Arigato gozaimasu, minna-san!

CherryBlossomz008 –You reviewed twice? *blinks* That's so sweet of you!!!!!! *hugs* thank you! I know telling everyone that "I'm busy" and that "I have too much homework" is lame. It is terribly lame _ I mean, I should have realized that I have to bear consequences of such a stupid choice two years ago! *whacks self*

frances – I made a promise before, and much as I'd like to break it, I can't :P 'cause I made ANOTHER promise after that, and if I ever do stop writing this… well, I'll be sure that I'm dead. Serious!

Elena – gee, don't pity me! How evil! *rolls eyes* I can be a whole lot worse than that, though! *laughs* I'm known as the Evil Queen of Pranks o.O;; in my school, at least.

Lady Louisa – I'm afraid that I'm nothing at all, not even your hero. *smiles sadly*

Me – lol, you're reading in school?? That would be the LAST thing I'd ever do: read a story in school! Okay, it was the last thing I did last year before leaving my school -_- and I understand about the laughing part. I got a LOT of stares when I was laughing over "James, that grass is real. You can't eat it." "Oh, but it doesn't taste all that bad!" [from Even Angels Make Mistakes!]

Cristina – hey, if you ever write on FanFiction.Net, do tell me! :) I'm sure it'll be a great piece! Everyone's work is great ^_^ everyone, that is, but mine. Oh well. Good luck!!!!

aimless-wanderer – people telling me that I'm bad are fine, but having to find it out myself was even worse ^_- which is exactly what I'm going through for two years. For a moment there, my heart stopped when you called the whole story lunatic! Really! But it's the last part that made me grin when I read it ^_^ thank you!

Bon – you actually LIKE THEM?! Oh no… I think their egos are going to burst any moment soon. Believe me, they're meant to be hated… in a way :P

Crystal Lily – yeah, it's almost the end, and I'm dreadfully THANKFUL about it! I've been labouring for nearly two years! I don't know if I were to write about them after Hogwarts and all, but it does depend on whether or not I decide to make this an Alternate Universe fic! *groans* I think I had too much of parallel world dreams! I honestly promise, by my name, I would post the next chapter in one week. If not, the latest would be in a week and a half! You can count on my promises!

Hermione2 – you know, I feel very uncreative at the moment, too! Sorry if this chapter's in a great tangle of mess!

SAKURAnTOKYO – gee, I'll take the hailarious as a compliment, kay?

Milkyweed – it was funny? The last chapter was ACTUALLY funny??? o.O;

Dannygirl – short and precise!

Katie Bell - *hugs* thank you so, so much!!!!! You left me a brilliantly long review and I LOVE long reviews a lot! Lol, and it was cutely funny, too ^^ although it wasn't very positive [in my opinion, anyway] since you said it was confusing, and nearly said that it sucks ^_^;;;; err…

Tarawen – mou, arigato! ^^

Disclaimer: I won lottery—not! You wish, huh?

____________________________________________________________________________________

The Marauding Five : Year Six

Chapter 10: Er, Autograph, Please?

  Sirius coughed modestly at his cup of tea. Everyone arched their eyebrows at him.

  'I see… a summer hat,' he declared out loud with confidence, squinting at the tea leaves with immense concentration that would probably amaze a rabbit. 'And then there's a butterfly. And a net. And some flowers. And green grass. And England. And the Pacific Ocean. And Earth. And Milky Way. And the universe. And the—'

  'Are you sure?' Adele asked doubtfully. 'Because,' she added, 'all I see is you gibbering rubbish. There's ONLY tea leaves and nothing else!'

  'Ah, but of course, ONLY tea leaves is… um, solid sight,' Remus interjected, choosing his words carefully so that Professor Trelawney didn't decide that it's high time the Marauders receive a few negative for their house points.

  Professor Trelawney raised her eyes. 'So what do you see, Mr. Lupin?' Naturally, despite everything the Marauders had mercilessly put her through, she hasn't gotten the least bit of sense in her fluffy head. Yet.

