Summary: James and Lily Potter are shadows of Harry's past. Mere echoes. Everyone's favorite characters that aren't really there. But once, they were so full of life and love that it's hard to believe they're gone.  James and Lily have their own story to tell. Discover the true roots of Harry Potter. Go back…to The Beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any exclusive rights to the Harry Potter world, its characters or its charm. I do however, have a deep love for them…and have chosen to express that love in this story. Hope you enjoy.

The Beginning

By Rebecca

King's Cross

"Sirius!" he screamed, "stay out of that trunk!"

                Sirius laughed and flicked his wand towards a red Hogwarts throw pillow and sent it flying downstairs to hit James in the face. He threw his head back and howled as his fellow 7th year friend and partner in crime came bounding up the stairs, returning the blow full force. But Sirius caught the pillow, with the reflexes of a phoenix, and set it beside him. "Easy Potter. You'll be wanting to watch that temper of yours."

                James Potter, student wizard extraordinaire, and leader of the infamous prankster gang called the Marauders, rolled his eyes at his best friend. "You're one to talk, Padfoot."

                Sirius clapped his hand to his forehead and gasped, "Why Mr. Potter, are you accusing me of something?"   James slammed down the lid of his small trunk for the 4th time that morning. "Yeah, of being an insufferable sneak!" An extra lock curse added the finishing touch.

                Sirius sighed, leaning back into the sofa, arms crossed over his chest. "Way to be a gracious host Potter. You're really not telling me what's in there?"

                James sighed and started pulling half folded shirts and miss matched socks out of his drawer, tossing them into another trunk. "Nope! Not you, Remus or Pettigrew."

                Sirius slapped his knee, "why the hell not?"

                "Look, it's nothing personal. Just keeping this one to myself that's all." Sirius seemed still unsatisfied. He laughed, "Relax, there'll be plenty of Marauder mayhem to be had this year. Don't get in a snit."

                Finally, Sirius rolled his eyes, "Have it your way then. I just hope it involves Malfoy…and a cricket bat."

                James paused in the middle of his hap-hazard fold and toss packing, "Cricket?"

Sirius just shook his head, "Were you awake for Muggle Studies at all last year?"

 "James! Sirius! Last meal of the holidays!" Mrs. Potter's voice amplified through the walls.

                "Be right there!" he shouted, then softly to Sirius, "Trust me Padfoot, it'll be worth the wait."

                The train left from King's Cross right on schedule. At 10am from platform 9 ¾ , Nellie Potter saw her son and Sirius off to school just as she had for the past 7 years. James potter and Sirius Black had been friends ever since James's father, Marcus, started working for the Ministry of Magic. He and Mr. Black had been assigned to the same department, Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, and their families had been close for a short while. But after Marcus was transferred to Muggle relations, their own relations began to deteriorate. Fundemental differences in opinion between the 2 became more than clear and well…after last winter…James didn't have a difficult time convincing his parents to let Sirius stay for good.

Sirius spent the last 3 months at the Potter estate, planning pranks and developing gag gifts that were sure to leave behind a Hogwarts legacy for years to come. Of course, the Marauder gang wasn't quite complete without—

                "Padfoot! Prongs!" the nicknames rang through the air. Sirius had been helping James load his owl, Quaffle, onto the train as they spun around. A tall, and rather thin brown-haired student came running towards them.

                "Moony!" James replied as he shook hands with Remus Lupin. "Good to see you," then softer, "everything go all right last week? You look a little pale."

                Remus shrugged, "Nothin' new. Sirius, good summer?"

                 "Always, oh ye noble Prefect!" Sirius tipped an imaginary hat in an exaggerated bow as Remus reached down and slapped the top of his head.

"Oh, shut it already," he said, slightly embarrassed. Although it was rather ironic that one-fourth of Hogwarts' rule-breaking posse had been made school prefect.

Sirius rose from his mock bow and immediately stiffened. "Forgot something," he said, looking past Lupin to the slightly shorter pudge panting behind him.

                Lupin turned around, seeing who Sirius had spotted. It was Peter Pettigrew, alias Wormtail…the newest and last of the Marauders. He sighed as he turned back, "Are you going to give him a break this year?"

                "Wasn't my idea to—" 

                "Let's not start that again," James cut in. Thankfully, Peter finally caught up.

                "Mornin' gents!" he exclaimed, quite out of breath.

                "Hey Pete," James slapped him on the back. "Gang's all here," he shot a glaring look at Sirius who managed a slight nod to the classmate in front of him, "Let's find a compartment before we have to kick someone out of theirs."

                Lily hopped up onto the Hogwarts Express, making her way through the herd of first and second years desperately trying to fit in, as she headed for the back of the train. She still couldn't find him. What if he missed the train? What if something had happened to him? What if—

                "Lily!" came a shout from across the cabin.

                "Amos!" she called back, relieved as she saw his tall, devilishly handsome Ravenclaw emerge from the crowd. When she finally reached him, he caught her up in a big hug and kiss, ignoring whoops and whistles from the underclassmen around him. "Missed you," Amos cooed in her ear. Lily blushed.

                "Missed you," she replied. He pulled her into the compartment and sat her down into the seat cushion.

                "Did you have a…tolerable summer?" he asked, with apologetic eyes, brushing a bit of her hair off her face.

                "It was wonderful Amos," she laughed, "knowing that every day I spent there, was one less day I'd ever be there again!"

