I based this off of Hana Yori Dango, aka Meteor Garden. The characters will be a little AU, just a warning.
The Stimulant
James frowned with irritation. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to stare at Sirius. "What is that inane noise?"
Sirius turned from right to left, scenting the air in a dog-like behavior. He casually raised one hand and pointed to a smallish girl hiding behind a tree.
"I believe that she's the culprit." Sirius leaned back against the tree. His right arm rested on his knee. "You think the stalker girls would have learned better by now."
James twisted his mouth into a mocking grin. "Yeah, you think they would have…. Peter!"
The short teenager in front of them raised himself into a crouch. "Yeah, Prongs."
"Get rid of her." Peter nodded in return to James's cold order.
He stood up and unhurriedly strolled towards the girl. The girl's face was one of delight as one of the Marauders walked towards her. Even if it was just Peter, it was still on of them. Her giggling increased with every step that Peter took. She began to squeal as he took her hand. Her squeal quickly changed to a yell as she realized why he had taken her hand. Her face broke out in boils. She fell backwards onto the ground, desperately attempting to shield her face. One of her hands clearly had the words Marauders tattooed on it with red ink. Peter didn't even stop to look at her as she scuttled away. He just turned around and rejoined his friends.
"You've gotten better," Sirius complimented. He scanned the grounds again before turning to James. "I think the grounds are clear, O Cranky One."
"They're getting more annoying each year," James answered. "God, I can not stand those idiotic girls. You think they would have learned by now." He rested his head on the bark of the tree, trying to fall back asleep.
Remus looked up from the book he had been reading. "Just wait till the ball three weeks from now, they'll be swarming us then." He ran one hand through his already bedraggled hair and smiled, excited at the possibility.
James gave up on sleeping and reached for the bottle of scotch in front of him. "Joy," he said sarcastically.
Remus laughed as he grabbed the bottle from James. "If you would just get a girlfriend, or five, they would all leave you alone."
"Yeah, that tactic always works so well for you and Peter." He seized the bottle and took a swig before throwing it back.
"I'll give you that one," Peter replied. "But we are so much friendlier than you."
Remus chuckled at the understatement. He offered the scotch around one more time. When the others shook their heads, he dropped it into his bag. He rose into a standing position and waited for the rest to join him. They walked back towards the castle, laughing as Remus narrated something that had happened over break.
From twenty yards away Lily scowled. So Diane was not the nicest person, or smartest, or most pleasant, but she didn't deserve that. The Marauders thought they were so special just because their parents were rich. And the teachers let them get away with everything because their parents supported the school. It wasn't fair. They were so freaking spoiled. She ground her teeth and stomped off towards class.
"What's wrong?" Kai asked. She looked concerned for her friend. Lily had started muttering to herself. The only word Kai could identify was spoiled. Lily gestured towards the Marauders' backs. Kai groaned and ran her hand through her jet-black hair.
"What did they do this time?" In answer Lily just pointed towards Diane. She was now surrounded by her equally superficial friends, giggling over how cool it was that a Marauder had touched her. "Forget about it," Kai advised, "they already have. How was your summer, anyways? I forgot to ask you earlier."
Lily had spent the summer working odd jobs, trying to earn enough money to help her family out. Petunia needed some money to pay for her wedding, so Lily had to help out.
"It was alright," she replied. "How was yours?"
Kai launched into an exciting story about her trip to Rome. She promised to show Lily the pictures later. Lily plastered a smile on her face. Everyone here was so rich. That also made for extremely pretty. Even Kai was gorgeous. She had long black hair to go with her oriental features. The exotic thing worked for her, as did the fact she barely weighed 110 pounds at five foot seven. Lily listened to her Kai babble until they reached the classroom.
"What have you heard about our new teacher?" Lily asked. She looked the new DADA teacher up and down. He was about twenty-two and looked it. He had spiky black hair and a runner's body.
"Lily, that's Justin Cooper!"
"Who?" Lily asked, obviously confused.
Kai laughed at Lily's expression. "He was a scholarship student when he attended Hogwarts. Five years ago."
Lily's mouth slowly formed into a long O. "So we know him?" It was a question.
Kai laughed again as she answered. "Yes, Lily. We know him. He came back to teach. You know how hard it is for Dumbledore to hold onto a DADA teacher."
"The curse," Lily answered automatically, lost in thought. "So he was another scholarship student?"
"Looking for someone smart like you?" Kai teased.
