A/N I am so excited about this chapter, let me know what you think :)
Monday, 20th December 1971
Remus spent the last few days leading up to Christmas with Sirius having snowball fights in the grounds, exploring the castle, lazing about in the common room or their dorm and sneaking out at night to set-up the back to school surprises in the common rooms of all four houses.
They'd decided to tackle Hufflepuff first and arrived outside the barrel entrance at two o'clock in the morning. Remus reached out with his wand and, mimicking the boy from the previous afternoon, tapped the barrel. Tap tap rat-a-tap. The barrel opened, revealing an earthy passage that sloped gently upwards. He glanced at Sirius, who shrugged at him before leading the way inside.
He crept down the passage behind Sirius, and after a few seconds, it opened out into a bright, low-ceilinged and circular room filled with plant life.
'This is cosy,' Sirius whispered, looking around. 'I think this is my second favourite common-room. Gryffindor is first, obviously.'
Remus was forced to agree. The room was decorated in yellow and black, with highly polished, honey-coloured furniture, and the doors to the dormitories were whimsically round. It was warm and inviting. He would enjoy spending time there, especially with all the plants.
'This bit of wall looks good. Get ready to cover me if you hear anyone coming.'
He nodded and Sirius set to work painting a large mural of a badger wearing a Hufflepuff tie and hat and holding a quill in a meadow of wildflowers. The project took a full two hours, and he was beginning to get nervous that people might start getting up when Sirius finally stepped back to admire the finished work.
'Magnifique,' Sirius said, dramatically kissing his fingers.
'It's perfect,' he whispered. 'Now get out the way so I can hide it.'
Sirius stepped back, and Remus waved his wand in a complex motion of swirls. 'Statuto tempus cabaturium,' he muttered. The mural vanished. It would reveal itself at half-past four on the first of January, just when everyone would be returning from the holidays.
They had one more thing to do before they left. Using the flagrate charm, Remus wrote a message on the wall next to where the mural lay hidden before casting the concealment charm again to hide it from view.
We're the Marauders of Hogwarts
you thought we didn't care
but we broke in to show you otherwise
with just a touch of flair.
The following night they hit Ravenclaw tower. He easily solved the riddle on the door to gain entry, and Sirius painted a mural of an eagle soaring through a library wearing a Ravenclaw tie and hat. Remus wrote his message to Ravenclaw house and then hid both mural and message for later.
We're the Marauders of Hogwarts
and we're just as smart as you
we broke in here to prove it
and we left you with a view.
On Wednesday night, they were feeling a little tired, so decided to do their own house. Sirius painted his mural of a regal lion wearing a Gryffindor tie and hat, with a green and silver snake under its paw, and Remus once again added their note and hid both for later.
We're the Marauders of Hogwarts
and we broke in here to say
that Gryffindors are great
in every single way.
They didn't technically break-in to Gryffindor tower, but saying they did meant anyone from different houses who compared, still wouldn't know which house they were in. Although the "Gryffindors are great" part did give the game away a little.
Slytherin was last, and they tackled them on Thursday night. Sirius had resolutely refused to paint a mural, even a mean one. So, instead, they set delayed transfiguration on the entire room to make everything inside turn a violent shade of pink at the allotted time. Remus wrote out the poem he'd written for the Slytherins before Sirius added an extra line at the bottom with a snigger.
We're the marauders of Hogwarts
you thought we wouldn't dare
but we broke through your defences
to redecorate your lair.
Suck it, Snape.
'Sirius!' Remus whisper-shouted.
'What?' Sirius asked, holding his hands up in defence. 'He might suspect us, but no one will believe him. He'll just make himself look crazy.'
Sirius made a good point. No one would believe first years had pulled off the Halloween and Christmas displays. 'Alright, we'll leave it.' He cast the concealment charm, and they snuck back to Gryffindor Tower to get some much-needed sleep.
When Sirius woke up on Christmas day, it was still dark outside the window and Remus was sleeping peacefully. Perfect. He needed to sneak down to the owlery and wait for a special delivery.
He slipped out of bed, grabbed the clothes he'd put ready the night before and padded to the bathroom to dress. When he was ready, he snuck out of the dorm, shutting the door quietly behind him, and ran down the stairs to the portrait hole.
