Book 1. Saint Amelia

Chapter I. September 1977

It was an exceptionally chilly first of September in which Amelia Bones boarded the Hogwarts Express for the fifth time in her life. The young girl buried her chin as close to her chest as possible and allowed her dark raven curls to cover the sides of her face, her arms crossed at her chest as if hoping to envelope herself in her own body.

"That's the Bones girls," said the murmurs behind her as she hurried through the corridors, clumsily bumping into bodies whose eyes she did not meet. "What's her name again? Amanda?" Their voices fell thickly all around her like the heavy drops of a rainstorm, and she tried to her best to walk fast enough to avoid getting splashed by their coolness. "… such an odd one… Still, poor thing."

If she was to have looked out the window, she would have seen the tall, stocky figure of her brother. He would wait there until the train was out of sight before leaving just like their parents had done year after year.

"This won't be an easy year," he had warned her. Amelia had begged to stay home this year. With both of her brothers graduated, she would be even lonelier that usual. Even as the train gave its last whistle of warning, her eyes pleaded for him to change his mind. "Heavens knows these aren't easy times for any wizarding child…"

"I am not a child, Edgar." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she instantly regretted her words. The sadness in her tone had broken his heart.

His dark navy eyes, so like her own, looked at her with both kindness and respect. "No, Amelia, you are not. I trust your dedication to your studies will not waver. I know you will come out of this stronger. We will see you this Christmas. All of us."

Their brother George had graduated from Hogwarts only a little over a year ago and had been accepted into the Auror training program in May. Usually, wizards and witches were expected to serve the community for at least two years before applications could even begin to be considered. These were war times, however, and they were taking any promising aspects now. Amelia hadn't spoken to him since had left. He had even been denied permission to attend the funeral in August.

Following her train of thought, Edgar reassured her. "They allow trainees to take the Holidays off. He'll be home, Amelia."

Edgar's wife, Mary, had been keeping a respectful distance but emotion overcame came her as she gave Amelia a tight hug. "Please write, Melly."

Amelia smiled and touched the fullness of her belly. "I will. Take care of my nephew please."

Hogwarts had always been a place of refuge. In the coldness of its stones, Amelia had found the perfect reading nooks, holes that could be crawl into, and escape for a long periods of time. But this year, the year she needed it most, Hogwarts had failed her. Just a week after the funeral, an owl had arrived with the news that she had been named Prefect. This meant that once a week, for the rest of year, she would be forced to attend meetings with the very people who had effectively ignored her for the past four years.

After what felt like ages, she finally reached her destination: the train compartment that had been set aside for the first prefect meeting. It had been enhanced by magic to be able to accommodate a large, wooden table. Every seat had an ivory cardstock paper with a name, house, title and grade level inscribed. Lily Evans was the only person to have arrived. She was busy scribbling in a notebook at a pace that almost seemed inhuman.

Amelia skimmed through the names on the table. There were two prefects for every house at every grade level. In addition, there was one Head Boy and one Head Girl from the seventh year class. The inscribed names sounded familiar; they were the names of students who were exceptionally motivated, ambitious and well-known by almost everyone. For a second, Amelia wondered how her name could ever be included in that list. She had respectable grades, but she was hardly top of her class. Yet, there it was:

Amelia Bones

Hufflepuff

Prefect

5th Year

"Good morning, Amelia." Lily smiled brightly finally closing her notebook. "I am really glad you decided to arrive early. I wish everyone had shown the same punctuality. Of course, we still have twenty minutes until the agreed time… Still there are tons to go over. Did you get a chance to go over the proposals I sent over the summer? What did you think of extending library hours? You didn't think it was too forward, did you?" Of all things Amelia had expected, Lily Evans knowing her name was not one of them. She wanted to say something, anything, but no words came out. "I am so sorry for rattling like that." Lily quickly apologized. "I had a little too much coffee this morning, I am afraid. I am Lily Evans, by the way." She blushed modestly. "Head Girl. Nice to officially meet you."

