I Need The Sun To Break

Marlene pulled her knees into her chest and rested her chin atop them. "It's nice to finally have a girls night," she said thankful for what was probably going to be their last chance to hang out for a night of fun. Because Marlene knew as well as everyone else in the room with her right now that the war was starting to get bad, which meant more Order Meetings, more patrols, and less time to have gals night. Plus Lily and James' wedding was just around the corner, and before any of them knew it it'd be there. Which Marlene was really excited about the wedding, mostly because she was the maid of honour and her dress was beautiful. Also because James and Lily were two of her best friends and getting to see them finally tie the knot was going to be wonderful.

"It is, I just hope the guys are having fun too," Lily said seating herself on the floor next to the coffee table.

Marlene couldn't help but laugh, "it's James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, when have the four of them hung out and not had fun? Honestly Lils they're probably getting themselves into trouble. And I'd bet 15 Galleon's we're going to have to bail them out of muggle jail again,"

---

Remus ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "so what's the plan again?" He asked wanting to make sure he was on the same page as everyone else. He was all for pulling pranks, and just spending time out with the rest of the group. They were his best friends after all, and he couldn't even count all the times the four of them had gotten themselves into some kind of trouble together because well not everyone appreciated their pranks. However, he was also all about making sure when there was a prank to pull it went according to a plan. Otherwise who even know what might go wrong. And tonight, probably given there wouldn't be a lot of chances to just let loose and have fun soon with the war slowing getting bad, the Marauders were pranking the girls night. Which Remus knew it was going to be worth whatever backlash they might face in the future to see their faces.

"So we hadn't come up with a complete plan yet. Mostly we just know that we want to scare them a little which I know Lily's going to think is immature. And she'll probably be a little upset with me, but it'll be worth it. So I figured we could just brainstorm some ideas together," James replied really just wanting to pull one last good prank before he knew he'd have to give it all up.

[ hope this was a good start ]

[perfect ]

"I'm not taking that bet," Emmeline laughed, shaking her head. She leaned crossed her legs in front of her, leaning back onto her hands. She knew better than to bet against the boys doing something stupid. They were always into something stupid. Truth be told, Emmeline thought it was kind of endearing, albeit vaguely annoying.

Emmeline let out a soft sigh as she tipped her head back to look at the ceiling. She couldn't help her mind from wandering to the war that was going on in the world. She tried her best to stay optimistic, but couldn't help but feel that things were going to go terribly wrong terribly quickly. She knew she should be happy - Lily and James' wedding was right around the corner - but she couldn't help the feeling of dread inside her that grew stronger and stronger each day.

"Anyone want some firewhiskey?" Emmeline asked, pushing herself into a standing position. She walked over to the table where a bottle and a few glasses were placed. With a small hum she picked up the bottle, and filled up three cups. She put the bottle down and somewhat clumsily picked up the three full cups, walking back over to the girls. "No isn't an answer, hate to break it to you."

---

"Oh you know Lily isn't going to enjoy whatever it is," Sirius replied with a chuckle. "And Marlene's been rather excited about their little girls night thing since they made the plans next week. We're going to be in the dog house for sure."

Sirius didn't really mind any trouble they'd get into. It was well worth it to have some fun with his mates before they couldn't afford to have fun anymore. With what was going on in the wizarding world, Sirius wasn't even sure they'd all make it out alive. They were young, and he figured they should live while they were alive, even if it meant getting in trouble with the girls, or even the muggle police.

"How dramatic are we looking to go here?" Sirius questioned, leaning back into his seat. "Are we just doing fireworks outside the window to watch them scream, or something that's actually going to require some work? It's your wedding on the line, James, this is up to you."

James chuckled, "Fireworks outside the window, what is this, amateur hour? It's got to be good, Padfoot."

"Smart move," Marlene said not meaning to sound conceited, but knowing she was right. Only because she'd known James her whole life and he'd never been able to keep himself out of trouble, and it had only gotten worse once he met the rest of the Marauders. And then over the years getting to know Sirus, Remus, and even quiet little Peter herself it was obvious to Marlene that they'd just always get into some kind of a mess. And at this point, she'd had to bail Sirius alone out of so many sticky situations that she just expected it.

