The Fifth Marauder

"Is it done yet?" asked Peter.

"No and stop nagging!" Sirius snapped.

"Now is it done?"

"Nope," Remus replied.

"Now?"

"NO!!!" Sirius said loudly into Peter's face.

James looked up at his three friends. "Padfoot, can you please not scream? I'm already having a headache. Besides, it's finally finished."

Remus, Peter and Sirius stepped closer to have another look at the parchment lying on the marbled floor.

"I call it the Marauder's Map," James said proudly.

Remus stared at it, frowning slightly. James understood Moony's confusion and said, "It just looks blank. But it's not. It shows the whole school and all the secret passageways, you're the one who suggested it, remember?"

Remus nodded. "Is that all it can do?"

"No," said Sirius. "Prongs, Wormtail and I had added a few words to the people we hated the most. Severus is one of them. Would you like to say something? You were in the haunted house when we wrote some things down about Severus."

"Sure, alright," Remus took the quill that Sirius was handing him. James said a little spell and pointed his wand to the map. Instantly, a few words appear on the map. Remus laughed as he saw that they wrote about how Severus was a slimeball and that he never washed his hair. Remus twirled the quill, thinking of what to write then remembered Severus' hooked nose. When he finished writing, he took a step back to read: "Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Severus Snape, and begs him to keep his abnomally large nose out of other people's bussiness."

The Marauders crowded around the map to read what Remus just wrote. They all enjoyed a good laugh at his sentence. James, again, took out his wand, pointed it at the map and immediently, the words and writings disapear.

"Well, that was sure funny, Moony," Sirius patted Remus on the back.

Remus grinned, "I know, that dumb Severus does have an abnormally large nose."

Sirius' face lit up for a second. The other three already knew what was coming.

"What?" James asked. "Another brilliant idea?"

Sirius nodded eagarly. He nodded to a few kids who were rehearsing prefect lines so that they will become prefects. At least that's what they think. Everyone knows that becoming prefects doesn't mean talking like other prefects. But the rumor just travelled and all the kids at Hogwarts believed it.

Peter wrinkled his nose. "You want to become a prefect too?"

Sirius slapped his forehead. "No, stupid. I have an idea that is similar to that."

"Like?" Remus asked.

"We can have tryouts for those who wanted to join us. You know, tests and everything in order for them to join."

James stared at Sirius for a while, then said, "But we agreed that we will not have a fifth Marauder in our group, you said so yourself."

"I know," Sirius grinned, "But with a fifth Marauder, he will get into trouble instead of us when we do a prank. It's just for fun. Also the rule is that he always have to get the blame when we do something wrong."

Remus frowned again. He seems thoughtful for a moment, "That's kind of mean, isn't it?"

"Hey, it's just for fun, we can start it tomorrow."

Sitting down in the Great Hall, they looked around. Peter took a quill and wrote down: "Fifth Maruader tryout, we'll let you into our group if you do the things we tell you to do."

Some boys already started to line up and a few brought their wands with them. The first guy to go up was Lane Diaz. When Sirius asked what he loves to do most, he said eating. No wonder he's so fat. The second guy who was as skinny as Lane was fat, Lloyd Emerald, walked up to them. He was a geeky nerd so they crossed his name out. The third guy wasn't much better, then the fourth, the fifth... As time flies, the Marauders haven't found a single guy for their group.

James stood up, "Padfoot, this is getting ridiculous. There is no one perfect enough_"

But he got cut off. Just then, a sallowed skinned, hooked-nose and greasy-haired kid walked up to them. All four of the Marauders said in unision, "Severus Snape."

Sirius stood up also and glared down at Severus, "What are you doing here? We would much rather have all those other geeks into our group then you," he leered.

"Well, it's not like I wanted to be in your little group," the kid said uneasily, "I just wanted to_ just wanted to... Er_ my friends and I are playing this game and they said if I become a member of your group_er_ I win the game."

That was a downright lie. Everybody knew that Severus always wanted to be popular and have a lot of friends. The four Marauders said nothing. Sirius glared at the boy, crossing his arms over his chest. James raised an eyebrow at Severus. Remus frowned once again.

Peter, however, just blinked at the hooked-nose guy they all hated. Sirius then yelled out, "Huddle!"

