Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter. I solely own Diana Jones, Aaron Granger, and Belle Foxworthy
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Old Faces in Odd Places
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"Ah, Hogsmeade. If ever there was Utopia, this would be it," Sirius said.
"With Zonko's as our holy shrine," James agreed.
Remus shook his head. Peter laughed nervously.
The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with pushing and shoving students, ranging from ages 13 to 17. The Marauders, however, were having no trouble staying together. People respected them, unconsciously or obviously, and usually kept a polite distance so as to not disturb them. In their younger years, Sirius and James were notorious for hexing people who crossed their path. Of course, they had outgrown that 6th year, especially following the Snape/Lily Incident, as Remus was bound to name it.
Slytherins were always the exception though. Now, some Slytherins were okay, the Marauders agreed, but most needed a good kick in the rear. Such people included Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa and Regulus Black, Evan Rosier, Rapier Wilkes, Owen Goyle, Damon Crabbe, Aaron Granger, and Belle Foxworthy.
Speaking of them, there they were in the Hog's Head, happily taking in shots of Firewhiskey.
The Marauders stopped directly outside the Hog's Head window and watched them getting drunk.
Sirius cocked his head to the side and grinned impishly. "My, they look like they're having fun. And we don't want that, do we?"
"Sirius, no," Remus said promptly.
"Oh, come on, Moony, allow your two bored-to-death friends some enjoyment before we go back to our tedious student lives," James interjected.
"Absolutely not," Remus said firmly, shaking his head for authoritative effect.
"I agree with Remus," Peter said nervously, his beady black eyes shooting back and forth from the other Marauders to Snape's gang. "We should get going."
Sirius sighed a hugely fake sigh. "I suppose you're right." He hung his head, and from behind his black hair, he blinked at James.
"I'm thirsty," James said, exactly on cue.
"The Three Broomsticks is right up the road," Remus said.
"No, I'm thirsty NOW."
"Hey, I'm thirsty, too," Sirius piped up. "Oh, and would you look at that? There's a bar right here. Prongs, shall we head in?"
"After you, Padfoot," James said with a sweeping bow. Sirius opened up the door and held it for James, who made a great show of entering the bar.
Remus sighed deeply and walked in. Peter, shaking slightly underneath his robes, followed, and Sirius shut the door behind himself.
"Moony, I seriously was thirsty," James said, grinning. He led the other three up to the bar.
The bartender eyed them suspiciously. "What can I get ya?" he said gruffly, wiping a filthy glass with a mired-down rag.
"Butterbeer-Firewhiskey Twist," James said promptly. He figured himself too old for just plain Butterbeer, but he'd gotten drunk once before and had found himself in just his boxers in the middle of Diagon Alley at 3 in the morning, with the Potions exam the next day. Besides, being drunk wasn't the best feeling in the world. He figured the Butterbeer would dilute some of the alcohol.
"Firewhiskey on the rocks," Sirius ordered. He'd also been drunk before, like James, and was tipsy quite frequently, mainly because of the family he lived with. He, however, liked the feeling of intoxication. It frequently led him to his more humorous escapades, including the one time he had stood up on the mantle above the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, singing "We all live in a yellow submarine", and quite off-key, too.
"Butterbeer," Remus ordered, and Peter squeaked out, "Me, too."
Four mugs, two filled with thick, eggnog-like liquid, one with a dark red fluid, and another with the combination of the other types, slid down the bar towards them. Each Marauder took their respective drink and brought it over to a table.
They had caught the Slytherins' eyes. Narcissa shot her cousin a nasty look, the thought of the milk from three weeks ago still on her mind. Sirius grinned back at her, and took a big gulp of his Firewhiskey.
She leaned over and whispered something to Lucius, who, in turn, leaned over and whispered something to Severus. Whatever they were talking about went in full circle around the table, and James watched it all during gulp after gulp of his Twist.
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Plastic bags tugged against the skin of Lily's hands as she walked down Mab Street, a very long and winding road. It was so named after the Irish fairy queen, whom Lily was very proud to call a distant ancestor. In fact, Mab was the last person before her to have magical powers.
