I do not own Harry Potter. Only Rose and the OC's are mine.
A while was right. Becoming an Animagus was much easier said than done. There was an entire process and lots of theory that only Lupin and I were even close to comprehending; and that didn't help Lupin, as he was the one that we were learning the new skill for.
We weren't making good progress, slowed down by our normal routine and the pranks that we pulled to keep appearances. It didn't help that I was put in detention for a week for beating up another student. He had it coming, but that didn't mean Professor McGonagall or Slughorn could go easy on me.
~Flashback~
"It's going to wait for you to add the daisy root. Don't pay attention to the book, the time window is wider than it'd lead you to believe. Come on. Alice, visualize it; it's going to turn purple," I ordered. My fellow first year, Gryffindor, and roommate Alice Fortescue swallowed. She was staring at the cauldron before her, her hand hovering over the potions ingredients. Lily and I, our potions already finished and graded, were moving around the room, helping the other students. Our knack for potion-making was well-known but that didn't stop Goyle, a rather stupid wall of meat, from cracking what, in his mind, could have been a joke to his fellow Slytherins.
"Hogwarts is going downhill, letting that mudblood teach potions," he sneered as I instructed Alice a row in front of him. My fist clenched, something that did not go unnoticed by Alice. She stared worriedly at me as her potion turned a dark violet. I smiled tightly.
"Good work, Alice. Go give some to Slughorn," I said, handing her a phial as I plotted my revenge on Goyle.
He was forced to stay in the hospital wing for the next week.
I told the Marauders about it a few days after he was released. He then returned for another week and a half.
We all sat in detention, thoroughly pleased with ourselves, according to McGonagall.
~End Flashback~
Before we knew it, school was drawing to a close. Fifth and seventh years panicked about their exam results and everyone else was happy for the end of another school year. Everyone but me, it seemed. I was not looking forward to living with Petunia for six weeks and, judging from her behavior over Christmas Break, she was no more pleased than I was with the arrangement. Unfortunately, I declined James' offer to spend the summer with him. Six weeks with James Potter living down the hall would be almost as tragic as six weeks with my prejudiced sister. He laughed when I told him that.
Lily was less than happy when Potter made his offer, especially since it was extended to her. It was only then, when she denied herself freedom from Petunia, did I realize how the Marauders, even me, must seem to her. We were the bad guys to her. James was the worst, Sirius a close second. It seemed that my restraint towards Sev was more relaxed than I'd thought. We had embarrassed him, just not as publicly as we had our other victims. I guess he didn't really see the difference.
It was because of that realization that, when we boarded the Hogwarts Express at the end of term, I separated myself from the other Marauders and sat with Lily and Sev, even if they sat with a group of Slytherins. Goyle, the lump that called me a mudblood, was among them. I grinned warningly at him and he backed into a seat, his back pressed against the wall.
"Hey, Sev," I greeted. "I haven't talked to you in a while; how've you been?"
"I've been better, but I suppose your friends would know all about that, wouldn't they?" he asked, his lip curling slightly. I kept my face smooth.
"I suppose you're right. That lot is hard to control, even for me," I sighed. "If I didn't say sorry, I am."
"Sorry for what?" Lily asked pointedly. She was all too informed on the enmity between the two boys. I hadn't say a word about my trying to protect Sev. I thought she'd get indignant about why he'd need protection.
"Nothing," Sev announced. He met my eyes, nodding slowly. "It's not your fault that Potter is a pompous prat."
"He's my pompous prat, I'm afraid," I smiled, laughing under my breath. I glanced at the Slytherins, all tense. I even saw one, McNair, reach towards his wand and I sighed. "I'm not going to attack you lot," I announced, rolling my eyes. "Not worth getting into a fight on our way home."
"Why, 'cause there's no teachers to give you detention?" Lily rolled her eyes. I shrugged, noticing that not a single Slytherin was calm. Only Sev seemed like he wasn't going to hex me out of the compartment.
