A/N: A special thank you and a million gold stars go to JustAnotherTeenageGirl for being my first reviewer! Just keep on reviewing! And by the way, all you people who are reading my story but not reviewing, please please please please please please please please (you get the picture) review! You don't know how frustrating it is to see that you have like thirty reads but only one review! Here's a deal: you review my story and if you have a story, I'll read it and review! PLEASE REVIEW!

Okay, so I've been updating this story for how long? A month? Well, I keep on forgetting a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: Everything except the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the books belong to J.K. Rowling.

The First Prank

I remember that night very well. It's as though it had just happened. It was after my first transformation at Hogwarts that we formed the Marauders. The name was my idea. I can't really remember how I thought of it. I think it was in something I had read as a child. But the name fit us perfectly. Then James and Sirius had this idea for the "perfect prank," as they called it. We were going to get back Snape. We found out much later, probably not until our seventh year, that we only pranked him because he had given Lily some trouble earlier on in the week. James was furious. But it worked perfectly. I remember I was sitting in Transfiguration….

Remus opened the note that Sirius had handed him. It said: POTION READY. WE ATTACK TONIGHT.

He looked up at Sirius. He was wearing the most evil grin that would later become known as his signature pranking face.

It had been just two days since he had gone through his first transformation, and already the potion was ready. It must not be complicated.

That afternoon, after their last class, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter made their way back up to their room.

"Well, boys, here it is!" Sirius said with a flourish. He pulled out a small vial from inside his pillow case. It contained a clear liquid.

"This is the potion?" Remus asked.

"Yes it is, freshly brewed by yours truly," Sirius said with his "pranking face" on.

"So, we'll do it at dinner, then?" Peter asked.

"Of course!" James said, smirking. "We'll sneak down to the kitchens. Sirius knows how to get in and all that stuff, so we'll simply tell the house elves it's a gift or something. They'll put it in his pumpkin juice, and we'll be off."

"It sounds great!" Peter said appeasingly.

"I'm still not too sure about this, guys," Remus said.

"Well, dear Remus, you have no choice but to come along with us on this prank. You already know too much," Sirius said. "Then you can decide if you no longer would like to be a part of the Marauders."

"Right," Remus said uneasily.

"Well, we'd better be off," James said. "Dinner starts in an hour. We need to get down there before it's too late. This is my dad's invisibility cloak."

James had walked over to his trunk and pulled out a long, silvery cloak.

"Well, come on!" James said, annoyed at the other boys' oohing and aahing.

He folded it up and slipped it inside his robes.

"I need to make a quick stop into the Great Hall," James said, slipping a piece of parchment into his pocket.

"Okay," Sirius said. "Let's do this!"

They walked down towards the Great Hall.

"I'll be right back," James said quickly. He ran into the Great Hall and returned a few minutes later.

"Let's use the cloak, just to be safe," he said upon his arrival.

So James, Sirius, Remus, and Sirius all slipped under James's large invisibility cloak. It was large enough for the four of them, but it was very crowded.

"Ouch!" Remus yelped. Someone with large feet had trampled all over his.

"Sorry," Sirius muttered.

"Shh!" James hissed. "We're here."

They looked up and saw a large painting of a fruit bowl.

"So what do we do?" Peter asked.

"From what I hear, we tickle the pear," James said.

"Tickle the pear?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Yep."

"It's worth a try," Sirius said, reaching his hand out.

He gently stroked the green pear in the corner. It squeaked and giggled, and then it turned into a door handle.

"Come on! Let's go!" James urged.

The four boys walked into the kitchens and were greeted by a storm of house elves eager to help them in any way possible.

James spotted a certain elf that seemed to be enamored with him, so that was who he picked.

"Excuse me, what's your name?" he asked the elf.

"Me? Sir wants to know my name?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Uh, yeah. What's your name?"

"My name is Dizzy, sir," she said.

"Good. Dizzy. I'm James Potter, and these three are Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin," James said.

"What can Dizzy do to help you?" she asked.

"We just need a favor," James said.

"Oh, anything you is needing, Dizzy will do!" she squeaked.

"Okay, good. You see this potion?"

"Yes, James Potter," she said reverently.

"Well, I need you to put it in our friend's cup. You see, it's his birthday, and it's a special present we have for him," James said, smirking.

"Oh, anything for you, sir! Just tell Dizzy which cup to put it in and Dizzy will do it!"

James pointed to Snape's cup.

"That one. Make sure all of it gets in, okay Dizzy?"

"Sure!" she said.

"Great. Thank you very much, Dizzy."

The four boys left the kitchens.

"Don't you feel bad for lying to a house elf?" Remus half-asked, half-accused.

"Nope. It wasn't a lie. It really is Snape's birthday. I heard him say so today after Potions," James said.

"Who knew…" Sirius muttered.

"C'mon, let's get going! We don't want to miss this!" James urged.

The four slipped back under the cloak and made their way back up to the Great Hall for dinner.

