Chapter 5: Research and Lies
Summer. A time that is traditionally happy â“ warm weather, no school, lots of ice cream. But for Sirius Perseus Black, this was not the case. True, the weather was warm, if blindingly overwhelmingly boiling counted as warm. And yes, there was the advantage of no lessons or detentions, but Sirius would have preferred either of those to his family. And ice cream? He might as well as asked for a hug and for his mother to play Quidditch with him. It was ridiculous.
Instead he sat in his room, writing letters to anyone and everyone and doing homework. He went downstairs to eat, and that was about it. Until one day in early August, a letter from James arrived. What made it different from the many others he had got from his best friend, was the post-script at the end.
Sirius!
Itâs me, James, again. Thought I would reply to your latest letters. Is it that boring at home that you send me one every day? And just how many owls do you have anyway, as Remus, Peter and Lola tell me that you are bombarding them too?
Things are ok over here, Mum is feeding me constantly, she thinks I am too thin. Still, Iâm not complaining. Just be warned; when you next see me, I maybe even larger than Professor Slughorn! Dad, on the other hand, keeps quizzing me on what Iâve learnt at school and is trying to teach me about some of lifeâs finer things. Art, music, literature ... But Mum stopped him before had the chance to show me some of lifeâs finer wines, so there really isnât much benefit.
Have you started any homework yet? I tried, but then I got distracted (i.e. Mum was baking cookies).
Well, thatâs all I have time for, Dad is taking me to see another of lifeâs finer things. Although why fat Italian ladies singing ear splittingly high is considered âfinerâ I have yet to find out.
Your mate,
James
PS: Do you want to come over to my place sometime? Mum says you can stay the night if you like. You could enjoy the REAL finest thing life has to offer: My mumâs cooking! Oh boy!
It would be perfect. A win-win situation, for everybody. His family could be rid of him for a day, and he would be rid of them! He would be with James! He wrote back immediately, suggesting that Remus and Peter were invited as well. Over dinner, he proposed the idea to his parents.
âThe Potter family? The Potterâs are inviting a Black?â His mother asked him.
âWell, yeah, you could put it like that,â Sirius shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was.
âIâm not sure. Seems suspicious to me,â she said. Regulus sniggered and Mr Black grunted in agreement.
âBut why?â Sirius moaned.
âIt just is! Although it would mean that I could be rid of you for a day. I could drop Regulus with his cousins, and have the day doing something I want for a change!â she reasoned. Sirius tried to cross his fingers in hope, while holding his knife and fork, which was proving difficult. There was no way of telling what his mother was thinking, which answer she was leaning towards. âI suppose, it may be possible,â she sighed, and Sirius tried to conceal his grin. He didnât want his mother to think she was making him too happy, or she might change her mind.
âThank you, Mother,â was all he said instead, but in his mind he was cart wheeling around the room. He would be seeing James, far sooner than he could have hoped for.
The day came by very slowly. But as soon as Sirius got to the Pottersâ, it seemed to speed up. He arrived two hours early, but no one seemed to mind. James answered the door, and let him in, slightly bemused.
âUm, not that I mind, but you do have clocks at your home, right?â James asked.
âYes, Hogwarts has clocks,â Sirius told him. James looked confused for a moment before comprehension dawned on him.
âOh, right, Hogwarts is your home, I get it. But I meant where your family is? You know, whatâs it called? Grimmy Square or something.â
âGrimmauld Place. And yes, we have clocks, but Mother dropped me off early, so she could spend as much time as possible alone,â Sirius shrugged, taking off his coat, and handing it to James, âare the others coming?â
âJust Peter. Remus said heâs ill, and heâs very sorry. Come on, Mumâs dying to meet you,â James lead the way to the kitchen.
Jamesâs mother was the opposite of Siriusâs. She was plump, and friendly, and seemed to love James in a way Siriusâs own mother had never done. She took to Sirius immediately, and began trying to feed him, proclaiming him far too thin for his age. Sirius wondered what would have happened if she had seen Remus.
Peter arrived on time, and soon he was being introduced to Mrs Potter as well. Peter, however, was apparently not too thin for his age, Mrs Potter subtly didnât give him quite as much to eat as Sirius.
Mr Potter arrived home from work, and began talking to the three boys about a Muggle painter named Van Gough. The artist, apparently, produced lifeâs âfiner artâ, but the boys soon grew bored. They snuck out of the living room and upstairs while his back was turned, but when they saw him next, he didnât mention it, nor was he deterred. Sirius imagined that he had simply laughed when he realised the boys were gone.
