Chapter One: The Replacement
Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin dragged their trunks toward the Hogwarts Express to start their sixth year at school. It was ten minuets till 11:00 when they stepped though the barrier onto Platform 9/3. They were so late because a friend of theirs Peter Pettigrew had met them outside the barrier to say goodbye and that he was being transferred to another school in America for his sixth year as an exchange student. "I hope Pete likes it in America." James said glancing back at the barrier behind him. "He should. I heard Riverview is a really nice school." Remus reassured craning his neck to look for a compartment. After finally finding an empty compartment they clambered in and began situating their trunks for the journey to school.
"That's what they want you to think." Sirius said shoving his trunk up
onto the luggage rack. "Then once you're there they feed you to their mindless minions of the undead who suck out your brains turning you into well behaved model students." He shivered at the thought at actually behaving in class. "Where on earth did you get that?" Asked Remus sitting down and pulling out a book to read. "Muggle comic." "Figures." James sighed, sitting down in the seat opposite of Remus. "That stuff poisons your brain, man." "Its no use warning him, Prongs. His brain died out a LONG time ago." Remus snickered. "Hey! I resent that!" Sirius yelled flinging himself down into the next to James. "Drama Queen." James and Remus muttered. They looked up at each other shrugged then looked back at Sirius. "King thank you very much." Sirius pouted crossing his arms across his chest and sinking back into the seat. After a few minuets the train lurched forward and the Hogwarts Express was on its way. In a matter of minuets Sirius was bored. "I'm bored." He announced cause Remus to shiver. Those two words spoken by anyone else would seem so innocent, but not by Sirius. When Sirius got bored terrible things happened, things that often landed the Marauders in detention. "Shut up, Padfoot. I think your scaring Moony." James laughed. Sirius looked over at Remus and grinned evilly. "Be afraid. Be very afraid." He warned. Remus sent James a look that clearly read, 'Thanks a lot' only making James laugh harder.
The next two hours continued uneventfully. James and Sirius played Exploding Snap while Remus read his book until the sound of an explosion and someone shouting filled the air. Just then their compartment door flew open and a girl their age, which was about sixteen or seventeen, with long sandy brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, glasses, and hazel eyes. She slowly closed the door behind her and flattened up against the small stretch of wall next to the door and said quietly with an American accent, "If anybody asks I'm not in here." At that moment Lucius Malfoy walked by the door and peered into their compartment, not seeing the person he was looking for he continued on the only strange thing was he had bright green hair! Sirius, James, and Remus broke out laughing. "Did you do that?" Sirius managed through his laughing. "That depends are any of you prefects?" The girl asked sitting up straighter. "Remus here is but he won't say anything." James said. She eyed Remus for a second then replied, "Yes I did. That stupid git deserved it. Calling people Mudbloods is SO rude." "He called you a," Remus started. "Yeah you got a problem with it?" Then Sirius noticed a locket hanging from around her neck with a blue stone glowing on it. As soon as she saw him looking at it she tucked it down the front of her robes. "No, well I mean yes but not that I have a problem with you. Are you? Not that I think it's bad," Remus averted his eyes to the ground and kept jabbering. "It's alright." The girl smiled. "Leigh Parker and you three are?"
"That's Remus, the one jabbering on about nothing," Remus shut his
mouth glaring up at Sirius, "He's James, and I'm Sirius." Sirius
introduced. "You the exchange student from America?" "Yup. What really stinks about transferring is I have to find all new victims to prank. You know what I mean?" When she said this, the others looked at each other smirking. They had found the perfect replacement for Peter. This year might not turn out to be so horrible after all.
Chapter Two: Gryffindor it is.
"So? You want to join?" Asked James rolling up the Marauders Map. He had just explained to Leigh about the Marauders and if she wanted to prank with them. "What a second." Leigh grabbed James' hand and unrolled the Marauders Map looking at it. "That tunnel there that leads under the tree where's it go?" She questioned. Remus looked at the two others then out the window. "It goes on for about five miles then leads over to the swamps. Believe me you don't want to go down their smells like stink weed." Sirius lied. His lie seemed to work because Leigh nodded and let James roll the map up. Remus couldn't help himself from letting out a sigh of relief. "You want to be a Marauder? Oh excuse me Marauderet?" "I don't see why not. Pranking is usually more fun in a group." Leigh replied. "Welcome to the Marauders." James shook Leigh's hand.
