The morning of October 31st was gloomy and cloudy; rain was hanging in the air, and the Hogwarts grounds were covered by thick fog. Remus also suspected that there would be thunder since he had woken up with a headache.

The dormitory was rather cold; the window had been left open overnight. James was sitting on his bed, still in pajamas, wrapping his duvet around himself. He yawned and reached for his glasses on the bedside table.

"Morning', Moony," he greeted when he saw that Remus was already up.

"Good morning," Remus responded with a slight smile.

James was even more tired than usual this morning. Remus and Sirius had both fallen asleep fairly early the night before; James and Peter, on the other hand, had both been bored. That's how they ended up playing cards until 2 in the morning; this was also the reason why Peter was still tucked up in his bed, snoring loudly.

Remus had woken up a while before James, only to notice that Sirius wasn't there. He hadn't reflected too much over it but was still a little curious as to where he had gone. Since he was freezing, he decided to put on a white knitted jumper to warm himself.

"Where's Padfoot?" James asked in between yawns and looked towards Remus, who had now walked over to the window.

"I don't know ... He wasn't here when I woke up," Remus responded, absent-mindedly as he observed the sunrise in the foggy sky.

The door made a creaking sound as it was carefully pushed open. Sirius poked his head inside, beaming as he noticed that James and Remus were now awake. "Morning'" he said in a lilting, teasing voice.

"Morning' Padfoot," James replied with a grin, his voice a bit raspy from tiredness. He stretched his arms and tilted his head to the side, yawning once more.

"Good morning," Remus said, smiling to himself when he noticed that Sirius had returned to the dormitory.

"Here," Sirius said. Remus turned to see that Sirius was offering him a hot cup of tea. A surprised look spread on his face.

"I know you like tea in the morning, and I was already up, so ..." Sirius's voice trailed. Remus nodded slowly and smiled.

As he reached for the cup, their hands touched lightly. Remus pulled his hand back as quickly as possible, almost spilling the tea, and Sirius looked the other way.

"Good morning," a squeak was heard from Peter's bed. He had just awoken.

Remus and James greeted Peter happily, whereas Sirius was more impatient, probably because he had been up for a while.

Peter sat up on the bed, pulling his duvet around himself as a protection from the cold.

"Peter, get up already. I'm hungry," Sirius said, gesturing for Peter to get out of bed.

"Right, sorry," Peter said and started dragging himself out of bed.

While Remus and Sirius waited for Peter and James to get dressed, Remus sat on his bed and sipped on his tea.

"Slept all right?" Sirius asked Remus as he approached him.

"I did, thank you," Remus responded, "And you?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes, um, thanks," Sirius replied, trying to match Remus's politeness.

Neither of the two could come up with something else to say, so they remained quiet.

"I should, um, put this away," Remus said, showing the cup. "Oh," Sirius responded and moved out of the way as Remus reached to put down the cup on the bedside table.

The awkward moment was saved by James, who couldn't find his tie.

"I'm sure I put it over here somewhere," James said as he looked around, searching for his lost clothing article.

Sirius spotted the tie which was hanging on the headboard of James's bed. He walked over there and grabbed it. "Guess this solves your mystery," he said as he handed it to James.

James made a surprised face. "Oh ... Thanks!" he said, grinning before he started to tie it loosely around his neck.

"Ready to go, Peter?" Remus asked, and Peter nodded in response.

"All right, let's go then," James said and opened the door.

The Marauders entered the Great Hall together. They sat down at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table and prepared their breakfast.

"Guys ... I forgot to tell you that I had a nightmare," Peter said as he took a bite of his toast.

"What kind of nightmare?" Sirius asked, glancing at Peter.

"Are you sure ... Dumbledore d-doesn't know anything?" Peter stammered nervously, "Because in my d-d-dream ... we all got expelled," he explained and looked to James as though he had all the answers.

"Wormtail, relax," James said, stretching his arms into the air. "If he knew something, don't you think we would've heard by now?" he added with a yawn.

"I ... I suppose," Peter said and put down his fork for a moment as he pondered the question.

"Did professor Dumbledore say anything that indicated that he knew?" Remus asked, trying to analyze what happened realistically.

"Well, no, but he had this look ... " Sirius said, "... and his eyes twinkled!" James continued. They soon realized, however, how 'stupid' it all sounded out loud.

Sirius chuckled at the expression on James's face. "He probably just cut us some slack," he said and shrugged.

