A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favourites!

Also, thank you to my Beta, lozipozivanillabean, who said she really liked this chapter. I hope you all like this chapter too :) Enjoy!

ix.

we'll tell our stories on these walls

(North by Sleeping at Last)

November 19, 1975

James crumpled messily onto the grimy floor of the Shrieking Shack, too tired to reach the couch. Despite the obvious exhaustion, a wide grin grew on his face as he lifted his head and gazed at his other friends. Remus – now back in human form - was curled up tightly on the bed they had snuck inside the Shrieking Shack. It was a luxurious bed, bearing the Potter seal, and was 'borrowed' from the Potter Manor when Sirius had spent the summer at his house.

Peter was sprawled spread-eagle on the floor, but very much awake. Sirius, still in his Animagus form, started bounding towards Peter and proceeded to slobber over his face.

"Geroff, Sirius!" he cried, tiredly pushing him away and wiping his face with disgust in his blue eyes. James snickered when Sirius changed back into his human form and barked a laugh, reaching out for Peter to try and lick his face once more. Peter protested, a mixture of humour and disgust on his face, and shied away from Sirius's assault.

"We've actually done it, mates," James declared, slowly sitting up from the dirty floor. "We've actually become Animagi."

Both Sirius and Peter paused in their horsing around to beam brightly at James. They had been working their very best to achieve this, after all. Even Peter, who doubted his skills, was able to change into a fully-formed Animagus.

James's eyes landed on Remus and although he never partook in the transformation, he seemed the happiest of them all. Remus voiced out his doubts about their little project; he'd read about the gruelling steps on how to become an Animagi and it was a huge waste of time. But the other three had persisted, explaining to him that he shouldn't be alone during his transformations, and the only way to achieve that without anyone getting hurt, was for them to become Animagi. Remus had watched them as they had failed and failed, assuring them that he wouldn't be hurt if they all decided to give up.

But James couldn't give up. Not when it brought out a certain life in Remus' golden eyes every time they excitedly talked about the progress in their potions.

In his stag form last night, he'd observed Remus in his werewolf form. The other three waited with bated breath, testing out their theory that Remus wouldn't hurt them when they were animals, and James only managed to properly breathe when Remus merely playfully chased Sirius in his dog form. Peter, the smallest of them all, decided to perch on James's antlers throughout the night as they happily perused the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and some parts of Hogsmeade.

"I had so much fun last night," Remus confessed, his voice barely heard in the small dingy room of the Shrieking Shack. But the three heard him perfectly, for their beams almost stretched far and wide like the horizon.

"How could you know, wanker?" Sirius playfully asked, throwing him a smirk. "You're too busy being all… all… moony last night."

"Moony?" James echoed, knitting his eyebrows in confusion.

Sirius snorted out a laugh. "You know how he gets when it's the full moon and he's in his werewolf form," he pointed out.

"I don't think you're using the word right, Sirius," Peter said with a laugh.

The Black heir snickered and blearily rubbed his eyes. "'Moony' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" he offered. He comically stood up and brandished his wand, clambering towards Remus. The werewolf, too tired and sore all over to move, was only able to manage to glare at Sirius when the other wizard started tapping his wand on his shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing?" James asked, grinning.

"Henceforth, I dub thee 'Moony'," he confidently boomed, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin like the true Pureblood heir he was. "Arise, good sir."

"Shut up," Remus said, batting his wand away. He was unable to stop his snickering, though, admittedly finding it hilarious.

James perked up. "Hey, here's an idea!" he said. "Why don't we start calling each other by different nicknames. You know, like an inside joke or something."

"You think becoming an Animagus is an inside joke?" Peter asked him, incredulous.

James rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean… Wormtail," he said, grinning teasingly at Peter's blush. "I think 'Wormtail' suits you fine, Petey. Remember last night when one raven thought your tail was food for her children and snapped her beak around your wormy little tail?"

Sirius doubled over in laughter while Peter gave him a murderous glare. "Berk," he growled, lunging forward to smack him on the head. But James was fast and rolled away, prompting Peter to fall on his face.

