And the plot thickens (Private)

Date: September 1975
Location: Empty corridor
Status: Private, Sirius, Peter, Andromeda, Remus, James, and Lily
Completion: Incomplete


Making his was to the Empty corridor Sirius had a bit of a strut to his walk. He was on his way to get the password for the Slytherin common room entrance. Peter waddled behind him carrying the map. Glancing over his shoulder to see if he was keeping up with him, Sirius saw that he was but it looked like he was stuggling a smidge. Smiling he decided to slow down so his friend could keep pace with him. "About time we start something like this, eh Wormtail?" He asked, the apparent excitement in his voice. "Just hope I can convince my dear cousin to comply."

He was sure she wouldn't mind but there was always the possibility that the fear she had of her sisters finding out would cause her to withhold the information. He would assure her she would be the last person they would consider giving away the password. It was quite simple, all she would have to do is act as if she detested him like the rest and they wouldn't pay it any heed. But nonetheless, he still formulated a strategy just in case. Curfew was just a few minutes away so the worry of them being out at the moment wasn't of concern. Having the map however eased the tension, for this prank would undoubtedly have them in the halls well after curfew passed. Sirius always enjoyed the feeling of misbehaving and risking himself getting into trouble. The results of their efforts, to him was well worth any punishment they would recieve in the event they were somehow caught. But that still didn't mean he would be wreckless and foolhardy. Sirius took great pride in being able to get away with their endeavors. And James being Head Boy this year only reinforced his efforts to remain unseen. By now though, any prank or practical joke pulled would inevitably cause the blame to be put onto The Marauders. Still that would not take away the gratification of accomplishing what they set out to do.

Upon entering the Corridor Sirius saw that him and Wormtail were the only ones to arrive. Leaning up against the wall he would look at Peter, his mischevious features slapped on. "This is going to be a beautiful night."
His voice low and anxious.

"Oh...h-hello Andromeda." Peter stuttered, hurriedly hiding the Map behind his back. It wouldn't do to not have a member of the Marauders see it...he'd been entrusted with this task, and even though it might not have been the one that he wanted, he was definitely going to carry it through. "F-fine thanks...y-y-you?"

It was a girl. Talking to him! She wasn't swearing...she wasn't even yelling!

Peter thought that he was in love. For about three seconds, before his sense of self preservation kicked in and he realised that she'd hex seven shades of shit into him if he even looked like he were about to try anything. That's not even mentioning what Sirius would do. Being as subtle as possible, he chanced another look at the Map. There was nobody nearby, in as far as he could see. Filch was in his office,waiting for the prefects to finish their rounds before he performed his. Evans was nowhere to be seen, and James and Remus were just leaving the Common Room. Sirius had to hurry if he wanted Andromeda to be gone by the time they got here.

"Uhm, Sirius?" He murmured. "You might want to hurry it up a bit..."

Leaning up against the wall Sirius waited for his cousin to show. Wormtail keeping a watchful eye on the map, doing a grand job of his duty.At that moment he heard a familiar voice echo through the hallway. Turning to see that it was his cousin Sirius smiled. Hearing her question he was unable to conceal his grin. "Whatever would give you that idea?" He replied trying his best to conceal the excitement in his voice. Thinking of how best to broach the subject, he entered into a deep thought. Only to be brought out by Peter's stutter as he and Andromeda conversed. Sirius always thought it was funny to see Wormtail's expression whenever a girl talked with him. It was amusing to say the least. His confidence was almost nil, yet somehow he always managed a response. Still sifting through the possible ways to ask the question, Sirius figured the best approach would be just to come right out and ask her.

Just as he was about to speak Peter urged him to hurry. Nodding in acknowledgement Sirius turned to Andromeda mustering the most innocent smile he could, "The reason I asked you here is that, umm, We need the password for the Slythering common room entrance. I can't tell you the reason why, but come morning i think you will be pleased." Still smiling he hoped she would comply with his request.

With the question out Sirius mentally kicked himself. He could have at least buttered her up a bit before asking. But time was of the escence and he had to get it out quickly. Of course the reply he recieved was not the one he was looking for. Glancing over at Peter to see if he was still standing and had not fainted at the sight of a woman, his brows raised as Wormtail nearly had his tongue hanging out. Nudging him with his elbow Sirius cleared his throat trying to bring his friend back into reality. Shaking his head as he tried to think of something he could offer Meda in return, nothing came to mind. In his haste the only thing he could come up with was a "promise." Hoping she would accept this promise and divulge what they needed. His eyes tried softening as he would look directly into his cousin's. He did expect something like this to happen, but he didn't take much time in figuring out a way to convince Andromeda. The eagerness he felt was the main cause of this problem. But being Sirius Black, it was just a matter of time before he would get her to break.

