Disclaimer: I own nothing I tell you! NOTHING!

Summary: Most people assume we were friends the moment we walked into the dorm rooms… this was not the case. How did the Marauders become friends? And why does all the credit go to Bella?

So this is just an interesting little story I thought of while avoiding homework… thought I might right it down!

How in the World?

Most people assume we were friends the moment we walked into the dorm rooms. They never think about a time before the four of us were best friends. However there was a time, a time when we weren't friends, when we didn't know more than each other's names. The day that we really became friends was one that we shall never forget…

"Welcome students!" The headmaster's voice carried across the great hall echoing in the corners and making the first years start at the pure loudness. "Welcome to Hogwarts! I am very excited to be starting a new year with all of you! However before we begin the wonderful feast I have a few announcements..."

"Oy! Stop that!" the voice was so quiet that no one heard it but the dark haired boy the statement was being directed at.

"Sorry." Came the whispered response, he stopped twitching his arm. The boy who had first spoken flicked his own dark hair out of his eyes and moved his foot causing it to accidentally collided with another.

Next to the dark haired boy sat a smaller boy with light hair. He looked at the taller boy for a second, a frightened look crossing his face as he wondered if the kick had been on purpose. Then he turned back, his eyes set firmly on the front of the hall as if seeking reassurance.

Unfortunately as he turned he knocked into the boy sitting on the opposite side of him. This boy had light hair as well, though darker in perspective. He lets out a soft yelp as the others boys knee connects with his back; however he remains looking to the headmaster soaking in every word.

These four boys were the new Gryffindor first years. None of which knew what crazy adventures awaited them….

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Sirius was scowling, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes so he could take in the situation better. Being a tall boy whose hair was constantly falling into his grey eyes, Sirius Black looked like a boy who was always looking for trouble and blaming it on that fact that trouble found him.

"Move Bella." He growled at his older cousin and her friend. Friend, the word stung even to think about. Sirius was beginning to wonder if it might not have been better to get sorted into Slytherin, maybe the people in the house would have wanted to be friends with him.

"What's the matter Coz?"Bella asked "not liking your house? Wishing you were like the rest of us?"

Sirius growled again. He did not want to be like Bella, not at all. Sirius had taken after her sister Andromeda, but she had left the school ages ago.

"Move Bell." Sirius said again using the nickname he knew she hated, his hands where clenched. Bella noticed this and grinned.

"You going to hit a girl, Sirius? I thought even you would know better than that."

Sirius' fists clenched harder but his face relaxed and he said "No, but I heard you have no problem with hitting people. Tell me did you hit Mitch because he dumped you, or did he dump you because you gave him a black eye?"

Suddenly Bella's wand was pointed in the middle of his chest. He felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his head, he knew what kind of spells Bella knew.

"Where'd did you hear that Sirius? One of your little friends?" Bella didn't miss the look that crossed Sirius face.

"Well, well, well… what's this Sirius? Not getting along with your classmates? We should teach them a lesson shouldn't we. Not treating our little Sirius nicely."

Sirius glared at her. He knew what she was playing at. Back home whenever Regulus had gotten upset Bella would make sure it seemed that it was all Sirius fault. Over the years Bella had succeeded in driving a fierce wedge between the two brothers. She was going to attempt to do that with the other poeple in his dorm, not that there wasn't enough of a wedge already.

"In fact," Bella was saying "here is one of your little Gryffindor friends…."

()

Remus Lupin was walking down the corridor his book bag slung over his shoulder. Remus was a small boy; someone had once said that if you waved a fan at him, he would have gone flying. Remus was one of the shortest in the entire school, he had light brown hair, pale skin, light eyes and skinny legs, a relativly normal looking kid. However it was the scars littering the boy's face that made people stop and look twice.

Remus stopped for a moment and peered out the window at the rain that was hitting the frame. He was feeling exceptionally lonely. Remus and the other three boys he shared a dorm with had not gotten along very well. It was not that they hated each other or anything, it was just they were all so different that it seemed that they would never have anything in common.

