Chapter 13 The Naming
Meagan sighed. She kept on having these strange dreams about the future… Perhaps that was a symptom of being pregnant.
She was now three months along. She couldn't help but wonder what was in store for her baby. They had decided to call it Crystal if it was a girl. If it was a boy, it was to be Christian, to Harry's great disgust. Meagan knew it was going to be a girl though. She had a feeling…
She sat down and turned the radio up loud. No one was home. It was a slow song. Meagan strained her Brian to try and remember what it was. Then, the words came on. It was her song. Hers and Harry's. "I can be your hero, baby!" The radio sang.
Meagan laid her head down on her arm, remembering Harry and her first dance together as husband and wife. Then, a scene from oh so long ago came into her head…
~*~
"I'm never getting married!" Meagan said, stamping her foot. She was eleven years old and on a rampage. Remus had been teasing Meagan about Sirius again. "I won't, I won't, I WON'T!" She said, jumping up and down like a maniac. Remus only laughed. This was always the effect it had on her, being the only girl Marauder.
"And if I do, it won't be to any of you!" She screamed, pointing at the Marauders. This made Sirius go into hysterics. He tripped and held onto James, who was leaning against the wall. They thought this was extremely funny…
"C'mon you… You…" James said, waving his hands, "Blue Eyes!" Meagan stopped and looked at James with a cutting eye. "Blue Eyes?" She asked. "Yeah… Hmm… Strange, but that seems fitting. Hey, that can be your nickname!"
"Yeah, and pigs can fly." Meagan said flatly. "C'mon, it could be an all new way of life!" Sirius said, putting an arm around Meagan and swishing his hand through the air, as if he were clearing the frost out of a window. "Yeah, and I'll call James tong head!" Meagan said.
"Hey, I think you might have something there…" James said. Sirius's jaw dropped. "You mean, you want us to call you Tong Head?" He asked. James took one look at Sirius and snorted. "No, no, no, you idiot," James said, "Prongs!" Meagan folded her arms and nodded. "I'd say that's a good one, considering the fact that you're going to be a stag Animagus."
"SHHH!" Remus hissed. "Don't let anyone hear you!" Meagan raised her fingers and wiggled them at him. He nodded, his eye twitching. He clapped his hand to his eye to make it stop twitching, making Meagan laugh. "You're completely moony…" She said, then her face lit up. "Moony! That can be your nickname!" She said, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "Well, it's better than Reem." He said reasonably.
"And you!" She said, turning to face Sirius, her eyes purple with delight. "You're a dog Animagus! Or you're going to be…" She said. "Dogs go pitter-patter when they walk…" She bit her lip. "Padfoot!" Shouted Peter, emerging from the shadows. "You got it!" Meagan said.
She turned to Peter. "You're going to be a rat Animagus!" She said. "They have wormlike tails…" She pursed her lips, thinking hard. "Wormtail!" James said. Peter grimaced. "Well, it's either Squeaky Hinge or Wormtail… I think I'll take Wormtail." He said, shaking his head.
"Now all we need is a name for our group." Meagan said, grinning at the boys around her. They were now looking to one another for ideas. "I've got it!" Meagan shouted so suddenly it startled her friends. "The Marauders!" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What's a marauder?" He asked.
"A marauder is a rouge in search of plunder…" Meagan said, grinning evilly. "The Marauders it is, then!" James said, jumping into the air. "The Marauders… has a nice ring to it, I'd say!" Remus said. "Rouge… It would be saying we were rouges…" Peter said, wrinkling his nose. "Then it is defiantly our group name!" Sirius said, grinning at his friends.
"Well, my fellow Marauders, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, what is it like to be considered a rouge in search of plunder?" Meagan asked. "I don't know, but let's go find out!" Sirius said, running in the direction of the Slytherin common room.
"I've got the cloak!" James said, following. "I've got the powers to get ourselves in!" Meagan shouted, following. "I've got the brains!" Remus chimed in, also following. "And I'm the one who TRYES TO STOP HIS FRIENDS FROM GETTING INTO HUMUNGO TROUBLE!!!" Shouted Peter, running after his friends.
~*~
Meagan grinned to herself. Those were the good years… She thought, sighing. The years when she was young, carefree, and innocent… She snorted. Maybe not so innocent…
~*~
Crystal flipped through the old yearbooks. She saw a heading that immediately interested her. Most Troublesome of the Year it read. Crystal grinned. Let's see… She thought.
The first picture she saw was a picture of the Marauders. There they were, smiling evilly and waving at her. She saw her grandfather, James Potter, standing in between of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Peter Pettigrew was standing in the back round, jumping up and down and trying to be seen. And then… and then she saw a picture of a girl that looked vaguely familiar…
She was lying down in front of the four boys as if she had just slid across the floor. She was grinning mischievously and waving energetically. She had perfect, straight white teeth. Her eyes were a dark color. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing Gryffindor robes.
