What if... (Harry Potter One Shots)

Marauders - Muggle Movies

"What exactly are we doing?" Sirius asked, picking at his clothes with distaste. "And why do I have to look like a muggle?" 

James, Sirius, Peter and Remus stood outside a muggle cinema, dressed in muggle clothing so as to not stand out like sore thumbs and were staring around themselves at the muggles walking in and out. 

"You said you wanted to do something muggle," Remus reasoned, glancing nervously at everyone around him and he tugged at his shirt, trying to look inconspicuous. "And to do something muggle, you have to dress like one." 

"I heard Lily talking about last year and if she can go to these see-na-mass, then I can too!" James looked so triumphant at knowing where they were they it almost made Remus not want to correct him. 

"Cinemas, James. Cin-e-ma-s," Peter chirped unexpectedly. 

The other boys spun to look at Peter with raised eyebrows and shocked expressions. 

He scuffed his feet against the pavement, not meeting their eyes. "I do listen sometimes." 

A stunned silence followed as they watched their best friend who continued to surprise them, even after five years, before Sirius shrugged and turned back to gaze up at the cinemas. 

"Come on. We'd better get good seats," Remus urged them and together the Marauders walked into a muggle cinema. 

[2 hours later]

Remus eyed James and Sirius suspiciously. The two hadn't said anything since the credits had rolled and they had a small skip in their steps. They were planning something it was not going to be good. He sighed, "Are you two planning something?" 

Sirius threw a smirk over his shoulder and James chuckled. "When are we not?" 

"Do I have I have to be worried?" Remus asked pointlessly; he already knew he should be worried because they were thinking and that never boded well but the only people who ever got hurt were Slytherins so, really, what was there to worry about? 

Sirius spun on his heel and laughed, his arms embracing the night sky and Remus couldn't help but smile fondly. When you took Sirius away from all mention of his family, he burnt as brightly and freely as his namesake. 

Sirius spun around and ginned back wickedly, his eyes wild with mischief and impending doom - or fun, depending on how you looked at it. 

Remus shook his head and laughed, watching Sirius through his hazelnut hair dangling in front of his eyes. 

[2 months later]

Chatter bounded off the walls of the Great Hall, all words indistinct but what was clear was the happiness in everyone's words. Sitting in the middle of the Gryffindor table, James and Sirius ate their dinner, quietly snickering into their food. Remus chewed his bottom lip, glancing occasionally at his best friends, fretting silently about whether or not he should ask what they were planning but before he could make up his mind, they answered...by standing up and throwing a treacle tart at Avery and Mulciber. Silence descended upon the Great Hall as everyone turned to see what they would do. Sputtering, they both reached for the nearest plate of food, throwing it back but James and Sirius ducked so that instead of hitting them, it hit a seventh year Ravenclaw in the face. Chaos ensued and soon all manner of food was being thrown about the Great Hall, from table to table. As one, the Ravenclaw students flipped their table over to give themselves cover; the Hufflepuff students stood back to back, throwing cream pies at whoever was in their sights; the Gryffindor students threw whatever was in reach at everyone, including their own housemates; the Slytherin students threw cakes and bread at everyone in the room, grinning despite themselves. The house elves were out doing themselves as food magically reappeared so that none of the students ran out of ammunition. 

A shriek of shock could be heard from the Gryffindor table as a hazel-eyed sixth year planted a cream pie in the garnet-coloured hair of another sixth year. Lily Evans whirled around to face James Potter with a fire in her eyes as she smashed one of her own into his face. She giggled and he laughed before standing back to back to throw pies at their friends. 

The food war - because it had escalated far beyond a simple fight - was suddenly halted as the food froze midair. The students turned to the teacher's table where Professor McGonagall stood with her wand raised and a stern expression on her face. The students and teachers alike let out a collective gasp as a large cream pie splatted against the side of her face. 

The Great Hall was silent as she slowly wiped it off her face and glared at the students, searching for the culprit. She opened her mouth to order the student who had started the fight to walk towards her but another pie interrupted her by landing in her hair, splashing her with frosting. She spun around to face the teacher's table and the everyone was silent before someone started giggling. The whole Hall erupted in uncontrollable giggles when Dumbledore waved cheekily at her. With a snap, she closed her mouth and slowly bent down, picking up a pie before launching it back at him. Giggling, he threw food back at her, and once again, chaos ensued but this time, instead of it being started at the hands of the school troublemakers, it was started by a giggling Headmaster.