Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Any characters, items, places, etc. that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is a figment of my own whacky imagination.
Come What May: A Story of Realizing the Inevitable
Chapter One: First Impressions
The evening meal took place at precisely 6 o'clock as it had in every year since the founding of the school. The students of the four Houses sat at their respective tables, chatting with friends and dining on the feast Hogwarts' house elves had prepared. The professors sat together at the head table, eating and discussing various aspects of life at the school. Even the ghosts drifted in and out view of the huge company. The enchanted ceiling was beginning to sparkle with a cloudless twilight overhead. The only thing out of place was the seventh year student who stood alone in the small room outside the Great Hall waiting to be invited inside.
She had arrived at Hogwarts only moments ago--a bit short of her intended time--and had missed the beginning of the Start-of-Term feast and the Sorting ceremony. She twiddled her sandy-colored hair nervously, twisting the long locks into spiral cords and then releasing them only to begin the process again. Every few moments she paused to wipe her clammy hands on her robes. The paintings around her smiled and watched, asking polite questions to entertain their rare company.
"What's your name, dearie?" an elderly witch in an ornate, dust-covered frame asked.
"H-holly," stammered the girl while trying to keep from chewing her lip, "Holly Lupin, Madame." she finished, careful to mind her manners and using a French term she had become accustomed to speaking with.
Her accent was a delicate blend of French and British, the dominant being British. After all, she had been raised in England, only moving to Paris when she was of age to begin Wizarding school. Her mother had insisted on putting her only child through Beauxbatons. She had been a Muggle-born French native and attended the school when she was a girl, making her a faithful alumni who thought the world of her alma mater.
On the opposing side was Holly's father, a proud Englishman who had spent his boyhood at Hogwarts. There had been quite the debate as to which school Holly would attend, but eventually her father's job as a head in the Ministry of Magic's department of International Magical Cooperation required him to transfer to Houilles--a small city near Paris--for a time, and Holly was soon enrolled in Beauxbatons.
Her father's term in Houilleshad ended recently, allowing the small family to move back to London and requiring that Holly either be home-schooled or attend her final year at Hogwarts.
A middle-aged wizard in a plumed hat peered at her over the golden edge of his frame, "And what brings you here? Aren't you a little old to be Sorted?"
Holly shuffled her feet, studying the thick carpet with an uneasy gaze, "I'm a transfer student from Beauxbatons. I--"
She was cut off as the door swung open and an older witch stepped inside the room. She wore small square rimmed glasses and her hair was swept into a tight bun. She offered no greeting or smile and she wore a unyielding expression of austerity. Wordlessly, she motioned for Holly to follow her through the door.
"Goodbye." Holly whispered over her shoulder to the paintings.
"Good luck," chorused a few of the portraits.
She turned back and the witch gestured for her to wait at the doorway. An elderly wizard with a huge silver beard stood at a podium just a short distance away addressing the entire Hall. Holly bit her lip and wrung her hands, unable to understand why she was so nervous about a simple Sorting. She was glad no one had noticed her yet; all eyes were on the man at the podium. Something about him certainly commanded respect and Holly tore herself from her worried thoughts to listen to what he was dictating.
"…student will join our numbers today. She hails from Beauxbatons but has arrived at our humble school only moments ago in order to be Sorted."
Holly realized that a few pairs of eyes had begun to wander to her nervous, slouching form and she quickly drew herself up to her full height, coming to less than five and a half feet. She was a small girl; thin but not without a figure. Her golden brown eyes sparkled with anticipation and she pursed her lips as she choked down another wave of anxiety.
-----
Remus Lupin craned his neck, trying to see into the shadowed corner where the new student stood. Professor McGonagall had already placed the stool in the center of the Hall, atop which sat the dusty old Sorting Hat. Remus grinned excitedly as he spotted the girl in the corner. He whirled around, facing the table and his three best friends. The majority of the Marauders sat hunched over a plate on which they had been building a mashed potato monument of one Severus Snape. The nose occupied the greater part of the figure's head, and a broken (and used) toothpick was protruding from a lump on the side of the body that was supposed to resemble an arm holding a wand.
Remus grabbed the dark-haired boy beside him, trying to wrench him from the task of mocking the group's most disliked enemy. "James, look, there she is!"
James brushed Remus' hand from his shoulder, concentrating on the sculpture, "I know, Moony. We all know. We're not deaf. Dumbledore's only been talking about it for ten minutes."
"And you've only been talking about it since we got on the train this morning," added a raven-haired boy from the opposite side of the table. He didn't look up, he merely scooped another helping of potato with his spoon and tried to mold it onto the nose of the Snape figure. It dropped onto the plate with a splat, dragging a bit of the original nose with it. "I can't get this to look life-like…"
The pudgy boy next to him snickered. Remus frowned deeply.
"Sirius, what do you even plan on doing with a mashed potato statue of Snape?"
"Well, Julia took a special interest in Voodoo rituals thanks to that project in Defense class last year…maybe she'll find some use for it." He looked up and smiled mischievously, causing Remus to sigh.
