Disclaimer: All rights to Harry Potter, the characters, and places belong to J.K. Rowling.
All-Hallows' Eve, 31st of October, 1982 Anno Domini.
The sounds of excited student voices echoed through the halls as each of them discussed the upcoming feast that night. The decorations had been hung by the house elves earlier that day and they were now busily preparing all the wonderful delicacies to feed both student and staff alike. Halloween at Hogwarts was a happy time for all, except this year for one professor.
Minerva McGonagal sat behind her desk trapped inside her own mind, starring at a picture of four boys laughing, and pushing each other around in fun. The usually stern and composed Transfiguration professor and Head of Griffindor House now struggled to keep her emotions in check. This was the first anniversary of that fateful night. The night that for nearly the entire wizarding world was cause for celebration and cheer; the night that marked the fall of He-who-must-not-be-named and the end of the war. With every great victory, however, there is a terrible sacrifice and none felt the pain of that sacrifice more than Minerva.
They had been sorted into her house her very first year of teaching. Recently widowed and without children she had left her post with the Ministry of Magic and hired on to fill the recently vacated position of Transfiguration Professor replacing the newly appointed Headmaster Albus Dumbledor. Upon her employment, Dumbledor named her the Head of House for Griffindor- another of his previous positions- and Deputy Headmistress-also formerly staffed by him-.
She had noticed all of them as the Sorting Hat declared them Griffindors and hoped that this, her primal first year class, would be easy to govern. How wrong she was. Barely one week had gone by when two dark-haired first year boys sat before her desk receiving their first detention. Both of them looking nervous about what their punishment would entail. James Potter kept running his hand through his already messy hair as he waited, while Sirius Black continuously looked over his shoulder, as if he expected someone to come storming through the door screaming at him.
"You two must understand that using magic against another student is strictly forbidden." She said sternly looking over her glasses at them, "it doesn't matter if the student's hair was 'greasy', Mister Black, levitating a bucket of soapy water and dumping it over his head is inexcusable." She sentenced them both to three hours working under direction of Mister Filch that Wednesday night. The relieved look, and smiles that crossed both boys' faces were not the responses she had expected to her first detention; apparently both boys had been expecting something more akin to Mister Filch's threatening of torture and shackling.
Those two along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew found their way to her office for detention more than any other student and subsequently, into her heart.
She would always visit the hospital wing the morning after a full moon to make sure that Remus was alright. The first time had given her such a fright that she had shed tears as she stared at the sleeping boy so badly injured due to his affliction. Cuts and scratches now ran across and along side his older scars, his face was so devastatingly pale that she first thought him dead; he lay motionless in his bed as Madam Pomfry did her best to heal him. How cruel the world could be, causing such a gentle, polite boy to deal with the curse of Lyconthropy.
Both James and Sirius had been exceptionally gifted at Transfiguration, and somehow managed to get top marks without ever really paying attention in class. Remus always applied himself to all of his studies thoroughly, and young Peter, although he never appeared to be outstanding in any way, still managed to pass his classes admirably.
Those four "Marauders" as they referred to themselves, were the kings of the school. Their pranks were testaments to their skill and talents, many of them bordering on the remarkable. She remembered prior to their fifth year when she was trying to choose the new prefects debating over her choice for the boys. Lily Evans was the obvious choice for the girl prefect, not only was she an incredibly gifted witch, and a muggle-born no less, but she was remarkably kind, and entirely rule abiding not having a single detention in her four years as a student. The boys on the other hand were difficult. The sheer number of detentions served would have disqualified any of them if it wasn't for the fact that they were the only Griffindor boys in their year. She kept thinking that Lupin was the best choice of the four, after all he did have the fewest detentions, but she continuously worried about his condition. Would the added strain of being a prefect be too much for him to bear on top of his studies and health? Then again, could she in good conscience choose Black or Potter? The two of them set the record for most detentions served in a year in their fourth year but at the same time were two of the more talented students in the school. Ultimately she chose Lupin hoping he would inflict some control over the others, and named Potter Quiditch team Captain.
