Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Sorry!
AN - HI! Sooooo, here's Chapter One, I hope it lives up to expectation. Characters are a tiny bit out of character, which i attribute to the fact that a) i haven't written in AGES and b) they've just left Hogwarts for good, which has been their home for the past seven years. And considering the war they're heading out into, they have every right to be a bit scared. I think.
This Chapter pretty much goes back and forth between Remus, the Marauders and the girls. A bit choppy, but I like it that way :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy :) please review afterwards if you have a moment - HAPPY FANFICCING!
Chapter One - Insecurities After Hogwarts
Lily's Occlumency Diary
A new diary! I felt it was appropriate now that we've left Hogwarts and all. So I had better start with the basics: I am Lily Jane Evans, recent graduate and former Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also current (and hopefully permanent) girlfriend of the infamous James Potter (I hope he doesn't read this as his head really doesn't need any more inflating). I have an aptitude for charms and potions and am about to start my training program to become a healer at St Mungo's Hospital - something I am both looking forward to and dreading... Immensely.
My best friend goes by the name of Catherine Euphemia Jones - dark hair, winning smile, guy magnet (although she's only interested in the one and only Sirius Black, Marauder extraordinaire). Cat is great at quidditch and dueling and has chosen to go into the Auror training program with Sirius and James (who, this time last year, I would have referred to as Black and Potter - funny how things change).
My other best friend, although we've drifted a bit in the last few months (probably due to her being in a coma for far too long, and due to her new found boyfriend) is Anna Brown - blonde-haired, blue-eyed, giggly and very popular with the boys. Over the past year she was with Remus Lupin (the 'clever' Marauder) but they broke up (it was bitter for a while there) and now she's with former Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Caradoc Dearborn. They are seriously sweet together. She is currently looking for work in Diagon Alley while she builds up a portfolio so she can get a job at the Daily Prophet. After all, she was an absolute gossip queen in her Hogwarts days. Speaking of Remus, though, I do hope he's okay. It's a full moon tonight. I've known that he's a werewolf for years, even before James tried to talk him into telling me, and I'm fine with it. The fact that James, Sirius and Peter gallivant about with a werewolf every full moon in their animagus form is what concerns me more. Tonight, though, they aren't at Hogwarts so that's not an option. I'm relieved for James, but worried for Remus... I really hope he doesn't hurt himself.
...
The other important people in my life are my parents and my sister, Petunia, even though she doesn't seem to think I'm an important part of her life.
...
Okay, so school's finished and I'm still writing in this thing. I suppose I don't really see the harm in it - emptying my mind is good for my sleeping patterns as much as it is for keeping me safe from assorted legilimens. Plus, I have a lot on my mind since the end of Hogwarts and I think it would be good to get it all down.
For one thing, it's been five days in a row and I haven't seen James. I mean, I've had an owl or two but it's not quite the same. I don't want to sound desperate or anything but my family and I leave for our holiday in two days so unless he apparates to Australia and back, I won't see him again for at least another month! Which is really too long.
It still feels a bit odd, being in love with James Potter.
I never even used to like him. I used to think he was pretty much a selfish, egotistical twat. But now...
I didn't want to have to rely on anyone. If there was one goal I had set myself in life it was that - do not rely on anyone because they have the potential to let you down. I learnt that when Dad began to develop signs of Alzheimer's and he used to let me and Mum and Tuney down often, first forgetting small things like to get tea on the way home, then bigger things like when Mum's birthday was.
Anyway, I just didn't want to rely on anyone. It's part of the reason why I studied so hard at Hogwarts - I didn't want to be the muggleborn who needed help at every turn.
But now I can't imagine my life without James in it. Which I think is pretty much the definition of dependent. So I failed at that goal, huh?
In other news, I am quite excited about going to Australia. Mum and Dad have been saving up for quite some time, now. I think the extra money made from selling the London house probably went towards the airfares too. We are starting up the top and then going all the way down the east coast. I'm no geographer but I think it's going to be a real adventure. And I'm going to buy a wizarding camera before we leave so I can take some action shots, so to speak.
I sort of wish I was staying home in London so I could catch up with Cat and Anna over the summer, but at the moment there's not really a house to stay in. We're in a hotel right now and by the time we get back from our trip, all our stuff will've been moved into the new house in the country.
