The Marauders of Hogwarts

A/N: This is just an idea I had. You know, try a Marauder story…just an idea. And there's so much room for inventing stuff, while having some info already. My specialty… :D

N-E-way….no, this ain't gonna have L/J for a while, since I'm planning to have them be at least casual enemies. You know, not arch-enemies and at each other's throats, but nowhere near a boyfriend-and-girlfriend thing. Anyway, L/J in their first year? It seems a bit weird to me…So sorry, all enthusiastic L/J readers. If people like this story, I might go on to later years and have some L/J, on the bright side.

And if this story gets a bit strange and badly written sometimes…well, quoting someone I know, "You get stranger by the day…." And my English teachers over the years have all said I have wonderful writing, so at least I can find consolation there…*sniff* J …Flame away!

Disclaimer: Lily Evans belongs to J.K. Rowling, of course, and all the other stuff you recognize does too. Otherwise, belongs to ME, thank you very much! =)

So, here I go! Save yourselves! *I jump off a cliff because I feel like it* Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um…sorry about that.

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Chapter 1

So, I'm a…I'm a…I'm a WHAT?!?

Lily Evans was sitting on her bed staring at the wall when she heard her sister Petunia screech from downstairs, "Oh, LIIIIIIIIIIIILYYYYYYYYYYYY, sister dear! LETTER FOR YOU!!!!"

She sighed, and shook her head. " COMING!!" she yelled. Petunia had always been a bit hyper. It was a bit surprising, maybe most of all to Lily, that Petunia was older than her, and acted younger. They should switch places, she'd thought sometimes. Lily did tend to have her hyper fits, but Petunia was always hyper, except when she was thoroughly annoyed with Lily and being rather mean, and liked a whole bunch of random things.

But on the whole, Petunia wasn't such a bad sister. Lily and her were pretty friendly with each other.

Stopping her reflections on her sister, she thundered down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her sister was, and said excitedly, "So, where's my letter?" She didn't get letters much. In fact, she didn't really get letters at all. All she got most of the time was the rare birthday invitation (rare because she didn't have many friends). The only letters she got were from school.

"Here 'tis. Dad dumped the mail in here a minute ago and left again. You just missed 'im," Petunia said, munching on a cookie from the batch she'd been making and holding out a letter. Cooking all kinds of sweets was one of her sisters' hobbies. Lily was glad about that, because it ensured that she got that kind of stuff fairly often. Even if her sister didn't let her eat any, she could always sneak some. She almost never got caught doing that. Years of practice, years of practice…

Petunia brought her back to the present by saying, "Even has your bedroom on it. Geez. You have a stalker or something?"

"My bedroom?" Lily said, confused, and wondering if she really did have a stalker.

"Yes, you prat. Your bedroom. Should I say it again?" Petunia asked sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah, why don't you, I'm so stupid, you know the words just leak through my head and go straight out again," Lily said, also sarcastically, and took the letter out of her sister's hand.

"Your be--"

"You know I didn't mean that!" Lily cried. Petunia smirked and finished her cookie.

"Thanks for the letter, anyway," Lily said in exasperation. Then, she walked up the stairs again to her bedroom, looking at the address. It was written in emerald-green ink.

Miss Lily Evans

The Small Sunlit Bedroom

6 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

What was this? She looked at it disbelief. It did have her bedroom. And whoever wrote it even knew that more sunlight got into her room than her sister's! That happened because there were trees by her sister's window, but that was beside the point…How did they know what room she was in?!?

As she was shocked by just that small detail, anyone would pity her for the shock that was about to come.

She sat down again on her bed in her "small sunlit bedroom", and opened the envelope--tearing it quite a bit; she had never learned to open an envelope neatly. She took out the letter, unfolded it, and read this much:

Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wiardry

~

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin: 1st class, etc.)

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" she said to the letter incredulously. "Who's playing a prank on me now? …And I don't think it's very funny," she added sullenly. "Honestly, knowing I wish magic existed and now teasing me about it…" She read on, however, interested in spite of herself.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than June 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Lily kept staring at the letter incredulously. Slowly, she took out the list for books and equipment and looked at it. Wands, books, cualdrons, robes…Then, she looked back at the letter. 'We await your owl'? And Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? It was all nonsense.

But…it could be true. Then, she told herself sharply, No, it can't be, I'm just…Lily Evans. Just Lily. Normal Lily. Well, not exactly normal, I think you probably need psychiatric help, now that you mention it…but otherwise NORMAL!! And I hate psychiatrists. Quiet, brain, or I'll poke you with another Q-tip! *sulks* So, back to my line of thinking…Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Magic? HA!

