Chapter 16: The Beginning of an End
"It's just a few months, Mary." Dorcas smiled as she waved her wand shutting her trunk close with a snap. It did so happily, settling back on the floor at ease. "And then you'll see us once again."
"But that's so far away." Mary sighed dropping her clothes into her trunk unceremoniously and dropping onto her bed despite the growing pile she had left to add. "What am I going to do all summer?"
"I'm sure you'll find a way to not be bored." Marlene smirked. "You are Mary MacDonald after all."
"I sure am." Mary grinned getting back up and looking fondly at the pile of clothes in front of her. "Hey, did you guys hear the new name that everyone is calling those pranksters?"
"Pranksters?" Lily put her hands on her hips defensively before folding them across her chest remembering the horrifying incident. "What they did wasn't a prank. It was disgusting and wrong."
"Says the one who was glued to a chamber pot the whole time." Marlene laughed as she dropped a stack of dresses in her trunk. "It was still funny to everyone else, Lily."
"Marlene!" Dorcas chided before turning to Lily. "You're right, it was mean and wrong Lily."
"I thought it was pretty funny too. Especially when Dumbledore- " Mary continued having not heard Marlene's rude remark. She looked towards Dorcas who shook her head vigorously. "-Oh I mean it was- terrible. Absolutely terrible. And wrong. Very wrong."
Lily sighed having finished with her trunk and smiled at them. "It's okay. I guess I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Mary shook her head. "Really, it was so not funny. But anyway they're being called The Marauders. I heard it from...actually I don't even remember now."
"Marauders." Dorcas hummed. "I like it. Too bad we don't know who they are."
"Isn't it obvious?" Marlene asked throwing her hands up. "It's the Slytherins. They're all so creepy- I mean have you seen Troy Mulciber? I think he might be half vampire with those teeth of his. And then there's that Snape boy Lily's always hanging around with."
"His name is Severus." Lily gritted her teeth. "And he's not like the other Slytherins. He's a good friend."
"He's creepy. He's always staring at you in class. It's weird." Marlene said.
"He is not weird!" Lily defended. "You're only saying that because you don't know him!"
"I know his kind okay." Marlene continued seriously. "You think you know him- but really Lily you know nothing about your friend. He's a weirdo and a creep-"
"He's not a creep!" Lily said her voice rising an octave. "How can you even say that? Just because you don't have a friend like him-"
"I'm glad I don't have a friend like him!" Marlene shouted back, her trunk forgotten.
Dorcas and Mary exchanged worried glances between Lily and Marlene.
"Abort! Abort! I repeat abort!" Mary said suddenly sliding in between the two of them. Lily and Marlene both looked at her confused and Mary took advantage of it. She grabbed a hold of Lily's arm and pulled her away. Dorcas had already began talking to a angry Marlene who was rolling her eyes. "Lily let's go get some breakfast before we leave- it's going to be the last time I get any of those delicious blueberry-raspberry muffins they have here..."
"Sev's not creepy." Lily told Mary as they walked past laughing students in the common room. "He's a really good friend, Mary."
"I know he is Lily." Mary smiled. "But muffins Lily. I want those muffins. I just have to have at least one last muffin before we leave."
Lily laughed. "It's only a few months Mary- and then we'll be back here together."
"But muffins." Mary pleaded. "Who's going to make me muffins back home?"
When they arrived at the Great Hall it was completely filled with students exchanging goodbyes and final chats with their friends. The Slytherin banner was proudly displayed around the hall as a tribute for winning the House cup yesterday.
"Oh Ms. MacDonald, Ms. Evans- good to see you down here finally." McGonagall peered at them before crossing their names of a floating parchment in front of her. "Now were where are your trunks?" she asked looking for the trunks or lack of them in their case.
"Oh we're not done." Mary grinned. "We just came to get some breakfast."
"My dear, get back up and get those trunks ready. Breakfast will be served on the train back."
"But-" Mary protested looking torn between staying in the Great Hall, and listening to McGonagall. "I wanted muffins."
"Ms. Evans please take Ms. MacDonald and yourself to the Gryffindor common room and come back only when you are packed and ready. Hurry now!"
With that she un-marked their names off the parchment and went to the next group of students that had just entered the Great Hall.
"But mu-" Mary started as Lily dragged her all the way back to the Gryffindor common room. Mary pouted as Lily pointed to the pile of junk near the foot of Mary's bed she had yet to pack. "I'll go get you a muffin." Lily reassured her. "But I want all this gone by the time I'm back."
