Chapter Seven
"The boys have been acting awfully funny today, haven't they, Lily?" asked Ana later that week, before bed. "Do you think that they are up to something?"
"I don't think, I know," Lily replied cheekily. "They're planning something, but James won't tell me a thing. They have been up to something for days. I think that they are about to pull something hilarious, but I don't know what." Lily frowned. "I wish that they'd let me in on it."
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Ana flopped down on her bed. "Whew! I'm exhausted. We're repotting mandrakes in herbology, and they do not want to go into their new pots. Jeremy Figg's mandrake struggled so much, he got a black eye from it!"
Lily laughed, "I'm glad that I don't have to take that class. It sounds like too much work. I'll stick to my charms class." Lily looked at the clock beside her bed. "Which I'll be late to if I don't get to sleep soon!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Peter, wake up," Remus shook Peter's shoulder. "Peter, are you coming?"
"Mmmrreefferrpp," Peter responded. He rolled over and started chewing on his pillow.
"Peter, are you coming or not?" Sirius said as he filled his knapsack. He looked over at his sleeping friend.
"I don't want any breakfast today, mom, just let me sleep five more minutes," Peter rolled back over.
"Oh, leave him. He's not going to get up," James pulled his invisibility cloak from its hiding place and shook it. "Besides, we need to get going."
Sirius and Remus nodded their assent. The three boys stole out of their dormitory room, silently descended the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, out the portrait hole, and towards the Slytherin common room opening. Under the invisibility cloak, they waited.
Their waiting wasn't for very long. Soon, a Slytherin third year came along and muttered the password, allowing entry into the Slytherin common room. Once inside, the boys got to work. First, after making sure that the common room was empty (the Slytherin third year had gone straight upstairs to his dormitory room), James whipped the cloak off of himself, Sirius and Remus.
Sirius went over to the fireplace, and Remus began turning over the green and silver rugs on the floor. James went over to the foot of the staircase leading to the dormitory rooms and began muttering an incantation.
Remus took a bluish-yellow substance from a jar he was carrying and poured it onto the floor under where the rugs had been. He then covered the substance with the rugs he had overturned.
Sirius opened his knapsack, and took what looked like ordinary logs from it. He then took the logs that were in the fireplace waiting for a house elf to come and light it in the morning and put them back in his knapsack. He placed the logs from his knapsack on the grate. Finished, he went over and watched James finish his spell.
James's brow furrowed in concentration. He tapped his wand on each of the banisters on either side of the stairs. He turned to look at Sirius, "Are we all done, then?"
"Almost, Prongs," Sirius looked over at Remus as he was turning over the last of the rugs. "Only one last thing to do."
Sirius went over to the largest armchair in the room and dropped down on his knees in front of it. Once again, he reached into his knapsack. Digging around the bottom of it, he pulled out what he had been looking for, and lay it under the chair. Looking down at the small silver box under the chair, Remus asked, "What's that, Padfoot?"
Sirius stood up and smiled evilly, "That, my dear Moony, is a surprise. Trust me, you'll like it."
"If you say so," Remus replied. Unexpectedly, a door could be heard slamming, announcing the arrival of the house elf that was in charge of lighting the morning fires. "Let's get out of here!" Remus whispered.
James picked up his invisibility cloak. The boys huddled together and covered themselves up with it. They crept over to the Slytherin door and snuck out into the hallway outside. Quickly, they went up to the Gryffindor tower and went back to their dormitory hiding muffled laughter the entire way. Once in their dormitory room, they went to bed rather quickly. None of them noticed that Peter was not in his bed.
The next morning, the boys were surprisingly already at the breakfast table before the girls came downstairs. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting down and eating their porridge when Lily and Ana came in rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
"Whoa, what are you guys doing here?" Ana asked. "You guys usually don't turn up until five minutes before classes start!"
"Umm," Sirius began. "We've finally realized the importance of having a well balanced breakfast before classes?"
"Sure, guys," Lily said. "What's going on?"
"Just sit down, be quiet, and watch. You'll catch on soon enough," James's eyes were twinkling with merriment as he spoke.
The girls didn't have to wait for long. Laughter erupted throughout the Great Hall. A troupe of surly looking Slytherins entered the Great Hall sporting red hair and golden robes. They stood around the Slytherin table staring at each other. One by one, they sat down with great difficulty amid the snickers from the other students. James, Sirius, and Remus exploded with laughter.
The snickers died however, when Lucius, Severus and Alasdair walked in. Although they were decked out with flaming hair and golden robes, the expressions on their faces were severe enough to subside all but the Marauder's laughter. When they took their seats, they did so without the added difficulty that plagued their Slytherin brethren. Their eyes also never left the Gryffindor's table.
Lily felt a cold shiver of dread creep up her spine. Lucius's gaze was so penetrating, he reminded her of someone from the past that she could not get out of her mind. There was just something about those eyes… Lily got up from the table and made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, her breakfast left untouched.
