A/N: Here is the new chapter! I really hope you guys like this one! Also, because I forgot to in the last chapter, I want to give a shoutout to goldie24 for giving me my first review on this story! Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so glad that you guys are enjoying this story! As always, you are welcome to review anything you want, whether it is constructive criticism or just a good word on my story! Thanks again!

Chapter 8: The Marauders
Mid-November, 1971
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"We need a name."

"Er...James, we already have names. I'm Sirius, Remus is Remus, and Peter's is Peter. And you're James."

James shot Sirius a look of annoyance. "No, I mean we need a name. We, as in our group."

"Uh huh...yeah, I'm still not sure what you mean."

"It's like a name for our group. Like a band or gang name...something that makes us sound cool," James smiled a flashy grin.

"That'd be brilliant!" Peter said. "What were you thinking?"

"Dunno, was hoping you guys had some ideas. Remus, you got anything?"

Remus winced. "Er...do we really need a name? Don't you think we'll look, er...childish?"

A look of hurt and offense quickly took over James' face. Immediately, Remus recovered his mistake: "But it sounds like a brilliant idea!"

James cheered back up. "Brilliant! Sirius, have you got anything?"

"Nah, we'll think of something."

The boys turned around the corner into Potions class. "Great, double potions," Peter grunted.

"Yeah, now we have to listen to Slughorn fawn over Snivellus and Evans," Sirius whined. "Snape! My boy, my perfect greasy-haired sour-faced Slytherin boy!" Sirius mocked.

Peter and James laughed, while Remus sighed.

"Hello, my dear students!" Slughorn bellowed as he heaved himself out of a chair and wobbled up to the front of the classroom. "How are you?"

"Good," the students mumbled.

"I'm AMAZING!" James hollered.

All of the heads turned to look at James in the back of the class, who was beaming. Lily wrinkled her nose as she watched him.

Slughorn chuckled, "Potter, my boy, you do very well at brightening up one's day. Now, class, shall we get started?"

Slughorn listed off the ingredients, steps, and tips for the potion they were making that day: Wiggenweld Potion. "All right, my dear students, you may get started!"

The class buzzed around as students stood up from their seats to collect ingredients and find the steps in the textbook.

"Hey, er...Lily, can I talk to you?" Severus asked, standing over Lily. Lily had moved seats next to Marlene in Potions class to avoid talking to Severus, whom she was quite disappointed in at the moment.

However, once she saw Severus timidly looking at her again, she felt the usual return of sentiment. "Not, now, Severus. After class, I suppose."

Severus relaxed, "Thanks."

"No need to thank me," Lily said briskly, standing up to go collect the potions ingredients.

Severus watched after her.

"Uh, you can leave now," Marlene said, her face tight and her tone demanding.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Marlene glared after him as he scurried away to his station with the Slytherins. She didn't understand why Lily kept giving the boy chances. He wa rude, sour, impolite, and quite frankly, not the most attractive. Marlene could not find anything to like about the boy, and she simply did not understand what Lily saw in him.

"Hey, Marly! I'm back with the ingredients!" Lily chortled, her arms stuffed with different potions supplies.

"Oi! Marlene! Have you started the potion yet? We need some help!" Sirius called.

Before Marlene could even open her mouth, Lily was scolding the boys. "No, Black, we haven't started our potion yet. And as for help, you should be doing it on your own. However, I will give you one piece of advice. Perhaps you should start off by getting your ingredients!"

"Geez, Evans. Calm down," James said.

"Shut up, Potter!"

"Chill out!"

"I said, shut up!"

"Woah, ho, Evans! Let's settle down a bit, huh?" Slughorn chuckled.

Lily shot a glare at James and then said, "Yes, Professor. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, my girl," Slughorn laughed, as he strode along once again past the other students.

James and Sirius stuck their tongues out and made googly faces at Lily now.

Lily set her jaw, and turned around to start forcefully dunking her ingredients into the cauldron.

"Woah!" Marlene said as Lily began stirring the potion aggressively. "Calm down, there, Lils!"

"I am calm," Lily said stiffly, her hands clenching the stirring rod as it clanged against the cauldron.

Marlene opened her mouth to protest, but figured it would not do much for Lily.

"Hey, Evans!" James yelled. "You're making a bit of a ruckus, there! Stir a little more gently, won't you?"

Marlene watched in horror, sure that Lily was going to pop her teeth out from how hard she was clenching them. "Ignore them, Lils...they're just little prats."

"Funny you're friends with them."

Marlene shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose I like having prats as friends. I mean, look at you!"

At this, Lily finally relaxed a bit and laughed. "I suppose I am a prat, sometimes, aren't I?"