Marlene readjusted herself so she could lean forward and grab one of the firewhiskeys that'd been placed in front of her. She wasn't one to pass up a good drink, plus given it was girls night she figured she might as well go all out. The night was supposed to be fun after all, and what was more fun than drinking and just having a good ole time with your friends? It was nice to just sit around and chat, talk about their futures, make plans that might not even happen. Overall Marlene just wanted to spend the night in a good mood looking forward to a bright future while she could. She didn't want to be sad about what might happen; because she knew the second she started looking at this war as something that could ruin things everything was going to change. And not in a good way.

---

Remus couldn't help but be slightly amused by the thought of them simply setting off fireworks outside the window just to hear them scream. Mostly because well it really was kind of an amateur move, so it was more something they would've done when they were in second year maybe. So clearly whatever prank they had planned would require some work, Remus didn't mind though. Because the better this prank was the more fun it would be.

"While I agree it needs to be something good, and totally better than something we could've pulled off at twelve, we all want to make sure you're okay with it being extreme. Because well your wedding may actually be on the line here. I think we should all make sure we're okay with the extreme level because well they're kind of our futures," he said knowing he hadn't made any moves on Emmeline, and he wasn't even sure if he ever would, but if he did ever get over his fear of hurting her or her rejecting him if she knew what he was he knew he could see a future with her. It was just a matter of him getting the right mindset and being ready for that before anything would really happen with them.

"Well I was in Ravenclaw," Emmeline said pointedly. She held up her glass slightly as if to cheers, and with a grin said, "To friends."

She took a bigger drink that she should have and pulled a face. She'd never liked the taste of fire whiskey, but it was strong and was good for its intended purpose. She placed the cup in front of her as she sat down again.

"You know, I hope I can do something decent with my hair at the wedding," Emmeline said, catching her reflection in a window to her left. She moved her head back and forth, scrunching her face up. "It always falls so flat on my face."

"Why, looking to impress someone?" Lily said with a smirk.

Emmeline looked at Lily and rolled her eyes, "I don't think anyone I'm looking to impress wants to be impressed by me."

Lily, along with Marlene, both knew that Emmeline was sweet on Remus. There had been times where they'd get close and she thought maybe something would happen, but every time it faded away. It was rather frustrating, but Emmeline had learned to deal with it. She figured it was probably for the best anyways. There was a war going on, after all. It wasn't the best time to be happy. And on top of that, if one of them died... Emmeline didn't like thinking about it. She usually just counted herself lucky to be his friend.

---

Sirius looked expectantly at James. James returned Sirius' look, then looked to Peter and Remus with a slightly offended expression, "Do you think I'm going to suggest killing her parents or something? Merlin's beard, the way you're talking."

"I'm going to say we shouldn't murder anyone's parents," Sirius replied, though he would volunteer his own mother if it really came to that. He'd volunteer his father, too, if he hadn't already died. "Well, what are you thinking then, James? This is your idea. I know I'm the brains here, but really-"

"If anyone is the brains of the group, it's Remus," Peter interjected, rolling his eyes.

"Alright then. Got any ideas, Moony?" Sirius chuckled, lifting his hands behind his head. He wanted to savor what could very well be their last big hurrah together. After the wedding, they had serious things they had to do. Stuff with the Order. Stuff to quite literally save the world. Sirius hoped with everything in him that it wasn't their last big prank. He hoped that they'd win this stupid war and by the end of it, everything would go back to normal. He didn't see it playing out like that, though.

Marlene leant back into the couch and smiled over her cup at Emmeline. It was quite obvious when she was around Remus that she was into him, it was a little sad though that Remus hadn't done anything about it. And Marlene though she probably shouldn't know about his little secret did know about it. Courtesy of well James and Sirius and then Remus had confirmed it only because hadn't wanted to lie to her. Which that whole thing had been a mess and why she hadn't told Emmeline about it. Though she'd want to, partly because she felt like a bad friend keeping a secret like this from her friend. However, Remus was also her friend and he'd asked her not to tell, so she hadn't. And she assumed that when Remus was ready to tell Emmeline, he would. By the looks of things though he might've needed a little push in the right direction.

