James looked up in apparent shock. He hadn't realized that Lily was in the common room and glancing quickly at the other Marauders' faces, they hadn't either.
"Lily! Wh-what are you doing here?" James stuttered.
"Well, I am in Gryffindor, I have a right to be in this common room, don't I?" she retorted, coldly. Her ice chilled voice sent shivers down James' spine and he could only muster a nod in reply. Lily turned to head up to her dorm but stopped suddenly. The Marauders stared at the back of her fiery red hair, holding a breath in anticipation for the words they knew were coming. But there was silence and it was deafening. It pounded like a beating heart.
Then Lily's lips finally moved and words escaped, "Never trust your emotions, James, for they have betrayed you. They are our life and death. They hold more power than any simple word could ever produce. The darkest of emotions could pull you deep within their grasp, never letting go until the darkness fully consumes every inch of light and good in your body, until you soul becomes a worthless black cavity. Never hide it either. Your face gives them away. Your eyes, are truly the windows to your soul, they can't keep emotions disguised and reveal even the deepest, darkest emotion your body can convey."
Silence. Lily made her way up the stairs that led to the dorm and the boys could hear the door shut, leaving them alone in the common room. Remus sighed slightly, his face wrinkled with anxiety.
"Lighten up, Moony! You're beginning to look like a worried old man!" Sirius said, trying to lighten the darkened mood that seemed to devour his friends. But none of them found this funny, they ignored the comment and the silence crept up again, eerily lingering longer than it should have.
The silence was disrupted by the horde of Gryffindors that now swarmed the common room. The fourth years returned from the lake, where they relaxed after the last class of the day (minus Lily and the Marauders) and the other years were finally finished with their last class. Remus trudged out of the common room and up the stone steps to the boy's dormitory, his hunger for silence left him ravenous for solitude. Throbbing pain was running through his veins and he wanted some time to think, alone. The full moon was in a few days and he knew from experience that the slight throbbing pain would increase to something more excruciating. Remus lay down on his four poster bed and closed his eyes, blocking his view of his surroundings. Opening them, he ran them across the room. His eyes were searching for something, something he tried so desperately to place in the back of his mind, memories he wished never to remember.
He ran. Ran as fast as his little legs go take him, but it wasn't fast enough. It was never fast enough. The boy brushed his sandy blonde hair out of his eyes and stopped for a moment. Trying to catch his breath, he allowed his body to relax, slow down and recollect his thoughts. The full moon shone bright through a break in the forest, shining it's light upon the four year old boy. A growl. Where was it? It came from his left. He turned slowly, his worst fear realized. His body was tense, he tried to move but he couldn't. Why couldn't he move? The growl persisted, glowing yellow eyes peered at him through a thicket of bushes. They were hungry eyes, looking for something--someone. Silence, he hated the silence. The creature in the bushes leapt forward, burying it's teeth into his small leg. A werewolf. His screams shattered the penetrable silence, he had to run. His body obeyed his pleas and he ran. Ran to nowhere, his face streaked with dry tears, he ran as fast as he could out of the forest. Collapsing just as he reached the edge of the forbidding forest, falling right into the waiting arms of nothing. Breathing heavily, he buried his face into the grass, it's smell bringing a faint comfort as he whimpered in pain. He remembered hearing the back door of the house burst open and faintly seeing the outline of a figure running towards him, later realizing it was his mother.
"Moony?" James called looking anxiously at his friend, whose eyes were now glazed with an emotion he couldn't identify. Remus sat upright, pulled from his memories and he glanced around the room. Peter and Sirius were sitting on James' bed, staring at him oddly.
"What?" he replied faintly, lacking the usual collectiveness in his voice.
"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, concern flooding his gray eyes. Remus bit his bottom lip and nodded. "It's a full moon in a few days," Sirius commented, "Is that what's bothering you?"
Remus sighed, "I was remembering the night I got bitten," he said as he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them. His cheek resting on the top of his knees was pale and loosing color. He was beginning to feel the symptoms of the full moon. "I blame myself for getting bitten. I was such an idiot when I was younger. If only I had listened to my parents and stayed out of that bloody forest, I wouldn't be in this predicament!" he reprimanded himself, angrily. James placed a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself Moony, it wasn't your fault. You were little, you didn't know any better. All little kids are curious about things, you were just curious."
