A/N: Chapter fourteen is here :D Hope you all like it!

review responses:

000kayko000: Here it is XD hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Geniia: Thank you :) Yes, it was Dumbledore, well spotted! Yeah, when I began writing Jonny, he reminded me of Oliver too, I'm glad you like him. Yup! Gary Flint is Marcus' dad (atleast in my story he is) and he's just as mean as his son will be! I try to update everyday, at the very least, every other day, I don't like to keep you guys waiting too long. I actually find Lily and James' relationship hard to write sometimes, there's such a fine line between general dislike and Lily being horrible, which I'll admit I've crossed a few times, but I've tried not to. Glad you're enjoying th story so far, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter too, thanks for reading :)

evershort: Here it is! Hope it's worth the wait :D I try to suprise you guys, I'm glad it worked haha. Well, I know it can get frustrating waiting a long time for updates, but I'm starting to feel the pressure, so I understand why authors would want to wait aswell. I'll keep at it though, and ensure a new chapter everyday (or atleast every other day). Glad you love it :D Thank you for reading, as always, and please enjoy this next chapter.

quirky-as-alice: He frightens me too, haha! Thanks for reading, enjoy the next chapter :)

Fairywolf: Really? Brill! I've enjoyed writing the Hogwarts years so much, I don't think I could stop writing after seventh year, I'm just as eager to see where their lives lead! Yes, it was Dumbledore, and you're right! He is a brilliant heroic figure, and it'll be nice to write about his leading of the OOTP too! Haha yeah, I figured I'd keep their names in the family :) I'll definately take it into consideration, I'm always open to new ideas, and I think writing about another wizarding school would be brilliant! We don't know much about them, so the sky really would be the limit! Oh and yes, if I ever were to write my own book, fantasy/supernatural would definitely be the genre, it's my fave, and I couldn't imagine writing anything other than that! Thank you, as always, for reading, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

appleeater123: I can't put your mind at rest without giving it away :( I'm sure you'll like the chapter though ;) thanks for reading!

Jessica F: Thank you! Welcome to my story :) I'm always up for constructive critisism, don't worry :) Yes, Sirius is probably one of my favourite characters too, and I understand his conflict. However, since he is only in his second year, I figured that since the war hasn't reached it's height's yet, his parents wouldn't be as bad just yet. I think in later chapters (you mightn't if read them yet) you'll see a bit of conflict, but in my story Sirius is rarely one to talk things through, which you said you thought he was like, so yay! I'll deffinitely try harder to put some more of that in, and hopefully it'll make the story more enjoyable :) As for Remus, I'm trying to put across that he isn't as close to the others (yet) but in later chapters you'll see why (obviously when the discovery of his lycanthropy is up, which I've already written). As for Bella, yes, I think her true love was Voldemort, though Rodolphus was the respectable pure-blooded marriage, and most likely forced. Anyway, thanks for the tips, I'll make sure they're adressed, and thank you for reading and reviewing, I hope you like the future chapters you read, and this one too!

Bookworm315: Thank you! It's fine, oh how I miss my school days *sigh* work sucks. Anywhoo, yes! It was Dumbledore :D I love him, I need to write him in more often tbh. nd I think you'll like this chapter *smiles mysteriously* thank you for reading as usual, and please enjoy the next chapter!

splatteredpaint: Here it is! Hope it's worth the wait! Thank you! Yeah, I'm pretty supersticious, so I thought I'd slip it into the story :D Haha! I do it too! But I'm terrible at guessing. Yeah, although I'll admit it took all self constraint and will power I had not to skip ahead to the end of Deathly Hallows, I'm suprised I managed it! Ramblings are fun, and yours are always brill to read! Keep them up :D Thank you for reading, as always, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter (sorry I made you wait!)

on with the show :D


The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years

Chapter Fourteen

Animagi

Loud cracks and flashes of light wrought the air. The snow that once fell with such beauty and grace now plummeted to the ground with frightening force. Around him, the screams of terrified Muggles who had not a clue what was going on caused the faintest of smiles to pull across his face.