More like poor Lily thought. "Just wondering," she answered absentmindedly. She dropped her bag on the seat nearest her, leaving Kai to sit down next to her. As she sat down, Justin, Professor Cooper, looked at her. Lily was startled to realize that they had almost the exact same shade of eyes.
James jumped off his broom and faced his team. "Good work you guys. We need to train harder this year to beat those Slytherin scum, but I think we'll go all the way this year! Again!" The other six members of the team cheered. James yelled over them, "This time, two days from now." He walked back towards the changing room, letting them talk without their captain around.
"You know, that was almost nice, Prongs," Sirius teased as he and Remus walked up towards James. "People might think you're going soft."
"Me? Never." James replied. "I just want to prove that we can beat anyone. We still on for tonight."
"Obviously," Remus answered. He clicked his finger and the first year trailing them ran up and handed Remus a piece of paper. He took it and waved the boy back. He retreated dutifully and started walking behind them.
"I was wondering why that guy was following you. A slave, huh," James mused. "I think I want one."
"What? The bodyguards your mom used to have stalk you weren't enough?"
"They wouldn't carry my bag for me," James complained. "So I had to get rid of them."
By this time they had reached the changing rooms. Remus clicked his fingers and the first year raced forward to open the door. They strolled in still talking. The first year obediently stood outside and waited for them.
"Oh," Sirius suddenly remembered. He handed James the paper that he had been carrying. "Peter bought all of the stuff for us. Remus 'talked' to the teachers, so now no one will be in the main room until morning."
James nodded. He pulled his Quidditch robe over his head. "The new teacher too?"
"You mean Justin? He's not new. He was here in our second year."
James pulled his shirt over his head. "Really? Why don't I remember him?"
"He was that scholarship student," Sirius replied. "He was always getting picked on. Especially by my older relatives."
James shrugged and put his legs into his pants. "Anyway, did you talk to him?" James asked Remus.
Remus shook his head. "He won't be on guard duty tonight, so it shouldn't be any problem. Besides its not like he'll do anything if he catches us." He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. An arrogant smirk crossed his face. "He knows who we are. After all, he went to school with us."
James tied his shoes and stood up. "Whatever."
Sirius laughed and walked back out the door. "Come on. We're late. We still have to ignore our homework and do nothing."
James laughed at his friend. "You mean you have to. I have to sleep."
Sirius shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy."
Lily rubbed her eyes and lazily stood up. She surveyed the dormitory common room. There were a few second years playing Wizard's Chess in the corner. The annual panic attack of the first years was occurring in the first years. A few random people were loitering about, doing homework or some equally mundane thing. The majority of the Gryffindors had already gone down to eat breakfast. Next to her, Kai stood up as well.
"What do we have today?" Lily asked her.
Kai reached down and pulled out her schedule. "Looks like Transfiguration with McGonagall, then DADA again with Cooper, lunch, then round off the day with double Potions."
Lily grinned. "Defense against the dark arts two days in a row?"
Kai grinned back. "This is going to be good year."
Lily pretended to look shocked. "Kai Green, slumming? Your parents would be shocked."
Kai grin turned wicked. "I don't plan to marry scholarship boy, just have fun."
Lily reached down and shouldered her pack. She adjusted her frayed robes and stood back up. "Let's go to breakfast," she suggested.
Kai held up her hand, "Hold up. I forgot my bracelet." Lily stomped her foot impatiently as her friend ran back to their room. A minute later Kai was back in front of her. "Fasten this for me?" she requested. Lily struggled with the clasp on the diamond bracelet. She noticed teardrop earrings on Kai that matched it.
"Beautiful," Lily complimented.
Kai touched one earring. "They were a gift from a hopeful suitor." She linked arms with Lily, causing her to laugh. "This guy has been the worst one so far. The first time I met him, he was holding a flute of champagne. He tripped on nothing and poured the entire thing on me."
Lily burst out laughing. They exited the dormitory. Kai continuing her spiel on her horrible suitor. It took them down the main staircase. "Stefan, the suitor, was rich obviously. So my mom sends him an invitation for dinner. It was monogrammed and all that. It says casual. Now everyone knows that casual, meet the parents, dinners are always really fancy. Stefan, however, shows up in blue jeans and a dress shirt. My mom was in a dress that cost a thousand pounds."
Lily grinned. She turned to look at Kai's amused face. She had met Mrs. Green just once. Mrs. Green had been so offended that Kai was friends with someone who worked for a living. Her face had gone all prim and pointed. It had taken an obvious effort for her to attempt to be civil. Kai had quickly rushed her mother into a store and left her there.
