James snickered as he chewed carefully on a piece of bacon. Across the hall, Snape glared at him and Lily, unable to decide which to hate more. James gave him a cold smile, meant to let the grease-ball know that yeah, he was one of those who did it.
Their whole group was suppressing laughter. The rest of the Great Hall kept glancing over to the Slytherin table, chuckling when they did. The Slytherins were silent, their indignant silence conveying their resentment.
James thought they had done a pretty good job. The entire House had trooped in together this morning, sullen and angry. Some of them had a red tint to their skin, a few had bruises from trying to get through the doorway, and all of them had white fluffy bunny tails attached to their cloaks. Snape was by far the worst off, as he not only had a reddish tint to his pale skin, but his eyes were bright pink and his hair was no longer black, but a metallic red with gold streaks. Words in rainbow colors had been painted onto the back of his cloak. "Slime Ball: Kick here", with an arrow pointing to his head. He had stared thunderously over at the Gryffindor table at James, until he shook his head and smiled cruelly, aiming a significant glance over to the red headed female. Watching his eyebrows raise in surprise had caused him to choke of a piece of egg. Lily had only looked cooly at him, then raised her goblet of orange juice in mocking toast.
The teachers had removed the rabbit tails, and turned Snape's eyes back to their normal pink. They couldn't do anything about Snape's hair though, as Lily had used real paint to do it, only using magic to apply it without waking the boy up. Same with the words on his cloak. They had been suppressing snickers though, except for Guidry, who was head of Slytherin.
The House had sat down as a mass, before their silent treatment was ruined by their exclamations of surprise and disgust as they picked up their utensils. As Peter had promised, all of their silverware had been covered in a thick, sticky layer of honey. The Hall had lost it then, howling with laughter at the looks on the Slytherins' faces. The Marauders laughed the hardest of all, Sirius sliding under the table in his mirth, joined by Lily. James, Remus, and Peter managed to keep their seats, but Remus choked, Peter stuck an elbow into his scrambled eggs, and James almost sprayed milk out his nose.
Finally the Hall had quieted down, but a gale of laughter still occasionally broke out. Students began leaving their tables singly and in clumps, and the Marauders left as soon as James had finished.
Snape intercepted them outside.
"You. You five did this."
James shrugged.
"Brilliant deduction, Snape."
"Nice hair, Grease Head." Lily gave him a cutting smile. Snape swallowed.
He has a crush one her, thought James. He grinned cruelly.
"Awww, little Snape is hurt because his one true love played a mean trick on him. Poor little Snape."
He heard three sets of laughter behind him and one appalled noise. Snape's eyes hardened. He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. James was about to turn around to see what had put the glee into his eyes when he suddenly sluged James. The punch in the face shocked and pained him enough that by the time he realized he was lying on the floor staring up to the ceiling, other things had already happened. His nose throbbing, he sat up carefully.
Sirius was no where to be found, but Peter was groaning and crutching his crotch, while a huge older boy smiled in glee. Peter probably wasn't going anywhere for a while. Lily was pinned with her arms behind her back by a third year Slytherin, her furious green eyes throwing daggers at Lucius Malfoy.
Another older boy stood over Remus who was curled up, sweating in pain. The boy was huge as well, but didn't look particularly smart. While he was watching, the stupid one kicked Remus in the side again. James began to surge up to defend his friends when a foot came into his vision. Snape's kick caught him in the eye, sending sparks of pain through his face, as well as causing his skull to hit the stone floor rather hard. When James could stand to open his eyes, his head was to the side, staring into the shadows.
His vision doubled for a moment, then solidified again and he found himself staring directly into Sirius's eyes. Sirius glanced significantly towards Snape, then Remus. James understood as clearly as if he had spoken that he would take care fo Snape while James got the one getting Remus. Lily, James mouthed. Sirius raised an eyebrow and James blushed slightly. She could defend herself. He nodded ever so slightly, and so was prepared when a shape detached itself from the shadows and rushed at Snape.
Lunging up, he tackled the one kicking Remus, smiling as he heard'd Snape's exclamation of surprise. At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red squirm from the big kid's grasp and punch him in the gut. Then the one he'd tackled slammed him against a wall and he saw stars. Blackness began to fade in and out of his vision as the other wrapped his hands around his neck and began to squeeze.
