All five Gryffindors sat on the disheveled bed that James had claimed as his own. The covers were splayed in every which direction and Sirius had thrown his legs over the others laps as he drew lazily on spare parchment. Interrupting the comfortable silence and pulling the children out of their trance, James abruptly sat up. "We've lingered here for far too long," he said, grinning mischievously.
When James neglected to elaborate, Remus sighed and offered his friend the prompt he seemed to be waiting for, adding a touch of dramatic exasperation for his own amusement, "I cannot sit here and pretend to care for ever, James." He had a terrible feeling that whatever James was about to suggest was going to get them in quite a bit of trouble.
"We should prank someone," James said, nodding at his own idea.
"Who would be the victim of said prank?" Caelum asked, sitting up.
"I don't know," James admitted, looking at the four others. Apparently, he hadn't got that far. "Any, ideas?" He did not have to wait long.
"Snape. We should prank Snape." Sirius said, glancing at Caelum in such a manner that told her Sirius was about to cause a lot of trouble and that she was expected to help him.
"Why Snape?" James asked. Snape irritated him, but pranking him would definitely upset Lily.
"It is obvious, is it not?" Caelum said, helping her brother. Remus, James and Peter stared at her blankly, urging her to elaborate. "Snape fancies Evans, Jamie also fancies Evans. That makes Snape Jamie's enemy, and therefore, our enemy. Do you understand?" Caelum said, very slowly, as if a pact were being formed, and the signatories needed to understand the weight of their commitment.
"I don't thin-" Remus started, but was interrupted by James himself.
"The twins have got a point, don't they? Snape's a real git," James said, a look of distaste flashing his to his face. Caelum and Sirius were right. Snape was his enemy, and if he wanted to win Lily it was time to declare war. The twins smirked, a cat like smile that seemed sinister and yet inviting.
"Pete, write these down as we go." James demanded, his voice sounded that of a child trying to imitate their father.
As Remus had observed, everyone seemed so young in their hurry to grow up. One birthday would come, and they would already be thinking of the next. How at the age of eleven could they act with such cruel conviction, as if they had seen all there was to see and knew all there was to know. He wished they could stop playing the hurtful games of the adult world and just cherish their youthful years while they still had them. He also knew he would go along with them. Growing up was inevitable, cruelty was a part of the wizarding world, and mostly, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his friends.
"Yeah, alright," Peter said, digging quill and parchment from the canvas bag he had slung over the post of the bed as papers pushed out messily from the open zipper.
Prank Ideas
1. Dye his hair (James)
2. Leg Lock Curse (Peter)
3. Polyjuice potion (Caelum)
4. Words Curse (Remus)
5. Explode his potions (Sirius)
6. Dung-bombs under his desk (Peter)
7. Enlarge his head (Remus)
8. Change all his Slytherin color clothing to Gryffindor (Caelum)
9. Transfigure him into a worm (Caelum)
10. Slip him something in his drink (Sirius)
11. Send him a howler (James
12. Throw his wand into the black lake (James)
13. Transfigure his hands into feet (Remus)
14. Make him start singing randomly throughout the day (Peter)
15. Love potion (Sirius)
16. Polyjuice Potion into Minnie and take away house points (James)
17. Have a snitch chase him except there is always insults playing on repeat (Caelum)
18. Throw him into the black lake (Sirius)
19. Set a bludger on him (James)
20. Use the Silencing charm on him (Peter)
"That ought to do it for now," James said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Which should we do first?" Peter asked the group, looking at each of his friends individually.
Remus hesitated for a moment, then interrupted the group,
"We need to make sure we're not going to be caught."
"Don't you want to be remembered? There is no better way to do that than being notorious. But I agree with Remus. Everyone should know and no one should be able to prove a thing. That's the fun of it." Sirius' drawling sing-song voice made it all feel like nothing more than a little game.
It was just then that the Gryffindor prefect barged into the room without knocking. It was apparent from his exasperated expression that he had overheard enough of their conversation to understand that they were plotting. The older boy let out a long sigh before smiling and shaking his head, as if he were remembering something similar happening to him. "Alright, here is what is going to happen," he said, and Peter gulped audibly. "I am going to write a letter to Professor McGonagall; however, that letter will likely get lost on its way to her office, that is if you are not stupid enough to continue in your marauding." He tilted his head to the side before adding, "And if not ... well you get the point." He smiled again and walked towards the door, but before he reached it, he turned his head and said with a note of real gratitude, "Cheers," and then walked out the room.
After a brief silence Remus questioned simply,
'To making mischief," the others repeated.
"That's what we should call ourselves..." Peter trailed off, speaking in a hushed voice.
"What?" James asked.
"What that prefect said," Peter continued. "About us marauding? That's what we should call ourselves, The Marauders."
And so were born the Marauders, in all that they were and all that they would become...
A/N:
What choice would you make in Remus's situation?
-Maia🖤
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The Noble House Of Black
FanfictionCaelum Aries Black, the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the enigmatic twin of Sirius. The mere whisper of the Black name sent shivers through the magical community, a legacy of power that reached beyond the boundaries of mere p...
