mischief managed;

"i { s o l e m n l y } swear that i am up to { n o g o o d }." james potter, marlene mckinnon, remus lupin, alice fortescue, jaxon webb, and alisa buckley.

[lucifer-chloe]

I’ll take care of it. In the meantime just try not to kill anybody okay, Slugger? What are you gonna do? I’m gonna call his mom a bitch and then push her. Oh that’s right. You already did that didn’t you? Look I don’t know what I’m gonna do okay? But I’ll take care of it. I’ll think of something. I’m sorry.

[gifchannel]

foggy, you’re bleeding.

[so-pale-girl]

[princesconsuela]

[findingwordsforthoughts]

i don’t need you to fight my battles, i just need for you to be there when my hands begin to tremble and my voice breaks, to help me steady my sword and teach me how to roar.

m.v., I am my own savior, you are a companion. (via findingwordsforthoughts)

[chaotic-awesome]

I Don’t Know How Much Vodka I Put In This But I’m Going To Drink It Anyways: a memoir

[inlikewithlife]

This drink tastes awful, but I can’t waste alcohol: a sequel

[mchashimi]

Send me a pairing and I’ll tell you...

who puts pizza bagels and captain crunch in the shopping cart

who forgot the rule about putting foil in the microwave and subsequently caused a small fire

who sleeps naked

who sleeps under 3 blankets

who has a huge crush on Billy Joel

who gets drunk and breaks shit

who’s a closeted anime fan

who initiates sex at inappropriate times/places

who’s afraid of Slenderman

what their wedding song will be

what their biggest fight was about

why they work together

[onetreehill-gifs]

[ofmagicspells-blog]

                 -- September 21, 1976 at approx. 11:51 AM

Lily Evans painted her nails vibrant colors. She would also make it a habit of doing the same to her friends when they were bored, but you could tell a hand was Lily's by the distinct color to it. Fitting, really, for a girl with such vitality.

Mary MacDonald would often shove her wand through a messy bun. She may have been the quieter one of the four, but eyes would certainly fall on her each time her dark wavy hair tumbled down her shoulders. She may not seek your attention, but she was certainly striking when she got it.

Alice Fortescue was always doodling. On her friends' arms, in the margins of her notes and tests; her little drawings were everywhere. A bit of an airy habit for such a formidable blonde, but even the most commanding of personalities have their dreams.

Marlene McKinnon always read the last pages of books before the beginning. She nabbed her friends clothes in the mornings and had a tendency to hex before thinking. She was stunning, but in the way a lightning storm was stunning.

These girls were so drastically different that, had they been anywhere but Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, they would have been an oddity. How could such clashing personalities be such good friends? Well, it was made obvious enough ten days into their sixth year. That Tuesday had started off as normal as possible at a school filled with magicians -- breakfast in the Great Hall, Transfiguration with Hufflepuff, the weekly (sometimes daily) occurrence of overwhelming sexual tension within two groups of four friends. Not to forget the ongoing battle between Benjy Fenwick and Emma Vanity; they had broken up during the first week of school and the entirety of sixth year (plus a good part of seventh year) was forced to pick a side. If looks could kill, they both would be six feet under.

But by lunch, it was proving to be far from their typical Tuesday.

The blame for the turn of events could be put on several people. Alice Fortescue would prove to be the main one blamed, but she was far from the only troublemaker at hand. Marlene McKinnon and her unauthorized Quidditch practice (which had also occurred on that Tuesday) could also be part of the problem. Nicholas Mulciber and Mikael Avery were definitely two prime suspects. It could be said that James Potter always played his part in every tale of trouble within the sixth year class. But who was truly at fault would never come to light -- there were only six witnesses to that fight and none of them were about to share the real chain of events. For some, it was incriminating. For others, it was embarrassing. For the remaining people, it was out of loyalty to their friends that they didn't spill the metaphorical beans to Professor McGonagall. Everyone played their part, though, so let it be known that it wasn't entirely one person's fault.

The foursome had been late to lunch -- if they hadn't been, it was an easy assumption to make that this wouldn't have happened. "We were simply helping them prepare for the upcoming match with a little scrimmage. An unauthorized and maybe unexpected one. You could argue it was unwelcome, but that's just an opinion. And perhaps they weren't even on their house Quidditch teams, but frankly, our dear Professor Mathis should be thanking us," Marlene continued on as the trio strolled down the corridor, "no one wanted to hear what that fuckwit had to say anyway. He was going on about bloody pureblood supremacy -- a crock of shit, more like it." Once she went off like this, they all knew there was no stopping her. Frustration would only continue to bubble to the surface as she retold the morning's events; Sirius had been fuming when they left Mathis Underwood (the flying instructor's) office as well. Mary seemed to have a calming effect on him when she linked her arm with his, though she was unable to cool down the raging brunette on her other side. Alice didn't even bother trying, so instead they just listened.