"Just because he covered for you, it doesn't necessarily mean that he knows exactly what you were doing that night," Remus agreed, giving Peter a reassuring look. "And if he knew anything about it, surely he would have reprimanded me for my carelessness in the matter," he added. This seemed to calm Peter down a bit as he returned the smile.

During the rest of the breakfast, James talked about his latest plan to get Lily to date him. He didn't have to ask their opinion since Sirius was about to give him his already.

"You're too hung up, Prongs," Sirius said and rolled his eyes. "There are plenty of other girls who'd kill for a date with you."

"According to popular belief, they would do the same for you," James remarked with a shrug. "So they say," Sirius stated with a shrug. The subject didn't seem to interest him.

"Come on, isn't there someone you're at least a little bit interested in?" James questioned. He rummaged through his pocket, looking for something. He pulled out his golden snitch and started throwing and catching it in the air.

Remus lowered his book slightly to follow their conversation. He would be lying to himself if he'd said he wasn't curious to know if Sirius really was interested in someone. He knew it was selfish, but he found himself hoping that Sirius would answer that he wasn't. This was not something that Remus was proud of; in fact, he was ashamed to have any type of thought about Sirius that involved anything other than friendship.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it had all started but sometime during their third year at Hogwarts, Remus had started to develop feelings for Sirius. The crush had never been a problem before; it had never interfered with their friendship.

One of the reasons for this was that they were rarely alone together; James and Peter were usually around. This made it easier for Remus to avoid having to deal with his feelings. When the four of them spent time together, it was never awkward; on the contrary, they had always had fun together.

Recently, however, Sirius had started to act differently towards Remus. He seemed more eager to spend time one-on-one, and when he did, he was more caring and gentle than usual. This confused Remus. He didn't doubt that Sirius meant well, but the whole thing had made it increasingly difficult for Remus to deal with his crush.

"I wonder if he really is interested in someone," Remus thought as he absent-mindedly put his book down on the table, awaiting Sirius's response to James's question.

Sirius followed the quick movements of James's hand while he leaned back into the chair. "Guess I'm just not interested in any of the girls at this school," he responded, his eyes wandering to Remus.

Remus felt relieved. He looked up, and his eyes met Sirius's grey ones for a moment. Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Peter.

"If you weren't such a good Chaser, you could definitely become a seeker!" Peter cheered. He was, as always, mesmerized by James's quick reflexes. "You certainly have the responsiveness for it," Remus agreed, relieved to focus on something else. James smirked at the praise and caught the golden snitch one last time before he put it back in his pocket.

"Remus?" a voice said from behind. Remus turned around in his seat to find the owner of the voice – it was Lily.

"Lily, good morning," Remus said and smiled at her.

"I just wanted to check in with you about the party," Lily said and returned the smile.

The party that Lily was referring to was a Hallowe'en party. Lily had come up with the idea of hosting a party that would combine muggle traditions with the magical world. She had figured that Remus could help her plan it since the two of them were prefects.

At first, Remus had been hesitant to throw such a party. He did not, by any means, enjoy being the center of attention. And hosting a party would definitely put him in the center. However, Lily had insisted that she would do the hosting and that Remus could help her to plan and decorate.

Once Lily had explained how she thought that the party would be a good way to break the barriers between muggle-born students and pure- or half-blooded ones, Remus had agreed.

The party would take place in the Gryffindor common room after the Hallowe'en feast. Students third year and up were invited. Lily and Remus had figured that the younger students would be too tired after the feast.

"I've spoken to Hagrid, and he has kindly agreed to donate some of his pumpkins to us," Lily continued. "I figured we could use them to decorate the common room."

"That sounds great," Remus said, nodding his head in approval.

"If you need any help, just let me know," James suddenly interjected. "I wouldn't mind spending all afternoon with you ... 'decorating'," he added with a smirk.

Lily turned and looked over at James. "As lovely as that sounds," she said sarcastically, "I have a different task for you."

"Oh? ... What is it?" James asked.

"Well, I need someone to go down to Hagrid's and get the pumpkins," Lily responded.

"And will you be as kind as to accompany me on this mission?" James asked, once again smirking at her.

"I don't have time to go with you," Lily said and sighed, "Why don't you take Sirius and Peter with you?"

"Sure, sounds good," James scoffed and crossed his arms.

Lily rolled her eyes at James's childish behavior. "If it makes you feel any better, we've got all the time in the world to talk later – at the party."

"So, do you want me to bring something to drink?" James asked, seemingly in a better mood.

"What? No!" Lily exclaimed, "There will be no drinking at this party!"

"Why?" James questioned and raised an eyebrow. "For starters, there will be third-years," Lily said, looking at James as if the answer was obvious.

