When we left off, James found out the suspects behind the Gryffindor Girls Scandal and decided to tell his crew about it.  Well, knowing them, they aren't going to take this sitting down, and I will give you the details on how it all came to be. 

Ladies and gentlemen………

Here it is. (Ahh you thought!! Just read and see what I mean.)

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Lily, Jade, Carly, and Penny were all confused at the sudden exit of the four boys.  They didn't just get up and leave at dinnertime, especially James and Sirius.  They were beginning to feel suspicious, and felt a little uneasy about what the boys were planning this time.

"What do you think has gotten into them?" asked Penny.

"Probably thinking of a plan to once again make our lives miserable." shot Lily.

"Actually, I think they make our lives somewhat entertaining.  They're really funny."

said Jade.

"You mean, Sirius is funny… don't you."

"Oh, shut up Carly."

"What! It's true…"

"Oh it's true, huh… so is it true that you and Remus have a thing for each other?"

"What thing?"

"The THING!!"

"Well…. no…. the Thing belongs to the Addams Family.  Sirius said that Thing used to belong to his family, but his parents sold it to the Addams'.  I hear they're supposed to have some sort of show on TV."

"Ha ha ha…. very funny."

"I know, isn't it? Well soooorry though, Jade, you know I can't be as funny as your lover boy Sirius."

"Why you little-"

"Ok, calm down, girls… calm down." interrupted Penny.

"Yeah, see look what boys have done to us.  They have managed to turn us against each other by just talking about them!" exclaimed Lily.

"Stupid boys." they all said, and laughed as they continued eating their dinner.

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James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all seated together in the middle of their room.  A muffling noise in the background told them that the girls were in the common room, but they didn't really pay any attention to it.  Usually they would follow the noise and go down there to annoy them, but tonight was different.  They decided to stay and stick to the plan which was…. well they didn't really have a plan yet, but they were thinking of one!  The plan was going to be a perfect plan, and if the plan worked out the way it was planned, then everything would go according to plan.

"So James…. uhh… what's the plan?" asked Sirius.

"Sirius… I'll tell you what the plan is…. it's to think of a plan."

"Oh, so we can actually plan it?"

"Exactly.  You know Sirius, you get smarter every day.  I'm amazed."

"Why thank you."

"You're welcome."

"QUIT BABBLING!" Remus shouted almost losing his temper… almost.

"Whoa! Geez, sorry Remmy, don't have a cow."

"Werewolves don't have cows, Sirius." said Peter.

"I know… Pete… you know you… ah nevermind."

"Sorry."

"Enough already.  Ok.. here's the plan." interrupted James.  "This is going to be the most difficult prank we'll ever pull off this year.  We're going to do this in three steps.  Each step requires a day, and we're going to have to use all of our skills if we're going to pull this off.  Come closer, here's what we'll do..."

James told them every single detail, and that they would start first thing in the morning.  When they all went to sleep, every single one of them was excited.  This prank was going to be huge…. bigger than the biggest of giants.  They knew they were going to get punished, but a punishment is worth it when you embarrass a group of Slytherins.

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Day 1

After classes, James said they were going to over every single detail before actually putting it into action.  He gathered the four in their dorm room, and had a sheet of paper that he would go over with the four boys.  They didn't have to worry about Frank barging in, because they knew he would be with Alice somewhere, so they weren't interrupted in the least. 

"Alright boys,  we have to do everything together, and it has to be perfect, otherwise it will all be pointless."

"James, you make it sound like we're going to war.
"We are, Remus.  In a way.. we are."

"Right.  Carry on."

"Well, the main suspect is Snape, but where there's a Snape…"

"There's his two greasy butt-cheeks Malfoy and Lestrange." shot Sirius.

"Well put Sirius." said Remus.

