Well, we met Lily last time, so here we meet the infamous Marauders. Enjoy.
"Prongs! You git!" Sirius's dramatic performance came to an abrupt halt once my book collided with his thick skull. He whirled around to face me, I sat contently in my corner, holding a look of smug satisfaction on my face. I could tell Sirius was trying to formulate an attack plan for his revenge, I could always tell what Sirius was thinking. We had been best mates since he stepped into my compartment on the Hogwarts Express at the start of 1st year. Sirius was lost and looking for his cousins. Instead he sat with me and, well, the rest will be written in Hogwarts: A History. As the rest of the Gryffindor 6th years chuckled and went back to playing chess and talking, I pulled out my wand and with a nonverbal accio, my book was back in my hands. I soon opened to the page I had been on when Sirius's antics had interrupted my reading. I heard Sirius huff loudly and sit down resuming his conversation with Marlene and Dorcas. Then I felt the cushion of my bench sag and looked over the top of my book to see Remus and Evans had sat down.
"So Moony," I began setting my book down. "What's new with the enemy?" Remus rolled his eyes and opened his mouth for a retort, but it was Evans who spoke up first.
"Enemy?" She looked at me quizzically, then to Remus for answers. He sighed heavily before answering. Remus never appreciated my nickname for the prefects.
"James feels that-" I cut him off.
"The Prefects and Heads are authority figures," I explained casually to her, well as casually as you can get with the person you are head over heals with. "And the Marauders are very much anti-authority." I said as matter-o-factly as I could and picked up my book and pretended to read. Maybe blocking her face with the book would help me not gawk at her while I tried to talk to her. I further explained while hiding behind the text. "So, therefore, the Prefects are our enemy."
"Damn the Man!" Supplied Sirius in support of my statement as we gave each other a high five.
"But what about Remus?" Evans countered, drawing my attention back to her.
"What about Moony?" I answered her question with a question, she huffed loudly and continued. Hearing her temper rise in her voice made me smile.
"He's a prefect." I rolled my eyes luckily she didn't see it with my book blocking her view of my face. Then I put my book down, placed an arm over Remus's shoulders, and leaned over him until I was inches from Evans.
"He's a spy," I said in and excited whisper. I then grew louder, making a grand sweeping motion with my free arm. "Sent to infiltrate the Prefects, and tell us their plans!" I finished with a smirk, Sirius and the girls laughed, having abandoned their conversation to eavesdrop on ours. Moony popped me on the top of the head in a "tisk tisk" manner and I sat back in my corner leaning against the window. Evans knitted her eyebrows and averted her gaze from me, but it was obvious I was the target of her question.
"What about me?" Well, how the hell are you supposed to answer that? What about you Evans? Well, let me see. You're the smartest, funniest, kindest person in the whole damn school. You always take the time to help younger students. You have positively the most perfect laugh that I have ever heard. You amazingly, somehow kept the peace between Slytherin and Gryffindor for 5 years, well mostly kept the peace. You have perfect marks, you are genuine, and on top of all this, you are positively the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth. But, I can't exactly spill all that to you considering how much you hate me. So, instead I must put on the cocky grin and say something stupid.
"You? You're my favorite Evans." She scowls and turns to talk with Marlene and Dorcas. I mentally kick myself and bury my nose back into my book.
As soon as we entered the great hall, I began to survey the talent. Two months is a long time for a teenage girl, who knows how many of them have blossomed over the summer. A few Ravenclaws were giggling and flirtatiously smiling at me, they couldn't have been older than 4th year, but I flipped my hair over my shoulder and indulged them with a wink and a smile. They all went scarlet and ran off to their table.
"Robbing the cradle are we Padfoot?" James had appeared at my side and was giving me a mock disapproving look. I clapped him on the shoulder and led him to the Gryffindor table, I was positively starving.
"Insert crude joke about grass on the quidditch pitch and playing ball." I replied haughtily, James forced a pretend gag and we both laughed loudly as we sat next to Remus and Peter.
"What's so funny?" Remus inquired. James shook his head and waved Remus off, his laugh slowing to a chuckle.
"You don't want to know Moony," James answered, then turned his attention to the front of the room, where the staff table was located. "Where are the damn 1st years? I'm starving, that Pumpkin Pasty from the train won't hold me for long."
"I concur Jamesy-boy." I said, also searching the front of the room for the 1st years. The feast wouldn't start until they were sorted, and all I ate on the train was Chocolate Frogs. One would think that I would have learned better from the past 5 years. Then Professor McGonagall walked them in and began the sorting ceremony. "Let's get this over with Minnie!" I cried out causing the room to laugh, no one but me would dare call her Minnie. "I'm positively famished!" She shook her head but I could see a faint smile cross her lips, no matter how much I tormented her, McGonagall always had a soft spot for me. She continued on as if I had said nothing.
