A Marauder's Tale

by justcrazyobsessed

Going into the Marauders 7th year, each member of the group will have a personal challenge in the war ahead. Try as they might to make the year about pranks, each person must decide on their own if they'll join Voldemort or if they are truly Gryffindors.

SUMMARY: The Marauder's enter into their seventh year going through trials in their own personal relationships. As the boys learn there's more to life than pranks and fun, rumors continue to spread about Lord Voldemort's rise to power. Enter into their world, where partying is habit and studies are a distant memory.

A/N This story is told in a reminiscent P.O.V. with Remus watching their own pensieve and giving his thoughts about events. It's a strange work in progress but I have a lot of the story mapped out already so get ready for a lot of fun. My sister and I wrote this out. It's different from my other stories. I really think you'll enjoy it. I'll give you a quick guide to new characters. Of course you know James, Sirius, Lily, Peter, Remus, Alice, and Frank. Who you don't know are Vicki, Liz, Apolline, and Jo. Vicki is Sirius' love interest and Apolline is a French girl with a major attitude. Liz is the biggest addition to the group. She's the biggest change in Rowling's story. Liz is an actual Marauder. She's been with the group for years. She's a big tomboy and just recently started getting to know the girls in the group. Jo is an outsider and her role comes in a lot later but she's present through most of the story. I adjusted the Malfoy line to make the plot a little more interesting. Lucius is only a year older than the Marauders and he has a brother one year older, Damion. I hope you aren't upset by that change. I'm trying to keep the story mostly realistic but I'm still giving the story my own twist. ENJOY!!!!

Chapter 1: Intros and Trouble

Considered to be an old man now, being in his late thirties, Remus Lupin drank his sorrows away with a bottle of firewhiskey, the only thing he found could make him forget.

So many things in his head, so many memories and thoughts that could single handedly destroy a person. Adventures, regrets, death. What he wouldn't give to be rid of those memories. Often he had thought of using a memory charm to take them away but it was too risky. He might wind up losing the good memories as well and he didn't want that.

He didn't have much in his life anymore. He only had one small reminder of how good his life used to be and that was the son of two of his best friends: Harry Potter.

Harry was a good boy and circumstances were unfair for him. It wasn't his fault that his parents were some of the top enemies of You-Know-Who years back.

But Harry was however fortunate to have great friends. Remus believed very strongly in the loyalty of friends. He himself had had very good mates, the best in fact. A large group they were, all being the same age and as close as anyone. No one did anything in the group unless everyone knew about it. The boys had been so overprotective of the girls that they often did not have boyfriends.

Now as far as he knew, they were all dead and the few who weren't might as well have been for they had made sure that no one could find them. The worst part of it was that he was now alone, all alone. The only real friend he had remaining had been Sirius but even he was gone now.

Once someone had asked him how it all began and how it all ended and Remus was unsure of how to answer. Even he had not known the whole story and so he searched for the very thing that could give him all the answers – the group pensieve. They had decided when they were all young that they would use the pensieve like a time capsule and when the last one of them turned 30, they would take a stroll down memory lane. That time had passed long before the question arose and so he felt it was okay to open it.

But those memories were not held for him. He had a plan. He was to leave them for the one person who had been deprived the pleasure of knowing any of those lost along the way. Truly knowing them, anyway. Once Remus died, who would carry on the legend of the Mauraders? Who would care to know their tale? Harry craved this information. He desired so greatly to know all about his parents, their friends, his idols, mentors, and guidance's.

Before he gave it to Harry, he had to see it one last time… had to open the gate to his own self wallowing and misery.

And the memories flooded the room one by one like a thunder storm, erupting with a bolt of lightning.

It started with everyone introducing themselves. They had thought that it would be funny to hear how they viewed themselves years down the road.

