A/N Please Read
I want to officially welcome you to the Marauder's Era!
I hope everyone is safe at this moment in time. I'm aware we're all in the need of some light entertainment, so for the next 5 days I'm going to be posting 5 chapters.
Each chapter will be a one-shot for the first five years of the Marauder's at Hogwarts. Each chapter will essentially provide the highlights of that respective year in school.
This chapter is First Year, and I would like to give you a hint about what each one entails:
Year One: the year James cockblocked Sirius
Year Two: the year everyone found out about Remus
Year Three: the year Mila was sad
Year Four: the year Siruis became an insufferable flirt
Year Five: the year Lily and Mila became friends
Enjoy x
The first time Mila stepped onto platform 9 was in 1971. She'd never imagined anything like this before. Magic existed. Magic was real. It was the kind of thing children dreamed about, and it was the very thing that saved her from the only life she had ever known. She had a purpose now; her life, and her peculiarities, finally made sense. All she was left to figure out was how to navigate this new world.
Alone, with a suitcase in hand, she tried to work out where she was meant to go. She kept her eyes out for other people her age. She saw a tall, gangly boy, with two parents who looked fairly old to have such a young child. The boy himself looked older too, not in his face, he still had the looks of an eleven year old child, but his eyes carried something Mila recognised in her own. He had probably grown up too quickly, the faint scaring on his face proved as much. She watched, startled as he and his parents began running towards a wall in the middle of the station. Mila was about to call out to them, but they had-
They had gone through the wall. They were no longer standing on platform 9.
Now Mila knew the magical world would take some getting used to, the Hogwarts teacher who had found her had explained as much, but she did not realise that running full force toward a wall was part of the deal. That was just asking entirely too much.
She glanced back down at her ticket, the numbers 9 3/4 mocking her as they glinted on the paper. The frown on her face was deep, but someone must have taken pity on her, because she soon felt a tap on her shoulder.
"I was skeptical of it too, I thought my parents must be having me on."
She turned around to find the owner of the voice. A boy, taller than her, with shoulder-length hair, giving a killer-watt smile that would make many a girl swoon in the years to come.
She didn't miss a beat. "You mean I'm really going to have to put all my faith in the hope that I'm not going to break something if I run at this thing." She gestured to the brick column.
Something in the boy's eyes ignited. A small spark. The start of something, barely there, but hard to conceal.
"If it helps, I'm told it doesn't hurt."
Mila narrowed her eyes at him doubtfully.
"So what you're saying is, I'm actually going to have to put all my faith in you."
"Well, technically, my parents. They are the ones who informed me of this part."
"And where are your parents?"
She noticed the boy's light dim. "Oh, them. Much too busy to drop their kid off on his first day at school. No, they'll be doing something important, like, playing croquet."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"They're difficult," he added as an explanation.
Mila found herself feeling rather sorry for him. He hid it well. Whatever it was. She could hide it well too.
"Yeah, I know what that's like." And she did. She may only have the one parent, but she was difficult enough to rival most others.
The boy's eyes widened with surprise, but he stifled it into a smile.
"So are we doing this?" he asked.
What an odd way to meet someone, Mila thought. Talking about tricky parents and then running into a wall together. This magical world already made no sense.
"Looks like."
Mila's hand tightened on her suitcase, which was on the verge of breaking apart. Her eyes wondered over to the obstacle she was about to literally run into.
They positioned themselves in front of the wall, ready to take their leap. They counted to three, and their pace picked up, nearly in sync.
This was a completely ridiculous thing she was doing. But she was ready to do more ridiculous things. She was ready to start over, ready to have fun, ready to finally feel like she belonged somewhere.
There was no crash like she expected, instead they entered through to the other side, and both heaved like they were out of breath, though the run had been a short one. Mila started laughing, feeling oddly jubilant. The boy was laughing beside her. When they caught each others eye, he wiped his brow, making her laugh harder. They were drawing attention to themselves, which was odd considering the sheer amount of strange things on this platform alone were enough to make any muggle feel like they were losing their mind.