Amelia tried to reply with a "nice to meet you too" but instead mumbled something that sounded awfully like "okay."

Before she could further embarrass herself, Remus Lupin walked in with two other sixth year students, all of who exchanged pleasantries with Lily. Remus had been Prefect last year, and one of the brightest students in his class, so Amelia was surprised to see him with a golden "P" on his badge instead of "HB."

"You are not Head Boy?" asked Marion Sasin, a blonde seventh year in Ravenclaw as she took a seat next to him.

"I am not." Remus voice was oddly comforting. It was tired and warm like a flickering candle seconds before it went out, the kind of voice that could calm a storm.

"It should have been you, Remus," offered Lily kindly. She turned to Amelia and explained, as if they were just old friends catching up. "Remus was the Gryffindor Prefect last year, a fabulous one too. Remus, you know Amelia, don't you? She's our fifth year Hufflepuff Prefect this year."

It was easy to see why Lily was so beloved by everyone in school. Even if she wasn't as beautiful as she was, she would have still possessed that ability, that charm, to make everyone feel included. Of course, Amelia knew who Remus Lupin was. Every girl at Hogwarts did. Yet, Lily was able to place them as equals, two people who might or might not know each other.

Remus smiled. "Nice to meet you. Congratulations on being chosen Prefect. Was it a surprise?"

"Quite," she admitted nervously. "I am not sure I am prepared."

"I completely understand how you feel," said Lily. "I have been a bundle of nerves since I found out I was assigned Head Girl-"

"Because that was totally unexpected," teased Remus.

"I have spent all summer trying to find out more about what exactly a Head Girl's duties entail, what kind of changes we bring to Hogwarts this year, and who exactly my Prefects are. Not that I was being nosy," she hastily added. "I mean, I did investigate a little... But not with the intention of being invasive. I only wanted to learn more about our Prefects this year. I find extraordinary, for example, that all the men in your family have been sorted in Gryffindor while all the women have been sorted into Hufflepuff."

Amelia's eyes widen in surprise and Remus chuckled. "Lily will make an excellent journalist one day."

She knew Lily was a muggle-born but anyone that had done any amount research on Amelia Bones must have run into the "The Horrible Bone Family Tragedy" that was headlining international newspapers. If she had read or heard anything about it, she gave no indication. In fact, as more people began to walk in and spot Amelia, she became increasingly quick to redirect their attention away from her and on to their assigned seat, their summer stories, and the courses they'd be taking this year. There was not even one "that's Amelia Bones" muttered. Amelia couldn't be too sure but she had a strange feeling that her feelings were being protected by Lily's quick talk.

Finally, one by one, the seats began to fill until only one seat, the one directly in front of Lily, remained unoccupied.

"He's late," Lily muttered hotly under her breath.

"He technically still has a minute and a half…" Remus pointed out taking a look at his watch

As if summoned, James Potter walked into the compartment right as Remus trailed off his last word.

James Potter and Hogwarts were invariably linked in Amelia's mind as one. He had only been a third year Gryffindor when she had first been sorted into Hufflepuff, but he was already as much a part of the castle as its gleaming towers. James Potter was not just another student; he embodied the Hogwarts' experience. Students did not only look forward to Quidditch matches, they looked forward to James outwitting older and more experienced players. Even the older students would go out of their way to run into James and his friends in the corridors so they had some entertaining story to report back to their friends: "I just ran into Potter in the hall… You'll never guess what he told Peeves…"

He was not extraordinarily handsome. While he had the built of an athlete, his jet black hair that stuck out in the improbable of directions and a pair of thick, black framed glasses sat on the bridge of his pale nose. However he had a smile that could charm a monkey into spelling the alphabet. It was a cocky smile, true, but it always made you feel like you were on the inside of some wonderful joke.

