Maraudering Around – A TeenWitch Exclusive
Summary: Fresh out of Hogwarts, Lily Evans needs money to finance her tertiary studies, so she gets a gig as the junior reporter for TeenWitch Magazine. Of course, she gets paid peanuts for writing 2000 word articles about dragon skin clutch purses, until a high paying assignment comes to the surface. Will she take it? It does come with some rather heavy and irritating baggage…
Disclaimer: Quelle surprise! It all belongs to the lovely J.K Rowling.
A/N: Yay! My first POV story! Yeah, well anyway, I just wanted to let you know that this fic could get rather silly. The Marauders as a band, yeah I know, it's not particularly original, but I wanted to do it anyway. I'll be including songs from my favourite bands in this and passing it of as the music of the Marauders, so yeah, I like good music, so it shouldn't be too bad.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO READ IT, SO DON'T READ IT IF YOU REALLY HATE IT!
As a human being, I don't particularly like abuse. So no exceptionally nasty reviews please. FLAMERS CAN GO FALL OF A ROCK as far as I am concerned. Constructive criticism, however, is welcomed with open, open arms.
Chapter 1 – My Big Break?
Lily
All right. I know that I shouldn't complain. And I know that I am a very fortunate young woman to have this job, but please won't somebody give me a break?
Okay Lily, take a deep breath. Calm down. Don't want to sound whiny and ungrateful. Big smile. Another deep breath. Compose yourself.
"Lily, are you okay? Is there something wrong? Don't you feel well? …Lily?"
Oh dear, what will I do? My fake façade has finally been uncovered! Yet another deep breath, Lily. Smile now, yes that's a good girl.
"Oh yes! Sorry Claire! I must have lost focus for a second there!"
"That's alright! You're not over tired are you? I hope that we haven't been pushing you too hard?"
Yes, good work Lily. She doesn't suspect the truth.
"Oh no Claire, not at all. I'm enjoying this job immensely! I hope that you liked my last article?"
"Oh yes Lily. The editor was very impressed, especially. He even suggested a follow up article, maybe about coin purses this time?"
Oh dear. Another bloody boring article about bloody purses made of bloody dragon's hide. Resist the urge to scream, resist the urge to scream, resist it, resist!
Okay, I have to be honest with you. When I accepted this job, I was aware that I would not be given article topics that required very much journalistic integrity, however, I didn't really expect that I would be churning out pathetic slop about how applying Moon Calf milk to your face reduces the chances of severe acne outbreaks, on a daily basis. I have to admit, though. This job at TeenWitch certainly beats mopping the floors at the Leaky Cauldron…
Lucky Chhaya. I mean, I know that she doesn't get paid as much as I do, but who wouldn't want to work at Florean Fortescues's ice-cream parlour? That would be my ideal job. Yum. I could go a cone of Pepper Imp Paradise. Right. This. Second. Oh. Whoops. I forgot I was still in conversation with Claire.
"Wow! Did he really say that? I'll get onto it right away!"
"That's great Lily! I think we've a got a enough room for about a 2000 word-er. See how you go."
"Okay. Thanks Claire." Yeah, thanks a lot, Claire.
"A Pleasure, Lily. Oh! I just remembered! It's cheque day today, isn't it?"
"Yes. Actually it is." Ah glorious money!
"Well, I'll have it ready soon. Don't forget to drop by my office and pick it up, will you!"
"I won't. See you later." When I come to collect my fabulous cheque!
"Bye Lily!"
Okay, so I lied. My cheque isn't that fabulous. A measly 5 galleons, actually. I'm practically exploited. I am exploited! Still, I do get an extra 5 galleons every time something of mine is published in the magazine, even if it is only a 2000 word piece on dragon skin coin purses. And it's all going towards a brilliant cause. My Healer training! Ah! I can't wait to start. I just have to build up a big enough Gringotts account to fund it. At that rate I'm currently going, I'll be living on potatoes and cheese for the rest of my natural life. Mum and Dad can't really be of much assistance, they're still paying off my Hogwarts fees. And they're got Miss Priss' wedding to organise. Bloody Petunia. I swear that she planned to get engaged around this time just to spite me. She probably blackmailed the poor sod into asking for her hand. I'm only joking, of course. Vernon might love Petunia very much. I wouldn't know. I wouldn't particularly care either. Maybe he really does love her enough to marry her and let that nasty hag have his children? Although by the looks of Vernon what's-his-name, even intelligence challenged Petunia is able to run rings around him, so blackmailing him wouldn't be all that difficult.