The guys huddled around in between Gryffindor table and Ravenclaw table. "I suddenly have a brilliant idea," he said quietly so that they could block out Severus. "We can let him try to become one of us and make him go through all the dangerous tasks to become one. But in the end, he just made a fool of himself because we won't let him in."

James winked, "Good thinking, Padfoot."

They came out of their huddled position and sat back down at the Gryffindor table.

"Congratulations, Severus," James announced. "You are accepted to do the tests we set for you and if you accomplish all the points, which Wormtail will add up_" Peter waved happily,"You will become one of us. The tests will start tomorrow, be there on time at five o'clock in the morning."

The four boys climbed off Gryffindor table, quickly ran into the Entrance Hall and went to find the Gryffindor Common Room before Severus could asked any questions. Severus thought it was fishy since all four of the Mards loathed him. But he didn't care. Being a Marauder will earn him the popularity he always wanted.

They were at the top of the cliff in the middle of the Forbidden Forest that early morning. They Marauders had already set the first task. This would take a grown-up wizard or witch who had experience can do this. They surely doubt that Severus could handle the fully grown Mountain Troll that lives in the cave of the cliff. Remus had already explained the test to Severus. Severus nodded as though he had full confident in himself to fight the troll, wand only. Remus smirked at him

"Just climb the cliff, Sev," Remus said. "And bring the golden stone that troll always gaurded so that we knew you fought and killed the troll."

"Sure, piece of cake," Severus said, though he wasn't sure if it was a piece of cake.

He started to climb the cliff. The cliff wasn't dangerous and it wasn't that steep. But the main point is not by climbing the cliff, but killing the troll. Rock after rock, Severus climbed until finally he reached a landing. From the darkness of the cave, a snore breathed into his face so that he could feel the hot breathe and smell the smell of the Troll's mouth. Severus quickly understood that he was sleeping. 'This is going to be a piece of cake,' Severus thought to himself. He took his wand from his robes and walked quietly towards the sleeping troll. When he was close enough, Severus took another step. Just then, a loud crack sounded. He stared down to see that he stepped on a broken tree branch. He quickly look up to see if the troll heard the crack. It did.

It opened its eyes and saw that it was face to face with Severus. Severus, however, couldn't move a muscle. He stared at the troll who was now sitting up. Grabbing its club, it started to swing the club at Severus. Severus could now feel his legs. He wanted to run, to escape, but couldn't. The Marauders will tease him for the rest of his life. But he wouldn't even have a life if he just stood there. Directing his wand at the troll, now swinging its club even more violently, he yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

A beam of red light came out of his wand, but it missed and instead of hitting the troll, it hit the cave wall. Both Severus and the troll stared horrorstruck at the massive stones rolling now the wall. Severus ran out of the cave. The troll tried to follow but a rock as big as the troll itself came down onto the troll. It got knocked out and fell backwards towards the cave. The walls of the cave fell down upon the troll. Severus sigh, he didn't get the golden stone the troll valued. As he thought these words, something rolled to his feet. He looked down in time to see that it was the golden stone the Marauders wanted. Happily grabbing the tiny, gold rock, he climbed back down the cliff.

Severus saw that the Mards, whom all four was smirking, were waiting for him. "I've gotten the stone! No need to smirk guys!" He held up the little rock for them to see. To his delight, they all gasp.

"The hardest task to complete? Yeah right," Remus said to Sirius, "If hook nosed can do it, anyone can."

Sirius glared at Remus, "It was suppose to be the hardest task, by some weird accident, that boy gotten it. He wouldn't have gotten the stone if it wasn't for the troll's fall!"

Remus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Wormtail, what's the score?"

Peter winked at all his fellow Marauders, than said to Severus, "You understand that the highest score is ten, well, you only got three."

Again, the Mards all smirked proudly. Severus however, was fustrated, "Three!? What kind of math are you doing anyways? I've gotten the stone!" He held the gold rock up again.

"Yeah, like we can't see that," Sirius rolled his eyes, "But the troll fell and got knocked out. If it hadn't, you wouldn't have gotten the stone at all. Three points for luck. We wouldn't have given you any points at all."

Severus glared at the Marauders, then replied, "I used a spell I learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The score should have been higher then that."

