The Next Marauders

The Next Marauders

Harry let out a shout as he dive-bombed into the lake at Hogwarts and surfaced, tossing his messy, raven-black hair out of his eyes and grinning mischievously at his best friend, Ron Weasley, who had been covered in the spray from Harry's dive in the process. "Always the loudest, aren't you, Potter?" he asked, in an uncanny comparison with Snape. But Harry knew he was joking, so played along.

"Yeah, I am, Weasel," Harry teased back in an impression of Malfoy, flipping over on his back and nearly falling down as Ron splashed him. "Oh, resorting to trickery now, Ron?" he asked, laughing hard and diving under the water. Ron, less adept at swimming than his best friend, circled as a shark would for a bit, waiting for Harry to surface.

Harry finally did, gasping for air, but still ready to continue the battle and Ron obliged. The two continued the battle, at times, Harry changing into his Animagus form of a jet-black stallion. They were brought to a halt by a group calling from the bank. The two boys swam over to see Hermione, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender sitting under the beech tree.

"Harry, Ron!" Seamus called.

"What?" Harry called back, climbing out and lounging on the grass while Ginny went up to him.

"You two want to play a game of Truth or Dare? We've already got these guys playing."

"I don't want to play," said Lavender.

"Me either," Parvati echoed. "I'd rather watch you guys play Truth or Dare."

"Truth or Dare?" Ron asked blankly.

Harry sighed, he forgot how little his friend knew about the Muggle world, just as he hadn't known much about the magical world at first. "It's a game where someone can choose another person and they ask them 'truth or dare?'. If the person chooses truth, they have to answer a question that that person asks. If the person chooses dare, they have to do something that that person comes up with, and it's usually really embarrassing."

"Sounds great!" Ron said, hopping out, his face alight with excitement.

"You, Potter?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Harry conceded. He always had reservations about games of Truth or Dare, especially at being asked embarrassing questions.

"What are you afraid of?" Lavender teased. "We won't bite, you know."

"Bet he's chicken," Seamus said. "Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck," he said, doing the impression of a clucking chicken in front of the others.

Harry couldn't bear being called chicken and the others knew it. "Oh, chicken, am I?" he asked. "Alright, I'll play your little game and I'll do the toughest things there are. I am James Potter's son, you know and he was the head mischief-maker at Hogwarts in his day."

Seamus grinned. "Great," he said. "Harry first, then. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Harry said immediately.

Seamus bit his lip, thinking hard. "I will confer with my associates," he said, gesturing at all the others. Harry nodded his consent and they formed a whispering, chattering circle. Finally, Seamus pulled back, shaking with suppressed laughter. "Your dare is to. . . ." He stopped, bent over in silent giggles. "To propose to Snape and tell him that he's your true love."

Harry gaped for a second and then straightened up. "Gladly," he said. "Anyone have a ring?"

"Here," Parvati said, grinning and slipping a sapphire ring off of her finger.

"Perfect. Thanks," Harry said, slipping the ring into his pocket. He then strode with purposeful strides along the grassy slope.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Who says I'm doing anything?"

"That's the fastest I've seen you walk all day," his guardian commented.

Harry grinned. "Wait and see," he said and continued on until he spied the greasy-haired, sallow-skinned Potions Master. Harry walked up to him, smiling broadly yet looking nervous, the perfect impression of a man about to propose.

"What is it, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, turning from his conversation with Snape. The headmaster thought that Harry wanted to talk to him, because no Harry (at least not one in his right mind), would come to talk to Professor Snape.

"I'd actually like to talk to you, Professor," Harry said, addressing Snape.

"What are you talking about, Potter?" Snape asked. "I have nothing to talk to you about."

"But I have to talk to you about something, Professor," Harry said. "I'm tired of hiding it, it's been too long. The truth must be told, don't you agree Professor Dumbledore?" The headmaster and Snape himself simply looked at Harry quizzically. "Severus Snape, I love you!" Harry said, going on bended knee. "I am in love with you, Professor. I cannot live another day without your steadfast love!"

Snape looked as if he were about to be sick while Dumbledore gaped at his student.

"Severus, please do not deny me this one thing. I have fallen in love with you these past seven years, and despite your attempts to squelch it, it has not stopped my love of you! So, will you marry me?" he asked, fumbling for Parvati's ring and trying to slip it onto Snape's thicker finger.

"Get away from me, Potter," Snape said, looking on with disgust.

"But how can you deny me this, Professor? How can you deny true love?"

"I said, get away from me," Snape snarled, pushing Harry forcefully away and actually raising his wand as Harry kissed his hand.