James snorted and patted him on the back.

"Me, Jamesy, me," Sirius excitedly asked. "What do you think my nickname should be?"

"Mutt," Remus suggested.

"Or Mongrel," Peter said with a reverent nod.

Sirius both gave them the middle finger, while James laughed. "I dunno…" the Potter heir started, thoughtfully tapping his fingers against his thigh. "What about… 'Padfoot'?"

"Where the hell did that come from?" Remus asked with a brief laugh.

James shrugged, sheepishly grinning. "Well, your Animagus had padded feet so…"

"'Padfoot' sounds good enough for me," Sirius grinned. "I like it."

"I still think 'Mutt' is a better choice," the werewolf murmured.

Peter grinned. "Or 'Mongrel."

"Shut up."

"And as for me…" James trailed off and thought very hard what his nickname would be. His Animagus form was a magnificent stag, standing tall and proud with antlers that could poke somebody's eye out if he wanted. He was as white as snow too, almost perfectly blending in with the blanketed snow outside the little shack.

"I think," Sirius started, a huge grin growing on his face, "I think 'Prongs' suits you just fine, Jamesy-boy."

"Prongs," James echoed, mirroring Sirius' smile. "I like it."

Remus slowly sat up from his bed, a teasing glint in his tired eyes. "Don't you think we are too old for nicknames?"

"Shut up, Lupin—"

"—way to ruin the mood, Moony—"

"—they're not so bad—"

And Remus was laughing – loud, honest-to-Merlin, heartily laughing – and James couldn't stop the grin on his face from growing. This was the most human Remus had looked a day after the full moon. Despite the new self-inflicted scratches on his face and arms and the dark bags under his eyes, Remus almost looked like he hadn't transformed last night.

James caught both of Sirius's and Peter's gazes, knowing they were thinking the same thing.

"Well," the weary Gryffindor said after stifling his laughter, "maybe we should also start calling our little group with a different name, too." When Sirius gave him a bemused smile, Remus shrugged and exhaustedly rubbed his right eye. "I mean it would really… it would really be wicked."

"Now, we're talking," Sirius said, clapping Remus at his shoulder that almost toppled him forward. Remus threw him a glare, but Sirius didn't notice.

James grew quiet and seriously thought of a nice name for their little group. They needed something that would make them sound like themselves – pranksters and glorious and all – that would have an impact on their school even after they left. A legacy, he thought, when their name would be breathed out reverently by future generations of pranksters, thanking them for being a wonderful role model to them all.

"The Marauders?" Peter tentatively asked.

"The what?" James asked, intrigued.

"The Marauders," Peter repeated, this time more confidently.

Remus was grinning at him. "We're not looting or attacking anything, Wormtail," he pointed out, prompting both Sirius and James to grin because he had casually called Peter by his newly christened nickname.

"Well," Peter started, "I mean we roam around the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade during the full moon. Besides, I think it sounds pretty cool."

"If there's anyone who's a true marauder, I'd say it's me," Remus said with a tired sigh.

Peter awkwardly scratched his chin and sheepishly grinned. "We can always say we roam around in search of trouble?" He blushed when Remus quirked his eyebrow in amusement. "Well… you can suggest another name if you don't like it."

But Sirius was already vigorously shaking his head, his luscious locks whipping against his cheek. "No, no, that's brilliant!" he exclaimed as he excitedly looked at all of his friends. "'The Marauders'. Imagine… future generations will remember us as the greatest pranksters that have ever graced Hogwarts."

"'The Marauders'," James repeated, a brilliant grin on his face. "It has a nice little ring to it, don't you think?" The bespectacled wizard then noisily cleared his throat and donned a serious look. "Messrs, all in favour of the name 'Marauder' say aye."

The booming 'ayes' cracked his serious look as a huge grin appeared on his face again.

Sirius's smile widened as he also cleared his throat and waved his wand. Standing taller, he proclaimed, "Henceforth, we are to be remembered as 'The Marauders', Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers!"

