I do not own Harry Potter, all rights are reserved to J.K. Rowling, and Warner Media.
So, inspired by Tribun's The Chosen Six (which I highly suggest), I have decided to leave my comfort zone and explore stories and ideas I hadn't considered in a while. For those familiar with my previous fanfic, Summer at the Dursleys, I plan to finish it, but events in my life caused it to be derailed and delayed.
This story came about as a desire and dare from a friend to write a good fic based on some cliches and tropes, a sort of James Cameron dare if you will. This will be a Harry/multi fic, but not in the way you think. Actually, I'm wondering if Harry/multi is the right choice of words, there won't be any smut and for the most part, this will be rated T.
If you see tropes or cliches, most are planned, and I will be trying to find a new spin on them. Kind of inspired by Schitt's Creek in how that series deals with cliches. If you see grammar and spelling errors, keep in mind I have a learning disability and that's probably why. Expect some gender swapping and NO CHARACTER BASHING!
Chapter 1
Prologue: Of Facts and Myths
James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew all had a secret. Well, to be clear, their friend, Remus Lupin had a secret, which the three friends took part in. To the rest of the school, Remus' malnourished, shabby, and scrawny demeanor was the product of his poor upbringing. But James, Sirius, and Peter all knew the truth and had taken steps to help out their friend in need. They knew that Remus Lupin was a werewolf, a condition despised in the Wizarding World.
They had taken it upon themselves, as all good friends do, to help out their furry buddy, as Sirius comedically put it, much to the annoyance of Remus, although he did find amusing when James called it his furry little problem. It took some time, more so for Peter, but by the end of their third year, all three of the Marauders were full-fledged animagi. Now they all had a secret. Little did they know, they were not the only ones at Hogwarts with a secret or a furry little problem.
It was a crisp and blustery day in late October, the type of day that told you winter was approaching fast. The Marauders, as they liked to call themselves, were preparing for another full moon. Remus, as per usual, was nervous and dreading the coming events. A fearful panic etched on his scared face. He noticed, and it brought some odd comfort, that his friends' reactions were on this night were different.
Peter, was giddy with anticipation, finally being part of something bigger than himself. Sirius had gone through this process so much, it had become tedious to him, though Remus could detect a bit of mischief in his eyes. James, however, had his mind somewhere else tonight. He looked worried. Odd, Remus thought.
"Everything alright, Prongs?" asked Remus.
"Yeah, just thinking about something," replied James absentmindedly.
"Or thinking about someone," said Sirius cheekily.
James glared at him. All the other Marauders knew who Sirius was talking about, a certain red-headed witch James has fancied since he first saw her aboard the Hogwarts Express. Not that he was the only one now, in fact, Remus had begun to notice something more alluring about Lily Evans nowadays, and her friend, Severina Snape. Remus and James even caught Sirius and Peter staring at Lily and Severina as they walked away, though both fiercely denied it.
Remus' werewolf senses, a side effect of his condition, had begun to pick up on the changes with the female Gryffindor and her Slytherin friend. Although with how many other boys had begun chasing them, it wasn't hard to see a change, even with werewolf senses.
James, despite countless insults from Snape on the contrary, was not an idiot. He saw these changes, but he saw something else too. There was a worry in Lily's eyes, a silent panic that separated her from her male peers. James had even noticed a shift in Severina, who had adopted a fierce protectiveness to Lily. Whenever James, or any other person for that matter, tried to approach Lily, Severina would appear by her side with frustrated suspicion in her eyes.
"I…" before James could go any further, a sudden realization came over him.
Everyone was looking over their shoulders to see the sun, beginning to set.
"You better get going," panicked Peter.
"Yeah," said James.
"Right," said Remus. He took a long look at his three friends, the same look of concern he had whenever the night of the full moon was approaching. "Take care and see you on the other side."
"See you then," said James.
"See ya man," said Sirius.
They watched as Remus snuck away into the Shrieking Shack, the setting sun beginning its journey down the mountains. The sky and the plain were already starting to begin their darkling descend. Remus was already in the shack, and the rest of the Marauders were waiting for the signal to change.
Then, something caught James' eye.
It was a quick flash, a sort of blink and you miss it second. If James had not turned his head at that exact moment, he might have missed it, and when he turned his head again, the sight was gone. However, James could have sworn he saw it.
From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the streak of red and black hair, from two figures running into the surrounding woods. It couldn't be, he thought, it just couldn't be. He was about to investigate, even took a step forward, when the signal appeared. The moon, full and beautiful, had begun to rise above and lord over the growing nighttime sky.
"It's time boys," said Sirius, drawing James's back into the present.
Immediately, Sirius and Peter changed. The handsome and the plump Gryffindors were gone, and in their place was a large black dog and a shabby, overgrown rat. However, James stayed still for a second, contemplating the image he thought he saw.
