The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Exposed

Fabian frowned, "We'll be needing to bring you to St. Mungo's, Potter," he said. "Right way."

James and Sirius were working with Frank Longbottom and Andy Woodhouse on the lawn of the castle to set up the telescopes for the Orionids, which were to be at their peak that night. As their detention from Zosma had commanded, they'd all shown up promptly after lunch to assist with the telescopes. "Exposed to dragon pox?" Andy Woodhouse said, "Bloody hell, that's not good."

"I know," James said. He was holding steady the scope they were working on as Sirius tightened screws carefully from below, laying on his back beneath the tripod. "They've put him in a sort of quarantine, mum says."

Frank said, "Yeah, I don't doubt it! Dragon pox are terribly contagious, and it stays stagnant for so long that even ten years from now he might suddenly come down with the fever... and then the spots... and the belching fire..."

"My grandfather had dragon pox," said Andy, staring down into the eyepiece of the telescope, talking absently as he spun the dial to adjust the focus, "He's dead now." When he looked up, all three of the others were staring at him with horrified expressions. "Well, not from the Dragon Pox -- he was old is all. Sorry."

James breathed in relief.

"Besides, he letter said might have earlier," Sirius said, filling in a puzzle piece that James had forgotten to mention to the other two on this retelling of it. "Your mum's note said he might have been exposed to dragon pox. They were still running tests."

James nodded as Sirius checked the lens on the scope. When James had gotten the letter, Sirius had been nearly as upset by the news as James had. He'd snatched the note from his hand and read it over several times pacing the dormitory himself as James had stared blankly at the wall trying to digest the information. Sirius's persistence that the words might have were very important had been repeated several times since Bubo had squeezed her way in through the boys' open dormitory window.

Frank and Andy moved on to their next telescope. "I'd like to know who the witch was that was running through Diagon Alley carrying a whole load of dragon pox vials and why," Frank said.

James shrugged, "Dunon that either. Mum was really dodgey about that part, said Moody and the Prewett brothers were chasing after her, but that's all she knew, and Moody was doing investigation, said it'll probably be in the Daily Prophet the owl post delivers in the morning and she wanted me to know about my dad before it got around the school about him being exposed."

Frank nodded. "Scary world we live in, when a man goes to Diagon Alley and gets exposed to dragon pox!"

James said, "I know."

"What was he doing in Diagon Alley anyway?" Andy asked, "I thought you lot had your house under a Fidelius after the muggle rescue fiasco last term?"

James turned red, and so did Sirius, who chewed on his lower lip and nodded that they were ready to move on to their next telescope too.

"He just was getting some things," James said.

The real answer, of course, was that Charlus Potter had been there after their books - which Dora Potter had sent along with the note telling him about the possible dragon pox exposure. James already felt sick to his stomach with guilt about it. Even though his mum hadn't said in the note that it was his fault or anything, he still felt like it was. He had a feeling Sirius did, too, by the way he'd looked when he read the letter through. After all, if it wasn't for him and Sirius, Charlus would've been just fine at home back at the cul-de-sac, invisible to the world and safe.