That's another thing I need to write about - the move.
Well, finishing up at school was one big hurdle, the next logical step would be to move out of home and find a job. Well, I could stay at home for a bit while I build up some financial security but that's not really how it's done in the wizarding world. Or, at least, that's not what Cat and Anna plan on doing. We are all getting a flat together but we won't move in properly till the end of summer. We are actually going into town to choose somewhere tomorrow. I would be excited but I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed. I have no more Hogwarts to go back to and now, no family home with memories and comforting hideaways and familiar bits. It sounds a bit daft but I just wish I had my house as a safety net and I don't and, to be honest, it's all happening a bit quick. And I'm a bit scared.
But that sounds stupid, doesn't it? Being scared of moving house and being independent - that shouldn't be the thing that scares me these days, when there are maniac wizards on the loose, threatening everyone's way of life.
And there is yet ANOTHER thing to add to the list of things to worry about - Voldemort. I've met him once in person, but fought against his followers a few times. The worst part was when he sent me a personal letter asking me not to fight him, stating that if I took extra measures to participate in the fight against him, then he would target my family. That bit still keeps me up at night.
I've already agreed to join and assist the Order of the Phoenix - Dumbledore's special army - and I can't back out. I have to do my part to stop him. But at the same time, I cannot be responsible for any harm coming to my family. As soon as we get back from Australia, I'm going to make our family home unplottable. I was even thinking about the Fidelius charm, but I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about that. After all, I'm sure the Order has security protocols in place for the family of members.
So - James, holidays, living arrangements, Voldemort, family safety... Oh, and passing my NEWTs well enough to get into the Healer training program at the end of August - that seems like plenty to be worrying about, wouldn't you say?
...
Of course you wouldn't.
You're a journal.
Remus had known that when he left Hogwarts he would have to visit St Mungo's after each full moon (as opposed to the school's hospital wing) as he had done every summer holiday and in the years before school, but it was still not an experience he was looking forward to. They'd only been out of Hogwarts for a week or so and already it was time for his monthly torture. Knowing that he would have to spend the night alone in his family's cold cellar, with the door chained shut was bad enough. But knowing that he would have to be checked into St Mungo's the next day, covered in shamefully self-inflicted wounds was really the icing on the cake. The only consolation for the poor boy was the fact that St Mungo's was a learning hospital which meant that the staff took on trainees and interns so that they could learn with practice. Remus, though he was ashamed of what he was (or was forced to be), was glad to know that his suffering was at least giving students and opportunity to learn. It was a very small consolation...
The werewolf wasn't the only one to suffer, however. James and Sirius were nearly tearing their hair out (which is an extreme, considering their shared love for their hair) trying to think of ways to keep Remus company on his transformation. But unfortunately they weren't having any luck.
"Maybe if we just snuck in while his parents are upstairs?" Sirius suggested.
"Or we could sneak in under the cloak and then transform when he does?" James offered.
"No way!" Remus interrupted, getting up out of his chair- the boys were in the Potter's second floor kitchen, comfort eating.
"But you need us, Moons," Sirius insisted. "And Peter's away with... who?" he looked at James.
"His aunt and uncle in Spain, I think."
"Anyway, he's not going to be here so you won't have to worry about him. And we're perfectly capable of looking after ourselves."
"Not in a confined space, Sirius," Remus said angrily. "You could get seriously hurt! I could kill you guys!"
"Even as the wolf you wouldn't do that to us," Sirius argued.
"You don't know that, and I don't want to be responsible-" Remus choked somewhat on his words. Without waiting for a reply, he walked out of the room, grabbing a bar of chocolate that was conveniently lying on the counter on his way out.
"He's right, you know," James said, ignoring Sirius' huff of frustration. "It is too dangerous."
Sirius sighed again. "I know, I just wish there was something we could do. I hate that he has to go through this shit every month."
"Yeah, we all do," James agreed, hoisting himself up onto the kitchen bench so that his long legs dangled over the edge. "But, really, what can we do?"
"Hmph," was all the reply that Sirius could give.
