FIC: The Marauders' Legacy - 9/10
Title: The Marauders' Legacy
Rating: R overall. PG13 for this chapter.
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Warnings: Slash, a bit of bad language
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Summary: What would happen if the Marauders decided to leave portraits of themselves at Hogwarts? A teacher's worst nightmare and a prankster's delight...but have they really thought this one through?
If you are new to the story, you can find chapter 1 here.
Chapter 9
Remus was about half way through chapter eleven when the door to the hidden room swung open.
“You’re obviously slipping,” Sirius commented dryly as he threw himself onto the sofa and plucked the book from Remus’s hands. “How long have we been in there?”
“Ten and a half chapters,” Remus replied as James and Severus sat down on the opposite sofa.
“Did you know that Severus supports the Falcons?” James asked.
“Ruddy useless team,” Sirius added.
“They’re better than the Harpies,” James argued.
“Well, this is an improvement,” Remus mumbled under his breath. “Instead of arguing about who did what to who, we’re arguing about Quidditch.”
“We’re not arguing,” James said. “We’re discussing.”
Remus rolled his eyes.
“Severus has agreed to referee the first match in my painting,” James added with a grin.
“I thought you’d only managed to talk two other players into joining you?”
“Three.”
“It’s still not enough for a team.”
“Severus says that several of the former Headmasters were players back in their day. One of them was Captain of the Kestrels back in the eighteenth century.”
Remus watched with a bemused expression on his face as Severus and James actually ganged up on Sirius to argue their case for which players would make up the best Quidditch team ever.
“Moony, back me up!” Sirius ordered. “This is all your fault, the least you can do is offer me your support.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Remus said. “Did any of you actually discuss anything important down there, or apologise for anything?”
“Of course we were discussing something important,” James replied immediately. “We were discussing Quidditch!”
Remus shook his head and sighed. Sometimes it was simply better not to ask.
The conversation carried on, and although there were several barely concealed insults from all three of them, for once, no one was really rising to take the bait. Remus suspected that they would never be close friends with Severus, there was simply too much history between them. However, given eternity, they might at least learn to respect each other and restrain themselves from drawing their wands immediately they spotted the others.
“I should be reporting back to Minerva,” Severus announced later that afternoon. “She will no doubt be waiting for me.”
“You’re not going to tell her where the portraits are?” James asked.
“I am bound to the school,” Severus reminded him impatiently. “I have no choice.”
“But she’ll get rid of us!” Sirius exclaimed.
“I very much doubt she will do that,” Severus replied calmly. “Professor McGonagall has favoured the Gryffindors for as long as I can remember. She likes having you around.”
“Then why does she want to know how to get to our paintings?” James questioned.
Severus shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t bother to ask.”
With that Severus swept from the painting. They watched him cast a malevolent look at Peter as he passed through his painting, then he was through the bedchamber and gone.
“I guess he’s not so bad,” James said. “Wouldn’t want him to move in here with us or anything, though.”
“Definitely not,” Sirius agreed.
Remus chuckled as he picked up his book.
“What?” Sirius asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, what was that laugh for?”
“Nothing.”
Sirius pulled the book out of his hands and tossed it onto the table. “Now, you are going to tell me what’s so funny, or I’m going to be the one withholding sexual favours.”
Remus laughed out loud.
“What’s so bloody funny?”
“Ah, Sirius. You and James are just so unpredictable.”
“And that’s funny?”
“Yeah, that’s funny. I lock the three of you up to get you to sort out your problems, and all you do is talk about Quidditch.”
“That wasn’t all we did,” Sirius teased, waggling his eyebrows. “Are you jealous?”
“You’re not funny,” Remus told him, poking the snickering young man in the ribs.
“It’s not fair,” Sirius whined. “You’re too difficult to wind up.”
James cleared his throat to get their attention. “What are we going to do about McGonagall?”
“I don’t know,” Sirius replied. “We can’t have her coming in here and removing the paintings.”
“You don’t believe Snape?”
“No. McGonagall might favour the Gryffindors, but it doesn’t mean she wants us hanging around to influence the students.”
“She shouldn’t be able to get into the Room of Requirement,” James commented as he walked over to the frame and looked into the room in question.
“She might be able to now,” Remus said. “The way to get into the room is to ask for it to provide the room where the paintings of the Marauders are hidden. She will know what to look for now.”
“Well, that won’t do,” Sirius muttered. “Is there any way we can change the room?”
“Not from within the paintings.”
“Maybe we could give a few potential pranksters access to the room, and get them to change it?” James suggested.
“Into what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, unless you can think of something, I suggest that the fewer people invited into the room, the better.”
“Maybe they could do a sit in and protect the paintings?” Sirius suggested.
“One threat of detention with McGonagall will send them running.”
“I think we’re just going to have to hope that she doesn’t want to get rid of us,” Remus said. “I think the best we can do is behave ourselves as much as possible.”
“Blasphemy!” James declared. “Call yourself a Marauder?”
Remus rolled his eyes. “The more trouble we cause, the more likely it is she’ll want to get rid of us.”
“I suppose we could behave ourselves for a day or two,” James grudgingly relented.
Remus knew that was the best he could hope for.
-o-xXx-o-
The next Saturday morning the Room of Requirement received a guest in the form of Professor McGonagall.
“Potter, if you could come down please!” she called into the painting of the Quidditch pitch.
James heard her call from his position high above the ground, and flew down to greet her. “Good morning, Professor,” he politely greeted her.