"I can help you with your hair if you want Em," Marlene said smiling, "I'm doing Lil's hair too so I don't mind helping a friend out," she said knowing Lily had a very similar problem. Her hair was always straight, flat, and didn't do much. Which sometimes Marlene wished her hair was like that rather than what it actually was. But she supposed it did come in handy knowing what she was doing to hair in moments like these when her friends needed their hair done.

---

Remus shook his head as he listened to his friends' bicker in a way only they could, and in that moment he was glad they were his friends. He'd been glad they were his friends since they'd met on the train that first day of Hogwarts. Even if in the beginning he hadn't thought he'd wanted any friends given his condition. They'd figured out what he was but hadn't looked at him any different which had always made him feel a little better about the situation. And it'd been a little scary for him when he'd found out that both Lily and Marlene knew about him too because James and Sirius couldn't keep it secret from them, however, he knew the girls wouldn't tell anyone without at least asking him first. So eventually he'd been okay with it and accepted that he had a lot more friends than he'd thought. And he'd never even asked for them.

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked around the group however when Peter had mentioned that he was the brains of the group. He'd always thought they were all kind of equally the brains of the group, but there were always times when someone would have a better idea than everyone else so it made sense he supposed. "Well we're not killing anyone or their parents and we clearly need to do something better than fireworks. So, in that case, I assume we're going for the scare them aspect. Give me a minute to think about this okay," he said trying to rack his brain for the best prank they could pull.

"Thanks, Mar," Emmeline smiled, taking another sip of her drink. Emmeline was quite hopeless with anything hair, makeup, or fashion related. She more went with comfort and practicality. Probably part of the reason she really never impressed anyone. She couldn't bring herself to care, though. She knew she'd feel like a complete fake if she all of a sudden started to care about her looks as much as other people did.

"Do you want to play a game?" Emmeline asked, not really wanting to dwell on impressing people any longer. She didn't really want to depress herself by thinking about Remus and her pointless pining over him. She scrunched up her face, trying to think of what they could do. "We could play strip exploding snap," she offered with a small laugh, though she was half joking. "Or maybe... Truth or dare? Is that what it's called? The muggle game we played a few summers ago, Lily."

"Yes, its truth or dare," Lily laughed, nodding. "I'm okay to play either. Though strip exploding snap might not be the smartest idea."

---

Sirius's lips formed a tight line as he tried to think of a decent prank. He didn't really want to upset Marlene right before James and Lily's wedding, and he didn't really want Lily to call off the wedding. It would be a bit awkward for Sirius to have to tell people James was left nearly at the altar because of a prank the four of them pulled. It wouldn't go over well, and poor James would probably die from a broken heart.

"We could-" Sirius fell short, giving his head a little shake. "No, never mind. Lily would know what was going on. James, you're marrying someone much too smart."

It would have to be rather clever, the amount of pranks they'd pulled over the years probably made Lily, and even Marlene, able to see them coming for miles. Hopefully they'd be distracted enough by their little girls night to let their guard down. Maybe they'd even be a little drunk, make things easier to execute for the boys. Regardless, even if it didn't actually work out well, it would still most likely be a fun memory for them. They needed all the fun memories they could get in times like these.

"Of course, anytime. I mean what are friends for right?" Marlene said glad she could help out her friend. "Yea strip exploding snap wouldn't really be much fun. Not unless the boys joined us. And even then I can only see it ending badly," she said agreeing that truth or dare was their best bet for a game. It was a good idea, though. As long as they all stayed away from asking about anything about the war it was bound to be fun.

"I say you should start us off to Emmeline since it was your idea," Marlene said smiling at her friend glad that everything was going so smoothly tonight. She only hoped that it would stay like this and nothing would ruin it. Because it wasn't like they were going to get many more nights like this once Lily was married. It'd be mostly hanging out with Lily and James together. Not that she didn't already do that. But it would just be different once they were married. Marlene was also positive that they wanted kids, and while she was happy for her friends and knew it was going to work out for them Marlene just knew that once James and Lily were married girls nights would be far and few between.

