Chapter Three The Howler

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns all the characters from the Harry Potter world.

If anyone wonders about any of the spells they are just random letters I put together meaning nothing. I may at some point look up different meanings and words but until then I'll be using rubbish nonsense for spells.

"Aaaah!"

Remus woke the next morning dripping wet and shivering with cold. He wasn't the only one. It wasn't hard to spot the culprit: the only one who wasn't wet and was rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter.

"S-Sirius!" The shout came from the bed on the other side of Sirius' and belonged to James Potter. James sat up and glared at Sirius through chattering teeth. "W-What did y-you d-do that f-for?"

"Well," Sirius answered when he finally got control of himself, "it's five o'clock! We've got pranks to carry out before breakfast, remember! Besides," he added, "I learnt that spell a few years ago and never dared try it on my family so I thought I'd try it now." Sirius glanced at the last of the four, just noticing that he hadn't moved. Peter had just kept on snoring.

"I don't believe it!" Sirius said, surprised. "What is he? Comatose?"

Remus shivered and clambered off his bed to find his clothes and wand. Finding the latter first he swished it at his soaked bed. "Derandero," he muttered. Sirius and James stared at him. "How on earth did you do that?" they asked in unison, switching their gaze to his dry bed.

"I read it in the Standard Book of Spells Grade Two," Remus said, sounding muffled with his head stuck in his trunk.

"Why did you read that for?" James asked.

"Yeah," Sirius added. "That's not till next year."

"Well, the first year books were really interesting so I borrowed my mum's second year books. There's so much stuff to learn. Ah-ha!" Remus pulled a set of robes from his trunk and headed for the bathroom.

"Oh no!" James and Sirius moaned dramatically.

"The horror!"

"The shame!"

"I can't believe it!"

"We have in our brotherhood-"

"-a bookworm!"

Remus stared at them, wondering how they managed to trade off sentences like that. Then he realized what they'd said and a hurt look came over his face. James and Sirius saw it.

"Hang on a minute bro!" Sirius said, waving a hand in front of James' face. "Brainy guy in group-"

"-bigger and better pranks-" James continued.

"-less chance of getting caught! Whoo-hoo!"

"And less chance of causing permanent damage to anyone as well," James pointed out practically.

Remus watched in bemusement while they jumped around in excitement. Shaking his head he went into the bathroom.

Coming out five minutes later he saw that Peter was awake.

"Sirius!" Peter was saying. "Did you have to wake me like that?"

"Sure I did," Sirius said cheerfully. "You didn't wake up when I threw ice water on you!"

"But did you have to throw yourself on me!" Peter squeaked. "You weigh a ton!"

James and Remus laughed, the culprit and victim soon joining in.

"Right!" Sirius clapped his hands to get attention. "We have exactly one and a half hours before breakfast in which time we need to set up our first prank. Which involves no magic since I only know what my parents taught me (mostly dangerous spells, of course, he muttered under his breath) and what Remus knows from all those books he read."

"Hey!" Remus protested. "I only know what's in the first year books, and some others I borrowed from my mum…"

"What!" Peter exclaimed. "I know hardly anything. I thought they were kidding when I got the letter. I thought it was Joe making fun of me again."

"Who's Joe?" James asked curiously.

"Oh..." Peter shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "Just this guy I knew at primary school..."

Sirius looked at Peter then decided to change back to the original subject. "So peoples," he said. "Pranks?"

"Let's get it done before anyone else gets up," James stood up and headed for the door.

All four Gryffindors snuch out of the dorm and through the common room to the portrait hole. Remus stopped. "We're going to get caught."

James grinned. "No we won't." He reached into the pockets of his robes and pulled out something shimmery and silver.

Sirius stared. "Oh wow James! You never told me you have one of those!"

James smiled conspiratorially. "I didn't. My dad gave it to me so I could, I believe his exact words were: "keep up the family tradition and get in as much trouble as possible. But don't tell your mother!"

