Chapter Seventeen

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The Sign of a True Marauder

By the end of September the four friends were happily settled into Anglo-Saxon life. Gallatea was doing exceptionally well with her English lessons. She could already make some basic phrases. The grammatical structure was reasonably similar to her own language, so she wasn't finding it terribly hard. Before long she would be able to speak it without too much difficulty. Her aim was to be able to learn enough that she could speak to her friends in their own language. She knew that they were all starting to get homesick, so she wanted to bring a bit of their culture to them. She was even constructing a basic Anglo-Saxon - English dictionary as the lessons progressed.

The animagus transformation was progressing nicely for the whole group. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Ardwick, Gallatea and Christabel had spent the last few weeks researching their animals. It was the first step before trying to transform. As Hufflepuff told them, they couldn't become the animal if they didn't understand the animal. Harry had been spending his time, when the others were researching, reading up on the Dark Arts. Once the first lesson had passed and Harry had gained a better understanding of the subject he found it quite fascinating. He decided it wouldn't hurt to have a reasonable grounding in Dark Magic before he went home. As long as he remembered that it was intent that counted when using some of the curses, he didn't feel so guilty about studying it. After all, he thought one day, you can't fight Dark Magic with Light Magic and hope to win. The Dart Arts are more powerful, and that was where Dumbledore was going wrong. He refused to use Dark Arts spells, and was stuck in a rut. I'm going to change that when I get home. Some of the spells in his parseltongue book were decidedly Dark, but he tried each and every one of them. Simbi and Nirah didn't mind. They thought it made life more interesting. As well as reading up on Dark spells, Harry had also started his first book. He knew Hermione wanted him to write a book on the rare potions he knew about. He intended to write at least five books. One on Dark Potions, one on antidotes to Dark potions, one on Light potions, one on antidotes to Light potions, and one specifically on ancient Dark Magic. It was the last one he was working on at the moment. He had three chapters finished already. He was aiming to write two books a year, so he would be finished before he got home.

Harry wasn't just learning the Dark Arts. The other classes were going well for all of them. Harry had found a particular talent for duelling. Once he had gotten over his initial fear, his fierce determination and seeker agility made him very talented. His extra reading wasn't going any harm either. As had been expected by Lolide, he had completed his invisibility training rather quickly. With all the extra practice he had been having he had mastered it in three weeks. The others hadn't quite got it down yet, but they were all progressing well. This week Harry was due to have his second lesson in the infirmary with the elf. Each week he was to spend his first hour learning the elven language. The second hour was elven customs and traditions. The rest of the time was devoted to healing and battle magics that Lolide's people used. Once he had mastered the language and customs, she had promised to take him to visit her family in one of the elven cities, a trip he was seriously looking forward to. He decided it would be a good idea to borrow Ginny's camera when he went. He knew the pictures would be very useful when he got home. He though he might even write a book about elves when he had finished the others.

Ginny was doing well with her own book. She had been spending a lot of time with Christabel, Ardwick and Gallatea finding out about their time. She had written over twenty thousand words already, but had had to start one of her chapters over when Crookshanks had chewed the first page. The cat was more trouble than it was worth. Ginny had also been taking a lot of pictures with her camera. She'd started an album, one large enough to house pictures from all the time they were to be away. When she got home she wanted to have something to remember her new friends by. She knew her family would want to see her growing up too, even if it was only in pictures. Ginny had spent a lot of her time, when she wasn't writing, practicing her archery. Her lifelong interest was starting to pay off. She was the best at archery out of the four of them. Each of them had discovered a special talent. Harry's were duelling and the Dark Arts. Ginny's were archery and photography, as well as being a true Seer. She had had a few small visions and feelings recently, but nothing on the scale of the vision in the first Divination lesson.

