INTO THE STORM
Marauders & Friends 5th Year
by SuspiciousDelicious
Chapter One: Welcome Home
Author's Note: Hello, hellooooo new comers and all fans Harry Potter! First I need to do my disclaimer and say that I do NOT own anything related to directly connected with Harry Potter. That is all J.K. Rowling and her brilliant mind. I do own a select few characters in THIS story, none of which are in the HP books themselves. This entire story is based on my own delusional, twisted imagination gone rampant. Please throw rocks in the form of reviews. Also, I encourage constructive criticism, so please feel free to let me know how shameful my writing is. I dig the feedback. ENJOY!
The whistle blew loudly, piercing the already electric atmosphere, beckoning the young witches and wizards to board the gleaming, scarlet Hogwarts Express. The students returning for another year were running into friends and biding their families fair well as they returned to another year of magical instruction.
One fifth-year student, a pretty young woman with long, shiny red hair and almond shaped eyes, stood on her tip-toes as her eyes scanned the crowds for her friends. It took her only a moment to see the group huddled near the back of the platform. She made a beeline for them. She could see the back of her best friend's head as she approached the family, and couldn't stop the grin from spreading on her face. Oh, how she had missed her best friend.
"Sharron!" she called out.
The pretty brunette girl turned at the sound of her name, and also broke out into a face-splitting smile. "Lily!" she exclaimed, launching herself at her oldest and closest friend. They locked into a tight embrace, giggling and fawning over one another.
"You two act like you haven't seen each other in years," a man's voice commented, making them both look up. The moment they did, the young man who addressed them ruffled both of their heads with his big hands.
"Quit it, Ivan," Sharron complained at her older brother as she and Lily immediately began to flatten their hair back down.
He chuckled, revealing a smile that was almost identical to his younger sister's. "Aw, who are you two trying to look good for?" he chided, glancing around. "Is that 'Black' and 'Porter' around here somewhere?"
Sharron gave her brother a dead-panned look. "It's Potter," she corrected him. "And no, I can assure you that we don't want to look good for anyone but ourselves."
"That's right," Sharron's mother chimed in, giving her son a reprimanding look. She was a beautiful woman, with long straight brown hair, blue-green eyes and full lips. You could clearly see where Sharron got her looks from. She turned to her daughter and her best friend. "You two keep that attitude about you. Don't let any man tell you what you can and cannot do, or say, or think,"
"Unless you're married to him," Sharron's father added with a wink. That comment received an elbow from his lovely wife.
Mrs. Maxwell pulled Sharron and Lily into a tight embrace. "You girls be safe," she whispered to both of them. Her voice was thick with emotion and the worry she was trying to hide. The wizarding world was in the middle of trying times, with the threat of war looming over them. There was safety in numbers, which explained why the platform seemed so overly-crowded. Parents weren't willing to let their children go unless they were absolutely positive it was safe.
"We will, mum," Sharron promised as she hugged her back.
"Don't let boys push you around,"
"Of course not," Lily agreed with a laugh.
"And eat your vegetables, Sharron,"
"Mum," Sharron whined. "I know,"
"Good," Mrs. Maxwell said, letting them both go. "Study hard and don't forget to write when you make it to the castle,"
"I won't forget, mum," Sharron said impatiently.
Her mother turned to Lily. "Don't let her forget, Lily,"
Lily smiled and nodded. "I'll drag her up to the owlery myself if I have to,"
Next was Sharron's father, a very tall, good-looking man with a scruffy beard and a kind smile. He stepped up to the girls and also pulled them into a rib-crushing hug. "You girls look after one another. Your brothers aren't going to be around to look after you anymore,"
"Who says I need looking after?" Sharron demanded defiantly.
Mr. Maxwell laughed a deep, booming laugh and held a hand to his youngest child's face. "That's my girl,"
The whistle blew again, warning them all to board, or be left behind. Suddenly, there was a mad scramble among everyone to say their last goodbyes and load up.
Sharron made one last round, hugging both her parents again, and finally her brother and his wife. She felt sad that her other two brothers weren't able to see her off as well, but they were tied up at the Ministry, and had been keeping long, grueling hours for the last several months. Her father had managed to get away from his work, insisting that he would be there to safely see his daughter to school.
