Harry was told there were four Marauders. That was a lie.
Harry was told there were three unregistered animagi. That was a lie.
In fact there was another. One that was never told. No one knows why, but maybe that's because to Sirius, it was too much of a painful story to reveal. Maybe something had happened to the Secret Marauder, but whatever it was, Sirius lied, and he lied because of love.
He walked down the train constantly flicking his overgrown hair out of his eyes. He made his way to his usual compartment; to not only find the three other Marauders in there, but a girl with golden brown locks that fell down her back. She hid herself behind her hair, but a book as well that she was so intrigued in. The first thing he noticed unusual about her was her amber coloured eyes stood out the most from her petite body, as the flickered his way for a slight moment, he saw that they made her look aware all the time. The scruffy dark haired boy didn't recognise her at all so slid the door open and made his entrance.
"SIRIUS" Remus Lupin and Peter Pettergrew exclaimed, jumping out of their seats giving him a hug.
"I told you guys he hadn't left the country." James said flicking through the pages of the Dailey Prophet. He sat next to the new girl as if he didn't even see her there. He saw Sirius's gaze flicker towards her in curiosity. "Oh, Sirius, this is Ariel, as in Ariel like the mermaid." Ariel looked up and gave Sirius a small smile.
"Hey Ariel, I have no idea what the mermaid is, but I'm sure you will like me, I'm just so amazing" The fifth year gave a cocky grin as he made his was to sit down on the other side of her, so James and him had her blocked in. She rolled her eyes and continued reading her book. He frowned and looked at James.
"James, what's 'the mermaid'?" He said to James as Peter, a short chubby boy, and Remus, a tall lanky man, took back their seats opposite their friends.
"I have no idea" He leaned forward to look at Sirius and whispered behind Ariel's book. "I asked her who she was and she said she was Ariel, like the mermaid." She looked up and stared at the boys.
"Are you quite done talking about me?" She asked closing her book, knowing she obviously wasn't going to be able to get any ready done on the journey to Hogwarts. Sirius and James smirked at each other before looking at the girl who sat beside them.
"Not really." They both said in unison. Sirius leaned back and stretched his left arm out behind her head and let his legs fall into a heap on her lap. "I want to know all about you. Where you from? Why are you five years late to school? Geez and I thought I was bad." Sirius muttered under his breath rather loudly.
"I am not late" The amber eyed girl spat, kicking Sirius' legs off of her. "I'm a transfer. I'm from Britain, I just lived in France and attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, but we finally moved back to England, after my nagging for five years about how I hated Beauxbatons." She finished.
"Not to be rude, but what blood status are you?" James asked. He said after sitting back down from sliding his newspaper on the top of his trunk over his head.
"My parents are muggles if that what you mean." She said unsurely, wondering if they were going to kick her out for not being 'pure' unlike some other people.
"SHE'S MY NEW BEST FRIEND!" Sirius screamed grabbing a hold of her and bringing her into a hug. This, she was not expecting.
"Hey you stupid prat, what about me?" James complained, folding his arms like a spoiled child and furrowing his eyebrows.
"You're my baby brother Jamie, so shush up. You know how much it would piss off my parents to have a muggle born best friend." This was true, James nodded and relaxed slightly but Ariel didn't. She was still being squished by Sirius' embrace, and to be quite honest, she didn't like it.
Suddenly all their gazes turned to the door as it slid open aggressively to reveal a furious dark red headed girl. James face brighten up as she entered the room but it then died down again as he saw her death glares were aimed at him.
"Go on; tell me, what have I done this time Lils?" He asked the girl standing before him with her arms folded tightly. Sirius let go of Ariel and watched in amusement as Lilly yelled at James.
"Will you, for once in your life Potter, stop spreading rumours about Sev? He has in no way offended me or called me a Mudblood" She growled at him. James face smirked slightly but Lilly Evans was not finding what was so funny. She sent him another death glare which made his smirk disappear.
"Who? Snivellus?" James started but was only interrupted by Lilly again as she corrected him.
"Severus"
"Oh, right Snivelly."
"James Potter!" She yelled, ready to attack him. James stopped, and gave Lilly a sheepish smile.
"Lilly, will you go out with me?" James said changing the subject.
"Oh no not this again." Remus muttered under his breath, before sinking his head into his hands. Lilly let out a scream of annoyance and just stormed out the room. Ariel couldn't quite believe what happened before her eyes. She looked at James who did seem as heartbroken as any normal rejected teenager might have been, instead he simply brushed it off it shoulders.
"I'm taking that as a no, so that's about the nine hundredth and fifty sixth time, not that I'm keeping track or anything. She will come around soon enough."
"If you say so" Peter squeaked and pulled out spare change from his pocket ready for the trolley to come around. Remus pulled out Hogwarts a history and started to continue the book from where he had last stopped. Ariel just stared past Sirius and out of the window, watching the green scenery go past in a blur. Eventually a very bored Sirius waved his hand in front of her Amber eyes. She gave him a glare and just continued to look out of the window. He then tapped her on the head.
"Is anyone in there?" He looked through her ear, much to her displeasure and said to James "Oh, hi Jamie." He waved at her head. He then turned to Ariel.
"Areil,-"
"It's Ariel" She corrected him.
"Well Miss Mermaid, I can see through your head, I don't think that's meant to be like that." He nodded his head and had a very sophisticated Healer kind of look on his face.
"What is your problem?" She asked, slapping away Sirius' hand from her head. Everyone in the room burst out in laughter.