"But, love. . . ."

"Away!" Snape said.

Harry backed away, looking deeply emotionally wounded. "I have lost my true love forevermore!" he bellowed to the courtyard of people, his voice cracking as he supposedly cried, but was really laughing hysterically. "There is nothing left to live for," he said dramatically, taking out his wand with a flourish and pointing it at his heart. "Goodbye, cruel world! Avada Kedavra!" He then fell backward into the lake and there was a collective gasp. Then, Harry surfaced again, holding a plastic haddock and howling in laughter.

"Yeah, Potter!" the Weasley twins said simultaneously.

Ron ran out to his friend and helped him to the bank, both of them collapsing on each other in hysterical giggles. "Oy, you sure showed Snape. Look at his face," Ron gasped, gesturing at the Potions Master whose face was twisted in fury yet looked confused nonetheless.

"Full marks for creativity, Harry," a hoarse voice said and Harry grinned up at Remus. "I never saw that coming," his guardian said. "Just like your father, you are."

"Thank you very much," Harry said with a dramatic bow.

"So, you guys are playing Truth or Dare, are you? When I was at school, we played that constantly. Why, the funny things James would do. . . ." He trailed off reminiscently.

"Yeah. Want to join us, Professor?" Ginny asked.

"Nah, I'm too old for that."

"No, you aren't," Ron said. "No one's too old for Truth or Dare."

"Well, if you insist," said the man, though all of the students could tell that he had been itching to join them.

"OK, then," Harry said, flopping down. "Me next. Ginny, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth, Mr. Potter," Ginny said flirtingly.

"Fine, then. How far have you gone with any guy, besides me?" Dean immediately went into a fit of coughing, while Ginny looked scandalized.

"Harry, I'm not about to answer that!"

"I'm sorry, would you rather do Dare?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows. "I believe I have a rather nice one for that."

Ginny's face flushed in anger. "Well, fine," she said. "The farthest I went with any guy besides you was with Dean and we . . . we just made out in the Room of Requirement. Happy?"

"Very," Harry said mischievously. "OK, your turn now, Gin."

Ginny's hazel eyes sparkled with mischief, so like her twin brothers and gazed around the assembled students (and teacher) raptly. "Ron," she said quickly so that her older brother jumped. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Ron said, looking exhilarated but somewhat nervous nonetheless.

Ginny bit her lip, thinking hard. "Ron, I would like you to hop around the lake on one foot, screaming that you love Draco Malfoy."

Ron looked as if he were about to be sick. "M-Malfoy?" he stuttered. "Ugh, that slimy-haired git, no way!"

"Oh, is my brother chicken?" Ginny asked, cocking her head and making Harry look at her adoringly.

"Fine!" Ron said. "But I'll get you for this."

"I'm sure you will," said Ginny, rolling her eyes skeptically.

With that, Ron set off, hopping on one foot and nearly stumbling as he hopped around the lake, drawing the attention of those swimming there. "Oy, Ron, what are you doing?" Colin asked.

Ron didn't answer, instead he said, "I love Draco Malfoy, I love Draco Malfoy!" as he hopped around, struggling not to chuck into the lake. Once he finished his lap, he was blushing redder than his hair. Everyone dissolved in laughter and even Remus was struggling not to burst out laughing though tears of mirth were spilling down his lined face.

"Well done, Ron," Harry gasped. "But you might want to talk to Hermione about this." Ron aimed a playful punch at his best friend, flopping down on the grass, and rubbing his hands together in that strange way that only Ron could seem to achieve.

"Who's next, then?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You, Finnegan," he said, addressing Seamus and talking as Snape did. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Seamus said, his sandy-brown hair glinting in the sunlight as he tossed his head confidently. Parvati gave a romantic sigh.

"OK," Ron said. "You . . . hmm, how about you. . . ." He trailed off, looking at Harry desperately. "Can you think of anything, mate?"

"Yeah," Harry said, grinning. Bending over, he whispered in Ron's ear. Ron burst out laughing as he heard Harry's suggestion.

"That's bloody brilliant, Harry!"

"Well, I am a genius."

"Hey, don't get too cocky. You still have a lot to live up to, to be like your father," Remus teased.

"OK, that's enough," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "Ron, go ahead," she said, giving him a fond smile.

"Seamus," Ron said dramatically. "Your dare is to jump into the lake. . . ."

"So?" Seamus asked.

"Nude," Ron finished.

"Ooh!" all the girls said simultaneously. Dean and Neville looked sick while Harry and Ron exchanged a high-five.

