A/N: Enjoy The Marauders! This story updates on Mondays, but I missed posting yesterday! Was unexpectedly very busy & there will be no post next week. Just a heads up!

Also another note!

I'm looking for someone who has time, is a great artist & wants to draw a webtoon… I've got writing skillz, but z.e.r.o. perspective when it comes to drawing! This is just for fun, I'm thinking we'd post to Line Webtoon, but if you're interested then message me for more information!

―

Remus Lupin was her favourite. Certainly the most considerate of the group and far better company than the hyperactive Potter, though Lupin said that was down to sugar intake about an hour prior. Said he'd crash and burn within forty-five minutes.

Sirius Black was... Cool. Completely cool. She didn't think the term in compliment, but there was no denying that the air around him was something like... Expensive bottled water. But, that made no sense at all; maybe more like the rare cologne that wasn't overpowering and disgusting, but actually subtle and enticing? Despite how little he apparently liked her.

Peter Pettigrew said next-to-nothing. He was far more interested in eating snacks than speaking to her. She pegged him a bit rude or, perhaps, gawky. It wasn't that he didn't acknowledge her, he just didn't seem to care whether she was there or not.

James Potter was a whirlwind. He was here and there and talking a mile a minute. Even if this was down to a sugar high he was clearly the most extroverted of the group. The kind of person who had no problem walking up to a stranger, inserting himself in their sphere, and getting away with it.

Lily didn't feel like she fit. The four of them had something, a chemistry. They were actually The Marauders, it wasn't all just for show. Really good friends in real life, she could see that now, and she felt like she was intruding.

Black seemed to think so too and he was blatantly rude. Remus made apologies for it, Potter was slightly irritated by it, and Pettigrew either didn't notice or didn't care.

"He's very insular," Lupin explained after Sirius stalked off to a corner. "Brooding, too." He raised his voice, "Selfish, bad-mannered, and irritable!" None of it had an effect on Black.

All she could do was offer a quick, false smile and nod of understanding.

"Forget about him," Potter waved a hand in Sirius' general direction. "He'll be fine once you're gone, the daft prick. He thinks I'm cheating on him."

She did catch Black's eye-roll.

This was Potter's idea. Bonding. Being friends. The kind of friend she thought he'd be was the one who insisted on dragging you around and you never really wanted to; in the end, it wasn't such a bad time, but you still wouldn't want to go again.

"It's really the sugar," Lupin insisted. "He's not normally like this."

"If that's the case then I'd rather met him when he's not bouncing off the walls," she watched as Potter moved from one side of his room to the other in record time. His room. That was their meeting spot.

Much like hers, Gryffindor colours, yet infinitely more masculine. He had a poster of a lion on the wall, a prop racing broom on display. His room just screamed 'boy'.

She jumped when he collapsed on the sofa beside her.

"And there's the end of it," Remus said with a relieved sigh.

"Headache," Potter muttered. "Massive headache."

"You would. How many of those sugar sticks did you eat? Fifty?" Despite his tone, Lupin was getting up, went and poured a glass of water, and handed it off to Potter who drank slowly.

Glass emptied he released a long sigh and said, "Sorry, Evans." His head lolled to the side, messy black hair flying in every direction.

She pursed her lips; honestly, it wasn't that bad. Even hyperactive Potter wasn't constantly in her face or anything, he was just everywhere else. "It's fine. Just… You probably shouldn't do that again. You look awful now."

"Dammit," he groaned and, without warning, fell sideways so his head landed in Lily's lap.

She froze entirely, emerald eyes flew to Lupin to see his brown rolling dramatically, and after a moment more of shock, she relaxed her posture. Potter was forward, disconcerting, but she supposed her lack of experience was no help. She'd not been close to any boys for a long while. In fact, the last boys birthday she was invited to was several years ago; then hormones kicked in, factions were created, and it was all downhill.

She could admit, at this point, that James Potter was a teenage boy, more specifically one with a starring role on a hit television show. Somewhat self-absorbed, but not as much as she'd expected him to be. Brash and apparently not worried about eliciting a negative reaction.

Out of all of them, Black fit her perceptions the best. Seemed to think himself infinitely better than her. At the least, Potter wasn't so snobbish and she could handle one out of four.

