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For once, Asteria had gotten out of bed willingly, excited to attend classes (this thought process would last right up until they entered the greenhouses, when Asteria immediately began complaining about how tired she was and how much she detested homework). For now, however, Lily enjoyed the blonde girl's excitement; the two of them woke the other three up bright and early, trudging down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
They babbled about whatever it is a bunch of twelve year olds babbled about, before the boys graced the Great Hall with their presence. As usual, they approached the group of girls with a grand smile on their face; Lily rolled her eyes and turned to face Mary, while Marlene and Dorcas were engaged in their own conversation... which led Asteria to smile at the boys as they sat down across from her. She eyed Sirius warily, but he wouldn't meet her eye, talking rapidly with James about the upcoming Quidditch tryouts. Remus took a seat beside Asteria, and the two immediately delved into comfortable conversation about their classes and the upcoming year, neither mentioning Remus's little problem.
Eventually, McGonagall came around with their time tables, stopping with a loud exhale once she reached the boys. "Do try to stay out of trouble this year," she told them, before looking pointedly at Asteria. "And please refrain from dragging Ms Grey into your activities."
Asteria grinned once McGonagall turned her back, knowing that half their pranks were her own creation. James and Sirius looked at her with narrowed eyes, but she only raised her eyebrows innocently.
"Stay out of trouble? Yeah, right," Sirius laughed, shaking his head as he looked at McGonagall's retreating body.
"We just won't get caught," James added, before grinning wickedly. "We are the Marauders, after all. Slick, prank-masters, and most importantly - the most attractive in the entire school."
"You wish, Potter," Lily spoke up, tearing herself away from her conversation with Mary. James looked surprised that the redhead had spoken to him, but gathered himself and sent her a wink. Lily only rolled her eyes and turned away again, but not before narrowing her eyes at Asteria, as if asking "why in the world are you friends with him?"
Asteria bit back a smile, always appreciating the interactions between her best friend and James. However, she turned to look at the boy quizzically, tilting her head as she asked, "The Marauders?"
It was Remus who answered, chuckling softly. "That's the name we gave ourselves. Or, rather, James gave us."
The boys looked at each other as Remus said that, as if wordlessly saluting each other. They had decided on the name last night mid-gossip session, following their reunion after 3 months of not seeing each other. James had claimed that they needed a name to call each other, as they were a brotherhood - or, as Remus jokingly called them, a cult. Remus's heart had warmed up at the suggestion, but he felt like he was cheating them by calling himself part of the brotherhood; after all, he was hiding the greatest secret of all from them. And he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep hiding it. How many lies could he, Asteria, or Lily come up with?