  'Oh, I see… snow!' Remus announced cheerfully, snatching the cup from Sirius's hand. 'And a blizzard. Huge, scary one, might I add. There's this poverty-stricken cottage – or squatter's house, whichever you would prefer – and Santa Clause and…'

  'No! and I suppose elves, fairies, angels, harps, earth, the galaxy and the universe, right?' Adele interrupted sarcastically. The fair-headed boy missed the sarcasm in his cheerfulness.

  'Why, but yes!'

  'It's summer,' Sirius persisted. 'Fine weather, butterflies, meadows and the likes of it!'

  'Winter,' Remus corrected. 'Bad weather with evil-looking elves, blood-thirsting fairies, angels from hell and Santa leaving a pin bomb in the child's stocking.'

  'Summer.'

  'No, look carefully, Sirius old friend! It's WINTER! SEE???' Remus shoved the cup in front of Sirius's nose, causing him a mild headache from staring at an object so close.

  'Summer!'

  'Winter!'

  'It's SUMMER.'

  'No, it's WINTER.'

  'Let ME see!' Tally snapped, snatching the purple teacup from Remus. She stared at the drenched tea leavers for a while and everyone silenced to listen to her. It would be the winning vote. Tally announced: "It's Autumn, actually. Jack-o-Lanterns, dry brown leaves, blah blah blah.'

  'SUMMER!!!!!'

  'No, Autumn! Believe me, I know what I'm doing!'

  'Hey, it's winter. Winter, understand?'

  'Look here you creeps, I'm an expert—'

  'You mean to say that you happen to have your Inner Eye in smokes!'

  'My Inner Eye is NOT in smokes!'

  'Yeah, neither mine! Perfectly healthy and in happy colours!'

  'Waitaminute. Eyes have colours? I mean, the Inner one?'

  'I SAID it is AUTUMN.'

  'Summer.'

  'Winter.'

  The argument seemed quite capable to last for hours and hours. Professor Trelawney took the teacup that was left, forgotten, on the table. She studied it with boring interest.

  'SHUT UP!' Adele shrieked. 'Sheesh, where on earth is Lily anyway??? She's always somewhere else when you need her!'

  'Tell me about it,' Tally said, drawing out of the argument for a short while to add her comment to Adele's remark.

  'Class,' Trelawney started in her mystic voice. No one paid her much attention. Why would they anyway? Everyone was busy arguing about what they had seen in the teacup, though none of them had actually seen it. 'Class, it's Easter, actually.'

  Let's go to the teacup. It happened to be Severus Snape's teacup, though HOW it had actually fallen to the hands of Sirius Black – who's sitting at least fifteen tables away from the Slytherin, right at the end of the class – was quite undetectable history. The Snape is now twirling his blue cup around, trying to make out what he could see in it.

  'I see a talking doll,' he said finally, unable to make much out of the criss-crossing tea leaves. The students blinked at him. 'A giant, talking, walking, girly doll,' he added, with much disgust stressed on the girly part. Obviously, dolls don't appeal to him.

  'Oh, that's ingenius. And what was it suppose to symbolise, huh? Eternal betray? Yuckiness? Monsters?' Anna Hopkins said sarcastically.

  'It's WINTER!!!!!'

  'I keep telling you that it's Autumn! Listen to me, will you?'

  'Drop it morons. Summer. As in holidays, okay?'

  'Well then, can we all see Snape catching butterflies in summer?' James said innocently, a huge smile on his face.

  Everyone in the class turned to face Snape, who in turn pulled out a pocket mirror to see himself. First a summer hat appeared on his greasy black head – one with a seemingly lifetime supply of daisies, sunflowers, roses and pimpernels on. A butterfly net appeared in his big (slimy) pale hands.

  Snape ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, after the yellow and pink butterfly and… PLOP! Tripped over his long robes, hit the stone floor, and blacked out.

  It was almost comical. Only his fall had been too cruel to be comical.

  Sirius choked a giggle. 'Okay, fine, I'm ruled out.'

  'What was going on anyway?' Lily asked cheerfully.

  'Maybe they were revising the topics. Teacups,' a Ravenclaw prefect said intelligently. He had also just returned from their prefects' meeting.

  'I won't be held responsible for your stomach aches!' James said hurriedly when he saw that everyone was clutching his abdomen in hysterical laughter. They had decided to laugh, anyway. Everyone but Trelawney had, that is. The lady was tight-lipped.

