Title: The Marauders and the Forbidden Forest

Summary: A slip of the tongue – Happenings of the unusual sort. A deadly limp. A sick aunt. The Slytherin and the Gryffindor. Wrong turns. Secrets and Promises. Detention. The forbidden forest. A sip of something poison. What awaits the marauders in their first year at Hogwarts?

Rating: T

Characters: The Marauders, Lily Evans, and Severus Snape with various others

Notes: And so, here I am on my newest adventure – or let me rephrase – here I am, with Delectable-May-Reach, for OUR newest adventure. It's a project people – we're actually doing the years of the Marauders. We're both writing the same story, but from different points of views. If you haven't read any of May's fic's, then check her out, because she is a-may-zing! (Excuse the pun.) Anyways, if you want to ever read from the opposite side of view, then you should check her out (Link to her page will be on my page when I get up and do it) and so forth. All info, is true by the HP wiki, and all the crap, so… Read, enjoy, favourite and follow my dears! Mint~

Sirius

The most ancient and noble house of Black was very dark in both its atmosphere and lighting. However, it had a very good way of keeping the 'wrong' sort of people out, if they ever happened to get past the... boundaries.

Sirius sat on his bed, a book open at the bottom of his bed, from where his mother had asked him to look up simple curses which he would no doubt need when he was sorted in Slytherin.

"You're so very hard to live with Sirius," Walburga Black had told him as she had thrust the book into his chest, "You'll have to study hard in order to make sure that you're better than them. You're mediocre at best."

Frankly, Sirius was bored out of his mind – he'd never been a visual learner, and he found it near to impossible to learn from a book. His mother was right – he'd be eaten alive when he got to Hogwarts. Sirius sighed, standing up off of his bed and stretching his numb legs. For an eleven-year-old he found it surprisingly easy to sit still, but this was too much.

The clock on his bedside table said it was quarter past twelve – almost lunch time. Upon seeing this, Sirius groaned, knowing full well he would have to read for another fifteen minutes until his family's house elf, Kreacher, called him down for lunch. After wasting five minutes waking his legs up, Sirius settled himself back on his bed, where he resumed reading about curses. It all flew straight past his head – he couldn't remember the incantation without being able to do the wand movements.

If only his mother would just allow him to borrow her wand for once so he could achieve a better understanding of the spells. Then he wouldn't be as mediocre as she claimed.

The ten minutes ticked away slowly, until at last, Kreacher apparated into Sirius' bedroom. Had Sirius been younger, he would have jumped at the crack which apparition brought with it, but after being teased by his mother, he'd long since stopped the habit.

"The mistress is waiting for you and your brother to come downstairs for lunch." Kreacher said in a curt tone making it sound as if he were biting away a mean insult. Sirius didn't mind – he didn't have patience for house elves of all creatures – so he merely ignored the elf's tone of voice.

The walk down to the dining room covered a total of thirty steps – fifteen for each floor. Sirius' younger brother, Regulus, was right behind him on the staircase, but neither boy was in such a hurry to run.

"Hello Reg." Sirius replied calmly as he looked over his shoulder at his brother. The two boys looked alike – almost identical. With short hair which didn't reach their ears, (Walburga Black would never allow her children to have long hair), and stormy grey eyes, the two boys were very distinctively part of the Black ancestry.

"Sirius," Regulus replied with a polite nod, as the two made their way into the dining room where their mother was waiting for them. She had a soft smile on her face as the two boys stepped into the room, though Sirius had long since learnt that even the softest things could cut through any defences.

"Come on boys," Walburga spoke ushering the two in from where they stood by the door frame, "you're acting as if you're strangers and we have guests."

Oh, Sirius thought, that's why she's acting so soft all of a sudden.

"Of course mother," Regulus spoke, taking the bait and entering the door, much to his mother's wishes. Sirius couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, looking in at the guests who sat at the dining table. His cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa sat at the table, with their mother Druella.

After his moment of hesitation, Sirius knew from the look in his mother's eyes, he was going to get yelled at later. It was always like this – neither Walburga nor Sirius seemed to be able to see any other side to an argument than their own.

"Yes, of course." Sirius replied, following behind his brother. Once Sirius had sat down on the only empty seat at the table, Walburga turned her eyes onto him, with her soft, but also fake, smile. There was a certain fire in them though, which Sirius had grown to be afraid of. He'd never understood why Regulus didn't see the warning signs.

"So Sirius," Druella spoke, "your mother told me you've been doing some reading on curses. How far have you gotten into that book?"

Sirius shrugged, not quite sure of how far he was, and not certain any answer would be good enough. After a split second, he decided he'd answer as honestly as possible.

"Five or six chapters, I'm not sure which." Sirius replied. His mother looked at him for a while, before turning to her sister in law,

"Well Sirius, that's all fine and well, but I'd bet Bellatrix and Narcissa read at least ten chapters in the time it took you to read five."

Sirius gritted his teeth angrily – his mother truly was some sort of emotional monster. She always made him feel as if he were nothing but the dirt on her shoes. Why did he allow her to provoke him so easily? It was simple – his mother always got whatever she wanted or she'd find a way to make him feel bad.

"Probably mother," Sirius growled, though it came out timidly and broken hearted, "but Bellatrix and Narcissa were always better than I, weren't they?"

Walburga black smiled menacingly at her son, pleased by his actions – he'd always been someone who would play into her hands if she provoked him in the right way.

Sirius sighed to himself, sitting backwards in his chair. Looking over at Regulus, he smiled weakly, as if reassuring himself his brother wasn't seeing how cruel his mother was being, then he must be imagining things.

