The Four Marauders.

The Four Marauders - End Of Year

It had been about a week since Lily's parents had been murdered, the funeral was going to be held during the summer holidays and be a close family and friends occasion, as it would be harder to explain the death of two people when they didn't even have any physical sings of harm.

Lily had still been as down as when she was told, so much so, the professors had been told not to give Lily any homework and to let her off if she was late or even didn't turn up for her usual classes. There was roumors going around the school about how her parents death came about, some absolutely ludicrous other we're more possible, some were saying that there was information given to he who must not be named that Lily was muggle born and it was an example to all who try to cross he who must not be named ,but the more stupid explanations were ones such as Lily herself had hired an assassination attempt against her own parents, luckily, Lily was good at blocking people out.

For the past half an hour Alice, Marlene, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had been figuring out a way to cheer Lily up. They had gone through ideas such as having a picnic, but decided that was to babyish for fifteen to sixteen year olds, another suggestion was from Remus, saying they should have a 'studying session' he said that Lily liked to study, but the others weren't convinced, it was James who came up with the idea of throwing a party, the others just countered his suggestion saying that Lily didn't like making a fuss, this was true, but then James thought that they could do it for the end of term. Sirius was all for having a party, so was everyone else, everyone else being everyone apart from Remus who wasn't convinced that Lily would like the 'cheer up gesture' as they called it. But the others just completely ignored him.

"Ah, yes, and we could 'borrow' some of the fire whiskey from the kitchens" Sirius said enthusiastically.

Marlene gave him a dubious look, "'borrow'? " she questioned. Remus had now decided the whole idea was a lost cause and not even to intervene. "Isn't borrowing, getting something from someone then giving it back to them in the same state you found it?" she said, grinning, Marlene was just as mischievous and confident and Sirius was.

"One day I'll replace it." Sirius reassured Marlene, she giggled quietly.

There was a slight pause then James took the chance and started talking, "if we gather the things we need by today, we should be fine tomorrow" he instructed. "So if me and Sirius locate the fire whiskey" Remus threw his hands up in exasperation, "shut up, Remus" James casually added, Remus put his hands up, above his head in mock surrender. "And of you sort out whatever else you really want" James finished dismissively. The remaining people with out jobs, mingled with each other and sorted out what they would bring the only person who didn't have a job by the end of it all was a confused Peter, he never looked like he knew what he was doing, no matter what he did.

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Later that day...

"Have we got the cloak?" Sirius said, "not that we'll need it, the little house elves are always so 'honoured' to see us, I don't know-"

"We've got the cloak, Sirius." James said firmly, if there's one thing anyone should know about Sirius Black is that once he starts talking, he could talk for an age, there's no stopping him.

"Oh, yeah, let's go" Sirius said as they covered themselves with the slippery cloak. It was much easier for just James and Sirius to use the cloak because they were roughly the same size, give or take a few inches, where as with Remus and Peter they were all different heights so they had to stand in front of the mirror making sure that they can't see each other through the cloak. James and Sirius were now experts at dodging the chairs on the way out of the Gryffindor common room, and it was even easier to navigate through the castle, now that they had the Marauders Map. It was good that the short cut to the kitchens were only about ten to twenty feet away from their common room, you would have to be very obvious and loud to be caught round near the kitchens, but they brought the cloak just in case.