Title: Misdirected Energy (comes from an Emma Goldman quote "Crime is naught but misdirected energy.")

Pairings: The pairings are not the major part of this. I'm going to be focusing mainly on details and plot. Otherwise, there will be James/Lily, light Remus/Sirius bromance, one-sided Severus/Lily and Lily/Remus, and maybe later on some Longbottom love.

Warnings: Although I'm planning for this to be a very light story, there might be some violence later on. I'm putting the rating at T because I'm paranoid.

A/N: So this was the result of a combination of things I don't really have the space to mention. Just know that this is being written purely for fun and to try my hand at something different.

I haven't gotten this fic planned out much, so I need anyone who has a good idea to put it in either a PM or review. For example, I still don't know if this AU is going to have magic or no magic. That's kind of important, wouldn't you say? Please offer up any ideas you may have!

So, yeah. Enjoy!

Misdirected Energy

Chapter One

Lily would not admit it. She refused to. She was a proud woman, a smart woman. The kind of woman who did not get lost.

As she turned another corner and noted with alarm that the sun was creeping rapidly past the point it had been at noon, a flash of panic swept over her. Nothing seemed familiar, and the number of ramshackle housing developments was increasing. She was a long way from her safe, posh neighborhood just outside the city. Who could have predicted that a day out with friends would end with her wandering aimlessly downtown… way downtown.

Steeling her nerves, Lily resolved to ask the next (safe-looking) person she saw for directions. Unfortunately, the streets were relatively empty, and the people she did pass were not the business suit-clad men or grandmothers with fluffy dogs she was used to.

A flashing light caught her eye and she paused to see what it was. A bright neon sign with orange and green tubules of light spelled out "Café Patronus". The windows were tinted but not boarded up like so many other shops she had seen, and the door was still on both its hinges. It looked safe enough to stop and ask for directions. She stepped up to the door and knocked.

Less than a second later, the door creaked open loudly. Lily jumped back and peered into the dimly lit building. It reeked faintly of mildew and old coffee.

"Hello?" She called. A young man, of stocky build, opened the door wider and ushered her in. His sandy hair stuck out in frizzy tufts and his two front teeth poked out from under a greasy lip.

"Right this way," he squeaked. Actually squeaked. Everything about him reminded Lily of a rat.

"Uh… thanks," she said hesitantly. "But really, I just need some directions. I'm a little lost—"

She stopped abruptly. She was walking into a strange café and the only person she had met so far didn't exactly scream "friendly".

"Uh, I mean, my friends are waiting for me down the street, and we need to know how to get back uptown."

The man smiled crookedly, revealing more yellowed teeth. "Yeah, I guess James can help you."

Lily followed the ratty man down a short hallway and into a room on the left. Unlike the hallway, it was brightly lit, and it looked very much like the coffee shop Lily went to in her neighborhood, with a few minor differences. Two young men, both with dark hair, occupied the room. One of them was sitting behind a counter, studying a switchblade carefully. The other was leaning against a doorframe that probably led to a back room. He had his eyes closed but there was a grin on his face.

The man who was sitting down looked up when they walked in. When his eyes fell on Lily, his whole demeanor lit up.

"Alright, Wormy, you got us a customer!" the blade disappeared so fast Lily wasn't sure where it had gone, and suddenly the man was striding across the creaky floorboards with his hand outstretched. "What can we do for you, miss? Tea? Coffee? We've got a nice batch of scones made up just this morning!"

Lily tentatively shook his hand. "Uh, no thanks, I just need some directions."

"She's lost," the ratty man chimed in.

The man studied her for a bit, and she stared boldly back at him. He was very nice-looking, she had to admit. Tall, broad shoulders, but lean. Dark hair and eyes, hidden behind square glasses. Nothing overtly suspicious about him, unlike the ratty guy.

Then again, she reminded herself, this guy had a knife somewhere on his person.

"Did you come with someone?" He asked suddenly, peeking around her as if expecting someone to jump out suddenly.

"Uh, yeah," she lied. "My friends are down the road a bit waiting for me to come back. With the directions."

The man nodded as if he had already known that. Lily felt a little offended at his smugness.

