Thank You Minnie! – 2
They were in the middle of their second DADA lesson when the two most feared words in Emma's entire world were spoken from the worst possible source…
"I'm bored," Sirius muttered levitating his quill and making it swish back and forth in mid air.
James smirked and drew a dart board on the wall behind the teachers head.
"James," Remus warned them, but too late; Sirius had sent his quill flying at the board, and right into the bull's eye.
"WHAT WAS THAT!" the teacher screamed turning and looking in horror at the board.
Emma shook her head.
Once the lesson finally got underway again – a good ten minutes later. Sirius and James decided it was time for Snivellus to sport pink hair and robes.
Again the teacher was astounded and attempted to find what appeared to be a non-existent culprit.
After Severus' hair was put right again, it was James' turn to mutter those frightful words.
Emma sighed, she might as well get in on the fun; she would wind up with a detention anyways.
Carefully she levitated Nott's chair and pulled it straight out from under him sending him sprawling on the floor, at the same time James charmed a paper airplane to attack Hudson, and Sirius turned Severus's hair pink once more, this time giving him a lace bonnet to match.
Peter watched on excited and Remus smirked making everyone's text books fly around the room.
"ENOUGH!" Magoria yelled flustered, her hair coming out of its bun, "BLACK, POTTER, LUPIN, DILL, PETTIGREW, DETENTION!"
The bell rang then but Magoria caught the five delinquents and escorted them to McGonagall's office.
"May I help you?" McGonagall sighed as she saw who had entered.
"These five were throwing pencils as darts, changing other student's hair, tipping chairs, disrupting books… and, and…" Magoria was almost hyperventilating.
"Making paper airplanes attack Hudson," James supplied causing Magoria to shriek and storm out of the room.
McGonagall sighed, "Four detentions each and ten points from Gryffindor." She said standing, not even bothering to reprimand them, "Now do me a favour and stop… gallivanting around like a bunch of marauders!"
She watched worriedly as Sirius Black's face broke into a wide smile.
"That's it!" he cried in joy, grabbing the others and hurrying off, "Thanks Minnie!" he called.
Minerva was about to call him back when she sighed, what was the point?
Sirius hurried the others away practically skipping.
"I know that we got a lot of detentions, but really Sirius," Emma laughed looking at him.
Sirius beamed, "Marauders, we're the Marauders!"
The other four exchanged looks before beaming at each other. They were the Marauders, it was perfect!
They began planning that night for the next day; they were determined to set this development off with a bang.
Professor Dumbledore sat down happily to his breakfast on Saturday morning, beside him Minerva looked upset.
"What is it dear?" he asked her kindly.
Minerva's brow creased, "Black, I have a feeling I gave him a bad idea."
"Bad in your eyes or his?" Dumbledore asked politely.
"Mine."
As she answered the entire hall erupted with fireworks and fizzing wizbees began falling from the ceiling. The hall began to cheer loudly and Peeves flew through with a yowling Mrs Norris.
Dumbledore smiled as the smoke began to clear wondering if there would be more.
As if on cue a Fanged Frisbee shot out of no where and began chasing Filch, then more fireworks, when the smoke cleared there was a sign on the back wall, written in big gold letters:
This Prank Brought To You By:
THE MARAUDERS!
Thanks For The Name Minnie!
Minerva's jaw dropped in horror and Dumbledore chuckled as writing in red script followed this,
Look Down!
Everyone in the hall gasped in surprise. Every Gryffindor now had red skin, a gold lion on their brow, every Ravenclaw blue skin with a silver eagle, every Slytherin green skin with a silver snake and every Hufflepuff yellow skin with a black badger. And the teachers, every teacher how had skin the colour of pitch, the Hogwarts crest on their forehead. Dumbledore even had a phoenix on his right cheek, and Minerva had a gold lion on hers, but they were the only two with extra markings.
The Phoenix and Lion are for good luck!
This time the writing was in blue. Minerva sighed, what now!
Dumbledore smiled, "Quite ingenious," he observed, "An added potion in the pumpkin juice unless I'm mistaken… good on you lending them a hand." Minerva stared at him flabbergasted as he took a bite of tea biscuit completely at ease.
The Marauders were called down to Dumbledore's office thirty minutes later.
"Fizzing Wizbee," Sirius said unconcerned to the gargoyle.
"Come in," Dumbledore said when they knocked.
They entered and took a seat.
"Although I could figure out how to get rid of it, I do wonder if you could simply tell me and make it all that much easier. Not to worry, no punishments will be handed out; assuming you do tell me of course."