It could have been Crystal's mother if the picture wasn't totally out of date and the girl had light eyes. The picture was black and white, so she couldn't exactly tell what color the girl's eyes were. Her name was labeled as just plain "Blue Eyes," with no real name at all.
All the others had their names labeled. She read the list through again:
Remus "Moony" Lupin
Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew
Sirius "Padfoot" Black
James "Prongs" Potter
"Blue Eyes"
Crystal read it again and again, as if she could suddenly get it. "The 87th time is a charm…" Crystal muttered. She had been counting the times she had read it over. On the one-hundredth time, she gave up. She continued on through the list.
She came to a rest on some very familiar names. It was a picture of her parents and their friends in their seventh year.
Her mother was in the middle. Her eyes were a sparkling blue (this picture was in color) and she was wearing Gryffindor robes. Harry was next to her, his arm around her shoulder. His eyes were shining with pride, for he and Meagan were already married.
Marykate was standing beside Ron and they were in back of Meagan and Harry. Marykate was giving Meagan bunny-ears and Meagan was magically giving Marykate the "turn-around-and-kiss-me" sign. Crystal snorted. Jeremy and Hermione were standing together with Hermione looking a little scared of Jeremy. Ferre and Ridere stood next to each other, winking at the camera.
Crystal was a little surprised to see Sirius and Lizzie Black in the picture. Lizzie was as round as a beach ball. "This is when she had Brynn and Bryce…" Crystal murmured absentmindedly.
Then, she noticed someone she had not noticed before, who was sulking in the shadows. Everyone else looked so happy… Everyone but this boy…
His hair wasn't short, but yet, it wasn't long. It was a blackish-brown color. His eyes were a deep, wood-colored brown that shined through the dreary darkness that surrounded his face. His skin was lightly tanned and he looked extremely cute… in Crystal's opinion.
She read through the list of names:
Meagan Potter (formerly Delmore)
Harry Potter
Ferre Satis
Ridere Satis
Ron Weasley
Marykate "Mk" Jasper
Hermione Granger
Jeremy Darin
Sirius Black
Lizzie Black
Michael Shoemaker
Crystal looked at the last name. "Michael Shoemaker." Unusual name… Crystal thought, running her hand through her hair. She reached out her forefinger and, ever so lightly, touched Michael's face. She felt something pinch her finger and shut the book with a slam.
Something was going to happen… She just knew it.
~*~
"Know what?" Crystal asked, one boring afternoon. "What?" Asked Brian, picking at a dandy lion that was dead. He picked it off the ground and blew all the seeds into George's face. George sputtered and set the grass in front of Brian on fire. Brian screamed and jumped up, part of his robes on fire. Crystal only waved a hand at him and he was put out.
"We need nicknames." Crystal said, rolling onto her back. "Nicknames?" Fred asked, watching George and Brian quarrel. "Yep." Janie blew another dandy lion at the lake. "Like what?" She asked, shaking her head at George and Brian. "I know what I'll be!" Crystal said, closing her eyes, smiling, and pointing at herself. "What?" Asked Fred, watching George and Brain roll all over each other.
"Moonlight!" Crystal said, throwing out her chest and grinning proudly. "Okay! I'll be…" Janie said, her eyes traveling across the school grounds. "Daisies!" She said.
"Lemme pick one!" Fred said, closing his eyes to think. "Fishtail!" George said, giving Brian a nugie. Brian struggled against George and tried to push him off. "That's it!" Crystal said, pointing at Fred. "You can be Fishtail!" Fred stared at her, but nodded. "Fine. I'll be Fishtail."
"I'll be Dark Night!" Brian said, now giving George a nugie. Suddenly Brian blew off George and landed five feet away. "DO THAT AGAIN!" Brian shouted, "THAT WAS FUN!" Crystal shook her head. "No, no, that name is too… evil." She said.
"Okay then, Night Rider!" Brian said, giving George a nugie as an attempt to fly across the grounds again. "Fine. Night Rider it is then!" Crystal said. "George, that leaved you." She said. "Kay, Moonlight!" George said, throwing Brian off and making a shield around himself.
"I'll be… erm… Justin Timberlake?" He suggested, with an evil grin. Crystal gave him a "that-is-so-not-funny-that-guy-is-so-old-now" look.
"I'll take Sirius Black's and be called Padfoot." George said, shrugging. Brian glared at George. "Sirius Black… is my dad." He said, not amused. George's eyes turned purple.
"So, are we the Modern-Day Marauders?" Crystal asked, grinning. "The Modern-Day Marauders it is!" Brian said.
