Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
Chapter 69: The Ride Back
The return to Hogwarts was quite tranquil. Luckily, his parents had not noticed his absence, and Sirius didn't even need to lie to them in order to cover his absence, something that he was very grateful for.
On the ride back to the castle, everyone was talking excitedly about what they'd done during the short break. However, James's mind was miles away from that train cabin.
He kept going over the conversation with Voldemort, wondering if he should have pushed things further.
The House of Black's alliance with the Dark Lord was still up in the air, and that was a good thing, but he had to make sure that alliance never happened. Without their support, Voldemort's army would be left incomplete and weakened.
He also considered whether there was any possibility of creating doubt among the other ancient houses already tied to Voldemort...families like Malfoy, Lestrange, Rosier, Crabbe, Goyle, and several others. Unfortunately, he didn't have a friendly relationship with anyone from those houses. In fact, it was it was probably the opposite.
Severus Snape came to mind. He wasn't a member of an important wizarding family, but he was still a valuable asset for Voldemort. James wished he could do something to keep Snape from taking that path, but it would be difficult. Snape was already associated with Lucius Malfoy, and it wasn't like he'd trust anything James told him.
His eyes moved to Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting across from him. This was someone he could influence. Peter's betrayal of the Marauders had been a result of feeling cornered and afraid. The war wasn't going well, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Voldemort achieved victory. Peter had been captured and must have been offered a way out...which he took.
James wasn't sure about the exact moment of the betrayal, but it had to have happened near the end of the first war. He still had plenty of time to ensure things went differently this time. 'I have much to prepare, and many projects that need to be completed. If I can do that… Voldemort is in for a few nasty surprises.'
"James? Is there something on my face?" Peter asked hesitantly.
James realized he'd been staring at Peter for too long. "No, sorry. I was just… actually, yes. There's some red sauce on your left cheek."
"Oh!" Peter hurried to wipe his face with his handkerchief. "It must be from the sandwich I ate earlier."
"You ate three of them, and we're still an hour away," Sirius pointed out.
"I can't help it. I always get nervous on the train, and when I get nervous, I also get hungry." Peter said.
"Leaving that aside, you've been quieter than usual, James," Remus said.
"Did something happen during the break?"
Sirius tensed suddenly. After his return, James had told him about the conversation between the Dark Lord and his family, something that Sirius didn't even want to think about right now.
"Nothing to worry about, for now," James said. He knew he couldn't hide these things from his other two friends forever. News about the Dark Lord's plans to take over Britain would eventually become public knowledge. But it felt unnecessary to tell them this early, when there was nothing they could do.
Remus already had enough to worry about with his werewolf curse, and Peter… well, he wasn't likely to handle the news in a healthy way.
"That sounded eery," Peter pointed out.
"For now?" Remus raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, have any of you seen Frank? It's strange he didn't come to our usual seats," Peter asked, changing the subject.
Sirius snorted. "Pff, he's probably off with Alice. Those two have been more inseparable than usual this year."
"It's normal. They just became an official couple over the summer," Remus said.
"What about you, Sirius? Don't you need to go see Marlene?" Peter asked.
"We're not clingy like that!" Sirius exclaimed, though it was obvious he was looking forward to seeing her at dinner.
"I wish I had a girlfriend too…" Peter muttered.
"Hey, this might be your year, mate," Sirius said, patting him on the back.
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They left the train at the station and made their way to the carriages along with the other students. As they climbed in, Peter and Sirius kept glancing toward the front of the carriage.
"Are they really there?" Peter asked.
Sirius turned to James. "Can you see them?"
"As long as you don't ask me anything after this… yes, they're there, and I can see them," James said, stepping into the carriage.
"You mean the Thestrals?" Remus asked. "Of course they're there."
"You can see them too?" Peter asked.
Remus shrugged. "No, but I can smell them." His senses had been greatly enhanced since he got his curse, and this was probably the only good thing to come from that day.
The four boys turned toward the familiar voice and spotted Frank, Alice, and Lily approaching their carriage. The moment they saw them, they knew something was wrong.
"Merlin!" Peter exclaimed.
"What the—" Sirius stared in shock.
"What happened to you three?" Remus asked.
Frank's uniform was disheveled. Alice's makeup and hair were even worse. But the most noticeable was Lily...she had a bruised eye (which she quickly covered with her hand) and a busted lip that was still bleeding.
"So… who'd you get into a fight with?" James asked. It was obvious what had happened, the only question was who.
The three climbed into the carriage, and once they were all inside, it began to move. The Marauders waited for an answer, and just when they thought they wouldn't get one, Frank spoke.
"It was Bellatrix Black…"
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