Crouch Fortress Night Raid Plan

James thought he might really have to go back wearing soaking-wet robes and hurriedly spoke up. "Fifth floor of the East Tower, the old alchemy classroom. The one with the Marauders' mark on the door, right?"

Lupin nodded. "That's the most suitable place. It's hidden enough, and it has a workbench and a water source."

James made an exaggerated face at Sirius, deliberately putting heavy emphasis on the words "best friend." "I'll bring the Marauder's Map! As your best friend, of course I have to keep watch over the area for your little break-in plan and make sure it's safe."

He paused, the corners of his mouth beginning to curl upward.

That smug expression immediately put Sirius on guard.

James drew out his voice. "By the way... how is our young Master Black's special gift coming along?"

One of Sirius's hands had already curled into a fist.

"Stop pretending. I saw you writing a letter last night, telling the House-elf to secretly send over your precious Star-Guiding Compass. You even specifically instructed it to use the most discreet packaging?"

Completely ignoring Sirius's increasingly dangerous expression, James made an exaggerated aristocratic gesture.

"Kreacher, as the heir of the family, I order you not to tell my mother, whose talent for roaring is quite extraordinary, about this?"

Sirius's face immediately turned red, though it was impossible to tell whether from anger or embarrassment.

Lupin said seriously, "Still, that compass really is a good idea. Lucretia seems to like Astronomy class. Professor Sinistra even mentioned last week that she was one of the first-years who had mastered the Star Chart the fastest this year."

Sirius's clenched jaw loosened a little, though he still tried to maintain an indifferent expression. "She also needs to be able to tell directions in the Forbidden Forest. Those precious materials aren't something you can find just anywhere. Last time, Regulus said he might take her to play near the edge of the Forbidden Forest often in the future."

"Oh, right, right, right. She absolutely can't get lost, unless another kind unicorn happens to lead the way, huh?"

After moving out of Sirius's striking range, James smugly raised his brows again.

"I have to say, that compass is definitely more useful than Crouch's toolbox... by a lot? At least it glows in the dark. Mate, have you got no sense of balance?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and took the jar of ointment from Lupin, clearly wanting to change the subject.

He opened the jar and sniffed it, immediately pursing his lips. "Enough. Let's look at this first. It doesn't smell very nice, but the formula is very professional. Comfrey root, witch hazel, and..."

Lupin looked at him in surprise. "Wait, since when did you know so much about herbs?"

The tips of Sirius's ears reddened slightly. "Recently... I read some books."

James burst into laughter again. "He practically cleared out the herbology section of the library! Especially the books about healing herbs and magical plants. Madam Pince thought the sun had risen in the west! Moony, you really ought to see the look on her face next time, like she was wondering whether she'd sorted the books into the wrong categories."

Holding back a smile, Lupin carefully examined the ointment. "All right, Fork. Padfoot is right. The texture is excellent, and the combination of these herbs is very ingenious. It can not only fade scars, but also repair damaged skin tissue. It's quite a professional formula."

James thought for a moment. "She said she made this just after arriving at the Crouch family home. Didn't Professor Dumbledore mention at dinner that she'd been bullied as soon as she arrived there... Uh, don't tell me our cold-blooded killer Crouch did something to her..."

He accompanied the words with a throat-slitting gesture.

Lupin shook his head. "James, don't talk nonsense. This formula is for old scars that have already healed, not fresh injuries. If she needed it when she had just arrived at the house, then the scars must have been from before that."

Sirius interrupted them quietly, his tone unusually serious. "And did you notice? When she mentioned where the spell came from, she almost said 'Mum.' I was watching her lips the whole time. I couldn't have seen it wrong."

James and Lupin exchanged a glance.

The former's mouth began to curl upward again.

"Watching her lips the whole time? Just like how you keep watching her notes, keep watching her do homework while chatting with your little brother, and keep watching her eat at the Ravenclaw table? With your powers of observation, you ought to apply to be a special correspondent for The Daily Prophet."

Sirius glared at him, wishing he could punch his glasses to pieces.

"This isn't the time for jokes, Fork. We all know Mr. Crouch adopted her from a Muggle orphanage several years ago. What does that word she almost said mean?"

James's smile faded as he looked at Lupin. "Sorry, you're right. It is strange. Moony, as the smartest one among us, what do you think?"

Lupin furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "Obviously, that form of address wasn't referring to Madam Crouch. When she mentioned the scar-removal ointment and the herbs she brought from home, she only said 'mother.'"

James considered it. "Since she grew up in an orphanage, could she have meant the matron, or someone who took care of her? But ordinary Muggles generally wouldn't understand herbal formulas like this, would they? I mean, even if they knew the ingredients, how would they brew potions without wands and cauldrons?"

