AN: Hey guys! I forgot to mention that the scenes will be pretty short clips just to get the gist of what's going on until Lily and James' stories truly combine. There will be another Year Two chapter with more Jily stuff, but this one is strictly Marauder content.

I hope you enjoy it, and please review!

Year Two

James' POV

"Don't you think it's weird?"
"Wha?" Peter asked through a mouth stuffed with turkey. It was lunch time in the Great Hall and the boys had relative privacy because of the chatter.

"That Lupin keeps disappearing every few weeks? His mum can't be that ill, she'd have died already!"

Peter looked at James skeptically but didn't comment.

"Okay, fine. What do you think Sirius?" James turned to him instead.

"Huh?" Sirius tore his eyes away from Ajita Rubbi sitting at the Ravenclaw table. "What?"

"She's fit," James nodded in approval. "But back to Remus."

"Super weird," Sirius nodded. "What d'you think he's really up to?"

"Why do you think he's up to something?" Peter asked.

"Don't be thick, Peter. Of course he's up to something," James said. He rubbed his hands together. "We just have to know what."

"I say we follow him." Sirius took a bite of roll and stared again at the Ravenclaw table.

James' eyes danced with mischief. "And I have just the thing."

James whipped off the cloak once they were safely inside their dorm room.

"I can't believe it."

"Me neither!"

"Oh Merlin, I'm going to be sick."

"He's a - !"

"I know!"

"Did you see his fangs?" James said. "Wicked."

"Those claws." Sirius agreed. "Love to whip some of those out when I need 'em. Maybe scare old Snivellus with them." He rubbed his hands together mischievously and James chuckled.

The three had just gotten back from their alarming yet thrilling discovery. Peter was pale and kept clutching his stomach. "You don't think his transformations are that bad every month, do you?" He shuddered, remembering Remus' skin being torn off by Remus himself.

James furrowed his eyebrows. "You know, I dunno. Maybe they are . . ."

"That's awful . . . " Peter whimpered.

"Hey, maybe there's something we can do for him. Y'know, to help," James suggested.

Sirius snorted. "Like what? Get bit?"

"I'm serious. Maybe there's something we can do."

Sirius looked at him skeptically. "We don't know anything about werewolves James."

James thought for a minute, pacing. He mused his hair. "A-ha!" He whipped around causing the other two to jump.

"What?" Peter asked timidly.

"Let's sneak into the library into the Restricted Section and dig up what we can about werewolves."

Sirius sat up in his bed, catching on. "And figure out a way to help him," he said excitedly. "Maybe we can, I dunno, go with him or something."
"Or maybe we can cure him - nobody's done that before!"

Peter looked between the two.

"C'mon, let's go!"

James held out the cloak once more and the other two followed. By the time Remus Lupin returned to his dorm the next day, tired and sickly pale, his three roommates had concocted a plan.

The door slowly opened to reveal the three hunched over on Sirius's bed with books spread across it. They all looked up and stopped talking when they saw him.

Remus paused. "What?" he asked apprehensively.

Sirius and James exchanged a look and split into grins.

"RUN!" James shouted. The Charms Room exploded in gold and red smoke. Colored feathers poured out of the room along with the paint-stained first years. They coughed and sputtered, choking on feathers and smoke.

"MR. POTTER! MR. BLACK!"

"Uh-oh." Sirius and James screeched to a halt in front of Professor McGonagall, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She looked at them down her glasses so sternly James thought they might crack. He hid one hand behind his back and chuckled nervously.

"H-Hey Professor -"

"Mister Potter!" McGonagall barked and the boys jumped. "Do you care to tell me what just happened?"
James gave a nervous grin. "First year prank?"

McGonagall narrowed her eyes.
"And it wouldn't have anything to do with the Quidditch game against Ravenclaw tomorrow, would it? Seeing as a group of Ravenclaw first years are now painted red and gold?"

Sirius stuck his hands in his pockets. "Might have something to do with that, your honor."

McGonagall gave him a look and said, "Ten points each and an evening of detention. As it is poor Professor Flitwick whose class was ruined, you can serve it with him."

