Hot patootie, bless my soul, I really love that rock `n roll.

They used to get together every Saturday night, downing Firewhiskey and singing drinking songs. From pub to pub they stumbled drunkenly, shouting about how wonderful it was to be free of papers and exams. James spun girls around and around on the dance floor and Sirius sweet talked the waitresses while Remus grinned in shame and Peter squealed with delight. They played cards in the back room, for money or not, and smiled at each other and laughed and ruined their poker faces. They climbed onto rooftops and dared each other to jump.


No, you first mate! I’ll be right behind you.

They soared above the tops of trees, dipping just low enough to skim the leaves with their feet, becoming shooting stars, becoming constellations. They became gods.


James hadn’t given up on Lily. They bought a Muggle car, a beat up old cherry red beauty, and roamed the streets, blasting ‘rock ‘n roll.’ Deep bass and electric guitar drew females to the car like moths to the flame. Peter was so jealous of James and the red haired girl, how he could prop his feet up and put his arm around her and he was so jealous. James leaned in close and smelled her cherry red breath, cherry red to match the car, and they kissed and kissed and moaned.

Lily, Lily.

He drove alone out into the countryside with the red haired girl, blasting that rock ‘n roll. He hadn’t given up on Lily.



Sirius was done with exams and papers and schoolwork and exams and the Blacks and life. They went out every Saturday night and played cards and got drunk but sometimes he was so sad. He knew he shouldn’t have done it but he was so lonely and what if he just said yes to the woman on the street with the strong perfume? He was so nervous his hands fumbled. He didn’t know her, but her sultry whispers told lies about how much she loved him. He was free, and he could do whatever he wanted whenever he liked. School was over, and he and his mates could go out every Saturday night. He didn’t have to think about anything, didn’t have to think about Regulus. His family was behind him. Regulus was scum; his whole family was scum. But why did he feel so bad?



Remus was shy, James always said, but he met a girl who was nice and sweet and a proper young woman. Sirius teased him. They held hands and went to the cinema and ate nice dinners at nice restaurants. But they always got together on Saturday nights. She wanted to come with him but he said she couldn’t; they were school friends.

Don’t worry, darling.

She pouted her cherry red lips and crossed her arms. Remus avoided her gaze and shrugged his shoulders and went to the pub all night. They kept egging him on — he didn’t mean to — but the blonde at the next table couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

She wants you, mate.

They said that she would never know. He believed them.



Peter liked to bob his head in time to that one song... what was it called? He went out every Saturday night and danced with James and Sirius and Remus and with a few girls. He got so pissed. He smiled and laughed and grinned and howled. And that one time that he and James tricked Sirius, it was so funny, but they were all too drunk to remember. It didn’t matter, ‘cause he was out with his best mates, and they laughed and drank Firewhiskey. But he wasn’t angry when James left with the red haired girl Peter told James that he liked. And he wasn’t sad when Sirius confessed in a drunken stupor that he was lonely and worried and nothing felt real. He definitely wasn’t jealous when Remus spent all of his time with the proper young woman except for the Saturday nights when they got together. Peter was having the time of his life.

Was he?

He was happy and carefree and young —

But why did he feel like he didn’t belong?

— And so, so pissed. Bollocks! What was the name of that song on the radio?



The Marauders were like shooting stars, soaring across the starry night sky. Nothing could stop them, and they flew so fast that they soared right past each other. They got together almost every Saturday night. James finally nailed Lily and Sirius wasn’t so lonely anymore and Remus and the nice girl had a good thing going. But Peter never did remember the name of that song on the radio. And then everything was dangerous.

It always had been.

And James was married and Peter wanted to be a Death Eater. The Potters hid, Peter spied, Sirius actually wasn’t very happy, Remus and the nice girl broke up.

And whatever happened to Saturday night?


Whatever happened to Saturday night,
When you dressed up sharp and you felt alright?