"What gives him the fucking right to decide who is lesser than him? Sounded just like that ugly git Mulciber. I'll show him filth --" Marlene cut off when Mary's hand gripped her wrist, meant to stop her as two other sixth years crossed their paths, less than two feet of space between them. The teen wizard looked smug at her words, despite the insult, and his lackey mimicked the expression.

There's something you should know about Mulciber: he didn't care what you said about him. What mattered was that you were speaking of him in the first place. He truly was a Death Eater in the making. Preaching of the 'Dark Lord's' proper wizard beliefs, how pureblooded families should be leading things, that muggles and muggle-borns should "learn their place." Everyone deserves to have their own opinion and all, but Marlene knew just where he could shove his shitty beliefs.

"Really, Marlene, you think you'd learn." A smirk curled at his lips. "Detention again?" Her fingers twitched in the direction of her wand, but then Sirius' fingers wrapped around her wrist and were more of a restriction than Mary, which only irritated her more. "You too, Sirius, though it seems like you've already decided your place." They all knew that was a reference to him leaving his family recently to live with the Potters. To be truthful, Marlene thought it was the smartest bloody decision he had made in his life. Her jaw set as he opened his shoddy mouth yet again. "It's a shame though, you and Alice really have some potential." The way he eyed her made her hands curl into fists, nails shaping moons onto her palms. For the sake of Mary and the other two, she kept herself quiet, despite every instinct screaming otherwise. "Too bad you girls decide to surround yourselves with blood traitors and mudbloods."

The contempt and disgust his tone was drenched in was cut off by a crack.

Pain bloomed across Marlene's right hand from where she had nailed Mulciber's jaw (because, frankly, dislocating his jaw was far more shocking and effective than a hex would ever have been). Five wands had been drawn -- the crack, Marlene soon realized, hadn't been from her punch; a hex had come from Alice's wand -- and they all were in defensive stance, none wanting to be the next to cast a spell. At least, until Sirius said some jinx she had never heard of and then a duck bloomed from Mikael's wand as he muttered a defense, a quack blending in with the foreign yet familiar sounds of spells. Now that it had began, shit truly started to hit the fan.

An affligo hex was just barely dodged by Marlene as she pulled her wand from where it was sheathed in her robe. "Castreo!" Was the simple, yet effective, spell coming from Mary. Mulciber managed to sidestep it where the jinx bounced back to Sirius. His eyes widened in shock as he let out a surprised groan, doubling over, caught off guard . Avery was growing frustrated as he tried to cast another spell, only for the duck count to round up to three. Some of her anger morphed into amusement, a slight frenetic laugh slipping from Marlene's lips at the sight of the annoyed Slytherin. Whatever that jinx was, she'd really have to ask the boys about it.

Two more spells were cast and the brunette watched as hives bloomed on Mulciber's face while horns seemed to appear out of nowhere on Alice's head. Then a spell was being aimed at Mary and Marlene found herself sidestepping in front of her, attempting to utter a blocking spell, only for it to be a moment too late. The brunette was knocked backwards, taking her best friend down with her.

When Professor McGonagall came through the corridor, yelling out a spell and halting the chaos, each wizard froze in place.

"What," the older woman began, harsh lines creasing her young face, "in Merlin's name, is going on?" Her gaze washed over the six magicians, both concerned and stern. "Up. Now. To the infirmary. Then you all will meet with me in my office."

As far as who got in trouble, Alice ended up taking blame and, in turn, getting five days of detention. Sirius and Marlene ended up with four Saturday detentions that day, while the remaining three participants were punished with two. Both Slytherin and Gryffindor lost fifty points a piece, earning loud protest from everyone involved.

They weren't aware at the time that this was only painting a larger target on their backs and, in hand, Mary and Lily's. Never did Marlene -- or any of them -- expect what was to come from Mulciber in retaliation. It may not have came right away, but it certainly was coming. Another thing to know about Nicholas: hurt him and he'd do the same. Times five hundred. The following several months would only prove to be the most eventful of their six years at Hogwarts. Time and time again the four girls and their marauding male equivalents would prove how and why such different people were such good friends.

