The Marauders Begin (I)

Transfiguration Class

October 31, 1971

It is midday in the Transfiguration room. MINERVA, leading the class, attempts to lecture on the importance of firm wand movements. JAMES and SIRIUS, sniggering in the back of the room, sit hunched over a piece of scrap parchment.

MINERVA: Now, the incantation can only get you so far in Transfiguration. Without proper wand movement, your object will remain as it is forever.

LILY, sitting in the front with MARLENE, wands her wand vivaciously to her water goblet, but only succeeds in shooting it straight up in the air.

MINERVA: Careful, now! Miss Evans, can you explain to me what you did wrong with your attempt just now?

LILY hides her face, embarrassed.

MINERVA: Come, now, my girl, you're not in trouble. What was I just saying?

LILY: F-firm wand m-movement.

MINERVA: Precisely. Now, your flaw is that you wave your wand too much. Instead, try a quick flick and concentrate on directing the tip of your wand straight at the object, instead of the space around you. Go ahead, now.

LILY: (brandishing her wand and following MINERVA'S directions) Aguamenti! (The glass immediately fills with water, and LILY smiles.)

MINERVA: Excellent!

JAMES and SIRIUS continue to snigger loudly from the back, and MINERVA clears her throat.

MINERVA: Potter! Black! Will you pay attention?

SIRIUS: Sorry, Professor.

MINERVA: Would one of you mind repeating what I just said to the class?

PETER immediately turns around in his seat and tries to mouth the answer to them while REMUS buries his head in his hands.

MINERVA: (pursing her lips) No? Perhaps your minds are too encompassed around that piece of paper on your desk? I doubt they are notes to my lecture, so why don't you come up here and read out your writings to the class?

JAMES and SIRIUS give each other a wary look.

MINERVA: Well? Mr. Potter, why don't you come up here. Now.

JAMES reluctantly walks up the front of the room, clutching the paper in his hands.

MINERVA: Go ahead.

JAMES: Sirius wrote "If you had to kiss someone in this class, who would it be?" So I wrote- uh,-

MINERVA: Yes?

JAMES: I wrote- Lily Evans, and then he wrote- (keeping himself from laughing, while SIRIUS is holding back tears in his seat) -er, he wrote- Marlene McKinnon. And then I wrote- Rebecca Fitzpatrick- and he wrote- uh- he wrote Professor McGonagall.

(SIRIUS cannot keep himself from cracking up in the back seat, REMUS appears embarrassed, and PETER looks worried. Meanwhile, JAMES tries to smile casually while LILY blushes. Suddenly, the bell rings for the end of class).

MINERVA: Well. Twenty points from Gryffindor for lack of attention in my class. To the rest of you, study more on wand movements for Monday's lecture!

JAMES quickly grabs his bag from the back and follows SIRIUS out of the room.

SIRIUS: All right, best lesson ever.

JAMES: To you, maybe! She didn't make you read that note out loud.

LILY jogs forward and purposefully jabs JAMES in the side.

LILY: You're an absolute jerk, you know that?

JAMES: (smiling) What? It was a compliment!

LILY: Oh, shut up! You're so insensitive. (She runs ahead).

REMUS: (catching up with them) That was rather rude, you know.

SIRIUS: Oh, please, Remus. You enjoyed every second of that.

PETER: I can't believe she took twenty points!

SIRIUS: Oh, well. It was worth old McGonagall to finally know how I feel about her. (He begins to sarcastically swoon with his hand over his heart, while JAMES whacks him in the head with his folder).

REMUS: Where are you all going?

JAMES: Great Hall. I'm starving.

REMUS: This is the wrong way. The Great Hall is down one floor, remember?

JAMES: Oh, damn.

SIRIUS: This place is so confusing. You know what we should do, we should make a map of this place.

PETER: A map?

SIRIUS: Yeah. I'm tired of getting lost on the way to classes, with all these moving staircases and seven God-forsaken floors.

REMUS: It'd be one pretty big map, you know.

SIRIUS: Who cares? I bet we could do it. James, what do you think?

JAMES: If a map gets me food, then I say let's make a bloody map.

SIRIUS: (smiling) That's my boy.

JAMES and SIRIUS begin racing down the hall, and REMUS and PETER reluctantly follow them.