Under the Birch Tree, By the Lake, Hogwarts.

'Hes a git James, we've known that since third year,' said Sirius as he leaned his head to rest on the trunk of the tree behind him.

Beside him, James sighed in frustration.

'Why are you letting him get to you?' he continued, 'Its never bothered you before.'

Remus hummed in agreement as he flipped the page of the battered book that he was reading. Peter sat a little closer to the edge of the lake, throwing rocks into its glimmering surface out of boredom as he listened to his friends talk.

'I am not letting him get to me,' insisted James with a glare directed towards his grey-eyed friend, who only scoffed in return.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Remus beat him to the punch, 'What happened this time?'

James ran his hand through his raven locks as he scoffed, 'The git had the audacity to threaten me. Its like he's looking to be bullied again. Why did we stop anyways?'

'He became a boring subject,' said Peter with a slight shrug. 'Always reacted the same way: screaming he'd get his revenge but never following through on his threats.'

'Which is why you shouldn't take his recent threat to heart. It's not like he's going to actually do anything to challenge our authority,' murmured Remus, brows furrowing as he struggled to keep track of the conversation whilst trying to read.

'I know that,' snapped James. 'But where does he come off, threatening me? Is he really that daft, or have our pranks finally driven him to the brink of insanity?'

'Maybe he's finally gained some Gryffindor courage,' Sirius smirked sardonically.

'That snake is a witless pansy. I have no idea why he was sorted there in the first place.'

'Everyone knows he did it for Lily,' said Peter, standing up to walk over towards them as he tired of creating ripples in the water.

'Lil- hold up,' said James as he sat up straighter. The hazel-eyed fifteen year old pushed his circular glasses further up his nose, 'He mentioned a Lily when he attempted to intimidate me into submission.'

Sirius scoffed at the very idea.

James continued with interest, 'Who is she?'

'Lily Evans,' said Remus, lifting his head to address his friend.

'The redhead?' asked Sirius with a somewhat curious tone as he struggled to sit up.

'That's the one,' confirmed Remus, 'She's a fellow prefect. We sometimes have rounds together.'

'I've seen her around the common room,' admitted Sirius, 'She's always hanging out with Snape.'

James turned his mouth down in disgust. Sirius continued, 'Never understood why though. They seem like polar opposites. Hes a slimy git who associates with nobody, which everyone is thankful for, and she's the opposite. I reckon she's mostly on good terms with everyone, and can throw a mean Bat Bogey Hex if you insult her or anyone she cares about. No doubt as to why she's in Gryffindor.'

'What exactly did Snape say about her?' asked Remus, turning to face James as he dog-eared the page he was currently reading and set his book down on the grass.

The trunk of the tree came into contact with James head as he leaned back, his eyes trailing the branches as they spiraled away from the center of the tree, 'Told me to stay away from her, as though I'm the one corrupting her with my presence,' he said with a roll of his eyes.

Sirius turned to face him with a devilish grin, 'It'd be such a pity to give him what he wants.'

James matched his grin with a smirk of his own.

Peter's brows furrowed, 'What exactly do you have in mind?'

'Oh, come, Wormtail. We're going to give Evans exactly what every other girl at Hogwarts wants: A chance with dear old Prongs.'

The setting sun illuminated James' hazel orbs as he trained his gaze to the lake, 'Hold on to your heart, Evans, cause I'm coming to break it'

A/N: I do fear that last line was incredibly cheesy.

In the prologue you may have assumed that Sirius and James would end up in Slytherin with Remus going to Hufflepuff, but that's not the case. All the Marauders are in different houses: James is in Slytherin, Sirius is in Gryffindor, Remus is in Ravenclaw and Peter is in Hufflepuff. As the story unfolds, you'll see exactly why I sorted them this way, and how the houses affect their personalities and relationships. Severus and Lily are in Gryffindor along with Sirius.

I'll be posting companion pieces to add depth to the story and provide different perspectives. The first one will be written in the point of view of the Sorting Hat, explaining why everyone was sorted differently as well as providing glimpses into their character.

Reviews are always appreciated!

Go treat yourself to a cookie, you deserve it.

Elizabeth Blossom: I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

excessivelyperky: That's not quite how I'm intending the story to fold out. I'm intending for the narration to be a little bit unreliable, so that there's more humanization to the story. The story's being told mainly through James' point of view, and what he sees and hears is not necessarily true. The truth will eventually come out, though it'll be inconspicuous and will be subtly refuting James' perception of the world. Thankyou for reviewing! :)