Peter broke into excited clapping while Remus rolled his eyes. He was unable to hide his growing grin, however, when Sirius started to comically bow with practised ease. James grinned at all of them, even jumping up from the floor and bowing at Sirius in return, thinking quite warmly how their bond of friendship had grown stronger today.

November 25, 1975

Hermione felt them first before seeing them.

The Marauders were a force to be reckoned with, commanding attention every time they entered a room. They just emitted this certain brightness that enveloped every corner of the room, stubbornly refusing to be ignored until every head was turned in their direction. Hermione sometimes wondered if they did this on purpose or were wholly oblivious to how powerful their presence could be.

"Hermione!" her brother greeted.

She slowly looked up from the parchment she was holding to tightly smile at her brother. Her eyes then landed on the grinning James, his hazel eyes already latched onto the redhead beside her. Then, with her amusement wearing thin, Sirius stepped forward and enthusiastically waved his hand, a sheepish Remus not too far behind.

"Err… I hope it's not bothersome to join you today," Remus kindly said, now with an apology on his face. Hermione instantly quelled the annoyance she felt and curtly shook her head in answer.

"Come now, kitten," Sirius teased, pulling the chair directly across from her. "Pretend to at least be happy to see us."

"Why are you all here?" Lily asked with a frown. She made a face when James started making googly eyes at her.

"I'm sorry, they were bloody persistent," Peter answered. He sat on the empty seat beside Lily and nervously laughed. "I tried to tell them we're serious about studying but they insisted to come anyway, promising to be on their best behaviour."

"I am serious," Sirius interjected, grinning widely at the pun he had made. "Well, I am Sirius, too. And I am serious with my studies. Seriously serious Sirius." He turned to Remus, his grey eyes glinting in amusement. "Hey! I think I've made a decent tongue twister."

Remus hit him in the chest with his elbow. "Shut up," he murmured under his breath, apologetically smiling at the witches again. "I'll try to keep them in place." He took the seat beside Sirius, while James finally occupied the last chair on the table. "We thought since it's OWLs year, we should start focusing on our studies more. And, well, Peter and James had been yammering about Hermione's brilliance and we admittedly got curious."

Hermione's cheeks darkened at the compliment. "It's not all me," she murmured with a frown. "I just try to help whenever I can."

James snorted, much to her surprise. "Don't underestimate yourself, Pettigrew," he said, throwing her a playful wink. "I started getting more Exceeds Expectations in my essays last year because of your help."

Her blush intensified as she lightly glared at him, noting his teasing tone.

"Besides," Sirius added, "I'm jealous of your colour-coded schedules, kitten. Even Prongsie here got one!"

"Prongsie?" Lily asked, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"That is me, Lils," James said, suddenly eager to be talking to the redhead. "Besides Hermione, you've been a great help too, my Lily flower. How can someone as pretty as you have brains like that? It should be illegal, I tell you. Merlin really has his favourites, don't you think?"

Hermione wanted to smack herself at how overtly cheesy he was. Lily was clearly not amused, and it didn't help that Sirius kept on sniggering under his breath.

"Piss off, Potter," the redhead snapped, cheeks reddening, which Hermione knew was more from ire than embarrassment. "Direct your stupid lines to someone interested."

"And you're not?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Say, Lily, maybe you'd like to hang out with me on our next Hogsmeade weekend? Have a few butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks, hold each other's hand, and maybe give a few kisses if you fancy it?"

The brunette had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at how a look of complete and utter disgust appeared on Lily's face. "Did I stutter, Potter?" she snarled. "I told you to direct your stupid lines at someone interested." She vehemently pointed at her face. "Does this look like someone who's interested?"

James, ridiculous, ridiculous James, looked unfazed by her temper. "I'm not entirely sure, Lils," he said, lazily placing his chin on top of his upturned palm. "I'm too busy appreciating the little sparkles in your emerald eyes. Have I told you already that you have the prettiest eyes?"

"Yeah, mate, like the umpteenth time," Sirius clipped, prompting Remus to snort in amusement.

"Well, that's just it!" Lily half-shrieked, half-whispered, and shot up from her seat. She swished her wand in one swift motion and all of her things flew inside her backpack.

