Spring of 1977.
"I don't think we ever had such a pair of trouble makers…"
"Okay, the twelve uses for dragon's blood."
"Er…" hesitated Peter. "Wait, let me think…"
"Oh, c´mon, this is first class stuff!" groaned James. "Sirius, do you have any idea?"
"No, why should I?" said Sirius lazily, as he lay down on the grass, using his book as a pillow. "It's to hot to learn. Wake me up when dinner's served." He closed his eyes.
"How´re you supposed to get your N.E.W.T.s if you don't learn?" asked Remus.
"Oh, don't worry. Everybody will be so impressed by my fantastic looks that they will give me the highest score immediately," said Sirius.
James made a sound like he was going to vomit, and Lily and Remus burst into laughter.
They were outside, sitting in the shadow of one of the big trees on the Hogwarts grounds. It was still a month before the summer holidays, but it was as warm as a day in midsummer. Actually, they had to practice for their exams, but, like Sirius said, it was way to warm.
"Anyway, it's only Potions and History of Magic, then we're free," said Sirius carelessly. He took the book from under his head. "Why would anyone want to know this boring stuff anyway? Here: medieval witch hunt, werewolf conduct code, goblins, centaurs, and so on, and so on. I'm falling asleep right where I'm lying."
"Sleep on," said Remus. "Hey, I'm going to leave you for a few minutes; I need to post a letter. Sirius, can I use Mercurius?"
"Sure, why not? He needs a bit of exercise, he's getting a bit fat." Sirius looked up to him. "Who're going to bully with your letter?"
Remus laughed. "Professor Baggins, the Headmaster of the Wizard University. I want to study the Dark Arts."
"Wait, wait, I'm coming with you," said Sirius, as he got up. "I need a bit of exercise too."
"Good, then we can study some more," said Lily. Her face was covered with the predicted freckles. James often tried to count them, but most of the time he got distracted by her green eyes. "Finally, rest and peace."
~*~
They staunted back to the castle.
"This is no weather for learning," said Sirius, "this is weather for swimming or something. It feels like summer."
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day, thou art more lovely and more temperate," sighed Remus. "I heard they predicted rain for tonight. A storm, to be exactly."
"Ah, excellent. My brains started to melt. Summer days are more lovely than this."
"Oh, so you actually have brains?" replied Remus teasingly.
"Hahahaha, really funny."
They walked up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower to get Remus' letter. Then they moved on to the Owlery, where Remus tied his letter to Mercurius' paw. He threw the owl out of the window and followed the bird with his eyes, as it disappeared.
"How fast d´you reckon your owl is?" he asked Sirius.
"I dunno. Oxford, is it not? He'll have reached it at least tomorrow, but probably sooner," said his friend. "Hey, look, you can see James from here." He pointed.
"But where's Peter?"
"Good question, I don't see him anywhere. Maybe James kicked him away."
"No, not likely. I think he just had to go to the toilet or something." Remus leaned out of the window. "You know what, sometimes I envy James. I mean, he has everything: he's rich, he's smart, he's Headboy, he's got a girl…"
"He plays Quidditch, he's got some fantastic friends," added Sirius.
"Especially the fantastic friends."
"Well, if you see it like that, you can envy yourself too, because you're one of those friends," smiled Sirius. "Now, you've posted your letter, what are we going to do now? Any suggestions?"
"Uhm…" thought Remus. "Library?"
"I already expected you were going to say that. Okay, but only because it's a little bit cooler inside."
~*~
"You know what, I know a short cut," said Sirius.
"Yeah, I know your short cuts, and they always take longer," replied Remus.
"Who cares about that? Do you have an appointment or something? C´mon, it's this way." He turned a corner, opened a door, and revealed a large marble stairway.
"This way, if you please," he said, with a courteous bow.
When they were halfway on the stairs, it started trembling, and slowly it detached itself from the door where it ended and started moving towards another door.
"O crisis," Remus said, bowing over the banisters and looking down. "It turns out to be one of your famous 'short' cuts again. God knows where we'll end."