The day went by, and soon the three boys were upstairs in Jamesâs large bedroom, talking past midnight. The main topic of discussion was Remus, and his supposed illness. The boys were growing suspicious â“ their friend often missed a lot of school too, because of âillnessâ.
âI mean, is anyone ever ill, that often?â Peter asked.
âUnless it runs in he family. He goes to see his Mum a lot during school, doesnât he?â James pointed out.
âWell, thatâs what he tells us,â Sirius muttered.
âWhat do you mean?â James inquired, looking confused.
Sirius lowered his voice, âWell, come on. Surely Dumbledore would have noticed how often he misses school. Itâs gotta be like, once a month.â
âSo, you think heâs lying to us? Why would he do that?â Peter asked. âHeâs our friend.â
âWell, maybe heâs embarrassed,â James suggested. âOnce a month, right? What kind of things can happen monthly?â
âMy mum gets really moody about once a month,â Peter said. James started coughing and Sirius quickly cut in.
âI donât think that has anything to do with it. Some clubs meet monthly.â
âYou think heâs in some kind of evil cult or something?â James asked, surprised.
âWait, I never mentioned evil!â Sirius quickly said, holding his hands up.
âWhy else wouldnât he tell us?â Peter reasoned. âIt must be evil!â
âYouâre probably right,â James nodded, âRemus is evil, who would have thought?â
âHey, letâs not jump to conclusions!â Sirius said, âThere could be another reason.â
âWell, lets ask him,â James suggested, âand make him tell the truth.â
All four boys met on the Hogwarts Express in the end compartment, as they had already planned. James stuck some parchment on the door, with a dire warning to anyone who dared enter (except the woman with the food trolley). After a couple of minutes of small talk, Peter blurted out, âRemus, are you in an evil organisation?â
âWhat?â Remus blinked, âEvil? Me? What are you talking about?â
âWell, you go away every month! It was suspicious, and the only reason we could think of as to why you wouldnât tell the truth, is that youâre part of an evil cult or something, that meets monthly,â James explained, frowning at Peter and his bluntness.
Remus paled, âW-Well, I ... I do t-tell the truth. I ... I get ill a lot and s-so does my m-mum,â he stuttered, âIâm telling the truth!â
The other three Marauders exchanged glances, âDo you swear?â asked Sirius, and Remus nodded.
âMarauders oath?â James pressed on, and Remus gulped, and nodded again. There was silence.
âWell,â Sirius said, coughing slightly, âthatâs that then. Who wants to play exploding snap?â
Despite what Remus had told him, the other three still werenât entirely convinced. One night, when Remus was âillâ, they sat in the dormitory, discussing their friend again, the light of the full moon giving them eerie looks on their faces, as if they were ghosts.
âI just donât know,â James was saying, âitâs so unlikely that heâs ill every month, or whatever his current excuse is,â
âWe should keep a record of when heâs away. See if thereâs a common factor or something.â
âGood plan,â Peter nodded. And thus, the âRemus diaryâ began.
It was soon realised that Remus did indeed disappear once a month â“ almost to the day. His three friends hit the library, much to Madam Pinceâs amazement. She was wary of the new regulars, and watched them closely. She was soon given the flattering nickname âPincerâ. After a few days of this heavy research, Sirius found something very interesting.
âWerewolves!â He exclaimed, loudly. Madam Pince gave him a warning look, and he apologised, leaning in closer to James and Peter, âWhat if heâs a werewolf? They change once a month, donât they? And it would explain why he doesnât tell us the truth.â
âItâs so obvious,â James whispered, âwhy didnât we think of it before?â
âWell, has either of you even seen a book about werewolves in here? Because I havenât. This one only mentions them in passing.â
âSo, we should see if someoneâs checked out the books on werewolves,â Peter suggested, âbut how?â
James lowered his voice even more, so the other two had to strain their ears to hear him, âYou distract Pincer, Iâll go through her files,â He stood up, and said, unnecessarily loudly, âOk guys, Iâll go get another book on, um, starfish.â
âStar â“ oh, right,â Sirius got up and pulled a book off the shelf. It looked boring, but then it was about Arithmancy so Sirius wasnât surprised. He pulled out his wand and set the book on fire.
Madam Pince exploded. She grabbed him and Peter by the neck and dragged them to Dumbledoreâs office shrieking all the way. Sirius found it immensely funny, and relished in the odd looks being sent their way. He grinned and waved as he was bodily dragged to the statue guarding the headmasterâs office. A lot later that day, he and Peter returned to the Common Room, where James was waiting by the fire.
