Disclaimer: I own nothing. If i did there would be a few changes. Jk Rowling owns everything you recognise. Thanks go to her for letting us use (abuse) her characters.

If you like the idea of my story go and Read the Promises Unbroken Series by Robin4. It's excellent.

Chapter 1

Sirius looked round at his three friends, his three brothers, as they sat around the table in the flat's small, but functional kitchen. His flat, a place where he, Sirius Black, fully qualified wizard, lived as part of the adult wizarding world. He could hardly believe it. A quick grin crept across his face as his thoughts flew back to the events earlier that afternoon. Graduation day, their last day as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the culmination of seven years of adventures, pranks and occasional studying.

That afternoon….

The Gryffindor boys lay asleep in their round dormitory, the early morning sunlight just beginning to creep in over the tops of the trees in the forbidden forest.

Sirius struggled to stay asleep against the light that was flowing in, but eventually gave in. Lying in bed with his eyes closed he sleepily considered the days classes, trying to remember if he had managed to complete all of his homework. Then it hit him. No more homework. Ever.

Opening his eyes a crack he could just see a set of Gryffindor red graduation robes hanging from a bedpost on the bed opposite him. Graduation Day. The robes belonged to Remus, he was the only one of the four boys who would be that organised. Gryffindor red robes, He smiled to himself, if anyone had suggested, seven years ago, that he would be graduating a Gyffindor he would have laughed at them, or at least thrown a nasty hex their way. He had turned away from the dark influence of his relations and formed a new family.

As the light continued the flood into the room in ever increasing amounts Sirius grimaced and decided he was fighting a losing battle. Stretching sleep filled muscles he climbed out of bed, put on a robe and headed for the bathroom.

Peter was the next to wake as Sirius let the bathroom door fall closed with a bang. He knew exactly what day it was and was dreading it. Everything would change now. He would have to strike out on his own. In classes when he had a problem one of the others would help him out, or just plain do it for him if he took too long. Out in the real world he suspected it might be different, everyone would know him for the fraud he was. Poor stupid fat Peter who couldn't do anything.

Catching sight of Remus' neatly hung robes he frowned as he remembered his own, cast off into a corner after a trying on session when Sirius and James had unkindly, though possibly truthfully he amended, commented on his likeness to a big round shiny tomato when dressed in his Gryffindor red robes. This had of course made him flush red with embarrassment, which according to Sirius had only completed the look. It had been a good five minutes before either James or Sirius has been able to form a coherent sentence, and by that point Peter has ripped the robes off and flung them into a corner in a huff.

Rolling over in bed he decided that he was still angry with Sirius and James and didn't want to have to talk to them. He would get up later when there was more going on.

After he had finished in the bathroom Sirius returned to the main dormitory and surveyed his sleeping friends. He decided that early morning insomnia was lonely, that it was high time that everyone else got up anyway, first breakfast sitting would start soon and he was hungry. And if he couldn't sleep then he would make damn sure that no one else could either.

Transforming into his dog form, one exuberant bound took him onto the bed of James Potter. His best friend, and as of the previous summer when the Potters had kindly taken him in, adopted brother. James gave a grunt as Sirius landed on him and struck out, but he was too late.

Yet another bound had taken him onto the bed of one Remus Lupin who jerked awake with a very satisfying 'Ack' noise.

Next the big black dog turned his attention to the bed of Peter Pettigrew, only to find it empty. Peter, having been awake already, had decided to make his way to the bathroom and avoid the 'joy' of Padfoot's wake up call.

By this point James has reached for his glasses and was sitting up in bed.

"Do you know Sirius, sometimes I really hate you." James grumbled his voice still thick with sleep.

Sirius looked at him, still in dog form, and grinned. Sitting back on his haunches he tensed, ready for another flying leap.

"Oh no you don't." said James, who had already began climbing out of bed. "Go and bother Remus. I think he's gone back to sleep, I'm sure he's just desperate to be woken up again by a big, smelly mutt."

Sirius silently agreed with James and padded off in that direction. Remus could be heard to mutter a muffled

"Gerroff.."

Thhis turned into a higher pitched shriek as a cold wet nose was pushed into his one visible ear. Sighing, he too began the process of leaving his warm bed and preparing for this day that would see them change from boys to men.

One hour and fourty Five minutes later the four boys stood ready, their robes smoothed, the red standing out vividly against the gleaming thread of gold trimming, and the proud Gryffindor lion intricately embroidered on their front left breasts.

Remus glanced over all of them. Remus himself always wore his school uniform correctly and with pride, and had treasured his smart graduation robes from the time they got them, even, when no one was looking, going as far as to polish the gold fastening.

Even James, since becoming head boy, had smartened up in his general appearance and so climbing into the stiff confines of the formal graduation robes would not have been too much of a trial.

For Sirius there had been no hope, perhaps Remus wondered it was the repressed formality of his childhood, being forced to wear formal robes to every family meal and occassion. Whatever the cause, Sirius rebelled against uniform. His tie was usually tied too short, numerous shirt buttons undone and his robes attractively crumpled.

Today however was different, on this day they had all taken extra time with their appearance. Sirius, who according to James, managed to get out of bed looking immaculate, had spent some half an hour getting his hair to lay just right and looked, as ever, a true aristocratic and stunning. Though, Remus admitted to himself, his well groomed look may have been helped by the comparison between himself and James, whom he was never far from. James had also spent a good half an hour working on his hair, only to have it look as much of a mess as usual and had given up in disgust.

James too had evidently been looking over his friends in their attire.

"We look… so smart. It makes me feel… proud" James suggested uncertainly.

Sirius snickered.

"As pretty as a picture." He contributed, voice brimming with false sentimentality and barely contained laughter.

Remus just gave him a look.

"Come on," Sirius whinged, "We're the Marauders! Since when do we take any of this stuff seriously?"

"Are we?" said James, continuing in his thoughtful tone. "Can we still be Marauders without Hogwarts?"

Remus decided that the conversation had taken a definite turn for the worse and decided to try to lighten up his friends. "And if a tree falls in the forest where there is no one to hear it does it make a sound? You are being ridiculous. We are the Marauders, and that's what we will always be. It isn't the school, or the pranks or sharing a dorm that makes us what we are its.. its…" he trailed off at this point, unable to find words to adequately describe what his friends meant to him.

"The Other Stuff." Peter interjected in a quiet, but surprisingly firm voice.

"Yeah," agreed Sirius "Like being able to wake each other up at 3am." The other three boys glared at him.

"Sharing secrets" Remus offered.

"Forgiving mistakes and putting up with immense stupidity." James added.

"And that's not going to change. I can't see James or Sirius giving up being immensely stupid." Remus said with a grin "And I'm sure Peter and I will continue to put up with it."

"We sound like a right bunch of girls. Let's stop now before we start hugging and kissing." And with that Sirius led the way down the staircase, through the common room and out of the portrait hall to graduation and beyond.

Authors note:

This, hopefully, is the start of a much longer fic detailing the Marauders lives based around an all crucil 'what if' statement. What is Peter had turned back to his friends at the last minute? What could have been different?

I don't have anyone beta reading this for me - no one understands the fascination with fan fic, so any mistakes are my own and if you would like to point them out feel free to do so. Reviews make everyhting worthwhile!!