"The Summer of Marauding"
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters but their experiences are all what happens to us over the summer, except for the dramatizations like drowning. I don't know if wizards have pools, but they do in my story.
Chapter one: Pool partyWell, the summer before fourth year began like any other. James had gathered all the marauders in his house and given them his Summer Speech. Something about how, "this is the beginning of another summer and I know I can trust you not to waste it." Something like that. The first event of that summer was a pool party at Sirius' mansion. Remus was staying at James' house and since Sirius was about two blocks away, they walked to his house.
Sirius was sitting on the stone steps of his enormous pureblood house with a scowl on his handsome face.
"What's up Sirius?" James asks.
"You should go home. You're not gonna enjoy yourself."
"Why? What are ya talking about?"
"My mum made me invite all our least favorite people."
"Like?" asks Remus, shifting a pool towel to his other arm.
"Oh, just Snivilly and Regulus and…." He shudders. "Bellatrix."
The other marauders shudder as well. "At least Peter isn't here," Sirius continues. "That's no fun. Peter tagging along after us, and telling us how wonderful we are."
"Urgh." James says, throwing a pool towel over his face.
"Well," says Remus. "We came here to swim and I for one, am not trekking back two blocks to James' house when I could be getting refreshed in my friend's pool. Let's make the best of it, eh mates?"
"Remus is right." Says James, from beneath the towel. "Why did your mum make you invite those horrible gits?"
"Well, Snivilly has an important father or something, Regulus lives here and Bellatrix is her favorite niece."
"Urgh." James repeats.
"Exactly." Sirius responds. "Well, let's go then."
They proceeded to walk around his house to the backyard where they were greeted with quite a sight. An enormous in-ground pool was situated behind a fancy looking patio/deck. It was at these moments that Sirius' wealth was especially apparent. The only downside was that the affore-mentioned pool was full with little kids and jerks squealing and splashing each other.
Snivilly had his usual scowl on and was standing with his arms crossed at the shallow end. "Probably doesn't want to ruin his greasiness." Sirius remarks.
Bellatrix and Regulus were tossing a beach ball. "Those two will probably marry each other just to keep the blood pure." Sirius remarked again. "Well, in we go." Sirius pulls the towel off of his shoulders, showing his well toned upper body and does a cannonball into the pool, splashing everyone. Snivilly scowls more.
Remus walks in by way of the shallow end stairs and waves to Snivilly courteously. Snivilly scowls. James jumps in screaming, "WOMAN!" and swimming after Bellatrix who drops her beach ball and swims screaming from him.
"I've got an idea," says Remus, over the screams of "WOMAN!" "Why don't we play a game?"
"Like 'Dunk Regulus'?" says Sirius.
"No," Remus replies, seeing the stricken look on Sirius' brother's face. "How about 'Marco Polo'?"
"What's that?" questions James, giving up on his pursuit of the mortified Bellatrix.
"Well, we choose someone to be it and that person closes their eyes and counts to ten. Then, the person keeps their eyes closes, says 'Marco!' and the other people answer 'Polo'. The object of the game is for the person who is it to catch one of the other people and guess who it is."
"That doesn't sound like any fun!" interjects Regulus.
"Well, that's what we're playing." Remus says, losing his teacher-y façade.
Regulus looks very grumpy. Sirius dunks him.
"You did that on purpose!" he screams, spitting water out.
"Yes, I did. And don't spit in the pool, you loser."
Remus sighs, what a long afternoon this is going to be. "Who wants to be 'it' first?" he asks.
"I will!" yells Regulus. He swims to the front of the pool and Sirius makes a face behind his back.
He counts to ten and begins. "Marco!"
"Polo." Everyone choruses.
"Marco!"
"You peeked!" yells Sirius.
"I did not!" Regulus counters.
"Yes you did, I saw you!"
"What's the big deal if I did?"
"You idiot, you're supposed to have your eyes closed so you can't see us! Weren't you paying attention to Remus?"
Regulus makes a face and continues. "Marco!"
"You did it again!"
"Shut up!" this continues for quite some time.
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"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Sirius and Regulus were fighting again about eye closing. Remus was at the side of the pool with one arm resting on the side, the other making small circles in the water. James was jogging in circles in the middle of the pool. Snivilly was staring at Bellatrix who was doing lengths around the pool.
"I can't take it anymore!" James screams suddenly. He climbs out of the pool and onto the deck. He takes a towel and begins drying himself.
"Jamsie!" Sirius protests.
"No, I cannot be swayed." He says, putting up his hand to silence the black haired boy. "I can't sit in there and listen to you two bicker the whole time!"
"So you're going to sit out there and listen to them bicker?" Remus asks.
"Shut up." James replies. He sits in one of the expensive-looking beach chairs and pops on some sunglasses he brought with him.
"Fine." Sirius says. Suddenly bored with Regulus he swims fast to catch up with Bellatrix and dunks her under the water.
"Hey, don't dunk her!" someone cries. They realize its Snape, the first words he's said all day. The yard is silent except for the sound of Bellatrix coughing.
"What?" Sirius replies, an incredulous look on his face.
"I said don't dunk her, Black."
"Oh yeah? And you're gonna stop me?"
"No, but see what happens if I hurt your friends." He says, and sneaks up behind Remus. He grabs the smaller boy's shoulders and dunks him under the water.
"Stop that! Remus can't swim very well!"
"So what?" Snape still hasn't brought Remus above water.
"Bring him up!" Sirius yells.
"Say you're sorry."
Sirius is torn. He hates to apologize to stupid old Snivilly! But then he sees Remus go limp under the water.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" he screams.
"Good enough." Snape says and drops Remus.
"AH!" Sirius screams. He dives under the water to catch his unconscious friend. He pulls him out of the water and heaves him onto the poolside deck. He slaps his face. "Remus, Remus wake up!" he doesn't. "You jerk!" he yells at Snape.
"Oh boo-hoo." Snape says, and saunters his sallow, skinny body up out of the water and onto the deck.
Sirius stares at Remus. He's so very pale. Sirius leans in to his face, he isn't breathing. Sirius remembers something from Muggle Studies called CPR. He leans Remus' head back and covers his mouth with his own. He breathes two breaths and watches Remus' chest rise. There is still no response from him so Sirius begins chest compressions.
"Come on Remus," he mutters, pumping his chest.
He covers Remus' mouth again with his and breathes twice. Then, more chest compressions. "Remus!" he says, getting very worried.
Two more breaths into Remus' mouth and chest compressions. As Sirius leans down to breath into him again, Remus' head jerks to the side and he begins coughing.
"Oh, Remus…." Sirius says, letting out a sigh of relief and helping Remus sit up. He continues to cough more violently and ends up on all fours, retching and expelling all the water from his body.
Sirius rubs his back gently. "That's it, Remus, just breathe." Soon, the retching stops and Remus lies back in Sirius' arms. Sirius is relieved to see him breathing. He nods to James who runs after Snivilly and throws him bodily into the pool.
"Hey!" Snivilly yells in midair.
"You almost killed Remus!" Sirius yells at him.
"Whatever." Snivilly says.
James walks over to Sirius and Remus. "He's gonna become a killer one of these days."
"He almost did just now." Says Sirius, absently stroking Remus' hair.
"Are you ok?" James asks Remus.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He says, rather breathlessly. "Thanks to Sirius."
"No," interjects Sirius. "Thanks to Muggle Studies." He chuckles. "And I always thought that was a useless class…"
"That was one helluva start to the summer." James remarks.
A/N: Whaddya think of the first chapter? Review! Review!