Sirius and Peter, or Padfoot and Wormtail as they were now, stared at their still human friend in confusion. Then, the grunts and painful scream of Remus as his transformation began. Quickly, James turned. No longer was he in a human form, but a large stag. James was now Prongs. So, their monthly journey began, and the three animals ran off.
The night was a friend to James. It may have been an enemy to Remus, or Moony as he was now, but to James, this was the ultimate thrill. Freedom like no other, no rules, no expectations, no setbacks. He could run through the trees, the bushes, chasing and running without a thought. He especially liked these solitary moments of his lonesome. With Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail having run off somewhere, James found peace in himself and the moon.
Until he saw it?
The creature's fur was so bright and red, it could have looked like a large fox, the wolf walked forward into the moonlight, majestic and beautiful. It walked forward, taking notice of James. He could have sworn he saw hints of a smile in the she-wolf's expression. Slowly, James as Prongs approached her. The red wolf, rather playfully, jumped and ran around Prongs, like a pup excited for her returning master. Prong nodded. He bowed to her, and in what he thought was a laugh, she bowed back
He took a step forward, then another appeared. A fellow she-wolf, fur black as coal. She could have been mistaken for Sirius' Padfoot form, but this was not a shaggy dog, but a protective wolf. The black wolf growled warningly at Prongs, but the red wolf stepped in front of her. With pleading eyes, the black wolf sighed and walked away.
Merrily, the red wolf leaned on Prongs and gestured for the great stag to follow. With a playful nod, the stag followed, and the chase began. Through trees, bushes, fields, hills, and any woodland the grounds beyond the ancient castle of Hogwarts could offer, they ran. Running, jumping, chasing, the night withering away in their excitement. Occasionally, the sour black wolf would stare bitterly at the pair, eyeing the stage as he had insulted her. James did not care; this was the funniest night he had ever experienced.
Near the night's end, James and the red wolf fond themselves resting at the edge of a tall hill, tired from the night's adventure. Despite his exhaustion, James was tempted by a need to draw himself closer to this new friend, be near her, and have her near him. As he leaned ever so slightly towards her, the red wolf rose and looked fearfully at the sky. The sun was just beginning to dawn.
With the hairs on her back upright, the red wolf bolted away, running at high speed back into the woods. James, afraid he had offended his new friend, chased after her. Despite the tiredness they felt, they sprinted through the grounds, the red wolf ahead, until they reached a large tree at the bottom of a wide ditch.
Out of breath, James, still in his Prongs form, watched as the red wolf snuck into the bottom of the tree, into a den large enough to hold even a human. James slowly began to walk forward, hearing a grunt and what was followed by, and he could have been mistaken, the heavy breathing of a human woman. The red wolf did not emerge from the den, what did end up emerging shocked James to his very core. Only covered by a bright robe and nothing else mind you, barefoot, and without a hint of other cloth on her was…Lily. Lily Evans, tired, but smiling that gracious and radiant smile, which grew when she saw the stag, unmoving.
"Our little secret. You are a lot smarter than the other animals I have encountered," said Lily walking forward. "Don't be afraid, I'm only a wolf on the full moon."
A beehive of thoughts buzzed and scurried through James's mind, and it was in this state of utter confusion as to the information dropped on him that he chose at that exact moment to change from Prongs back into James Potter. Lily's eyes widened in the same amount of surprise as James. For what seemed like the longest moment, neither spoke, just staring shocked at each other. Soon, horror and embarrassment overtook Lily's beautiful face, as she was the first to speak. Well, yell actually.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" she shouted at him. "You were a deer."
"You were a wolf!" sputtered James.
"You're an Anmagi!" Lily replied in realization.
"And you a…a…what are you?"
Lily suddenly turned away from him. "I'm not wearing anything under this."
"Don't worry, I didn't see anything."
Before anything else was said, they heard a loud shout that echoed through the trees. "YOU PERVERTED FREAK!"
Both James and Lily knew who that shrill voice belonged to Lily's best friend, Severina Snape. This caused Lily to face James directly, and not embarrassed, but rather concerned. "Severina!"
Clutching her robe for dear life and grabbing an extra one for her friend, as well as two wands, Lily dashed through the woods, running to where they heard Severina's voice. James, though it was not asked, followed her. The chase proved to be awkward for James, just because he was still partially out of breath, but because he was trying not to look at the loose parts of Lily's robe. Unlike the other schoolyard crushes the boys at Hogwarts held towards Lily, James, though he wouldn't admit it, respected her too much to stare. He even felt much indignation when he caught other boys catching a glimpse at certain parts of Lily's body when she wasn't looking.
Finally, Lily stopped. If it wasn't for the shock of everything that had transpired, James would have found the scene he was witnessing quite comical. His best mate, Sirius Black, had a dumbfounded, surprised, and shocked look plastered on his face as he stared unmoving at Severina Snape, who was crutching behind a tree, looked angrier than James had ever seen her. Her face a crimson mix of embarrassment and fury.
