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Three days later, a Patronus appeared in your room.

“Oi, (y/n)!” the stag exclaimed, startling you, “Get your lazy bum over here, I already gave you my address, how about you put it to good use, hmm? We’re waiting!”

You laughed at James’ antics, and went downstairs. The place was filled with Christmas decorations, for Christmas had been the day before. “Dad?” you called out, walking into the shop. There were no customers at the moment, so you just continued: “James just sent me a message, he wants me to come over.”

“Do you have the address?” Gallagher asked, “I have some time, I could take you.”

You handed over the note, and he grinned. “I know this place, I could just Apparate us there.”

“Be careful Gallagher” your dad said, “as far as I know she hasn’t Apparated yet.”

A sly smirk creeped on his face. “Ooh, this’ll be fun.”

“Great, I’ll go pack my bags!” you said as you darted upstairs, not waiting to hear your dad scold Gallagher on how ‘it isn’t fun, if she arrives even slightly nauseous, you can sleep in the attic’.

When in your room, you took your wand, a bag in which you threw some clothes and the Christmas presents you had bought for your friends. Next, you told Hoodini that if he missed you, he should come to the Potters’ house. Not five minutes had passed when you arrived back in the shop with your bag slung over your shoulder.

“Let’s go, coolio!” you exclaimed, and walked over to your brother.

“How long will you be staying?” your dad asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ll be back home for New Year’s Eve” you promised with a hug goodbye.

Next, you felt Gallagher’s hand enclose your own, and the most nauseating feeling washed over you. You twirled and twirled and kept on twirling as your feet left the ground

Fun. Your. Ass.

“GODDAMNIT GALLAGHER” you shouted the moment your feet hit solid ground once more. Your words were mixed with the sound of his laughter as he clasped your back, making you topple over. “Urgh, I think I’m going to be sick…”

“Easy there, Gryffindor” he teased, but was cut off by another voice.

“(L/n), I swear, if you puke on my front lawn I’ll hex your ass into next week.”

“I’d love to see you try, crusty legs” came your groggy reply.

“Who’s this?” Peter’s voice sounded. Looking up, you saw the four other Marauders standing in the doorway, all of them eyeing Gallagher.

“Brother, boys, boys, brother” you introduced them curtly.

“You-“ “Wha-“ “A brother?” “Since when?!” came their shouted replies.

“Nice to meet you” Gallagher replied before turning to you with a slight frown. “(Y/n), when you told me about your friends, you didn’t tell me they were boys.”

“Wha- uh, yeah they are.” Seeing his scowl, you narrowed your eyes. “Is there a problem here?”

He suddenly pulled you close and smothered you in his chest. “Nope, not my little sister you pervs!” He said. “Of course there is a problem, they’re boys, do you know what boys their age think like? About girls? With girls? Nu-uh, no you don’t!”

“G- can’t breathe!” you squeaked. “Guys, save me!” A choir of ‘hell no’s’ and ‘nu-uh’ reached your ears, and you groaned. “So much for the courage of Gryffindors. G, seriously, I’ve known them longer than I’ve known you.”

“Doesn’t mean they won’t hurt you.”

“Believe me, if we’d hurt her, she’d be our biggest worry” James said.

“Yeah,” Sirius continued, “because unlike Potter here, she can hex us into next week.”

“Seriously guys” you interrupted, “can’t breathe!” When Gallagher released you, you took in a big gulp of air.

“If any of you hurt my (y/n)-boo, her hexes won’t be your biggest worry. Trust me, I’m an Auror, I can easily send you to Azkaban.”

“Noted” three of them replied, while James was still sniggering about (y/n)-boo.

“Good.” His scowl turned into the great big grin you were used to, and he ruffled your hair. “Now you play with your boyfriends.”

“Shut up, or I’ll tell dad you made me nauseous” you hissed, punching his shoulder. He cackled and Disapparated, leaving you a muttering mess about ‘stupid siblings’ and ‘Sirius can suck it, mine’s the worst’.

“Well, that was awkward” Remus said.

“You tell me” you huffed, “can you believe that idjit was my Christmas present? And that’s supposed to be a Ravenclaw!”

They laughed, and hugged you in a proper greeting.

“C’mon, (y/n)-boo, let’s go inside” James taunted. You pushed his sideways, making him face-plant into the snow.

