Disclaimer for all chapters in this story. I do not own any part of the story about Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the boss for creating these awesome characters, and letting us love them like we do.

Prologue

James Potter. 17 years old. Tall. Lanky. Shaggy black hair. Has swagger and confidence, more than most people would like or appreciate, but was overshadowed by his best friend Sirius Black. Ah, Sirius Black has all of that with a bad attitude about life, due to his pure blood parents and their well-behaved second son. Sirius egregiously flaunted all of the things his parents didn't like about him. This was James Potter's best friend, confidant, and co-founder of the Marauders. Them along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew made the ultimate team. Remus, the most logical of the bunch helped them devise ways of not getting caught, getting out of tight squeezes and helping them brainstorm new and different ways of pulling off pranks, and Peter, being the innocent and completely sweet and naive roommate of the bunch, was the one to make others look the other way while they were devising their schemes. They knew that he was not the brightest of the group, but who can match the pure magnetism of James and Sirius. If anything, Peter brought out their compassionate side, and everyone saw that he was accepted into their group, and thus made the four of them the most popular boys in the whole school. James Potter had an upbringing unlike so many other students. His parents are much older than most everyone else's, and he was a lucky surprise to Tiberius and Emmira Potter. Tiberius and Emmira taught James everything that they knew when he was growing up. Everything about the wizarding world. Emmira was an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, and Tiberius was a retired Auror, and very good friends with Albus Dumbledore. Magic came very naturally to James, as did his hunger for learning.

James Potter also had one and only one love. Lily Evans. 17 years old. Enchanting green eyes. Brilliant red hair. They had known each other for 6 years already, and James was enthralled by her beauty, charm, wit, and charisma the first day that they met. She was nice to everyone. Accepted them for who they were. Didn't blink twice when they screwed up, but just accepted the flaw, and helped them to correct and did it with compassion. There were very few on her list titled unmanageable because she just didn't know how to deal with them or help them. The Marauders were the ultimate antithesis to her well-being. They made no sense and everything that they did was completely illogical and immature. She did not know how to help them, or guide them to be better people. She honestly didn't know how they could be in Gryffindor with her when they were complete pinhead, and their egos completely enveloped everyone within a 50 foot radius.

Now James and Lily did not always think of each other like this. They were actually friends when they first entered Hogwarts together. They sat near each other in classes, helped each other with homework, and practicing the day's lessons together in the common room. Lily was very fresh and naive to the wizarding world, and she only had her best friend Severus' view on everything involving magic. When they first entered into Hogwarts, Lily and Severus came over on the boats together. Severus was telling her everything he knew about Hogwarts. The different houses, the various subjects they were going to be learning, and how much different it was going to be than living in Spinners End. Severus was the only person she knew, and she wanted to be around the familiar in an unfamiliar world.

The years grew on, and as Lily became more aware of the various social classes of the wizarding world, she realized that she was not among the most respected according to Severus. This spiked her determination to work harder, and try to be the best. James Potter became closer to his group of friends, his ego and charm getting to the best of him, and Lily was left behind to study with Severus in the Library, becoming more and more irritated with how James Potter, the lovely charming boy was being influenced by is no good best friend Sirius Black. Severus had told her about the Blacks, and how they were all pure blood maniacs, and the fact that Sirius had gone to Gryffindor was basically a dishonor to their family name. Blood status was the most important quality to the Black family, as it was for many of the other old wizarding families who were consistently put in Slytherin House, and Lily couldn't seem to loathe them enough for their treatment of anyone who was 'half-blood' or less. This was one of the reasons in which she started disliking the marauders.

As soon as Severus started spouting off about blood status later on, and how his mother had the same views as the Blacks, then, she started to see the other side of Severus. She started noticing how he was hanging out with the more eccentric Slytherins wanting to be part of the Death Eaters, and she was begging him to cease his friendship with him. Severus was torn, due to his admiration for Lily, and his loyalty for his house. Being in the balance was excruciating for him, but his house was forcing him to decide in terms no less threatening than what the Slytherins were threatening all of the muggleborns.

As it was, Lily's trust and friendship with Severus was shaky throughout their 5th year. Conversations were getting tense and less animated than when they first arrived, and attitude that they each showed each other was even more so. The fact that they were turning 16, and their hormones were overly sensitized didn't help either. The incident after OWLS was a tipping point for her. Many of her friends within her house, and well as others always questioned the friendship, and now she was starting to see the truth about it.

