James Potter and the Eight Marauders
Chapter 2
WHACK!
James awoke with a start to see Sirius standing above him with a pillow in hand, grinning. James smiled, and got up. Sirius quickly ran over to Remus and Peter, giving them each a hard whack in the face as well. Remus toppled over the bed with a oof and rose scrambling from the mass of sheets sputtering about sugar plums. Peter looked up from his pillow, saw Sirius, groaned, then fell back asleep. The result was Sirius continually whacking Peter in the face until Peter couldn't stand it any longer and sat up.
They all managed to get dressed and walked down to breakfast, where they received their schedules.
"Hey, we have Potions with Slytherin...and the Marauders," Peter said, a little puzzled.
"Whaat?" Sirius exclaimed as he took his own schedule. "The Marauders? Is that the best they could come up with?"
Remus shot, "I personally think it's better than Wimpettes."
Sirius stuck his tongue at Remus.
Peter looked at his watch. "Oh great. It's time for class, guys."
All four of them trudged the way to Potions.
Professor McGuire was a mean, tall man who loved to pick on Gryffindors, especially James Potter.
"Today, I'll pair you up with a partner alphabetically and I want you to complete the Fresh Breath Potion," he said in a nasal tone. He unrolled a scroll, and began to call out from the list. "Luna Alcott and Sawyer Aesop, Sirius Black and Katherine Blade, Lindsay Fletcher and Jane Keller, Remus Lupin and Lucius Malfoy, Lily Oberlin and Peter Pettigrew, James Potter and Alexia Quan..."
The list droned on and on while the students shuffled their way to the rows of tables finding their partners. James Potter sat down next to Alexia Quan, and felt a little discomfort.
"...could've chosen a better name!" a voice that sounded strangely like Sirius from the back yelled.
"Like we would choose Wimpette over Marauder!" another voice exclaimed from the back. James swirled around like everybody else to look at the brewing fight between Sirius and Katherine.
"Well, it would have been much more creative!"
"Yeah, and we would be laughed out of this school!"
"And you aren't already?"
"No, we aren't."
"Well, HA HA HA. There. You're officially laughed at."
"You've certainly changed since I saw you last."
"Thank you."
"Don't take that as a compliment."
"Ok, I will."
"You're such a-"
At this point Sirius had placed his hand over Katherine's mouth and saying, "What was that? I didn't hear that. You'll have to speak louder..."
Suddenly, Katherine kicked Sirius in the stomach, which caused him to be quite angry. Thus, Sirius attacked Katherine, who shrieked. Both disappeared behind the desk. James quickly got up and ran over, only to find Katherine sitting on Sirius and poking her finger at his forehead.
Alexia and Lily pulled her off of him after laughing with the rest of the class. Professor McGuire, however, was not pleased. "Twenty points from Marauder and Gryffindor for fighting, and detention for Miss Blade and Mister Black. Mister Riddle, please escort these two children to the hospital wing."
Tom, who was a third year and was Professor McGuire's teacher assistant, went and tried to help Katherine up, but she shrugged off his hand and glared into his eyes defiantly. As Tom escorted Sirius and Katherine past Lindsay, she shook her head.
"Fighting's bad for you, Katherine. We need world peace," Lindsay said innocently.
Tom spun around to look at Lindsay with glares, but she didn't notice. Lindsay merely went along with her potion after one long look at Katherine and saying, "Gosh, I hope you're going to be okay." Tom shook his head along with half the class, and walked out the door with Sirius and Katherine.
As Tom passed Alexia, he glared at her. Alexia glared back, but James heard her muttering words like, "...can't believe...kept his name..." James stared at Alexia, which caused her to turn around. "Is Sirius always like that?" she said in a disapproving tone.
"Is Katherine always like that?" James shot back.
Alexia laughed. "Don't let her catch you saying her full name," she advised while cutting up flobberworms. "She'll hurt you badly. Call her Kat."
James shook his head. "Sirius isn't always like that. But he doesn't like girls beating on him," he said in a good manner. "It makes him seem less the macho dude in everybody's eyes."