Still, he was there, very close and she wasn't sure how to manage the situation.

Fortunately, Potter wasn't inclined to remain long and he sat up within a minute or so. His eyes remained closed behind glass, his head resting on the back of the couch.

The quiet that descended could only be described as awkward, broken by the occasional loud munch or crunch by Peter who was certainly eating more than he should.

Then Potter snored, Lily rolled her eyes and stood. A wooden smile toward Lupin and small nod to Sirius, who steadfastly ignored her still, and she left the room.

With the door closed behind her, she leaned back carefully. The last thing she wanted was for them to think she'd hang around, but she needed a moment to put her mind in order.

Sirius Black was an arrogant toerag.

Remus Lupin wasn't so bad.

James Potter was a dumb teenage boy.

Peter Pettigrew...liked food.

Very one-dimensional characters they painted of themselves and she knew, logically, there was more to them than that, but it was hard to imagine finding out who they were below the surface. That would take time.

But that was still hard to think about. That meant staying, having a proper role and working hard; her days would be full of sets and cameras and shepherding led by Kendra Lewis and her awful, irritating voice.

―

"Are you not at all concerned about the real-life sibling issue between-"

"The Evans' will be fine," an unconcerned wave of the hand. "It'll lend credibility to their acting."

June Baker wasn't sure that Heather Hollis was right about the relationship between the two sisters. One about to become a star and the other… Not so much. She supposed it didn't matter to the show, production wouldn't be held up or anything, but it wasn't exactly ethical to facilitate a fissure of this scale. Then again, Hollis wasn't known for ethical behaviour. She would do whatever it took to produce a hit, even if it meant breaking up relationships.

Which had happened before and Hollis felt nothing.

June was her closest assistant and best friend since secondary. Back then, Heather was a theatre buff, always vying to direct and coming up with her own scripts. Of course, June had no idea how far Heather's creative side would take them both. In those days she was just a follower.

She supposed she still was.

Keeping Heather on schedule, sending orders for coffee, coffee, and more coffee, pushing meetings here, there and everywhere…

She'd not envisioned this sort of future; then again, she was definitely the more unmotivated of their duo. When it came down to it, she and Heather sort of fit, one had all the drive and the other went along.

Hollis was the kind of woman who went after what she wanted, no-holds-barred. Baker made sure she didn't die in the pursuit. Heather was very single-minded, June could see more than her own interests.

Between the two of them, productions ran smoothly. Scripts went out, filming was accomplished, special effects were arranged for, and their talents didn't disgrace themselves.

The Marauders, though, this was a whole new beast. A never been done before setup of epic proportions and a literal monster success. Even now, two seasons in and the second wrapping up on television, June didn't know what to think of it.

"I just had this dream, you know?"

That was Heather's explanation. A dream.

"Yeah it was so interesting I was like, you know what? I should write it all down and here we are!"

As if it was that simple.

For Hollis it was. By that point, three years ago, she already had multiple projects under her belt. It was no great task to get backers involved, to pitch the premiss and get the ball rolling.

She went through all of that, and every production before, but June still didn't know how Heather did it. How she could put everything else aside and do nothing but work. What was her goal?

She never voiced those questions, Heather wouldn't answer anyway. Instead, June did her job and tried to have a social life because The Marauders could be consuming and it would be all too easy to lose herself in it.

A boyfriend of six years and they were going nowhere fast, but at least he was far outside the world of television programming and everything associated with it.

Honestly, June was way beyond over it, but this had been her life since dropping out of university to follow Heather into making a small-time public drama that, against all odds, didn't leave them broke and starving.

Neither of them had ever been a starving artist. There was no doubting Hollis' purpose in the world. She was made for all of this, but June wasn't, she knew it, and yet she couldn't walk away.

"This is the last one," Baker told herself. "After this, I'm going to get travel, meet a new guy and have a life."

She'd said that multiple times.

Now it was The Marauders and she still couldn't let go.

Of course, this one was so different from everything before that she could somewhat excuse herself, but it really had to be the last. Years were rolling into one another and she could swear she felt her biological clock ticking.

It didn't help that she was constantly surrounded by teenagers, kids with their wholes lives ahead of them. Constant reminders that she wasn't sixteen anymore. Not even eighteen. Pushing thirty-five and what did she have to show for it?

