"-in front of everyone. And I was so mad and embarrassed I would probably punch the guy right next to me. Actually, I did. And he got so mad that he-"

"MALFOY?" yelped Remus.

"-turned around and said...what? Malfoy?" James stopped his story and turned to Remus.

"He and a bunch of people are sneaking into the Forbidden Forest!" cried Remus. "Come here!"

"What?" Sirius jumped off his bed and onto Remus's, putting his head against the window.

James pushed himself off his own bed and crawled onto Remus's. Blimey, he was right. Lucius Malfoy and some other kids were going towards the Forbidden Forest.

"What are they doing?" demanded Peter. "What?"

"They're holding some papers…" James squinted. "They're too far down, guys, I can't see."

"Papers?" Sirius frowned. "Do you think they're just...breaking the rules and sneaking in?"

"In broad daylight, when nobody's looking?" tested Remus. "I don't think so...it's weird, though. Like...all of them."

"Knowing Lucius, it's probably Papa Abraxius's orders," muttered Sirius.

"But...but that's it!" cried James. The other three turned to face him.

"What's it?" Peter inquired.

"They're the informants!" James exclaimed. There was no answer. The three of them gaped at him, visibly confused. James continued. "Informing whoever's in the forest. You don't think the people in the forest can spy on us from there, do you?"

"No, I don't," agreed Remus slowly.

"So Lucius Malfoy - and whoever else is with him - is telling the spies in the forest everything that's going on here at Hogwarts," James explained. He was proud of himself for figuring out.

"So…" Peter said, catching on surprisingly quick for him, "we can't tell the school at dinner, no way."

"Why not? Oh...right." Sirius nodded. "Right. Malfoy would figure out, go tell the spies, they'd change their plan. Darn!"

"We have to tell Dumbledore. Now." Remus sounded extremely alarmed, aware.

"We don't know for sure," said James desperately, knowing it was the truth. "Dumbledore needs proof. He trusts, guys, that's his problem."

"Then what do we do?" Peter asked.

James took a deep breath. "We follow them."

Silence.

"What?" asked Remus nervously.

"Sure. Let's go for it," Sirius agreed.

"No, wait," Remus said. "Guys, the forest is dangerous. We were lucky last time not to run into-"

"But this is different!" exclaimed James. "Last time was for the thrill, the rule-breaking part of it. Now it's for saving the school. Come on, guys, we've worked so hard to get to this point, are we really giving up now?"

"Fine," said Remus. "Let's go."

"We should take your cloak!" said Peter. The Invisibility Cloak was amazing. They hadn't used it much yet, but now…

"I don't want it to get so dirty," James said. "Or get scratched on a branch."

"It won't," assured Sirius. "But we have to go. Every moment debating is a moment wasted."

"Hear hear!" hollered Peter. The four of them squeezed under the cloak. But there was a problem: their feet were showing.

"We can't let our feet wander on the Grounds," said Remus, as they squeezed out of the portrait hole and turned right.

"I'll have to carry Peter," laughed James.

"No...really? Would that actually work?" asked Sirius, eyes gleaming.

"You realize I was joking," James said with a grin. He loved fooling people.

"No but...that could actually work," Sirius contemplated, looking. "James, pick up Peter." James swung Peter up ("Ow!") and hefted him over his shoulders.

"I'm not a baby, you know," grumbled Peter, rubbing his hair.

"Obviously not," groaned James under his weight, "because you weigh much more than a baby elephant, even."

"Not true!" protested Peter.

"Quiet," implored Remus as they left the castle and set out onto the grounds. They quickly rushed into the Forbidden Forest and followed Lucius Malfoy into the depths of the forest. They went to where the centaurs were - way deep into the forest.

"How far are these people?" croaked Sirius.

"Past the centaurs," James whispered.

Lucius and his gang reached the centaur area and made their way through the clearing.

"Why didn't the centaurs stop them?" wondered Peter quietly.

"They've probably done this before," guessed Remus.

The Marauders crept in after Lucius and his gang and heard Lucius's voice.

"Master."

Sirius's face immediately turned red after seeing who Lucius was talking to.

Various people were sitting on a ring of stones. A tent was propped up in the corner. And right in the middle was a man with extremely similar features to those of Mulciber, in their school.

"Dad," whispered child-Mulciber. The adult-Mulciber turned, his eyes at rage.