"Hello, all! My name is James Potter. I'm an amazing guy. Anyone who knows me would vouch for me, honestly. I'm incredibly good looking and I'm a Quidditch Star. I'm single at the moment but knowing me, that won't last too long. I'm an illegal animagus and I'm in a secret society called the Thestrils. I'm a Co-President along with one of my best friends, Sirius Black. I graduated top of my class, which was a big surprise to Lily Evans, Head Girl, and the only female who could ever hate me that much."

"I'M PETER!" a voice cut in from the right of the picture that was playing. A small kid appeared, chunky he was and dirty blonde hair. "I'm Peter Pettigrew and I'm best friends with Sirius, Remus, Liz, and James. I'm also an illegal animagus." He stopped and moved away.

"That's all you have to say, Peter?" James asked from the side. "Well you're a bit of a bore. Let's have one of the girls go now. Apolline?"

A girl with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile now stood before the viewers and winked her eye at them. "I'm Apolline Dupree, soon to be Apolline Delacour." She spoke with a French accent. "I'm a veela and I'm the fashion adviser for a secret society called the Jarvey's. I'm incredibly picky and I'm not allowed to have a real position because I would apparently kick people out based on weight or appearance but that's not true! I also would kick people out because I simply don't like them."

"I'm Jo Foster," a girl interrupted from the left. "I don't really fit in with them but Lily and I are like best frien…"

"Oh shut up," Apolline commanded. "No one likes you! Not even Lily so just sod off!"

"And I'm Sirius…Sirius Black! You may have heard of me before but for those of you who haven't, I'm incredibly smart, incredibly good looking, and incredibly…Not Single. Damn!...OW! What was that for?" he asked as he grabbed his arm. "Did you really have to punch me?"

"Don't insult your girlfriend, Sirius," Apolline scolded. "You know she's the paranoid type."

"Anyway," Sirius continued while rolling his eyes. "I don't play quidditch because I'd rather watch the sport from the sidelines. I AM the ringleader of everything no matter what anyone says and I am the Co-President of the Thestrils. I am also an illegal animagus."

"OUR TURN!" two voices screamed from across the room. Their giggles reminded the group of the good times, when they were without a care in the world. "Hi! We're Alice and Frank…We're the Longbottoms!" the girl said. "I know we're a bit young for marriage but when you're in love, you just gotta do what you gotta do!"

"THEY JUST GOT MARRIED TWO WEEKS AGO!" James shouted in the background.

"I love her," Frank declared. "Alice and I are deeply in love. Don't mock that!"

"Oh shut it!" James screamed. "Love is for babies!"

"Is it my turn yet?" asked a bored red head, as she stood up from a chair off in the back of the room they were in. "I really see no point in just sitting here!"

"Yes, yes…GO ALREADY!" Sirius said.

"Okay then. My name is Lily Evans. I was Head Girl in my years at Hogwarts and I really don't have just one or two best friends. Everyone here, with the exceptions of Potter and Black, is my best friend. I don't need anymore than that. I currently am dating Andrew Flint, a Slytherin, which of course is driving Black and Potter insane. They hate inter-house unity but I support it. Maybe it will resolve some of the issues in the upcoming war."

"Shh…." Sirius hushed her. "We don't want talk about the war in our pensieve. It'll ruin the funny mood that James and I are trying to set."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lily said in an exasperated voice. "You two are a class act."

"AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!" They both rejoiced in unison.

"Ugh…men!"

"MY TURN! You're boring me now," another girl shouted in joy. "I love when I get to talk. Ok, so…Hi. My name is Victoria Stanton but my friends all call me Vicki. I'm the president of the Jarvey's and I'm one of the most popular people in the world."

"Well definitely not the prettiest," Apolline muttered under her breath.

"And that coming from my best friend," Vicki laughed. "Anyway… though I may be a very attractive woman, I also lucked out with a very intelligent mind. All the guys at Hogwarts wanted me for both my mind and my body."

"Aren't we a modest group," Remus joked.