James shook his head, "One spell doesn't count. You have to use at least three."

"What?" Severus said angrily. "Remus didn't say that?"

James narrowed his eyebrows, "Can't you figure it out all on your own. Gee, you must be dumber then we thought."

The Mards all burst out laughing. Frustrated, Severus threw down the rock and stomped back up to Hogwarts, the Marauders' laughs echoed in his head.

"Remember, the next task will be tonight at midnight, same place! You'll have to fight the giant spiders that live here, bring back one tied, but alive and we'll give you more points!" Sirius called after.

"If he can do it that is or else he'll chicken out," Remus whispered to Peter. They both laughed.

Again, that midnight, standing at the base of the cliff, the Marauders and Severus waited.

James grimaced, "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"Usually the spiders go hunting. They usually pass by this cliff every midnight, Sev just have to follow them, go to their web dome, and fight one. I will go with Severus to make sure he does get to the web dome, I'm going to make sure he is in the middle of the dome where all of the spiders can smell him since they're blind, then I'll run for it leaving him there," explained Sirius.

"What if the spiders smell us?" James asked, frighten.

"They won't," Sirius said, although he sounded frighten as James felt.

A few minutes passed. All five of the boys were getting tremendously bored right then. When Peter almost fell asleep, James nudged him in time to hear rustling of leaves in the forest. They stared, wide eyed, two spiders stepped out of a bush. They straighten themselves up and seems to be sniffing the air. The boys quickly ducked under a bush to prevent the spiders from smelling them, except Sirius and Severus.

"C'mon," Sirius nudged at Sev to follow the gigantic spiders. Using all six of their long legs, the spiders slowly walked back into the forest with Sirius and Severus ducking from bush to bush behind them.

"Biaz," said the second spider, who was following the first one, "Can you sense it?"

The first spider frozed. "No," He finally said. "What is it, Sorien?"

"I hear rustling of leaves and the smell the smell of blood... Smells like humans," the second spider said.

"Well," Biaz said, continuing to walk in his rhythmic pace. "I sense nothing, we must get back to our dome before our brothers and sisters find dinner."

Both Sirius and Severus let out a sigh of relief. They soon realized that they had been holding their breath when Sorien said he smelled them. In a second, they reached the large web dome. Giant spiders, some who are bigger then Biaz and Sorien, were crowding around in the web. They formed a small circle. Sirius tried to climb a tree to see what was in the middle of the circle until he saw Sorien turning his head towards the tree and sniffing, then he went back down under a bush with Severus. Waiting for Sorien to go away, he turned to Severus and said, "Go ahead. You must sneak through the gaps these spiders are leaving until you reach the middle of their little circle. Then you get their attention, got it?"

Severus nodded grimly.

"Ok, I'll be watching you from here. Get back to the cliff once you gotten a spider," Sirius held up a vine, "And tie his legs with this. If you do this, we might give you a ten or nine. Now go." With a hard shove, Sirius pushed Severus to the large spiders. Gap after gap, he went under the spiders' abdomens. When he finally gotten into the circle, Sirius left, leaving Severus all alone with the giant spiders.

Severus saw that the thing in the middle was two winged horses, both were afraid of the spiders who were circulating them, closer and closer they came in towards the horses. They neighed nerviously. Severus stood there, not knowing what to do and feeling particularly stupid with the vine in his hands and standing still as a statue while the spiders ignored him and decided that the winged horses probably taste better.

He didn't know what to do. He pondered, how to get the spiders' attention. Worse, if he dared get the spiders' attention. As if on cue, Sorien sniffed again, then said to his brothers and sisters, "I knew it! Human blood! And it's right in our circle!"

Another spider, which seems to be one of the female said, "Get him then! We'll have him as dessert."

All the spiders in the dome clicked madly and turned their furry heads toward Severus. Severus stared, not knowing what to do except run... And run he did.

Then, he got an idea. He came over to two trees that was standing a few feet apart from each other and tied one end to a tree and the other end of the vine to another tree. He slipped behind a bush and watched the spiders coming his way. If he tripped one, he can tie the vine around its legs and pull it to the Marauders. If he was lucky that is. If he wasn't, he'll probably find himself in one of the spiders' stomach in a minute. At the very thought, he swallowed.