"Lily…" Hermione called, but the redhead snootily looked down at her.

"Sorry, Hermione, I think I'll study in our common room tonight," she said, her icy tone warming a bit upon speaking to her best friend. Lily bent down and gave her a brief, but tight hug before completely pulling away. "Good night gentlemen." Her green eyes hardened when landing on the bespectacled Gryffindor. "And James."

"Oooh," Peter snickered.

"Shut up, Wormtail," James hissed, cheeks slightly warming. He then stood up suddenly, almost toppling over his chair and exclaimed, "I will not give up, Lily Evans! Someday you will love me too!"

"Mister Potter!" Madame Pince shrieked from across the library.

James was shamefaced and shouted a clear 'Sorry' to the irate librarian that earned him another scolding.

"Lily's starting crack, I'm telling you guys," James whispered once he plopped down on his seat again. "Did you see how she was trying to hold back a smile?"

"James, mate, maybe it's time to let the healers check your eyesight again because I think you are seeing things," Remus said, giving him a comforting pat on his shoulders.

The only Ravenclaw in the group sniggered under her breath, clearly concurring with Remus. Ever since James had proclaimed to the whole school that he was in love with the most beautiful girl, Lily Evans, his moves to woo her had become more and more obnoxious. Lily at first ignored it all and persisted with her schoolwork, but it was only a matter of time before she had snapped with that short temper of hers. James had happily dodged her wicked spells thrown his way just to shut him up, believing it was progress because at least Lily was giving him attention. It was bloody obvious that James Potter never took 'no' as an answer and only did his very hardest every day to continue pursuing Lily.

It would have been admittedly amusing if she were a mere spectator, but she was best friends with Lily. The redhead had been ranting nonstop about the irritating Gryffindor, harshly listing down things she wanted to do to him just to make him shut up. It didn't help that she was also best friends with Severus. Ever since James had made Lily the object of his affection, he'd become moodier and difficult. Lily couldn't understand why he'd snap easily and stalk off, then proceeded to rant about Severus and listed things she wanted to do to him, to stop him from being such a sourpuss.

Overall, it had been a tiring month for Hermione. She had been working incessantly to keep her friends and brother focused on their OWLs this year, but their stupid teenage drama kept on interfering.

"You know, for the record," Hermione nonchalantly said, refusing to lift her blue eyes away from the essay she was making. "If you channelled that same energy into your studies, I don't doubt you'd start topping your classes, Potter." He was brilliant after all and he could throw a mean spell if he wanted to. Amongst the three aspiring Aurors, she knew it would be James who would be the most incredible at it.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment, Pettigrew." She heard his smirk more than saw it. "I didn't know you thought so highly of my intelligence."

Hermione sighed and tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose. Trust James Potter to twist her words to better suit his ego. She didn't grace him with an answer in the end because she knew it would just further stroke his sun-sized ego.

"What are you writing?" Remus then asked, tapping a finger on her parchment.

She dragged her eyes away from her homework and kindly smiled at the werewolf. "Arithmancy essay. We are tasked with choosing a famous wizard or witch and to correlate their personalities and achievements with their Character Number."

"Oh, I remember that homework!" he exclaimed, delighted. "I chose Gellert Grindelwald, I think."

"An 8," Hermione said with a smile. When Remus beamed and nodded his head, she continued, "I chose Bathilda Bagshot for this homework."

Peter smiled fondly at his sister. "Why am I not surprised?" he cheekily asked. "Did I ever tell you that Hermione's made it her ritual to read Hogwarts: A History once every summer?"

Her cheeks flared when the four boys snickered. "Honestly, Hogwarts: A History isn't getting enough love," she protested. "Besides, Bathilda Bagshot has an interesting Character Number. She had a complicated life, after all, and Arithmancy somehow predicted some of it."

"Why choose Arithmancy when there's Divination?" Sirius pointed out, grimacing when he briefly glanced over Hermione's half-finished essay. "At least with Divination, you can pass with your eyes closed."

