*I keep forgetting that author's notes are a thing! Again, I do not own any of the characters or anything whatever. The babus belong to JK Rowling and I am eternally sad about that fact.
Enjoy!
The Dursleys lived in a small apartment above a bakery in London. The windows were covered in white frilly curtains, the couch covers were pristine, and every surface was spotless. They kept a very respectable household, thank you very much. Everyone who entered immediately commented on the sensibility of their home, boasted Vernon. He did not share that they also remarked on the delicious smells wafting up from the bakery. It was a nuisance in his eyes, and not worth mentioning.
To Lily, it was difficult to tell if anyone actually lived in the flat, or if it was just used for show. The only signs of life were the small pots of delicate petunias positioned throughout the house. At least until Lily settled in on the couch - her new home for the unforeseeable future.
"Any luck Lily?" Lily glanced up from her computer, eyes glazed.
"Not since you asked me…" she glanced at her watch, "twenty minutes ago."
"What did you expect Petunia my dear? It isn't as if she has any skills or real experience. A musician, honestly. If you ask me, you should be going back to university, not wasting your time applying for jobs."
"Well no one did ask you Vernon." Lily said, rubbing her eyes with the base of her palms.
Vernon had been dropping unsubtle hints all morning, and it was wearing Lily thin.
"Got to find a job Lily. Don't want to be a burden on society. You should go back to school Lily, be something useful like your sister the secretary." Lily mocked his voice in her mind. She had never been more grateful that mind readers did not exist, than the moment she walked into this apartment.
She glanced at her sister who stood behind her husband, rubbing his shoulder in comforting circles. How could Petty have married a whale of a man like this? It didn't make sense! "I shouldn't have left her alone after dad died." She thought. "I should have come home."
Petunia moved towards Lily as if she were going to sit down, when Lily's phone rang. "Oh Alice you goddess!"
Alice: Leaky Cauldron?
Lily: I thought you would never ask!
She shoved her phone into her pocket and stood, stuffing her computer into her sack. "That is my cue! I have to go meet… someone. I'll be back later, don't worry about feeding me or anything. And Petty don't worry, I'll keep my eye open for any job openings."
"Take these with you then." Petunia said shoving a small pile of resumes at her sister. Her eyes brimmed with relief, making Lily smile. Her sister had been hovering all morning, knuckles practically white with anxiety. Lily was certain that the moment she left, her sister would go into a cleaning frenzy unlike any other. The house would probably be spotless by the time Lily walked down the stairs.
The Leaky Cauldron was a quaint coffee shop and bar a few blocks north of the Dursley's apartment. During the day a smattering of university students and aspiring writers could be seen relaxing in the shop, drinking coffee and talking in hushed voices. At night it became a bar which often hosted musicians from the community. The Leaky Cauldron also offered rooms for rent on a nightly basis. More often than not, some poor passed out sod would be carted upstairs to one of the rooms to spend the night.
Lily did not immediately notice Alice when was walked through the doors. The lighting was dim, and Alice was a quiet, unassuming person. She hadn't changed much, Lily mused. Her hair was still cut just below her chin, and there was always something in it. More often than not it was a small bow, but Lily had seen both pencils and spoons in her friend's hair - or behind her ear.
"Lily!" Her friend exclaimed and jumped up to wrap her in a tight hug. "Oh Lily I've missed you so much! You look taller, and your hair! It's just gorgeous! Sit, sit! Tell me all about California."
Lily smiled her first real smile in a long while, and sat.
"Alice, I can honestly say I have never been happier to see a person in my whole entire life."
"I know, I know, I'm delightful. Now spill! I've been waiting for ages to get the details in person. Email and messaging just aren't the same." Her friend bounced in her seat, her face like the sun.
"Coffee first." Lily said and waved over the elderly waiter. "Petunia has had me applying for jobs since I got in last night. It's awful! I swear I think she thinks that if she doesn't push me to get a job I'll just sit on the couch all day… which may be true." She laughed. "I think I've submitted like twenty apps? It's been ridiculous."