"Here," said Lily handing Severina her robe.
Quickly, and without a word, Severina robed herself and emerged from behind the tree. She soon began stalking towards Sirius, Lily soon holding her back.
"You depraved little mutt!" Severina snarled. "What are you doing here!" she turned to James. "What is he doing here!"
Sirius just continued to stare blankly at Severina. Lily couldn't tell if he was stunned because he saw Severina change from a wolf into a girl or, judging by Severina's anger and embarrassment, because he probably saw her naked or, most likely, both.
"I would like to know that too," said Lily gaining a bit of anger herself.
"You-you-you was a wolf," stuttered Sirius, speaking finally.
"How observant of you," snapped Severina. "Wanted to follow us did you?"
"She's a wolf too!" spouted James pointing at Severina.
Everyone turned to him shocked. "What do you mean by she's a wolf too?" asked Sirius. "Lily too!"
"Did you follow us?" asked a panicked Lily.
"Of course, they did. Probably wanted to sneak a peek," said Severina.
"No, we didn't follow you. We were here for…." James had to stop himself. "We were here for other reasons."
Lily, and especially Severina did not look convinced. "Oh really!" snapped Severina.
Lily had handed Severina her wand, and currently, the Slytherin girl was having an internal battle on whether to obliviate or hex these two boys. Sirius turned to James, still shocked and confused.
"Prongs, what is happening?" asked Sirius.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Padfoot," replied James.
"Why the hell did you just call him Prongs?" asked Severina.
"And why did he call you Padfoot?" added Lily.
"Talk. Now!" demanded Severina, pointing her wand between the unarmed James and Sirius.
Before either boy could answer, the group heard a rustling in the trees and bushes. Expected an intruding foe, Severina pointed her wand away from the boys, and in the direction, the noises were heard, while Lily drew her wand. Even if they had theirs, Sirius and James would not draw their wands, as both had a strong feeling on who was approaching.
Finally, emerging from a large bush was the tired forms of Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. While Lily lowered her defenses, Severina still held her wand aimed directly at the other Marauders, the angry glint still in her eyes. Lily, however, was drawn to Remus' appearance more than anything. The Gryffindor was shirtless, exposing his boney chest covered in scars he was only wearing a pair of pants, didn't even shoes or sox on. He looked deathly exhausted like he had only just recovered from a terrible illness. Lily also noted the concern in James and Sirius' eyes for their friend. Peter looked tired too, but this was mainly for trotting along with Remus.
"I h-heard…shouting…." said Remus, breathing heavily.
Soon Lily was concerned as well, as Remus looked close to fainting. Severina, probably still on edge from the events, continued to glare with suspicion, although she did lower her wand. James and Sirius soon rushed to Lupin's side, draping each of Remus' arms over their shoulders.
"Pad…Prongs, what is…." James stopped Remus.
"Nothing that can be sorted out later," replied James
"Yeah. Prongs are right. Right now, we need to get you to Madame Pomfrey," said Sirius.
If not for the anxiety of the morning's events, Lily would have found this display of friendship rather touching. Severina would have just gagged and rolled her eyes, which she looked close to doing. If all this madness wasn't enough, appearing out of nowhere were the concerned faces of the Headmaster and his Deputy Headmistress, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
The aged professors observed the scene with pensive intensity. None of the students dared speak, and a few were worried they were somehow in severe trouble. Finally, Professor McGonagall spoke up.
"Miss. Evans, I did not see you or Miss. Snape at the regular point?" she asked in her usual sternness.
"We were distracted by…them," answered Lily.
"They followed us," said Severina.
"We did not," defended Sirius.
"I must defuse this it escalates," said Dumbledore as calm as ever. "You three take Mr. Lupin to Madame Pomfrey, I'm sure the usual bed will do."
Despite Dumbledore speaking in his relaxed tone and demeanor, the Marauders knew by now that this was an order, not a request. Not that it was an order any of them would ignore or defy, they quickly, but carefully began to walk Remus towards the Hospital Wing.
"One thing though," said Dumbledore. "Meet me in my office after classes today, five would do. The password is Cadbury."
Shaking their heads, the Marauders left. James was able to catch a last glance at Lily, who, along with an irate Severina, approached Professor McGonagall, who for her part, keeps her worrisome gaze on the two girls. When the women and professors were out of sight, and once Remus was safely under the watch of Madame Pomfrey, a flurry of questions raced around in James' head. How did Lily change into a wolf? Why was she keeping it a secret? How was Severina one too? But most of all, what was Lily?
Any chance of Lily or Severina telling him before their meeting with the headmaster was dashed by the fact that not just was Lily avoiding him like the plague, but Severina had increased her defense of her friend. Whenever James or his friends were close by, Severina would usher Lily away, giving the Marauders the nastiest of looks.
Finally, five o'clock rolled around and all four Marauders found themselves outside of the familiar office of Dumbledore. It was surreal, as whenever they were waiting for any authority figure in Hogwarts, it usually meant they'd done something to warrant punishment. Nervous and anxious, James was the first to step forward and say the password.