Scarlet eyes gleamed with anticipation, his faithful servants mere blurs as they carried out his bidding. He continued to ignore it, seemingly gliding towards the stone cottage he had intended to – shall we say – pay a visit.

The wizarding world would do well to heed his warning, and understand that he was no mere political visionary. His plan would succeed; loss of life made no difference to him. No one could stand in his way, no one could stop him. It was what the world needed, starting with villages such as this.

"You have no place here, Tom...leave this village in peace."

Some thought the voice was calm and reassuring...to him; it was a mere annoyance, like the scratch of nails on a blackboard. Turning ever so slightly, enough to just have him within his sights, the robed man with the scarlet eyes smirked menacingly.

"Peace is a thing of the past, Dumbledore."

~**~

Holly and her father tumbled out of the Potter's fire place in a cloud of soot, coughing loudly and scrambling to get to their feet. The two were quickly pulled up by a short, plumpish woman and a taller, young boy.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Mrs Potter pulled Holly into a backbreaking embrace, her hand still clutching Mr Knight's arm. Beside her, James stood looking positively gaunt.

"James, take Holly upstairs, and stay there," without room for protest, Mrs Potter pushed the twelve year olds out of the living room and into the hallway, quickly disappearing with Mr Knight.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before James pulled his cousin into a tight hug.

"They called dad...said it was right by your house," Holly was surprised to hear his voice quavering, "Mum wanted to come and get you, but dad made us stay here," he pulled back, eyes sparkling behind his round rimmed glasses. Holly merely nodded, and swallowed audibly. Her heart was still racing, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Jonny and her mother were out there, fighting still.

"Come on," James grabbed his cousin's hand and dragged her up the sizeable flight of stairs, not stopping until the pair had reached his room.

"Jonny went too," Holly finally said, as James closed the door and leant back against it, "I'll kill him when I see him...thinks he's some bloody hero."

James pushed back his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. Of all nights, it had to be Christmas Eve.

"He'll be alright...they both will," he said after a moment.

Holly could only nod, her eyes starting to tear up. James hurried over to her, and after wrapping his arms around her, lay down on his large four poster bed, just like they used to do when they were little, when one of them felt scared. It was all he could think to do, when he himself hadn't a clue whether or not everything would be alright.

~**~

Attack in Mould-on-the-Wold leaves nine dead.

At around eight-thirty last night, confirmed reports have told us that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named carried out yet another attack against the Wizarding world. This time, the target Mould-on-the-Wold, notable for being one of the only wizarding villages left in Britain.

"This attack has moved things up a notch," top Auror Harold Potter, 43, confirmed last night, "By attacking a wizarding population, You-Know-Who has made it plain to see he is relentless in his campaign and uncaring of who falls in his path – be they pure-blood or Muggle-born."

The list of confirmed dead was released on site, seven Muggles perished in the attack, whilst Jeremy Held, 67 and his wife Helena, 64, were the only known wizarding casualties. The Held's made headlines this week for leading a petition to allow wizards to safe-guard Muggle neighbours, it is thought this is the reason the pair were targeted. Mr Held, former head of the Obliviator squad for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, spoke out against....

"JAMES! HOLLY!"

The two dark haired twelve year olds snapped their heads up from the copy of the Prophet they were reading, and watched as Mrs Potter hurried into the room, closely followed by none other than Sirius Black, Lily Evans and Christina Coddlesworth. The two glanced in confusion at each other, and it was only when Holly was almost knocked from her seat by Sirius, that they were able to make a safe guess as to why they were hear.

"Chris came to get me," Lily had now pushed Sirius aside, sending him flying and had attached herself to Holly, "I don't get the Prophet, but she told me what happened! I was so scared!"

