Chapter 1

Present day, Year 7

"If you're not careful Wormtail, people might start thinking you've got a crush" said Sirius. Peter, who was staring at James with open admiration, ignored him. Peter was going through a play-by-play recall of the match with James. When he asked James if he could hold the snitch, Sirius let out a growl and threw his head back. "Cut it out already! "

"Look, Peter, I hate to break it to you, but a certain L.E smothered in hearts and heavily embellished inside said snitch already fills our dear captain's heart. You've got no chance mate." Joked Lupin, putting a restraining hand on Sirius's shoulder as the four walked up the slope from the quidditch pitch, Gryffindor having just beaten Ravenclaw a few minutes previously.

"Yeah, yeah. When it comes to quidditch, if you have another love it's heresy. If I'm a little excited because our very own Prongs pulled off a Pados Dive that only three players have ever pulled off in the history of international matches, then sue me." Defended Peter.

"No one's denying it, but James is still the same idiot who falls out of bed every morning to the sound of your alarm clock." Said Lupin, glancing at James for a response, but he wasn't listening. He was staring at the group of girls who had just come into view as they got to the top of the hill.

Sirius smirked at Lupin. "So I hear Evans is in love with a -"

James whipped his head around. "What?"

"Oh yeah" said Remus "I heard that too. Marlene wasn't supposed to tell me but it slipped out."

"Who's she in love with?"

"That bloke with the hair and the eyes" said Peter to Lupin.

"So you know, too? He's quite sexy, I heard"

"WHO?" James yelled out of frustration.

"She's in love with a werewolf" said Sirius. "Sorry, Prongs. I guess she just goes for the dangerous blokes you know. You're a bit tame compared to-"

"You would never" James said, staring at Remus accusingly.

"I would never. But rumour has it she is into a guy from our year"

"Really?" asked Peter

"Smarmy git" said James.

"The only smarmy git" said Sirius, with a meaningful look over his shoulder, "is a certain Snivelly who just so happens to be within hexing distance"

James' hand jumped to his back pocket and curled around his wand.

"Easy" said Lupin. "If for no other reason than Lily is starting to treat you like a human being…"

"And just let him get us while our backs are turned?" hissed Sirius.

"You don't know he will. He's been lying low lately."

"I personally don't feel we should fight him. I mean, we've just finished serving our last sentence. Can we not go one day without getting detention? Please?" whined Peter.

Lupin gave him an approving smile. Sirius rolled his eyes. Peter was being incredibly irritating today and Sirius thought, as he had a few times before, why on earth they had befriended him in the first place…

First year, April

"Hey, Si, look at that." James said, prodding Sirius in the arm.

"What?"

"Pettigrew. He's got some sort of contraption going on…"

"Aimed at Mary? Yeah I saw. Listen mate, these sausages are singing to me so if you don't mind…" Sirius said, turning back to his breakfast with greedy eyes. James punched him on the back, nearly making him choke.

"James, I swear, do that one more time…"

"Watch him."

"So Mary gets her –"

"Not Mary. McGonagall."

"McGonagall? Pettigrew's not that dar-"he broke off as his eyes latched onto a single piece of string that extended from Peter's chair towards the staff table. "Shit, that's genius!"

They watched as Peter let his pet toad onto the table, which consequently flung itself onto the nearest person: Mary. She let out a high pitched squeal and for one second, every head in the hall turned to look at her. At that moment, Pettigrew ducked under the table and sent a purple flame careening along the string.

"I wonder what it'll do?" asked James

"Well that's obvious" stated Remus Lupin, who had been listening in on their conversation.

"Oh really? What does not-so-flawless Lupin have to infer then?"

Lupin gave James a withering look before saying "It's a fuse. As Peter only knows about three spells, I'm guessing that that's the scented time bomb, i.e. the purple flame lets off a sickly sweetened scent that'll attract every single bug in this place to McGonagall's food. "

"I thought there were impenetrable charms placed on the Great hall to make sure no flies ever interfered with our meals."

"True, but that applies to unsuspecting flies in nature that just wander in here. Peter, on the other hand, keeps a jar full of them in his top drawer for his frog."

A stunned silence ensued before Sirius said "how did you know that?"

"About the flies? Peter told me, or rather accidently showed me-"

"No, the other stuff. How on earth can you tell which spell he's going to use before he uses it? There must be thousands of purple spells…"

"I actually gain knowledge from my observations, unlike some…and besides, I could be wrong"

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but James put a hand over his mouth and said "if you're right, you would have earned my respect, teacher's pet."

"Oh, yippee. " Remus said, rolling his eyes.

None of them had taken their eyes off the string in the few seconds they had been talking. Just as Lupin finished, a humming sound started above their heads as a few hundred flies swarmed towards the head's table.

"Holy crap, you're a genius!" yelled Sirius, shaking Lupin's hand.

A few minutes later, McGonagall appeared in front of them shaking with fury.