"Don't. Call. Me. Dad. Are you a child?"

"Sorry sir," whispered Mulciber II, bowing down. James turned to his friends, mouthing Mulciber's dad?

Sirius nodded grimly. "He's a Death Eater," Sirius explained. "Supporters of Tom Riddle...ugh, what did Cissy say...Voldemo or something. His family comes over for my parents' fancy parties. Mulciber's mom is an idiot."

James stifled a giggle.

"Information," demanded a man on the stones.

"I know him as well," murmured Sirius. "Tengras. He's really evil, he tried to teach me and Regulus the killing curse when we were like...four years old. Well, Regulus was three, but…"

"Shh," hushed Peter as Lucius spoke up.

"Sir. There are many more Mudbloods in the school. Some of them are even top of our year." James did a jolt upon hearing the name Mudblood. Oh, how he wanted to go punch Lucius right then and there.

"And you let that happen?" asked Mulciber, wrinkling his nose. "I am extremely disgusted."

"Sir…" Lucius turned bright red and James felt smug.

"Names of the Mudbloods please." James's hands clenched into fists subconsciously, and he felt Remus's hand enclose over his fist. James looked and Remus shook his head, saying it's not worth it.

"Lily Evans, for one, is top of our year," Avery muttered, his face sour.

"So we have to kill her, next," said Mulciber (the adult) quietly.

Kill her? mouthed Peter. James felt his feet shaking. He turned to Remus pleadingly.

"I have to attack them! I have to warn Lily! They're going to kill her! I have to...I have to tell Dumbledore. We have to tell her. Somebody!" he whisper-screamed.

"Calm down," said Sirius, grabbing James by the arms.

"Think rationally," breathed Remus. "Be quiet, and let's listen to what they have to say. We can prevent it if we know everything, not if we start screaming and thinking irrationally."

James quieted down, anger still burning in his mind.

"How are we planning to do that?" asked Travers, his face curious.

"Bait her," suggested Tengras coldly. "And then lock her in a room and torture her to death."

"All of you shut up," Mulciber the adult snapped. "We need the information before we go coming up with what to do with it." That sounded eerily like what Remus had just said. "These boys can't be gone from school long. Continue. What are the other Slytherins doing towards this...how are they like...who can we trust?"

Avery spoke up. "There is a boy named Severus. Severus Snape." James's mind unleashed with white fury. If Snivellus got recruited with them, he was going to just march out there and kill them all.

"Go on. Is he useful?"

"He's extremely...good at dark magic," Lucius explained. "But he is friends with the Mudblood, Evans."

Mulciber sighed. "Naturally. Anyway to break the friendship? Does he seem like he would be interested in joining our cause?"

"He sticks out like a sore thumb," grumbled Travers. "He'd be interested if the Mudblood wasn't muddling with his brain."

Another Death Eater nodded. "Fine. Now...anything else?"

"That's pretty much the information we've got. What else can we do? How are you planning to kill the Mudbloods?"

"Bait them," suggested Tengras again. "I said so."

"Shut up, fool," grumbled adult-Mulciber. "We're going to have to get into the school to do that, and the security is too risky."

"We can do it," Lucius said earnestly.

"No, you can't," said Mulciber. "You are children and can't cast a simple hex, forget a killing charm."

"He's right," said a student voice that James hadn't heard. It was a hooded boy, probably in second-year, who looked extremely shady. He had a grey sweatshirt on, his hood covering his face, and wisps of brown-black hair showing on his forehead. He was wearing thick dark jeans. The others - sans Lucius - looked rather scared of him. "We can't cast a killing charm yet." His voice was light, but had a dangerous undertone to it.

"So then how do we do it?" asked Avery, respect weaved into his tone.

"We can wait until a Hogsmeade weekend," offered another Death Eater.

"That's an option," mused Mulciber the adult, twirling his wand in his hand.

"Or we could just bait them," Tengras grumbled.

"We heard you the first time," remarked Mulciber coldly. "I like the Hogsmeade approach. First and Second years will have to wait before we kill them. Longer life, eh?"

The others chuckled.

"I like that," said the hooded boy.

"Totally," echoed the other students, all trying to get the hooded boy to notice them.

"Now get out of here before your absence goes noticed," snapped Mulciber. Lucius nodded and bowed and voiced his pleasure before turning and striding away. The hooded boy hopped off the tree he had been leaning against and marched off after Lucius. The other boys bowed and ran off.

