- Text Size +
You Guys Wanna Be Heroes?


James grabbed Peter ‘round the back of the neck of his jumper and yanked him up from the bed. Lily looked stunned as James tugged Peter up with him toward the door, “Hang on, love we’ll be right back, let me sort this one out real fast, find out what he wants --” and he quickly hauled Pete into the hallway and promptly slammed him into the wall. “You absolute arsehole,” he hissed, getting into Peter’s face, “You bloody stupid absolute arsehole, what the hell are you doing out here?”

“My wrist! James! It hurt! I - I was alone - in the dorm -- and these burns -- burns on my arm -- they showed - all right and bright like coals! And - And I had - it was the -- where the ropes were and -- I - I’m scared - James, I -- think he’s calling me -- and --”

“You bloody git!” James said through gritted teeth, “You’re lucky I’ve forgotten my wand in there with Evans or I’d zap your arse full of rat poison! Have you any mind of what you’ve just interrupted me at? I finally was gettin’ on well with Evans - and she was about to say yes to goin’ out with me and then you - you fat little rat! - you have to come bursting in and --”

“James! Please!!! I’m so scared!!”

“And what else is new? You’re always scared! Always scared of everything! I swear to Godric, Peter, you’re probably scared of your own shadow!”

“I’m not! James! Please!” Peter was near to tears.

James turned away, frustrated. He wasn’t really angry with Peter, he was angry with everything, angry with the situation, angry that now, by the time he got back in there, with or without Peter, Lily was going to have come up with some petty little excuse not to go out with him. Something Snape probably said to her, more than like, and she’d laugh off what happened and it would be all over. “Fuck Snape - fuck him!” James said, tears burning his eyes, suddenly overcome by the frustration of how hard Severus Snape had made making his dreams of being close with Lily Evans. No matter how hard he tried, Severus Snape and his stupid lies always got in the way.

Always.

James kicked the rail of the stairs so hard he actually broke one of the rungs and his toe smarted and he groaned and grabbed at his trainer.

Peter was panting, leaning against the wall, whimpering pathetically, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he whined. Pathetic Peter Pettigrew, James thought, and he felt bad instantly. Both for thinking it and for the things he’d said and he sighed. “I’m sorry Wormtail,” he said heavily, “I’m just upset.”

Peter clutched his wrist, still whimpering.

“Bleedin’ hell, Pete, stop it,” James pleaded, “I didn’t mean none of it, really…” he turned and tried to pull Peter into a bit of an apologetic hug, but Peter scrambled away.

“No you don’t get to say those things about me and be forgiven because you sighed and said sorry!” Peter cried. He stared at James, lower lip quivering, “You all treat me like rubbish and leave me behind all of the time and you yell at me and call me names - call me fat and call me a coward and I don’t like it! I’m supposed to be your friend!”

“You are one of my friends!”

Peter trembled as he stared at James. “One of your friends,” he said, “Just one of the many people fawning after you…”

“Was that a pun, mate?”

Peter shook his head, “No.”

“I think it was.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

A smile was crawling over James’s lips, trying to calm Peter down… “C’mon Pete. You said fawning to a stag! That’s funny!”

Peter didn’t crack even the slightest of smiles.

“Alright, Pete, tell me what’s the matter,” James suggested, “Clearly you’re not going to calm down ‘til you tell me what’s wrong with you that’s scared you so much.”

Peter shook his head, “I don’t even wanna tell you anymore. You are the arsehole.” And Peter turned and ran off, thumping down the stairs with heavy feet and James stood there frowning, feeling quite terrible. He heard the trap door slam shut downstair and he rubbed his forehead. “Bloody hell.”

There was a throat clearing sound behind him and he turned around to find Lily Evans in the doorway of the bedroom. She was staring at him with raised eyebrows.




With both prefects missing from the common room, there was nobody really paying any attention to the first years… and so nobody noticed it when Liam Harding pulled Wally Grant and Dexter Cardwall into the hallway outside the portrait hole. Liam looked both ways down the hall, checking for people coming their way.

Wally smirked, “What’re you planning, Li? A prank on Darcy and Ollie, maybe?”

“Whoa if we’re pranking Darcy and Ollie I am sooo in,” Dexter said, grinning, nodding excitedly, “Darcy put a fish flavored Bertie Botts in my cereal the other day, made the whole thing taste like sardines! Gross!”

“You’re the barmy idiot that kept eatin’ it,” Wally said, “Could’ve just tossed it out and got yourself a new bowl but no - you sat there eatin’ it! Sardine flavor and all!”

“You can’t waste food!” Dexter said, “My mum says there’s starving children in Africa!”