"Morning, Moony!" He said cheerfully as he spotted Remus. James and Remus were two out of four best friends. They all had pet names for each other that made little sense to anyone else but that they all somehow accepted.

"Morning, mate," replied Remus brightly.

James scanned the room and realized that the only empty chair was on the opposite side of Lily, far away from her and far away from Remus. "Marion, would you mind switching seats with me-"

"Of course she minds," snapped Lily coolly. "Your seat doesn't have her name on it, does it?"

James eyes rested on Lily, and the entire compartment felt silent. Their arguments were legendary. Lily would furiously attack James who would flirt with her back which only infuriated her more. Whether he did so because he was legitimately in love with her (as he claimed) or because he wanted to prove something (as she claimed), nobody knew. They only knew that that crossing their path when their words battled in the air like two dangerous swords was not a good idea.

"That's an interesting thing to point out," said James calmly. "We are hardly first years needing to be told where to take a seat. Last year, there was no assigned seating."

"Last year, you weren't here so you wouldn't know."

James raised his eyebrows. "So there was assigned seating? That's what you are saying? If that is so, I will respect that pre-established norms and take a seat right over here where it reads James Potter, Gryffindor, Head Boy, Seventh Year…"

By the looks of the sixth and seventh years, there had not be an assigned seating the prior year. Lily folded her arms and stared James down. Amelia could safely guess where her distress lay: she either had to admit that this was not an official rule or risk sounding like a liar.

"This will help create a sense of community amongst each other. We don't have to sit down only with the people we know. I hope that, as Head Boy, you would not object to interacting with us all."

But James smiled in a way that clearly anticipated Lily's defeat. "What a wonderful idea, Evans." Her last name on his lips sounded oddly cold. He clearly had no intention to flirt this time; he was here to settle territory. "We can definitely discuss it in our next Head meeting. As Head Boy," again there was a pointedness to his words that could not be ignored, "I look forward to making these kind of decisions together. For now, Marion, would you mind-"

Lily turned three shades of red, and it was Remus turn to intervene. "Take a seat, Potter."

"That's exactly what I was attempting to do in case-"

"In your seat."

James face fell. "But I wanted to sit next to you-"

"I'll give you a cookie," interrupted Remus rolling his eyes. "But for now, be a big boy and stop wasting time. I am starving, and we are all hoping this meeting will end promptly."

"It better be a big cookie," said James grumpily as he slumped into his seat. The girls giggled which cheered him up a little.

James was, shamelessly, in love with his friends. There was nothing he wouldn't do for them and that included allowing defeat in front of Lily Evans. Remus voice could, in fact, calm a storm but when it came to James Potter, Amelia had a feeling he was only able to keep that storm at bay.

The meeting continued without incident. Lily did most of the talking, and James remained relatively supportive. His only objection came when she set meetings for Thursdays at seven in the afternoon.

"Nine," he objected. "Quidditch practice lasts until eight thirty."

"I am sure you can prioritize," she responded.

"We have eight Quidditch players present. I say respecting their prior engagements is a priority."

"That would mean the meeting wouldn't end until ten. We cannot be out of bed that late."

"I'll worry about getting us permission for that."

Lily looked ready to argue but Remus gave her a slight shake of his head. She bit her lip and consented. "Fine."

Amelia finally understood why Remus looked so tired all the time; standing as meditator between those two had to be exhausting.

Finally, Lily concluded the meeting and the Prefects early ran out the compartments, ready to meet up with their friends for what remained of the train ride. Thinking there was nothing more she wanted to avoid more than going down the corridor to a dozen more "that's the Bones girl" whispers, Amelia decided to stay put. Surely, the compartment would empty on you in a few minutes, and she could enjoy some solitude. Taking out a book, she began reading.

"Evans, put that notebook away. We need to talk." She had been so lost in her reading that she had not realized that James, Lily, and Remus had stayed behind. Lily had begun to scribble in her notebook once again, but James stern voice cut paused her efforts.

