Marauders to the End: Year Two, Chapter Nine
TITLE: A Merriment Mystery
FANDOM: Harry Potter
CHARACTERS: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, OCs.
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: Swearing
SUMMARY: Everyone at Hogwarts is especially cheerful. This makes James suspicious.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY: This was an attempt to start having a running plotline. I couldn't keep it up and only kept it up for two chapters. But this was fun.
With everything that had been happening, it was hard to believe an entire month and a half had gone by. There was a sort of contentment in the air at Hogwarts that no one could really explain. It wasn’t just that everyone was settled down. It was that everyone was acting so bloody cheerful all of a sudden.
“I don’t get it,” James muttered to Sirius one night. “I just don’t get it. Why is everyone so happy when nothing’s going on?”
“Maybe it’s the fact that our Quidditch team’s better than last year,” Sirius suggested. “Our first match with Slytherin is in two weeks, remember?”
“And you’re just looking forward to whacking them all in the face with a Bludger,” James commented.
“Just like you just want to be able to show them what it takes to get a Quaffle through a hoop,” Sirius nodded. “There’s no way they can beat us.”
“I don’t know,” Remus muttered from where he was sitting. “I’ve been watching them and they aren’t bad. At any rate, their Beaters are good, so you two might want to get heavier uniforms.”
“Have you put in the recommendation to Anny yet?” Sirius asked.
“Yes,” Remus answered. “And she said heavier uniforms would just slow you down.”
“And there you have it,” James said. “We can take a few bumps on the head, right, Sirius?”
“I’ve taken more than a few in my day,” Sirius sighed. “And I’m supposed to prevent you from getting hit on the head.”
“Which is why you’ve hit him six different times in practice,” Remus said.
“Someone has to teach them to dodge,” Sirius said defensively. “Anny told me to hit at them.”
“I know,” Remus sighed. “I know.”
Quidditch aside, there was no reason on earth for the general goodwill spirit of the castle. Even James, who was bored out of his skull, felt happy to the point of ecstatic. When he thought about that, though, it worried him. He was used to happiness, sure, but this was different. This was… euphoria. Excessive cheerfulness.
“I don’t know why that concerns you,” Sirius said when James voiced his apprehensions aloud. “If we were all suddenly excessively depressed, that would be something to worry about, but excessive happiness is nothing to worry about.”
“You mean it doesn’t bother you that everyone’s ridiculously cheerful without cause?” James asked. “I mean, we haven’t had any mean thoughts for about a week. It’s almost Halloween! We should be thinking of something to do for the feast, but you’re cheerfully going about life as usual without so much as a thought about it.”
Sirius closed the advanced Transfiguration book he was reading and stared at James. “Why are you so paranoid?” he asked. “There’s nothing wrong with a spirit of goodwill throughout the castle.”
“At Halloween?” James said. “Christmas I could understand, but this is weird. You have to admit it’s weird.”
Sirius shrugged. “You’re just not used to people being able to laugh and be happy without your help and it’s making you paranoid.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you,” James retorted.
“What are you suggesting?” Sirius asked. “That some evil wizard has made everyone in Hogwarts extremely happy so that no one’s on their guard when he attacks the castle?”
“No,” James said. “I’m suggesting that there was something weird in everyone’s pumpkin juice last week.”
Sirius frowned. “So there was a Perky Potion in our drinks? What would be the point of that?”
“I don’t know,” James admitted. “But I’m going to find out.”
Hootsy greeted James extremely cheerfully when he entered the kitchen. James was cheerful in return, though not in the excess that everyone else was. He had stopped drinking pumpkin juice.
“What is it that we can do for you, sir?” Hootsy asked.
“First, cup of tea,” James said. He was rather thirsty. “Second, has anyone been tampering with the pumpkin juice?”
“No, sir! Where would you get such an idea, sir? Hootsy does not allow anyone to touch the pumpkin juice but Chitty and Dotty.”
“So it’s absolutely normal?”
“Absolutely, sir. No one but the designated Elves touch the pumpkin juice.”
“Can I see tonight’s batch?”
Hootsy looked suspicious. “Why is you wanting to see it, sir? It is ordinary juice.”
“Please, Hootsy. I’m sure someone’s been tampering with it. Could I just take a look?”
“All right, sir, but don’t touch unless Chitty gives you a glass.”
“Of course.”
Hootsy led James back to where two Elves were mixing a huge vat of pumpkin juice. “A young master wishes to see your work,” she said.
The two Elves, Chitty and Dotty, looked up. “As long as young master does not touch the juice,” one said. “Professor Dumbledore would be angry with Chitty if the batch was ruined.”
“And Dotty,” the other Elf added. “He would be mad at Dotty too.”
“But how can we serve you?” the first one asked.
“You’re Chitty, right?” James said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay,” James continued. “I think that there’s been someone tampering with the juice.”
“And why do you think that, sir?” Dotty asked.
