Ululatum in tempore Tempus
Chapter One:
The train whistle blew loudly, startling Neville as he hastily embraced his daughters. His wife, her mother, smiled fondly at the trio. "Goodbye, my darlings. Write to us weekly and, Alice, dear, do try not to get yourself into too many detentions between now and Christmas." Her mother smiled fondly as she spoke, always unable to truly reprimand Alice for her mischievous antics. Alice, as always grinned cheekily and winked. "Oh, and Mavis, we'll send your Mimbulus Mimbletonia with Harold when it's back to full health." Mavis nodded and smiled at their mother, while Alice grinned, recalling the look on Mavis' face when she had wiped it clean of the stink-sap. One final embrace from each of her parents, and she was being tugged by the sleeve of her cardigan towards the train by none other than James Potter.
"Alright, Jamie! I'm coming! Can't I at least say hi to your parents?" He sighed in exasperation.
"You saw them less than a week ago, Alice! You came over for dinner! We have to hurry, or we won't get our compartment!" He whined, tugging her sleeve petulantly. "Besides, I have something to show you." Alice, being the nosy blighter she was, narrowed her eyes at him curiously.
"Fine. Come on then!" She turned briefly to wave at her parents who were now stood with the Potters and the Weasleys. "Bye everyone! Love you all!" James rolled his eyes and finally hauled her onto the train. Still holding onto her arm, he shouldered his way through the bustling carriages, smiling that winning smile at every head he turned. James, like his father, and his grandfather and namesake before him, was utterly and completely the darling of the school, despite causing utter chaos multiple times annually. Alice found it rather irritating.
After several minutes, and at least two occasions where James felt the need to stop and flirt, we reached our compartment. Ours was the very last on the train, and above the door, were the initials 'J.P' 'P.P' 'S.B' and 'R.L'. Also known as the mischief-making gods of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. One of them also happened to be James' grandfather, something which he bragged about ceaselessly.
"Right then, J.P, what's this mysterious artifact you wanted to show me then?" Alice huffed, flopping down on the worn seats and looking at James expectantly.
"Well, my dearest Allie, I'm glad you asked." He paused for dramatic effect before reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a large, folded rectangle of dirty, scruffy parchment.
"Wow, you've really outdone yourself this time, Jamie. A fifty-something year old bit of parchment with coffee stains on it."
"Don't be so quick to judge, Allie. Watch." He glanced shiftily at the window to the compartment before tugging the blind down. Then, he pointed his and at the parchment and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Alice rolled her eyes at the dramatics but stopped short on her teasing when she saw an ink blot spread across the page, swirling and curling out to reveal a message.
Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,
Purveyors of Aids for Magical Mischief-Makers,
Are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
Alice gasped, running her fingertips over the aged parchment. To think only a moment ago, she was ready to chuck it in the rubbish bin.
"This is revolutionary, Jamie!" She glanced up at him ecstatically, grinning just as widely as his companion. "Where did you get it? This is going to make our experiments so much easier!"
"Nicked it from my dad's office, using the cloak he gave me," he whispered, grinning widely.
"You didn't!"
"Oh yes I did. And look, Mischief Managed. Try to open it again, but without the password. Go on!" Alice narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.
"It's not going to bite me is it?"
"Allie, when have I let any of my belongings bite you?" He asked, clutching a hand over his heart in mock hurt.
"James! You literally charmed your bed to eat me whole! You had to get your dad to bring half the Auror team to free me!" James laughed loudly and obnoxiously.
"That was one time! And I didn't think it would start to digest you!" Alice shuddered at the memory of sitting in the slimy squishy bowels of James' monster bed. "Just trust me, Allie, it won't hurt you." He said gently, a small smirk still playing on his lips.
"Fine. Reveal your secrets." She muttered, pointing her wand at the map. Instantly, ink began to appear.
Mr. Moony kindly asks that Miss Longbottom keep her nose out of Marauder business if she wishes to keep it.
