A/N: Well, here's a shortie, as I am about to go to class, work, and then come home to finish the story. It's just got one more chapter now, and as it's already written, it shan't take long for me to post it. Sorry about the lack of updates - this story should have been completed at least a week ago, and I have no good reasons, only pathetic excuses and so I will spare you the burden and just say, "I'm sorry!" I would like to apologize for all of the spelling and other mistakes I've made. I was reading some of my posts and practically wanted to smack myself for every error I found.

And I promise you - Lily will be in the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I am merely an obsessed Harry Potter fan! Sorry to disappoint. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter were not a creation of my overly active imagination! sigh

Chapter 14 - Dog Pile

The prank they had planned went off without a hitch. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter had all been on brooms hovering over the Potter estate – Mrs Potter had gone out to a friend's house in order to leave James and his mates their last night before the beginning of their seventh and last year at Hogwarts alone. It was perfect. Almost. It was perfect in a way because of the show; the loud bangs and cracks, the explosion of gold and burgundy lights that streamed far off into the distance, reaching even the windows of The Leaky Cauldron in downtown London. Everyone was then showered with candies of a variety even Honeydukes' couldn't match, as well as some dung bombs amongst other prankly items. The Marauders had made sure that the power of their doings would reach every which place surrounding the London area, letting all the wizards and witches – young and old – know that the Gryffindors infamous pranksters were celebrating their last year.

The night lost its perfection when James had reminded himself of how much better it would have been had Lily accompanied them. Of course, he didn't let it show; not on his face nor in his behaviour. He had been, after all, surrounded by his best friends and that…that was all that mattered.

September first, nineteen seventy-seven, Peter Pettigrew woke up at six twenty three in the morning after feeling a particular nasty growl in his stomach, which also happened to wake up Remus Lupin and James Potter. Sirius Black, the lump that had passed out nearest to the garden, hardly even stirred. James looked in Remus'es and Peter's directions with a sly smile on his lips. Both nodded in return: it was payback time.

James swiftly got out of his sleeping back and with unimaginable stealth, moved closer to the still sleeping lump. Extracting his wand from his back pocket whilst simultaneously rearranging the glasses on his face, James motioned for Peter to walk quietly all the way around Sirius into the garden. Remus needn't be told what to do: he approached Sirius just as quietly and mischievously as James from the opposite end.

James crouched low to the ground. The sun hadn't quite made its way past the horizon, but dawn was breaking and he had to make sure that if Sirius would ever open his eyes, then he wouldn't doubt that James' form was, in all actuality, a plant or bush. They were all ready, all in place. James' lips twitched. He so desperately wanted to smile but couldn't. If he smiled, then Sirius might be awakened by the sound his lips would make moving from their current position into their curved ones. It was a silly thought, yes, but anything and everything makes a noise when you are pranking and so you must always prepare for and against the worst. That was one of the laws of playing a good joke.

Moony took out his wand; Peter's was already out. James nodded ever so slightly to the other two, which meant "on the count of three". James held his wand out away from his body, pointed in the direction of Sirius' still form. He moved his wrist once, twice, and on the third coup, soundlessly called the incantation Rictusempra!

Of course, no one had actually discussed what spell they would use on their unfortunate victim and so the results were a bit cooky. Sirius' eyes almost shot out of his head as he began laughing uncontrollably, each breath he took in would have him hiccup multi-coloured bubbles, and, suddenly, his legs began flailing all over the place. Ha. What a lovely mix it was.

The other three, upon the dawning of just what they had accomplished, began laughing just as much as Sirius, minus the bubbles and jiggly legs. Sirius' face was pricelessly stuck in sort of…well, his mouth was wide open, but his nose was scrunched up. His lips were tugging farther and farther along the path to his ears, and his eyebrows shot straight up into the middle of his forehead, creating a very unattractive flare of his nostrils, which actually flapped in synch with the boy's laughter. His hair was also flying everywhere; his arms clutching onto his stomach and his legs were now attempting to kick himself in the butt.

After recovering from his stomach-hurting laughter, James sat straight up pondering the scene before his very eyes. He looked as Remus fell on his knees, unable to stay standing as he continued to laugh. Peter's round form had managed to imprison itself in between two rose bushes, and each time he moved he would cry out in pain yet continue laughing at the absurd situation. And there was Sirius, still laughing despite the fact that James had now removed the spells cast upon him. He had collapsed to the ground and kept his face in his hands, butt up in the air wiggling as the laughter shook his entire body.

James laughed a calm laugh no longer caused by the hysterics of the situation in front of him, but at what existed between these four young men. They had all changed – from Remus' extra locks of grey hair, to Peter's attempt at self esteem, to Sirius' change in perspective on life – yet their bond, their friendships had survived adolescence, had survived the tumulus hormonal roller coasters, the jealousies that were never really spoken of but rather merely acknowledge by dumping the girl Peter had a crush on or embarrassing Sirius in front of the entire class for getting the top mark on the test. Yes, despite their different life paths, these four lives that had crossed each other seven years ago today and tomorrow, had managed to parallel the other, growing apart yet together, reinforcing what was so real, so precious, so crucial in times such as these.

Amidst his thoughts, James did not notice the laughter had subsided and that each other young man, in turn, reflected upon the eventful morning. It was Sirius who made the noise first, sighing loudly and quickly saying in his most menacing tone, "You'll all pay for tha' one, you will."

Peter, surprisingly, extracted himself from the rose bushes (not without a few groans) and replied cockily, "As if you could ever pull a stunt as good as that!" Remus high-fived the bubbly blond boy, smiling his approval at the retort.

"You probably couldn't even manage to sneak up on us even if we'd been put to sleep by a sleeping draught!" Remus chided in.

"Unless, of course, you ask for my help," James winked in Sirius' direction, who simply rolled his eyebrows at him.

"I'm sorry to announce this to you, mates, but I am the best and I will come up with sumthin' much better than a cleaning spell or a wobbly legs hex or a laughing spell. Without," he added loudly, "any help at all!"

James punched him in the arm. "You wish." And thus began the dog pile (Sirius fighting 'til the death, of course) where Peter held Sirius' arms behind him while James transfigured a rose into a blow up hammer and handed it to Remus who fell across Sirius' chest whilst hitting his shoulders with the hammer. James then jumped on the Sirius' other side, with a hammer of his own, hitting Peter, who then decided to jump James in attempts to seize the bright yellow hammer.

The fighting continued until seven thirty eight when Mrs Potter stuck her head out of the window and screamed "BOOOOYSSSS! BREAKFAST!"

Seventeen and eighteen year old boys did not need to be called in twice for breakfast. They had, after all, been awakened because of someone's hunger!

A/N: Please feel free to review!

And a big thank you to all of you who do. You're all excellent and I really appreciate your feedback!