EPILOGUE
"A third floor marsh. Geniuses, the both of them," Alex said, awed. The sixteen-year-old's amber eyes shone with admiration as he pushed back some strands of chocolate brown hair from his face. Mikey rolled his eyes at his twin brother, pushing a strand of the same brown hair behind his ear. Though both wore their hair unkempt, Mikey's was still a little neater.
"For the hundredth time, it was a swamp and it's 'genii' not 'geniuses.'" Alex shrugged and tore his eyes away from the small shrine of the Weasley twins' greatest feat.
"Whatever. The fact is, they're amazing! Legend has it that they were able to chase out a teacher with this one then rode off into the night on magic carpets, never to be seen again!" Michael stared at his brother. The firelight from the torches flickered across his features, turning an annoyed look into an ominous one.
"Are you sure we're related? I wonder how you can be so stupid sometimes. They left on their own broomsticks and we saw George just last holiday. Seesh."
"I'm not stupid. I was just saying what the legend said. I know he runs the joke shop on Diagon Alley. We buy half of our equipment from him!" Mikey quickly silenced Alexander.
"Bloody hell, do want to get us caught?! We're supposed to be in bed, not gallivanting around the school. If someone sees us- " Alex rolled his eyes.
"You worry too much. Besides, those Slytherins are going to love this present we made for them." Michael pulled his brother away from the shrine by his collar.
"The day you stop oogling that bloody shrine..." Alex complied and allowed his brother to drag him away down one hallway and another.
"For being the quiet one, you sure have a dirty mouth," he muttered.
"Like I bloody care," Mikey snapped. "But seriously, when will you stop trying to be just like the Weasleys? We need to forge our own legend, not try to copy someone else's. Think for yourself." Alex smiled.
"Now why would I want to do that when you can do all the thinking for the both of us?" Mikey chose not to dignify that with an answer, instead, working quietly back down the hallway to the stairwell.
"Ok, this is the third floor landing-"
"Duh."
"-We have to make sure Dad doesn't-"
"Dad doesn't what, Michael?" came a stern voice. The boys winced visibly and looked down the hallway to see their DADA professor leaning in the doorframe of his classroom only 20 feet away.
"Heh heh. Hiya Dad," Alex said with a slight wave. Remus Lupin treated his sons to a look that was equally flat and annoyed.
"Actually, we were looking for you, Dad," Mikey started evenly.
"Uh-huh. I'm sure. Now, hand it over," he replied just as evenly.
"Hand what over?" Alex asked, the picture of innocence.
"Whatever you're going to use for whatever you're planning to do. Pockets- empty them." The boys glumly complied, emptying out a few dung bombs and dye pellets.
"There you have it, Professor," the boys chorused. Remus grunted and took the things from his sons.
"Be happy I'm not telling your mother all you've been up to," he told them. Mikey looked at his dad with a sly smirk.
"Yeah, and we can say the exact same. You haven't exactly been dissuading Anastasia Dulat." Remus looked down the six inches to see them eye to eye.
"You know very well I'm ignoring every advance. I don't want to hurt her psyche, which is vulnerable at her age. I don't encourage her."
"But you're not discouraging her either," Alex told his dad.
"That's what dissuade means," Mikey murmured to him, suppressing a sigh. If Alex read half as much as him or Ariilyn, he might know a few words. Their dad pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Bed. Both of you. Why can't you behave like your sister?"
"It's only 'cos she knows how not to get caught," Alex complained under his breath as they left miserably for the seventh floor Gryffindor common room. Hands stuffed in his now empty pockets and shoulders slumped, Alex looked the picture of dejection.
"Think he's gone back to his room yet?" he asked. Michael took a few more silent steps then smiled evilly.
"Yep. He's going to want to talk to mum before we can blackmail him. Come on." Alex's shoulders straightened as a look of delight flashed across his slender face.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Two thirds of the Lupin pups carefully sneaked down to the dungeons and stood outside the wall that separated them from the Slytherin common room.
"Ready?" Mikey asked, holding out his hand with a flourishing bow.
"As always," his brother replied with a mock curtsy and took the offered hand. Together they said the password that had taken them four days to get a hold of.
