Written for Weekly Challenge #1, Marauders' Week, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Prompt: 5

Level: Challenging

House: Wampus

The glittering waves of the lake lapped gently against its shores, touching the feet of the group of boys who lay in the soft grass touching the water. The half-moon shed its light serenely on the four, throwing their silhouettes into sharp contrast against their brilliantly lit surroundings. Their features were hidden by shadows, but that would not hinder anyone from recognizing them. Such was the fame of these four gentlemen within the walls of Hogwarts that a majority of the students would instantly recognize them from their collective name – the Marauders, without so much as a glance at their faces.

But the boys lay rather quietly that night – with none of their boisterous charm, and even the most negligent of observers would say that a pensive mood hung over their minds like one, big, dreary shroud.

Sirius, the tall, dark-haired, grey-eyed 'heartthrob' of the lot spoke up in his deep, smooth voice, "It does seem a tad funny, doesn't it?"

James, his hazel eyes snapping back to earth from the pleasant thoughts he was having of his girlfriend and fellow Head, Lily Evans, responded, "What seems funny, Padfoot?"

Sirius flashed a smirk at his best friend ('the smirk', which most of the lovesick girls of Hogwarts would call, in a dreamy, silly manner: 'devilish') and said, "The fact that we are acting like a bunch of sissies who'll burst into a flood of tears at the thought of leaving school. I thought we were better than that!"

James and Remus laughed, but Peter looked quite petulant. "But it has been home for seven years, hasn't it? Who wouldn't be sad to leave home?"

Overlooking the pang of nostalgia that had already set into his chest, Sirius sneered, (like he often did when he spoke to Peter), "Oh, shut your gob, will ya, Pete? We don't need any more of your pathetic stuttering to add to the drama."

Only Remus noticed the glare of pure loathing that Peter sent Sirius' way, and the blonde sighed. Perhaps James and Sirius were oblivious to Peter's quickly developing resentment, but he was not. And he felt it was prudent that he warned his two best friends of Peter's changed attitude and ask them to be more kind and trustful of the smaller boy.

"Wormy has a point, Padfoot," said Lupin. "Weren't you the one who said that Hogwarts was more like home than any of your stuffy old manor's rooms back in London?" Remus silently berated Sirius for his thoughtlessness, but he did not respond, choosing to quietly stare up at the stars instead.

James piped up, "Of course! Any place is more like home than that god-forsaken place." His mouth twisted in disgust as he remembered the horrid old Grimmauld Place. "But I'll admit that I have grown rather fond of ol' Hoggy-Warty in the past few years. It's really served us well, hasn't it?" asked James in the tone of a proud old man speaking of his favourite son. Sirius snorted. "And I have decided that it deserves a proper farewell," declared the Head-Boy. A familiar gleam of mischievousness entered his eyes. "Listen well, lads, because this is going to be the greatest prank ever played within the esteemed establishment of Hogwarts."

The boys sat up in unison and Peter regained some of his good humour. "Now you're talking," said Wormtail, as the Marauders huddled over the Map and hatched a plot for the greatest prank ever played (or so they said), each one of them aware that it would probably be the last time they did so.

The next day, James Potter entered the Great Hall with a slight smile and glittering eyes and Lily Evans was instantly suspicious.

"Whatever you are planning to do," she began, "Don't do it."

"Ah, Lily, you worry too much. Right now, I'm as innocent as a lamb," James grinned, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. Ignoring the blush at his gesture, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Right now?"

James only laughed as he hurriedly gathered a tottering pile of toast for himself and the Marauders and walked swiftly in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, Lily watching his every move with suspicion that was escalating every minute.

If Lily Evans had chanced upon the seventh year boys' dormitory that Saturday morning, she would have discovered that she had a very good reason to be suspicious, indeed. For the boys had gathered around the window near Remus' bed, enjoying the cool summer breeze as they sketched out a plan for what they called, (rather unoriginally, as Sirius had snidely commented), The Greatest Prank Hogwarts Will Ever See.