"Don't you dare leave me with him," snapped Lily as Remus tried to sneak out of the compartment.

"Oh please stay, Moony," said James but his eyes remained on Lily. "Evans clearly needs someone to hold her hand. God forbid she has an adult conversation without someone defending her."

The words sounded especially harsh coming from James. Lily's green eyes flickered in confusion. Remus slumped into the seat next to Amelia's. He took out a chocolate frog, split it, and offered her the other half. "This is about to get bitter. Trust me, you're going to need this."

James and Lily quickly forgot they were even present. They were staring each other down with so much contempt that it was hard to remember a time when their faces were not contorted by fury.

"I don't know who the hell thought it was a good idea for you to be named Head Boy, Potter," Lily was saying, "but I am not about to allow you to ruin this for me-"

"Oh well, we all know who proposed your nomination," James spat back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are clearly Slughorn's top pick. That idiot probably chose you over somebody from his own house. I guess being a part of his club has its perks, huh?"

"What is it to you, anyways? You were invited. If you didn't join, it's because you were too busy creating havoc with your stupid pranks…"

"No. I didn't join because he was accepting Death Eaters into his club. I am not about to drink tea with criminals."

"There are no Death Eaters at Hogwarts, Potter. We are not of age to join any-"

"Oh you can't be thick enough to really believe that you have to be of age to join the Dark Lord, do you? What? That the darkest wizards of our times who have created the most criminals of acts are really going to stop and consider someone's age? They don't have any scruples. But, of course, they have power, and that's good enough for Slughorn, huh? That's the only reason that slimy ball of grease got in, you know?"

Lily's faced turned red again. She trembled in fury. Amelia considered exiting the compartment quietly. Remus must have sensed this because he quietly advised against it. "Don't move. Act invisible." Luckily, this she was good at.

"Severus is a brilliant wizard," Lily snapped. "You know he's terrific in Potions. In fact, of all the boys, he probably has the highest scores of our year. That is the reason he was invited."

"Snape was just as 'terrific' in Potions two years ago. Why didn't he get an invitation then?"

Apparently Lily hadn't really thought this through because she looked as if she had been hit with a ton of bricks. "You're just being hateful."

"Shows how much you know. And he doesn't have the highest score in our year either."

Lily looked quizzically towards Remus. When she had seen her number drop to second place, she had assumed it was Severus who had taken her place. "Remus, are you-"

"James does," Remus replied quietly.

James took a seat, his shoulder muscles were still tensed but the ones in his face had started to relax. "Believe it or not, I do care about being Head Boy. We'll meet on Monday nights at nine to discuss Thursday's agenda. I know you have plans for how this year is supposed to go," he added before Lily could cut him off. "Any moron knows you're brilliant, okay? I am not going to ruin this for you. But you cannot leave me out like you did today. You want to hate me? Fine. I am tired of trying to convince you otherwise. But you're not going to ignore the fact that I got picked to be Head Boy for a reason, and that I have just as much rights as you to be involved."

She seemed to have a thing or two in mind that she wanted him to know but finally settled for, "Fine. Can I finish writing notes down from the meeting today? I have to meet up with Slughorn in ten minutes. Don't-," she raised her hand to silence him, "-if we are going to do this, I don't want to argue about him. Or Severus."

James rolled his eyes. "Write your notes down. Make sure you schedule in Monday nights at nine." He leaned back and stole the remaining piece of chocolate from Remus' hand and stuffed in his mouth before muttering, "Moony, you still owe me that cookie."

Author's Note: I realize that many people look at James as somehow being the love-struck, less intelligent Marauder boy but I simply have never been able to view him as an all brawns and no brains kind of guy. When I wrote this fanfic, I wrote James Potter the way I had always envisioned him: stubborn, argumentative, insensitive and immature but extremely charming and bright. I hope this shows through even more so in the coming chapters.