**CONTAINS A SPOILER FOR ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW!**

Author's Note: This fic was put into place one night, after I had cried my eyes out for at least four hours. I had shut myself in my room, because one of my friends had revealed to me the secrets of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They told me who died. It just so happened, that my most favorite character, Sirius Black, had died...in a heroic manner. Now I, being the deprived child that I am, was not allowed to read it until I had finished my summer reading for school... However, I thought I had friends that would keep the decency to NOT tell me what happened. I was wrong. So...I bring you, the fellow readers and writers, my Ode to Sirius Black.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus J. Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They were known as the Marauders...and this is their story...

******

"Sh! Quiet guys!" James poked both Sirius and Remus who stood behind him snickering to themselves. He frowned and shook a finger, then saw Peter hunched over in a far corner, rather close. James shook his head.

Sirius followed James' gaze and saw Peter. He too shook his head and whispered in a rash tone. "Come along, Wormtail!"

All four sneaked down the corridors. Only they knew of the secrets they bore, never to be told to anyone but Lily Evans. The four students who had forms they hid from the world. It was as if the day it all happened was just yesterday...

******

"Remus!" Sirius stomped after the boy with his arms folded across his chest, in an angry position. "Why didn't you tell us you were a Werewolf?! You nearly got James killed!"

The other stood with his hand to his temple, tears rushing down his bright red cheeks. "I'm sorry, Sirius...But I didn't tell you because I thought...I thought you'd stop being my friend. All of you... I can't possibly continue living without you guys..." There was a silent pleading in his voice.

This caused Sirius to pause in regret of his own words. He placed a hand upon Remus' shoulder and sighed. "I'm sorry too... I didn't mean to over react..." Sirius felt the scars through his friend's ripped shirt and sighed again, this time with more sympathy.

"Does it hurt...?"

"What?"

"When you transform. Does it hurt?"

Remus paused. "It used to...but when I found you guys, it just sort of...stopped... Either that or I learned to deal with it knowing I'd have you guys to depend upon in rough times..."

~~~

"Good to see you're up and about, James!"

"Ha, you didn't think that wolf could keep me down did ya?" James spoke loosely of the wolf for he did not know of his identity.

There was a pause. "James...that...he...it was Remus."

James looked to Sirius in confusion; lowering his voice. "What do you mean, Sirius?"

"I mean, that it was Remus." His tone was bland, and he was unable to state it any other way. He only hoped that James would understand and he wouldn't have to explain.

"...Oh, I see." James muttered. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, actually..." Sirius said, his frown soon turning at the corners into a grin. Leaning down, he whispered into James' ear and the other boy too, smiled.

"That's bloody brilliant!"

Sirius smiled cheekily, "I try."

~~~

"Where has everyone gotten to...?" Remus asked himself as he casually strolled down an empty corridor in search of Sirius, James, and Peter.

Just as he rounded a corner, a big, black dog pounced upon his chest causing him to stumble and fall upon his back. Remus looked at the dog in confusion and surprise.

The pink tongue was hanging out of its mouth, tail wagging as the dog nodded for Remus to follow then bounded out towards the space under the Whomping Willow. This was very absurd, and it was hard for Remus to believe, but when he got outside the dog ran and sat next to a large Stag, and between the two was a small rat. Blinking and rubbing his eyes several times, Remus thought he was seeing things but when the dog again bounded at him, he held his arms up in front of his face, turning his head and closing his eyes.

"Remus." Sirius mused as he stood in front of him with his arms crossed wearing a large smirk.

Spinning his head around, he stared at Sirius. "Where'd the black dog go? You must have seen it!"

Right before his eyes, before Sirius could say anything, stepped the Stag, which transformed into James, and the rat, which changed to Peter. Both were smiling as well.

"What...how?" Remus was at a loss for words.

"Moony," Sirius started, placing the virtue of Remus' nickname upon there Werewolf's burden now, "I'd like you to introduce you to, Prongs" he motioned to James, "Wormtail," to Peter, "and finally," motioning to himself with proud, "Padfoot. You see, I am the black dog. You see, when we straightened everything out with your being a Werewolf and all, I suggested that we become Animagus' just to be closer friends. It was ALL my idea."

Lupin's lip quivered, and tears welded up into his eyes. He still was at a loss for words, and could only embrace Sirius in a hug, sobbing into his shoulder.

******

Remus was jerked out of the memory when Peter accidentally bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry!" He said in a hushed, but apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it, Peter." Remus smiled.

"Shhhh!" Both Sirius and James spun around to quiet the other half of the Marauders, as they snuck down the corridors, following the little black spot on the Marauder's Map clearly stated as "Severus Snape".

From then on, it was a free for all including dungbombs, firebusters, Bertie Bots's bouncing beans, and croaking chocolate frogs. All four of them ambushed Severus, and all scattered when he was completely covered in their assortment of tools.

"See ya around, Sniverus!" Sirius said in a mocking tone before he patted James on the back and laughed heartily running down the corridor from which they came.

The Marauders all recollected with each other outside in Hogwart's grounds, under the Whomping Willow. They had chose that the place in which they could tell each other secrets, talk with their nicknames, and sometimes transform for fun. It was a place where they could keep their privacy, for no other students bothered going out to the tree.

"That was great!" Sirius said between pants for air. He held his sides, which were at the point of bursting from his laughing.

James had taken a seat on the grass, his back resting against the tree. "Yes, indeed it was!"

Peter looked around, "Has anyone seen where Moony has gotten to?" Ever since the accident, Peter had never formally addressed Remus with his name and when he did speak of him by name, it was nickname and never when he was around. It wasn't that he had lost faith in the boy, it was just that...the accident had been a bit traumatizing for him.

"Remus?"

"Moony, if you're hiding..."

"I don't think he is, Padfoot..."

"Why do you sound so concerned Peter? You don't think Sniverus got him do you?"

"Well...recently, he's been...slipping away into the library. Always reading the restricted books, but because he's the top of all his classes, nobody ever questions him..."

Sirius grabbed Peter by the collar of his robes, and James tried to calm Sirius down.

"What do you mean?! When were you gonna tell us this, Pettigrew?!"

"Sirius calm down! You're not going to achieve anything by giving Peter a bloody nose, put him down!"

"I don't know..." Peter confessed.

Growling, Sirius threw him down and stomped back into the castle, his previous good mood gone like a feather upon a zephyr. James helped Peter up, and the two watched Sirius stomp away.

'Good, now I've got James all to myself. I'll have to thank you for that Remus, though I know you have reasons of your own for sneaking away. Pitiful Werewolf.' Peter thought to himself, and his eyes narrowed all the innocence lost in his glare. However, James did not see. He was not the superstitious type, and never would be...and that would be his downfall.