“Where are Black and Lupin?” she asked, after saying hello to Peter.
James shrugged his shoulders. They were disappearing all the time, and rarely told him where they were sneaking off to.
“Very well,” McGonagall replied. She sounded somewhat annoyed, but clearly had no intention of letting it bother her too much, as she looked at the paintings with open curiosity. She also looked through the items that had been stored in the room, confiscating the various contraband from Filch’s list of banned items.
“Professor?” James asked cautiously. McGonagall turned to face him once more. “Are you getting rid of us?”
“Unfortunately not,” McGonagall replied with a small smile that betrayed her amusement at the question.
“So, we can stay?”
“Apparently.”
“We thought you’d get rid of us.”
McGonagall stopped gingerly examining some unknown pranking item and gave James her undivided attention. “The Battle of Hogwart’s, as they are calling it, has done irreparable damage to the reputation of the school. It will never be completely forgotten. However, it seems that your presence here is doing a little to help. The paintings of the Father and Godfather of the Chosen One are apparently too important to be shut away in a warehouse.”
“What about Remus?” James asked. “You can’t take him away from Sirius!”
“Remus was a much loved teacher, in the short time he was here. He lost his life in the Battle of Hogwart’s, and I suspect that if his portrait was removed, there would be an outcry from his former students, not to mention those he has been tutoring since his return.”
“You know about his tutoring?”
“When will you learn, Potter? I know everything.”
James laughed.
Professor McGonagall smiled as she continued her searching. “I notice you didn’t ask about Peter’s painting,” she commented without looking at James.
“You can burn it for all I care,” James muttered.
“Oh.”
“What did you want to speak to Sirius and Remus for?” James asked, eager to change the subject.
“Merely to let them know that Andromeda and Teddy will be visiting later next month; they are intending to visit on Christmas Eve.”
“I’ll let them know.”
“Thank you. And Potter?”
“Yes?”
“Next time you wish to organise a Quidditch match, please check the date with me first. I understand that it is a great thrill for you to have a former professional Quidditch Captain playing on your team, but his presence is required for staff meetings, as is that of Severus.”
“The portraits have to attend staff meetings?”
“Some of them.”
“Well, that must suck.”
“As I am sure you have already discovered, being a portrait here is not always fun and games.”
James nodded, and across the room Peter did likewise.
-o-xXx-o-
“There you are!” Sirius exclaimed as he finally found James, sitting on the stone bridge over a murky looking stream. “Been looking all over for you.”
“I thought you were seeing Teddy with Moony?”
“I was.”
“So, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d leave them to have some time alone,” Sirius said. “At least as alone as they can be with Andromeda taking care of Teddy.”
James turned to look at Sirius, knowing him too well, and realising that there was something else. “And…?”
“I just thought it would be nice for them to be alone together.”
“Liar.”
“Fine,” Sirius huffed. “Remus was telling him about Tonks. I didn’t really want to stay around and listen to him talking about her.”
“I thought you were dealing with all that?”
“I am…sort of.” Sirius picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the water. “I’m fine when we’re alone together. Even when he’s seeing Teddy, I can usually deal. But I can’t listen to him talking about their little family…not knowing I was never a part of it.”
“You’re a part of his family now,” James reminded him. “Uncle Sirius, right?”
“Yeah. You should come and see him, too. You’re sort of his Grand-Godfather, or something like that.”
“Maybe next visit, if Remus doesn’t mind.”
“’Course he won’t.” Sirius climbed up onto the stone wall to sit beside his best friend. “So, why are you sitting moping around here with a face like a wet weekend?”
“I’m not moping.”
“Liar.”
James shook his head and laughed. “I was just thinking.”
“Well, don’t overdo it.”
“Git!”
“Seriously, what’s up?”
“Just wondering why Remus gets monthly visits with his son and I don’t,” James finally muttered. “McGonagall went out of her way to track down Teddy and arrange for him to be brought here to see him. My son’s grown, and should be able to get here on his own, but hasn’t bothered.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know you’re here,” Sirius suggested. “It’s not like he’s been to see me either.”
“Why would McGonagall tell Andromeda about us, and encourage her to bring Teddy, but not tell Harry?”
“Maybe he’s been busy. Rebuilding after a war is always hard. He wanted to be an Auror too, and you know how much training that involves.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” James reminded him. “You’re telling me he couldn’t bring himself to stop by for five minutes on Christmas Eve?”
“There could be any one of a number of reasons why he hasn’t come.”
“He hates me. There’s a reason!”
“Of course he doesn’t.”
“He arranged for Snape’s portrait to be made,” James said. “You said yourself that he’d seen us after the Defence exam in the pensieve. I think it’s bloody obvious what’s happened. He hates me because of what we did to Snape.”
“Rubbish!”
“Is it?”
“Yes! I’m sure as soon as things have settled down, Harry will be here to see you…to see us.”
“Wish I was so sure,” James said as he gazed down into the waters once more.
-o-xXx-o-
“Merry Christmas, Moony,” chirped Sirius, the moment Remus had opened his eyes on Christmas morning.
“I’m too comfy to get up just yet,” Remus murmured as he snuggled closer beneath the blankets.
“How can you possibly be tired?” Sirius asked. “We’re portraits, we don’t get tired any more!”
“You wore me out,” Remus replied sleepily.
“Don’t you want your Christmas present?”
“There’s nowhere to go Christmas shopping in the paintings,” Remus reminded him.