"I hate being this monster! I hate it and I hate the pain I cause myself. I hate the feeling of tearing myself apart," Remus spat, anger boiling in his eyes, "If I wasn't so bloody careless I wouldn't have had to go through this bloody pain!!"
"Moony, relax," Sirius said, trying to be calm, "In a few years we'll finally be able to join you. Maybe it won't hurt so bad with us being with you. We'll help you out, Remus. That's what friends are for."
Remus grinned a bit, his anger dying down. "I still can't believe you guys want to become Animagi, just over silly me, the werewolf."
This time, Peter replied, "You're not just a werewolf, Remus, you're our friend." James smiled at Peter and nodded his agreement. Remus smiled happily. This is why they were his best friends. You couldn't get much best friends than this lot, through thick and thin, the Marauders stick together. None of them ever knowing that it wouldn't always be like that. One would break away, betray the Marauders, and join forces with evil. But these fourteen year olds were clueless and happy for now. Not worrying about the future and trying never to reminisce about the past.
Lily was sitting on her bed, relaxed and calm. Words were swimming in her head and she was trying to place them into complete thoughts, but she failed. Damn, she failed at everything. She was fine with her life until the Marauders showed up. She didn't mind the solitude but the attention she hated. Especially the negative attention, the glares and the offensive words. More than once, Lily heard someone mutter 'mud blood' under their voice when she walked by. All this because she was walking around the Marauders. Lily growled angrily, 'people were so stupid,' she thought to herself. She hated people, she hated herself and she hated life. How much worse could it get? Of course with the Marauders constantly butting into her business, it could get worse. She wondered why they wouldn't leave her alone. Until she realized that she let them into her life. She opened up to them, spoke the emotions that betrayed her so long ago. How could have laid her emotions out for them so easily, without a fight? She trusted them almost instantly but something wasn't right. She could never let her walls down for anyone. She sighed and ran her fingers through her red hair. Maybe it was fate.
"Lily! Wh-what are you doing here?" James stuttered.
"Well, I am in Gryffindor, I have a right to be in this common room, don't I?" she retorted, coldly. Her ice chilled voice sent shivers down James' spine and he could only muster a nod in reply. Lily turned to head up to her dorm but stopped suddenly. The Marauders stared at the back of her fiery red hair, holding a breath in anticipation for the words they knew were coming. But there was silence and it was deafening. It pounded like a beating heart.
Then Lily's lips finally moved and words escaped, "Never trust your emotions, James, for they have betrayed you. They are our life and death. They hold more power than any simple word could ever produce. The darkest of emotions could pull you deep within their grasp, never letting go until the darkness fully consumes every inch of light and good in your body, until you soul becomes a worthless black cavity. Never hide it either. Your face gives them away. Your eyes, are truly the windows to your soul, they can't keep emotions disguised and reveal even the deepest, darkest emotion your body can convey."
Silence. Lily made her way up the stairs that led to the dorm and the boys could hear the door shut, leaving them alone in the common room. Remus sighed slightly, his face wrinkled with anxiety.
"Lighten up, Moony! You're beginning to look like a worried old man!" Sirius said, trying to lighten the darkened mood that seemed to devour his friends. But none of them found this funny, they ignored the comment and the silence crept up again, eerily lingering longer than it should have.
The silence was disrupted by the horde of Gryffindors that now swarmed the common room. The fourth years returned from the lake, where they relaxed after the last class of the day (minus Lily and the Marauders) and the other years were finally finished with their last class. Remus trudged out of the common room and up the stone steps to the boy's dormitory, his hunger for silence left him ravenous for solitude. Throbbing pain was running through his veins and he wanted some time to think, alone. The full moon was in a few days and he knew from experience that the slight throbbing pain would increase to something more excruciating. Remus lay down on his four poster bed and closed his eyes, blocking his view of his surroundings. Opening them, he ran them across the room. His eyes were searching for something, something he tried so desperately to place in the back of his mind, memories he wished never to remember.