  'Where were the three of you, Potter, Evans and Green?'

  'Well, meeting,' Lucifer Green said. 'The FIRST meeting with the FIRST thing to do BESIDES duty.'

  'You don't have to stress it all,' his twin sister retorted.

  'We're going to have a one-year trial for some muggle orientation. Or was it Glory-of-Attention for the seventh years?' Lily said with sweet sarcasm.

  'Orientation,' Lucifer nodded firmly. 'But yeah, it's glorious attention for those seventh years.'

  'In which the seventh years will be bullying us,' James added.

  'Um. Does "us" include everyone?' Adele asked.

  'Well, he did say us…' Pastira Thore trailed.

  'Not just'—gulp—'the prefects?'

  'Just the prefects!' Lily trilled. 'Gee… we all wish that! Hah! I find it stupid, though. What use is it, huh, to collect USELESS… er, how shall we put it..?'

  'Signatures,' Lucifer said.

  'No, I want something more sarcastic.'

  'Autographs,' James smirked.

  'Uh, yes! So why should we get their useless autographs just because they're OLDER than US!?' Lily shrieked, banging the table repeatedly with hard fist. It banged heavily and would almost break if Remus hadn't thoughtfully removed it.

  'Why are you telling us this anyway?' a Hufflepuff asked.

  'Why? Because you're all in it, too.' It was short. Direct. And understandable.

  'WHAT?!'

  'But- but you said-!'

  'Isn't it ONLY prefects??'

  'Nothing to do with us!'

  'COLLECTING the seventh years' SIGNATURES?'

  'Well, you can count your blessings that you're not first years,' James said helpfully, to make it sound better.

  'We can torture them!' Lily added joyfully.

  Well, it did sound better. A bit.

  'Uh, we don't have to take … yours, right?' Tally murmured. If she were to take the Marauders' signature or SOMETHING from them, she might as well just kiss her life goodbye. They'll most likely make her swing like Tarzan #2. Hmm. Now she pitied the younger forms that don't know of their wraths.

  'Nope.'

  'Good! Because I'll kill myself if I ever have to.'

  Lily raised her eyes in wicked amusement. Tally gulped.

  'Er, no…'

**

  'Cough, cough—ahem!' Dumbledore said, standing up from his place and raising his breakfast cup (whichis purplish green-gold in colour) to the students in the hall. 'Well, well, well. The prefectorial board have suggested—'

  'Not the prefects,' a Hufflepuff called out at once.

  'It's JUST the Headboy,' James added.

  '—the whole school should be exposed to a muggle tradition—'

  The Slytherin table occupants had gladly unhooked their jaws and let it fall to the ground, and their eyes took the trouble to widen, and their faces turned red and white with disbelief. They look almost like peppermint and not like peppermint.

  '—of orientation,' Dumbledore went on cheerily, oblivious to all the remarks and expressions around him. 'In which all the students must collect signatures from their seniors, and—'

  'Oh, no…'

  'I thought I'd escaped from it at my muggle school!'

  'Waaaaah!'

  'No! mummy, save me!'

  'Would you all please keep the dramatised effects for stage acting?' the headmaster added very cheerfully.

  'Someone once said that the world is a stage,' Adele called.

  'Shakespeare,' Lily said triumphantly. 'That's one general fact I'm not gonna forget anytime soon!'

  'I WANT MY MUMMY!!!!!'

  'Oh, I'm going to die! Die!!! Argh!' the student crying this fell on Ravenclaw table with a faint plop. Anna Hopkins kicked her older brother.

  'What are they going to do to us?'

  'We've never had this before! Why now? Why now?'

  'Muggles… grr… another reason to hate 'em.'

  'Mudblood traditions. Humph!'

  'QUIET!' McGonagall snapped. Silence. 'And keep it this way!'

  'As I was saying, to obtain the signatures, SOME – or MOST – of the seniors might request for a job to be performed first,' Dumbledore said, very much thankful for McGonagall's demand of silence. 'If you find the talk a … little overboard, you may see one of the prefects to complain, and house points will be deducted. Any questions?'

  the same deadly silence followed. Sirius stood up, after a while.

  'Can we start talking now?' he asked daftly.

  'You are talking, idiot,' James noted.