The rest of the journey was over in no time. Sirius, Remus, James, and Leigh spent it playing Exploding Snap or swapping ideas for pranks. Most of Leigh's were pretty good but complicated. You had to really know what you were doing not to get caught. When they arrived at Hogsmeade Station it was already dark and pouring down rain. They jumped out of the train and made mad dash toward the horseless carriages, taking the first empty one they saw. But upon reaching one Leigh gasped and poked her head back outside the door and gave a loud piercing whistle. A ginger colored animal streaked past her leg into the carriage settling into her seat. Looking closer the others saw that it was a cat. "Uh- oh." James murmured eyeing Remus and Sirius wearily. The carriage creaked then rattled forward towards Hogwarts castle.. "A cat? We like cats." Sirius growled grinning evilly. "Oh yes. Cat's are very... fun." Remus agreed also grinning evilly which was never a good thing. "This is Crook." Leigh said sitting down and holding her cat in her lap. The cat looked at Sirius who was sitting next to her with big yellow eyes and an ugly smashed face like it had ran into something. It began hissing at Sirius and Remus arching it's back as it's hair stood on end. "Ex-nay on the Cat-pay." James said running a finger across his throat as it trying to cut it off.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Sirius yelled lunging at the cat. Leigh
jumped back in surprise as Crook jumped forward sinking its claws into Sirius's arm. It was very interesting to see him fight a cat and loose. "Off kitty! Evil kitty!" "What's this? I thought you liked cats Sirius?" Leigh snickered. "Evil kitty get OFF!" He threw the cat off him back at Leigh and scooted backwards making a cross with his fingers. It was amazing but the cat was smirking. It jumped off Leigh and over to James settling in his lap purring contently. "Er.... Nice kitty?" James stammered looking down at the cat.
They reached the castle and stepped out of the carriage into the pouring rain. After being allowed inside the four rushed into the Entrance Hall to escape the rain. "Well, well, well. Little Ms. Mudblood we meet again." Drawled a most unpleasant voice from behind them. Leigh, Sirius, James, and Remus turned to see who it was and saw Lucius Malfoy with his trademark smirk plastered on his face. "Fitting I would find you with this crowd. Doesn't get any lower does it?" Several of the Slytherins beside him laughed. Sirius was almost to the point of growling Remus and James glared back at Malfoy with equally icy stares. "That's where you're wrong, Malfoy." Leigh hissed stepping forward and dropping her cat by her side. "The slime that trails behind you makes even slugs look good." She smirked. Sirius, James, and Remus turned away laughing. Leigh gave Malfoy a last glare before going after them. "You will pay for that!" Malfoy pulled his wand out of his robe pointing it at Leigh. "Verio Recata!" A black jet of light flew out of the tip of Malfoy's wand, hitting Leigh square in the back. The fell over and rolled over staring at Malfoy in surprise. "OY!" Sirius yelled as he and James both drew their wands also. "Nah, it's ok." Leigh jumped up and started towards Malfoy. "You better watch out. Playing around like that with the big kids will get you into trouble some day. Pull something like that again and you'll wake up a month later in the Hospital Wing with a concussion." She stopped a foot away from Malfoy and looked at him over the top of her glasses, smiling. Lucius was taken aback when he saw her eyes that when not behind her glasses were red. No that was impossible. He was seeing things. McGonagle called Leigh's name. So she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and turned to James. "Could you keep him while I get sorted? I think he likes you. Unless," Leigh smirked holding her cat towards Sirius and Remus, "One of you wants to keep him? Sirius, I think he simply adores you. What about you Remus you like cats right?" "James can keep him." Remus said backing away from the cat. "Yes James works well with animals." Sirius nodded pushing the cat away towards James with his wand. "Oh alright you wimps I'll take him." James reached out for the cat and took it under one arm. "No don't hold him like that! Crook likes to be held like a baby." Leigh ordered. She picked up her cat, fixed James' arms, and then set Crook back down. "There. Be good." ' She turned and went over to McGonagle. She stood with the first years, nearly a foot taller then all of them. "Yes hold him like a baby James." Cooed Sirius. "Shut up. Don't make me us this."
