"Sorry, Aunt Petunia."

Chapter 3: Learning Of James and Lily

Harry still pretended to enjoy them.

"How're the classes?" Hagrid asked, sitting down with two cups of tea.

And so Harry told him about the classes he'd had so far, stopping briefly before recounting Potions.

How much was he going to say? How much could he say?

"Ah, Professor Snape givin' you trouble?" Hagrid guessed at the pause. "Well, you do look just like yer father, and I can't say that the two of them ever liked each other."

That remark ensured that Harry was now completely distracted from their previous topic.

"Can you tell me more about my father?" he asked, putting on his best puppy eyes. "And my mother?"

Hagrid scratched at his beard sheepishly. "Can't tell ya much about yer mother, 'm afraid. Never knew her all that well."

"Did you know my father, then?"

"As much as I know the Weasley Twins." The man grinned wildly. "Yer father and the three others were inseparable in school, they were like one entity, I'm telling ya! Marauders, they called themselves."

"Three others?" Harry wished he had some paper on him, but for now he needed to trust his memory.

"Yeah! Remus Lupin - the most sensible of the bunch! - Peter Pettigrew, that poor dear, and-" His face darkened, and he quite literally spat out the last name. "Sirius Black. That traitor..."

Hagrid started mumbling under his breath. Harry couldn't quite understand what was he saying, but it sounded bad.

Time to retreat, he thought.

Thanking him for the tea and cakes, he excused himself with homework and left as quickly as was possible without seeming rude.

Well, that was a disaster. But at least it gave him an idea: if Hagrid had known his parents when they were in school, maybe other teachers would have something more to say about them?

Spotting Professor Sprout near one of the greenhouses, he decided that there was no better time than the present.

"Professor Sprout!" he shouted as soon as he came close enough to be heard. "Do you have a moment?"

Professor Sprout raised her head. "Oh, Harry!" she said, wiping her hands on her work apron. "Sure! Have you got some questions?"

"Yeah," Harry shuffled on his feet, but he didn't have a backup Herbology question, "though not about the plants."

"Oh?" The woman looked at him curiously. "What is it about, then?"

"My parents," he said, dropping his head shyly. "I was wondering if maybe you could tell me something about them?"

Professor Sprout seemed really surprised about the request.

"Oh, sure!" she said eventually. "Come in for a bit, I was just about to take a break!"

The fruits she offered him as a snack were good. What she told him about his parents was even better.

"Your father, James, he was one of the biggest pranksters I've ever seen," Professor Sprout began as they sat at her desk on those uncomfortable tiny stools they always used during the lessons. "The Weasley Twins come the closest to him so far, but they're still nothing compared to the original Marauders..."

She told Harry about some of the pranks she knew about, most of which happened in her greenhouses or the Great Hall.

The simple changing of hair colors, making someone sprout tentacles, charming tiny birds to follow people, singing songs they liked, spiking the food to make everyone barf snails...