The Marauders Tale
Disclaimer: As much as I love all things Harry Potter, all of it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Any scenarios, names, and concepts of this story belong to her.
Chapter 1: Hogwarts At Last
The morning of September 1st, 1978 dawned crisp, clear, and sunny. There was a slight breeze that had picked up several dry leaves and was carrying them to and fro across the tree-lined street. One leaf soared through the air like an acrobat, yet came to a stop abruptly as it sailed into the closed window of a small, pleasant looking house on the corner of the street. Through the window, voices could be heard arguing.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Petunia-" Lily Evans's pleading voice was cut off by the sharp honking of her parents' car. It was the beginning of Lily's 7th and final year at Hogwarts, and she wanted her sister to come and see her off at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. However, she was refusing, and their parents were clearly becoming impatient, as Lily had been making them wait for a long time.
"Petunia, please?" Lily asked. "Please come along?"
Petunia's face twisted into an angry scowl, and she turned her back on her sister. "No, I don'twant to," she said, her voice trembling.
Ever since Petunia had learned Lily was a witch and she was not, a great rift had risen between them. Lily knew Petunia was jealous, but Petunia herself preferred to call Lily a freak and end her once close relationship with her sister in order to hide her jealousy. Coming home from Hogwarts only to find an anger-ridden Petunia who gave her the cold sholder upset Lily, and she wished her sister would come along to see her off.
"Petunia, it's my last year at Hogwarts! I really want you to come and see me off!" Lily said pleadingly. Her brilliant green eyes were clouded with sadness.
"You think I want to go see you off to that freak school? You have your own freakish witch friends to talk to."
Petunia's words hit Lily hard: Her saddened eyes narrowed.
"That's a horrible thing to say. But fine. Have it your way."
With that, Lily turned on her heel and walked out of the door, leaving Petunia alone in the house.
Lily grabbed her trunk and got into the car in a huff. If Petunia did not want to come, that was her choice. Yet, Lily couldn't help but feel sorrowful about the sister she had once been so close to.
Later...
When Lily and her parents arrived at Kings Cross station, the three of them piled out of the car and set off for the special wizarding platform. Her muggle parents never ceased to marvel at the unique entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
"Oh my, here we are again!" her father beamed.
"Go ahead, you can be first, Dad," Lily said.
Bracingly, her father walked straight into the stone wall lying in between platforms nine and ten.
"I'd better go next," Lily's mother said. She followed her husband through the wall.
Now it was Lily's turn. Excitedly, she walked hurriedly through the wall and felt as if she were tumbling through the air. When she opened her eyes, they widened with happiness. She was back in the wizarding world, where she belonged. Her sadness over Petunia was soon forgotten.
The gleaming Hogwarts Express, a brilliant red steam engine, was in front of her and was emitting great puffs of steam. She could hear the hoot of owls, the mewling of cats, and the chatter of students bidding their parents farewell over its mechanical grunts. It felt wonderful to be back.
"Lily," said her father. "Have a good term."
"Yes, dear," her mother said with a smile. "Write to us, tell us how things are going. Keep up with your studies-"
"But enjoy yourself!" her father interrupted her mother with a wink.
Lily hugged them both. She would miss them, as always.
"Well, I'd better be going," she said. "Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad! I'll write!"
With these parting words, Lily left her parents and boarded the train. She soon found her friends seated comfortably in a compartent. She slid the compartment door open and took a seat next to the doorway, by Katie Jones.
"Lily!" she said. "Hey!"
"How was your summer?" asked Rose Clearwater.
"Pretty good!" said Lily, smoothing her robes as she sat down. "I mostly spent it at home with my mum and dad. How was yours?"
"Good, I went to the Wierd Sisters concert with my sister! And I made a couple of trips to Diagon Alley- guess what? My mum bought me a new broom for my birthday!" exclaimed Rose.
Lily knew Rose must have been extremely excited about this gift, as she was an avid Quidditch Player. In fact, she even played chaser for Gryffindor's team.
"Wow...cool!"
"What kind is it, Rose?" asked the fourth girl in the compartment, Mary Macdonald.
"A Meteor!" said Rose.
"A Meteor? Really?" said Lily. "You've got to be the first one at Hogwarts to have one!"
Rose smiled widely. "I suspect so! I can't wait to see the look on the Slytherins' faces when they see I've got a Meteor."
"We're definitely winning the Quidditch Cup this year!" Lily laughed. She was happy to be with her friends again, and on her way back to Hogwarts at last. But then she glanced at her watch.
"Oh, I've got to go to the front of the train and get my head girl instructions..."
"You're head girl?" asked Katie.
"Yeah," said Lily, smiling.
"Well, you definitely deserve it!"
"Thanks! Well, I'd better go. I'll be right back."