They went into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. The supposedly 'Evil Kitty' as Sirius and Remus deemed it was purring loudly. When several of the other students saw James cradling a cat they burst out laughing, Sirius and Remus weren't helping much either. Professor McGonagle went through the first years quickly then finally last but not least it was Leigh's turn. "Students if I may have your attention for a minuet, we have a new student joining us from America this year. One of our own, Peter Pettigrew, has gone to one of America's Witchcraft and Wizardry schools while we received an exchange student of our own, Ms. Leigh Parker." Dumbledore said. Several of the students clapped politely, James, Sirius, and Remus among them. Leigh stepped up to the sorting hat and McGonagle placed it on her head. "Well what do we have here? Your not like the others I can see that." The hat whispered. "Yes very cunning and clever. You'd work well in Slytherin." "Not Slytherin. Not there." Leigh muttered. "But, what's this? Bravery, a good heart. Slytherin would change that. And we don't want that so Gryffindor it is. Gryffindor!" It yelled loudly. Leigh jumped up and skipped towards the table sitting down next to James and hugged her cat tightly still blushing. "Now, without further adieu, let the feast begin." As Dumbledore spoke plates, goblets, and food appeared before them. "Um... Leigh, I don't think your cat can breath." Remus mentioned, as she had not stopped hugging her cat. "Oh what? Sorry Crook." Leigh apologized laying her cat down in her lap. "So what did the hat tell you?" Asked Sirius setting down his goblet. "It had a hard time choosing between Gryffindor and Slytherin, so it let me choice." "Slytherin!" James and Sirius shouted at the same time causing several people to turn and look. "Sssh. Yes. It said I would do well in Slytherin because I was cunning and clever or something like that." "Oh."
After the feast Remus, Sirius, and James showed Leigh where Gryffindor tower was. She was surprised about having a portrait guard the entrance though. Back at her school they had a maze. Inside the common room she sat Crook down whom immediately set off running after Sirius. "And the girls dormitories are that way." Remus said pointing up one of the spiral staircases. "It will say Sixth Year on the door. Night." "Thanks." Leigh said through a yawn. "You've got all year to kill him." The cat stopped chasing Sirius and ran after its owner, bottlebrush tail held high in the air. "Oy! Leigh, meet us down here tomorrow morning at six. We've got a little surprise planned for the Slytherins. Nighty night. Don't let the evil little mutant cats bite." Sirius called after her. She turned around and stared at him then shook her head sadly before proceeding upstairs.
Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin dragged their trunks toward the Hogwarts Express to start their sixth year at school. It was ten minuets till 11:00 when they stepped though the barrier onto Platform 9/3. They were so late because a friend of theirs Peter Pettigrew had met them outside the barrier to say goodbye and that he was being transferred to another school in America for his sixth year as an exchange student. "I hope Pete likes it in America." James said glancing back at the barrier behind him. "He should. I heard Riverview is a really nice school." Remus reassured craning his neck to look for a compartment. After finally finding an empty compartment they clambered in and began situating their trunks for the journey to school.
"That's what they want you to think." Sirius said shoving his trunk up
onto the luggage rack. "Then once you're there they feed you to their mindless minions of the undead who suck out your brains turning you into well behaved model students." He shivered at the thought at actually behaving in class. "Where on earth did you get that?" Asked Remus sitting down and pulling out a book to read. "Muggle comic." "Figures." James sighed, sitting down in the seat opposite of Remus. "That stuff poisons your brain, man." "Its no use warning him, Prongs. His brain died out a LONG time ago." Remus snickered. "Hey! I resent that!" Sirius yelled flinging himself down into the next to James. "Drama Queen." James and Remus muttered. They looked up at each other shrugged then looked back at Sirius. "King thank you very much." Sirius pouted crossing his arms across his chest and sinking back into the seat. After a few minuets the train lurched forward and the Hogwarts Express was on its way. In a matter of minuets Sirius was bored. "I'm bored." He announced cause Remus to shiver. Those two words spoken by anyone else would seem so innocent, but not by Sirius. When Sirius got bored terrible things happened, things that often landed the Marauders in detention. "Shut up, Padfoot. I think your scaring Moony." James laughed. Sirius looked over at Remus and grinned evilly. "Be afraid. Be very afraid." He warned. Remus sent James a look that clearly read, 'Thanks a lot' only making James laugh harder.
