"We're due in the Great Hall in ten minutes, Remus. Put that bloody book away, and make yourself look presentable," Sirius called, straightening his shirt.
It was New Year's Eve, and the annual Hogwarts party was due to start at 11pm. For half of the Marauders, this meant the chance to get maddeningly intoxicated, and ridiculously cosy with just about anyone who crossed their path. For the other half of the Marauders, it meant being on call to check on said intoxicated friends, whilst otherwise hanging about aimlessly, wishing to be doing something else.
"You just stay over there and talk to your reflection, I'll worry about me," Remus retorted, scanning the page quickly in order to finish his chapter.
"What about you, James? Are you ready?" Sirius called.
James nodded, strolling out of the bathroom in a burgundy suit, with a golden shirt beneath.
"Ta-dah!" he announced, bowing to each of his friends in turn.
Remus glanced upwards briefly, and raised a surprised eyebrow. James did indeed look quite remarkable.
Sirius seemed to agree with Remus' thoughts, for he nodded and, grinning broadly, he said, "You almost look like you've tried."
James sent a rude hand gesture Sirius' way, but he was clearly quite proud of himself, and he proceeded to aimlessly pace the room as he waited for his friends to get ready.
"Peter! How's it coming along?" James shouted back into the bathroom he had vacated.
"Slowly," came Peter's mumbled response.
Remus smiled to himself, and climbed out from his bed.
"I'll go and give him a hand," he said, tossing his book back onto his pillow.
Upon entering the bathroom, he found a rather flustered Peter, struggling with some tangled lace and a piece of black fabric which appeared to be a dress robe.
Peter looked up hopefully, and remained looking so as he noted Remus' entrance.
"Help me," he begged, holding up the things which were supposed to be his clothes.
Remus nodded, withdrawing his wand, "We can take the lace out completely, if you'd like? And then just make sure it fits. It wouldn't go amiss with a top hat, though I daresay you'll get crucified for it. Then again, it would certainly make an impression…"
Peter seemed to agree outright, and soon he was on the way to possessing a rather incredible outfit.
Meanwhile, Sirius and James were planning who they were going to be with when it came to midnight.
"It's going to be Lily, it's always going to be Lily."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Why did I ask?" and then to the bathroom, he called, "Are you guys coming?"
"We'll be there in a second, you go down," Peter responded, as he had a few finishing touches to make, "See you in a second."
Shrugging, James and Sirius headed down to the Great Hall.
Upon entering, they were overcome – as always – by the magnificent decorations. Most notable this year were the balloons.
The variety was simply astounding; there were generic ones, there were balloons which changed shape every ten seconds, balloons which popped periodically before reappearing instantly, balloons which sang songs and there were balloons which spelled out the names of the students as they arrived.
"Hey, it's us," Sirius pointed out, offering a royal wave to everyone he saw.
James copied him for a while, before steering him over to the drinks' table.
"Two double firewhiskeys, if you please," James asked. He addressed his request at the table, which was unaccompanied by any visible person, and which soon displayed the drinks.
"Surely there are going to be drunken first years, with this?" Sirius asked, uncharacteristically responsible.
James shook his head, "There's an age line," he whispered, "Just behind us. It allows sixth and seventh years over here. Other students go to the release point over there." He motioned to a hole-in-the-wall, at which a group of students were queuing.
"Why haven't I noticed this before?" Sirius mused.
James shrugged, "We've ordinarily drunk a lot more by now. I suppose that has something to do with it."
This seemed to sound like a suggestion to Sirius, who suddenly said, "True. And there's no time like the present."
With that, he finished his own drink in one go.
"I'm going to go and find Lily," James said, holding his drink steady in his hand.
Sirius muttered to himself, but offered no resistance as his friend left to find his dearly beloved.
"I'll just…entertain myself, then," he mused, requesting another few drinks which he simultaneously consumed.
"Hey," a voice called over him, and he felt a tap upon his shoulder.
Turning, he met a student in long flowing dress robes, with a cane and a top hat.
Beside him stood Remus, in an ordinary jumper.
"Christ, is that Pete? You've scrubbed up well, I wouldn't have expected it."
Peter ignored him, instead opting to get a drink of his own.
