Mischief Not Managed Yet

Chapter 3: The Introduction

22nd December 1998

"Ha!" James beamed when he stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "I told you I'd win!"

"Yeah, I can cheat too, you know," Sirius rolled his eyes.

Remus smiled and turned to face the Fat Lady. She stared back with an open mouth and her eyes almost popping out in surprise.

"Violet!" She poked a women sitting next to her. As they both had a glass of wine in their hands, they'd probably planned to enjoy their evening together. "Violet, poke me! That's not just the wine, is it?"

"If you mean those handsome young men," the woman with a, oh wonder, violet hat slurred, "then it's not the wine.... Or wait, we drank it together..."

The Fat Lady squinted her eyes at the marauders. "Na, it can't be you. You're all older now, and that boy", she pointed towards Fred, "Isn't even your generation! You're ghosts but don't look the way you did when you died- Black was much older! Violet, I.... Violet?"
She turned to look at her friend, but Violet had apparently had too much too drink, laid her head on her chair and was sleeping, snoring slightly.
The Fat Lady sighed and returned her gaze on the marauders.
"It's not you, is it?"

Fred stared at her, flabbergasted. "Merlin, is she done now?"

James nodded. "I'd say that was a personal record in rambling, Elizabeth."

The Fat Lady gasped when James had used her actual name and wanted to reply, but Sirius was quicker.
"Damnit, we don't know the password! How are we supposed to get in now!?"

Remus facepalmed and the Fat Lady started to grin. Slowly but surly, it widened, until she was full on laughing in delight. "It- it's actually you!"

The marauders exchanged confused looks.

"Wow, she's defenitely drunk," Fred murmured. "Otherwise she would've cried because she doesn't want to deal with me again."

"Same here," Sirius grinned. "You should've seen the party she'd thrown when we'd left Hogwarts."
Then he got serious again. "But how will we get in, now?"

"Are you serious right now!?" Remus stared at him as if he had three eyes.
Sirius returned the gesture. "Why yes, I am."

James groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Padfoot, that joke has gotten reeealy old."

"No, it hasn't."

"Yes, it has!" Remus backed James up.

"I hate you."

"We know," James replied, and pushed Sirius back first through the portrait hole.

Fred snickered, but it was drowned out by Sirius' angry "POTTER!", muffled because of the portrait between them.

"Glad to know that you haven't changed," Remus smiled.
"Never," James grinned back, but it instantly disappeared when a transparent hand came out of the Fat Lady's picture, grabbed James' hair and yanked him through the portrait hole.

Fred chuckled. "He deserved it."
"He did," Remus agreed, and stepped through the picture as well, with Fred following close behind.

Inside the common room, James massaged his head with a grumpy expression and Sirius stared at the banners and with a mesmerised look on his face.
"I forgot how it looked when you actually step foot into it..."