The Real Marauders
Chapter One: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters except for the ones you don't recognize:
Adam and Connor Potter, Julius Angel, and Solaris (the owl)
I do own the plot, so NO STEALING!
***
For most people in London, 6 o'clock on September 1st was just another normal Sunday morning.
The milkman was just starting his rounds as some of the neighborhood's children were already up and causing mayhem in the streets.
The sun was rising from behind the clouds, as if it had just woken up from a peaceful night's rest.
But for the Potter family, September 1st was complete chaos.
James Potter was scrambling around frantically. He had neglected to pack his trunk for Hogwarts because he would "have time to pack everything later" and told everyone "not to worry."
His cousins, Adam and Connor Potter had been staying with the family for the summer so that the cousins could easily get to Hogwarts together.
James kept assuring his mother that they would have plenty of time to get to King Cross' Station and that he would make the train.
James was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, and his cousin, Adam, was just beginning his first year.
Connor was the youngest of the cousins and would just come along to see his brother and cousin off at the hidden Platform 9 and 3/4 where the train arrived.
"JAMES! LET'S GO NOW!" Mrs. Potter screamed up the stairs. Adam was all ready to go at the door in his school robes with his hair slicked back as James tumbled down the stairs, only half dressed.
As the family was walking out the door, the brown haired 15-year-old was pulling on his last sock and stuffing his foot into his freshly polished shoe.
Solaris, James' owl, was flying a good deal ahead of them at a rapid pace, as if she was worried about making it in time for the train as well.
As the group approached Platform 9 and 3/4, the train's whistle sounded, signaling their departure. This was no surprise to Mrs. Potter, seeing as how this happened every September.
James kissed his mother goodbye as the two boys hoped aboard the train, trunks and owl in hand.
"That was close!" Adam cried as the boys found an empty compartment on the train.
James had already reached into his robes for his money pouch, anticipating the arrival of the sweets trolley, and ignoring whatever his pesky little cousin had just said.
"What? Oh... erm... yeah, it was." James replied, still searching for his coins. He found them just in time for the trolley, and bought all the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans that she had.
James couldn't wait to get a box of the beans open and find a cloudy brown and grey one. Adam was going to get payback for all of the non-stop questions about Hogwarts James had to listen to all summer long.
His mind had been somewhere else all morning, because he was carefully planning the first of many horrible tricks on his cousin this school year.
If everything went according to plan, Adam would take the grey and brown clouded bean that would be the closest to his grubby fingers, and pop it in his mouth before James could tell him off for stealing it.
The look on his face when he finds out that he has just stolen a vomit-flavored bean will be absolutely priceless.
And it couldn't have played out better. Adam reached for the bean and James almost lost it. His face turned red as he tried to hold in the laughter of Adam biting the terribly wonderful creation.
If he had a sickle for every time he's done that… he'd have one sickle…
Still rolling on the floor with laughter as Adam spat in every direction, trying to get that wretched taste out of his mouth, James thought about his friends. He could already tell that this was going to be a mischief filled year.
***
As the train approached the school, the corridors seemed to come alive. Children were bursting out of their compartments to get a good look at Hogwarts.
Most of the younger ones were standing atop other's shoulders just to get a glimpse of the amazing academy.
Once the train stopped, the doors split open and everyone pushed for the exit.
One boy with a menacing look on his face snatched a sweet from a boy on the way by, hoping no one would notice.
As soon as he popped it in his mouth, he turned an awful shade of blue.
James noticed the boy, as everyone did, and started snickering. He looked behind him only to find a group of fifth years bursting with tears of laughter.
Among them were three boys with now very red faces.
One chestnut haired boy noticed James and waved frantically. He got the attention of the other boys in the group and they walked over to James with broad grins on their faces.
"Peter! I thought that was you!" James said to the first boy as he hugged him and performed the counter spell to the Blue Bell joke candy that turned the blue boy back to normal.
"We missed you over the summer, James. I mean, what, did your owl break down or something? You didn't even write!" Remus Lupin had stepped out from behind Peter and hugged him tightly, while receiving a glare from Solaris.
"Oh, so I'm just here, in the corner, not getting noticed…" A taller, dark haired boy had emerged from the shadows.
"Sirius!" James exclaimed.
Sirius Black had been James Potter's best friend since their first day at Hogwarts. The two boys embraced and turned back towards Peter and Remus.
"So, how 'bout it boys?" Sirius spoke up.
"Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, officially back in business!"
***
Once settled in the Great Hall of the magnificent school of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, ceremonially placed the Sorting Hat atop its perch.
The cap proceeded to sing its song and called up the fist new student to be sorted into the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
Many new kids had been called up ("Angel, Julius!") and had been sorted almost instantly.
When it was Adam's turn, James turned his attention towards the hat. He was almost certain that his little cousin would become a Gryffindor.
But then again, the hat did take quite a while to decide whether he, himself, would make it to Gryffindor.
Almost as soon as the hat touched Adam's head, it screamed "SLYTHERIN!" James was taken aback as was everyone else in the whole Great Hall. Only the Slytherin table cheered.
James was the star seeker on the Gryffindor team, and everyone was sure that his younger relatives would follow in his footsteps. But it seemed that the times had changed, for the worst.
Among the people cheering was Lucius Malfoy- the boy that had turned blue, and two more of his friends, Tom Riddle and Severus Snape.
They welcomed Adam with open arms and then proceeded to grin nastily over in the direction of James and his friends.
He could tell that this would be an interesting year.
***
The four friends darted up to the Gryffindor Tower to take in the sweet smell of the fire burning in the common room.
They sat down to a nice welcoming pile of Chocolate Frogs, clearly swiped from the sweet cart on the Hogwarts train earlier that day.
Fighting the temptation to drift off to a peaceful and much needed nap in the cozy armchairs next to the crackling logs, Sirius got up out of the chair and walked around the common room, taking in the familiarity of their House of five years.
He walked over to the table next to the fireplace, examining every detail of their quarters as if committing them to memory, and noticed a barn owl with a letter rather tightly attached to its leg.
Remus got up rather suddenly and glided over to where Sirius was standing, followed closely by James and Peter.
The poor creature was hooting in pain as Remus removed the envelope using
as much care as possible.
It was addressed to James and sealed with the stamp of the Slytherin House. He opened it carefully and read aloud to his companions:
Dear James,
I'm here in the Slytherin House, but you probably already know that. I have made some great friends, all fifth years. Isn't that around you're age? Well, I don't know if you know them, but they have a group, very exclusive I might add, and I've made it in! Lucius Malfoy is the leader and he has offered to take me under his wing for the year. All I have to do is pay him three galleons a week- do you think I could borrow some? - I'm a little short.. Uh-oh, can't talk anymore, here he comes now. I've already broken a rule by talking to you Gryffindors; don't want to get off on the wrong foot!
~Adam
P.S- If you could send me those galleons soon- the first payday is less than three days away!
No one said anything as Peter, James, Remus and Sirius just stared at the parchment in awe.
***
[A/N: So, there ya have it! I sorta tweaked James' family a little bit by adding Adam and Connor as his cousins. Please R/R and tell me honestly what you think!]