𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ chapter 9 ✧

1976

A month had passed since school began and everyone was on edge, eagerly waiting to see what the Marauders were planning. It was common knowledge that at the beginning of every year they pulled a big prank, however no one could ever pin it on them or prove they did it so they continued to get away with it. Each year the pranks got more and more elaborate, and people were beginning to get worried. No one knew how they were going to top last year's fireworks display, and they had never left it this late before. The prank usually happened in the first week of the new term but the Marauders had remained uncharacteristically mellow for an entire month. There had only been one hospitalisation when James and Sirius decided to 'help' some first year Slytherins on the moving staircases by levitating them from landing to landing so they didn't have to wait for the right stairs to come around. Lily had caught them in the act and began berating them, thus disturbing their concentration which resulted in one first year being dropped from three flights up. The poor boy was in the hospital wing for two weeks with a fractured skull, three broken ribs, a concussion and both of his wrists broken. James and Sirius felt so bad that they visited him twice with gifts of sweets and Quidditch magazines, Sirius even surrendered his treasured 1975 muggle Playboy magazine with the centrefold still in mint condition. Lily also felt partially responsible as she had distracted the boys resulting in the accident, so she visited him every afternoon with all the homework he had missed from the day. She also offered to tutor him so he could catch up.

Other than the staircase incident however there hadn't been so much as a rogue dung bomb let off in any of the halls. During one lunch time, Mary optimistically suggested that perhaps the Marauders had simply matured and grown out of pranking. This suggestion was met with cackles from all the girls who had never heard anything so ridiculous.

"That'll be the day." Lily scoffed, wiping away a tear that had escaped during her outburst.

"The day the Marauders stop pranking will be the day that Snape washes his hair." Aurora added.

"The day the Marauders gain some maturity will be the day that Dumbledore himself stands on the staff table during dinner, hitches up his robes and performs an Irish river dance." Marlene mused, causing all the girls to burst into a fit of hysterics again.

"What's all the laughter about?" Sirius asked as he entered the Great Hall with the other three Gryffindor boys.

"No idea." James responded, completed bemused by the scene the girls were causing.

"What's so funny, ladies?" Remus asked as the boys all took their seats at the Gryffindor table for lunch.

"Oh, nothing." Aurora answered, exchanging a look with the other girls while they attempted to stifle their giggles.

"So, who's excited for the Halloween ball?" Marlene asked, quickly changing the subject. At the mention of the annual All Hallows Eve ball held on the school grounds the girls burst into excited chatter while the boys visibly flinched, letting out groans.

"We'll have to go shopping in Hogsmeade this weekend for dresses!" Mary exclaimed, bubbling with enthusiasm.

"I already bought a dress before school started but I definitely want to help choose yours!" Marlene added. It was common knowledge that every year before school resumed Marlene's mother took her shopping in Paris for a gown.

"I wonder if they have any new fabrics." Aurora mused, already thinking up a pattern for the dress she was going to make.

"I don't know about you boys, but suddenly double Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws sounds a lot more appealing than lunch." James stated, the rest of the boys all nodding furiously, already getting to their feet.

Once the boys had made their quick escape from the Great Hall, Lily checked her watch and the girls collected their things to head to Transfiguration as well.

"If I'd known it was that simple to get rid of Potter I would have taken an interest in fashion years ago." Lily remarked, scrunching up her nose.

  ✧ ✧✧ 

During Transfiguration, the crazy eight all took their usual seats in a row towards the front of the classroom, the boys and girls separated by a walkway down the middle leading to Professor McGonagall's desk. The remaining Gryffindor girls along with the twelve Ravenclaws filled up the remaining seats. McGonagall entered the classroom shortly after everyone was seated and began the lesson. She didn't get far with her lesson, however, as a commotion erupted in the hallway.

"REDUCTO!" a gruff voice hollered, sending a body flying into the Transfiguration classrooms door with a resounding 'thud'.

McGonagall immediately rose to her feet and headed towards the door in a flurry of emerald green robes. The rest of the class followed quickly after, despite McGonagall's instructions to stay seated.

After pushing their way to the front, the crazy eight discovered the body which had slammed into the door belonged to none other than Regulus Black. Upon realising this, Sirius' eyes widened briefly, then narrowed to slits as he noticed Rabastian Lestrange and Evan Rosier from the year above standing a few feet away, wands still drawn.

"What is the meaning of this?!" McGonagall yelled at the two seventh year Slytherins.

Lestrange and Rosier remained silent.

"Practising spells in the hallway is forbidden, let alone on other students. Fifty points from Slytherin each, and a month of detentions for the both of you. Now everyone back inside while I take Mr Black to the hospital wing." McGonagall reprimanded sternly, helping Regulus to his feet and escorting him in the direction of Madame Pomfrey.

Once McGonagall was out of sight, Sirius launched at the two older Slytherins, firing off non-verbal hexes left, right and centre as quickly as they came to him.

"What are you lot playing at?!" He roared at Lestrange and Rosier, still advancing on the two with coloured flashes exploding from his wand. The two struggled to respond and deflect the hexes flying at them with alarming velocity at the same time. Finally, their shield charms became no match for the rage Sirius was directing at them and the two were sent flying in opposite directions down the hall. Lestrange slammed into a large stone pillar five feet from where he had been standing, while Rosier took out a suit of armour only three feet from where he had been. The two Slytherins sat groaning where they had landed, rubbing their heads. Sirius barely gave them a moments rest before he disarmed them, their wands flying into his outstretched hand, and levitated them both so they were hanging upside down in front of him at eye level.

"Now gentlemen," Sirius began in a terrifyingly clam voice, "Are you going to tell me what in Merlin's name you were doing to my brother and why?"

Both Lestrange and Rosier remained silent and avoided eye contact, which further annoyed Sirius, who with a flick of his wand dropped them on their heads.

"You're not even worth my time." He spat, throwing the boys wands down in front of them and turning to head back into the classroom.

"You tell your brother he needs to sort out where his loyalties lie." Rosier called out after Sirius, which stopped him dead in his tracks. He didn't turn around, however, and quickly shook the comment off, continuing forwards without another look back.