The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Serious Sirius

Sirius shook his head, "I'd have the best reason for him to come. I reckon he's not going to just apparate across the bloody country for a bunch of random kids calling out to him. But me... Well, I could tell him I've been thinking on it and I wanted to help him... wanted to bring some honor to my family after all I'd done this year to disappoint them. Tell him I'm a Black through-and-through, and I'm on his side, and that I - I found a way for him to get into Hogwarts." He swallowed back the nervousness in his voice, too, as James had done.

James nodded, "That's good."

"Then once he apparates, we all blast him with the stunners at once. When he's stunned, we bring him up to the castle and tell Dumbledore the whole truth. There's no way he can deny everything we've said by then, once we have You-Know-Who in our possession like that. We won't get in any trouble." Sirius paused, then, "And bloody hell - so what if we do! So what if we get expelled! I don't give a damn, do you? Not compared to saving the entire wizarding world... the muggles, too, for that matter - there's not telling what he'd do to them. Some things are just more important than grades - even Remus and Lily would agree with that!"

James took a deep breath, "Oh definitely. This is way more important!" He looked off across the grounds toward the Forbidden Forest's edge. "I'll reckon there's a map of the grounds in that book Remus always goes on about - Hogwarts: A History. That'll show where the grounds end so we know how far out into the forest we'll need to go before Voldemort could apparate."

Sirius was excited now, "You're right! There's got to be!"

James nodded, rubbing his palms over his knees, "Well, we'll have to talk Remus and Peter into going along..."

"Would be nice if Lily would, too," said Sirius.

James's eyes widened, "Lily? Why would we bring Lily?"

"She's the best at spell casting! We might need her if anything goes wrong."

James frowned, he rather loathed the idea of Lily being out in the Forbidden Forest, even if she was with the four of them, especially given what they were thinking on doing. He'd much prefer it if Lily stayed safe in the castle. He didn't say all that though. Mostly because he wasn't sure what to say about it. He wasn't sure what it was about the idea of Lily being out there that made him feel so sick and sweaty in the palms... "Well, after we talk whoever's going to go along into coming, then what? When do you want to do this?"

"At night. In the dark."

"I figured as much, but... when?"

"Soon," Sirius answered. "The sooner the better because we don't want him getting stronger."

James shook his head, "Certainly not."

Sirius looked over the grounds at the rolling hills and the blackness of the lake and the forest far beyond. "I think we need to do it before the next full moon."

"Okay." James stood up.

"We need to talk to the others about it. Tonight. Get some concrete plans," Sirius said.

The boys walked back to the castle together with a sense of urgency in their step, talking about how to go about convincing Peter and Remus it was a good idea, what they had planned.

Lily was asleep in her bed that night, starlight the only thing illuminating the bedroom, when she awoke to the feeling of something jabbing at her shoulder. She started and looked about, breathless, to find a little house elf crouched in the dark beside her bed, his great flappy ears bent low across his head. He wore a little pillowcase, embroidered with the Hogwarts coat of arms on the chest. He stared up at her timidly. "I's is sorrys, miss," the elf croaked just above a whisper, "I is being sent to wake you."