"Oi! Moony! You haven't gone yet. It's your turn!" James screamed after looking up from a game of wizard chess against Sirius.

"NO!" Vicki screamed. "I'm not finished. Sirius! Make them let me finish!"

"I'm sure that if you ask politely, they'll let you continue," Sirius said with an annoyed inflection. When Vicki showed no sign that she would be asking for anything politely, Sirius turned to James and Remus. "PLEASE, let her finish?"

"Oh all right," Remus sighed. "But be quick. Lizzy and I still have to go and we all have to be done soon. The Quidditch World Cup is today AND we have to meet Dumbledore soon. He wants to meet us for something important."

"And I want to go out," Apolline whined. "I'm so bored! I'm ready to party!"

"Hold your horses!" Vicki yelled at both of them. Then she continued. "It all started when I was just a little girl. Daddy said that I would be a star…"

Remus rolled his eyes and looked at Sirius. "Please tell me she's joking!" he begged his friend.

"Make her stop!" Apolline once more complained. "She's going to get more time in the pensieve than me."

"Vicki, honey," Sirius said. "I think that's enough. Say your closing line and then come here and I'll give you a back rub or we can snog or something."

She stood there for a minute contemplating the options and then gave up. "Fine. Have it your way," she said as she moved away and sat on her boyfriend's lap.

"Finally," Remus said with relief. "Now, where to begin? Well, my name is Remus Lupin and unfortunately, these are my friends. We've been friends since we were little and ever since then we've been inseparable. We're just out of school and I think I'm going to look into a job at the ministry. I don't know if they'll accept me because of the fact that I'm a werewolf."

"YOU ARE?" Apolline practically shouted in horror.

"You knew that already, Polly," Vicki said after breaking away from Sirius' wonderful kisses. "You just weren't paying attention."

"Oh. Right. Okay, you can continue then."

"As I was saying," Remus continued. "I'm a werewolf and I have been since my youth but many people are frightened by that so it may limit my job possibilities. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Is that everyone then?" James asked, trying to wrap things up.

"No," Lily said lazily. "Liz still hasn't gone."

The image now focused on a girl sitting in the corner with a book in her hands. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and she was wearing glasses. "Stay away from me, James," she warned him. "I told you before, I don't want to be in the pensieve. Keep it out of my sight. I just want to read my book and be left alone."

"But come on, Lizzy," Lily begged. "Everyone's going. You don't want to be left out, do you?" Everyone got a chuckle out of this, knowing Lily specifically despised peer pressure.

"Yeah Liz," James laughed. "Everybody's doing it!" he teased.

Liz visibly rolled her eyes and took off her glasses, looking straight at the viewers. "Fine. I'll go. My name is Elizabeth, Liz Perry. There's really nothing much to say. I'm more of a quiet person…"

"Quiet my flat arse!" Vicki practically screamed.

"It is rather flat," Apolline added causing Vicki to throw a pillow at her.

"Can you two please knock it off?" Remus interrupted. "Liz is trying to go, finally! Let's just get this done with so we can all go. We're meeting Dumbledore in fifteen minutes at the Three Broomsticks."

Liz waited for Remus to finish settling the girls and then she began again. "Okay so maybe I'm not quite that quiet but I am NOT like Vicki and Apolline. I'm more low maintenance. I grew up with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, one of the guys. What could you expect?"

"It's not that flat, is it?" Vicki interrupted again, causing everyone to shoot her evil death glares.

"Growing up with boys, I really never had to worry whether or not MY arse was flat or if I looked like a perfect model. I was more of a tomboy."

"Just because YOU weren't watching your arse doesn't mean WE weren't," Sirius explained. "And we never had any complaints."

"That's for sure," Peter snorted, receiving an evil glare from Remus.

"It's just dirty when the fat-one says things like that," Apolline whined. "Remind me again why the three most attractive guys at Hogwarts hang around with probably the most repulsive THING ever to enter the Great Hall?"

