A Discussion of Names
Hello, people. This is our first time collaborating on fanfiction, so, please, keep it clean!
Well, not necessarily clean, but don't hate. Although I guess any and all reviews are appreciated. (This is just the drugs talking, nice reviews only, he's not in his right head -Jameson) (Hey, I didn't say you could edit it! And I don't do drugs!)
Anyway, enjoy and review! (Oh, yeah, before I forget, this is Anton, by the way)
Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter and all its characters. This does not belong to us. Thank you.
He should never have kept the badge.
James Potter was sitting in a compartment on a train with his three best friends.
They sped through the beautiful countryside of Scotland, but James was not admiring the beauty of the landscape as he gazed out the window.
He was deep in thought. He had not expected it at all; it had happened so suddenly. The letters had come, and his sharp eyes had noticed that Remus' envelope was heavier than the rest, weighed down by what they had all known to be a badge. James had assumed that it would be the Head Boy badge, instead of the Prefect one that had arrived for the past two years. He was surprised to see Remus pull out a Prefect badge; little did he know what would happen next.
He had seen the owl coming. He had seen the small bulge in the envelope. He had seen the package drop, and he had caught it. But as his mind had been trying so desperately to comprehend what had just happened and connect the dots, Sirius' quick hands had nicked the envelope, tore it open, and found the badge.
Of course, after recovering from the shock stimulated by the idea of he, himself, James Potter, becoming Head Boy of Hogwarts, the first thought to cross his mind was to give the badge to Remus. He was sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind a little swap; the old loon had apparently chosen James over Remus as Head Boy...
But, upon Remus' adamant refusal to exchange, he came up with another idea. He'd try to write back to Dumbledore and return the badge, resign from the position.
However, after voicing this opinion to his friends, he was met with not just one, but three disagreements. All of them thought he should keep the position. He thought otherwise.
But then they threatened to attack him, and he knew that there was no way he'd win a three-on-one fight against his best friends.
His best friends, his brothers...how he loved them so.
Never mellow, they were energized at the least. Even now, they were sending things flying about the compartment, being as noisy and rowdy as usual.
James winced as a textbook hit him in the head, upsetting his glasses.
Rearranging his spectacles, he turned to look at his friends.
Sirius and Peter were locked in an epic battle, levitating their textbooks and sending them flying at each other. Remus was casually sitting in a corner, reading.
As Sirius' fifth year History of Magic textbook came rushing at Peter's second year Charms textbook, James saw what would happen before it did.
Sirius' huge textbook came in at such an angle and velocity that it would inevitably crash into Peter's tiny one, and the momentum would carry both books right into the side of Remus' head, knocking him out for sure.
Just as James was able to realize this, the projectiles collided.
They both went flying at the oblivious boy, going straight for his head. James cried out, tried to warn him, "Remus!" but it was much too late. By the time he even looked up, the books would have already knocked him unconscious. James watched in horror as the books flew right at his friend, getting closer and closer: they were a foot away, half a foot, a quarter of a foot, two inches from his temple-
The books hit a dead stop and fell to the floor.
James gaped.
Remus looked up. Upon seeing James' bewildered expression, he smiled.
"How stupid do you think I am, Prongs?" he asked. "I know better than to read unprotected around these crazy people we call friends."
James laughed. "Too true, Moony, too true."
"Hey!" said Sirius. "We're not crazy! Just...rather different."
"In a good way," added Peter.
"Sure you are," replied Remus evenly. "And I'd love to discuss how 'different' you people are, but James and I have business to do."
James started. "We do?"
"Of course," returned Remus. "The Prefects' Meeting, remember, Mister Head Boy?"
He'd forgotten all about it. "Oh...right...the meeting. Well, erm...we'd better get going, I suppose."
"Too right you are," agreed Sirius. "Get out of my sight, Head Boy Prongs. Your position of authority sickens me."
"What about Moony?" asked Peter. "He's been a Prefect for years."
"Well, yes, but...Head Boy is higher, so Prongs trumps Moony, so Prongs sickens me more."
"But isn't it good to have a man on the inside?" continued Peter, confused.
"Yes, but...it's a troublemaker's code to hate authority," finished Sirius triumphantly.