  'No, I was asking a question!' he persisted.

  'NOW you're talking,' Adele reasoned.

  'I AM NOT! I'M YELLING!'

  'It's the same,' Remus added.

  'No it isn't!!!'

  'It is. Face the fact, won't you?'

  'IS NOT!!!!! You don't call a wizard a muggle and a muggle a wizard now, do you?' Sirius demanded. 'I was YELLING! And I am doing so NOW!'

  'For your precious information, talking involves opening your mouth and rattling the voicebox,' Lily said sweetly, 'which is exactly what you're doing now.'

  'And it is also EXACTLY what you're all doing: NOT keeping the silence that I had requested!' McGonagall said calmly, giving each of them a death glare. 'Potter, Evans, Lupin, Black, Varens; three points from Gryffindor—each.' She sharpened her gaze at Sirius. 'And for you, Mr Black, a detention.' Her voice held the eerie black tone of doom.

  It didn't seem to affect Sirius, however. He was, instead, beaming broadly with all teeth and twinkles.

  The Gryffindors did the only natural thing that has been done ever since the year had started: hissed and started acting almost like the Slytherins. They've been losing house points very regularly these days, much thanks owed to the Marauders' sudden obsession to pranks. Ravenclaw is in the lead already.

  'How long will this… ogle-attention thing last?' a Hufflepuff said. 'It's… an inter-house thing, right?'

  'One week, and yes, in the house. Except for the sixth years, that is. They can have it in all four houses,' Dumbledore said cheerily. 'And you'd need about a hundred, I should think. It'll last.'

  'WHAT?!'

  'It'll last? I don't even think it can SURVIVE!'

  'That's a bloody whole LOT you're asking, Prof!'

  'Sheesh… now I pity the Slytherin first years! They're gonna have one blinking hard time!'

  'Can't we have just about 50 or so, professor?'

  'AND,' Dumbledore added loudly, 'if you fail to do so, you will receive a lovely pile of homework and some other… decent stuff that the staff feels appropriate. And, your orientation starts today. Have fun!'

  'Gah!!! We're supposed to do THIS and have FUN??? Who suggested this???' Snape grunted. 'I hope I can stuff the Headboy with chimney ashes!!!'

**

  All of Gryffindor sixth years are in the common room. The seventh years are haunting like zombies in the library, obviously terrorised by the aspect of the nearing NEWTs. Fifth years, the old charms classroom, thank to Professor Flitwick's ingenious project for them. The fourth years are at the banks of the Dark Lake with the rest of their form. Thirteen and twelve year olds are in the portrait room for some reason or other, and the tiddly first years are scurrying around, joined by a few extremely 'hardworking' students from other years.

  'Please!' Pastilla Thore begged. 'I don't want to jump into the LAKE!!!! Blimey, there's GOT to be a better one, right?' she added with a sour yell.

  'Sorry kid. It wouldn't do much harm, would it?' the fourth year grinned evilly. 'It's Spring, if you hadn't noticed, not Winter.'

  'Near Summer,' another fourth year added helpfully. He gave her a cheeky grin.

  'I AM NOT DOING THIS STUPID THING!!!' Pastilla shrieked. 'AND I'M ONLY WEARING MY ROBES AND SCHOOL UNIFORM! I JUST WASHED THEM!'     

  'Alright, you all heard her!' the fourth year who asked Pastilla to jump into the lake called to her friends. 'No signature for her!'

  'NO!!!! No wait! I change my mind!' Pastilla yelped. 'I'll jump,' she muttered sulkily.

  SPLASH!

  'Release those Kappas! Quick!!!' a mischievous girl called to her boyfriend.

--*--

  'So, you want ours?' Adele said cheerfully. 'ALL five of us?'

  The huge group of first years nodded firmly.

  'That means… five task, if my mathematic skills don't fail me,' Lily said. The group of "shrimps" (at least, that's what Sirius calls them) nodded again.

  'Clean the Owlery!' Adele said promptly.

  'For mine, you'll all have to propose to Sirius—ALL of you! Yep, even the boys,' Remus said, smiling broadly at them.

  'Dance around the school!' Sirius added.

  'Lick the coals STRAIGHT from the fireplace,' James said happily. They stared at him as if he had two heads. 'What, it's very lenient, you know!' Mumbling, they just nodded.

