Sympathy for the Devil:
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul to waste
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
February at Hogwarts was a bitterly cold affair. Those taking part in outdoor classes carried Pepper-Up Potion to take the edge off the biting cold. Lily was doing a roaring trade in the stuff, as the potion was a bitch to get right at the best of times. Her dorm mates complained about the smell of cloves and black pepper that clung to their clothes and bedding. Lily wasn't too put out as she'd covered their backs with Invigorating Draught enough times since she'd gotten the recipe from Black, she really needed the cash to get a present for James' upcoming birthday. For Lily's birthday in January James had presented her with a tiny ball of ginger fluff with bandy legs.
"I got him from the pet shop in Hogsmeade, I know you've always wanted a cat. The woman who sold him to me said he was the last of a litter of half kneazles, half domestic moggy's." Lily looked at the ugly little kitten on her lap, his face was squashed – it looked like he had run into a wall at speed. Now wonder no one had wanted him, poor thing. "She also said that he should last far longer than your usual cat, and is much smarter." Continued James wondering if Lily would accept his gift. Lily brought the diminutive fluff ball to her nose and nuzzled him. "I think I'll call you Crookshanks," She had crooned.
It had been difficult to get the venture off the ground since the Marauder's and she along with Hestia and Marley had been in month long Saturday detentions for the joke they'd pulled in the Slytherin Common Room.
Being besties with a Hogwarts Prefect had its perks. She could find out the passwords for all the common rooms including the daily answers to the Ravenclaw Riddle, being Snape's ex best mate meant she knew where the Slytherin Dungeon entrance was. The Marauder's and the girls had settled on adding ageing potion to shampoos, soaps and conditioners in the Slytherin bathrooms. The difficulty was getting in and out unseen. Marley had chosen to reveal that she was particularly adept at the Disillusionment Charm, it rendered her near impossible to notice unless you knew exactly where she was. It earned her a low whistle from an impressed James and Sirius.
"What have you been using that for? No one gets that good without practice." Asked James.
"Wouldn't you like to know, James." Replied Marley. Lily got the feeling that she would be blushing if she could be seen.
"Well, that explains a lot." Commented Sirius. The group turned to face him, he appeared to realise that he seemed to have said this out loud, he put his hands up in placation. "Nothing, nothing." HIs mind wandering to the times that Marley had sneaked into the boy's dorm unseen late at night.
"What have you two been up to?" Asked Pete sensing gossip
"I don't think I want to know." Said Hestia making sick faces. Remus chuckled from beside her, his arm loosely slung over her shoulder.
"For the win, do you reckon we'd be able to dose Slughorn with Beautification Potion?" Asked Lily trying to bring the conversation back round to the task at hand.
"You want to break into a teacher's office, Evans?" Questioned Sirius raising and eyebrow with keen interest, it was so out of character to how he thought Lily Evans would be.
"In for a penny, in for a pound, Black." She responded.
"I have no idea what you just said." Said a bewildered Pettigrew. A collective groan came from the rest of the group.
"Bloody Nora, Pete, sheltered much. Maybe you should take Muggle Studies next year, mate" replied Remus shaking his head.
"She means 'Yes'." James retorted as he punched Pettigrew playfully on the arm. "Sirius and I can take Slughorn's quarters." He offered.
"If the Potions Queen can make both potions, yeah, I'm in." Said Sirius attempting to look nonchalant
"I can" Lily narrowed her eyes in Sirius' direction. "Can you make anyone else cameleon-ed?" She asked looking around for Marley.
Her answer came when Black yelled "Ow" as Marley rapped him smartly over the head and he camouflaged with the chair he was lounging on.
"Mind the hair, woman." He complained
"Stop fussing, you baby." They heard Marley giggle. "I'll take Hestia and Peter with me."
"It'll take me and Remus two weeks to sneak the ingredients and brew the potions." Hestia winked at her fellow Prefect, who grinned in return.
"So, in two weeks' time we'll be sneaking into the Slytherin bathroom and turning them into old folk. I can't wait." Said Marley's disembodied voice, "Pay back!"
It turned out that they didn't need the prefects to steal any ingredients, Slughorn was a pushover. Lily wheedled Slughorn during the next potions class, using the leverage she had as his current favourite student to gain access to the restricted potion ingredients cupboard. She claimed she wanted to do some extra curricula study of certain ingredients to understand potions theory in greater depth. Slughorn swallowed it whole. The next two weeks passed quickly, the brewing process though laborious Lily found relatively easy.
