Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters J.K. has created I just merely use them for my writing pleasures…I do not own the Marauders (although I wish I did hah!)
THE EMANCIPATION OF TRUE LOVE
Ch.1 A Fallen Knight
A petite auburn-haired girl strolled lazily through the darkened halls of the Hogwarts dungeon. Moonlight shined through the tall castle windows and reflected upon the girl's emerald eyes. She stifled a yawn; it was quite late on this cold November night. The girl shivered and pulled her robes closer around her body, there were not as many sconces lit in this part of the castle making the temperature a few degrees cooler. The girl wished she could be back inside the warmly inviting Gryffindor common room curled up by the fireplace reading a good book or having a chat with her best friends. But duties called and seeing as this girl was a prefect she had to do her weekly rounds of night patrol around the Hogwarts castle. She kicked a stray lying pebble and watched it bounce off the dark stone walls and roll down the rest of hallway. She hated it down in the Hogwarts dungeons it was home to some of the vilest creatures at the school otherwise known as the Syltherins. Everyday she had to endure their taunting remarks, sneering smiles, and eyes full of hate as she walked the halls all because she wasn't born into a wizarding family. That's right this girl was a muggle-born, but if you had just met her you would not have thought that for she was arguably the brightest student in her year and always received top marks on everything. So of course being the studious person that the girl was she was thinking about the foot long Potions essay Professor Slughorn had just assigned them debating on whether to start it when she returned back to the common room or save it for her free period tomorrow.
CRASH!
The deafening noise echoed throughout the halls of the dungeons clear as a bell. It immediately shook the girl out of her thoughts and she drew her wand in one quick motion. She rounded the corner hoping to Merlin that it wasn't a Syltherin roaming the halls for she did not feel like getting into a duel tonight even though she secretly took great pride in knowing the fact that she could hex anyone of those Syltherins into oblivion before they knew what hit them. She peered down the dark hall but could not see a thing.
"Lumos" she muttered and instantly the dark hallway filled with light. As she peered down to the end of the hallway she could see a tall metal knight that adorn the halls of the Hogwarts castle lying on its side in a haphazard state, obviously the source of the noise she just heard. But then a muttering of sorts began to take place it seemed to be coming from the direction of the knight and slowly the girl inched her way toward the fallen knight her wand raised high until she was a few feet away. She stood stock still and listened for the voices again.
"Padfoot would you shut up someone's coming!" a voice whispered loudly into the night. The girl let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She could unfortunately tell that voice from anywhere for it haunted her mind like the Syltherins taunts did. Although the voice was never a source of "meanness" it annoyed the girl beyond belief. This voice had been asking her out every single day since she set foot into Hogwarts castle. Yes for six years the voice followed her around day after day, nightmare after nightmare asking her out any chance it got. Unfortunately for the voice it always got the same answer from the girl, as loud as the knight falling "NO!" One would think after that much rejection the voice would quit annoying the girl, but it still persisted day after day, month after month, year after year.
The girl began stepping closer toward the knight but still had caution in her step for she knew the type of jokes, pranks, and havoc the voice and his three best friends caused. Then when she was a mere foot away she spotted a foot in somewhat of a standing position next to the knight that seemed unconnected to anything, but the girl knew better. She took the remaining steps toward the wall and plunged her hand out into the air and it came to contact with a cloak of sorts. She gave it a hard yank and the cloak came tumbling down revealing the four boys whom she knew were under it: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and the anonymous voice in the night James Potter.
"Why, hullo Lily fancy seeing you in these halls" Potter said speaking first.