That night all they could do was wait anxiously for the morning. The Lupins would not let them stay over, so Sirius and James spent the night in the empty Potter mansion (for Mr Potter was, once again, away on business), alternating between pacing, playing exploding snap, and worrying. Unfortunately, they had spent enough nights in the Shrieking Shack with Remus to be able to imagine the hideous sounds of snapping bones and tearing flesh as he transformed. Not being able to be there for their friend was the worst part of having left Hogwarts. They vowed that at the end of the summer, once they owned their flat together, they would again be able to roam the forests with Remus during the full moons to come. They would just have to tell the Lupins that their new quarters had a secure cellar.
In the morning, Remus awoke cold and alone on the stone floor of his prison. His muscles screamed in protest as he drew himself into a sitting position, shivering a bit from the cold. After about ten minutes of mentally calculating the number of injuries he had caused himself, and then assessing their severity, he stood gingerly and began to put on the clothes that had been left, untouched, in the corner of the room.
There was a sharp rapping on the door at the top of the steps.
"Moony? Are you in there?" came Sirius' voice. Remus winced, his senses were still on overload and everything seemed ten times louder than usual.
"Where else would I be?" he replied, his voice cracking due to a dryness in his throat. He could hear furious whisperings going on outside the door.
"He's awake, we need to take him to St Mungo's!"
"We don't usually go in until ten o'clock, though."
"At school we take him to the hospital wing as soon as he's up."
"The faster, the better!"
"He's our son!"
"Well, he's our friend!"
"Really, James-"
"Please!"
Remus smiled to himself at the Marauders' concern, then winced as the action opened up a small cut on his cheek. He then heard the rattling of the chains being undone, and glanced down to make sure he was decent.
"Oh, holy crap!" Sirius said, his eyes as wide as galleons as they landed on his friend.
"You look bloody awful, mate," James said conversationally, pushing past Sirius. "Come here." James slung Remus' arm over his shoulders. "You okay to walk?"
"Yeah, I just seem to have a big one on my leg," the lycanthrope replied, referring to the several inches deep gash running up his right thigh.
"We'll help," Sirius said, taking the weight on Remus' other side and helping James get him up the stairs.
Mr and Mrs Lupin were standing there looking quite lost, Mr Lupin's face paling horribly when he saw his son's bleeding figure being practically dragged towards the fireplace.
"Remus, sweetheart, are you okay?" Mrs Lupin asked, even though everyone knew 'okay' wasn't at all an apt description of the injured boy.
"I'm fine, mum," Remus replied weakly.
"Do you want us to come with you to St Mungo's?" Mr Lupin asked, looking as though he was about to throw up.
"It's okay, Dad. I'll be alright."
Mr Lupin merely nodded, then quickly left the room. Even after twelve years, he still felt dreadfully responsible for his son's condition. After all, Remus had been targeted because his father had angered a werewolf. Nobody blamed him in the slightest, but seeing Remus after a transformation always made Mr Lupin feel sick with guilt.
"I'd better talk to him," Mrs Lupin said apologetically, "You know how he gets. We'll visit this afternoon." Then she, too, left the small living room.
Remus sighed. He hated to upset his parents, but it wasn't as though he could help it. He really couldn't wait until he had moved away with the Marauders - then he wouldn't have to put his parents through seeing him like this every month.
"Right, let's go then," James said, stepping into the large fireplace. "St Mungo's."
Remus felt as though he might be sick as he stepped out into the busy wizarding hospital. Mediwitches and healers wearing lime green robes with the St Mungo's logo of a crossed wand and a bone rushed this way and that, hurrying off to their relevant floors, taking patients with them.
Sirius approached the reception desk, completely ignoring a queue of now very irritated patients, and fixed the receptionist with his most charming smile (which, needless to say, was very charming indeed).
"Hello, how are you today?" he asked sweetly, watching as the thirty-something year old woman in front of him turned to mush at the mere sound of his voice.
"I'm very well, thank you," she replied demurely, batting her eyelids in a terribly obvious way. Sirius only just managed to hold back an eye roll.
"I was just wondering if I could take my friend up to the first floor? There should be a bed waiting for him in the Dai Llewellyn ward, but we really don't have time to spare."
"There are some forms that need filling out," the receptionist began, but at the pained look Sirius gave her she changed her mind. "But I'm sure if I give it to you to fill out later, it would be no problem."