"1… 2… 3… MODERN-DAY MARAUDERS!" Shouted all five children
Meagan sighed. She kept on having these strange dreams about the future… Perhaps that was a symptom of being pregnant.
She was now three months along. She couldn't help but wonder what was in store for her baby. They had decided to call it Crystal if it was a girl. If it was a boy, it was to be Christian, to Harry's great disgust. Meagan knew it was going to be a girl though. She had a feeling…
She sat down and turned the radio up loud. No one was home. It was a slow song. Meagan strained her Brian to try and remember what it was. Then, the words came on. It was her song. Hers and Harry's. "I can be your hero, baby!" The radio sang.
Meagan laid her head down on her arm, remembering Harry and her first dance together as husband and wife. Then, a scene from oh so long ago came into her head…
~*~
"I'm never getting married!" Meagan said, stamping her foot. She was eleven years old and on a rampage. Remus had been teasing Meagan about Sirius again. "I won't, I won't, I WON'T!" She said, jumping up and down like a maniac. Remus only laughed. This was always the effect it had on her, being the only girl Marauder.
"And if I do, it won't be to any of you!" She screamed, pointing at the Marauders. This made Sirius go into hysterics. He tripped and held onto James, who was leaning against the wall. They thought this was extremely funny…
"C'mon you… You…" James said, waving his hands, "Blue Eyes!" Meagan stopped and looked at James with a cutting eye. "Blue Eyes?" She asked. "Yeah… Hmm… Strange, but that seems fitting. Hey, that can be your nickname!"
"Yeah, and pigs can fly." Meagan said flatly. "C'mon, it could be an all new way of life!" Sirius said, putting an arm around Meagan and swishing his hand through the air, as if he were clearing the frost out of a window. "Yeah, and I'll call James tong head!" Meagan said.
"Hey, I think you might have something there…" James said. Sirius's jaw dropped. "You mean, you want us to call you Tong Head?" He asked. James took one look at Sirius and snorted. "No, no, no, you idiot," James said, "Prongs!" Meagan folded her arms and nodded. "I'd say that's a good one, considering the fact that you're going to be a stag Animagus."
"SHHH!" Remus hissed. "Don't let anyone hear you!" Meagan raised her fingers and wiggled them at him. He nodded, his eye twitching. He clapped his hand to his eye to make it stop twitching, making Meagan laugh. "You're completely moony…" She said, then her face lit up. "Moony! That can be your nickname!" She said, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "Well, it's better than Reem." He said reasonably.
"And you!" She said, turning to face Sirius, her eyes purple with delight. "You're a dog Animagus! Or you're going to be…" She said. "Dogs go pitter-patter when they walk…" She bit her lip. "Padfoot!" Shouted Peter, emerging from the shadows. "You got it!" Meagan said.
She turned to Peter. "You're going to be a rat Animagus!" She said. "They have wormlike tails…" She pursed her lips, thinking hard. "Wormtail!" James said. Peter grimaced. "Well, it's either Squeaky Hinge or Wormtail… I think I'll take Wormtail." He said, shaking his head.
"Now all we need is a name for our group." Meagan said, grinning at the boys around her. They were now looking to one another for ideas. "I've got it!" Meagan shouted so suddenly it startled her friends. "The Marauders!" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What's a marauder?" He asked.
"A marauder is a rouge in search of plunder…" Meagan said, grinning evilly. "The Marauders it is, then!" James said, jumping into the air. "The Marauders… has a nice ring to it, I'd say!" Remus said. "Rouge… It would be saying we were rouges…" Peter said, wrinkling his nose. "Then it is defiantly our group name!" Sirius said, grinning at his friends.
"Well, my fellow Marauders, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, what is it like to be considered a rouge in search of plunder?" Meagan asked. "I don't know, but let's go find out!" Sirius said, running in the direction of the Slytherin common room.
"I've got the cloak!" James said, following. "I've got the powers to get ourselves in!" Meagan shouted, following. "I've got the brains!" Remus chimed in, also following. "And I'm the one who TRYES TO STOP HIS FRIENDS FROM GETTING INTO HUMUNGO TROUBLE!!!" Shouted Peter, running after his friends.
~*~
Meagan grinned to herself. Those were the good years… She thought, sighing. The years when she was young, carefree, and innocent… She snorted. Maybe not so innocent…
~*~
Crystal flipped through the old yearbooks. She saw a heading that immediately interested her. Most Troublesome of the Year it read. Crystal grinned. Let's see… She thought.
The first picture she saw was a picture of the Marauders. There they were, smiling evilly and waving at her. She saw her grandfather, James Potter, standing in between of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Peter Pettigrew was standing in the back round, jumping up and down and trying to be seen. And then… and then she saw a picture of a girl that looked vaguely familiar…
She was lying down in front of the four boys as if she had just slid across the floor. She was grinning mischievously and waving energetically. She had perfect, straight white teeth. Her eyes were a dark color. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing Gryffindor robes.
