J.K. Rowling is fully accredited to the inspiration behind this. Although I cannot hope to match her prowess I can at least offer this as a humble gesture of appreciation for everything she has done.
Hogwarts grounds 1976
The castle itself stood magnificent juxtaposed against the misty backdrop of the Scottish mountains. Even though it had been several centuries since its creation, its façade failed to reveal any sign of wear. As a result, the same fond images of Hogwarts flashed in the minds of past-pupils and current students alike. Every few months a distinct natural decoration settled on the grounds reflecting the season in question, at this moment the autumn sky had not yet succumbed to the threatening snow season but chilly Atlantic winds rustled the tree tops and the robes of the pupils. A slight nip in the air foreshadowed the icy winter to come; however this chill did not discourage the teenagers from their quidditch practices nor did it deter those who wished to spend a free period finding respite in the shadows of the castles vast planes. Unfortunately, the majority of students were too preoccupied to enjoy adolescent wanderings on the abundant planes, for many it was the painful year of O.W.L's or N.E.W.T's that encompassed tragically numerous hours of cramming and stress.
The brisk, shrill bell tolled and the halls were once again filled with a mass of grey, interrupted by the series of house colours, all heading to their respective classes. The din of loud voices and the clatter of students echoed out from classrooms to the corridors. It was easy to see the differences between the houses and years. Lost-looking first years stumbled in large congregations and looked on half-bemused, half-terrified at the towering sixth and seventh years. Gaggles of hysterical Hufflepuff third years penetrated the mass mixed with occasional couples holding hands in a public denotation of their unity. It was easy to distinguish the Slytherins, irrespective of age; they all wore the same trademark scowl and unpleasant leer.
Three lean, tall boys followed by a shorter plumper one trudged nonchalantly through the crowd, they stuck close together engaged in conversation. If one listened hard enough words like 'Snivellus' 'map' and 'Moony' could just about be distinguished within the drone of the movement. It was easy to tell this group was well established in the castle from their ease and familiarity of movement through the corridors. Unlike the rushed looking second years that bustled their way up and down the staircases, they were unconcerned about punctuality. The professors knew them well enough to deduce they would arrive when it suited them, no amount of detention could alter old habits. As students filtered into classrooms, the crowd waned and the group of boys were one of the few left making their way to the trapdoor that gave them access to the potions basement. The steam from the cauldrons would provide a welcome relief from the uninviting chilliness that their red and gold scarves failed to block out. Along with several other seventh years they began the descent to Professor Slughorn's classroom, there they would have ample time to discuss the plans for tonight. On passing, a few girls shot furtive looks laced with hope at the two tallest boys but to no avail.
They had made an agreement amongst themselves to make a particular effort not to skip classes this year and so reluctantly, yet with a sense of entitlement they flopped into their usual seats near the exit. This suited them for two reasons, they would be able to leave for their following free period hastily and take full benefit of a rare segment of freedom. The second reason was that the seats were adjacent to those of a group of chattering girls, one of which was Lily Evans which suited James just fine. From this angle, James Potter was able to catch her eye every so often and wink cheekily resulting in a blush almost as brilliant as her hair. She always looked away in apparent disgust, but both were aware that it was mock-annoyance at this stage. Neither had any conscious idea why they continued this pretence.
Being sandwiched between James Potter and Sirius Black gave Peter Pettigrew the advantage to copy their work and at least pass potions, something he was extremely grateful for as he had barely scraped an 'Exceeds Expectations' last year. Slightly jittery, Peter was an unlikely member in this coolest of groups- nevertheless he had formed a strong bond with the others over the past six years. He looked on in awe of the two taller boys as they received abundant admiration and always seemed to be at the core of some ingenious new prank. Fiddling with his gurdy roots, he looked on hopefully to see what the others were doing.
Sirius Black began the process easily, his exquisitely handsome features showed no signs of uncertainty as he tipped several ingredients lazily into the cauldron. Without so much as a glance at the method, he began. Gifted with a razor accurate mind, he saw no need to bother with the textbook; those sorts of things were obviously beneath him. He sat with definite impatience and blatant boredom as he waited for the contents to stew. He played with the slightly crumpled packet of cigarettes in his pocket, in an attempt to ease the tediousness. In his head he eagerly counted down the moments until he could have a much anticipated drag.
Remus Lupin was the only one who seemed to be truly concentrating on what they had been told to do, poring over the instructions; he read through them carefully before beginning, by which time, some of the other students had already begun to ransack the store cupboard to remedy their mistakes. Despite the presence of a badge that proudly denoted his prefect status, Lupin more often than not failed to exercise some control over his friends actions-especially when Severus Snape was concerned. Hid did however, have a habit for making them feel slightly guilty every so often with that trademark glare of disappointment he wore so well. Gathering a small pile of Bowmerulus tentacles, he tipped them carefully into the simmering cauldron turning the contents a vibrant green colour, just like the textbook had recommended. Genuinely pleased with his efforts he began to prepare for the next set of instructions.
In the depths of his supercilious boredom, Sirius had failed to notice the pallid, greasy haired youth engrossed in scribbling down something onto his book. Instantaneously, Sirius' boredom evaporated, replaced by a sense of excitement and possibility. He nudged James discreetly and nodded in the thin, dark-haired boy's direction. He sat on the room's outskirts by himself but his isolation didn't appear to perturb him. A broad grin of excitement that matched Sirius' settled on James' face, 'Snivellus' he murmured softly with apparent glee. The focus of their distraction did not go unnoticed by Peter who looked eagerly between Snape's oily form to his friends and back.
'I'm awfully bored' said Sirius pointedly.
James deliberated internally, the memory of Lily Evans very publicly denouncing him as a 'toe rag' still stung painfully in his mind. Their last year in school would be his last chance with her, who knew when they might see each other after graduation? On the train, he had spoken animatedly about the need to be mature and 'conscious of their behaviour' (Naturally Sirius had scoffed at this, a sentiment accompanied by his bark-like laugh) but with a distraction like Snape it was much harder to follow these resolutions up.
As if reading his best friends mind Sirius reassured him 'C'mon Prongs she won't have to find out about it, it'll be a bit of fun'
While he spoke James' hand flicked instinctively to mess up his hair which made Lupin smirk knowingly.
'We'll be done in five minutes, get a move on or we won't catch him mate' Sirius continued in his London drawl.
Professor Slughorn made a gesture to signify the time was up and students placed their finished products somewhat reluctantly on his desk to be graded. Slughorn eyed many of the offerings ruefully chiding the students with the occasional "Too many lacewings, when will you learn!", until Lily placed her perfected potion on the table. With a habitual wink for his favourite student, he announced proudly "That's my girl" resulting in Lily's flushed embarrassment.
Instead of being the first to leave, the Marauders uncharacteristically hung around, deliberately being tardy to keep an eye on Snape. Severus, now painfully aware of the groups focus on him, twitched nervously as he rushed frantically to remain amongst the other Slytherins trickling from the dungeon. The quantity of remaining students thinned with each second the school bell continued to elicit the high-pitched ringing. Severus left hastily, even abandoning much of his ingredients in a bid to flee. The group relentlessly followed him out the door; Sirius and James at the front with Peter excitedly close behind. After all, the chase was only the beginning of the fun. Lupin sighed as he reluctantly followed his friends, notably with much less enthusiasm.