She remembered how Lily and Remus became friends during their time as prefects, how Potter's incessant flirting with Lily became nearly unbearable, and how incredibly elaborate their pranks became and that despite her needing to discipline the Marauders, when they caught them that is, she couldn't help but be proud at how advanced the magic that went into them was. She remembered how proud she felt when she saw the O.W.L. scores for her house that year, even Peter had achieved six O.W.L.s. She smiled when she thought back to their career consultation meetings; Black had been adamant that he wanted to be an Auror, James had mentioned professional Quiditch or possibly an Auror with Sirius, Peter wanted to go into a ministry job, and Lily wanted to be a Healer. Remus was the difficult one, coming in already resigned to the fact that he would be unlikely to find a job after he graduated, much less embark upon a career path. When asked what he wanted to do, not just what he thought was likely, he expressed his interest in teaching.
She recalled their sixth year when Black had told Severus Snape how to get past the Womping Willow and how the only reason the young Slytherin was still alive and healthy was that James Potter had risked his own life to save him from a transformed and ultimately dangerous werewolf Remus Lupin. Snape had been sworn to secrecy, Lupin was traumatized once he learned what had transpired, Black was severely punished, and for the first time in six years, the Marauders were distant from one another. Sirius was seen alone more often than not, Remus was seen spending most of his time with Lily Evans, and James looked torn between being angry at Sirius and jealous of Remus because of his relationship with Lily, and Peter looked as if he were lost. She was relieved to see them finally make up before the end of the year and the tension in her house evaporate.
Come their seventh and final year she was not near as surprised as everyone else when Dumbledore selected James Potter as Head Boy and Lily Evans as Head Girl. Granted he wasn't a prefect previously but after what happened last year with Snape, Dumbledore thought he deserved it. Perhaps what did surprise her was the fact that James Potter had seemed to grow up over the summer. Gone were the days of him hexing Slytherins just because he could. He still received a fair amount of detentions over the course of the year but compared to the two previous he was an angel. What surprised her even more was when Lily Evans agreed to go out on a date with him the next Hogsmead weekend. While most of the staff seemed happy that those two where finally together, she couldn't help but notice the conflicted emotions that crossed Remus' face. He and Lily had grown close over the past couple years and it looked to her as if the had grown more than platonic at the end of last year.
At their graduation and awards ceremony, Professor Dumbledore acknowledged some of the achievements by members of the graduating class. Lily Evans was awarded for having both the highest O.W.L and N.E.W.T scores of the class, The Marauders where also recognized, much to the surprise of the entire staff and student body. James Potter was recognized for having received the most detentions of any Head Boy in the history of the school. Sirius Black had apparently set the record for the most detentions received by any student in the course of seven years. Remus Lupin was recognized for having been the first prefect ever to receive more detentions than he gave in the course of three years. And all four of them were commended for the final prank which they had pulled upon the entire school just following James' address as Head Boy.
She recalled watching them board the Hogwarts' Express for the final time and feeling both proud that this, her first first year class, had grown up to be such remarkable young men and women, and sad to see that these boys, of whom she had grown so fond, were now leaving.
The war outside of Hogwarts captured the Marauders and Lily as soon as they left the school. She had not been surprised when they all joined the Order of the Phoenix, though she was surprised to see them all in attendance at the meeting the day after graduation. They proved themselves to indeed valuable members of the order. James and Lily happened to personally attract the attention of the Dark Lord himself. They plus Lupin, and Black were such skilled duelists that they were quickly accepted as the best in the order alongside the Prewet twins, Alistor Moody and Dumbledore himself. And somehow, even in the thickest of the war, the Marauders and Lily brought joy and happiness into all of their lives. First it was just the Marauders being their seventeen-year old selves and bringing laughter with them wherever they went. Then James and Lily got married and the war seemed to be put on hold.
She remembered their wedding fondly. It was held at Potter Manor and Charlus and Dorea were overjoyed that their only child was getting married. Lily's parents had both been killed in a muggle car accident earlier that year, and Lily' sister had refused to attend. Sirius was the Best-man, and Marleen McKinnon was Maid of Honor. Remus-in the place of Lily's late father-walked her down the isle and gave her away to James. The symbolism of that gesture by Remus was not lost on her, though she was sure everyone else missed it.