"Well, that's too bad for him," Alexia laughed. "Kat hates the same thing, only vice versa."
James sighed and leaned against the table behind him. "They're going to get along great, aren't they?"
Alexia chuckled.
"Sure. They'll be best of friends."
*****
"I think we should visit him," Lindsay chirped as her pigtails flew from side to side.
Remus snorted. "And say what? 'Hiya Sirius. We wanted to see how badly Kat beat you up?"
Lindsay's face scrunched up in confusion. "That wouldn't be good?"
Lily patiently tried to explain. "No, Lindsay. That would get him more mad at Kat, and we don't want that."
"Ohhh..." Lindsay nodded in understandment while everybody else rolled their eyes. "Well, I think we should visit him anyway. Besides, Kat's in the hospital wing, too. I have to drop off her homework." She held up a huge stack of papers neatly folded and paper-cliped together in different sections. "I don't want her to get behind just because of Sirius." And with that, Lindsay spun around on one shoe, and walked to the infirmary.
Alexia looked at everybody else. "Well? I kind of want to see how Kat and Sirius are surviving being together."
In the end, after constant battling, they all agreed to visit Sirius and Kat.
When James pushed open the doors, he burst out laughing.
Kat's bed was spinning on the ceiling while she was shrieking, "Get me down from here right now! Sirius! I'll get you back for this! Aaaaaah!"
Sirius was lying with his head propped up and his hand clenched on his wand. His head was thrown back, and he was laughing so hard his face was bright red. "You go girl!" Sirius at this point couldn't take it anymore and rolled off his bed clenching his stomach and rasping, trying to find enough breath to laugh.
James, Peter, and Remus were doubling over in laughter, and Lily was trying very hard not to smile. The only thing that spoiled the moment was Lindsay, hiding in the corner, crying. She looked at Kat's bed with the most sympathy and sadness.
Alexia, however, took out her wand and swiftly got the bed down with a thump. James looked at Alexia in surprise. It was their first day, and how did Alexia learn to do that? Moresoever, he thought amusingly, how did Sirius get Katherine's bed up there?
By the time they reached Kat, she was pale and gasping for breath. Lindsay immediately rushed over, where she was hiding and crying for Kat. "Oh, are you alright, Kat?" Kat didn't say anything, but merely trying to catch her breath. James was seriously scared now. "Oh my gosh, Kat! Kat!" Lindsay screamed. Lily's hand rushed up to her mouth in a look of terror. Even cool Alexia looked scared. "What's happening to her?" she gasped as Kat's body racked into spasms.
Peter started to shiver and Remus looked so worried. "Kat?" he murmured into her ears. "Kat, just say it and you'll feel better. Say it." Everybody looked at him puzzlingly, but still pleading that whatever he was doing was going to work. Kat responded with another spasm. "Kat, say it. Say it. Say it!" Remus shouted. Alexia's eyes shot wide open, and she looked like she was going to slap him.
Suddenly, Kat's chest rose high, and her head dangled in midair until she was sitting straight up. Her honey colored eyes turned bright yellow.
"By the twelfth moon of the time,
Paradoxes will bind thy trail,
Friendship shall lead to crime,
Eight lives blended in one tale.
The soldier's protector dies,
The secret is discovered,
In the hero's heart lies,
A flower never watered.
The protector turns away,
The traitor does what he does best,
The trick is locked from the ray,
And the angel completes the quest.
The voyage is yours to take,
But beware the dangers of adventure,
Once chosen, you cannot break,
Dare yourself to venture.
At the first site of blood,
The pact will be sealed,
In the night's rosebud,
The coven is revealed.
In the innocence, evil lies.
The children found another,
When the rest of them dies.
Long live the last Marauder."
And with that, Katherine fell back on the bed with a thump and lay there, unmoving. Remus quickly grabbed her wrist, and sighed a breath of relief. "She's still alive," he said. James stared at him curiously amid all the other onlookers, but Remus gave him a I'll-tell-you-later look.