"Thank you so much, Miss-?"
"Tyler, Janet Tyler."
"Thank you Miss Janet Tyler. You have a lovely day," Sirius drawled, winking as he scooped up the papers and nodded at James and Remus to get a move on.
"Honestly, is there any woman who won't give in to you?" James said in exasperation as they piled into the elevator.
"Of course not, Prongs. I am innately charming, the poor birds just can't help themselves," Sirius grinned, forcing Remus to smile just a little.
"Floor one, Creature Induced Injuries," the smooth elevator voice announced, and the boys dutifully got out and went to the small desk just opposite the elevators.
"Remus Lupin, should have a bed booked in the Llewellyn ward," James said, as Remus looked a bit nauseous.
"Let me see, Lupin, Lupin. Yes, bed five," the short man said from behind his pile of paperwork.
Shortly after settling Remus into his bed, Sirius and James left the hospital to get some much needed sleep (considering they'd sent the majority of the previous night up worrying), promising to return that afternoon.
Meanwhile, the girls had planned a shopping trip for the day, seeing as how they needed to catch up before Lily went away on her holiday. They were to meet at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in the morning and then visit a real estate agent in central London to check out a few flats. Afterwards, if they had time, they were going to return to Diagon Alley for a spot of afternoon shopping.
"One caramel sundae please," Lily ordered as she waited for Cat and Anna to show up. She grabbed three spoons so that they could share, and took herself outside to sit at a small wooden table. Before she had even taken a bite, Anna (one of the aforementioned best friends) had appeared from around the corner and was now bounding towards Lily with an absurd amount of energy.
"Lily!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around the red head with such enthusiasm that Lily couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, Anna. Good to see you too," Lily grinned, pulling back and motioning for Anna to sit down.
"For me?" Anna grabbed a spoon and hungrily dug into the sundae, much to Lily's amusement.
"In a bit of a good mood, are we?" she asked cheekily.
"You would not believe the day I am having!" Anna enthused, placing down her spoon and dabbing delicately at her mouth with a napkin. "I just got offered a part time job at Flourish and Blotts."
"What, just like that?" Lily replied, taking her first spoon of ice-cream.
"Yep, I didn't even have a resume or a cover letter or anything. I just walked in and asked if there were any positions available and he hired me on the spot!"
"That sounds like a really good luck," came a voice from behind Anna.
Cat had wandered up to their table in the midst of their conversation without either of them noticing. "Hi guys," she said cheerfully. "This guy that hired you, was he the youngish, spotty one?" she grinned.
"Well... Yes..." Anna replied, slightly guiltily.
Lily couldn't help but laugh - the lengths people would go to to please Anna because she was pretty and friendly were a great source of entertainment for her two friends.
"You know you have a boyfriend, right?"
"Yes, and as soon as I've established myself as a useful and in fact, invaluable, part of the team, Jeremy will find out too," she smirked.
"You're unbelievable," Lily rolled her eyes.
"Unbelievably lucky," Anna replied, "I didn't get to tell you the rest of the good news."
She paused for dramatic effect, sufficiently intriguing Lily and Cat.
"Well?" Cat demanded.
"Caradoc got an offer from three different quidditch teams!"
"WHAT? NO WAY?!" Cat all but yelled.
"He did - the Appleby Arrows, the Tutshill Tornadoes and the Pride of Portree," she said excitedly.
"Oh, he should definitely choose Pride of Portree," Cat suggested, "They have been bottom of the ladder this year, but they have the talent, their coach was just rubbish. But I heard last week that he was retiring and they're getting the old coach from Falmouth and-"
"Blah, blah, it's all gobbledegook to me," Anna said, "I just know that I'm not too keen on moving to Scotland to fit in with his training schedule."
"Hang on a minute, I thought that we were all going to live together," Lily interrupted, looking anxious. "Please don't tell me you've changed your mind. I don't think Cat and I can afford a decent place just between the two of us."
"No, don't worry. I still plan to live with you guys," Anna smiled reassuringly. "But I want to be able to go watch him train and stuff, and I don't much fancy the trek out to Scotland each day, even if I can apparate."
"So it's down to Appleby and Tutshill, then?" Lily asked.