“And how the bloody hell is you eatin’ frosted sardine flakes or not going to affect them?” Wally demanded.

“Dunno, but that’s what she always says!”

“Hullo, purpose of us meeting and all, right over here.” Liam clicked his fingers between Dexter and Wally’s faces until they’d turned to look at him again.

Wally said, “Well go on, then, tell us what you want, you git.”

Liam cleared his throat importantly. “You guys wanna be heroes?”

Heroes? Whoa! How!?” Dexter asked, excited, a shiver going through him at the thought of it.

Wally looked skeptical, “Heroes how?”

“Like magic to Merlin, real life, actual heroes. In the newspaper and everything.”

“The newspaper!” Dexter exclaimed, “How! Mum would be right proud if I was in the newspaper! Reckon she’d be so proud she’d buy me a nice racing broom for next year!” He looked hungrily at Liam.

Wally asked, “How do you reckon, Li?”

“Well, see, it’s like this… I wanted to go practice my patronus skills --”

“Aw c’m’off it,” Wally groaned, “You haven’t got any of those!”

Dexter’s eyes were wide. “Did you produce one, Li, did you?” he asked eagerly.

Liam glared at Wally, then looked at Dexter, “No, but I will before the year’s out! I’ll be the youngest wizard to ever produce one, you wait and see!” Then he started over with his story, “I snuck out of the dormitory, to go practice my patronus skills, and I went down to the boat docks because Mrs. Norris never, ever goes down there - too much water for a cat to be comfortable, and Filch doesn’t check there a whole lot, neither, so I thought it would be a good place to practice --”

“Good thinkin’ Li!” Dexter grinned.

Wally rolled his eyes at Dexter’s excitement.

“So there I was down there in the dark and I hear the door start to open and I thought it was filch so I ran and hid by the stairwell in the dark there and I overheard something very interesting,” Liam continued.

Wally raised an eyebrow.

“What was it, what was it?” Dexter squealed like a dog being shown a bone.

Liam said, “It was Regulus Black, and guess what? He is trying to find out where the Minister for Magic’s at.”

Liam had Wally’s attention now.

“He’s trying to rescue the Minister?” asked Dexter.

“Rescue!” scoffed Wally, looking at Dexter with skepticism. “I should doubt that very much! Regulus Black’s a murderer, haven’t you lot heard? That Jenkins girl that was dating James Potter back in September? He killed her. James Potter tried to rescue her, but Regulus Black killed her.”

Dexter’s eyes widened, “Whoa.”

Liam said, “I heard that, too.” He nodded solemnly, and continued, “They say he’s a Death Eater.” Dexter looked rather terrified. “Or at least is going to be. Whole family is, aside from Sirius, and you know there’s rumors Sirius is only faking being different to get in on some of the families You Know Who wants dead.”

Wally bit his lip.

“But there’s no way Regulus Black could find the Minister, and even if he did, I thought that You Know Who had the Minister? Why would Regulus Black be trying to find him from his own master if he’s a Death Eater?”

“Because he’s seeking the glory,” said Liam lowly, “He wants to steal the minister from You Know Who and either return him to get the praise from that, or else to use the Minister for his own purposes!”

“If You Know Who wants the Minister bad enough, he could have himself a mighty powerful playing card if he had the Minister for himself,” Wally reflected.

“Exactly,” Liam said.

“But how is Regulus supposed to find the Minister for Magic if even the Ministry and all it’s aurors can’t do it?” Wally pointed out, “Bit far fetched, isn’t it, seeing as he can’t even leave the school! Not even old enough to disapparate himself yet, is he?”

“Yeah! And also, what’s that got to do with us being heroes?” asked Dexter, confused.

Liam smiled, “I’m glad you asked those particular questions,” he said, a twinkle to his eyes, “I happen to have the answer to both of them in one.”

“What’s that?” Wally asked.

Liam said, “House elves.”

“House elves?” Dexter asked, confused.

“Regulus Black’s got a house elf, Kreacher. He does all Regulus’s bidding. And what I overheard was Regulus Black commanding Kreacher to go and look for the Minister and report back what he finds to Regulus Black.”

“Okay so that answers my question, what about Dexter’s?” Wally asked, “What’s this got to do with us being heroes?”

Liam’s smile widened. “I have a house elf, too. And guess what?” All three boys leaned in closer together as Liam looked once more up and down the hallway to be sure nobody was nearby and listening. “My elf knows exactly where Harold Minchum is and he’s told me and if we wanna be heroes, all’s we gotta do is go and rescue him.”

Dexter and Wally exchanged glances.

“So,” Liam said, “I’ll ask again… You guys wanna be heroes?”