"Aw sorry Lils. That's rough." Her friend said with mock sympathy, "but you know that's not what I was asking about. Just tea for me please." She said to the waiter and turned back on Lily.
"Tell me about the auditions! I know you didn't make any of them, but what happened?"
Lily rested her head in her hands for a second before glancing up at her through her fingers. "It was a parade of constant rejection Alice."
Alice winced which somehow made Lily feel a little better.
"It was never the same answer. One time I just had the 'wrong image.' The next time it was that I wasn't feminine enough, or I was too feminine, or my sound just wasn't the right fit. I don't know, at some point it felt like they were making up reasons not to pick me."
"Is that why you finally chopped off your hair?"
Lily's laugh was forced. "Partly… it was that and my dad… He always encouraged me, said I was his little angel. That my voice was worth sharing with the world… but I guess they didn't see it that way. I guess I just needed a fresh start."
"So you came back home." Alice said, a small understanding smile gracing her lips.
"I had to. I had run out of options." She stared down at the coffee that had been placed in front of her. It's blackness reflected her face in the dim light, she looked miserable.
She felt a small hand ruffle her hair, "There are opportunities here too Lils. The music industry isn't centered in LA you know."
"I know…" or I do in theory. She thought.
"No you don't! Look." She held out her phone for Lily to see. On the screen was an article about some band that Lily wasn't familiar with.
"The Marauders?" Lily glanced at her friend, skepticism written across her face.
"Yes The Marauders! Honestly Lily, have you been living in a hole this whole time? They're only the most popular boy band in Europe, well… after the Dark Marks that is."
Lily shifted her attention back to the article. Something about open auditions for a new member. Too bad it was a boy band, Lily thought. Her eyes widened at a sudden idea, a brilliant crazy magnificent idea. Her head rose up until her eyes locked with Alice's.
"Alice…"
"Oh no… Lily, don't even think about it!" Her friend's eyes were wide, whether it was with excitement or shock Lily couldn't be sure.
"Oh come on Alice. I've been told over and over again that I look like a boy!"
"No Lily, this is insanity!"
"No it's not, look! It has an email address, you just have to submit a video audition! We could do this!"
"We?" Alice shook her head back and forth, "Oh no, I am not going to be dragged into your ridiculousness."
"Aliiiice." Her friend glanced up and Lily did her best eyebrow waggle, followed by the ultimate puppy dog eyes. "Please?" she begged, hands clasped. "I need a manager Ally. Especially if I'm going to keep my gender a secret."
Alice sighed, downed her tea in one shot, and slammed the mug down on the table. "Alright. I'll help you with the video audition, but I'm not promising any more than that."
As they left the Leaky Cauldron Lily could have sworn she heard innocent little Alice mumbling profanities under her breath.
"It's your turn to pick a video Remus!"
The boys were sprawled out on the couches in their common room. Company policy had the members of a band living under one roof; according to the President living together fostered team spirit. The Marauder's house, affectionately called Godric's Hollow, was located in a small house on the outskirts of London. It's location was, of course, a secret from the public in an attempt to give their stars some semblance of privacy.
Earlier that afternoon, Minerva had dropped by the Hollow with a hard drive filled with auditions. According to her it had already been narrowed down significantly in an attempt to weed out the fangirl submissions. Still there had been so many terrible auditions, and fan letters disguised as auditions, that they had turned it into a drinking game.
"Alright. Let's do this one, title says it's from an Amos Diggory."
"Everyone remember the rules?" an unnecessary question, but one that Sirius had asked before every video.
"Yes Padfoot, we invented the bloody rules. Drink every time they mention how much they love us…" James started.
"And drink every time they sing off key…" Remus continued.
"And down your drink every time they try to sing a Marauder's song!" Finished Sirius.
They had been at it for hours, but Sirius was the only one drunk. Every time Sirius shouted "drink!" which was often, Remus would dump part of his drink in the plant behind him. "Someone has to be sober enough to make a rational decision." He reasoned.
James had started drinking water the moment he realized that Sirius was shouting "Drink!" whenever he felt like it.