Lily slid the compartment door open, exited the compartment, and slid the door shut behind her. Carefully, she attached her Head Girl badge to her robes. When she got to the front of the train, she found a the conductor, a short, portly man wearing a red tweed suit and a red bowler hat, standing in a vacant compartment.
"Are you Head Girl?" he asked pleasently.
"Yes," replied Lily.
"Well, congratulations. I've just got a brief message from Professor Dumbledore. It appears as if the Head Boy hasn't arrived yet...he should be here any minute..."
Hm, Lily thought. I wonder who the head boy is. Maybe Remus? Or Amos Diggory? Or-?
Her thoughts were cut off by the compartment door opening loudly. A tall boy with untidy black hair and rumpled robes had entered the compartment: It was James Potter. What was he doing here?
"Potter," Lily addressed him. "What are you doing here?"
He smiled a crooked smile. "Well, same thing as you're doing here, I'm guessing."
Lily's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, no, you're not Head Boy, are you?"
"Actually, I am..."
Realization hit Lily like a fist. This could not be true. Potter? Head boy? The detention-laden, arrogant, constanly hexing, irrisponsible... Lily shook her head to rid her mind of the unpleasant thought.
"No," she stammered. "Why? Why you? Is Dumbledore crazy?"
"Clearly he thinks we'd work well together."
"Well, in any event," the conductor cut across them. "This young man is in fact Head Boy, deserving or not, so I must relay some instructions from Professor Dumbledore."
Lily glared at James and turned to face the conductor.
"So, instructions, yes...He says congratulations on receiving the honor of Head Boy and Girl..."
Lily rolled her eyes. James grinned.
"...You have a duty to impart your knowledge to the rest of the students at Hogwarts, and he is counting on you to set a positive example for the younger students as well as your peers..."
James was barely listening to the instructions; he was marveling at his luck that Lily Evans was Head Girl. He'd liked Lily for years: from her brilliant green eyes and dark red hair to her intelligence and vivaciousness, she was beautiful inside and out, and James was very taken with her. Yet, she didn't quite feel the same about him. To Lily, James was an arrogant fool who hexed people just for the fun of it and tried to make himself look cool. James frowned with this thought. But maybe this year would be different. Maybe he could show Lily he was more than just a conceited trouble-maker.
"...That is all," said the conductor. "You are dismissed. We will be arriving at Hogwarts shortly."
James wanted to get the year off to a good start with Lily. Bracingly, he walked over to her as the conductorleft the compartment.
"Well, congratulations, Evans."
"Thanks, Potter. But personally, I think Dumbledore must be going crazy though, giving you the badge. I guess this gives you the perfect opportunity to dock points from people who cross you?" she replied.
"Well, that was the idea," he joked. Suddenly, he realized his mistake, which had ruined their conversation.
Rolling her eyes, Lily said, "Of course it was. I couldn't have expected anything different from an arrogant person like you."
With that, Lily left the compartment. Sighing, James could see that proving himself to Lily would not be as easy as he had hoped.
Later...
After the Heads meeting, James joined Sirius and his two other friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, in their compartment. He tried not to let his inability to please Lily bother him. Sirius had a ton of new prank ideas for the four Marauders to pull this year. They were determined to make their last year at Hogwarts beyond memorable; he and Sirius spent the remainder of the ride discussing these new ideas.
Just as the conductor had said, they arrived at Hogwarts in very little time. It was nightime now, and the starry sky above the Hogwarts students as they piled out of the Hogwarts express was a deep shade of velvety blue. Hagrid's familiar call of, "Firs' years, over here! Firs' years, this way! Move along now, firs' years-" was audible over the chattering of students and whooshing of the heavy wind, and beyond the lake lay the castle itself. James sighed. It was great to be back. He could anticipate a good year ahead of him and his friends.
Once inside the great hall, the students took their places at the four long house tables. James found seats next to Sirius, Remus, and Peter; Lily and her three friends were nearby. During the feast, James couldn't help but glancing at her from time to time, wishing he could be in her good graces. But he had the whole year for daydreaming about Lily. On the other hand, the particularly tough game of Exploding Snap he was playing with Sirius was a once in a lifetime opportunity...And he was going to win...
A few minutes later, Dumbledore called the students to attention, forcing the two boys to unwillingly bring their game to a close and listen to his opening speech.
"There is indeed a time and place for long, finely crafted opening speeches, but this is not one of them," said Dumbledore in his wise, old voice. Several students laughed, and others clapped appreciatively. "As I suspect, most of you are hungry and eager to get on with the night's proceedings- as am I- so let us begin. The sorting..."
Professor McGonagall swung open the big wooden doors and led a timid gaggle of first years into the Great Hall. She walked briskly to the front of the hall, set down a wooden stool, and placed a whethered looking hat on it. As she backed away toward the first years, the hat burst out in song: its song was of the four Hogwarts houses and their respective attributes.
When the song ended, students applauded politely, and the sorting began. Professor McGonagoll opened a scroll of parchment and called out the name of a new first year.
