The Bet

Outside of class, Rose hardly ever saw Potter and the others. They always vanished as soon as lessons ended and returned to the common room late each night.

When they did appear at the Gryffindor table, Potter and his friends would grab whatever food was closest and wolf it down. Before Rose could say a word, they would hurry off again.

Finally, on a Thursday at the end of March, Rose had just sat down at one side of the long table when James Potter and his inseparable brother Sirius Black entered the Great Hall one after the other.

"So you do eat," Rose teased them.

James Potter raked a hand through his already messy, sticking-up black hair and sat down across from the girls.

"Professor McGonagall gave us detention. We have to go to Pringle and polish those corporal punishment tools of his three times a week. I'm going to be sick." He frowned.

"You know, I'm fine. A few times I even thought I was at home," Sirius Black said.

His words made James Potter burst out laughing.

"There are only three of you. Has Lupin gone home again?" Marlene asked casually.

Remus Lupin took time off every month. The girls occasionally said in private that he was more like a girl than they were—he took time off every month and came back pale and weak.

The boys exchanged glances, and Sirius Black nodded perfunctorily. "Yeah, his mother isn't very well. James, hurry up, we still have to go-"

He clicked his tongue at James Potter, a gesture that made him look exceptionally handsome and dashing. Peter Pettigrew, beside him, also looked eager to get going.

"That's right." James Potter smiled in understanding.

"Going on another adventure? Sneaking out at night?" Rose took a sip of iced orange juice and smacked her lips as she asked curiously.

"Er—not telling you!" James Potter pulled a face at her.

"Childish." Rose turned her head disdainfully. "You might not even know as many secret passages as I do."

Her words seemed to flip a switch, instantly rousing James Potter's competitive spirit. He slammed down his silver fork, and the clatter as it struck his plate drew many eyes.

"Calm down, brother." Sirius Black pulled him back into his seat. "She's just boasting."

"Of course I'm not," Rose said. "Care to bet?"

"What are we betting?" Sirius Black was interested now too. He sat up straight, no longer looking so lazy.

"If I know more secret passages than you do," Rose said, narrowing her blue eyes as she looked back and forth between the two boys, "you, James Potter, will have to practice Quidditch with me."

"Quidditch?" James Potter, whom she had singled out, looked bewildered. "You need practice? But we don't have time. We're too busy."

"All right," Sirius Black agreed at once. Ignoring his brother's shocked stare, he fixed his eyes on Rose. "What if you lose?"

"I'll do your homework for a month, for free," Rose said.

"Deal," Sirius Black said quickly, as though afraid she would change her mind.

Peter Pettigrew's head swung excitedly back and forth between them. When he saw Sirius Black's confident smile, he too burst into exaggerated laughter, his overdone manner making Rose a little uncomfortable.

Marlene's hand, holding a muffin, stopped in midair. She stared at Rose in shock, then leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Are you crazy? Potter and the others have snuck out at night more times than seventh-years have in all seven years combined!"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't lose." Rose's relaxed manner only puzzled Marlene more. "Tell Lily I'm not going to meet her at the library tonight."

Marlene nodded.

"Eight tonight, outside the Gryffindor Common Room?" Sirius Black said.

"I'll only tell you how to find them. You'll have to check for yourselves." Rose shook her head. She had no desire to sneak around the castle at night.

"Maybe we won't have to go to all that trouble," Sirius Black said cheerfully. James Potter also looked certain of victory.

At half past seven, in the Gryffindor Common Room, on a long sofa closest to the fireplace.

Rose could never usually get that spot, but today was an exception. She sat there with James Potter and Sirius Black, while Peter Pettigrew perched on an armchair beside them, half his bottom hanging off as he leaned far toward them.

"Let's begin," Sirius Black announced.

"There's one on the fourth floor that leads to Hogsmeade," Rose said quietly, clearing her throat. "The One-Eyed Witch Passage."

James Potter looked disappointed, Sirius Black seemed less than interested, and Peter Pettigrew made an exaggerated show of disdain.

"We found that in our first week here," James Potter said, a little smugly. He urged her on. "Tell us something else, something interesting."

Rose knew that the Marauders had devoted their years at school to exploring the castle and had created the famous cheating aid, the Marauder's Map. Seven secret passages were marked on it, and hardly anyone knew the castle better than they did.

"There's a tapestry on the fourth floor. Behind it is a passage straight to the Armor Corridor and the Trophy Room," Rose said slowly. She didn't know whether the Marauders knew about one of Hogwarts' most wondrous secrets—the existence of the Room of Requirement.

But she didn't want to reveal its existence just because she wanted Potter to practice Quidditch with her, either.

"Come on, tell us something interesting." James Potter was starting to get a little bored.

"There's another one on the fourth floor, behind a mirror. It leads to Hogsmeade," Rose said.

If they had found that passage too, she might tell them about Mirabella's portrait, but she was still a little hesitant. After all, it wouldn't do to let them discover their good friend Remus Lupin's little secret so early.

James Potter sat up straight. He studied Rose in a whole new light and nudged Sirius Black in the ribs with his elbow.

"Hey, don't poke me, James-" Sirius Black instinctively leaned away, as though the poke had tickled him.

"Sorry." James Potter glanced quickly at him.

"I know, I know-" Sirius Black drawled. He, too, gave Rose a strange look, as though he had only just met her.

"Act normal," Rose said irritably.

"Hey-how do you know all this? You know, we sneak out almost every night, and we also have-" James Potter was interrupted by Sirius Black.

"There are four of us, too."

"Right, four people. There are four of us."

James Potter had nearly let it slip. Now he nodded quickly and emphatically in agreement with Sirius.

Rose thought he must have been about to mention the Invisibility Cloak, the Potter Family's most mysterious heirloom.

"Er—I'm not telling you either." Rose pulled a face at him, just as he had done at the Gryffindor table.

James Potter looked at a loss for words, and Sirius Black laughed at the two of them. He seemed delighted to see his friend embarrassed.

"Then I'll see you on the lawn outside the castle this weekend afternoon?" Rose stood up, reminding them of the bet.

"Oh-" James Potter wailed. He grabbed Sirius Black around the neck and threatened him, making him come along too.

"You agreed to it, so don't think you're getting out of it!"

Rose returned to Mary and the others and watched the boys roughhouse in high spirits. She had finally found herself a qualified teacher.