  'Propose to the tree out there until it said yes,' Lily said, trying not to giggle at their faces. The ten pairs of eyes have been growing wider by every task, and were almost the size of frying pans (not the toy ones) already. Maybe a wok.

  'You can count your blessings that they don't ask you to be their guinea pigs,' Tally said to them, hoping that the thought would be comforting. 'Believe me, you'll end up looking like monsters.'

  'We feel really safe,' a girl from the group said sarcastically.

  So the group of ten first years were divided into four. Two followed Adele to the Owlery, four with Siirus and Remus, another two tagged after James to the library fireplace, and Lily the remaining two to the pine tree opposite Hagrid's hut.

**

  'Not a feather on the ground. And be SURE to polish everything until I can see my face in it!' Adele said. 'Then wipe the panes and remove the webbings.'

  Gibbers and John nodded eagerly. The job seemed easy. In just a flick, everything would be done in a wink!

  'Oh, and no magic,' Adele grinned, reading their minds. 'No wand waving, no potion, and AGAIN, no MAGIC. All by yourself! And do two corners only, kay? Don't want you to suffer too much from dancing around the school later… Try not to scare the owls,' Adele added. 'Hey, do you mind brushing the owls too?'

  Their jaws fell as Adele left the room.

  'Okay, she said that she wanted to see her face in the polish, right?' Gibbers said, scratching his head.

  'We could just paint her if it were the floor… but POLISH??' John said, frowning in thought.

  'Hey, I didn't saw anything about painting!' Adele's shrill voice called out to them. 'I meant HARD WORK.'

**

  'Oh, you are my- my- my … uh, slobs? UN! NO! STARS, I mean, yeah, STARS! My … pretty *cough* rosebud… and, um, garden,' Jenna said, stammering with uncertainty. After all, she'd grown up learning that boys are the ones that do the proposing, not GIRLS!

  'Kay, kay, I pity you, pass,' Sirius said boringly. Remus scrawled his name on her parchment.

  'Your eyes are dark and… um, saggy. Your hair reminds me of the stressed nights in elementary school. Your sallow sunken cheeks are…' Nicholas trailed off, quite unsure.

  'Fail. Gosh, wonder how would your future wife react, with you proposing like that!' Sirius snorted. He hadn't quite enjoyed the insults the younger kid had used.

  'Well, no, but YOU're not a girl! I only know how to propose to girls!' Nicholas retorted, catching a short glimpse of Jenna nearby.

  'Just pretend he is, then,' Remus said calmly, trying not to laugh.

  'Fine, fine…'

  'Actually, I change my mind,' Sirius said hurriedly, 'he passed.' He's feeling dreadfully embarrassed with these SHRIMPS proposing to him! 'After all, when proposing, you ought to be honest, hmm?'

  'Right!' Nicholas said at once.

  'You are, Sirius… Black? … my little man! We shall live in the garden of Eden..!'

  'Yeah right, and get fooled by that creepy snake? Sorry—NO WAY!' Sirius snapped. 'Whatever, pass. Next!'

  'Tall, handsome, and almighty…' Remus snickered at Sirius.

  'You flatter me. Pass,' Sirius said, feeling literally sick of all these proposals. And he had another SIX to go…! No way. 'Alright, now for MINE! Let's dance around the school!!!'

**

  'Gee, Potter, must I really lick it?' Dippetty gulped. He held the black coal James pulled from the fireplace. According to the prefect, it was, what, used for 700 years already! Dare he?

  'Yup! With your tongue. You know, like dogs.' James smiled broadly.

  'I hate dogs!' Jeremiah whined.

  'I didn't ask you to be one, did I?' The Marauder magicked a pail of water. 'See? I'm really a nice guy!'

  'Flattering,' Dippetty muttered as he gingerly stuck his tongue out, rubbed the black coal on it or a second, spluttered at its ancient dusting taste, and dunked his head into the pail. He was in for about 20 seconds, but had to emerge for oxygen.

  James smiled even broadly.

  Jeremiah stared at the coal. He reluctantly brought the coal up and…

  'Jeremiah! I didn't ask you to FRENCH KISS it!!!! Is that why you're so reluctant??' James said with peals of laughter. 'Honestly, the way your ear works! Oh well, I guess I'll do Sirius a favour and get ol' Moony to let you off the proposing.'

