43.
Remus wasn't exactly sure what was going on and he didn't particularly care, all he cared about at that moment was running at full tilt down the corridor and hearing Severus laugh. That in itself was enough to make this day stand out among so many others, for the Slytherin hardly ever smiled let alone actually laughed. The boy's laugh was one of joy and Remus thought that this was probably not something which Severus had done much of, if at all. It was decidedly good for him, for Remus as well, but also it was good for James and Sirius to hear. It was the four of them tearing down the corridor as though their lives depended upon it—which they sort of did—robes billowing behind them, laughter echoing up and down the stone corridor as the boys ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
For a moment Remus felt a twinge of guilt that they had left Peter behind, but it was only a twinge and it did not last long. There was something…off about the boy even though he had asked forgiveness and tried to fit in with the others, the past few days had been decidedly awkward. It had been James who had suggested that the four of them pull this prank and it was his idea that Peter should be left behind, an idea that no one even thought about arguing over. 'Twas a bit surprising that Severus had been asked to join them, even more shocking was the fact that he agreed and even helped give the other three ideas. In fact it had been the Slytherin's idea to pull the prank during classes, right outside of the Transfiguration classroom, an idea which had left the Marauders in stunned silence before heartily agreeing.
Remus was breathing hard as he ran, his laughter joining that of the other boys' in their rapid escape from the crime scene. Remus had just run by an archway when he felt a pair of hands grab his arm and he was pulled sharply into the shadows, his arm feeling as though it had been nearly pulled from its socket. His shaggy hair fell over his face as he turned to look at Sirius, whose hands steadied Remus as soon as he was hidden by the shadows of the arch. Sirius held a finger to his lips, his shoulders shaking a bit with the force of his own suppressed laughter. Remus nodded and covered his own mouth to stifle his mirth. He noticed that James and Severus were standing behind Sirius, taking advantage of the deeper shadows further back. Together the four of them moved as far back as they could while still being able to see the chaos which was sure to ensue at any moment. The four of them waited with bated breath, the seconds seeming to pass by agonizingly slowly before the first classroom door opened.
BANG!
An explosion could be heard clear to the Entrance Hall, deafening those who were unfortunate enough to be standing within a hundred foot radius. Immediately following the explosion, every other classroom door opened with a relatively quieter bang, followed by much louder explosions.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Remus had to cover his sensitive ears, in order to muffle some of the loud noise exploding down the corridor whenever a door was opened. However, he kept his eyes glued to the scene unfolding in the corridor, the bit of absolute brilliance that had been Severus' idea. As every student took a step outside of their classroom door, they were immediately transformed into one of the four house animal symbols. The Gryffindors turned into Badgers, the Ravenclaw's turned into lions, the Slytherin's turned into ravens, and the Hufflepuffs turned into snakes. Soon the corridor was swarming with animals, all of whom were looking at each other as though they couldn't believe what they were seeing. The professors took one look at the cacophony outside their doors and promptly took out their wands to restore the students to their proper forms. However, no matter what they did, the animals simply refused to return to their proper forms, most got into their heads that it was the perfect opportunity to skip the rest of classes for the day and took off through the castle as fast as they could waddle, crawl, slither or fly.
The four boys stood hidden in the shadows until they couldn't take it anymore and they turned and ran down a side corridor, huge grins upon their faces. It wasn't until they reached the other side of the castle that they deemed it safe enough to collapse against a wall and succumb once more to fits of laughter. It was this momentous event that made James and Sirius ready and eager to accept Severus as a Marauder, even if he was a Slytherin.
That night the four of them met out under the shadow of the Forbidden Forest, the three Gryffindors standing together and watching the lone Slytherin without hostility. It was James who stepped forward and formally asked Severus to become the fourth Marauder. A genuine smile crept across the pale boy's face and he agreed without hesitation. The four boys spent the duration of that night having a party in the kitchens with their newest member and planning future pranks. It wasn't until dawn that they all headed to bed, suppressing laughter as they came across the odd snake, badger or lion who had been unable to get into their common room.
As Remus tumbled into his bed, he thought that this was one of the best days he'd ever had. He was still smiling as he fell asleep and the first rays of the sun peeked into the boys dorm, not disturbing them in the slightest, all of them far too exhausted to care or even notice the sun.
Thank you for reading, this latest chapter. Please review, and I hope that this story will continue to be at least interesting. Thanks again and you are all awesome! Thanks to all who have stuck around so far and I will try to update more frequently. I just want you to know that this story is NOT abandoned, it is just taking a while to update. So thanks again for reading.