The Marauding Five - Year One

Title: The Marauding Five - Year One (4/?)

Author name: bunny chan

Author email: [email protected]

Category: for now, General

Keywords: L/J, MWPP, Marauders

Spoilers: All books

Rating: G

Summary: An AU fiction in which we have five Marauders, each with a special talent [later in the following series] as they go through their teen life in Hogwarts. With a tinge of over-rudeness [indirectly] and um, Mary Sue and George Stu for the first year.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The plot, story and unrecognized characters, however belong to me.

Author's Note: Nothing, again. I should just remove this part next time.

The Marauding Five : Year One

Chapter 4: The Sorting Ceremony

The door swung open as a tall, black haired witch in bright red robes stood there with a stern expression in her face. The Marauders took a step forward as the other first years cowered, as if the witch is going to turn them all into earwigs or send them off to detention without a reason.

‘Firs’-years, Professor McGonagall,’ Hagrid said.

‘Thank you, Hagrid. I’ll take them in from here.’

The first years walked in, the Marauders leading, as Professor McGonagall pulled the door wide to admit them. The Marauders walked casually after McGonagall as they walked across a flagged stone floor and into an empty chamber. A drone of voices could be heard from a doorway to their right. Lily was sure everyone had arrived in the hall by now.

McGonagall opened to start off her usual speech: ‘Welcome to Hogwarts, The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dorms and spend your free time in your house common room.’

‘Sounds pretty boring, yet interesting,’ James whispered to Lily, who giggled at this.

‘The four houses that you will be sorted into are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history-’ James cut in a whisper ‘All but Slytherin’ ‘-and each has produced outstanding wizards and witches. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.’

Professor McGonagall paused. ‘The Sorting ceremony will begin soon in front of the school. I shall return when we are ready with you. You may take the time to clean yourselves,’ the professor finished, eyeing a disapproving look at Severus Snape, whom, is still trying to rid off the drawings and words, but failed as the Marauders had used a permanent ink on him. She heaved a sigh of relief and began to make some mental notes to change this welcoming speech. Sure, she’d put a spell on herself to recite all this, but saying the same thing every year can become quite boring.

McGonagall turned towards the door and walked out, leaving all the first years trembling; well, all but the Marauders. They simply grinned to themselves when they hear the first years saying;

‘D’you think they’ll test us with spells?’

‘I wonder how will they sort us?’

‘What must we do??’

‘I don’t know any spells!’

‘Okay, which should I use? Lumos?’

‘Oh my…’

‘I think I’ll be sent home if we’re tested with spells.’

‘What’d dad say?’

‘Maybe I should try Noctrus?’

‘I think I’ll catch the next train back.’

‘What am I to do?’

‘Well, my parents said that you’ll be putting a hat on your head. It’ll grab your head, pull your hair, bite into your scalps-’ a nervous first year, Drolly Ternningham, shivered.

‘I know how we’re being sorted,’ James said imperiously.

The first years, at once, turned to him as if he’s the Head Boy.

‘You do?’

‘Yep, we do.’

‘Oh, tell us!’

‘Can a no do?’

‘No no can do. Please tell us!’

‘Sorry.’

‘Please?’

‘Think again.’

‘We’re positive about you telling us!’

‘Think double times again.’

‘Double times the positive.’

‘Nope. You’d to do with no.’

‘Why?’

‘Top secret.’

‘Strictly confidential.’

‘No leakage, or the plumber’ll have problems coming.’

‘Order of Merlin, first class.’

The Marauders grinned at Lily at this remark.

‘Oooh!’

‘You’ll find out soon enough too anyway!’

‘I wanna know if it hurts…’

‘Not unless you want it to.’

‘Top secret. Highly confidential. Very unflammable’

This, of course, came from James.

‘Minerva’s property.’

‘No, Remus, Dumbledore’s property of confidential and very, very strict rules.’

‘Right, Sirius.’

‘Always, James.’

‘What’s so serious?’

‘No, it’s SIRIUS; not serious.’

‘Oh, is that your name?’

‘Right.’

‘I’m James.’

‘I’m Lily.’

‘And I’m Remus.’

‘Tell us about the sorting!’

‘No. Like I’d said, no can do.’

‘Why?’

‘Merlin’s order, remember?’

‘Don’t joke! We’re in nervous breakdown state!’

‘Too bad. I’d done that already.’

