The Getting Together of Prongs and Evans
Plot: This is a way I can imagine James and Lily finally getting together. The story takes place sometime during February, 1978 (their 7th year). With a tragedy comes a 'win', or in, this case, with a loss comes love. James Potter finally gets what he wants - Lily Evans.
A/N: This is my first Marauder-era fanfiction! Yikes! Please let me know what you think because I'm not extremely confident with this era yet. This story is going to have three chapters; if I get good feed back for this then I'll be posting the next chapter on Monday!
I don't own these people.
Chapter One - The Tragedy
"Black! Black - wake up! Wake up!"
Sirius groaned and rolled away from the sound. In his slumberous state, Sirius did not acknowledge that it was Professor McGonagall's voice that was at his bedside nor did he acknowledge the urgency it held.
"Black -" her harsh tone came again. "Sirius, wake - up!"
Professor McGonagall's throat emitted a growl and she shoved her student's shoulder hard, unable to understand how the boy woke up in time for the morning classes.
"Whatsgoinon?" Sirius slurred, looking around his four-poster blearily.
"You need to wake up."
Sirius glanced over his shoulder and saw his head of house, towering over him in her striped night gown, her long hair falling from it's tight knot. The trouble maker jumped back, yanking his covers up underneath his chin.
"What are you doing here, Minnie?" He croaked, half asleep, half horrified.
Professor McGonagall, for the first time in seven years, ignored the Marauder's personal nickname for her.
"Where is Potter?" She questioned briskly.
"What -?"
"James - where is James!?"
Sirius stared at her quizzically for a long moment. He half thought that his friend had done a prank without him and was on the run from the professor, but her tone told him otherwise. It wasn't stern like usual, it was gruff but also soft. It was because of the voice that Sirius answered her, no questions asked.
"On patrol, with Evans."
"We need to find him," she replied hastily. She grabbed Sirius's night robes from the corner of his bed and Sirius grimaced, had he just sold out his mate?
"What for?" Sirius asked slowly, sitting up warily.
The witch froze. Very slowly, she craned her neck to look at the young boy, looking grave. Sirius understood immediately upon seeing her expression that he had responded correctly about James's whereabouts, and the thought made him sick.
"Stephen and Delilah passed away early this evening, Sirius," she answered gently, in a very low and caring voice. She knew that Sirius was the second son the Potters had never biologically had, that Sirius lived with the family. "You and James have permission to return to Potter Manor tonight."
Sirius was staring at her in horror, gazing up at his respected professor as if he had never seen her before. A nauseating feeling washing over him and he felt as if he was about to swallow his tongue.
Without knowing he had, Sirius began to mumble, "No... no; not -"
"Sirius, I...," Professor McGonagall trailed off. She knew nothing she could say would soothe her student. Her calling him by his first name was comforting to Sirius, though, because of her tone. She had never called them by their first names before, and had sincerely hoped that she wouldn't until they had graduated. "I am so sorry," she finally said. "I can accompany the two of you, if you wish."
Sirius didn't reply to her. His mind had suddenly caught up with the surroundings and his body snapped into action, his legs swinging over the side of his bed. He took the cloak from Professor McGonagall then rushed to the bed across from his.
"Remus!" he shouted frantically. His friend is a light sleeper, but perhaps Sirius shouting would tell Remus that he actually needed to move. Sirius began to search around and under Remus's bed, including his night stand.
"Wha?" Remus's disheveled coffee-brown hair appeared, hiding his eyes. Obviously the hair did not block his sight, though, because upon seeing Sirius he became alarmed. With one wave of his hand, Remus's hair was pushed back and his curtains were drawn. "What's wrong?"
"Where's the map?" said Sirius wildly, not pulling his eyes away from the task at hand.
Remus's quarters was now a great mess, but the werewolf was only bothered by his friend's antics. Sirius needed to find James - they had to get to Potter Manor and they had to begin to sort out the fact that they were orphans. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were Sirius's parents as well, they had even said so themselves, having taken him in when he had no where else to go. Even before Sirius lived with the family, he had spend nearly every holiday with them.
"It's - why? What - Professor?"
Remus could no longer form a coherent sentence. By the uneas feeling that was enveloping him from how Sirius was acting to the heart-broken face of his Transfiguration professor, he didn't think he wanted to know what was going on.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter have passed away, Mr. Lupin," she told him softly.
The little color that occupied Remus's face vanished at once and his jaw visibly slackened. He stared at her, his eyes filtering to Sirius for a second and then, quite suddenly, he lept out of bed.
"It's over here, Sirius," he called, springing to the other side of the dormitory, reaching into a tight book case of his that was near the door of the loo. Remus's hand retrieved an aged piece of parchment and whirled around to face Sirius, who was straightening himself up. Remus shook his head at himself, "I knew you wouldn't look there."
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Remus muttered to the parchment, touching it with the tip of his wand. He glanced at Professor McGonagall warily as she gaped at him with a mix of frustration - that's how they do it! - and admiration and curiosity.
Sirius tore the map open. Together, he and Remus scanned the map for their friend's name. They spotted 'Evans, Lily' first on the West side of the sixth floor and soon after they saw 'Potter, James' on the East side.