"Oh, it's definitely Tutshill. Sky blue looks so good on him," Anna grinned.
After much giggling, gossip and ice-cream, the three girls visited a few of the shops in Diagon Alley, with the main highlight being Lily's purchase of a wizarding camera.
They then set off to the real estate agency that they had decided on previously. The office was not far from the muggle entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, so the three Gryffindors simply caught the bus.
When they arrived, they were greeted by an overly bubbly brunette woman with a terrible bob haircut and a bright red blazer that looked expensive but unattractive at the same time.
"Hello, ladies. You must be Miss Evans, Miss Jones and Miss Brown. Please follow me." She led them into a small, tastefully furnished office where they sat crammed around a circular table. The real estate agent, Deirdre, had taken the liberty of picking out a few small apartments for the girls to inspect first on paper and then in an actual tour should they wish to. She had also managed to keep in mind their meagre budget. As a result, all of their options were slightly smaller than they had hoped.
"I'll leave you three to talk it over," Deirdre said, sweeping out of the room.
"These places are tiny," Anna exclaimed, "There's no way we'll all fit in there!"
"I reckon our dorm room was bigger than some of these flats," Cat agreed.
"Do you think we'd be allowed to put expansion charms on them, so that they're bigger on the inside?" Lily suggested. "I mean, that's not against our laws, is it?"
"Good point, Lils," Cat agreed. "It can't be against the law, witches and wizards do it all the time so that the muggles don't catch on."
"Good. Well, then we just need to chose the one with the best location, considering that the insides don't really matter," Anna said.
"What about this one?" Lily said, pointing to the apartment with whitewash walls in Holborn, close to St Mungo's.
"Or this one - it's close to the Leaky Cauldron and to the Ministry," Cat suggested, pointing to the narrow upstairs flat towards the West end of the Strand in Central London.
"I suppose I could always apparate to work," Lily said. "And I guess this way we're closer to Diagon Alley - that's where the guys are getting a place, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I don't see why they don't just move into James' family home. I mean, it's big enough," Cat mused.
"I think it might have something to do with the fact that David's always away on business. James feels like the house is empty without his Dad."
"Hmm, or maybe David just doesn't trust a bunch of teenage boys alone in his house," Anna grinned. "Come on, let's ask to go check this one out."
As soon as they arrived, the girls knew that this was the apartment that they wanted to live in. It had a fairly inconspicuous front door - plain white with a brass knocker, just like the other identical flats in the street. The narrow hallway led straight through to a comfortable living room at the back of the flat. There was a small bathroom off the hall, with an adjoining toilet. There was also a sort of study/room-full-of-junk on the first floor. The cream carpeted stairs that went in the same direction as the hallway led to the second floor which consisted of three quaintly wallpapered bedrooms and a cork-floored kitchen.
It had a sort of musty, lived-in smell, and some of the wallpaper was peeling, but it was definitely within the girls' price range and it had a nearly perfect location being close to both the entrance to the wizarding world, their jobs and their boyfriends. With a little magic, the humble apartment wouldn't seem so small or shabby, so the girls agreed to sign the papers there and then, giving the current occupants a month before they would move in themselves.
"Ahh, I'm so excited!" Anna squealed, after Deirdre had happily left them at the front gate.
"I can't believe it. We actually own an apartment," Cat said, her face alight with content disbelief.
"Well, not quite. But close enough," Lily grinned.
"I say we go out for a drink to celebrate," Anna suggested. "Shall we meet the guys?"
"Isn't Caradoc off somewhere training or something?" Cat asked.
"I'm sure he can get away for a bit. Where are Black and Potter?"
"Feel free to start calling them Sirius and James," Lily said.
"They would've been visiting Remus at St Mungo's. Full moon last night," Cat said.
"They're probably back at James' now, should we drop by?"
"Yeah, but let's apparate. I can't be bothered with finding a place nearby to floo from," Anna said.
"See you soon," Cat grinned, before turning on the spot with a loud POP.
Sirius was dozing lightly on the leather couch in the Potter's spacious library when he heard three loud POPs crack through the air. With lightening fast reflexes, he leapt up and drew his wand.
"Oh, dear. His hair is worse than James'," Lily chuckled.