"Well, that was something," Mila laughed to herself. Short of a baptism, you could say this was the ultimate cleanse. She really was ready for the wizarding world now.
She turned to the boy beside her, who had the same goofy grin she did.
"I'm Mila."
The boy, though eleven, had all the proper manners of a gentlemen, and stuck his hand out.
"Sirius."
Little did Mila know, in less than 24 hours, she would realise he was not the gentlemen he appeared.
Mila wasn't sure how she had lost Sirius, but the chaos of the platform had swallowed him up in the crowd. Alone again, she tried to move past numerous bodies and get on the train before the damn thing left without her. She had made it this far, hadn't she? Nothing was going to stop her now.
Distracted by something on her left, she bumped into a passer-by in front of her.
The tall man she'd glided into spoke. "Sorry Miss-"
She blinked up at him. "Uh- Lovett." No one had ever called her Miss before. It was something she had only ever heard kids say to adults.
The man had kind eyes and messy hair, she noted. He seemed to study her before leaning down to talk.
"Is this your first time here?"
Mila nodded.
The man grinned. He had a good smile, one that made the viewer feel at ease. "It's my son's first time too. James? Would you come over here?"
A boy, who looked a lot like the man in front of her, walked over to the two of them. His mum behind him.
"James, I've made you a friend."
The boy looked exasperated. "Dad, you can't make me friends. I have to make them myself."
Mila tried to hold in her laughter. The woman, James' mother, caught her eye and winked.
When James took a look at Mila, his protests died down. James' father noticed.
"See, a friend, James!" He turned back to Mila, "Excuse the manners on this kid. He was raised by wolves."
"Dad!" he protested. James decided it was time for him to take charge of the situation. He would not be embarrassed in front of a pretty girl by his own father.
"I'm James, what's your name?" he started. He was a confident child, much like the one she'd met before. And it also seemed that James had the same grin as his father. Calming.
"Mila," she said, returning his smile.
James' breath caught a little. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. His eleven year-old heart started thumping, he hoped he was the only one who could hear it.
The platform was getting quieter, more people were boarding, more parents leaving as they said goodbye to their children. There were a lot of families her. She felt a sad twinge, before telling herself to stamp it away. Nothing would ruin this for her.
But the family in front of her; the grinning father, the amused mother, and the cheery son; they all reminded her of what she didn't have. What she wanted. Badly.
"James, would you like to sit together on the train?" Mila asked.
All three Potters were surprised to see such a young girl so forward. Neither Mila or James saw the grin exchanged between his parents as James nodded in response.
James gave his parents their goodbyes, and Mila did the same, though with a lot less emotion. James didn't want to let it show, but Mila could tell he was going to miss his parents. She wondered what that was like.
Her nerves about starting a new school only settled when James caught her eye and grinned.
The train ride was just as good as Mila had anticipated. It was fast. She tried to take as much of the scenery in as she could, much to her companions amusement.
They chuckled at her as her nose pressed up to the glass, wondering what made the landscape so fascinating to her.
Along with James, Mila had been able to find the boy from earlier, who in turn, had brought a couple others along. Mila couldn't say she'd expected to ride in a compartment with four boys, but it was what it was. She was just grateful to have people in the same boat as her.
It seemed James and Sirius were getting along famously. They'd met each other earlier on in day, before they'd even entered platform 9 3/4.
And Mila was right there with them.
"You're full of it, Potter. There's no way a portrait can talk! And if the person is already dead, then how are they communicating? It's not true." She couldn't believe what he was telling her, he had to be making it up.
"It is true," James laughed, "Tell her, Sirius."
Sirius put a hand over his heart. "I swear on my house elf."
Mila's eyes widened. "House elf? What on earth is a house elf?"
When they were done explaining, Mila scoffed at them.
"Huh, you're nothing but a pair of pretty, rich boys." She could see it now. Both had an air of confidence, the kind that only came with money. She was only teasing them, but she hoped they were as down to earth as they seemed.
Sirius and James looked at each other.
"At least she thinks we're pretty."
"And rich."
"And pretentious," Mila finished off, but she laughed along with them.
