With a heavy sigh of relief, Harry stepped out onto the faded floral printed carpet of the Gryffindor Common Room. The stone walls were still covered in portraits or cupboards and the furniture still sagged in all the right places. The best thing about the room, though, was the distinct lack of people. No Mrs. Weasley to urge him to eat more. No Ginny to keep asking questions that he didn't want to answer. No George to try and relate to him when Harry had been through so much more than he could imagine, Harry thought bitterly to himself.
After touring through his old dormitory and relishing in each nook and cranny of the Common Room, Harry slipped out, not bothering with the invisibility cloak since he expected the castle to be fairly empty in the middle of July. And fortunately, it was. He strolled through the quiet halls and corridors, along the secret ones and the popular ones, appreciating the fixed architecture and subtle differences he noticed. He crossed paths with a few house elves who were out cleaning during the day, which was an odd sight, but he passed quickly before they could talk or question him.
As a humming Professor Albright appeared around the corner on the third floor, Harry hurried into a hidden closet behind a portrait and listened carefully for the sound of receding footsteps before he continued on his way. Thankfully, his knowledge of the trick steps and hidden passages have not left him yet and Harry slowly made his way to his ultimate destination without incident.
On the second floor, he stood in front of the now fixed griffin statue guarding the spiral staircase to the Headmistress's office. It was here that he realized a fatal flaw to his plan: he did not know McGonagall's password.
"Er… can I go up?" He asked the griffin cautiously, but expecting no movement. The only reason it had worked last time was because it was laying on its side and was utterly helpless.
The griffin's eyes squinted at him in the smallest of movements. "Name?" It finally asked in a gravelly voice.
"Harry Potter," he responded curiously.
"Harry Potter," he repeated faintly. "And when was the last time you were here, Potter?"
"Er… A day or two after the second of May?"
"Very well," the griffin spun on its dias to reveal the hidden staircase. Harry climbed onto the step as it moved up, deciding not to question what had just happened. He knocked at the large door that waited for him at the top and heard a faint response allowing his entry.
"Hello, Harry," McGonagall greeted in surprise. She was seated at her desk, but stood abruptly when he walked in.
"Hi Minnie." Even in his sour mood, he couldn't help but use the new nickname she had provided him with.
"Oh, how I regret telling you that." Although the small smile on her thin lips said otherwise. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought you said I could come to Hogwarts whenever I wanted?" he teased lightly as he walked up the two small steps towards the desk.
"Of course you are, but that doesn't answer my question."
"Can't I just be here to see you?"
"Sure, but I doubt that's the truth."
"Well, it's the partial truth."
"How about the whole truth, then?"
"That and to ask if I can use your pensieve to see Remus' old memories he left me."
"And there's the truth." She smiled at him warmly and quickly grabbed some sheets of paper that were piled on her desk. "Lucky for you, I was about to go talk to some of the professors. So, I suppose the office is all yours."
"Thanks, Minnie." She rolled her eyes at the name, but said nothing of it.
"I suppose you are quite familiar with how to use it, yes? I've heard you've taken quite a few forbidden dips into it."
"And a few allowed ones," he defended quickly.
"Well, then I'll be back in around an hour." She swept out of the room, papers and quill in tow, and disappeared before Harry could ask about the griffin's strange behavior. The Headmistress's office was never perfectly silent. The countless portraits of past headmasters and mistresses continuously fidgeted in their frames and McGonagall had kept some of Dumbeldore's odd trinkets that whirred quietly on their tables. Harry made his way to the cupboard that he knew held the pensieve and pulled open the dark wooden doors to remove the stone bowl. Carefully, he placed it on the large desk and he sat in one of the two chairs in front of it.
While looking at the silver liquid shimmering lightly, Harry groped around in his pocket for the glass vial which he set carefully on the desk beside the basin. He poured it in and prodded the surface with his wand so that it began to swirl, forming quick images before they faded away again. The contents mixed together in spirals, and before Harry submerged himself into the past, he happened to glance up and just so happened to see Dumbeldore watching him carefully from his golden edged portrait. He didn't say anything or open his mouth, oddly enough, and so Harry dunked his head into the basin without warning. He fell from the surface down into the depths of Lupin's recollections.
Hermione knocked decisively on the dark gray wood of the door on Whitsunday Ct and held her hands together in front of her, wringing them together out of nerves.
"Hello again, Hermione," her father answered upon opening the door.
"Hi, Dad," she responded, forcing a smile through the anxiety.
"Before you come in," he started as she took a hesitant step forward. "Can I have your wand?" He held his hand out and Hermione nodded slowly, reaching for the one thing that could protect herself, and handed it over. If she was surprised at his request, she made sure not to show it. "Okay, in you get," he stepped aside and allowed his daughter to slip past him onto the wooden floor. "To the left," he directed her from behind and he set her wand on the entryway table before following her into the kitchen.
