I do not own Hogwarts, the Marauders, or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Only the original characters, and plot are my creation. JK Rowling is our queen as always.
A tentative knock interrupted the conversation in the compartment. Sirius turned to the door with his mouth hanging open from his story.
"Come in." Remus said, half standing to push the door open. A tall girl stood before the Marauders with wild hair, and bare feet. Her skin was sun kissed, and it made her eyes look all the more hazel. She looked off put for a second like she hadn't expected to meet a compartment full of boys. She recovered quickly, and her eyes darted around the compartment. She raised her arm in a wave, causing the bracelets that covered her forearm to tingle in a sound one might compare to the wind.
"Hello. I was just looking for a place to sit, but it seems this compartment is past capacity already..." She trailed off, staring at the mess of clothes, books, and wizarding toys that littered the floor and seats. A heavy looking book dangled precariously off the overhead compartment and she was sure it was about to fall onto the round blonde boy sitting below.
"No, no, sit down please!" cried a red haired girl desperately, grabbing the girl's heavily decorated arm. "I've been listening to talk of Quidditch for the past half hour, I could really use an ally."
"Who am I to deny a cry for help?" she laughed. Remus noticed she had a quill tucked haphazardly behind the ear that wasn't covered in silver rings. He quirked an eyebrow intrigued, and decided he approved of any girl who was willing to wear her intellect on the outside.
"Oh, thank Merlin! I'm Lily by the way. Lily Evans. You can sit by me. I'll protect you from this lot." She looked uneasily toward the four boys, who took on a look of indignation.
"Lily! I would never hurt anyone!" cried a boy with very messy jet black hair and dark round glasses. He held a hand to his chest, insulted. The girl noticed he held a pack of what looked to be Zonko's Squirting Ink Quills behind his back. Lily rolled her bright green eyes, blushing a bit.
"Please, James. Wasn't it you who just hexed a second year on the platform?"
"Well, I...Sirius made me do it!"
"He deserved it, too. Pesky little guy. He needed a bit of a boost." said Sirius with a chuckle, ruffling his long thick hair, and slapping James on the back.
"I hardly think he needed a literal one." scolded Lily. The girl squirmed in her seat between Remus and Lily, uncomfortable at the thought of unwarranted hexing.
"I'm afraid we're being quite rude." said the bookish looking boy beside her. "I'm Remus Lupin. The hexing bloke is James Potter. His adversary is Sirius Black, and that's Peter Pettigrew." He extended his hand, and she met it with a soft shake.
"A pleasure, I'm sure." she replied. "I'm V. Just V." A snicker came from the opposite side of the room.
"V, eh?" Sirius mocked with a good natured smirk.
"Yes." she said with an air of superiority. She pulled her bracelet clad feet under her, and raised her shoulders. "My parents' gave me the gift of a wonderful name, which I shall share with no one." She raised her eyebrows, wiggling them suspiciously at the boy.
"Ah, now, embarrassment I can understand." he resigned. He couldn't help but appreciate the apparent similarity in their familial situations.
"So, V, what house are you in?" Peter stuttered. He was curled up in the corner nearest the door. His short arms were empty of any toys in stark opposition to the others, who all held some incriminating item or another. V made a mental notice of the difference.
"I haven't got one yet, actually. My family's rather transient. I've been home schooled. Papa recently signed on with the Ministry though, Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. That's why we traveled. He was studying the migration patterns of Doxies."
Sirius snorted, but said nothing. Turning to James, he scrunched up his face and made a circular gesture with his hands. V coughed.
"Well, what are your houses then?"
"Gryffindor." James said proudly, pushing his chest out. He opened his robe with gusto, revealing an obnoxious red and gold sweater with a roaring lion.
"It's the only house, really." said Sirius in agreement. "Anywhere else, you'll be dragon's meat."
"Honestly, boys." Lily interrupted. "There's nothing wrong with the other houses at all. One of my very good friends, Severus, is in Slytherin."
"Snivellus is not the best example of good people." James sneered.
"He's up to his abnormally large nose in Dark Arts." Sirius clarified. Lily huffed, mumbling something about Remus being the only person in a fifteen foot radius worth talking to.
