Another Deleted Scene

This one is possibly my favorite, but after having written it, I decided to change the structure of the chapter (Chapter 26, "The Wedding"), so, as sad as I was to lose the "Horatio" storyline and a renewed Beatles debate, this had to go. They are having the very same debate that we had on this thread a few days ago, because, if you remember, in Chapter 26, there's the scene where the Marauders and the girls (sans Lily) are arguing over which of the girls is which Beatle; this was meant to be a continuation.

So, this takes place after everyone stops by to pick up Lily, following Petunia's wedding.

Lily’s half full mug came clattering down upon the table, more for emphasis than anything else. 

“Okay, you lot are full of it. James is Lennon, Sirius is McCartney, Remus is Harrison, and Peter’s Ringo! End of story!” 

 “I just think Sirius should be John!” argued Mary, folding her arms. “He’s more...”  

“Handsome and tormented?” suggested Sirius.  

“Pretentious,” retorted Marlene. 

 Everyone laughed, and Remus got to his feet. “I’m getting more drinks—have this resolved by the time I’m back.” The Marauder moved through the thick crowd of the smoky pub—their third that night—to fetch another round of beer. The other seven, meanwhile, sat crammed into a large booth. This particular establishment had been chosen by Sirius and James, who seemed to be some breed of experts and insisted that so long as they were hopping, this ought to be a stop.

“He’s really right,” James observed, regarding Remus’s remark. “I think we might have argued this one to death.”  

“Because Lily can’t let a conversation end until everyone involved has admitted that she is right,” said Mary, smirking.  

“Shut up!” protested Lily, but she was almost laughing herself. 

“I am perfectly willing to admit defeat on the rare occasion that I’m in the wrong!”  

“Which is why you should just admit that Potter is McCartney, and Black is Lennon already,” said Donna, who had sided with Mary for this argument.  

“He is n...” 

“Can we please talk about something else?” moaned Marlene, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. “I am so bored with—Oh-my-God-that-woman-has-purple-hair!” She dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Donna reached around Lily to smack Marlene’s arm. 

 “Not so loud, Price! She’ll hear!” Marlene was a little further along than the others with regards to alcohol consumption. Even still, no one else, apart from Donna, seemed bothered by their friend’s audibility. 

Sirius grinned. “Keep it up, Price. Maybe you’ll be the one to get us thrown out of here.” 

 “The one?” echoed Lily. “Do you often get thrown out of pubs?”  

“Are you joking?” asked Peter. “These two?” He jabbed his thumb at James and Sirius. “That’s what they do to pass the time.” 

Smirking, Lily turned to James for verification, for he was the nearest Marauder to her, sitting just to Marlene’s right. 

 “Well, sure,” said James, shrugging. “It’s good for the heart to get thrown from a place every now and then.” 

“I’ve never been thrown out of anywhere,” Lily observed idly, as Remus returned with a whole tray of drinks. “Except a wedding of course...” she added with a hint of bitterness that went largely—though not universally—unnoticed, for the others all reached for a bottle at that moment and were thus distracted. 

James frowned. He deliberated for a moment, and then said: “Well, that settles it; drink up everyone. We’ve got no choice now.” 

“What are you talking about?” asked Remus warily, as Mary scooted along the bench to make room for him again. 

 James ignored the inquiry, addressing Sirius instead: “What d’you think, Padfoot? ‘Horatio’ maybe?” 

“Merlin, no!” cried Remus at once. “No Horatio. Not that, please!”  

Peter, however, seemed oppositely enthused. “No, do it! It’s one of my favorites!”  

“One of your favorite whats?” Donna demanded, but she, too, went unanswered.  

“Horatio, huh?” mused Sirius, the beginnings of a grin appearing on his handsome face. “We haven’t done that in over a year.” 

“Prongs almost broke his nose last time!” pleaded Remus. 

“Prongs did break his nose last time,” corrected James, touching said nose gingerly at the recollection. “But it was worth it.” 

“What was worth what?” Lily wanted to know. “And who or what is ‘Horatio?’” 

Marlene giggled at the name.  

“Just finish your drinks, and you’ll see,” James advised.  

“Prongs,” Remus implored his friend; “please... it’s so embarrassing...” 

“But, Moony,” said Sirius, “it’s been over a year! We have to inaugurate the summer somehow, don’t we?” The three Marauders looked earnestly to the fourth, who, at last, threw his head back against his seat in resignation. 

“Fine. But we’re paying the tab first.” 

 “Fine,” said Sirius.  

“And you three,” Remus added to the other wizards at the booth, “are covering my portion of it.” 

“Before you do anything,” said Donna. “You had better explain what this ‘Horatio’ business is.” 

Sirius and James only exchanged enigmatic smirks. “Trust us; you’ll laugh.”

This was sort of reincarnated in Chapter 28 though. "Horatio" is a different version of "Twelve Punches." =P