Don't Let Me Down

We do not own any part of the Potterverse. All characters, settings, and themes belong exclusively to JK Rowling; they're used here in play. Credit for the title goes to those glorious Beatles.

-

One hundred years ago, Rhin Torlan was a bustling family estate, filled with laughing children, gossiping servants and smiling family friends who often visited the Potters in their beautiful, ancient house. As the years passed and the Potter youngsters grew, the house drifted back into silence and was only busy during the summers, when the children were home from school. Then one day, shortly after the eldest, Charlus, graduated from Hogwarts, guests from every high born family in wizarding society filled the house and grounds for a grand occasion: the marriage of Charlus and Marla Potter.

Though in their youth Charlus and Marla frequently entertained their friends at home, spreading laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses across the estate grounds, as they aged, the house fell quiet once more. For try as they might, they never succeeded at filling their home with children as Charlus' parents had. Until one unusually warm day in late March of 1960, when Marla gave birth to her first and only child, James. Needless to say, the infant's parents were overjoyed. Before long, light and laughter filled the halls of Rhin Torlan again, for James was a gregarious little boy with a seemingly inexhaustible reserve of energy. No matter how much trouble he caused, his parents could not help but dote upon the son who had brought life back into their home.

When James reached his eleventh year and began his magical education at Hogwarts, the house felt almost unbearably silent. But not for long. In June, the summer holiday arrived, and young master James returned home, bringing with him three equally eager, equally energetic lads who had all been invited to stay as long as they desired (or as long as their own parents could spare them). And so a pattern began. During the school year, Charlus and Marla were alone in the great house, occasionally entertaining friends and always looking forward to the day that James returned from Hogwarts. During the summer months, the Marauders spent weeks on end roaming the grounds of Rhin Torlan, filling its halls with jest and laughter and generally making Charlus and Marla feel as though they were young again.

And then, one cold December day in James' seventh year, the pattern was broken. Marla Potter died, presumably by accidental magic or a spell gone wrong. Her husband and son would never be certain what happened. After her death, the house seemed empty, lifeless and far, far too large. When James left a few days later to finish his final year at Hogwarts, the emptiness was almost too great for Charlus to bear. Rhin Torlan was now nothing but an old house whose rooms were filled with only memories and ghosts of happier days. Charlus had reached the age when many of his friends were either deceased or too ill to do much traveling. Even if there had been guests to entertain, he could not bear to play host without his beloved wife by his side.

He would, however, make an exception for his son. Charlus had already planned and paid for a two-week holiday in Marseilles for James, Sirius, Remus and Peter immediately following their graduation. When James had written his father to ask if his best friends might spend a week or two at Rhin Torlan after they all returned from France, Charlus had leaped at the chance for some company other than his faithful, aged house elf, Cholly. The lads had been home for a week now, and the house teemed with life again. Today in particular, an air of anticipation and excitement had permeated its walls. This was partially due to a set of owls that all four boys had received two days earlier, containing the time and location of a secret meeting that they would be attending later this evening.

The other reason for the excitement in the air was one mostly felt by James. This evening - at any moment now, actually - a certain redhead and her best friend would be arriving to dine with them. Since James had not seen Lily since their Hogwarts graduation three weeks ago, he was understandably anxious for her imminent arrival. The plan, which had been arranged by owl, was for Lily and Marlene to join the boys for dinner so that all six new recruits could travel to the Order meeting together.

The girls were due to arrive at six o'clock, and it was now nearing half-past. Charlus was still upstairs in his study, but all four boys were waiting patiently in the front drawing room. Or rather, Remus and Peter were waiting patiently, and Sirius was busy trying to distract James, who had suddenly begun to worry that something had happened to his girlfriend while she was traveling.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Prongs," Sirius exclaimed, exasperated. "Get a grip. She's probably still at home, trying to decide which shade of lipstick looks best with whatever dress she's picked out to impress you with. She'sfine."

"You can't know that," James protested, fidgeting in his seat. "I was reading just this morning in theProphetabout Dark Arts activity that's been reported down in Spain, and that's where they were."

Remus put down the book he was poring over long enough to interject: "That's where they were about three weeks ago, Prongs. Besides, you had an owl from her yesterday, remember? And those reports were just rumors. Nothing's been confirmed."

James flopped down on a squashy armchair. "You're probably right, Moony-"

"-I am-" interrupted Remus.