Ron had settled in well as well. He was exceptionally skilled at sword fighting, a fact he was very proud of. He finally had a talent he could call his own. He was also very good at coming up with sneaky plans, usually for sneaking down to the kitchens at night. He attributed it to all of the chess games he had won. Over the last month he had become good friends with Ardwick. He found they had a lot in common. Ardwick had four older brothers and two older sisters His younger sister had died of influenza a few years back. He was the youngest in the family now, and often felt he was in their shadow. Ron could relate, being the youngest of six brothers. The redhead was slightly better off though, as he was at least older than Ginny. Ron hated being in his brothers' shadows, but the trip into the past was doing him the world of good. He didn't have any of his family there apart from Ginny, so he was the oldest. He could show his talents without his family thinking of how one of his brothers had done it first. It was a refreshing change for him. It was the same with his friendship with Harry. Harry had always been the `Boy-Who-Lived', and Ron was his sidekick. In this time, Harry wasn't famous, so Ron was seen for himself, and not just as `Harry Potter's best friend'. If it wasn't for the fact that he actually missed the rest of his family, he would never want to go home. At least he had Ginny, though. Hermione had been rather sad, as she had no family there at all. Harry, for obvious reasons, wasn't that bothered. Hermione, though, really missed her parents.

Hermione had spent the last month doing what she did best - immersing herself in the library. She couldn't get enough of the ancient spells, and it took her mind off her family. She was still the same bookworm she had always been. The first book she was writing was about ancient charms. As with the other two, she was getting on well with it. The founders hadn't been giving the four any homework, as they already had the knowledge in their heads. They just needed to attend the lessons for the practical experience. They could then spend the time they would usually have spent doing homework practicing their skills and writing their books. Hermione had taken a liking to martial arts. She was top of the group in that particular field of combat. While all four were acquiring many skills in the lessons they were having, they each had a specialty. With enough training, and if they worked as a team, they would eventually be unstoppable.

“ No, no, no! Lalaith!”

“ Much better, Harry. Now, again. Lalaith.”

“ Ok, now what does it mean?”

“ Yes, well done. Now, say leuca.”

“ Yes, that's better. What does it mean?”

“ Very good. See? It's not that hard, is it?”

“ No Lolide, as long as I keep practicing.”

Harry had been having some initial problems with the elven language. He could understand the words, and he was even learning the alphabet so he could write them. His main problem came with pronunciation. Elven speech was very fluid and lilting. It was more suited to native French or Latin speakers. The harsher English and Anglo-Saxon Harry was used to speaking clashed horribly with Lolide's native tongue. The woman had told him that he was doing well, though. If he put his mind to it, Harry was a good worker. He was intelligent, enough so that the Sorting Hat had put him in Ravenclaw over Slytherin. He only really learned anything, though, when he had an interest in a subject. This was where the shared knowledge had been helpful to him. Since he had learned more about various branches of magic, he had contracted the learning bug. He needed to know more. He was getting as bad as Hermione, especially when the subject he was studying was Dark Magic.

A few minutes after he had drifted off into his own thoughts, Lolide cleared her throat. Snapping back into the real world, he looked sheepishly up at the amused looking elf.

“ Are you always like this, Harry or have I caught you on an off day?”

“ Um…I'm usually like this…”

“ Then I am having to be watching out for you in the future, young one. If you pay this little attention when you are engaged in battle, you are being killed I think?”

“ That's true. But it hasn't happened yet…”

“ …so I can't be that bad.”

“ But you are, little one, you are. Now, let us be moving on to elven culture. What is a noldo?”

“ Very good. What is an ornemalin?”

“ A kind of tree.”

“ And a Silima?”

It was on September 30th that Harry had his bright idea. He was sitting in the library with his six friends. The girls were engaged in schoolwork and study, and the other boys were playing a game of chess. Ron had finally met his match in Ardwick, and it was a refreshing change. Harry was thinking back to the start of the month when he had decided he was going to have more fun while he was in this time. After all, they didn't know where they were going to end up next. They could find themselves in the middle of a war or something. He had been giving the matter some thought and had finally decided on an interesting course of action.

“ Ard, Ron, when you've finished, I have a proposal for you.”