“I know. I didn’t buy it.”
“Please tell me you didn’t steal whatever it is?”
“You know me too well,” Sirius chuckled. “But, no, I didn’t steal it.”
Remus smiled and stretched. “I haven’t got you anything,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Of course you have,” Sirius said. “Now, come on, get up. I’ve found the greatest painting for us to visit.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. It’s in Ravenclaw Tower, halfway up the stairs to the girls’ dorms.”
“What in the world were you doing up there?”
“There’s a portrait up there of the inventor of the magical camera. I wanted to ask if he had a camera with him when he was painted.”
“Why?”
“So I could borrow it and get some pictures of Teddy for you.”
“Really?”
“Don’t get excited; he wasn’t painted with it, and I’ve no idea where to find one within the paintings.”
“So, his painting isn’t the one we’re visiting?”
“No, the one I have in mind was on the way there. It’s so amazing, just wait until you see it.”
-o-xXx-o-
“What do you think?” Sirius asked as he bounced around the painting. “How freaky is this?”
“The sky is amazing,” Remus said. “There’s Sirius, right above you.”
“But it has the same gravity as the actual moon,” Sirius exclaimed as he continued to move around the painting.
“I’m just glad we don’t need to breathe any more,” Remus said as he took a few tentative steps across the surface of the painting of the moon.
“Isn’t it great?” Sirius called. “Hey, want to see a dog fly?”
A moment later Padfoot was leaping about the surface, much to Remus’s amusement.
“You’re mad, you know?” Remus called, as he tried to keep up with the barking mad animagus.
Padfoot made one final leap, right into Remus, and turned back into Sirius. “Gotcha!”
Remus looked up at Sirius with a grin. “Totally insane.”
-o-xXx-o-
They arrived back at the Room of Requirement later that morning, surprised to see the door to the room itself open as they approached it from the paintings on the other side of the hall.
“Come on,” Sirius urged Remus, and they hurried through the paintings to see what was happening.
The first thing they saw when they arrived was McGonagall, who appeared to be having some sort of argument with James.
“I’m not going to remove Peter’s painting. There’s nowhere else to put it in the main school. You’ll just have to learn to get along.”
“But-”
“But, nothing,” McGonagall snapped. “Now, if you would just be sensible and try to co-operate.”
“I don’t see why we should have someone else in here, keeping an eye on us and spying on us for you,” James muttered.
“This isn’t open for debate,” McGonagall replied. “Ah, Black, Lupin, perhaps you’ll be a little more reasonable.”
“She wants to put the painting of someone else in here, to keep an eye on us,” James told them. “Tell her she can’t.”
McGonagall cast a sweeping gaze over them all. “I think you’ll find that I can. Now, where do you wish the painting to be situated?”
“Outside!” James snapped, his comment immediately echoed by Sirius.
“Professor?” Remus said as he stepped forward. “Perhaps…”
His suggestion that maybe this wasn’t the best of ideas was cut off by a knock on the open door, and the appearance of a very familiar face peering around the wood.
“Ah, Potter, there you are.”
Harry Potter stepped into the room, two unfamiliar wizards with a large sealed painting following close behind him. “Sorry; it took longer to get it up the stairs than we thought it would. The staircase from the second floor moved while we were on it; we had to detour round half the school to get back on course.”
“Harry?” James asked.
Harry turned to look at the painting of his father. They appeared almost identical, their ages similar. “Hi, Dad.”
“You’ve come to visit us.”
“Of course I have. Sorry I didn’t come sooner. It took longer to get things ready than I thought.”
“What things?” James asked.
“Professor McGonagall told me you were all here, almost immediately after she found out. But, it seems to me that there’s a painting missing.”
“You didn’t?” James gasped.
Harry grinned up at him, nodding.
“But how?”
“I’d already gone through the whole process to get Professor Snape his portrait,” Harry explained. “My memories of him were used to give life and personality to the painting. As I knew him as a student, those memories were the strongest.
“I don’t have many memories of Mum, and when I was told that you were all young again, I knew you’d want her to be too. I just had to persuade the authorities to let me. It’s hard to say no to the Chosen One and they finally agreed. Then I had to track down other people who knew her at eighteen, Professor McGonagall, other teachers, Aunt Petunia…they all contributed.”
“You got Petunia to give you memories?” James asked. “How?”
“With great difficulty,” Harry replied with a chuckle. “Uncle Vernon nearly burst a blood vessel. He had to be obliviated before we left.”
“Can I see her?” James asked.
“Well, that depends,” McGonagall interrupted. “You weren’t so keen on having anyone joining your little gang a few minutes ago.”
“That was before I knew it was Lily,” James pointed out. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”
“And you didn’t tell me!”
“I knew that Harry wanted to be here when you found out. Now, where would you like her to be placed?”
“Next to me!” James demanded. “Moony’s library can go over there.” He pointed at Sirius’s painting. “Then move the bedchamber across to the right.”
“That’s the doorway,” Sirius pointed out.
“My right, not your right,” James replied impatiently.
“Why does my painting have to move anyway?” Sirius asked.
“Because I’m sick of facing your bedroom,” James replied.
“You think I want to be facing yours?” Sirius retorted.
They continued to argue for another ten minutes, at which point Remus, deciding to leave them to it, turned to Harry with a smile. “How are you doing?” he asked. “Life getting back to normal again?”
“When has it ever been normal?” Harry replied with a chuckle. “No, it’s good. Busy though.”