But before the spiders even come came near his hiding place and the tied vine, both of the winged horses that the spiders were planning to eat for dinner, galloped to the vine, trying to escape. They fell over the vine when they tripped. Severus, thinking it was the shadow of one of the spiders raced forward. He untied the vine quickly from the trees and tied a knot around one of the horses' hoof. Severus frown, the spiders' leg was unbelievably hard. He looked up and finally recongnized the winged horse.

It went crazy and flew right into the spiders with Severus holding on to the vine, which was tied to the horses' hoof. The spider clicked even more madly and Severus heard one of them ask, "Where is that human?"

Again, the horse flew back to the spiders, Severus screaming below the horse. This time, the horse went around a spider, the vine also going around the spider. The horse didn't stop flying until the spiders' legs was tied up (and so was it's whole body) since the vine was tight around the spiders' body and the horse could no longer fly anymore.

Severus dizzied, let go of the vine. He loosened up the spider's vine a little to have a longer piece of vine to himself. Climbing on the winged horse with the end of the vine in his end and the spider will tied up by the other end of the vine, he kicked the horse and it flew into the night sky with the spider dangling below them.

Severus soon saw the Marauders under them near the cliff, sleeping. He kicked the horse again to make it go lower. 'Maybe if I arrive with this horse and the spider, not only is its legs tied but its whole body, they'll be impress and they'll be sorry they ever doubted me again,' he thought happily.

They dropped to the ground with a dull thud. The Marauders all woke up. Peter, Remus and James looked quite impresses and wide eyed but Sirius only glared.

"Well, what do you guys think?" Severus asked them with a smirk on his face. "The spider you ordered, Sirius."

Sirius hesitated, than said to Peter, "Points, please?"

Peter, still staring and amazed at Sev said, "I'll give that a ten!"

Sirius glared.

Peter who obviously saw his friend's look, corrected the score immediately. "Um_ I mean, you only deserve a two."

"How is that possible? I tied the spider's leg like Sirius told me to do. Besides, I need extra credit. I tied his whole body and I flew here," Severus said angrily again.

It was Sirius' turn to smirk. "You're not suppose to fly, I told you to come back here by walking, not flying. Tying the spiders' whole body will take off more points. You're only supposed to tie its legs."

The Marauders laughed once again and walked back to the school. Severus stared after them. That was just unfair.

The next morning's task wasn't much easier. Severus was to cross a lake in the Forbidden Forest without swimming. Sure, crossing a lake is easy, but without swimming? That wasn't as easy as he thought. "That is nearly impossible," Severus thought out loud to the Marauders.

"Unless you want to quit and give up," Sirius said, "We'll be fine with that."

"Quitting is not what I do," Severus said.

James shrugged, "Suit yourself. But you also know that you can't float or hold you breathe in the water too, right? That is also what we call swimming."

Severus groaned. Floating was what he just been thinking of.

"By the way," James called. "You have to be ready in five minutes_ the task is about to start and if you're not yet ready, we assume that you just quit."

Maybe he should just quit. The Marauders are barking mad if they expect him to cross the lake without having anything to do with the water. But then again, the Marauders know a lot of good magic and there must be one that helps him cross the lake. He racked his brain thinking. He was good with potions the most. Maybe he could run back up to the castle, swallow some kind of potion that makes him float across the water and run back to the lake. Still, he couldn't think of any potion that can do that. Or maybe a spell would do. He racked his brain again, still thinking which spell or charm would do. Then it hit him: Transfiguration! He wasn't bad at that and he could transfigure himself into a fish. That would even impress the Marauders even more. They don't know a thing about Transfiguration (or do they...?) Still, he have never seen them transfigure so that means they don't know as much of magic as he thought.

"You ready yet?" Remus asked.

But what was the spell for turning into a fish? Ah, he remembered! Severus nodded.

"Ok, go. We'll be watching you if you do anything wrong or against our rules," Remus informed and Severus could see the sneer on his face when he said that, as if knowing Severus would always do something wrong. He followed Remus to the lake.

"Do I have to swim across it or go along with it until I reach the end?" Severus asked, hoping that the answer is to swim across it.

"Swim across it," Remus replied. "The width is quite short. Very easy, if you can't make it, I'll probably laugh and point at you every time I pass you."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind," Severus grumbled.