---

Remus sighed and shook his head before finally speaking. "I think Sirius is right here Prongs. You're marrying someone much too smart. And Marlene is just as bad if not worse Padfoot. I mean they both know us so well I almost feel like they're probably expecting us to do something. In which case, they'd be ready for whatever. And even if they weren't they might get a little bit more upset than anyone wants to see them," he said laying his head back against the couch and staring at the ceiling.

Surely there was something the four of them could think of that would actually work. But it had to be something nonlife-threatening of course. Honestly, Remus felt pretty stumped. "Is it bad that all I can think of involve someone pretending to be hurt. The rest of us rushing to tell the girls and then leading them to wherever only to have whoever pretending to be hurt not really hurt. And I'm really not sure it's a good idea," he said pretty sure his idea would upset the girls a little more than they wanted. He could be wrong and they'd take it fine, but he was doubtful about that.

"Alright, fair enough," Emmeline replied, nodding. She pursed her lips, looking at Lily. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Lily said confidently.

"Okay, I dare you... open the window and sing any song you want as loud as you can. First verse and chorus, please and thank you," Emmeline grinned. Lily rolled her eyes as if to say 'that's easy'. She walked over to the nearest window and popped the latch, swinging it open. She paused slightly, evidently trying to think of what to sing. It didn't take long for Lily to be near screaming the lyrics to I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. Emmeline didn't really know the song, but she figured it was a muggle one. Emmeline laughed as Lily turned and took a bow.

"Marlene, truth or dare?" Lily smiled as she closed the window, then took her seat with the other two girls again.

---

"That's all I can think of too, Moony," Sirius said honestly. "I don't know if its in the best taste, but really... if its that or fireworks outside the window..."

Sirius looked to James, who looked deep in thought. Eventually, James shrugged, "It'll have to do."

"Alright, your funeral, then," Sirius chuckled, looking from James, to Peter, to Remus. "Which one of us is pretending to be mortally wounded?"

Sirius was sure this was going to land them several smacks and probably a lot of glowers, but he was willing to take that chance if its what James wanted. He knew Lily couldn't really stay made at James for that long, and he hoped Marlene couldn't stay mad at him. He knew Emmeline wouldn't be overly amused with the whole thing, but Remus could easily make her forgive them, he was sure.

"I'm going with truth," Marlene said not feeling up to starting the night off with a dare, though she would do some before the game was over. Plus the dares would be a bit more fun once she was a little drunk.

"Okay, describe your worst date," Lily said sending Marlene a look. And Marlene felt like she should've seen it coming. Because while they were best friends Marlene had to this day never gotten around to telling Lily about her worst date ever, for different reasons. But now seemed like a pretty good time to do it.

Marlene ran her fingers through her before she started. "For starters, this may have been a bad date, however, Sirius and I are still dating so it wasn't the end of our relationship. Also, he probably wouldn't want me telling this story so just don't let him know you know," Marlene said before starting. "So when Sirius and I went on our first date everything that could've gone wrong kind of did. First, we'd went out for lunch and they couldn't get our order right even after the third time. Then as we were leaving we ran into his family who of course sent us the nastiest looks I've ever seen and ya know let everyone around them know that he's disgraced the Black name by not only being in Gryffindor but for also pursuing a relationship with a blood traitor, and having half-blood and muggle born friends. Then right after we'd walked out the door Bellatrix and her little posse followed us out clearly to start stuff. Which is what happened. We just got into it with them. And in the end, Sirius had to take me to the Hospital because Bellatrix is a bitch and personally a coward in my mind. Waiting until someone's back is turned to throw a curse at them. She's the worst, and I bet she wouldn't last two minutes in a fair fight. Even less in one without magic." She told them knowing it was anything to be embarrassed about. But her and Sirius were in a committed relationship so she knew about his family and things he just didn't like other people to know about.

"Well, truth or are Em?" Marlene said quickly hoping to keep the game moving and not have them get caught up on her one bad date that was only bad because of the people they'd ran into. Not because of who she'd actually been on a date with.

