I don't even need to say it anymore TvT

Hopefully my lateness will be made up for by the fact that this is a particularly fun chapter with all kinds of juicy happenings and a Quidditch match! I'm sure you're going to enjoy it. :D

Kam, I hope the chapter will not disappoint ;)

Alright guys and gals, that's all for now. Thanks to everyone who has been continually reading, and everyone who has recently followed the story, faved it, or followed my tumblr. I always enjoy writing more when I know that others are enjoying it as well. I'll see you all in two weeks. Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.


The first Quidditch match for Gryffindor was surprisingly late in the year considering it was December. But this year's rotation had them facing Slyhterin after Slytherin had faced the other two Houses, making it the third game in the year.

So far Slytherin was one and one, and the Captain of the Gryffindor team had been pushing them hard in practice sessions. If they could beat Slytherin in this match, they would knock them out of the running for the Cup. Needless to say, it had Sirius and James both determined and nervous as they walked down to the pitch with Remus and Peter. But as was usually the case for the two, they tried to stay cool and unfazed.

"Excited to see us kick some Slytherin backside?" James asked.

Peter beamed at the two dark-haired boys, admiration glowing in his eyes. "It's going to be amazing!" he said.

"It's too bad Snivelly isn't on the team," Sirius said with a smirk. "That would make it a double win for us."

"Don't worry. When Evans sees my spectacular flying skills and how easily I beat the House of her favorite slime-ball, she'll realize how silly she was being and come rushing to me after the match." James sighed, looking off into the distance.

"I don't see how that's a win for everyone," Remus said. "Or even a realistically possible outcome of events," he added with a sly grin.

"Hey!" James turned around so that he was walking backwards to face his friends. "Evans-"

"-will come around eventually," the other three finished then laughed. James just grumbled and faced forward again.

They made it to the team's tent and parted ways, Remus and Peter wishing the other two luck before heading up into the stands. They found a seat with the rest of their Housemates and waited for the match to start.

Sirius and James changed into their Quidditch robes and sat on the benches as they listened to their Captain give a last minute pep talk.

"Alright, lads. We're the last chance that the school has to make sure that Slytherin loses the Cup. It's up to us. I'll keep my eye out for the Snitch, but this is a team effort. Black, Potter, Wood you get the Quaffle no matter the cost and you keep getting it. McLaggen, don't let them catch you off guard. Diggory and Bagman, you whack those Bludgers and knock them off their brooms. Are we all good? Let's get out there and win!"

The team cheered and Sirius felt like pixies were buzzing around in his stomach. He swallowed thickly as they were led out of the tent by the Captain and onto the pitch. Madam Hooch was already standing in the middle and the Slytherin team was making their way towards her.

The stands were completely full with students and teachers who all roared in excitement when the two teams appeared. Sirius looked up and around, and the pixies in his gut fluttered harder as he mounted his broom. The Captains shook hands and then took their positions as Madam Hooch readied the Quaffle to be thrown.

Sirius glanced at James who gave him a nod and a smile. They kicked off and floated a foot above the ground. They waited. Silence. Then there was a blow of the whistle and the Quaffle was thrown. Both teams flew up and the Slytherin Chaser caught it.

Immediately Sirius and James were on his tail. They dodged around the Bludgers and James snatched the ball out of the other boy's hand. There was a cheer from the Gryffindor section of the crowd and James couldn't help but flash a smile before he took off towards the Slytherin goals. Sirius followed close behind, ducking underneath the Captain who was hovering, patiently looking for the Snitch.

James's nerves were surprisingly gone once he had the Quaffle in hand, and he confidently zoomed past the other Slytherin team members. When he reached the goal, he faltered to one side, but then threw the ball at the other, and scored. The crowd went wild and Sirius joined them in a cheer, throwing a fist into the air while the Slytherin side booed.

But it was short lived as in the next moment, the Quaffle was out once again and the Slytherins had it in their possession. Sirius was off in a flash but as he approached the Slytherin with the ball, he swerved away, leaving Sirius right in the perfect targeting zone for a Beater. Said opponent took advantage of this and swung his bat. The Gryffindor barely got away before the Bludger zoomed past where his face would have been.