"Can we serve a meal now?" begged Tengras.

"Who's that hooded boy?" whispered Peter. "I'm scared here...it's four of us against powerful people who can kill us…"

"We have cheese and some stale bread," announced a wheezy woman. "You think it'll work, then?"

"Are we out of that spinach from yesterday?" asked another Death Eater. "It tasted good."

"Finished," grunted Mulciber.

"The hooded boy is Rastaban," sighed Sirius. "Rodolphus's younger brother. I'll soon be related to him."

"How?" asked Remus.

"Rodolphus is getting married to Bellatrix," moaned Sirius. "Something about connecting pure families or keeping pureblood families out there. I swear, Andromeda should hurry up and get married already…"

"Andromeda?" James turned to his friend. "Who would she get married to?"

"This boy named Ted," Sirius explained. "They're supposed to be just friends, but I caught them suggesting otherwise in a deserted corridor last week."

"What were they doing?" asked James excitedly.

"I don't want to hear it," said Remus firmly. "Sirius, would your family accept that?"

"Nope," said Sirius with a mischievous grin. "Which is why they'd do it without my family knowing."

"Like they'd elope," summed up Peter.

"Can we get more food?" moaned Tengras. "I'm hungry."

"Accio tacos," said a death eater lazily, and a plate of tacos flew up to them. "Better?"

"Much."

"Yeah, eloping basically," said Sirius.

"But then your family wouldn't be entirely pureblood," whispered James.

"I really don't care," said Sirius. "I'd like that. I need to talk to Andromeda and tell her they need to get married."

"What do you think your family will do to her if they find her?" Peter wondered.

"They wouldn't make it public, that's for sure," Sirius responded. "Ugh, James, you're on my foot."

"Sorry," whispered James, stepping somewhere else instead.

"Nobody asked you to stand on my foot instead!" Remus argued.

"Sorry!" James muttered, hoping he didn't land on Peter's foot this time. He didn't.

Bingo.

"Let's go back now," suggested Remus. "It is kind of creepy here."

They were back in the warmth of their Common Room, huddled by the fire.

"We really have to tell Dumbledore," said James.

"Tell him what? He already knows that there are spies in the forest," pointed out Sirius.

"Yeah, but about the Slytherins," said Peter.

"Don't you think the Slytherins will come get back at us for it, though?" reasoned Remus.

"If we don't tell them it was us, then they can't get back at us," laughed Sirius.

"Deal."

"This is another very serious matter," sighed Dumbledore. "You went back into the forest after you have been warned multiple times not to, and have already went in there and gotten in trouble. Neglecting that fact, you went back into the Forbidden Forest, this time in broad daylight and to a location with dangerous people where you could've been killed."

Remus shot a look at James that said I told you so.

"But sir, you're forgetting the main reason we went in there," Sirius protested. "When you put it that way, it sounds like we've done something really horrible for no reason."

"I didn't exactly say I was finished," Dumbledore said calmly. Sirius fell silent. "As I was saying...broke a bunch of school rules, put your lives at risk, am I correct?"

They didn't say anything.

"But, this time you did it because you saw other kids going in there, and you've given me extremely valuable information. I will go deal with those people, I will deal with Malfoy and his friends, and I will talk to the Heads to see if the Hogsmeade date can change without anybody knowing."

"Thank you sir!" cried Peter.

"This doesn't mean I excuse the fact that you went in the forest," continued Dumbledore, giving a tinkling smile to Peter. "But all good intentions...better than last time, anyway...so yes. Twenty points to Gryffindor, and five points from Gryffindor."

"Couldn't you have said fifteen points to Gryffindor?" Sirius asked.

"I had to let you boys know that something was being taken from Gryffindor, did I not?" chuckled Dumbledore. "Anyway, though you broke a lot more school rules, I'm very proud of you. Now, I need to have a word with Slughorn. Can you give me the names - or at the very least, Houses - of everyone who fed information to the spies?"

"You're going to expel them, right?" Remus asked.

"No, I think a suspension will do," Dumbledore said.

"What?" James was aghast. "How? Why?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "For your first question out of three, I will give them a suspension. How? I will simply tell them they are suspended. Why? Because they have been attempting to kill students."

"Yeah, but why only suspension? Why don't you expel them...they were trying to kill Lily and other Muggle-Borns!" James had to make Dumbledore see reason.