"It'll ware off by the end of the week," Emma shrugged, "The skin is just charmed food colouring, and the emblems are muggle tattoos." She smiled, "We hit everyone with them while the fireworks were going off."
Dumbledore smiled, "And here I was thinking it was a potion." He sighed, "Can I get rid of it faster? Only I have a meeting with the Minister on Tuesday about the war."
Emma shrugged, "Take lots of baths, if it really bugs you I can remove it, but then you'll be left out."
Dumbledore smiled, "Best to leave it then," he winked, "Off you go; I'll talk to you on Monday if I'm still not right."
They decided to spend the rest of the day working on the map. James and Sirius had gone and followed two Hufflepuffs under the cloak to find their common room. Remus was persuading Boot to show him the Ravenclaw common room. That left Emma and Peter to find the Slytherins.
Emma walked out onto the grounds and Peter followed her, "I don't think they're out here!" he said.
Emma nodded, "I'm looking for Sev."
She found him walking with Lily by the lake.
"Hey Sev, could you show me where the Slytherin common room is?" Emma asked him.
Severus frowned, "Why?" he asked eyeing Peter. It was only now that Emma realized she shouldn't have pranked him right before asking. It was rather strange, seeing him completely green; then again, she was fire-engine red.
"Curious," Emma shrugged, "Come on please! You know where the Gryffindor common room is!"
Severus sighed, "Very well follow me."
Sev led Emma, Peter and Lily down into the dungeons. After a few minutes they reached a blank stretch of wall and Severus stopped, "Happy?"
Emma frowned, "Is there a password?"
Severus sighed and rolled his eyes, "Yes, but I'm not letting you in, Black is libel to kill the both of us, now let's go."
Emma and Peter were the first back; and they had already added in the Slytherin common room by the time Remus arrived.
"Boot didn't want to give, had to bribe him with chocolate frogs," Remus said adding in a door on the fifth floor, "Weird thing, asks you a question, ours was "What is time.'"
"Four o'clock," Peter answered.
"What is time, not what time is it," Remus sighed.
James and Sirius arrived just as Remus finished up and began adding a door in the dungeons, "It's so unfair, they're right beside the kitchens, they even have food as a portrait!" Sirius grumbled as James added them in.
They made their way to dinner once they had finished; once dinner was over they began exploring once again.
They had filled in most of the map. There was a corridor on the third floor they hadn't yet explored and a statue that Sirius swore was hiding something, also on the third floor.
The statue was of a humpbacked witch.
Emma sighed and warily placed her hand on it feeling around for any secrets the stone might yield.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise, "There's a passage alright," she said.
James frowned, "Specialise Revealo!" he commanded waving his wand.
Nothing.
"Open sesame!" Remus tried smirking.
Nothing.
"Open or I'll kill you!" Sirius threatened.
"Yeah 'cause that's going to work," Emma snorted.
Sirius frowned, "Open!"
"Alohamora!" Emma tried.
"Bombardia!" Peter attempted blackening them all.
Remus frowned, "Maybe a direction? Dicendio!"
The hump opened and they all smiled at him jumping down.
"Nice one Rem," Sirius said following the others.
They added the humpback witch to their map, as well as the command before following the tunnel, lumos leading the way.
To their delight the tunnel led to Honey Dukes cellar, not that they would ever steal, it was just nice to have two ways in.
The walked around Hogsmead for a while together, having used the cloak to leave Honey Dukes.
They wound up in the Three Broomsticks and had just gotten their butter beers when Hagrid walked in.
"What are yeh doin' 'ere?" he asked astounded.
"Having a drink, join us?" Sirius asked making room.
Hagrid sighed, "Merlin save us, yeh Marauders'll be me end," he said taking a seat and ordering some mead.
"We'll be going back after this," Emma shrugged, "So how are you Hagrid?"
"Fine, Magoria is right mad wit' yeh, she's on teh yeh, no doubt," he said drinking deeply.
"Took her a while, Sprout was onto us from day one… well two, but her first lesson," Sirius said shrugging.
Hagrid laughed, "I remember tha'."
"So, going to put us in detention?" James asked after a few moments.
Hagrid shook his head, "Ain't no point ter dat, yeh lot enjoy detentions. I'td be like givin' a kid chocolate fer colourin' on 'is walls."
James nodded and finished his beer, "Well we should go, see you Hagrid," the Marauders smiled cheekily before leaving Hagrid and making their way back to Hogwarts scot-free.
Hagrid shook his head "'ope no one saw tha'" he sighed taking another drink.
Sunday dawned bright and early and Emma awoke to Lily shaking her.