James and Wood, meanwhile, were after the Slytherin Chaser but they couldn't catch him before the Quaffle was thrown right into the center Gryffindor goal. Now the cheers and boos came from opposite sides of the stadium. Sirius shook his head, trying to focus and get rid of his remaining anxiety. The Quaffle was thrown out again and the two teams were off.

For a while they went back and forth, one team scoring, then the other team, then one team scoring twice in a row, the other team getting three. They were almost neck and neck after about an hour of playing. The Seekers had been watching for the Snitch, which had been absent for the length of the game. A few times they took off as though they saw it, but nothing came of it and the match continued on.

James had the Quaffle, and was zooming towards the Slytherin goal while the Gryffindor crowd cheered him on. He looked around at the watching students, giving his House crowd a charming smile before turning around to give the Slytherins a smug expression. But as he looked, he suddenly caught sight of something bright red among the silver, green, and black. James stopped dead and gawked.

Lily was sitting with Severus towards the top of the stands, the two of them sharing his scarf and laughing about something. James was about to shout at them when suddenly he was hit right in the stomach by a Bludger, causing him to drop the Quaffle into the hands of a waiting Slytherin. The Captain flew over to James a moment later as he was clutching at his midsection. "Potter, what's wrong with you?! Get your head out of your arse!"

"Sorry..." James glared once up at Severus and he could see the smirk on his face even from where he was. He shook his head and flew away.

It wasn't long before there was a sudden uproar in the crowd and the Seekers were dashing in the same direction. Sirius whipped around and could see the Golden Snitch hovering near the Gryffindor goal. As soon as the Seekers were on their way, it took off, but didn't leave the stadium. Instead it sped in the opposite direction, causing the two Seekers to make sharp u-turns and nearly crash into each other.

Wood had the Quaffle and was dodging the Slytherin Chasers, so Sirius was safe to watch as the Seekers chased the Snitch. But as they approached the Slytherin side, Sirius could see that the Bludgers were dangerously close to the Slytherin Beaters, and they were going to use that to their advantage. The Gryffindor Beaters were distracted in the chaos going on between Wood and the Chasers, and James was heading that way as well, leaving Sirius as the only one who could do something.

The dark-haired boy wheeled around to fly in the direction of the Seekers. On the way, he snagged one of his own Beater's bats out of his hand, then he ducked under the two Seekers and around to the side. Sirius out-flew the Seekers by just a few seconds, positioning himself in time so that when a Bludger was hit towards his Captain, he could smack it towards the Slytherin Seeker. Sirius swung the bat and hit him straight on, allowing the Gryffindor Captain to speed away and catch the Snitch. The crowd exploded in cheers on one side while the other immediately started shouting in anger.

"He can't do that! He's not a Beater!"

"Foul! That has to be a foul!"

"Those no good bloody cheaters!"

As the teams settled on the ground, James ran over to Sirius and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "That was a good move, mate. You almost knocked that snake off his broom!"

"I just hope it was a legal move," said the Captain, eying Sirius warily. Sirius averted his eyes, his heart pounding as he watched Madam Hooch make her way into the stands. He could have either saved the game or destroyed it, and the outcome was sure to have an effect on his Housemates' opinions of him.

Madam Hooch conferred with Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore for a few moments as the crowds shouted back and forth about fouls versus fair play. The Slytherin team was glaring at the Gryffindors who stood their ground surrounding Sirius. Said boy was receiving the most glares of all. Finally, Madam Hooch pointed her wand at her throat so that her voice was magnified.

"The game goes to Gryffindor! No foul will be called on the actions of Sirius Black."

"What?!" cried half of the Slytherin team, while the Gryffindor team gave a whoop of victory.

"Hah! Eat that, dungeon dwellers!" James said, before high fiving with Sirius. One of the Slytherins practically snarled and looked as though he was about to jump the two younger boys, but his Captain stepped in a moment later to push him back towards the changing tent.