"Can't you just pay attention for a minute? Besides, you need something like a belonging or hair from the victim to practice Voodoo, and it's illegal."
"Well so is being an unregistered Animagus." added the pudgy boy, earning a clap on the back from Sirius.
"Good point, Peter. The legality in question hasn't stopped us from attempting many things, some ideas better than others. In reality it doesn't matter if your action is within the law because if you act like you know what you're doing, no one questions it." His eyes twinkled and James nodded.
"Plus that's all Sirius knows how to do is act like he knows what he's getting into."
Sirius narrowed his eyes at James, then smirked and nonchalantly reached out and knocked a glass of pumpkin juice into his lap.
"Damn it!" James yelped just as the Hall fell silent for the Sorting. A few nearby students snickered and McGonagall shot a stern look at the Gryffindor table. Remus narrowed his eyes and James smiled crookedly at him, all the while trying to mop up the juice from his lap with the tablecloth.
"Just watch, please!" Remus hissed to his friends.
James rolled his eyes, turning to Sirius and Peter, "Alright. C'mon Padfoot, let's humor him before he…Padfoot?"
Sirius was staring ahead at the front of the Hall. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly. He didn't respond to his nickname or even his real one when Peter tried. His only reaction was to shut his mouth and blink once when James reached over and shoved him.
"Are you alright?" James asked in a hushed voice. All eyes but his and Peter's were on the girl in the front of the room as she approached the Sorting Hat.
Sirius nodded mutely.
"Then say something, you stupid git!"
"Who," Sirius began without taking his eyes off the new student, "is that beautiful girl?"
Remus' head snapped around, his face flushed with irritation, "Don't you even think it! I will not let you practice your womanizing ways on my cousin!"
The reprimand had no effect on Sirius. He didn't even seem to hear it because there was no acknowledgement in his expression, only a blank, dreamy look. He had unconsciously gripped the tablecloth tightly and began whispering a mantra of 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor.' Remus twisted back around to watch the Sorting but James and Peter studied Sirius intensely.
"So much for Julia…" Peter muttered.
-----
Holly lifted the tattered old Sorting Hat from the stool and sat down, pulling the Hat onto her own head and letting it slip down over her eyes.
She heard a tiny voice that seemed to be inside her head, "Hoo my, yes. What do we have here? Quite a bit older than I'm used to dealing with, much different from all the young ones placed today. Where shall we put you? A good head on your shoulders, yes yes, runs in your family it seems. Thirst for knowledge, a good deal of pride. Hm, talent for Divination. Ah, potential to be a Seer perhaps? Ravenclaw might suit you well…and here's a love for nature. That's seems to be a good trait for any Hufflepuff."
Holly tapped her fingers on the underside of the stool. I wish I could just be with Remus, God knows he'd be able to help me adjust to this place.
"A deep bond with family, my my my, of course. Well Gryffindor would be a fine place for someone with devotion like that, what do you think?"
Yes! Remus is in Gryffindor!
"Then again, Slytherins take much pride in their bloodline…you may find a place there also."
No! Anything but that…
"You're certain? Alright, sounds like you belong in…"
-----
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus leapt to his feet and clapped along with the rest of his House. His cousin removed the Hat from her head and rose from her seat. She walked towards the table bedecked in gold and scarlet, spotting Remus and picking up speed. Remus met his cousin and they embraced, then the pair squeezed into their seats, Remus to his cousin's left and James to her right.
Remus introduced his friends, "Holly, I'd like you to meet James Potter," James shook Holly's hand, smiling, "Peter Pettigrew," Peter offered a small wave and a shy grin, "And--
"And I'm Si--"
"So ends our Start-of-Term feast," Dumbledore had again risen to address the Great Hall's occupants and with the sound of his voice Holly had turned her attention to the elderly wizard.
Sirius mouthed a curse word and James stifled a snicker. While both Remus and Holly were turned away, James and Peter began a pantomime of Sirius' attempt at impressing Holly. James waggled his eyebrows and took Peter's hand, pretending to kiss it and wiggling his brows again. Peter pressed a hand to his cheek in a mock-swoon and batted his eyelashes. The pair then fell into fits of silent laughter as Sirius sat in mute displeasure, glaring back and forth between the two laughing boys. Tears slid down James' cheeks from the laughing fit and he removed his glasses to wipe at his eyes. Sirius seized this chance to grab a handful of the potato-Snape and sling it into his friend's face. James' laughing stopped immediately and Peter's escalated into snorts. The small group began to attract stares from other students and Sirius silenced his other friend by wiping his hand clean of food in Peter's hair.
By the time these escapades had ended, so had Dumbledore's speech. Students were beginning to rise and head for their dormitories. Holly turned back to the table to look at Sirius. He looked impeccably clean in comparison to his food covered counterparts and was doing his best to appear as innocent as possible.
"I, uh, don't think I got your name…" she eyed James and Peter suspiciously.
"It's Sirius," he grinned handsomely. "Sirius Black."