Lily grabbed onto Sharron's covered owl cage with one hand and latched onto Sharron's hand with the other, and began dragging her along as she waved goodbye to her family again. Sharron had always been emotional when it came to goodbyes, no matter how long they would be apart.
"Tell Chris and Talan I'll write them!" she called back to her parents who nodded.
"Don't forget to jinx the Slytherins!" Ivan bellowed loudly. His mother promptly smacked the back of his head.
"STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!" Mrs. Maxwell yelled louder.
"C'mon, Sharron," Lily urged. "We have to find Charlotte before all the compartments get full,"
They filed in line with the throng of students boarding the train, and made their way along the corridor, speeding past groups of reuniting friends and lost-looking first years until they found an empty train compartment near the back of the train.
Lily collapsed into a chair and sighed contently. "I can't wait to be back at Hogwarts,"
"I know," Sharron agreed as she peaked under the hood of her owl cage. Her white and tan barn owl slept peacefully under it's dark cover. "I feel like it's been such a long summer,"
"Speaking of which, how was Greece?" Lily inquired.
A blissful smile graced Sharron's lips. "It was wonderful. I've never seen water so blue. I could have lived in the ocean,"
Lily laughed. "Okay, but what did you bring me?"
"I see where your priorities are, Lily Evans," she drawled slowly. "But you'll have to wait until Charlotte gets here so I can give her her present too."
"Well I'm going to go find her," Lily insisted, jumping out of her seat. She slid the door to their compartment open, and froze when she saw a short girl with a head full of unruly strawberry-blonde curls, large blue eyes and a crooked grin.
"CHARLOTTE!" both girls squealed, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Sharron, Lily," she cried happily, hugging them back. The three of them had been the closest of friends ever since their very first week at Hogwarts, and had been inseparable ever since. They were some of the brightest witches in their class, and also some of the prettiest.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," Charlotte said as she settled into a seat. As she spoke, her two friends noticed that her Irish accent was thicker than usual.
"How's your family in Ireland?" Lily asked.
"They're good," she said with a smile. "My grandmother cooked non-stop. She wouldn't let me skip a single meal, or leave the table until my food was gone. I think I gained at least 15 pounds,"
"You don't look any worse for ware," Sharron assured her with a beaming smile.
"Sharron brought us presents from Greece," Lily cut through their conversation quickly.
"Lily," Sharron complained while Charlotte's blue eyes lit up like Christmas trees.
"Really?" Charlotte asked curiously. "What is it?"
"You couldn't even wait until the train started moving," Sharron complained at Lily, who just grinned sheepishly. As if on cue, the Hogwarts Express jolted forward and started to inch it's way up to speed.
"Well there you go," Lily said. "We're moving. So come out with it,"
"Don't be so greedy," Sharron chastised.
"Don't be so stingy," Lily countered.
"I'm not being either, so can I have my present?" Charlotte inquired.
Sharron crossed her arms tightly across her chest and squinted at Lily. "Maybe I should wait until you have your prefect meeting,"
"Don't be mean!" Lily admonished. "Just give me my present! I'll buy you chocolate when the trolley comes around,"
A smile threatened to break Sharron's resolve, and with a little egging from her friends, she relented with a smile and began digging through her chest. "I found these in a little shop right on the edge of the water. You could literally go shopping inside, walk outside, then jump over the ledge and be in the water,"
"I'm so jealous," Charlotte crooned. "I was no where near the beach. We have lots of sheep, though."
Lily laughed while Sharron finally managed to find what she was looking for. She pulled out a little velvet drawstring bag, in a deep purple color. The sight of it alone caught the other two girls' attention.
"Ooooooh," Charlotte whispered.
"Here," Sharron began, opening the bag and pulling out two smaller drawstring velvet pouches. She handed the green one to Lily and the brilliant blue one to Charlotte.
With excited eyes, both girls opened their present and pulled out a pair of beautiful dangle earrings made of intricately twisting black metal. The ends of the earring held an opaque miniature looking crystal ball with swirling white smoke inside.