"Potentiae nobilitatis," they chorused. The dark bricks opened up to the hallway leading to the Slytherin common room. Thankfully, the common room was empty and Alex pulled a bottle from a secret pocket hidden in the lining of his school robes.
"Belladonna. Good thinking," Mikey complimented. Alex pulled out his wand and uncorked the bottle before waving the wand over it, chanting the proper spell. The small brown flakes rose into the air and compressed, forming a dust-like powder. With another wave of his wand, the dust flew up the stairs and into the boys and girls dormitories. They waited a few minutes for the sedative to take effect then went up to the boys' rooms, making sure only to get the few of the sixth and seventh years they wanted. After finishing their mischief there, they moved to the girls' side, walking up the banister to avoid the spelled staircase, again being careful only to get the two seventh years. Once that was done, they left as silently as they had come.
The next morning, they slept in as they usually did, only making the last quarter hour of breakfast. Everyone was talking about it. By 'it', I mean the latest prank on the Slytherins. The few unlucky ones that got magicked were subjected to the most wild of stares and loudest of snickers when they left. Most of the other Slytherins chose to eat in their common room (Slughorn allowed it and sent for food for them) instead of falling victim next. Very few were brave enough to leave until the culprit was caught.
"Bout time you two got here," their year-mate and best friend Drake Summers said through a slice of toast lathered in jam. "Did you see what happened to that crew of Slytherins? Bald, the lot of them! I nearly died laughing when Cathleen came out. Merlin, it was funny! And she thought she could pull off the bald look. Pfft, not with that lumpy head." Mikey took a bite from his pancakes while Alex tried to swallow a boiled egg whole.
"She had it coming. So did the rest of them. I wonder who in their right mind would do it," Mikey said after swallowing.
"Yes, I wonder," Drake agreed, his hazel eyes laughing and his wide mouth set in the grin it was made for. Drake chuckled softly and flipped his light brown hair out of his face. He knew who was behind it, just as he always did, taking particular joy in knowing, sometimes assisting, and often helping the Lupin boys play off as innocent. Alex choked, drawing the boys' attention.
"Alexander Remus Lupin! Won't you learn to chew your food?" Anastasia Dulat admonished the boy, patting him soundly on the back, though her honey eyes worried. Though a year above them and captain of the house quidditch team, she often sat with the boys.
"Well if you keep fussing over me, I just might put it off another few months. You're cute when you're worried," Alex teased. Anastasia blushed and punched him lightly in the shoulder, laughing it off.
"If you two will stop flirting..." Drake said, slightly annoyed. He had a crush on Anastasia since he first attended Hogwarts and cherished every memory of the girl from when he studied with her to when she just pushed a strand of strawberry blond hair from her face. The twins delighted in teasing him about it.
"Uh oh. Dad at five o'clock," Mikey muttered under his breath.
"No, we have him second class. Just like always, bro. Oh," Alex said as Professor Lupin loomed over them. "You meant THAT five o'clock."
"Duh."
"If we might have a word with you two," their father said in a dangerously calm voice. Their sister's level gaze followed them as they left, a small smile tugging at her mouth. Alex and Mikey followed their father from the Gryffindor table to the doors of the Great Hall, where they turned and bowed extravagantly. The room laughed and cheered, now knowing for sure who was behind the latest bout of trouble.
Remus led his sons to the Headmaster's office. McGonagall sat behind the large oak desk, her stern face even more severe than usual. The many portraits of previous headmasters and mistresses either snored or glared disapprovingly at them.
"So you two are back again. So soon? Don't waste time, do you boys?" she asked.
"No ma'am. We like a steady flow of business," Mikey told her calmly. Remus slapped a hand to his face, the twitch at the mouth unseen by anyone in the room.
"Business, you say? And what sort of business is that?" she demanded, her accent making the words sound even harsher.
"Mischief," Alex replied promptly. McGonagall sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"As sixth years, you're supposed to be setting a good example. Alright, you two. Two weeks of detention. Your usual punishment. And NO MAGIC to help." Alex groaned. Anastasia was going to kill them.
"Would you prefer the other punishment?" the headmistress inquired with a raised eyebrow. Your mother didn't like her last trip down here to straighten you out and I doubt she will enjoy this one." The twins were quick to reassure her that their usual punishment would suffice.
