One day is a lot better than a week XD

Hey everyone! Here's the latest chapter :D I'm not really totally thrilled with this one. It's sort of a filler kind of chapter, mostly to set up a couple of future, important things, but hopefully you guys will like it anyway.

Kam, I'm not going to give you any spoilers about Regulus and Anjanette's relationship and all that ;] But don't worry about Remus and Sirius. Their feelings are only going to escalate from here.

katiek121, don't worry, no one is dating just yet. But I know when I was 13 I had plenty of crushes XD

Alright my buds, that's all for now! I'm just going to warn you, the next time that I am scheduled to post will be while I'm on vacation, so expect there to be possible delays (as if that's any different than usual Dx) I'll see you all soon! Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.


On the night of Friday, December 21st, the four Gryffindor pranksters had situated themselves in the common room, playing Exploding Snap in front of the fireplace. One by one, students both younger and older made their way up the stairs for the night, ready to enjoy a stress-free weekend and a trip home for the holidays. Little did they know that their celebratory breakfast the next day would be more than they expected.

When the last of their Housemates had disappeared into their rooms, the boys immediately put their cards away. James reached out and grabbed the air, pulling up swiftly to reveal that four cauldrons had been hiding under his invisibility cloak.

"Remember the plan," he said as each of them took a cauldron. "We go to the kitchens first, then we'll meet Anjanette at the Hufflepuff entrance and work our way back upstairs. By the time we get back, everyone should be asleep." The others nodded and they gathered into the cloak.

The journey was difficult, being that James and Sirius's height made it hard to keep the cloak all the way down to their feet. The extra bulk of the cauldrons didn't help either, as it was difficult to keep the potions inside as they nearly banged together in the tight quarters. They wound up traveling back to back, the two tallest Marauders bending their knees slightly to keep the cloak touching the floor.

Down the moving staircase they climbed, followed by more stairs and more stairs, until they were in a part of the castle that they'd never been to before. Although they were on the same level as the dungeons, only the Hufflepuff students ever passed into the basement corridor, as there were no classrooms and the hall was a dead end. There were only two items of interest in the basement: a painting on the wall of a bowl of fruit (perhaps the one and only painting in the castle that wasn't moving, but it was fruit after all), and a stack of barrels. The boys moved towards the painting.

"My dad used to sneak down here and bring back enough snacks for the whole House. He must have known one day I'd use the cloak for something like this," James said as he stepped out of the cloak. He reached up his hand towards the painting and tickled the pear in the picture with his index finger. It squirmed and giggled, then transformed, becoming a doorknob. Peter made an impressed noise. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Hogwarts kitchen." He twisted the knob and pulled open the painting door, revealing a room that smelled like breakfast even though it was only midnight.

The kitchen was like a mismatched reflection of the Great Hall. The room was the same size and it too had four long tables running front to back, as well as a perpendicular table beyond them. The tables were covered in the same platters and serving dishes that magically appeared in front of them during meal times, but that was the extent of the similarities. The brick walls could hardly be seen behind the stacks of brass cookware, and a huge fireplace on the far wall was roaring with life, making the room toasty. But what was perhaps the most interesting was the hoard of little green people bustling around with ingredients.

"What are those things?" Peter asked, referring to the tiny chefs.

"Those are house elves," Sirius said. "But they actually look…nice."

"I've never seen them anywhere else around the castle," Remus said. "Do they stay down here all the time?" He had a feeling he already knew the answer, seeing as they were the ones responsible for cooking three meals a day for hundreds of people.

Before they could speculate further, one of the elves came running over to them. "Who is coming down here? They is not getting any foods this late." The elf attempted to shoo the boys back out the door, but then he looked up and did a double take. "Potter? Is you Mr. Potter's son?"

James smiled proudly. "Yes, that's me. You remember my dad?"

"Son of theif!" The elf pushed at James's legs. The boy himself was bewildered, and his friends were holding back chuckles. "You father steal foods! No letting son do the same!"

"No, no, we're not here to steal," Sirius said after composing himself, squatting down to the little man's level. "In fact, we're here to donate." He lifted his cauldron up a little.

The house elf eyed them warily, still busy trying to push James out of the room. Though he didn't budge, he still looked to his friends for help, but none of the others were planning on trying to remove the creature. "What is you donating?"

"We made…custom drinks," Remus said carefully. "One for each House. To celebrate the holiday break."