Madam Pomfrey came in with a bang of the door. "Excuuuse me, but no visitors are allowed in here." She shoved her way past the clutter of people, and placed her hand on Kat's forehead while squinting through her bifocals at Kat's pale face. James held his breath, hoping desperately that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't find out about what just happened.
She quinted once more, and sighed. "That's it. Out!" She shooed them out of the hospital wing while clucking her tongue. As James passed Sirius, Sirius grabbed his arm.
"I'll meet you later?" he whispered.
James nodded, and left the hospital wing with everybody else.
They all walked in silence until they reached the Marauder House, which lied between the Gryffindor House and the Great Hall. When they reached the door, the awkwardness set in. Shifting his weight from one foot to another and twiddling his thumbs, James finally broke the silence by saying in a voice far louder than necessary, "Well, we'll see you in the morning."
James pushed Remus and Peter and the all the boys shuffled toward their own house.
*****
"Wait," James said, shaking his head in confusion. "Run that whole thing by me again."
Remus sighed. "Ever since we were little, Kat and I used to play around in the playground by the school. Whenever she went on the spinning wheel, Kat would spaz and start to say gibberish." He shook his head. "In the end, our parents found out that she was a Diviner, a true one, and she was taken out of school so the other kids wouldn't get suspicious." Remus smiled. "I remember she made her first prophecy about how I would . . . never mind."
Sirius, who had gotten out of the hospital with minor bruises, piped up, "So she spouts out prophecies whenever she gets dizzy?" He let out a long breath and leaned back in the comfy little couch. "Well then. This wouldn't be my fault, would it?"
James looked at him in exasperation. "You don't feel guilty at all?"
"Nope."
Remus looked at Sirius with a little dislike in his eyes. James knew why he felt that way. Remus and Kat were almost like brother and sister. And just like a brother should be, Remus was especially protective of his sister, and anybody who hurt her would, well, ultimately suffer in some way, whether it be from mosquito bites or death. Either one. James would have felt the same way if anybody hurt Julia or Joshua.
"Hey, guys," Peter suddenly broke in. He had been looking at their courses with immaculate speculation. "We have broomstick riding lessons tomorrow with Madam Pomfrey."
Sirius swirled around on his foot, and looked at Peter. "Seriously? YES!" He started to bounce around the room pumping his arms into the air and shrieking at the top of his lungs. "I'm gonna be officially riding a broomstick for the first time in my life! WHOO!" Sirius did something that looked like an attempted shot at a somersault.
James looked at him. "Wait, this is your first time?" He could recount back to all the times Julia and Joshua tried to teach him. He had been a natural, far better than his sister and brother.
Sirius looked at James for the first time without a smile on his face. "I'm a . . . what do you magic people call us? Oh yes, a Muggle." Sirius had a sneer on his face that James found frightening to look at. Sirius must have seen his James' face, for he immediately said quickly, "Sorry about that. I just don't like people calling me a Mudblood and everything."
Silence filled the room until Remus cleared his throat. "Well, I think we'd all like to get some sleep, no?" The rest of them nodded in agreement and dived for their beds. In moments, the entire room was full of snores.
James waited until everybody was asleep before he crept stealthily from his bed and moved silently towards his trunk. With cat-like movements, he opened it up and took out a pale, liquidy fabric. Unknownest to his family, James had taken all his savings and bought an invisibility cloak, which had cost around two hundred Galleons.
When he turned around, he was face to face with another person. James gave a yelp and fell back on the boards.
"Shhh!" the person hissed.
James stood up. "Sirius?"
"Dur."
"You spying on me?"
"...Yep."
James snorted, and composed himself. "What are you doing?"
In the moonlight, Sirius looked coy. "I think I should be the one asking that."
James smiled. "Okay. Ask yourself what you're doing."
Sirius was silent for a moment. "Dude, that was the worst joke I've ever heard." James chuckled. Sirius said, "So what are you doing exactly?"
James fell silent. "You have to promise not to tell Remus or Peter though."
A sudden rustling filled the air. "Too late, James."
James groaned, and whispered "Lumos" and light filled the room. He found Remus lying the opposite way on the bed with his hands propped up and his head in his palms, looking almost innocent. Remus smiled. "Let Remus know what's going here."