"-But if you're wrong, I'll smother you in your sleep," finished James.

"All this talk of murder and mayhem!" said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "Gods, can't we get a bit of a breather from it? For goodness' sake, we're off to sign our lives away at the end of the evening. Let's talk about something pleasant. Like Jeanne Buchault's glorious body, for example-"

Peter tittered. "I think you're the only one qualified to really discuss it, Padfoot," he grinned, "seeing as you got her in her knickers before we'd even opened the Firewhisky!"

Sirius chucked a pillow at Peter. "Are you calling the French love of my lifeeasy?"

"Are you implying that you get a different love of your life in every country? Slag!"

As the good-natured ribbing continued on, James' attention wandered. He stared at the clock resting on the bookshelf, watching the seconds tick by, and found his thoughts back in Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory 3C, and the last time he'd been waiting so agonizingly for somethingÉ

"Oi, Padfoot, have you seen Wormtail?" James asked, flinging open the door to their shared room.

"I haven't," Sirius shook his head, looking up from the homework he'd been putting off. "He's late, isn't he?"

"Obscenely," confirmed James, his temper beginning to rise. "Is Moony in the showers?"

Sirius grunted. "I think he figured that Worm would be a while."

"Bollocks," James swore, shucking off his shoes. "Leave it to Peter to flake on the most important night of our career."

An hour earlier, Peter had set off alone for the Kitchens. As the teachers had been informed to be on the lookout for the four boys, they had decided it would be best to send Peter off on his own. He had with him James' Invisibility Cloak, a charmed burlap sack full of nose-biting teacups, and the Marauders' Map. While James did Patrols with Lily, Remus would head out to the Shrieking Shack to gather the materials for the second stage of the prank. Four large pigs, each with a number 1, 2, 3, or 5 painted on its back, were corralled in the Shack. Remus would drive them across the grounds later that night and set them loose inside the castle. Sirius was visiting all the most-frequented toilets throughout the school and performing Imperturbable Charms on each. Then, he and James would plant the Filibuster's Fireworks all around the Great Hall, to go off as soon as their last meal at the school had finished. Yes, the next day would be bedlam, but they had to wait on Peter to return. Their Map was the culmination of several terms' neglect of schoolwork, and it was essential in finishing the night's jobs.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius sympathized, "but don't be too hard on him. He's probably gotten hung up, or something."

"What's this? You're telling me to go easy on Pete?"

Sirius smirked. "My focus is split. If I didn't have this essay to write, I'd be all for tracking him down. He's been a bit dodgy, lately. Think he's worried about leaving school? I found him up in the high tower the other day, all red-eyed like he'd been crying. Poor little sap."

"Oh, write your essay," grumbled James. He felt irritable. They needed things to move smoothly tonight if the next day's pranks were going to go off well, and Wormtail getting emotional about hallways and classrooms was definitely counter-productive. Not that he hadn't had those same misgivings about leaving Hogwarts; the point was that the whole plan would be put off schedule if Pete didn't turn up soon.

James sat on the edge of his bed, gnawing at a hangnail on his left hand. The clock on Remus' bedside table ticked away the seconds slowly as Sirius worked and James waited. After a few minutes, James crawled to the foot of his bed and rummaged through his open trunk for a copy ofWhich Broomstick?, and flipped through it listlessly. It was an old issue, and he'd already read it cover to cover at least four times. He made to throw it away, but his halfhearted lob missed the bin by several feet.

"Well, that's that," Sirius said, rolling up his parchment. "Though I think it's absolute bollocks that we have to write this stupid exit essay."

"Haven't you just finished it?"

"Well yes, but I think it's a bit silly to give them a load of bullshit about What I Learned During My Glorious Education At Hogwarts when really, the majority of things I learned were either in this room, the Room of Requirement, or the Shrieking Shack."

"Be that as it may," James chuckled, "you're finished, now. Think about it. The only thing we've got now is meet-and-greet'ing all our relatives tomorrow who come to watch the Passing Out ceremony, and then we're getting on the train or heading off on holidays. That's it. Well-" he added, "that's it minus the fact that we've got a string of pranks to pull if Peter ever gets his arse back in here."

"Just his arse?" Sirius asked, wide-eyed, climbing onto James' bed and sitting cross-legged opposite his best mate. "Didn't fancy you a pouf, Jamie-boy."