The only question was whether their loyalty would be their greatest strength or ultimate downfall.

[tylerposey]

#actualboyfriends

[lassi]

[autumnvate]

[labella-instagram]

[ofmagicspells-blog]

You’re raised hearing fairytales set in long ago times in far away lands, with kings and queens and their kingdoms. You’re told long-winded stories of knights in shining armor and royalty with their gowns and tall towers. Princesses waiting to be rescued by the prince and whisked away back to their castles. Princes looking for their princess.

Yeah, well, here’s a wake-up call: this isn’t a fairytale. These young men and women aren’t princes or princesses. They're living in a magical world during a magical time and they sure as hell don’t need to be saved by the likes of a hero on a bloody horse. They’re here to write their own story and that means they have to be their own heroes.

This tale may not be a love story, but that’s not to say it isn’t a recurring theme.

Remus Lupin whole-heartedly believed in love. Just not that he deserved it. Men bound by the moon weren’t there to be loved by the likes of the sun.

Mary Macdonald did too, though she accepted those emotions much better than the lot of them (in fact, she accepted quite a lot better than the rest of her friends).

James Potter knew it was out there. If he were to be honest with himself, he would realize that he had already fallen hard. And he would have hated it.

Lily Evans wouldn’t actively seek it out. While she may not have been in love in that moment, she was certainly getting there.

Marlene McKinnon claimed not to believe in love. The reality was that she spent too much time trying to avoid it. You see, the stars of the sea were never meant to love the stars in the sky. Because when the oceans fall for the heavens, they have a long way to drop.

Sirius Black treated it like a joke. After all, the beauty of the constellations was meant to be loved at a distance; not up close. In truth, he almost needed it more than all of them.

Alice Fortescue was terrified of love. Though she would later stare down a wand into the stormy eyes of a woman who would drive her to madness, praying for the two boys she loved most.

Frank Longbottom, on the other hand, was not. He was quite possibly the most courageous about the concept when it came down to it. He would later sacrifice his sanity for it. For the cause, for his friends, for his son and wife.

Alisa Buckley wouldn’t dare dream of it again. Soon, though, she would see that strange, lingering sense of deja vu would bring her home.

Mathis Underwood found it in the last place he expected. But a war had the ability to flip things upside-down.

Aurora Sinistra was an intelligent woman who did, in fact, believe in the concept of love. She would also soon realize that it depended on circumstance. Two people who should work, sometimes just...can’t.

Jaxon Webb wasn’t a believer. Maybe he softened upon meeting the woman with her head in the stars, but the truth was that he wasn’t the kind of man you loved. Betrayal could be dressed up in charming words, but the scar twining his arm could not.

Narcissa Black dreamed of love.

Lucius Malfoy did not.

Ted Tonks believed in it as much as any young man would.

Andromeda Black knew it was there, ever-present everywhere you turned. She may have been the wisest of them all.

They say all is fair in love and war, but this is all far from fair. Perhaps if they knew what was to come, they would have watched out more. But they didn’t -- so they didn’t see just how much they had to lose when the time came. Because even when they were face to face with Death in the form of a wand, their thoughts would be to protect others first. Maybe that would be their downfall; or maybe, just maybe, it would be their greatest advantage.

Again, not just yet. We'll be getting there -- but first, there’s still quite a bit of their story to tell.

[ofalchemy]

"Really, Florence? Go Peter." Lily nodded in approval. Peter was definitely the meekest of their group, even quieter than Mary. So, it was surprising to her to know that he was the only one in the group with a ‘date’. Surprising but good — Lily was happy for him. "They both think they took the breakup hard so she doesn’t want to push it. But they’re so evidently meant to be with each other. Maybe just drop a hint that Alice is not weird about it and I can do the same and they can go from there? As for Mar and Sirius, I think we should lock them in a classroom together until they stop being stubborn."

Merlin, they were planning out their friends’ love lives; it was ridiculous. But who but Lily Evans and Remus Lupin could do so efficiently. After all, Lily wanted godchildren. A lot of them. Even when she wasn’t planning children of her own, she was already fawning over the idea of her friends’ having them.

She nearly bit her tongue to ask what James was planning and for who. Instead, the redhead blinked rapidly at Remus’s question, tilting her head to the side before answering. “Can’t I just want a simple day at Hogsmeade to myself, hm? Why? What do you want?”

