Remus and Peter were stretched out on Peter's bed, sharing a pile of candy-coated chocolate drops (occasionally throwing them at one another) when James and Sirius finally returned about an hour past curfew. They ran in, huge smiles on their faces, bags full of stuff they bought. They both began talking at once, trying to tell them all about Hogsmeade until James realized Spinnet and Struthers were in the dorm as well. So they piled onto Peter's bed, yanking the curtains shut to help quiet their voices.

"It's amazing there!" James whispered. "Oh man, wait till you see Honeydukes it's absolutely..." He put his fingers to his lips then spread them out as he made a kissing sound. "But Zonko's! Merlin's beard!" He opened his bag, dumping a mixture of pranks and candy out onto the bed. "I got you these." He handed them each a wrapped chocolate bar from Honeydukes. Not really bars, but small slabs of chocolate shaped like the Gryffindor crest.

"There's this pub called the Three Broomsticks which we went into. The barmaid accused us of being first years sneaking out though we managed to convince her we were second years and already thirteen," laughed Sirius. "Plus Jimmy gave her a big tip after we bought some butterbeer."

"That reminds me, I got you these too." James pulled out two bottles of butterbeer, plonking them into their laps. "They're nothing like hot butterbeer in a mug though. You've got to sneak in with us sometime."

"Yeah good luck convincing anyone I'm thirteen," Remus said as he unwrapped the chocolate. "I don't even look twe-" He stopped when he took a bite of the chocolate. "Good God this is good!"

"Honeydukes finest," Sirius said with a wink.

"There's also this incredible clothes store!" With that James pulled out a bright, multi-colored paisley print shirt with the pointiest collar Remus had ever seen. "Which reminds me, I got you these." He fished out two pairs of socks, tossing them at his friends. "Siri and I got some too. We can all match." They were all Gryffindor motif. James's were gold and scarlet striped, Sirius's were grey with the Gryffindor badge at the tops, Peter's were red with little gold lion paw prints all over them, and Remus's were red and gold plaid print.

"I got a shirt too," Sirius said and pulled out a dark crimson-and-gold paisley print. Also with a super pointy collar. "Oh, and there's this enormous bookstore you'll like, Remy," he added, grinning at him. Remus shook his head though wondered just how big. Then his heart practically stopped as Sirius went on with, "We also got to see this super haunted house. It's not even been there a year and it's very haunted. Not like the ghosts here. Like, creepy haunted."

"Peeves kind've haunted?" Peter asked.

"Worse," James said gravely. "I guess it's full of the souls of the damned or something like that. Anyone who goes in could be killed." With that Peter squeaked, dropping his chocolate. James laughed.

"We tried to get in but it's all blocked off," Sirius sighed. "Plus we didn't really have very much time to actually properly try. We'll try again though. I want to see what's inside."

Remus swallowed his mouthful of chocolate which now tasted bitter. "D-did you get the Howler?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his house. Full of his wreckage. Full of his blood.

"Ooh! Yes!" James clapped his hands then carefully pulled out a bright scarlet envelope wrapped in cellophane. "It's easy to do. We'll just need to make our voices different. I need to write out exactly what I want to say, make sure it's good." He put the Howler back in his bag, giggling like a madman. "It's going to be great!"

"So, how was your day?" Sirius pushed his hair back, a sort of smile that made Remus think they had been bored without the two of them.

Peter and Remus exchanged looks, going right into their plan of what to say. "Well, we hung out by the lake for a while," Peter said, tapping his chin like he was trying to think. "Course we had supper. Remus went to the library while I stayed here then we just talked before you got here, nothing too exciting." James and Sirius nodded, as if that's what they expected. "Did anything else happen?" Pete asked Remus.

"Errrrrmmm..." Remus squinted, pretending like he was trying to remember. "I'm not really sure."

Peter let out a sigh. "Yeah, that's about it. Oh right, Remus gave Mulciber a concussion. And then I got a splinter."

"Wait, what?!" James shrieked.

"I got a splinter," Peter replied with an innocent smile. James and Sirius looked gobsmacked. Remus tried so hard not to just laugh at their faces.

"Mulciber?" James asked.

"Concussion?" Sirius asked.

"Ooh, right, that happened too," Remus said, inspecting his fingernails, forcing back the laughter.

"W-wh-what happened?!" Sirius demanded.

Remus finally gave in to the giggles which sent Peter off too. They collapsed back, trying not to laugh too loudly for a moment before they were able to calm down enough to answer. "Mulciber and Avery attacked us, insulted our parents, and I used the knockback jinx on him."