The boy named Remus, the gangly one she'd seen run through the platform wall, chuckled. He didn't look like he had money. Mila could see a hole in the sleeve of his shirt, and he didn't have the same happy-go-lucky attitude that James and Sirius had. She'd gotten really good at sewing, having mended many of her own clothes. She decided she would offer her services later.
Another boy, one much smaller than the rest, was muttering something to himself. Mila had always tried to greet everyone with an open mind, but she had to admit that Peter was rather unusual. But she treated him like she would any other.
"What was that, Peter?" she asked. She'd found that Sirius and James were very good at domineering the conversation. She wanted to make sure everybody got their chance to speak.
Peter squeaked in surprise when she spoke to him, and rather timidly said, "I wonder which house we'll be in."
"House?"
Beside her, Remus explained, "Hogwarts has four houses you can be sorted into. You share a room with the people from your house."
This prospect excited Mila. "So we might get to share a room?"
Remus looked bashful, and Sirius coughed into his hand.
"Boys with boys, and girls with girls, I'm afraid," James smirked.
Of course she wouldn't get to share a room with the first friends she'd made. Mila didn't get why sharing a room with a boy was so bad. The only difference she could think of is that they would probably snore.
"How do they decide which house your in?" she asked.
She was asking a lot of questions, she knew nothing about this world, but the boys were more than happy to oblige her.
"The sorting hat picks out your traits. It's all in the personality," Sirius said, posing like he had a lot of personality to choose from.
Without even wanting to get into what a sorting hat was, Mila asked them which houses held which traits.
"In short of it, Hufflepuffs are loyal, Ravenclaws are smart, Gryffindor's are brave. But the worst of it are the Slytherins. They're all pureblood snobs. They're bad news."
Mila didn't understand why a school would allow a bad house, but she took Sirius' words as a warning.
"I hope I'm not in that house then."
"Oh you won't be," Sirius said, "You're a muggleborn."
James nudged Sirius in the gut, as Mila looked on confused. She heard Sirius argue that he didn't mean it as a bad thing, but Mila was busy frowning at her lap.
A muggleborn? She could guess what it meant well enough. Born to parents without magic. Professor McGonagall, the lady who had told her about her abilities, had mentioned it to her before. Mila hadn't realised that it would mark her as different. She didn't realise it was a 'bad thing'.
She felt Remus scoot closer beside her. "Muggleborns are just as good at magic as anybody else. It won't make a difference."
She gave him a grateful smile.
"Right," James agreed. "As my tactless friend here was saying-" he gestured to Sirius, "-Every house is different. You'll fit in no problem. I bet I'll be Gryffindor, where brave dwells the heart. Maybe you will be too."
Those reassuring words were enough to make Mila blush. If she was to admit it, she was quite taken with James. He was a boy who knew he belonged. He knew where his place was. Mila craved that feeling.
She grinned back, cocky as ever. "Maybe I will."
Sirius sat with James at the Gryffindor table, Peter and Remus across from them. They watched as the last few first years were being sorted into their houses, Mila among them. Even though they were supposed to be sorted into alphabetical order, Mila's name had been skipped.
Sirius could tell she was freaking out, and he hoped it was only a simple mistake, one that would be resolved quickly.
They'd only known each other for a few hours, but Sirius found himself praying to Godric that she would be sorted into Gryffindor. When he'd first seen her looking lost at the train station, he'd found himself struck still at the sight of her. He had almost been too nervous to talk to her, but the urge to help her had won out. He'd never been nervous to talk to a girl before. Really, he hadn't met many girls before, only the ones his mother paraded in front of him.
He couldn't help but watch her now, not when he had an excuse to. The others were watching her just as anxiously, wondering why she hadn't been called.
He told his young heart to get a grip. He was Sirius Black. He would not start off his time at Hogwarts trailing after a girl. He had things to do!
McGonagall was down to the last name, the only other person besides Mila who hadn't been called.
The sorting hat was put on the Stebbins boy. It only took a minute.
"Hufflepuff!"
The table clapped, and the boy made his way over. Sirius watched as Mila held her breath.