[ofmagicspells-blog]

Believe it or not, Peter (other than Sirius, but that rabbit trail led to plenty of stories better for another time) had the most steady relationships out of the four. James had always kept himself so occupied that other than Amelia Bones (fourth year) and Carmilla Price -- short-lived, summer before sixth year -- he wasn’t quite the dating type (though Remus knew the girl off to his left would continue to be an exception to James’ unspoken rules). Sirius had various flings throughout the years, though they all knew he and Marlene had made too much of an impression on each other. Remus, for several reasons, had tended to stay away from relationships.

“I’ll be sure to mention it.” He nodded as they turned a corner into another corridor. “I second that. Think it’ll work?” Remus laughed slightly, quietly. He held up his hands in surrender at her next words, shrugging. Ignoring her question wasn’t intentional, for the most part. “Sure. But only if that’s what you actually want.”

[ofalchemy]

Lily was no good at this, feigning surprise and making silly small talk. First off, she had known Remus far too long and he could see through that. And on the other hand, she’d never been one of those silly giggly schoolgirls. If her friends wanted dates for Valentine’s (not just dates, the right dates), Lily Evans would do it in a swift, efficient manner that did not involve making herself look ditsy.

"I know." The redhead responded matter-of-factly before letting out a soft sigh, shaking her head. "I am so not for this beating around the bush so I’ll tell you what the boys probably want to know. No, they are not going with anyone but all of them have been asked. But they’re not the sort that the girls are interested in." Lily flashed him a knowing look. 

"So what do the boys want? It better be good. Marlene’s already seething that Sirius has waited this long to ask her."

[ofmagicspells-blog]

He nodded as they walked, a quiet bark of a laugh sounding in his throat as Lily got right to it. He was glad she did so rather than waiting for him -- though he wasn't surprised; even when they were younger she had been one to not hesitate to take lead. The boldness to her had been appreciated then as well, though he had kept to himself much more then than he could say he did now.

"Peter has plans with Florence Selwyn, but he's the only one of us right now." The thought occurred to him that the girls were quite a lot like himself and the boys in more ways than one. "James has something planned out, but I'm not supposed to say a word more than that. Frank was asking about Alice, Godric knows why he hasn't just spoken to her himself." He shrugged lightly. "We're wondering why the bloke hasn't asked her already, too, believe me. Right idiots."

Frankly, Remus thought they should all sort their things out and be done with this. But then again, they were only sixteen.

Quirking an eyebrow, he shot a vague questioning look her way. "Who are you waiting for, Lily?"

[ofalchemy]

Lily took her job seriously, perhaps too seriously at times. Marlene and Alice usually made it a habit of teasing her about it any way they could. But she wouldn’t stop taking this completely serious. According to her extensive research, a muggleborn witch or wizard were rarely made prefect. Not because of any particular prejudice but simply because they were overlooked. So knowing that she had that responsibility on her shoulders, the redhead was always quick to report any wrongdoings.

Except maybe when it came to her best friends.

"Hm?" Lily blinked, glancing over at Remus with a friendly smile when he started a new conversation. Tilting her head to the side, she looked over at the tall and lanky boy curiously, wondering what he was about to ask. When Hogsmeade was brought up, her eyes lit up in interest. Oh, Lily knew exactly where this conversation was headed. It made sense, because she was actually sent on a similar mission for the girls of figuring out if the boys were doing anything this particular trip — Valentine’s Day, to be exact.

Lily had this all figured out in her head, really. Sirius and Marlene would resist one another until their mid-20s before they realized they were in love and finally got hitched. Alice and Frank would eventually find their way back to one another and stick. Mary and Remus would probably be the first to get married. 

And she most definitely would not care if James Potter wanted to take someone else to Hogsmeade.

"Oh, I don’t think so." Lily answered breezily, hoping she was casually enough for Marlene and Alice’s sakes. "Why do you ask?"

[ofmagicspells-blog]

You see, there's something you should know about Remus Lupin: he could be very crafty when he wanted to be. Key words -- wanted to. Due to that, at this point, Remus was assumed to be their go-to wizard for reconnaissance. When it came to setting up pranks, sneaking out after curfew, planning parties, and, now their romantic lives. Remus loved his friends, undeniably, but he thought they were positively insane.

Though that was practically a given. The Marauders were a notorious foursome around Hogwarts by now. Remus wasn't entirely sure where the name came from, though if he recalled right, it originated from a time McGonagall was reprimanding them in the halls. She said something along the lines of them being 'a band of marauders' and it must have just stuck.

But mad or not, they were his mates, so he dived in headfirst anyway. "Mm? Just wondering. It's Valentine's Day, after all, Lil."