James walked out of the front doors of Hogwarts with a huge grin on his face. He spun around, arms flung out, and head tilted to the sky. Laughing, he ran back to the doors where Remus, Peter, Sirius and Lily emerged cautiously, blinking in the sunlight.
James smiled and picked Lily up; twirling her around, her black robes billowed out. When he put her down, she carefully smoothed her robes again and fixed her hair.
"Oh, sorry Lily," he said sheepishly, red-faced.
"That's okay; I know you're just happy." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Congratulations," she whispered.
"Oh stuff it! We're free!" Sirius called to them, running around them in a circle. "We're finally free!"
Remus shook his head with Peter as they shared a glance. "Calm down Sirius! We don't want to scare everybody!"
Sirius stopped dead. "Who's everybody?"
Remus gestured to the huge lawn around them where other seventh year students were hugging, talking and celebrating with parents who had come for the event.
Sirius contemplated for a moment, then leaned over to James and whispered in his ear. James smiled and nodded.
"What are you guys planning?" Lily asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," they chimed simultaneously.
Lily rolled her eyes and pulled Remus over. "Find out what they're doing," she ordered, laughing.
Remus grinned. "Okay." He marched over to James and stood in front of him, putting his hands on his hips. "What are you planning?" He asked, winking one eye so Lily couldn't see.
James whispered something into Remus's ear. Remus grinned and pulled back. "Do I ever!" he said. "One last prank!"
Peter came over to them as well. "I'm helping too! You're not leaving me out of it."
"Of course not, Wormtail!" Sirius said, flashing his famous 'Black grin.' Lily shuddered, sighing good-naturedly. She knew that grin. And it was not good.
The four Marauders huddled together, whispering and occasionally pointing. Peter stuck his head up once to look around shiftily, but was quickly yanked down by the three others' hands on his shoulders.
"James!" Lily yelled suddenly, her hands on her hips. There was no reply other then another outburst of whispers. "James Potter!"
"Oi, Jamsie," Sirius's voice came through to her. "Your lady is waiting; I suggest you answer."
"Oh fine." James took a step out from the other three and bowed elaborately to Lily. "My lady, your wish is my command. Only speak it and I swear I shall be."
Lily blinked. "Oh. Well, I just wanted to say that as we've graduated and we should be above these things, this better not be a display of inter-house rivalries."
"Why, mademoiselle, whatever gave you that idea? I am a good man, not one to hold bitter rivalries."
"Well, I-"
"But it is such a fabulous plan; I do believe that it's perfect!"
"James!" Lily frowned. "Come on, we can still get in trouble!"
"That's why it's called a prank," Remus called. "A prank isn't really a prank unless there's some chance of getting in trouble."
"They've corrupted Remus," Lily said under her breath, and sat on the step waiting for them to finish.
She didn't have long to wait. In just a moment, the four broke up and sauntered over to her, grinning madly.
"This," Peter said, his chipped tooth showing as he smiled, "is a spell that I've been working on since fifth year."
"It's genius," James added.
"And we helped too," Sirius and Remus chorused.
"Would you mind, my dear, standing behind us?" James asked. "The spell won't hurt, but I'm not sure that you'd appreciate it."
Lily hurriedly stood up and stood behind James, wrapping her arms around his waist and putting her chin on his shoulder to see over. "Mm," she hummed. "Remind me to kiss you when you're finished."
"No problem; I'm pretty sure I'll remember."
The four boys lifted their wands and pointed them out at the mass of people on the lawn. "Ready?" Remus asked. "One…Two…Three!"
They whispered Peter's spell and Lily internally winced. It wasn't that she didn't like Peter, it was just that most of his spells either ended up harming someone else, or himself.
But something was happening. Out of each wand was floating a fat, lazy, orb of white light. They hung in the air for a moment, giving the impression that they weren't going to move, then zoomed off towards the people, leaving an ethereal trail in their wake.
The orbs disappeared into the crowd, and nothing seemed to be happening for almost a minute. They were about to sit down and admit that the spell wasn't working, when Sirius pointed and shouted, "look!"