Mr. Prongs agrees, and also requests that Miss Longbottom improve her snooping skills which are currently abysmal.
Mr. Wormtail would like to ask Miss Longbottom to put her simply enormous ears to use and listen to Messrs Moony and Prongs' advice.
Mr. Padfoot agrees with the above comments and also advises Miss Longbottom to stop trying so hard to make her hair shiny because his is and always will be the best hair Hogwarts has ever seen.
"Hey! My hair is magnificent, thank you very much!" She exclaimed, lifting a hand to run her hand trough her lion's mane of glossy red hair, before gingerly prodding her ears, which were, unfortunately, abnormally large.
"It's brilliant!"
"Thank you, Jamie, but I think you aught to tell Mr. Padfoot that. He seems rather delusional." Alice muttered, scowling. She did not use gallons of free Sleakeazy on her hair for nothing.
"Shut up, Allie, I meant the map! I wonder how they did it." James pondered, running his fingers over the offending letters.
She shook her head as he clutched his stomach. "It wasn't that funny, Jamie! He insulted my hair!"
"It's the best concealment charm I've ever seen!" James grinned, utterly unperturbed by the venomous look on Alice's face.
"I wish it had bitten me." Alice grumbled, her lips quirking up at the corners, nonetheless. James dissolved into giggles. "How did your dad get this, anyway?"
"Dunno, but it's a family heirloom isn't it, so it's only right that I should get it."
"I mean, if we're going off that logic, Ted should get it."
"Well… I'm sure he'd want me to have it. It wouldn't be much use to him anyways."
"He could have used it to sneak off to snog Victoire before he graduated." Alice pointed out, sniggering loudly, recalling the look on James' face when he caught the two of them the first time.
"Eugh shut up, Allie, that's gross!"
"I'm sure you'd rather be the one snogging Teddy, wouldn't you, J.P!" Alice teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. James turned very red and spluttered in a rather undignified way while Alice roared with laughter. "Your face! It's alright, I wouldn't mind snogging Teddy either!"
"I swear you're adopted." James muttered, desperately trying to change the subject. "I mean both of your parents are reserved and respectable but you're just downright vulgar!" Alice might have been worried if it wasn't for the fact that she looked almost the spitting image of her mother, with large ears, a complete inability to communicate with the opposite sex (unless of course it's completely platonic) and an aptitude for herbology.
"You're just mad because I'm right." Alice said smugly, grinning at her best friend fondly. James scowled, but was unable to argue with her.
The train ride was otherwise uneventful, and aside from a short detour to ambush the carriage where Scorp and Al were sat with their friends, the pair spent all of their time in their compartment planning their pranks for the next year, and resolutely avoiding the homework they hadn't done over the summer.
Their arrival at Hogwarts was just as enchanting as every year preceding it, and as always, they were utterly awestruck at the sight of the castle. Alice's face settled into a smug grin as her eyes fell on the bridge which had a stretch mismatched new timber replacing what her father had blown up in preparation for the final battle. The castle bore many scars of this kind. During the renovation period, the teachers deliberately fixed the castle by hand, using new materials. The walls were marred with pockets of new stone which stood out against the old and would heal with the rest of the wizarding world until they can no longer be seen. For now, teachers and students alike wore them as a badge of honour as we all looked on and remembered those who we lost.
The Great Hall bore the most wounds. Although the blood had been scrubbed from the flagstones, the ceiling, once charmed, hung over the student's heads like a bad omen- dark and imposing. Bats flittered amongst the rafters, and where there were once stars, there were cobwebs. Yet another reminder of what once was but could be no longer. In the room though, if you looked carefully, you could see the positive consequences of the battle. Muggle-borns, half-bloods and purebloods alike sat side by side at every table. The word 'mudblood' was scarcely used, and the last incident vey nearly resulted in an expulsion. Thanks to Lupin's laws, werewolves could attend too, and although it took a while for the stigma to die down, they were eventually welcomed warmly along with every other kind of student imaginable.
