I had no idea that people'd still review *sniffles* thankies! I had chapter 2 and 3 together now :) I can't find the rest yet… had to comb the folders again…
Disclaimer: Do I look like a millionaire??? Do I even SOUND like it? Am I even ONE??? Yeah, that's the disclaimer, because the answers are No.
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The Marauding Five : Year SixChapter 2: Plannings
'What are you doing in here?' Lily cried, loosening her grip on the covers.
'I'd like to ask you the same thing! This is my room, Lily!' James retorted.
'Well, you're mistaken, because you're definitely – D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y – wrong!'
'Well, I—'
The door swung open and a crowd stood outside, half of them in their nightgowns, another quarter in pajamas and the rest are in… what? Still in robes??? Probably still partying, despite the Slippery Floor Charm Lily had used. Pastira Thore, who had unlocked the door, gasped. The Marauders, Petunia and Adeline were among the nosey people outside.
'What's happening?' Adele asked bluntly.
'James Potter! What are you doing?!'
'How come you get such a big room? I envy you!'
'Who yelled? What? How? Where? Oh yes, it's here. What happened?'
'Er, why're we here?'
'Who killed who?'
'HONESTLY, people, this is my room!!!!' James yelled.
'No, it's not! It's mine!' Lily retorted. 'Don't you have eyes?'
'Of course I do!' James said hotly. 'And it wasn't me who was blind! You came into my room!'
'I locked the door, genius.'
'My key opened this door! It couldn't open any other door!!! And since I unlock this door, I thought it's my room! After all, I'm only given the key to my room, right? Right. Don't be daft, Lily.'
Pastira gaped open-mouthly (how else would you gape?). Lily was about to make a smart reply when the hostess halted her.
'Wait,' Pastira said. 'Pastilla!!! Pattempt!!!' A patter of footsteps ran in.
'Yeah, Tira?' Pattempt said innocently.
'Don't call me "Tira"!!! It's PASTIRA! Anyway, what did you do with their keys?' Pastira yelled (much to the amusement of her other fellow Ravenclaws). 'I said that Evans was to have room 140 and Potter 139!' Pastilla shivered. Her sister isn't someone you'd like to cross. Especially in public.
'B-but we d-did.'
'Explain this!' Pastira said savagely, grabbing James and Lily's keys frfom the table. Both keys were exactly the same, marked with a streak of blue and yellow across it. The twins gulped.
'Err… w-we w-were a-asked to- to—'
'To what? Who asked you what?'
'Well, I asked them to do it,' Sirius said.
'Oh? Do what?'
'Well, I thought that it'd be fun to see how those two would react if they found themselves in a room. It WAS fun, wasn't it?' Pastira's eyebrow arched at Sirius's broad grin.
'Switch the keys is fun?'
'No. Give them the same keys. Come on, you have to admit that it's wonderful!'
Pastira would've killed him, if looks can kill.
She sighed. 'James, Lily, I'm really sorry about this and I apologize on my – stupid – twins' behalf,' Pastilla said, stressing the italic with a glare to her siblings. They meekly handed her another key; a grey and green one. 'Here's your key, James.'
'What, you mean this ISN'T my room???'
'Whoohoo, I won, Jimmy! This is my room!'
The others left the room, Sirius giving them a toothy grin. 'Y'know, you can join the yelling competition someday.'
'Well?' Lily said.
'Well what?'
'Aren't you leaving?'
James shrugged, grabbed his key and bent over to kiss her on her lips.
'Good night!' he greeted, strutting out (on purpose) with his face pulled into a weirdly funny expression. Lily locked the door firmly after him and placed a spell on it, just in case Sirius and Pastilla and Pattempt had decided to let someone else break in again.
She sat back in bed, quite wide awake (from the surprise, no doubt). There was something about tonight that made her acted so strangely. Not only her, James too. How is it that, after so long of two years that they actually – yuck – confess her love? How is it that her normally wild - alright, if it's not wild, it has to be somewhat near that and insane – attitude is tamed into some boring (she shuddered) mushy mushy romance one for the night?
Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!
Worst of all, will it EVER leave?
Alright, breathe, breathe. Breathe. Check. Heart still beating. Check. Mind able to make a little sense. Check. Spirit disorder. Check—er, uncheck.
Everything's normal. Is it? Then why is she confused? Why is it that, deep in her heart that she would give anything – not everything, though – to get her own carefree, happy-go-lucky self again? Would she get her old self back? The one with an unpredictable cheeky mind? Or would she be stuck forever, in this- this GRUESOME way?
Life is so complicated.