"Ok, go then."

Severus said the spell for transfigurating into a fish. Nothing happened for a while. He walked into the lake. Just then, he felt smaller then usual. He realized he was going to drown. The lake is deep and he just got off the shallow part of it and not entering the deep side. For some strange reason, he couldn't bare to be out in the air. It was too cold and the water seems nicer. He went down into the water and realized that he was a fish. He was certainly smaller then usual. Even the seaweeds around him were larger and longer then he was. Swimming across the lake was sure easy as Remus had said it was.

When he almost reached shore, he tried to remember the spell to turn back into a human. When he said it in the water, only bubbles came out of his mouth. He had to stick his head up and say it. Instantly, he prefer the air more then the water. Severus climbed out of it as fast as he could. In his wet robes, he went to the Marauders. "See? I did it. I transfigure myself into a fish and I cross the lake. What's my score then?"

Peter narrowed his eyebrows at Sev. "What's your score? Isn't it obvious? Zero."

Severus stared, as if he didn't hear what Peter jus say. But then, "Zero? Is that my score?"

All four of the Mards nodded.

"How so?"

Remus shrugged, "You swam. You're not supposed to. That's our main rule and you broke it."

Severus glared at the Marauders furiously, "I should get a ten. I transfigure myself."

"But that's not what we're asking for, was it? Fishes swim you know."

Sirius smiled, "Look, there is still the next task to prove yourself. We're holding the two last ones today if you don't mind. Accomplish these tasks and do exactly what we tell you to do and you'll earn yourself twenty points. Enough for you to become a... Well_ Less important Marauder."

Severus sighed. They were going to make him do something stupid and impossible. "When is the next task?"

"In a few minutes time," James said. "Follow us, won't you?"

They walked through the forest, stepping on dead leaves or tripping on invisible rocks. In a minute, they reached the school. Severus squeezed the water off his robes to prevent water all over the Great Hall's marble floor. They walked into the Entrance Hall, into a corridor leading up to Gryffindor tower, then up another staircase. Once they were right outside the Gryffindor Common Room, James pointed at a painting across from another painting that has a fat woman in a pink silk dress. "That is the painting Dumbledore bought off a Muggle Shop," James explained. "You see that it can't move? Well, we Gryffindors are creeping out with that painting right there. A painting that can't move is weird and we dislike it very much. All you have to do is bewitch that painting to make it move."

Severus gaped at James, "But I don't know any spells that make things move."

"Well, guess you have to make one up!" James said and all the Marauders laughed again.

Moments later, Severus found himself blushing and sputtering at Lily Evans, a pretty girl who had a lot of A's in all subjects.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him while he tried to find the correct words to say to her. It was tough since he had a tremendous crush on her for years. Well, at least three years but counting this year, it was the fourth.

"Listen, um_ Lil," He said, choosing his words wisely. "I just wanted to ask_ Er__ You see, I have this thing I'm going to do and I_ well, need major help on it."

Lily stared at him for a while, then said, "Do you mean you want me to help you with this... Whatever... Thing?"

"Uh-huh."

"What is this about, and why me?" she asked.

Severus bit his tongue before saying more. He knew that if Dumbledore will find out that he was going to wreck his favorite painting he bought from a Muggle store, he'll be in a lot more then in trouble. But he couldn't help trusting Lily. She was friendly and nice. Besides, she would always help anybody who asked her for help. So instead, he said very quickly, "I bought this painting from my Muggle friend and it's kind of creepy so I was thinking on how to make it move with magic."

Lily nodded and laughed, "Yeah, I know. My parents who are Muggles have this painting in their bedroom that isn't magical for years. I used to like it. But now that I've been at Hogwarts for quite a long time, I just see it as a scary old painting that don't know how to talk or walk. It's a picture of a fisherman. I bet the fishermen here could talk and move alright."

"Yeah, right," Severus laughed shyly. He was still nervous asking Lily for help. But he did it and now all he has to do is wait for her answer. "So are you going to help me? I don't know that much spells you know."

Lily nodded, "Yeah, alright. We'll search in the library today."

Meanwhile, the Marauders were planning something else. "Today is the full moon," Remus said sadly, "I'll have to miss the next task for Severus."

