"Quick! Throw your trunks out the window!" Elizabeth shouted. Everyone did as they were told and threw their trunks out the window. At least, the boys threw the trunks out the window. The train began to pick up in speed.

"What now, Elizabeth?" asked Sirius in a panic. Elizabeth had her wand pointed at the door.

"BOMBOICA!" she screamed, and the door was blasted open. "Hurry, before the train gets too fast!" As the six young twelve-year-olds raced out of the compartment, the train was picking up in speed. Elizabeth opened the door that led to the outside. One by one, Sirius, Remus, Marlene and Elizabeth jumped off the train, but Lily was too frightened.

"No… no, I'm not doing it! I'm not jumping!" Lily shouted.

"Evans, you have to!" James exclaimed. The train started getting faster.

"Hurry, guys!" Sirius screamed at them. Elizabeth, Marlene, Sirius and Remus were starting to fall behind as the train picked up in speed.

"No! No, I'm not jumping!" Lily exclaimed.

"Damn it, Evans!" James snapped. He grabbed onto her and jumped, holding her as close as possible to his chest while she screamed. When he landed, James made sure that his back hit the ground first and Lily was still on his chest. After a moment of heavy breathing, Lily picked her head up from James's chest and watched the train pass by. James stood and helped her up. "Now, about getting to Hogwarts…"

…

As soon as the six had set off, the sky opened up and sheets of rain fell upon them, soaking them. With their hoods pulled up, they set off towards the Hogwarts gates.

"Yoor, Zabini, Zellar, Zyman…" said a young and small Filius Flitwick as he checked off the names of the students passing by. Going over his list, Flitwick saw that six of the fifteen-hundred or so students were missing, and he sighed, afraid that he had made a mistake and would have to start over again at the entrance courtyard. Looking up, he saw six soaked students running towards the gate just after the hard rain that had hit them all. "Names?"

"Black, Sirius," said Sirius, walking through the gates.

"Hawking, Elizabeth," said Elizabeth, following.

"Evans."

"Potter, James."

"Lupin."

"McKinnon." Flitwick checked off each name as it was said.

"Any reason you six are all behind?" he asked them after locking the gates.

"Long story," said Sirius.

"Hard to explain," said James.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to explain this to Professor McGonagall; you've missed the sorting ceremony. Six sighs arose from the group in front of him. When they reached the entrance hall, they all set their trunks with the others and were brought to McGonagall's office, where they explained their entire story.

"Hmm… it seems to me that the conductor isn't checking the compartments before he departs from Hogsmeade station…" McGonagall said to herself. "Very well. You may go to the Great Hall for dinner, all of you." The kids, relieved, stood and left her office, while Filch pouted due to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to administer any kind of punishment to the six marauders.

"We got out of that one due to sheer luck," said Elizabeth as the six Gryffindor second years made their way to the Great Hall.

"It was due to my cunning intelligence," said Sirius, moving next to her. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Cunning intelligence? Where does that exist in your brain?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"It's quite clear, don't you think?" Sirius asked her.

"Shove off, Black," Elizabeth snapped, picking up her speed and disappearing around a corner. Lily huffed.

"Leave her alone, damn it! It's not like she did anything to you!" she snapped, and she followed Elizabeth around the corner. Marlene rolled her eyes with a slight smile.

"You marauders…" she said before picking up her speed and following Lily and Elizabeth.

"You know, I don't think you'll catch their attention by picking on them constantly," Remus told them.

"Oh, relax, Moony! It's not like we bully them!" Sirius exclaimed.

"But they certainly do feel it," Remus told them as they pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.

"Ah, it feels great to be in here again!" James exclaimed, looking around at the grand hall where everything took place. Meals, friendships, the sorting ceremony, the dances… it all happened within the walls of this large and spacious room. Looking up, James saw the enchanted floating candles and the starry night sky that was the enchanted ceiling.

"Come on, then, Prongsie, let's get a spot before the food's all gone," came Sirius's voice.

"Er… right," said James, and followed Sirius and Remus to an empty part of the table.

…

Later that night, Peter, James, Sirius and Remus sat in the boys' dormitory with sighs of happiness.

"Ah… good to be back," said Sirius, his hands behind his head.

"Gotta love Hogwarts! Merlin, did I miss it!" James exclaimed, sitting on the windowsill by the window.

"When are the Quidditch tryouts, James?" came the still high-pitched voice of Peter Pettigrew from the floor.

"Next weekend, mate. I can't wait!" James exclaimed.

"When was the last time that Gryffindor won the cup, Prongs?" asked Remus from the floor by Sirius's bed.

"Dunno… supposedly my dad's second year at Hogwarts," James replied. "Got myself a nice broom! A Nimbus! First model and the fastest broom in the world!"

"How I'd love to be wealthy like you, Prongs," said Remus, opening a book and turning his attention to it.

"Yeah, gotta love the good life," James replied, yawning. "Well, I'm turning in. Night, mates."

"Night, Potter," said Sirius.

"Night, Prongs," said Remus, standing and moving to his own bed.

"Nigh, James!" squeaked Peter, getting up slowly and waddling to his own bed.