"And who knows? Maybe it'll teach us this time," Mikey whispered to his brother. Alex bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Minerva McGonagall sighed.
"Alright. Dismissed." Remus followed his children out and led them into his office. He sighed heavily as he sat in his chair behind his desk.
"Alright, spill. How did you do it?" he asked quietly. His sons shrugged, not looking him in the eye. "Now."
"We spelled them so that their hair appeared to be gone. It was a simple illusion spell coupled with a sensory potion. And maybe we might have thrown in mood enhancing potion to amplify fear and paranoia," Alex explained to the floor. His father's disapproving gaze still stung him. It was no use to even try to lie. Not that he would really, but Remus kept a griffin feather in his classroom to keep the bullshit out. It just made it difficult for them to twist the truth, sons of a marauder or no. Though he would never let on in this situation, Remus was very proud of his boys' magical abilities. Anyone who make such a specific spell on their own…well, they certainly knew how to think out of the box. And the rulebook.
"Why do you keep doing this? Do you enjoy the sadistic strain on my nerves?! You know, you don't have to be here. You two could very easily be expelled. I'm not even sure why you haven't been yet."
"The tolerance of the Marauders might be a good reference point," Mikey said simply. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, as he did last night. It had become a normal gesture when dealing with his sons, as it helped stave off headaches.
"Why do you do this?" he half pleaded. The boys looked at each other then at their dad.
"Someone made a wish," they replied in unison.
"Huh?" Remus asked bewildered. The bell rang.
"We need to get to class, professor," Alex said sweetly. Remus sighed and nodded, reluctantly remembering he was just as bad when he was their age.
"We aren't done yet. And tell Miss Dulat that if she kills you, she has to clean up the mess." They left hurriedly.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"ANOTHER ONE?!" Anastasia demanded at break when Mikey told her their fate.
"Actually, we have another 10. Two weeks and no outings on weekends," Alex said disgustedly. Anastasia rounded on them.
"What were you two thinking?! Don't you understand we need to practice? How can we practice without a keeper and a seeker?! It doesn't work!" Alex hid behind his brother, who cringed, waiting for a blow. Anastasia could be scary when she wanted to be, 5' even or no.
"Dad said that if you killed us, you'd have to clean up the mess!" Alex blurted.
"Professor Lupin?" The boys nodded. A light blush decorated her tan cheeks. As stated, she had a major crush on the DADA teacher.
"Well if it will displease him that much, I suppose that I'll have to let you off easy," she muttered and punched each in the shoulder twice.
"Two for flinching."
"That went well," Mikey said as she huffed off.
"We have a few more minutes," Alex said. "Should we check on Boyer?" Mikey looked back at his brother and nodded.
They found the first year Hufflepuff in no time, holed up in the bathroom on the fourth floor.
"How ya doin', Castor?" Mikey asked the boy softly, handing him another towel to dry his face.
"I'm alright, Mr. Michael, thank you." Mikey winced.
"I told you, it's Mikey." Castor nodded, but wouldn't look at them. The closest he got was their reflection in the mirror above the sink.
"Sure, ignore me," Alex said playfully and draped an arm around the young boy and tussled the raven hair with his other hand.
"Of course not, Mr. ah, of course not Alex."
"So did you see Cathleen?" Mikey asked the small, scrawny boy. He nodded enthusiastically.
"Vain bitch deserved it," Castor said then slapped a hand across his mouth. They laughed and clapped the boy on the back.
"Good job," Mikey told him. "Now you just need to tell her to her face."
"Stand up for yourself. Show some bloody gumption," Alex told him.
"Easy for you two to say- you're good at spells. I'd just get blown over. They're bloody seniors for crying out loud!" Alex sighed and leaned against the wall. Mikey frowned slightly in thought.
"Practice."
"Why can't you teach me?" Castor asked quietly. Alex looked at his brother and back again.
"We aren't that great at teaching. Mikey is patient enough, but we're usually really busy. What with quidditch and detentions and all… It wouldn't be fair to you," he explained kindly. The young Hufflepuff nodded.