"Believe me, this is the first time this happens to me," said Sirius. "We'll just have to wait until this thing stops." He also bowed over the rail and waved to some first-years, who were staring with open mouth at them and the moving staircase.
"O look," pointed Remus. "That head seems familiar."
"You mean that hair," said Sirius dryly. "Snape looks really small from up here. Hey, you think I´d dare spit down from here?"
"Sirius, you won't. Don't do it," said Remus urgently. Sirius was already bowing over, and hawking up spit.
"Sirius, stop it, that's not funny," continued Remus, who was half-and-half hoping Sirius was going to do it anyway.
"Bombs away," muttered Sirius, with his mouth full. He spat.
"Sirius! That's disgusting!" cried Remus. "Where did you aim for? Did you hit it?"
"Snape. But I missed, because that stupid staircase keeps moving," pointed Sirius. "Look, there's Snape." Snape was looking up at them, shaking his fist and moving his lips.
"What'd you think he's saying?" asked Remus.
"Nah, he isn't saying anything. He's imitating a fish, look, like this." Sirius opened and closed his mouth, in a perfect imitation of a fish.
"Oh, stop it," laughed Remus. "C´mon, the staircase stopped. Let's find the library."
They walked up the staircase and entered a long and deserted corridor.
"Uhm… that way?" said Sirius uncertainly. "Too bad we lost the Marauders Map."
"You left it lying around. If Filch finds out how it works, we'll be dead."
"I'm dead anyway. He won't be happy about me spitting down," said Sirius carelessly. They turned a few corners.
"Remember when James tried the bucket-on-the-door-trick on Snape?" asked Sirius after a while.
"Yeah," grinned Remus, "to bad it wasn't Snape who opened that door, but Hagrid."
"He could laugh at it."
"Until he realised a certain person-" Remus' stern look failed because he was laughing "-put red paint in that same bucket."
"I just thought Snape would look wonderful in red!" laughed Sirius. "But he kind of revenged himself, even though we never hit him."
"That was so unoriginal, a note on Peter's back, saying 'I am stupid, kick me'."
"Yeah, James' revenge note on Snape's back was better: 'Turn me around, I'm going in the wrong direction'. Which every Gryffindor did. We Gryffindors are so kind to others." Sirius' grin was almost to big for his face.
"Snape did give James a pretty bad nosebleed however," said Remus. "Too bad he found out it was James who'd written the note."
"Yeah, I've always said his handwriting is too easy to recognise."
"Or that time when James had given McGonagall's bag legs, and it started to run around in the corridors like mad, and McGonagall trying to get it with summoning charms." Remus held on to a nearby stair rail to prevent himself from falling on the ground for laughing.
"Yes, and it kept running away and avoiding the spells, and McGonagall shouting she'd find the one who did it," laughed Sirius, who was almost sitting on the stairs, because his legs almost couldn't hold him anymore. "And James around the corner, sick for laughing!"
Remus shook his head and hiccuped for laughing. He took a few deep breaths. "Or when you'd set professor Kettleburn´s Nifflers loose on the grounds, so they could take a walk. And it took him and Hagrid and Filch about a week to find them all!"
Sirius had his arms around his stomach and roared with laughter. Remus was still clutched to the rail of the stairs, and they were both unable to move even a finger.
Professor McGonagall came walking around the corner and found them breathless on the stairs. She hesitated for a short moment and raised one eyebrow. Then she decided it wasn't worth the effort to say something; it'll probably be over, someday… She hoisted her bag with books up and walked past them, up the stairs.
Sirius and Remus gasped for breath, and finally regained control over themselves.
"Right," said Remus. "Shall we continue?"
"Yes, indeed," answered Sirius, wiping some tears from his eyes.
They walked up the stairs and found a familiar route to the library. As Sirius opened the door, he asked Remus: "do you think other students will ever have such an experience like that?"
"No," answered Remus, "I'm pretty sure those things only happen to Moony and Padfoot…"