"Cadbury," James said.
The gargoyle moved away. "Come in," said Dumbledore.
Despite the nerves, they all entered. Dumbledore was sitting idly at his desk, the majestic phoenix Fawkes sitting at his perch. Every portrait eyed the boys as they walked to the vacant seats awaiting them. Next to them were none other than Lily and Severina, neither looked at the Marauders. Lily stared at the ground, while Severina, James noticed, was wearing very heavy robes, still embarrassed Sirius saw her unrobed. When the boys took their seats, Dumbledore spoke.
"I must enforce the importance, that what I divulge here today will not leave this office or be uttered by any student who is not present in this office. Is that understood," Dumbledore sternly?
They all shook their heads, meaning yes. "Good. I shall speak of not only Mr. Lupin's condition but Miss. Evans and Miss. Snape's condition as well," Dumbledore looked to Lily and Severina. "I must inform you that Remus Lupin is in fact, a werewolf."
Both Lily and Severina gasped, looking right at Remus, each with differing expressions. Lily looked sympathetic, while Severina looked fearful.
"Oh, Remus," said Lily patting his arm.
"You are letting a werewolf stay in the school," gasped Severina.
James knew Remus long enough to realize he hated both of these responses. Pity and fear were common from anyone who learned what he was, and he shrugged at the two girls. Already, Sirius was on edge.
"We let you stay here, and ain't so pleasant," snapped Sirius.
"That's rich coming from you," said Severina.
"I can assure you both, Remus is no threat, as long as the precautions and steps are taken to ensure the safety of Mr. Lupin and the other students is followed. And I expect both of you to respect Mr. Lupin, and not reveal his secret to anyone," said Dumbledore.
Lily nodded agreeing, while Severina only nodded after a kick from Lily.
"Agreed," said Severina at last.
"Good. I must apologize to Mr. Lupin for this reveal, especially considering it was my oversight that leads to this surely uncomfortable meeting. As well as apologize in advance to Miss. Evans and Miss. Snape for what I am about to reveal," continued Dumbledore.
"Headmaster," Severina began in uncharacteristic nervousness. "Are you sure we should be revealing such information to the likes of…them?"
She put a lot of emphasis and added venom to the last word. Lily glared at her friend, while Remus raised an eyebrow, James and Sirius glared, and Peter copied their expression. Professor Dumbledore, for his part, reacted calmly.
"Miss. Snape, I have just told you and Lily Mr. Lupin's darkest and dearest secret, I think it only fair to tell them yours," Severina deflated at Dumbledore's words. Dumbledore turned his piercing gaze to the four Marauders, and they were reminded why Dumbledore was considered the greatest wizard of all time.
Surprisingly, he turned to the Marauders next. "Mr. Potter, would you please describe what you saw Miss. Evans do?" Dumbledore asked.
James felt uncharacteristically abashed for a moment, before regaining his composure. "I saw, at least I think I saw, she had gone into a tree to change, but I think Lily…changed from a wolf into a human," replied James.
Remus and Peter looked stunned. Sirius, on the other hand, looked like he had found some sort of confirmation. Lily and Severina were clutching each other's hands, worry etched on their beautiful faces, James thought it kind of looked cute for a minute. Professor Dumbledore was as pensive and relaxed as ever, a composure he'd only received after years of self-tutelage and self-restraint.
"I saw the same thing with Severina," Sirius added. "That and other things."
Severina's cheeks burned a furious crimson. James imaged that if Dumbledore was not present, she'd curse Sirius with a variety of hexes.
"When did you both become an animagus?" asked Remus.
Lily appeared embarrassed. "We're not animagi," she said.
"Indeed, they are not. How familiar are you with the concept of therianthropy?" asked Dumbledore.
"It's a myth. The idea of the myth is similar to lycanthropy, but it is a wizarding myth," answered Remus.
"Yeah, my mum uses to tell me tales of the therions, skin-changers forced to change into…." James stopped himself.
The wheels of his head moved as the puzzle pieces of his mind fell into place. It made sense now but could not be true. He wasn't alone. Each one of his friends had come to the same conclusion and all eyes were on the two females. Partially ashamed, Lily, and even Severina, were unwilling to even look at the others, turning their heads in the opposite direction.
"It is no myth," spoke Dumbledore. "For two therions are sitting in this office right now. Lily and Severina are both therions."
"Is that true?" asked James.
Slowly, Lily turned, looking scared and on verge of tears, almost child-like. Severina's anger and embarrassment had turned to absolute concern for her friend, rubbing her hand on Lily's back, whispering words of encouragement.
"Yes," Lily finally said faintly. "We are therions."