Well, aside from Petunia that is, but Lily really didn't like to think about that. Petunia had left Hogwarts abruptly at the end of their 5th year after an atrocious attack on her by Malfoy and the Black sisters, minus Andromeda, of course. Petunia had also mentioned about someone betraying her, but Lily had yet to discover who that person was. Whoever it was, was responsible for the estrangement between twin sisters, and if she ever discovered the name that person had better run.
"Lily? You all right, honey?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm good," Lily answered offhandedly. Molly Caleb was walking alongside her, with Amelia Bones, Marlene McKinnon, Emmaline Vance, Alice Gunther, and the twins Hestia and Diana Jones surrounding them.
"So, Miss Molly, how is your friend Mr. Weasley these days?" Emmaline asked, trying to smother a grin.
Molly blushed pink. "Just fine, thank you, Emmaline."
"Oh, come off it," Alice ordered. "You give us the goods."
Molly blushed even deeper pink and stopped walking. The other girls all halted almost simultaneously and turned to look at her.
"You CAN'T tell Sirius," she said, in a conspiratorial whisper.
"Can't tell him what?" Marlene asked, leaning in. The other girls followed her cue.
"Well, um, I'm not supposed to know this, but I accidentally heard Arthur talking to Frank Longbottom last week."
"Yeah?" Alice said. She had perked slightly at the sound of her boyfriend's name.
"And, well, I heard Arthur say that…he wants to propose to me!"
"WHAT?!" The girls screamed at once.
"Shh!" Molly hissed.
"Oh my God, did he say when he was going to propose?" Lily asked.
"If he did, I was too surprised to hear it."
"You were surprised?" Marlene exclaimed. "Margaret Julie Caleb, you and Arthur have been going out since first year, you sit with each other every day, you have never had a fight, you told him what you WANTED TO NAME YOUR FIRST CHILD, and you're surprised he wants to marry you?"
"Well…well, who expects to just hear out of the blue that their boyfriend wants to marry them?"
"Hey, just be grateful that you CAN get married," Emmaline said bitterly.
An awkward silence fell over the group as 5 pairs of eyes went to Emmaline's face and then to Hestia's. It was common knowledge in Hogwarts that the two of them had been going steady for nearly three years. It didn't matter to their friends, of course. Not even Molly minded, and she seemed like just the old-fashioned-mother type that did mind. Lily just couldn't understand why two responsible, smart girls who worked for the end of wizarding racism should not be allowed to marry and adopt children just because they were girls.
Amelia took a deep breath and changed the subject quickly. "Molly, are you going to say yes?"
"No, I'm going to throw the ring in his face and shove him in the lake," Molly said sarcastically. "Of course I'm going to say "Yes"!"
The girls squealed as one again, and then began asking questions.
"Who's your maid-of-honor going to be?" "When, Molly, when?" "Will you get married at St. Mungo's?" "PLEASE let me help you pick out a dress!" "What'll the food be?" "If you need something "borrowed", I can give you my gold earrings. They're made from melted Galleons."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Molly yelped, throwing up her hands. "One at a time. Yes, Alice, you can help me pick out a dress, in fact, I want all of you to help me. Hestia, I haven't decided on the food yet, but chicken is a must and I want Italian soup. Emmaline, I wouldn't dream of taking your earrings. I want you to wear them to the wedding. They're gorgeous on you. Marlene and Amelia, I'm not sure when or where, but most likely St. Mungo's Church and if not, St. Veronica's. And as for my maid-of-honor…" She paused. "I don't know."
"I'd love to be it, but I'm already being maid-of-honor at Andy's wedding, so I wouldn't mind if I'm not," Lily said. That was one bit of information she had withheld from James and the other Marauders.
"Oh, maybe I'll just make you all bridesmaids, no one more special than anyone else," Molly mused.
Each girl had a decidedly disappointed look on her face. Molly laughed.
"Hey, wait," Lily said, throwing her arm out and nearly tripping Amelia. They hadn't even realized they'd started walking again.
