I've recently read a TON of stories involving the Marauders and decided to try my hand at writing one.

I own Thea, Lacey, and the plot -nothing else. Everything familiar belongs to J.K. Rowling.

My name is Thea Hathaway and I'm a metamorphmagus. Usually that meant we could change our facial features, hair color, and body type, but mine was different. My father was an Animagus and my mum was also a metamorphmagus so I was a mix of both. Animagi couldn't pass the gene to their children, but they could help them learn themselves. I wasn't actually one, but he helped me use his transformation skills and mum's ability to change my appearance so I could change into an animal, too. It was complicated to explain, but it basically meant I could change into an animal without the use of magic. I just had to concentrate and it happened.

The Ministry had no idea I was changing into an animal, I didn't really think it was their business. I wasn't technically breaking any laws; I was just learning how to control my metamorphmagus abilities. Even with that being said I knew I had to keep it a secret or my dad would get in trouble. He worked for the Ministry and having a daughter who turned into a fox could get him a lot of trouble, retired Auror or not.

Hogwarts was as much my home as the house my parents lived in. I grew up in both places and truly love them both. I was an adventurous Ravenclaw, something that barely existed apparently. My best friend Lacey was also adventurous and a Ravenclaw, we were the first in a long time. Our House preferred to read and learn from the safety of the library than to explore places and learn. Dad always told me Ravenclaws were curious by nature, but the girls in my dormitory had apparently never heard that because they thought Lacey and I were mad when we broke curfew to explore the castle.

Our favorite thing to do was explore the grounds at night. I shifted into a fox, my learned behavior from my father, and she'd use the disillusionment charm we'd perfected as we ran through the grass together. The only people who knew about our late night escapades were my father and her big sister, a Hufflepuff prefect who covered for us if we were ever caught. It was nice to have connections sometimes.

We were on one of our late night adventures a couple weeks into the term when something made the hair on the back of my neck stick straight up. I halted in front of Lacey's legs, making her almost stumble over me in her giddiness. There was something off about the air tonight; it smelled almost dangerous, like the threat of a predator about to pounce.

"Vix, what's wrong?" Lacey barely breathed, knowing I wouldn't have stopped without a good reason. "Your fur's standing on end."

I turned my head up and smelled the air, trying to pinpoint where the smell was coming from. The Whomping Willow was a couple meters to my left and the scent seemed to be coming from there. I nipped at Lacey's ankle until I figured she was looking at me and pointed to the tree with my snout, knowing she understood. We'd perfected this system long ago.

"The Willow, we'll stay away from it," she replied, making moves to turn and go back the way we'd come but without me trailing behind her. "Vixy, come on. We don't need to barge into trouble, use that 'claw brain you've got. Aren't foxes supposed to be smart?"

I huffed, but it sounded more like a hiss and Lacey laughed under her breath. Just because of that, I made my way over to the tree with her no doubt trailing behind me. I could slide under the swinging branches just fine, but I knew Lacey would get knocked around pretty badly. No matter how much I wanted to venture under and find the source of the smell, I couldn't go without her. There might have been more than one predator causing the smell and her dull human senses wouldn't know until it was right on top of her.

I turned around again and ran toward the other side of the castle with her chasing after me. I'd figure out the smell another day, for all I knew it could've been coming from the Forbidden Forest. Merlin knows there were tons and tons of predators in the depths of that place. A rumor started floating around my third year there was even a werewolf inside, but Dumbledore dispelled that almost immediately… that didn't stop if from freaking everyone out though. Werewolves were perfectly fine in their human form and not a threat, but the second the full moon hung high in the sky, they killed everything in sight with no remorse until they shifted back to human.

By the time the two of us tired ourselves out, it was almost dawn. We snuck back into the castle and I turned back human, changing into the clothes I'd stashed earlier. There weren't classes today, but the two of us were too hyped to go to sleep so we headed to the Great Hall. It was a little after seven and the food was out along with a couple students scattered around the room.

I reached up and pulled a couple leaves out of Lacey's hair, making her laugh. We sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table and started filling our plates. Adventuring really worked up an appetite; we'd learned that over the years. I also figured we'd go nap after we ate and then head up to the library to work on homework. It was our system; we'd never strayed from it since our second year when we'd first started sneaking out -sans disillusionment charm. We got caught a lot less now than we used to because dad just happened to leave the instructions for the charm on his desk over the summer between third and fourth year and I'd stashed it in my trunk to show Lacey.