---

"Honestly, Prongs I think it should be you. Just because we wouldn't want Lily to actually kill James this close to the wedding. She can be a little upset with him, but killing him isn't good. I don't think they'd have the reaction we're going for if it'd Peter not because they don't like you Pete, but you're more just a friend and I don't know it would go the way we wanted. And well I'm not dating any of them so I'm more likely to be able to convince them all to forgive our sorry arses for this whole thing," he said knowing sure there was something going on between himself and Emmeline. But he didn't know what. It was like the flirted and could possibly date, that would require Remus to get over his fear of her not accepting him for who he was though.

It was probably best actually right now that he wasn't actually dating her. She along with Marlene, and Lily might actually be more likely to forgive at least him for allowing this prank to happen. And if for some reason they did only forgive one or two of them, it'd probably be him and or Peter, they could talk the other's up.

"Merlin, that's something," Emmeline said, looking a little shocked. She was glad she hadn't had to deal with anything that dramatic in her personal life. She had been called some rude names during her time at Hogwarts for being friends with Lily, but she'd never been hexed for that kind of thing.

"You'd think you'd tell me something like that," Lily huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I don't blame her for not," Emmeline chuckled. "I wouldn't want to relive that one either. I'll take truth, too."

She was never really one for dares, especially when she hadn't even had a full cup of fire whiskey. Once that started to take its hold on her, Emmeline would be much more willing to make a complete ass of herself. She'd never been particularly brave in her life, which was something she didn't like about herself. She was trying to work on it, however, and her time in the Order was helping.

---

"I agree," Sirius nodded. "Lily is stuck with you. Marlene isn't exactly tied down to me, per say, and we-" Sirius shot a slight look at Remus, then changed his target sentence, "Em can't really do anything, can she? Got no one to threaten to break up with. Can't get too mad at her friends, can she?"

Sirius was going to say something along the lines of 'we don't really need to completely ruin Remus' chances with Emmeline' but he figured it would be kinder to his friend to not. To Sirius, Remus was being a bit of an arse. Sirius thought Remus should just bite the bullet and finally ask Emmeline out, but he was starting to loose faith that he actually would. Remus would make up stupid excuses, in Sirius' opinion. He decided not to push it, though. It was, after all, Remus' choice.

"Alright. I'm mortally wounded, near dead," James nodded. "Do you want to just wing what you shout at them? I'm sure you drama queens can think of something convincing."

"You're telling me," Marlene replied remembering the whole thing clear as day. She supposed it was one of those things where the entire experience would just always stick out in her mind because it wasn't something that happened often. But who really knew. "It happened over the summer, and Sirius and I had decided to keep it between ourselves. What would you have done anyways? It's not like any of them still went to school with us. Aside from Regulus, and even though he won't ever admit it I don't think Sirius would've let any of us confront his brother because he misses him and feels like he failed as a brother. Another thing that is to never leave this room." Marlene said looking at both girls.

The last thing she wanted right now, or ever really, was too upset her boyfriend because she was talking about things that he didn't talk about often. And Marlene couldn't confirm or deny how he actually felt about his brother because even when she tried to get him to talk about it he wouldn't. She did, however, have an opinion about the whole thing.

"Truth it is then. So dearest Emmeline if you were a guy for a month, what would you spend your time doing?"

---

Remus nodded his head at the plan thus far. "I'm sure the three of us can think of something amazing to tell the girls to get them worried enough about you," Remus said really not sure how this was all going to pan out or what was going to happen. But he supposed he'd find out once the whole thing was said and done. Which he was almost having a hard time believing they were even doing this. But well James wanted to pull one last prank before the wedding and what kind of trouble making friends would they be if they didn't agree.

What he really hoped came from this though was nothing bad. Sure there wasn't a doubt in him that the girls would be upset about the whole ordeal. But he hoped they weren't so upset that they overreacted without thinking or something. Because well he wanted to prank them, he didn't, however, want to ruin any relationships whether romantic or not. Surely though the three girls knew them well enough to know they weren't intending any harm and would be over it in no time.

"Are we ready to go pull this prank then?" Remus finally asked looking around the room to the others figuring if they didn't go now one of them might've possibly had time to realise it was a bad idea and want to back out or something.

