Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter
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Letters
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"Ah, September 2nd, the best and worst day of the year," Sirius said, filling his breakfast plate with melon wedges.
"Why's that, Padfoot?" Prongs said.
"On one hand, classes start. On the other hand, pranks start!"
"Too true, my mate, too true."
"And Prongs has no idea that there is another meaning to the word "mate"," Remus snickered.
"Oh, shut up, neither of us are like that," James shot back.
(A/N: I am NOT making fun of the gays. Homophobia is a horrible practice that should die NOW)
""Pranks", my dear partner? Might I remind you that you are Head Boy now and beyond such petty practices?"
"Tiger Lily, 7 o'clock!" Sirius hissed under his breath.
Lily sat down right across from James, next to Remus, and began to fill her plate.
"Why are you sitting here, Lils?" James asked.
"For the last time, I'm not "Lils". And we're supposed to look like a unified force, remember? It's part of our duties."
"That settles it. She fancies you," Sirius said.
"What are you talking about?" Lily exclaimed. "For me to fancy James is to sin against nature."
"You've cut me deep, Lily. You've cut me to my bloodstream," James moaned.
"Don't let it drip on the floor," Lily advised unsympathetically. "Remus, may I ask why you, the smartest student in the school, chose to squander yourself with these brainless gits? No offense to you, of course, Peter."
Remus looked over at James, Sirius, and Peter. They were the only people, other than Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Pomfrey, privy to the secret of his lycanthropy. They were the ones who stood by him despite of it.
"Nothing breaks the bonds of true friendship," Remus said sagely.
"I suppose so," Lily mused.
"That's Remus, our philosopher," James said, and began to shovel food in his mouth.
"Oh, that's lovely, Jimmy," Lily commented.
James looked up. ""Jimmy"?"
"Well, if you're going to call me "Lils", I need a stupid nickname for you."
"Aw, see, they're already using terms of endearment," Sirius said.
"Sirius, kindly shut your face," Lily said sweetly, and began to eat her toast.
"Mail's here," Peter grunted unceremoniously.
A 100plus owls were flying in from the open windows. The school looked up as one to see brown, white, and gray blurs swooping down to the addressees.
A silver-gray horned owl with sinister-looking yellow eyes came to their table first. It deposited a letter onto Peter's plate and flapped off to the owlery, knocking Lily in the head with its wings on its way.
"Watcha got there, Peter?" James asked.
"Just the usual stuff from home," Peter answered, but there was a slightly different tone in his voice, as he looked a tad pale when he shoved the letter in his pocket.
"Here comes that owl," Sirius said, as the feeble old owl from the train swooped down. He landed ungracefully, nearly falling into a pitcher of milk. Exhausted, he dumped a letter into Lily's lap. Far from flying to the owlery, he instead settled itself on the table and began to peck at Peter's toast.
"Yep, it's Andy's invitation," Lily said, reading the envelope. She tore it open and skimmed the letter. "January 24th, 3 PM…got it."
Peter was trying to shoo the owl away with the aid of Remus when another owl dropped a red envelope into Sirius's lap.
"Oh, blimey, Sirius got a Howler," James said.
"It's from my mother," Sirius reported, reading the envelope.
"Better open it, Sirius," Remus said, finally picking the owl up bodily and depositing it gently on the floor. "Hate to see what an unopened Howler does."
Sirius held it over the table and ripped back the red ribbon, smirking.
"SIRIUS ALDEBARAN BLACK!!!!" Cassiopeia Black's voice screeched. The entire school looked up and over to where the noise was coming from. "HOW DARE YOU WRITE AND PROMISE TO ATTEND ANDROMEDA'S WEDDING???!!! WE THOUGHT WE HAD RAISED YOU BETTER THAN TO SUPPORT MUDBLOOD SCUM!!!! YOU'VE BEEN DOING IDIOTIC THINGS EVER SINCE YOU WERE PUT IN GRYFFINDOR, BUT WE NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD STOOP TO THIS!!! THIS COMES FROM HANGING AROUND WITH TRASH LIKE THE POTTERS AND LUPINS!!!! ANDROMEDA IS A TRAITOR TO OUR NOBLE FAMILY, AND IF YOU DARE ATTEND HER FARCE OF A WEDDING, YOU CAN VERY WELL FORGET EVER RETURNING TO THE BLACKS!!!!"
The letter tore itself up, and complete silence reigned, except for the Slytherin table, where Regulus, Narcissa, Lucius, and Severus were laughing.
"She says it like it's a bad thing," Sirius muttered, but the other Marauders and Lily could see that his hands were shaking and his smirk was gone.
Sirius Black was a patient man. He could withstand all insults to himself. However, insults to James, Remus, and Andromeda were unforgivable. Andromeda had been like a sister since the day they had met, when he was two and she was three. James was the first friend he'd gotten when he'd stepped on the Hogwarts Express, and Remus was soon to follow.
Sirius did not take kindly to people disparaging those he loved.
He stood up suddenly and grabbed the pitcher of milk.
"Sirius, where are you going?" Lily asked. "Sirius?"
He did not answer, just marched around the Gryffindor table and towards the Slytherin table.
"Narcissa sent the letter telling his mother that he was going to the wedding," Remus said. "She's the only one who knew about it."
"And the only one who would sink that low," James muttered.
Sirius stopped directly behind his cousin, despite the shouted warnings of Professor McGonagall.
Narcissa twisted herself to look up at him, sneering.
"What's your problem, blood traitor?"
Sirius, in full sight of the entire school and faculty, promptly dumped the contents of the pitcher onto Narcissa's head.