Lily had stopped right outside the Hog's Head. She squinted through the window, then wiped it with her hand and peered into it.
"Dear God in Heaven, it's James and those Slytherins in the same room."
"What makes me think that the Hog's Head will be demanding a great sum of money from Hogwarts soon?" Diana murmured.
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A half hour had passed. Thus far, neither side had made any moves, but the Slytherins were still whispering around the table.
"Severus, go over there," Lucius whispered.
"I feel no urge to," Severus muttered back, glaring at Lucius. He was not a huge fan of Malfoy, not after that fiasco in 5th year. "It will most likely cause a fight, resulting in our expulsion from the Hog's Head and a probable suspension from Hogwarts."
"Severus." Lucius grinned maliciously. "Do you want to go back on our deal?"
Severus stared at his blonde-headed peer with complete and utter loathing, which was met with a broader grin. The deal was the bane of Severus's existence. The deal made him a slave to Lucius Malfoy for the rest of eternity, just to ensure that she was forever safe… "Of course I don't want that."
"Then go right on over, Severus. You must admit, it is rather hilarious."
"Yeah. Sure."
Severus picked up his Firewhiskey shot and chugged it. He swayed slightly, letting the alcohol get to his brain. Then he stood up, bracing himself. Evan scraped his chair over against the wooden floor to let him pass.
He half-stumbled his way over to the Marauders' table. The four of them turned their gazes
"May I ask what your business here is, Snivellus?" Sirius asked, as if he were discussing weather. "Shouldn't you be sifting through a dumpster somewhere?"
James nearly choked on his Twist. Remus brought his hand to his forehead and sighed for the second time that day. Peter watched it all with his tiny, bleary black eyes. Another day, another Sirius vs. Severus fight.
"Oh, Sirius, you sound so much more intelligent with your mouth shut," Severus shot at him. "Anyway, my business is with Potter."
"Wassup?" James asked, smiling patronizingly.
"Lucius was just wondering about your sisters, Belinda and Jennifer. He wants to know if one walks to the left and the other walks to the right, do they stretch out and then snap back together?"
Remus and Peter gave simultaneous gasp, and Sirius stared with shocked eyes, wondering how even Severus Snape dared to say something like that. Belinda and Jennifer Potter's condition was no laughing matter. While James and their other sister, Rowena, had been born healthy, the twins that Gloria Potter had always wanted had come out as Siamese twins. There was no cure except for very risky surgery that could result in both sisters' death.
Just like Sirius did not stand insults to Andromeda or the Marauders, James did not take anything about Belinda and Jennifer.
He stood up, pushing back his chair so hard that it fell backwards onto the floor, and a leg broke off. Completely forgetting he was a wizard and possessed a wand, James reared back his fist and then punched Severus as hard as he could.
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Mayhem. All was chaos. James was holding Severus to the floor by the collar with one hand and repeatedly punching him in the face. Sirius and Remus were fighting off the rest of the Slytherins, doing quite well though outnumbered 9 to 2, and Peter watched it all, horrorstruck, occasionally yelling out, "Guys, stop it!"
"Hant!" another voice yelled out, then followed by, "Oh, darn it all."
He'd struck again. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, voted Most Likely To Hurt His Back By Kissing His Own Butt imbecile known as Gilderoy Allen Lockhart had messed up what was rumored to be his 28, 605 spell.
Instead of stopping James mid-punch, he had created several little ghosts that zoomed in on people and began to pull their hair out from the root.
"That IDIOT!" Amelia yelled, grabbing the door before it swung shut. Lily had just entered the bar, pulling her wand out from her robes.
"Impedimentia!" she screeched, pointing her wand at James.
The spell took hold. James froze even as his elbow reared back, allowing Severus to kick his way out from James's body. James, still frozen, fell to the floor, but the full 10 seconds had passed as soon as he hit the hardwood, permitting him to groan loudly and feel the hollow ache in his chest.