The innocence he attempted to portray as he placed one hand behind his back and crossed his fingers, looked amusing he was sure. But at the present moment he was unable to concoct anything else. "What do I have to offer?" His effort to desperately try and hide the mischief in his voice seemingly failing. "How bout I make you a promise, that we will not prank you this year?" He spoke as his other hand stretched out in hopes she would follow suit accordingly.

Again she would not immediately comply with his efforts. He had to give her some credit, she was no pushover. But time was running short and they needed the password. He was forced to contol his impaitence, if Lily were to see them here she would know something was up and begin quetioning why they were there. It was bad enough having to watch out for her when they actually began the prank but having to worry about her before was a bit frightening. Sirius couldn't fathom why James seemed so interested in being around her so much this year. He was Head Boy, but even before his duty and responsibilies started he has seen them on more than one occasion together. She was pompous and a bit too nosy for his tastes. Always a keen eye out when he was with her. Its like she didn't trust him for some reason. He's tried being civil and responsible when working on the project, but it didn't seemed Evans noticed it one bit. Why bother trying to satisfy someone when they didn't notice or acknowledge your efforts? Shaking his head yet again his thoughts drifted far off the subject at hand. His hand still stretched out awaiting her grasp he listened as his assumption about her fears were correct.

She now wanted to know who the target was, this made Sirius become bit on edge. He wasn't sure if he should tell her or not. She was a Slytherin and he wasn't sure about her views outside of disagreeing with their family. She still had that fear of them and would be the same as them when they were around her. With that thought an idea struck him. Finally bringing his hand down and his other one from behind him his smile returned to a grin. "Does it really matter who we are after?", He replied smiling all the while, and glanced over to Peter to see how much time the had left. "And as for the trouble you would get in, no one would ever know. You just act like you normally do when you're around Bella and Narcissa and they'll never suspect a thing. Besides, we'll just say we snuck some veritaserum into one of the firsties pumpkin juice and followed him and he told us." Nodding his head as he spoke, that plan was perfect in his mind. Sensing their time was running short he would look at her sincerely hoping she would give in and be gone before anyone showed.

Standing there waiting for her answer Sirius was getting more anxious by the second. He wasn't used in having to wait this long in getting information he needed. But this was Andromeda, she wasn't as gullable and naieve as some of the people he ecountered. As he stood there he could hear James now if he were there. Poking fun at how his persuasive ability may be lacking a bit than it has been in the past. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. Glancing over to Peter once more Sirius let out a sigh. He could not wait to get down to business and with James and Remus on they're way, it was nearing that time. How he's waited for this moment to arrive, ever since they returned here to Hogwarts he's wanted to start off with a bang. It's taken a bit longer than he expected but he wasn't going to complain about it, they were right in the middle of their plan. Standing there he watched his cousin, he watched as she searched her thoughts, trying to decide whether or not to abandon her fear for a moment. He wasn't quite sure why she feared their family, after all the worst they have done to him was burn his name off the family tree and constantly berate him whenever he's around them. It did take it's toll at first but soon after moving in with the Potters it got easier to deal with. With the thought of the Potters Sirius snapped back into the present, James and Remus would be here any second and if he didn't have the password he would never live it down.

He returned his gaze to his cousin trying to hurry her along with his eyes. All the while he mentally kicked himself for not thinking of a better and quicker way to seek out the information. But as it was, the only thing he could do now was wait and hope she would come to a decision quickly. A few more minutes passed and still nothing was said, just as Sirius was about to speak up Meda began to talking. Nodding along as she told him she better not be caught and get into trouble, she then divulged what it is they needed. Excited beyond words it was all he could do to keep from jumping up and shouting for joy. Everything was going according to plan. "Thank you!" he said to her in an excited whisper. "And don't worry, no one will ever know you were the one that gave us the access."

James walked alongside Remus as they made their way through the winding labyrinth of Hogwarts' various corridors and passageways, the capiliaries and veins that wormholed through the giant structure. Suits of armour ignored them, as did the portraits. He was Head Boy, after all, and Remus was a prefect - there was no reason why they shouldn't be out after curfew, just going about their rounds. It was Sirius and Peter that he was worried about.

In fact, James was worried about many things. The invisibility cloak, that used to fit all four of them comfortably when they were first years (and even second years) would now barely fit two stationary. Yes, James and Remus could feasibly be out together after hours, but Sirius and Peter certainly couldn't. And if they were seen near the Slytherin Common Room, it would certainly raise questions after the prank took place.

The strange thing was, however, that that wasn't really his overriding concern at that point. Every step he took was another reminder of his parents' letter. How proud would they be now? Every footfall was a reminder of how far he'd come in his personal relationship with Lily, and how this could feasibly undo a lot of things.