"Uh-oh. Somebody's in trooouuuuubble." Said Mary, a smirk on her face.

"Potter! Black! Lupin! In my office! NOW!"

"No way! Ma'am! It wasn't us!" the three protested, earning a death glare from McGonagall and a sound 50 points from Gryffindor. "Lupin, I'm highly disappointed. Shaking the hand of Black, gleefully revelling in my misfortune! I have a good mind to revoke the no-homework privilege!" She stormed, turning her back on them. "And you! Pettigrew!" Peter, who was doubled over with laughter, turned white and swallowed. "Think what they did is funny do you? You'll join them in detention!" And with that she strode away.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting in one of the dungeons, McGonagall having left the room for 'detention supplies'.

"Thanks so much, Peter." Said Lupin, glaring at him.

"Yeah Pettigrew. Should string you up by your knees for this." Taunted Sirius.

"On the whole, we're pretty pissed off with you. But all else aside, that was truly epic. What possessed you?" asked James.

"Yeah, and McGonagall's breakfast too. That took some guts." Sirius added.

Peter, confused at the mixed praise and contempt, shakily replied "well, um, I … I've always loved pranking people. I used to do it all the time to my sister. And so I just decided that life was getting a bit boring and decided to step it up a notch"

Sirius whistled. "Nice one. We just happen to be in the same business, except Lupin here of course."

"Yeah, we could take a leaf out of your book in future…. Wait," James said, slowly turning to face Remus, having suddenly remembered something important, "hey Lupin, what's this about a 'no-homework' privilege? "He said, staring at Remus disbelievingly. Sirius whipped his head from facing Peter to focus on Remus.

"It comes from being a top student I guess. You know, because we know it already…" said Remus, looking nervous.

"But surely even Evans has homework." Said James, still disbelieving.

"Why don't you ask her and find out?" challenged Lupin, knowing that that day would never come.

That shut James up. Turning back to Pettigrew, he said "So what else do you have in mind?"

Remus cut him off by saying "and next time, make damn sure that you take the fall instead of us"

"Yeah" said Sirius, "wouldn't want someone else to get the credit for your fine work. You have a reputation to uphold now."

Sirius smiled to himself. Those were the days, he thought. Peter had been more carefree then, a true prankster. Now in their seventh year, with Voldemort on the rise, he had changed. They all had. As the end of the year would grow closer in the months to come, they would all have to make some hard choices. Whatever the others did, Sirius would be with James, fighting. But he hoped the four could continue to be 'marauders' even when the time for messing around came to an end. He hoped.

#

The four were sitting in the common room at two in the morning, having talked late into the night. The embers of the long gone fire still glowed as they sat in their respective chairs around it. The conversation had turned serious, now that they were the last Gryffindors remaining.

"With Voldemort on the rise… it's only a matter of time before he takes over." Said Sirius wearily.

"You really think he's that strong?" asked Peter

"He doesn't flaunt it, but that's what makes him even more dangerous. It's a silent take over. People get killed and one of his has taken their place before anybody even notices something's wrong. "

"He's underhanded" said James "evil. He's not just some criminal. He creates fear inside people's minds to the extent that he doesn't even have to do anything – he just watches as wizards get suspicious of their oldest friends, as mothers suspect their children of being imperiused, as husbands get to such a state that they feel they can't even look after their own families…"

"He breaks relationships." Added Lupin "You don't need a mass murderer to do what people themselves can. Think about it: if he just demolished whole cities, people would band together against him, they could identify him as the enemy. Very often when somebody dies, the family becomes closer than ever…by simply murdering someone, the community would renew their efforts to provide for the family, tighten their defences. There would be an outcry."

Sirius nodded and leant towards the burning coals. "But by using stealth and secrecy, he can create an entire web of lies and fear, so much that people can't rally together, for fear that those they confide in are the enemy."

"Imagine that, though" said James softly "turning against your best friends…"

"You can see how they would "said Peter "not that it's right, or acceptable… but if you were made to feel as if it was every man for himself, that you could trust nobody…"

They were silent. Sirius lifted his gaze from the fire. "Then what kind of friendship was that? Promise me, men, that we won't even suspect one another."

"That we stay together, no matter what." James smiled. "Not many have what we do. How many students have done what we have? Explored together and found out the secrets of the castle?"

"Have pranked the entire staff body and never ratted each other out, even under interrogation?" smirked Peter.

"Have changed themselves beyond recognition, just so that they could make life easier for a boy with a furry little problem" said Remus, a small smile playing on his lips.

James looked at the other three, one by one. "I don't believe any of you would ever betray me"

"Me neither" said Remus

"Nor me" said Peter

"You all know I'll string you up by the toes if you did" said Sirius "so no, me neither."

They all shook hands. James laughed then adopted an official tone "Padfoot, Wormtail, Moony and Prongs: marauders, best friends."