  Jeremiah looked like he was about to faint.

**

  'What do you mean UNTIL IT SAID YES?' Gina said in a horrified tone.

  'Ay.'

  'But trees don't talk!' Mika protested.

  'They do!' Lily nodded solemnly, as if trees talking are common everyday happenings. To her, it obviously is. What with the number of potions Sirius could brew for you, nearly everything is possible.

  'Seriously, Evans, they don't!'

  'Oh, yeah, I remembered, not to you,' Lily said dumbly. 'Well! That's the fun of it, isn't it? Go on and propose to it!'

  'BUT TREES DON'T TALK!'

  'Yeah, sure they don't,' Lily rolled her eyes. 'I say they do, so just do it!'

  'She's evil,' Mika whispered.

  'She's Evans, what do you expect? My sister said that she and her gang are MAD!' Gina muttered.

  'I heard it all,' Lily said with a hint of danger in her voice. 'And if you don't want to be turned into a goat, you'd better do it,' the redhead said.

  Mika was sent to Hagrid for a calming tea (she went hysterical for no reason, but Gina suspected that Lily did something).

  'Dear, beautiful,' Gina started.

  'On one knee,' Lily said sharply, enjoying herself tremendously. Someone is actually PROPOSING to a TREE! Glee of all jokes!

  Gina got down on one knee and rolled her eyes. She magicked a ring, in case Lily had anything else to complain. 'Beautiful, pretty, wonderful, enchantingly lovely fir—'

  'It's pine,' Lily interrupted.

  '—pine tree. Your branches are so thick with flourishing red roses and green leaves—'

  'Merlin's sake, this is a pine tree!'

  'I would like your help, er, your extended arm – BRANCH! – please, to allow me to engage you to me. I- um, I would bring you to honeymoon in Japan,' Gina said earnestly. Lilly rolled her eyes.

  'Oh, and how, I wonder? This isn't any bonsai, duh!' Lily smirked.

  'I'll dig you up and plant you there,' Gina insisted. 'Please, will you marry me?'

 No answer. Of course, trees don't talk. Gina hesitated and stare at Lily, her hazel brown eyes as if saying 'c'mon Lily!' Lily ignored her purposely and began humming a tune.

  'I- I would water you and place fertilizer,' Gina added. 'And- and I won't let anyone chop you down!'

  Silence.

  'Please, Mr. Fir tree!'

  'It's PINE,' Lily corrected again. 'Oh well, I pity you. The tree ACTUALLY said no, but heck, you can't hear her. By the way, it's a girl, Gina.

  Gina groaned.

**

  'Left, up, down, right! Now right, right, right, right, right, right,' Sirius sand stupidly. 'LEFT!!!!!' There was an abrupt change in the dancing number. 'Left, right, left, right, down, down, up, twirl, right, left, left…'

  The first years did a weird jig around, causing a lot of interesting stares.

  'Er,' was all Remus, who tagged after them in interest, could say.

 'Now, twist! Jump, left, up, up, down. SPLIT!!!!!' Sirius yelled sharply. In surprise, the four kids fell on the floor with a not-but-can-quite-be-counted-as-one split.

  'That *huff* is soooooo embarrassing,' Jenna panted.

  'It's funny!' Remus chuckled.

  'Perhaps another round?' Sirius said cheerfully. 'You all weren't really good yet, you know.'

  'NO!!!' the first years shrieked at once. Sirius laughed madly in glee.

**

  Adele was running out of ideas. This is her – what, fifteenth? – or something plus ten request for signature. The seventh years' orientation isn't what any normal person would call FUN, and you can't get any creative ideas out of them at all.

  All those boring gonna-be-graduates-if-they-pass just ask for boring things like cleaning the toilets, or maybe recite their homework so that they can remember their stuff.

  Adele rolled her eyes. All boring.

  'Well, you can always give it to me for free,' Pattempt Thore suggested hopefully.

  She snorted in reply. 'As if! Well, I want you to count all the roof-tiles on the North Tower, then.'

  '57, 650,' was the prompt reply. Adele refused to give up that easily.