"How many of those have you had?" Remus asked Sirius, neglecting to get one for himself.
Sirius' eyes rolled instinctively, "Quit mithering me, mother, I'm here to have fun."
Remus slapped him gently around the head.
"Here you go," Peter said, passing Remus a drink. He looked at it for a moment, before deciding that one wouldn't hurt.
"To the future," Sirius said, tipping his goblet to Remus' and Peter's.
"To the future," they said together, before having a drink.
They continued for the following half an hour, drinking and chatting between themselves before disbanding and talking to other friends and acquaintances.
At 11.57pm, they found their way back to one another again; Remus, James, Peter, Sirius and Lily.
"Greeeeaaat night Moonpie!" a drunken Sirius crooned, much to Remus' embarrassment. It had taken him long enough to be satisfied with 'Moony', now it seemed Sirius was trying to take it to the next level.
"Bugger off," Remus replied, laughing joyfully.
Peter turned to James, and attempted– in a voice clear to everyone within a three-mile radius - to whisper to him, "Have you kissed your girl yet? Or are you waiting until twelve, on the dot?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Wormtail," James responded, equally as audible, "But we've done plenty of that – and more besides. How about we all get another drink, ready for the countdown?"
Lily, her pallor looking increasingly flushed through both her alcohol intake and her boyfriend's remarks, was only too willing to oblige.
"I'll get them," she said, making her way over to the drinks' table.
As soon as she was out of earshot, James laid his head against Peter's and announced, "I think I love her, boys. Maybe I should ask her to marry me. Maybe we should have children!"
"Only if you name one after me," Sirius interjected.
"Here you go," Lily declared, handing each of them one of the drinks floating in front of her.
The rest of the room was also occupied with people rushing to get their drinks in time. Lily had gone at a good point, for now at the Firewhiskey table stood a rather long queue.
"How long until the countdown?" Remus asked his companions.
They each shrugged in turn, until James indicated the balloons in the sky just above them.
From the various animal shapes, the balloons transformed to say the words:
'The countdown will begin shortly.'
The Marauders and Lily looked between each other, grins upon each of their faces, before casting their gaze back up at the balloons above them.
Five…
…Four…
…Three…
…Two…
…One…
"…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Everyone chorused together, tipping drinks this way and that as they wished their friends a good new year.
Balloons poured out from every corner, evaporating through the walls as they swarmed together and filled the ceiling.
"Happy new year, guys," Remus cheered.
"Happy new year."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Three hours later, James was crawling up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, followed by a slightly more sober Remus.
Behind them, Sirius and Peter were clambering over one another, and through the portrait hole.
It had been a great night for them all, though – as James rudely pointed out – only one of them had been romantically successful. Regardless, they were all quite ready for bed.
James instinctively fell onto the first bed in the room, without removing his shoes or changing into his pyjamas.
Upon noting this, Remus grunted something along the lines of 'get out of my bed', though he was far too tired to do anything about it, and he instead opted to get into James' bed instead.
"Thsmabed," James mumbled into Remus' pillow, pushing himself up off the bed to head to his own.
He fell swiftly on top of his friend, who had snuggled under the covers of his contingency.
"Get off me, you prat," Remus laughed, pushing at James.
At that point Sirius stumbled in, and upon noticing James and Remus, his eyes lit up, "Are we having a group hug?" he asked, diving straight for James' bed.
Remus huffed, though the smile on his face gave away his true feelings as he waited for the huge weight that would be Sirius'.
"Humph," James grunted, as Sirius landed on him.
Peter shut the door, then, and in his mentally stable state, he opted to head to his own bed; the one neighbouring James'.
"Good night guys," he called, kicking off his shoes and hat, and climbing into his own bed.
"Happy new year," Remus mumbled, beneath a mass of arms and legs.
Sirius tilted his head in order to enable himself to breathe properly, and croaked, "Happy new year."
"Happy new year," James yawned, before swiftly falling asleep.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Remus awoke around 5am, sweating with the heat of being so close to two people.
It wasn't abundantly clear what had awoken him at first, until-
"Well done Sirius," he murmured, yawning, "First fart of the year."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Random ending, I know: )
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Happy writing and reading for 2018. (and happy marauding, because what's life without it?)