Juliet Granger sat next to the kitchen in a small seating area surrounded by windows, her dark hair falling around her shoulders. She didn't rise at her daughter's arrival. Instead, she watched her warily take a seat on the opposite side of the round table and even refused to acknowledge her husband sitting next to her who gripped her hand under the table top.
"Tea?" He asked curteously.
"Sure." He poured her a cup and leaned across the table to pass it along. Hermione took a tentative sip to be polite and from a lack of anything better to do.
"We read the newspaper article about you," Curtis Granger began from a clearly recited speech. "And we have a few questions we'd like to ask you and please answer honestly, without leaving anything out."
"Of course," Hermione responded, wearing her most convincingly genuine smile. Hopefully, her parents could not see the worry or doubts racing through her mind or feel the heavy stone that just dropped in her stomach. She would have to share anything and everything to gain back their trust, but some things, she thought, might be better left unsaid.
"How come you never told us how bad things were getting in the Wizarding World?" her mom asked, leaning forward onto the table's edge.
"I didn't want you to worry and I thought that you might not want me going back to Hogwarts if you knew," she responded candidly. Her mother's eyes stared at her, trying to detect a lie that was not there, and Hermione sipped her tea quietly as to direct her own gaze away.
"So you did know how bad it was getting, then?" she pressed.
"I had my guesses, yes. And eventually the Ministry confirmed my suspicions." Her mother leaned back in her chair again, her chin raised haughtily.
"So then in your sixth year, the Ministry started to confirm your suspicions, yes?" Her father asked and she nodded. "So then while Harry was off looking for these..." (he glanced at the paper in front of him) "horcruxes, what were you doing?"
"School work, mostly. And trying to keep Harry from doing anything too rash," she added cheekily, trying to ease some of the tension, but to no avail.
"And what exactly are horcruxes again?" The questioning continued and Hermione answered each one posed to her honestly, but couldn't help but jiggle her foot under the table as she thought about what the questions were leading to.
"Okay, so snatchers are people who kidnapped people on the run or people in trouble with the Ministry and turned them in for money?" Her mother clarified. Hermione nodded, her face pale as she realized where this was headed. The part of the story that she wished her parents had glossed over. "And these are the people that brought you to the Malfoy's house?" Again, she nodded.
"So, why did this other woman use that spell on you?" Her mother asked, unknowing of the implications such a question had and the memories it stirred inside her head. Hermione faltered, breaking the rhythm of her quick answers, unsure of how best to respond to this without also breaking into incomprehensible sobs.
"Well… er-"
"What are you hiding, Hermione?" Her mother asked instantly, sensing the hesitation and leaning forward again.
"I was tortured, Mum! Give me a break!" She retaliated, much harsher than intended. But, her response got the job done. Juliet jumped slightly and her gaze softened. Curtis gasped audibly and fell silent.
"It's not just some spell that she used on me. The Cruciatus Curse is an Unforgivable Curse that can cause you to go insane to some extent," she said shakily, her eyes looking down at her teacup that she fidgeted with. "She used it to question me on where we got the Sword of Gryffidnor because she was scared that we broke into her vault, which we did end up doing after we escaped."
"So why aren't you insane then?" Her mother asked bluntly, yet with a softer edge than before.
"Because she didn't use it on me for long enough for that to happen. She… er… she wanted to give me to the werewolf." Her voice was quiet and shaky, but she risked a glance up at her parents and saw concerned parents rather than suspicious questioners.
"And what's an Unforgivable Curse?"
"Well, there's three of them and the use of any is punishable by life in prison. One of them kills you instantly, unless you're Harry; the second lets someone control your mind and actions; and the third causes pain."
"So she used the third one on you?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"Juliet, you can't ask that-" he whispered to his wife.
"No, it's okay. You… you deserve to know." She took a shaky breath and shut her eyes against the stinging that had erupted in the corners of her eyes before continuing. "It felt like… like my whole body was on fire... and that every bone and muscle was being torn apart over and over again… It causes pain like you can never imagine." Silence fell on the small kitchen and her parents shared a look of concern that Hermione missed; her eyes were still closed shut against the memory and she allowed a single tear to fall which she hastily wiped away with her sleeve.
Harry landed in the corner of a familiar room- the Infirmary. While most of the room was blocked off by a white curtain, the stone tiles and plain white bed sheets gave it away. In front of him lay a young Remus Lupin, whose pale skin was almost as white as the sheets, but deep cuts and dried blood colored his clothes and skin. His gray-blue eyes were scarcely open and an older man stood over him with his wand tracing the wounds and muttering a spell that closed the flesh over them. He handed Lupin a potion labeled 'no nausea,' ordered him to try to rest, gave him a pitiful look, then slipped out of the curtain and out of sight.
