Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, so there *blows raspberry*
Author's note: I'm not normally a fast updater, but this story is so easy to write!
-The Marauders-
`Holy Merlin, is that a rabbit?'
The excited chatter that usually filled the Gryffindor common room on the last night of school was punctuated by screams, some of terror, and some of mirth, as an oversized rabbit meandered its way through the multitudes of students, tearing at trousers and satchels. Apart from its enormity, its appearance was made all the more frightening due to the razor sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, and its maniacal red eyes. Clearly, this was not the type of rabbit generally found in any part of the country.
In one warmly lit corner, three young men were sitting around a piece of parchment, lazily observing the various efforts of their classmates to control the rampaging rabbit.
If they were trying to come across as inconspicuous, they were being let down by Peter Pettigrew, who was currently squeaking with laughter. He was a short, red faced, plump boy (even though he had reached the age of maturity, Peter Pettigrew was wont to be referred to as a boy because of his childlike appearance) of seventeen, with small beady eyes and rodent like teeth. Peter was a fellow in possession of neither intelligence nor charisma, so why he was part of one of the schools most elite cliques remained a mystery to many people.
Beside Peter sat Remus Lupin, a thin, sandy haired, brown eyed man whose immediate air was one of trustworthiness and sensibility. He was studious, quite, polite and well read, liked by everyone who met him and held in a considerable amount of respect. For a man so unassuming and placid, he had copious physical strength, a fact made even more bizarre due to his frequent illnesses, which gave him a decidedly weak look. It was only his close friends who knew of his real illness, Lycanthrophy, or in more simple English, he was a werewolf. At the moment, Remus was pouring over the piece of parchment on the floor beside him, his brow furrowed and his wand tracing something only he could see.
The tallest, and probably most prominent of the three, who was currently directing the rabbit around the common room with his wand, was a pale, classically handsome youth, with long, elegant black hair, that fell haphazardly into his gray eyes but never seemed to hinder his sight. He was usually to be found with a cynical scowl on his face, his eyebrows lowered and his arms folded, disinterested in everything going on around him. If a more observant person than the average Hogwarts student had taken a closer look at Sirius Black, they would notice that his seemingly dispassionate eyes were busy taking in everything around him, and his scowl was more smug than cynical. His moody exterior hid a sharp, intelligent and witty man, with more daring than sense, and more heart than the bravest of Gryffindors.
`Have you found our missing counterpart?' he asked of Remus, who promptly looked up and nodded.
`I have, he's in our dormitory.'
Peter frowned.
`I didn't see him go up there.'
`He was probably wearing the cloak. Should we go up?' Remus replied.
Sirius shook his head.
`No, leave him there. He most likely wants to spend some time alone.'
`In that case, I think a trip to the kitchens would be most profitable, Padfoot?'
`Moony, I think that a trip to the kitchens is exactly what I need, and we can get some food for Prongs. Are you coming, Wormtail?'
`Would I ever pass up a trip to the kitchens?' Peter replied jovially, scrambling up from the floor to stand beside his friends. Before they left the common room, Remus pointed his wand at the parchment.
`Mischief managed.'
These young men made up three quarters of a group commonly known as the Marauders. They were ardent pranksters, universally admired, universally respected, and had knowledge of every secret passageway, password and hiding place in Hogwarts. Being vastly intelligent (apart from Peter), resourceful and quick witted, they alone had managed to achieve feats that most fully grown wizards couldn't, such as a map of the school they had created that showed, not only all of the secret passageways, but the whereabouts of every person, be it a student or teacher, in the building. They had also become Animagi in their fifth year, something unheard of for underage wizards, but they had managed it with alarming ease. This, along with their map, was kept a secret from the student body, and even the teachers didn't know about either. Many a person had tries to guess what their nicknames signified, but no one had.
Remus, being a werewolf, was Moony. Peter was called Wormtail because his Animagus form was that of a rat. Sirius, being faithful and impulsive, was a large, black dog, thus, he was nicknamed Padfoot.
And what of their fourth counterpart?
He was currently sitting on the window ledge beside his bed, staring out at the star dotted sky.
