Below Our Tree (The Marauders)

[Remus Lupin]

Remus walked outside quickly, raising his arm reflexively to protect his eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. His deep brown eyes looked up at the sky and he smiled to himself, the scars on his face stretching. He loved the sun - it chased away the darkness as kept his fears at bay.

Looking around at the lake, it's shimmering waters gleaming more than normal in the warm weather, Remus searched for his friend. They were supposed to meet under the newly christened tree, but Remus had been caught up in the library with this book and had totally forgotten. He just hoped Sirius wouldn't be too mad.

His sharp eyesight soon spotted his friend and Remus hurried over, almost running to reach the tree. When he got there he dumped his back - though carefully - and sat down, giving Sirius a sheepish grin that was oddly familiar on Remus' young face.

"Sorry, Padfoot. Got caught up in the library."

[Sirius Black]

“What else is new, Moony?” Sirius replied with a laugh, looking up from his seat on the ground. His back rested lazily against the rough trunk of the tree; the familiar touch of the same grass, the same ground, he had been sitting on every free moment he had since his first year at Hogwarts. “Homework again?”

Sirius made a face and returned to gazing out at the lake (and the girls sitting by it) with a daydreaming expression in his silvery blue eyes. Homework. Who needs homework? What, with this amazing September weather and so much better things to do than be cooped up in the library with books and parchment? It was Remus after all, and Sirius would be damned if he’d ever understand his best friend and his love of books.

No. What he needed was some good, old fashioned trouble.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus sighed, following his friend's gaze and looking over at the girls, causally sitting and talking in girl language - super fast and utterly impossible to understand - about whatever it was that was new around this year - or rather who was new around. The young Griffindor grinned at Sirius, a soft twinkle in his eyes.

"No, not homework. I actutally found this really interesting book on Werewolves, and I wanted to see how much they got right. Is that just a little sad?" Remus shook his head and then turned to face Sirius, almost wanting to run at the look in his friend's eye. That look meant that there was going to be trouble - and Remus was going to be a part of it.

"What's going on in that mind of yours, or do I not want to know?"

[Sirius Black]

“I’m not sure you want to know,” Sirius deduced firmly, with a short barking laugh. He swept his bangs out of his eyes, which he was able to tear away from the group of girls to look at Remus. “To be honest, it is sad, mate. You are a werewolf, why the hell would you have to get out a book on the subject?” He frowned in puzzlement, but deciding the matter was best left alone, Sirius shrugged.

“I’m just bored. Extremely very terribly bored.” He gave his friend a meaningful look. A bored Sirius Black was dangerous to anyone within a five mile radius of him, and his wickedly handsome grin only seemed to enforce the matter. “So I was thinking of how we could amuse ourselves.” Sirius absentmindedly picked at tufts of grass as he spoke, thinking of how nice Snivellus would look with red and gold streaked hair…

[Remus Lupin]

Remus sighed. "I wanted to see if they had got it right, that's all. It's fun to pick apart all these professional texts because they got something so simple so wrong. But I suppose since you hate anything related to reading, you don't get the same thrill as I do." Remus laughed and then fell silent, worried at his friends expression - it meant more than trouble. It meant trouble, detentions, and Severus Snape.

"Look, if you are going to hex or curse Snape or something, I won't have anything to do with it," Remus said carefully. "He has never done anything to me, so I don't see why I should harm him. You guys can go ahead though - you're rather ingenious when it comes to making that boy's life hell. Where does it all come from?" Remus would have said it came from a book if he hadn't known has much Sirius loathed reading.

"What are you planning anyway?"

[Sirius Black]

“Quit being so boring, Moony. And you call yourself a Marauder?” Sirius shook his head, eyes falling in mock disappointment. Remus was always so conservative and reserved; no trouble if he could help it, yet he always ended up being dragged along anyway. Sirius thought a few moments before answering the other question. What the hell was this, an interrogation?

