The event on Halloween was the talk of the school for the first three days, then when nothing else happened, most students took it to mean it was a one time thing, so they just pretended it never happened.
The staff, however, did not forget about it. In fact, Hagrid had quite the upsetting news to share. It was Sirius' birthday, and Sirius was sitting in his grandparents' quarters, opening presents. He had already opened the ones from his grandparents, and he was about to open the one from Regulus when Arcturus suddenly stood.
"Just a moment, Hagrid's in my office," he said before leaving. They knew it had to be major if Hagrid was in the headmaster's office.
"Hagrid, what can I do for you?" the headmaster asked when he entered his office.
"Headmaster Black sir, I need to show you something," Hagrid said. "Can you come with me for a moment please?"
"Of course Hagrid, I'll follow you," Arcturus said. Hagrid led the way to his hut where there were five dead roosters laying on the ground.
"You see Headmaster Black sir, I found these roosters lying here dead this morning, and I don't know how it happened," Hagrid explained.
"Hmm. That is strange that so many of them are suddenly dead without warning," Arcturus said with a thoughtful look. "Do you have any theories on what could have caused this?" Hagrid hesitated.
"The roosters were killed last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened," Hagrid offered.
"How curious," the headmaster stated. "Either someone killed the roosters for some reason, or they're being killed by something. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Hagrid. I have some theories of my own, but I will have to do some research on this. Please let me know if you notice anything else."
"I will," Hagrid promised.
"Well? What did Hagrid want?" Sirius asked when Arcturus returned.
"That is something that will be discussed between the staff only," Arcturus answered firmly, leaving no room for argument. Sirius scowled. He hated being kept in the dark. He decided to worry about it later though. He decided to go back to opening presents.
For the next few weeks, there was nothing new going on. Madam Pomfrey finally finished seeing every student, and they found four students who needed to be removed from their homes. The staff all agreed that the health screenings were a good idea, and they would be doing the same thing with the first years for now on.
At the beginning of December, Sirius, Remus, James, Severus, and Lily sat in the library, doing homework. Suddenly, James broke the silence.
"We need to come up with a name for our group," he declared.
"Are we a club now?" Severus asked.
"Well, we're always doing everything together, so why not?" James asked.
"What do you want us to be called then?" Lily asked, closing her Herbology book. She knew she wouldn't get anything done for the next little while.
"What about Marauders?" James asked. Sirius mentally laughed. He had been waiting for James to mention this.
"Marauders?" Remus asked.
"That sounds like what pranksters would call themselves," Severus pointed out.
"Well, do YOU have any better ideas?" James asked.
"Alright, fine, Marauders it is," Severus said with a sigh.
"I second that," Lily said.
"I think it's a great idea!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Sure, why not?" Remus accepted with a shrug.
"Great! We are now the Marauders!" James said excitedly.
"If you're going to be so loud, then you can leave now," Madam Pince snapped, glaring at them.
"Fine, come on guys, let's go get something to eat from the kitchens," James announced.
"Do you even know where the kitchens are?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I've been there a few times already," James said. "Follow me!" The five Marauders headed out of the library.
"When Reg starts his first year, I want him to join us," Sirius said.
"Sure, he can join," James said with a smirk.
When they reached the first floor, they stopped in their tracks. In front of them was the Bloody Baron, looking worse than usual. Behind him were a Hufflepuff first year by the name Amara Dunn.
"Oh no," Sirius whispered. "She's petrified."
"The Bloody Baron too, though I don't know how," Severus added.
Filch came around the corner at that moment. "You!" he yelled, pointing at Sirius. "It must have been you again! You killed that girl!"
"I didn't do anything!" Sirius shot back. "Why would I petrify someone?"
"It's time to teach you a lesson," Filch stated.
"He didn't do it, you dunderhead!" Severus snapped.
"Be quiet, boy!" Filch spat. Severus glared at Filch.
Before anyone could even think of what to say next, Filch reached out and grabbed Sirius by the throat. James, Severus, and Remus gathered around Sirius, trying to get Filch's hand off of their friend's throat. Filch was squeezing, making Sirius gasp for breath. Lily ran to get the nearest professor she could find. The boys kept shouting for Filch to let go of Sirius.
Sirius wasn't sure how much more he could take. He felt dizzy, and he guessed he was going to pass out soon. This was not how he wanted to die. The last thing he heard was Professor Flitwick's voice.
"Stupefy!" Flitwick squeaked. Sirius felt Filch let go of him and he knew no more.