Prongs was his nickname, the stag, the proud and undeniable leader. A popular, bright and charming young man, the oldest of the four, a talented Quidditch player, and Head Boy to boot, James Potter was seen to live a charmed life. His ancestry consisted of the purest of purebloods, rich and revered within the wizarding community. His father, Thomas Potter, was head of the Auror department, and his mother, Juliana, was Chief Healer of the Creature-Induced Injuries department in St. Mungos hospital. James himself was the top student in seventh year, never achieving less than an `Outstanding' in each subject, with an exceptional aptitude for Transfiguration. He was very handsome, albeit not as glaringly handsome as Sirius Black, his best friend, but he held his own in the affections of Hogwarts many young ladies. He was tall and lean, with shrewd hazel eyes, framed by wire rimmed glasses, a long nose, and black hair that refused to lie flat, instead choosing to stand out in all manner of directions. Large hands and feet had James, long limbs, and a mouth that hinted at a perverse sense of humor, but only when he smiled.
At this precise moment in time, James Potter was allowing his mind to wander over the events of the past week. Exams had ended the day beforehand, James was positive that he had done very well, and tomorrow, he would be leaving Hogwarts, the school in which he had spent seven years of his life, forever. He had his future actions planned to a tee. He would begin his Auror training at the end of the summer, qualify three years later, and settle down in London, where, he supposed, he would go about the process of finding a wife.
To an outsider, his life would be considered enviable.
In truth, James Potter was rather unhappy.
He couldn't place the source of his unhappiness, which he found rather odd. Certainly, his life was going exactly the way he wanted it to, he had warm friends, a good career ahead of him, a nice home, a loving family, he was healthy, and he was financially secure. He had no significant problems or worries, no enemies, and he was about to spend the summer staying with his friends in Brighton, which was sure to be enjoyable. He knew that he should be perfectly contented, but he wasn't. There was a strange, heavy feeling that he couldn't shake off, and it seemed to be growing with each passing day.
He looked down at his hand, where he held a letter that he had received from the family owl earlier. He and his friends were departing to the Lupin manor in Brighton the very next day, and at the beginning of August, the Lupins would hold their annual banquet for all of the wizarding families in Britain. His parents would, as usual, be attending, which meant that they would be staying at the manor for a week. Aside from when the banquet was held, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter usually had the manor to themselves, as both of Remus' parents were wont to travel around. He couldn't help scowling in distaste upon sighting one particular part of the letter.
The Patils will be back from Edinburgh, I have been told, and will be bringing their daughter, Elvira, with them. Is it true that she is Head Girl this year? Her father is widely known in social circles as commanding a rather vast fortune, and I have heard that Elvira has taken quite a fancy to my only son. In any case, she has come out now, and is surely looking for a suitor...
James scrunched the letter up and tossed it over to his bed. He loved his mother dearly, but she had an obsession with finding James a wife.
A rich, pureblood wife.
Unlike a lot of the wizarding community, James and his family were very supportive of muggle-borns, his father especially. James mother socialized with many muggle-borns, and agreed that they were just as competent as pure bloods. What James and his father found strange, therefore, was that the idea of her son marrying a muggle-born filled her with dread. Personally, James thought his mother shallow. It was blindingly obvious that she wanted to keep her high social standing, and if her son married a muggle-born, surely some richer, more traditional families, such as the Malfoys, would hold her in less esteem.
He sighed. Either way, the matter was not important to him now. He wasn't even thinking about marriage yet, certainly not marriage with Elvira Patil, a simpering, docile creature with an irritating giggle and a false, arrogant manner. He thanked his lucky stars that the old custom of wizarding parents choosing their child's spouse was long dead. He would decide who he would marry, when he was good and ready, and it would be because he loved her, and not because it was socially acceptable.
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his friends, who barged into the dormitory talking nineteen to dozen, carrying food and drink. Upon seeing him, Sirius jumped agilely onto the windowsill beside him and threw a chocolate frog in his direction.
`What were you doing up here for the past hour on your own?'
James tore off the wrapper with his teeth, bit the head off the frog, and proceeded to talk with his mouth full.
`Thinking.'
About what?'
He swallowed the head with some difficulty.
`About when we leave here tomorrow.'
`Oh yes, on that subject, I got a letter from mother today. Apparently, we have three balls to go to this summer.' Remus interjected merrily.