The Gryffindor team, meanwhile, had lifted Sirius above their heads and were carrying him back to the tent, each of them praising him as they went. Sirius's grin widened across his face and he started bowing his head. "Thank you, thank you. Yes, I know it was amazing." When they set him down, the Captain came over and shook his hand.

"I didn't get to properly thank you, but you saved me from a potential whack in the face. You'd make a great Beater, if you want the position next year."

Sirius beamed up at him. "Consider it taken."

The team changed and James and Sirius exited the tent, still chattering about the results, when they saw Remus and Peter waiting for them. Peter dashed over when he saw them, his face splitting with the size of his smile. "That was incredible, Sirius!"

"Don't act so surprised, Peter. After all, this is me we're talking about. Did you expect any less?" Sirius asked with a flip of his hair.

Remus rolled his eyes fondly. "And thus the ego grows. But congratulations still. It's just a shame for poor James. After all, you pretty much stole his spotlight to impress Lily," he said, knowing full well exactly what his words would cause.

"Hey, that's right!" James spun around to face Sirius. "How am I ever going to get Evans to think that I'm amazing if she's busy drooling over your save?"

"Oh, I don't know. You could start by not being you, since she hates you," Sirius said with a grin.

The four boys started their walk back up to the castle, Sirius and James arguing, Remus watching in amusement, and Peter just grinning and following along.

.:~I~S~S~:.

"I'm pretty sure it's around here somewhere," Regulus said as he and Anjanette made their way back to the dungeons after Potions. He had realized halfway up the stairs that he had lost his wand and determined that it must still be on the lowest level of the castle.

"Too bad I don't know the summoning charm doesn't work on wands," Anjanette said.

"Yeah that might have been helpful. Oh! Here it is." The younger of the pair had stepped on something stick-like and bent down to see his wand was underfoot. Anjanette held out a hand and he gave it to her. She looked it over quickly to see if it had been damaged, but it seemed to be alright.

As he took his wand back, Regulus stood up again and led the way back down the dungeon hall. "We'd better hurry before-" but the sentence remained unfinished as Regulus bumped into what appeared to be a blue glass wall that hadn't previously been there.

"What the..." The Slytherin pressed his hands to the wall in confusion. He spun around but found that the wall surrounded himself and Anjanette in a dome with just enough space for them both to fit. "What's going on?"

The Ravenclaw nudged him and pointed up. He lifted his eyes and found that hanging directly above them was a sprig of mistletoe. "Something tells me your brother was involved."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Regulus looked around. The rest of the corridor was deserted, everyone in the castle currently at lunch. "So...I guess we have to wait for someone to come around and free us?" he suggested weakly.

But Anjanette shook her head, and Regulus felt his cheeks tint pink, casting his eyes down. It wasn't that he hadn't figured that that was the way out, and that it was the only way out. He just hadn't wanted to seem eager to suggest it.

In the few months that they had been working together in Potions, Regulus had grown rather fond of Anjanette. Though she couldn't brew anything to save her life, she was smart in all other areas, and had a good sense of humor when she chose to show it. Despite the fact that a lot of times she barely said a word to him, he had come to like his silent partner. And lately it appeared that she liked him too, sitting next to him during their group meals and now offering to help him find his wand.

He didn't want to not kiss her but he didn't want it to make things weird when it seemed they were only just becoming friends. "W-well..." he said looking up, but before he could continue she had stepped closer and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. Regulus didn't even get to close his eyes before it was over, and there was a bright flash of light before the blue glass enclosure shimmered and disappeared.

"I think I know what those papers outside the Great Hall are for," she said as she pulled away. Regulus just stared at her for a moment before snapping back into reality and feeling heat crawl up to his face again. He tried to make himself busy rearranging the books in his bag.

"Ah, w-what do you think they're for?" he asked. But instead of saying anything, the older girl just walked back towards the stairs, eyes on the ceiling watching for more of the jolly traps along the way. Regulus shook his head and quickly followed.