"Mary's coming." Lily told McGonagall when she arrived back at the Great Hall. McGonagall nodded and ticked off her name. "Thank you, Ms. Evans."
Lily smiled and nearly fell back when Michael Duke jolted past her looking worried.
"Hey!" Lily hopped up to him. "What's got you in a hurry?"
"Lily have you seen a dog anywhere? I swear I had left him right here.." Michael told her quickly, looking around nervously.
"Sorry Michael." Lily shrugged. "I'll keep an eye out for it-wait. You brought a dog to Hogwarts? Michael," she lowered her voice as McGonagall walked by inspecting a group of Hufflepuff boys. "you know we're not allowed!"
Michael sighed hurrying his face in his hands "I know! But I couldn't leave him back home. Just tell me if you find him alright? I'm going to go check the corridors again."
"Sure thing. Good luck!" she called after him, laughing to herself. Leave it to Michael Duke to end up getting on the train late just as he did to nearly every class this semester.
Lily took a moment to gaze outside before deciding to soak and take cover underneath the warm sun. It's rays, although warm gave her chills. She looked around the green expanse that she had called home for a year. She could see the Quidditch Pitch in the distance where a few students were playing a final round of Quidditch. A few Ravenclaw girls were laughing by the Black Lake and Lily smiled at them as she passed to sit by the nice crooked tree she always liked.
"Remus?" He was sitting along the trunk of her crooked tree, looking silently into the distance. He looked up and gave her a crooked smile. "Hey Lily."
"Hi." She looked to where he was looking before taking a seat next to him. There was a slight breeze that pushed her hair back and left a tingling feeling in her bones. Lily smiled. It was almost as if Hogwarts was telling her not to leave. She really would miss not being here all summer, she realized. The magic, the classes, the constant scuffles between Liam Carter and the prefects, Mary's nonstop talking, walking around with Severus around the castle for no apparent reason...
"I'm really going to miss not being here all summer." She told Remus truthfully.
"Me too." Remus nodded. "I feel right at home here Lily. Like I'm not different than everybody else. That I belong."
"You're not different Remus, and you do belong." Lily told him gently smiling at him. He looked so sad as he gazed into the distance, like he had aged and seen so much in his barely 11 years of existence. Lily thought he would have made the perfect tragic protagonist of one of Mary's romance books. "I used to think I was different too, you know. And when I didn't Tuney always made sure to remind me."
"Tuney?"
"My older sister." Lily explained. "She's not a witch but she likes to point out that I am one. Freak is what she calls me." Lily looked at Remus who's eyes were wide as he listened. "But I'm not a freak- and neither are you."
"Yeah." Remus looked into the distance with that same forlorn look. "Maybe not here at least. But at home I sure feel like one."
"Why?" Lily ever the curious asked. "Just because that's what people think doesn't mean we are."
Remus gazed into the distance where the Whomping Willow stood. "I'm just alone all the time." He said finally.
"You don't have any siblings?"
Remus shook his head. "You're lucky you know- to have Tuney-Petunia."
Lily smiled. Remus was right. So many people in the world didn't have siblings but Lily did. She had to be thankful for that even if Petunia was Petunia. "Yeah, you're right I guess. It's always nice to have someone to talk to when you're alone." She turned to Remus. "What about your parents?"
"My dad works at the ministry in the Regulation of Magical Creatures Department." Remus explained. "And my moms always home- but she's always cooking and baking stuff. She's a muggle too."
"An muggle?" Lily asked confused by the term.
"Oh non-magic folk." Remus explained. "Like your parents. They're not wizards, are they?"
Lily shook her head suddenly remembering. "Oh I remember Severus telling me something like that. I was actually looking for him before I bumped into you-" Lily's mind flooded with thoughts like Mary's muffin and McGonagall telling her what time to get on the train. "Remus we need to go. It's 11:15! The trains going to leave soon! And I left Mary all alone upstairs!"
Remus stood up. "You're right. We should go."
"But wait Severus-!" Lily said remembering that she also hadn't found him either. How terrible it would be if she left without seeing her best friend!
"You'll find him on the train." Remus reminded her. "Relax."
Lily sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's go."
"Yeah." Remus looked back, gazing in the distance one last time. "It's time."
The train, if possible was even fuller and bigger than when Lily had rode it on her way to Hogwarts. Hogwarts students were scampering from side to side finding compartments and hauling last minute things in with them. She caught the Prewett twins carrying a rather abnormally large trunk onto the train and Michael Duke himself was sneaking something dark and furry underneath his robes.