But if her friends--or enemies, maybe--had written this as a prank…or her sister…they or she had done an awfully brilliant job. It was so formal, yet unbelievable, and it looked like it wasn't written with just a normal pen. Did the writer have some sort of pen, or quill, or whatever, that hovered in the air, writing down the letter for them? No! she told herself. There's no such thing as magic, honestly!

There could be…one part of her brain sang stubbornly.

No, there's not! the other part said, just as stubbornly.

Oh no…here went the voices in her head…They were half a way to entertain herself, and half annoying. "Shut up, both of you," she muttered.

No, the first voice said. Magic does exist.

And I will not shut up until this great prat does. Magic does not exist.

"SHUT UP!!!!" she bellowed, and her mother came running.

"Lily, what is it?!?" she said frantically, staring around the room.

"Look at this," Lily said, resigned to the voices in her head. "Who could have sent me this?" She handed her mother the letter.

Her mother took the letter from her, looking at her daughter with a puzzled expression on her face, then read the first few lines. Her eyes went wide for a second, and then she smiled tearfully at Lily, seeming overwhelmingly happy.

Lily stared at her mother. Her mother had dark red hair that was very short, since she didn't believe that grown women should have long hair, and she had green eyes. Lily had never particularly noticed it before, but her mother was actually quite pretty. However, she wasn't inclined to dwell on it right now, since she was wondering whether or not her mother was a mad-woman.

"Mum," she said slowly and deliberately, "you can't honestly think this letter's the truth?"

"Well, Flower," her mother said, using her name for Lily, "Actually, it is."

"It can't be! That would mean I'm a…that I'm a…I'm a…"

"A witch?" Her mother kept smiling. "Yes, you are. You see, my mother, my father, my sister…they are all magical. I just happened to be a squib."

"A…squib?"

"I was a Muggle in a magical family."

"A Muggle?" Lily said faintly.

"Non-magic person," her mother said.

"So, I'm a…I'm a…I'm a WHAT?!?!?" And Lily did something she had never done before. She fainted.

***

Lily woke up to Petunia splashing water on her face, wetting her sheets in the process, since Lily had still been on the bed when she fainted.

"You fainted," Petunia said, almost happily.

"WHAT?!?" Lily yelled while sitting up rapidly, making Petunia jump and spill some more water on her. "I never faint! I never faint! I never faint! I never faint! I never--"

She broke off as Petunia yelled, "SHUT UP!!!"

"Fine," she said sullenly.

"So, why'd you faint?"

Lily stammered, "I'm a…I'm a…" She couldn't finish the sentence. She wasn't used to the idea yet.

"You're a what?"

"A…a witch."

Petunia stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing. "Mum! Lily here's gone mad!"

"I have not!" Lily protested.

"Petunia." Mrs. Evans stood in the doorway of Lily's room. "She hasn't gone mad. Your sister is a witch. My whole family was magical, except for me."

"You're a witch?" Petunia said with wide eyes.

"Yyyyyes…" Lily dragged the word out, forcing herself to actually believe it.

Seeming to regain her composure, Petunia said with a smirk, "I always knew you were a freak!" With that, she left Lily's room.

Lily was stunned. Her sister had called her stupid before, and other mean things, but it had been years since she'd seemed to actually mean it. And Lily had always comforted herself with the fact that she knew she was smart; her teachers had always commented on it. But now…her sister had never called her a freak before. And Lily knew she really could be considered a freak. She was a bit antisocial, first of all, and had weird habits, and now, on top of that, she was a witch.

Mrs. Evans was about to go after Petunia, but stopped at the sight of Lily crying. "Oh, Flower, it's not that bad. I'm proud of you, no matter what Petunia says. And your father will be too."

"Does he know…about you?"

"Yes," she admitted. "He's a Muggle himself, but he's fine with me. I'm sure he'll be proud of you. Cheer up, Flower." She gave her daughter a hug and left the room.

"Well," Lily whispered, "Magic, here I come."

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A/N: You like? Hmm? I hope you do. Please review! Flames, whatever. I'd appreciate compliments more…*grins*…but hey! you can't have everything!

And if you review, I will jump up and down, and thank you, and set your hair on fire…Oh my, where did that last one come from? J/k, I won't set your hair on fire…

I like this idea more than anything else I've done so far…I think I might even finish this one if people review…I think I have a self-esteem problem; I just can't think of anything to do for my stories if people don't REVIEW…Hehe, sorry, you don't have to review, but I'd appreciate it you did. Better writing conditions for me.

If this is a bit…dumb….Well, I'll try to make it less dumb as this goes on!

G'bye!

-Hermione2