.:~I~S~S~:.

If there was one thing that Severus had to pick as the worst part of the Christmas season, it would have been mistletoe.

Yes, whoever came up with the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe was a vile trickster who should have been hung by his toes over a burning field of the stuff until his robes caught fire. Obviously he knew exactly what he was thinking in forcing whoever met underneath the otherwise useless plant to kiss. Many times in his youth he had been trapped with various members of his family, some more disgusting than others, and been forced to make bodily contact with their faces.

That was why whenever he saw the little green sprigs above him, he was sure to make his route as sporadic as possible so that he was never underneath one with someone else. He didn't care that he'd rammed into quite a few students and Argus Filch once in the process. Anything was better than locking lips with someone whose hygiene he knew nothing about.

However, he found that he wasn't quite as able to pay attention to the locations of the odious Christmas plant when he was in the presence of one Lily Evans. Time and again she had distracted him and he had almost had to kiss Kingsley Shacklebolt when they were returning from Defense Against the Dark Arts one day. Luckily he had noticed the little green leaves in time to side step around the large for his age Gryffindor before it was too late.

Then he had started to hear about certain sprigs of mistletoe suddenly closing upon people, unwilling to let them free until they kissed, and taking pictures of said kisses for display. This didn't bode well at all, and Severus tried to be as alert as possible wherever he walked. There was no way he was going to let that happen to him.

Though he could think of one person he wouldn't really mind being trapped with.

His plan had been working thus far, until one day when he and Lily were running late for Potions. She had grabbed his wrist and was leading him quickly through the corridors towards the entrance to the dungeons when suddenly a translucent blue wall appeared before her and she nearly smacked her face into it. All the other students in the hall stopped to look as they realized that another victim had been caught in the trap of the enchanted mistletoe.

"Oh bugger," Severus muttered as everyone gathered closer, commenting on how unfortunate it was that Lily had to kiss one of the most disliked students at the school.

Severus looked to his friend. Ever since they had met he had always thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and as they had gotten to know each other he only cared more deeply for her. He knew, though, that he was far beneath the kinds of boys she could date. Lily could have anyone in the world if she wanted. He was embarrassed to even think that he would stand a chance in this lifetime.

But Lily was looking back at him with what seemed to be a blush on her cheeks, and she smiled a little. "You know there's only one way out of here."

"If you'd rather just wait for a teacher to come and charm us out that's fine," Severus said, looking down. "Everyone is watching. I don't want you to get a bad reputation because you kissed me."

"I don't care what they think, Sev, you know that." She bent down a little, trying to look into his eyes. Severus felt his heart jump in his chest as she put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and she was moving her face towards him. Before he really registered what he was doing, he moved in the rest of the way and they shyly pressed their lips together. The flash went off and the glass shimmered and vanished.

Severus's heart was racing as they pulled away and Lily smiled at him. "Now we're really going to be late for Potions." She grabbed his wrist again and they headed off, leaving behind the sounds of other students' comments about the odd pair.

As they ran to join the rest of the second years in the dungeon, Severus tried to calm his nerves. There was now photographic proof that Lily had kissed him, right outside the Great Hall for the whole school to see. He truly hoped that she wouldn't get too much grief for it. He knew he was going to.

Though maybe it will be worth it, he thought. Potter will get to see it too, every time he comes down to eat.

.:~I~S~S~:.

The Gryffindor boys had been making it a habit that before every meal, they would check any updates to what they were calling the Wall of Total and Utter Kissing Humiliation. So far, every time that they went by, there were new additions of snapshots, and each one was better than the last.
As they scanned the Wall of moving photographs before dinner, they found three new shots had been added since lunch. One was Fabian and Gideon, looking just a bit too enthusiastic about their position. Another was Marlene McKinnon and Frank Longbottom, the former of which had a disgusted look on her face. But when they looked at the final one, Remus, Sirius, and Peter's eyes went wide, and they all turned to James in fear of his reaction. He just stood motionless, staring at the picture with a blank face. Three of the four boys backed away slowly, bracing themselves for the inevitable explosion.