Lacey was regaling her recent midnight tryst with a seventh year Gryffindor when movement at the entrance to the Great Hall caught my eye. Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin were stalking in together. Sirius and Peter were snickering over something as James threw his arm over Remus' shoulder, apparently telling him a story that was pretty intense by the look of things.

"It shouldn't be fair to be that attractive," I sighed, sitting my chin on my palm as I watched the group sit down and load their plates. "Merlin, I wouldn't mind being that marmalade if he'd handle me that way."

"I'm sure he'd shag your brains out if you told him you wanted it," Lacey told me without glancing behind her. "You're fit and that's exactly Sirius' type -breathing and female."

I didn't have genuine feelings for him, I didn't know him, but that didn't stop me from lusting after him along with over half the school. Lacey didn't like any of the Marauders; she thought they were arrogant assholes. Honestly, I kind of agreed, but I still wanted to bang Sirius in the worst way.

"You know that's not true. Apparently, I'm not fit enough for him," I sighed, poking at my sausage bitterly.

Last year I'd tried to flirt my way into his scarlet and gold four-poster to no avail. I'd even worn my pushup bra that made my boobs look perfect, but he didn't even blink. He helped me with the transfigurations' assignment I'd already finished but faked needing help revising before leaving me to work it through on my own. To say my confidence was shaken was an understatement, I didn't reach his standards and it was like a punch to the gut.

"Maybe he doesn't hookup with virgins," I queried, sipping my juice.

"In that bra, I don't think anyone thought you were a virgin, Vixy," she teased, eating a piece of toast.

She started calling me Vixen when we were twelve and she figured out it meant female fox. As we got older, we realized the double meaning behind the word, but it was too late to change it now. It was honestly kind of fitting, I was a bit of a flirt sometimes…most of the time.

The thing is I was a virgin when I was flirting with Sirius last year. I didn't lose it until this past summer with Gideon Prewett, who I hooked up with on and off for the entire break. Then I ended things, much to his disappointment because I think he might have been developing feelings for me… but I couldn't have been sure. He'd left Hogwarts already and I didn't fancy stringing him along while I was away.

"The real question is should I try again?" I asked, eating a couple of the grapes off my plate as I watched the four of them roughhousing a little at the Gryffindor table. "I'm not a virgin anymore and I got pretty in shape over the summer."

"I hardly think anything's changed that drastically, T," she sighed, looking me in the eye. "You're more confident, sure, and less virginal but does that matter?"

I shrugged and said, "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

Before she could ask what I meant by that, I stood up and flipped my hair over my shoulder. Then I strutted over to the Gryffindor table and sat in the seat across from Sirius. Remus seemed surprised I was there, dropping porridge all down the front of his jumper. I pulled my wand out of my boot and said 'scourgify' before turning my attention back to Sirius.

"It looks like the two of you got in tiptop shape for Quidditch this year," I said, eyeing him and James as I crossed my legs under the table.

If they were put off by my sudden appearance, they didn't show it. James immediately started talking about how the team was looking awesome this year and they were a shoe-in for the Cup. Sirius was just smirking at me over his goblet, knowing exactly what I was playing at. I returned the smirk, biting the corner of my lip as I lowered my lashes seductively.

"That sounds brilliant, James. I look forward to seeing Ravenclaw kick your ass," I smiled, pushing up from the table and winking at Sirius. "Have a good day, boys."

I flipped my curls over my shoulder again before strutting to the door. I know my bum looked fantastic in my skirt and knee high boots and that Sirius was watching me walk away. It got rounder over summer; I'd started doing squats on the regular and saw the results. Lacey tried it too and gave up about two weeks in when she didn't see any progress. Even though she didn't believe me, I didn't change my bum with my mind. I actually worked for it, and it felt really good to know there was progress other people could see.

Lacey joined me at the door, squealing once we were away from the Great Hall. "Oh my god! You had all of them watching you leave, Vixy! Especially Sirius, he slapped the back of James' head when he said something. I'm assuming it was about your ass because his face went apologetic almost immediately."

"Wonderful, stage one is complete," I replied, linking arms with her and heading up to our Common Room. "Stage two is up to him, but something tells me I won't be waiting long."

Thanks for reading! Leave me a review and tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it!