Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and a few of the characters. Everything else belongs to JKR and I'm only having fun with it.
Author's note: This is the first fic of what will hopefully become a series of Marauders Era fics. I plan on making it quite a few chapters. I am warning you now that it has not been beta-read, but I tried to do the best job I could of editing it, and I accept full responsibility for any mistakes that remain. Just like anyone else, I would love reviews, especially constructive criticism. I want any feedback you have on making my story better, but please, no flames.
Chapter 1: The Journey
King's Cross Station was bustling. It was so crowded that Lily Evans could hardly see where she was going, and she was getting jostled about by everyone going this way and that. On top of all that, she had another problem. She had no idea where to find her platform. There didn't seem to be a platform 9 3/4, but that's what the letter said.
Ever since she got that letter, her life had been just plain crazy. Not that she really minded. Before, everything had been completely normal, and boring. Besides, she had been an outcast. Everyone seemed to think she was weird. She had wished so many times for something exciting to happen. Still, it was quite a shock to find out that she was a witch.
"Where is Platform 9 3/4?" Lily said quietly, mostly to herself. One man passing by gave her a weird look. "Where is Platform 9 3/4?" She muttered again, frustrated. Her train would be leaving in 10 minutes, and she couldn't even find the platform. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, she didn't really notice where she was going until she bumped right into a black-haired boy about her own age.
"Oi, watch where you're going," he said.
Lily looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry, wasn't paying attention. I'm having trouble finding my platform, you see," she apologized.
"Ah. Let me guess, 9 3/4?" He said.
"How'd you know?"
"I heard you talking to yourself. Besides, you have an owl, which is hardly common among muggles."
She laughed. "How can I resist such logic? And what are muggles?"
"Non-magical folk. Like your family, I assume."
"Yes. Oh, silly me, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Lily Evans."
"James Potter. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said mock formally, shaking her hand and half-bowing.
"Delighted," she responded in the same manner, smiling at his antics. "Now can you help me find the platform?"
"Sure. Sorry, completely forgot about that."
James pulled her through the crowd to the to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. "All you have to do is walk through the barrier," he explained. "Here, you can go before me." So she tentatively walked forward and found herself passing right through the solid looking barrier. A large sign read Welcome to Platform 9 3/4. To her right she saw a brilliant scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express.
Looking back, she saw James come out of the barrier just behind her. Thanking her new friend, she went to find a seat on the train.
Lily found an empty compartment near the end of the train, and set herself up in it. She pulled a book, entitled Hogwarts, A History, out of her bag, and started to read. A few moments later, a rather tired looking boy with light brown hair appeared at the door to her compartment.
"Can I sit here?" He asked tentatively.
"Sure!" She immediately replied.
"Thanks," he said, seating himself. "By the way, I'm Remus Lupin."
"Lily Evans."
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Remus asked, "What are you reading?"
"It's called Hogwarts, A History."
"Ah. Be careful, some say that it's only for overly bookish types. I think it's a good book, mind you."
"I see," she blushed slightly. "My parents say I read too much."
"Imagine that. Mum says the same of me," he laughed.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the compartment door.
"There any room in here?" A voice asked, "Cause everywhere else is just about full."
"Sure," Lily immediately replied, "come on in, there's only two of us in here."
The door opened, and James Potter walked in with two other boys who introduced themselves as Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. They quickly settled in, and before long, they were all talking and laughing like old friends.
They were interrupted when someone knocked at the door yet again. This time it was an older girl with long dark hair and an expression of superiority who walked in without being asked. She looked around in disapproval.
"There you are, Sirius," she said in an acid tone. "I don't think much of your choice of company. Come back to my compartment. Your mother asked me to keep an eye on you, since Cissy's busy, and Andromeda obviously won't."
Sirius stood up to her. "Actually, Bella, I'd rather stay here. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. Don't insult my friends, it's my choice who I sit with, and don't insult Andromeda, she's the only decent one in the family. Now get out of my compartment before I have to hex you."
"I've told you before, Sirius, don't call me Bella. And you can't hex me, I'm a prefect," her voice was dangerously calm.
Sirius smirked at her, "I can do whatever I want, and I will hex you if you don't get out of my compartment and leave me alone." He stayed firm and belligerent, while the others watched the showdown in awe.
"I'm not going anywhere until you come back with me."
"If you want someone to baby-sit, go bug Cissy."