‘Form a line!’ McGonagall’s strict voice called from the door. Immediately, they shifted into a long line, as they were lead into the Great Hall.

The starry sky was twinkling above their heads as the stars called out merrily to them. Bewitched, like Lily had told Sirius and Remus, to look like the sky outside. Before them, thousands and thousands of candles, which were floating midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting, lighting the picture. Before each student, were lines of golden plates and goblets. The first years stood in front of the Great Hall, backs facing the teachers. Pale white ghosts were seen from here, their luminous body shining mystically, adding the splendor to the already magnificent scene.

McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On the stool, she placed a pointed wizard’s hat. It was patched in places and frayed to the ends. Not to mention that it was extremely dirty, Lily said thoughtfully to herself. Don’t they ever wash it?

Everyone was staring at the hat.

Suddenly, the hat twitched a little, sending a few first years jumping in fright. The next thing was what Lily and the Marauders had least expect it to do. It talked. It not only talked, it sang. The first years were quite taken aback by this.

‘I may be a cap

With patches and flap

And seem as stupid as can be

With fraying ends

And dying ants

Looking like a dirty hat’s me

But I can show

That looks are a throw

With these brilliant brains of mine

I can sort you out

Without a doubt

And send you off in pride

In merry Gryffindor

Where lies the bold

A brave a daring group

Fair Hufflepuff

Where they are told

To be just, loyal and true

Ravenclaw’s yours

If you turn to be

An eager learning soul

Or sly Slytherin

Where dwells the means

Of rules and of great things

Just put me on

(no worry or harm)

As I sort your houses out

Leave it to me

As it is my job

To sort new students out.’

Lily heard Ternningham muttered something about getting back at his parents for frightening him. The Marauders just laughed silently at the first year’s faces when they knew that they only had to put on that hat. They straighten themselves well when McGonagall start reading names off a long parchment to try on the hat. When it was Sirius’ turn, he ran, fixed the hat on his head and had barely yet sat on the stool when it called out ‘Gryffindor’. The Gryffindor table cheered loudly as Sirius ran off grinning to join them.

James didn’t bother about the others until it came to Lily. Lily walked up the stool calmly as she jammed the hat on her head. A few seconds later, Lily ran off to the Gryffindor’s table and sat beside Sirius who’s waving frantically at her. He skipped on until Remus’ turn. It seemed like the hat had taken quite some time considering Remus, maybe because he’s a werewolf, James added silently. The Marauders knew all about Remus being a werewolf and had brought back his courage by being continuously friendly towards him. It was only after fifteen seconds that Remus joined the Gryffindor table. James shook as his nerves clashed into him when his name was called.

‘Now, what do I have here? Oh, a really eager learning boy, just like Lily. I see you’re mischievous, too. Very brave and loyal. There’s only one place for you: Gryffindor!’ the hat’s tiny voice yelled as James put down the hat and join the Marauders at the Gryffindor table, slipping into an empty seat beside Lily, who hugged him fiercely. ‘Thought you wouldn’t make it. At first, I thought Remus wouldn’t too, but the hat seemed to have played tricks with us,’ Lily said, grinning.

Soon, Severus Snape was called. ‘Thank goodness our names were far from his! I wouldn’t want to touch that hat after it being put on by Snape,’ Lily said thankfully as Snape was sorted into Slytherin. The others merely nodded in agreement. No one would want to put on the hat after Snape’s greasy hair. They watch as the next boy, Drolly Ternningham, gingerly put on the hat over his head. He was sorted into Hufflepuff.

‘Pity,’ James sighed. ‘I kind of liked the way he took into us when we were talking about the Sorting.’

‘Well, every first year seemed to be goggling at us,’ Lily said, rolling her emerald-green eyes.

‘Guess so, but he paid the most attention,’ Sirius added.

‘Yea…’

The sorting ceremony ended as Dumbledore stood up to give his speech.

‘I’d like to inform the school that a Whomping Willow has been planted on the school grounds. It may be dangerous, as the Willow is known to hit anyone – or anything – that come near it. Therefore, it should be avoided by all means. The Forbidden Forest is still off limits to students. And lastly, Draco, Dormiens Nunquam, Titillandus!’ Dumbledore smiled as he retreat.

Remus stared at him.

‘What’s with him?’ he asked a fourth year.

‘Oh, nothing much. He’s a little loony in his head sometimes. Roast chicken?’ the fourth year replied, holding out a roast chicken to Remus, who stared blankly.

