Confessions of a Fallen Angel

Chapter 1 - Resentment


Raucous laughter rang out from the crack under the closed door directly across the hall from my bedroom; I rolled my eyes as I recognized the barking laugh of Sirius Black mixed with my brother's and their other friends, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

We were midway through the summer before my sixth year – James' and the Marauders' seventh year – and Sirius was officially living with us ever since he had this huge blowup with his parents after going home at the end of the last school year. Remus and Peter, on the other hand, were staying here until after the full moon this weekend, having convinced our parents to let him stay in the (now charmed) basement the night of the full moon, and for them to be able to cheer him up before and after.

Load of bull if I ever heard it, and I seriously doubt our parents believe they're just keeping him company before and after the transformation. They don't know that I know about all their full moon exploits, but they aren't as secretive as they'd like to believe. I haven't snitched to mum and dad or anyone, though, all I'd gain from that is the resentment of my brother and his posse. Besides, I've much more to gain from not telling, seeing as, when we got out for summer break this year, I nicked James' notes from when they were learning to transform into their Animagus form. If all goes as planned? I'm hoping to perfect mine this year, before they graduate, and have some fun messing with them.

I'll drop my plans for pranking the pranksters for now, though… All the noise from James' room was making it impossible to focus on anything, fun or otherwise. I've never been particularly good at focusing, to begin with, anyway.

"You know, if you want to pull off whatever prank you're planning without getting caught, you need to quiet down in here," I said as I pushed James' door open.

"Oi!" James cried, shoving whatever they'd been peering at underneath his bed, "There's this thing called knocking, you know, Em!"

"Oh please, you barge into my room all the time, cut the crap, James," I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him in an admittedly slightly childish way.

"I'm the older sibling, I can do stuff like that. I get to make the rules."

Sirius was watching our normal banter with an amused look, albeit slightly bored – living with us, he got to listen to this every day.

"Actually," An amused voice carried through the still open door, "I get to make the rules, James, seeing as this is my house. Lunch is ready, and for Merlin's sake wash the dungbomb scent – Emma Dorea Potter, rolling your eyes is not ladylike - off your hands before you come!" Our mum disappeared around the corner as she finished speaking, whisking down the stairs with a brisk step.

"Yes, Emma, don't you roll your eyes, young lady!" James said, smirking, as he waved a finger at me.

"I'd step off my high horse if I were you, ickle Jamiekins, after all – boys should mind their manners when speaking to a lady, shouldn't they?" I stretched out and ruffled his hair with my hand, knocking his glasses askew as I did so, then bolted out the door after Sirius, who had disappeared at the mention of food.

"Emma!" An indignant cry sounded behind me, James pounding down the stairs in pursuit of me, Remus and Peter trailing behind with a look that read, quite plainly, that this was nothing new to them.

James didn't catch up to me until we reached the dining room, where Sirius was scarfing down soup as fast as he could move the spoon to his mouth. I exhaled forcibly as I tripped over the foot James had stuck out to trip me, sending me careening toward the wooden floor as he laughed, taking the seat by Sirius I'd been headed for.

"James," A chiding voice called, "Be nice to your sister. Emma, don't antagonize your brother."

Peter stepped over me, almost falling as he did so, Remus, meanwhile, helped me up with a long-suffering grin shared between us. Sirius and my brother, on the other hand, were devouring the steaming pot of soup on the table in front of them.

"Mum, you didn't make this, did you?" I asked, stirring my own bowl idly.

"No, it tastes like heaven!" Sirius declared – or at least I think that's what he said, since his mouth was full the entire time he spoke, so it came out sounding like he was trying to speak Gobbledegook.

That was his way of confirming the house elves had cooked it – Dorea Potter was not a good cook, however motherly she was in other aspects. Once, she tried to bake a birthday cake for James' eleventh birthday… Have you ever tried eating dragon dung?

Before James left for his first year at Hogwarts, we were always up to no good, together. James and Emma, Jamie and Em. More often than not, if one was in trouble, so was the other, unless they'd managed to convince Mum or Dad it was only their sibling at fault. Usually, I was the one able to get off with a stern look - all I had to do was bat my eyelashes, and my timeout was over, much to James' outrage. Mum liked to say I had Dad wrapped around my finger... Actually, she still says that. It used to bother her, how he'd 'undermine her authority'; occasionally they still have a small argument over it.

After his first year, though, it's always been James and Sirius, or James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. The Marauders. I was so excited for him to be home when we went to King's Cross, but he didn't so much as glance at me until we left his friends behind, and he didn't say a word to me the entire first day back - he was too busy owling Sirius, or telling Mum all about what he'd done at school. I guess that's when the first, small bit of resentment towards James grew in me. Mind you, he still hexes any male not related to us who so much as glances at me in passing, but it's hardly ever just the two of us nowadays.

Later that afternoon, Mum had gone to Diagon Alley to buy something or other, and Dad was still at work - he's an Auror, and he's been pretty busy lately with this Lord Voldemort bloke getting stronger. I was submerged in the task of reading through my brother's horribly messy notes on Animagus forms when a tawny flash shot through my open window to land in my lap. An Eagle Owl, with sleek feathers, carrying a parcel with a Zonko's label on it. Immediately, my mind landed on the Marauders, so it was with a resigned sigh that stood up, the owl having perched on my arm, and once more pushed my brother's door open.

As before, I was met with an annoyed, messy-haired form telling me to get out.

"Go away, Emma, I told you we're busy!"

"Then let the owl in through your own window!" I hissed, shoving said bird - which had ruffled it's feathers up at the raised voices - through the door.

"Go away!"

With a final shove, the door closed resolutely mere inches in front of my face, and this time I heard the lock click.

It was times like these when the resentment towards my brother, his friends, and their precious pranks grew fervently stronger.


Sooo, chapter one. Just FYI, I have 1,500 words written of future scenes I'm working up to, already have a vague plot that I'm fleshing out, and plan for this to be a long, well-progressed story. Reviews loved, critiques welcome, and flames will be hurled back at their writers!

EDIT: 5/11/2013 - I've gone back through and fixed the three typos. Gawd, I can't believe I missed those... I HATE typos and the like. Major perfectionist, here. I guess that's what I get for 'proofreading' at 3AM, on a sugar high.