The Marauders: Year Four

In or Out

"Enough with the flattery," Kingsley said thickly.

James flushed. "Well. Anyway. Do you know? How to block it, I mean?"

Kingsley rubbed his chin. "To be entirely honest, I'm not sure. Is there a reason that you haven't asked Professor Mopsus himself? I reckon that questions about Divination should be best directed to the Divination professor..."

"How can you be unsure? You're the Defense teacher and this would certainly be defense. I mean, these visions... they're really terrible," James pressed.

"Is something going on, Potter?" Kingsley asked.

Lily was looking quite suspiciously in their direction, too. She knew the look on Potter's face, recognized the way Remus was carefully not making eye contact and Sirius was leaning back in his chair interested but trying to look as though he wasn't... even Peter was chewing his lower lip. Those boys were up to no good -- there wasn't a doubt in her mind.

"There's nothing going on," James said, "It's just that we -- I -- was wondering."

Kingsley nodded slowly. "I would recommend talking to Professor Mopsus about it."

"Yes sir..." James hesitated, then, "Sir... Mopsus is... a bit odd, don't you think?"

Kingsley had withdrawn slides from the drawer for the projector. "Odd?" he asked, opening the box and slipping the slides into their place. He looked at James, eyebrow raised.

"Bit... creepy?"

"He's certainly, er, unconventional," Kingsley replied.

"So you've noticed, then?" James asked.

Kingsley stared at James for a long, withering moment. James picked at his quill nervously. "Rest assured, Potter, that I am quite aware of Mopsus and his... oddities. Now. Can we get on with the lesson?"

"Yes, sir," James replied.

"Very good." Kingsley turned the projector on. "Nox," he called, waving his wand at the torches that lit the room and they were plunged into the lesson.

The moment it was over, Lily gathered her things and hurried out into the hall, but waited there in ambush. As the four Marauders came out, murmuring, their heads together, Lily descended upon them. "What's going on?" she demanded.

James looked down at his trainers.

Sirius grinned, "Oh Evans. Why must there always be something going on?" he asked.

"Because there obviously is," Lily replied, "And I want to know what it is. That question was about as theoretical as the giant squid is dry."

"Blimey, can the giant squid live through being dried up?" Sirius asked, "Reckon he'd become a giant salty raisin?"

"Sirius --" Lily's voice was a warning tone.

Sirius grinned, "Don't worry your pretty little head, I'll see to it that the squid is kept properly hydrated. Now... if you'll pardon us..."

Lily stood her ground, blocking his path directly. "Not 'til you tell me what's going on."

James looked up, "Evans, you can't expect to have it both ways - either you want us to be your friend or you want us to go away. Which is it?." He stared at her solidly from behind his thick rimmed glasses, and his eyes were quite shiny and dark in color and he stared at her hard.

She knew she ought to say sorry... knew this was the moment for it... that it was what he expected... but she didn't know how to say it without making his ego explode to insufferable levels. Lily pursed her lips. "I --"

"Well, Evans? In or out?" James demanded hotly.

Pressured, Lily teetered on the edge of both words, and then, without saying a word, she turned and walked away. She was on the verge of crying, but she refused to let James see that. She stormed down the hallway and disappeared.

James watched her go, his mouth a straight line, concerned as much as he was annoyed.

Sirius watched her go, too, and the moment she'd turned the end of the corridor, he turned back to the other three. "Well a fat lot of good Kingsley was."

Remus said, "I'm think we ought to go to the library and see if we can find -- why are you shaking your head?"

"Because," Sirius said, who had been shaking his head, "The library will take eons to find answers from. Let's go to the Divination classroom."

"The Divination classroom! Are you mad?" Peter exclaimed, "I thought we decided we were going to avoid Mopsus and not ask him about this load?" he looked nervous, "What if he gets mad and explodes my brains?" he clutched onto the nearest thing he could find - Remus's arm.

Sirius said, "Who said anything about talking to Mopsus?"

Remus made a face, "Are you suggesting that we --"

"Break into the Divination classroom at night and snoop about and see if we can't find evidence that incriminates the Blind Seer against what he's done and what he's planning to do?" Sirius supplemented.

"I was going to leave it at break into the Divination classroom, but since you've gone ahead and divulged the whole plan, I'm even more inclined to say what I was going to --" Remus looked him squarely in the eyes,"Sirius, this is a horrible idea and we shouldn't do it."

Sirius grinned, "I knew you were going to say that, Moony-kins..."

"I'm serious."

"No, I am," Sirius answered, eyes glinting with amusement as his lip quirked up, "C'mon. What's wrong with the plan?" He looked at Peter and James, "We sneak in at night, use the invisibility cloak. We keep tabs on who's where on the Marauders' Map, and we have a bit of a look-see. See what we can find out about what Mopsus is really up to. Once we've got all the evidence we need, then we go to Dumbledore and tell him everything. Dumbledore then takes care of Mopsus and we're all done. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Just like that. It's the least dangerous plan I've ever had, really. Fool proof."

Remus said, "No offense, Sirius, but -- not one of your plans have gone the way you've planned them yet in all the time I've known you."

James looked at Remus, "I mean... it sounds pretty solid to me."

"Except for the fact that Mopsus is a seer, and he probably knows right now what we're planning," Peter pointed out.

"Peeeeter, he's a phony, how many times do I gotta say that?" Sirius asked. "I mean, he's a very good phony, but he's still a phony!"

Peter was wringing his hands nervously.

"C'mon you lot, don't you wanna solve this mystery?" Sirius demanded.

"I'm in," James said quickly.

Remus rubbed his forehead and eyes with his splayed palm, "Sirius, I swear it if this one gets us nearly killed like all your other hairbrained schemes have..."

Sirius grinned, "C'mon, babe, it'll be alright..."

"It better be," Remus murmured.

"Does this mean I can count you in?"

Remus peered between his fingertips at Sirius, "You know I'm not going to let you go up there without me, if for nothing else to keep an eye on you that you're safe."

Sirius grinned. "Love you too, Moony-kins."

They all looked at Peter.

Peter looked terrified.

"I mean, it's all for you, mate," Sirius said, "Seems a shame if you're not there for it."

"Oh hell." Peter murmured, "I'm in."

Sirius grinned, "Tonight," he said solemnly.

Round the corner of the corridor, Lily Evans was holding her breath, her eyes wide, listening...