It took a week of diligent listening before Peter heard the password to the
Slytherin common room. That very night, once they were sure everyone would
be asleep, the five of them slipped out of the Gryffindor common room, all
of them squeezed under Harry and James's precious Invisibility Cloaks.
Technically, Harry thought, they were actually the same cloak, but he
wasn't even going to try to think about and unravel the paradoxes involved
so long as they were both there and both worked.
When they came to the portrait of the Dark Knight, James hoarsely whispered,
"Parseltongue." The portrait swung out, and the Marauders climbed into the Slytherin common room.
Harry looked around curiously. He'd been there before, when he'd been in his second year, but that was a long time into the future, and things might have changed. He'd also been much more worried about his disguise as Crabbe not holding and being recognized than viewing the scenery. They were in a low underground room, with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish coloured lamps were hanging on chains. A fireplace was bare under an elaborately carved mantelpiece, and several carved wooden straight backed chairs were scattered around. There was no comfort here, and no windows. It was very chilly.
"Creepy," Peter whispered, shivering. Harry agreed heartily. He couldn't imagine why anyone would even want to spend five minutes in here, and was relieved once more that he hadn't been Sorted into Slytherin, but into warm, friendly, cozy Gryffindor house instead. James wasn't pleased.
"Come on," he hissed impatiently at them. "We haven't got time to talk."
They stopped immediately, and crept silently into the dormitories, working quietly and diligently through every boy there. Being boys themselves, they were unable to get into the girls' rooms, because of the unfortunate mistrust of the male sex that had caused the founders of the school to charm the staircase. When they'd finished at last, Sirius had an idea. He gestured them back into the common room and explained. Harry felt his mouth break into a grin as they raided the wardrobes. It was impossible to remain serious with these guys around. James took the time to invent an extra variation of the charm to use on Snivellus.
Harry and Sirius cast the trademark 'M' in the common room while he did this. Then, done at last, they crept back into their own dormitory and fell exhausted into bed. Magic took so much energy, especially in the middle of the night!
The next morning, some gleeful seventh years got them up, noticing the telltale signs of a prank. It was luckily that they did, because otherwise the Marauders would have slept straight through breakfast and missed seeing the results of their prank altogether. People who passed them in the corridors were looking eagerly around - everyone in the school knew the signs of the Marauders having struck again. Even Dumbledore smiled when he saw them come wearily into the Great Hall. Their pranks might not be quite in keeping with the school rules, but they were always amusing.
Harry grinned as the five boys took carefully chosen seats in a row on the side of the table facing the Slytherins. He pointed over, and the others looked. There were no boys there at all. Dumbledore followed their gaze anxiously, wondering what on earth they'd done this time, and noticed the same thing.
"Miss Parkinson, do you know where your male classmates are this morning?" he politely asked a seventh year prefect. She looked puzzled at this.
"No Headmaster, I haven't seen them at all today. I suppose they're sleeping in."
"Every boy in Slytherin? No, perhaps you would go and request that they grace us with their presence this morning? It is very unhealthy to skip breakfast."
The Slytherin girl left obediently. Harry waited impatiently, fidgeting uncontrollably. At last she returned, grinning broadly despite the disloyalty to her house. No one seemed to be immune to laughter at the Marauders' pranks.
"They're coming, but please don't laugh."
The Slytherins entered in a single, long file. Every boy among them sported red hair crowned by a golden lion, and their robes red clearly and proudly 'Slytherin sucks! M' in bold silver lettering. Snape's robe was slightly different. It read in gold letters, 'Lily Evans is the most beautiful girl in the school. JP.' The whole school roared with laughter, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and some of the Slytherin girls who dared to risk the boys' displeasure. Even some of the teachers were joining in. Snivellus's face flushed almost the same shade of scarlet as his hair. The Marauders were laughing helplessly until tears rolled uncontrollably down their faces. The Slytherins glared menacingly at them, but of course they couldn't or didn't dare to do anything in front of the teachers.
Dumbledore stood shakily up at last, mopping his merry red face with a star covered handkerchief. The laughter decreased in volume, even if it didn't vanish.
"Misters Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew and Jamieson, please would you report to my office after you've eaten." The Marauders nodded their assent, still grinning and trying to hold in their laughter. They knew full well that Dumbledore would just give them something worthless to do, such as lines, because he'd enjoyed the joke so much.
When they calmed down enough to finish eating, they trooped up to where the ugly stone gargoyle marked the entrance to the office, and amused themselves by trying to guess the password - it gave them something to do.
"Bubble gum."
"Haribo."
"Chocolate Frog," guessed Sirius, whose knowledge of Muggle sweets was non-existent.
"Opal Fruit."
"Try Bournville," Dumbledore said from behind them. The gargoyle hopped nimbly aside as the wall behind it split into two and they stepped easily up onto the spiral staircase which carried them carefully up to the office like a magical version of an escalator. Dumbledore stepped through the solid oak door at the end of the staircase and settled himself comfortably in a luxuriously padded chair behind the desk. The boys followed him in and took seats with an ease that bespoke long experience to Harry.
"Those charms are not permanent, are they?" Dumbledore asked, mildly concerned. "Oh no," Remus hastily assured him, the others nodding. "We made sure that it would wear off completely after twenty four hours, and there are no side effects."
"Excellent, it would be most troublesome for me to have to remove it myself, don't you think? How on earth did you get into their dormitories to cast it?"
"That would be telling, sir," James said grinning broadly. "And we won't risk that."
"Tell me as soon as you wish then, I'm very curious. Now, I suppose I had better give you a detention each. Go to the library this evening and write out 'I must not leave my dormitory at night' one thousand times each. Also, Mr Jamieson, perhaps you would explain the cryptic message on young Mr Snape's robes?"