McGonagall, standing on the high table stage, pursed her lips at the list. "That should be everyone. However-" She looked down at Mila, "- we mustn't forget our late admission. Miss Lovett, please come up here."
Sirius didn't know if Mila had realised she was a late admission, nor why McGonagall and the school would have brought attention to it.
Remus was cringing, feeling embarrassed for Mila, but Sirius thought he needn't have bothered, she seemed to take it in her stride.
The sorting hat was placed upon Mila's head. Sirius felt James hold his breath beside him. It was taking longer than most, and Mila frowned once or twice as the sorting hat whispered in her mind.
He saw Mila nod to herself and knew a decision had finally been reached. He braced himself.
"Gryffindor!"
The table erupted around him, the applause on the louder side. Anything that made a first year seem interesting always meant louder applause, and having your name skipped over was just as good reason as any. People were curious about this 'late admission'.
Some more than others.
Sirius beamed and tried to catch Mila's eye as she made her way over to the table. He felt a tug at his arm and leaned toward James to see what he had to say.
"One day," James grinned, "I'm going to marry that girl."
Needless to say it put quite a damper on young Sirius' mood.
Mila greedily shoved in her dinner, not used to such an extravagant feast. She sat beside Remus, with Peter on his other side, and faced James and Sirius.
James looked ecstatic to have her on the same table. Sirius looked less than impressed, but Mila was too busy with the food to notice.
"I'm telling you," Mila said with her mouthful, "I was scared for my life back there. I thought they were going to tell me there had been some kind of mistake, and send me packing."
"Nah," James replied, all cheer, "Dumbledore's probably never made a mistake in his life."
Ah yes, the illusive headmaster. Mila wasn't sure what to make of him yet. He seemed a kind enough man, and his introductory speech had excited her more than ever. She was glad she was finally here, and glad to, literally, have a place at the table.
The mood in the air was jubilant, and Mila couldn't remember ever having this feeling at her old muggle school.
"Isn't this weird?" she said, "All five of us in a train compartment, and all five of us here in Gryffindor!"
Remus chuckled beside her.
"Must be fate," Sirius mumbled. Mila noted his mouth was more droopy than when they were on the train together.
"Maybe it is," she smiled at him, but he didn't smile back. James, on the other hand, was grinning a little too widely.
"Maybe when we get to the dorm, Mila, you can convince them to let us share a room." He was referencing earlier.
Mila laughed. "You know, I've been thinking about it, and I've decided it's not such a good idea after all."
"And why's that?"
"I doubt anyone else would be able to fit in the room with that big head of yours."
James turned to Sirius. "Do you hear that, Black? Mila thinks I have a big head."
"Huge," he murmured, and James wondered what had gotten into his friend.
Sirius couldn't tell you why he was being so rude, all he could tell you that James was the first friend he had ever made outside his family, and he wasn't going to spoil that for something as trivial as a girl. Even if she did have gorgeous hair, and perfect eyes and… No. James liked Mila so Sirius would not like Mila. End of story.
He watched as James teased her about love potions.
"I'm not saying they're moral, but I'm just saying some people need more help than others," he laughed.
Mila guffawed at him. "It's brainwashing, that's what it is!"
"The effects are only temporary, and besides, what if that person just needs a little kick up the butt. Whose to say they they didn't already have feelings before the potion, maybe they just didn't know it."
"You have really lost the plot," Remus said. He could tell James was only saying it to rile Mila up, but he was spouting utter nonsense.
Mila eyed James shrewdly. "You're laughing at me."
"Am not," James said, but as he did the grin he had been holding back appeared. Despite himself, Sirius couldn't hold back a laugh as well.
She looked between the two boys across from her. "You are laughing at me. Thank God, because I was about to enrol you into a psychiatric unit."
"What's that?" James asked. All Remus and Mila, the only two well versed in muggles, could do was look at each other.
It was quite clear the mood between Sirius and Mila had changed since that morning. Mila thought it was a shame, he was the first person she'd met, and she'd really liked him. He was goofy, just like her. But it was quite clear as they sat in the Common Room that first night that he was avoiding speaking to her. Still, she was determined.
