Chapter Two:
James Potter sat with his three closest friends at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. This foursome called themselves "The Marauders" because they loved to cause trouble wherever they went. The popular and attractive James Potter and Sirius Black, the inseparable duo, were the undisputed leaders of the quartet. Remus Lupin, with his light brown hair and serious manner, was a prefect and the most studious of the talented group, and Peter Pettigrew, the last boy, was slightly chubby and shorter than the other three- of a bit lower than middling height- with a nervous look about him as he followed his companions in whatever they did. Currently, they were discussing James and Lily Evans' fight the previous night.
"Mate, after what we did to Snivellus yesterday you couldn't really have expected her to greet your company with open arms." Sirius was telling a disheartened-looking James.
"I told you it would only lead to trouble. I said, very clearly, mind, my opinion on placing a chizpurfle on his wand. I knew that something bad would come of it! I said that Lily would be angry at you for it-" Remus lectured, not caring that his friends were looking very impatient and bored.
"Moony, it was your idea!" Sirius interrupted. "How were we supposed to know that he wouldn't use his wand all summer and wouldn't find it? It's not our fault his wand exploded or that he couldn't properly afford a new one. He shouldn't have tried to hex us. If he hadn't, his wand would have remained… unexploded… and in disuse!"
"He would have used it at some point! And I was joking, as you knew, and I had just had several butterbeers. I was delusional enough to think you wouldn't actually do something like that!"
"Butterbeers aren't strong, Moony, you would have to drink Rosmerta's whole stock ten times over to get even a bit drunk!"
"Not all of us have been drinking firewhiskey since third year. I have a low alcohol tolerance and you know that, it's your fault his head turned itself inside out and he's in the hospital wing. Not even the first day of term and you two manage to destroy his wand and land him in the hospital! You're lucky I haven't told McGonagall. I'm a prefect now, I ought to!"
"You would never tell, Moony. Besides, I'm certain that he was starting an unforgivable. How would that have worked out? Did you want me cruciated by Snivelly?" James chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Prongs, mate, seriously, though- haha, get it, Sirius?- I think that Snape is getting involved with Voldemort." Here Sirius paused for effect, ignoring Remus's look of doubt and James' chuckle ("hehe… involved! Snivelly's gotten in Voldy's pants!"), before continuing, "He's been hanging around Mulciber and Avery and James' parents have seen their families on Auror missions, either as Death Eaters or mingling with them. We need to find out what he's up to, because a Death Eater in the school, even with Dumbledore, means-"
"Evans!" shouted Peter. Sirius glared at him murderously, angry at the interruption.
"Wormtail, as much as I always appreciate hearing about Evans, I think Pads was trying to say something." Peter ignored James' admonition.
"Evans, simply smashing, simply corking to see you as we discuss things. Things that you could easily hear, because you are within hearing distance. Right, Sirius?
Sirius looked at Peter gratefully as he began to understand, and Remus looked worried. Lily, however, who had been walking along the Gryffindor table to seat herself near her friends and dorm mates, just looked at Peter oddly. "What is it that you didn't want me to overhear, Pettigrew?"
"Sorry, Lily, he was just being odd. Ate a funny piece of Shepherd's Pie, you know, he's feeling a bit sick." Intervened Remus. Lily nodded, still looking slightly suspicious, and continued over to where her friends sat.
"'Funny piece of Shepherd's Pie', Moony, is it even possible for Shepherd's Pie to taste funny? Not at all! What was that?" Sirius began to rant.
"Wait… Moony, how come she lets you call her Lily, but if I call her Lily, she bites my ruddy head off? That's… that's bloody unfair, that is!"
"Prongs, I'm a prefect, we have prefect duties together. How are we supposed to work together as the 5th year Gryffindor prefects if we can't even bring ourselves to call each other by our proper names?"
"Suppose you're right." James muttered dully as Professor McGonagall came around to hand them their schedules for the year. Once they had been received, they were quickly exchanged and the Marauders' elated whoops sounded across the table, mingling with the similar cries of their fellow students.
Sirius and James, as always, were in the same classes excepting Arithmancy- Sirius had taken Muggle Studies in its stead as he was sure it would annoy his pureblood purist parents. Remus and Peter had almost all of their classes with the two, the exceptions again being their electives, but this time both. "Well, suppose we ought to be off then?" said James. "First's Transfiguration, and McGonagall can be a right wanker when she's mad." After nodding and a few chuckles, the four teenage boys headed off to the first class of their O.W.L. year.
