They Were up to No Good

“Evans, you're gonna have to stop telling on us for every single little thing.” Sirius moaned as the five of them made their way back to Gryffindor tower. Lily had waited for them outside of McGonagall’s office as James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus (“they’re your friends you should’ve stopped them, Remus!” ) got chewed out by McGonagall. Although she only took off ten points from James and Sirius each and five from Peter the mood was reaching an absolute low point. 

“Little thing?” Lily shrieked. “You looked like you were about to KILL that Slytherin boy just because of something he said to Peter!”

“It was mean. And Pete doesn’t stand up for himself.” 

“Sorry,” Peter said quietly. 

“ Stop it, Pettegrew! Only I'm allowed to insult you.” Sirius put his arm around the small boy. “Remember that the next time someone does something! They better leave you alone unless they want a fist in their face.” He showed off his own fist. 

“Ok,” Peter said smiling, obviously enjoying the attention and the safety he got when Sirius was around. 

“Hey, at least our potion was good right, Lils? Didn’t Slughorn say it close to perfection?”

Lily turned on Remus. 

“Don’t you dare , Remus Lupin! You just watched three of your best friends almost attack a classmate and you did nothing to stop it!” 

Remus’s face blushed. “I couldn’t have done anything.” 

“Oi, Evans how about you leave Lupin out of it ok? He was sitting all the way in the front with you. If anything I should’ve stopped it. And I tried! So we’re all good right?” James drew a hand through his hair, messing it up, purposley. Lily huffed and stalked ahead of them trying to get to the girls' dormitory as quickly as possible.

James just shook his head and glanced to the side at Sirius. “You alright mate?” 

Sirius nodded but didn’t say anything. Now that Lily was gone and he didn’t need to defend himself against anyone, he had retracted himself from Peter and stood with his hands at his side and his dark eyes focused on the ground. 

“Fanks btw,” Peter mumbled quietly. 

Sirius smiled slightly. “Anything for you mate.” 

They stayed silent until they reached their dormitories, where the four of them changed into their pyjamas without talking. Remus, as always, hiding away in the bathroom to change into his. After a few minutes of all of them lay in bed in heavy silence, and there was a slight ruffling sound, the slap of feet against stone floors and the creak of someone entering someone else’s bed. 

Sirius knew the others could hear him, as he stumbled through the dark to James’s side of the room, but he didn’t have the energy to worry about that. James drew his curtains open quickly, cast a muffliato charm and leaned against the headboard of his bed. Sirius leaned back too. They sat in silence waiting for Sirius to say something. 

“I’m sorry,” Sirius said quietly, his voice cracking. 

“Don’t be,” James said. 

“I just...I couldn’t- I can’t control...”

“I know.” 

“My temper just-“

“Shhh...” James looked his best friend in the eye. “It’s ok. You were just trying to help Pete. He needs to learn how to stand up for himself.” 

“He’s such a useless twit.” Sirius laughed fondly, rubbing his face with his hands.

James laughed too. “Yeah, he is. And you need to learn how to control your anger.” 

Sirius looked down. “I know.”

"It's fine Sirius." James laughed again, “You know what? I need to learn how to be less of a fucking prick. Right?”

They laughed again but only for a moment before growing quiet. Sirius looked over to his left where Remus's bed would be if the drapes around the bed weren't covering his vision. 

“What about Lupin?” Sirius asked. "What do you think he needs to learn?"

"Why?" James replied, knitting his eyebrows  

"I don't..." Sirius thought for a moment. "I don't know I just..." 

James shrugged, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t really know him...but other than that...”

Sirius felt something odd in his stomach. He had the same feeling about Remus. The feeling of not knowing. 

_ _ _ _

After that incident, everyone seemed to watch the four boys more closely. Professor McGonagall even went as far as to separate the boys from each other in the classroom, which just gave Sirius, who was now sitting next to Lily, even more reasons to lose his temper. 

“And then she always stares at me like this-!” He made an aggressive eye movement holding his lids up with the tip of his fingers, “and says something like, ‘Oh Black are you still concentrating? Oh, Black, are you sure you’re doing that right?’ and 'Oh Black, I'm just trying to help!' This and that every single time I try to do something!” 

“Isn’t that...kind?” Remus asked, trying to hold back his laughter. 

“No! It’s condescending! She acts like I’m a little kid!” 

“You ARE a little kid,” James smirked. 

“Yeah well, she isn’t any older.” Sirius grumped. “Besides she acts like I’m stupid. I get the best grades in the class other than maybe her and you. And I don’t even try.” 