“I just go along with James, mate. He hates Snape. I hate Snape. The kid’s a foul git though, if you ask me. Had it coming either way,” Sirius shrugged, still smiling. “If you could help me pull of a tinkering spell… you know the color change one? I got the basics, it’s just the switching that does me in. Scarlet to gold to scarlet. We learned that the day Molly Prewett wore that sexy blue top. Damn she looked good…” he ran a hand through his own dark mane and spared a glance across the lake.

“Pretty please?” Sirius pouted dramatically in Remus’s direction; knowing his friend was well aware that he and James couldn’t pull of pranking without him. Where the hell was James anyway?

[Remus Lupin]

"Yes, Snape isn't a particularly nice person, but... Oh, never mind." Remus gave up. They had been through this a million times before - Remus knew he would never win against Sirius and James. Hearing Sirius ramble on, he sighed, sitting back against the tree and watching his friend with a raised eyebrow. He was tempted to laugh, but decided against it.

"You need to learn to pay attention in lessons and stop looking at girls!" Remus said with a grin. He knew, however, there was no way he would be able to resist Sirius' desperate plea's for help, which is why Remus gave in a lot easier now. "I suppose I will have to help you. How will I get my laughs if you have no brain behind your 'intelligent' schemes?" Remus patted his friend on the back and yawned.

"When James gets here I'll talk to you both. That's the easiest way, I guess. I suppose you're going to be changing Snape's hair?"

[James Potter]

James walked up to them winking at the girls by the lake, who all giggled. James threw is bag on the ground and then himself beside it. "So, the 'Chande Snape's Hair' scheme been worked out yet? I want to make that git have some Gryffindor pride."

He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more that it already was, "Alright Moony, give me and Padfoot the brains behind our genius scheme."

He grinned at the two, glad to be outside. He was stuck inside cleaning McGongall's room, idiot dentention, but better than cleaning out bed pans in the Hospital Wing. He needed to take out some aggression on Snape. If it wasn't for him he'd probably be dating Lily. At the thought James looked around, trying to see if he could spot her among the groups of students.

[Remus Lupin]

"Lily isn't here, James," Remus said without looking up from the book he had gotten out of his bag. "So you can stop looking for her. All the girls over there," he waved his hand absently. "Might get excited-ah! Found it!" Grinning, Remus handed the book to James, his dark hazel eyes glinting in the sunlight.

"You see there, it tells you about basic color change. To make it flicker between two colors, all you need to do it add an extra word here," Remus pointed. "And think both colors in your mind. Simple enough. If you need me to write it down for you, then I shall. I know how hopeless you two are," Grinning, Remus closed his eyes, enjoying the sunlight.

"Oh, how was detention, James?"

[James Potter]

James sighed and looked back to Remus and Sirius, "You know me so well, don't you Moony," he asked grinning and grabbing the book he had handed to him. He scanned it for a few seconds then said, "Err, kay, lemme see," he pointed his wand at a smaller boy that was walking by and said, Micans colui the little boy didn't even realize he had been hit with a spell, but his hair changed to flashing green and bright blue. James just wished he could see the boy's face when he realized his hair had changed.

Behind him he heard the girls giggling again and he turned and smiled at them, messing up his hair again.

"Yeah, that seems to work," he replied, grinning widely at his two friends, "I'm not completely hopeless. Dentention was boring. First it was just me and McGonagall, but then the Care of Magical Creatures professor, Kettleburn, had to come in and start babbling about who knows what. I think he has a crush on McGonagall."

James shrugged and looked over at Sirius, "Asked Molly out yet," he asked with a grin, "and when are we going to have a little chat with our resident git? You are coming, aren't ya Moony? We just can't have fun without you."

[Sirius Black]

“Who wouldn’t have a crush on McG?” Sirius replied incredulously. “I mean sure, she’s a bit old, but come on…” he trailed off at the look James was giving him, and decided it best not to finish his sentence; which was likely to only get him laughed at and called insane… again. “Anyway Kettleburn’s got no shot. McG’s got her heart set on Dumbledore, I swear.” Sirius smirked and looked over at the lake. Was Molly over there, sitting with her friends? Was she looking over at the tree this very instant, wondering if he was sitting here?