"Don't worry about it. Just keep your head up high and let us know if they give you any more trouble." Castor nodded again and smiled. The bell rang, signaling the end of break, so the boys started out.
"Thanks for making my wish come true," he said as they headed out the door. The Lupins waved without looking back as they strode out the door.
After dinner and on their way to detention, Mikey held out a hand over his brother's chest.
"Do you hear that?" he asked. Alex tilted his head, frowning slightly, just barely able to make out whimpering.
"Yeah. Let's go." Just around the corner, a few Slytherins were picking on Castor Boyer. He had a black eye now and his wand lay a few feet away.
"I told you I wanted my quills sharpened a quarter of an inch. Not half an inch!" SLAP "And you little sneak, did you not see what happened to us?! It was all your fault! I know it!"
"You know, hazing is strictly forbidden," Alex said casually. Mikey was leaning against the wall, twirling his own wand between his fingers.
"And straight out bullying can lead to expulsion. So take our advice and stop if you know what's good for you."
"You two! You got rid of my hair! You little bitches!" Cathleen yelled, her normally pale face quickly turning a blotchy red.
"It's fixed now," Alex pointed out. "You're the bitch, slapping around little first years." The five boys with her pulled out their wands, now ignoring Castor.
"And 'bitch' is a term for females," Mikey said, unfazed.
"Well, you do tend to fix your hair as much as one," his brother said, smiling. Mikey looked at him, not amused.
"Just because I prefer to use a comb over my fingers doesn't mean you can call me a girl."
"Hello, we're talking about MY hair over here," Cathleen interrupted.
"Oh, sorry. You just weren't a priority," Mikey jeered.
"WHAT?!" she drew her wand and threw a jinx at Mikey. Her friends took that as their cue and started to do the same. As they came at the brothers, both boys swept their wands in front of them, almost carelessly parrying the shots. Without a glace to one another, the two cast the same spell. The Slytherins rose from the floor and rammed into the wall, staying there.
"Leave the little ones alone, you brat. Same goes for all of you," Mikey told them, shadows growing deeper on his face, giving him a more ominous look.
"Here we thought we'd teach you guys a lesson. You thought you were all that, so we played on your vanity. But you came back for more. So we gave it to you. Third time around, something might get broken," Alex warned, his eyes almost glowing hungrily.
"Come on, Boyer. Let's get you fixed up," Mikey told the boy kindly and held out a hand. The small boy took it with a shaky and embarrassed grin, though his large light blue eyes held nothing but gratitude.
"Ooh, but you need to come with us to see Filch first. We need an alibi for being late to detention," Alex told him with his father's lopsided smile.
"During the second half of lunch, we'll work with you on defensive magic, starting tomorrow. Just in case. You know, if you don't mind missing part of lunch," Mikey told the boy with a wink. Castor nodded, enthused.
"Yes, sir!"
The next night they returned to the common room after their detention to find three girls huddled in a corner. One was sniffing. Another was their sister.
"What's this, then?" Mikey asked them, concerned. The girls turned to them, the one that was sniffing wiped her face, trying to hide her tears. Alex tossed her a handkerchief, noting the busted lip, split left eyebrow, and multiple bruises. It wasn't the first time he mentally thanked his 'Uncle Lestat' for insisting that proper gentlemen carry handkerchiefs.
"Jessie tried to stand up for herself against those Ravenclaw bullies so they beat the tar out of her," Ariilyn explained, anger barely contained in her voice.
"Why don't you see Madam Pomfrey? She'd fix ya right," Alex told her, hiding clenched fists. Jessie shook her head hard, light brown hair whipping around empathetically.
"She'd ask questions. And I'm no sneak," she said as she mopped her face. Mikey smiled as he kneeled next to her (her friends got out of the way) and lifted her chin.
"You're a very brave girl," he told her. "Our mum taught us some healing stuff. Lynn could try to do it, if you'd prefer. She's better at that sort of thing than we are." He glanced at his sister, wondering why she hadn't done it already. Jessie nodded, gray eyes fighting to hold back another wave of tears. Ariilyn took a few deep breaths, muttering something about calming down first, but pulled her straight hair into a messy bun before taking out her wand. A few spells later, Jessie didn't have a scratch on her. Their sister shook her hands out and paced a little, saying that healing magic and irritation didn't go well together.