Lily shuddered in the empty room. Now that she has broken the train of thoughts, she realized something about this room suddenly. It seemed a little eerie, as if ghosts were in it. Lily never like haunted rooms. And the silence without even a breaking clatter was, evidently, haunting on its own accord. It might be—a) those pesky Maggles; b) some other ghosts.
Not one is appealing. She made her mind up hurriedly.
With a flick of her wand, Lily dressed herself in loose pants and sweater. She went to her balcony and starting climbing the wall. Anyone with a sane piece of mind would have thought her mad.
Which is exactly what her actions are anyway: Mad.
**
Rap rap rap! Rap rap rap!
James woke up sleepily in his bed. Was that the ceiling breaking? Bother!
Rap rap rap!
…Maybe not. Ceilings don't do "rap" because they usually "crash". He wore his glasses and stared out in the pitch dark, trying to place where the annoying rapping noise came from. He turned to the window with a disturbing feeling. His jaw dropped. Lily was hanging upside down with a look of bothered annoyance on her annoyed face.
What did she want now?
He opened the sliding door and the girl ran in thankfully, chattering helplessly.
'What do you want?' James yawned, handing her some covers. Lily wrapped it around her thankfully.
'I'm bored.'
'Oh, so you think waking me up is the smartest choice of curing boredom? Ha ha. Not funny.'
'Well, it is the point… and I'm very glad that you didn't shriek. People are deciding to send me to the asylum already,' Lily said dryly.
'Why am I not surprised?'
'How should I know? Besides, I'm lonely!' Lily whimpered pitifully. James snorted. Lily? Scared? Now this is getting funny. 'Honest! The room's looking sinister all of a sudden!'
'Right, prove it to me,' James said sarcastically. 'You can have the couch though. I'm keeping the bed.'
'Gee, thanks. How can I ever repay you? I'll never forget this—if I can help it.'
'Whatever.'
**
'Hey! Wake up! Dumbledore'll be announcing our OWLs!' Adele yelled, banging at Lily's door. No answer. 'Wake up! Hey! Alohomora!'
The door swung open. The room was empty, and the bed was unmade. Adele stared at the room.
'Lily? Don't play hide and seek now,' Adele said. Silence.
'James? James, open the door!' Sirius and Remus yelled, banging James's door.
'Where's Lily?'
'No idea. Hey, Prongs! Wake up! You're missing breakfast!'
'Hey—Alohomo—'
BOOM! The door swung open and hit Remus on the face squarely. The boy howled.
'Really? I missed breakfast? Aaaah!' Lily shrieked.
'What are you doing in James's room?' Adele exclaimed.
'BREAKFAST!!!!!' James yelled. The duo raced off almost immediately, much to the surprise of the other three.
'What…?' Remus stammered in startled-ness, completely unrecovered from the slam.
x*x
'… and now, I shall give you your OWL results,' Dumbledore said. 'Please meet me in the room, thank you,' he said, just as Lily and James ran in in their muggle clothes.
'Where's food?' Lily asked urgently, as if it were more important than her life, which to her, it is because you can't live without food.
'Breakfast is after this,' Pastira said.
'Oh, Adeline and Petunia went home a while ago,' Tally said. 'By Floo Network.'
'Home?' Lily echoed, frowning. 'The doors are locked and so's the fireplace.'
'Leaky cauldron.'
'Oh. Okay. What about our OWL?' James asked.
'Meet Dumbledore when he calls for you.'
'Ahem,' Adele said. 'Mind if I take them for a short walk, Tal? Thanks. 'And without waiting for a reply, she dragged them out into the garden.
'What?' Lily asked.
'You owe us an explanation,' Sirius said severely.
'And a bandage for my nose,' Remus nodded, indicating is red but-not-broken-yet nose.
'What explanation?' James asked.
'Why Lily isn't in her room.'
'Because there are ghosts in there!' Lily said, flapping her hands. 'And I'm not sure if it's a good one!'
'How should we know? You might be lying,' Adele said slyly.
"Look, ickle little Lily saw us!"
The five Marauders groaned, recognizing the all-so-familiar voice of James Chore. The presence of one Maggle means the presence of all Maggles. Sirius Brad flew out f a flowerpot suddenly.
"Pi po pi po pi po pi po," he called. Mad guy, he is.
'What are you morons up to now?' Adele asked.
'Trying to make us die,' Sirius suggested.
'Probably showing off.'
'Boring!'
Lily yawned.
"Watch your manners! This is your former self here!" Adele Green said pompously
'Maybe we should consider jumping off a cliff now, folks, just to let them fade out of existance—for good!'
'Yeah. Go ahead. Kill the witch,' Sirius said. Adele glared. He had obviously meant "kill Adele".