"I'm not baby-sitting anyone, Sirius, and I am not leaving until you do. I can introduce you to some people who'll be proper friends for you."
"I already told you, I can choose my own friends, and I'm staying here. You, however, are leaving now." Sirius was now advancing on her. James jumped up to stand beside him. Lily instinctively joined them, and after a moment's hesitation, Remus and Peter did the same.
"Sirius," Bella said warningly. She still kept her voice calm, but it was clear that she was losing control.
James spoke, "Look, we don't want you insulting us, and we don't want you in our compartment.
Sirius pulled out his wand, and muttered, "Relashio." The spell only sent out sparks, but Bella stepped back out of the compartment in surprise. Sirius then proceeded to slam the door in her face.
There was silence for a moment. Then Peter asked, "Does anyone know how to do a locking charm?"
"Oh, yeah, why didn't I think of that," Sirius said, and jumped up to do one, but while he was talking James had beaten him to it.
"Now that that's over," Remus put in, "who was she, anyway?"
"My cousin Bellatrix," Sirius replied, with not a touch of bitterness in his voice, "she's impossible. My whole family is. Thanks for supporting me, though I could've handled her myself."
"Hey, what are friends for?" James said.
"Friends, really?" Sirius sounded slightly incredulous.
"Of course," everyone else said at the same time.
"To be completely honest, I've never really had many friends. As I told you before, my family is impossible. They're just...well, nasty. Think they're better than anyone else, and justify it with the fact that the Blacks are one of the oldest wizarding families. That and a lot of gold give them enough influence at the ministry to be able to get away with almost anything. It just seems like a load of rubbish to me, and my cousin Andromeda- she's the best of the lot, and she's in fifth year now- came back from Hogwarts and said that there isn't any real difference between us and anyone else. So I've rejected that idea, but, since they say that anyone who isn't sufficiently pure-blooded or doesn't share those views is 'not fit to associate with them,' that doesn't really leave me with any friends." As he spoke, Lily couldn't help noticing the bitter tone with which he talked of his family, or the way he acted as if he was not one of them.
Lily spoke up, "I'm sorry. I don't have those kinds of problems, but I've never quite fit in either. I was just in some way different from most of the other kids at home. Of course, having magic only compounded the problem. A lot of kids were kind of scared of me, since I have a pretty bad temper even when I'm not inadvertently blowing things up. And my older sister started spreading it around that I'm a freak. We haven't gotten along well for a few years."
Peter was next to speak. "I was never well liked. My family lives in a fairly small community. There isn't really anyone else my age, and I've always been one of the rather unpopular kids. It doesn't help that I can never seem to meet my parent's expectations- I've been told that I'm a disappointment to the family."
"I can't really explain right now," Remus said, "but the way things worked out no one ever wanted to be friends with me either."
"Well," James added, "my family is great, but we live way out away from anyone else, and I've just never had much contact with other kids. So it looks like we're all outcasts in one way or another."
"That's true," Sirius admitted, "we are all outcasts."
"Maybe we could call ourselves 'the outcasts'," Peter suggested.
"Yeah," James took up the idea, "or 'the misfits'."
"No, I don't want something like that. I do want a group name, but we need a more bold title, not something saying that we don't do we struggle socially," Sirius said. "I've got a better name. We should be..."
"Yes? Are you planning on telling us this great idea of yours?" James asked.
" We shall be The Marauders," Sirius finished with a flourish.
The four boys instantly agreed to be the marauders.
"What about you, Lily?" Remus asked.
Lily smiled, "You guys can have the name. I'd be happy to be part of the group, but I don't think I want to be known as a marauder."
"Okay," Sirius conceded, "you can be an honorary marauder."
"Sounds good to me," Lily agreed.
They were interrupted by yet another knock at the door.
Peter groaned, "Not again!"
"Go awa-" Sirius started to yell, but was cut off.
A girl's voice, sounding mildly angry, came from the other side of the door, "James Harold Potter, unlock that door this instant!"
James gulped, "That's my sister. We'd better let her in." Pointing his wand at the door, he muttered, "Alohamora." The door clicked open.
Surprisingly, the girl that walked in did not look mad at all. She smiled and said, "Hello, all."
James smirked at her, "Couldn't handle a simple locking charm?"
"Knowing you, I can never tell if a simple locking charm is all you've used. And I've gotten tired of tripping all sorts of jinxes every single time I walk through a doorway," she replied.