"Fine," Seamus said, already starting to strip himself of his shirt. Once he finished that, he turned to Harry and Ron, giving them a questioning look. "Totally nude?" he asked.

Harry and Ron exchanged gleeful looks. "Totally," they said simultaneously.

Seamus blushed, making his hair have a slight red tint to it, but said, "Fine," nonetheless, remembering how he had teased Harry about being chicken and given him the dare of proposing to Snape.

"Alright. Ladies, you should turn around to give Seamus some privacy," Ron said, fit to bursting with laughter. Parvati and Lavender both said, "Aw!" but under Seamus's quelling glance dutifully turned around. Hermione and Ginny did so willingly. Once Seamus was bare-skinned except for his boxers, he walked to the edge of the lake, about to dive in and everyone stared. Professor McGonagall got up to go to Seamus, but it was then that Seamus slipped out of his boxers and in the split second that everyone shrieked, "Look!" or something to that effect, dove into the lake and surfaced immediately, wiping his sandy-brown hair out of his eyes and looking incredibly handsome. He swam back to the bank and slipped into his boxers quickly then ran back to Harry and Ron, blushing but looking exhilarated nonetheless.

"Great job, Seamus," Parvati said, sidling up to him and batting her eyelashes.

Seamus grinned at his girlfriend and said, "Thanks," with more bravado than was necessary, as if he were the survivor of some heroic battle. "OK, my turn now. Hermione," he said instantly. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Hermione said, looking nervous.

"Hmm . . . I've got it! How long did you fancy Ron before you started going out with him?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why is it that guys always act these types of questions?" she asked rhetorically.

"Go on and spill, Hermione," Ron said.

"Oh, fine, but don't get too cocky," she warned her boyfriend. "I've liked Ron since that day he saved me from the troll in first year, but was too shy to admit it."

"Wow," Lavender breathed. "And those years before you started going out with him, I thought you liked Harry. You used to talk about him in the dormitory and everything. . . ."

"OK, that's enough!" Harry said quickly, not wanting to hear any of the 'girl talk' about his abs or his well-shaped butt or whatever else. The four girls giggled which made Harry blush even more. Why did girls have to do that at the most inconvenient times?

Ginny must have sensed that Harry was uncomfortable, because she said, "Alright. Who do you pick, Hermione?"

Hermione cocked her head, making her brown curls bounce up and down in the slight breeze as she surveyed those sitting around her. "Dean," she said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Dean said.

Hermione bit her lip. "I was afraid of that," she said. "I'm not good at thinking up good dares."

"Let us help you, Hermione," Ron said. "Harry especially, he's great at coming up at things like that."

"Well, I am the Marauder's son," Harry said, grinning at Remus and giving him an 'I-told-you-so' look. "Let's see," he said, chewing on his lip. "I've got it," he said after a few moments of thought and he whispered it in Hermione's ear.

"No way!" Hermione said once he had finished. "Harry, that's so horrible! He could really get in trouble for that!"

"We could have gotten in trouble for any of the things we'd done today, Hermione," Dean reminded her.

"Plus you have a professor with you," Remus added. "And if I say these crazy things are alright, then they're alright with the other members of staff. And have you forgotten, Hermione, that this is your graduation party?" he asked with a fond smile toward Harry. "The teachers will be less harsh toward you and Dumbledore - well, Dumbledore's always loves parties like this," he said, gesturing toward the old headmaster who was sipping butterbeer near the lake, chatting with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick.

"Well, alright," Hermione said. "Dean, your dare is to go. . . ." She trailed off, glancing at Remus, who nodded encouragingly. "To go, get a flagon of butterbeer and dump it over McGonagall's head."

"McGonagall? Why McGonagall?" Dean asked blankly.

"Well, we can't just do dares about the oh, so wonderful Slytherins, can we?" Harry asked sarcastically. Dean still looked nervous. "What, are you chicken?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No!" Dean lied, standing up. "I'll do it, don't you worry." With that, he strode off purposefully toward the refreshments table and grabbed a brimming flagon of butterbeer. Holding it as he would a bomb about to explode, Dean circled behind the three professors and, without preamble, dumped the butterbeer over McGonagall's gray-streaked tight bun of hair. Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment and then seemed to take in what had happened. Her eyes slits of rage, she turned around, however, by that time, Dean was running back to the beech tree where his friends were.

"That was bloody brilliant, mate!" Seamus enthused.

"Yeah, you put me to shame," said Ron with a mock bow.

"Thank you, thank you very much," Dean said, bowing dramatically to his friends. It was at that moment that Dumbledore came striding up to them.