"Like literally," James concurred with a solid nod. "You just have to dream some bloody weird shite to jot down on your dream journal and Professor Cayce will pass you in a heartbeat, proclaiming to everyone that you could become a powerful seer in the future."

"Because Divination is a load of codswallop," Hermione hotly exclaimed, unconsciously gripping her quill more tightly. "Why rely on predictions from stupid lines on your palms or cards when you can rely on precise answers like numbers and computations. At least numbers don't lie. Your palms, however, may be unfortunately callused, their ridiculous bumps suggesting an obscure way of dying."

Remus was heartily laughing by the end of her tirade. "Your sister is really something, Peter," the future Defence Against the Dark Arts professor exclaimed. "Forgive me in advance if I try to seek your company to study in the library in the future."

Hermione kindly smiled at him, because Remus was the most tolerable after all. "I don't really mind," she said with a shrug.

"You'll allow us to join your little study sessions then?" Sirius asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

The brunette gave him a stern glare. "If you promise to really study, then who am I to refuse?" she asked.

"I'm going to study, I promise," the Black heir eagerly said. When Hermione still looked highly doubtful with his words, he raised his right hand and said, "Marauder's honour."

Hermione expelled a small laugh, knowing it was an honour of the highest degree. She briefly glanced at the other three, wondering when they had started calling each other those infamous names and acknowledging themselves as the Marauders.

"And I'd really like to have one of your personalised colour-coded schedules," Sirius continued. "Jamesy wasn't exaggerating when he said his grades started increasing after adhering to the bloody schedule you made. I still need high grades if I want to become an Auror in the future."

Hermione remembered her previous conversation with Regulus Black on the Hogwarts Express and was unable to stop herself from saying, "Aren't your vaults filled to the brim? Why are you so adamant on pursuing a career you won't even need to last you for another century?"

She was surprised at how his eyes turned steely grey instead of the usual warm, molten mercury. "To be honest with you, Miss Pettigrew," he said, a cold smile spreading on his face. "I'd rather not sit with fancy-schmancy holier-than-thou Purebloods for the rest of my life but instead travel around the country to hunt the bad guys."

Her blue eyes widened at his cold declaration, watching as Sirius hastily broke away their eye contact and took a deep, shuddering breath. When he looked back at her, his eyes were the usual warm grey once more. "So, a colour-coded schedule?" he quipped, the smile on his face now bright and warm, as if the cold Sirius a while ago had never even made an appearance.

Hermione sighed. "I'll give it to you tomorrow," she said, finally relenting. Her blue eyes swept towards the boy sitting beside Sirius and she smiled. "I can make one for you too, if you like, Remus."

His chest rumbled with a quiet laugh. "I think that would be nice," he agreed.

The group soon fell into silence, with some of them occasionally talking about a certain assignment or asking questions they couldn't understand. Hermione mostly kept to herself and quietly observed the Marauders with keen eyes. Remus truly was clever, and even before Hermione could offer an answer to one of their questions, he was already halfway through explaining the reason for that solution. He really tried his hardest to make his explanation simpler; no wonder students loved him when he was their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

And it surprised her more how both Sirius and James were diligently doing their homework. When one of them got a tad distracted, Remus would smack them on the underside of their heads and point out that they still had work to do. Despite the glares they would give him, the two Purebloods would follow him nonetheless. Peter wasn't kidding when he said that they unquestionably listened to Remus, utmost respect in their eyes when they were properly apprehended.

Hermione's eyes finally landed on her brother, who was content with quietly laughing at their stupid antics. His blue eyes were alit with happiness; Hermione had only ever seen his eyes like this when he was with his friends. Her heart was already at ease with the thought that Peter may not stray away from the right path and ultimately betray his best friends, but sometimes she did wonder what his trigger for changing sides had been. The older Sirius had once harshly spat how he was a spineless coward, blindly following whoever was more powerful for his own personal gain.

But the laughing Peter with twinkling eyes didn't look like a spineless coward to her. Not even in the slightest. Hermione's own blue eyes softened with warmth and love for her brother, knowing that one day he'd do something great. That the world would finally recognise him as a great person of his own, not some faithful sidekick running around to catch up with Sirius and James.