"He sent him flying!" Peter flung his hand through the air to indicate. "Whooosh! He spun! In the air! Like, ten times-"

"Twice," Remus interjected quickly.

"-and he WHUUMPH!" Peter slammed his fist into his hand. "Right into the ground. Remus found out at study group that Mulciber got a concussion from it. Merlin, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! I wish I had gotten a picture of it."

Remus couldn't help but feel a rather delicious sort of victorious feeling as James and Sirius both looked jealous over missing such an event. The pleasure disappeared very quickly the next day, however, when at breakfast Professor McGonagall asked to see the four of them in her office. She looked as though she had a headache. If Mulciber and Avery snitched on them, he was prepared to tell McGonagall every single thing they said and did to them. Except once they all sat down it wasn't Remus she looked at, it was Sirius.

"Mr. Black, yesterday Mr. Mulciber of Slytherin ended up in the hospital wing with a rather nasty head wound." She linked her fingers, eyes glued on him. "He says you did it."

"Wh-what?" Sirius gaped at their teacher then glanced sideways towards Remus. "I didn't. I didn't even know anything about it-"

"Mr. Avery has confirmed Mr. Mulciber's testament," McGonagall continued, ignoring Sirius. "Now, they claim you and Mr. Potter ambushed them which I don't quite believe. I just need to get your side of the story."

"I-I don't have a side to the story." Sirius's voice faltered, his eyes huge. "I wasn't there."

"Neither was I!" James protested. "They're nothing but filthy liars!"

"P-P-Professor-"

"Mr. Lupin, please wait until I've asked you. If you weren't there then where were you?"

Sirius opened and shut his mouth, unable to tell her. He easily had an alibi. Multiple shopkeepers in Hogsmeade had seen him and James. He just couldn't give his alibi, because then they'd probably be in even worse trouble. "In-in my dorm. With James."

"P-Professor-"

"Mr. Lupin-"

Remus swallowed, hands shaking violently as he just went on. "He di-d-d-didn't do it, I-I did." He pulled at the hem of his jumper, sweat forming in his armpits. "I w-w-was with Pe-Pete and-and Mulciber and Avery th-they ambushed us. They-they made f-fun of us. Called us names b-because of our blood. We... dueled..." Remus lowered his head, hem twisting around his fingers. "I-I negated Avery b-but Mulciber got me down..." He took in a deep, gulping breath of air. "He insulted m-my mother. I g-got mad. I used the knockback j-jinx on him. Sirius wasn't th-there. Anywhere n-near us. N-neither was James I-... I don't know wh-why they're accusing them." Except he did. He may have been known as the smart one in the group however he was puny. It was probably embarrassing to Mulciber that someone as small as him got the upper hand. Of course they'd blame Sirius and James.

McGonagall leaned back, drumming her fingers against her desk. "Mr. Pettigrew was there?" she asked. Pete and Remus both nodded. "That's interesting since the time it happened I know for a fact Mr. Pettigrew was in the hospital wing."

"That happened after!" Peter squeaked. "Mulciber got us then I went to the hospital wing after. To get rid of the curses Mulciber and Avery put on me!"

"Th-they must be lying about the t-t-time," Remus muttered. "Or forgot the precise time."

McGonagall now removed her glasses, sighing deeply. "This is a conundrum. Your side of the story seems most likely however I cannot just assume you're telling the truth merely because you're my students. You two don't have anyone else to back up your location?" She glanced over at the other two boys who miserably shook their heads. "Both their side and yours states two of you were fighting, that much is clear, so twenty points total from Gryffindor for that either way, though from who exactly I cannot say. As for detention, two nights of it..." She slipped her glasses back on as the muscles in her jaws tightened. "I honestly don't know what to do. I suppose since Mr. Lupin confessed I must give it to him."

"That isn't fair!" Sirius spat out. "He was defending himself!"

"He severely injured Mr. Mulciber, if he's telling the truth," she replied.

"Is Mulciber getting detention?" James asked.

"His punishment is not my decision."

James folded his arms. "Sooooo that's a big fat no."

"Mr. Potter, are you insinuating Professor Slughorn isn't fair?" McGonagall gave him a cold stare.

"Uh, yeah!" James hunched over, face very stormy as he said, "Mulciber cracked open Remus's skull a couple months ago'n more or less got away with it."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "I see. It seems Mr. Lupin cracked Mr. Mulciber's skull open. So that is fifteen points-not ten-and a third detention for Mr. Lupin? To be fair?"