Remus and Peter exchanged a look and rolled their eyes like they always did when the other two said something like that. 

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in June, with the windows to the common room all opened, letting the hot summer sun stream into the room tickling the occupants' faces and bare arms. In the corner of the room, Marlene was braiding Dorcas’s hair while they hummed along to some muggle music. Lily, who sat beside them, wasn’t humming though. In fact, she looked completely detached. She was watching the four boys in complete silence staring at them as though they were a bomb about to explode.

Peter glanced over at her apprehensively. “She creeps me out.” 

Sirius nodded gravely. “You think she would lay off if we leave?” 

“We can’t leave! She’s watching us.” James argued eyes now also on Lily. 

“I think she may have lost it.” Peter reasoned. 

“Oh stop it,” Remus turned his back on Lily, and opened up his book, propping it against Sirius, “she just doesn’t want us to get in trouble.” 

“Mate, it’s scary.” 

“It’s not! If it bothers you lot so much why don’t we just go to the library?”

“Maybe we should,” Peter said, biting his lip.

“What if she follows us?” James said darkly. 

“She’ll definitely follow us.” Sirius nodded. 

“Honestly there’s something wrong with you lot. You're paranoid. Besides she can’t tell on us. We haven't even done anything yet.” 

“Yet,” James repeated.

Remus stared at him apprehensively. “Whatever you’re thinking quit it.” 

“I don’t think I will.” James crossed his arms. 

“No. James, NO.” Remus crossed his arms too. "You just said it yourself she's watching."

"Well, I'd like to see her try and stop us!"

“I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking.” Sirius turned towards James slowly, a grin forming on his face.  

“No…” Remus moaned quietly, closing his book. “No...guys…Come on...” 

“Oh wait! I know!” Peter got excited. 

“No! Stop. Stop right now. We're already in trouble! We already have detention this evening. Are you even listening to me?” 

James grinned at Remus and raised both of his eyebrows- his face of mischief making. 

“Don’t do this to me, come on.” Remus continued rubbing his hands in his face tiredly.

“We have approximately one hour and..” Sirius grabbed Peter’s arm and stared at his watch, “fifty...three minutes before detention starts.” 

Peter started bouncing up and down in his seat. 

“Stop!” Remus knew what was coming. “Peter stop! Not you too.”

“Lupin. The time has come.” James got up from the floor and stared down at Remus. Sirius and Peter got up too, oddly synchronized. 

“But….” Remus stared up at them pitifully. “I have...homework…my charms essay...”  

James reached out his hand wordlessly, waiting for Remus to take it.

“No.” Remus crossed his arms tightly. The three boys stared down at him. 

“No. I will not cave. You can stand there for as long as you like, but I will NOT help you with a prank.” 

James’s hand did not waver. 

Remus thinned his lips into a firm line, shaking his head and trying to summon whatever piece of Professor McGonagall he might have inside of himself. “Not gonna work.” 

The three boys didn’t say anything. 

“Guys I won't cave! Not this time!” 

It only took two minutes for Remus to cave.

“I don’t like this.” He whispered as they snuck out of the common room. He crossed his arms, grumpily. Peter clapped his back.

“I don’t like this.” He muttered as the four of them walked past the library and towards the dungeon. Sirius whistled merrily. Remus frowned at him.

“I don’t like this.” He complained as he stood guard in front of the potions classroom while James unlocked the special potions cabinet, whispering alohomora. 

“Guys, I don’t like-”

“- What don’t you like, Mr Lupin?” Professor McGonagall strode into the hallway. Peter who was standing right next to Remus jumped straight up into the air like a cat and, probably subconsciously, repositioned himself slightly behind Remus. Remus’s eyes widened, and he wiped his hands on his trousers. 

“Professor!” Behind him he could hear a cluttering and a string of curse words as James leapt up, bumping into a shelf and tripping onto Sirius. They spilt into the hallway and jumped up. 

“Professor!” They repeated though they sounded a lot happier about it than Remus had sounded. 

“Boys. Would you be so kind as to explain what you’re doing an hour and thirty-five minutes before your detention starts, rummaging through Professor Slughorn's potion cupboard?”  

Remus opened and closed his mouth a few times but nothing came out. 

“love potion,” Sirius said immediately. “We were looking for a love potion.” 

Peter nodded gravely. 

“I just...I don’t think I can stand to live one more day knowing Severus Snape doesn’t love me back-” James started to explain. Remus let out an audible sound and he turned his face away from the others trying to hide his shocked laughter. Sirius on the other hand didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. 

Professor McGonagall stared at them, her eyes wide in outrage. “Mr Potter!” 