"Honestly, I'm not going to do anything," I chuckled. "Honestly, there's no point to it. I'm not stupid, I'm outnumbered. And Sev, I'm sure you'd side with your friends if it was me or them. Don't worry, I don't blame you, I'd do the same with the Marauders," I shrugged, sitting down next to Lily- and more importantly, the door.
"I still don't know how you can be friends with those…" Lily drifted off, fuming silently and at a loss for words. My smile grew.
"Over-confident, self-righteous, and rather obnoxious boys?" I offered. Even McNair cracked a smile and I shrugged again. "Someone's gotta keep them from getting themselves expelled. Lupin can't handle Sirius and Potter." I was surprised when Lily laughed.
"You're his mate but you call him Potter too?" she smiled. I shrugged, grinning.
"He doesn't deserve his first name from me yet. Last time I checked, you lot thought the same thing," I said, glancing around the compartment. More than one person smiled easily.
"Anyway, he hates it when you call him Jimmy," I said, winking at Sev. He chuckled, smiling. I disregarded the quiet maliciousness hiding in his grin.
Lily only laughed. The ride passed slowly, shifting between a companionable conversation with the Slytherins to a tensed silence.
"Well that was…"
"Awkward?" I offered. Lily laughed as she collected her trunk from the train. My things were already stacked neatly into a trolley; Olwyn hooted, looking exceptionally bored. I didn't blame the barred owl, we were two of the last people to make it off the train, so much that the other Marauders had already left with a hurried goodbye, hastened by their parents.
"I wouldn't say-"
"I would," I interrupted. "I'm definitely sitting with the Marauders on the way back to Hogwarts. I'd almost rather suffer through a conversation with- Petunia!" My older sister was pushing her way through the thinning crowd, a look of disgust on her narrow face.
"Mum and Dad say to hurry up. They're on the normal platform," Petunia sneered. I stepped back, my face settling into shock as Lily stepped up to the plate, her eyes narrowing defensively.
"You're just jealous that we can do something you can't for once," she accused. I raised an eyebrow approvingly.
"Nice one, but I'd like to add that a two years' age difference doesn't make you in charge of us. Also, when we get home, I'm decorating my half of the room in Gryffindor banners and photos from school. And there's nothing you can do about it," I grinned, already pushing my belongings towards the barrier.
Petunia's eyes narrowed. I could feel her eyes, glaring daggers into my back as I passed through the brick wall easily. Mum and Dad both smiled, their eyes lighting up as first I, then Lily, and finally Petunia, came out of the barrier.
"Hello, sweetie," Mum greeted, smiling maternally as she squeezed the life out of us in a crushing bear hug. Dad somehow managed to free us, ruffling our already disobedient hair like he did when we were little.
"How was school, girls?" he smiled, either ignoring or not noticing the scowl adorning Petunia's face. I grinned, probably a little bit too happy at Petunia's expense.
"It was absolutely brilliant!" I gushed, only slightly overplaying the emotion. Petunia's scowl deepened. "I can't believe that the year's already over. I can't wait to go back in September. Gryffindor is definitely the best house of the four," I continued, droning on and on. Lily commented here and there, informing our parents of just how much trouble I had gotten into, both on my own and with my friends. I refrained from correcting her on the minor details, loyal to our Magical Mischief Maker and Rulebreaker Code. Unfortunately, that code also forbid me from gossiping about the more successful pranks we had pulled. Anonymity could be a blessing, even if it meant that the victims couldn't prove anything.
The code aside, the day passed quickly, much faster than the train ride spent in the company of the Slytherins. Petunia actually made an effort to hold her tongue whenever Lily and I made an offhanded comment on our 'school for freaks'.
A/N:
I'm sorry to announce that all of my stories will be on a temporary hiatus starting now. I'll post again when I can but I can't guarantee anything. My grandfather had a fatal stroke yesterday. He officially past away 9/17/11, 1:35 pm.
RIP Grandpa, missing you already X/3
;_; Susie ;_;