Snape made his way up to dinner with his friends. He was about to sit down at his normal spot, but saw that it was taken: by Lucius Malfoy. He didn't bother to ask why, he just sat down in an empty seat.

About halfway through his meal, he was aroused from his thoughts by an irritated voice asking, "Who in Merlin's name are the Marauders?"

It was Lucius.

Snape had no idea. He had never heard of such people in his entire life. So he continued eating.

None of the four could eat at dinner. They were anxiously watching Snape, waiting for their moment to come. When it did come, it was glorious.

He had been taking his time taking a drink of his pumpkin juice. Finally, after he had finished most of his meal, he raised his goblet to his lips and took a long dreg.

But nothing happened.

James looked at Sirius angrily.

"Why didn't it work? What did you do wrong?" he accused.

"I did everything exactly the same way as I did it to you!" Sirius defended himself.

"But it's not working! Snape's fine!"

"I'm telling you, James, I did-"

Sirius was interrupted by a loud scream from the Slytherin table.

All four boys, including James and Sirius who had momentarily forgotten their quarrel, turned to look at the scene.

To their shock and utter delight, they saw Lucius Malfoy, not Snape, covered in the purple boils that spelled the word git across his forehead. His hair was turned electric green instead of its' normal white-blonde, and his voice had deserted him. Sirius's cousin, Narcissa, looked quite horrified at what had become to her dear Lucius.

The whole Hall burst into hysterical laughter at the sight before them. The teachers were all quite flustered, well, Dumbledore was wearing an amused smirk-type thing, but everyone else was trying to get to Lucius to help him. He was ushered away to the Hospital Wing.

"That'll last him a few days. I wonder why Snape didn't get it though," Sirius pondered.

"Because Snape is not sitting at his normal seat," Remus observed wisely. "He's moved down three seats. Normally he sits next to that oaf Darren Crabbe, not Lucius."

"You're right, Remus!" Peter said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, well, it was still great," Sirius said.

"But what about Snape?" James whined.

"Relax, James, we still got someone, right? That's what it was all about," Remus said.

The other three boys gazed at him for a few moments, unsure of what to make of Remus's sudden change in attitude.

Sirius was the first to speak.

"So, does this mean you're in?"

"In what?"

"The Marauders, Remus. Are you in the Marauders?"

"Oh, I guess so. It was kinda fun. I guess someone is going to have to make sure you get the right person."

Remus was grinning.

"Great!" Sirius and James yelled, each of them giving Remus a high-five.

"So now it's official," James said. "We can begin our reign of terror over Hogwarts!"

"Right. Well, dinner's over. I say we go to the kitchens and get some food so we can celebrate," Remus said grinning.

"Wow, Remus, you really have come out of that 'good-boy' shell, haven't you?" James asked.

"Well, you know it was pretty fun, this whole pranking business. The house elves said they were eager to help, so let's take advantage of it!"

The four boys got up and started toward the hallway when Remus bumped into another girl. She had curly blonde hair and curious brown eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Remus muttered.

"Oh, that's okay. I know who you are! You're Remus Lupin!" the girl said. "I'm Lindsay Martin."

"How'd you know who I am?" Remus asked, just a little creeped out.

"Oh, well, we have Transfiguration together, and I was there when you answered that question right and the professor gave your house ten points. That was brilliant!" she said enthusiastically.

Remus's face burned at the strangeness of this little girl added to his friend's hysterical laughter.

"Right, Lindsay, well it's been really nice to meet you but my friends and I must go. Bye!" Remus said, dragging his friends out of the Great Hall.

"Bye Reemie-kins!" Lindsay yelled as they exited.

"Remus! That was hilarious!" Sirius said, tears in his eyes from laughing.

"I thought it was quite scary!" Remus said, annoyed.

"But that girl obviously likes you!" James said.

"I don't care. That was really creepy! She knew my name and I guess she's in one of my classes, but that's just obsessed!"

"Awww, Reemie-kins doesn't like her?" Sirius teased.

"Let's just get the food!" Remus hissed.

"Fine, fine, fine. Whatever you say, Reemie-kins," James said.

"Come on!"

Half an hour later, the four boys were sitting in their room, pigging out on different sorts of sweets.

"Well, my friends," James said, "I know it's only been a few short weeks since we first met, but I think we really have the beginning of a great friendship here. I mean, we're all perfect for each other. Me and Sirius are the masterminds behind us, Remus here keeps us in order, and Peter…. well, I guess Peter is just there to help us out. I mean, Peter, you're like the other arm we need. If we need information, you can get it. You're like our spy."

"Cool!" Peter said, oblivious to the fact that he really didn't have a "position."

James and Sirius gave each other amused looks.

"Right, well I propose we make a toast!" Remus said.

"A toast?" James asked.

"Yes, to the Marauders."

"To the Marauders!" they all shouted in unison, holding up their cups of pumpkin juice.

It was the beginning of an excellent friendship.

A/N: So what did you think? How about letting me know by reviewing! Did you guys like Lindsay? That character is dedicated toAshley, who is one of my most faithful readers and my dear friend. :) Hope you like it, Ash.