The next two hours continued uneventfully. James and Sirius played Exploding Snap while Remus read his book until the sound of an explosion and someone shouting filled the air. Just then their compartment door flew open and a girl their age, which was about sixteen or seventeen, with long sandy brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, glasses, and hazel eyes. She slowly closed the door behind her and flattened up against the small stretch of wall next to the door and said quietly with an American accent, "If anybody asks I'm not in here." At that moment Lucius Malfoy walked by the door and peered into their compartment, not seeing the person he was looking for he continued on the only strange thing was he had bright green hair! Sirius, James, and Remus broke out laughing. "Did you do that?" Sirius managed through his laughing. "That depends are any of you prefects?" The girl asked sitting up straighter. "Remus here is but he won't say anything." James said. She eyed Remus for a second then replied, "Yes I did. That stupid git deserved it. Calling people Mudbloods is SO rude." "He called you a," Remus started. "Yeah you got a problem with it?" Then Sirius noticed a locket hanging from around her neck with a blue stone glowing on it. As soon as she saw him looking at it she tucked it down the front of her robes. "No, well I mean yes but not that I have a problem with you. Are you? Not that I think it's bad," Remus averted his eyes to the ground and kept jabbering. "It's alright." The girl smiled. "Leigh Parker and you three are?"
"That's Remus, the one jabbering on about nothing," Remus shut his
mouth glaring up at Sirius, "He's James, and I'm Sirius." Sirius
introduced. "You the exchange student from America?" "Yup. What really stinks about transferring is I have to find all new victims to prank. You know what I mean?" When she said this, the others looked at each other smirking. They had found the perfect replacement for Peter. This year might not turn out to be so horrible after all.
Chapter Two: Gryffindor it is.
"So? You want to join?" Asked James rolling up the Marauders Map. He had just explained to Leigh about the Marauders and if she wanted to prank with them. "What a second." Leigh grabbed James' hand and unrolled the Marauders Map looking at it. "That tunnel there that leads under the tree where's it go?" She questioned. Remus looked at the two others then out the window. "It goes on for about five miles then leads over to the swamps. Believe me you don't want to go down their smells like stink weed." Sirius lied. His lie seemed to work because Leigh nodded and let James roll the map up. Remus couldn't help himself from letting out a sigh of relief. "You want to be a Marauder? Oh excuse me Marauderet?" "I don't see why not. Pranking is usually more fun in a group." Leigh replied. "Welcome to the Marauders." James shook Leigh's hand.
The rest of the journey was over in no time. Sirius, Remus, James, and Leigh spent it playing Exploding Snap or swapping ideas for pranks. Most of Leigh's were pretty good but complicated. You had to really know what you were doing not to get caught. When they arrived at Hogsmeade Station it was already dark and pouring down rain. They jumped out of the train and made mad dash toward the horseless carriages, taking the first empty one they saw. But upon reaching one Leigh gasped and poked her head back outside the door and gave a loud piercing whistle. A ginger colored animal streaked past her leg into the carriage settling into her seat. Looking closer the others saw that it was a cat. "Uh- oh." James murmured eyeing Remus and Sirius wearily. The carriage creaked then rattled forward towards Hogwarts castle.. "A cat? We like cats." Sirius growled grinning evilly. "Oh yes. Cat's are very... fun." Remus agreed also grinning evilly which was never a good thing. "This is Crook." Leigh said sitting down and holding her cat in her lap. The cat looked at Sirius who was sitting next to her with big yellow eyes and an ugly smashed face like it had ran into something. It began hissing at Sirius and Remus arching it's back as it's hair stood on end. "Ex-nay on the Cat-pay." James said running a finger across his throat as it trying to cut it off.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Sirius yelled lunging at the cat. Leigh
jumped back in surprise as Crook jumped forward sinking its claws into Sirius's arm. It was very interesting to see him fight a cat and loose. "Off kitty! Evil kitty!" "What's this? I thought you liked cats Sirius?" Leigh snickered. "Evil kitty get OFF!" He threw the cat off him back at Leigh and scooted backwards making a cross with his fingers. It was amazing but the cat was smirking. It jumped off Leigh and over to James settling in his lap purring contently. "Er.... Nice kitty?" James stammered looking down at the cat.