"For a month?" Emmeline asked, widening her eyes and letting out a deep breath, thinking. "I'd... Well if I'm honest, I think I'd kick if off my wanking off. Wouldn't you? I'd want to know what it's like. I'd probably just go about business as normal, really. Probably just turn into a complete slag. I'm- I sound like some kind of sex obsessed idiot, Merlin's beard."

Emmeline laughed quietly at herself, giving her head a shake. Lily laughed and shrugged, giving a little wave as if to say 'keep going.'

"Walk around shirtless and pee standing are high on the list too," Emmeline chuckled. "Okay, truth or dare, Lily."

"Truth."

"Wheres the last place you and James had sex?" Emmeline asked, figuring she'd drag Lily down with her.

"Um... I think it was in the bathroom of a car park..." Lily said slowly, then laughed. "Truth or dare, Mar?"

---

"I'm good if you are," Sirius said, nodding. He stood, stretching his arms above his head before running a hand through his hair. The girls weren't far away, but Sirius didn't fancy an hour long walk to Marlene's house. It would be much quicker if he just grabbed his broom, even if he wasn't really supposed to be using it to fly around a muggle populated area, strictly speaking.

"I don't know how you all want to get there, but I'm going to fly," Sirius informed the boys, heading down the hall and to the closet where his boom was. He pulled open the door and grabbed his broom, then moved to the back door of the house. He pushed the door open, then paused, turning around to look at the boys. "I wouldn't apparate if I were you. Loud, you know."

"Really?" James said, feigning surprise. "Apparation makes a noise? Blimey, Remus, Peter, did you know? I'll fly too."

Sirius nodded before mounting his broom and taking off, not waiting for the other boys to follow.

Marlene couldn't hold in her laugh at her two friends at the moment. She was almost a little shocked to hear Emmeline talk the way she did, not because she was this innocent little girl who never even thought about it, because well none of them was, but because Marlene didn't really talk to Em about sex often. And the thought of James and Lily getting down and dirty anywhere that was public also came a little shocking, but she didn't dig into it anymore because the less she knew about their sex life the better. James had been like a brother to her for as long as she could remember after all so it was a little weird for her.

"I guess I'll go with dare this time. Switch it up a little," she said not sure what was going to be thrown at her, but that was all part of the fun.

---

"That explains the popping noise I hear every time. I finally understand, and know I'm not going insane," Remus said in his own sarcastic tone before also going to grab his broom. It was probably the best way to get there aside from walking and that would be the slowest way. So flying would be the quickest way without alerting anyone they were there. And it was a good thing it was getting darker outside earlier as well because people were less likely to see them flying around in the dark.

Because while it wouldn't be a big deal for another witch or wizard to see them flying, muggles would take it a little differently. So in no time at all, he was following the others out the door and to Marlene's where the girls were having their nice girls night in, to pull what could be their last big prank together.

"Alright, I dare you..." Lily hummed, taking a swig of her drink. "Do you have eggs in the fridge? I dare you to eat one raw."

Emmeline laughed, looking from Lily to Marlene. She was definitely glad that Lily was daring and asking questions to Marlene, and not to Emmeline. Emmeline knew that she would have thrown up, if this task had of been given to her. Her mind quickly started to move to times where she had more than a little trouble with her gag reflex. She was once challenged by another student to chug an entire jug of pumpkin juice. She ended up getting it down, but several moments later it was up again and refilling the jug. It was more than a little disgusting, and Emmeline wished she could forget the issue.

"Have fun, Marls," Emmeline smirked.

---

Sirius loved the feeling of the wind through his hair as he flew. He was a rather gifted flyer, though he never really did anything with his talents. He was, in his last year at Hogwarts, a chaser on the Gryffindor team, but only because James had near begged him. 'Everyone who's tried out is rubbish, Padfoot!' he'd whined. Sirius felt bad, so he obliged.

It didn't take long for Sirius and the others to be landing in a park just down the street from Marlene's house. Marlene's house was only a few houses down the street, so he didn't feel too risky caring a broom down the street. He waited for the others to land before starting briskly down the street. Thankfully, he didn't see anyone as he reached Marlene's house. He quietly walked up to the back gate and levitated his broom over the fence and safely to her backyard. He didn't fancy the idea of having someone steal his broom while he was trying to prank his girlfriend.