Starting at the centre and moving outward, a change was happening. Colour was appearing amidst the black robes. Harold Potter, walking towards his son, stopped in shock when one of the orbs touched him on the shoulder, then moved on. Spreading outwards from that point, his hair turned a shocking electric red and his robes turned into a bright and shiny gold.
"James!" He bellowed, though a grin was beginning to show on his face.
"Hey dad!" James called. "What do you think?"
The four marauders and Lily surveyed the front lawns where all of the parents who had come for graduation were quickly turning colours. Almost all of the adults had been previous Hogwarts students, and were turning their old house's colours, and the muggle parents, or those who had attended other schools were turning-
"Purple and orange!" Lily cried, her lips twitching even as she tried to appear shocked. "That's so mean; what horrible colours together!"
"Yeah, about that." Peter said guiltily. "I really didn't know what would happen to the people who haven't been to Hogwarts…"
"Peter!" Remus was staring exasperatedly at the blond young man. "You said that you'd figured it out! Someone could have gotten hurt!"
"But they didn't," Sirius reminded his friend.
"Look!" James said, pointing merrily to the crowd.
People were starting to notice the change of colour that was spreading through the multitude; a few of the adults ran quickly away from the rest of the people, trying to escape the orbs, but most were laughing hysterically.
A few seventh years noticed the five of them standing on the steps, and they pointed, the marauder's reputation known throughout the school. The former students laughed, enjoying the bright colours and the boys basked in the attention for a few moments, while parents yelled and students shouted, until-"
"Misters Black, Potter, Pettigrew, and Lupin." The four turned guiltily, recognizing the dry voice of the woman behind them. Professor McGonagall stood on the hot stone in front of the doors, foot tapping.
Her hair was a vivid blue that could be seen from miles off, though still trapped in its severe bun, and her robes were a glorious shade of deep bronze.
"Professor!" Sirius appeared shocked. "To think; all of these years, we thought she was one of us!"
"And she was truly a spy for those infernally smart Ravenclaws." James wiped a pretend tear from beneath his glasses, his voice sorrowful.
"Now while I'm sure that you four now have a wonderful piece of news to share with the only house where everyone passed their NEWTS, I'm going to have to ask you to take this spell off of me. I have a speech to make, and while these colours are thrilling, they are entirely undignified." There was a hint of laughter in her usually stern voice, and the marauders shared a look between them.
"Er… Professor?" Sirius raised his hand meekly, a weak smile on his face.
Professor McGonagall sighed. "Yes, Mr. Black."
"We, erm, don't know how to reverse the spell…" He trailed off, expecting a scolding, if not more.
"Ah, well. No more than I expected."
The four boys and Lily gazed at her in wonder; were they really getting off so easily?
"May I ask, though, who came up with this spell? It's really quite ingenious." Headmaster Dumbledore came walking out, his colours perfectly normal for him, thought not for others, by any means. His white hair and beard flowed down over his teal robes, which just swept the floor, revealing yellow slippers.
"Peter," Sirius, James, Lily and Remus chorused, a hair behind Peter's own abashed but firm statement of, "Remus!"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily, and he regarded Peter with an amused glance. Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes elegantly, and walked off towards the podium and stage where a number of much more brightly coloured parents were congregating.
Dumbledore stood there for a moment more, watching the four boys and Lily, before deliberately heading off towards where most of the crowd of joyful people still stood, and the orbs of light still flashed, hitting new 'victims.' The four boys heaved a sigh of relief, and Peter quailed under the accusing gazes of his four friends.
"Bloody hell," Sirius laughed after a tense moment, clapping Peter on the back, causing the younger boy to wince. "You're even shyer than Moony, I swear!"
This time the other three boys knocked Sirius on his head. "Sirius!" Remus growled in a warning tone.
"What!" Sirius regarded the others with an air of injured innocence. "We're graduated, legal adults, and no one's standing near us! We can call each other what ever we want to, my dear Moony. You too, Prongs; and Wormtail!"
Lily sighed, having heard the four's names before, but completely in the dark as to what they referred to.