“I’ll bet.”
Harry cast a glance across to where Sirius was now in James’s painting, their argument reaching new levels of volume. He shook his head and turned to look at the other paintings. “Your library?” he asked.
“Yes, though we all spend time in it.”
A noise of annoyance from Peter drew Harry’s attention to him.
“Peter,” Harry greeted him with a curt nod.
“Harry,” Peter replied.
Harry ran his hand nervously through his hair. “I never got a chance to thank you,” he said quietly. “You know, for doing the right thing…at the end.”
Peter grunted.
Harry ran his hand over his throat at the memory of the last time he had seen Peter. “Though you didn’t have to leave it quite so late,” he added.
“What are you talking about?” Remus asked.
“I thought I told you everything that had happened at Malfoy Manor,” Harry replied. “Didn’t I tell you about Peter?”
Remus shook his head. “Probably couldn’t get a word in, what with me telling you about Teddy and everything.”
“I can’t believe I forgot though.”
“You had a lot on your mind.”
“I take it you didn’t ask Peter how he died?”
Remus ducked his head, feeling slightly guilty. “Didn’t think to.”
“It was back there. He had a life debt after I spared his life in the Shrieking Shack, remember?” Remus nodded. “I reminded him of it, and the moment he hesitated in doing Voldemort’s bidding, he lost his life.”
“Strangled by my own bloody hand,” Peter muttered. “Should have known any gift from the Dark Lord would have strings attached…and lethal ones at that.”
“If he hadn’t stopped, I wouldn’t have survived to face Voldemort at all,” Harry explained.
“It doesn’t change what he did, Harry,” Remus told him.
“I know. But, perhaps he shouldn’t have to spend the rest of eternity paying for it?”
Remus cast a look at Peter, who was looking back at him, almost hopefully. “I’ll talk to the others,” he said with a sigh. “But, you’ve got to do your part too,” he warned Peter. “No more winding the rest of us up with nasty comments. If you want to be part of the group again you’ve got to work at holding your tongue.”
Peter nodded.
Remus stepped into his painting and held out his hand. Peter hesitated a moment, before reaching out to shake it.
“Now, what about Lily?” Remus said. “I imagine she’s probably getting a little impatient by now.”
Harry turned to look at where James and Sirius were still arguing. “I think we should just go ahead and leave them to it.”
“Good idea,” McGonagall agreed. “I would like to be done before Christmas dinner is served. You will be staying, won’t you?”
“Sorry, the Weasleys are expecting me at one.”
“Perhaps another time,” McGonagall said. “Now, what are we going to move first?”
It took nearly half an hour, but eventually the paintings were arranged to everyone’s satisfaction. Sirius’s bedchamber remained where it was, with Remus’s library moving to where Peter’s pub had been. James’s Quidditch pitch moved to where Remus’s library had been, and Lily’s painting of a cosy living room was placed in James’s former spot. Peter’s pub meanwhile, was placed in the centre of the room, between Remus and James. It was a tight fit at first, but the room, ever helpful, expanded to accommodate the extra painting.
“I’ll be back to see you again soon,” Harry promised. “Just try to behave. If I get any more reports about detentions, I won’t be pleased.” With a teasing grin he left them to it.
Later that day everyone - even Peter and Severus - was congregating in Lily’s living room.
“So, how do you like your Christmas present?” Lily asked as she smiled at James.
“Best ever!” he declared.
The evening passed companionably, Severus making his excuses first, with Peter not long after.
“It’s good to see you again, Sev,” Lily said as she hugged him farewell.
“You too,” Severus replied. “I’ll be around if you need anything, though I think you have everything here.”
It was only when Sirius and Remus declared their intention to leave the happy couple alone that James realised that there was one thing they needed that they didn’t have.
“We could take it in turns.” James suggested.
“No way.”
“But you’ve had it all this time.”
“No.”
“Moony?”
“Sorry, Prongs.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Come on, Moony. Let’s go to bed.”
“You’re both gits, you know that?” James yelled.
Sirius turned to grin back at him. “But we’re gits who have a bed.”
“The least you could do is share it with us.”
“A foursome?” Sirius teased. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Prongs.”
“You know what I meant. You can have it on one day and we can have it the next.”
“You’re the one who wanted to spend an eternity on a Quidditch pitch.”
“It’s not fair!”
Remus laughed as Sirius pulled him towards their own painting. “Prongs, you’re a wizard for Merlin’s sake. Use your bloody wand and transfigure something in Lily’s sitting room into a bed for the night.”
“Moony,” Sirius whined. “What did you have to tell him that for? It would have been at least a month’s worth of amusement to wait for him to figure that out…with him getting more horny by the day.”
“It might have taken Prongs a month, but I’m sure Lily would have thought of it within a few hours,” Remus reminded him.
A quick glance back confirmed that Lily already had her wand at the ready.
“Have fun!” Sirius called. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
James laughed. “You do realise that that threat sounds stupid coming from you?” he yelled back. “Of course I’m going to do something you wouldn’t do - you’re gay!”
“Goodnight, Peter,” Remus said as they passed through his painting. Peter was leaning back in one of his chairs, relaxing at the end of the day.
“Goodnight, Remus, Sirius.”
Sirius even managed a civil reply as they continued on their way.
Later that night, Sirius was lying awake, his head resting on Remus’s chest. “Things are going to be okay, aren’t they?” he asked quietly.
“Of course they are,” Remus replied. “We’re Marauders, we’re always going to be all right.”