"Oi!" Sirius cried, lowering his wand and hastily patting down his hair. "You can't just surprise a guy like that and expect his hair to look it's flawless best."
"Were you expecting someone else?" Cat asked, raising an eyebrow at the lowered wand. Sirius just shrugged.
"Where's your better half?" Anna joked.
"Dunno. He's here somewhere."
"We have some exciting news and we wanted to tell you both together."
"I'm going to go find him," Lily said, exiting the room quietly.
She wandered down the corridor until she came to the main staircase that led her to the third floor. Her feet automatically took her down yet another corridor to James' bedroom. As she stood outside the closed door, Lily felt an odd sense of nervousness that she couldn't explain. It had been a fair while since they'd seen each other.
Well, five days.
But considering the fact that since they'd gotten together they had practically lived on top of each other, with minimal time apart, five days seemed a long time.
Who knows what could change in five days?
Lily tentatively pushed the door open to see James lying asleep on his back, on his fourposter, with his arms folded across his chest and a slight frown creasing his handsome face. Lily leant on the doorframe, wondering what could be troubling James in his sleep. Had she been there ten minutes earlier, she would have found her boyfriend writing in his Occlumency Journal...
James' Occlumency Diary
Moony looked worse today. Worse than he usually does after a transformation, at any rate. He was cut and bruised all over. I tried not to mention it or to stare but it's hard.
I can't wait till we get our own place. We'll be able to take him out on the full moon again as Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs and he won't be lonely and self-destructive.
I'm too exhausted to write anything else.
Lily was mentally tossing up between waking James or leaving him there, when the boy in question stirred restlessly on the bed. She immediately stood up straight and straightened her red hair with her hands.
"Are you just going to stand there?" James asked in his cheekiest of voices, smirking at Lily even though his eyes were still closed. Lily giggled.
"Sorry," she said, walking towards his bed and sitting down next to him. "I didn't want to wake you."
"It's no use, I can't sleep properly anyway," he replied, sitting up. "Not when Moony's in such a bad state."
"Will he be alright?" Lily replied anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm sure he will be," James rumpled his hair. "It's just not nice to see him so beaten up and to know that he's done the damage himself."
"He's still in St Mungo's, yeah?"
James nodded.
"How are you holding up?" she asked. They still hadn't kissed one another hello.
James grinned at her, "What is this, twenty questions?"
Lily laughed again but it was softer, less confident.
"Are you okay?" James asked, placing his hand over hers on the bed. Lily smile broadly at the contact, which still made her skin feel tingly and her insides feel mushy.
"I am now," she replied, leaning in for a kiss.
James wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him until they toppled backwards onto the pillows, lips still together. Lily moved her hands up so that she was running her fingers through his soft hair.
She pulled away suddenly. "FIVE days, James!" she cried.
"I know!" he replied, before pulling her back in for more kissing.
This was how Sirius, Cat and Anna found them, fifteen minutes later.
"Ahem!" Anna said loudly.
Now, a normal pair of teenagers making out would have sprung apart with surprise, probably sporting embarrassed or guilty expressions. James and Lily, on the other hand, broke apart reluctantly, only turning to look at their friends when enough time had passed that not to do so would be rude.
"Are you quite finished?" Sirius asked, an amused smile playing about his lips.
"Not even close, but for the sake of public decency we will say yes," Lily replied.
"So, are we going to get going?" Cat asked.
"Where are we going?" James frowned.
"Out to celebrate," Lily said.
"Why?"
"It's a surprise."
"Alright, then."
Remus lay in his hospital bed staring blankly at the ceiling. Everywhere ached and stung. Unfortunately, even after all the years, he was still not used to the unnatural feeling of all his bones having to reform, and his muscles re-stretch around them. It was nearly dark outside - not that much light was let into the ward through it's tiny window - and Remus was awaiting his parents arrival. Once he had been checked over again by another healer, he would be released and taken home to rest.
The four other patients in the room with Remus were not much in the way of company either. The man in the bed next to him was covered head to foot in bandages, and was therefore unable to do much talking. The bed across fro Remus was occupied by a middle-aged witch with mangy brown hair. She had her right arm bandaged up, although Remus could see it was leaking a greenish pus, and she was muttering quietly to herself about turnips and treacle tarts. In fact, Remus half wondered if she would be better suited in the long term ward for mentally unstable patients.