“Because…” James hesitated. Sirius was one thing. He may dismiss all of James’s odd notions as pure insanity, but at least he could laugh to James’s face. The Elves would probably treat James like a mental patient. Still, they had to know. “Because everyone in Hogwarts is suddenly filled with good will and happiness and I don’t understand why. I mean, most of the time the people of Hogwarts aren’t unusually cheerful and I thought that the pumpkin juice has been odd for the last few weeks.”
“What’s wrong with excessive cheerfulness?” Chitty asked. “We are always happy in the kitchens!”
James couldn’t explain it to them. “Can I just have a cup of the juice?”
Chitty shrugged and ladled out a cup of pumpkin juice. James sniffed it. It smelled normal and pumpkin-y. He pulled out his wand. “Spelio revilio” he muttered. Instantly, there was a slight shimmer. Definitely tampered with.
James pulled out a vial and poured the juice into it. He would take it upstairs and have Peter look at it and tell him what was in it.
“Is that all you is wanting, sir?” Dotty asked.
“Yes, thank you,” James said. “And no one else has been near the pumpkin juice all day?”
“No one, sir,” Chitty said. “No one is allowed without special permission from Hootsy.”
“Good,” James muttered before taking his vial of juice upstairs.
Peter was very confused when James asked him to break it down.
“It’s pumpkin juice,” Peter said. “There’s pumpkin, sugar, water, and cinnamon.”
“Please, Peter,” James said. “I already used a spell to prove it’s tampered with. Just get whatever potion it is out.”
Peter shrugged and poured the juice into his cauldron and began to work. In a few minutes, he extracted a clear substance from the cauldron into another vial. “It’s a Perky Potion,” he confirmed. “Strong enough to put everyone at Hogwarts on a high for several weeks without reinforcement.”
James frowned. “Why would anyone want to make everyone at Hogwarts extremely happy? That just sounds extremely moronic.”
“Maybe they’re just really nice,” Peter suggested. “And want everyone to be cheerful.”
“Or maybe they have a more sinister motive,” James muttered.
“If they wanted to do something sinister, they’d use a more sinister potion,” Peter said reasonably. “Relax, James, and enjoy it. I mean, you get to be on a perky high for a while without having to brew your own potions.”
James frowned. Even if he was getting to be excessively cheerful for no reason, he wanted to know who had decided that everyone at Hogwarts had to be happy.
“Peter,” he said. “Go get Sirius and Remus. We are having a Marauder meeting right now.”
“Why?” Peter said.
“Someone is controlling my emotions, and I won’t rest until I find out who!”
FANDOM: Harry Potter
CHARACTERS: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, OCs.
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: Swearing
SUMMARY: Everyone at Hogwarts is especially cheerful. This makes James suspicious.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY: This was an attempt to start having a running plotline. I couldn't keep it up and only kept it up for two chapters. But this was fun.
With everything that had been happening, it was hard to believe an entire month and a half had gone by. There was a sort of contentment in the air at Hogwarts that no one could really explain. It wasn’t just that everyone was settled down. It was that everyone was acting so bloody cheerful all of a sudden.
“I don’t get it,” James muttered to Sirius one night. “I just don’t get it. Why is everyone so happy when nothing’s going on?”
“Maybe it’s the fact that our Quidditch team’s better than last year,” Sirius suggested. “Our first match with Slytherin is in two weeks, remember?”
“And you’re just looking forward to whacking them all in the face with a Bludger,” James commented.
“Just like you just want to be able to show them what it takes to get a Quaffle through a hoop,” Sirius nodded. “There’s no way they can beat us.”
“I don’t know,” Remus muttered from where he was sitting. “I’ve been watching them and they aren’t bad. At any rate, their Beaters are good, so you two might want to get heavier uniforms.”
“Have you put in the recommendation to Anny yet?” Sirius asked.
“Yes,” Remus answered. “And she said heavier uniforms would just slow you down.”
“And there you have it,” James said. “We can take a few bumps on the head, right, Sirius?”
“I’ve taken more than a few in my day,” Sirius sighed. “And I’m supposed to prevent you from getting hit on the head.”
“Which is why you’ve hit him six different times in practice,” Remus said.
“Someone has to teach them to dodge,” Sirius said defensively. “Anny told me to hit at them.”
“I know,” Remus sighed. “I know.”
Quidditch aside, there was no reason on earth for the general goodwill spirit of the castle. Even James, who was bored out of his skull, felt happy to the point of ecstatic. When he thought about that, though, it worried him. He was used to happiness, sure, but this was different. This was… euphoria. Excessive cheerfulness.
“I don’t know why that concerns you,” Sirius said when James voiced his apprehensions aloud. “If we were all suddenly excessively depressed, that would be something to worry about, but excessive happiness is nothing to worry about.”
“You mean it doesn’t bother you that everyone’s ridiculously cheerful without cause?” James asked. “I mean, we haven’t had any mean thoughts for about a week. It’s almost Halloween! We should be thinking of something to do for the feast, but you’re cheerfully going about life as usual without so much as a thought about it.”