"Achoo!" For a minute, Harry wasn't sure who had sneezed, since Remus's mouth had not opened. But then, in the opposite corner of the enclosed section, the light began to bend incorrectly ever so slightly and three boys stood in the corner.
"Really, Padfoot?" Remus asked with a roll of his eyes, not at all surprised to see them there.
"Hey, I was holding that sneeze in for the whole time he was here!"
"It's true, I thought he was going to faint," James added as he stuffed away the Invisibility Cloak. Pettigrew sat at the foot of the bed with James and Sirius on the two sides.
"What happened last night? Did- Did I do that?" Remus pulled out a hand from under the sheets and pointed to Sirius' arm where his shirt was torn.
"Don't worry about it, everything was fine," Sirius answered with a wave of his hand. Remus struggled against the bed and finally managed to lift himself into a seated position with his back resting against the wall. The effort seemed to have drained him even more.
"I'm so sorry! Oh Merlin, this is stupid. You guys shouldn't keep coming, you only get hurt and-"
"Moony!" James interrupted. "Honestly, are we going to go through this every month? Do you really want us to repeat ourselves or can we skip the speech and go straight to breakfast this time?"
"But really, it's bad enough that I have to go through it every month. You lot don't have to," he insisted.
"We've said this before and we'll say it again. We're not going anywhere. We might get a few cuts and scratches, but hey, if that means you get less, then who cares. Besides," he continued before Remus could interrupt. "You said it yourself. You feel less wolf-like when we're there." Remus opened his mouth to argue, but something showed that they had had this conversation before, almost word for word. So instead, he just nodded.
"Breakfast! Come on, Wormtail. What did we get?" Sirius cheered and bounced slightly in his seat while clapping. Pettigrew pulled up a large brown bag from the floor and dug inside to pull on the various pastries they had nicked from the kitchens on their way to the hospital wing.
"What do you want, Moony?" He asked as the last bottle of butterbeer was removed. He peered at the wide display of food at the foot of his bed with a thoughtful look.
"The danish," he decided. The rest of the food was handed out and the Marauders ate happily together in the quiet hall. Even Remus' pale, scar-ridden face wore a large smile as he was distracted from the pain because he had his friends here. They were here even after months of seeing him as a werewolf. With his faint smile the last image to fade into the black smoke, the scene swirled before him.
A new room erupted around him and it was suddenly filled with noise and chatter. Students were all rising from their seats, blocking the shelf and the table on the opposite two walls from Harry. Peering through the crowd, he spotted Remus standing next to a girl with dark red hair that he instantly recognized as Lily. As he crossed the crowded area, he noticed that every student in the room wore badges of different colors identifying them as prefects.
"Are you headed back to the Common Room, Lily?" She stood after picking something up and shoving it into her bag which she then slung over her shoulder.
"Yeah, you?" He nodded and the two fell into step next to each other and made their way out. It seems like a prefects meeting had just ended. Harry walked beside them eagerly through the empty corridors.
"I knew you were going to be the Gryffindor prefect for our year, Remus."
"Well I figured it was either me or McKinnon since it certainly wasn't going to be James or Sirius."
"Definitely not," she replied with a smile. She flicked her head to send her hair back over her shoulder and Harry caught a glimpse of her green eyes that he had been told too many times to count looked just like his. "Hang on," she extended her arm abruptly to the side to stop Remus in his tracks. "Do you hear that?" Remus shook his head with a bewildered expression, but he pulled his hands out of his pockets nonetheless.
"I think it's coming from down there," she commented and turned directly towards Harry and she peered into the dark corridor straight through him. The redhead pulled out her wand and a light appeared at the tip, illuminating the hall where another student was cowering on the floor. Immediately, Lily strode purposefully towards the mass of black Hogwarts robes that were far too large for the student. As they approached, they could hear quiet sobbing and they both quickened their pace.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked once she got near enough. Startled at their arrival, he looked up with large dark eyes filled with tears. He nodded mutely and Lily sat on one side of him, resting her back against the stone wall. Remus squatted in front of him with his arms balancing on his knees.
"What's wrong?" She asked kindly, pushing away her hair that fell forward again. At a closer distance and under her still lit wand, Harry could see green robes surrounding the unknown first year. He looked at her red robes skeptically.
"But… but you're a gryffindor," he stated with his brows furrowed.
"Yeah, I am. What's wrong?" she insisted. He opened his mouth, but closed it abruptly and glanced at Remus, clearly deciding on if he should say anything at all. Eventually, as more tears fell from his eyes, he gave in.