"SNIVELLUS!" he cried, throwing his head back. He darted around the corner for the Great Hall.

"James, wait!" Sirius called and the three rushed after him. They didn't know what he might do, but they feared it would be too much in his enraged state. Not even Sirius was willing to let him act on his anger. When they reached the door of the Great Hall, however, they found themselves no longer needing to worry.

There under the most trafficked sprig of mistletoe was James, captured in the blue glass dome with a blonde Slytherin who Sirius recognized as the boyfriend of his cousin Narcissa; Lucius Malfoy.

Severus was there too, having been attracted by James's screaming, and Lily who had followed behind him. Both of them were smiling from ear to ear at the scene. Many other students and a few of the teachers started gathering as well to watch the latest prey in this jolly prank.

"No, no, no..." James moaned as he looked up at the sixth year. Lucius towered over him and looked down with contempt. He sneered, looking as though he might spit on him. James started pounding on the glass, begging for someone to undo the spell and let him free.

"Obviously we have no other choice so let's just get this over with. I'd like to return to my dorm sometime tonight," Lucius drawled. He bent down and puckered his lips with his eyes squeezed shut. James groaned and looked out to his friends for help, but they couldn't suppress their grins at the twist of fate. He shot them each a death glare before turning back to Lucius. Taking a deep breath, he puckered in much the same fashion and touched his mouth to the Slytherin's. The flash went off and the dome disappeared, and James started coughing as though he were choking.

"Ugh, yuck! That's the most awful thing I've ever had to do! Why didn't we put a fail-safe in these things?" he cried. Lucius just huffed and stalked away toward the dungeons.

Remus, Sirius, and Peter couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing at their friend's misery. "Sorry, mate. That's what you get when you rush off to kill Snivellus I guess," Sirius said, slinging an arm over James's shoulders. The bespectacled boy grumbled, his earlier passionate anger quelled by the incident.

"This was a stupid idea."

.:~I~S~S~:.

Peter and James were making their way to the library after dinner one night. Sirius had fancied a trip into Hogsmede and took the cloak. Remus, refusing to go with him, decided to return to the dorm and work on some homework.

Ordinarily James would have gone with Sirius. Certainly he never would have voluntarily gone to the library unless they were working on some sort of prank research. But he had promised Peter that he would help him with some extra credit work for Charms, and they needed to get a specific textbook.

On the way, he noticed a shock of red hair a little ways in front of them, and he knew it had to be Lily. Sure enough, as they drew closer, he recognized her regular scowl for him and he just smirked.

"Well, hello, my dear Evans. What brings you around here tonight?" he said with a flourish and bowed before her. Lily just rolled her eyes.

"You're such a nutter. And it's none of your business what I'm doing here, Potter, so if you'll excuse me." She went to walk around him and as she passed Peter, the dome suddenly appeared around them. Peter squeaked in surprise and Lily whipped her head around to him.

James's mouth dropped open. "First Snivellus and now you, Peter? I thought you were my friend!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Peter cried.

"I swear, if you kiss her-" But James's threat remained unfinished because Lily brought her face close to the chubby boy's and pressed her lips to his. Again, James's mouth fell open, his eyes widened, and he stayed that way as the flash went off and the dome vanished. Even then, Lily stayed close to the blonde boy for just a few seconds longer before breaking away.

"Goodnight, Potter. Pettigrew," Lily said and she turned and continued on her way down the hall as if nothing had happened.

Peter touched a finger to his lips with a slight blush forming on his cheeks. Then he realized that James was still frozen and he waved a hand in his face. "James? James? Are you okay?"

.:~I~S~S~:.

December 20th brought about another full moon. Remus was really feeling the effects this time, shaking so much that it was difficult to hide it from James and Peter. However, though they looked skeptical, they accepted the excuse of 'visiting his great aunt' who was still 'hanging on by a thread', and Sirius offered to 'take his bag down' for him.