They reached the castle and stepped out of the carriage into the pouring rain. After being allowed inside the four rushed into the Entrance Hall to escape the rain. "Well, well, well. Little Ms. Mudblood we meet again." Drawled a most unpleasant voice from behind them. Leigh, Sirius, James, and Remus turned to see who it was and saw Lucius Malfoy with his trademark smirk plastered on his face. "Fitting I would find you with this crowd. Doesn't get any lower does it?" Several of the Slytherins beside him laughed. Sirius was almost to the point of growling Remus and James glared back at Malfoy with equally icy stares. "That's where you're wrong, Malfoy." Leigh hissed stepping forward and dropping her cat by her side. "The slime that trails behind you makes even slugs look good." She smirked. Sirius, James, and Remus turned away laughing. Leigh gave Malfoy a last glare before going after them. "You will pay for that!" Malfoy pulled his wand out of his robe pointing it at Leigh. "Verio Recata!" A black jet of light flew out of the tip of Malfoy's wand, hitting Leigh square in the back. The fell over and rolled over staring at Malfoy in surprise. "OY!" Sirius yelled as he and James both drew their wands also. "Nah, it's ok." Leigh jumped up and started towards Malfoy. "You better watch out. Playing around like that with the big kids will get you into trouble some day. Pull something like that again and you'll wake up a month later in the Hospital Wing with a concussion." She stopped a foot away from Malfoy and looked at him over the top of her glasses, smiling. Lucius was taken aback when he saw her eyes that when not behind her glasses were red. No that was impossible. He was seeing things. McGonagle called Leigh's name. So she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and turned to James. "Could you keep him while I get sorted? I think he likes you. Unless," Leigh smirked holding her cat towards Sirius and Remus, "One of you wants to keep him? Sirius, I think he simply adores you. What about you Remus you like cats right?" "James can keep him." Remus said backing away from the cat. "Yes James works well with animals." Sirius nodded pushing the cat away towards James with his wand. "Oh alright you wimps I'll take him." James reached out for the cat and took it under one arm. "No don't hold him like that! Crook likes to be held like a baby." Leigh ordered. She picked up her cat, fixed James' arms, and then set Crook back down. "There. Be good." ' She turned and went over to McGonagle. She stood with the first years, nearly a foot taller then all of them. "Yes hold him like a baby James." Cooed Sirius. "Shut up. Don't make me us this."
They went into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. The supposedly 'Evil Kitty' as Sirius and Remus deemed it was purring loudly. When several of the other students saw James cradling a cat they burst out laughing, Sirius and Remus weren't helping much either. Professor McGonagle went through the first years quickly then finally last but not least it was Leigh's turn. "Students if I may have your attention for a minuet, we have a new student joining us from America this year. One of our own, Peter Pettigrew, has gone to one of America's Witchcraft and Wizardry schools while we received an exchange student of our own, Ms. Leigh Parker." Dumbledore said. Several of the students clapped politely, James, Sirius, and Remus among them. Leigh stepped up to the sorting hat and McGonagle placed it on her head. "Well what do we have here? Your not like the others I can see that." The hat whispered. "Yes very cunning and clever. You'd work well in Slytherin." "Not Slytherin. Not there." Leigh muttered. "But, what's this? Bravery, a good heart. Slytherin would change that. And we don't want that so Gryffindor it is. Gryffindor!" It yelled loudly. Leigh jumped up and skipped towards the table sitting down next to James and hugged her cat tightly still blushing. "Now, without further adieu, let the feast begin." As Dumbledore spoke plates, goblets, and food appeared before them. "Um... Leigh, I don't think your cat can breath." Remus mentioned, as she had not stopped hugging her cat. "Oh what? Sorry Crook." Leigh apologized laying her cat down in her lap. "So what did the hat tell you?" Asked Sirius setting down his goblet. "It had a hard time choosing between Gryffindor and Slytherin, so it let me choice." "Slytherin!" James and Sirius shouted at the same time causing several people to turn and look. "Sssh. Yes. It said I would do well in Slytherin because I was cunning and clever or something like that." "Oh."
After the feast Remus, Sirius, and James showed Leigh where Gryffindor tower was. She was surprised about having a portrait guard the entrance though. Back at her school they had a maze. Inside the common room she sat Crook down whom immediately set off running after Sirius. "And the girls dormitories are that way." Remus said pointing up one of the spiral staircases. "It will say Sixth Year on the door. Night." "Thanks." Leigh said through a yawn. "You've got all year to kill him." The cat stopped chasing Sirius and ran after its owner, bottlebrush tail held high in the air. "Oy! Leigh, meet us down here tomorrow morning at six. We've got a little surprise planned for the Slytherins. Nighty night. Don't let the evil little mutant cats bite." Sirius called after her. She turned around and stared at him then shook her head sadly before proceeding upstairs.