I HATE HOMEWORK.
Nuff said. Enjoy the chapter.
Silence rang through the room as the door was thrown open loudly as two panting figures stumbled in.
"It's ok!"
"We're here!"
"Call off the search parties!"
"You see,"
"We were diligently on our way to class,"
"When a disgruntled messenger owl reached us!"
"Attached was a letter saying that little Timmy was trapped in a well!"
"His fate rested in our hands!"
"We knew we could be late to our beloved class,"
"But we decided that it was a risk we had to take!"
"But everyone's fine now so no worries."
"…"
Sirius Black and James Potter wilted a bit under Professor McGonagall's glare.
"As happy as I am to know of… little Timmy's… safety, you still get detention."
The boys sighed as they mumbled "yes mam" and headed to their seats. McGonagall turned back to the board before speaking again.
"And next time, let's try to avoid the dramatic entrances."
Remus groaned as James and Sirius exchanged a look. He hated it when they exchanged looks. If he had his way, they'd both be blindfolded at all times. But alas, he could already see the wheels turning in his friends' heads…
Remus threw his bag onto his bed with a sigh before turning to face his two friends, placing his hands on his hips. "Just tell me now so I don't have to find out later."
James and Sirius tried to look innocent, although they were getting a little scared at how good Remus was getting at picking up on these things.
"We're sure we have no idea what you're talking about."
"Cut the crap, Prongs. I know you two are up to something, or will be very soon. So just tell me now so I can know how much aspirin to take."
The two in front of him exchanged a quick look. James rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, it's just that…"
"McGonagall thought that was a dramatic entrance? Hah! That was nothing!"
Sirius, blunt as ever, finished his explanation with a wide, devious grin. Remus merely nodded before walking from the room.
"Right. Five aspirin then…"
If he was honest with himself, Remus wasn't really surprised at all by the way the day went.
First class of the day, Charms, saw Remus sitting beside Peter, with their two companions once again mysteriously absent. The professor was going down the list in front of him to call roll. As he finished, he frowned.
"Where are Mr. Potter and Mr. Black?"
At that exact moment, the entire class whipped their heads around as the door began to rattle and shake. After a few seconds of painful anticipation, the door burst open, revealing a massive shock of color in the form of several fireworks. As the colorful dust cleared, Sirius and James were revealed, standing in all their glory, grinning like the madmen they were.
While most of the class was confused, Remus put his head on his desk, fully expecting his two friends to receive some form of punishment that they would later complain to him about. However, he was surprised when Professor Flitwick laughed merrily and clapped his hands together.
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful! 15 points to Gryffindor for that splendid display of charms work!"
Half the class (the half that was not Gryffindor) was dismayed as the other half (Gryffindor) cheered while at the same time wondering how exactly the Marauders always seemed to get points for their mischief…
Next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. This years teacher was a relatively young man, most likely in his thirties, who seemed convinced that evil was everywhere.(1) His lessons often went something along the lines of, "Pay attention because there could be a vampire right outside the door! Walk around corners carefully because someone could be waiting to curse you! It's not paranoia if they're really after you!" Most of the class was convinced he was on the run from something or another. Regardless, when the lights suddenly went out and smoke came out of the floor, he began to panic. The students didn't know whether to be more concerned about whatever was going on or their teacher's mental state. Suddenly, two figures seemed to rise from our of the floor. The professor began to shriek, flailing his arms around.
"DARK THINGS! DARK THINGS! DEFEND YOURSELVES!!!"
Of course, he himself was too panicked to grab his own wand. Luckily, before anyone else could think to throw a spell or two, the lights returned, revealing James and Sirius, once more standing triumphantly.
The rest of the students were once again appalled at the boys' ability to get away with what seemed like anything. Sure, they didn't gain any points this time, but they didn't loose any either.
The professor had passed out.
Remus sighed. Final class of the day: Potions. He put his head in his hands, preparing for the next entrance.
He didn't have to wait long. Just as the lesson was about to start, the class looked up as music began to play. It sounded familiar, and Remus racked his brains as to where he had heard it before. He turned as Peter nudged him.
"Hey, isn't this the "Mission Impossible" theme song?"
Remus blinked. Ah, so that's what it was. Suddenly, there was crash from above. Everyone looked up to see James and Sirius bursting through the ceiling, suspended from cables and looking like characters from some cliché muggle spy film.
However, just as the two were grinning, there was a small snapping sound. Looking up, Padfoot and Prongs were faced with the sight of the cord holding Sirius up slowly tearing. Just as the rope snapped, Sirius let out a shrill cry and threw himself at James, wrapping his arms around his friend to keep from falling. James cried out in surprise at the sudden added weight.