Sirius shuddered. "Oooh! She'd kill him!"

Peter just looked confused. "Would someone tell me what it is?"

Remus was awed. "That's an Invisibility Cloak. Wow! There's only twelve of them left in the world!"

"Really?" Sirius grinned widely. "That means we'll have even less chance of getting caught coz no one'll expect a first year to have one!"

"My brother told me about those," Remus said.

"You have a brother," James said. "Does he go here?"

Remus looked away. "We're using up our time to set up," he pointed out, in effort to get away from the subject. His brother has practically disowned him since he... well, since he became a monster. James, Sirius and Peter looked at him strangely but let it go.

"Alright everyone. Huddle together," James instructed. Crowding together James threw the Cloak over all of them and they left the common room.

Sirius suddenly stopped. "Uh... does anyone know the way to the Great Hall?"

Remus was suddenly faced with a decision. He could take them there, but he would be following their smells from last night and if he led them straight to the Great Hall they would know something was up. No first year should be able to do that. They'd find out! But if he didn't they would wander around for hours. "Uh, guys," he ventured nervously. "I think I sort of remember the way."

James smiled at him. "Sort of if the best we got so lead on good sir!" He finished with a courtly bow somehow managing to stay under the Cloak at the same time.

Remus laughed at his antics, hiding his nervousness and led on, following the fading scents. He stopped at a few intersections pretending to be unsure before leading them onwards.

When they appeared in the entrance hall James, Sirius and Peter looked at Remus in awe. "Wow! No wrong turns! You must have a brilliant memory mate!"

Remus glanced away cursing himself. Why on earth didn't he choose the wrong path at least once. He was so stupid!

"Who wants to do what table?" James asked, handing out the glue once they were in the Hall. "There's four of us and four tables if you exclude Gryffindor which we'll do last together."

"I bags Slytherin," Sirius said with an evil grin on his face.

"I'll do the staff table then," James grinned.

Remus and Peter shrugged and tossed a coin, Remus ending up with Ravenclaw and Peter doing Hufflepuff. Spreading out they began. Within three quarters of an hour they were finished.

"Great!" James said. "That leaves us half and hour to do Gryffindor then race back to the dorms. Do the lot coz no one can accuse us if we're stuck too."

Twenty minutes later Remus pulled out his wand and spoke the words to create the winking eye.

"Good work guys," James told them. "Now let's split!" Throwing the Cloak over themselves they left the Great Hall.

Dashing into the Gryffindor Common Room, they threw off the Cloak and raced up to the dorm. Not quite shutting the door they heard girls' voices entering the common room they had just left.

"Why would I care where they are?" a voice sniffed disdainfully. "It's not my fault if they miss breakfast!"

"You have to admit they are cute though," another voice put in. "Especially Sirius Black." The voice sighed.

Up in the dorm Sirius grinned at James. "Ha-ha mate! They put me over you!"

"Shut up!" James pushed him into the wall. "Come on, let's get breakfast.

"Yeah food!" Sirius leapt through the doorway and down the stairs, followed quickly by James.

Remus rolled his eyes and followed more sedately with Peter. Entering the common room they saw the portrait hole swing shut behind James and Sirius. The redhead from last night stood with a black-haired girl next to the portrait.

"I guess we don't need to worry about them missing breakfast now," the black-haired girl laughed. The redhead just grunted and push through the exit. The two boys followed.

Entering the Great Hall for the second time that day they headed toward the Gryffindor table where James and Sirius were already stuffing their faces. Just as they sat down someone screamed.

"What's happening?"

"I'm stuck!"

"I can't stand up!"

"Who did this!"

All over the Great Hall students and Professors alike were finding out that they couldn't move. Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and waved it, freeing herself from her chair by banishing the Glue. Stalking over to the House tables she freed all the students from their predicament.

Now they were free the students were laughing, with the Marauders laughing louder than any other. They laughed even louder when there was a loud ripping sound, as some unfortunate student had torn a patch out of their clothes instead of waiting to be released. Sirius and James were rolling on the floor under the table.