"Oh well," Walburga sighed dramatically, flipping her hair over her shoulder – she could have been a model if she'd had the patience, "You know I only say it because I want to see you improve."

Sirius looked down – sometimes he just didn't believe his mother.

Finally, the day had arrived.

The platform of nine and three quarters was long, with small grey cobbles used as the platform. Sirius thought the floor was strange at first, before realising it just added to the magic of being able to go to Hogwarts. Hogwarts... the concept seemed so strange, because for so long, Sirius had just been waiting and dreaming for the day to arrive. Now it was here, he wasn't quite sure what to do.

Pushing his trolley in front of him, he quickly counted the buckles on his trunk – one, two, three. His feet felt as if they weren't even touching the ground. Like a ghost, Sirius felt as if he were floating on air, a confusing feeling, because Sirius had never felt so giddy in his life.

Looking across at his brother, Regulus, who seemed to be as awestruck as Sirius himself, he almost didn't see the tall woman walk past him with a scowl on her face. Quickly, Sirius swerved around her – he didn't want to cross his Aunt Druella while she was scowling at Mudbloods and Half bloods.

At the sound of his mother's voice, Sirius stopped his trolley, ignoring the small rant of a greasy haired boy who had been walking behind him. Regulus turned quickly, looking at the boy, glaring in a way which would do their mother proud, before hissing,

"Watch who you're speaking to - Wouldn't want to become another pawn in our father's games do you?"

Sirius smirked as the greasy haired boys looked away, giving his brother a short thumbs up. The two quickly turned and made their way to their mother, who seemed to be fuming already. Suppressing a groan, Sirius quickly made his way to Walburga, reminding himself he wouldn't have to deal with his mother's rants in a few minutes when she let him onto the train – then he wouldn't have to deal with her for a few months.

With that thought, Sirius smiled contently, looking at his mother. She raised her eyebrow quickly, smiling one of those dangerous smiles that looked like nothing but a normal smile, but was not.

"Sirius, what have I told you about using your manners!" She scolded him, and for the first time Sirius noticed the people around Walburga. She was going to embarrass him in front of people he didn't know?

"What kind of a role model are you Sirius," Walburga continued to scold, looking at him angrily, "and when you get to Hogwarts, how are you supposed to be respected if you don't act as a gentleman?"

A gentleman? Sirius questioned in his head, how am I supposed to be a gentleman – I'm only eleven. And anyway, it's not as if I haven't been raised with the proper etiquette, she's just trying to demoralise me...

"I'm sorry mother," Sirius responded, eyes focused on his mother only. "It wasn't in my interests to be rude."

Walburga smiled at the audience she seemed to have gained as she convinced Sirius to tuck in his shirt. She gave Sirius a small kiss on the cheek as well, manipulating him, Sirius was sure.

"I'm going to miss you so much Sirius." It was a lie. Merlin, Sirius knew it was a lie, but still, it felt good to hear his mother say it. In fact, the way his mother was acting... maybe she was going to miss him. Maybe Sirius had been misguided by his own emotions, and maybe his mother actually cared?

"I'm going to miss you too mother."

Lily

If she had been asked half a year ago, about where her life would be headed, Lily Evans would never have expected to reply 'Boarding school'. Obviously, being a muggleborn, Lily wasn't permitted to tell people about Hogwarts, but the very mention of boarding school was enough to send all of her primary friends into a spiral of jealousy and envy.

Lily twisted a bit of her auburn coloured hair in her fingers, as she walked alongside her father, Robert Evans. Her hand kept reaching down into the pocket of her jacket where her wand remained and she had to battle against smiling.

Lily's elder sister, and her mother, had remained in the car. Petunia, who, compared to Lily, was plain and average, hadn't accepted the aspect of magic as well as Lily had hoped, and had remained adamant in her choice to stay in the car. Elizabeth Evans, Lily's mother, had decided to stay with Petunia in the car, knowing she couldn't leave Petunia by herself.

Though she had hoped he would be at her side, Lily's best friend, Severus Snape wasn't anywhere to be seen, and so trudging alongside her father, Lily wandered around platform nine and three quarters with an amazed expression.

The idea magic was real, at first, had appeared to be a foreign aspect, but now, Lily was certain it was true. Though she hadn't been brought up with magic, Lily had never known a time when magic hadn't been in her thoughts.

After a quick kiss on the forehead by her father, Lily bid her father goodbye with tear stricken eyes. Knowing it would take a while to get used to life without her family, her tears started to fall when her father pressed a photograph of her family into her hand.

"Write me as often as possible!" Her father yelled with a smile, waving as Lily boarded the train. Lily held the picture to her chest protectively as she made her way through the train, looking into each of the compartments with a sigh. She was so nervous... where was Sev?

Upon seeing a compartment which had only one person in – a boy with black hair and glasses which brought out his jaw line – Lily opened the door. She quickly pushed the photo into the pocket of her school robes.

"Excuse me," Lily spoke, "is that seat taken?"

Lily pointed at the seat by the boy, nearest to the window. She'd long since learnt that in order to survive a train ride, she had to have a window seat. Otherwise, she would throw up – Petunia had really hated her the time they caught the train down to Cornwall when they'd went to the seaside.

The boy glanced up at her, hazel eyes meeting her emerald. "No, you can sit there if you'd like."

"Thank you!" Lily smiled, trying her hardest to be cheerful. It sounded as if she was rehearsing a script however, forced. Dragging her school trunk into the compartment with her, the boy quickly helped her put it up on the rails.

Afterwards, Lily quickly settled down into her seat, looking out of the window at the platform. She sighed internally, wondering what exactly was going to happen to her while she was at Hogwarts.