A/N: As you can see, I've decided to finish off this story! Yay! Ok. Well, I want to thank my reviewers for convincing me to finish it! There will be around 6 more chapters. Well, please read and review!

Chapter 14: Padfoot and Pranks

The next morning, there was an article in the paper:

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES!

Yesterday night, Professor Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter came to the ministry of magic and presented a rat to the minister. This rat turns out to be Peter Pettigrew, who is an unregistered animagus. Pettigrew was thought to have been dead, but new evidence reveals that he faked his own death, when Black cornered him on the streets fifteen years ago. Pettigrew, under the influence of Veritaserum, admits that he was the one who blew up the street, with his wand behind his back, killing 12 muggles and one wizard.

Pettigrew, when questioned, also admits that he was the Death Eater responsible for selling the Potters location to You-Know-Who. He said that originally, Black was the secret keeper for the Potters, but Pettigrew convinced James Potter to switch secret keepers at the last minute. No one suspected that the rat was working for You-Know-Who at the time. When they were switched, Pettigrew raced to tell his master.

Black is now innocent of all crimes against him. He is currently hiding somewhere, Albus Dumbledore confirms, but he will come out in time. The only question is, how did he escape Azkaban?

Reporter: Linda Stewart.

Harry was overjoyed. It worked! Sirius was innocent. Just then, a large black dog bounced into the halls, barking loudly, and ran over to Harry.

" Sirius! Did you read the paper? " Harry cried, forgetting that the whole Hall could, and did, hear him. All students were stunned.

" Sirius? Sirius Black?" Someone cried. " He's a murderer!"

Harry simply laughed. " Haven't you all gotten the paper yet?"

Apparently not. Once others had finished scanning the article, they gasped.

" Sirius, if you will…" Harry said. Sirius became a human again, stunning the students.

" Um… Surprise?" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Albus laughed. Albus seemed to notice the stunned silence, and said,

" Students, this man is not a murderer. He was framed by a Death Eater. He would never have done what he was charged with. He was a prankster when he was here."

" And still is!" Harry added.

People were still staring at Sirius. " What?" He asked. Seeing that they were still stunned, he went up to a Ravenclaw first year and whispered, " Boo!" This made some people laugh.

After a very long time, the hall was actually moving again, and Sirius was sitting down with Ron, Hermione, Harry, Fred, and George. Harry suddenly had an idea, and told Sirius through thought to stay silent.

" Hey, Sirius, you know Fred and George are pranksters. They worship the Marauders."

Ron, playing along, asked, " Harry, who were the Marauders?" He winked.

" Oh, you know, those four students who were the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. They wrote the Marauders map…" Harry noticed that Sirius was desperately trying to hold back laughter, and Hermione was smiling mischievously. Albus was listening to their conversation, and Harry winked at him.

" Their names were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." Harry became very sullen and dramatic. " Fred and George, meet Padfoot!" He said, holding his hands out at Sirius, who had to let his laughter out.

" W-What?! Padfoot! Really?" They asked simultaneously. Then they both bowed down to Sirius. Sirius laughed even harder.

" Really, you're serious?"

" Of course I am!" Sirius said.

" Oh, stop with the overused pun!" Harry said. " Why are you here, Sirius?"

" For- a *number* of reasons" He gave Harry a pointed look. Harry sighed. He probably wanted to know everything about the curse of the living dead.

" Sirius, how long are you staying? Where are you staying?" Ron asked.

" Well, I will have to go on a mission for Dumbledore soon, but until then, I'll be in a staff bedroom. Of course, I'll have to visit Gryffindor Tower often."

* And Maybe I can pull some pranks with you, Harry. * He added in his head, knowing Harry was listening.

**

Classes breezed by that day, and Harry was glad, because he could finally spend some time with Sirius. Ron and Hermione made sure that no one entered the common room while Sirius and Harry stayed up all night to talk.

" So, Sirius, how does it feel to be free?"

" Wonderful! I can actually walk into a shop! I don't always have to be a dog! Of course, some may still be weary around me…"

" You'll get used to it. People always look at my scar when they meet me. The funny looks will never pass, but you'll get used to them." Harry said. Sirius smiled. Then he became more serious.

" Now, Harry, tell me about this new spell…"

Harry sighed. It caused him to relive his pain every time the spell was mentioned. He relived the moments under Godric's control, and feeling only half alive.

This must have been evident on his face, because Sirius quickly said, " You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable…"

" What did Albus tell you?"

" All he said was that you had experienced another unknown unforgivable, and to ask you about it."

" Very elaborative, that one." Harry noted dryly.

" Yeah, I know." Sirius agreed.

" Well, it's a combination of all three curses. First, you must promice not to tell anyone about it. The information could leak to Voldemort, and if he ever finds the curse, he'll have control over everyone and everything in less than a day. It's called the curse of the Living Dead, because it kills you, but not fully. It's similar to a Dementor. It leaves you half living, and half dead for the rest of your life if you are directly hit with it. I don't really want to say anymore. Ask Albus." Harry said, clearly reliving horrible memories.