I sighed and propped my elbow up on the table, then placed my chin in my palm. Minnie was explaining the procedure to the1st years and I began to survey the Gryffindor table. I looked up and down it trying to remember the names of the younger kids, but could only come up with the ones that I either dated or played on the quidditch team with. Then my gaze fell upon Marlene. She looked amazing. Those deep blue eyes, perfect smile, and an amazing body to boot, it was more than I could stand. I ran my eyes over her long silky blonde hair cascaded down her lean back. It was not so long ago I ran my hands through that hair. Marlene was the only girl to ever be the one to dump me. I often wondered if that was the only reason I wanted her so bad. Was she just the one girl I hadn't conquered and kicked to the curb, or was she the only one I had wanted to keep around? Was the reason I didn't break it off because I really did want to be with her? It was murder having to see her all the time too. She had almost the exact same schedule as me, and also played on the quidditch team. Since she broke up with me at the end of 4rth year, literally as we were on Platform 9 ¾ about to go meet our parents, I had pined after her. I started dating everything in a skirt trying to find somebody that made me feel the way she did. None of them ever did.
"What are you looking at?" Marlene had caught me ogling her. I regained my composure as best I could. Though, instead of falling into the same old cocky Sirius Black demeanor I usually hid behind, I slowly sat up straight, folded my hands in front of me on the table, and replied calmly.
"I'm looking at you Ms. McKinnon." She looked shocked, hell I felt shocked! What had I just done? Did I just make it obvious I was mad about her? Did I just let on that I was definitely not over her? I had spent my whole 5th year trying to show her otherwise and become friends. Did I just undue a whole year of becoming mates with her? I did my best to look calm and collected as I turned back to Minnie as the last of the new kids were being sorted. I, Sirius Black was miles out of my comfort zone.
The first night of term went as all the others before it. The hat sang a song, the 1st years were sorted, James and Sirius pigged out at the feast, and then it was off to the dormitory's. Frank needed to stay behind with Molly for a heads meeting with the staff, and Alice stayed behind to wait for him. So Frank gave me the new password to the Fat Lady and I led the house to Gryffindor tower. Of course, me being put in charge, put James and Sirius into troublemaking over-drive.
"Prefect! Prefect!" James began, Lily tried to give him a stern look but he just ignored it. "What's this?" He pointed to a suit of armor. I opened my mouth tell him to shut it but I was cut off by Sirius.
"What's this?" Sirius pointed to a tapestry. The 6th and 7th years shook their heads with small smiles at the Marauders childlike antics, the younger students were finding it quite hysterical.
"What's this?" James pointed to a painting containing some offended looking elderly witches. The younger kids were now laughing louder and beginning to mimic James and Sirius.
"What's this?" Peter had joined in by pointing down a random hallway. It was getting out of hand now and I was losing control of the group I was trying to lead. My friends were the best mates anyone could have, but they were also a giant pain in the arse.
"What's this?" Sirius began tugging on the tapestry, it looked like it was going to come off the wall, and the horses in it were looking very unhappy. The older students were moving on without me and the younger ones were becoming scattered around the hall we were walking down. I finally snapped at him.
"Padfoot I swear!" I boomed, he let go of the tapestry, and all of the younger students fell back into line rather quickly. The 1st years were looking especially scared of me. I hated when people looked at me like that. Anybody that knew about my condition, or as James liked to jest, my "furry little problem", looked at me that way, save the other Marauders. I guess Sirius noticed how I was reacting to being looked at like that by the 1st years. He immediately took the attention from me, and then stuck out his lower lip and made big puppy dog eyes. I chuckled, here it comes.
"I'm swoory Pwefect Moowny." He said giving himself a childlike lisp. Everyone chuckled. I had to admit that Sirius was quite talented at taking the tension out of a situation, usually at the expense of my authority, but I was most grateful for it this time. Then capitalizing on everyone being distracted by Sirius's antics James snuck up next to Lily and me.
"What's this?" James asked while putting his arm around Lily and brandishing a smirk. She rolled her eyes, but to my surprise didn't tell James to shove off. I figured it was about time I played along with the gag. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and tried to put on my most exasperated voice.
"That, my dear boy, is a Lily Evans." I answered trying to sound like a tired professor. Everyone laughed, I was glad to win back the younger Gryffindors. I then motioned for them all to continue on to the dorms. James, walking with his arm still around Lily, placed his free hand under his chin and pretended to be deep in thought.