"I'm going to go find him." she challenged, and stood abruptly walking from the compartment. Last minute she hesitated by the door. "You're welcome to come, V. If you want." V, who had already stretched out on the newly open seat, blushed.
"I, uh, I'm good here." Lily smiled a bit before leaving. V turned back to the rest of the crowd and noticed everyone staring at her. Almost as if seeing through her. She tugged a bit nervously on her over-sized white top. She was suddenly very aware that her tan stomach was hanging out the bottom, revealing a tiny triangle inked into her hip.
"So..." she said, testing the waters. "What's going on..." Looking from Remus with his nose in a very thick book to Peter who looked quite frightened, she found no reassurance. Her gaze settled on the two dark haired boys. They were grinning wildly, leaving her unsettled.
"Oh, nothing." Sirius sing songed. V noticed that all four arms that should have been were hidden within their robes. Lazily, she tried to position herself in a safe stance without them noticing.
"Do you like sweets, V?" James asked.
"I do enjoy Chocolate Frogs." she indulged.
"Probably not after this."
"After wh-" she choked, as gallons of sticky sweet chocolate covered her dark hair. She gaped at the boys. The boys burst out into laughter, doubling over and falling into one another.
"Did you see her face?!"
"Priceless!"
"Choc-chocolate frogs!"
"So naive!"
"You've never ridden with the Marauders before. Obviously." James laughed, straightening up just a bit. "It's no offense really. Just have to break you in before we hit the castle."
"It's been a long prankless summer." sighed Sirius, looking dreamily at the door. "Good to be home." V licked her lips.
"Not bad." she nodded. "I wouldn't have used chocolate, if I were you. Taken it up a notch instead." she winked.
"Why didn't we think of that!" James yelled, looking incredulously at Sirius.
"Don't look at me, mate. I would never do that to someone's hair. That's everyone's best feature." James rolled his eyes, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Padfoot, it's only our best feature. No one else could dream to be so lucky." The pair engaged in a session of hair fluffing, and flipping leading V to wonder about the nature of their relationship.
"Boys, I am afraid I must head to the wash. I can't exactly get sorted like this." she pulled a string of gooey hair away from her shirt, which she noticed was definitely ruined. It made a disgusting gloop sound.
"Farewell, m'lady. Hopefully, we'll see you in the Hall."
"We'll be the ones at the red and gold table." Sirius winked. V shook her head, stepping over the boys' long legs and out into the hall.
"It's not as if we haven't known each other since we were five, Severus!" she heard Lily yell. She found the redhead near the front of the train by the prefect's compartment talking to a disgruntled, greasy looking boy. V swore she could see the sheen from her hundred feet away. He seemed to answer her, but V couldn't hear the response. She could tell from Lily's expression it was not the right answer. Lily pointed a finger very near his nose, which was just as large as Sirius had asserted. His demeanor changed a bit, but Lily didn't notice. She only folded her arms and turned, heading V's way in a very angry manner.
"Don't tell James and Sirius they were right. Their heads are big enough already." Lily said when she reached the chocolate covered girl. Her eyes glistened a bit, but after seeing the mess she smiled. "They inducted you, I see."
"Is that what this is?" V laughed. "I was hoping it wasn't too late for me to avoid them for the rest of the year." A horrified look crossed Lily's face.
"They're not that bad, really. Well, they are. But, once you get to know them you get used to it."
"I'm joking, Lily. They seem nice. Besides I have to pay them back for ruining my shirt."
"That's just what they need. Most people just take their jokes. It's about time someone paid them back. Someone like you is exactly right for the job."
"I plan to pay them back tenfold." V wiggled her eyebrows at the girl. "Um, you wouldn't mind helping me remove this stuff, would you? I have a feeling it's not going to come off with water."
"Knowing them, it's probably enchanted to get worse with the scrubbing." Lily sighed. "Follow me, we'll figure it out."
Back in the compartment, the Marauders had moved on from their chocolate excursion and James was talking at them about his plans to win Lily over with Quidditch. Remus would sigh and look up every few minutes, nodding at James' pursuits. The conversation couldn't be any more James. Peter was hanging on every word. He had moved to the opposite seat to hear better, and was nodding excitedly agreeing with James' tactics. Sirius on the other hand was not all with them. He caught about every other word before his focus shifted to V. His interest had been piqued by her long messy hair, and dark skin. She hadn't been wearing any shoes, and her small feet had danced to the conversation. It was like every response she had was full body, and Sirius' body had definitely reacted to her.
"Isn't that right, Padfoot?" James elbowed Sirius' ribs. He winced.
"Always, Prongs." Sirius replied with a large smile.
"See, Peter! She had looked at me differently!"
"James, I don't think she looked at you at all..." Remus closed his book, setting it aside.
"Moony! Not you, too. Evans was crying for me with her eyes." James mimicked the expression, pulling his mouth down into a pout and batting his eyes desperately.
"Maybe this year will be the year..." Sirius half joked. He was rooting for James, he really was, but Lily was a bit uptight for his taste. "Or you could just have your pick for a little while. The options aren't too bad, y'know."
"She is my pick." James muttered, his pout turning real. Remus shook his head at the lovestruck boy. James would never admit it in public, but he was as hopeless as a hopeless romantic could get.
The boys fell into easy conversation about their summers as the time passed quickly on the train. Soon enough they arrived, and joined the rest of the students filing into the horseless carriages. Spotting her long red hear, James led the group running toward Lily to catch the same carriage. Luckily for him, they got there just before a group of Ravenclaw sixth years could get in with her and V. The ride to the castle passed with V staring out the windows at the dark Hogwarts grounds. As they passed each feature, Remus and Lily gave her the tourist explanation.
"The Giant Squid lives in there. So don't go swimming." Lily warned, pointing to a large mass of shining water.
"Alone." Sirius added. "James and I have swam there loads of time with no trouble."
"You did lose your shorts to it the last time, Padfoot." Remus laughed.
"Potaytoes, Potahtoes." Sirius said with a large gesture. "It's safe enough."
"Of course, that's the Whomping Willow." Remus gestured toward a tall, thick tree with large knots of branches. He paled a bit as he said it, but V hardly noticed anything except the gorgeous scenery. She caught a glimpse of a mass of trees and bounced, excited. Her feet itched to climb the large trees.
"And the forest?" she asked, glancing eagerly around the carriage.
"We're not allowed in there." Peter said shyly.
"Why not?"
"It's the Dark Forest. Dumbledore's forbidden it as unsafe, or some nonsense." James said.
"Which it is." Lily said, glaring at the boy. "If she follows your advice, she'll be missing by Wednesday." V smiled, as the boys pulled equally offended looks.
"There it is." Peter squeaked. V leaned over, pressing her face into the glass to get a better look. The castle was enormous, larger than she'd expected. Its towers and spires reached high, and she looked to the highest one deeming it the Astronomy tower. She smiled, comforted by the thought of her favorite subject.
"Don't be nervous." Lily whispered. "Any house has its good and its bad. You'll be fine, and we'll be here for you."
"I'm not." V said, very confident about this school year. The carriage slowed and pulled into a gentle stop, falling into line behind the others.
"Shall we?" V asked, pushing open the door and leading the way. She flexed her toes into the soft mixture of mud and grass, sighing contentedly.
The six fell into step with the rest of the students, and V watched as a tall man with an unruly tangle of a beard led a group of tiny students toward the castle.
"There's Hagrid! You really should go catch up with him. He'll take you to the Sorting." Lily said, waving toward the half giant. "There you go, he's stopped."
"We'll see you inside!" James yelled, as V was shoved away by Lily. She walked quickly, and as she reached him she noticed the strange odor of mothballs. She stifled a cough.
"A'right now. We'rr all 'ere? Le's go." Hagrid led the group toward the castle, V kept sight easily over the heads of the first years.
"The boat ride was scary. I'm a little nervous now." a tiny blonde girl said to a boy only marginally bigger.
"It's okay, Annie. We'll be in Hufflepuff together, I'm sure of it." he said, grabbing her small hand. V smiled at the pair.
"When we enter the Great Hall, I will read your name. As I read it, please step forward and take a seat on the stool. The Sorting Hat will place you in your House. The Houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." A tall, black haired woman who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall said. The sea of first years flowed unceremoniously through the huge wooden doors before them.
There were four long tables, and V found the Marauders under the gold and red banners hanging from the enchanted ceiling. She waved, and smiled when the five returned her wave mirroring her excitement.
"Allister, Loren." A girl with short brown hair, walked nervously toward the tall Professor. She stumbled on her robe hem, earning a snicker from the green and silver table. V frowned. Professor McGonagall placed a worn hat on the girl's head. She started slightly, when it opened its wrinkled mouth and blared "Ravenclaw" to the students. The girl jumped down and headed the cheering witches and wizards under the blue banners.
"Holloway, Princeton."
"Slytherin!" This time the hat had taken a bit longer, and V wondered what happened while you were seated beneath it. After a slurry of first years were sorted, she also began to question how sanitary wearing the same hat could be. She just hoped none of the eleven year olds had mites.
"Langston, Virginia." V cringed. She didn't dare sneak a look at the Gryffindor table after trying to hide her name. She sat on the short stool, her knees very near her chin. Her long hair lingered just above the floor, and she tapped her bare feet on the cold stone earning a soft patting sound from the old floors that she found comforting.
"Interesting, very interesting." The hat called.
Have I gone mad? she thought, surprised by the voice whispering seemingly from inside her own head.
"Certainly not, Miss Langston. Though perhaps you are a bit...off." It hesitated.
I'm seated beneath a talking hat, and I'm the off one.
"A mouth on you I see. And cunning beneath. The spirit of a wanderer. Fearless, you'd like to think."
V felt as though she'd been sitting there for hours by the time the Sorting Hat stopped battling itself. She glanced nervously at the tables, chewing her lip. Her eyes met Sirius' beneath his dark mass of hair. A large grin emerged beneath his straight nose. He mouthed something she thought was "Good luck," but it could have been "Pig's butt" she giggled.
"Mr. Black, eh? There's a thought. It'll have to be...Gryffindor!" It boomed, and cheers roared from the Gryffindor table. She grinned, and marched triumphantly to the bench beside the Marauders. She wondered what it had meant by mentioning Sirius, but brushed it off.
"Mind if I sit with you?" she asked, shoving herself between James and Remus. "I'm starving."
Sirius sighed, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Remus glanced at him, noticing the difference in his demeanor.
"Ready for the feast to begin." Sirius said briskly. Remus only held his gaze before looking back to V.
"So, Virginia, is it?" James asked, taking a large bite of mashed potatoes. V choked on her mouthful of pumpkin juice, spewing it onto Sirius' robes.
"I'm not very proud of it."
"I can see why not. And I thought Sirius had it bad."
"Hey- I thoroughly enjoy my namesake. It makes me sound manly and rugged."
"Like a dog." James jeered. "Good boy!"
Sirius barked a laugh, continuing his onslaught on the roast beef before him. V decided she could handle becoming a part of this circle.
"It's not that bad." Lily said warmly. "I like it."
The next day held the first day of classes, and V was eager to find her bed. She and Lily headed to the dormitory before the boys, leaving them to their mashed potato forts.
"Magnus Prethium." Lily said, causing the portrait of the Fat Lady to swing forward. "It's up to the left. The boys' is to the right, then. Ours has the best view of the lake." V followed in companionable silence, counting the moments until her head could hit the pillow.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, this bed is my new love!" V cried, falling unceremoniously onto the quilted bed. "I thought we would never meet, and I would live a lonely spinster life!"
"I'm glad that dream's been ended. I'm allergic to cats." Lily sniffed, crawling into her own bed. A few other fifth years trickled into the room, climbing into their own beds. When the room was void of all giggles, V found herself lying awake.
"Hey, Lil." she called into the darkness.
"Yea?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"Taking me under your metaphoric wing."
"Don't thank me yet. Let's get you through the week with James and Sirius first." V grinned at the thought of spending time with the boys. Maybe one in particular more than the others. Mostly she was excited to respond to the chocolate endeavor from earlier. She had a feeling the year was going to bring plenty of opportunities for responses.
She fell into a solid sleep, only to wake up in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily, she tried to forget the nightmare that had been plaguing her for weeks. She was safe in Hogwarts. Nothing could reach her here. She pulled her wet hair from her neck, relishing the cool air on her skin.
Her philosophy had always been to let things take their course. No use troubling over fate. With the recurrence of her dream, she wondered if maybe she'd been wrong. Shaking her head of the thought, she closed her eyes, wishing for a dreamless sleep.