A LIFE TIME APART
A MARAUDER FANFICTION
A/N: Sorry for any inconvenience caused, I wished to extend this chapter since it was just too short. I hope you all like it. And please review! :) :)
PROLOGUE
"Remus, please, I want to hear it." Tonks said pleadingly.
"Nymphadora, it's too painful a tale. Are you absolutely sure?" Lupin asked.
"Remus, if I am going to marry you, I must know of the first woman you loved." Tonks replied.
"Alright, but it won't be my fault if you end up crying. And I'm telling you, it will be painful for me as well to relive those times. So if I stop telling you the story mid-way, do not blame me. At least you will have heard some of it, to the part where she and I, you know. Brace yourself." Remus conditioned.
"Okay. Can I ask one thing? When did you meet?" inquired the witch.
"At King's Cross Station. When we were boarding the Hogwarts express for the first time." He replied.
"Was it 'love at first sight'?" Tonks asked excitedly.
"No. I didn't even think we will be friends. Now I don't want to spoil the fun. Just listen."
CHAPTER 1
Prongs
1st September, 1971...
A young witch, 11 years old, was finding her way through King's Cross Station. Her owl in its cage, her trunks and belongings piled in the trolley, and she herself, lost and confused. She saw a boy, of her very age with similar contents on his trolley, coming towards where she stood.
She looked at her ticket and reread the platform number, 9 ¾. I must be out of my mind. She thought. She approached that boy and asked, "Excuse me, could you please tell me where is platform 9 ¾?"
"Follow me" was all he said.
She did so, and they were standing between platforms 9 and 10. But platform 9 ¾ was nowhere to be seen. He stood aside for her and when she made no movement, he said, "I'm sorry to ask this, but are you a muggleborn?" he asked in his politest tone. The girl replied, "No, half-blood actually, my mum is a muggle and dad is a pureblood. But I stay mostly with my mum, so I don't know much about the magic world." Her unease and confusion was clear in her last bit. "Well, you have to run through this pillar." He said while pointing to the pillar of platform 10. "Okay." She said. "Okay?" the boy asked
"Okay." She replied.
They both ran into the wall together and emerged on a platform bustling with excited people. "That was amazing." The girl said laughing.
"Indeed." The boy grinned.
"What is your name?" she asked him. "Potter, James Potter." He replied and held his hand out. "And yours?" he inquired.
"Jessie. Jessie Sofós." She replied while shaking his hand.
"Well, Miss Sofós, it was a pleasure meeting you, I'll see you later." James replied and disappeared into the crowd.
She looked around, marvelling at the sight of the platform. It was bustling with parents seeing off their children, amongst whom, half were scared out of their wits, others were just, plain excited. She looked around, seeing all these magical people, and thought that this 'Hogwarts' place will probably be as amazing as they said it is.
Jessie Sofós boarded the scarlet train, the Hogwarts Express, and searched for a cabin to sit in. All the places were full. Lastly, only one cabin had four boys of her age sitting there. All of them waving goodbye to who she guessed were their parents. Her own mother did not know how to see her off in the train. So she had said her goodbyes at the station's entrance only. She knocked at their compartment door and asked, "May I sit here? Everywhere else is full." She asked at her confident best. A handsome black haired wizard eyed her cautiously. She felt a bit uneasy, but didn't let it show on her face. She spotted James Potter in their midst and smiled at him.
"Of course you can." He said.
She sat down next to a sandy haired boy who was lanky and very tall even while sitting. She turned to the black haired boy who was still staring at her and offered him a friendly smile and held out her hand and said, "Hullo, I'm Jessie, and you are?" he reluctantly took her hand and said, "Sirius."
And so, she introduced herself to all the occupants of the room and then when there wasn't any conversation, she opened a book and started reading. She loved reading. At this time, the book that captured her was 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens. She was just losing herself in David's time at boarding school when a voice called out her name. Her head shot up and she said, "Yes?"
It was James, and he was asking her something.
"I was wondering if you live in London?" he inquired.
"Oh, well, not really, though I am British by birth, but I spend most of my time in India. You see, my father is a trader and he is Indian. But my surname is Greek, my father fashioned it for himself and passed it on to I." She smiled at this.
"Oh. That's interesting." remarked Peter Pettigrew, a small and stout wizard, with dirty blonde hair, beady grey eyes, and a stubby nose.
"So I've been told." The witch beamed.