"Drinks," the elf repeated, finally stopping his efforts of removing the messy-haired Marauder. He looked into each of their cauldrons, sniffing and dipping a finger in to taste. Thankfully, just a drop of the potion wouldn't have an effect on the elf. After testing each one, he smiled. "Nice. Very nice boys. Thanks you for bringing!" He reached up and shook each of their free hands, even James's.

"It was our pleasure," Sirius said with a flourish. "Come on, boys, let's help our elf friends get the drinks into the pitchers."

The four boys split apart, each going to one table and dumping the contents of their cauldrons into the large pitchers that normally contained pumpkin juice. They reconvened at the door out to the hall, and the house elf was waiting for them with a tray full of cookies.

"Nice boys deserves treats," he said smiling. "Come back soon!"

Sirius took the tray, Peter already snagging a cookie. "Thanks. Oh, and by the way, we were never here," he said, and they quickly left the kitchen before the elf could ask any questions.

"I guess that's Step One completed," James said as they went towards the stack of barrels.

"And to think it was almost thwarted because of your dad and an elf with a good memory," Remus said, causing Sirius and Peter to giggle again. "You Potters have a knack for earning bad reputations."

James pouted. "How was I supposed to know that he stole food? That's not the kind of thing fathers tell their kids."

When they reached the barrels, Anjanette was waiting for them, leaning against the wall. She saw the empty cauldrons and she grinned. "How do we get in?" she asked, nodding towards the barrels.

James stepped towards the stack, looking them over. "We watched the Hufflepuffs for a long time, so I think I've got this down." He reached out and tapped the barrel in the third row from the bottom to the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'.

Remus noticed the mistake as soon as it was made. "Ah, James," he said raising his hand, but Sirius grabbed his wrist and stopped him from saying anything. The top-most barrel in the stack opened with a 'creak', making James look up. Suddenly, clear liquid flooded out of the barrel and onto the pureblood's head. Remus immediately recognized the sharp scent of vinegar.

James turned around slowly, mouth hanging open in shock and eyes blinking rapidly. He held his arms out, robes clinging to him and dripping, hair plastered to his face. "What…in the good name of Godric Gryffindor was that?!"

Everyone else was laughing too hard to explain, so Remus composed himself, though he was unable to quell his smile. "That's the Hufflepuff defense system. You tapped the wrong barrel so you get attacked with vinegar."

"No one else has a bloody defense system!" James cried. He started to squeeze out his robes to remove the excess liquid.

"Helga must have believed that they were at risk," Peter said, the next to calm down, though he was still giggly. "I was sure I'd be Hufflepuff the way you explained it to me, and I'd feel pretty safe if I knew that was waiting for people who tried to get in."

James was less than impressed. "This is ridiculous. First a house elf tries to kick me out of the kitchen because my dad's a thief, and now I'm disgusting."

"That was true long before the vinegar, mate," Sirius said, but quickly regretted it when his friend was running after him and trying to grab him with his wet clothing.

"Isn't anyone concerned that we're going to wake the Hufflepuffs?" Anjanette asked.

Remus grabbed both of them by the robes as they passed by. "Anjanette's right. Besides, we have a lot of work ahead of us, so let's just behave, please?"
James glared at Sirius and shook his head. "I'm going back to the Tower before anything else goes wrong. I'll have a shower and then charm the boys' robes." With that, he waddled away, his vinegar-drenched trousers weighing him down. The remainder of the group was holding back more snickers.

"Rem, will you do the honors?" Sirius asked.

"I'd be glad to." Remus moved forward, making double certain that he tapped the correct barrel. This time, the covers of all the barrels moved as one, like a large door, opening onto a dark passageway. The four walked through, finding themselves in a round, low-ceilinged room that seemed to have been dug directly into the ground on which the castle stood. Yet in spite of its location, there were windows through which the grass could be seen. The furniture looked cozy and well-worn, and every available surface had a potted plant of some kind.

"Pete and I will do the boys dorms and you two do the girls," Sirius said, gesturing towards Remus and Anjanette. "We'll meet back in the hall. The signal in case anyone wakes up is 'CAW-CAW'!" Remus gave him a wry smile, shaking his head fondly. "Let's move out!"

The group split into their pairs and moved towards two round doors which separated the common room from the dorms. Remus tilted his ear towards the wood, listening to see if anyone was awake. As far as he could tell with his extra sensitive hearing, there was nothing but snoring and slow breathing on the other side. He nodded to Anjanette and then pushed the door open slowly.