"Tomorrow's going to be an exciting day, don't you think, Sirius?"
He muttered a yes.
"First classes we get to meet the teachers, and students from other houses," she carried on.
She got no response from that one.
James had gotten it into his head that they should start their own exclusive club. He said having a team at your back would be 'good for the soul, and if not, then at least it would be good to have backup in case you found yourself in a tussle with the giant squid.' His words, not Mila's. She wasn't even aware there was a giant squid to begin with, convinced it was another thing he was making up. Though the talking portraits turned out to be real, she would give him that. It almost gave Mila a heart attack when the large lady guarding the Gryffindor Common Room had asked the prefect for a password.
"I am just spouting off the top of my head here, but I'm thinking meetings, I'm thinking club perks, I'm thinking matching shirts." James had his hands to his head as if it was divine intervention giving him these ideas.
"Are you allowed matching t-shirts at a boarding school?" Remus inquired.
"After hours use only," James grinned, "You're not getting out of the matching t-shirts, Remus."
Mila giggled at the look Remus gave her, only it fell short when she heard what Sirius had said next.
"Are we so sure girls should be allowed in this club?" He didn't look at Mila when he said it.
She frowned, but before she could fight her own battle, James interrupted.
"Of course Mila's in the club. It was fate we were on that carriage together. Destiny!"
"Maybe Sirius has got a point," Peter piped up, after not speaking much at all that entire night.
Mila didn't take this comment as personally as she had taken Sirius'. It was quite clear that Peter was just, in fact, afraid of all females. Current club members included. Especially one whose membership was currently at stake.
"Nonsense. Mila's in the club," James said.
"Well, I don't want to be in the club if Mila's in the club," Sirius argued.
Now she was angry.
"Well, I don't want to be in the club if Sirius is in the club!"
She didn't want to lose out on a group of friends, but her blood was just boiling. Why was he behaving like this?
Sirius and Mila stood up, face to face.
"Then you should quit the club!" Sirius said.
"How about you quit the club?" Mila argued, "You're the one with the problem."
"You're the one whose so clueless about everything! It'll be like babysitting if we let you in!"
Mila couldn't help herself, she lunged.
"Mila, get off Sirius this instant," James shrieked, "It is against the rules of club members to fight."
She had Sirius on the floor, with her hands around his neck. Sirius made loud squawking noises.
Most muggle boys Mila's age were used to physical confrontation. It appeared wizarding boys were more accustomed to words and magic. Therefore in order not to leave prolonged damage, which in the moment she thought was very kind of her, she loosened her grip and began whacking him with her hands.
James, Remus and Peter watched the two wrestle each other on the ground, very bewildered with their fighting technique. All three of their heads were cocked to the side.
"You know, it would almost be funny if they weren't so bad at… whatever this is," James said.
"Do you think we should stop it?" Remus asked.
James lifted a hand to his chin and pondered for a second. "Give it two more minutes."
However, the fight didn't last that long. The prefect in charge separated the two youngsters and berated them for getting in trouble on they first day.
They both got sent off to bed and James called out to the two of them as they were on their way.
"First club meeting is tomorrow!"
Remus knew he would be paying for that one.
"Meeting number 37 is adjourned. Remus?"
"Present."
"Peter?"
"Present," he squeaked.
"Sirius."
"Here."
"You have to say present."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Present."
"Mila?"
They heard her muffled voice through the door. "Present."
Halfway into the year and relations between Sirius and Mila had not improved. In fact, they had probably worsened. They had agreed to both attend the meetings, but they would take turns being out of the room. James thought they were being ridiculous. They were both funny, both fiercely intelligent, but both stubborn as hell. He would think two people so similar would get along, but it just seemed to make things worse.
It was a common fact throughout the school that Sirius and Mila were not friends, despite the mutual ones they had. Even the older students, who usually couldn't care less about first years, gossiped about it. Sirius' and Mila's public displays of discontent were getting out of hand.