"Alright, James, you hide. Come in if you hear explosions," he whispered, turning to look at the other lads. "Remus, Peter. Shall?"

Sirius grinned, walking up to the front door of Marlene's house. He figured someone would dramatically shout something when the girls came to the door. Sirius lifted a hand and began to dramatically and relentlessly knock on Marlene's door. "Hey! Open up!" He shouted loudly, continuing to bang his fists on the door.

"Well that's disgusting," Marlene said before she went to grab an egg then headed back into the living room. And she'd prepared herself for this deciding to crack the egg into her cup and just drink it in one swoop. Only right before she could actually go through with anything there was the sound of someone pounding on her door.

"Who'd you think it is?" Lily asked looking over at the door.

Marlene shrugged her shoulders, "no clue. But I'm going to go check it out." she said pretty sure it sounded like Sirius yelling, but if it were the guys for whatever reason they would've just walked in. It wasn't like Sirius didn't have a key or anything. So she would've guessed they'd just walk in.

"Well we're coming with you," Lily said standing up so they could all walk to the door together.

---

Remus stood with Peter close enough to the door to see when the girls arrived at the door, but far enough away that they felt they were kind of in a safe zone. Though if anywhere was really safe zone once the girls realise what was happening Remus didn't know.

"You have any idea what we're supposed to say when they come to the door?" Peter asked watching wanting to make sure they timed everything just right.

Remus shook his head. "None what so ever. Pretty sure we're just going to wing it and see how things turn out,"

"It kind of sounded like Sirius," Emmeline said quietly, putting her hands in her pockets as she stood. She frowned as the three girls headed towards the door. Whatever was going on couldn't be good. The knocking and shouting... Even if it was just a stranger needing help, nothing good was going to follow that door open.

Emmeline bit her lip and hung back slightly, waiting for Marlene to open the door. She wrapped her fingers around her wand and slowly pulled it out of her pocket, holding it tightly. She hid it behind her slightly, in case it was a muggle at the door. She needed to be ready, just in case. Emmeline could see Lily, who was standing a few feet in front of her, do the same.

"Careful, Marlene," Lily said, her eyes on the door.

---

"We probably should be bloodied up or something," Sirius said quickly. He pulled out his wand and quickly turned to point it at Remus. "Sorry mate, I owe you a butterbeer."

Sirius quickly shot a spell, hitting Remus square in the face. His nose began to bleed quite fast. Hey, they needed to sell it, right? Peter quickly jumped behind Remus, not wanting to get hit with a spell as well. Sirius pointed his wand at himself next. In a similar fashion to what had happened to Remus, he started bleeding, but this time from a cut that he'd landed on his forehead. Soon his eye was squinting shut as blood was running down his face.

He pounded on the door a couple more times, frowning quietly, "Real smart move, Sirius. Blood in the eye. Couldn't have cut your lip."

[ I'm really sorry that I've been off the last few days! There's just been a lot going on and between those and work I just haven't had any time to reply! But I'm replying now!! ]

Marlene had thought the same thing Emmeline had just said out loud. The crazy person banging on her door right now disturbing her girls night sounded like her boyfriend Sirius. And she had no idea why if it was Sirius, who was probably with the rest of the Marauders, why they hadn't just walked in. Or even why they were there. Because surely if something had happened and one of them was hurt or something they'd barge in and let the girls know.

"I'm opening the door now," Marlene said softly to both Lily and Emmeline before reaching for the knob and pulling the door open quite shocked by what was on the other side.

There standing right across from her was Sirius with a bloodied-up face. "Sirius, what the hell happened!" She said her mind going over everything that could've caused this. And then she became more and more nervous about how it had happened. What if they'd been attacked, and where was everyone else. "Are you okay? Is everyone else okay?"

---

Remus took a couple steps closer to the door so the girls might've been able to see them if they looked hard enough. He couldn't hear everything that Marlene was saying, but he was close enough that he could see her. And well she looked concerned. Which he'd kind of expected.

Honestly, Remus was hoping again that this prank of their went over the way they wanted it to. Which he did suppose was kind of hit or miss because well they hadn't really thought it out that well. And on top of that, there was no telling how the girls were actually going to react. But they were about to find out.