"You're too shallow to understand," James said with a laugh.

"No but honestly," Liz groaned. "It's really creepy to have him talk about my butt."

"Can you just get on with it?" Lily begged.

"I think I'm done."

"I think she killed our mood!" Sirius complained.

"No! But we've worked so hard for it!" James replied.

"I know," Lily laughed. "And that's the most work you two have ever done for ANYTHING!"

"Ha Ha…"

The images stopped and Remus began to cry. He began muttering to himself about how much he missed them all. They were all so important to him at one point and now they were gone.

THE LAST DAY OF SIXTH YEAR

Vicki, Apolline, Peter, James, Lily, Sirius, Alice, Frank, Remus, Liz, and Jo all sat in Dumbledore's office on the last day of school of their sixth year. Everyone except for James and Sirius had their heads hung down in shame.

"A party?"

"Yes," James laughed. "It was a party."

"And just who attended?"

"All Gryffindor seventh years and sixth years," Sirius answered with a straight face. "All of them…AND maybe some of the Slytherin's and Ravenclaws. No Hufflepuffs though."

"And why not?"

"Because they don't know how to party. That's why!" Sirius was outraged by the Headmasters question. Of course he wouldn't invite Hufflepuff's to the party. Their party was going to be spoken about for centuries to come. Why would they spoil that with little, whiny Hufflepuff's?

"He means, Headmaster," Lily cut in, "That we tried to make sure the party didn't get too out of hand. That would have been far too many people."

"Miss Evans, frankly I'm surprised to hear that you had a part in this at all. You've been one of my most responsible students from day one. I expect stunts like this from Mr. Potter and Mr. Black. I'm not even surprised that Mr. Lupin, Miss. Stanton, Miss Dupree, Miss. Perry, and Mr. Pettigrew were involved. But you, Miss Foster, Miss Marks, and Mr. Longbottom…"

"We were just trying to throw them a little going away party," Remus said in their defense. "We didn't really expect it to go that far."

"What do you mean, Mr. Lupin?"

"What I mean is that we didn't actually invite all those people. We only invited the Gryffindors."

"Mr. Lupin, I could sit in here with all of you for the remainder of the day trying to figure out exactly what happened and precisely what was going on in those good-hearted heads of yours, but as it is the last day of school, we don't really have time for that. Instead, I will give you all one detention assignment for the summer holiday. Mr. Lupin, you shall do community service. Since you haven't the time to clean up the Gryffindor common room, you shall instead clean up the community around you."

"Dumbledore, I don't think this is fair," Sirius said. "We were only trying to do something good for the seventh years. And it was just supposed to be a small gathering. It's not our fault that they invited their Slytherin and Ravenclaw friends to the party."

"I'm curious, Mr. Black. Is that the best you could come up with?"

"What do you mean?"

"All these years of you and your friends getting in trouble, you've always managed to come up with great big elaborate lies to get you out of it. And now your words have abandoned you?"

"I…"

"Your assignment, Mr. Black, is to write out a great, big, elaborate excuse for the party, one that would have me believe that you were all innocent."

Sirius laughed. "This ought to be a fun detention assignment."

"Headmaster, if I may say something," Jo spoke up. "I'd just like to say in my own defense that… I'm innocent! I had no part in this."

"Miss Foster, I want your assignment to be a paper on loyalty to your friends. Tell me why friends should defend each other. Find one muggle movie that can portray such loyalty. Make it one foot long."

"And what shall I do?" Lily asked with shame in her eyes, anxious to get her assignment already.

He sighed. "Ah, Miss Evans. You shall prepare a speech to make to all of the first years on the first day of school about responsibility and kindness. Explain how being too kind may lead to irresponsibility."

"Yes, sir," she said with a determined voice. "I'll write it tonight."

"I have no doubts. Now, Miss Stanton and Miss Dupree, you two astound me."