James frowned. "What next task? I thought the bewitching the painting would be the last one?"

Remus nodded towards Sirius. Sirius hesitated, than said, "After the painting, we're going to have something of a surprise task for him." He grinned. "He's going to stay in a cabinet near the Great Hall without eating for three days and he will be without his wand."

James frowned again. "That is just too mean, Padfoot. He'll die starving."

Sirius shrugged. "I'm sure he can handle it. Besides, I bet the little cheater will sneak some food into his robes pocket. The task wouldn't starve him but probably give him cramps on the back and neck."

"But if he doesn't know that there is also this task, then how could he sneak--"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Prongs. Lighten up a bit. Severus would be fine. It's just for fun, his our enemy and we hate him a lot, remember? It's only three days anyways... He'll be fine."

The Marauders walked past the library door where Lily and Severus were pouring through books of spells and charms. "There's nothing in here that will help me," Severus moaned. "It's hopeless." Then he added to himself, "And I won't have any friends and won't find out what those Marauders are up to, sneaking out every time there is a full moon."

Lily almost looked hopeless as Severus felt, but still said determinedly, "I know there is a book in here some wheres! It'll get you through whatever you're planning on doing."

Severus however shook his head. "We had seen all the books on charms and spells. Not any of them had showed us how to make a painting move."

Lily sighed at the same time as Severus did. "Look, I'm sorry but I don't have all day to help you. I wish I could but there are a lot of things I've got to study on."

She suddenly remembered when her parents replace a Muggle painting for a magical one her friend bought her in her bedroom. That was when she had gotten her big idea. "Severus, wait!" She cried just in time to stop him from leaving the library. "You can replace the Muggle painting with a moving one. There are lots of magic paintings at Hogwarts. Just choose whichever then replace it. You can take the Muggle painting where the magic one once had been."

Severus felt like an angel had come and rescue his life. That was a perfect idea. "Lil, you're a genius!" He wanted to hug her but thought better of it. She didn't like him and she only helped him because she happens to be a friendly person. He walked out the two wooden doors of the library.

He went to find Gryffindor tower but had forgotten where it was. Fortunately, of hours going up and down all the stairs of Hogwarts, he finally found the painting of the woman in the pink, silk dress. Across from the woman, he saw the one the Mards wanted him to bewitch. It had a picture of a man who stood very still and smiled grimly at him. Severus turned to another painting which had several wizards smiling and talking.

Severus asked one of the wizards, who seemed quite harassed with his friends, "You guys don't mind if I move you, do you?"

Before the harass looking wizard say anything, another wizard in a purple moon and stars robe jumped in. "No, of course not. We'll be happy to move as long as we're not near her." He pointed to a picture next to their painting which had a witch frowning and yelling at the group of wizards ("Oh yeah! Well, like I want to be next to you too, you boneheads!"). Happily, Severus took off both the wizard painting and the Muggle's. He switched their position. The witch who stopped frowning seemed to inspect the Muggle man in the picture ("Is he a statue?")

The Marauders walked up to Severus. They appeared to be surprised to see him here and just wanted to go into the Gryffindor common room.

"So," Sirius said with a slight sneer, "Found a charm to help you with your task, eh?"

"No, but I sure made the painting move all right," Severus answered, pointing to the painting with the group of wizards.

Sirius stared at the painting, then look at the Muggle man's who now stood where the wizards use to stayed.

"Not good enough," he said to Severus. "Therefore, I'm rewarding you no points."

"How can that be? At least that painting isn't so creepy anymore!" Severus cried.

"But you didn't really bewitched it to make it move, now did you?"

"Your task is getting lousier and lousier!" With that, Severus stomped away to the Slytherin dungeon common room.

"Well," Remus said. "That sure went well."

"Forget him," Sirius grumbled. "We'll have other things to do."

"But would about the surprise task?" James asked.

"If greasy-haired can't stand any of our tasks, if he's too ugly to figure the tasks out on his own, he can't be our fifth Marauder," Sirius said, "Besides, we don't need a fifth Marauder, he's just here for a little fun. C'mon." He bid to his friends and they entered the Gryffindor Common Room.

That night, a howl rose high into the night air, waking Severus up in his bed. Getting a glass of water from the window sill. He looked out the window.