"Padfoot, you jest, but Wormtail is right," said James. "Moony and I are both in positions of authority, but we're still your friends. It's actually a good thing."
"Are we leaving or not?" Remus asked exasperatedly.
"Right, I'm coming!" said James.
He followed Remus out the door as Sirius rose to shut it behind them.
:
Remus Lupin was no ordinary wizard.
He was a strange mix of things, bookworm and troublemaker, Prefect and Marauder, a half-blood, and a werewolf.
Growing up, he had become accustomed to the bad treatment werewolves received because of what they were. He even admitted that he was a monster; he accepted that he somehow deserved this treatment. From the time he made this decision as a child, he threw himself into his studies, hoping to excel in order to somehow make up for his difference. He had expected to continue to do this during his Hogwarts years, opting for the reserved, studious life as opposed to the outgoing, social life he could have had had he not been bitten.
However, upon arriving at Hogwarts, Remus Lupin was shocked out of his wits. For, for the first time in his life, he had friends. Good friends, great friends, friends who taught him to have fun again, friends who showed him excitement and life, friends who knew what he was and, instead of thinking less of him, thought greater of him.
His friends were the greatest thing he'd ever had.
His three great friends, who helped him every month, who gave him happiness, who made him feel equal, who had made his life wonderful.
Well, no, that wasn't right. They didn't make his life wonderful.
His friends were his life.
"Moony! Moony!"
Startled out of his reverie, Remus turned to see James walking towards him.
"Moony! Stop! Don't you leave me here, I don't know where we're supposed to go."
"Alright, Prongs, relax," Remus said as he turned to continue walking. James fell in step next to him.
They walked in a casual silence for a couple of minutes before Remus stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are," he said, as he pulled it open. Walking inside, he saw a few Prefects already in their seats, as well as the Head Girl, Lily Evans, in a different section of the compartment, going over some notes.
Behind him, he heard James pull the door shut, and, a second later, a small sigh.
:
James Potter was staring at his new partner, the Head Girl.
The Head Girl, who happened to be none other than Lily Evans.
Lily Evans, who happened to be none other than the love of his life.
He sighed again, and Remus nudged him.
Making eye contact with his friend, James saw him make a significant nod toward Lily. When he did not move, he felt Remus shove him in her direction.
Slowly, as if in a dream, he approached the girl whom he loved, the girl who would not give him a chance, the girl who he would be working with all year.
He sighed once more at this thought, but this time it was more like a groan.
The redheaded Head Girl looked up at the noise. Upon seeing his face, hers contorted in disgust and confusion, and it soon reconfigured into an expression of rage.
"Potter," she said venomously, "what are you doing here? I don't want any of your pranks or date proposals right now. I have business to do. Some people are trusted enough by the Headmaster to be given positions of authority." She thrust out her chest, giving him a clear view of her badge.
"Yes, Lily, about that-" James began, but was cut off.
"I don't care what you have to say about the position of Head Girl. I think that it is quite an achievement. In fact, I think being chosen to be a Prefect is quite an achievement. Becoming one of the Head Students, on the other hand, is obviously the highest honor any young witch or wizard can receive."
"You're sounding a bit like McGonagall here, Lily, but, anyway, my point is that-"
"Shut up, Potter! Why won't you just leave me alone? We're not even at Hogwarts yet, and you're already in front of me, harassing me, probably wanting a date, breaking rules by being in a compartment you shouldn't be in-"
"But I'm supposed to be here!" James finally cried, exasperated.
"What?" Lily asked, completely taken aback.
"Look," he said, pulling out his badge. "I'm Head Boy."
Lily's jaw dropped in surprise. She quickly recovered and her eyes narrowed.
"I can't believe you! Making a fake Head Boy badge to get close to me! You're just so-"
"It's not fake, Lily! This is the real one!"
"Well, then, how about you return it to the real Head Boy?"
Just then, Remus appeared at James' side.
Smiling at the Head Girl, he said, "Hello, Lily."
"Good afternoon, Remus," she smiled as she replied genially. "How are you?"
"Very good, thank you. Anyway, I heard raised voices over here. Is everything alright?"
James opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance.
"No, not really," said Lily. "Do you mind telling Potter to return your badge to you?"
Remus' right hand immediately flew to his chest. Upon finding that his badge was still securely pinned there, he relaxed as James snickered.