It took him ten minutes to reach the ground floor and another ten to get to the owlery. Once there, he rubbed his arms against the cold and paced impatiently, waiting for the owl to arrive with Remus' Christmas present. Twenty minutes later, a large brown barn owl swept through the window carrying a box with holes in the top. He paid the owl and carried the box carefully back to the dormitory, before tucking it under his bed. Hopefully, it would stay quiet until he was ready to give it to him.
Sirius glanced at Remus' sleeping figure under the covers. It was seven o'clock. Why was he still sleeping at seven o'clock on Christmas day? He tiptoed over to the bed, leant over Remus and—
'Arghh!' Remus yelled.
Sirius yelped and jumped backwards, almost falling over, and Remus cracked up laughing.
'Merlin, your face!' Remus said in between giggles.
'You scared the crap out of me.' He clutched his hand to his chest above his heart, which was racing. 'Nice one! How long were you awake?'
'Since before you came in the room. Where did you go?' Remus asked, sitting up in bed.
Sirius scratched the back of his head. He was caught. There was no point lying about it. 'I went to receive a delivery. It's your Christmas present, actually.'
'Oh. Okay, did you want to do presents now? Or wait until after breakfast?'
He gaped at Remus. 'Wait until after breakfast? Are you mad? Presents!'
'Well, that's what I was hoping you'd say, but it's polite to ask,' Remus said, smiling.
'Shall we open the ones from James and Peter first?' Sirius asked, grabbing a small square package and a long oblong one from the small pile at the end of his bed.
Remus crawled to the end of his bed and found two similar packages in his own pile. 'Sure. Your bed or mine?'
He walked over to him. 'I'm already up so let's sit on your bed.'
They ripped the paper off of the small square boxes from Peter at the same time, and they each had a mega-box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Sirius immediately ripped his open and started examining a small white one.
'What do you reckon? Vanilla?'
Remus peered at it. 'Could be.'
He popped it in his mouth, chewed it with a grimace, swallowed, and said, 'I think it was toilet paper.'
Remus shook his head, chuckling, and picked up the parcel from James. 'Ready?'
They ripped the paper off of James' presents and each pulled out a fancy red dragon skin wand-holster with gold detailing. There was a note inside the parcel that read: A Marauder should always have easy access to their wand.
'Wow, this is amazing,' Sirius said, putting it on and placing his wand in it. He practised drawing his wand at speed. The action was smooth and clean, so much easier than fumbling to grab it from a pocket. 'Try yours.'
'I'll try it out once I'm dressed,' Remus said with a chuckle.
'Spoilsport,' he said, pouting at him, but he sat back down on the bed. 'Okay, you open mine now.' He handed Remus a small wrapped box and watched closely, eager to see his reaction.
Remus took the present, looked at it, glanced at Sirius' bed, shrugged and pulled the paper off. Inside was a silver pendant strung on a black leather cord. The pendant was shaped like a shield with a stylised M in relief on its face. Surrounding the M were four symbols; a paintbrush and a broomstick crossed behind the M, and a book and a cauldron sat in front of it on either side.
Remus examined it thoroughly before looking up at him. 'Did you make this?'
He shrugged. 'I drew it and sent the design to a jeweller. I bought one for each of us. It's the Marauder's crest.' Reaching into the neck of his robes, he pulled out his own identical silver pendant.
'It's brilliant. Thank you,' Remus said. He put the pendant on and looked at it again with the corners of his mouth twitching up in a suppressed smile before tucking it inside his pyjama top and handing Sirius his present.
Sirius took the package, wishing he knew what Remus was thinking, and tore the paper off. The glass ball inside fell into his hand and he stared at it. It was the perfect size to fit comfortably in his hand, and the glass was smooth and crystal clear. He glanced up at Remus. 'What is it?'
'I call it a snitch-o-scope. I transfigured the balls from the sand in the beach room and added charms to detect people nearby. Anyone that isn't the four of us.'
'What does it do if it detects someone?' he asked, giving the ball an experimental shake. Nothing happened.
'It glows red if it's an adult, or orange if they're underage.'