"Mr. Thomas, what was that about?" the old wizard asked Dean, his eyes twinkling beneath his half-moon spectacles.

"It's Truth or Dare, Professor," Harry explained, intervening for a flustered Dean, whose bravado had seemed to evaporate the second the headmaster spoke to him.

"Ah, Truth or Dare, I see," Dumbledore said wisely. "I believe that is why Aberforth performed those illegal charms on a goat. . . ." He trailed off for a moment, then said, "But please do not perform any more tricks on faculty members, please, or I will have more positions lost and I would rather not go to the trouble of finding new teachers." His eyes crinkled in a smile as he spoke.

"Yes, sir," Dean said immediately, glad that nothing worse had happened to him.

"Thank you. Oh, and Harry, I particularly liked your proposal," he said, smiling as Harry blushed, yet grinned back at him.

"Would you like to play with us, sir?" Harry asked.

"No, thank you, Harry. It seems that certain stuffy members of the Ministry would prefer not to see a prestigious headmaster such as myself playing a frivolous game such as Truth or Dare," he said gesturing at Cornelius Fudge (who was now head of the Auror office), Dolores Umbridge (who was glancing at Firenze the centaur nervously), and Percy Weasley (who was pointedly avoiding looking at any of his family) and giving Harry a tremendous wink.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, I guess so," he said. "Well, nice seeing you."

"And you as well, dear boy. You are welcome back to Hogwarts to visit any time, you know. Hogwarts will be much too quiet without you three running about the place," he said, nodding at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"I've heard you say the same thing about the Marauders, Albus," Remus commented. Harry grinned at his guardian, giving him an 'I-told-you-so' expression.

"Well, Harry is the son of James and I must say he and his friends are like the Marauders of this generation," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. Harry beamed under such high praise from the headmaster and Ron grinned. Hermione smiled awkwardly, not sure whether she was being complimented or not. Dumbledore turned back and saw Amelia Bones (the Minister of Magic), beckoning him over, so he left with a nod to the students and to Remus.

"Your turn next, Dean," Hermione reminded the boy. "Who do you pick?"

"Professor Lupin," Dean said.

"Call him Remus, Dean," Harry said. "He's not really our professor anymore."

"I tell you to call me that, young man," Remus chided him. "Because I am your wizarding guardian. And I consider you to still be my students until you've passed through those gates." He nodded toward the gates with winged boars on top of them. "Then, when you return - if you return - you can call me 'Remus.'"

All the students rolled their eyes, knowing Remus's serious manner well and knowing that now he was joking.

"How about Professor Remus?" Seamus asked with a grin.

"Fine, fine. This is what I get for three years of hard work, my students torturing me with their sarcastic comments."

"This isn't torture," said Harry. "When we get through with your Truth or Dare session, you'll wish that this was all because that will be torture."

"Are you threatening a professor?" Remus asked, his eyes crinkling in his careworn face.

"Maybe," Harry said, grinning.

"Well, we'll see who's laughing at the end of this," Remus returned. "Truth, Dean."

"Oh, it'll definitely be me," Harry said. "If you don't recall, I am James Potter's son and you've told me enough of yourself at school for me to come up with a particularly good Truth."

"Try me," Remus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry grinned and bent over Dean, whispering something into his ear. Dean's face split up into a wide grin. "Brilliant!" he said.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Have you, Professor Remus Lupin, ever gotten drunk? And if so, details."

Remus's face suffused in a huge blush so that his face was nearly as red as Ron's hair. "I . . . didn't," he said quickly, too quickly.

"You're lying," Hermione said.

"And what makes you think that?"

"You spoke to quickly," she said simply, raising her eyebrows at him.

"A professor lying? I'm shocked," said Seamus, grasping at his heart and pretending to faint. Parvati caught him, giggling.

Remus glared at the students. "It's none of your business whether your professor's gotten drunk or not."

"You're the one who chose Truth," Harry said reasonably while Ron nodded, his eyes dancing with mirth. "You could have chosen Dare."

"And what would that have been, to get drunk in front of my colleagues?"

"Well, well, well, look who's deciding to be mature."

"Harry James, that is no way to speak to your professor and guardian," Remus snapped, his temper actually on edge now.

"Oh, go on and answer it, Remus," Ron said. "It's not as if we'll go around telling everyone. Right, guys?" There was a murmur of assent.

"Yeah, embarrassing yourself in front of us will be more than enough," Dean added.

Remus sighed. "And you're sure you won't tell anyone?"

"Yes, Remus," said Harry, annoyed. "Stop acting like a schoolboy."