"I'm aware of that, but I think they will have learnt their lesson. For one, Malfoy will lose Hogsmeade trips for the rest of the year. He is in fifth-year, see. They will all have detention for the rest of the term. I'm thinking they will give gifts to all the Muggle-borns, with a cute card, no doubt." Dumbledore hummed merrily. "I will make sure they regret this, but expelling them? No no, they will probably be transferred to another school and not…"

Dumbledore trailed off as an owl pecked at the window. He muttered something like "Not again!" as he opened the window and a brown owl came inside and dropped a letter on his desk before flying away.

Dumbledore quickly checked the sender and threw it aside.

"If it's important, you can read it," Remus said softly. "Don't let us stop you."

"Important?" Dumbledore asked. "No, no, it's not important."

"What is it?" asked Peter curiously.

Dumbledore smiled. "Another letter telling me I am a bad headmaster who should be ousted from this school, but it's not of importance. So as I was saying...expulsion? No, it would get them transferred to another school and most likely not-"

"A bad headmaster?" gasped Remus. "You're the best!"

Dumbledore laughed. "Thank you, Remus, you are most kind." James frowned. Why did Dumbledore call him Remus when he called the rest of them by their last names? Same thing with Emmeline, but at least she was a student. Dumbledore only did that to students he knew really well, had private lessons with, met twice a week. Stuff like that. "But we do not need to worry about that, many people think that of me. So they would be transferred-"

"But sir!" protested Sirius. "You can't be ousted from this school. You just can't."

Dumbledore smiled in appreciation. "I have no intention of leaving this school. Don't let these things bother you. I've gotten them since my first week here. Now, let's keep going, shall we? So if I expel these students, they would be transferred to another school, but they wouldn't-"

"Why do they want you ousted from this school?" asked James. Dumbledore was the best headmaster...why would anyone want him away?

Dumbledore sighed, after being interrupted again. "They think I speak up too much. I voice my opinions on the Dark Arts. I'm against the Dark Arts. People who like the Dark Arts are against me for that, you see. It's a complicated cycle. But enough on that matter. Where were we? Yes! The students would transfer-"

"Who was that owl from?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore was probably annoyed now, but didn't show it. He continued to maintain a smiling face. "I don't need you dwelling on my problems. In fact, it's not even a problem! I ignore it and continue being the best Headmaster I can be. Now, are you ready to listen to what I have to say?"

Giving in, the four Marauders nodded as Dumbledore finally told them what would happen when Lucius and his friends got transferred. "They would be transferred…" He stopped, looking around to make sure there was nothing which could stop him this time, "...to a different school, and Hogwarts would become a memory. It wouldn't matter to them anymore. I will suspend them for a week...but then they'd go back to their family, and you say Mulciber's dad himself is there. So they will be locked in their private dormitories, unable to come out. I will make sure they don't communicate with each other."

James nodded, seeing where this was going. He had to admit - Dumbledore was really smart.

"And I believe that will suffice," Dumbledore declared with a smile. "Thank you for telling me this information."

"You're welcome."

"Now, it is almost time for dinner, and I'll have to go have a chat with Malfoy and his friends," Dumbledore said pleasantly, as though he was talking about a trip to the store instead of suspending students for plotting murder in his school. "You are dismissed. Good day."

"Do you think Dumbledore can be off his rocker sometimes?" voiced James at dinner. They'd gotten there early, so they could hear the large announcement.

"If he has a rocker, that is," muttered Sirius.

"He's still really amazing, though," said Remus. "He's helped me...us all out in ways you couldn't even imagine."

"Yeah," said Peter. "He's the best."

"Did you hear he's turned down Minister of Magic?" asked Sirius.

"Really? He'd make a great Minister!" cried James.

"But he's an even better headmaster," reminded Remus.

"Fair point. But why would he refuse such a job?" cried Peter.

"My parents hated him horribly - if they could even hate him worse - after that. Thinks he's so good to run that stupid school that he doesn't want to run this world instead," grumbled Sirius.

"I can't believe people want him ousted as headmaster," said James. "Who would do that?"

"My parents, for one," sighed Sirius.

"Really?" James cried. He knew Sirius's family were those pureblood-supremacist types, but who could hate Dumbledore that badly?