"The boys have been acting awfully funny today, haven't they, Lily?" asked Ana later that week, before bed. "Do you think that they are up to something?"
"I don't think, I know," Lily replied cheekily. "They're planning something, but James won't tell me a thing. They have been up to something for days. I think that they are about to pull something hilarious, but I don't know what." Lily frowned. "I wish that they'd let me in on it."
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Ana flopped down on her bed. "Whew! I'm exhausted. We're repotting mandrakes in herbology, and they do not want to go into their new pots. Jeremy Figg's mandrake struggled so much, he got a black eye from it!"
Lily laughed, "I'm glad that I don't have to take that class. It sounds like too much work. I'll stick to my charms class." Lily looked at the clock beside her bed. "Which I'll be late to if I don't get to sleep soon!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Peter, wake up," Remus shook Peter's shoulder. "Peter, are you coming?"
"Mmmrreefferrpp," Peter responded. He rolled over and started chewing on his pillow.
"Peter, are you coming or not?" Sirius said as he filled his knapsack. He looked over at his sleeping friend.
"I don't want any breakfast today, mom, just let me sleep five more minutes," Peter rolled back over.
"Oh, leave him. He's not going to get up," James pulled his invisibility cloak from its hiding place and shook it. "Besides, we need to get going."
Sirius and Remus nodded their assent. The three boys stole out of their dormitory room, silently descended the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, out the portrait hole, and towards the Slytherin common room opening. Under the invisibility cloak, they waited.
Their waiting wasn't for very long. Soon, a Slytherin third year came along and muttered the password, allowing entry into the Slytherin common room. Once inside, the boys got to work. First, after making sure that the common room was empty (the Slytherin third year had gone straight upstairs to his dormitory room), James whipped the cloak off of himself, Sirius and Remus.
Sirius went over to the fireplace, and Remus began turning over the green and silver rugs on the floor. James went over to the foot of the staircase leading to the dormitory rooms and began muttering an incantation.
Remus took a bluish-yellow substance from a jar he was carrying and poured it onto the floor under where the rugs had been. He then covered the substance with the rugs he had overturned.
Sirius opened his knapsack, and took what looked like ordinary logs from it. He then took the logs that were in the fireplace waiting for a house elf to come and light it in the morning and put them back in his knapsack. He placed the logs from his knapsack on the grate. Finished, he went over and watched James finish his spell.
James's brow furrowed in concentration. He tapped his wand on each of the banisters on either side of the stairs. He turned to look at Sirius, "Are we all done, then?"
"Almost, Prongs," Sirius looked over at Remus as he was turning over the last of the rugs. "Only one last thing to do."
Sirius went over to the largest armchair in the room and dropped down on his knees in front of it. Once again, he reached into his knapsack. Digging around the bottom of it, he pulled out what he had been looking for, and lay it under the chair. Looking down at the small silver box under the chair, Remus asked, "What's that, Padfoot?"
Sirius stood up and smiled evilly, "That, my dear Moony, is a surprise. Trust me, you'll like it."
"If you say so," Remus replied. Unexpectedly, a door could be heard slamming, announcing the arrival of the house elf that was in charge of lighting the morning fires. "Let's get out of here!" Remus whispered.
James picked up his invisibility cloak. The boys huddled together and covered themselves up with it. They crept over to the Slytherin door and snuck out into the hallway outside. Quickly, they went up to the Gryffindor tower and went back to their dormitory hiding muffled laughter the entire way. Once in their dormitory room, they went to bed rather quickly. None of them noticed that Peter was not in his bed.
The next morning, the boys were surprisingly already at the breakfast table before the girls came downstairs. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting down and eating their porridge when Lily and Ana came in rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
"Whoa, what are you guys doing here?" Ana asked. "You guys usually don't turn up until five minutes before classes start!"
"Umm," Sirius began. "We've finally realized the importance of having a well balanced breakfast before classes?"
"Sure, guys," Lily said. "What's going on?"
"Just sit down, be quiet, and watch. You'll catch on soon enough," James's eyes were twinkling with merriment as he spoke.
The girls didn't have to wait for long. Laughter erupted throughout the Great Hall. A troupe of surly looking Slytherins entered the Great Hall sporting red hair and golden robes. They stood around the Slytherin table staring at each other. One by one, they sat down with great difficulty amid the snickers from the other students. James, Sirius, and Remus exploded with laughter.
The snickers died however, when Lucius, Severus and Alasdair walked in. Although they were decked out with flaming hair and golden robes, the expressions on their faces were severe enough to subside all but the Marauder's laughter. When they took their seats, they did so without the added difficulty that plagued their Slytherin brethren. Their eyes also never left the Gryffindor's table.
Lily felt a cold shiver of dread creep up her spine. Lucius's gaze was so penetrating, he reminded her of someone from the past that she could not get out of her mind. There was just something about those eyes… Lily got up from the table and made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, her breakfast left untouched.