  'Well, Gryfifndor tower ALSO, just to torture you.' Pattempt cursed her under his breath, which, of course, resulting in him being tended in the Infirmary for one hour, with an excuse of playing with tinderboxes.

  'Aww… you're actually asking them to count the tiles?? Are you running out of ideas?' Remus cackled.

  'Shut up!' the girl snapped.

  'That's sad,' James smirked.

  ''scuse me Potter. Would you… you know,' a fourth year stated weakly. He doesn't seemed to happy to ask the Marauders for THEIR signatures, but some things just can't be helped.

  'Put this into the Slytherins' food tomorrow, will you?' James beamed, snatching a packet of grey powder from Lily.

  'Hey! That's mine,' Lily said.

  'Well… I wanted the tap-dancing one,' James said. He stared at the packet. 'Isn't this the one?'

  'Actually, no, genius,' Lily replied sarcastically, checking her many pockets in her robes (Gram had sewn extra pockets for stationery and – ahem – prank purposes. Of course, when inquired, it's always the former reason.

  'Well?' James said impatiently as the fourth year hummed a short tune to himself. 'What colour is it?'

  'Yellow,' Lily said, turning her hat over and spilling all the tarot cards. She turned her bag inside out.

  'Is that it?' Adele said, pointing at something – a packet of yellow lemon powder look-a-like – in Sirius's hands. The boy in question was carelessly tipping it into the fireplace.

  'SIRIUS!!!!!!!! THAT'S MINE!!!'

  And, much to everyone's amusement, little mice and spiders jumped out of the fireplace and began tap-dancing. Er, not everyone's amusement. Some got hysterics, and some believed it to be the work of the Imperius. The other some had phobia for the harmless arachnids and mice. So the remaining two-fifth are the really amused ones.

  Lily snatched the packet from Sirius, yelling something at the boy in an odd language that bear no resemblance whatsoever to Latin, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese… everything. Then the redhead prefect stomped at his feet before handing James the powder.

  The fourth year stared at Sirius, curious at how he had his index fingers stuck in his nose.

  'Well, you sprinkle some of these into their nose – er, I mean food,' James said cheerfully, trying not to snigger.

  'Uh, and what would they do?'

  'Oh, maybe turn into spiders and mice,' Adele cackled. The fourth year scurried off, scared that these weird… Marauders, or whatever they called themselves – would turn him into something odd.

  'I enjoy this so much!' Lily chimed happily. 'We get a payback on the Slytherins, and no detention and house points are against us for everything!'

  'LTHILTHI!!!!! PFUT MHE FBACK TFO NORMAL!!!!!' Sirius yelled, fingers still stuck in his nose.

**

  Next morning, the Slytherins tap-danced on their table, and more particularly on their breakfast. The Ravenclaws were painted yellow and black in face. The Hufflepuffs still hadn't realised that they were in a brilliant shade of blue. And the Gryffindors were growing rabbit ears and whiskers.

  The teachers were torn between yelling "finite incantatem' and laughing, but as soon as each student got a good look at each other, laughs and giggles were erupting all over like a great fire.

  Slytherins were considering tap-dancing classes, when nearly everything ended.

____________________________________________________________________________________

An: originally, I had intended on combining the last chapter and this together, then decided that it's STILL too long even when I typed it up. So first, I would apologize profusely for a terribly long wait for this. Believe me, I know how it's like to wait for each chapter to turn up, but I've been having a lot of personality and mental crisis at the moment.

  Anyway, next chapter would be the last one ^_^ and I'm going to get it out FAST. You're going to bet on it. I'll have it out in one week, if my mid-year exams don't interfere! Else, it'll be out in a week-and-a-half. You have my word on it. Oh, and this orientation thing is well, I remembered a funny occasion during MY orientation =^_^= and I planned to use it here. Apparently, it's only coming out in the next chapter -_-

  Did you know, I was considering on dropping writing altogether? … er, I don't think so… I've got lots to say, but I don't think anyone would care anyway. Anyway, for those that do [which I'd gladly bet is practically no one], thanks. I'm just sorry that I couldn't write any better than this junk, with such a lousy writing skill.

… Suffering from mental illness and a personality crisis: *bows Marauder-style* bunny chan.