Having a stuffed bank account wasn't all it was cracked up to be; all those pounds and nothing to spend them on.

Her life was largely meaningless. One day and then another followed by another day. Occasional dinners with her parents, sleeping with Jack though she couldn't help thinking he must be cheating on her, were the only things she did besides work.

"Heather," she said suddenly. "This is it for me."

They were in a meeting room, awaiting the arrival of others. Setting up sponsorships for the third season and somehow she knew this would be the last time for her. Even if the show went on for ten seasons, she was done.

Finally.

"Going to retire early?"

June huffed. Heather was always off in her own world. Her response was hardly spoken to her, it was more incidental.

"Before I die having done nothing with my life? Yeah."

The shrug was expected. Of course, Heather Hollis didn't have a care for anything outside her own imaginary world and making it as much a reality as possible. Sucking people in with her as she went.

Baker's sigh was long, but drew no further reaction. She didn't think it would. That was the kind of 'friendship' Heather offered. Over a decade of working alongside one another and she had nothing to say about June making a break for it.

Maybe it should have hurt, but that was just Heather.

―

On the morning of her third day potentially on the job, because she could still say 'No', Lily tried to shake off her inhibitions. Most of them revolved around Petunia and despite some regrets, there was no going back on that front. The fact was they didn't have the best relationship to begin with; this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

She took her time that morning, turning on the small television to check the weather. Glasgow in the summer was wet and chill, this Tuesday would be no different. A stark comparison to the day her life wrested from her hands little more than a week prior.

It felt like months, but it was only days. She'd been away from home for two nights. Two.

How could that be all?

She'd been through so much. Found she could act, in one circumstance at least, and Petunia would be acting alongside her for a short while. The night before she'd met Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew. A new friendship with Mary Macdonald and Severus Snape wasn't a friend, but neither was he an enemy.

How, how, had her life gotten so complicated so quickly?

All it took was one day, one she meant to spend relaxing at home, and everything was turned on its head. Her sister's greed brought them to this place and Lily reminded herself that, despite it all, this wasn't just down to Petunia. She'd made the choice to keep going, too.

"I could have quit," she muttered, pulling on a green jumper. "I can still back out."

Yet she knew, deep in her heart, that she didn't want to. She was on the edge of a whole new life and curiosity had taken hold. What could it be like?

As most children did, Lily'd had her moments of daydreaming. Imagining herself a star her mind left out the negative sides of it entirely; today, she had to consider it all.

No matter how sheltered Heather Hollis intended to keep them all, there would be an inevitable meeting with the world. Someday, be it planned or unexpected, the cast of The Marauders would come face-to-face with their adoring, or not, fans.

The very thought of screaming, crying, fainting crowds sent shivers up Lily's spine. It was a horrific image. To think she might find herself a cause of that hysteria was inconceivable.

But was that reason enough to run scared?

She'd made up her mind before, to stick it out, but this wasn't about spending a week or two away from home. This was months. Undoubtedly her parents would visit eventually, perhaps her mum would come to stay for a time, Petunia would refuse of course, and her father couldn't drop work so it might be a long while before she saw him again…

This could change her entire life. This was advertisements and photo shoots, bodyguards and make-up artists. Wardrobe consultants and hairdressers.

In her couple of days thus far, Lily'd had a tiny peek into it all. Meetings with adults, all blurred at best, who would be in charge of her. People who had a vested interest in her progress.

Before this, life was just about her. Decisions were simple enough; she wasn't the 'face' of anything and her only concerns were for her family.

The day she'd spent in classes was almost enough to make her turn right around and demand to be sent home.

Brushed hair was pulled back and up into a tail and she sat on the floor to tie trainers.

"I'm too normal for this."

That was really the issue, wasn't it? She wasn't cut out for fame. She'd never wanted it, not truly like some. She wasn't an attention seeker and she had no attachment to this storyline.

"It should have been Petty," yet even as she said it, Lily knew she didn't mean it. No, it shouldn't have been Petunia either. Some third party, another girl in the line. There were other red-heads, surely! Green-eyed teens.

She needed to know why Heather chose her.

With a quick, sharp breath she slid open her door to step into the hall; Kendra wasn't due for a full hour yet. If she could find Hollis and get back in time-

"Hey! Evans!"

