Disclaimer: The world belongs to J. K. Rowling, I am merely writing a history to go with it.
Sirius was late. Not late as in oh-shit-they're-going-to-kill-me late, but rather I-slept-in-and-they-left-without-me. The tall and messy boy ran to the door of the Great Hall, and stopped. He walked in smoothly as if had intended on being fashionably late. The Slytherins collectively sneered Sirius as he walked past their table and dropped a dead rat on it.
"I don't see why you have to do it. And in a corridor, in the middle of the night no less! There really is no point to the matter!"
James chuckled, "And would you rather that we do it in the prefects bathroom? Care to give us the password?"
Remus hit his head on the table, causing the near-empty pitcher of pumpkin juice to rock slightly. "Too slippery, you'd fall flat on your back within two seconds. Or you would break your bones. Then where would you be?"
"Screwed, I guess," replied Sirius as he sat down to the table. The two boys roared with laughter, while most of the occupants of the great hall rolled their eyes. "No seriously, what is another trip to the hospital wing for broken bones? And in a corridor at night is traditional, and we all know that tradition is the one un-bendable rule."
"Since when is a rule only bendable? You break them all the time." Remus stressed the word break.
"You were late." Peter looked at Sirius. "But I'm with Remus. You could get in trouble"
"Fashionably late, get it right Wormtail."
Peter ignored the comment, but winced at the look James shot him. "Us? In trouble? Wow! I never thought of that?! What a new and frightening experience it must be! All in good fun though. I don't think another detention could really make much difference to anything, really."
"James, stop picking on him, poke him if you must, but be nice."
"Oh Lupin, just shut up. Then maybe Wormtail couldn't agree with you. Besides, since when were you one to back out of doing something as 'rule bending' as this. It isn't as if we are breaking the law."
"Well, the reason they gave me, and, I note, not you, the prefect badge was so that I could exert some control over you," Remus took a mouthful of toast before continuing, "not that it seems to be working"
"Hi, my name is Remus Lupin, and I'm like, such a good boy, look at me! I have a prefect badge and you don't. I'm just like, so smart, and so like totally good!" Remus scowled at the three boys, all laughing at Sirius's playful antics. "Besides, if something goes wrong old chap, you'll be there to help us. If not, it will be good for a laugh, no?"
James struggled to get his laughter under control. "Indeed. Besides, since when has anything gone wrong?"
"There was the time that you got stuck in the - "
"I don't think we will mention that right here, thank you."
"Bit sensitive, are we James?" Sirius snorted at him.
"I wouldn't say sensitive, not with some of the stuff that you've done."
"Good point. I think I'll shut up now."
"Great idea."
Remus raised his voice to be heard over the top of the two boys, arguing like brothers stuck at home with nothing to do. "Well, there was the time that you both turned invisible for a week, heavens knows what you did - "
Distracted, James countered, "you've got to admit, that made history. I didn't even need my invisibility cloak now did I?"
"And the time that Peter tried to turn into a rat and managed to only transform his head - "
"They were calling him Rattus for months!" Sirius snorted, spraying Peter with pumpkin juice.
"HEY!"
"Oh shut up Rattus!"
"Peter."
"Wormtail."
"Peter!" James and Remus's eyes locked, and both laughed as James crinkled his nose and subsequently lost his glasses.
Ignorant, Sirius continued, "would you like the rest of the pumpkin juice on your head, Rattus?"
Peter gave in. "Well, can you please pass me a napkin?"
Sirius sighed, passing him the napkin James had tucked in his pocket. "With language and structures such as that, next thing you know, you'll be just like dear ol' Remus Lupin, prefect and good boy over there. Alone and boring, not unusual for those types. I daresay you will have hard luck trying to find a girl that goes for that sort of thing. But then, you might get lucky."
"Unlike you, who has never had a girlfriend? Despite which, what about the time that Snape found out about us being animagi?" Lupin added spitefully, and smiled with a grim satisfaction when it took moments before Sirius tried to stutter out an answer.
"Well…."
"Yes?"
"We aren't exactly going to do anything that bad," Sirius attempted to save face, "not like that, anyway"
"Yeah, we are only going to test out a few new spells and such we found in the old books that the old bat keeps locked in the restricted section," added James, "could be anything you know?"
"Make two people switch personalities - "
"Make trolls out of trees - "
"Grow dragons from seeds - "
"Or thestrals - "
"You know if we went riding together on a thestral, then it would look like we were flying to most people?"
"Interesting."
"Turn your friends into werewolves - " added Peter gleefully, only realizing what he said as three rather dark faces stared him down. He gasped and covered his hands in a rather elaborate show, winking at Sirius and James.
"No Peter."
"Do you think they might have been in there for a reason?" stated Lupin, trying to appear almost unfazed and attempting to gain the upper hand. He smiled inwardly, only to be crushed by James's lack of shame.
"No. That woman just wants them to herself. And I didn't even get to look at half of what was in there. Could be anything.. I've always wondered why she really keeps them all locked up.. one day we should go back there and look at the rest of them. What do you say Sirius?"
