Author's Note: Thank you for the support.

Again, J K Rowling is the proprietary owner of everything related to 'Harry Potter', and i don't get any monetary benefit from this.

I intend to have the initial 5-6 chapters about James and Lily. Just to set the background, you know. And then we will follow the books.

Chapter 2

Charles and Dorea Potter were a happy couple from Manchester. Charles was a Commander at Scotland Yard and headed the Major Crimes unit. He had started as an Inspector and had gradually moved up the ranks. He was known to be a task-master. He had also been in the military and had served in Indonesia, Egypt and Cyprus. He had met Dorea, daughter of a war veteran during one of his tours. They had a whirlwind romance which culminated in their marriage.

They had their first son Daniel in 1963 and their second son James in 1968. Dorea was a caring mother to both the kids. The family however knew that their youngest was different. It wasn't that he was socially awkward or mentally challenged. The things that happened around him were just un-explainable. For e.g. when James was three, he wasn't in the mood to eat his veggies. His mother was patiently trying to feed him. James went into a rant and all of a sudden, the veggies had turned to chocolate, which James hurriedly ate up, lest his mother would snatch it. Another time, Charles was teaching Daniel how to ride a bike. James was insisting that he also be taught. His mother tried explaining that he was too young. But he wouldn't listen and ended up crying. The next day, Daniel couldn't find his bike anywhere. A complaint was registered for the stolen bike, but nothing came of it. Another time, Charles had returned home to find his youngest son's room painted red (because he supported Manchester United) as opposed to Charles, who was a Leeds supporter.

Charles was known for his keen eye at work, and soon realized that James was somehow responsible for such things. However, he knew that they were out of his control. After all, you couldn't expect a kid to steal a bike and hide it in such a way that nobody could retrieve it. Logically, if it would have been in his control, he would have hidden it where he could have used it at the least, He couldn't expect his son to go over to the local hardware store, buy cans of paint and paint his room a scarlet red. He decided to take a different approach towards things. Once James was old enough, both the parents took considerable time to help him understand things. They taught both the kids the need to be logical in certain scenarios. Gradually, the temper tantrums reduced. The incidents involving James were few and far between.

The relationship between the brothers was similar to any sibling's relationship. They were competitive, fought each other like crazy, but stood up for each other whenever required. Even at school, the Potter brothers were a force to be reckoned. James was known to charm his teachers with his puppy eyes and hardly did he ever get caught for any wrongdoings. All in all, the Potters were a happy family.

-Break-

James had just recently celebrated his 11th birthday a week ago. The family was lounging in their backyard on a warm summer Saturday when they heard a knock. Dorea opened the door to find a woman in her 40's standing. She was dressed similar to a nun (minus the headgear) and had a stern look on her face.

"How may I help you?"

"Hello! My name is Minerva Mcgonagall. I am a professor and would like to speak with you and your family about your son James Potter."

"Can I see some identification?"

"Of course, this is my card from the Department of Education".

Dorea did a once over and was satisfied. "Please come in. Let me call my husband and the kids"

"Thank You".

What followed was a three hour long discussion. Charles and Dorea were surprised about the existence of a parallel world. Daniel was speechless. James was putting together pieces trying to understand what it all meant. The professor was asked some extremely difficult questions, and she hoped her answers had been satisfactory. She even had to demonstrate some of her skills to prove her point.

Towards the end of the discussion, James spoke- "So to put it all together. What I have been doing over the past few years is magic. And your school will help me develop this further. You keep your existence a secret, because of some things in the past and I would have to attend Hogwarts for 7 years."

"Precisely"

"Dad, what do we think we should do?"

"We always knew you were special. Now, we have a name to call it. If you want to attend, you have our support. Though it worries me, we would have no contact with you for 10 months every year."

"That can be easily re-mediated. Mr Potter can write you letters as he wishes, once he gets his personal owl."

Dorea was still in thought. Charles saw this and said to the professor –"We need to discuss this as a family. We thank you for taking the time to explain things to us. Could you come along tomorrow around the same time, so that we can inform you of our decision?"

Mcgonagall responded –"I understand. I will be back tomorrow. Thank you for the hospitality. In my opinion, your family took the news very well. I have had instances where people chased me out of their home."

-Break-

James Potter was standing on the magical side of Platform Nine and three quarters looking at the scarlet locomotive. His parents and brother had come along for the journey, but couldn't come over to the platform as muggles couldn't enter. His mother was in tears when she hugged him. She reminded him to write to them at least once a week. James promised he would. His father had patted his back and said that he was proud of him. Daniel had tried to ruffle his hair and asked him to make sure he did his best. He also teased that he will send him pictures from the next derby match which he and dad would attend. James was pretty miffed at that. His trunk was packed with all the necessary things. On top of the trunk sat 'Vicky', his eagle owl. He was already dressed in his uniform. He got into one of the carriages and found an empty compartment. He had a tough time lifting the truck to place in the luggage rack, but somehow managed it. He had taken some books out for the journey and was reading one of them, when a dark haired boy entered his cabin.