-
Chapter 10
Rating: R overall. PG13 for this chapter.
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Warnings: Slash, a bit of bad language
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Summary: What would happen if the Marauders decided to leave portraits of themselves at Hogwarts? A teacher's worst nightmare and a prankster's delight...but have they really thought this one through?
If you are new to the story, you can find chapter 1 here.
Chapter 9
Remus was about half way through chapter eleven when the door to the hidden room swung open.
“You’re obviously slipping,” Sirius commented dryly as he threw himself onto the sofa and plucked the book from Remus’s hands. “How long have we been in there?”
“Ten and a half chapters,” Remus replied as James and Severus sat down on the opposite sofa.
“Did you know that Severus supports the Falcons?” James asked.
“Ruddy useless team,” Sirius added.
“They’re better than the Harpies,” James argued.
“Well, this is an improvement,” Remus mumbled under his breath. “Instead of arguing about who did what to who, we’re arguing about Quidditch.”
“We’re not arguing,” James said. “We’re discussing.”
Remus rolled his eyes.
“Severus has agreed to referee the first match in my painting,” James added with a grin.
“I thought you’d only managed to talk two other players into joining you?”
“Three.”
“It’s still not enough for a team.”
“Severus says that several of the former Headmasters were players back in their day. One of them was Captain of the Kestrels back in the eighteenth century.”
Remus watched with a bemused expression on his face as Severus and James actually ganged up on Sirius to argue their case for which players would make up the best Quidditch team ever.
“Moony, back me up!” Sirius ordered. “This is all your fault, the least you can do is offer me your support.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Remus said. “Did any of you actually discuss anything important down there, or apologise for anything?”
“Of course we were discussing something important,” James replied immediately. “We were discussing Quidditch!”
Remus shook his head and sighed. Sometimes it was simply better not to ask.
The conversation carried on, and although there were several barely concealed insults from all three of them, for once, no one was really rising to take the bait. Remus suspected that they would never be close friends with Severus, there was simply too much history between them. However, given eternity, they might at least learn to respect each other and restrain themselves from drawing their wands immediately they spotted the others.
“I should be reporting back to Minerva,” Severus announced later that afternoon. “She will no doubt be waiting for me.”
“You’re not going to tell her where the portraits are?” James asked.
“I am bound to the school,” Severus reminded him impatiently. “I have no choice.”
“But she’ll get rid of us!” Sirius exclaimed.
“I very much doubt she will do that,” Severus replied calmly. “Professor McGonagall has favoured the Gryffindors for as long as I can remember. She likes having you around.”
“Then why does she want to know how to get to our paintings?” James questioned.
Severus shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t bother to ask.”
With that Severus swept from the painting. They watched him cast a malevolent look at Peter as he passed through his painting, then he was through the bedchamber and gone.
“I guess he’s not so bad,” James said. “Wouldn’t want him to move in here with us or anything, though.”
“Definitely not,” Sirius agreed.
Remus chuckled as he picked up his book.
“What?” Sirius asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, what was that laugh for?”
“Nothing.”
Sirius pulled the book out of his hands and tossed it onto the table. “Now, you are going to tell me what’s so funny, or I’m going to be the one withholding sexual favours.”
Remus laughed out loud.
“What’s so bloody funny?”
“Ah, Sirius. You and James are just so unpredictable.”
“And that’s funny?”
“Yeah, that’s funny. I lock the three of you up to get you to sort out your problems, and all you do is talk about Quidditch.”
“That wasn’t all we did,” Sirius teased, waggling his eyebrows. “Are you jealous?”
“You’re not funny,” Remus told him, poking the snickering young man in the ribs.
“It’s not fair,” Sirius whined. “You’re too difficult to wind up.”
James cleared his throat to get their attention. “What are we going to do about McGonagall?”
“I don’t know,” Sirius replied. “We can’t have her coming in here and removing the paintings.”
“You don’t believe Snape?”
“No. McGonagall might favour the Gryffindors, but it doesn’t mean she wants us hanging around to influence the students.”
“She shouldn’t be able to get into the Room of Requirement,” James commented as he walked over to the frame and looked into the room in question.
“She might be able to now,” Remus said. “The way to get into the room is to ask for it to provide the room where the paintings of the Marauders are hidden. She will know what to look for now.”
“Well, that won’t do,” Sirius muttered. “Is there any way we can change the room?”
“Not from within the paintings.”
“Maybe we could give a few potential pranksters access to the room, and get them to change it?” James suggested.
“Into what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, unless you can think of something, I suggest that the fewer people invited into the room, the better.”
“Maybe they could do a sit in and protect the paintings?” Sirius suggested.
“One threat of detention with McGonagall will send them running.”
“I think we’re just going to have to hope that she doesn’t want to get rid of us,” Remus said. “I think the best we can do is behave ourselves as much as possible.”
“Blasphemy!” James declared. “Call yourself a Marauder?”
Remus rolled his eyes. “The more trouble we cause, the more likely it is she’ll want to get rid of us.”
“I suppose we could behave ourselves for a day or two,” James grudgingly relented.
Remus knew that was the best he could hope for.
-o-xXx-o-
The next Saturday morning the Room of Requirement received a guest in the form of Professor McGonagall.
“Potter, if you could come down please!” she called into the painting of the Quidditch pitch.
James heard her call from his position high above the ground, and flew down to greet her. “Good morning, Professor,” he politely greeted her.
