so why should we be paying?" Remus points out. His clothing has always been second-hand and patched.
James sighs. "Look, I'll be fine. I know that you, Lily, and Peter, have never had a ton of wealth and it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything in the end. I mean you can't take it with you."
"Okay," Remus nods. "Let's just get this over with. What do we need?"
James pulls a list out of his jeans. "Balls, gloves, padding, goggles, broom for Lily."
"Hold up! I've got a broom, remember!"
James looks at me. "What model is it?"
"It's a Nimbus 1004."
"Not Nimbus' newest model, but it's a decent enough broom."
"It is better than the newest Cleansweep. Those are a joke." Sirius exclaims.
I roll my eyes at them. "Nice to know that I'm got your approval."
"Of course, Lils," James laughs.
"Well, c'mon then! We haven't got all night! We're playing at eleven tomorrow morning." Alice gets to her feet.
"Lily, Sirius, Alice, and I will sneak into Hogsmeade. Remus, you and Peter stand guard. Use the mirrors. We're going to run in and buy what we need and leave right away." James instructs. "We can't get caught or we'll be forced to forfeit the game tomorrow and then likely Slytherin would win the Cup."
"I'd rather die than watch Regulus hold up that Cup." Sirius snaps.
"Chill, Padfoot. Alright, let's go." James says with a small smile.
I follow the Marauders through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. Curfew is in a few minutes. We can't afford to meet a teacher or Filch. I watch the Map. "Stop." I hiss. "Filch will be in this corridor in a second, we've got to get out of sight."
We duck behind two suits of armor and wait.
Mr. Filch walks down the corridor with his Muggle lantern. I think he must be a Squib, because I've never once see him use magic. He leans down and talks to his cat, Mrs. Norris.
Finally, the odd couple disappears around the corner. I sigh in relief.
"I hate that cat." James says harshly. His eyes are narrowed, as he watches the end of the corridor.
"More than you hate Lily's cat?" Alice asks with a cheeky grin.
"Yes." James says quickly, as he glances at me. "Sorry, love, but your cat hates me."
"Lux is misunderstood." I argue.
James shakes his head and taps the statue.
Quickly, we slip into the dark passageway. "Lumos." I whisper under my breath. The tip of my wand lights up.
"Okay, meet back here in an hour." James reminds everyone.
We continue into the cellar of Honeydukes. James throws the cloak over Alice. Luckily, I can cast a Disillusionment charm. The sensation of something trickling over your body is never pleasant, but we can't afford to get caught.
Honeydukes is crowded despite the cold weather. Supposedly, the best time to shop is when the students aren't here, which is pretty much every day, but still...
We exit the tiny sweets store and walk into the alley. James removes the charms.
"This better be worth the trouble." Alice declares.
"It will be when we win tomorrow," James says, flashing a smile.
"If I don't puke." I mutter.
"You're really good at Quidditch, Lily." Alice argues.
"If you say so. C'mon, we've gotta hurry."
The Quidditch Supplies store is at the end of the main street of this small snow covered town. We open the door and enter.
Brooms line the walls and an insanely large variety of Quidditch gear sit on shelves.
"Hello, hello! Welcome! How may I help you this fine evening?" the short salesman asks in a booming voice from across the counter. It's hardly a fine evening...
"We need some gear." James hands the list across the counter.
"Sure you don't need any brooms?"
"Quite sure." I say.
The man sighs. "Alright. This way, please." He wobbles over to the shelf on the left side of the counter. "These are the best gloves for Seekers. Great price too. They work well in all conditions, even snow."
James nods. "I had a pair, but I sold them after I quit playing Seeker."
The man continues to lead us around, offering his opinion and trying to entice us with the most expensive equipment. Even with James' and Alice's well-off families, we don't need to spend extra.
Finally, we buy the gear and walk back into the cold air.
"We better hurry." James says. "Honeydukes closes in about four minutes." He glances at his watch.
Luckily, the store is so crowded that we don't even need to bother with using the charm. We hurry to the back and run down the stairs to the cellar. Sirius stands there. His face is pale and he looks like he's going to be sick.
"What's wrong, mate?" James asks.
Remus opens the trapdoor and says, "Sirius ate an Acid Pop."
"You stupid idiot." I say sharply. "Don't you know how dangerous those are?"
Sirius whimpers at points to his mangled tongue. Blood gushes out of it and parts of it look burnt. I groan and look away.
"Lily, can you get the bleeding to stop?" Remus asks.
I sigh. "I can try."
James looks around. "Where's Peter?"
Remus frowns. "I don't know."
"Bloody sod, where is he?" Alice growls.
"Doesn't matter. Look, Madame Pomfrey will have to look at this. I can't get the blood to slow down much."
"Sirius, why did you have to eat an Acid Pop of all things?" James asks quietly.
We hurry back through the passageway and into the castle.
"Get back to the Heads' Common room. James and I will meet you guys there. We have to take Sirius to the hospital wing." I say.
"If we don't get back soon, feel free to sleep." James says. He wraps Sirius' arm around his shoulders. "C'mon Lily."

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Hey guys! Sorry about not updating sooner! Got the flu! I'm feeling mostly better.
Next Chapter: Quidditch Game.