James had been silent for a few minutes now, gazing over the lawns, but now they heard a strangled sound coming from his throat. The three boys and Lily turned on their heels to see an amazed look coming over their friend's face; his mouth dropping open and an incredulous light in his eyes.
"James!" Lily cried, and was at her boyfriend's side at a flash. She put her wrist to his forehead to check for a fever, and looked him over for any sign of injury. "What is it? Are you alright? What happened!" Though she tried to act aloof and unaffected by James's emotions, she actually cared very deeply for him, and would never let anything truly bad happen to him. (Detentions didn't count.)
"Snape!" James choked out, raising one hand to point out to the lawns.
There, in an empty space near the crowd, was Severus Snape, and close by him was a man who, unsurprisingly, looked much like him. They both had large, hooked noses and thick dark hair as well as sallow skin. There was one difference.
For years, Snape had proclaimed his pure-blood, and the fact that his family had been in Slytherin for generations. He looked down on those with family members in more than one house, and Sirius was at the top of his list.
But there, standing next to Snape, was a man whose one difference from his son was in colouring. His hair was a bright canary yellow!
"Hufflepuff?" Sirius asked, a grin forming on his lips.
"Hufflepuff," Remus confirmed.
"Pure Slytherin my ass!" James exclaimed. "His dad's a loyal, hard working badger!"
There was a chorus of 'boo's from a group of yellow-coloured students standing by the five, but it wasn't very loud. Most were busy marvelling over the sight of Tobias Snape, Hufflepuff Extraordinaire.
James shared a look with Sirius, Peter and Remus, and the four immediately abandoned their place of refuge and ventured into the Orb Danger Zone.
"James?" Lily asked, tugging on his sleeve. "Remus? Oh, don't tease Snape; he's just a bit embarrassed!"
"That's what we're doing!" Sirius declared. "Embarrassing him; get that greasy Snivvillus where it hurts!"
"And get him back for teasing Sirius about being in Gryffindor," Peter added.
"He deserves it," Remus said quietly, earning him a look from the other four. Remus, though he didn't stop his friends, never joined in the teasing against Severus. That he was encouraging this proved that it was just!
They set off across the lawn, grinning and feeling quite righteous, when all four of them were pulled backwards by a tug on their robes, then pushed to the ground. They landed painfully on their bottoms, and Sirius yelped. Spinning around to find the threat, they saw¾
Lily. She was standing ten feet behind them, wand out and pointed and a look of fury on her face. "I said no!" she growled, and with a flick of her wand, all four of them were frozen to the spot.
"She always was good at charms," James muttered ruefully, earning him a glare from his girlfriend.
"I cannot believe you four!" she said angrily, stalking up and down before them. "You absolutely must do everything in your power to ruin this day, don't you! I know how it happens; it's the same thing every time! First one of you insults the other, then you get into a screaming match, then one of you curses the other, and then it turns into a full fledged duel! Well, this time, I will not allow it!" Her green eyes flashed dangerously as she frowned at each in turn. "You won't ruin my graduation. It's been a peaceful few weeks, with everyone just waiting to leave, and I won't let you four… four… four morons mess it up!"
There was a moment of silence, then James nodded stiffly through Lily's spell. "Yes Lily," he said meekly, echoed by the other three. "We promise…"
She raised one perfect, red eyebrow sceptically, then nodded. "I'm glad that you agree with me," she said amiably, and cast a 'finite incantatum.'
The boys got to their feet, nudging James in the ribs and grinning, when Snape stepped out of the watching crowd.
"Severus!" His father called from behind him, but the boy walked forward until he was standing in front of Lily, towering over her. He glared down at her while she looked sweetly up at him.
"Yes Severus?" she said, smiling. "Did you need something?"
"Yes!" he growled. "I need you to stay out of my bloody business! I can take care of your sodding boyfriend myself, you bitch!"
"Snivvillus!" James leapt to his feet, grabbed Snape's shoulder and spun him around to face him. Though being much shorter, James's eyes flashed dangerously up at the taller boy. "I dare you to say that again while you're facing me!"