Halfway down, the dark-haired boy abandoned the bag, unable to carry it and support Remus, who was relying on him heavily tonight. It was getting to the point that they were barely making any progress, and Sirius decided it might be worth it to just carry Remus the rest of the way.

"Come here, Rem," he said, and he put his arm behind his friend's knees. His other arm went up to his shoulders and Sirius put all his muscle into picking him up. Surprisingly, Remus was even lighter than he looked, but the shaking was causing Sirius to vibrate as well, still making it a difficult journey. Nevertheless, he continued down the moving staircase at a much faster speed than they had been going a minute before.

Cradled in Sirius's arms, Remus let his eyes close, trying hard to hold back the wolf as it came closer every second. He couldn't understand why this particular month was so vicious, but he had to control it until he got to the Shack. He tried to think of his mother or father carrying him, as they often did when he had to be locked in his basement at home, and he felt a bit calmer.

They were only a few feet from the hospital wing when suddenly something shimmered in front of Sirius and a blue wall appeared before him. "No. No, not here! Not now!" But as he looked up he saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"S-S-Siri?"

"Ah, Moony...We're stuck under the mistletoe." Remus cracked open an eye, the iris looking more gold than usual in the moonlight from the windows. He looked up at the mistletoe, then at Sirius.

"T-T-Time," was all he could manage.

Sirius fidgeted, not knowing what to do. "What about the picture? They're going to wonder why I'm carrying you and why we're by the hospital wing."

"S-S-S-"

"Okay, okay." Sirius took the hand that was around his shoulder and pushed Remus's shaking head up to meet his, kissing him fully on the mouth. The chattering of Remus's teeth made a strange sensation against Sirius's lips, nearly biting them. Remus was barely conscious of the contact in his current state. Their prison shimmered out of existence, and Sirius wasted no time in rushing the rest of the way to the hospital wing door.

Madam Pomphrey gasped when she saw how bad Remus was. She scooped him out of Sirius's arms and bustled right out of the castle without waiting or saying a word to him.

Sirius watched her disappear, hoping as always that Remus would be alright, and then pulled James's cloak from his pants. "Oh Merlin and Mordred!" he said, realizing now that they could have covered themselves with the cloak before the kiss so that no one would have seen them. He draped it over himself, smacking his forehead with his palm, and dashed off towards the Great Hall to see if the picture had shown up yet. Maybe he would be able to remove it somehow.

But when he reached the Wall of Total and Utter Kissing Humiliation, he found that there was no picture of the two of them anywhere. He looked it over multiple times and still came up with no results.

"Thank goodness," he sighed, confused but mostly relieved. They must have just been lucky; there probably wasn't enough room left for their picture since they had caught so many flies in their web in the past few weeks. He let his shoulders relax and then headed back up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower.

.:~I~S~S~:.

The next morning, Sirius, James, and Peter went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, only to find that the Wall had been stripped of the pages from the Evidence Album.

"How is that even possible?" James cried. The three boys rushed into the Hall just as Professor McGonagall was speaking to all of the students who were already there.

"...and thankfully we discovered the House Elf magic that can undo the Unstickable Charm. As far as the mistletoe itself, it will be taken down by the end of the day today and new mistletoe will be bought for next Christmas. I want to make it clear, however, that if another prank of this magnitude is attempted, the marauders responsible will be severely punished. For now I give a fair warning, but don't let it happen again." At this point she looked up and happened to catch the eyes of Sirius, James, and Peter in turn as they stood in the doorway. They all just smiled innocently.

"Marauders...we are marauders, aren't we boys?" James said as they went to sit at their table.

"Indeed," Sirius agreed. "I quite like that word to describe us."

"Then it's settled." James smacked his hand onto the table, causing a few surrounding students to jump in surprise and move away. "From now on we shall be known as the Golden Marauders!"

"Why not just the Marauders?" Peter asked. "It's simpler, less flashy."

"I agree with Peter," Sirius said.

James sighed, but smiled. "Fine. The Marauders it is."