Sirius didn't even care about James liking Mila anymore. Sure, that was what had started it, but Mila Lovett constantly confused, baffled and alarmed him. And for a boy whose cockiness and self-assuredness was his signature quality, well, that just wouldn't do.
Late at night in their room, Sirius often had to hear from James about how perfect Mila was, how shiny Mila's eyes were, how sculpted her elbows looked. And when he wasn't going on about her he was going on about a girl called Evans. How she told him off too much, how she thought he was nothing more than an idiot and it wasn't fair, or justified. It was driving Sirius mad. Even Peter and Remus were sick of it.
Still, eleven year olds had much more important things on their hands.
"Ok Husky Hippogriffs, we have a lot to discuss."
"We are not called the Husky Hippogriffs," Mila shouted from behind the door.
Sirius wouldn't admit it, but he agreed with her on that one.
"Work in progress," James shrugged, "Greg Davies in third year knocked Peter's books out of his hand, so I'm looking to execute revenge."
"It really wasn't a big deal," Peter mumbled, embarrassed that anyone would 'execute revenge' on his behalf.
"Don't be silly, Peter, we must not let Davies get away with this. Club members protect club members. It's all in the code."
James had been going on about this illustrious code for the better part of the club's existence. Mila hadn't seen this so called code, and she didn't think the others had either. James just seemed to bring it up when it suited him.
"So, I was thinking Thursday night we sneak into his dorm room and charm his trousers to keep falling down every 10 minutes. By the time classes end on Friday he'll have shown the whole school his underwear!"
"Do you even know a charm for that?" Sirius asked.
James smiled, "Not yet, but I'm sure we can come up with something."
"How about we practise on you, Sirius?" Mila suggested, though it was hard to hear her.
"Easy to make threats when you're behind a door, Lovett."
"Come out here then, I'll threaten you right to your face."
"Guys, not again," Remus said.
Even Peter spoke up, "Yeah, can we make it through one Husky Hippogriffs meeting without an argument."
James beamed at his smaller friend. "Nicely said Peter. Anyone have anything to add?"
"Actually," Remus started, "I can't do Thursday night."
"And why not?" James asked.
"Homework."
"We're in the same class as you, Remus, we don't have any."
Remus gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, but unlike you, some of us have to work hard for a good grade. It doesn't come as easy."
"That's not true," Sirius said, "Peter has to work hard for a good grade too!"
"Hey!" Peter's remark was only half-hearted, he knew Sirius was right.
Mila's voice carried through the door once more. "Very courteous, Black. Well done."
Before Sirius could answer back, Remus spoke to avoid the two of them bickering.
"I just can't be there, ok?"
James shrugged. "Ok, Remus is out. Everyone else in?"
The others nodded in agreement, though Mila's was verbal. It seemed the plan was in motion, all they had to do was work out the details.
When Thursday night rolled around, Mila tried to sneak out of her bed without waking the other girls in the dorm. Unfortunately, one did.
"Mila? What are you doing?" Lily Evans rubbed her eyes and she sat up in her bed.
"Uhhhhhh…"
Now for the most part Mila liked Lily Evans, and the feeling was mutual. But Mila's association with James and Sirius, plus her tendency to break the rules, often created some tension. They weren't exactly friends. And maybe a small part of Mila could admit it was because she was a little jealous of all the attention Lily got from James.
"Are you really sneaking out, right now?" Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Ummmmm…"
"Cause if you were sneaking out, you would know that I would have to tell someone."
Mila called her bluff. "You wouldn't dare."
Lily sighed. "You're right, I wouldn't. But it's different for us, Mila. Some people don't take us seriously because we're muggleborn. We have to prove we belong here. And when you do stuff like this all your doing is showing them that we don't."
Ah, yes. The dreaded muggleborn label. While Mila was determined to forget her magic-free past, Lily wanted people to think she deserved to be here.
"We don't have to prove anything to them, Lil. You're one of the best in the class, you earned your spot."
"Yes, but I really wish you didn't have to try and prove them right so often."
Mila jerked her shoes on. "Right about what?"
"That we're, well, unruly."
