Four boys stood in front of a small shop on a questionable street in downtown London. Their names were James Potter (a tall, handsome but lanky boy with wire rimmed glasses and very untidy hair. Known as Prongs by his friends), Sirius Black (A devilishly handsome lad with gray eyes, shaggy black hair, and smile that could turn a woman's knees into jelly. Also known as Padfoot), Remus Lupin (a sandy haired boy with a pale complexion, but kind disposition, sometimes called Moony) and Peter Pettigrew (a short, pudgy boy who looked a bit like a rat, which is how he was given the nickname Wormtail). James and Sirius leaned on either side of a lamppost smirking, while Remus and Peter stood a few feet in front of them, staring up at the sign advertising the cheapest tattoos in town (guaranteed!).
"This is, by far, the stupidest idea you've ever had, Padfoot." Remus said, as he shook his head. He was beginning to doubt his best friend's sanity, especially with his latest "brilliant" idea.
"What are you talking about, Moony? I think it's bloody brilliant!" James said, playfully punching Sirius, his best friend and comrade in arms. The two were like brothers, really. In fact, until quite recently, Sirius had lived with the Potter's for quite a while.
"Yes, Prongs, because you and Padfoot always have the greatest ideas." Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Remember the water slide?" He asked, eyebrows raised. James and Sirius had gotten the brilliant idea to transfigure the front hall stairs into a giant water slide, diverting all the water from the nearest bathrooms to keep it running. The only thing they hadn't counted on was the main water pipe bursting. Remus had thrown himself against the broken pipe in a moment of panic, thinking that he could hold the water back. They'd received two months straight detention for it, not to mention they had to mop up all the water the muggle way. The teachers had not been pleased, though the students had a fun time, while it lasted.
"What are you talking about, Wormtail? That was genius!" Sirius said, pushing himself away from the post and walking towards the door of the shop. "Or, well, it would have been if that bloody pipe hadn't busted." He chuckled at the image of Remus throwing himself at the busted pipe, only to be thrown back by the sheer force of the water, sliding across the floor and landing at the feet of their good friend, Addison Sheridan. "Besides, you know you had fun while it had lasted."
"Yes, but isn't this a little ... Extreme?" Wormatil said, nervously looking at the door of the shop. He really didn't like the prospect of some strange man poking him with needles to have a permanent reminder of his friendship with the three boys that stood around him. "I mean, these things don't just go away, do they? They're with you, forever, and you can't get rid of them!"
"I think that's the whole point." Remus said, looking over his shoulder at James and Sirius, who had since decided to entertain themselves playing rock, paper, scissors. "It's supposed to stay with you forever, and remind you that no matter where life takes us, we'll always have each other. Am I right, Padfoot?"
"Yes, but did you have to make it sound so .... gay?" Sirius asked momentarily losing his concentration on the hand game with James. The boys all knew Remus wasn't actually gay but it was fun to tease him about it anyway. They understood his apparent phobia of commitment. Remus just rolled his eyes and turned back around to look at the storefront again.
"I still think this is a bad idea." Remus muttered. James looked over at Sirius and nodded. Sirius nodded back, and grabbed Remus by the shoulders, while James grabbed Peter, and the steered their two friends into the tattoo shop.
"We'd like to get tattoos." Sirius said to the guy behind the counter, who was flipping through a magazine.
The guy looked up at them, rings hanging from just about any surface that could be pierced. Sirius and James had to try hard not to laugh as they held Remus and Peter in the shop. "Who wants to go first?" He asked them, flipping the magazine closed and tapping his fingers on the counter top.
James pushed Peter forward and Sirius pointed at him. "He does." The two boys said at the same time. Peter looked absolutely petrified, but he nodded. The guy motioned them to follow him as he headed into the back. Sirius and James steered Remus and Peter in the proper direction, and plopped Peter down in the seat. Sirius produced a scrap of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the tattoo artist. The paper looked as though a rat had walked across it. Little did the artist know, a rat actually had walked across it, after dipping his feet in ink. "He wants this, on his left pec, over his heart." The man looked down at the paper, curiously, but didn't say anything as he started in on the tattoo. James and Sirius had to hold Peter down so he wouldn't move and mess up the artwork, but luckily it didn't take long to do.
Remus was next. James and Sirius didn't have to hold him down as the man tattooed the wolf prints on his chest. Sirius followed, with his dog paw prints, and lastly was James. James handed the man the slip of paper with his tattoo design on it. The man looked down at it, and over at James, the confusion was clear on his face. "What the hell are these?" He asked, holding up the paper.
"They're deer tracks." James said, shrugging as though it was no big deal. The man looked at James as though he was crazy.
"Deer tracks? Who the hell gets deer tracks tattooed on their chest?" The guy asked, completely blown away. The four boys just shook their heads.
"It's a long story." They all said, almost in unison. The tattoo artist just looked at them, still obviously confused, but turned back to James, and started his work.
The four boys walked out of the tattoo parlor after paying for their new artwork. They knew that their friendship, their brotherhood, would last forever.