"Oh, they're beautiful, Sharron," Lily whispered, holding hers up to the light.
"They change when you're in the midst of magic," Sharron explained. "The lighter it gets, the more powerful the magic. But it also warns against Dark Magic, too. It turns black when you're close to someone using it."
"That's amazing!" Charlotte said in awe. "Thank you so much, Sharron!"
Sharron smiled, seeing her friend's happiness. "You're welcome,"
"I'll wear them right now," Lily decided, pulling the studs in the ears out and sliding the news one in place. "How do they look?"
"They look so nice on you," said Charlotte with a beaming smile.
"And they'll go with any outfit because it changes color," Sharron added.
"They're wonderful," Lily agreed.
"And they look absolutely stunning on you, Evans," a deep male's voice stated, making all three girls jump. The open compartment door now framed none other than James Potter. He seemed to be much taller than he was just months ago, and his hair was as unruly as ever.
A look of great annoyance crossed Lily's face, and she closed her eyes as if to keep from losing her mental state of mind. "Go away, Potter." she growled.
"It's lovely to see you too," he greeted cheerfully, not deterred by her unwillingness to see or deal with him. He sauntered into the compartment and fell into place next to Charlotte. "Alright McNally? Maxwell?"
"We're good," Charlotte answered. "How are you James?"
"I'm fantastic, Charlie, thanks for asking," he replied with a bright smile. "How was your holiday?"
"I went to see my family in Ireland and Sharron went to Greece for two weeks," Charlotte relayed easily.
James leaned forward to look at Lily. "And what did you do with your holiday, Evans?" he asked curiously.
"I planned ways to kill you in your sleep, Potter," she said sarcastically.
"If you want to get in bed with me, all you have to do is ask,"
Sharron rolled her eyes while Lily tried to burn holes in his head with her eyes. "C'mon, James, don't piss her off before she has to go on her rounds," she said, defending her best friend.
When it came down to it, Lily was the only one who outright couldn't stand James. He had always been bad at flirting, and while it somehow managed to work with a lot of the female population in Hogwarts, it never made Lily bat an eye. She was disgusted by his attempts to be suave, and even more irritable by how persistent he was. Nothing she said seemed to discourage him from trying to ravish her, and no amount of jinx sent his way made him dislike her any less. In fact, the worse his injuries, more he seemed to fall for her. James was exponentially good at getting under her skin. And it certainly didn't help that as fifth year Gryffindors, they all had the same classes together. So for Lily, there was no escape, apart from meal times and studying.
Sharron and Charlotte didn't mind him so much because he was funny, and could always manage to turn the most boring lectures into a fun time. He was charismatic and charming, albeit in his own way. In Sharron's eye, she respected him because they both had a mutual dislike for Lily's other best friend, Severus Snape. Sharron had never understood why she was so close to Snape, or why she even liked him, but when Lily said that he was dear to her, that he had helped her through a tough time in her life before she had even met her, she tried not to question it. Lily was a smart girl, and was very capable of taking care of herself. Sharron trusted her judgment, not matter now skewed it looked from her own eyes. And she couldn't really blame Lily for disliking James' attempts to woo her because she had her very own issue with a certain Sirius Black.
Whom she was willing to bet was about to show up any moment now. Where one was, the other would follow. That much she knew for sure.
"Have you heard who made Head Boy and Head Girl this year?" Charlotte asked them all.
"I heard Penny Fowler is Head Girl, and that insufferable prat Todd Jenkins landed Head Boy," James snorted.
Lily gave him an disapproving look. "He's really nice," she told him, as if it were a fact in life, and not an opinion.
"He's a brown-noser and he's terrible at Quidditch." he said just as firmly.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Well if he's bad at Quidditch, why don't we just send him to the gallows?" she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
James beamed at her. "I'm so glad we can see eye to eye, my beautiful Lily flower,"
Her hands clenched into fists. "DON'T call me that." she hissed.