The voice of his mother, kindly telling her son a bedtime story rang in James' ear. Therions were myths, seen in the Wizarding World the same way many muggles viewed the magical creatures of this world, no one thought they existed. Because of this mythical status, no one had a definitive idea of what one acted like, or how they functioned. All James himself knew of therions was they were forced to change into an animal at the full of the moon.
Dumbledore was now looking directly at Lily comfortingly. Lily looked back at the grandfather-like professor. "If you do not wish to indulge the others yourself, I can discuss the bare minimum and, how the muggles say, the gist of it?" asked Dumbledore.
Lily shook her head, agreeing.
"Very well then," Dumbledore then sat back in his chair. "Three years ago, it came to my attention that Miss. Evans had a unique ability. After one night in the Hospital Wing, I saw for my own eyes, Miss. Evans transforms from a wolf and into her original form. I at first, supposed she was a variation on the werewolf, but given her wolf form and the circumstances of her transformation, looked into other theories. Remembering some of the old legends, I began to suspect Miss. Evans could be a therion, though with the creatures being considered myths, there was no solid information to go off of saving for stories of course."
Dumbledore stared back at Lily and Severina reassuringly before continuing. "Assigning Professor McGonagall to observe Lily during the full moon, we were able to piece together an idea of Miss. Evans' transformation. Similar to the werewolf, Miss Evans transforms into a wolf during the full moon. However, her wolf form is completely like the animal, and unlike the werewolf, Miss. Evans in her wolf form is in full control of her actions, regaining her human consciousness."
All of the Marauders were listening intently to their headmaster's words, each at the edge of their seats. Remus, however, gave Lily and Severina an odd glance, appearing mournful and even a little upset, but for what, the girls did not know.
Dumbledore pressed on. "With the information gathered, we took steps to assist Miss. Evans. Every full moon, Miss. Evans would sneak into a secluded part of the Forbidden Forest, near the edge of the woods, away from the centaurs and some of Hagrid's little friends. She'd transform and change back into herself by the morning. When it was clear Miss. Evans posed no threat to anyone, it became like clockwork. That was until a year ago when, accordingly to Miss. Evans, Miss. Snape had become a therion as well."
Unlike Lily, when the Marauders looked at Severina, she gave them an irate scowl. "Will you stop looking at me like that. Are you all just surprised by everything," she said?
"Miss. Snape, this is a surprising topic," reminded Dumbledore. "Now, while the circumstances behind Miss. Snape's transformation is her own business, we gave her the same treatment as Miss. Evans. However, it seems a great oversight on my part has taken place here today. I should have predicted that there could be a possibility Mr. Lupin could run into Miss. Evans and Miss. Snape. However, I must ask one thing?"
Dumbledore turned to the Marauders. "How it was that you three, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and Mr. Pettigrew were in the forest tonight?"
Before James, Sirius, and Peter, who had silent throughout the meeting, could respond, Remus spoke loud and clear.
"Sir, they are my friends. They are completely aware I am a werewolf they have been extremely supportive of me," Remus said. "The reason they were there that night was that they wanted to come and see me."
Professor Dumbledore stared directly at the Marauders, his gaze piercing through them. They were relieved when the headmaster smiled at them. "Good for looking out for your friend."
James turned to Lily and Severina. Severina appeared to have a strong inner battle, resisting the urge to say something. When it seemed like she was about to say something, James noticed a subtle and slight kick Lily gave Severina's leg, and she remained quiet.
"Now that all this is settled, I must convey once more to all of you here, with the utmost importance," Dumbledore was stern again, and everyone knew that meant that whatever he was about to say was to be followed to a tee. "Everything you have learned today, every discovery on your classmates, stays here and between yourselves. Is that understood?"
No one dared to defy this order, nodding agreeing. "Good. With no other business, I suggest you all gain some much-needed rest."
Some were greatly relieved when Dumbledore dismissed them, Severina even looked like she had been ready to leave when the meeting began. However, James Potter wanted more. Leave it to Professor Dumbledore to give vague and unreliable answers, but he was surprised that Lily, who was usually lively and energetic, the traits James found most attractive about her, was resolved and closed off. She even looked embarrassed.
When he saw Severina escorting Lily quickly out of Dumbledore's Office, he and Sirius followed the pair. Once they were in the hallway, away from the gargoyle, Severina like a defending animal drew her wand and aimed it at James' neck.
"Stay away…" Severina was cut off when Lily grabbed her hand and pulled her wand down.
"Severina! I can handle this," said Lily firmly.
Reluctantly, Severina backed down, but her narrow eyes still stared daggers at the four Marauders. Sirius was about to speak when two familiar figures appeared from the hallway. Dorcas Meadows and Marlene McKinnon, both seeming determined and protective, were staring at Lily like a worried parent.
"Is everything okay?" asked Dorcas.
"It's fine. I and Severina will fill in in a minute," Lily answered.
James and Sirius shared a quick look, and both wondered the same thing. Did they know too?
This seemed to please the two Gryffindor girls enough not to ask any more questions, but not enough to completely leave Lily.