Sirius felt his mouth stretch in a grin. Knowing if anyone was nearby would make sneaking around so much easier. 'This is brilliant. You always give the best presents. Thank you.'
Remus smiled and a faint blush bloomed on his cheeks. 'You're welcome.'
Okay. It was time for Remus' other present. 'I got you something else too.'
'What, why?' Remus asked, frowning at him and causing a crease to appear between his eyebrows. Sirius had the insane urge to reach out and smooth it, which he heroically resisted with great effort on his part. 'I thought of it after you told me about how alone you are at home.' That was an outright lie; he'd thought about it when he read the werewolf books, but Remus didn't need to know that.
'Okay?' Remus said.
Sirius jumped up and fetched the box from under his bed, handing it to Remus before sitting back down on the bed to watch his reaction.
Remus eyed the holes in the top of the box nervously and glanced back up. 'Is there something alive in there?'
He grinned and nodded. 'It won't hurt you. I wouldn't give you a dangerous Christmas present.'
Remus raised an eyebrow. 'I wouldn't put it past you.'
Sirius barked out a laugh, and a tiny whimper came from inside the box. 'Oops, I think I scared it.' He waved his hands in a hurry-up motion. 'Open it.'
Remus pulled back the flaps on the box and peeked inside. 'Awww.' He reached in and lifted out a tiny jet-black kitten. It was mewling softly. Remus settled the kitten in his lap and scratched its ears.
'You bought me a kitten?'
He shrugged. 'Yeah. I thought it could keep you company. You know, at home?' And on the full moons, he finished in his head.
Remus picked the kitten up and looked at its belly. 'Thank you, Sirius. I love her.'
'What are you going to call her?'
Remus frowned. 'I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it.' He paused. 'I hope she gets on okay with Rieka.'
He hadn't thought about that, cats and birds weren't traditionally friends. 'I'm sure it'll be fine.' He hoped it would be fine. If the cat ate the owl, he wasn't sure Remus would forgive him.
They finished opening the rest of their presents. Remus had a new book series from his mum, and Sirius got a fancy set of quills from his Uncle Alphard and a letter he would read later. Once Remus had dressed and put on his new wand holster, they went down to breakfast.
Christmas breakfast at Hogwarts was a feast. Every single type of breakfast food you could think of was made available. Remus couldn't help but wonder what they did with the leftovers. The amount of food in this one meal would probably feed his family for two years.
They left the hall with full bellies. His new kitten had been alone in the dorm for a long time, and he may have been walking a little faster than he normally would.
'Would you slow down a bit?' Sirius asked from a few steps behind. 'I ate far too much, and I can't move that fast right now.'
'I'm worried about the kitten. She's been all alone up there for ages. What if she's scared?'
Sirius chuckled. 'It's a cat, Remus. She's probably curled up on your bed fast asleep.'
Sirius was proven right when they arrived at the dorm. The kitten was indeed, curled up in a black fluffy ball fast asleep. But there was something else on the bed next to her. A tightly rolled scroll, sealed with red wax.
'What's that? Has someone been in here?' Sirius asked.
Remus sighed. 'I know as much as you do, Sirius.'
Sirius glanced at him. 'Should we open it?'
'That's what you would usually do with mail, yes?'
'There's no need to be a smart arse. There's a mysterious letter on your bed, and you're acting like this is an everyday occurrence for you. Is this an everyday occurrence for you?'
He rolled his eyes. 'No, Sirius. I can't say I've ever received a mysterious letter before. But if we don't look at it, it'll remain mysterious forever.'
They stared at each other for a moment longer, before Sirius snorted and bounded over to the bed, grabbing the scroll. He broke the seal and unrolled it. 'It's addressed to The Marauders.'
'Who's it from?' he asked, joining Sirius by the bed and trying to see over his shoulder. An almost impossible feat as Sirius was a full head taller than him. 'Dumbledore?'
'No. It says it's from the Hogwarts Chiefs of Raucous Revelry,' Sirius said.
'Really? What does it say?'
Sirius handed him the scroll. 'Read it.'
The Hogwarts Marauders,
We have been watching you since you arrived at school and have been most impressed with your penchant for mischief and your ability to maintain a secret identity. Your large-scale events at the Halloween and Christmas feasts were remarkable, and your discovery of the beach room showed great promise for your future as mischief-makers.