Lily hesitantly spoke up, "You seemed angry before you came in, but now you don't."
The older girl responded with a kind smile and a laughing explanation, "Oh, that was just a ruse. If my dear little brother thinks I'm mad, he doesn't dare try anything on me. And you needn't be frightened of me, though I suppose I was fairly scared myself as a 1st year. I should probably introduce myself. I'm Ariana Potter, 4th year Gryffindor.
"Lily Evans."
"Remus Lupin."
"Sirius Black."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Nice to meet you all. Now, I should probably be going. You might like to know that we'll be arriving in about ten minutes, so you should probably get changed into your school robes. James, don't get into too much trouble. Lily? That is your name, right?"
Lily nodded as the other girl turned towards her, so Ariana went on, "Lily, you'd better come with me. You can change in my compartment."
Lily nodded again, put away her long-ago discarded book, collected her robes, and followed Ariana out of the compartment.
Lily had intended to rejoin the boys after she'd changed, but then an announcement was broadcast throughout the train.
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in a few minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
So this is it. We'll be here any minute. This is what I've been waiting for, Lily thought. She was more excited than ever, but she had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by nerves. "We have to leave our things?" She asked apprehensively.
"Yes, they'll get taken to your dormitory." Ariana reassured her. She seemed to know that it wasn't just that that was bothering Lily. "Don't worry."
"What's going to happen now?"
"Oh, the first years get taken across the lake, while the rest of the students take a more direct route to the school. Then you'll be sorted into your houses, and you'll go to join the rest of the students in your house for the welcoming feast."
"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad. But how are we sorted, and what are these houses I keep hearing about?"
"Being such a large school, and having such a ... diverse group of students, people are divided into sections. Your house is kind of like your family at school. There are four houses, for the four founders who created Hogwarts. Students are picked for how much they show of certain qualities that the founders favored in their pupils. Since they wouldn't always be able to handpick their students, they created the sorting process that is still used now. I don't want to give it all away, but I will tell you that the sorting is easy and painless. Don't go telling that to James though, I've ... hyped it up a bit, shall we say." Ariana finished her explanation with a mischievous smile.
Though still a bit unsure, Lily was much heartened. "Great, thanks. I won't say a thing," she said. Her smile faded a bit, "This is all so new to me. I'll probably be hopeless."
"Oh, you'll be fine. There are plenty of people who come from non-magical backgrounds, and they do just fine, better that plenty of those who come from old wizarding families, though there are always some gits who maintain that purity of blood is what really matters. Rubbish, really. Well, it looks like we're here. This is where I'll have to leave you for now, but I'll see you at the feast."
As the two girls joined the mass of the students getting off the train, Ariana pointed out where the first years were supposed to go, then left to go with the older students. Lily struggled to make her way through the crowd.
A loud voice boomed out, "Firs' years this way! Firs' years!" A lamp was held aloft over the heads of the students, illuminating the form of a giant of a man who stood at the edge of the platform in the gathering dusk.
"I believe that's Hagrid, the gamekeeper. I don't think he could be mistaken for anyone else, given his size," Lily heard a boy behind her say with a small laugh.
"How did you know that?" She asked incredulously. "Does everyone here know more than me?"
"I have two sisters and a brother already here, and they've been telling me about school life, but I assure you, no one has much of a head start." The boy responded.
They were now walking down a narrow winding path. The girl in front of Lily slipped and fell as a boy pushed past them with a snarl. Lily gave the girl a hand up, and nearly fell down the steep path herself. Then they turned out of the thick trees, and the path abruptly opened out onto the shores of a inky black lake.
"No more'n four t' a boat!" Hagrid called out, and only then did Lily notice the small fleet of boats at the water's edge that the first students were already beginning to climb into. Unable to find her friends from the train in a quick glance around, she joined the boy who had been behind her, who identified himself as Edgar Bones, in a boat, along with a girl, Nalini Deva, who looked like she was probably Indian in heritage, and a girl named Diana Ledonne.
"Ev'ryone in? Now, FORWARD!" Hagrid called out to the occupants of the cluster of little boats.
"Ooooh!" Someone at the head of the fleet squealed, and they all looked up, as one, at the towers of the great castle off on the distant far side of the water.
So that's Hogwarts, Lily thought as the boats glided off across the vast dark lake.