“Where are Black and Lupin?” she asked, after saying hello to Peter.
James shrugged his shoulders. They were disappearing all the time, and rarely told him where they were sneaking off to.
“Very well,” McGonagall replied. She sounded somewhat annoyed, but clearly had no intention of letting it bother her too much, as she looked at the paintings with open curiosity. She also looked through the items that had been stored in the room, confiscating the various contraband from Filch’s list of banned items.
“Professor?” James asked cautiously. McGonagall turned to face him once more. “Are you getting rid of us?”
“Unfortunately not,” McGonagall replied with a small smile that betrayed her amusement at the question.
“So, we can stay?”
“Apparently.”
“We thought you’d get rid of us.”
McGonagall stopped gingerly examining some unknown pranking item and gave James her undivided attention. “The Battle of Hogwart’s, as they are calling it, has done irreparable damage to the reputation of the school. It will never be completely forgotten. However, it seems that your presence here is doing a little to help. The paintings of the Father and Godfather of the Chosen One are apparently too important to be shut away in a warehouse.”
“What about Remus?” James asked. “You can’t take him away from Sirius!”
“Remus was a much loved teacher, in the short time he was here. He lost his life in the Battle of Hogwart’s, and I suspect that if his portrait was removed, there would be an outcry from his former students, not to mention those he has been tutoring since his return.”
“You know about his tutoring?”
“When will you learn, Potter? I know everything.”
James laughed.
Professor McGonagall smiled as she continued her searching. “I notice you didn’t ask about Peter’s painting,” she commented without looking at James.
“You can burn it for all I care,” James muttered.
“Oh.”
“What did you want to speak to Sirius and Remus for?” James asked, eager to change the subject.
“Merely to let them know that Andromeda and Teddy will be visiting later next month; they are intending to visit on Christmas Eve.”
“I’ll let them know.”
“Thank you. And Potter?”
“Yes?”
“Next time you wish to organise a Quidditch match, please check the date with me first. I understand that it is a great thrill for you to have a former professional Quidditch Captain playing on your team, but his presence is required for staff meetings, as is that of Severus.”
“The portraits have to attend staff meetings?”
“Some of them.”
“Well, that must suck.”
“As I am sure you have already discovered, being a portrait here is not always fun and games.”
James nodded, and across the room Peter did likewise.
-o-xXx-o-
“There you are!” Sirius exclaimed as he finally found James, sitting on the stone bridge over a murky looking stream. “Been looking all over for you.”
“I thought you were seeing Teddy with Moony?”
“I was.”
“So, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d leave them to have some time alone,” Sirius said. “At least as alone as they can be with Andromeda taking care of Teddy.”
James turned to look at Sirius, knowing him too well, and realising that there was something else. “And…?”
“I just thought it would be nice for them to be alone together.”
“Liar.”
“Fine,” Sirius huffed. “Remus was telling him about Tonks. I didn’t really want to stay around and listen to him talking about her.”
“I thought you were dealing with all that?”
“I am…sort of.” Sirius picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the water. “I’m fine when we’re alone together. Even when he’s seeing Teddy, I can usually deal. But I can’t listen to him talking about their little family…not knowing I was never a part of it.”
“You’re a part of his family now,” James reminded him. “Uncle Sirius, right?”
“Yeah. You should come and see him, too. You’re sort of his Grand-Godfather, or something like that.”
“Maybe next visit, if Remus doesn’t mind.”
“’Course he won’t.” Sirius climbed up onto the stone wall to sit beside his best friend. “So, why are you sitting moping around here with a face like a wet weekend?”
“I’m not moping.”
“Liar.”
James shook his head and laughed. “I was just thinking.”
“Well, don’t overdo it.”
“Git!”
“Seriously, what’s up?”
“Just wondering why Remus gets monthly visits with his son and I don’t,” James finally muttered. “McGonagall went out of her way to track down Teddy and arrange for him to be brought here to see him. My son’s grown, and should be able to get here on his own, but hasn’t bothered.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know you’re here,” Sirius suggested. “It’s not like he’s been to see me either.”
“Why would McGonagall tell Andromeda about us, and encourage her to bring Teddy, but not tell Harry?”
“Maybe he’s been busy. Rebuilding after a war is always hard. He wanted to be an Auror too, and you know how much training that involves.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” James reminded him. “You’re telling me he couldn’t bring himself to stop by for five minutes on Christmas Eve?”
“There could be any one of a number of reasons why he hasn’t come.”
“He hates me. There’s a reason!”
“Of course he doesn’t.”
“He arranged for Snape’s portrait to be made,” James said. “You said yourself that he’d seen us after the Defence exam in the pensieve. I think it’s bloody obvious what’s happened. He hates me because of what we did to Snape.”
“Rubbish!”
“Is it?”
“Yes! I’m sure as soon as things have settled down, Harry will be here to see you…to see us.”
“Wish I was so sure,” James said as he gazed down into the waters once more.
-o-xXx-o-
“Merry Christmas, Moony,” chirped Sirius, the moment Remus had opened his eyes on Christmas morning.
“I’m too comfy to get up just yet,” Remus murmured as he snuggled closer beneath the blankets.
“How can you possibly be tired?” Sirius asked. “We’re portraits, we don’t get tired any more!”
“You wore me out,” Remus replied sleepily.
“Don’t you want your Christmas present?”
“There’s nowhere to go Christmas shopping in the paintings,” Remus reminded him.
“I know. I didn’t buy it.”
