Marauders Year 1: Rule the School

Chapter 4: Wormtail, Marauders Meet

After a very filling meal in the Great Hall, the first years are all instructed to follow the prefects to our common rooms. Having no idea who or what a prefect is, I just follow the steady stream of Gryffindor first years leaving the Hall.

We trudge up the stairs. Almost immediately after the last student rushes up, we watch in awe as the staircase shifts so that it's new opening point is in front of a large tapestry.

          "Come on now, everyone! Can't wait for the stairs to change in your favor, can you now?" a boy I assume to be the prefect calls from farther up the stairs. Without waiting for a reply, he continues up.  

          "Man, what is wrong with the guy?"

I turn to see that the speaker is a boy with untamable raven black hair and hazel-gold eyes. He's with a group of two others. One with shaggy, pitch black hair that's a little longer than the previous boy and another who is struggling not to drop his books. They seem like my sort. But that's my own personal judgement; as I have found, by trial and error, a lot of people tend to disagree with me. 

          "I guess he's just a little too full of himself," I say, before I start contradicting myself. 

The one with the longer black hair lets out a bark-like laugh. 

          "Yeah. Hey, you seem pretty cool. What's your name?" 

That's the first time anyone-and I mean anyone-has called me 'cool.' So, obviously, I tell him.

          "Peter Pettigrew."

          "Nice to meet ya, Pete. I'm James Potter."

          "Yeah, we know, James. I'm Sirius Black."

My eyes widen. 

          "Oh don't worry, I don't bite."

Book-boy winces. Then it's his turn.

          "Remus Lupin. For some reason, James and Sirius think it's funny to call me Remmy. I don't know why."

          "Well 'cause it's hilarious, mate!" James says. He and Sirius crack up. 

The four of us fall into step with one another and we don't even notice that we've walked into the common room through our avid conversation about the value of homework. 

That is, until James and Sirius start a spontaneous running contest and end up tripping over the feet of several other first years. This set off a bunch of loud protests from everyone else gathered in the common room. 

          "Everyone! Everyone! EVERYONE SHUT YOUR FACE-HOLES!" the prefect roars. 

We all go dead quiet. Well someone just lost their temper. 

          "Okay. Boy's dormitories are to the left. Girls, the same on your right. Alright, then, off you go." 

I guess it was a sort of unspoken agreement, but James, Sirius, Remus, and I just sort of drift upstairs in a group, seeking a suitable dormitory. James eventually stops in front of one door that looks particularly Gryffindor-ish. 

We looks around the sparse room and James shakes his head.

          "This will not do. Not at all."

Sirius seems to agree. 

          "You guys, I think we're going to need to do a little decorating before bed tonight," Sirius says with a wicked grin. "Sorry for keeping you up, but as cultured young men, we must have adequate housing."

We hang curtains, conjure pillows (mostly with the help of James and Sirius, whose parents taught them a bit of magic before school), and all in all just make the place look less starch. 

We've closed the gaps between our beds to just a foot or so and heavy red and gold drapes hang from the top of the four-poster beds. James's Quidditch posters, among others, along with bulletin boards, moving pictures, and medallions adorn the walls. We've tried to cover every square inch with varying shades of red and gold because James wanted it to be incontrovertible that this was an all-out Gryffindor dorm. I don't know what he has against the other houses, but I just followed along. We've removed the drapes on the inside of our little square so we can see each other and talk. 

When we finished, I looked around the dorm. It was absolutely amazing. 

There was no need for words after that. 

Sirius dropped on the bed. He was asleep before his head ever hit the pillow.

James yawns and mumbles a goodnight before pulling the covers up over his head.

Remus smiles, waves to me before passing out on top of his sheets. 

I guess these are my new best friends now. Looks like the school year isn't going to be as bad as I though it would be.