"So we all agree that The End-of-Term Feast is the best venue for the prank, yeah?" Remus checked, ever the organizer, scribbling out a list of meticulous events and minute-to-minute schedule. Though Prongs and Padfoot rarely commented upon it, they knew that Remus was the reason that their pranks were always so successful.

"Of course, Moony! The prank wouldn't be the Greatest otherwise!" James said, lazily flicking his stolen Snitch across the room. He was convinced that no other person could imitate the extraordinary nature of the prank they were about to play (though, I imagine, that The Marauders must have heartily cheered Fred and George's Great Escapade in their seventh year).

"I have the charm you asked me to get, James," Peter said, vestiges of hero-worship that once consumed his expression still shining through his eyes. "It was rather hard to find, but I managed." He handed James the parchment on which he had scribbled the instructions for the charm.

"Good lad, Pete," James told Peter, ruffling his stringy, mousy brown hair. Peter's expression was a cross between angry, disgruntled and happy, delighted. It was as if he couldn't decide whether to loathe his best mates or lick their boots as he had often done in the past.

"So we are supposed to say Ut Vestimenta Sua Dicens to activate the spell?" Sirius enquired of James as he looked at the crumpled parchment over James' shoulder.

"Yes, but we also have to imagine our… victims as we want them to be." Remus grinned rather wickedly, a rare expression on his gentle, battle-scarred face. "Or in our case, victims."

James laughed. "Right you are, Moony!"

"Do we have the… model?" Sirius asked. Remus tossed a muggle photo towards him and Sirius grimaced at the hideousness he beheld.

"Merlin… that's nasty." He pulled a disgusted face, but that quickly morphed into a dreamy smile. "Oh, but it will look so good on them!"

"Let's go through the plan once more," Remus ordered, while the others groaned. Remus took prank-planning almost as seriously as he took his homework. "I am going to be down in the kitchens at half past five…"

"… and you're going to charm your way to Bitty's heart, as you've always done before, long enough to distract her to do your task…" James completed in a bored voice as he skilfully caught the Snitch once more.

Remus rolled his eyes. "… Wormtail is going to lie in wait in the hidden alcove near the Hufflepuffs…"

"… to set off the fireworks at seven sharp…" Peter droned.

Moony restrained the urge to snap at his friends and continued, "… Padfoot and Prongs will be in the Great Hall and…"

"… we'll perform the charm ten minutes before the clock strikes seven and make sure that everyone's watching as the fireworks go off. Is there anything else, Moony?" asked Sirius in a serious tone.* Remus glared at him.

"Yes! Merlin, will you lads let me complete one bloody sentence without an interruption?" Remus asked testily.

"But we just did, didn't we?" asked James innocently.

Remus huffed in annoyance.

The other three burst into laughter and Moony could not help but join. As his chuckles joined the loud guffaws of James, Sirius' deep laugh and Peter's strange snorts, Remus felt a sense of elation swim up to his heart and expand across his chest, spreading a now-familiar warmth throughout his body. He would always be grateful for that day on Platform Nine and Three Quarters when a bespectacled young boy approached him with a haughty friend in tow, and offered a hand of friendship to the lonely little boy Remus was. The scars, Remus always believed, was deeper in his heart than on his body. But James and Sirius had done much to heal them and Remus could barely feel them after seven years' worth of friendship.

As the joy subsided, Sirius commented, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll miss you lot."

"Aww, ickle Paddie is feeling a teeny bit sad, innit?" James held his oldest friend in a headlock and ground a fist into his carefully arranged I-just-woke-up-but-I-look-great hair. Sirius' indignant shouts carried to the Common Room below and Lily Evans looked up from her Potions Essay and smiled fondly, shaking her head at the group who had somehow weaved their stubborn way through her armour and into her heart. The Marauders. Her boys.