"Well, I met this kid on the train and we were talking and became friends," he began through sniffles. "But- but then I was sorted into Slytherin and he hasn't talked to me for the past two weeks now!"
"That's terrible! I'm so sorry," she said softly and laid a kind hand on his trembling shoulder. "But, have you made any other friends?"
"Not really. There's these two other Slytherin kids in my year that seem nice, but they knew each other from before Hogwarts so they're already close friends," he admitted. He had stopped crying, but continued to look at his shoes.
"Well it's only been two weeks! I'm sure you'll meet some great friends soon," Remus added, his head cocked to the side to try and catch the little boy's eye.
"Yeah, and until then, you can come find us any time. I'm Lily and this is Remus." They continued to cheer the first year up as the scene began to swirl again.
"Evans!" a faint voice called. In front of him, Lily walked briskly away from the voice. "Evans!" James called again. The heavy footsteps slowed as James began to catch up to her. He turned around and walked backward, matching her pace, but standing directly in front of her all the same. More footsteps slowed as the rest of the Marauders caught up behind them.
"Shove off, Potter," Lily said disdainfully, she tried to brush past him, but he sidestepped to cut her off again.
"Wait, please." Something in James' eyes finally made her stop in the middle of the corridor.
"What."
"I wanted to apologize." She paused for a beat.
"So are you going to? Or are you just going to tell me things you want to do?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry." She said nothing. "About what happened." Still stony silence. "At the lake?"
"That was a pathetic excuse for an apology, Potter."
"What do you mean?" Remus chuckled and shook his head behind Lily, but said nothing.
"You didn't even mention anything you actually did! Is this really your first time apologizing for something?" She crossed her arms firmly across her chest.
"No! I've apologized before!" He replied indignant.
"Get to the point, James," Remus suggested wearily.
"Right. Okay. I'm sorry for provoking Sni-Snape which led him to call you… that." He smiled, evidently proud of himself.
"Is that it then?" Lily asked. Her expression hadn't changed once.
"What do you mean?"
"You're leaving quite a bit out, I think."
"Like what?" Sirius shook his head slightly and muttered to Pettigrew beside him.
"Like how about constantly hexing Snape and a bunch of other students just for the fun of it? Or constantly asking me out just to embarrass me even though you know I'm just going to say no?"
"Well, yeah, I suppose you're right." He ran a hand through his messy hair and Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "I really shouldn't hex random students just because and I swear, I won't do that anymore! And I'm sorry for always annoying you. I'll… I'll try to leave you alone." He looked down at his shoes dejectedly.
"And Snape?" His head snapped back up. "You didn't mention him."
"I'm sorry that I hexed him without clear provocation. But, I'm not sorry that I defended myself all the other times when he attacked me or when I attacked him for being a creepy pureblood elitist git." Her eyes hardened again. "Oh, come on! You're still defending him? After what he said?" She shook her head to say no and clear herself of the memory.
"Just… just grow up a little," she responded, ignoring his questions.
"Now you're asking the impossible, Evans."
"I mean, stop being a bully, deflate that thick head of yours, and stop asking me out every bloody day and then maybe, we can have a conversation that doesn't involve us fighting. Remus tells me that you can be a decent human being at times, but I have yet to see it, so who knows."
"Deal." James smiled and held his hand out for her to shake, but she was already walking past him, clutching her book bag and the scene shifted into King's Cross Station. Students were filling the platform, saying their tearful goodbyes, and running onto the scarlet red Hogwarts Express with their heavy trunks behind them.
He easily spotted his mother among the crowd and she was making her way through the students, away from her family, a distinct frown on her face. He could only guess as to why, but, he had a firm suspicion that it had something to do with a young Petunia whose arms were crossed and her chin was tilted up in a familiar expression, away from her younger sister.
Suddenly, James pushed through the crowd, followed by his three friends.
"Evans!" he called merrily to her. She stopped in her tracks, and looked around trying to spot him. Eventually, she spotted the black hair bobbing slightly above the others and she turned towards it.
"Potter," she remarked uninterested.
"Hey, Lily!" Remus waved.
"Hi!" Peter said cheerfully.
"Best of mornings to you, Miss Evans," Sirius commented with a slight bow.
"Hello," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"How was your holiday?" James asked politely.
"Decidedly average." She set her trunk on its end, realizing she might be here a while. "How about you?" she asked, more out of politeness than actual interest.
"Brilliant! We already have our start of the year prank all planned. But, don't worry, no animals, humans, or Slytherins will be harmed in the process." His eyes glinted behind his spectacles.
"How kind," she said dryly, but she couldn't help a small smile creep in. Sadly, James noticed.