Lily looked right at all of the Marauders. "Meet us in the back section of the library in twenty minutes. We'll explain everything," Severina looked like she was about to disagree. "Right, Severina."
It was an order, not a request. "Fine," said Severina.
The two quickly joined Marlene and Dorcas, who both formed a human shield around the girls, ensuring to give the Marauders a pretty nasty glare.
"Should we go?" asked Sirius.
James didn't answer at first. Instead, he began to walk away from the entrance to the Headmaster's Office and in the direction, they knew to lead to the library. Sirius gave a loud and, for him, nontypical sigh. Clearly, the day had been exhausting enough that even the always adventurous and daring Sirius Black had wanted to call it quits. Forcing himself to move forward, he was now following in his friend's footsteps.
"Uh," Peter began, finally speaking for what seemed like forever.
"Peter, if you want to back to the Common Room, you can. We'll fill you in later," said Remus.
Peter smiled and quickly relieved himself. On any other day, Sirius would reprimand Peter for abandoning his friend, though, after this day, he was a bit envious of peter's choice to leave. Still, with weary feet, Sirius and Remus trod on until the two reached the wide entrance to the Hogwarts library. James had not met them at the entrance, so they assumed he was already inside.
The library was usually busy at this hour, but there were parts in the way back empty and vacant. Passing quickly through the rows and shelves of ancient texts and books, Sirius and Remus finally saw James, waiting in the back section as Lily had requested. Lily and Severina had yet to arrive, and James was already anxious, his restless leg tapping under the table he was sitting at.
"Weird being the back of the library?" said Sirius, trying to defuse some of the tension.
"No, it's just weird for you to be in the library in general," said Remus, trying the same.
It was true. The last time Sirius Black had been in the library was in their first year, researching everything they could find on animagi and werewolves. After dealing with a bitter Madam Pince, Remus began bringing Sirius all the books he asked for.
This did nothing, as James just sat there, every second checking his watch. Each minute felt longer and longer. Worse of all was the unbearable and straining silence that had fallen between the three, as James was too focused on the time to speak. After what felt like hours, Lily and Severina popped out from behind one of the shelves.
While no words were exchanged at first, James' spirit was brightened by a faint smile from Lily as she took a seat across from him. Severina looked more suspicious, not just at the remaining Marauders, but at anything really. Every so often she'd shift her head back and forth, making sure no one else was present or there were no eavesdroppers. She ended up being the first to speak.
"Where's the rat?" asked Severina.
"It's been a long day, so we let him rest. Could you really blame him," replied Remus?
"No. In fact, I'd like to reiterate my earlier point Lily, that this is a bad idea," snapped Severina.
"Sev, they already know what we are, we're just filling in more of the blanks," said Lily turning to the three boys. "What questions do you have."
James answered right away. "How long have you been therions?"
"Impatient as ever," groaned Severina.
"Your one to talk," said Sirius.
"Could you guys not do this for once," said Lily harshly.
"I agree," said James. "Go head, Lily.
Lily paused for a second, trying to properly think of the best way to word it. "As Dumbledore said, my first transformation was in my first year. I remember feeling under the weather that day and went to the Hospital Wing for a check-in. Once the moon was up, I was a wolf."
"Did it hurt?" asked James, concern clearly sketched in his eyes.
Remus was fixed on both girls; he wanted an answer to this just as much as James.
"It does, but not too severely. Feels more like a cramp than anything," replied Lily.
"How did your families react?" asked Sirius.
Severina's expression changed into a mingled dark and troubled face. Sirius didn't see it, but Lily had seized Severina's hand under the table and squeezed it tightly.
"My family was understanding, well at least my parents were. They were scared at first, but over time, it becomes normal to them. It can actually be pretty fun. Every full moon, mum and da would take us camping, we'd transform, and be back in the campsite in the morning," replied Lily fondly.
"What do you mean by at least my parents were?" asked Remus.
Lily looked upset. "My sister, Petunia. She always had a problem with me being a witch-"
"Because she's jealous," interrupted Severina, earning Lily's disapproval. "What, she is. You should hear the awful things she says to her. You're not really my sister, we adopted you from the Pound."
This stirred some distress in Lily, and Severina, despite what some like Sirius would say, did have enough common decency to realize her mistake. Now it was her turn to comfort her friend, rubbing her back reassuringly.
"Anyway, it really isn't as bad you might think," said Lily. "Sometimes, I actually love it. Running freely, the wind and the trees, no rules to hold me back."
James and Sirius could relate. There was freedom indescribable to being an animal, the regulations and judgment of humanity behind them. No rules, as Lily said, no orders, no nothing. They had even considered the idea of making the transformation fully, never looking back. James, at that moment, felt nostalgia for the time he spent with Lily as Prongs last night.
However, James was pulled out of his fondness when he saw the slight distraught in Remus' eyes. He had a feeling he knew what bothered his friend, though he wasn't willing to say at the moment. James made a mental note to inquire about later, but Lily beat him to it.