"Hello, my fellow Gryffindors!" another voice announced itself at the door. They looked up and saw another tall young man. He also appeared to have grown over the summer, along with his hair, that draped around his handsome, defined face like a dark halo. Gray eyes and a brilliant, trademark smile that made most of the girls swoon in his wake. "Who's ready for mischief?!"
"Where'd you run to Padfoot?" James asked his best mate. "I thought I lost you,"
Sirius Black shrugged. "Had to break the news to Amelia," he said somberly. "You know, summer romances never really last long."
Sharron turned to look pointedly out of the window, praying that he wouldn't notice her sitting there, minding her own business. Usually, it was just hopeful thinking, but a girl could dream, right?
"But enough about her," he said, sliding directly over to Sharron. "How was your summer, beautiful?"
She turned her head and offered him a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes or the tone in her voice. "It was wonderful, because I didn't have to see you for three months,"
Sirius fell into the chair next to her, pretending to have been shot through the heart with something. "Oh, you wound me, Sharron," he whimpered dramatically.
"Oh darn, you mean I missed the main artery?"
"Remus! Peter!" Charlotte squeaked happily as the rest of the Marauder's filed inside the compartment.
They all seemed to be growing like weeds, although Peter was still the shortest and pudgiest of the bunch. They looked happy though. Remus still looked a tad bit pale and peaky, but he had a resounding grin on his face that lit up the room.
"Hello Lily, Charlotte, Sharron," he greeted him. "You all look well,"
All three girls returned hellos with him and Peter, who simply leaned around Remus' shoulder and waved. They all liked Remus. He was always the voice of reason within the group of pranksters, and always the one who seemed to be the most level-headed. He was smart and kind and spoke to the girls with nothing but kindness and respect and for that, they all adored him. He was a good friend to all of them.
"So should we start planning the mayhem, boys?" Sirius asked his mates. "We have a long year ahead of us, and no one else is going to do what we do."
"At least, not with the same finesse," James agreed.
"Not around me," Lily said, standing up. "I'm a prefect. I don't want to hear any of the plotting or pranking or whatever you have in store."
"Aw, don't be like that Lily flower," James attempted to console her, and found himself on the receiving end of a very nasty look.
"DON'T. CALL. ME. THAT." She growled.
"You're not going to report us, are you?" Peter squeaked, looking nervously at Lily. She cast the same glare in his direction and he flinched.
"She wouldn't do that," Sirius said boldly. "She wants Gryffindor to win the cup just as much as the rest of us do,"
"I wouldn't tempt her if I were you," Sharron murmured. "James gets her riled up and there's no telling what Hurricane Lily will do,"
James over at Lily imploringly. "She's not a hurricane, she's more like a symphony of angels bursting from the heavens and lifting my spirit to the glory land,"
Lily just gaped at him, looking caught between disgust and astonishment. "I'm going to the prefect meeting." she decided, getting to her feet.
James lept to his feet as well. "Let me accompany you so none of those idiot Slytherins can get to you," he offered quickly.
"Don't bother." she snapped, moving past him. "I don't need protecting, Potter."
Remus got to his feet and gave James an apologetic look. "Sorry mate," he said patting him on the shoulder. "I'll look after her, don't worry."
"Don't let Lily hear you say that or you'll get some of that famous temper, Remus," Charlotte suggested to him before he disappeared after Lily.
Sharron already missed her friend. While Lily was gone, who was going to defend her from the likes of Black? Who was going to help her knock down the enormous ego that was the Marauders? She prayed that the meeting and rounds wouldn't last too long. Otherwise, she'd be dispelled for throwing a certain someone out of the train window.
"So did you all hear about the new security implements they're adding to the castle?" Charlotte asked them all.
Sharron was glad for the change in subject. At least that meant Sirius wouldn't be throwing his unwanted attention at her. "My dad said they've tripled the amount of protection spells," she said.
"With Dumbledore there, no one would be brave enough to even try to enter the castle," James decided.
"You say that, but there's a lot of stupid people waiting to see him fall," Sirius grumbled darkly.
"That's scary," Peter mumbled unhappily. "You don't think anyone would try to hurt us, do you?"
