They set their sights on dying Umbridge's clothes next. That was the final prank the Marauders and Lily intended on doing before the Easter Holidays.
While the plan was being fine tuned, Lily and Remus had gotten a head start on the language and speaking spells.
"You'd better have it mastered by April Fools, I want to use those on Dumbledore," Sirius informed them.
"Sure, we'll try," Remus said.
"But we're testing it on you," Lily added.
"Why?"
"Well, no one else has volunteered, and you want it done."
"Well, Evans, I never volunteered, so-"
"Sirius!" James shouted from across the room, "What's Mars covered in? I wasn't paying attention in Astronomy last night!"
Sirius sighed. "I'll discuss this with you later," he said, then turned to James. "I'm coming, mate."
Three days later, they were ready to sneak into Umbridge's office.
"So, you guys remember the plan?" Lily checked.
"Yeah. I'm lookout," said Peter.
"I break into the office," said Remus.
"I use the dye," said James.
"I'm doing the sticking charm," said Sirius.
"I'll be in class taking notes," finished Lily.
"We're ready," James said.
When it was time for D.A.D.A, Lily was the only one that went to class. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter made their way to Umbridge's office.
"You have the dye?" Peter asked them, taking his position.
Sirius nodded and slipped a package out of his robe pocket.
Remus lifted his wand. "Alohomora."
The door creaked open with a rusty squeal and they were in.
"Where are her clothes?" James hissed.
"In her dresser," Remus said.
"And where's that?"
"Probably in her room."
"And where's her room?"
"I'm guessing it's through that door."
"What door?"
Remus pointed to a small section of the wallpaper that seemed to be peeling. It was the one space in the room not covered by kitten plates.
"How'd you find that?" Sirius asked.
"I looked," Remus said, a little smugly.
James moves to push on the wallpaper. With little prodding, it swung forward, revealing a doorway.
Inside Umbridge's room, there was a small dresser, a bed, a teakettle, and, not surprisingly, more kitten plates.
"Bloody hell, she's sure obsessed," Sirius noted, eyes widening. "I didn't think anyone could own that many plates, much less cat ones."
"I know, it's mad," James agreed.
"James? Don't you have clothes to be ruining?" Remus asked.
"Right. Mate, pass me the dye."
Sirius passed him the box of clothes dye.
James grinned. "Brilliant."
Umbridge's dresser drawers were ransacked as James squirted different colors of dye onto each garment.
It didn't take long before the floor was covered in multicolored hues.
"Use more green, make her look like a toad," Sirius urged.
"No, use blue," Remus said.
James emptied the bottles of dye within ten minutes.
"Now my turn," Sirius said. He pulled out his wand and began casting the sticking charm on each piece of clothing.
"Go faster, we need to get out of here before she comes back," Remus said.
"We still have a half hour, we're fine," James said.
"Still, we don't have a lot of time."
"Well, she's not getting this out," Sirius declared confidently. "I just need a few more minutes."
Fifteen minutes later, Sirius had used the sticking charm twice on each garment.
"I'm done, now we just have to fold it and put it back," he said.
"Brilliant," James said. "So how does that work?"
"You don't know how to fold?" Remus asked.
"No, my mum used magic," James explained.
"I can't either, we have a house elf," Sirius huffed.
"You know?" James said desperately.
"Yeah, here, I'll teach you," Remus said.
It took approximately eleven minutes and forty-seven seconds for them to fold and put away all the clothes. It took an extra fifteen seconds for Sirius to scribble 'Courtesy of the Marauders.' They rushed outside the room and office just as classes ended.
"Oh, good. You're done," Peter said when he saw them. "It worked?"
"Yeah. She'll look like a poisonous dart frog," Sirius said.
"Poisonous dart frogs aren't seven different colors," Remus pointed out.
Sirius had nothing to say to that.
At lunch, they received a rare visit from Lily Evans.
"Did it work?" she asked.
"Yeah," James said.
"Great," Lily said.
"Would you go out with James for a celebration?" Sirius joked, smirking.
"Sod off, Black," Lily told him, though her voice lack some of its usual venom.
"Is that a yes?" James asked hopefully.
"It's a no, Potter," Lily said. With that, she left them to go sit by Marlene and Alice.
"She didn't sound as angry this time," Remus noticed.
"There's still hope!" James said, grinning.
"You know what Dumbledore said," Sirius reminded them, "'If you and Minerva work, than James and Lily have a chance.'"
"Were those his exact words?" Remus asked.
"Yes they were," Sirius said. "Now, pass the pie, Peter."
"But I'm eating the pie!" Peter protested.
"Well, pass the rest of it then!"
"I'm eating the rest of it!"
"You owe me, Peter! You stole my eggs!"
"That was a story for Umbridge's class," Remus reminded him.
Sirius didn't relent. "Pass the pie already!"
Peter didn't pass the pie.
Lily and the Marauders were waiting anxiously for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Marauders waited for Umbridge's expression; Lily waited to see if she had gotten away clean.
They both got what they wanted.
Umbridge stormed in looking as though she had been in a very intense game of Muggle paintball. Her clothes were splattered with ivy greens, crystal blues, blood reds, bright oranges, sunlit yellows, stormy greys, and violent purples.
The class didn't know what to make of it. They sat, silent, until a girl in the back row began to chuckle.
The chuckle turned to laughter.
The laughter became a deafening roar that drowned out Umbridge's threats.
"It was from the Marauders! I'll get you, I'll expose you! You will be punished!" she screamed.
No one heard her.
"It worked!" James said happily.
No one heard him either.
"She'll be out of here in no time!" Sirius said blissfully.
"And I'm not in trouble!" Lily said, exhilarated, then quietly added as an afterthought, "That wasn't half bad, planning it. It was rather fun, actually."
If the class had heard her, they would think she'd gone mad. Lily Evans, causing trouble?
The realization she had admitted was lost in the laughter.
The exhilaration in causing chaos and getting away with it had grown on her. Her first prank!
If she could help it, it wouldn't be her last.