"Dammit," a near silent hiss. It was Potter. Out of his room, hand in his hair as if it wasn't enough of a mess. Still, she could admit it when she felt a tug within her chest. It didn't mean anything. Of course, he was good looking! They wouldn't have put him on the show if he wasn't. They all were. Even Pettigrew wasn't awful, though certainly the least physically attractive in her view.

Anyway, that didn't matter; if she stayed she'd get used to them in a while. If not, well, then it was all for nothing.

Lily briefly considered running, but that would probably send him chasing after her. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself and there was no way she was faster than Potter. He was athletic at the least.

Which she'd not needed to notice, but now it was too late.

"Headed to breakfast?"

She didn't want to be defensive, he was polite. There was no reason to be so on edge.

"No, actually," honesty wouldn't hurt here. "I was about to go look for Hollis."

"Good luck finding her!" he laughed. "She might not even be here."

That was right. Of course. The woman had meetings upon meetings every day. What were the chances she'd be anywhere Lily could get to? Anywhere she'd even think to look?

She shook her head at herself; just as Petunia accused, she was prone to acting before thinking.

"Right," she grumbled and made to turn away, but his hand on her arm stopped her. It wasn't a grab, but still a surprise that made her halt.

"You definitely won't find her if you go back to your room. We might run into her." Very smooth of him, holding her hand and pulling her down the hall.

She could have shaken him off.

Didn't.

―

It wasn't until they'd been unabashedly stared at that James Potter started considering the possibility that holding hands with Lily Evans, walking through dormitory halls as many prepared to leave for the cafeteria, might have consequences.

By then there was no way to stop rumours and if Lily didn't care, she was glowering at him but not yanking away, then they might as well finish the trek.

That was what he thought and meant to do, at least until they made it down the final set of stairs only to meet Petunia Evans.

The fire in the eyes of the blond was unmistakable and it intensified at the moment she saw their point of contact. James wasn't sure he'd ever seen an angrier person in all his life. Fury wasn't enough to describe the rage.

Yet she said nothing. Flame turned to ice, glacial, and Petunia strode past them in silence.

Lily didn't say anything either, released a deep sigh and then walked forward. Suddenly, he was the one being dragged as she brought the both of them out into the open air only to drop his hand and pace away.

"Sorry," she said. "About Petty. She's pissed and a half, right now."

"Saw that," he muttered. "I figured she'd be mad, but...Couldn't have guessed all that! Then again, Sirius-" He cut off. That wasn't for him to talk about. "Anyway, it's happened around here before."

She caught the hint he'd inadvertently dropped, but if Black didn't want anyone talking about his issues then she wasn't going to push it. He already didn't like her, no need to make it worse.

Beyond that, she was trying not to think about the way she'd let him hold her hand. It wasn't a cliché thing where she felt sparks or a tingle or suddenly realized she was in love with him, but it was unexpectedly not awful.

Anyway, it didn't mean anything and since he was there, maybe he could answer one of her most pressing questions.

"Potter," she began.

"Yeah?"

"You know how I'm still in a probationary period?"

He came to stand beside her, hands in his pockets. "Yup."

"I've not made up my mind about staying or going, yet. I need to know...What's it like?" She looked to him then, was relieved to find that seemed to take her seriously. There was no smile or laugh now.

"Not easy," he said, finally. It took a moment to think of what to say. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want her to leave either. "We really are kept away from the world here and it can be, almost, otherworldly. Playing a part with your name."

She wasn't even asking about that and it made her question herself. She'd not thought to consider the mental toll of that aspect. How long could she play make-believe, using her own identity as a basis?

"Other than that though," he put his hands behind his head. "It's just as cool as you'd think it would be."

Of course, he would think so. Extreme popularity plus a winning smile, all pearly whites, and the pay? She could only imagine.

"And I'm not just saying that," he saw her jump. No, he couldn't read her mind, but he did see the frown. Evans wore all her emotions on her sleeve. "I mean when it's over? I'm not looking forward to that. And it won't be a picnic whenever they send us for a panel discussion or something, but for now, it's great. Being sheltered, it's annoying to a point, but other than that it's like we're on an extended vacation."

She wasn't sure if she would feel that way, but it was good to know how someone else viewed it.

"Just wait until you see the sets!"