"So, I'll see you later then?" Remus interjected, and Lily nodded in response. As she was about to leave, Lily turned around one last time. "Oh, and dress up as something spooky if you like. It's a muggle tradition," she explained.

Severus was sitting by himself over at the Slytherin table with his head hung low. He sighed quietly to himself and picked through his breakfast. He didn't really have an appetite.

Quite frankly, Severus felt a bit worried. Lily had barely been around throughout the week, and although the two of them had made up back at Hogsmeade, Snape was worried that Lily had changed her mind.

His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table from left to right, trying to get a sight of Lily. He stopped mid-table, a couple of seats to the right. There she was; she was standing up, talking to Remus Lupin, who was sitting down together with his friends. Snape gagged internally from the sight of James Potter's annoying smirk.

Pushing his plate aside, Severus reached for his bag and picked up a notebook, a bottle of ink, and a quill. He placed the objects on the table and reached down to pick up another item from the bag – a textbook from the Defence Against the Dark Arts course.

"So, Lupin's back," Severus thought.

Ever since the last school year, Snape had grown more determined to uncover what his enemies were up to. He had noticed the pattern more and more; Remus disappearing for days once a month and the Marauders acting secretive, as though they were plotting something.

Severus opened his notebook and wrote down his most recent observation. There was another note scribbled on the top of the same page, which read '394'. As he put down his quill, he started flipping through the pages of his textbook. He stopped at page 394 and smirked as he read its title – 'Werewolves'. Soon, he would have something strong enough to expose the Marauders for who they really are.

The Marauders spent the afternoon helping Lily preparing for the party that would take place later in the evening. James, Sirius, and Peter did some of the heavier work while Lily and Remus prepared the Gryffindor common room.

Lily had made sure to include the youngest students as well. The first- and second-year students that wanted to had carved some of the pumpkins into Jack-o'-lanterns. The pumpkins had different faces, and there were candles inside them.

By evening the Gryffindor common room was decorated and ready; it was filled with pumpkins, spider webs, and candles.

As the feast drew near, many students had already gathered outside of the Great Hall. The students chattered excitedly with one another while they were waiting.

Lily spotted Severus in the crowd of students. He seemed uncomfortable, trying to get some space by standing closer to the wall.

As she approached him, Lily reached out to tap his shoulder. Snape jerked around and saw Lily.

"Hello, Sev," Lily said, "Did I startle you?"

"No ... It's all right," Severus said with a smile of relief.

"I wonder what they have planned for this year," Lily said and returned the smile.

"I don't know," Severus said with a light shrug, "So ... Where have you been lately?"

"Oh, I've been quite busy planning a party, actually."

"A Party?"

"Yes, Remus and I have a little party planned after the feast ... for the Gryffindors," Lily explained.

"You and Remus ... planned a party all by yourselves?" Severus questioned and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, well ... the others helped too ... with decorating and such," Lily admitted. She tried to avoid going into details as she explained, knowing that James was a sensitive topic to Severus.

"Of course," Severus muttered, scowling at her.

"Sev, I know I have been a bit busier than usual lately, but we will spend time together again soon," Lily reassured him with a warm smile.

"I doubt it," Snape mumbled, but he couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth turn slightly upwards as Lily smiled at him.

"How about we put our minds together and start working on our History of magic essays tomorrow?" Lily suggested. "And then, afterward, we can have lunch together in the Great Hall."

At that moment, Severus saw the Marauders approach the crowd of students outside the Great Hall, and so, he tensed up again.

"Sev?" Lily called again. "Does that sound good?" she asked and stroked his arm a few times in an attempt to comfort him.

"Hm?" Snape averted his eyes from his enemies and turned them towards Lily.

"Yes ... Let's do that," he said slowly.

"Great," Lily said, smiling at him.

As the Marauders arrived, James's eyes fell on Lily and Snape right away. He noticed Lily's hand on Severus's arm and felt a sting of jealousy; then, an idea popped into his mind.

"You know what? ..." James said while he watched them. "What?" Peter asked curiously and looked up at him. "... I think I'm in the mood for a little mischief," James said with a mischievous smile.

"Can't have Hallowe'en with all treats and no tricks," Sirius agreed, smirking.

"Can't we just go inside?" Remus asked anxiously in an attempt to stop the prank before it began. The others chose to ignore this, however.

James discretely took out his wand and aimed it at Severus's legs.

"Tarantallegra!"

A/N:

Thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot.

I will try to post Halloween pt. 2 in the next couple of days. :)