A Handkerchief for Professor Minnie
James and Peter were running through the tunnel from beneath the Whomping Willow. Desperate, James shouted, "SIRIUS!" into the dark, but there came no reply.
"What if they've already changed?" Peter worried as they ran along.
"It wasn't moon rise yet," James said.
"Well this is a long tunnel, we dunno if it is out there by the time we get to the Shack. What if Remus is changed and he attacks us?" Peter asked.
"Shut up, we're going to catch Sirius before he gets to the Shack," James answered, putting on even more speed.
Peter groaned, already running as hard as he could.
Suddenly, James could see a point of light ahead in the dark and he smacked Peter's arm excitedly, "See, look, there he is! Sirius!!! Sirius, WAIT!!!"
"Potter?" called a voice through the dark -- but it certainly wasn't Sirius Black's.
"Evans?"
James slowed as she stepped into view, her wandlight illuminating her, his illuminating him and Peter. She looked at him in confusion, "What're you lot doing here?"
"What are you doing here, more like?" James said, "Did Sirius recruit you to help him on his stupid mission?"
"What stupid mission?" Lily was confused, "I was helping Remus with -- something."
"So you haven't seen Sirius?" Peter asked.
"No... should I have?" Lily asked.
"He was coming this way to supposedly catch Remus with his supposed boyfriend that doesn't exist," James said, "And I was trying to catch up with him to tell him who the bloody boyfriend is."
Lily looked confused, "Who the non-existent boyfriend is?"
"It's Peter," James said, thumbing at Peter.
Peter's face pinkened in anger, "I'm not, Regulus Black was making fun of us and --"
Lily cried out, "I KNEW THERE WASN'T A BOYFRIEND! OH MY GOD! THAT MEANS SIRIUS CAN CALM DOWN AND ASK REMUS AND REMUS HAS THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR HIM AND THEY'RE GOING TO KISS WHEN HE GETS IT! I JUST KNOW IT! OH MY GOD!" She danced about and grabbed James's hands as she did.
He stared at her touch in disbelief, then gave in to it and danced about with her, knocking his glasses askew.
Peter looked utterly perplexed, "Wait. Why would Sirius kiss Remus?!"
James looked at Peter, "Merlin's beard, you're clueless," he said as Lily let go of his hands and grabbed onto Peter's, making him dance about, too.
"But - Sirius - but why -- I don't understand!" Peter whimpered, so confused as Lily dropped his hands, too after a moment of dancing.
She was flushed from her excitement. "Potter, please, please, please let me come to whatever birthday celebrations you lot have. I need to see it when Remus and Sirius finally -- finally get together!"
James smirked, having removed his glasses to wipe them clean and replacing them on his nose, "Sure, love, you can be my date to the party."
Lily was too exhilarated by the idea of Remus and Sirius getting together that she didn't even notice James had said date, and she didn't argue it.
James grinned.
One day, he thought, he'd tell his kids that he and Lily had gotten together by going to a birthday party Uncle Remus had thrown for Uncle Sirius for their first date, and Sirius would tease him for ages that if it wasn't for him James never would've ended up with Lily, and James would punch him on the shoulder, and every year James would make a bigger deal out of the anniversary of his first date with Evans than he did of Sirius's birthday, just to irritate his mate. And Sirius wouldn't think it was funny, but it would be, really.
"So wait, Sirius is gay now, too?" Peter asked, trying to fit together all the pieces of the puzzle.
"That's the word on the street," James replied. "Blimey, why did you think he was so jealous over Remus's supposed boyfriend?"
Peter didn't want to admit that he hadn't noticed, so he shrugged.
They all stood there a moment, looking at one another, then James said, "Wait. If we're in the tunnel and you've just come from the Shack and neither of us have run into Sirius -- then where the bloody hell is Sirius at?"
Peter looked about in the dark, as though Sirius might be lurking in the shadows around them.
"Is there any other ways out to the Shrieking Shack?" Lily asked, "Maybe he went a different way?"
James ran his hand through his hair, "I dunno, not that I know of."
Peter said, "Maybe he went to the feast instead. Maybe he got downstairs and changed his mind when he smelled all the stuffing and squash and the ham.. Oh the ham..." Peter whimpered. He'd smelled the ham as they'd passed the Great Hall themselves, wrapped in the invisibility cloak, headed for the Whomping Willow to get Sirius. He'd been so tempted to abandon the mission then and just run in and start eating some of that delicious feast...
Lily said, "There must be another way out there. But wherever he is, he needs to get back to the castle. It's got to be nearly moon rise by now - that's why Remus sent me away - he'll be turning into a werewolf soon."