                Amos chuckled, "That's right," he whispered. "We know exactly where you'll be, always," he squeezed her around the waist and nuzzled her auburn hair. Lily sighed as she rested comfortably against his chest, content never to stir out of that position until the curtains of the compartment flew open and a dark-haired with barrelled in.

                "Lily! There you are!"

                Lily's eyes brightened as she sprang from her fiancée and embraced their intruder, "Moira!" she cried. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

                The girl laughed, her cheeks red and glowing with energy that by now, Moira was famous for in her Hufflepuff dormitory. She squeezed back and then held her at arms length, "As evidenced by the lengthy letters you sent to me all summer."

                 "I told you Petunia hated it when your owls came," Lily said, slightly embarrassed, "I barely had time to toss McCartney a treat, let alone write a response."

                Moira shook it off, "I know. Only teasing. 'Lo Amos," she nodded to the visibly annoyed boyfriend still sitting by the window.

                Amos nodded, "Moira."

                Moira Starr, Muggle-born like Lily, and Hogwarts' foremost authority on the Beatles, was Lily's dearest friend and had been since they were paired together in herbology their second year. Although technically a member of the Hufflepuff house, Moira declared herself an honorary Gryffindor (Lily's house) having spent countless hours in the Gryffindor common room sharing everything from secrets to hair-charms. Now, heading into her final year as well, she couldn't wait to begin it with her best friend.

                "Have a good holiday Amos?" Moira asked, ignoring the rude and dismissive greeting she'd received.

                "Same old, same old," he replied, relaxing again as Lily settled back into their cuddle. "You?" He didn't mind Moira…but interruption was not something Amos Diggory tolerated!

                "Excellent. Mum took me to Paris. It was fantastic."

                "Did you take the portkey at the top of the Eiffel Tower?" Lily asked excitedly.

But Moira shook her head. "No," she said unloading her bags on the shelf above. "And honestly Lil', I don't know where you heard that. Mum said it was complete rubbish."

Lily frowned. She'd told Moira last term about a small coin purse hidden on one of the topmost beams of the Eiffel Tower that supposedly took you to the ancient cavern off Merlin the magician. A portkey, a sort of wizard teleportation device, that no one seemed to believe existed. Lily was sure she'd heard it from someone. But she couldn't figure out who. She sighed.

                 "Ah well. You and I will go someday and check it out."

                "All right then!!"

                "Hey," Amos said in mock dismay, "What about me? I will be your husband you know."

                Moira watched dreamily as Lily kissed her fiancée on the cheek, "We could try and stuff you into our trunks I suppose." When Lily first told Moira of her engagement to Amos the previous spring, Moira had been privately horrified. They just didn't seem to…fit. And Lily was still much too young. But watching them now, she could see he made her friend happy. And that was good enough for her.

                "There's one!" they heard suddenly, from outside in the aisle way.

                "Wormtail look out!" The curtains from inside their compartment ruffled as a short, slightly pudgy sixth year stumbled inside. It was Peter Pettigrew, from Gryffindor house.

                "S-sorry," he said, trying to hoist himself off the ground.

Lily crouched down immediately and helped him up, "here."

                "Thanks," he muttered.

                "Whatcha trying to do Pete? Trample the ladies?" another voice sounded as the curtain was pulled back, revealing a rather tall and far stockier wizard. It was Sirius, yet another Gryffindor, who grabbed Peter by the collar and dragged him outside. Lily fought back a knowing smile as she saw Moira shrink into her seat, her face growing pink as she sucked in a breath.

                "Sorry bout that girls," Sirius nodded, "Good summer Lily?"

                Lily shrugged, "Fair, I suppose."

                The Marauder was about to head out when he double-taked on Amos, once again grousing in the corner, "Oh hey Diggory, didn't see you there."

                "Black," Amos made his usual nod.

                "Ready for another brutal season of Quidditch?"

                At the mention of his favorite sport, Amos sat upright, proudly in his seat. "Been training all summer, Black. Ravenclaw is going to win this year," he smiled as he championed his own house's name.

                "I seriously doubt that," Sirius grinned, "but hey, points for effort Amos."

                Amos's eyes narrowed and Lily started feeling the tension brewing. "All right boys…that's enough. Wait for the pitch all right?"

                Sirius winked and withdrew from the cabin and the train began to move.

                "There's another thing to be thankful for about the end of this year," Amos said as the whistle blew and the Hogwarts Express chugged off. "Only one more year with the bloody Marauders."

                "They're not that bad," Moira said a little less than subtley. Lily still just smiled, rolling her eyes at the constant (and rather absurd) competition between Amos and the prankster gang. Honestly, if Amos weren't her fiancée, she wouldn't even come to the Quidditch games. With the dilemma of her being a Gryffindor and Amos being a Ravenclaw…he was constantly questioning her loyalty (which even she admitted would sway when Gryffindor won their house extra points.)

                Lily herself, had nothing against the Marauders, (well…most of them anyway) but she promised Amos she would keep her distance. After all, they were definitely trouble. And with her marks, she had an excellent shot at being named Head Girl at the house feast tonight. Her interaction with the Marauders would be limited to the excessive gushing from the pretty dark-haired Hufflepuff across from her, swooning over the marvel and wonder that she seemed to think Sirius Black possessed.

Lily settled for a third time into the arms of Amos Diggory and she stared out the window, anxious for the year to finally begin.