Holly's cheeks flushed pink, but only slightly. Just enough for Sirius to barely notice. Remus stood, doing his best to distract his cousin from Sirius.
"Alright, lets get going. Be sure to memorize this, Holly. We're going to Gryffindor Tower. Your dormitory is there and so is the common room where you can sit and relax and do homework. You know, whatever." he said.
Holly nodded. A group of girls approached lead by a redhead. She extended a hand to Holly who accepted it.
"Hello, I'm Lily Evans."
"Potter." James chimed in. Peter sighed and put his face in his hands.
Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm Head Girl of Gryffindor. I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that if you needed help with anything you could come to me."
"Thank you." Holly smiled. The other girls introduced themselves as Rosaline Bufford and Elaina O'Connor. Holly shook each of their hands in turn.
Lily looked to Remus, "Maybe I should show her around a bit. You know, help her get her bearings without…," she surveyed the other Marauders, "distractions."
Remus chanced a glance to his cousin who was being baited into conversation with Sirius. The boy was explaining the finer points of Astrology and Holly was visibly biting back laughter as Sirius pronounced two constellations wrong in a row.
"I'm sure you realize then that you're named after a star?" she inquired.
"'Course! Sirius: the Dog Star! Brightest star in the sky." he grinned, proud of himself.
"Fascinating…" Holly turned to Remus, barely holding her laughter inside. "Can we go?"
Remus shot Sirius a look, then gestured to Lily. "I was thinking Lily could show you around. You'll be sharing a room with her for the year after all. You two may as well get to know each other now."
"Alright." Holly stepped up to Lily, finally someone who was closer to her own height.
"But we're going the same way!" Sirius protested.
"I said Holly should get to know her dorm-mates…"
Holly smothered a giggle. Lily bid the boys goodbye. James blew her a kiss and she grinned and made a show of pretending to catch it and put it in her pocket. Potter's eyes lit up and a wide smile split his face.
"See you in the morning, Holly." Remus said, waving his cousin and Lily off.
-----
"…is the oldest school in Wizarding England. It was founded by--"
"Lily?"
Lily stopped her lecture (reciting passages from Hogwarts: A History) and looked at Holly, "Yes?"
"Tell me about Sirius."
"I hope you mean the star…"
Holly smiled earnestly, "No. Sirius Black."
"Why in the world would you want me to tell you about him?"
"Well, I dunno," Holly's eyes drifted downward thoughtfully, "he just seems interesting. Like he's quite the character."
"Well I see you're as perceptive as Remus…"
Holly grinned wickedly at her guide, "Alright, then tell me about James Potter."
Lily's cheeks reddened ever-so-slightly, "I'd rather not."
"Then Sirius it is."
Lily sighed, "Maybe later. You've got more pressing things to concentrate on."
"Fair enough," Holly smiled cheekily.
-----
The Marauders walked slowly to Gryffindor Tower, Remus being sure to keep them a distance behind Lily and Holly. James bounced along happily, Peter walking at double-time to keep pace with him. Sirius walked at Remus' shoulder.
"She laughed at me," Sirius thought aloud, "How did that happen? That never happens!"
Remus spoke without turning to face Sirius, "Because you tried the Astrology bit on her and she's already proficient in the subject. She does practice Divination, you know. Or you would have known had you listened to anything I was telling you on the train."
Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, "Doesn't work on all girls, does it? No, what we've got here is a thinker…"
"Hmph!"
"Damn you and your brainy family."
Peter butted in, "Why don't you just talk to her like you do us?"
"Stuff it, Wormtail, like you know anything about girls."
Peter blushed.
"You've gotta set us up, Moony. There's no other way about it. She's your family and she'll listen to--"
"No." Remus cut him off, annoyed.
"Listen, it's embarrassing enough to have to ask for someone's help in this department. I've never had this problem before. But--"
"No."
"Moony, you've got to--"
"Damnit, Sirius, I said no!" Remus stopped abruptly, causing Sirius to bump into him. He whirled around to face Sirius, drawing in a breath to be at eye-level with the taller boy. Sirius blinked at him confusedly. "I already told you, I won't have you conning my cousin into dating you. You'll lose interest just like you do with all the other girls and she'll only get hurt."
Sirius raised his eyebrows and put a hand to his heart, "Remus, I'm hurt. Do you really think so little of me?"
"Yes." Remus turned his back and resumed walking towards the dormitories. Peter smiled awkwardly at Sirius and sped up to catch Remus. James stepped to Sirius' side and draped an arm over his shoulders.
"He didn't mean that, Padfoot. He's just being protective." The pair began walking again. "You'll win them both over eventually."
Sirius grinned playfully, raising his own arm around James' shoulders, "Well I'm not giving up until I do."
"I didn't figure," James snorted.
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Author's Note: So begins a new adventure I've been mapping out and procrastinating upon for about two years. I hope you enjoyed chapter one and stick around for CWM2 very soon. Thanks for you support; constructive criticism is appreciated and flames will be used to make s'mores. :)