Title: The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

Author: Penmanboat

Rating: K+

Fandom: Harry Potter

Disclaimer: Not mine.

The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

The Marauder's were on the run from Filch. Again. James and Sirius had thought it would be funny if they cast the Babbling Spell on Joanna Kilauea. She kept going on, and on about how much she was in love with Sirius. When Filch asked her who had done this she pointed, while she kept on talking, down the corridor where the four boys were already on the run. Remus, as usual, made a comment about how the others always dragged him into these things.

"First of all, Remus," James began, "the spell was your idea! And second of all…TURN!" The second years bounded up the stairs leading to the fourth floor. Peter was beginning to slow down and his breathing quickened. They had to find somewhere to hide otherwise Filch would catch them. Remus glanced behind him as he saw Filch come through the door they had been in just seconds ago. He grabbed Peter and James by the collars of their robes and yanked them into an abandoned classroom. (1) He hoped that Sirius wouldn't keep running. Thankfully, Sirius got the hint that the others had found a hiding place. They shut the door and took in their surroundings; the room was dusty and covered in a fine layer of it. Once the boys realized that the only thing present in the room was a floor-length mirror, they did a double take on the fact that they had all thought that this room was a classroom. Thinking that they would wait out here while Filch searched fruitlessly for them, the boys all took a different seat on the stone floor.

Peter walked around the room unable to sit still. He walked about to the mirror and gave a startled yell. Sirius, who had fallen asleep on Remus' shoulder jumped up screaming, "I didn't try and give Kreacher a sock, mom! I swear!"

"Thank you, Sirius. Now, we all know you dream about your mother and your house elf," James said. Turning towards Peter he said, "Peter (2) what in the world did you see that made you scream bloody murder?" Peter didn't answer, he just meekly pointed at the face of the mirror he was staring at as if it was a ghost.

All the boys made their way to the mirror. As the all looked at it, they all mirrored the same expression of surprise.

"Ah, you boys have found it," somebody from behind them said. All the boys whipped their heads around to meet the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. "This, my sons, is the Mirror of Erised. It will show you what the qualities of the life that would make you the happiest. To each person the vision is different."

After a moments' hesitation, Remus spoke, "I see myself as a professor here and I don't…" he stopped himself short. If the others weren't so mesmerized by the mirror they would ask Remus to finish his sentence, or they would have noticed the sad smile of recognition on Dumbledore's face. (3) James spoke up a few moments later, "I see Lil- I mean somebody and I holding hands, with you three behind me and I have my broom."

Peter timidly mumbled something only saying it aloud when James told him to speak up. "I see myself getting all O's on my owls and I see myself leading us to class. And everyone is worshipping me while they bow at my awesome powers." Everyone looked at Peter with an expression of concern as they slowly inched away for him and his maniacally grin. "Anyway, what do you see Sirius?" Peter said as the grin melted away.

"Oh…um… you know surrounded by girls. Kreacher lying dead at my feat…and you guys are laughing with me." Sirius said while he scuffed his feat and put his hands in his pockets. The rest of the boys looked at him… they had known him for two years now, and they knew the way he tipped on his toes when he wasn't being truthful. Still, they let it pass. Dumbledore, on the other hand, gave him a knowing look. He himself saw his family. (4) And it was a secret he was betting he would take it to the grave.

After a while, the Marauders believed that Filch had stopped looking for them, gone back to whatever he was doing, and probably found someone else to torture. They bid Dumbledore farewell, who was still staring at the mirror, and went back to the Gryffindor common room. Once they were all changed into their nightclothes, they went to bed, all of them thinking about the same thing. The mirror.

Later that night Remus woke up at about two in the morning. He looked around the room and saw Sirius staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head, and his legs crossed. "Sirius, why are you still up?" With no response, Remus asked him again, "Sirius?" At that, Sirius jumped up and pointed his wand (he slept with it under his pillow) at Remus' face.

"What!" Sirius whispered angrily.

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Oh… just thinking," he said as he went back to his original position.

"About…,"

"Nothing in particular,"

"So… the mirror?"

"Yea…"

"Don't dwell on it too much mate. That mirror just shows you what can never happen," Remus said bitterly while looking away. "Just go back to bed, mkay?"

"Yea, I guess your right." With that, the two twelve-year olds went to sleep.

1 I know that the Mirror of Erised was only kept on the fourth floor for Harry's first year. But, when I researched the mirror, I could find no other place it was kept, so I kept it in the abandoned classroom.

2 Ok, I figured that since the Marauders didn't find out Remus was a werewolf until their third year, I thought they would have no reason to call them selves "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" because they weren't Animagus yet.

3 Yes, this is a spoiler for book three… This is a reference to Remus being a werewolf. This is how he would've finished the sentence. "… I don't have the curse of the full moon." Seeing, as the rest of the Marauders' didn't find about his condition until their third year, but Dumbledore knew all about it.

4 Spoiler Alert for Book 7. He's talking about Ariana and his mother and father and I guess Aberforth.