"Ok, well first of all, the package that my father should be on its way.  Cardinal rule in pranking, we have to make sure we don't get caught in the middle of it, though we'll be in trouble if we pull it off, but it's more fun that way.  Remus, remember when you said that we needed something so that we can't be seen?  Well I sent a letter to my dad, and as we speak, he's sending our family heirloom down to my window."

"What's that, James?"  asked Peter.

"The only way we can't be seen is if we're invisible."

"What!! You mean…"

"That's right, Remmy.  My dad is sending me an invisibility cloak.  Passed down the Potter family line for generations."

"That's cool, James!! I didn't know you had one of those." said Sirius.

"Well, I never told you cause I figured I'd have no use for it…. that is till I met you guys."

"Right.  So let me get this straight, James." said Remus.  "First of all,  you want Peter and I to follow around a Slytherin prefect tomorrow and steal the password…. using the cloak of course."

"Bingo, Remus."

"I-I-I-I don't know, guys.  I've never gone marauding around before." stuttered Peter.

"Don't chicken out, Pete… besides you'll be invi-" James trailed off.  "W-what was that word?"

"What word?"

"That word… the one you said you and Remus were doing."

"Marauding?"

"YEAH THAT!!! PETE THAT'S BRILLIANT!"

"Ummm ok James, you'll tell us about that later.  Right now we gotta review the plan."

"Right, once after you get the password, you head right back to the Tower and meet up with us here.  Sirius and I should already have gotten the supplies that we got from Hogsmeade, and we'll review what we are going to do again.  We'll take a long nap, and miss dinner.  Besides, if anything, we'll just go down to the kitchens to grab something to eat."

"Oh, thank the heavens above!!" shouted Sirius, earning smirks from the other three.

"Anyway, we'll wake up at around midnight and that's when the fun begins.  We'll set up everything else in the Slytherin room and the Great Hall, and wait for the next day to arrive.  Get it?"

"Got it." said Sirius and Remus.

"Good."

"Uhhh…. I don't got it." piped Peter.  James groaned and told him again, this time in full detail.  Peter finally understood and Remus interrupted.

"So James, what was that sudden outburst of marauding for??"

"Oh! Well I was thinking that maybe we should have a name for ourselves, but I couldn't really think of one.  Peter here, just helped me out.  Boys!! I, James Potter, dub myself, as well as you three….. the Marauders.

"Wow, what a cool name!!" shouted Sirius.

"I like it." said Remus.

"Me too!" squeaked Peter.

"I knew you would.  Which gives me another idea.  We're gonna use the same technique the Slytherins used on the girls.  You know how they wrote that message on the wall? Well, we're going to do the same thing, only slightly different.  Let's add our own flavor to the mix…." James then began planning the added part of the plan, as an owl came fluttering through the open windor, carrying a large bundle.

James smiled and said, "Marauders, the first step is now complete." and revealed the soft, silky silvery material before the awestruck boys.

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Day 2

Classes flew by pretty quickly for the Marauders and as dinner rolled by, all they did was keep to themselves, which made the girls even more suspicious.  They had a feeling they were planning on getting them back for what they did to the four a couple of months back, but Lily assured them they wouldn't do such a thing.  Inwardly, however, Lily was also afraid that this might be what the boys were talking about.

The first parts of the plan were a success.  James and Sirius got the needed materials from Hogsmeade, while Remus and Peter stealthily overheard the password of the Slytherin Tower --- 'serpent-tongue'.  They went over the plan again, and as midnight rolled on by, all four boys were wide awake and were out to cause havoc immediately.  First of all, what James and Sirius got from Hogsmeade was loads and loads of dungbombs.  They walked around in separate places of the castle, and dropped them in places to distract Filch… thinking that it was Peeves the Poltergeist who made the mess. 

While Filch was distracted, the four boys then hustled down towards the Slytherin  Tower.  With the password, they snuck in and saw the first-year Slytherins dorm room.  They placed a powerful slumber charm on the room and began to work on their clothes.  Then they set up different kinds of booby traps so that when Snape and Lestrange woke up, their faces would be permanently covered in red ink, which was charmed to make shapes on their faces. 