The last day at Hogwarts dawned bright and cheerful under the summer sun. The Great Hall reflected the pleasant weather outside, allowing the students to fully enjoy their sumptuous breakfasts. The weather was enhanced with the excited buzz of chatter which prevailed through the Hall. A majority of the students seemed excited and in an anticipatory mood for the summer to come. But there were none so excited as the four Gryffindor boys who sat at the very heart of their House's table, though their excitement was directed at a very different reason indeed.

The plan, so far, had been working flawlessly. Moony was satisfied with how the arrangements had turned out and he had finally abandoned his checklist when he felt the familiar feeling of mischief and anticipation steal through his body.

The Marauders usually exuded an aura of supreme enthusiasm and confidence, but today… today was different, mused Lily. Even Lily Evans, the sedate Head Girl had caught on with the impatient energy of the four and was almost jumping in her seat next to James. They were up to something, Lily was sure. But for once, she did not feel the need to stop them.

So when James and Sirius skipped down the entire length of the History of Magic Corridor repeating 'We'll miss you dear Hogwarts!' in a jarring melody that vaguely resembled a Christmas carol, at the top of their voices, she didn't even spare them a scolding scowl. (To be honest, she would have cringed and clapped her hands over her ears at their warbling bullfrog voices, but she was laughing too hard to care.)

"Ah, finally!" exclaimed Peter as he sprung up from the Marauders' usual haunt under the oak in the Hogwarts Grounds. "I was beginning to think that my watch would never strike six! See ya later, Prongs, Padfoot," he tried to wink conspiratorially at them but failed most grievously, so he hoped that the pair thought it was just a tick in his eye.

As Wormtail hurried along the path back to his dormitory, he swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth, something that had become increasingly familiar to him over the past few years.

It was not that Peter Pettigrew wanted to envy and loathe his own best friends, no. He would be ever grateful to them for including him in their group of 'cool' kids and being kind to the runt of a boy who could pass for a Squib or a lowly Muggle (for that was all they were, Peter thought, lowly, useless), considering his pathetic attempts to do magic. They included him, they taught him, they befriended him and little Peter looked up to them as the heroes his parents used to describe for him when they tucked him in bed and he requested a story. But that was before the Hogwarts letter arrived, and suddenly, he wasn't his parents' 'Pete' anymore, and was put aside for his infant brother.

Peter swallowed the bitterness again.

But then, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and James and Sirius weren't so kind to his plight anymore. They refused to help him all the time, they teased him mercilessly and excluded the poor boy so much that the Marauders almost became a trio rather than a foursome. And so, the resentment began. Poor little eager-to-please hanger-on. That was everyone's opinion of him and Peter knew it.

Some day, Peter vowed, as he retrieved the enchanted firecrackers from his trunk. Some day, I will prove how worthy I am.

"Alright, they're coming in," James whispered to Sirius, their wands hidden under the table, waiting to cast the spell at their masters' commands. "D'you reckon that we should wait for more of them to come in before we do the honours?" James' eyes were alight with mischief and Sirius was sure that his eyes mirrored the sentiment.

He felt a sudden rush of affection for the boy who sat beside him, the strong bond of brotherhood coming to the fore. James Potter was his best friend, his brother in all but name. Sirius smiled as he remembered the childish way they had made a blood bond long ago, solemnly swearing that they would never abandon each other's side. This was a promise they both had meant with all their hearts and Sirius knew that he would never break it.

Sirius knew he wasn't perfect. The façade he put was only that – a show, a lie. A mask to hide the little, hurt boy inside pleading his parents to stop their callous treatment of him. Moony and himself were alike in many ways – their scars ran deeper than the surface.

And so, when James had latched on to him like he actually needed Sirius, he could help but feel like he was worth something, after all.

He nodded his affirmation to James and watched more students file in, his eyes flicking over their green-and-silver emblazoned robes and thinking with satisfaction that this prank was indeed going to be a roaring success.