"Very well," Snape sneered. "Your girlfriend is a filthy mudblooded bitch."
James seemed to swell in size within his anger, and he raised one clenched fist to punch Snape, when he saw Lily's face over the Slytherin's shoulder. Her eyes were wide and pleading, and she was shaking her head from side to side, mouthing 'no, no!'
James took one last angry breath, then he breathed out and stood normally again. He forced his frown into what might have resembled a pleasant smile in the middle of a Death Eater fest, took down his fist, and opened it into a welcoming hand. "That's your opinion, Sniv--," he forced the plastic smile larger. "Snape. And though I don't agree with you, I still hope that you have a wonderful summer."
"And that you get the job of your choice!" Peter called in, bestowing his good wishes upon Snape.
"Plus beautiful birds," Sirius added. "Instead of all the blokes like Malfoy!" That earned him a glare from Lily, but she stayed silent, knowing that this was probably the best she'd get from Sirius.
"We wish you all the best, and hope that your life will be full of love and joy." Remus smiled, almost genuinely, at Snape, reciting off the fortune from a past cookie.
"I…You…" Snape glared at the four boys as he sputtered. He knocked James's hand away and glared at the boys. "You'll always suck up to a girl, Potter," he spat, before turning and striding away.
"Nice job," Lily said mildly. "Now all you have to do is not start it next time, and you'll be off to a great start."
The boys hung their heads shamefacedly. "Yes Lily," they mumbled, and were surprised when she dashed around to them, giving each of them a quick hug around the waist.
"You sillies. Do you know how much I love you guys…?"
The moment broke as they all laughed, but then James sobered up. "Speaking of love; Lily, can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Of course!"
He led her a bit off from the rest, and took her shoulder in his hands. Looking into her brilliant green eyes, he smiled; nothing made him happier than to be with Lily. "Lily, hon. I have an important question to ask you."
"WOW!" Sirius burst out, appearing from nowhere. "That's such a coincidence; I have a question to ask Lily too!"
"No. You don't." James's eyes took on a bit of a panicked look. "Trust me Sirius. You don't have anything to ask Lily."
"Yes I do," Sirius said cheerfully, hands casually in his pocket. "I have a very important question to ask Lily."
Lily laughed delightedly. "Wouldn't it be fun if this was one of those times where both of you ask me the same question?"
"NO!"
"Oh James…" She grinned. "I know! Both of you ask me at the same time. I'll count to three! One…"
"Lily, this isn't a good idea."
"Two…"
"Lil's, please!"
"Three!"
James shot one last desperate look at Sirius, who was grinning madly, before both boys got down on one knee, took Lily's hand (One each) and said: "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"
"…WHAT!"
"Will you marry me?" The two boys spoke simultaneously, equal looks of love and adoration on their faces.
"James… Sirius… Are you guys serious!"
Wrong thing to say.
"Yep!" Sirius stood up and kissed Lily's hand. "I am Sirius! But I'm not serious…" He grinned, jerking his head towards James. "He is though; marry the bloke!"
"J-James?" She looked down at the still kneeling boy who was looking up at her with the most adorable pleading look she had ever seen. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box, which he opened with one hand. Inside was a ring.
The ring was slender and silver, the metal polished to a shine that sparkled in the noon sun. Set on top was a bronze/gold Tiger's Eye stone that glittered up at Lily.
"Oh…" Lily breathed. "James. Oh James!"
"Yes?" He said nervously.
"Yes! Oh yes, you stupid boy; of COURSE I'll marry you!"
"You will!" James's face grew a huge grin, and he stood up. "Really?"
"Really really."
James took Lily, bent her over his arm, and kissed her in one of those prolonged kisses that plagued the muggle movies, but were rarely seen in the wizarding world.
Remus, Sirius, Peter and about a hundred other students clapped, whistled, and generally made as much noise as they could.
This was, in all accounts, the best graduation ever.
THE BEGINNING!
A/N
I know it's not HBP accurate, but I don't care. Snape is a stupid meanie-head…