"All right, Pettigrew?"

She blinked in surprise and looked at the curious eyes of James Potter. "Yes, of course," she said, feeling her cheeks warming with embarrassment at being caught staring. "Just dazed off for a while, I suppose."

"You study too much," the bespectacled boy teased, flashing her his boyish, lopsided smile. Hermione's heart stuttered at the sight and she immediately tore her gaze away from him, frowning at her strange reaction concerning the hazel-eyed boy.

She knew how to interact with Sirius and Remus because she'd met their older counterparts. Peter was her brother so she was comfortable with his presence. But James… James was a wild card. She only knew stories about him, golden memories of his bravery and selflessness uttered reverently by his mourning best friends. But actually interacting with James was an entirely different story. Hermione sometimes found herself staring thoughtfully at him during meals, wondering what went on inside that egotistical head of his. How could someone so brave and selfless be so arrogant and self-absorbed at the same time? She comforted herself into thinking that he was still young and naïve, that he was still a wide-eyed boy who did not yet know about war and suffering.

'I should cut him some slack,' she told herself countless times, whenever she found herself staring at the back of his dishevelled hair disapprovingly.

Like what Peter had told her before, he was raised as a proper Pureblood, doted upon by his parents because he was an only child. He got everything he wanted and he never knew about the perils of war and suffering. Hermione just hoped that the golden James Potter who older Sirius and Remus kept on talking about, would one day finally appear.

Ridding her mind of such an incorrigible boy, Hermione forced herself to focus on her other homework.

By the time she was finished, the Marauders were cajoling her to return to her dormitories before curfew.

"Let me escort the lady back to her dormitories," James announced. "Just to prove to everyone I can be a proper gentleman, too."

The Pettigrew siblings simultaneously narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

"You don't have to do that," Peter deliberately said. "I can take her there myself."

"Don't bother, Petey," James flippantly said, his tone of voice insisting there was no room for protest. Hermione had to hide a smile when her brother openly scowled at his suspicious best friend.

"Don't tell me you're two-timing, Prongsie," Sirius cajoled, prompting Hermione's eyes to widen while James merely laughed.

"There's only Lily flower in my heart, mate," the bespectacled Gryffindor seriously declared.

Remus snorted and bid them both goodbye, pulling Sirius and Peter with him. Her brother threw a warning glare their way, before allowing Remus to finally drag him out of the library.

James grabbed onto Hermione's bag and slung it across his shoulders despite her protests. "Shall we?" he asked with that cheeky grin.

Hermione frowned and walked behind him until they were outside the library. "So why are you really escorting me to the Ravenclaw Tower?" she asked, eyes still narrowed suspiciously at his back.

His hazel eyes glinted in amusement. "I'm just curious where the elusive Ravenclaw Tower is located," he said with a half-hearted shrug.

The brunette scoffed, prompting his smile to widen. "Please, I know you figured out how to get inside the Ravenclaw Common Room in your first year," she pointed out.

"Second year, actually," he corrected with a laugh. He nervously ran a hand through his hair and Hermione instantly knew what this was all about. "Say… has Lily…"

She sighed and politely shook her head. "Sorry," she whispered with an apologetic smile. "You can't change someone's opinion of you overnight."

James deflated, the usual pompous git that strutted around Hogwarts every day, gone. Hermione admittedly stared a bit because it was disconcerting to see James Potter like this. Her heart lurched at how she remembered similar instances of a dejected Harry Potter and, well, they really were different altogether, but they still shared almost the same face. Hermione had to stop herself from wounding her arms around him for comfort, knowing it would only confuse him.

Confuse her too, no doubt.

"What does Lily like?" he shyly asked, peering at Hermione with an uncertain smile on his face. "Her favourite food? Sweets? Hobbies maybe?"

"You're not giving up easily, are you?" she asked with a small laugh.

"James Potter? Give up?" he asked, pretend disdain on his face at the mere suggestion. "Never."

"I figured as much," Hermione said with a wide grin. James matched hers with his own lopsided grin and Hermione forced herself to look away, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm. She loudly cleared her throat before adding, "Lily loves Chocolate Frogs the most. She's also obsessively collecting the cards, so every time we go to Hogsmeade, she buys a handful."