He ran. Ran as fast as his little legs go take him, but it wasn't fast enough. It was never fast enough. The boy brushed his sandy blonde hair out of his eyes and stopped for a moment. Trying to catch his breath, he allowed his body to relax, slow down and recollect his thoughts. The full moon shone bright through a break in the forest, shining it's light upon the four year old boy. A growl. Where was it? It came from his left. He turned slowly, his worst fear realized. His body was tense, he tried to move but he couldn't. Why couldn't he move? The growl persisted, glowing yellow eyes peered at him through a thicket of bushes. They were hungry eyes, looking for something--someone. Silence, he hated the silence. The creature in the bushes leapt forward, burying it's teeth into his small leg. A werewolf. His screams shattered the penetrable silence, he had to run. His body obeyed his pleas and he ran. Ran to nowhere, his face streaked with dry tears, he ran as fast as he could out of the forest. Collapsing just as he reached the edge of the forbidding forest, falling right into the waiting arms of nothing. Breathing heavily, he buried his face into the grass, it's smell bringing a faint comfort as he whimpered in pain. He remembered hearing the back door of the house burst open and faintly seeing the outline of a figure running towards him, later realizing it was his mother.
"Moony?" James called looking anxiously at his friend, whose eyes were now glazed with an emotion he couldn't identify. Remus sat upright, pulled from his memories and he glanced around the room. Peter and Sirius were sitting on James' bed, staring at him oddly.
"What?" he replied faintly, lacking the usual collectiveness in his voice.
"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, concern flooding his gray eyes. Remus bit his bottom lip and nodded. "It's a full moon in a few days," Sirius commented, "Is that what's bothering you?"
Remus sighed, "I was remembering the night I got bitten," he said as he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them. His cheek resting on the top of his knees was pale and loosing color. He was beginning to feel the symptoms of the full moon. "I blame myself for getting bitten. I was such an idiot when I was younger. If only I had listened to my parents and stayed out of that bloody forest, I wouldn't be in this predicament!" he reprimanded himself, angrily. James placed a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself Moony, it wasn't your fault. You were little, you didn't know any better. All little kids are curious about things, you were just curious."
"I hate being this monster! I hate it and I hate the pain I cause myself. I hate the feeling of tearing myself apart," Remus spat, anger boiling in his eyes, "If I wasn't so bloody careless I wouldn't have had to go through this bloody pain!!"
"Moony, relax," Sirius said, trying to be calm, "In a few years we'll finally be able to join you. Maybe it won't hurt so bad with us being with you. We'll help you out, Remus. That's what friends are for."
Remus grinned a bit, his anger dying down. "I still can't believe you guys want to become Animagi, just over silly me, the werewolf."
This time, Peter replied, "You're not just a werewolf, Remus, you're our friend." James smiled at Peter and nodded his agreement. Remus smiled happily. This is why they were his best friends. You couldn't get much best friends than this lot, through thick and thin, the Marauders stick together. None of them ever knowing that it wouldn't always be like that. One would break away, betray the Marauders, and join forces with evil. But these fourteen year olds were clueless and happy for now. Not worrying about the future and trying never to reminisce about the past.
Lily was sitting on her bed, relaxed and calm. Words were swimming in her head and she was trying to place them into complete thoughts, but she failed. Damn, she failed at everything. She was fine with her life until the Marauders showed up. She didn't mind the solitude but the attention she hated. Especially the negative attention, the glares and the offensive words. More than once, Lily heard someone mutter 'mud blood' under their voice when she walked by. All this because she was walking around the Marauders. Lily growled angrily, 'people were so stupid,' she thought to herself. She hated people, she hated herself and she hated life. How much worse could it get? Of course with the Marauders constantly butting into her business, it could get worse. She wondered why they wouldn't leave her alone. Until she realized that she let them into her life. She opened up to them, spoke the emotions that betrayed her so long ago. How could have laid her emotions out for them so easily, without a fight? She trusted them almost instantly but something wasn't right. She could never let her walls down for anyone. She sighed and ran her fingers through her red hair. Maybe it was fate.