James winced a little, shrinking back. "Er, no-that's not what I was meaning at all..."

Remus swung his head back to McGonagall, feeling quite aghast. Was she going to do that? He figured he deserved it but three nights of detention? Thankfully she gave a thin-lipped smile. "As I thought. We'll keep the original ten points with two detentions."

Remus's shoulders slumped in relief. After McGonagall dismissed them, James kept trying to apologize to Remus for nearly getting him in worse trouble. Sirius, on the other hand, was absolutely livid that Mulciber would blame him. He also admitted he was surprised Remus confessed which confused Remus. Why wouldn't he? He didn't want Sirius to get in trouble for something he did, and he said so.

Sirius shrugged. "Still, thanks. Course I know you hate detention so I probably should have accepted it-"

"Don't be daft," Remus grumbled. "S'my fault. It's worth it, anyhow." Sirius reached over, messing up Remus's hair. Remus glared a bit as he tried to smooth it back down.

"Hey, Gryffindor team has practice soon, you two wanna come with us?" James asked, checking his watch. "We can work out our revenge against Mulciberk later. It's gonna be a good one. Practice, I mean. We've got our last game in only a month so we're really cracking down."

"We?" Sirius asked, lips twitching. "You on the team already there, Jimsy?"

James elbowed him. "Might as well be! Tanner says I should be a reserve. Bell says next year I'm pretty much a shoo-in. Not as a reserve. You know how rare it is for a second year to join a team properly and not as a reserve? But they all say I'm awesome so..." Remus knew they sometimes let James join the practices, as long as Hooch wasn't around. James began counting off his fingers. "May, June, July, August, September. Five months. I can't wait to get my broom this summer."

"Didja make a decision yet?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Maybe? I have a couple in mind. But the BlueFire 3 might be coming out this summer so I might get that, depending. The magazines have some specs for it and man it's gonna be top, top, top. However, it might not be till next year. I'll get it when it comes out either way."

"A new broom this year and one next year?" Remus couldn't help but ask. Just how rich were the Potters?!

James shoved his glasses back up the bridge of the nose. "Yeah? Honestly Dad's thinking about buying new brooms for the whole Gryffindor team as a gift next term buuuut Mum thinks that might look bad on the year I join, you know, make it look like I bought my way on? Especially cause I'm so young. So that might not be till '73. That way everyone can see I got on solely because of my talent. Anyway, if the BlueFire doesn't come out I might get a StarShooter or a Nimbus 1705."

Peter gave a bit of a gasp. "StarShooters are super expensive!"

"Yeah," James said a bit dreamily. "Imagine bringing one of those babies out on the field in front of the Slytherins..." James went into this long ramble about Quidditch and brooms with mostly went over Remus's head. He sort of phased out for a moment then heard intensity in James's voice. "...own line of brooms," James was saying. Since he missed the first bit, he asked James to repeat himself, hoping it wouldn't be as jargon-filled as the first time. "Oh! I was just saying after I graduate I'm going to get on the British Quidditch team-maybe one of the minor league teams instead if there aren't any good spots open at first but eventually on the national team. Then after I've played professionally for a while I want to start my own line of brooms. Imagine a line of brooms specially done for Hogwarts house colors! Like, top of the line brooms and you can get them in our colors!"

"All the house colors?" Remus inquired.

James looked a little sheepish. "Yeah, I guess so. I could probably put prankish spells on the Slytherin ones. Chuck'em off or something." He snickered at that image. "Or not, I mean I'd want it to be properly top notch. Professional Quidditch line of brooms. Remus, you could work for me since you're better at Charms than I am so you can take care of all the spell stuff."

Remus raised his eyebrows high at that. "Wow, how magnanimous of you."

"I know, right?" James asked with a beam, missing the sarcasm which made Remus roll his eyes. Sirius was grinning and winked at Remus, having caught his meaning.

"It's so cool you know what you're doing after school, that you've got it all planned out," Peter said in an awed manner. "I've no clue what I'm going to do."

"We have a few years until we need to think about it anyway," Sirius said. "I wouldn't worry about it right now."

"So no plans for you?" James inquired.

"I dunno. I mean, an auror sounds fun-taking down the dark wizards..." Sirius trailed off, sounding a little strange as he said it. Remus wondered if it was because of his family being dark. Did it make him feel weird about wanting to take them down... or were they why he wanted to do it? "But working for the Ministry is major Dullsville, even as an auror. So I don't know. What about you, Remy?"