“ `K Harry,” the redhead muttered as he concentrated on taking Ardwick's queen.

Five minutes later, he had the two boys' attention. They had moved to a different corner of the library, away from the prying ears of the girls. Somehow, Harry didn't think they would approve of his idea.

“ Ron, do you remember what I got for my birthday?”

“ A bloody annoying amulet?”

“ No! Well, yes…I mean apart from that.”

“ A couple of books and a big box from the twins.”

“ Yes, it was a Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Mischief Making Kit. It has prototypes of all of their latest products. I thought, since we're here in the past, and I want to have some fun before I go back to being the Boy-Who-Lived, I could follow in my father's footsteps. I think we should become pranksters.”

Silence followed this statement. Ardwick was looking at the pair in mild confusion, while Ron suddenly burst out laughing.

“ That's brilliant, Harry. We can be the Marauders of the founders' age. The first ever Hogwarts pranksters. We also have a great advantage. We know all of the tricks the twins pulled, as well as ones you've heard from Sirius. We can use them now, and they'll be totally new, because no-one will have seen them before. When do we start?”

“ I figured tonight. I reckon we should do the whole school. Set traps in all of the corridors and the classrooms, rig the common rooms and the Great Hall, and spell all of the food for the meals. We can call it our grand entrance into the world of pranks, and no-one will know it was us, providing we're careful.”

“ Harry, Ron, I don't understand. You plan to play tricks on the whole school?”

“ Because it'll be fun, and I can't wait to see Slytherin's face when I turn him pink at breakfast.”

“ Harry! We can't do that to Lord Slytherin?”

“ Why not, Ard?”

“ Because it's wrong!”

“ But nothing, Ard,” Ron butted in, “ Are you in or out?”

“ One more thing you guys,” Harry said, “ I think we should bring Peeves in on this…”

“ WHAT! Harry, are you mad?! You know what he's like in our time…”

“ Yes, I do, and I think he's perfect to help us. Anyway, when we get back home we might be able to use this to get him to stop pranking us.”

“ Fair enough. Let's go find him.”

And so it was that a new generation of Marauders were born, of Harry, Ron, Ardwick and Peeves - the first ever Hogwarts pranksters.

8:30 the next morning found the four new Marauders sitting in the Great Hall in anticipation. Tracking down Peeves had been relatively easy, and once he heard what they were planning he was eager to help in any way he could. They had joint pranked the Hall, corridors, classrooms and the Slytherin common room. They had then each gone back and sorted out their own common rooms. Not long after the four had arrived, disgruntled students started to wander in to breakfast. The Ravenclaws were all sporting rainbow coloured afros and glowing yellow robes. The Hufflepuffs all had sunlight shining from their behinds and black halos above their heads. The Slytherins were afflicted with red horns and pointed tails, their robes flickering between various shades of red. The Gryffindors shuffled in with lions' mains and were roaring instead of speaking.

Silence fell as the founders entered the room. As promised, Salazar Slytherin had bright pink skin and robes, which wouldn't change back to their normal colour no matter what he did to them. He was grumbling to himself about his whole wardrobe being similarly affected. It wasn't until the founders had started on their breakfast that the real fun started. When Slytherin got up on the table and started to sing, the Marauders lost control and fell on the floor laughing. The few bars Slytherin had sung gained the attention of all of the students. Jumping down onto the floor, he linked arms with the other three and they started to skip around the Great Hall singing together.

“ We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

We hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was.

If ever oh ever a whiz there was, the wizard of Oz is one because,

Because, because, because, because, because,

Because of the wonderful things he does.

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!”

Ravenclaw was the first to break off. As the others joined hands again and danced around the student tables, she stood in front of the Ravenclaw table and started singing on her own.

“ I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers

Consultin' with the rain.

And my head I'd be scratchin' while

My thoughts were busy hatchin'

If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le,

In trouble or in pain.

With the thoughts you'll be thinkin'

You could be another Lincoln

If you only had a brain.