"They didn't want him teaching me and Regulus," Sirius explained. "They sent him a letter last year saying they didn't want him to teach me. And they even went to the Board of Directors, but they said nothing doing. I swear they're planning a way to corrupt the board. I heard they're going to get Abraxas to try to do something, his friend's cousin or something has a connection in the board…"

"Sorry, who's Abraxas?" asked Remus, trying to keep up with the knowledge Sirius knew about the "dark" Wizarding World.

"Lucius's dad. Close friend of our family, they're Purebloods too, see."

"Oh."

"Though Lucius and Narcissa have gotten quite close lately," said Sirius, waggling his eyebrows. "Think there might be something there?"

"Really?" James turned to the Slytherin table as the doors banged open and Dumbledore strode in and took his seat.

"I know you all are wondering why school was cancelled today," Dumbledore said. "I shall explain. First, I will start by thanking Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter, for solving a problem in our school. Let me tell you everything." He started telling the story, leaving out the bits about Malfoy and his friends.

Once he had finished, there was an awestruck silence in the Hall.

Then…

"Did he really do all of that?" demanded Narcissa, pointing at Sirius. She looked murderous, clearly because Sirius had foiled her parents' plan that she supported.

"Yeah, I did. Don't be so jealous, Cissy, next time I'll get you a spot too." Sirius winked and the Hall erupted into,

"Oooh!"

James grinned appreciatively and bumped Sirius in the side.

"For a weakling like you, you sure bump hard," whispered Sirius, rubbing his side. "Argh."

"Y-Y-Y-You just...YOU!" bellowed Narcissa, her face flushed pink.

"Don't worry, Narcissa, forget about him. We don't need to worry about low-class people like him, anyway," said Lucius, patting Narcissa on the shoulder. James smirked at Sirius.

"Yeah," said Sirius with a shrug. "Not when you're even lower that you don't have a class."

"Oooh!"

"Enough." Dumbledore had stood. "We weren't here to argue. We were here to thank those four boys from saving this school from murders and wrongdoing. I'd like everyone to clap for them, please."

Everyone in the Hall clapped, except the few Slytherins (Lucius, Travers, Avery, Mulciber, Rastaban, and Narcissa). Andromeda was smiling.

"Now, I'd like us all to be careful," said Dumbledore, "but not panicked. You have no reason to worry in this school. We are safe. These men could not have done anything, as they were in the forest, not in the school. And I'm sure nobody in the school would encourage that, either." His eyes flitted to the Slytherin group for a moment, before coming back. "So you have no reason to be panicked. This school is safe. Please don't worry. You are safe here. Nothing can happen to you here. Harm cannot come to you here.

"You are safe.

"Now with that, you may eat your dinner."

Lily walked over to them, clearly struggling on what to say.

"Hi, Evans," said James brightly, his eyes on her hair. It was pretty, honestly.

Lily gave a half-smile. "I wanted to say…thank you. For doing this. It saved the lives of people like me."

James clenched his fist, trying not to tell Lily that it was exactly her that they'd been targeting, not just people like her. "You are welcome."

"Have you stopped hating us?" asked Sirius.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a no," laughed Remus.

Lily relaxed. "Not you, Lupin, you're not as bad as the rest of them."

"Hey," protested the other three.

"But you guys are annoying and really childish," Lily said matter-of-factly.

"We're children!" cried James.

Lily closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them. "That's not why I came here. I came to say thank you. Obviously you broke the rules in doing this," - why was it always about rules? - "but you saved my life nonetheless. And you saved the school. So...thank you. Maybe I judged you too harshly."

"You're welcome, and you sure did!" Peter squeaked.

Lily smiled for a moment, and then it was gone. "I'll go. Bye."

And she left.

"Well...that was weird," said Sirius.

"It sure was," agreed Remus.

"Lily Evans said thanks!" cried Peter.

"She has a heart, mate, of course she'll say thanks. We saved her life," Sirius said. The other three immediately jumped into conversation about Lily and what they would do if their life was saved by Snivellus, but James didn't join in.

His mind was on a very certain girl with flaming red hair and bright green eyes...

A/N: Hello everyone! SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Looks like James/Lily is making an entry in the story a little more...

YAY! 100,000 words! I've done it - what a milestone! Thank you for following and reading all these 100,000 words. The chapters are only going to get better now!

So before I end this chapter... THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone reading this story! Please review, and I'll see you in Chapter 24 ;)