"Want help with your trunk?" She pursed her lips in contemplation, but decided that she really didn't want to carry it up the steps, so if someone else was volunteering, then…
"Sure. Thanks," she added. James grinned and he and Sirius grabbed the trunk and led the way towards the train.
"You know, I think we had our first civilized conversation." James remarked happily over his shoulder.
"Give it time, Potter. It's practically inevitable." But nothing could wipe away his smile and he marched away with her trunk.
"He's really trying, isn't it?" Lily turned to Remus, eyeing the other three Marauders out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh, you have no idea, Lily." He rolled his eyes. "Want to head to the Prefects meeting?" She nodded and the pair climbed the two steps into the steam engine and the scene swirled again. Harry landed back in the Gryffindor Common Room: now empty and cast in the eerie glow of firelight.
"I can't believe she would do that, Pads," Peter whispered.
He snorted. "I can." His calm and forcibly cool voice faltered. But, he attempted to keep up his facade with his friends surrounding him, staring at him intently.
"It'll be alright, Padfoot. It'll work out in the end," Remus consoled. He snorted again and let his head fall back onto the couch cushions.
"Holiday is coming up in a week and I've got nowhere to go, Moony. Yes, I'm sure everything will be fine," his voice was thick with sarcasm and he was so slouched that his back was resting on the seat cushion.
"Hang on! I thought you were coming to live with me?" James asked, quite afronted with his friend. Padfoot looked at him curiously. "Well, you practically lived with me all last summer so you might as well." Without warning, Sirius launched himself off the couch and practically tackled a shocked James with a hug. Quietly, he whispered "thank you, James" through his chin-length hair and shut his eyes tight to stop the tears that were already forming.
The scene changed and Professor McGonagall stood before the Marauders who all occupied separate desks of an otherwise empty classroom.
"Could you really not think of anything more creative than writing lines for our detention, Minnie?" Sirius whines without even picking up the quill in front of him.
"Yeah. I mean, what happened to the old us? We used to have fun together in our night-time meetings," James added with an endearing smirk.
"Get to work, Potter," she chided sternly.
"You've changed," Sirius mumbled and he shook his head. Finally, he picked up his quill and began to play with it. James, however, hadn't given in to the boredom yet. Instead, he turned in his seat to face Remus.
"I still don't see why you're here. You didn't even get detention."
"Seeing that it was me you got the detention for, I figured I might as well come. Plus, Lily was busy so I had nowhere else to be."
"What do you mean they got detention for you, Lupin?" McGonagall's head snapped up from her own work before James could reply.
"Oh, well, I had to miss my Prefect rounds because of the full moon, so these idiots were leaving to do it instead; but, apparently another Prefect had already taken over since I was "sick" so they reported them for breaking curfew." McGonagall looked at them each through slightly squinted eyes, trying to detect a lie. But when they all met her gaze defiantly, she just sighed and picked up her wand. With a flick, the quills and parchment in front of them made a neat pile on her desk.
"Take out your wands," she instructed and stood from her desk. The Marauders did what she asked with a few curious glances between them. "We're starting human transfiguring in the next class. You can spend the rest of your detention getting ahead." They all grinned madly and James immediately pointed his wand at Sirius slyly without his notice and watched as his hair turned a vivid yellow. Peter and Remus couldn't contain their laughter and when Sirius realized what had happened, an all-out transfiguring duel took place in the classroom.
"I assume you already know the spell, then," McGonagall said with a shake of her head and a small smile that she could not hide. The three boys jumped over tables and ran through the rows trying to hit each other with a spell. With some help, Peter eventually got the basics of the spell down and joined in. When they left detention about an hour later, everyone's hair was neon, they had grown beards of varying lengths, some noses were no longer human, and their clothes were certainly not up to Hogwarts regulation.
The classroom desks disappeared into the dark smoke and were replaced by the four house tables in the Great Hall. A good assessment of the scene around them was pure chaos. Baby snakes, eagles, badgers, and lions were roaming the tabletops where food was evidently supposed to be and each student's hair suddenly had stripes representing their house colors.
"Like our prank, Lily?" James asked the smiling Lily across the table as he slid across the bench.
"I don't get it." She replied simply, wearily eyeing the lion in front of her.
"Really? I thought it was pretty obvious. I mean, the lion corresponds to Gryffindor, the badger with-"
"I get that Sirius," she interrupted exasperated. "What I don't get, is that you always call your start of term prank a 'Prank War,' but who are you going to war against?"
"I'd say the whole castle," Sirius replied thoughtfully.
"Really." Remus nodded beside him with a reluctant grin. "Well, wouldn't it be more interesting if this war of yours was against specific people and no I don't mean the Slytherins, Potter." James shut his mouth quickly.