"Wha?" Emma asked confused.
"Go and tell those idiots to shut up!" Lily commanded.
Emma covered her ears, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter could be heard yelling for her at the top of their lungs.
"I'M COMING!" Emma yelled down the staircase getting dressed. She sighed as Lily flopped back into bed, "Sorry Lil."
"Uh," Lily muttered waving her away.
Emma crept down the stairs and gave the other Marauders a pointed look and a sigh.
"You didn't have to wake up the whole tower did you?" She asked them.
Sirius shrugged, "We wanted to see you, and we wanted to go flying, tryouts are only a few weeks away!"
Emma rolled her eyes, "I've been on a broom once Sirius, and that was with James, I don't think I'll be on any team soon."
"Even so," James said, "It'll be good for you, never know when you might wish you could ride a broom."
Emma grudgingly followed the other Marauders down to the Quiditch pitch. James, Remus and Sirius all had their own brooms; and Peter tagged along, he wouldn't be flying.
"Okay," James said with a smile, "I'm the best flyer, so I'll be teaching you."
Sirius smiled and held out his broom which Emma looked at tepidly.
"Go on," he said and placed it in her hand, "We're just going to watch, although Rem might fly for a bit."
Emma took the broom with a gulp.
James smiled at her encouragingly, "Now mount the broom, that's right, hang on tight." He stood beside her and kicked off, hovering, his right hand on her broom.
"Now kick off gently," James said and Emma did, the broom shaking slightly in her grasp as James steadied her.
"That's right, easy, easy… just breathe."
Emma inhaled slowly, they were only a foot off the ground after all.
"Okay, now we're going to go forward…"
"No!" Emma half yelled almost falling in her fright.
"Calm down! I'm right here!" James said grabbing her by the shoulder, "Calm. Okay now slowly lean forward, I'm right here."
Slowly Emma leaned forward snapping back a moment later, causing the broom to buck wildly.
"Slowly!" James shouted steadying the broom, "Slowly! Bloody hell! Feel the wood, sure you can talk to the walls but can you feel a broom?" James huffed running his left hand threw his hair, his right still holding Emma's broom.
"It's like riding a horse, feel the wood, go on instinct, feel where you need to go. Smooth, slow, calm," James sighed, "Again."
Emma nodded, feeling less then confident. Slowly she leaned forward, attempting to feel her way as James had described.
"Good!" James smiled as they flew around slowly, and Emma found that she could make the broom move as James had described, feeling where she needed to go, moving on instinct.
James smiled, the broom was still shaky, but it wasn't stop and go either.
Sirius watched happily, as they made their fifth pass around the stadium, she was doing well.
Remus was smiling beside him, "You were right."
"I usually am, but about what in particular this time?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded at James and Emma, "About her, I hate to admit it but maybe you were right," He smiled, "You've never been afraid of her, not even when others have balked. It may be possible that she just needs someone to believe in her."
Sirius smiled, "She believed in me, how can I not believe in her?"
"I'm going to let go now," James said as they made the seventh turn slightly faster, and although Emma paled slightly she nodded.
"I'll be right here, three… two… one…" James let go, his hand still outstretched in case she should falter and Emma smiled feeling free.
She laughed openly and leaned forward, letting the wind blow through her hair, feeling the curves, feeling the wind and the broom beneath her.
Sirius smiled watching her and Remus sighed, handing Sirius his broom, "Go on." Remus said nodding to Emma, "join her."
Sirius smiled and clapped Remus on the back before taking his broom and jumping from the stands, flying off before he hit the ground.
Emma laughed as he raced passed her, "Catch me if you can!" he called and Emma leaned forward accepting the challenge freely.
Sirius stayed low to the ground for a while, but before long James swerved around him and Sirius flew higher chasing after James, Emma right on his tail.
Emma's eyes narrowed on the boy before her and leaning forward she shot passed him, looping over James as she went.
"You're flying!" James called and Emma laughed, she was flying and she was free.
"I'm letting out the snitch!" Remus called from the ground a moment later, and Emma watched as Peter let the ball out, raising his head up to watch them.
James flew after it immediately, Sirius hot on his tail. Emma swooped over them and followed the snitch, she flew through one of the hoops in her pursuit and James and Sirius backed off watching.
"I've never seen anyone fly like that," James commented in aw as he watched one of his best friends zoom around, as if she had been doing it her whole life
"She flies like you," Sirius smiled, "You did well James, you did really well."
James smiled, "The team will be better to have her."
"Caught it!" Emma called as the words left his mouth.
The two friends smiled at each other, this would be the best year ever.