"Oh god…" groaned James. This bloke was awful. He was starting to suspect that Dumbledore had lied about weeding out the worst of the videos.
"Let's just skip this one." Remus picked up the remote to go back to the menu, but was interrupted by Sirius' loud "DRINK!"
"You know," Sirius started, his voice slurred, "I'm shtarting to sus… shuspect that you lot are cheating."
"Oh no Sirius, we would never do that." James locked eyes with Remus and winked. "Alright, my turn to choose. Pass it over Moony."
He scrolled through the videos, "Smart of Dumbledore to put them all on a DVD." he thought. He was going to pick a random video when something caught his eye. "Oi, what about this one? Liam Evans. Looks different doesn't it?" The thumbnail of the video was unlike the others. Every other video had a picture of the artist posing just perfectly in an attempt to catch their eye, but this bloke had put the light behind him. His face was impossible to make out. His silhouette was nondescript, but to James he seemed like a slim twig of a guy, all straight edges.
"Nooooo!" Sirius whined. "Skip it! You can't tell what he looks like! He's probably ugly or deformed or something."
James glared at his friend and pressed "Play" harder than necessary.
The boy introduced himself simply, "Hi, I'm Liam Evans and this is my audition."
"He sounds like a girl" laughed Sirius.
"Hush!" said Remus waving his hand in Sirius' direction. "He's got a guitar! I want to hear this."
The boy's voice filled the room with its warmth. His voice was smooth and clear, and "if caramel was a sound it would be this" thought James. John Lennon's Imagine sounded out through the television, and James was transported to a better, happier place. Transported to memories of home and family, just by the sound of this boy's voice and guitar.
The boys, even Sirius, were silent for a full minute after the video ended. James would never admit it later, but his arms were covered in goosebumps.
"He goes on our short list." Decided Remus. All James could do was nod in agreement.
"As the three of you only chose one person out of the hundreds we asked you to review, I have taken the liberty of choosing some of my favorites as well." Dumbledore stood before the Marauder's in his office. The boys were crowded onto the President's couch again, all of them trying their best not to squirm in discomfort.
"But sir," started James, "None of them were any good."
"Did you really listen to all of them?" asked Dumbledore, a small twinkle in his eyes.
"Yes…" Sirius started, but Remus's guilty expression was a dead give-away.
"I thought not." Albus stood and walked around his desk to his seat. He reached for a lemon drop and turned his gaze on the boys again. "I have had Minerva call each of the candidates. They should be coming in later this afternoon for a second in-person audition. You will meet the ten boys we have chosen, and we will all reach a unanimous decision. Once he has signed the contract, we will move him into the Hollow, as you call it, and schedule a press conference to announce the decision." He nodded to the boys, all of whom were mentally done with the whole situation. "You may go. Please be downstairs at the recording studio at 3 o'clock precisely. Thank you."
"This is some serious bull." The boys sat together in their practice room; Sirius was pouting which was not unusual.
"Whatever, this will all be over by the end of today." James said and returned to tuning his guitar.
"It doesn't matter anyway." Said Remus, "We're getting a new band member whether we like it or not."
The boys locked eyes, and they all knew they were thinking of Peter.
"Alright Lily, this is it! I can't believe this is happening!" Alice squealed. She adjusted Lily's collar and brushed imaginary dust from her jacket.
"Alice!" Lily hissed, "You're supposed to call me Liam remember? I cannot blow this!"
"Oh shush." Her best friend and manager said, "you look like a boy! No one will know any better. There," she said with a bright smile, "You look dashing! Let's go blow them away!"
They turned and faced the building - Hogwarts Inc. It was one of the most profitable music companies in England, and it made Lily feel so small.
They walked up the stairs, through the main doors, and right into a very familiar boy.
"Sorry-" Lily started and stopped, the color drained from her face.
James pointed at her, "Coffee boy!"
And cliff hanger... I don't know if you know, but i'm doing this in part because kdramas always end AT THE WORST POINTS! Ugh they ruin me. :)