"Alright, here it goes," Remus said, still blushing madly but determined to be as tough as any of his students. "I got drunk on a fifth year Hogsmeade trip when James, Sirius, Peter, and I went to the Hog's Head. James and Sirius were in raucous spirits because of a trick they'd just played on Snivellus . . . er, I mean, Professor Snape," he said, grinning. The students exchanged looks, their laughter evident right on their faces. "So . . . I went right along with them and Peter, too. But the other three had at least had a bit of firewhiskey before, sneaking it, I suppose, but I hadn't, so I guess I had a tad too much and got drunk."

"How much did you drink?" Dean asked, his eyes widening that mild-mannered Professor Lupin could get drunk.

"Several glasses full," Remus said. "The other three kept telling me not to, but I didn't listen to them. It was one of the few times I wasn't passive to my friend's wishes and one of the times I should have listened to them," he said, addressing Harry, who especially knew Remus's lack of self-confidence and his passivity. "Then I retched all over after the third glassful and Aberforth, that's the owner of the Hog's Head, he just cleaned it right up as if he were much too used to it by now and sent the four of us on home. It was a good thing that James had brought his Invisibility Cloak, because they used that to hide me. Mind you, I was quite reluctant, weaving around and swearing with my words all slurred. But those three were adamant and got me on home and into the Gryffindor dormitory without any problems. And that's it," he said, shrugging. All the students gaped once he finished his story.

"Wow," Ron finally said, expressing what everyone else was thinking.

"Yes, well, I was a bit idiotic as a student at Hogwarts," Remus said, his blush beginning to fade. "Alright, it's my turn now. Neville, I believe you're the only one left," he said, gesturing to Neville Longbottom who had been remaining quiet through the whole game, hoping not to be chosen, though he had only played at his friend's gentle teasing.

"Oh, yes, I suppose so," he said, flustered.

"If I can do this, you certainly can, Neville," Remus encouraged, sounding like the professor he was once more.

Neville nodded, acting as if he were about to face a battle to the death. Remus smiled encouragingly and said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Neville said. He wasn't brave enough to do an embarrassing Dare that Harry and his friends would come up with and an honest answer seemed easier to achieve.

Harry moved toward his guardian, his eyes twinkling, but Remus raised a hand. "You and your friends may be the Marauders of this generation, but I'm was and still am one. I can come up with just as good Truths or Dares as you, young man."

"Go ahead then, oh great and mighty Marauder," Harry said with a mock bow while grinning cockily.

"Fine," said Remus, returning the grin and all the students raised their eyebrows. "Have you ever fancied anyone, Neville? And if so, details," he said with a wink in Dean's direction.

Dean grinned back and said, "Yeah, Professor Remus."

Meanwhile, Neville's face had flushed scarlet and he was fumbling with his shoelaces. "Er . . . well. . . ."

"What is it, Neville? Don't leave us in the dark," Ron said. If anything, this made Neville blush more.

"It's not like we'll make fun of you, mate," Harry reminded him. "We're all your friends here."

"And if a professor can tell one of his darkest secrets, you certainly can," Remus reminded him.

Neville gave a heavy sigh and a big gulp, as if steeling himself to rush into battle. "I fancy . . . I fancy you, Lavender," he blurted. "I always have, ever since that day we were sorted and you just strode up there, looking so confident, and . . . I guess it sort of just happened."

Lavender was gaping at him and then she turned to her best friend, "Did you know anything about this?" she asked incredulously.

"No, no one's talked about it or anything. What about you, Seamus, Dean?"

"Nope, not me," said Dean.

"Or me, either," Seamus added.

Neville was blushing at all of the others discussion of his declaration of love. But he continued on nonetheless, needing to get all of his thoughts out. "Do you . . . do you. . . love me, too?"

Lavender gazed at Neville, seeming to see him for the first time, going from his somewhat chubby face and black hair to his sweating hands and his oversized feet that he always seemed to be stumbling over (yet he always picked himself up again, laughing). Then, she said one word that made all the assembled gasp. "Yes," she said, going to him and taking his hand in her well-manicured hand.

"Love at first sight, eh?" Neville asked with a shaky laugh.

"More than first sight," Lavender breathed. "I've seen you so many times before but I was infatuated with too many other guys to notice you right under my nose." And then she kissed him, her tongue exploring the many regions of his mouth. Neville returned the kiss with equal lust and everyone stood up, leaving the two to embrace (and perhaps do more than that), under the beech tree.

"Well," said Harry, turning to Remus. "Is this all in a day's work for a Marauder?"

Remus chuckled. "Yes. You're definitely learning."