Tearing his eyes from the window he started down the corridor again. Turning a corner he heard and saw something that made him stop dead, feeling dread wash through him.

"Here is one of your little Gryffindor friends!"

()

James Potter was a tall boy with short dark hair, which stood up in every direction, his hazel eyes where hidden behind round wire rimmed glasses and his skin was freckled from too much sun over the summer.

However though James had the look of a boy who was always cheerful, he was not happy. James Potter couldn't help but think that he had somehow been cheated. His father had told him that he had made the best of friends when he and gone to school, in fact he was still friends with the kids he had gone to school with.

But James unlike his father hadn't made any friends. The boys he shared all his classes with, and whom he shared a room with didn't seem to want to make friends.

Sighing James continued to walk down the corridor, suddenly he heard a yelp from the passageway to the left. Turning he stopped dead as he heard a voice.

Facing away from him was his roommate Sirius Black, as well as Sirius' older cousin Bellatrix. Bella had her wand pointed at his other roommate Remus Lupin who was standing dead still.

James felt a pounding furry within him. He hadn't thought Sirius had been that bad, he didn't seem like all the stories he had heard about the Blacks. Yet here he was, watching his cousin torment the smaller student.

James was about to intervene when Bella's friend spoke. She had seen James watching the scene and was now aiming her own wand at him saying "Look Bella another one."

Bella turned a smirk alighting her face. This day was getting better and better, her boyfriend may have dumped her but she was about to make her miserable little cousin regret ruining the family tradition.

"My, my Sirius maybe I was wrong, you seemed to have some friends that I didn't know about." She said with a sneer. It was only then that James realized Sirius didn't seem to be moving. Someone had put a leg locking curse on him.

()

Peter Pettigrew tripped for the fourth time that afternoon. Nimbly the boy picked himself up. Brushing off his robes he wondered if it was his own fault had he was walking along down the corridor alone.

Peter had light hair and though a little large he wasn't huge. At 5'3 ½ Peter had been teased when he was younger about being short, he wondered if that was why the other boys dorm didn't seem to notice him. 'But that Remus kid is a bit shorter than me.' Peter thought falling down again. 'though he doesn't talk much.'

During the last few days Peter had tried to make conversation with the other boys. However the little conversations they had, had been awkward and forced.

Peter continued to walk down the hallways lost in thought, when he saw someone.

Facing away from Peter stood, Remus Lupin. Peter walked forward and (for a sixth time) Peter fell down.

Sirius whipped his head from where James stood to where Remus was; he saw that behind the smaller boy was Peter Pettigrew who had fallen on his face making a loud clunk on the floor.

At the appearance of the fourth first year Bella and her friend turned their attention from James and Sirius.

"Another one? Really Sirius I didn't think you had actually made friends, yet here they all are as if looking for you." Bella sounded a little too cheerful as she looked at Remus.

James suddenly realized that he could leave; no one was looking at him. He could sneak away. However just as he was about to sneak back to his room, he caught the eyes of Sirius Black. Sirius was looking him meaningfully not saying anything (even though it was only a leg locking curse) he didn't want to draw his cousin's attention.

Then James realized he was motioning to his legs and mouthing something. James for a second didn't understand his face showed confusion but he took a step nearer the boy.

Sirius shook his head when he saw this and again mouthed something nodding to his legs.

Understanding dawned on James, he drew his wand.

()

Remus Lupin was wondering if maybe he was wrong and that coming to Hogwarts hadn't been a good idea. He was not really looking forward to whatever the third year was planning on doing to him.

Behind him Peter was struggling to his feet, his eyes wide looking terrified but not moving as a wand was now pointed at him.

Remus full attention was focused on the wand on the older girl's hand. However movement from behind her made his eyes flicker.

He saw James Potter swish his wand through the air and mutter something. Then he saw Sirius Black stand up.

Neither of the older students had noticed, their whole attention focused on himself and Peter.

Remus' mind was moving quickly, but before he could come up with an idea he Bella started a spell.