Holly gave James a small smile as she patted Lily's back, whilst Chris came to join the group hug Lily had started. Beside him, Sirius was watching Holly with a strange look on his face.

"How'd you get here?" James turned to his best friend.

Sirius tore his eyes away from the girls, and grinned, "Sneaked out, had to knock Kreacher over the head with a pan, mind you, but he shouldn't wake up for awhile," Sirius glanced back at Holly, who was whispering with her friends, "What happened?"

James pulled out a stool for he and his friend, running a hand through his hair as he did so and ignoring the urge to just ignore Sirius and stare at Lily.

"Dad's work-mate turned up last night saying Mould-on-the-Wold had been attacked, about five minutes later Holly and Uncle Ian turned up," he ran his hand through his hair once again, "Jonny and his mum had gone to fight, but they're alright," he added quickly at Sirius' look of concern.

Sirius nodded, exhaling loudly, "Some Christmas this is, eh?"

James snorted, and shoved Sirius slightly, "So what're you gonna do? Go back home?"

Sirius shrugged, kicking his feet and tapping the kitchen counter, "Probably, unless your mum's making dinner?" he added with a mischievous grin. James rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless.

"James, me and Lily are gonna go to Chris', we'll see you back at school, alright?"

James looked up at Holly, his eyes darting to Lily, who was staring at anything but him. He sighed, and nodded, waving a goodbye to the girls, then slumping in his seat.

"She still won't even look at me," he mumbled moodily.

Sirius patted his friend on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it mate, it's her loss, now," Sirius began rubbing his hands together, "Where's this turkey?"

James, though still slightly put out by Lily's blatant ignoring of him, couldn't help but grin. Sirius always had a way of cheering him up.

"Come on, you've never met my mum and dad before, have you?"

Sirius shook his head, "Brief encounter at the train station, but no," the two boys stood, and proceeded to head to the living room where Mr Potter, Mrs Potter and the Knights were discussing last night's events. Luckily, none of the Knight family had been killed in the attack, though Jonny did return in the early hours of the morning sporting a nasty cut on the side of his face.

"Mum, dad?"

James pushed the living room door open, and found his parents sitting alone, talking in hushed whispers. The Potter's living room was a cavernous area, with a large high ceiling, bay windows and decorated in colours reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room.

"Where's Uncle Ian and Aunt Ivy?"

Mrs Potter looked up to see her son and Sirius standing in the doorway, and smiled warmly.

"They've taken Holly to Christina's, then they both have to get into work," Mrs Potter waved her wand, vanishing a large stack of parchment she and her husband had been looking at, "And you must be Sirius, I remember you from the platform."

Sirius was slightly taken aback by Mrs Potter. She jumped to her feet, a warm smile lighting up her face.

"Would you like some dinner dear? We haven't eaten yet, what with all that's been going on," Mrs Potter didn't even wait for an answer, and hurried into the kitchen without a moment's pause.

"She's always like that, feeds everyone who comes here," chuckled James, "Dad, you remember Sirius don't you?"

Mr Potter set down his quill and smiled at James and Sirius, "Of course I do, it's good to see you again, Sirius."

"It's nice to finally come here," grinned Sirius. James looked an awful lot like Mr Potter. They had the same messy dark hair, though Mr Potter's was streaked with several silver strands. They had the same long nose, the same round rimmed glasses, the same tall build (though James was still a little gangly). However Mr Potter's eyes, he noticed, were the same as Holly's, whereas James must have inherited his mother's eyes.

"Will you be spending the rest of the holidays here, Sirius?" Mr Potter asked, standing up and stretching. Sirius glanced at James, then shook his head.

"Uhh, no, I'll have to go back soon, actually," Sirius began to look a little uncomfortable, and James chewed his lip, wondering just how much trouble his friend would get into for sneaking out.

"Wanna come see my room? Mum'll be awhile with the food," James asked brightly. Sirius had a feeling he was trying to keep his thoughts occupied, and was extremely grateful for it.