Soon, conversation started. All the five children had a merry time on their journey to Hogwarts. In the middle of the journey, a voice sounded in the corridor, "Anything from the trolley, anything from the trolley?" and a woman in about her thirties was indeed pushing a trolley full of treats. She stopped in front of their compartment and asked, "Anything from the trolley dears?"
The four wizards stood up and went towards the trolley and there was a chaos of shouts of different things they all wanted. "STOP!" screamed the woman. "Tell me one by one what all you want." She pointed towards James, who was nearest to her and said, "You tell me what you want?"
"I would like to have two chocolate frogs, a packet of Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans and a pack of Sour Apple Bites." The wizard ordered.
She gave him all the bizarre things he asked for and said, "Five sickles, please."
"Jessie," called out Peter, "Aren't you going to buy something?" he asked.
The witch in question stood up and said, "I hardly know anything about wizard treats, but do tell me what's good to buy."
The four boys guided her as to what should she buy. "Okay, so I will take a pack of Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, a Peppermint Toad, and Acid pops." Jessie said.
"That will be seven sickles dear." said the older witch.
And so, all the young children bought their treats and conversation finally followed.
"So, Jessie, in which house would you want to be sorted?"
"Oh I don't know, really, I have read about them in 'Hogwarts, A History' but I don't have much idea which one I'd fit in."
"I want to go in Gryffindor, that's the best house. My dad was in it, mum was too, so naturally, it makes sense that I should be there too. And, besides, I do value courage above all." James announced
"wh- what about Slytherin?" Sirius asked timidly.
"Na. That's where the bad guys go."
"But I read differently, I think ambitious and cunning people go there." said Jessie.
"I personally think that Slytherin is not exactly a 'good' house. The bad ones always come out of that lot." James said in a spooky manner.
In such a way, conversation ensued, and they talked all through the journey, discussing every bit of the Wizarding world they knew.
Jessie, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, like all other first years stood in the Entrance Hall, waiting for the sorting ceremony to begin. Remus was looking at the girl who had accompanied them in their compartment to Hogwarts. She was laughing at a joke Sirius had cracked. Jessie's brown hair fell down her back in ringlets; she had a broad and tall built. She towered over other girls of her age and even James, Sirius and Peter, but Remus was still taller than her. She had warm brown eyes and small pouty lips, and she was in a way very cute. She laughed a great deal, and when she was not smiling, the look she bore on her face could scare off someone. She had a serious sort of face, but it wasn't to be mistaken for a serious personality. She was funny and jovial person, as from what Remus had gathered from their train journey, and the quality that was unmistakeable about her was that she was very talkative. She could talk endlessly, which was what occupied her at that moment.
A woman in her thirties with black hair and wearing emerald green robes came into the Entrance Hall. Her presence was such that she didn't even need to clear her throat or speak to ensure silence. One look at her stern face made everyone shut up.
She then cleared her throat and announced with a smile, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." With this she disappeared into the hall beyond. Everyone was still very silent and she re-emerged a few minutes later.
In the Great Hall, slowly all the first years were being sorted. Names were being called out, "Black, Sirius" was the first name that caught Remus' attention. The Hat was placed on his head and in a few seconds the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and with applause, Sirius was welcomed at the Gryffindor table. The next name was called out, "Bones, Gwen" who was sorted into Ravenclaw.
A handful of names later, the name "Evans, Lily" was called out and a small girl with vibrant red hair sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head, the hat reminisced for a few minutes, making the girl nervous. The hat soon shouted "GRYFFINDOR". Few names later Remus' name was called out, "Lupin, Remus."
The hat was now placed on his head, the hat didn't think much before it announced, "GRYFFINDOR!" Remus joined Sirius on the Gryffindor table. The next name called out was, "Mist, Astéria" a skinny, but fine looking girl with black hair sat on the stool and was sorted into Gryffindor. The next name was "Honeycutt, Nicola." The hat placed her in Hufflepuff. The next five names were sorted into Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff respectively.
After a few minutes, Peter Pettigrew was called out. The hat took a while before placing him in Gryffindor. When James Potter was called out, the hat hadn't even been touched to his head when it screamed Gryffindor at the top of his lungs (if it had any). In queue, another name was called out, "Snape, Severus," the hat screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" next, Jessie Sofós was called out and placed into Gryffindor and after another half an hour, the ceremony ended and the feast began.
Remus enjoyed the feast and made his first ever friends with James, Sirius and Peter. For the first time in a life time, Remus was happy.