"Ah! Sirius, I don't think-" His statement was cut off as his cord snapped as well, unable to hold both of the boys. They both screamed as they plummeted to the ground. Luckily, there was something there to break their fall…A large cauldron filled with a thick, orange substance.
Unable to hold both students, the cauldron tipped over, covering the two Marauders and the floor with the bright liquid. Coughing and sputtering, the friends used each other as supports to shakily stand. Sirius wiped the potion from his eyes and face.
"Ugh, Professor Slughorn, what is this stuff!?"
The man look at the scene in front of him, hand on his chin contemplatively. After a moment, he let out a chuckle and shrugged.
"You know, I'm not entirely sure!"
"WHAT!?"
"Oh, calm down boys. I'm sure any effects would have occurred by now."
James opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly closed it, a quizzical look on his face. Finally, he turned to Sirius, confused.
"It tastes like pumpkin."
Sirius looked at him like he was crazy. "What?" But after licking his own lips, he realized that his friend was correct. It did taste like pumpkin. Professor Slughorn snapped his fingers in realization.
"Ah, that's right! I remember now! Dumbledore is hosting a little potluck for the teachers later and I was going to bring some of my famous pumpkin pudding!"
"Oh. Well, it's delicious!"
"Thank you, Mr. Black. Now if you would please clean yourselves up, I believe I'm still required to teach you all something."
The Gryffindor side of the room heaved a sigh. It seemed that once again, no points had been lost. Only a large batch of strange pudding…
Remus groaned as Padfoot and Prongs exited their dorm room, laughing. He had no doubt that they were planning another entrance for dinner that night. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He sighed and sat up. He turned to the only other person in the room.
"Peter, would you mind helping me with something?"
Desperate times call for desperate measures…
Sirius and James were smiling as they ate their dinner. They had successfully levitated each other into the Great Hall, floating above the startled students as they threw confetti over their heads. They were surprised, however, to find Remus and Peter missing, but shrugged it off as they tucked into their own meals.
But before they could get very far, they were halted by the sound of blaring trumpets. They, along with everyone else in the school, turned as the doors to the Great hall were thrown open. A long red carpet rolled down the center aisle, framed by shimmering gold glitter that hovered along the edges and covered the entrance. After a moment, the glitter parted, revealing peter, dressed in a deep red, royal looking robe, leading a group of eight Gryffindor first years who were carrying an elaborate gold and red throne.(2) Upon the seat, sat none other than Remus Lupin, looking calm and collected as usual in his ornate crown and robe and holding a powerful looking scepter. As they walked down the carpet, the glitter popped in golden fireworks, and the trumpets continued to sound from no where. Meanwhile, the student looked up as the banners in the hall changed, becoming deep red with the words "ALL HAIL REMUS LUPIN, KING OF HOGWARTS" in gold writing. The magic sky also changed, turning to pure white clouds with a single beam of light shining through, illuminating Remus as he was carried to his seat. When he was finally lowered to the ground, he gracefully stood and sat across from his two shocked companions while the wizards behind him transfigured his chair into a throne matching the one he had just exited. Peter then pulled out a long piece of official looking parchment before addressing the people of the school.
"The king has arrived! You may all resume your meal!" And with that, he too took a seat, followed by the other accomplices. There was silence in the hall as Remus casually ate his food, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Sirius and James just sat there, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Finally, as the rest of the students seemed to snap out of it, the two Marauders shook their heads in amazement.
"I don't think we can beat that."
Remus grinned, not even looking at them.
"That's the point."
Remus laughed as he looked at the newest item on the list. He knew he shouldn't have let James and Sirius be the ones to write it. He shook his head, still smiling as he made his way to bed, glancing back one last time at the words, decorated with a myriad of pen strokes.
-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-
42.) -!!!*{[( DRAMATIC ENTRANCES!!!)]}*!!!-
-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-
Ok, so I haven't done these exactly, but my friends and I do enjoy going a bit over the top when entering a room. XD Oh, and a couple little notes:
(1) Obviously, I don't know who the DADA teacher was during the Marauders' fourth year, so he is entirely made up to suit the situation.
(2) In case you were wondering how Remus got eight first-years to join in this, they owed him a favor. He tutored them and saved their grades. Or so says the author. DON'T QUESTION ME!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed! Sorry about the long waits, but it really can't be helped. Next chapter will probably be my Christmas one unless I'm either struck by inspiration or given a particularly good suggestion. Well, thanks for reading! ~BFMS