Oh, I could tell you why

The ocean's near the shore.

I could think of things I never thunk before.

And then I'd sit, and think some more.

I would not be just a nothin' my head all full of stuffin'

My heart all full of pain.

I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,

If I only had a brain.”

Ravenclaw joined the rest for the chorus.

“ We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

We hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was.

If ever oh ever a whiz there was, the wizard of Oz is one because,

Because, because, because, because, because,

Because of the wonderful things he does.

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!”

Slytherin was next to separate. He leapt onto the Slytherin student table and did a rather lengthy tap dance before starting in on his verse.

“ When a man's an empty kettle he should be on his mettle,

And yet I'm torn apart.

Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind-a-human,

If I only had heart.

I'd be tender - I'd be gentle and awful sentimental

Regarding Love and Art.

I'd be friends with the sparrows ...

And the boys who shoots the arrows

If I only had a heart.

Picture me - a balcony.

Above a voice sings low.

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? I hear a beat....

Just to register emotion, jealousy - devotion,

And really feel the part.

I could stay young and chipper

And I'd lock it with a zipper,

If I only had a heart.”

By the time the founders were back on the chorus, most of the students were on the floor laughing their heads off. Even though they themselves had been pranked earlier, this was just too funny for them to care. This was all Harry's work, being the only one in on the pranks who would be familiar with the Wizard of Oz. He looked over at Hermione to see her laughing harder than anyone else. The rest of the school was just reacting to the words the founders were singing.

“ We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

We hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was.

If ever oh ever a whiz there was, the wizard of Oz is one because,

Because, because, because, because, because,

Because of the wonderful things he does.

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!”

Gryffindor was the last to break off for his own verse.

“ Yeh, it's sad, believe me, Missy,

When you're born to be a sissy

Without the vim and verve.

But I could show my prowess, be a lion not a mou-ess

If I only had the nerve.

I'm afraid there's no denyin' I'm just a dandelion,

A fate I don't deserve.

I'd be brave as a blizzard....”

Here they came together to sing their lines…

“ I'd be gentle as a lizard…”

“ I'd be clever as a gizzard…”

“ If the wizard is a wizard who will serve.”

“ Then I'm sure to get a brain.”

After the last word the founders seemed to snap out of whatever spell had been cast on them. Looking around the Great Hall at the hysterical students they all blushed profusely and made incredibly quick exits.

The day progressed in much the same way. After each lesson the new Marauders would start laughing when they passed pranked students in the corridor. Hermione had figured out who was behind the pranks and was not suited. After all, who in that time apart from Harry would have seen a Muggle musical? The next big highlight of the day, though, came at dinner that night. Halfway through desert, Horatio d'Escargot got up on the table and waved his hand. He was suddenly dressed in a sparkling costume with a guitar in his hand. He began to strum the instrument as he sang.

“ You look like an angel

You're the devil in disguise

The devil in disguise

You fooled me with your kisses

You cheated and you schemed

Heaven knows how you lied to me

You're not the way you seemed

You look like an angel

You're the devil in disguise

The devil in disguise

I thought that I was in heaven

But I was sure surprised

Heaven help me, I didn't see

The devil in your eyes

You look like an angel

You're the devil in disguise

The devil in disguise

You're the devil in disguise

The devil in disguise

The devil in disguise.”

As soon as the song ended the boy got a horrified look on his face, looked around the Hall at the laughing students, and promptly fainted.

That night Harry, Ron and Ardwick were cornered by the girls in the library. Hermione was baring a strange expression that looked halfway between outrage and amusement.

“ Well, I hope you're pleased with yourselves. I'm surprised we haven't been expelled already. Making the founders sing! I can't believe you did that!”

“ But you enjoyed Horatio fainting, didn't you?”

“ Shut up, Ron!”

Harry turned to Ginny and saw her grinning. He gave her a suspicious look, and when she noticed he was watching her she leant over and whispered in his ear.

“ I caught the whole thing on film.”