"I think I rather like this 'Lily Evans' you speak of." The older students now joined in on the laughter, James's affection for the red head was known to anyone that had been in Hogwarts for any period of time. She smiled and shrugged his arm from her shoulders, quickening her pace to catch up with Marlene and Emmeline. James gave me a wink, and disappeared down a hidden passage with Sirius and Peter. I knew they were going to pull a start of the year prank, but thankfully they had not told me it, plausible deniability.
I had to hustle to keep up with James and Sirius, they were much more athletic than me. I had always been small for my age. Never would I be as tall as Remus, or muscular as James. I was also the most plain in looks of the Marauders. James and Sirius always had girls chasing after them. Remus, even looking as sickly as he did, had girls fancying him. Though, not standing out amongst the Marauders did have its advantages. I was inconspicuous. People would let slip things with me around that they would never if any of the other three were present. I also received far less punishment than James or Sirius, even less than Remus. So when those three were in detention, I was off putting our plans into play. And since the prime suspects for the prank would have bullet proof alibis, and nobody expected me to do something on my own, we were in the clear while the staff tried to pin it on somebody else. I also could make my way around the grounds in my animagus form, adding to my sneaking ability. But, all these traits didn't detract from how jealous I was of the other Marauders at times.
"Wormtail," It was Sirius in an urgent, hushed voice. "Transform, quickly, Filtch is coming." I saw James showing Sirius The Marauders Map, then they disappeared under the invisibility cloak James's father had given him. Then I concentrated on becoming my animagus form. I felt my bones and muscle tissue disappearing away. My senses changed, I could smell everything around me now, my eyesight grew poorer, and I now felt the cool stone of the castle floor beneath my four paws. Filtch rounded the corner into the passage we were taking. He smelled of stale food that hung in the form of crumbs on his jacket. He had been outside recently, the mud on his boots was fresh. Filtch held his lantern aloft and searched feebly for anything in the hall. I squeezed myself as small as I could into where the wall met the floor. He must have been alerted to us when he heard our footsteps or something. Mrs. Norris was nowhere to be seen, she must be off patrolling another part of the castle. Filtch cursed to himself and was back off where he had come from. I remained still.
"Stay transformed Wormtail, the Slytherin common room is only a bit further." Came James from under the invisibility cloak, and I heard them begin to shuffle forwards. I followed sticking close to the wall. The plan was to use this passageway to get close to the Slytherin common room, then we could over hear their new password and then we could get in and cause some mischief. We continued downwards until we emerged from behind a statue in the dungeons. I rather liked the school dungeons, I would sometimes transform and wander them if I couldn't sleep. They were quiet and cool, Gryffindor tower could get very rambunctious, and sun poured into it, making it uncomfortably warm around mid-day.
"Severus, have you considered our offer?" Thorfinn Rowle was talking outside the common room with Severus Snape. Snape was a git, he was always a git. What he called Evans last year was awful, James was right to have hexed him so often. James and Sirius had even begun to leave Snape alone too. Even as bad as Snape was, Rowle was worse. He was a 7th year now, and he made sure to torment anyone her could that was not in Slytherin, indiscriminately throwing hexes around the halls. He had always been big, huge in fact. Played Beater for the Slytherin House team, and in my opinion, was always a bit crazy. With him, surrounding Snape were 6th year Walden Macnair, and three 5th years. Two of them were the Carrow twins, and the third was Regulus. Regulas was Sirius's brother. There was definitely some tension there, especially since Sirius was disowned by the Black family and went to stay with the Potters.
"I have, but what does becoming a Death eater want to be like you gain me?" I heard James and Sirius chuckle quietly under the cloak. Even if it was Snape making the insult, it was still funny.
"Watch yourself!" Rowle was growing angry now, and that was never good. Severus backed down a bit from him. "We are recruits, we answer to somebody close to The Dark Lord. He left me in charge when he graduated a few years ago." What? This was serious. Actual Death Eaters were actively recruiting in Hogwarts. And Regulus was one of them? I heard a rustle to my left, it must have been James restraining Sirius. He would be extremely pissed his brother was running with this crowd.
"Come on Sev," It was Macnair now, over the past few years as Snape grew further from Lily, he grew closer to his roommate. Macnair was as bad as Rowle, but not in a brutish way like the large blonde. He was violent and malicious, a thin dark haired terror. He and James dueled on many occasions, being in the same classes for the past 5 years gave them lots of opportunity to go at it. "It's time you stopped just talking and started acting." There was a dark blade like edge to his voice. Snape looked at the faces of those encircling him, and sighed heavily, giving up his defiance.
"Ok, what happens now?" Snape asked exasperatedly.
"We'll contact you when the time comes," Answered Rowle with a terrible smile. "For now, just go about your business as usual." He turned to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, the others following. "Basilisk." The wall opened, allowing them to enter, and they were gone.
Well, that was enough introducing of characters for me. Next time we get into the swing of things at Hogwarts. Review Please!