"I'll get James," Sirius told Remus. "You find Evans, that way she knows."
Remus nodded and with that, Sirius turned on his heel and sprinted out of the room without another word. Remus knew that James and Sirius would be going to Potter Manor to sort our the affairs, and he can only hope that he can visit them over the upcoming weekend. Very untactfully, Remus ripped Peter's drapes open and pulled the pillow out from under Peter's head. Peter gasped, and then again as his own pillow made contact with his face.
"Wake up!" demanded Remus loudly, hitting him in the face with the pillow again. Peter spluttered, sititng up and looking thoroughly confused.
Remus turned to Professor McGonagall. "I assume you shoud wait for James and Sirius in Professor Dumbledore's office, ma'am."
Taken aback by being addressed so authoritatively by her student, she nodded once and then briskly left the dorm room. Remus yelled at Peter to stay awake, and then followed his professor out, breaking into a run once he had cleared the stairs.
Sirius landed hard on the balls of his feet as he cleared the last three marble stairs. Ignoring the sharp pain that shot up his spine from doing so, he looked around desperately. He had just reached where the map had shown James, so he knew that his brother was close.
"James!" he shouted, and several of the portraits jumped awake. Going on as if they weren't scolding him, Sirius continued to shout, "James! Prongs! Prongs where are you - argh!"
James had rounded the corridor's corner and ran straight into Sirius.
"Padfoot, what the bloody hell are you going on about? You can't be running around, yelling like a madman, at this time of night -"
But Sirius had managed to regain his breath. He grabbed ahold of James's shoulders and, panting, looking into the hazel eyes that were slightly above his grey ones.
"James," he panted. "James, your - your mum and dad... Jame, they're... they're dead."
James stared blankly back into the grey orbs, not blinking. He swayed slightly on his feet, staying put only because Sirius was holding him tightly. His body's first response was to shake his head.
"No -"
"Jamie, I am so sorry," Sirius told him, tears welling up in his eyes. He had not yet let himself mourn; he had been too preoccupied with finding the remaining Potter. Minnie came and told me. She asked me to find you. We're going home -"
"How?" James finally uttered, his voice dry of emotion. "How did... It wasn't Death Eaters, was it?"
James's shock turned to fury in less than a second at the thought of his old parents being murdered. They were not in the Order of the Phoenix, but helped them considerably by offering them a room in Potter Manor, by feeding them, and by healing their wounds. Sirius realized at once that he did not know how Mr. and Mrs. Potter had reached their fate, but told James that they would find out when they got to Professor Dumbledore's office. But if their deaths were from the hands of Voldemort, someone would pay.
"Remus?" Lily's melodic voice floated to Remus's ears and he snapped around to see her, standing ten or so feet away from him. She was wearing a lightly colored cloak with her hair tied back with unusual sloppiness. When she saw her friend's expression, her face went from cheerful to worried. "What is it, Remus?" asked Lily, jogging to meet with him.
"James and Sirius are leaving," he answered in a bleak voice. It's not a lie, but it's not what he needs to say.
"What?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter -" Remus's voice cut off momentarily. He hadn't yet had to say it. He had been close to the Potters, of course. Granted, he was not as close to them as Sirius had been, but he was still very close. "They died, Lily," he whispered. "They're dead."
Lily's mouth fell open as she gazed at Remus with a horrified expression. Tears came to her eyes immediately and she covered her mouth. She had met the two - they, having never met her before, only heard of her, invited her to spend this past Christmas with them. Thinking back, Lily wasn't quite sure how it had come about. One night on patrol, she told James that she wasn't going home for the holidays; Petunia and her walrus were planning their wedding and Lily had no interest in being present.
James had offered his home to her, saying that he didn't want to spend Christmas alone at Hogwarts. Lily hadn't taken him seriously - they had only just started to actually talk. James had also not asked her out once this year, his head was completely deflated and his ego seemed to be a normal size now adays. Two days later, James approached her after the Great Hall received mail.
"My mum said you can come home with Padfoot and I for Christmas, Evans," he said casually, sitting sideways beside her. "My dad's really looking forward to meeting you. I just want to tell you know that he is a tease so he may approach you as 'my future-daughter-in-law', and I would like you to ignore that."
"Oh no," moaned Lily. "Are James and Sirius alright? Where are they? How is James handling -"
"I don't know," Remus replied quietly. He couldn't stop himself from enveloping Lily in his arms - he needed a hug right now and Lily gladly accepted and returned it. "Sirius ran off to find him and tell him. I suppose they're leaving now."
"Do you think we'll be able to attend the service?"
"I don't think that they'll not let us go," Remus shrugged as they pulled a part.
"Good," whispered Lily, nodding once to nothing in particular. She pushed her hair back, breathing in deeply. "I'm done with patrol tonight. Come to the kitchens with me?"
"The kitchens?" Remus repeated, a little hurt and flabbergasted at the way Lily has skipped the mourning period that follows death.
"Comfort food," Lily explained, wiping her eyes again.
Relief flooded Remus and his shoulder slumped slightly. "Oh - oh, yes. I could do with some chocolate now."
Please review! Thank you so much for reading!