Marlene giggled. "We all are, but none of us are as big of prats as those four are." She pointed at James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who were scrambling around their cauldrons, frantically trying to organize their ingredients and stir the potion while looking at the instructions.

Lily wanted to laugh just watching them. "Their potions skills are rather pathetic, aren't they?"

"Oh, yes," Marlene chuckled. "Seems as if that's their only weakness, though."

Lily bit her lip, because she was sure she could easily debate that with a load of evidence.

When class finished, Lily had once again, recieved full marks on their potion, much to Marlene's relief, who had not been doing as well as her friend in the class.

Lily walked outside of the classroom, and Severus caught up with her from behind. "Hey, Lily...so can we talk?"

Lily sighed. "I suppose."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said after the quidditch match. It wasn't very nice. Can you please just be friends with me again?"

Lily looked at him long and hard. "Why would you wanna be friends with a bobblehead?"

"Look, I didn't mean that! I just said it!"

"You sure? Because you sure seemed like you meant it when you said it."

"Well, I didn't mean it. Please, Lily! Please! I just want to be friends with you again...I just want you to talk to me again…"

Lily glared at him, at his pitiful, sallow face, and sighed. "I suppose. But, Sev, please stop acting so horrible. If you keep it up, I certainly will not be friends with you anymore."

Severus seemed elated. "Of course, Lily! Thank you, thanks!"

"No need to thank friends," Lily smiled.

Severus felt as if his little heart would burst out of his chest. "Right!"

"What'd you have next period?"

"Oh, break period. And then Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Ah...your favorite class, right?"

"I suppose...although I kind of wish they would teach more about the dark arts themselves...just so we know how to defend ourselves," Severus added the last part quickly under Lily's furrowed eyebrows.

"You sure about that, Snivelly?" James voice came from the cluster of four boys leaning against the wall close to Severus and Lily. "You say you only want to learn the dark arts to defend others, but I'm sure you're only saying that to please Evans," James sniggered.

"Oh, stop it, Potter! If anything, I'm sure you're the one interested in the dark arts! What, with all your hexes and jinxes…"

"Hey!" James snapped, rather sharply for his normally relaxed demeanor. "I am not interested in the dark arts! Hexes and jinxes are nothing even close to that of what Snivelly buries his greasy nose in at the library every night!"

"What are you—" Snape started.

"You know what I'm talking about, Snivelly. I know how many books you've borrowed from the library over the dark arts."

"They're...They're all defence against the dark arts books. And what have you been doing? Spying on me?"

"Oh, please, Snivellus. As if anyone cares enough about you to spy."

"Just shut up, already, Potter!" Lily fumed. "Can you try, for once, to stop sticking your nose into everyone else's business?"

"Oh, you're one to talk, Evans."

Lily's cheeks were flaming red now, and before she knew it, Severus had drawn his wand. "Don't talk to Lily like that!"

James drew out his wand as well. "Don't talk to me like that."

Lily's eyes widened. "Stop it! Both of you!"

"Get out of the way, Lily," Snape snarled.

James spun his wand quickly through his fingers and then pointed it at Severus again. "Fancy a duel, then, Snivelly? Bet you won't even be able to make it through two spells!"

"Oh, stop it, both of you! First years like you two! There's no way you two can duel without being pathetic at it!" Lily tried desperately to get them to drop their wands. She turned to Severus. "Please, Sev!"

Severus ignored her with difficulty, and Sirius drew his wand as well. "Get out of the way, Evans."

"Too scared to go one on one, Potter?" Severus snickered.

"Oh, please, Snivelly. Drop your wand, Sirius. I can do this on my own—"

"Flipendo!" Sirius yelled, catching Severus off guard.

The spell hit Severus on his right shoulder, and he was sent cascading and then slammed into a wall.

"Oh, my god!" Lily shrieked. "Professor told us not to practice defence against the dark arts spells on each other!" Lily started towards Severus, but he stirred, and then crawled back up, but not before James and Sirius had already advanced on him.

"Stop it, James and Sirius! You're going to get in trouble!" Remus begged.

"Nothing new," James responded calmly.

Remus looked panicked.

"Got anything for us, Severus? Or are you too scared?"

Shakily, Severus brought up his wand, but not before Sirius cast another knockback jinx at him.

Lily was crying now, gasping "Stop! Stop! Please, stop!" between shaky breaths.

Peter was cheering on James and Sirius, who were now taking their turns at throwing basic jinxes and hexes at Severus.

However, before Remus barely disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Professor Slughorn had squeezed out of his classroom and was blubbering to stop the fight, looking a little shocked. "Boys! Boys!"

Immediately, James and Sirius lowered their wands. Severus leaned against the wall, barely starting to raise his wand.