Lily tore her gaze away from James and looked around. Emmaline and Hestia were pulling Lucius off Sirius, who was being held back by Molly. Lucius was nursing a bleeding lip and Sirius glared intensely though an eye that was beginning to show black and purple. Marlene, Amelia, and Diana had formed a barrier, effectively blocking off the rest of the Slytherins. Remus was holding his right arm, wincing in pain, and Peter still had not moved.
A tense silence consumed the air in the bar, until finally, both Lily and Molly screamed in one voice, "WHAT DID YOU IDIOTS THINK YOU WERE DOING!!!!????"
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"WHAT DID YOU IDIOTS THINK YOU WERE DOING???!!!" McGonagall resounded.
The Marauders were sitting in her office. James and Sirius were staring sullenly into their hands, Remus sat up straight and respectfully, and Peter was absolutely shivering in his shoes.
"How dare you cause such a disruption in a public place?! If those girls hadn't stopped you, God only knows what damage you could have done! What on earth possessed you into picking a fight with them!?"
"We're not the ones who picked it, Professor!" Sirius yelled back at her. "And don't bring Remus and Peter into it, either, Peter wasn't involved and Remus was just defending himself."
"I'll bring them into it if I so choose, Mr. Black," McGonagall said hotly. "And you didn't answer my question. What was so important that you have most likely gotten Hogwarts a lawsuit?!"
"Snape and Malfoy," Sirius shot back. "And if you must know, they insulted Belinda and Jennifer."
McGonagall took a very deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to collect herself. "That was still no reason to cause a public disturbance. Detention for two weeks for Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. Three days for Mr. Lupin. Mr. Pettigrew, nothing for you. And one hundred points from Gryffindor."
"That's not fair at all! What about Snape, Malfoy, my ever-so-dear relatives and the rest of their scumbag gang?"
"I will be talking to their Head of House, but I won't guarantee any action on his part. And now, kindly take your leave of my office. You'll receive the when and where of your punishments when I can stand to look at you."
The Marauders stood up as one and shuffled to the door. As it shut behind them, they were immediately besieged by Lily and her gang.
"Well, I hope you're happy, Potter," Lily said directly to his face. "Thanks to you, Gryffindor House has lost one hundred points and has yet another dark splotch on its name. You are so lucky that this didn't cost you your badge. I just hope that all this was worth it. Well? Was it, Potter? Hmm?"
Something inside James, who had remained silent ever since the end of the fight, snapped. He had stayed up late too many nights comforting Belinda and Jennifer, who cried and begged him to assure them that they weren't freaks, to put up with any more slights and insults about them.
"Believe it or not, Evans, there are more important things than points and rules! Why can't you get it through that thick skull of yours that I had a reason for fighting Snape? You think I'm just all arrogance and immaturity, don't you? You don't know diddly-squat about me or my reasoning, so STUFF IT!!"
He grabbed her shoulder with both of his hands and shoved her aside roughly, causing her to stumble. Angrily, she turned and grabbed the back of his robes, forcing him to turn around and face her.
"I don't THINK you're just arrogance and immaturity, I know it! Everyone who sees you knows it! And just what was your reasoning for fighting Snape, hmm? Or is stick-in-the-mud Lily Evans too inferior to know?"
"You've always got to be right, don't you, Evans? You've had a superiority complex since day one. You accuse me of arrogance, but look at you. Walking around the hallways with your badge and wand, punishing people for putting one toe out of line. You are NOT always right and you are NOT God's gift to the magical world, and we'd all thank you if you stopped being such a hypocritical b—!"
He stopped short right here as her palm met his cheek and forced his head to turn sideways. Lily's face was absolutely pink with fury.
"How DARE you?!" she yelled at him. "How dare you claim to know me any better than I know you! I have a reason for watching people. So fights like that don't break out! So no more people have to leave Hogwarts because of petty enmity!"
She stopped abruptly. She had never talked about Petunia leaving the school before, and this certainly was not the place to do so.
James was glaring at her, breathing very hard. "I'll see you tomorrow, Evans," he said coldly, before doing an about-face and storming off towards the Gryffindor House.