Chapter 8: Meeting the Marauders

Veronica Lodge. Socialite of New York. Fallen star. My mother and I ran from trouble when my father was arrested for embezzlement. Unfortunately, the small town we ran to knew exactly why we were there.

I took the only opportunity for a new start and jumped last minute on an exchange student opportunity. To Hogwarts in Great Britain. I was going to get a fresh new start, but somehow I found myself stuck in a place much like the one I left in New York.

I was surrounded by rich bitches like myself. What I swore to myself I would not be. I was grasping at straws to find someone with humanity. I had tried to reach out to my fellow Riverdale students to see if I could make normal friends. It didn't work.

It didn't help that the castle was the most confusing thing in the world. If I didn't trail along with someone, I couldn't get to class. My housemates wanted me to join in their bullying. My fellow Riverdale students ignored me because they didn't know me.

That was what found me terribly lost and super late to History of Magic. I had no idea where I was and there was no one in sight to ask.

"Well, well, well," a male voice came from behind me. "Why would the new Slytherin be skipping History of Magic? Think it is a bore already?"

"If you know that I'm missing History of Magic, doesn't it mean you are missing it as well?" I shot back, turning around to see four boys who were in my year. There was clearly some war between Slytherins and Gryffindors and these boys were clearly Gryffindors. Great. Just what I needed while lost and alone, some boys to come and pick on me because the sorting hat decided I was a Slytherin for some reason.

"I think we found a better use of our time," the one with glasses said, leaning against the wall. I couldn't help but notice his muscles underneath his robes.

"What's that?" I asked, trying to pretend I didn't find them attractive.

"Placing lost cat flyers," the first one said with a grin that almost made me smile.

"Who lost their cat?"

"No one," the one with glasses said with a smirk.

"Then why are you placing lost cat posters?"

"Because, one of the professors is an animagus." The first boy stated. It only struck me a little weird that only two of them were doing the talking.

"Wait, you're putting up posters claiming the professor in animagus form is a lost cat?"

"You got it!" The one with glasses shot at me with finger guns. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Really? You are putting up posters to get students to catch the professor when he is a cat." I couldn't help but chuckle. It was a harmless but hilarious prank.

"Maybe we should be trying to get her to be one of the marauders instead," the first one said with a seductive grin.

"She clearly understands what a prank is, it's true."

"One question though, won't he see these posters before anyone manages to catch him. Thus, avoiding animagus form until the flyers are long forgotten?"

The first one got incredibly close to me. While the other one was more muscly, this one was much more my type…not that I really had a type. I was just more attracted to him than to his friend.

"That's the brilliance of this plan," he said, putting a poster in close to my face. "The picture can only be seen by students under 17."

"That's brilliant."

"Care to join?"

I took the poster from his hand. "I guess making it to History of Magic is pointless now. I expect I would be lost if I arrived at class this late."

"That's the spirit!" The one with glasses called out.

So I went around putting up flyers for a lost cat the remainder of the period. I also think I made my first friends since leaving New York.

The first one, the most attractive with the bad boy debonair, his name was Sirius Black. The one with glasses was James Potter. The quiet one with scars was Remus Lupin. The quiet one that looked a little more fed than everyone else was named Peter Pettigrew. They were best friends since day one at Hogwarts and were more than willing to let me join in.

That night, I met up with Sirius to go on a reconnaissance mission. It was right before curfew on a dark and stormy night.

"What will we be spying on tonight?" I asked.

"I'll let you know later," Sirius replied with a wink.

"What are we doing now?"

"Pretending to go on a romantic stroll around the castle." He extended his arm for me to take.

"Old school, I like it." I slipped my arm into his and my heart fluttered to be so close to him.

It's amazing how you can talk about nothing with people you like and still have an engaging conversation. I do not remember a word that we spoke, all I knew was that I enjoyed every moment we spent together. It was an hour or two after curfew when the mission was brought up again.

"Target approaches," Sirius said, stopping suddenly. "Quick, in here."

I caught a glimpse of Archie before being pulled into a storage closet. We waited in silence as we heard Archie walk past us. It was impossible not to notice the sexual tension.

"What do we do now?" I whispered as soon as Archie had passed us.

"Follow him, as quietly as possible."

We then left the storage closet and tiptoed behind Archie.

"Why are we following your roommate?" I whispered.

He simply raised his finger to his lips to quiet me and we kept walking. He was still holding my hand that he used to pull me into hiding. He was smooth.

Archie continued up and up and up. Sirius checked his watch.

"We need to prevent him from returning to the Gryffindor tower until midnight. Can you help me with that?" He whispered.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Anything."

I knew what I could do, play the lost girl. I motioned for Sirius to remain behind and then I loudly walked into the next hallway before dramatically noticing Archie.

"Archie! Thank goodness I found someone I know." I said, quickly approaching him. "I am terribly lost and I know it is very much past curfew, but I don't know the way back to my common room. Do you think you can help me?"

"Um, sure Veronica. Aren't your living quarters in the dungeons?"

"Yes."

"We're on the seventh floor."

"Yes, thank you, captain obvious. I noticed we weren't in the dungeons. However, not every dungeon leads to my common room."

"Ok, I'll help you to the Great Hall. Do you think you can find it from there?"

I nodded. "I think that should work."

So I walked arm in arm with Archie. It was nice. Archie was another hottie. Another detour into a storage closet would have been welcome, but I just had to distract him until midnight. It seemed Archie was just as clueless about the Castle as it took a while to get to the Entrance Hall.

"Thank you," I said as we reached our destination. "I won't tell anyone that we were out late."

"Thanks. Are you sure you will be able to make it from here?"

"Yeah," I replied and waved as he left.

As soon as Archie was up half a flight of stairs I heard someone call my name quietly. It was Sirius. He was waiting for me in the hallway that lead to the Slytherin dungeons. I quickly joined him.

"How was that?" I whispered.

"Perfect," he said with a smile, lifting up his watch to show me it was midnight.

"Do I get to know why it was important that he didn't get back before midnight?"

"Nope, but it isn't anything bad, I promise."

"I don't know you well enough to know whether or not I should trust you." I teased.

"Me, do anything wrong?" He played.

"Only time will tell," I said breathlessly. He was flawless.

He leaned forward and gently place a quick peck on my lips before waving goodbye. He was gone before I fully processed everything that happened.