There as an instant uproar. Narcissa screeched as milk seeped into her robes. Shrieks of laughter were coming from the Gryffindor table; angry yelling from the other Slytherins.
Lucius jumped up, his wand in his hand. Sirius pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Lucius.
"That wasn't a smart move, blood traitor," Lucius snarled. He brought his wand up and opened his mouth to curse Sirius, who was prepping to defend himself.
"ENOUGH!"
The great, booming voice of Albus Dumbledore silenced the entire school and stopped Lucius in his tracks.
McGonagall stood up, furious, though it was hard to tell what she was angriest at: Sirius, Lucius, or the Howler.
"Sirius Black!" she screeched. "Detention for two weeks, for assaulting another student! Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black, one week for both of you for provoking and attempting violence, and for foul language!"
Sirius was white-faced in his fury. His hands were still shaking when he shoved his wand back in his robe pocket and stormed back to the Gryffindor table.
Regulus scowled at his brother's retreating form, pointed his wand at Narcissa, and muttered, "Scourgify." The milk evaporated.
Sirius slammed himself down at the table.
"Good job, Sirius," Arthur Weasley called, sending a nasty glare at the Slytherin table. Molly Caleb, though her eyes were reproving, smiled grudgingly at him.
Sirius grinned at them, all traces of anger lost, and turned back. "Okay, that makes another relative I've become estranged with. How many does that make?"
"Your mother, your father, your brother, your aunts, most of your uncles, most of your cousins…You're fighting with everyone except Andy, Arthur, Molly, and Alphard," James said.
"That's "Hotohori" now. He owled me privately last night to say that he moved to Japan to elope with his girlfriend. Dang, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about that! Especially the best news."
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"He left me money. Loads of it. Enough to get a flat."
James swore appreciatively under his breath.
"Your own place?" Peter gasped.
"Yep."
"Where?" Remus asked.
"Going house-hunting this weekend. Care to join me?"
"Well, yeah! It has to fit with all of us," James said.
"Ahem."
Four male faces turned to see Lily.
"I don't think, Sirius, that you're allowed to leave the school, even on weekends," she said.
"Argh, James, your girlfriend is cramping our style!"
Lily's face went red. "I am NOT his girlfriend, Sirius! I never was and never will be! And if you set foot out of the school, I'll tack on another two weeks of detention! GOT THAT?!"
She slammed her plate onto the table and stood up. She clambered over the seat, plate in hand, and went to sit next to Emmaline Vance and the twins Hestia and Diana Jones.
"Smooth, Padfoot. Very smooth," Remus muttered.
"Everyone's out to yell at me today, it seems," Sirius said, grinning carelessly. But his eyes were still directed at the Slytherin table, and there was still a spark of anger lingering in them.
"Guys," Remus said, suddenly whispering. "An owl dropped this by while you were watching Sirius dumping milk on his cousin." He held out a letter, with crease marks still evident.
James took it and skimmed it.
"Dear Remus Lupin," Sirius read quietly over James's shoulder. "You have been invited to participate in a protest against the Ministry of Magic, to argue against the new Lycanthropy Protection Act. I need hardly remind you that should this bill become law, you will be forced to leave Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with no recognition that you ever attended, and be relocated to an area free of non-werewolf humans. We can NOT allow this to happen. The protest takes place in Diagon Alley on Halloween, at 7 o'clock. Please RSVP. Sincerely wishing for goodwill towards you and all werewolves, Bonnie Justine Quillan, chairwoman for the Magical Civil Right Activists. P.S. For privacy's sake, as soon as you fold this letter, this script will disappear until you and only you choose to read it again."
James looked up. "Would they really force you to leave Hogwarts? Snap your wand and everything?"
"Yes, and I'd have to leave my home, too. They'd probably relocate me to some God-awful wasteland like Salazar's Pit."
The Marauders wrinkled their noses at the thought of Salazar's Pit, the rank, abandoned valley between the Rowena Mountains. Tales of travelers who had entered the valley and never returned had been widespread since 1951.
"Are you gonna go?" Sirius asked.
Remus picked up and napkin and began to nervously tear it up. "I don't know. This Bonnie Quillan, who wrote this; her husband Rolf is a werewolf. He was fired from his job because if it, so she's the only one who can work, and they have 6 kids. She's really passionate about Magical Civil Rights. Sometimes I think she stirs stuff up."
"I think she's got the right idea," James said determinedly. "You said it's on Halloween, right? That's a Hogsmeade weekend. We can sneak in and out of Diagon before anyone's the wiser."
"Count me in," Sirius said. "Another chance to disappoint dear old mum and dad? How could I pass it up? What about you, Wormtail?"
It was Peter's turn to tear up a napkin nervously. "I'm not sure," he said uncertainly. "I might be doing something that day."
"Like what?" James asked.
"It's nothing, really. I'll see about it."
"Not losing your nerve as a Marauder, are you?" Sirius taunted, grinning.
"No," Peter said instantly.
There was loud clanging of bells, much like those at old churches.
"And that's the signal. Pranking has begun!" Sirius exclaimed.
The dishes cleared away and students began to rise, including the Marauders. Remus first, then James, then Sirius.
Peter hung back a little. Regulus and Narcissa were sending him black looks. He coughed nervously and sent a "What-can-you-do?" look at them. They stared coolly, and then packed up their belongings and moved out.
He took the letter out of his pocket and stared at it. A green seal shaped like a snake kept it shut. He'd have to read it in private a soon as he could get away from the others.