It could have been Crystal's mother if the picture wasn't totally out of date and the girl had light eyes. The picture was black and white, so she couldn't exactly tell what color the girl's eyes were. Her name was labeled as just plain "Blue Eyes," with no real name at all.
All the others had their names labeled. She read the list through again:
Remus "Moony" Lupin
Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew
Sirius "Padfoot" Black
James "Prongs" Potter
"Blue Eyes"
Crystal read it again and again, as if she could suddenly get it. "The 87th time is a charm…" Crystal muttered. She had been counting the times she had read it over. On the one-hundredth time, she gave up. She continued on through the list.
She came to a rest on some very familiar names. It was a picture of her parents and their friends in their seventh year.
Her mother was in the middle. Her eyes were a sparkling blue (this picture was in color) and she was wearing Gryffindor robes. Harry was next to her, his arm around her shoulder. His eyes were shining with pride, for he and Meagan were already married.
Marykate was standing beside Ron and they were in back of Meagan and Harry. Marykate was giving Meagan bunny-ears and Meagan was magically giving Marykate the "turn-around-and-kiss-me" sign. Crystal snorted. Jeremy and Hermione were standing together with Hermione looking a little scared of Jeremy. Ferre and Ridere stood next to each other, winking at the camera.
Crystal was a little surprised to see Sirius and Lizzie Black in the picture. Lizzie was as round as a beach ball. "This is when she had Brynn and Bryce…" Crystal murmured absentmindedly.
Then, she noticed someone she had not noticed before, who was sulking in the shadows. Everyone else looked so happy… Everyone but this boy…
His hair wasn't short, but yet, it wasn't long. It was a blackish-brown color. His eyes were a deep, wood-colored brown that shined through the dreary darkness that surrounded his face. His skin was lightly tanned and he looked extremely cute… in Crystal's opinion.
She read through the list of names:
Meagan Potter (formerly Delmore)
Harry Potter
Ferre Satis
Ridere Satis
Ron Weasley
Marykate "Mk" Jasper
Hermione Granger
Jeremy Darin
Sirius Black
Lizzie Black
Michael Shoemaker
Crystal looked at the last name. "Michael Shoemaker." Unusual name… Crystal thought, running her hand through her hair. She reached out her forefinger and, ever so lightly, touched Michael's face. She felt something pinch her finger and shut the book with a slam.
Something was going to happen… She just knew it.
~*~
"Know what?" Crystal asked, one boring afternoon. "What?" Asked Brian, picking at a dandy lion that was dead. He picked it off the ground and blew all the seeds into George's face. George sputtered and set the grass in front of Brian on fire. Brian screamed and jumped up, part of his robes on fire. Crystal only waved a hand at him and he was put out.
"We need nicknames." Crystal said, rolling onto her back. "Nicknames?" Fred asked, watching George and Brian quarrel. "Yep." Janie blew another dandy lion at the lake. "Like what?" She asked, shaking her head at George and Brian. "I know what I'll be!" Crystal said, closing her eyes, smiling, and pointing at herself. "What?" Asked Fred, watching George and Brain roll all over each other.
"Moonlight!" Crystal said, throwing out her chest and grinning proudly. "Okay! I'll be…" Janie said, her eyes traveling across the school grounds. "Daisies!" She said.
"Lemme pick one!" Fred said, closing his eyes to think. "Fishtail!" George said, giving Brian a nugie. Brian struggled against George and tried to push him off. "That's it!" Crystal said, pointing at Fred. "You can be Fishtail!" Fred stared at her, but nodded. "Fine. I'll be Fishtail."
"I'll be Dark Night!" Brian said, now giving George a nugie. Suddenly Brian blew off George and landed five feet away. "DO THAT AGAIN!" Brian shouted, "THAT WAS FUN!" Crystal shook her head. "No, no, that name is too… evil." She said.
"Okay then, Night Rider!" Brian said, giving George a nugie as an attempt to fly across the grounds again. "Fine. Night Rider it is then!" Crystal said. "George, that leaved you." She said. "Kay, Moonlight!" George said, throwing Brian off and making a shield around himself.
"I'll be… erm… Justin Timberlake?" He suggested, with an evil grin. Crystal gave him a "that-is-so-not-funny-that-guy-is-so-old-now" look.
"I'll take Sirius Black's and be called Padfoot." George said, shrugging. Brian glared at George. "Sirius Black… is my dad." He said, not amused. George's eyes turned purple.
"So, are we the Modern-Day Marauders?" Crystal asked, grinning. "The Modern-Day Marauders it is!" Brian said.
"1… 2… 3… MODERN-DAY MARAUDERS!" Shouted all five children