Mila figured she was putting it nicely. "James is doing it too."
"Yes, and I used to believe he was a bad influence on you. But I think you're just as bad an influence on him. James Potter is as disruptive as they come, it doesn't mean you have to be like him."
Mila knew she wasn't going to win this one. "Just go back to sleep, Evans. Pretend you never saw me. I promise I won't soil your reputation."
Lily scowled. "You should be more worried about your own." And with that, she sharply pulled her covers over her body and faced the wall.
Ouch, Mila mouthed to herself. Lily's penchant for the rules was really starting to get on her nerves.
Still, she considered the other girl's words for a second. Mila was getting into trouble rather a lot, only encouraged by the group of friends she had chosen. But hey, fun only came from a little bit of trouble.
With that thought she dusted herself off and left her dorm for the night.
When she entered the Common Room, James, Sirius, and Peter weren't there yet. Mila didn't much feel like going into Greg Davies room, so she'd agreed to be lookout for this particular mission.
Instead, the sole occupant of the room was Remus. Mila only caught the tail end of him as he left out the portrait door. He'd looked very pale, even nervous. Mila wondered what he was up to. She knew she should stay and wait for the others to get on with the plan, but her curiosity got the better of her. She followed Remus out into the night.
Trailing him wasn't difficult. While Remus was one of the more graceful boys of her year, he was still an eleven year-old with a loud step. Not to mention his parents had brought him shoes that were too big for him, with the idea that he could grow into them, and they would last longer. Mila's own shoes were a size too big.
She trailed him all the way outside of the castle, only getting more confused the further they went. This certainly wasn't the homework he had excused himself for. Something else was afoot.
When he led her to the Whomping Willow, her heart stopped. That thing was deadly, and Remus was just casually strolling up to it like he'd done it a million times before. She watched as he picked a large stick from the muddy ground, and leaned his body forward, so that the stick touched a point on the base of the tree.
The Whomping Willow stopped twisting and turning like it usually did. Mila blinked, sure she was hallucinating. Remus slipped through an opening at the base of the tree. Mila was so dumbfounded, she could only stare. Where was Remus going? What on earth was under that tree?
She made moves to follow him, but the tree began straining from its imposed stillness, almost like it was waking up. She knew she had to be fast, she bolted towards the willow, and pushed her own body through the passage Remus had gone through.
She only realised she was in a shack at the last minute. In fact, this shack had been getting a reputation for itself lately. People often said they heard screams coming from inside it, some even said it was haunted. So why was Remus in there?
It was dark and she could hardly see, but she could hear a rustle from one corner of the room. Something heavy was being dragged, clanging with every move it made. She strained her eyes to see.
She took a step forward, and a creak came from the impact. The clanging noise stopped, and she could hear someone breathing rapidly.
"Remus?"
A pause. "Mila?"
The moon shone through a window, and she could see his figure approach.
When Mila saw Remus' face she almost recoiled. He looked practically distraught.
"Remus, are you-"
"Mila, what are you doing here? You have to get out of here!"
"What are you talking about?" She could see something glinting in Remus' hand.
"It's not safe for you!"
"Remus, why are you holding a chain? What are you doing in here?"
Before Remus could reply, an awful cracking sound came from his knee. It almost looked like it had been bent backwards.
Mila blinked. "Godric, are you ok?" She moved toward him. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Remus jumped back. "Please just leave, I'll explain later."
"Explain what? What are you-"
"GET OUT."
She balked, taking steps away from him. His body seemed to be struggling with itself. She heard more cracks, each louder than the last. She watched as Remus struggled to clasp the chain against both his ankles, barely making it before he seemed to lose himself entirely. He started heaving and sweating, bellowing growls emerging from his chest.
Mila looked on horrified as her friend turned into something she didn't recognise. She knew she couldn't stay in here any longer. Before she could run, the creature darted towards her with a killing intent. Before it could reach her, the chain stopped the creature short. He was directly in front of her, only just out of reach. He snapped his jaws in her face, and Mila could see the chain struggling as the beast tried to make a grab for her.