"My mom was still hopeful, though," Kai went on. All of a sudden Lily went flying into the air. She fell flat on her face, groaning. She carefully picked her self up, frowning when she saw her books had scattered everywhere.
"Finally where you belong," Crystal noted. She sneered in Lily's general direction and readjusted the ruby and diamond pin in her hair.
Lily quickly realized what had happened. "I'm glad to know that you can cast a tripping jinx properly. That only took you, what, seven years to learn?" She started collecting her books, turning her back to Crystal.
Crystal was the exact opposite of Lily. She was the fifth richest person in this school, right behind the Marauders. And since that wasn't enough, she was also an only child. She had been incredibly spoiled her entire life. She had had enough plastic surgeries to make her stunning. Her school robe probably cost more than all of Lily's outfits and possessions combined. Lately the guys had been flocking her. Whoever married her would inherit her fortune. Crystal ignored Lily's comment. She turned to face May, the girl beside her.
"Did I show you my new purse. My dad bought it for me last week. It is by a new promising designer." She looked pointedly at Lily's tattered robes. She pivoted and walked towards the main hall. Her two flunkies followed her.
Five seconds after she was gone, Kai bent down and started helping Lily. She picked up the last lone book and handed it to her.
"I'm so sorry, Lily," she simpered. Her face was bright red with embarrassment. "Its just that Crystal is connected with everybody. If I even think about mouthing off to her, she'll badmouth me. And then no one will talk to me. My mother would kill me."
She looked at Lily with a mortified expression, begging her to understand. Her family was rich, to a point. Kai's mother was set on her marrying someone with more wealth, thus the suitor, Stefan.
Lily shrugged it off. She could fight her own battles. "Don't worry. I'm fine. Spoiled rich kids have pretty much stopped bothering me. Did you hear her mom tried to push her on James this summer?"
Kai broke into a smile at the thought. "They deserve each other."
"Wicked thought."
"I know," Kai answered. "Give credit where credit is due, though. James Potter is hot!" Lily smiled in acknowledgment to the point. Kai pushed the door to the Great Hall open. Her jaw dropped. "And ingenious!" she yelped.
Lily's mouth began to form a question till she looked at what was in the Great Hall. It was entirely red and gold. Everything in it had been changed colors. Streamers and goo had been added everywhere. Confetti was falling from the ceiling, sill red and gold, of course. Since the ground was entirely covered in that strange goo, everyone was sliding back and forth. A few people were sitting on the ground entirely covered in it. Others were attempting to ice skate on it. The teachers were staring at it with displeased expressions on their face. Lily could tell they wanted to say about it, but they knew who had committed the crime. And those four were the only ones they couldn't cross. Their jobs depended on it. No one would cross the Marauders.
The males in question were sitting in the only goo-free place in the Great Hall. They were acting as though nothing had happened. James calmly took a sip of his drink when Justin, the new teacher, shot him a glare. Justin finally realized that James wouldn't acknowledge the challenge and looked away. He knew too much about James to think that it was because Potter was afraid of him. James just didn't care. Justin had never been able to present a significant threat to James and he knew it. James would only fight people who he considered worthy of his time.
Sirius scanned the rest of the teacher's faces. "Slughorn looks pissed."
Remus didn't look like the information surprised him. He took a precise bite of his toast and considered it. "Slytherin house was never going to like this." Remus continued chewing the breakfast in front of him.
Peter watched another person slide across the goo, ending with a spectacular fall. He readjusted his shirt in a careless gesture. "I am so bored already," he complained.
Sirius had a glint in his eye. "Just one more week before you get to have some fun, Wormtail."
"Live it up," Remus snapped.
James snapped out of the trance he was in. "That's right. I had forgotten." He warily glanced around, confident that Sirius's newfound slave wouldn't overhear. "I want to go to the mountains this time. I wanted to see what sledding would be like."
"With your antlers?" Sirius scoffed. "We can give it a shot. I'll pull the sleds around."
James nodded. That was the answer he had expected to get. He tilted his head in the first-year's direction. The boy was fidgeting from one foot to the other. "What?" Remus raised his voice.
The boy heard the irritation and cringed. "It's just, I have to go to class, Mister." He went back to fidgeting.
Remus waved his hand and the boy ran off in the opposite direction.
Sirius shook his head and turned back to James. "Are you sure that something else wouldn't be more fun? I've always wanted to see what we could find in the dead center of the Forbidden Forest. We've gotten too distracted to get that far in the past."
