Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
I know, I know, what am I doing, starting another story? But this has been on my mind for a LONG time. This might not be updated a lot…depending on whether or not you like it!
Summary: The Potters hire a new maid over the summer, to help out
around the house. She may be a little paranoid, a tad jumpy, and
quite a klutz, but she still gets the job done. She helps James with
his love life and grows quite close to him in the process. She shops
with Mrs. Potter and plays cards with Mr. Potter. Then, as suddenly
as she appears to them, she disappears. James has no idea what to do
about Lily anymore, without Audrey there to help. Worried about
what's going to happen, James heads back to school, only to find
Lily acting strange around him. He tries to figure out what's
bothering her, while trying to figure out his own life. Will he be
able to find Audrey to help him with Lily? Or does he even need her?
Rain. That's all James Potter could see as he looked out of his bedroom window, located on the second floor of the Potter mansion. He had been sitting on the window seat all day, brooding about how the girl of his dreams had turned him down on platform 9 ¾.
They had just ended their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. James had tried to make a really good impression on her that year, but she still thought he was arrogant and self centered. Yes, Lily Evans, the girl with flaming red hair and gorgeous green eyes thought he was "too in love with himself to have enough love for a girl." No joke. That was a direct quote.
James sighed, tracing his finger around her face, in the photograph she had given him. Ok, the photograph he had borrowed without her knowing. Oh, all right, it was the photograph he had stolen after she specifically told him not to ever go into her room or touch any of her stuff.
In the picture she was with her best friend, Keira Smith. They were both in their pajamas; short shorts and tank tops. It had been taken at a sleep over they'd had. James had of course cut out Keira and given her to Sirius. Sirius said he wanted it because she had a gorgeous body, but James could tell his best friend was completely in love with her. Sirius would never admit it, though. Otherwise it would ruin the reputation he had of being a player. He and James had shared the position of Top Players until James announced that he was giving up the title, to further show the love of his life how mature he was. Sirius said it was all a big mistake but took the title of Top Player, all to himself. Of course, as he said, he only did it for James. And that proved even more why he couldn't fall in love with one girl. He now had TWO reputations to keep up and balance out. Sure, James suddenly stopping the whole french–any–and–every–attractive–girl-seen thing would cause talk amongst the school. But, he had that kind of personality and power that made everyone still like and respect him anyway. Sirius did too, but if he was to suddenly drop out of the game as well, the Marauders in general would lose half of their reputation.
The Marauders consisted of four boys. James and Sirius, of course, and also Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. James was the leader, basically, and he and Sirius had been best friends since they could walk. They had met Remus and Peter the summer before their first year. Together, they had formed a pact to terrorize (and amuse) the school with pranks, up until their very last second there. At the time, they hadn't thought about the consequences, but all four immediately caught on how to make the teachers love them, be good at anything they did, make getting detention a good thing (and a competition to see who could get the most), and gain respect from the other students. Another talent they had mastered was to goof off in class, keep off homework until the period before the class it was due in, but still get excellent grades.
James was the rich kid. He had gorgeous messy black hair, adorable black framed glasses, and chocolate eyes you could get lost in. Or so most of the girls at Hogwarts said, anyway. His robes were always the blackest black, his brooms were always the newest model, and he always could afford to buy expensive presents for his girlfriends. Given, most of them were one night stands, but why quibble? He was also a Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Because of this, he had a great body and great muscles.
Sirius was also rich, but his family hated him, and he hated them. They were supporters of the Dark Side and all of them were in Slytherin, but he had gotten sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius had sleek black hair, which he always gelled forward and eyes like the deep blue sea. Even though he and his family hated each other, they always gave him lots of money, just so he would stay out of their way. He, therefore, always had new robes and could buy expensive presents. Sirius was a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and this gave him a great body and muscles, as well.
Remus Lupin was the most interesting of the bunch. He was smarter, and more into books. He came off as quiet sometimes and into his schoolwork, but those who knew him best knew that he was really quite cunning and devious. He was half blood, unlike the other three, who were all pureblood. Remus had been bitten by a werewolf when he was four, and had been afraid of telling anyone. Only his parents and Dumbledore knew, until the rest of the Marauders had dragged it out of him in first year. They hadn't abandoned him, like he'd been afraid they would do, and instead, became Animagi, to keep him company during the full moon. James was a white stag, Sirius was a big black dog, and Peter was a little rat. They had nicknames for each other, based on their animal form. James was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail, and Remus was Moony. Remus had sandy brown hair that fell into his eyes which were honey brown in color.
Peter had been the late bloomer. While the other three were full swing into liking girls and girls liking them back, he just didn't feel anything. Sure, he'd had the occasional crush, but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him. No girls had ever really paid attention to him and he was very self conscious because of his weight. Peter had always been a tiny bit overweight and he never had many friends. He always blamed it on being too fat and that made him self conscious, but he finally realized in the summer before third year, that he hadn't had very littlie friends because of being fat. He had had very little friends because he was so self conscious he was too afraid to act like the other kids, for fear of being laughed at. That summer, the Marauders had become his personal trainers, and worked off those extra bits of flesh where they weren't needed. Peter finally liked the way he looked and felt better about himself, so he stood up straighter and looked more confident. That year, he had been just as popular with the girls as his friends were. They loved his blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.
Yes, the Marauders were very interesting. They had even made a map, called the Marauders Map, which showed everyone and everything in Hogwarts, including where everyone was and passwords to secret corridors and passageways. James had gotten an Invisibility Cloak from his father on his twelfth birthday, and the Marauders used it all the times.
Now, about Lily Evans. James had had a crush on her ever since he set her hair on fire as a prank during a study hall in second year. Instead of jumping around like everyone else, trying to help her, the Marauders sat, watching. Well, Sirius, Remus, and Peter did. James had sat there with a dreamy expression on his face as he watched her being beaten with cloth and submerged in water. He then vowed, right then and there, that someday, she would be his. Unfortunately, as he found out when a sopping wet Lily slapped him hard on the face, it appeared that the way to a girl's heart was not setting her hair on fire because you thought it was a similar color. In fact, that got James way, way, WAY away from Lily's heart. She hated him, but he loved her. Enough said.
And now, let's go back to present times. Out in the rain, was a young woman, holding an umbrella over her head. She was standing across the street from the Potter mansion, gazing at the house. It was now or never. She pulled up her skirt and trudged through the puddles to the other side of the road. She approached the big oak door and raised her hand. This is where our story begins.