“You were saying?” you grinned. However, you didn’t see the snowball he had scooped up until it hit your face, and thereby unleashing a war. “AW HELL NO!” sounded your glorious battle cry as you jumped him, shoving snow in his face and into the back of his shirt. He quickly rolled you over, turning the tables and covering your face in snow.

“REVENGE IS SWEET” he bellowed, but his maniacal laughter was interrupted by a stern voice.

“JAMES POTTER!”

He froze, and a small ‘uh-oh’ his lips.

“DAMN RIGHT UH-OH, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, SHOWING INNOCENT GIRLS INTO THE SNOW?”

“Hi Mrs Potter” you greeted from beneath her son. “Always nice to see you.”

“You too dear” she smiled kindly as her face came into view. James scrambled off you and helped you up, muttering a small apology. “How about you go make the poor lady something to warm up?” she hissed.

“Yes mum” he said and scampered off.

The other Marauders were all red-faced as they tried to contain their laughter, and followed Mrs Potter inside. She lead you to the kitchen where James was already busy making hot chocolate. You walked up to him, slung your arms around his shoulders from behind and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Sorry for teasing” you grinned.

He grinned too, but whined “Ewww, cooties!”, making you laugh.

“Need some help with that?” you offered.

“Yeah, if you could take the chocolate and the sugar” he said, pointing to a cabinet. You did as he asked, and the five of you were soon sat around the table, happily sipping hot chocolate and munching cookies.

“So, Peter, did you cast you Patronus yet?” Sirius asked after you had been chatting for a while.

“Only once, briefly” he said shamefully. “I think it was a rat, but I’m not sure. It didn’t really work that well.”

“Hey, that’s okay” you said, laying your hand on his shoulder. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“She’s right” Remus chimed in, “I wouldn’t be able to cast one at all if I tried. Besides, I was there, it was definitely a rat.”

“They all cast one” he muttered.

“Yeah, well, James and Sirius are basically geniuses, they’re no reference points. As for me, I got some help” you ended, sharing a small glance with Sirius.

“Sooo, are you in?” James said.

“Of course” Peter replied without hesitation.

“That’s my boy” you grinned as you slung your arm over his shoulder, ruffling his hair a little.

“C’mon, let’s go upstairs” James said.

You followed him through the house, and you couldn’t help but comment: “Bloody Hell, James, your house is huge…”

“Thanks” he grinned. You arrived in his room, where you found four sleeping bags laid out on the floor. “My mum offered the guest room, if you want to, but we thought you’d like sleeping here.”

“Yeah, thanks” you breathed as you took in the room. You saw stuff sprawled around everywhere; his broom, books, sweets from Honeyduke’s, a wand-polishing set, figurines you recognised to be the Montrose Magpies, a remembrall, a fake snitch on a socket and many other things you didn’t recognise.

“Merlin, how is it even possible to have this much stuff?” you breathed.

“My parents spoil me” he shrugged.

“And you better know it” his mother suddenly said from the doorway. She held a tray of sweets and drinks balancing on her one hand and five Santa hats in the other.

“Yay! Thanks mum” James said as he took the tray and hats from her.

“You guys have fun” she winked and closed the door behind her.

You sat down in a circle on the floor in the middle of the sleeping bags, the tray with food in the middle of the circle, and James started to hand out the Santa hats putting one on himself. You followed his lead as he got a bag from under his bed. He got out four presents and held them in his lap as he sat down, so you got out your presents as well.

“Merry Christmas, guys” you said as you all started to hand them out. You had gotten Peter a special wand bag, because he kept losing his. He blushed a little at the gift, but was very pleased.

You got Remus a wolf plushie with a collar saying ‘Moony’, to which he replied with a ‘Oh, you’re just terrible, you, you- c’mere’ and a hug.

James received a mini broom that flew around his head while cheering ‘the best chaser in the world’, to which he tackled you to the ground in a hug.

Sirius’ gift was a little round black box with ‘Canis Major’ engraved in silver on top. “What’s that?” James asked. Sirius opened it, but it was empty. “You got him an empty box?” James grinned.

“Not just a box” you huffed. “Canis Major is a constellation, and its brightest star is-“

“The Sirius” Sirius finished for you, starting to understand what it meant.