The widened gang of Marauder's were up at three thirty on the morning of the planned assault on the Slytherin Common room. Marley disillusioned them all James and Sirius were finding it increasingly difficult to share the Invisibility Cloak, (which wasn't common knowledge) so they accepted Marley's charm. As one group, they exited the portrait hole and headed through the eerily silent castle. Once in the dungeons they split into two groups, James, Remus and Sirius going in the direction of Slughorn's office and Lily, Marley, Hestia and Peter headed to the Slytherin Common room. Once there Lily Showed them the way to the bathrooms. Lily and Peter headed to the boys and Marley and Hestia to the girls. They add Aging Potion to the shampoos, conditioners and face creams they found there and turned their attention to the communal soap. Lily and Peter were interrupted briefly by Snape stumbling in, in a sleepy state making his way to the cubicles to relieve himself. Lily shook with laughter as their Disillusionment charm held and Snape left the room. They finished up and left. They met the other two outside the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. As agreed they met with Lupin, Black and Potter in the Gryffindor Common Room.
James was ruffling his hair with glee, making his messy curls stand in all directions. "That was so easy, Slughorn was dead to the world, he had no clue we were there." He grinned. Sirius barked a laugh as the rest of the Gryffindor's entered through the Portrait Hole.
"How'd it go your end?" Enquired Remus as the girls and Pettigrew came through.
"Good, though I could have done without seeing Snivellus taking a piss in his manky pyjamas." Moaned Peter.
"It's an image forever seared into my brain, however, if we pull this off it won't matter." Grinned Lily
"I'm going to get some shut eye. We've got about an hour and half before we have to be down at breakfast." Marley stretched and smiled at her friends. The others followed suit.
-o0o-
The Marauder's and their female counter parts we're down unusually early for breakfast that morning, McGonagall mused as she narrowed her eyes as she watched them take a seat at the Gryffindor table. That could only mean one thing, something was afoot, she huffed and went back to her breakfast. She would hear about it soon enough.
The early rising Gryffindor's were mysteriously quiet as they sat at the table, until Sirius nudged James. "This will answer the question as to whether or not Snivellus washes or not." He smirked. The group chuckled. Early birds from other houses had begun to filter into the Hall, that was when the shrieking began. At first it was quite quiet then grew louder as a stream of elderly men and women came streaming into the hall headed by a slim handsome man, with a head of golden curls dressed in clothes that drowned him stormed up to the Teachers table.
"Dumbledore, I demand that you rectify this at once!" Shouted the blond man, wagging his finger. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, a small smile played on his lips as he took in the growing scene before him.
"Shit," Whispered Lily, leaning into Marley's curls, "No way is that Slughorn!" That did it, the Marauder's, Lily, Hestia and Marley descended into gales of laughter, it rendered them helpless and there was nowhere to run as the Hall filled with aged Slytherin's.
McGonagall stood and moved towards the defenceless gang of friends. "Which of you did this?" she demanded "Mr Potter, Mr Black?"
"Absolutely," Guffawed Sirius, with tears streaming from his eyes.
"He couldn't do it without help. I confess to Professor." Said Marley struggling to catch her breath.
"And me..."
"And me..." One by one the other confessed under McGonagall's cast iron glare.
"Saturday detentions for all of you, for the next month. MIss Jones, Mr Lupin may I remind you that you are Prefects, make sure you continue to act in the manner I have become accustomed to, or I will have you badges" She strode away, as she left Lily noticed the edges of McGonagall's mouth twitch. It looked like she had been suppressing a smile.
Dumbledore stood and waved his arms in a circular motion, the beards and wrinkles of those affected by Lily's potion disappeared, the handsome blond man filled out and aged, once again recognisable as Slughorn. This lead to more gales of laughter from those unaffected by the Marauder's joke.
"Best plan ever!" Said James eyeing Lily with more adoration than usual.
-o0o-
February pressed on into a murky March, bringing with it James Potter's birthday. Sirius had been down to the kitchens the previous night to arrange a birthday surprise for James' Coming of Age celebrations the next evening. That morning Owl's arrived from Effie and Monty wishing their son a Happy seventeenth birthday, bearing the gift of a beautiful watch, not only bearing the time but the positions of the planets in the solar system. Lily gave him a kiss and two LPs Heroes by David Bowie and Blondie by Blondie (whom he had never heard of). Sirius had given him a bottle of Old Ogden's Mature Fire Whiskey, Remus had given him a couple of bars of Honeydukes finest chocolate, while Pete had given him a Queen t-shirt.
The Maurader's and their friends met in the Great Hall for their evening meals. The food had yet to arrive on the serving plates, once James had sat down the platters filled as usual only in front of him a huge cake appeared letting of some of Filibusters Wet Start, No Heat Fireworks that filled the Hall with a rainbow of stars and loud bangs.
"Happy Birthday, mate!" Shouted Sirius above the noise. The fireworks exuberance faded and they tucked in to their food.
"So, Pub tonight?" Asked Lily above the general hubbub
"As far as I'm aware, Evans, it is not a Hogsmeade weekend. How are you planning on getting there?" Sirius queried in mock innocence.