The other two beds held boys who, like Remus, had spent the night in their wolf forms. They were both sleeping, and even when they were awake were generally surly and taciturn.
He glanced across at the copy of the Daily Prophet lying on the bedside table and picked it up.
Property Prices Drop in Magical Communities
According to the latest research done by the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Transportation (who have been looking into the urban sprawl of the floo network), property prices in areas highly populated by magical persons have dropped dramatically. According to the statistics, prices have decreased by up to forty-nine percent since last year's mass attacks on Mold-on-the-Wold and Hogsmeade.
The Minister for Magic spoke out on the issue after yesterday's Wizengamot meeting. "People should not fear living in these areas. There is safety in numbers. Witches and wizards, we must stand together against He-who-must-not-be-named, and thus return our neighbourhoods to the safe havens that they once were."
Remus was about to turn to page twenty-five to have a look at these so-called low housing prices - as the Marauders were planning on getting a flat in Diagon Alley - when he heard the familiar voice of Healer Stevens.
"As you know, today we will have a few more patients in this wing than usual. Full moon last night, you know?"
"Would you like me to check on Ms Watkins, then?" came a completely different voice. Remus looked up from his paper.
"Hello, Mr Lupin, how are you feeling today?" asked Healer Stevens, standing at his bed head and effectively blocking his view of the new comer. She placed her thin hand on his forehead to check his temperature then, seemingly satisfied, moved around to the other side of his bed to check on his leg. This gave Remus a clear view of his healer's assistant, someone he was sure he hadn't met before.
She was dressed in light blue robes - the colour of third year interns at St Mungo's - and was bending over Ms Watkins' bed, checking her charts, and giving Remus a rather nice view. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and, from what Remus could tell, she was probably not much older than him.
"Mr Lupin?" enquired Stevens.
Remus started slightly. "Oh, err, fine. Just my leg, really. Ribs, shoulder blade. The usual."
"Bone strengthening potion, Duncan," Stevens ordered, before moving onto the next patient.
Duncan? Thought Remus, that seems an odd name for a girl.
Before his sleep-deprived brain could struggle over the puzzle of her name any longer, the girl in question swept over with a shot glass worth of bright blue liquid. Remus was able to see her identification card pinned to her robes: Laura Duncan.
Oh, Remus thought, that makes sense! ... how much sleeping draught did they give me!?
She smiled warmly, her brown eyes traveling briefly over Remus' face checking for abrasions that needed healing.
"Drink up," she said, and Remus noticed a faint hint of an accent in her voice. Although, in his current state of disrepair, he couldn't quite work out where it was from.
It was nice to have someone different to look at, Remus noted dully as he surreptitiously watched Laura go about the room administering potions that Healer Stevens demanded. Just nice to have something to observe that wasn't his fellow patients, or the shadows in the corners of the room, or the cuts and bruises all over his own body.
A few short minutes later, both the healer and the student had left the room and Remus was once again left on his own with his thoughts. He passed the next two hours alternately sleeping and reading the paper, until his parents came to collect him that evening.
In the meantime, the girls had taken the boys to the Leaky Cauldron where they gently broke the news that they had bought an apartment. Unfortunately Caradoc had not been able to get away from his meeting with the Tutshill Tornadoes, so Anna went to wait for him, leaving Cat, Lily, James and Sirius.
"It's kinda small and plain, but we're going to make it bigger on the inside," Cat enthused.
"And it's quite close by so when you lot move into a place in Diagon Alley, you won't be too far away."
After about an hour of drinking and talking, during which James played idly with Lily's hair, and Cat snuck her hand onto Sirius' thigh, the conversation turned to the more serious.
"I read this morning that places like the one we're going to get are a lot cheaper because people are too scared to live in all magical communities," James mentioned after a few minutes of silence.
"It doesn't make sense, though, does it?" Lily replied. "Surely people should be thinking that there's safety in numbers?"
"Apparently not," Sirius said. "And I can't say I blame them. Look at all the attacks that have been happening lately. It's not like living with other wizards guarantees you safe haven. If anything it makes you more of a target."
"Then why are you guys planning on getting a place in Diagon Alley?" Cat asked, brow wrinkled.