But then, the Marauder instinct took over. That built-in, primal urge that made him want to do this, that told him he wasn't spending enough time with his friends. Mainly, it was telling him that he had to get out of the house for once in a while.

Besides, there wasn't that much of a chance of them being caught. They never were. And as much as James felt like a charlatan for even thinking it, he doubted he'd be as highly suspected as he once was. Dumbledore would know, of course, but then the old man knew everything. For a brief, fleeting moment he had a sudden impulse to get caught. To shout "it was me!", to take the blame so that he could lose his badge and become part of his old life once more, his carefree existence of practical jokes and lazing by the giant lake. But even as the thoughts formed in his head, he knew that they were fallacious, that that part of his life was now gone. Irretrievably so, now. He sighed, knowing without admitting it that this would, in all probability, be his last major prank as a Marauder. After tonight, he wouldn't so much be Prongs anymore, he would just be James Potter.

Shaking his head slightly to banish the somewhat depressing line of thought that his mind had taken him down, James glanced at Remus. They were approaching the corridor on the second floor that they'd agreed to meet on, and the self-replicating charm hadn't quite kicked in yet on the bag. It was just hissing slightly at the moment, an ominous bulge shifting inside it.

"Erm. You sure that's not going to go off yet, Moony?"

A few moments later, they rounded the corner. Peter and Sirius were standing there, as was Andromeda. James quirked an eyebrow, he wouldn't have thought that she would have stuck around. He noticed Peter stutter something, obviously a good bye, before he hurried over to join them. James gave him the Cloak. After all, Sirius could run faster.

"Padfoot!" James hissed. "Come on!"

With the password aquired Sirius was ready to get going. He could barely wait, for James and Remus to arrive now. Just moments before he was worried they would get there before he got what they needed, now that he had it they were taking far to long. Every second was a precious commodity, what with Lily Evans making her rounds, and not to mention Filich and his mangy cat. But Sirius wouldn't allow himself to worry about them, for the moment everything has gone smoothly. Looking back over to Peter, Sirius wanted to know how far away Prongs and Moony were, but the moment he began to ask he heard footsteps down the Corridor. Alarmed at the sudden echoes he looked quickly in the direction of the noise. How he hoped it wasn't anyone other than his two absent friends. Their plans usually were foolproof and they did have the map. With that thought a bit of comfort came over him, surely Peter would have gave warning if anyone other than those who were supposed to be there approached. When in fact he did see that it was the two other Marauders in the distance Sirius let out a silent sigh of relief. Now that they were here the long awaited prank was getting closer and closer. When James and Remus made they're way to where him, Peter, and Andromeda were standing Sirius could tell that James has yet again been comtemplating something. He wouldn't question what it was, besides he was too anxious to think of anything else at the moment. With Andromeda saying her final words Sirius nodded his goodbye to her and mouthed the words once again thank you.

Once she was gone James wasted no time in hurrying the four along. Sirius turned to him with a grin when he heard James rush him along. Reaching out and taking the cloak Prongs was handing him Sirius couldn't help but recall the many times they have used it over the years. It would be hard to pin any one number on the the subject, it has helped all four of them get out of some tight spots on more than one occasion. "It's about time you two showed." He said as he began putting the cloak around him, "I about gave up on you all, thought maybe you chickened out or something." His features now sly and devilish as he embodied him self in the cloak disappearing instantly.

Remus walked alongside James, a little less self-contained than earlier, a bounce to his step or perhaps just an air of light-heartedness about him that was only ever there in the moments that he was truly enjoying himself. Oftentimes it felt that there was a weight upon him, though some of that had been lifted when he had not received the Head boy badge, he felt on some level that he had failed Dumbledore the previous year, having not been able to keep James and Sirius from doing things.. that he had thought questionable. He sometimes regretted that he had not spoke up, but the past was just that and he couldn't undo it. Wasn't sure if he would do anything different anyway.

Then again, they were all changing, and in less then a year's time they would be leaving Hogwarts, to go forth into the "real" world. And wasn't that frightening enough? Remus wasn't sure what he was going to do, employers didn't often hire werewolves after all. He had played idly with the thought of some day becoming a professor.. but he hadn't talked to the Gryffindor Head of House about his career path quite yet. Still, he was slowly feeling the pressure of having to have his life planned out already.

The bag in his hand, or rather the contents of it, drew his attention away from such thoughts, as well as James'. "Erm. You sure that's not going to go off yet, Moony?" Hazel eyes narrowed for a moment in thought before he grinned with a shrug of his shoulders, "I should hope not or at least it isn't supposed to." Remus had full and total confidence in the fact that if something did go wrong, they were creative enough to use it to their advantage.

As they rounded the corner, and Peter came toward them, it was evident that they had acquired the password, and that Andromeda was aware of why they needed it.

"When have we ever chickened out?"