It is thought their friendship began in their first or possibly second year at Hogwarts. By their fifth year, all but Remus, who was a werewolf, had secretly become unregistered Animagi in order to help Remus feel that he fit in more. James' Animagus form was a stag (Prongs), Peter's was a rat (Wormtail), and Sirius's was a large dog (Padfoot). "Prongs" and "Padfoot" were large enough to control "Moony" during his monthly-turnings and "Wormtail" was small enough to get past the Whomping Willow's defenses so the group could get to the Shrieking Shack. The Marauders were all members of Gryffindor House and most greatly despised their Slytherin rival, Severus Snape, whom James and Sirius often bullied, while Peter tended to cheer them on. Although he disapproved of their bullying, Remus didn't try to stop them, although he sometimes made them feel guilty about it. At some point during their time at Hogwarts, presumably some time between their fifth and seventh years (they said as Animagi, they could explore more Hogwarts landscape), the four boys created the Marauder's Map, a magical parchment that displays the grounds and denizens of Hogwarts once the incantation "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" is spoken (with the counterspell being "Mischief managed"). Otherwise, the Map insults those who try to use it. At an unspecified point, the map was confiscated by caretaker Argus Filch. The Marauders would all go on to become participants in the original Order of the Phoenix, against the Dark Lord, Voldemort, in their adult careers. Pettigrew, however, influenced by Voldemort, turned on James and his wife Lily to reveal their secret location to the Dark Lord, which would ultimately lead to their murders. In addition, when Sirius Black found about the traitorous act of Pettigrew, he confonted him, but Pettigrew cunningly exploded everything around him – killing twelve Muggles in the process – and made it look like Sirius was the traitor, even going as far as to fake his own death. Pettigrew made this look possible by actually cutting off one of his own fingers and make it appear as though that was all that was left of his annihilated corpse. Of course, Sirius was then arrested without a trial while the actual criminal, Peter Pettigrew, got away. Pettigrew's tactics were so believable that even the fourth Marauder, Remus Lupin, thought it was his old friend Sirius that was the Potters' and Peter Pettigrew's murderer, working under Voldemort. Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban for Pettigrew's crimes. Now, Peter Pettigrew was an official Death Eater and immediately hid from the rest of the world, taking his Animagus form of a rat for twelve years after his faked death. In this time, he became the pet rat of the unsuspecting Weasley family, who named him "Scabbers". Twelve years later, the innocent Sirius Black finally changed into his Animagus form and escaped from Azkaban Prison, seeking revenge on his former friend Peter Pettigrew. At this time, Remus Lupin had gone on to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, keeping his lycanthropy a secret from the students, and discovered Sirius was not guilty. The two then united to stop Pettigrew and exposed him as Scabbers. They were about to kill him but Harry stopped them, thus saving his life, stating that he should be taken to Azkaban instead. Pettigrew escaped when Remus suddenly transformed into a werewolf, after which Pettigrew rejoined his master, Voldemort, and helped him to regain his full body. Remus later resigned from his Hogwarts teaching position when Snape "accidentally" let it slip to the students that he was a werewolf. When Voldemort rose to power for the second time, launching the Second Wizarding War, a new Order of the Phoenix was established whose members included Remus and Sirius. However, Sirius was killed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries by his Death Eater cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. After his death, Sirius's name was cleared when Voldemort came back in the open. Peter Pettigrew met his end in 1998, strangled by his own silver hand when he hesitated to kill Harry Potter in the dungeon of Malfoy Manor because of the debt he owed Harry. Remus Lupin was killed soon after in the Battle of Hogwarts in a duel with Antonin Dolohov; thus, no Marauders remain.