We have enjoyed six and a half wonderful years in charge of entertainment here at Hogwarts, but alas, it will soon be time for us to leave these hallowed halls and join the world. And so we must pass our legacy on to the next generation.
Yes, you have guessed correctly. We have chosen the four of you to continue in our footsteps, bringing joy and wonder to the students of Hogwarts. But first, you must prove yourselves worthy. We have devised an elaborate challenge to test your determination, perseverance, skill and daring. You have until the 16th of June to complete the task and earn your reward: our legacy.
On the sixth floor, there is a door that cannot be opened. Behind that door is a flag. When you retrieve the flag, you will attach it to the top of the astronomy tower. This will be the signal to us that you have completed the task.
The only way to gain access to the room is by drinking a potion called Spectral Essence.
We will provide one small piece of assistance in this task. The word "Dissendium" is of great importance on the third floor.
Merry Christmas and good luck.
Yours in mutual mischief,
The Hogwarts Chiefs of Raucous Revelry.
He looked up from the scroll and stared at Sirius, feeling a little dumbstruck.
Sirius just nodded. 'I know.'
'James is going to be unbearable when he reads this.'
Sirius nodded again. 'I know.'
'He's going to hound us non-stop until we've completed the challenge.'
Sirius nodded a third time. 'I know. Stop pointing out the obvious.'
'Right.' He sat down on the bed and picked up the kitten, placing her in his lap where she nuzzled his fingers. 'We could hide it, and never ever tell him?' he asked hopefully.
'If he found out, he'd never speak to us again.'
He slumped. 'That's true. We're going to have to do it, aren't we?'
'Don't you want to?' Sirius asked, sitting down next to him.
He grinned. 'Of course! I just don't want to put up with James' ego about it.'
'I know, but we can just tell him to shut up if it gets too much.' Sirius took the scroll and looked at it again. 'Do you want to investigate the third floor?'
'I think James will be mad if we start without him.'
Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, you're probably right. Think we should tell him about it in a letter? We can be really cryptic, and he won't be able to stop thinking about it for the rest of the holiday.'
'Drive him crazy before he drives us crazy?' he asked with a chuckle. 'I think that's the best idea you've ever had.'
They spent the rest of the day in their dorm writing to James and Peter to thank them for their presents and tell them cryptically about the letter, playing with his kitten which he named Cosmo, and setting up a back to school surprise in James' and Peter's beds, a task which included a lot of giggling.
The feast mid-afternoon was every bit as spectacular as breakfast had been. The house-elves really went all out at Christmas, and the wizarding crackers were a good laugh. Sirius got a pirate hat which Remus thought suited him, and he got a muggle top-hat in a vivid shade of purple which Sirius forced him to wear for the rest of the day.
The next three days of the holiday passed much like the first half, but with less excitement. They explored the castle some more. Having finished with the seventh floor, they had moved on to the sixth but had yet to find a door that wouldn't open. They tested out Sirius' snitch-o-scope, and it worked beautifully, silently alerting them to any human presence within twenty feet of their location. By Wednesday, though, he was beginning to feel the effects of the moon and wanted to slow down. He'd expected some resistance from Sirius to the idea of staying in the common room, but he seemed oddly understanding of his desire for rest, and they sat by the fire together with Cosmo curled up between them and did nothing much at all. It was nice.
'Hey,' Sirius said, breaking the companionable silence. 'Do you remember that lesson on boggarts? You weren't talking to us at the time.'
He shuddered. How could he forget? The sight of his mum's bloodied corpse had haunted his dreams for weeks. 'Yes.'
'During that class, James said, after we graduate, he wants us all to move in together. Would you be up for that?'
He glanced at Sirius. 'Are you sure I was included? Like you said, we weren't friends then.'
Sirius nodded. 'Yes, he specifically said, "Remus too, if he ever talks to us again." Say you will, it'll be awesome.'
Remus felt warmth flood his chest. James had included him even though they weren't talking at the time? The warmth soon disappeared though, to be replaced with a heavy weight and an ache in the back of his throat. He doubted they'd want a werewolf living with them, but he couldn't explain that, so he just nodded. 'Sure, sounds great.'