"I think James has a crush sir."
"Harry!" James moaned, shocked by this indiscretion. "You didn't have to tell him that!"
"No Potter, but I wanted to."
When they came to the portrait of the Dark Knight, James hoarsely whispered,
"Parseltongue." The portrait swung out, and the Marauders climbed into the Slytherin common room.
Harry looked around curiously. He'd been there before, when he'd been in his second year, but that was a long time into the future, and things might have changed. He'd also been much more worried about his disguise as Crabbe not holding and being recognized than viewing the scenery. They were in a low underground room, with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish coloured lamps were hanging on chains. A fireplace was bare under an elaborately carved mantelpiece, and several carved wooden straight backed chairs were scattered around. There was no comfort here, and no windows. It was very chilly.
"Creepy," Peter whispered, shivering. Harry agreed heartily. He couldn't imagine why anyone would even want to spend five minutes in here, and was relieved once more that he hadn't been Sorted into Slytherin, but into warm, friendly, cozy Gryffindor house instead. James wasn't pleased.
"Come on," he hissed impatiently at them. "We haven't got time to talk."
They stopped immediately, and crept silently into the dormitories, working quietly and diligently through every boy there. Being boys themselves, they were unable to get into the girls' rooms, because of the unfortunate mistrust of the male sex that had caused the founders of the school to charm the staircase. When they'd finished at last, Sirius had an idea. He gestured them back into the common room and explained. Harry felt his mouth break into a grin as they raided the wardrobes. It was impossible to remain serious with these guys around. James took the time to invent an extra variation of the charm to use on Snivellus.
Harry and Sirius cast the trademark 'M' in the common room while he did this. Then, done at last, they crept back into their own dormitory and fell exhausted into bed. Magic took so much energy, especially in the middle of the night!
The next morning, some gleeful seventh years got them up, noticing the telltale signs of a prank. It was luckily that they did, because otherwise the Marauders would have slept straight through breakfast and missed seeing the results of their prank altogether. People who passed them in the corridors were looking eagerly around - everyone in the school knew the signs of the Marauders having struck again. Even Dumbledore smiled when he saw them come wearily into the Great Hall. Their pranks might not be quite in keeping with the school rules, but they were always amusing.
Harry grinned as the five boys took carefully chosen seats in a row on the side of the table facing the Slytherins. He pointed over, and the others looked. There were no boys there at all. Dumbledore followed their gaze anxiously, wondering what on earth they'd done this time, and noticed the same thing.
"Miss Parkinson, do you know where your male classmates are this morning?" he politely asked a seventh year prefect. She looked puzzled at this.
"No Headmaster, I haven't seen them at all today. I suppose they're sleeping in."
"Every boy in Slytherin? No, perhaps you would go and request that they grace us with their presence this morning? It is very unhealthy to skip breakfast."
The Slytherin girl left obediently. Harry waited impatiently, fidgeting uncontrollably. At last she returned, grinning broadly despite the disloyalty to her house. No one seemed to be immune to laughter at the Marauders' pranks.
"They're coming, but please don't laugh."
The Slytherins entered in a single, long file. Every boy among them sported red hair crowned by a golden lion, and their robes red clearly and proudly 'Slytherin sucks! M' in bold silver lettering. Snape's robe was slightly different. It read in gold letters, 'Lily Evans is the most beautiful girl in the school. JP.' The whole school roared with laughter, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and some of the Slytherin girls who dared to risk the boys' displeasure. Even some of the teachers were joining in. Snivellus's face flushed almost the same shade of scarlet as his hair. The Marauders were laughing helplessly until tears rolled uncontrollably down their faces. The Slytherins glared menacingly at them, but of course they couldn't or didn't dare to do anything in front of the teachers.
Dumbledore stood shakily up at last, mopping his merry red face with a star covered handkerchief. The laughter decreased in volume, even if it didn't vanish.
"Misters Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew and Jamieson, please would you report to my office after you've eaten." The Marauders nodded their assent, still grinning and trying to hold in their laughter. They knew full well that Dumbledore would just give them something worthless to do, such as lines, because he'd enjoyed the joke so much.
When they calmed down enough to finish eating, they trooped up to where the ugly stone gargoyle marked the entrance to the office, and amused themselves by trying to guess the password - it gave them something to do.
"Bubble gum."
"Haribo."
"Chocolate Frog," guessed Sirius, whose knowledge of Muggle sweets was non-existent.
"Opal Fruit."
"Try Bournville," Dumbledore said from behind them. The gargoyle hopped nimbly aside as the wall behind it split into two and they stepped easily up onto the spiral staircase which carried them carefully up to the office like a magical version of an escalator. Dumbledore stepped through the solid oak door at the end of the staircase and settled himself comfortably in a luxuriously padded chair behind the desk. The boys followed him in and took seats with an ease that bespoke long experience to Harry.
"Those charms are not permanent, are they?" Dumbledore asked, mildly concerned. "Oh no," Remus hastily assured him, the others nodding. "We made sure that it would wear off completely after twenty four hours, and there are no side effects."
"Excellent, it would be most troublesome for me to have to remove it myself, don't you think? How on earth did you get into their dormitories to cast it?"
"That would be telling, sir," James said grinning broadly. "And we won't risk that."
"Tell me as soon as you wish then, I'm very curious. Now, I suppose I had better give you a detention each. Go to the library this evening and write out 'I must not leave my dormitory at night' one thousand times each. Also, Mr Jamieson, perhaps you would explain the cryptic message on young Mr Snape's robes?"
"I think James has a crush sir."
"Harry!" James moaned, shocked by this indiscretion. "You didn't have to tell him that!"
"No Potter, but I wanted to."