Chapter Nineteen: New Marauders:

Winter had slowly turned to spring and Harry was outside enjoying the first truly warm day of spring. It was a Saturday and as such he did not want to study so he was outside with fellow students heading for the lake. Even Hermione had left off studying, well studying inside to come outside to study by the lake. She was able to carry all her books as her parents had got her a gift over Christmas (with the help of one Remus Lupin) a bag much like Harry's with an extendable charm to carry her books. There were a few more pockets and such it was a made of gray dragon skin with an otter in pink on the front with her name around it. It was also feather-weight in that it only weight as much as one small textbook and made it so much easier for her to carry all her books all the time. She had settled herself under a tree and the boys had decided to go swimming.

"Hermione why don't you come in?" Harry called from the frigid water.

"I have to study." She said from the shore. "Besides I don't have a swimming costume."

"You could transfigure one." Ron said grinning. "You are smart that way."

"Or she could stay on shore and study and watch you boys freeze." Came the voice of Remus Lupin.

"Remus!" Harry shouted.

"Professor!" Ron, George and Fred shouted at once.

"Come in!" Fred said "The water is nice…"

"A bit cold but…" George replied.

"Nice on a day like this!" Fred finished.

"No boys I think I will stay here but oh there goes Padfoot." Remus said.

Indeed Padfoot aka Sirius Black ran full tilt into the lake. Barking madly, snorting and sneezing water out as he got it in his open laughing mouth and nose he swam out to the boys. They laughed at this sight, a wide eyed laughing shaggy dog coming out here to join them in their swim. Harry knew Sirius/ Padfoot was making up for so much lost time. He loved playing and had gotten most of his since of humor and even looks back from his time in Azkaban. There was still a haunted look to his eyes every once and a while and he still had the nightmares. Yet right now he was having too much fun to think on things like that as he loved to play and romp like he was.

"Oi Fang where are you going?" Came the voice of Hagrid as his large boarhound ran for the lake to join Padfoot in a romp in the lake.

"Hi Hagrid!" Harry said from the lake.

"Hey Harry, not too cold for a swim then?" Hagrid said.

"No, beautiful day." Harry said.

"Yea we think Hermione and professor Lupin should join us!" George said.

"In fact I think they should join us now, Padfoot get them!" Fred replied.

Remus looked up from one of the books Hermione had lent him read and took out his wand in a flash. He was used to this kind of prank and had in no time a shield charm around himself and Hermione. Padfoot came out of the lake at full speed and ran smack into the shield charm and the boys in the lake roared in laughter as he bounced backward and shook his doggy head and cocked his head to look up at Remus who was smiling now. Padfoot whined and cocked his head again in puzzled fashion as he could not figure out what was wrong.

"What a beautiful dog, is he yours?" Said Madam Maxine who had walked up to see Hagrid.

"Padfoot? Nah that is Harry's dog." Hagrid said. "Though he may belong more t' Remus now."

"Is it not cold for the boys?" Madam Maxine asked, "we have swimming at Beauxbatons but in the sea, not a cold lake."

"Ah they will be fine, they are strong boys." Hagrid replied. "How have your students fared?"

"They got through the winter many colds and such but they eat well so they are fine." Madam Maxine said. "Miss Delacour seems to like it best here I think."

"Eh she is a beautiful young lady smart too." Hagrid said. "Your teaching has done that for her I am sure."

"I have excellent professors as does Hogwarts, even that Severus Snape very young but very smart I think." Madam Maxine.

"Yes he is, Fang Oi come boy!" Hagrid said then to the children, "don't stay in too long, professor McGonagall will have my hide if you catch cold."

"We won't professor." Fred said.

Harry watched them walk away talking and he saw Madam Maxine was laughing and enjoying the company of Hagrid. He knew full well what Hagrid was, a half giant and so was Madam Maxine, Rita Skeeter had put that in the Daily Prophet as a side note. People did not seem to care as most of the English community had gone to school with Hagrid there and had seen how kind and gentle he was. Only students from Durmstang seemed to show any hostility but then they were known as a school that did not allow anyone that was not pureblood wizard and pureblood human. Harry got out of the lake and used his wand to dry off and dressed in his school clothes and robes.

"Wonder what is with Hagrid and Madam Maxine?" Harry asked Remus.

"Oh they are dating, they want to keep it hush-hush you know." Remus said then as Padfoot tried to grab the book from him "don't you flea bitten mutt, this isn't even my book!"