"Errrr... I d-"

"Probably a teacher," James put in before Remus could answer. "Lecturing all day. Replace Binns, that'd do everyone a favor."

Teaching History would be an incredible job. "That would be-fun," he admitted.

"Fun?!" Sirius got out. "How the bloody hell is teaching History fun?! That's the most boring thing in the universe."

"I-I don't know. It could be fun. More engaging. We could dress up. Do mock battles. Reenact famous duels."

James burst into laughter. "You've actually put thought into this, haven't you? Have we stumbled upon your secret fantasy? Professor Lupin?"

"Sh-shut up, don't call me that!" Remus protested, going red. "No! While it could be fun I c-could never be a teacher. I don't have the patience." Plus the fact I'm not human and if Dumbledore hired me on it would be the biggest disaster in the world and I'd probably end up at the Ministry in two seconds.

"Yeah you get mad when we don't do our homework," Peter joked. "Imagine having an entire class not doing their homework." Remus made a face at that.

"So we've got a Quidditch player, a auror, a teacher, annnnd..." James spun around, walking backwards to face Peter. "You need something."

"Not a teacher," Remus mumbled but James ignored him.

"Not an auror," Sirius put in firmly. "Not for the Ministry at any rate."

"A freelance auror?" Remus asked with interest. Did those exist?

Sirius's face lit up. "Oooh, yes, I like that!" He spread his hands through the air as he dramatically said, "Sirius Black: Private Auror."

"If your pocket is willing, he'll do the killing," James said sending them all into such hard laughter they had to collapse down into a seat nearby. Some paintings gave them annoyed looks.

"That makes me sound like a-a-an assassin!" Sirius choked out, clutching his sides. That just made them laugh even harder.

As Remus tried to breathe, he thought, I wish Pete had his camera to capture this moment forever. The four of them laughing, falling against one another. He wasn't sure why this moment in particular just seemed to make him feel so happy inside but it did. It wasn't just the joke, it was-was-just everything. He felt so connected to them, he realized. He had been for a while but for some reason this made him see just how much he cared about them, how much they meant to him. Perhaps it was his talk with Peter the previous day that started it. They're my friends. Not just friends but FRIENDS, he thought as he managed to finally take in several gulps of air, wiping the tears off his cheeks. He quickly pushed aside any dark thoughts of losing them, the inevitable end to their friendship. He'd just stay in the moment-or try to. It was difficult for him not to be constantly panicked about the future, anxious about how things were going to be down the line. But he didn't want to think about that. He just wanted his friends.

James hopped off the seat, staggering a bit, saying something about going outside. Sirius had to help Peter to his feet while Remus got up, brushing the dust off his ratty jeans. He thought back to the first night in Hogwarts, hearing James and Sirius staying up, promising they'd be friends forever. He remembered wondering what that'd be like. He'd never be able to promise the 'forever' part but until then that's what it felt like. They were friends. They were... they were...

A word similar to the one James used wrapped itself around Remus's brain with a perfect yes sort of feeling, then flittered off before it could take hold.

"What did you say?"

"I said let's go outside and do some maraudering," James said cheerfully. "That's the one you used the other day, innit? Pirates and raiding?"

"Um, marauding..." he mumbled, barely paying attention.

"Oh, whoops!" laughed James. "Close enough."

"What's wrong?" Pete asked as Remus frowned, brow furrowing.

He held up a finger, closing his eyes until the word came back to him like an angel holding out a heavenly scroll inside his head. "Marauders."

"What?" Sirius asked.

"What about the Marauders?" Remus looked at their faces, knowing already before they agreed that they would, that it was the name they'd been looking for since autumn. As soon as he thought it, he knew it was right, what they were looking for. Their perfect description.

James looked at Sirius. Then Peter. Then Sirius and Peter looked at each other. Then they all faced Remus again, huge grins appearing. He didn't even need to say what he meant. They all knew, same as him.

"The Marauders," James said.

"The Marauders," Peter echoed.

"Marauders," Sirius said then made everyone jump by clapping his hands once, very loudly. "It's no Quartet of Coolness buuuuut I guess-OWWW!" he yelped as James got him in a headlock, giving him a vicious noogie. "NOT THE HAIR! Okay, yeah, yeah, Marauders!"

James released Sirius (who quickly smoothed out his hair which didn't need it) then put his arm around Remus's neck who grew a touch afraid he was about to get a noogie as well. "Marauders," he said, squeezing Remus gently. "That's us, then."

They were the Marauders.