“Professor!” James returned with the same air.

Remus was sure she was going to yell at them but instead she just took a deep breath. “Well, it seems to me, that since the four of you have nothing better to do, you may as well start your detention now. Isn’t that right?” 

There was a short pause. 

"What about my love potion?" James said, Remus promptly elbowed him. 

"Isn't that right?" Their teacher repeated, ignoring James' comment. 

“Yes?” Remus said. 

“Yes.” McGonagall agreed. 

Another pause.

“No?” James tried. 

“Yes.” McGonagall persisted. She turned towards Sirius and Peter raising her eyebrows. 

“...n-” Sirius started, McGonagall’s eyes glinted dangerously. “...nnyes .” They all looked at Peter. 

“What?” Peter asked. Sirius elbowed him. 

“Detention, now.” He summarized in a whisper. 

Peter sighed and the five of them started walking, the professor seemingly tired of their shenanigans.

“WHY though?” Peter moaned. 

“Cause,” Sirius explained to the short blond, “Punishment. For our crimes against humanity.” 

"We didn't do anything!" 

"They're out to get us, Pete."

"Mr Black stop feeding Mr Pettigrew worrisome falsehoods."

"Sorry, Professor," Sirius called.  

Peter breathed, “Well this sucks.” 

Remus sighed in agreement. 

_ _ _ _ 

“I can’t believe our love potion thing didn’t work!” James yelled exasperatingly as three and a half hours later the four boys clambered down the hallway towards their common room. “I mean, is it really so hard to believe I’m in love with Snivellus?”

Sirius laughed, nodding.  

“We need to come up with better excuses,” Remus said, massaging his shoulder. He and James had been assigned to clean all the bedpans in the infirmary while Sirius and Peter had been assigned to dust off the trophies in the trophy room, and Remus’s bones still ached from the laborious task. 

“Well at least it was funny though,” Sirius said. James agreed. 

“I wonder who ratted us out?” Remus said thoughtfully. 

The other three exchanged a look, "I know exactly who it was." 

“Evans!” The common room door burst open as James and Sirius burst in followed by Peter, who was panting trying to keep up with them, and Remus who looked pale and uncomfortable. Lily, who was sitting by the fireplace alone, with a book propped on her lap, looked up startled. 

“You ratted us out!” Sirius cried. “Now why would you do such a thing?”

“We just spent four hours in detention!” Peter exclaimed. 

“Three,” Remus muttered. Lily’s eyes were wide but she wasn’t about to step down. 

“You know, maybe you should thank me!” She snapped her book shut. “You can’t expect to live your whole life like this running around the castle, causing trouble like the four evil little marauders that you are!” 

“Sure we can!” Sirius yelled. “Why not?” 

Lily looked taken aback by this comment. “I-”

“What’s marauders?” Peter interrupted. 

“It’s like a rulebreaker,” Remus explained. “Or someone who raids and steals you know?” 

“Oh,” Peter said. Suddenly there was a loud slam, as James dropped his book bag to the ground and pulled out a feathery quill to write something down on a scrap piece of parchment, propping the paper on his knee. 

“What are you doing? ” Remus asked nervously staring at Lily who was watching them angrily. "We're in the middle of getting lectured." James didn’t answer for a few seconds then gathered up his supplies stuffed them back in his bag and stared at the others.

“Boys, up.” He nodded in the direction of their dorm room. “Evans,” He paused and shook his head looking like he was trying to think of something to say, “Stop ratting us out!” 

Then he turned around and stalked out of the room, Sirius striding after him. 

“Does he really expect us to follow him?” Remus whispered. Peter shrugged. "Since when are we referred to as boys?"  

“Lupin! Pettigrew! I said boys, up! You’re part of the boys!” James called without looking back, from where he was walking up the staircase. 

“What if we don’t want to be part of the boys!” Remus yelled back. 

“You don’t have a choice!” Sirius replied, “Now come!”

Remus sighed and started walking after them, pulling Peter along. But before they could make it to the stairs, Lily called out his name. He turned around. 

“Are you...are you angry at me?” She asked eyes averted to the ground.

Remus wanted to say yes. He had just spent three hours in detention for crying out loud. But he couldn’t say that to those green eyes. He couldn’t say no either though. He was annoyed at her constant meddling in his and the other boys, ideas.

Remus hesitated then decided for an even ground. He looked away from her and shrugged.

"Remus-"

Then he followed Peter out of the common room and up the stairs leaving Lily alone in the dark, the light of the fireplace illuminating her fiery hair, and the shadows of the dark room bringing out the blue colour in the knuckles of her hand as she clenched her Potions book like a lifeline, realising, not for the first time, that she was once again alone. 