"Oh, stuff it," James scowled.

"I am going to pretend you didn't say that, Prongs," Sirius smirked, "because you're making my job very, very easy."

At that moment, Remus entered the boys' room, his hair damp and skin slightly flushed.
"Oh, hullo, lads," he said, spotting the two of them. "I figured you'd be gone by now."

"Weoughtto be-" James said, but Sirius cut him off.

"Methinks little Petey-pie has gotten hung up replacing all of the breakfast teacups," he explained, ignoring James' cross expression.

"Ah," said Remus, pulling a t-shirt from his trunk and tugging it over his head. "Well that puts everything a bit off."

"Does indeed," said Sirius cheerfully. "Though I went ahead and Impeturbed all the Slytherin toilets as an early graduation present to myself."

Remus laughed, shaking his head. Even James couldn't resist cracking a smile.
"Only you, Padfoot," he conceded.

After another ten minutes, Sirius produced a pack of cards and the three of them began a game of Exploding Snap on the floor. They had only been playing a few minutes when the door to Gryffindor Boys 3C was flung open. James, Sirius and Remus all looked up in alarm, as it appeared there was no one there. There was, however, the sound of labored breathing. Then, Sirius noticed about a half-inch of tennis shoe in the doorway, and his face brightened.

"Wormtail! Didn't think you'd show up! What kept you, mate?"

Peter's flushed, round face appeared as he pulled the Cloak off him.
"I got caught!" he gasped, bending at the waist to rest his hands on his knees.

The other three mischief-makers jumped to their feet.

"What d'you mean, you 'got caught'?" James asked, stricken.

"Who got you, Wormtail?" Sirius demanded.

Peter flung himself down on his trunk.
"Bloody Argus Filch, that's who."

Remus felt himself grow pale. The caretaker, who was relatively new to the school, having started during their third year at school, was notoriously hard-nosed about school rules. If he found the Map, and reported it to Dumbledore, the four of them were going to be in tremendous trouble. To his immense relief, Peter was nodding.

"He caught me in the corridor on the way back from the Kitchens. I forgot to put the sodding Cloak back on, and I walked right into him. He jumped about a foot, and I just had enough time to pull it over me and run for it before he could make a grab. I ran all the way to the third floor and ducked into a classroom. I heard him whoop about something and I took the passage behind the tapestry up to the fifth and snuck my way from there. Prefects were stalking the area outside the Fat Lady and it took me ages to get up there. Anyway, I'm here now, and I got the teacups changed out, and everything's going to be fine, just as soon as I can catch my breath. Gods, I thought he had me. I thought we were doomed," he began to laugh. "Oh, how I hate that man."

James found himself laughing, too.
"Narrow escape, that one," he said, clapping Peter on the shoulder. "Now, give us the Map. Remus has got to do his bit, and then Sirius and I have some more details to work out. You've done beautifully, Wormtail."

Peter reached into the chest pocket of his shirt. His expression flickered, and he checked both pockets of his pants.
"Hang on," he grunted, and picked up the silvery Invisibility Cloak, and shook it out. His ears turned bright red.
A silence fell upon the room.

"Wormtail, give us the Map," James said, holding out his hand with a frozen sort of smile on his face.

"James, I-"

"Not funny, Wormtail," Remus said warningly. "Where's the Map?"

Peter looked to be on the verge of tears.
"I thinkÉ"

"Don't say it!" Sirius interjected. "Please, don't say it, Wormtail."

"I think I lost it."

James' stomach dropped.
"Youwhat?" he said nervously. "Peter, come on, don't play. You didn't lose the Map? Come on, you've had your laugh, we've been pranked, you got us."

Sirius' mouth hung open.
"WormÉ our bloody names are on that thing. If we get busted for something like that, we'll be proper fucked. Nevermind the fact that we spent more time on that than any bit of schoolwork the last seven years."

Peter shook his head.
"I-I'm not playing," he managed through the tears in his eyes. "I think I must have dropped it when I bumped into Filch."

James sat down, putting his head between his knees as he suddenly felt quite faint.
"Oh, gods. My Da is coming tomorrow. If I can't walk at graduation tomorrow, it'll kill him. Oh, no, oh gods, oh shit."