He'd deal with his parents when he got home.

~**~

"Good to be back, eh?"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter made their way into the Great Hall, as classes began after the Christmas holidays. The hall was as loud as usual, with its occupants all chatting about their holidays and of course, about the attack in Mould-on-the-Wold.

The Knights had spent the remainder of the holidays with the Potters, whilst the village was recovering from the attack. Several houses had been badly damaged, and Minister Bagnold had ordered extra protection for the village's residents. Holly had stayed at Christina's for a few days, before returning to her cousins, considerably happier than before. Sirius had spent most of Christmas day at James' until he was forced to go back and face his parents. Luckily, they hadn't noticed he had even left, the knock on Kreachers head apparently making him forget Sirius had left. James didn't know what was worse; fearing your parent's anger for sneaking out, or them not even noticing. Sirius did seem a little subdued when he'd told them, but had quickly perked up when the train back to Hogwarts began to move.

The four boys took their seats in their usual spot, about halfway up the Gryffindor table. The girls weren't there yet, however waiting for them, was Regulus.

"Hey little bro," greeted Sirius, patting his younger brother on the back. Regulus grinned at his brother and his friends, whom he had become quite close with since starting Hogwarts.

"Hi Sirius, hi guys," he greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey Reg, how ya doin," smiled James, taking a seat opposite Sirius and his brother.

Regulus shrugged, "Good I guess, I'm not looking forward to the homework; Sirius said you get loads because of the exams."

"Yeah you do, but they're nothing to worry about, Sirius and me passed and we never do homework!"

Regulus chuckled as Remus gave James a stern look.

"Great example to be setting for him there, Sirius."

James shrugged, "If he's anything like him," he pointed at Sirius who was shovelling bacon and eggs into his mouth, "He's a lost cause anyway."

Peter and Regulus chuckled at Sirius, and pulled their own breakfast towards them.

"Hey Reg!"

The five boys looked up and saw two small Slytherin first years making their way towards the Gryffindor table, glaring at the students as they passed.

"Hi Wazale, hi Timothy," Regulus jumped from his seat to greet his friends. James and Remus glanced at Sirius, who was glaring at the two boys.

"Guys, this is Wazale Grover and Timothy Crabbe, they're in my year too!"

Sirius nodded slowly, not taking his eyes of the two boys. Both were built similarly, both were stocky, with dark hair and unpleasant expressions on their faces. Sirius got the impression the pair weren't too bright, but were bad news nonetheless.

"Guys this is my brother Sirius, and his friends James, Remus and Peter," Regulus indicated to the four boys. Crabbe and Grover grunted in acknowledgment, and turned to Regulus.

"So Reg, we're meeting up with a few of the others later to discuss that thing we told you about," at this Crabbe smirked at Sirius, "Your mum and dad may have mentioned it."

Regulus nodded. Sirius looked between the three Slytherin's, completely perplexed.

"What thing, what's he on about?"

Regulus' smile faltered a little, and he looked away.

"Oh, nothing, just a little thing me and some other friends are working on," he mumbled.

Sirius bit his lip, and frowned.

"What are you working on, you can tell me."

"Why would he tell you? Gryffindor scum," spat Grover.

Sirius stared incredulously at the young Slytherin. He looked from James, to Remus, to Peter, who all seemed to be as shocked as he was.

"What did you say to me?"

"I said, why the hell would he tell you?"

Sirius jumped to his feet, wand at the ready.

"Sirius," Remus said in a warning tone. James, however, stood up to join his friend.

"You think you're so clever? We all know who the real scum here is," spat James.

"POTTER!"

James groaned, "Oh for crying out loud, every time!"

James turned slowly and came face to face with Lily.

"Yes Evans," he ran his hand through his hair, although it seemed more out of exasperation than to achieve the messed up look.

"Why did you just call this first year scum?!" she seethed.

"Because he called Sirius scum first," explained James lamely.