“Please tell me you didn’t steal whatever it is?”
“You know me too well,” Sirius chuckled. “But, no, I didn’t steal it.”
Remus smiled and stretched. “I haven’t got you anything,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Of course you have,” Sirius said. “Now, come on, get up. I’ve found the greatest painting for us to visit.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. It’s in Ravenclaw Tower, halfway up the stairs to the girls’ dorms.”
“What in the world were you doing up there?”
“There’s a portrait up there of the inventor of the magical camera. I wanted to ask if he had a camera with him when he was painted.”
“Why?”
“So I could borrow it and get some pictures of Teddy for you.”
“Really?”
“Don’t get excited; he wasn’t painted with it, and I’ve no idea where to find one within the paintings.”
“So, his painting isn’t the one we’re visiting?”
“No, the one I have in mind was on the way there. It’s so amazing, just wait until you see it.”
-o-xXx-o-
“What do you think?” Sirius asked as he bounced around the painting. “How freaky is this?”
“The sky is amazing,” Remus said. “There’s Sirius, right above you.”
“But it has the same gravity as the actual moon,” Sirius exclaimed as he continued to move around the painting.
“I’m just glad we don’t need to breathe any more,” Remus said as he took a few tentative steps across the surface of the painting of the moon.
“Isn’t it great?” Sirius called. “Hey, want to see a dog fly?”
A moment later Padfoot was leaping about the surface, much to Remus’s amusement.
“You’re mad, you know?” Remus called, as he tried to keep up with the barking mad animagus.
Padfoot made one final leap, right into Remus, and turned back into Sirius. “Gotcha!”
Remus looked up at Sirius with a grin. “Totally insane.”
-o-xXx-o-
They arrived back at the Room of Requirement later that morning, surprised to see the door to the room itself open as they approached it from the paintings on the other side of the hall.
“Come on,” Sirius urged Remus, and they hurried through the paintings to see what was happening.
The first thing they saw when they arrived was McGonagall, who appeared to be having some sort of argument with James.
“I’m not going to remove Peter’s painting. There’s nowhere else to put it in the main school. You’ll just have to learn to get along.”
“But-”
“But, nothing,” McGonagall snapped. “Now, if you would just be sensible and try to co-operate.”
“I don’t see why we should have someone else in here, keeping an eye on us and spying on us for you,” James muttered.
“This isn’t open for debate,” McGonagall replied. “Ah, Black, Lupin, perhaps you’ll be a little more reasonable.”
“She wants to put the painting of someone else in here, to keep an eye on us,” James told them. “Tell her she can’t.”
McGonagall cast a sweeping gaze over them all. “I think you’ll find that I can. Now, where do you wish the painting to be situated?”
“Outside!” James snapped, his comment immediately echoed by Sirius.
“Professor?” Remus said as he stepped forward. “Perhaps…”
His suggestion that maybe this wasn’t the best of ideas was cut off by a knock on the open door, and the appearance of a very familiar face peering around the wood.
“Ah, Potter, there you are.”
Harry Potter stepped into the room, two unfamiliar wizards with a large sealed painting following close behind him. “Sorry; it took longer to get it up the stairs than we thought it would. The staircase from the second floor moved while we were on it; we had to detour round half the school to get back on course.”
“Harry?” James asked.
Harry turned to look at the painting of his father. They appeared almost identical, their ages similar. “Hi, Dad.”
“You’ve come to visit us.”
“Of course I have. Sorry I didn’t come sooner. It took longer to get things ready than I thought.”
“What things?” James asked.
“Professor McGonagall told me you were all here, almost immediately after she found out. But, it seems to me that there’s a painting missing.”
“You didn’t?” James gasped.
Harry grinned up at him, nodding.
“But how?”
“I’d already gone through the whole process to get Professor Snape his portrait,” Harry explained. “My memories of him were used to give life and personality to the painting. As I knew him as a student, those memories were the strongest.
“I don’t have many memories of Mum, and when I was told that you were all young again, I knew you’d want her to be too. I just had to persuade the authorities to let me. It’s hard to say no to the Chosen One and they finally agreed. Then I had to track down other people who knew her at eighteen, Professor McGonagall, other teachers, Aunt Petunia…they all contributed.”
“You got Petunia to give you memories?” James asked. “How?”
“With great difficulty,” Harry replied with a chuckle. “Uncle Vernon nearly burst a blood vessel. He had to be obliviated before we left.”
“Can I see her?” James asked.
“Well, that depends,” McGonagall interrupted. “You weren’t so keen on having anyone joining your little gang a few minutes ago.”
“That was before I knew it was Lily,” James pointed out. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”
“And you didn’t tell me!”
“I knew that Harry wanted to be here when you found out. Now, where would you like her to be placed?”
“Next to me!” James demanded. “Moony’s library can go over there.” He pointed at Sirius’s painting. “Then move the bedchamber across to the right.”
“That’s the doorway,” Sirius pointed out.
“My right, not your right,” James replied impatiently.
“Why does my painting have to move anyway?” Sirius asked.
“Because I’m sick of facing your bedroom,” James replied.
“You think I want to be facing yours?” Sirius retorted.
They continued to argue for another ten minutes, at which point Remus, deciding to leave them to it, turned to Harry with a smile. “How are you doing?” he asked. “Life getting back to normal again?”
“When has it ever been normal?” Harry replied with a chuckle. “No, it’s good. Busy though.”
“I’ll bet.”