‘Food’s served?’

Remus turned and found the plates filled with roast chicken, roast beef, pies, gravy, pork chops, tacos and a hundred over things. His eyes turned round as he quickly dug himself a huge scoop of peas. James was eating his food in an unbelievable rate, Lily is helping herself to almost everything but Mint Humbugs and Sirius - well, he ate just everything. His plate was clearly the fullest around the table, piled with all sorts of things. And at the rate he was finishing them before the eyes of the Gryffindor house, one would’ve thought he was starved for 30 years or so.

Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, introduced himself to the Marauders when he was sneezed across the table by another first year, Billy Martins. The four knew all about the house ghost (it’s in Hogwarts: A History) and welcome him warmly.

The Head Boy and Girl was in their house, and when they saw the Marauders, they burst out laughing with the other seventh years that had sat with them in the train. ‘Good job there! Since he’s a Slytherin, you earn 10 points each for doing so,’ the Head Boy, Tom Turnnet, said, patting on the Marauders’ back, grinning broadly at them. The Head Girl just stood shaking all over as images of Snape, doodles and writings all over, came sailing back to her. ‘Snape hasn’t rid himself off those doodles yet, I can see. What sort of ink you used? I’m a sort of mischief-maker, too,’ Tom said, as his eyes glinted mischievously. They quickly fill him with the details of the ink. ‘Muggle devices are cool if you use them correctly,’ Sirius said happily, glad to find someone who’s in the league with them. Tom agreed full-heartedly as he fill them in with tricks they could use, mischiefs to be played and all. He was, clearly, full of it himself too. The Marauders looked happily on, glad that they weren’t the only ones trying to turn things over and that they have a partner in crime.

They met Peeves, a poltergeist, who threw water balloons at them. Of course, the Marauders returned his greetings cheerfully with stink pellets, drawing gasps and complains from the hall. Peeves smiled at them happily (something he rarely does) as they went on playing, stenching the whole of the Great Hall with it’s smell. Peeves seemed happy with the Marauder’s sense of fun and had somehow taken it to befriend them.

Dumbledore had chuckled gleefully all through the little meeting, until McGonagall screamed at him to stop the unruly behaviors of the new first years and Peeves.

The feast done, Dumbledore conducted the school song, which everyone sang in different tune at a different rate:

‘Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they’re bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us something worth knowing,

Bring back what we’ve forgot,

Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.’



The Marauders ended it with a very slow piece of wedding march. Everyone burst out laughing when they sang the last note wrong, on purpose, and even more when they clambered up the Gryffindor table and make their majestic bow to the whole school. Dumbledore didn’t object to any of this, but smiled widely at the scene before him, his eyes twinkling just as merrily.

After the feast, they were led to the Gryffindor common room – hidden behind a large portrait of a fat lady in pink – by a prefect. He gave the Fat Lady the password (Flying Unicorns) and marched them to their dorms. Lily, however, was taken to her dorm by another prefect.

Peeves appeared again to victimize the Slytherin dorms with Dungbombs, despite his fear of the Bloody Baron.

Severus Snape is being laughed at by the older students as he tried removing the doodles, dignity and high air lost.

Nearly Headless Nick had shown the first years about how his gruesome death had been.

The Bloody Baron ran into Argus Filch, the caretaker, and punishes Filch to scrubbing his trophies that he’d won years ago, when he was a student in Hogwarts, without magic. Filch was grumbling pointlessly about how’d he ended doing his own detention for the students as they – the students – watched on, amused.

Dumbledore chuckled merrily at the memory of Peeves and the four new first years’ encounter with each other and Severus Snape’s doodles as Fawkes the Phoenix burst into flames in his cage.

McGonagall is sitting in her office, moaning at the thought of a new welcome speech. ‘Maybe I’ll just stick to the old one,’ she moaned, holding her head tiredly.

The Sorting Hat sat in Dumbledore’s office, thinking of a new song for the next year, humming a catchy tune.

Teachers busied themselves getting needed utensils for the next day’s classes. Well, all but Professor Trelawny. She says she’d noticed the stars telling her that she’d be in her coffin the very next day, so no point preparing for her next lesson, but the other teachers merely snorted at that.

Professor Binns is trying to locate his coffin (his office, too).

The owls in the owlery hooted in thankfulness as the house elves fed and groom them.

Dropping into their pillows, the Marauders fell straight into a deep sleep.