"Ye-"
"No." Remus interrupted.
"Alright Lupin, I was just kidding."
"Like hell you were."
"You really don't trust us?"
"No."
"Oh now that's not nice." James gave Remus a slight shove. "You're our friend."
"Fine! Do what you want. You won't listen to me anyway. Just don't hurt yourselves, I'm not cleaning you up again. This time, no blood, fake or otherwise. And I'm not coming."
"Yeah you are, it wouldn't be an adventure if we all weren't there." James shoved Remus again. "Well, it would, but that's not the point. If we get ourselves screwed who do we rely on? Wormtail?" Peter shrank down behind his goblet.
"Point" Remus sighed. "I'd just rather you didn't try it on yourselves."
"Who would you rather have us try it on, Snape?"
"Well, yes, I mean, no! That would be wrong, very wrong." He paused. "Again, as much as I hate to admit it, point."
"I knew you would see it our way." Sirius pulled Remus across the table and into a headlock, resulting in a quick and painful jab in the side with Remus's wand. Various first year Gryfindors looked on with interest. It's not every day that someone is pulled over the top of the table. Each of the curious faces broke into laughter as Sirius reacted to the blow.
"Ouch! What are you trying to do, kill me? In front of all these people?! You'd get yourself arrested!"
"Better if I did it than you. It'd be cleaner, for one. Besides, I can't hang around with you lot for this long without learning a few.. tricks, shall we say?"
Sirius let go quickly and put one hand to his side, one on his head and his head hit the table with a loud *thunk.*
Peter giggled.
James hit him with a piece of toast.
Sirius groaned.
Remus left for the Transfiguration class.
"Oh now is that really necessary Lupin? We have another half hour before we are due in class, thanks to your brilliant idea of being up…" James shuddered as he called to a retreating back and deaf ears, "Early?!" Turning to Sirius, he shoved him back, brining him to full consciousness, "C'mon, and bring Wormtail, we better go after him. You know what he gets like if you leave him like this."
"But I haven't finished!" Peter whined.
"You have now." Sirius grabbed him roughly by the collar and pulled him into a standing position. "Go get your books, and we'll catch up to Lupin."
As James and Sirius ran after Remus, Peter gathered up a stack of toast to tide him over until the next break. He ignored the fact that most of the hall echoed with prolonged laughter as he tripped over his feet and spilt the toast over the stone floor, butter side down. He stood up, brushed himself off and strode out, trying to maintain non-existent dignity while leaving his toast on the ground, now dissolving into the floor by the house-elves magic.
Sirius was late. Not late as in oh-shit-they're-going-to-kill-me late, but rather I-slept-in-and-they-left-without-me. The tall and messy boy ran to the door of the Great Hall, and stopped. He walked in smoothly as if had intended on being fashionably late. The Slytherins collectively sneered Sirius as he walked past their table and dropped a dead rat on it.
"I don't see why you have to do it. And in a corridor, in the middle of the night no less! There really is no point to the matter!"
James chuckled, "And would you rather that we do it in the prefects bathroom? Care to give us the password?"
Remus hit his head on the table, causing the near-empty pitcher of pumpkin juice to rock slightly. "Too slippery, you'd fall flat on your back within two seconds. Or you would break your bones. Then where would you be?"
"Screwed, I guess," replied Sirius as he sat down to the table. The two boys roared with laughter, while most of the occupants of the great hall rolled their eyes. "No seriously, what is another trip to the hospital wing for broken bones? And in a corridor at night is traditional, and we all know that tradition is the one un-bendable rule."
"Since when is a rule only bendable? You break them all the time." Remus stressed the word break.
"You were late." Peter looked at Sirius. "But I'm with Remus. You could get in trouble"
"Fashionably late, get it right Wormtail."
Peter ignored the comment, but winced at the look James shot him. "Us? In trouble? Wow! I never thought of that?! What a new and frightening experience it must be! All in good fun though. I don't think another detention could really make much difference to anything, really."
"James, stop picking on him, poke him if you must, but be nice."
"Oh Lupin, just shut up. Then maybe Wormtail couldn't agree with you. Besides, since when were you one to back out of doing something as 'rule bending' as this. It isn't as if we are breaking the law."
"Well, the reason they gave me, and, I note, not you, the prefect badge was so that I could exert some control over you," Remus took a mouthful of toast before continuing, "not that it seems to be working"
"Hi, my name is Remus Lupin, and I'm like, such a good boy, look at me! I have a prefect badge and you don't. I'm just like, so smart, and so like totally good!" Remus scowled at the three boys, all laughing at Sirius's playful antics. "Besides, if something goes wrong old chap, you'll be there to help us. If not, it will be good for a laugh, no?"
James struggled to get his laughter under control. "Indeed. Besides, since when has anything gone wrong?"
"There was the time that you got stuck in the - "
"I don't think we will mention that right here, thank you."
"Bit sensitive, are we James?" Sirius snorted at him.
"I wouldn't say sensitive, not with some of the stuff that you've done."