"The question is; what's not his problem? Miss Mermaid." James replied patting her on the head like a little girl. She gave him a horrified look and slapped his hand away too.
"You sure like slapping people" James and Sirius said.
"You sure like being ignorant twats" she shot back. Remus held back a laugh and hid behind his book. At least someone was finding amusement out of this. Sirius and James both put a hand over their heart and gave a whimpering look.
"Hurtful" They both said in unison, faking pain. Then they both looked at each other and burst out in laughter. Ariel just sighed, shaking her head before resting it on the back of the seat.
It was unusually quiet in their compartment for the next ten minutes. Remus was lost in his book; Peter had got a hold of Bertie Bott's every Flavour Beans and was stuffing his face with them. James was throwing his golden stitch in the air over and over again. And Sirius had just dozed off. Ariel just sat there, wondering if these idiots would notice if she just slipped out.
"You know Ariel. I like you. I think you are going to be a great laugh." James said not looking at her but the golden ball hovering over his head. The wings then closed in, and fell down into James' hand, where he threw it up again.
"I wish I could say the same" she said nibbling on the end of a sugar quill James had handed her when the trolley had come.
"Hey, we aren't that bad." James complained, he then leant forward and pointed at Sirius. "It's him you need to look out for." His whisper tickled her ear, and then as if by queue, Sirius' sleeping body toppled over on top of Ariel, who lost her balance and then toppled over on to James. James held in his laugh, but could when Ariel said in annoyance:
"Great, I'm like the turkey in a turkey sandwich, but instead of bread, I have two boys." Even Ariel cracked a smile. With the help of Remus, she got a now awake Sirius off of her. She ruffled his hair like he was a dog.
"Aww, was poor little Snuffles sleeping?" Everyone looked at her like she was a weirdo. She gave them the same look back. "What, he looks like a happy dog when he sleeps."
"Snuffles, really?" Ariel nodded, widening her protuberant eyes. "Wow, she's a trouble maker already, I can tell. Can we keep her, please James?" Sirius jumped up a down on the seat looking at the dark haired boy on the other side of Ariel.
"If we must."
By the time they got to Hogwarts, all of them had changed into their robes and they were walking down to the carriages where Ariel saw Threstles pulling them along. She patted on of them on the shoulder before entering the carriage.
"Ah, so your one of those people. Who died?" Sirius asked a little too bluntly for her liking. She sat next to Remus and James, opposite Peter and Sirius.
"My brother." She didn't say anything else, and the four boys could tell she wasn't ready for opening up so just nodded their head and changed the subject to Quidditch.
"Dude, stop steeling my stitch. You're the chaser, not the seeker." Sirius complained to James as he snatched the golden ball out of James' palm. "Anyway, Ariel, you have to be in Gryffindor, because otherwise, we can't be your friends." Although Ariel didn't exactly completely love these boys, she was warming up to them, and they were the only people willing to get to know her so far. So she just nodded. "You can be cheerleader for Gryffindor or something then." He smirked at her. She was beginning to get the gist that James and Sirius were kind of bad boys. God knows what they are like actually in school.
"Erm, I'm good thanks." She replied giving him a sarcastic smile.
When they entered the gates of Hogwarts Ariel stared up at the castle in awe. The glowing castle in the starry night sky looks absolutely stunning.
"It's beautiful." She whispered in surprise.
"Least that something we can all agree on" James said. They all looked up at the castle and were becoming inpatient, trying to contain their excitement of finally arriving. Ariel was told she couldn't go into the great Hall with the boys and had to wait outside with all the first years and other late arrivals. She watched the boys enter the magical castle as she waited patiently outside. When Professor McGonagall finally led them into the great hall they all queued up down the middle aisle.
"White, Ariel" Ariel heard her name being called up first, because they probably wanted to get all the transfers out of the way first. She made her way up to the old looking women and sat on the stool where a grim looking hat was placed on her head.
"Hmm, Ariel." The hat spoke to her quietly. "Oh dear, girl you've been through a lot for someone who's just fifteen. Cunning you are, so you can be a Slytherine, but they wouldn't like your blood status. Maybe Ravenclaw? You are full of information, but they aren't worthy off your bravery. Bravery. That's it, that's what it is about you that makes you a... GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled for everyone in the hall to hear. One of the four tables in the room stood up and cheered loudly. She spotted the four boys she had befriended, and looked at the seat they had saved for her. She hopped off of the stool and ran down to the boys who attacked her with bear hugs. She sat next to Sirius who punched her playfully in the arm.
"I knew you were one of us." He said, but before he could say anything else he was interrupted by the red headed girl that was yelling at James on the train. She was sitting next to Remus and some of her friends. James had scooted over to sit next to Ariel and opposite Lilly, to her dismay.
"I can't believe these boys have already brainwashed you Ariel. My names Lilly Evans by the way and believe me when I say, if you need to get away from the Marauders, your always welcome." She said with a smile before turning her back on us all and chatting to the girl who was sitting next to her.
"Marauders?" Ariel asked, looking at each four boys.
"That's us" Peter squeaked like always. She knew she was going to become irritated with that boy. Suddenly everyone was on their feet cheering again as another person was made Gryffindor. Ariel stood up clapping looking at James who began to explain.
"We call ourselves the Marauders." He said before sitting down. "We are known for our rule-breaking and mischief making as everyone says. You can join us if you want."
And that is when the fifth Marauder was found.