"Anderson, Jed!" she called.
A short, pale boy walked timidly up to the stool. As he tried to mount it, he fell off. The Slytherin table and Sirius errupted into laughter. James chuckled.
"That's a Gryffindor if I ever saw one," he whispered to Sirius sarcastically. Sirius laughed again.
"Oh, dear," said Professor McGonagall. "Get up, Jed, it's okay. Hop on the stool now."
Jed had turned bright red and was now impossibly more self-conscious. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head; it covered nearly all of his face.
Ah, said the hat to himself. Not the brightest sprout in the bunch, but nevertheless eager and hardworking...yes, I know just what to do with you...
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat called. The Hufflepuff table clapped politely.
"Bronwood, Ruth!" called Professor McGonagall.
A tall, confident looking girl with dark brown hair approached the stool and sat down.
Hm, an excellent brain...curiosity...confidence...yes, this is easy! oh, but there's also some ambition in their...a thirst for success...where to put you? well, better be...
"RAVENCLAW!" The blue and bronze clad table clapped for Ruth.
"Clemens, Annabelle!"
Another Clemens...yes, I know just where to put you!
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Connelly, Sam!"
Tricky, you are! You could do well in so many houses... you've got courage... intelligence... drive... let me look deeper... yes... your innermost nature will decide your house for you! Alright, you're a...
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Drake, Peter!"
Ah, this is nearly the easiest decision so far...it's obvious, right there...courage...desire to do the right thing...selflessness...
"GRYFFINDOR!" James and Sirius clapped as Peter joined their table.
"Ellerford, Marissa!"
Let me have a look here...cunning...power hungry...yes...better be a...
"SLYTHERIN!"
The sorting seemed to drag on for ages; James and Sirius amused themselves by shooting menacing looks at Severus Snape over at the Slytherin table.
Finally, "Wells, Emily!", an amiable-looking blonde girl with rosy cheeks and a hopefull smile, became a Hufflepuff, and the sorting was over. Dumbledore dismissed the students and reminded the Heads of House that they would be staying in the Heads Room this term.
James left his friends and found Lily. He was determined to say something right to her for once.
"Er- should we show the first years to the common room now?"
"Yes, do you want to take the front and I'll bring up the rear?"
"Sure." He had said something acceptable. His heart lept and this mere success: it was uncommon for him to have accomplished a successful exchange...
Lily gathered the first years into a group and James called out in an important voice,
"First years! This way! Follow me! Gryffindor common room, this way..."
He led the pack through the hallways until they came to the familiar portrait of the Fat Lady.
"I hope you have the password, Potter," called Lily from the back of the group.
"Wow, Evans- I'm shocked! You don't have the password, and I do...What a change..."
She sighed; He immediately backtracked.
"Well, first years, to get into the common room, you've got to have the password. Luckily for us, I do." He turned to face the Fat Lady. "Hippogriff," he said, and the portrait swung open.
As he lead the first years into the common room, he said, "This'll be your home for the rest of your lives at Hogwarts."
With that, he left to go to the Heads room. Sirius and Remus were close behind him. After saying goodbye to Katie, Rose, and Mary, Lily herself set off to the Heads room. When she arrived , she saw Sirius and Remus lounging on the large couch in the middle of the room, but James was nowhere in sight.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked.
"Just enjoying our new second home," said Sirius mischeviously. Remus cracked a grin.
"Oh really?" she replied. "Well, you guys'll spend time in here after I become the giant squid."
Sirius grinned. "Well, you see, if James lives in here, we come along as a package deal."
"Oh, James, I'd nearly forgotten," said Lily in an irritable tone.
"Give him a break, Lily," said Remus quietly. "He's really not that bad."
"Not that bad? He's an arrogant, conceited fool who jinxes anyone who disagrees with him for the fun of it!"
"James is my best friend," growled Sirius. "Don't talk about him like that. And besides, half the time he only acts like a jerk because he can't help himself when you're around."
"Of course, it all comes back to this, doesn't it?" said Lily heatedly. "Well, I don't like Potter and I will never go out with him. He should just save his energy trying."
At that moment, a figure emerged from the doorway. It was James. He was trying- and failing miserably- to look as if Lily's words did not bother him.
"Er- Moony, Padfoot, you'd better get back to the common room." With a face of utter anguish, he walked past Lily into the room that was marked 'James'.
Lily was speechless: The look on James's face crushed her. She knew she was right about him, but she couldn't help but feel terrible that he had overheard such an insulting conversation. But she had insulted him so many times before. What was different now?
Silently, Remus and Sirius filed out of the room, leaving Lily standing alone. In shock, she walked into her own room, marked 'Lily', and got into bed. Soon, she fell into an uneasy sleep.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I mostly wanted to introduce you to the characters and get the story (and school year) going. More action to come in the next chapter! Please read & review...comments and critiques would be greatly appreciated! :)