"Well, if we let them get to us then they'd have won," James shrugged. "Plus, we're lazy and it's more of a convenience thing."
"And we fear nothing. We are the Marauders, after all," Sirius winked, effectively dispersing the worry that seemed to have settled over their table.
"I feel like a bit of fresh air," Lily said suddenly, standing up.
"I'll come," James replied predictably, following Lily out into muggle London. Sirius and Cat just exchanged a Lily-and-James-clearly-need-a-moment-alone look, before Cat found herself on Sirius' lap, snogging him silly.
"Hey, Lils. What's up?" James said, doing a strange half jog to catch up with the red head.
"Nothing, it's nothing," Lily said, confused herself as to why she suddenly felt short of breath.
"Is it the house thing? 'Cause, Lily, I promise you we'll be safe-"
"It's not that."
"Is it about the attacks?"
"No, it's just-" she sighed heavily, prompting James to take her gently under his arm and steer her toward the nearest bench.
"It's just all this moving business. I mean, I think it's great and exciting and everything. But we're not at Hogwarts anymore. We haven't got Dumbledore and all the teachers to keep us safe."
"We don't need them. We'll be just fine," James said soothingly, holding her close to him.
"I just don't know what we're going to do if there's an attack. Especially- I mean, imagine there was an attack on Diagon Alley and we didn't get there in time. What if you..." she couldn't finish the sentence.
"Look at me, Lily," James urged, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I'll be fine. In any case, we haven't even bought a place yet. And we won't be moving in till auror training starts in September."
"That feels like ages," Lily smiled, trying to stick with a new subject, as the old one had left her feeling queasy. "Are you ready for it?"
"I guess so. I don't know, really. It's going to be full on. Long hours, time away."
"The healer training program is really long hours, too," Lily contributed. "How on Earth are we going to cram our work with the Order into this as well? And us," she said, turning away. "I wonder how much time we'll have."
"Well, there's no point in worrying about it until it happens. But I'm sure we'll be okay, Lily. If we can survive Death Eater Attacks then we can get through a bit of time apart."
"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed, foisting a fake smile onto her face. "We can always write to each other."
"Or I could try to hunt down some more two-way mirrors?" James suggested.
"And we can make time to see each other," Lily said quietly, slipping her hand into his.
They stayed like that for a while, leaning on each other, each trying to deal with the challenges that their new adult lives had thrown at them.
Lily was still concerned that, in spite of James' reassurances, their time apart would not be for the best; she worried that maybe someone better would come along, someone who was training to be an auror, perhaps? And James would realise that she, Lily, was not worth the effort. She also had concerns over where he would be living, the dangers of his soon-to-be job and his as yet undisclosed role in the Order of the Phoenix.
James was also worrying about Lily - she seemed to be extra fragile lately (something he put down to the stress of moving out, impending NEWT results and finding employment) and he worried that not seeing her for a month might kill him. Then again, he was equally worried about what could happen to her while she was away from him. What if there were Death Eaters in Australia? What if she got lost over there and never came home? What if she met a cute, charms-loving wizard on a beach somewhere and forgot all about him? The what-ifs were endless and were making James' stomach tie itself in knots with anxiety so he decided to do the only thing he could think of to take his mind off his troubles.
"Do you, err, reckon we should make up for all that time we're going to lose while you're on holidays?" James said with a cheeky smile. Lily laughed, grabbed James by the hand and turned on the spot, taking them somewhere where they wouldn't be disturbed.
AN - Coming up: letters between Lily and James, letters from our favourite Death Eater, Remus' occlumency diary and the Marauders' first Order meeting.
Sorry that this chapter was a bit slow. It's just needed to establish the characters a bit and give me somewhere to go from. Don't worry, things get interesting quite soon. Any predictions?
Also title suggestions are welcome. Preferably 'Scribblings of a something and a something' (fill in the somethings)
Thank you so much for reading, please review if you have time :)
Ps I now have a twitter account - http: // twitter . com /CasablncaTardis (ignore the spaces, it wouldn't let me write it otherwise) - so if you want to, jump on twitter and follow me. I'll be using it probably to ask questions about plot ideas, etc so, yes.
Happy Fanficcing! :D