Their 6th year was unpalatable. Lily just could not stand any of the boys she was friends with from her first year of Hogwarts. They were all being immature, completely out of line, and disrespectful to everyone around her. Severus taunted James, and James threw it back in his face. Sirius taunted all the other Slytherins, and ended up dueling in the corridors no less than 1 or 2 times a week, and more often than not, daily. Peter, not necessarily being as excellent as a marksman as James or Sirius, just tried to keep the Head Boy and Girl as well as all of the other perfects at bay. Remus was a solace to her that year. She had her female friends, but none of them could understand why she refused the Marauders. All of the female friends she hung around with were either on the Quidditch team with James, had grown up around the Potters when they were younger, or they were besotted by his charmingly good looks. Since Remus was a fellow perfect with her, and had most of her rounds with him, he was her sounding board. He had his own problems to deal with and she was as much of a support for him as he was for her. Being the brilliant witch that she was, having found out about Remus' lycanthropy the years before, was trying to help find a cure along with all of her studies.

She immersed herself in her studies, and was trying to figure out her life after Hogwarts. It seemed so bleak, and so far off, but the news of threats and disappearances of muggles and muggleborns alike were starting to put her on edge. Threats were made towards her no less than half a dozen times every week from the Slytherins. This only fueled her flame for study. It kept her sane, and level headed about the situation. She became more concerned for her parents, muggle friends, and even Petunia, though she would never return any of Lily's letters.

James, on the other hand, had an infatuation with Lily like none of his friends had seen the previous years. He was trying to get her to notice his development, quidditch skills, and trying to get better marks than her in all of their classes to show how good of a student he was. Unfortunately the picture he had in his mind of what Lily was thinking about all of these accomplishments were a far cry from what Lily actually thought about his actions. She more or less thought of them as antics. Sirius was not helping him win her over either. Almost as soon as Lily might have been impressed with something, Sirius was there moments later destroying most, if not all, of James' credibility. James was starting to become more responsible with his studies, and after taking on the captaincy of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, managing his time was almost necessary.

After becoming fully fledged animagi the previous year, their jaunts with Remus every month were getting more ambitious. This was mostly of Sirius' persuasion. At the end of the year when Sirius dared Severus to join them at the Whomping Willow right before they were going to bring Remus out for their jaunt, things turned ugly, and James was there to save both his friend's and Severus' lives by sealing the werewolf in the shack with Sirius and Peter in their animagus forms, shoving Severus back into the tunnel and discouraging Severus to pursue the werewolf, and urged him go to Lily instead, since Lily was the current perfect performing rounds.

When Severus found Lily that evening to retell the misdeeds of the Marauders, Severus was weaving the tale so it would put him in good light with Lily, but Lily, knowing the Marauders, would not put it past them to goad Severus into a situation of this magnitude. The tale completely backfired on Severus, and Lily instead took the Marauders' side on the matter, and blamed Sirius for the misleading information that was fed to Severus. She also knew of Severus' insatiable curiosity, so was not at all surprised that he fell for a ploy that Sirius had set up. Lily insisted Severus take this up with Dumbledore, as she didn't think her authority as a Perfect was enough for the situation, nor did she feel comfortable docking points for a situation that Severus could have made up himself.

After this night, Severus now knew where Remus was going every month and why, and brought up the news with Dumbledore at Lily's insistence. Severus wanted Remus removed from school and banished from coming back. Dumbledore said he would never not allow a witch or wizard to learn if they wanted it, and stated that the punishments he were suggesting were too severe for the situation as it was not wholly Remus' fault, as he could help himself when he turned into a werewolf every month, and he would not be banishing Remus from the school.

Dumbledore explained to Severus the security parameters that were put in place when Remus first arrived, how Severus decided to go against the safety cautions put in place and how when Severus passed the safety net, it was now his fault if he were ever harmed. Dumbledore also reminded Severus to refer to his Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons about werewolves to remind him of Remus' capabilities as well as his mental limitations while transformed.

Severus then moved on the idea that Remus have is Perfect badge be taken away due to the fact he felt a werewolf as a Perfect was a liability to the school's safety and well-being. Dumbledore was unable to argue the fact and then requested that the only way he would take away Remus' Perfect badge would be to insist that no one else in the school find out about Remus' lycanthropy unless Remus himself gave permission for the information to be public.

Within a fortnight, Dumbledore asked Remus and James into his office, a week before classes ended, to talk about the altercation, and asked for their opinions of the events that unfolded during the previous full moon, Severus' deal, and what he thought should happen. Remus reluctantly gave up his Perfects badge, and was wondering why it hadn't happened sooner, and after much prodding and questioning James graciously accepted the duties that Remus would no longer be able to perform.
Being as it was the end of the year and exams were upon all the students, it was the time of year were the Heads and Perfects were relieved of hall duties and any other time consuming duties that could otherwise be performed by the Professors, so that they could study for the upcoming end of year exams. Summer break was now upon all of the students, and James was unable to attend any meetings as a Perfect, as their last one was the night before the May Full Moon and Severus' fateful encounter.

Alas, summer break was a trying time before James and Lily's 7th year for the Wizarding community, as threats of Voldemort's followers were looming, and the threats were starting to become more noticable. The Order of the Phoenix was in full swing underground, and people were disappearing daily. Students could not wait to get back into the confines of Hogwarts, and under the safety of their ever powerful Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.