Lily Evans and the Marauders
F. Thomas
Disclaimer- I am not J K Rowling and I own nothing.
Anything in bold is a direct quote from JK Rowlings' writing.
Thanks to those wonderful people who have reviewed this work and are following my stories, I appreciate and value your input greatly. Please note that this work was a return to writing after many long years of not doing any and so there may be errors (grammatical, spelling, canon) contained within the chapters. It is helpful to receive advise that they have been noticed, but even more helpful to be pointed in the right direction to find them, feel free to let me know but please give examples.
For the first two chapters I struggled with the style and it changed significantly as the story progressed. I understand that this change is somewhat jarring however I couldn't get the first chapters to work any other way.
Hurricanhairandemeraldeyes came on line in chapter 12 as Beta and from that point the story has been edited by another so consistency should improve from that point. At some point I may get back to editing it from the beginning, though if anyone wishes to offer their assistance as Beta for that purpose I would appreciate it.
Chapter 1
Prelude I.
Lily
This story starts in a small garden in Cokeworth, where an ancient willow sways gently in the breeze, a bed of roses surrounding its base. Two girls are out in the garden with their parents; the older has blonde curly hair, twice the usual amount of neck and is sitting and reading to their Father. The smaller child is playing happily with a ball under her Mother's watchful gaze. She has eyes of the deepest emerald green and the red hair and pale, soon to be freckled skin, that mark her as a descendant of the Highlands. She throws the ball and it rolls away from her into the garden bed. As she follows she brushes against the ruby red bloom of the first of the seasons roses, it distracts her and she tugs at the stem, gently pulling it free.
"Lily," her Mother calls. "Come back to Mumma."
Lily turns and giggles mischievously. Peering round the bush that she is using as her hiding place she watches her Mother and Father tenderly embrace.
"I had better go and fetch her, you keep an eye on Tuney," her Father chuckles, his height enabling him to spy out her hiding place.
It takes only a few steps for him to reach her and then he leans over the roses to pull her free of the thorny bushes.
"A beautiful flower for my beautiful Lily," he chuckles in his deep baritone seeing the blossom in her hand.
He scoops her up into his arms and laughs. She giggles, "Fly!" throwing her arms into the air in joyful exuberance.
All colour drains from the rose leaving it pure white as it is tossed into the air and floats into the sky carried on a non-existent breeze. Hesitantly her Father watches it in wonder, as it drifts out of sight until he decides it was a trick of the light and the giggling bundle in his arms distracts his attention.
Severus
A summer breeze catches the flower and carries it passed a cramped terrace at Spinners End where a small boy with sallow skin and dark hair hides in a corner watching his Mother, Eileen Prince, work in the kitchen. The rose catches his eye, he stares at it through the window in adoration but is too fearful to leave his dark corner.
Oppressed and poverty stricken Eileen has nearly forgotten her heritage, and completes her tasks by hand.
"Get in 'ere ya lazy scum!" a rough voice echoes through the house.
She ceases her washing to run to the other room and attend her Husband's wishes. When she returns she is surprised to discover her chores are now complete. Turning she sees her son standing half hidden in the shadows.
"Oh Severus" she cries with joy knowing, his magic will give him the chance to escape the life that she has bought upon them both.
Peter
Drifting high above the roof tops the flower casts a shadow on the floor of a cottage where a wake is in progress. A widow and her blonde headed son are surrounded by fellow mourners in the parlour. Unable to contain his emotions anymore the overwrought boy runs to his room and throws himself onto the bed, weeping. He watches the shadow of the rose as it dances across the floor whilst he cries. A short time later his Mother opens the door and spies her grieving son. She makes her way to his bed in order to provide him with as much comfort as she can despite her own grieving heart.
"Oh Peter" she says gently and rubs his back.
"Why did he die Mummy? Why?" he wails, his face red and eyes streaming.
"He was doing what was right, trying to protect others," she holds back her own tears which are threatening to fall in order to appear strong for her son.
"But shouldn't he have been protecting us?"
"Well he knows we can protect ourselves and there are others who can't." Even to her own ears it sounds like a poor excuse.
"But it isn't fair!" he hiccups angrily as the tears stop falling. Sadness transitions to anger and then with a sudden thought to a fear he finds voice for, "Who will look after us now Daddy has gone?"
His Mother draws in a deep breath to reassure him while rubbing slow circles on his back. "We will look after each other Peter, that hasn't changed."