" Alright. I'm sorry, Harry." Casting around for something to take Harry's mind off of it, he asked, "Now, do you want to pull a prank?"

Harry's face instantly lit up.

" What have you got in mind?"

Sirius grinned.

**

The two Marauders crept into the kitchens. " Dobby! Dobby!" Harry whispered. The house elf instantly rushed up.

" Harry Potter! How nice of you to visit Dobby! Would you like something to eat?"

" No thanks, Dobby. I was wondering if you could help my godfather and me pull a prank…"

***

The next morning, Harry and Sirius went down to breakfast, tired but wide awake at the same time. They sat at the Gryffindor table, and tried their hardest not to look at the Slytherin table.

Albus noticed this, of course.  He aloud Harry to read his thoughts.

Harry, what did you and Padfoot do?

Um… what makes you think I did anything, Professor? Did I mention you look stunning in that beard?

Albus laughed, earning odd looks.

Mr. Potter, that's the same line your father would use on me!

Then we both think you're the best Professor in the world! No one is as good as you! We should create an Albus Dumbledore Fan Club!

Albus laughed again, and the teachers scooted their chairs as far away from him as humanly possible.

Clearly some people are beginning to think you're going mad. Harry teased.

Harry, I've been mad for years.

Too true! 

Albus, hiding his wand under the table, said Wingardium Leviosa, and levitated his cornflakes. No one seemed to be watching, so he put them under an invisibility spell and sent them flying toward Harry.

Harry, of course, who expected something like this, noticed, and sent his invisible fruit loops hurling toward the Headmaster. He ducked when the invisible cornflakes were about to hit him, and they instead hit Sirius. Harry laughed, and then watched Albus.

Of course, Albus didn't have the power that Harry did, so he didn't know when the fruit loops were about to hit him. Harry purposely had them levitating in the air for a few seconds. He thought to Albus, purposely lying of course,

Darn! I missed.

Albus laughed madly, but then a loud splat was heard as fruit loops hit the Headmaster in the face. He was stunned for a second, then started laughing again. The whole school was looking to see who was the attacker who dared to hit the Headmaster in the face. Harry pretended to be searching too. Sirius was still wiping the cornflakes from his hair, and said,

" What's going on?" Harry turned to look at Albus just in time to see a bowl of lucky charms aimed directly at his head. He muttered a spell, and the cereal turned around and headed to Albus. Albus, who could not see invisible charms like Harry could, didn't realize that it was coming, and another wet splat was heard. Harry muttered another spell, and Albus, wiping the milk off his beard, stood up and sang,

" Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes! Clovers and Blue Moons! Pots of Gold and Rainbows, And me Red Balloons!" He did a small jig, and found himself wearing typical leprechaun clothing.

The Hall was stunned. No one spoke. The Headmaster, they thought, was clearly insane. Then, Harry, who could not hold it any longer, laughed. Tears fell down his cheeks. He fell on the floor, and rolled around, slapping the table. People didn't know what to do. Would they get in trouble if they laughed? Apparently not.

Soon, the whole Hall, even Albus, was rolling on the floor laughing. It was pretty obvious that Potter was the one who pranked the Headmaster. After the laughter was finally subdued, everyone turned to Harry and Dumbledore.

" You have to admit, Albus, that was a good one!"

" Well, yes, but quite embarrassing."

" Hey, you started it! You were the one who sent the cornflakes at me!"

" You know, you sound just like your father!" Harry gave him an evil smile.

" Oh, I'll do more than sound like him!" He snapped his fingers, and the Slytherins were standing on their table, all wearing pink dresses, singing a muggle Brittany Spears song.

"My loneliness is killing me!"

" Yes, now!" Sang Draco, slapping his butt. The other houses were rolling on the floor, laughing once again. Dumbledore looked at Harry, wide eyed and astonished at first, then he smiled.

" I must confess, I still believe"

" STILL BELIEVE!"

" If I'm not with you I loose my mind! Give me a sign!"

Draco ended the song " HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME!" When the song was over, and the Slytherins sat down, they remembered nothing of this. They gave the rest of the hall weird looks, as they were laughing so hard.

None of them could see that they were still wearing pink dresses.  Harry and Sirius raised their arms and took a bow. The rest of the hall (except the Slytherins) was clapping loudly for them. Ron and Hermione were stunned. Fred and George were bowing to them.

" Still Marauders!" Sirius said, mainly to himself.

" You bet!" Harry said.

Albus walked up to him.

" Now we're all in trouble! The Marauders are back, and worse than before! You two are more dangerous than the Weasley twins! How did you do that?"

Harry smiled. " Simple. We asked the house elves to put special potions on the Slytherins' food. Dobby, whom I freed, does anything for me."

Albus, still smiling, walked off, muttering something about warning the elves not to talk to anyone who looks like Potter.

For the rest of the day, classes were normal, and almost everyone was settled down. The only thing different was that every once in a while, Draco Malfoy would run screaming down the halls, yelling something about a heard of headless chickens chasing him.