Sirius tapped the ointment jar with his fingers. "There's more than that. James, we saw the blessing gesture she made to the unicorn, and the blessing potion she carefully mentioned in Moony's ear just now... That manner felt like some sort of inheritance, not something she merely read about in books."

The three of them fell silent.

The air felt heavy.

James was uncomfortable with the serious atmosphere and gave a light cough.

"Anyway, at least we don't have to worry about Wormtail spying on her again anytime soon. Your little brother was ruthless enough with that one. Madam Pomfrey said he'd have to lie in the Hospital Wing for weeks before he recovered."

Lupin nodded along. "A variant of the Heartbreak Curse isn't easy to deal with. Even if his memories were altered, his body will still need time to recover."

Sirius said coldly, "More importantly, we got hold of that notebook where he recorded all those questions about the Crouch family. That idiot was definitely acting on someone's orders."

As if he had thought of some brilliant idea, James became excited all over.

He jabbed Sirius in the ribs with his elbow, hard enough that Sirius nearly lost his balance and dropped the ointment on the ground.

"Looks like Tuesday night will be your golden opportunity, my dear Padfoot! Crouch and your little brother will both be gone, no one will be watching over the little princess, and I'll be in the tower using the Marauder's Map to make sure nobody gets near the fifth floor of the East Tower."

James clapped his hands together, raised his eyebrows theatrically, and put on a mysterious expression.

"If I spot anyone suspicious, like those Slytherin girls with crushes on Crouch, or if the two of them finish their Ancient Runes group activity early, I'll immediately report to the front line through the Two-way Mirror. I really hope I get to see his expression when he finds out you gave her the Star-Guiding Compass. I bet it'll cause an absolute war in the Great Hall the next day."

Sirius grabbed James by the collar, lifting him so forcefully that James's toes left the ground.

"James Potter, say one more word and I'll sew that filthy mouth of yours shut!"

Not only was James unafraid, his grin widened.

Being lifted off the ground did nothing to diminish his determination to court death. If anything, he looked even more pleased with himself.

"Oh, don't get embarrassed and angry. I'm just happy for you."

Even while being held by the collar, he did not forget to keep fanning the flames.

"Just think about it. Our school prince, Sirius Black, one of the most famous figures in the school, the future heir of the Black family..."

He deliberately emphasized those words.

"...is actually going to sneak around to give a little girl a gift, and he has to avoid her unrelated older brother Barty and your little brother..."

Sirius raised his hand to hit James in the face, but Lupin quickly stopped him.

"That's enough, you two. Fork, stop adding fuel to the fire. And you, Padfoot, hitting him will only prove he was right."

Sirius angrily shook off Lupin's hand and glared at James through gritted teeth. "I'm starting to understand why Evans has refused to go out with you for six years. At least the giant squid can't open its mouth and talk."

James clutched his chest in mock agony. "Oof, direct hit! But worth it, absolutely worth it! Moony, what are you in charge of?"

Lupin coughed lightly. "I think I'd better patrol near the Hospital Wing in my capacity as a prefect. Madam Pomfrey said that day she wanted to check Peter's condition, and she might let him out to rest. I can make sure he doesn't wander around."

James threw an arm around Sirius's shoulders despite Sirius trying to shrug him off. "Perfect! Ready to steal his little princess right under your rival's nose? If he finds out you gave Miss Lucretia a treasure from the Black family collection room, his and your little brother's expressions will be absolutely spectacular!"

Without another word, Sirius punched James in the stomach.

James instantly doubled over, clutching his stomach with both hands and letting out a pained howl.

But even so, the smile on his face did not disappear. Between gasps, he was still snickering.

James said breathlessly, tears brought on by the pain in his eyes but triumph filling his voice, "Worth it... Seeing you get so embarrassed and angry... proves I... hit the mark!"

He kept laughing as he rubbed his stomach.

"Padfoot... you're done for... You're completely done for..."

Lupin shook his head and sighed beside them. "Sigh."

In the distance, Lucretia and Emma had already disappeared into the castle entrance.

He looked back at James, who was still rubbing his stomach, then at Sirius, whose face was still red.

Lupin said helplessly, "You two... I think we should seriously confirm Tuesday's plan again. So that someone's gift doesn't start World War Three when the time comes."

James immediately perked up, though he was still bent over.

"Guys, I already have the perfect battle deployment! Operation codename: Crouch Fortress Night Raid Plan!"

Sirius glared at him, but did not hit him this time.

Perhaps because Lupin was still there, or perhaps because James already looked miserable enough.