The next day, there was uproar in the school as Mulciber and Avery had disappeared. The Gryffindors, of course, knew that it had been the work of the Marauders.

"Where are they?" whispered Alice to James as they walked to their Potions class.

"We don't know," said James, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"You might tell us," said Frank in the common room that day. "We're on your side."

"Please tell us—please—please—" begged all of them who were standing around.

"All right," conceded James. "In the morning, Sirius and Remus—"

Sirius nudged James and said, "There's someone in this room who might rat us out, Prongs."

"Who?" cried Marlene indignantly, looking around her.

"Evans," said Sirius unblinkingly. And indeed, Lily was watching them most suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah..." said James, disappointed.

"Lily won't snitch them out, will you, Lils?" asked Alice.

"I don't want Gryffindors to sink to Mulciber and Avery's level," said Lily sternly. "But I certainly won't report them. Not what after Mulciber did to Mary."

Everyone in the room looked impressed.

"Continue, then, James," said Edgar.

"Sirius and Remus slipped a Sleeping Draught in their pumpkin juice—"

"Where'd you get it from?" asked Marlene.

"Er..." said James uncomfortably, feeling Lily's eyes on him.

"Nicked it from the sickbay," said Sirius arrogantly. "Then when they came out of the Great Hall sleepily, we stunned them and hid them in a room on the seventh floor."

There was a great roar of laughter.

"Which room?" asked Mary.

"Never seen it before...a room beside a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy."

"But there is no room beside it," said Lily. "Is there, Remus? We've often patrolled on the seventh floor."

"Oh no, it's not always—" began James.

"Lily, I think we missed it," said Remus, as Sirius glared at James.

--------------------

"Prongs always loses his head in front of Evans," said Sirius in disgust. "He was just about to give away our secret about the Room of Requirement."

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"We'll never tell anyone this secret. The Room of Requirement is our greatest ever find!"

And maybe it really was. The room appeared if you walked past the stretch of canvas in the 7th floor three times, needing a particular kind of room. While hiding Mulciber and Avery, they had wished for a smelly, dirty, spidery broom closet.

Mulciber and Avery turned up the next day, disheveled and dirty and furious that they had been tricked and didn't even know who had done it.

But every person in the school had a very shrewd idea about the carriers of the prank, and Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs kept coming over to congratulate the Marauders. The Gryffindors were openly proud and happy.

"They touch one of us, they touch all of us," said Alice contentedly.

"Of course," said James. "No one gets away with hurting a Gryffindor."

"The Marauders'll see to that," said Marlene, grinning.

For once, even Lily was delighted with success of the prank, even if she was a Prefect. James took it in the wrong way.

"Hey, Evans, surely you'll go to Hogsmeade with me now?"

"Is that why you took revenge on Mary's behalf?" asked Lily coldly.

"No, of course not—but I thought you would..."

"No!" said Lily sharply. "I. WON'T. EVER. GO. OUT. WITH. YOU." James face fell.