The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

Before Now

"....I learned my passion at the good old fashioned school of loverboys!"

James laughed and pushed Sirius in the shoulder. "You bloody dog." The four Marauders were walking together through the woods for the first time in what felt like ages, nearly shoulder to shoulder, exploring the trees beyond the house that James had bought. Sirius, in his very Sirius-way, was singing loudly, scaring the birds and small woodland creatures so they went skittering away through the trees. Remus, who was the object of Sirius's serenading, was flaming red in the cheeks.

"I bleedin' love that song - it's just... SO ME." Sirius grinned, and slung his arm about Remus's shoulder, pulling his lanky frame down and liberally lapping his face as he might if he were in his dog form.

"Gods alive!" Remus moaned, wiping his cheek with the arm of his jumper.

"What! I lick you all the time!"

"Toooo much information," sing-songed James, laughing.

Peter stared at Sirius with wide eyes, as though the implication had startled him.

"Not as a human," Remus argued.

"Um, yes," Sirius replied, looking at Remus with one eyebrow raised and a wicked grin crawling over his lips. "Quite frequently."

Remus might a well have been on fire.

"Alright! Alright! Enough about your dirty, dirty sex lives," James said. He stopped walking and waved his arms about. "What do you lot think? We've got loads and loads of trees and woods back here. We could easily build our own little hideaway for moony nights, yeah?"

Remus looked around. "As long as we don't leave whatever shelter we create, I suppose we could."

"C'mon Moony! We could have a blast, just like back in Hoggywarty-Hogwarts days," Sirius burst out. He looked around, "We could go swimming in that pond over there, and we could camp out sometimes, too. Go swimming. Skinny dipping." He wagged his eyebrows at Remus.

"Rule Number One!" James said.

Sirius looked 'round at him. "That was for the dormitory."

"Well it applies to my duck pond, too, you horny beast."

"Last I just you're the one that's horny, Prongs."

Peter laughed so hard and suddenly that he honked, then choked, and the other three looked 'round at him and laughed, too. "You alright, Wormy?" Remus asked.

Peter nodded, still coughing.

Sirius asked, "So when do we start building?"

James replied, "The moon's next week."

Remus said, "Dunno how much help I'll be in it right now, though, mate. Especially if you plan on doing it the muggle way. I'm already feeling the moon coming."

"Muggle way! Bullocks!" Sirius looked at James. "Don't be a twatwaffle."

"That's just the house I wanted to do the muggle way. For you, Rey, I thought we could make some sort of fort structure out here and perhaps connect it with a tunnel to the house's basement. For old times sake." He smiled.

Remus nodded, "That sounds rather brilliant."

"I like the idea!" Peter piped up.

Sirius grinned, "We shall call it the Howling House, yes?"

They all laughed -- and then set to work.

"And where have you four been all day?" Lily asked as the Marauders came tromping in the door of the flat in East London. She looked up from a book she had spread open on her knees, curled up on the couch with a blanket 'round her shoulders.