The Marauders: Year Four

Operation Cheeremus

Operation Cheeremus

The first week at Hogwarts had come and gone already, and the boys were bogged with homework, but that didn't keep them from sneaking out at night with the invisibility cloak, creeping across the grass to the Whomping Willow and running down the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack carrying their supplies each night. Remus slept through the outings, never the wiser that the other three had left, and Sirius became more excited each time that they went out there, marvelling over the hard work they'd put into the renovation of the Shack. He only got caught once napping in class (for which he got a detention from Professor Flitwick) and Remus was none the wiser.

By the time they were ready for the big unveiling of Operation Cheeremus, it was Friday night and the boys had big plans.

"Where are we going?" Remus demanded, his eyes covered with Sirius's Gryffindor tie, which had been knotted about his head securely so that he couldn't see. Sirius held his shoulders and directed him along through the dark of the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. "It feels like we've been going for a very long while."

"We have been," James replied.

Remus said, "Are we nearly there yet?"

"Nearly," Peter answered.

They'd reached the trap door and Remus heard the familiar sound of the sliding lock on the door, and as James pushed it open, the flooding scent of the Shack. "Wait. Fellas, we're at the Shrieking Shack," he said, "What're we doing out here?"

"You'll see," sing-songed Sirius.

James grinned and climbed through the hole, turning about to grab onto Peter's wrists and tug him up into the shack. Sirius then helped Remus up into the shack, too, from behind, pushing him up as James pulled. Sirius's hands ran down Remus's spine to his bottom, shoving him through, before climbing up himself.

"This way," Sirius directed Rey, grabbing onto his shoulders, "C'mon... over here... careful now. Big step..." They walked up the newly repaired stairwell - several steps repaired magically with wood gathered from the beyond-repair table - to the second floor.

"You've fixed the steps," Remus murmured.

"Yes," Sirius said.

"Is that the surprise?" Remus asked.

"Not yet," Sirius replied.

They walked down the hallway to the bedroom. Remus's senses were tingling. There were new smells, and he felt nervousness welling up inside of him, thanks to the energy that was radiating from Sirius, a contagious sort of excited nervousness. Sirius's palms left his shoulders after squaring them off and James was laughing lowly, then Peter squealed with excitement. "Are we ready to let him see, then?" Sirius asked.

"I reckon so," James said.

"Alright. Messer Moony... Messers Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs proudly present..." and Sirius reached for the knot in the tie at the back of Remus's head, tugging it loose so that the tie fell away from his eyes, "...the new and improved, Shrieking Shack."

It took a moment for Remus's eyes to adjust to the light of the room, after having been blindfolded so long, but when they did... he couldn't believe what he was seeing anyhow. The room was unrecognizable to how it had looked last time that he'd been in it. Two beds had been shoved into an L in the far corner, and the room was practically wallpapered in Gryffindor-crest-covered duvets that met together to form a sort of room-sized tent, maroon and gold ties hanging artfully about, like streamers. Candles and lanterns lit the room, hovering about at various intervals, giving the room a sort of warm, golden glow. There were piles of books and parchments in the corner and a desk, which James had found in small room down the hallway, had been put in the corner here and upon it was spread the pages of the Marauders Map and a line of bottles of butterbeers, knicked from the kitchens by Peter for the occasion.