"Wanna know what happened last night?" Lily Trenna said.
'What?'
"We haunted room 140! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Remus Pepper howled.
'Lousy werewolf,' Remus muttered. 'They go "aruu" and he went "mwahahaha."'
"Excuse me?"
"That's an insult, in case you're too slow to catch it," Chore said.
"Anyway, guess what?" Green said brightly.
'You saw our OWL results and they're just like yours,' Lily said boringly. The Maggles applauds to her.
'You know, this is getting a little eerie,' Adele said.
'Why?'
'We're all very alike them in many ways – looks, powers and bla bla bla, etcetera, right?'
'Yes…'
'So what's your point?'
'What if our'—Adele gulped—'fate and destiny are the same, too? We'll die a horrid death like them and probably disappear, just like that!! Poof!'
"Well, I used to think reincarnation as a second chance in life," Trenna said.
'If so, then—'
'Hey, Black! It's your turn!' Thomas DeAnne yelled. Sirius hurried off. 'What are you doing? This garden's empty except for wild grass and a pinch of flowers.'
'DeAnne, did you just criticze my garden?' Pastira said viciously. The boy began sweating profusely.
'Tit's yours? Er, I thought it was your, erm, mother's! Yeah, your mother's! the work is so- so- so- so- so- so pretty! Yeah! Very pretty!'
"Odd guy. First ugly, then pretty," Pepper said.
'You know he's just lying,' Remus shrugged.
After ten minutes of reasoning with the Maggles, Sirius reappeared, ghostly white in face.
"What happened?" his past self asked curiously.
'Mom? Here? Mom? Vacation? Dad? Here? Work? Vacation? East? Europe? Huh? What? Vacation?' Sirius said blankly. Which is, of course, very unintelligent talk.
'What are you talking about?' James asked.
'Here? Huh? Thore? Mansion? Vacation? Europe? Work? Huh?'
"Crazy guy," Pepper muttered.
'Say so yourself,' Remus countered. He was getting really annoyed with this- this stupid attitude of his former self. He (Remus Pepper) was severely annoying, banging and yelling. Remus almost believed that Pepper really existed, from the way he behaved. Especially his company whenever Remus have his monthly transformation. Ugh. Pepper transformed with him, too, and it's the worst part because he was usually alone at that time (save when Anne Lupin, his mum, accompanies to see "her darling baby" okay).
'What do you mean?' Adele asked, turning to Sirius.
The same words were repeated from the zoned-out boy.
"I think he heans that his mother's here when she's suppose to be on vacation," Trenna said helpfully.
Unlike Remus's negativeness on his former life, Lily was enjoying the insane, fun-loving Trenna (at some points, when she's not being annoying). For one, she ha the bes ideas. For another, she knew exactly how Lily should treat James (giving her tips on insults).
'Wonderful! That means OUR mothers are here, too,' Lily groaned.
'E~vans!!!' Pattempt yelled, breaking a few windows.
'Coming!!!' Lily yelled, disappearing into the front door.
'80 to 20 that she'll bomb Dumbledore for bringing her mother,' James said cheerfully.
'I'd said it's 70 to 30,' Remus voted.
'90 to 10 would be appropriate,' Adele said.
'10 to 90 she wouldn't,' Sirius said solemnly. 'The minister of magic is there to note our behaviour.'
"Oh my," Trenna said worriedly. "I'd better check her out, then."
"Seems really friendly," Brad noted.
"Remus Lupin hates me," Pepper said sadly, letting out a sniff.
Remus's ear pricked uncomfortably. 'I-I don't!'
Pepper began to sniffle a little more. Green placed a white sympathic hand on his invisible shoulder. Chore hugged him tightly and Brad sent a glare at Remus meanly. Remus quailed.
"Don't worry, he just don't know what he's missing," Chore said.
Great, Remus said to himself. Now I have a really touchy, supremely sensitive cursed werewolf as my guardian. I wonder if our places has actually traded: me the guardian, him my client.
Lily stomped out stormily, Trenna hot on her heels.
"Rose actually told me off!!! The cheek!" she shrieked.
'And the minister!! Once I'm at an age to vote, I'll throw him OFF the post! Or better, kill him!' Lily shrieked. The Maggles and Marauders stared at the two uncertainly.
"Erm, yes," Chore said nervously.
'Couldn't… agree better,' James added. Like Lily, he had a good bond with his Maggle. They got along perfectly well.
