Disclaimer- I don't own harry potter, it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling
A/N- I wrote this because it bothered me that the books never tell why and how the marauders had their map taken from them. Please review I beg of you, and give me some pranks ideas that they can pull. :)
Causing strife in the corridors of Hogwarts was one of the greatest joys of life! James Potter and his best friends were strutting down the corridor in such an exaggerated fashion, that it was a wonder they still managed to look cool. There was a large bang from a classroom behind them, and smoke billowed out, accompanied by a shriek.
"James, Sirius, Lupin, Pettigrew! Get back here immediately!"
"Ah, whoops," James said grimacing. McGonagall was the one factor in their prank that they hadn't considered.
"Bloody hell mate! You couldn't have remembered her?" Sirius said, faking outrage.
"Well it's not up to me to remember her tea time visits now is it?" James retorted. McGonagall was a rather new teacher that had been cracking down on the Marauders constantly. Their reign of terror was slowly being diminished under her constantly watchful eye. The school year was coming to a close fairly soon, and the boys had to make up for their lack of pranks, by pulling off one last hurrah. It was their fifth year after all, and it was their duty to be more spectacular at pranking then the year before. It was James and Sirius, the masterminds behind most of the pranks, who had come up with a worthy idea for a prank during the end of the year exams. They were weeks away, but it never hurt to prepare. It was Sirius who had suggested the prank be tested in Professor Binn's room, the boring ghost. Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall had taken it upon herself to visit all the teachers, and discuss over team, the future of their curriculums. She felt that what they taught was too old fashioned, but few agreed with her. The new headmaster Dumbledore was one of the few who did. He had begun three years before the boys began their first year, and the kindly, eccentric old man was a dear friend of theirs.
"Boys come back here this instant!" McGonagall threatened.
"Don't worry, she can't pin it on us," James said out of the corner of his mouth.
"I don't think she cares whether or not she had proof. We're in for a month's detention now, mate." Peter Pettigrew, a plump and rather mousy looking boy scurried up next to James worriedly.
"I don't want to get in trouble," he muttered.
"Oh don't be a wuss Wormtail. A few more detentions aren't going to kill us." James smirked in a way that made it clear he had been in many detentions, and was very proud of that. The four boys all had nicknames for each other. Lupin was Moony, for the fact that, well, he was a werewolf. James was Prongs, because of his superior barbs at people, and Peter was Wormtail because he strikingly resembled a rat. Sirius Black was amazing at slipping around unnoticed, and being such a master of stealth, he was thus known as Padfoot.
McGonagall was standing in an annoyed posture with soot on her face. She was tapping her foot in an angry sort of way, and a tendril of hair had slipped out of her normally immaculate bun, and was hanging in her face.
"What," she said in a furious voice, her nostrils flaring, "do you think you were doing?" None of the boys responded. The normally talkative Sirius and James remained quiet in an attempt to seem innocent, resulting on getting on her good side.
"Hmmm?" She asked. "None of you are going to fess up?" Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at them all severely. "Fine, then because you won't admit to it and the fact that have a very long history-"she started, before Sirius interrupted her;
"Honest Professor we have no idea about what happened! Did something take place here?" He said much too innocently. McGonagall just looked at him incredulously. The smoke billowing out of Binn's classroom should've been indication enough of not to pretend that he had no idea that something had happened, but he just kept on talking.
"If there's some way we can help you just let us know, otherwise-"
"Save it Black. You are a horrible liar. Now both of you, James and Sirius, come with me. We are going to see the headmaster."
"It was Lupin's fault!" Sirius said quickly, pinning the blame on him, as a last resort to escape punishment. McGonagall looked at Lupin, her favorite student, fondly, and said,
"I'm sure Peter and Remus knew about this plot, but most probably didn't have very much to do with it. Therefore I'm putting the blame on both of you two," she finished, while frowning at James and Sirius. There was a twinkle in her eye though, that made both of the boys hopeful that they would get off lightly. A she marched the two boys down the corridor; Sirius looked back at Lupin and stuck out his tongue. Moony just laughed, his narrow shoulders shaking with mirth. Padfoot was the most immature Gryffindor the house had ever seen. It was as though there was a five year old stuck inside of him, just begging to be released. And of course he indulged it.
"Do you think they'll try to pin it on us again?" Wormtail asked in a nervous voice.
"Oh come on now," Moony assured him. "Padfoot already tried, and she didn't believe him. Besides, James wouldn't ever sell us out." Wormtail still remained afraid looking.
"If I get in trouble again my mum will send a howler," he said in a concerned voice.
"Live a little," Lupin shot at him, then was off down the hall. He wanted to get firsthand what punishment the boys were given this time.
Remus Lupin had started off his first year as a shy, timid boy who jumped at his own shadow. If he had been told back then that he would be up to all kinds of mischief, and telling a boy who seldom got good marks to 'live a little', he would've just laughed.
He had been bitten as a young boy, by a werewolf. His family was unsure of who had bit him, but it didn't really matter. The deed was done, and at the next full moon, Remus changed. It was the most painful experience of his life, and it terrified him out of his mind. His family became shunned by the nearby town folk, and was often whispered about behind closed doors. Remus had fully expected to live out his life in complete and utter solitude, and was quiet and miserable.
When his letter for Hogwarts came, he had been thrilled. As he prepared and bought all his school things with what was left of his parent's meager supply of money, he saw something that made him quite nervous. Everyone that was buying school things was surrounded by a group of friends. The magnitude of the situation hit him, and he realized that he would always be a social reject and outcast, just like he was now. Lupin went into a sort of depression after that, before Hogwarts term started, and he almost decided he didn't want to go to Hogwarts after all. It was only the fact that he had already bought all his things that made him go. There were so many interesting things there at Hogwarts that he almost didn't almost feel lonely until the middle of the year. It was when James Potter and his friend Sirius Black had played a prank on him, and saw that he didn't even crack a smile, was when they took him under their wing. From then on he was a part of a group, and they slowly accepted Pettigrew, a boy who always followed them around.
Now, Lupin mused, he was almost as bad as they were. The thought caused him to laugh out loud, scaring a first year.
"Sorry mate," he said reassuringly, "I just had a funny thought." The first year still looked a bit petrified, and Moony thought it best to walk away.
No, he decided, he would never quite be as bad as James Potter and Sirius Black.