Professor Flitwick was the last out of class, sputtering and sporting a beard that was half red and half gold.

"Nice of you to show your sportsmanship, Professor," James grinned. His smile dropped when he saw McGonagall's expression. "You're lucky the team needs you, Mister Potter," McGonagall said. "I have half a mind to schedule your detention during the match."

"But Professor!"

"Professor, you can't!"

McGonagall held up her hand for silence.

"Seeing as it would be a shame to let down our captain again after Mister Patil needed replacing," she said, "I will not do that. But be warned." She started to turn away, paused, then looked once more at James.

"What is behind your back, Mister Potter?"

"Nothing" Sirius and James said hastily.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and held out her hand.

They shared a grimacing look and James revealed the Snitch clutched in his hand behind his back.

"I was going to put it back . . ." James muttered.

McGonagall cast her eyes heavenward. "Why am I surprised? You're a bunch of meandering marauders, the lot of you." She took the Snitch and turned on her heels, her skirts swooshing behind her.

Sirius frowned. "How'd she get here so fast? It's like she knew where we were. Wish we could do that. Eyes like a hawk, that one."

James stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked a fallen feather. "Let's go find the others," he said.

It didn't take them long - Remus was studying in the library and sitting across from him was a disgruntled Peter, scratching out lines every so often and looking down hopelessly at his parchment.

Sirius plopped down next to Remus. "You lot going to be in here all day?"

Remus glanced up from his writing. "Some of us study."

James took the other seat and smirked. "Some of us don't have to."

Remus stuck out his tongue.

"Oh come on, Lupin, you should've come. You know you enjoyed it last week when we rearranged the Hufflepuff's furniture," Sirius coaxed. Remus smiled a little.

"Or caused the Slytherin's couch to sting them every time someone sat down," James added.

Peter smiled wistfully at the memory. "That was the craziest thing I've ever done," he said. James and Sirius grinned.

"Care for another adventure?" Sirius asked.

Remus hesitated.

"Suppose I am . . . What would we be doing?"

"Here's what we're thinking," Sirius leaned in close. "We need to figure out how to get into the Ravenclaw common room. It's the only one left."

"And then during the game you lot decorate their common room to red and gold," James added.

"But how do we get in?" Peter asked.

"Easy," James shrugged. "Follow someone under the cloak. That's how Sirius and I found out how to get into Slytherin."

"Bloody useful, that," Sirius commented.

"How'd you get into Hufflepuff? Same way?" Peter asked.

James snorted. "Like you need to be sneaky to get into Hufflepuff. They might as well have a banner that says Enter Here: All Visitors Welcome."

"We've got to keep track of this somehow," Peter said. "Maybe we should write some of it down."

"No that's too obvious," Remus finally joined the conversation and James and Sirius exchanged knowing smirks.

"Oh yeah?" James asked. "What do you suggest? You're the brains of this operation."

Remus thought about it for a minute. "How 'bout a map?"

"A map?" Sirius echoed. "Why'd we create a map? Anyone could snatch it. It's the same as writing it down, isn't it?"

"An invisible map," James eye sparkled at the possibility.

"Great," Sirius rolled his eyes. "And how do you propose we read this invisible map?"

"No, no, it's a real thing. I've heard my dad talk about this at work," James continued. "They have invisible ink, see? It just came out. An incantation makes it appear."

"But where would we get it?" Sirius asked.

"We order it saying we're Professor Slughorn or something, they'll send it for a teacher."

"Could this actually work?"

"What's the incantation?"

"Let's do it!" said Peter.

James eyed all three of them, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Mates," he said, "I think we're on to something."

"We need a name," Sirius blurted out. "Something that goes with 'map.' The Meddlers?"

"Ehh . . ."

"The Moppers!" Peter piped up. "'Cause we mop up the competition! . . . What?" He shrunk at the other's reaction.

"The 'Moppers.'" James deadpanned.

"Well . . . What've you got?"

James turned to Lupin.

"Say, Remus, what's a 'marauder?'"