"Do you mean go to war against you and your friends?" Remus asked, picking up the hint. Lily tilted her head back with a smirk and nodded. The Marauders' eyes grew wide.
"I don't know if you want to do that, Evans."
"I think we do, Black," the blonde beside her snapped.
"We've watched your pranks for years and think they're rather elementary, personally."
"Is that right, Dorcas?" James asked grinning at the girl to Lily's other side. She nodded and her black ringlets bounced merrily.
"All right, you're on." The scene fast-forwarded to the Great Hall again, but it was now much calmer in the early hours of the morning. The Marauders sat down and the girls were nowhere in sight. The moment they touched their silverware, a quiet scream erupted from the golden utensil. The four of them looked at eachother and rolled their eyes.
"Wow. What a prank," Pettigrew said dryly. They laughed and continued eating as the screams from their forks grew steadily louder. The Great Hall began to fill, but no odd looks were sent to the Marauders. No student nor staff member seemed curious as to why four particular forks were screaming bloody murder at that point. All seemed perfectly normal to the other students. Eventually, unable to resist temptation, Sirius leaned across the aisle to the Hufflepuff table.
"IS YOUR FORK SCREAMING TOO?" He shouted at the girl, trying to be heard over his silverware.
"What?" she asked calmly in her normal voice.
"I SAID IS YOUR FORK SCREAMING TOO?"
"Why in Merlin's beard would my fork be screaming?" She appeared genuinely bewildered.
"YOU CAN'T HEAR IT?"
"The only thing I can hear at the moment is you screaming at me," she said firmly. Now, the majority of the hall was looking curiously at Sirius. James then turned to the student next to him, as did Peter. Remus, however, smiled to himself and calmly ate from his shrieking utensil.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T HEAR THIS?" The conversation started again with the other two Marauders. Little did they know that the Gryffindor girls stood just outside the hall whispering to every student or staff that passed by who eagerly agreed to participate in a prank on the Marauders. The scene changed to another breakfast at the Great Hall, now where the girls were already sitting and eating serenely.
"What the hell!" Sirius Black came striding up to them with paint over his paint spelling out 'git.' James and Peter ran behind him with similar messages; Remus, on the other hand, looked at his three friends amusedly without any paint.
"We were wondering when you were going to break into our dorm room," Dorcas said cheerfully.
"Take it off," James demanded.
"Can't," Dorcas replied simply with a shrug.
"Take it off," he repeated.
"Can't. The only person who cast the spell can remove it."
"And who cast the spell?" Although, he already had a firm suspicion.
"Me," Lily replied with a satisfied grin. "And I won't remove it until you say that we won the Prank War." The Great Hall disappeared into mist and the boy's dormitory emerged from the swirling smoke. James entered the room in a trance and a dazed smile.
"What's wrong, Prongs?" Remus asked, clearly worried for his health.
"Nothing's wrong, Moony."
"Something is clearly up with you," Sirius agreed, sitting up on his bed.
"Lily." Sirius rolled his eyes and fell back to his pillow mumbling "yeah, yeah."
"She asked me out." Sirius snapped back up and Peter started giggling madly.
"What?" he asked incredulously.
"We talked downstairs in the Common Room and she asked me out." Remus bolted out of the room and sprinted down the steps with the rest of the Marauders following closely. Lily sat in the window seat with the sun just starting to peek through the treetops, reading a book in the empty room.
"You promised," Remus demanded, bringing her attention back to reality. "You promised I could be there."
"Sorry, Remus." She said smiling, but she didn't seem to be sorry at all.
"Hang on, you knew?" James wheeled about to face him. He just shrugged and said nothing.
"Did you get hit in the head or something, Lily?"
"No, I did not. And I'm trying to read here." She tried to make her expression one of pure annoyance, but her amusement was clearly evident.
"Tell us everything," Sirius demanded. He sat on the floor, crossed legged, and Pettigrew and Remus followed suit. Eventually James sat next to them and with a sigh, Lily closed her book and joined them on the floor to finish the circle.
The mist cleared once more to reveal Lily introducing the Marauders to the magic that is The Beatles and they all danced well into the night, their energetic dances rivaling those of Fred and George at the Yule Ball. They played cards and played pranks, had snowball fights and gave advice. They walked through Hogsmeade and went to Slughorn's parties. But, the joyful atmosphere suddenly shifted as the Marauders and Lily sat stony-faced in the Headmaster's office with Dumbledore gazing at them with interest, the tips of his fingers just touching.
"We're sorry about the duel, Professor. We know we shouldn't have resorted to fighting," Lily said into the tense office.