"Oh real mature Potter, sit down," she spat. James rolled his eyes and sat down, not really in the mood for an argument. Sirius however, hadn't moved an inch.

"You too Black, sit down."

"Don't tell me what to do, Evans," hissed Sirius.

"Please, can we not do this," sighed Bridget, appearing from behind Lily.

"Don't talk to her like that!" snapped Holly, who appeared at Lily's side.

"Stay out of this Knight," barked Sirius.

"Guys calm down," groaned Chris, who appeared on Lily's other side, "They're gone."

Sirius frowned, and saw that Regulus, Crabbe and Goyle had indeed left and went back to the Slytherin table.

"Damn it!!" yelled Sirius, kicking the table so that several goblets of pumpkin juice tipped over.

"Mr Black is something wrong," asked Professor McGonagall sternly, who had now joined the small group.

"Oh you think," said Sirius sarcastically. McGonagall's nose flared.

"Mr Black, don't ever let me hear you speak to a member of staff like that again!"

Sirius exhaled loudly, and bowed his head.

"Is something wrong Minerva?"

Everybody turned and saw Professor Dumbledore eyeing the small group with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

"Mr Black seems to have quite the attitude problem," said McGonagall, still staring at Sirius. Professor Dumbledore nodded slowly, eyeing Sirius interestedly.

"Mr Black, would you like to come with me?"

Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder, and steered him from the hall. McGonagall glanced at his friends, then went back to the staff table. Lily, Holly and Chris sat down next to the boys, and pulled their breakfast towards them.

James glanced at Lily, who was chatting away with Holly, Bridget and Chris as if nothing had happened.

"Did you have to get involved Evans?" asked James quietly.

Lily scowled, and turned to look at James.

"When you're bullying first years, yes, I do."

James pushed his glasses back and rubbed his eyes, "We weren't bullying them, they called Sirius Gryffindor scum, besides, why do you care, they're Slytherins".

Lily glowered at James, "So just because they're Slytherins that gives you the right to call them scum? Grow up Potter."

"Why are you so concerned? Oh wait, I forgot, dear Snivellus is a Slytherin, isn't he?" snarled James, his temper slowly rising.

"Severus is one of my best friends Potter," snapped Lily, "But that is not why I choose to stick up for those you feel the need to pick on!"

"Whatever Evans, you stick up for your mates, I'll stick up for mine," with that, James stood up, and left the table. Peter glanced at the girls, then followed suit. Remus, however, stayed.

"Remus why are you even friends with those lot?" asked Lily.

Remus frowned, "They're the best friends I've ever had Lily. I hope someday you can see they're not bad people, especially James."

He stood up, offered a small smile, and left the table. Lily's face fell a little, and she returned to her breakfast in silence. Holly, Bridget and Chris looked sadly at each other. They all knew James was a nice person deep down. He was just a little...silly sometimes.

~**~

It wasn't until second lesson when Sirius returned from his meeting with Dumbledore. He seemed a little quieter than usual, however wasted no time in joining James to bewitch Nancy Dunn's seat to pull itself out every time she tried to sit down, earning the two of them detention and rather a large round of applause from many second year girls who had had 'run ins' with Nancy.

After that, he seemed to return to normal, however he didn't tell anyone what he and Dumbledore had talked about, much like the previous year, when his parents had come up to the school to discuss his house choices. Every time they asked, he would just say it was between he and Dumbledore, and to leave it at that. James wondered if Sirius would ever truly open up to his friends; the other three did, James often complained about Lily, Remus of course, had dropped a rather huge bombshell on the group, and even Peter had confided in his friends about his father, who seemed to be a bit like Sirius' family. However, when it came to the Black's, Sirius remained tight lipped. He assumed that Sirius maybe thought that if he didn't talk about them, whatever was going on would go away.

Fat chance.

Out of respect of his privacy (and fear of his wand), James dropped the subject quickly. He would tell them when he was ready, after all.