I can't believe that that enormous, purple blob will soon be a relation of mine, even if only by marriage. He'll be my brother in law. It'll be hard to think of him as part of the family. It's hard enough to believe that I'm actually a blood relation of Petunia's as it is. Petunia gets her…er…personality and er…facial features, from Dad's Aunt Beatrice. Nasty old bat. She's long gone now, of course. Thank goodness. Yes I am quite aware of the fact that I am evil and disrespectful of the dead. Trust me. If you had known this woman, you would understand my feelings completely. Of course, my dear sister Petunia got on famously with dear old Great Aunt Beatrice and was the only person who cried at her funeral.
You see, I've always wanted a brother, and now Petunia's going to spoil it by giving me that prune. I may just be becoming paranoid in my young age, but I swear that Petunia does everything she possibly can to ruin any happiness I may have in my life. There I go. Being all whiny again. Just ignore me. My absent-minded rambling is purely my way of procrastination. I really don't want to write this article, okay? Why don't you do it if it's so important!
Maybe some music will help. Ah! How I love the WWN! Wizard music is so much better than muggle 'music'. Ooh! This song sounds good! Actually, the voice of the lead singer is strangely familiar…
Escape is on your mind again How will you go I fell over on the couch again How will you go And you know I'll be fine How will you go
Escape to a far away land
At times it seems there is no end
To long hard nights of drinking
How will you go
Fly through the wind and the rain
Cover it up
Cover it up
I'll find you a shelter to sleep in
But you know not all sleep is wasted
Your dreams are alcohol inspired
You can't find a better way to face it
How will you go
Fly through the wind and the rain
Cover it up
Cover it up
I'll find you a shelter to sleep in
Just don't ask me how it's going
Gimme time, gimme time
Cos I want you to see
Round the world round the world
Is a tangled up necklace of pearls
How will you go
Fly through the wind and the rain
Cover it up
Cover it up
I'll find you a shelter to sleep in
"That was WWN's Hot New Band of the Month competition winner, The Marauders, with their hit new song How Will You Go."
Ah ha! I knew that that voice was familiar! It was Remus! I remember hearing him sing one night while I was waiting for him to finish having a bath. It was just like one of the Marauders to hog the Prefect's bathroom when you desperately needed a nice, long, relaxing, bubble bath. Still, Remus wasn't half as bad as the rest of that unruly band of pranksters. At least he possessed a quality that was somewhat similar to a conscience. The other three 'Marauders' were complete morons. Anyway, I was waiting outside the door for the person inside to finish, when I heard them start to sing. Remus had a really good voice. It's clear, but also has a haunting quality about it that makes you think that he might have had horrors in his life that have left him permanently mentally and perhaps physically scarred. I could hear him really well, even though the door to the bathroom was locked. The Prefect's bathroom has excellent acoustics. I remembered the cute way he had blushed when he had opened the door to find me on the other side. He had asked me, embarrassed, if I had heard any strange noises coming from inside the bathroom and I had told him that no, I hadn't heard any strange noises, only great singing. He had blushed even more then, as red as a ripe tomato, and begged me not to tell anyone. I had promised not to tell a soul, but has assured him that that the obvious talent he possessed shouldn't go to waste. And from what I've just heard on WWN, his talent isn't being wasted at all.
A/N: There's the first chapter. Review if you feel like it. Remus' voice is similar to Chris Martin's, the lead singer of Colplay, in case you were wondering. Anyway, more importantly, the song used in this chapter is:
How Will You Go
Written By Neil Finn & Tim Finn
from Crowded House's album Woodface.