"Do you mind if I sit in this compartment?"

James said, "I don't. Let me help you with the trunk."

The boy said, "Don't worry. I will just levitate the trunk into the rack".

What followed was a comedy of errors which ended with the boy on his backside, the trunk lying beside him having missed him by inches. The sound the boy made on falling left James in raptures. The commotion had led to a girl coming into the cabin and looking at the scene with wide open eyes. She had black wavy hair hanging below her shoulders. She was pretty, but in James's opinion, it was the emerald eyes which made her stand out.

The girl was chastising the boy "Sirius! Please don't tell me you tried levitating the trunk and failed."

"Come on Lily! You know me, I can do the charm. I just lost my footing a bit which broke my concentration"

"Would you stop looking like the blubbering idiot, which you are and gather yourself up? And to say, Grandpa made you the heir to the house of Black. What was he thinking?"

"You are just jealous that Grandpa likes me more than you."

"Keep believing that. The entire family knows who the smarter of us is. Anyway, I am off to look for Severus. See you later". And she was gone.

James had been looking at those eyes the entire time. The girl hadn't bothered with him and had left as suddenly as she had come.

Sirius shook him, "I guess I do need your help in getting the trunk up,"

"No worries. Let me help you. Was that girl your sister?" They both got the trunk into the rack

"Nah, that was my cousin Lily, Lily Black. And I am Sirius Black."

"Hello. I am James Potter"

The train left the station at 11 AM sharp. The boys discussed things like school houses, muggle inventions (Sirius was extremely interested in bikes; an uncle had shown him a cruiser). They did have a lot in common. An hour or so later, another boy named Remus joined them. He told them that his father had passed away just recently, and having lost his mother before that, Hogwarts was sponsoring him. It explained his second hand robes. He was just happy to be included in the discussion, having had no friends before.

Soon they arrived at Hogwarts and a traditional boat ride later (Which left James spellbound), the sorting started. Lily was sorted into Slytherin, who looked pleased with the hat's choice. Sirius was next, and he was sorted into Gryffndor, which led to a lot of murmurs among everybody. Sirius didn't seem to care and hopped towards the Gryffindor table. Lupin also ended up in Gryffindor. And finally it was James's turn. He was surprised when he heard the hat speak inside his head.

"You seem to suit either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. I am finding it difficult to choose one for you. If you were given a choice, what would you prefer?"

"What's the difference between the two?"

"That would be a long discussion, trust me, I know. Let's just say the Claws lean more towards knowledge and the Lions lean more towards adventure."

"Interesting, well in that case, let's go with the Lions, shall we? Two people I know are already there, and the fun in an adventure with friends is just too good to miss"

"So be it. GRYFFINDOR!"

That was the beginning of James's journey with magic. The three new friends took it upon themselves to make the school a fun place to be. The group became known as the 'Marauders', who were the first suspects when anything out of the normal happened at school. They were caught a few times, but most other times they weren't due to lack of proof. Their track record kept improving with the passage of time. James and Sirius were the leaders, while Remus Lupin, who turned out to be very smart was the planner. Peter Pettigrew became the fourth member later and served as lookout in most of their ventures.

James was happy to have his own family away from home. Sirius was like Daniel in James's opinion, only younger. He made sure to have regular correspondence with his family. They were happy with his progress. James was thriving at Hogwarts. He was one of the top ranked students (Lily was top of the year, of course). Sirius introduced him to how the magical hierarchy worked. He also learnt the struggles a muggle-born had to go through to survive. In that aspect, he found the magical world to be close minded. They only had some specific roles defined in the society and rarely was there any interest shown to expand the horizon of the magical world. He felt he had the acumen to do something in that aspect. He often referred to Magical Britain having "frog in a well" syndrome.

-Break-

James was in his 4th Year at Hogwarts. He had grown taller and stronger, both mentally and physically. The previous year was quite a shocker to him. Remembering it now, made him think, if he had to re-do the event, he wouldn't change anything. It all happened when Remus was absent again as per his monthly schedule. His reasons were becoming outlandish by the day and he would never look eye-to-eye when he came back.

-Flashback-

James and Sirius were playing Gobstones in an unused classroom when Remus entered.

"So what's it going to be this time, Remus? Which relative takes the fall?"

Remus was standing with his head bent low. He looked up and said-

"Guys, I need to tell you something. But I need your word, that this doesn't leave this room. My life will be ruined if this gets out."

Sirius couldn't hold back. "Finally you are coming clean on this. Wait, I think I know what it is. You are gay, aren't you?

"No, but-"

"You have a secret girlfriend, who you sneak out to meet every month."

"Actually-"

"You work for a secret organization, who gives you missions."

"Would you-"

"Don't tell me you work for that group that call themselves Death Eaters."

"Sirius, Shut up! You are not letting me speak. No, I am not gay, and no I don't have a girlfriend. I am not old enough to be part of any secret organization and I am definitely not with the Death eaters."

"Come on, I am running out of options here."

James finally weighed in- "Its not like you are a werewolf or something. Coz, that would be crazy shit."