"James, Sirius! What were you—"

He looked between the three boys, still looking rather confused and surprised. He had barely opened his mouth, when the click-click of boots came briskly down the hallway.

"What—in the name of Merlin is going on here?" McGonagall asked shrilly, her lips thin and eyes icy as ever. Behind her, Remus hid, looking rather embarrassed, and quite frankly, scared, of showing himself to James and Sirius.

"Potter, Black! I suppose this is your doing again?"

"Sorry, professor! I'm not sure how it happened—"

"Quiet, Potter! Don't try to act innocent! Your show will not work on me! Detention, for a week, everyday, both of you! Horace, take Snape to the hospital wing, and he shall earn one detention as well. Fifty points from Gryffindor!"

"Of course, Minerva," Slughorn stuttered, as he placed his hands around Severus and tried to help him up.

Severus shrug him off, but after wincing when putting pressure on his leg, Slughorn had to heave him up and drag him down the corridor.

"Potter, Black, Pettigrew, follow me," McGonagall ordered. "You as well, Evans."

Lily paled in shock and fear. "Me?" She squeaked. "But, professor—"

"I know you have not done anything wrong, Evans. However, I must need a witness."

Terrified, James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter followed McGonagall to her office.

When they reached her office, McGonagall sat down in her chair, and with a flick of her wand, conjured up four chairs on the other side of the desk. "Sit."

Immediately, the students obeyed. Lily did not even squirm at the fact that she had to sit next to James.

McGonagall pushed basket in front of the students. "Have a biscuit, you four," she sighed.

They all looked startled, and when none of them moved, McGonagall repeated, "Have a biscuit, now."

Confused, they each reached out a hand tentatively, grabbed a biscuit, and took a small bit out of it.

"I am extremely disappointed in you four. Yes, even you, Evans," McGonagall said as Lily flinched in protest. "Never did I dream that Gryffindors would behave in this manner. Attacking your own, fellow students? I believe I am being quite generous by only giving you three a detention for one week. As for you, Evans? Why didn't you get me, or any other professor sooner? If you had, I might've been able to save Mr. Snape a few injuries."

Lily began to weep. "I'm sorry, Professor! I-I knew I sh-sh-should've done something, but I was just so s-scared! I didn't know what to do! A-and poor Sev!" She suddenly whipped around and glared loathingly at the boys through her tears. "How could you? You three must be mental, hurting him like that!"

"Calm down, Evans," McGonagall said. "Calm your tears, and have another biscuit."

"B-but I haven't even f-finished my first—"

"Have another biscuit, Evans."

Reluctantly, Lily took another biscuit, unsure what to do with it.

"Now, Evans, please tell me exactly what happened after potions class."

Lily began telling the story, with a few protests in between from James and Sirius. When she finished, McGonagall sighed deeply. "Boys, I am very disappointed in you, and I hope after your punishment, you do learn your lesson. Please, do not shame the Gryffindor house again." She peered down at the three boys, James and Sirius sitting tall and proud, Peter hunched up looking terrified. "Marauders, you boys are, running around the castle hexing fellow students. Absolute, little marauders, you boys are. Know what that means?"

The three boys shook their heads.

"The term marauder means," McGonagall started with a sigh, "One who roams around, attacking and raiding others. Sound familiar?"

The boys did not answer, but instead squirmed in their seats.

"Ah...I thought precisely that," McGonagall said. "Well, then, meet me for detention right after dinner everyday for this next week. You are not to miss it, under any circumstances. Understood?" The boys gave her a feeble nod. "As for you, Evans, please watch over Mister Snape for me, and your fellow Gryffindors as well. I hope that we will not have another incident like this. Is that clear?"

"Of course, Professor," Lily answered.

"All right, then. You may leave," McGonagall said, and the students got up out of their seats and eagerly slipped out of McGonagall's office.

"Minnie's a bit mad, isn't she?" Sirius joked.

"How dare you?" Lily hissed. "You have no respect, Black, and I pity you for that!" She huffed angrily, and then turned on her heel and scurried down the corridor towards Gryffindor tower.

"Reckon Evans is a bit mad as well, no?" Sirius added.

"I got it!" James yelped excitedly, suddenly.

"What? Detention?" Peter grunted.

"No, Peter! Well, I guess yes, actually, but at the same time, no! What I mean is, I've got a name for us!"

"What is it?" Peter asked excitedly.

"We are the...Marauders! Didn't it sound rather cool when McGonagall said it back there?"

"Yes!" Peter agreed enthusiastically.

"Good with me," Sirius added.

"I'm sure Remus will love it as well!" James chortled. "Perfect, the Marauders we are!"

And with that, the three boys cheerily doddled down the corridor after Lily. It was then, one can suppose, that the reign of the Marauders truly began.