Sirius closed the advanced Transfiguration book he was reading and stared at James. “Why are you so paranoid?” he asked. “There’s nothing wrong with a spirit of goodwill throughout the castle.”
“At Halloween?” James said. “Christmas I could understand, but this is weird. You have to admit it’s weird.”
Sirius shrugged. “You’re just not used to people being able to laugh and be happy without your help and it’s making you paranoid.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you,” James retorted.
“What are you suggesting?” Sirius asked. “That some evil wizard has made everyone in Hogwarts extremely happy so that no one’s on their guard when he attacks the castle?”
“No,” James said. “I’m suggesting that there was something weird in everyone’s pumpkin juice last week.”
Sirius frowned. “So there was a Perky Potion in our drinks? What would be the point of that?”
“I don’t know,” James admitted. “But I’m going to find out.”
Hootsy greeted James extremely cheerfully when he entered the kitchen. James was cheerful in return, though not in the excess that everyone else was. He had stopped drinking pumpkin juice.
“What is it that we can do for you, sir?” Hootsy asked.
“First, cup of tea,” James said. He was rather thirsty. “Second, has anyone been tampering with the pumpkin juice?”
“No, sir! Where would you get such an idea, sir? Hootsy does not allow anyone to touch the pumpkin juice but Chitty and Dotty.”
“So it’s absolutely normal?”
“Absolutely, sir. No one but the designated Elves touch the pumpkin juice.”
“Can I see tonight’s batch?”
Hootsy looked suspicious. “Why is you wanting to see it, sir? It is ordinary juice.”
“Please, Hootsy. I’m sure someone’s been tampering with it. Could I just take a look?”
“All right, sir, but don’t touch unless Chitty gives you a glass.”
“Of course.”
Hootsy led James back to where two Elves were mixing a huge vat of pumpkin juice. “A young master wishes to see your work,” she said.
The two Elves, Chitty and Dotty, looked up. “As long as young master does not touch the juice,” one said. “Professor Dumbledore would be angry with Chitty if the batch was ruined.”
“And Dotty,” the other Elf added. “He would be mad at Dotty too.”
“But how can we serve you?” the first one asked.
“You’re Chitty, right?” James said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay,” James continued. “I think that there’s been someone tampering with the juice.”
“And why do you think that, sir?” Dotty asked.
“Because…” James hesitated. Sirius was one thing. He may dismiss all of James’s odd notions as pure insanity, but at least he could laugh to James’s face. The Elves would probably treat James like a mental patient. Still, they had to know. “Because everyone in Hogwarts is suddenly filled with good will and happiness and I don’t understand why. I mean, most of the time the people of Hogwarts aren’t unusually cheerful and I thought that the pumpkin juice has been odd for the last few weeks.”
“What’s wrong with excessive cheerfulness?” Chitty asked. “We are always happy in the kitchens!”
James couldn’t explain it to them. “Can I just have a cup of the juice?”
Chitty shrugged and ladled out a cup of pumpkin juice. James sniffed it. It smelled normal and pumpkin-y. He pulled out his wand. “Spelio revilio” he muttered. Instantly, there was a slight shimmer. Definitely tampered with.
James pulled out a vial and poured the juice into it. He would take it upstairs and have Peter look at it and tell him what was in it.
“Is that all you is wanting, sir?” Dotty asked.
“Yes, thank you,” James said. “And no one else has been near the pumpkin juice all day?”
“No one, sir,” Chitty said. “No one is allowed without special permission from Hootsy.”
“Good,” James muttered before taking his vial of juice upstairs.
Peter was very confused when James asked him to break it down.
“It’s pumpkin juice,” Peter said. “There’s pumpkin, sugar, water, and cinnamon.”
“Please, Peter,” James said. “I already used a spell to prove it’s tampered with. Just get whatever potion it is out.”
Peter shrugged and poured the juice into his cauldron and began to work. In a few minutes, he extracted a clear substance from the cauldron into another vial. “It’s a Perky Potion,” he confirmed. “Strong enough to put everyone at Hogwarts on a high for several weeks without reinforcement.”
James frowned. “Why would anyone want to make everyone at Hogwarts extremely happy? That just sounds extremely moronic.”
“Maybe they’re just really nice,” Peter suggested. “And want everyone to be cheerful.”
“Or maybe they have a more sinister motive,” James muttered.
“If they wanted to do something sinister, they’d use a more sinister potion,” Peter said reasonably. “Relax, James, and enjoy it. I mean, you get to be on a perky high for a while without having to brew your own potions.”
James frowned. Even if he was getting to be excessively cheerful for no reason, he wanted to know who had decided that everyone at Hogwarts had to be happy.
“Peter,” he said. “Go get Sirius and Remus. We are having a Marauder meeting right now.”
“Why?” Peter said.
“Someone is controlling my emotions, and I won’t rest until I find out who!”