James groaned again. "Does EVERYBODY have to up when I am?"
A loud snore came from the lump on Peter's bed.
"Obviously not," Sirius muttered.
"Alright," James said, exasperated. "I'm going to go explore the school, okay?"
Remus snorted. "Eh, James? You're going to get caught. They have teachers walking around at this time."
James smiled in self-satisfaction. "That's why I brought THIS." With great drama, he whisked out the Invisibility Cloak he was hiding behind his back. Remus and Sirius promptly gasped.
"Wowie," Sirius breathed as he stepped closer. "You rich little bean."
James and Remus gave Sirius a look, but all three went back to their inspection of the cloak.
"Isn't it grand?" James said in a proud way.
"Oop," Sirius said. He placed his hands on both of James' temples. "Doctor Lupin, I think the patient's head is getting a little big."
Remus laughed silently. "There is only one cure for that." A pause. "Steal his invisibility cloak!" Remus snatched the Invisibility Cloak from James' hands and threw it at Sirius. Since Sirius tall for his age, all he had to do was stand up tall with his arm that held the cloak high in the air, and James couldn't get it.
"Alrighty, that's it," James said. The next second, he tackled Sirius. They both landed on the carpet with thumps. In the end, Sirius was on top of James.
"No more fighting," Sirius gasped. "That other little bean took the best of me."
"You had nothing in the beginning, Sirius," James said. "You can't beat me."
Sirius cocked his head to the side. "And yet, the head seems not to get smaller."
Remus sighed dramatically. "You guys, are we going exploring or not?"
Sirius whooped as he shook his fist. "And a explorin' we go!"
*****
The next day, the four Marauders sat waiting for the boys in the morning. They were quite surprised to see all of them, omiting Peter, come down with bags under their eyes and hair messed up. Lindsay was quite worried.
"What happened to you guys?" she cried as she placed her hand on James' head.
Lily smirked at them. "I'm guessing they stayed up all last night exploring."
James whirled around to face her. "Excuse me?"
Lily flashed her brilliant teeth at him. "Two points for Lily Oberlin! And the crowd goes wild!"
Silence filled the table. Lindsay clapped her hands hesitantly.
Rolling her eyes, Lily muttered, "Some crowd you are."
They sat down for breakfast, Lily, Lindsay, Kat, and Alexia in that order on one side, with James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus on the other side.
While they ate, Sirius spoke up. "You know, I've been thinking about this a lot, and I am willing to bet we are more Marauder-ish than you guys."
"Girls," Lindsay corrected under her breath.
Kat snorted. "Yeah right."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I am right. I know that I am. I know so much that I am right that I'm willing to place a bet."
"Betting is bad," Lindsay said, shaking both her head and finger at Sirius, who shrugged.
Alexia, however, looked interested. "What's the bet?" James had a queasy feeling in his stomach. Perhaps it was the eggs, he thought.
Sirius flashed his debonair smile. "We'll have a prank contest. Whoever wins, will be the true Marauder."
With a confused look on her face, Lily asked, "But what are the stakes?"
Letting the anticipation rise, Sirius leaned back in his chair and stretched before replying slowly, "If we win, we are the Marauders, and you guys have to name your House something else." He looked at his fingers, as if inspecting a nail. "And if you win," Sirius drawled extra slowly. "We'll do anything you want with us for a whole day."
At this point, Remus and Peter sputtered up with complaints, but Sirius waved them away with a whisk of his hand. "Well?" he pryed.
Alexia shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care, so you guys decide." Lily nodded. "Same here."
Lindsay looked unsure. "Betting is bad you guys. I don't think this is a good i-"
At this point, Kat slammed her fist into the table and stood up. "We'll take it."
Sirius stood up as well. James took note that every single face was looking in their direction. "You got yourself a bet." He held out his hand, which Kat shook with what seemed like more force than necessary.
Kat grinned.
"Let the games begin."