She continues to console him with whispered words and gentle hands until he is on the edge of sleep. Finally as his eyelids droop closed she leans forward to leave a soft kiss on his cheek before she leaves to see to the waiting guests. As the sun light beaming through the window starts to fade a lamp in the corner switches on to help keep his fear at bay.
Sirius
The wind buffets the flower and sends it spinning towards London, passed Number 12 Grimmauld place. In a room on the upper floor a boy is listening to his parents argue, an ear pressed to his bedroom door.
"We would do well to get Sirius's clothes from there; he must look like a Black," Orion huffs.
"No! Mudbloods frequent the place I will take him elsewhere for new robes, some
where we are respected!" Walburga shrilly argues. "Twilfitt and Tattings is by far superior!"
"Fine! As long as he is suitably presented, on your head be it."
The movement of the bloom catches the boy's eye, drawing him away from his eavesdropping to look out of the window. On the footpath below a women is walking by, carrying a small child. The boy looks up and waves as he sees Sirius peering down at him. A man in dark robes crosses the road and approaches the pair, a sneer on his face.
Sirius faintly hears the mans words, "Filthy mudblood scum, everywhere these days."
Suddenly a flash of light beams towards the child. A dustbin lid flies up and blocks the curse as the mother and child scurry away.
'Why would he curse her? She looks just the same as anybody else,' thinks Sirius.
Remus
Lyall Lupin sits with his son on the patio watching as the sun dips behind the trees, listening to the robins singing.
"How about a game of gobstones Remus?" he said as he stands and holds out his hand. Offering to pull his son to his feet.
"Sure," Remus grins cheekily as he takes the proffered hand and tugs it downward. Trying to wrestle against his father and pull him back down by his side. Unsurprisingly Lyall wins the impromptu tug-o-war and the pair go inside.
Walking through the kitchen Remus makes to grab an apple from the fruit bowl on the way passed. His Mother gently smacks his hand away.
"It won't be long until tea, you'll spoil your appetite," she chides with a soft smile. His father swoops in behind the boy, scoops Remus up and throws him over his shoulder.
"Come on you rascally pup, we have just enough time for a game first."
"And a bath! You boys are filthy from being outside," Hope adds.
"Yes dear," Lyall agrees amicably giving his wife a kiss on the cheek as he continues into the snug. "Down you go son." He places the boy onto the couch, seating himself on a chair opposite, reaches over and pulls a small table between them. The pair settles in for the 'Great Lupin Gobstones Championship'.
"Teatime!" Hope calls from the kitchen distracting the players, and causing Remus to bump the wrong piece.
"Argh! Mum," he grimaces, wiping his face vigorously.
"Now you definitely need to get cleaned up!" Lyall shoots the boy up the stairs.
Hope looks over as Lyall enters the kitchen. "Who won?"
"It was tied until you called, and then someone got distracted," he grins with giving a nod the direction of the bathroom. "I've been called to do some work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so I'll have to go to commute to London for a few weeks."
Hope sighs, "Would it be better for you to stay there?"
"No I'll get us connected to the floo."
"Through the fire?" she confirms, he nods as he sets the cutlery on the table. "Remus tea is on the table," she calls.
Later that evening Remus' parents tuck him into his bed and kiss him goodnight. On the edge of sleep the sandy haired boy stirs and as he does the catch on the window lifts and the window opens an inch to admit the twilight breeze to the room.
James
At last the flower drifts lower, over a field where a small family is ending their day. The couple is older than might be expected, his salt and pepper hair is unruly and her once auburn hair is graced with grey.
"James," she calls in musical tones. "It is time to come inside!"
"Just 5 more minutes Mum," their Son whines, his black hair as unruly as his Father's.
The flower catches his eye and he jumps on his broomstick to fly and pluck it from the air with unerring aim. As he grips onto it, it tingles in his grasp and turns to glass.
"What have you got there?" his Mother asks.
"A Flower. It… it is special" he says as he passes it to her proudly.
"Oh James, your first magic! I am so proud. Monty look at this!"
They take the rose and place it reverentially on the mantelpiece.
Hogwarts
In a small locked room in a forgotten tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry the Quill of Acceptance rises, dips gently into the empty inkwell and inscribes 6 new names into the Book of Admittance's yellowing pages…
Lily Evans,
Severus Snape,
Peter Pettigrew,
Sirius Black,
Remus Lupin,
James Potter.