The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The Plan in Motion

The sun was just coming up when they arrived and James was sore from sitting straddled on the back of the bike, and his fingers were cold, achey as he released them from his grip on Sirius. They snuck around the back of the house, shrinking the motorbike so that it wouldn't be seen. James and Sirius knelt beside the trap door that led into the bomb shelter - the wolf hole, as they'd come to call it since James had used the term - and James quickly cast the several incantations he'd created to keep the door from being easily opened. He and Sirius climbed down into the darkness below, and James climbed over several knocked over shelves, and reached into a tear in a mattress in the far corner, the stuffing coming out of it. He fished about a moment, then withdrew his fist, holding the locket tight.

Sirius looked around the dismal space. "To think fucking Lyall Lupin expected his son to spend several nights here every month..." he shook his head.

"Yeah," James sighed.

"It isn't fair, the way they treat werewolves," Sirius said.

James shook his head. "Not at all."

"That's the one good thing, you know, about Voldemort's agenda. He doesn't mistreat Greyback and his army anymore or less than he mistreats anyone else. They're the same to him, so long as they have pureblood."

"I reckon a good deal of werewolves were muggles before they turned," James pointed out, "Not all of them are wizards. Doubt Voldemort wants equal rights for that lot."

"Yeah, I s'pose."

"It isn't about the humanity to him," James added, "It's about the blood."

"Fuck blood," Sirius answered, spitting.

James nodded. He stared at the locket, spinning from the end of it's chain in his fist. He looked at Sirius. "You reckon it'll work? The plan?"

"If Moony says it will, it will," Sirius answered.

James sighed, "What if... something goes wrong?"

"With Peter?"

"Yeah."

"He's the one I'm worried about, too," Sirius replied. Then, "Blast. I wish it could be me. I wish I could be the one to bring it to him. I could you know, if you want. Just give it to me instead."

James shook his head, "The only way to save Peter is if it's him who brings it."

Sirius stared at the locket, too, for a long moment. "Yeah, I reckon you're right."

Finally, James shook himself from the thoughts that he and Sirius had fallen into. He tucked the locket 'round his neck and into his jumper so it laid against his chest cold and heavy. "Let's get back before my parents wake up," he said.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, we don't need mum and dad seeing us."

They climbed back out of the wolf hole and James sealed it up again, and they rushed off through the trees in the back, down a long hill, and far out of sight of the Lupin house before James would allow Sirius to engorge the motorbike again.

The flight back to Hogwarts was a long one, James feeling more and more sour the longer he wore the locket, the wind and sleet hitting their helmets annoying him so that he wanted to yell at Sirius for not flying lower to give them some cloud cover or else higher to rise above the storm...

They arrived back to the castle as the sun was coming up over the eastern horizon, bathing the grounds in gold and pink. They managed to join the crowd going into the Great Hall for breakfast, and no one was the wiser -- aside from those in the Order -- that James and Sirius hadn't spent the nights tucked up in their dormitory.

Lily sat beside James at the Gryffindor table. "Did you get it?"

"Of course I bloody got it, we're not idiots," James said roughly. "It's not like it's hard to get a locket out of a hole." He rolled his eyes.

Lily looked at Remus dolefully.

After breakfast, in the dorm, the Marauders (and Lily) stood about a desk, where they'd laid out the locket. Remus was referring to a textbook, his hand shaking as he said the spell that would turn the locket into a portkey, with certain conditions that need apply before the transport would occur. He stared nervously at the locket after the magic had settled in.

"Reckon we should test it?" James asked.

"How are we going to test it?" Sirius asked, "None of us can become Moldy."

"Well if one of us touches it and we don't, you know — poof — it must be cast correctly," reasoned James.

They all looked at one another with hesitation in their eyes. "Oh it isn't as though we don't know where it goes!" Lily said finally, and she grabbed onto the locket as James hurriedly grabbed onto her to assure she didn't go disappearing alone. But thankfully nothing happened.

James breathed a sigh of relief and let go of Lily's arm. "Sorry, Evans," he said, knowing she didn't like people grabbing onto her like that.

"It's alright," she answered. Then, to Remus, "It appears you've done it, Rey. Good job."

Remus flushed, "Thanks."

"Yeah, good one, Moony!" Sirius said, clapping Remus on the back. "I'm thumpin', proud of ya."

Remus said, "Hopefully it's not that it just doesn't work at all, though," he flushed, "I mean, there's no way of telling that much."

Peter's voice was sincere, "You've cast it, Moony, I'm sure it's most excellent."

"Thanks Wormtail," Remus replied. "I hope so."

The spell set, James took the necklace off the desk and stared at it for a long moment. He thought long and hard about the plan, about the fact that once he gave the locket over, it would be destined to be given to Voldemort. It was his choice to freely give it up into the hands of someone he knew would surrender it at first demand, and he was doing it anyway... He was the one who would break the contract, then, as he was the one who was making the choice. And when he was really good and sure he'd thought about it carefully and thoroughly, James turned and handed the locket willingly to Peter Pettigrew, setting the plan in motion.