The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Talk of Resistance

"We can't tell Remus," Sirius persisted. "Not until we know this is going to work!"

The boys were out late in the castle one night after the full moon had passed, mapping as usual, when they heard footsteps on the stairs by the fifth floor stairwell. They quickly ducked out of sight, hiding behind a long tapestry that concealed a hidden stair, crouching beneath the invisibility cloak, listening closely. There were three voices approaching down the corridor from the stairwell - they recognized them almost instantly as Bilius, Derek, and Alex Tinnamin. Peter was about to climb out from behind the tapestry, excited since they knew the three Gryffindor seventh years would never give them up to Filch, when they heard a fourth voice coming the other direction.

"Good evening," said Dumbledore, a smile to his voice. "I was just coming to meet you at the stair. I apologize for the late time of the meeting," he added, "But due to the rather clandestine nature of what we're about to discuss here today... you understand."

"Yeah, whatever time is good for you is brilliant for us," Bilius said boisterously. "We just want to help out in stopping this madness."

Dumbledore chuckled, "I understand you are quite eager to assist, but I'm afraid your tasks will seem trifle at first. I promise, however, that they will be of utmost importance to the overall work of the Resistance."

Sirius's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked 'round at the other boys. Bilius, Derek, and Alex were joining the resistance? Sirius was half tempted to leap out from behind the tapestry and announce his desire to join up, too. Whatever it took to take out the likes of Voldemort, he would be willing to do. The only thing stopping him was the grip James suddenly took out on his forearm. James shook his head. No, he was telling Sirius silently and Sirius had all he could do not to wrench his arm away and do it anyway. If it had been anyone but James stopping him, he would've done.

"We're ready, Headmaster," said Derek solemnly. "We're all of age, we're all adults by law. I know we haven't finished school just yet, but... blimey, all that's left is the N.E.W.T. tests and we're done. It's as good as over, really. We've learned what we'll learn. And I just can't sit about here in this castle, thinking on how Alice and my parents --" he stopped mid-sentence. "I just can't stay out of it any longer, sir."

"Send us out," Alex joined in.

Dumbledore said, "Well first, let us go to my office and we will talk about this a bit more. The walls have ears, as they say. Come," Dumbledore directed, and he quickly escorted Derek, Bilius, and Alex off down the hallway to the great gargoyles that guarded his office door, their footsteps fading away.

The boys jumped out from behind the tapestry, Peter dusting off some cobwebs that had tangled about him as they stood in the dark beyond. Remus was flattening the crumpled corners of the map against his chest. "They're joining up to the resistance," Sirius said, "I want to join the resistance. Nothing would anger Mother and Father more than that."

"That's not a very good reason to join the resistance, making your folks angry," Remus said. "The resistance is a whole lot of life-risking, you need to be doing that sort of thing for the right reasons."

"Defeating Voldemort is reason," James said.

"And a good one at that," Sirius agreed.

Peter shivered, "I should think they would be afraid to join. Especially Derek. He's already seen how powerful Voldemort is first hand..."

James rolled his eyes.

"You can't go not standing up to him, just because he's powerful," argued Sirius as the boys walked toward the staircase. "Nobody would ever fight any of the villains of the world if that's how that worked. He's powerful, sure, but together we're more powerful."