The winking eye appeared, letting all in the Hall know that there were pranksters at work.

Professor McGonagall glared but as there was nothing pointing to anyone who had done it she couldn't take points. She went back to the Staff Table and everyone began to settle down again. James and Sirius climbed back onto their seats and the four boys calmed down and began to eat, although Remus wasn't sure eat was the word for the way Sirius was stuffing food in his mouth.

Arthur Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect, gave them their class schedules. Flicking a glance over his, James groaned. Remus looked at him. "What?"

James pointed at his schedule. "We got transfiguration first."

"With McGonagall," Sirius added.

James pointed at the teacher that had just had a go at the fourth years. "Her."

"Oh," Remus stated.

Peter chose this moment to squeak and clutch his arm, pointing at the high windows. Remus looked up. Owls soared in through the windows flying to different places around the Hall and dropped to land in front of different students. Remus noticed a large black owl flying this way. It stopped in front of Sirius.

Sirius stared at it for a moment then shifted his gaze to the red envelope attached to its leg. Remus recognized that type of letter. Peter didn't and was wondering at the stares around them.

"Better open it Sirius," James advised. "It'll only be worse if you don't."

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Howler," Remus replied. "Like a tape recording of someone's voice only fifty times louder."

"Why's that bad?" Peter said. Sirius chose that moment to open the envelope, saving anyone from answering the question.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? GRYFFINDOR! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO UPHOLD THE FAMILY HONOR! EVEN JONAS ONLY WENT TO RAVENCLAW! YOU'RE A BLACK! WE AREN'T GRYFFINDORS! YOU BETTER GO ASK FOR A RESORTING!..."

It went on and on. Remus tuned out the rest and looked at Sirius. Sirius was sitting there with absolutely no expression on his face. When the tirade ended, he just watched the letter burn then stood up and left the Hall. James, Remus and Peter exchanged glances then followed.

As they entered the Entrance Hall they stopped, wondering which direction Sirius had gone.

"Only one thing for it guys," James said. Closing his eyes he spun in a circle and stopped facing the corridor opposite to the one that led (eventually) to Gryffindor Tower. "Let's go that way."

They wandered up and down corridors for quite a while before Remus heard a muffled sound from a doorway up ahead.

Stopping in the doorway, the three boys saw Sirius punching the wall repeatedly.

" 'Uphold the family honour' she says," Sirius was saying bitterly as he tore the skin on his knuckles. "What honour! Our family doesn't HAVE any honour! And I thought she'd finally disown me! Fat chance! Why couldn't she just…" He trailed off as he saw the three boys watching. "Umm… hey guys!"

Seeing Sirius wouldn't say anything in front of the others, James waved Remus and Peter outside the door.

"Are you alright Sirius?" James asked his friend, concern in his eyes, after he'd shut the door.

"Sure," Sirius tried to shrug it off. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I didn't expect some kind of reaction."

"She's still your mother," James pointed out gently. "There's still something inside of you wanting to make her proud."

"Fat chance I have of doing that since I don't want to join Voldemort." Sirius said bitterly. "I've tried everything. I even learned all those dark curses for her to make her proud of me, but since I won't use them she still isn't happy with me! Merlin, who cursed me with a family like this!"

Just then the bell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"Look," James said. "We just missed Transfiguration, we'd better not miss History of Magic. But don't you worry about not having a family. I'm your brother. I know we just met Remus and Peter but they seem like they'll be good friends too. Family isn't always related by blood you know."

Sirius rubbed his bruised knuckles and picked up his bag. "Thanks James. Umm… Let's not tell Remus or Peter anything just yet. Give me chance to get my head around things."

"Sure," James replied, opening the door. "Let's go, guys." He added the last, including Peter and Remus. Grabbing their bags the four boys headed down the corridor, asking directions and eventually making it to their first class of the day: History of Magic.