Vicki and Apolline sat in their seats with big smiles on their faces. They were dressed in very little after having each been caught shagging their dates when the party was raided by Professor McGonagall.

"Even for your standards, this is a problem. You will volunteer at a muggle clinic and make sure each girl who comes in asking about sexual matters receives a box of muggle contraceptives and a good talking to about the dangers of intercourse at such a young age."

"Sounds like fun!" Vicki squealed. "But since I was shagging Sirius, why didn't he get a similar punishment?"

"Mr. Black's punishment is better suited for him. Now, Mr. Longbottom and Miss Marks, you are free to go. I feel that you are just innocent bystanders watching the disaster occur." Alice and Frank got up and left.

"As for you Mr. Pettigrew…" He stopped mid-sentence after hearing snorts from James and Sirius. "May I ask what is so humorous, boys?"

James looked at Sirius with a grin before responding. "We just find it funny that ALL of us are getting in trouble for once. Usually you just punish Sirius and me and then leave the rest of them alone, ESPECIALLY Peter. Good old Pete here hardly ever gets in trouble."

"I punish as I see fit, Mr. Potter," the headmaster explained. "Now, Mr. Pettigrew, you are to simply befriend one person this summer that is not in your little click. This person has to be from Hogwarts and in your year. Preferably not in your own house."

"So are we done?" Vicki sighed. "I think you got everyone."

"No he hasn't," Sirius snapped. "James and Liz do NOT get to get off the hook that easily. I want justice. If I have an assignment, however fun and entertaining I may find it, then James will receive something as well."

Liz hung her head in shame as James just stared evilly at his best friend, sending death glares his way.

"Correct," Dumbledore agreed. "Ms. Perry, I would like to know your involvement in the party planning scheme."

Her head shot up rather quickly. "Huh?"

"What part did you have in this whole thing? It has been my experience to underestimate your involvement in these… schemes you all like to come up with. It has come to my attention, however, that you are an equal partner in crime with the four boys and I would like to know your part in this."

Liz's cheeks turned a brighter shade of red than even Lily's hair. "I…Well, I… I just kind of…well…I just simply suggested the party. I didn't know it would get so out of hand, though. Honest!"

Dumbledore laughed. "I think it would be good for you, Ms. Perry, to spend some more time with the females of this group. Though they may not be the best role models, I think you are lacking an equal balance between the mischievous nature of the boys and the subtle charm of the ladies."

Liz frowned. "So what are you saying I should do?"

"Spend more time with the girls than the boys this summer, Ms. Perry. That's what I am demanding. If you are going to see the boys, spend time with girls before and/or after. Broaden your horizons. Meet new people or at least become better friends with the other half of your group. I will be monitoring your progress magically so do not try to trick me. It will be on a week by week basis, so if you cannot see the girls one day, you have time to make up for it. Please try to take this seriously. Sometimes, I fear their influence on you is too strong."

"I think he's saying you spend too much time with us, little Lizzy," Sirius whined. "Hey, wait a minute! Liz always comes to James' house for the summer with us. How is she supposed to do that if she's spending more time with the girls! I think her assignment is a bad one. Give her something else."

"No, Mr. Black," Dumbledore responded. "I will make a lady out of her yet. Now on to Mr. Potter."

"Give me your worst," James laughed. "I'm ready for it."

"Mr. Potter, you are to throw a party." The whole room was filled with shock. All of their jaws had practically hit the floor.

"Excuse me, sir?" James gasped. "I don't think I heard you right. I thought you just said I had to throw a party as a punishment."

"Your hearing is just fine, Mr. Potter. I did indeed assign you with a party. But this one has specific limitations. Rule number one is there will be no liquor or alcohol of any sort. Rule number two, there will be no sneaking to other rooms to be promiscuous. All of the doors outside of the party room shall be locked. Rule number three, Professor McGonagall will be there to supervise. And rule number four, all of you shall attend."