The night air was still. The moon shone brightly up in to sky while stars winked down at him. He smiled. Now he can forget the next task, if there was a next task. He had made it very clear to those Marauders that he wanted no more of their funny business. Nothing was crawling outside. Nothing was moving--or is there?

Down at the Womping Willow, he could make out two or three figures. The moon hit them and their shadows became clear against the tree. One of them was shaped like a huge dog, the other was too small to make out but Severus was sure it was a rodent. One of them was a creature with antlers, must be some kind of a moose. The creature with antlers seems to be talking to the other two. Severus caught a glimpse of a nod from the others and saw the antlered creature run up to the castle. The moon got him and Severus saw that it was a deer. A cloud ran past the moon again and the deer shrank back into the shadows.

Quickly, Severus pulled on his robes and slippers, he ran out of the dormintory, into the Common Room and out with the dungeon hallway. Going up a set of stair cases, he finally reached the Great Hall. He stood in front of the front, wooden, double doors, thinking hard. How on earth is he going to open this things without waking up the whole castle? But an idea came to his head.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a blood red potion bottle was only three inches long. Pulling off its plug, he tipped two drops of the potion on the door. Smiling slyly, he grabbed both the door's handle and pulled. It was as quiet as an ant.

Racing towards the Womping Willow, out of nowhere, Sirius popped up.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked suspiciously.

Severus stared, "What are you doing down here?"

Sirius hesitated, and when he spoke, it seems like he was stammering a bit. "None of your business, why don't you get back to bed where you belong, hooked-nose. You shouldn't be sticking your abnormally large nose into other people's business these days, its rude."

Severus was about to open his mouth to shot back at Sirius, but something moved from behind Sirius. A mouse came out from a bush near the Willow. At first, Severus thought it was a mouse, but then--

"Hurry up, Padfoot, I'm hungry down here! We hadn't had super remember?" came Peter's voice. Next second, Peter appeared right at Sirius' side.

"What's he doing down here?" Peter asked with disgust.

"Appearing to be poking around," Sirius answer, though still glaring at Severus.

"Tell him to get lost then, Moony will be very violent in there if we don't get down and help him quick," Peter said, but Sirius didn't appear to be listening to him. He smiled wickedly at Sev, who was more puzzled then ever.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about," Severus said. "But all this about being violent... I'll make sure you'll be expel. I'm going to tell Professor Dumbledore that you're sneaking around at nightfall when you're not suppose to!" Severus didn't know what made him said it, he just said it. But for some reason, maybe it's because of Sirius' smile, he was afraid of the Marauders more now then ever. Maybe it was because of the Mard's queer acting.

Sirius spoke, this time not as harsh but quietly. "I had planned a next task for you."

"What are you talking about? I thought I made it clear that I'm exiting your tasks!" Severus cried.

"Exiting?" Sirius asked. "Well, did I forgot to mention that when you decided to do the first one, you can never cancel the registration of the Fifth Marauder?"

How unfair can these Marauders go? He wasn't to expect this. He didn't know anything about this. None of the Marauders had told him about this!

"What is the next task? What did you plan for me to do?" he asked anyways but in fear.

"You see that knot on the Womping Willow?" Sirius asked, pointing to a wooded know just right under a root that was rising from the ground.

All of a sudden, Severus was happy. Whatever this knot was going to be about, he was about to find out what the Marauders were on to after all these years. He knew the Mards were up to something, but he never actually found out what it is. But he caught the Marauders hanging around the Willow in the afternoons. Still, he didn't have any proof that the Marauders were actually up to something. It wouldn't be right if he just came to Dumbledore and say, "Professor, er- Sirius, James, Remus and Peter is hanging around the Womping Willow. Can you please expel them?" Is a pathetic excuse.

Joyfully, Severus came over to the tree and looked up. It's branches were swinging madly at him. Sirius handed a broken wooden stick to Severus. "Prod it with this," he suggested.

Severus yanked the stick from Sirius and push the knot under the root with it. To his surprise, the branches automatically stopped swinging. Severus was just about to go under the huge whole that seperates the root from the ground until it was Jame's voice that stopped him.

"Severus, NOOOOOOOO!" he heard Jame's voice cried.