**
'And remember, you're a young lady already, so don't act stupid,' Rose said firmly to her daughter. Lily decided to ignore her and pushed her trolley through the barrier with Adele. Her mother had been really – and I mean, REALLY – annoying during the last few weeks of the summer holiday. She was only too glad to return to Hogwarts for peace.
'Hey, wait,' Yvonne Potter said, running after them. 'Lily, I'm telling you, don't you dare date any boys but James!'
Lily groaned. This is getting stupid.
'Yeah, yeah. Whatever,' she muttered, handing some grains to Castria and Kiara.
'Young lady, are you listening?' William Evans yelled.
'YES!'
'And don't let me hear you into prank-business!' Rose yelled, yanking Lily's long hair.
'Ow! Okay, okay! I'm listening! I'll do it, I'll do it!'
'No dating other boys,' Yvonne said. Adele sniggered. Like Lily would even date. The word hasn't appeared in her vocabulary yet, it seems.
'Except James,' Melissa Black said cheerfully.
'No pranks,' Anne Lupin pressed.
'And watch the attitude,' Rose nearly – nearly – snarled.
The other Marauders were seriously wondering if Lily is ever going to follow all those rules. Adeline was nodding her head to everything suggested. Petunia had a horrified look and turned white in face.
'What do you mea? No social life?!' Petunia said in aghast.
'That's not exactly what they meant,' Lily grinned. 'They were merely stating that I shouldn't date'—nods from the Evans and Potters—'make sure my attitude is as wild as ever'—jaws separate from the upper lips—'and new pranks'—eyes turn REALLY wide and jaws hit the ground—'right, dear, dear mother?' Lily said sweetly. One glance at Rose's face told her that she was totally mistaken in the point of the question.
'I agree with Tuni-Ya,' Sirius whispered. 'I mean, how're we gonna torture Snape, then?'
'It's time us mothers should turn responsible,' Anne said firmly. 'We let you roam wild. Too wild. It's time all of you learn proper manners. After all, you're all sixteen (or going to be) already.' James coughed on his coke.
'All?!' he spluttered.
'All. No pranks. No jokes. Only studies,' Yvonne said coldly. 'Your last "prank" with Snape which earned you two months of detention confirmed this. You should be gracious to your enemy, no matter how much you hate him.'
'And the cow incident. That's… embarrassing,' Edward Potter said, straining to NOT let the chuckle escape from him. Personally, he found it amusing, the way the cows had toppled off one another like toy blocks.
'Well, I think we deserve all the freedom we have!' Remus said suddenly. 'We helped stop Voldemort AT LEAST twice. We helped Neptune find his dodo-stupid cousin. We brought – oh, Lily did first, though – the Maggles back. It's inevitable job. We saved an entire population of unicorns. We did all sorts of things! We deserve the freedom he earn!' Remus banged on his trunk like a very diplomatic … politician.
'Psst! When did we actually save any unicorn population?' Adele whispered. Sirius kicked her and sent her a Look.
'Yeah! We did! See our contribution to the, um, world?'
'And your disgrace to us,' Romulus Lupin said darkly. 'I couldn't face my colleagues for a week after your cow-tumble incident in that muggle village. And to think that I, a Head Minister of the new Muggle Wellfare Department, should have a son which destroys muggle produce.'
'Joy,' Lily grinned. 'But we didn't really destroy anything. We magicked them back!' she retorted.
'Fat help. The Emergency Squad was dispatched,' Orion Black said flatly.
'We want you to behave yourself this term, or we won't take you in for Christmas, Easter and yes, even your Summer!' Celine said coldly.
'Mum!' Adeline cried. 'How can you say such a thing?'
'Adele has already gone to far.' Pause.
'But mum!!!'
'Keep quiet, Adeline.'
'Yes, mum.'
'You really couldn't do this to us!' Lily cried, her green eyes flashing.
'We're sixteen! And we know how we should be!' James argued. 'You can't control us at all!'
'Exactly. Not after what we'd don't to the world,' Remus said matter-of-factly.
'No!' Adele cried in despair.
'That's unfair,' Sirius noted.
Rose's eyes flashed with anger. 'You listen to us, you young kids, or I'll toast all of you!'
'Hogwarts Express!' William said thankfully, when the clock striked. 'Go along now. Bye bye!'
'I'm not done with them yet, William!'
'Ta-ta! See you next holidays!' And the fathers ushered the Marauders into the carriage.
'How could they do this to us?' Adele fumed, sitting on her trunk tartly. 'No detention for the whole term, no pranks, study… this is- it's- it's— impossible!!!!!'
'And if we don't do it'—Remus shuddered—'hasta la vista to summer holidays.'
'Turning us out, that's what they're doing,' Sirius said.