"Tell your cronies to release James and Peter, Malfoy."
"But-"
"DO IT!"
"Crabbe, Goyle, stop! Stop!" His voice seemed to be strained and gasping, but they followed his desperate orders. James slumped to the ground, coughing hoarsely. He started when a hand steadied his back, but relaxed when he realized it was Remus.
Lily had had Malfoy pinned on the ground, a hand slowly cutting off his air. Now she let him up and stared down at him disgustedly.
"Get out of here and take your friends with you."
The blond rose slowly from the ground before gesturing and stalking off. All of the Slytherins followed, even Snape after Sirius had gotten off his chest, where the thief had been sitting. Lily and Sirius went over to Peter and helped him get up while James and Remus supported one another.
"Where to now?" Sirius asked.
"Hospital Wing," James croaked.
The five managed to get there, and was immediately accused of fighting. James grinned at all of them then spoke for the group.
"Nah, we just fell down some stairs."
In Transfiguration, for which they were late, McGonagall told them about what they would be doing in Transfiguration for the next seven years. When she turned into a cat, the class oohed and aahed. James narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Herbology wasn't very interesting, but James noticed Lily was biting her lip and looked slightly worried. Managing to get her for a partner as they pruned gooseberry bushes, he asked her what was wrong.
"Just something Malfoy said."
"Malfoy said something?"
"Quite a bit actually, but you seemed too interested in the floor to pay attention."
He threw a pruned branch at her, which she ducked.
"So, what did he say?"
"He told me I should be with him, even if I was a....a Mudblood."
James's blood boiled at the insult, but was surprised at the nature of the statement.
"With you? Like, as in boyfriend, girlfriend?"
"Yeah. But I told him this: You're a bit young for that, aren't you, Malfoy?" Her voice went into a falsetto when she spoke Malfoy. James laughed loudly, causing people to turn and look at them.
"That's great. But I don't understand why all these Slytherins want have you or to be with you or whatever."
"Me neither. That's what I was wondering about."
"Huh. Odd."
"Yes."
A week passed without incident, but James was concerned about Remus. It looked like he had never recovered from the fight, and grew more pale and shaky as the days went on. He was shivering all the time, but sweated too. His pupils would expand and contract randomly too.
One night Remus finally went to the Hospital Wing as the other four had been pestering him to do all week. He never came back to bed and James was up half the night, worried about him. When he was back the next day, he was still pale and shaking, but his eyes were normal and he assured them he was getting better.
Since he recovered his strength quickly, James didn't say anything. The Marauders continued to pull pranks, but no biggies, just a bucket of water balanced on the door into Archie Weasley's dorm room, a Filibuster Wet-Start Firework in the bottom of Snape's cauldron, a sheet rubbed with Invisible Balm stretched across the door of the Great Hall. Then flying lessons started.
When James read the flyer passed around at breakfast that announced this new lesson, he groaned.
"Oh, all the beginners! I'm going to be bored to death!"
Sirius gave him a good natured whack on the back of the head.
"We outnumber you, James. Lily and Peter and I don't know how to fly, and we could beat you up if you complain again."
Remus grinned and added his input.
"I don't fly very well anyways, so you might as well count me as a beginner too."
James snapped his jaw shut.
That afternoon, they met on the Quidditch Pitch with the Ravenclaw first years. The Gryffindors lined up beside the seven brooms on one side, facing the six brooms of Ravenclaw on the other side. Madam Hooch, the very young Quidditch teacher appeared. Cowing everyone with her yellow eyes into silence, she began the lesson.
"Hold your right hand over the broomsticks, class." When everyone had done so, she continued.
"Say up!"
"UP!"
James's broomstick leaped right up into his hand and so did Lily's, surprising everyone. Sirius was one of the next ones up, rising half way at the first command, and the rest of the way after he issued it a second time. Remus frowned at his and said up again and it followed the order reluctantly. Peter's knocked him in the face, but he caught it as it was going back down.
Eventually, everyone had a broom in their hand. Hooch showed them how to mount. Going down the row, correcting grips, she paused at Lily.
"Just shift it up half an inch."