The week passed as usual, with the second years preparing for yet more exams, and Lily and James continuing their ongoing bickering and silence between. James, Sirius and Peter had also spent several nights in the library, researching werewolves. The boys were determined to find a way to help Remus; but it seemed futile.

All in all, even though there were large differences and many arguments between certain members of the Gryffindor clan, the eight Gryffindors were becoming fast friends, in their own way at least.

~**~

Remus had left yet again for the Shrieking Shack to go and transform. James and the others had still not told him they knew where he went, and had instead spent all of their efforts researching werewolves in the hopes of coming across something that may help. Remus didn't know about it however, James was sure that if he did he would have protested. But James couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Remus was one of his best friends, and if Remus was going through a bad time, it reflected upon the rest of the group.

After sneaking into the library with the help of James' invisibility cloak, James, Sirius and Peter scoured the bookcases looking for information on werewolves. So far, they hadn't come across anything they already didn't know. Basically, there was no known cure for a werewolf bite, so that ruled out ridding Remus of his problem. Also, a werewolf was far too dangerous to be around, so that ruled out keeping him company during transformations. The three boys were determined, however, to find something – anything – to help.

"There's got to be something!" exclaimed Sirius, snapping his book shut. James shrugged sadly, his eyes never leaving the page of the book he was reading.

"If only we could...I dunno, find some animals to keep him company, werewolves are only dangerous to humans, it says they're not a threat to animals," said Peter pointing to the passage he was reading.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Yeah Pete, that's what we need, pets for a werewolf!"

James' eyes widened. He stared at Sirius and Peter with slowly spreading grin.

"Peter...you're a genius!"

"I am?" said Peter in surprise.

"He is?" said Sirius sceptically.

James nodded, and disappeared back into the rows of books. He returned a few minutes later, and slammed a rather dusty looking book down on the desk in front of Sirius.

"The Art of the Animagus...what," his eyes slowly rounded, "Oh...Peter, you are a genius!"

Peter blushed, seeming quite proud of himself, though truth be told, he didn't really understand what was going on.

"If werewolves aren't dangerous to animals...and we become animals," he pointed to the book, "At least we can keep Remus company!"

Sirius nodded, "He won't have to be alone during the transformations, hell, we could even get him out of that shack and keep an eye on him!"

Peter gasped, finally cottoning on, and gazed at his friends in awe. James flipped through the book, and frowned.

"It'll be tough, this book's from the restricted section too, so we'll only be able to study by night...unless..."

"Unless we get Jonny to get it out for us, he's a prefect so they won't ask questions," Sirius finished his sentence.

"But...wont he be suspicious?" asked Peter.

James waved his hand, "Naaa, Jonny never questions anything, in fact, if he knew he'd probably encourage us, you know what he's like."

Sirius glanced at James, then Peter.

"What do you say boys, wanna give it a go?"

James nodded immediately; Peter however, seemed a little reluctant.

"You two are so much smarter than me...I'll never be able to do it."

"Mate, we'll give you all the help you can get," said James firmly, "We can do this."

Sirius nodded, as did Peter.

"So we're doing it?" asked James.

"Of course," said Sirius.

"Yeah....for Remus," replied Peter.

James and Sirius grinned, "For Remus."

~**~

Remus returned the next night looking even more haggard than usual. He even seemed to be getting a few grey hairs in his sandy blonde hair, though most who noticed and knew of his mother attributed it to stress.

He found the boys sitting in their favourite armchairs by the fire, chatting amongst themselves. Remus crossed the room quickly and gingerly lowered himself into an empty chair; his bones were still aching and he'd acquired a few new bruises last night.

"What?" Remus asked warily as soon as he'd gotten comfortable. James, Sirius and Peter were all grinning at Remus strangely, their eyes sparkling. These were all signs of a plan.

"We have a proposition for you," started James.