Remus' part of the plan was to research on how to charm the clothes into different costumes.  They did this to Snape's and Lestrange's, and then moved on back to the second-year rooms, where they repeated the process for Lucius Malfoy's robes.  All four boys were quite serious, and didn't make a sound, because they knew if anyone woke up, they would blow it.  It turned to be a breeze and they all snuck back out of the Slytherin Tower and made their way down to the kitchens, where the house-elves happily served them food. 

"James, this is bloody brilliant!!" shouted Remus.

"Yeah, but I couldn't have done it without any of you guys."

"To best friends." said Sirius, offering a toast of butterbeer.

"Best friends." chorused the other three as they tapped their mugs and took a sip of the butterbeer. 

"James," said Remus.  "Have you noticed how ironic all of this is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well look at it, we used the girls' style of muggle-pranking with all the booby traps and stuff.  We also added our own style with the charms and magic and dungbombs.  Finally, later on today we'll be using the Slytherin technique of the writing, except with a little twist of our own."

"I never thought of it that way, but yeah, it is pretty cool how it all turned out… Pete, you sure you remember how to do that message thing you did on the girls right?"

"Consider it done."

"Good… now let's go back to the room and get some rest."

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Day 3

Lily, Jade, Penny, Carly, Alice, and Frank all woke up at around the same time.  They couldn't find the rest of the group anywhere.  Frank said that they were already down at the Great Hall so they shrugged their shoulders and went down to get breakfast.  Sure enough, there was the four boys, smiling at them.  They told the others that they already ate breakfast and that they were just going to go for a walk around the grounds.  Lily and the others went in and had their breakfast.

The Slytherins were rolling in laughter at what they saw.  Snape, Malfoy, and Lestrange got out of their respective dorm rooms looking like a wreck.  Their faces were covered in red markings, such as smiley-faces, rainbows, stars, ponies, and other stuff that little girls like to doodle in their spare time.  The three were in a fury and went down to breakfast, causing everyone to laugh at them along the way.  They went looking for their suspects, but they were nowhere to be found (they were invisible *wink *).  At first, they were embarrassed to walk in the Great Hall, but they sucked it up and forced themselves to walk in, and that's when the ruckus started. 

As soon as the three entered the room, their robes began to change.  Snape's turned a bright red, with a big black belt and white cufflinks.  He was also wearing boots, and a santa hat.  The clothes looked big on him at first, but then his stomach began to bulge out, making the clothes now too tight for him.  He also grew a fluffy beard and mustache and looked like a very very overweight version of Santa Claus.

Malfoy's robes didn't change colors, but into another piece of clothing.  He was now wearing a pink tutu, with very tight pink stockings.  The skirt was as high as the top of his thighs, and a tiara had appeared on his forehead.

Lestrange's robes all of a sudden started to change into a bright pink.  He thought it wasn't that bad at first, till he noticed that it had grown something else that was placed on his head.  His robes changed into an easter bunny suit.  His wand all of a sudden changed into a carrot, and he turned around shaking and revealing his small, cute, fluffy tail.  Everyone was doubling over in laughter. 

It wasn't over however, because as soon as Snape began to speak, he didn't' mean to say the words that he was saying.  He began reciting a poem, and the other two joined in at perfect timing when they were supposed to.  The poem went a little something like this………..

Witches and wizards, come one, and come all

Witness the pitiful Slytherins fall

We may have won, quidditch, but all that means nothing

But we hope that you're watching and enjoying our suffering

My real name is Snivellus, I'm a slimy hook-nosed prat

But over the years, I've gone terribly fat

The name's Lucy Malfoy, known for blackmails and cons

But in my spare time, I try to dance like a swan

They call me old Rudolph, I'm as fat as a whale

But I know how to shake, rattle, and roll my cute tail

We are the causes of the Gryffindor scandal

Tried to keep it a secret, but our butts couldn't handle

We confess our dear crime, on our hands on our knees

And apologize to muggle-borns, for they're better, you see

If you're wondering who did this to us, here's a hint

Make sure read carefully the last line of fine print

We now end this poem with a saying so cool

THAT SLYTHERINS STINK, AND GRYFFINDORS RULE!!!!!!!!