"No, I've got my badge right here," he said, patting his Prefect badge.
Lily stared for a moment. "You mean...you're not Head Boy?"
Remus shook his head.
"What is Dumbledore thinking?" Lily muttered under her breath.
"I've no idea," rejoined James.
Lily ignored him. "Well, can you convince your crazy friend here to return the Head Boy badge to the real Head Boy?"
Remus casually looked around the room. "I don't see Sirius or Peter anywhere. What are you talking about?"
Lily exhaled through her nose frustratedly. "No, I meant Potter! He's taken the Head Boy's badge!"
"Who, James here?" Lily nodded furiously as James smiled and gave Remus a little wave. "He hasn't taken it from anyone. He's Head Boy."
Lily stared. "Come again?"
"I said he's Head Boy."
"Who's Head Boy?"
"James."
"James? James who?" Lily asked stupidly, not willing to believe it.
"James Potter, that's who."
"No way."
"C'mon, Lily! I'm responsible! I can be a good Head Boy!" James protested.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes! Look, I even prepared notes for this meeting," James replied, pulling them out.
Lily snatched them up and briefly scanned them. She grudgingly handed them back and said, "Fine."
"What?"
"I said, fine. I accept it. You're Head Boy."
"Thank Merlin," James smiled, relieved. "I was afraid you would never-"
"Just a minute, Potter," Lily interrupted. "This does not change anything between you and I. Just because I've accepted that you're Head Boy doesn't mean we're suddenly going to become friends or start going out."
"Understood," James nodded.
"I'm not done. You may think that this is all just fun and games, but I take this position very seriously. If you screw up, or do something that may cause me to lose this badge," she pointed at her chest, "then you can be very sure that you will suffer. Do I make myself clear?"
James nodded. "As a crystal ball."
Remus jumped back into the conversation.
"Wait, James, crystal balls aren't clear at all!"
"Oh...right, sorry. I mean, yes. Very clear."
"Good." Lily turned back to her notes, satisfied.
"Although there is one thing I don't like."
Lily breathed in and out very slowly, then turned to face him again.
"What?"
"Well, you said that nothing will change between us. But if we want to work together, for the sake of the school, of course, we need to be friendly. Or at least peaceful. So I think we should agree to not fight anymore."
Lily thought about that proposition for a few seconds. Reluctantly, she agreed. "Okay."
James smiled. "Thank you. Now, shall we call this meeting to order?"
:
Sirius Black was a man of surprising depth. When one looked at his face and his body, he appeared young and carefree. But his eyes showed much more; he was, in fact, a man very wise and experienced for his years.
He was not an unkind person. Though he may have come across to many people as obnoxious and rather blunt, he was in fact only very passionate about what he believed in. His naturally rebellious spirit combined with his hatred of the idea of purity of blood to create a dangerously zealous rage against what he dubbed "pure-blood maniacs," and especially against his own family, whom he considered to be some of the most maniacal pure-blood maniacs alive.
His great value of loyalty had caused him to be Sorted into Gryffindor, instead of Slytherin like the rest of his "pure-blood maniac" family, which, of course, only served to please him. Sirius' fervent devotion to those he cared about, disregard for rules when taking revenge, and unbelievable magical talent protected his close friends from most harm.
After finally getting fed up with his family's pure-blood mania, Sirius decided to run away and live with the Potters. From that moment forth, he had a true family (though he'd always had his brothers at school, this was much better). Intensely loyal to his true family and not his biological one, Sirius confused everyone who did not know him well.
Indeed, Sirius Black was definitely more than meets the eye.
And, at the moment, Sirius Black was definitely bored.
"Y'know, Wormtail, it used to be alright when it was just Remus," he commented lazily. "But now that it's both Remus and James who've got authoritative duties, it's going to get really boring for us."
"Yeah," Peter agreed, "what's the Marauders without two of its four members?"
"You can say that again," replied Sirius. "Say, what is that you're doing?"
For Peter had been acting rather odd and fiddling with something in the corner of the compartment for the past quarter of an hour.
"Oh, this?" he asked. "It's just a project I really got into over the summer. I had a discussion with my Muggle Studies teacher, and we talked about-"
"Peter. I just want to know what it is."