She ran back through the passage, determined to get someone, anyone, to come and help. The moment she emerged from the Whomping Willow, the cool air offered her some clarity.
She ran so she was out of the willow's reach and turned back to face it. She could hear screams, the same horrible screams that others had described to her. She couldn't leave him like this. With shaking legs, she sat on the ground, hugging her arms around her knees. Whatever that thing was, it was Remus, someone she had come to care for dearly.
She stayed there all night, her wet cheeks became cold whenever a breeze hit, but she did not leave, not even for a second.
Madam Pomfrey entered the Shack the next morning, expecting to find the poor boy asleep on the ground as she always did.
But he wasn't alone. Crouching over him, stroking his hair, she found the Lovett girl. Both children were covered in blood, though only one was harmed. Last night had been a bad one.
Mila skipped classes, staying outside the infirmary door, demanding they let her in. Madam Pomfrey kept saying Remus wasn't ready for guests, but Mila thought Remus just didn't want to see her. She hadn't changed her clothes from the night before, hadn't even spoken to the other boys. She'd just followed Remus straight to the infirmary.
She knocked on the door for the 100th time, not even caring if she was disturbing the other guests. None of them, not a single one, could possibly in a worse shape than Remus.
She'd had the morning to put it all together. The sick days, the full moon, the transformation. She'd spent a lot of the first year in the library, trying to learn as much about the wizarding world as possible. She didn't realise the chapter in Care Of Magical Creatures on werewolves would come in so handy. It didn't matter to her, but she'd heard it was a taboo in this world. Werewolves were evil, plain and simple. She found she didn't care.
It was about one o'clock before Remus finally relented and let her visit. He looked so small in the hospital bed. The curtains were drawn so the other students couldn't see him.
Mila could see a big gash on his arm, another on his cheek. She knew no one else had been in that shack, she'd sat and watched it all night, no one else had come and gone. Remus had done this all to himself. It broke little Mila's heart.
Remus mistook her expression for disgust.
"I know you don't want to speak to me anymore. I won't make you. I'll quit the club so you won't have to see me."
Mila's cheeks were wet again. "Remus, no, what are you talking about?"
He couldn't yet meet her eye. "It's over, isn't it? Everyone's going to know, everyone's going to hate me."
"I won't tell anyone," Mila whispered.
He looked up, something akin to hope in his eyes.
She sat beside him, and continued, "Not a soul. Don't quit the club, don't quit being my friend." Her friends were something she held sacred. She'd spent too much of her life without any.
"But, Mila, you know what I am. I'm a monster. How can you say that?"
Mila looked at the poor boy who had grown up too quickly, and gently clasped his hand in hers.
"Remus Lupin, you are not a monster. You're my friend." She took a deep breath. "We can only be who we are, but we can choose who that is."
Remus own tears reached his cheeks. She was careful when she hugged him, she didn't want to add to his damage. But Remus didn't think she realised, in that moment, just how much she had healed him.
Mila made it to dinner, Remus did not. One thing was clear, the other boys were mad.
"You were suppose to be lookout, Lovett. And what do you know, we got caught! Two weeks detention. Two weeks!" Sirius yelled.
"Why couldn't you have just made Peter lookout?" she argued.
James, who was cradling his head in his hands, sighed. "Peter was too scared to be left on his own."
Peter half mumbled a disagreement.
"Well, next time, don't have concoct some stupid revenge plan. Some people have real problems, you know!"
She stood up abruptly, leaving the three boys in various stages of shock.
"What's gotten into her?" James asked.
"Don't know." Sirius grabbed a chicken leg and forcefully took a bite. "Don't care."
James got up to follow Mila, putting Sirius in an even fouler mood. It seemed no matter how much time had passed, he did care. He cared rather a lot.
So I know James' crush on Mila may spark some controversy. Let me be clear that James is still Lily's soulmate, still tries to woo her from a young age, still harps on about her ..blah blah.
However, the point of this story is to imagine what this world would be like with Mila in it. And I'm gonna be honest, a story isn't fun without some obstacle to overcome!
See you tomorrow!