He nodded his head, intently listening to Hermione's words. "Okay, Chocolate Frogs. Got it."

The witch absentmindedly scratched her chin, trying to rack her brain for more of Lily's likes. "I'm sure she's fond of white lilies, too," she continued. "I caught her appreciating the wild lilies growing outside Hagrid's hut one time."

James made a sound in the back of his throat, most likely tucking that memory in his mind.

"And" – a huge grin appeared on Hermione's face – "Lily's hopelessly in love with The Beatles."

The Gryffindor knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "Beetles?" he echoed. "What kind? Well, that's some strange fascination, but if it's what Lily wants…"

"No, no, not beetles. The Beatles," Hermione corrected. James dumbly looked at her, still clearly confused. She laughed and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Figures you wouldn't recognise them. They're a Muggle band, extremely famous too, mind you. Lily once said if a boy sang to her 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' whilst strumming a guitar, she'd snog him senselessly."

His eyes sparkled with interest at the mention of 'snogging'. "You must teach me," he demanded. "How to play the guitar. I've seen some of the boys tinkering with their guitars, but I never really bothered learning how to play one. You know how to play one, right?"

Hermione frowned. "Well I know how but I haven't played in a while," she dubiously replied, knowing full well that the last time she had played the guitar was in her past life, the day before she had Obliviated the Grangers and before she had gone on the run with her best friends.

"Good enough for me," he said with a shrug.

"I'm not even good," she insisted. "Why don't you ask the others to teach you?"

"Eh, why bother when I have a stellar tutor," he said, throwing her an easy wink.

She grimaced at his cheeky smile. "I don't even have a guitar," she protested. "You don't even have a guitar." But James was already waving her off flippantly.

"Don't worry your bushy little head about those things," he said. "I'll handle the procurement of the instrument. Just make sure you can teach me how to play this song by The Bugs—"

"—The Beatles—"

"—so that I can get a proper snog from Lily Evans after learning her favourite song." His eyes had already glazed over, most likely imagining Lily's wonderful reward for his hard work. His cheeks reddened but the ridiculous grin was still on his face. "What say you, Pettigrew?"

She groaned and tiredly rubbed her hand across her face. Looking at James right now, she knew he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "You're incorrigible. Do you know that?" she snapped.

This only seemed to broaden his smile. "You did promise to help me in wooing Lily Evans," he pointed out.

Hermione sighed, wondering if it was the right thing to do after all.

"Fine," she relented. "But we can't practise playing the guitar often. Merlin, it's your OWLs year and you should be focusing more on passing your exams with flying colours."

"Aren't I lucky I have the best tutor then?" he asked with a wide grin, waggling his eyebrows at her.

In spite of her frustration, Hermione found herself unable to suppress a laugh. "Fine, Merlin," she repeated.

They finally reached the entrance of the Ravenclaw Tower and James gave his goodbyes. Before Hermione could enter her dormitory, she surreptitiously glanced at his retreating back, a warm smile spreading on her face.

James Potter was definitely a wild card. One moment he would be impossibly pompous and confident, swaggering all over the Hogwarts corridors while playing pranks to unsuspecting victims. But then, he could be impossibly sweet too, painstakingly learning the likes and dislikes of Lily Evans just to get her attention.

Hermione really had no idea how she should treat him whenever he was around.

The eagle door knocker suddenly cleared its throat. Hermione flinched before she sheepishly looked back at the entrance door to her common room.

"Are you ready to enter?" it boomed.

Her cheeks flared in embarrassment. "Err… err, yes, of course," she said.

A/N: I mean, Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nowhere Boy is the universally accepted fancast for James Potter so I really can't help myself with The Beatles reference hahaha.

Also, I wasn't sure when the 'Marauders' and their nicknames were coined. Research had been abysmal so I just decided that it'll happen once they've completed their Animagi forms in fifth year. Also, it's a nice excuse to write in James's POV too.

That's it for now. Drop a review if you fancy!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe