A.n.: I love Lily and James. They're my favorite!

(First Year)

A tiny girl stood with her mother on platform nine and three quarters.

"Lily, honey, I love you, be good, have fun." The girl's mother said while crying.

"Thank you Mum. I love you too. I will be good. I love you." Lily hugged her Mother tightly, and looked up and down the platform, getting ready to board the train.

"I love you Lily," came a small voice, Petunia.

"I love you too."

"I'm sorry I said you were a freak, I didn't mean it!"

"Don't worry, I love you. You're my sister and my best friend." Lily was only eleven, but she was so compassionate, so loving. The girls clung to each other for another minute, and then Lily got on the train, and sat down in a compartment, alone. She pulled out Hogwarts: A History, and began re-reading it, quickly becoming enthralled. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, two boys about Lily's age walked in.

"Hi! I'm Sirius," said a boy with shaggy black hair and grey eyes.

"I'm James," said the boy standing next to him. His hair was messy, and jet black. His eyes were hazel, and hidden by the frames of his glasses. He looked up at her and smiled, blushing. James had fallen for Lily already.

"I'm Lily!" She said, hoping they could all be friends.

"We were wondering if we could sit with you? Everywhere else is full." Sirius was the one who spoke, looking at her with big Puppy Dog eyes.

"Sure!" Lily smiled. The boys sat down.

"Lily, what Quidditch team do you like?" Sirius asked.

"Quidditch?" Lily looked confused. "What's that?"

"Are you muggleborn Lily?"

"Yes. But, Snape said it didn't make a difference, he promised…"

"No, no," Sirius said quickly, "it doesn't, that's just the only explanation for you not knowing what Quidditch is." He smiled at her. "James, shall we educate our new friend on Quidditch?"



"Yeah Sirius, I think we should!" For the rest of the train ride, the boys explained to Lily the rules of Quidditch, and all about the teams and such. Lily asked questions, and she and the boys became fast friends.

That night, they were all sorted into Gryffindor, and alone with Sirius, James began to speak. "I'm going to marry Lily."

"Ya sure Mate?" Sirius asked.

"Positive."

"Wicked! You should ask her out, tomorrow."

"I think I will."

(First Day of Classes Common Room)

Lily walked down the stairs in her uniform, looking radiant. She saw James and Sirius, and her face lit up, they waved her over, and she noticed there was another boy with them too. She learned his name was Remus, and he was quite shy. He had sandy brown hair, and warm brown eyes, but he looked tired, and wise beyond his years, almost as if he'd had to grow up too fast.

"Lily," James spoke, slowly and softly, "will you go out with me?"

Lily giggled, "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"James!"

"Please?"

"No!" They continued on this way down to the Great Hall, and every other day of first year actually. It had turned into a game, really, it didn't bother Lily, and it didn't bother James. Their friendship remained unaffected.

(One month and four days later)

Remus, Lily, Sirius and James sat in the common room, talking and laughing, planning their next prank.

"Hey guys?" Remus asked.



"Yeah?" The other three chorused.

"I think we should have a name for ourselves, the four of us that is. I was thinking the Marauders?"

"Sounds great!" Lily said, enthused.

"Works for me." Sirius and James said at the same time. They all laughed.

"But why the Marauders?" Lily asked.

"Well," Remus said slowly, "it means friendship, and it might also have some ties to the word mischief in French…" He smiled.

"Wicked!" Lily said, "Wow, I've been hanging out with you three too long. Since when do I say wicked?"

"I like it," James said lightly.

"Of course you like it," Sirius laughed, and Remus joined in after a moment.

"Wait, what," Lily asked.

"Nothing, n-nothing, ignore them," James stuttered. He regained his confidence a few seconds later. "Evans, go out with me?"

"No, Potter," Lily giggled again.

(Later fourth full moon of the school year)

James, Sirius and Lily sat on the floor of the boys dorm room, discussing why Remus was leaving.

"Lily, you're insane, he's not a werewolf! His Mum is sick," Sirius exclaimed.

"Is she sick at the full moon? How can she be sick once a month, at the same time every month? And why does Remmy always come back tired?" Lily asked seriously.

"I agree with Lily, mostly. The only problem with your brilliant theory, is that Remus would have told us if he was a werewolf, think about it, we are the Marauders, we don't keep secrets!'

"James, if you were a werewolf, would you think people would accept you right away? Think about it, you can't even get a job without being hassled, maybe he thinks we wouldn't understand," Lily reasoned. "We have to talk to him before he leaves, Sirius, I promise if it turns out I was wrong, then I will buy you ten chocolate frogs okay? Just shut up!"

"Why are you so mean to me Lily, all I ever did was love you!"

"Again, Sirius, shut up!"

"Lily!!" Sirius whined.



"Silencio!" Lily said, Sirius opened his mouth furiously, and thankfully, nothing came out. "Now, lets go find Remmy."

The three children went to the library, finding Remus at his usual desk.

"Hey guys," he said looking at his friends.

"Remmy," Lily spoke, being soft spoken enough to speak in the library, "we have to go, because the four of us need to have a serious talk—no Sirius, I do not mean you!"

"What about?" Remus asked cautiously.

"Something very important."

"Well, okay, lets go."

Remus packed up his things slowly, almost anticipating what the talk would be about. His friends weren't stupid, and they were going to notice eventually that there was no possible way that his Mum was sick so often. The four Marauders walked in silence out of the castle, and out to a spot by the lake under a tree. When they were all seated, Lily spoke.

"Remmy, I have to ask you something, and if I'm wrong, please don't hate me forever." She smiled at him, a small smile that was truly pleading with him not to hate her.

"Of course Lily, I could never hate you." He smiled back, a warm, genuine smile, because the words were true, Lily was like a sister to him, he could never hate her, he would never want to.

"Remus, are you a werewolf?" Lily asked, her last word lower than the rest.

(Hesitation of 26 seconds, but felt like hours)

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lily looked hurt, as did James and Sirius.

"I'm sorry, I knew this friendship couldn't last, I guess I'll see you guys around." Remus stood, and turned, about to leave for the castle.

"Wait! Why? Where are you going?! Remus," came the chorus from the three first-years.

"Remmy," Lily asked, "why are you leaving, and what do you mean our friendship won't last?"

"I know you won't be my friends anymore because of what I am." He said slowly.

"Rem. Buddy. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life." Sirius said casually.

"Yeah, we're friends, it's not your fault you're a werewolf, it happened to you, not because of you. We don't like you any less because of it." James put in sincerely.



"Remus, I love you like a brother, hell, I love you all that way. We would never ever stop being your friends, even if you killed unicorns for a living." Lily announced. They all shuddered, to kill a unicorn was horrible, disgusting, and no one present would ever commit such a crime. Remus spoke again, his voice low:

"So you guys don't hate me?"

A chorus of "No," and "Don't be thick," and "Of course not," assured him that he could keep his friends. He packed up and went home, to endure the full moon alone.

(After Remus had left)

"We have to find some way to help him," James said after a few minutes of silence.

"I know," Lily agreed.

"Library?" He asked her.

"Yeah, go grab Sirius, and the cloak, this is gonna take a while."

(The library)

The three Marauders sat in silence, reading through a mass amount of text books, and novels, and anything that might help. While Lily was looking through a transfiguration book, she noticed something, and although it was dangerous, Remus was their friend, and it was worth the risk.

"Guys, take a look at this," she showed the book to her friends, and at the same time, they understood.

"Wicked." They really do share a brain.

"So, when do we start?"

"Soon."

(Remus is back at school)

"Rem!" Lily shrieked. "We have good news!"

"Yeah?" He asked, one of his eyebrows arched. "And what would that be?"

"We found a way to help you, and your furry little problem," James said quietly.

"Yeah, we're going to become animagi!" Sirius said, excited.

"No."

"Rem—"

"No."



"But—"

"No, it's much too dangerous!"

"It's not exactly up to you," James said.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"Yes!" The other three shouted.

"Thank you." He smiled as a lump caught in his throat. He had the best friends in the world.

Over the next three months the Marauders spent all of their free time learning to become Anamagi. It was hard, and so far, Lily was the only one who could do it perfectly, every time. James and Sirius were close, but not done yet. Lily became a gorgeous Tiger, a small one, probably because she was so small, but beautiful, and fierce none the less. James became a stag, but sometimes he didn't get the hooves right, he needed to do some work. Sirius became a giant black dog, but he didn't always get the ears, but in a week, they were all ready for the full moon.

Every full moon after that one, the four of them wrestled and played, keeping Remus occupied, so that he wouldn't drive himself mad with loneliness. Remus was forever grateful.

(Early June)

"James?"

"Yeah Lily?"

"I want to try out for Quidditch next year with you and Sirius, will you teach me?"

"Sure!" James explained to Lily the rules, and what the four balls were. She saw the snitch last, and she liked it. I see you as a chaser, James had told her, so they tried that, and he was right. Lily was a natural, James was a good keeper, but she never missed a shot.

"Wow!" He said, "You're great, you'll definitely make the team next year!"

"Thanks James!"

A.N.: As you can most likely tell, I hate Peter, he will not be in this story at all. Review please!!