Remus took a deep breath.
"Peter, are you sure?" he asked. When his friend nodded 'yes', Remus let out a great sigh.
"Okay," he began, trying to remain calm though blood was pounding through his veins. If he got caught... There were enough imminent obstacles for him, post-Hogwarts. The last thing he needed was some punishment to prevent him from actually graduating. What if they held him back a year? His parents certainly could not afford another year's education at Hogwarts.
"Okay," he tried again. "Think really hard, Peter," he said. "When you left the Kitchens, did you remember to wipe it?"

The silence was deafening. Peter screwed up his face as he tried to remember. Had he? Or was he using it to get back to Gryffindor Tower undetected?
"Please," mumbled Sirius, his eyes transfixed on his friend.

"IÉ I think I did," said Peter, looking up as if the answer was somehow written on his forehead. He brightened. "No, I know I did. 'Cos I was thinking, since I'd gotten rid of all the nose-biters, I didn't have any evidence on me. I definitely wiped it while I was still in the Kitchens. I did, I swear!"

James let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
"Then it's alright," he said, slumping against his own trunk. "We're safe."

Remus was nodding, looking immensely relieved as well.
"Filch can't do magic; he won't be able to operate it!" he exclaimed. "Merlin, we're going to be fine. Unless-" he said, faltering, "-unless he gives it to someone who can work it, and rat us out."

Peter looked up sharply, appearing highly affronted.

"No offense meant," Remus smiled at the group's long-standing joke.

"Moony is right!" Sirius said. "Unless you know the password to activate it, you can't. Oh, gods, this is perfect. Moony, you're a genius for having come up with that. And Prongs, I could kiss you for the whole 'I solemnly swear' bit."

James' lips twitched.
"Yeah, I guess we're okay," he said. "But... I mean, I thought the whole point was to pass it down. I dunno, to our kids or something."

"The right ones'll come across it, Prongs," Sirius said consolingly. "Anyway, if you and Lily end up with a kid, it'll probably favor her, anyway. So, there! No harm done."

James shifted.
"Are you sure you lads don't want to try and nick it back? I mean, honestly, it'll be hell trying to finish tonight's job without it."

Remus shook his head. "No, come on, Prongs. Tonight, we'll get by like we used to do."

"A return to our glory days!" Sirius crowed. "Before we had the luxury of knowing exactly where McGonagall is lurking. Before we could spot Snivellus from several floors away. Before we figured out each and every secret passageway in and out of this old heap of stones. But, as an added bonus, with diplomatic immunity from Deterntion because a) you're Head Boy and can overrule the ickle Prefects, and b) who the fuck cares, we're graduating tomorrow!"

The four grabbed their wands, donned shoes and gathered the necessary materials. Adrenalin began to pump through the group as they snuck out into the castle for their last foray into Hogwarts' mischeif-

James was jolted out of his memory by the sound of a knock at the door of the sitting room. The door cracked open, and a couple feet above the ground, a house elf's head appeared. It was Cholly.

"Master James?" the elf squeaked. "Miss Lily and her friend is here."

Ignoring the triumphant smirk that Sirius was sending his direction, James leaped to his feet, grinning madly.
"Excellent!" he exclaimed and hurried towards the door. Cholly bowed, pushed the door open all the way, and scurried off to put the finishing touches on the dinner he had been preparing all afternoon.

Sirius had not been far off the mark when he was inventing potential reasons for the girls' tardiness. Lilyhadbeen delaying in front of the mirror for half an hour, unable to decide what to wear. After all, James had been in France, where the women were more than likely beautifulandflirtatious. It was not until Marlene had pointed out that she could show up in a potato sack and James would still want to jump her that Lily had finally dressed herself so that the girls could apparate to Rhin Torlan.

The other three boys rose to their feet as Lily and Marlene stepped through the doorway, and James felt his heart skip a beat. He had forgotten, in the weeks since he'd last seen her, what a mesmerizing shade of green her eyes were. And though she was only wearing a simple, navy peasant blouse and jeans, he thought she looked absolutely stunning.

"Hello, James," she said, suddenly shy.

Without a word, James grinned and bounded forward, gathered her up into a hug. He swung her around in a circle, kissed her and then set her down on her feet. She laughed delightedly and reached up to kiss him again.
"I missed you," Lily whispered in his ear.

Sirius covered his eyes as his friends embraced.
"C'mon, Prongs! Discretion! You'll put us off our dinners!"