"Good point. I think I'll shut up now."
"Great idea."
Remus raised his voice to be heard over the top of the two boys, arguing like brothers stuck at home with nothing to do. "Well, there was the time that you both turned invisible for a week, heavens knows what you did - "
Distracted, James countered, "you've got to admit, that made history. I didn't even need my invisibility cloak now did I?"
"And the time that Peter tried to turn into a rat and managed to only transform his head - "
"They were calling him Rattus for months!" Sirius snorted, spraying Peter with pumpkin juice.
"HEY!"
"Oh shut up Rattus!"
"Peter."
"Wormtail."
"Peter!" James and Remus's eyes locked, and both laughed as James crinkled his nose and subsequently lost his glasses.
Ignorant, Sirius continued, "would you like the rest of the pumpkin juice on your head, Rattus?"
Peter gave in. "Well, can you please pass me a napkin?"
Sirius sighed, passing him the napkin James had tucked in his pocket. "With language and structures such as that, next thing you know, you'll be just like dear ol' Remus Lupin, prefect and good boy over there. Alone and boring, not unusual for those types. I daresay you will have hard luck trying to find a girl that goes for that sort of thing. But then, you might get lucky."
"Unlike you, who has never had a girlfriend? Despite which, what about the time that Snape found out about us being animagi?" Lupin added spitefully, and smiled with a grim satisfaction when it took moments before Sirius tried to stutter out an answer.
"Well…."
"Yes?"
"We aren't exactly going to do anything that bad," Sirius attempted to save face, "not like that, anyway"
"Yeah, we are only going to test out a few new spells and such we found in the old books that the old bat keeps locked in the restricted section," added James, "could be anything you know?"
"Make two people switch personalities - "
"Make trolls out of trees - "
"Grow dragons from seeds - "
"Or thestrals - "
"You know if we went riding together on a thestral, then it would look like we were flying to most people?"
"Interesting."
"Turn your friends into werewolves - " added Peter gleefully, only realizing what he said as three rather dark faces stared him down. He gasped and covered his hands in a rather elaborate show, winking at Sirius and James.
"No Peter."
"Do you think they might have been in there for a reason?" stated Lupin, trying to appear almost unfazed and attempting to gain the upper hand. He smiled inwardly, only to be crushed by James's lack of shame.
"No. That woman just wants them to herself. And I didn't even get to look at half of what was in there. Could be anything.. I've always wondered why she really keeps them all locked up.. one day we should go back there and look at the rest of them. What do you say Sirius?"
"Ye-"
"No." Remus interrupted.
"Alright Lupin, I was just kidding."
"Like hell you were."
"You really don't trust us?"
"No."
"Oh now that's not nice." James gave Remus a slight shove. "You're our friend."
"Fine! Do what you want. You won't listen to me anyway. Just don't hurt yourselves, I'm not cleaning you up again. This time, no blood, fake or otherwise. And I'm not coming."
"Yeah you are, it wouldn't be an adventure if we all weren't there." James shoved Remus again. "Well, it would, but that's not the point. If we get ourselves screwed who do we rely on? Wormtail?" Peter shrank down behind his goblet.
"Point" Remus sighed. "I'd just rather you didn't try it on yourselves."
"Who would you rather have us try it on, Snape?"
"Well, yes, I mean, no! That would be wrong, very wrong." He paused. "Again, as much as I hate to admit it, point."
"I knew you would see it our way." Sirius pulled Remus across the table and into a headlock, resulting in a quick and painful jab in the side with Remus's wand. Various first year Gryfindors looked on with interest. It's not every day that someone is pulled over the top of the table. Each of the curious faces broke into laughter as Sirius reacted to the blow.
"Ouch! What are you trying to do, kill me? In front of all these people?! You'd get yourself arrested!"
"Better if I did it than you. It'd be cleaner, for one. Besides, I can't hang around with you lot for this long without learning a few.. tricks, shall we say?"
Sirius let go quickly and put one hand to his side, one on his head and his head hit the table with a loud *thunk.*
Peter giggled.
James hit him with a piece of toast.
Sirius groaned.
Remus left for the Transfiguration class.
"Oh now is that really necessary Lupin? We have another half hour before we are due in class, thanks to your brilliant idea of being up…" James shuddered as he called to a retreating back and deaf ears, "Early?!" Turning to Sirius, he shoved him back, brining him to full consciousness, "C'mon, and bring Wormtail, we better go after him. You know what he gets like if you leave him like this."
"But I haven't finished!" Peter whined.
"You have now." Sirius grabbed him roughly by the collar and pulled him into a standing position. "Go get your books, and we'll catch up to Lupin."
As James and Sirius ran after Remus, Peter gathered up a stack of toast to tide him over until the next break. He ignored the fact that most of the hall echoed with prolonged laughter as he tripped over his feet and spilt the toast over the stone floor, butter side down. He stood up, brushed himself off and strode out, trying to maintain non-existent dignity while leaving his toast on the ground, now dissolving into the floor by the house-elves magic.