'Excellent,' Sirius said. 'It wouldn't have been the same without you.'
Letters sent after Christmas
Saturday, 25th December
To James,
Remus and I thank you for our beautiful wand-holsters. What a perfect present for a team of mischief-makers.
Something very exciting happened today that we think you'll be delighted to hear about. Unfortunately, it is sensitive information, and we can't possibly tell you about it in a letter. So you will have to wait until you return to hear the specifics.
Can't wait to see you,
Sirius, Remus and Cosmo
Saturday, 25th December
To Peter,
Sirius and I thank you for the sweets. We're being very careful about which ones we eat, but if I dare Sirius to eat them, he does, and he pulls very amusing faces. It's a lot of fun.
Something very exciting happened today that we think you'll be delighted to hear about. Unfortunately, it is sensitive information, and we can't possibly tell you about it in a letter. So you will have to wait until you return to hear the specifics.
Can't wait to see you,
Sirius, Remus and Cosmo
Saturday, 25th December
To Sirius and Remus,
Sirius, I love the pendant. I can't believe I didn't think about us needing an official Marauders crest. I'm going to wear it all the time. Did you get one for everyone?
Remus, I have no idea what this globe thing is, but it keeps lighting up red. Is that bad?
Only a week until I come back!
James
Saturday, 25th December
To Sirius and Remus,
Remus, what is this globe? It keeps flashing red and orange, and I'm worried.
Sirius, thank you for my pendant. Did you get one for all of us? I really like it.
Peter
P.S. I can't write anymore. My muggle relatives are getting freaked out by all the owls.
Saturday, 25th December
To James,
Thank you for the wand holster. This is the coolest thing I've ever owned. I hope you liked your sweets.
Peter
P.S. I can't write anymore. My muggle relatives are getting freaked out by all the owls.
Saturday, 25th December
To Peter,
Thank you for the sweets. I kept all the yucky ones, melted them down and put them in my dad's coffee. It was so funny.
James
Sunday, 26th December
To Sirius and Remus,
First, who is Cosmo? Are they a new Marauder? Why was I not consulted?
Second, tell me, tell me, tell me!
James
P.S. You're welcome. I hope you're both wearing them all the time. A Marauder must always be prepared.
Sunday. 26th December
To Peter,
You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. I think you know by now how much I "enjoyed" the sweets. Have you heard from Sirius and Remus? Did they tell you about this exciting thing that happened on Christmas day? They won't tell me anything.
Also, do you know who Cosmo is?
James
Monday, 27th December
To James,
Cosmo is the newest Marauder. She arrived on Christmas day, and her special talents include dozing in the sun and finger nuzzling. You were not consulted because you were not here.
The globe is my own invention; I call it a snitch-o-scope. It lights up if people are nearby (except for us), red for adults, orange for children.
Remus, Sirius and Cosmo
P.S. We are both wearing our wand holsters at all times except when sleeping.
Tuesday, 28th December
To Remus, Sirius and Cosmo (Apparently),
We have Remus for sun dozing, and Sirius for finger nuzzling. Why do we need Cosmo?
I don't believe absence is a good enough reason for not being consulted.
The snitch-o-scope is brilliant! It's going to be so useful.
You still didn't tell me. Is it Cosmo? Is that the exciting thing?
Waiting eagerly,
James
Wednesday, 29th December
To James,
I do not finger nuzzle! But you're right about Remus dozing in the sun. Alas, there is not much sun to be had in Hogwarts today, so Remus is dozing on the sofa in the common room in front of the fire instead. Cosmo is curled up with him, and I am all alone but standing guard.
Cosmo is not the exciting thing. We cannot talk about the exciting thing in writing in case these letters are intercepted.
Sirius (and a sleeping Remus & Cosmo)
Thursday, 30th December
Sirius and (a hopefully now awake) Remus and Cosmo,
I was very confused by your description of Remus' and Cosmo's sleeping arrangements, but I am now starting to suspect that Cosmo is an animal of some sort.
I'm in two minds about your refusal to tell me by letter about the exciting thing. I like your caution, but I hate that I have to wait.
Only two more days,
James