Harry cast a glance across to where Sirius was now in James’s painting, their argument reaching new levels of volume. He shook his head and turned to look at the other paintings. “Your library?” he asked.
“Yes, though we all spend time in it.”
A noise of annoyance from Peter drew Harry’s attention to him.
“Peter,” Harry greeted him with a curt nod.
“Harry,” Peter replied.
Harry ran his hand nervously through his hair. “I never got a chance to thank you,” he said quietly. “You know, for doing the right thing…at the end.”
Peter grunted.
Harry ran his hand over his throat at the memory of the last time he had seen Peter. “Though you didn’t have to leave it quite so late,” he added.
“What are you talking about?” Remus asked.
“I thought I told you everything that had happened at Malfoy Manor,” Harry replied. “Didn’t I tell you about Peter?”
Remus shook his head. “Probably couldn’t get a word in, what with me telling you about Teddy and everything.”
“I can’t believe I forgot though.”
“You had a lot on your mind.”
“I take it you didn’t ask Peter how he died?”
Remus ducked his head, feeling slightly guilty. “Didn’t think to.”
“It was back there. He had a life debt after I spared his life in the Shrieking Shack, remember?” Remus nodded. “I reminded him of it, and the moment he hesitated in doing Voldemort’s bidding, he lost his life.”
“Strangled by my own bloody hand,” Peter muttered. “Should have known any gift from the Dark Lord would have strings attached…and lethal ones at that.”
“If he hadn’t stopped, I wouldn’t have survived to face Voldemort at all,” Harry explained.
“It doesn’t change what he did, Harry,” Remus told him.
“I know. But, perhaps he shouldn’t have to spend the rest of eternity paying for it?”
Remus cast a look at Peter, who was looking back at him, almost hopefully. “I’ll talk to the others,” he said with a sigh. “But, you’ve got to do your part too,” he warned Peter. “No more winding the rest of us up with nasty comments. If you want to be part of the group again you’ve got to work at holding your tongue.”
Peter nodded.
Remus stepped into his painting and held out his hand. Peter hesitated a moment, before reaching out to shake it.
“Now, what about Lily?” Remus said. “I imagine she’s probably getting a little impatient by now.”
Harry turned to look at where James and Sirius were still arguing. “I think we should just go ahead and leave them to it.”
“Good idea,” McGonagall agreed. “I would like to be done before Christmas dinner is served. You will be staying, won’t you?”
“Sorry, the Weasleys are expecting me at one.”
“Perhaps another time,” McGonagall said. “Now, what are we going to move first?”
It took nearly half an hour, but eventually the paintings were arranged to everyone’s satisfaction. Sirius’s bedchamber remained where it was, with Remus’s library moving to where Peter’s pub had been. James’s Quidditch pitch moved to where Remus’s library had been, and Lily’s painting of a cosy living room was placed in James’s former spot. Peter’s pub meanwhile, was placed in the centre of the room, between Remus and James. It was a tight fit at first, but the room, ever helpful, expanded to accommodate the extra painting.
“I’ll be back to see you again soon,” Harry promised. “Just try to behave. If I get any more reports about detentions, I won’t be pleased.” With a teasing grin he left them to it.
Later that day everyone - even Peter and Severus - was congregating in Lily’s living room.
“So, how do you like your Christmas present?” Lily asked as she smiled at James.
“Best ever!” he declared.
The evening passed companionably, Severus making his excuses first, with Peter not long after.
“It’s good to see you again, Sev,” Lily said as she hugged him farewell.
“You too,” Severus replied. “I’ll be around if you need anything, though I think you have everything here.”
It was only when Sirius and Remus declared their intention to leave the happy couple alone that James realised that there was one thing they needed that they didn’t have.
“We could take it in turns.” James suggested.
“No way.”
“But you’ve had it all this time.”
“No.”
“Moony?”
“Sorry, Prongs.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Come on, Moony. Let’s go to bed.”
“You’re both gits, you know that?” James yelled.
Sirius turned to grin back at him. “But we’re gits who have a bed.”
“The least you could do is share it with us.”
“A foursome?” Sirius teased. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Prongs.”
“You know what I meant. You can have it on one day and we can have it the next.”
“You’re the one who wanted to spend an eternity on a Quidditch pitch.”
“It’s not fair!”
Remus laughed as Sirius pulled him towards their own painting. “Prongs, you’re a wizard for Merlin’s sake. Use your bloody wand and transfigure something in Lily’s sitting room into a bed for the night.”
“Moony,” Sirius whined. “What did you have to tell him that for? It would have been at least a month’s worth of amusement to wait for him to figure that out…with him getting more horny by the day.”
“It might have taken Prongs a month, but I’m sure Lily would have thought of it within a few hours,” Remus reminded him.
A quick glance back confirmed that Lily already had her wand at the ready.
“Have fun!” Sirius called. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
James laughed. “You do realise that that threat sounds stupid coming from you?” he yelled back. “Of course I’m going to do something you wouldn’t do - you’re gay!”
“Goodnight, Peter,” Remus said as they passed through his painting. Peter was leaning back in one of his chairs, relaxing at the end of the day.
“Goodnight, Remus, Sirius.”
Sirius even managed a civil reply as they continued on their way.
Later that night, Sirius was lying awake, his head resting on Remus’s chest. “Things are going to be okay, aren’t they?” he asked quietly.
“Of course they are,” Remus replied. “We’re Marauders, we’re always going to be all right.”
-
Chapter 10