After several moments of the young lovers beaming at each other, Remus nudged his friend.
"Go on, Padfoot, it's safe," he murmured, and Sirius dropped his hands.

Blushing but undeterred, Lily turned to Remus and held her arms open for a hug.
"Hello, Remus. Looks like you've managed a bit of a tan this summer!"

Remus shook his head. "I think that's a bit generous, Lily," he grinned.

"How was your trip, McKinnon?" Sirius asked, having apparently recuperated from the discomfort of watching Lily and James embrace.

Marlene beamed. "Amazing! The water was divine. And yours?"

"Oh, we managed to entertain ourselves," Sirius smirked, eyebrow raised. Remus promptly stomped on his foot and Peter clapped his hand over his mouth to avoid bursting into giggles. Lily and Marlene exchanged a look.

"Let me guess," said Marlene, "this has something to do with solemnly swearing to be up to no good."

Remus nodded, nose wrinkled. "Andsomeone'sgetting caught on the beach by Muggle police with his pants about his ankles."

"But that, I'm afraid, is a story for another time," James said smoothly at the look of utter mortification on his best mate's face. The night in question was the most eventful of the foursome's trip, and had involved several bottles of mead, a group of local girls, a bonfire, and an incident of midnight skinny dipping.

The group dissolved into good-natured chatter. Summer holidays were rehashed- though, rather vaguely on Sirius' part- and within a quarter of an hour it was as if they had never been separated. However, all had not been sunny. Five of their schoolmates had gone missing over the holiday weeks. The suspicion was that their disappearance had something to do with the Dark Rising, though theDaily Prophethad glossed over that possibility.

"Well, Lily and Marlene, would you like to come and meet my Da?" James asked, once a lull had fallen over the conversation. They agreed and Lily moved to put her hand in his. James led the group down the hall and into the sitting room, where his father was seated in a high-backed chair and reading.

"Pardon me, sir," James said.

Charlus glanced up from his reading, adjusting his glasses. "Mmm?"

"Lily and Marlene are here, sir. I introduced you at Graduation."

"Excellent," Charlus smiled. He reached for the cane leaning against his chair and hefted himself unsteadily to his feet. Cholly, who had been standing by for just such a purpose, hurried forward to assist his master, and then stepped back behind the chair. Charlus crossed the room toward the group, extending his hand to Lily and Marlene in turn. Once each of the girls obliged, he bent his head over their hands. "You are extremely welcome here, young ladies," he said, and the expression was so familiar to Lily that she had to work very hard to keep her mouth from falling open. James bore such a distinct resemblance to his father that it was startling. Though she had met him before, their conversation had been very brief. The hubbub of the ceremony and collecting James' things had quite worn out the elderly Mr Potter, and he did not stay long. Seeing him in such a familial context gave Lily the eerie feeling that she was seeing the far-off future. Was this how things would be someday, with James? The idea of the pair of them growing old together in such a place was quite romantic.

Realizing belatedly it was her turn to speak, Lily blinked. "Thank you so much for having us to dinner, Mr Potter."

"It's such a lovely home," Marlene added quickly.

"It is a pleasure to have you," Charlus nodded.

"If Master Potter is ready, Cholly can serve supper now, sir," piped the voice from behind the chair.

Charlus nodded.
"Yes, that would be perfect. Come, come, boys. Let us escort these fine ladies to the dining room."
Lily and Marlene glanced at each other, beaming. Such manners!

James winked at Lily, who tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow, a pretty flush staining her cheeks. Peter stepped forward and nervously offered his own arm to Marlene.
"Oh," she said, and accepted it, following James and Lily out of the sitting room.

"Well, shall we?" asked Sirius, offering his arm to Remus.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Do I need to stomp on your toesagain, Padfoot?"

"Well I'd have grabbed James, but Lily beat me to it!"

The lot of them made their way into the dining room, the men waiting until the ladies were seated to take their own chairs. The table was bedecked with several covered platters and a great tureen of soup. The smell was heavenly and the room warmed by a large crackling fire in the grate behind Charlus' head chair.

"If young masters and mistresses can serve themselves, I would be most grateful, sir," piped Cholly, "as my arms is not as long as reaching needs!"

"We can manage, Cholly, thank you," James smiled, and Cholly bowed himself from the room.