"Everything alright, Remus," Lily asked, in a big sister sort of way.
"It's rather petty, now that I think about it," replied Remus, who tried at a smile.
"Try me," encouraged Lily.
"I'm kind of jealous. This thing that I have, basically a curse. But what you have…sounds like, well it sounds pretty amazing," Remus sounded both abashed and ashamed.
The girl's reaction was differing. Severina gave the werewolf an odd look, while Lily's eyes stared into Remus with a flood of worry and empathy.
"It's not all daisies and roses. I could bite you right now if you wish," said Severina.
This statement confused all of the boys. "Unlike werewolves, therions can turn others outside of the full moon. All I needed to do was bite Severina and she was a therion," Lily explained.
Lily then turned to Remus. She took a while, thinking carefully of her next words, choosing elegantly so as not to offend or hurt this boy who has suffered too much, none of which he deserved.
"Oh Remus," Lily said at last. "When Dumbledore said you that, I wanted to hug you. I can tell you now that there are times when this feels like a gift and times when it feels like a curse. It would be insulting if I said I understand, but I'm here if you want to talk,"
Oddly, this brightened Remus' spirit, and he gave her a genuine smile this time. James grinned at his friend. This was the real reason he liked Lily Evans. Beyond her appearance, it was her heart he admired, her kindness he adored. But thinking of her appearance reminded James of another question he had on the topic.
"Does being a therion have any effects on your normal appearance?" James asked.
It was faint, but James thought he saw a slight sign of crimson on Lily's cheeks, and even Severina gave the feeling of being embarrassed. "It makes us look older, or at least I think it does. That's one of the reasons I think this can be a curse."
All three boys leaned forward and took a quick glance directly at the two girls and realized they were right. That was what Remus' sense had picked up on. Despite both being roughly the same ages as their fellow classmates, Lily and Severina did look like they had been held back a year or two. They were thirteen but came off as sixteen.
"Why? I'd love to look older. A bit easier to get into skin flicks," joked Sirius.
"Well, it has given us some unwanted attention and hasn't endeared us to some of our female peers," sneered Severina.
Now that she had mentioned it, James recalled not only the male eyes that befell Lily and Severina but there were a few female students who would glare at the pair with envy. James and Sirius even remembered an instance where Bellatrix, Sirius' nasty cousin, had come to Hogsmeade to visit her sister. James and Sirius would never forget the hate-filled sneer Bellatrix shot Lily as she passed. Thankfully, Lily's generousness and friendly nature could counteract most of the jealousy leveled against her. Severina on the other hand, always came off as superior sounding and stuck-up, which Lily knew was the farthest from the truth. However, the worst of it all came from Petunia.
Petunia was already envious of Lily's magical abilities, and while at first she did receive some sadistic joy in learning her oh-so-perfect sister would be forced to change into a wolf every full moon, this soured fast as well. Mr. and Miss. Evans thought it rather amazing that their daughter had this rare trait, they even went so far as to call it a gift. Then Severina entered the picture, and everything went downhill for Petunia. Strangers and acquaintances would comment on how lovely Lily and Severina looked, sometimes the pair would be confused as sisters. Yet the worst was whenever someone thought Lily was the eldest and not Petunia. Lily cringed at the particular memory. While Severina and the Evans family were out and spending the day at the local park, an elderly woman approached the girls and commented on what lovely daughters Mr. and Mrs. Evans had. The elderly women then made the faux pas of thinking Lily and Severina were older than Petunia. Severina, having had enough of Petunia's attitude referred to Petunia as Little Petunia.
"How did Severina Snape get mixed up in all this?" asked Sirius.
Severina turned to Sirius in surprise. Now all the Marauders stood up straighter. This was the one constant question plaguing each of their minds. How was it that Severina becomes a therion? What were the circumstances behind her transformation?
"That's her business, and hers alone," snapped Lily defensively.
It was rare for Lily to display anger, and when she did, it was better not to push her anymore. Even more shocking was Severina's reaction, as she appeared in another world, her eyes troubled and distraught. Now they knew to drop the subject.
"I'm staying with Lily's family for the moment, and we can just leave it at that," said Severina firmly, leaving no room for argument.
"Hang on. Do Dorcas and Marlene know?" asked Remus, wanting to move away from the current topic.
"You saw them. I told them last year and they've been covering for me when I'm out," replied Lily. "Over time, they actually started to think it was cool. There's one night, where they actually chase me and Severina around. Would have stayed up all night if Filch wasn't on patrol."
This comment gave Sirius and James mischievous grins. "Did we ever tell you of the time when we chased Filch back to the grounds in our animagus forms," James said proudly.
Instead of laughing along, both girls stared blankly at the boys, a realization, forgotten having once again dawned on them. "How and why did you become animagi?" asked Lily in hushed whispers.