"A way to ease the loneliness of your transformations," Sirius said dramatically.

"I practically came up with it!" piped up Peter.

Remus eyed the three boys with a frown on his face, "I already told you, there's nothing that can be done."

"Oh we know there's nothing to cure you, but we can help you...in a way," James smiled.

"What would you say if we told you we know you visit that house you go into to transform?" asked Sirius.

Remus paled. "Guys...I...I'm sorry I didn't...it's just...I thought –"

James held up his hand, "We dont hold anything against you for not telling us."

Remus sighed in relief, "How did you find out about the shack?"

"We followed you," said Sirius bluntly, "We saw you and Pomfrey out of the window heading for the Whomping Willow, so we followed you."

"You...you didn't...see me?" asked Remus quietly.

"No," said James, "Peter was wetting himself so we had to go back."

"Hey! I was not wetting myself," exclaimed Peter.

"Okay guys, back to the idea," said Sirius, trying to hide his smirk.

"Oh yeah, Remus, we have a fool proof idea that will not only provide you company during those lonely wolfish nights, but maybe even a little fun and general maraudery too."

"Maraudery...I like that," grinned Sirius, "Because we are of course just a bunch of Marauders, wreaking havoc where ever we set foot!"

"Maraudery isn't even a word," chuckled Remus, "But anyway, back to the 'foolproof' plan?"

"Oh yeah, well, simply put, we are going to become Animagi so we can keep you company when you transform."

James waited for Remus to proclaim the plan sheer brilliance, to praise his friends on such an excellent suggestion, and set about planning their study sessions to become Animagi.

"No."

"Sorry?" said James, confused as to why he was saying no.

"I said no. I won't let you do that...it's too dangerous."

"Aha, but it isn't," grinned Sirius, "You know what's are only dangerous to humans."

Remus continued to shake his head, "Do you even know how illegal and dangerous that is?"

James and Sirius glanced at each other, and shrugged, "So," they chorused.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Thanks guys, but I can't let you do that...it was...it was really thoughtful though," he added with a slight sparkle in his eye.

Sirius frowned, "What if we said we're going to do it anyway, with or without your consent?"

Remus glared at Sirius, "Don't, I couldn't let you risk that – no, I simply refuse!"

James grinned evilly at Sirius, "Oh, he 'simply refuses', does he?"

"Guys," said Remus wearily.

"Well I'm afraid, Mr Lupin, that we simply protest," chuckled Sirius.

"Guys stop it".

"Oh no Lupin, we've already decided, we're doing this!" said James firmly.

Remus sighed in defeat, far too tired to argue, and looked at the determined faces of his friends.

"You're really going to do this?" he asked.

All three boys nodded.

"You're one of our best mates Remus, how can we just sit back when you go through something like that and do nothing," reasoned Sirius.

Remus shook his head.

"Besides, it'll be cool to change into an animal...I'm thinking a lion!" James roared. The four boys burst into fits of laughter.

"What about you Sirius?" asked Peter.

"I'm thinking...a bird," he spread his arms and began running around the room, flapping them like a lunatic and cuckawing.

"What about you Pete?" said James, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh...I dunno...umm...a rat?"

Sirius snorted, "Why would you wanna be a rat?"

Peter shrugged, "I've always thought they were cool."

"You do realise you dont have a choice in what you become," said Remus amusedly.

James and Sirius frowned, "Why not?" asked James.

"Your Animagus form will represent the animal you are most like in characteristics," explained Remus, "You turn into what you would have been had you been born an animal".

"Definitely a lion then," laughed James.

"A peacock!" cried Sirius, "'Cause I'm pretty."

James tossed a cushion at Sirius, and the two began a rather rough cushion fight. Peter hid behind a table as Sirius pounced on James and began play fighting with him. Remus, however, watched them with a smile. They were ready to break laws for him, risk their own wellbeing. A slow grin spread across his face. He had the best friends in the world; he truly was the luckiest boy who had ever lived.