"Speak for yourself, Evans. I am not sorry at all. Those elitist Slytherins had it comin'. I mean, you should have heard what they said, Professor. They-" Dumbledore raised his hand and James stopped instantly.
"I am not upset. On the contrary, I am rather impressed."
"Impressed?" Remus asked, taken aback.
"Indeed, Mr. Lupin. I am impressed. You all fought valiantly and with tremendous skill, using complex spells and clearly have a natural talent. With that in mind, I have a proposition for you each. But before we proceed, I need you each to promise your secrecy in the matter." They each gave their word, confused, but unwilling to admit it. Dumbledore nodded, apparently satisfied.
"There is a secret society that I have founded called the Order of the Phoenix. It is an organization that is working on taking down Voldemort. It requires extreme sacrifice, is highly dangerous, and while we will make sure you have what you need, it is not a paid position. If, after you graduate, you would like to join, we would welcome you gladly. However, do not make the decision lightly and you do not need to decide now." The five students were frozen in their seats from shock, fear, or most likely a combination of the two.
"Albus," McGonagall stepped forward from the shadows. "They're just kids. You can't possibly let them agree to give up their lives and-"
"I'll do it," James interrupted firmly.
"Me too," Sirius added. Dumbeldore turned to them smiling.
"Hold on a moment! You have to think this through! You-" McGonagall began again.
"I'm in too," Lily added.
"And me," Remus said firmly. McGonagall looked at them both anxiously.
"I'm a muggle-born, Professor. I would probably be killed, let alone get a job if he does take over."
"And I won't be able to get a job anywhere no matter who's in charge. I might as well do something with my time," Remus explained.
"What a chivalrous reason, Moony," James said cheerfully, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Well if you'd let me finish, I would add that it's-"
"All right, I'll do it," Peter added, somewhat grudgingly. The scene fast-forwarded to a dark and unknown location where probably-deadly spells were being shot from every angle.
"Remus!" Lily shouted and pulled him to the ground as a jet of light flew over their heads. She shot another spell straight at a hooded figure and he crumpled to the floor. Remus jumped up and quickly joined Sirius and James to take down another figure when Lily disappeared from sight. As the other figure flew and hit the wall, the three Marauders turned, evidently pleased with themselves, to find Lily with her eyes wide staring back at them.
A large hooded man had an arm wrapped firmly around her, gripping her two arms to her sides so that she couldn't raise her wand. His own wand was pointed firmly at her temple and he chuckled softly into her ear and dragged her backwards.
"That's it, you're going to let us walk away, otherwise this one here gets it." The Gryffindors were frozen in place, their wands helplessly at their sides. "Of course, she'll get something no matter what, if you know what I mean." James raised his wand slightly, but Lily looked at him threateningly.
"What a shame that you're a mudblood. You'd be quite pretty otherwise." Suddenly, Lily kicked him firmly between his legs and his grip loosened. She jammed her elbow into his face before turning and sending a spell straight between his eyes. Spinning back around she immediately began dueling another figure that was charging towards them while the Marauders watched her, too stunned to do anything.
"Care to help!?" Lily screamed at them. Her shouts reawakened their senses and they rejoined the fight. The mist covered Harry's eyes again and he saw James' hugging Lily ecstatically after she told the Marauders she was pregnant. He saw them talking over tea in the living room of Godric's Hollow as Harry was passed between each of them. He saw Lily and Remus decorating the house for his first birthday. He saw them open his first Christmas presents merrily over cups of steaming cocoa.
Then, he returned to the Headmaster's office where Remus and Dumbeldore stood. This time, Remus and Dumbeldore were both much older, yet the typical serene look in Lupin's eye was long gone. He leaned threatening over Dumbledore's desk, and the elder man leaned back in his chair, listening intently.
"You! You told me that he was guilty! You said that he could not be innocent! You told me not to pursue it!" Remus shouted at the headmaster. His robes were ragged and his face was pale from the full moon, yet his cheeks were flush with livid anger.
"I did not know," Dumbldore answered calmly, his head cocked to the side with curiosity. "I did not know any more than you did, Remus."
"I DID KNOW! I KNEW BUT YOU DID NOTHING! YOU SAID TO LET IT GO! AND HE WENT TO AZKABAN FOR TWELVE BLOODY YEARS! AND YOU- THE GREAT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE- DID NOTHING!" Remus had raised his hand and shook his finger in his face, all the while, Dumbledore sat peacefully in his chair. "WHY! WHY DID YOU DECIDE THAT SIRIUS WAS NOT WORTH YOUR TIME?"
"Remus, I made a mistake." Lupin shook his head and pushed himself off of the desk to begin pacing the office.
"This somehow fits into one of your 'master plans,' doesn't it? Did you just not need him?" Something flashed dangerously behind Dumbledore's piercing eyes, but a moment later they fell back into his typical icy blue.