"Maybe," James shrugged. His eyes suddenly narrowed in anger. The other three guys followed his gaze. Two girls were approaching them, much braver than Diane had been the day before.
"Excuse me," the younger girl said. James looked at them with obvious scorn. The girl addressing him seemed oblivious. "My friend and I were wondering if you and Sirius would like to come to Hogsmeade with us this weekend."
Sirius just shook his head, not even bothering to talk to the girl.
"I'm not going," James lied. Both he and the girl knew he was lying. James hoped she would get it and walk away.
"Maybe the week after then?"
James lost his patience. He pulled out his wand and flicked it. The girl went flying backwards. The goo on the floor caused her to slip. He stood up, aggravated. "You coming?" he asked the others calmly. They quickly jumped up to follow him. James walked past the girl on the floor, who was now crying. He didn't even spare her a glance.
"James, would it really kill you to be nice to a girl?" Remus groaned as they walked out. He shook his head. The girl had even been kind of pretty.
James didn't answer that. He just kept walking.
Lily swung her bag onto the floor. She sat down next to Kai, grateful that her friend was taking the majority of Lily's NEWT level courses.
"Potions," Lily groaned.
"Slughorn," Kai replied with an equal level of enthusiasm.
Lily looked up at the portly man approaching her. "Hello, Miss Evans," he greeted her.
"Hello Professor. How was your summer?" Lily sucked up. She needed all of the O's that she could get and even though this class was one of the easiest, being teacher's favorite had never hurt.
"Delightful. Thank you for asking. I noticed you didn't come to my compartment on the train. I'm having a small party next Saturday evening. Would you like to come?" Slughorn looked hopeful.
Lily sighed on the inside. Going to 'Slug Club' was the one thing she would not do for a grade. "No thanks, professor. I have too much homework already. Maybe next time." She said that every time. She was kind of surprised that he hadn't gotten the hint by now.
"Certainly, Miss Evans." He excused himself and walked to the front of the classroom. He proceeded to give the class instructions on their first potion of the semester. Lily cast a look over at Snape. He was her only real competition in this class. She swore she would beat him this year.
Lily and Kai got to work on their potions. Lily gave Kai some instructions and helpful hints on the process. Halfway through slicing some roots, Kai looked up in surprise.
"Look who's here," she said.
Lily glanced up. "The Marauders. Joy."
And she had been foolish enough to assume they weren't taking potions this year. The four boys strode over to the empty table right in front of Lily and Kai. Slughorn didn't comment on their tardiness. Neither did he comment on the fact that they were all wearing pants and shirts, not the required school robes. They just looked at the board and began to work on their potions. Lily knew they would still be among the best, even with their less than dedicated performance. Remus would fix Peter's potion for him. Again, Slughorn would just give him the O that Lily had to work so hard for.
"Lily?" Kai said with some concern. Her cauldron was bubbling over.
Lily jumped in shock. "Kai, how many snake skins did you add?"
"Twelve," Kai answered hesitantly.
"It says one-half," Lily answered in a panicked tone. "Your potion is now capable of severely harming anyone it lands on." Kai's face paled. "Don't worry. I have a potion that can counteract it in my bag."
She leaned down and dug through her bag on the floor. Thirty seconds later she triumphantly pulled out a vial with clear liquid in it. She stood up quickly, wanting to add it as soon as possible.
The events after that happened rapidly. Lily's head banged into the heavy table. The table itself tilted dangerously. That was just enough of a stimulant to cause it the already bubbling potion to spill over the edge of the cauldron. It mixed with the ingredients sitting on the table. Apparently, it mixed with the wrong one.
The potion bubbled even more, thickening. The bubbles got bigger and bigger, until one burst. The potion sprayed forward, covering the two people working directly in front of them. James Potter and Sirius Black.
They both turned to stare at Lily and Kai. "Whose potion was that!?" James roared.
A/N
So the characters are going to be a little OC, but they didn't fit into the story in their original version. The core of Hogwarts is the same. But most people are very, very rich. Lily is the only one with a job, ever. All four Marauders are very rich and stand to inherit after their parents. And of course, they are mean and annoying, but only for the moment.
Credit goes to Rider Arya Svit-kona for being a wonderful beta. Everyone give her props.
Other than that, thanks for reading my to everyone who reviews. You can pick the type. Tell me if you hate it, love it, different ideas for a title (cuz i can't get a perfect one)want your name in it, change of plot line, or even just give me a :) in the review. Any type makes me happy. Even if its just a smiley, it helps.
Thanks for reading
MagicXheart