_ _ _ _

“Tada!” James yelled triumphantly, holding up his hands and stepping back from the wall, grinning. There in their dorm room in the middle of their largest blank wall which was opposite of all their beds and next to the bathroom door, James had stuck the scrap piece of paper on the wall with pins. He grinned at the other boys satisfied. The three of them just stared back at him blinking expectantly. 

"Don't you get it?" James yelled.  “This is us!” After another few seconds of silence. He pointed at the empty wall, with the piece of paper stuck to it.

It looked slightly pathetic.

"We are....a scrap piece of paper." Remus said dryly. 

"Honestly fitting," Sirius said glancing at Remus who snorted and covered his mouth. 

“We are marauders!" James continued. "We are THE Marauders!”

"We are.....raiders...bandits....outlaws....and murderers?" Remus said, "Great. That's not a concerning thing to call yourself at all. That is very normal for a bunch of eleven year olds." 

"We are outlaws, Rem! We might not be murderers...but we're outlaws! And we're thieves right? We've stolen things before! And..." 

Remus and Peter just continued to stare at him but Sirius was starting to grin mischievously. “We’re like..." He searched for a word, getting up and approaching the wall, "like a club!” 

Up close you could tell the small word printed on the paper was none other than M A R A U D E R S

“Yeah!” James yelled, “Or like a brotherhood!”

Something strange had happened in that moment. Remus always thought of himself as sensible, sometimes a bit too stern or too cynical for his age, but when he was around the others something seemed to awaken inside of him. A fiery ball of excitement that Remus had never felt before. Everytime they pulled a prank, his skin would flush, his breathing would quicken and he would feel a sense of adventure, that he craved like nothing he had ever craved before. There was a sort of power that came with being friends with the others. You were always supported, you were never alone. Someone always had your back, and would watch over you, someone would always be there to tell you a joke, or make you feel better. Somehow when they were together they were unbeatable. It was a felling Remus had never felt before. 

Remus felt a small smile start on his face; he couldn’t help it. He got up and stepped towards the wall too, feeling a warm breeze from the open window of their dorm room bump into him, blowing his hair away from his face. The crisp air, reminded him of something. Something deep inside his stomach. Something unstoppable. Something he felt, only when he was around the others. His inner mischief.

His insides tingling and his fingertips buzzing with a warm glow he turned around facing his friends. A sudden spontaneous adrenaline, coursed through his veins, filling him with the need to do something. Anything. Just for a few seconds.  

“What do we do now?” He asked the others. 

“We change the world!” Peter who had gotten up too, yelled pumping his fist in the air. Sirius and James jumped raised their fists too. 

"That's right Pete!" James cheered, laughing.  

Remus raised an eyebrow, and said dryly, “Oh good something simple.”

Sirius lightly pushed Remus's head, snorting, and James put an arm around him. “Come on Lupin live a little."

Remus rolled his eyes, but his insides were dancing. Because James may not have realised it but he was living. Properly living for the first time in many many years. Maybe even since he was five years old. He looked around at his friends. Really looked. And in that moment they looked beautiful. It was like staring at the stars themselves, each bright and blinking, each so far away so powerful so other worldly, but always there no matter where you went. Sirius's hair was open, and blew in the wind making rippling effect, in which the sunlight bounced off of it. He was looking at James with his grey eyes wide with excitement, as if he was looking at the best thing in the world. Peter was watching the others too, his eyes darting in between James and Sirius, and his dimples standing out against his cheeks. James seemed to be glowing in that moment. His nose slightly scrunched, and slightly pink, his eyebrows raised. He had found his misfits. And he wasn't letting them go. 

"Guys," James said seriously. "This is who we are now. We are the marauders."

Sirius nodded, "This isn't something that will pass....We need to promise. We need to promise that we will always stick together." 

Remus could feel the intensity of the moment press onto his skin. He knew he would remember this moment until the day he died. 

"This is bigger than just me or just you." James continued, "This is about all of us. Together. As a unit." 

Sirius stretched out his arm, “We will always stand with each other. No matter what happens.”

“No matter what happens.” The others echoed. Remus's heart raced, as he stuck out his arm on top of Sirius's. A brown hand and a pale white one joined, on top.

 “I promise,” Remus said. "I promise that together...together we can do anything." 

“Together we’ll live forever!” Peter said excitedly. "I promise!" 

James ruffled his hair. "I promise too."

“I promise...We are the marauders!”