"Hey, about that Marauders thing," started James, "I really like it, I think it should be our group name or motto or something."

Sirius laughed out loud, "Definitely. Well, my fellow Marauders, I think we'd better go to bed."

"I doubt that's ever been said by a Marauder before," whispered Remus to Peter, who giggled.

~**~

The next morning, a tired eyed group of Gryffindors spent the rest of the day sleeping, thankful it was Sunday. After having dinner, the four boys retreated to the common room to tackle the mountain of homework they'd been given.

"Guys! Over here!"

James spotted Chris waving them over, and smiled. They took seats next to the four girls, Lily determinedly turning straight to Bridget and striking up a completely random conversation. James sighed, but was far too tired to even try to reconcile with her. It would have to wait until another day.

"You four look pretty tired, what were you doing last night?" asked Chris.

James shrugged, "Up all night planning our next prank," he grinned. Lily did her best to hold her tongue; she really wasn't up for another shouting match.

Bridget chuckled, and shook her head, "It's a wonder you're still in this school, the amount of stuff you've gotten away with."

James laughed, "I guess the teachers just dont have the heart to kick us out, I mean, it would be pretty boring around here without us."

Lily snorted, and continued scribbling on her parchment. James rolled his eyes and pulled out his potions book.

"So, did you hear the bad news," grinned Chris.

"Chris, shut up," snapped Lily. Chris rolled her eyes and turned to James and the boys.

"Lily's going out with Tim Stebbins."

"We're not going out!" cried Lily, "He just asked me if I'd help him with Charms."

"Whatever, he soooo likes you," giggled Chris. Holly threw her a warning glance, and subtly nodded towards James, who had a scowl on his face.

"Stebbins? That idiot who was following you on the train?"

"James," warned Remus.

"Yes, I mean, no, he's not an idiot, but he was talking to us on the train," snapped Lily. James' scowl deepened.

"Why the hell are you studying with him?!" cried James.

"Why the hell do you care?!" shouted Lily.

"Oh boy," groaned Bridget.

"Because he's an idiot, have you even seen him on the Quidditch pitch?" James and Sirius both began laughing heartily.

"Not everything is about Quidditch Potter, and I can study with whomever I please," spat Lily.

James scowled, and turned back to his potions book. Lily watched him carefully for a second, before turning back to her own homework. Remus and Sirius exchanged knowing looks, then proceeded to pull out their own books.

"So Sirius, you said you were having a bit of trouble in Herbology," asked Chris, hoping to take everyone's minds off the frequently common arguments.

"Oh yeah, I know you're one of the best in the year, I was wondering if you could study with me or something," Sirius grinned. Chris nodded, and turned back to her book. Holly scowled, and glanced between the two of them. She studied Sirius for a moment. He certainly was handsome, dark hair that fell effortlessly into stormy grey eyes, haughty composure and devilish grin. But then again, he was arrogant, self obsessed and uncaring, and in Holly's eyes, those qualities outweighed whatever charm he possessed. Silently giggling to herself, Holly shook her head. Chris could have Sirius if she wanted him. Holly Knight was not one to go after someone as conceited as Sirius Black.

After an hour or so of mostly silent studying, the eight Gryffindors bade each other goodnight, and dragged themselves up to bed.

Watching them intently, was a tall handsome sixth year by the name of Jonathan Knight. He was close to them all, be they family or friends. He chuckled to himself, and turned to wake Olivia who was lightly dozing in his arms. Whether those eight Gryffindors liked it or not, Jonny could see there was a bond between them all, a bond that he hoped would only grow stronger in time. In the dark days that were sure to come, Jonny believed that family and friends were their only protection, that love between one another was their strongest ally. Just as long as that love didn't involve any boys and his little sister, he was perfectly content to sit back and watch the friendships unfold.


There we have it! Another chapter for you all to read! Like it? Loathe it? Let me know :)

Grace ~