You nodded. “See those rings?” On the inner edge of the box were two metal rings, one inside the other, with engravings. “You have to turn them so the engravings match” you said. He did as you told, and once the inner ring clicked into place, a shimmering light came out. In the air above the box appeared the constellation Canis Major. “I thought you might like it” you muttered as you saw his awed expression.

“This is brilliant” he grinned, giving you a hug. “Thanks, (y/n)”

“No problem” you said, hugging back. “I saw it in Diagon Alley and I just had to buy it for you.”

When you parted, Peter started to hand out his gifts, then James, then Sirius and finally Remus. You ended up with a poster set and book from the Montrose Magpies given to you by James, the book ‘The Hobbit’ by Remus (he had remembered you saying you liked it when naming Hoodini, but not actually having the book), a mouth telling jokes by Peter and a polaroid camera by Sirius.

“But this is so expensive!” you protested when you had unwrapped it.

He merely shrugged. “I don’t mind spending my parents’ money.”

“Okay, picture time it is then” you smiled. The five of you huddled close, mashing your faces together, while you held the camera high. “Smile!” you cheered, while making a funny face yourself. There was a brief flash, and not long after a small picture came out. You gently took it, fanned it around a little, and when you looked at it you saw, much to your amusement, that all of you had ‘secretly’ made a funny face. The five of you laughed at the moving picture, seeing you all smile and pulling a face at the exact same moment.

“Brilliant” you said. “I’m keeping this one forever. Thanks, Sirius.” You carefully put it between the book you were given, and put them all in your bag.

After an hour of talking, joking and eating (especially eating), James had dimmed the lights, taken a small box and put a lit candle in the middle of the circle.

“Okay, I call this special Marauders’ meeting officially opened” he started. “First of all, codenames. Sirius and I’ve been thinking about them, and we’ve come up with some good ones. I’m Prongs, because of the antlers-“

“-James, you don’t need to explain them, they understand” Sirius interrupted.

“Nu-uh, during a special Marauders’ meeting we must use the codenames. So from now on, I’m Prongs, Sirius is Padfoot and (y/n) is Paws. Everybody good with the current codenames?”

You nodded, Paws was better than Snuffles.

“Good, then we just have to find a name for Peter” James continued. “Anyone got any ideas?”

“You were a rat, right?” you said.

“Yeah” Peter said.

“Then maybe something with the tail?”

He shuddered. “But their tails are so weird.”

“Like a worm” Sirius laughed.

“How about Wormtail then?” you suggested.

“Do I have to?” he groaned.

“Would you prefer Shoveltooth?” you deadpanned.

“Wormtail’s fine!” he quickly replied.

“It has been decided then” James continues in his serious voice. “Moony, Paws, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs shall now and forevermore be known as the Marauders, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers. Let the Animagus ceremony begin.”

He opened the box, and took out four leaves.

“Merlin, Prongs, that smells horrible” Sirius protested.

“Stop whining Padfoot, the leaf of the mandrake is the first step in our transformation.” He handed each of you one, except for Remus. “We have to keep them under our tongue for a month-“ you scowled at the thought “- and it would be better if we’d already start now, so that we’re used to the feeling when we’re back at school. Y’know, so nobody knows what we’re up to.”

“All right, let’s do this” you said.

“But you all have to promise not to take it out at all costs” James quickly added.

You rolled your eyes, but held your hand out over the candle nonetheless. “I, miss Paws, solemnly swear that, no matter what it takes, I won’t take the leaf of mandrake out of my mouth for one month.”

“I, mister Padfoot, solemnly swear that, no matter what it takes, I won’t take the leaf of mandrake out of my mouth for one month” Sirius repeated, laying his hand on top of yours. Peter and James did the same as well, and when your four hand were on top of one another, you looked at Remus.

“Moony, you need to seal the oath” you said turning to your friend.

He huffed, but laid his hand atop yours anyway. “I, mister Moony, confirm these words, and bind miss Paws, mister Padfoot, mister Prongs and mister Wormtail to their words.”

“Nice one mate” James commented.

With your five hands still over the candle, the four of you took the leaf of mandrake in your other hand and stared at it in disgust.

“Geronimo” you gave the unofficial start sign, and you stuffed it under your tongues.

The four of you gagged in disgust, but no-one took it out.

Remus chuckled and huffed. “This. Is going to be a disaster.”