"Nice real nice." Ron said as he got out of the lake, dried off and dressed. "That poor dog he can't help it."

"No he can't he is great though." Fred said having fully dressed as had his brother.

"Yea he has been great with his advice." George replied.

"About pranks and things we can do to…"

"Our favorite potions master…"

"Severus Snape!"

"If mum finds out she is going to kill both of you." Ron said. "You are still going to get it for the prank you pulled last month on him."

"Now Ronikins we only did one, on our birthday and we pranked all the heads of houses." Fred said.

"Flitwick thought our charms decorating his classroom were impressive."

"Yea only because they were in his house colors!" Ron replied.

"Yea now why was Snape so upset about our prank?" Fred said.

"All it did was change his robes to a nice…"

"Dark.."

"Somber…"

"Green, ah yes the look on his face when that charm went off, had to go around all day in green." Fred finished.

"You should have dyed his hair green." Remus said a smile twitching his lips.

"No we like living thanks, we know how far we can take things, even the green robes were almost too much," Fred said. "We knew he would not mind as they were his house colors, green trimmed with sliver."

"Yea he would have killed us if not for the fact it was our birthday."

"And April Fools, still he was upset." Hermione said, "and what possessed you to do similar to professor McGonagall? She was most put out, it's a wonder you didn't get detention."

"But they were…"

"Done in red!"

"So she could not be too unhappy!" Fred finished.

At this the boys cracked up laughing hard. Yes it had been a wonderful day for pranking, the Weasley twins had their birthday and it was April Fool's day. Between their pranks of the heads of houses, students pranking each other and even the headmaster getting pranked it had been a great day. Harry looked up to see Snape walking by glaring at the laughing Gryffindors. He did not stop, he could take points later, right now he had work to do.

"So what was it like going to school with Snape?" Harry asked Remus.

"Well for me not so bad, as I was the smartest of our friends." Here Padfoot growled. "Okay your mother Lily was the smartest, but of the boys I was the smartest and well Severus was the smartest of the Slytherins so he and I would have battles of words."

"That I would pay to see." Ron said.

"Hmmf." Hermione said.

"When we would argue the crowd would form, Merlin those were fun times. Unfortunately Sirius and Severus boxed each other and James and Severus hexed each other and Peter…" Here he went quiet and jabbed his heel hard into the ground. "You know Peter was a good friend, he was not useless or worthless in school, he was smart and it was him who came up with the idea of James Sirius and himself becoming Animagmus."

"You could not know he would do what he did." Hermione said quietly. "He was your brother and friend, it's not your fault."

"I don't know when he decided to turn, I don't know why." Remus said sadly.

"Well we are here now and we will never betray you." Fred said.

"No we worship you!" George said bowing low.

"You are"

"Our idol, our mentor!"

"In fact if we may"

"Can we call you"

"Uncle Moony?" George finished.

The twins looked up at him from where they knelt on the springy turf with identical pleading looks. Harry grinned as did Ron and Hermione even was smiling. Remus looked at the boys and he grinned and it spread to his eyes and he fairly glowed. Then he laughed, a happy laugh and even Padfoot laughed a doggy laugh.

"Yes boys you may indeed call me that." Remus said. "All of you can."

"All of us?" Ron said wide-eyed.

"I think it is time to bring in more Marauders besides Fred and George, only you boys have to come up with animal names."

"We do?" Fred said.

"Yea it's the rules, Harry is Bambi, only Sirius called him Prongsling." Remus said.

"Hey!" Harry said.

"Your mother called you that all the time." Remus said.

"Oh that is fine then, if my mum called me that." Harry said softly.

"Fred can be Mischief." Ron said grinning "and George can be Mayhem!"

"We like it!" Fred and George said as one.

"Hermione will be Owl." Fred said.

"What?" Hermione said. "You will not dare call me that!"

"Awe but come on Owl!" George said. "Hoot, hoot, no help!"

At once she was on her feet wand out books and studying forgotten. Remus Harry and Ron watched as Hermione chased down the twins and hexed them within an inch of their lives. Harry could not help but laugh, they had asked for it and Merlin they knew how to push buttons. He wondered if they would survive their last years at Hogwarts if they continued to upset Hermione. One thing was for sure, he was never going to call Hermione Owl because he liked staying in one piece…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Yes the Weasley twins were born on April First and this is doubly fun for the school. Their pranks are funny and for fun hence the pranks they pulled. As for more Marauders, well who wants to join? You must like to do pranks for fun that get people to laugh and must have a keen mind to not get caught too.

So do review!