Over the next hour, the group ate comfortably. Cottage pie, crusty rolls, tomato soup and stewed apples were passed around and enjoyed by all. It appeared that the young people were making a conscious effort to keep conversation positive, though mentions of the recentDaily Prophetarticles tracking the movements of the Dark Rising slipped through.

"It was only a few decades ago that we were in a similar situation," Charlus said over coffee and coconut cake. "The terror many lived in during the reign of Grindelwald is unparalleled. Of course, within some echelons of the Wizarding World, he was rather heartily supported. The difference," he said, glancing at the girls, "is in the execution. This Dark Wizard, thisVoldemort, has been- ah, how shall I phrase it?- heavy handed. Grindelwald... He was almost gentle."

James found his palms growing sweaty. He and his parents had had many conversations concerning the subject of the reign of Grindelwald and pureblood politics; he wasn't exactly keen to get back into it now, particularly in their present company. His cup made a scraping sound as he replaced it on the saucer.
"Can we talk about something else, Da?" he ventured, but Charlus held up a hand.

"Please," he said, then adjusted his glasses. "I was a younger man, then. Not young-" a smile flitted across his lips "-but younger. My wife and I were living out in Aberystwyth, and James hadn't been born yet. They were different times. We were at war- hadbeenat war for what felt like ages, and the Muggles were in it, too. They were horribly foolish to get involved in our conflicts. I don't think I can begin to properly explain the unrest people were living in. Great gashes torn across our battlefields by giants- the Muggles climbed down into these trenches, used them as makeshift shelters- and fought from them! It was often shocking what they would come up with to compensate for their lack of magical ability. Wizards and Muggles alike were dying by the thousands, and there were vast numbers of Muggle-baiters cashing in on the conflict."

At this point, Lily interjected to ask, "Hang on.. you're talking about the 1940s? That's when Grindelwald was powerful. So you're saying that World War Two was caused by wizards?"

A bitter expression twisted Charlus' weathered face. "There were two worlds at war, yes," he sighed, folding and unfolding his hands. "This Gellert Grindelwald came from Durmstrang, and brought to us the sense that Britain had been lacking. The Muggles were everywhere. They were suspicious of everyone, they were asking so many questions and beginning to pry into that which we hold so dearly. And they were causing such destruction that it became very clear something needed to be done. A false peace had been constructed before, but it had not lasted and we knew this would be just as fleeting. The solution was simple, the message like a gift from gods.

"Now," he said, looking around the hushed table. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea from the outset. I am a tolerant man."

James tried very hard not to sink down in his chair. He knew where this was going.

"Muggles are, by their base nature, deprived of magical ability. This is not their fault, but it is their lot. What Grindelwald proposed initially seemed to be the only sensible solution. By placing Muggles in a subservient position to magical folk, we would be restoring the right and natural order of things. We reasoned we would be giving our wives and children the security we all deserved."

At this point, the six young people wore expressions that varied between mortification and mere embarrassment. They all kept glancing around at each other, but Sirius was the first to speak up.
"Except that in Grindelwald's mind, the 'right and natural order' meant that Muggles would be nothing more than slaves, at best," he said with a derisive snort. "Voldemort's the same way. All this talk of the order of things and keeping the wizarding world safe from Muggle prejudices is a load of hogwash. It's just an excuse for him to seize control."

"Do not misunderstand me, Sirius. Neither Marla nor myself were ever involved with the movement. It quickly went sour- or do they not teach you these things in school? History of Magic is not all goblin rebellions and giant uprisings. Grindelwald gained sympathy from many Pure families, and some of them swore allegiance to him until the end. My wife and I were sympathetic, but found ourselves embarrassed as Grindelwald's true colors began to emerge. Do any of you know what came next?"

It was Remus who spoke next: "The Reign of Terror."

"Exactly," said Charlus. "So named for its resemblance to the horrors of Robespierre in France after the Muggle revolution. Theirs was reactionary, ours a time of mercenary violence. Grindelwald's thugs were spread across all of Britain, and the Muggles had their own lot. People were taken from their beds and never seen again, dissenting families removed. Mass killings became commonplace, both magic and Muggle. It was utterly sickening. The things one would see, the headlines we read, the fear that came in place of the security we were promised!" His voice rang in the dining hall. "And once we realized what was going on, it was too late to stop it. We were romanced by the notion that we were a part of a greater cause, and that cause turned on us. That Dumbledore managed to defeat him is the stuff of deepest mystery to anyone who remembers those awful days."