“Er… not yet, mate. I’m sort of working on it,” he winked, turning back to James. Working on it meant no, and he knew his friend would pick up on it. How long had he been ‘working on it’ with Lily Evans? “But in the meantime, we can track down Snivellus and give him some much deserved Gryffindor pride. Micans colui? Simple enough. Now all we have to do is find the git…” Sirius stood up and looked around the grounds, but there was no sign of Snape. “Damn it, probably lurking in the dungeons again.”

He flicked the hair out of his eyes with an almost impatient air, knowing at least four of the about six girls by the lake were staring at him. Sirius just hoped one of them was Molly.

[James Potter]

James's eyebrows raised high and higher the longer Sirius talked about McGonagall, "Who wouldn't want Dumbledore? Man's a genius. Imagine McGonagall and Dumbledore having children," he said laughing. Strict, mystifying, and a genius. That kid would be scary.

James just nodded at Sirius and clapped him on the shoulder, "Yea, I understand 'working on it,' mate," he thought about how Lily wouldn't give him the time of day, but a smile came to his face at the prospect of hunting Snivellus down.

"Yea, he likes the dungeons, cold, murky, and slimy much like himself. Must feel just like home," James grinned viciously and tried to picture Snape's face as his hair became the colors of the house he loathed. What he pictured wasn't as satisfying as the real thing was going to be.

[Molly Prewett]

Molly was getting rather bored sitting there listening to her friends gab on about James and Sirius who were nearby. Everyone loved them, but she didn't know why. They seemed normal enough, though their hatred for that Slytherin boy was boardering psychotic, other than that she saw no reason to be obsessed. Other than the fact that they were both the best looking boys in school. She sighed loudly and the girl next to her eyed her asking, "What," Molly shook her head and said, "I'm going to go...do something."

Molly picked up her bag and began to walk to the castle, but she noticed Sirius watching the group she had she left. Molly grinned and little and walked over to the boys under 'their' tree.

"Hey, Sirius, James, Remus," she said running off their names, "You three look like you're up to something," her eyes narrowed slightly and she raised her left eyebrow, "What are you two planning now?"

She knew it had to be just James and Sirius planning cause Remus hardly got in on their stunts, he was just the silent observer. Molly stared at Sirius for a while, he was good looking, though slightly notorious around school. Every girl wanted him and he knew it. He wasn't very serious in any relationship.

[Sirius Black]

“Those children could have the world at the snap of their fingers, hell, they wouldn't even need wands!” Sirius replied in awe. Damn if he was one of their kids… well he probably wouldn’t be breaking rules anytime soon that was for certain. He couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of tiny Dumbledores and McGonagalls running around the place with crooked noses and really thin lips. Sirius fell silent however, when he noticed one particularly good looking girl walking away from the group and over towards his very tree. He barely heard what James was saying about Snape, but busied himself in fixing his collar up and nonchalantly sticking his hands into his trouser pockets. Smooth, that was the key.

“Hey, Prewett,” Sirius said with a nod towards Molly, his voice suddenly taking on a deeper tone, slightly more alluring. He focused his silvery blue eyes on her with a smile. “Funny you should come by, I was just thinking about you,” Sirius winked. “So you and me? Hogsmeade next weekend?”

[Molly Prewett]

James smirked and shook his head as Molly walked up and Sirius attempted to make himself look slick, "Hey Molly."

Molly eyed Sirius, wondering if he was serious or not. She crossed her arms over chest, "My dear Sirius," she said in an odd tone, "I had always thought we were close enough to call one another by our first names," she grinned at him and looked over at her group of friends, who were looking back and nodding fervently. Apparently they had heard it all.

She rolled her eyes and looked back to Sirius, "I don't know if you can handle me, Black," she began, making it sound like she was going to say no, "but I suppose we'll find out next weekend won't we?"

She grinned at him, staring into his eyes...she hadn't noticed how deeply blue they were before.