He looked over at them, and grinned, âAll you had to do,â he began, âwas spill some pumpkin juice on the book or something. Not set one on fire!â
Sirius grinned back, âWell, if youâre going to cause a scene, you might as well make the most out of it. Iâll never forget the look on Pincerâs face. It was priceless. But thatâs not the point. Did you find anything, uh, interesting?â
James nodded, and indicated for them to sit down, âEvery book on lycanthropy or suchlike, was checked out by Remus Lupin. And they have been consistently since we got here.â
âThis year?â Peter asked.
âNo, since we got to Hogwarts in our first year,â James said, and Peter looked incredulous.
âSomebody didnât want anyone to get even a slight clue about where he really goes every month,â Sirius stated, and James nodded. Sirius thought some more, and said, âhe probably just keeps them in his trunk and renews them when heâs had them too long.â
âWhy wouldnât he tell us?â Peter sounded betrayed, âWeâre his friends,â
âHe probably thought weâd hate him or something,â James shrugged, and Sirius agreed. He felt terrible. He could only imagine what his friend went through once a month. It didnât bear thinking about.
âWe should help,â he decided.
âHow?â James asked, âThereâs no cure, and even if there was we couldnât look it up. He has all the books.â
The three boys sat, glumly trying to think of ways to help their friend, but their minds just wouldnât give them a solution.
It wasnât all research in the libraries, and boring lessons, although this did happen often. There was something much more exciting going on â“ Quidditch! The tryouts for the Gryffindor team were about a month after school began. James, Sirius and Lola all went together. James and Lola tried for Chaser, and Sirius was a Beater. These were the only places available, and it was a hard competition.
They were tried in alphabetical order, which meant Lola was first. She hopped on her broom, and tried passing to the different players already in the air. She hadnât got the best aim, but was confident and managed to catch most of the throws. Then she tried to score, and got three of the five throws through a hoop. She landed, stumbled a little when she dismounted, but was smiling.
Immediately after was Sirius. He picked up the bat, and felt the weight of it in his hands. It was heavy, and he swung it, just to test it out. A fifth year had to duck out of the way, but Sirius was oblivious. He mounted his broom and took off. Once he was in the air, he smiled but didnât have long to enjoy the sensation. There was a bludger speeding towards him. For a moment he blinked, his mind was blank. Then he lifted the bat and swung it, and the ball went ricocheting off towards the other beater, Frank Longbottom. Sirius flew after the other bludger which was heading towards the seeker, a fifth year called Toby Johnson. He caught up with the ball, and hit it towards a target, floating around in the air. He was pleased with himself, and the rest of his go went well. He almost got knocked out by his own bat, a bludger and a team mate, but overall, he didnât do that badly.
After a few others tried out, it was Jamesâs turn. Sirius was speechless, as he watched his friend zooming around the pitch. Lola came up to him, and smiled, âYouâve both got in,â she said.
âLetâs hope so,â he replied, still watching James score five times in a row in quick succession.
âI know so,â Lola told him, and he looked at her, âI just do, ok? Donât ask how.â
Sirius nodded, understanding, âWhat about you?â
She shrugged, âIâll try again next year,â
âYou might get a place!â Sirius protested, but she shook her head.
âNo, James and that fifth year over there will,â she pointed to a girl who had previously tried for Chaser. She had been quite good, and Sirius wasnât all that surprised.
âOk, as long as youâre not too upset about it,â he said, and she shook her head. She was right too, of course. James and the girl, Stephanie, were the Chasers, and Sirius was Beater. He was pleased with himself. He had his own broom, which his Uncle Alphard had given him for his birthday a few years ago, and he flew it a lot at home â“ it was a good way of escaping his family.
The team practised often, and they won their first match, which was against Slytherin. James had been the star, scoring ten out of the fifteen goals. The Gryffindor team were most definitely on form.
Meanwhile, no one knew whether to confront Remus outright about being a werewolf, so they decided to let it lie. James thought they should go for it, and tell him that they knew. Sirius thought they should work out a way to help first. Peter was in the middle, and could see both sides. They were discussing this issue again one full moon, as they sat around the fire in the Common Room. The Marauders were always guaranteed these most sought after armchairs, since they had claimed them a month or so before. No one seemed to mind, it was just natural now for the four in a semi circle around the fireplace to be left vacated.
