Up To No Good

Chapter Fourteen: 1 September 1975

"I thought you were bluffing," Sirius smirked. Remus was standing in front of them in the Hogwarts Express, having just changed. On his robes was a shiny gold badge with a large P emblazoned on front. "Moony really is a prefect."

"I told you, Padfoot," Remus returned. "Maybe it's because I'm not usually the one who breaks the rules, aren't I?"

"Yeah, that would be Padfoot and I," James nodded in agreement, turning to Sirius. Peter was with them too, but he was quiet, looking up at Remus's shimmering badge in awe. "Also Wormtail, but he doesn't spend as much time in detention."

James, Sirius, and Peter changed out of their Muggle clothes that they had used on their way to the station and into their Gryffindor Hogwarts robes. They passed the car that Snape was sitting in, James barking an insult about his hair again before they found their usual spot. It was a gloomy, chilly day that marked the first day of their Fifth Year.

"I know the Homonculous Charm," he remarked.

"What? How?" Remus gaped at him.

"Asked my parents," James grinned in satisfaction. "They can be reasonable folks. Plus my dad's got a good amount of spellbooks lying around."

"So when we get to Hogwarts, we can enchant the map?" Peter squealed with excitement.

"That's the idea."

Since their last months of school, the Marauders had figured out the secret to the mysterious door that had brought them to find their silver teaspoon. It was called the Room of Requirement, which only appeared if the wizard had need for it. It had been because they needed the teaspoon that they had been able to see it. It proved to be extremely useful for their cause, and they had even used it to escape Filch on at least one occasion. It was possible that even Peeves didn't know about it.

"Moony the prefect," Sirius repeated under his breath, clapping a hand to his forehead. "I didn't see that one coming."

"Which means I have to go to the prefects' car," Remus sighed, standing up again. "See you all up at the school."

"Don't be too nice to Snivellus, Moony," James called after him.

"Behave, Prongs," Remus laughed with a sort of mock-salute. Then the perpetually scruffy and pale-looking boy disappeared into the hallway.

"Real shame they didn't make me Quidditch Captain," James scowled. "I'm the best on the team."

"That's true, but you also don't listen to McGonagall that much, either," Sirius replied, examining his trunk absentmindedly.

"I'm too talented to kick off the team," said James unsarcastically.

"You like to remind me."

James rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Sirius was one of the few people who could get James to stop bragging, though he didn't like to admit it. As the train rolled on, Peter soon got up to find the trolley witch to buy sweets. Sirius shifted closer to James and opened his trunk.

"There's one thing I forgot to give you," he muttered under his breath. He gripped onto something and pulled it out.

He was holding two things: matching ornate mirrors, oval-shaped with a sort of flowery design around its edges. Sirius handed one to James, grinning expectantly.

"Two-way mirrors," he explained. "Found 'em in my dad's office. Watch."

Sirius stood up and walked to the other side of the car, holding the mirror with two hands in front of his face so it was obscured. James stared into the glass in his lap waiting uncertainly, until Sirius's delighted face shimmered into existence on his own.