Suddenly James and Sirius grew serious. The girls were staring directly at them like they were students accused of a crime. Although each girl bore completely different expressions. Lily looked curious, while Severina was suspicious. A strange nervousness took over James and Sirius, and before they could sputter their words, Remus swopped in and saved them.
"It's because of me," Remus said. "When they learned what I was, they took steps to ease my pain. It took time and effort, but they were full-fledged animagi by the end of this year. They've been spending time with me
The girls then examined both James and Sirius in a way they had never seen before. Almost like they were discovering something new they had not considered, a realization they thought impossible. Lily even looked fondly, while Severina appeared as she'd just be proven wrong. Truth was, both Lily and Severina had had a very low opinion
"See," said Sirius. "We do have a heart."
James hoped someone would write this down, he had caused Lily Evans and Severina Snape to become speechless. The remainder of the even was a surprise, yet a welcoming one. The questions and topics of werewolves and therions had developed into a long conversation, with topics ranging beyond wolves. There was even a brief argument between Severina and Sirius when the topic of potions came up.
The hours died on as they spoke until the sky darkened, and the candles started to act as the only source of light. Checking the time, James' eyes went wide. Has it really been that long, he thought? It was now 7:55 in the afternoon, and the library was just about to close for the night.
"I think we better get going unless you all want to hear Madam Pince," said James gesturing to the clock.
"Oh, dear. Have we really talking that long?" said Lily getting up at once.
"I should be going," replied Severina.
"We'll walk you," offered James.
"It's fine, I can go myself," replied Severina too quickly and too forcefully.
"We insist," said James.
"We do?" asked a surprised Sirius, some of the animosity between himself and Severina still lingering.
"Yes, we do," said Remus agreeing with James.
"You know what, Severina would love to be escorted," replied Lily, her own mischievous side as she shot her friend a grin.
Groaning, Severina accepted her fate and gestured sarcastically for the boys to lead the way. They moved past a very annoyed Madam Pince, who was holding in her rage at students being in HER library at such an hour. James and Sirius gave the old librarian glances of mock innocence, Lily and Remus tried to convey their sorriness, while Severina just ignored the bitter teacher.
Save for a few passersby's and the occasional ghost, the halls were relatively vacant at this time, and despite how talkative the group was a few minutes ago, they moved in silence. Finally, they found themselves at the bare stretch of stone walls that lead to the dungeons. It was there a familiar, albeit not-too-friendly face appeared.
"Severina, where have you been?" asked Regulus Black. "And why are they here."
That was all the address Sirius got from his brother, not that it was really unexpected.
"Love you too, little brother," said Sirius sarcastically.
Regulus ignored him.
"I'm fine, Reg. Lily, and her friends," they could detect the over-emphasis on the word friends, "we're just walking me back here. See you around, Lily."
"See you," replied Lily.
Severina and Regulus disappeared into the Slytherin Common Room, but not before a suspicious and threatening glare was shot at by Regulus, directed at his brother. Sirius wrote this off as just more of the hostility both between the houses and within his own family. Lily was looking at him.
"Reminds me of my sister," she said.
"Depends, my dear brother was always a momma's boy," said Sirius bitterly.
"Come on, let's get back to the Common Room. I'm sure Dorcas and Marlene are having a fit wondering where I am," said Lily.
James smiled. Whatever he had been expecting, he was not expecting this to end so pleasantly, especially with none other than Severina Snape involved. However, he walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room with a smile plastered on his face. Beside him, the object, no not object, the being of his affections, Lily Evans, was smiling and happy. It was small, but Lily and himself had a connection, and whether this could blossom into something more was still unclear. It could just be nothing, but there was hope, and James could latch onto that.
ONE MONTH LATER
Once again, the full moon was upon the Marauders, and James, strangely enough, could not be more excited. The rest had a feeling as to what was behind his excitement, though out of respect chose to keep silent. As dusk slowly set, Remus ventured into the Shrieking Shack.
"See you lot on the other side," said Remus as he left.
"I'm sure she'll be here," said Sirius knowingly.
His friend smiled. The moon was beginning to rise. They all closed their eyes and in place of James, Sirius, and Peter was Prongs the Stag, Padfoot the Dog, and Wormtail the Rat. Padfoot and Wormtail scurry off, but James stood still, waiting. Even though it had been a minute, anxiety overtook the stag. What if she was not coming? What if something had…then something ran past him.
He saw the familiar red wolf right in front of him, a playful grin on her face. She was challenging him, a determined gleam in her emerald wolf eyes. With one leg forward, Prongs bolted towards the red wolf, the night young and full of promises. They passed Padfoot, and a large black wolf, which Prongs assumed was Severina's wolf form. She looked distressed by Padfoot, who every so often would kick her with his paw.
It was bliss, it was a haven, it was a feeling of joy and euphoria James Potter, and little did he know, Lily Evans had ever felt before. This is how it would be. Every full moon for a long time. James Potter now had two secrets.