"I think the wrong people would try to bring harm to right people in any way they can possible," Sharron said quietly. A heavy silence followed. "You know, they reinstated the department of Aurors recently at the Ministry. They've already recruited loads of people."
"Aurors?" Charlotte repeated in question.
"They were the wizards and witches that fought against the Dark Magic users in the first Great Wizard War," Sharron explained. "They have to go through special training to become one. Chris said it was very hard and rigorous,"
"What kind of training?" James asked.
Sharron shrugged. "I dunno, he said he couldn't tell me exactly what they were doing, but he did said he's learning all sorts of new powerful spells in case something serious happens."
"I hope it never gets that bad," Charlotte said feverishly.
The war that had been threatening to spill over the dams of peacefulness in the wizarding world was something that everyone was worried about. Parents didn't want their kids to worry, so they tired to keep quiet, but they couldn't shut them out completely. It was hard to explain to children that people would start dying, people that they knew, probably. They wanted their kids to be safe, but how could they tell them how to protect themselves if they didn't want them to be involved? There were rumors of an underground society that was being built, but there was no solid proof. And who could rely on rumors to protect innocent people?
It was something they all worried about. Their parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents and older siblings were about to be the soldiers on the front line to the war. How could they protect them when they, as students, could barely protect themselves?
"Are you worried about your brothers?" Charlotte asked Sharron.
She nodded, trying not to seem too distressed, but it was always on her mind. She was constantly afraid that one day, one of them wouldn't come home. There would be Ministry workers at her house, delivering the terrible news to her mother that she had lost her husband, or one of her sons. The idea of it kept her awake at night sometimes.
Sirius reached over and grabbed her hand. She immediately tensed at the touch.
"Don't worry, darling," he said softly, his voice getting deeper. "I won't let a single thing harm you."
Sharron clicked her tongue in annoyance and yanked her hand out of his grasp. "Don't be so daft, Black. I can take care of myself, thank you very much."
"You're going to need a wizard in shining robes, ready to sweep you away on a broomstick-"
Sharron snorted and looked at him skeptically. "You think that person is you?" she questioned. "I'd rather see you fall off your broom. And who the hell wears shining robes?"
Sirius offered her one of his trademark smirks, and leaned in closer. "I'll wear whatever it is you want, my dear," he whispered suggestively.
"Oh, shut up," she snapped, pushing him away. "Don't you boys have planning to do or whatever?"
"You don't want to join in the festivities?" James asked jovially.
"And face the wrath that is Lily Evans? I think not,"
"Fair enough," he said with a shrug as he got to his feet. "She's right, gentlemen, we have some work ahead of us, let's get started!"
"What about Moony?" Peter asked skittishly.
"We'll make the plans and he'll fine tune them once his rounds are over," Sirius concluded.
James nodded in agreement. "We do need privacy, however," he ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly, making it even more messy than before. "Think there's any empty compartments left?"
"Oh, by all means, take this one," Sharron proposed, grabbing her owl cage and getting to her feet. "I'm going to go get some chocolate."
"Oooooh, me too!" Charlotte added, joining in behind her. Sharron lead the way out into the corridor and Charlotte turned as she left, winking at them. "Good luck with your planning!" she whispered.
The boys all beamed at her and she finally slid the door shut.
"I can't wait to eat, I'm starving!" Lily gasped loudly as she and her two friends made their way through the throngs of students to the carriages.
"You're always hungry," Charlotte pointed out.
"So?" Lily said defensively.
"You ate all my cauldron cakes!" Sharron complained.
Lily pouted. "Because I'm hungryyyyyyyy!"
"Oh, come off it," Sharron told her as she climbed on to one of the carriages waiting for them. "We're on our way to the feast, just calm down!"
"I want lamb chops and steak pudding and ooooooh I hope they have Yorkshire pudding!" Lily said, rubbing her hands together excitedly. Sharron rolled her eyes. It was like she was planning to conquer the whole Gryffindor table.
Charlotte rubbed her belly and frown at the redhead. "Stop it, Lily," she groaned. "You're making me hungry,"
The ride to the castle was uneventful, but still held the same electric charge as years previous. Students were coming back home. This was their domain, their land, their territory. And after a long three months, they were finally back. There was a sense of unity about it that could rival nothing. No matter what house you belonged to, no matter who your friends were, this was their welcome home party, and they were all glad to be a part of it.