With a nervous expression, Marlene reached out to take Lily's hand. Lily, who was sitting beside her, took it gratefully. While she knew cognitively that James' father had no negative feelings toward her, hearing these sentiments spoken at his table made her decidedly uncomfortable.

"As I said," breathed Charlus, removing his glasses and passing a hand over his eyes, "I was young and foolish. I believed in glory, in restoring what we had come very close to losing no matter the cost. I want only to caution you all, because I know you're off to some sort of dangerous meeting tonight. Radicals are perilous people. Be careful, and be conscious. That's what I must ask as a parent and as a man who very nearly threw his lot in with the wrong side. I hope I haven't frightened you. It would simply be the greatest tragedy of my life if I could keep you from doing something foolish and did not."

A long pause followed this pronouncement. The only sound was the crackling of the fire, and Charlus' gently rasping breath.

"I promise, Da," James said quietly, "that we'll all do our very best."

There was nothing else to say. As soon as they were able, the six young witches and wizards excused themselves from the table and headed outside for a walk about the garden. Conversation gradually recovered from the heavy speech Charlus had made, and before too long the young lads had the girls in giggles with a firsthand account of the Marauders' last prank at Hogwarts School. They lazed on benches in the lamplit garden for a time, but nine o'clock found them lounging in the front parlor. Sirius lay sideways on an armchair, his long legs dangling over the side. Marlene sat sandwiched between Peter and Remus on the sofa, while Lily perched on James' lap in the other armchair.

"Any idea what we'll talk about tonight?" asked Peter, rubbing his palms on his corduroys.

"I dunno. There isn't a chance we'lldoanything, do you think?" came from Sirius. "Cos if this meeting is anything like the awful meet-and-greets on the first day of classes, I'd rather have a sleep."

"Tonight?" James asked. "Not a prayer. This isn't Dueling Club, mate."

"Bollocks," grunted Sirius. "I've missed that club, I have."

"If you're so keen for a fight, we can have one when we get back," said James testily. His nerves were growing a bit frazzled as the meeting inched closer.

"So how're we getting there exactly?" asked Lily. "Can we just apparate, or what?"

James raised an eyebrow and asked, "You don't remember? He explained it all in his letter."

"He explained it inyourletter, you mean," she responded. "Dumbledore just toldmethat you'd been given instructions on how to get to there."

"He must have known we'd all be going together. That man doesn't miss anything," Marlene said, shaking her head in amazement.

"So how are we getting there, Prongs?" Peter asked, impatient.

James looked rather sheepish as he explained, "Trouble is, I'm not exactly sure either. Dumbledore only told me to apparate to some village called Stoate-on-the-Moor. He said someone would be coming there to get us."

"Blimey!" Sirius exclaimed. "Seems kind of hokey to me. Sending someone to escort us to the meeting, like it's some sort of secret society."

"Itisa secret society," Remus reminded him dryly.

"Yeah, but still. Can't he just tell us where it is?"

Before their exchange could progress into an argument, Lily interrupted to ask, "Shouldn't we be leaving? I thought the meeting started at nine fifteen."

Glancing at his watch, James' eyes widened. It was already ten past the hour. He nudged gently at Lily's hip, and she hopped dutifully off his lap so that he could stand. "Let's go then," he said, drawing his wand from his pocket. The others did likewise and moved into a loose circle in the middle of the room.

"So, should we all hold hands while we go?" Sirius asked, only half joking. Even he could not manage to be entirely flippant about the occasion.

"You just want to hold my hand, Padfoot," James teased but reached for Sirius' hand nonetheless. Beside him, Lily reached for Remus, who grabbed for Marlene's and on down the circle until the only broken link in the circle was James, who was still gripping his wand in his right hand. "I'll do the honors, then," he said, raising his wand. Moments later, all six felt the familiar navel-jerking sensation that accompanied apparition, and they soon found themselves standing on the outskirts of a quaint little town in the heart of the Cotswolds.

While they were looking around, trying to get their bearings, a familiar voice behind them said, "Yer actually on time fer once, Potter. I've got ter say I'm surprised."

All six teenagers whirled around to find the Hogwarts Gamekeeper standing a few meters behind them, grinning broadly and holding a rusted, muddy rake in his left hand.