"It was a mistake," he stated firmly. "I regret-"
"And," he interrupted, ignoring Dumbeldore's lackluster apology. "What about Harry? Why did you give him to the Dursleys when Sirius or I would have been much better and you know it. He- he- he has SUFFERED! THEY ARE ABUSIVE YET YOU STILL INSIST HE RETURNS! WHY?"
"He is safe there, Remus."
"He'd be safe in a lot of places, Albus. There must be something else!"
"It's complicated."
"OBVIOUSLY! The world is complicated! Just explain! If not to me, to HARRY! HE SHOULD KNOW WHATEVER THIS IS!"
"Remus, I'm afraid it is simply far too complicated." Remus stopped pacing abruptly. He faced the elder man and shook his head with a blank smile and a mirthless laugh.
"I quit." He turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him as hard as he could. The echo from the door slamming shut faded into the dark gray smoke, and when the next scene appeared, it hardly lightened at all. Harry instantly recognized the dark walls of the kitchen in Grimmauld Place, made darker by what he presumed was midnight. Only Sirius and Remus sat at the table and the rest of the house was eerily silent.
"I worry about him, you know," Remus said mildly over a mug of tea.
"Who?"
"Harry."
Sirius nodded thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair. "Anything in particular or just typical 'Boy Who Lived' worries?"
"I'm being sir- I'm not joking."
"Nor am I." Yet Sirius could not help but smile as Remus almost forgot the habit he worked so hard to break at Hogwarts.
"I mean, he saw Voldemort return to power, dueled him, and had all three Unforgiveable Curses used on him and that only covers about one hour of his life."
"And Voldemort won't rest until he… finds him," Sirius added, unable to conceptualize a world where Harry died.
"You know, at first I didn't like the idea of his Defense Club, but now I think it's probably a good thing."
"Come around, have you?"
"Yeah, it'll be good for him, I think. He can keep practicing and stay aware that way, but it might also give him some confidence."
"At some point he must admit that some part of him consistently beating powerful dark wizards has to do with skill and not just luck." Remus smiled knowingly and nodded at his hands.
"He'll be a good teacher, don't you think?"
"Oh, definitely. He'll be a great teacher."
"How did he end up so normal? I mean, based on his past, he should be a terrible person and-"
"And somehow he's the best of us."
"Exactly," Remus agreed.
"I blame it fully on genetics. Lily was always too kind for her own good."
"And James was always too loyal for his own good."
"And now Harry is the best of them." The mist swirled in the dark kitchen and Harry felt himself flying up off the floor at Grimmauld Place.
"No, it's okay. You… you deserve to know." She took a shaky breath and shut her eyes before continuing. "It felt like… like my whole body was on fire... and that every bone and muscle was being torn apart over and over again. It causes pain like you can never imagine." Silence fell on the small kitchen and her parents shared a look of concern that Hermione missed; her eyes were still closed shut against the memory and she allowed a single tear to fall which she hastily wiped away with her sleeve.
"Maybe… no more questions about that?" Mr. Granger said waveringly after at least a minute of silence. Hermione looked at him gratefully, but said nothing.
"So what happens next?" Her mom asked quietly.
"Britain is safe again, so you can move back if you want. The house is still there- I checked- and I can help you pack and move in minutes if you'd like and-"
"We still have to talk about what we want to do," Mrs. Granger cut in. "I meant what will you do next?"
"Oh." Hermione's back straightened in surprise. "Well, I'm going back to Hogwarts for one more year so that I can graduate and take my NEWTs."
"And your two friends?"
"Harry and Ron aren't going back to Hogwarts. They both have jobs and plans though. But, Ginny and some of my other friends will be there still."
"And Ron is the boy that was with you the other day?"
"Yes, and I should mention that... that we're dating now." Hermione bit her lip slightly and watched her parents carefully. Their eyes widened, yet they shared a glance that did not seem surprised.
"And he's the one with all of the siblings?"
Hermione nodded. "But, maybe don't mention his siblings too much because one of his older brothers just died in the war." The Grangers continued to make polite conversation over their tea, and even Mrs. Granger began to warm up to her daughter again. Even if only slightly. Hermione stayed for as long as she was welcome, and when she stood to leave (after noticing their subtle hints), her mom invited them both over to dinner tomorrow night which Hermione eagerly accepted with an ecstatic smile.
The rest of these two mini stories will continue in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Also, thank you to my newest reviewers and followers! I absolutely love reading your reviews, so please please please let me know what you think! Or if you have suggestions of specific holidays or days that you want to see from certain perspectives, let me know! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed this slightly longer chapter (it was about 14 pages on google docs).