Stopping at Peter and Sirius as well, she nodded approvingly at James and continued. He gave a small, proud smile before he noticed Lily glaring at him. Wiping the smile from his lips, he just shrugged sympathetically, which seamed to appease her.
"Now, slowly ease into the air and hover just above the ground."
He and Lily rose up immediately, though two Ravenclaws and Sirius soon joined them. The others seemed to have trouble getting off the ground. Peter was jumping up and down as if that would affect anything and Remus seemed to be concentrating very hard.
"Whoa!"
He was just wondering what Lily was yelling when his broom gave a buck, then another. Wrenching it around, he stopped its antics, shaking his head. These old school brooms almost seemed to have a mind of their own. Apparently the whole group in the air had started bucking, as apparent by the three forms on the ground. He and Lily were the only two who had stayed on. Lily had pulled the front end of hers up, like a horse, which had kept it from kicking up its back end.
That made sense. She'd told them all about her mother being a jockey and trainer. A broom was different, but probably similar in its own way to a horse.
Glancing down again, he watched Sirius get up and dust himself off carefully. Smiling as he remounted he turned his attention to the Ravenclaws, Steven and Ashley. Ashley seemed ok, but Steven had obviously twisted his ankle. Madam Hooch gave a curious look to the brooms, then helped off Steven to the infirmary after issuing a warning to the rest of the class to stay off their brooms.
"What was that all about?"
James looked at Lily, who made her confusion clear through her eyes. He shook his head.
"Brooms don't usually act up like that unless under a spell, and never in a group," said Remus.
The Marauders looked at each other.
"What could have caused it?"
"Oh, Sirius, are you alright?"
"You were sooo brave, James."
The five companions blinked. Lily choked and started coughing while Peter covered his mouth and Remus bit his lip. James and Sirius looked at one another, appalled as Laura attached herself to James and Sirius found Jessica cooing over him and his "hurts".
"I could never have done what you did, James. Will you teach me how to fly like you?"
"Sirius, maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing to make sure you're alright. I can help you there, if you want-er, need it."
"Ah, Jessica..."
"Call me Jess, Siri."
"Don't call me Siri. I'm ok, I really am. I've taken worse falls from roofs."
"Really? Why were you on roofs?"
"Well, ah, you see....."
"He's a thief, Jess." That was Lily, with a taunting glance at Sirius.
"Really? Would you steal something from me? I mean, I could never stop you, you're so big and strong...."
Extracting his arm from hers, he moved between Remus and Lily to try and avoid her. She made a move as if to follow, but Lily glared at her and Jessica huffed haughtily and moved away.
Meanwhile, James remembered his own problem, who was currently staring up at him in bliss.
"Anyone could have done what I did, Laura."
"No, not anyone could have done it. Only a man, a real man like you, James, could have stayed aboard a bucking broom."
"I did." Lily's tone no longer held any sort of amusement and her eyes were livid. James wanted to move out of range, but the subject of her gaze was somewhat attached to him.
"Oh, Lily, you're practically a man anyways. Anyways, James, how about-"
"WHAT!?!?" Oh dear.
"Are you implying that I am a man?" There was too much control in those words. James bit his lip. Remus put a hand on her shoulder, reminding her to keep her temper. He somehow managed to warn her of her fuse like no one else could. She glanced at his hand and visibly pulled herself under control. She was still angry, though. Wrenching the black haired girl away from James, for which James was secretly relieved, she shoved her down the path.
"We'll talk later."
Laura was crying, but Lily didn't seem to care. The five watched silently as the girl caught up with her friend, careful around Lily's tangible anger. They were silent all the way back to the Common Room.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
In case you can't tell, Lily has a short temper. She's not really mean or a bully or anything, but she's sensitive about being a tomboy. She enjoys being a tomboy, but she's does have a feminine side, and she is proud of being a girl. She absolutely cannot stand being told she's practically male, nor can she stand being told she is anyone's possession. So no, she's not cruel or anything, but she has been provoked a lot recently. Also, I know I screwed up the order, and yes Remus was supposed to be next, but I totally forgot and NEXT time the chapters go around the order will be Sirius, Remus, James, Lily, Peter. This time, and this time only it will be Sirius, James, Remus, Lily, Peter. I remembered halfway through this and wasn't about to start over.