"Don't play coy with me, Black, I know you lot have a way of getting in and out of the castle." She retorted raising her wand in a threatening manner.
"Easy, Red, don't let Padfoot get to you, he's just dicking about as usual." Soothed James kissing her cheek. "I know how to get there too, you know."
Later that evening James lead the Marauder's and their mates through the castle to the statue of the One-Eyed Witch in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Corridor.
He grinned at Lily and said "Dissendium", the witches hump opened revealing a pitch-black tunnel. James turned sideways to fit through the small gap, and the others followed lighting their wands as they entered the gloomy, claustrophobic passageway. They followed James until they emerged in the cellar of Honeydukes, where upon Marley cast Disillusionment Charms as they left the trapdoor one by one. They managed to soundlessly exit the shop and move up the High Street to the Hogshead.
"Why not the Three Broomsticks?" Inquired Alice
"Because unlike Rosemerta, Aberforth doesn't care if you're under age." Explained Lupin
"Or how pissed you get..." Said Black knowingly.
"This one-time James was wallowing, because Lily had hit him with the Calvus Curse making all his hair fall out. He got so drunk he couldn't stand and Aberforth just laughed at him before making him feather-light so we could drag his arse back to school." Elaborated Peter, earning him a punch on the arm from James and a belly laugh from Lily and the girls.
They finally reached their destination and made their way to one of the tables at the back.
"Not you lot again." Complained Aberforth on their arrival.
"We're good for the gold Abe, you're hardly heaving in here tonight." Said James looking around the dirty deserted bar.
"We'll have around of Red Currant rum for the table please" asked Lily offering some of her hard-earned galleons across the bar. Aberforth flicked his wand and nine shot glasses of dark red rum appeared on the sticky table they had sat themselves at.
Marley found herself sitting next to Peter, who though chatty as usual appeared a bit downcast. Sirius had his arm around her shoulder but was too busy being loud and exuberant to pay attention to the one person not enjoying the party. Marley gently nudged Peter with her elbow. "You alright?" She asked, her warm brown eyes peering out of her gold curls at him.
"Um, yeh, suppose..." He mumbled not looking at her
"Come on, Pete, you don't look happy." She continued unwilling to let the topic drop.
"Not that it's any of your business, but John just told me he's dating Mark Prewett – he's in Ravenclaw. I know we weren't exclusive or anything, but it hurt more than I expected it to. He also came out to his friends in Hufflepuff because of his new relationship." Pettigrew sulked.
"I'm sorry to hear that, it can't be nice to feel you weren't worthy of being known about by his friends." Marley reached out and placed her hand on his forearm.
"You get used to it, hanging out with this lot." He tried to joke, but Marley felt there was more truth in that statement than Peter was willing to admit. Peter often appeared to be on the side-lines, despite being part of one of the most talented groups of students in the school. Marley considered him with a gentle smile on her face. He wasn't untalented, he just didn't shine as bright as the others. He wasn't outgoing and high-spirited like Sirius, or thoughtful and kind like Remus, or jovial and confident like James, but he made their group work with his astute observations. It was just unlucky that of three people he had become best friends with he wasn't as tall, or good looking and needed to work to get the good marks. Unlike the other three who seemed to do nothing but piss about and still got high marks without appearing to try, Marley mused, maybe he was ambitious, maybe he liked to have friends who had more power than himself. That wasn't any bad thing she thought, he was loyal and brave just like the others. Marley's smile widened to a grin.
"Don't worry, lovely, you'll find someone who'll realise just how special you are." She consoled him. Pettigrew gave her a reluctant smile and downed his shot of rum. Marley imitated him and turned back to Sirius who was gathering a pile of gold from the others in front of him to buy a bottle of Fire Whiskey for the table.
He turned and gave Marley her favourite lopsided grin and kissed her on the cheek before taking the small mound of gold to the par to procure the Marauder's poison of choice.
As the night wore on Sirius looked around the effervescent group of teens, Remus, Hestia and Peter were having a loud drunken discussion that caused Hestia to snort butterbeer from her nose, Frank had Alice in a dingy corner giggling away. James was whispering into Lily's ear – she was flushed and looked giddy, whether from drink or happiness he was unsure. James also looked the happiest he had ever seen. Sirius smiled to himself James was having the best Coming of Age party he could give him. Marley caught his eye with a cheeky a grin from where she stood at the bar, harassing Abe into making her a cocktail. He loved everything about her. Sirius stood and came over to her, pulling her into a hug, he tilted her head up so he could kiss her. The way she kissed him back made him feel like she could set him on fire with her touch, he wanted to be able to bottle the way he felt that night. He couldn't shake the feeling that all of this, everything he held so dear, was so incredibly fragile.
A/N: Hi there Lovely Readers, If you are enjoying this, please feel free to leave a review. They're the food that feeds a writers soul. Thanks for continuing to read and follow this, you're all great.