The inside of the dorm was one large communal room with beds for all the female students arranged in a circle. They were covered with soft black and yellow quilts and plush pillows. Remus had to admit, there was a familial and safe feeling in the Hufflepuff House that was unlike what he felt in Gryffindor. At least outside of his own dorm.

Anjanette pointed at herself and then jerked her thumb at one side of the room, and Remus nodded in understanding. He moved to the other side and started to open the trunks at the ends of the beds, casting the charm onto the robes folded neatly inside. It was monotonous and time-consuming, and he knew he was going to be exhausted by the time they were finished for the night. But at least he knew that he didn't have to worry about a prank of this magnitude for the rest of the year.

When the quartet reunited in the hallway and confirmed that the Hufflepuffs' clothes were sufficiently charmed, they gathered under the cloak to make their way to the Slytherin dungeon. It was easier with James gone, as Sirius was the tallest and he only had to crouch a little to keep the cloak over their feet.

"You know, I think a lot of future pranksters could benefit from knowing how to get into each of the Houses," Sirius said as they walked. "We should make a guide and leave it here for the next generation!"

"That would be far too dangerous," Remus said. "If that kind of information fell into the wrong hands, it could expose the students to things a lot worse than silly pranks."

"Not to mention that Hufflepuff is the only House that tries to keep their entrance a secret," Anjanette pointed out.

"And the Gryffindor and Slytherin passwords change every term anyway," Peter added.

Sirius pouted, each of their points like a stab in the heart. "Well, pardon me for trying to share my brilliance."

:~I~S~S~:.

The Gyrffidor boys had never been up so early for breakfast on a Saturday, but they couldn't risk missing a moment of the mayhem, even after staying up until nearly 4 AM to finish the preparations. To keep with the illusion that they were just as much victims as everyone else in the school, they had charmed their own robes to match the rest of their Housemates', and eagerly dressed, making their way down to the Great Hall. The sight that met them was enough to nearly break their poker faces.

The room was nearly full of ranting and raving students, all dressed festively. The Hufflepuffs were wearing reindeer suits, complete with tails. The Slytherins were dressed in long, green parachuting shirts, decorated with ornaments, popcorn garlands, and gingerbread men. The Ravenclaws all looked like elves, right down to the pointed shoes. Finally, the Gryffindors took on the role of Father Christmas, wearing red snowsuits trimmed in white fluff. Best of all, they could hear the complaints of their peers, affirming that their charms had worked; every outfit that the students changed into transformed into their respective holiday gear.

The Marauders made their way as nonchalantly as they could to the table, trying to look just about as miffed as the rest of the students, but unable to make it convincing. They watched as Dumbledore stood up from the staff table, a slightly amused look on his face, and pressed the tip of his wand to his throat. "Everyone please calm down," his magnified voice sounded, and the rumble of the crowd lessened.

Dumbledore smiled and peered over his half-moon spectacles at the tables. "Obviously our student body is the collective victim of a harmless holiday prank. I assure you, the counterspell to these clothing charms is being researched at this moment by Professors Flitwick and Argentum. But as this practical joke is not a danger to anyone, I believe it would be best if we all sit down and enjoy breakfast as usual."

The mumbles of assent were half-hearted, but no one could argue with the Headmaster. The kids sat down and started to load up their plates, doing their best to ignore their garish outfits.

"Phase one complete," Sirius breathed into Remus's ear, and the werewolf's heart skipped a beat.

Just as they were about to get themselves food, footsteps stomped over and a finger pointed angrily at James. "You did this!" Severus growled at the messy-haired Marauder.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James replied with a sly grin, using his will power to stave off the laughter threatening to burst at the sight of the Slytherin. "As you can see, I've been affected just as much as you."
"If you think I won't tell Professor Dumbledore about this-"

"Dumbledore wouldn't believe anything you say, Snivelly, because you're just a snitch who thinks he knows better when he really doesn't," Sirius said, standing up. "So why don't you keep your big, fat nose out of our business?" Remus groaned, fearing the situation would get out of hand, but it didn't get the chance to. Gasps and cries suddenly erupted from around the Great Hall, and the group was distracted.

Students were standing from their seats, grasping their heads as they felt their hair start to float high above their heads. As if imbued with magical hair gel, the Hufflepuffs' follicles formed into reindeer antlers to match their outfits. The Slytherins', large stars as if to top a Christmas tree. The Ravenclaws' took the complex form of an elf hat. Only the Gryffindors' heads were left alone, but their faces were not spared. They began to grow long white beards, girls and boys alike. Severus and the Marauders hadn't had the chance to drink the potions and so were the only ones left unaffected.