Everyone was now on the floor or banging their fists on the table cracking up in laughter, though all were still confused at what they meant about reading the last line of fine print.  They had a hunch it was Gryffindors, but who?? They then saw a swish of scarlet float from the door of the Great Hall, and began to form these words:

Brought to you by: THE MARAUDERS

Everyone was confused at this, and Professor Coggins stood up quickly.

"WHOEVER DID THIS!! SHOW YOURSELVES NOW…. WHO ARE THESE… MARAUDERS!?"

Suddenly the whole Hall turned to the doors to see four boys stroll in with huge smiles on their faces. 

First was Peter Pettigrew, a small blond boy with wand in hand, looking like he just used it for something.

Second came Remus Lupin, the sandy-brown haired boy with shabby robes, a huge grin on his face, and hands crossed on his chest.

Third came the famous face of Sirius Black.  The girls swooned as he walked in, black hair going down to his eyebrows, grinning like a maniac.  His eyes sparkled while his hands were up in the air in triumph.

Last but not least came the one and only James Potter.  His hair was as messy as ever, and his glasses were tilted slightly to the right.  He had the familiar mischievous glint in his eye like Sirius', and had his hands in his pockets.

In unison, the four boys grabbed each others hands and raised them up in triumph, and together they bowed down to everyone, as if they just finished a great performance in a play.  The Hall erupted in applause, and got standing ovations from everyone except the Slytherins.  Dumbledore managed to give them a small clap, while McGonagall tried her best to hide her smile.  Professor Coggins was in a fury.

"You four!! Detention for the rest of the year!!"

The boys smiled at this, and nodded willingly.  They then looked to the Gryffindor table for four familiar faces, and smiled at them.  The four girls smiled back, and the Marauders then retreated back outside.  Before leaving, James took one last glance back, and spotted a beautiful redhead smiling at him with warm eyes, and he gratefully returned the favor.

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The talk of the night in every common room was the prank of the already legendary Marauders.  Even the teachers were in discussion about the group.  Snape, Malfoy, and Lestrange were all severely punished, having detentions for the rest of the year, as well as for half the term next year.  They also had to clean up after dinner with the house-elves until Professor McGonagall requested for them to stop, which was probably not going to be for a while.  In Dumbledore's office, he and McGonagall were in discussion.

"Well, Minerva, it looks like you have a lot on your hands."

"Yes, Albus, I fear those four boys will be the death of me.  I can't believe what length they went through, just to get back at the three Slytherins."

"Ah, yes, but you see, they used complicating charms and spells to pull of such a stunt."

"Yes, a part of me almost congratulates them for a job well done.  Still, their habit of breaking rules if truly horrifying indeed."

"Minerva, Minerva, you are forgetting one small fact."

"What is that, Albus?"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"You have to deal with the Marauders for another six years, my dear Minerva."  She groaned as the realization dawned on her. 

Today was a glorious day in the hearts of Gryffindors.  They were finally redeemed of the horrid scandal that occurred several months back, but it was also glorious because of one other thing… now they found comfort as well as fear in the four suspects of the greatest prank in the history of Hogwarts to date. 

Masters of Mischief, Tyrants of Troublemaking, Princes of Pranks, Ringleaders of Ruckus, and all-around good guys:

The Marauders.

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Ok, so it wasn't as great as I said it would.  Still, it was rather fun making this chapter so I hope you all like it.  I'll hopefully get started on the summer and second year soon, this is the end of the first year adventures.  I will make this clear next chapter so stay tuned!! Peace.