âLook,â Sirius sighed, for what felt like the thousandth time, âall Iâm saying, is that we should find a way to help him. If it canât be cured, there must be a way we can be around him without getting eaten. There has to be a loophole, there always is.â
âAnd what Iâm saying,â James began, annoyed, âIs that he should know that we know. What if he just needs someone to talk to?â
âA Marauder always helps another Marauder in need!â Sirius cried, passionately, âThatâs what we need to do, help him, not say âyeah, we know you suffer every month, but thereâs nothing we can do, sorry mate.ââ
Peter was sitting in his chair, watching the two of them argue. He agreed with them both, but knew better than to say so.
James slumped back in his armchair, running a hand through his hair, without even thinking about it, âThereâs no getting around the fact that Remus is a werewolf. We need to â“â
âWhat did you just say?â came a shocked voice. Standing behind Jamesâs seat, was Lola, her mouth open.
James faltered, and Sirius quickly tried to save the situation, âYeah, Remus is a real wolf when he gets mad. Or hungry. Or horny.â
âWhat?â Lola looked confused.
âOk, not that last one, heâs thirteen years old, obviously, ha ha, silly me, bye then, Lola, thanks for stopping by!â Sirius said, in a rush. Lola ignored him.
âRemus is a werewolf?â She asked, looking shocked.
âSeriously?â Lily came up to the four of them, âRemus? A werewolf?â
âYouâre kidding!â a girl in their year, Tara, came up to them as well. She was friends with Lola and Lily, but the Marauders didnât know her too well. She was blonde, and pretty. Not very clever, but she seemed nice enough.
âOh sweet Merlin,â James muttered, under his breath.
âThat explains a lot,â Lily nodded, thinking, âabout where he goes every month. Did you tell him that you know?â
Sirius sighed. There was no way he could convince the girls they had got it wrong, now. âThatâs a topic of discussion,â he sighed again.
âYou should tell him,â Lola said immediately, âitâs stupid not to.â
Sirius looked put out, âOk, weâll tell him tomorrow.â
They found him at breakfast the next day, eating a boiled egg.
âDid you get back from the Hospital Wing ok?â asked James, as they sat around him. Remus nodded.
âSo, where do you really go when you change?â asked Sirius, oh-so-casual.
âShrieking shack. Wait, what?â Remus looked up suddenly, his eyes sharp.
âCome on, man. We know,â James told him, and Peter nodded.
âBut ... how did you ... when ...â Remus shook his head, as if trying to clear it of all thoughts, âhow did you find out?â
âIt has something to do with us not being stupid,â Sirius told him, but not unkindly.
âOh,â was all Remus could reply, quietly, âwho else knows?â
James shrugged, âJust us. Not another soul. Please, like weâd go blabbing to just anyone about you? No way, we Marauders can keep a secret.â
âUh, James, nothing you just said had one iota of truth,â Sirius pointed out. James looked downtrodden. Remus sighed.
âWho did you tell?â he asked, tiredly.
âWe didnât tell anyone! Lola overheard, thatâs all,â Peter reassured him. Remus nodded, knowing that he could trust Lola.
âAnd Lily,â James added, âbut thatâs all!â Remus looked unsure, but he at least he knew Lily could be trusted.
âYou forgot Tara,â Sirius stated matter of factly.
âTARA??â Remus cried, âTara knows? We donât even know her!â the other three Marauders looked guiltily at their empty plates. Remus sighed, âOk, fine. I can deal.â
The rest of their third year mainly involved his friends researching hard about werewolves, trying desperately to find a way in which they could help Remus. It wasnât looking too bright. Although, Sirius and James had Quidditch practise often, so they werenât always available to help. This paid off though, when Gryffindor won a stunning victory against Slytherin, and the party in the Common Room lasted all night.
Eventually, however, it was time to leave Hogwarts, and they all swore to keep studying at home. On the train back to London, Sirius wondered if he could chain himself to the Hogwarts express, and refuse to move. It was a good plan, he thought. He could just conjure food when he got hungry, and he wouldnât ever have to see his family. But as the train slowed, he reluctantly followed the swarm of students, out of Platform 9 ž, to his family, who were looking menacingly at passers by, and standing as far away from anyone as possible. He began to walk towards them, mentally preparing himself for another summer.
AN: Hey there, thanks for reading. Iâm sorry there wasnât much detail on the Quidditch stuff, I canât write about sport, as I hate it all so much. While Quidditch far better than any other sports I know, I still donât enjoy writing about it. Oh yes, and just a word to say that I have planned everything out, and this will have approximately 20 chapters. Also, I have to warn you that because they are young and innocent at this point, so is the story. But it will get darker, and a lot less innocent, so just be warned.