"You found it!" Lily exclaimed. Micheal grinned at her and motioned for her to keep quiet before disappearing into the crowd.
"Have you seen James?" Lily turned to the older boy who had tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh-" He looked apologetic when she looked up at him. "Sorry I didn't know it was you."
Frank Longbottom turned away and then back to Lily. "I know you might say no-but if you see James could you please give these to him?"
The 2nd year handed her two chocolate frog cards. Lily didn't want to be rude so she nodded. "Sure."
"Thanks a bunch!" Frank grinned. "You're a life saver. Just try not to burn them." he added quickly before running away.
Lily frowned but headed the opposite way. She had to find Severus. Hopefully he had saved her a compartment. Merlin knows how she was going to find one at the rate she was going.
"Hey watch it!" She said as a Ravenclaw boy brushed past her.
"Sorry!" He muttered before continuing on his way. Lily rolled her eyes. Where in the world was Severus? And why were there so many people on the train!?
"Have order!" A pink clad prefect screamed gathering the attention of those nearest to her. She trudged in and pulled away three fighting 4th years away. "Fighting isn't allowed on the train. Find a compartment and stay in it."
The boys frowned but went to find themselves a compartment quietly.
"Well what are you waiting for?" The prefect shouted to the rest of the gawking onlookers. "Find a compartment- all of you. The train leaves in five!"
Lily's eyes widened. She had to find Severus. She sprinted past everyone- peering into compartments hoping to find Severus. She peered into a compartment only to find a couple of snogging fifth years. The next compartment was home to a 6th year girl who was meditating- an array of spheres adorning the empty seats. Odd... After the last compartment, Lily had opened it up to see a group of giggly girls blasting a Wizarding pop band song, had nearly cost Lily her ears, she gave up trying to look. She shook her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears and turned around the corner where two very familiar girls were arguing.
"Niki I can't make him do anything." Ayesha Shafiq was saying. "I didn't tell him to like me."
"Well make him unlike you. You know I've had eye on Lestrange since day one."
"How do I do that?" Ayesha Shafiq questioned folding her arms. "Lestrange doesn't listen to anyone- you know that."
"Do what you need to- but remember he's mine."
"Lily!"
A hand pulled her into the nearest compartment and the two girls disappeared from her view . "I called out your name three times but you didn't hear me."
"Sorry." Lily shrugged forgetting about everything once she saw him. "I was-never mind."
"You were eavesdropping." Severus smirked pulling open the nearest compartment door an ushering her in.
"I was not!" Lily cried horrified that Severus had seen her eavesdropping. It was very rude and she had once a many told Petunia so. "I just happened to hear what they were saying. I didn't mean too!," she added looking at the small smirk on Severus's face. "They were right there Sev!"
"Eavesdropping."
"Sev!"
"Fine, you just happened to be there and happened to hear a little more than half of their conversation." Lily smiled satisfied at the explanation. "Exactly. Who were they?" she asked remembering that they belonged to the same house as Severus. Not that she cared much but she wanted to put a name to them now that she had encountered them more than twice.
"Some older Slytherins." Severus shrugged setting down his bag as Lily did the same and took the seat across from him.
Lily looked at him pointedly.
"The taller one is Nikita Zabini. She's a bit...out there if you ask me. And the one next to her is Ayesha Shafiq. Lucius always looks so scared of her even though she's a year younger than him. It's amusing." Severus explained a small smile on his face. "Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious."
"Mhmm."
The compartment door slid open and the pink clad prefect from earlier stepped in. "Here, this ones not full. All of you in."
She shoved the three fighting boys Lily had seen earlier into the compartment. They all looked quite disgruntled by the fact but nonetheless they walked in and took a seat ignoring both Lily and Severus. The prefect grinned at them. "See how easy that was? Enjoy the trip!"
The door shut with a loud click. Lily looked at Severus. The three boys immediately began making a plan of how they were going to escape and find 'Kingsley.'
"So what are we going to do first? I was thinking of playing Dementors-" Lily grinned at Severus who's face fell drastically. The boys too stopped momentarily only to go back to their arguing.
"It's not funny, Lily." Severus said.
"And then we can bake cookies- only if Petunia is at Fiona's houses of course and then..." Lily continued. She couldn't wait till summer ended and she was back at Hogwarts.