Remus looked flabbergasted. His brown eyes looked dead. It was as if he had been stabbed in the gut by a dagger.

"Was that a guess or did you guys already know?"

It was James and Sirius who looked dumb-founded. They looked at each other. The entire room had gone silent.

"What? You are telling me you are an actual werewolf?"

The topic had gone south suddenly. James and Sirius were trying to have some fun at their friend's expense, but now looked lost for words.

"I turn into one every month. Dumbledore and Pomfrey lead me to the Shrieking shack before my transformation, and I spend the entire night there. The place has no doors or windows, and I cant get out until I transform back."

"I understand you wouldn't want to be friends anymore. I just couldn't hold back anymore. You are the only friends I have and I couldn't bear the burden of hiding things from you." Remus turned to leave. He had tears in his eyes and just wanted to get away before things exploded in his face.

His path, however was blocked. James was standing at the door. His amber eyes looked to be holding back tears. But there was a determination that he could make out. The next words from his friend's mouth shocked him.

"One of our best friends has been suffering every month, and we, his friends didn't even know about it. You are right, Remus. We don't deserve your friendship. All I can say is, I am extremely sorry for not being there. Give me one chance, I will make sure to be there for you. You shouldn't be going through this alone."

Sirius was right next to him- "I knew a person who was afflicted with the curse. He didn't survive two moons. I had been to his funeral. It was my worst experience. If you have survived this far, it shows that you are a very strong wizard. You just have a 'furry little problem'."

Remus was crying profusely. He hugged both of his friends.

"You guys are the best friends ever. I was lucky to stumble across you on the train."

"Quit whining, Remus! You know we are all a bunch of oddballs here."

James thoughtfully said "Who is going to tell Peter about this? He is the only one who doesn't know now."

Sirius grinned. "We will tell him. I am sure he will wet his pants for sure."

James decided to take charge.

"Sirius, I want you to start researching about werewolves. Use that library of yours back home. The Christmas holidays are coming up."

"Remus, you are our resident werewolf. You should be able to fill us in on anything we might have missed."

"What are you guys planning?"

"Nothing as of now. Once we have the required research, we will formulate a plan. Just know that you will not be alone for long during your hardship."

And one more thing, we are going to have a long discussion one of these days. And you are going to tell us all about how you ended up with this 'furry little problem'"

Remus was the happiest person in the castle that day.

Explaining things to Peter took a while. They decided to hold back until Sirius could compile his research. James was the one who pointed out what needed to be done. He pointed out that werewolves were only dangerous to humans. All they needed was to become non-humans to be with him. Sirius suggested Polyjuice. But it had limited application and didn't support cross-species transformation. That led them to transfiguration. Remus suggested that animagus transformation could be a way.

Sirius had gone home for Easter and come back with a manual which had a lesser-known method for Animagus transformations.

6 months later, James and Sirius were able to complete their first transformations. They had been striving non-stop to achieve the necessary results, as they couldn't bear their friend lying lonely in a desolate place. Remus had explained how a werewolf (he didn't know who) had broken into his home when he was five and bit him. How his earlier transformations were unbearable and how his father had gone into depression looking at his son suffer. He had taken to drugs and had overdosed when he was nine. Luckily, Dumbledore was aware of his plight and had provided him shelter in one of his properties after his father's passing. Apparently, the headmaster knew Remus's mother and was repaying a debt by caring for him.

James's animagus was a stag, while Sirius was big black dog known as the 'Grim'. Peter needed some help with his transformation and found out that he was a rat two months later.

James and Sirius started accompanying Remus in their animal forms (Peter joined them later) every month. They would roam the grounds, and sometimes explore the castle itself, but stayed away from the common rooms. James saw this as an opportunity. Together they surveyed Hogwarts and built an interactive map. With the help of some charms and runes (Remus was extremely good at it), they knew exactly where a person was at the moment. This helped them further in avoiding people during their night outs. They had been extremely lucky a few times though.

Remus was the person who benefited the most from this. He was still shy, but not with his friends. And his friends liked this new side of him. He was content with his life, in a way.

-End of Flashback-

James was happy everything turned out good for the group. But the thing troubling him right now was different. His best friend's cousin Lily seemed different this year. Ever since he had seen her back in first year, Lily was a puzzle to James. She was extremely lively at times and sometimes, as if she had no emotions. He knew he had a soft spot for her. He knew that she was betrothed to a fellow Slytherin in his year, Severus Snape. Sirius had explained how betrothals worked in the magical world. Many times, the people involved weren't happy with it. But Lily seemed happy. She spent a lot of time with Snape, brewing potions, practicing spells or simply talking. He knew he had to move on with her obsession over her. But there was something which always brought her back to his thoughts. Like now, Lily was no longer the lively person he had observed (some would say stalked) over the past 3 years. He thought he would ask Sirius, but decided against it. He vowed to put it behind him and move on.

P.S: The next chapter will be out in a couple of days. It will continue James's life. We will revisit Lily in Chapter 4, which will feature Lily's conversation with Bella, prior to the latter's wedding. More to come guys! See you soon.