The girls chatted excited all the way up until they reached the Great Hall, and looked up at the enchanted ceiling like they did on their very first night in Hogwarts. Floating candles glowed warmly against the backdrop of a million twinkling stars. The four, long house tables were set up like they always were, along with the the professors' table at the head of the room, where none other than Dumbledore himself watched them all with a broad smile on his face. Nothing felt as safe as it did, unless Albus Dumbledore was around.
Finding their seats, they waited as the first years were sorted into their respective houses, cheering loudly when a new comer was cast into Gryffindor. Lily began to fidget as Dumbledore made his welcoming speech, and Sharron had to slap her hand away from her fork and knife repeatedly during the induction. And finally, he said his famous words (and Lily's favorite part of his speech), "Tuck in!"
Food appeared before them in copious amounts that instantly made their mouth water. Silverware scraped against plates as they all began to eat, filling their stomach to their hearts content. There was absolutely nothing like Hogwarts food. Like comfort food but a million times better.
Soon, the girls had had their fill and were leaning on each other with sleepy eyes and full bellies.
"Remind me to thank the elves," Lily said dreamily against Sharron's shoulder.
"You say that every year,"
"And I mean it every year," she answered seriously.
Charlotte stretched her arms high above her head and yawned widely. "I hope we don't have double potions this year,"
"You and me both," Sharron agreed as she yawned herself. "I hate going down in those dungeons."
"Thank goodness you aren't a Slytherin," Lily said with a small giggle. "You'd be horrified if you had to sleep down there."
Sharron snorted. "I'd rather sleep in a broom closet with Peeves,"
Her friends laughed.
"Not the broom closet," Charlotte corrected. "That's Sirius' favorite place to snog."
"If he stepped foot into MY broom closet, I'd send him straight to the bottom of the black lake!"
"He'd probably find some way to drag you down with him so he could try to snog you down there," Lily said, sounding even more tired than just moments before.
"Don't make me lose my dinner, Lily," Sharron chastised her, though there was no heat to her threat. "Why don't we go up stairs? I'm so tired I could probably sleep right here on the table."
All in agreement, the three of them joined the packs of students who were also trudging their way up stairs, down stairs and down long stone hallways. Halfway toward Gryffindor tower, a loud BANG erupted from somewhere down the stairs they had just stomped up, followed by the screams of several students.
Everyone tried to see what had happened, but there were too many people to try to see around, and there was really no reason to go all the way back down. And yet, the answer came to them in the form of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew shoving their way past people, taking the stairs two two at a time.
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE HEATHENS!" Flitch exploded from down below.
All four boys grinned at the sound of his irritation. While everyone watched them make their get away, Sirius stopped the moment he came across Sharron. He quickly grabbed her hand, and before she could shake him off, he bowed deeply and kissed the top of her hand.
"For you, milady," he said dramatically, pulling something from behind his back and sliding it into her hand. Then he took off after his mates without a second glance behind him.
Sharron opened her hand and looked down at whatever he had just given her. And there was a giant Amethyst jewel siting in the palm of her hand. She gaped at it in astonishment. It was enormous; bigger than her eye. Was it real? Where on Earth had he taken it from? She look at her friends as everyone around her tried to peer around their shoulders and see what Sirius had left her.
"Where did he-?"
"From the prefect's bathroom!" Lily whispered quietly. "The bathtub is lined with them!"
A moment later, none other than Todd Jenkins and Penny Fowler, Head Boy and Head Girl, came speeding up the staircase with McGonagal hot on their heels. All three of them looked very agitated. Lily wrapped her hand around Sharron's and quickly dropped it down so that the jewel was out of sight. None of them looked twice at Sharron, but McGonagal stopped halfway up the staircase to cast a withering gaze at all the students.
"I suggest you all get to bed!" she said curtly. "Class begins in the morning and anyone who is out past curfew will be given a months detention!"
Without a second thought, the scattered and rushed to find their beds.