"Okay," he said, looking put out, but held up his project anyway.
He had been whittling some wood.
"Peter...what are you doing?"
"I'm whittling, of course. The Boy Scouts of America learn how to do it. You can make some really neat stuff out of wood. Like I'm making a very pointy wooden spearhead right now, see?"
Sirius took a closer look. The wood was, in fact, very sharp at one end. Actually, it looked rather dangerous.
"Pete, you may want to put away the knife."
"Good idea," he said, and stowed the blade. "But don't you think this is really great?"
"Yeah...sure," replied Sirius, unsure of what to say. He glanced out the window, and his eyes widened in alarm. Turning back to Peter, he said, "Wormtail, you have to put that away."
"What? Why? I thought you liked it," said Peter, looking quite sad.
"Yeah, it's great and all, but we're about to hit that bump in the tracks."
"What bump?" asked Peter, very confused.
"Y'know, the bump we hit every year?"
"No, I have no idea what you're-"
The train hit the bump.
The wood was still being grasped tightly in Peter's hand, but it was right next to his thigh, and, as a result, his whittling project ended up impaled in his leg.
Sirius winced as Peter cried out in surprise and pain.
Quickly removing the piece of wood from Peter's leg, Sirius pulled out his wand and managed to stop the blood flow. However, he could not remember how to properly fix the wound. He swore under his breath.
"C'mon, Pete. We need to go find Prongs and Moony. One of them will know what to do."
Peter groaned. "Sirius, it's probably in a textbook here somewhere, I bet you could find the answer-"
"Relax, Wormtail. It's just a flesh wound. Up you go."
And with that, Sirius levitated Peter right out of the compartment.
:
Lily Evans was not pleased.
For the past six years she had been trying to become Head Girl. She'd been fantasizing about how glorious and honorable it would be, being the top student in the school, being in charge of everyone, save the teachers. And she'd been dreaming about what it would be like working with all the Prefects and the Head Boy. She'd expected the Head Boy to be highly intelligent but witty as well, and preferably not a nerd, but someone she could talk to about sophisticated topics.
Someone like Remus Lupin.
In fact, she'd always had Remus as a bit of an outlet for these such things, but they'd never gotten too close, because Remus, for some reason, felt an intense loyalty towards James Potter, whom she despised.
James Potter. Stupid, Quidditch-playing, pure blood Potter.
She mentally checked herself. What did blood have to do with it? Blood didn't matter at all; she, of all people, should know that...
But, of course, blood did matter. It was what caused her to struggle and attempt to achieve, it was what drove her to study and try to obtain a position of authority. Since she had arrived at Hogwarts, she'd always been treated a little differently just because she was Muggle-born. She felt like she had something to prove to everyone, like she had to prove that Muggle-borns were no worse than everyone else, that she could be just as good, even better, than all the pure bloods in the school.
Especially James Potter.
James Potter. Always ruining everything.
She shot him a sideways glance as she continued to give her little speech. He was sitting there, back straightened, alert, attentive, and even taking notes! Notes! She'd never seen him take notes! In fact, she'd previously been under the impression that he didn't know how to. But there he was, being the perfect Head Boy.
Perfect Head Boy. How was this happening? She'd never expected him to be made Head Boy, and when he had, she'd figured he wouldn't take it seriously at all. But, of course, the universe just loved to prove her wrong, didn't it? He was there, taking notes, he'd given a beautiful speech to the Prefects, he'd obviously prepared and rehearsed it, and it covered everything that they needed to know! It was almost as if he'd stolen her thunder, in a way, by giving such a wonderful speech that what she said barely mattered.
"...and I think that's it. Any questions?" Lily asked, concluding her speech. After scanning the room and waiting for a couple of seconds, she nodded and smiled. "Okay, then, you're all free to go. We should be at Hogwarts in about ten minutes. Have a great year."
There was great noise as all the Prefects vacated the room. She turned to see Potter putting his things into his book bag.
"Well done, Lily," he smiled at her. "I think they understand everything."
"Thank you, Potter," she replied, stiffly and reluctantly, without smiling. She began to pack her things, and noticed Remus approach them out of the corner of her eye.