The warm glow that settled in the space inside your ribs when you walked into the Hall was as present as ever, and as James and Alice settled down at their table they felt it just as powerfully as always. They took their usual seats with the rest of the quidditch team and immediately settled into a lengthy discussion about their summers and began placing bets as to how many detentions the duo would get.
"You're looking a bit peaky, love, you alright?" Alice murmured in a low voice to the young woman sat next to her. She was staring down at the table, yet to join in with the chatter.
"Still recovering." Alice nodded solemnly and reached int her cloak pocket for the chocolate frog she'd brought on the train with the intention of eating it during the sorting Having decided that Lucy's needs were greater than hers, she pressed it into Lucy's clammy hands under the table. Lucy had been one of the many victims of the werewolf revolt as a small child and her anxiety for her N.E.W.T.S was making the transformations ever harder for her. She smiled weakly and thanked Alice.
Before long their attention as drawn to the booming knocks at the door which signified the arrival of the new firsties. Alice turned in her seat to watch the ceremony when her eyes fell on Albus who was scowling at his hands.
"Blimey, Al's got a face on him, hasn't he! We didn't even prank them that bad!" She whispered, nudging James in the ribs with her elbow.
"Oh, he's been like that all morning, he had an argument with dad and had a bit of a strop he'll be fine in a few days." James muttered, shrugging his shoulders. Alice furrowed her eyebrows and looked back over to Al who hadn't moved. Pursing her lips, she turned back around to face Minnie who was giving the usual speech. The firsties, as usual, looked terrified as the sorting hat opened its mouth and began to sing.
The sorting took what felt like decades to Alice's growling stomach and when the feast appeared on the platters in front of them, her eyes lit up almost comically. Within moments, her plate was piled so high that food was toppling off the sides as she tucked in. James' eyes twinkled with amusement as he started to eat his own heap of food.
"Bloody animal," he muttered.
"Like you're any better!" She retorted with a mouth full of roasted potatoes. James simply rolled his eyes as their friends laughed at their antics.
After the feast, Minnie gave her headmistress' speech welcoming the fresh meat into the school. Alice and James were not even trying to listen though, as they undid to top buttons on their frightfully skinny jeans under their robes and signed contentedly. The speech was short and sweet, and they were soon dismissed, prefects herding the frightened first-years to their respective dorms.
"Why is the Gryffindor tower so far away?" Alice cried as they made their way out of the huge doors. "I don't think I can make it, Jamie! Tell Mavis she's a knobhead!" Jamie snorted loudly and poked Alice hard in the ribs. "Do that again and I'll pop." She grumbled.
"C'mon, Allie, I'm sure you'll make it."
"But there are so many stairs, J.P, I can't do it!" She dropped the dramatics for a moment to smile up at his sweetly.
"Absolutely not."
"Please! Am I not your bestest and most loyal friend, Jamie?"
"I am just as stuffed as you are! This happens every bloody year."
"We'll never learn." Alice sighed in mock disappointment before bouncing off up the stairs. "Oh well, best get it over and done with I suppose. We don't want to get stuck," She chirped.
"Don't run all the way up again, Alice! I don't want a repeat of first year!" James called up after her. She turned and narrowed her eyes at him.
"James Sirius Potter! You solemnly swore that you wouldn't bring that up!" He grinned sheepishly "this is the worst form of betrayal! You simply have to give me a piggyback after that." She grinned wickedly as he groaned and ran his hands through his crazy hair.
"Fine! Just this once!"
"Thanks, Jamie!" She crooned, bouncing around him and jumping onto his back. She kissed him on the cheek before patting him on the head "you say that every year." She pointed out smugly as he sighed and started the long journey up the stairs. "Love you, J.P."
"Love you too, Allie. You're not getting a piggyback next year though."
"If you say so."