Meeting James eyes, they nodded in an unspoken agreement and raised their wands in unison, "Ut Vestimenta Sua Dicens!" Sirius imagined the hideous muggle clothing he had seen the day before with a little enhancement of his own. He kept his eyes closed until he heard the screams of consternation and he grinned as he opened his eyes.

The entire wing of seventh year Slytherins seemed to be wearing what looked like gruesomely altered robes – what Peter had called Muggle Prom Dresses. With pink frilly sleeves, bangles dangling from their wrists and horribly done make up, they were a sight to behold. But that was not all – 'We 3 the Marauders' was embroidered across the torso of the dress and the sight of it had everyone in stitches.** James checked his watch and muttered, "Any time now."

And he was right, for more screams emanated from the victims of their prank as their skin turned a violent purple, clashing horribly against their dress. Severus Snape, standing in the middle of the chaos seemed to be receiving more torture than the others, for his hair had grown longer and longer until he almost resembled an overdressed, hideous hag of a woman.

"I knew Remus would get it right," James told Sirius triumphantly and shouted to the unfortunate fellow two tables over, "THAT'S FOR HURTING LILY, YOU BLOODY WANKER." A roar and more applause erupted from the Gryffindor table alongside a scandalized, James Potter! from the lady herself. All Prongs and Padfoot did was accept the praise with an elegant bow and a flourish.

And that was when the fireworks started. They were beautiful, illuminating the whole Hall in a shower of golden sparks. They took the shape of nothing and everything, dazzling everyone who bore witness to it. Even Professor McGonagall, who had been weaving her way through the crowd furiously, intent upon punishing those troublemakers one last time, stopped at their beauty and shook her head with a reluctant smile, deciding that those boys were clever, indeed.

Remus appeared at Sirius' side after completing his tasks and let out an uncharacteristic whoop at the sight of their successful prank. The others joined in, whooping and clapping and shouting themselves hoarse. James happened to catch the eye of Professor Dumbledore and he grinned upon seeing the appreciative twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes.

Finally, as the happy chaos subsided, Sirius whispered under his breath, "Mischief managed."

James snapped his trunk shut and waved his wand to lock it. He looked around the room he had shared for a good seven years with his best friends. It was devoid of all the posters, chocolate wrappers and random articles of clothing that had become a familiar comforting sight to him, and James felt strangely lonely.

"You done over there, mate?" The familiar voice of Sirius asked. Mustering a smile, he nodded to his best friend.

"C'mon, it's time to get going then," Sirius told James, a little sorrow permeating his voice. James knew how Sirius felt, at least, he thought he knew Sirius' feelings. Sirius was an enigma – as hard as a diamond sometimes, but an open book otherwise. But in this case James knew that Sirius was clamming up, hiding his feelings. He certainly knew that Sirius Black was missing Hogwarts much more than he was letting on. It was home to all of them, but to Sirius, it was like an asylum of peace. Somewhere he could be just Sirius and Padfoot instead of the disgraced Heir of Black. But he also knew that Sirius wouldn't talk about it, so James nodded and followed him out the door.

Remus, Peter and Lily were lying in wait in the Common Room, their trunks already taken away by house-elves. Wordlessly, Sirius and James joined them, and together, they stepped out of the portrait hole one last time (and James swore he saw a few tears in the corners of the Fat Lady's eyes). Every hall held a memory for them – the one where he had gotten down on his knees to ask Lily out, the one where they had outwitted Peeves at his own game with a Tongue Twisting Charm, the one where they had charmed Snape to dance for a Weird Sisters song… the list was endless.

As they came to a standstill in the Great Hall, each one lost in their own thoughts, James knew one thing: They weren't going to have a safety net anymore. There wasn't going to be anymore fooling around. The ever-darkening world waited for them out there, but the one thing he knew was they would survive, as long as they were together.

i felt i could have done better with this one... not quite satisfied. perhaps i'll come back and edit it sometime later on.