"Great job, my friends," he greeted them warmly. "Very good, much better than the Head Boy and Girl for the past two years...they had no idea what they wanted to talk about." He rolled his eyes at the memory of their incompetence. "Anyway, Prongs, I think we'd better get back to the compartment, make sure Wormtail and Pads are alright, y'know that they're not dead or bleeding or anything."
Potter laughed. "That's a good point, Moony. We should really get going."
Just then, the door flew open, and Sirius Black entered the room with Peter Pettigrew in tow.
Oh, dear, thought Lily worriedly.
Potter laughed again, saying, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!" as Remus frowned and addressed Black.
"What's going on, Padfoot?"
"Well, Wormy here was carrying a sharp wooden object when we hit the bump in the tracks, and it got stabbed into his thigh."
Potter stopped laughing abruptly. "His eye? Did it fall out? Can he still see?"
"No, Prongs, his thigh," corrected Black.
"Oh, I see. Well, actually, I don't see. There's nothing in his thigh."
Black lifted Pettigrew's robe, displaying a nasty, bloody wound in the boy's leg. The three others recoiled at the sight.
"Pads! Why'd you bring him here?"
"I thought you or Moony would know the spell to heal this wound up! I forgot it!"
"I think it's in one of our textbooks, Padfoot, but I can't remember the exact one..." frowned Remus. "Do you know, Prongs?"
"Well, Moony, I don't remember it. Sorry, Wormtail, looks like you'll have to talk to the school nurse in a bit," said Potter.
Lily was getting so confused with all these nicknames. She'd lost track of who was who, and was starting to get a headache.
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs. It just continued to play over and over in her mind, and she couldn't think, couldn't focus on putting her things into her bag, couldn't do anything, if only they'd just shut up.
"STOP IT!" she screeched, and the four boys looked at her in surprise and horror.
"Stop it! I know the spell. Come here, Pettigrew," she demanded, but did not give him a chance to do so, striding towards him while pulling out her wand. She pointed it at his wound and muttered an incantation, and, suddenly, the wound was cleaned and sealed and Pettigrew was reenergized.
"Thank you," he breathed in relief. Lily nodded curtly and went back to packing her things.
"Sorry, Lily," Remus said, and James nodded. "I didn't realize we were bothering you."
"No, it's alright," she replied, calming down considerably. "It's just those nicknames were so confusing to me and you were all talking and I couldn't think at all. I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"Not at all," Remus smiled. "Well, if that's all, I guess we'll be going now-"
"Wait," she said suddenly. "What do those nicknames mean?"
The four boys suddenly started acting very suspicious. "Err..." began Potter, as Black whispered, "We'll just be leaving now, our stuff's in the compartment still. C'mon, Pete."
Pettigrew and Black exited the room, leaving it in an awkward silence.
"Well?" Lily prompted.
"Err...well, you see, Lily," said Potter, "they're just silly little names. Y'know, random things. They just sound nice. And we think that they...describe us, in a way."
Lily raised her eyebrows. There was something not right about this situation.
"Please, Lily," said Remus, and she turned to make eye contact. "Just accept that we can't tell you. James is telling the truth. Please just accept his explanation."
Slowly, grudgingly, Lily nodded. For Remus, she thought. As soon as they saw her nod, both boys breathed sighs of relief. "But, if you're not going to explain the names, at least tell me who is who," she added.
"Of course," said Remus. "And, besides, James did explain the names."
"Remus here is Moony, Peter is Wormtail, Sirius is Padfoot, and I am Prongs," rejoined Potter.
"Thank you," she said simply.
"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse us," said Potter, "business calls." And with that, he and Remus left the room.
Lily rolled her eyes and continued to pack up her things. As she did so, she thought about what they had said about the names. There was definitely more to it than they wanted to let on. She wondered what it was.
As she swung her bag over her shoulder, she vaguely comprehended that the train was slowing to a stop. She exited the compartment and saw that most students were already off the train. Still in a bit of a daze, she continued to try to figure out what the significance of the nicknames was, but could not come up with any plausible solutions.
Shaking her head, she walked towards one of the doors, thinking that she, the Head Girl, was somehow probably the last student on the train. As she exited the train and looked towards the castle, she decided that she would make it a point to find out, this year, exactly what those nicknames meant.
And that's the end of Chapter One!
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