She remembered when Lily told her that she was expecting and how happy she and James looked. She recalled when Dumbledore announced that both the Potters and the Longbottoms must go into hiding to protect their unborn children from You-know-who because of a prophecy made about them.
When little Harry was born she received an owl with a picture of the boy; three years out of school and James still thought of her as a second mother. Perhaps even more so since his parents were murdered by Death Eaters merely months before.
She thought about when it was discovered that there was a spy in the Order. Everyone's first suspect was Remus Lupin, even her. He was gone more often then not and no one knew where he went, including the other Marauders, he was a Dark Creature and You-know-who was known to be recruiting heavily in that area. As much as it pained her to say, it just seemed natural that he would be the one.
When it became clear that You-know-who was targeting Harry, the Potters went into hiding using the Fidelis Charm. Everyone knew that Black was their secret keeper, who else would James trust with the safety of his family besides the man he loved as a brother? Possibly Lupin, but with all the suspicions of him as the spy it would be too risky. With Black as their Secret Keeper the Potters would be safe. He was James' best friend, his brother, and he was Harry's Godfather.
Then it happened, Black betrayed them! Not a month after the Potters cast the Fidelis Charm, Black went running to his master and told him the exact location of his two best friends leading to James and Lily's death. Harry miraculously survived and the Dark Lord vanished, but the one year old boy was left an orphan.
Tears streaked down her face as she remembered receiving the news. Not only did Black disclose the Potters' location, but when valiant Peter Pettigrew confronted him and tried to avenger his best friends, Black blew him and twelve muggles to hell and back. When Aurors arrived and arrested him, they said Black just laughed as they carted him off to Azkaban.
When she saw Remus Lupin at the Potters' funeral he looked worse than she had ever seen him. The already sickly man scarred and pale, was so grief stricken that he barely moved through the whole service until he was called upon to give the eulogy. His voice choked out every word he spoke, tears streaming down his face as he looked upon the graves of his best friends and said goodbye. Later, when she attempted to comfort her former student, he barely registered that she was there, so she stood there with a hand on his arm with the autumn wind swirling around them as they gazed at the last resting place of James and Lily Potter.
Peter's funeral was a grand affair, the Minister of Magic spoke of how brave he was, a true Griffindor Hero, who sacrificed himself to bring a murderer to justice. He posthumously awarded him the Order of Merlin: First Class for his bravery. Remus just sat in the back with an empty stare. After the ceremony when she looked to see him he was already gone, that was the last time she saw him.
Minerva McGonagal snapped out of her memories and wiped the tears from her face. Who knew that those four mischievous boys, for whom she had grown to so fondly care, would have such a tragic ending to their tale? Albus had once said to her in the early days of the war that he feared they were raising a generation of soldiers, and that they would face more hardships in their young lives than their parents and grandparents put together. How right he was. James and Lily Potter: the very best Hogwarts had to offer, were dead, leaving behind a one year old child to be raised as an orphan. Peter Pettigrew: the boy who had always held back, never showing his full potential, was also dead, blown up in an explosion leaving only a finger as his remains after standing against his former best friend. Sirius Black: The reason for all of this, was locked away in Azkaban rotting away at the mercy of the Dementors. A traitor of the worst kind, he showed his true colours, and they were the same as his family that he had claimed to hate. Remus Lupin: The last of the four boys who had seemed so inseparable whilst in school, had not been seen or heard from in a year. The man whom so many had falsely believed to be a traitor due to his condition was the victim of betrayal just as much as his friends. Perhaps he was still alive, but his life had been take from him. James, Lily, and Peter were dead, Sirius in prison, and little Harry, the boy whom he loved as his own had been given to his aunt and uncle and Remus had been told to stay away for the boy's safety, officially stripping him of everything.
All Hallows' Eve, 31st of October, 1982 Anno Domini: This was the one year anniversary of when Minerva McGonagal lost the four boys she had loved more than any before or since. She threw the picture and frame they had left her on their graduation into the fire. They were gone, and it would do no good to dwell upon the past. "I hope you burn, Black, just like that picture!" She said, "And, Remus, I hope wherever you are that you're alright, and that someday you might be ready to come back." With that, she regained her composure, straightened her robes and hat, and walked from her office to the Great Hall where merriment and cheer of her students welcomed her to the feast.