*****
It all started in flying lessons. Sirius had carefully placed a spell on Kat's broom. It jumped into her hand brutally. When Kat was meant to raise herself at the most six feet into the air, her broom went berzerk. It spiraled straight up at a tremendous speed.
"Uh oh," James muttered. He remembered what Remus told him about Kat's divining problems. It seems, he thought wryly, that Sirius had accidently forgotten about that. Placing his hands on his own broom, James shot himself up with Kat. From below, he heard the gasps from the girls, and jealous looks from the boys. At around a hundred feet from the ground was Kat, shaking with hands clenched on the handle so hard that her knuckles turned white. She was spazing.
James quickly grabbed her from her broom, for she had lost control. Right after he got a hold on her, her broom shot back toward the ground. It crashed into the ground and split into several pieces. James, however, had Kat safely on his own broomstick. Maybe she wasn't at the brink of a prophecy, he thought. Hopefully, she's not there yet. He himself lowered himself and Kat to the ground as slowly as he could. Kat was fine by the time they descended. She was really mad, however.
She marched right over to Sirius, and placed her face into his. "You want pranks? I'll give you pranks," she hissed, and stomped off.
Peter walked over. "Well, flying lessons was fun."
The Marauders were all mad for Kat, even Lindsay. However, they got their revenge. In Potions, when Peter asked for some lemongrass juice, Alexia handed him a green liquid that bubbled. Before James could yell out to Peter not to place it in his potion, Peter had dumped the entire bottle of emerald water in his cauldron.
It promptly exploded.
When Professor McGuire lectured Peter, Alexia and Lily were doubling in laughter, while even Lindsay managed a smile. Kat, a worse case, was too busy planting Jumping Jellies into Remus and Sirius' bookbags, which they discovered during Herbology. When Remus opened his bookbag, about three dozen tiny cubes came out and bounced everywhere in the classroom. Same thing happened when Sirius opened his bag. Professor Sniggles, a young man who was Hufflepuff leader, just started teaching, took ten points from Gryffindor and made Sirius and Remus find all the Jumping Jellies.
In Transfiguration, Alexia and Lindsay's stools flipped over, due to a simple Turning Spell by Peter. On the way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, the carpet under James' feet was swept to one side, casing him to fall on his back, courtesy of Lily's brilliant Charm spell. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Kat's wand backfired, making her face swell to double its usual size, which was James' doing. In History of Magic, taught by a boring Professor Binns, all of Sirius' notes flew in opposite directions, and Lily's table toppled over and did a few flips. By the end of the day, everybody was quite serious about this bet. Even Lindsay, who during Astronomy had her brand new telescope shatter to pieces.
But real trouble began for James Potter when he discovered there was a rat in the house by the name of Lucius Malfoy. Another doomed acquaintance would be Lucius Malfoy's role model, Tom Riddle in the third year. And of course, little Severus Snape tagging along with them everywhere.
It was a day in October when James ran into Lucius Malfoy. He was rushing past the dungeons, when he ran smack dab into Lucius, causing them both to fall onto the ground with thuds.
"Watch where you're going, Gryffindor!" Lucius spat.
James' eyebrow shot up. "Well, excuse me, SLYTHERIN."
Lucius only smiled. "You're that kid that hangs around with the Marauders, aren't you? Trying to mix among all the houses."
"I don't know what you're talking about." James loooked at Lucius. He noticed a slight pimple trying to pry its way out of the tip of his nose. James tried not to laugh.
Lucius sneered. "Don't try and put on a fake smile, James." A slight pause. "Even if you wanted to hang around with Tom, Severus, and I, we wouldn't let you. You wanna know why? Because you are a GRYFFINDOR!"
James now had both eyebrows up in his forehead.
Luckily, Alexia happened to walk by at that moment. She flashed a cool smile. "Hello, Lucius."
Lucius gave a little shriek. "H-Hello Alexia."
"Are you bothering my friend James?" she asked cooly, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Lucius sputtered, "N-No...Of c-course not, Alexia." His eyes darted around. "I should be g-going now. Bye, Alexia..." And he scampered off as if a griffin was at his heels.
*****