`Muggle or wizarding?' Sirius questioned with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The Lupins were a half blood family. David Lupin was a wizard, and Margaret Lupin was a muggle, therefore, both wizarding and muggle social events were generally attended, and although the Marauders were sworn not to use magic around the unsuspecting muggles, Sirius, who hated balls, would usually pull some kind of prank to make the evening a bit more enjoyable, and always managed to palm it off on James.
`Well, let me see,' Remus began, pulling the aforementioned letter out of his bedside drawer and examining it. `There's the Longbottom ball.'
`Ah, Frank Longbottom, I haven't seen him since last year. Is he still engaged to Alice Smith?' Peter enquired.
`Your interest in gossip alarms me Wormtail.' Sirius scoffed, but didn't go any further when Remus cleared his throat.
`Then there are our new neighbors, the Davis family, and they are wizards, and,' Remus paused, trying to hold back a laugh.
Sirius grinned.
`Chamberly.'
`Bravo Padfoot, your mind reading powers are astounding, considering that Chamberly has a ball every summer.' said James, sneakily taking one of Sirius' Cauldron Cakes from under his nose.
`Mother says that Chamberly will be announcing his engagement to a girl from Cheshire.' Remus remarked offhandedly.
`Prongs, you owe me five Galleons.'
`And why is that, Padfoot?'
`As I recall, you bet me five galleons that no girl would ever agree to marry that, and I quote, prattling git.'
`If your mother heard you use that language, she'd wash your mouth out with soap.'
`I find it amusing,' James began laughingly, `That my mother nearly has a cardiac arrest when I use the word `git', and yet `mudblood' is perfectly acceptable.'
`But, isn't Chamberly a muggle?' Peter asked through bites of bacon.
`It's the principle of the thing Wormtail.'
A long silence fell upon the four, a silence filled with nothing but the sound of rustling wrappers and Peters rather noisy chewing, and was broken when James suddenly questioned the group in general.
`Would you marry a muggle?'
Sirius raised his eyebrows.
`Thinking of that already, Prongs? Do your primal urges need satiating?
Remus and Peter laughed, and James gave Sirius a good natured punch.
`No. Well, I tell a lie-'
Sirius smirked at his friends reddening face.
`I wouldn't marry anyone, muggle or not,' he shuddered. `It's like having a ball and chain for the rest of your life.'
`So, you'd rather be promiscuous then.' James countered.
`I'd rather not have to bother with women at all.'
`What say you, Moony?'
`I'm not getting married either, for different reasons, of course.' Remus replied, looking glum.
`Yes, but if you were to marry, would you marry a muggle?'
Remus shrugged half-heartedly.
`I suppose I would. Why does the subject hold your interest.'
`Truthfully, I don't know.' James answered with a shrug.
Sirius shook his head.
`You're an odd man, Prongs.'
`I am sincerely worried for the girl who does end up married to James.' Peter joked.
`If she's not unhinged before she marries him, she will be after.' Sirius finished.
`It's nice to know my friends think so highly of me.'
Sirius dug his elbow into James stomach.
`Not to worry, my friend, we'll find you a nice, demented, muggle girl to marry you at Chamberlys ball!'
`I don't want-' James began, but he was interrupted by Remus.
`On the subject of Chamberly, Sirius, no pranks this year. Last year you almost caused Lady Spencer to lose her eye.
`It was the daft woman's own fault.' Sirius argued
`I'm not contemplating as to whose fault it was, I just don't want any trouble, and neither does mother.'
`Must you always spoil our fun?' Sirius questioned light heartedly.
`Yes, I must.'
`Can't we just skip the ball altogether?' Peter whined.
`Alas Peter, we can't,' Sirius replied. `We have to find Chamberlys poor fiancée and warn her before its too late.'
They all laughed, continued their banter, and the conversation gradually turned to their thoughts on leaving the school. They were all going to miss Hogwarts. It had been their home for seven years, the place where they had grown up, and learned about their world and discovered themselves. It had been the basis for their entire friendship, and to these four young men, friendship was the most important thing in the world. Tomorrow, they would be leaving it forever, to go out into the world and make the best of themselves, not only as wizards, but as men.
James took a long look around the walls of his familiar dormitory. Perhaps his leaving was the cause of his unhappiness.
But he doubted it.
He lay awake for hours that night.
And in a manor in Cheshire, Lily Evans tied her hair back up and cried herself to sleep.
Review! Please, oh please! You've already been so kind, and I got more reviews than I could have hoped for, but I still love them!
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