"Who did you say did this?" Alex asked from by the fireplace, anger visible on every feature. He drew the line at hitting defenseless little girls. Though his brother felt exactly the same, he hid his anger better. Once Lynn had her jitters out, she sat back down to place a comforting hand on the little girl's back.
"The upper class Ravenclaws. They think because they're from noble families, they're better," Jessie's friend said. She had a glass of water that she kept trying to coax Jessie into drinking, but to no avail.
"They should have been Slytherins," Mikey muttered as he checked his sister's on Jessie's face.
"I said noble families, not pureblood. There's a difference." Alex repeated his brother's words.
"I just wish they knew what it felt like," Jessie told her knees as she drew them in close. Alex and Mikey smiled wolfishly at one another. An invitation.
"You should get to bed. It's late," Mikey told them and offered a hand to Jessie. She took it and allowed him to help her up. Hesitantly, she gave her healer a quick hug in gratitude and scurried up the stairs, her friend following.
"Father always said we should use magic to help and protect others. She wished for help, wouldn't you agree, Alex?" He chuckled darkly.
"Yes. It would be rude to decline such a lovely invitation." Ariilyn turned to them, fury painting every line of her face.
"I want in," she growled. The only surprise her brothers had was that she didn't tell them to back off, claiming this wish for herself. They expressed as much. Ariilyn looked at the fireplace. The light flickered in her eyes, making her look almost demented. It had been a while since they'd seen her this furious. The last time was when they made the pact about wishes. During their second year, the triplets realized how bad and creative bullies could be and the teachers couldn't always be around to dole out punishment. After all the stories their parents told them growing up- the ones about their lives at Hogwarts and the wars- they knew how important protecting others was. Not only that, but being responsible with magic and only doing things for the greater good. To limit themselves, they agreed to only help those who really deserved it and who wished or asked for it. Ariilyn referred to them as wishes, thinking about how fairies granted wishes. Her brothers thought it very girly until they read up on how twisted the fae could be. Then they were cool with it.
Ariilyn looked back at her brothers, eyes less demented now that they were no longer reflecting the fire, but no less determined.
"I need your help, that's why," she explained. What I have in mind is big magic." They nodded at sat down, waiting for her to describe their war plan.
The next night, they sat in McGonagall's office again.
"It's bad enough with your pranks, but roughhousing?! I am very disappointed in all three of you." The triplets sat quietly, not about to apologize for something they weren't sorry about. "A curse that inflicts pain! What were you thinking?!"
"It only causes him pain when he causes someone else pain!" Ariilyn near shouted as she stood quickly. Mikey laid a hand on his sister's arm, easing her back into her chair. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but find Lynn's outbursts amusing, especially considering how calm and collected she often portrayed herself.
"We were thinking that Jonathan Altair needed to know what it felt like to get beat up by someone stronger than he is. The spell we put on him is a simple reminder of that. He won't be beating on anyone else for a while," Mikey said evenly. McGonagall stared.
"Mr. Altair is a model student. He hasn't been written up for anything and his grades are quite high."
"That's because those little ones don't want to be a sneak first off, then they're too afraid to tattle on someone related to Her Majesty," Alex growled.
"God save the Queen," Mikey put in formally.
"We don't usually go this far, ma'am, but we draw the line and beating up a little girl because she wouldn't bow when he walked by," Lynn continued, her amber eyes flashing wolfishly.
"I haven't had a single complaint about him, though!" the headmistress replied, flabbergasted. "Especially not this last time."
"And you won't find her if you look. We cleaned her up well enough and she won't talk," Mikey told her pleasantly. McGonagall sighed.
"Honorable as your intentions were, you cannot, I repeat- CAN NOT- take disciplinary actions. You're still students! Not vigilantes!"
"If we don't stand up for them, who will?!" Alex demanded. Mikey smiled in an almost predatory way while his sister glowered. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on knees to address the headmistress. Only the white knuckles from clenching his hands together gave any indication of his own fury.
"We've been brought up to use our magic as protectors. Johnny boy won't be hurting anyone for a while. It's in our blood to do what is right, even if you don't think so. And we will do it."