'Well, we can always buy a house,' James said gloomily. 'And there's always my Gram Em to take us if she wants to. But she hates us.'
'Maybe we should buy ourselves a nice house,' Lily sighed. 'Just in case our parents really mean what they said. Maybe we should get all our money and get a huge mansion. Maybe I should contact a lawyer now. Maybe—'
'MAYBE,' Remus said loudly, 'it's time to stop this "maybe maybe" stuff.' They nod glumly in agreement. They sighed. If the other sixth years were here now, they'll be rushing for a doctor. The Marauders don't sigh glumly! Not them!
But right now, not one of the five cared about that. Never had they seen their parents this serious before.
Sirius jumped up suddenly and dug into his trunk for an inkbottle, quill and a parchment. The four stared at him curiously as he sat down and began writing slowly and neatly on the parchment in his best handwriting.
'What's this for?'
'I'm taking up Lily's suggestions. Just in case out parents really turn us out, we'd better get ourselves a place to stay in. I'm sending for a house that's at least 7, 000, 000 galleons, as that is how much I'll pay for a house,' Sirius said. 'Then, with all our money, we'd be able to get furniture, food and so on.'
'You're a genius!' Lily said happily.
'That amount of money is enough for a mansion,' Adele gaped. 'And we have at least 100 million from that crummy lucky draw!' A little refreshment to the minds. The Marauders had entered a lucky draw and used some cheating schemes (no doubt, with Lily's divinating skills and a few itsy-bitsy minor of Psychic) to win it. Now they have a full-house in their accounts.
No one said that you have to play fair in Lucky Draws. It's just a little loophole in the law that the five discovered in Lucky Pot For Wizards. Winning the Grand Prize is as easy as that.
'Talk about being rich,' Remus grinned. 'We're definitely rich. We have 5 accounts between us and a spare one shared with Tuni-ya and Adeline.'
'Now, for our lawyer,' James started.
'Wait, I know who!' Adele said cheerfully. 'Recently, I've just heard that Rotten Ripp – our old DADA teacher, remember? – got himself a job as a lawyer, with Neptune to help. Don't you think we could ask them?'
'Why not?' Sirius said instantly.
'And if our parents are just joking, it wouldn't bother,' James said. 'It's for our future, then.
'Our age is a problem, though,' Remus said, frowning. 'Legal age for a wizard is seventeen.'
'Why worry? My birthday's on January second, in case you'd forgotten,' Sirius said, grinning. 'Hurray for me! Long live me! I rule! Yeah!!!'
'Is one year long enough for a house?'
'Huh?'
'I mean, long enough to have it built,' Lily said, 'and furnished.'
'Yeah, yeah! Like mum said, you can do anything if you have the cash!' Sirius said happily. 'No worries for no home to return to! Normal routines, here we come!'
**
Adele rushed into the common room madly, two days after they had arrived at Hogwarts. She waved a copy of Daily Prophet in her hand in ecstasy.
'Look, Lily, look!' Adele cried, pointing at the headlines, written in bold, somewhere near the column part, "Chinese Wizard Teenagers Have To Abide Family Traditions: Change Of Law."
'Hm… let's se… place, blah, Chinese teenagers of wizards and witches these days are following family traditions of betrothed marriage – huh, sound a lot like James and me! – bla bla bla bla bla. So the ministry discussed it internationally, bla bla blah. Teenage problems include running from home. Bla bla bla. Legal age to purchase a home. Fifteen,' Lily read, skipping half the points (and useless points) in the article. She paused before exclaiming, 'Fifteen?! How old do they marry, then???'
'Fourteen?' Remus suggested.
'But here's a fabulous chance of getting a new home! I'm sending the letter this instance!' Sirius said happily, darting off. He seemed pretty happy at the whole idea of getting a new house. His mother must have starved him, again. Tally Chapman sneezed as he ran past her, shoulder-length hair brushing at her nose.
'What are you planning now?' Tally asked.
'Umpf!' Adele said, Remus's hand preventing her tell-tale mouth from talking.
'How's dear, sweet, Daniel Trevor?' Lily asked sweetly.
'Rotten good,' Tally replied, scowling darkly at the name of her ex-boyfriend. 'When will he ever drop dead, I wonder.'
'I wonder of the wonders of love,' Adele said tartly. 'You never seem to get along, yet you got along. Sometimes, I wonder, if your relation with him is lust, not love.'
'Actually, no,' James said, putting his quill down. 'Hers is those love-hate romances you usually read in stories, only her is a little… different. They never really get along in the end. But it could be, perhaps, that it isn't the end yet.'
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AN: Like I said, the next chapter's out. *shrugs*