Professor Argentum, a young black-haired man with light brown, gold-flecked eyes (the latest in the ever growing list of Defense professors) reentered the Great Hall at that moment. In his arms was what the Marauders recognized as the book they had found the original clothes charm in. But upon seeing the newly erupting chaos, he nearly dropped the thick tome. His eyes were immediately drawn to the Gryffindor table, as the four pranksters and Severus were the only five students without the adverse effects of the potion. He quickly moved towards them.

"So, it was you lot then," he said. "One hundred points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin, and the five of you will be serving detention upon your return from the holidays."

"What?!" Severus balked, and Sirius and James couldn't help smug grins. "But I didn't-"

"I'm sorry, Snape. But this sort of thing cannot go unpunished." Argentum then made his way to the staff table to share his findings with Dumbledore, who was chuckling at the commotion.

Severus looked at the Gryffindors, mostly James, and glared so hard that it looked like he was trying to shoot a Killing Curse with his eyes. "You'll pay for this," he hissed and then stalked away to the Slytherin table.

As soon as he was gone, James and Sirius high-fived across the table. "This turned out great! We pranked the whole school and got Snivellus detention!" the former said triumphantly.

"You know Argentum only assumed Snape was in on it because he doesn't know us that well. Don't you feel bad at all that he's getting punished for something that we did?" Remus asked, hoping that maybe there was a shred of conscience in one of his friends.

"Come on, Moony. He's never nice to us, so why should we waste a perfectly good chance to get a little revenge?" Sirius said as he loaded up his plate with porridge. "Just relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor." Remus definitely didn't feel right about it, but he didn't say anything more. "You know, I've been thinking about what I mentioned last night. About leaving behind a guide."

"I thought we decided that wasn't a good idea," Remus said.

"No, you decided it wasn't a good idea."

"Wait, what guide?" James asked.

Sirius turned to James excitedly, knowing that his fellow pureblood would appreciate his genius. "I had thought that since there are bound to be pranksters in the future that might want to have access to the other Houses to manage their mischief that we could leave behind a comprehensive guide on how to get into each one. But then these two-" here he gestured to Remus and Peter- "and Anjanette shut me down." The tawny-haired boy exchanged an exasperated look with Peter.

"But then I started thinking about something else that might be useful: a guide to all of Hogwarts!" Sirius swept his arms out to either side as he said this.

James's brows drew together in confusion for a moment before they slowly rose into his fringe. His lips spread into a wicked grin, and Sirius mirrored it easily. For being distant cousins, they communicated in silence just as well as brothers.

"That would be incredible!" James exclaimed.

"I know! And we can add in the secret passage," Sirius said.

"Yes! We'd need to do a lot of measuring though."

"Rem is good with numbers."

"What have I said about full sentences?" Remus said, snapping his fingers between their faces.

Sirius waved his hands in front of his face, as if erasing what he'd already said. He then leaned forward so that the other three would join him towards the center of the table. "Gentlemen, what I propose would be our greatest legacy, far beyond any prank that we will ever pull. Something that will tangibly last beyond our years, and be an aid to pranksters for generations to come! Our grandchildren's grandchildren will-"

"I didn't mean that full," Remus interrupted.

The dark-haired boy's gusto deflated slightly, but he was still grinning. "I propose that we create a map of Hogwarts. But not just any kind of map; a map that includes all the secrets that we can possibly find and lots of useful information for anyone who needs to get around the castle with ease."

Remus blinked, momentarily stunned silent. "Aside from your motivations, that actually isn't a terrible idea. There really isn't a comprehensive map of the castle and so it could really help first years. Although we would have to think about some security measures."

"We should add in something to locate where you are so that it can help you figure out which way you have to go," Peter suggested eagerly.

"That's brilliant, Pete," James said, and the other boy beamed. "This truly will be our greatest accomplishment. A map made by the hands of the greatest mischief makers in all of Hogwarts history: the Marauders." He made a fist with one hand and put it to his chest.

"That does have a sort of ring to it," Remus said. "The Marauder's map."

Sirius took a long gulp of his drink, slamming the goblet down with a grin. "I'm so glad we're all on the same page this time," he said, even as a beard started to grow in.