Hello everyone! Skittles324 is back and with a brand new rap. Welcome to "The Fifth Marauder." Hopefully the description brought you in and you're here to stay! Just a heads up, there is a four-part prologue before I really set into the story. This first part of the prologue is set in the usual Harry Potter universe, with Harry and friends. The rest of the story will be set pre-Harry Potter. I am hoping to post a new chapter every Sunday evening (and maybe even an extra chapter during the week if I'm feeling good about the pacing, we'll see). I have a small chunk of this story planned out, and I'm expecting it to be long, so settle in! Please follow, favorite, and review. I enjoy constructive criticism, so feel free to use it, and I always laugh at the flames. Well, I think I've done enough talking now lol.

Welcome to my pre-Harry Potter world and Enjoy!

Prologue, Part 1: Kid's Gotta Learn Sometime

Summer 1995: 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England

~~~~~The Fifth Marauder~~~~~

Harry and his friends were sitting at number 12 Grimmauld Place, hiding from Molly Weasly. They all held their breath as the door to the old parlor creaked open and in walked…

"What are you all—?"

"SHHHHHHHHH!"

The group breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled the two grown men into the room. Ron went to the door, looked down both ends of the hallway, and then closed the creaky door slowly before rejoining the now larger group on the faded couches.

"We're hiding from my mum," Ron whispered. "This cleaning spree is making me wish summer was over and we were back at Hogwarts!"

Sirius laughed. "Good to know that old bat wasn't getting on just my nerves!"

"Sirius!" Remus scolded him.

Sirius had enough decency to shrug an apology at Ron before sitting down next to Harry. "So, what are you all up to?"

"I was just enlightening them to the importance of our O.W.L.s," Hermione said. "This year is going to go by so fast, I can just feel it. Before we know it, it'll be time for some of the most important exams of our lives!"

"I wouldn't call them the 'most important,'" Remus said kindly. "They're really not that different than your usual end of term exams."

"I remember taking our O.W.L.s. Merlin, was that really 20 years ago…" Sirius' voice faded away, as well as the light in his eyes.

Ron suddenly perked up, his back straightening, making him almost the tallest man in the room. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you guys, how did you make the Marauder's Map?"

Sirius winked at Remus while Remus just simply shook his head, smiling. "Sorry mates, Marauder secret. We keep it to the grave."

"That map sure was the devil to make," Remus said. "Took us all two years to complete it. We really couldn't have made it work without Cherry, though."

The threesome looked confused, even Hermione (a rare sight to see, indeed.)

"Cherry?"

Sirius and Remus avoided all the eyes in the room, but each had a small, sad smile on their face.

"Well," Remus started. "Cherry was sort of an un-honorary Marauder."

"Wait…there was a fifth marauder?" Harry asked.

"Sort of. She—"

"And it was a girl?!" Hermione exclaimed.

Sirius chuckled. "She was a girl, alright."

Hermione was now on the edge of her seat. "What was she like?"

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks and smiled. "Well—"

"She was crazy," Sirius interrupted. "She was bold, sneaky..."

"And one of the most talented witches I've ever met," Remus added in.

"And boy was she great on a broomstick! She was the Seeker on the Slytherin team and—"

"She was in SLYTHERIN?!" The whole group laughed as Ron looked like he was about to have a heart attack right there on the parlor room floor.

Sirius smiled remembering the one girl in school you did not want to cross. Even just looking at her wrong got your legs locked together for a good three hours.

She was so beautiful…

~~~~~The Fifth Marauder~~~~~