The halls of Hogwarts had always been filled with the founders' legends. Famous were the stories of Godric Gryffindor defeating flaming chimeras, or those of Helga Hufflepuff's deadly horticultural projects repelling evildoers from the castle. Less evident, however, were stories of Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, perhaps mirroring their less forthcoming personalities. The full capabilities of Slytherin and Ravenclaw were shrouded in mystery, which is why no one ever foresaw the absolute reign of terror that Severus and Petunia unleashed on Hogwarts—or more specifically, on the Marauders.
For weeks, the Marauders were pranked, hexed, and charmed to an inch of their lives. Of course, none of the harassment was seriously harmful; it wasn't in either Petunia's or Severus' plans to raise undue attention among the Professors. Furthermore, they threw off possible suspicions by pranking random targets—an unfortunate but necessary tactic brought up by the Machiavellian Severus. Petunia, displaying how successful of a Slytherin she could have been, also asked Rachel to start rumors saying that the true culprit resided in Gryffindor, a House that was admittedly known for excessive mischief.
While Petunia and Severus waged their war, Lily was released from the Infirmary high in both spirits and health, and resumed classes with nary a scratch. The only minor hiccup occurred when she saw Sirius Black (whom she thoroughly hexed), but everything else resumed to a semi-normal state. Seeing just how fine Lily was, Petunia and Severus relented a little in their dislike for the Marauders, but still continued their vendetta either way. To tell the truth, all the research needed to fuel their pranks had contributed significantly to their practicals in classes, and both gained a particular ability to sneak through the castle unnoticed during nighttime. To top it all off, they might have been having a little bit of fun too; there was something of an allure in being successfully sneaky right under the noses of Professors, no matter how much they respected them. A giggling Petunia also helped Severus sprinkle a powdered Hiccupping Potion onto Professor Syles' robes during class, an invention Severus had created. Even Professor Slughorn was dumbfounded to why his own antidotes could not cure his colleague.
Of course, things eventually came to a head. While the various acts of misdirection might have thrown off the rest of the Hogwarts population, the Marauders obviously had a very good idea of who their tormentors were.
"We know it's you, you know," James Potter said, referring to Petunia and Severus. The four Marauders formed a small half circle around the other two, and Petunia saw something flash across James' face.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," said Severus smoothly. "How about you, Tuney?"
"I agree, Sev," replied Petunia, and they exchanged rather obvious smiles. "No idea at all."
James shook his head, an odd look on his face—Petunia could have sworn it was amusement. "All of our hair changing colors when we sneezed; Sirius' underwear strung out in the Great Hall; Peter's nose growing every time he spoke—ringing a bell?"
"No," said Severus while picking at his fingernails indifferently.
Peter butt in. "We know it was you two! No one else has any reason to hate us this much, and we're receiving the most of the pranks. The nose prank really hurt when Madam Pomfrey had to force it back into my face, you know," he added reproachfully, rubbing his nose. He thought it still felt bruised.
"Besides," said Remus calmly, "the Pinocchio incident in particular narrowed down our suspects. Very few wizards know the story."
"So what if Severus and I are behind the pranks?" Petunia said haughtily. "What are you going to do?" Beside her, Severus mentally shook his head at her blunt words, as they were practically a declaration of guilt.
"Well, we can't really hold it against you, can we, Evans?" asked Sirius Black, hands crossed behind his head. "After all, we are sorry about Lily. And we know how to take a joke. But we're only trying to confirm because some of the pranks were—" he broke off with an admiring laugh.
"—Bloody brilliant, that's what," interjected James with bright eyes. "As pranksters ourselves, we had to appreciate the work that went into them!"
Petunia couldn't refrain from exchanging a surprised glance with Severus. Of all the possible reactions that she had imagined from the Marauders, respect hadn't been one of them. The unexpected praise, however, appealed to her proud side; even she had to admit that some of her ideas had been ingenious. She knew that even Severus was slightly pleased by looking at the curl of his mouth, though anyone else would perceive his face as dour and sarcastic as usual.
"If we happen to meet these amazing pranksters, we'll pass on the message," drawled Severus.
James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said, "act all Slytherin-ish. But just know that we know!" And with a drama only eleven-year-olds could produce, the Marauders swirled off to leave Petunia and Severus alone in the corridor.
From that moment on, the Marauders treated Petunia and Severus with an air of respect, trying to strike up a camaraderie with the two. They rebuffed the Marauders' advances, but the boys' clear admiration did wonders to soften Petunia's anger. Coupled with Lily's cheerful presence, Severus especially began to hate the boys less when James Potter came by to apologize—for a different reason.
"I'm here to say sorry for all of us," said James frankly, hazel eyes intent. "We were just being brainless, when we made fun of you." He offered a hand to Severus, and when the latter seemed unwilling, James forced Severus' hand in a shake. "It's not enough, I know," he said, "but it's a start."
Severus jerked his hand back. "Don't presume to know anything about me," he sniffed, but James just gave a good-natured chuckle and slapped his back before heading off.
"You're alright, Snape," he said, ignoring Severus' gobsmacked expression, and headed off to where the other Marauders stood.
From that moment on, James and Sirius were only too happy to badger Petunia and Severus for prank knowledge—or, at least, what seemed to them like important information. Peter, in particular, was a devoted listener, and Remus just seemed happy that events had let him able to focus more on his studies and less on mediating the fights that James and Sirius got into. Of course, Petunia and Severus were no bending daffodils, and often thrashed the Marauders with biting words and sarcastic exchanges. But much like the battle with a troll that occurred in a distant universe, Petunia and Severus found that some things just couldn't withstand the onslaught of friendship—such as the enthusiasm and pure force that the Marauders contended. And so the first year of the unlikely friends ended with a happily confusing finality.
A/N: Whew, another one done! I have to apologize for the rushing of the timeline, but I do want to get to the more interesting parts. From now on, I'll be focusing even more primarily on Petunia, and the relationships she builds while at Hogwarts and on. Now that I've gotten most canon things out of the way, I feel freer to make the story more AU. I really want to write a good romance/romances too, so send me suggestions! (Also, stick with me as I change my username.)