"Okay, directions, sure. Where to?"

"Uptown."

"Not in Kansas anymore, eh, Dorothy?"

A barking laugh came from the man in the doorway. He had the same dark hair as James, but his eyes were a softer color, even if they held the same amount of mischief. He was dressed in a long dark trench coat. Lily decided that if she were to be wary of anyone, it would have to be him.

A lightbulb went off in her head somewhere and a chill went through her spine. Rundown café, ratty guy, switchblade, trench coat.

"Oh my god, is this like a gang?"

All three men looked at her in surprise, but their reactions varied after that. The trench coat guy let out another barking laugh, the ratty guy inched a little farther away from her, but the knife guy just grinned. He looked a little too excited.

"Really?" He asked. "Do we really look like a gang to you?"

Lily looked around at the bare walls and sparse furnishings. Someone had obviously tried to make it friendly and inviting—there were floral tablecloths and candlesticks and everything—and it almost seemed warm and cozy, not intimidating. Plus as weird as these guys were, they didn't seem very dangerous.

"No offense, but your hideouts not very good. And you're only three people."

"Four," the knife guy said proudly, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. "Moony's in the back."

"Who?" Lily felt her stomach turn. Another weird guy was all she needed.

Trench coat guy looked up at her and grinned. "I'll go get him!"

He ran to the back room and called "Moony!" once before turning back and holding one finger up.

"One moment," he said before disappearing into the back room.

Lily looked back at the knife guy. "All I need is directions, really. I don't even know you guys."

Knife guy blinked at her in surprise. "Oh, I forgot. Um, okay, introductions. I'm James. That's Peter." He pointed to the ratty guy then motioned to the back room. "Sirius was the guy who just ran back there to get Remus. And you are…?"

Lily sighed. She really shouldn't give out her name to strangers, but maybe her first name wouldn't hurt. "Lily."

Knife guy—James, she corrected herself—looked pleased. "That's a really pretty name. Lily." He said, as if trying it out. "Awesome!"

"Er, thanks. Now… I really should be getting those directions…" She was still a little embarrassed about what she had said earlier, even if James seemed to have already forgotten about it.

"Yeah, Moony's coming right now." At Lily's confused expression, he added, "That's what we call Remus for… various reasons. Oh, and when you see him can you not say anything about… well…" He made a vague gesture towards his face and Lily was about to ask what that meant when she heard the shuffling of feet coming from the back room and two figures emerged. One of them was trench coat guy—Sirius—and the other was a young man in raggedy clothes. He was looking at Sirius with a frustrated expression.

"I was right in the middle of a good book, Sirius, what is this all about?" He shook his head a little and turned to face the room. When he saw Lily, he smiled kindly, and Lily suddenly knew who was responsible for the warm decorations. "Hello, who is this?"

He stepped a little further into the light and Lily stifled a gasp. The man, Remus she assumed, still had the kind smile on his face, but that wasn't all. Dozens of scars littered his face, some of them deeper than others. They seemed old—most were simply a silvery sheen across a cheekbone or eyebrow—but there were so many.

He walked to where Lily stood with James and held out his hand. As Lily reached to take it, she noted that there were small scars running down his hand and cut into his fingers as well. When she met his eyes, she saw a small furrow of brows but his features were still kind, even if his dark brown eyes held just a little hint of sorrow.

"I'm Remus Lupin, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope these men haven't been too callous; sometimes I find they are utterly hopeless in situations that require patience." He shook his head at James, who had begun to pout. "They're very nice, mind you, once you get to know them."

Lily smiled back at him. "I'm Lily. Nice to meet you too." She realized she was still grasping his hand and pulled away quickly.

James cleared his throat a little too loudly and everyone looked at him, though Lily thought she saw Remus and Sirius roll their eyes at each other. "Remus, this young lady needs some directions. Thought you could help her since, you know, you're smart and stuff."

Remus hid a smile behind his hand. "Thank you for noticing, James. I'm glad you've finally noticed that my talents stretch beyond pastry making."

Sirius frowned and moved closer to him. "Oh, but Remus, your scones are wonderful. It would be a shame to ever let you out of the kitchen, even if all you do in there is read."

