The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Amplificare

Amplificare

James had come out from under the blankets only long enough to go to classes, but that entire week he skipped dinner and Peter made an effort to bring back food wrapped up in paper boxes that Remus conjured. The boxes sat stacked on James's nightstand, exactly where Pete had left them, untouched, until Remus had taken the initiative to throw them away because the smell of food was starting to turn his stomach again as the moon cycle progressed. On the night of the Quidditch team practice, James had told Frank Longbottom to act as captain, saying he wasn't feeling well enough to play, and he had skipped Herbology altogether - the class where he would've seen Maryrose, as she was his Herbology partner.

It was Friday and Lily Evans was walking with the other three Marauders back across the grounds to the castle. "He can't just not come to Herbology anymore, his grades will suffer terribly," she said, frowning.

"I told him as much," Remus said sadly, "But he doesn't care."

Sirius said glumly, "I know how it feels... I mean, Prongs is feeling it different than I did... do..." he stared hard at his shoes.

Remus put his arm 'round Sirius's shoulders.

Lily said, "There has to be a way to cheer him up."

"I tried planning a prank with him, but he doesn't want to hear about it or anything," Sirius said. "But I tried."

"And I used a secret passage to Honeydukes and got him his favorite candy and he didn't eat it!" Peter said, "Barely even looked at it."

Remus said, "I've done his homework for him all week so he won't be too far behind. Made sure I got a couple answers wrong on both my own copy and his so that nobody would suspect..."

Lily sighed. There had to be something - something more - something they could do to help James Potter...

Maryrose Jenkins's face smiled up from the pages of the Daily Prophet, a news story about what happened featured as one of the stories on the front page of the paper. The Dark Lord stared at the paper, his fingers wrapped tight about the pages. He glowered at the words that spanned the column...

HOGWARTS STUDENT KILLED AFTER RESCUE OF LUCY MINCHUM
15-year old Hogwarts student, Maryrose Jenkins of Hufflepuff, was killed by He Who Must Not Be Named for her involvement in the rescue of Lucy Minchum, the granddaughter of the Minister for Magic, earlier this month. Jenkins was assisted by another student, 15-year old James Potter of Gryffindor, who returned the young girl to the Ministry and is being heralded additionally for assisting in returning the body of Maryrose Jenkins to her family after --- (continued on page B14)

The Dark Lord dropped the pages onto the table before him, making the tea cup clatter against the saucer. His eyes moved over Walburga Black, Lucius Malfoy, Rudolphus Lestrange, Corban Yaxley, and Evan Rosier, who were spattered about the table among other Death Eaters. "I can't help but question why it is that we are in this uncomfortable position of looking like absolute fools... Why we have lost our hold over the Ministry?" He glared at them each in turn once again, his eyes lingering on Evan Rosier, whose back was stiff and eyes unfocused, staring at a knot in the wood of the table, his father's jaw grit tightly in disapproval beside him. The Dark Lord stood up and ran his hand across the table as he walked around his chair, his long fingers gliding over the polished wood. He stepped around to the back of the chair, wrapping his fingers 'round the backrest of the seat of Evan Rosier.

"I want James Potter - and any other who helped the boy in this endeavor - dead." The Dark Lord's voice was cold and hard. He looked around the room slowly, his mouth a solid line. "I will also be in need of an... assistant... to help me in securing the inferius army." His eyes roved over the table, "I'll need a Secret Keeper... Who shall help the Dark Lord in this most important matter? Great honor shall await the one that Dark Lord chooses."