Before the spell could be finished Remus ducked, the spell went shooting over his head. Still ducking he ran passed her towards James and Sirius, who both had their wands out pointed at Bella.

Bella turning smirked "Going to fight me Sirius?"

"I've done it before." Sirius said, he tried not to think about all those time he had lost the battle. Beside him he felt James stiffen, it was only their second week, and they didn't know any spells to help them with this.

Bella smirked.

What followed next wasn't something any of them were able to explain. Bella's spell came shooting right at Sirius. The dark hair boy had been pulled down by James who was ducking from a spell from Bella's friend. On James other side Remus had fallen from when James' arm had hit him.

Bella stood over the three boys and laughed, she wasn't going to do anything bad to them really, she just loved making her little cousin squirm.

"Sirius, Sirius…" She started, her wand pointed at him again. But before she could continue something grabbed her leg. Bella crashed to the ground, Peter had dived at her legs just as she was about to make Sirius day a lot worse.

"Why you little…." She started again rolling over searching for her wand. James saw her wand laying a foot away and made a snatch for it. However Retia, Bella's friend, snatched it up before the boy could. James' hand came down and grabbed the girls arm.

Retia sneered at him and tried to pull her arm away, James hung on and was dragged across the floor.

Meanwhile Sirius was struggling to get out from under Bella, for the cousin had fallen on him when Peter had grabbed her legs.

Remus' pulled his own leg out from under Peter causing Retia to trip as she back up, still with James holding onto her.

Before anyone knew what had happened the whole lot of them where in a huge pile on the floor struggling and kicking, not knowing who they were hitting or where their wands where.

Bella finally managed to get up, pulling Retia up with her the two girls took off down the corridor laughing at the stupidity of first years, forgetting to grab their own wands in the process.

Sirius pushed Peter off him; Peter lay on the floor panting. Next to him Remus leaned against the wall looking paler than normal. James was next to Remus rubbing his head where it had hit the floor when Retia had fallen.

For a moment the four just stared at each other, all looking as if wondering what happened now.

Then it started, none of them knew who laughed first but soon the four boys where rolling on the floor. Tears were pouring down their face, their sides hurt and they still didn't know where their wands where.

Footsteps were heard, coming to a stop at Remus Lupins head. Professor Dumbledore looked down at the boy his eyes twinkling. "You boys alright?"

Instead of calming down the boys sat up looked at each other, then to the headmaster, and then back at each other and starting to laugh all over again. This time even harder.

Dumbledore chuckled stepped over James Potter, and walked down to dinner.

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It was from that moment they became friends. After the four had managed to control themselves and sort out their wands they had come laughing into to great hall; the strange looks they got had made them laugh even harder. For you see at this point the four first years could help but laugh at everything, they had been to solemn since they had arrived. That evening back in the dorm the boys had discussed what to do with the two new wands they had acquired and how they were going to get revenge. However it wasn't really revenge for none where mad at Bella. In fact if anything they were thankful to Bella. Without her they might have never become the marauders…

"Welcome students!" The headmaster's voice carried across the great hall echoing in the corners and making the second years smile. "Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts! I can't wait to start this New Year! However I have a few announcements before we start our amazing feast..."

"James if you don't stop twitching I will hit you." Sirius muttered in a friendly manner indicating the way James' arm was moving.

"Don't make me want to hit you." Came the response. Sirius grinned at his friend before turning back to the front, as he did do his foot collided with Peters.

"Hey!" Peter said indigently looking at Sirius in mock glare. "Keep your feet on your side of the table."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at the boy and Peter turned back intending to ignore him, however he knocked into Remus as he did so.

Remus let out a small sound as Peter's knee hit the center of his back. Then he turned to his friends, his face was stern but his voice was amused "Guys, I am trying to listen to the headmaster."

His friends grinned mischievously in response before they all directed their attention back to the front. Who knew what crazy adventures awaited them this year….

So what do you think? To be honest I don't really think Bella would have been that mean, but hey she could have been! I mean look what she grew up to be a crazy Voldy follower.

PLEASE let me know what you thought! REVIEW!