Remus laughed and Lily thought she saw the hints of a blush. "Thank you Sirius." He patted the man's head like one would to a dog and turned to Lily. "Now, where did you say you were from?"

Lily, who had been watching the exchange curiously, shook her head. "I didn't. Um, Spinner's End. Just outside the city?"

The three men looked at her, their eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wow," Sirius piped up. "You are a little far from Kansas."

"Yeah, I got lost after my friends got on the wrong bus."

She realized her mistake a little too late. James was already narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"So… you're friends aren't really waiting for you?"

Remus swatted at his arm. "Give the poor thing a break. She was lost in a bad part of town." He turned to Lily and smiled. "I would have done the same thing. How about some tea while I get you those directions?"

Lily found herself liking Remus more and more. "That sounds great."

Peter, who had been keeping his distance up until that point, led her to a table. It was made out of old wood, and the chair creaked when Lily sat in it, but it was comfortable nonetheless. When she had set her bag down on the tablecloth, she looked back at the men. Sirius was behind the counter pouring some tea, and Remus was next to him scribbling something down on a pad of paper. Peter had disappeared, probably into the back room. James was still in the center of the room, watching her with curiosity in his gaze. Lily found herself fidgeting with the tablecloth but she met his gaze proudly.

"So…" She started. "This is a pretty nice café."

James's laugh was deep and rumbling. He edged a little closer to the table and sat down in the chair opposite her. He looked like he was about to say something but Sirius beat him to it.

"I wanted to open a pub but Moony wouldn't let me." Sirius got a dreamy look in his eye and leaned against the counter, resting his head in one hand. "I would have called it the Marauders Pub. Anyways, James was the one who suggested this."

James's cheekbones got a hint of color to them. "Y-Yeah. Not much of a gang hideout, eh? But something's gotta pay the bills, and you know what they say about crime."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Crime doesn't pay?"

"Exactly!" James grinned cheekily.

"But… why a café? And why here?"

"Um… long story as to how we all met. Kinda weird. But I guess we all just like coffee, and in cafés you meet a lot of cool people." He paused and gave her a meaningful look. "Believe it or not, we do get a lot of business here. It's sort of one of those artsy-farts communities that hates capitalism and stuff, so an independently-owned coffee shop is pretty welcome here. And besides, Moony does make killer scones."

Sirius ambled over to the table and set down a cup of tea and a plate of scones. Lily could have sworn he winked at her but he was gone the next second.

"I'll take you word for it," she said, but curiosity won out in the end and she took one. It was good, but she felt a little awkward eating under James's scrutiny. She was filled with relief when Remus came over with the directions.

"I think these are pretty thorough, but you might want to catch a bus once you get farther uptown. It's a long walk."

Lily accepted the sheet of paper gratefully and slipped it into her bag. She was about to thank them when realization hit her. "I… I don't have any money. I left my wallet with my friend."

She put her hand to her forehead and sighed. Now she couldn't even pay them for the tea, never mind the bus fare.

A clattering noise caught her attention and she looked up to see James placing a large number of coins on the table.

"Is that enough for the bus?"

Lily made a quick calculation in her head and nodded.

"But… the tea. I won't be able to pay for it."

James shrugged and grinned. "You'll just have to come back sometime."

Remus sighed and nodded. "We would love to see you again, you're excellent company. But you'd better hurry, it will be dark soon and I don't think you want to ride the bus in the dark."

Lily smiled and took his hands. He looked a little surprised by the gesture but smiled back at her anyway. "Thank you Remus. Thanks, James. I'll definitely come back, I won't forget this!"

She hurried to the door and waved to Sirius, who waved back. She was about to leave when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned around and saw James. He looked strangely smug, even in the dark light of the hallway.

"You're kind of a strange girl, you know, Evans?"

Lily opened her mouth in shock. "How did you—"

He pointed down at her bag where her full name was embroidered in curly script. She scowled.

"You're pretty strange yourself."

She was out the door in a flash, only just restraining the urge to slam it. She barely heard his reply.

"That's what I like to hear."

End Chapter One

A/N: James you're so creepy!