Wow. Okay, first of all I really would like to apologise for how long this took me to update. I had major writers' block, but still. That's no excuse. I'm sorry to you guys who've been reviewing me faithfully. Soo, Eatorbitwrappers, Angry Fox Girl, Sullen Kitty, and especially Scubadiver101 whose last review was "update soon please!" in ... February... I'm really sorry. I hope you like this chapter and I'll try and make the next chapter quicker, if you're still reading )
The Gryffindor Common Room was loud and hectic as the students piled in through the portrait hole. The armchairs were filled, as were the student's stomachs, and everyone was ready to snuggle down into a nice, squishy bed. The fact that the stairways to the dormitories were blocked off only served to aggravate the crowd of teenagers stuck in the Common Room.
The two staircases leading to the dormitories were out of sight, hidden by newly conjured red brick walls that covered their entranceways. One of these bricks was screaming orders at the Gryffindors – for some reason with a thick Russian accent.
"Why would they block off the dormitories?" Remus frowned. "McGonagall's not mentioned anything to us."
"Go now! Sit!" The brick (named Humphrey by some first year girls) bawled.
"I dunno," James said rather loudly, as it was difficult to be heard over all of the other complaining Gryffindors). "Maybe someone's blown them up."
"No more noise now!"
"Don't be ridiculous." Remus hissed. "You can't just blow up a dormitory."
"Do you think we're in trouble?" Peter said.
"I wouldn't be surprised." James reasoned.
"NO SINGING!"
"But we haven't done anything!"
"Well they'd better hurry up and open them soon –"
"– Else we will be forced to blast our way through," Sirius interjected ("You there! Put DOWN the roast potato!"). "Right James?"
"Definitely," James said gravely.
"There will be no 'blasting' in my Common Room, Mr Black!"
The swarming Gryffindors fell silent as Professor McGonagall strode from the portrait hole, wand drawn and a trusty frown set upon her face. She stepped forward and pointed her wand at the Russian brick, who fell silent after a final hysterical cry of, "Normal children do not throw things to bricks!".
"I am here, to tell all of you something very important, so there will be no interruptions! Now, you may have heard some rumours about a new student at Hogwarts – Roxette Sharp –"
At this, Peter whimpered, Remus frowned and the rest of the common room burst into anxious whispers and excited mumbles.
"Quiet!" Again, the common room descended into silence as Professor McGonagall continued. "Professor Dumbledore allowed Miss Sharp into this school! The Sorting Hat put her into Gryffindor this very morning! That should be enough reason for all of you to accept her within this house. The house of Gryffindor has always had a good reputation for its acceptance and affability. Please, do not let your house down. I want no aggravation from any of you. Understood?"
The students gave her a mumble of agreement in response.
"Miss Sharp will be residing in the girl's dormitories as of tonight. Now, I want everyone in bed." She stared at their shocked faces with impatience. "Immediately!"
With a massive sense of finality, Professor McGonagall whipped round and exited through the portrait hole, and as soon as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung shut the entire Common Room burst into life as the students began gossiping with one another. It was astonishing to see the Gryffindors so excited so early in the year, especially to such an extent; all over the room groups formed and within seconds brand new stories and theories were being flung around the room. Near the fireplace, a gigantic gang of girls were discussing plans that would allow them to sleep outside of the Girls' Dormitories. Inches from these girls there were a gaggle of boys, who were offering, with false selflessness, to have the girls sleep in their rooms. James, inspired, turned to his three friends with hope in his eyes.
"Oi, you don't think Evans would fall for that, do you?"
Remus and Sirius exchanged identical exasperated glances.
"Lily Evans doesn't even like eating in the Great Hall when you're sitting on the same table, James," Remus pointed out. "So I doubt she'll want to be asleep in a dorm with you."
"Especially when you might do God knows what to her when she sleeps..." Sirius smirked.
James looked at them both thoughtfully.
"You know, I reckon you're right," he said, before he disappeared into the crowds of teenagers, crying, "OI, EVANS!" as loudly as possible.
"One day, that girl is going to curse him up something nasty, and I don't blame her," Remus said with an affectionate smile.
"Yeah, and then knowing James, he'll beg her to nurse him back to health," Sirius laughed. Peter stared at the both of them, with an over-exaggerated look of horror set on his face.
"How can you laugh?" He squeaked. "How can you laugh, knowing that there's an insanely dangerous dark witch just above ours heads? Not only that, but a murderer! A murderer who's going to live with us – without supervision – for the entire school year?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be an insanely dark wizard, but you seem to put up with me." Sirius said. "Besides, she won't live with us for the whole year." Peter looked up at him, his face a picture of complete panicky innocence and Remus frowned at him as well.
"She won't?"
"Of course not. As soon as she murders someone again, they'll send her straight back to Azkaban, won't they?"
"Sirius!" Remus half-scolded, half-laughed at his friend.
Peter, however, paled, shut his mouth tight and said nothing more on the subject. This was how it went most of the time with the them; Peter got offended, and Remus usually picked up the pieces. And so Remus was about to play his role and comfort Peter, who looked as if he had been Petrified, when James joined them again.
"Where's Evans?"
"'Evans'?" Sirius said in mock confusion. "Who is this 'Evans' of whom you speak? I've never heard the name in my life!" James only glared at him.
"Well, have you seen her or not?"
"Her? Evans a she? James, why haven't you told us about this girl? We would just so love to know all about her..." Sirius grinned at his best friend teasingly as James scowled at him.
"Remus?" James turned to him.
"I haven't seen her. She might have gone to her room already, James. It's not as if she usually hangs around to wait for you, is it?"
"Still. I'm sure we could manage to get someone in our room if you really wanted, Jamsie." Sirius flashed a small smile at girls on the opposite side of the room, who giggled and blushed in response to him. "Unless your still hung up on that... 'Evans' person, whoever she may be."
The Common Room was becoming less full now, as some students disappeared off up the staircase. But there was still a noticeably large number of girls hanging around, obviously unwilling to venture into the Girls Dormitories. But there was definitely a lack of a certain red haired individual in the room, it was quite plain now that the room wasn't quite so full. James shrugged and turned to his friends with a familiar grin set upon his face.
"Come on... How about we begin our traditional first night marauding of Hogwarts?"
None of the few Gryffindors left in the Common Room a half hour later saw the four Marauders' exit through the portrait hole – but that could only be expected of them, since the four of them had snuck under the invisibility cloak with some difficulty before clambering down the spiral staircase.
And none of the four Marauders' noticed Lily Evans climbing the steps to the girls dorms, slowly, quietly, with far more care than she would usually take when climbing those stairs, which she did out of instinctual caution, because she knew that when she reached her room, she would meet the most famous witch of the Gryffindor tower that night. And as the four friends pushed the Portrait of the Fat Lady silently back to her place, covering the hole into the Gryffindor Common Room, Lily Evans opened the door to her room where Roxette Sharp was residing.