Peter said, "Oh that doesn't matter for Sirius, since he's Remus's al--"
James stamped on Peter's foot very hard.
"OWWW!" Peter wailed, "You might've broken a bone stomping on me like that!"
Lily looked at him, "He's Remus's what?"
"Remus's good mate. C'mon, let's go back to the castle, it's no good staying here in the tunnel," James said and he shoved Peter forward, irritated.
"Being Remus's good mate isn't going to stop him being chomped up by a werewolf!" Lily said, following along after James and Peter through the tunnel, "Werewolves don't care about mates! They just want to eat up the flesh of anyone that's within a hundred yards!" she was running to keep up with James's gait as he shoved Peter along. "Sirius is in trouble if he's anywhere near Remus right now!"
"I've told you, Evans," James said, "Sirius is a bit of a werewolf whisperer, alright? He's fine. Probably better off if he did find another way to the Shack. All he'll see is that Rey's alone and he'll calm the bloody hell down and --"
"But he might ruin the surprise!" Lily cried. "Remus worked so hard on keeping it a secret --"
"What? That he's gay and is in love with Sirius?" James said, laughing, "That's not a sercret at all."
"No I mean his birthday present for Sirius."
"Well, I dunno, I can't do anything about it, we don't know where Sirius is and there's no way to find out," James said.
"What about that funny map thingy you lot have?" Lily asked eagerly.
James laughed, "For one, Sirius has it, and for two, I've told you Evans, it doesn't go past the grounds of Hogwarts."
"And again, I ask you, what good is that?!"
James said, "It's good for what we need it for!"
They'd reached the Willow and James pulled the lever and they climbed through the hole onto the grounds. Indeed, the full moon had risen by then and it glowed pale blue across the grounds as the three students ran for the door to the castle. Lily looked back over the grounds, hoping Sirius was alright - this is exactly the sort of thing that makes me worry, she thought as James pushed open the door and they went inside.
The feast was in full swing, there were shouting voices coming from the Great Hall, laughter, and a good deal of grand smells. They were just about to go in when a door to the left of the Hall opened and Professor McGonagall came out of the room, followed by Dumbledore, both pale and rather sad looking. McGonagall was actually crying. The sight of the tears falling on her cheeks was enough to make James's heart wrench. She was muttering, "Oh the poor boy. The poor boy..."
Dumbledore's mouth was a straight line.
James stopped. "Professor Minnie! Is everything alright?" he asked, and, being the gentleman he was, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, offering it up to McGonagall.
She looked surprised to see him, but her eyes, sad as they were, softened at his words and the handkerchief and she took it, "Thank you, Potter," she said kindly, and she forced a little smile at him through her tears.
Lily stepped up, too, "What's the matter?" she asked.
Peter hovered by the doors of the feast, watching, torn between his desire to know what happened and his desire to go eat before everything was gone.
Dumbledore said heavily, "It is not for you to be worrying about just yet. Tonight is a holiday. You should be in enjoying that spectacular feast the House Elves have prepared, not worrying your heads with things of which you can do nothing about. Go on and enjoy the feast." Dumbledore waved for them to go and Peter went, followed by a hesitant Lily, and James, who walked backwards away, staring at McGonagall with a look that clearly said he wished he could make her stop crying, even as she dabbed her face with his handkerchief. "Professor McGonagall will be okay, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore assured him.
James nodded, and he and Lily followed after Peter into the Great Hall.
"He doesn't deserve this pain," McGonagall said thickly.
Dumbledore nodded.
"It isn't fair."
Dumbledore patted McGonagall's shoulder, "A good deal of things in life are not fair. But I agree, this one is particularly so."
There was a shuffling scuffling sound and Dumbledore looked up to see Professor Mopsus coming along, scraping his cane across the floor as he moved carefully down the stairs.
"Mopsus," Dumbledore said, "You're late to the feast, man."
"I had important business to attend to," Mopsus said lowly, reaching the bottom of the stairwell.
Dumbledore nodded, "Well, I am sure there is still plenty of feast to go around in the Great Hall, though I cannot promise whether Hagrid hasn't finished off all of the gravy." He smiled.
Mopsus was quiet a moment, then, "He has not. Mopsus sees all." A smile spread across the old man's wrinkled face.
"Very good, then," Dumbledore said, and he guided McGonagall to the stair, "If you'll excuse us, we've very important business to attend to."
"Lyall Lupin's dead," Mopsus said.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied.
"The poor boy," said Mopsus.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, "The poor boy indeed."
He watched the old man's scuffling cane echoed through the entrance hall as he made his way toward dinner. When Mopsus had gone into the Hall, he turned, and McGonagall followed him up to his office to discuss what they were going to do.