The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Missing Cave

The Missing Cave

Gideon, Fabian, and James disapparated from the edge of the village of Hogsmeade, outside of the grounds of Hogwarts. Fabian took hold of James and brought him via side-along, since he wouldn't be getting his own apparition license for another year. They landed on the beach behind the Jenkins's house, on the edge of the sea shore, the tide licking the sand. Fabian released James's arm as they landed. The night was calm and relatively warm for the time of year, in an almost eerie sort of way.

"Lead the way," Gideon said, turning to James.

But the funniest thing was happening. James stood there on the beach, staring about, and found that, quite suddenly, he could not for the life of him think of where the cave was. He rubbed the back of his head, his eyebrows pinched together and glanced first to the left and then to the right, but though the Jenkins's house was in a sort of shallow valley between two tall cliffs, he couldn't recall which of the cliffs the cave was cut out of, and from where he stood, there was no sign of it, either.

"Potter?" Fabian prodded, glancing nervously at Gideon, the back to James, whose expression was clearly confused as he looked about, slowly getting more and more frantic.

James was practically panicking. Why couldn't he think of the location of the cave? What was happening? Was he going mad? Was this the first sign of losing his mind? He didn't want to completely lose his mind! He was an alright bloke, why would fate be so terrible to him as to let him be driven mad?

"James?" Gideon, too, leaned close to James, waiting for an answer. "Everything alright?"

James blinked at him, then shook his head, clearing his racing mind, and he said, "I... I dunno where it is."

"What?" Fabian asked, "You said it was --" he stopped. He looked at Gideon. "Oi, mate. Potter's just told us a moment ago where we were headed... do you, er, remember what he said? About where the location is?"

Gideon shook his head no. The twins shared identical looks of confusion over not being able to remember, staring at one another, distressed.

James rubbed his forehead, "No, no, it was here somewhere... The cave was here somewhere. I know it was. You don't misplace caves, you don't just lose a whole place. That's not possible, it's got to be ---" he stopped suddenly, completely overcome by fear and confusion.

James wished he'd listened to Lily. Wished he'd never come here. He was beginning to think this shore was jinxed.

"Something is happening," said Gideon darkly, "Something..." and the twins drew their wands in unison and Fabian pulled James closer as they both turned and looked up and down the beach in either direction for a sign of something - anything - some reason why things were not as they'd expected them to be, something that could've erased the memory of the cave and it's location from their minds like this, as though they expected an ambush right there on the sands of the sea shore.

James drew his wand as well.

And that was when he saw it... far off across the beach... nearly as far as his eyes could see... there was a flicker - a bright light of an illuminated wand tip suddenly came into view... and then went out... a dark form falling to the beach sand...

James nudged Gideon, who was closer to facing that direction, "Look there," he said. "Someone's just... just apparated, or... or something."

Gideon turned, squinted down the beach... and the three of them hurried to go and investigate who it was and how they'd come to be there.